sp. nov., isolated from a patient with ruptured appendicitis.

A clinical isolate, R131, was isolated from the peritoneal swab of a patient who suffered from ruptured appendicitis with abscess and gangrene in Hong Kong in 2018. Cells are facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, Gram-positive coccobacilli. Colonies were small, grey, semi-translucent, low convex and alpha-haemolytic.

Quantifying Tinnitus Perception Improvement: Deriving the Minimal Clinically Important Difference of the Minimum Masking Level.

Purpose: Tools that can reliably measure changes in the perception of tinnitus following interventions are lacking. The minimum masking level, defined as the lowest level at which tinnitus is completely masked, is a candidate for quantifying changes in tinnitus perception. In this study, we aimed to determine minimal clinically important differences for minimum masking level.

Identifying and targeting key driver genes for collagen production within the 11q13/14 breast cancer amplicon.

Breast cancers of the IntClust-2 type, characterized by amplification of a small portion of chromosome 11, have a median survival of only five years. Several cancer-relevant genes occupy this portion of chromosome 11, and it is thought that overexpression of a combination of driver genes in this region is responsible for the poor outcome of women in this group. In this study we used a gene editing method to knock out, one by one, each of 198 genes that are located within the amplified region of chromosome 11 and determined how much each of these genes contributed to the survival of breast cancer cells.

Use of Albumin-Adjusted Calcium Measurements in Clinical Practice.

Importance: Using albumin-adjusted calcium is commonly recommended for for measuring calcium, but with little empirical evidence to support the practice.

Objective: To assess the correlation between total calcium measurements (with or without adjustment) vs the ionized calcium level as a reference standard.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a population-based cross-sectional study in the province of Alberta, Canada, including adults tested for serum total calcium and ionized calcium simultaneously between January 1, 2013, and October 31, 2019.

Perfusion Capacity as a Predictive Index for Assessing Visual Functional Recovery in Patients With Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane.

Purpose: This study investigates the association between visual function and retinal vasculature metrics, particularly perfusion capacity (PC), in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM), using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: This retrospective study includes 30 eyes from 30 iERM patients who had surgery, with a three-month follow-up period. In addition, 28 eyes from 28 healthy individuals served as a control group.

Safety of Human USH1C Transgene Expression Following Subretinal Injection in Wild-Type Pigs.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate early-phase safety of subretinal application of AAVanc80.CAG.USH1Ca1 (OT_USH_101) in wild-type (WT) pigs, examining the effects of a vehicle control, low dose, and high dose.

Fundus Autofluorescence Variation in Geographic Atrophy of Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Clinicopathologic Correlation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop ground-truth histology about contributors to variable fundus autofluorescence (FAF) signal and thus inform patient selection for treating geographic atrophy (GA) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: One woman with bilateral multifocal GA, foveal sparing, and thick choroids underwent 535 to 580 nm excitation FAF in 6 clinic visits (11 to 6 years before death). The left eye was preserved 5 hours after death.

Generative Artificial Intelligence in Anatomic Pathology.

Context.—: Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative force in various fields, including anatomic pathology, where it offers the potential to significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy, workflow efficiency, and research capabilities.

Objective.

Aneurysmal rupture in microscopic polyangiitis: a case-based review.

Microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) affects small and medium vessel, which sometimes leads to arterial aneurysms. In English database, only 15 reports refer to ruptured aneurysms in MPA. We experienced a fatal case with MPA who developed multiple visceral aneurysms, resulting in rupture of the hepatic aneurysm.

Matters arising: cost-utility and cost-effectiveness analysis of disease-modifying drugs of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a systematic review.

Background: In their interesting systematic review, Gallehzan et al. quoted our article Cost-utility analysis of teriflunomide in naïve vs. previously treated patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in Italy.

Complementary Strategies to Identify Differentially Expressed Genes in the Choroid Plexus of Patients with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease causing myelin and axon damage through inflammatory and autoimmune processes. Despite affecting millions worldwide, understanding its genetic pathways remains limited. The choroid plexus (ChP) has been studied in neurodegenerative processes and diseases like MS due to its dysregulation, yet its role in MS pathophysiology remains unclear.

NOL-7 serves as a potential prognostic-related biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Nucleolar protein 7 (NOL7), a specific protein found in the nucleolus, is crucial for maintaining cell division and proliferation. While the involvement of NOL7 in influencing the unfavorable prognosis of metastatic melanoma has been reported, its significance in predicting the prognosis of patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Methods: Aberrant expression of NOL7 in HCC and its prognostic value were evaluated using multiple databases, including TCGA, GTEx, Xiantao Academic, HCCDB, UALCAN, TISCH, and STRING.

Rapid fabrication and dissolution of pressed Ni/Mg matrix targets for Co production.

Background: Beyond the use of conventional short-lived PET radionuclides, there is a growing interest in tracking larger biomolecules and exploring radiotheranostic applications. One promising option for imaging medium-sized molecules and peptides is ⁵⁵Co (T₁/₂ = 17.5 h, β⁺ = 76%), which enables imaging of new and already established tracers with blood circulation of several hours.

A Review of Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) in Pancreatic Cancer: Ready for the Clinic?

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is a devastating disease which is associated with an increase in cancer-related death in the USA. The minority of patients are cured by surgery alone and typically require adjuvant chemotherapy in order to improve clinical outcomes. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is an emerging technology whereby microscopic levels of minimal residual disease (MRD) can be detected in the bloodstream.

Thymol as a Novel Plant-Derived Antibacterial Agent for Suppressing Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum in Cotton.

Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm) associated with bacterial blight disease is a significant and widespread pathogen affecting cotton worldwide. The excessive use of harmful chemicals to control plant pathogens has exerted a negative impact on environmental safety.

Influence of a handheld X-ray unit in the diagnosis of proximal caries lesions using different digital systems.

Objectives: To assess the influence of a handheld X-ray unit in the diagnosis of proximal caries lesions using different digital systems by comparing with a wall-mounted unit.

Methods: Radiographs of 40 human teeth were acquired using the Eagle X-ray handheld unit (Alliage, São Paulo, Brazil) set at 2.5 mA, 60 kVp and an exposure time of 0.

CaMKIIγ advances chronic intermittent hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via HIF-1 signaling pathway.

Background: Our previous study have demonstrated chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanisms are complicated and varied. In this study, we first investigated the CaMKIIγ expression and signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of cardiomyocyte apoptosis after CIH.

The efficacy and safety of suvemcitug, envafolimab, and FOLFIRI in microsatellite-stable or mismatch repair-proficient colorectal cancer: preliminary results of a phase 2 study.

Purpose: This phase II study is designed to evaluate the combination therapy involving suvemcitug and envafolimab with FOLFIRI in microsatellite-stable or mismatch repair-proficient (MSS/pMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) in the second-line treatment setting.

Methods: This study is a non-randomized, open-label prospective study comprising multiple cohorts (NCT05148195). Here, we only report the data from the CRC cohort.

The dynamic interaction of pediatric ALL cells and MSCs: influencing leukemic cell survival and modulating MSC β-catenin expression.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) are integral components of the bone marrow microenvironment, playing a crucial role in supporting hematopoiesis. Recent studies have investigated the potential involvement of BM-MSCs in the pathophysiology of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the exact contribution of BM-MSCs to leukemia progression remains unclear because of conflicting findings and limited characterization.

Platelet-rich plasma alleviates skin photoaging by activating autophagy and inhibiting inflammasome formation.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) holds promising prospects for the treatment of skin photoaging. This study aims to unravel the mechanism underlying PRP's anti-photoaging properties. Partial skin of rats was irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) and injected with PRP, and the skin appearance, pathological state, and aging conditions were determined.

Oral supplementation of curcumin-encapsulated chitosan nanoconjugates as an innovative strategy for mitigating nickel-mediated hepatorenal toxicity in rats.

Nickel pollution adversely affects human health and causes various disorders, mainly hepatic and renal dysfunction. The present work focused on a comparative evaluation of the pure form of curcumin (CU) with curcumin-encapsulated chitosan nanoconjugates (CS/CU NCs), on mitigation of the delirious effects of Ni on hepatorenal tissue. Forty-two male rats were allocated into 6 groups (n = 7 for each) as follows: (1) control, (2) CU, (3) CS/CU NCs, (4) Ni, (5) Ni + CU, (6) Ni + CS/CU NCs.

Methyltransferase-like 14 promotes ferroptosis in sepsis-induced acute kidney injury via increasing the m6A methylation modification of LPCAT3.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most serious and common complications in the course of sepsis, known for its poor prognosis and high mortality rate. Recently, ferroptosis, as a newly discovered regulatory cell death, might be closely associated with the progression of AKI. METTL14 is a writer of RNA m6A, an abundant epigenetic modification in transcriptome with broad function.

CDK5: Insights into its roles in diseases.

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5), a unique member of the CDK family, is a proline-directed serine/threonine protein kinase with critical roles in various physiological and pathological processes. Widely expressed in the central nervous system, CDK5 is strongly implicated in neurological diseases. Beyond its neurological roles, CDK5 is involved in metabolic disorders, psychiatric conditions, and tumor progression, contributing to processes such as proliferation, migration, immune evasion, genomic stability, and angiogenesis.