Effectiveness of a 2-dose varicella vaccination program in Changzhou, China, during the transitional period (2017-2022): a registry-based case-cohort study.

Background: The benefits of improving coverage and timeliness of varicella vaccination need to be quantified in countries where varicella vaccine (VarV) has not yet been included in national immunization programs. This longitudinal study analyzed the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of the varicella vaccination program implemented in Changzhou City during the transitional period (2017-2022).

Methods: Using the Immunization Information System and National Notifiable Infectious Disease Surveillance System registry data, this retrospective case-cohort study assessed the VEs of varicella vaccination for Changzhou children born from 2016 to 2021.

Guidance on the assessment of the functionality of biomaterials for periodontal tissue regeneration: Methodologies and testing procedures.

Innovative biomaterials and tissue engineering strategies show great promise in regenerating periodontal tissues. This guidance provides an overview and detailed recommendations for evaluating the biological functionality of these new biomaterials in vitro, focusing on mineralization, immunomodulatory effects, cellular differentiation, and angiogenesis. Additionally, it discusses the use of in vivo experimental models that mimic periodontitis and scrutinizes methods such as osteogenic differentiation, immunomodulation, and anti-inflammatory responses to assess the effectiveness of these biomaterials in promoting periodontal tissue reconstruction.

Degradation of aflatoxin B in corn by water-assisted microwave irradiation and its kinetic.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) is a highly toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic mycotoxin commonly found in corn. In this work, water-assisted microwave irradiation (WMI) was used to degrade AFB in corn, during which the influencing factors and kinetics of AFB degradation were also studied. The results showed that the degree of corn crushing, the heating rate of WMI, the temperature of WMI, the solid-liquid ratio, the initial content of AFB and the microwave power were all important factors affecting the degradation of AFB.

Assessing the impact of marine litter hotspot on atmospheric microplastics: A study of a coastal village.

Marine litter and microplastics (MPs) represent pressing environmental challenges. However, the impact of marine litter on airborne MPs near marine litter hotspot remains unexplored. In this study, we simultaneously collected airborne MPs, weather factors, and air pollutants in a village near a marine litter hotspot across different seasons in Taiwan.

A comprehensive GPS-based analysis of activity spaces in early and late pregnancy using the ActMAP framework.

Health implications of mobility during pregnancy entail a need to understand pregnant women's activity spaces. We present ActMAP, a framework for quantifying multiple aspects of activity spaces from distinct trips and stays derived from GPS data. We applied ActMAP to data from 238 pregnant women in Barcelona, Spain (2018-2020) and explored weekday, weekend and intraday associations between pregnancy trimester and activity spaces.

Fabrication of hierarchical sapphire nanostructures using ultrafast laser induced morphology change.

Sapphire is an attractive material in photonic, optoelectronic, and transparent ceramic applications that stand to benefit from surface functionalization effects stemming from micro/nanostructures. Here we investigate the use of ultrafast lasers for fabricating nanostructures in sapphire by exploring the relationship between irradiation parameters, morphology change, and selective etching. In this approach an ultrafast laser pulse is focused on the sapphire substrate to change the crystalline morphology to amorphous or polycrystalline, which is characterized by examining different vibrational modes using Raman spectroscopy.

Rise of the beta-lactams: a retrospective, comparative cohort of oral beta-lactam antibiotics as step-down therapy for hospitalized adults with acute pyelonephritis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if oral beta-lactam therapy is non-inferior to alternative therapy at discharge following inpatient treatment with an IV cephalosporin for acute pyelonephritis.

Design: Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved, multicenter, retrospective, non-inferiority cohort (15% non-inferiority margin).

Setting: Six hospitals within two healthcare systems.

Surgical Management of Fibrosing Mediastinitis Presenting as Superior Vena Cava Syndrome.

Fibrosing mediastinitis is a rare chronic inflammatory condition characterized by excessive fibrotic process in the mediastinum. Although various infectious processes are more common causes, it can also be related to several malignancies. We report a case of a 28-year-old woman with fibrosing mediastinitis related to an aggressive primary gray-zone lymphoma causing complete occlusion of the superior vena cava (SVC) and the innominate veins.

Renal Physiology Education via Podcast: Channel Your Enthusiasm.

Renal physiology is considered one of the most challenging medical disciplines to understand and to teach. Eight academic nephrologists have come together to produce a podcast devoted to helping learners at any level improve their understanding of this difficult topic. Using Dr Burton D.

An Interventional Health Education Study to Transition the General Population's Opinion on Organ Donation From Reluctance to Acceptance.

Introduction: Organ donation refers to the collection of a human organ from a living or deceased donor and its transplantation into a recipient. An organ transplant recipient is a patient with organ failure who will not survive unless he receives a new organ. Although the benefits of organ transplantation are undeniable, there is a significant gap between the number of donors and recipients, as the demand for organs greatly surpasses the available supply.

Rapid rise in atmospheric CO marked the end of the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age.

Atmospheric CO is thought to play a fundamental role in Earth's climate regulation. Yet, for much of Earth's geological past, atmospheric CO has been poorly constrained, hindering our understanding of transitions between cool and warm climates. Beginning ~370 million years ago in the Late Devonian and ending ~260 million years ago in the Permian, the Late Palaeozoic Ice Age was the last major glaciation preceding the current Late Cenozoic Ice Age and possibly the most intense glaciation witnessed by complex lifeforms.

Coding intensity variation in Medicare Advantage.

Enrollment in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans rose to over 50% of eligible Medicare patients in 2023. Payments to MA plans incorporate risk scores that are largely based on patient diagnoses from the prior year, which incentivizes MA plans to code diagnoses more intensively. We estimated coding inflation rates for individual MA contracts using a method that allows for differential selection into contracts based on patient health.

Fracture characteristics of human cortical bone influenced by the duration of glycation.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate in various tissues, including bone, due to aging and conditions like diabetes mellitus. To investigate the effects of AGEs on bone material quality and biomechanical properties, an study utilizing human tibial cortex, sectioned into 90 beams, and randomly assigned to three mechanical test groups was performed. Each test group included ribose ( = 0.

Can nCD64 and mCD169 biomarkers improve the diagnosis of viral and bacterial respiratory syndromes in the emergency department? A prospective cohort pilot study.

Purpose: Differentiating infectious from non-infectious respiratory syndromes is critical in emergency settings. This study aimed to assess whether nCD64 and mCD169 exhibit specific distributions in patients with respiratory infections (viral, bacterial, or co-infections) and to evaluate their diagnostic accuracy compared to non-infectious conditions.

Methods: A prospective cohort study enrolled 443 consecutive emergency department patients with respiratory syndromes, categorized into four groups: no infection group (NOIG), bacterial infection group (BIG), viral infection group (VIG), and co-infection group (COING).

Psychosocial Support Needs and Preferences Among Family Caregivers of ICU Patients with Severe Acute Brain Injury: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis.

Background: Family caregivers of patients with severe acute brain injury (SABI) are at risk for clinically significant chronic emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Existing psychosocial interventions for caregivers of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are not tailored to the unique needs of caregivers of patients with SABI, do not demonstrate long-term efficacy, and may increase caregiver burden. In this study, we explored the needs and preferences for psychosocial services among SABI caregivers to inform the development and adaptation of interventions to reduce their emotional distress during and after their relative's ICU admission.

Experienced cognitive load in the emergency department. A prospective study.

Background And Importance: The emergency department (ED) is a hectic place, where many critically ill patients are treated. For residents working in the ED, this environment may be demanding.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the [1] cognitive load experienced by residents working in the ED, and [2] differences in cognitive load during the day.

An assessment of physiological and health responses in Catla catla fingerlings after polystyrene microplastic exposure.

Microplastics (MPs) form when plastic debris is released into the aquatic environment, where they decompose and have deleterious effects on aquatic life. This study aimed to examine the harmful impacts of polystyrene MPs (PS-MPs) on the growth, carcass composition, hematology, digestibility, histopathology, and mineral analysis of Catla catla (11.09 ± 0.

Decreasing Hospital-acquired Pressure Injuries During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A 5-step Quality Improvement Approach.

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) are common adverse events with large burdens on patients and health systems. In 2020, during the initial waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of admitted patients with HAPIs of stage II and above in our health system rose from 2.92% to 3.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on epidemiological and clinical characteristics of inpatients with burns in a Northwest China burn centre: a retrospective study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the characteristics and outcomes of patients with burns in a burn centre situated in Northwest China.

Design: A retrospective descriptive study.

Setting: This study was conducted in Tangdu Hospital, a major regional burn centre in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province of China.

Situational Analysis of the Medication Practices in Brazilian Hospitals: A Multicenter Study.

Objective: To carry out a situational analysis of the medication practices in Brazilian hospitals through the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals and the factors associated with better performance in the evaluation.

Methods: This is a multicenter cross-sectional study in which the results of the application of the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals, between 2015 and 2020, in 30 Brazilian hospitals were described. In addition, whether the institutional profile was associated with higher self-assessment scores (better performance in the evaluation) was also evaluated.

Differential aging trends among Liver Transplant candidates with and without hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a leading indication for liver transplant (LT), with HCC registrants increasing more than six-fold in the past two decades, accompanied by a significant rise in older candidates. Given this trend and the influence of hepatitis C (HCV) treatments, updated data on aging and changing etiologies in older HCC patients are needed. This study examines age trends, clinical characteristics, and transplant outcomes by comparing older (70+), younger HCC patients, and non-HCC patients.

Lebanese Cannabis sativa L. extract protects from cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in mice by inhibiting podocytes apoptosis.

Background: Cisplatin is an anti-cancer drug used to treat a plethora of solid tumors. However, it is associated with dose dependent nephrotoxicity limiting its use as anticancer agent.

Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the nephroprotective effect of native Lebanese Cannabis sativa in both in vitro and in vivo mice model of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

A Comprehensive Analysis of the Role of PAX9 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Paired box 9 (PAX9) has been linked to several human disorders; however, its relevance in Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unknown.

Methods: The difference in PAX9 mRNA expression in pan-cancer was analyzed utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and the level of PAX9 protein expression across various types of cancer was assessed utilizing the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) and UALCAN databases, as well as the cellular localization of PAX9. UALCAN studied the methylation levels of PAX9 in pan-cancer.

Level of elderly-supportive infrastructure, fine particulate matter and cardiovascular disease hospitalisations: a time-stratified case-crossover study in Wuhan.

Background: Amid rapid urbanisation, the health effects of the built-environment have been widely studied, while research on elderly-supportive infrastructure and its interaction with PM (PM, Particulate Matter) exposure remains limited.

Objectives: To examine the effect of PM on cardiovascular hospitalisation risk among the elderly and the moderating role of elderly-supportive infrastructure in Wuhan, a city undergoing rapid urbanisation.

Methods: A time-stratified case-crossover design was adopted in which the K-means cluster analysis was applied to categorize elderly-supportive infrastructure.

Impact of luteal blood perfusion and expression of estrus on pregnancy rates of Bos taurus embryo recipients exposed to fixed-time embryo transfer.

This study evaluated the impact of luteal blood perfusion (BP) and expression of estrus on pregnancy rates of Bos taurus embryo recipients exposed to fixed-timed embryo transfer (FTET) using a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)- and progesterone-based ovulation synchronization protocol. Postpartum beef cows (n = 746) were exposed to a GnRH/progesterone-based ovulation synchronization protocol. Luteal morphometry and BP were assessed using color Doppler ultrasonography 9 days after CIDR removal concurrently with FTET.