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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of simultaneous and asynchronous online assessment methods on the teaching-learning process. The present study was applied in terms of purpose, research method of consecutive exploratory type and survey collection method. The statistical population in the qualitative section included professors of Lorestan University and using targeted sampling, 20 interviews with 20 experts were conducted until information saturation. The statistical population in the quantitative section included students (9304 people) and professors (322 people) of Lorestan University, of which 369 students and 175 professors were selected as a statistical sample. The data collection tool in the present study was a semi-structured interview and a researcher-made questionnaire. Thematic analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the research data. Findings showed that simultaneous and asynchronous online assessment methods have a positive and significant effect on teaching and learning processes of Lorestan University students. However, simultaneous online assessment method has a greater impact on the learning process and asynchronous online assessment method has a greater impact on the teaching process. Due to the positive effect of both evaluation methods on the teaching-learning process, faculty members of Lorestan University can use both methods to evaluate students.

High efficient and large surface area of titanium doped tin dioxide (SnO2) based photocatalysts with various titanium doping contents varying from 0 to 4 mol% have been successfully prepared via a facile, low cost and eco-friendly co-precipitation method. Structural, morphological, textural, microstructural and optical properties of the prepared Ti-SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) have been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), the Brunauer–Emmett-Teller (BET) method, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. It was found that both undoped and Ti doped SnO2 NPs were crystallized in tetragonal structure and the crystallite sizes have been reduced from 19.9 nm for undoped SnO2 NPs to 13.1 nm for SnO2: Ti 4%. As compared to pure SnO2, a decrease in size and a uniform distribution of spherical aggregates for 4% Ti doped SnO2 sample have been noticed. Nitrogen (N2) adsorption-desorption isotherms of all synthesized NPs indicate that each nanopowder showed a IV type- isotherm with a hysteresis loop resulted in a typical porous materials containing macropores and mesopores. The raman spectra was marked with the appearance of three well resolved peaks including one intense peak centered at 633 cm−1 and two other peaks at about 475 cm−1 and 772 cm−1 which might be ascribed to the characteristic modes of of the SnO2 rutile-type. FTIR spectra of Ti doped SnO2 NPs show a broad band situated in the region from 630 cm−1 to 625 cm−1 for all Ti–SnO2 samples which could be assigned to the stretching vibrations of Sn–O–Sn. Optical studies revealed that the absorption edge of SnO2: Ti NPs showed a redshift with rising titanium concentration. This redshift resulted in a decrease in the optical band gap from 3.31 eV for pure SnO2 to 2.87 eV for 4% Ti doped SnO2 nanoparticles respectively. Rhodamine B dye (RhB) has been adopted to study the photocatalytic degradation of all synthesized Ti–SnO2 NPs. Pure SnO2 NPs has an intrinsic large band gap and it was sensitive to UV light. Thus, pure SnO2 NPs display higher UV photocatalytic performance for decomposing the RhB. Titanium incorporation into SnO2 has widely improved its photocatalytic performance towards RhB photodegradation under UV and Visible light irradiations. Precisely, the 4% Ti–SnO2 based photocatalyst display the highest photacatalytic activity and can degrade both of 95% and 52% of RhB dye within 120 min respectively under UV and visible light irradiations. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the 4% doped SnO2 photocatalyst was further proved with the minimum PL intensity. The homogeneous incorporation of low Ti contents into the SnO2 matrix allow to a significant reduce in the band gap leading to an efficient separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and consequently improves the absorption capability in the visible light.

Purpose: Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has been associated with left heart remodeling. This study explored cardiac remodeling in patients with MVP without significant regurgitation, focusing on the right heart., Methods: This single-center study enrolled consecutive patients referred to trans-thoracic-echocardiography (TTE) with MVP, excluding those with significant regurgitation or known cardiovascular or pulmonary diseases. A group of healthy controls was included., Results: Forty-nine patients with MVP and 54 controls were finally selected (mean age of 62, 52-71; 52% males), and echocardiographic parameters were compared among groups. Twenty-nine (41%) patients with MVP showed tricuspid valve prolapse (TVP). Patients with MVP, irrespective of TVP, showed greater tricuspid annulus (systolic annulus: 31±6 vs. 32±5 vs. 27±3 mm for MVP + /TVP - , MVP + /TVP + , and controls, respectively; all p < 0.01) and greater minimum right atrial volume indexed (13, 12-15 mL/m 2  vs. 15, 12-20 mL/m 2 vs. 11, 10-14 mL/m 2 ; all p < 0.05). Right ventricular dimensions and systolic indexes did not differ among groups, except TAPSE, which was significantly greater in MVP + /TVP + patients compared to controls (25±4 vs. 22±3 mm, p = 0.004). A significant correlation (ρ = 0.43; p < 0.001) and an independent association at multivariate analysis (ß = 0.28; 95% CI 0.09-0.47; p = 0.004) were observed between end-systolic tricuspid diameter and TAPSE., Conclusion: In patients with MVP with less-than-moderate mitral or tricuspid regurgitation, dilation of the right atrium and tricuspid annulus was found. The latter finding was associated with increased values of TAPSE, which should then be used with caution, while other indexes may be preferred when assessing the systolic function of these patients., (© 2024 The Author(s). Echocardiography published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: In COVID-19 management, a variety of pharmaceutical interventions (PI) and non- pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) were adopted to limit the spread of the disease and its associated deaths. We aimed to evaluate the impact of PI and NPI on risks of COVID-19 transmission and deaths., Method: We collected aggregate data from March 2nd, 2020, to December 1, 2022 from the Tunisian Ministry of Health's website and OurWorldInData.org site. NPI Periods (NPIP: March 2020 to March 2021) and PI Periods (PIP) were distributed to NPIP1, 2, 3 and 4 and to PIP1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. We calculated the Relative Risks (RR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) by comparing the subsequent period with previous one., Results: The risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission increased progressively from the zero cases period (NPIP2) to the mitigate strategy period (NPIP3) (RR = 14.0; 95% CI: 12.4-15.8) and to the stop-and-go epidemic control period (NPIP4) (RR = 23.1 (95% CI: 22.4-23.9). It was stabilized in the targeted vaccination period (PIP1) (RR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.07-1.08) and reduced during the mass vaccination period (PIP2) (RR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.50-0.51). SARS-CoV-2 transmission, increased during PIP3 concomitant with the Omicron wave (RR = 2.65, 95% CI: 2.64-2.67). It remained at a low level in PIP4 (RR = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.18-0.18). Compared to NPIP2, NPIP3 and NPIP4 were associated with a higher risk of COVID-19 mortality (RR = 3.337; 95% CI: 1.797-6.195) and (RR = 72.63 (95% CI: 54.01-97.68), respectively. Since the start of the immunization program, the risk of COVID-19 death has consistently decreased. In comparison to each previous period, the risk transitioned in PIP1 to RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.88-0.93, then to RR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.83-0.88 in PIP2, to RR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.45-0.50 in PIP3, and to RR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.18-0.24 during PIP4., Conclusion: In terms of lowering the risk of transmission and mortality, the NP strategy at the beginning of the epidemic outperformed the IP strategy during the outbreak., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease characterized by intense itch. Little evidence exists on the burden of PN in Italy. This real-world analysis aimed to investigate the healthcare resource consumption and related direct costs of patients hospitalized for PN., Methods: The analysis utilized the administrative databases of healthcare units that cover approximately 12 million inhabitants across Italy. Adult patients were included by ICD-9-CM=698.3 (lichen simplex chronicus; neurodermatitis circumscripta; PN) as proxy of PN diagnosis, from 01/2010 to 09/2021, and had 1 year of data availability before (baseline) and after (follow-up) hospitalization (index date). These patients were 1:2 matched by age, sex, and index date (year) to adults without such hospitalization in the baseline period (matched non-PN controls)., Results: The analysis comprised 295 PN-hospitalized patients, matched with 590 non-PN individuals (mean age 63.2 years, 43.7% female). At baseline, patients had a greater comorbidity burden than non-PN controls, including higher prevalence of hypertension (56.6% vs. 36.6%, respectively), dyslipidemia (26.4% vs. 18.0%), diabetes (24.4% vs. 12.5%) and mental health conditions (14.9% vs. 7.8%). During 1-year follow-up, PN-hospitalized patients had significantly higher resource consumption than matched controls, in terms of mean number of prescriptions most commonly prescribed in PN patients (5.1 vs. 1.9, P<0.001), other drugs (11.7 vs. 6.5, P<0.001), all-cause hospitalization (1.4 vs. 0.1, P<0.001) and outpatient services (5.4 vs. 2.5, P<0.001). Mean annual all-cause healthcare costs for patients over 1-year follow-up were € 3847 total (€ 875 drugs, € 2652 hospitalization, € 320 outpatient services), higher than those for the matched controls, of € 711 total (P<0.001) (€ 353 drugs, € 228 hospitalization, € 130 outpatient services)., Conclusions: Patients hospitalized for PN had a higher comorbidity burden at baseline and greater healthcare resource consumption during 1-year follow-up compared to matched controls, with a 5.4-fold increase in all-cause healthcare costs, indicating substantial clinical burden and remaining unmet need in these patients.

Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) also known as chronic prurigo, is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by intensely itchy nodules/lesions which occur due to intensive scratching. PN management is, in part, based on clinician evaluations of PN lesions, which can be supported by clinician-reported outcomes (ClinRO) such as the Prurigo Activity and Severity (PAS) instrument. A 5-item version of PAS was included in recent phase-3 dupilumab PN trials (PRIME [NCT04183335]/PRIME2 [NCT04202679]). The PAS score was derived using the unweighted sum of 3-items of the 5-item PAS (range, 0-11; higher score indicates worse activity and severity): Item 2 (number of lesions), Item 5a (percentage of lesions with excoriations/crusts) and Item 5b (percentage of healed lesions) for use in clinical practice and for communication of treatment benefit to physicians., Objectives: To evaluate the measurement properties of PAS score and derive within-patient (responder definition) and between-group improvement thresholds for interpreting changes in PAS score in patients with PN., Methods: The data source was the pooled treatment group, intention-to-treat (ITT) data from the phase-3 PRIME (NCT04183335) and PRIME2 (NCT04202679) studies evaluating the efficacy of dupilumab in adult patients with PN with ≥20 nodules and severe itch uncontrolled with topical therapies. PAS score reliability, validity and sensitivity to change were evaluated, and anchor- and distribution-based methods were applied to derive meaningful change thresholds., Results: The pooled ITT population included 311 patients (mean age 49.5 years, 65.3% female). Adequate to good psychometric properties were demonstrated for PAS score. The within-patient meaningful improvement threshold was estimated as 3.0 points (absolute change) and 37% (per cent change). A 1.7-point (absolute change) and 20% (per cent change) improvement were estimated to reflect a between-group meaningful change in PAS score., Conclusions: PAS score is a simple, clinically relevant indicator of PN lesion activity and severity supported by suitable psychometric performance., (© 2024 Sanofi. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is an intensely pruritic disease characterized by itchy nodules on the trunk/extremities; it is often accompanied by skin pain and sleep disruption with negative impacts on the quality of life (QoL). The patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments, Worst Itch-Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS), Skin Pain-NRS, Sleep-NRS and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) have been psychometrically validated and the clinically meaningful within-patient improvement thresholds (responder definition) have been established through data pooled from the two Phase-3 trials (PRIME, NCT04183335 and PRIME2, NCT04202679) of dupilumab in adults with PN uncontrolled on topical therapies., Objectives: To estimate the proportion of dupilumab-treated patients (vs. placebo) achieving clinically meaningful improvement in itch, skin pain, sleep and QoL, either alone or in combination, from the data pooled from PRIME and PRIME2 trials., Methods: The patient-level data pooled from the two Phase-3 trials (N = 311) were used for this post hoc analysis. Thresholds of clinically meaningful within-patient improvement in PRO instrument scores from baseline at Week 24 used for defining responders were 4 (WI-NRS and Skin Pain-NRS), 2 (Sleep-NRS) and 9 points (DLQI). The proportion of dupilumab-treated patients, versus placebo, achieving the thresholds, and the time taken to achieve the thresholds were evaluated for the individual and combination of PROs., Results: Responder rates were significantly higher with dupilumab, versus placebo at Week 24 for WI-NRS (58.8% vs. 19.0%, p < 0.0001), Skin Pain-NRS (49.7% vs. 20.9%, p < 0.0001), Sleep-NRS (42.5% vs. 23.4%, p < 0.0001) and DLQI (64.7% vs. 22.8%, p < 0.0001). Proportion of patients achieving simultaneous improvement in symptoms and QoL (24.8% vs. 6.3%, p < 0.0001) were significantly higher in dupilumab-treated patients versus placebo. The time needed for achieving clinically meaningful improvement in symptoms were significantly lower in dupilumab-treated patients, versus placebo., Conclusions: Significantly greater proportion of dupilumab-treated patients with PN, versus placebo, demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in PRO measures of symptoms and QoL., (© 2024 Sanofi. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.)

This study examined a proposed model of relations among lie-telling self-efficacy, moral disengagement, and willingness to tell antisocial lies among children and adolescents. Children and adolescents aged 6 to 15 years completed measures of lie-telling self-efficacy and moral disengagement. They also read vignettes about a character committing a transgression and telling a lie to conceal the transgression. For each vignette, children and adolescents made a hypothetical decision about telling the truth or a lie if they were in the character's position to assess their lie-telling propensity. Lie-telling self-efficacy was related to willingness to tell lies, and this relationship was mediated by moral disengagement. Children and adolescents with higher lie-telling self-efficacy had higher moral disengagement, and those who had higher moral disengagement were more willing to tell antisocial lies. Overall, results support Bandura's social cognitive theory as a framework for understanding the psychosocial mechanisms underlying attitudes toward lie-telling. Moreover, these findings suggest that interventions to address problematic lie-telling behavior should focus on children's and adolescents' use of moral disengagement mechanisms., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Twitter (X) is increasingly utilized by medical residency programs to boost engagement and potentially enhance ranking. This study aims to evaluate the role of Twitter (X) in neurosurgery residency programs, assessing their online activity, followership, and content to identify current practices and potential improvements., Methods: We identified 97/123 neurosurgery residency programs in the United States with Twitter accounts. Active accounts, posting in 2022 and 2023, were matched with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons Neurosurgical Residency Training Program Directory. Tweets from January 2022 through June 2023 were categorized as original or retweets and further subcategorized based on content. Descriptive and correlation analyses were conducted., Results: Twitter (X) accounts were found for 78.8% of accredited neurosurgery programs (n = 97/123), with 68.3% active as of July 2023 (n = 84/123). All active accounts amassed 167,068 followers. Among 5612 tweets identified, 2764 were original content, and 2848 were retweets. Tweets primarily focused on resident or program information (64.3%), research publications (32.0%), and conference participation (9.4%). Only 12.3% (n = 341) of original tweets contained public medical information. A significant correlation (r = 0.493, P < 0.001) was observed between Twitter (X) following and program ranking., Conclusions: The majority of US neurosurgery residency programs actively use Twitter (X), primarily to showcase academic achievements and aid in recruitment. The correlation between Twitter following and program ranking suggests that online engagement reflects program visibility and impact, underscoring the importance of social media in program outreach and strategic management for maximizing program benefits., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bacterial infections continue to pose a global health challenge, driven by antibiotic resistance and septicemia. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in bacterial infections versus non-infectious causes of inflammation., Methods: A prospective study included 164 adult patients who were divided into two groups: a group of patients with confirmed bacterial infections and a second group of patients with other diagnoses (inflammatory pathologies, neoplasms, venous thromboembolic diseases, etc.). NLR and PLR values were compared between the bacterial infection group and the non-infectious causes group and the diagnostic performances of NLR and PLR for detecting bacterial infections were evaluated in comparison with other infection markers., Results: NLR and PLR were significantly higher in bacterial infections (p < 10 ^-6 ), and NLR was correlated positively with inflammation markers. NLR and PLR demonstrated significant potential in diagnosing bacterial infections, with an AUC of 0.72 and 0.60, respectively, using the following cutoff values: 4.3 for NLR and 183 for PLR., Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of NLR and PLR as adjunctive tools for bacterial infection diagnosis., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2024 Anoun J et al.)

Background: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a pruritic skin disease characterized by multiple intensely itchy skin nodules in symmetrically distributed areas of the extremities. There are limited studies on the epidemiology and treatment pathways of PN, especially moderate-to-severe PN, from England., Objectives: To assess the epidemiology and treatment pathways of mild and moderate-to-severe PN in England., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics in England. Adult patients (aged ≥ 18 years) with a PN-specific diagnosis code allocated any time between 1 April 2007 and 1 March 2019 (patient identification period) were selected. Patients were included if their first PN diagnostic code (index diagnosis date; IDD) was recorded during the identification period, with data available 6 months before and ≥ 12 months after the IDD. Patients were classified as having moderate-to-severe PN (MSPN) or mild PN (MiPN), based on the presence or absence of a prescription record, post-IDD, for either a systemic immunosuppressant or a gabapentinoid. Patients with MSPN and MiPN were matched 1 : 1 according to age, sex and IDD. Prevalence and incidence were calculated for each year from 2007 to 2019. Drugs prescribed post-IDD were analysed., Results: A total of 8933 patients (MSPN, n = 2498; MiPN, n = 6435) were included in the study; 2462 patients with MiPN and 2462 with MSPN were included for the comparative analysis. The presence of atopic dermatitis, asthma and eosinophilic oesophagitis were significantly higher (all P < 0.001) in patients with MSPN compared with those with MiPN. The overall prevalence of cases of PN increased during the study period. The incidence rate also showed a similar trend. The rates of prescription of potent and super-potent topical corticosteroids (TCS), topical calcineurin inhibitors, first- and second-generation antihistamines, oral and injectable systemic corticosteroids, methotrexate, antidepressants and tacrolimus were significantly higher (all P < 0.001) in patients with MSPN compared with those with MiPN., Conclusions: The epidemiology of PN was consistent with that found in other European studies. Patients with MSPN received a significantly higher number of prescriptions for potent TCS and systemic drugs compared with patients with MiPN., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest D.B., R.H., R.M. and O.D. are employees of and may hold stock options in Sanofi. O.B. was an employee of Sanofi UK when the study was conducted and the manuscript written. E.M., B.H. and E.H. are employees of Human Data Sciences and received funding from Sanofi. A.B. is an employee of Barts Health NHS Trust and Queen Mary University, and has provided ad hoc consultancy for Sanofi, AbbVie, Almirall, Sanofi, UCB, Lilly, Novartis, Galderma, LEO Pharma and Janssen for work submitted outside the conduct of this study., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.)

There has been a global surge in the need for commercially accessible plant conditioners that are derived from natural ingredients and are therefore environmentally benign. Currently, sustainable agriculture and minimizing the ecological impact are of great importance. Preparations that contain commonly used humic acids and/or natural amino acids are ideal for meeting these criteria. An investigation was conducted to examine the impact of three plant foliar fertilizers containing humic acid and one fertilizer containing a combination of humic and amino acids on maize crops. By employing the shallow mRNA sequencing technique, we acquired datasets that, once processed, are ideal for investigating the impacts of the foliar fertilizers examined in the study. Five SRA datasets were uploaded to NCBI. These datasets include the TSA (Transcriptome Shotgun Assembly), the contigs that were blasted, mapped, and annotated from the pre-processed datasets, as well as the count table obtained from the RNA-seq read quantification. All of these data are included in the Mendeley database. In the future, the databases will enable the investigation of alterations in plant biochemical processes at the gene expression level., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Identification of unidentified human remains (UHRs) is crucial yet challenging, especially with traditional forensic techniques. Forensic anthropological examinations can yield ancestry estimations; however, the utility of these estimates is limited by the data points that can be collected from partial remains, complexities of admixture, and variation of phenotypic expression due to environmental effects. While it is generally known that anthropological estimates can be imprecise, the performance of these methods has not been studied at scale. Genome-wide SNP testing is an orthogonal approach for estimating ancestry and offers a unique opportunity to measure the magnitude of anthropological ancestry misattribution. Genomic ancestry inference leverages principal component analysis (PCA) and model-based clustering approaches. This study compares anthropologically determined ancestry with those estimated using genome-wide SNP markers. A dataset of 611 UHR samples with publicly available ancestry assessments from National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) was analyzed. The genetic ancestry approach, validated against reference population samples, offers robust ancestry calculations for major population groups. Inconsistency between anthropological and genomic ancestry assignments were observed, particularly for admixed populations. Although forensic anthropological examinations remain valuable, their limitations emphasize the need for refinement and enhancement through the augmentation of SNP-based analyses. Further validation studies are crucial to define the uncertainty associated with both anthropological and genome-based ancestry estimates to resolve cases and aid law enforcement investigations. Additionally, current policy and practices for reporting ancestry for UHRs should be revisited to reduce potential misinformation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest SM, BB, SM, KM, and DM are employed with Othram. HM and DS have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To assess the Consultation And Relational Empathy (CARE) measure as a tool for examiners to assess medical students' empathy during Objective and Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs), as the best tool for assessing empathy during OSCEs remains unknown., Methods: We first assessed the psychometric properties of the CARE measure, completed simultaneously by examiners and standardized patients (SP, either teachers - SP teacher - or civil society members - SP civil society ), for each student, at the end of an OSCE station. We then assessed the qualitative/quantitative agreement between examiners and SP., Results: We included 129 students, distributed in eight groups, four groups for each SP type. The CARE measure showed satisfactory psychometric properties in the context of the study but moderate, and even poor inter-rater reliability for some items. Considering paired observations, examiners scored lower than SPs ( p  < 0.001) regardless of the SP type. However, the difference in score was greater when the SP was a SP teacher rather than a SP civil society ( p  < 0.01)., Conclusion: Despite acceptable psychometric properties, inter-rater reliability of the CARE measure between examiners and SP was unsatisfactory. The choice of examiner as well as the type of SP seems critical to ensure a fair measure of empathy during OSCEs.

Subcortical heterotopia is a cortical malformation associated with epilepsy, intellectual disability, and an excessive number of cortical neurons in the white matter. Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein like 1 (EML1) mutations lead to subcortical heterotopia, associated with abnormal radial glia positioning in the cortical wall, prior to malformation onset. This perturbed distribution of proliferative cells is likely to be a critical event for heterotopia formation; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unexplained. This study aimed to decipher the early cellular alterations leading to abnormal radial glia. In a forebrain conditional Eml1 mutant model and human patient cells, primary cilia and centrosomes are altered. Microtubule dynamics and cell cycle kinetics are also abnormal in mouse mutant radial glia. By rescuing microtubule formation in Eml1 mutant embryonic brains, abnormal radial glia delamination and heterotopia volume were significantly reduced. Thus, our new model of subcortical heterotopia reveals the causal link between Eml1's function in microtubule regulation and cell position, both critical for correct cortical development., (© 2024 Zaidi et al.)

Purpose: Prurigo nodularis (PN) is a skin disease characterized by intensely itchy skin nodules and is associated with a significant healthcare resource utilization (HCRU). This study aimed to estimate the HCRU of patients in England with PN overall and moderate-to-severe PN (MSPN) in particular., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics in England. Patients with Mild PN (MiPN) were matched to patients with MSPN by age and gender for the primary analysis. Patients were enrolled in the study between 1st April 2007 and 1st March 2019. All-cause HCRU was calculated, including primary and secondary care contacts and costs (cost-year 2022)., Results: Of 23,522 identified patients, 8,933 met the inclusion criteria, with a primary matched cohort of 2,479 PN patients. During follow up, the matched cohort's primary care visits were 21.27 per patient year (PPY) for MSPN group and 11.35 PPY for MiPN group. Any outpatient visits were 10.72 PPY and 4.87 PPY in MSPN and MiPN groups, respectively. Outpatient dermatology visits were 1.96 PPY and 1.14 PPY in MSPN and MiPN groups, respectively., Conclusion: PN, especially MSPN, has a high HCRU burden in England, highlighting the need for new and improved disease management treatments.