Creative pathways to comfort: the transformative role of art therapy in palliative and hospice care.

Background: Art therapy offers a creative outlet for patients in palliative and hospice care to express emotions, manage distress and enhance wellbeing by addressing physical, emotional and spiritual challenges.

Aims: This review evaluates the effectiveness, challenges and outcomes of art therapy in improving the quality of life for patients in palliative and hospice care.

Methods: An integrative review.

New formulation of ibuprofen-arginate reduces oxidative stress and prevents macrophage polarization toward M1 phenotype.

A hypertonic solution of Ibuprofen (Ibu) was designed to nebulize, associating a low concentration of Ibu with L-Arginine (AR), to increase solubility and serve as a nitric oxide donor. To provide preclinical research human bronchial epithelial cells derived from a cystic fibrosis patient homozygous for the ΔF508 CFTR mutation (CFBE41o-) and mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages were pre-treated with Ibu (10-100 μM), AR (20 and 200 μM), or the combination Ibu-AR (10-100 μM).

Protein quality control is a master modulator of molecular evolution in bacteria.

The bacterial protein quality control (PQC) network comprises a set of genes that promote proteostasis (proteome homeostasis) through proper protein folding and function via chaperones, proteases, and a protein translational machinery. It participates in vital cellular processes and influences organismal development and evolution. In this review, we examine the mechanistic bases for how the bacterial PQC network influences molecular evolution.

The efficiency of artificial intelligence for management and clinical decision-making in the identification of patients with undiagnosed HCV infection (Intelligen-C strategy).

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) allows the optimization of diagnostic processes for hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients. Our objective was to evaluate the clinical, economic, and management benefits of an AI-based clinical decision support system (Intelligen-C strategy).

Methods: The Intelligen-C strategy consisted of (1) a retrospective phase (Dec 2013-Sep 2021), in which medical records were reviewed to search for anti-HCV-positive and/or HCV-RNA-positive patients lost in the system, and (2) a prospective phase (Feb 2022-Jan 2023), in which automated screening (40-70 years) and routine testing for risk factors were performed in patients who were admitted to the emergency department or were hospitalized.

Assessing static balance control improvement following cataract surgery using a smartphone.

Introduction: Cataract remains a prevalent cause of visual impairment among the elderly, significantly increasing the risk of falls due to compromised visual function. Cataract removal surgery has been established as a means to enhance visual acuity and balance control. The advent of novel technologies, such as accelerometers integrated into smartphones, provides an opportunity to assess static balance control.