The attraction of evil. An investigation of factors explaining women's romantic parasocial relationships with bad guys in movies and series.

The attractiveness of bad boys can be seen as a cultural phenomenon that can be found in different areas of society and art. In the media, too, the bad boy fulfills social expectations in terms of masculinity and is often portrayed as dominant, violent, hard, unemotional and aggressive. Women may feel attracted to this male dominance under certain conditions.

PDE11A is a phenotype modulator of Primary Bilateral Macronodular Adrenal Hyperplasia: results of a 334 patients' series.

Purpose: Primary bilateral macronodular adrenal hyperplasia (PBMAH), the most common cause of Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral nodules, is a heterogeneous disease at the clinical, hormonal and morphological levels. ARMC5 inactivating pathogenic variants are causative of PBMAH and rare variants of PDE11A have been associated with PBMAH.

Methods: Leukocyte DNA of 354 PBMAH index cases was sequenced for ARMC5 and PDE11A genes by Next generation sequencing (NGS).

Influence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and maternal vaccination status on neonatal outcome.

SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy can adversely affect maternal and neonatal health, although risks vary depending on the variant of concern (VOC). Omicron, although highly infectious, causes fewer maternal and neonatal complications than earlier VOC, so vaccination may be considered unnecessary in planned pregnancy. Using data from the CRONOS registry, we compared pregnancy outcomes according to VOC and vaccination status.

Different Time Courses of Mono- and Bi-Liganded Bursts of Channel Openings of Adult nAChR Molecules Formed by the Reactions of Transmembrane Regions.

We recorded transmembrane currents through single nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in cell-attached patches at high temporal resolutions from cultured and transiently transfected HEK 293 cells. Receptor activation was elicited by acetylcholine (ACh) or epibatidine (Ebd) at concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 100 µM, binding to one (R or R) or both extracellular ligand binding sites (R).

Expanding the Molecular Genetic Landscape of Dystrophinopathies and Associated Phenotypes.

: X-linked dystrophinopathies are a group of neuromuscular diseases caused by pathogenic variants in the gene (MIM *300377). Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD; MIM #310200) is the most common inherited muscular dystrophy. : We screened datasets of 403 male, genetically confirmed X-linked dystrophinopathy patients and identified 13 pathogenic variants of the gene that have not been described in the literature thus far.

An untargeted metabolomics approach to evaluate enzymatically deconjugated steroids and intact steroid conjugates in urine as diagnostic biomarkers for adrenal tumors.

Objectives: Urinary steroid profiling after hydrolysis of conjugates is an emerging tool to differentiate aggressive adrenocortical carcinomas (ACC) from benign adrenocortical adenomas (ACA). However, the shortcomings of deconjugation are the lack of standardized and fully validated hydrolysis protocols and the loss of information about the originally conjugated form of the steroids. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of the deconjugation process and investigate novel diagnostic biomarkers in urine without enzymatic hydrolysis.

The sarcoma ring trial: a case-based analysis of inter-center agreement across 21 German-speaking sarcoma centers.

Purpose: The management of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) at reference centers with specialized multidisciplinary tumor boards (MTB) improves patient survival. The German Cancer Society (DKG) certifies sarcoma centers in German-speaking countries, promoting high standards of care. This study investigated the variability in treatment recommendations for localized STS across different German-speaking tertiary sarcoma centers.

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

SOX2 sustentacular cells are stem cells of the postnatal adrenal medulla.

Renewal of the catecholamine-secreting chromaffin cell population of the adrenal medulla is necessary for physiological homeostasis throughout life. Definitive evidence for the presence or absence of an adrenomedullary stem cell has been enigmatic. In this work, we demonstrate that a subset of sustentacular cells endowed with a support role, are in fact adrenomedullary stem cells.

TransLeish: Identification of membrane transporters essential for survival of intracellular Leishmania parasites in a systematic gene deletion screen.

For the protozoan parasite Leishmania, completion of its life cycle requires sequential adaptation of cellular physiology and nutrient scavenging mechanisms to the different environments of a sand fly alimentary tract and the acidic mammalian host cell phagolysosome. Transmembrane transporters are the gatekeepers of intracellular environments, controlling the flux of solutes and ions across membranes. To discover which transporters are vital for survival as intracellular amastigote forms, we carried out a systematic loss-of-function screen of the L.

Long-term persistence of glycemic dysregulation in patients with a history of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma.

Context: Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare endocrine tumors that frequently produce catecholamines. Catecholamine-induced cardiometabolic complications substantially contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in PPGL patients prior to surgical resection.

Objective: To determine whether markers of elevated cardiometabolic risk persist in patients following PPGL resection.

Measuring dynamic emotional experiences in response to media stimuli.

Communication research has long recognized the dynamic nature of most media stimuli and the corresponding dynamic emotional processing implied on the side of the audience. Capturing and analyzing these emotional dynamics during media reception is imperative for advancing our understanding of media processing and effects, but is not common practice in most communication research. This article highlights several methodological approaches to measuring the physiological, behavioral, and experiential components of emotions during media exposure: Electrodermal activity, automated facial expression analysis, continuous response measurement, and self-probed emotional retrospections.

Infectious complications following transperineal prostate biopsy with or without periprocedural antibiotic prophylaxis-a systematic review including meta-analysis of all comparative studies.

Background: Despite the relatively low infection rate following transperineal prostate biopsy (TPB), it remains unresolved whether periprocedural antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) can be omitted. Our aim was to compare infectious complications (genitourinary infections/GUI, fever, sepsis, readmission rate, 30-day-mortality) following TPB, considering all studies of varying levels of evidence that enable a direct comparison between patients with and without PAP.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive search in PubMed/Medline, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases, as well as grey literature sources, to identify reports published until January 2024.

Prevention of Stroke in Intracerebral Haemorrhage Survivors with Atrial Fibrillation: Rationale and Design for PRESTIGE-AF Trial.

Adequate secondary prevention in survivors of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) who also have atrial fibrillation (AF) is a long-standing clinical dilemma because these patients are at increased risk of recurrent ICH as well as of ischemic stroke. The efficacy and safety of oral anticoagulation, the standard preventive medication for ischemic stroke patients with AF, in ICH patients with AF are uncertain. PRESTIGE-AF is an international, phase 3b, multi-center, randomized, open, blinded end-point assessment (PROBE) clinical trial that compared the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) with no DOAC (either no antithrombotic treatment or any antiplatelet drug).

Wilms tumor primary cultures capture phenotypic heterogeneity and facilitate preclinical screening.

Wilms tumors (WT) are characterized by variable contributions of blastemal, epithelial and stromal elements, reflecting their diverse cellular origins and genetic drivers. In vitro models remain rare, despite a growing need to better characterize tumor biology and evaluate new treatments. Using three approaches, we have now established a large collection of long-term cultures that represent this diversity.

Proton Tunneling Allows a Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Process in the Cancer Cell.

Proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) is a fundamental redox process and has clear advantages in selectively activating challenging C-H bonds in many biological processes. Intrigued by this activation process, we aimed to develop a facile PCET process in cancer cells by modulating proton tunneling. This approach should lead to the design of an alternative photodynamic therapy (PDT) that depletes the mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC), the key redox regulator in cancer cells under hypoxia.

NFATc1 fosters allergic contact dermatitis responses by enhancing the induction of IL-17-producing CD8 cells.

A plethora of data supports a major role of CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes for the initiation, progression and maintenance of allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). However, in-depth understanding of the molecular mechanisms is still limited. NFATc1 plays an essential role in T cell activation.

Mild autonomous cortisol secretion leads to reduced volumetric BMD at lumbar spine in patients with primary aldosteronism.

Objectives: Glucocorticoid cosecretion is more common in primary aldosteronism (PA) than previously thought. Chronic subtle cortisol excess in patients with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) negatively affects bone health. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of MACS on bone density and turnover markers in PA patients.

Echinococcus multilocularis delta/notch signalling components are expressed in post-mitotic cells.

Pluripotent somatic stem cells are the drivers of unlimited growth of Echinococcus multilocularis metacestode tissue within the organs of the intermediate host. To understand the dynamics of parasite proliferation within the host, it is therefore important to delineate basic mechanisms of Echinococcus stem cell maintenance and differentiation. We herein undertake the first step towards characterizing the role of an evolutionarily old metazoan cell-cell communication system, delta/notch signalling, in Echinococcus cell fate decisions.

Prognostic serum biomarkers of synaptic, neuronal and glial injury in patients with acute ischemic stroke of the anterior circulation.

Background: We aimed to investigate the prognostic role of β-synuclein in comparison to that of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for predicting functional outcome after acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods: We measured serum concentrations of β-synuclein, NfL and GFAP 24 h after hospital admission in 213 consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe AIS. We investigated the association between serum biomarkers and radiological/clinical characteristics, 3-months mortality and functional outcome on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS).

The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Updated Structure of Repeat Expansions in Patients With Myotonic Dystrophy Type 2 and Its Implication for Standard Diagnostics.

Background And Objectives: Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2) is a multisystemic repeat disorder caused by the expansion of an unstable CCTG tetranucleotide repeat in the noncoding region of the gene. Standard diagnostic is based on Southern blot analysis or a unidirectional RP-PCR that amplifies the repeat from the downstream end.

Methods: Our study reevaluated 80 patients (cohort 1) with clinical suspicion of DM2 but homozygous negative results using the standard diagnostic repeat-primed PCR (RP-PCR).