The study protocol of a double-blind randomized controlled trial of EMDR and multifocal transcranial current stimulation (MtCS) as augmentation strategy in patients with fibromyalgia.

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a generalized, widespread chronic pain disorder affecting 2.7% of the general population. In recent years, different studies have observed a strong association between FM and psychological trauma.

Nanopore sequencing as a novel method of characterising anorexia nervosa risk loci.

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a polygenic, severe metabopsychiatric disorder with poorly understood aetiology. Eight significant loci have been identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability was estimated to be ~ 11-17, yet causal variants remain elusive. It is therefore important to define the full spectrum of genetic variants in the wider regions surrounding these significantly associated loci.

Longitudinal changes in reinforcement learning during smoking cessation: a computational analysis using a probabilistic reward task.

Despite progress in smoking reduction in the past several decades, cigarette smoking remains a significant public health concern world-wide, with many smokers attempting but ultimately failing to maintain abstinence. However, little is known about how decision-making evolves in quitting smokers. Based on preregistered hypotheses and analysis plan ( https://osf.

General medical comorbidities in psychotic disorders in the Finnish SUPER study.

Schizophrenia (SZ), schizoaffective disorder (SZA), bipolar disorder (BD), and psychotic depression (PD) are associated with premature death due to preventable general medical comorbidities (GMCs). The interaction between psychosis, risk factors, and GMCs is complex and should be elucidated. More research particularly among those with SZA or PD is warranted.

Virtual reality-assisted prediction of adult ADHD based on eye tracking, EEG, actigraphy and behavioral indices: a machine learning analysis of independent training and test samples.

Given the heterogeneous nature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the absence of established biomarkers, accurate diagnosis and effective treatment remain a challenge in clinical practice. This study investigates the predictive utility of multimodal data, including eye tracking, EEG, actigraphy, and behavioral indices, in differentiating adults with ADHD from healthy individuals. Using a support vector machine model, we analyzed independent training (n = 50) and test (n = 36) samples from two clinically controlled studies.

Endoscopic ultrasound is useful for the risk stratification of mucinous pancreatic cystic lesions: A long-term prospective study.

Objectives: The aims of this prospective observational study were to test worrisome features on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) as a stratification tool in patients with mucinous pancreatic cystic lesions (PCLs), and to assess these patients' long-term risk of adenocarcinoma and mortality.

Methods: Patients with suspected PCLs on cross-sectional imaging who underwent EUS-FNA at Sahlgrenska University Hospital between February 2007 and February 2018 were consecutively enrolled. The main inclusion criterion was the final diagnosis of a mucinous PCL.

Phenomics-based Discovery of Novel Orthosteric Choline Kinase Inhibitors.

Choline kinase alpha (CHKA) is a central mediator of cell metabolism linked to cancer and immune regulation. Cellular and clinical evaluation of CHKA has been hampered by challenges in the development of drug-like choline kinase inhibitors. Here, we identify CHKA as an unexpected off-target of histone methyltransferase inhibitors using an integrated phenomic approach.

Re-visiting professional ethics in psychotherapy: reflections on the use of talking therapies as a supportive adjunct for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and 'medically unexplained symptoms'.

Following years of debate over the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), public health bodies in the UK and beyond have determined that no psychotherapy is clinically proven for this patient group. In the field of ME/CFS and the wider arena of 'medically unexplained symptoms' (MUS), patient survey data and qualitative research capturing patient experiences and psychotherapist attitudes suggest that therapeutic practice may sometimes fall short of required ethical standards. This raises questions about how psychotherapists can safely support, as opposed to treat, people with these debilitating conditions.

Impaired coagulation parameters in early RA are restored by effective antirheumatic therapy: a prospective pilot study.

Objectives: To assess the effect of treatment on haemostatic parameters in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed RA started methotrexate and were randomised to additional conventional treatment, certolizumab pegol, abatacept or tocilizumab. Several biomarkers for haemostasis were analysed including parameters of the two global haemostatic assays-overall haemostatic potential (OHP) and endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), as well as single haemostatic factors-fibrinogen, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), D-dimer, thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) and clot lysis time (CLT) in 24 patients at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks after the start of the treatment.

Transient Ischaemic Attack in a Patient With Conn Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review on the Importance of Identifying Secondary Hypertension.

Background/aim: Transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is characterised by a temporary neurological dysfunction resulting from focal ischaemia in the brain, spinal cord or retina without acute infarction. These episodes typically last less than 24 hours and are significant predictors of subsequent ischaemic strokes. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cerebrovascular events, and primary aldosteronism (PA) is recognised as a common cause of secondary hypertension.

Heart Failure Masked as Pulmonary Embolism in Non-adherent Patient With Atrial Fibrillation: Case Report and Analytical Review of the Literature.

Background/aim: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) commonly co-occur, significantly increasing morbidity and mortality. Poorly controlled AF can contribute to complications like HF and is associated with conditions, such as stroke and pulmonary embolism (PE). This report involves a man with AF who had persistent respiratory symptoms and left-sided chest pain, initially suspected to be PE, but eventually diagnosed as HF.

Elimination of High-grade Gliomas Through Induced Cytolysis, Elucidated by Two Patient Cases.

Background/aim: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive form of primary malignant tumors in the central nervous system of adults. In practice, all patients with GBM experience relapse, and treatment options become limited following first-line therapy. We previously reported a new, successful treatment approach for a GBM patient, implemented in direct conjunction with surgical intervention.

Improved Vitamin D Status Is Associated With Lower Incidence of Stillbirth.

Background/aim: Two retrospective studies of prospective cohorts showed doubled odds of birth asphyxia among women with low plasma vitamin D levels, and another study reported a four-fold increased risk of stillbirth. It was not known whether this was related to low sun exposure or to insufficient vitamin D per se. We aimed to assess if it was due to vitamin D status.

Sun Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Prospective Follow-up Cohort Study from Southern Sweden.

Background/aim: An inverse association exists between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and both plasma vitamin D levels and sun exposure, but vitamin D supplementation does not reduce the incidence. We sought to assess whether there is a dose-dependency in the association between sun exposure and T2DM.

Patients And Methods: The melanoma in Southern Sweden (MISS) cohort is comprised of one thousand women without cancer from age groups between 25 and 64, drawn from the Southern Swedish Population Registry of 1990 by random selection.

Low-grade hemodilution improves the microcirculatory function in surgical patients.

Background: Excess fluid in the interstitium can adversely affect the microcirculation. We studied how gradual dilution of the blood plasma by crystalloid fluid influences microcirculatory variables and capillary filtration in 20 patients undergoing surgery.

Methods: Video recordings of the sublingual mucosal were made on four occasions during the surgery and compared with quasi-measurements of the capillary filtration rate using retrospective volume kinetic data collected over 5-10-minute periods during 262 infusion experiments with crystalloid fluid.

Cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis during weekend compared with delayed weekday surgery: A nationwide population cohort study.

Background: The optimal timing of surgery for acute cholecystitis has been a subject of debate, but the predominant view supports early cholecystectomy. This study investigated the safety of early cholecystectomy during weekends compared with delayed surgery until a weekday.

Methods: This was a population-based cohort study based on data from the Swedish National Register for Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks).

Self-assembly of defined core-shell ellipsoidal particles at liquid interfaces.

Hypothesis: Ellipsoidal particles confined at liquid interfaces exhibit complex self-assembly due to quadrupolar capillary interactions, favouring either tip-to-tip or side-to-side configurations. However, predicting and controlling which structure forms remains challenging. We hypothesize that introducing a polymer-based soft shell around the particles will modulate these capillary interactions, providing a means to tune the preferred self-assembly configuration based on particle geometry and shell properties.

Active phytoextraction of toluene shifts the microbiome and enhances degradation capacity in hybrid poplar.

Hybrid poplars are widely recognized for their effectiveness in remediating subsurface aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX). While BTEX compounds are frequently found in the transpiration streams of poplars at contaminated sites, the microbial dynamics within these trees, particularly in response to hydrocarbon exposure, remain underexplored. This study utilized high-throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate the trunk microbiome in hybrid poplars at a field-scale toluene phytoremediation site.

Subtypes of brain change in aging and their associations with cognition and Alzheimer's disease biomarkers.

Structural brain changes underlie cognitive changes and interindividual variability in cognition in older age. By using structural MRI data-driven clustering, we aimed to identify subgroups of cognitively unimpaired older adults based on brain change patterns and assess how changes in cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volume relate to cognitive change. We tested (1) which brain structural changes predict cognitive change (2) whether these are associated with core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, and (3) the degree of overlap between clusters derived from different structural modalities in 1899 cognitively healthy older adults followed up to 16 years.

miRNAome-metabolome wide association study reveals effects of miRNA regulation in eosinophilia and airflow obstruction in childhood asthma.

Background: There are important inter-relationships between miRNAs and metabolites: alterations in miRNA expression can be induced by various metabolic stimuli, and miRNAs play a regulatory role in numerous cellular processes, impacting metabolism. While both specific miRNAs and metabolites have been identified for their role in childhood asthma, there has been no global assessment of the combined effect of miRNAs and the metabolome in childhood asthma.

Methods: We performed miRNAome-metabolome-wide association studies ('miR-metabo-WAS') in two childhood cohorts of asthma to evaluate the contemporaneous and persistent miRNA-metabolite associations: 1) Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica Study (GACRS) (N = 1121); 2) the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP) (N = 312 and N = 454).

The pectoralis major myocutaneous pedicled flap-Its past and current practice in a dedicated microsurgery service. Review of the literature, and debunking controversies.

Background: The pectoralis major myocutaneous pedicled (PMMP) flap is still considered by many a workhorse flap in head and neck (H&N) reconstruction, despite free flap surgery advancing. The authors aimed to examine this claim and associated myths and controversies by analyzing literature trends and revealing the role of the PMMP flap in a well-established microsurgery center.

Methods: The senior author's reconstructive H&N practice between 1995 and 2022 was reviewed to describe and critically judge primary and secondary PMMP flap decisions to provide invaluable lessons learned and debunk common controversies related to complex H&N reconstruction.

Effect of Oral Inflammatory Burden on Size and Stage of Oral Tongue Cancer.

Objective: Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma is an aggressive life-threatening disease, the prognosis of which is affected by tumor stage and size. We retrospectively studied whether oral inflammatory burden and established tongue carcinoma etiological factors exert an impact on tumor size and stage.

Materials And Methods: Medical records of 183 subjects diagnosed with tongue carcinoma at Helsinki University Hospital were investigated.