Multiple variants of tick-borne encephalitis virus in voles, mice and ticks, the Netherlands, 2021 to 2023.

BackgroundTick-borne encephalitis (TBE) can be a severe neurological disease. Identifying ecological factors that may facilitate tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) circulation in the Netherlands could improve awareness and detection.AimWe aimed to identify ecological factors affecting TBEV circulation in the Netherlands and to determine if there is sustained circulation and spread of the virus.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small vulnerable newborns: an interrupted time series analysis in Peru and Brazil.

Background: We examined COVID-19's impact on the number of small vulnerable newborns (SVN) at national and regional levels in Peru and Brazil.

Methods: Using national birth registries, we examined monthly numbers of preterm (PT), low birthweight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA) newborns. We analysed COVID-19's impact on SVN using two interrupted time series models.

High-dimensional, outcome-dependent missing data problems: Models for the human loci.

Missing data problems are common in biological, high-dimensional data, where data can be partially or completely missing. Algorithms have been developed to reconstruct the missing values by means of imputation or expectation-maximization algorithms. For missing data problems, it has been suggested that the regression model of interest should be incorporated into the imputation procedure to reduce bias of the regression coefficients.

A Regulatory Roadmap for Repurposing: Comparing Pathways for Making Repurposed Drugs Available In The EU, UK, And US.

To help academic and non-profit investigators interested in drug repurposing navigate regulatory approval processes, we compared pathways for repurposed drugs to obtain approval at EMA, UK MHRA, and the US FDA. Though we found no pathways specifically for repurposed drugs, pathways to market are available in all repurposing scenarios.

Trans-ancestry genome wide association study of childhood body mass index identifies novel loci and age-specific effects.

Over the past 30 years, obesity prevalence has markedly increased globally, including among children. Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 1,000 genetic loci associated with obesity-related traits in adults, the genetic architecture of childhood obesity is less well-characterized. Moreover, most childhood obesity GWAS have been restricted to severely obese children, in relatively small sample sizes, and in primarily European ancestry populations.

Change in self-determination-related constructs in persons with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in the context of transitions.

This study explored the changes in self-determination-related constructs during transitions in the lives of persons with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Questionnaires about autonomy support, basic psychological need expressions, and subjective well-being were filled out twice by family caregivers who foresaw an important transition in the near future ( = 40; pre-post design). Average changes in outcomes across a period of 6-13 months were not statistically significant.

A digital intervention to reduce home-office workers' sedentary behaviour: protocol for the evaluation of the Click2Move programme, a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: A new paradigm of hybrid working exists, with most office workers sharing their work between the office and home office environment. Working from home increases time spent or prolonged sitting, which is associated with an increased risk of chronic disease. Interventions to reduce sitting time, specifically designed for both the office and home-office environments, are required to address this growing public health issue.

Charlson comorbidity index has no incremental value for mortality risk prediction in nursing home residents with COVID-19 disease.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nursing home (NH) residents faced the highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease and mortality. Due to their frailty status, comorbidity burden can serve as a useful predictive indicator of vulnerability in this frail population. However, the prognostic value of these cumulative comorbidity scores like the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) remained unclear in this population.

The definition of vitality-the perspectives of Dutch older persons.

Background: Vitality is often mentioned in the context of successful ageing, however, there is still no consensus on the definition of vitality. Moreover, older persons themselves have yet to be involved in establishing a definition of vitality.

Aim: To explore and describe how older persons define vitality, how they experience vitality, and what influences their vitality.

Effects of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use on migraine - a critical review.

Background: Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs are widely used and are among the most significant achievements of modern pharmacology. Their primary purpose is treating and preventing gastric acid-related disorders. Migraine and PPI intake are prevalent, and many people are affected by both.

Enhancing individual glomerular filtration rate assessment: can we trust the equation? Development and validation of machine learning models to assess the trustworthiness of estimated GFR compared to measured GFR.

Background: Creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) equations are widely used in clinical practice but exhibit inherent limitations. On the other side, measuring GFR is time consuming and not available in routine clinical practice. We developed and validated machine learning models to assess the trustworthiness (i.

Is maternal diabetes during pregnancy associated with neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children? Insights from individual participant data meta-analysis in ten birth cohorts.

Background: Growing evidence shows that dysregulated metabolic intrauterine environments can affect offspring's neurodevelopment and behaviour. However, the results of individual cohort studies have been inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the association between maternal diabetes before pregnancy and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with neurodevelopmental, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in children.

Repetitive neonatal pain increases spinal cord DNA methylation of the µ-opioid receptor.

Background: Repetitive neonatal painful procedures experienced in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are known to alter the development of the nociceptive system and have long-lasting consequences. Recent evidence indicates that NICU stay affects the methylation of the opioid receptor mu 1 encoding gene (Mor-1). Additionally, a preclinical model of neonatal procedural pain established lower adult post-operative MOR-1 levels in the spinal cord.

Modelling the seasonal dynamics of Aedes albopictus populations using a spatio-temporal stacked machine learning model.

Various modelling techniques are available to understand the temporal and spatial variations of the phenology of species. Scientists often rely on correlative models, which establish a statistical relationship between a response variable (such as species abundance or presence-absence) and a set of predominantly abiotic covariates. The choice of the modeling approach, i.

Identifying falsified COVID-19 vaccines by analysing vaccine vial label and excipient profiles using MALDI-ToF mass spectrometry.

The rapid development and worldwide distribution of COVID-19 vaccines is a remarkable achievement of biomedical research and logistical implementation. However, these developments are associated with the risk of a surge of substandard and falsified (SF) vaccines, as illustrated by the 184 incidents with SF and diverted COVID-19 vaccines which have been reported during the pandemic in 48 countries, with a paucity of methods for their detection in supply chains. In this context, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-ToF) mass spectrometry (MS) is globally available for fast and accurate analysis of bacteria in patient samples, offering a potentially accessible solution to identify SF vaccines.

Metagenomic global survey and in-depth genomic analyses of Ruminococcus gnavus reveal differences across host lifestyle and health status.

Ruminococcus gnavus is a gut bacterium found in > 90% of healthy individuals, but its increased abundance is also associated with chronic inflammatory diseases, particularly Crohn's disease. Nevertheless, its global distribution and intraspecies genomic variation remain understudied. By surveying 12,791 gut metagenomes, we recapitulated known associations with metabolic diseases and inflammatory bowel disease.

Radiographic entheseal lesions of the pelvic region are more prevalent in radiographic axSpA than in age- and sex-matched controls and are associated with more severe spinal disease.

Objectives: In axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), entheseal involvement is common, which contributes significantly to disease burden and may also lead to structural damage. Although radiographs of the pelvis are widely available in axSpA, information on entheseal damage and associated characteristics are lacking. Therefore, we assessed the prevalence of radiographic entheseal lesions at the pelvic region in radiographic (r-) axSpA compared with controls and explored associations with patient and disease characteristics.

Cerebellar Development and the Burden of Prematurity.

The role of the cerebellum in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants has often been neglected. However, accumulating evidence indicates that normal cerebellar development is disrupted by prematurity-associated complications causing cerebellar injury and by prematurity itself. This hampers not only the normal development of motor skills and gait, but also cognitive, language, and behavioral development, collectively referred to as "developmental cognitive affective syndrome.

Sample Preparation of Caenorhabditis elegans for GC-MS-Based Metabolomics in Toxicity Assessment.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, widely recognized as a model organism due to its ease of breeding and well-characterized genomes, boasts complete digestive, reproductive, and endocrine systems, as well as conserved signaling pathways shared with mammals. It has become an invaluable resource for metabolomics research, particularly in examining responses to chemical or environmental factors and toxicity assessments. In this article, we provide detailed, step-by-step protocols for cultivating C.

Identification of Primary Metabolites in H NMR-Based Metabolomics of Plants.

Identifying metabolites in NMR-based plant metabolomics is challenging due to the complexity of plant metabolites. This complexity stems from the abundance and diverse chemical properties of compounds, which vary in concentration across plant specimens. Additionally, the lack of automated identification software complicates the analysis process.