Social risk factors and cancer prevention care among patients in community health-care settings.

Background: Social risks are negatively associated with receipt of cancer preventive care. As knowledge is lacking on the pathways underlying these associations, we investigated associations between patient-reported social risks and colorectal cancer (CRC), cervical cancer, and breast cancer screening order provision and screening completion.

Methods: This study included patients eligible for CRC, cervical cancer, or breast cancer screening at 186 community-based clinics between July 1, 2015, and February 29, 2020.

Liraglutide improves cognition function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats by downregulating β-secretase and γ-secretase and alleviating oxidative stress in HT-22 cells.

Diabetes has been regarded as an independent risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Liraglutide could improve cognition in AD mouse models, but its precise mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used STZ-induced diabetic rats and HT-22 cells to investigate the effects of liraglutide.

Operative caseload of general surgeons working in a rural hospital in Central Australia.

Background: There is limited published data on the caseload of general surgeons in Central Australia. The region has a significant Indigenous population, who often face higher rates of chronic diseases and require more frequent surgical interventions compared to non-Indigenous individuals. This study aims to outline the workload of surgeons at Alice Springs Hospital to determine the necessary skill set and surgical education for future surgeons.

Detection of Aβ40 in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of Alzheimer's disease patients using photoelectrochemical biosensors.

An ultra-sensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor for amyloid-beta 40 (Aβ40), a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD), was developed using g-C₃N₄ modified with gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) to form Au-C₃N₄. This was further combined with TiO₂ to create a tightly bonded TiO₂/Au-C₃N₄ heterojunction, leading to a highly responsive photocatalytic process. Furthermore, the incorporation of noble metal Au NPs not only enhances photocurrent generation but also securely immobilizes the aptamer through Au-S bonds, providing additional surface binding sites.

Optimizing Hospital Bed Capacity and Resource Allocation Using Inflow and Outflow Indices for Effective Healthcare Management.

This study analyzes hospital bed capacity and resource allocation using inflow and outflow indices to identify disparities in bed utilization. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for effective healthcare management, particularly in the allocation of specialized beds such as those in intensive care units (ICU). Despite a high bed-to-population ratio, South Korea faces regional disparities in bed distribution, especially in Seoul, which accounts for 12.

Contribution margins and utilization of transcatheter aortic valve replacement versus surgical aortic valve replacement in the Medicare population.

Background: Hospitals and health systems must balance the demand for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) against financial sustainability. Patients may be eligible for both TAVR and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), but financial realities for hospitals may affect differential access to those therapies. We sought to understand the landscape of costs and reimbursement for TAVR and SAVR in the US and to understand the association of procedural reimbursement with receipt of either.

Peptide-Based Prodrug Approaches for Cancer Nanomedicine.

Peptide-based prodrugs, such as peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), are currently being developed for cancer therapy. PDCs are considered single-component nanomedicines with various functionalities. The peptide moieties provide stability to the PDCs, which self-assemble into nanostructures in an aqueous medium.

ABA-activated low-nanomolar Ca-CPK signalling controls root cap cycle plasticity and stress adaptation.

Abscisic acid (ABA) regulates plant stress adaptation, growth and reproduction. Despite extensive ABA-Ca signalling links, imaging ABA-induced increases in Ca concentration has been challenging, except in guard cells. Here we visualize ABA-triggered [Ca] dynamics in diverse organs and cell types of Arabidopsis thaliana using a genetically encoded Ca ratiometric sensor with a low-nanomolar Ca-binding affinity and a large dynamic range.

The Application of Sleep Deprivation Combined With Chloral Hydrate on Pediatric Dermatological Surgery.

Background: In small dermatological surgeries for infant and child patients, it is required that the child be in a quiet state. However, general anesthesia not only requires the participation of professional anesthesiologists for surgery but also has a high cost and anesthesia risks. Parents have a low acceptance rate.

Pitfalls in Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

Errors and pitfalls associated with the performance of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) are common and can stem from errors in image acquisition, interpretation, and clinical integration. In this article, the author discuss the technical and cognitive mechanisms involved and propose a framework in systematically approaching potential errors in POCUS, as well as strategies to mitigate them.

Principles and Practice of Internal Medicine Point-of-Care Ultrasound.

While point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use is expanding within Internal Medicine, basic yet important practices and key infrastructure are frequently underutilized. This is appropriately raising concerns that patients may be unintentionally harmed by POCUS. To mitigate this risk, this article advocates for ensuring POCUS users have adequate training to include understanding limitations and pitfalls arising from acquisition, interpretation, and clinical integration.

Ribosomal protein S3A (RPS3A), as a transcription regulator of colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1), promotes glioma progression through regulating the recruitment and autophagy-mediated M2 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages.

Dysregulated expression of ribosomal protein S3A (RPS3A) is associated with the tissue infiltration of immune-related cells in a variety of cancers. However, the role of RPS3A in immune cell infiltration in glioma remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of RPS3A in the glioma immune microenvironment.

Evaluation of the diagnostic techniques in the detection of hookworm infestation among school children in Ethiopia: Cross-sectional study design.

Background: Hookworm infestation is an important public health concern especially in regions with poor sanitation and limited resources. In healthcare institutions in Ethiopia, wet mount microscopy with low performance has been used as the sole diagnostic technique. Sensitive diagnostic methods are essential for the proper identification of hookworm infection in national strategies for hookworm prevention and management.

Multi-Institutional Evaluation and Training of Breast Density Classification AI Algorithm Using ACR Connect and AI-LAB.

Objective: To demonstrate and test the capabilities of the ACR Connect and AI-LAB software platform by implementing multi-institutional artificial intelligence (AI) training and validation for breast density classification.

Methods: In this proof-of-concept study, six US-based hospitals installed Connect and AI-LAB. A breast density algorithm was trained and tested on retrospective mammograms.