Evaluating the predictive accuracy of cognitive screeners BAMCOG and MoCA in identifying postoperative delirium risk in aortic valve replacement patients: A cohort study.

Postoperative delirium (POD) and postoperative encephalopathy (POE) are common complications in older adults undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR), yet the predictive accuracy of cognitive screening tools remains uncertain. In this prospective cohort study, 50 patients aged 65 years and older scheduled for AVR between January and October 2022 underwent preoperative assessment with the Brain Aging Monitor Cognitive Assessment (BAMCOG) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Postoperatively, POD was evaluated with the Delirium Observation Screening (DOS) scale and POE with electroencephalography (EEG).

Breaking the reproducibility barrier with standardized protocols for plant-microbiome research.

Inter-laboratory replicability is crucial yet challenging in microbiome research. Leveraging microbiomes to promote soil health and plant growth requires understanding underlying molecular mechanisms using reproducible experimental systems. In a global collaborative effort involving five laboratories, we aimed to help advance reproducibility in microbiome studies by testing our ability to replicate synthetic community assembly experiments.

Cost-effectiveness of Targeted Next Generation Sequencing for TB drug-resistance testing as an alternative to the standard of care in South Africa.

Background: South Africa faces emerging resistance to TB drugs like bedaquiline. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST), the current reference standard for bedaquiline DST, has long turnaround times. Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) offers a comprehensive alternative, potentially delivering faster results.

Fixed-Duration Epcoritamab Plus R2 Drives Favorable Outcomes in Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma.

Epcoritamab is a subcutaneous CD3xCD20 bispecific antibody approved as monotherapy for relapsed/refractory (R/R) follicular lymphoma (FL). We evaluated fixed-duration epcoritamab with rituximab plus lenalidomide (R2) in R/R FL in arm 2 of EPCORE® NHL-2 (phase 1b/2; NCT04663347). Patients received epcoritamab (2 step-up doses, then 48-mg full doses) for up to 2 years and R2 for up to 12 cycles (28 days/cycle).

Protein profiles and associated biological pathways among different etiologies of chronic kidney disease: new insights from DAPA-CKD.

Background: We investigated circulating protein profiles and molecular pathways among various chronic kidney disease (CKD) etiologies to study its underlying molecular heterogeneity.

Methods: We conducted a proteomic biomarker analysis in the DAPA-CKD trial recruiting adults with and without type 2 diabetes with an eGFR of 25 to 75 mL/min/1.73m2 and a UACR of 200 to 5000 mg/g.

Increasing Awareness and Early Detection of Common Skin Diseases in Indonesia Through an mHealth App: Protocol for an Awareness and Acceptability Study and Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Various media are used to enhance public understanding about diseases. While mobile health apps are widely used, there is little proof for using such apps to raise awareness of skin diseases.

Objective: We intend to develop an app, called DEDIKASI-app, to raise awareness of skin diseases, including leprosy.

Pain, Agitation, Delirium, and Iatrogenic Withdrawal Syndrome Management in Children Who Are Critically Ill: Protocol for a European Clinical Practice Guideline Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Approach.

Background: In pediatric intensive care units, pain, sedation, delirium, and iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome (IWS) must be managed as interrelated conditions. Although clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) exist, new evidence needs to be incorporated, gaps in recommendations addressed, and recommendations adapted to the European context.

Objective: This protocol describes the development of the first patient- and family-informed European guideline for managing pain, sedation, delirium, and IWS by the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care.

Effects of Imidacloprid on Afrotropical Aquatic Ecosystems: A South African Microcosm Study.

Pesticides are widely used to meet the food demands of a growing population, with various types used to control pests depending on the crops grown. Rainfall, overspray, and runoff from agricultural fields can wash these insecticides into water bodies, posing documented environmental risks. Imidacloprid is commonly used in Afrotropical regions such as South Africa, yet limited information is available on its toxicity to aquatic ecosystems within this climate region.

Gadolinium-Enhanced Aneurysm Wall Imaging and Risk of Intracranial Aneurysm Growth or Rupture.

Importance: Recent longitudinal studies in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) suggested that aneurysm wall enhancement (AWE) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) predicts growth and rupture. However, because these studies were limited by small sample size and short follow-up duration, it remains unclear whether this radiological biomarker has predictive value for UIA instability.

Objective: To determine the 4-year risk of instability of UIAs with AWE and investigate whether AWE is an independent predictor of UIA instability.

Myo-inositol Supplementation to Prevent Pregnancy Complications in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Pregnant individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) present with a higher risk of pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Myo-inositol supplementation may reduce these risks.

Objective: To determine whether daily supplementation with myo-inositol during pregnancy among individuals with PCOS reduces the risk of a composite outcome of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and preterm birth.

A Study of Academics' Perceptions of Ethical Implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence on Scientific Research and Publishing.

This study investigates how scientists, educators, and ethics committee members in Türkiye perceive the opportunities and risks posed by generative AI and the ethical implications for science and education. This study uses a 22-question survey developed by the EOSC-Future and RDA AIDV Working Group. The responses were gathered from 62 universities across 208 universities in Türkiye, with a completion rate of 98.

Associations of adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund lifestyle recommendations with health-related quality of life and fatigue in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer survivors: results from the SURVAYA study.

Purpose: Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer face unique long-term social and health challenges that impact their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study explores the association between lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, body composition, and nutrition) and HRQoL as well as fatigue in AYA cancer survivors.

Methods: The cross-sectional SURVAYA study analyzed data from long-term AYA cancer survivors (5-20 years post diagnosis, aged 18-39 at diagnosis) in The Netherlands.

Design of Two Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Trials of Deucravacitinib, an Oral, Selective, Allosteric TYK2 Inhibitor, in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Background And Objectives: Deucravacitinib, a first-in-class, oral, selective, allosteric tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor, demonstrated efficacy across the primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints in the phase 2 PAISLEY SLE trial in patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, we describe 2 phase 3 trials [POETYK SLE-1 (NCT05617677), POETYK SLE-2 (NCT05620407)] which will assess the efficacy and safety of deucravacitinib in patients with active SLE. These phase 3 trials have been designed to replicate the successful elements of the phase 2 trial, including its glucocorticoid-tapering strategy and disease activity adjudication.

Electrical impedance myography captures features of muscle structure measured by MRI and transcriptomic analysis in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.

Background: Electrical impedance myography (EIM) has been proposed as an efficient, non-invasive biomarker of muscle composition in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD).

Objective: We investigate whether EIM parameters are associated with muscle structure measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), muscle histology, and transcriptomic analysis as well as strength at the individual leg muscle level.

Methods: We performed a multi-center cross-sectional study enrolling 33 patients with FSHD.

Tonal Tinnitus Does Not Interfere with Tone Detection at the Tinnitus Pitch-Matched Frequency.

Individuals with tinnitus hear sounds that are not present in the external environment. Whereas hearing difficulties at frequencies near those matching the tinnitus pitch are a common complaint for individuals with tinnitus, it is unclear to what extent the internal tinnitus sounds interfere with the detection of external sounds. We therefore studied whether pure-tone detection at the estimated frequency corresponding to the tinnitus pitch (f) was affected by confusion with the tinnitus percept.

Using BONCAT to dissect the proteome of persisters.

Bacterial persisters are a subpopulation of cells that exhibit a transient non-susceptible phenotype in the presence of bactericidal antibiotic concentrations. This phenotype can lead to the survival and regrowth of bacteria after treatment, resulting in relapse of infections. It is also a contributing factor to antibacterial resistance.

A comparison by mismatch repair status of real-world characteristics and outcomes in patients with stage II/III rectal cancer in the Netherlands.

A subset of rectal cancer (RC), <5%, exhibits mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR); the remaining are classified as proficient (pMMR). Reported evidence on differences between dMMR and pMMR RC is limited. In this nationwide Dutch study, we compared patients with dMMR and pMMR stage II/III RC based on patient and tumor characteristics, treatment patterns, and associated outcomes.

Trends in cervical cancer incidence in the Netherlands: A join-point and age-period-cohort analysis (1989-2023).

Cervical cancer remains a significant public health issue, ranking as the fourth most common cancer in women globally. In the Netherlands, cervical cancer incidence declined steadily from 1989 to 2001 but increased between 2001 and 2007. This study updates trends in cervical cancer incidence from 1989 to 2023 in the Netherlands and evaluates the impact of screening practices and participation rates in the national population-based screening program.

No Association Between Vocal Emotion Recognition and Subjective Parental Reporting of Alexithymia in School-Age Children With Hearing Aids.

Objectives: Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing one's own emotions. Alexithymia has previously been associated with deficits in the processing of emotional information at both behavioral and neurobiological levels, and some studies have shown elevated levels of alexithymic traits in adults with hearing loss. This explorative study investigated alexithymia in young and adolescent school-age children with hearing aids in relation to (1) a sample of age-matched children with normal hearing, (2) age, (3) hearing thresholds, and (4) vocal emotion recognition.

A Systematic Evaluation of Wording Effects Modeling Under the Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Framework.

Wording effects, the systematic method variance arising from the inconsistent responding to positively and negatively worded items of the same construct, are pervasive in the behavioral and health sciences. Although several factor modeling strategies have been proposed to mitigate their adverse effects, there is limited systematic research assessing their performance with exploratory structural equation models (ESEM). The present study evaluated the impact of different types of response bias related to wording effects (random and straight-line carelessness, acquiescence, item difficulty, and mixed) on ESEM models incorporating two popular method modeling strategies, the correlated traits-correlated methods minus one (CTC[M-1]) model and random intercept item factor analysis (RIIFA), as well as the "do nothing" approach.

Reproducibility of fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo across diverse community codes: The case of water-methane dimer.

Fixed-node diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (FN-DMC) is a widely trusted many-body method for solving the Schrödinger equation, known for its reliable predictions of material and molecular properties. Furthermore, its excellent scalability with system complexity and near-perfect utilization of computational power make FN-DMC ideally positioned to leverage new advances in computing to address increasingly complex scientific problems. Even though the method is widely used as a computational gold standard, reproducibility across the numerous FN-DMC code implementations has yet to be demonstrated.

Expansion of aerobic methanotrophy to the phylum of Actinomycetota and its environmental implications.

For over a century, taxonomically validated pure cultures of aerobic methanotrophs belonged to Pseudomonadota, or since 2007, Verrucomicrobiota. A recent article published in by H. Kambara, T.

Effect of increased CpG and UpA dinucleotides in the West Nile virus genome on virus transmission by mosquitoes and pathogenesis in a vertebrate host.

Vertebrate animals and many small DNA and single-stranded RNA viruses that infect vertebrates have evolved to suppress genomic CpG dinucleotides. All organisms and most viruses additionally suppress UpA dinucleotides in protein-coding RNA. Synonymously recoding viral genomes to introduce CpG or UpA dinucleotides has emerged as an approach for viral attenuation and vaccine development.

Roots: metabolic architects of beneficial microbiome assembly.

The increasing demand for sustainable agricultural practices has driven a renewed interest in plant-microbiome interactions as a basis for the next "green revolution." Central to these interactions are root-derived metabolites that act as mediators of microbial recruitment and function. Plants exude a chemically diverse array of compounds that influence the assembly, composition, and stability of the root microbiome.

Surgical Nurses' Perspectives on Low-Value Care and Non-Nursing Tasks: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Low-value care provides little or no benefit to patients, or its risk of harm outweighs the potential benefits. Non-nursing tasks refer to tasks performed by nurses below their scope of practice. With increasing pressure on the global nursing workforce, it is necessary to identify these concepts to deliver fundamental care.