A visual report on what is of value for people with intellectual disabilities in a Flemish care organisation.

This paper presents the findings from a qualitative research project that explored what ten people with intellectual disabilities who receive care and support in a residential care facility deem valuable for living a good life and what the opportunity to manage resources for care and support themselves means to them. With the use of photovoice, the 10 participants documented their care and support, and by extension, their own lives. We describe how the project was carried out and the facilitating and obstructing factors we encountered.

The Attachment Strengths and Needs Interview for parents of children with severe or profound intellectual disabilities: An acceptability and feasibility study.

Background: The feasibility and acceptability was explored of the newly-constructed Attachment Strengths and Needs Interview for parents of children with severe or profound intellectual disabilities.

Method: A partially mixed methods approach (with focus on the quantitative data) was used to clarify parents' and professionals' viewpoints regarding the acceptability of the interview through websurvey-ratings.

Results: Parents generally felt appreciated during or after the interview, were motivated to work on the proposed goals and felt the interview covered their actual needs, but were, however, more neutral on the aspects of reflection and learning.

The role of professionals in strengthening social relations of adults with a disability in independent supported living: Practices and influencing factors.

Professionals play an important role in supporting the social relations of persons with a disability. This study looks at professional practices supporting or strengthening social relations of persons in independent supported living, by integrating the perspectives of adults with a disability, network members and professionals. Fifty-one semi-structured interviews were carried out.

Deep Serratus Anterior Plane Block for Multimodal Analgesia in Minimally Invasive Mitral Valve Surgery Performed via Right Anterior Mini-Thoracotomy.

Objective: This study investigated if the serratus anterior plane block (SAPB) within a multimodal analgesia scheme would reduce acute post-operative pain and intravenous opioid consumption in patients admitted to the intensive care unit after isolated minimally invasive mitral valve surgery.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of the University Hospital of Siena (Italy).

Voice Quality as Digital Biomarker in Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review.

Background: Voice analysis has emerged as a potential biomarker for mood state detection and monitoring in bipolar disorder (BD). The systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence for voice analysis applications in BD, examining (1) the predictive validity of voice quality outcomes for mood state detection, and (2) the correlation between voice parameters and clinical symptom scales.

Methods: A PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library search was carried out by two investigators for publications investigating voice quality in BD according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statements.

Impact of Treatment With Trifluridine/Tipiracil in Combination With Bevacizumab on Health-Related Quality of Life and Performance Status in Refractory Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: An Analysis of the Phase III SUNLIGHT Trial.

Background: The efficacy of trifluridine/tipiracil (FTD/TPI) + bevacizumab compared to FTD/TPI for treatment of refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) was demonstrated in the SUNLIGHT trial. This analysis of SUNLIGHT investigated the impact of treatment with FTD/TPI + bevacizumab on patient quality of life (QoL) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS).

Methods: Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and EQ-5D-5L) and ECOG PS assessments were conducted at baseline and on Day 1 of each treatment cycle.

Pathological diagnosis of central nervous system tumours in adults: what's new?

In the course of the last decade, the pathological diagnosis of many tumours of the central nervous system (CNS) has transitioned from a purely histological to a combined histological and molecular approach, resulting in a more precise 'histomolecular diagnosis'. Unfortunately, translation of this refinement in CNS tumour diagnostics into more effective treatment strategies is lagging behind. There is hope though that incorporating the assessment of predictive markers in the pathological evaluation of CNS tumours will help to improve this situation.

Weight loss therapy and addiction: increased risk after bariatric surgery but reduced risk with GLP-1 receptor agonists.

Background: Obesity is an increasing public health problem because of its high prevalence and associated morbidity and mortality. Two weight-loss strategies are currently used, either bariatric surgery or pharmacological therapy with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs). Preclinical studies in rodents suggested an increased risk of additive disorders after bariatric surgery contrasting with a reduced risk with GLP-1RAs.

Shading stress promotes lignin biosynthesis in soybean seed coat and consequently extends seed longevity.

The macromolecular components of the seed coat, particularly lignin, play a critical role in regulating seed viability. In the maize-soybean intercropping (MSI) system, shading stress was reported to enhance the viability of soybean seeds. However, the specific role of seed coat lignin in this process remains poorly understood.

The impact of glidants on the rheological properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients: A study of conventional and alternative flow enhancers.

Nowadays, most of the newly developed active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) consist of cohesive particles with a mean particle size of <100μm, a wide particle size distribution (PSD) and a tendency to agglomerate, therefore they are difficult to handle in continuous manufacturing (CM) lines. The current paper focuses on the impact of various glidants on the bulk properties of difficult-to-handle APIs. Three challenging powders were included: two extremely cohesive APIs (acetaminophen micronized (APAPμ) and metoprolol tartrate (MPT)) which previously have shown processing issues during different stages of the continuous direct compression (CDC)-line and a spray dried placebo (SD) powder containing hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), known for its sub-optimal flow with a high specific surface area (SSA) and low density.

Effect of overweight and obesity on live birth rate in single euploid frozen embryo transfers.

Research Question: Does endometrial preparation using a natural cycle lead to higher live birth rates (LBR) in single euploid frozen embryo transfers (FET) compared with programmed cycles, for women who are normal weight, overweight and obese.

Design: Retrospective study of 845 single euploid FETs from 688 couples. Patients were stratified by body mass index (BMI) into normal weight, overweight and obesity class I/II categories.

High-precision Cu isotopic analysis of human dietary Cu sources via multi-collector ICP-mass spectrometry.

The disruption of Cu homeostasis is associated with the pathogenesis of many diseases and can result in alterations in Cu isotope fractionation. Changes in the Cu isotope ratio (Cu/Cu) of body fluids and tissues have been observed in liver disorders, cancers, and other diseases, displaying diagnostic/prognostic potential. However, it is not entirely clear whether certain physiological or lifestyle factors may also influence the bodily Cu isotopic composition, potentially obfuscating the signature of the pathology.

Trauma exposure as a risk factor of major depressive disorder: A matched case-control study.

The association between childhood trauma (CT), stressful life events (SLE) and the onset and severity of major depressive disorder (MDD) has not been extensively studied. This study aimed to investigate the separate and combined association of CT and SLE with the onset and severity of MDD. A total of 503 patients with MDD and 503 controls were included.

Structure-Based Optimization of Pyridone α-Ketoamides as Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease.

The main protease M is a clinically validated target to treat infections by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Among the first reported M inhibitors was the peptidomimetic α-ketoamide , whose cocrystal structure with M paved the way for multiple lead-finding studies. We established structure-activity relationships for the series by modifying residues at the P1', P3, and P4 sites.

A unified approach to SimpleTreat input and settings for wastewater treatment removal predictions.

SimpleTreat has become a common tool used in ecological risk assessments to estimate the removal efficiency of a chemical from a secondary wastewater treatment plant and hence inform on release to the environment. Organization A, Organization B, and Organization C performed a comparative study of SimpleTreat predictions and parameter selection methodologies across the three organizations. SimpleTreat versions 3.

Determination of the carrier temperature in weakly confined semiconductor nanocrystals using time-resolved optical spectroscopy.

Many applications of nanocrystals rely on their use in light detection and emission. In recent years, nanocrystals with more relaxed carrier confinement, including so-called 'bulk' and 2D implementations, have made their stake. In such systems, the charge carriers generated after (photo-)excitation are spread over a semi-continuous density of states, behaviour controlled by the carrier temperature .

Crispant analysis in zebrafish as a tool for rapid functional screening of disease-causing genes for bone fragility.

Heritable fragile bone disorders (FBDs), ranging from multifactorial to rare monogenic conditions, are characterized by an elevated fracture risk. Validating causative genes and understanding their mechanisms remain challenging. We assessed a semi-high throughput zebrafish screening platform for rapid in vivo functional testing of candidate FBD genes.

Percutaneous treatment of de Quervain's disease using Sono-Instruments®: A feasibility study.

We investigated the safety and effectiveness of percutaneous release for de Quervain's disease using Sono-Instruments® in cadaveric specimens. The mean procedure duration was 4 minutes, and complete release was achieved in all specimens.

Detecting two circulating antigens - CCA and CAA - in urine and serum to improve diagnosis of human schistosomiasis.

Background: Schistosomiasis is caused by infection with parasitic worms and affects more than 250 million people globally. The detection of schistosome derived circulating cathodic and anodic antigens (CCA and CAA) has proven highly valuable for detecting active infections, causing both intestinal and urinary schistosomiasis.

Aim: The combined detection of CCA and CAA was explored to improve accuracy in detecting infections.

Echocardiography of the right heart in pulmonary arterial hypertension: insights from the ULTRA RIGHT VALUE study.

Aims: Outcome in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is determined by right ventricular (RV) function adaptation to increased afterload. Echocardiography is easily available to assist bedside evaluation of the RV. However, no agreement exists about the feasibility and most relevant measurements.

Deep cascaded registration and weakly-supervised segmentation of fetal brain MRI.

Deformable image registration is a cornerstone of many medical image analysis applications, particularly in the context of fetal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), where precise registration is essential for studying the rapidly evolving fetal brain during pregnancy and potentially identifying neurodevelopmental abnormalities. While deep learning has become the leading approach for medical image registration, traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) often fall short in capturing fine image details due to their bias toward low spatial frequencies. To address this challenge, we introduce a deep learning registration framework comprising multiple cascaded convolutional networks.

Automated extraction of standardized antibiotic resistance and prescription data from laboratory information systems and electronic health records: a narrative review.

Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria has been associated with significant morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. In the era of big data and of the consequent frequent need for large study populations, manual collection of data for research studies on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use has become extremely time-consuming and sometimes impossible to be accomplished by overwhelmed healthcare personnel. In this review, we discuss relevant concepts pertaining to the automated extraction of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic prescription data from laboratory information systems and electronic health records to be used in clinical studies, starting from the currently available literature on the topic.

Brain aging rejuvenation factors in adults with genetic and sporadic neurodegenerative disease.

The largest risk factor for dementia is age. Heterochronic blood exchange studies have uncovered age-related blood factors that demonstrate 'pro-aging' or 'pro-youthful' effects on the mouse brain. The clinical relevance and combined effects of these factors for humans is unclear.