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ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the agreement between explosive detection dog (EDD) handlers and a team of veterinarians in assessing body condition score (BCS) and muscle condition score (MCS), hypothesizing significant BCS differences between handlers and veterinarians, and no significant MCS differences in healthy active duty EDDs.MethodsThis prospective study analyzed variance and inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of agreement within BCS and MCS assessments collected from the 43 EDDs by four blinded graders; the EDDs’ respective handler and three veterinarians with varying levels of veterinary expertise.ResultsThe results of the study showed that 74.4% of the EDD population was graded as ideal BCS (4 or 5 out of 9) by the handlers compared to 67.44% by the members of the veterinary team; however, the graders scored different subsets of individual EDDs as ideal. Normal MCS (3 out of 3) was assessed in 86.05% (n = 37) of EDDs by the handlers versus in 70.54% by the veterinary team.ConclusionThis study highlights the importance of standardized training and guidelines for BCS and MCS assessments in working dogs to improve agreement between all members of the healthcare team.

Abstract Background Heavy smokers are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and may benefit from individualized risk quantification using routine lung cancer screening chest computed tomography. We investigated the prognostic value of deep learning-based automated epicardial adipose tissue quantification and compared it to established cardiovascular risk factors and coronary artery calcium. Methods We investigated the prognostic value of automated epicardial adipose tissue quantification in heavy smokers enrolled in the National Lung Screening Trial and followed for 12.3 (11.9–12.8) years. The epicardial adipose tissue was segmented and quantified on non-ECG-synchronized, non-contrast low-dose chest computed tomography scans using a validated deep-learning algorithm. Multivariable survival regression analyses were then utilized to determine the associations of epicardial adipose tissue volume and density with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality (myocardial infarction and stroke). Results Here we show in 24,090 adult heavy smokers (59% men; 61 ± 5 years) that epicardial adipose tissue volume and density are independently associated with all-cause (adjusted hazard ratios: 1.10 and 1.38; P

Abstract Background Autistic and non-autistic individuals often differ in how they perceive and show emotions, especially in their ability and inclination to infer other people’s feelings from subtle cues like facial expressions. Prominent theories of autism have suggested that these differences stem from alterations in amygdala functioning and that amygdala hypoactivation causes problems with emotion recognition. Thus far, however, empirical investigations of this hypothesis have yielded mixed results and largely relied on relatively small samples. Methods In a sample of 72 autistic and 79 non-autistic participants, we conducted a study in which we used the Hariri paradigm to test whether amygdala activation during emotional face processing is altered in autism spectrum disorder, and whether common mental disorders like depression, ADHD or anxiety disorders influence any potential alterations in activation patterns. Results We found no evidence for differences in amygdala activation, neither when comparing autistic and non-autistic participants, nor when taking into account mental disorders or the overall level of functional impairment. Limitations Because we used one basic emotion processing task in a Dutch sample, results might not generalise to other tasks and other populations. Conclusions Our results challenge the view that autistic and non-autistic processing of emotional faces in the amygdala is vastly different and call for a more nuanced view of differences between non-autistic and autistic emotion processing.

A new synthetic method for the synthesis of C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions has been developed. The reaction of [closo-B11H11]2− with terminal alkynes in the presence of a copper catalyst leads to insertion into the boron cluster, and C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions are formed. These reactions are strongly dependent on the reaction conditions, the solvents, and the alkynes used. The alkynes HCCCO2Et, HCCCO2Me, and HCCCONH2 lead to the formation of [NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11]− as the final product in aqueous ammonia solution. In contrast, the reaction using the alkyne HCCCOMe yields [MeC(O)CH2-CB11H11]−. The products have been fully characterized by multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. The crystal structures of K[NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] and [NEt3CH2Cl][NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] have been determined.

While computed tomography (CT)-guided liver biopsies are commonly performed using unenhanced images, contrast-enhanced images are beneficial for challenging puncture pathways and lesion locations. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of CT-guided biopsies for intrahepatic lesions using unenhanced, intravenous (IV)-enhanced, or intra-arterial Lipiodol-marked CT for lesion marking.

BackgroundWorldwide, sex workers face stigmatization and discrimination, also within healthcare. Only few studies on healthcare providers’ attitudes towards care of sex workers have been performed. This study assessed attitudes and knowledge of healthcare providers in Germany towards sex workers and their specific health risks.MethodsGerman healthcare professionals and medical students were invited to participate in a nationwide cross-sectional study in 2022. The online survey used a German translation of the “Attitudes towards Prostitutes and Prostitution Scale” by Levin and Peled for assessment of attitudes towards sex work and workers, together with prevalence estimates of common mental and physical disorders.ResultsA total of 469 questionnaires were included into analysis. Older participants tended to regard sex work as less of a choice (p

Abstract Background The burden of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a reduction of available health care capacity for regular care. To guide prioritisation of semielective surgery in times of scarcity, we previously developed a decision model to quantify the expected health loss due to delay of surgery, in an academic hospital setting. The aim of this study is to validate our decision model in a nonacademic setting and include additional elective surgical procedures. Methods In this study, we used the previously published three-state cohort state-transition model, to evaluate the health effects of surgery postponement for 28 surgical procedures commonly performed in nonacademic hospitals. Scientific literature and national registries yielded nearly all input parameters, except for the quality of life (QoL) estimates which were obtained from experts using the Delphi method. Two expert panels, one from a single nonacademic hospital and one from different nonacademic hospitals in the Netherlands, were invited to estimate QoL weights. We compared estimated model results (disability adjusted life years (DALY)/month of surgical delay) based on the QoL estimates from the two panels by calculating the mean difference and the correlation between the ranks of the different surgical procedures. The eventual model was based on the combined QoL estimates from both panels. Results Pacemaker implantation was associated with the most DALY/month of surgical delay (0.054 DALY/month, 95% CI: 0.025–0.103) and hemithyreoidectomy with the least DALY/month (0.006 DALY/month, 95% CI: 0.002–0.009). The overall mean difference of QoL estimates between the two panels was 0.005 (95% CI -0.014–0.004). The correlation between ranks was 0.983 (p

Major depression is one of the most common mental disorders, affecting millions of people around the globe. In recent years, researchers increasingly investigated social cognition in depression and discovered pronounced alterations. A special focus has been put on mentalising or Theory of Mind, the ability to recognize and understand another person’s thoughts and feelings. While there is behavioral evidence for deficits in this ability in patients with depression as well as specialized therapeutic interventions, the neuroscientific substrates are only beginning to be understood. In this mini-review, we take a social neuroscience perspective to analyse the importance of altered mentalising in depression and whether it can help to understand the origins and perpetuation of the disorder. We will put a special focus on treatment options and corresponding neural changes to identify relevant paths for future (neuroscientific) research.

Abstract While it is known that cultural background influences the healthy brain, less is known about how it affects cortical changes in schizophrenia. Here, we tested whether schizophrenia differentially affected the brain in Japanese and German patients. In a sample of 155 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 191 healthy controls from Japan and Germany, we acquired 3 T-MRI of the brain. We subsequently compared cortical thickness and cortical surface area to identify whether differences between healthy controls and patients might be influenced by ethnicity. Additional analyses were performed to account for effects of duration of illness and medication. We found pronounced interactions between schizophrenia and cultural background in the cortical thickness of several areas, including the left inferior and middle temporal gyrus, as well as the right lateral occipital cortex. Regarding cortical surface area, interaction effects appeared in the insula and the occipital cortex, among others. Some of these brain areas are related to the expression of psychotic symptoms, which are known to differ across cultures. Our results indicate that cultural background impacts cortical structures in different ways, probably resulting in varying clinical manifestations, and call for the inclusion of more diverse samples in schizophrenia research.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the agreement between explosive detection dog (EDD) handlers and a team of veterinarians in assessing body condition score (BCS) and muscle condition score (MCS), hypothesizing significant BCS differences between handlers and veterinarians, and no significant MCS differences in healthy active duty EDDs. Methods: This prospective study analyzed variance and inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of agreement within BCS and MCS assessments collected from the 43 EDDs by four blinded graders; the EDDs' respective handler and three veterinarians with varying levels of veterinary expertise. Results: The results of the study showed that 74.4% of the EDD population was graded as ideal BCS (4 or 5 out of 9) by the handlers compared to 67.44% by the members of the veterinary team; however, the graders scored different subsets of individual EDDs as ideal. Normal MCS (3 out of 3) was assessed in 86.05% (n = 37) of EDDs by the handlers versus in 70.54% by the veterinary team. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of standardized training and guidelines for BCS and MCS assessments in working dogs to improve agreement between all members of the healthcare team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Properties of the vapor‐liquid interface of 16 binary mixtures were studied using molecular dynamics simulations and density gradient theory in combination with the PCP‐SAFT equation of state. All binary combinations of the heavy‐boiling components (cyclohexane, toluene, acetone, and carbon tetrachloride) with the light‐boiling components (methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen chloride, and nitrogen) were investigated at 0.7 times the critical temperature of the heavy‐boiling component in the whole composition range. Data on the surface tension, the enrichment, the relative adsorption, and the interfacial thickness, as well as for the vapor‐liquid equilibrium and Henry's law constant are reported. The binary interaction parameters were fitted to experimental data in a consistent way for all systems and both methods. Overall, the results from both methods agree well for all investigated properties. The interfacial properties of the different studied systems differ strongly. We show that these differences are directly related to the underlying phase equilibrium behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hormones orchestrate the physiology of organisms. Measuring the activity of defense hormone-responsive genes can help understanding immune signaling and facilitate breeding for plant health. However, different from model species like Arabidopsis, genes that respond to defense hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) have not been disclosed in the soybean crop. We performed global transcriptome analyses to fill this knowledge gap. Upon exogenous application, endogenous levels of SA and JA increased in leaves. SA predominantly activated genes linked to systemic acquired resistance and defense signaling whereas JA mainly activated wound response-associated genes. In general, SA-responsive genes were activated earlier than those responding to JA. Consistent with the paradigm of biotrophic pathogens predominantly activating SA responses, free SA and here identified most robust SA marker genes GmNIMIN1, GmNIMIN1.2 and GmWRK40 were induced upon inoculation with Phakopsora pachyrhizi, whereas JA marker genes did not respond to infection with the biotrophic fungus. Spodoptera exigua larvae caused a strong accumulation of JA-Ile and JA-specific mRNA transcripts of GmBPI1, GmKTI1 and GmAAT whereas neither free SA nor SA-marker gene transcripts accumulated upon insect feeding. Our study provides molecular tools for monitoring the dynamic accumulation of SA and JA, e.g. in a given stress condition.

Persistent or recurrent cardiovascular symptoms have been identified as one of the hallmarks of long-COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and extent of cardiac abnormalities in patients referred for cardiac MRI due to clinical evidence of PASC. To investigate this, two tertiary care hospitals identified all patients who were referred for cardiac MRI under the suspicion of PASC in a 2-year period and retrospectively included them in this study. Patients with previously known cardiac diseases were excluded. This resulted in a total cohort of 129 patients (63, 51% female; age 41 ± 16 years). The majority of patients (57%) showed normal cardiac results. No patient had active myocarditis or an acute myocardial infarction. However, 30% of patients had evidence of non-ischemic myocardial fibrosis, which exceeds the prevalence in the normal adult population and suggests that a possible history of myocarditis might explain persistent symptoms in the PASC setting.

If the current policy explores the utilization of active ingredients in use quickly and to the maximum, the same does not occur with the ban on the registration of products highly dangerous to both health and the environment. The current policy does not aim at reducing pesticide toxicity and ecotoxicity, required to reduce environmental contamination and human exposure. To this end, it is essential to adjust scientific evaluation parameters concerning lower concentration tolerance limits to modernity standards, in addition to banning products for which there is scientific evidence of carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic actions. In ecotoxicology, reducing the applicable concentration limits is paramount for preserving bees, birds, and other forms of domestic and wildlife. When evaluating active ingredients, it is imperative to prioritize more biodegradable molecules with low potential for environmental mobilization through volatilization and leaching, preserving both air and water quality. Another goal, among others, is a program for the generalized reduction of successfully implemented in several countries. Brazil, a tropical agriculture leader, should stand out by incorporating sustainability while preserving both health and the environment.

Cancer treatment with anti–PD-1 immunotherapy can cause central nervous system immune-related adverse events (CNS-irAEs). The role of microglia in anti–PD-1 immunotherapy–induced CNS-irAEs is unclear. We found that anti–PD-1 treatment of mice caused morphological signs of activation and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II up-regulation on microglia. Functionally, anti–PD-1 treatment induced neurocognitive deficits in mice, independent of T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells. Instead, we found that microglia mediated these CNS-irAEs. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed major transcriptional changes in microglia upon anti–PD-1 treatment. The anti–PD-1 effects were mediated by anti–PD-1 antibodies interacting directly with microglia and were not secondary to peripheral T cell activation. Using a proteomics approach, we identified spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) as a potential target in activated microglia upon anti–PD-1 treatment. Syk inhibition reduced microglia activation and improved neurocognitive function without impairing anti-melanoma effects. Moreover, we analyzed CNS tissue from a patient cohort that had received anti–PD-1 treatment. Imaging mass cytometry revealed that anti–PD-1 treatment of patients was associated with increased surface marker expression indicative of microglia activation. In summary, we identified a disease-promoting role for microglia in CNS-irAEs driven by Syk and provide an inhibitor-based approach to interfere with this complication after anti–PD-1 immunotherapy. Editor's summary: Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4 have revolutionized cancer treatment, but these powerful treatments come at a cost. A subset of patients who receive these therapies develop immune-related adverse events (irAEs). These irAEs can affect multiple tissues, including the central nervous system (CNS). Here, Vinnakota et al. studied the CNS after PD-1 blockade in mice with and without tumors. The authors observed activation of microglia that was associated with behavioral changes. Preventing microglial activation with an inhibitor of Syk improved neurocognitive functions in mice cotreated with PD-1 blockade. Finally, the authors showed that CNS tissue from patients who received PD-1 blockade also had evidence of microglial activation. Together, these data suggest both a cause of CNS-irAEs and a potential therapeutic approach. —Courtney Malo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new synthetic method for the synthesis of C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions has been developed. The reaction of [closo-B11H11]2− with terminal alkynes in the presence of a copper catalyst leads to insertion into the boron cluster, and C-substituted [RC(O)CH2-CB11H11]− carborate anions are formed. These reactions are strongly dependent on the reaction conditions, the solvents, and the alkynes used. The alkynes HCCCO2Et, HCCCO2Me, and HCCCONH2 lead to the formation of [NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11]− as the final product in aqueous ammonia solution. In contrast, the reaction using the alkyne HCCCOMe yields [MeC(O)CH2-CB11H11]−. The products have been fully characterized by multinuclear NMR and IR spectroscopy as well as mass spectrometry. The crystal structures of K[NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] and [NEt3CH2Cl][NH2C(O)CH2-CB11H11] have been determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an acute respiratory disease with systemic complications. Therapeutic strategies for COVID-19, including repurposing (partially) developed drugs are urgently needed, regardless of the increasingly successful vaccination outcomes. We characterized two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional models (3D) to establish a physiologically relevant airway epithelial model with potential for investigating SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics. Human airway basal epithelial cells maintained in submerged 2D culture were used at low passage to retain the capacity to differentiate into ciliated, club, and goblet cells in both air-liquid interface culture (ALI) and airway organoid cultures, which were then analyzed for cell phenotype makers. Airway biopsies from non-asthmatic and asthmatic donors enabled comparative evaluation of the level and distribution of immunoreactive angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). ACE2 and transmembrane serine proteinase 2 (TMPRSS2) mRNA were expressed in ALI and airway organoids at levels similar to those of native (i.e., non-cultured) human bronchial epithelial cells, whereas furin expression was more faithfully represented in ALI. ACE2 was mainly localized to ciliated and basal epithelial cells in human airway biopsies, ALI, and airway organoids. Cystic fibrosis appeared to have no influence on ACE2 gene expression. Neither asthma nor smoking status had consistent marked influence on the expression or distribution of ACE2 in airway biopsies. SARS-CoV-2 infection of ALI cultures did not increase the levels of selected cytokines. Organotypic, and particularly ALI airway cultures are useful and practical tools for investigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and evaluating the clinical potential of therapeutics for COVID-19.