Fetal cardiac function in pregnancy affected by congenital heart disease: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common fetal malformation, and it can result first in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction and later in cardiac failure and hydrops. A limited number of studies have evaluated cardiac function in fetuses affected by CHD. Functional parameters could potentially identify fetuses at risk of cardiac failure before its development.

A comprehensive allele specific expression resource for the equine transcriptome.

Background: Allele-specific expression (ASE) analysis provides a nuanced view of cis-regulatory mechanisms affecting gene expression.

Results: An equine ASE analysis was performed, using integrated Iso-seq and short-read RNA sequencing data from four healthy Thoroughbreds (2 mares and 2 stallions) across 9 tissues from the Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project. Allele expression was quantified by haplotypes from long-read data, with 42,900 allele expression events compared.

Effects of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use on migraine - a critical review.

Background: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs are widely used and are among the most significant achievements of modern pharmacology. Their primary purpose is treating and preventing gastric acid-related disorders. Migraine and PPI intake are prevalent, and many people are affected by both.

Cost-efficient behavioral modeling of antennas by means of global sensitivity analysis and dimensionality reduction.

Computational tools, particularly electromagnetic (EM) solvers, are now commonplace in antenna design. While ensuring reliability, EM simulations are time-consuming, leading to high costs associated with EM-driven procedures like parametric optimization or statistical design. Various techniques have been developed to address this issue, with surrogate modeling methods garnering particular attention due to their potential advantages.

Impact of high pressure impregnation and air drying on the quality of Dosidicus gigas slices.

Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas) is the most abundant cephalopod in the fishing industry, and its high nutritional and organoleptic properties make it a go-to food product for consumers. Therefore, developing new processing techniques seems imperative to minimize quality deterioration and provide products with appropriate characteristics. The study aimed to determine the effect of high-pressure impregnation (HPI) pretreatment on hot air-drying kinetics and the quality of Humboldt squid slices.

Changes in structural composition of field margins and related landscape homogenization following EU accession of Poland.

Field margins have considerable ecological significance in farming landscapes, but are subject to constant changes resulting from natural processes and anthropogenic pressures. Understanding the balance of these processes is important from an ecological and conservation perspective. We measured 20 variables related to margin composition, woody vegetation and adjacent cropland fragmentation in 70 field margins in SW Poland in 2004 and 2006 (Poland's accession to the EU), and then resurveyed in 2021 by using the same protocol.

Efficacy and safety of the activin signalling inhibitor, sotatercept, in a pooled analysis of PULSAR and STELLAR studies.

Introduction: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Sotatercept is a first-in-class activin signalling inhibitor that acts to restore the balance between the growth-promoting and growth-inhibiting signalling pathways.

Methods: This post-hoc, exploratory, pooled analysis combines data from the double-blind placebo periods of the phase 2 PULSAR (NCT03496207) and phase 3 STELLAR (NCT04576988) studies.

Minimum initiatory concentration distribution of Mecillinam in clinical Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolates from Europe.

Background: Staphylococcus saprophyticus is the second most common bacteria causing uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTI). It is considered non-susceptible to mecillinam, with no defined breakpoint and only few available minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) observations. However, this consideration does not correlate with clinical outcome.

Toxicological profile of Acovenoside A as an active pharmaceutical ingredient - prediction of missing key toxicological endpoints using in silico toxicology methodology.

Acovenoside A, a cardenolide glycoside from Acokanthera oppositifolia, demonstrates significant therapeutic potential in cardioprotection and oncology, particularly against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, its toxicological profile requires thorough evaluation for safe pharmaceutical application. For this purpose a comprehensive in silico methods were applied, including ACD/Labs Percepta, STopTox, admetSAR 3.

International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2024: Insulin and Adjunctive Treatments in Children and Adolescents with Diabetes.

The International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD) guidelines represent a rich repository that serves as the only comprehensive set of clinical recommendations for children, adolescents, and young adults living with diabetes worldwide. This chapter builds on the 2022 ISPAD guidelines, and updates recommendations on the principles of intensive insulin regimens, including more intensive forms of multiple daily injections with new-generation faster-acting and ultra-long-acting insulins; a summary of adjunctive medications used alongside insulin treatment that includes details on pramlintide, metformin, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (GLP-1RA) and sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors; and key considerations with regard to access to insulin and affordability to ensure that all persons with diabetes who need insulin can obtain it without financial hardship.

Carbohydrate-based polymer nanocarriers for environmentally friendly applications.

Effective delivery of active substances and drugs is an important part of treatment. In order for a drug to work at the right place in the body, it must be transported there in the right way. For this reason, new carriers are being sought for active substances and drugs that can effectively deliver drugs to the target site without causing additional side effects.

Towards ultrasensitive biosensors based on virus-like particles and plasmonic surface lattice resonance.

Plasmonic surface lattice resonance (SLR) is a phenomenon in which individual localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) excited in periodically-arranged plasmonic nanoparticles couple through the interaction with the propagating diffracted incident light. The SLR optical absorption peak is by at least one order of magnitude more intense than the LSPR one, making SLR superior for applications in which LSPR is commonly used. Recently, we have developed a route for the fabrication of spherical virus-like particles (VLPs) with plasmonic Au cores and protein coronas, where the LSPR in the cores amplifies vibrational Raman signals originating from protein-antibody interactions [ACS Synth.

Long-term, continuous, subcutaneous levodopa/carbidopa infusion with ND0612 in Parkinson's disease: 3-year outcomes from the open-label BeyoND study.

Introduction: ND0612 is being investigated as a continuous, subcutaneous levodopa/carbidopa infusion, in combination with oral levodopa/carbidopa, for motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease (PD). One-year data from the ongoing BeyoND study (NCT02726386) showed that the ND0612 regimen was safe and well tolerated and provided a sustained ≥2-h improvement in daily Good ON-time through 12 months of treatment.

Methods: We describe 3-year safety and efficacy outcomes for participants who completed 12 months of ND0612 treatment in the core study period and entered the extension phase.

Application of UPWr_E124 phage cocktail for effective reduction of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in mice and broiler chickens.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) is the main causative agent of colibacillosis, causing poultry respiratory infections, mortality and economic loss. APEC poses a serious threat to public health and food safety due to its multi-drug resistance and capacity to form biofilms. Bacteriophages (phages) have emerged as an alternative to antibiotics.

Prediction of marbling score in ribeye quartered at the 5th- 6th rib of French beef using the Q-FOM™ beef assessment camera.

In the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) and Guaranteed Global Grading (3G) grading schemes, beef marbling is scored visually in the chiller by accredited graders from 100 to 1190 marble score points in increments of 10. This study aimed to evaluate a hand-held camera (Q-FOM™ Beef) for determining MSA marbling scores of carcasses quartered between the 5th and 6th rib. The carcasses were scored by two accredited graders, including an expert grader (i.

A Model of Zymogen Factor XII: Insights into Protease Activation.

In plasma, the zymogens factor XII (FXII) and prekallikrein reciprocally convert each other to the proteases FXIIa and plasma kallikrein (PKa). PKa cleaves high-molecular-weight kininogen (HK) to release bradykinin, which contributes to regulation of blood vessel tone and permeability. Plasma FXII is normally in a "closed" conformation that limits activation by PKa.

Assessment of the underreporting of rhinitis in patients with asthma: A MASK-air® real-world study.

Rhinitis is a common comorbidity in patients with asthma. However, the frequency of underreported rhinitis in asthma is not known. In this study, we aimed to assess the characteristics of patients with self-reported asthma and no self-reported rhinitis, as well as the extent of the underreporting of rhinitis.

Adjuvant Atezolizumab for Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: The ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype with a high incidence in young patients, a high incidence in non-Hispanic Black women, and a high risk of progression to metastatic cancer, a devastating sequela with a 12- to 18-month life expectancy. Until recently, one strategy for treating early-stage triple-negative breast cancer was chemotherapy after surgery. However, it was not known whether the addition of immune therapy to postsurgery chemotherapy would be beneficial.

A Phase 3B, Open-Label Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of the Quadrivalent Meningococcal Nimenrix Vaccine When Given to Healthy Infants at 3 and 12 Months of Age.

Introduction: Infants and young children typically have the highest age-related risk of invasive meningococcal disease. The immunogenicity and safety of a single primary dose and a booster of a meningococcal A/C/W/Y tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-TT; Nimenrix) in infants were evaluated.

Methods: In this phase 3b, open-label, single-arm study, healthy 3-month-old infants received a single Nimenrix dose followed by a booster at age 12 months (1 + 1 series).

An early evaluation of robot-assisted and conventional techniques for posterior approach atlantoaxial displacement instrumentation - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Atlantoaxial dislocation (AAD) is a serious condition in which the first two cervical vertebrae lose their anatomical position and stability. This may lead to neurological complications, including death. The treatment of AAD remains controversial, and posterior instrumentation with pedicle screw placement is one of the commonly used methods.

Shear wave elastography primer for the abdominal radiologist.

Purpose: Shear wave elastography (SWE) provides a means for adding information about the mechanical properties of tissues to a diagnostic ultrasound examination. It is important to understand the physics and methods by which the measurements are made to aid interpretation of the results as they relate to disease processes.

Methods: The components of how ultrasound is used to generate shear waves and make measurements of the induced motion are reviewed.

Distinct Aggregation Behavior of -Terminally Truncated Aβ Over Aβ in the Presence of Zn(II).

The deposition of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates and metal ions within senile plaques is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Among the modifications observed in Aβ peptides, -terminal truncation at Phe4, yielding Aβ, is highly prevalent in AD-affected brains and significantly alters Aβ's metal-binding and aggregation profiles. Despite the abundance of Zn(II) in senile plaques, its impact on the aggregation and toxicity of Aβ remains unexplored.