Cumulative Dispensing of Oral Corticosteroids Over 12 Months in People with COPD.

Purpose: Oral corticosteroids (OCS) are recommended for the treatment of exacerbations in people with COPD; however, high cumulative lifetime doses (≥1000mg prednisolone-equivalent) are associated with adverse health effects. This issue is well defined in asthma but is less well understood in COPD. The aim of this study was to examine cumulative OCS dispensed to people with COPD over 12 months.

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.

Inflammatory proteins related to depression in multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Up to 50% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience depression. Depression has been accompanied by increases in inflammatory proteins. This meta-analysis summarized the data on inflammatory protein concentrations and level of depression in individuals with MS.

Sustainable, greenhouse gas derived fermented protein in canine diets-a pilot study.

Sustainability concerns have increased consumer demand for non-animal-derived proteins and the search for novel, alternative protein sources. The nutritional sustainability of the food system without compromising the nutrient quality, composition, digestibility and consumption is pivotal. As with farmed livestock, it is imperative to ensure the well-being and food security of companion animals and to develop sustainable and affordable pet foods.

Landscapes-a lens for assessing sustainability.

Context: There are urgent calls to transition society to more sustainable trajectories, at scales ranging from local to global. Landscape sustainability (LS), or the capacity for landscapes to provide equitable access to ecosystem services essential for human wellbeing for both current and future generations, provides an operational approach to monitor these transitions. However, the complexity of landscapes complicates how and what to consider when assessing LS.

A novel TERT variant associated with a telomere biology disorder and challenges in variant classification.

Telomere biology disorders (TBDs) are inherited conditions associated with multisystem manifestations. We describe clinical and functional characterisation of a novel TERT variant. Whole-genome sequencing was performed along with single length analysis ().

Improving clinical care of patients in Nipah outbreaks: moving beyond 'compassionate use'.

The 2024 Nipah outbreak in Kerala, India-its fifth in six years-and the recurring annual outbreaks in Bangladesh underscore the persistent threat posed by the Nipah virus (NiV) in the region. With a high mortality rate, human-to-human transmission potential, and the widespread presence of bats, the natural reservoir, NiV remains a significant epidemic threat. Despite being a WHO priority pathogen, there has been no systematic effort to improve patient care for NiVD, leading to consistently poor outcomes.

Study protocol for a nested process evaluation of a complex discharge planning intervention (HOME Rehab) to improve participation after first-stroke.

Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of adult disability, and the transition from hospital to home can be fraught with challenges. The HOME Rehab trial is designed to address if better health outcomes for stroke survivors can be achieved with a contextually relevant and tailored occupational therapy discharge planning and support intervention. Process evaluations inform clinical trial findings and future scale up, as well as how to implement a successful intervention effectively into policy and practice.

Efficacy, Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Immunogenicity of ABBV-154 in Adults With Glucocorticoid-Dependent Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Phase 2, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: An unmet need exists for glucocorticoid-sparing treatments for patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). The antibody-drug conjugate ABBV-154 comprises adalimumab conjugated to a glucocorticoid receptor modulator. We evaluated ABBV-154 versus placebo in patients with glucocorticoid-dependent PMR.

The differential fading of disgust and fear reactions to a personal trauma in a non-clinical population.

Persistent negative emotions are a key post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptom. occurs during/following traumatic events and predicts PTS symptoms, but is overlooked relative to other negative emotions like fear. Here, we investigate how trauma-related disgust fades-or persists-in memory (i.

Canine cystic astrocytomas: 7 cases.

Tumoral macrocysts (grossly observable cysts) are common in human pilocytic astrocytomas but are rarely reported in canine astrocytomas. Here we describe 7 canine astrocytomas with macrocysts. The median age of affected patients was 9.

Priority musculoskeletal health research questions for people with generalized joint hypermobility: an international Delphi study.

Objective: This study aimed to identify the top 10 international research priorities for musculoskeletal health of people with generalized joint hypermobility.

Methods: A 3-round Delphi method utilizing an online survey was implemented. Three participant stakeholder groups were eligible for inclusion: (1) people with lived experience of joint hypermobility or their carers, (2) healthcare professionals, and (3) researchers with experience working with individuals with hypermobility.

Development of a qPCR assay to identify and differentiate insect-associated strains of the complex.

The complex contains important opportunistic pathogens of humans and vertebrate animals, as well as insects and other invertebrates. To date, the methods used for the identification of species within the genus , including PCR assays, have poor discriminatory power and may require further molecular typing or genomic sequence analysis to determine clinical relevance. We developed a duplex TaqMan probe-based quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay targeting the gene, which is involved in chitin degradation and transport, and the gene, which is involved in urease production.

Semiconducting Cu(I) Framework for Room Temperature NO Sensing via Efficient Charge Transfer.

Efficient room-temperature sensors for toxic gases are essential to ensure a safe and healthy life. Conducting frameworks have shown great promise in advancing gas sensing technologies. In this study, two new organic-inorganic frameworks [CuX(PPh)(L)], CP1 (X = I) and CP2 (X = Br) have been synthesized using (pyridin-4-yl)-N-(4H-1,2,4-triazol-4-yl)methanimine (L) and triphenylphosphine.

Subgraph Topology and Dynamic Graph Topology Enhanced Graph Learning and Pairwise Feature Context Relationship Integration for Predicting Disease-Related miRNAs.

As an increasing number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have become biomarkers of various human diseases, prediction of the candidate disease-related miRNAs is helpful for facilitating the early diagnosis of diseases. Most of the recent prediction models concentrated on learning of the features from the heterogeneous graph composed of miRNAs and diseases. However, they failed to fully exploit the subgraph structures consisting of multiple miRNA and disease nodes, and they also did not completely integrate the context relationships among the pairwise features.

Reclaiming ritual in palliative care: A hermeneutic narrative review.

Objectives: To explore the potential of incorporating personally meaningful rituals as a spiritual resource for Western secular palliative care settings. Spiritual care is recognized as critical to palliative care; however, comprehensive interventions are lacking. In postmodern societies, the decline of organized religion has left many people identifying as "no religion" or "spiritual but not religious.

Multiomic analyses direct hypotheses for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease risk genes.

Prions are assemblies of misfolded prion protein that cause several fatal and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases, with the most common phenotype in humans being sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Aside from variation of the prion protein itself, molecular risk factors are not well understood. Prion and prion-like mechanisms are thought to underpin common neurodegenerative disorders meaning that the elucidation of mechanisms could have broad relevance.

Digital detector PET/CT increases Centiloid measures of amyloid in Alzheimer's disease: A head-to-head comparison of cameras.

Background: The introduction of therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease has led to increased interest in precisely quantifying amyloid-β (Aβ) burden for diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and further clinical research. Recent positron emission tomography (PET) hardware innovations including digital detectors have led to superior resolution and sensitivity, improving quantitative accuracy. However, the effect of PET scanner on Centiloid remains relatively unexplored and is assumed to be minimized by harmonizing PET resolutions.

A mixed-methods investigation of a digital mental health tool to manage posttrauma anger.

Problematic anger affects up to 30% of individuals who have experienced trauma. Digital mental health approaches, such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) delivered via smartphone and wearable devices (i.e.

Persistent Penumbral Profiles Indicate a Potentially Good Outcome in Acute Stroke Patients Without Major Reperfusion.

Background: It is acknowledged that penumbra can exist beyond 24 hours after stroke onset.

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the association between penumbral persistence at 24-72 hours and clinical outcomes in patients who did not achieve major reperfusion.

Methods: Eligible patients participating in the International Stroke Perfusion Imaging Registry with repeated 24-72 hours perfusion imaging were retrospectively included in this study.

Systematic Review of the Presentation, Treatment, and Outcome of Chronic Disseminated Candidiasis in Children with Cancer or Following Hematopoietic Cell Transplant.

Chronic disseminated candidiasis (CDC) is a rare complication of immunosuppression. This review describes the presentation, management, and outcomes of CDC in pediatric patients with cancer or following hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). PubMed, Embase, and Medline were searched identifying 32 studies, describing 95 cases of CDC.

Causes of mortality and morbidity in the endangered southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus).

Unlabelled: The southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus) is a small, endangered, Australian, ground-dwelling marsupial. Apart from isolated necropsy reports, there has not been a systematic investigation into the health and causes of death for this species.

Objective: To investigate and document the causes of death and the parasites of free-ranging populations of southern brown bandicoots in southern, central Victoria, Australia.

Exploring the Implementation of Cognitive Screening in First-Episode Psychosis Settings: The CogScreen Implementation Study.

Aim: Accurate and appropriate cognitive screening can significantly enhance early psychosis care, yet no screening tools have been validated for the early psychosis population and little is known about current screening practices, experiences, or factors that may influence implementation. CogScreen is a hybrid type 1 study aiming to validate two promising screening tools with young people with first episode psychosis (primary aim) and to understand the context for implementing cognitive screening in early psychosis settings (secondary aim). This protocol outlines the implementation study, which aims to explore the current practices, acceptability, feasibility and determinants of cognitive screening in early psychosis settings from the perspective of key stakeholders.

Lifetime Body Mass Index Trajectories and Contrasting Lung Function Abnormalities in Mid-Adulthood: Data From the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study.

Background And Objective: The impact of lifetime body mass index (BMI) trajectories on adult lung function abnormalities has not been investigated previously. We investigated associations of BMI trajectories from childhood to mid-adulthood with lung function deficits and COPD in mid-adulthood.

Methods: Five BMI trajectories (n = 4194) from age 5 to 43 were identified in the Tasmanian Longitudinal Health Study.

The Effect of Assisted Reproductive Technologies on Human Sex Ratios.

Background: Modern assisted reproductive technology (ART), including pre-implantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), has opened new avenues in understanding early embryonic events and has simultaneously raised questions about the impact of ART itself on sex ratios.

Aims: The primary aim was to investigate whether patient demographic characteristics, ovarian stimulation protocols or laboratory characteristics in ART influence sex ratios. The secondary aim was to relate the blastocyst sex ratio (BSR) to the corresponding secondary sex ratio (SSR) in our patient cohort.