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Viscoelastic phenotyping of meningiomas reveals biomechanical classes and intratumoral heterogeneity
No full textTumor consistency influences meningioma handling during surgery, but systematic biomechanical classifications are lacking. In this prospective study, 129 tumor slices from 20 meningiomas underwent amplitude-sweep oscillatory rheometry (1–100% strain, 1 Hz) to characterize storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), damping (tan δ), yield strain, and strain stiffening. Curves were normalized, embedded by principal component analysis, and subjected to unsupervised clustering. Three reproducible viscoelastic phenotypes were identified (Cluster A: 29%, B: 61%, C: 9%) that differed significantly across baseline stiffness, stiffening slope, yield strain, and damping (all q < 1 × 10-7). Cluster C, defined by high stiffness and elevated dissipation, was strongly associated with intraoperative hard grading (OR 82.8, 95% CI 11.0–623.2, p < 0.0001). Tumor-level stiffness index correlated with overall consistency (ρ = 0.48, p = 0.033), and the hard-phenotype fraction tracked both maximum (ρ = 0.54, p = 0.013) and minimum consistency (ρ = 0.53, p = 0.017). Entropy-based heterogeneity did not predict surgical consistency range. Clustering robustness was confirmed by bootstrap (ARI 0.81) and leave-one-tumor-out analysis (ARI 0.79). These findings suggest a quantitative biomechanical classification of meningiomas directly linked to operative handling.</p
Likelihood ratio estimation of partial Y-STR profile matches using discrete Laplace models and marginalisation
No full textThe discrete Laplace model can be used to estimate the evidential weight of a match between the Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) DNA profiles of the evidence material and a suspect. When the weight of evidence of a match between partial Y-STR profiles is assessed, a discrete Laplace model, restricted to the observed loci in the partial evidence profile, is constructed. However, fitting such a discrete Laplace model is time-consuming since it requires estimating the parameters of the discrete Laplace model and validating the model. We implemented the marginalisation method for discrete Laplace models to estimate the evidential weight of a match between a partial Y-STR evidence profile and a Y-STR reference profile. Since the marginalisation method is based on discrete Laplace models for complete Y-STR profiles, no additional models need to be constructed. We compared the likelihood ratios (LRs) obtained with (1) the marginalisation method and (2) by fitting new discrete Laplace models restricted to the observed loci in the partial evidence profile. In most cases, the two methods yielded similar LRs, differing by a factor less than 10. Although rare, large differences in the LRs obtained from the two methods were also observed. If all LRs were restricted to at most 1,000,000, then ca. 1.8%, 0.16%, and 0.007% of the cases resulted in differences in LRs between the two methods that were larger than factors of 10,100, and 1,000, respectively. Given the similar performance of the two methods, the reduced computational cost of the marginalisation method makes it a more practical and time-efficient choice for forensic applications.</p
‘Just imagine…’:mental imagery correlates with Food Neophobia
No full textFood neophobia (FN), characterised by a reluctance to consume, or a tendency to avoid novel foods, is a prevalent but complex trait with significant implications for dietary diversity and nutritional health. While prior research has investigated sensory and emotional drives of FN, the cognitive mechanisms that shape anticipatory responses to novel foods remain relatively underexplored. The present work reported two studies investigating whether individual differences in mental imagery (MI) are associated with FN tendencies. Study 1 (N = 1443) employed a large-scale online survey in which participants completed the Food Neophobia Scale and rated the vividness of multisensory MI using the Plymouth Sensory Imagery Scale and Spontaneous Use of Imagery Scale. The results revealed a small but significant negative correlation between FN and multisensory MI vividness (rho: −0.07 to −0.15; p < 0.05). Study 2 used a laboratory-based, computerised imagery task. A total of 82 participants were shown the pictures of common fruits and vegetables and instructed to imagine each item's flavour and texture, before rating vividness, difficulty, and onset speed of the sensory image. Individuals with a high FN reported greater difficulty in generating food-related flavour imagery for specific food stimuli, although differences in vividness ratings between FN groups were small. Across both studies, MI emerged as a meaningful cognitive correlate of FN, suggesting that the ability to mentally simulate sensory experiences may represent an underappreicated dimension of FN. Highlighting this cognitive perspective offers new directions for understanding and potentially addressing reluctance to engage with unfamiliar foods.</p
Automated correction of saturated peaks in untargeted GC-MS:a chemometric approach
No full textGas chromatography (GC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) is a widely utilized analytical technique in various research fields, such as food and environmental science to generate untargeted profiles of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These profiles often contain numerous compounds with diverse functional groups, present in a wide range of concentrations. Despite the multiple advantages of this technique, highly concentrated compounds can lead to problems such as MS detector saturation. This results in a distorted signal and a loss of accurate quantitative information, as the peak area of the saturated ion (m/z) is no longer a reliable estimate of a compound's abundance in a sample. Although detector saturation is a common challenge in chromatography, no robust solution has been developed to effectively address it. Therefore, this study proposes an automated method to detect and correct saturated m/z signals in untargeted GC-MS data, enabling accurate quantification and identification of highly concentrated VOCs. Our approach leverages the fact that saturation in fact manifests as right-censored data in specific masses (m/z), allowing automatic detection and unbiased modelling using tensor decomposition, namely parallel factor analysis 2 (PARAFAC2) models, combined with expectation-maximization imputation to restore saturated m/z values.</p
Effects of a slowly fermentable fiber mixture against the background of a high-protein diet on insulin sensitivity and metabolic health in individuals with overweight:a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
No full textThe gut microbiota ferments dietary fibers, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Enhanced SCFA production in the distal colon has been linked to improved cardiometabolic health. However, most fibers are fermented proximally, resulting in increased protein fermentation distally, producing metabolites putatively harmful to metabolic health. This 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled trial aimed to improve metabolic health through increasing distal SCFA production while inhibiting proteolytic fermentation using a fiber supplement that increased distal SCFA production in vitro. We assessed the effects of daily potato fiber/sugar beet pectin supplementation (fiber, n = 19) versus maltodextrin (placebo, n = 21), both added to a high-protein diet (25E% protein, ±45% plant-based), on peripheral insulin sensitivity (IS) in adults with overweight/obesity. Secondary outcomes included tissue-specific IS, body composition, microbial composition and functionality, substrate metabolism, and gut permeability. Peripheral IS tended to decrease after fiber supplementation compared to placebo (p = 0.081), while whole-body IS significantly decreased (p = 0.034). Fiber mitigated the increase in insulin-mediated carbohydrate oxidation (p = 0.027) and decrease in fat oxidation (p = 0.006) that occurred in the placebo group. Additionally, fiber prevented an increase in protein oxidation (p = 0.048), while increasing colonic gut permeability (p = 0.046) and plasma interleukin-6 (p = 0.025). Body composition, microbial composition, and fecal and circulating metabolites remained unchanged. In conclusion, fibers combined with a high-protein diet reduced (peripheral) IS and decreased metabolic flexibility compared to placebo. Reduced protein oxidation after fiber may reflect diminished amino acid bioavailability. Additionally, coadministration of fiber and protein may compromise gut barrier function and inflammatory responses. More research investigating the interplay between dietary fibers and proteins is needed.</p
Optimising acute toxicity monitoring in prostate MR-guided radiotherapy workflow:Results from a prospective study using multiple electronic PRO assessments
No full textIntroduction Frequent electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) may become an important tool for monitoring outcomes in ultrahypofractionated MRgRT for prostate cancer, enabling real-time remote tracking of toxicity. By integrating weekly ePROs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessments into the early prostate MRgRT workflow, this study aimed to explore real-time acute symptom trajectories and the impact on HRQoL. Methods Two cohorts were followed: Patients receiving MRgRT for localised PCa (60Gy/20fx) or low-volume metastatic (M1) PCa (36Gy/6fx) and eligible to complete weekly ePROs and HRQoL measures (EQ-5D-5L, EORTC QLQ-C30) during and up to 24 weeks of follow-up. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate symptom changes over time. Results Of 76 included PCa patients, 42 had localised PCa and 34 low-volume M1 PCa. The linear model revealed significant changes in urinary symptoms from treatment week one, persisting 2 weeks post-MRgRT in the 36 Gy cohort, and 3–4 weeks in the 60 Gy cohort. Bowel symptoms increased early post-treatment in both cohorts, with diarrhoea being most frequent. Clinically relevant changes in HRQoL were observed during follow-up: patients in the 60 Gy cohort showed HRQoL improvements after 12 and 24 weeks. In the 36 Gy cohort, patients reported improved self-rated Global health status/QoL and emotional functioning. Conclusion Frequent ePROs during and after MRgRT provide critical insights into the timing, fluctuation and severity of acute toxicity, potentially missed with standard follow-up schedules. Integrating real-time ePROs into the MRgRT workflow is a feasible patient-centered method to systematically optimize the outcome assessments of MRgRT.</p
Adjuvant Molecular Hydrogen Therapy in SLE-associated Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension:A Case Report on Immunomodulatory Effects on Regulatory and Effector Lymphocytes
No full textBackground/Aim: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a significant and challenging complication for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It is thought to arise from immune dysregulation and vascular remodeling, ultimately leading to progressive right heart failure. Molecular hydrogen therapy, a selective antioxidant and antiinflammatory agent, may modulate the immune responses seen in autoimmune diseases. This case report details the use of adjuvant hydrogen capsule therapy in a patient with SLE with PAH, suggesting its potential as a novel approach for this difficult clinical condition. Case Report: A 42-year-old Taiwanese woman with SLE-PAH received hydrogen capsule therapy, during which serial immunophenotyping revealed dynamic changes in suppressive markers including programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) and Fas cell surface death receptor (FAS), as well as regulatory T- and B-cell subsets. Notably, the populations of double negative and class-switched memory B-cells decreased during therapy, suggesting durable immune suppression. These results support the effect of hydrogen capsule therapy in achieving immune tolerance and inflammation modulation. Conclusion: This case study suggests that molecular hydrogen therapy may be a promising treatment for patients with SLE-PAH, particularly due to its immunomodulatory effects.</p
Paradoxes of Danish egalitarianism and the political force of the hyphen:The case of high school quotas
No full textThis article explores the reaction of minoritised high school students and staff to arecent political agreement in Denmark to redefine the distribution criteria of highschool places across the country and, with it, combat inequality. Ethnographicinvestigation of this controversial case exposes the paradoxes inherent to theDanish practice of equality, which insists on levelling outcomes, but systematicallyexcludes those who seem unfit to belong to the community of equals. The case alsopresents an opportunity to explore a recent shift in Danish social configurations,whereby Muslim minorities are, for the first time, emerging as a group unitedacross their different origins and possessed of strong internal cohesion, whichallows them to stake out a claim for alter-belonging in Danish society. This newconfiguration, we argue, carries a potential for real political change