Characterisation of dynamic changes in nutritional components and aroma compound formation in natto during fermentation and post-ripening.

Fermentation and post-ripening plays a significant role in shaping the nutritional value, taste, and aroma of natto. This study aimed to analyse nutritional trends in natto during fermentation and ripening, identify its characteristic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and elucidate their formation pathways. VOCs were detected using HS-GC-IMS combined with sensory evaluation in the study.

Peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma: results from the UK nationwide CAPBIL study.

Background: The role of liver transplantation as a treatment option for de novo resectable peri-hilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCCA) is controversial. This study investigated the outcomes following resection of early-stage pCCA in the UK.

Methods: Patients undergoing resection for pCCA between 2014 and 2022 across 22 UK centres were included.

A vaccine emergency-when to overrule parental refusal of vaccination at birth for prevention of vertical transmission of hepatitis B virus?

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a potentially chronic infection that can be transmitted from mother to child with the risk of developing cirrhosis, liver failure and hepatocellular carcinoma. There is a safe and effective vaccine to prevent vertical transmission that is recommended to be given as soon as possible after birth and within 24 hours.When a woman with HBV refuses the birth dose of HBV vaccine for her baby, infectious diseases and safeguarding teams are asked to provide urgent opinions on whether this crosses the threshold for triggering child protection mechanisms.

Pre-donationstatintherapytoimprovesolidorgantransplantoutcomes.

Background: Inflammatory injury in organ donors, particularly after brain death and during ischemia-reperfusion, contributes to graft dysfunction, rejection, and reduced survival. Statins, beyond their lipid-lowering role, exert pleiotropic anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects, including IL-6 suppression, NF-κB inhibition, immune cell modulation, and potential alteration of exosome secretion.

Methods: Building upon this background, this narrative review synthesises preclinical and clinical evidence on pre-donation statin therapy in solid organ transplantation.

Combined Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis Reveals an Ethylene-Activated Regulatory Model on Monoterpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus.

Catharanthus roseus contains nearly 200 bioactive monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) that are effective in treating cancer and other diseases. Ethylene plays a significant role in enhancing MIA biosynthesis, and we have found that it greatly induces the accumulation of anhydrovinblastine. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying this process are not yet fully understood.

Presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses in eyes with corneal conditions: an update.

Purpose Of Review: Modern presbyopia-correcting intraocular lenses (IOLs) offer a potential solution to address the rising postoperative demand and expectations for spectacle independence following cataract surgery. However, IOL calculation and selection becomes more complex when presented with previous corneal refractive surgery (CRS) or co-existing corneal conditions. This review explores the use of presbyopia-correcting IOLs in eyes with co-existing corneal conditions or surgically altered corneas.

Do turtles get cancer?

Turtles are renowned for their extreme longevity and tremendous range in body size. Theoretically, large, long-lived organisms should face higher cancer risks because of increased cell numbers and lifetime cellular turnover, yet cancer appears to be exceptionally rare in turtles. In the present article, we synthesize the current knowledge on cancer prevalence in turtles, drawing from zoo necropsies, pathology reports, and comparative oncology studies, and present new data spanning additional species that reinforce this pattern.

The Zwicker tone as a model to investigate auditory processing and tinnitus: a scoping review.

The Zwicker tone (ZT) is an auditory illusion experienced by about 50% of the population immediately following a presentation of notched noise (NN). It is a faint, quickly decaying pure tone, the frequency of which falls within the range of the notch. Interestingly, although only half of the general population can perceive ZTs, one study has shown that almost everyone with tinnitus can perceive them.

Efficacy of Real-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Improving Glycemic Outcomes Among Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) requires rigorous glycemic control to prevent complications, but traditional self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) offers limited insights. Real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) provides dynamic data to optimize management, although its efficacy in T2D remains debated. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate RT-CGM's impact on glycemic outcomes in adults with T2D.

Comparative Effectiveness of Management Strategies for Stage IV Prostate Cancer: A Narrative Review.

Stage IV prostate cancer (PCa) refers to a disease that has metastasized beyond the prostate gland to distant sites, such as bones, visceral organs, or non-regional lymph nodes. While early attempts at curative therapy were occasionally made in oligometastatic cases, current guidelines uniformly recommend palliative-intent management once true metastatic spread is confirmed. Over the past decade, treatment paradigms have shifted from androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) monotherapy to earlier intensification with combination regimens including chemo-hormonal therapy and next-generation hormonal agents to improve survival and quality of life (QoL).

The maturation of spinal dorsal horn nociceptive neuronal network activity over the postnatal period.

Introduction: The dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord is physiologically immature at birth. Spinal excitability increases and wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons in lamina V have lowered activation thresholds and larger receptive field sizes.

Objective: The DH is composed of 5 laminae containing diverse interneuronal populations yet our understanding of the physiology of the DH is based on behavioural studies or extrapolation of single cell WDR recordings to the whole network.

Strategy-based cognitive rehabilitation for childhood brain tumour: Protocol for an acceptability and feasibility trial of the Fatigue, Learning, and Memory Enrichment (FLaME) intervention.

Background: Medical treatments have improved survival rates for paediatric brain tumour (PBT), but the condition and treatment continue to be associated with significant cognitive morbidity. Nearly all survivors will experience some degree of cognitive impairment (neurocognitive 'late effects') that has a cascading impact on the development of intellectual and academic skills, quality of life, mental health, vocational attainment, and functional independence. Longstanding cognitive fatigue is also a prevalent symptom for survivors of PBT and further impacts engagement with therapeutic interventions and quality of life.

Sleep disturbance and multimorbidity: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study in the knee pain and related health in the community cohort.

Study Objectives: To examine whether there is a temporal association between sleep disturbance and multimorbidity.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional and longitudinal observational analysis in people aged 40 years or more, recruited from the knee pain and related health in the community cohort study. The primary exposure was the Sleep Problems Index II score in tertiles measured at baseline.

Artificial General Intelligence and Its Threat to Public Health.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly applied across healthcare and public health, with evidence of benefits including enhanced diagnostics, predictive modelling, operational efficiency, medical education, and disease surveillance.However, potential harms - such as algorithmic bias, unsafe recommendations, misinformation, privacy risks, and sycophantic reinforcement - pose challenges to safe implementation.Far less attention has been directed to the public health threats posed by artificial general intelligence (AGI), a hypothetical form of AI with human-level or greater cognitive capacities.

Quantifying evidence for phenotypic specificity (PP4) for syndromic phenotypes: Large-scale integration of rare germline FH variants from diagnostic laboratory testing for HLRCC (Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer) and renal cancer.

Purpose: Hereditary Leiomyomatosis and Renal Cell Cancer (HLRCC) is a rare cancer susceptibility syndrome exclusively attributable to pathogenic variants in FH (HGNC:3700). This paper quantitatively weights the phenotypic context (PP4/PS4) of such very rare variants in FH.

Methods: We collated clinical diagnostic testing data on germline FH variants from 387 individuals with HLRCC and 1,780 individuals with renal cancer, and compared the frequency of 'very rare' variants in each phenotypic cohort against 562,295 population controls.

The Chain Mediating Effect of Spousal Support and Dyadic Adjustment in the Association Between Social Media Addiction and Sexual Functioning Among Married Women of Reproductive Age.

The present cross-sectional study examined the chain mediating roles of spousal support and dyadic adjustment in the relationship between social media addiction and sexual functioning among 211 married women of reproductive age in Qazvin, Iran. Grounded in the Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy, the study posited that excessive social media use displaces face-to-face interactions, thereby eroding emotional support and relational harmony, which are critical for sexual well-being. Participants completed validated measures assessing social media addiction, spousal support, dyadic adjustment, and sexual functioning through an online survey.

Small organic ligands for the ecdysone receptor - agrochemicals, gene switches, and beyond.

While pesticides are essential for the world to meet its increasing demand for food, off-target toxicity in humans and other species is an ongoing environmental issue. There is a strong motivation for developing more selective pesticides that can target pest insects, for example, while being benign for beneficial insects such as bees, and other nontarget species more generally. The ecdysone receptor is absent in vertebrates so constitutes a very useful target for green insecticides.

Enhanced recovery following neck of femur fractures - improving outcomes : a survey of current perioperative practice.

Aims: The number of hip fractures is increasing, with significant mortality and morbidity, particularly among frail and comorbid patients. Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathways have proven effective in elective orthopaedics, but this has not been investigated in people with hip fractures. This study aimed to identify current perioperative practice and develop a cohesive ERAS pathway tailored for hip fracture patients, to standardize and optimize care.

Development and validation of a prognostic model for predicting the risk of allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions: a retrospective new-user cohort study using linked primary care, hospitalisation, and mortality data.

Background: Allopurinol, the most prescribed urate-lowering drug, is a known cause of severe cutaneous adverse reactions. We aimed to develop and validate a model to assess the risk of allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions in adults newly prescribed allopurinol.

Methods: In this retrospective new-user cohort study, we developed and validated a prognostic model using primary care, hospitalisation, and mortality data extracted from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) primary care database, for the period Jan 1, 2001, to March 29, 2021.

Stable apelin-13 analogues promote cell proliferation, differentiation and protect inflammation induced cell death.

Emerging evidence indicates that apelin, an adipokine, plays a critical role in numerous biological functions and may hold potential for therapeutic applications; however, its efficacy is constrained by rapid plasma degradation. Thus, the search for novel apelin analogues with reduced susceptibility to plasma degradation is ongoing. We have previously shown novel modified apelin-13 analogues, providing exciting opportunities for potential therapeutic development against Alzheimer's disease.

Biofortification of tomatoes with beta-carotene through targeted gene editing.

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most severe micronutrient-related health issues worldwide. Tomatoes, a widely cultivated crop for their adaptability, nutritional value, and lycopene content (a beta-carotene precursor), are ideal candidates for biofortification. In this study, CRISPR-mediated knockout mutants (cr-SlLCYe and cr-SlBCH) were generated to enhance the precursor supply to the β-carotene biosynthetic pathway and reduce its degradation.

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas of human retina from Chinese donors reveals population-specific cellular diversity.

The human retina exhibits complex cellular heterogeneity which is critical for visual function, yet comprehensive ethnic-specific references are scarce in ophthalmic transcriptomics. The lack of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from Asian populations particularly Chinese donors imposes significant limitations in understanding population-specific retinal biology. We constructed the first comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of the human retina from Chinese donors, generated through high-throughput scRNA-seq of ∼290,000 viable cells obtained from 18 fresh retinal specimens (living donor and post-mortem specimens).

The evidence for biomechanical and physiological parameters as biomarkers to discriminate between individuals with and without non-specific neck pain using sensor devices: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

Neck pain is among the most prevalent musculoskeletal conditions worldwide. The underlying cause mostly remains unidentified, classified as non-specific neck pain. Pain can alter movement patterns and physiological responses, suggesting that certain biomechanical and physiological changes may serve as objective biomarkers for non-specific neck pain.