COVID-19 vaccine responses are influenced by distinct risk factors in naive and SARS-CoV-2 experienced hemodialysis recipients.

Background: Clinical risk factors of deficient immune responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in SARS-CoV-2 naive hemodialysis recipients (HDR) have already been identified. Clinical factors influencing hybrid immunity induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in HDR have not been reported.

Methods: A comprehensive analysis of antibody (Ab) and T cell responses to two doses of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination was performed in 103 HDR, including 75 SARS-CoV-2 naive and 28 experienced patients, and in 106 healthy controls (HC) not undergoing HD, including 40 SARS-CoV-2 naive and 66 experienced subjects.

The process of memory semantization as the result of interactions between individual, collective, and social memories.

The study of the links between episodic memory (memory of personal experiences) and semantic memory (memory of general knowledge about the world, others, and oneself) has played a significant role in psychology and neuroscience research for several decades. The way memories lose specificity and become semantized over time, and how these two major memory systems interact to represent the individual in the social world and allow to project themselves into the future, are particularly fascinating themes in understanding the mechanisms of autobiographical memory. Numerous studies rely on various memory pathologies, primarily amnesic syndromes but also other disorders where memory impairment is not the main symptom, such as autism spectrum disorders.

Decoding meditation mechanisms underlying brain preservation and psycho-affective health in older expert meditators and older meditation-naive participants.

Meditation is a mental training approach that can improve mental health and well-being in aging. Yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The Medit-Ageing model stipulates that three mechanisms - attentional, constructive, and deconstructive - upregulate positive psycho-affective factors and downregulate negative ones.

Enzymatic, structural, and biophysical characterization of a single-domain antibody (VHH) selectively and tightly inhibiting neutrophil elastase and exhibiting favorable developability properties.

Human neutrophil elastase (hNE), a serine protease released by neutrophils during inflammation, plays a major role in the pathophysiology of several conditions especially in inflammatory lung diseases. Its inhibition constitutes, therefore, a promising therapeutic strategy to combat these diseases. In this work, we characterized the in vitro properties of a VHH (i.

Horizontal Bone Augmentation with Simultaneous Implant Placement in the Aesthetic Region: A Case Report and Review of the Current Evidence.

This study aimed to describe a case of simultaneous guided bone regeneration (GBR) and implant placement in a patient with prior aesthetic implant failure, focusing on achieving optimal aesthetic and functional outcomes, and to perform a literature review of the current evidence. A 38-year-old male presented with an improperly positioned implant at the level of the right upper central (tooth 2.1), leading to aesthetic and functional issues.

Factors Influencing the Attrition Rate of a 10-Week Multimodal Rehabilitation Program in Patients After Lung Transplant: A Neural Network Analysis.

Background/objectives: Despite the effectiveness of exercise and nutritional interventions to improve aerobic capacity and quality of life in lung transplant (LT) recipients, their compliance is low. Strategies to reduce the high attrition rate (participants lost over time) is a major challenge. Artificial neural networks (ANN) may assist in the early identification of patients with high risk of attrition.

Livestock Biosecurity from a One Health Perspective.

According to the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, biosecurity is "a strategic and integrated approach that encompasses the policy and regulatory frameworks (including instruments and activities) that analyse and manage risks in the sectors of food safety, public health, animal life and health, and plant life and health, including associated environmental risk" [...

Non-Immune-Mediated, p27-Associated, Growth Inhibition of Glioblastoma by Class-II-Transactivator (CIITA).

Background: Previous works have shown that the expression of Class-II-Transactivator (CIITA) in tumor cells reduces the growth of glioblastoma (GB) in animal models, but immune effects cannot solely explain this. Here, we searched for immune-independent effects of CIITA on the proliferation of GB.

Methods: Murine GL261 and human U87, GM2 and GM3 malignant glioma cells were transfected with CIITA.

Increased specificity of the "GFAP/UCH-L1" mTBI rule-out test by age dependent cut-offs.

Objectives: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) remains challenging to diagnose effectively in the emergency department. Abbott has developed the "GFAP/UCH-L1" mTBI test, to guide the clinical decision to perform a computed tomography (CT) head scan by ruling out the presence of mTBI. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the "GFAP/UCH-L1" mTBI test in a Greek cohort and established age-dependent cut-offs.

Measuring the Vaccine Success Index: A Framework for Long-Term Economic Evaluation and Monitoring in the Case of Rotavirus Vaccination.

New vaccination programs measure economic success through cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) based on an outcome evaluated over a certain time frame. The reimbursement price of the newly approved vaccine is then often reliant on a simulated ideal effect projection because of limited long-term data availability. This optimal cost-effectiveness result is later rarely adjusted to the observed effect measurements, barring instances of market competition-induced price erosion through the tender process.

On the Dynamism of Paintings Through the Distribution of Edge Directions.

The digitization of artworks has recently offered new computational perspectives on the study of art history. While much of the focus has been on classifying styles or identifying objects, the analysis of more abstract concepts, such as the perception of motion or dynamism in still images, remains largely unexplored. Semioticians and artists have long explored the representation of dynamism in still images, but they often did so through theoretical frameworks or visual techniques, without a quantitative approach to measuring it.

Improving the hospital or immunizing its organization? Patient and public involvement at the service of quality.

Introduction: There is a pressing need for the hospitals to improve their quality and become more patient-centered. Over the last decade, several approaches were implemented to meet this demand, such as hospital accreditation or patient surveys. Many studies have addressed the patient involvement systems from the viewpoint of the factors that drive them or the achieved performance.

Functional and phylogenetic signals in the pectoral girdle of Thalattosuchia and Dyrosauridae (Crocodylomorpha).

Crocodylomorphs have colonized various environments from fully terrestrial to fully aquatic, making it an important clade among archosaurs. A remarkable example of the rich past diversity of Crocodylomorpha Hay, 1930 is the marine colonization undergone by several crocodylomorph lineages, particularly Thalattosuchia Fraas, 1901 during the Early Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, and Dyrosauridae de Stefano, 1903 during the Late Cretaceous-Early Eocene. Thalattosuchia represents the most impressive and singular marine radiation among Crocodylomorpha, occupying various ecological niches, before enigmatically disappearing in the Cretaceous.

Exploring end-of-life decision-making in China for disorders of consciousness.

Objectives: We aim to investigate the ethical attitudes of the Chinese population toward withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment (WLST) in disorders of consciousness (DoC) patients.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire concerning WLST was distributed to Chinese medical professionals and non-medical participants between February and July 2022. Statistical analysis included chi-square tests and logistic regressions.

Pituitary Acrogigantism: From the Past to the Future.

Pituitary acrogigantism is a very rare disease that is caused by chronic growth hormone (GH) axis excess that begins during childhood and adolescence. As such, it represents one of the most severe manifestations of acromegaly. In most cases, acrogigantism is caused by a pituitary adenoma, but hyperplasia can also accompany the adenoma or rarely occur alone.

Recommendations for European laboratories based on the KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease.

The 2024 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines for chronic kidney disease (CKD) evaluation and management bring important updates, particularly for European laboratories. These guidelines emphasize the need for harmonization in CKD testing, promoting the use of regional equations. In Europe, the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equation is particularly suited for European populations, particularly compared to the CKD-EPI 2021 race-free equation.

Phenomenology of auto-induced cognitive trance using text mining: a prospective and exploratory group study.

Auto-induced cognitive trance (AICT) is a modified state of consciousness derived from shamanic tradition that can be practised by individuals after specific training. The aim of this work was to characterize the phenomenological experiences of AICT, using text mining analysis. Free recalls of subjective experiences were audio-recorded in 27 participants after five pseudo-randomized experimental sessions: ordinary conscious resting state, with auditory stimulation and with an imaginary mental task, as well as during AICT with and without auditory stimulation.

Photoregulatory functions drive variation in eye coloration across macaque species.

Primates, the most colorful mammalian radiation, have previously served as an interesting model to test the functions and evolutionary drivers of variation in eye color. We assess the contribution of photo-regulatory and communicative functions to the external eye appearance of nine macaque species representing all the branches of their radiation. Macaques' well described social structure and wide geographical distribution make them interesting to explore.

openBF: an open-source finite volume 1D blood flow solver.

Computational simulations are widely adopted in cardiovascular biomechanics because of their capability of producing physiological data otherwise impossible to measure with non-invasive modalities.This study presents openBF, a computational library for simulating the blood dynamics in the cardiovascular system.openBF adopts a one-dimensional viscoelastic representation of the arterial system, and is coupled with zero-dimensional windkessel models at the outlets.

Reproducibility and agreement of radiographic assessment of carpal deformities in foals.

Introduction: The Pivot Point (PP) method is commonly used in the radiographic assessment of carpal deformities in young foals, as the range of deviation may influence treatment choice. The aims of this study were to assess the intra- and interobserver reproducibility of the PP method and subjective radiographic evaluation without line drawing to establish the anatomical site responsible for carpal deviation in foals and to evaluate the agreement between these two techniques.

Material And Methods: Anonymized radiographs of foals presented for investigation of carpal deformity or prematurity were retrospectively and independently reviewed by six readers.