The First Report of Environmental Exposure to Barium in 10 Localities Close to Industrial Areas and Ports in the Amazon.

Environmental exposure to metallic contaminants such as barium (Ba) is a worldwide concern, as these metals can even be toxic to the human body. Data on different sources of exposure to Ba and possible routes of entry are important for preventing adverse health effects. Blood Ba levels were evaluated in 10 localities in the cities of Barcarena and Abaetetuba in the Amazon.

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Clustering of obesogenic behaviours amongst 140 052 South American adolescents: a harmonized meta-analysis of national health surveys.

Background: Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and diet synergically coexist (in different ways) within adolescents' lifestyles. Thus, understanding obesogenic behaviour patterns within populations is critical to promoting adolescents' health. This study investigates clustering patterns of adolescents' obesogenic behaviours across South American countries.

Durvalumab as consolidation therapy in patients who received chemoradiotherapy for unresectable stage III NSCLC: Real-world data from an expanded access program in Brazil (LACOG 0120).

Objective: The PACIFIC trial established standard therapy for patients with unresectable stage III NSCLC who did not progress after platinum-based concurrent chemoradiation therapy. However, real-world data, particularly from Latin America, remain limited. The LACOG 0120 study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of consolidation therapy with durvalumab in a real-world setting in Brazil.

Cutoff points for handgrip strength in patients with liver cirrhosis: a multicenter study.

Objectives: This study aimed to define handgrip strength (HGS) cutoff points to predict 1-year mortality in adult patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: This is an analysis of cohort databases from four reference centers in Brazil. Inpatients or outpatients with cirrhosis and aged ≥18 years were included.

Comparing the Diagnostic Performance of Ultrasound Elastography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Differentiate Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was comparing diagnostic performance of ultrasound elastography (UE), strain UE and shear wave elastography (SWE), with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.

Methods: Literature search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, SCOPUS and Google Scholar was performed in June 2023. Included studies used Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) and histopathology as reference standard.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma with Medullary Features and a Complete Pathological Response After Neoadjuvant FOLFIRINOX: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive malignancy with poor response to chemotherapy. High-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-H) is a rare biological phenomenon in conventional PDAC, being more frequently described in tumors with medullary or mucinous features.

Methods And Results: In this manuscript, we report the case of a patient with an MSI-H pancreatic carcinoma with medullary features (medullary carcinoma of the pancreas-MCP) that achieved a complete pathological response after neoadjuvant modified FOLFIRINOX.

Aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 reduces neuropathic pain and anxiety-like behaviours in male diabetic rats: antinociceptive enhancement by cannabinoid receptor agonists.

Neuropathy is the most common complication of diabetes, leading to painful symptoms like hyperalgesia. Current treatments for diabetic painful neuropathy often prove inadequate, necessitating the exploration of new pharmacological approaches. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential antinociceptive effect of aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 (ATL), a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator, when administered alone or in combination with cannabinoid agonists, to alleviate diabetic neuropathic pain.

Advance Care Planning Billing Codes Associated With Decreased Healthcare Utilization in Neurological Disease.

Goals: Advance care planning (ACP) procedure codes have been established to reimburse meaningful care goal discussions; however, the utilization frequency of these codes in neurological disease is unknown. The objective of this study is to identify the association between ACP codes and healthcare utilization in chronic neurodegenerative diseases.

Methods: This is a multicenter cohort study using real-world electronic health data.

The role of biosilica and its potential for sensing technologies: A review.

Efficiently managing agricultural waste while innovating to derive value-added products is a significant challenge in the 21st century. In recent decades, these by-products have been increasingly explored as alternative sources for materials such as biosilica. Biosilica is renowned for its high surface area, biocompatibility, chemical stability, and modifiable surface, which makes it suitable for various applications.

Regulatory Role of Vacuolar Calcium Transport Proteins in Growth, Calcium Signaling, and Cellulase Production in .

Recent research has revealed the calcium signaling significance in the production of cellulases in . While vacuoles serve as the primary calcium storage within cells, the function of vacuolar calcium transporter proteins in this process remains unclear. In this study, we conducted a functional characterization of four vacuolar calcium transport proteins in .

Platelet-neutrophil aggregate formation induces NLRP3 inflammasome activation in vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia.

Background: Although rare, vaccine-induced thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) following adenoviral vector COVID-19 vaccination is a concerning and often severe adverse effect of vaccination. The generation of high antiplatelet factor 4 antibody titers promotes the formation of immune complexes capable of activating platelets and neutrophils through FcγRIIa.

Objectives: Given that platelet-leukocyte aggregate formation and inflammasome activation are common features of thromboinflammatory diseases, we aimed to evaluate if these are also features of VITT.

Knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers on breast self-examination of female college students: Experience from a local higher education institution.

Background: Breast self-examination (BSE) is an inexpensive, harmless screening tool for finding breast cancer. This study examines the knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers of female college students from a local higher education institution (HEI) regarding BSE, focusing on those in the reproductive age group.

Materials And Methods: Three hundred sixty (360) female college students, including 226 health sciences majors and 134 non-health sciences majors, were selected through criteria sampling.

TiO-Catalyzed Direct Diazenylation of Active Methylene Compounds with Diazonium Salts.

Herein, we report a direct diazenylation of active methylene compounds that is environmentally friendly, cost-effective, and scalable, utilizing a heterogeneous TiO catalyst that is both accessible and recyclable. The scope of this transformation shows excellent compatibility with both electron-rich and electron-poor diazonium salts, yielding the desired products in very good yields at room temperature.

Descriptive Epidemiology of Intracranial Meningiomas for a Hispanic Population in Puerto Rico.

Objective: The epidemiology of meningiomas for patients with Hispanic ethnicity is mainly unknown beyond a few studies. Evidence supporting the ethnic influence over meningioma World Health Organization (WHO) grade is limited. This study aimed to investigate a Hispanic population in Puerto Rico with intracranial meningiomas regarding the WHO grade.

Rehabilitation of back pain with laser associated with negative or positive pressure massage in workers: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are an array of conditions affecting the human locomotor system, such as muscles, tendons, nerves, bones, and joints. It is related to physiological, kinesiological and biomechanical changes which result in pain, paresthesia, inflammation, weakness, tiredness, heaviness in limbs, fatigue, reduced range of motion and/or compression of peripheral nerves. The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of positive (massage gum) or negative pressure (vacuum therapy) combined with laser on the health of workers with back pain, investigating pain intensity, shoulder mobility, spinal flexibility, life quality, and well-being.

Effect of reactive extrusion processing conditions on the production of potato-resistant starch and its use as an additive in yogurt.

Starch has multiple uses in the food industry as a stabilizer, adhesive, gelling agent, thickener, and water retention agent. Nonetheless, native starch presents limitations that restrict its applications. Thus, starch can be chemically modified by reactive extrusion (REX) to overcome these disadvantages.

Effect of physical activity on depression, anxiety, and stress in women surviving breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Breast cancer treatment can lead to psychological distress, including depression, anxiety, and stress. We systematically investigated the effect of physical exercise on these factors in women surviving breast cancer (WSBC). Eight databases were searched to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

The stroke meta-metric, Defect-Free Care, was maintained year-over-year within the Florida stroke registry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Resource allocation for stroke care was impacted worldwide by the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID19) pandemic. Regionally, worsened stroke outcomes varied, however comparative year-over-year in-hospital performance metrics from the pandemic are unreported. Therefore, within the large Florida Stroke Registry (FSR), we assessed the pandemic's effects upon the American Heart Association (AHA) Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) ischemic stroke metrics and the meta-metric, Defect-Free Care (DFC).

5-Fluorouracil-loaded chitosan nanoparticles conjugated with methotrexate for targeted therapy of colorectal cancer.

The poor prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is mainly associated with the highly invasive nature, delayed diagnosis, multidrug-resistant cells, tumor recurrence, and metastasis. Targeted therapies offer a promising means to enhance drug accumulation at the tumor site with the aid of cell-targeting ligands. Herein, chitosan-based multifunctional nanoparticles, conjugated with methotrexate (MTX) by covalent bonds, were designed for targeted delivery of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to improve CRC therapy.

CNN-Based Device-Agnostic Feature Extraction From ONH OCT Scans.

Purpose: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-derived measurements of the optic nerve head (ONH) from different devices are not interchangeable. This poses challenges to patient follow-up and collaborative studies. Here, we present a device-agnostic method for the extraction of OCT biomarkers using artificial intelligence.