Vitamin, antioxidant and micronutrient supplementation and the risk of developing incident autoimmune diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Autoimmune diseases pose significant health challenges worldwide and affect millions. In recent years, there has been growing interest in exploring preventive strategies through nutritional interventions using vitamins, antioxidants, and micronutrients to reduce the risk of developing autoimmune diseases. However, excessive supplementation has also been associated with toxicity.

Purification of mitochondria from skeletal muscle tissue for transcriptomic analyses reveals localization of nuclear-encoded noncoding RNAs.

Mitochondria are central to cellular function, particularly in metabolically active tissues such as skeletal muscle. Nuclear-encoded RNAs typically localize within the nucleus and cytosol but a small population may also translocate to subcellular compartments such as mitochondria. We aimed to investigate the nuclear-encoded RNAs that localize within the mitochondria of skeletal muscle cells and tissue.

Using optical absorption to reduce cross-talk in spatially multiplexed waveguiding metasurfaces.

Dual-wavelength metasurfaces often employ spatial multiplexing design concepts where two interleaved lattices of meta-atoms, each designed for a specific wavelength, occupy the same layer. However, this arrangement incurs efficiency losses as each wavelength inevitably "sees" unintended meta-atoms designed for the other wavelength, causing spurious interference (crosstalk) effects, which are especially affecting the shorter wavelength. In this paper, we numerically demonstrate that the crosstalk can be reduced by introducing some optical absorption at the shorter wavelength, unveiling the near-field mechanisms at play.

Live Fish in the Throat Causing Upper Airway Obstruction and Esophageal Perforation.

Having a large live fish stuck in the throat is rare and prompts the urgent need to secure a definitive airway. Such sizeable foreign body (FB) in the aerodigestive tract also poses a constant threat of hollow viscus perforation, and the removal process can be complex. This report describes a fishing mishap causing the impaction of a large live fish in the laryngopharynx and esophagus, leading to respiratory distress and upper esophageal perforation.

Psychological outcomes in patients with rare cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Rare cancers are those that exhibit an incidence of less than six per 100,000 in a year. On average, the five-year relative survival for patients with rare cancers is worse than those with common cancers. The traumatic experience of cancer can be further intensified in patients with rare cancers due to the limited clinical evidence and the lack of empirical evidence for informed decision-making.

Correlation Between Lipoprotein-Related Phospholipase A2 and Metabolic Syndrome.

Background: Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) has been recognized as a valuable biomarker for identifying the risk of cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. Furthermore, there is strong evidence to suggest that metabolic syndrome is closely associated with chronic inflammation. Accordingly, the present study endeavors to examine the potential correlation between metabolic syndrome and the levels of Lp-PLA2.

Refresh Rate-Based Caching and Prefetching Strategies for Internet of Things Middleware.

One of the research directions in Internet of Things (IoT) is the field of Context Management Platforms (CMPs) which is a specific type of IoT middleware. CMPs provide horizontal connectivity between vertically oriented IoT silos resulting in a noticeable difference in how IoT data streams are processed. As these context data exchanges can be monetised, there is a need to model and predict the context metrics and operational costs of this exchange to provide relevant and timely context in a large-scale IoT ecosystem.

The genome of the Wollemi pine, a critically endangered "living fossil" unchanged since the Cretaceous, reveals extensive ancient transposon activity.

We present the genome of the living fossil, , a southern hemisphere conifer morphologically unchanged since the Cretaceous. Presumed extinct until rediscovery in 1994, the Wollemi pine is critically endangered with less than 60 wild adults threatened by intensifying bushfires in the Blue Mountains of Australia. The 12 Gb genome is among the most contiguous large plant genomes assembled, with extremely low heterozygosity and unusual abundance of DNA transposons.

Adaptive Context Caching for IoT-Based Applications: A Reinforcement Learning Approach.

Making internet-of-things (IoT)-based applications context-aware demands large amounts of raw data to be collected, interpreted, stored, and reused or repurposed if needed from many domains and applications. Context is transient but interpreted data can be distinguished from IoT data in many aspects. Managing context in cache is a novel area of research that has been given very little attention.

Transiting Back Home: Caregivers' Lived Experiences in Caring for Loved Ones on the Nasogastric Tube in the Home-Setting in Singapore.

Introduction: Little is understood about caregivers' lived experiences when first caring for patients on the nasogastric tube at home in an Asian setting. To enhance understanding, our study aimed to chart these caregivers' psycho-emotional evolutions felt during such caregiving experiences in Singapore.

Method: Utilizing purposive sampling, a descriptive phenomenological study was performed, with semi-structured interviews of 10 caregivers of persons on nasogastric tube feeding conducted.

Urinary Excretion of Ecdysterone and Its Metabolites Following Spinach Consumption.

Scope: The phytosteroid ecdysterone is present in spinach. In this study, the urinary elimination of ecdysterone and its metabolites in humans is investigated following spinach consumption of two different culinary preparations.

Methods And Results: Eight participants (four males, four females) ingested 950 (27.

Differences in the gut microbiome across typical ageing and in Parkinson's disease.

The microbiota-gut-brain axis' role in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology, and how this differs from typical ageing, is poorly understood. Presently, gut-bacterial diversity, taxonomic abundance and metabolic bacterial pathways were compared across healthy young (n = 22, 18-35 years), healthy older (n = 33, 50-80 years), and PD groups (n = 18, 50-80 years) using shotgun sequencing and compositional data analysis. Associations between the gut-microbiome and PD symptoms, and between lifestyle factors (fibre intake, physical activity, and sleep) and the gut-microbiome were conducted.

Artificial Intelligence for skeleton-based physical rehabilitation action evaluation: A systematic review.

Performing prescribed physical exercises during home-based rehabilitation programs plays an important role in regaining muscle strength and improving balance for people with different physical disabilities. However, patients attending these programs are not able to assess their action performance in the absence of a medical expert. Recently, vision-based sensors have been deployed in the activity monitoring domain.

Imaging and treatment with Gallium and Lutetium-DOTATATE in a rare SSTR2 and ESWR1-CREM fusion positive undifferentiated round cell tumour of the lung.

The authors present a 45-year-old lady with a rare undifferentiated round cell tumour of the lung with a ESWR1-CREM fusion gene that progressed despite multiple lines of therapy. The tumour was Somatostatin Receptors Type 2 (SSTR2) positive and avid on Gallium-DOTATATE imaging. This allowed for novel treatment with Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) using Lutetium-DOTATATE after all other standard of care options were exhausted.

Bluetooth Low Energy Mesh: Applications, Considerations and Current State-of-the-Art.

With the proliferation of IoT applications, more and more smart, connected devices will be required to communicate with one another, operating in situations that involve diverse levels of range and cost requirements, user interactions, mobility, and energy constraints. Wireless technologies that can satisfy the aforementioned requirements will be vital to realise emerging market opportunities in the IoT sector. Bluetooth Mesh is a new wireless protocol that extends the core Bluetooth low energy (BLE) stack and promises to support reliable and scalable IoT systems where thousands of devices such as sensors, smartphones, wearables, robots, and everyday appliances operate together.

Phenotypic Characterization and Comparative Genomic Analysis of Novel Bacteriophages Isolated from a Tropical Rainforest.

infections across the globe are becoming more challenging to control due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains. Lytic phages may be suitable alternatives for treating these multidrug-resistant infections. Most phages to date were collected from human-impacted environments.

Efficacy and Safety of 7-Day Non-Bismuth Concomitant Quadruple Therapy for First-Line Helicobacter pylori Eradication in the Elderly.

Background: Aging may affect the efficacy of Helicobacter pylori eradication. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy and safety of 7-day non-bismuth concomitant quadruple therapy as a first-line H. pylori infection eradication regimen in elderly individuals.

Peptic Ulcer Disease Associated with Central Obesity.

This retrospective cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate associations between peptic ulcer disease (PUD), bone mineral density, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components in healthy populations. Data were collected from the health examination database of a tertiary medical center in southern Taiwan from January 2015 to December 2016. Subjects who had undergone metabolic factors assessment, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scans were enrolled.

I see, I learn, I do: Development and evaluation of a video-enhanced nasogastric tube feeding training programme for caregivers.

Aim: We examined the effectiveness of a video-enhanced education package in improving caregiver outcomes (number of steps at first feeding attempt, time to achieve competency and knowledge) compared to the current institutional training approach.

Design: Quasi-experiment.

Methods: From August 2016-June 2017, we recruited 112 caregivers in a Singaporean tertiary hospital.

Ultra-lightweight mirrors with high solar reflectivity and high infrared emissivity for sun-facing radiative thermal management in space.

We report the design, fabrication, and characterization of ultralight coatings that employ Salisbury screen principles and the unique nature of ITO to achieve frequency selective broadband emissivity. Our coating comprises 60 nm SiO, 10 nm ITO, 2.3 µm NeXolv LaRC CP1 polyimide and 300 nm Ag, and achieves an aerial mass of 4.