Calibration-Jitter: Augmentation of hyperspectral data for improved surgical scene segmentation.

Semantic surgical scene segmentation is crucial for accurately identifying and delineating different tissue types during surgery, enhancing outcomes and reducing complications. Hyperspectral imaging provides detailed information beyond visible color filters, offering an enhanced view of tissue characteristics. Combined with machine learning, it supports critical tumor resection decisions.

Impact of COVID-19 on functional, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and health-related outcomes in patients with dementia: A systematic review.

Background: This systematic review analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on dementia patients' functional, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, and health related outcomes. It hypothesizes that dementia patients infected with SARS-CoV-2experience more pronounced deterioration compared to those who are uninfected.

Methods: Research from 01/03/2020 to 07/10/2023 was conducted using Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases, and adhering to PRISMA guidelines and the PICO framework.

Assessing the knowledge, attitudes and practices of healthcare staff and students regarding disposal of unwantead medications: a systematic review.

Objectives: We sought to review studies that examine healthcare professionals' and students' knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding medication disposal. We also explore recommendations and barriers related to appropriate medication disposal.

Design: A systematic review was conducted that adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

The association between animal protein, plant protein, and their substitution with bladder cancer risk: a pooled analysis of 10 cohort studies.

Purpose: Although total dietary protein intake has been associated with bladder cancer (BC) risk, the effect of the origin (plant or animal) and the substitutions remain to be understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of total dietary protein, animal-based protein, plant-based protein, and their substitutions with each other on the risk of BC using a pooled analysis of 10 cohort studies.

Methods: The study was conducted within the "BLadder cancer Epidemiology and Nutritional Determinants" (BLEND) study, including 10 prospective cohort studies from several European countries, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Comparing FFR-Guided Complete Revascularization and Conservative Management for Non-Culprit Lesions in STEMI Patients With Multivessel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: In patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease, the optimal management strategy for non-culprit lesions is a subject of ongoing debate. There has been an increasing use of physiology-guidance to assess the extent of occlusion in non-culprit lesions, and hence the need for stenting. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is commonly used as a technique.

Building global collaborative research networks in paediatric critical care: a roadmap.

Paediatric critical care units are designed for children at a vulnerable stage of development, yet the evidence base for practice and policy in paediatric critical care remains scarce. In this Health Policy, we present a roadmap providing strategic guidance for international paediatric critical care trials. We convened a multidisciplinary group of 32 paediatric critical care experts from six continents representing paediatric critical care research networks and groups.

Can We Prevent Recurrent UTIs Without Antibiotics, in Both Those Who Do and Do Not Use Catheters? ICI-RS 2024.

Aims: Urinary tract infections are one of the most common reasons for antibiotic prescription. The widespread use of antibiotic treatments contributes to the global health problem of antimicrobial resistance development. To slow down the progression of antimicrobial resistance, it is essential that we explore nonantibiotic preventive treatments for this common condition.

Non-classicality and the effect of one photon.

The quantum interference effects of mixing the most non-classical states of light, number states, with the most classical-like of pure field states, the coherent state, are investigated. We demonstrate how the non-classicality of a single photon when mixed with a coherent field can transform the statistical properties of the output and further demonstrate that the entanglement of the output is independent of the coherent state amplitude.This article is part of the theme issue 'The quantum theory of light'.

Conduction System Pacing Following a Double Switch Operation for Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries.

The use of conduction system pacing (CSP) in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) is growing, however data remain limited. In patients with congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries following the double switch operation, existing CSP tools and techniques require modification to allow for the anterior displacement of the atrioventricular node and proximal conduction system in addition to navigating the tortuous route of the atrial redirection. We report the successful use of CSP focusing on the technique of delivery tool modification to allow stability on the basal septum for deployment to the area of the distal His bundle and proximal left bundle branch.

Towards green, scalable peptide synthesis: leveraging DEG-crosslinked polystyrene resins to overcome hydrophobicity challenges.

Diethylene glycol dimethacrylate (DEG)-crosslinked polystyrene (PS) resin offers a promising alternative to traditional divinyl benzene (DVB)-PS resin for solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), particularly for challenging sequences with hydrophobic or bulky amino acids. DEG-PS resin's reduced hydrophobicity and enhanced flexibility improve synthesis efficiency, yielding peptides up to 28 residues with higher purities and yields compared to DVB-PS. In various syntheses, DEG-PS outperformed DVB-PS resin, with higher purities and yields for challenging peptides such as ABC analogue (73.

Distinct virologic trajectories in chronic hepatitis B identify heterogeneity in response to nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy.

Background & Aims: The dynamics of HBV viral load (VL) in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) treatment and its relationship with liver disease are poorly understood. We aimed to study longitudinal VL patterns and their associations with CHB clinical outcomes.

Methods: Utilising large scale, routinely collected electronic health records from six centres in England, collated by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Informatics Collaborative (NIHR HIC), we applied latent class mixed models to investigate VL trajectory patterns in adults receiving NA treatment.

Awareness of Melanoma and Skin Self-Examination at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Pakistan: A Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices.

Background Melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, contributes to a majority of skin cancer fatalities globally. It carries a grim prognosis with a high propensity for early metastasis. People are not aware of moles, their natural course of progression, and skin self-examination.

Perception of Telemedicine and Remote Learning Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Health Education England Survey of London Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trainees.

Purpose: To determine the level of uptake of telemedicine among postgraduate obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) trainees in London, and how they perceive its impact on their training.

Methods: A mixed-methods survey aimed at exploring trainee perspectives of telemedicine use in clinical practice and its implications for training. Study participants were O&G specialist doctors on the London (UK) training programme.

Hypoglycaemic stimulation of macrophage cytokine release is suppressed by AMP-activated protein kinase activation.

Aims: Acute hypoglycaemia promotes pro-inflammatory cytokine production, increasing the risk for cardiovascular events in diabetes. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is regulated by and influences the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. We sought to examine the mechanistic role of AMPK in low glucose-induced changes in the pro-inflammatory cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which is elevated in people with diabetes.

From bugs to brain: unravelling the GABA signalling networks in the brain-gut-microbiome axis.

Convergent data, across species, paint a compelling picture of the critical role of the gut and its resident microbiota in several brain functions and disorders. The chemicals mediating communication along these sophisticated highways of the brain-gut-microbiome (BGM) axis include both microbiota metabolites and classical neurotransmitters. Amongst the latter, GABA is fundamental to brain function where it mediates the majority of neuronal inhibition.

Automated surveillance for surgical site infections (SSI) in hospitals and surveillance networks-expert perspectives for implementation.

Background: This work aims at providing practical recommendations for implementing automated surveillance (AS) of surgical site infections (SSI) in hospitals and surveillance networks. It also provides an overview of the steps, choices, and obstacles that need to be taken into consideration when implementing such surveillance. Hands-on experience with existing automated surveillance systems of SSI (AS SSI systems) in Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Spain is described regarding trend monitoring, benchmarking, quality control, and research for surveillance purposes.

Artificial intelligence and sexual reproductive health and rights: a technological leap towards achieving sustainable development goal target 3.7.

Target 3.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aims for universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by 2030, including family planning services, information, education, and integration into national strategies. In contemporary times, reproductive medicine is progressively incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance sperm cell prediction and selection, in vitro fertilisation models, infertility and pregnancy screening.

Technical evaluation of the InBios Strongy Detect IgG ELISA assay for the diagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection.

Background: Strongyloidiasis is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by the soil-transmitted helminth Strongyloides stercoralis, recently included in the 2030 targets of the World Health Organization for the control of STHs. Assessment of infection prevalence is fundamental for decision-making about the implementation of control programs, but diagnostic assays to be applied in such context require evaluation. Seroassays based on recombinant antigens, which could be produced in a standardized and scalable manner, are particularly appealing for use in control programs.

Increasing incidence of normal pressure hydrocephalus in Germany: an analysis of the Federal Statistical Office Database from 2005 to 2022.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a reversible cause of gait disturbances and dementia in the elderly, posing diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. In Germany, the epidemiology and surgical management of NPH are not well understood. This study aimed to characterise epidemiological trends and evaluate surgical management strategies for NPH in Germany.

RNAi of the elastomeric protein resilin reduces jump velocity and resilience to damage in locusts.

Resilin, an elastomeric protein with remarkable physical properties that outperforms synthetic rubbers, is a near-ubiquitous feature of the power amplification mechanisms used by jumping insects. Catapult-like mechanisms, which incorporate elastic energy stores formed from a composite of stiff cuticle and resilin, are frequently used by insects to translate slow muscle contractions into rapid-release recoil movements. The precise role of resilin in these jumping mechanisms remains unclear, however.

Predicting the infecting dengue serotype from antibody titre data using machine learning.

The development of a safe and efficacious vaccine that provides immunity against all four dengue virus serotypes is a priority, and a significant challenge for vaccine development has been defining and measuring serotype-specific outcomes and correlates of protection. The plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT) is the gold standard assay for measuring serotype-specific antibodies, but this test cannot differentiate homotypic and heterotypic antibodies and characterising the infection history is challenging. To address this, we present an analysis of pre- and post-infection antibody titres measured using the PRNT, collected from a prospective cohort of Thai children.

Probiotics prevent pegylated liposomal doxorubicin-associated hand-foot syndrome and oral mucositis of breast cancer patients following surgery and chemotherapy:a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) and oral mucositis (OM) are common adverse events during cancer chemotherapy and can significantly decrease patients' quality of life and chemotherapy adaptation, however, prevention strategies of these complications yet to be established.

Methods: Patients with stage I-III breast cancer, who had surgery and needed pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD)-based adjuvant chemotherapy were screened, recruited and randomly assigned to receive either probiotics or placebo (three capsules, twice/day) treatment during the course of chemotherapy from Nov. 2019 to Aug.

Conjugation Length Dependence of Intramolecular Singlet Fission in a Series of Regioregular Oligo 3-Alkyl(thienylene-vinylene)s.

Activated intramolecular singlet fission is known to occur in the conjugated polymer polythienylene-vinylene (P3TV). Instead, efficient intersystem crossing has been observed in a short 3-alkyl(thienylene-vinylene) dimer. Here, we investigate a series of oligomers covering the conjugation length gap between the dimer and polymer.