Evolutionary insights into gut acidification: Invertebrate-like mechanisms in the basal vertebrate hagfish.

Acidification is a key component of digestion throughout metazoans. The gut digestive fluid of many invertebrates is acidified by the vesicular-type H+-ATPase (VHA). In contrast, vertebrates generate acidic gut fluids using the gastric H+/K+-ATPase (HKA); an evolutionary innovation linked with the appearance of a true stomach that greatly improves digestion, absorption, and immune function.

A physical optics formulation of Bloch waves and its application to 4D STEM, 3D ED and inelastic scattering simulations.

Bloch waves are often used in dynamical diffraction calculations, such as simulating electron diffraction intensities for crystal structure refinement. However, this approach relies on matrix diagonalization and is therefore computationally expensive for large unit cell crystals. Here Bloch wave theory is re-formulated using the physical optics concepts underpinning the multislice method.

Potential Infectious Complications in Pig Xenograft Donors and Recipients.

Preclinical and clinical xenotransplantation trials have shown that successful outcomes depend on a number of factors including the prevention of xenozoonoses. Preclinical trials involving pig kidneys and hearts transplanted into various non-human primates have revealed the potential impact of pig pathogens being present in the transplanted organ/tissue, mainly viruses. The concept of "designated pathogen-free donor animals" was developed to ensure elimination of pathogens during the breeding of donor animals to mitigate this occurrence.

Cortical Neurotransmitters Measured by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Change Following Traumatic Brachial Plexus Injury.

 GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. In response to injury within the central nervous system, GABA promotes cortical plasticity and represents a potential pharmacological target to improve functional recovery. However, it is unclear how GABA changes in the brain after traumatic brachial plexus injuries (tBPIs) which represents the rationale for this pilot study.

Treatment patterns and clinical profile in progressive pulmonary fibrosis: a Japanese cross-sectional survey.

Background: There is a paucity of real-world data on patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) that are progressive, other than idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), including treatment patterns and attitudes toward treatment. This study aimed to investigate the diagnosis, clinical characteristics, treatment paradigm and current decision-making practices of IPF and progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) in a Japanese real-world setting.

Methods: Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World PPF-ILD Disease Specific Programme™, a cross-sectional survey with retrospective data collection of pulmonologists and rheumatologists in Japan from April to October 2022.

A systematic review of associations between the environment, DNA methylation, and cognition.

The increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases poses a significant public health challenge, prompting a growing focus on addressing modifiable risk factors of disease (e.g. physical inactivity, mental illness, and air pollution).

Health-Related Quality of Life in Long COVID: Mapping the Condition-Specific C19-YRSm Measure Onto the EQ-5D-5L.

Background: Long COVID (LC) is a clinical syndrome with persistent, fluctuating symptoms subsequent to COVID-19 infection. LC has significant detrimental effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), activities of daily living (ADL), and work productivity. Condition-specific patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), such as the modified COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale (C19-YRSm) do not provide the health utility data required for cost-utility analyses of LC interventions.

A scoping review and expert consensus on digital determinants of health.

Objective: To map how social, commercial, political and digital determinants of health have changed or emerged during the recent digital transformation of society and to identify priority areas for policy action.

Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase and Web of Science on 24 September 2023, to identify eligible reviews published in 2018 and later. To ensure we included the most recent literature, we supplemented our review with non-systematic searches in PubMed® and Google Scholar, along with records identified by subject matter experts.

Evaluating plasma biomarkers NfL, GFAP, GDF15, and FGF21 as indicators of disease severity in Charcot-Marie Tooth patients.

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a slowly advancing hereditary nerve disorder, presents a significant challenge in the medical field. Effective drugs for treatment are lacking, and we struggle to find sensitive markers to track the disease's severity and progression. In this study, our objective was to investigate the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in individuals with CMT and to compare them to a control group.

Chronic fetal hypoxia and antenatal Vitamin C exposure differentially regulate molecular signalling in the lung of female lambs in early adulthood.

Introduction: Chronic fetal hypoxia is commonly associated with fetal growth restriction and can predispose to respiratory disease at birth and in later life. Antenatal antioxidant treatment has been investigated to overcome the effects of oxidative stress to improve respiratory outcomes. We aimed to determine if the effects of chronic fetal hypoxia and antenatal antioxidant administration persist in the lung in early adulthood.

The use of cannabidiol as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Highly purified cannabidiol (CBD), recently approved for various neurological disorders, is explored as a potential therapeutic avenue for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) among adult people with epilepsy (PWE) in this systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: To conduct an extensive literature review and meta-analysis of CBD use for DRE in adult PWE.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Is Routine Group and Save Sampling Necessary for Emergency Laparoscopic Appendicectomy?

Background Laparoscopic appendicectomy is a commonly used approach for the surgical management of acute appendicitis. If complications arise, a blood transfusion may be necessary for patients undergoing emergency appendicectomy. The need for routine group and save (G&S) sampling prior to emergency laparoscopic appendicectomy remains a subject of ongoing discussion.

Genomics costing tool: considerations for improving cost-efficiencies through cross scenario comparison.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is crucial for monitoring and investigating infectious disease outbreaks, providing essential data for public health decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly expanded pathogen sequencing and bioinformatics capacities worldwide, creating an opportunity to leverage these advancements for other pathogens with pandemic and epidemic potential. In response to the need for a systematic cost estimation approach for sustainable genomic surveillance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, five institutions collaborated to develop the genomics costing tool (GCT).

Underutilization of coper/non-coper screening in anterior cruciate ligament injuries management in Italy: an online survey.

Introduction: Total and sub-total lesions of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) are one of the most frequent and performance-limiting injuries to the knee joint within the active population. Early surgical management, often regarded as the primary management strategy, has recently been shown to have similar outcomes when compared with an initial rehabilitative approach followed by surgical ACL reconstruction if higher levels of functionality are needed. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the physiotherapists and orthopedic surgeons' "coper/non-coper" screening application in the clinical management of the patient after ACL injury.

The IclR-family transcriptional regulator XyrR controls flotation, motility, antibiotic production and virulence in sp. ATCC 39006.

The opportunistic pathogen sp. ATCC 39006 (S39006) is a rod-shaped, motile, Gram-negative bacterium that produces a 𝛽-lactam antibiotic (a carbapenem) and a bioactive red-pigmented tripyrrole antibiotic, prodigiosin. It is also the only known enterobacterium that naturally produces intracellular gas vesicles (GVs), enabling cells to float in static water columns.

The mind, brain, and body study: A protocol for examining the effects of the gut-brain-immune axis on internalizing symptoms in youth exposed to caregiving-related early adversity.

Experiences of caregiving-related adversity are common and one of the strongest predictors of internalizing psychopathology (i.e., anxiety and depression).

Prevalence and determinants of tobacco use among school-going adolescents in 53 African countries: Evidence from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.

Introduction: Tobacco use typically begins during adolescence. There is a lack of comprehensive evidence on the use of different tobacco products among adolescents in Africa.

Aims And Methods: We used the most recent Global Youth Tobacco Surveys from 53 African countries, covering 2003-2020, to estimate the overall and gender-specific prevalence of each type of tobacco product by country, Africa region, World Bank income group, and age group among adolescents aged 11-17 years.

Outcome Measures for Medical and Surgical Treatment of Prolactinomas. Is the Role of Surgery Underestimated?

 The first line treatment for prolactinomas is currently dopamine agonists (DAs). Medical management is prolonged, associated with side effects, financial, and psychological burdens. In dedicated centers, pituitary surgery is a low-risk alternative.

An image dataset for analyzing tea picking behavior in tea plantations.

Tea is an important economic product in China, and tea picking is a key agricultural activity. As the practice of tea picking in China gradually shifts towards intelligent and mechanized methods, artificial intelligence recognition technology has become a crucial tool, showing great potential in recognizing large-scale tea picking operations and various picking behaviors. Constructing a comprehensive database is essential for these advancements.

High-field MRI findings in epileptic dogs with a normal inter-ictal neurological examination.

Introduction: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological conditions affecting dogs. Previous research exploring the likelihood of a structural cause of epilepsy specifically in dogs with a normal inter-ictal examination is limited to a small population of dogs using low-field MRI. The aims of this study were to establish high-field (1.

Effects of UV-B light exposure during automatic milking on vitamin D levels in Holstein Friesian cows.

Vitamin D is essential for cattle and can be synthesized in the skin under ultraviolet irradiation. This study investigated the effects of narrow-band UV-B irradiation during automatic milking on blood vitamin D concentration and the influence of hair and black skin areas on cutaneous vitamin D synthesis in Holstein Friesian cows. Fifty-one cows were stratified by milk yield, days after calving, and percentage of black skin, then divided into three groups: shaved and irradiated (80 J/m), unshaved and irradiated (129-305 J/m), and a control group.

Investigating the role of goal motives in predicting bedtime procrastination using a daily diary study design: a registered report.

Objectives: Previous operationalisations of bedtime procrastination were incongruent with its definition. We addressed this gap in knowledge by testing a new operationalisation that incorporates the three necessary and sufficient conditions of bedtime procrastination. We investigate the motivational antecedents of bedtime procrastination in daily life with this new operationalisation.