Flies as carriers of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria in Nigerian hospitals: A workflow for surveillance of AMR bacteria carried by arthropod pests in hospital settings.

The dissemination of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria by flies in hospitals is concerning as nosocomial AMR infections pose a significant threat to public health. This threat is compounded in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by several factors, including limited resources for sufficient infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and high numbers of flies in tropical climates. In this pilot study, 1,396 flies were collected between August and September 2022 from eight tertiary care hospitals in six cities (Abuja, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Lagos and Sokoto) in Nigeria.

Validation of the FROM-16 in family members of patients receiving advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP).

Purpose: Outcome-based pricing models which consider domains of value not previously considered in healthcare, such as societal outcomes, are of increasing interest for healthcare systems. Societal outcomes can include family-reported outcome measures (FROMs), which measure the impact of disease upon the patient's family members. The FROM-16 is a generic and easy-to-use family quality of life tool, but it has never been used in the context of patients undergoing advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) treatment.

Phosphodiesterase inhibition restoreshypoxia-induced cerebrovascular dysfunction subsequent to improved systemic redox homeostasis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study.

To what extent sildenafil, a selective inhibitor of the type-5 phosphodiesterase modulates systemic redox status and cerebrovascular function during acute exposure to hypoxia remains unknown. To address this, 12 healthy males (aged 24 ± 3 y) participated in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study involving exposure to both normoxia and acute (60 min) hypoxia (Fi = 0.14), followed by oral administration of 50 mg sildenafil and placebo (double-blinded).

Elephant Sound Classification Using Deep Learning Optimization.

Elephant sound identification is crucial in wildlife conservation and ecological research. The identification of elephant vocalizations provides insights into the behavior, social dynamics, and emotional expressions, leading to elephant conservation. This study addresses elephant sound classification utilizing raw audio processing.

Mice with 16p11.2 Deletion and Duplication Show Alterations in Biological Processes Associated with White Matter.

Deletion and duplication in the human 16p11.2 chromosomal region are closely linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, specifically autism spectrum disorder. Data from neuroimaging studies suggest white matter microstructure aberrations across these conditions.

Oral Antibacterial Drug Prescribing in Primary Care Out-of-Hours Services: A Scoping Review.

Background/objectives: The rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents a critical threat to global health. Primary care plays a significant role in this crisis, with oral antibacterial drugs among the most prescribed medications. Antibacterial prescribing rates are often high and complicated in out-of-hours (OOH) services, including weekdays outside regular hours, weekends, and holidays, potentially exacerbating AMR.

Methicillin-Resistant : The Shifting Landscape in the United Arab Emirates.

Background: Methicillin-resistant (MRSA) is a significant burden globally, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced rising MRSA prevalence, with increasing diversity in the clonal complexes (CCs) identified. The COVID-19 pandemic, with its increased hospitalization rates and antibiotic use, may have further influenced MRSA's genetic evolution and epidemiology in the country.

The role of IgE sensitisation in acute FPIES: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Evidence on the role of IgE sensitisation in acute Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome ('atypical FPIES') is limited. Initial reports claimed association with persistent disease, however recent studies have not replicated this.

Objective: To systematically review the relationship between sensitisation to the culprit food(s) in acute FPIES and the outcome of follow-up oral food challenges.

Discontinuation of anticoagulants and occurrence of bleeding and thromboembolic events in vitamin K antagonist users with a life-limiting disease.

Background: Data on risks and benefits of long-term anticoagulants in patients with a life-limiting disease are limited. This cohort study aims to describe (dis)continuation of anticoagulants and incidences of bleeding and thromboembolic events in vitamin K antagonist (VKA) users with a life-limiting disease.

Methods: Data from five Dutch anticoagulation clinics were linked to data from Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands Cancer registry.

Long-term wage inequality in imperial China: From 202 BCE to 1912 CE.

This paper attempts to describe and explain the long-term evolution of wage inequality in imperial China, covering over two millennia from the Han dynasty to the Qing dynasty (202 BCE-1912 CE). Based on historical government records of official salaries, commodity prices, and agricultural productivity, we convert various forms of salaries to equivalent rice volumes and comparable salary benchmarks. Wage inequality is measured by salary ratios and (partial) Gini coefficients between official and peasant classes as well as within the official class.

Semantic similarity is not emotional: No effect of similarity defined by valence, arousal, and dominance on short-term ordered recall.

In short-term ordered recall tasks, phonological similarity impedes item and order recall, while semantic similarity benefits item recall with a weak or null effect on order recall. Ishiguro and Saito recently suggested that these contradictory findings were due to an inadequate assessment of semantic similarity. They proposed a novel measure of semantic similarity based on the distance between items in a three-dimensional space composed of the semantic dimensions of valence, arousal, and dominance.

Perceived barriers to paediatric palliative care in a Palestinian children's hospital.

Background: This study aimed to identify barriers to paediatric palliative care provision at one Palestinian paediatric hospital, elucidate reasons for the barriers, provide recommendations for enhancing care and identify topics for future research in other low-to middle-income countries.

Methods: A mixed-method cross-sectional study, employing both quantitative and qualitative methods was conducted, involving 61 healthcare professionals at a paediatric hospital in Palestine. Data collection consisted of 58 participants completing an electronic survey, while three healthcare professionals participated in semi-structured interviews.

Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST) science: Probing the transient and time-variable sky.

The study of transient and variable events, including novae, active galactic nuclei, and black hole binaries, has historically been a fruitful path for elucidating the evolutionary mechanisms of our universe. The study of such events in the millimeter and submillimeter is, however, still in its infancy. Submillimeter observations probe a variety of materials, such as optically thick dust, which are hard to study in other wavelengths.

Mapping decision-making pathways: Determination of intervention entry points for diagnostic tests in suspected serious infection.

Background: PROTECT ( Platform Randomised evaluation of clinical Outcomes using novel TEChnologies to optimise antimicrobial Therapy) has brought together a team of researchers to design a platform trial to rapidly evaluate and adopt into care multiple diagnostic technologies, bringing immediate benefit to patients. Rapid diagnostic tests will be used to identify patients at risk of deterioration from severe infection, before they become critically unwell. The platform will assess their comparative clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness relative to current standard of care.

Generative AI in Higher Education: Balancing Innovation and Integrity.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly transforming the landscape of higher education, offering novel opportunities for personalised learning and innovative assessment methods. This paper explores the dual-edged nature of GenAI's integration into educational practices, focusing on both its potential to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes and the significant challenges it poses to academic integrity and equity. Through a comprehensive review of current literature, we examine the implications of GenAI on assessment practices, highlighting the need for robust ethical frameworks to guide its use.

WT1-mRNA dendritic cell vaccination of patients with glioblastoma multiforme, malignant pleural mesothelioma, metastatic breast cancer, and other solid tumors: type 1 T-lymphocyte responses are associated with clinical outcome.

Cell therapies, including tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells used as therapeutic cancer vaccines, offer treatment options for patients with malignancies. We evaluated the feasibility, safety, immunogenicity, and clinical activity of adjuvant vaccination with Wilms' tumor protein (WT1) mRNA-electroporated autologous dendritic cells (WT1-mRNA/DC) in a single-arm phase I/II clinical study of patients with advanced solid tumors receiving standard therapy. Disease status and immune reactivity were evaluated after 8 weeks and 6 months.

Colorectal carcinogenesis in the Lynch syndromes and familial adenomatous polyposis: trigger events and downstream consequences.

Carcinogenesis encompasses processes that lead to increased mutation rates, enhanced cellular division (tumour growth), and invasive growth. Colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis in carriers of pathogenic APC (path_APC) and pathogenic mismatch repair gene (path_MMR) variants is initiated by a second hit affecting the corresponding wild-type allele. In path_APC carriers, second hits result in the development of multiple adenomas, with CRC typically emerging after an additional 20 years.

The membrane attack complex drives thrombotic microangiopathy in complement mediated atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Introduction of complement (C) inhibition into clinical practice has revolutionized the treatment of patients with complement-mediated atypical hemolytic syndrome (aHUS). Our C3 mouse model, engineered around a gain of function point mutation in C3, is associated with complement mediated aHUS in man, allowing us to study the clinical disease in a preclinical model. Backcrossing our model onto C7 deficient and C5aR1 deficient mice enabled further determination of the roles of the C5a-C5aR1 axis and C5b-9 (the membrane attack complex) on kidney disease.

Child mortality in England after national lockdowns for COVID-19: An analysis of childhood deaths, 2019-2023.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic children and young people (CYP) mortality in England reduced to the lowest on record, but it is unclear if the mechanisms which facilitated a reduction in mortality had a longer lasting impact, and what impact the pandemic, and its social restrictions, have had on deaths with longer latencies (e.g., malignancies).

Ageing and inflammation limit the induction of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cell responses in severe COVID-19.

CD8+ T cells are critical for immune protection against severe COVID-19 during acute infection with SARS-CoV-2. However, the induction of antiviral CD8+ T cell responses varies substantially among infected people, and a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie such immune heterogeneity is required for pandemic preparedness and risk stratification. In this study, we analyzed SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in relation to age, clinical status, and inflammation among patients infected primarily during the initial wave of the pandemic in France or Japan.

Buffer-Less Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Heterostructures on Silicon.

Thick metamorphic buffers are considered indispensable for III-V semiconductor heteroepitaxy on large lattice and thermal-expansion mismatched silicon substrates. However, III-nitride buffers in conventional GaN-on-Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) impose a substantial thermal resistance, deteriorating device efficiency and lifetime by throttling heat extraction. To circumvent this, a systematic methodology for the direct growth of GaN after the AlN nucleation layer on six-inch silicon substrates is demonstrated using metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE).

Stokes flows in a two-dimensional bifurcation.

The flow network model is an established approach to approximate pressure-flow relationships in a bifurcating network, and has been widely used in many contexts. Existing models typically assume unidirectional flow and exploit Poiseuille's law, and thus neglect the impact of bifurcation geometry and finite-sized objects on the flow. We determine the impact of bifurcation geometry and objects by computing Stokes flows in a two-dimensional (2D) bifurcation using the Lightning-AAA Rational Stokes algorithm, a novel mesh-free algorithm for solving 2D Stokes flow problems utilizing an applied complex analysis approach based on rational approximation of the Goursat functions.