Oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic, laparoscopic and open pancreatoduodenectomy for ampullary adenocarcinoma: a propensity score matched international multicenter cohort study.

Background: Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AAC) typically presents at an early stage due to biliary obstruction and therefore might be specifically suitable for minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD). However, studies assessing MIPD specifically for AAC, including the robotic and laparoscopic approach, are limited. The aim of this study is to compare short- and long-term oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic (RPD), laparoscopic (LPD) and open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) performed specifically for AAC.

Matrix-mediated activation of murine fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are key cells promoting cartilage damage and bone loss in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They are activated to assume an invasive and migratory phenotype. While mechanisms of FLS activation are unknown, evidence suggests that pre-damaged extracellular matrix (ECM) of the cartilage can trigger FLS activation.

Protection by natural cholera against later episodes of cholera over 10 years of follow-up in Matlab, Bangladesh: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Patients with cholera have been shown to be protected against subsequent cholera for 3 years after their initial episode. We aimed to assess protection at 10 years of follow-up.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, cohorts of patients treated for cholera (index patients) and contemporaneously selected age-matched individuals without cholera (controls), randomly selected from the population of Matlab, Bangladesh, were assembled between 1990 and 2009 and followed for up to 10 years.

Improved cost-effectiveness of species monitoring programs through data integration.

Conservation initiatives strive for reliable and cost-effective species monitoring. However, resource constraints mean management decisions are overly reliant on data derived from single methodologies, resulting in taxonomic or geographic biases. We introduce a data integration framework to optimize species monitoring in terms of spatial representation, the reliability of biodiversity metrics, and the cost of implementation, focusing on tigers and their principal prey (sambar deer and wild pigs).

Evolution and ecology of anti-defence systems in phages and plasmids.

Prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea) encode a highly diversified arsenal of defence systems that protect them against mobile genetic elements, such as phages and plasmids. In turn, mobile genetic elements encode anti-defence systems that allow them to escape the activity of these defence systems. This has resulted in an evolutionary arms race in which defence systems and anti-defence systems evolve and adapt continuously, driving intriguing innovation and enormous diversification on both sides.

Human evolution: The lonely Neanderthal?

A recently excavated Neanderthal skeleton from southern France has yielded DNA from a distinct lineage, different from other late Neanderthals. This suggests Neanderthals expanded and diversified about 120,000 years ago, and some of that diversity persisted in Europe until near the time of their extinction.

Evolution: An Ediacaran ecdysozoan.

A new study describes a fossilized ecdysozoan from Ediacaran rocks, extending the body fossil record for this hyper-diverse group and emphasizing the pivotal insights provided by Ediacaran fossils in documenting the early evolutionary history of major animal clades.

Relationships between people and nature: Nature connectedness and relational environmental values.

There is growing recognition that our relationship with nature needs repairing. Two operationalizations of this construct within psychology are nature connectedness and relational environmental values. This review covers recent advances on both constructs.

A systematic review for non-targeted analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

This review follows the PRISMA guidelines to provide a systematic review of 115 peer reviewed articles that used non-targeted analysis (NTA) methods to detect per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS). This literature highlights the significant positive impact of NTA in understanding PFAS in the environment. Within the literature a geographical bias exists, with most NTA studies (∼60 %) conducted in the United States and China.

Neurotrophin-3 as a mediator in the link between PM exposure and psychiatric disorders: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The causal relationship between PM (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) and common mental disorders, along with its neuropathological mechanisms, remains unclear.

Methods: We used genome-wide association study datasets from the UK Biobank and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium to systematically investigate the causal relationship between PM and nine common psychiatric disorders using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) methods.

Novel yeast Pichia kudriavzevii alleviates aflatoxins induced toxicopathology in broiler chickens through immunomodulation and antioxidant enhancement.

This study aimed to investigate the potential of Pichia kudriavzevii (PK), a newly discovered yeast strain, in alleviating the deleterious effects induced by aflatoxins on broilers. Eighty one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups and subjected to various combinations of aflatoxin dosages at 300 μg/kg of feed alongside PK supplementation at 1 g/kg of feed. Assessment encompassed a comprehensive array of parameters including performance metrics, hepatic and renal biomarkers, interleukin concentrations, blood cell counts, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, antibody response to sheep red blood cells, lymphoproliferative response to PHA-P, phagocytic response utilizing the carbon clearance assay system, as well as evaluation of oxidants and antioxidants.

Fatal systemic bacterial infections in two harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) secondary to bite wounds from grey seals (Halichoerus grypus).

Mycoplasma phocicerebrale, the causative agent of seal ('speck') finger, a zoonotic disease, is a common commensal in the oral cavity of various seal species. Historically associated with seal hunters, it remains a significant risk for those handling or rehabilitating marine mammals. While primarily known for causing severe cellulitis in humans, M.

Modified latex glove model for simulating a range of supermicrosurgical vessels.

Accessibility of simulated submillimetre vessels for training supermicrosurgeons is limited by cost and access to micro laboratory facilities. Common simulation techniques include in vivo rat mesenteric artery, ex-vivo cryopreserved artery, ex-vivo chicken wing or thigh and synthetic models such as silicone tubing. The lowest cost and most readily accessible of these is the chicken wing model (Hayashi et al.

An 'Index of Oro-dental Disease': A holistic method for understanding the impacts of different risk factors on oral health in archaeological populations.

Objective: To gain a more holistic understanding of oral health in the past by producing an 'Index of Oro-dental Disease' (IOD), incorporating multiple oro-dental diseases and accounting for differences in antemortem/postmortem alveolar bone and tooth loss.

Materials: UK Adult Dental Health Survey, 2009 anonymised dataset (N = 6206). Archaeological dental data from skeletal individuals from medieval and post-medieval Barton-upon-Humber, North Lincolnshire (N = 214, 1150-1855) and St James's Gardens Burial Ground, London (N = 281, 1789-1853).

Mental health and well-being in adolescent and young adult refugees in Sweden: A cross-sectional study of accompanied and unaccompanied individuals.

Background: Currently, approximately 100 million people are displaced worldwide, including children and young adults. Previous studies showed exposure to violence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common in this sub-population. However, we still lack comprehensive data on well-being, mental health, and the ability to function.

Schistosoma mattheei and zoonotic schistosomiasis.

We highlight the epidemiological importance of Schistosoma mattheei, a common parasite of livestock with an underappreciated ability to infect people, being recently incriminated in both female and male genital schistosomiasis. Through hybridisation(s) with other schistosome species, its public health importance will grow as its zoonotic potential expands across southern Africa.

Characteristics of older patients undergoing surgery in the UK: SNAP-3, a snapshot observational study.

Background: Frailty and multimorbidity are common in older adults, but the prevalence and interaction of these conditions in surgical patients remain unclear. This study describes the clinical characteristics of a heterogeneous cohort of older UK surgical patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study during 5 days in March 2022, aiming to recruit all UK patients aged 60 yr and older undergoing surgery, excluding minor procedures (e.

Family creation by combined use of ART and surrogacy in a transgender couple: a unique case report.

In 2014 a 36-year-old healthy female-to-male transgender patient attended the London Women's Clinic to consider oocyte and embryo freezing before sex reassignment surgery. The patient began IVF treatment in 2015; from two cycles, nine metaphase II oocytes and five blastocysts were frozen. Three years later the patient returned with his partner, a 39-year-old healthy transgender male-to-female individual, ready to start a family with surrogacy treatment.

Universities should standardize faculty application process.

Building a faculty job application package is a crucial step for academic career advancement, yet early career researchers (ECRs) often face significant time and emotional challenges during this process. The varying application systems across institutions create unnecessary complexity and waste time. Standardizing these procedures would save time, reduce burdens, and enhance fairness in recruitment.

How To Write a Response to Reviewers.

Peer review and comments from reviewers are part of the submission process for scientific papers. We provide tips on how best to respond to reviewers, and point out the most common mistakes that authors make. The ultimate goal is to work with reviewers and editors to improve the quality of a paper so that it is accepted for publication.

Paramedian Unilateral 'Bitubular' Endoscopic Access for a Far Lateral Disc Herniation: A Novel Approach for Far Lateral Lumbar Pathologies.

We present a novel technique to approach far lateral lumbar pathologies using a bitubular, biportal endoscopic system and a paramedian approach. Background: Conventional approaches for lumbar far lateral discectomy range from open approaches to newer minimally invasive approaches such as tubular discectomy and single portal endoscopic discectomy. We present a case of a patient suffering with a left L3-4 and left L4-5 extraforaminal disc herniation who was treated successfully with a left sided bitubular, biportal endoscopic 2 level far lateral discectomy.

Human evolution: Run Lucy, run!

Endurance running is thought as critical for the evolutionary success of hominins. A new study analysing the running skills of the famous 'Lucy' - Australopithecus afarensis - finds that they performed poorer than modern humans, suggesting that key features of the human body plan evolved specifically to improve running performance.

A bio-psycho-social investigation of menopause transition and job satisfaction.

Objectives: To examine the implications of menopause transition for job satisfaction within a framework that integrates bio-psycho-social factors and effects.

Study Design: The study analyses quantitative and qualitative data from a survey of 1684 women in three UK police forces, where growing numbers work during menopause transition within what has been termed a hyper-masculine culture.

Results: We evidence that job satisfaction is negatively impacted by experience of menopause symptoms.

Effect of variation in gridded cattle diet composition on estimated enteric methane emissions in data sparse tropical regions.

Livestock directly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, mainly through enteric fermentation and to a lesser extent manure management. Livestock feed composition plays a crucial role in diet quality and the resulting emissions from livestock. Diet composition varies seasonally particularly in tropical environments with long dry periods.