Incorporating spatial and genetic competition into breeding pipelines with the R package gencomp.

Genetic competition can obscure the true merit of selection candidates, potentially leading to altered genotype rankings and a divergence between expected and actual genetic gains. Despite a wealth of literature on genetic competition in plant and animal breeding, the separation of genetic values into direct genetic effects (DGE, related to a genotype's merit) and indirect genetic effects (IGE, related to the effects of a genotype's alleles on its neighbor's phenotype) in linear mixed models is often overlooked, likely due to the complexity involved. To address this, we introduce gencomp, a new R package designed to simplify the use of (spatial-) genetic competition models in crop and tree breeding routines.

Single and multilevel decompression alone in patients with multilevel lumbar spinal stenosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Multilevel lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a prevalent degenerative condition characterized by lower back pain, intermittent claudication, and radicular leg pain. It ranks as one of the primary indications of spinal surgery in patients aged 65 and older. In this study, we aim to compare single-level and multilevel approaches for decompression alone in LSS considering the incidence of complications, reduction in pain score, and rates of surgical revisions.

Feasibility and acceptability of a mindfulness app-based intervention among patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: a multinational study.

Background: Patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) experience emotional distress and limited supportive care access. This study assesses a mindfulness app's feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy in improving emotional symptoms, trait mindfulness, and overall quality of life for patients with mRCC on immunotherapy.

Methods: This multinational study recruited patients with mRCC undergoing immunotherapy from Brazil and the United States.

Once-weekly IcoSema versus once-weekly semaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes: the COMBINE 2 randomised clinical trial.

Aims/hypothesis: COMBINE 2 assessed the efficacy and safety of once-weekly IcoSema (a combination therapy of basal insulin icodec and semaglutide) vs once-weekly semaglutide (a glucagon-like peptide-1 analogue) 1.0 mg in individuals with type 2 diabetes inadequately managed with GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) therapy, with or without additional oral glucose-lowering medications.

Methods: This 52 week, randomised, multicentre, open-label, parallel group, Phase IIIa trial was conducted across 121 sites in 13 countries/regions.

The role of OCT4 and CD44 in lower lip carcinogenesis.

Purpose: Carcinogenesis is characterized by the transformation of normal cells into malignant cells. Concerning the lower lip, exposure to UV radiation is the main etiological factor associated with the development of epidermoid carcinomas and actinic cheilitis. According to the hierarchical model theory, cancer development is driven by populations of cancer stem cells.

Progression of nutritional impact symptoms in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Objectives: To analyze the presence of nutritional impact symptoms (NIS) throughout radiotherapy treatment in the head and neck, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis areas.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted with individuals undergoing radiotherapy for cancer. Three assessments were carried out: at the start of radiotherapy, midway through, and in the last week of treatment.

Resin composite aggregated S-PRG particles are not superior to non-S-PRG under microcosm biofilm.

This study assessed the effect of composite resins, aggregated or not with S-PRG particles, and the use of toothpaste in controlling demineralization and bacterial growth. Human molars were distributed into 3 groups: control (CT) - sound teeth, Beautifil Bulk Restorative System (aggregated with S-PRG) (BB), Filtek One Bulk Fill (without S-PRG) (FB). Teeth destined for groups BB and FB previously received Class I preparations (4 × 4 × 4 mm), followed by single-increment restorations.

Impact of nanostructured formulations for schistosomiasis treatment: a systematic review of in vivo preclinical evidence.

Background: Schistosomiasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by Schistosoma sp., and praziquantel (PZQ) is the first-line treatment. However, traditional PZQ formulations have low solubility and fast metabolism, limiting its effectiveness.

Quality by Design-Steered Chromatographic Separation and Identification of the Geometric Isomers of Capsiate by Reversed-Phase HPLC and LC-MS.

An efficient reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic method, based on the design of the experiment approach, was developed for the simultaneous determination of capsiate isomers. Critical method parameters, i.e.

PHARAOH: A collaborative crowdsourcing platform for phenotyping and regional analysis of histology.

Deep learning has proven capable of automating key aspects of histopathologic analysis. However, its context-specific nature and continued reliance on large expert-annotated training datasets hinders the development of a critical mass of applications to garner widespread adoption in clinical/research workflows. Here, we present an online collaborative platform that streamlines tissue image annotation to promote the development and sharing of custom computer vision models for PHenotyping And Regional Analysis Of Histology (PHARAOH; https://www.

Multiple physiological response analyses of Chlorella vulgaris exposed to silver nanoparticles, ciprofloxacin, and their combination.

The combination of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) can be considered an alternative to combat multidrug-resistant microbial infections. However, knowledge about their combined toxicity is scarce after being released in an aquatic environment. The present study evaluated the individual toxicity of AgNPs and CIP and their combined toxicity on the unicellular green microalga Chlorella vulgaris, evaluating cellular responses and conducting metabolomic analysis.

Discovering the allure of forests: Exploring adolescent queries in nature-rich environments.

This study explores adolescents' inherent curiosity about nature through the production of self-generated questions during a field visit to a nature-rich environment, followed by descriptive-interpretative analysis using focus groups. Utilizing cultural probes and content-free question tokens, we collected 164 valid questions produced by 36 adolescents during the field session. Biotic elements, like species, turned out to be more intriguing than abiotic elements, originating 89.

Running trends in Switzerland from 1999 to 2019: An exploratory observational study.

Background: Several single race events (5 km, 10 km, half-marathon, marathon, ultra-marathon) in different countries and different years have been analyzed in multiple studies, representing the rising interest in endurance-based activity and thus physical health. With focus on participation numbers, performance or sex difference, many single study results were obtained. The running trends in a whole country covering a longer period of time and several race distances are missing so far.

Renal nerves and hypertension contribute to impaired proximal tubule megalin-mediated albumin uptake in renovascular hypertensive rats.

Proteinuria, especially albuminuria, serves as an independent risk factor for progression in cardiovascular and renal diseases. Clinical and experimental studies have demonstrated that renal nerves contribute to renal dysfunction in arterial hypertension (AH). This study hypothesizes that renal nerves mediate the mechanisms of protein endocytosis by proximal tubule epithelial cells (PTEC) and glomerular function; with dysregulation of the renal nerves contributing to proteinuria in Wistar rats with renovascular hypertension (2-kidney, 1-clip model, 2K-1C).

Development of a broad-spectrum epitope-based vaccine against Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPN) is a significant pathogen causing pneumonia and meningitis, particularly in vulnerable populations like children and the elderly. Available pneumonia vaccines have limitations since they only cover particular serotypes and have high production costs. The emergence of antibiotic-resistant SPN strains further underscores the need for a new, cost-effective, broad-spectrum vaccine.

Association between physical activity practice and sleep quality of older people in social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and Health Guidelines and future studies for the post-COVID period: a systematic review.

Purpose: Physical activity (PA) is considered an alternative to mitigate the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sleep of older adults. The objective was to verify the association between physical activity and the sleep quality of older people in social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, to analyze the Health Guidelines, and suggest future studies for the post-COVID period.

Methods: This systematic review followed PRISMA recommendations, and the protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD 42023406471).

Personal, occupational and cardiovascular risk factors associated with elevated blood pressure in Brazilian firefighters: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Our study evaluated the prevalence of hypertension in a population of Brazilian firefighters and the association of elevated blood pressure (BP) with personal, occupational, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study.

Setting: Our study was based on health inspections of the Military Fire Brigade of the Espírito Santo State, Brazil, performed in 2019.

Subnational trends and inequalities of under-immunisation and zero-dose among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda: a national population-based cross-sectional study.

Objective: Despite the Global Vaccine Action Plan's goal of at least 90% vaccine coverage for all children, Uganda has made limited progress in vaccination over the past decade. The objective of this study was to examine the subnational trends in the prevalence and inequalities in under-immunisation and zero-dose among children aged 12-23 months in Uganda.

Study Design: A retrospective national cross-sectional study.

Situational Analysis of the Medication Practices in Brazilian Hospitals: A Multicenter Study.

Objective: To carry out a situational analysis of the medication practices in Brazilian hospitals through the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals and the factors associated with better performance in the evaluation.

Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study in which the results of the application of the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals, between 2015 and 2020, in 30 Brazilian hospitals were described. In addition, whether the institutional profile was associated with higher self-assessment scores (better performance in the evaluation) was also evaluated.

The Role of Reflection for Continuing Professional Development of In-Service Health Care Professionals: A Narrative Inquiry in Four Health Professions.

Introduction: Health care providers (HCPs) use reflection to intervene in complex, ambiguous clinical situations. Yet, there is scant evidence about the circumstances when HCPs use reflection and how they perceive reflection within their continuing professional development. We selected a narrative inquiry approach to study how HCPs perceive reflection's role in learning in four health professions.

Lebanese Cannabis sativa L. extract protects from cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice by inhibiting podocytes apoptosis.

Background: Cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug used to treat a plethora of solid tumors. However, it is associated with dose dependent nephrotoxicity limiting its use as anticancer agent.

Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the nephroprotective effect of native Lebanese Cannabis sativa in both in vitro and in vivo mice model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Thickness-dependence of the in-plane thermal conductivity and the interfacial thermal conductance of supported MoS2.

Nowadays, experimental research advances in condensed matter physics are deep-rooted in the development and manipulation of nanomaterials, making it essential to explore the fundamental properties of materials that are candidates for nanotechnology. In this work, we study the dependence of the molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) Raman modes on the sample temperature and on the excitation laser power. From the correlation between these two sets of measurements, we determine the planar thermal conductivity of MoSmonolayers, bilayers, trilayers, four layers, seven layers, and eight layers.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHOLESTEROL LEVELS AND THYROID EYE DISEASE.

Background: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is the most prevalent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease (GD). Emerging evidence suggests a relationship between elevated total and LDL cholesterol levels and TED. This study aimed to investigate this correlation in the Brazilian population by analyzing data from two tertiary care centers.

Experimental infection of wild boars (Sus scrofa) with Rickettsia rickettsii and evaluation of the transmission potential to Amblyomma sculptum ticks.

Background: Brazilian spotted fever is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii, whose main vector in Brazil is the tick Amblyomma sculptum. Amplifying hosts are essential for the perpetuation of this bacterium in the tick population as they can be sources of infection during bacteremic periods. Recent studies demonstrated the ability of suids (Sus scrofa) to sustain populations of A.