Inflammatory mitochondrial signalling and viral mimicry in cancer.

Endogenous transposable elements (TEs) are receiving increasing attention as potential targets to develop novel immunostimulatory strategies against cancer. Indeed, the defective epigenetic suppression of TEs in malignant cells offers a therapeutic window to enable their re-activation with at least some degree of selectivity. In line with this notion, multiple clinically employed epigenetic modifiers such as DNA-demethylating agents have been shown to promote the re-expression of TEs in preclinical tumour models, hence driving powerful inflammatory responses that enables increased sensitivity of immunitary immune cells to immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

Chromosome-level genome assembly of the Tyrrhenian tree frog (Hyla sarda).

The Tyrrhenian tree frog (Hyla sarda) is a small cryptically coloured amphibian found in Corsica, Sardinia, and the Tuscan Archipelago. Investigation into the species' evolutionary history has revealed phenotypic changes triggered by glaciation-induced range expansion, but understanding the genetic basis of this trait variation has been hampered by the lack of a reference genome. To address this, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of Hyla sarda using PacBio HiFi long reads, Bionano optical maps, and Hi-C data.

Advanced MRI, Radiomics and Radiogenomics in Unravelling Incidental Glioma Grading and Genetic Status: Where Are We?

The 2021 WHO classification of brain tumours revolutionised the oncological field by emphasising the role of molecular, genetic and pathogenetic advances in classifying brain tumours. In this context, incidental gliomas have been increasingly identified due to the widespread performance of standard and advanced MRI sequences and represent a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. The impactful decision to perform a surgical procedure deeply relies on the non-invasive identification of features or parameters that may correlate with brain tumour genetic profile and grading.

Interpersonal Violence-Related Facial Fractures: 12-Year Trends and Surgical Outcomes in a Southern European Level-I Trauma Centre.

Interpersonal violence (IPV) has overtaken road traffic collisions as a leading cause of facial fractures, yet regional data from Southern Europe are limited. We retrospectively reviewed all adults (≥18 y) treated between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2022 for radiologically confirmed IPV-related facial fractures. Recorded variables were demographics, AO-CMF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen-Craniomaxillofacial) fracture site, Facial Injury Severity Score (FISS), presence of facial soft-tissue wounds, treatment modality, and length of stay; associations between variables were explored.

The Relationship Between Microbiota, Nutrition, and Gastrointestinal Tract Symptoms in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is frequent in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Recent studies have highlighted a possible association between GI symptoms, gut microbiota (GM), and nutrition. In this systematic review, the evidence supporting these relationships was evaluated.

Illuminating Satellite Cells: Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy for 3D Imaging of Murine Skeletal Muscles Damaged by Ex Vivo Forced Eccentric Contraction.

In this letter, we put forward the light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) as a cutting-edge tool for 3D imaging of whole skeletal muscle, focusing on satellite cells (SCs). SCs represent the resident adult muscle stem cells, normally lying quiescent between the sarcolemma of the myofiber and the surrounding basal lamina. They typically express Pax-7 and, when activated following damage, they sequentially express specific myogenic regulatory factors including the myogenic determination factor, MyoD, thus starting differentiation towards multinucleated myofibers to repair injured tissue.

The Clinical Significance of Atrial Fibrillation in Non-High-Risk Brugada Syndrome: The BruFib Study.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) occurs in up to 20% of patients with Brugada syndrome (BrS), yet its risk factors and prognostic implications remain uncertain.

Objectives: This study sought to identify risk factors for AF in patients with non-high-risk BrS and to evaluate the impact of AF on ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), sick sinus syndrome (SSS), and stroke in non-high-risk BrS.

Methods: This was a multicenter, retrospective study conducted across 20 international centers.

Mapping Berberine distribution in liposomes: the role of drug-phospholipid interactions in localization and release.

Liposomes are versatile nanocarriers capable of encapsulating drugs within distinct compartments. However, the impact of drug localization on release kinetics remains poorly understood, particularly for amphiphilic compounds. In this study, Berberine was employed as a model amphiphilic drug to investigate how drug-lipid interactions and membrane composition influence its intra-liposomal distribution and release behavior.

Effectiveness and safety of perampanel by concomitant antiseizure medications: Insights from the real-world PERMIT Extension study.

The PERMIT Extension study is the largest pooled analysis of perampanel (PER) clinical practice data to date. A post-hoc analysis of PERMIT Extension assessed the effectiveness and tolerability of PER with different concomitant antiseizure medication (ASM) regimens. Effectiveness was assessed by evaluating responder and seizure freedom rates at the last observation for each participant ('last visit'), and tolerability was assessed by evaluating adverse events.

High-risk carotid plaque features may be more accurate predictors of ipsilateral ischemic stroke risk than the degree of carotid artery stenosis.

Introduction: The optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis (AsxCS) is enduringly controversial. The current stratification of AsxCS patients based on the degree of stenosis alone does not always reflect ipsilateral ischemic stroke risk. We hypothesized that the presence of ≥1 "high-risk" carotid plaque feature may more accurately identify AsxCS patients at high risk for a future ipsilateral ischemic cerebrovascular event.

Statistical Analysis in Allergy and Immunology: A Review With Practical Examples.

Statistical analysis plays a critical role in biomedical research, ensuring that data are interpreted appropriately and that conclusions are both valid and reproducible. In allergy and immunology, where studies increasingly rely on complex data structures and analytical approaches, clarity on biostatistical methods is essential to support transparency and scientific rigor. However, inconsistent statistical reporting and misuse of analytical techniques remain persistent challenges in the field.

Modeling the formation of a worldwide health network fighting TBC: Key drivers in policy, management and governance in developing countries and global health institutions.

We present an original study on the usage of a model of network formation to analyze the X (formerly Twitter) friendship network relative to the health organizations that are fighting a specific infectious disease such as Tuberculosis (TBC) as well as how the network evolves over time. Using this model, that mixes information from social media and the underlying reconstructed economic network of their actors, together with disease incidence information, we can then study how the TBC global health network (GHNs) works. Specifically, we investigate the key drivers of this global network partnerships as well as the interplay between economic, social media, and disease incidence.

Pervasive and recurrent hybridization prevents inbreeding in Europe's most threatened seabird.

Hybridization is a double-edged sword: While it can erode distinct evolutionary lineages, it can also introduce genetic diversity and adaptive potential into dwindling populations. In the Critically Endangered Balearic shearwater (), this dilemma is exacerbated by a limited understanding of the extent and consequences of hybridization with the Yelkouan shearwater (). This knowledge gap has limited the scope of science-based conservation strategies to avoid the Balearic shearwater's imminent extinction.

Prognostic Role of Myocarditis-Like Episodes and Their Treatment in Patients With Pathogenic Desmoplakin Variants.

Background: Inflammatory, myocarditis-like episodes precede and are associated with higher risk of sustained ventricular arrhythmias and heart failure in patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic desmoplakin (DSP) variants. Whether the recurrence and treatment of myocarditis-like episodes influence the outcomes in this population is unknown. This study aimed to assess the prognostic impact of the recurrence and treatment of myocarditis-like episodes in patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic DSP variants.

Predictor value of pCASL maps on final core in acute ischemic stroke: an observational single‑center study.

Purpose: The three-compartment model of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) includes non-viable tissue (NVT), tissue at risk (TAR), and benign oligoemia. After assessing a multimodal computed tomography (CT)-based protocol, we assessed a hyperacute stroke imaging protocol with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), aiming to better characterize the reliability of the two methods in predicting follow-up infarction.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 627 consecutive AIS patients evaluated for the selection for reperfusive treatments at comprehensive stroke center.

The Catalyzing Effect of Aggregates on the Fibrillation Pathway of Human Insulin: A Spectroscopic Investigation During the Lag Phase.

The kinetics of insulin aggregation and fibril formation were studied in vitro using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Our investigation centered on the protein's morphological and structural changes to better understand the transient molecular configurations that occur during the lag phase. SEM images showed that, already at early incubation stages, a network of disordered pseudo-filaments, ranging in length between 200 and 500 nanometers, develops on the surface of large aggregates.

Lipid-mediated hydrophobic gating in the BK potassium channel.

Structures of the large-conductance, calcium-activated potassium (BK) channel in the Ca -bound and Ca -free states have suggested that K conduction is not gated via a steric closure of the pore-lining helices of the channel, in contrast to the gating mechanism of other 6TM channels. This has raised the question of how gating might occur in the absence of apparent steric hindrance by protein residues. To answer this question, we perform molecular simulations and free-energy calculations to develop a microscopic picture of the gating mechanism.

GFAP as a marker of astrocytic damage correlated with medication overuse in migraine.

Different mechanisms are involved in migraine pathogenesis, including neurogenic inflammation, neurodegenerative processes, and a potential role of microglia. The aim of this study was to assess axonal and glial damage measuring serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in migraine patients. Serum samples of 25 patients with episodic migraine (EM), 25 with chronic migraine (CM) diagnosed in accordance with the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3), and 50 age-matched healthy controls were prospectively collected.

Characteristics and causes of recurrent ischemic events in minor ischemic stroke and TIA in the READAPT study.

Background And Purpose: Understanding the causes of recurrent ischemic events in patients with minor stroke or high-risk TIA is crucial to understand unmet needs in secondary prevention. This study examines the characteristics and causes of recurrences after non-cardioembolic minor stroke/high-risk TIA in patients treated with the best medical care.

Methods: This subgroup analysis from a prospective real-world study (READAPT, NCT05476081) included patients with non-cardioembolic minor ischemic stroke (NIHSS ≤5) or TIA (ABCD score ≥ 4), receiving short-term DAPT.

Thioredoxin Reductase 1 inhibition triggers ferroptosis in KRAS-independent lung cancers.

Lung cancers that harbor wild type KRAS (KRAS-WT) represent a molecularly diverse subset of tumors that often lack targeted therapeutic options. Using synthesized gold(I)-based inhibitors, a multi-omics approach, and functional validation, we identified Thioredoxin reductase 1 (TXNRD1), encoding as a selective vulnerability in KRAS-WT and oncogenic KRAS mutant (KM)-independent lung cancer (LC). Mechanistically, TRXR1 blockade induces ferroptosis through glutathione depletion, lipid reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, and HMOX1-dependent iron overload in KRAS-WT LC both in vitro and in vivo.

The tip of the iceberg: extraordinarily high diversity while examining two infralittoral nematode communities on Okinawa-jima Island, Japan, using morphology and DNA barcoding.

Background: Nematodes are among the most diverse and abundant metazoans in aquatic habitats, contributing significantly to global biodiversity. Despite their abundance and importance, the presumed number of undescribed species is high and their diversity is often underestimated.

Methods: In this research, sediment samples were collected from three microhabitats (bare sand, seagrass, coral) in two sites around Okinawa-jima Island in subtropical southern Japan.

Experimental Analysis on the Effect of Contact Pressure and Activity Level as Influencing Factors in PPG Sensor Performance.

Photoplethysmographic (PPG) sensors are small and cheap wearable sensors which open the possibility of monitoring physiological parameters such as heart rate during normal daily routines, ultimately providing valuable information on health status. Despite their potential and distribution within wearable devices, their accuracy is affected by several influencing parameters, such as contact pressure and physical activity. In this study, the effect of contact pressure (i.

CT acquisition protocols by pathology, SIRM position paper part 1: head and neck, brain and spine, chest, cardiovascular.

The current medical scenario in diagnostic imaging is characterized by an extremely frequent use of computed tomography, which becomes the main source of medical exposure. The radiation dose depends on patient's characteristics, anatomical districts, and diseases under investigation; the first two parameters cannot be modified; the correct application of specific protocols for the disease under investigation, helps improve both standardization and dose reduction. This perfectly fits with the ALARA principles (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) according to which patients must be exposed to the right dose of radiation, which, in turn, must be as low as possibly achievable.