Enhanced glucose processing in gestational diabetes diagnosis: Effects on health equity and clinical outcomes.

Objectives: Gestational diabetes is diagnosed using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), which has limited accuracy, reproducibility and practicality. We assessed the effect of enhanced pre-analytical glucose processing upon glucose concentrations, gestational diabetes diagnosis, health equity and pregnancy outcomes, and if HbA1c was a suitable alternative.

Methods: We recruited pregnant women with ≥1 risk factor to a prospective observational cohort study of pregnancy hyperglycaemia, endocrine causes, lipids, insulin and autoimmunity (OPHELIA), from nine UK centres.

Prolonged Taping with Exercise Therapy for Patellofemoral Pain in Adults: A Systematic Review and Single-Arm Meta-Analysis.

: To investigate the effects of prolonged taping on patellofemoral pain (PFP). : A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE (Elsevier), CiNAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception to 28 June 2024. Eligible studies reported PFP patients over 18 years of age undergoing an exercise protocol with additional taping that was maintained outside of exercise sessions (PROSPERO ID: CRD42023422792).

Haptic-Based Real-Time Platform for Microswarm Steering in a Multi-Bifurcation Vascular Network.

The use of electromagnetic fields to control a collection of magnetic nanoparticles, known as a microswarm, has many promising applications. Current research often makes use of accurate but time-consuming simulations lacking real-time human input. On the contrary, human interaction is possible with a real-time simulator, allowing the collection of valuable user interaction data.

First contact physiotherapists: are they able to reduce the burden on rheumatology services? A critical review of the evidence base.

First contact practitioners have emerged over recent years in response to growing pressures within the National Health Service (NHS) and are now central to primary care musculoskeletal (MSK) services. Within the MSK field, these allied health professionals can be from a range of disciplines, including physiotherapy, podiatry and osteopathy. Early referral to rheumatology is key to successful long-term management of many inflammatory MSK conditions, but presents challenges to overburdened services.

Sex hormone deficiency in male and female mice expressing the Alzheimer's disease-associated risk-factor TREM2 R47H variant impacts the musculoskeletal system in a sex- and genotype-dependent manner.

The R47H variant of the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease in humans and leads to lower bone mass accrual in female but not male 12-mo-old mice. To determine whether, as with aging, gonadectomy results in sex-specific musculoskeletal effects, gonad removal or SHAM surgery was performed in 4-mo-old TREM2 mice and WT male and female littermates ( = 10-12/group), with sexes analyzed separately. Body weight was lower in males, but higher in females after gonadectomy, independently of their genotype.

Integrating AI-driven wearable devices and biometric data into stroke risk assessment: A review of opportunities and challenges.

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and early detection of risk factors is critical for prevention and improved outcomes. Traditional stroke risk assessments, relying on sporadic clinical visits, fail to capture dynamic changes in risk factors such as hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF). Wearable technology (devices), combined with biometric data analysis, offers a transformative approach by enabling continuous monitoring of physiological parameters.

Relational neuroscience: Insights from hyperscanning research.

Humans are highly social, typically without this ability requiring noticeable efforts. Yet, such social fluency poses challenges both for the human brain to compute and for scientists to study. Over the last few decades, neuroscientific research of human sociality has witnessed a shift in focus from single-brain analysis to complex dynamics occurring across several brains, posing questions about what these dynamics mean and how they relate to multifaceted behavioural models.

Sex-based differences in shot put, javelin throw, and long jump in 8-and-under and 9-10-year-old athletes.

There is an ongoing debate regarding the necessity for sex-segregated sports particularly in youth. However, there has been minimal evaluation of prepubertal sex-based differences in the events of shot put, javelin throw, and long jump. Therefore, the top eight performances from the USA Track and Field National Youth Outdoor Championships and National Junior Olympic Championships during the years 2016-2023 for shot put, javelin throw, and long jump in the 8-and-under and 9-10-year-old age groups were analyzed for sex-based differences.

TMS-evoked potential propagation reflects effective brain connectivity.

Cognition is achieved through communication between brain regions. Consequently, there is considerable interest in measuring effective connectivity. A promising effective connectivity metric is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) evoked potentials (TEPs), an inflection in amplitude of the electroencephalogram recorded from one brain region as a result of TMS applied to another region.

What motivates start-up entrepreneurs? Exploring the role of human values in success.

This study explores how entrepreneurs perceive success, the influence of their values on this perception, and the association between values and success. We surveyed 96 Irish entrepreneurs to capture their definitions of success, their own values, their perceptions of a successful entrepreneur's values, and various success metrics. We coded the qualitative responses regarding what success means to them using Schwartz's (1992) model of human values.

Breast cancer in Bulgaria prior implementation of a national breast cancer screening program and certified breast centers.

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) survival has improved globally in the past years. Eastern Europe is a region with lack of epidemiological data and traditionally lower BC overall survival (OS). We aimed to investigate the epidemiology of BC in Bulgaria between 2012 and 2022 and the readiness of the state for implementing population based organized screening program.

A case of peripartum cardiomyopathy in dichorionic diamniotic twin pregnancy.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is an uncommon life-threatening condition that is characterized by heart failure with reduced ejection fraction during late pregnancy or within 5 months of postpartum in the absence of other causes of heart failure. Despite advances in managing PPCM, the pathophysiology of it is still poorly understood. This article reviews the diagnostic challenges and management of PPCM, specifically highlighting a rare presentation of PPCM characterized by oxygen desaturation alone.

The association of demographic, psychological, social and activity factors with foot health in people with plantar heel pain.

Background: Plantar Heel Pain (PHP) can be a debilitating musculoskeletal condition from which only 50% recover within a year due to poor understanding of the mechanisms explaining severity and predicting outcomes specific to PHP.

Objective: To explore associations between biopsychosocial variables and the severity of people with PHP. Secondly, to determine what combination of self-reported factors distinguishes people with PHP from other foot pain (OFP).

Evidence-based guideline: premature ovarian insufficiency.

Study Question: How should premature/primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) be diagnosed and managed based on the best available evidence from published literature?

Summary Answer: The current guideline provides 145 recommendations on symptoms, diagnosis, causation, sequelae, and treatment of POI.

What Is Known Already: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) presents a significant challenge to women's health, with far-reaching implications, both physically and emotionally. The potential implications include adverse effects on quality of life; fertility; and bone, cardiovascular, and cognitive health.

Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm in a De Garengeot Hernia: A Case Report.

De Garengeot's hernia, a femoral hernia containing an incarcerated appendix, is rarely encountered in clinical practice. We report a case of a 62-year-old woman presenting with a right groin lump. A computed tomography scan reported a right inguinal hernia containing fluid with no bowel involvement.

Fragmentation of an In-Date Copper Intrauterine Device: An Unusual Complication.

We present a rare case involving a 25-year-old woman who had fragmentation of a copper intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) while still within its recommended lifespan. The patient's symptoms included lower abdominal pain, offensive vaginal discharge, and the passage of copper IUD fragments. The pelvic examination confirmed the presence of the copper IUD strings, and with her consent, the device was removed.

Robotic and laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer in Africa: an outcome comparison endorsed by the Nigerian society for colorectal disorders.

Background: Minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) offer superior outcomes compared to open surgery. This study aimed to review the robotic and laparoscopic procedures for CRC performed in Africa, and compare the mean surgery duration, blood loss, hospital stay, rate of conversion, and prevalence of morbidity and mortality. This is the first study to compare the outcomes of robotic and laparoscopic surgeries for CRC in Africa.

Research Priorities for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response: An Interdisciplinary Delphi Study.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a multisensory experience most often associated with feelings of relaxation and altered consciousness, elicited by stimuli which include whispering, repetitive movements, and close personal attention. Since 2015, ASMR research has grown rapidly, spanning disciplines from neuroscience to media studies but lacking a collaborative or interdisciplinary approach. To build a cohesive and connected structure for ASMR research moving forwards, a modified Delphi study was conducted with ASMR experts, practitioners, community members, and researchers from various disciplines.

Evidence-based guideline: Premature Ovarian Insufficiency.

Study Question: How should premature/primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) be diagnosed and managed, based on the best available evidence from published literature?

Summary Answer: The current guideline provides 145 recommendations on symptoms, diagnosis, causation, sequelae and treatment of POI.

What Is Known Already: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) presents a significant challenge to women's health, with far-reaching implications, both physically and emotionally. The potential implications include adverse effects on quality of life; fertility; and bone, cardiovascular and cognitive health.

A novel deep neural network structure for software fault prediction.

Software fault prediction is crucial to compute the potential occurrence of faults within the software components, before code testing or execution. Machine learning, especially deep learning, has been applied to predict faults, but both encounter challenges such as insufficient accuracy, imbalanced data, overfitting, and complex structure. Moreover, deep learning yields superior predictions when working with large datasets.