Background: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with inadequate responses to standard therapies have unmet therapeutic needs. The immunomodulatory, proangiogenic, and antifibrotic properties of mesenchymal stromal cells support their use in treating patients with SLE. We aimed to assess the safety of a single intravenous infusion of allogeneic umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in patients with severe SLE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Caribbean small island developing states have limited resources for comprehensive health care provision and are facing an increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases which is driven by an aging regional population. Artificial intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies offer promise for contributing to health care efficiencies, but themselves are dependent on the availability and accessibility of accurate health care data. A regional shortfall in data professionals continues to hamper legislative recognition and promotion of increased data production in Caribbean countries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: LCZ696 (sacubitril/valsartan) antagonizes the renin-angiotensin system while simultaneously augmenting the natriuretic peptides (NPs). Inhibition of phosphodiesterase 9 inhibition (PDE9i), which hydrolyses NP-generated cGMP may be a more specific means of enhancing NP bioactivity. The objective of the present study was to compare for the first time effects of LCZ696 and PDE9i+valsartan in experimental heart failure (HF) and investigate combination PDE9i+LCZ696.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT) [~1.25 to 0.85 million years ago (Ma)] marks a shift in the character of glacial-interglacial climate (, ).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Despite the increasing availability of prevention tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV incidence remains disproportionately high in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined PrEP awareness, uptake and persistence among participants enrolling into an HIV incidence cohort in Kenya.
Methods: We used cross-sectional enrolment data from the Multinational Observational Cohort of HIV and other Infections (MOCHI) in Homa Bay and Kericho, Kenya.
Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener
October 2024
: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is the primary treatment for respiratory insufficiency in neuromuscular disease. NIV implementation is usually conducted within hospitals; however, in-home implementation with intensive follow-up is an effective alternative. This pilot study aimed to assess model feasibility, acceptability, and NIV usage at 12-weeks after a single visit in-home implementation of NIV with remote monitoring follow-up (NIV@Home) compared to an in-hospital day admission NIV initiation plus planned polysomnography (Usual care).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlazami syndrome is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by global developmental delay, growth restriction, and distinctive facial features. Fewer than 50 individuals are currently reported with biallelic loss of function variants in LARP7. We report the case of a 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Kellogg Biological Station Long-term Agroecosystem Research site (KBS LTAR) joined the national LTAR network in 2015 to represent a northeast portion of the North Central Region, extending across 76,000 km of southern Michigan and northern Indiana. Regional cropping systems are dominated by corn (Zea mays)-soybean (Glycine max) rotations managed with conventional tillage, industry-average rates of fertilizer and pesticide inputs uniformly applied, few cover crops, and little animal integration. In 2020, KBS LTAR initiated the Aspirational Cropping System Experiment as part of the LTAR Common Experiment, a co-production model wherein stakeholders and researchers collaborate to advance transformative change in agriculture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is a lack of qualitative data on the negative effects of workplace stressors on the well-being of healthcare professionals in hospitals in Africa. It is unclear how well research methods developed for high-income country contexts apply to different cultural, social, and economic contexts in the global south.
Methods: We conducted a qualitative interview-based study including 64 perioperative healthcare professionals across all provinces of Rwanda.
Objective: We assessed whether the administration of oral ketorolac with an analgesic provides effective pain relief during placement of an intrauterine device (IUD) in nulligravid women.
Methods: We conducted a double-blinded randomised trial in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Campinas Faculty of Medical Sciences, Campinas, SP, Brazil. We randomised participants who voluntarily agreed to participate to receive either one pill containing ketorolac 20 mg together with one pill containing dipyrone 300 mg, scopolamine 6.
Background: Few studies have examined the menopausal transition in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women; these reports indicate they are the most likely group to report bothersome vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Evidence demonstrates VMS may be a biomarker for chronic diseases. Thus, evidence-based interventions to improve VMS and other symptoms and health-screening rates for urban midlife AI/AN women are needed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpaired wound healing due to insufficient cell proliferation and angiogenesis is a significant physical and psychological burden to patients worldwide. Therapeutic delivery of exogenous growth factors (GFs) at high doses for wound repair is non-ideal as GFs have poor stability in proteolytic wound environments. Here, we present a two-stage strategy using bioactive sucralfate-based microneedle (SUC-MN) for delivering interleukin-4 (IL-4) to accelerate wound healing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur objective was to study disparities in access to contraception during the COVID-19 pandemic. We performed a cross-sectional study at the University of Campinas, Brazil using a Google questionnaire applied from December 2021 until February 2022, disseminated via snowball technique. The survey asked about sociodemographic characteristics and contraceptive use, as well as the demand for new methods and difficulties in continuing to use contraceptives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAfter almost a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare institutions in the United States announced that they would mandate COVID-19 vaccination, with medical and religious exceptions, as a term of employment. The mandates resulted in widely publicized protests from hospital staff, including some nurses, who argued that these medical institutions violated the ethical principle of autonomy. As the world enters the "post-pandemic period," decisions such as these, made during times of crisis, must be reviewed to provide clarity for when the next pandemic occurs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOsteocrin (OSTN) is an endogenous protein sharing structural similarities with the natriuretic peptides [NPs; atrial (ANP), B-type (BNP) and C-type (CNP) NP], which are hormones known for their crucial role in maintaining pressure/volume homeostasis. Osteocrin competes with the NPs for binding to the receptor involved in their clearance (NPR-C). In the present study, having identified, for the first time, the major circulating form of OSTN in human and ovine plasma, we examined the integrated haemodynamic, endocrine and renal effects of vehicle-controlled incremental infusions of ovine proOSTN (83-133) and its metabolism in eight conscious normal sheep.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pregnant and postpartum women infected by COVID-19 are at increased risk of adverse outcomes, including negative effects on their mental health. Brazilian maternal mortality rate due to COVID-19 is 2.5 times higher than overall mortality rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDifferent Savoyard cheeses are granted with PDO (Protected Designation or Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) which guarantees consumers compliance with strict specifications. The use of raw milk is known to be crucial for specific flavor development. To unravel the factors influencing microbial ecosystems across cheese making steps, according to the seasonality (winter and summer) and the mode of production (farmhouse and dairy factory ones), gene targeting on bacteria and fungus was used to have a full picture of 3 cheese making technologies, from the raw milk to the end of the ripening.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn terms of biomedical tools, nanodiamonds (ND) are a more recent innovation. Their size typically ranges between 4 to 100 nm. ND are produced via a variety of methods and are known for their physical toughness, durability, and chemical stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The aim of this study was to assess the predictors of acceptance and hesitancy of additional doses of any SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine among pregnant or recently pregnant and non-pregnant people of reproductive age and partners in Brazil.
Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional study from June 2022 to April 2023 and invited women and partners between 18 and 49 years old to participate. We employed a snowball strategy to reach all potential eligible participants.
Background: The theory of planned behavior (TPB) postulates that behavioral performance is guided by the intention to perform that behavior, influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This framework can be applied to studying interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals to enhance patient safety and public health within nursing homes.
Objectives: This study aimed to explore the roles of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses in the interprofessional collaboration process while identifying facilitators and barriers to effective collaboration among healthcare professionals.
Aims: Periprosthetic fractures (PPFs) around the knee are challenging injuries. This study aims to describe the characteristics of knee PPFs and the impact of patient demographics, fracture types, and management modalities on in-hospital mortality.
Methods: Using a multicentre study design, independent of registry data, we included adult patients sustaining a PPF around a knee arthroplasty between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019.
The utility of quantum computers for simulating lattice gauge theories is currently limited by the noisiness of the physical hardware. Various quantum error mitigation strategies exist to reduce the statistical and systematic uncertainties in quantum simulations via improved algorithms and analysis strategies. We perform quantum simulations of Z_{2} gauge theory with matter to study the efficacy and interplay of different error mitigation methods: readout error mitigation, randomized compiling, rescaling, and dynamical decoupling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although moderate physical activity (PA) during cancer treatment has been associated with improved quality of life, reduced side effects, and even lower mortality, many barriers to successful implementation remain. Digital technology has been perceived as an effective lever for overcoming access and motivational issues but few studies have been performed to confirm this assumption. The "VISIO-AJUST" study explored the factors affecting the conditions of adherence to video-conference-based PA programs in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
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