Development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative clinical trial operations training program for Africa (ClinOps).

Background: Africa's involvement in clinical trials remains very low. Although the crucial role of training initiatives in building clinical trial capacity in Africa has been documented, current efforts fall short as they lack alignment with local contexts. This study aimed to design, develop, implement, and evaluate an innovative clinical trial operations training program for Africa.

Household dietary diversity and associated factors in rural and peri-urban areas of Mbale District, Eastern Uganda.

Background: Globally, the importance of dietary diversity in addressing malnutrition and promoting overall health is increasingly being recognized. However, increasing urbanization has led to shifts in dietary preferences, food consumption patterns, and a greater reliance on less nutritious processed foods. Efforts to address these challenges have been futile, as nutrition in peri-urban areas often receives less attention, with food and nutrition insecurity typically seen as a rural issue.

Enhancing salt stress tolerance in Carthamus tinctorius L. through selenium soil treatment: anatomical, biochemical, and physiological insights.

Selenium (Se) plays a crucial role in ameliorating the negative impact of abiotic stress. The present study was performed to elucidate the efficacy of soil treatment of Se in reducing salt-induced stress in Carthamus tinctorius L. In this study, three different levels of NaSeO (0, 0.

Population genetic structure of Phaedranassa cinerea Ravenna (Amaryllidaceae) and conservation implications.

Background: Andean orography has shaped the endemism of plant species in montane forests, creating a mosaic of habitats in small and isolated areas. Understanding these endemic species' genetic diversity patterns is crucial for their conservation. Phaedranassa cinerea (Amaryllidaceae), a species restricted to the western Andes of Ecuador, is listed as "vulnerable" according to the IUCN criteria.

Single-stage intramedullary nailing for patients with multiple concurrent long-bone fractures in a low-resource setting: what factors contribute to prolonged operative duration?

Purpose: To investigate the factors that prolonged the operative duration (OD) in patients who underwent single-stage locked intramedullary nailing of their multiple concurrent long-bone fractures (LBFs) using Surgical Implant Generation Network (SIGN) nails.

Methods: Forty-nine patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were enrolled prospectively over 8½ years. Data collected included age, sex, injury mechanism and severity, fracture characteristics, nail types and diameter, OD, fracture-to-fixation time, length of hospital stay (LOS), functional outcomes and complications.

Degradation of Rhodamine B dye using the mesoporous material KIT-6/TiO photocatalyst obtained by in situ anchoring method.

In this study, a novel synthesis approach was employed to create the KIT-6/TiO photocatalyst with different ratios of Si/Ti. The results of the X-ray diffraction revealed that incorporating TiO with the anatase phase maintained the mesoporous structure of KIT-6 (Korean Institute of Technology 6). The scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images exhibited unobstructed mesopores, validating their anchoring within the internal structure of the support.

Quality of referrals and adherence to guidelines for adult patients with minimal to moderate head injuries in a selection of Norwegian hospitals.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess adherence to the Scandinavian guidelines, the justification of referrals, and the quality of referrals of patients with mild, minimal, and moderate head injuries in a selection of Norwegian hospitals.

Methods: We collected 283 head CT referrals for head trauma patients at one hospital trust in Norway in 2022. The data included the patients' sex, age, and the referral text.

Prevalence, incidence, and complications of malnutrition in severely injured patients.

Background: Severely injured patients may suffer from acute disease-related or injury-related malnutrition involving a marked inflammatory response. This study investigated the prevalence and incidence of malnutrition and its relation with complications in severely injured patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: This observational prospective cohort study included severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score ≥ 16), admitted to the ICU of five level-1 trauma centers in the Netherlands and United States.

Reinforcement learning based route optimization model to enhance energy efficiency in internet of vehicles.

The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) transforms the automobile industry through connected vehicles with communication infrastructure that improves traffic control, safety and information, and entertainment services. However, some issues remain, like data protection, privacy, compatibility with other protocols and systems, and the availability of stable and continuous connections. Specific problems are related to energy consumption for transmitting information, distributing energy loads across the vehicle's sensors and communication units, and designing energy-efficient approaches to processing received data and making decisions in the context of the IoV environment.

In vivo and in silico study of europinidin against streptozotocin-isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage via alteration of hs-CRP/CPK-MB/Caspase-3/Bcl-2 pathways.

Europinidin is a novel anthocyanidin found in the petals of Plumbago europea that exhibits several physiological effects. Research was conducted to assess europinidin's cardioprotective efficacy in a diabetic and myocardial infarction (MI) experimental model. Rat was injected through the intraperitoneal administration of 45 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ), while MI was induced by subcutaneously administering 85 mg/kg of isoproterenol (ISP) at 24 and 48 h prior to the sacrifice procedure.

Influence of different priming treatments on germination potential and seedling establishment of four important hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars.

Medicinal hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) is gaining popularity due to its natural products with potential therapeutic properties, and its cultivation has recently been initiated in developing countries such as Turkey, Iran, India, and Pakistan. The crop is primarily grown using feminized seeds or popular varieties to achieve higher cannabidiol (CBD) yields, with seeds costing approximately $5-10 each.

Impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on physical activity levels in different sub-populations of Iranians: a national survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of physical activity (PA) has been reported to decrease worldwide. A sedentary lifestyle is widely recognized as a significant risk factor for various diseases, necessitating extensive big data analysis to uncover the diverse aspects linked to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PA levels across diverse population subsets in Iran and to identify the barriers to PA during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak.

Hyaluronic acid-silybin conjugate for the preparation of multifunctional, biomimetic, vancomycin-loaded self-assembled polymersomes against bacterial sepsis.

Sepsis, a life-threatening disruption, remains a significant global healthcare challenge that urgently needs novel strategies to improve management. This study aimed to develop multifunctional vancomycin-loaded polymersomes (VCM-HA-SIL-Ps) using a novel hyaluronic acid-silybin (HA-SIL) conjugate to target the TLR inflammatory pathway and enhance VCM's efficacy against bacterial sepsis. HA-SIL was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and H NMR.

Enhancing performance of in-situ synthesized biocompatible shape memory polyurethane acrylate by cellulose nanocrystals.

This study presents the development of biocompatible and biodegradable nanocomposites utilizing renewable cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) in polycaprolactone (PCL)-based polyurethane acrylates (PUA) through in situ polymerization. First, CNCs were derived from cotton linter via acid hydrolysis; then functionalized with 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane to produce silane-modified CNCs (S-CNCs). CNCs offered uniform dispersion in PUA up to 2 wt% loading, resulting in significant property enhancements, including ∼60 % increase in tensile strength and ∼25 % increase in Young's modulus.

Exploiting novel placental homing peptides for targeted drug delivery in breast Cancer.

More effective drug formulations are needed to increase the selectivity and efficacy of available chemotherapeutics. We have previously shown that nanoparticles decorated with the tumour homing peptide CGKRK can selectively deliver payloads to the placenta. In this study, we investigated whether two novel placental homing peptides NKGLRNK (NKG) and RSGVAKS (RSG) can be utilized to selectively deliver doxorubicin (DOX) to breast cancer cells.

Ethnoveterinary medicines used by smallholder farmers for treatment of goat ailments in Chikomba, Murewa, Gutu and Mwenezi districts of Zimbabwe: is there cultural consensus in use practices?

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Zimbabwe is a key biodiversity domain in sub-Saharan Africa and ethnoveterinary medicines play an integral role in livestock health. However, knowledge on whether plants are used by only a small proportion of people or whether similar uses exist in different communities and in a more regional context is incompletely documented.

Aim Of The Study: Firstly, the study documented plant-based complementary medicines used for managing goat ailments.

Investigating the protective effects of luteolin and gallic acid from Luffa acutangula L. (Roxb.) amara (Roxb.) C. B. Clarke. Fruit pericarp against alcohol-induced liver toxicity: Extraction, bioactivity-guided fractionation, molecular docking, and dynamics studies.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Luffa acutangula var. amara (Roxb.) C.

Use of alternatives to animal testing for Environmental Safety Assessment (ESA): Report from the 2023 EPAA partners' forum.

Environmental Safety Assessments (ESA) are mandatory for several regulatory purposes and are an important component of stewardship/sustainability initiatives. Fish testing is used for assessing chemical toxicity and bioaccumulation potential; amphibians are included in some jurisdictions and their use is increasing to assess endocrine disruption. Alternative methods are becoming more available, covering the principles of the 3Rs (i.

A sensor-based study on the environmental determinants of sleep in older adults.

Introduction: The residential environment is hypothesized to influence sleep quality within urban settings. Factors associated with the residential environment include air and noise pollution, area socioeconomic status, green and blue spaces, and other neighborhood features. This study seeks to quantify the association of selected environmental factors with sleep quality in the daily lives of 211 older adults residing in the Paris metropolitan area with sensor-based methods.

Feasibility, Acceptability and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Manualized Lay-Led Food Literacy Intervention for Women in a Community Setting.

Food literacy (FL) is the capability to make healthy food choices in different settings, contexts, and situations. Addressing factors such as competencies, self-efficacy and social norms enables sustainable positive change in nutrition behaviour. This study assesses the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a lay-led FL intervention for Arabic and Hebrew-speaking women in community settings, utilizing a train-the-trainer model.

A global review on perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in the riverine systems: Environmental behaviours and risks implications.

This review provides a comprehensive global overview of the occurrences, distribution, emissions, and associated risks of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in riverine systems across both developed and developing countries including the United States (US), Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Pakistan, China, Korea, Vietnam, Italy, and Japan. Data for this review were systematically gathered through a comprehensive and structured search process using various databases, search engines, and academic repositories to identify relevant literature and studies. Human health risks were assessed using recommended United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) models, including estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard risk (HR), and hazard index (HI) for each reported PFAA compound in the studied countries.

Controlling the stability of monodisperse phospholipid-coated microbubbles by tuning their buckling pressure.

Hypothesis: Monodisperse phospholipid-coated microbubbles, with a size and resonance frequency tuned to the ultrasound driving frequency, have strong potential to enhance sensitivity, efficiency, and control in emerging diagnostic and therapeutic applications involving bubbles and ultrasound. A key requirement is that they retain their gas volume and shell material during physiologic pressure changes and withstand the overpressure during intravenous injection. The shell typically comprises a mixture of a phospholipid (e.

Granisetron ameliorates doxorubicin-evoked nephrotoxicity via modulation of Nrf2 and TLR4/p38 MAPK/NLRP3 signals in rats.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline chemotherapy employed in treating malignancies. Unfortunately, the clinical application of DOX is limited due to its nephrotoxicity. Granisetron (GRAN) is a 5-HT3 receptor blocker used widely to manage post-chemotherapy nausea and vomiting with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and anti-apoptotic bioactivities.

Long-term transfer of Cs in sensitive agricultural environments after the Chornobyl fallout in Sweden.

In this study, the long-term transfer of Cs from soil to grass on Swedish farms and fields, heavily contaminated after the 1986 radioactive fallout, was investigated. The study spans over 8-14 years, beginning in June 1986, and covers various soil types and agricultural practices. The transfer of Cs from soil to grass was highly variable, with transfer factors ranging from 1.