A Bayesian joint bent-cable model for longitudinal measurements and survival time with heterogeneous random-effects distributions.

Biomarkers are measured repeatedly in clinical studies until a pre-defined endpoint, such as death from certain causes, is reached. Such repeated measurements may present a dynamic process for understanding when to expect the study's endpoint. Joint modelling is often employed to handle such a model.

Modifying non-coding regions of linear DNA vaccines to explore the interplay of expression and inflammation in immunogenicity.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for rapidly deployable, flexible vaccine platforms; particularly RNA which is now being explored for several other pathogens. DNA vaccines have potential advantages over RNA, including cost of manufacture, ease of storage and potentially lower reactogenicity. However, they have historically underperformed in large animals and human trials due to low immunogenicity.

Species-habitat networks reveal conservation implications that other community analyses do not detect.

Grassland restoration is an important conservation intervention supporting declining insect pollinators in threatened calcareous grassland landscapes. While the success of restoration is often quantified using simple measures of diversity or similarity to target communities, these measures do not capture all fundamental aspects of community reconstruction. Here, we develop species-habitat networks that aim to define habitat-level foraging dependencies of pollinators across restored grassland landscapes and compare their value to these more conventional measures of community restoration.

The Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS): Regression-based norms for German-speaking countries.

Background And Purpose: Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common and is associated with problems in employment, driving ability, and quality of life. Since cognitive impairment at time of diagnosis is predictive of disability progression, early assessment and annual monitoring is recommended. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment in Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS) was introduced as a time-efficient screening tool that can easily be applied in standard clinical care.

The validation and clinical bioanalysis of the Bicycle® Toxin Conjugate zelenectide pevedotin in human plasma.

Background: The Bicycle® toxin conjugate (BTC) zelenectide pevedotin, formerly known as BT8009, is a novel bicyclic peptide targeting the Nectin-4 tumor antigen conjugated to the cytotoxin monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) via a valine-citrulline cleavable linker. Zelenectide pevedotin is currently being investigated in a Phase 1/2 (Duravelo-1, NCT04561362) clinical trial to determine safety and efficacy in patients with tumors associated with Nectin-4 expression. A simple regulated bioanalytical assay was developed to quantify intact zelenectide pevedotin in patient plasma samples.

Endoscopic surgery for multilevel spinal stenosis: a comprehensive meta-analysis and subgroup analysis of uniportal and biportal approaches.

Minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) has shown promising results, and endoscopic spine surgery has emerged as a less invasive approach. Although studies have examined the effectiveness of endoscopic surgery for spinal stenosis, no meta-analyses have focused on multilevel cases. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of uniportal and biportal endoscopy in patients with multilevel spinal stenosis.

Theoretical evaluation of the biological activity of hydrogen.

Hydrogen (H2), the simplest and most ubiquitous molecule in the universe, has garnered significant scientific interest over the past two decades because of its potential as an effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Traditionally considered inert, H2 is now being re-evaluated for its unique bioactive properties. H2 selectively neutralizes reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, mitigating oxidative stress without disrupting essential cellular functions.

Measurement Invariance on the Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) by Age and Reporter Status: Comparing ARFID Symptoms Among Self-Reporting Adults and Adolescents and Parent Reports of Children and Adolescents.

Objective: Self-report measures of ARFID symptoms (e.g., Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen [NIAS]) are used to assess symptom differences between groups.

Pharmacological profiling of small molecule modulators of the TMEM16A channel and their implications for the control of artery and capillary function.

Background And Purpose: TMEM16A chloride channels constitute a depolarising mechanism in arterial smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and contractile cerebral pericytes. TMEM16A pharmacology is incompletely defined. We elucidated the mode of action and selectivity of a recently identified positive allosteric modulator of TMEM16A (PAM_16A) and of a range of TMEM16A inhibitors.

IL-25 Enhances B Cell Responses in Type 2 Inflammation Through IL-17RB Receptor.

Background: Alarmin cytokine IL-25 promotes type 2 inflammatory responses in disorders such as asthma and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and known targets include ILC2 and Th2 cells. However, other cellular targets for IL-25 remain poorly defined.

Objective: To investigate induction and expression of IL-25 receptor (IL-17RB) by B cells and evaluate responsiveness of IL-17RB-expressing B cells to IL-25 in vitro.

The Cognitive Footprint of Medication Use.

Introduction: The cognitive side-effects of medication are common, but often overlooked in practice, and not routinely considered in interventional trials or post-market surveillance. The cognitive footprint of a medication seeks to quantify the impact of its cognitive effects based on magnitude, duration, and interaction with other factors, evaluated across the exposed population.

Methods: Bayesian multivariable regression analysis of retrospective population-based cross-sectional cohorts.

Metabolic Effects of Glucagon Stimulations in Type 1 Diabetes and Healthy Controls.

Introduction: Metabolic responses to glucagon beyond the promotion of endogenous glucose production in type 1 diabetes remains poorly explored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the metabolic responses to glucagon stimulation in type 1 diabetes and explore whether recent exposure to hypoglycemia would impact glucagon sensitivity.

Research Design And Methods: Twenty-nine participants, 19 with type 1 diabetes and ten healthy controls, underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp with five-stepwise ascending glucagon injections.

Alpha and Theta Oscillations Associated With Behavioral Phenotypes of Pain-Attention Interaction.

Purpose: Pain is inherently salient and so draws our attention in addition to impacting performance on attention-demanding tasks. Individual variability in pain-attention interactions can be assessed by two kinds of behavioral phenotypes that quantify how individuals prioritize pain versus attentional needs. The intrinsic attention to pain (IAP) measure quantifies the degree to which a person attends to pain (high-IAP) or mind-wanders away from pain (low-IAP).

Stigma and the Inverse Care Law: Experiences of 'Care' for People Living in Marginalised Conditions.

This paper explores the connection between stigma and the Inverse Care Law (ICL) by focussing on the idea that people who have the greatest needs often have the least support from healthcare services. Twenty-four semi-structured interviews were undertaken with people who used class A & B illicit drugs, in the northeast of England. Many of the people in this study who used illicit drugs were not able to access quality healthcare in a timely way to meet their needs because of structural and relational stigma.

Towards a unified, yet pluralistic, account of Capgras' delusion.

Introduction: In this paper, we present a new way of thinking about what is going on in cases of Capgras delusion which is a more varied presentation than represented in the literature. We do this by reflecting on the fundamental nature of identification, and then draw some lessons from this for understanding misidentification in general and Capgras delusion cases in particular. What emerges, through the conceptual tool of "mental files", is a unified, yet pluralistic, account of delusional misidentification of the Capgras type.

Industry updates from the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine in November 2024.

Latest developments in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine compiled from publicly available information and press releases from non-academic institutions in November 2024.

Are dry-land measurements and their asymmetries related to swimming performance?

This study aimed to verify the correlations between variables obtained from dry-land tests and swimming performance, in addition to examining the associations between the dry-land asymmetries and swimming performance. Thirty-seven male swimmers performed a test battery, including shoulder isokinetic torque, shoulder range of motion (ROM), vertical jump, anthropometric, and in-water force tests. Additionally, the best official performance in the events of 50 and 200 m front crawl was obtained.

Detoxome Capacity of the Adult Rumen Fluke Extends into Its Secreted Extracellular Vesicles.

Helminth parasites have long adapted to survive hostile host environments and can likely adapt against the chemical anthelmintic challenge. One proposed adaptation route is via Phase I and II xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (XMEs). For successful Helminth pharmacotherapy discovery programs, a working understanding of Helminth-derived chemical detoxification, the Helminth detoxome, is a must.

Oronasal mucosal melanoma is defined by two transcriptional subtypes in humans and dogs with implications for diagnosis and therapy.

Mucosal melanoma is a rare melanoma subtype associated with a poor prognosis and limited existing therapeutic interventions, in part due to a lack of actionable targets and translational animal models for preclinical trials. Comprehensive data on this tumour type are scarce, and existing data often overlooks the importance of the anatomical site of origin. We evaluated human and canine oronasal mucosal melanoma (OMM) to determine whether the common canine disease could inform the rare human equivalent.

Impact of Anatomical Research Projects for Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Academic and Professional Skills, Clinical Aspirations and Appreciation of Anatomy.

In the third year of pre-clinical medicine (known as Part II of the Natural Sciences Tripos at the University of Cambridge), students have the opportunity to lead a primary research project on clinically relevant anatomy, often involving donor dissection. This descriptive study used a cross-sectional survey to explore the effects of undertaking an anatomical research project on students' attitudes, interests, and a variety of academic and professional skills. Of 45 students who were invited to participate in this study, 40 responded.

Beyond glycated haemoglobin: Modelling contemporary management of type 2 diabetes with the updated Cardiff model.

Aims: Recommendations on the use of newer type 2 diabetes (T2D) treatments (e.g., SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists [RA]) in contemporary clinical guidelines necessitate a change in how T2D models approach therapy selection and escalation.