A STRONG call for intensive oral heart failure therapy in acute heart failure patients.

Heart failure (HF), a chronic and progressive disease, is increasing in prevalence worldwide and is associated with increased hospitalizations and death. Despite notable improvements in medical therapy for HF, patients are still at risk of future negative outcomes. Current guidelines recommend four classes of medication for treating patients with HF, deemed guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT).

Effectiveness and safety of biosimilars in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases: an observational longitudinal study on the French National Health Data System.

Background: Data on biosimilar use in pediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are scarce compared to the status of studies in adults, resulting in limitations in its treatment. We compared effectiveness and safety of biosimilars versus originators in this population.

Methods: We used data from the French National Health Data System to identify children (less than 18 years old at treatment initiation) initiating treatment with a biosimilar or the originator infliximab or adalimumab for Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC), from first biosimilar launch (January 2015 and October 2018, respectively) to 31 December 2022.

Focusing surface phonon-polaritons for tunable thermal radiation.

We demonstrate unprecedented control and enhancement of thermal radiation using subwavelength conical membranes of silicon nitride. Based on fluctuational electrodynamics, we find that the focusing of surface phonon-polaritons along these membranes enhances their far-field thermal conductance by three orders of magnitude over the blackbody limit. Our calculations reveal a non-monotonic dependence of the thermal conductance on membrane geometry, with a characteristic radiation plateau emerging at small front widths due to competing effects of the polariton focusing and radiative area.

Microstructure response of concentrated suspensions to flow reversal.

We study experimentally at the macroscopic and microstructure scale a dense suspension of non-Brownian neutrally buoyant spherical particles experiencing periodic reversals of flow at constant rate between parallel plates and tracked individually. We first characterize the quasi-steady state reached at the end of half periods. The volume fraction of particles increases from the walls to the center as a result of migration induced by the nonuniform strain rate.

Multiplex digital PCR enables sensitive detection of resistance to BTK inhibitors.

The advent of BTK inhibitors has been transformative in the management of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. However, emergence of BTK or PLCG2 mutations lead to resistance to these compounds and are now a growing concern in clinical practice. Assessing BTK mutations is now becoming a priority to guide the therapeutic decision at further relapse.

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccine uptake, effectiveness, and impact in Sweden from 2018 to 2022.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an increasing health threat in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. TBE vaccination is commonly recommended in Sweden, but limited data are available on uptake, effectiveness, and impact of TBE vaccination. General population surveys conducted in 2019-2022 were used to estimated TBE vaccine uptake.

The Asgard archaeal origins of Arf family GTPases involved in eukaryotic organelle dynamics.

The evolution of eukaryotes is a fundamental event in the history of life. The closest prokaryotic lineage to eukaryotes, the Asgardarchaeota, encode proteins previously found only in eukaryotes, providing insight into their archaeal ancestor. Eukaryotic cells are characterized by endomembrane organelles, and the Arf family GTPases regulate organelle dynamics by recruiting effector proteins to membranes upon activation.

Constitutive expression of Cas9 and rapamycin-inducible Cre recombinase facilitates conditional genome editing in Plasmodium berghei.

Malaria is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and remains a global health concern. The parasite has a highly adaptable life cycle comprising successive rounds of asexual replication in a vertebrate host and sexual maturation in the mosquito vector Anopheles. Genetic manipulation of the parasite has been instrumental for deciphering the function of Plasmodium genes.

YAT2150 is irresistible in Plasmodium falciparum and active against Plasmodium vivax and Leishmania clinical isolates.

We recently characterized the potent antiplasmodial activity of the aggregated protein dye YAT2150, whose presumed mode of action is the inhibition of protein aggregation in the malaria parasite. Using single-dose and ramping methods, assays were done to select Plasmodium falciparum parasites resistant to YAT2150 concentrations ranging from 3× to 0.25× the in vitro IC of the compound (in the two-digit nM range) and performed a cross-resistance assessment in P.

Cushing syndrome.

Cushing syndrome (CS) is a constellation of signs and symptoms caused by excessive exposure to exogenous or endogenous glucocorticoid hormones. Endogenous CS is caused by increased cortisol production by one or both adrenal glands (adrenal CS) or by elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion from a pituitary tumour (Cushing disease (CD)) or non-pituitary tumour (ectopic ACTH secretion), which stimulates excessive cortisol production. CS is associated with severe multisystem morbidity, including impaired cardiovascular and metabolic function, infections and neuropsychiatric disorders, which notably reduce quality of life.

Bone sarcomas and cancer predisposition syndromes.

Bone sarcomas, constituting less than 1% of malignant neoplasms across all age groups, are rare tumours possibly associated with genetic susceptibility syndromes. This review aims to provide recommendations for the detection of cancer predisposition syndromes associated with bone sarcomas and managing affected patients. Recommendations were formulated by a multidisciplinary working and reviewing group from GROUPOS and SFCE oncogenetic's group, including geneticists, oncologists, and radiologists.

Incidence and Outcomes of Secondary Bladder Cancer Following Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: There is an established association between secondary bladder cancers (SBCs) and radiotherapy (RT) for prostate cancer (PC), which remains a significant concern. Our aim was to update the evidence on SBC incidence across different RT modalities and to compare oncological outcomes for patients diagnosed with SBC to those diagnosed with primary bladder cancer (PBC).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies on SBC following PC.

Perceived financial hardship and sleep in an adult population-based cohort: The mediating role of psychosocial and lifestyle-related factors.

Background: Social inequalities in sleep have been reported, but there is less research on the mechanisms underlying this association. This study investigates the relationship between financial hardship and sleep within the general adult population, focusing on the mediating effects of psychosocial and lifestyle-related factors.

Methods: We used data from the Specchio cohort, a population-based study in Geneva, Switzerland, initiated in December 2020.

Stratification system with dual human endogenous retroviruses for predicting immunotherapy efficacy in metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Endogenous retrovirus (ERV) elements are genomic footprints of ancestral retroviral infections within the human genome. While the dysregulation of ERV transcription has been linked to immune cell infiltration in various cancers, its relationship with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) response in solid tumors, particularly metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), remains inadequately explored.

Methods: This study analyzed patients with metastatic ccRCC from two prospective clinical trials, encompassing 181 patients receiving nivolumab in the CheckMate trials (-009 to -010 and -025) and 48 patients treated with the ipilimumab-nivolumab combination in the BIONIKK trial.

Minimally important change on the Columbia Impairment Scale and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in youths seeking mental healthcare.

Background: Evidence-based mental health requires patient-relevant outcome data, but many indicators lack clinical meaning and fail to consider youth perceptions. The minimally important change (MIC) indicator designates change as meaningful to patients, yet is rarely reported in youth mental health trials.

Objective: This study aimed to establish MIC thresholds for two patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), the Columbia Impairment Scale (CIS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), using different estimation methods.

Phenotypic Heterogeneity of ADTKD-MUC1 Diagnosed Using VNtyper, a Novel Genetic Technique.

Rationale & Objective: Molecular diagnosis of autosomal dominant tubulointerstitial kidney disease (ADTKD) due to variants in the MUC1 gene has long been challenging since variants lie in a large Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (VNTR) region, making identification impossible using standard short read techniques. Previously, we addressed this diagnostic limitation by developing a computational pipeline, named VNtyper, for easier reliable detection of MUC1 VNTR pathogenic variants from short read sequences. This led to unexpected diagnoses of ADTKD-MUC1 among patients with kidney disease referred for genetic testing, which we report here.

Therapeutic novelties in acute heart failure and practical perspectives.

Acute Heart Failure (AHF) is a leading cause of death and represents the most frequent cause of unplanned hospital admission in patients older than 65 years. Since the past decade, several randomized clinical trials have highlighted the importance and pivotal role of certain therapeutics, including decongestion by the combination of loop diuretics, the need for rapid goal-directed medical therapies implementation before discharge, risk stratification, and early follow-up after discharge therapies. Cardiogenic shock, defined as sustained hypotension with tissue hypoperfusion due to low cardiac output and congestion, is the most severe form of AHF and mainly occurs after acute myocardial infarction, which can progress to multiple organ failure.

In vivo Safety and Feasibility of a Computed Tomography-Guided Robotic Device for Percutaneous Needle Placement in Bone.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of a robotic device used clinically in soft tissues (abdomen and lung), modified in design and workflow, to perform needle insertion in percutaneous bone procedures.

Methods: The primary objective was safety (severe complications) of robotic-assisted insertion in this new application. Secondary objectives were feasibility (placement technical success), performance (acceptable insertions rate), accuracy (lateral deviation), number of intermediate CT-scans and tolerance (minor/moderate complications).

Temporal trends and patterns in mortality from falls across 59 high-income and upper-middle-income countries, 1990-2021, with projections up to 2040: a global time-series analysis and modelling study.

Background: Deaths related to falls are a substantial public health problem worldwide, and insight into trends and differences in global fall-related deaths can be valuable for identifying prevention strategies and developing effective policies. Thus, we aimed to estimate global fall-related mortality rate trends and forecast future fall-related deaths.

Methods: In this global time-series analysis and modelling study, we investigated temporal trends in fall-related mortality rates from 1990 to 2021 using the WHO Mortality Database, following the GATHER guidelines, and forecasted trends until 2040 across 59 high-income and upper-middle-income countries.

Cardiogenic shock in patients with active onco-hematological malignancies: A multicenter retrospective study.

Purpose: Onco-hematological (OH) patients face significant cardiovascular risks due to malignancy and drug toxicity. Data are limited on the characteristics and outcomes of OH patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) in intensive care units (ICUs).

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study included 214 OH patients with CS across 22 ICUs (2010-2021).

Pembrolizumab in microsatellite instability-high/mismatch repair deficient (MSI-H/dMMR) and non-MSI-H/non-dMMR advanced endometrial cancer: Phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study results.

Objective: We report updated results with longer follow-up in patients with MSI-H/dMMR endometrial cancer (EC) in cohort D (advanced EC of any MSI/dMMR status) and cohort K (any MSI-H/dMMR advanced solid tumor, except colorectal) of the phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study (NCT02628067) and the first results from patients with non-MSI-H/non-dMMR advanced EC (cohort D).

Methods: Patients received pembrolizumab 200 mg Q3W for ≥35 cycles. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) per RECIST v1.