Initial Management of Acute Pancreatitis.

The initial management of acute pancreatitis (AP) is continually evolving. Goal-directed moderate fluid resuscitation is now preferred over more aggressive strategies. Antibiotics should be administered only when there is a proven or highly probable infection rather than for prophylactic purposes.

Improving lung protective mechanical ventilation: the individualised intraoperative open-lung approach.

Despite the maturity and sophistication of anaesthesia workstations, improvements in our understanding of intraoperative mechanical ventilation, and use of less invasive surgical techniques, postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) are still a common problem in surgical patients of all ages. PPCs are associated with a higher incidence of perioperative morbidity and mortality, longer hospital stays, and higher healthcare costs. PPCs are strongly associated with anaesthesia-induced atelectasis, which predisposes to lung damage when partially collapsed lungs are subjected to mechanical ventilation.

Tunable Spin and Orbital Torques in Cu-Based Magnetic Heterostructures.

Current-induced torques originating from earth-abundant 3d elements offer a promising avenue for low-cost and sustainable spintronic memory and logic applications. Recently, orbital currents─transverse orbital angular momentum flow in response to an electric field─have been in the spotlight since they allow current-induced torque generation from 3d transition metals. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the current-induced spin and orbital torques in Cu-based magnetic heterostructures.

Wireless Stimulation of Barium Titanate@PEDOT Nanoparticles Toward Bioelectrical Modulation in Cancer.

Cancer cells possess distinct bioelectrical properties, yet therapies leveraging these characteristics remain underexplored. Herein, we introduce an innovative nanobioelectronic system combining a piezoelectric barium titanate nanoparticle core with a conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) shell (BTO@PEDOT NPs), designed to modulate cancer cell bioelectricity through noninvasive, wireless stimulation. Our hypothesis is that acting as nanoantennas, BTO@PEDOT NPs convert mechanical inputs provided by ultrasound (US) into electrical signals, capable of interfering with the bioelectronic circuitry of two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231.

Microplastics in Cuban freshwaters: diversity, temporal changes, and effects on extracellular enzymatic activity.

Plastics, as synthetic polymers, are emerging contaminants that can harm organisms and ecosystems. This study investigates the presence of microplastics in sediments of two rivers in western Cuba, assessing their temporal variability, diversity, and characterizing the types of microplastics in these ecosystems. Additionally, the study examines the relationship between microplastic concentrations, the extracellular enzymatic activity of benthic microbial communities, and nutrient levels in sediments.

Optimising medium chain carboxylate production in xylan mixed-culture monofermentation.

This work investigates the optimization of medium-chain carboxylate (MCC) production through xylan mixed-culture monofermentation. The pH screening in batch assays showed that the hydrolysis stage and selectivity towards MCC precursors were optimised at pH 6. Subsequently, a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) were operated at different Hydraulic Retention Times (HRT), revealing that the SBR at HRT 2 days yielded the highest caproic acid since lactic acid availability and chain elongation process were balanced.

Anaphylaxis definition, overview, and clinical support tool: 2024 consensus report.

Background: The 2006 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (NIAID/FAAN) anaphylaxis criteria are widely used in clinical care and research. In 2020, the World Allergy Organization (WAO) published modified criteria that have not been uniformly adopted. Different criteria contribute to inconsistent care and research outcomes.

Amyloid capture and aggregation inhibition by human serum albumin.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by amyloid-beta (Aβ) aggregation, primarily involving the peptides Aβ40 and Aβ42. Human serum albumin (HSA) has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent due to its ability to bind Aβ, inhibit aggregation, and promote disaggregation. This study quantitatively examined the interactions of HSA with both monomeric and aggregated forms of Aβ40 and Aβ42 using fluorescence techniques, including bulk steady-state fluorescence, fluorescence anisotropy, time-resolved fluorescence, and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS).

Updated Mini-Review on Polychlorinated Diphenyl Ethers (PCDEs) in Food: Levels and Dietary Intake.

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs) are a class of chlorinated aromatic compounds with structural similarities to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs). Due to their physicochemical properties, PCDEs are highly resistant to degradation and tend to accumulate in soils, sediments, and aquatic organisms, making them capable of entering and persisting in the food chain. As with other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), diet represents the primary route of human exposure to PCDEs.

Non-atherosclerotic coronary causes of myocardial infarction in women.

Ischemic heart disease is the most common cardiovascular cause of death in women worldwide. Obstructive coronary atherosclerosis is the primary cause of myocardial infarction (MI), however, non-atherosclerotic mechanisms of MI, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection, vasospasm, microvascular dysfunction, embolization, inflammation, coronary anomalies, infectious and infiltrative causes are increasingly being recognized. Emerging data suggest that women are two to five times more likely to have an MI in the absence of coronary atherosclerosis compared to men, but they continue to remain underdiagnosed and undertreated, partly due to underdiagnosis and limited understanding of these mechanisms.

Development and validation of the Neuro-Score: a specific scale to detect and monitor cognitive impairment in kidney or liver transplant recipients.

We created and validated the Neuro-Score, a specific scale to detect and monitor cognitive impairment, including mild stages, in kidney or liver transplant recipients. A qualitative study was conducted to define a preliminary set of 62 items. Item reduction was performed using exploratory factor analysis.

Impact of riverbed renaturalization on the attenuation of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in wastewater effluent-dominated streams.

Mediterranean streams contain substantial proportions of wastewater treatment plant effluent, occasionally constituting the entire water flow. Here, we analysed the seasonal occurrence of 23 antibiotics (AB) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by tracking 3 marker genes and bacterial community dynamics in two wastewater effluent-dominated streams. One stream was renaturalized with meanders and vegetation, while the other was linear and had a low vegetation density.

Comparative assessment of microplastic ingestion among deep sea decapods: distribution analysis in Sardinian and Catalan waters.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is a widespread and concerning environmental issue. The benthic layer is known as one of the major accumulation sinks, yet knowledge gaps still remain in describing the interactions of its biota with MPs. This work represents a comprehensive comparative analysis of MP ingestion in the four deep-sea crustacean decapods Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816), Aristaeomorpha foliacea (Risso, 1827), Nephrops norvegicus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) sampled from two distinct regions of the Mediterranean Sea in order to underscore the species-specific characteristics driving their MP ingestion variations.

Sequence variants in HECTD1 result in a variable neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dysregulation of genes encoding the homologous to E6AP C-terminus (HECT) E3 ubiquitin ligases has been linked to cancer and structural birth defects. One member of this family, the HECT-domain-containing protein 1 (HECTD1), mediates developmental pathways, including cell signaling, gene expression, and embryogenesis. Through GeneMatcher, we identified 14 unrelated individuals with 15 different variants in HECTD1 (10 missense, 3 frameshift, 1 nonsense, and 1 splicing variant) with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and epilepsy.

Mesophilic anaerobic digestion of mixed sludge in CSTR and AnMBR systems: A perspective on microplastics fate.

Most microplastics (MPs) end up in the biosolids produced in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and can pose contamination risks when the biosolids are applied to agriculture. This study evaluated the impact of mesophilic anaerobic digestion on the fate of MPs in WWTP sludge. For this, two laboratory-scale anaerobic digesters were operated in parallel, consisting of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and a membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) equipped with an ultrafiltration membrane to decouple the hydraulic and sludge retention times.

Cost-effectiveness of robotic compared with laparoscopic rectal resection. Results from the Spanish prospective national trial ROBOCOSTES.

Objective: The costs related to robotic surgery are known to be greater than those associated with laparoscopy. However, the potential for better outcomes of the former could lead to a cost-effectiveness advantage. The aim of this study is therefore to highlight the difference in cost-effectiveness between robotic and laparoscopic rectal resection.

Between 'fetal viability' and the 'viability of families': Decision-making for extremely premature infants in Spain.

Neonatal expertise and technologies have been perfected over the last decades, improving preterm infants' survival rates and allowing a gradual reduction in the gestational age limits of fetal viability. Using the concept of viability as a starting point, we analyze decision-making processes regarding extremely preterm newborns at the limits of viability. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork in a public hospital in Barcelona between March and November 2023, we examine the knowledge forms, rationalities and values that healthcare workers employ when guiding families in decisions about infants' viability.

Immigrant experiences of harm in sexual and reproductive healthcare in Spain.

The medical encounter represents a site where patients may be harmed, with intersecting vulnerabilities shaping the risk and nature of this harm. Sexual and reproductive healthcare is an important site for exploring this dynamic. Questions concerning how immigrant women experience sexual and reproductive healthcare abound, with researchers and practitioners calling for greater attention to a population whose experiences are underrepresented in existing literature.

Challenges and perspectives in the management of BRAF-mutated metastatic melanoma: Systemic treatment sequencing and brain metastases.

The global incidence of metastatic melanoma with BRAF mutations, characterized by aggressive behavior and poor prognosis, is rising. Recent treatment advances, including immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and targeted therapies (TT) such as BRAF and MEK inhibitors, have significantly enhanced patient outcomes. Although guidelines recommend sequencing strategies, real-world implementation can be influenced by clinical scenarios.

NOTCH1, 2, and 3 receptors enhance osteoblastogenesis of mesenchymal C3H10T1/2 cells and inhibit this process in preosteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells.

Osteoblastogenesis is governed by complex interplays among signaling pathways, which modulate the expression of specific markers at each differentiation stage. This process enables osteoblast precursor cells to adopt the morphological and biochemical characteristics of mature bone cells. Our study investigates the role of NOTCH signaling in osteogenesis in MC3T3-E1 and C3H10T1/2 cell lines.

Safety and efficacy of tamoxifen in non-ambulant patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial (TAMDMD Group B).

Most patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are non-ambulant. Preserving proximal motor function is crucial, rarely studied. Tamoxifen, a selective oestrogen receptor modulator, reduced signs of muscular pathology in a DMD mouse model.

The influence of sociodemographic and health factors on adherence to home-based rehabilitation after fast-track total knee arthroplasty: secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: Adherence to home rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is essential to reach optimal functional outcomes, especially in fast-track procedures. The aim of this study is to identify which sociodemographic and health factors significantly affect adherence in this context.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial with 52 patients.

Efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of an investigational maternal respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein-based vaccine.

Background: In this phase 3 trial of an investigational maternal respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein-based vaccine (RSVPreF3-Mat), a higher rate of preterm birth was observed in the vaccine (6.8%) versus the placebo group (4.9%).