AF-FLOW Global Registry Confirms Validity of Electrographic Flow Mapping as a Phenotyping Tool for Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Electrographic flow (EGF) mapping allows for the visualization of global atrial wavefront propagations. One mechanism of initiation and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF) is stimulation from EGF-identified focal sources that serve as driver sites of fibrillatory conduction. Electrographic flow consistency (EGFC) further quantifies the concordance of observed wavefront patterns, indicating that a healthier substrate shows more organized wavefront propagation and higher EGFC.

Ankle-foot orthoses for improving walking in adults with calf muscle weakness due to neuromuscular disorders.

Background: Calf muscle weakness is a common symptom in slowly progressive neuromuscular disorders that lead to walking problems like instability and increased walking effort. The mainstay of treatment to improve walking in this population is the provision of ankle-foot-orthoses (AFOs). Since we are not aware of an up-to-date and complete overview of the effects of AFOs used for calf muscle weakness in slowly progressive neuromuscular disorders, we reviewed the evidence for the effectiveness of AFOs to improve walking in this patient group, in order to support clinical decision-making.

Molecular Insights into the Adsorption of Deposit Control Additives from Hydrocarbon Fuels.

Engine deposits can reduce performance and increase emissions, particularly for modern direct-injection fuel delivery systems. Surfactants known as deposit control additives (DCAs) adsorb and self-assemble on the surface of deposit precursors to keep them suspended in the fuel. Here, we show how molecular simulations can be used to virtually screen the ability of surfactants to bind to polyaromatic hydrocarbons, comprising a major class of carbonaceous deposits.

Number of Previous Strokes and the Association With Clinical Outcomes of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: Longitudinal Data From the GLORIA-AF Registry.

Background: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who suffered a previous stroke are at increased risk of recurrent thromboembolic events and other major outcomes. The impact of the number of stroke episodes on the natural history of patients with AF is still unclear.

Methods And Results: Using data from the international, multicenter, and prospective GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation) Registry Phase III, we categorized patients with a recent diagnosis of non-valvular AF according to the number of previous strokes (either 0, 1, or ≥2 episodes).

Micronutrient status and risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in Indonesian tuberculosis case contacts.

Background: Certain micronutrient levels have been associated with the risk of developing TB disease. We explored the possible association of selected at-risk micronutrient levels with the development of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection.

Reevaluating Anti-Inflammatory Therapy: Targeting Senescence to Balance Anti-Cancer Efficacy and Vascular Disease.

Modulating immune function is a critical strategy in cancer and atherosclerosis treatments. For cancer, boosting or maintaining the immune system is crucial to prevent tumor growth. However, in vascular disease, mitigating immune responses can decrease inflammation and slow atherosclerosis progression.

Inflammatory Potential of the Diet and Risk of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

Background: Association between dietary factors and the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been studied extensively. However, identification of deleterious dietary patterns merits further study.

Aim: To investigate the risk of developing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) according to the inflammatory score of the diet (ISD) in the multinational European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort.

Next step towards point-of-care molecular diagnosis of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS): evaluation of an instrument-free LAMP procedure.

Detection of spp. DNA in gynaecological samples by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is considered to be the reference diagnostic test for female genital schistosomiasis (FGS). However, qPCR needs expensive laboratory procedures and highly trained technicians.

Detecting two circulating antigens - CCA and CAA - in urine and serum to improve diagnosis of human schistosomiasis.

Background: Schistosomiasis is caused by infection with parasitic worms and affects more than 250 million people globally. The detection of schistosome derived circulating cathodic and anodic antigens (CCA and CAA) has proven highly valuable for detecting active infections, causing both intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis.

Aim: The combined detection of CCA and CAA was explored to improve accuracy in detecting infections.

Promoting Global Cardiovascular Health to Advance the Sustainable Development Agenda.

The burden of cardiovascular disease has declined in high-income countries in the past 3 decades but is growing in low- and middle-income countries due to epidemiological, demographic, and socioeconomic shifts. A range of cost-effective policies and interventions are available for advancing cardiovascular health (CVH) through primordial, primary, and secondary prevention. We showcase multifaceted challenges that stifle the global progress of CVH including shortcomings in financial protection, health systems, primary health care, national health policies, service coverage, and surveillance.

Outcomes of endometrial cancer prevention strategies in patients with Lynch syndrome: a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands.

Background: Female Lynch syndrome carriers have an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer. Regardless, research on endometrial carcinoma tumorigenesis is scarce and no uniform, evidence-based gynaecological management guidelines exist. We therefore described gynaecological surveillance and surgery outcomes in a nation-wide Lynch syndrome cohort.

The feasibility of endoscopic stapes surgery: A three-dimensional planning method.

Objective: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of a semi-automatic algorithm in assessing the feasibility and complexity of endoscopic stapes surgery preoperatively.

Methods: A semi-automatic algorithm was developed to simulate endoscopic stapes surgery in 3D. To test the accuracy of the algorithm, five fresh-frozen cadaveric heads (ten ears) were used.

The Long-Term Effect of Childhood Otitis Media on Speech-in-Noise Testing at Ages 9 and 13.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between a history of otitis media (OM) in early childhood and speech reception thresholds (SRT) in later childhood, using the Dutch digits-in-noise (DIN) test at ages 9 and 13 years.

Methods: This study was conducted within the Generation R study, a prospective birth cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Children underwent pure-tone audiometry and DIN testing at ages 9 (2011-2015) and 13 (2016-2020) years.

Efficacy of psychomotor therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders-a systematic literature review.

Unlabelled: Specific Phobia (SP), Generalized Anxiety Disorders (GAD), and Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) are the most prevalent anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. Although anxiety has a major influence on the body, evidence-based treatments mainly focus on cognitive and behavioral aspects of anxiety. Body- and movement-oriented interventions, such as psychomotor therapy (PMT), address the physical aspects.

New Potent Inhibitor of Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGFβ) Signaling that is Efficacious against Microsatellite Stable Colorectal Cancer Metastasis in Combination with Immune Checkpoint Therapy in Mice.

Blockade of the TGFβ signaling pathway has emerged from preclinical studies as a potential treatment to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibition in advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) and several other types of cancer. However, clinical translation of first-generation inhibitors has shown little success. Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of HYL001, a potent inhibitor of TGFβ receptor 1 (ALK5), that is approximately 9 times more efficacious than the structurally related compound galunisertib, while maintaining a favorable safety profile.

Interaction of light with gas-liquid interfaces: influence on photon absorption in continuous-flow photoreactors.

Light interacts with gas bubbles in various ways, potentially leading to photon losses in gas-liquid photochemical applications. Given that light is a valuable 'reagent', understanding these losses is crucial for optimizing reactor efficiency. In this study, we address the challenge of quantifying these interactions by implementing a method that separately determines the photon flux and utilizes actinometric experiments to determine the effective optical path length, a key descriptor of photon absorption.

Vector AutoRegressive Moving Average Models: A Review.

Vector AutoRegressive Moving Average (VARMA) models form a powerful and general model class for analyzing dynamics among multiple time series. While VARMA models encompass the Vector AutoRegressive (VAR) models, their popularity in empirical applications is dominated by the latter. Can this phenomenon be explained fully by the simplicity of VAR models? Perhaps many users of VAR models have not fully appreciated what VARMA models can provide.

Urbanization enhances body condition, but not innate immune defences, in a common waterbird.

There is a growing body of evidence that urbanization can affect body condition and immune function in wild birds, although these effects may be complex and taxa-specific. Here, we assessed the effects of urbanization on body condition (size-corrected body mass and haemoglobin concentration) and innate immune defences (haemolysis-haemagglutination assay, haptoglobin concentration and bacterial killing assay) in 136 Eurasian coots () from three urban and three non-urban populations across Poland. We also quantified the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio to control for the potential effect of physiological stress on immune defences.

Translation, Validity, and Reliability of the Indonesian Version of the Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI).

Background: The Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI) is a widely used 13-item shoulder-specific patient-reported outcome measure for shoulder pain disorders. The English version of SPADI is easy to use and demonstrates excellent measurement properties for clinical and research settings.

Purpose: To translate and culturally adapt an Indonesian version of SPADI (SPADI-IDN) and then validate its use in Indonesian patients.