Intrapericardial injection of hydrogels with ASC and their secretome to treat dilated cardiomyopathies.

Doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy (DOX-IC) is a significant and common complication in patients undergoing chemotherapy, leading to cardiac remodeling and reduced heart function. We hypothesized that the intrapericardial injection of hydrogels derived from the cardiac decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) loaded with adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASC) and their secretome dampens or reverses the progression of DOX-IC. DOX-IC was induced in Wistar male rats through ten weekly intra-peritoneal injections of doxorubicin (cumulative dose: 18 mg/kg).

The role of nutritional vitamin D in CKD-MBD in children and adults with CKD, on dialysis and after kidney transplantation - a European consensus statement.

Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and associates with poor outcomes. Current clinical practice guidelines recommend supplementation with nutritional vitamin D as for the general population. However, recent large-scale, clinical trials in the general population failed to demonstrate a benefit of vitamin D supplementation on skeletal or non-skeletal outcomes, fueling a debate on the rationale for screening for and correcting vitamin D deficiency, both in non-CKD and CKD populations.

A practical approach to investigating nosocomial acquisition of Aspergillus.

Invasive mould disease (IMD) has a high mortality in immunosuppressed patients. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is the most common IMD. A guideline for preventing IA has been published jointly by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, the Infectious Disease Society of America, and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Adherence to Guideline Recommendations on Psychotropic Drug Use for Challenging Behavior in Dementia.

Objective: Psychotropic drugs are frequently prescribed for challenging behavior in residents with dementia in nursing homes. Recommendations on psychotropic drug use for challenging behavior are described in the Dutch multidisciplinary guideline "Problem behavior in dementia." This study aimed to gain insight into the adherence to guideline recommendations on drug type and timing of evaluations of different types of psychotropic drugs for challenging behavior in a national sentinel network of Dutch nursing homes.

Screening a 681-membered yeast collection for the secretion of proteins with antifungal activity.

Fungal pathogens pose a threat to human health and food security. Few antifungals are available and resistance to all has been reported. Novel strategies to control plant and human pathogens as well as food spoilers are urgently required.

The European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery Fourth report: Focus on standardized outcome ratios.

Objectives: This fourth report aimed to provide insights into patient characteristics, outcomes, and standardized outcome ratios of patients implanted with durable Mechanical Circulatory Support across participating centers in the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) registry.

Methods: All registered patients receiving durable mechanical circulatory support up to August 2024 were included. Expected number of events were predicted using penalized logistic regression.

Inbreeding and Outbreeding Depression in Wild and Captive Insect Populations.

Major changes in genetic variation are generally considered deleterious to populations. The massive biodiversity of insects distinguishes them from other animal groups. Insect deviant effective population sizes, alternative modes of reproduction, advantageous inbreeding, endosymbionts, and other factors translate to highly specific inbreeding and outbreeding outcomes.

Use of AI in Cardiac CT and MRI: A Scientific Statement from the ESCR, EuSoMII, NASCI, SCCT, SCMR, SIIM, and RSNA.

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers promising solutions for many steps of the cardiac imaging workflow, from patient and test selection through image acquisition, reconstruction, and interpretation, extending to prognostication and reporting. Despite the development of many cardiac imaging AI algorithms, AI tools are at various stages of development and face challenges for clinical implementation. This scientific statement, endorsed by several societies in the field, provides an overview of the current landscape and challenges of AI applications in cardiac CT and MRI.

Probing London Dispersion in Proton-Bound Onium Ions: Are Alkyl-Alkyl Steric Interactions Reliably Modeled?

We report spectroscopic and spectrometric experiments that probe the London dispersion interaction between -butyl substituents in three series of covalently linked, protonated -pyridines in the gas phase. Molecular ions in the three test series, along with several reference molecules for control, were electrosprayed from solution into the gas phase and then probed by infrared multiphoton dissociation spectroscopy and trapped ion mobility spectrometry. The observed N-H stretching frequencies provided an experimental readout diagnostic of the ground-state geometry of each ion, which could be furthermore compared to a second, independent structural readout via the collision cross section.

Near-universal prevalence of central adiposity in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the PARAGON-HF trial.

Background And Aims: An expansion of fat mass is an integral feature of patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). While body mass index (BMI) is the most common anthropometric measure, a measure of central adiposity-the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)-focuses on body fat content and distribution; is not distorted by bone or muscle mass, sex, or ethnicity; and may be particularly relevant in HFpEF.

Methods: The PARAGON-HF trial randomized 4796 patients with heart failure and ejection fraction ≥45% to valsartan or sacubitril/valsartan.

Children's and Their Parents' Experiences With Home-Based Guided Hypnotherapy: Qualitative Study.

Background: Management of children with functional abdominal pain (FAP) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is difficult in primary care. When education and reassurance do not alleviate symptoms, primary care physicians lack treatment options for children with FAP or IBS. Home-based guided hypnotherapy is a promising treatment because of its accessibility.

Remediating cognitive inflexibility in obsessive compulsive disorder and anorexia nervosa neither moderates nor mediates treatment effects: an exploratory study.

Objective: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anorexia nervosa (AN) are conditions associated with poor cognitive flexibility, a factor considered to interfere with treatment, but research into the relationship between cognitive flexibility and treatment outcome is limited. This study explores whether baseline measures of cognitive flexibility predict outcomes in OCD and AN, evaluates whether changes in these measures contribute to treatment outcome, and evaluates the effectiveness of adjunctive cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) in improving cognitive flexibility.

Methods: This secondary analysis utilized linear mixed model analysis on data from a randomized controlled multicenter clinical trial involving adult participants with OCD (n=71) AND AN (n=61).

Flower colour contrast, 'spectral purity' and a red herring.

Nature offers a bewildering diversity of flower colours. Understanding the ecology and evolution of this fantastic floral diversity requires knowledge about the visual systems of their natural observers, such as insect pollinators. The key question is how flower colour and pattern can be measured and represented to characterise the signals that are relevant to pollinators.

The impact of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on the incidence, therapy, and outcomes of fournier gangrene: insights from a systematic review of case reports.

Background: The clinical characteristics, therapy, and outcome of Fournier Gangrene (FG) in patients using sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) were examined in this systematic review.

Methods: Without a publication year restriction, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane. Additionally, we manually searched bibliographies using the terms "Fournier's gangrene" and "SGLT2 inhibitors.

External beam radiation therapy versus radical prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer: protocol of the RECOVER study.

Background: This paper describes the rationale and design of the RECOVER study. Currently, there is no consensus regarding the optimal treatment for high-risk, non-metastatic prostate cancer (PCa). The study primarily aims to evaluate and compare the impact of treatment with robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RP) versus external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for men with high-risk, non-metastatic PCa regarding health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional outcomes.

Determinants of frailty among hospitalized older adults across various wards in a tertiary care hospital in Nepal.

Introduction: Frailty, characterized by decreased resilience due to physiological decline, affects approximately 65% of community-dwelling elderly in Nepal. This study assessed frailty and its factors among hospitalized older adults in a tertiary hospital in Nepal.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 124 participants aged 60 and above, admitted to a tertiary hospital in Nepal.

A compendium of Amplification-Related Gain Of Sensitivity genes in human cancer.

While the effect of amplification-induced oncogene expression in cancer is known, the impact of copy-number gains on "bystander" genes is less understood. We create a comprehensive map of dosage compensation in cancer by integrating expression and copy number profiles from over 8000 tumors in The Cancer Genome Atlas and cell lines from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia. Additionally, we analyze 17 cancer open reading frame screens to identify genes toxic to cancer cells when overexpressed.

Strengthening advanced therapy for sickle cell disease in Africa: experience from sickle cell disease centre in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Despite progress in healthcare services for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa, substantial gaps remain in advanced treatments for SCD. To help address this burden, Tanzania has established one of the largest single-centre SCD programmes in the world and developed an advanced therapy programme for SCD focused on patient engagement and advocacy, clinical activities involving exchange blood transfusion (ExBT) and haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT), gene therapy (GT) preparedness, and enabling partnerships. This report describes the programme's genesis, structure and progress achieved.

Impact of Antibiotic Shortages on Antibiotic Utilisation in the Community.

Background: Drug shortages are an increasing and worldwide problem. Oral antibiotics are one of the most used medicines worldwide and have recently been affected by drug shortages. Despite this, little is known about the impact of antibiotic shortages on prescribing practices.

Advances in the therapeutic potentials of ligands of the apelin receptor APJ.

Angiotensin II protein J receptor, APJ, is a type A G protein coupled receptor. Endogenous apelin and elabela peptides stimulate APJ via distinct signalling profiles. A complex signalling map of elabela-stimulated APJ was published in 2022.

Prevalence of Pathogenic Variants and Eligibility Criteria for Genetic Testing in Patients Who Visit a Memory Clinic.

Background And Objectives: Identifying genetic causes of dementia in patients visiting memory clinics is important for patient care and family planning. Traditional clinical selection criteria for genetic testing may miss carriers of pathogenic variants in dementia-related genes. This study aimed identify how many carriers we are missing and to optimize criteria for selecting patients for genetic counseling in memory clinics.

How can we make sound replication decisions?

Replication and the reported crises impacting many fields of research have become a focal point for the sciences. This has led to reforms in publishing, methodological design and reporting, and increased numbers of experimental replications coordinated across many laboratories. While replication is rightly considered an indispensable tool of science, financial resources and researchers' time are quite limited.

The misalignment of incentives in academic publishing and implications for journal reform.

For most researchers, academic publishing serves two goals that are often misaligned-knowledge dissemination and establishing scientific credentials. While both goals can encourage research with significant depth and scope, the latter can also pressure scholars to maximize publication metrics. Commercial publishing companies have capitalized on the centrality of publishing to the scientific enterprises of knowledge dissemination and academic recognition to extract large profits from academia by leveraging unpaid services from reviewers, creating financial barriers to research dissemination, and imposing substantial fees for open access.