A Comprehensive Clinical Assessment of the LumiraDx International Normalized Ratio (INR) Assay for Point-of-Care Monitoring in Anticoagulation Therapy.

Background: The International Normalized Ratio (INR) monitors anticoagulant treatment but relies on laboratory-based services. This could limit access to rapid monitoring and increase the diagnostic delay, both of which may be addressed by point-of-care testing (POCT). This study investigated the LumiraDx POC platform for INR monitoring.

Short-Term Effectiveness of a Stepped-Care Model to Address Fear of Cancer Recurrence in Patients With Early-Stage Melanoma.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of the Melanoma Care Programme when implemented into routine clinical practice coupled with fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) screening and a stepped-care model of intervention delivery.

Methods: Using a Type-I hybrid effectiveness-implementation design, individuals with stage 0-II melanoma and a Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory FCR severity score of ≥ 13 were offered the Melanoma Care Programme. The programme included a psychoeducational booklet and 3 to 5 psychotherapeutic telehealth sessions with a clinical psychologist, timed around routine dermatological appointments.

Adaptive HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis adherence interventions for young women in Johannesburg, South Africa: a sequential multiple-assignment randomised trial.

Background: Adherence to daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is low among African young women, and layered support strategies are needed to improve PrEP adherence in this population. We aimed to evaluate potentially scalable adherence-support strategies for young women aged 18-25 years who initiated PrEP in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods: We conducted a sequential multiple-assignment randomised trial at Ward 21 of the Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute clinical research site, affiliated with University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Developmental Thermal Conditioning Regulates Oxidative State and Beak Coloration in Response to Thermal Stressors in Adulthood.

AbstractAt certain intensities and durations, environmental stressors during development can result in changes in physiology that prepare organisms for future stressful conditions. Such plasticity can allow organisms to maintain good condition when confronted with a poor environment, potentially conferring an advantage in fitness. However, the physiological changes underlying these adaptive phenotypic adjustments are understudied.

A prospective study of male physical activity and fecundability.

Study Question: To what extent is male physical activity (PA) associated with fecundability (per-cycle probability of conception)?

Summary Answer: Preconception levels of vigorous, moderate, or total PA were not consistently associated with fecundability across Danish and North American cohorts, but there was suggestive evidence that bicycling with a 'soft, comfort seat' was associated with reduced fecundability in both cohorts, especially among males with greater BMI.

What Is Known Already: Among males, some studies indicate that moderate PA might improve fertility, whereas vigorous PA, especially bicycling, might be detrimental.

Study Design, Size, Duration: We assessed the association between male PA and fecundability among couples participating in two preconception cohort studies: SnartForaeldre.

Predicting Sleep Quality in Family Caregivers of Dementia Patients From Diverse Populations Using Wearable Sensor Data.

This study aimed to use wearable technology to predict the sleep quality of family caregivers of people with dementia among underrepresented groups. Caregivers of people with dementia often experience high levels of stress and poor sleep, and those from underrepresented communities face additional burdens, such as language barriers and cultural adaptation challenges. Participants, consisting of 29 dementia caregivers from underrepresented populations, wore smartwatches that tracked various physiological and behavioral markers, including stress level, heart rate, steps taken, sleep duration and stages, and overall daily wellness.

A phylogenetic assessment of HIV-1 transmission trends among people who inject drugs from Coastal and Nairobi, Kenya.

Although recent modeling suggests that needle-syringe programs (NSPs) have reduced parenteral HIV transmission among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kenya, the prevalence in this population remains high (∼14-20%, compared to ∼4% in the larger population). Reducing transmission or acquisition requires understanding historic and modern transmission trends, but the relationship between the PWID HIV-1 sub-epidemic and the general epidemic in Kenya is not well understood. We incorporated 303 new (2018-21) HIV-1 sequences from PWID and their sexual and injecting partners with 2666 previously published Kenyan HIV-1 sequences to quantify relative rates and direction of HIV-1 transmissions involving PWID from the coast and Nairobi regions of Kenya.

Effects of different processing methods on the functional, nutritional, and physicochemical profiles of cowpea leaf powder.

Indigenous fruits and vegetables can improve food security and biodiversity. However, their use is hindered by perishability, seasonal availability, cooking losses, lack of nutritional composition data, and connections to low socioeconomic status. This study aimed to process cowpea leaves into powder and determine the effect of five home-cooking methods on their protein, functional, physicochemical, and heavy metal profiles.

Role of sleep and neurochemical biomarkers in synaptic plasticity related to neurological and psychiatric disorders: A scoping review.

Sleep is vital for maintaining physical and mental well-being, impacting cognitive functions like memory and learning through neuroplasticity. Sleep disturbances prevalent in neurological and psychiatric disorders exacerbate cognitive decline, imposing societal burdens. Exploring the relationship between sleep and neuroplasticity elucidates the mechanisms influencing cognition, particularly amidst the prevalent sleep disturbances in these clinical populations.

Fabrication and in vivo testing of a sub-mm duckbill valve for hydrocephalus treatment.

Hydrocephalus is characterized by the accumulation of excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the cranium due to an imbalance between production and absorption of CSF. The standard treatment involves the implantation of a shunt to divert excess CSF into the peritoneal cavity, but these shunts exhibit high failure rates over time. In pursuit of improved reliability and performance, this study proposes a miniaturized valve designed to mimic the natural one-way valve function of the arachnoid granulations and thereby replace the shunts.

Reclaiming the narrative: countering harmful commercial discourses.

The discourses promoted by powerful commercial actors whose business activities are damaging to health undermine the potential for the transformational changes urgently needed to address pressing public health and environmental threats globally. This piece provides an analysis of corporate discursive practices and the mechanisms through which they contaminate scientific and policy debates and harm public and environmental health. We refer to this phenomenon as 'discursive pollution' to reflect the parallels between the effects of informational strategies and the commercial activities of harmful industries.

Development and confirmation of humanized plasma and epithelial lining fluid exposures of meropenem, cefiderocol and tobramycin in a standardized neutropenic murine pneumonia model.

Background: Murine pneumonia models play a fundamental role in the preclinical development of novel compounds seeking an indication for the treatment of pneumonia. It is vital that plasma exposures in these models are not used as a surrogate for exposure in pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (ELF). Herein, human-simulated regimens (HSRs) in both plasma and ELF of meropenem, cefiderocol and tobramycin are described in the standardized COMBINE murine neutropenic pneumonia model.

Assessment of Women's Discretionary Salt Intake and Household Salt Utilization in Preparation for a Salt Fortification Trial in Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

There is a high incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Ethiopia and folate insufficiency, a primary risk factor for NTDs, is common among Ethiopian women of reproductive age (WRA). Folic acid fortification of salt has been proposed as a strategy to control these problems. In preparation for an intervention trial to assess the nutritional effects of folic acid-fortified salt, we measured discretionary salt intakes among nonpregnant WRA using observed weighed food records, and we assessed household salt disappearance rates.

Unraveling the impact of drought on waterbird community assembly and conservation strategies.

Drought-induced changes in lakes and wetlands, crucial habitats for migratory waterbirds, can greatly affect their foraging and habitat utilization. These changes lead to a decline in waterbird species richness and may cause shifts in community assembly from phylogenetic and functional trait perspectives. However, a gap remains between ecological mechanistic research about these changes and conservation applications.

Caregiver Feeding Behaviours and Child Dietary Diversity and Growth in Rural Bangladesh.

This study examined relations between caregiver feeding behaviours, child dietary diversity and anthropometry at 24 months of age in rural Bangladesh. Twenty-four hours dietary recall, weight and length data were collected on 4733 children. Factor analysis was applied to an 11-item caregiver feeding behaviours scale administered at 24 months, revealing two constructs: responsive/involved (five items) and forceful (six items); each dichotomised to reflect low and high use.

Toward person-centred measures of contraceptive demand: a systematic review of the relationship between intentions to use and actual use of contraception.

Background: Understanding people's interest in using modern contraception is critical to ensuring programs align with people's preferences and needs. Current measures of demand for contraception are misinterpreted. More direct measures of intention to use (ITU) contraception do exist but remain underexplored.

Generative language models exhibit social identity biases.

Social identity biases, particularly the tendency to favor one's own group (ingroup solidarity) and derogate other groups (outgroup hostility), are deeply rooted in human psychology and social behavior. However, it is unknown if such biases are also present in artificial intelligence systems. Here we show that large language models (LLMs) exhibit patterns of social identity bias, similarly to humans.

Reframing assisted dying through the civil law: possibilities and challenges for the UK.

Background: Current proposals for assisted dying in the UK are based on embedding it within a medical, healthcare model. This model is revealing challenges in safeguarding, monitoring and the impact on healthcare.

Objective: To explore if a different model is a safer, pragmatic and realistic alternative.

Support for Foods Allowed Under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Introduction: Millions of U.S. families rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to afford food.