Tackling microbial iron homeostasis: novel antimicrobial strategies.

The escalating threat of antimicrobial resistance demands innovative therapeutic strategies beyond classical targets. Recent insights into the mechanisms of bacterial iron acquisition - ranging from siderophores and heme uptake to ferrous iron transport - have enabled new approaches to impair pathogen growth and virulence. These pathways are increasingly being harnessed for therapeutic gain.

Kappa Free Light Chain Index in the Real World-Do We Miss Clinically Relevant Information by Skipping Oligoclonal Banding?

Background: No standardized strategy for integrating κ-free light chain (κ-FLC) index into routine cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) diagnostics has yet been established.

Objective: To determine agreement between κ-FLC index and CSF-restricted oligoclonal bands (OCB), and to identify κ-FLC index range where second-line OCB testing is needed.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted in patients who had κ-FLC measurement between December 2023 and December 2024 at the Medical University of Innsbruck.

De novo genome sequencing and comparative analyses of the clinically relevant species Mucor ardhlaengiktus, Mucor circinelloides, Mucor griseocyanus, and Mucor janssenii.

Mucormycosis is predominantly caused by members of the genera Lichtheima, Mucor, and Rhizopus. Here, we report the genome assemblies and comparative analyses of the clinically relevant species Mucor ardhlaengiktus (CBS 210.80), Mucor circinelloides (CBS 195.

tRNA as an assembly chaperone for a macromolecular transcription-processing complex.

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are widely recognized for their role in translation. Here, we describe a previously unidentified function of tRNA as an assembly chaperone. During poxviral infection, tRNA lacking the anticodon mcmsU34 modification is specifically sequestered from the cellular tRNA pool to promote formation of a multisubunit poxviral RNA polymerase complex (vRNAP).

Importance of responder criteria for reporting health-related quality-of-life data in clinical trials for advanced cancer: recommendations of Common Sense Oncology and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer.

The goals of treatment for people with advanced cancer are to prolong survival and improve symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Although many phase 3 randomised clinical trials seek to evaluate HRQOL during treatment, informing individual patients about expected HRQOL outcomes is challenging, as the common method of analysis and reporting compares averages for randomised groups, and clinicians find these data difficult to apply in clinical practice. Symptomatic patients with advanced cancer would like to know the probability that a proposed treatment might improve their survival or their dominant symptoms, and the probability of having treatment-related side-effects.

Acalabrutinib treatment for older (≥80 years old) and/or frail patients with CLL: primary end point analysis of the CLL-Frail trial.

Because frail and patients ≥80 years with CLL are still underrepresented in clinical trials, the CLL-Frail trial aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of acalabrutinib in these patients. The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR) after 6 cycles of treatment to test the null hypothesis of ORR ≤ 65%.53 patients were included into the trial and 34 patients are still on therapy.

The relationship of smoking and unhealthy alcohol use to HIV care retention and viral suppression: findings from a multi-site cohort study.

Objectives: Tobacco smoking and alcohol use may negatively influence HIV care, but associations have not been examined across cohorts.

Design: Multisite international collaboration of cohort studies.

Methods: People with HIV (PWH) were included from 11 cohorts; 5 North American and 6 Western European.

Lipid metabolism of clear cell renal cell carcinoma predicts survival and affects intratumoral CD8 T cells.

Background: Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the most common RCC subtype, both accumulates and depletes selected lipid species. However, the prognostic role of lipid metabolic reprogramming in ccRCC has not been studied in detail so far. In addition, ccRCC can show a dense immune infiltration.

Dermal Arteries of the Human Thumb: Arterial Units, Sucquet-Hoyer Canals, and Arterio-Arterial Anastomoses in Pad Versus Tip.

The dermal arteries of the finger are organized in discrete units. We hypothesized that the anatomy of the dermal arterial units and the number and complexity of dermal Sucquet-Hoyer canals (SHCs) differ between the tip and center of the pad of the thumb. To test this, digital HREM volume datasets (voxel dimensions of 1-3 μm³) were created from biopsies harvested from the thumb tip and pad of six body donors.

World assumptions and their role when facing trauma in urban Sierra Leone: a complementary mixed methods study.

Background And Purpose: Concerns have been raised about the cross-cultural applicability of Western-centric models of world assumptions, questioning their universality, patterns and role when facing trauma. Within a trauma-focused research project in Sierra Leone, this sub-study examines these issues in the local context.

Methods: We conducted a qualitatively driven mixed methods study (embedded design) from an emic-etic perspective.

Context dependent role of miR-486 promoting neuroregeneration of primary sensory neurons downstream of interleukin-6 signal transducer.

The pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) via its IL-6 signal transducer (IL6ST/gp130) plays an important role in neuronal survival, neuro-regeneration, and pathological pain. While its critical importance in the nervous system is well established, the underlying molecular mechanisms and the involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) as critical regulators of biological processes in health and disease are not sufficiently understood. We identified miR-486-5p as the single significantly deregulated miRNA in sensory neurons with a conditional depletion of gp130.

Chemokine Receptor Profiles as Predictors of Survival and Early Progression in Follicular Lymphoma.

: Classical follicular lymphoma (FL) is a heterogeneous malignancy. Early progression within 24 months (POD24) is linked to poor outcomes. However, precise risk stratification remains unclear.

Bifidobacteria-derived exopolysaccharide promotes anti-tumor immunity.

While several phylogenetically distinct bacterial taxa can predict responses to or improve cancer immunotherapies, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The use of microbes for microbial therapeutics is currently under intense research, yet safety and regulatory hurdles remain challenging. Thus, non-replicative bacterial-derived molecules or extracts provide promising alternatives.

What matters in rehabilitation: a mixed methods study of critical success factors from the perspectives of patients and healthcare professionals.

The success of rehabilitation is usually assessed based on the results reported by patients and physicians. However, these assessments often vary and frequently fail to take psychosocial and contextual factors into account. This study investigated how patient researchers (PRs) and health researchers (HPRs) perceive rehabilitation outcomes and which critical success factors (CSFs) they consider most influential.

Synaptic accumulation of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors mediates the effects of BDNF-TrkB signalling on synaptic plasticity and in hyperexcitability during status epilepticus.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a key mediator of synaptic plasticity and memory formation in the hippocampus. However, the BDNF-induced alterations in the glutamate receptors coupled to the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses in the hippocampus have not been elucidated. In this work we investigated the putative role of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors in the plasticity of glutamatergic synapses induced by BDNF.

Differences in Risk Factors for Severe Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome in Singleton Versus Twin Pregnancies: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: To examine whether the associations between pre-pregnancy risk factors and severe preeclampsia/eclampsia (SPE) and/or HELLP syndrome differ between singleton and twin pregnancies.

Design: A population-based retrospective cohort study.

Setting: British Columbia (BC), Canada.

COMBO: An AmpliSeq-based trilogy for autosomal and uniparental (Y & mito) biogeographical ancestry and appearance testing.

Forensic DNA phenotyping has become an increasingly important technology for narrowing down potential stain donors in forensic investigations. Over the past decade, the number of genetic markers required for reliable predictions has steadily increased, posing significant challenges for molecular genetic assay designs. These parallel designs often consume valuable DNA extracted from forensically relevant materials.

Antithrombotic therapy after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a Clinical Consensus Statement of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery, the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS).

Antithrombotic therapy is essential after coronary artery bypass graft surgery to reduce ischaemic events and prevent graft occlusion. Although aspirin remains the most commonly used agent, in higher-risk patients, dual antiplatelet therapy or combining antiplatelet therapy with oral anticoagulation may be beneficial, but this increases bleeding risk. The choice of antithrombotic therapy should be tailored to each patient, based on their ischaemic and bleeding risks, and regularly reassessed.

Antithrombotic therapy after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: a Clinical Consensus Statement of the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery, the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy, and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS).

Antithrombotic therapy is essential after coronary artery bypass graft surgery to reduce ischaemic events and prevent graft occlusion. Although aspirin remains the most commonly used agent, in higher-risk patients, dual antiplatelet therapy or combining antiplatelet therapy with oral anticoagulation may be beneficial, but this increases bleeding risk. The choice of antithrombotic therapy should be tailored to each patient, based on their ischaemic and bleeding risks, and regularly reassessed.

Defining statistical cure in patients with T1 high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma treated with BCG immunotherapy.

Objective: To assess cure fraction and conditional survival probabilities for oncological outcomes in patients with T1 high-grade (T1HG) non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) treated with adequate Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy.

Patients And Methods: This multi-institutional retrospective cohort study included 1403 patients with T1HG NMIBC treated between 2007 and 2020, adhering to modern guidelines including mandatory second transurethral resection of bladder tumour and adequate BCG, defined as at least five of six induction doses and at least two of three maintenance doses. Cure fraction, defined as the proportion of patients who will never experience the event of interest, was calculated for recurrence-free survival (RFS), progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) using a mixture cure model.

Optical coherence tomography - A possible biomarker in early huntington's disease.

Objective: To assess the role of spectral domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) as a biomarker in Huntington's disease (HD).

Methods: This cross-sectional study compared spectral domain OCT data, cognitive function, and olfactory function in HD patients and healthy controls (HC). HD patients were classified into Stage1 and Stage2 based on motor symptoms and functional capacity.

Hepatic Expression of ACBP Is a Prognostic Marker for Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery.

The incidence and prevalence of obesity and related cardio-metabolic diseases are on the rise, posing a critical health care challenge to systems across the globe. Bariatric surgery is a therapeutic cornerstone for morbidly obese patients, besides novel medical treatments, partly by ameliorating metabolic inflammation, a hallmark of metabolic diseases. Acyl-CoA Binding Protein (ACBP), also known as diazepam-binding inhibitor (DBI), is a regulator of autophagy and metabolism, and has recently been shown to increase in individuals undergoing voluntary fasting and in patients with cancer cachexia-induced malnutrition.