Mapping Trajectories of Gait Recovery in Clinical Stroke Rehabilitation.

Background: How gait changes during the early stages of stoke rehabilitation, and which patient characteristics are associated with these changes is still largely unknown.

Objective: he first objective was to describe the changes in gait during stroke rehabilitation. Secondly, we determined how various patient characteristics were associated with the rate of change of gait over time.

Discovery of robust and highly specific microbiome signatures of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Background: The pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with a global prevalence of 30% is multifactorial and the involvement of gut bacteria has been recently proposed. However, finding robust bacterial signatures of NAFLD has been a great challenge, mainly due to its co-occurrence with other metabolic diseases.

Results: Here, we collected public metagenomic data and integrated the taxonomy profiles with in silico generated community metabolic outputs, and detailed clinical data, of 1206 Chinese subjects w/wo metabolic diseases, including NAFLD (obese and lean), obesity, T2D, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.

F-Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen PET/CT imaging for potentially resectable pancreatic cancer (PANSCAN-2): a phase I/II study.

Background: Current diagnostic imaging modalities have limited ability to differentiate between malignant and benign pancreaticobiliary disease, and lack accuracy in detecting lymph node metastases. F-Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) PET/CT is an imaging modality used for staging of prostate cancer, but has incidentally also identified PSMA-avid pancreatic lesions, histologically characterized as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This phase I/II study aimed to assess the feasibility of F-PSMA PET/CT to detect PDAC.

Gains and pains: a qualitative study on the implications of value-based health care for professionals.

Background: While aiming to optimize patient value, the shift towards Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) in hospitals worldwide has been argued to benefit healthcare professionals as well. However, robust evidence regarding VBHC's workforce implications is lacking. This gap is problematic, as the motivation and health of healthcare professionals are central to the quality of care and crucial amidst contemporary workforce challenges.

Evaluation of a biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis derived from a hypomethylated DNA signature of human motor neurons.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) lacks a specific biomarker, but is defined by relatively selective toxicity to motor neurons (MN). As others have highlighted, this offers an opportunity to develop a sensitive and specific biomarker based on detection of DNA released from dying MN within accessible biofluids. Here we have performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of iPSC-derived MN from neurologically normal individuals.

Oral Administration of [F]MC225 for Quantification of P-glycoprotein Function: A Feasibility Study.

Purpose: This preclinical study explored the feasibility of assessing P-glycoprotein (P-gp) function in both brain and gastrointestinal (GI) tract of rats using positron emission tomography (PET) following oral administration of [F]MC225. Different oral administration protocols were evaluated, and radioactivity uptake was compared with uptake following intravenous administration.

Procedures: Twelve male Wistar rats were divided into four groups and subjected to intravenous or oral [F]MC225 administration protocols: G (intravenous route), G (oral administration without fasting), G (oral administration with fasting), and G (oral administration with fasting following administration of the P-gp inhibitor tariquidar).

Governance and resilience as entry points for transforming food systems in the countdown to 2030.

Due to complex interactions, changes in any one area of food systems are likely to impact-and possibly depend on-changes in other areas. Here we present the first annual monitoring update of the indicator framework proposed by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, with new qualitative analysis elucidating interactions across indicators. Since 2000, we find that 20 of 42 indicators with time series have been trending in a desirable direction, indicating modest positive change.

Understanding tinnitus symptom dynamics and clinical improvement through intensive longitudinal data.

Intensive longitudinal sampling enhances subjective data collection by capturing real-time, dynamic inputs in natural settings, complementing traditional methods. This study evaluates the feasibility of using daily self-reported app data to assess clinical improvement among tinnitus patients undergoing treatment. App data from a multi-center randomized clinical trial were analysed using time-series feature extraction and nested cross-validated ordinal regression with elastic net regulation to predict clinical improvement based on the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I).

Systematic review of machine learning applications using nonoptical motion tracking in surgery.

This systematic review explores machine learning (ML) applications in surgical motion analysis using non-optical motion tracking systems (NOMTS), alone or with optical methods. It investigates objectives, experimental designs, model effectiveness, and future research directions. From 3632 records, 84 studies were included, with Artificial Neural Networks (38%) and Support Vector Machines (11%) being the most common ML models.

Increased but not pristine soil organic carbon stocks in restored ecosystems.

Ecosystem restoration can contribute to climate change mitigation, as recovering ecosystems sequester atmospheric CO in biomass and soils. It is, however, unclear how much soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks recover across different restored ecosystems. Here, we show SOC recovery in different contexts globally by consolidating 41 meta-analyses into a second-order meta-analysis.

Enabling next-generation engineered TCR-T therapies based on high-throughput TCR discovery from diagnostic tumor biopsies.

Adoptive cell therapy with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) can mediate tumor regression, including complete and durable responses, in a range of solid cancers, most notably in melanoma. However, its wider application and efficacy has been restricted by the limited accessibility, proliferative capacity and effector function of tumor-specific TIL. Here, we develop a platform for the efficient identification of tumor-specific TCR genes from diagnostic tumor biopsies, including core-needle biopsies frozen in a non-viable format, to enable engineered T cell therapy.

A diagnostic host-specific transcriptome response for Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia to guide pediatric patient treatment.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae causes atypical pneumonia in children and young adults. Its lack of a cell wall makes it resistant to beta-lactams, which are the first-line treatment for typical pneumonia. Current diagnostic tests are time-consuming and have low specificity, leading clinicians to administer empirical antibiotics.

The TRPV1-PKM2-SREBP1 axis maintains microglial lipid homeostasis in Alzheimer's disease.

Microglia are progressively activated by inflammation and exhibit phagocytic dysfunction in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Lipid-droplet-accumulating microglia were identified in the aging mouse and human brain; however, little is known about the formation and role of lipid droplets in microglial neuroinflammation of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we report a striking buildup of lipid droplets accumulation in microglia in the 3xTg mouse brain.

Investigating socioeconomic disparities in prescribing new diabetes medications in individuals with type 2 diabetes and very high cardiovascular risk in the Netherlands.

Aims: This study aims to analyze prescription patterns of new diabetes medication and assess socioeconomic disparities in their initiation among individuals with T2DM with very high cardiovascular risk.

Methods: Individuals diagnosed with T2DM and very high cardiovascular risk were identified (N = 10,768) based on general practitioner's electronic health record data. SGLT-2is and GLP-1RAs prescription patterns were examined.

Predictive performance of ROX index and its variations for NIV failure.

Objective: To determine whether the ROX index and its variations can predict the risk of intubation in ICU patients receiving NIV ventilation using large public ICU databases.

Design: Retrospective observational cohort study.

Setting: Patient data was extracted from both the AmsterdamUMCdb and the MIMIC-IV ICU databases, which contained data related to 20,109 and 50,920 unique patients.

Unravelling malaria latency: parasite intrinsic and environmental factors influencing dormant liver stages.

Hypnozoites - dormant Plasmodium parasites in the liver - can cause relapse infections and form a major obstacle to malaria eradication. The mechanisms controlling dormancy remain poorly understood, but hypnozoite formation and reactivation is likely regulated by a combination of parasite intrinsic factors and external stimuli. We reviewed current knowledge of Plasmodium dormancy and drew parallels with dormancy in other parasites and life-cycle stages.

Weal and woe of interleukin-18 in the T cell therapy of cancer.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy of solid cancer remains below expectations; adding cytokine help through IL-18 has shown remarkable efficacy in first clinical trials. As IL-18 is also a powerful driver of hyperinflammatory conditions, we discuss to what extent unleashing IL-18 is a double-edged sword in CAR T cell therapies.

Exercise type and settings, quality of life, and mental health in coronary artery disease: a network meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Individuals with coronary artery disease have poorer mental health, health-related quality of life (HR-QoL), and cognition compared with (age-matched) controls. Exercise training may attenuate these effects. The aim is to systematically review and meta-analyse the effects of different exercise types and settings on brain structure/function, cognition, HR-QoL, mental health (e.

Cellular damage triggers mechano-chemical control of cell wall dynamics and patterned cell divisions in plant healing.

Reactivation of cell division is crucial for the regeneration of damaged tissues, which is a fundamental process across all multicellular organisms. However, the mechanisms underlying the activation of cell division in plants during regeneration remain poorly understood. Here, we show that single-cell endodermal ablation generates a transient change in the local mechanical pressure on neighboring pericycle cells to activate patterned cell division that is crucial for tissue regeneration in Arabidopsis roots.

An extensive dataset of spiking activity to reveal the syntax of the ventral stream.

Visual neuroscience benefits from high-quality datasets with neuronal responses to many images. Several neuroimaging datasets have been published in recent years, but no comparable dataset with spiking activity exists. Here, we introduce the THINGS ventral stream spiking dataset (TVSD).

HiFi long-read genomes for difficult-to-detect, clinically relevant variants.

Clinical short-read exome and genome sequencing approaches have positively impacted diagnostic testing for rare diseases. Yet, technical limitations associated with short reads challenge their use for the detection of disease-associated variation in complex regions of the genome. Long-read sequencing (LRS) technologies may overcome these challenges, potentially qualifying as a first-tier test for all rare diseases.

Contextualizing the Upper Paleolithic of the Armenian Highlands: New data from Solak-1, central Armenia.

As a potential corridor connecting Southwest Asia with western and northern Europe, the Armenian Highlands and southern Caucasus hold great potential for increasing our understanding of Upper Paleolithic behavioral and cultural variability. However, given the dearth of Upper Paleolithic sites, we lack the data necessary to answer basic questions regarding the timing and nature of the Upper Paleolithic in this region. Solak-1 is an open-air site located along the upper Hrazdan Valley (1635 m above sea level) in central Armenia.