Resonant Young's Slit Interferometer for Sensitive Detection of Low-Molecular-Weight Biomarkers.

The detection of low-molecular-weight biomarkers is essential for diagnosing and managing various diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. A biomarker's low molecular weight is a challenge for label-free optical modalities, as the phase change they detect is directly proportional to the mass bound on the sensor's surface. To address this challenge, we used a resonant Young's slit interferometer geometry and implemented several innovations, such as phase noise matching and optimisation of the fringe spacing, to maximise the signal-to-noise ratio.

Large-scale evaluation of outcomes after a genetic diagnosis in children with severe developmental disorders.

Purpose: We sought to evaluate outcomes for clinical management after a genetic diagnosis from the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study.

Methods: Individuals in the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study who had a pathogenic/likely pathogenic genotype in the DECIPHER database were selected for inclusion ( = 5010). Clinical notes from regional clinical genetics services notes were reviewed to assess predefined clinical outcomes relating to interventions, prenatal choices, and information provision.

Catalogue of inherited autosomal recessive disorders found amongst the Roma population of Europe.

Background: The Roma population are an endogamous, genetically isolated, minority population who migrated from North-Western India to Europe from the 10th Century throughout the Byzantine period and continues to the present day. Approximately 10-12 million Romani people reside in segregated settlements in Europe, and smaller populations live in North America and China. In addition to the endogamy, they also practice consanguinity.

Inequalities in uptake of childhood vaccination in England, 2019-23: longitudinal study.

Objective: To quantify changes in inequalities in uptake of childhood vaccination during a period of steadily declining overall childhood vaccination rates in England.

Design: Longitudinal study.

Setting: General practice data for five vaccines administered to children (first and second doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR1 and MMR2, respectively), rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) booster, and six-in-one (DTaP/IPV/Hib/HepB) vaccine covering diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, type b, and hepatitis B) from the Cover of Vaccination Uptake Evaluated Rapidly dataset in England.

Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Bioavailability, and Immunogenicity of Obexelimab Following Subcutaneous Administration in Healthy Japanese and Non-Japanese Volunteers.

Introduction: Obexelimab is an investigational, bifunctional, non-depleting, humanized monoclonal antibody that binds CD19 and FcγRIIb to inhibit B cells, plasmablasts, and CD19-expressing plasma cells. In clinical trials, intravenous (IV) administration of obexelimab has been well-tolerated, and demonstrated clinical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and immunoglobulin G4-related disease. This study was performed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics (PK), pharmacodynamics (PD), and immunogenicity of obexelimab following subcutaneous (SC) administration, and compare PK/PD profiles between healthy Japanese and non-Japanese volunteers.

Study of the Photophysical Properties and the DNA Binding of Enantiopure [Cr(TMP)(dppn)] Complex.

The preparation, electrochemistry and photophysical properties of a heteroleptic chromium(III) polypyridyl complex [Cr(TMP)(dppn)] () containing two 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (TMP) ligands and the π-extended benzodipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-]phenazine (dppn) ligand are reported. The visible absorption spectrum of reveals distinct bands between 320 and 420 nm characteristic of dppn-based ligand-centered transitions, with found to be nonemissive in aqueous solution but weakly luminescent in aerated acetonitrile solution. Transient visible absorption (TrA) spectroscopy reveals that 400 nm excitation of leads to initial population of a ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) state which evolves within tens of ps to form a dppn-localized intraligand (IL) state which persists for longer than 7 ns and efficiently sensitizes singlet oxygen.

Role of Secondary Structure and Time-Dependent Binding on Disruption of Phthalocyanine Aggregates by Guanine-Rich Nucleic Acids.

Phthalocyanines are versatile photodynamic therapy agents whose biological activity depends on their aggregation state, which is expected to be influenced by binding to biomolecules. Here, guanine-rich nucleic acid binding of a water-soluble cationic, regiopure C zinc phthalocyanine bearing four triethylene glycol methyl ether and four N-methyl-4-pyridinium substituents (1) is reported. In contrast to double-stranded DNA, guanine systems GpG, (GG), poly(G) and quadruplex DNA are shown to effectively disrupt phthalocyanine aggregates in buffered solution.

Gender diverse people's psychological wellbeing and identity in the context of gender affirming speech pathology practice: A qualitative study protocol.

Background: Gender diverse people may experience discomfort with the sound of their voice. Additionally, their psychological wellbeing, closely connected to a person's identity, or perspective of themselves, is often reduced. A primary goal of gender affirming healthcare is to support clients' psychological wellbeing.

Vaccine decision-making among pregnant women: a protocol for a cross-sectional mixed-method study in Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Pakistan.

Maternal immunization is a critical strategy to prevent both maternal and infant morbidity and mortality from several infectious diseases. When the first COVID-19 vaccines became available during the pandemic, there was mixed messaging and confusion amongst the broader public and among those associated with health care systems about the recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations in pregnancy in many countries. A multi-country, mixed-methods study is being undertaken to describe how vaccine decision-making occurs amongst pregnant and postpartum women, with a focus on COVID-19 vaccines.

E-Cigarette and Vaping Perspectives: Recommendations for Occupational Health Nurses.

Background: Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that the use of e-cigarettes, vaping, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are increasing although data on their safety is limited. While most employers ban smoking in the workplace, tobacco-free policies do not always extend specifically to e-cigarette products.

Methods: An IRB approved exploratory, cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate occupational health professionals' (OHPs) knowledge of e-cigarettes, vaping and ENDS and the ability to create change in tobacco-free workplace policies.

The Pediatric Physiatric Posterior Fossa Symptoms scale (3PFSs): Impairments and outcome in pediatric inpatient rehabilitation for posterior fossa brain tumors.

Background: Clinical recognition of the post-operative neurologic sequelae of posterior fossa tumors is inconsistent. This study aimed to characterize functional impairments and recovery trajectories in pediatric patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation following surgical resection of posterior fossa brain tumors. This study also introduces the Pediatric Physiatric Posterior Fossa Symptom scale (3PFSs) for serial assessment of post-operative symptoms in pediatric posterior fossa brain tumors.

Toward a large-batch manufacturing process for silicon-stabilized lipid nanoparticles: A highly customizable RNA delivery platform.

While lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are a key enabling technology for RNA-based therapeutics, some outstanding challenges hinder their wider clinical translation and use, particularly in terms of RNA stability and limited shelf life. In response to these limitations, we developed silicon-stabilized hybrid lipid nanoparticles (sshLNPs) as a next-generation nanocarrier with improved physical and temperature stability, as well as the highly advantageous capacity for "post-hoc loading" of RNA. Nevertheless, previously reported sshLNP formulations were produced using lipid thin film hydration, making scale-up impractical.

Cost-utility Analysis of Navigate, a Treatment Decision Aid for Men with Prostate Cancer and Their Partners, in Comparison to Usual Care.

Background And Objective: Evidence on the cost effectiveness of decision aids to guide management decisions for men with prostate cancer is limited. We examined the cost utility of the Navigate online decision aid for men with prostate cancer in comparison to usual care (no decision aid).

Methods: A Markov model with a 10-yr time horizon was constructed from a government health care perspective.

Contrasting Photosensitized Processes of Ru(II) Polypyridyl Structural Isomers Containing Linear and Hooked Intercalating Ligands Bound to Guanine-Rich DNA.

The DNA binding and cellular uptake of the lambda enantiomer of two bis-tetraazaphenanthrene (TAP) Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes containing either a linear dppn () or a hooked bdppz () benzodipyridophenazine ligand are reported, and the role of different charge-transfer states of the structural isomers in the photo-oxidation of guanine is explored. Both complexes possess characteristic metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) bands between 400 and 500 nm and emission at ca. 630 nm in an aerated aqueous solution.

A Scalable and Surfactant-Free Emulsion Method for Producing Microbeads from Varied Biomass Feedstocks.

Despite national and international regulations, plastic microbeads are still widely used in personal care and consumer products (PCCPs). These exfoliants and rheological modifiers cause significant microplastic pollution in natural aquatic environments. Microbeads from nonderivatized biomass like cellulose and lignin can offer a sustainable alternative to these nondegradable microplastics, but processing this biomass into microbeads is challenging due to limited viable solvents and high biomass solution viscosities.

Safety and adherence to medications and self-care advice in oncology (SAMSON): pilot randomised controlled trial protocol.

Introduction: With the increasing use of oral anti-cancer medicines (OAMs), research demonstrating the magnitude of the medication non-adherence problem and its consequences on treatments' efficacy and toxicity is drawing more attention. Mobile phone interventions may be a practical solution to support patients taking OAMs at home, yet evidence to inform the efficacy of these interventions is lacking. The safety and adherence to medications and self-care advice in oncology (SAMSON) pilot randomised control trial (RCT) aims to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and potential efficacy of a novel digital solution to improve medication adherence (MA) among people with cancer.

The Cost of Dying Exhibition: public, professional and political reactions to a visual exhibition depicting experiences of poverty at the end of life.

Public health approaches to palliative care are internationally endorsed for their potential to improve the social determinants of dying such as energy costs, transport and housing. Enhancing public understanding of inequities in end of life experiences, which exist even in economically advanced countries, is vital if the value of public health approaches are to be endorsed and invested in. Visual exhibitions have a strong tradition of raising awareness and influencing public health discourse.

National myeloma patient survey shows continuing inappropriate imaging and geographical inequalities.

Objective: To evaluate the provision of imaging at diagnosis of myeloma from the service user perspective with a specific focus on how the experiences of patients align with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines (NG35, 2016) on first-line imaging practice for myeloma in the United Kingdom.

Methods: A national survey was performed to evaluate access to imaging from the patient's perspective. Patients with myeloma who received their diagnosis between 2017 and March 2022 were invited to participate.

A new class of 7-deazaguanine agents targeting autoimmune diseases: dramatic reduction of synovial fibroblast IL-6 production from human rheumatoid arthritis patients and improved performance against murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

A simple assay involving the measurement of IL-6 production in human synovial fibroblasts from rheumatoid arthritis patients has been utilised to select candidates from a targeted library of queuine tRNA ribosyltransferase (QTRT) substrates for subsequent screening in murine experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE - a model of multiple sclerosis). The activity assay discriminated between poor and excellent 7-deazaguanine QTRT substrates and allowed the identification of several structures which subsequently outperformed the previous lead in EAE. Two molecules were of significant promise: one rigidified analogue of the lead, and another considerably simpler structure incorporating an oxime motif which differs structurally from the lead to a considerable extent.

Programming mechanics in knitted materials, stitch by stitch.

Knitting turns yarn, a 1D material, into a 2D fabric that is flexible, durable, and can be patterned to adopt a wide range of 3D geometries. Like other mechanical metamaterials, the elasticity of knitted fabrics is an emergent property of the local stitch topology and pattern that cannot solely be attributed to the yarn itself. Thus, knitting can be viewed as an additive manufacturing technique that allows for stitch-by-stitch programming of elastic properties and has applications in many fields ranging from soft robotics and wearable electronics to engineered tissue and architected materials.