Dried blood spot: A diagnostic detection method for HBV, HCV and HIV nucleic acid using a single drop of blood.

The global strategy to eradicate Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV), and HIV by 2030 is critical due to their impact and challenges to healthcare systems. HCV is curable, but HBV and HIV are only suppressible, with a vaccine available solely for HBV. Innovative diagnostic methods are needed, especially for high-risk populations like people who inject drugs (PWID).

Photofragmentation laser-induced fluorescence imaging of CH by structured illumination in a plasma discharge.

Methyl is crucial in plasma-assisted hydrocarbon chemistry, making precise in situ imaging essential for understanding various plasma applications. Its importance in methane chemistry arises from its role as a primary byproduct during the initial phase of methane dehydrogenation. Detecting the CH radical is challenging due to its high reactivity and the prevalence of strongly pre-dissociative electronically excited states.

Trends of Benzotriazoles and Benzothiazoles in Australian Pooled Urine Samples from 2012 to 2023.

Benzotriazoles (BZTs) and benzothiazoles (BTs) are high-production-volume chemicals utilized in many different commercial products and industrial processes, such as metal corrosion inhibitors, vulcanization accelerators, plastic-associated UV stabilizers, and pharmaceutical precursors. This study assessed age, gender, and temporal trends of BZTs and BTs in deidentified surplus pathology urine samples, pooled and stratified by age, gender, and sample collection year from a general Australian population (168 pools representing 16,800 individuals). Tolyltriazole (TTri), 5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzotriazole (DMBZT), 1,3-benzothiazole (BTH), 2-hydroxybenzothiazole (2-OH-BTH), and 2-aminobenzothiazole (2-amino-BTH) were detected in >50% of the pools.

Assessing the Usage and Usability of a Mental Health Advice Telephone Service in Uganda: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: Harnessing mobile health (mHealth) solutions could improve the delivery of mental health services and mitigate their impact in Uganda and similar low-resource settings. However, successful adoption requires that mHealth solutions have good usability. We have previously implemented a telephone service to provide mental health information and advice in English and Luganda, utilizing an automated interactive voice response (IVR) system linked to live agents, including mental health care workers and peer support workers.

Positive effects of tactile massage for adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - A small scale study.

Background And Purpose: Epidemiological studies show the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescents is around 5 %. There is strong evidence for psychosocial interventions and medication for treatment of ADHD core symptoms, but these alone do not always reach a satisfactory outcome. The aim of this small-scale study was to evaluate the impact of tactile massage on ADHD core symptoms in adolescents in a clinical setting.

A 2-year follow-up to a randomized controlled trial on resistance training in postmenopausal women: vasomotor symptoms, quality of life and cardiovascular risk markers.

Background: Most women experience vasomotor symptoms (VMS) during the menopausal transition. A 15-week resistance training intervention (RTI) significantly reduced moderate-to-severe VMS (MS-VMS) and improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and cardiovascular risk markers in postmenopausal women. Whether a short RTI could have long-term effects is unknown.

Liver-targeted Angptl4 silencing by antisense oligonucleotide treatment attenuates hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis development in APOE*3-Leiden.CETP mice.

Background And Aims: Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and 4 (ANGPTL4) inhibit lipoprotein lipase to regulate tissue fatty acid uptake from triglyceride-rich lipoproteins such as VLDL. While pharmacological inhibition of ANGPTL3 is being evaluated as lipid-lowering strategy, systemic ANGPTL4 inhibition is not pursued due to adverse effects. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic potential of liver-specific Angptl3 and Angptl4 silencing to attenuate hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis development in APOE*3-Leiden.

Depression of cortical neuronal activity after a low-dose fentanyl in preterm infants.

Aim: Opioids might be harmful to the developing brain and dosing accuracy is important. We aimed at investigating fentanyl effects on cortical activity in infants using computational re-analysis of bedside recorded EEG signals.

Methods: Fifteen infants born at median 26.

Comparative efficacy of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for mitigating pain and anxiety associated with venipuncture: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: Venipuncture is one of the most commonly performed medical procedures in paediatric care, but it can also be one of the most painful and distressing experiences for patients. Finding effective strategies to manage pain and fear associated with venipuncture is crucial for improving the paediatric patient experience and promoting positive health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a combined approach using a topical analgesic cream (TKTX cream) and a distraction technique (Trace Image and Colouring for Kids-Book, TICK-B) in reducing pain intensity and fear levels in children undergoing venipuncture procedures.

Shigella and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Have Replaced Rotavirus as Main Causes of Childhood Diarrhea in Rwanda After 10 Years of Rotavirus Vaccination.

The causes of diarrhea after 10 years of rotavirus vaccination in Rwanda were investigated with real-time polymerase chain reaction in 496 children with diarrhea and 298 without. Rotavirus was detected in 11% of children with diarrhea (odds ratio, 2.48; P = .

Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms and Subclinical Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Menopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS) are increasingly emphasized as a potentially important cardiovascular risk factor, but their role is still unclear. We assessed the association between VMS and subclinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in peri- and postmenopausal women.

Methods And Results: Using a cross-sectional study design, questionnaire data were collected from a population-based sample of women aged 50 to 64.

Temporal trends of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances concentrations: Insights from Australian human biomonitoring 2002-2021 and the U.S. NHANES programs 2003-2018.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) are persistent contaminants detected in human blood worldwide, raising significant health concerns. In response, countries such as the United States and Australia have implemented regulatory measures to limit their use. This study analysed temporal trends in serum concentrations of these four PFAS and how these trends align with regulatory measures, using data from NHANES (2003-2004 to 2017-2018) and the Australian Human Biomonitoring Program (2002-2003 to 2020-2021).

Effectiveness and Acceptability of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Family Therapy for Gaming Disorder: Protocol for a Nonrandomized Intervention Study of a Novel Psychological Treatment.

Background: Gaming disorder (GD) is a new official diagnosis in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision, and with its recognition, the need to offer treatment for the condition has become apparent. More knowledge is needed about the type of treatment needed for this group of patients.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of a novel module-based psychological treatment for GD based on cognitive behavioral therapy and family therapy.

Dimensions of clinical leadership among pre-registration nursing students: A cross-sectional study between two countries.

Aims: To explore a) pre-registration students' self-perceptions of clinical leadership behaviours and b) differences in students' self-perceptions of leadership behaviours between two countries (UK and Israel).

Background: Effective leadership has been associated with high-quality and compassionate care provision in health and social care contexts. This has led to a common acceptance that teaching leadership in nursing education is essential if students are to develop competencies in this area.

The Swedish PedsQL gastrointestinal symptoms scale and symptoms module showed good psychometric performance.

Aim: There is no validated symptom scale for Swedish children with gastrointestinal disorders. Our aim was to validate the Swedish version of the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) gastrointestinal symptoms scale and symptoms module.

Methods: Families were recruited from two hospitals in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 1 March 2021 to 31 October 2022.

Reading acquisition among students in Grades 1-3 with intellectual disabilities in Sweden.

This study investigates the reading performance of younger students with intellectual disabilities to gain insight into their needs in reading education. Participants were 428 students in Grades 1 to 3 in Sweden. They performed LegiLexi tests measuring pre-reading skills, decoding and reading comprehension based on the model of Simple View of Reading.

Speech-to-text intervention to support text production for students with intellectual disabilities.

Aim: Writing is a multifaceted skill involving planning, transcription, and revision that is challenging for students with intellectual disabilities. Some studies have examined reading abilities. However, there needs to be more research on writing proficiency in this population.

Loss of Chromosome Y in Neuroblastoma Is Associated With High-Risk Disease, 11q-Deletion, and Telomere Maintenance.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a heterogeneous childhood cancer with a slightly higher incidence in boys than girls, with the reason for this gender disparity unknown. Given the growing evidence for the involvement of loss of the Y chromosome (LoY) in male diseases including cancer, we investigated Y chromosome status in NB. Male NB tumor samples from a Swedish cohort, analyzed using Cytoscan HD SNP-microarray, were selected.

Intensive care unit-acquired infections more common in patients with COVID-19 than with influenza.

Intensive care unit-acquired infections are complicating events in critically ill patients. In this study we analyzed the incidence, microbiological patterns, and outcome in patients with COVID-19 versus influenza in the intensive care unit (ICU). We included all adult patients treated with invasive mechanical ventilation due to (1) COVID-19 between January 2020 and March 2022, and (2) influenza between January 2015 and May 2023 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden.