Association between abatacept exposure levels and infection occurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: post hoc analysis of the AVERT-2 study.

Objective: To determine if higher serum exposure during subcutaneous (SC) abatacept treatment was associated with an increased infection risk in adult patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Data from AVERT-2 (Assessing Very Early Rheumatoid arthritis Treatment-2, NCT02504268), a randomized, placebo-controlled study in anticitrullinated protein antibody- positive patients with early RA, were analyzed. A post hoc population pharmacokinetic (PPK) analysis was performed.

Effectiveness of low-dose amitriptyline and mirtazapine in patients with insomnia disorder with sleep maintenance problems: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in general practice (DREAMING).

Background: Low-dose amitriptyline and mirtazapine are widely prescribed off-label for insomnia disorder. However, evidence from placebo-controlled studies is lacking.

Aim: To assess the effectiveness of low-dose mirtazapine and amitriptyline in patients with insomnia disorder.

Differences in maternal diet fiber content influence patterns of gene expression and chromatin accessibility in fetuses and piglets.

This study investigates the impact of maternal gestation diets with varying fiber contents on gene expression and chromatin accessibility in fetuses and piglets fed a low fiber diet post weaning. High-fiber maternal diets, enriched with sugar beet pulp or pea internal fiber, were compared to a low-fiber maternal diet to evaluate their effects on liver and muscle tissues. The findings demonstrate that maternal high-fiber diets significantly alter chromatin accessibility, predicted transcription factor activity and transcriptional landscape in both fetuses and piglets.

Larger sample sizes are needed when developing a clinical prediction model using machine learning in oncology: methodological systematic review.

Background: Having a sufficient sample size is crucial when developing a clinical prediction model. We reviewed details of sample size in studies developing prediction models for binary outcomes using machine learning (ML) methods within oncology and compared the sample size used to develop the models with the minimum required sample size needed when developing a regression-based model (N).

Methods: We searched the Medline (via OVID) database for studies developing a prediction model using ML methods published in December 2022.

The impact of neoadjuvant therapy in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer: an international multicenter study.

Purpose: To assess the association between neoadjuvant therapy and overall survival (OS) in patients with left-sided resectable pancreatic cancer (RPC) compared to upfront surgery.

Background: Left-sided pancreatic cancer is associated with worse OS compared to right-sided pancreatic cancer. Although neoadjuvant therapy is currently seen as not effective in patients with RPC, current randomized trials included mostly patients with right-sided RPC.

Application of Artificial Intelligence to Analyze Data from Randomized Controlled Trials: An Example from DECAAF-II.

Background: Causal machine learning (ML) provides an efficient way of identifying heterogeneous treatment effect groups from hundreds of possible combinations, especially for randomized trial data.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to illustrate the potential of applying causal ML on the DECAAF II trial data. We proposed a causal ML model to predict the treatment response heterogeneity.

Assessing the role of spatial aggregation schemes with varying campaign durations of mobile measurements on land use regression models for estimating nitrogen dioxide.

Mobile air pollution measurements are typically aggregated by varying road segment lengths, grid cell sizes, and time intervals. How these spatiotemporal aggregation schemas affect the modeling performance of land use regression models has seldom been assessed. We used 5.

Nociplastic pain among individuals with chronic ocular surface pain: one cause for "pain without stain"?

Chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) refers to interrelated symptoms such as eye burning, aching, and irritation and can occur as an isolated condition or comorbid with numerous ocular disorders, including dry eye syndrome Treatments for COSP are largely aimed at the ocular surface and modulating pain arising from damaged corneal nerves; however, the average impact of these treatments on COSP are low to absent. A potential explanation for this is that in a subset of patients with COSP, individuals have amplified and/or dysregulated neural signaling and sensory processing within the central nervous system (CNS). As in other chronic pain conditions, this might be the pathogenic mechanism primarily responsible for maintaining pain - a phenomenon now referred to as nociplastic pain.

Middle-throughput LC-MS-based platelet proteomics with minute sample amounts using semi-automated positive pressure FASP in 384-well format (PF384).

Comprehensive characterization of platelets requires various functional assays and analysis techniques, including omics-disciplines, each requiring an individual aliquot of a given sample. Consequently, the sample material per assay is often highly limited rendering downscaling a prerequisite for effective sample exploitation. Here we present a transfer of our recently introduced 96-well-based proteomics workflow (PF96) into the 384-well format (PF384) allowing for a significant increase in sensitivity when processing minute platelet protein amounts.

Newborn With Refractory Seizures Due To Hemimegalencephaly And Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background Hemimegalencephaly (HME) is a rare congenital disorder that is initiated during embryonic development with abnormal growth of one hemisphere. Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), a genetic disorder, is rarely associated with HME. Methods We present a case of a newborn with HME with a confirmed mutation in the TSC-1 gene and describe the clinical course, findings on (amplitude integrated) electroencephalography (aEEG), cranial ultrasound (CUS), MRI, and the postmortem evaluation.

The prebiotic landscape: history, health and physiological benefits, and regulatory challenges - an IPA perspective part 1.

Prebiotics are becoming increasingly recognized by consumers, health care professionals and regulators as important contributors to health. Nonetheless, the development, progress, and adoption of prebiotics is hindered by loose terminology, various misconceptions about sources and types of compounds that may be classified as prebiotics, and the lack of consensus on a definition that satisfies regulators. Evolving knowledge of the microbiome and its effects on host health has generated opportunities for modulation of the microbiota that can support host health.

Global Trends and Collaborative Models in Manipulative Therapy for Low Back Pain: A Bibliometric and Academic Network Analysis.

Background Low back pain (LBP) is a prevalent condition that significantly affects work productivity and quality of life. Despite advancements in treatment, LBP continues to pose a global health challenge, with increasing research on manipulative therapy as a non-invasive treatment option. This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of global research trends in manipulative therapy for LBP.

Nil by mouth in intensive care - A qualitative, multiformat survey exploring the impact of mandatory oral restriction, from the health care providers perspective.

Introduction And Objectives: Nil by mouth (NBM) is a frequent imposition for patients recovering from critical illness. Its impact on patients' wellbeing and rehabilitation is under researched. We sought ICU multidisciplinary opinion to primarily assess the relevance of taste deprivation on patient care and recovery, and to identify future opportunities for innovation and research.

Demographic and clinical predictors of response and remission in the treatment of major depressive disorder with ketamine and esketamine: A systematic review.

Accumulating evidence supports the efficacy of (es)ketamine in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Yet around 50% of the individuals with TRD do not respond to (es)ketamine. Elucidating predictors of response and remission could improve treatment outcomes at the individual level by defining subpopulations that are most likely to benefit from (es)ketamine.

Can fast wall shear stress computation predict adverse cardiac events in patients with intermediate non-flow limiting stenoses?

Background And Aims: Coronary angiography-derived wall shear stress (WSS) may enable identification of vulnerable plaques and patients. A new recently introduced software allows seamless three-dimensional quantitative coronary angiography (3D-QCA) reconstruction and WSS computation within a single user-friendly platform carrying promise for clinical applications. This study examines for the first time the efficacy of this software in detecting vulnerable lesions in patients with intermediate non-flow limiting stenoses.

Implementation of model-informed precision dosing for tamoxifen therapy in patients with breast cancer: A prospective intervention study.

Tamoxifen is an estrogen-receptor (ER) antagonist, used as adjuvant treatment of ER-positive breast cancer. It is converted by CYP2D6 into endoxifen, its most active metabolite. Patients with endoxifen plasma concentrations <16 nM face a higher risk of recurrence.

Assessing fetal radiation dose from iodine-125 seeds in pregnant breast cancer patients: an updated model.

The treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy requires careful consideration of consequences for both maternal and fetal health. In non-pregnant patients, the use of radioactive iodine-125 (125I)-seeds is standard practice for localising non-palpable breast tumors before breast-conserving surgery. However, the use of 125I-seeds in pregnant patients has been avoided due to concerns about fetal radiation exposure.

The course of physical fitness and nutritional status in patients following prehabilitation before esophageal cancer surgery: Results from the PRIOR study.

Introduction: This study evaluates the course of physical fitness and nutritional status during curative therapy for esophageal cancer, after implementation of a prehabilitation program. Additionally, the impact of baseline physical fitness level and severe postoperative complications on the course of individual patients were explored.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter, observational cohort study included patients with esophageal cancer following curative treatment.

Co-Designing a Consumer-Focused Digital Reporting Health Platform to Improve Adverse Medicine Event Reporting: Protocol for a Multimethod Research Project (the ReMedi Project).

Background: Adverse medicine events (AMEs) are unintended effects that occur following administration of medicines. Up to 70% of AMEs are not reported to, and hence remain undetected by, health care professionals and only 6% of AMEs are reported to regulators. Increased reporting by consumers, health care professionals, and pharmaceutical companies to medicine regulatory authorities is needed to increase the safety of medicines.

Sex Differences in Natural History and Health Outcomes Among Individuals With Tic Disorders.

Objectives: To analyze sex differences in outcomes in Tourette syndrome (TS) and Persistent Motor or Vocal tic disorders (PMVT) in the Tourette Association of America International Consortium for Genetics (TAAICG) dataset.

Methods: The relationship between sex and clinical measures was explored in 2,403 participants (N = 2,109 with TS; N = 294 with PMVT) from the TAAICG dataset using generalized estimating equation regression models, and adjusted for age and family relationships.

Results: Female (vs male) participants with TS (25.

N-glycan shielded CUB domains of ADAMTS13 prevent binding of C-terminal antibodies in patients with immune-mediated TTP.

In Immune-mediated Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (iTTP), patients develop antibodies against ADAMTS13. The majority of patients exhibit inhibitory anti-spacer antibodies. Non-inhibitory antibodies binding to the carboxy-terminal CUB domains have been suggested to enhance the clearance of ADAMTS13 in iTTP.

Engineered Cell Microenvironments: A Benchmark Tool for Radiobiology.

The development of engineered cell microenvironments for fundamental cell mechanobiology, in vitro disease modeling, and tissue engineering applications increased exponentially during the last two decades. In such context, in vitro radiobiology is a field of research aiming at understanding the effects of ionizing radiation (e.g.

Tracking bottom-fishing activities in protected vulnerable marine ecosystem areas and below 800-m depth in European Union waters.

Numerous studies have highlighted bottom-contact fishing gears as the primary threat to vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs). In November 2022, the European Commission closed 87 VME protection polygons to bottom fishing in European waters. Using public automatic identification system (AIS) data, we found an 81% decrease in bottom-contact fishing effort within these areas in the year following the closures.