Oat beta‐glucans and reduction of postprandial glucose peak: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation ( EC ) No 1924/2006

Abstract Following an application from ScanOats, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Ireland, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to oat beta‐glucans (OBG) and the reduction of postprandial glucose peaks (claimed effect). OBG are sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect is beneficial for the target population of individuals who wish to reduce their postprandial glucose peaks. In weighing the evidence, the Panel took into account that most of the 16 human intervention studies considered pertinent for the scientific substantiation of the claim showed that OBG reduce postprandial blood glucose peaks when consumed as part of foods/meals rich in available carbohydrates. The Panel also took into account that OBG did not increase postprandial glycaemic or insulinaemic responses and that the mechanism by which consumption of OBG could exert the claimed effect is well established. The Panel concludes that a cause‐and‐effect relationship has been established between the consumption of OBG and the reduction of postprandial blood glucose peaks. The following wording reflects the scientific evidence: ‘Consumption of beta‐glucans from oats contributes to the reduction of the glucose peak after a meal’. In order to bear the claim, foods/meals should contain at least 30 g of available carbohydrates per portion and at least 3 g of beta‐glucans from oats for each 30 g of available carbohydrates.

Anxiofit‐1 and reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety: Evaluation of a health claim pursuant to article 14 of regulation ( EC ) No 1924/2006

Abstract Following an application from Anxiofit Ltd. pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Hungary, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked for an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Anxiofit‐1 and reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety. The food/constituent, Anxiofit‐1, an Echinacea angustifolia root extract, standardised for the content of echinacoside (at least 3%) and the profile of alkamides, is sufficiently characterised. The Panel considers that reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety, risk factors for anxiety and depressive disorders, is a beneficial physiological effect. Two short‐term human intervention studies showed a selective effect of Anxiofit‐1 (80 mg/day for 7 days) on state anxiety and no effect on trait anxiety in subjects with subthreshold and mild anxiety. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) lasting 6 weeks showed no effect of Anxiofit‐1 at 40 or 80 mg/day on anxiety symptoms using a different psychometric tool. No evidence has been provided to establish that the short‐term, selective effect of Anxiofit‐1 on state anxiety observed in two RCTs can be sustained with continuous consumption of the food/constituent, or that a short‐term reduction of subthreshold anxiety (or state anxiety alone) reduces the risk of anxiety and depressive disorders in individuals with subthreshold anxiety. No human intervention studies investigating the effect of Anxiofit‐1 on the risk of anxiety and/or depressive disorders have been provided. The information submitted by the applicant does not provide evidence for a plausible mechanism by which Anxiofit‐1 could exert the claimed effect in vivo in humans. The Panel concludes that the scientific evidence is insufficient to establish a cause‐and‐effect relationship between the consumption of Anxiofit‐1 and the reduction of subthreshold and mild anxiety as risk factors for anxiety and depressive disorders.

New ant records from La Réunion Island ( Hymenoptera , Formicidae )

BackgroundLa Réunion Island (Mascarene Archipelago, south-western Indian Ocean) hosts a largely introduced ant fauna, shaped by historical and ongoing human-mediated introductions. Despite previous inventories, the ant fauna of the Island remains incompletely documented and updated faunistic records are needed to refine species checklists and improve knowledge of regional biodiversity. Documenting new occurrences contributes to a better understanding of species distributions, biogeographic patterns and invasion dynamics on oceanic islands, which are particularly vulnerable to biological invasions.New informationFollowing recent fieldwork, we report eight new species for La Réunion Island: Brachymymex australis Forel, 1901; Cardiocondyla obscurior Wheeler, 1929; Monomorium exiguum Forel, 1894; Pheidole parva Mayr, 1865; Solenopsis globularia Smith, 1858; Solenopsis gr. pygmaea , Stigmatomma cf. zwaluwenburgi Williams, 1946; and Strumigenys membranifera Emery, 1869. All are introduced species with varying invasiveness status. This work brings the total number of ants known from La Réunion Island to 62, although the presence and identification of some species cited in literature and databases needs verification. Further collections may uncover additional introduced species in urbanised and anthropogenised habitats and native species specific to La Réunion Island or the Mascarene Islands in natural ecosystems.

Sex Differences in Long COVID

Five-Year Results With Patisiran for Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis With Polyneuropathy

The survival grip–how cell adhesion promotes tumor maintenance within the microenvironment

Cell adhesion is warranted by proteins that are crucial for the maintenance of tissue integrity and homeostasis. Most of these proteins behave as receptors to link adhesion to the control of cell survival and their expression or regulation are often altered in cancers. B‐cell malignancies do not evade this principle as they are sustained in relapsed niches by interacting with the microenvironment that includes cells and their secreted factors. Focusing on chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma, this Review delves with the molecules involved in the dialog between the adhesion platforms and signaling pathways known to regulate both cell adhesion and survival. Current therapeutic strategies disrupt adhesive structures and compromise the microenvironment support to tumor cells, rendering them sensitive to immune recognition. The development of organ‐on‐chip and 3D culture systems, such as spheroids, have revealed the importance of mechanical cues in regulating signaling pathways to organize cell adhesion and survival. All these elements contribute to the elaboration of the crosstalk of lymphoma cells with the microenvironment and the education processes that allow the establishment of the supportive niche.

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 4A1 (PTP4A1) Regulates Early Events in Colorectal Cancer Intraperitoneal Dissemination in the Aged Male Host

ABSTRACT Background Cancer predominantly affects older individuals, with age being a significant risk factor for cancer incidence and metastasis. Biological sex also plays a crucial role in influencing metastasis and survival outcomes. In colorectal cancer (CRC), both the incidence and mortality from metastatic disease are higher in males relative to females. Aim The aim of this study was to use a syngeneic murine intraperitoneal (i.p.) metastasis model of CRC (MC‐38 cells) to compare disease burden between young and aged female and male mice. Methods MC‐38 cells tagged with red fluorescent protein were injected i.p. and tumor burden quantified longitudinally and at endpoint. As the peritoneal mesothelial cell is the initial site of tumor:host interaction in i.p. metastasis, primary murine peritoneal mesothelial cells were subjected to bottom up proteomic analysis to identify proteins differentially expressed among the cohorts. Results Recapitulating human epidemiological data, aged male mice exhibited the highest i.p. metastatic burden. Proteomic results identified multiple differentially expressed proteins. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 4A1 (PTP4A1), highly overexpressed in the male aged cohort relative to male young, female aged or female young, was chosen for further study. Functional analyses indicated that PTP4A1 promotes cancer:mesothelial adhesion and a small molecule inhibitor of PTP4A1, designated CMPD‐43, reduced RhoA activity and inhibited heterotypic cell adhesion. Conclusion These results provide a resource for comparative proteomics of the peritoneal mesothelial cell in sex‐ and age‐based cohorts. Functional data support further consideration of PTP4A1 as a potential therapeutic target for impeding CRC metastasis particularly in an aged male cohort.

Modeling dosimetric benefits from daily adaptive RT for gynecological cancer patients with and without knowledge‐based dose prediction

Abstract Purpose Daily online adaptive radiotherapy (ART) improves dose metrics for gynecological cancer patients, but the on‐treatment process is resource‐intensive requiring longer appointments and additional time from the entire adaptive team. To optimize resource allocation, we propose a model to identify high‐priority patients. Methods For 49 retrospective cervical and endometrial cancer patients, we calculated two initial plans: the treated standard‐of‐care (Initial SOC ) and a reduced margin initial plan (Initial ART ) for adapting with the Ethos treatment planning system. Daily doses corresponding to standard and reduced margins (Daily SOC and Daily ART ) were determined by re‐segmenting the anatomy based on the treatment CBCT and calculating dose on a synthetic CT. These initial and daily doses were used to estimate the ART benefit ( Δ D a i l y ${{\Delta}}Daily$ = Daily SOC ‐Daily ART ) versus initial plan differences ( Δ I n i t i a l ${{\Delta}}Initial$ = Initial SOC –Initial ART ) via multivariate linear regression. Dosimetric benefits were modeled with initial plan differences ( Δ I n i t i a l ${{\Delta}}Initial$ ) ofB o w e lV 40 G y$Bowel\ {{V}_{40Gy}}$ (cc),B l a d d e rD 50 %$Bladder\ {{D}_{50{\mathrm{\% }}}}$ (Gy), andR e c t u mD 50 %$Rectum\ {{D}_{50{\mathrm{\% }}}}$ (Gy). Anatomy (intact uterus or post‐hysterectomy), DoseType (simultaneous integrated boost [SIB] vs. single dose), and/or prescription value. To establish a logistic model, we classified the top 10% in each metric as high‐benefit patients. We then built a logistic model to predict these patients from the previous predictors. Leave‐one‐out validation and ROC analysis were used to evaluate the accuracy. To improve the clinical efficiency of this predictive process, we also created knowledge‐based plans for the ΔInitial plans ( Δ I n i t i a l R P${{\Delta}}Initia{{l}_{RP}}$ ) and repeated the analysis. Results In bothΔ I n i t i a l O r i g${{\Delta}}Initia{{l}_{Orig}}$ andΔ I n i t i a l R P${{\Delta}}Initia{{l}_{RP}}$ our multivariate analysis showed low R 2 values 0.34–0.52 versus 0.14–0.38. The most significant predictor in each multivariate model was the corresponding ∆Initial metric (e.g.,Δ I n i t i a l ${{\Delta}}Initial$ Bowel (V40 Gy), p  < 1e−05). In the logistic model, the metrics with the strongest correlation to the high‐benefit patients wereB o w e lV 40 G y$Bowel\ {{V}_{40Gy}}$ (cc),B l a d d e rD 50 %$Bladder\ {{D}_{50{\mathrm{\% }}}}$ (Gy),D o s e T y p e $DoseType$ , andS I B D o s e $SIBDose$ prescription. The models for original and knowledge‐based plans had an AUC of 0.85 versus 0.78. The sensitivity and specificity were 0.92/0.72 and 0.69/0.80, respectively. Conclusion This methodology will allow clinics to prioritize patients for resource‐intensive daily online ART.

Burden of Emergency Department Visits and Their Outcomes Among Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Insights From the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample

Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) frequently visit emergency departments (EDs), but their clinical characteristics and admission factors are poorly understood. Our study investigates the epidemiology and outcomes of ED visits among patients with RA using the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). Methods This cross‐sectional study used the 2019 NEDS data to identify RA‐related ED visits using International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision codes M05.X or M06.X. RA‐related ED visits were defined as encounters in which RA was recorded in any diagnostic position. Demographics, clinical features, and comorbidities were compared between RA and non‐RA ED visits. Racial variations were assessed, and multivariable logistic regression identified factors associated with inpatient admission. Results We identified 905,811 (0.8%) ED visits for adults aged ≥18 years with RA. Compared to non‐RA visits, RA ED visits had a higher proportion of patients aged ≥65 years, women, White patients, and Medicare‐insured individuals with a greater comorbidity burden. Admission rates were 46% for RA visits versus 16% for non‐RA visits. Black and Hispanic patients with RA were younger than White patients and more likely to belong to the lowest income quartile. Older age, male sex, and comorbidities were associated with higher admission odds, whereas Black race, lowest income quartile, and Medicaid coverage correlated with lower odds of admission. Septicemia was the most common primary ED diagnosis in patients with RA. Conclusion Patients with RA visiting the ED were older, had a higher comorbidity burden, and were three times more likely to be admitted than patients without RA. Black patients and those in the lowest income quartile had lower odds of admission, highlighting potential disparities and the need for targeted interventions to improve health equity.

Freeform Lattice Structure Optimization via Generative Design: Enhanced Isotropy and Stress Delocalization

Lattice structures can enhance mechanical properties while minimizing mass, but often face challenges from inefficient material distribution and stress concentrations. Here, a generative design method is used to create freeform lattices that resemble biological structures. This approach is found to provide less constrained material redistribution, allowing the reduction of stress concentrations embedded in conventional designs. Three lattice types are optimized and compared: the bending‐dominated body‐centered cubic (BCC) lattice, the stretching‐dominated simple cubic lattice, and a directional, water‐lily‐inspired lattice. Compression testing reveals improvements in stiffness, strength, and energy absorption in all three lattice types at sufficiently high relative density. Interestingly, all optimized structures display a marked reduction in anisotropy, with an optimized BCC lattice exhibiting isotropic elasticity. This study shows how generative design can emulate the organic forms of nature to create lattices with superior properties, offering new pathways for lightweight, high‐performance structures.