Pre- and post-pandemic comparisons in cardiovascular markers: a population-based study.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic, starting in 2020, raised concerns about potential long-term health impacts, including its effects on cardiovascular health and related biomarkers. This study part of the Bus Santé in Geneva, Switzerland, compared cardiovascular and metabolic profiles pre- (2016-2019) and post-pandemic (2023-2024) among individuals aged 30-75.

Methods: Participants completed questionnaires and underwent a clinical visit, including a physical examination and fasting blood test to assess lipid and glycemic profiles.

Relaxation and Performance During Microsurgical Learning.

Microsurgical learning is a difficult and stressful process, requiring self-control to achieve relaxation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate peripheral and central nervous system relaxation during microsurgical training. This cohort study included ten medical students with no previous experience in microsurgery.

A Pilot Trial of Tongue Reconstruction Using the Chimeric Innervated Vastus Lateralis Muscle and Antero-Lateral Thigh Free Flap.

Background: Subtotal and total glossectomies for advanced tongue cancer result in significant speech- and swallow-related morbidity, impairing quality of life. This prospective pilot study compares the safety and functional outcomes associated with using a chimeric innervated muscle and fasciocutaneous flap for soft tissue reconstruction.

Materials And Methods: A prospective, non-randomized controlled pilot study evaluated a standardized technique for tongue reconstruction using a chimeric innervated vastus lateralis muscle and anterolateral thigh fasciocutaneous flap.

Insights into the electroactive impact of magnetic nanostructures in PVDF composites small-angle neutron scattering.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is technologically relevant due to its thermal stability; chemical, mechanical and radiation resistance; transparency; biocompatibility; and ease of processing. Several of those applications are related to its high electroactivity, for which the β-phase of the polymer is its most renowned protagonist. In this context, extensive research has been conducted on the crystallization of PVDF in the β-phase, when processed from melt and from solution.

Estimation of end-of-outbreak probabilities in the presence of delayed and incomplete case reporting.

Towards the end of an infectious disease outbreak, when a period has elapsed without new case notifications, a key question for public health policymakers is whether the outbreak can be declared over. This requires the benefits of a declaration (e.g.

The promise of community-driven preprints in ecology and evolution.

Publishing preprints is quickly becoming commonplace in ecology and evolutionary biology. Preprints can facilitate the rapid sharing of scientific knowledge establishing precedence and enabling feedback from the research community before peer review. Yet, significant barriers to preprint use exist, including language barriers, a lack of understanding about the benefits of preprints and a lack of diversity in the types of research outputs accepted (e.

Protocol for Oligonucleotides Characterization Using Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography.

Oligonucleotides (ONs) are an increasingly popular category of molecules in the pharmaceutical landscape, particularly attractive for the treatment of genetic and rare diseases. However, analyzing these molecules presents significant challenges, due to their highly hydrophilic nature, multiple negative charges, and the presence of closely related impurities resulting from the complex solid-phase synthesis process. Ion pairing reverse-phase liquid chromatography (IP-RPLC) is the preferred technique for ONs analysis but is not ideal for mass spectrometry (MS) coupling.

Friction of Laser-Textured Zirconia Coated with a Platelet-Rich Fibrin.

In the present in vitro study, we evaluated the adhesion of an injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) to laser-textured zirconia surfaces and their resultant friction behavior against bone tissue. Three types of zirconia surfaces were compared regarding the i-PRF coating effects: 1) grit blasted with 250-μm spherical alumina particles and acid etched with 20% hydrofluoric acid (ZLA), 2) laser textured with a random (RD) surface pattern, or 3) laser textured with a designed pattern based on 16 lines and 8 passages (L16N8). The coefficient of friction (COF) of the specimens was assessed on a reciprocating sliding pin-on-plate tribometer at 1-N normal load, 1 Hz, and a 2-mm stroke length.

A new approach to off-gas analysis for shaken bioreactors showing high CTR and RQ accuracy.

Background: Shake flasks are essential tools in biotechnological development due to their cost efficiency and ease of use. However, a significant challenge is the miniaturization of process analytical tools to maximize information output from each cultivation. This study aimed to develop a respiration activity online measurement system via off-gas analysis, named "Transfer rate Online Measurement" (TOM), for determining the oxygen transfer rate (OTR), carbon dioxide transfer rate (CTR), and the respiration quotient (RQ) in surface-aerated bioreactors, primarily targeting shake flasks.

Fibrosis in PCLS: comparing TGF-β and fibrotic cocktail.

Introduction: Fibrotic cocktail (FC) is a combination of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory mediators that induces early fibrotic changes in organotypic lung models. We hypothesised that transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) alone induces a pro-fibrotic effect similar to FC. Our aim was to compare the pro-fibrotic effects of TGF-β1 with FC in human precision-cut lung slices (PCLS).

A human metabolic map of pharmacological perturbations reveals drug modes of action.

Understanding a small molecule's mode of action (MoA) is essential to guide the selection, optimization and clinical development of lead compounds. In this study, we used high-throughput non-targeted metabolomics to profile changes in 2,269 putative metabolites induced by 1,520 drugs in A549 lung cancer cells. Although only 26% of the drugs inhibited cell growth, 86% caused intracellular metabolic changes, which were largely conserved in two additional cancer cell lines.

Small changes of femoral torsion in varus or valgus distal femoral osteotomy using patient-specific instruments.

Purpose: Hinge fractures show a relatively high incidence in varus and valgus distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) and can lead to delayed- or non-union. Another observed complication of a hinge fracture is an unintentional change of the postoperative femoral torsion of up to + 9.5° in conventionally performed DFO.

Associations between common genetic variants and income provide insights about the socio-economic health gradient.

We conducted a genome-wide association study on income among individuals of European descent (N = 668,288) to investigate the relationship between socio-economic status and health disparities. We identified 162 genomic loci associated with a common genetic factor underlying various income measures, all with small effect sizes (the Income Factor). Our polygenic index captures 1-5% of income variance, with only one fourth due to direct genetic effects.

fMRI data acquisition and analysis for task-free, anesthetized rats.

Templates for the acquisition of large datasets such as the Human Connectome Project guide the neuroimaging community to reproducible data acquisition and scientific rigor. By contrast, small animal neuroimaging often relies on laboratory-specific protocols, which limit cross-study comparisons. The establishment of broadly validated protocols may facilitate the acquisition of large datasets, which are essential for uncovering potentially small effects often seen in functional MRI (fMRI) studies.

The architecture of the human default mode network explored through cytoarchitecture, wiring and signal flow.

The default mode network (DMN) is implicated in many aspects of complex thought and behavior. Here, we leverage postmortem histology and in vivo neuroimaging to characterize the anatomy of the DMN to better understand its role in information processing and cortical communication. Our results show that the DMN is cytoarchitecturally heterogenous, containing cytoarchitectural types that are variably specialized for unimodal, heteromodal and memory-related processing.

Semi-mechanistic efficacy model for PARP + ATR inhibitors-application to rucaparib and talazoparib in combination with gartisertib in breast cancer PDXs.

Background: Promising cancer treatments, such as DDR inhibitors, are often challenged by the heterogeneity of responses in clinical trials. The present work aimed to build a computational framework to address those challenges.

Methods: A semi-mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic model of tumour growth inhibition was developed to investigate the efficacy of PARP and ATR inhibitors as monotherapies, and in combination.

A morphometric signature to identify ductal carcinoma in situ with a low risk of progression.

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) may progress to ipsilateral invasive breast cancer (iIBC), but often never will. Because DCIS is treated as early breast cancer, many women with harmless DCIS face overtreatment. To identify features associated with progression, we developed an artificial intelligence-based DCIS morphometric analysis pipeline (AIDmap) on hematoxylin-eosin-stained (H&E) tissue sections.

Drug-induced differential culturability in diverse strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Under stress, bacteria display selective growth propensities on solid and liquid media. For Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), differentially culturable bacteria have been found in tuberculosis (TB) patient sputa. We hypothesized that antibiotic treatment can induce selective culturability in Mtb.

Different keratoconus definitions can lead to substantial prevalence disparities in population-based studies.

This report explores the prevalence of keratoconus in a population-based cohort of adults aged 40 or older according to ten different definitions. All Rotterdam Study participants with reliable Pentacam scans and no prior corneal refractive surgery were cross-sectionally analysed (n = 2660). First, we applied a novel evidence-based definition.

Comparative analysis of salivary cytokine profiles in newly diagnosed pediatric patients with cancer and healthy children.

Salivary cytokines have the potential to serve as biomarkers for evaluating cancer progression and treatment response in specific cancer types. This study explored salivary cytokine profiles in pediatric cancer patients and healthy controls, examining changes during chemotherapy. We conducted a prospective study involving newly diagnosed cancer patients and healthy controls under 19 years old.

A large synthetic dataset for machine learning applications in power transmission grids.

With the ongoing energy transition, power grids are evolving fast. They operate more and more often close to their technical limit, under more and more volatile conditions. Fast, essentially real-time computational approaches to evaluate their operational safety, stability and reliability are therefore highly desirable.

Exploring when to exploit: the cognitive underpinnings of foraging-type decisions in relation to psychopathy.

Impairments in reinforcement learning (RL) might underlie the tendency of individuals with elevated psychopathic traits to behave exploitatively, as they fail to learn from their mistakes. Most studies on the topic have focused on binary choices, while everyday functioning requires us to learn the value of multiple options. In this study, we evaluated the cognitive correlates of naturalistic foraging-type decision-making and their electrophysiological signatures in a community sample (n = 108) with varying degrees of psychopathic traits.

High prevalence of veterinary drugs in bird's nests.

The environmental impact of insecticides used as ectoparasitic treatments for companion animals is not well understood, since they are not subject to detailed environmental risk assessment. Many of these treatments include active ingredients such as fipronil and imidacloprid that are banned from agricultural use in the EU. These treatments are applied topically and can remain on the animal's fur for an extended period of time.