Achieving 3-D Structural Uniformity in Cellulose Gel Beads via Salt Screening.

Cellulose microgel beads fabricated using the dropping technique suffer from structural irregularity and mechanical variability. This limits their translation to biomedical applications that are sensitive to variations in material properties. Ionic salts are often uncontrolled by-products of this technique, despite the known effects of ionic salts on cellulose assembly.

Evaluating bias in electronic health record data: using agent-based models to examine whether geographic disparities in community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus are due to differential healthcare-seeking behaviors.

Electronic health records (EHR) are increasingly used in public health research. However, biases may exist when using EHR due to whether someone is captured in the data. Assessing the impact of bias in generating disparities identified with EHR data is difficult because information about healthcare-seeking behaviors is not included in the record.

Maternal resistance exercise increases infant energy expenditure.

Maternal obesity decreases infant energy expenditure, subsequently predisposing infants to greater adiposity and weight gain. Conversely, some findings suggest that maternal exercise may increase infant energy expenditure; however, the impact of maternal exercise mode (i.e.

Optical properties and color stability of a translucent zirconia: effects of finishing after grinding.

This study evaluated the effect of grinding and finishing treatments (polishing or glaze) on the color stability, translucency and opalescence of a translucent zirconia (3Y-TZP) after immersion in red wine. Discs (Ø= 12 mm; thickness 0.8 mm) of 3Y-TZP (Zenostar T, Ivoclar AG) were randomly allocated (n= 8) according to the surface treatment factor: Ctrl - as-sintered; Gr - grinding with diamond bur #4219; Gr + Pol - grinding followed by polishing; Gr + Gl - grinding followed by glaze.

Barriers and Facilitators of Physical Activity in Pregnancy and Postpartum Among Iranian Women: A Scoping Review.

Inactivity during pregnancy and postpartum is largely a result of women's attitudes and misunderstandings of physical activity, especially in Iran. This scoping review critically assesses the barriers and facilitators influencing physical activity among pregnant and postpartum Iranian women to provide the basis for future physical activity interventions. Ten databases and platforms were searched up to 1 June 2024: Medline, SportDISCUS, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Review Database, Clinical Trial, SID, ISC, and Web of Science.

Exercise during pregnancy modulates infant cellular and whole-body adiposity.

Non-pharmaceutical interventions are needed to target the growing intergenerational cycle of obesity. We aimed to determine whether in utero exposure to different exercise doses during pregnancy directly reduces infant cellular and whole-body adiposity. Pregnant women completed ~24 weeks of supervised exercise training; for standardization of exercise analysis (frequency, intensity, time, and volume-FIT-V), metrics were assessed from 16 to 36 weeks.

Effects of maternal exercise modes on infant cord blood proteome.

The aim of this study was to show the effects of different maternal exercise modes on infant cord blood proteome. We used infant cord blood from two randomized controlled trials where women with a wide range of BMI and free of pregnancy complications participated in controlled and supervised aerobic, resistance, or combination (aerobic+resistance) exercise from <16 weeks of gestation until delivery. Results of this study showed that infant cord blood proteome is altered in a maternal exercise mode specific manner.

Unscheduled Hospital Admission as a Prognostic Factor in the Oncologic Patient: A Retrospective Study.

Aims This research aimed to determine the correlation between survival, symptoms, and unscheduled admission in oncologic patients. Furthermore, this study aimed to develop a prognostic model that helps clinicians establish the indication of intervention by palliative care teams. Methodology A retrospective study of patients' digital clinical history registry was conducted to meet the two core objectives.

Case Ascertainment in Pediatric Heart Failure Using International Classification of Disease Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) Codes.

Most epidemiological studies in pediatric heart failure (HF) use administrative database sources, defining patient cohorts by presence of a single HF ICD code. However, the ability of ICD codes to identify true HF patients is unknown in pediatrics. Here we describe the accuracy of HF ICD-10-CM code search algorithms, in identifying pediatric patients with HF from electronic data sources.

Endocannabinoid dysregulation and PTSD in urban adolescents: Associations with anandamide concentrations and FAAH genotype.

Background: The endocannabinoid system, which regulates fear- and anxiety-related behaviors, is dysregulated in adults with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as indicated by higher circulating anandamide (AEA) concentrations. The C385A (rs324420) polymorphism in the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) gene, which catabolizes AEA, is linked to higher AEA concentrations and greater PTSD symptoms in adults. Given that adolescence is a critical period during which trauma and psychiatric disorders emerge, understanding this relationship in youth is essential.

Polarization-insensitive optical coherence tomography using pseudo-depolarized reference light for mitigating birefringence-related image artifacts.

Significance: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images are prone to image artifacts due to the birefringence of the sample or the optical system when a polarized light source is used for imaging. These artifacts can lead to degraded image quality and diagnostic information.

Aim: We aim to mitigate these birefringence-related artifacts in OCT images by adding a depolarizer module in the reference arm of the interferometer.

Community-Based Point-of-Care Screening for Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Rural Tanzania.

Sub-Saharan Africa has a high burden of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The lack of surveillance programs has led to low rates of diagnosis and treatment, particularly in rural areas. We conducted mobile HBV-HCC screening clinics in rural Tanzania between March 2021 and February 2023.

Establishing the green algae as a platform for recombinant protein production.

, a genetically close relative of the model green alga , shows significant potential as a host for recombinant protein expression. Because of the close genetic relationship between and , this species offers an additional reference point for advancing our understanding of photosynthetic organisms, and also provides a potential new candidate for biotechnological applications. This study investigates C.

Case Ascertainment in Pediatric Heart Failure Using International Classification of Disease Clinical Modification (ICD-CM) Codes.

Background: Most epidemiological studies in pediatric heart failure (HF) use administrative database sources, defining patient cohorts by presence of a single HF ICD code. However, the ability of ICD codes to identify true HF patients is unknown in pediatrics. Here we describe the accuracy of HF ICD-10-CM code search algorithms, in identifying pediatric patients with HF from electronic data sources.

2023 National Survey of Health Attitudes: Description and Top-Line Summary Data.

RAND is supporting the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in advancing understanding of U.S. public mindsets and attitudes toward health and well-being.

The Innate Immune System and the TRAIL-Bcl-XL Axis Mediate a Sex Bias in Lung Cancer and Confer a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Females.

There is a significant sex bias in lung cancer, with males showing increased mortality compared with females. A better mechanistic understanding of these differences could help identify therapeutic targets to personalize cancer therapies to each sex. After observing a clear sex bias in humanized mice, with male patient-derived xenograft lung tumors being more progressive and deadlier than female patient-derived xenograft lung tumors, we identified mouse tumor models of lung cancer with the same sex bias.

Biased receptor signalling and intracellular trafficking profiles of structurally distinct formylpeptide receptor 2 agonists.

Background: There is increasing interest in developing FPR2 agonists (compound 43, ACT-389949 and BMS-986235) as potential pro-resolving therapeutics, with ACT-389949 and BMS-986235 having entered phase I clinical development. FPR2 activation leads to diverse downstream outputs. ACT-389949 was observed to cause rapid tachyphylaxis, while BMS-986235 and compound 43 induced cardioprotective effects in preclinical models.

Paternal obesity decreases infant MSC mitochondrial functional capacity.

Besides the well-recognized influence of maternal health on fetal in utero development, recent epidemiological studies appoint paternal preconception metabolic health as a significant factor in shaping fetal metabolic programming and subsequently offspring metabolic health; however, mechanisms behind these adaptations remain confined to animal models. To elucidate the effects of paternal obesity (P-OB) on infant metabolism in humans, we examined mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which give rise to infant tissue, remain involved in mature tissue maintenance, and resemble the phenotype of the offspring donor. Here, we assessed mitochondrial functional capacity, content, and insulin action in MSC from infants of fathers with overweight [body mass index (BMI: 25-30 kg/m); paternal overweight (P-OW)] or obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m; P-OB) while controlling for maternal intrauterine environment.

European society of clinical microbiology and infectious diseases guidelines for antimicrobial stewardship in emergency departments (endorsed by European association of hospital pharmacists).

Scope: This European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases guideline provides evidence-based recommendations to support a selection of appropriate antibiotic use practices for patients seen in the emergency department (ED) and guidance for their implementation. The topics addressed in this guideline are (a) Do biomarkers or rapid pathogen tests improve antibiotic prescribing and/or clinical outcomes? (b) Does taking blood cultures in common infectious syndromes improve antibiotic prescribing and/or clinical outcomes? (c) Does watchful waiting without antibacterial therapy or with delayed antibiotic prescribing reduce antibiotic prescribing without worsening clinical outcomes in patients with specific infectious syndromes? (d) Do structured culture follow-up programs in patients discharged from the ED with cultures pending improve antibiotic prescribing?

Methods: An expert panel was convened by European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and the guideline chair. The panel selected in consensus the four most relevant antimicrobial stewardship topics according to pre-defined relevance criteria.

Exercise during pregnancy Dose: Influence on preterm birth outcomes.

Background: Preterm delivery typically increases health risk for neonates and is associated with longer infant hospital stay and financial burden. Prenatal exercise dose (frequency, intensity, type, time, volume) have been shown to influence birth outcomes. Increased prenatal exercise dose could therefore provide a critical reduction in health risk and financial burden in preterm neonates.

Panpipes: a pipeline for multiomic single-cell and spatial transcriptomic data analysis.

Single-cell multiomic analysis of the epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome allows for comprehensive characterization of the molecular circuitry that underpins cell identity and state. However, the holistic interpretation of such datasets presents a challenge given a paucity of approaches for systematic, joint evaluation of different modalities. Here, we present Panpipes, a set of computational workflows designed to automate multimodal single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses by incorporating widely-used Python-based tools to perform quality control, preprocessing, integration, clustering, and reference mapping at scale.