The pattern and burden of non-communicable diseases in armed conflict-exposed populations in Northeastern Nigeria.

Background: The risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in conflict and post-conflict settings in Northeastern Nigeria has not been evaluated to date. As this region undergoes recovery, understanding the prevalence of NCDs, such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, and the associated behavioral coping mechanisms, is crucial for developing tailored healthcare solutions. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the impact of conflict on the prevalence of NCDs in conflict-exposed areas in Northeastern Nigeria compared with non-conflict regions.

Performance analysis of a wavy fin-and-tube automobile radiator operating on ethylene glycol and water based ternary nanofluids.

Efficient thermal management is crucial for optimizing the performance and longevity of automotive engines, particularly as environmental regulations become more stringent and consumer demand for fuel efficiency increases. This paper investigates the energy and exergy performance of a wavy fin-and-tube radiator employing novel ternary nanofluids (TNFs) for enhanced automotive cooling. A theoretical comparative analysis was performed on four distinct ethylene glycol-water solution-based TNF configurations.

Lived experiences of migrant and refugee parents: Challenges encountered during their journey and settlement in Europe.

Parenting in the context of migration presents a unique set of challenges for refugee parents, who must navigate the cultural norms and expectations of both their home and resettlement countries while balancing their daily parenting responsibilities and practices. This study aims to provide a critical analysis of the experiences, needs, and challenges faced by migrant and refugee parents during their journey and settlement in Europe, as recounted through their personal narratives. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the researchers collected twenty-seven life narratives of migrant and/or refugee parents through purposive sampling.

The effects of warming on loggerhead turtle nesting counts.

Global trends in marine turtle nesting numbers vary by region, influenced by environmental or anthropogenic factors. Our study investigates the potential role of past temperature fluctuations on these trends, particularly whether warmer beaches are linked to increased nesting due to higher female production (since sea turtles have temperature-dependent sex determination). We selected the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) due to its wide distribution, strong philopatry and vulnerability to environmental changes.

Medical students' attitudes toward AI in education: perception, effectiveness, and its credibility.

Background: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized both medical education and healthcare by delivering innovative tools that enhance learning and improve overall outcomes. The study aimed to assess students' perceptions regarding the credibility and effectiveness of AI as a learning tool and to explore the dynamics of integrating AI in medical education.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out across medical colleges in Pakistan.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Multiple biological responses and transcriptome plasticity of the model unicellular eukaryote paramecium for cadmium toxicity aggravated by freshwater acidification.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a widespread threat to aquatic life, and ongoing freshwater acidification (FA) can be expected to interact with Cd compounds to disrupt freshwater ecosystems. However, the effects of FA on Cd biotoxicity remain unclear. Herein, the model ciliate Paramecium tetraurelia, a model unicellular eukaryotic organism, was used to explore the response to environmental relevant concentrations of Cd under acidification conditions.

Can Sleep Predict Conversion to Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia? Results From the Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet Study.

Objective: Sleep disturbance is considered a risk factor for cognitive decline in elderly individuals. Our aim in the current study was to investigate whether baseline sleep parameters can predict the conversion from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment or dementia at follow-up. The Hellenic Longitudinal Investigation of Aging and Diet is a longitudinal population-based study designed to estimate the prevalence and incidence of cognitive decline and dementia in the older Greek population.

A Multicenter ICET-A Survey on Adherence to Annual Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) Screening in Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia (TDT) Patients - The Expert Clinicians' Opinion on Factors Influencing the Adherence and on Alternative Strategies for Adherence Optimization.

Background: Current guidelines for screening glucose dysregulation (GD) in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) recommend an annual 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) starting at the age of 10 years.

Objective: Assessment of adherence to OGTT screening in patients with TDT.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 18 Thalassemia Centers in 10 different countries, targeting factors influencing adherence to annual OGTT screening in specialized multidisciplinary pediatric and adult TDT units and identifying strategies to improve adherence to OGTT in TDT patients.

Prediction of Current and Future Distributions of (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) Under Climate Change Scenarios.

The consequences of climate change, accelerated by anthropogenic activities, have different effects on different ecosystems, and the severity of these effects is predicted to increase in the near future. The number of studies investigating how forest ecosystems respond to these changes is increasing. However, there remains a significant gap in research concerning how saproxylic organisms-one of the key contributors to the healthy functioning of these fragile ecosystems-will respond to the consequences of climate change.

Next-Generation Carbazole-Linked 1,2,4-Triazole-Thione Derivatives: Strategic Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Evaluation of Antidiabetic Potential.

Currently, available therapies for diabetes cannot achieve normal sugar values in a high percentage of treated patients. This work synthesized a series of carbazole-triazole-thione derivatives, and their potential antidiabetic activity was investigated against the key diabetic enzymes α-amylase and glycosidase. Normal human hepatic stellate cells (LX-2) were employed to assess their cytotoxicity and safety, followed by in vivo testing to investigate the hypoglycemic effect of the most promising agent.

Gold Nanoparticle-Modified Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Coated Pencil Graphite Electrodes for Electrochemical Detection of Bisphenol A.

The sensitive Bisphenol A (BPA) detection by an electrochemical sensor based on gold nanoparticle-doped molecularly imprinted polymer was successfully improved. This study describes the development of a method for BPA detection in both aqueous solution and real water samples using N-methacroyl-(L)-cysteine methyl ester and N-methacryloyl-(L)-phenylalanine methyl ester coated pencil graphite electrodes modified with AuNPs by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Importantly, AuNPs, which increase the electroactivity, were used to increase the surface area of a BPA-imprinted pencil graphite electrode (MIP PGE) sensor.

The complexities of aeronautical transfer of acutely unwell neurosurgical patients.

Objective: Neurosurgical care is difficult to access in many scenarios. Aeromedical evacuation of acutely unwell neurosurgical patients from remote, isolated or poorly equipped locations can be considered. This article aims to provide a framework of logistical factors which deserve special consideration in the preparation of these patients for transfer.

Self-perceived impact of COVID-19 and risk behaviors among adolescents: Results from the HBSC 2021/22 study in 21 European countries.

Aims: To investigate adolescents' perception of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on several aspects of their lives (mental health, well-being, family situation, peers, school, dieting, and physical activity) in relation to risk behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use, drunkenness, and cannabis use.

Methods: Data were used from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study conducted in 2021/2022, comprising 106,221 adolescents aged 11-15 (50.9% females) from 21 European countries.

First generation vanadium-based PTEN inhibitors: Comparative study in vitro and in vivo and identification of a novel mechanism of action.

PTEN, a tumor suppressor phosphatase, regulates cellular functions by antagonizing the growth promoting PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway through the dephosphorylation of the second messenger PIP. Many preclinical cellular and animal studies have used PTEN inhibitors to highlight specific disease contexts where acute activation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway might offer therapeutic advantages. In the present study we have re-evaluated first-generation PTEN inhibitors, including established bisperoxo-vanadium complexes (bpVs).

Extraction and quantitation of fentanyl in exhaled breath condensate using a magnetic dispersive solid phase based on graphene oxide and covalent organic framework composite and LC-MS/MS analysis.

Free fentanyl is responsible for its pharmacological effects, but its total concentration is typically determined for therapeutic drug monitoring purposes. Determination of fentanyl concentration can help reduce the prescribed doses, leading to fewer side effects and increased effectiveness. Therefore, predicting free drug concentration in pharmaceutical research is crucial.

Breath Analysis via Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

Breath analysis is increasingly recognized as a powerful noninvasive diagnostic technique, and a plethora of exhaled volatile biomarkers have been associated with various diseases. However, traditional analytical methodologies are not amenable to high-throughput diagnostic applications at the point of need. An optical spectroscopic technique, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), mostly used in the research setting for liquid sample analysis, has recently been applied to breath-based diagnostics.

Comparison of Demographic Life-History Traits of the Snake-Eyed Skink: Observations From an Island and a Mainland Population.

The life-history traits of animals are influenced by several factors. It has been proposed that key factors such as competition, predation pressure, and resource availability may differ between mainland and island populations of the same species. In this context, our study focused on an island (Yayla, Cyprus) and mainland (Hassa, Türkiye) populations of the snake-eyed skink, .

Can PSMA PET detect intratumour heterogeneity in histological PSMA expression of primary prostate cancer? Analysis of [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [F]PSMA-1007.

Purpose: Prostate-specific membrane-antigen positron emission tomography (PSMA PET) is a promising candidate for non-invasive characterization of prostate cancer (PCa). This study evaluated whether PET with tracers [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 or [F]PSMA-1007 is capable to depict intratumour heterogeneity of histological PSMA expression.

Methods: Thirty-five patients with biopsy-proven primary PCa without evidence of metastatic disease nor prior interventions were prospectively enrolled.

Prevalence of Popular Smoking Cessation Aids in England and Associations With Quit Success.

Importance: A wide range of medications, noncombustible nicotine products, behavioral support, and alternative treatments are available in England to help people stop smoking. Understanding their effectiveness outside of clinical trial settings can support informed decision-making.

Objectives: To provide up-to-date estimates of the prevalence of different smoking cessation aids and associations with quit success and to explore moderation by socioeconomic position.

Does stereoscopic immersive virtual reality have a significant impact on anatomy education? A literature review.

Purpose: Stereoscopic immersive virtual reality (SIVR) is a technology that fully immerses the user in a digital environment and permits the perception of two different three-dimensional images of a digital object with each of the two eyes. We conducted a literature review to explore to what extent SIVR can significantly contribute to anatomy education.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, ERIC, and the Cochrane Library for papers investigating the outcomes (effectiveness, perceptions about effectiveness, and side effects) of implementing SIVR in anatomy education.

Capturing grief: Photovoice as a tool for learning and researching.

This article explores the application of photovoice as both an educational and research tool, examining its use to facilitate discussions on loss and grief with fifth- and sixth-grade students, as well as teachers undergoing in-service training in grief education within the Greek-Cypriot school system. Photovoice enabled participants to visually express personal stories related to loss and grief by responding to the question "What do loss and grief mean to you?." Through group discussions, participants shared insights, feelings, and narratives connected to their photographs, deepening the understanding of grief as both a shared and individual experience.