Zinc oxide nanoparticle-embedded tannic acid/chitosan-based sponge: A highly absorbent hemostatic agent with enhanced antimicrobial activity.

This study reports the development of a highly absorbent Chitosan (CS)/Tannic Acid (TA) sponge, synthesized via chemical cross-linking with Epichlorohydrin (ECH) and integrated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) as a novel hemostatic anti-infection agent. The chemical properties of the sponges were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and zeta potential measurements. Morphological and elemental analyses conducted through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) revealed a uniform distribution of ZnO NPs, with particle sizes below 20 nm.

Impact of stabilizers on particle size and dispersion behavior in biorelevant media in solid nanocrystal formulations.

Nanocrystalline formulations typically contain stabilizing additives to minimize the risk of particle growth or agglomeration. This risk is particularly relevant when the nanosuspension is converted into a solid drug product as the original state of the nanosuspension should be restored upon redispersion of the drug product in vivo. In this work, the behavior of different nonionic and anionic surfactants in solid nanocrystalline formulations and their effects on redispersibility under biorelevant conditions were investigated.

Visual cues of respiratory contagion: Their impact on neuroimmune activation and mucosal immune responses in humans.

This study investigated the neural correlates of perceiving visual contagion cues characteristic of respiratory infections through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Sixty-two participants (32f/ 30 m; ∼25 years on average) watched short videos depicting either contagious or non-contagious everyday situations, while their brain activation was continuously measured. We further measured the release of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) in saliva to examine the first-line defensive response of the mucosal immune system.

Pulsatile dexamethasone in patients with Infantile Spasms: A retrospective analysis of a unique therapy regime.

Objective Infantile Spasms (IS) are an age-specific epilepsy syndrome associated with poor outcome. Sustained and early spasm-control remains the main goal of therapy. We aimed to evaluate a unique pulsatile dexamethasone therapy regime in children with IS, applying a prolonged first pulse in cases of insufficient spasm-control.

Impact of Second Internal Thoracic Artery on Long-term Survival After Coronary Bypass Surgery.

Background: The survival advantages of bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) grafts in coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) remain unclear. Therefore, this study aims to systematically evaluate the time-dependent influence of BITA on long-term survival in elective CABG patients presenting with stable multi-vessel coronary artery disease.

Methods: Data from 3,693 patients undergoing isolated CABG with single internal thoracic artery (SITA) or BITA, with or without additional vein grafts, between 2002 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed.

Acute respiratory tract infections during the first six years of life - results from the German birth cohort study LoewenKIDS.

Objectives: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) often occur in early childhood and are mostly self-limited. However, they impose a high socioeconomic burden and can be associated with chronic diseases later in life. To date, data on self-reported ARI beyond infancy are limited.

From Mapping to Elimination: A Comprehensive Overview of Rwanda's Schistosomiasis Program.

Objectives: Schistosomiasis (SCH) remains a public health challenge in Rwanda despite ongoing interventions. This paper provides an overview of Rwanda's SCH journey, highlighting progress made through mass drug administration (MDA), diagnostic advancements, and strategic partnerships with key stakeholders.

Methods: Since 2014, the point-of-care circulating cathodic antigen (POC-CCA) test has been introduced alongside Kato-Katz (KK), improving mapping accuracy and detecting low-intensity infections.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related psychomotor activity and altered neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex and striatum in the A53T mouse model of Parkinson's disease and other synucleinopathies: Findings from an "endophenotype" approach.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies later in life. The severity of the ADHD phenotype may play a significant role in this association. There is no indication that any of the existing animal models can unify these disorders.

Changes in Coagulation Factor XI Activity Levels in Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary PCI.

Background - Although Factor XI (FXI) inhibitors are currently tested for the prevention of thrombotic events, their early treatment could prevent thrombus consolidation in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study aims to characterize coagulation FXI levels and their variations in patients with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods - Patients with STEMI were prospectively enrolled between December 2023 and May 2024.

The Diagnostic Assessment of Inherited Platelet Function Defects.

In this article, our goal is to offer an introduction and overview of the diagnostic approach to inherited platelet function defects (iPFDs) for clinicians and laboratory personnel who are beginning to engage in the field. We describe the most commonly used laboratory methods and propose a diagnostic four-step approach, wherein each stage requires a higher level of expertise and more specialized methods. It should be noted that our proposed approach differs from the ISTH Guidance on this topic in some points.

The Diagnostic Assessment of Platelet Function Defects.

Congenital platelet disorders are rare and targeted treatment is usually not possible. Inherited platelet function disorders (iPFDs) can affect surface receptors and multiple platelet responses such as defects of platelet granules, signal transduction, and procoagulant activity. If iPFDs are also associated with a reduced platelet count (thrombocytopenia), it is not uncommon to be misdiagnosed as immune thrombocytopenia.

Outcomes of RDAVR with Coronary Revascularization: 3-year Results from the German INCA Registry.

Background:  The long-term outcomes of combined rapid-deployment aortic valve replacement (RDAVR) with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) are not well explored. We report 3-year results from the INCA registry on combined RDAVR with CABG.

Methods:  INCA is a prospective, multicenter registry that enrolled 224 patients undergoing RDAVR with CABG at 10 cardiac institutions in Germany.

Artificial intelligence-enabled obesity prediction: A systematic review of cohort data analysis.

Background: Obesity, now the fifth leading global cause of death, has seen a dramatic rise in prevalence over the last forty years. It significantly increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Early identification of obesity risk allows for preventative actions against obesity-related factors.

A high-throughput, microplate reader-based method to monitor in vitro HIV latency reversal in the absence of flow cytometry.

J-Lat cells are derivatives of the Jurkat CD4 T cell line that contain a non-infectious, inducible HIV provirus with a GFP tag. While these cells have substantially advanced our understanding of HIV latency, their use by many laboratories in low and middle-income countries is restricted by limited access to flow cytometry. To overcome this barrier, we describe a modified J-Lat assay using a standard microplate reader that detects HIV-GFP expression following treatment with latency-reversing agents (LRAs).

Pilot of a joint bed-side teaching course for medical and pharmacy university students.

: Interprofessional education of medical and pharmacy students may improve competence-based university teaching. : We developed a joint bed-side teaching to improve patient-related competencies in identifying drug-related problems in hospitalized patients at a university cardiology department. Students were randomly allocated in mixed teams of medical and pharmacy students (1:3).

Post-processing methods for delay embedding and feature scaling of reservoir computers.

Reservoir computing is a machine learning method that is well-suited for complex time series prediction tasks. Both delay embedding and the projection of input data into a higher-dimensional space play important roles in enabling accurate predictions. We establish simple post-processing methods that train on past node states at uniformly or randomly-delayed timeshifts.

Development of translationally active cell lysates from different filamentous fungi for application in cell-free protein synthesis.

There is an enormous potential for cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) systems based on filamentous fungi in view of their simple, fast and mostly inexpensive cultivation with high biomass space-time yields and in view of their catalytic capacity. In 12 of the 22 different filamentous fungi examined, in vitro translation of at least one of the two reporter proteins GFP and firefly luciferase was detected. The lysates showing translation of a reporter protein usually were able to synthesize a functional cell-free expressed unspecific peroxygenase (UPO) from the basidiomycete Cyclocybe (Agrocybe) aegerita.

Magnetic vector field mapping of the stimulated abductor digiti minimi muscle with optically pumped magnetometers.

Mapping the myomagnetic field of a straight and easily accessible muscle after electrical stimulation using triaxial optically pumped magnetometers (OPMs) to assess potential benefits for magnetomyography (MMG). Approach: Six triaxial OPMs were arranged in two rows with three sensors each along the abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscle. The upper row of sensors was inclined by 45° with respect to the lower row and all sensors were aligned closely to the skin surface without direct contact.

Constraining safe and unsafe overshoots in saddle-node bifurcations.

We consider a dynamical system undergoing a saddle-node bifurcation with an explicitly time-dependent parameter p(t). The combined dynamics can be considered a dynamical system where p is a slowly evolving parameter. Here, we investigate settings where the parameter features an overshoot.

Singularity of Lévy walks in the lifted Pomeau-Manneville map.

Since groundbreaking works in the 1980s it is well-known that simple deterministic dynamical systems can display intermittent dynamics and weak chaos leading to anomalous diffusion. A paradigmatic example is the Pomeau-Manneville (PM) map which, suitably lifted onto the whole real line, was shown to generate superdiffusion that can be reproduced by stochastic Lévy walks (LWs). Here, we report that this matching only holds for parameter values of the PM map that are of Lebesgue measure zero in its two-dimensional parameter space.

Guidelines International Network: Principles for Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Health Guideline Enterprise.

Description: Artificial intelligence (AI) has been defined by the High-Level Expert Group on AI of the European Commission as "systems that display intelligent behaviour by analysing their environment and taking actions-with some degree of autonomy-to achieve specific goals." Artificial intelligence has the potential to support guideline planning, development and adaptation, reporting, implementation, impact evaluation, certification, and appraisal of recommendations, which we will refer to as "guideline enterprise." Considering this potential, as well as the lack of guidance for the use of AI in guidelines, the Guidelines International Network (GIN) proposes a set of principles for the development and use of AI tools or processes to support the health guideline enterprise.

Establishment and Maintenance of a Digital Therapeutic Alliance in People Living With Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia: Two Exploratory Single-Arm Studies.

Background: Evidence-based digital therapeutics represent a new treatment modality in mental health, potentially providing cost-efficient, accessible means of augmenting existing treatments for chronic mental illnesses. CT-155/BI 3972080 is a prescription digital therapeutic under development as an adjunct to standard of care treatments for patients 18 years of age and older with experiential negative symptoms (ENS) of schizophrenia. Individual components of CT-155/BI 3972080 are designed based on the underlying principles of face-to-face treatment.

Mass Casualty Incident Training in Immersive Virtual Reality: Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Multimethod Performance Indicators.

Background: Immersive virtual reality (iVR) has emerged as a training method to prepare medical first responders (MFRs) for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) and disasters in a resource-efficient, flexible, and safe manner. However, systematic evaluations and validations of potential performance indicators for virtual MCI training are still lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether different performance indicators based on visual attention, triage performance, and information transmission can be effectively extended to MCI training in iVR by testing if they can discriminate between different levels of expertise.

Optic nerve sheath schwannoma: illustrative case.

Background: Optic nerve schwannomas are an extremely rare pathology in neurosurgery. Their origin is rather debatable given the structure of the optic nerve, which does not typically have Schwann cells therein. However, a number of clinical cases of optic nerve tumors classified as schwannomas have been described in the literature.