Using Natural Language Processing in the LACE Index Scoring Tool to Predict Unplanned Trauma and Surgical Readmissions in South Africa.

Background: Unplanned and potentially avoidable readmission within 30 days post discharge is a major financial burden.

Aim: To use text-based electronic patient records to calculate the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score using a natural language processing technique to establish the feasibility and usefulness of the text-based electronic patient records in identifying patients at risk for unplanned readmission.

Methods: A retrospective review of electronic patient records for general and trauma surgery in a hospital in South Africa (2012-2022) was conducted using the LACE score.

Chemically Induced Senescence Prompts Functional Changes in Human Microglia-Like Cells.

In response to various stressors, cells can enter a state called cellular senescence which is characterized by irreversible cell cycle arrest and a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The progressive accumulation of senescent glial cells in the central nervous system (CNS) with aging suggests a potential role for senescence as driver of aging and inflammation in the brain. As the main immune cell population residing in the CNS, microglia are thought to play a pivotal role in the progression of age-associated neuroinflammation.

Multi-omic Characterization of HIV Effects at Single Cell Level across Human Brain Regions.

HIV infection exerts profound and long-lasting neurodegenerative effects on the central nervous system (CNS) that can persist despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Here, we used single-nucleus multiome sequencing to map the transcriptomic and epigenetic landscapes of postmortem human brains from 13 healthy individuals and 20 individuals with HIV who have a history of treatment with ART. Our study spanned three distinct regions-the prefrontal cortex, insular cortex, and ventral striatum-enabling a comprehensive exploration of region-specific and cross-regional perturbations.

Optimizing mechanical ventilation: Personalizing mechanical power to reduce ICU mortality - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Mechanical ventilation, a crucial intervention for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), can lead to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). This study focuses on individualizing mechanical power (MP) in mechanically ventilated patients to minimize VILI and reduce ICU mortality.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the Amsterdam University Medical Centers Database (AmsterdamUMCdb) data.

PICH impacts the spindle assembly checkpoint via its DNA translocase and SUMO-interaction activities.

Either inhibiting or stabilizing SUMOylation in mitosis causes defects in chromosome segregation, suggesting that dynamic mitotic SUMOylation of proteins is critical to maintain integrity of the genome. Polo-like kinase 1-interacting checkpoint helicase (PICH), a mitotic chromatin remodeling enzyme, interacts with SUMOylated chromosomal proteins via three UMO-nteracting otifs (SIMs) to control their association with chromosomes. Using cell lines with conditional PICH depletion/PICH replacement, we revealed mitotic defects associated with compromised PICH functions toward SUMOylated chromosomal proteins.

Vascular Imaging is the Only Reliable Method to Exclude Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury Post Hanging or Strangulation.

Background: Strangulation and hanging injuries are a common form of self-inflicted harm. The incidence of associated blunt cerebrovascular injury and its correlation with clinical findings remains unclear. Furthermore, the decision to image and the choice of imaging remains unresolved.

Diversity and Underserved Patient Populations in Epilepsy.

Objective: Despite advancements in epilepsy management, disparities and lack of inclusion of many people with epilepsy are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Compounding these problems is the paucity of diversity among health care providers, research participants, and researchers. This issue as well as potential solutions are explored in this article.

Defining the contribution of human error to adverse events in a surgical service.

Background: This study aimed to assess the contribution of human error to adverse events over 10 years in a single surgical department in South Africa.

Methods: A retrospective database analysis was undertaken to identify all adverse events, which were further assessed to identify which were error-associated.

Results: A total of 14 237 adverse events occurred between December 2012 and January 2023, of which 7 504 (52.

coordinates the IL-10 inducing activity of .

Unlabelled: The intestine is home to a complex immune system that is engaged in mutualistic interactions with the microbiome that maintain intestinal homeostasis. A variety of immune-derived anti-inflammatory mediators have been uncovered and shown to be critical for maintaining these beneficial immune-microbiome relationships. Notably, the gut microbiome actively invokes the induction of anti-inflammatory pathways that limit the development of microbiome-targeted inflammatory immune responses.

Massively parallel reporter assay investigates shared genetic variants of eight psychiatric disorders.

A meta-genome-wide association study across eight psychiatric disorders has highlighted the genetic architecture of pleiotropy in major psychiatric disorders. However, mechanisms underlying pleiotropic effects of the associated variants remain to be explored. We conducted a massively parallel reporter assay to decode the regulatory logic of variants with pleiotropic and disorder-specific effects.

Near-field-driven thermal phonon lasing.

The extreme electromagnetic near-field environment of nanoplasmonic resonators and metamaterials can give rise to unprecedented electromagnetic heating effects, enabling large and manipulable temperature gradients on the order of 10-10 K/nm. In this Letter, by interfacing traditional semiconductor quantum dots with industry-grade plasmonic transducer technology, we demonstrate that the near-field-induced thermal gradient can facilitate the requisite population inversion for coherent phonon amplification and lasing at the nanoscale. Our detailed analysis uncovers both the characteristics and parameter sensitivity of inversion and relaxation oscillations in the system, thereby unveiling hitherto unexplored opportunities for leveraging plasmonic near-field effects in the context of quantum thermodynamics and phononics.

Using the Behaviour Change Wheel to develop an intervention to improve conversations about recovery on the stroke unit.

Background: Understanding recovery is important for patients with stroke and their families, including how much recovery is expected and how long it might take. These conversations can however be uncomfortable for stroke unit staff, particularly when they involve breaking bad news. This study aimed to begin development of a novel complex intervention to improve conversations about recovery on stroke units.

The Role of Beta-Hydroxybutyrate in Mitigating the Inflammatory and Metabolic Consequences of Uric Acid.

Uric acid (UA), a metabolite of purine and fructose metabolism, is linked to inflammation and metabolic disorders, including gout and cardiovascular disease. Its pro-inflammatory effects are largely driven by the activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, leading to increased cytokine production. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), a ketone produced during fasting or carbohydrate restriction, has been shown to reduce inflammation.

Temporal RAGE Over-Expression Disrupts Lung Development by Modulating Apoptotic Signaling.

Receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) are multiligand cell surface receptors found most abundantly in lung tissue. This study sought to evaluate the role of RAGE in lung development by using a transgenic (TG) mouse model that spatially and temporally controlled RAGE overexpression. Histological imaging revealed that RAGE upregulation from embryonic day (E) 15.

Practice Variability in Uptake and Implementation of New U.S. DHHS Guidelines for Feeding of HIV-Exposed Infants.

New U.S. guidelines support shared decision-making regarding breastfeeding for mothers living with HIV and their neonates.

Histone H3 tail modifications required for meiosis in .

Histone tail phosphorylation has diverse effects on a myriad of cellular processes, including cell division, and is highly conserved throughout eukaryotes. Histone H3 phosphorylation at threonine 3 (H3T3) during mitosis occurs at the inner centromeres and is required for proper biorientation of chromosomes on the mitotic spindle. While H3T3 is also phosphorylated during meiosis, a possible role for this modification has not been tested.

A PubMed search filter for efficiently retrieving exercise training studies.

Background: A barrier to evidence-informed exercise programming is locating studies of exercise training programs. The purpose of this study was to create a search filter for studies of exercise training programs for the PubMed electronic bibliographic database.

Methods: Candidate search terms were identified from three sources: exercise-relevant MeSH terms and their corresponding Entry terms, word frequency analysis of articles in a gold-standard reference set curated from systematic reviews focused on exercise training, and retrospective searching of articles retrieved in the search filter development and testing steps.

Particulates in CGT guidance survey results - an ISCT process development & manufacturing committee perspective on cell and gene therapy industry knowledge awareness.

The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy Particulates Working Group has surveyed the global industry on commonly used regulatory guidance documents pertaining to particulates across various cell and gene therapy (CGT) product-based chemistry and manufacturing controls. Responses were collated from academic and industrially based individuals involved in or making decisions for manufacturing, quality control and analytics. Two surveys covering therapy developers and manufacturing suppliers were created and distributed via e-mail, through focus groups and via social media platforms.

Network-based drug repurposing for psychiatric disorders using single-cell genomics.

Neuropsychiatric disorders lack effective treatments due to a limited understanding of underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. To address this, we integrated population-scale single-cell genomics data and analyzed cell-type-level gene regulatory networks across schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism (23 cell classes/subclasses). Our analysis revealed potential druggable transcription factors co-regulating known risk genes that converge into cell-type-specific co-regulated modules.

The evolutionary history of the ancient weevil family Belidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) reveals the marks of Gondwana breakup and major floristic turnovers, including the rise of angiosperms.

The rise of angiosperms to ecological dominance and the breakup of Gondwana during the Mesozoic marked major transitions in the evolutionary history of insect-plant interactions. To elucidate how contemporary trophic interactions were influenced by host plant shifts and palaeogeographical events, we integrated molecular data with information from the fossil record to construct a time tree for ancient phytophagous weevils of the beetle family Belidae. Our analyses indicate that crown-group Belidae originated approximately 138 Ma ago in Gondwana, associated with Pinopsida (conifer) host plants, with larvae likely developing in dead/decaying branches.

Effectiveness of early vocational rehabilitation versus usual care to support RETurn to work After stroKE: a pragmatic, parallel arm multi-centre, randomised-controlled trial.

Background: Return-to-work is a major goal achieved by fewer than 50% stroke survivors. Evidence on how to support return-to-work is lacking.

Aims: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Early Stroke Specialist Vocational Rehabilitation (ESSVR) plus usual care (UC) (i.

Juvenile Atlantic sturgeon survival and movement in proximity to an active cutterhead suction dredge.

The Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus has suffered population declines throughout its range. Many knowledge gaps exist regarding how to mitigate threats and better inform recovery efforts. This study examined survival of juveniles during their movements through river reaches undergoing channel maintenance dredging operations.

Immediate Treatment of Seizure Clusters: A Conceptual Roadmap to Expedited Seizure Management.

Some patients with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite daily treatment with antiseizure medications. This includes seizure clusters (also known as acute repetitive seizures), which are an increase in seizure frequency that is different from the usual seizure pattern for that patient. In the literature, the term "rescue" is used for pharmacologic treatment for seizure clusters, but clarity regarding timing or whether a caregiver or patient should wait until a moment of life-threatening urgency before administering the medication is lacking.