Effect of Vericiguat on Worsening Heart Failure in Compensated Outpatients with HFrEF: Insights from VICTOR.

Background: In the VICTOR trial, in a contemporary ambulatory cohort with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and no recent hospitalization, the primary outcome of hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) and cardiovascular death was not statistically significantly reduced with vericiguat. Vericiguat reduced risk of mortality but not HHF. In this ambulatory compensated cohort, time to first HHF may underestimate the overall worsening HF burden by failing to consider the high proportion of outpatient worsening HF events.

Pharmacological Treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: An Updated Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: In 2022, our network meta-analysis showed that a combination of β-blockers, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA), and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) was most effective in reducing all-cause mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This study updates the treatment benefit by including additional large randomized controlled trials (RCTs) since 2022, including the Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure (VICTOR) trial.

Objectives: To evaluate and compare regimens of pharmacotherapy in patients with HFrEF.

Post-liver transplantation outcomes in acute-on-chronic liver failure: Impact of alcohol as a precipitant and etiology of chronic liver disease.

Background: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) has been associated with excellent post- liver transplant (LT) outcomes at one year, however the impact of alcohol as ACLF precipitant, specifically alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH), and as etiology of chronic liver disease (CLD) remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the effect of alcohol as ACLF precipitant and CLD etiology (alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) vs. non-ALD) on post-transplant outcomes.

Minds Love to Hate: A Mentalizing Approach to Self-Hatred and Negative Self-Representations in Eating Disorders.

Mentalization-based therapy (MBT) formulates eating disorders as disorders of the self. This article examines the meaning of self-hatred and self-directed negativity as manifestations of self-alienation and vulnerable mentalizing. Relevant concepts are examined to substantiate MBT as a clinical approach to negative self-representations and epistemic mistrust.

Nerve matters: Longitudinal microstructural change in the trigeminal nerve is associated with durable pain relief after surgery for trigeminal neuralgia.

BackgroundMany patients with medically-refractory trigeminal neuralgia (TN) fail to achieve lasting pain relief following surgery targeting the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve five; CNV). While some studies using MRI diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) suggest that preoperative CNV microstructure may predict surgical response, the findings remain inconsistent. Furthermore, the relationship between post-surgical CNV microstructural changes and long-term pain relief is not well understood.

Glioblastoma Tumor Microtubes and Brain Fatty Acid-binding Protein: Path to Directional Infiltration.

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a deadly brain cancer with a dismal prognosis. There is evidence that infiltration and therapy resistance in GBM are driven by tumor microtubes (TMs), ultra-long membrane-enclosed protrusions that serve as intercellular communication channels. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of TMs and identify the molecular drivers involved in TM formation.

Bridging the gap: unveiling key links between autism and anxiety symptoms in autistic children and youth using a network analysis in pooled data from four countries.

Background: Autistic children experience significantly higher rates of anxiety compared to nonautistic children. The precise relations between autism characteristics and anxiety symptoms remain unclear in this population. Previous work has explored associations at the domain level, which involve examining broad categories or clusters of symptoms, rather than the relationships between specific symptoms and/or individual characteristics.

Characterizing Shape Variations in Infant Hips Using Statistical Shape Modeling for Ultrasonic Diagnosis of Hip Dysplasia with Graf's Method.

Purpose: Through the measurement of Graf's alpha (α) angle, the Graf method uses two-dimensional ultrasound (US) to diagnose developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) in infants. However, this unidimensional index cannot fully reflect anatomic shape features and variations of iliac wing and bony acetabular roof (IW-AR) coronal outlines that may influence DDH. This study aimed to analyze the shapes of IW-AR outlines by revealing their mean shape, possible shape variations, and the impact of these variations on the α angle variability.

Validation of a green and sensitive spectrofluorimetric method for determination of Bilastine and its application to pharmaceutical preparations, content uniformity test, and spiked human plasma.

Bilastine (BIL) is a new second-generation antihistaminic drug used for the management of urticaria and rhino-conjunctivitis symptoms. Herein, a spectrofluorimetric method for determining BIL is described. The method is very sensitive, simple, quick, and green.

Dietary vitamin D and gastric cancer risk within the stomach cancer pooling (stop) project.

Purpose: The evidence regarding the role of vitamin D on gastric cancer (GC) is controversial. Within the Stomach cancer Pooling (StoP) Project, a global consortium of epidemiological studies on GC, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between dietary vitamin D and GC risk.

Methods: Five case-control studies were included in the analysis, accounting for 1875 cases and 5899 controls.

Metabolome informs about the chemical exposome and links to brain health.

The metabolome is an intermediate phenotype, summarizing the profile of all small molecules (<1.5 kDa) in biospecimens. The metabolome provides a readout for the net influence of the chemical exposome, diet, gut microbiome, and genome on human health.

RasGRP1 signaling is required for Vγ2+ thymocyte c-Maf expression and γδT17 lineage programming.

The γδ TCR instructively directs both lineage specification and effector programming of developing γδ T cells. However, the way in which different TCR signal strengths and other auxiliary signals coordinate downstream of the γδ TCR to regulate γδ T-cell development remains unclear. In this study we defined the role of Ras guanyl-releasing protein 1 (RasGRP1) in the development and effector programming of γδ T cells.

Validation of the vasoactive-ventilation-renal score in extreme preterm neonates.

ObjectivesTo validate Vasoactive-Ventilation-Renal (VVR) score in extremely low gestational age neonates (ELGANs) as a predictor of mortality and morbidity by assessing its association with clinical outcomes.Study DesignThis was a secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial including neonates born 23-28 weeks' gestation admitted to a Canadian tertiary-level neonatal intensive care unit between February 2019 and December 2021. VVR scores were measured at set intervals.

Safety of Factor XI Inhibition With Abelacimab in Atrial Fibrillation by Kidney Function: A Prespecified Analysis of the AZALEA-TIMI 71 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Chronic kidney disease is common in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and is associated with higher rates of bleeding with anticoagulation. In the AZALEA-TIMI 71 randomized clinical trial, abelacimab, a novel factor XI inhibitor, reduced rates of major or clinically relevant nonmajor (CRNM) bleeding compared with rivaroxaban in patients with AF.

Objective: To examine the safety of abelacimab vs rivaroxaban across a range of kidney function.

Platinum-Doped Carbon Nitride-Loaded Poly(N-Isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogel Thin Films for Green Hydrogen Production Systems: Morphological Study for Higher Efficiency.

Photocatalytic water splitting enables the generation of green hydrogen (H). In this framework, water and sunlight are the sustainable sources. Photocatalyst-loaded hydrogel materials have already shown their potential as a water storage and catalyst host matrix for H production.

Automatic Identification of Potential Cellular Metabolites for Untargeted NMR Metabolomics.

An organism's metabolic profile provides vital information pertaining to its physiology or pathology. To monitor these biochemical changes, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has found success in non-invasively observing metabolite changes within intact samples in an untargeted manner. However, biological samples are chemically complex, comprised of many different constituents (amino acids, carbohydrates, and lipids) at varying concentrations depending on physiological and pathological conditions.

Are they sleeping? A Canadian cross-sectional study exploring sleep quality among medical students: a study protocol.

Background/purpose: Medical students face a rigorous academic environment that often leads to compromised sleep quality, which is essential for cognitive function, mental well-being and clinical performance. Despite the importance of sleep, a significant percentage of medical students report poor sleep quality, with detrimental effects on their academic performance and overall well-being. Previous research has primarily focused on international populations, leaving a gap in understanding the sleep habits and challenges faced by Canadian medical students.

Prophylactic efficacy of cannabidiol and sodium nitroprusside in a ketamine-model of schizophrenia: sex-dependent effects on positive-like and cognitive impairments.

Objective: Current treatments for schizophrenia (SZ) are often ineffective for all symptoms, with sex-dependent effects poorly understood. Cannabidiol (CBD) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) have emerged as potential prophylactic options. We evaluated their efficacy in preventing positive, negative, and cognitive deficits in a ketamine (KET) rodent model of SZ in both sexes.

Minimizing high sensitivity troponin T delta variation at low concentration using BD Barricor blood collection tube.

Objective: Reproducible low troponin concentrations from high-sensitivity troponin (hs-cTn) assays are paramount to accurate risk determination in the accelerated diagnostic pathway. Total variation consists of pre-analytical, analytical and biological components. While analytical and biological variations cannot be readily modifiable, minimizing pre-analytical variation is desirable and potentially attainable.

Serotonin Syndrome Masquerading as Alcohol Withdrawal: A Case Report.

Introduction: Alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) and serotonin syndrome (SS) share several overlapping symptoms, complicating diagnosis in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) on serotonergic treatment.

Case Presentation: We describe a 54-year-old male with a history of AUD and anxiety disorder who presented to a residential treatment center after patient report about 11 days of alcohol abstinence. Despite an initially mild withdrawal course, he developed worsening tremors, nausea, diarrhea, diaphoresis, muscle twitching, rigidity, and restlessness beyond the typical AWS timeframe.

The need to prioritize "insomnia disorder" in public health agendas: "a wakeup call" position paper from European and Canadian experts in sleep and mental health.

Objective: Insomnia Disorder is a chronic mental disorder with significant impact on the population across Europe and Canada. While some countries reimburse evidence-based treatments, others fail to recognize insomnia as a chronic condition and do not provide the resources to ensure consistent care for those affected. This document serves as a position paper from sleep and mental health experts across Europe, Switzerland the UK, and Canada, emphasizing the critical need for public health systems to recognize chronic insomnia as a disorder in order to enhance support for patients.

Assessing fecal pollution source in a Northern Michigan Lake using qPCR and a community-based monitoring framework.

Implementing quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) within a community-based research framework expands the scope and scale of community-driven monitoring and research efforts. The increasing accessibility of qPCR technology and methodology has allowed the incorporation of community partners in numerous ways, ranging from sample collection to running qPCR tests. Here, we report on a community-driven study at Crystal Lake in Beulah, MI, in which qPCR was demonstrated to be a more valuable water testing technique than culture-based methods.

Redefining intimacy: a qualitative study on sexual function experiences and perspectives among migrant and refugee women in South Australia.

Background: Sexual function is a fundamental aspect of sexual health, yet migrant and refugee women from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) often face unique challenges in navigating intimacy and sexual function post-migration. While sociocultural norms, migration-related stressors, and healthcare access influence their experiences, yet these perspectives remain underexplored.

Methods: This qualitative exploratory study explored the perspectives and experiences of sexual function among first-generation migrant and refugee women from low- and middle-income countries residing in South Australia.