Intention to use mobile phone-based TB screening among HIV patients in Debre Tabor Town public health facilities, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Background: To ensure fair access to TB screening, early diagnosis of TB infections, and timely starting of appropriate treatment, mobile technology tools provide convenience and feasibility for communities with limited infrastructure. This study aimed to assess the intention to use mobile-based TB screening among HIV patients in Debre Tabor Town Public health facilities, in Ethiopia.

Method: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 HIV patients.

Factors affecting utilization of male sexual and reproductive health services: a qualitative description of males in Anambra State, Southeast Nigeria.

Introduction: The utilization of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by males globally is significantly low despite their considerable sexual and reproductive health needs. This study aimed to understand the factors that influence the utilization of male sexual and reproductive health SRH services.

Methods: We used an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design, with qualitative description to explore the perceptions of males (15-49years) on the utilization of male SRH services in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Common and distinct neural underpinnings of the association between childhood maltreatment and depression and aggressive behavior.

Background: Although childhood maltreatment (CM) is widely recognized as a transdiagnostic risk factor for various internalizing and externalizing psychological disorders, the neural basis underlying this association remain unclear. The potential reasons for the inconsistent findings may be attributed to the involvement of both common and specific neural pathways that mediate the influence of childhood maltreatment on the emergence of psychopathological conditions.

Methods: This study aimed to delineate both the common and distinct neural pathways linking childhood maltreatment to depression and aggression.

Can the digital economy foster advancements in the healthcare sector? - a case study using interprovincial data from China.

Background: As China's "Internet + Health" initiative advances, the digital economy significantly influences the quality of medical and health services. However, there is a research gap concerning the digital economy's specific impacts, mechanisms, and marginal effects on these services. This gap impedes a comprehensive understanding of the digital economy's potential in healthcare.

The nature of self-medication in Uganda: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In Uganda, many people self-medicate and the practice raises important questions about access to healthcare, patient choices, and the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication in Uganda.

Methods: We searched Scopus, PubMed, and Embase databases, WHO AFRO, UNIPH registries, and Google Scholar search engine from inception to November 2024 using the algorithm "Self-Medication" AND "Uganda".

Impact of pediatric COVID-19 isolation on children's well-being and caregiver mental health.

Background: The Korean government implemented mandatory hospital isolation in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study investigated the mental health of children and caregivers who underwent mandatory hospital isolation due to COVID-19.

Methods: This prospective study examined the physical condition and mental health of children under 7 years of age with COVID-19 and the mental health of their caregivers who underwent isolation in negative pressure rooms at two hospitals in Korea from April to September 2021.

Identification of Potential Intervention Targets Involved in Prior Exercise that Attenuates Peripheral Neuropathic Pain by Integrating Transcriptome and Whole-genome Bisulfite Sequencing Analyses.

Changes in DNA methylation and subsequent alterations in gene expression have opened a new direction in research related to the pathogenesis of peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP). This study aimed to reveal epigenetic perturbations underlying DNA methylation in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) of rats with peripheral nerve injury in response to prior exercise and identify potential target genes involved. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups, namely, chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve, CCI with prior 6-week swimming training (CCI_Ex), and sham operated (Sham).

Exploration of the shared diagnostic genes and molecular mechanism between obesity and atherosclerosis via bioinformatic analysis.

Obesity (OB) and atherosclerosis (AS) represent two highly prevalent and detrimental chronic diseases that are intricately linked. However, the shared genetic signatures and molecular pathways underlying these two conditions remain elusive. This study aimed to identify the shared diagnostic genes and the associated molecular mechanism between OB and AS.

Age-related differences in information, but not task control in the color-word Stroop task.

Older adults were found to struggle with tasks that require cognitive control. One task that measures the ability to exert cognitive control is the color-word Stroop task. Almost all studies that tested cognitive control in older adults using the Stroop task have focused on one type of control - Information control.

Acid sphingomyelinase activity suggests a new antipsychotic pharmaco-treatment strategy for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder. It is currently treated with antipsychotic drugs (APD). However, APD's work only in a limited number of patients and may have cognition impairing side effects.

Time delay effects on collective resonant behaviors in two coupled fractional oscillators with mass fluctuations.

In this study, we introduce a coupled fractional system consisting of two fluctuating-mass oscillators with time delay and investigate their collective resonant behaviors. First, we achieve complete synchronization between the average behaviors of these oscillators. We then derive the exact analytical expression for the output amplitude gain, and based on this, we observe generalized stochastic resonance (GSR) in the system.

A two-tier optimization strategy for feature selection in robust adversarial attack mitigation on internet of things network security.

Adversarial attacks were commonly considered in computer vision (CV), but their effect on network security apps rests in the field of open investigation. As IoT, AI, and 5G endure to unite and understand the potential of Industry 4.0, security events and incidents on IoT systems have been enlarged.

Transcriptome and DNA methylation analysis of the goat pineal gland during puberty.

Previous studies have confirmed that methylation regulates gene transcription in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis during puberty initiation, but little is known about the regulation of DNA methylation on gene expression in the pineal gland. To screen pineal gland candidate genes related to the onset of goat puberty and regulated by genome methylation, we collected pineal glands from prepubertal and pubertal female goats, then, determined the DNA methylation profile by whole genome bisulfite sequencing and the transcriptome by RNA sequencing on Illumina HiSeqTM2500. We analyzed differentially expressed genes between the Pre group and Pub group using the DESeq2 software (version 1.

Improved feature reduction framework for sign language recognition using autoencoders and adaptive Grey Wolf Optimization.

Automatic Sign Language Recognition Systems (ASLR) offers smooth communication between hearing-impaired and normal-hearing individuals, enhancing educational opportunities for impaired. However, it struggles with "curse of dimensionality" due to excessive features resulting in prolonged training time and exhaustive computational demand. This paper proposes technique that integrates machine learning and swarm intelligence to effectively address this issue.

Mechanosensation of the heart and gut elicits hypometabolism and vigilance in mice.

Interoception broadly refers to awareness of one's internal milieu. Although the importance of the body-to-brain communication that underlies interoception is implicit, the vagal afferent signalling and corresponding brain circuits that shape perception of the viscera are not entirely clear. Here, we use mice to parse neural circuits subserving interoception of the heart and gut.

Automatic detection and prediction of COVID-19 in cough audio signals using coronavirus herd immunity optimizer algorithm.

The global spread of COVID-19, particularly through cough symptoms, necessitates efficient diagnostic tools. COVID-19 patients exhibit unique cough sound patterns distinguishable from other respiratory conditions. This study proposes an advanced framework to detect and predict COVID-19 using deep learning from cough audio signals.

Climate change influences on the potential geographic distribution of the invasive Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis.

The Asian long-horned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901, is the competent vector for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). Haemaphysalis longicornis originated mainly in eastern Asia and invaded many areas like Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands, and was recently introduced to eastern parts of the USA. This species is characterized by high adaptability to a wide range of temperatures and can reproduce parthenogenically under stressful conditions.

Short-term effects of brief stair climbing interruptions on postprandial hyperglycemia during prolonged sitting: a randomized cross-over trial.

Prolonged sitting can negatively impact postprandial glucose levels and cognitive function. While short bouts of stair climbing are thought to mitigate these risks, the findings remain inconclusive. The present study aimed to explore the effects of stair climbing bouts on postprandial glucose and cognitive functions during prolonged sitting.

Neurobehavioral plasticity in the rodent gustatory system induced by regular consumption of a low-calorie sweetener during adolescence.

Habitual consumption of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) during juvenile-adolescence can lead to greater sugar intake later in life. Here, we investigated if exposure to the LCS Acesulfame Potassium (Ace-K) during this critical period of development reprograms the taste system in a way that would alter hedonic responding for common dietary compounds. Results revealed that early-life LCS intake not only enhanced the avidity for a caloric sugar (fructose) when rats were in a state of caloric need, it increased acceptance of a bitterant (quinine) in Ace-K-exposed rats tested when middle-aged.

Insights into excitonic behavior in single-atom covalent organic frameworks for efficient photo-Fenton-like pollutant degradation.

The generation of radicals through photo-Fenton-like reactions demonstrates significant potential for remediating emerging organic contaminants (EOCs) in complex aqueous environments. However, the excitonic effect, induced by Coulomb interactions between photoexcited electrons and holes, reduces carrier utilization efficiency in these systems. In this study, we develop Cu single-atom-loaded covalent organic frameworks (Cu/COFs) as models to modulate excitonic effects.

Dynamic hydrogen-bonding enables high-performance and mechanically robust organic solar cells processed with non-halogenated solvent.

Developing active-layer systems with both high performance and mechanical robustness is a crucial step towards achieving future commercialization of flexible and stretchable organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we design and synthesize a series of acceptors BTA-C6, BTA-E3, BTA-E6, and BTA-E9, featuring the side chains of hexyl, and 3, 6, and 9 carbon-chain with ethyl ester end groups respectively. Benefiting from suitable phase separation and vertical phase distribution, the PM6:BTA-E3-based OSCs processed by o-xylene exhibit lower energy loss and improved charge transport characteristic and achieve a power conversion efficiency of 19.

Multiplexed transcriptomic analyzes of the plant embryonic hourglass.

Zoologists have adduced morphological convergence among embryonic stages of closely related taxa, which has been called the phylotypic stage of embryogenesis. Transcriptomic analyzes reveal an hourglass pattern of gene expression during plant and animal embryogenesis, characterized by the accumulation of evolutionarily older and conserved transcripts during mid-embryogenesis, whereas younger less-conserved transcripts predominate at earlier and later embryonic stages. In contrast, comparisons of embryonic gene expression among different animal phyla describe an inverse hourglass pattern, where expression is correlated during early and late stages but not during mid-embryo development.

Development of Public Health Center-Based Culturally Tailored Hypertension Self-Care Intervention Among Adults in Rural Ghana.

Objectives: Develop a primary health care-based nurse-led culturally tailored hypertension self-care intervention for rural residents.

Design: The culturally tailored hypertension self-care intervention was developed using a six-step intervention mapping approach that involved: needs assessment using literature review and interviews; setting program goals using integrated thematic synthesis method; selecting intervention modules through the process dimension of the self-care theory of chronic illness; producing program components and materials by developing intervention modules using the motivational interviewing and behavior change techniques; planning program adoption by encouraging sustainable behavior; and evaluation using the education content validity index in health and the intervention acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility scale.

Measurements: Education content validity index in health and the intervention acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility scale.

Soil Nitrogen Supply Exerts Largest Influence on Leaf Nitrogen in Environments with the Greatest Leaf Nitrogen Demand.

Accurately representing the relationships between nitrogen supply and photosynthesis is crucial for reliably predicting carbon-nitrogen cycle coupling in Earth System Models (ESMs). Most ESMs assume positive correlations amongst soil nitrogen supply, leaf nitrogen content, and photosynthetic capacity. However, leaf photosynthetic nitrogen demand may influence the leaf nitrogen response to soil nitrogen supply; thus, responses to nitrogen supply are expected to be the largest in environments where demand is the greatest.