Association Between Patient Characteristics and the Depth of Microvascular Penetration Into the Adult Human Meniscus.

Background: Current knowledge on the microvascular anatomy of adult human menisci is based on cadaveric studies. However, considerable interindividual variation in meniscal microvascularization has been reported in recent studies with small sample sizes.

Purpose: To assess the association between patient characteristics and the depth of microvascularization of the meniscus.

Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Version of the Young Positive Schema Questionnaire (YPSQ-NL).

In schema therapy early adaptive schemas (EASs) and early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) have been found to be independent but related constructs. The Young Positive Schema Questionnaire (YPSQ) was developed and validated in English to measure EASs. The present study investigated psychometric properties of the Dutch translation in a representative sample of 650 non-clinical Dutch individuals.

Verruciform Acanthotic Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia Harbors Recurrent Genomic Alterations Found in HPV-independent Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The term verruciform acanthotic vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (vaVIN) was coined to describe HPV-independent p53-wildtype lesions with characteristic clinicopathologic characteristics and association with vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (vSCC). We aimed to expand on the molecular landscape of vaVIN using comprehensive sequencing and copy number variation profiling. vaVIN diagnosis in institutional cases was confirmed by a second review, plus negative p16 and wildtype p53 by immunohistochemistry.

User-friendliness of the pain assessment in impaired cognition (PAIC15) in persons with aphasia: a pilot study.

Background: Persons with aphasia have difficulties communicating pain symptoms.

Methods: Thirteen observers performed multiple observations using the Pain Assessment in Impaired Cognition (PAIC15) scale for persons with aphasia during rest and transfer in persons with aphasia. This pilot study examined the user-friendliness of PAIC15 and preference for type of self-report pain scales with a questionnaire.

Co-cropping of , and : a study of metal uptake interactions and nickel phytoextraction efficiency.

Co-cropping of hyperaccumulators is still poorly understood, while associations between hyperaccumulators and other plant species may promote beneficial plant interactions and lead to increased metal phytoextraction from contaminated soils. The aim of this study was to evaluate the phytoextraction potential of the Ni-hyperaccumulator in different co-cropping combinations with and . Plants were grown in ultramafic soil in a growth chamber for 45 days and Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in roots and leaves were analyzed.

Heparin-Binding Protein in Cerebrospinal Fluid as a Biomarker for Bacterial Meningitis: A Study of Diagnostic Accuracy.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of heparin-binding protein (HBP) in cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis of bacterial meningitis in patients with a suspected central nervous system infection.

Methods: This prospective multicenter cohort study determined the diagnostic accuracy of HBP in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for bacterial meningitis among a cohort of consecutive patients with a suspected central nervous infection. The final clinical diagnosis was considered the reference standard.

Predicting the impact of targeted fence removal on connectivity in a migratory ecosystem.

Fencing is one of the most widely utilized tools for reducing human-wildlife conflict in agricultural landscapes. However, the increasing global footprint of fencing exceeds millions of kilometers and has unintended consequences for wildlife, including habitat fragmentation, movement restriction, entanglement, and mortality. Here, we present a novel and quantitative approach to prioritize fence removal within historic migratory pathways of white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) across Kenya's Greater Masai Mara Ecosystem.

Why do most people on dialysis not accept psychological care to increase perceptions of control in life?

Objectives: People with chronic kidney failure (CKF) on dialysis who perceive little control in life are at risk for a reduced well-being. We developed and tested an intervention aiming to enhance their perceptions of control. To gain insight into patients' care needs and acceptance of the intervention, we examined the prevalence of patients perceiving low control, their characteristics, and their reasons for (not) accepting the intervention.

The impact of noise exposure, time pressure, and cognitive load on objective task performance and subjective sensory overload and fatigue.

Introduction: Sensory hypersensitivity (SHS) refers to an increased sensitivity to sensory stimuli, often leading to sensory overload and adversely affecting daily functioning and well-being. This study examined the effects of three situational triggers - noise, time pressure, and cognitive load - on task performance, sensory overload, and fatigue. Additionally, we sought to explore the associations between these effects and SHS, while accounting for other influencing factors such as personality, coping mechanisms, and anxiety.

Frontline Voice: AO Spine Member Survey Regarding Spine Oncology Knowledge Generation and Translation Needs.

Study Design: cross-sectional survey.

Objectives: To evaluate AO Spine members' practices and comfort in managing metastatic and primary spine tumors, explore the use of decision-support and patient assessment tools, and identify knowledge gaps and future needs in spine oncology.

Methods: An online survey was distributed to AO Spine members to query comfort levels with key decisions in spinal oncology management, utilization of decision frameworks and spine oncology-specific instruments, and educational material preferences.

The Economic Burden of Management of Pituitary Adenomas: A Propensity-Score-Matched Cost Analysis.

Importance: Pituitary adenomas (PAs) present a notable economic burden on healthcare systems due to their management's reliance on multimodal, often costly interventions.

Objective: To determine total and relative healthcare costs for PAs at Ontario-based institutions.

Design: A retrospective, propensity-score-matched cohort analysis.

A New Design for Aortic Arch Surgery: Ex Vivo Implantation and Computerized Flow Evaluation of the ISLAND Graft.

Objective: Both the en bloc island technique and the branched graft technique (BGT) present advantages but also limitations in aortic arch surgery. Here is the first presentation of an innovative prosthesis for aortic arch replacement, conceived to overcome the disadvantages of both techniques.

Methods: The novel ISLAND graft is a tubular Dacron or hybrid prosthesis with an additional extended Dacron graft ("bubble") on the superior aspect, for en bloc island graft anastomosis.

Phosphorus starvation induces the synthesis of novel lipid class diacylglyceryl glucuronide and diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine in two species of cold-adapted microalgae Raphidonema (Chlorophyta).

Microalgae possess diverse lipid classes as components of structural membranes and have adopted various lipid remodeling strategies involving phospholipids to cope with a phosphorus (P)-limited environment. Here, we report a unique adaptative strategy to P deficient conditions in two cold-adapted microalgae, Raphidonema monicae and Raphidonema nivale, involving the lipid class diacylglyceryl glucuronide (DGGA) and the betaine lipid diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine. Lipidomic analyses showed that these two lipid classes were present only in trace amounts in nutrient replete conditions, whereas they significantly increased under P-starvation concomitant with a reduction in phospholipids, suggesting a physiological significance of these lipid classes to combat P-starvation.

Compositional brain scores capture Alzheimer's disease-specific structural brain patterns along the disease continuum.

Introduction: Traditional multivariate methods for neuroimaging studies overlook the interdependent relationship between brain features. This study addresses this gap by analyzing relative brain volumetric patterns to capture how Alzheimer's disease (AD) and genetics influence brain structure along the disease continuum.

Methods: This study analyzed data from participants across the AD continuum from the Alzheimer's and Families (ALFA) and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) studies.

Environmental impacts of restructuring the EU's natural gas supply and consumption: Learnings from the 2022 energy crisis.

In 2022, the European Union put forward the REPowerEU plan in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, aiming at enhancing short-term energy security by diversifying imports and reducing natural gas demand while accelerating the deployment of renewable alternatives in the long term. Here, we quantify the life cycle environmental impacts of both REPowerEU's short-term measures, including the controversial extended coal-fired power plant operations, and how the first year of the crisis was managed in practice. We find that the policy measures' impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be negligible, although they could have detrimental effects on other environmental categories.

FOXP2-immunoreactive corticothalamic neurons in neocortical layers 6a and 6b are tightly regulated by neuromodulatory systems.

The / gene, linked to fine motor control in vertebrates, is a potential candidate gene thought to play a prominent role in human language production. It is expressed specifically in a subset of corticothalamic (CT) pyramidal cells (PCs) in layer 6 (L6) of the neocortex. These L6 FOXP2+ PCs project exclusively to the thalamus, with L6a PCs targeting first-order or both first- and higher-order thalamic nuclei, whereas L6b PCs connect only to higher-order nuclei.

A qualitative study on general practitioners' perspectives on late-life depression in Singapore-part II: system- and physician-related factors.

Background: Little is known about the practices and resources employed by general practitioners (GPs) in Singapore to manage late-life depression. As the country is stepping up its efforts to promote collaborative care across community mental health and geriatric care, understanding GPs' current practices when managing late-life depression appears timely.

Methods: This qualitative descriptive study explored the perspectives on late-life depression of 28 private GPs practicing in Singapore through online semi-structured group and individual interviews.

Roads to remission: evolving treatment concepts in type 2 inflammatory diseases.

Unlabelled: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) characterised by type 2 inflammation, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps, atopic dermatitis, food allergies and eosinophilic esophagitis, are increasing in prevalence worldwide. Currently, there is a major paradigm shift in the management of these diseases, towards the concept of disease modification and the treatment goal remission, regardless of severity and age. Remission as a treatment goal in chronic inflammatory NCDs was first introduced in rheumatoid arthritis, and then adopted in other non-type 2 inflammatory diseases.

Desensitization With Imlifidase for HLA-Incompatible Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation: A Delphi International Expert Consensus.

Highly sensitized (HS) patients in need of kidney transplantation (KTx) typically spend a longer time waiting for compatible kidneys, are unlikely to receive an organ offer, and are at increased risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Desensitization using imlifidase, which is more rapid and removes total body immunoglobulin G (IgG) to a greater extent than other methods, enables transplantation to occur between HLA-incompatible (HLAi) donor-recipient pairs and allows patients to have greater access to KTx. However, when the project was launched there was limited data and clinical experience with desensitization in general and with imlifidase specifically.

Epicardial fat tissue, a hidden enemy against the early recovery of left ventricular systolic function after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Background: Epicardial fat tissue (EFT) is an active organ that can affect cardiac function and structure through endocrine, paracrine, and proinflammatory mechanisms. We hypothesized that greater thickness of EFT may harm the recovery of left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) and reduced LV ejection fraction (EF ≤ 50 %) undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

Methods: A sixty six patients with severe AS and 20 % ≥ LVEF ≤ 50 % who underwent TAVI were included.

Indications for an antidepressive effect of thymosin alpha-1 in a small open-label proof of concept study in common variable immune deficiency patients with depression.

Background: A considerable proportion (21%) of patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) suffers from depression. These subjects are characterized by reduced naïve T cells and a premature T cell senescence similar to that of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). It is known that T cells are essential for limbic system development/function.

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.

Association between Emotional Intelligence and Professionalism in Medical Students: The Compassion-Competence Nexus.

Background And Objective: In medical education, the challenging constructs of emotional intelligence and professionalism are increasingly being addressed worldwide and seem to share common characteristic components. The objective of this study was to determine the association between emotional intelligence and professionalism as perceived and self-reported by medical students and to explore the gender difference in these two variables.

Methods: It is a cross-sectional study of eight months duration, from February-September 2019, that included final year medical students at Dow Medical College through convenience sampling.

Treatment time and learning curve analysis of 1.5 T MR-Linac workflows led by radiation oncologists or therapists.

Background And Purpose: This study assessed the treatment time of online adaptive (i.e. Adapt-to-Shape, ATS) and virtual couch shift (i.

Efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation in gastrointestinal disorders: a systematic review.

Dysfunction of the vagus nerve has been suggested as a contributing factor in various gastrointestinal disorders, prompting interest in vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a non-pharmacological therapy. We performed a systematic review to determine the efficacy of invasive and non-invasive VNS in gastrointestinal disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), functional dyspepsia (FD), functional constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and gastroparesis. We applied a systematic search of the literature in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases in order to identify studies comparing VNS with an adequate control condition (sham stimulation) in patients with gastrointestinal disorders.