Search

Empirical exoplanet mass–radius relations have been used to study the demographics and compositions of small exoplanets for many years. However, the heterogeneous nature of these measurements hinders robust statistical analysis of this population, particularly with regard to the masses of planets. For this reason, we perform a homogeneous and consistent re-analysis of the radial velocity (RV) observations of 87 small exoplanets using publicly available HARPS RV data and the fitting toolkit Pyaneti. For the entire sample, we ran 12 different models to investigate the impact of modelling choices, including the use of multidimensional Gaussian processes (GPs) to mitigate stellar activity. We find that the way orbital eccentricity is modelled can significantly impact the RV amplitude found in some cases. We also find that the addition of a GP to mitigate stellar activity impacts the RV amplitude found; though the results are more robust if the GP is modelled on activity indicators in addition to the RVs. The RV amplitude found for every planet in our sample using all the models is made available for other groups to perform demographics studies. Finally, we provide a list of recommendations for the RV community moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Intracranial devices may be used to treat or guide treatment of increased intracranial pressure in patients with pneumococcal meningitis. European guidelines do not recommend the routine use of intracranial devices in management of pneumococcal meningitis. However, in some countries, intracranial devices are used routinely, but the effect remains unknown. We aimed to examine whether mortality and sequelae were lower in patients with pneumococcal meningitis admitted to hospitals in regions in which intracranial devices were routinely used compared to regions not utilizing intracranial devices routinely in pneumococcal meningitis management., Methods: In a registry-based, nationwide, population-based cohort study we examined patients with pneumococcal meningitis (Denmark, 2004-2021). Patients were categorized according to whether the individual was admitted to hospitals in regions where intracranial devices were routinely (exposed patients, n=305 of whom 66 (22%) had an intracranial device) or not routinely used (non-exposed patients, n=333 of whom 4 (1%) had an intracranial devices). We used Cox-regression to calculate adjusted mortality rate ratios (aMRR) and hazard ratios of sequelae for the short-term and long-term periods (<6 or ≥6 months after study inclusion)., Results: The short-term cumulative incidence of death was 22% among exposed patients and 22% among non-exposed patients. We found no association between mortality and routine use of intracranial devices in the region in which patients with pneumococcal meningitis were admitted (short-term aMRR (95% confidence interval [95%CI]): 0.9 [0.6-1.3], long-term aMRR [95%CI]: 1.0 [0.7-1.6]). Furthermore, our study did not demonstrate lower risks of diagnosis of epilepsy, hearing loss, diagnoses suggestive of brain damage, disability pension, or shorter length of stay in exposed compared with non-exposed patients with pneumococcal meningitis., Conclusions: The routine use of intracranial devices is not associated with lower mortality or morbidity among patients with pneumococcal meningitis., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interests MMT has received travel grants outside this work from GlaxoSmithKline Pharma A/S and grants from research Fund of Copenhagen University Hospital - Rigshospitalet. A-ML reports speakers' honorarium/travel grants/advisory board activity and unrestricted grant from Gilead, speakers honorarium/travel grants from GSK, speaker's honorarium/advisory board activity from Pfizer outside this work and support for attending meetings and/or travel from Chiesi, Advanz and MSD outside this work. RBD reports support for attending meetings and/or travel for ECCMID2023 from ESCMID, participation in advisory board meeting for Pfizer, 2022 and 2024, and participation in Chair Industry Session ECCMID 2023 outside this work. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Objective: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and neuropathic pain impacts quality of life (QoL) and mental health negatively. This cross-sectional survey study aimed to 1) elucidate the associations between painful and painless DPN and QoL, mental health, and socioeconomic factors, 2) assess the prevalence of sensory pain descriptors, and 3) evaluate the association between descriptors and the above factors., Research Design and Methods: Participants were grouped into people with (n = 1,601) and without (n = 5,359) DPN based on the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument questionnaire. Participants with DPN were subsequently divided into people with (n = 1,085) and without (n = 516) concomitant neuropathic pain based on the modified Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions-interview., Results: The study showed diminished QoL (36-item Short Form Health Survey [SF-36]: 55.1 [interquartile range {IQR}36.7, 73.6], 82.2 [63.6, 90.9]) and poorer mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, subscale for anxiety: [HADS-A]: 5.00 [2, 9], 2.00 [1, 5]; HADS-subscale for depression [HADS-D]: 4.00 [1, 8], 1.00 [0, 3]) in participants with DPN compared with participants without DPN. The addition of pain diminished QoL (SF-36: 50.7 [34.8, 69.8]) and mental health (HADS-A: 6 [3, 10], HADS-D: 4 [1, 8]) further. The most prevalent pain descriptor in participants with painful DPN were burning pain (73%), while the most prevalent sensory descriptor was pins-and-needles (93%). An interesting finding is the high prevalence of itch (44%). Weak associations with mental health and QoL were present for cold pain, electric pain, and itch., Conclusions: An increased focus on differences in QoL, mental health, and pain phenotypes is of importance to move the field forward toward more interdisciplinary, personalized treatment., (© 2025 by the American Diabetes Association.)

In this population-based, nationwide Danish cohort study, bacterial meningitis in childhood was associated with increased neurological morbidity. The risks were highest among young children, who also received more antiepileptic medication. All children had increased frequency of hospital visits. These findings highlight the importance of follow-up after bacterial meningitis in children., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Nervous system infections are associated with long-term risks of neurological disorders and healthcare service utilization, but little data exist on the long-term risks of enteroviral meningitis in childhood., Methods: We performed a population-based, nationwide registry-based matched cohort study (1997-2021). We included 925 children with enteroviral meningitis aged <17 years, a comparison cohort, and a cohort of siblings of all individuals. To illustrate short- and long-term risks of neurological disorders, we calculated 1-year cumulative incidences and age- and sex-adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) during years 1-20 of follow-up. We further calculated the annual proportion of individuals using antiepileptic medication and healthcare services., Results: Young infants (0 to <90 days) and older children (≥90 days to <17 years) had slightly increased short- and long-term risks of neurological disorders after enteroviral meningitis compared to comparison cohort members (1-year cumulative incidence: 1.4% vs 0.6%, and 1.5% vs 0.4%, 1-20-year adjusted hazard ratio: 2.0 [95% CI: 1.2-3.2] and 1.7 [95% CI: 1.0-2.8]). Older children had increased use of antiepileptic medication, as well as the use of health care services both before and after enteroviral meningitis, with a similar trend among their siblings., Conclusions: Enteroviral meningitis in childhood appears to be associated with increased risk of short- and long-term neurological morbidity, though our estimates in older children may be confounded by prior neurological morbidity or increased healthcare-seeking behavior. Our findings suggest a generally good prognosis after enteroviral meningitis, though clinicians should be aware of the risk of neurological disorders in selected patients., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Aim: Identify values that could predict the presence of increased pressure-pain sensitivity independent of the migraine cycle through a single assessment., Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a previous study in which 198 episodic and chronic migraine patients were assessed during all phases of the migraine cycle. Pressure pain threshold (PPT) was assessed over the temporalis, cervical spine, hand, and leg. Migraine patients were divided into two sub-groups: patients with increased pressure-pain sensitivity (IPS) and with No IPS (No-IPS). A Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection decision tree analysis was used to identify predictors to be included in the IPS or NoIPS group. To assess the internal validity of the model, a tenfold cross-validation was applied., Results: 161 (81%) patients were included in the IPS group, while 37 (19%) in the NoIPS group. Migraine patients with: (1) Temporalis PPT ≤ 130 kPa; (2) Temporalis PPT > 130 kPa and ≤ 197.5 kPa and hand PPT ≤ 347.33 kPa; (3) Temporalis PPT > 197.5 kPa and hand PPT ≤ 315 kPa; were correctly included in the IPS group with a sensitivity of 96%, a specificity of 81%, a positive predictive value of 96%, and a negative predictive value of 81%. The accuracy of the model and the cross-validation analysis were respectively 93% and 92%., Conclusion: The high internal validity suggests that our model could precisely predict the presence of IPS independently by the phase in which the assessment occurred. Trigeminal and hand PPT cut-off values could be used to identify patients with IPS., (© 2025 The Author(s). European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation ‐ EFIC ®.)

The limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying human discogenic low back pain (DLBP) has hampered the development of effective treatments. While there is much research on disc degeneration, the association between degeneration and pain is weak. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify pain-inducing molecular mechanism to facilitate the development of mechanism-specific therapeutics. This scoping review aims to determine the current knowledge of molecular mechanisms associated with human DLBP. A systematic search on CENTRAL, CINAHL, Citation searching, ClinicalTrials.gov, Embase, Google Scholar, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and World Health Organization was performed. Studies with human DLBP as diagnosed by discography or imaging that analyzed human disc tissues and reported pain-related outcomes were included, and those on predominant radicular pain were excluded. The search returned 6012 studies. Most studies did not collect pain-related outcomes. Those that included pain assessment relied on self-report of pain intensity and disability. Six studies qualified for data extraction and synthesis. The main molecular mechanisms associated with DLBP were the expressions of nociceptive neuropeptides and cytokines, particularly TNF-αdue to its strong association with pain outcomes. Activation of NF-κB signaling pathway, alterations in adrenoceptor expressions, and increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) were also associated with DLBP through regulation of pro-inflammatory factors and pain-related neuropeptides. Current evidence converges to TNF-α, NF-κB signaling, and ROS-induced pro-inflammation. Major weaknesses in the current literature are the focus on degeneration without pain phenotyping, and lack of association of molecular findings with pain outcomes. PERSPECTIVE: This scoping review identified TNF-α, NF-κB signaling, and ROS-induced pro-inflammation as relevant mechanisms of human discogenic low back pain. Major weaknesses in the current literature are the focus on degeneration without pain phenotyping, and lack of association of molecular findings with pain outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors certify that there is no conflict of interest with any financial organization regarding the material discussed in the manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Buccal delivery offers a promising alternative to e.g., oral or parenteral drug administrations by leveraging the mucosal membranes of the mouth to enhance drug absorption and enhance patient compliance. Buccal films offer a promising approach for enhancing drug delivery by utilizing the mucoadhesive properties of the biopolymer pectin and glycerol's plasticizing effects. Designed to provide fast drug release, these films address the challenges of patient compliance, particularly among the elderly, children, and individuals with dysphagia. This study characterized the physicochemical properties of slot-die-coated films with pectin containing varying amounts of glycerol, including swelling behavior, disintegration rate, mechanical properties, mucoadhesion, and drug release profiles, using paracetamol as a model drug. Different methods such as quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation and open-source force analyzer were employed for the characterization. The results demonstrated that a high glycerol content in the films led to slower drug release with 95% paracetamol released for film without glycerol (GLY0) compared to only 74% released for film with 20% w/v glycerol (GLY20) after 60 min Additionally, higher glycerol levels resulted in enhanced mucoadhesive properties. Films containing 20% glycerol also showed superior permeability of paracetamol through ex vivo porcine buccal mucosa, with double the amount of paracetamol permeating in the first 120 min from GLY20 films compared to GLY0 films. These findings suggest that the pectin-glycerol buccal films, fabricated with slot-die coating as a novel technique, are user-friendly, exhibit interaction with the mucosa, and can be adjusted for specific disintegration and drug release rates, presenting a promising option for efficient, targeted drug delivery.

Objective: Adults with serious mental illness have high rates of tobacco use disorder and underuse pharmacotherapy for tobacco cessation. In a previous randomized controlled trial, participants receiving community health worker (CHW) support and education for their primary care providers (PCPs) had higher tobacco abstinence rates at 2 years, partly because of increased initiation of tobacco-cessation pharmacotherapy. The authors aimed to determine the association between CHW-participant engagement and tobacco abstinence outcomes., Methods: The authors conducted a secondary, mixed-methods analysis of 196 participants in the trial's intervention arm. Effects of the number and duration of CHW visits, number of smoking-cessation group sessions attended, and number of CHW-attended PCP visits on initiation of tobacco-cessation pharmacotherapy and tobacco abstinence were modeled via logistic regression. Interviews with 12 CHWs, 17 patient participants, and 17 PCPs were analyzed thematically., Results: Year 2 tobacco abstinence was significantly associated with CHW visit number (OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.29-2.66), visit duration (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.00-2.28), and number of group sessions attended (OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.33-2.58); effects on pharmacotherapy initiation were similar. One to three CHW visits per month across 2 years were optimal for achieving abstinence. Interviews identified CHW-patient engagement facilitators (i.e., trust, goal accountability, skills reinforcement, assistance in overcoming barriers to treatment access, and adherence). Training and supervision facilitated CHW effectiveness; barriers included PCPs' and care teams' limited understanding of the CHW role., Conclusions: Greater CHW-participant engagement, within feasible dose ranges, was associated with tobacco abstinence among adults with serious mental illness. Implementation of CHW interventions may benefit from further CHW training and integration within clinical teams., Competing Interests: Drs. Cather and Evins report serving as consultants for Charles River Analytics. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the causes of acute peripheral facial palsy (PFP) in Danish children and to explore whether neuroborreliosis-related PFP could be diagnosed without lumbar puncture using clinical symptoms and serum Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) antibodies., Methods: This retrospective population-based cohort study included children undergoing lumbar puncture for PFP between 2019 and 2023 in Denmark's Capital Region. Diagnostic performance measures for neuroborreliosis-related PFP were compared between serum Bb IgG alone and clinical risk scores combining Bb IgG with clinical parameters., Results: Of the 326 patients with PFP, 137 (42%) were diagnosed with neuroborreliosis and 151 (46%) had Bell's palsy. Positive predictive value for serum Bb IgG alone was 88% (95% CI 79-93) and negative predictive value was 83% (95% CI 75-88). The positive predictive value of a risk score with seven additional parameters was 90% (95% CI 81-95) and negative predictive value 87% (95% CI 80-92)., Conclusion: The positive predictive value of serum Bb IgG alone was high in our setting, where nearly half of children with PFP had neuroborreliosis. In high endemic settings, lumbar punctures may be reduced by (i) treating all children with PFP with doxycycline or (ii) treating Bb IgG positive children and performing lumbar puncture in seronegative children., (© 2024 The Author(s). Acta Paediatrica published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation Acta Paediatrica.)