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Background: For Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations, the duration of benefit per levodopa dose is a key metric that reflects a patient's clinical response., Objective: Determine the difference in mean durations of "Good On" time per dose of subjects randomized to extended-release carbidopa-levodopa (ER CD-LD; IPX203; CREXONT®) vs. immediate-release (IR) CD-LD in the RISE-PD trial., Methods: "Good On" time per dose was assessed at the end of the IR CD-LD dose adjustment phase (Visit 2/Week 3) and compared to End of Study (Visit 7/EOS) between IPX203 and IR CD-LD groups. In addition, to understand if "Good On" time per dose for IR CD-LD before conversion to IPX203 could impact the magnitude of change in "Good On" time per dose of IPX203 vs. IR CD-LD after conversion, subjects were rank-ordered and divided into quartiles based on their initial "Good On" time per dose optimized IR CD-LD values. Changes in "Good On" time per dose between IPX203 and IR CD-LD groups were then compared for each quartile from Visit 2 to EOS., Results: IPX203 increased "Good On" time per dose compared to IR CD-LD by a mean of 1.6 h (p < 0.0001). The mean differences in "Good On" time per dose between IPX203 and IR CD-LD were 1.53h for quartile one, 1.39h for quartile two, 1.83h for quartile three, and 1.56h for quartile four (p < 0.0001 for all quartiles)., Conclusion: IPX203 significantly increased "Good On" time per dose regardless of the duration of "Good On" time per dose observed with IR CD-LD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: R.A.H. has received speaking fees from Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Cerevel, Kyowa Kirin, Neurocrine Biosciences, and Supernus. R.A.H. has received consulting fees from Abbvie, Ameal, Avanex, Biogen, BlueRock, Cerevel, Forsee Pharmaceuticals, Inhibikase, Intrance (PSG), Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Kiefe RX, Kyowa Kirin, MDCE Suzhou, MedRythms, Merz, Mitsubishi Tanabe, Neurocrine, Neuroderm, Pharma Two B, Regenxbio, Revance, Serina Therapeutics, Stoparkinson, Supernus, Tolmar, Tremor Research Group, Tris Pharma, Truebinding, UCB, Vivifi, and Zambon. R.A.H. serves on a scientific advisory board for Stoparkinson and Inhibikase. R.A.H. holds stock in Revance Therapeutics and has stock options in Enterin, Inhibikase, and Axial Therapeutics. R.A.H. has received intellectual property interests from a PD Diary through his University. R.A.H. acknowledges a Center of Excellence grant from the Parkinson Foundation. R.A.H.’s University has received research support from Annovis Bio, Inc., Artizan Biosciences, Parkinson's & Movement Disorder Alliance, Inhibikase Therapeutics, AbbVie, Inc., Biogen MA, Bukwang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Cavion, Inc., Cerevance, Inc., Cerevel Therapeutics, Cynapsus Therapeutics, Enterin, Inc., Genentech, Global Kinetics Corporation, Hoffman-La Roche Inc., Impax Laboratories, Integrative Research Laboratories Sweden, Lundbeck, Inc., Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, National Parkinson's Foundation, Neuraly Inc., Neurocrine Biosciences, Neuroderm, Pharma Two B Ltd, Revance Therapeutics, Sage Therapeutics, Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Scion NeuroStim, SunPharma and UCB BioPharma. H.H.F has received consulting fees from Abbvie, Amneal, Cerevel, and Neurocrine. H.H.F has received grants or contracts from Biogen, BlueRock, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Parkinson's Foundation, Parkinson Study Group and Roche. H.H.F. served on advisory board for Amneal and Cerevel. H.H.F receives royalties from Springer Publishing. H.H.F. serves as Editor in Chief of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders with Elsevier and Co-Chair of Executive Committee of Parkinson Study Group. J.J. has received consulting fees from Abbvie, BlueRock, Kyowa Kirin, Medtronic, Regenxbio, and Teva. J.J. has received research support from Annovis, BlueRock, ONO Pharmaceuticals, and Sage. J.J. served on advisory board for Photopharmics. J.J. served on the Data and Safety Monitory Board for BlueRock and Emalex Biosiences. S.A., G.B., S.F., and R.D. are employees of Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Guided by the hedonic surplus/mood-as-resource hypotheses, we sought to identify message components that prevent health information avoidance by inducing hedonic psychological states., Design: Two experimental studies., Methods: Participants, age 45-75, recruited from the online survey platform, Prolific (Study 1 N = 288, Study 2 N = 505), completed a survey of their colorectal cancer (CRC) information avoidance tendency and demographics. They were reinvited to participate in a study where they were randomized to view one of four types of images: humorous comics, cute animals, coping messages or streetscapes images (control condition). To assess CRC information avoidance behaviour after viewing the stimuli, participants choose whether to be directed to a website to complete a CRC risk calculator (Study 1), or whether to view a CRC information video or a video about foot care (Study 2). Using logistic regression, we regressed each outcome variable on interactions between self-reported CRC information avoidance tendency and experimental condition. We then used the PROCESS macro to test if mood mediated these interaction effects., Results: In Study 1, to the degree participants reported CRC information avoidance tendency, viewing humorous comics compared to control images increased their odds of choosing to view the risk calculator (OR = 5.26, p = .02). The same was true in Study 2 for choosing to watch the video about CRC vs. foot care (OR = 2.42, p = .04). Effects were not mediated through mood and there were no effects for the cute animals or coping messages., Conclusions: Using humour at the outset of a health message may increase reach to people who otherwise avoid CRC or other health messaging., (© 2024 British Psychological Society.)

Objectives: A significant proportion of patients undergoing surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are anemic at the time of resection. In these patients, blood transfusions are omitted due to their potential negative impact on oncological outcomes. The aim of the present study was to determine the prognostic value of preoperative anemia in resected PDAC patients, irrespective of blood transfusion status., Methods: In this retrospective two-center cohort study patients who underwent resection for histologically confirmed PDAC between 2013 and 2022 were included. The prognostic role of preoperative anemia was investigated using Cox proportional-hazard regression analysis. A subgroup analysis was performed in which PDAC patients who received a perioperative blood transfusion were excluded., Results: Among the 280 PDAC patients who were included, 110 (39%) were found to have anemia prior to surgery. Preoperative anemia was associated with increased use of blood transfusions, with a total of 44 patients (16%) requiring transfusion perioperatively. In the whole cohort, preoperative anemia was found to be an independent predictor of lower disease-free survival (DFS) (HR=1.518; 95% CI 1.103-2.090; P =0.011), but not overall survival (OS). However, when patients who received a perioperative blood transfusion were excluded from the analysis, preoperative anemia was independently associated with both lower DFS (HR=1.636; 95% CI 1.113-2.404; P =0.012) and OS (HR=1.484; 95% CI 1.036-2.127; P =0.031)., Conclusions: Preoperative anemia was shown to be an independent risk factor for inferior oncological survival after resection for PDAC. These results support the need for increased awareness regarding the potential adverse effects of preoperative anemia on oncological outcomes in PDAC., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: none to report, (Copyright © 2025 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: Regression or disappearance of MRI abnormalities is usually observed after treatment of spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (sDAVF)., Objective: To assess the correlation between spinal MRI (sMRI) changes with sDAVF exclusion and clinical outcome., Methods: Imaging data of patients treated with endovascular embolization for sDAVF between 2007 and 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Spinal cord edema and perimedullary flow voids at baseline and 3-months' follow-up were compared between patients with and without sDAVF persistent occlusion and clinical improvement on the Aminoff and Logue Scale., Results: Twenty-five patients were included in this study. At 3-months' follow-up, regression of spinal cord edema was significantly associated with sDAVF persistent occlusion (P=0.038). The combination of edema and flow voids regression was significantly associated with higher odds of a cured sDAVF (P<0.001) and clinical improvement (P<0.01). Improvement in the combination of the above-mentioned sMRI signs presented high sensitivity (100% (95% CI 78.20%-100%)) and negative predictive value (100% (95% CI 47.82%-100%)) for the detection of sDAVF cure compared with the criterion standard (digital subtraction angiography (DSA))., Conclusions: Patients with both spinal cord edema and flow voids regression at 3 months were more likely to present with a persistent occlusion of sDAVF and clinical improvement after endovascular embolization. Patients without sMRI improvement should be referred for DSA to seek recurrence of sDAVF., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has become a standard treatment for acute ischemic strokes (AIS). However, MT failure occurs in approximately 10-30% of cases, leading to severe repercussions (with mortality rates up to 40% according to observational data). Among the available rescue techniques, rescue intracranial stenting (RIS) appears as a promising option., Objective: This trial is poised to demonstrate the superiority of RIS in addition to the best medical treatment (BMT) in comparison with BMT alone, in improving the functional outcomes at 3 months for patients experiencing an AIS due to a large vessel occlusion refractory to MT (rLVO)., Methods: Permanent Intracranial STenting for Acute Refractory large vessel occlusions (PISTAR) is a multicenter prospective randomized open, blinded endpoint trial conducted across 11 French University hospitals. Adult patients (≥18 years) with an acute intracranial occlusion refractory to standard MT techniques will be randomized 1:1 during the procedure to receive either RIS+BMT (intervention arm) or BMT alone (control arm)., Results: The primary outcome is the rate of good clinical outcome at 3 months defined as a modified Rankin Scale score ≤2 and evaluated by an independent assessor blinded to the randomization arm. Secondary outcomes include hemorrhagic complications, all adverse events, and death. The number of patients to be included is 346. Two interim analyses are planned with predefined stopping rules., Conclusion: The PISTAR trial is the first randomized controlled trial focusing on the benefit of RIS in rLVOs. If positive, this study will open new insights into the management of AIS., Trial Registration Number: NCT06071091., Competing Interests: Competing interests: NS reports a conflict of interest with Medtronic, Balt Extrusion, Microvention (consultant). FC reports a conflict of interest with Medtronic, Balt Extrusion (consultant), ClinSearch (core laboratory), Penumbra, Stryker (payment for reading), and Artedrone (board). The other authors report no conflicts of interest., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The characterization of industrial working solutions containing numerous structurally related compounds and isomers requires the use of two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC × LC-HRMS). The separation of alkyl-anthraquinone derivatives produced during hydrogen peroxide production was achieved by coupling a biphenyl and a C18 in the first and second dimensions, combined with the use of continuous shifting gradients in the second dimension ( 2 D). The use of shifting gradients offers a significant advantage over regular gradients, with a 20% increase in occupancy and better separation of isomers eluted within the same modulation. Additionally, MS spectra were improved by reducing ion suppression in the source. The analysis of the industrial solutions produced a list of 226 peaks with 75 different molar masses, thereby confirming the presence of many isomers. The excellent repeatability of the retention times (within ±0.28 s in the second dimension) enabled the method to be used to study the differences between production batches, which were divided into two groups according to their measured hydrogen peroxide yield. Using multivariate statistical tools on the area of each peak, a total of 191 variables, including 11 clusters of insufficiently resolved isomers, were studied by principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA). A simple Wilcoxon test performed on the most pertinent variables was able to confirm that 28 peaks could be used to monitor the industrial process. This work highlighted the efficacy of combining a very powerful separation technique with the implementation of two simple statistical tests to rapidly identity a set of discriminant markers in a highly complex industrial mixture.

This study explores the effects of calcium channel blockers (CCBs) on sperm function, a critical aspect of male fertility. Male infertility, responsible for 30-50% of infertility cases, often involves issues with sperm motility and capacitation, both of which are heavily influenced by calcium ions and specific ion channels like CatSper and voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs). CCBs, which are commonly prescribed for cardiovascular conditions, inhibit these calcium channels, potentially disrupting sperm function. A comprehensive literature review showed varied results: some studies demonstrated that CCBs such as nifedipine reduce sperm motility and the acrosome reaction, causing reversible infertility, while others found no significant impact on fertilization rates in IVF treatments. Supporting these findings, animal studies indicated that CCBs impair spermatogenesis and sperm function without necessarily affecting hormonal levels. The research suggests that the impact of CCBs on male fertility might be reversible, emphasizing the need for more extensive in vivo studies to further understand these effects and their clinical significance for patients on CCB therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Many employees combine their work with informal care responsibilities for family and friends, potentially impacting their well-being and sustained employability. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a workplace participatory approach (PA) intervention in supporting working caregivers to prevent and solve problems related to balancing work, private life, and informal care tasks., Methods: We conducted a two-armed randomized controlled trial (ISRCTN15363783) in which working caregivers either received the PA (N=57), under guidance of an occupational professional serving as process facilitator, or usual care (N=59). We recruited 125 working caregivers from four Dutch organizations. Questionnaire-based measurements were assessed at baseline, 4, and 7 months. The primary outcome was work-life imbalance. Secondary outcomes were perceived social support from supervisors and colleagues, role overload, distress and perceived burden of combining work and informal care. Intervention effects were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis and linear mixed models., Results: The PA was not effective in reducing work-life imbalance, improving support from colleagues or reducing role overload, distress and perceived burden of combining work and informal care. However, the PA significantly improved perceived social support from supervisors at 4 months [β=0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21-0.88] and 7 months (β=0.36, 95% CI 0.02-0.70). Interaction effects indicated that improvement in supervisor support varied depending on the organization., Conclusion: The PA improved supervisor support but not work-life imbalance. Further research should explore PA effects on working caregivers with and without balance issues and the role of supervisor support in reducing work-life conflict.

Background: Lower maternal insulin sensitivity during pregnancy is associated with greater fetal adiposity. Physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity, but it is not known if physical behaviours influence the known association of maternal insulin sensitivity with offspring adiposity. This study aimed to investigate the moderating impact of physical behaviours on this association., Methods: Pregnant women (n = 812) from the Gen3G cohort were recruited during the first trimester of pregnancy and followed until delivery. At the first (V1) and second trimester (V2) hospital visits, Gen3G staff measured anthropometry, and participants reported sleep duration as well as leisure physical activity and sedentary behaviour via lifestyle questionnaires. We used plasma glucose and insulin values from the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test at V2 to calculate insulin sensitivity using the Matsuda index. We recorded birthweight from electronic medical records. Among a subset of neonates (n = 265), trained research staff measured skinfold thickness using a calibrated skinfold caliper following standardized protocols to estimate neonatal adiposity. Linear regression analyses assessed the association of insulin sensitivity with birthweight z-score and sum of neonatal skinfold thickness, adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, gravidity, smoking, with and without adjustment for maternal body mass index at V1. We evaluated moderation by physical activity, sedentary behaviour, or nighttime sleep duration using interaction terms and stratified analyses for the association of maternal insulin sensitivity with offspring birthweight and with offspring adiposity., Results: Lower Matsuda index was associated with higher birthweight z-score (ß±SE= -0.180 ± 0.056, p = 0.001) and with higher sum of skinfold thickness (neonatal adiposity) (ß±SE=-0.877 ± 0.383, p = 0.02) in fully adjusted models. The association between Matsuda index and sum of skinfold thickness was weaker in women with higher levels of physical activity at V2 ([high ≥ 1.26 kcal/kg/day] ß±SE=-0.15 ± 0.65) compared to women with lower levels [low < 1.26 kcal/kg/day] ß±SE=-1.36 ± 0.51, P-interaction = 0.01). We also observed potential interactions of sleep and sedentary behaviour at V2 with Matsuda index for the association with birthweight z-score. We did not observe effect modification by levels of physical behaviours assessed at V1., Conclusion: The association between lower insulin sensitivity and higher neonatal adiposity was attenuated in women with higher physical activity levels in the second trimester, independent of maternal body mass index., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This project was approved by the Clinical and organizational ethics committee of the CIUSSS de l’Estrie - CHUS and all participants provided written consent. Consent for publication: Not Applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Purpose of Review: The burgeoning field of environmental epigenetics has revealed the malleability of the epigenome and uncovered numerous instances of its sensitivity to environmental influences; however, pinpointing specific mechanisms that tie together environmental triggers, epigenetic pathways, and organismal responses has proven difficult. This article describes how Caenorhabditis elegans can fill this gap, serving as a useful model for the discovery of molecular epigenetic mechanisms that are conserved in humans., Recent Findings: Recent results show that environmental stressors such as methylmercury, arsenite, starvation, heat, bacterial infection, and mitochondrial inhibitors can all have profound effects on the epigenome, with some insults showing epigenetic and organismal effects for multiple generations. In some cases, the pathways connecting the stressor to epigenetic pathways and organismal responses have been elucidated. For example, a small RNA from the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces transgenerational learned avoidance by activating the RNA interference PIWI-interacting RNA pathways across generations to downregulate, via Cer1 retrotransposon particles and histone methylation, maco-1, a gene that functions in sensory neurons to regulate chemotaxis. Mitochondrial inhibitors seem to have a profound effect on both the DNA methylation mark 6mA and histone methylation, and may act within mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to regulate mitochondrial stress response genes. Transgenerational transcriptional responses to alcohol have also been worked out at the single-nucleus resolution in C. elegans, demonstrating its utility when combined with modern sequencing technologies. These recent studies highlight how C. elegans can serve as a bridge between biochemical in vitro experiments and the more associative findings of epidemiological studies in humans to unveil possible mechanisms of environmental influence on the epigenome. The nematode is particularly well-suited to transgenerational experiments thanks to its rapid generation time and ability to self-fertilize. These studies have revealed connections between the various epigenetic mechanisms, and so studies in C. elegans that take advantage of recent advancements in sequencing technologies, including single-cell techniques, to gain unprecedented resolution of the whole epigenome across development and generations will be critical., Competing Interests: Declarations. Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent: This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Radiomics-based machine learning (ML) models of amino acid positron emission tomography (PET) images have shown efficiency in glioma prediction tasks. However, their clinical impact on physician interpretation remains limited. This study investigated whether an explainable radiomics model modifies nuclear physicians' assessment of glioma aggressiveness at diagnosis., Methods: Patients underwent dynamic 6-[ 18 F]fluoro-L-DOPA PET acquisition. With a 75%/25% split for training (n = 63) and test sets (n = 22), an ensemble ML model was trained using radiomics features extracted from static/dynamic parametric PET images to classify lesion aggressiveness. Three explainable ML methods-Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), Anchor, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP)-generated patient-specific explanations. Eighteen physicians from eight institutions evaluated the test samples. During the first phase, physicians analyzed the 22 cases exclusively through magnetic resonance and static/dynamic PET images, acquired within a maximum interval of 30 days. In the second phase, the same physicians reevaluated the same cases (n = 22), using all available data, including the radiomics model predictions and explanations., Results: Eighty-five patients (54[39-62] years old, 41 women) were selected. In the second phase, physicians demonstrated a significant improvement in diagnostic accuracy compared to the first phase (0.775 [0.750-0.802] vs. 0.717 [0.694-0.737], p = 0.007). The explainable radiomics model augmented physician agreement, with a 22.72% increase in Fleiss's kappa, and significantly enhanced physician confidence (p < 0.001). Among all physicians, Anchor and SHAP showed efficacy in 75% and 72% of cases, respectively, outperforming LIME (p ≤ 0.001)., Conclusions: Our results highlight the potential of an explainable radiomics model using amino acid PET scans as a diagnostic support to assist physicians in identifying glioma aggressiveness., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval: This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06472440). Consent to participate: Informed written consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Competing interests: All authors declare that there are no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: In community hospital medicine programs, newborns often represent a large patient population with diverse clinical needs. Capturing the care provided through professional billing provides the foundation for division revenue; however, provider knowledge on how to optimally bill is often lacking. Our group underused Hospital Care current procedural terminology (CPT) evaluation and management (E/M) codes for newborns requiring increased monitoring, diagnostic interventions, or therapy. Our aim was to increase use of Level 2 and 3 Hospital Care CPT E/M codes for newborns from 1% to 15%., Methods: The process improvement project was conducted from October 2022 through October 2023 in the mother-baby unit of a community hospital with approximately 1800 births per year. Key drivers for underuse of Hospital Care CPT E/M codes were identified, and interventions were developed that included educational sessions, real-time guidance, and improved access to the billing codes. All newborn initial and subsequent care professional billing codes were included. We used retrospective chart review to determine whether clinical care and documentation supported the use of the codes., Results: The proportion of Level 2 and 3 Hospital Care CPT E/M codes increased to 17%. This increase represented a 7% increase in work relative value units and an estimated increase in revenue of $37 805 per 10 000 billing encounters. Review of select charts demonstrated appropriate documentation to support use of the codes 72% of the time., Conclusions: Providing education and tools on professional billing for newborns improved appropriate billing code use and optimized revenue at 1 community hospital., (Copyright © 2025 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) encompasses a range of histological findings from the generally benign simple steatosis to steatohepatitis (MASH) which can progress to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Several factors, including the microbiome, may contribute to disease progression., Results: Here, we demonstrate links between the presence and abundance of specific bacteria in the adipose and liver tissues, inflammatory genes, immune cell responses, and disease severity. Overall, in MASLD patients, we observed a generalized obesity-induced translocation of gut bacteria to hepatic and adipose tissues. We identified microbial patterns unique to more severely diseased tissues. Specifically, Enterococcus, Granulicatella, and Morganellaceae abundance is positively correlated with immune cell counts and inflammatory gene expression levels, and both genera are significantly enriched in MASH patients. Brevibacterium is enriched in adipose tissues of patients with liver fibrosis., Conclusion: Together, these results provide further insight into the microbial factors that may be driving disease severity. Video Abstract., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All research was approved by the University Health Network Research Ethics Board (UHN; REB#13–6115-A and REB#21–5623) and was conducted in accordance with both the Declarations of Helsinki and Istanbul, and they were also registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT0185646). Consent for publication: N/A. Competing interests: Author AO receives honoraria from Ethicon and Medtronic for speaking and teaching. EC held the Lawson Family Chair in Microbiome Nutrition Research at the University of Toronto. Other authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Doped semiconductors can exhibit metallic-like properties ranging from superconductivity to tunable localized surface plasmon resonances. Diamond is a wide-bandgap semiconductor that is rendered electronically active by incorporating a hole dopant, boron. While the effects of boron doping on the electronic band structure of diamond are well-studied, any link between charge carriers and plasmons has never been shown. Here, we report intervalence plasmons in boron-doped diamond, defined as collective electronic excitations between the valence subbands, opened up by the presence of holes. Evidence for these low-energy excitations is provided by valence electron energy loss spectroscopy and near-field infrared spectroscopy. The measured spectra are subsequently reproduced by first-principles calculations based on the contribution of intervalence band transitions to the dielectric function. Our calculations also reveal that the real part of the dielectric function exhibits a crossover characteristic of metallicity. These results suggest a new mechanism for inducing plasmon-like behavior in doped semiconductors, and the possibility of attaining such properties in diamond, a key emerging material for quantum information technologies., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the process of an online cognitive rehabilitation program aimed at supporting cancer survivors experiencing cognitive problems at work., Methods: Cancer survivors (n = 279) were randomized to one of the intervention groups (i.e., basic and extensive online cognitive rehabilitation) or waitlist control group. Recruitment, reach, dosage, implementation, perceived usefulness and experiences with the program were evaluated using questionnaires and logbooks., Results: Implementation (i.e., reach multiplied by dosage) was acceptable for both versions of the program (range 63% to 76%). Cancer survivors and cognitive therapists perceived the overall program as moderately to highly useful and generally reported positive experiences., Conclusions: Both a basic and extensive version of the online cognitive rehabilitation program were successfully implemented in the context of an RCT, suggesting their feasibility as intervention to support cancer survivors with cognitive problems at work., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2025 American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.)

Background: Many organizations are faced with growing numbers of employees who combine their jobs with informal caregiving responsibilities. To support working caregivers in maintaining a good balance between work, private life and informal care, a workplace participatory approach (PA) intervention was implemented in four Dutch organizations. This study's aims were to evaluate the degree of PA implementation, contextual factors influencing implementation, and stakeholder experiences with the PA., Methods: A mixed methods process evaluation was conducted alongside a randomized controlled trial among three stakeholder groups: caregiving employees, their supervisors, and trained occupational professionals who acted as PA process facilitators. The implementation frameworks of Steckler and Linnan (2002) and Carrol et al. (2007) were applied to evaluate recruitment, reach, dosage, fidelity and context, as well as stakeholders' satisfaction, experiences and perceived intervention outcomes. Data were collected after PA implementation (4-7 months) using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, checklists and research logs., Results: Of the 57 caregivers in the intervention group, 48 participated in the stepwise intervention. Among them, 20 (42%) completed all seven steps of the PA, and 30 (63%) involved their supervisors. PA implementation and supervisor involvement varied based on personal factors (e.g. a need for balance-related improvements; preference to keep caregiving private), interpersonal factors (e.g. caregiver-supervisor relationship quality), and organizational factors (high work demands; a supportive workplace culture for caregivers). Caregivers, supervisors, and process facilitators reported positive experiences with the PA, finding it valuable for addressing informal caregiving, receiving support and working on balance-related changes in multiple life domains. Some caregivers, however, needed more than the standard 3 PA meetings to identify key issues and implement solutions., Conclusions: Stakeholders found the PA helpful in addressing working caregivers' work-life balance, but PA implementation can be further stimulated by creating a supportive organizational culture in which it is encouraged and safe to discuss informal care. Moreover, to better support working caregivers in the long term, the PA should be viewed as an ongoing and iterative process taking into account their evolving balance and circumstances., Trial Registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15363783 (Registration date 21 November 2022; Retrospectively registered)., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: All participants (caregivers, supervisors and process facilitators) received an information letter about the study, and provided informed consent. The Center for Clinical Expertise of the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment determined that the law for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects did not apply to this study (reference number VPZ-515). As such, further ethical review by an ethics committee or institutional review board was deemed unnecessary according to national regulations. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Anti-science movements brought more than public distrust in science. Perhaps even more worryingly, these movements are also associated with instances of harassment of-and violence against-scientists. However, virtually nothing is known about individuals likely to harass or harm scientists. Across two pre-registered studies (total N = 749), we investigated the role of worldviews (e.g., political ideology, conspiracy mentality, science cynicism), radicalization risk factors (relative deprivation and threat), and personality traits and how these relate to harassment of scientists (both attitudes and behavior). We found that science cynicism-the perception that scientists are incompetent and corrupt-drives approval of scientists' harassment (attitudes), as well as harmful behavior (e.g., refusing to donate money, not signing a petition). Additionally, perceiving scientists as threatening, as well as dark personality traits (psychopathy and narcissism), contributed to approving scientists' harassment. Overall, the present research takes a first step in identifying predictors of the willingness to harm scientists., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval: Ethical approval was granted by the Institutional Review Board of the Department of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam (FMG-1885 and FMG-3833). Both studies were conducted in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations of the institution. Informed consent was obtained from all participants., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Cases abound in which nearly identical traits have appeared in distant species facing similar environments. These unmistakable examples of adaptive evolution offer opportunities to gain insight into their genetic origins and mechanisms through comparative analyses. Here, we present a novel comparative genomics approach to build genetic models that underlie the independent origins of convergent traits using evolutionary sparse learning. We test the hypothesis that common genes and sites are involved in the convergent evolution of two key traits: C4 photosynthesis in grasses and echolocation in mammals. Genetic models were highly predictive of independent cases of convergent evolution of C4 photosynthesis. These results support the involvement of sequence substitutions in many common genetic loci in the evolution of convergent traits studied. Genes contributing to genetic models for echolocation were highly enriched for functional categories related to hearing, sound perception, and deafness ( P < 10 -6 ); a pattern that has eluded previous efforts applying standard molecular evolutionary approaches. We conclude that phylogeny-informed machine learning naturally excludes apparent molecular convergences due to shared species history, enhances the signal-to-noise ratio for detecting molecular convergence, and empowers the discovery of common genetic bases of trait convergences., Competing Interests: Ethics declarations Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Recent years have seen an emphasis on delivering mental health and wellbeing support in school settings. However, the process by which schools meet this resource allocation challenge is largely undocumented. Our study used theory-building process tracing to develop a mechanistic understanding of the process of mental health investment in schools. We conducted in-depth case study work with four school sites in England, comprising 29 interviews and the retrieval and analysis of 95 documents. The empirical work was used to develop process theories to explain how and why high-investing schools allocated resources to wellbeing and mental health. Our work suggested high mental health investment was catalysed by either a perceived need or a change in ethos. The decision-making process then proceeded with some elements that aligned with conventional rational choice models (such as the comparison of alternatives) but also some important differences. Notably schools reacted to tradeoffs by seeking alternative, often informal, sources of funding and support for initiatives. In doing this they could develop "care capital" and enter a virtuous cycle of network building and investment. While this theory requires further exploration in other settings, it maybe be useful for researchers and policy-makers seeking to better understand how to support schools in allocating resources for mental health and wellbeing. In particular, it suggests that schools may benefit from support in how to harness external resources for mental health and wellbeing equitably and efficiently, alongside making best use of their internal resources., (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP 2) has re-emerged as a promising biomarker in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), with high overexpression in many TNBC cases. However, despite its potential and approval as an antibody-drug-conjugate for TNBC treatment, TROP 2-targeted delivery systems are currently underexplored. Therefore, this study was aimed at exploiting the potential of TROP 2 targeting by encapsulating metformin (Met), an antidiabetic drug associated with tumor growth inhibitory properties, inside liposomes decorated with TROP 2-targeting single-chain variable fragments (scFvs). The optimization of scFv grafting resulted in Met-immunoliposomes with an average diameter of less than 200 nm, low polydispersity index (∼0.1), negative surface charge (<-10 mV), high Met drug loading (>150 mg g -1 ), and high affinity towards TROP 2 binding. Furthermore, Met-immunoliposomes were reproducible, and the scFv conjugation was stable in the presence of serum for five days. Their cellular uptake increased 4 folds in two-dimensional and 9 folds in three-dimensional TNBC models owing to the high affinity towards TROP 2 binding. Finally, it was observed that the therapeutic effect of Met in suppressing cancer cell growth and proliferation was superior when using anti-TROP 2 scFv-grafted Met-immunoliposomes, which completely stopped the spheroid growth and inhibited the expression of adenosine triphosphate. This study is one of the first reports to explore the combination of nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems to target the TROP 2 protein in TNBC, and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to specifically combine the use of scFvs with TROP 2 targeting to deliver therapeutics for TNBC treatment.

Recent studies have reported that monitoring spinal cord perfusion pressure (SCPP) using a pressure probe to measure "intraspinal pressure" (ISP) within the subdural space at the injury site may improve the hemodynamic management of acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. This study aimed to investigate, within a pig model of SCI, the relationship between the ISP measured within the subdural space and the "spinal cord pressure" (SCP) measured within the spinal cord itself. Specifically, we sought to characterize the changes to ISP and SCP over time, both rostral and caudal to the injury epicenter, and in relation to native spinal cord morphometry. Female Yucatan mini-pigs were subjected to a T10 contusion-compression injury. Pressure probes were inserted inside the spinal cord parenchyma for SCP and within the subdural space for ISP, 5-mm rostral, and caudal from the injury site. SCP and ISP were then measured over an 8-hour period post-SCI. Ultrasound images were taken before and after SCI to monitor changes in spinal cord morphometry in the early hours post-injury. Spinal cord swelling was observed in all cases; however, only half of the animals exhibited increased SCP and ISP rostrally. In these, a gradient across the injury site was observed in the ISP measured rostrally and caudally when swelling of the spinal cord filled the subdural space, and the cord was seen to be abutting against the dura. The remaining animals showed a negligible increase in ISP and SCP (<+1 mmHg). The variation in pressure response was influenced heavily by the size of the subdural space surrounding the cord. In cases where we could establish an "optimal SCPP" based on the autoregulatory function of the spinal cord, a discernible variance of approximately 10 mmHg was detected between the values derived from ISP versus SCP. These results suggest that changes in ISP and SCP after SCI are influenced by native spinal cord morphometry and that the location of measurement is important to consider, particularly in situations where the swelling of the injured cord results in an occlusion of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow through the subdural space.

Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are an important cause of empiric antibiotic (over)treatment at the emergency department (ED). To enhance empiric antibiotic choices, mapping the national and local microbiology and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) patterns is crucial. This study aims to examine resistance patterns at a Brussels ED and to identify risk factors for AMR to evaluate current treatment guidelines and help combat AMR., Methods: Adult patients undergoing urinalysis at the ED of a Brussels tertiary care hospital with positive urine cultures were included. Descriptive microbiological mapping of UTI or asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) micro-organisms was performed. Potential risk factors of antibiotic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria were assessed by using logistic regression analysis., Results: Out of 96 patients with Gram-negative bacteria in urinary culture, the predominant uropathogen was Escherichia coli (58.3%), with 8.6% being extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains. Overall, fosfomycin (29.2%) and nitrofurantoin (28.6%) showed the highest resistance rates. Ceftriaxone revealed lower resistance rates (13.1%) compared to ciprofloxacin (17.0%) and cefuroxime (18.4%). Temocillin exhibited the lowest resistance rate (8.2%) especially against ESBLs (0%). Ciprofloxacin resistance increased with age (OR 1.05 [1.01-1.10]) and recurrent UTIs (OR 4.79 [1.18-19.42]). Male gender was associated with higher odds of temocillin resistance (OR 5.79 [1.18-28.34])., Conclusion: In the studied Belgian ED setting, ceftriaxone seems slightly safer than ciprofloxacin, especially for recurrent UTI patients. However, overall, and especially in patients at risk for ESBL-producing bacteria, temocillin would be an even better choice in our setting. National microbiological data should be reviewed to support recommending temocillin as a first-line antibiotic in patients presenting with upper UTI.

While high-throughput (HTP) assays have been proposed as platforms to rapidly assess reproductive toxicity, there is currently a lack of established assays that specifically address germline development/function and fertility. We assessed the applicability domains of yeast (S. cerevisiae) and nematode (C. elegans) HTP assays in toxicity screening of 124 environmental chemicals, determining their agreement in identifying toxicants and their concordance with reproductive toxicity in vivo. We integrated data generated in the two models and compared results using a streamlined, semi-automated benchmark dose (BMD) modeling approach. We then extracted and modeled relevant mammalian in vivo data available for the matching chemicals included in the Toxicological Reference Database (ToxRefDB). We ranked potencies of common compounds using the BMD and evaluated correlation between the datasets using Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients. We found moderate to good correlation across the three data sets, with r = 0.48 (95 % CI: 0.28-1.00, p<0.001) and r s = 0.40 (p=0.002) for the parametric and rank order correlations between the HTP BMDs; r = 0.95 (95 % CI: 0.76-1.00, p=0.0005) and r s = 0.89 (p=0.006) between the yeast assay and ToxRefDB BMDs; and r = 0.81 (95 % CI: 0.28-1.00, p=0.014) and r s = 0.75 (p=0.033) between the worm assay and ToxRefDB BMDs. Our findings underscore the potential of these HTP assays to identify environmental chemicals that exhibit reproductive toxicity. Integrating these HTP datasets into mammalian in vivo prediction models using machine learning methods could further enhance their predictive value in future rapid screening efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are an educational tool in the framework of competency-based medical education. EPAs are a relatively new concept in pathology. No studies to date exist on the utilization of EPAs during cytopathology fellowship training. This article reviews the recent literature on this topic and shares our institutional experience with the implementation of an EPA for fine needle aspirations and rapid on-site evaluations. While EPAs allow for tracking the competence of the cytopathology fellow toward independent practice for fine needle aspirations and rapid on-site evaluations, the required amount of documentation may represent a potential barrier for the widespread adoption of this new tool., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Cytopathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This document outlines the steps necessary to assemble and submit the standard data package required for contributing to the global genomic surveillance of enteric pathogens. Although targeted to GenomeTrakr laboratories and collaborators, these protocols are broadly applicable for enteric pathogens collected for different purposes. There are five protocols included in this chapter: (1) quality control (QC) assessment for the genome sequence data, (2) validation for the contextual data, (3) data submission for the standard pathogen package or Pathogen Data Object Model (DOM) to the public repository, (4) viewing and querying data at NCBI, and (5) data curation for maintaining relevance of public data. The data are available through one of the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Consortium (INSDC) members, with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) being the primary focus of this document. NCBI Pathogen Detection is a custom dashboard at NCBI that provides easy access to pathogen data plus results for a standard suite of automated cluster and genotyping analyses important for informing public health and regulatory decision-making., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Recent clinical trials targeting tau protein aggregation have heightened interest in tau-based therapies for dementia. Success of such treatments depends crucially on translation from non-clinical animal models. Here, we present the age profile of the PLB2 Tau knock-in model of fronto-temporal dementia in terms of cognition, and by utilising a directly translatable magnetic resonance imaging approach. Separate cohorts of mice aged 3, 6 and 12 months were tested in an object recognition protocol interrogating visual, spatial, and temporal discrimination in consecutive tests. Upon completion of their behavioural testing, animals were recorded in a 7 T MRI for brain structural integrity and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis. We report that PLB2 Tau mice presented with an age-dependent deficit in novel object discrimination relative to wild-type controls at 6 and 12 months. Spatial and temporal discrimination, though not significantly different from controls, appeared extremely challenging for PLB2 Tau subjects, especially at 12 months, since they explored objects less than controls and were devoid of memory. Controls readily recalled all relevant object-related information. At the same time, the T2 weighted voxel-based image analysis revealed a progressive shrinkage of total brain volumes in 6- and 12-month-old PLB2 Tau mice as well as relative striatal, but not hippocampal volumes. A regional DTI analysis yielded only reduced mean diffusivity of the fimbria, but not CA1 or dentate gyrus, amygdala, cingulate cortex, or corpus callosum. These data confirm the PLB2 Tau mouse as a translationally useful model for dementia research and suggest the importance of the hippocampal input as a determinant for novel object discrimination., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None declared., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Oil and gas wells (OGWs) can lead to soil and well emissions of methane (CH 4 ), a potent greenhouse gas, and hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), a highly toxic gas, both of which reduce air quality and can cause explosions when emitted into confined spaces. Developments have been occurring over OGWs, posing health and safety risks. However, to our knowledge, previous studies have not conjunctively analyzed well and soil emissions while considering development on or near OGWs. In this paper, we characterize 343 CH 4 and H 2 S emission rate measurements from 67 non-producing (abandoned) and 35 producing (active) OGWs, including 205 measurements from soils surrounding 81 OGWs in Ontario and Quebec. We also provide the first emission rate estimates from an abandoned water and OGW-linked explosion and map OGWs in urban and built-up areas in Ontario and Quebec. We estimate the explosion-linked emissions to be 3,000 g CH 4 /hour and 7 g H 2 S/hour. Moreover, we find that 7,264 and 161 OGWs in Ontario and Quebec, respectively, are in urban and built-up areas, with 94% of these wells being abandoned. For the 102 wells we measured, of which 9.7% had H 2 S detections, we find OGW emission rate ranges of -16 to 47,000 mg CH 4 /hour and 0.001 to 3,300 mg H 2 S/hour. Although soil CH 4 emissions at a 1-m distance from the wells are most correlated with well emissions, the highest soil emission rate was observed at a 3-m distance, indicating the potential for OGW-related emissions into buildings to occur away from the well. Overall, our multi-faceted measurement dataset provides a basis for conjunctive analysis of the broad range of environmental risks of OGWs to climate, indoor and outdoor air quality, and explosions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: A high proportion of patients admitted to hospital are at nutritional risk or have malnutrition. However, this risk is often not identified at admission, which may result in longer hospital stays and increased likelihood of death. The Integrated Nutrition Pathway for Acute Care (INPAC) was developed to provide clinicians with a standardized approach to prevent, detect, and treat malnutrition in hospital., Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if the Advancing Malnutrition Care (AMC) program can be used to spread and scale-up improvements to nutrition care in Canadian hospitals., Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, mixed methods design is proposed to evaluate the spread and scale of INPAC best practices across Canadian hospitals using a mentor-champion model. Purposive and snowball sampling are used to recruit mentors and hospital champions to participate in the AMC program. Mentors are persons with experience improving nutrition care in a clinical setting and champions are health care providers with a commitment to implementing best care practices. Mentors and champions are trained digitally on their roles and activities. Mentors meet with champions in their area monthly to support them with making practice change. Champions created a site implementation team to target practice change in a specific area related to malnutrition care and use AMC program-specific tools and resources to implement improvements and collect site information through quarterly audits of patient charts to track implementation of nutrition care best practices. An online community of practice is held every 3-4 months to provide further implementation resources and foster connection between mentors and champions at a national level. A prospective evaluation will be conducted to assess the impact of the program and explore how it can be sustainably spread and scaled across Canada. Semistructured interviews will be used to gain a deeper understanding of mentor and champion experiences in the program. The capabilities, opportunities, and motivations of behavior model will be used to evaluate behavior change and the Kirkpatrick 4-level framework will facilitate assessment of barriers to change. Aggregated chart audits will assess the impact of implemented care practices. Descriptive analyses will be used to describe baseline mentor and champion and hospital characteristics and mentor and champion experiences; Friedman test will describe these changes over time. Directed content analysis will guide interpretation of interview data., Results: Data collection began in September 2022 and is anticipated to end in June 2025, at which time data analysis will begin., Conclusions: Evaluation of the AMC program will strengthen decision-making, future programming, and will inform program changes that reflect implementation of best practices in nutrition care while supporting regional mentors and hospital champions. This work will address the sustainability of AMC and the critical challenges related to hospital-based malnutrition, ultimately improving nutrition care for patients across Canada., International Registered Report Identifier (irrid): DERR1-10.2196/62764., (©Katherine L Ford, Celia Laur, Rupinder Dhaliwal, Roseann Nasser, Leah Gramlich, Johane P Allard, Heather Keller, AMC Core Team. Originally published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 31.12.2024.)

This study aimed to characterize body temperature in finishing broiler chickens and to explore heat transfer dynamics under thermoneutral (TN) and heat stress (HS) conditions. To achieve this, 900 Ross 308 chicks were divided into TN and HS groups, with the HS group subjected to cyclical heat stress (30°C, 45 % RH) from day 28 to day 33 post-hatch. Rectal temperature (T r ) and skin temperature (T s ) at the face (T sf ), eye (T se ), and breast (T sb ) were measured. T r ranged from 39.1 to 40.6°C under TN and from 40.4 to 43.2°C under HS (P condition < 0.001). Core-to-skin temperature gradients were lower under HS (P < 0.0001), indicating reduced heat transfer to the skin. All T s parameters were higher under HS (P < 0.001), and skin-to-air temperature gradients were also lower (P < 0.0001), reflecting lower heat dissipation. T s varied significantly across anatomical regions (P < 0.001), and core-to-skin and skin-to-air gradients differed between regions under both conditions (P < 0.001). Strong correlations were observed between T r and T s (r = 0.88, 0.89, and 0.92 for T sb , T se , and T sf , respectively), suggesting T s as a strong predictor of T r . In conclusion, rectal temperatures in finishing broilers are more variable under HS than under TN. Under HS, some birds continue to exhibit T r in the physiological range. Under TN, heat is transferred from the core to the eyes at a significantly higher rate than to the face and breast skin. However, the breast skin dissipates heat into the environment at a greater rate than the face and the eyes. These patterns of heat transfer between the core and the skin, and between the skin and the environment are conserved under HS. However, heat transfer rates are significantly reduced leading to increased heat load of the birds. These findings provide further insights into thermoregulation in broiler chickens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Nabeel Alnahhas reports financial support was provided by Quebec's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Nabeel Alnahhas reports financial support was provided by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Jean-Michel Allard Prus reports a relationship with Scott Hatchery (Quebec, Canada) that includes: employment. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: There is compelling evidence of an inverse association between potassium intake and blood pressure (BP). A potential mechanism for this effect may be dietary potassium-mediated augmentation of endothelium-dependent relaxation. To date, studies have investigated potassium intake supplementation over several weeks in healthy volunteers with variable results on vascular function. There is no assessment of the acute vascular effects of potassium supplementation achieved by the ingestion of potassium-rich food in a hypertensive population., Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a high potassium meal on postprandial endothelial function as measured by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD)., Methods: We performed an investigator-blinded randomized crossover trial in 33 treated hypertensive individuals. Participants consumed both a high (~2400 mg) and low (~543 mg) K + meal, separated by a one-week washout period. The primary endpoint was endothelial function as assessed by FMD pre-meal and postprandially at 60 and 120 min. Meals were compared at each time point using the Hills-Armitage approach., Results: 33 individuals were included in the study (48% male, mean age 68). In the fasting state (Baseline), and at 60 min postprandial, radial artery FMD was not significantly different between the participants after consumption of either meal (baseline: high K + 4.2 ± 2% versus Low K + 2.6 ± 3%, p = 0.93; 60 min: high K + 3.8 ± 4% versus Low K + 4.1 ± 3%, p = 0.69). However, at 120 min, FMD tended to be higher in participants after the high K + meal (5.2 ± 4.1%) than after the low K + meal (3.9 ± 4.1%) ( p = 0.07). There were no differences in participants' radial artery diameter and blood flow between meals., Conclusions: This study does not support our hypothesis that a single high K + meal improves vascular function in individuals with treated hypertension. This does not contradict the clinical evidence relating greater K + intake with lower BP, but suggests that mechanistic investigations of increased K + intake through diet alone and its impact on endothelial function as a mediator to reducing BP are complex and not simply due to single nutrient-mediated improvement in vascular function.

Introduction: Granulocyte concentrates (GC) are leukocyte preparations enriched in neutrophils that can potentially save neutropenic patients from life-threatening, antimicrobial-resistant infections. The main challenge of GC transfusions is preserving the viability and antimicrobial activity of neutrophils beyond 24 h to reduce the logistical burden on collection centers and increase the availability of this cell therapy. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore extending the ex vivo viability and antimicrobial activity of GC neutrophils up to 72 h with a unique combination of the clinically-approved additives Plasma-Lyte, SAGM, AS-3 and Alburex., Methods: Neutrophils isolated from healthy donors were resuspended in autologous plasma (AP) at the same concentration as in GCs and diluted with various combinations of Plasma-Lyte, SAGM, AS-3 and/or Alburex with or without the addition of buffers, and stored at room temperature for up to 72 h. During storage, neutrophil viability, phagocytosis and intracellular reactive oxygen species production were measured by flow cytometry. Extracellular reactive oxygen species production was measured by spectrophotometry and chemotaxis by the number of calcein stained neutrophils that migrated towards the chemotactic peptide, N-Formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF). The same assays were performed on pooled, residual leukocyte units generated by the Reveos system, after storage in the additive combination that most effectively preserved the viability and function of isolated neutrophils., Results: The additive combination that best performed in the majority of the assays contained Plasma-Lyte, buffers and AS-3. Neutrophil viability was preserved for a maximum of 48 h and phagocytosis of opsonized bacteria and reactive oxygen species production up to 72 h of storage at room temperature. In contrast, fMLF-induced chemotaxis decreased by 20 % after 24 h storage while extracellular reactive oxygen species production increased significantly within the same time period. Supplementing GCs prepared from pooled, residual leukocyte units with this storage solution after the standard 16-24 h processing period as per the blood center guidelines, did not significantly improve the preservation of neutrophil viability and function., Conclusion: Our findings provide proof of concept that mixtures of clinically-approved additives can be tailored to significantly prolong the viability and function of freshly isolated neutrophils during room temperature storage. The unique additive composition of this storage solution that we developed for freshly isolated neutrophils, requires further optimization for use with pooled, residual leukocyte units as well as the time point at which the solution is added during processing to prolong the viability and functions of neutrophils in this blood product., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Leukocyte Biology.)

4P medicine (personalized, preventive, predictive, and participatory) is experiencing a remarkable rise, and pharmacogenetics is an essential part of it. However, several obstacles are hindering its deployment. This round table brought together a group of experts to take stock of the situation, reflecting on ways to facilitate the prescription of these tests and the dissemination of the results on a national scale. The experts looked at the methods of prescribing and communicating pharmacogenetic data in the current situation as well as in the coming years, with the arrival of artificial intelligence software. The questions relating to the reimbursement of tests - as topical as ever - were also discussed, as this is a way to allow all patients to access these tests. Numerous recommendations have been formulated on these various points, aimed at facilitating prescription management for healthcare professionals, and ensuring the retention and use of the results throughout the patient's life. Finally, better patient information was recommended, as well as strengthening the involvement of healthcare professionals and industry stakeholders in this process, with insistence on the necessary training and commitment to ensure its success., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Objective: To describe the 12-month mortality of Dutch COVID-19 intensive care unit patients, the total COVID-19 population and various subgroups on the basis of the number of comorbidities, age, sex, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive medication use., Methods: We included all patients admitted with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and March 29, 2022, from the Dutch National Intensive Care (NICE) database. The crude 12-month mortality rate is presented via Kaplan-Meier survival curves for each patient subgroup. We used Cox regression models to analyze the effects of patient characteristics on 12-month mortality after hospital discharge., Results: We included 16,605 COVID-19 patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 28.1%, and the 12-month mortality rate after intensive care unit admission was 29.8%. Among hospital survivors, 12-month mortality after hospital discharge was 2.5% (300/11,931). The hazard of death at 12 months after hospital discharge was greater in patients between 60 and 79 years (HR 4.74; 95%CI 2.23 - 10.06) and ≥ 80 years (HR 22.77; 95%CI 9.91 - 52.28) than in patients < 40 years of age; in male patients than in female patients (HR 1.38; 95%CI 1.07 - 1.78); and in patients with one (adjusted HR 1.95; 95%CI 1.5 - 2.53), two (adjusted HR 4.49; 95%CI 3.27 - 6.16) or more than two comorbidities (adjusted HR 4.99; 95%CI 2.62 - 9.5) than in patients with no comorbidities. Neither vasoactive medication use nor mechanical ventilation resulted in statistically significant results., Conclusion: For Dutch COVID-19 intensive care unit patients, most deaths occurred during their hospital stay. For hospital survivors, the crude 12-month mortality rate was low. Patient age (older than 60), sex and the number of comorbidities were associated with a greater hazard of death at 12 months after hospital discharge, whereas mechanical ventilation and vasoactive medication were not.

We measured discards survival probabilities of thornback (Raja clavata) and spotted skate (Raja montagui) in tickler chain beam trawling (5 trips, n = 183 for thornback skate, n = 137 for spotted skate), pulse beam trawling (9 trips, n = 94 for thornback skate) and flyshoot fishieres (4 trips, n = 137 for thornback skate, n = 24 for spotted skate). Survival probabilities were measured by captive observation for 15 to 25 days post catch. All fishery operations were conducted in the southern North Sea (ICES division 27.4.c) and in the Eastern English Channel (ICES division 27.7.d) according to the regular commercial practices of the fishing vessels. Trips were spread out over the seasons to account for the effect of variable environmental and fishing conditions on discards survival. Operational and environmental conditions during sea trips were recorded. For beam trawling survival probabilities (95% CI) were 50% (43-57) for thornback and 44% (37-54) for spotted skate. For pulse trawling, survival probability of thornback skate was 54% (40-65). For flyshooting survival probabilities were higher: 80% (73-87) for thornback and 75% (60-94) for spotted skate. Survival probabilities were significantly affected by gear, catch processing time, water temperature, wave height and the interaction between water temperature and wave height. We found no evidence for effects of species and length on survival probability. Vitality class provides a useful qualitative prediction of survival probability within gear. These findings are relevant for the fisheries management of skates stocks in the North Sea and English Channel., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Schram et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: Health effects of different physical activity domains (ie, during leisure time, work and transport) are generally considered positive. Using Active Worker consortium data, we assessed independent associations of occupational and leisure-time physical activity (OPA and LTPA) with all-cause mortality., Design: Two-stage individual participant data meta-analysis., Data Source: Published and unpublished cohort study data., Eligibility Criteria: Working participants aged 18-65 years., Methods: After data harmonisation, we assessed associations of OPA and LTPA with all-cause mortality. In stage 1, we analysed data from each study separately using Cox survival regression, and in stage 2, we pooled individual study findings with random-effects modelling., Results: In 22 studies with up to 590 497 participants from 11 countries, during a mean follow-up of 23.1 (SD: 6.8) years, 99 743 (16%) participants died. Adjusted for LTPA, body mass index, age, smoking and education level, summary (ie, stage 2) hazard ration (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for low, moderate and high OPA among men (n=2 96 134) were 1.01 (0.99 to 1.03), 1.05 (1.01 to 1.10) and 1.12 (1.03 to 1.23), respectively. For women (n=2 94 364), HRs (95% CI) were 0.98 (0.92 to 1.04), 0.96 (0.92 to 1.00) and 0.97 (0.86 to 1.10), respectively. In contrast, higher levels of LTPA were inversely associated with mortality for both genders. For example, for women HR for low, moderate and high compared with sedentary LTPA were 0.85 (0.81 to 0.89), 0.78 (0.74 to 0.81) and 0.75 (0.65 to 0.88), respectively. Effects were attenuated when adjusting for income (although data on income were available from only 9 and 6 studies, for men and women, respectively)., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that OPA may not result in the same beneficial health effects as LTPA., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Hepatitis B infection is a major public health concern in Vanuatu, with approximately 9% of the general population estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B. Most new infections are due to mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Hepatitis B vaccination is available in Vanuatu, but coverage rates for first dose within 24 h of birth and third dose are suboptimal. While treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is available in country, there is no capacity to test hepatitis B e antigen and limited capacity to test hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA viral load, which is a current eligibility requirement for women in pregnancy to access hepatitis B prophylaxis for MTCT per National guidelines. Recently, the World Health Organization guidelines have been updated to recommend universal peripartum antiviral prophylaxis (PAP) of pregnant women living with hepatitis B to prevent MTCT of HBV, without assessment of viral load in places without access to testing. However, these recommendations are conditional based on low-certainty evidence. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of universal PAP and provide evidence for the global guidelines., Methods: A single arm field trial compared to real world control sites will be conducted in Vanuatu involving pregnant women attending antenatal care services with positive HBsAg rapid tests. Participants at the control sites will undergo routine care. Participants at the intervention sites will all receive oral TDF prophylaxis from second trimester to completion of infant primary hepatitis B vaccination schedule. Primary data analysis will be by intention-to-treat. Initial analyses will be unadjusted comparisons of the intervention sites and control sites. Adjusted analyses will be performed, as needed, and presented in addition to unadjusted comparisons., Discussion: This study will provide evidence of acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of prophylaxis for all women with hepatitis B during pregnancy, as per the updated WHO guidelines, compared with current practice. The outcome of this trial will provide critical information to inform national and global guidelines around universal peripartum antiviral prophylaxis for hepatitis B during pregnancy., Trial Registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN: ACTRN12623001202651p. Registered 21 November 2023., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was granted by the Alfred Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/105780-Alfred-2024 and from the Vanuatu Health Research Ethics Committee. All participants will only be enrolled following written consent. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background/objectives: The redirection or reshaping of the acetabulum might be warranted to attain a concentric and stable hip in children with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). The aim of this study is to assess the late clinical and radiological results, and to determine the number of patients requiring secondary surgery or a total hip arthroplasty at a long-term follow-up., Methods: Our institution performed 99 Salter osteotomies on 76 patients without underlying neuromuscular conditions over a 21-year period, from 1981 to 2002. These procedures were carried out by three different surgeons. Patients underwent a comprehensive evaluation at the review visit, including a physical examination, clinical assessments using the Harris hip score (HHS), Oxford score (OHS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) pain score, as well as pelvic radiographs., Results: At a median follow-up of 22 years, total hip arthroplasty was performed in 6 out of 77 hips (8%). Patients who underwent a Salter osteotomy with an open reduction had a higher rate of avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head compared to those who only underwent a Salter pelvic osteotomy ( p < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in the group with and without AVN in terms of HHS ( p = 0.006, 95%CI 0.003 to 0.006), OHS ( p = 0.016, 95%CI 0.012 to 0.017), a modified OHS ( p = 0.018, 95% CI 0.012 to 0.016), a VAS score in activity ( p = 0.046, 95%CI 0.042 to 0.050) and VAS score satisfaction ( p = 0.005, 95%CI 0.003 to 0.006)., Conclusions: The rate of THA was 8% at a mean of follow-up of 22 years. Secondary results suggest that AVN occurs more frequently when a Salter osteotomy is combined with an open reduction. The occurrence of AVN is associated with significantly lower clinical outcome scores and patient satisfaction, as well as significantly higher pain scores. In the absence of AVN, good clinical results can be expected at long-term follow-up.

Surface waters function as ecological niches where Salmonella enterica can persist and disseminate to fresh produce production systems. We examined the genomic characteristics of S. enterica serotypes Agona ( n = 86), Braenderup ( n = 47), Muenchen ( n = 53), and Panama ( n = 69) isolates from surface waters in Chile, Mexico, and Brazil between 2019 and 2022. Mexican isolates consistently displayed a higher occurrence of genotypic antimicrobial resistance (AMR) than Chilean and Brazilian isolates. All S . Agona isolates exhibited the presence of fosA7.2 , while qnrB19 emerged as the predominant AMR gene (ARG) among S . Braenderup isolates. S . Muenchen isolates from Chile displayed an absence of any ARGs, while those from Mexico and Brazil predominantly carried qnrB19 . Among S . Panama isolates from Chile, aadA1 , floR , sat2 , and tet(B ) were the most prevalent ARGs, whereas those from Mexico and Brazil harbored tet(A ), and floR and tet(A ) as the leading ARGs, respectively. ARG sharing among isolates and ARG co-occurrence within individual isolates were prevalent across countries and serotypes. All isolates containing integrons exhibited genotypic multidrug resistance. The principal coordinates analysis reveals distinct clustering patterns based on country, serotype, number of ARGs per isolate, and plasmid and integron presence/absence. The whole-genome phylogenetic analysis demonstrates clear clusters, each associated with their respective countries. However, a notable exception was observed with one S . Agona isolate from Brazil closely related to two isolates from Chile, differing by only 18 and 19 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, respectively.IMPORTANCEThis comprehensive study explored the intricate genomic landscapes of S . Agona, Braenderup, Muenchen, and Panama isolates from surface waters across Chile, Mexico, and Brazil. By filling important knowledge gaps related to the genomic characteristics of these serotypes, the research offers a nuanced understanding of these serotypes as potential reservoirs for multidrug resistance. Our findings emphasize the urgency of targeted interventions to mitigate the emergence and dissemination of multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica . This work underscores the need for informed policies and collaborative efforts to address the risks posed by S. enterica in Latin American surface waters.

Immunosuppression by adenosine is an important cancer immune checkpoint. Extracellular adenosine signals through specific receptors and can be transported across the cell membrane through nucleoside transporters. While adenosine receptors are well-known to regulate tumor immunity, the impact of adenosine transporters remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated the effect on tumor immunity of equilibrative nucleoside transporter-1 (ENT1), the major regulator of extracellular adenosine concentrations. Blocking or deleting host ENT1 significantly enhanced CD8+ T cell-dependent antitumor responses. Tumors inoculated into ENT1-deficient mice showed increased infiltration of effector CD8+ T cells with an enhanced cytotoxic transcriptomic profile and significant upregulation of granzyme B, IFN-γ, IL-2, TNF-α, and CXCL10. ENT1-deficiency was further associated with decreased tumor-infiltrating T regulatory cells and CD206high macrophages and suppressed CCL17 production. ENT1-deficiency notably potentiated the therapeutic activity of PD-1 blockade. T cells upregulated ENT1 upon activation, and blocking ENT1 enhanced their function when co-cultured with cognate antigen/HLA-matched melanoma cells. Mechanistically, ENT1-mediated adenosine uptake inhibited the activity of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase (PRPS) in activated T cells, thereby suppressing production of uridine 5'-monophosphate (UMP) and its derivatives required for DNA and RNA synthesis. In summary, this study identified ENT1-mediated adenosine uptake as an important mechanism of adenosine-mediated immunosuppression and pyrimidine starvation that can be targeted to enhance antitumor T cell responses.

CTLA4-deficient patients exhibit profound humoral immune dysfunction, yet the basis for the B cell defect is not known. We observed a marked reduction in transitional to follicular B cell development in CTLA4-deficient patients, correlating with decreased CTLA4 function in regulatory T cells, increased CD40L levels in effector CD4+ T cells, and increased mTORC1 signaling in transitional B cells. Treatment of transitional B cells with CD40L was sufficient to induce mTORC1 signaling and inhibit follicular B cell maturation in vitro. Frequent cell-cell contacts between CD40L+ T cells and IgD+CD27- B cells were observed in patient lymph nodes. Follicular B cell maturation in CTLA-deficient patients was partially rescued following CTLA4 replacement therapy in vivo. We conclude that functional regulatory T cells and the containment of excessive T cell activation may be required for human transitional B cells to mature and attain metabolic quiescence at the follicular B cell stage., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

Objective: To identify pain phenotypes in patients with endometriosis and investigate their associations with demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities and pain-related quality of life (QoL)., Design: Cross-sectional, single-centre, population-based study., Setting: Referral university centre in Quebec City, Canada., Population: Patients diagnosed with endometriosis were enrolled consecutively between January 2020 and April 2024., Methods: Latent class analysis was used to identify pain phenotypes. A three-step approach of latent class analysis, involving logistic regression models, was applied to assess the associations between pain phenotypes and demographics, clinical characteristics, comorbidities and pain-related QoL., Main Outcome Measures: Pain phenotypes; demographic, clinical and comorbidity predictors of phenotype membership; association between QoL and pain phenotypes., Results: A total of 352 patients were included. Two pain phenotypes were identified with distinct clinical presentations: one (54% of the participants) with more severe and frequent pain symptoms and poorer QoL and the other (46% of the participants) with mild and less frequent pain symptoms. The high pain phenotype was associated with previous treatment failure, painkiller use, familial history of endometriosis, low annual family income and comorbidities, including painful bladder, fibromyalgia, migraines, lower back pain, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression or mood disorders. The presence of endometrioma was associated with the low pain phenotype. Phenotype membership was associated with distinct QoL profiles (p < 0.001). The mean QoL score was higher in the high pain phenotype (59; 95% CI, 56-62) than in the low pain phenotype (33; 95% CI, 29-37)., Conclusion: Patients with endometriosis can be categorised into two distinct phenotypes that correlate with QoL and patient characteristics. Validation in other populations is necessary and could aid the development of specialised or personalised interventions., (© 2024 The Author(s). BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Purpose: So-called contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is a rare but worrying condition occurring after cerebral angiography or neuroendovascular interventions using iodine contrast media. This study aimed to compare cerebral iodine concentrations in patients suspected of having CIE after endovascular procedures to those in matched controls., Methods: This is a retrospective monocentric study of 25 suspected CIE patients in a tertiary care teaching hospital diagnosed from June 2017 to February 2024. Cerebral multispectral computed tomography (CT) iodine mean concentrations were measured and compared with 1:1 matched controls using the CT constructor's workstation in the whole brain and in specific regions of interest (ROIs) corresponding to a vascular territory downstream of the procedure. Concentration values were compared with paired samples t‑test., Results: During the study period, 1097 patients underwent aneurysm embolization and 137 arteriovenous malformation (AVM) embolization procedures. So-called CIE was suspected in 25 patients after aneurysm or AVM embolization (2%). Mean iodine concentrations in the procedure vascular territory ROIs were higher in suspected CIE cases (mean 543 ± 147 µg/cm 3 ) compared to matched controls (mean 463 ± 141 µg/cm 3 ; p = 0.01). Whole brain mean iodine concentrations were modestly higher in CIE patients compared to controls across all subgroups, without reaching statistical significance., Conclusions: CIE may be associated with modest increase in CT iodine concentration in the procedure vascular territory after neurointerventional procedures. The underlying pathophysiology of this condition remains uncertain and merits further investigation., Key Messages: Contrast-induced encephalopathy (CIE) is known as a rare neurologic condition following iodine contrast media use in neuroendovascular interventions, with unclear pathophysiology., What This Study Adds: This study provides evidence that suspected CIE is associated with higher cerebral iodine concentrations in affected vascular territories, a novel quantifiable change. Implications for research, practice, or policy: These findings suggest the potential for iodine concentration monitoring to refine CIE diagnosis and prevention strategies in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest S. Mouyal, L. Chougar, A. Jacquens, S. Lenck, B. Mathon, K. Premat, G. Marnat, Y. Ducos, G. Quarta Colosso, H. Gortais, E. Rius, R. Coudert, V. Degos, J. Allard, N.-A. Sourour, F. Clarençon and E. Shotar declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Background: Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-PA) outbreaks are frequently linked to contaminated sink-drains in the intensive care unit (ICU). This study aims to investigate a VIM-PA outbreak occurring at 4 ICUs in a Belgian university center., Methods: Between 01/01/2019 and 30/07/2023, data were retrospectively retrieved. Whole-genome sequencing of VIM-PA was carried out for available isolates and the core genome multilocus sequencing typing (cgMLST) was used to confirm clonality. New case incidence was estimated by analyzing the weekly data of at-risk and VIM-PA-colonized patients, fitting a regression model., Results: Fifty-one patients were colonized, among them, 32 (63%) were infected by VIM-PA, which contributed to 7 deaths. The outbreak investigation showed that 19 (47%) of the examined sink-drains grew at least once a VIM-PA. Two major clusters were observed by cgMLST: ST111 (59 clones with 40 clinical isolates), and ST17 (8 clones with 6 clinical isolates). The estimated incidence rate of new cases was significantly higher in one unit., Conclusions: A 5-year prolonged outbreak at the UZ Brussel ICUs was caused by only 2 VIM-PA clones, both linked to sink-drains, with minimal mutations occurring throughout the years. Statistical modeling found different incidence rates between units. Tailored interventions were hence prioritized., (Copyright © 2024 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) uses a harvested tissue flap from the abdomen, posterior thigh, or buttocks to rebuild the breast postmastectomy. Identification of nerves for use in autologous sensate breast reconstruction flaps is an important surgical consideration as loss of breast sensation is a common risk of ABR. The posterior femoral cutaneous nerve (PFCN) and its branches supply sensory innervation to skin of the posterior thigh, leg, perineum, and buttocks, creating a feasible candidate for sensate profunda artery perforator (PAP) flaps for reestablishing breast sensation through ABR. This study characterized PFCN perforating branches located within the PAP flap region as compared to an anatomical landmark intersection (ALI). Twenty-three posterior thigh regions from 15 formalin-embalmed donors were dissected to the level of deep fascia to identify PFCN branches. PFCN branch diameter (mean, 1.34 ± 0.35 mm) and length (mean, 8.82 ± 5.78 mm) piercing the deep fascia were measured; branches were retro-dissected proximally to the PFCN trunk and the distance recorded (mean, 92.55 ± 38.00 mm). The distance to branch emergence from ALI (mean, 113.55 ± 19.80 mm) and from the midline of the posterior thigh (mean, 18.90 ± 11.17 mm) were calculated. Two-Tailed T-tests comparing the left and right limb of 7 donors determined bilateral, statistically significant difference between the length of branch emergence back to the main trunk of PFCN (P = .00). These findings illustrate the presence of adequate yet variable PFCN branches within the PAP flap region in regards to diameter, length, and location for use in sensate ABR., Competing Interests: Disclosure None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Knowledge of muscle contractile properties, physical fitness, and their associations with perceived fatigue may provide insights into mechanisms inducing fatigue and treatment targets. We aimed to identify differences in contractile properties and physical fitness between populations, and examine associations with perceived fatigue. We pooled data on perceived fatigue, physical fitness, and contractile properties from six studies, including a control group (n = 90), cancer survivors (n = 27), patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; n = 16), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML; n = 20), and statin users (n = 64). We evaluated differences between populations, and associations of contractile properties and physical fitness with perceived fatigue. Compared with the control group, we found differences in contractile properties of patients with COPD (larger muscle force decline: β = -10.5%, 95% CI = -16.7; -4.2, increase in early relaxation time (Rt): β = 84.4%, 95% CI = 51.7; 117.0, increase in half Rt: β = 83.1%, 95% CI = 45.5; 120.7, muscle force rise (MFR): β = 0.2%/ms, 95% CI = 0.1; 0.3, and decrease in MFR: β = -24.3%, 95% CI = -35.7; -13.0) and statin users (early Rt: β = -5.4 ms, 95% CI = -10.0; -0.8, increase in early Rt: β = 19.8%, 95% CI = 2.5; 37.1). Associations between contractile properties and perceived fatigue varied across populations. Longer relaxation times were associated with higher perceived fatigue in hemato-oncological populations. To conclude, contractile properties were impaired in patients with COPD and statin users. Associations between contractile properties and perceived fatigue varied across populations. In hemato-oncological populations, impaired muscle relaxation was associated with higher perceived fatigue., (© 2024 The Author(s). Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.)

Background: People living with dementia (PLWD) may want to participate in research, but the guidelines and processes enacted across various contexts may prohibit this from happening., Objective: Understanding the experiences of people with lived experiences of dementia requires meaningful inclusion in research, as is consistent with rights-based perspectives. Currently, the inclusion of PLWD in Canadian research is complex, and guidelines and conceptual frameworks have not been fully developed., Methods: This research note outlines a three-year proof-of-concept grant on the inclusion and consent of PLWD in research., Findings: It presents a brief report on some of the contradictions and challenges that exist in legislation, research guidelines, and research practices and raises a series of questions as part of an agenda on rights and inclusion of PLWD in research., Discussion: It suggests conceptual, legal, and policy issues that need to be addressed and invites Canadian researchers to re-envision research practices and to advocate for law and policy reform that enables dementia research to align and respect the rights and personhood of PLWD.

Since it was first published in 1995, the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) Guide has become one of the most used and researched intimate partner violence (IPV) risk measures worldwide. Yet, no recent review has formally and systematically established the psychometric properties of this measure. Furthermore, the third version of the SARA (SARA-V3) was published in 2015, with no psychometric critique to date. This review aimed to provide an inclusive and exhaustive literature review of all psychometric properties (i.e., predictive validity, convergent validity, internal consistency, and inter-rater) of the SARA, including V3. A systematic search of 17 databases was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. Academic journals, book chapters, and gray literature were included but conference presentations were not. To be included studies had to report a psychometric property of any version of the SARA and be composed of individuals having committed IPV. The search identified 28 records published between 1997 and 2022. Results showed that although the literature on the SARA is mostly positive, it is much more varied in terms of both results and research quality than its widespread implementation might suggest. Most studies were conducted using case files in a research context with non-diverse samples, undermining ecological validity. Results for convergent and predictive validity were mostly positive. However, reliability statistics were under-researched and showed poorer results. Lastly, little research has gone into validating the SARA-V3, with what is available suggesting poorer reliability and validity than its predecessor. Practitioners are cautioned against transitioning to the newer version before further validation research has occurred., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.