Blood-based DNA methylation markers for lung cancer prediction.

Objective: Screening high-risk individuals with low-dose CT reduces mortality from lung cancer, but many lung cancers occur in individuals who are not eligible for screening. Risk biomarkers may be useful to refine risk models and improve screening eligibility criteria. We evaluated if blood-based DNA methylation markers can improve a traditional lung cancer prediction model.

Computer Simulations of the Temperature Dependence of Enzyme Reactions.

In this review we discuss the development of methodology for calculating the temperature dependence and thermodynamic activation parameters for chemical reactions in solution and in enzymes, from computer simulations. We outline how this is done by combining the empirical valence bond method with molecular dynamics free energy simulations. In favorable cases it turns out that such simulations can even capture temperature optima for the catalytic rate.

Anemia during pregnancy and adverse maternal outcomes in Georgia-A birth registry-based cohort study.

Background: Anemia in pregnancy is an important public health challenge; however, it has not been thoroughly studied in Georgia. We assessed the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy across Georgia and the association between anemia in the third trimester of pregnancy and adverse maternal outcomes.

Methods: We used data from the Georgian Birth Registry and included pregnant women who delivered between January 1, 2019, and August 31, 2022 (n = 158,668).

Association Between GABRG2 and Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol in a French Young Adult Sample.

Purpose: Alcohol use is a leading risk factor for preventable death, injury, and disease globally. Low sensitivity to the effects of alcohol is influenced by genes and predicts risk for harmful alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol induces effects partly by modulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors type A (GABARs).

Co-linear Hexa-Mirror-Based Multi-Periodic Structured Illumination Microscopy.

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is a robust wide-field optical nanoscopy technique. Several approaches are implemented to improve SIM's resolution capability (∼2-fold). However, achieving a high resolution with a large field of view (FOV) is still challenging.

Biodegradable fishing gears: A potential solution to ghost fishing and marine plastic pollution.

Fishing gears are conventionally made from non-biodegradable materials including polyamide (PA). When lost in the ocean, these gears have long-lasting impacts, including marine littering, microplastics production, leaching of chemicals, and an extended period of ghost fishing due to its durability. The use of biodegradable co-polyester material such as polybutylene succinate co-adipate-co-terephthalate (PBSAT) and polybutylene succinate-co-butylene adipate (PBSA) as fishing gear materials have been considered as a potential solution to reduce the associated impact.

Anti-icing properties of polar bear fur.

The polar bear () is the only Arctic land mammal that dives into water to hunt. Despite thermal insulation provided by blubber and fur layers and low Arctic temperatures, their fur is typically observed to be free of ice. This study investigates the anti-icing properties of polar bear fur.

Heart Failure in Atrial Fibrillation Subtypes in Women and Men in the Tromsø Study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist and impact morbidity and mortality. There is limited knowledge on the association of AF subtypes with HF according to sex.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore sex-specific associations between AF subtypes and subsequent HF, identifying HF risk factors in participants with AF, and exploring the combined impact on mortality.

Geographic differences in the phenology of gonadal development and moult, but not of egg laying, are genetically based in a small songbird.

To forecast how fast populations can adapt to climate change, it is essential to determine the evolutionary potential of different life-cycle stages under selection. In birds, timing of gonadal development and moult are primarily regulated by photoperiod, while laying date is highly phenotypically plastic to temperature. We tested whether geographic variation in phenology of these life-cycle events between populations of great tits () has a genetic basis, indicating that contemporary genetic adaptation is possible.

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.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly reveals how repeat elements shape non-coding RNA landscapes active during newt limb regeneration.

Newts have large genomes harboring many repeat elements. How these elements shape the genome and relate to newts' unique regeneration ability remains unknown. We present here the chromosome-scale assembly of the 20.

Short-term evolutionary implications of an introgressed size-determining supergene in a vulnerable population.

The Thorny Skate (Amblyraja radiata) is a vulnerable species displaying a discrete size-polymorphism in the northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA). We conducted whole genome sequencing of samples collected across its range. Genetic diversity was similar at all sampled sites, but we discovered a ~ 31 megabase bi-allelic supergene associated with the size polymorphism, with the larger size allele having introgressed in the last ~160,000 years B.

Sanctuary for vulnerable Arctic species at the Borealis Mud Volcano.

Borealis is a recently discovered submerged mud volcano in the Polar North Atlantic, differing from the numerous methane seepages previously identified in the region. Here we show in situ observations from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), capturing the release of warm (11.5 °C) Neogene sediments and methane-rich fluids from a gryphon at Borealis.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N5) detected in an Atlantic walrus () in the Svalbard Archipelago, Norway, 2023.

We present the first documented case of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) subtype H5N5 in an Atlantic walrus (). The animal was found dead in Svalbard, Norway, in 2023. Sequence analysis revealed the highest genetic similarity with virus isolates from different avian hosts.

Noise-Tolerant Force Calculations in Density Functional Theory: A Surface Integral Approach for Wavelet-Based Methods.

We introduce a method for computing quantum mechanical forces through surface integrals over the stress tensor within the framework of the density functional theory. This approach avoids the inaccuracies of traditional force calculations using the Hellmann-Feynman theorem when applied to multiresolution wavelet representations of orbitals. By integrating the quantum mechanical stress tensor over surfaces that enclose individual nuclei, we achieve highly accurate forces that exhibit superior consistency with the potential energy surface.

Hospital toilets and drainage systems as a reservoir for a long-term polyclonal outbreak of clinical infections with multidrug-resistant species complex.

Background: Nosocomial outbreaks with multidrug-resistant bacteria with a probable reservoir in hospital toilets and drainage systems have been increasingly reported.

Aim: To investigate an increase in bacteraemia with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing at our hospital in 2021; the epidemiology of the outbreak suggested an environmental source.

Methods: Available clinical isolates from patient with infection or rectal carriage from 2019 to 2022 were collected.

Devonian-Mississippian magmatism related to extensional collapse in Svalbard: implications for radiating dyke swarms.

Background: Despite extensive studies of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatic history of Svalbard, little has been done on the Paleozoic magmatism due to fewer available outcrops.

Methods: 2D seismic reflection data were used to study magmatic intrusions in the subsurface of eastern Svalbard.

Results: This work presents seismic evidence for west-dipping, Middle Devonian-Mississippian sills in eastern Spitsbergen, Svalbard.

Associations between degree of food processing and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a multicentre prospective cohort analysis in 9 European countries.

Background: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been linked with higher risk of mortality. This multi-centre study investigated associations between food intake by degree of processing, using the Nova classification, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Assessing the feasibility of a spiritual healing intervention for adults with moderate depression: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Background: Many individuals with depression explore complementary and alternative medicine, including spiritual healing. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to assess the feasibility of a study that integrated spiritual healing with standard care versus standard care alone for adults with moderate depression.

Method: In this pilot RCT with two parallel groups, 28 adult patients with depression were randomized to receive either spiritual healing alongside usual care (n = 14) or usual care alone (n = 14).

Giant pit craters on the modern seafloor above magma-induced hydrothermal vent complexes of Scotia Sea, offshore Antarctica.

Massive injection of C depleted carbon to the ocean and atmosphere coincided with major environmental upheaval multiple times in the geological record. For several events, the source of carbon has been attributed to explosive venting of gas produced when magmatic sills intruded organic-rich sediment. The concept mostly derives from studies of a few ancient sedimentary basins with numerous hydrothermal vent complexes (HTVCs) where craters appear to have formed across large areas of the seafloor at the same time, but good examples remain rare in strata younger than the Early Eocene.

Impact of HPV Catch-Up Vaccination on High-Grade Cervical Lesions (CIN2+) Among Women Aged 26-30 in Northern Norway.

Background/objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of high-grade cervical lesions and cervical cancer worldwide. In Norway, HPV vaccination was introduced in 2009 for seventh-grade girls and extended through a catch-up program from 2016 to 2019 for women born between 1991 and 1996. This study evaluates the impact of the catch-up vaccination program on the incidence of HPV and high-grade cervical lesions in Troms and Finnmark.

Lipoprotein Signal Peptide as Adjuvants: Leveraging Lipobox-Driven TLR2 Activation in Modern Vaccine Design.

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling is a pivotal component of immune system activation, and it is closely linked to the lipidation of bacterial proteins. This lipidation is guided by bacterial signal peptides (SPs), which ensure the precise targeting and membrane anchoring of these proteins. The lipidation process is essential for TLR2 recognition and the activation of robust immune responses, positioning lipidated bacterial proteins as potent immunomodulators and adjuvants for vaccines against bacterial-, viral-, and cancer-related antigens.

The Neurodevelopmental Dynamics of Multilingual Experience During Childhood: A Longitudinal Behavioral, Structural, and Functional MRI Study.

Background/objectives: A neurobiological framework of bi- or multilingual neurocognitive development must consider the following: (i) longitudinal behavioral and neural measures; (ii) brain developmental constraints across structure and function; and (iii) the development of global multilingual competence in a homogeneous social environment. In this study, we investigated whether multilingual competence yields early changes in executive attention control mechanisms and their underlying neural structures in the frontal-striatal system, such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex/pre-supplemental area and the left caudate.

Methods: We employed longitudinal neuroimaging and functional connectivity methods in a small group of multilingual children over two years.

Patient cohorts of interest in resuscitation science - Aligning Cardiac Arrest Registry Outputs with Stakeholder Needs.

Introduction: Cardiac arrest registries can benchmark, enhance quality of care and provide data for research. Key stakeholders from Emergency Medical Communication Centre (EMCC), Emergency Medical Services (EMS), In-Hospital Care Providers (IHCP) and Recovery and Rehabilitation Providers (RRP) have different perspectives, and registry results and patient cohorts should be tailored to facilitate benchmarking, quality improvement projects and research in all sections of the chain of survival. In this paper, we describe different cohorts of interest, exemplified by data from the Norwegian Cardiac Arrest Registry (NorCAR).