Assessing the impact of frailty in elderly patients undergoing emergency laparotomies in Singapore.

Introduction: The global rise in ageing populations poses challenges for healthcare systems. By 2030, Singapore anticipates a quarter of its population to be aged 65 or older. This study addresses the dearth of research on frailty's impact on emergency laparotomy (EL) outcomes in this demographic, emphasising the growing significance of this surgical intervention.

Assessment of longitudinal dispersion and flow resistance near floodplains through riparian woodlands.

Riparian woodlands prevent bank erosions, recycle minerals, sustain biodiversity, act as flow resistance on floodplains, and filter pollutants. The emergent trees characterize woodlands with different spacing arrangements that dictate flow resistance and longitudinal dispersion of the pollutants in compound channel flow. The single- and multistage compound channels exist in urban and natural watercourses with riparian and transplanted trees on different stages of the floodplain.

HPLC-QQQ-MS/MS-based authentication and determination of free and bound sialic acids content in human, bovine, sheep, goat milk, and infant formula.

An accurate method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of lipid-bound (LB), protein-bound (PB), oligosaccharides-bound, and free sialic acids in milk was developed by using high-performance liquid chromatography -triple quadrupole-tandem mass spectrometer. The profile of free and bound sialic acids in milk (human, bovine, goat, and sheep) and infant formula (IF) was examined in the present study. Human milk contains only N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and was mainly present in the form of oligosaccharide-bound.

A predictive study of the efficacy of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation in the treatment of major depressive disorder: An fMRI-based machine learning analysis.

Background: In order to improve taVNS efficacy, the usage of fMRI to explore the predictive neuroimaging markers would be beneficial for screening the appropriate MDD population before treatment.

Methods: A total of 86 MDD patients were recruited in this study, and all subjects were conducted with the clinical scales and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan before and after 8 weeks' taVNS treatment. A two-stage feature selection strategy combining Machine Learning and Statistical was used to screen out the critical brain functional connections (FC) that were significantly associated with efficacy prediction, then the efficacy prediction model was constructed for taVNS treating MDD.

Causal relationship between neuroticism and frailty: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Observational studies have shown that neuroticism is associated with frailty, but the causal relationship between them remains unclear.

Methods: A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to explore the bidirectional causal relationship between neuroticism (n = 380,506 for the primary analysis, n = 79,004 for the validation) and frailty (n = 175,226) using publicly available genome-wide association study data. The inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, and MR-Egger were used to obtain the causal estimates.

An essential protease, FtsH, influences daptomycin resistance acquisition in Enterococcus faecalis.

Daptomycin is a last-line antibiotic commonly used to treat vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, but resistance evolves rapidly and further restricts already limited treatment options. While genetic determinants associated with clinical daptomycin resistance (DAP) have been described, information on factors affecting the speed of DAP acquisition is limited. The multiple peptide resistance factor (MprF), a phosphatidylglycerol-modifying enzyme involved in cationic antimicrobial resistance, is linked to DAP in pathogens such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Modulating the default mode network: Antidepressant efficacy of transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoints stimulation targeting the insula.

Background: Transcutaneous electrical cranial-auricular acupoint stimulation (TECAS) is a novel non-invasive therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) that stimulates acupoints innervated by the trigeminal and auricular vagus nerves. However, there are few neuroimaging studies involving the TECAS for the treatment of MDD. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the treatment response and neurological effects of TECAS using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Immunomodulation of Antibody Glycosylation through the Placental Transfer.

Establishing an immune balance between the mother and fetus during gestation is crucial, with the placenta acting as the epicenter of immune tolerance. The placental transfer of antibodies, mainly immunoglobulin G (IgG), is critical in protecting the developing fetus from infections. This review looks at how immunomodulation of antibody glycosylation occurs during placental transfer and how it affects fetal health.

RNA-seq Analysis Reveals Potential Synergic Effects of Acetate and Cold Exposure on Interscapular Brown Adipose Tissue in Mice.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) exhibits remarkable morphological and functional plasticity in response to environmental (e.g., cold exposure) and nutrient (e.

Altered neural activity in the reward-related circuit associated with anhedonia in mild to moderate Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Anhedonia is a significant predictor of disease progression and treatment outcomes in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), linked to reward network dysfunctions. However, understanding of its underlying neural mechanisms remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the brain functional mechanisms underlying MDD with anhedonia using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Small-molecule targeting of GPCR-independent noncanonical G-protein signaling in cancer.

Activation of heterotrimeric G-proteins (Gαβγ) by G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is a quintessential mechanism of cell signaling widely targeted by clinically approved drugs. However, it has become evident that heterotrimeric G-proteins can also be activated via GPCR-independent mechanisms that remain untapped as pharmacological targets. GIV/Girdin has emerged as a prototypical non-GPCR activator of G proteins that promotes cancer metastasis.

[Effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on functional connectivity in the related brain regions of patients with depression based on the resting-state fMRI].

Objective: To explore the brain effect mechanism and the correlation between brain functional imaging and cognitive function in treatment of depressive disorder (DD) with transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) based on the resting-state functional magenetic reasonance imaging (rs-fMRI).

Methods: Thirty-two DD patients were included in a depression group and 32 subjects of healthy condition were enrolled in a normal group. In the depression group, the taVNS was applied to bilateral Xin (CO) and Shen (CO), at disperse-dense wave, 4 Hz/20 Hz in frequency and current intensity ≤20 mA depending on patient's tolerance, 30 min each time, twice daily.

Circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood as a diagnostic biomarker of breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

Purpose: Studies have reported that breast cancer (BC) patients' circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have varying results for their diagnostic role. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to systematically assess the accuracy of CTCs in the diagnosis of BC.

Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the overall accuracy of CTC detection.

Small-molecule targeting of GPCR-independent non-canonical G protein signaling inhibits cancer progression.

Activation of heterotrimeric G-proteins (Gαβγ) by G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is a quintessential mechanism of cell signaling widely targeted by clinically-approved drugs. However, it has become evident that heterotrimeric G-proteins can also be activated via GPCR-independent mechanisms that remain untapped as pharmacological targets. GIV/Girdin has emerged as a prototypical non-GPCR activator of G proteins that promotes cancer metastasis.

Immediate modulatory effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation on the resting state of major depressive disorder.

Background: Previous studies have found that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is clinically effective in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), and its efficacy mechanism is related to modulation of the default mode network (DMN) and cognitive control network (CCN). However, the mechanism of the immediate effect of taVNS for MDD remains to be elucidated.

Methods: A total of 58 patients with MDD and 54 healthy controls(HCs) were included in this study.

Influencing factors in the simulation of airflow and particle transportation in aircraft cabins by CFD.

To control the transport of particles such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus in airliner cabins, which is a significant concern for the flying public, effective ventilation systems are essential. Validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are frequently and effectively used to investigate air distribution and contaminant transportation. The complex geometry and airflow characteristics in airliner cabins pose a challenge to numerical CFD validation.

Characterization of Resting-State Striatal Differences in First-Episode Depression and Recurrent Depression.

The presence of reward deficits in major depressive disorder is associated with abnormal striatal function. However, differences in striatal whole-brain functional between recurrent depressive episode (RDE) and first-episode depression (FDE) have not been elucidated. Thirty-three patients with RDE, 27 with FDE, and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study.

Different characteristics of striatal resting-state functional conectivity in treatment-resistant and non-treatment-resistant depression.

Major depressive disorder is associated with a reward deficit manifested by abnormal striatal function. However, differences between treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and non TRD (nTRD) in striatal whole-brain functional connectivity (FC) have not been elucidated. Thirty-eight patients with TRD, 42 patients with nTRD, and 39 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited for this study.

A model to evaluate ozone distribution and reaction byproducts in aircraft cabin environments.

Ozone and byproducts of ozone-initiated reactions are among the primary pollutants in aircraft cabins. However, investigations of the spatial distribution and reaction mechanisms of these pollutants are insufficient. This study established a computational fluid dynamics-based model to evaluate ozone and byproduct distribution, considering ozone reactions in air, adsorption onto surfaces, and byproduct desorption from surfaces.

Integrated analysis identified prognostic microRNAs in breast cancer.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play pivotal roles in the development and progression of breast cancer (BC). In this study, we attempted to identify miRNAs associated with BC prognosis and progression via integrated analysis.

Methods: We first screened 83 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in 1249 BC samples and 151 normal samples.

Application of data-driven RANS model in simulating indoor airflow.

The indoor environment has a significant impact on our wellbeing. Accurate prediction of the indoor air distribution can help to create a good indoor environment. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) models are commonly used for indoor airflow prediction.