Perceptions and Barriers to Accessing Myopia Management in the UK.

Background/objectives: Perceptions and barriers to myopia management (MM) in childhood have not been fully explored within some countries, including the UK, where there is minimal public health education on myopia.

Methods: The aim of this mixed-methods study was to explore perceptions of myopia and MM interventions using focus groups and a survey to obtain qualitative and quantitative data. Topics included the understanding of myopia, perceptions of MM, considerations when initiating MM, lifestyle risk factors, and barriers to uptake of intervention.

Impact of ultra-processed foods on excess weight and dyslipidemia in schoolchildren.

Objective: To analyze the impact of the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF), excess weight, and dyslipidemia in schoolchildren.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study in which 420 schoolchildren aged 6 to 10 years from public schools in the municipality of Rio das Ostras, Brazil, were evaluated. Food consumption was assessed using the Previous Day Food Questionnaire (PDFQ-3), and physical activity (PA) was assessed using the Previous Day Physical Activity and Food Questionnaire (PDPAFQ).

StarPhase: Comprehensive Phase-Aware Pharmacogenomic Diplotyper for Long-Read Sequencing Data.

Pharmacogenomics is central to precision medicine, informing medication safety and efficacy. Pharmacogenomic diplotyping of complex genes requires full-length DNA sequences and detection of structural rearrangements. We introduce StarPhase, a tool that leverages PacBio HiFi sequence data to diplotype 21 CPIC Level A pharmacogenes and provides detailed haplotypes and supporting visualizations for , , and .

Enhanced oxygen availability and preserved aggregative function in platelet concentrates stored at reduced platelet concentration.

Background: Storage of platelets as platelet concentrates for transfusion is limited to 7 days in the United Kingdom due to deleterious effects on platelet quality and function that occur over time. Oxygen (O) availability and sufficient gaseous exchange are known to be essential in maintaining the viability and function of platelets stored for transfusion. Despite this, there is a paucity of studies undertaking direct measures of O and optimization of conditions throughout storage.

Non-invasive in vivo sensing of bacterial implant infection using catalytically-optimised gold nanocluster-loaded liposomes for urinary readout.

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of nosocomial implant-associated infections, causing significant morbidity and mortality, underscoring the need for rapid, non-invasive, and cost-effective diagnostics. Here, we optimise the synthesis of renal-clearable gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) for enhanced catalytic activity with the aim of developing a sensitive colourimetric diagnostic for bacterial infection. All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations confirm the stability of glutathione-coated AuNCs and surface access for peroxidase-like activity in complex physiological environments.