Tag: pubmed

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2025 Jan 15:dgaf023. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaf023. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a painful inflammatory disorder of the thyroid gland, which – after a phase of thyrotoxicosis – leads to transient, or less frequently permanent hypothyroidism. Apart from a strong association with specific HLA alleles, the causes are uncertain. Viral disease has been hypothesised as a trigger, with Enteroviruses, namely Echoviruses and Coxsackieviruses, showing a seasonal distribution that coincides with the incidence of SAT. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, strict hygiene measures led to a sharp decline in infections and thus offered the opportunity to test this hypothesis.

METHODS: We analysed national registry data of hospitalised patients from Germany during the years 2015 to 2022 (Federal statistical Office (Destatis), Wiesbaden, Germany) and surveillance data on infectious diseases from the same years (clinical-virology.net and RKI). Statistical analysis includes modelling of seasonality by month, polynomial autoregression and Granger causality to assess dependency of future SAT frequencies from past ones, and association of virus incidence to SAT frequency, respectively.

RESULTS: Our study confirms previously described epidemiological findings with higher incidence in females and a seasonal peak in late summer coinciding with the seasonality of enteroviruses until 2019. In 2020, the pattern remained unchanged, except for the marked reduction of enteroviruses and other pathogens (except SARS-CoV-2) due to hygienic measures. Moreover, the SAT seasonality in the years 2021 and 2022 was apparently unaltered through the COVID-19 pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides strong evidence that despite their seasonal pattern, Echoviruses and Coxsackieviruses are not the cause of SAT. Moreover, no other analysed virus (including Influenza A and B, Parainfluenza, Rhinovirus, Human Coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2) showed any association.

PMID:39812071 | DOI:10.1210/clinem/dgaf023

Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. 2025 Jan 13. doi: 10.2174/0113862073355878241117153320. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: TSPOAP1 antisense RNA 1 (TSPOAP1-AS1) is a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that has received widespread attention in oncology research in recent years. Its role and mechanism in some cancers have gradually been revealed. However, it is not clear what role TSPOAP1-AS1 plays in cervical cancer (CESC).

OBJECTIVE: In this study, bioinformatic analysis and experimental validation were carried out to investigate the relationship between TSPOAP1-AS1 and CESC.

METHODS: The relationships between clinical characteristics in patients with CESC, TSPOAP1-AS1 expression, prognostic factors, regulation network, and immune infiltration of TSPOAP1-AS1 were evaluated using statistics and The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR was used to test TSPOAP1-AS1, miR-17-5p, and AGFG2 expression in CESC cell lines.

RESULTS: CESC patients exhibited markedly reduced expression of TSPOAP1-AS1. There was a significant correlation between low expression of TSPOAP1-AS1 in CESC patients and the clinical stage (p < 0.05), weight (p < 0.05), and BMI (p < 0.05). Lower expression of TSPOAP1-AS1 in patients with CESC was associated with poorer overall survival (OS) (p = 0.014) and disease-specific survival (DSS) (p = 0.030). There was also an independent correlation between high expression of TSPOAP1- AS1 (p = 0.036) and DSS in patients with CESC. TSPOAP1-AS1 was involved in the ribosome, oxidative phosphorylation, antigen processing and presentation, cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), the chemokine signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and primary immunodeficiencies. The infiltration of immune cells and the expression of TSPOAP1-AS1 were found to be correlated. A ceRNA network of TSPOAP1-AS1/miR-17-5p/AGFG2 was constructed in CESC. In CESC, a ceRNA network involving TSPOAP1-AS1/miR-17-5p/AGFG2 was successfully established. When comparing CESC cell lines with HcerEpic, the expression of TSPOAP1-AS1 and AGFG2 decreased significantly, and the expression of miR-17-5p increased significantly.

CONCLUSION: In CESC patients, low expression of TSPOAP1-AS1 was associated with poor survival and immune infiltration. It may be effective to use TSPOAP1-AS1 as a biomarker of prognosis and therapeutic target in CESC.

PMID:39812059 | DOI:10.2174/0113862073355878241117153320

Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2025 Jan 13. doi: 10.2174/0118715303367767241231113110. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

AIM: The aim of this study is to examine the role of the microrchidia (MORC) family, a group of chromatin remodeling proteins, as the therapeutic and prognostic markers for colorectal cancer (CRC).

BACKGROUND: MORC protein family genes are a highly conserved nucleoprotein superfamily whose members share a common domain but have distinct biological functions. Previous studies have analyzed the roles of MORCs as epigenetic regulators and chromatin remodulators; however, the involvement of MORCs in the development and pathogenesis of CRC was less examined.

OBJECTIVE: The current work examined the role of the MORCs as the therapeutic and prognostic markers for CRC.

METHODS: The expressions and prognostic significance of MORC family genes in CRC were explored. The role of these genes in tumor immunity was comprehensively analyzed in terms of their functions in immune cell infiltration, tumor microenvironment (TME), and their interaction with immune regulatory genes such as immunosuppressive genes, immune checkpoints and immunostimulatory genes. The relations between MORC family genes, tumor mutation burden (TMB), DNA, mismatch repair (MMR), RNA methylation, microsatellite instability (MSI), and drug sensitivity were investigated using the R statistical software. The expressions of MORC4 in 150 CRC tissues and 60 paracancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemical method. CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were measured by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), scratch assay, and transwell cell invasion assay.

RESULTS: The expressions of MORC2 and MORC4 were significantly upregulated, whereas those of MORC1 and MORC3 were noticeably downregulated in CRC in comparison to their expressions in normal colorectal mucosal tissues. Patients with high-expressed MORC2 showed a more unfavorable prognosis than those with a low MORC2 level. Functional annotation analysis identified 100 MORC family genes with the most significant negative or positive correlations to diabetic cardiomyopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, oxidative phosphorylation, Huntington’s disease, thermogenesis, Parkinson’s disease, olfactory transduction, Alzheimer’s disease, prion disease. MORC3 expression was positively correlated with Stromal score, Immune score and ESTIMATE score, while MORC2 expression was negatively related to the three scores in CRC, these correlations were not statistically significant. Additionally, the MORC family genes were significantly positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells such as T helper cells and exhibited close relations to some immunosuppressive genes such as CXCR4 and PVR, immunostimulatory genes such as TGFBR1, KDR, and CD160 as well as some immune checkpoint genes. It was found that the expressions of some members of MORC family genes were positively correlated with DNA methylation, MSI, TMB, MMRs, and drug sensitivity in CRC and that the mRNA and protein levels of MORC4 were remarkably upregulated in CRC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05). In the MORC4 knockdown group, DLD-1 cell proliferation was more inhibited than in the negative control (NC) and siRNA groups (P<0.05). Furthermore, the migratory capacity of DLD-1 cells and the number of cells crossing the basement membrane in the MORC4 knockdown group were reduced compared to the NC and siRNA groups (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: The expressions of MORC family genes were significantly different in CRC samples, which was related to the immune cell infiltration and prognosis of CRC. Thus, the MORC family genes were considered as markers for indicating the clinical immunotherapy and prognostic outcome of CRC.

PMID:39812044 | DOI:10.2174/0118715303367767241231113110

Psychiatr Hung. 2024;39(3):217-226.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: The Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) is a key tool in evaluating orthorexia nervosa, an obsession with healthy eating. However, the evaluation process of EHQ has witnessed considerable variation, with one item notably excluded from the last phase of its development. This study undertakes a thorough re-evaluation of the English version of the EHQ, focusing on its original 35 items, within two diverse populations (fashion models and university students) where English serves predominantly as a second language.

METHODS: Through an online survey involving 163 female models and 243 non-models (mean age=26.0 years (SD=4.7) and mean age=25.1 years (SD=5.0), respectively) with various ethnic background (proportion from non-English speaking EU countries: 28.5% and 90.4%, respectively). Participants completed the EHQ along with the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and SCOFF questionnaire.

RESULTS: Using confirmatory factor analysis, we analysed the factorial validity of EHQ subscales, eliminating items that did not align with the factor structure. After eliminating 17 items from the original 35-item questionnaire, the fit of the model for EHQ-18 was acceptable. Cronbach’s alpha values indicated acceptable reliability. The EHQ-18 problem sub – scale showed significant positive correlations with all EDI subscales, while all EHQ-18 subscales demonstrated significant positive correlations with the EDI Drive for Thinness subscale. Comparison of the groups based on the SCOFF threshold revealed positive and significant differences across all subscales.

CONCLUSION: We examined the impact of replacing an item in the EHQ-21 previously during its development process, and found that this potentially influenced the resulting factor structure. We recommend a new version of EHQ, the 18 item EHQ-18, supported by the analysis of the factorial and convergent validity, as well as the reliability. Furthermore, the findings suggest a potential discriminant validity of EHQ-18 in a diverse population, mostly speaking English as a second language.

PMID:39812027

Mol Biol Evol. 2025 Jan 15:msaf001. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaf001. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The pangenome of a species is the set of all genes carried by at least one member of the species. In bacteria, pangenomes can be much larger than the set of genes carried by a single organism. Many questions remain unanswered regarding the evolutionary forces shaping the patterns of presence/absence of genes in pangenomes of a given species. We introduce a new model for bacterial pangenome evolution along a species phylogeny that explicitly describes the timing of appearance of each gene in the species and accounts for three generic types of gene evolutionary dynamics: persistent genes that are present in the ancestral genome, private genes that are specific to a given clade, and mobile genes that are imported once into the gene pool and then undergo frequent horizontal gene transfers. We call this model the Persistent-Private-Mobile (PPM) model. We develop an algorithm fitting the PPM model and apply it to a dataset of 902 Salmonella enterica genomes. We show that the best fitting model is able to reproduce the global pattern of some multivariate statistics like the gene frequency spectrum and the parsimony vs. frequency plot. Moreover, the gene classification induced by the PPM model allows us to study the position of accessory genes on the chromosome depending on their category, as well as the gene functions that are most present in each category. This work paves the way for a mechanistic understanding of pangenome evolution, and the PPM model developed here could be used for dynamics-aware gene classification.

PMID:39812022 | DOI:10.1093/molbev/msaf001

Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2025 Jan 14. doi: 10.1097/SLE.0000000000001356. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is a well-established endoscopic treatment for achalasia, utilizing an endoscopic knife for dissection. Recently, new knives with an integrated water-jet (WJ) function have been introduced. This study aims to compare the technical, perioperative, and late postoperative outcomes between WJ knives and conventional (C) knives, which lack the WJ function, through a pairwise meta-analysis of published comparative studies.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to identify studies directly comparing knives with versus without a WJ function in POEM for achalasia. A random-effects model was employed, using odds ratios for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data as effect size metrics.

RESULTS: The use of WJ knives demonstrated statistically significant reductions in the mean number of intraoperative instrument exchanges, mean intraoperative use of coagulation forceps, and operative times compared to the use of C knives. There were no significant differences in terms of the incidence of adverse events, subcutaneous emphysema, or mean hospital length of stay (LOS). Clinical success, defined as a postoperative Eckardt score <3, mean postoperative Eckardt scores, and the incidence of GERD requiring proton pump inhibitors (PPI) also showed no significant differences.

CONCLUSIONS: The use of water-jet (WJ) knives demonstrates comparable efficacy to conventional (C) knives, with superior efficiency reflected in reduced operative time and fewer intraoperative instrument exchanges. In addition, in terms of safety, the lower use of coagulation forceps with WJ knives suggests reduced intraoperative bleeding. However, no significant differences were observed between the groups in terms of length of stay (LOS) and adverse events, despite a trend toward reduction. A larger number of studies with greater sample sizes is required to better assess potential differences in safety between the use of WJ and C knives.

PMID:39812005 | DOI:10.1097/SLE.0000000000001356

Disabil Rehabil. 2025 Jan 15:1-23. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2024.2443040. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This systematic review examined studies that addressed physiotherapy intervention approaches to the Quality of Life (QoL) of people with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive search strategy in five databases (PEDro, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar) until 12 February 2024. We assessed the included studies’ methodological quality and statistical description using the PEDro scale. We performed a meta-analysis using random-effect models to synthesize the results of different physiotherapy interventions and their impact on QoL.

RESULTS: We included 37 studies that met the eligibility criteria, involving people with CP aged between 18 months and 53 years across all levels of the Gross Motor Function Classification System (n = 1541). The included studies present a considerable variation in scales, duration, types of therapies, and number of sessions. The meta-analysis demonstrated significant standardized mean differences in favor of alternative physiotherapy compared to conventional physiotherapy, considering a single general index of QoL.

CONCLUSION: Findings from the included studies indicate that alternative physiotherapy can improve the QoL for people with CP, but the results vary. A personalized, comprehensive approach is essential, emphasizing high-frequency, guided activities. More rigorous research is needed for those with GMFCS levels IV and V.

PMID:39811998 | DOI:10.1080/09638288.2024.2443040

Vet Med Sci. 2025 Jan;11(1):e70214. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70214.

ABSTRACT

Family poultry farming plays a crucial role in ensuring protein availability and household income, particularly in low-income families. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes and practices of family poultry farmers regarding poultry diseases, biosecurity and vaccinations. The research involved surveying 150 farmers in a selected area in Sri Lanka’s western province, revealing significant knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding poultry diseases, their causes, transmission pathways and potential impacts on humans. Most respondents demonstrated a lack of familiarity with biosecurity practices, with only a small fraction accurately identified recommended measures. Among the total respondents, only 16.7% were familiar with the term ‘biosecurity’. Additionally, only 29.3% recognized that family poultry could pose a threat to public health. A significant majority (84.67%) admitted to not knowing which diseases could be effectively prevented through vaccination, and 80% of respondents had never vaccinated their birds. These findings highlight the challenges faced by family poultry farmers due to their limited understanding of crucial aspects of poultry management. The study underscores the need for government intervention and policy development to address these issues. Education and training programmes are essential to enhance farmers’ awareness regarding disease control, biosecurity measures and the benefits of vaccination.

PMID:39811996 | DOI:10.1002/vms3.70214

Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2025 Jan 13. doi: 10.1097/SLE.0000000000001353. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Several studies have hypothesized that sparing the oblique/sling fibers during posterior peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) may reduce the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and reflux esophagitis without compromising the established safety and efficacy of the procedure. This study compares perioperative, postoperative motility-related, and postoperative GERD-related outcomes between posterior oblique/sling fibers-sparing POEM (OFS-POEM) and conventional posterior POEM through a pairwise meta-analysis of comparative studies.

METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines to identify articles directly comparing posterior OFS-POEM with conventional posterior POEM. A pairwise meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. Effect sizes were calculated as odds ratios for dichotomous data and mean differences for continuous data.

RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in perioperative outcomes, including mean gastric myotomy length, mean operative time, and incidence of adverse events. Similarly, no significant differences were noted in postoperative motility-related outcomes, such as mean Eckardt score and mean integrated relaxation pressure. However, a statistically significant reduction in the incidence of symptomatic GERD was observed in favor of OFS-POEM, with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 10 (95% CI: 6-49). Interestingly, no significant differences were found in the incidence of objectively diagnosed postoperative GERD, such as the number of patients with DeMeester scores >14 or the incidence of reflux esophagitis.

CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that OFS-POEM may reduce the incidence of symptomatic GERD following POEM, without affecting the incidence of GERD diagnosed by pH studies (DeMeester score >14) or by endoscopy (reflux esophagitis). Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to further investigate the impact of OFS-POEM on GERD incidence as determined by pH studies and endoscopic findings. Given the limitations of this study, no definitive conclusions can be drawn. Multicenter randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes are required to reach more reliable conclusions. Furthermore, stratifying data according to the type and class of achalasia would provide valuable information on whether there are differences in outcomes among the various types and classes of achalasia.

PMID:39811987 | DOI:10.1097/SLE.0000000000001353

OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2025 Jan 15:15394492241311004. doi: 10.1177/15394492241311004. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Despite documented benefits for development, children are engaging in considerably fewer risky play activities. Research on parent gender and children’s risky play is inconsistent. Gender and cultural context shape how individuals perceive and tolerate children’s risky play. Little research exists on gender disparities in approaches to risky play in Eastern cultures, including Saudi Arabia. The study’s objective was to examine gender variations in Saudi parents’ willingness and tolerance for children’s risky play. It included 85 parents: 41 fathers and 44 mothers. Differential Item Functioning analysis revealed a statistically significant difference between mothers and fathers on three Factors Affecting Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale items. While interaction effects and predictors were not significant (p = .22-.97), the overall multiple regression model significantly predicted parents’ risk tolerance (p = .04). Within the context of other factors, gender appeared to play a complex and indirect role in determining parents’ risk tolerance.

PMID:39811976 | DOI:10.1177/15394492241311004