Long-Term Follow-Up of Kidney Function after Acute Liver Failure or Acute Liver Injury: A Cohort Study.

Introduction: Acute liver failure (ALF) is a rare disease with high mortality. Acute kidney injury (AKI) following ALF is frequent. We assessed AKI impact on long-term kidney function among ALF survivors.

Consensus for the Development of a New Early Warning Score for Predicting Patients' Clinical Deterioration in Angola: A Delphi Study.

Nearly 30 years since its inception, the early warning scores (EWSs) remain pivotal, yet variations have emerged for hospital and prehospital use. Aggregated scores, reflecting multiple physiological parameters, outperform single-parameter systems in assessing acute illness severity, though consensus on optimal approaches is lacking. Resource-limited countries, including Angola, lack adapted EWSs, emphasizing the need for cost-effective and adaptable solutions to enhance patient care.

Signal Quality in Continuous Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry.

Bilirubin is a product of the metabolism of hemoglobin from red blood cells. Higher levels of bilirubin are a sign that either there is an unusual breaking down rate of red blood cells or the liver is not able to eliminate bilirubin, through bile, into the gastrointestinal tract. For adults, bilirubin is occasionally monitored through urine or invasive blood sampling, whilst all newborns are routinely monitored visually, or non-invasively with transcutaneous measurements (TcBs), due to their biological immaturity to conjugate bilirubin.

Physical and Mental Components of Quality of Life after a Cardiac Rehabilitation Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This study aimed to analyze the effect of cardiac rehabilitation programs on the health-related quality of life of patients after a coronary cardiac event using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for up to 6 months of evaluation. : A comprehensive search was carried out in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, CENTRAL, and Web of Science databases for randomized controlled trials comparing the cardiac rehabilitation program with usual care. Two independent reviewers assessed the studies for inclusion, risk of bias using the Cochrane tool, and quality of evidence through the GRADE system.

Ionic Liquid Crystals as Chromogenic Materials.

Ionic liquid crystals (ILCs), a class of soft matter materials whose properties can be tuned by the wise pairing of the cation and anion, have recently emerged as promising candidates for different applications, combining the characteristics of ionic liquids and liquid crystals. Among those potential uses, this review aims to cover chromogenic ILCs. In this context, examples of photo-, electro- and thermochromism based on ILCs are provided.

Aquatic Biomaterial Repositories: Comprehensive Guidelines, Recommendations, and Best Practices for Their Development, Establishment, and Sustainable Operation.

The alarming pace of species extinction severely threatens terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, undermining the crucial ecological services vital for environmental sustainability and human well-being. Anthropogenic activities, such as urbanization, agriculture, industrialization, and those inducing climate change, intensify these risks, further imperiling biodiversity. Of particular importance are aquatic organisms, pivotal in biodiscovery and biotechnology.

Investigation of biochars derived from waste lignocellulosic biomass and insulation electric cables: A comprehensive TGA and Macro-TGA analysis.

This study investigates the thermochemical decomposition and gasification performance of biochars produced from blends of waste lignocellulosic biomass and waste insulation electrical cables at varying temperatures. Characterization tests revealed changes, particularly in ash content (27.5 %-34 %) and elemental composition, with nitrogen content increasing notably in biochar samples compared to the original feedstock.

Sexual Practices and HIV Risk Perception Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Brazil.

To investigate sexual practices and HIV risk perception among MSM, identifying associated risk factors and determinants. A cross-sectional epidemiological study was conducted with 144 MSM in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil, using the snowball sampling technique. Participants were recruited via snowball sampling and underwent rapid HIV testing, in addition to completing questionnaires on sexual practices, risk perception, and illicit drug use.

Legislation and policy for involuntary mental healthcare across countries in the FOSTREN network: rationale, development of mapping survey and protocol.

Background: Several countries are currently revising or have already revised their mental health laws to align with the global movement to reduce the use of coercive care. No government has yet fully implemented the recommendation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to eliminate the use of coercion in mental healthcare. Consequently, the international field of mental health law and policy is in a degree of flux.

Inferring Diagnostic and Prognostic Gene Expression Signatures Across WHO Glioma Classifications: A Network-Based Approach.

Tumor heterogeneity is a challenge to designing effective and targeted therapies. Glioma-type identification depends on specific molecular and histological features, which are defined by the official World Health Organization (WHO) classification of the central nervous system (CNS). These guidelines are constantly updated to support the diagnosis process, which affects all the successive clinical decisions.

Functional Assessment of >18 Years Old Patients at Internal Medicine Ward-Relationship with In-Hospital and 30-Day Mortality.

Objective: To evaluate the connection between the items included in the AVD-DezIs score (a questionnaire about basic and instrumental activities of daily living and other topics related to social and personal life) and in-hospital and 30-day mortality after discharge.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of hospitalizations in the Internal Medicine ward from 2014 to 2020, including >18 years old patients with a fully completed AVD-DezIs. To identify in-hospital and 30 days mortality, univariate and multivariate logistic models were applied, including random effects if justified.

Developing Core Indicators for Evaluating Second Victim Programs: An International Consensus Approach.

Objectives: To establish a consensus for evaluating second victims (SV) support interventions to facilitate comparison over time and across different organizations.

Methods: A three-phase qualitative study was conducted from June 2023 to March 2024. This consensus approach engaged members of the European Researchers Network Working on Second Victims.

Reframing the role of communication in consensual and/or ethical (non)monogamies: A proposal for a change in academic terminology.

In this essay, I focus on the politics and impacts of naming, especially in the social and human sciences, and more specifically on studies that focus on subordinated or discriminated groups. Through this essay, I argue that naming conventions are some of the most important - and dangerous - tools and acts that researchers have at their disposal and, thus, should be employed with the utmost care. Considering the ongoing discussions - both inside and outside of academia - around the terms "consensual non-monogamies" and "ethical non-monogamies", this essay proposes a novel solution to help create less morally-slanted, and overreaching, hypernyms, or umbrella terms.

Current clinical framework on nitric oxide role in periodontal disease and blood pressure.

Objectives: In this review, we explored potential associations between NO and its derivatives, nitrite and nitrate, with periodontal and cardiovascular diseases, with special emphasis on the former. By providing a state-of-the-art and integrative understanding of this topic, we aimed to shed light on the potential role of these three nitrogen oxides in the periodontitis-hypertension nexus, identify knowledge gaps, and point out critical aspects of the experimental methodologies.

Materials And Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted on human salivary and plasma concentrations of nitrate and nitrite, and their impact on periodontal and cardiovascular health.

Impregnation of different lanthanides in a covalent organic framework (RIO-55) to a chemical determination of dopants substances.

Ionic Covalent Organic Frameworks are a special subgroup that has risen as promising materials for innovative applications. In parallel, some of the so-called Reticular Innovative Organic compounds (RIOs), which are ionic and non-ionic porous materials have been used with great versatility, for several purposes. In this work, the ionic dye-based RIO-55 was chosen to capture a series of lanthanides (Eu, Gd, Dy, and Tb) from water, observing their affinity with the lattice and the performance of the adsorbent.

Photon shifting and trapping in perovskite solar cells for improved efficiency and stability.

Advanced light management techniques can enhance the sunlight absorption of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). When located at the front, they may act as a UV barrier, which is paramount for protecting the perovskite layer against UV-enabled degradation. Although it was recently shown that photonic structures such as Escher-like patterns could approach the theoretical Lambertian-limit of light trapping, it remains challenging to also implement UV protection properties for these diffractive structures while maintaining broadband absorption gains.

From HIV to Mpox: Socio-discursive Analysis of Communicable Diseases, Stigma, and Pathologization in Sexual Minorities in Brazil.

Discrimination and stigma are significant barriers to healthcare for the LGBTQIAPN+ community, necessitating a deeper analysis of their sociocultural causes. There is a notable gap in the literature regarding the understanding of socio-discursive representations and their impact on the stigmatization and pathologization of sexual minorities in the context of communicable diseases. This study aims to discuss the understanding of the sociodiscursive aspects of the health-disease process, particularly in stigmatized infectious diseases affecting the LGBTQIAPN+ community.

Polyoxometalate-Ionic Liquids for Mitigating the Effects of Iron Gall Ink Corrosion on Cellulosic Supports.

Iron gall ink (IGI), renowned for its indelibility, was the most important writing ink in the Western world from the 15th to the late 19th century. However, it is now known that IGIs induce acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and iron-catalyzed oxidation of the cellulose in historical paper documents. These mechanisms of deterioration cause significant damage to the writing support materials, including color alteration and burn-through appearance, and in the worst scenarios, physical disintegration of the supports.

Current use of patient-reported outcome measures by musculoskeletal physiotherapists in Portugal.

Background: Musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of disability, requiring continuous outcome measurement, including the utilization of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Objective: The aims of the study were a) to characterize the use PROMs by Portuguese physiotherapists in patients with musculoskeletal conditions; b) to analyze the associated factors of their use and; c) to identify the barriers and facilitators to their implementation.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was carried out with musculoskeletal physiotherapists working in Portugal.

Human Activity Recognition, Monitoring, and Analysis Facilitated by Novel and Widespread Applications of Sensors.

The Special Issue has received a total of 30 submissions so far, and from these, this new edition will publish 10 academic articles [...