Comparative pericarp biomechanics and germination physiology of Raphanus raphanistrum and Raphanus pugioniformis indehicent fruits.

The biomechanical, morphological and ecophysiological properties of plant seed/fruit structures are adaptations that support survival in unpredictable environments. High phenotypic variability of noxious and invasive weed species such as Raphanus raphanistrum (wild radish) allow diversification into new environmental niches. Dry indehiscent fruits (thick and lignified pericarp [fruit coat] enclosing seeds) have evolved many times independently.

Morselized Femoral Head Impaction Bone Grafting of Large Defects in Ankle and Hindfoot Fusions.

Background: Ankle and hindfoot fusion in the presence of large bony defects represents a challenging problem. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes of patients who underwent ankle-hindfoot fusions with impaction bone grafting (IBG) with morselized femoral head allograft to fill large bony void defects.

Methods: This was a 3-center, retrospective review of a consecutive series of 49 patients undergoing ankle or hindfoot fusions with femoral head IBG for filling large bony defects.

Aberrant Structural-Functional Coupling of Large-scale Brain Networks in Older Women with Subthreshold Depression.

Objectives: Subthreshold depression (SD) is common in the older population, more so in females than males, and can lead to serious physical and mental ill-health. However, the underlying neurobiology remains unclear. This study used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the topological organization and coupling of the structural and functional brain networks in older women with SD.

Transcriptome-scale analysis uncovers conserved residues in the hydrophobic core of the bacterial RNA chaperone Hfq required for small regulatory RNA stability.

The RNA chaperone Hfq plays crucial roles in bacterial gene expression and is a major facilitator of small regulatory RNA (sRNA) action. The toroidal architecture of the Hfq hexamer presents three well-characterized surfaces that allow it to bind sRNAs to stabilize them and engage target transcripts. Hfq-interacting sRNAs are categorized into two classes based on the surfaces they use to bind Hfq.

Single-molecule Magnet Properties of Silole- and Stannole-ligated Erbium Cyclo-octatetraenyl Sandwich Complexes.

The synthesis, structures and magnetic properties of an η5-silole complex and an η5-stannole complex of erbium are reported. The sandwich complex anions [(η5-CpSi)Er(η8-COT)]- and [(η5-CpSn)Er(η8-COT)]-, where CpSi is [SiC4-2,5-(SiMe3)2-3,4-Ph2]2- (1Si), CpSn is [SnC4-2,5-(SiMe3)2-3,4-Me2]2- (1Sn) and COT = cyclo-octatetraenyl, were obtained as their [K(2.2.

Four targets: an enhanced framework for guiding causal inference from observational data.

Observational studies play an increasingly important role in estimating causal effects of a treatment or an exposure, especially with the growing availability of routinely collected real-world data. To facilitate drawing causal inference from observational data, we introduce a conceptual framework centered around "four targets"-target estimand, target population, target trial, and target validity. We illustrate the utility of our proposed "four targets" framework with the example of buprenorphine dosing for treating opioid use disorder, explaining the rationale and process for employing the framework to guide causal thinking from observational data.

Maintenance of prehospital anaesthesia in trauma patients: inconsistencies and variability in practice.

Background: Literature on prehospital anaesthesia predominantly focuses on preparation and induction, while there is limited guidance on anaesthesia maintenance. The hypothesis of this study was that for prehospital trauma patients, protocols and practice for anaesthesia maintenance may vary considerably between services. Hence, we sought to describe the practice of prehospital anaesthesia maintenance for trauma patients in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Occurrence and management of thrombosis recurrence and bleeding in low-molecular-weight heparin-treated patients with cancer-associated thrombosis: a French nationwide cohort study.

Background: Rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence and bleeding remain high in patients with cancer who are prescribed anticoagulants (ACs) such as low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) after an initial VTE event.

Objectives: To identify patient characteristics associated with VTE recurrence and bleeding in patients receiving LMWH for cancer-associated VTE and to explore secondary AC management and clinical outcomes in these patients.

Methods: An observational study was conducted using nationwide French data for adults with active cancer who were hospitalized with VTE in 2013-2018 and were reimbursed for LMWH ≤ 30 days after hospital discharge.

Andexanet alfa: trials just leave us with more questions.

Andexanet Alfa in Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage in Patients Receiving an Oral Factor Xa Inhibitor (ANNEXA-I), the first ever randomized controlled trial of a reversal agent for direct oral anticoagulants, was published in 2024. The trial, which randomized patients with intracranial hemorrhage to andexanet alfa or usual care, was mandated by the United States Food and Drug Administration as part of its conditional approval in 2018. This approval was originally based on the single-arm trial, The Andexanet Alfa, a Novel Antidote to the Anticoagulation Effects of Factor Xa Inhibitors (ANNEXA-4).

A preparatory cranial potential for saccadic eye movements in macaque monkeys.

Response preparation is accomplished by gradual accumulation in neural activity until a threshold is reached. In humans, such a preparatory signal, referred to as the lateralized readiness potential, can be observed in the EEG over sensorimotor cortical areas before execution of a voluntary movement. Although well-described for manual movements, less is known about preparatory EEG potentials for saccadic eye movements in humans and nonhuman primates.

Category-biased patches encircle core domain-general regions in the human lateral prefrontal cortex.

The fine-grained functional organization of the human lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) remains poorly understood. Previous fMRI studies delineated focal domain-general, or multiple-demand (MD), PFC areas that co-activate during diverse cognitively demanding tasks. While there is some evidence for category-selective (face and scene) patches, in human and non-human primate PFC, these have not been systematically assessed.

Binding Kinetics, Bias, Receptor Internalization and Effects on Insulin Secretion and of a Novel GLP-1R/GIPR Dual Agonist, HISHS-2001.

The use of incretin analogues has emerged in recent years as an effective approach to achieve both enhanced insulin secretion and weight loss in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Agonists which bind and stimulate multiple receptors have shown particular promise. However, off target effects, including nausea and diarrhoea, remain a complication of using these agents, and modified versions with optimized pharmacological profiles and/or biased signaling at the cognate receptors are increasingly sought.

Permissive central tolerance plus defective peripheral checkpoints licence pathogenic memory B cells in CASPR2-antibody encephalitis.

Autoimmunity affects 10% of the population. Within this umbrella, autoantibody-mediated diseases targeting one autoantigen provide a unique opportunity to comprehensively understand the developmental pathway of disease-causing B cells and autoantibodies. While such autoreactivities are believed to be generated during germinal centre reactions, the roles of earlier immune checkpoints in autoantigen-specific B cell tolerance are poorly understood.

Comparing a new visuospatial intervention administered 3 days after a trauma film to reduce the occurrence of intrusive visual memories: a single-center randomized, controlled trial in healthy participants.

Introduction: Intrusive memories occur frequently after potentially traumatic events and form a core symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) if they persist. The translational approach of visuospatial interventions tries to target those intrusive memories in order to reduce their frequency predominantly using an intervention including as one component the computer game Despite promising results, the application of has critical drawbacks, e.g.

The people's game: evolutionary perspectives on the behavioural neuroscience of football fandom.

Association football (soccer) is the world's most popular sport. Transculturally, fans invest significant resources following their teams, suggesting underlying psychological universals with evolutionary origins. Although evolutionary science can help illuminate the ultimate causes of human behaviour, there have been limited modern evolutionary perspectives on football fandom.

Prevalence and determinants of nasal carriage of penicillin non-susceptible : a cross-sectional household survey in northern Vietnam.

Background: Beta-lactams remain the first-line treatment of infections despite the increasing global prevalence of penicillin-resistant/non-susceptible strains. We conducted a cross-sectional household survey in a rural community in northern Vietnam in 2018-2019 to provide prevalence estimates of penicillin non-susceptible (PNSP) carriage and to investigate behavioural and environmental factors associated with PNSP colonization. The data presented will inform the design of a large trial of population-based interventions targeting inappropriate antibiotic use.

Comparison of good review practices of seven countries participating in the ECOWAS medicines regulatory harmonisation initiative: identifying opportunities for improvement.

Introduction: When implemented by national and regional regulatory agencies good review practices (GRevPs) support the timely high-quality review of medicines for enhanced patients' availability to safe, quality and efficacious innovative and generic products. It is important that all aspects of GRevPs are continuously evaluated and updated to promote the continuous improvement of regulatory systems at national and regional levels. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the GRevPs of the national medicines regulatory agencies (NMRAs) of Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, who are active participants of the ECOWASMRH initiative to identify opportunities for improvement.

Desensitization With Imlifidase for HLA-Incompatible Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation: A Delphi International Expert Consensus.

Highly sensitized (HS) patients in need of kidney transplantation (KTx) typically spend a longer time waiting for compatible kidneys, are unlikely to receive an organ offer, and are at increased risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). Desensitization using imlifidase, which is more rapid and removes total body immunoglobulin G (IgG) to a greater extent than other methods, enables transplantation to occur between HLA-incompatible (HLAi) donor-recipient pairs and allows patients to have greater access to KTx. However, when the project was launched there was limited data and clinical experience with desensitization in general and with imlifidase specifically.

Associations between degree of food processing and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: a multicentre prospective cohort analysis in 9 European countries.

Background: Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has been linked with higher risk of mortality. This multi-centre study investigated associations between food intake by degree of processing, using the Nova classification, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.

Methods: This study analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition.

Advanced robotics for automated EV battery testing using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Introduction: The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has highlighted the need for efficient diagnostic methods to assess the state of health (SoH) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) at the end of their life cycle. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) offers a non-invasive technique for determining battery degradation. However, automating this process in industrial settings remains a challenge.

Identifying targets for antibiotic stewardship interventions in pediatric patients in Punjab, Pakistan: point prevalence surveys using AWaRe guidance.

Introduction: Surveillance of antibiotic use is crucial for identifying targets for antibiotic stewardship programs (ASPs), particularly in pediatric populations within countries like Pakistan, where antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is escalating. This point prevalence survey (PPS) seeks to assess the patterns of antibiotic use in pediatric patients across Punjab, Pakistan, employing the WHO AWaRe classification to pinpoint targets for intervention and encourage rational antibiotic usage.

Methods: A PPS was conducted across 23 pediatric wards of 14 hospitals in the Punjab Province of Pakistan using the standardized Global-PPS methodology developed by the University of Antwerp.

A novel machine learning based framework for developing composite digital biomarkers of disease progression.

Background: Current methods of measuring disease progression of neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), largely rely on composite clinical rating scales, which are prone to subjective biases and lack the sensitivity to detect progression signals in a timely manner. Digital health technology (DHT)-derived measures offer potential solutions to provide objective, precise, and sensitive measures that address these limitations. However, the complexity of DHT datasets and the potential to derive numerous digital features that were not previously possible to measure pose challenges, including in selection of the most important digital features and construction of composite digital biomarkers.

Access to public health care and associated factors in rural areas: a cross-sectional community-based study in Bopa district, Southern Benin.

Introduction: despite the considerable progress made to date, access to health care in public health facilities remains a challenging public health problem in Benin. This study aimed to assess trends in access to care over five years and to identify factors associated with low access to care.

Methods: a cross-sectional community-based study was conducted in the Bopa district, a rural area of southern Benin between January and February 2020.