Background: Diatoms are microalgae with finely ornamented microscopic silica shells. Their taxonomic identification by light microscopy is routinely used as part of community ecological research as well as ecological status assessment of aquatic ecosystems, and a need for digitalization of these methods has long been recognized. Alongside their high taxonomic and morphological diversity, several other factors make diatoms highly challenging for deep learning-based identification using light microscopy images.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Home monitoring systems utilising artificial intelligence hold promise for digitally enhanced healthcare in older adults. Their real-world use will depend on acceptability to the end user i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease is known as an important process in the disease, yet how microglial activation affects disease progression remains unclear.
Objective: The current study aims to interrogate the predictive value of neuroinflammation biomarker (11C-PBR28 PET), together with A/T/N imaging markers on disease deterioration in a cognitively impaired patient cohort.
Methods: The study included 6 AD and 27 MCI patients, who had MRI, 11C-PBR28, 18F-flutemetamol (amyloid marker), 18F-AV1451 (tau marker) PET scans, and were followed up with multiple neuropsychological assessments for at least one year (1.
Background: Neurocardiogenic syncope is a common condition with significant associated psychological and physical morbidity. The effectiveness of therapeutic options for neurocardiogenic syncope beyond placebo remains uncertain.
Methods: The primary endpoint was the risk ratio (RR) of spontaneously recurring syncope following any therapeutic intervention.
Field observations form the basis of the majority of studies on microphytobenthic algal communities in freshwater ecosystems. Controlled mesocosm experiments data are comparatively uncommon. The few experimental mesocosm studies that have been conducted provide valuable insights into how multiple stressors affect the community structures and photosynthesis-related traits of benthic microalgae.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Digital technologies have positively impacted the availability and usability of clinical algorithms through the advancement in mobile health. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if a web-based algorithm designed to support the decision-making process of cancer care providers (CCPs) differentially impacted their self-reported self-efficacy and practices for providing smoking prevention and cessation services in Peru and Colombia.
Methods: A simple decision-making tree algorithm was built in REDCap using information from an extensive review of the currently available smoking prevention and cessation resources.
Introduction: One of the most prevalent primary liver cancer, particularly in Eastern Asia, is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which has a poor prognosis. A rare condition known as situs inversus totalis (SIT) causes the abdominal and thoracic organs to be completely inverted.
Presentation Of Case: A 51-year-old woman complained of a lump in the abdomen since 4 years ago, slowly enlarging to the suprapubic area, without pain.
This study aimed to review the lesser-known intraoral manifestations of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD). In this paper we report an unprecedented case of oral IgG4-RD mimicking angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE), and another case presenting as plasma cell gingivitis. We then performed a scoping review of published cases of IgG4-RD involving the oral cavity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Little is known about the effect of gut microbial and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) carriage, particularly in the general population. The aim of this study was to identify microbiota signatures uniquely correlated with ESBL-E carriage.
Methods: We conducted a case-control study among individuals seeking care at the Sexual Health Clinic or Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France.
Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is common in older people. We examined the influence of self-reported occupational-related physical activity (PA) and leisure-time physical exercise (PE) on orthostatic response in a sample of older people over a 2 year period. Supine and orthostatic systolic blood pressure (sBP), diastolic blood pressure (dBP), and mean blood pressure (mBP) were assessed in response to Active Stand (AS) test in 205 older subjects (> 60 years old) at baseline and 2-year follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInternet of things (IOT) based in-home monitoring systems can passively collect high temporal resolution data in the community, offering valuable insight into the impact of health conditions on patients' day-to-day lives. We used this technology to monitor activity and sleep patterns in older adults recently discharged after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The demographics of TBI are changing, and it is now a leading cause of hospitalisation in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOrthostatic intolerance and other autonomic dysfunction syndromes are emerging as distinct symptom clusters in Long Covid. Often accompanying these are common, multi-system constitutional features such as fatigue, malaise and skin rashes which can signify generalized immune dysregulation. At the same time, multiple autoantibodies are identified in both Covid-related autonomic disorders and non-Covid autonomic disorders, implying a possible underlying autoimmune pathology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among older adults is increasing exponentially. The sequelae can be severe in older adults and interact with age-related conditions such as multimorbidity. Despite this, TBI research in older adults is sparse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA thorough social history is an important component of all medical clerkings and is particularly crucial when admitting an older patient. Standards exist to guide the social history content but are rarely referenced in practice. This quality improvement project conceived and implemented the novel BLANKETS (Bladder and bowels, Legal arrangements, Activities of daily living, Neurology (cognition), Kit (dentures, hearing or visual aids), EtOH and smoking, Trips, walking aids and exercise tolerance, Setup at home) tool for social history documentation, derived from existing standards, at a specialist medical inpatient hospital setting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Oral lichen planus with exclusive keratotic reticular, papular, and/or plaque-like lesions (K-OLP) is a clinical pattern of OLP that may be associated with a complex symptomatology and psychological alteration. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety (A) and depression (D) in patients with K-OLP, analyzing the potential predictors which can affect mental health status.
Methods: Three hundred K-OLP patients versus 300 healthy controls (HC) were recruited in 15 Italian universities.
Brain network dysfunction is increasingly recognised in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the causes of brain connectivity disruption are still poorly understood. Recently, neuroinflammation has been identified as an important factor in AD pathogenesis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSarcopenia is an increasingly recognised condition of loss of muscle mass and function. The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWSOP2) updated their definition in 2018, emphasising the importance of low muscle strength in diagnosis. Acute sarcopenia has been arbitrarily defined as sarcopenia lasting less than 6 months.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBlood pressure regulation is an automatic, moment-by-moment buffering of the blood pressure in response to physiological changes such as orthostasis, exercise and haemorrhage. This finely orchestrated reflex is called the baroreflex. It is a regulated arc of afferent, central and efferent arms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThere is growing evidence that surgery can drive an inflammatory response in the brain. However, the mechanisms behind this response are incompletely understood. Here, we investigate the hypotheses that 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a series of new challenges to the management of surgical patients. The consent process relies on a foundation of open and non-coerced discussion between clinician and patient, which includes all the potential risks of surgery. This must be updated to incorporate the additional risks of surgery during the pandemic including infection with the SARS-CoV-2 and increased risks of complications with the potential requirement for intensive care support.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFollowing surgery, local cytokine-driven inflammation occurs, as part of the normal healing process. Cytokines in the central nervous system such as IL-6 and IL-8 may also be elevated. These cytokine changes likely contribute to neuroinflammation, but the complex mechanisms through which this occurs are incompletely understood.
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