Breast density assessment via quantitative sound-speed measurement using conventional ultrasound transducers.

Objectives: The aim is to assess the feasibility and accuracy of a novel quantitative ultrasound (US) method based on global speed-of-sound (g-SoS) measurement using conventional US machines, for breast density assessment in comparison to mammographic ACR (m-ACR) categories.

Materials And Methods: In a prospective study, g-SoS was assessed in the upper-outer breast quadrant of 100 women, with 92 of them also having m-ACR assessed by two radiologists across the entire breast. For g-SoS, ultrasonic waves were transmitted from varying transducer locations and the image misalignments between these were then related analytically to breast SoS.

Binuclear ruthenium complex linker length tunes DNA threading intercalation kinetics.

Binuclear ruthenium complexes have been investigated for potential DNA-targeted therapeutic and diagnostic applications. Studies of DNA threading intercalation, in which DNA base pairs must be broken for intercalation, have revealed means of optimizing a model binuclear ruthenium complex to obtain reversible DNA-ligand assemblies with the desired properties of high affinity and slow kinetics. Here, we used single-molecule force spectroscopy to study a binuclear ruthenium complex with a longer semi-rigid linker relative to the model complex.

The hidden impact: social isolation and inflammation's role in pancreatic cancer risk among those with diabetes.

Background: Pancreatic cancer poses a significant challenge in individuals with diabetes, prompting a reevaluation of established risk factors beyond conventional glycemic control measures.

Objectives: To explore the complex interplay of metabolic and psychosocial determinants in pancreatic cancer risk among individuals with diabetes, challenging prevailing perspectives and advocating for a comprehensive approach.

Methods: A total of 21,945 UK Biobank participants with baseline diabetes diagnosis were analyzed.

Prognostic Testing for Prostate Cancer-A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Comparing a Prostatype P-Score Biomarker Approach to Standard Clinical Practice.

Background: The Prostatype score (P-score) is a prognostic biomarker that integrates a three-gene (IGFBP3, F3, and VGLL3) signature derived from prostate biopsy samples, with key clinical parameters, including prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, Gleason grade, and tumor stage at diagnosis. The test has demonstrated superior predictive accuracy for prostate cancer outcomes compared with traditional risk categorization systems such as D'Amico. Notably, it reclassifies a higher proportion of patients into the low-risk category, making them eligible for active surveillance.

Operando monitoring of the functional role of tetrahedral cobalt centers for the oxygen evolution reaction.

The complexity of the intrinsic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) mechanism, particularly the precise relationships between the local coordination geometry of active metal centers and the resulting OER kinetics, remains to be fully understood. Herein, we construct a series of 3 d transition metal-incorporated cobalt hydroxide-based nanobox architectures for the OER which contain tetrahedrally coordinated Co(II) centers. Combination of bulk- and surface-sensitive operando spectroelectrochemical approaches reveals that tetrahedral Co(II) centers undergo a dynamic transformation into highly active Co(IV) intermediates acting as the true OER active species which activate lattice oxygen during the OER.

Safety, bactericidal activity, and pharmacokinetics of the antituberculosis drug candidate BTZ-043 in South Africa (PanACEA-BTZ-043-02): an open-label, dose-expansion, randomised, controlled, phase 1b/2a trial.

Background: The broad use of bedaquiline and pretomanid as the mainstay of new regimens to combat tuberculosis is a risk due to increasing bedaquiline resistance. We aimed to assess the safety, bactericidal activity, and pharmacokinetics of BTZ-043, a first-in-class DprE1 inhibitor with strong bactericidal activity in murine models.

Methods: This open-label, dose-expansion, randomised, controlled, phase 1b/2a trial was conducted in two specialised tuberculosis sites in Cape Town, South Africa.

An integrative and translational PKPD modelling approach to explore the combined effect of polymyxin B and minocycline against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Objectives: To expand a translational pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PKPD) modelling approach for assessing the combined effect of polymyxin B and minocycline against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Methods: A PKPD model developed based on in vitro static time-kill experiments of one strain (ARU613) was first translated to characterize that of a more susceptible strain (ARU705), and thereafter to dynamic time-kill experiments (both strains) and to a murine thigh infection model (ARU705 only). The PKPD model was updated stepwise using accumulated data.

Pneumatic tube transport of trastuzumab in IV bags -effect of headspace and surfactant on subvisible particle formation.

In hospitals, IV bags can be prepared in advance for logistical and microbial safety reasons in a compounding unit and then transported to wards. Transport of protein drugs using a pneumatic tube system has been reported to result in high particle levels. In this study, pneumatic tube transport of trastuzumab in saline polyolefin bags was compared to delivery by hospital porters using an electric platform truck in an underground tunnel system.

Choline Metabolites, Genetic Susceptibility, and Incident Heart Failure.

Background: Little is known about the associations between choline metabolites (total choline, phosphatidylcholine, and glycine) and the incidence of heart failure (HF).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the associations of choline metabolites with incident HF and examine the effect modification by genetic susceptibility.

Methods: This prospective cohort study followed 245,072 participants from the UK Biobank from baseline (2006-2010) until March 30, 2023.

Long-term outcome and rehabilitation needs after acquired brain injury in children and adolescents - an evaluation in a Swedish cohort.

Unlabelled: Children with acquired brain injury (ABI) are at risk of developing cognitive, physical, or emotional impairments that affect their daily lives at home, school, and in society.

Purpose: To explore this, we used the Swedish version of the Child and Family Follow-up Survey (CFFS-SWE) to describe the participation of 39 children (aged 5-17 years) who had sustained ABIs.

Materials And Methods: We assessed their participation using the CFFS-SWE at three points: upon discharge from the acute hospital, six months post-discharge, and between one and four years after discharge.

VEGETABLE CONSUMPTION AND PROMOTION AMONG SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN WEST AFRICA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS.

Low vegetable consumption among school-age children and adolescents put them at risk of micronutrient malnutrition and non-communicable diseases. There is a dearth of synthesized literature on vegetable intake and interventions to promote increased consumption among this age-group in West-Africa. This study pooled evidence on vegetable consumption and interventions to promote vegetable consumption among school- age children and adolescents (6-19 years) in West-Africa.

Prospective validation of ORACLE, a clonal expression biomarker associated with survival of patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Human tumors are diverse in their natural history and response to treatment, which in part results from genetic and transcriptomic heterogeneity. In clinical practice, single-site needle biopsies are used to sample this diversity, but cancer biomarkers may be confounded by spatiogenomic heterogeneity within individual tumors. Here we investigate clonally expressed genes as a solution to the sampling bias problem by analyzing multiregion whole-exome and RNA sequencing data for 450 tumor regions from 184 patients with lung adenocarcinoma in the TRACERx study.

A CRISPR-Cas9 system protecting E. coli against acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasing problem worldwide, and new treatment options for bacterial infections are direly needed. Engineered probiotics show strong potential in treating or preventing bacterial infections. However, one concern with the use of live bacteria is the risk of the bacteria acquiring genes encoding for AMR or virulence factors through horizontal gene transfer (HGT), and the transformation of the probiotic into a superbug.

Water, sanitation, handwashing, and nutritional interventions can reduce child antibiotic use: evidence from Bangladesh and Kenya.

Antibiotics can trigger antimicrobial resistance and microbiome alterations. Reducing pathogen exposure and undernutrition can reduce infections and antibiotic use. We assess effects of water, sanitation, handwashing (WSH) and nutrition interventions on caregiver-reported antibiotic use in Bangladesh and Kenya, longitudinally measured at three timepoints among birth cohorts (ages 3-28 months) in a cluster-randomized trial.

Microfluidic-SERS platform with in-situ nanoparticle synthesis for rapid E. coli detection in food.

A microfluidic-surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) platform for rapid detection of Escherichia coli in food products is proposed. By implementing a Y-junction serpentine microfluidic channel, we achieved in-situ synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), for enhancing SERS signal intensity. The synthesis of AgNPs was guided by specific aptamers bound to the bacterial cell, which facilitated formation of nanoparticles.

Preliminaries to artificial consciousness: A multidimensional heuristic approach.

The pursuit of artificial consciousness requires conceptual clarity to navigate its theoretical and empirical challenges. This paper introduces a composite, multilevel, and multidimensional model of consciousness as a heuristic framework to guide research in this field. Consciousness is treated as a complex phenomenon, with distinct constituents and dimensions that can be operationalized for study and for evaluating their replication.

1-year data on patient-reported outcome is enough after surgery for degenerative cervical myelopathy: a cohort study from the Swedish Spine register.

Background And Purpose:  Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is the most common cause of spinal cord dysfunction in adults. Repeated follow-ups after surgery are resource consuming. The aim was to examine whether patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) change after the first year.

A Comparative Analysis of the Pharmacodynamic and Pharmacokinetic Properties of 2 Controlled-Release Formulations Versus a Marketed Orlistat Product.

A new modified-release oral formulation combines acarbose and orlistat (MR-OA) to enhance efficacy and reduce adverse effects through controlled drug release. This study aims to compare the pharmacodynamic properties of the orlistat component of MR-OA (MR-O) with a conventional orlistat product, Xenical (Conv-O), analyzing the percentage of fecal fat excretion. In addition, the pharmacokinetic properties of the complete formulation, MR-OA, were compared with Conv-O.

Comprehensive Approach for Sequential MALDI-MSI Analysis of Lipids, -Glycans, and Peptides in Fresh-Frozen Rodent Brain Tissues.

Multiomics analysis of single tissue sections using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI) provides comprehensive molecular insights. However, optimizing tissue sample preparation for MALDI-MSI to achieve high sensitivity and reproducibility for various biomolecules, such as lipids, -glycans, and tryptic peptides, presents a significant challenge. This study introduces a robust and reproducible protocol for the comprehensive sequential analysis of the latter molecules using MALDI-MSI in fresh-frozen rodent brain tissue samples.

Prognostic factors in patients with localized and metastatic alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. A report from two studies and two registries of the Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Studiengruppe CWS.

Background: The histologic classification of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) as alveolar (aRMS) or embryonal (eRMS) is of prognostic importance, with the aRMS being associated with a worse outcome. Specific gene fusions (PAX3/7::FOXO1) found in the majority of aRMS have been recognized as markers associated with poor prognosis and are included in current risk stratification instead of histologic subtypes in localized disease. In metastatic disease, the independent prognostic significance of fusion status has not been definitively established.

Fragmented markets for older antibiotics and child formulations, Denmark, Norway, Sweden.

Antibiotic resistance is one of the most urgent threats to public health. The development of antibiotic resistance can be reduced by the use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics that target specific bacteria, meaning that fewer non-harmful bacteria are killed and other harmful bacteria are not exposed to selection pressure. However, many narrow-spectrum antibiotics were introduced decades ago and therefore lack regulatory documentation in line with current standards.

Determinants of growth differentiation factor 15 plasma levels in outpatients with peripheral arterial disease.

Background: Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is a robust prognostic biomarker in patients with cardiovascular (CV) disease, and a better understanding of its clinical determinants is desirable. We aimed to study the associations between GDF-15 levels and in outpatients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Methods: An explorative cross-sectional study (Study of Atherosclerosis in Vastmanland, Västerås, Sweden) included 439 outpatients with carotid or lower extremity PAD.