Normothermic Machine Perfusion vs. Static Cold Storage in Liver Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) represents an alternative to prolong liver preservation and reduce organ discard rates. We performed an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to compare NMP with static cold storage (SCS) in liver transplantation.

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or observational studies.

Evidence of Involvement of the Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide in Restless Legs Syndrome.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensory-motor disorder characterized by an urge to move the legs, often with unpleasant sensations, particularly during rest. Current treatments include iron supplementation, dopamine agonists, and opioids, but new therapeutic approaches are needed. The dysfunction of the A11 nucleus, which modulates dopaminergic transmission to the spinal cord, is thought to play a role in RLS pathophysiology.

Beyond the mono-nucleosome.

Nucleosomes, the building block of chromatin, are responsible for regulating access to the DNA sequence. This control is critical for essential cellular processes, including transcription and DNA replication and repair. Studying chromatin can be challenging both in vitro and in vivo, leading many to use a mono-nucleosome system to answer fundamental questions relating to chromatin regulators and binding partners.

Dual delivery of metformin and Y15 from a PLGA scaffold for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Aims: Drug-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds were fabricated using a mold-less technique to investigate whether the combined delivery of both Y15 (FAK inhibitor) and metformin would result in enhanced effects on cell viability compared to the release of each drug alone for the treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC).

Materials & Methods: Scaffolds were fabricated using an easy and economical mold-less technique that combined PLGA and the drugs (i.e.

Diet and methyl mercury contamination of nestling red-winged blackbirds.

Methyl mercury (MeHg) is a widespread environmental contaminant that can have adverse effects on the health of vertebrate wildlife. This study focused on diets and MeHg contamination of nestling red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) from a wetland in north Texas, USA. In previous research at the study site, a risk assessment model suggested that if emergent aquatic insects (i.

Implementing a visual thinking strategies program in health professions schools: An AMEE Guide for health professions educators: AMEE Guide No. 179.

As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly influences the healthcare landscape, integrating medical humanities into health professions education becomes essential for cultivating critical thinking and empathetic patient care. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS), a framework for open discussions about visual art, emerges as a valuable pedagogical approach within this context. This guide presents a comprehensive overview of VTS, including its theoretical foundations and practical implementation.

A regularized Bayesian Dirichlet-multinomial regression model for integrating single-cell-level omics and patient-level clinical study data.

The abundance of various cell types can vary significantly among patients with varying phenotypes and even those with the same phenotype. Recent scientific advancements provide mounting evidence that other clinical variables, such as age, gender, and lifestyle habits, can also influence the abundance of certain cell types. However, current methods for integrating single-cell-level omics data with clinical variables are inadequate.

Comparative Analysis of Caco-2 Cells and Human Jejunal and Duodenal Enteroid-Derived Cells in Gel- and Membrane-Based Barrier Models of Intestinal Permeability.

Intestinal absorption is a key toxicokinetics parameter. While the colon carcinoma cell line Caco-2 is the most used in vitro model to estimate human drug absorption, models representing other intestinal segments are developed. We characterized the morphology, tissue-specific markers and functionality of three human intestinal cell types: Caco-2, primary human enteroid-derived cells from jejunum (J2), and duodenum (D109) when cultured in the OrganoPlate® 3-lane 40 microphysiological system (MPS) or static 24-well Transwells™.

Examining Risk Assessment Implications of Genetic and Dose-Dependent Dynamics of Lead Exposure in Breastfeeding Using the Collaborative Cross Mouse Population.

Breastfeeding offers well-documented advantages but may inadvertently introduce lead (Pb) exposure to infants. Scarce data exists on the risks of Pb exposure for breastfed infants, and strategies for risk mitigation are needed, particularly considering the heightened susceptibility of children to adverse effects from Pb exposure. To investigate the potential influence of breastfeeding on blood Pb levels (BLL) in offspring, population variation in BLL between non-parous and parous mouse dams was quantified, as well as in dams exposed to low- and high-dose while breastfeeding, and their offspring.

Increased Incidence and Severity of Group A Streptococcal Infections in Children in Southeast Texas From June 2022 to May 2023.

Background: Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections can cause a range of disease manifestations and severity, including invasive infections that can lead to death. In 2022-2023, there was an increased number of cases of invasive GAS in the United States following a decline in 2020-2022.

Methods: We investigated this surge at a 3-hospital system of children's hospitals in Southeast Texas.

NF2 loss-of-function and hypoxia drive radiation resistance in grade 2 meningiomas.

Background: World Health Organization Grade 2 meningiomas (G2Ms) often recur and resist therapies. G2Ms with histopathological necrosis have been associated with worse local control (LC) following radiation therapy, but the drivers and biomarkers of radiation resistance in G2Ms remain unknown.

Methods: We performed genetic sequencing and histopathological analysis of 113 G2Ms and investigated the role of genetic and microenvironmental factors on clonogenic survival following ionizing radiation.

Definitional devils and detail: On identifying motivation as an animating dynamic.

Murayama and Jach critically evaluate the idea that motivation is a dynamic that determines behavior and propose alternatively that it might be an emergent property that people construe through perceived regularities in experience and action. The critique has value but fails to appreciate the progress that has been made in moving beyond the idea of which the authors are critical.

Adopt process-oriented models (if they're more useful).

Though we see the potential for benefits from the development of process-oriented approaches, we argue that it falls prey to many of the same critiques raised about the existing construct level of analysis. The construct-level approach will likely dominate motivation research until we develop computational models that are not only accurate, but also broadly usable.

Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) Secondary to Monoarticular Septic Arthritis Leading to Multiorgan Failure in a Patient without Underlying Comorbidities: Emphasizing Early Diagnosis and Management Strategies.

Background: Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS) is a life-threatening condition caused by bacterial toxins. The STSS triad encompasses high fever, hypotensive shock, and a "sunburn-like" rash with desquamation. STSS, like Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), is a rare complication of streptococcal infec-tions caused by Group A Streptococcus (GAS), Streptococcal pyogenes (S.

Low-dose Systemic Tissue-type-plasminogen-activator Compared to Conventional Anti-coagulation for the Treatment of Intermediate-high Risk Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent cause of death. Acute PE may be treated either with full anticoagulation (AC) alone or thrombolytic therapy with systemic tissue-- type-plasminogen-activator (tPA) based on risk assessment. Currently, AC is the standard of care for most patients with intermediate-high-risk PE, with low-dose tPA emerging as an effective alternative.

Double-blind randomised trial of saline solution for gargling and nasal rinsing in SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Previous studies have shown that hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargling reduced the duration of symptoms in upper respiratory infections caused by coronavirus. This study aims to investigate the effects of two saline regimens on symptoms associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Methods: Between 2020 and 2022, individuals aged 18-65 years who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were randomly assigned to either low- or high-saline regimens for 14 days.

Coronary Myocardial Bridge Updates: Anatomy, Pathophysiology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options.

Myocardial bridging is a frequent anomaly of the heart in humans and other animals. A myocardial bridge is typically characterized by the systolic narrowing seen with traditional catheter angiography, but this abnormality is not by itself a sign of ischemia or the need for intervention. In particular, transient spontaneous angina must be corroborated by reproducible narrowing during acetylcholine testing; this narrowing occurs during resting conditions and is responsive to nitroglycerin administration.

Anomalously High Dielectric Strength and Capacitive Energy Density of Thin Entangled Glassy Polymer Films.

The influence of high-intensity electric fields on the stability of polymeric materials is a problem of interest in the design of next-generation energy storage and electronic devices, and for understanding the limits of stability of polymer films exposed to large electric fields generally. Here, we show that the dielectric strength of entangled glassy polymer films increases as an inverse power-law of the film thickness for "ultrathin" films below a micron in thickness. The dielectric strength enhancement in these polymer films becomes as large as ≈2 GV/m in films thinner than 100 nm, but in this thickness regime, the increase of the dielectric strength depends strongly on the polymer mass, sample aging time, and the method of film preparation.

Molecular Basis for Short-Chain Thioester Hydrolysis by Acyl Hydrolases in -Acyltransferase Polyketide Synthases.

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are multidomain enzymatic assembly lines that biosynthesize a wide selection of bioactive natural products from simple building blocks. In contrast to their -acyltransferase (AT) counterparts, -AT PKSs rely on stand-alone ATs to load extender units onto acyl carrier protein (ACP) domains embedded in the core PKS machinery. -AT PKS gene clusters also encode stand-alone acyl hydrolases (AHs), which are predicted to share the overall fold of ATs but function like type II thioesterases (TEs), hydrolyzing aberrant acyl chains from ACP domains to promote biosynthetic efficiency.

Hantavirus antibody seroprevalence and risk factors among adults in West Kazakhstan, 2023.

Background: Orthohantaviruses (also known as hantaviruses) are pathogens, primarily transmitted by rodents, that can cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). In endemic regions of Kazakhstan, no confirmed HFRS cases were detected between 2020 and 2022 raising concerns about detection. Estimate antibody seroprevalence for hantaviruses and identify associated risk factors among high-risk adults in western Kazakhstan in 2023.

RPRD1B's direct interaction with phosphorylated RNA polymerase II regulates polyadenylation of cell cycle genes and drives cancer progression.

RNA polymerase II (Pol II) regulates eukaryotic gene expression through dynamic phosphorylation of its C-terminal domain (CTD). Phosphorylation at Ser2 and Thr4 on the CTD is crucial for RNA 3' end processing and facilitating the recruitment of cleavage and termination factors. However, the transcriptional roles of most CTD-binding proteins remain poorly understood.

Noninvasive Assessment to Identify Patients With At-Risk Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously termed nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is a major global health issue and a leading cause of chronic liver disease. The prevalence of MASLD is increasing globally, with the disease in some patients progressing to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), which significantly raises the risk of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and adverse outcomes. Accurate identification of patients with at-risk MASH, defined as MASH with a fibrosis stage of 2 or higher, is critical for timely intervention and management.