The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Non-Modifiable Risk Factors on Alzheimer's Disease and Brain Health Markers: A UK Biobank Study.

Background: Modifiable (physical activity) and non-modifiable (sex and genotype) risk factors interact to affect Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. Further investigation is necessary to understand if these factors influence brain volume and cognition.

Objective: The study aimed to assess the effect of physical activity, APOE genotype, and sex on AD risk, brain volume, and cognition.

Evaluating barriers to reaching women with public health information in remote communities in Mali.

Telecommunications offers an alternative or supplement to community-based interventions as a means of extending healthcare services and improving health outcomes in remote settings but can fail to reach target communities and achieve the desired impact if barriers to access are not overcome. We conducted seven focus group discussions and 26 interviews with community health workers, community leaders, and female members of the public who declared that they had or had not previously accessed free audio health messages provided via a mobile platform in two rural communities of Mali, Koulikoro and Bougouni. A content analysis showed that participants accessed and trusted health information from a range of sources, including radio, telephone and television, as well as town criers, local relays and community health centres.

Exercise4Psychosis: A randomised control trial assessing the effect of moderate-to-vigorous exercise on inflammatory biomarkers and negative symptom profiles in men with first-episode psychosis.

Introduction: First-Episode Psychosis (FEP) is a devastating mental health condition that commonly emerges during early adulthood, and is characterised by a disconnect in perceptions of reality. Current evidence suggests that inflammation and perturbed immune responses are involved in the pathology of FEP and may be associated specifically with negative symptoms. Exercise training is a potent anti-inflammatory stimulus that can reduce persistent inflammation, and can improve mood profiles in general populations.

A review of Musca sorbens (Diptera: Muscidae) and Musca domestica behavior and responses to chemical and visual cues.

Musca flies (Diptera: Muscidae) have been found culpable in the mechanical transmission of several infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, protozoans, and helminths, particularly in low-income settings in tropical regions. In large numbers, these flies can negatively impact the health of communities and their livestock through the transmission of pathogens. In some parts of the world, Musca sorbens is of particular importance because it has been linked with the transmission of trachoma, a leading cause of preventable and irreversible blindness or visual impairment caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, but the contribution these flies make to trachoma transmission has not been quantified and even less is known for other pathogens.

Effects of particle size, storage conditions, and chemical pretreatments on carbon and oxygen isotopic measurements of modern tooth enamel.

Isotopic analysis of human tooth enamel can provide life history information useful in forensic identification. These applications depend on the availability of reference data documenting isotopic values for individuals with known life history and on the comparability of data from reference and case work samples. Here we build on previous methodological research, which has largely focused on paleontological and archaeological samples, and conduct experiments using enamel from modern human teeth targeting three sample preparation variables (sample particle size, storage conditions, and chemical pretreatments).

Attenuation of Stimulated Accumbal Dopamine Release by NMDA Is Mediated through Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors.

Electrically stimulated dopamine release from the nucleus accumbens is attenuated following application of -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA), which is likely to be mediated indirectly through intermediary neuronal mechanisms rather than by a direct action on dopamine terminals. On the basis of known modulatory processes in nucleus accumbens, the current experiments sought to test whether the effect of NMDA was mediated through cholinergic, GABA-ergic, or metabotropic glutamatergic intermediate mechanisms. Fast-scan cyclic voltammetry was used to measure electrically stimulated dopamine release in nucleus accumbens of rat brain slices Stimulated dopamine release was attenuated by NMDA, confirming previous findings, but this attenuation was unaffected by either cholinergic or GABA-ergic antagonists.

PCSK9 inhibitors and ezetimibe for the reduction of cardiovascular events: a clinical practice guideline with risk-stratified recommendations.

Clinical Question: In adults with low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels >1.8 mmol/L (>70 mg/dL) who are already taking the maximum dose of statins or are intolerant to statins, should another lipid-lowering drug be added, either a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor or ezetimibe, to reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events? If so, which drug is preferred? Having decided to use one, should we add the other lipid-lowering drug?

Current Practice: Most guidelines emphasise LDL cholesterol targets in their recommendations for prescribing PCSK9 inhibitors and/or ezetimibe in adults at high risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiovascular event. However, to achieve these goals in very high risk patients with statins alone is almost impossible, so physicians are increasingly considering other lipid-lowering drugs solely for achieving LDL cholesterol treatment goals rather than for achieving important absolute cardiovascular risk reduction.

Prevalence and temporal changes of mutations linked to antimalarial drug resistance in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in Palawan, Philippines.

Objective: This study provides 2016 data on the prevalence of key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with antimalarial drug resistance in Palawan, Philippines. Findings were combined with historical data to model temporal changes in the prevalence of these SNPs in Plasmodium isolates.

Methods: Plasmodium isolates were genotyped using drug resistance markers pfmdr1, pfcrt, pfdhfr, pfdhps, kelch-13, pvmdr1, pvdhfr, and pvdhps.

Use of Nicergoline as Adjunctive Treatment of Neurotrophic Keratitis in Routine Clinical Practice: A Case Series.

Purpose: To describe the effectiveness and safety of nicergoline in patients with epithelial corneal defect or corneal ulcer due to neurotrophic keratitis (NK).

Methods: A prospective case series review was performed in 14 patients with NK who started treatment with nicergoline as an off-label prescription from January to November 2020. Patients with a epithelial defect or corneal ulcer due to NK were treated with oral nicergoline.

Visual impairment induced by prosthetic cobaltism.

The case of a 68-year-old patient with visual loss secondary to prosthetic cobaltism is reported. The degeneration of the metallic hip prosthesis can produce a systemic absorption of cobalt with cardiac, neurological, endocrine, auditory, and visual manifestations. The diagnostic suspicion is confirmed by serum cobalt measurements.

Global multi-site, prospective analysis of cataract surgery outcomes following ICHOM standards: the European CAT-Community.

Purpose: To evaluate in a large sample of patients from 10 different European centers the results of cataract surgery, characterizing the relationship between patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) and clinician-reported outcome measures (CROMs).

Methods: Prospective non-interventional multicenter observational descriptive study analyzing the clinical outcomes of a total of 3799 cases undergoing cataract surgery (mean age: 72.7 years).

Risk-assessment models for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients: an overview of systematic reviews.

Multiple risk-assessment models (RAMs) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized medical patients have been developed. To inform the 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) guidelines on VTE, we conducted an overview of systematic reviews to identify and summarize evidence related to RAMs for VTE and bleeding in medical inpatients. We searched Epistemonikos, the Cochrane Database, Medline, and Embase from 2005 through June 2017 and then updated the search in January 2020 to identify systematic reviews that included RAMs for VTE and bleeding in medical inpatients.

Risk models for VTE and bleeding in medical inpatients: systematic identification and expert assessment.

Risk assessment models (RAMs) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients inform appropriate use of thromboprophylaxis. Our aim was to use a novel approach for selecting risk factors for VTE and bleeding to be included in RAMs. First, we used the results of a systematic review of all candidate factors.

Geophysical monitoring of simulated homicide burials for forensic investigations.

Finding hidden bodies, believed to have been murdered and buried, is problematic, expensive in terms of human resource and currently has low success rates for law enforcement agencies. Here we present, for the first time, ten years of multidisciplinary geophysical monitoring of simulated clandestine graves using animal analogues. Results will provide forensic search teams with crucial information on optimal detection techniques, equipment configuration and datasets for comparison to active and unsolved cold case searches.

DOACs vs LMWHs in hospitalized medical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis that informed 2018 ASH guidelines.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a relatively frequent complication in hospitalized patients, especially in those with risk factors. The benefit of using direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for prevention is controversial. This systematic review was performed as part of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) guidelines on VTE, developed in partnership with McMaster University.

Prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

There may be many predictors of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients, but until now, systematic reviews and assessments of the certainty of the evidence have not been published. We conducted a systematic review to identify prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized medical patients and searched Medline and EMBASE from inception through May 2018. We considered studies that identified potential prognostic factors for VTE and bleeding in hospitalized adult medical patients.

Trends in corneal transplantation in a single center in Barcelona, Spain. Transitioning to DMEK.

Purpose: To observe trends in surgical techniques for corneal transplantation and main indications in our hospital over the past five years.

Methods: Retrospective descriptive study, including all keratoplasties performed at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, between January 2014 and December 2018.

Results: In total, 332 keratoplasties were performed.

Diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism with d-Dimer Adjusted to Clinical Probability.

Background: Retrospective analyses suggest that pulmonary embolism is ruled out by a d-dimer level of less than 1000 ng per milliliter in patients with a low clinical pretest probability (C-PTP) and by a d-dimer level of less than 500 ng per milliliter in patients with a moderate C-PTP.

Methods: We performed a prospective study in which pulmonary embolism was considered to be ruled out without further testing in outpatients with a low C-PTP and a d-dimer level of less than 1000 ng per milliliter or with a moderate C-PTP and a d-dimer level of less than 500 ng per milliliter. All other patients underwent chest imaging (usually computed tomographic pulmonary angiography).

Perioperative Management of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Receiving a Direct Oral Anticoagulant.

Importance: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who use a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) and request elective surgery or procedure present a common clinical situation yet perioperative management is uncertain.

Objective: To investigate the safety of a standardized perioperative DOAC management strategy.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The Perioperative Anticoagulation Use for Surgery Evaluation (PAUSE) cohort study conducted at 23 clinical centers in Canada, the United States, and Europe enrolled and screened patients from August 1, 2014, through July 31, 2018.

Long-term risk of recurrence in patients with a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism managed according to d-dimer results; A cohort study.

Unlabelled: Essentials Long-term recurrence risk after a first unprovoked VTE with negative d-dimer levels is uncertain. Anticoagulation was stopped if d-dimer was negative, and was continued if d-dimer was positive. Five years after stopping anticoagulants, recurrent VTE was 30% in men and 17% in women.

Ophthalmology specialist trainee survey in the United Kingdom.

Background: Currently there are a total of 780 post-graduate ophthalmology trainees in the United Kingdom (UK). Post-graduate ophthalmology training in the UK is 7 years in duration, and follows a comprehensive competency-based curriculum. Changes to training have been proposed as part of the government's Shape of Training paper.