Soil macrofauna communities in Brazilian land-use systems.

Background: Soil animal communities include more than 40 higher-order taxa, representing over 23% of all described species. These animals have a wide range of feeding sources and contribute to several important soil functions and ecosystem services. Although many studies have assessed macroinvertebrate communities in Brazil, few of them have been published in journals and even fewer have made the data openly available for consultation and further use.

CRISPR-Cas9 KO Cell Line Generation and Development of a Cell-Based Potency Assay for rAAV-FKRP Gene Therapy.

Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy R9 (LGMDR9) is a dystroglycanopathy caused by Fukutin-related protein (FKRP) defects leading to the deficiency of α-DG glycosylation, essential to membrane integrity. Recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) gene therapy offers great therapeutic promise for such neuromuscular disorders. Pre-clinical studies have paved the way for a phase 1/2 clinical trial aiming to evaluate the safety and efficacy of FKRP gene therapy in LGMDR9 patients.

Development and validation of a new equation based on plasma creatinine and muscle mass assessed by CT scan to estimate glomerular filtration rate: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Inter-individual variations of non-glomerular filtration rate (GFR) determinants of serum creatinine, such as muscle mass, account for the imperfect performance of estimated GFR (eGFR) equations. We aimed to develop an equation based on creatinine and total lumbar muscle cross-sectional area measured by unenhanced computed tomography scan at the third lumbar vertebra.

Methods: The muscle mass-based eGFR (MMB-eGFR) equation was developed in 118 kidney donor candidates (iohexol clearance) using linear regression.

Rituximab-Induced Serum Sickness Overlapping With Anaphylaxis: A Case Report.

Serum sickness (SS) and anaphylaxis are well-documented complications of rituximab (RTX) infusions. While the first presents usually as a triad of fever, rash, and arthralgias occurring seven to 14 days after infusion, the second presents as a sudden onset of hemodynamic instability, bronchospasm, and a pruritic erythematous rash, occurring within the first few hours after infusion. We present here a case of serum sickness associated with anaphylaxis five days after the first infusion of a second course of RTX.

HCV eradication does not protect from fibrosis progression in patients with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after liver transplantation.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) may recur after liver transplantation (LT) in the severe form of fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis (FCH). The prognosis dramatically improved by the use of direct acting antivirals (DAAs). The aim of the present study was to describe the change in histological features of FCH after virological eradication.

Cytokine dynamics and targeted immunotherapies in autoimmune encephalitis.

Autoimmune encephalitides constitute a diverse group of immune-mediated central nervous system disorders mainly characterized by the presence of antibodies targeting neuronal or glial antigens. Despite the notable contribution of antibody discovery to the understanding of their physiopathology, the specific immune cells and inflammatory mediators involved in autoimmune encephalitis are still poorly defined. However, cytokines have recently emerged as crucial signalling molecules in the pathogenesis of autoimmune encephalitis.

The Contribution of Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation to the Improvement in Motor Functions and Quality of Life.

Background: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) effectively treats motor symptoms and quality of life (QoL) of advanced and fluctuating early Parkinson's disease. Little is known about the relation between electrode position and changes in symptom control and ultimately QoL.

Objectives: The relation between the stimulated part of the STN and clinical outcomes, including the motor score of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the quality-of-life questionnaire, was assessed in a subcohort of the EARLYSTIM study.

[French clinical practice guidelines developed by a modified Delphi consensus process for oocyte vitrification in women with benign gynecologic disease].

Objectives: To provide clinical practice guidelines about fertility preservation (FP) for women with benign gynecologic disease (BGD) developed by a modified Delphi consensus process for oocyte vitrification in women with benign gynecologic disease.

Methods: A steering committee composed of 14 healthcare professionals and a patient representative with lived experience of endometriosis identified 42 potential practices related to FP for BGD. Then 114 key stakeholders including various healthcare professionals (n=108) and patient representatives (n=6) were asked to participate in a modified Delphi process via two online survey rounds from February to September 2020 and a final meeting.

Oocyte Vitrification for Fertility Preservation in Women with Benign Gynecologic Disease: French Clinical Practice Guidelines Developed by a Modified Delphi Consensus Process.

International guidelines are published to provide standardized information and fertility preservation (FP) care for adults and children. The purpose of the study was to conduct a modified Delphi process for generating FP guidelines for BGD. A steering committee identified 42 potential FP practices for BGD.

Esophageal Atresia and Respiratory Morbidity.

Background And Objectives: Respiratory diseases are common in children with esophageal atresia (EA), leading to increased morbidity and mortality in the first year. The primary study objective was to identify the factors associated with readmissions for respiratory causes in the first year in EA children.

Methods: A population-based study.

Adult brainstem glioma presenting with isolated persistent hemifacial spasm or facial nerve palsy.

Object: Adult brainstem gliomas are a rare group of heterogeneous brain tumors. Classical clinical presentation includes progressive impairment of cranial nerves associated with long tract signs. The prognosis and response to treatment are poor; nevertheless, some patients do have a long survival.

The Host Protein Aquaporin-9 is Required for Efficient Sporozoite Entry into Human Hepatocytes.

Hepatocyte invasion by sporozoites represents a promising target for innovative antimalarial therapy, but the molecular events mediating this process are still largely uncharacterized. We previously showed that sporozoite entry into hepatocytes strictly requires CD81. However, CD81-overexpressing human hepatoma cells remain refractory to infection, suggesting the existence of additional host factors necessary for sporozoite entry.

Dynamics of stochastic gradient descent for two-layer neural networks in the teacher-student setup.

Deep neural networks achieve stellar generalisation even when they have enough parameters to easily fit all their training data. We study this phenomenon by analysing the dynamics and the performance of over-parameterised two-layer neural networks in the teacher-student setup, where one network, the student, is trained on data generated by another network, called the teacher. We show how the dynamics of stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is captured by a set of differential equations and prove that this description is asymptotically exact in the limit of large inputs.

Updated Diagnostic Criteria for Paraneoplastic Neurologic Syndromes.

Objective: The contemporary diagnosis of paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes (PNSs) requires an increasing understanding of their clinical, immunologic, and oncologic heterogeneity. The 2004 PNS criteria are partially outdated due to advances in PNS research in the last 16 years leading to the identification of new phenotypes and antibodies that have transformed the diagnostic approach to PNS. Here, we propose updated diagnostic criteria for PNS.

Human and preclinical studies of the host-gut microbiome co-metabolite hippurate as a marker and mediator of metabolic health.

Objective: Gut microbial products are involved in regulation of host metabolism. In human and experimental studies, we explored the potential role of hippurate, a hepatic phase 2 conjugation product of microbial benzoate, as a marker and mediator of metabolic health.

Design: In 271 middle-aged non-diabetic Danish individuals, who were stratified on habitual dietary intake, we applied H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of urine samples and shotgun-sequencing-based metagenomics of the gut microbiome to explore links between the urine level of hippurate, measures of the gut microbiome, dietary fat and markers of metabolic health.

A Novel Classification of 3D Rib Cage Deformity in Subjects With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Study Design: This was a multicentric cross-sectional descriptive study.

Objective: To analyze patterns of 3D rib cage deformity in subjects with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) and their relationship with the spinal deformity.

Summary Of Background Data: Subjects with AIS present with rib cage deformity that can affect respiratory functions.

Early liver transplantation for corticosteroid non-responders with acute severe autoimmune hepatitis: The SURFASA score.

Background & Aims: In acute severe autoimmune hepatitis (AS-AIH), the optimal timing for liver transplantation (LT) remains controversial. The objectives of this study were to determine early predictive factors for a non-response to corticosteroids and to propose a score to identify patients in whom LT is urgently indicated.

Methods: This was a retrospective, multicenter study (2009-2016).