Disordered Ferlin C2A-C2B Linkers Bind Membranes and Encode Small Linear Motifs.

Ferlins are vesicle trafficking proteins composed of folded C2 domains conjugated by linkers which are largely disordered. Although a role for the C2 domains as calcium sensors has been established it remains unclear whether the linkers function beyond acting as passive spacers. We examined the C2A-C2B linker sequences of vertebrate ferlins and found both putative short linear motifs (SLiMs) as well as membrane binding sequences for members of the protein family.

PHLA-SiNet: A novel peptide-HLA binding prediction model using heterogeneous Siamese neural networks.

Predicting peptide-HLA binding is crucial for advancing immunotherapy; however, current models face several challenges, including peptide length variability, HLA sequence similarity, and a lack of experimentally validated negative data. To address these issues, we present PHLA-SiNet, an efficient pipeline that combines innovative representations with a lightweight architecture. PHLA-SiNet introduces three key components: (1) ESM-Pep, a peptide representation derived from a pre-trained language model (ESM), enabling flexible and training-free embedding of variable-length peptides; (2) IC-HLA, an HLA representation that captures allele-specific discriminative features using information content from binding and non-binding peptides; and (3) SiNet, a Siamese neural network that aligns peptide and HLA embeddings, bringing true binders closer in feature space.

Deep Plane Technique for Male Face and Neck lift.

ABSTRACTAims and Background: This article presents a comprehensive, anatomically precise approach to deep plane facelift surgery in male patients, a demographic with increasing interest in facial rejuvenation but historically underserved by techniques optimized for female anatomy. While foundational facelift principles are shared between genders, the male patient presents unique structural, vascular, and aesthetic demands that necessitate specific modifications to technique, planning, and execution. Anatomic Considerations: Key anatomical distinctions in the male face, including denser subcutaneous tissue, increased vascularity, prominent subplatysmal structures, and horizontally oriented SMAS-platysma continuity, require surgical planning that respects and preserves masculine facial definition.

Optimizing Aesthetic Facial Surgery Outcomes Following Minimally Invasive Treatments: Guidelines for Perioperative Management.

Background: The rise in minimally invasive treatments (MITs) in aesthetic medicine has introduced new complexities for subsequent facial surgeries such as facelifts. Despite their popularity, there are limited data on how these treatments impact surgical outcomes.

Objectives: The authors of this paper explore the impact of MIT modalities on subsequent facial surgeries and provide guidelines for perioperative planning and management to optimize outcomes for patients with a history of MITs.

Bridging the clinical gap: Confidence informed IDH prediction in brain gliomas using MRI and deep learning.

Background: The isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation status is a key molecular marker in diagnosing and treating brain tumors. Currently, it is determined via invasive tissue biopsy. Recent advances in deep learning (DL) have offered promising non-invasive alternatives for determining IDH status.

Structure-based metabolite function prediction using graph neural networks.

Motivation: Being able to broadly predict the function of novel metabolites based on their structures has applications in systems biology, environmental monitoring, and drug discovery. To date, machine learning models aiming to predict functional characteristics of metabolites have largely been limited in scope to predicting single functions, or only a small number of functions simultaneously.

Results: Using the Human Metabolome Database as a source for a wider range of functional annotations, we assess the feasibility of predicting metabolite functions more broadly, as defined by four elements, namely location, role, the process it is involved in, and its physiological effect.

The Proposed 48-Month Emergency Medicine Residency Requirement Demands Immediate Scrutiny.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's (ACGME) proposal to mandate 48-month training for all emergency medicine residency programs represents a significant departure from the current system where both 36- and 48-month formats successfully coexist.The ACGME's justification relies on a methodologically flawed survey that never directly asked program directors about optimal training duration. Instead, it calculated totals by summing individual rotation estimates without considering integrated curricula or practical constraints.

Comparison of electrical activity and ultrasonographic dimension of the cervical spine muscles in patients with cervical lateral spinal stenosis and asymptomatic controls.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the electrical activity and ultrasonographic dimensions of cervical muscles in patients with cervical lateral spinal stenosis (CLSS) and asymptomatic controls.

Method: In this case-control study, 25 patients with CLSS and 25 controls without neck pain, who participated voluntarily. Longuscoli (LC), sternocleidomastoid (SCM), cervical multifidus (MF) and splenius capitis (SC) muscles dimensions were measured by ultrasonography.

Cervical Erector Spinae Plane Block in a Patient with Failed Neck Surgery Syndrome: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Introduction: Failed neck surgery syndrome (FNSS) following posterior cervical spine fusion (PSF) presents a considerable challenge in pain management.

Objective: This study aims to report the potential utility of the cervical erector spinae plane block (ESPB) as an influential adjunctive therapy in a patient with FNSS who was refractory to medical therapy and unable to undergo spinal cord stimulation (SCS) due to financial constraints.

Methods: This case report details a 74-year-old male with persistent, debilitating axial neck pain lasting one year following PSF, without neural or motor deficits, and with device failure ruled out.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Cervical Erector Spinae Plane Block Using Ultrasound Versus Fluoroscopic Guidance for Cervical Pain: A Case Series.

Background: The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) has traditionally been performed under ultrasound guidance, while fluoroscopic guidance has emerged as an alternative approach.

Objectives: This study aims to compare the efficacy of ESPB using ultrasound and fluoroscopic guidance in patients with cervical pain.

Methods: This case series study includes fourteen patients with axial neck pain scheduled for cervical ESPB.

Exploring Factors That Drive Nonurgent Emergency Department Use.

Nonurgent emergency department (ED) visits continue to rise despite efforts to reduce ED overcrowding. This study aimed to explore factors influencing ED utilization and perceptions of alternative healthcare services among patients of nonurgent ED visits. Conducted at an academic, level-1 trauma center, the study identified nonurgent visits using the emergency severity index 5-level triage acuity scale and utilized a 3-part qualitative survey to gather data on demographics, reasons for ED visits, and perceptions of the ED, primary care physicians (PCPs), and urgent care centers (UCCs).

Hepatic Artery Infusion Chemotherapy Compared to Transarterial Radioembolization For Unresectable Colorectal Liver Metastases.

Objective: This study evaluates outcomes for patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) undergoing hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAI) and transarterial radioembolization (TARE).

Summary Background Data: The most common liver-directed therapies for unresectable CRLM include HAI and TARE.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with unresectable CRLM treated with HAI at one high-volume center were compared with patients treated with TARE at five other institutions.

Identification of genetic and non-genetic modifiers of genomic imprinting through screening of imprinted DMR methylation in humans.

Background: Genomic imprinting is required for normal development, and abnormal methylation of differentially methylated regions (iDMRs) controlling the parent of origin-dependent expression of the imprinted genes has been found in congenital disorders affecting growth, metabolism, neurobehavior, and in cancer. In most of these cases the cause of the imprinting abnormalities is unknown. Also, these studies have generally been performed on a limited number of CpGs, and a systematic investigation of iDMR methylation in the general population is lacking.

AI-powered diagnosis of ovarian conditions: insights from a newly introduced ultrasound dataset.

Introduction: Ovarian diseases, including Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCO) and Dominant Follicle irregularities, present significant diagnostic challenges in clinical practice. Traditional diagnostic methods, reliant on subjective ultrasound interpretation, often lead to variability in accuracy. Recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and transfer learning offer promising opportunities to improve diagnostic consistency and accuracy in ovarian disease detection.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Salivary Cortisol and α-amylase Level, Anxiety and Depression in Students: A Randomized and Parallel-Group Clinical Trial.

The current trial aimed to assess the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training on salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels, anxiety and depression of students. This research was an experimental trial with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population of the research included all students studying in the universities of Khoy, Iran in 2021.

Investigating miR-30a's tumor suppressor role and its targets (MYBL2, TWF1, GALNT7, PFN2) as prognostic biomarkers in lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), the most prevalent subtype of non-small cell lung cancer, is a significant cause of cancer-related mortality due to late-stage diagnoses and limited treatment options. Identifying effective biomarkers is crucial for improving prognosis and therapeutic strategies. miR-30a-5p has emerged as a potential tumor suppressor in LUAD, yet its exact role remains unclear.

Comprehensive Care Approach to Drug-Related Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis Using Percutaneous Vegectomy.

Background: Tricuspid valve endocarditis is more prevalent in the population of patients who inject intravenous drugs. The comorbidity of active addiction significantly complicates treatment in this population and multidisciplinary management is required.

Case Summary: A young man with a history of active injection drug use presented with isolated tricuspid valve endocarditis.

Real-world quality of life outcomes after prepectoral implant-based breast reconstruction with or without titanium-coated mesh (TiLOOP® Bra Pocket): A prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To evaluate quality of life (QoL) one year after immediate prepectoral direct-to-implant breast reconstruction (DTIBR) with and without a titanium-coated mesh (TiLOOP® Bra Pocket).

Methods: In this prospective study (March 2021-February 2024), 309 DTIBR patients were analyzed. QoL was assessed preoperatively and postoperatively using the Breast-Q questionnaire (psychosocial well-being, sexual well-being, satisfaction with breasts, and physical well-being of the chest).

Cost analysis and outcomes of Woven EndoBridge Device embolization vs microsurgical clipping for intracranial bifurcation aneurysms.

Objective: Woven EndoBridge Device (WEB) embolization is an endovascular technique used to intracranial bifurcation aneurysms. Although WEB embolization is a less invasive alternative to microsurgical clipping, it may be associated with higher rates of recurrence and retreatment. Our study compares hospitalization costs and outcomes with WEB embolization versus microsurgical clipping.

Proteome-wide prediction of the mode of inheritance and molecular mechanisms underlying genetic diseases using structural interactomics.

Genetic diseases can be classified according to their modes of inheritance and their underlying molecular mechanisms. Autosomal dominant disorders often result from DNA variants that cause loss-of-function, gain-of-function, or dominant-negative effects, while autosomal recessive diseases are primarily linked to loss-of-function variants. In this study, we introduce a graph-of-graphs approach that leverages protein-protein interaction networks and high-resolution protein structures to predict the mode of inheritance of diseases caused by variants in autosomal genes and to classify dominant-associated proteins based on their functional effect.

Computational study of halbach-array-driven magnetic targeting for aortic tumor using Non-Newtonian blood flow models.

Aortic tumors are uncommon but aggressive and require thoughtful, focused treatment modalities. In this study, a novel computational study into magnetic drug targeting (MDT) for aortic tumors using a Halbach array to produce a non-uniform magnetic field was performed. Additionally, non-Newtonian blood flow properties, using Power-law and Carreau models were used in simulations.

Standardizing health outcomes for people with rheumatoid arthritis receiving disease modifying drug therapy: A rapid review of patient-decision aids and preference studies to inform the development of OMERACT Health Outcome Descriptors.

Background: Interest in standardizing descriptions of health outcomes is increasing. In a Health Outcome Descriptor (HOD), outcomes are systematically described covering four domains: Symptoms, Time horizon, Testing and Treatment, and Consequences. Given the lack of HODs for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), the aim of this study was to review published RA outcome descriptions and map them to the HOD framework.

The contemporary spell of heat stroke in Karachi amid global warming and power crisis: a threatened call for medical emergency.

The study examines the impact of population density, air pollution, and temperature on heat stroke cases in Karachi, focusing on stroke-related mortality from 2010 to 2024. It develops an intelligent system for adaptive forecasting, incorporating population increase, air quality, meteorological activity, and mortality data, presenting urban vulnerability to health crises. A Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the association between these factors, which makes it possible to present urban vulnerability to health crises from various angles that are systematically relevant and interdependent at the same time.