Towards faster quality control of personal radiation protective equipment using CT scout or a dedicated biplanar radiography device.

Quality control (QC) of personal radiation protective equipment (PRPE) is essential to detect tears and holes in the attenuating layers. Routinely, this QC is performed using fluoroscopy on a conventional X-ray table. However, such a QC procedure is laborious and time consuming.

Proteomics- and metabolomics-based analysis of the regulation of germination in Norway maple and sycamore embryonic axes.

Norway maple and sycamore belong to the Acer genus and produce desiccation-tolerant and desiccation-sensitive seeds, respectively. We investigated the seed germination process at the imbibed and germinated stages using metabolomic and proteomic approaches to determine why sycamore seeds germinate earlier and are more successful at establishing seedlings than Norway maple seeds under controlled conditions. Embryonic axes and embryonic axes with protruded radicles were analyzed at the imbibed and germinated stages, respectively.

Revised method for constructing acoustic vulnerability curves in trees.

During drought, the formation of air bubbles known as embolisms in the water-conducting xylem reduces hydraulic conductivity, which can ultimately result in tree death. Accurately quantifying vulnerability to embolism formation is therefore essential for understanding tree hydraulics. Acoustic emission (AE) analysis offers a non-destructive method to monitor this process, yet the interpretation of captured signals remains debated.

Short-Term Effects of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Therapy on the Phonation of Children With Vocal Fold Nodules: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: The aim was to determine and compare the short-term effects of two intensive semi-occluded vocal tract (SOVT) programs, "straw phonation" (SP) and "resonant voice therapy" (RVT), on the phonation of children with vocal fold nodules.

Method: A pretest-posttest randomized controlled study design was used. Thirty children aged 6-12 years were randomly assigned to the SP group ( = 11), RVT group ( = 11), or control group receiving indirect treatment ( = 8) for their voice problems.

Association of radiation-induced normal tissue toxicity with a high genetic risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

Purpose: Overlapping genes are involved with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and DNA repair pathways. Therefore, we hypothesised that patients with a high polygenic risk score (PRS) for RA will have an increased risk of radiotherapy (RT) toxicity given the involvement of DNA repair.

Methods: Primary analysis was performed on 1494 prostate cancer, 483 lung cancer and 1820 breast cancer patients assessed for development of RT toxicity in the REQUITE study.

The role of awareness and demand in evaluative learning.

Human likes and dislikes can be established or changed in numerous ways. Three of the most well-studied procedures involve exposing people to regularities in the environment (evaluative conditioning, approach-avoidance, mere exposure), to verbal information about upcoming regularities (evaluative conditioning, approach-avoidance, or mere exposure information), or to verbal information about the evaluative properties of an attitude object (persuasive messages). In the present study, we investigated the relation between, on the one hand, different types of experiment-related beliefs (regularity, influence, and hypothesis awareness) and demand reactions (demand compliance and reactance) and, on the other hand, evaluative learning about novel food brands (Experiments 1 and 2) and well-known food brands (Experiment 2) via persuasive messages, experienced regularities, and verbal information about regularities.

Ischaemic stroke due to thrombus formation on the ventricular side of the mitral valve more than one year after MitraClip implantation: a case report.

Objectives: Edge-to-edge mitral valve repair with MitraClip leads to a differed flow pattern and a decreased flow velocity at the left ventricle apex. This combination may lead to initiation of thrombus formation, especially in patients with severely reduced ejection fraction. The prevalence and mechanism of left ventricular thrombus formation after MitraClip implantation is still unknown.

Toward Automated Preprocessing of Untargeted LC-MS-Based Metabolomics Feature Lists from Human Biofluids.

Maximizing the extraction of true, high-quality, nonredundant features from biofluids analyzed via LC-MS systems is challenging. Here, the R packages IPO and AutoTuner were used to optimize XCMS parameter settings for the retrieval of metabolite or lipid features in both ionization modes from either faecal or urine samples from two cohorts ( = 621). The feature lists obtained were compared with those where the parameter values were selected manually.

A comparison of immersion-based and spray-based crate washing systems on the impact of spp. reduction.

1.During transport of broilers from farms to slaughterhouses, the interior of crates may become contaminated with faeces. When these crates are not cleaned and disinfected adequately, they pose a potential risk for the dissemination of pathogens, including spp.

"It was a foregone conclusion": a qualitative study of women's experiences and meaning-making of later-in-life abortion in Belgium.

Abortion is an indispensable healthcare service for women of all reproductive ages. Research on abortion is often focused on younger women, neglecting those who are closer to the end of their reproductive lifespan. This study presents findings from qualitative interviews with Belgian women who had an abortion at the age of 40 or older, conducted between May 2022 and April 2023.

A deep learning approach to perform defect classification of freeze-dried product.

Cosmetic inspection of freeze-dried products is an important part of the post-manufacturing quality control process. Traditionally done by human visual inspection, this method poses typical challenges and shortcomings that can be addressed with innovative techniques. While many cosmetic defects can occur, some are considered more critical than others as they can be harmful to the patient or affect the drug's efficacy.

Systematic review: REM sleep, dysphoric dreams and nightmares as transdiagnostic features of psychiatric disorders with emotion dysregulation - Clinical implications.

Background: Fragmented rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disrupts the overnight resolution of emotional distress, a process crucial for emotion regulation. Emotion dysregulation, which is common across psychiatric disorders, is often associated with sleep disturbances. This systematic review explores how REM sleep and nightmares affect emotion processing and regulation in individuals with psychiatric disorders where emotion dysregulation is a key concern, suggesting novel sleep-related treatment pathways.

The well-being of polish general practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic-cross-sectional questionnaire-based study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused psychological distress to the population and healthcare workers. Physicians' well-being is essential and contributes significantly to overall health. This study aimed to assess the strain on Polish general practitioners from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ascertain the potential predictors of their distress.

Intranasal exposure to commensal bacterium Rothia mucilaginosa protects against influenza A virus infection.

The respiratory tract hosts a diverse microbial community whose composition varies with anatomical location and throughout life. Rothia mucilaginosa, a common commensal of the upper respiratory tract and oral cavity, has recently been recognized for its ability to inhibit bacteria-triggered pro-inflammatory responses. However, its role in modulating the immune response to viral infections such as influenza A virus (IAV) pneumonia, remains unknown.

Comparative photocatalytic degradation of cationic rhodamine B and anionic bromocresol green using reduced ZnO: A detailed kinetic modeling approach.

The photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B (RhB), a cationic dye, and bromocresol green (BCG), an anionic dye, was investigated using oxygen vacancy-enriched ZnO as the catalyst. These dyes were selected due to their differing charges and molecular structures, allowing for a deeper exploration of how these characteristics impact the degradation process. The catalyst was prepared by reducing ZnO with 10% H/Ar gas at 500°C, and the introduction of oxygen vacancies was confirmed using various characterization techniques.

High-throughput screening of acetogenic strains for growth and metabolite profiles on readily available biomass.

Abundant biomass, including industrial waste streams and second-generation (2G) and third-generation (3G) feedstocks, offers significant potential for sustainable bioconversion, nevertheless challenges such as fermentation inhibitors, CO losses and substrate selectivity of traditional microbial hosts hinder process efficiency. In this study, we address these challenges by exploring acetogenic bacteria as alternative microbial hosts. Using a newly established high-throughput method, acetogens were evaluated for their capacity to hydrolyse and metabolise variety of substrates derived from 2G and 3G feedstocks and industrial waste streams.

MAP Kinase Signaling at the Crossroads of Inflammasome Activation.

Inflammasomes are crucial mediators of both antimicrobial host defense and inflammatory pathology, requiring stringent regulation at multiple levels. This review explores the pivotal role of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in modulating inflammasome activation through various regulatory mechanisms. We detail recent advances in understanding MAPK-mediated regulation of NLRP3 inflammasome priming, licensing and activation, with emphasis on MAPK-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1) signaling in NLRP3 priming, ERK1 and JNK in NLRP3 licensing, and TAK1 in connecting death receptor signaling to NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

LC-HRMS screening procedure for the detection of 11 different classes of prohibited substances in dried urine spots for doping control purposes.

Dried urine spots have recently been proposed as an alternative matrix in the anti-doping field. Drying urine may open the opportunity to limit microbial and thermal degradation of the prohibited substances during transportation to the anti-doping laboratories without the need for refrigeration or freezing. In this study, a multi-targeted initial testing procedure was developed for the determination of 237 prohibited drugs/metabolites from 11 different classes in dried urine spots.

Synaptic Vesicle glycoprotein 2A knockout in parvalbumin and somatostatin interneurons drives seizures in the postnatal mouse brain.

Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) is a presynaptic protein targeted by the antiseizure drug levetiracetam. One or more of the three SV2 genes is expressed in all neurons and is essential to normal neurotransmission. Loss of SV2A results in a seizure phenotype in mice and mutations in humans are also linked to congential seizures.

Comparative analysis of long versus short co-incubation of gametes on post-insemination outcomes and embryo morphokinetics.

Research Question: Does a short co-incubation of gametes in conventional IVF affect post-insemination outcomes and embryo morphokinetics?

Design: Sibling oocyte randomized pilot study conducted between December 2020 and March 2023. Eligible couples (n = 55) were women aged 18-43 years with BMI 35 km/m or lower and male normal semen parameters. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COC) (six to 12) were randomized in a 1:1:2 proportion in long (16-18 h) or short (2 h) co-incubation IVF exposure and ICSI, respectively.

Prediction of Retention Indices in LC-HRMS for Enhanced Structural Identification of Organic Micropollutants in Water: Selectivity-Based Filtration.

Addressing the global challenge of ensuring access to safe drinking water, especially in developing countries, demands cost-effective, eco-friendly, and readily available technologies. The persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation potential of organic pollutants arising from various human activities pose substantial hurdles. While high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-HRMS) is a widely utilized technique for identifying pollutants in water, the multitude of structures for a single elemental composition complicates structural identification.

Speed-dependent changes in the arm swing during independent walking in individuals after stroke.

Background: Increasing one's walking speed is an important goal in post-stroke gait rehabilitation. Insufficient arm swing in people post-stroke might limit their ability to propel the body forward and increase walking speed.

Purpose: To investigate the speed-dependent changes (and their contributing factors) in the arm swing of persons post-stroke.

Patterns of osteoarthritis of the wrist: a single-centre observational cohort study.

This study describes the patterns and prevalence of advanced osteoarthritis of the wrist. Bilateral wrist radiographs of 1327 patients over the age of 40 years were reviewed. Osteoarthritis was present in 228 (17%) patients (368 wrists).