Fractal Dimension Analysis of Peripapillary Microvasculature in Primary Congenital Glaucoma.

Precis: In this prospective multicenter study, eyes with primary congenital glaucoma exhibited lower retinal vascular parameters compared to healthy controls, as assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography fractal dimension analysis.

Purpose: To study the retino-choroidal peripapillary microvascular pattern in primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) using fractal dimension (FD) analysis and compare it to healthy controls.

Methods: This was a prospective multicenter comparative study.

Evaluating the use of text-message reminders and personalised text-message reminders on the return of participant questionnaires in trials, a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Randomised controlled trials are widely accepted as the gold standard research methodology for the evaluation of interventions. However, they often display poor participant retention. To prevent this, various participant interventions have been identified and evaluated through the use of studies within a trial.

The use of nitrogen isotopic fractionation as a biomarker for feed conversion efficiency in pigs using blood and hair samples.

This study aimed to 1) Establish relationships between feed conversion efficiency (FCE; live weight gain/intake) and several biomarkers in pigs using blood and hair samples, and 2) Investigate the relative FCE performance of pigs from maternal vs. terminal genetic lines fed high vs. low energy diets.

Representation of women in scientific subjects: overview of systematic reviews investigating career progress in academic publishing with a focus on mental health.

Background: Women's authorship position in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine research reflects career progression, especially the transition from first to last (usually senior) author. Employment of women in mental health sciences has increased, and so should have had an impact on the change to senior author position.

Aims: To identify if first or last women's authorship has changed, and mental health has better representation.

The Paediatric European Confederation of Medical Mycology (ECMM) Quality (Paed-EQUAL) Candida Score for the Management of Candidaemia in Children and Neonates.

Candidaemia in children is associated with high mortality. The epidemiology of Candida bloodstream infection is changing with rising rates of fluconazole resistance worldwide and the emergence of novel multidrug-resistant species such as Candida auris, which is associated with outbreaks. Guidelines on the management of candidaemia emphasise identification of species and determination of antifungal susceptibility to guide appropriate treatment, performing relevant investigations to rule out deep-seated infection, and removal of central venous catheters.

Systematic study of hybrid triplex topology and stability suggests a general triplex-mediated regulatory mechanism.

By combining in silico, biophysical, and in vitro experiments, we decipher the topology, physical, and potential biological properties of hybrid-parallel nucleic acids triplexes, an elusive structure at the basis of life. We found that hybrid triplex topology follows a stability order: r(Py)-d(Pu)·r(Py) > r(Py)-d(Pu)·d(Py) > d(Py)-d(Pu)·d(Py) > d(Py)-d(Pu)·r(Py). The r(Py)-d(Pu)·d(Py) triplex is expected to be preferred in the cell as it avoids the need to open the duplex reducing the torsional stress required for triplex formation in the r(Py)-d(Pu)·r(Py) topology.

CT Colonography for Colorectal Cancer Prevention and Detection: Integration Into Clinical Practice, From the Special Series on Screening.

CT colonography (CTC) is a CT examination, performed with low dose and typically without IV contrast media, optimized to detect colorectal polyps and cancer. Despite extensive supporting data, CTC has had variable acceptance and use over the past two decades, particularly for a main indication of colorectal cancer screening. CTC is now at an inflection point after the approval in 2025 by CMS for reimbursement of CTC performed for colorectal cancer screening.

Chirality in molecular conductors from enantiopure or racemic coordination complexes.

There has been growing interest in recent years in the synthesis of multifunctional materials that exhibit both chirality and electrical conductivity. These materials can exhibit electrical magnetochiral anisotropy (eMChA) or the chirality induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect. Several families of chiral tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)-based donor molecules have been successfully used with acceptors or simple anions to prepare chiral molecular conductors.

Single-Calibration Cell Size Measurement With Flow Cytometry.

Measuring the size of individual cells in high-throughput experiments is often important in biomedical research and applications. Nevertheless, popular tools for high-throughput single-cell biology, such as flow cytometers, only offer proxies of a cell's size, typically reported in arbitrary scales and often subject to changes in the instrument's settings as selected by multiple users. In this paper, we demonstrate that it is possible to calibrate flowcytometry laser scatter signals with accurate measures of cell diameter from separate devices and that the calibration can be conserved upon changes in the laser settings.

Which Factors in a Child Welfare Worker's Environment Influence Their Decision-Making About Neglect? A Systematic Narrative Literature Review.

This paper systematically reviews literature to date about how child welfare workers' decisions about neglect are influenced by their environments. We conducted a systematic search of Web of Science, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, and Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts, looking for studies in English of any methodology, published since the 1989 Children Act, in which statutory thresholds in England are defined. We used child welfare workers' definitions of neglect or, in the absence of this, defined "neglect" as harmful acts of omission by a caregiver (failure to do something necessary for a child's well-being).

Living in precarious partnerships: Understanding how young men's and women's economic precariousness contribute to outcomes of first cohabitation.

In the UK, cohabitation has become the normative type of first co-residential partnership. While some couples go on to marry, others increasingly continue to cohabit or break up. One possible explanation is the rise in young people's economic precariousness.

Violence Exposure and Cognitive Outcomes Among Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): A Systematic Review.

This article examines how exposure to violence in childhood is linked to impaired cognitive functioning and academic performance. Children who reside in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are more likely to be exposed to violence yet their representation in published studies is often limited. Here, we conducted a systematic review to examine the evidence regarding the association between childhood violence exposure and cognitive outcomes assessed up to age 11 in children from LMICs.

Long-Term Safety of Mirikizumab in Patients With Moderately to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis: An Integrated 2-Year Safety Analysis.

Objective: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic immune-mediated disease requiring ongoing treatment to maintain remission. This report presents the 2-year safety outcomes of mirikizumab, a humanized immunoglobulin G4 anti-interleukin-23p19 monoclonal antibody, in moderately to severely active UC from Phase 3 studies LUCENT-1 (NCT03518086), LUCENT-2 (NCT03524092), and LUCENT-3 (NCT03519945).

Methods: Patients who underwent induction (LUCENT-1) and maintenance (LUCENT-2), and entered long-term maintenance (LUCENT-3) were assessed in 2 cohorts: induction responders and extended-induction responders.

Hungry Ghosts Eat Casino Chips: Associations Between Dispositional Greed and Gambling.

Dispositional greed is characterized as the insatiable desire for more. Although greed may be a driving force for wealth accumulation, it can also relate to increased financial difficulties and risk-taking. Across two studies in different countries, The Netherlands (Study 1, = 1,118) and England, Study 2, = 4,855), we tested the degree to which dispositional greed was associated with gambling outcomes.

Phase Precession Relative to Turning Angle in Theta-Modulated Head Direction Cells.

Grid and place cells typically fire at progressively earlier phases within each cycle of the theta rhythm as rodents run across their firing fields, a phenomenon known as theta phase precession. Here, we report theta phase precession relative to turning angle in theta-modulated head direction cells within the anteroventral thalamic nucleus (AVN). As rodents turn their heads, these cells fire at progressively earlier phases as head direction sweeps over their preferred tuning direction.

Extent of surgical repair and outcomes after surgery for type A aortic dissection.

Background: Acute Stanford type A aortic dissection is a severe emergency condition that, if left untreated, is associated with a high mortality rate. The extent of surgical repair may impact the outcomes of these patients.

Method: Patients operated for acute type A aortic dissection from a multicentre European registry were included.

A three-stage strategy for conducting an experimental investigation: A recommendation to improve the reproducibility of reported conclusions.

The reproducibility of the results from preclinical research rests on many factors, including the selection of appropriate experimental designs for the individual experiments that constitute the investigation. The design of each of these experiments depends on their purpose within the entire investigation and the information to be gained from conducting them. Here, we explain and justify a three-stage strategy comprising a series of different types of experiment, each with a different purpose and design: a pilot study, a hypothesis-generating experiment and a final hypothesis-confirming experiment.

Enhancing the performance of an in vitro RNA biosensor through iterative design of experiments.

The quality control of RNA has become increasingly crucial with the rise of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics. However, conventional methods such as LC-MS often require specialized equipment and expertise, limiting their applicability to high throughput experiments. Here, we optimize a previously characterized RNA integrity biosensor, that provides a simple colorimetric output, using Design of Experiments (DoE).

How Families Manage the Home Environment for Young People With Asthma and Allergic Sensitisation: A Qualitative Study.

Background And Aim: Children and young people (CYP) with severe, sub-optimally controlled asthma and co-existing allergic senitization to indoor aeroallergens, such as pet dander and house dust mite (HDM), would likely benefit from reduced allergen exposure. Multiple allergen remediation interventions exist and are often suggested to families in secondary care asthma clinics in the United Kingdom. Evidence suggests remediation uptake is low or partial but there is sparse evidence to explain why.

Peripheral Muscle Function and Body Composition in People With Cystic Fibrosis on Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor: A Cross-Sectional Single-Centre Study.

Background: People with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) often have multifactorial peripheral muscle abnormalities attributed to, for example, malnutrition, steroid use, altered redox balance and, potentially, CF-specific intrinsic alterations. Malnutrition in CF now includes an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, particularly in those receiving CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator therapy (CFTRm). We aimed to characterise peripheral muscle function and body composition in pwCF on Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (ETI) CFTRm, compared to healthy controls.

Genetic Susceptibility to Type 2 Diabetes, Television Viewing, and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). This study examined the interplay between watching television and T2D genetic risk for risk of ASCVD.

Methods: We included 346 916 White British individuals from UK Biobank.

Investigating the component structure of the Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales for people with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD).

Background: Outcome measurement is increasingly recognised as a vital element of high-quality service provision, but practice remains variable in the field of intellectual disabilities. The Health of the National Outcome Scales for people with Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD) is a widely used Clinician Reported Outcome Measure in the UK and beyond. Over its 20-year lifespan, its psychometric properties have been frequently investigated.