Integrating climate and physical constraints into assessments of net capture from direct air capture facilities.

Limiting climate change to targets enshrined in the Paris Agreement will require both deep decarbonization of the energy system and the deployment of carbon dioxide removal at potentially large scale (gigatons of annual removal). Nations are pursuing direct air capture to compensate for inertia in the expansion of low-carbon energy systems, decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, and address legacy emissions. Global assessments of this technology have failed to integrate factors that affect net capture and removal cost, including ambient conditions like temperature and humidity, as well as emission factors of electricity and natural gas systems.

Racial Disparities in 30 Day Outcomes Following Total Laryngectomy.

Background: Despite the growing literature on racial disparities in the utilization of total laryngectomy (TL), and survival following the treatment of laryngeal cancers, there is a paucity of research in TL cohorts evaluating disparities in the immediate postoperative setting.

Methods: In a national multi-institutional cohort, TL cases between 2010 and 2021 were identified using relevant Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Logistic regression analyses investigated the association between race/ethnicity and adverse outcomes within 30 days postoperatively.

Evaluation of Personal Protective Equipment Usage Among Construction Workers in Erbil City, Iraq.

Background and aim The construction industry is a high-risk environment where the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for worker safety. Despite the clear benefits of PPE, compliance rates among construction workers are often suboptimal. In response to these concerns, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes regarding PPE usage among construction workers in Erbil City, Iraq.

Factors Contributing to Educational Failure Among Secondary School Students in Erbil City.

Background and aim Educational failure among secondary school students in Erbil City is influenced by a complex interplay of factors. This study is crucial as it aims to conduct an in-depth investigation into the various factors contributing to educational failure among secondary school students in Erbil City. Specifically, the study seeks to explore how students' attitudes toward school and learning influence their academic performance, including their levels of engagement, motivation, and perceptions of school.

Developmental control of rod number via a light-dependent retrograde pathway from intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.

Photoreception is essential for the development of the visual system, shaping vision's first synapse to cortical development. Here, we find that the lighting environment controls developmental rod apoptosis via Opn4-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Using genetics, sensory environment manipulations, and computational approaches, we establish a pathway where light-dependent glutamate released from ipRGCs is detected via a transiently expressed glutamate receptor (Grik3) on rod precursors within the inner retina.

Race and Ethnicity Independently Predict Adverse Outcomes Following Head and Neck Autograft Surgery.

Objective: There is growing attention toward the implications of race and ethnicity on health disparities within otolaryngology. While race is an established predictor of adverse head and neck oncologic outcomes, there is paucity in the literature on studies employing national, multi-institutional data to assess the impact of race and ethnicity on head and neck autograft surgery.

Methods: Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database, trends in 30 days outcomes were assessed.

[Risk stratification in pulmonary arterial hypertension - implementation of an internet-based risk calculator to guide treatment].

The 2022 ESC/ERS pulmonary hypertension guidelines recommend multiparametric risk stratification at diagnosis and follow-up to guide treatment in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The goal is to maintain or achieve a low-risk status, corresponding to a 1-year mortality < 5%. Risk assessment is, however, underutilized in clinical practice, and applied only by 60% of clinicians.

Plasma tumour necrosis factor-alpha-related proteins in prognosis of heart failure with pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: Patients with heart failure (HF) exhibit poor prognosis, which is further deteriorated by pulmonary hypertension (PH), with negative impact on morbidity and mortality. As PH due to left HF (LHF-PH) is among the most common causes of PH, there is an urge according to the 2021 European Society of Cardiology HF guidelines to find new biomarkers that aid in prognostication of this patient cohort. Given the role of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in HF progression, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of plasma proteins related to TNF-α in patients with LHF-PH, in relation to haemodynamic changes following heart transplantation (HT).

Proposal of a modified tip apex distance for prediction of lag screw cut-out in trochanteric hip fractures.

Introduction: Lag screw cut-out is a serious complication of dynamic hip screw fixation of trochanteric hip fractures. The lag screw position has been acknowledged as one of the important factors affecting the lag screw cut-out. We propose a modification of the Tip Apex Distance (TAD) and hypothesise that it could improve the reliability of predicting lag screws cut-out in these injuries.

Developmental adaptation of rod photoreceptor number via photoreception in melanopsin (OPN4) retinal ganglion cells.

Photoreception, a form of sensory experience, is essential for normal development of the mammalian visual system. Detecting photons during development is a prerequisite for visual system function - from vision's first synapse at the cone pedicle and maturation of retinal vascular networks, to transcriptional establishment and maturation of cell types within the visual cortex. Consistent with this theme, we find that the lighting environment regulates developmental rod photoreceptor apoptosis via OPN4-expressing intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs).

Unintended consequences of curtailment cap policies on power system decarbonization.

As countries pursue power system decarbonization, a well-intentioned strategy being pursued in jurisdictions like China is the strict integration target, often in the form of a curtailment cap. The effects of these curtailment caps have not been systematically studied. Here, we evaluate the effects of these caps on the decarbonization of one provincial power system using a capacity expansion model.

Plasma TRAIL and ANXA1 in diagnosis and prognostication of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare vasculopathy, with high morbidity and mortality. The sensitivity of the current european society of cardiology/european respiratory society (ESC/ERS) risk assessment strategy may be improved by the addition of biomarkers related to PAH pathophysiology. Such plasma-borne biomarkers may also reduce time to diagnosis, if used as diagnostic tools in patients with unclear dyspnea, and in guiding treatment decisions.

Adrenomedullin peptides and precursor levels in relation to haemodynamics and prognosis after heart transplantation.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a frequent condition in the elderly, further complicated by associated pulmonary hypertension (PH), with impact on morbidity and mortality. Plasma proteins associated with cardiovascular disease, related to inflammation, neurohormonal changes, and myocyte stress, pathways recognized in the pathophysiology of HF, may provide information on disease severity and prognosis. We aimed to investigate such cardiovascular proteins and their relationship to haemodynamics before and 1 year after heart transplantation (HT), as well as their prognostic value in advanced HF with PH.

Evaluation of the European Society of Cardiology/European Respiratory Society derived three- and four-strata risk stratification models in pulmonary arterial hypertension: introducing an internet-based risk stratification calculator.

Aims: Estimation of prognosis in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has been influenced by that various risk stratification models use different numbers of prognostic parameters, as well as the lack of a comprehensive and time-saving risk assessment calculator. We therefore evaluated the various European Society of Cardiology (ESC)-/European Respiratory Society (ERS)-based three- and four-strata risk stratification models and established a comprehensive internet-based calculator to facilitate risk assessment.

Methods And Results: Between 1 January 2000 and 26 July 2021, 773 clinical assessments on 169 incident PAH patients were evaluated at diagnosis and follow-ups.

[Structured evaluation of unclear dyspnea - of great importance to early identify patients with PAH and CTEPH and improve prognosis].

Dyspnea is a common distressing symptom which may be a sign of a critically threatening condition and has been linked with increased hospitalizations, reduced exercise tolerance and increased mortality. The current neuropsychological model suggests that dyspnea arises due to an imbalance between respiratory drive and achieved ventilation. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are rare but detrimental conditions, with high morbidity and mortality, where early diagnosis and treatment initiation significantly improve outcome.

Plasma Biomarkers for Clinical Assessment of Bone Mineral Density in Heart Transplanted Patients-A Single-Center Study at Skåne University Hospital in Lund.

We aimed to identify plasma biomarkers that predict changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and increase the understanding of impaired BMD after heart transplantation (HT). Twenty-eight adult patients were included. Data, including densitometry and 29 plasma proteins, before and 1 year after HT were analyzed.

Elevated plasma WIF-1 levels are associated with worse prognosis in heart failure with pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a progressive condition that is becoming more prevalent in the ageing population. Pulmonary hypertension is a common complicating factor in HF and negatively impacts survival. Plasma biomarkers are a potential method for determining the prognosis of patients with left heart failure with pulmonary hypertension (LHF-PH).

The prevalence and impact of anemia in hospitalized older adults: A single center experience from Bahrain.

Objectives: This study reports the prevalence of anemia and investigates its associated correlates and outcomes among elderly hospitalized patients in a single hospital in Bahrain.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 227 consecutive elderly patients admitted under general internal medicine in the biggest tertiary hospital in Bahrain. Medical records were reviewed for all patients, including clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and outcomes.

Higher plasma IL-6 and PTX3 are associated with worse survival in left heart failure with pulmonary hypertension.

Introduction: Left heart failure (LHF) is commonly complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH), increasing morbidity and mortality. The present study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of inflammatory proteins in LHF with PH (LHF-PH).

Materials And Methods: The levels of 65 plasma proteins, analysed with proximity extension assay, were compared between healthy controls ( = 20), patients with LHF-PH ( = 67) comprising both HFpEF-PH ( = 31) and HFrEF-PH ( = 36), and in a LHF subpopulation before and after heart transplantation (HT,  = 19).