A randomized controlled trial comparing hydrophilic coated to uncoated polyurethane double J stents: Does it impact stent-related symptoms?

Introduction: Advancements in stent materials and designs are aimed at improving stent-related morbidities, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTSs), pain, and compromised quality of life (QoL). Various stent materials and coatings have been investigated for their impact on stent-related symptoms. This prospective randomized study aimed to compare urinary symptoms and QoL in patients with polyurethane double J (DJ) stents, with or without hydrophilic polyvinylpyrrolidone coating.

Microstructural damage analysis during drilling in composite laminate with and without smart magneto-elastomer backup.

CFRP is the most popular composite material due to its excellent mechanical properties. Most practical applications of CFRP in various industries require routine machining operations, such as drilling. Delamination of composites during drilling is a critical issue in high-end applications, caused by the thrust force generated throughout the drilling process.

Does suction in Mini PCNL mitigate rise in intrarenal pressure? A prospective randomised study.

The rise in intra-renal pressure during Mini PCNL (percutaneous nephrolithotripsy) potentially leads to pyelovenous backflow and infectious complications. This prospective randomized study compares intra-renal pressure (IRP) in patients undergoing Mini PCNL (mPCNL) procedure with and without suction for renal stones. Suction mPCNL is expected to lower IRP by continuously aspirating irrigation fluid and stone fragments, thereby enhancing procedural safety.

Peripheral leptin receptor gene network modulates the impact of childhood adversity on mental health disorders.

Psychiatric disorders are highly prevalent and often co-morbid with metabolic syndrome. Exposure to adversity in early life is a risk factor for both metabolic and behavioral problems, modifying leptin metabolism and signaling. Leptin is not only an energy-balance regulator, being also associated with the development of affective disorders.

A 10-year retrospective review of mushroom exposures reported to the United Kingdom National Poisons Information Service between 2013 and 2022.

Introduction: Several poisonous mushroom species are present in the United Kingdom, but exposures that cause severe toxicity or death are rare. This study uses poison centre data to describe trends in mushroom poisoning in the United Kingdom over a 10-year period.

Methods: A retrospective review of telephone enquiries from healthcare professionals to the National Poisons Information Service regarding mushroom ingestions between January 2013 and December 2022 was performed.

Deletion of Endocannabinoid Synthesizing Enzyme DAGLα in Pcp2-Positive Cerebellar Purkinje Cells Decreases Depolarization-Induced Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity, Reduces Social Preference, and Heightens Anxiety.

The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system is robustly expressed in the cerebellum from embryonic developmental stages to adulthood. It plays a key role in regulating cerebellar synaptic plasticity and excitability, suggesting that impaired eCB signaling could lead to deficits in cerebellar adjustments of ongoing behaviors and cerebellar learning. Indeed, human mutations in are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Real-world oncological and toxicity outcomes with the Moscow strain of intravesical BCG for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer-Implications for global shortage.

Objective: This study aims to determine the oncological effectiveness and adverse-effect profile of the Moscow strain of intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective search of consecutive intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients who were started on intravesical BCG at 80 mg dose from January 2020 to December 2021. Data were collected for oncological outcomes and adverse effects of BCG.

Endocannabinoid modulation of defensive state transitions to innate and learned threat.

A hallmark of many psychiatric disorders is maladaptive and heightened fear responses to non-threatening stimuli. Adaptive defensive responses to threats involve transitions between passive behaviors, such as freezing, and active escape strategies, such as darting or fleeing. The endocannabinoid (eCB) system, particularly 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), plays a crucial role in modulating fear and stress responses.

HBO1 functions as an epigenetic barrier to hepatocyte plasticity and reprogramming during liver injury.

Hepatocytes can reprogram into biliary epithelial cells (BECs) during liver injury, but the underlying epigenetic mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we define the chromatin dynamics of this process using single-cell ATAC-seq and identify YAP/TEAD activation as a key driver of chromatin remodeling. An in vivo CRISPR screen highlights the histone acetyltransferase HBO1 as a critical barrier to reprogramming.

The UK nationwide observational study of colon capsule: CAP ACCESS study.

Background: Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is increasingly used as an alternative to optical endoscopy (OE), particularly in Europe. However, challenges like low completion rates, inadequate bowel preparation, high conversion to OE, and discrepancies in findings remain. Accurate polyp size measurement in CCE is essential to avoid unnecessary procedures due to size overestimation.

Allergenicity, Genotoxicity and Subchronic Toxicity Assessment of IgG Binding Protein LT Produced From Aspergillus oryzae.

Gastrointestinal health is one of the fastest growing areas in the food and beverage industry, as its importance to overall health and well-being is becoming increasingly recognized. Immunoglobulins play a key role in protecting the gastrointestinal tract, and nonbovine sources of immunoglobulins (including camel milk, which has a long history of consumption in East Africa and Asia) are increasing in popularity in Western countries as functional foods, particularly for individuals with allergies or intolerances to cow's milk. The physiological benefits of consuming certain heavy-chain immunoglobulins from camel milk relate to the binding domains of camelid single-domain antibodies; thus, a novel binding protein termed "immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding protein LT" (a dimer of two camelid single-domain antibody protein sequences) has been developed for use in food and beverage products, to provide some of the physiological benefits attributed to consuming camel milk, on an industrial scale.

Evaluating a novel MR imaging biomarker for retinal hemorrhage.

Background: Dilated fundus examination is the clinical reference standard for retinal hemorrhage diagnosis. Obtaining a timely examination may be challenging in emergent and inpatient settings, and retinal hemorrhage may go undetected. An imaging biomarker is therefore desirable.

Prefrontal correlates of fear generalization during endocannabinoid depletion.

Maladaptive fear generalization is one of the hallmarks of trauma-related disorders. The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) is crucial for modulating anxiety, fear, and stress adaptation, but its role in balancing fear discrimination versus generalization is not known. To address this, we used a combination of plasma endocannabinoid measurement and neuroimaging in a childhood maltreatment-exposed and -nonexposed mixed population, combined with human and rodent fear-conditioning models.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma Treated With Carfilzomib, Dexamethasone, and Daratumumab Versus Carfilzomib and Dexamethasone: An Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes From the Phase 3 CANDOR Trial.

Background: In the phase 3 CANDOR trial (NCT03158688), daratumumab added to carfilzomib and dexamethasone (KdD) significantly prolonged progression-free survival relative to carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd) alone in previously treated patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).

Materials And Methods: We present a post hoc analysis of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30-item module (EORTC QLQ-C30) and EORTC QLQ Myeloma 20-item module (EORTC QLQ-MY20) patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures from the CANDOR trial.

Results: Median (range) duration of observation for PROs was 18.

The association between temperament and polygenic score for psychopathology from infancy to middle childhood.

Background: Certain temperament characteristics, such as low effortful control and high negative affectivity, are linked to an elevated likelihood for later psychopathology. Although genetic vulnerability has been associated with a number of psychiatric conditions, little work has examined the genetic architecture underlying temperament or the genetic overlap between early temperament profiles and later mental health outcomes. The present study examined associations of polygenic scores for anxiety (PGS-Anxiety) and ADHD (PGS-ADHD) with temperament characteristics in a longitudinal sample of children assessed from infancy through age 7 years.

Linking obesity-associated genotype to child language development: the role of early-life neurology-related proteomics and brain myelination.

Background: The association between childhood obesity and language development may be confounded by socio-environmental factors and attributed to comorbid pathways.

Methods: In a longitudinal Singaporean mother-offspring cohort, we leveraged trans-ancestry polygenic predictions of body mass index (BMI) to interrogate the causal effects of early-life BMI on child language development and its effects on molecular and neuroimaging measures. Leveraging large genome-wide association studies, we examined whether the link between obesity and language development is causal or due to a shared genetic basis.

Cannabinoid Modulation of Central Amygdala Population Dynamics During Threat Investigation.

Cannabinoids modulate innate avoidance, threat-reactivity, and stress adaptations via modulation amygdala-associated circuits; however, the mechanisms by which cannabinoids modulate amygdala representation of threat-related behavior are not known. We show that cannabinoid administration increases the activity of central amygdala (CeA) somatostatin neurons (SOM) and alters basal network dynamics in a manner supporting generation of antagonistic sub-ensembles within the SOM population. Moreover, diverging neuronal population trajectory dynamics and enhanced antagonistic sub-ensemble representation of threat-related behaviors, and enhanced threat-related location representation, were also observed.

Afadin Sorts Different Retinal Neuron Types into Accurate Cellular Layers.

Neurons use cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs) to interact with other neurons and the extracellular environment: the combination of CAMs specifies migration patterns, neuronal morphologies, and synaptic connections across diverse neuron types. Yet little is known regarding the intracellular signaling cascade mediating the CAM recognitions at the cell surface across different neuron types. In this study, we investigated the neural developmental role of Afadin, a cytosolic adapter protein that connects multiple CAM families to intracellular F-actin.

Alcohol Withdrawal Alters the Inhibitory Landscape of the Prelimbic Cortex in an Interneuron- and Sex-specific Manner.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is highly prevalent and associated with substantial morbidity and high mortality among substance use disorders. While there are currently three FDA-approved medications for treating AUDs, none specifically target the withdrawal/negative affect stage of AUD, underscoring the need to understand the underlying neurobiology during this critical stage of the addiction cycle. One key region involved in alcohol withdrawal and negative affect is the prelimbic cortex, a subregion of the medial prefrontal cortex.

Orthotopic renal autotransplantation: A step forward during postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for germ cell tumor.

We present the first and a rare case of orthotopic renal auto-transplantation in the management of postchemotherapy residual retroperitoneal mass encasing the left renal vessels but sparing the parenchyma in a 24-year-old patient with Stage IIIC nonseminomatous germ cell tumor after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. Immediate postoperative and 6 months' follow-up renograms confirmed the maintained glomerular filtration rate of the transplanted kidney with no residual disease. This case report shows the feasibility of renal autotransplantation in carefully selected patients as they are young and have long-term survival.

A mesocorticolimbic insulin receptor gene co-expression network moderates the association between early life adversity and food approach eating behaviour style in childhood.

Insulin receptors, located in brain regions associated with reward sensitivity and decision-making, facilitate insulin action in the brain, modulating intracellular signaling cascades, gene expression, and neural activity. Here, we tested if variations in the expression of the insulin receptor gene network in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatum (STR) moderate the association between early life adversity and eating behaviour in childhood and if this moderation is sex-specific. Participants from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment (MAVAN) and Basal Influences on the Baby's Development (BIBO) were included as two independent cohorts.

Deletion of endocannabinoid synthesizing enzyme DAGLα from cerebellar Purkinje cells decreases social preference and elevates anxiety.

The endocannabinoid (eCB) signaling system is robustly expressed in the cerebellum starting from the embryonic developmental stages to adulthood. There it plays a key role in regulating cerebellar synaptic plasticity and excitability, suggesting that impaired eCB signaling will lead to deficits in cerebellar adjustments of ongoing behaviors and cerebellar learning. Indeed, human mutations in are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders.

The effect of acute social isolation on neural molecular responses in components of the social decision-making network.

Prolonged or chronic social isolation has pronounced effects on animals, ranging from altered stress responses, increased anxiety and aggressive behaviour, and even increased mortality. The effects of shorter periods of isolation are much less well researched; however, short periods of isolation are used routinely for testing animal behaviour and physiology. Here, we studied how a 3 h period of isolation from a cagemate affected neural gene expression in three brain regions that contain important components of the social decision-making network, the hypothalamus, the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala, and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, using a gregarious bird as a model (zebra finches).

Early Audiometric Intervention in Bacterial Meningitis: Cochlear Implantation in a 10-Week-Old Child.

Sensorineural hearing loss is a well-known complication of Streptococcus pneumoniae meningitis. Given the propensity for fibrosis and ossification of the cochlea in bacterial meningitis, implantation must be performed in a timely fashion because a delayed attempt at implantation can frustrate obtaining an optimal technical result or lead to an inability to implant. Obtaining optimal audiometric outcomes is reliant on early hearing screening in patients with streptococcal meningitis.

Synaptic Organization-Function Relationships of Amygdala Interneurons Supporting Associative Learning.

Coordinated activity of basolateral amygdala (BLA) GABAergic interneurons (INs) and glutamatergic principal cells (PCs) is critical for associative learning, however the microcircuit organization-function relationships of distinct IN classes remain uncertain. Here, we show somatostatin (SOM) INs provide inhibition onto, and are excited by, local PCs, whereas vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) INs are driven by extrinsic afferents. Parvalbumin (PV) INs inhibit PCs and are activated by local and extrinsic inputs.