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Aversive events sometimes turn into intrusive memories. However, prior evidence indicates that such memories can be controlled via a mechanism of retrieval suppression. Here, we test the hypothesis that suppression exerts a sustained influence on memories by deteriorating their neural representations. This deterioration, in turn, would hinder their subsequent reactivation and thus impoverish the vividness with which they can be recalled. In an fMRI study, participants repeatedly suppressed memories of aversive scenes. As predicted, this process rendered the memories less vivid. Using a pattern classifier, we observed that suppression diminished the neural reactivation of scene information both globally across the brain and locally in the parahippocampal cortices. Moreover, the decline in vividness was associated with reduced reinstatement of unique memory representations in right parahippocampal cortex. These results support the hypothesis that suppression weakens memories by causing a sustained reduction in the potential to reactivate their neural representations.

People vividly simulate prospective events and experience the anticipated affect—processes supported by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). Here, the authors show that these mere simulations change real-life attitudes, via a value transfer between environmental representations in the vmPFC.

Simulations of future experiences are often emotionally arousing, and the tendency to repeatedly simulate negative future outcomes has been identified as a predictor of the onset of symptoms of anxiety. Nonetheless, next to nothing is known about how the healthy human brain processes repeated simulations of emotional future events. In this study, we present a paradigm that can be used to study repeated simulations of the emotional future in a manner that overcomes phenomenological confounds between positive and negative events. The results show that pulvinar nucleus and orbitofrontal cortex respectively demonstrate selective reductions in neural activity in response to frequently as compared to infrequently repeated simulations of negative and positive future events. Implications for research on repeated simulations of the emotional future in both non-clinical and clinical populations are discussed.

The difficulty students have seeing the color associated with microbial growth in a traditional Winogradsky column can be overcome by substituting diatomaceous earth (DE) for sediment. Microbial growth in a DE column is visible from the early stages of ecological succession and the colors produced appear more vibrant. A flat-sided tissue culture flask can be used as a column container to provide a large surface area for observation. The enhanced visual experience provided by a DE column increases student engagement and learning.Editor's Note:The ASM advocates that students must successfully demonstrate the ability to explain and practice safe laboratory techniques. For more information, read the laboratory safety section of the ASM Curriculum Recommendations: Introductory Course in Microbiology and the Guidelines for Biosafety in Teaching Laboratories, available at www.asm.org. The Editors of JMBE recommend that adopters of the protocols included in this article follow a minimum of Biosafety Level 2 practices.

An abstract of the study "The Impact of a 24-Hour, Multidisciplinary Rounding Model in a Surgical Intensive Care Unit," by M. Daly, G. Benoit and B. Gray is presented.

Aims: To demonstrate the non-inferiority of perioperative comfort in patients undergoing otosclerosis surgery under local anesthesia versus general anesthesia and to compare audiometric results, quality of life and complications., Materials and Methods: A prospective non-interventional study was performed. Patients undergoing otosclerosis surgery between January 2019 and March 2021 at the University Hospital of Rennes were included consecutively. Perioperative comfort of LA versus GA (at ward admission, surgery, recovery and 48 h following surgery) was measured on a visual analogue scale at 10 days postoperatively and quality of life by the Glasgow Benefit Inventory at 3 months. Complications and audiometric results were also assessed. To demonstrate the non-inferiority of LA versus GA with a margin of 1.5 points on the comfort VAS, a power of 80% and a first-order risk of 5, 100 patients were included and statistical analyses were performed in accordance with CONSORT2010 statement., Results: One hundred ears were analyzed, 46% operated under local anesthesia and 54% under general anesthesia. The two groups were similar in terms of demographic and pathological characteristics. Local anesthesia was non-inferior to general anesthesia in terms of comfort with a comfort VAS of 8.74 ± 1.55 and 9.08 ± 0.93 respectively (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in rates of complications, audiometric results and quality of life between local and general anesthesia., Conclusion: Local anesthesia is non-inferior to general anesthesia in terms of perioperative patient comfort with similar audiometric results, postoperative quality of life and complication rates., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

We introduce metaMDBG, a metagenomics assembler for PacBio HiFi reads. MetaMDBG combines a de Bruijn graph assembly in a minimizer space with an iterative assembly over sequences of minimizers to address variations in genome coverage depth and an abundance-based filtering strategy to simplify strain complexity. For complex communities, we obtained up to twice as many high-quality circularized prokaryotic metagenome-assembled genomes as existing methods and had better recovery of viruses and plasmids., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Phenobarbital is a barbiturate, used to treat focal and generalised epilepsy. Since the end of marketing of the oral solution KANEURON in 2017, phenobarbital tablets remain the only available dosage form. Development of an oral phenobarbital solution for paediatric use is therefore essential to fulfil clinical needs. A new formulation of phenobarbital with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrins (HPBCD) was developed, and the physicochemical stability of the solution was evaluated., Methods: Different excipients have been selected to formulate a solution of phenobarbital. Samples were dosed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) at 216 nm with a LiChroCART C18 endcapped column and mobile phase composed of phosphate buffer pH 3 and methanol (50:50 v/v). Linearity, accuracy, sensibility and specificity of the method were tested, and a forced degradation study was carried out. During stability study, content of phenobarbital, pH, osmolality of the phenobarbital solution and degradation products were followed up for 6 months in line with GERPAC guidelines., Results: The stability indicating the character of the assay method has been validated. The physicochemical stability study shows that the phenobarbital solution formulated is stable for 6 months, in line with International Conference of Harmonisation (ICH) recommendations Q1A and Q3B (R2) regarding the content of phenobarbital and levels of degradation products (no degradation products >0.01%). Phenobarbital concentration was 101.59±2.6% of initial concentration in refrigerated samples and 101.14±0.5% at 20±5°C. No phenobarbital degradation products (>0.01%) were observed throughout the 6 months. No significant variation of pH or osmolality was observed., Conclusions: HPBCD solubilise phenobarbital and create a homogeneous solution. These stability data set the shelf life of this new phenobarbital solution at up to 6 months. A microbiological stability study will be carried out to ensure the possibility of using this solution in children., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© European Association of Hospital Pharmacists 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

There many materials were used in lake restoration to immobilize phosphorus (P) and reduce the effect of eutrophication. Among them, calcium/aluminum composite (CAC) showed a good capacity of P adsorption. However, a comprehensive of its performance, ecological safety, and the mechanism of P passivation in the aluminum-bound P (Al -P) dominated sediments under varying redox conditions remains incomplete. In the current study, both unwashed CAC (UCAC) and washed CAC (WCAC) showed good P adsorption properties, and the greatest maximum capacity for P adsorption (Q max ) reached 206.8 mg/g at pH 8.5 for UCAC. The SRP and TP in the overlying water of the uncapped sediments showed a decrease-increase-decrease trend in a sequence of transition from aerobic to anaerobic to re-aerobic stages. In contrast, the SRP and TP of the two CACs-capped sediments were maintained low. Phosphorus forms in the uncapped sediment also underwent significant changes during continuous variation of dissolved oxygen (DO) levels. In particular, the decrease in iron-bound P (Fe-P) and Al-P was significantly promoted in the anaerobic phase, and the released P was reabsorbed to form mainly Fe-P in the re-aerobic phase. The CACs-capping promoted the transformation of Fe-P to residual P (Res-P), forming a thick static layer in the surface sediment, thus significantly inhibiting sediment P release. Moreover, the CACs-capping did not induce the Al 3+ leaching and significant changes of the microbial community in sediments, and their performances of P immobilization could keep stable to resist the redox variation, which promised to be a good choice for P passivation in eutrophic lake sediments dominated by Al/Fe-P. These findings also confirmed that the risk of P release from Al/Fe-P (mainly Al-P)-dominated sediments was strongly influenced by continuously changing redox conditions, and was probably enhanced by the formation of Fe-P from the resorption of the released P., 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 © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The rise of single-cell data highlights the need for a nondeterministic view of gene expression, while offering new opportunities regarding gene regulatory network inference. We recently introduced two strategies that specifically exploit time-course data, where single-cell profiling is performed after a stimulus: HARISSA, a mechanistic network model with a highly efficient simulation procedure, and CARDAMOM, a scalable inference method seen as model calibration. Here, we combine the two approaches and show that the same model driven by transcriptional bursting can be used simultaneously as an inference tool, to reconstruct biologically relevant networks, and as a simulation tool, to generate realistic transcriptional profiles emerging from gene interactions. We verify that CARDAMOM quantitatively reconstructs causal links when the data is simulated from HARISSA, and demonstrate its performance on experimental data collected on in vitro differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells. Overall, this integrated strategy largely overcomes the limitations of disconnected inference and simulation., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Ventre 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.)

Aquatic environment factors often influence and regulate the direction of phosphorus (P) flow at the sediment-water interface (SWI). High pH and low DO, common in eutrophic lakes, would induce large releases of P from sediment, and thus cause the negative effect on the efficiency of some P-passivators. Hence, the development of P passivators that could function over a wide range of pH condition and redox state in the overlaying water with reduced undesirable side effects is critical for the eutrophic lake remediation. In the present study, a calcium (Ca)/aluminum (Al) composite (CA) and a lanthanum (La)/Ca/Al composite (LCA) were prepared for P immobilization in lake sediments, using calcium and lanthanum coprecipitated with aluminum. CA and LCA were shown to have good P sorption performance at pH 4-11, particularly at pH 8-11. Furthermore, CA and LCA have an ability to correct the pH of water that deviates from neutral. The maximum P adsorption (Q max ) of sediment amended by 4 % CA and 4 % LCA increased by 83 % and 103 %, and their equilibrium P concentration (EPC 0 ) decreased by 76 % and 88 %, respectively. Under various pH and DO conditions, the P concentration in overlying water was significantly decreased by CA and LCA amendment, and their addition could effectively counteract the P release from sediments induced by high pH and low DO. The mechanisms of P immobilization in amended sediments under various pH and DO levels are primarily the conversion of reactive P to stable P. The P immobilization performance of CA and LCA could cope with a wide range of pH and redox conditions in eutrophic lakes, and they would help to correct extreme pH values, thus they are expected to be a new generation of commercial P-passivators., 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 © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although the addition of triclosan (TCS) in consumer products has been strictly restricted, its continuous applications in hospitals and other medical facilities and its numerous residues still pose a potential risk to aquatic organisms and aquatic ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the growth, biochemical alterations, and physiological responses of Chlorella vulgaris exposed to different concentrations of TCS. The potential toxicity mechanisms associated with excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and disruption of photosynthetic system II (PSII) were also analyzed. The results indicated that the growth, cellular ultrastructure, and physiology of C. vulgaris were severely affected by TCS in a dose-effect dependent manner. TCS inhibited the growth of C. vulgaris, leading to mitochondria enlargement, the disordering of the arrangement of thylakoids, cell wall rupture, organelles loss, and the cytoplasm lysis. TCS induced severe oxidative damage characterized by ROS accumulation, elevated malondialdehyde (MDA), and up-regulation of antioxidant enzyme activities. Moreover, in TCS-induced algal cells, the main sites of ROS accumulation were chloroplasts, mitochondria, and cell membranes, with ROS accumulating most in the mitochondria. In addition, TCS caused damage to the reaction center (RC inactivation), donor side (OEC damage), and accepted side (electron transport from Q A to Q B ) of PSII in C. vulgaris, leading to inhibition of photosynthetic activity. These results could provide novel insights into the mechanisms of TCS-induced ROS accumulation and photosynthetic inhibition in C. vulgaris, which would contribute to a deep understanding of TCS toxicity on algae., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Ageing is an essential step in obtaining meat with satisfactory sensory properties. Dry-ageing, although being a niche practice, is increasingly being developed to enhance the taste experience of meat consumers. In this work, we studied the kinetics of the evolution of muscle properties with increasing ageing time, in order to propose an optimal duration, allowing a compromise between quality and meat weight loss reduction. Our study was performed on 32 samples from 8 animals for which the Longissimus thoracis sensory properties were analysed at different stages of ageing (7, 16, 35 and 60-days post-slaughter). This work showed an increase in the dry matter content of meat with increasing ageing duration, concomitant with a slight increase in pH. Although the luminance of the meat is stabilized after 14-days, the red and yellow indices decrease until 35-days of ageing. Iron content also decreases with ageing duration. Finally, the kinetic evolution of muscle rheological properties indicates that the toughness decreases at least up to 35-days on raw meat. Cooking seems to homogenise the tenderness of the samples, no difference was noticed between the different ageing durations when meat was cooked. These first experimental data need to be confirmed with different animal types.

Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Biogeographical studies have traditionally focused on readily visible organisms, but recent technological advances are enabling analyses of the large-scale distribution of microscopic organisms, whose biogeographical patterns have long been debated. Here we assessed the global structure of plankton geography and its relation to the biological, chemical, and physical context of the ocean (the 'seascape') by analyzing metagenomes of plankton communities sampled across oceans during the Tara Oceans expedition, in light of environmental data and ocean current transport. Using a consistent approach across organismal sizes that provides unprecedented resolution to measure changes in genomic composition between communities, we report a pan-ocean, size-dependent plankton biogeography overlying regional heterogeneity. We found robust evidence for a basin-scale impact of transport by ocean currents on plankton biogeography, and on a characteristic timescale of community dynamics going beyond simple seasonality or life history transitions of plankton., Competing Interests: DR, RW, TV, JL, PF, GR, NM, NH, GB, OD, TD, AF, SS, RN, CB, DE, FG, LG, KL, EM, JP, SR, SR, CD, SK, MP, SS, SP, JA, JB, CL, EP, PB, SS, FL, LK, CB, MS, EK, MM, IP, PP, PW, Cd, MR, DI, OJ No competing interests declared, (© 2022, Richter, Watteaux, Vannier et al.)

Background: Whether thrombectomy alone is equally as effective as intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy remains controversial. We aimed to determine whether thrombectomy alone would be non-inferior to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy in patients presenting with acute ischaemic stroke., Methods: In this multicentre, randomised, open-label, blinded-outcome trial in Europe and Canada, we recruited patients with stroke due to large vessel occlusion confirmed with CT or magnetic resonance angiography admitted to endovascular centres. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) via a centralised web server using a deterministic minimisation method to receive stent-retriever thrombectomy alone or intravenous alteplase plus stent-retriever thrombectomy. In both groups, thrombectomy was initiated as fast as possible with any commercially available Solitaire stent-retriever revascularisation device (Medtronic, Irvine, CA, USA). In the combined treatment group, intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg bodyweight, maximum dose 90 mg per patient) was administered as early as possible after randomisation for 60 min with 10% of the calculated dose given as an initial bolus. Personnel assessing the primary outcome were masked to group allocation; patients and treating physicians were not. The primary binary outcome was a score of 2 or less on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days. We assessed the non-inferiority of thrombectomy alone versus intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy in all randomly assigned and consenting patients using the one-sided lower 95% confidence limit of the Mantel-Haenszel risk difference, with a prespecified non-inferiority margin of 12%. The main safety endpoint was symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage assessed in all randomly assigned and consenting participants. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03192332, and is closed to new participants., Findings: Between Nov 29, 2017, and May 7, 2021, 5215 patients were screened and 423 were randomly assigned, of whom 408 (201 thrombectomy alone, 207 intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy) were included in the primary efficacy analysis. A modified Rankin scale score of 0-2 at 90 days was reached by 114 (57%) of 201 patients assigned to thrombectomy alone and 135 (65%) of 207 patients assigned to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy (adjusted risk difference -7·3%, 95% CI -16·6 to 2·1, lower limit of one-sided 95% CI -15·1%, crossing the non-inferiority margin of -12%). Symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage occurred in five (2%) of 201 patients undergoing thrombectomy alone and seven (3%) of 202 patients receiving intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy (risk difference -1·0%, 95% CI -4·8 to 2·7). Successful reperfusion was less common in patients assigned to thrombectomy alone (182 [91%] of 201 vs 199 [96%] of 207, risk difference -5·1%, 95% CI -10·2 to 0·0, p=0·047)., Interpretation: Thrombectomy alone was not shown to be non-inferior to intravenous alteplase plus thrombectomy and resulted in decreased reperfusion rates. These results do not support omitting intravenous alteplase before thrombectomy in eligible patients., Funding: Medtronic and University Hospital Bern., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests UF reports financial support for the present study from Medtronic; research grants from Medtronic BEYOND SWIFT registry, the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Swiss Heart Foundation; consulting fees from Medtronic, Stryker, and CSL Behring (fees paid to institution); has membership of a data safety monitoring board for the IN EXTREMIS trial and the TITAN trial; was on the advisory board for Portola (Alexion; fees paid to institution); and is Vice President of the Swiss Neurological Society. JK reports financial support from Medtronic for the BEYOND SWIFT registry (fees paid to institution); and research grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation supporting the TECNO trial (fees paid to institution), Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences supporting MRI research (fees paid to institution), and Swiss Heart Foundation supporting cardiac MRI in the aetiological work-up of stroke patients (fees paid to institution). CC reports consulting fees from Medtronic. PMo reports research funding (fees paid to institution) from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Heart Foundation, and Medtronic. GM reports consulting fees from Stryker Neurovascular; and was paid for lectures for Medtronic and Microvention Europe. IS reports consulting fees from Sanofi Synthé-Labo, Servier, Boheringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Novonordisk, and Medtronic; and payment or honoraria from Sanofi Synthé-Labo, Medtronic, Boheringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, and BMS—Pfizer. ON reports funding from a Stryker Research grant; and payment or honoraria for lectures for Phenox and Stryker. MR reports consulting fees from Medtronic, Stryker, Cerenovus, Philips, and Apta Targets; payment or honoraria from Ischemia View; participates on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board of Sensome; and has stock or stock options in Anaconda Biomed, CVAid, and Methinks. EC reports grants from the Swiss Heart Foundation and Swiss National Science Foundation, not related to the present study. ARL reports grants from the University of Zurich, the LOOP Zurich, and P&K Pühringer Foundation; consulting fees from Bayer; and a lecture honorarium from Moleac Pte, Singapore. WP reports grants from the German Research Foundation, LOEWE (research funding of the federal state of Hesse); royalties or licenses from the Stroke Team Training (Laerdal Medical); payment or honoraria from Laerdal Medical, Alexion, Pfizer—BMS, and Stryker Neurovascular; and support for attending meetings or travel from Laerdal Medical, Alexion, Pfizer—BMS, and Stryker Neurovascular. MA reports honoraria for lectures from AstraZeneca, Bayer, Covidien, Medtronic, and Sanofi; and participates on scientific advisory boards of Amgen, Bayer, BMS, Daiichi Sankyo, Medtronic, and Pfizer. AHS reports being a coinvestigator for the US National Institutes of Health (1R01EB030092-01); is mentor for the Carol W Harvey Chair of Research and Sharon Epperson Chair of Research at the Brain Aneurysm Foundation; receipt of consulting fees from Amnis Therapeutics, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Boston Scientific, Canon Medical Systems USA, Cardinal Health 200, Cerebrotech Medical Systems, Cerenovus, Cerevatech Medical, Cordis, Corindus, Endostream Medical, Imperative Care, InspireMD, Integra, IRRAS AB, Medtronic, MicroVention, Minnetronix Neuro, Peijia Medical, Penumbra, Q’Apel Medical, Rapid Medical, Serenity Medical, Silk Road Medical, StimMed, Stryker Neurovascular, Three Rivers Medical, VasSol, and Viz.ai; is Secretary of the Board of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery 2020–2021 (unpaid); is Chair of the Cerebrovascular Section of the AANS/CNS 2020–2021 (unpaid); has stock or stock options in Adona Medical, Amnis Therapeutics, Bend IT Technologies, BlinkTBI, Cerebrotech Medical Systems, Cerevatech Medical, Cognition Medical, CVAID, E8, Endostream Medical, Galaxy Therapeutics, Imperative Care, InspireMD, Instylla, International Medical Distribution Partners, Launch NY, NeuroRadial Technologies, NeuroTechnology Investors, Neurovascular Diagnostics, Peijia Medical, PerFlow Medical, Q’Apel Medical, QAS.ai, Radical Catheter Technologies, Rebound Therapeutics (purchased 2019 by Integra Lifesciences), Rist Neurovascular, (purchased 2020 by Medtronic), Sense Diagnostics, Serenity Medical, Silk Road Medical, Sim & Cure, SongBird Therapy, Spinnaker Medical, StimMed, Synchron, Three Rivers Medical, Truvic Medical, Tulavi Therapeutics, Vastrax, VICIS, and Viseon; and other financial or non-financial interests: national principal investigator or steering committees for Cerenovus EXCELLENT and ARISE II Trial; Medtronic SWIFT PRIME, VANTAGE, EMBOLISE and SWIFT DIRECT Trials; MicroVention FRED Trial and CONFIDENCE Study; MUSC POSITIVE Trial; Penumbra 3D Separator Trial, COMPASS Trial, INVEST Trial, MIVI neuroscience EVAQ Trial; Rapid Medical SUCCESS Trial; and InspireMD C-GUARDIANS IDE Pivotal Trial. MTF reports research grants from Medtronic, Siemens, Genentech, Idorsia, and Vesalio; consulting fees from Genentech, Balt USA, CereNovus, and Oculus Imaging; and participates on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Balt USA, Jacobs Institute, and Imperative Care. MW reports a grant from Stryker Neurovascular; consulting fees from Stryker Neurovascular; payment or honoraria from Stryker Neurovascular and Bracco Imaging; is board member for the German Society of Neuroradiology (no payments); and receipt of equipment, materials, drugs, medical writing, gifts, or other services from Ab medica, Acandis, Bracco Imaging, Cerenovus, Kaneka Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Mentice, Phenox, and Stryker Neurovascular (support to institution). PMa reports grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation; consulting fees from Medtronic and Stryker; payment or honoraria from Medtronic and Stryker; and participated on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board of MicroVention. H-CD reports honoraria for participation in clinical trials, contribution to advisory boards, or oral presentations from Abbott, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Daiichi-Sankyo, Novo-Nordisk, Pfizer, Portola, and WebMD Global; financial support for research projects from Boehringer Ingelheim; received research grants from the German Research Council and German Ministry of Education and Research; serves as Editor of Neurologie up2date, InFo Neurologie & Psychiatrie, Arzneimitteltherapie, and coeditor of Cephalalgia; and is on the editorial board of The Lancet Neurology and Drugs. MM reports payment or honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim. DSL reports consulting fees from Cerenovus, Genentech, Medtronic, Stryker, and Rapid Medical as imaging core laboratory. JLS reports funding for the present study from Medtronic; consulting fees from Cerenovus; participates on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for MIVI and Phillips; and has stock or stock options in Rapid Medical. JG reports a Swiss National Funds grant for MRI in stroke. All other authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The formation of a diploid zygote is a highly complex cellular process that is entirely controlled by maternal gene products stored in the egg cytoplasm. This highly specialized transcriptional program is tightly controlled at the chromatin level in the female germline. As an extreme case in point, the massive and specific ovarian expression of the essential thioredoxin Deadhead (DHD) is critically regulated in Drosophila by the histone demethylase Lid and its partner, the histone deacetylase complex Sin3A/Rpd3, via yet unknown mechanisms. Here, we identified Snr1 and Mod(mdg4) as essential for dhd expression and investigated how these epigenomic effectors act with Lid and Sin3A to hyperactivate dhd. Using Cut&Run chromatin profiling with a dedicated data analysis procedure, we found that dhd is intriguingly embedded in an H3K27me3/H3K9me3-enriched mini-domain flanked by DNA regulatory elements, including a dhd promoter-proximal element essential for its expression. Surprisingly, Lid, Sin3a, Snr1 and Mod(mdg4) impact H3K27me3 and this regulatory element in distinct manners. However, we show that these effectors activate dhd independently of H3K27me3/H3K9me3, and that dhd remains silent in the absence of these marks. Together, our study demonstrates an atypical and critical role for chromatin regulators Lid, Sin3A, Snr1 and Mod(mdg4) to trigger tissue-specific hyperactivation within a unique heterochromatin mini-domain., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to describe autonomic urethral sphincter (US) innervation using specific muscular and neuronal antibody markers and 3D reconstruction., Material and Methods: We performed en-bloc removal of the entire pelvis of three male human fetuses between 18 and 40 weeks. Serial whole mount sections (5 μm intervals) were stained and investigated. The sections were stained with Masson's trichrome and Eosin Hematoxylin, and immunostained with: anti-SMA antibody for smooth muscle; anti-S100 antibody for all nerves; and anti-PMP22 antibody, anti-TH antibody, anti-CGRP antibody, anti-NOS antibody for somatic, adrenergic, sensory and nitrergic nerve fibers, respectively. The slides were digitized for 3D reconstruction to improve topographical understanding. An animated reconstruction of the autonomic innervation of the US was generated., Results: The external and internal US are innervated by autonomic nerves of the inferior hypogastric plexus (IHP). These nerves are sympathetic (positive anti-TH antibody), sensory (positive anti-CGRP antibody), and nitrergic (positive anti-NOS antibody). Some autonomic fibers run within the neurovascular bundles, posterolaterally. Others run from the IHP to the posteromedial aspect of the prostate apex, above an through the rectourethral muscle. The external US is also innervated by somatic nerves (positive anti-PMP22 antibody) arising from the pudendal nerve, joining the midline but remaining below the rectourethral., Conclusions: This study provides anatomical evidence of an autonomic component in the innervation of the external US that travels in the neurovascular bundle. During radical prostatectomy, the rectourethral muscle and the neurovascular bundles are to be preserved, particularly during apical dissection., (© 2020 American Association of Clinical Anatomists.)

Knowledge of the anatomy of the male pelvic floor is important to avoid damaging the pelvic floor muscles during surgery. We set out to explore the structure and innervation of the smooth muscle (SM) of the whole pelvic floor using male fetuses. We removed en-bloc the entire pelvis of three male fetuses. The specimens were serially sectioned before being stained with Masson's trichrome and hematoxylin and eosin, and immunostained for SMs, and somatic, adrenergic, sensory and nitrergic nerve fibers. Slides were digitized for three-dimensional reconstruction. We individualized a middle compartment that contains SM cells. This compartment is in close relation with the levator ani muscle (LAM), rectum, and urethra. We describe a posterior part of the middle compartment posterior to the rectal wall and an anterior part anterior to the rectal wall. The anterior part is split into (1) a centro-levator area of SM cells localized between the right and left LAM, (2) an endo-levator area that upholsters the internal aspect of the LAM, and (3) an infra-levator area below the LAM. All these areas are innervated by autonomic nerves coming from the inferior hypogastric plexus. The core and the infra-levator area receive the cavernous nerve and nerves supplying the urethra. We thus demonstrate that these muscular structures are smooth and under autonomic influence. These findings are relevant for the pelvic surgeon, and especially the urologist, during radical prostatectomy, abdominoperineal resection and intersphincteric resection. Clin. Anat., 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Variations in methane (CH 4 ) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions in municipal sewer driven by pollution sources are complex and multifaceted. It is important to investigate the role of dissolved organic matter (DOM) components and microbiota to better understand what and how those variations occurred. For this purpose, this study provides a systematic assessment based on short-term in-sewer conditioned cultivations, in conjunction with a field survey in four typical sewers in Shanghai Megacity. The results are as follows: (1) Sediment plays a main role in driving the sewer carbon emission behavior owing to its strong associations with the utilized substrates and predominant microbes that significantly promoted the gas fluxes (genera Bacteroidete&#95;vadinHA17, Candidatus&#95;competibacter, and Methanospirillum). (2) Aquatic DOM in overlying water is an indispensable factor in promoting total carbon emissions, yet the dominant microbes present there inversely correlated with gas fluxes (genera Methanothermobacter and Bacteroides). (3) The total fluxes of both CH 4 and CO 2 enhanced by pavement runoff were limited. Its high COD-CH 4 /CO 2 conversion efficiencies can be ascribed to its dominant anthropogenic humic-like components and the emerged aquatic tyrosine-like components. (4) Domestic sewage can significantly enhance the total fluxes because of its high concentration of bioavailable DOM. However, these substrates, which were more suitable for supporting microbial growth, as well as the substrate competition caused by sulfate reduction and the nitrogen cycle (revealed by the dominant functional microbes genera Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Dechloromona, and Candidatus&#95;competibacter and their correlations with indicators), seemed to be responsible for the low COD-CH 4 /CO 2 conversion efficiencies of domestic sewage. (5) A field survey indicated the distinct features of carbon emissions of sewer sewage discharged from different catchments. An extreme hydraulic condition in a sewer in the absence of influent showed unexpectedly high levels of CO 2 , while a small amount of CH 4 emissions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Natural algaecides are more likely to be specific and biodegradable, and may offer an environmentally friendly method for control of cyanobacterial blooms. We explored, for the first time, the potential for watermelon peel aqueous extract (WMPAE) to control the growth of the harmful blue-green alga Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. The growth inhibition and several physiological parameters of A. flos-aquae, in response to WMPAE, were analyzed. Results showed that WMPAE significantly inhibited the growth of A. flos-aquae in a concentration-dependent way. The highest inhibition reached 94 % after 3 days' treatment with 6 g L -1 of WMPAE and a significant effect was obtained with lower doses and shorter times as well. The cell viability decreased quickly, cell shape changed, and intracellular structural damage occurred. At the same time, the antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase SOD, catalase CAT and peroxidase POD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels all increased significantly, indicating that WMPAE between 2-6 g L -1 induced severe oxidative stress and damage to A. flos-aquae. Moreover, production of the four pigments chlorophyll a (Chl a), carotenoids, phycocyanin (PC), and allophycocyanin (APC) were all stimulated, though photosynthesis of A. flos-aquae was clearly inhibited. The maximum quantum yield of photosystem II (F v /F m ) and the effective quantum yield of photosystem II ( F v ' /F m ' ) declined sharply, suggesting the decreased photosystem capacity of A. flos-aquae to convert light energy into chemical energy. In addition, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of A. flos-aquae increased after a very short time exposure to WMPAE, and decreased significantly with prolonged exposure time, which indicated the failure of photo protection mechanisms. These results suggest that the loss of cell viability, and increases in oxidative stress, and damage to intracellular structure and photosynthetic systems might be the mechanisms for the inhibitory effects. Our results suggested that WMPAE could be a novel and effective approach for controlling the growth of A. flos-aquae in aquatic environments., 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 © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and Henoch-Schönlein purpura are common glomerular disorders in children sharing the same histopathologic pattern of IgA deposits within the mesangium, even if their physiopathology may be different. Repeated exposure to pathogens induces the production of abnormal IgA1. The immune complex deposition in the renal mesangium in IgAN or potentially in small vessels in Henoch-Schönlein purpura induces complement activation via the alternative and lectin pathways. Recent studies suggest that levels of membrane attack complex (MAC) in the urine might be a useful indicator of renal injury. Because of the emerging availability of therapies that selectively block complement activation, the aim of the present study is to investigate whether MAC immunostaining might be a useful marker of IgA-mediated renal injury., Methods: We conducted immunohistochemistry analysis of the MAC on renal biopsies from 67 pediatric patients with IgAN and Henoch-Schönlein purpura. We classified their renal biopsies according to the Oxford classification, retrieved symptoms, biological parameters, treatment, and follow-up., Results: We found MAC expression was significantly related to impaired renal function and patients whose clinical course required therapy. MAC deposits tend to be more abundant in patients with decreased glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.02), patients with proteinuria > 0.750 g/day/1.73 m 2 , and with nephrotic syndrome. No correlation with histological alterations was observed., Conclusions: We conclude that MAC deposition could be a useful additional indicator of renal injury in patients with IgAN and Henoch-Schönlein purpura, independent of other indicators.

Hypertension Canada's 2020 guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment of hypertension in adults and children provide comprehensive, evidence-based guidance for health care professionals and patients. Hypertension Canada develops the guidelines using rigourous methodology, carefully mitigating the risk of bias in our process. All draft recommendations undergo critical review by expert methodologists without conflict to ensure quality. Our guideline panel is diverse, including multiple health professional groups (nurses, pharmacy, academics, and physicians), and worked in concert with experts in primary care and implementation to ensure optimal usability. The 2020 guidelines include new guidance on the management of resistant hypertension and the management of hypertension in women planning pregnancy., (Copyright © 2020 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Following fertilization of a mature oocyte, the formation of a diploid zygote involves a series of coordinated cellular events that ends with the first embryonic mitosis. In animals, this complex developmental transition is almost entirely controlled by maternal gene products. How such a crucial transcriptional program is established during oogenesis remains poorly understood. Here, we have performed an shRNA-based genetic screen in Drosophila to identify genes required to form a diploid zygote. We found that the Lid/KDM5 histone demethylase and its partner, the Sin3A-HDAC1 deacetylase complex, are necessary for sperm nuclear decompaction and karyogamy. Surprisingly, transcriptomic analyses revealed that these histone modifiers are required for the massive transcriptional activation of deadhead (dhd), which encodes a maternal thioredoxin involved in sperm chromatin remodeling. Unexpectedly, while lid knock-down tends to slightly favor the accumulation of its target, H3K4me3, on the genome, this mark was lost at the dhd locus. We propose that Lid/KDM5 and Sin3A cooperate to establish a local chromatin environment facilitating the unusually high expression of dhd, a key effector of the oocyte-to-zygote transition., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Motivation: De novo comparative metagenomics is one of the most straightforward ways to analyze large sets of metagenomic data. Latest methods use the fraction of shared k-mers to estimate genomic similarity between read sets. However, those methods, while extremely efficient, are still limited by computational needs for practical usage outside of large computing facilities., Results: We present SimkaMin, a quick comparative metagenomics tool with low disk and memory footprints, thanks to an efficient data subsampling scheme used to estimate Bray-Curtis and Jaccard dissimilarities. One billion metagenomic reads can be analyzed in <3 min, with tiny memory (1.09 GB) and disk (≈0.3 GB) requirements and without altering the quality of the downstream comparative analyses, making of SimkaMin a tool perfectly tailored for very large-scale metagenomic projects., Availability and Implementation: https://github.com/GATB/simka., Supplementary Information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Most studies assessing the macronutrient content of human milk are published retrospectively using analyzers that fail to determine sodium content and do not take into account the role of volume in milk composition. We aimed to describe macronutrient content and sodium content in human milk over time, observe any associations between them, and determine the factors associated with the evolution of milk composition. A prospective, longitudinal, monocentric study was undertaken. Contents of protein, fat, and lactose of 102 milk samples from 40 mothers were determined using a human milk analyzer and that of sodium with a flame spectrophotometer. Milk volumes along with clinical data were recorded. Protein content in the fourth quartile of volume was significantly lower than that in the first three, suggesting the existence of a volume threshold for protein content at approximately 445 mL. After multivariate analysis, it was found that maternal age, average volume, and lactation period remained significantly associated with protein content, maternal age remained significantly associated with fat content, and only average volume with sodium content. In consideration of previous findings along with our data, we suggest that extra care should be taken with fortification for feeding preterm infants when the mother's milk volume is greater than 400-450 mL., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Microcystis blooms and their associated microcystins pose a significant health risk to humans. Microcystis normally occurs as colonies in eutrophic water bodies, and its physiological tolerance to algaecides is dissimilar to that of unicellular forms. However, the differences of physiological response to algaecides between unicellular and colonial Microcystis have been poorly explored. The current study investigated the effects of hexane extract of Acorus calamus rhizome (HEACR) on the physiological and photosynthetic mechanisms of unicellular and colonial M. aeruginosa in the laboratory. We analyzed the cell density, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, malonaldehyde (MDA) content, photosynthetic pigments, capsular polysaccharide (CPS), and photosystem (PS II) parameters of the two morphological forms of Microcystis. Our results show that HEACR suppresses the growth of both unicellular and colonial M. aeruginosa, increases the intracellular ROS level and cause lipid peroxidation, as well as exerting a detrimental effect on chlorophyll a (chl a) content and photosynthetic efficiency. Almost 100% inhibition was observed for unicellular and colonial M. aeruginosa after 3 d exposure to 50 and 100 mg L -1 HEACR, respectively. The ROS level increase, MDA accumulation, the chl a decrease and carotenoid increase in unicellular M. aeruginosa were all more obvious than that in colonial cells. The fall in photosynthetic efficiency of unicellular M. aeruginosa were also more significant than that of colonial cells. After 3d exposure, the maximum quantum yield of PS II photochemistry (Fv/Fm), effective quantum yield of PS II photochemistry (Fv'/Fm') and effective quantum yield of photochemical energy conversion in PS II (YII) of unicellular M. aeruginosa was almost totally inhibited by 20 mg L -1 HEACR, while the F v /F m , F v '/F m ' and YII of colonial M. aeruginosa decreased by 43%, 26% and 66% for 100 mg L -1 of HEACR, respectively. Comparing the two morphological forms of Microcystis, colonies show a greater increase in CPS level to more effectively resist the stress of HEACR and to mitigate ROS generation thereby better defending against oxidative damage. Furthermore, colonial M. aeruginosa shows better photoprotection ability than the unicellular form when exposed to HEACR. The colonies also sustain their maximum electron transport rate, increase their tolerance to strong light, and maintain a higher ability to disperse excess energy. These results demonstrated that HEACR can significantly interfere with the growth and physiological processes of both unicellular and colonial M. aeruginosa, but that colonial M. aeruginosa has a greater ability to adjust physiological tolerance to resist the stresses of HEACR., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Study Objective: We compare intranasal ketamine with intranasal placebo in providing pain reduction at 30 minutes when added to usual paramedic care with nitrous oxide., Methods: This was a randomized double-blind study of out-of-hospital patients with acute pain who reported a verbal numeric rating scale (VNRS) pain score greater than or equal to 5. Exclusion criteria were younger than 18 years, known ketamine intolerance, nontraumatic chest pain, altered mental status, pregnancy, and nasal occlusion. Patients received usual paramedic care and were randomized to receive either intranasal ketamine or intranasal saline solution at 0.75 mg/kg. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with VNRS score reduction greater than or equal to 2 at 30 minutes. Secondary outcomes were pain reduction at 15 minutes, patient-reported comfort, satisfaction scores, nitrous oxide consumption, and incidence of adverse events., Results: One hundred twenty subjects were enrolled. Seventy-six percent of intranasal ketamine patients versus 41% of placebo patients reported a greater than or equal to 2-point VNRS reduction at 30 minutes (difference 35%; 95% confidence interval 17% to 51%). Median VNRS reduction at 15 minutes was 2.0 and 1.0 and at 30 minutes was 3.0 and 1.0 for ketamine and placebo, respectively. Improved comfort at 15 and 30 minutes was reported for 75% versus 57% and 61% versus 46% of ketamine and placebo patients, respectively. Sixty-two percent of patients (95% confidence interval 49% to 73%) versus 20% (95% confidence interval 12% to 32%) reported adverse events with ketamine and placebo, respectively. Adverse events were minor, with no patients requiring physical or medical intervention., Conclusion: Added to nitrous oxide, intranasal ketamine provides clinically significant pain reduction and improved comfort compared with intranasal placebo, with more minor adverse events., (Copyright © 2019 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ankyrin-repeat and SOCS-box protein 9 (ASB9) is a member of the large SOCS-box containing proteins family and acts as the specific substrate recognition component of E3 ubiquitin ligases in the process of ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. We previously identified ASB9 as a differentially expressed gene in granulosa cells (GC) of bovine ovulatory follicles. This study aimed to further investigate ASB9 mRNA and protein regulation, identify binding partners in GC of bovine ovulatory follicles, and study its function. GC were obtained from small follicles (SF: 2-4 mm), dominant follicles at day 5 of the estrous cycle (DF), and ovulatory follicles, 24 hours following hCG injection (OF). Analyses by RT-PCR showed a 104-fold greater expression of ASB9 in GC of OF than in DF. Steady-state levels of ASB9 in follicular walls (granulosa and theca cells) analyzed at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours after hCG injection showed a significant induction of ASB9 expression at 12 and 18 hours, reaching a maximum induction of 10.2-fold at 24 hours post-hCG as compared to 0 hour. These results were confirmed in western blot analysis showing strongest ASB9 protein amounts in OF. Yeast two-hybrid screening of OF-cDNAs library resulted in the identification of 10 potential ASB9 binding partners in GC but no interaction was found between ASB9 and creatine kinase B (CKB) in these GC. Functional studies using CRISPR-Cas9 approach revealed that ASB9 inhibition led to increased GC proliferation and modulation of target genes expression. Overall, these results support a physiologically relevant role of ASB9 in the ovulatory follicle by targeting specific proteins likely for degradation, contributing to reduced GC proliferation, and could be involved in the final GC differentiation into luteal cells., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Herein, we report a user-friendly and metal-free UV-A light mediated borocyclopropanation of styrenes using continuous flow technology. A broad range of styrene derivatives can be cyclopropanated in good yields within 1 h residence time to produce highly valuable cyclopropylboronate esters with modest to good diastereoselectivities. The reaction is also applicable to α-substituted styrenes. Mechanistic studies support a photoredox process during which xanthone, a well-known organic photosensitizer, can easily reach a photoexcited state that is available for both an oxidative and a reductive quenching., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Introducing of earthworms to constructed wetlands (CWs) has been considered as a new approach to solve the clogging problems in the long-established systems. Despite its potential advantage, the correlational researches are still in the stage of preliminary observation and speculation. This paper presents a comprehensive and in-depth research about the positive effects of earthworms (Eisenia foetida) on clog matter (CM) reduction through different pathways, including in vivo metabolism and uptake, conversion, transport, and promotion of microorganism quantities. The results showed that the metabolism and uptake by Eisenia foetida could effectively reduce the CM content at an average removal rate of 0.155 mg g -1  d -1 , which was obviously higher than the rate of CM decomposition by microorganisms alone. Through the metabolism of earthworms, the amounts of proteins and polysaccharides in CM were decreased, while the amounts of humin and nucleic acids were increased. Simultaneously, the viscosity of CM was reduced by 0.0082 mPa s g -1 d -1 , and the quantity of microorganisms was increased by 0.0109 mg g -1  d -1 , which finally made the treated CM can be easily washed away and decomposed. Furthermore, earthworms could reduce the CM content in the clogging layer by transporting the metabolic products out. A regression model was further performed for describing the interaction between earthworm and CM. The simulated value of porosity fitted well with the measured one, suggesting that the earthworms can increase the substrate porosity at a rate of 0.33 mL g -1  d -1 . This study quantitively depicted the mechanisms of earthworms on the decrement of CM content in CWs, which is of great benefit for the engineering management of constructed wetlands in the future. We also proposed that the density of introduced earthworms should exceed a certain threshold for effectively increasing the substrate porosity and solving the clogging problems., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite the high synthetic potential of nonstabilized diazo compounds, their utilization has always been hampered by stability, toxicity, and safety issues. The present method opens up access to the most reactive nonstabilized diazoalkanes. Among diazo compounds, nonstabilized alkyl diazo compounds are the least represented because of their propensity to degrade during preparation. The continuous flow oxidation process of hydrazones on a silver oxide column afforded an output stream of base- and metal-free pure diazo solution in dichloromethane. Starting from innocuous ketones and aldehydes, this methodology allows the production of a broad range of unprecedented diazoalkanes compounds in excellent yields, while highlighting their synthetic potential and the possibility of safe large-scale diazo production., (© 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Hypertension Canada provides annually updated, evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis, assessment, prevention, and treatment of hypertension in adults and children. This year, the adult and pediatric guidelines are combined in one document. The new 2018 pregnancy-specific hypertension guidelines are published separately. For 2018, 5 new guidelines are introduced, and 1 existing guideline on the blood pressure thresholds and targets in the setting of thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke is revised. The use of validated wrist devices for the estimation of blood pressure in individuals with large arm circumference is now included. Guidance is provided for the follow-up measurements of blood pressure, with the use of standardized methods and electronic (oscillometric) upper arm devices in individuals with hypertension, and either ambulatory blood pressure monitoring or home blood pressure monitoring in individuals with white coat effect. We specify that all individuals with hypertension should have an assessment of global cardiovascular risk to promote health behaviours that lower blood pressure. Finally, an angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor combination should be used in place of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker in individuals with heart failure (with ejection fraction < 40%) who are symptomatic despite appropriate doses of guideline-directed heart failure therapies. The specific evidence and rationale underlying each of these guidelines are discussed., (Copyright © 2018 Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To assess the diagnostic performance of conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of non-palpable intratesticular tumours., Materials and Methods: The local ethics review board approved the protocol, and all of the patients provided written informed consent. Between December 2011 and February 2014, men with non-palpable testicular tumours and normal tumour markers who were referred for surgery were included. The tumours were analysed by conventional US, including B-mode and colour Doppler US (CDUS) as well as by CEUS. Morphological aspects and qualitative and quantitative CEUS criteria, based on visual enhancement and time-intensity curves, were assessed for each lesion., Results: Forty patients were ultimately included. Based on histopathological results, the tumours were classified into three groups: benign tumours (n=16), malignant tumours (n=15), and burned-out tumours (n=9). In B-mode, the morphological aspects were significantly different between benign and malignant tumours (p-values from 0.0002 to 0.008). Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the CEUS images revealed that burned-out tumours exhibited significantly less enhancement than malignant and benign tumours: in burned-out tumours, time-intensity curves were flat, whereas in both benign and malignant tumours the curves had a bell-shaped pattern. All intensity parameters were lower for burned-out tumours compared to benign and malignant tumours (p-value from 0.0001 to 0.026). Both benign and malignant tumours enhanced strongly, however, and no significant difference between the two was noted (p-value from 0.0721 to 0.0953)., Conclusion: Unlike conventional US, which enable benign lesions to be differentiated from malignant or burned-out tumours, CEUS failed to enabled differentiation between benign lesions and malignant vascularised testicular tumours. CEUS appears to have the potential, however, to differentiate burned-out tumours from vascularised testicular tumours., (Copyright © 2017 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)