Exploring the Relationships between Sex Hormones and Abdominal Muscle Area and Radiodensity in Postmenopausal Women: Insights from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

The relationships between sex hormone levels and muscle composition in postmenopausal women remain underexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a cross-sectional observational study utilizing data from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Our analysis included 682 postmenopausal women aged 45-84 years with complete data, with a mean age of 63.

Validity and reliability of the Swedish version of the Visual CARE Measure for assessing children's perceptions of nurses' empathy.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to translate and validate a questionnaire to be used by children with chronic diseases during procedures. Specific research questions were as follows: Is the translated versions reliable? Is there a correlation between VCM and another questionnaire measuring discomfort to enhance the validity of VCM? The three versions of Visual CARE measure (VCM) were translated following the principles of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation of patient-reported outcome measures, according to the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Cognitive debriefing interviews with children, parents, and healthcare professionals were carried out.

Novel synaptic markers predict early tau pathology and cognitive deficit in an asymptomatic population at risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease (AD) correlates closely with pathology in the neuronal microtubule-associated protein tau. Tau pathology may spread via neural synapses. In a population of cognitively unimpaired elderly at elevated risk of AD, we investigated four cerebrospinal (CSF) markers of synaptic dysfunction and degeneration.

Higher plasma total tau concentrations among patients reporting CNS-related side effects from antiseizure medication.

Background: Side effects from antiseizure medication (ASM) are common in epilepsy but biomarkers for detection and monitoring are missing. This study investigated associations between CNS-related side effects from ASM and blood concentrations of the brain injury markers neurofilament-light (NFL), total tau, glial acidic fibrillary protein (GFAP), S100 calcium-binding protein B (S100B) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE).

Methods: This is a population-based cohort study of adults with epilepsy recruited from five Swedish outpatient neurology clinics from December 2020 to April 2023.

Myoelectric pattern recognition with virtual reality and serious gaming improves upper limb function in chronic stroke: a single case experimental design study.

Background: Myoelectric pattern recognition (MPR) combines multiple surface electromyography channels with a machine learning algorithm to decode motor intention with an aim to enhance upper limb function after stroke. This study aims to determine the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a novel intervention combining MPR, virtual reality (VR), and serious gaming to improve upper limb function in people with chronic stroke.

Methods: In this single case experimental A-B-A design study, six individuals with chronic stroke and moderate to severe upper limb impairment completed 18, 2 h sessions, 3 times a week.

Somatic CAG repeat expansion in blood associates with biomarkers of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease decades before clinical motor diagnosis.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease with the age at which characteristic symptoms manifest strongly influenced by inherited HTT CAG length. Somatic CAG expansion occurs throughout life and understanding the impact of somatic expansion on neurodegeneration is key to developing therapeutic targets. In 57 HD gene expanded (HDGE) individuals, ~23 years before their predicted clinical motor diagnosis, no significant decline in clinical, cognitive or neuropsychiatric function was observed over 4.

Association between herpes simplex virus infection and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers: analysis within the MAPT trial.

In vitro and animal studies have suggested that inoculation with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can lead to amyloid deposits, hyperphosphorylation of tau, and/or neuronal loss. Here, we studied the association between HSV-1 and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers in humans. Our sample included 182 participants at risk of cognitive decline from the Multidomain Alzheimer Preventive Trial who had HSV-1 plasma serology and an amyloid PET scan.

Intentional weight reduction before surgery - A systematic review.

Introduction: Obesity may increase complexity of surgical procedures and increase the risk of perioperative complications. Weight reduction by the use of low energy diet (LED, ≤1200 kcal/day) or very low energy diet (VLED, ≤800 kcal/day) can reduce postoperative complications after bariatric surgery, but for most other types of surgery the evidence for its use remains uncertain. The aim of this systematic review was therefore to evaluate the scientific evidence in general for this routine.

4D flow cardiac magnetic resonance in pediatric congenital heart disease: Insights from over four years of clinical practice.

Background: Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are common birth defects. This work presents over four years of clinical experience of 4D flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), highlighting its value for pediatric CHD.

Methods: Children with various CHD diagnoses (n = 298) were examined on a 1.

Prognostic value of manual versus automatic methods for assessing extents of resection and residual tumor volume in glioblastoma.

Objective: The extent of resection (EOR) and postoperative residual tumor (RT) volume are prognostic factors in glioblastoma. Calculations of EOR and RT rely on accurate tumor segmentations. Raidionics is an open-access software that enables automatic segmentation of preoperative and early postoperative glioblastoma using pretrained deep learning models.

Plasma biomarkers of amyloid, tau, astrogliosis, and axonal injury in a mixed memory clinic cohort.

Introduction: Studies have shown that blood biomarkers can differentiate dementia disorders. However, the diagnosis of dementia still relies primarily on cerebrospinal fluid and imaging modalities. The new disease-modifying treatments call for more widely applicable biomarkers.

Plasma N-terminal tau fragment is an amyloid-dependent biomarker in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Novel fluid biomarkers for tracking neurodegeneration specific to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are greatly needed.

Methods: Using two independent well-characterized cohorts (n = 881 in total), we investigated the group differences in plasma N-terminal tau (NT1-tau) fragments across different AD stages and their association with cross-sectional and longitudinal amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, tau tangles, brain atrophy, and cognitive decline.

Results: Plasma NT1-tau significantly increased in symptomatic AD and displayed positive associations with Aβ PET (positron emission tomography) and tau PET.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes after implementation of a more active management in late- and postterm pregnancies in Sweden: A population-based cohort study.

Background: The risk of perinatal death and severe neonatal morbidity increases gradually after 41 weeks of pregnancy. We evaluated maternal and perinatal outcomes after a national shift from expectancy and induction at 42+0 weeks to a more active management of late-term pregnancies in Sweden offering induction from 41+0 weeks or an individual plan aiming at birth or active labour no later than 42+0 weeks.

Methods And Findings: Women with a singleton pregnancy lasting 41+0 weeks or more with a fetus in cephalic presentation (N = 150,370) were included in a nationwide, register-based cohort study.

Clinical presentation, acute care management and discharge information of patients with thoracic trauma in South Africa and Sweden: a prospective multicenter observational study.

Purpose: Thoracic trauma causes pain and hospitalisation. Middle- and high-income countries have different trauma contexts and populations. To report patients' clinical presentation (pain and shortness of breath) and its influence on hospital length of stay (LOS), acute care management, and discharge destinations in South Africa (SA) and Sweden.

Loneliness and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, axonal damage, and astrogliosis: A coordinated analysis of two longitudinal cohorts.

Objectives: Loneliness is associated with an elevated risk of dementia. There is mixed evidence from imaging studies on whether loneliness is associated with neuropathology in dementia-free adults. This study tests whether loneliness is associated with plasma neurobiomarkers of amyloid (Aβ42/Aβ40), phosphorylated tau 181 (pTau181), neurofilament light chain (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and imaging measures of amyloid and tau.

Teaching triage in disaster medicine - same subject, but different approach.

Background: Disaster management is an inter-, intra-, and cross-disciplinary task in which different specialties partake. Triage is a crucial part of disaster education. A synchronized approach and mutual understanding of triaging and agreement on priorities are essential for saving lives.

Peroneus brevis split tear - A challenging diagnosis: A pictorial review of magnetic resonance and ultrasound imaging - Part 2: Imaging with magnetic resonance and ultrasound.

Peroneal tendon pathology is common among physically active individuals, with tenosynovitis, tendon subluxation, split tears and rupture. However, diagnosing these conditions, particularly peroneus brevis split tears, is clinically and radiologically challenging. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) can sometimes miss split tears.

Multi-omics characterization of improved cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease patients after the combined metabolic activator treatment: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase II trial.

Parkinson's disease is primarily marked by mitochondrial dysfunction and metabolic abnormalities. We recently reported that the combined metabolic activators improved the immunohistochemical parameters and behavioural functions in Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease animal models and the cognitive functions in Alzheimer's disease patients. These metabolic activators serve as the precursors of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and glutathione, and they can be used to activate mitochondrial metabolism and eventually treat mitochondrial dysfunction.

Know your brain aging to know your resilience in neurodegenerative diseases.

This scientific commentary refers to 'Brain aging rejuvenation factors in adults with genetic and sporadic neurodegenerative disease', by Casaletto . (https://doi.org/10.

Opportunities and limitations of B cell depletion approaches in SLE.

B cell depletion with rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody that selectively targets B cells by binding CD20, has been used off label in severe and resistant systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for over two decades. Several biological mechanisms limit the efficacy of rituximab, including immunological reactions towards the chimeric molecule, increased numbers of residual B cells, including plasmablasts and plasma cells, and a post-treatment surge in B cell-activating factor (BAFF) levels. Consequently, rituximab induces remission in only a proportion of patients, and safety issues limit its use.

Cutting through the noise: A narrative review of Alzheimer's disease plasma biomarkers for routine clinical use.

As novel, anti-amyloid therapies have become more widely available, access to timely and accurate diagnosis has become integral to ensuring optimal treatment of patients with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). Plasma biomarkers are a promising tool for identifying AD pathology; however, several technical and clinical factors need to be considered prior to their implementation in routine clinical use. Given the rapid pace of advancements in the field and the wide array of available biomarkers and tests, this review aims to summarize these considerations, evaluate available platforms, and discuss the steps needed to bring plasma biomarker testing to the clinic.

The impact of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer: an international multicenter study.

Purpose: To assess the association between neoadjuvant therapy and overall survival (OS) in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer (RPC) compared to upfront surgery.

Background: Left-sided pancreatic cancer is associated with worse OS compared to right-sided pancreatic cancer. Although neoadjuvant therapy is currently seen as not effective in patients with RPC, current randomized trials included mostly patients with right-sided RPC.

The Transcriptomic and Gene Fusion Landscape of Pleomorphic Salivary Gland Adenomas.

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common salivary gland tumor. PAs are characterized by chromosomal rearrangements of 8q12 and 12q14-15, leading to gene fusions involving the PLAG1 and HMGA2 oncogenes. Here, we performed the first comprehensive study of the transcriptomic and gene fusion landscape of 38 cytogenetically characterized PAs.

Cumulative blood pressure load and cognitive decline in older adults: An observational analysis of two large cohorts.

Introduction: Cumulative blood pressure metrics may provide greater precision for measuring temporal risk exposure, especially in later life where data are mixed regarding associations of high blood pressure (BP) on cognitive function. We examined the relationship between greater cumulative exposure to high BP in later life and several domains of cognitive function.

Methods: Individual cognitive assessment scores and BP measurements in older adults (age ≥70 years) at baseline and over approximately 8 years of follow-up were available in the population-based Canadian Victoria Longitudinal Study (VLS) and Swedish Gothenburg H70 Birth Cohort Studies (H70).