Modeling of magnetic vestibular stimulation experienced during high-field clinical MRI.

Background: High-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful diagnostic tool but can induce unintended physiological effects, such as nystagmus and dizziness, potentially compromising the comfort and safety of individuals undergoing imaging. These effects likely result from the Lorentz force, which arises from the interaction between the MRI's static magnetic field and electrical currents in the inner ear. Yet, the Lorentz force hypothesis fails to explain observed eye movement patterns in healthy adults fully.

Uveitis and blindness in a closed herd of Equidae following leptospiral infection.

Objective: To describe the ocular findings, chronology of disease, and serum leptospiral titers in a group of horses, mules, and donkeys following an outbreak of leptospirosis.

Methods: Fifty Equidae in central North Carolina had ophthalmic examinations and serum leptospiral microscopic agglutination test (MAT) titers performed every 3-6 months for 24 months followed by a final examination at 34 months.

Results: Throughout the nearly three-year study period, 17 horses (34%; 17/49 horses) developed signs of uveitis; 20 eyes (20/34; 58.

Dihydropyrimidine enzyme activity and its effect on chemotherapy toxicity: importance of genetic testing.

Purpose: Patients with partial or complete DPD deficiency have decreased capacity to degrade fluorouracil and are at risk of developing toxicity, which can be even life-threatening.

Case: A 43-year-old man with moderately differentiated rectal adenocarcinoma on capecitabine presented to the emergency department with complaints of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and lower abdominal pain for several days. Laboratory findings include grade 4 neutropenia (ANC 10) and thrombocytopenia (platelets 36,000).

Strategies to Improve Health Care Provider Prescription of and Patient Adherence to Guideline-Recommended Cardiovascular Medications for Atherosclerotic Occlusive Disease: Protocol for Two Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: In patients with atherosclerotic occlusive diseases, systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) report that antiplatelets, statins, and antihypertensives reduce the risk of major adverse cardiac events, need for revascularization procedures, mortality, and health care resource use. However, evidence suggests that these patients are not prescribed these medications adequately or do not adhere to them once prescribed.

Objective: We aim to systematically review and meta-analyze RCTs examining the effectiveness of implementation or adherence-supporting strategies for improving health care provider prescription of, or patient adherence to, guideline-recommended cardiovascular medications in patients with atherosclerotic occlusive disease.

Move to improve - Prescribing physical activity and deprescribing paracetamol for low back pain: Protocol for a hybrid type III feasibility study.

Introduction: People experiencing low back pain (LBP) could potentially benefit from multimedia educational resources that integrate self-management strategies and improve awareness of the benefits of staying active and about medications that offer limited benefits, such as paracetamol. Primary care waiting rooms are potential spaces for presenting health promotion resources to improve health literacy through the dissemination of easily accessible health information. This feasibility study aims to explore the feasibility of conducting a large-scale trial to investigate the benefits of multimedia educational resources delivered at outpatient physiotherapy waiting rooms of public hospitals to support patients to participate in physical activity and reduce paracetamol intake for LBP.

Cross-Sectional Validation of an Automated Lesion Segmentation Software in Multiple Sclerosis: Comparison with Radiologist Assessments.

Background And Purpose: Magnetic Resonance Imaging is widely used to assess disease burden in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a commercially available k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) software in quantifying white matter lesion (WML) burden in MS. We compared the software's WML quantification to expert radiologists' assessments.

Individual patient and donor seroprofiles in convalescent plasma treatment of COVID-19 in REMAP-CAP clinical trial.

Objectives: Convalescent plasma (CP) treatment of COVID-19 has shown significant therapeutic effect only when administered early. We investigated the importance of patient and CP seroprofiles on treatment outcome in REMAP-CAP CP trial.

Methods: We evaluated neutralising antibodies (nAb), anti-spike (S) IgM, IgG, IgG avidity, IgG fucosylation and respiratory viral loads in a sub-set of patients (n=80) and controls (n=51) before and after transfusion, comparing them to those in the CP units (n=157) they received.

Rotational Atherectomy Followed by Modified (Cutting or Scoring) Balloon Versus Plain Balloon Before Drug‑Eluting Stent Implantation for Calcified Coronary Lesions: A Meta-Analysis.

Coronary calcification is a major factor leading to stent under-expansion, and subsequent adverse events. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the short and long‑term outcomes of rotational atherectomy (RA), followed by modified balloon (cutting or scoring) (MB) versus plain balloon before drug‑eluting stent implantation for calcified coronary lesions. We searched PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, and the Cochrane Library Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), from inception until 30 January 2024.

Cross-modal contrastive learning for unified placenta analysis using photographs.

The placenta is vital to maternal and child health but often overlooked in pregnancy studies. Addressing the need for a more accessible and cost-effective method of placental assessment, our study introduces a computational tool designed for the analysis of placental photographs. Leveraging images and pathology reports collected from sites in the United States and Uganda over a 12-year period, we developed a cross-modal contrastive learning algorithm consisting of pre-alignment, distillation, and retrieval modules.

Exploring the Dynamics of Canine-Assisted Interactions: A Wearable Approach to Understanding Interspecies Well-Being.

Canine-assisted interactions (CAIs) have been explored to offer therapeutic benefits to human participants in various contexts, from addressing cancer-related fatigue to treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite their widespread adoption, there are still unresolved questions regarding the outcomes for both humans and animals involved in these interactions. Previous attempts to address these questions have suffered from core methodological weaknesses, especially due to absence of tools for an efficient objective evaluation and lack of focus on the canine perspective.

Tuning the Performance of Metalloporphyrin-Based Pressure-Sensitive Paints through the Nature of the Central Metal Ion.

Since the 1980s, pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) has been used as an optical pressure sensor for measuring surface pressure on aircraft models in wind tunnels. Typically, PSPs have utilized platinum(II)-5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)-porphyrin due to its high pressure sensitivity, phosphorescence lifetime of ∼50 μs, reasonable quantum yield of emission, and resistance to photo-oxidation. This work investigates the photophysics and electronic structure of metal complexes of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorophenyl)-porphyrin, namely, Zn(II), Pd(II), and Ir(III), as potentially improved luminophores for polymer-based PSPs.

Updating probability of pathogenicity for RYR1 and CACNA1S exon variants in individuals without malignant hyperthermia after exposure to triggering anesthetics.

Objectives: We aimed to classify genetic variants in RYR1 and CACNA1S associated with malignant hyperthermia using biobank genotyping data in patients exposed to triggering anesthetics without malignant hyperthermia phenotype.

Methods: We identified individuals who underwent surgery and were exposed to triggering anesthetics without malignant hyperthermia phenotype and who had RYR1 or CACNA1S genotyping data available in our biobank. We classified all variants in the cohort using a Bayesian framework of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and the Association of Molecular Pathologists guidelines for variant classification and updated the posterior probabilities from this model with the new information from our biobank cohort.

The molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in Ontario, Canada from 2022-2024 using a custom whole genome sequencing assay and analytics package.

Background: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections are a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in children and the elderly. Despite the clinical burden of disease, very little is known about the inter- and intra-seasonal genomic variability of RSV. Furthermore, the recent approval of vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies will likely lead to higher selective pressure on RSV.

Comparing FFR-Guided Complete Revascularization and Conservative Management for Non-Culprit Lesions in STEMI Patients With Multivessel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease, the optimal management strategy for non-culprit lesions is a subject of ongoing debate. There has been an increasing use of physiology-guidance to assess the extent of occlusion in non-culprit lesions, and hence the need for stenting. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is commonly used as a technique.

Optic nerve assessment with stereo photographs and ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscope images.

Clinical Relevance: Clinical evaluation of the optic nerve using 3-D stereo disc photographs is considered the gold standard for estimating vertical cup-to-disc ratios. Ultra-widefield retinal imaging has gained increasing popularity to document and screen the health of the retina and optic nerve.

Background: Glaucoma is often first identified or suspected based on initial optic nerve assessment.

Transfusion-specific alloimmune responses following blood transfusion pre-kidney transplantation.

It is widely accepted that blood transfusions can cause allosensitization, but it is often reported that new human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies are nonspecific and transient. This study explores the effect of blood transfusion on allosensitization in waitlisted transplant patients including the development of transfusion-specific antibodies (TSAs), both while they remain on the waiting list, and following subsequent transplantation. A total of 105 blood donors of transfusions received by 50 patients on the transplant waiting list were HLA typed.

Preliminary Analysis of Collar Sensors for Guide Dog Training Using Convolutional Long Short-Term Memory, Kernel Principal Component Analysis and Multi-Sensor Data Fusion.

Guide dogs play a crucial role in enhancing independence and mobility for people with visual impairment, offering invaluable assistance in navigating daily tasks and environments. However, the extensive training required for these dogs is costly, resulting in a limited availability that does not meet the high demand for such skilled working animals. Towards optimizing the training process and to better understand the challenges these guide dogs may be experiencing in the field, we have created a multi-sensor smart collar system.

Assessing the kinetics of oxygen-unloading from red cells using FlowScore, a flow-cytometric proxy of the functional quality of blood.

Background: Metrics evaluating the functional quality of red blood cells (RBCs) must consider their role in oxygen delivery. Whereas oxygen-carrying capacity is routinely reported using haemoglobin assays, the rate of oxygen exchange is not measured, yet also important for tissue oxygenation. Since oxygen-unloading depends on the diffusion pathlength inside RBCs, cell geometry offers a plausible surrogate.

Bioscience teaching and learning in undergraduate nursing education: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Aim: To explore the teaching and learning methods used in bioscience education for undergraduate nursing students and evaluate their effectiveness for knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction.

Background: Understanding bioscience is essential for nurses to provide effective patient care. Despite its importance, students often struggle with the complex content and limited learning time.

1-Year Real-World Outcomes of TAVR With the Fifth-Generation Balloon-Expandable Valve in the United States.

Background: Longer term outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the SAPIEN 3 Ultra RESILIA (S3UR) valve over its predecessors have not been reported in a national registry.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the 1-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes of the S3UR with those of the SAPIEN 3 (S3) and SAPIEN 3 Ultra (S3U) in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/American College of Cardiology TVT (Transcatheter Valve Therapy) Registry.

Methods: From September 2022 to March 2023, patients who underwent native TAVR with the S3UR or the S3 or S3U valve were propensity matched and compared.

Securing Commercial Nucleic Acid Synthesis.

On-demand gene synthesis is a growing industry that has democratized access to customized synthetic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) products used in biological research. However, the increasing availability and decreasing cost of custom synthetic nucleic acids presents a risk of misuse that could allow nefarious actors to obtain sequences of dangerous organisms or novel-engineered pathogens to construct a biological weapon. Securing nucleic acid synthesis is a policy priority for the U.

Modern Biosurveillance Methods: A Lay Introduction to Effective Use of Nucleic Acid Methods.

The devastating impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led governments, health care institutions, and researchers to intensify their focus on developing improved means to detect, contain, and manage potential future outbreaks. As part of these efforts, policymakers and other nontechnical personnel need to understand available biosurveillance technologies. In this study, the authors summarize how current and emerging nucleic acid biosurveillance techniques work, describe their capabilities and limitations, and discuss the promise of emerging technologies.

Novel loci and biomedical consequences of iron homoeostasis variation.

Iron homoeostasis is tightly regulated, with hepcidin and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) playing significant roles. However, the genetic determinants of these traits and the biomedical consequences of iron homoeostasis variation are unclear. In a meta-analysis of 12 cohorts involving 91,675 participants, we found 43 genomic loci associated with either hepcidin or sTfR concentration, of which 15 previously unreported.

Extremism, racism and riots: exploring the political, social and cultural determinants of poor mental health.

The UK has seen an outbreak of riots after the death of three children in a knife attack. Misinformation about the suspect's heritage and religion was spread by social media, which was then used to incite violence and racism resulting in damage to property, terror and injuries. We put forward arguments that this was an extremist act and draw on the literature on terrorism, extremism and identity to put forward a deeper analysis of how this happened and what can be done to prevent future riots.