[Interpretation of research on patient volumes].

Healthcare research into patient volumes and volume-outcome relations can have far-reaching consequences. By means of a thought experiment, five core elements of valid research into patient volumes are identified: variation in numbers of patients, scalability of capacity, comparability regarding quality of care, comparability regarding groups of patients, and statistical precision. Practical challenges are described for each of these aspects as well as their possible impact on research quality.

Noticeable characteristics of conventional and nonconventional hydrogen bonds in the binary systems of chalcogenoaldehyde and chalcogenocarboxylic acid derivatives.

Forty-eight stable structures of complexes formed between XCHZ and RCZOH (with X = H, F; R = H, F, Cl, Br, CH, NH; Z = O, S, Se, Te) were comprehensively investigated. It was found that the HZ-RZ complexes were more stable than the FZ-RZ ones, and their stability tendency decreased in the following order of Z: O > S > Se > Te. A predominant role of the electrostatic component was observed in XO-RO, while an outstanding contribution of the induction term was estimated in XS-RS, XSe-RSe, and XTe-RTe.

Acute systemic macrophage depletion in osteoarthritic mice alleviates pain-related behaviors and does not affect joint damage.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful degenerative joint disease and a leading source of years lived with disability globally due to inadequate treatment options. Neuroimmune interactions reportedly contribute to OA pain pathogenesis. Notably, in rodents, macrophages in the DRG are associated with onset of persistent OA pain.

Diagnostic Characteristics and Clinical Relevance of Incidental Hypermetabolic Breast Lesions Detected on F-FDG PET-CT: A Retrospective Evaluation.

Rationale And Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate demographic and radiological characteristics of breast incidentalomas found on 18-fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (F-FDG PET-CT) performed for extramammary indications.

Materials And Methods: A total of 12633 F-FDG PET-CT scans performed between January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2024, were retrospectively reviewed. Breast incidentalomas that had undergone breast imaging, tissue diagnosis, or at least 2-year radiological follow-up were included.

Assessing Contrast Sensitivity Function in CRB1-Retinopathies: Exploring Child-Friendly Measures of Visual Function.

Purpose: Mutations affecting the CRB1 gene can result in a range of retinal phenotypes, including early onset severe retinal dystrophy/Leber congenital amaurosis (EOSRD/LCA), retinitis pigmentosa, cone-rod dystrophy (CORD), and macular dystrophy (MD). As research into treatment strategies advances towards clinical translation, there is a need to establish reliable outcome metrics. This study explores the contrast sensitivity function (CSF) across different spatial frequencies in individuals with CRB1-retinopathies using the child-friendly PopCSF test, an iPad-based "gamified" assessment.

Targeted memory reactivation during sleep improves emotional memory modulation following imagery rescripting.

Targeted Memory Reactivation (TMR) during sleep benefits memory integration and consolidation. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the effects of TMR applied during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep following modulation and updating of aversive autobiographical memories using imagery rescripting (ImR). During 2-5 nights postImR, 80 healthy participants were repeatedly presented with either idiosyncratic words from an ImR updated memory during sleep (experimental group) or with no or neutral words (control groups) using a wearable EEG device (Mobile Health Systems Lab-Sleepband, MHSL-SB) [1] implementing a close-loop cueing procedure.

Single-cell RNA sequencing identifies endothelial-derived HBEGF as promoting pancreatic beta cell proliferation in mice via the EGFR-Kmt5a-H4K20me pathway.

Aims/hypothesis: Pancreatic beta cell mass is dynamically regulated in response to increased physiological and pathological demands. Understanding the mechanisms that control physiological beta cell proliferation could provide valuable insights into novel therapeutic approaches to diabetes. Here, we aimed to analyse the intracellular and extracellular signalling pathways involved in regulating the physiological proliferation of beta cells using single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) and in vitro functional assays.

Early Oncological Outcomes in Patients who Underwent Staging Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Compared with Conventional Imaging Before Radical Prostatectomy and Extended Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection.

Background And Objective: Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is increasingly used for primary staging in prostate cancer. Owing to accurate detection of small metastases on PSMA-PET/CT, patient selection for robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has likely changed. This study analyzes oncological outcomes in patients undergoing RARP and extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND) after PSMA-PET/CT staging, compared with those without PSMA-PET/CT.

7T MRI as a powerful tool to detect small and medium size vessel CNS vasculitis.

Imaging can help to diagnose CNS vasculitis. Yet so far, no imaging studies of CNS vasculitis at 7T are available. We share our experience of vessel wall imaging (VWI) at 7T in patients with suspected vasculitis.

Rivastigmine interferes with the pharmacological activity of hydromethylthionine on presynaptic proteins in the line 66 model of frontotemporal dementia.

The negative interference of treatments between the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine and the tau aggregation inhibitor hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) has been reported in Line 1 tau-transgenic mice, which overexpress a truncated species of tau protein that is found in the core of paired helical filaments in Alzheimer´s disease (AD). However, little is known about whether such interactions could affect synapses in mice overexpressing tau carrying pathogenic mutations. Here, we have used Line 66 (L66) mice which overexpress full-length human tau carrying the P301S mutation as a model in which tau accumulates in synapses.

Novel Dynamic Organ Storage System Enhances Liver Graft Function in a Porcine Donation After Circulatory Death Model.

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) livers face increased risks of critical complications when preserved with static cold storage (SCS). Although machine perfusion (MP) may mitigate these risks, its cost and logistical complexity limit widespread application. We developed the Dynamic Organ Storage System (DOSS), which delivers oxygenated perfusate at 10°C with minimal electrical power requirement and allows real-time effluent sampling in a portable cooler.

New therapeutic approaches for fibrosis: harnessing translational regulation.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and debilitating lung disease characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and tissue scarring. The median survival of patients with IPF is only 4.5 years following diagnosis, and effective treatment options are scarce.

Recreational and Occupational Physical Activity and Risk of Adverse Events in Truncating Founder Variant Carriers.

Background: founder variants cause hypertrophic cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure and malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Exercise is typically regarded as a risk factor for disease expression although evidence is conflicting. Stratifying by type of exercise may discriminate low- from high-risk activities in these patients.

Genome-wide single-cell and single-molecule footprinting of transcription factors with deaminase.

Decades of research have established that mammalian transcription factors (TFs) bind to each gene's regulatory regions and cooperatively control tissue specificity, timing, and intensity of gene transcription. Mapping the combination of TF binding sites genome wide is critically important for understanding functional genomics. Here, we report a technique to measure TFs' binding sites on the human genome with a near single-base resolution by footprinting with deaminase (FOODIE) on a single-molecule and single-cell basis.

Phosphorus-containing polycarbosilazanes: synthesis dehydrocoupling catalysis and flame-retardant properties.

The barium complex [Ba{N(SiMe)}] has been used to catalyse the dehydropolymerisation of the phosphine-functionalised hydrosilane 4-PhP-CHSiH (A) with the α,ω-diamine 1,4-(CHNHMe)-CH (C), for the production of -[Si(4-CHPPh)H-N(Me)CH-CH-CHN(Me)]- polycarbosilazanes that contain dangling phosphino groups along the polymer backbone. The comonomers A and C, specifically prepared for this purpose and comprehensively characterised, lend themselves well to barium-promoted dehydrocoupling catalysis. They allow for the formation of linear, amine-capped polymers with molecular weights in the range 4000-8000 g mol, as estimated by DOSY and H end-group NMR analyses.

Diagnostic Accuracy and Value of CXCR4-targeted PET/MRI Using Ga-Pentixafor for Tumor Localization in Cushing Disease.

Background Gallium 68 (Ga) pentixafor has emerged as a potential C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4)-targeted radiotracer for neuroendocrine tumor, yet its application in Cushing disease remains uncertain. Purpose To assess the diagnostic accuracy and value of Ga-pentixafor PET/MRI in localizing adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary tumors in Cushing disease. Materials and Methods A prospective single-center study was conducted from March 2023 to February 2024 in participants with Cushing disease scheduled for surgical pituitary tumor resection.

Effect of the 1D/2D dimensionality in copper and silver thiolate coordination polymers on their photophysical properties.

A series of four new copper and silver-thiolate, [M(-SPhCOR)] (M = Cu, Ag and R = H, Me), coordination polymers is reported. The study shows that the hydrogen bonding between the carboxylic acids directs the formation of a 2D structure associated with poor photoemission, while the steric hindrance of the ester groups allows the assembly of a 1D network coupled with bright luminescence.

Metastasis Detection Using True and Artificial T1-Weighted Postcontrast Images in Brain MRI.

Objectives: Small lesions are the limiting factor for reducing gadolinium-based contrast agents in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and precision in metastasis detection on true contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (T1w) images and artificial images synthesized by a deep learning method using low-dose images.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective, multicenter study (5 centers, 12 scanners), 917 participants underwent brain MRI between October 2021 and March 2023 including T1w low-dose (0.

Terpyridine-based ruthenium complexes containing a 4,5-diazafluoren-9-one ligand with light-driven enhancement of biological activity.

There has been growing effort in the scientific community to develop new antibiotics to address the major threat of bacterial resistance. One promising approach is the use of metal complexes that provide broader opportunities. Among these systems, polypyridine-ruthenium(II) complexes have received particular attention as drug candidates.

From Crisis to Complications: A Nationwide Cohort Study Assessing One-Year Cardiovascular and Thromboembolic Risks After Severe COVID-19 Compared to Matched Controls.

The long-term risk of cardiovascular and thrombotic events following severe COVID-19 remains largely unknown. This study aimed to assess the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) within one year after hospital discharge in patients who received intensive care for severe COVID-19. A register-based nationwide case-control study on a cohort of patients with severe COVID-19 (cases) requiring mechanical ventilation and discharged alive without experiencing cardiovascular or thrombotic events during their hospital stay.

Chronic Graft-versus-host Disease: Immune Insights, Therapeutic Advances, and Parallels for Solid Organ Transplantation.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease remains a frequent and morbid outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation, in which the donor-derived immune system attacks healthy recipient tissue. Preceding tissue damage mediated by chemoradiotherapy and alloreactive T cells compromise central and peripheral tolerance mechanisms, leading to aberrant donor T cell and germinal center B cell differentiation, culminating in pathogenic macrophage infiltration and differentiation in a target tissue, with ensuant fibrosis. This process results in a heterogeneous clinical syndrome with significant morbidity and mortality, frequently requiring prolonged therapy.

Ligilactobacillus-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Inhibit Growth and Virulence of Enteric Pathogens.

Bacterial intra-kingdom communication involves the secretion of outer membrane vesicles as signaling carriers to the target cells. However, limited research exists on extracellular vesicles (EVs) from Gram-positive gut bacteria, their interactions with enteric pathogens, and potential inhibitory effects. In this study, we characterized the structure, protein content, and inhibitory effects of EVs from three new potential probiotic gut symbionts, Ligilactobacillus salivarius UO.

Enhancing diabetic retinopathy and macular edema detection through multi scale feature fusion using deep learning model.

Background: This work tackles the growing problem of early identification of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. The deep neural network design utilizes multi-scale feature fusion to improve automated diagnostic accuracy. Methods This approach uses convolutional neural networks (CNN) and is designed to combine higher-level semantic inputs with low-level textural characteristics.

Dehydrocoupling of Phosphine-Borane Adducts Under Ambient Conditions using Aminoboranes as Hydrogen Acceptors.

We report on the reactivity of aminoboranes (R2N=BH2; R = iPr, Et, Me) with phosphine-borane adducts (PhR'PH•BH3; R' = H, Ph): sufficiently sterically unencumbered aminoboranes can accept hydrogen from phosphine-borane adducts. The hydrogen transfer results in the formation of amine-borane adducts (R2NH•BH3) and transient phosphinoboranes (PhR'P-BH2) in situ. These phosphinoboranes undergo subsequent reactivity to yield either polyphosphinoborane, [PhPH-BH2]n, or the linear dimer, Ph2PH•BH2-Ph2P•BH3.