Surgeons' views on hypospadias care journey: A qualitative study.

Background: Three major parties are involved in the hypospadias treatment journey - the patient, their parents/carers, and the surgeon. There is a strong trend towards involving all three, where possible, in deriving evidence around the care pathways. Currently, there are little data available on surgeons' perspectives of distal hypospadias care.

Characteristics of older patients undergoing surgery in the UK: SNAP-3, a snapshot observational study.

Background: Frailty and multimorbidity are common in older adults, but the prevalence and interaction of these conditions in surgical patients remain unclear. This study describes the clinical characteristics of a heterogeneous cohort of older UK surgical patients.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study during 5 days in March 2022, aiming to recruit all UK patients aged 60 yr and older undergoing surgery, excluding minor procedures (e.

Oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic, laparoscopic and open pancreatoduodenectomy for ampullary adenocarcinoma: a propensity score matched international multicenter cohort study.

Background: Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AAC) typically presents at an early stage due to biliary obstruction and therefore might be specifically suitable for minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD). However, studies assessing MIPD specifically for AAC, including the robotic and laparoscopic approach, are limited. The aim of this study is to compare short- and long-term oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic (RPD), laparoscopic (LPD) and open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) performed specifically for AAC.

A review of RNA nanoparticles for drug/gene/protein delivery in advanced therapies: Current state and future prospects.

Nanotechnology involves the utilization of materials with exceptional properties at the nanoscale. Over the past few years, nanotechnologies have demonstrated significant potential in improving human health, particularly in medical treatments. The self-assembly characteristic of RNA is a highly effective method for designing and constructing nanostructures using a combination of biological, chemical, and physical techniques from different fields.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the treatment of hypernatremia in adult hospitalized patients: impact on mortality, morbidity, and treatment-related side effects.

Background: Hypernatremia is relatively common in acutely ill patients and associated with mortality. Guidelines recommend a slow rate of correction (≤ 0.5 mmol/L per hour).

A taxonomy of the factors contributing to the overtreatment of cancer patients at the end of life. What is the problem? Why does it happen? How can it be addressed?

Many patients with cancer approaching the end of life (EOL) continue to receive treatments that are unlikely to provide meaningful clinical benefit, potentially causing more harm than good. This is called overtreatment at the EOL. Overtreatment harms patients by causing side-effects, increasing health care costs, delaying important discussions about and preparation for EOL care, and occasionally accelerating death.

How does age impact understanding of epistemic adverbs in health communication?

Objective: Not much is known about how one's understanding of words may differ with age. Here we explore how epistemic adverbs - as used in health communication to indicate degrees of uncertainty and risk - are understood by older and younger monolingual speakers of Australian English.

Methods: We used an online dissimilarity rating task with sentence pairs presented as first and second doctor opinions which differed only with respect to the embedded epistemic adverbs (e.

Highly efficient metal-free electrochemical membrane enables zero-valent sulfur recovery from thiourea wastewater.

Electrochemical recovery of zero-valent sulfur (S) from thiourea (TU) wastewater offers a promising waste-to-value strategy that expects to promote the sulfur resource cycle in water treatment but still suffer from electrode poisoning and sulfur over-oxidation. Herein, we designed a metal-free CNT electrochemical membrane for selective oxidation of thiourea and recovery of S. We found that defect sites on the carbon nanotube surface enable direct electron transfer for thiourea oxidation and may form carbon-sulfur bridge bonds, thereby facilitating the generation of S and urea.

The relationship between abnormal fetoplacental Dopplers, angiogenic markers of placental dysfunction and adverse perinatal outcomes in diabetic pregnancies with small fetuses - A prospective study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in circulating maternal placental biomarkers and fetoplacental Dopplers in women with diabetes mellitus in pregnancy (DIP) with prenatally identified small fetuses (defined as <20th centile for gestational age) compared to women with small fetuses without DIP.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study of women with DIP with small infants compared to a non-diabetic cohort with similarly small fetuses. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the effect of DIP on placental biomarkers, fetoplacental Dopplers, and adverse perinatal outcomes.

Combined endonasal, endo-orbital and transcranial craniofacial resection of invasive anterior skullbase sinonasal carcinoma: 2D endoscopic video.

Background: Sinonasal malignancies, in which squamous cell carcinomas are the most common are rare and difficult to treat given the location and anatomical structures involved. Sinonasal malignancies often present late due to non-specific and benign symptoms. Partial resections are often associated with poorer outcomes [1].

Women's views about online communities for gestational diabetes mellitus: A qualitative interview study.

Problem And Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common medical complication of pregnancy, and the emerging evidence demonstrates how GDM online communities have a positive impact on promoting self-management and improving outcomes. Further analysis of such groups can increase understanding of how peer support in GDM online communities is enabled and enacted.

Aim: To examine women's experiences of GDM online communities on Facebook, their motivations for participation, and perceptions of dynamics within the community.

Aerobic composting with hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase conditioning: Stabilized active gaseous nitrogen emissions.

The losses of reactive gaseous nitrogen (N), including ammonia (NH) and nitrous oxide (NO), represent a pressing environmental issue during composting. However, the impact of hydrothermal carbonization aqueous phase (HAP) on compost gaseous N emissions and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored. Herein, Quercus acutissima leaves-derived HAP and its modified HAP (MHAP) were added to the chicken manure compost at 5 % (w/w) and 10 % (w/w) applied rates to observe changes in NH and NO fluxes, compost properties and bacterial communities.

Antagonistic interactions between spinosad and macrocyclic lactones in combination against larvae of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina, in vitro.

Control of the sheep blowfly relies on insecticides, however resistance is currently impacting on their efficacy. The use of insecticides in combination (mixtures) is considered to be a useful strategy to delay resistance under some circumstances. The present study aimed to examine the combination of spinosad with macrocyclic lactones in order to determine if the two drug classes showed any interactions that would impact on the usefulness of a combination product for flystrike control.

GM-CSF treatment of frozen bovine sperm improves function, fertilization, and subsequent embryo development.

In vitro embryo production (IVP) is used in the cattle industry to increase the rate of genetic gain. IVP uses semen that has been frozen and thawed, a process that renders sperm less viable than sperm from fresh semen. Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is present in bovine seminal plasma, while its receptor is present on bovine sperm.

Distribution of potentially toxic elements in sediments of the municipal river channel (Balu), Dhaka, Bangladesh: Ecological and health risks assessment.

The concern of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in the river ecosystem is growing due to anthropological activity. The contents of seven PTEs in sediments from the Balu River channel were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and an environmental risk model. Several PTEs were found in the sediment at high levels, including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and mercury (Hg), that might pose a risk to human and ecological health.

Survey of foodborne pathogenic Vibrio species in commercial Tasmanian bivalve shellfish and predictors of risk at harvest.

There has been an increase in foodborne vibriosis outbreaks globally, with Vibrio parahaemolyticus emerging as a foodborne issue in temperate commercial shellfish growing regions, including southern Australia. The food safety concerns associated with these microorganisms have led to the need for specific guidance on potential risk management strategies for their control. This is the first Australian multi-seasonal survey of V.

Managing cardiovascular disease in pregnant people: Defining the pregnancy heart team.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for pregnant patients. A significant portion of cardiac morbidity and mortality is preventable and related to poor or delayed recognition of clinical warning signs and oversights in management. The establishment of pregnancy heart teams facilitates multidisciplinary planning to improve management of people with cardiovascular disease.

Steroids and steroid-like compounds alter the ion permeability of phospholipid bilayers distinct interactions with lipids and interfacial water.

Steroids are organic compounds found in all forms of biological life. Besides their structural roles in cell membranes, steroids act as signalling molecules in various physiological processes and are used to treat inflammatory conditions. It has been hypothesised that in addition to their well-characterised genomic and non-genomic pathways, steroids exert their biological or pharmacological activities an indirect, nonreceptor-mediated membrane mechanism caused by steroid-induced changes to the physicochemical properties of cell membranes.

Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis and Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum sialic acids enhance macrophage infection.

Leishmaniases affect millions of people around the world, caused by Leishmania parasites. Leishmania are transmitted by female sandflies from Phlebotominae subfamily during their blood meals. In mammals, promastigotes are phagocytosed mainly by macrophages, differentiate into amastigotes and multiply.

Effect of Defined Block Sequence Terpolymers on Antifungal Activity and Biocompatibility.

Invasive fungal infections cause over 3.7 million deaths worldwide annually, underscoring the critical need for new antifungal agents. Developing selective antifungal agents is challenging due to the shared eukaryotic nature of both fungal and mammalian cells.