Wastewater-based analysis of antimicrobial resistance at UK airports: Evaluating the potential opportunities and challenges.

With 40 million annual passenger flights, airports are key hubs for microbial communities from diverse geographic origins to converge, mix, and distribute. Wastewater derived from airports and aircraft represent both a potential route for the global dispersion of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) organisms and an under-utilised resource for strengthening global AMR surveillance. This study investigates the abundance and diversity of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in wastewater samples collected from airport terminals (n = 132), aircraft (n = 25), and a connected wastewater treatment plant (n = 11) at three international airports in the UK (London Heathrow, Edinburgh and Bristol).

Neurons as Immunomodulators: From Rapid Neural Activity to Prolonged Regulation of Cytokines and Microglia.

Regulation of the brain's neuroimmune system is central to development, normal function, and disease. Neuronal communication to microglia, the primary immune cells of the brain, is well known to involve purinergic signaling mediated via ATP secretion and the cytokine fractalkine. Recent evidence shows that neurons release multiple cytokines beyond fractalkine, yet these are less studied and poorly understood.

X-ray Nanoimaging of a Heterogeneous Structural Phase Transition in VO.

Controlling the Mott transition through strain engineering is crucial for advancing the development of memristive and neuromorphic computing devices. Yet, Mott insulators are heterogeneous due to intrinsic phase boundaries and extrinsic defects, posing significant challenges to fully understanding the impact of microscopic distortions on the local Mott transition. Here, using a synchrotron-based scanning X-ray nanoprobe, we studied the real-space structural heterogeneity during the structural phase transition in a VO thin film.

Identifying people with post-COVID condition using linked, population-based administrative health data from Manitoba, Canada: prevalence and predictors in a cohort of COVID-positive individuals.

Objective: Many individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 experience long-term symptoms as part of a syndrome called post-COVID condition (PCC). Research on PCC is still emerging but is urgently needed to support diagnosis, clinical treatment guidelines and health system resource allocation. In this study, we developed a method to identify PCC cases using administrative health data and report PCC prevalence and predictive factors in Manitoba, Canada.

Once daily Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement of venous leg ulcers versus gel vehicle (placebo) and non-surgical standard of care: a three-arm multicenter, double blinded, randomized controlled study.

Background: Debridement is considered the first step in treatment of chronic wounds, however, current enzymatic and autolytic debridement agents are slow or ineffective. Previous studies have shown positive initial results with EscharEx® (EX-02 formulation), a Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement agent in development for chronic wounds. The main objective of this study was to assess its efficacy in debriding venous leg ulcers (VLU), compared to gel vehicle (GV) as a placebo control and to non-surgical standard of care (NSSOC).

Reepithelialization of partial thickness porcine burns treated with silver sulfadiazine, triple antibiotic or petrolatum.

Topical antibiotic application and occlusive dressings stand as the current standard of care for partial thickness burn (PTB) treatment. Silver sulfadiazine (SSD) is the most widely used topical antimicrobial agent for acute burn management worldwide. Despite its antimicrobial benefits, there is emerging evidence that SSD might delay wound reepithelialization.

Operando real-space imaging of a structural phase transformation in the high-voltage electrode LiNiMnO.

Discontinuous solid-solid phase transformations play a pivotal role in determining the properties of rechargeable battery electrodes. By leveraging operando Bragg Coherent Diffractive Imaging (BCDI), we investigate the discontinuous phase transformation in LiNiMnO within an operational Li metal coin cell. Throughout Li-intercalation, we directly observe the nucleation and growth of the Li-rich phase within the initially charged Li-poor phase in a 500 nm particle.

Impact of dementia and mild cognitive impairment on bone health in older people.

Mild cognitive impairment, dementia and osteoporosis are common diseases of ageing and, with the increasingly ageing global population, are increasing in prevalence. These conditions are closely associated, with shared risk factors, common underlying biological mechanisms and potential direct causal pathways. In this review, the epidemiological and mechanistic links between mild cognitive impairment, dementia and skeletal health are explored.

Clinician Perspectives on the Management of Hearing Loss in Patients With Limited English Proficiency.

Objective: Clinicians face challenges in managing the growing population of patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) and hearing loss (HL) in the United States. This study seeks to investigate provider perspectives on evaluating, counseling, and treating HL in LEP patients.

Study Design: Prospective descriptive study.

Effects of Noise Exposure on Peripheral Auditory Function, Binaural Envelope Coding, and Speech Perception in Student Musicians With Normal Hearing.

Objectives: Musicians face an increased risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and repetitive exposure to high-noise levels. Detecting early signs of hearing loss, which are subtle and often elusive to traditional clinical tests like pure-tone audiometry, is essential. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of noise exposure on the electrophysiological and perceptual aspects of subclinical hearing damage in young musicians with normal audiometric thresholds.

[Letters to Editor: The risk for clinically significant copy number variants in pregnancies with two soft markers, Geriatriophobia - a new concept in the medical world in Israel].

Letters to Editor: The risk for clinically significant copy number variants in pregnancies with two soft markers, Geriatriophobia - a new concept in the medical world in Israel.

Effectiveness and Safety of Pharmacologic Therapies for Migraine in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-analysis.

Study Objective: We performed a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis to determine which pharmacologic therapies are relatively more effective and safer for migraine in adult patients who present to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to February 9, 2024. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that enrolled adult participants presenting to ED with migraine and compared one pharmacologic therapy to another or placebo.

Evidence of Commonly Used Integrative Approaches with Pharmacotherapy for Chronic Pain Management.

This review examines the integration of traditional pharmacological methods with alternative and complementary therapies in chronic pain management. It delves into neurostimulation techniques, highlighting their clinical outcomes and biological bases. Acupuncture's role in modulating pain pathways is explored, illustrating its balance of tradition and clinical application.

Dystrophinopathy patient data as a guide to interpretation of pregestational female population screening for DMD gene variants.

Pregestational population screening of healthy females for copy number variants in DMD gene has raised numerous challenges regarding the interpretation and disclosure of these findings. Our objective was to analyze data from a local dystrophinopathy patient database, in comparison to population screening results. Utilizing the "Little steps" association registry for children with dystrophinopathy, we classified genetic findings (out-of-frame, in-frame, or difficult-to-predict) in 231 DMD and 90 BMD male patients.

Effective Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma with a Topical Enzymatic Mixture Enriched in Bromelain: Summary of Proof-Of Concept Clinical Studies on the First 22 Tumors.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most prevalent form of human cancer, is traditionally treated by surgical and alternative destructive or topical chemical means, each with its advantages, challenges, and drawbacks. We describe our experience treating BCCs with a topical concentrate of proteolytic enzymes enriched in bromelain (CPEEB) sourced from pineapple stems. CPEEB has strong proteolytic, antitumor-proapoptotic, and inflammation modulation activities, and is approved for debridement of deep burns and starting phase 3 trials for chronic wounds.

40 Hz sensory stimulation enhances CA3-CA1 coordination and prospective coding during navigation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

40 Hz sensory stimulation ("flicker") has emerged as a new technique to potentially mitigate pathology and improve cognition in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, it remains unknown how 40 Hz flicker affects neural codes essential for memory. Accordingly, we investigate the effects of 40 Hz flicker on neural representations of experience in the hippocampus of the 5XFAD mouse model of AD by recording 1000s of neurons during a goal-directed spatial navigation task.

Learning from COVID-19: strengthening Australia's research capacity through preparedness and collaboration.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted that preparedness for and responsiveness to pandemics requires public health platforms and processes which are nimble and evidence-based and a research ecosystem which is rapidly responsive to the evolving needs of society and decision-makers. The national BEAT COVID-19 research consortium was funded in 2020 by the Snow Medical Research Foundation (Snow Medical). Its Expert Advisory Committee met with the consortium post-pandemic to summarise the research undertaken and to consider lessons learned through the research response to COVID-19 in Australia.

Feasibility of a blood pressure telemedicine program in the virtual age.

Background: Despite strong evidence for maintaining blood pressure (BP) < 130/80 for secondary stroke prevention, there have been many barriers toward achieving this goal. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of a new physician-led BP telemedicine program on the improvement of BP and medication compliance in stroke survivors.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled patients with a history of stroke and hypertension into this BP telemedicine program where participants were paired with a physician for one-on-one counseling.

Association between telehealth use in oncology and downstream utilization at a large academic health system.

Background: While telemedicine has been beneficial in oncology by reducing infectious exposure and improving access for patients with poor functional status, it also has intrinsic limitations, including the inability to perform a physical exam, which could lead to increased downstream utilization in this population at high risk of medical decompensation. We conducted a retrospective cohort study investigating the relationship between telemedicine use in oncology and subsequent outpatient oncology encounters, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations.

Methods: We included outpatient oncology encounters, including telemedicine and in-person visits, occurring between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022 at a large academic health system.