Application of Diagnostic Imaging in Exotic Animal Gastroenterology.

Imaging of an exotic animal with gastroenteric disease is often essential to make a diagnosis. The selection of a modality and its effective use needs careful consideration in each case. Obtaining a high-quality image and its interpretation are an acquired skill.

Factors Influencing Medical Prescribers' Acceptance of Pharmacists' Recommendations in Non-hospitalized Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To investigate the rate of, and factors affecting, acceptance of pharmacists' recommendations by medical prescribers following medication reviews conducted in non-hospitalized older adults.

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis with meta-regression.

Setting And Participants: Older adults (mean age ≥55 years) residing in the community or in aged care facilities (ie, non-hospitalized) who had received an individualized medication review by a pharmacist.

Extracellular vesicles in dry eye disease and Sjogren syndrome: A systematic review on their diagnostic and therapeutic role.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), defined as membrane-bound vesicles released from all cells, are being explored for their diagnostic and therapeutic role in dry eye disease (DED). We systematically shortlisted 32 articles on the role of EVs in diagnosing and treating DED. The systematic review covers the progress in the last 2 decades about the classification and isolation of EVs and their role in DED.

Frontostriatal connectivity dynamically modulates the adaptation to environmental volatility.

Humans adjust their learning strategies in changing environments by estimating the volatility of the reinforcement conditions. Here, we examine how volatility affects learning and the underlying functional brain organizations using a probabilistic reward reversal learning task. We found that the order of states was critically important; participants adjusted learning rate going from volatile to stable, but not from stable to volatile, environments.

Clostridioides difficile infection and recurrence in cancer patients (CIRCA): a multicentre, international study.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the characteristics of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in cancer patients, analysing risk factors for 90-day recurrence and attributable mortality.

Methods: Retrospective analysis on all CDI episodes from 2020 to 2022 in three Australian hospitals and one Spanish hospital. Logistic regression analyses were performed.

Phenolic acids from Anisopus mannii modulates phosphofructokinase 1 to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes: a double-blind, randomized, clinical trial.

Phenolic acid-rich fraction from Anisopus mannii (PhAM) contains abundance of ferulic acid, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, and syringic acid. Among other glycolytic enzymes, in vitro, PhAM counteracted the binding of sodium orthovanadate to phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK-1), improving its activities. In a rat model of diet-induced diabetes, PhAM monotherapy reduced HbA1c by an average of 0.

The gut-lung axis: Protozoa join the party.

The gut microbiota is a powerful influencer of systemic immunity, with its impact on distal organs like the lungs garnering increasing attention. In this issue of Cell, Burrows et al. report that a gut protozoan plays a key role in shaping the immunological steady state of the lung.

A triad of somatic mutagenesis converges in self-reactive B cells to cause a virus-induced autoimmune disease.

The unexplained association between infection and autoimmune disease is strongest for hepatitis C virus-induced cryoglobulinemic vasculitis (HCV-cryovas). To analyze its origins, we traced the evolution of pathogenic rheumatoid factor (RF) autoantibodies in four HCV-cryovas patients by deep single-cell multi-omic analysis, revealing three sources of B cell somatic mutation converged to drive the accumulation of a large disease-causing clone. A method for quantifying low-affinity binding revealed recurring antibody variable domain combinations created by V(D)J recombination that bound self-immunoglobulin G (IgG) but not viral E2 antigen.

Establishing quality assurance for COVID-19 antigen tests in the Indo Pacific Region: A multi-site implementation study.

Background: Quality assurance programs (QAPs) are used to evaluate the analytical quality of a diagnostic test and provide feedback to improve quality processes in testing. Rapid diagnostic tests were used in both laboratory and non-laboratory settings to diagnose COVID-19, although varied in reported performance. We aimed to design and implement a QAP for antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) for COVID-19 in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Papua New Guinea.

Spatial profiling of endoplasmic reticulum stress markers in tumor associated cells predicts patient outcomes in pancreatic cancer.

Introduction: The impact of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in tumor-associated cells, such as cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs), immune cells and endothelial cells, on patient outcomes in clinical specimens have not been examined. For the first time, we characterized the expression and spatial locations of ER stress markers, BiP and CHOP, in tumor-associated cells and assessed their prognostic significance in a panel of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patient samples.

Methods: Multiplex immunofluorescence was performed on tumor microarrays and images were analyzed using HALO AI software.

Pure CO and impure CO-SO-NO-O reactions with carbon storage site underlying seals: Coaly mudstones and carbonate cemented sandstones.

The transition to net zero emissions requires the capture of carbon dioxide from industrial point sources, and direct air capture (DAC) from the atmosphere for geological storage. Dissolved CO has reactivity to rock core, and while the majority of previous studies have concentrated on reservoir rock or cap-rock reactivity, the underlying seal formation may also react with CO. Drill core from the underlying seal of a target CO storage site was reacted at in situ conditions with pure CO, and compared with an impure CO stream with SO, NO and O that could be expected from hard to abate industries.

Effects of warning information at medication initiation on deprescribing intentions in older adults: A hypothetical vignette.

Objectives: To explore to what degree providing patients warning information about the long-term risks of a medication would affect their subsequent desire to discontinue it.

Methods: We conducted a vignette-based online experiment in which participants aged ≥ 65 years from the United States were asked to imagine starting and subsequently stopping omeprazole. Participants were randomized to one of four vignettes about starting omeprazole (potential long-term harms or no harm information; OTC vs.

The human patellar tendon is mechanically homogenous at its mid-substance.

The human patellar tendon contains distinct fascicle bundles across its mediolateral and anteroposterior regions. Studies have suggested region-specific behaviour during in vivo actions, but it is unclear whether such regional differences result from localized variation in composition and mechanical properties within the tendon itself. Furthermore, the viscoelastic properties of any region of the human patellar tendon have not been well described previously.

From policy to progress: Environmental taxation to mitigate air pollution in OECD countries.

Environmental taxes play a critical role in mitigating air pollution and fostering sustainability by internalizing the social costs of environmental damage. By imposing financial disincentives on polluters, these taxes encourage cleaner practices and technological innovation. Using panel ARDL models, this study examines the impact of environmental taxes on CO₂ emissions across 38 OECD countries, accounting for cross-sectional dependence, non-stationarity, and heterogeneity.

Machine learning outperforms humans in microplastic characterization and reveals human labelling errors in FTIR data.

Microplastics are ubiquitous and appear to be harmful, however, the full extent to which these inflict harm has not been fully elucidated. Analysing environmental sample data is challenging, as the complexity in real data makes both automated and manual analysis either unreliable or time-consuming. To address challenges, we explored a dense feed-forward neural network (DNN) for classifying Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic data.

Identifying public health competencies for Australian pharmacists: A modified Delphi study.

Objective: This study aimed to define a set of competencies for public health-related services and activities for pharmacists in Australia.

Methods: A modified Delphi technique of two rounds was used to gain consensus by public health and pharmacy professionals on a set of public health competency statements for Australian pharmacists.

Results: Delphi panellists agreed on the inclusion of 27 competency statements organised into three domains of health promotion and illness prevention, health protection and population health quality improvement.

A low-cost soft sensor for sewer flow monitoring - Learning from water level measurements in manholes.

Flow meters are commonly used in manholes to monitor the flow rate for sewer operation and management. However, the large-scale deployment of flow meters in a sewer system is cost-prohibitive due to their high costs and the need for frequent maintenance. This paper proposes a soft sensor that estimates flow rates based on water level measurements in a manhole.

Digitally transforming community mental healthcare: Real-world lessons from algorithmic workforce integration.

Community-based high intensity services for people living with severe and enduring mental illnesses face critical workforce shortages and workflow efficiency challenges. The expectation to monitor complex, dynamic patient data from ever-expanding electronic health records leads to information overload, a significant factor contributing to worker burnout and attrition. An algorithmic workforce, defined as a suite of algorithm-driven processes, can work alongside health professionals assisting with oversight tasks and augmenting human expertise.

Navigating the referral boundaries for organ and tissue donation: An interpretive description study.

Background: The gap between organ availability and the number of people waiting for a transplant remains a major healthcare issue. Most transplanted organs and tissue are received from donors who have died in intensive care units (ICUs). To increase the number of donors, national guidelines and professional bodies in Australia support routine consideration of organ and tissue donation at the end of life.

Acceptability of implementing a communication board for mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units: A cross-sectional substudy of the intervention arm of a pilot randomised controlled trial.

Background: Communication boards are a low-technology tool used to facilitate interactions with mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Research on the acceptability of communication boards in resource-limited intensive care settings is lacking.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess patients' and nurses' experienced acceptability of implementing a communication board in Sri Lankan ICUs.

Comprehensive care processes for substance use disorders in adult mental health services: A systematic review.

Background And Objectives: Assessment and care of substance use disorder within mental health services are essential due to the high prevalence and harms associated with comorbidity. Substance use disorder assessment and care are routinely recommended in clinical guidelines; however, processes are not agreed. This systematic review of routine clinical practice in relation to substance use disorders in adult mental health service aims to identify routine assessment and diagnosis processes, the proportion of patients and service episodes in which they occur and their outputs.

Identification and Characterization of a Protease Producing Strain From Tannery Waste for Efficient Dehairing of Goat Skin.

Environmental pollution has been a significant concern for the last few years. The leather industry significantly contributes to the economy but is one of Bangladesh's most prominent polluting industries. It is also responsible for several severe diseases such as cancer, lung diseases, and heart diseases of leather workers because they use bleaching agents and chemicals, and these have numerous adverse effects on human health.

Exploring the association between pro-inflammatory mediators and sarcopenia in cancer patients through different diagnostic tools: a narrative review.

Background And Objective: Sarcopenia, characterized by the progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass (MM) and muscle function, is a common and debilitating condition in cancer patients, significantly impacting their quality of life, treatment outcomes, and overall survival. The pathophysiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial, involving metabolic, hormonal, and inflammatory changes. Recent research highlights the role of chronic inflammation in the development and progression of sarcopenia, with pro-inflammatory cytokines being key mediators of muscle catabolism.

Revision of the Oriental and Australasian diving beetle genus Sharp, 1882 (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Dytiscinae).

A comprehensive revision is presented of the Oriental and Australasian diving beetle genus Sharp, 1882 (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Dytiscinae: Aciliini) and seven junior subjective synonyms are proposed. Balfour-Browne, 1939, is a junior subjective synonym of Heller, 1934; Vazirani, 1969, of (Crotch, 1872); Blanchard, 1843, of (Aubé, 1838); and Heller, 1934, , Sharp, 1882, , and Satô, 1978, of (Wehncke, 1876). Finally, Anand et al.