Enhancing patient representation learning with inferred family pedigrees improves disease risk prediction.

Background: Machine learning and deep learning are powerful tools for analyzing electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare research. Although family health history has been recognized as a major predictor for a wide spectrum of diseases, research has so far adopted a limited view of family relations, essentially treating patients as independent samples in the analysis.

Methods: To address this gap, we present ALIGATEHR, which models inferred family relations in a graph attention network augmented with an attention-based medical ontology representation, thus accounting for the complex influence of genetics, shared environmental exposures, and disease dependencies.

Iron oxide nanoparticles: a versatile nanoplatform for the treatment and diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer remains one of the main causes of human mortality, accounting for millions of deaths every year. Despite of several clinical options such as chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), hormonal treatment, radiation therapy, and surgery to manage this disease, the mortality rate is still very high. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for innovative approaches to improve both diagnosis and treatment.

Virtual reality modulating dynamics of neuroplasticity: Innovations in neuro-motor rehabilitation.

Virtual reality (VR) technology has emerged as a ground-breaking tool in neuroscience, revolutionizing our understanding of neuroplasticity and its implications for neurological rehabilitation. By immersing individuals in simulated environments, VR induces profound neurobiological transformations, affecting neuronal connectivity, sensory feedback mechanisms, motor learning processes, and cognitive functions. These changes highlight the dynamic interplay between molecular events, synaptic adaptations, and neural reorganization, emphasizing the potential of VR as a therapeutic intervention in various neurological disorders.

Spns1-dependent endocardial lysosomal function drives valve morphogenesis through Notch1-signaling.

Autophagy-lysosomal degradation is a conserved homeostatic process considered to be crucial for cardiac morphogenesis. However, both its cell specificity and functional role during heart development remain unclear. Here, we introduced zebrafish models to visualize autophagic vesicles and track their temporal and cellular localization in the larval heart.

Prevalence, Predictors, and Outcomes of HIV Care in HIV-Positive Clients Entering HIV Care With Advanced HIV Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa 2010-2022: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: Sub-Saharan Africa drives global HIV-related mortality, and patients continuously present with advanced HIV disease (AHD) at diagnosis. We describe prevalence, predictors, and treatment outcomes in HIV clients with AHD.

Methods: We systematically reviewed PUBMED, SCOPUS, Web of Science, JSTOR, and CINAHL for relevant studies conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2010 to 2022.

Comparing and assessing physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines for different populations with and without chronic conditions and/or disabilities: a systematic review protocol.

Physical activity guidelines targeting different populations with and without chronic diseases or disabilities are required to meet the diverse functional and physiological needs experienced by different subgroups of people to achieve optimal health benefits. As the importance of physical activity guidelines in promoting optimal health and well-being becomes increasingly recognised, there is a critical need for their systematic evaluation to ensure they remain effective, applicable and aligned with evolving health needs and scientific insights. This study aims to systematically review, critically evaluate, and compare global physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines on frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise for adults, pregnant and postpartum women, and people living with chronic conditions and/or disabilities.

Bilateral same-day endoscopic tympanoplasty: a paradigm shift? or mere hype?

Objective: To ascertain the feasibility of simultaneous bilateral same-day endoscopic tympanoplasty in a secondary-level hospital in a developing country.

Material & Methods: A prospective interventional cohort study conducted at a secondary-care hospital in North India.

Inclusion Criteria: Consenting patients having bilateral perforations aged 10-50 years.

Temporal trends and procedural safety of mitral valve transcatheter edge to edge repair in patients with previous CABG.

Introduction: Mitral Valve Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (M-TEER) is a minimally invasive procedure for patients with symptomatic mitral regurgitation. Its outcomes in patients with a history of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remain unclear.

Methodology: We analyzed data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, using ICD-10-CM codes for M-TEER and CABG.

Proteomics, Metabolomics and Docking Analyses Provide Insights into Adaptation Strategies of Staphylococcus warneri CPD1 to Osmotic Stress and Its Influence on Wheat Growth.

Staphylococcus warneri is a gram-positive mesophilic bacterium, resilient to extreme environmental conditions. To unravel its Osmotic Tolerance Response (OTR), we conducted proteomic and metabolomic analyses under drought (PEG) and salt (NaCl) stresses. Our findings revealed 1340 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) across all treatments.

Comparison of positive BioFire FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis (ME) panels, CSF cultures, CSF parameters, clinical presentation and in-patient mortality among patients with bacterial and fungal meningitis.

Unlabelled: The BioFire FilmArray meningitis/encephalitis panel (MEP) was brought to the University of Kentucky in 2016 to aid in the identification of community-acquired meningitis and encephalitis (ME). This panel has shown variable performance with some institutions showing high sensitivity and specificity for many pathogens but others seeing false positives during clinical use. We evaluated the panel's performance using retrospective chart review of patients at the University of Kentucky from October 2016 to September 2022, including 7,551 MEP results.

Multimodality model investigating the impact of brain atlases, connectivity measures, and dimensionality reduction techniques on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder diagnosis using resting state functional connectivity.

Purpose: Various brain atlases are available to parcellate and analyze brain connections. Most traditional machine learning and deep learning studies analyzing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have used either one or two brain atlases for their analysis. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research evaluating the impact of different brain atlases and associated factors such as connectivity measures and dimension reduction techniques on ADHD diagnosis.

Intravitreal therapy for the management of diabetic retinopathy: A concise review.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a serious microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and may result in irreversible visual loss. Laser treatment has been the gold standard treatment for diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy for many years. Of late, intravitreal therapy has emerged as a cornerstone in the management of DR.

Human driven climate change increased the likelihood of the 2023 record area burned in Canada.

In 2023, wildfires burned 15 million hectares in Canada, more than doubling the previous record. These wildfires caused a record number of evacuations, unprecedented air quality impacts across Canada and the northeastern United States, and substantial strain on fire management resources. Using climate models, we show that human-induced climate change significantly increased the likelihood of area burned at least as large as in 2023 across most of Canada, with more than two-fold increases in the east and southwest.

Developing Practice Guidelines on Chest Masculinization: Designing Male Neo-nipple-Areolar Complex.

Background: Successful nipple-areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction greatly influences patient outcomes for transgender patients undergoing chest masculinization. Despite the recent rise in case volume, little is known on designing the ideal NAC that maintains its aesthetics in dynamic settings. This study aimed to examine the characteristics of male NACs and their dimensional variability to help develop guidelines on designing the neo-NAC.

Spatial separation of different drug substances in one microneedle array patch by combining inkjet printing and micromolding technology.

Transdermal drug delivery using microneedle array patches has been investigated using a wide range of drug substances. Inkjet printing and micromolding are established methods for the production of microneedle array patches and both were used to combine lisinopril embedded in povidone and ibuprofen in Eudragit® RS / RL in a single patch. Dissolution studies, visual inspection, mechanical strength and insertion into an artificial skin membrane model were investigated.

Cathelicidins in farm animals: Structural diversity, mechanisms of action, and therapeutic potential in the face of antimicrobial resistance.

Cathelicidins are a diverse family of antimicrobial peptides found across many vertebrate species, playing a pivotal role in the innate immune system. These peptides exhibit a variety of structural motifs, including α-helices, β-hairpins, and random coils, contributing to their broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The structural diversity of cathelicidins allows them to interact with a wide range of microbial targets, thereby enhancing their antimicrobial efficacy.

Okanin alleviates symptoms of nociceptive-like responses in diabetic peripheral neuropathy in type 1 diabetic Wistar rats by regulating the AGEs/NF-κB/Nrf-2 pathway.

Elevated reactive species and AGEs contribute to deregulation of transcription factors e.g., NF-κB and Nrf2 in diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

Design, synthesis and anticancer evaluation of 4-Substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual topoisomerase I and II inhibitors.

In this study, we herein report the design, synthesis, and anticancer assessment of a series of new 4-substituted 5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidines. The synthesis involved key intermediates such as the 2-aminoester derivative, which underwent a series of reactions to produce compounds 7a-7t. The optimized SAr reactions, utilizing microwave irradiation in DMF, led to high yields and efficient preparation of the desired compounds.

Tackling algorithmic bias and promoting transparency in health datasets: the STANDING Together consensus recommendations.

Without careful dissection of the ways in which biases can be encoded into artificial intelligence (AI) health technologies, there is a risk of perpetuating existing health inequalities at scale. One major source of bias is the data that underpins such technologies. The STANDING Together recommendations aim to encourage transparency regarding limitations of health datasets and proactive evaluation of their effect across population groups.

Vesicovaginal Reflux: A Masquerader.

Vesicovaginal reflux (VVR) is a functional disorder seen in girls and women. It may be asymptomatic or cause incontinence and dribbling symptoms. It is often associated with high body mass index (BMI) and infrequent voiding or abnormal voiding position.

Microwave-assisted synthesis of base-modified fluorescent 1,4-dihydropyridine nucleosides: photophysical characterization and insights.

A synthesis of a small library of fluorescent 1,4-dihydropyridine nucleoside analogues has been successfully carried out under solvent-free conditions a one-pot three-component Hantzsch condensation reaction. The process involved a Ba(NO) catalyzed solvent-free reaction between 3',5'-di--acetyl-5-formyl-2'-deoxyuridine, differently substituted β-keto ester and ammonium acetate under microwave irradiation. This facile methodology yielded the desired products with very high yields (86-96%) under solvent-free reaction conditions in a short reaction time, which was followed by a simple workup.

2-(4-Bromobenzyl) tethered 4-amino aryl/alkyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-]pyrimidines: design, synthesis, anticancer assessment dual topoisomerase-I/II inhibition, and studies.

A series of 2-(4-bromobenzyl) tethered 4-amino aryl/alkyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobenzo[4,5]thieno[2,3-]pyrimidines (7a-7u) were designed, synthesized, characterized and screened against a panel of cancer cell lines. Compound 7a, in particular, emerged as a potent antiproliferative agent against FaDu cells (HTB-43) with an IC value of 1.73 μM.

Role of myeloid-derived suppressor and Th17/Treg cells in post-COVID-19 Rhino-Orbital mucormycosis cases.

Rhino-Orbital-Cerebral Mucormycosis (ROCM) cases increased sharply in India during the second COVID-19 wave. Due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia, prolonged steroid use, and high ferritin levels, the immune system was dysregulated throughout this surge. Our study examined post-COVID-19 ROCM patients' T regulatory cell (Treg), T helper 17 cell (Th17) and Myeloid derived suppressor cell (MDSC) levels before and after three months of treatment.

Ensemble deep learning and EfficientNet for accurate diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) stands as a significant global cause of vision impairment, underscoring the critical importance of early detection in mitigating its impact. Addressing this challenge head-on, this study introduces an innovative deep learning framework tailored for DR diagnosis. The proposed framework utilizes the EfficientNetB0 architecture to classify diabetic retinopathy severity levels from retinal images.

Use of Intraoperative Hemostatic Checklists for Blood Management in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Scoping Review.

Background: Using intraoperative hemostatic checklists may improve rates of surgical re-exploration and utilization of allogenic blood products in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. In this review, the authors explore the current evidence describing the impact of using intraoperative hemostatic checklists on reducing rates of surgical bleeding and perioperative blood product transfusion in this group of patients.

Methods: Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, electronic information was obtained via sources that included Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library.