Long COVID-19 in pregnancy: increased risk but modest incidence following mild Omicron infection in a boosted obstetric cohort during endemicity.

Background: Significant heterogeneity has been reported in estimates of long-term sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnant women, and most studies were conducted pre-Omicron and pre-dated vaccination rollout. Less severe COVID-19 attributed to milder Omicron may potentially attenuate risk of post-COVID-19 sequelae.

Objective: We sought to examine long-term risk of new-incident multi-systemic sequelae following SARS-CoV-2 Delta/Omicron infection in a population-based cohort of pregnant women, contrasted against a)test-negatives; b)infected non-pregnant women of childbearing age.

Liquid-bodied antibiofilm robot with switchable viscoelastic response for biofilm eradication on complex surface topographies.

Recalcitrant biofilm infections pose a great challenge to human health. Micro- and nanorobots have been used to eliminate biofilm infections in hard-to-reach regions inside the body. However, applying antibiofilm robots under physiological conditions is limited by the conflicting demands of accessibility and driving force.

The role of excitations in supercooled liquids: Density, geometry, and relaxation dynamics.

Low-energy excitations play a key role in all condensed-matter systems, yet there is limited understanding of their nature in glasses, where they correspond to local rearrangements of groups of particles. Here, we introduce an algorithm to systematically uncover these excitations up to the activation energy scale relevant to structural relaxation. We use it in a model system to measure the density of states on a scale never achieved before, confirming that this quantity shifts to higher energy under cooling, precisely as the activation energy does.

Genomic epidemiology of Plasmodium knowlesi reveals putative genetic drivers of adaptation in Malaysia.

Sabah, Malaysia, has amongst the highest burden of human Plasmodium knowlesi infection in the world, associated with increasing encroachment on the parasite's macaque host habitat. However, the genomic make-up of P. knowlesi in Sabah was previously poorly understood.

Design Refinement of Catalytic System for Scale-Up Mild Nitrogen Photo-Fixation.

Ammonia and nitric acid, versatile industrial feedstocks, and burgeoning clean energy vectors hold immense promise for sustainable development. However, Haber-Bosch and Ostwald processes, which generates carbon dioxide as massive by-product, contribute to greenhouse effects and pose environmental challenges. Thus, the pursuit of nitrogen fixation through carbon-neutral pathways under benign conditions is a frontier of scientific topics, with the harnessing of solar energy emerging as an enticing and viable option.

Circulating Blood-Based Proteins in Psychopathology and Cognition: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Importance: Peripheral (blood-based) biomarkers for psychiatric illness could benefit diagnosis and treatment, but research to date has typically been low throughput, and traditional case-control studies are subject to potential confounds of treatment and other exposures. Large-scale 2-sample mendelian randomization (MR) can examine the potentially causal impact of circulating proteins on neuropsychiatric phenotypes without these confounds.

Objective: To identify circulating proteins associated with risk for schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) as well as cognitive task performance (CTP).

Boosted Scavenger-Free Overall Nitrogen Photofixation with Molybdenum Incorporated Bismuth-Rich Oxychlorides.

The design of highly efficient photocatalysts to photoreduce nitrogen (N) to ammonia (NH) under mild conditions is extremely challenging. In this work, various molar ratio of molybdenum (Mo) is incorporated into BiOCl via a hydrothermal process. The resulting Mo-doped BiOCl exhibits remarkable solar-driven activity for N photo fixation without any scavengers or sacrificial agents.

On-Chip Non-Volatile Reconfigurable Phase Change Topological Photonics.

Programmable on-chip terahertz (THz) topological photonic devices are poised to address the rising need for high-capacity data systems, offering broad bandwidth, minimal loss, and reconfigurability. However, current THz topological chips rely on volatile tuning mechanisms that require continuous power to function. Here, a nonvolatile, programmable THz topological silicon chip is demonstrated that integrates a waveguide-cavity coupled system with phase-change material, GeSbTe (GST), enabling persistent and efficient functionality without constant power input.

Boosting Non-Radiative Decay of Boron Difluoride Formazanate Dendrimers for NIR-II Photothermal Theranostics.

The development of small molecular dyes excitable in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000~1700 nm) is crucial for deep-tissue penetration and maximum permissible exposure in cancer photothermal theranostics. Herein, we employed a dendrimer engineering strategy to develop the boron difluoride formazanate (BDF) dye BDF-8OMe for photoacoustic imaging-mediated NIR-II photothermal therapy. BDF-8OMe, characterized by an increased molecular branching degree and extended π-conjugation, exhibited broad absorbance peaked at 905 nm, with the absorption tail extending to 1300 nm.

Prevalence of complexity in primary care and its associated factors: A Singapore experience.

Introduction: As the population ages, patient complexity is increasing, intensifying the demand for well-resourced, coordinated care. A deeper understanding of the factors contributing to this complexity is essential for optimising resource allocation. This study evaluates the prevalence of complex care needs in Singapore's primary care settings and identifies the factors associated with these needs.

An efficient deep learning-based strategy to screen inhibitors for GluN1/GluN3A receptor.

The GluN1/GluN3A receptor, a unique excitatory glycine receptor recently identified in the central nervous system, challenges traditional perspectives of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor diversity and glycinergic signaling. Its role in emotional regulation positions it as a potential therapeutic target for neuropsychiatric disorders. However, pharmacological research on GluN1/GluN3A receptors remains at an early stage.

Whose sleep matters? Untangling the relationships between maternal sleep, child sleep, and maternal depressive symptoms in the first two years of life.

Infants frequently experience sleep problems in early childhood. Poor infant sleep can impact not only infants' cognitive development but also maternal sleep and maternal mental health. Studies have reported associations between infant sleep and maternal sleep and between infant sleep and maternal depression.

Micro-3D sculptured metastructures with deep trenches for sub-10 μm resolution.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing allows for the construction of complex structures. However, 3D-printing vertical structures with a high aspect ratio remains a pending challenge, especially when a high lateral resolution is required. Here, to address this challenge, we propose and demonstrate micro-3D sculptured metastructures with deep trenches of 1:4 (width:height) aspect ratio for sub-10 µm resolution.

Practice and Outcome Trends of Peritoneal Dialysis in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients With Liver Cirrhosis and Chronic Heart Failure Complicated by Symptomatic Ascites-A Scoping Review.

Background: The rising growth of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) associated with chronic liver disease (CLD) and refractory chronic heart failure (CHF) associated with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) complicated by ascites presents serious renal replacement therapy (RRT) challenges. Haemodialysis is often poorly tolerated owing to increased hemodynamic instability, bleeding, and encephalopathy risks. Peritoneal dialysis (PD) has emerged as a promising alternative, but its adoption and efficacy are not consistently supported by existing literature, and there lacks guideline consensus.

Comparing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Antibiotic Use and Antimicrobial Resistance for Cats and/or Dogs amongst Pet Owners in Singapore: A Cross-sectional Study.

Antibiotic use in pets can contribute to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in both humans and pets. There is a paucity of data on pet owners' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic use in pets in Asia, despite increasing pet ownership. Therefore, we conducted a study to compare the knowledge, attitudes and practices of antibiotic use and AMR for pets amongst cat and/or dog owners in Singapore.

Vehicle trajectory fractal theory for macro-level highway crash rate analysis.

Vehicle trajectory data can reveal actual driving behavior patterns reflected by different road geometric designs, providing important insights for road safety analysis and improvements. This study aims to is to explore the correlation between vehicle trajectory fractal dimension (FD) and highway crash rate (CR) using large-scale telematics trajectory data. Specifically, we propose three methods to measure the FD of vehicle trajectories, and developed fractal parameter estimation technology.

Recent advances in recycling and upcycling of hazardous plastic waste: A review.

Plastic is a widely used material across various industries, including construction, packaging, healthcare, and automotive, among others. Global plastic production was estimated at 311 million tonnes in 2014 and is expected to double within two decades, continuing to rise towards 2050. As plastic pollution poses significant environmental and health risks, effective recycling and upcycling strategies are crucial for sustainable waste management.

Dynamic Covalent Hydrogels for Wound Healing.

Given their hydrophilic nature, hydrogels have shown great potential as wound dressing materials. However, traditional hydrogel dressing materials are static and do not adapt to dynamic wound environments, which in turn limits their wound healing efficacy. Introducing dynamic covalent chemistries can be an effective strategy to improve hydrogel properties for effective wound healing, such as shape adaptability, stimuli responsiveness, self-healing capability, and antibacterial properties.

Dual Type-II Colloidal Quantum Wells for Efficient Nonlinear Optical Limiting.

Colloidal II-VI nanocrystals have garnered significant research attention in nonlinear optical applications due to their low-cost synthesis, photophysical tunability, and ease of device integration. Herein, we report that dual-type II CdSe/CdTe/CdSe colloidal quantum wells (CQWs) with core/crown/crown structures achieve remarkable nonlinear optical limiting capabilities driven by an exceptionally large nonlinear absorption coefficient. Open aperture -scan reveals that these dual-type II CQWs exhibit a third-order nonlinear absorption coefficient of 33.

Trends in Choroidal Vascularity Index in Cognitively Normal Individuals.

Purpose: To establish a normative database of choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in cognitively normal adults.

Methods: Cognitively healthy volunteers who had a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 23 or higher were included. Exclusion criteria included diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled hypertension, glaucoma, optic neuropathy, vitreoretinal disorders, intraocular surgery other than cataract or refractive, and visual acuity worse than 20/40.

Interfacing with the Brain: How Nanotechnology Can Contribute.

Interfacing artificial devices with the human brain is the central goal of neurotechnology. Yet, our imaginations are often limited by currently available paradigms and technologies. Suggestions for brain-machine interfaces have changed over time, along with the available technology.

Quantum Wells in Magnesium-Manganese Bimetallic Antiperovskites for High Luminescence.

Perovskite has attracted extensive attention in the realm of photovoltaic and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on account of its outstanding photoelectric properties. Perovskite-type quantum wells (QW) have been developed for high-efficiency perovskite-type LEDs. However, there are few reports on the in situ quantum well structure formed by a bimetallic antiperovskite and its properties.

Breathing Laser-Spectral Mapping of Cavity-Enhanced Redox Reactions with Subcellular Resolution.

Precise and dynamic observation of redox reactions in living organisms holds significant importance for the study of physiological processes and pathological mechanisms. However, the current technologies still make it challenging to monitor this process in a nondestructive and highly sensitive manner. Herein, we introduced a bioactive laser approach for ultrasensitive and real-time monitoring of intracellular redox reactions.