Duration of antibiotic therapy in the intensive care unit: factors influencing decision-making during multidisciplinary meetings.

Objectives: In the intensive care unit (ICU), antibiotics are often given longer than recommended in guidelines. A better understanding of the factors influencing antibiotic therapy duration is needed to develop improvement strategies to effectively address these drivers of excessive duration. This study aimed to explore the determinants of adherence to recommended antibiotic therapy durations among healthcare professionals involved in antibiotic decision-making within the ICU, focusing on multidisciplinary meetings (MDMs).

Functionalized Substrates for Reduced Nonradiative Recombination in Metal-Halide Perovskites.

Reducing nonradiative recombination is crucial for minimizing voltage losses in metal-halide perovskite solar cells and achieving high power conversion efficiencies. Photoluminescence spectroscopy on complete or partial perovskite solar cell stacks is often used to quantify and disentangle bulk and interface contributions to nonradiative losses. Accurately determining the intrinsic loss in a perovskite layer is key to analyzing the origins of nonradiative recombination and developing defect engineering strategies.

Cross-species comparison reveals that Hmga1 reduces H3K27me3 levels to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation and cardiac regeneration.

In contrast to adult mammalian hearts, the adult zebrafish heart efficiently replaces cardiomyocytes lost after injury. Here we reveal shared and species-specific injury response pathways and a correlation between Hmga1, an architectural non-histone protein, and regenerative capacity, as Hmga1 is required and sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte proliferation and required for heart regeneration. In addition, Hmga1 was shown to reactivate developmentally silenced genes, likely through modulation of H3K27me3 levels, poising them for a pro-regenerative gene program.

Performance and stability analysis of all-perovskite tandem photovoltaics in light-driven electrochemical water splitting.

All-perovskite tandem photovoltaics are a potentially cost-effective technology to power chemical fuel production, such as green hydrogen. However, their application is limited by deficits in open-circuit voltage and, more challengingly, poor operational stability of the photovoltaic cell. Here we report a laboratory-scale solar-assisted water-splitting system using an electrochemical flow cell and an all-perovskite tandem solar cell.

Steering perovskite precursor solutions for multijunction photovoltaics.

Multijunction photovoltaics (PVs) are gaining prominence owing to their superior capability of achieving power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) beyond the radiative limit of single-junction cells, where improving narrow bandgap tin-lead perovskites is critical for thin-film devices. With a focus on understanding the chemistry of tin-lead perovskite precursor solutions, we herein find that Sn(II) species dominate interactions with precursors and additives and uncover the exclusive role of carboxylic acid in regulating solution colloidal properties and film crystallisation, and ammonium in improving film optoelectronic properties. Materials that combine these two function groups, amino acid salts, considerably improve the semiconducting quality and homogeneity of perovskite films, surpassing the effect of the individual functional groups when introduced as part of separate molecules.

Pharmacist-led new medicine service: a real-world cohort study in the Netherlands on drug-related problems, satisfaction, and self-efficacy in cardiovascular patients transitioning to primary care.

Background: Patients transitioning from hospital to home while starting long-term cardiovascular medicines are likely to experience drug-related problems (DRPs). The New Medicine Service (NMS) may support readmission to primary care.

Aim: To evaluate NMS in a real world setting, for patients transitioning from hospital to primary care with newly prescribed cardiovascular medicines on identifying DRPs, patient satisfaction with medication information and patient self-efficacy.

Thermoforming for Small Feature Replication in Melt Electrowritten Membranes to Model Kidney Proximal Tubule.

A novel approach merging melt electrowriting (MEW) with matched die thermoforming to achieve scaffolds with micron-sized curvatures (200 - 800 µm versus 1000 µm of mandrel printing) for in vitro modeling of the kidney proximal tubule (PT) is proposed. Recent advances in this field emphasize the relevance of accurately replicating the intricate tissue microenvironment, particularly the curvature of the nephrons' tubular segments. While MEW offers promising capabilities for fabricating highly and porous precise 3D structures mimicking the PT, challenges persist in approximating the diameter of tubular scaffolds to match the actual PT.

[Intoxication due to apricot pits].

Background: Apricot seeds are recommended online for their alleged cancer-fighting and energy-boosting properties. However, they contain high levels of cyanogenic glycosides. Ingesting just a few apricot pits (1-3) can result in severe symptoms and fatalities have been reported after consuming more than 20 pits.

Single-cell sequencing suggests a conserved function of Hedgehog-signalling in spider eye development.

Background: Spiders evolved different types of eyes, a pair of primary eyes that are usually forward pointing, and three pairs of secondary eyes that are typically situated more posterior and lateral on the spider's head. The best understanding of arthropod eye development comes from the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster, the main arthropod model organism, that also evolved different types of eyes, the larval eyes and the ocelli and compound eyes of the imago. The gene regulatory networks that underlie eye development in this species are well investigated revealing a conserved core network, but also show several differences between the different types of eyes.

The Effect of a Newly Developed Hand Rim on Mobility Performance and Propulsion Technique in Wheelchair Tennis Players.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of a newly developed hand rim in wheelchair tennis players from a lab and field perspective.

Methods: Nine wheelchair tennis players performed a set of field and lab tests with the new rim (NR) and regular rim on the racket side. Each player had a 60- to 120-minute regular training session with the NR.

Phase 1 trial of an investigational Tdap booster vaccine with CpG 1018 adjuvant compared with Boostrix in healthy adults and adolescents.

This phase 1 trial assessed the safety and immunogenicity of an investigational tetanus/diphtheria/acellular pertussis vaccine combined with CpG 1018 adjuvant 1500 μg (Tdap-1018 1500 μg) or 3000 μg (Tdap-1018 3000 μg) in adults and adolescents. In this randomized, active-controlled, multicenter, dose-escalation trial, healthy participants aged 10 to 22 years received 1 dose of Tdap-1018 1500 μg, Tdap-1018 3000 μg, or Boostrix. Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) and booster response rates (BRRs) for antibodies against pertussis (pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin, pertactin), tetanus, and diphtheria antigens, and neutralizing antibodies against pertussis toxin were assessed 4 weeks after vaccination.

Predictive value of somatic and functional variables for cognitive deterioration for early-stage patients with Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence from a prospective registry on dementia.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) imposes a major burden on affected individuals, their caregivers and health-care systems alike. Though quite many risk factors for disease progression have been identified, there is a lack of prospective studies investigating the interplay and predictive value of a wide variety of patient variables associated with cognitive deterioration (defined as key feature of AD progression). Study participants were patients with probable and possible AD, that were assessed at four time points over a period of two years (T1-T4).

Variants in the L12 linker domain of KRT10 are causal to atypical epidermolytic ichthyosis.

Epidermolytic ichthyosis (EI) is a type of congenital ichthyosis, characterized by erythema and blistering at birth followed by hyperkeratosis. EI is caused by pathogenic variants in the genes KRT1 and KRT10, encoding the proteins keratin 1 (KRT1) and keratin 10 (KRT10), respectively, and is primarily transmitted by autosomal-dominant inheritance, although recessive inheritance caused by nonsense variants in KRT10 is also described. The keratins form a network of intermediate filaments and are a structural component of the cytoskeleton, giving strength and resilience to the skin.

Wearable sensor systems measure differences in knee laxity between healthy and affected knees during dynamic exercise activities: A systematic review.

Purpose: Knee laxity can be experienced as knee instability which may lead to a limitation in the activity of patients. Current methods to determine knee instability are performed in a static setting, which does not always correlate with dynamic knee laxity during activities. Wearables might be able to measure knee laxity in a dynamic setting and could be of added value in the diagnosis and treatment of excessive knee laxity.

Sub-bandgap Photocurrent Spectra of p-i-n Perovskite Solar Cells with n-Doped Fullerene Electron Transport Layers and Bias Illumination.

In p-i-n perovskite solar cells optical excitation of defect states at the interface between the perovskite and fullerene electron transport layer (ETL) creates a photocurrent responsible for a distinct sub-bandgap external quantum efficiency (EQE). The precise nature of these signals and their impact on cell performance are largely unknown. Here, the effect of n-doping the fullerene on the EQE spectra is studied.

Vertical Transfer of Maternal Gut Microbes to Offspring of Western Diet-Fed Dams Drives Reduced Levels of Tryptophan Metabolites and Postnatal Innate Immune Response.

Maternal obesity and/or Western diet (WD) is associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in offspring, driven, in part, by the dysregulation of the early life microbiome. Here, using a mouse model of WD-induced maternal obesity, we demonstrate that exposure to a disordered microbiome from WD-fed dams suppressed circulating levels of endogenous ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR; indole, indole-3-acetate) and TMAO (a product of AHR-mediated transcription), as well as hepatic expression of (an AHR target), in offspring at 3 weeks of age. This signature was recapitulated by fecal microbial transfer from WD-fed pregnant dams to chow-fed germ-free (GF) lactating dams following parturition and was associated with a reduced abundance of in GF offspring.

Enhancement of the internal quantum efficiency in strongly coupled P3HT-C organic photovoltaic cells using Fabry-Perot cavities with varied cavity confinement.

The short exciton diffusion length in organic semiconductors results in a strong dependence of the conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells on the morphology of the donor-acceptor bulk-heterojunction blend. Strong light-matter coupling provides a way to circumvent this dependence by combining the favorable properties of light and matter via the formation of hybrid exciton-polaritons. By strongly coupling excitons in P3HT-C OPV cells to Fabry-Perot optical cavity modes, exciton-polaritons are formed with increased propagation lengths.

The pluripotency factor NANOG contributes to mesenchymal plasticity and is predictive for outcome in esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Despite the advent of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT), overall survival rates of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) remain low. A readily induced mesenchymal transition of EAC cells contributes to resistance to CRT.

Methods: In this study, we aimed to chart the heterogeneity in cell state transition after CRT and to identify its underpinnings.

Estimating the impact of COVID-19 self-test availability and modifications in test-strategy on overall test uptake using an experimental vignette study.

To inform future Dutch COVID-19 testing policies we did an experimental vignette study to investigate whether inclusion of the less reliable lateral flow tests (self-tests) would change test-uptake sufficiently to improve population-level test sensitivity. A representative sample (n = 3,270) participated in a 2-by-2 online experiment to evaluate the effects of test-guidelines including self-testing advice (IV1), and the effects of self-test availability (IV2) on expected test uptake (PCR test, self-test or no test) and sensitivity of the overall test strategy (primary outcome). Across four scenarios, changing test advice did not affect expected testing behaviour.