Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis: A Rare Diagnosis in Pediatric Age.

Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (AI-PAP) is a rare condition, especially in children. The clinical presentation ranges from asymptomatic forms to respiratory distress requiring ventilation. We describe the case of a 13-year-old adolescent male who presented to the emergency department with acute pleuritic chest pain not associated with systemic complaints.

Morin-Loaded Chitosan-Poloxamer Hydrogel as an Osteoinductive Delivery System for Endodontic Applications.

Considering the search for new biocompatible intracanal medicaments that can preserve remaining cells and stimulate bone tissue repair in the periapical region, this study aimed to synthesize and characterize the physicochemical properties of morin-loaded chitosan-poloxamer hydrogel (MCP) as well as to evaluate its osteogenic potential. Morin hydrate (M) was loaded into chitosan-poloxamer (CP) hydrogel and the resulting particles were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-vis spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy. Biological assays evaluated the metabolic activity, cell morphology and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of human bone marrow stem cells (HBMSC) in three different settings, such as the exposure to dissolved morin, hydrogel's leachates and assembled particles by indirect contact.

The impact of long COVID on quality of life and work performance among healthcare workers in Portugal.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a multisystem infectious disease which affected 5.7 million people in Portugal. A subgroup of patients experienced long-term effects from the infection, now referred to as long COVID.

Cerebrovascular events induced by venomous snake bites: A systematic review.

Snake bites represent a critical public health issue, affecting approximately 2.7 million people globally each year. Around 20 % of snake species are venomous, and their venom contains a complex array of toxins that can cause multi-organ damage, particularly affecting the nervous system, leading to both ischemic and hemorrhagic cerebrovascular events.

Performance analysis of steel W18CR4V grinding using RSM, DNN-GA, KNN, LM, DT, SVM models, and optimization via desirability function and MOGWO.

This study presents an innovative approach to optimizing the grinding process of W18CR4V steel, a high-performance material used in reamer manufacturing, using advanced machine learning models and multi-objective optimization techniques. The novel combination of Deep Neural Networks with Genetic Algorithm (DNN-GA), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Levenberg-Marquardt (LM), Decision Trees (DT), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) was employed to predict key process outcomes, such as surface roughness (Ra), maximum roughness height (Rz), and production time. The results reveal significant improvements, with Ra values ranging from 0.

Students' summer internships in a research centre: The impact on scientific literacy and the choice of a career in the STEM fields.

Science communication is crucial for engaging society in real-life contexts. In this line of thought, research centres play a pivotal role in promoting dynamic and interactive communication that enables science to be disseminated. This study constitutes a qualitative research based on a case study involving middle school students, researchers and teachers, which took place in a research centre in Portugal that provided a two-week internship experience for students.

ScientISST CORE: A novel hardware development platform for biomedical engineering.

Today, the use of biosignals is no longer limited to the traditional healthcare and medical domains, thanks to the application of biomedical engineering principles and devices in other domains, paving the way to the broader field of physiological computing. The increasing interest from the global engineering community, together with the challenges associated with the stringent requirements of biosignal acquisition, have motivated the development of enabling low-cost instruments for physiological sensing. Still, the use of some of these instruments in experimental activities and practical projects is still bounded by the cost and limited access to adequate support materials.

The impact of a school-based physical activity program on children's movement behaviors, aerobic fitness and motor competence: a follow up study.

Objective: This study evaluated the one-year impact of a 12-week school-based physical activity (PA) intervention, which added one extra hour of structured PA per week, on children's movement behaviors, aerobic fitness, and motor competence (MC).

Methods: A longitudinal comparison between an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG) was conducted at baseline (PRE), mid-intervention (DUR), post-intervention (POST), and one-year follow-up (FUP). The study was conducted in a single school without randomization.

Paraphrase and translation: the importance of being close.

This article explores the concept of paraphrasing within computational linguistics, seeking to enrich its understanding by drawing parallels with translation studies and especially machine translation. It highlights the existence of two distinct yet related tasks: paraphrase generation and paraphrase detection, as well as points out the many (sometimes implicit) contact points in evaluation in both translation and paraphrasing. We claim that the concept of near-synonymy or near- equivalence is a shared concern of both disciplines, and its formalization should be pursued.

Machine and deep learning to predict viral fusion peptides.

Viral fusion proteins, located on the surface of enveloped viruses like SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and HIV, play a vital role in fusing the virus envelope with the host cell membrane. Fusion peptides, conserved segments within these proteins, are crucial for the fusion process and are potential targets for therapy. Experimental identification of fusion peptides is time-consuming and costly, which creates the need for bioinformatics tools that can predict the segment within the fusion protein sequence that corresponds to the FP.

Thoracic autonomic nervous system surgery current application-a survey among members of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Background: Thoracic autonomic nervous system surgery is mainly used for hyperhidrosis/facial flushing, whereas cardiac and vascular indications are limited. The literature remains controversial regarding the correct indications and surgical technique, with the lack of homogeneous data being a major limitation. We designed a survey to investigate current practice among members of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS).

"Pathologists in Venice - Real World Cases for an Immersive Training Experience": Education, Gaming, and Show.

An international meeting entitled "Pathologists in Venice: Real World Cases for an Immersive Training Experience" took place on December 12 and 13, 2024 in Venice, Italy. More than 100 pathologists from all over the world were brought together to join four opinion leaders in different pathology fields. By matching real-time whole slide imaging-based navigation exposure with a technologically cutting-edge gaming format, the meeting engaged and provided the attendees with an innovative and immersive educational approach to real-world compelling scenarios they are likely to encounter in their daily practice.

Relevance of persistent perfusion deficits on clinical outcomes after successful endovascular treatment: a prospective serial magnetic resonance study.

Background: Half of the patients who undergo successful recanalization after endovascular treatment (EVT) experience poor clinical outcomes. Impaired microvascular reperfusion (IMR) may explain this lack of improvement, but its frequency and clinical significance remain unclear. The study aims to describe the frequency and associated factors of IMR.

Bronchodilator responsiveness and future chronic airflow obstruction: a multinational longitudinal study.

Background: Bronchodilator responsiveness testing is mainly used for diagnosing asthma. We aimed to investigate whether it is associated with progression to chronic airflow obstruction over time.

Methods: The multinational Burden of Obstructive Lung Disease cohort study surveyed adults, aged 40 years and above, at baseline and followed them up after a mean of 9.

Miniaturized assay to evaluate Plasmodium cynomolgi and P. knowlesi as models for prioritizing P. vivax vaccine targets.

Plasmodium vivax vaccine discovery lags behind P. falciparum due to the absence of a reliable in vitro culture system. We developed a miniature 384-well assay for the evolutionarily related parasite species P.

Bioengineered Tumor-Stroma Prostate Cancer In Vitro Models for Screening Therapeutics.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are increasingly recognized to have a high impact on prostate tumor growth and drug resistance. Here, we bioengineered organotypic prostate cancer 3D in vitro models to better understand tumor-stroma interplay, the metabolomic profile underlying such interactions, and their impact on standard-of-care therapeutics performance. The assembly of robust and uniform spheroids was evaluated and compared in monotypic PC-3 and heterotypic microtumors comprised of either a healthy or malignant stroma and prostate cancer cells.

The challenges of stillness: a longitudinal study about the associations between mothers' violations of the still-face, infant patterns of regulatory behavior, mother-infant interactive behavior, and infant attachment.

Background: During the still-face (SF) episode of the Face-to-Face Still-Face paradigm (FFSF), mothers are instructed to remain still, unresponsive, and silent. However, some participants do not comply with these instructions, and researchers typically exclude them from their analyses. These mothers report feelings of anxiety and discomfort during SF.

Patterns and predictors of 12-month treatment of common anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders in the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys: treatment in the context of perceived need.

Background: Data from the World Mental Health (WMH) surveys on the coverage cascade has underscored the importance of perceived need for seeking treatment of mental disorders. However, little research has focused on treatment contact after adjusting for perceived need. We do so here in analysis of WMH data.

Energy potential of elephant grass broth as biomass for biogas production.

The growing demand for clean energy has highlighted plant biomass as a valuable alternative, supporting sustainable development goals. Elephant grass (EG) is a promising feedstock due to its adaptability to diverse soils and climates, high dry matter production, and substantial energy yield. This study aimed to evaluate and characterize six selected EG genotypes (BRS Capiaçu, T_23.

Navigating biodiversity patterns in fragmented seagrass mosaics.

Human-driven fragmentation of natural habitats increasingly threatens biodiversity, particularly in coastal ecosystems like seagrass meadows. Fragmentation breaks continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches, amplifying edge effects and disrupting community structures and ecosystem functions. This study examines the effects of habitat fragmentation on large (> 1 mm) and small (0.

Leveraging space innovations for cancer breakthroughs on Earth.

Space science is reshaping oncology by providing novel insights into cancer biology, diagnostics, and therapeutics. The unique space environment - characterized by microgravity and cosmic radiation - induces profound alterations in cancer cell behavior, immune responses, and tumor microenvironment (TME) interactions. These conditions offer a platform for studying cancer progression, enhancing drug discovery, and refining treatment strategies.

Hemodialysis vascular access in the elderly: Promising results from a tertiary center.

Background: Hemodialysis patients, particularly the elderly, present challenges for vascular access (VA) creation due to age-related vascular changes and comorbidities. This study aimed to characterize outcomes related to VA in elderly patients (≥75 years) and compare them with younger patients, focusing on primary failure, maturation failure, and patency rates.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients evaluated in VA consultations between January 2019 and December 2021; patients were evaluated through physical examination and Color Doppler Ultrasound to determine the suitability of vessels for VA construction.