Shorter and inflexible intrinsic neural timescales of the self in schizophrenia.

Background: Schizophrenia is hypothesized to involve a disturbance in the temporal dynamics of self-processing, specifically within the interoceptive, exteroceptive, and cognitive layers of the self. This study aimed to investigate the intrinsic neural timescales (INTs) within these self-processing layers among people with schizophrenia.

Methods: We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to investigate INTs, as measured by the autocorrelation window, among people with schizophrenia and healthy controls during both resting-state and task (memory encoding and retrieval) conditions.

Opportunities for More Tailored Approaches to Genotoxicity Testing and Carcinogenicity Strategy for Oligonucleotide Therapeutics: Outcome of an Industry Survey.

The Oligonucleotide Nonclinical Working Group (WG) of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations conducted an industry survey to understand current practices and regulatory expectations for genotoxicity and carcinogenicity assessment of oligonucleotide therapeutics (ONTs), along with historical genotoxicity testing results. The survey, involving 29 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, revealed a consistent absence of genotoxicity across a diverse range of oligonucleotide classes and chemistries, consistent with previous observations. Despite the lack of genotoxicity, companies continue to follow standard testing guidelines, with only limited divergence.

Evaluation of long-read sequencing for Ostreid herpesvirus type 1 genome characterization from infected tissues.

Since the 1990s, the Pacific oyster has faced significant mortality, which has been associated with the detection of the Ostreid Herpesvirus type 1 (OsHV-1). Due to the complex genomic architecture and the presence of multiple genomic isomers, short-read sequencing using Illumina method struggles to accurately assemble tandem and repeat regions and to identify and characterize large structural variations in the OsHV-1 genome. Third-generation sequencing technologies, as long-read real-time nanopore sequencing from Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), offer new possibilities for OsHV-1 whole-genome analysis.

[ORL : what's new in 2024].

This article highlights recent advancements in otorhinolaryngology. It reviews innovations in managing sudden sensory-neural hearing loss through low-dose glucocorticoid treatments and explores pediatric audiology breakthroughs, particularly gene therapy for DFNB9 deafness. In speech pathology and oncology, a new minimally invasive robotic surgical approach enhances organ preservation for head and neck cancers.

[Oncology. Antibody-drug conjugates : a challenging innovation].

New therapeutic agents in oncology are emerging rapidly, both in terms of the number of approved drugs and the technological and biological innovation of new treatments. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) offer a promising cancer therapy by specifically targeting tumor cells. ADC are composed of a monoclonal antibody recognizing the tumor cell via specific antigens, coupled with a potent cytotoxic agent that resembles classical chemotherapy.

[Nephrology : what's new in 2024 (II)].

Certain molecules, such as GLP-1 agonists and endothelin antagonists, possess nephroprotective properties. When treating IgA nephropathy, endothelin antagonists and sibeprenlimab have shown effectiveness in slowing the progression of chronic kidney isease. Additionally, the infusion of amino acids can reduce the incidence of mild acute kidney injury following cardiac surgery.

[Gastroenterology and hepatology : what's new in 2024].

The year 2024 was rich in developments in the field of hepatology, gastroenterology, and interventional endoscopy. New molecules have been developed for the treatment of metabolic steatohepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and inflammatory bowel diseases. Technological progress now makes it possible to perform screening measurements for portal hypertension directly under echo-endoscopic guidance and to extend the use of intraluminal stents to surgically modified anatomies.

[Endocrinology : what's new in 2024].

In this article, we look at a selection of recent developments in various areas of endocrinology. We focus on advances in endocrine pharmacotherapy and endocrine surgery, addressing several areas: a) the thyroid safety of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP1) analogues; b) the efficacy of adrenal surgery for mild autonomous cortisol secretion; c) crinecerfont in the management of congenital adrenal hyperplasia in adults and children; d) paltusotin as a novel oral therapy for acromegaly and e) TransCon PTH (palopegteriparatide) as a novel therapy for chronic hypoparathyroidism.

[Cardiology. Rhythmology, hypertension, dyslipidemia and aortic diseases].

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common and its treatment is complex. The new European guidelines emphasize a patient-centered approach, considering the risk factors that contribute to AF and their management in primary and secondary prevention. Recent advances in electrophysiology include the development of new ablation techniques and the implantation of a leadless bicameral pacemaker.

[Palliative care : not wait for the end of life].

Patients with serious illnesses wish to maintain their autonomy and decide the course of their end of life. The role of healthcare professionals is to assess the patient's understanding of their illness, help them become aware of the progression of their condition, and adapt these conversations according to the patient's emotional state, while providing regular spaces for discussion. Some patients continue to have expectations that may seem unrealistic despite a limited prognosis.

[Neurorehabilitation in Parkinson's disease : focus on physical therapy].

Parkinson's disease affects around 6 million people worldwide. It causes both motor and non-motor symptoms. Since there is no cure, medical treatment aims to improve patients' quality of life.

[Trust during medical consultations with trans* people].

Trust is a particularly important element in a healthcare relationship, but it is often misunderstood. In this article, we explore the trust relationship between patients and healthcare professionals and the expectations underpinning it. We then look at some of the expectations of trans* people in the context of medical consultations that are not related to medical transition.

[Gender and substance use : men exposed, women vulnerable].

The use of psychoactive substances affects more men than women, with a prevalence that is 1.3 to 2 times higher, except for the use of sedatives. Men are also more affected by accidents, injuries, and acts of violence.

Evaluating the efficiency of 16S-ITS-23S operon sequencing for species level resolution in microbial communities.

Rapid advancements in long-read sequencing have facilitated species-level microbial profiling through full-length 16S rRNA sequencing (~ 1500 bp), and more notably, by the newer 16S-ITS-23S ribosomal RNA operon (RRN) sequencing (~ 4500 bp). RRN sequencing is emerging as a superior method for species resolution, exceeding the capabilities of short-read and full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. However, being in its early stages of development, RRN sequencing has several underexplored or understudied elements, highlighting the need for a critical and thorough examination of its methodologies.

Primary care in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: Lessons from Ontario.

Objective: To understand the role of primary care in the COVID-19 pandemic to provide insight into its functioning and inform potential reforms.

Composition Of The Committee: The now dissolved Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table (Science Table) was formed in July 2020 to provide decision makers and the public with a synthesis of rapidly evolving evidence related to COVID-19. The Science Table was based at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, and supported by Public Health Ontario.

Swatting Flies: Biting Insects as Non-Invasive Samplers for Mammalian Population Genomics.

Advances in next-generation sequencing have allowed the use of DNA obtained from unusual sources for wildlife studies. However, these samples have been used predominantly to sequence mitochondrial DNA for species identification while population genetics analyses have been rare. Since next-generation sequencing allows indiscriminate detection of all DNA fragments in a sample, technically it should be possible to sequence whole genomes of animals from environmental samples.

Taming large-scale genomic analyses via sparsified genomics.

Searching for similar genomic sequences is an essential and fundamental step in biomedical research. State-of-the-art computational methods performing such comparisons fail to cope with the exponential growth of genomic sequencing data. We introduce the concept of sparsified genomics where we systematically exclude a large number of bases from genomic sequences and enable faster and memory-efficient processing of the sparsified, shorter genomic sequences, while providing comparable accuracy to processing non-sparsified sequences.