Using an Oral Sugar Test to Biologically Validate the Use of a Commercial Enzyme Immunoassay to Measure Salivary Insulin in Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

Noninvasive evaluations of hormones can contribute to the assessment of health and welfare of animals. Variations in insulin levels and sensitivity, for example, have been linked to health concerns in non-human and human primates including insulin resistance, diabetes, and heart disease, the leading cause of death in zoo-housed gorillas. Few published studies have assessed insulin concentrations in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), and all did so using serum.

Interprofessional and Inter-Organisational Collaboration in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme: Lessons From North Central London.

Aim: To discuss inter-organisational collaboration in the context of the successful COVID-19 vaccination programme in North Central London (NCL).

Design: An action research study in 2023-2024.

Methods: Six action research cycles used mixed qualitative methods.

Longitudinal Assessment of Sexual Behavior and Relationship Quality During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Britain: Findings from a Longitudinal Population Survey (Natsal-COVID).

While the impact of social restrictions on sexual and romantic life early in the COVID-19 pandemic has been widely studied, little is known about impacts beyond the initial months. We analyzed responses from 2,098 British adults (aged 18-59) taking part in the Natsal-COVID study (Waves 1 and 2). Participants were recruited via a web panel and surveyed twice: four months and one year after the start of the UK's first national lockdown (July 2020 and March 2021).

Mechanisms of exercise-related neurocardiogenic syncope and the relationship between resting and dynamic cardiac testing.

Objective: Syncope is common among pediatric patients and is rarely pathologic. The mechanisms for symptoms during exercise are less well understood than the resting mechanisms. Additionally, inert gas rebreathing analysis, a non-invasive examination of haemodynamics including cardiac output, has not previously been studied in youth with neurocardiogenic syncope.

Understanding reasons for delay in diagnosis of leprosy in Pakistan: A qualitative study.

Background: Recent epidemiological data shows significant rates of grade 2 disability at point-of-diagnosis among new leprosy cases in Pakistan. This indicates a feature of extensive diagnostic delay; the disability burden appears unmoving and disproportionate to the falling leprosy incidence rates. Therefore, this study was required to understand reasons for delay in diagnosis and treatment of leprosy.

Changes in traffic-related air pollution exposures and associations with adverse birth outcomes over 20 years in Texas.

Background: Billions of dollars have been spent implementing regulations to reduce traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) from exhaust pipe emissions. However, few health studies have evaluated the change in TRAP emissions and associations with infant health outcomes. We hypothesize that the magnitude of association between vehicle exposure measures and adverse birth outcomes has decreased over time, parallelling regulatory improvements in exhaust pipe emissions.

Cost-effectiveness models of non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic literature review.

Background: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presents a formidable global health challenge owing to significant morbidity, high mortality rates, and substantial economic burden. Recent advances in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have transformed NSCLC treatment, but efficacy varies across patients. Tailoring treatment to patients can improve outcomes and potentially improve cost-effectiveness (ie, value for money) as well.

Integrating Community Engagement in Zero Leprosy Efforts: A Pathway to Sustainable Early Detection, Control and Elimination.

Community engagement has emerged as a critical component in the effective control and elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), particularly in regions with persistent stigma and limited healthcare access. Drawing on case studies from Brazil, India, and Nigeria, this opinion piece explores how community-driven initiatives have successfully improved leprosy awareness, reduced stigma, and fostered early case detection and treatment adherence. The importance of culturally sensitive, inclusive approaches in health education and stigma reduction campaigns is highlighted, emphasizing the potential for community engagement to enhance national leprosy programs and contribute to the World Health Organization's Zero Leprosy Strategy.

Sexual Behavior in Sexual Minority and Non-Minority Youth from Eight European Countries.

Sexual minority youth, compared to their heterosexual peers, have a disproportionate burden of sexual risks, but it remains unclear whether such inequalities exist across cultures and countries. We used data from eight European countries participating in the 2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study to analyze sexual behavior in representative samples of adolescents aged 14.5-16.

Adverse Childhood Experiences among Adolescent Girls in Residential Treatment: Relationship with Trauma Symptoms, Substance Use, and Delinquency.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative events during childhood or adolescence, including abuse and maltreatment. ACEs are associated with negative life outcomes, and the risk of such outcomes increases when polyvictimization (i.e.

Genome-based newborn screening for severe childhood genetic diseases has high positive predictive value and sensitivity in a NICU pilot trial.

Large prospective clinical trials are underway or planned that examine the clinical utility and cost effectiveness of genome-based newborn screening (gNBS). One gNBS platform, BeginNGS, currently screens 53,575 variants for 412 severe childhood genetic diseases with 1,603 efficacious therapies. Retrospective evaluation of BeginNGS in 618,290 subjects suggests adequate sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) to proceed to prospective studies.

Prequalification of genome-based newborn screening for severe childhood genetic diseases through federated training based on purifying hyperselection.

Genome-sequence-based newborn screening (gNBS) has substantial potential to improve outcomes in hundreds of severe childhood genetic disorders (SCGDs). However, a major impediment to gNBS is imprecision due to variants classified as pathogenic (P) or likely pathogenic (LP) that are not SCGD causal. gNBS with 53,855 P/LP variants, 342 genes, 412 SCGDs, and 1,603 therapies was positive in 74% of UK Biobank (UKB470K) adults, suggesting 97% false positives.

Neurological complications of immune checkpoint inhibitors: a practical guide.

Immune checkpoint inhibition unleashes the power of the immune system against tumour cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) block the inhibitory effects of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4, programmed death protein 1, programmed death ligand 1 and lymphocyte activation gene 3 molecules on T-cells, and so enhance physiological cytotoxic effects. ICIs can significantly improve survival from cancers, including those previously associated with poor treatment response, such as metastatic melanoma.

Late Archaic large-scale fisheries in the wetlands of the pre-Columbian Maya Lowlands.

Multiproxy data collected from the largest inland wetland in Belize, Central America, demonstrate the presence of large-scale pre-Columbian fish-trapping facilities built by Late Archaic hunter-gatherer-fishers, which continued to be used by their Maya descendants during Formative times (approximately 2000 BCE to 200 CE). This is the earliest large-scale Archaic fish-trapping facility recorded in ancient Mesoamerica. We suggest that such landscape-scale intensification may have been a response to long-term climate disturbance recorded between 2200 and 1900 BCE.

Cerebral cortical encephalitis in adults with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease: A national case series.

Background And Purpose: Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) is a relatively recently described disease, most commonly presenting with optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. Cerebral cortical encephalitis is a rare manifestation of MOGAD.

Methods: We identified patients presenting with cerebral cortical encephalitis with positive MOG antibodies in serum across a large specialized service.

Dimensions of Child Maltreatment in Australians With a History of Out-of-Home Care.

Research suggests that the dimensions of childhood maltreatment (type, age of onset, duration, frequency and perpetrator) play an important role in determining health and wellbeing outcomes, though little information is available on these dimensions for any care experienced cohorts. This study aimed to determine if any variation in maltreatment dimensions were experienced between two subsets of the nationally representative Australian Child Maltreatment Study, both of which reported childhood maltreatment histories: care-experienced ( = 358) and non-care-experienced ( = 4922). Using a series of independent t-tests and chi-square tests, we compared the two groups on seven dimensions (number of maltreatment types, range of maltreatment items, age of onset, duration, frequency, perpetrator number, and perpetrator type) for the five child maltreatment types (physical, emotional, sexual abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence).

The Promises and Potential Pitfalls of Highway Reclamation for Population Health: A Research Framework.

Highway reclamation (i.e., the removal of highways or placing existing highways underground to create mixed-use urban areas) is being implemented around the United States, often touting co-benefits for population health.

First report of ergot caused by in switchgrass ( L.) in Georgia, USA.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a North American grass species with biofuel potential. Claviceps spp.

Pharmacologic or genetic interference with atrogene signaling protects against glucocorticoid-induced musculoskeletal and cardiac disease.

Despite their beneficial actions as immunosuppressants, glucocorticoids (GC) have devastating effects on the musculoskeletal and cardiac systems, as long-term treated patients exhibit high incidence of falls, bone fractures, and cardiovascular events. Herein, we show that GC upregulate simultaneously in bone, skeletal muscle, and the heart the expression of E3 ubiquitin ligases (atrogenes), known to stimulate the proteasomal degradation of proteins. Activation of vitamin D receptor (VDR) signaling with the VDR ligands calcitriol or eldecalcitol prevented GC-induced atrogene upregulation in vivo and ex vivo in bone/muscle organ cultures and preserved tissue structure/mass and function of the 3 tissues in vivo.

Friedel-Crafts Reactivity with Sulfondiimidoyl Fluorides for the Synthesis of Heteroaryl Sulfondiimines.

Sulfur functional groups are ubiquitous in molecules used in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries, and within these collections sulfones hold a prominent position. The double aza-analogues of sulfones, sulfondiimines, offer significant potential in discovery chemistry but to date their applications have been limited by the lack of convenient synthetic routes. The existing methods mainly rely on imination of low-valent-sulfur intermediates, or the combination of pre-formed organometallic reagents and electrophilic S(VI)-functionalities.