Intranasal administration of antiseizure drugs using new formulation trends: one step closer to reach clinical trials.

Introduction: Although there are numerous options for epilepsy treatment, its effective control continues unsatisfactory. Thus, search for alternative therapeutic options to improve the efficacy/safety binomial of drugs becomes very attractive to investigate. In this context, intranasal administration of antiseizure drugs formulated on state-of-the-art nanosystems can be a promising strategy.

Teaching Spirituality in Nursing: A Bibliometric Analysis.

The study of spirituality in nursing education has become an emerging academic field, making it important to understand its evolution using bibliometric indicators. To achieve this, a search was conducted on July 8, 2024, using the Web of Science and Scopus databases. Titles and abstracts were screened in Rayyan, and data analysis was performed using Bibliometrix and Biblioshiny in the R language.

Adaptation and validation of a tool for the quality assessment of genetic counseling in Brazil: perspectives from clinical geneticists.

In 2018, Portuguese researchers proposed the "Tool for Quality Assessment of Genetic Counseling," a 5-point Likert scale comprising 50 items across five dimensions, designed to assess genetic counseling from the professional's perspective. This descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed to adapt this tool to Brazilian Portuguese, validate it among Brazilian clinical geneticists, and conduct a preliminary assessment of the quality of genetic counseling in Brazil. The adaptation process involved expert-driven content validation and calculation of the Content Validity Index (CVI) to ensure equivalence between the original and adapted versions.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) across parents and teachers in Portuguese children.

The Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) is a rating scale that evaluates everyday behaviors associated with executive functions in children. This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and the measurement invariance across parents and teachers of the CHEXI in a sample of 279 Portuguese typically developing children (6 to 12 years old,  = 160 girls and  = 119 boys). Most studies only analyzed the original two-factor model, and the few that investigated the four-factor model found a nearly identical fit between both factor structures.

Inter-Rater Disagreements in Applying the Montreal Classification for Crohn's Disease: The Five-Nations Survey Study.

Background: The Montreal classification has been widely used in Crohn's disease since 2005 to categorize patients by the age of onset (A), disease location (L), behavior (B), and upper gastrointestinal tract and perianal involvement. With evolving management paradigms in Crohn's disease, we aimed to assess the performance of gastroenterologists in applying the Montreal classification.

Methods: An online survey was conducted among participants at an international educational conference on inflammatory bowel diseases.

More than meets the eye: Understanding the importance of the materialities of care at the vaccination encounter in Portugal.

Caring practices during vaccination encounters are deeply interwoven with materiality, encompassing everyday objects and elements that play a crucial role for all actors involved. However, the significance of these materialities in shaping caring relationships within vaccination practices has been largely overlooked. This research seeks to fill that gap by exploring how mundane elements, such as the objects present during vaccination, contribute to the relational dynamics of the experience.

Moroccan Adaptation of the 'Self-Care Behaviour Assessment Scale' for Arteriovenous Fistula in Haemodialysis.

Background: Arteriovenous fistula self-care behaviours in patients receiving haemodialysis are essential to maintain patency of vascular access and prevent its life-threatening complications. Assessing arteriovenous fistula self-care behaviours in patients receiving haemodialysis requires a reliable and valid tool.

Objective: The aim of this study was to adapt and translate the Portuguese scale for the assessment of self-care behaviours of arteriovenous fistula in patients receiving haemodialysis into the Moroccan dialect and evaluate its psychometric properties in the Moroccan context.

Management Measures and Trends of Biological Invasions in Europe: A Survey-Based Assessment of Local Managers.

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity, ecosystem functioning and nature's contributions to people worldwide. However, the effectiveness of invasive alien species (IAS) management measures and the progress toward achieving biodiversity targets remain uncertain due to limited and nonuniform data availability. Management success is usually assessed at a local level and documented in technical reports, often written in languages other than English, which makes such data notoriously difficult to collect at large geographic scales.

Continuous Production of Influenza VLPs Using IC-BEVS and Multi-Stage Bioreactors.

The insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system (IC-BEVS) has been an asset to produce biologics for over 30 years. With the current trend in biotechnology shifting toward process intensification and integration, developing intensified processes such as continuous production is crucial to hold this platform as a suitable alternative to others. However, the implementation of continuous production has been hindered by the lytic nature of this expression system and the process-detrimental virus passage effect.

Psychometric Examination of the Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder Self-Report (PSCD) Among an Adult Community Sample From Brazil.

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) is a promising novel scale that measures psychopathic traits and includes an additional conduct disorder factor that taps the antisocial dimension of psychopathy. The current study sought to broaden the application of PSCD by examining the factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and connections to delinquency in a young adult sample ( = 450;  = 31.91 years,  = 13.

Genomic reanalysis of a pan-European rare-disease resource yields new diagnoses.

Genetic diagnosis of rare diseases requires accurate identification and interpretation of genomic variants. Clinical and molecular scientists from 37 expert centers across Europe created the Solve-Rare Diseases Consortium (Solve-RD) resource, encompassing clinical, pedigree and genomic rare-disease data (94.5% exomes, 5.

Somatic CAG repeat expansion in blood associates with biomarkers of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease decades before clinical motor diagnosis.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease with the age at which characteristic symptoms manifest strongly influenced by inherited HTT CAG length. Somatic CAG expansion occurs throughout life and understanding the impact of somatic expansion on neurodegeneration is key to developing therapeutic targets. In 57 HD gene expanded (HDGE) individuals, ~23 years before their predicted clinical motor diagnosis, no significant decline in clinical, cognitive or neuropsychiatric function was observed over 4.

Challenges and opportunities for digital twins in precision medicine from a complex systems perspective.

Digital twins (DTs) in precision medicine are increasingly viable, propelled by extensive data collection and advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), alongside traditional biomedical methodologies. We argue that including mechanistic simulations that produce behavior based on explicitly defined biological hypotheses and multiscale mechanisms is beneficial. It enables the exploration of diverse therapeutic strategies and supports dynamic clinical decision-making through insights from network science, quantitative biology, and digital medicine.

Cannabidiol and Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin for the Development of Deflated Spherical-Shaped Inhalable Powder.

In addition to the known therapeutic indications for cannabidiol, its administration by inhalation appears to be of great interest. Indeed, there is evidence of cannabidiol's efficacy in several physiological pathways, suggesting its potential for a wide range of applications for both local and systemic pulmonary administration like cancers. Significant advances in pulmonary drug delivery have led to innovative strategies to address the challenges of increasing the respirable fraction of drugs and standardizing inhalable products.

Stretch-induced endogenous electric fields drive directed collective cell migration in vivo.

Directed collective cell migration is essential for morphogenesis, and chemical, electrical, mechanical and topological features have been shown to guide cell migration in vitro. Here we provide in vivo evidence showing that endogenous electric fields drive the directed collective cell migration of an embryonic stem cell population-the cephalic neural crest of Xenopus laevis. We demonstrate that the voltage-sensitive phosphatase 1 is a key component of the molecular mechanism, enabling neural crest cells to specifically transduce electric fields into a directional cue in vivo.

Soil Nitrogen Supply Exerts Largest Influence on Leaf Nitrogen in Environments with the Greatest Leaf Nitrogen Demand.

Accurately representing the relationships between nitrogen supply and photosynthesis is crucial for reliably predicting carbon-nitrogen cycle coupling in Earth System Models (ESMs). Most ESMs assume positive correlations amongst soil nitrogen supply, leaf nitrogen content, and photosynthetic capacity. However, leaf photosynthetic nitrogen demand may influence the leaf nitrogen response to soil nitrogen supply; thus, responses to nitrogen supply are expected to be the largest in environments where demand is the greatest.

Anterograde ultrasound guided lacertus fibrosus release at the elbow under WALANT - technical note.

Dynamic compression of the median nerve under the lacertus fibrosus at the elbow causes pain and weakness. It is a frequently overlooked pathology and a cause of failed recovery after carpal tunnel release. The purpose was to present a technical note on minimally invasive ultrasound-guided lacertus syndrome surgical treatment under WALANT.

The influence of guided tours on the welfare of white-handed gibbons and capuchin monkeys at Maia Zoo.

Zoo animals are regularly exposed to a plethora of sensorial stimuli beyond their control, which can adversely impact their behaviour and welfare, including unfamiliar faces, excessive noise and intrusive visitor interaction. Zoos have implemented various measures, such as enrichments and regulation of visitor behaviour, to mitigate these effects. However, guided tours have not been used to simultaneously control visitor behaviour and maintain animal welfare.

Validation of an Aerobic Fitness Questionnaire to estimate VO peak in a cohort of adult cardiac patients - Is it enough?

Introduction And Objectives: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is the gold standard for quantifying aerobic functional capacity, yet it is costly and not widely available. The CLINIMEX Aerobic Fitness Questionnaire (C-AFQ) may be a practical alternative as it estimates oxygen consumption at peak exercise (VO peak) based on patients' responses to a list of activities with known energy requirements. However, its applicability in cardiac patients is unclear and has not yet been studied.

Association of LDL-cholesterol with prognosis in patients admitted for acutely decompensated heart failure.

Introduction And Objectives: The association of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) remains uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of LDL-C in patients admitted for acutely decompensated HF and establish a safety cut-off value in this population.

Methods: This retrospective, observational study included 167 consecutive patients admitted for acute HF.

Multidisciplinary cardiorenal program for heart failure patients: Improving outcomes through comprehensive care.

The Cardiorenal Program (CRP), implemented within a specialized heart failure and kidney disease clinic, encompasses a multidisciplinary approach to the management of patients with heart failure and kidney disease. It focuses on optimizing therapy and improving patient outcomes. The CRP includes a range of services, including clinical evaluation, diagnostic testing, medical treatment, and patient education.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of leaded glasses for ensuring safety among healthcare professionals in fluoroscopy.

Background: Currently, there is an increase in procedures across various clinical specialties involving the use of ionising radiation.

Objective: The primary objective of this systematic review is to analyse and compare the existing literature regarding the effectiveness of leaded glasses for healthcare professionals.

Methods: Comprehensive literature searches were conducted for relevant studies published between 2018 and 2023 using the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases according to preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology.

Relations between microplastic contamination and stress biomarkers under two seasonal conditions in wild carps, mullets and flounders.

Potential effects of microplastics (MP, plastic particles <5 mm) on the levels of multiple stress biomarkers were investigated in wild fish populations of Cyprinus carpio, Mugil cephalus, Platichthys flesus captured in the Minho River estuary located in the Iberian Peninsula. Specimens were collected in March and September 2018, corresponding to the end of winter and summer, respectively. Based on the concentration of MP determined by FT-IR analysis and morphological inspection, fishes from each species were divided into two groups: ≤0.