Incidental Thyroid Goiter with Large Posterior Mediastinal Extension: A Case Report.

Mediastinal goiters represent descent of thyroid tissue from the neck to the intra thoracic cavity most commonly in the anterior mediastinal compartment. Posterior mediastinal extension is uncommon, comprising only 10-15% of all mediastinal goiters. Thyroid masses within mediastinum may present with range of symptoms from being asymptomatic to severe compressive symptoms according to size and location.

Cellular calcium homeostasis and regulation of its dynamic perturbation.

Calcium ions (Ca) play pivotal roles in a host of cellular signalling processes. The requirement to maintain resting cytosolic Ca levels in the 100-200 nM range provides a baseline for dynamic excursions from resting levels that determine the nature of many physiological responses to external stimuli and developmental processes. This review provides an overview of the key components of the Ca homeostatic machinery, including known channel-mediated Ca entry pathways along with transporters that act to shape the cytosolic Ca signature.

Etiology and Antimicrobial Resistance of Culture-Positive Infections in Ugandan Infants: A Cohort Study of 7000 Neonates and Infants.

Background: Epidemiological evidence about the etiology and antimicrobial resistance of neonatal infections remains limited in low-resource settings. We aimed to describe the etiology of neonatal infections in a prospective observational cohort study conducted at two hospital sites in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: Babies admitted to either unit with risk factors or signs of sepsis, pneumonia, or meningitis had a blood culture, nasopharyngeal swab, and lumbar puncture (if indicated) collected.

Rapid Point-of-care Testing to Inform Intrapartum Treatment of Group B -Colonized Women in Uganda.

Introduction: Maternal Group B (GBS) rectovaginal colonization is an important risk factor for invasive disease in neonates, yet availability of culture-based methods for detection is limited in low-resource settings. We evaluated the diagnostic performance of the HiberGene (HG) GBS loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the rapid detection of GBS in rectal/vaginal swabs collected from women in Uganda. This work forms a part of the PROGRESS GBS study.

Early Childhood Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Early Infant Invasive Group B Streptococcal Infection in Uganda.

Background: Group B streptococcal (GBS) sepsis during infancy is a leading cause of child mortality and an important contributor to long-term neurodisability. Data on outcomes among invasive GBS infection survivors in low- and middle-income countries are limited. We present 2-year neurodevelopment and growth outcomes after GBS sepsis in Uganda.

Community Perceptions of Neonatal Infection in Uganda.

Background: We investigated awareness of neonatal infections among a population of pregnant women and other community members in Kampala, Uganda. We explored perceived causes of neonatal infections and perceptions of appropriate treatments.

Methods: We conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 97 participants: 25 community leaders who took part in 3 FGDs, 12 pregnant women who took part in IDIs, and 60 pregnant women who took part in 8 FGDs, between November 2019 and October 2020.

HIV Exposure and Neonatal Sepsis: A Descriptive Etiological Study.

Background: Low- and middle-income countries lack data on culture-confirmed sepsis in HIV-exposed infants, despite the reported heightened risk of infectious morbidity. This study describes culture-confirmed sepsis and antibiotic resistance patterns among HIV-exposed children in a large etiological cohort study in Kampala, Uganda.

Methods: This was a prospective birth cohort study based at 2 Ugandan sites, as part of the Progressing Group B Streptococcal Vaccines (PROGRESS) study.

Seroprevalence of Cytomegalovirus Among Pregnant Women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital, Uganda: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Maternal primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with abortion and congenital anomalies. In Uganda, the burden of maternal CMV infection is not well studied. This study thus assessed the seroprevalence and factors associated with CMV infection among pregnant women at Kawempe National Referral Hospital in Kampala.

Infectious Causes of Stillbirths: A Descriptive Etiological Study in Uganda.

Background: Every year an estimated 2-3 million babies are stillborn, with a high burden in Africa. Infection is an important driver of stillbirth. There is a lack of data on the bacterial causes of stillbirth in Uganda, contributing to a lack of interventions such as effective prophylaxis and development of maternal vaccine options against the most implicated pathogens.

Control-Informed Reinforcement Learning for Chemical Processes.

This work proposes a control-informed reinforcement learning (CIRL) framework that integrates proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control components into the architecture of deep reinforcement learning (RL) policies, incorporating prior knowledge from control theory into the learning process. CIRL improves performance and robustness by combining the best of both worlds: the disturbance-rejection and set point-tracking capabilities of PID control and the nonlinear modeling capacity of deep RL. Simulation studies conducted on a continuously stirred tank reactor system demonstrate the improved performance of CIRL compared to both conventional model-free deep RL and static PID controllers.

Organic-Inorganic Multilayer Microcarriers with Superior Mechanical Properties for Potential Active Delivery in Fast-Moving Consumer Goods.

This study introduces an eco-friendly approach to fabricating superstrong, core-shell, composite microcapsules, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional insoluble microplastic-based materials like melamine-formaldehyde. These microcapsules were engineered with a thick CaCO shell formed via crystal ripening in the presence of water-soluble poly(acrylic acid), encasing a hexylsalicylate oil core armored by hydrophilic SiO nanoparticles. An additional polydopamine layer was deposited via oxidative autopolymerization at pH 8.

Causal Relationship Between Intelligence, Noncognitive Education, Cognition and Urinary Tract or Kidney Infection: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: The occurrence of urinary tract or kidney infection is correlated with intelligence, noncognitive education and cognition, but the causal relationship between them remains uncertain, and which risk factors mediate this causal relationship remains unknown.

Methods: The intelligence (n=269,867), noncognitive education (n=510,795) and cognition data (n=257,700) were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) conducted in individuals of European ethnicities. The genetic associations between these factors and urinary tract or kidney infection (UK Biobank, n=397,867) were analyzed using linkage disequilibrium score regression.

How do social norms influence the sexual and reproductive health of very young adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa? A scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Introduction Very young adolescents (VYAs, aged 10-14 years) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have the worst sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes of this age group worldwide due to structural, behavioural, socioeconomic and other factors. Social and gender norms have important consequences for the SRH and wellbeing of VYAs both now and over their life course. SRH programming often focuses on older adolescents (aged 15-19 years), overlooking younger ones.

Acute severe hypocalcaemia after initiation of a selective RET-inhibitor in medullary thyroid cancer.

Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a rare subtype of thyroid cancer originating from parafollicular C-cells of the thyroid. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are used to treat patients with advanced MTC. Selpercatinib is a highly selective RET inhibitor used in the treatment of advanced RET-mutated MTC, having shown higher potency and fewer side effects compared to multikinase inhibitors in clinical trials.

Restricted Dynamics and Para-Ortho Conversion of H Adsorbed in Micro- and Mesoporous Carbide-Derived Carbon: A Quasi- and Inelastic Neutron Scattering Study.

Strong confinement of hydrogen is important for adsorption-based hydrogen storage solutions, which are vital for the transition toward a hydrogen-based economy. The dynamics of hydrogen adsorbed in high-porosity TiC-derived carbon with relatively well-stacked graphenic layers for a carbide-derived carbon is investigated with inelastic and quasi-elastic neutron scattering methods. Both the para-ortho rotational transition and elastic incoherent scattering factor are investigated.

Effect of fat distribution on left ventricular structure and function in different sexes: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Although there is an interaction between sex, body fat distribution, and cardiac structure and function, these relationships have not been fully elucidated yet. This study aims to reveal the causal relationship between genetic determinants of fat distribution pattern and function of the left ventricular structure in different sexes.

Methods: Genetic variants for waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and body mass index (BMI) were selected from genome-wide association studies conducted in European samples.

Exploring how health inequalities are conceptualised and measured in patient experience surveys in acute care: a protocol for a scoping review.

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to map measured and overlooked health inequalities in patient experience surveys in acute care and to explore the potential consequences of different conceptualisations of these health inequalities.

Introduction: Measuring patient experience has become standard practice in many countries. However, despite the widespread awareness of the impact of health inequalities on various aspects of health, including patient experience, a comprehensive examination of whether and how health inequalities are measured in patient experience surveys has yet to be completed.

Tracheomalacia in patients undergoing thyroid surgery-What is the true estimate: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Tracheomalacia is defined as the weakening of the tracheal rings secondary to long-standing compression or inherent structural weakness, leading to stridor and airway compromise. The common etiological factor of tracheomalacia includes compression of the tracheal framework due to a large multinodular goiter. There are various management techniques described in the literature to manage a patient with tracheomalacia including tracheostomy, tracheal stenting, and tracheopexy.

Racioethnic disparities in comorbidities and outcomes following head and neck oncologic surgery.

Objectives: Racial disparities persist despite attempts to establish an egalitarian framework for surgical care. This study aimed to investigate racioethnic disparities in comorbidities and outcomes following surgery for head and neck tumors.

Methods: This retrospective study included adult patients who underwent head and neck oncologic surgery between 2008 and 2020 from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.

Portable-CELLxGENE: standalone executables of CELLxGENE for easy installation.

Unlabelled: Biologists who want to analyse their single-cell transcriptomics dataset must install and use specialist software via the command line. This is often impractical for non-bioinformaticians. Whilst the popular CELLxGENE software provides an intuitive graphical interface to facilitate analysis outside the command line, its server-side installation and execution remain complex.

Computational tools for the prediction of site- and regioselectivity of organic reactions.

The regio- and site-selectivity of organic reactions is one of the most important aspects when it comes to synthesis planning. Due to that, massive research efforts were invested into computational models for regio- and site-selectivity prediction, and the introduction of machine learning to the chemical sciences within the past decade has added a whole new dimension to these endeavors. This review article walks through the currently available predictive tools for regio- and site-selectivity with a particular focus on machine learning models while being organized along the individual reaction classes of organic chemistry.

Theta and alpha connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Spontaneous electroencephalography (EEG) measurements have demonstrated putative variations in the neural connectivity of subjects with autism spectrum disorder, as compared to neurotypical individuals. However, the exact nature of these connectivity differences has remained unknown, a question that we now address. Resting-state, eyes-open EEG data were recorded over 20 min from a cohort of 13 males aged 3-5 years with autism spectrum disorder, and nine neurotypical individuals as a control group.

Distinct spatiotemporal atrophy patterns in corticobasal syndrome are associated with different underlying pathologies.

Although the corticobasal syndrome was originally most closely linked with the pathology of corticobasal degeneration, the 2013 Armstrong clinical diagnostic criteria, without the addition of aetiology-specific biomarkers, have limited positive predictive value for identifying corticobasal degeneration pathology in life. Autopsy studies demonstrate considerable pathological heterogeneity in corticobasal syndrome, with corticobasal degeneration pathology accounting for only ∼50% of clinically diagnosed individuals. Individualized disease stage and progression modelling of brain changes in corticobasal syndrome may have utility in predicting this underlying pathological heterogeneity, and in turn improve the design of clinical trials for emerging disease-modifying therapies.

Reassessing the role of the p.(Arg304Gln) missense AIP variant in pituitary tumorigenesis.

Objective: Heterozygous germline loss-of-function variants in AIP are associated with young-onset growth hormone and/or prolactin-secreting pituitary tumours. However, the pathogenic role of the c.911G>A; p.

Examining the needs, outcomes and current treatment pathways of 2461 people with treatment-resistant depression: mixed-methods study.

Background: A substantial subset of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD), typically defined as failure to respond to at least two sequential antidepressant trials at adequate dose and length.

Aims: To examine clinical and service-level associations of TRD, and the experiences of people with TRD and clinicians involved in their care within a large, diverse National Health Service trust in the UK.

Method: This mixed-methods study integrated quantitative analysis of electronic health records with thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.