Evidence for Multiple Independent Expansions of Fox Gene Families Within Flatworms.

Expansion and losses of gene families are important drivers of molecular evolution. A recent survey of Fox genes in flatworms revealed that this superfamily of multifunctional transcription factors, present in all animals, underwent extensive losses and expansions during platyhelminth evolution. In this paper, I analyzed Fox gene complement in four additional species of platyhelminths, that represent early-branching lineages in the flatworm phylogeny: catenulids (Stenostomum brevipharyngium and Stenostomum leucops) and macrostomorphs (Macrostomum hystrix and Macrostomum cliftonense).

Does Perfectionism Affect Parental Identity Development? A One-Year Longitudinal Study.

Introduction: Previous studies have revealed that perfectionism and identity development during adolescence are related. However, no longitudinal study has been conducted on the impact of perfectionism on identity development in adulthood. In the present study, we analyzed for the first time the longitudinal relationship between personal standards, an indicator of perfectionistic strivings, and concern over mistakes and doubts about actions, indicators of perfectionist concerns, and identity development in one of the most important yet least understood domains for adults, parental identity.

Establishing Reference Values in the Neuromuscular Ultrasound Laboratory Using the e-Norms Method: A Feasibility Study.

Introduction/aims: The standard procedure to establish reference values in a neuromuscular laboratory involves examining healthy controls, as nerve size varies with the population and muscle echo intensity (EI) is device-specific. We aimed to derive these reference values by extrapolation from a studied sample (the e-norms method), compare them with published reference values, and determine their diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from consecutive patients who underwent nerve and/or muscle ultrasound in our ultrasound laboratory, which is a tertiary referral center for neuromuscular diseases in Southern Poland in the years 2018-2023.

Strategies for introducing and implementing vaccines for adults into national immunization programs in Europe: Good practices and key insights of the adult immunization board meeting.

In April 2024, the Adult Immunization Board convened a technical meeting to explore the latest strategies and identify exemplary approaches regarding the implementation of vaccines for adults into Europe's National Immunization Programs (NIPs). The meeting was built around three pillars: decision making for introducing a new vaccine, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The increasing number of new vaccines available in a context of competing health priorities warrants transparent and evidence-based decision-making processes for vaccine introduction.

Management Measures and Trends of Biological Invasions in Europe: A Survey-Based Assessment of Local Managers.

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and nature's contributions to people worldwide. However, the effectiveness of invasive alien species (IAS) management measures and the progress toward achieving biodiversity targets remain uncertain due to limited and nonuniform data availability. Management success is usually assessed at a local level and documented in technical reports, often written in languages other than English, which makes such data notoriously difficult to collect at large geographic scales.

Muscle parameters in men and oxidative stress markers.

Background: The oxidative handicap hypothesis posits that testosterone-dependent traits, such as muscle mass and strength, may be costly to develop due to testosterone's pro-oxidative properties, leading to increased oxidative stress. This hypothesis suggests that only individuals with superior biological conditions can afford these costs. This study examines the oxidative handicap hypothesis, exploring the relationship between muscle mass or handgrip strength and oxidative stress markers in men.

In vitro evaluation of the immunomodulatory and antibacterial activities of calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin D3) as a potential application for aerobic vaginitis treatment - preliminary study results.

Background: Aerobic vaginitis (AV) is a state of abnormal vaginal microbiota, which is associated with increased numbers of aerobic, enteric bacteria and inflammation of the vaginal epithelium. Anti-microbial treatment combined with anti-inflammatory therapy could be useful in the treatment of this condition. It is known that calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, plays an important role in modulating the immune response in several inflammatory diseases.

Metabolic pathways of eicosanoids-derivatives of arachidonic acid and their significance in skin.

The skin is a barrier that protects the human body against environmental factors (physical, including solar radiation, chemicals, and pathogens). The integrity and, consequently, the effective metabolic activity of skin cells is ensured by the cell membrane, the important structural and metabolic elements of which are phospholipids. Phospholipids are subject to continuous transformation, including enzymatic hydrolysis (with the participation of phospholipases A, C, and D) to free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which under the influence of cyclooxygenases (COX1/2), lipoxygenases (LOXs), and cytochrome P450 (CYPs P450) are metabolized to various classes of oxylipins, depending on the type of PUFA being metabolized and the enzyme acting.

Anatomical investigation of safety determining factors for keyhole drilling trajectories for robotic cochlear implant surgery.

Purpose: Cochlear implants (CI) are the most successful bioprosthesis in medicine probably due to the tonotopic anatomy of the auditory pathway and of course the brain plasticity. Correct placement of the CI arrays, respecting the inner ear anatomy are therefore important. The ideal trajectory to insert a cochlear implant array is defined by an entrance through the round window membrane and continues as long as possible parallel to the basal turn of the cochlea.

Polyphenols as a strategy for improving male reproductive system.

Reproduction in males is one of the complicated processes that is mediated by many environmental factors, as well as by diet (e.g. supplements, nutritional value).

Diffuseness of coronary artery disease impacts on immediate hemodynamic and predicted clinical outcomes.

Diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) impacts the immediate hemodynamic and clinical outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We evaluated whether the diffuse pattern of CAD derived from angiographic Quantitative flow ratio (QFR) impacts the immediate hemodynamic outcome post-PCI and the medium term predicted vessel-oriented composite endpoint (VOCE). Paired pre-procedure QFRs were assessed in 503 patients and 1022 vessels in the Multivessel TALENT (MVT) trial.

The effect of a general practitioner's perception of a patient request for antibiotics on antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections: secondary analysis of a point prevalence audit survey in 18 European countries.

Background: Illness severity, comorbidity, fever, age and symptom duration influence antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTI). Non-medical determinants, such as patient expectations, also impact prescribing.

Aim: To quantify the effect of general practitioners' (GPs') perception of a patient request for antibiotics on antibiotic prescribing for RTI and investigate effect modification by medical determinants and country.

Safety and efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in pediatric neuro-immunological diseases.

Purpose: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is the treatment of choice in various neuro-immunological disorders in pediatric populations. This study assesses the safety and efficacy of TPE in this demographic.

Materials And Methods: A single-center, retrospective cohort study involving pediatric patients who experienced neuro-immunological events and underwent TPE procedures at a tertiary referral center was conducted.

AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR GENETIC STUDY OF 60 COLORECTAL CARCINOMA BRAIN METASTASES IN PURSUIT OF PREDICTIVE BIOMARKERS FOR CANCER THERAPY.

Colorectal carcinoma brain metastases (n=60) were studied using next-generation sequencing and immunohistochemistry. RAS and BRAF mutations were detected in 58.2% and 7.

Outcomes after medical treatment for primary aldosteronism: an international consensus and analysis of treatment response in an international cohort.

Background: Primary aldosteronism can be treated medically but there is no standardised method to evaluate treatment outcomes. We aimed to develop criteria for assessing the outcomes of targeted medical treatment of primary aldosteronism, analyse outcomes across an international cohort, and identify factors associated with a complete treatment response.

Methods: An international panel of 31 primary aldosteronism experts used the Delphi method to reach consensus on the definition of complete, partial, or absent biochemical and clinical outcomes of medical treatment of primary aldosteronism.

Use of iodoquinolines for iodine biofortification of potato plants.

Recent studies on iodine biofortification of potato have documented various iodine contents in tubers: from very low to such covering the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA-I). The aim of the work was to evaluate the efficiency of iodine biofortification of potato using six iodoquinolines applied in two doses, with KIO as a reference compound. The mineral status of potato plants and the nutritional and health-promoting value of tubers were also studied.

Is this an underestimated problem? Using coercion before psychiatric hospitalization.

Background: The Mental Health Act (1994) specifies rules of use for direct coercion in Poland. Coercion in psychiatric wards may improve the safety of patients and surroundings but influences compliance and satisfaction with treatment. Legal (formal) coercion regulated by law isn't the one and only form of coercion used on people with mental disorders.

Strategic evaluation of European Inland transport companies for European green deal compliance: A multi-criteria decision making-analysis.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the readiness of European inland transport companies for the European Green Deal by analyzing the causal relationships between key factors essential for EGD implementation. The research identifies six critical factors: Investment in Green Technologies, Policy Alignment and Compliance, Stakeholder Collaboration, Resource Management, Employee Training and Engagement, and Emission Reduction Initiatives. This research offers the first integrated evaluation of EGD readiness utilizing a combination of fuzzy-DEMATEL, multiple regression analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling aimed at uncovering systemic interactions among the factors in the system.

Evaluation of anti-Pertussis antibody levels in Iranian infants and children: Is it time to include booster acellular Pertussis Vaccines in the immunization schedule?

Introduction: The prevalence of anti-pertussis antibodies among infants and children in Iran has not been thoroughly investigated. Given that recommendations for booster vaccines are based on national disease epidemiology, we aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of pertussis antibodies among infants and children in an Iranian referral hospital.

Materials And Methods: A total of 1012 infants and children were included in the study.

Ovalbumin gene polymorphism: Implications for hatchability and egg quality changes during storage in Japanese quail.

The aim of the study was to identify polymorphisms in the ovalbumin gene - SERPINB14 gene and evaluate their effect on hatchability traits and egg quality changes during storage in two strains of Japanese quails: meat-type (F33) and laying-type (S22). To individually determine hatchability traits for each female, eggs were collected and incubated. To determine egg quality traits, 10 eggs were collected from each female and stored for 14 weeks.

A comparative study on the antioxidant and antiglycation properties of different vitamin D forms.

Vitamin D plays multiple roles in the body. Recently, there has been an increase in its popularity and growing interest in vitamin D supplementation. However, the mechanisms of vitamin D action have not yet been sufficiently explored.

Dogs are a susceptible species to human adenovirus 36 infection: New insights into the host range of the virus causing infectious obesity.

The prevalence of obesity within the human population is escalating globally yearly. Obesity constitutes a complex ailment with diverse etiological factors. Recently, the infectious side of obesity aetiology, implicating pathogens such as human adenovirus 36 (HAdV-D36), has gained attention.

Applying linear programming in evaluating employees in higher education: A case study.

In the past few decades, any type of organization, from factories to government organizations, the banking sector, or educational institutions concentrates on increasing profit margins. To achieve this, one of the key factors is to achieve maximum output with minimum resources (input). Therefore, having an optimal plan to apply the resources has become extremely important for organizations.