Characterizing Cardiac Adipose Tissue in Post-AMI Patients via CT Imaging: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study.

Aims: To identify differences in CT-derived perivascular (PVAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) characteristics that may indicate inflammatory status differences between post-treatment acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Methods And Results: A cohort of 205 post-AMI patients (age 59.8±9.

Versatile adhesive skin enhances robotic interactions with the environment.

Electronic skins endow robots with sensory functions but often lack the multifunctionality of natural skin, such as switchable adhesion. Current smart adhesives based on elastomers have limited adhesion tunability, which hinders their effective use for both carrying heavy loads and performing dexterous manipulations. Here, we report a versatile, one-size-fits-all robotic adhesive skin using shape memory polymers with tunable rubber-to-glass phase transitions.

Plasticity of cell death pathways ensures GSDMD activation during Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection.

Macrophages express pattern recognition and cytokine receptors that mediate proinflammatory signal transduction pathways to combat microbial infection. To retaliate against such responses, pathogenic microorganisms have evolved multiple strategies to impede innate immune signaling. Recent studies demonstrated that YopJ suppression of TAK1 signaling during Yersinia pseudotuberculosis infection promotes the assembly of a RIPK1-dependent death-inducing complex that enables caspase-8 to directly cleave and activate gasdermin D (GSDMD).

Unraveling the Stoichiometric Interactions and Synergism between Ligand-Protected Gold Nanoparticles and Proteins.

Nanomaterials that engage in well-defined and tunable interactions with proteins are pivotal for the development of advanced applications. Achieving a precise molecular-level understanding of nano-bio interactions is essential for establishing these interactions. However, such an understanding remains challenging and elusive.

Is germline genome-editing person-affecting or identity-affecting, and does it matter?

Writers have debated whether germline genome-editing is person-affecting or identity-affecting. The difference is thought to be ethically relevant to whether we should choose genome-editing or choose preimplantation genetic diagnosis and embryo selection, when seeking to prevent or produce bad conditions (e.g.

In Silico Evaluation of Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Background: Integrating algorithm-based clinical decision support (CDS) systems poses significant challenges in evaluating their actual clinical value. Such CDS systems are traditionally assessed via controlled but resource-intensive clinical trials.

Objective: This paper presents a review protocol for preimplementation in silico evaluation methods to enable broadened impact analysis under simulated environments before clinical trials.

Investigating male factors and their relationships with reproductive health outcomes: a case-control study protocol for Towards Optimal Fertility, Fathering, and Fatherhood studY (TOFFFY) in Singapore.

Introduction: Despite the global prevalence of low fertility rates, male contributions to fertility and reproductive health outcomes have been understudied. This study aims to investigate the male contribution to fertility and explore the underlying biological mechanisms. Specifically, we aim to (1) identify male factors associated with successful pregnancy, (2) develop a fertility index incorporating modifiable factors for both males and females to predict pregnancy rate and (3) explore the relationship of male modifiable factors with semen parameters and molecular characteristics.

Zim4rv: an R package to modeling zero-inflated count phenotype on regional-based rare variants.

Background: With the advance of next-generation sequencing, various gene-based rare variant association tests have been developed, particularly for binary and continuous phenotypes. In contrast, fewer methods are available for traits not following binomial or normal distributions. To address this, we previously proposed a set of burden- and kernel-based rare variant tests for count data following zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) distributions, referred to as ZIP-b and ZIP-k tests.

Global increase in the occurrence and impact of multiyear droughts.

Persistent multiyear drought (MYD) events pose a growing threat to nature and humans in a changing climate. We identified and inventoried global MYDs by detecting spatiotemporally contiguous climatic anomalies, showing that MYDs have become drier, hotter, and led to increasingly diminished vegetation greenness. The global terrestrial land affected by MYDs has increased at a rate of 49,279 ± 14,771 square kilometers per year from 1980 to 2018.

Cross-Sectional Association Between Left Ventricular Geometric Patterns, Cortical Cerebral Microinfarcts, and Cognition.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) geometric patterns are associated with cognitive impairment and cerebral small vessel disease. As a novel magnetic resonance imaging marker of cerebral small vessel disease and a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction, cortical cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) have been associated with heart disease through mechanisms including cardioembolism and cerebral hypoperfusion. Further investigation is required to determine whether cortical CMIs could arise from hemodynamic changes related to LV geometry, thus elucidating the connection between LV geometry and cognitive function.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Inclisiran for the Treatment of Primary Hypercholesterolemia or Mixed Dyslipidemia in Singapore.

Objectives: This analysis evaluated the cost-effectiveness of inclisiran plus standard of care (SoC; comprising statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate) in primary hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia from a Singapore healthcare system perspective. Inclisiran + SoC was separately compared with SoC, alirocumab + SoC, and evolocumab + SoC.

Methods: A lifetime Markov model in the United Kingdom (UK) was adapted to the Singapore setting.

Dynamic event-triggered tolerant containment control protocol for discrete multiagent systems based on finite index policy iteration algorithm.

For tolerant containment control of multi-agent systems, considering the challenges in modeling and the impact of actuator faults on system security and reliability, a finite index dynamic event-triggered policy iteration algorithm is proposed. This algorithm only requires input and output data, without relying on system models, and simultaneously considers the faults and energy consumption issues to improve the system reliability and save energy consumption. The conditions are provided to demonstrate the convergence and optimality of the algorithm, including a convergence speed, that is, the number of iterations required for convergence is finite.

A critical view of silk fibroin for non-viral gene therapy.

Exogenous genes are inserted into target cells during gene therapy in order to compensate or rectify disorders brought on by faulty or aberrant genes. However, gene therapy is still in its early stages because of its unsatisfactory therapeutic effects which are mainly due to low transfection efficiency of vectors, high toxicity, and poor target specificity. A natural polymer with numerous bioactive sites, good mechanical qualities, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and processability called silk fibroin has gained attention as a possible gene therapy vector.

Metabolomics signatures of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (escitalopram), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (duloxetine) and cognitive-behavioral therapy on key neurotransmitter pathways in major depressive disorder.

Metabolomics provides powerful tools that can inform about heterogeneity in disease and response to treatments. In this exploratory study, we employed an electrochemistry-based targeted metabolomics platform to assess the metabolic effects of three randomly-assigned treatments: escitalopram, duloxetine, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in 163 treatment-naïve outpatients with major depressive disorder. Serum samples from baseline and 12 weeks post-treatment were analyzed using targeted liquid chromatography-electrochemistry for metabolites related to tryptophan, tyrosine metabolism and related pathways.

Hepatic adverse events associated with ketamine and esketamine: A population-based disproportionality analysis.

Background And Objective: To determine whether there is disproportionate reporting of hepatobiliary disorders in the United States (US) FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for individuals prescribed ketamine or esketamine.

Design: We identified Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) terms in the FAERS related to hepatobiliary disorders.

Main Measures: Formulations of ketamine and esketamine were evaluated for the proportionality of reporting for each hepatobiliary disorder parameter using the reporting odds ratio (ROR).

Finerenone and new-onset diabetes in heart failure: a prespecified analysis of the FINEARTS-HF trial.

Background: Data on the effect of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist therapy on HbA levels and new-onset diabetes are conflicting. We aimed to examine the effect of oral finerenone, compared with placebo, on incident diabetes in the Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients with Heart Failure (FINEARTS-HF) trial.

Methods: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 6001 participants with heart failure with New York Heart Association functional class II-IV, left ventricular ejection fraction 40% or higher, evidence of structural heart disease, and elevated N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels were randomly assigned to finerenone or placebo, administered orally.

Change surface regression for nonlinear subgroup identification with application to warfarin pharmacogenomics data.

Pharmacogenomics stands as a pivotal driver toward personalized medicine, aiming to optimize drug efficacy while minimizing adverse effects by uncovering the impact of genetic variations on inter-individual outcome variability. Despite its promise, the intricate landscape of drug metabolism introduces complexity, where the correlation between drug response and genes can be shaped by numerous nongenetic factors, often exhibiting heterogeneity across diverse subpopulations. This challenge is particularly pronounced in datasets such as the International Warfarin Pharmacogenetic Consortium (IWPC), which encompasses diverse patient information from multiple nations.

Draft genomes of fluoroquinolone-resistant subspecies strains isolated from Cambodian poultry marketplaces.

High-quality draft genomes of six subspecies strains from Cambodian poultry marketplaces were sequenced. The strains were identified as Corvallis-, Monschaui-, and Kentucky-serovars. The fluoroquinolone resistance gene, was found in three strains in different Cambodian provinces.

Enhancing Small-for-Gestational-Age Prediction: Multi-Country Validation of Nuchal Thickness, Estimated Fetal Weight, and Machine Learning Models.

Objective: The first objective is to develop a nuchal thickness reference chart. The second objective is to compare rule-based algorithms and machine learning models in predicting small-for-gestational-age infants.

Method: This retrospective study involved singleton pregnancies at University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia, developed a nuchal thickness chart and evaluated its predictive value for small-for-gestational-age using Malaysian and Singapore cohorts.

Defining the Critical Requisites for Accurate Simulation of SARS-CoV-2 Viral Dynamics: Patient Characteristics and Data Collection Protocol.

Mathematical models of viral dynamics are crucial in understanding infection trajectories. However, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral load data often includes limited sparse observations with significant heterogeneity. This study aims to: (1) understand the impact of patient characteristics in shaping the temporal viral load trajectory and (2) establish a data collection protocol (DCP) to reliably reconstruct individual viral load trajectories.

Low serum serotonin is associated with functional decline, mild behavioural impairment and brain atrophy in dementia-free subjects.

Brain serotonin dysregulation is associated with dementia and neuropsychiatric symptomology. However, the prognostic utility of circulating serotonin levels in detecting features of prodromal dementia including functional decline, cognitive impairment, mild behavioural impairment and brain atrophy remains unclear. In this prospective study of memory clinic subjects followed-up for ≤5 years, dementia-free subjects, classified as having no cognitive impairment or cognitive impairment, no dementia at baseline, underwent annual neuropsychological assessments including Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Global Cognition scores and Clinical Dementia Rating Scale Global Scores (where a ≥ 0.

Influence of dietary protein and fiber intake interactions on the human gut microbiota composition and function: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Quantity and source of dietary protein intakes impact the gut microbiota differently. However, these effects have not been systematically studied. This review aimed to investigate these effects whilst controlling for fiber intake.