Geochemical insights into plant uptake of Technology-critical elements: A case study on lettuce from European soils.

While vegetable uptake of traditional metal contaminants is a well-studied pathway to human exposure and risk, a paucity of information exists on the uptake of emerging metal contaminants. This study evaluated the uptake of the Technology-critical elements (TCEs) gallium (Ga), germanium (Ge), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), thallium (Tl), and rare earth elements (REEs) into lettuce cultivated in 21 European urban soils. For comparison, the uptake of cadmium (Cd) was also analysed.

Probing the Self-Assembly dynamics of cellulose nanocrystals by X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.

Hypothesis: Charge-stabilized colloidal cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) can self-assemble into higher-ordered chiral nematic structures by varying the volume fraction. The assembly process exhibits distinct dynamics during the isotropic to liquid crystal phase transition, which can be elucidated using X-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS).

Experiments: Anionic CNCs were dispersed in propylene glycol (PG) and water spanning a range of volume fractions, encompassing several phase transitions.

Genomic characterization and molecular predictive biomarkers for chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer treated in a real-world setting.

Purpose: We aimed to characterize genomic alterations with potential prognostic or predictive significance in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) treated with chemotherapy in a real-world setting.

Patients And Methods: Next-generation sequencing with FoundationOne® CDx was conducted primarily on primary tumor tissue from 112 consecutive patients with mTNBC. Genomic alterations were subdivided into canonical oncogenic pathways and noted for their involvement in homologous recombination deficiency (HRD).

Testing the Recruitment Frequency, Implementation Fidelity, and Feasibility of Outcomes of the Heart Failure Activity Coach Study (HEALTHY): Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common and deadly disease, precipitated by physical inactivity and sedentary behavior. Although the 1-year survival rate after the first diagnosis is high, physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are associated with increased mortality and negatively impact the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL).

Objective: We tested the recruitment frequency, implementation fidelity, and feasibility of outcomes of the Activity Coach app that was developed using an existing mobile health (mHealth) tool, Optilogg, to support older adults with HF to be more physically active and less sedentary.

Modular Photoswitchable Molecular Glues for Chemo-optogenetic Control of Protein Function in Living Cells.

Optogenetic systems using photosensitive proteins and chemically induced dimerization/proximity (CID/CIP) approaches enabled by chemical dimerizers (also termed molecular glues), are powerful tools to elucidate the dynamics of biological systems and to dissect complex biological regulatory networks. Here, we report a versatile chemo-optogenetic system using modular, photoswitchable molecular glues (sMGs) that can undergo repeated cycles of optical control to switch protein function on and off. We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to rationally design the sMGs and further expand their scope by incorporating different photoswitches, resulting in sMGs with customizable properties.

Desmoplastic melanoma in Sweden in 2009-2022: A population-based registry study demonstrating distinctive tumour characteristics, incidence and survival trends.

Background: Desmoplastic melanoma (DM) is a rare subtype, accounting for less than 5% of primary cutaneous invasive melanomas. DM often arises in chronically sun-exposed skin, in older individuals. While the incidence of cutaneous melanoma has increased globally, trends specific to DM are less documented and studies on survival outcomes for DM are inconsistent.

Mapping amyloid beta predictors of entorhinal tau in preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: Amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau in the entorhinal regions are key Alzheimer's disease (AD) markers, but the spatial Aβ pathways influencing tau pathology remain unclear.

Methods: We applied predictive modeling to identify Aβ standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) spatial patterns that predict entorhinal tau levels, future hippocampal volume, and Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite (PACC) scores at 5-year follow-up. The model was trained on Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (N = 237), incorporating amyloid-PET (positron emission tomography), tau-PET, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and cognitive data, and validated on Harvard Aging Brain Study (HABS) (N = 276).

Have People Treated With Antihypertensives Been Diagnosed With Hypertension? A Cross-Sectional Study in Stockholm, Sweden.

Purpose: Studies on antihypertensive treatment are important, as hypertension remains the major risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and premature death. However, antihypertensive medicines are also used for other conditions, and the use of these medicines as a proxy for a diagnosis of hypertension might lead to misclassification in pharmacoepidemiological studies. This study aimed to investigate to what extent people dispensed antihypertensive medicines have been diagnosed with hypertension.

Wood and Cellulose: the Most Sustainable Advanced Materials for Past, Present, and Future Civilizations.

Wood, with its constituent building block cellulose, is by far the most common biomaterial on the planet and has been the most important material used by humans to establish civilization. If there is one single biomaterial that should be studied and used by materials scientists across disciplines to achieve a sustainable future, it is cellulose. This perspective provides insights for the general materials science community about the unique properties of wood and cellulose and how they may be used in advanced sustainable materials to make a substantial societal impact.

Registries on transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in heart failure: Current evidence and future perspectives.

Aims: Secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) and tricuspid regurgitation (TR) are the most common valvular heart diseases in patients with heart failure (HF). Transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) devices designed for treating MR and TR have been successfully tested in randomized controlled trials, but methodological issues have often challenged their interpretation. This manuscript aimed to provide an overview of TEER registries on SMR and TR in HF, highlighting their key features, describing clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients receiving these devices, and exploring the available data limitations.

Epidemiology and outcomes of alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency in Sweden 2002-2020: A population-based cohort study of 2286 individuals.

Objective: To estimate the incidence, prevalence, and outcomes of patients with diagnosed alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) in Sweden, 2002-2020.

Study Design And Setting: The Swedish National Patient Registry was utilized to identify patients with a first diagnosis of AATD between 2002 and 2020. Each patient was matched with up to 10 comparators from the general population.

Body Composition in Adults Born at Very Low Birthweight-A Sibling Study.

Background: Individuals born preterm at very low birthweight (VLBW, < 1500 g) tend to attain a smaller adult body size compared with term-born peers but less is known regarding specific body composition characteristics.

Objectives: We aimed to assess whether adults born at VLBW have less beneficial body composition characteristics, potentially mediating the association between VLBW birth and cardiometabolic disease. Sibling controls were used to account for the potential influence of shared genetic and/or lifestyle factors.

Identification of novel CDH23 heterozygous variants causing autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss.

Background: Hearing loss adversely impacts language development, acquisition, and the social and cognitive maturation of affected children. The hearing loss etiology mainly includes genetic factors and environmental factors, of which the former account for about 50-60%.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the genetic basis of autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL) by identifying and characterizing novel variants in the CDH23 gene.

Patient experience with eosinophilic esophagitis symptoms and impacts on daily life based on in-trial qualitative interviews.

Purpose: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic immune-mediated progressive disease, causes dysphagia, food impaction, abdominal pain, vomiting, and heartburn. EoE requires long-term monitoring and can affect quality of life owing to its symptoms and associated emotional and social burden. This study aimed to understand patients' experiences with EoE.

The transcription factor FOXQ1 in cancer.

FOXQ1 is a member of the large forkhead box (FOX) family of transcription factors that is involved in all aspects of mammalian development, physiology, and pathobiology. FOXQ1 has emerged as a major regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and tumour metastasis in cancers, especially carcinomas of the digestive tract. Accordingly, FOXQ1 induction is recognised as an independent prognostic factor for worse overall survival in several types of cancer, including gastric and colorectal cancer.

Design and in vitro anticancer assessment of a click chemistry-derived dinuclear copper artificial metallo-nuclease.

Copper compounds with artificial metallo-nuclease (AMN) activity are mechanistically unique compared to established metallodrugs. Here, we describe the development of a new dinuclear copper AMN, Cu2-BPL-C6 (BPL-C6 = bis-1,10-phenanthroline-carbon-6), prepared using click chemistry that demonstrates site-specific DNA recognition with low micromolar cleavage activity. The BPL-C6 ligand was designed to force two redox-active copper centres-central for enhancing AMN activity-to bind DNA, via two phenanthroline ligands separated by an aliphatic linker.

Macronutrients in Human Milk Exposed to Antidepressant and Anti-Inflammatory Medications.

Importance: The association between maternal medications and the macronutrient composition of human milk has not been studied.

Objective: To compare macronutrient levels in milk samples from mothers treated with long-term medications with samples from untreated healthy and disease-matched control mothers (DMCs).

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional study using samples collected between October 2014 and January 2024 from breastfeeding mothers in the US and Canada invited to participate to the Mommy's Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository at the University of California, San Diego.

Surgeon Recommendation and Outcomes of Decompression With vs Without Fusion in Patients With Degenerative Spondylolisthesis.

Importance: The ability of surgeons to choose the right patient for fusion in addition to decompression when operating for degenerative spondylolisthesis with symptomatic spinal stenosis is debated. The addition of fusion increases risk, morbidity, and costs but has been claimed to give better results for selected patients.

Objective: To investigate whether following surgeons' opinions regarding fusion was associated with clinical outcomes.

Improving future agricultural sustainability by optimizing crop distributions in China.

Improving agricultural sustainability is a global challenge, particularly for China's high-input and low-efficiency cropping systems with environmental tradeoffs. Although national strategies have been implemented to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in agriculture, the potential contributions of crop switching as a promising solution under varying future climate change are still under-explored. Here, we optimize cropping patterns spatially with the targets of enhancing agriculture production, reducing environmental burdens, and achieving sustainable fertilization across different climate scenarios.

Pediatric brain tumor classification using deep learning on MR images with age fusion.

Purpose: To implement and evaluate deep learning-based methods for the classification of pediatric brain tumors (PBT) in magnetic resonance (MR) data.

Methods: A subset of the "Children's Brain Tumor Network" dataset was retrospectively used ( = 178 subjects, female = 72, male = 102, NA = 4, age range [0.01, 36.

ShinyGS-a graphical toolkit with a serial of genetic and machine learning models for genomic selection: application, benchmarking, and recommendations.

Genomic prediction is a powerful approach for improving genetic gain and shortening the breeding cycles in animal and crop breeding programs. A series of statistical and machine learning models has been developed to increase the prediction performance continuously. However, the application of these models requires advanced R programming skills and command-line tools to perform quality control, format input files, and install packages and dependencies, posing challenges for breeders.

Getting it right: suppression and leveraging of noise in robust decision-making.

Noise is a ubiquitous feature for all organisms growing in nature. Noise (defined here as stochastic variation) in the availability of nutrients, water and light profoundly impacts their growth and development. Not only is noise present as an external factor but cellular processes themselves are noisy.

Critical Evaluation of the 2016 SOSORT Clinical Guidelines on the Detection and Clinical Management of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using the AGREE II Tool: A Chiropractic Perspective.

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the methodological quality of the 2016 Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) guidelines for the detection and management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods: A diverse group of experts, including practicing chiropractors, chiropractors with a Diplomate by the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology, chiropractors with PhD degrees, and chiropractors involved in teaching within chiropractic programs was invited to participate in the study. Experts independently evaluated the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool.