The sexy and formidable male body: men's height and weight are conditfion-dependent, sexually selected traits.

On average men are taller and more muscular than women, which confers on them advantages related to female choice and during physical competition with other men. Sexual size dimorphisms such as these come with vulnerabilities due to higher maintenance and developmental costs for the sex with the larger trait. These costs are in keeping with evolutionary theory that posits large, elaborate, sexually selected traits are signals of health and vitality because stressor exposure (e.

Effectiveness of the AZD1222 vaccine against COVID-19 hospitalization in Europe: final results from the COVIDRIVE test-negative case-control study.

Marketing authorization holders of vaccines typically need to report brand-specific vaccine effectiveness (VE) to the regulatory authorities as part of their regulatory obligations. COVIDRIVE (now id. DRIVE) is a European public-private partnership for respiratory pathogen surveillance and studies of brand-specific VE with long-term follow-up.

Differentiating aspects of oral and long-acting injectable antipsychotic drugs for tailoring the therapy of schizophrenia in clinical practice: a narrative review.

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric condition requiring continuous treatment with antipsychotic medications available in different formulations, including oral antipsychotics (OAPs) and long-acting injectables (LAIs). This narrative review aims to comprehensively outline the advantages and disadvantages of OAPs and LAIs to support clinicians in choosing different formulations based on the presentation of clinical symptoms. An electronic search of the PubMed database was performed in June 2024, and additional articles were retrieved from the references or personal knowledge of the authors.

Augmented Reality for extremity hemorrhage training: a usability study.

Introduction: Limb massive hemorrhage is the first cause of potentially preventable death in trauma. Its prompt and proper management is crucial to increase the survival rate. To handle a massive hemorrhage, it is important to train people without medical background, who might be the first responders in an emergency.

The "central vein sign" to differentiate multiple sclerosis from migraine.

Objective: To investigate, in two cohorts including patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and migraine, (i) the prevalence of the "central vein sign" (CVS), (ii) the spatial distribution of positive CVS (CVS+) lesions, (iii) the threshold of CVS+ lesions able to distinguish MS from migraine with high sensitivity and specificity.

Methods: A total of 70 patients with MS/clinically isolated syndrome and 50 age- and sex-matched patients with migraine underwent a 3-T magnetic resonance imaging scan. The CVS was evaluated according to current guidelines, excluding eight patients with migraine who did not show white matter (WM) lesions.

Experience and role of Italian nurses working in genetic clinics: a descriptive phenomenological qualitative study.

Background: In several countries, the role of the genetic nurse has developed over decades, becoming well-recognized and integrated into healthcare systems. In contrast, in Italy, this role is still emerging, with no formal legal recognition and limited awareness among healthcare professionals and hospital administrators. Given this context, it is crucial to assess how the role and activities of nurses in genetic clinics in Italy are perceived.

Intensified Induction Therapy for Newly Diagnosed, Localized Skeletal Ewing Sarcoma (ISG/AIEOP EW-1): A Randomized, Open-Label, Phase 3, Non-Inferiority Trial.

Background: Several studies have shown that the intensity of treatment in Ewing sarcoma has an impact on outcome. The present trial tested the non-inferiority of intensive, shorter, induction chemotherapy (25 weeks total treatment time) compared to the standard treatment (37 weeks) in non-metastatic Ewing sarcoma (ES) at onset.

Procedure: This national, multicenter, parallel, randomized, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority, phase III trial was conducted in 14 specialized hospitals in Italy.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Impact of calreticulin mutations on treatment and survival outcomes in myelofibrosis during ruxolitinib therapy.

Calreticulin (CALR) mutations are detected in around 20% of patients with primary and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis (MF). Regardless of driver mutations, patients with splenomegaly and symptoms are generally treated with JAK2-inhibitors, most commonly ruxolitinib. Recently, new therapies specifically targeting the CALR mutant clone have entered clinical investigation.

Laparoscopic robotic-assisted ileo-caecal resection with intracorporeal anastomosis in children with Crohn disease: initial experience of a paediatric center and surgical feasibility.

Purpose: Pediatric-onset Crohn's disease (CD) presents with a more aggressive course than adults. Surgical treatment is still necessary in many patients. The laparoscopic technique for treating terminal ileal CD is deemed safe and feasible, with the advantage to perform an intra-corporeal anastomosis (ICA).

Exploring the safety and feasibility of intracameral Aprokam® (cefuroxime sodium) in pediatric cataract surgery.

Purpose: To describe the safety and assess the feasibility of using intracameral cefuroxime sodium (Aprokam®) during congenital cataract surgery as a preventive measure for endophthalmitis.

Design: Monocentric, prospective, observational pilot study.

Setting: San Giuseppe Hospital, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.

Biologics as well as inhaled anti-asthmatic therapy achieve clinical remission: Evidence from the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI).

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of severe asthma (SA) treatments after 12 months in achieving clinical remission (CR) within the context of the Severe Asthma Network in Italy (SANI) using the recent SANI definition of CR on treatment.

Methods: CR has been defined by SANI as complete, partial, and no CR. Complete CR is defined by the absence of oral corticosteroids (OCS), no symptoms, no exacerbations, and stable lung function, and partial CR requires the absence of OCS and the fulfillment of 2 out of the other 3 criteria.

Deep learning helps discriminate between autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis.

Background & Aims: Biliary abnormalities in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and interface hepatitis in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) occur frequently, and misinterpretation may lead to therapeutic mistakes with a negative impact on patients. This study investigates the use of a deep learning (DL)-based pipeline for the diagnosis of AIH and PBC to aid differential diagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a multicenter study across six European referral centers, and built a library of digitized liver biopsy slides dating from 1997 to 2023.

Assessing Metabolic Ageing via DNA Methylation Surrogate Markers: A Multicohort Study in Britain, Ireland and the USA.

Metabolomics and epigenomics have been used to develop 'ageing clocks' that assess biological age and identify 'accelerated ageing'. While metabolites are subject to short-term variation, DNA methylation (DNAm) may capture longer-term metabolic changes. We aimed to develop a hybrid DNAm-metabolic clock using DNAm as metabolite surrogates ('DNAm-metabolites') for age prediction.

Frankenstein matrices: Among-population life history variation affects the reliability and predictions of demographic models.

Population matrix models are routinely used to study the demography of wild populations and to guide management choices. When vital rates are unknown for a specific population or life history stage, researchers often replace them with estimates from other populations of the same species. Such 'hybrid' matrices might ignore among-population life history variation and lead to incorrect inferences.

Adapting to evolving MRI data: A transfer learning approach for Alzheimer's disease prediction.

Integrating 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with machine learning has shown promising results in healthcare, especially in detecting Alzheimer's Disease (AD). However, changes in MRI technologies and acquisition protocols often yield limited data, leading to potential overfitting. This study explores Transfer Learning (TL) approaches to enhance AD diagnosis using a Baseline model consisting of a 3D-Convolutional Neural Network trained on 80 3T MRI scans.

Design, synthesis, in-vitro and in-silico studies of novel N-heterocycle based hydrazones as α-glucosidase inhibitors.

Diabetes mellitus has dominated the globe as a chronic health condition and has become a major global health concern. The inhibition of the key metabolic enzymes of carbohydrates digestion including α-amylase and α-glucosidase are the promising targets for the treatment of diabetes via delaying glucose absorption. Therefore, nitrogen containing saturated heterocycle (pyrrolidinyl, piperidinyl and N-methylpiperazinyl) based hydrazones derivatives 5-23 were synthesized through two step reactions and evaluated for their anti-diabetic potential.

Advancing treatment choices: CDK4/6 inhibitor switching in HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: CDK4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) use has revolutionized the treatment of hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HR+/HER2-) metastatic breast cancer. The choice of a specific CDK4/6i may be influenced by adverse events (AEs). Recently, the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA) approved the possibility of switching between CDK4/6i for unacceptable toxicity.

Exploring case definitions and the natural history of respiratory syncytial virus in adult outpatients: First-season results of the RESPIRA-50 study.

Background: Data on the natural history of the community-acquired RSV in adult outpatients are limited. It is also unclear whether the existing influenza surveillance platforms based on influenza-like illness (ILI) case definitions are efficient for RSV. The two-season RESPIRA-50 study was established in 2023 to identify an optimal RSV case definition and to explore the natural history of RSV.

Billing models for measuring nursing care in inpatient and outpatient settings: a scoping review.

Background: The rising cost of healthcare is a concerning issue for healthcare systems. The Diagnosis Related Group (DRG) system lacks direct consideration for costs related to nursing care. Therefore, to date there is no clear picture of billing models that consider also nursing activity when evaluating healthcare service costs or what factors related to nursing care affect the costs of healthcare services and would therefore need to be considered in billing models.

Perifoveal vascular anomalous complex and telangiectatic capillaries: An overview of two entities potentially sharing a common pathophysiology.

Focal capillary ectasia in the macular region can manifest in distinct clinical scenarios, which can be categorized into 2 main entities: perifoveal vascular anomalous complex (PVAC) and telangiectatic capillaries (TelCaps). PVAC represents a primary, idiopathic condition, whereas TelCaps occur secondary to underlying vascular disorders, including diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. We provide a comprehensive analysis of these 2 entities, encompassing their clinical presentations, multimodal imaging findings, histological evidence, and differential diagnosis from other retinal microvascular abnormalities, such as Type 1 macular telangiectasia, adult-onset Coats disease, Type 3 macular neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration, and retinal arterial macroaneurysms.

Phosphodiesterase 4D inhibition improves the functional and molecular outcome in a mouse and human model of Charcot Marie Tooth disease 1 A.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) is an inherited peripheral neuropathy caused by a duplication of the peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene. It is primarily marked by Schwann cell dedifferentiation and demyelination, leading to motor and sensory deficits. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is crucial for Schwann cell differentiation and maturation.

DAA-PASS: A Prospective Evaluation of HCC Recurrence After Direct Acting Antiviral Therapy.

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy is associated with a significant reduction in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among patients with cirrhosis, but data are conflicting about the risk of recurrence following DAA therapy. DAA-PASS was a prospective, pragmatic, observational study designed to estimate the risk of HCC recurrence associated with DAA therapy exposure during routine clinical care. Eligible patients were DAA treatment naive with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage A.