A human-centered approach for sharing patient experiences through digital storytelling: a research through design study.

This article outlines a human-centered approach to developing digital patient stories, for sharing their experiences in health care, while preserving patient and others' privacy. Employing a research-through-design approach, the study proposes a design solution using visualization and digital storytelling to document patients' and families' experiences and emotions, as well as their interactions with healthcare professionals in the postnatal unit. By transforming selected observational data into animated stories, this approach has the potential to elicit empathy, stimulate stakeholder engagement, and serve as a practical training tool for clinicians.

Optimized machine learning approaches to combine surface-enhanced Raman scattering and infrared data for trace detection of xylazine in illicit opioids.

Infrared absorption spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy were integrated into three data fusion strategies-hybrid (concatenated spectra), mid-level (extracted features from both datasets) and high-level (fusion of predictions from both models)-to enhance the predictive accuracy for xylazine detection in illicit opioid samples. Three chemometric approaches-random forest, support vector machine, and -nearest neighbor algorithms-were employed and optimized using a 5-fold cross-validation grid search for all fusion strategies. Validation results identified the random forest classifier as the optimal model for all fusion strategies, achieving high sensitivity (88% for hybrid, 92% for mid-level, and 96% for high-level) and specificity (88% for hybrid, mid-level, and high-level).

A review on the effects of flavan-3-ols, their metabolites, and their dietary sources on gut barrier integrity.

Impairment of gut barrier integrity is associated with the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and coeliac disease. While many aspects of diet have been linked to improved barrier function, (poly)phenols, a broad group of bioactive phytochemicals, are of potential interest. The (poly)phenolic sub-class, flavan-3-ols, have been investigated in some detail owing to their abundance in commonly consumed foods, including grapes, tea, apples, cocoa, berries, and nuts.

Using Minimally Invasive Tissue Sampling and Determination of Cause of Death to Establish Etiologies of Community Respiratory Deaths Among Zambian Infants and Children.

In low-to-middle-income countries, acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) remains the leading infectious cause of death among infants and children under 5 years old. Case-control studies based on upper respiratory sampling have informed current understandings of ALRI etiologies; in contrast, minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) offers a method of directly interrogating lower respiratory tract pathogens to establish etiologic distributions. This study performed in the postmortem setting used MITS and a Determination of Cause of Death (DeCoDe) panel to elucidate the causes of fatal pneumonia in the community in Lusaka, Zambia.

Intensive Spatiotemporal Characterization of the Tire Wear Toxin 6PPD Quinone in Urban Waters.

6PPDQ is a tire-derived contaminant toxic to coho salmon (LC = 41-95 ng/L) found widely distributed in urban environments. Most monitoring efforts have relied on relatively few discrete samples collected at select locations across rain events. Early work has revealed that 6PPDQ concentrations vary widely over time and space, raising questions about when and where to collect samples.

Is a picture worth the same emotions everywhere? Validation of images from the Nencki affective picture system in Malaysia.

Several validated image sets, such as NAPS, IAPS, GAPED, and OASIS, have been developed to elicit affective states. However, these image sets were primarily validated on Western populations within European and American contexts, and none have been fully validated in a Southeast Asian sample, where emotional restraint may also be valued similarly to the East Asian contexts. This study aimed to validate and provide norms for the Nencki Affective Picture System (NAPS; Marchewka et al.

INSIGHT-2: mechanistic studies into pregnancy complications and their impact on maternal and child health-study protocol.

Background: Pregnancy and early childhood cohorts provide a framework for investigating the complex interplay between early-life exposures and health outcomes, thereby informing prevention strategies and interventions to improve maternal and child health. In this paper, we outline the objectives, methodologies and expected contributions of INSIGHT-2, a comprehensive cohort study dedicated to advancing our understanding of pregnancy and pregnancy complications towards improving the health and well-being of mothers and their offspring.

Methods: Over the course of 5 years, the study aims to establish a diverse cohort of 1700 pregnant women and to follow up their children up to 2 years of age.

Enhancing wellbeing in medical practice: Exploring interventions and effectiveness for improving the work lives of resident (junior) doctors: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Introduction: Globally, resident doctors face challenges like long work hours, critical decision-making stress, and exposure to death and distress, prompting concern for their wellbeing. This study addresses the need for interventions to improve their working conditions, vital for enhancing quality of life, patient care and retaining a skilled workforce.

Methods: Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review until 3 January 2024 explored interventions for resident Ddoctors pre- and post-COVID-19.

Dose optimization of piperacillin/tazobactam, cefepime, and ceftazidime for carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates in Türkiye.

Introduction: Although CRPA may test susceptible to other β-lactams such as ceftazidime (CAZ), cefepime (FEP), and piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), reduced potency has been observed. We assessed the adequacy of EUCAST Susceptible (S) or Susceptible Increased Exposure (SIE)/(I) doses for CAZ, FEP, and TZP against CRPA clinical isolates.

Methods: CRPA isolates were collected from patients at three Turkish hospitals.

Assessment of the Workflow and Time to Antibiotic Dose Adjustment for Critically Ill Patients Starting Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) remains a common sequela of sepsis necessitating use of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). In the setting of AKI, renally adjusted antimicrobials (eg, β-lactams) are dose reduced to prevent toxicity; however, the extracorporeal clearance of CRRT may lead to subtherapeutic exposures of dose reduced antimicrobials. The present study sought to evaluate the time to dose adjustment to CRRT appropriate doses of antimicrobials after initiation of CRRT.

Feasibility and assessment of self-reported dietary recalls among newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

Background: Individuals who are newly diagnosed with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) or relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) may choose not to undergo disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) due to concerns about expenses or potential adverse effects. Thus, many individuals will opt for alternative therapies, such as dietary modifications. Among these dietary approaches, the modified Paleolithic elimination diet has shown promise for improving MS-related symptoms; however, restriction of certain food groups can lead to inadequate intake of nutrients.

Differential frequency of persister cells in clinically derived isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa after exposure to cefiderocol and ceftolozane/tazobactam.

Background: Bacterial persistence is a phenomenon whereby a subpopulation of bacteria survive high concentrations of an active antibiotic in the absence of phenotypic alterations. Persisters are associated with chronic and recurrent infections for pathogens including Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Understanding persister profiles of newer antibiotics such as cefiderocol and ceftolozane/tazobactam against P.

Bioavailability of mango (poly)phenols: An evaluation of the impact of the colon, and phenylalanine and tyrosine on the production of phenolic catabolites.

A mango pulp purée was ingested by ileostomists, whose colon had been removed surgically, and subjects with a full gastrointestinal (GI) tract, after which ileal fluid, urine and feces were collected over a 24 h period and analysed by UHPLC-HR-MS. The main (poly)phenols in the purée were gallotannins (356 μmol) and two hydroxy-methoxy-cinnamoyl glucose esters (43 μmol) together with the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine (22 μmol) and tyrosine (209 μmol). Analysis of ileal fluid revealed almost all the ingested gallotannins appeared to have broken down in the upper GI tract with the released benzoic acids being rapidly absorbed into the circulatory system prior to urinary excretion mainly as phase-2 metabolites.

Association of genetic ancestry with pre-eclampsia in multi-ethnic cohorts of pregnant women.

Objectives: Maternal self-reported ethnicity is recognised as a risk factor for pre-eclampsia in clinical screening tools and models. This study investigated whether ethnicity is acting as a proxy for genetic variants in this context.

Study Design: A total of 436 women from multi-ethnic backgrounds recruited to two UK observational pregnancy hypertension cohort studies were genotyped.

The phytochemical composition and unexplored potential of Australian native plants for application in physical activity-related muscle recovery and inflammation: a literature review.

Native plants are adaptable in various environmental conditions in part through the production of unique phytochemicals which may have beneficial effects on human health. Native Australian fruits contain higher phytochemical and antioxidant levels than most Western fruits, suggesting potential for greater health benefits arising from their consumption. These beneficial effects, in turn, may be mediated by the inhibition of inflammatory pathways as well as oxidative stress the regulation of reactive oxygen (ROS) and/or nitrogen (RNS) species levels.

The Influence of Body Position on the Resting Motor Threshold of Posterior Root-Muscle Reflexes Evoked via Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation.

Thoracolumbar transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) non-invasively evokes posterior root-muscle reflexes (PRMR) with the aim of neuromodulating sensorimotor function following spinal cord injury. Research is still in its infancy regarding the effect of body position on the nature of these spinally evoked responses. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of body position on the nature of PRMR responses during tSCS.

Microbially mediated phenolic catabolites exert differential genoprotective activities in normal and adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Age-associated decline of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activity and DNA repair efficiency leads to the accumulation of DNA damage and increased risk of cancer. Understanding the mechanisms behind increased levels of damaged DNA is crucial for developing interventions to mitigate age-related cancer risk. Associated with various health benefits, (poly)phenols and their microbially mediated phenolic catabolites represent a potential means to reduce DNA damage.

FLUEnT: Transformer for detecting lung consolidations in videos using fused lung ultrasound encodings.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children around the world. According to WHO, a total of 740,180 lives under the age of five were lost due to pneumonia in 2019. Lung ultrasound (LUS) has been shown to be particularly useful for supporting the diagnosis of pneumonia in children and reducing mortality in resource-limited settings.

Antibacterial and mechanism of action studies of boxazomycin A.

Boxazomycins A-C are potent broad-spectrum antibiotics isolated from Actinomycetes strain G495-1 in 1987. We now report that boxazomycin A inhibits bacterial growth by selectively inhibiting protein synthesis, its effect is bacteriostatic, and it is equally active against drug resistant bacterial strains. No cross-resistance to protein synthesis inhibitors was observed suggesting that its inhibition is distinct from clinical protein synthesis inhibitors.

Nasopharyngeal Dysbiosis Precedes the Development of Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Young Infants, a Longitudinal Infant Cohort Study.

Background: Infants suffering from lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) have distinct nasopharyngeal (NP) microbiome profiles that correlate with severity of disease. Whether these profiles precede the infection or are a consequence of it, is unknown. In order to answer this question, longitudinal studies are needed.

Trace Detection of Adulterants in Illicit Opioid Samples Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Random Forest Classification.

The detection of trace adulterants in opioid samples is an important aspect of drug checking, a harm reduction measure that is required as a result of the variability and unpredictability of the illicit drug supply. While many analytical methods are suitable for such analysis, community-based approaches require techniques that are amenable to point-of-care applications with minimal sample preparation and automated analysis. We demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), combined with a random forest classifier, is able to detect the presence of two common sedatives, bromazolam (0.

Engage! a pilot study of a brief behavioural activation program to promote engagement and well-being in older adults.

Previous research has indicated the suitability of behavioural activation (BA) as an intervention for reducing depression in older adults. However, little research has investigated the potential of BA to increase active engagement and well-being in older adults. The current pilot study sought to investigate the usefulness and acceptability of BA to promote well-being in a group of non-clinical older adults.

Directional Deep Brain Stimulation Programming: Is the Segment Clearly Identifiable and Stable Over Time?

Background: In our early experience programming directional deep brain stimulation (d-DBS) in PD, we found the optimal directional segment changed over time in some patients. To determine the frequency/reasons for this we examined whether (1) different programmers would identify the same segment as "optimal"; and (2) the same programmer would select the same "optimal" segment over time. We hypothesized there would be a moderately high level of agreement on optimal electrode selection between different assessors and repeated assessments by the same evaluator.