Assessing sample adequacy and clinical performance of self-collected and clinician-collected HPV specimens using internal control Ct values.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is the primary method for cervical cancer screening, but reliable detection depends on adequate sample cellularity. Cycle threshold (Ct) values for the assay's internal control (IC), such as β-globin, are commonly used as proxies for adequacy, yet standardized Ct cut-offs are lacking. We aimed to contribute evidence-based thresholds for sample adequacy using real-world data.

Management of MDR/XDR severe infections in the critically ill.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to summarize current recommendations for the management of serious infections, such as bloodstream infections (BSIs) and ventilator-associated pneumonia, caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens, focusing on evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and emerging treatment options.

Recent Findings: Vancomycin, linezolid, and daptomycin represent the main therapeutic options for the management of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections; among newer agents, ceftobiprole has recently gained approval for BSI treatment. For vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium BSIs, linezolid and daptomycin remain commonly employed despite the lack of comparative RCTs guiding treatment decisions.

Strategies for population-level identification of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 through health administrative data.

Introduction: Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) encompass several clinical outcomes, from new-onset symptoms to both acute and chronic diagnoses, including pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations. Health administrative data (HAD) from health information systems allow population-level analyses of such outcomes. Our primary aim was to identify clinical conditions potentially attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the types of HAD and "diagnostic criteria" used for their detection.

European Respiratory Society statement on advanced telemedicine for obstructive sleep apnoea (e-Sleep).

Telemedicine (TM) as a means of remote patient-physician interaction is gaining popularity in nearly every field, and (respiratory) sleep medicine is no exception. Because obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a chronic condition, and requires a continuous treatment and monitoring of therapy success, telematic communications could be useful to establish diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. This Statement summarises the evidence and efficacy of TM options in OSA.

Mentalization and Emotional-Cognitive Rigidity as predictors of esketamine's effects on Treatment-Resistant Depression: Findings from a prospective observational study.

Introduction: Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) remains a major challenge in the management of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine and a glutamatergic modulator, has been approved by the FDA and EMA for TRD in 2019. Beyond its rapid antidepressant effects, esketamine may enhance neuroplasticity, facilitating the reconnection with emotional and cognitive processes, improving mentalization, social cognition and promoting resilience.

Climate Change and Consumers' Food Choices towards Sustainability: A Narrative Review.

This narrative review explores key issues surrounding climate change and diets, highlighting individual-level dynamics and structural constraints to implementing policies that prioritize sustainability through a political economy lens. Strong interconnections exist between climate change and agri-food systems. Current eating patterns are unsustainable, threatening both human and planetary health.

Diagnosed Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B and Delta Virus in Italy in 2024: An Estimation From a National Real-World Database.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) infection have undergone significant changes in Italy over the past few decades, but reliable and updated prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and Delta (CHD) data are lacking. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of CHB and CHD in Italy in 2024, based on real-world data.

Methods: The number of patients with a healthcare expenditure exemption for CHB (016.

Biodegradable stents for biliary strictures after pediatric liver transplantation: a multicenter retrospective study.

Objectives: Biodegradable biliary stents are used to treat benign biliary strictures in adults. However, there is limited data regarding their use in pediatric patients. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of biodegradable biliary stents following pediatric liver transplantation (pLT).

Face perception: a window into the social mind.

This editorial introduces a broad Collection of works highlighting the central role of faces, the richest and most complex of social stimuli, in human behaviour. The Collection covers work from various areas of psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience on different aspects of face perception: The development of face perception, the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms of face perception, the role of faces in social interaction, how neurological or psychiatric conditions can affect face perception, as well as face perception in human–machine interactions involving artificial agents with face-like features. This body of work underscores the profound impact of faces on social interaction, aiming to promote dialogue among different disciplines and inspire future research in this vibrant research domain.

Maximising biodiversity potential in Europe's mines and quarries: A key role for EU Nature Restoration Regulation targets.

Amid the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the EU's Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR), which aims to restore degraded areas in the coming decades, post-mining sites must be integrated into biodiversity and ecosystem recovery strategies as key contributors. While mining, quarrying, and other extractive activities have considerable environmental impacts, they also present massive opportunities to create valuable habitats, support biodiversity, guide restoration efforts, and contribute to conservation. A strong foundation of scientific and practical knowledge is already in place, yet implementation gaps persist, and regulatory frameworks remain under-utilised for restoring these degraded areas.

Calmodulinopathies: The Need for a Registry.

Calmodulinopathies are very rare genetic disorders associated with a high risk for sudden cardiac death. Disease-causing variants in 1 of the 3 identical CALM genes cause severe forms of long QT syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, or idiopathic ventricular fibrillation, and there are many unanswered questions concerning management and underlying mechanisms. What is currently known depends largely on the initial publications from the ICamR (International Calmodulinopathy Registry).

The Complex Pathway of Conventional Investigations before the Diagnosis of Functional Motor Disorders.

Background: Functional motor disorder (FMD) is a diagnosis of inclusion based on the presence of positive signs on clinical examination, and only a few tests are validated as biomarkers for FMD identification.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the relative frequency of different types of conventional instrumental investigations (such as magnetic resonance imaging/computed tomography [MRI/CT] scan, dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography (DaT-SPECT), electroencephalography (EEG), neurophysiological tests, and other tests) in FMD patients before diagnosis and to identify the clinical and demographic features associated with their use.

Methods: Data were obtained from the Italian Registry of Functional Motor Disorders, a multicenter initiative involving patients with a diagnosis of clinically definite FMD.

Vericiguat for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction across the risk spectrum: an individual participant data analysis of the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Background: Following completion of the VICTORIA trial, vericiguat was approved for the treatment of worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and received a class IIb recommendation in European and North American guidelines. The subsequent VICTOR trial evaluated the use of vericiguat in patients with HFrEF and no recent worsening. We aimed to assess the effect of vericiguat on clinical endpoints through pooled analyses of patient-level data from the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

The effect of ocean alkalinity enhancement on zooplankton standing stock and community composition in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: a mesocosm study.

Ocean acidification (OA) due to anthropogenic CO2 emissions has significantly altered ocean chemistry since the industrial era. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is an innovative strategy to mitigate excess CO, with ocean liming (OL) serving as a potential carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method, through the spreading of Ca(OH) (slaked lime) at the ocean surface. This study examined the ecological effects of OL on a natural zooplankton community from the ultraoligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea during a 14-day mesocosm experiment conducted in spring-summer.

Antibiotic treatment of pediatric infections in primary healthcare setting: evaluation and comparison of 80 national treatment guidelines with the WHO AWaRe book recommendations.

Background: Antibiotic recommendations for pediatric infections in national standard treatment guidelines (STGs) vary widely, particularly for Access and Watch antibiotics. The WHO AWaRe book recommends Access antibiotics as first-line treatment for over 80% of common infections managed in primary healthcare. This study aims to evaluate the agreement between first and second-line antibiotics in national STGs with AWaRe book recommendations and the inclusion of these antibiotics in Essential Medicine Lists (EMLs).

Shared book reading and promoting social and emotional competences in educational settings: a narrative review.

Over the last 20 years plenty of studies have shown the association between the development of social and emotional skills on the one hand, and wellbeing, peer popularity and school achievement on the other hand. Against this background, numerous intervention studies have been implemented especially in school contexts. Given the importance of an early enhancement of such skills, following a narrative review method we set out to examine the impact of shared book reading interventions on the social and emotional competence of children attending nursery and preschool settings.

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.

Anthropometric Measures, Cardiovascular Outcomes, and Treatment Effects of Finerenone in Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Disease: Pooled Participant-Level Analysis of Three Global Trials.

Background: Obesity is a core pathophysiological contributor to cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic (CKM) conditions. However, the association between different adiposity-related anthropometrics and cardiovascular outcomes in persons with CKM conditions has not been rigorously explored.

Objectives: To examine cardiovascular outcomes and treatment effects of finerenone according to different adiposity-related anthropometrics.

The adaptor protein SKT interacts with PSD-95 and SHANK3 and affects synaptic functions.

Postsynaptic density (PSD) is a tightly interconnected protein network ensuring synaptic function through the interaction of neurotransmitter receptors, structural adaptor proteins, and signaling molecules. Disruption of PSD may cause neurological diseases, including autism spectrum disorders and cognitive impairment. We demonstrate that the SKT adaptor distinctly localizes within dendritic spines as an integral component of the synaptic network, binding PSD-95 and SHANK3.

Development and validation of the Revised Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ-R).

Background: It has been argued that disruptions to epistemic trust are implicated in psychopathology; however, this requires empirical testing, and an existing scale evaluating epistemic trust, the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ), requires improvement.

Aims: This study tested a revised version of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (the ETMCQ-R), examining the strength of associations between the updated scale and mental health symptoms, epistemic vice, psychological resilience, perceived social support, attachment style, history of childhood adversity and an experimental measure of trust, and epistemic stance as a mediator between adversity and psychopathology.

Method: Using an online survey design, 525 participants completed the ETMCQ-R alongside other measures.

The fruits of data shepherding: A collection of open FAIR datasets for titanium dioxide coated photocatalytic surfaces.

This paper presents a large-scale collaborative effort within a multi-partner consortium, to systematically structure, curate, and openly share data in alignment with the FAIR principles. The data result from a case study of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanomaterials (NMs) for photocatalytic depolluting surfaces, produced via various spray coating techniques under the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach. The data are publicly available through a dedicated Zenodo community (https://zenodo.

Generation and characterization of a patient-derived iPSC line, CSSi022-A (15666), with a pathogenic MFN2 mutation causing Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A; OMIM 609260) is a rare sensorimotor neuropathy caused by mutations in the MFN2 gene (1p36.22). We successfully reprogrammed fibroblasts from an 8-year-old girl carrying a de novo MFN2 mutation into induced pluripotent stem cells using non-integrative vectors.