Article
Rheumatology
Marie Pean De Ponfilly-Sotier, Florent L. Besson, Lea Gomez, Sebastien Ottaviani, Philippe Dieude, Stephane Pavy, Xavier Mariette, Raphaele Seror, Gaetane Nocturne
Summary: This study evaluated the relevance of 18F-FDG PET-CT in discriminating polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and spondylarthritis (SpA) with atypical presentations. The results showed significant overlap in PET-CT patterns between the two conditions, making differentiation challenging. The use of a validated PET-CT composite score could improve diagnostic performance.
Article
Rheumatology
Sizheng Steven Zhao, Gareth T. Jones, Gary J. Macfarlane, David M. Hughes, Robert J. Moots, Nicola J. Goodson
Summary: Comorbidities are associated with higher patient reported disease activity in axial SpA. Depression, heart failure, and peptic ulcer are consistently associated with disease activity measures, but not with CRP/ESR.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rachid Aaziz, Karine Laroucau, Federica Gobbo, Daniela Salvatore, Christiane Schnee, Calogero Terregino, Caterina Lupini, Antonietta Di Francesco
Summary: The study found that 12 out of 108 corvids in Northeast Italy tested positive for Chlamydia, with one sample positive for C. psittaci and seven samples positive for C. abortus.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Tae-Hwan Kim, Seo Young Park, Ji Hui Shin, Seunghun Lee, Kyung Bin Joo, Bon San Koo
Summary: This retrospective study found a significant correlation between serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels and radiographic changes in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The study suggests that serum ALP levels measured approximately 5 years before may serve as a surrogate marker for predicting spinal radiographic changes in AS patients.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Biology
Stuparu Alina Zorina, Sanda Jurja, Mihaela Mehedinti, Ana-Maria Stoica, Dana Simona Chita, Stuparu Alexandru Floris, Any Axelerad
Summary: Infections may pose a potential risk for parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease, but the risk from most agents remains unclear. The latency period between infection and PD appears to be highly variable and often long. It is therefore crucial to identify the cause and provide appropriate treatment accordingly.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Frank Imkamp, Sarah Albini, Michael Karbach, Nina Kimmich, Carlotta Spinelli, Sebastian Herren, Remy Sprecher, Karin Meier, Nicole Borel
Summary: Zoonotic species of the Chlamydiaceae family can cause severe atypical pneumonia. Two cases of pneumonia, not related to SARS-CoV-2, were traced back to pet birds and abortions in a sheep and goat flock, respectively. Interdisciplinary research involving physicians and veterinarians used state-of-art molecular methods to identify and genotype the zoonotic Chlamydiae.
SWISS MEDICAL WEEKLY
(2022)
Article
Orthopedics
Soosan G. Soroosh, Ali Ghatfan, Abolfazl Farbod, Elahe Meftah
Summary: Synovial biopsy is an effective diagnostic approach for establishing a definite diagnosis in patients with undifferentiated chronic knee monoarthritis. Non-specific synovitis is the most common histopathologic finding, emphasizing the importance of physician expert opinion for most of these patients.
BMC MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Matthew L. Stoll, Jue Wang, Chung How Kau, Margaret Kathy Pierce, Casey D. Morrow, Nicolaas C. Geurs
Summary: In this pilot study, the researchers analyzed the oral microbiota of healthy individuals and patients with spondyloarthritis. They found decreased diversity in the plaque of patients compared to controls, and identified specific bacteria that were significantly increased in the plaque of patients. These findings suggest a potential role of the oral cavity in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis, warranting further studies.
Review
Rheumatology
Varun Dhir, Debasish Mishra, Joydeep Samanta
Summary: Although studies on systemic and local injections of GCs in SpA are limited, there is evidence of efficacy with high-dose systemic GCs in the short term (<= 6 months). Both IA and entheseal injections appear to be safe and effective.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas V. C. Ralston
Summary: Selenium controls various physiological functions through selenocysteine-containing enzymes, but its activity is vulnerable to binding by harmful reactants. Complementary reactant exposures may have cumulative and synergistic effects on selenoenzyme activities, exacerbating oxidative damage and being associated with degenerative diseases.
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Olivier Fakih, Andre Ramon, Mickael Chouk, Clement Prati, Paul Ornetti, Daniel Wendling, Frank Verhoeven
Summary: This study aimed to describe the CT characteristics of sacro-iliac joints (SIJ) and the presence of intra-articular gas in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) aged over 50 years and to compare them with controls of the same age and sex. The results showed that patients with AS had higher rates of positive scores for joint space narrowing, erosion, and sclerosis compared to controls, but lower rates of intra-articular gas.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Abdullah Bin Sawad, Bhuva Narayan, Ahlam Alnefaie, Ashwaq Maqbool, Indra Mckie, Jemma Smith, Berkan Yuksel, Deepak Puthal, Mukesh Prasad, A. Baki Kocaballi
Summary: This paper reviews different types of conversational agents used in health care for chronic conditions and examines their underlying communication technology, evaluation measures, and AI methods. The overall acceptance of conversational agents by users for the self-management of their chronic conditions is promising, although there is a lack of reliable evidence to determine the efficacy of AI-enabled conversational agents due to insufficient reporting of technical implementation details.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mohammad Akhoundi, Nambininiavo Marianne Ranorohasimanana, Sophie Brun, Catherine Kauffmann-Lacroix, Arezki Izri
Summary: Clogmia albipunctata, also known as drain fly, is a non-hematophagous insect with a worldwide distribution. It can be found in various locations with decaying or moist organic matter. Although it has been suggested to be the causative agent of myiasis in humans, there is a lack of conclusive evidence supporting this claim.
Article
Plant Sciences
Stefano Negri, Sofia Gambini, Stefania Ceoldo, Linda Avesani, Mauro Commisso, Flavia Guzzo
Summary: Land plants produce specialized metabolites with interesting bioactivities in humans, such as flavonol quercetin which has potential as an inhibitor of the major protease of SARS-CoV-2 virus. Plant cell and tissue culture (PCTC) is an attractive biotechnological platform for producing plant metabolites, offering resource efficiency and absence of contaminants.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Lara Teixeira Lopes, Jorge Magalhaes Rodrigues, Celeste Baccarin, Kevin Oliveira, Manuela Abreu, Victor Ribeiro, Zelia Cacador Anastacio, Jorge Pereira Machado
Summary: Autism spectrum disorder is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with possible causes including genetics, environment, and metabolism. Research suggests that autism may be evaluated as a systemic disorder rather than solely through the lens of mental and behavioral issues.