Educational Disparities in Age-related Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid Use across Age, Gender, and European Region.

Objectives: Affecting one in five adults in Europe, hearing loss (HL) is linked to adverse health outcomes, including dementia. We aim to investigate educational inequalities in hearing health in Europe and how these inequalities change with age, gender, and region.

Methods: Utilizing 2004-2020 data from the Harmonised Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), a representative sample of Europeans aged 50 and above, we analyse: 1) age-standardized prevalence of HL and hearing aid (HA) use among eligible individuals; 2) educational inequalities therein using the Relative Index of Inequality (RII) across age, gender, and European regions.

Bots in white coats: are large language models the future of patient education? a multi-center cross-sectional analysis.

Objectives: Every year, around 300 million surgeries are conducted worldwide, with an estimated 4.2 million deaths occurring within 30 days after surgery. Adequate patient education is crucial, but often falls short due to the stress patients experience before surgery.

Transient Triplet Metallopnictinidenes M-Pn (M = Pd, Pt; Pn = P, As, Sb): Characterization and Dimerization.

Nitrenes (R-N) have been subject to a large body of experimental and theoretical studies. The fundamental reactivity of this important class of transient intermediates has been attributed to their electronic structures, particularly the accessibility of triplet vs singlet states. In contrast, electronic structure trends along the heavier pnictinidene analogues (R-Pn; Pn = P-Bi) are much less systematically explored.

Clearing the path for whole-mount labeling and quantification of neuron- and vessel-density in adipose tissue.

White adipose tissue (WAT) comprises a plethora of cell types beyond adipocytes forming a regulatory network that ensures systemic energy homeostasis. Intertissue communication is facilitated by metabolites and signaling molecules that are spread by vasculature and nerves. Previous works indicated that WAT responds to environmental cues by adapting the abundance of these "communication routes", however, high intra-tissue heterogeneity questions the informative value of bulk or single cell analyses and underscores the necessity of whole-mount imaging.

Refractory and Resistant Herpes Simplex Virus Mucocutaneous Infections in Immunocompromised Patients: Literature Review and Proposed Definitions for Use in Clinical Trials.

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is one of the most prevalent viral infections worldwide. In general, host immunity is sufficient to clear viral shedding and recurrences, although it is insufficient to prevent subsequent virologic reactivations. In immunocompromised patients, prolonged and difficult-to-treat HSV infections may develop.

Thigh Injections of Cabotegravir + Rilpivirine in Virally Suppressed Adults With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1: A Substudy of the Phase 3b ATLAS-2M Study.

Background: Cabotegravir + rilpivirine (CAB + RPV) administered via intramuscular gluteal injections is the first complete long-acting regimen for maintaining human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virologic suppression. We present substudy results on short-term repeat intramuscular CAB + RPV long-acting thigh injections in participants with ≥3 years of experience with gluteal administration during the ATLAS-2M study.

Methods: Substudy phases included screening, thigh injection (day 1-week 16), and return to gluteal injection (week 16-week 24).

A chromosome-level, haplotype-resolved genome assembly and annotation for the Eurasian minnow (Leuciscidae: Phoxinus phoxinus) provide evidence of haplotype diversity.

Background: In this study, we present an in-depth analysis of the Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) genome, highlighting its genetic diversity, structural variations, and evolutionary adaptations. We generated an annotated haplotype-phased, chromosome-level genome assembly (2n = 50) by integrating high-fidelity (HiFi) long reads and chromosome conformation capture data (Hi-C).

Results: We achieved a haploid size of 940 megabase pairs (Mbp) for haplome 1 and 929 Mbp for haplome 2 with high scaffold N50 values of 36.

Reimbursement policies of Swiss health insurances for the surgical treatment of symptomatic breast hypertrophy: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Patients with symptomatic breast hypertrophy typically suffer from chronic back pain, recurrent skin irritation at the inframammary fold and/or low self-esteem resulting in impaired quality of life. Reduction mammaplasty has been shown to effectively treat symptomatic breast hypertrophy with high patient satisfaction. Despite the obvious benefits, reimbursement requests for reduction mammaplasty are initially often refused by the patient's health insurance company, thereby frequently resulting in additional examinations and eventually extra expenses.

Expression and function of Connexin 43 and Connexin 37 in the murine zona glomerulosa.

The zona glomerulosa (ZG) synthesizes the mineralocorticoid aldosterone. The primary role of aldosterone is the maintenance of volume and electrolyte homeostasis. Aldosterone synthesis is primarily regulated via tightly controlled oscillations in intracellular calcium levels in response to stimulation.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm: a Swiss case series of a very rare disease and a structured review of the literature.

Introduction: Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a very rare disease, with unique diagnostic challenges and often dismal outcome. There are no widely accepted treatment guidelines available. Lymphoma-like regimens with or without autologous or allogenic transplantation were the cornerstone of most therapeutic concepts.

Immunomodulatory Potential of a Bibenzyl-dihydrophenanthrene Derivative Isolated from .

Bibenzyls and dihydrophenanthrenes exhibit promising immunomodulatory effects in various human diseases. In this study, we isolated one new dihydrophenanthrene derivative (), two new bibenzyl-dihydrophenanthrene derivatives () along with 12 known compounds (-) from the methanol extract of . These compounds were identified by using physicochemical analyses and spectroscopic methods.

Flotillins in membrane trafficking and physiopathology.

Flotillin 1 and 2 are highly conserved and homologous members of the stomatin, prohibitin, flotillin, HflK/C (SPFH) family. These ubiquitous proteins assemble into hetero-oligomers at the cytoplasmic membrane in sphingolipid-enriched domains. Flotillins play crucial roles in various cellular processes, likely by concentrating sphingosine.

An explorative qualitative study of barriers to the use of health and mental health services among migrant female sex workers in Germany and needs for action.

Background: Migrant female sex workers (MFSWs) can be exposed to various health risks due to their occupation, including mental and physical health, substance use, and experience of violence. However, they face substantial barriers to accessing healthcare services. The inadequate access to medical care for migrant female sex workers poses a challenge to the German healthcare system.

Prevalence, risk and resilience factors of mental health conditions among female sex workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Female sex workers are a vulnerable hard-to-reach group. Research in this field is scarce due to several issues, such as methodological difficulties or societal stigmatization. Most of the available literature focuses on sexually transmittable diseases.

Resonant song recognition and the evolution of acoustic communication in crickets.

Cricket song recognition is thought to evolve through modifications of a shared neural network. However, the species has an unusual recognition pattern that challenges this view: females respond to both normal male song pulse periods and periods twice as long. Of the three minimal models tested, only a single-neuron model with an oscillating membrane could explain this unusual behavior.

The impact of temporal distribution on fear extinction learning.

Fear extinction is the foundation of exposure therapy for anxiety and phobias. However, the stability of extinction memory diminishes over time, coinciding with fear recovery. To augment long-term extinction retention, the temporal distribution of extinction learning sessions is critical.

A short screen for lifetime sexual victimization experiences: Expanding research on the Sexual Abuse History Questionnaire (SAHQ) across cultures, genders, and sexual identities.

The Sexual Abuse History Questionnaire (SAHQ), a widely used screening tool for childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and adolescent/adult sexual assault (AASA) experiences, has limited examination of its psychometric properties in diverse populations. Our study assessed the SAHQ's psychometric properties (i.e.

Instance maps as an organising concept for complex experimental workflows as demonstrated for (nano)material safety research.

Nanosafety assessment, which seeks to evaluate the risks from exposure to nanoscale materials, spans materials synthesis and characterisation, exposure science, toxicology, and computational approaches, resulting in complex experimental workflows and diverse data types. Managing the data flows, with a focus on provenance (who generated the data and for what purpose) and quality (how was the data generated, using which protocol with which controls), as part of good research output management, is necessary to maximise the reuse potential and value of the data. Instance maps have been developed and evolved to visualise experimental nanosafety workflows and to bridge the gap between the theoretical principles of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) data and the everyday practice of experimental researchers.

Interplay between conformational dynamics and substrate binding regulates enzymatic activity: a single-molecule FRET study.

Proteins often harness extensive motions of domains and subunits to promote their function. Deciphering how these movements impact activity is key for understanding life's molecular machinery. The enzyme adenylate kinase is an intriguing example for this relationship; it ensures efficient catalysis by large-scale domain motions that lead to the enclosure of the bound substrates ATP and AMP.

Spatial distribution of fine-grained floodplain deposits and anthropogenic materials based on official borehole data in the floodplain of Leipzig, Germany.

This data set includes the spatial model of the thickness and distribution of fine-grained floodplain deposits in the Leipzig floodplain area. The data set originates from borehole records provided by the Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture, and Geology [1]. The data processing involved the categorization of the stratigraphic descriptions of the borehole logs.

Analyzing the Effectiveness of Different Delivery Methods for Remineralization Agents in Pediatric Dental Health: A Systematic Review.

Pediatric dental health is critically impacted by enamel demineralization and early-stage caries, with remineralization therapies playing a vital role in preventing progression. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of various delivery methods for remineralization agents in pediatric patients aged 3-15 years, focusing on varnishes, gels, foams, and sprays. Studies were included if they were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort studies, or case-control studies involving pediatric patients with early-stage caries or enamel demineralization, while studies with non-pediatric populations, unrelated treatments, or significant methodological flaws were excluded.

Fine-tuning a local LLaMA-3 large language model for automated privacy-preserving physician letter generation in radiation oncology.

Introduction: Generating physician letters is a time-consuming task in daily clinical practice.

Methods: This study investigates local fine-tuning of large language models (LLMs), specifically LLaMA models, for physician letter generation in a privacy-preserving manner within the field of radiation oncology.

Results: Our findings demonstrate that base LLaMA models, without fine-tuning, are inadequate for effectively generating physician letters.

AI-guided virtual biopsy: Automated differentiation of cerebral gliomas from other benign and malignant MRI findings using deep learning.

Background: This study aimed to develop an automated algorithm to noninvasively distinguish gliomas from other intracranial pathologies, preventing misdiagnosis and ensuring accurate analysis before further glioma assessment.

Methods: A cohort of 1280 patients with a variety of intracranial pathologies was included. It comprised 218 gliomas (mean age 54.

Phytolith assemblages from palm leaves and palm-leaf manuscripts: what is the difference and what it could mean?

We studied freshly collected, dried and herbarized leaf fragments of two palms, namely L. and L., most commonly used for palm-leaf manuscript (PLM) production in South (S) and Southeast Asia (SE) in order to reveal differences in their phytolith assemblages.