Human Fascioliasis in Portugal: A Case Report.

Fascioliasis is a zoonotic disease that may affect humans as incidental hosts after the ingestion of contaminated water or aquatic plants. Despite the non-specificity of its signs and symptoms, a triad of abdominal pain, fever, and peripheral eosinophilia should increase suspicion. The diagnosis of fascioliasis can be particularly difficult in non-endemic countries.

Unlocking Team Potential: Mastering Communication in Palliative Care.

Effective communication is crucial in multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) within palliative care, where patient needs can be complex and multifaceted. This article examines the significance of communication in promoting collaborative, patient-centered care while addressing challenges such as professional jargon, hierarchical barriers, and the emotional strain associated with end-of-life care. Leadership plays a vital role in creating an environment of open dialogue, reducing hierarchical dynamics, facilitating conflict resolution, and supporting the emotional well-being of team members.

Injury-induced KIF4A neural expression and its role in Schwann cell proliferation suggest a dual function for this kinesin in neural regeneration.

Contrary to the adult central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system has an intrinsic ability to regenerate that relies on the expression of regeneration-associated genes, such as some kinesin family members. Kinesins contribute to nerve regeneration through the transport of specific cargo, such as proteins and membrane components, from the cell body towards the axon periphery. We show here that KIF4A, associated with neurodevelopmental disorders and previously believed to be only expressed during development, is also expressed in the adult vertebrate nervous system and up-regulated in injured peripheral nervous system cells.

Are Healthcare Organizations Healthy Work Ecosystems? Health and Well-Being of Health Professionals.

Background: Health professionals are at high risk of poor mental health and well-being. Faced with this challenge, healthcare organizations must be healthy and safe work environments.

Objectives: This study aims to take an in-depth, systemic look at whether healthcare organizations are healthy workplaces.

Differential Effects of Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation with Gait Training on Functional Mobility, Balance, and Ataxia Symptoms.

Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) has emerged as a promising, non-invasive, and safe neuromodulatory intervention capable of reducing ataxia symptoms and restoring cerebellum-motor connectivity. However, previous studies have only applied ctDCS in isolation, without association with specific training. This study aimed to assess the effect of ctDCS combined with gait training on functional mobility, balance, and symptoms and severity of ataxia.

Honoring Professor Hugo Lorenz Obwegeser: A Visionary in Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics.

Hugo Lorenz Obwegeser was a pioneering Austrian surgeon whose contributions profoundly transformed the field of maxillofacial surgery. His groundbreaking work marked a pivotal turning point, enabling more sophisticated and effective corrections of facial deformities. Obwegeser revolutionized his area of expertise by introducing innovative osteotomies of the mandible and maxilla, which became foundational techniques for addressing facial asymmetries.

Resilience in the aftermath of trauma: Classes of adjustment in at-risk youth.

Objective: Youth who have been exposed to potentially traumatic events are at risk of developing chronic and severe adjustment problems. However, some youth exposed to potentially traumatic events exhibit better-than-expected adaptation. Person-centered analyses, based on multiple criteria for adaptive behavior and adversity, are well-suited to empirically identifying different patterns of adaptation among high-risk youth.

A millimetre-scale capacitive biosensing and biophysical stimulation system for emerging bioelectronic bone implants.

Bioelectronic bone implants are being widely recognized as a promising technology for highly personalized bone/implant interface sensing and biophysical therapeutic stimulation. Such bioelectronic devices are based on an innovative concept with the ability to be applied to a wide range of implants, including in fixation and prosthetic systems. Recently, biointerface sensing using capacitive patterns was proposed to overcome the limitations of standard imaging technologies and other non-imaging technologies; moreover, electric stimulation using capacitive patterns was proposed to overcome the limitations of non-instrumented implants.

Khat use and related determinants among pregnant women within Haramaya, Ethiopia: a mixed methods study.

Introduction: Khat, a green leafy plant grown in East Africa and throughout the Arabian Peninsula, is chewed for its psychoactive and amphetamine-like effects, serving as a significant aspect of culture, economic livelihood, and global trade. Khat consumption during pregnancy has been associated with adverse effects, including anemia, premature rupture of membranes, and low birth weight, among others.

Methods: This cross-sectional, explanatory sequential mixed methods study was conducted in the Haramaya District of eastern Ethiopia using a questionnaire and focus group discussions.

Single-centre case series report of regional anaesthesia for pain management in vaso-occlusive crisis.

Sickle cell disease is characterised by episodes of vaso-occlusive crisis, a painful complication. Regional anaesthesia has shown promising results in reducing opioid consumption and pain scores. Patients with vaso-occlusive crises who underwent regional anaesthesia in the paediatric intensive care unit were studied.

Persistence of symptoms and lung function in mild cases of COVID-19 six months after infection: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To describe persistent symptoms and lung function in mild cases of COVID-19 six months after infection.

Methods: Data collection was performed through a semi-structured questionnaire containing information on the participants' demographic and anthropometric data, the disease in the acute phase, and persistent symptoms six months after COVID-19 using spirometry and manovacuometry.

Results: A total of 136 participants were evaluated, of whom 64% were male, with a mean age of 38.

Neuro-immune interactions in health and disease: Insights from FENS-Hertie 2022 Winter School.

In a great partnership, the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) and the Hertie Foundation organized the FENS-Hertie 2022 Winter School on 'Neuro-immune interactions in health and disease'. The school selected 27 PhD students and 13 postdoctoral fellows from 20 countries and involved 14 faculty members experts in the field. The Winter School focused on a rising field of research, the interactions between the nervous and both innate and adaptive immune systems under pathological and physiological conditions.

Design and Evaluation of PROTACs Targeting Acyl Protein Thioesterase 1.

PROTAC linker design remains mostly an empirical task. We employed the PRosettaC computational software in the design of sulfonyl-fluoride-based PROTACs targeting acyl protein thioesterase 1 (APT1). The software efficiently generated ternary complex models from empirically-designed PROTACs and suggested alkyl linkers to be the preferred type of linker to target APT1.

Repeated mild traumatic brain injury causes sex-specific increases in cell proliferation and inflammation in juvenile rats.

Childhood represents a period of significant growth and maturation for the brain, and is also associated with a heightened risk for mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI). There is also concern that repeated-mTBI (r-mTBI) may have a long-term impact on developmental trajectories. Using an awake closed head injury (ACHI) model, that uses rapid head acceleration to induce a mTBI, we investigated the acute effects of repeated-mTBI (r-mTBI) on neurological function and cellular proliferation in juvenile male and female Long-Evans rats.

Merging the Isonitrile-Tetrazine (4+1) Cycloaddition and the Ugi Four-Component Reaction into a Single Multicomponent Process.

Multicomponent reactions are of utmost importance at generating a unique, wide, and complex chemical space. Herein we describe a novel multicomponent approach based on the combination of the isonitrile-tetrazine (4+1) cycloaddition and the Ugi four-component reaction to generate pyrazole amide derivatives. The scope of the reaction as well as mechanistic insights governing the 4H-pyrazol-4-imine tautomerization are provided.

Malignant Peritoneal Mesothelioma: A Case Report.

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumor of the serous membranes of the peritoneum and has been linked to exposure to asbestos and other risk factors. The clinical manifestations are vague, with a wide clinical spectrum, predominantly related to the abdominal involvement of the disease. Localized mesothelioma is an uncommon manifestation of the disease.

Customizing 3D Structures of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes to Direct Neural Stem Cell Differentiation.

Neural tissue-related illnesses have a high incidence and prevalence in society. Despite intensive research efforts to enhance the regeneration of neural cells into functional tissue, effective treatments are still unavailable. Here, a novel therapeutic approach based on vertically aligned carbon nanotube forests (VA-CNT forests) and periodic VA-CNT micropillars produced by thermal chemical vapor deposition is explored.

Unlocking the Potential of Bio-Based Nitrogen-Rich Furanic Platforms as Biomass Synthons.

The demand for new biomass-derived fine and commodity chemicals propels the discovery of new methodologies and synthons. Whereas furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural are cornerstones of sustainable chemistry, 3-acetamido-5-acetyl furan (3A5AF), an N-rich furan obtained from chitin biomass, remains unexplored, due to the poor reactivity of the acetyl group relative to previous furanic aldehydes. Here we developed a reactive 3-acetamido-5-furfuryl aldehyde (3A5F) and demonstrated the utility of this synthon as a source of bio-derived nitrogen-rich heteroaromatics, carbocycles, and as a bioconjugation reagent.

Cell therapies for spinal cord injury: a review of the clinical trials and cell-type therapeutic potential.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an as yet untreatable neuropathology that causes severe dysfunction and disability. Cell-based therapies hold neuroregenerative and neuroprotective potential, but, although being studied in SCI patients for more than two decades, long-term efficacy and safety remain unproven, and which cell types result in higher neurological and functional recovery remains under debate. In a comprehensive scoping review of 142 reports and registries of SCI cell-based clinical trials, we addressed the current therapeutical trends and critically analysed the strengths and limitations of the studies.

Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4) potentiates anoikis-resistance of p53KO mammary epithelial cells by inducing a hybrid EMT phenotype.

Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4), the major regulator of centriole biogenesis, has emerged as a putative therapeutic target in cancer due to its abnormal expression in human carcinomas, leading to centrosome number deregulation, mitotic defects and chromosomal instability. Moreover, Plk4 deregulation promotes tumor growth and metastasis in mouse models and is significantly associated with poor patient prognosis. Here, we further investigate the role of Plk4 in carcinogenesis and show that its overexpression significantly potentiates resistance to cell death by anoikis of nontumorigenic p53 knock-out (p53KO) mammary epithelial cells.

Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis as the Tip of the Iceberg: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) may be the earliest manifestation of cancer. According to recent studies, approximately 5% of patients with unprovoked VTE will be diagnosed with cancer within the first year of follow-up. Although screening extensively at the time of VTE diagnosis is attractive for clinicians, current clinical guidance documents suggest only a limited cancer screening strategy.