The effects of age, fitness, and health on the passive stiffness of the intact low back and its impact on seated work in a healthy, working, female population.

Age is associated with increased tissue stiffness and a higher risk of low back pain, particularly in older, sedentary workers who spend long periods sitting. This study explored how trunk stiffness changes with age and its relationship with posture during prolonged sitting in a sample of 37 women aged 20-65 years. Age was assessed as both Chronological Age and Fitness Age, with trunk stiffness measured using a passive trunk flexion apparatus.

Gardnerella vaginalis-binding IgA in the urethra of sexually experienced males.

Background: Genital inflammation increases HIV susceptibility and is associated with the density of pro-inflammatory anaerobes in the vagina and coronal sulcus. The penile urethra is a critical site of HIV acquisition, although correlates of urethral HIV acquisition are largely unknown. While Streptococcus mitis is a consistent component of the urethral flora, the presence of Gardnerella vaginalis has been linked with prior penile-vaginal sex and urethral inflammation.

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Brief Parenting Questionnaire.

Background: There is a paucity of brief self-report parenting measures validated for use in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We developed the Brief Parenting Questionnaire (BPQ), a 24-item self-report measure for use with parents of children ages 3-12.

Objective: We describe the development and evaluation of the psychometric properties of the BPQ, which was designed to include two subscales: warm and responsive parenting (WRP) and harsh parenting (HP).

Factors involved in the development of hospital-acquired conditions in older patients in acute care settings: a scoping review.

Background: Older patients hospitalized in acute care settings are at significant risk of presenting hospital-acquired conditions. Healthcare professionals should consider many factors involved in the development of such conditions, including factors related to the patients, as well as those related to the processes of care and the structure of hospitals. The aim of this study was to describe and identify the factors involved in the development of hospital-acquired conditions in older patients in acute care settings.

Perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms among adults in five countries: evidence from the International Food Policy Study.

Background: A better understanding of correlates of sugary drink consumption is essential to inform public health interventions. This study examined differences in perceived healthiness of sugary drinks and related social norms between countries, over time, and sociodemographic groups and associations with sugary drink intake.

Methods: This study used annual cross-sectional data from the International Food Policy Study from 2018 to 2021 in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Mexico.

Identification of emerging harms due to COVID-19 outbreak: a qualitative study in Iran.

Introduction: Although COVID-19 has altered various harms and exacerbated the prevalence of some of them, this period has also set the stage for the emergence of new harms. The present study aims to identify the emerging harms resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak in Iran.

Methods: The study was conducted using a qualitative content analysis approach through semi-structured interviews with 21 experts and professors knowledgeable about social harms and COVID-19 consequences who were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling.

A quality improvement initiative aimed at reducing service strain and improving physician wellness in internal medicine.

Introduction: Hospital strain has been shown to negatively impact physician wellness, educational experience, and patient care. To address rising service demands, a non-academic hospitalist service was implemented to reduce daily clinical teaching unit (CTU) census by approximately 30%. Secondary aims were to evaluate physician and trainee wellness on CTU as well as assess unintended adverse patient outcomes.

Institutional, neighborhood, and life stressors on loneliness among older adults.

Background: Loneliness is a public health epidemic in the United States (US), with older adults being vulnerable to experiencing loneliness. Predictors of loneliness are less understood among racial/ethnic groups of US older adults, and few studies have included perceived institutional discrimination (PID), stressful life events (SLE), and perceived neighborhood characteristics (PNC) as antecedent stressors of loneliness in diverse older adult samples. Our study assessed the relationship between these stressors and loneliness among specific racial/ethnic groups of older adults.

Work-related grief and bereavement experiences of social and community service workers working with people experiencing social disadvantage: a rapid scoping review.

Background: While an extensive body of research in palliative care exists on the experiences of grief and bereavement among family caregivers, much of this research is based on normative assumptions of who family caregivers are - housed, financially stable, and with extended family and/or friends to draw on for support. Research shows that in contexts of social disadvantage(e.g.

Evaluating vitamin C-related gene-environment and metabolite-environment interaction effects on intraocular pressure in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

High intraocular pressure (IOP) is an important risk factor for glaucoma, which is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. However, the etiology of high IOP remains uncertain. Metabolites are compounds involved in metabolism which provide a link between the internal (genetic) and external environments.

Quantifying the shift of public export finance from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

By providing guarantees and direct lending, public export credit agencies (ECAs) de-risk and thus enable energy projects worldwide. Despite their importance for global greenhouse gas emission pathways, a systematic assessment of ECAs' role and financing patterns in the low-carbon energy transition is still needed. Using commercial transaction data, here we analyze 921 energy deals backed by ECAs from 31 OECD and non-OECD countries (excluding Canada) between 2013 and 2023.

Academic Achievement, Externalizing Problems, and Close Friends in Middle School: Testing a Developmental Cascade Model Leading to Educational Attainment in the Late Twenties.

Because educational attainment is associated with well-being in the long term, it is important to understand the developmental processes that enhance academic outcomes during adolescence. Also, although the importance of friends is well documented in adolescence, little is known about how close friends' characteristics work together with youth's own characteristics to shape adolescents' educational trajectories. This study fills an important gap in knowledge by focusing on how middle school students' academic achievement and externalizing problems are associated with their friends' achievement and externalizing problems over time, and how these variables predict educational attainment in adulthood.

Cadmium Pollution Deteriorates the Muscle Quality of Labeo rohita by Altering Its Nutrients and Intestinal Microbiota Diversity.

The detrimental effects of cadmium (Cd), a hazardous heavy metal, on fish have triggered global concerns. While the ecotoxicity of Cd on fish has been investigated, the impact of Cd on muscle quality and its correlation with the gut microbiota in fish remains scarce. To comprehensively uncover Cd effects based on preliminary muscle Cd deposition, relevant studies, and ecological Cd pollution data, we exposed Labeo rohita to Cd under concentrations of 0.

A scientometric analysis of highly cited papers in Indian spine research (1995-2024): navigating the impact.

Purpose: The spine research within India has seen significant advancement, yet detailed examinations of its impact and evolution still need to be made sparse. To conduct a comprehensive scientometric review of the most frequently cited papers in Indian spine research from 1995 to 2024, aiming to map the field's evolution and its global impact.

Methods: Utilizing the Scopus database, a search was performed with keywords related to spine research, identifying 105 highly cited papers.

Hallmark discoveries in the biology of non-Wilms tumour childhood kidney cancers.

Approximately 20% of paediatric and adolescent/young adult patients with renal tumours are diagnosed with non-Wilms tumour, a broad heterogeneous group of tumours that includes clear-cell sarcoma of the kidney, congenital mesoblastic nephroma, malignant rhabdoid tumour of the kidney, renal-cell carcinoma, renal medullary carcinoma and other rare histologies. The differential diagnosis of these tumours dates back many decades, when these pathologies were identified initially through clinicopathological observation of entities with outcomes that diverged from Wilms tumour, corroborated with immunohistochemistry and molecular cytogenetics and, subsequently, through next-generation sequencing. These advances enabled near-definitive recognition of different tumours and risk stratification of patients.

An evaporite sequence from ancient brine recorded in Bennu samples.

Evaporation or freezing of water-rich fluids with dilute concentrations of dissolved salts can produce brines, as observed in closed basins on Earth and detected by remote sensing on icy bodies in the outer Solar System. The mineralogical evolution of these brines is well understood in regard to terrestrial environments, but poorly constrained for extraterrestrial systems owing to a lack of direct sampling. Here we report the occurrence of salt minerals in samples of the asteroid (101955) Bennu returned by the OSIRIS-REx mission.

Bat genomes illuminate adaptations to viral tolerance and disease resistance.

Zoonoses are infectious diseases transmitted from animals to humans. Bats have been suggested to harbour more zoonotic viruses than any other mammalian order. Infections in bats are largely asymptomatic, indicating limited tissue-damaging inflammation and immunopathology.

A manifesto for a globally diverse, equitable, and inclusive open science.

The field of psychology has rapidly transformed its open science practices in recent years. Yet there has been limited progress in integrating principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. In this Perspective, we raise the spectre of Questionable Generalisability Practices and the issue of MASKing (Making Assumptions based on Skewed Knowledge), calling for more responsible practices in generalising study findings and co-authorship to promote global equity in knowledge production.

Genetic ancestry concordant RNA splicing in prostate cancer involves oncogenic genes and associates with recurrence.

Black men suffer disproportionately from prostate cancer (PCa) compared to men of other races and ethnicities. Comparing the molecular landscape of PCa among Black and White patients has the potential to identify targets for development of new precision medicine interventions. Herein, we conducted transcriptomic analysis of prostate tumors and paired tumor-adjacent normals from self-reported Black and White PCa patients and estimated patient genetic ancestry.

Efficacy and safety of dutasteride in the treatment of alopecia: a comprehensive review.

Introduction: Alopecia affects many individuals, with androgenetic alopecia (AGA) being the most common form in both men and women. The exact etiology of AGA is unclear. The systemic treatments of AGA include 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (finasteride, dutasteride), low-dose oral minoxidil.

Recurrence after surgery for clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma: Head-to head comparison of validated risk scores.

Introduction: The American Urology Association (AUA) recently introduced in their guidelines a subtype-agnostic, 4-tiered risk classification score to assess oncologic outcomes after surgery in patients with localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We provide a head-to-head comparison of the AUA score with 3, internationally validated and EAU recommended, histological-specific models.

Materials And Methods: We retrieved from a prospectively-maintained database 2,560 surgically-treated patients with localized RCC in a single high-volume European center (1987-2023).

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Clinical Impact of Prophylactic Quinolones with Adjuvant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Instillation for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background And Objective: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) reduces disease recurrence and progression in intermediate- and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). BCG-associated adverse events during instillations are common, leading to treatment cessation. Prophylactic use of quinolones in conjunction with BCG instillations is one approach for reducing BCG-associated adverse events.