Bariatric surgery and alcohol and substance use: A case-control survey study.

Purpose: Studies suggest alcohol and/or other substance misuse may develop after bariatric surgery (BS), but findings are not consistent or conclusive.

Procedures: This cross-sectional online survey investigated alcohol and other substance use, via a modified version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, before and after bariatric surgery, compared to a non-bariatric surgery sample. Data were anonymously collected via Qualtrics from adults who reported alcohol or substance use (BS, n = 328; non-BS, n = 292).

Metoprolol vs diltiazem for atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate: Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events.

Background: Intravenous (IV) diltiazem and metoprolol are commonly used to achieve rate control for atrial fibrillation with RVR (Afib with RVR), and are both recommended as first-line by current guidelines. While prior studies investigated the efficacy of these medications, there is little evidence available regarding the risk of adverse events (AEs) with their use.

Methods: We identified randomized controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies reporting rates of AEs following administration of IV diltiazem and metoprolol for Afib with RVR by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.

Validation of AI-driven measurements for hip morphology assessment.

Rationale And Objectives: Accurate assessment of hip morphology is crucial for the diagnosis and management of hip pathologies. Traditional manual measurements are prone to mistakes and inter- and intra-reader variability. Artificial intelligence (AI) could mitigate such issues by providing accurate and reproducible measurements.

Fine-tuning probes for fluorescence polarization binding assays of bivalent ligands against polo-like kinase 1 using full-length protein.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an important cell cycle regulator that is a recognized target for development of anti-cancer therapeutics. Plk1 is composed of a catalytic kinase domain (KD), a flexible interdomain linker and a polo-box domain (PBD). Intramolecular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the PBD and KD result in "auto-inhibition" that is an essential component of proper Plk1 function.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and pregnancy.

Critical illness during pregnancy poses significant challenges driven by complex interactions between physiological changes, pre-existing conditions, and healthcare disparities. In high-income countries, increasing maternal age and comorbidities complicate obstetric care by triggering an unprecedented rise in cardiac disease during pregnancy, while infections like influenza and COVID-19 are important causes of maternal adult respiratory distress syndrome. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) gained prominence as a vital intervention, providing respiratory and/or cardiac support, for varying indications between antenatal and postpartum periods.

Influence of different ethnicities on early childhood caries in preschool children at risk of social exclusion in Southeastern Spain.

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of early childhood caries and to study a possible influence on different ethnicities in preschool children aged 3 to 5 with social exclusion risk.

Background: Oral diseases are a major global public health problem, with negative effects at both individual and collective levels, and there is a relationship between socioeconomic characteristics such as income, occupation and educational level, with the prevalence and severity of oral diseases.

Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted in a sample of 288 preschool children belonging to three schools in the Southeastern Spain among other variables dmft and ICDASS index.

PathInHydro, a Set of Machine Learning Models to Identify Unbinding Pathways of Gas Molecules in [NiFe] Hydrogenases.

Machine learning (ML) is a powerful tool for the automated data analysis of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Recent studies showed that ML models can be used to identify protein-ligand unbinding pathways and understand the underlying mechanism. To expedite the examination of MD simulations, we constructed PathInHydro, a set of supervised ML models capable of automatically assigning unbinding pathways for the dissociation of gas molecules from [NiFe] hydrogenases, using the unbinding trajectories of CO and H from [NiFe] hydrogenase as a training set.

Steroids and steroid-like compounds alter the ion permeability of phospholipid bilayers distinct interactions with lipids and interfacial water.

Steroids are organic compounds found in all forms of biological life. Besides their structural roles in cell membranes, steroids act as signalling molecules in various physiological processes and are used to treat inflammatory conditions. It has been hypothesised that in addition to their well-characterised genomic and non-genomic pathways, steroids exert their biological or pharmacological activities an indirect, nonreceptor-mediated membrane mechanism caused by steroid-induced changes to the physicochemical properties of cell membranes.

Effect of digital health applications with or without gamification on physical activity and cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Use of health applications (apps) to support healthy lifestyles has intensified. Different app features may support effectiveness, including gamification defined as the use of game elements in a non-game situation. Whether health apps with gamification can impact behaviour change and cardiometabolic risk factors remains unknown.

Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial.

Background: Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination.

Methods: This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial involving patients with moderate-to-severe MDD.

HIV interventions across the care continuum for adolescents in high-burden countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Adolescents (10-19 years old) have poor outcomes across the prevention-to-treatment HIV care continuum, leading to significant mortality and morbidity. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventions that documented HIV outcomes among adolescents in HIV high-burden countries.

Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library for studies published between January 2015 and September 2024, assessing at least one HIV outcome along the prevention-to-care cascade, including PrEP uptake, HIV testing, awareness of HIV infections, ARV adherence, retention, and virological suppression.

Medication non-adherence: reflecting on two decades since WHO adherence report and setting goals for the next twenty years.

Background: Non-adherence to medication remains a persistent and significant challenge, with profound implications for patient outcomes and the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems. Two decades ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) dedicated its seminal report to adherence to long-term therapies, catalysing notable changes that advanced both research and practice in medication adherence. The aim of this paper was to identify the most important progress made over the last 2 decades in medication adherence management and to initiate a discussion on future objectives, suggesting priority targets for the next 20 years.

Connection between -electron correlations and magnetic excitations in UTe.

The detailed anisotropic dispersion of the low-temperature, low-energy magnetic excitations of the candidate spin-triplet superconductor UTe is revealed using inelastic neutron scattering. The magnetic excitations emerge from the Brillouin zone boundary at the high symmetry and points and disperse along the crystallographic -axis. In applied magnetic fields to at least = 11 T along the , the magnetism is found to be field-independent in the ( 0) plane.

Evidence of multiple bacterial, viral, and parasitic infectious disease agents in rodents in riverine areas in selected parts of Zambia.

Background: Infectious disease agents pose significant threats to humans, wildlife, and livestock, with rodents carrying a third of these agents, many linked to human diseases. However, the range of pathogens in rodents and the hotspots for disease remain poorly understood.

Aim: This study evaluated the prevalence of viral, bacterial, and parasitic pathogens in rodents in riverine and non-riverine areas in selected districts in Zambia.

Benchmarking lung cancer screening programmes with adaptive screening frequency against the optimal screening schedules derived from the ENGAGE framework: a comparative microsimulation study.

Background: Lung cancer screening recommendations employ annual frequency for eligible individuals, despite evidence that it may not be universally optimal. The impact of imposing a structure on the screening frequency remains unknown. The ENGAGE framework, a validated framework that offers fully dynamic, analytically optimal, personalised lung cancer screening recommendations, could be used to assess the impact of screening structure on the effectiveness and efficiency of lung cancer screening.

Mechanistic insights into endosomal escape by sodium oleate-modified liposomes.

Endosomal entrapment significantly limits the efficacy of drug delivery systems. This study investigates sodium oleate-modified liposomes (SO-Lipo) as an innovative strategy to enhance endosomal escape and improve cytosolic delivery in 4T1 triple-negative breast cancer cells. We aimed to elucidate the mechanistic role of sodium oleate in promoting endosomal escape and compared the performance of SO-Lipo with unmodified liposomes (Unmodified-Lipo) and Aurein 1.

In silico discovery of potential inhibitors targeting the MEIG1-PACRG complex for male contraceptive development.

The interaction between meiosis-expressed gene 1 (MEIG1) and Parkin co-regulated gene (PACRG) is a critical determinant of spermiogenesis, the process by which round spermatids mature into functional spermatozoa. Disruption of the MEIG1-PACRG complex can impair sperm development, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for addressing male infertility or for the development of non-hormonal contraceptive methods. This study used virtual screening, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to identify small molecule inhibitors targeting the MEIG1-PACRG interface.

The PH domain in the ArfGAP ASAP1 drives catalytic activation through an unprecedented allosteric mechanism.

ASAP1 is a multidomain Arf GTPase-activating protein (ArfGAP) that catalyzes GTP hydrolysis on the small GTPase Arf1 and is implicated in cancer progression. The PH domain of ASAP1 enhances its activity greater than 7 orders of magnitude but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we combined Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Molecular Dynamic (MD) simulations and mathematical modeling of functional data to build a comprehensive structural-mechanistic model of the complex of Arf1 and the ASAP1 PH domain on a membrane surface.

Enhanced identification of small molecules binding to hnRNPA1 via cryptic pockets mapping coupled with X-Ray fragment screening.

The human heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) A1 is a prototypical RNA-binding protein essential in regulating a wide range of post-transcriptional events in cells. As a multifunctional protein with a key role in RNA metabolism, deregulation of its functions has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, tumour aggressiveness and chemoresistance, which has fuelled efforts to develop novel therapeutics that modulates its RNA binding activities. Here, using a combination of Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and graph neural network pockets predictions, we showed that hnRNPA1 N-terminal RNA binding domain (UP1) contains several cryptic pockets capable of binding small molecules.

Predicting protein curvature sensing across membrane compositions with a bilayer continuum model.

Unlabelled: Cytoplasmic proteins must recruit to membranes to function in processes such as endocytosis and cell division. Many of these proteins recognize not only the chemical structure of the membrane lipids, but the curvature of the surface, binding more strongly to more highly curved surfaces, or 'curvature sensing'. Curvature sensing by amphipathic helices is known to vary with membrane bending rigidity, but changes to lipid composition can simultaneously alter membrane thickness, spontaneous curvature, and leaflet symmetry, thus far preventing a systematic characterization of lipid composition on such curvature sensing through either experiment or simulation.

Small Molecule Modulators of β-arrestins.

Unlabelled: β-arrestins (βarrs) are key regulators of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), essential for modulating signaling pathways and physiological processes. While current pharmacological strategies target GPCR orthosteric and allosteric sites, as well as G protein transducers, comparable tools for studying βarrs are lacking. Here, we present the discovery and characterization of novel small-molecule allosteric inhibitors of βarrs through comprehensive biophysical, biochemical, pharmacological, and structural analyses.

Geny: a genotyping tool for allelic decomposition of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes.

Introduction: Accurate genotyping of Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) genes plays a pivotal role in enhancing our understanding of innate immune responses, disease correlations, and the advancement of personalized medicine. However, due to the high variability of the KIR region and high level of sequence similarity among different KIR genes, the generic genotyping workflows are unable to accurately infer copy numbers and complete genotypes of individual KIR genes from next-generation sequencing data. Thus, specialized genotyping tools are needed to genotype this complex region.

Critical Care Management of Acute Venous Thromboembolism: Integrating Pharmacotherapy, Thrombectomy, and Temporary Mechanical Support.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, carries significant morbidity and mortality risks, and is conventionally managed with anticoagulation. In recent years, notable progress has been made in the therapeutic options available for the acute treatment of VTE. The heterogeneity within pulmonary embolism, spanning a wide spectrum of risks, underscores the critical need for precise risk stratification, particularly in identifying individuals prone to right heart failure and increased mortality.

Long-term prescription opioid use following surgery in the US (2017-2022): a population-based study.

Background: Over the last decade, numerous efforts have been made to combat the opioid crisis globally. The impact of these strategies has not been adequately measured and may differ across populations depending on baseline risk. We compared changes in long-term prescription opioid use following surgery within a national US cohort, between 2017 and 2022.