Concurrent validity in language and motor domains on the Vineland-3 and Mullen Scales of Early Learning in young children with Down syndrome.

Background: Obtaining information about individual's abilities in specific areas of development can be used to monitor early developmental progress in young children with Down syndrome (DS). Two commonly used measures which assess specific areas of development are the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-3rd Edition (VABS-3 parent interview). In DS, previous work found a positive association and moderate agreement between overall composite scores of these two measures.

How patient-centered is the gynecological care provided for patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause in Switzerland? A survey on the implementation of patient-centered care.

Objectives: This study assessed the extent to which patient-centered care has been implemented in patients with genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Study Design: An online survey was developed consisting of an introduction and items covering knowledge about patient-centered care and genitourinary syndrome of menopause, inclusion criteria, biographical data, implementation of patient-centered care, competence and barriers in treating patients, treatment options in genitourinary syndrome of menopause and perceived benefit, specific dimensions of patient-centered care and the German version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS-D12). The survey was administered to gynecologists in Switzerland.

Synthesis and Chiroptical Properties of Chiral Lead Halide Molecular Clusters.

Chiral lead halide molecular clusters (MCs) consisting of PbBr, neutral achiral butylamine (BTYA), and chiral methylbenzylamine [(/)-MBA] with unique chiral optical properties in both the solution and solid states have been synthesized using ligand-assisted reprecipitation and depositing, separately. Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) electronic absorption and photoluminescence (PL) spectra show the first electronic absorption band and sharp blue emission band of the chiral MCs that peaked at 404 and 412 nm, respectively, in both solution and films. The emission asymmetry factor || of the chiral MCs is 1.

Identification and validation of mitochondria-related LncRNA signatures as a novel prognostic model for glioma.

A predictive model for long-term survival is needed, and mitochondrial dysfunction is a key feature of cancer metabolism, though its link to glioma is not well understood. The aim of this study was to identify the molecular characteristics associated with glioma prognosis and explore its potential function. We analyzed RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and identified differentially expressed mitochondrial long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) using R's 'limma' package.

Spirituality and Religiosity in Rheumatic Diseases: A Systematic Review.

Several studies have demonstrated the influence of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) on patients with chronic diseases. However, few studies have explored the influence of R/S on autoimmune/non-autoimmune rheumatic diseases. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the impact of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) on the health of patients with (autoimmune and non-autoimmune) rheumatic diseases.

MRI evaluation of Pacinian corpuscle number and distribution in the forefoot in diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy.

Objectives: To evaluate Pacinian corpuscles (PC) in the forefoot of patients with type 2 diabetes-derived sensorimotor polyneuropathy (DSP) with MRI.

Materials And Methods: This single-center study compared 20 DSP patients who underwent clinical forefoot 3-T MRI to healthy volunteers matched for age and gender. Two radiologists independently assessed the number and distribution of PC.

Supramolecular Polycations with a Linear-Star Architecture Containing Hydrophobic Poly[(,)-3-hydroxybutyrate]: Formation of DNA Micelleplexes Coated with Apolipoprotein E3 for Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrating Gene Delivery.

A novel blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating supramolecular gene delivery system was developed utilizing a host-guest block-building strategy to systematically screen and optimize various block compositions. Linear poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was coupled with hydrophobic poly[(,)-β-hydroxybutyrate] (PHB) blocks of varying lengths with an adamantyl (Ad) end, giving the PEG-PHB-Ad guest polymers, which were complexed with the cationic 4-arm star-shaped β-cyclodextrin-poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) (βCD-pDMAEMA) host polymer, resulting in the formation of linear-star pseudoblock PEG-PHB-Ad/βCD-pDMAEMA copolymers. These amphiphilic supramolecular copolymers were thoroughly characterized and assessed for the formation of DNA micelleplex nanoparticles as a gene delivery system.

Clinical Outcomes With Normothermic Pulsatile Organ Perfusion in Heart Transplantation: A Report From the OCS Heart Perfusion Registry.

Background: A preservation system, the Organ Care System (OCS; TransMedics) uses normothermic pulsatile perfusion during organ transport for heart transplantation. This system has demonstrated favorable outcomes in hearts recovered from extended-criteria donors after brain death (DBD) and donors after circulatory death (DCD).

Methods: The OCS Heart Perfusion Registry collects data on US heart transplantations using the OCS, static cold storage (SCS), or thoracoabdominal normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) recovered from DBD or DCD donors.

Markers of Left Atrial Myopathy: Prognostic Usefulness for Ischemic Stroke and Dementia in People in Sinus Rhythm.

Background: Various measures of abnormal left atrial (LA) structure or function (LA myopathy) are associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke and dementia, independent of atrial fibrillation. However, limited data exist on their prognostic usefulness. Therefore, we aimed to assess the ability of markers of LA myopathy to improve the prediction of ischemic stroke and dementia.

Timescale Matters: Finer Temporal Resolution Influences Driver Contributions to Global Soil Respiration.

Understanding the dynamics of soil respiration (R) and its environmental drivers is crucial for accurately modeling terrestrial carbon fluxes. However, current methodologies often lead to divergent estimates and rely on annual predictions that may overlook critical interactions occurring at seasonal scales. A critical knowledge gap lies in understanding how temporal resolution affects both R predictions and their environmental drivers.

Characterizing diverse maize varieties under organic cultivation: phenotypic, yield, and canopy data from VIT Vellore.

Maize is an important food source standing first in production around the world. It has become an essential raw material in most of the food processing industries and is extensively cultivated for its post-harvest by-products. So, it is necessary to develop genotypes adapted to varied climate and soil conditions favoring its productivity.

Sequencing in over 50,000 cases identifies coding and structural variation underlying atrial fibrillation risk.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a prevalent and morbid abnormality of the heart rhythm with a strong genetic component. Here, we meta-analyzed genome and exome sequencing data from 36 studies that included 52,416 AF cases and 277,762 controls. In burden tests of rare coding variation, we identified novel associations between AF and the genes MYBPC3, LMNA, PKP2, FAM189A2 and KDM5B.

Deep learning-based image analysis in muscle histopathology using photo-realistic synthetic data.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI), specifically Deep learning (DL), has revolutionized biomedical image analysis, but its efficacy is limited by the need for representative, high-quality large datasets with manual annotations. While latest research on synthetic data using AI-based generative models has shown promising results to tackle this problem, several challenges such as lack of interpretability and need for vast amounts of real data remain. This study aims to introduce a new approach-SYNTA-for the generation of photo-realistic synthetic biomedical image data to address the challenges associated with state-of-the art generative models and DL-based image analysis.

Volumetric Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Analysis in Post EVAR Surveillance Settings.

Introduction: Early detection of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is a mainstay of diagnosis, with Endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) emerging as the primary mode of repair. Maximum diameter measurement remains central to risk assessment; however, recent studies suggest AAA volumetric analysis may be more sensitive to true size changes. We compare the utility of volume and diameter in AAA size assessment and further investigating related clinical factors.

Non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging-based evaluation of quality of life in secondary upper extremity lymphedema.

Purpose: Non-contrast magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) has emerged as an efficient tool for evaluating fluid infiltration in upper extremity lymphedema (UEL). This study aimed to examine the relationship between quality of life (QOL) in UEL and regional fluid infiltration on NMRI.

Method: A single-center retrospective observational study was conducted involving 65 patients with secondary UEL who underwent NMRI and ICG-L between 2017 and 2021.

Pregnancy Metal Mixtures and Blood Pressure and Hypertension in Mid-Life: A Prospective U.S. Cohort Study.

Background: The long-term associations between metal mixtures in pregnancy and women's mid-life blood pressure (BP) and hypertension remain unclear.

Methods: In Project Viva (enrolled 1999-2002), we measured nonessential (arsenic, barium, cadmium, cesium, mercury, lead) and essential metals (copper, magnesium, manganese, selenium, zinc) in red blood cells, along with folate and vitamin B12 in plasma, collected during pregnancy. We measured mid-life BP from 2017 to 2021 (median age, 51.

Optimizing Large Language Models in Radiology and Mitigating Pitfalls: Prompt Engineering and Fine-tuning.

Large language models (LLMs) such as generative pretrained transformers (GPTs) have had a major impact on society, and there is increasing interest in using these models for applications in medicine and radiology. This article presents techniques to optimize these models and describes their known challenges and limitations. Specifically, the authors explore how to best craft natural language prompts, a process known as prompt engineering, for these models to elicit more accurate and desirable responses.

The Gender Award Gap in German medical societies 2000-2023: the Fritz-Külz-Award as an example.

Science prizes contribute to the visibility of researchers within and outside the medical community. Our article contains a descriptive analysis of the prize development in German medical societies since the turn of the millennium, focussing on the development of gender differences and discussing the findings with regard to necessary structural changes and the general significance of prizes in medicine. The study is based on data from all documented prizes and honours awarded by the 183 German medical societies currently organised in the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF, Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften) in the period 2000-2023, including the Fritz-Külz-Award in pharmacology.

Butylammonium-Based Chiral 2D Perovskite Single Crystals for Efficient UV Circularly Polarized Light Differentiation and High-Performance X-ray Detection.

Chiral two-dimensional perovskites are a promising candidate for circularly polarized light (CPL) detection, which combine inherent chirality with excellent optoelectronic properties, while exhibiting good structural stability. In this paper, a pair of chiral two-dimensional perovskites, single-crystal R/S-(BrBA)PbBr are synthesized using a cooling crystallization solution method. Due to the introduction of chiral organic molecules, the inorganic layers undergo significant distortion and deformation.

[Iris melanoma: correlation of clinical, morphometric, pathomorphological features and infectious status].

Unlabelled: Iris melanoma is a rare malignant tumor of melanocytic origin. Oncogenic viruses, whose invasion of the cell alters proliferation regulation mechanisms, play an important role in tumor development and progression.

Purpose: To identify clinical, morphometric, and pathomorphological correlations with infectious status in patients with iris melanoma and to determine predictors of unfavorable prognosis.

Utility of the combination of IVIM-DWI MRI and baseline eGFR for identifying a high risk of chronic kidney disease progression.

Background: Currently, the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the urine albumin level and renal fibrosis are the common risk and prognostic factors for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a proven noninvasive tool for assessing renal fibrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether IVIM-DWI could be used to identify high-risk patients with CKD during long-term follow-up.

Pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy in advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer: overall survival and exploratory analyses of the NRG GY018 phase 3 randomized trial.

Historically, the treatment of patients with advanced stage or recurrent endometrial cancer included paclitaxel plus carboplatin. Immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy resulted in improved clinical outcomes in several solid tumors. In the phase 3 NRG GY018 study, pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS; primary endpoint) versus placebo plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced/metastatic/recurrent endometrial cancer regardless of mismatch repair status.

A positron emission tomography tracer for the imaging of oxidative stress in the central nervous system.

Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration, but the inability to detect RONS in vivo in the central nervous system has confounded the interpretation of results of clinical trials of antioxidants. Here we report the synthesis and characterization of a positron emission tomography (PET) probe, [F]fluoroedaravone ([F]FEDV), for the in vivo quantification of oxidative stress. Derived from the antioxidant edaravone, the probe can diffuse through the blood-brain barrier and is stable in human plasma.

Pediatric Burden of Disease in the United States, 2015-2020.

Objective: To evaluate how the number of pediatric clinical trials, as a proxy for industry and National Institutes of Health (NIH) research priorities, compared with population-level burden of childhood disease in the United States (US).

Study Design: Cross-sectional study evaluating associations between initiated clinical trials funded by industry or the NIH and pediatric burden of disease in the US. Disease burden was measured as deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLL), and years lived with disability (YLD).

Coordinated differentiation of human intestinal organoids with functional enteric neurons and vasculature.

Human intestinal organoids (HIOs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells co-differentiate both epithelial and mesenchymal lineages in vitro but lack important cell types such as neurons, endothelial cells, and smooth muscle, which limits translational potential. Here, we demonstrate that the intestinal stem cell niche factor, EPIREGULIN (EREG), enhances HIO differentiation with epithelium, mesenchyme, enteric neuroglial populations, endothelial cells, and organized smooth muscle in a single differentiation, without the need for co-culture. When transplanted into a murine host, HIOs mature and demonstrate enteric nervous system function, undergoing peristaltic-like contractions indicative of a functional neuromuscular unit.