Pharmacokinetic drug-drug interaction between first-line anti-TB and anti-diabetic drugs in patients with tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus.

Background: The association between Tuberculosis (TB) and Diabetes Mellitus (DM) have always been an area of interest for decades. Many studies have reported the impact of DM on the development and prognosis of TB and vice versa. There is a major research gap in the area of drug-drug interactions between anti-TB drugs and anti-diabetic drugs.

Mesothelioma risks and cumulative exposure to elongate mineral particles of various sizes in Minnesota taconite mining industry.

Objectives: An excess of mesothelioma has been previously observed in iron ore miners in Northeastern Minnesota. This study explored the potential association between mesothelioma and elongate mineral particle (EMP) exposures in the Minnesota taconite mining industry, examining both regulated and non-regulated EMP dimensions.

Methods: A nested case-control study design within the Mineral Resources Health Assessment Programme cohort analysed 104 mesothelioma cases and 410 controls.

The Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education Framework: An International Consensus Statement Based on a Delphi Study.

Importance: Rapid digitalization of health care and a dearth of digital health education for medical students and junior physicians worldwide means there is an imperative for more training in this dynamic and evolving field.

Objective: To develop an evidence-informed, consensus-guided, adaptable digital health competencies framework for the design and development of digital health curricula in medical institutions globally.

Evidence Review: A core group was assembled to oversee the development of the Digital Health Competencies in Medical Education (DECODE) framework.

Estimating the time-varying emission rate of peracetic acid.

The use of peracetic acid (PAA) as a general disinfectant has seen increasing usage in recent years, and although it is a strong irritant, exposure monitoring for PAA may often be difficult due to relatively high costs and the potential for interferences by other co-occurring chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide. These issues with exposure monitoring make modeling a potentially useful tool in exposure assessment of PAA if model parameters can be accurately determined. This study estimates the time-varying mass emission rate of PAA for use in exposure modeling by using the small spill model and examines the effect of various environmental conditions on the PAA evaporation rate, including surface roughness/substrate, general ventilation rate, and local wind speed.

Molecular aspects of cytoprotection by Optineurin during stress and disease.

Optineurin/OPTN is an adapter protein that plays a crucial role in mediating many cellular functions, including autophagy, vesicle trafficking, and various signalling pathways. Mutations of OPTN are linked with neurodegenerative disorders, glaucoma, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Recent work has shown that OPTN provides cytoprotection from many types of stress, including oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, protein homeostasis stress, tumour necrosis factor α, and microbial infection.

Volatile hydrocarbon exposures and immune-related illnesses among Deepwater Horizon oil spill workers.

Background: Despite evidence from experimental studies linking some petroleum hydrocarbons to markers of immune suppression, limited epidemiologic research exists on this topic.

Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations of oil spill related chemicals (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and n-hexane (BTEX-H)) and total hydrocarbons (THC) with immune-related illnesses as indicators of potential immune suppression.

Methods: Subjects comprised 8601 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill clean-up and response workers who participated in a home visit (1-3 years after the DWH spill) in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) Study.

PINK1 controls RTN3L-mediated ER autophagy by regulating peripheral tubule junctions.

Here, we report that the RTN3L-SEC24C endoplasmic reticulum autophagy (ER-phagy) receptor complex, the CUL3KLHL12 E3 ligase that ubiquitinates RTN3L, and the FIP200 autophagy initiating protein, target mutant proinsulin (Akita) condensates for lysosomal delivery at ER tubule junctions. When delivery was blocked, Akita condensates accumulated in the ER. In exploring the role of tubulation in these events, we unexpectedly found that loss of the Parkinson's disease protein, PINK1, reduced peripheral tubule junctions and blocked ER-phagy.

Bayesian hierarchical modeling and inference for mechanistic systems in industrial hygiene.

A series of experiments in stationary and moving passenger rail cars were conducted to measure removal rates of particles in the size ranges of SARS-CoV-2 viral aerosols and the air changes per hour provided by existing and modified air handling systems. Such methods for exposure assessments are customarily based on mechanistic models derived from physical laws of particle movement that are deterministic and do not account for measurement errors inherent in data collection. The resulting analysis compromises on reliably learning about mechanistic factors such as ventilation rates, aerosol generation rates, and filtration efficiencies from field measurements.

Application and demonstration of meso-activity exposure factors to advance estimates of incidental soil ingestion among agricultural workers.

Background: Soil is an understudied and underregulated pathway of chemical exposure, particularly for agricultural workers who cultivate food in soils. Little is known about how agricultural workers spend their time and how they may contact soil while growing food. Exposure factors are behavioral and environmental variables used in exposure estimation.

Probiotics-A Promising Novel Therapeutic Approach in the Management of Chronic Liver Diseases.

An increased incidence of liver diseases has been observed in recent years and is associated with gut dysbiosis, which causes bacterial infection, intestinal permeability, and further leads to disease-related complications. Probiotics, active microbial strains, are gaining more clinical importance due to their beneficial effect in the management of many diseases, including liver diseases. Clinical scenarios show strong evidence that probiotics have efficacy in treating liver diseases due to their ability to improve epithelial barrier function, prevent bacterial translocation, and boost the immune system.

Effectiveness of different tools for malnutrition in the assessment of patients with cirrhosis.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of malnutrition using traditional measures of nutritional assessments like body mass index (BMI), mid-arm circumference (MAC), triceps skin fold thickness (TSF), mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), hand grip strength (HGS) and subjective global assessments (SGA) among cirrhotic patients referred for liver transplantation (LT).

Methods: The study was conducted among 215 cirrhotic patients referred for LT at a tertiary care hospital. Patients were enrolled between July 2021 and October 2022 to assess the prevalence of malnutrition.

A cytoprotective role for optineurin during mycobacterial infection of macrophages.

Autophagy has emerged as a critical innate immune mechanism for host elimination of intracellular pathogens, however, the role of the autophagy receptor Optineurin during mycobacterial infection is not fully understood. To address this lacuna, we infected bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) derived from Optn and Optn mice with , and observed the infection outcome at sequential time points. While low multiplicity of infection (MOI) did not show any significant difference between BMDMs from the two groups, at high MOI Optn mice-derived BMDMs showed significantly lower colony forming unit counts, as well as lower cell counts at 12 h and 24 h post-infection.

Synthesis and characterization of marine seagrass (Cymodocea serrulata) mediated titanium dioxide nanoparticles for antibacterial, antibiofilm and antioxidant properties.

Cymodocea serrulata mediated titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO NPs) were successfully synthesized. The XRD pattern and FTIR spectra demonstrated the crystalline structure of TiO NPs and the presence of phenols, flavonoids and alkaloids in the extract. Further SEM revealed that TiO NPs has uniform structure and spherical in shape with their size ranged from 58 to 117 nm.

Remote loading in liposome: a review of current strategies and recent developments.

Liposomes have gained prominence as nanocarriers in drug delivery, and the number of products in the market is increasing steadily, particularly in cancer therapeutics. Remote loading of drugs in liposomes is a significant step in the translation and commercialization of the first liposomal product. Low drug loading and drug leakage from liposomes is a translational hurdle that was effectively circumvented by the remote loading process.

Comparison of ultrasonographic anatomy of spine in traditional sitting position versus crossed leg position in term pregnancy: A prospective, observational, crossover study.

Background And Aims: The traditional sitting position (TSP) and crossed leg sitting position (CLSP) are positions used for neuraxial anaesthesia. This study compared the interspinous space (ISS) distance using ultrasound assessment of the spine in these positions in parturients in term gestation.

Methods: This prospective, observational study involved ultrasonographic spine assessment in 100 parturients in term gestation with them in either TSP or CLSP.

Unmet technological demands in orodispersible films for age-appropriate paediatric drug delivery.

Age-appropriateness of a formulation is the ability to deliver variable but accurate doses to the paediatric population in a safe and acceptable manner to improve medical adherence and reduce medication errors. Paediatric drug delivery is a challenging area of formulation research due to the existing gap in knowledge. This includes the unknown safety of excipients in the paediatric population, the need for an age-appropriate formulation, the lack of an effective taste-masking method and the lack of paediatric pharmacokinetic data and patient acceptability.

Subchronic exposure to ambient PM impairs novelty recognition and spatial memory.

Air pollution remains a great challenge for public health, with the detrimental effects of air pollution on cardiovascular, rhinosinusitis, and pulmonary health increasingly well understood. Recent epidemiological associations point to the adverse effects of air pollution on cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. Mouse models of subchronic exposure to PM (ambient air particulate matter < 2.

Effect of probiotics on nutritional status, biochemical parameters, and disease severity in cirrhotic patients referred for liver transplantation-A randomised double blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Introduction: Probiotics have been shown to be effective in many diseases. However, their effects on the nutritional status in patients with cirrhosis is uncertain.

Aim: We aimed to study the effect of probiotics on nutritional status, biochemical parameters, and liver disease severity in patients with cirrhosis referred for liver transplantation.

Reliability of low mass toenail samples as biomarkers of chronic metal exposure.

Background: Toenails are a promising matrix for chronic metal exposure assessment, but there are currently no standard methods for collection and analysis. Questions remain about sample mass requirements and the extent to which metals measured in this matrix are representative of chronic body burden.

Objective: This study proposes a method to maximize sample conservation for toenail metals analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Volatile Hydrocarbon Exposures and Incident Coronary Heart Disease Events: Up to Ten Years of Follow-up among Oil Spill Workers.

Background: During the 2010 () disaster, response and cleanup workers were potentially exposed to toxic volatile components of crude oil. However, to our knowledge, no study has examined exposure to individual oil spill-related chemicals in relation to cardiovascular outcomes among oil spill workers.

Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the association of several spill-related chemicals [benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, -hexane (BTEX-H)] and total hydrocarbons (THC) with incident coronary heart disease (CHD) events among workers enrolled in a prospective cohort.