Adverse childhood experiences and associations with mental health, substance use, and violence perpetration among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have debilitating effects on child well-being, with consequences persisting into adulthood. Most ACE studies have been conducted in high-income countries and show a graded relationship between multiple ACE exposures and adverse health outcomes. Less is known about the types and burden of ACEs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Drugs Targeting Sirtuin 2 Exhibit Broad-Spectrum Anti-Infective Activity.

Direct-acting anti-infective drugs target pathogen-coded gene products and are a highly successful therapeutic paradigm. However, they generally target a single pathogen or family of pathogens, and the targeted organisms can readily evolve resistance. Host-targeted agents can overcome these limitations.

Plasma leptin levels are lower in females, but not males, with ketamine use disorder.

Ketamine has emerged as a prominent substance of misuse. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived polypeptide hormone, has been implicated in the development of addiction. Sex-specific changes in leptin levels have been demonstrated following acute ketamine administration; the persistence of long-term ketamine use on leptin levels is uncertain.

Clinical Correlates and Prognostic Impact of Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: Insights From PARAGON-HF.

Background: Cognitive impairment is common in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction but its clinical correlates and prognostic associations are poorly understood.

Methods: We analyzed cognitive function, using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction enrolled in a prespecified substudy of the PARAGON-HF trial (Prospective Comparison of Angiotensin Receptor Neprilysin Inhibitor With Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Global Outcomes in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction). Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the variables associated with lower MMSE scores at baseline and postbaseline decline in MMSE scores at 48 weeks.

Imidazolate-Stabilized Cu(III): Dioxygen to Oxides at Type 3 Copper Sites.

Imidazole ligation of metals through histidine is extensive among metalloproteins, yet the role of the imidazolate conjugate base is often neglected, despite its potential accessibility when bonded to an oxidized metal center. Using synthetic models of oxygenated tyrosinase enzymes ligated exclusively by monodentate imidazoles, we find that deprotonation of the μ-η:η-peroxidodicopper(II) species triggers redox isomerization to an imidazolate-ligated bis(μ-oxido)dicopper(III) species. Formal two-electron oxidation to Cu(III) remains biologically unprecedented, yet is effected readily by addition of base.

Evaluation of Surgical Site Infection Rates in Traumatic Surgical Fixation and Arthroplasty Performed in Laminar Flow Versus Non-laminar Flow Theatres During the COVID Pandemic.

Introduction Laminar flow (LF) in theatres has become the standard of care in orthopaedic implant surgery. Most of the evidence for laminar flow use is based on arthroplasty surgery, with early studies showing a significant reduction in infections. We conducted a retrospective comparative study to assess surgical site infection (SSI) rates in consecutive patients undergoing surgery for trauma in LF and non-laminar flow (NLF) theatres.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Children along the US‒Mexico Border, 2017-2023.

Rocky mountain spotted fever (RMSF) causes significant illness and death in children. Although historically rare in California, USA, RMSF is endemic in areas of northern Mexico that border California. We describe 7 children with RMSF who were hospitalized at a tertiary pediatric referral center in California during 2017-2023.

A prospective multicentre study evaluating the performance of the modified simple biliary atresia scoring system in predicting biliary atresia.

Purpose: Early diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA) is critical for best outcomes, but is challenged by overlapping clinical manifestations with other causes of obstructive jaundice in neonates. We evaluate the performance of the modified Simple BA Scoring System (SBASS) in diagnosing BA.

Methods: We performed a prospective, cross-sectional study on infants with cholestatic jaundice (June 2021-December 2022).

Climate risk analysis of low-altitude tea gardens in central Taiwan using a Bayesian network.

Tea is a vital agricultural product in Taiwan. Due to global warming, the increasing extreme weather events have disrupted tea garden conditions and caused economic losses in agriculture. To address these challenges, a comprehensive tea garden risk assessment model, a Bayesian network (BN), was developed by considering various factors, including meteorological data, disaster events, tea garden environment (location, altitude, tea tree age, and soil characteristics), farming practices, and farmer interviews, and constructed risk assessment indicators for tea gardens based on the climate change risk analysis concept from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report (IPCC AR5).

Sacubitril/Valsartan Versus Enalapril in Chronic Chagas Cardiomyopathy: Rationale and Design of the PARACHUTE-HF Trial.

Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy (CCC) has unique pathogenic and clinical features with worse prognosis than other causes of heart failure (HF), despite the fact that patients with CCC are often younger and have fewer comorbidities. Patients with CCC were not adequately represented in any of the landmark HF studies that support current treatment guidelines. PARACHUTE-HF (Prevention And Reduction of Adverse outcomes in Chagasic Heart failUre Trial Evaluation) is an active-controlled, randomized, phase IV trial designed to evaluate the effect of sacubitril/valsartan 200 mg twice daily vs enalapril 10 mg twice daily added to standard of care treatment for HF.

Simple biliary atresia score-a validated diagnostic aid for infantile cholestasis.

Purpose: The workup of jaundiced infants may be variable and protracted, thereby delaying the diagnosis and timely intervention for biliary atresia (BA). This potentially leads to inferior outcomes. We developed a practical score to stratify infantile cholestasis according to the risk of having BA.

From Sea to Science: Coral Aquaculture for Sustainable Anticancer Drug Development.

Marine natural products offer immense potential for drug development, but the limited supply of marine organisms poses a significant challenge. Establishing aquaculture presents a sustainable solution for this challenge by facilitating the mass production of active ingredients while reducing our reliance on wild populations and harm to local environments. To fully utilize aquaculture as a source of biologically active products, a cell-free system was established to target molecular components with protein-modulating activity, including topoisomerase II, HDAC, and tubulin polymerization, using extracts from aquaculture corals.

Hirsutella sinensis intensifies testicular function and spermatogenesis in male mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity.

Background: Hirsutella sinensis (HS) is a mycelium isolated from the fruiting body of the medicinal mushroom Cordyceps sinensis . This study explored whether HS treatment affects reproductive dysfunction in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced mouse model and regulates various mechanisms, focusing on oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and autophagy.

Methods: Twenty-four C57BL/6J (B6) mice were randomly divided into a standard chow diet (NCD)- or HFD-fed group for 24 weeks.

Caregiver reported long-term outcomes in children with major trauma and traumatic brain injuries: A single-centre retrospective study.

Introduction: We aim to investigate the functional outcomes and long-term health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children with major trauma associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Method: We performed a retrospective review of records among patients >2 and ≤16 years old in a tertiary paediatric hospital between January 2014 and October 2019 with major trauma (Injury Severity Score of ≥16) and TBI of all severities. We recorded each child's Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended Pediatric Version (GOS-E Peds) at 12 months post-injury and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) scores at 6 and 12 months post-injury based on the parent proxy-report scales.

Physical activity patterns, sleep quality, and stress levels among rotating-shift nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim: To examine the associations between physical activity patterns, sleep quality, and stress levels among rotating-shift nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Stress adversely impacts hospital nurses, particularly those on rotating shifts. The effects of physical activity patterns and sleep quality on the stress levels of these nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic warrant investigation.

Biphasic Scaffold Loaded With Autologous Cartilage Yields Better Clinical Outcome and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Filling Compared With Marrow Stimulation for Focal Osteochondral Lesions in the Knee.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of marrow stimulation (MS) versus biphasic scaffold loaded with autologous cartilage (scaffold) in treating focal osteochondral lesions of the knee.

Methods: In total, 54 patients with symptomatic focal chondral or osteochondral lesion in the knee were randomized to either the scaffold group or the MS group. International Knee Documentation Committee subjective score, the Knee Injury Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were assessed preoperatively and at 1 and 2 years after operation to compare treatment outcomes.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of resistant hypertension among Chinese hypertensive patients in primary care setting.

Introduction: Hypertension (HT) is a major public health problem globally, and it is the commonest chronic disease with a prevalence of 27% among people aged 15 years or above in Hong Kong. There is emerging literature confirmed that patients with resistant hypertension (RHT) give its increased risk for adverse clinical outcomes and higher rate of documented target organ damage. This study aims to identify the prevalence of RHT among Chinese hypertensive patients managed in public primary care setting of Hong Kong and exploring its associated risk factors.

An allosteric inhibitor of sirtuin 2 blocks hepatitis B virus covalently closed circular DNA establishment and its transcriptional activity.

296 million people worldwide are predisposed to developing severe end-stage liver diseases due to chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. HBV forms covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA) molecules that persist as episomal DNA in the nucleus of infected hepatocytes and drive viral replication. Occasionally, the HBV genome becomes integrated into host chromosomal DNA, a process that is believed to significantly contribute to circulating HBsAg levels and HCC development.

Access to long-lived room temperature phosphorescence through auration of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole.

A series of 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole-Au(I)-L complexes have been synthesised, structurally characterised and investigated for their photophysical properties. These are the first organometallic Au(I) complexes containing a C-Au bond on the highly electron-deficient benzothiadiazole unit. The complexes exhibit solution-phase phosphorescence at room temperature, assigned to the intrinsic triplet state of the benzothiadiazole unit that is efficently populated through its attachment to gold.

Correlation of fitzpatrick skin type and iris color with tumor size in 823 patients with uveal melanoma.

Purpose: To determine the correlation of Fitzpatrick Skin Type (FST) and iris color with tumor size (tumor thickness and basal diameter) in patients with uveal melanoma.

Design: Retrospective Cohort METHODS: Retrospective cohort from a single ocular oncology center of 823 patients with uveal melanoma and documented FST, iris color, and tumor size. Patients were classified by FST (type I, II, and III-V) and iris color (blue, green, and brown) on the basis of external facial photography.