Elevated Fecal Lipocalin-2 Levels During Early Life Are Associated with Maternal Inflammatory Bowel Disease Diagnosis.

Background: Fecal lipocalin-2 (LCN2) is a biomarker of neutrophil activation, which is elevated in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, its dynamic changes during pregnancy and early life are largely unknown. We characterized LCN2 levels by maternal IBD diagnosis, offspring feeding behavior, and gut microbiota composition.

Methods: In the prospective MECONIUM (Exploring Mechanisms of Disease Transmission In Utero through the Microbiome) study, we analyzed 559 fecal samples from 91 pregnant women with IBD, 78 healthy controls, and their 147 offspring for LCN2 levels at each trimester of pregnancy and multiple time points during early life using linear mixed-effects model and multiple logistic regression analyses.

Companion dogs show signs of jealous behaviour toward non-living agents.

Dogs engage in social interactions with robots, yet whether they perceive them as social agents remains uncertain. In jealousy-evoking contexts, specific behaviours were observed exclusively when dogs' owners interacted with social, rather than non-social rivals. Here, we investigated whether a robot elicits jealous behaviour in dogs based on its level of animateness.

Unraveling complexity and leveraging opportunities in uncommon breast cancer subtypes.

Special histologic subtypes of breast cancer (BC) exhibit unique phenotypes and molecular profiles with diagnostic and therapeutic implications, often differing in behavior and clinical trajectory from common BC forms. Novel methodologies, such as artificial intelligence may improve classification. Genetic predisposition plays roles in a subset of cases.

Branched endosomal disruptor (BEND) lipids mediate delivery of mRNA and CRISPR-Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex for hepatic gene editing and T cell engineering.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the preeminent non-viral drug delivery vehicle for mRNA-based therapies. Immense effort has been placed on optimizing the ionizable lipid (IL) structure, which contains an amine core conjugated to lipid tails, as small molecular adjustments can result in substantial changes in the overall efficacy of the resulting LNPs. However, despite some advancements, a major barrier for LNP delivery is endosomal escape.

Effects of Physical Exercise on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to systematically collect, evaluate, and critically synthesize research findings on the effects of physical exercise on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

Method: The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews was adopted for this study. We searched the Medline®, CINAHL, SportDiscus, and Scopus databases to identify relevant articles published from inception to March 2024.

Forensic analysis of an alleged improvised explosive device (IED) from a multidisciplinary perspective: Organisation and outcomes of the ENFSI 2023 exercise.

Interdisciplinary examination of test materials requires careful consideration of how forensic routines can influence each other. This influence can be direct and obvious, or indirect and subtle. A multidisciplinary collaborative exercise (MdCE) should test a forensic laboratory's ability to account for these difficulties.

Characteristics of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant and rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis and their association with treatment outcomes: a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: There are few data on the treatment of children and adolescents with multidrug-resistant (MDR) or rifampicin-resistant (RR) tuberculosis, especially with more recently available drugs and regimens. We aimed to describe the clinical and treatment characteristics and their associations with treatment outcomes in this susceptible population.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Clinical outcomes of patients with unsuccessful mechanical thrombectomy versus best medical management of medium vessel occlusion stroke in the middle cerebral artery territory.

Background: Current randomized controlled trials are investigating the efficacy and safety of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients with medium vessel occlusion (MeVO) stroke. Whether best medical management (MM) is more efficient than unsuccessful vessel recanalization during MT remains unknown.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from 37 academic centers across North America, Asia, and Europe between September 2017 and July 2021.

Mechanical thrombectomy in elderly stroke patients with low ASPECTS: insights from STAR.

Background: The elderly population (≥80 years) were underrepresented in recent trials of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for anterior circulation large vessel occlusion acute ischemic stroke (LVO-AIS) with low Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS) (≤5).

Methods: This study analyzed data from a prospectively maintained database of 37 thrombectomy centers. The primary cohort of the study comprised patients with LVO-AIS aged ≥80 who underwent EVT with ASPECTS≤5 from 2013 to 2023.

Longitudinally persisting KCNA2-autoantibodies in mild amnestic dementia with Alzheimer´s pathology - report and literature review.

Background: Neural autoantibodies are being increasingly detected in conjunction with neurodegenerative dementias such as Alzheimer's disease dementia (AD), yet their significance is not well clarified. In this case report, we report the previously unreported long-lasting persistence of potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily A member 2 (KCNA2) antibodies in biomarker-supported AD.

Methods: We report on a 77-year-old, male patient evaluated in our outpatient memory clinic of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen.

Anabolic-androgen steroids: A possible independent risk factor to cardiovascular, kidney and metabolic syndrome.

Millions of individuals make illicit use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), remaining a public health issue. It often leads to detrimental effects, including cardiovascular and renal diseases, besides hormonal and metabolic imbalances. The objective of this review is to emphasize the contribution of oxidative stress and inflammation to these effects and connect the findings of experimental animal studies with the alterations found in clinical contexts, in AAS users.

Presence and potential impact of anthropogenic nesting materials on a colonial breeding waterbird.

Despite the vital importance of wetlands globally, these habitats have increasingly received anthropogenic materials, such as plastics, which can impact the wildlife these habitats support. Despite commonly found in the nests of Eurasian spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), the presence of such materials has never been quantified. Here, we monitored the occurrence of anthropogenic nesting materials (ANM) in spoonbill nests in the Camargue wetland in Southern France during two breeding seasons (2021-2022).

Sources, levels, and determinants of indoor air pollutants in Europe: A systematic review.

Clean air is a requirement for life, and the quality of indoor air is a health determinant since people spend most of their daily time indoors. The aim of this study was to systematically review the available evidence regarding the sources, determinants and concentrations of indoor air pollutants in a set of scenarios under study in K-HEALTHinAIR project. To this end, a systematic review was performed to review the available studies published between the years 2013-2023, for several settings (schools, homes, hospitals, lecture halls, retirement homes, public transports and canteens), conducted in Europe, where sources and determinants of the indoor pollutants concentrations was assessed.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

Trajectories of intrinsic connectivity one year post pediatric mild traumatic brain injury: Neural injury superimposed on neurodevelopment.

The developing brain undergoes rapid changes throughout middle childhood and adolescence. The disambiguation of long-term changes in intrinsic activity following pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (pmTBI) from typical development can therefore only be ascertained in longitudinal studies with large sample size and at least three serial assessments. A comprehensive clinical battery and resting-state fMRI data were collected approximately 1-week (N = 263; 8-18 years old), 4-months (N = 192) and 1-year (N = 153) post-injury, with identical visits in a large cohort (N = 228) of age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC).

Positive mental health interventions for people with schizophrenia: A scoping review.

Background: Promoting positive mental health is crucial for maintaining a healthy balance of mental well-being, both for individuals with and without mental health conditions, including schizophrenia.

Objective: To map interventions that promote positive mental health in individuals with schizophrenia.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations.

Acute and time-course changes in hemodynamic and physical performance parameters following single and multiple resistance training sets in cognitively impaired individuals: A randomized crossover study.

This study analyzed the acute and time-course changes following one resistance training (RT) set (1SET) and three sets (3SET) on hemodynamic and physical performance parameters in individuals with different cognitive impairment levels. Thirty-nine individuals (22 women and 17 men aged 80 ± 9 years) grouped by cognitive impairment (mild [MILD], moderate [MOD], and severe [SEV]) randomly performed two protocols, each separated by one week, of 1SET or 3SET of 10 repetitions. Before (PRE), immediately (POST), and 72 h after (POST72) protocols, the participants performed the following measurements: systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), 1-kg medicine ball throw (MBT) distance, five-repetition sit-to-stand (STS) time, and handgrip strength (HGS).

Cytochrome P450 electrochemical biosensors transforming in vitro metabolism testing - Opportunities and challenges.

The ability of the living world to flourish in the face of constant exposure to dangerous chemicals depends on the management ability of a widespread group of enzymes known as heme-thiolate monooxygenases or cytochrome P450 superfamily. About three-quarters of all reactions determining the metabolism of endogenous compounds, of those carried in foods, of taken drugs, or even of synthetic chemicals discarded into the environment depend on their catalytic performance. The chromatographic and (photo)luminometric methods routinely used as predictive and analytical tools in laboratories have significant drawbacks ranging from limited shelf-life of reagents, use of synthetic substrates, laborious and tedious procedures for highly sensitive detection.

The 2024 Assisi think tank on breast cancer: Focus on the use of a tumour bed boost after breast conserving therapy.

At the Fifth Assisi Think Tank Meeting (ATTM) on breast cancer, one key topic was the role of tumor bed boost in invasive breast cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ. The need for a tumor bed boost after whole breast irradiation is controversial. A literature review assessed boost indications, target volume definition, techniques, dose fractionation, and ongoing trials.

Improved daily PM estimates in India reveal inequalities in recent enhancement of air quality.

Poor ambient air quality poses a substantial global health threat. However, accurate measurement remains challenging, particularly in countries such as India where ground monitors are scarce despite high expected exposure and health burdens. This lack of precise measurements impedes understanding of changes in pollution exposure over time and across populations.

Anatomical description and digital reconstruction of the skull of Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis (Dinosauria, Ornithopoda) from China.

Ornithopod dinosaurs appeared during the Middle Jurassic, but it was in the Lower Cretaceous they started their successful evolutionary history. Different phylogenies describing the evolutionary relationships of Ornithopoda are mostly based on cranial features, however there is a lack of well-preserved and complete skulls for the basal member of the clade, hampering our knowledge on the mode and tempo of these herbivorous dinosaurs. Here we describe YLSNHM 01942, a well-preserved skull of a juvenile neornithischian from the Liaoning Province of China.

Low-cost and scalable machine learning model for identifying children and adolescents with poor oral health using survey data: An empirical study in Portugal.

This empirical study assessed the potential of developing a machine-learning model to identify children and adolescents with poor oral health using only self-reported survey data. Such a model could enable scalable and cost-effective screening and targeted interventions, optimizing limited resources to improve oral health outcomes. To train and test the model, we used data from 2,133 students attending schools in a Portuguese municipality.

Validation of the brief physical activity assessment tool: Comparison of telephone and in-person administration.

We examined the reliability and validity of the Brief Physical Activity Assessment Tool (BPAAT) when administered by telephone interview compared to in-person administration. We analyzed data from the Epi-asthma study. Adult participants registered in the participating Portuguese primary health care centres (PCC) completed the BPAAT via telephone.

The measurement reliability and equivalence of print versus online versions of the Youth Activity Profile.

Purpose: The Youth Activity Profile (YAP) is a 7-day self-report designed to quantify physical activity and sedentary behaviors among youth. This study evaluated the reliability of the online version of the YAP and equivalence with the paper-based version.

Method: A total of 2,490 participants from 17 schools in Iowa and Texas completed the YAP.

Evaluation of the perception of information from ChatGPT in myopia education: Perspectives of students and professionals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the perception and understanding of the information provided by ChatGPT regarding myopia among optometry students, optometrists undertaking a Master degree and practicing optometrists.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a structured questionnaire distributed via Wooclap to 225 participants (125 optometry students, 21 Masters students and 79 practicing optometrists). All participants evaluated the responses generated by ChatGPT Version 4.