Examining pessary use and satisfaction in managing pelvic organ prolapse: results from a cross-sectional multicentre patient survey.

Background: Vaginal pessaries are a common method of managing pelvic organ prolapse (POP), as well as different types of urinary incontinence, allowing patients to successfully improve overall quality of life. Yet despite their positive attributes, there are several reasons why patients may choose to discontinue using pessaries and proceed with surgery to treat their condition instead. This study aimed to explore patients' experiences of pessary use in treating POP.

HSP60 controls mitochondrial ATP generation for optimal virus-specific IL-21-producing CD4 and cytotoxic CD8 memory T cell responses.

We have shown that virus-specific CD4 and CD8 memory T cells (TM) induce autophagy after T cell receptor (TCR) engagement to provide free glutamine and fatty acids, including in people living with HIV-1 (PLWH). These nutrients fuel mitochondrial ATP generation through glutaminolysis and fatty acid oxidation (FAO) pathways, to fulfill the bioenergetic demands for optimal IL-21 and cytotoxic molecule production in CD4 and CD8 cells, respectively. Here, we expand our knowledge on how the metabolic events that occur in the mitochondria of virus-specific TM down-stream of the autophagy are regulated.

PTSD Coach as an early mobile intervention to improve cancer-related anxiety and psychosocial oncology uptake in patients newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer: pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: This pilot study aimed to provide supportive evidence for the feasibility of conducting a full-scale intervention trial with patients newly diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC). This included assessing the acceptability and potential usefulness of the PTSD Coach mobile app as an early self-management intervention that gives information about anxiety symptoms, offers self-assessment of symptoms with feedback, tools to self-manage anxiety, and connects to support.

Methods: A three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Enhanced recovery after surgery in Pakistan: a qualitative descriptive analysis of current practices and future directions.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a cost-effective perioperative approach that has been shown to shorten patients' hospital length of stay, improve resource utilization, and reduce postoperative costs for both patients and hospitals. While ERAS has the potential to offer even greater benefits in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) its successful long-term implementation remains incomplete in Pakistan. This study aimed to explore insights and identify opportunities for implementing ERAS within the local socio-environmental context.

IDyOMpy: A new Python-based model for statistical analysis of musical expectations.

Background: IDyOM (Information Dynamics of Music) is the statistical model of music the most used in the community of neuroscience of music. It has been shown to allow for significant correlations with EEG (Marion, 2021), ECoG (Di Liberto, 2020) and fMRI (Cheung, 2019) recordings of human music listening. The language used for IDyOM -Lisp- is not very familiar to the neuroscience community and makes this model hard to use and more importantly to modify.

Can knowledge-based planning models validated on ethnically diverse patients lead to global standardisation of external beam radiation therapy for locally advanced cervix cancer?

Background And Purpose: Knowledge-based planning (KBP) can consistently and efficiently create high-quality Volumetric Arc Therapy (VMAT) plans for cervix cancer. This study describes the cross-validation of two KBP models on geographically distinct populations and their comparison to manual plans from 67 centers. The purpose was to determine the universal applicability of a generic KBP model.

TPD-seq: A high throughput RNA-seq method to derive transcriptomic points of departure from cell lines.

There is growing scientific and regulatory interest in transcriptomic points of departure (tPOD) values from high-throughput in vitro experiments. To further help democratize tPOD research, here we outline 'TPD-seq' which links microplate-based exposure methods involving cell lines for human (Caco-2, Hep G2) and environmental (rainbow trout RTgill-W1) health, with a commercially available RNA-seq kit, with a cloud-based bioinformatics tool (ExpressAnalyst.ca).

Performance of ChatGPT in French language analysis of multimodal retinal cases.

Purpose: Prior literature has suggested a reduced performance of large language models (LLMs) in non-English analyses, including Arabic and French. However, there are no current studies testing the multimodal performance of ChatGPT in French ophthalmology cases, and comparing this to the results observed in the English literature. We compared the performance of ChatGPT-4 in French and English on open-ended prompts using multimodal input data from retinal cases.

HPV vaccination and anal HPV infection in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) have a higher risk of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and related diseases and would benefit from preventive measures such as HPV vaccination. We assessed the association between HPV vaccination and anal HPV infection in HIV-negative gbMSM and gbMSM living with HIV from the Lubricant Investigation in Men to Inhibit Transmission of HPV Infection study.

Methods: Participants attended 7 visits over 12 months where they provided a nurse-collected anal sample and self-completed a questionnaire on risk factors and HPV vaccination.

Measurement Properties of the Dysphagiameter for the Assessment of Dysphagia in Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy.

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a rare late-onset muscle disease with progressive dysphagia as a major symptom. The Dysphagiameter is a newly developed patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to assess the severity of dysphagia and its impact in patients with OPMD. This article reports on item reduction and a first assessment of the Dysphagiameter's psychometrics properties, in a French and English-speaking population of individuals with OPMD.

Blockchain for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry.

The topic discussed in this commentary could serve as an initial inquiry point that deeply probes into the trustworthiness of an AI solution that a user might consider applying in the field of dentistry.

Selective retinoid X receptor agonism promotes functional recovery and myelin repair in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Evidence that myelin repair is crucial for functional recovery in multiple sclerosis (MS) led to the identification of bexarotene (BXT). This clinically promising remyelinating agent activates multiple nuclear hormone receptor subtypes implicated in myelin repair. However, BXT produces unacceptable hyperlipidemia.

Paradoxical attenuation of early amyloid-induced cognitive impairment and synaptic plasticity in an aged APP/Tau bigenic rat model.

The combination of amyloid beta and tau pathologies leads to tau-mediated neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease. However, the relative contributions of amyloid beta and tau peptide accumulation to the manifestation of the pathological phenotype in the early stages, before the overt deposition of plaques and tangles, are still unclear. We investigated the longitudinal pathological effects of combining human-like amyloidosis and tauopathy in a novel transgenic rat model, coded McGill-R-APPxhTau.

The gender gap in academic anesthesiology and critical care medicine: a systematic review.

Purpose: Gender disparities in academia are a growing concern, impacting various disciplines, including health care. We aimed to investigate gender-based differences in academic performance, leadership roles, and academic distinction within anesthesiology and critical care medicine.

Source: We conducted electronic searches for relevant articles published in PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Education Resources Information Center, PsychINFO, and ProQuest from database inception until 23 June 2024.

Heart Rate Variability and Cytokines are Involved in Anxiety in Breast Cancer Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: To explore the correlation between heart rate variability (HRV), peripheral cytokines, anxiety and pain scores in patients with breast cancer (BC).

Methods: We collected blood samples from 100 BC patients and measured the concentrations of Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Interleukin 4 (IL-4) and Interferon gamma (IFN-γ). We collected the patients' 5-minute dynamic electrocardiograms and evaluated their anxiety and pain levels through the Anxiety Self-Rating Scale and the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) Scale.

Longitudinal analysis of lifetime stressors and depression: Exploring intersectionality and tailoring social support for better mental health in a community population cohort.

Aims: Health inequalities studies need to understand how individuals simultaneously defined by several socioeconomic factors differ from others when facing a series of stressors across the lifespan in the risk of major depression (MD). Theoretical efforts, as well as empirical studies, have suggested a pertinent role of social support in mental health outcomes. However, little is known about which forms of social support would alleviate the negative impact of MD vulnerability in self-rated mental health across different socioeconomic groups.

Genetic polymorphisms, methylation, and expression levels in the GSTP1 and MGMT genes in urothelial bladder tumors.

Background: Alteration in DNA repair and metabolism genes can affect the maintenance of DNA integrity or xenobiotics metabolism, potentially leading to DNA damage accumulation. The present study investigated the association between polymorphisms in Glutathione S-Transferase Pi 1 (GSTP1, rs1695) and O-6-Methylguanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT, rs2308321) genes with urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) susceptibility and prognosis. Furthermore, the methylation patterns of the promoter region of these genes were analyzed in tumor and non-tumor bladder tissues, besides MGMT gene expression in tumor samples.

Allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells as treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus: a single-centre, open-label, dose-escalation, phase 1 study.

Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inadequate responses to standard therapies have unmet therapeutic needs. The immunomodulatory, proangiogenic, and antifibrotic properties of mesenchymal stromal cells support their use in treating patients with SLE. We aimed to assess the safety of a single intravenous infusion of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with severe SLE.

Genetic variants in DDX53 contribute to autism spectrum disorder associated with the Xp22.11 locus.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibits an ∼4:1 male-to-female sex bias and is characterized by early-onset impairment of social/communication skills, restricted interests, and stereotyped behaviors. Disruption of the Xp22.11 locus has been associated with ASD in males.

Evaluating environmental, weather, and management influences for sustainable beekeeping in California and Quebec: Enhancing beehive survival predictions.

Concerned about declining managed honeybee populations in North America, this study employed the random survival forest (RSF) model to assess beehive mortality, considering 18 diverse environmental, weather, and management practices. Our analysis focused on 15,906 and 6,690 beehives in California state, United States, and Quebec province, Canada for 2023, respectively. The accuracy of the RSF model was assessed through three accuracy metrics, namely concordance index (C-index), integrated Brier score (IBS), and time-dependent area under the curve (AUC).

Design of Label-Free DNA Light-Up Aptaswitches for Multiplexed Biosensing.

We present a straightforward design approach to develop DNA-based light-up aptasensors. We performed the first systematic comparison of DNA fluorescent light-up aptamers (FLAPs), revealing key differences in affinity and specificity for their target dyes. Based on our analysis, two light-up aptamers emerged with remarkable specificity, fluorescence enhancement, and functionality in diverse environments.