Vasopressin and its analogues in patients with septic shock: holy Grail or unfulfilled promise?

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) recommends norepinephrine as first-line vasopressor in patients with septic shock. For many years, there has been growing evidence that high doses of norepinephrine might have cardiac and immunological adverse effects and be associated with poorer outcomes. Current SSC guidelines therefore suggest adding vasopressin, a non-catecholaminergic vasopressor, as a second-line vasopressor rather than increasing the norepinephrine dose in patients requiring doses of norepinephrine base > 0.

Rituximab Versus Conventional Therapy for Remission Induction in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis : A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is an eosinophilic antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis. Rituximab has emerged as the standard of care in other types of ANCA-associated vasculitis, but controlled studies on its use in EGPA are yet lacking.

Objective: To compare rituximab with conventional strategy for the induction of remission in patients with EGPA.

Machine learning in Alzheimer's disease genetics.

Traditional statistical approaches have advanced our understanding of the genetics of complex diseases, yet are limited to linear additive models. Here we applied machine learning (ML) to genome-wide data from 41,686 individuals in the largest European consortium on Alzheimer's disease (AD) to investigate the effectiveness of various ML algorithms in replicating known findings, discovering novel loci, and predicting individuals at risk. We utilised Gradient Boosting Machines (GBMs), biological pathway-informed Neural Networks (NNs), and Model-based Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MB-MDR) models.

Understanding and manipulating morphogenetic processes to generate in vitro models of airways.

Branching morphogenesis, the process by which cells and tissues organize into complex branched tubular structures, is fundamental to the development of functional organs, including the respiratory airways in mammalian lungs. Advances in understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving morphogenetic processes have enabled the development of sophisticated in vitro models that mimic the structure and function of airways. This review recapitulates developmental principles guiding airway morphogenesis, including the key signaling pathways, cellular interactions, and the different biochemical and mechanical cues.

Use and Potential Misuse of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists in France: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Objectives: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), introduced in France in 2008 for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), have been indicated in the treatment of obesity with comorbidities since 2021. Their sharply increasing use over the last years led to supply shortages. Additionally, misuse is suspected in participants searching for weight loss.

Consensus-based recommendations for indications and procedures in retinal laser treatment of Telangiectatic capillaries (TelCaps) in vascular macular oedema: A Delphi study.

Purpose: The identification of telangiectatic capillaries (TelCaps) in chronic macular oedema (ME) resistant to conventional intravitreal injections (IVIs) has renewed interest in focal laser treatment. However, the indications and modalities of this laser treatment remain to be clarified.

Methods: A modified Delphi approach was used to establish a consensus among French macular laser specialists regarding recommendations on assessment of TelCaps, indications for laser treatment, treatment procedures and follow-up.

Bronchial smooth muscle extracellular vesicles interfere with bronchial epithelium metabolism and function in asthma.

Bronchial smooth muscle (BSM) remodeling is an important feature of severe asthma pathophysiology. We previously showed that asthmatic BSM is metabolically different and increased rhinovirus (RV) replication rate, the main trigger of severe asthma exacerbations. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are the key mediator in cell-cell communication, but the role of BSM cells-derived EVs on bronchial epithelial has never been investigated in asthma.

Associations of the LIBRA index with cognitive resilience to genetic susceptibility to dementia.

The role of lifestyle and health-related factors in dementia risk has been established. However, how a combination of modifiable risk factors, as reflected by the LIfestyle for BRAin health (LIBRA) index, contributes to cognitive resilience to genetic susceptibility to dementia (CRgen) remains unclear. We selected 6774 Three-City study participants without dementia at baseline (mean age = 74 years) and with ≥2 cognitive measures over time.

COPD patients with non-small cell lung cancer respond better to anti-PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In studies evaluating the efficacy of anti-programmed cell death 1/ligand 1 immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti-PD-(L)1) among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), smokers tend to have better clinical outcomes than non-smokers. However, it is unclear whether NSCLC patients with co-existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have better clinical outcomes than patients without COPD, regardless of smoking history. The potential correlation of COPD with an improved response to anti-PD-(L)1 was examined in a large cohort of patients with available pulmonary function test results.

Severe Haemoptysis due to Pulmonary Artery Agenesis, About Two Rare but Threatening Case Reports.

Unilateral pulmonary artery agenesis (UPAA) is a rare condition that may be asymptomatic or present with recurrent infections and haemoptysis. A 17-year-old patient with severe haemoptysis who was diagnosed with right pulmonary artery agenesis, associated with hypertrophy of the homolateral bronchial arteries and numerous systemic collaterals. Despite three embolisation procedures, a high-risk of recurrence required pneumonectomy.

Superficial white matter hyperintensities are associated with mild tissue alterations in vascular aging.

In the elderly, white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are usually rated as periventricular or deep. However, recent data suggest that superficial WMH may be associated with distinct mechanisms and may be associated with milder underlying tissue alterations. We developed and validated a new grading scale to differentiate superficial WMH from other WMH (either periventricular or deep).

Access to respiratory rehabilitation in France: Opinions of pulmonologists and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Despite its well-known benefits, respiratory rehabilitation (RR) remains underutilized among people with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) due to both patient- and physician-related barriers. This qualitative study (October 2023-March 2024) used two questionnaires: one for people with COPD to assess disease severity and access challenges, and another for pulmonologists to identify prescription obstacles. Distributed via associations and mailing lists, the survey reached 3,000 people with COPD and 500 pulmonologists, revealing shared concerns about facility shortages, poor information, and transportation issues.

Threshold Values of Sleep Spindles Features in Healthy Adults Using Scalp-EEG and Associations With Sleep Parameters.

Objective: Sleep spindles are an electrophysiological fingerprint of the sleeping human brain. They can be described in terms of duration, frequency, amplitude, and density, and vary widely according to age and sex. Spindles play a role in sleep and wake functions and are altered in several neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Clinical physiology of circadian rhythms: A systematic and hierarchized content analysis of circadian questionnaires.

Circadian rhythms are near-24 h patterns of physiology and behavior associated with several physical and mental health outcomes. Self-report questionnaires are routinely used and practical tools to assess circadian rhythms. However, the extent to which these questionnaires capture the relevant parameters and can be used interchangeably is unknown.

Impact of seasons and temperatures on the sleep-wake cycle in a French elderly rural population.

Sleep is known to be affected by season changes in a temperate climate. Temperature changes are known to affect sleep directly, but in this context, season-related changes in the circadian rhythm may play an important role as well. The objectives of this study were to verify the effect of season and temperature on sleep parameters of elderly French subjects and to focus on the sleep-wake cycle.

What are the determinants of functional decline in older adults with cancer? Results from the INCAPAC study.

Introduction: Older adults with cancer are exposed to greater difficulties in carrying out their daily activities due to cancer itself, its treatment, or both. The aim of this study was to describe functional decline after cancer diagnosis and to investigate the determinants of this decline among older individuals with cancer.

Materials And Methods: Using the Gironde cancer registries, older subjects (≥65 years) with a diagnosis of cancer between 2005 and 2018 were identified in three prospective cohorts on aging.

Solid-state NMR observation of chitin in whole cells by indirect N detection with NC, NCC, CNC and CNCC polarization transfers.

Chitin is the most important nitrogen-containing polysaccharide found on Earth. This polysaccharide is a polymer of an N-acetylglucosamine and it is a crucial structural component of fungal cell walls and crustaceans. Magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR is emerging as a powerful analytical approach to study polysaccharides in the context of intact cell walls and whole cells.

Risk of Cardiovascular Events According to the Severity of an Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Aims: Risk estimation of different types of cardiovascular events (CVE) following a hospitalisation for exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (exCOPD) is warranted to consider prevention.

Methods: A case-crossover study was conducted using the French exhaustive hospital discharge database (2013-2019). Case-patients had a diagnosis of COPD, hospitalised for a CVE in France in 2018-2019 (admission date was index date) with no other CVE in ≤12 months, and had ≥1 hospitalisation for exCOPD ≤24 weeks before index CVE.

Interactions between PEI and biological polyanions and the ability of glycosaminoglycans in destabilizing PEI/peGFP-C3 polyplexes for genetic material release.

The lack of understanding of polyplexes stability and their dissociation mechanisms, allowing the release of DNA, is currently a major limitation in non-viral gene delivery. One proposed mechanism for DNA-based polyplexes dissociation is based on the electrostatic interactions between polycations and biological polyanions, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This work aimed at investigating whether GAGs such as heparin, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid promote the dissociation of PEI/DNA polyplexes.

Age-related disturbances in rest-activity rhythms and integrity of the hippocampal network: An exploratory study.

To better understand the relationship between the rest-activity rhythms and cognitive impairments during aging, we assessed the longitudinal changes in the rest-activity rhythms in an elderly population and their possible detrimental effect on the hippocampal network. This was done longitudinally in a rural cohort with two actigraphic assessments and brain imaging examinations, seven years apart. A segmentation of the hippocampus and its related structures was used to assess volumes and functional connectivity in this network based on anatomical and resting state functional data.

Safety of baricitinib in vaccinated patients with severe and critical COVID-19 sub study of the randomised Bari-SolidAct trial.

Background: The Bari-SolidAct randomized controlled trial compared baricitinib with placebo in patients with severe COVID-19. A post hoc analysis revealed a higher incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) among SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated participants who had received baricitinib. This sub-study aimed to investigate whether vaccination influences the safety profile of baricitinib in patients with severe COVID-19.

A novel tubular model to recapitulate features of distal airways: the bronchioid.

Background: Airflow limitation is the hallmark of obstructive pulmonary diseases, with the distal airways representing a major site of obstruction. Although numerous models of bronchi already exist, there is currently no culture system for obstructive diseases that reproduces the architecture and function of small airways. Here, we aimed to engineer a model of distal airways to overcome the limitations of current culture systems.

Functional organization of vestibulospinal inputs responsible for tail postural control in larval .

In all vertebrates, maintaining trunk posture primarily depends on descending commands originating from brainstem vestibulospinal nuclei. Despite being broadly outlined across species, the detailed anatomical and operational structure of these vestibulospinal networks remains poorly understood. frogs have previously served as an excellent model for exploring such anatomical and functional aspects in relation to the animal's behavioral requirements.