Pro-renin Receptor (PRR) as a Target to Reduce Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Post Liver Transplantation.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the main causes of chronic liver disorders following liver transplantation. The prorenin receptor (PRR) plays a role in glucose and lipid metabolism, and the hepatic dysregulation of PRR is associated with the upregulation of several molecular pathways, such as the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) that promotes hepatic lipogenesis and leads to lipid accumulation in hepatocytes by upregulation of lipogenic genes. PRR inhibition leads to a reduction in the hepatic expression of sortilin-1 and low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) levels and down-regulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and reduces fatty acids synthesis in hepatocytes.

European Guideline on Chronic Nausea and Vomiting-A UEG and ESNM Consensus for Clinical Management.

Introduction: Chronic nausea and vomiting are symptoms of a wide range of gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal conditions. Diagnosis can be challenging and requires a systematic and well-structured approach. If the initial investigation for structural, toxic and metabolic disorders is negative, digestive motility and gut-brain interaction disorders should be assessed.

Nonhuman primate antigenic cartography of SARS-CoV-2.

Virus neutralization profiles against primary infection sera and corresponding antigenic cartography are integral part of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccine strain selection processes. Human single variant exposure sera have previously defined the antigenic relationships among SARS-CoV-2 variants but are now largely unavailable due to widespread population immunity. Therefore, antigenic characterization of future SARS-CoV-2 variants will require an animal model, analogous to using ferrets for influenza virus.

Changing practices, procedures, and perceptions: A multi-year person-centered planning initiative in group homes for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Person-centered planning has been shown to benefit people with disabilities and their quality of life. However, we have little knowledge of how person-centered planning can benefit staff and administration within a group home organization, as well as the extent to which it results in changes to organizational practices and procedures, as well as perceptions of people with disabilities. In this qualitative study, we explored the perspectives of organizational employees, an affiliating behavioral consultant, and residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, taking into consideration key insights from person-centered planning consultant-coaches, to understand the effects of a person-centered planning initiative on the group home organization.

Investigating digital determinants shaping pharmacists' preparedness for interoperability and health informatics practice evolution: a systematic review.

Background: Fragmented healthcare systems hinder pharmacists' access to comprehensive patient data, limiting their clinical role and posing health risks. Enhancing system interoperability and evaluating factors influencing pharmacists' readiness for technology-driven practice change is a crucial step.

Aim: This systematic review aimed to investigate the digital determinants of pharmacists' readiness for technology-oriented practice change and interoperability.

Novel Selective Cardiac Myosin-Targeted Inhibitors Alleviate Myocardial Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury.

Purpose: Reperfusion of the ischaemic heart is essential to limit myocardial infarction. However, reperfusion can cause cardiomyocyte hypercontracture. Recently, cardiac myosin-targeted inhibitors (CMIs), such as Mavacamten (MYK-461) and Aficamten (CK-274), have been developed to treat patients with cardiac hypercontractility.

Implant waste and associated costs in trauma and orthopaedic surgery: a systematic review.

Purpose: Trauma and orthopaedic (T&O) surgery relies on medical implants and materials, often resulting in metalwork wastage (prosthesis, screws, nails, and plates). This places an economic strain on healthcare services and the environment. Our primary outcome is to quantify the implant wastage across the literature, and secondarily investigate the associated costs in this specialty.

Long-term efficacy and safety of sacral neuromodulation for diarrhoea-predominant and mixed irritable bowel syndrome.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition worldwide. Treatment options for severe IBS are few. Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for patients with IBS has been shown to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in the medium term.

Molecular and computational analysis of a novel pathogenic variant in emopamil-binding protein (EBP) involved in cholesterol biosynthetic pathway causing a rare male EBP disorder with neurologic defects (MEND syndrome).

Background: Male EBP disorder with neurologic defects (MEND syndrome) is an extremely rare disorder with a prevalence of less than 1/1,000,000 individuals worldwide. It is inherited as an X-linked recessive disorder caused by impaired sterol biosynthesis due to nonmosaic hypomorphic EBP variants. MEND syndrome is characterized by variable clinical manifestations including intellectual disability, short stature, scoliosis, digital abnormalities, cataracts, and dermatologic abnormalities.

Exploring SERPINA3 as a neuroinflammatory modulator in Alzheimer's disease with sex and regional brain variations.

SERPINA3, a serine protease inhibitor, is strongly associated with neuroinflammation, a typical condition of AD. Its expression is linked to microglial and astrocytic markers, suggesting it plays a significant role in modulating neuroinflammatory responses. In this study, we examined the SERPINA3 expression levels, along with CHI3L1, in various brain regions of AD patients and non-demented healthy controls (NDHC).

Sustainable solar energy deployment: a multi-criteria decision-making approach for site suitability and greenhouse gas emission reduction.

Conventional power generation methods have led to adverse environmental impacts. Thus, the need for a strategic transition to alternative energy sources arises. This study presents a comprehensive approach to sustainable solar energy deployment using multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques.

Pharmacotherapeutic options for coronary thrombosis treatment: where are we today?

Introduction: Advances in pharmacotherapy for coronary thrombosis treatment and prevention have transformed the clinical outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease but increased the complexity of therapeutic decision-making. Improvements in percutaneous coronary intervention techniques and stent design have reduced the incidence of thrombotic complications, which consequently has increased the challenge of adequately powering clinical trials of novel antithrombotic strategies for efficacy outcomes. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of coronary thrombosis and the characteristics of antithrombotic drugs can help with therapeutic decisions.

ATP Regeneration from Pyruvate in the PURE System.

The "Protein synthesis Using Recombinant Elements" ("PURE") system is a minimal biochemical system capable of carrying out cell-free protein synthesis using defined enzymatic components. This study extends PURE by integrating an ATP regeneration system based on pyruvate oxidase, acetate kinase, and catalase. The new pathway generates acetyl phosphate from pyruvate, phosphate, and oxygen, which is used to rephosphorylate ATP .

Fine-Tuning Genetic Circuits via Host Context and RBS Modulation.

The choice of organism to host a genetic circuit, the chassis, is often defaulted to model organisms due to their amenability. The chassis-design space has therefore remained underexplored as an engineering variable. In this work, we explored the design space of a genetic toggle switch through variations in nine ribosome binding site compositions and three host contexts, creating 27 circuit variants.

Anthelmintic Potential of Conjugated Long-Chain Fatty Acids Isolated from the Bioluminescent Mushroom .

With praziquantel being the sole available drug for schistosomiasis, identifying novel anthelmintic agents is imperative. A chemical investigation of the fruiting body of the bioluminescent mushroom Berk. resulted in the isolation of new conjugated long-chain fatty acids (8,10,12,13)-12,13-dihydroxy-7-oxo-octadeca-8,10-dienoic acid () and (7,8,9,11)-7,8-dihydroxy-13-oxo-octadeca-9,11-dienoic acid () and three previously described compounds, (7,8,9)-7,8-dihydroxyoctadec-9-enoic acid (), (2)-dec-2-ene-1,10-dioic acid (), and a ketolactone marasmeno-1,15-dione ().

Apical periodontitis microbiome association with salivary and serum inflammatory burden.

Aims: Apical Periodontitis (AP) involves complex interactions between the root canal microbiome and the host immune response, with potential risk of local and systemic inflammatory burden, however there is no evidence available regarding correlation between microbiome and inflammatory marker levels. This study aims to identify the microbiome of saliva, intracanal and blood samples in AP subjects and investigate the correlation between intracanal and blood microbiomes with serum inflammatory biomarker levels, and salivary microbiomes with salivary inflammatory biomarker levels.

Methodology: Saliva, Intracanal and blood samples were collected from AP patients undergoing root canal retreatment.

Folic and folinic acid load tests for dynamic assessments of compliance and metabolism in folate deficiency and hyperhomocysteinaemia patients unresponsive to high-dose folate replacement.

We describe the utility of 'folic and folinic acid load tests' in the investigation of a 26-year-old woman with persistently low serum folate and moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia unresponsive to folic acid supplements. Serum folate, plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), red cell 5-MTHF and plasma total homocysteine at baseline, 2-h, 4-h and 2- or 4-days (if applicable) post administration of a large dose of oral folic acid, or oral or parenteral folinic acid were measured. The tests confirmed non-compliance but also suggested an unsuspected possible defect in the folate pathway based on differential response to folic versus folinic acid supplements.

Mechanisms of resistance to cell wall and plasma membrane targeting antifungal drugs in candida species isolated in africa.

Introduction: There is a rise in antifungal resistance as well as the emergence of multidrug resistant fungal pathogens worldwide, including in Africa.

Method: This systematic review summarized the published data on the mechanisms and epidemiology of antifungal resistance in species in Africa between 2000 and early 2024.

Result: Seventeen reports from seven African countries were analyzed but due to the paucity of data, the prevalence of antifungal resistant isolates in Africa could not be estimated.

Low and high frequency isometric handgrip exercise training similarly reduce resting blood pressure in young normotensive adults: A randomised controlled trial.

We investigated the effects of low and high frequency isometric handgrip exercise training (IHGT) on resting blood pressure, and the affective/perceptual responses during training. Sixty young normotensive adults were randomised to either a no-intervention control group (CON:  = 20; 12 female) or a group performing either two (LOW:  = 20; 18 female) or four (HIGH:  = 20; 13 female) sessions/week of IHGT for 4 weeks. IHGT involved 4 × 2-min holds at 30% maximal voluntary contraction using the dominant hand.

Narrative and obesity: Managing weight stigma associated with bariatric surgery.

The present study examined how individuals who have been clinically diagnosed as obese explain their decision to undergo bariatric surgery and how they deal with the stigmatization that such a decision may entail. A total of 23 participants (15 women and 8 men) who were awaiting bariatric surgery within the Spanish healthcare system, were interviewed about their weight trajectory and their decision to undergo this surgery. In order to examine the participants' stories, a narrative analysis of the interviews was conducted, with attention to both content ( they told) and structure ( they told) and examining the stories in line with the socially and culturally available narratives that they had access to, and the context in which the stories were produced.

Associations between structural brain changes and blood neurofilament light chain protein in treatment-resistant schizophrenia.

Objective: Around 30% of people with schizophrenia are refractory to antipsychotic treatment (treatment-resistant schizophrenia). Abnormal structural neuroimaging findings, in particular volume and thickness reductions, are often described in schizophrenia. Novel biomarkers of active brain pathology such as neurofilament light chain protein are now expected to improve current understanding of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia.

Behind the scenes of EQA-characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

The main stakeholders in external quality assessment (EQA) programs are the participants, in whose interests these challenges are ultimately organised. EQA schemes in the medical field contribute to improving the quality of patient care by evaluating the analytical and diagnostic quality of laboratory and point-of-care tests (POCT) by independent third parties and, if necessary, pointing out erroneous measurement results and analytical or diagnostic improvement potential. Other benefits include the option of using EQA samples for other important laboratory procedures, such as the verification or validation of diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MDs), a contribution to the estimation of measurement uncertainty, a means of training and educating laboratory staff through educational EQA programmes or samples, or even for independent and documented monitoring of staff competence, such as on samples with unusual or even exceptional characteristics.

Ethical Use of Cadaveric Images in Anatomical Textbooks, Atlases, and Journals: A Consensus Response From Authors and Editors.

Nowadays, consent to use donor bodies for medical education and research is obtained from the body donors and their families before the donation. Recently, the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA) published guidelines that could restrict the appearance of cadaveric images in commercial anatomical resources such as textbooks and other educational products. These guidelines state that the donor must expressly consent to using such images for this purpose.