Addressing Water Scarcity to Achieve Climate Resilience and Human Health.

Water scarcity is projected to affect half of the world's population, gradually exacerbated by climate change. This article elaborates from a panel discussion at the 2023 United Nations Water Conference on Addressing Water Scarcity to Achieve Climate Resilience and Human Health. Understanding and addressing water scarcity goes beyond hydrological water balances to also include societal and economic measures.

Case report: Diagnostic challenges of papulonodular mucinosis in a 67-year-old female.

Papulonodular mucinosis is a rare dermatological condition characterized by mucin deposition in the dermis, leading to the formation of papules and nodules that can occur with, or antedate, autoimmune connective tissue diseases. This case report presents a 67-year-old female with a chronic history of cutaneous mucinosis, which posed significant diagnostic challenges. Despite various treatments and extensive diagnostic workup, her condition evolved, highlighting the difficulties in diagnosing papulonodular mucinosis, especially in the absence of systemic lupus erythematosus and antinuclear antibody positivity.

Factors Regulating the Potential for Freshwater Mineral Soil Wetlands to Function as Natural Climate Solutions.

There are increasing global efforts and initiatives aiming to tackle climate change and mitigate its impacts via natural climate solutions (NCS). Wetlands have been considered effective NCS given their capacity to sequester and retain atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) while also providing a myriad of other ecosystem functions that can assist in mitigating the impacts of climate change. However, wetlands have a dual impact on climate, influencing the atmospheric concentrations of both CO and methane (CH).

First-in-human phase I trial of the bispecific CD47 inhibitor and CD40 agonist Fc-fusion protein, SL-172154 in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Background: SL-172154 is a hexameric fusion protein adjoining the extracellular domain of SIRPα to the extracellular domain of CD40L via an inert IgG-derived Fc domain. In preclinical studies, a murine equivalent SIRPα-Fc-CD40L fusion protein provided superior antitumor immunity in comparison to CD47- and CD40-targeted antibodies. A first-in-human phase I trial of SL-172154 was conducted in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.

Tetragonia tetragonioides extract prevented high-fat diet-induced obesity and changed hepatic and adipose transcriptomic signatures in C57BL/6J male mice.

Obesity, often driven by high-fat diets (HFD), is a major global health issue, necessitating effective preventive measures. Tetragonia tetragonoides, a plant with known medicinal properties, has not been extensively studied for its effects on HFD-induced obesity and related genetic changes in mice. This study explores the impact of Tetragonia tetragonoides extract (TTE; 300 mg/kg) on obesity-related traits in C57BL/6J male mice, with a focus on transcriptomic changes in the liver and white adipose tissue (WAT).

Chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal films: Sucrose modulation for structural color and dynamic behavior.

This study explores the effect of sucrose addition on the properties of chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films for potential food industry applications, including biodegradable packaging and food coloring. The addition of sucrose altered the films' structural color, shifting from blue in pure CNC films to aqua blue, green, yellow-green, and red with increasing sucrose concentrations (up to 21 %). Surface analysis revealed a reduction in contact angle from 96° to 48° due to sucrose's hydrophilic nature and smoother film surfaces.

Common Questions and Misconceptions About Energy Drinks: What Does the Scientific Evidence Really Show?

Energy drinks are a commonly consumed beverage, and studies suggest a possible performance-enhancing effect. A Google Scholar search using the keywords "energy drinks" and "exercise" yields numerous results, underscoring the voluminous research on this topic. However, there are questions regarding the effectiveness and safety of energy drinks.

Guava Leaf Extract Exhibits Antimicrobial Activity in Extensively Drug-Resistant (XDR) .

Currently, a global health crisis is being caused by microbial resistance, in which plays a crucial role, being considered the highest-priority microorganism by the World Health Organization (WHO) for discovering new antibiotics. As a result, phytochemicals have emerged as a potential alternative to combat resistant strains, since they can exert antimicrobial activity through various mechanisms and, at the same time, represent a more natural and safe option. This study analyzes the antimicrobial effects of guava leaf extract in ten clinical isolates of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) , using the agar diffusion technique and the microdilution method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).

Social Relationships of Captive Bachelor Przewalski's Horses and Their Effect on Daily Activity and Space Use.

Understanding social relationships in at-risk species held in captivity is vital for their welfare and potential reintroduction. In social species like the Przewalski's horse (), daily time allocation and space use may be influenced by social structure and, in turn, reflect welfare. Here, we identify social relationships, time budgets, and spatial distribution of a group of nine older (aged 6-21 years) male Przewalski's horses living in a non-breeding (bachelor) group.

Integrating artificial intelligence with mechanistic epidemiological modeling: a scoping review of opportunities and challenges.

Integrating prior epidemiological knowledge embedded within mechanistic models with the data-mining capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential for epidemiological modeling. While the fusion of AI and traditional mechanistic approaches is rapidly advancing, efforts remain fragmented. This scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of emerging integrated models applied across the spectrum of infectious diseases.

Prussian Blue Analogues "Dressed" in MXene Nanosheets Tightly for High Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

MXenes, have been considered as a new generation anode material in lithium-ion batteries for lower lithium-ion diffusion barriers and superior conductivity. Unfortunately, their structures are prone to aggregation and stacking, hindering further shuttle of lithium ions and electrons, resulting in lower discharge capacity. Therefore, the introduction of interlayer spacers for the preparation of MXene-based hybrids has attracted much attention.

Orientation effect and locational variation in elastic-plastic compressive properties of bovine cortical bone.

Bone is a highly heterogeneous and anisotropic material with a hierarchical structure. The effect of diaphysis locations and directions of loading on elastic-plastic compressive properties of bovine femoral cortical bone was examined in this study. The impact of location and loading directions on elastic-plastic compressive properties of cortical bone was found to be statistically insignificant in this study.

Drought induced metabolic shifts and water loss mechanisms in canola: role of cysteine, phenylalanine and aspartic acid.

Drought conditions severely curtail the ability of plants to accumulate biomass due to the closure of stomata and the decrease of photosynthetic assimilation rate. Additionally, there is a shift in the plant's metabolic processes toward the production of metabolites that offer protection and aid in osmoadaptation, as opposed to those required for development and growth. To limit water loss via non-stomatal transpiration, plants adjust the load and composition of cuticle waxes, which act as an additional barrier.

Enablers and barriers to public health practice during COVID-19: Perspectives from local public leadership from across Canada.

Objective: Our study investigates the efforts of local medical health officers during COVID-19 in Canada, with a focus on explicating enabling factors and barriers to effectively respond through local public health efforts.

Methods: We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews with local-level public health leadership from across Canada and analyzed the transcripts for salient facilitators and barriers to effective local public health practice using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Results: Effective local-level public health practice was facilitated by efforts that potentiated synergistic efforts inside and outside of the public health sector, including trust, buy-in, and ample resources.

Comparison of treatments for equine laryngeal hemiplegia using computational fluid dynamic analysis in an equine head model.

Introduction: Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is gaining momentum as a useful mechanism for analyzing obstructive disorders and surgeries in humans and warrants further development for application in equine surgery. While advancements in procedures continue, much remains unknown about the specific impact that different surgeries have on obstructive airway disorders. The objective of this study was to apply CFD analysis to an equine head inhalation model replicating recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) and four surgical procedures.

Ability of Orthodontists to Detect, Interpret and Propose Management Strategies for Incidental Findings on Pre-Treatment Panoramic Radiographs.

Objectives: Radiographs are routinely acquired for orthodontic evaluation, and incidental findings (IFs) may be detected early as part of this routine care. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of IFs on panoramic radiographs taken for orthodontic assessment and evaluate the ability of orthodontists to detect, interpret and recommend management for IFs.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 1756 patients aged 7-21 with a panoramic image taken for orthodontic evaluation was performed.

Repeated 5-aminolevulinic acid mediated sonodynamic therapy using magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound in rat brain tumour models.

Sonodynamic therapy is an emerging therapeutic approach against brain tumours. However, the treatment scheme and ultrasound parameters have yet to be explored for clinical translation. Our study aimed to optimize ultrasound parameters for sonodynamic therapy (SDT) with 5-ALA as a sonosensitizing agent and to evaluate its therapeutic outcome on the rodent 9L gliosarcoma and the human U87 glioblastoma models.

Modifiable Health Behaviours in Children with HCM: Lessons from the Heart Health Survey.

Obesity factors into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)-related risk as a disease modifying environmental factor. Behaviours such as diet and sleep are seldom reported upon in children with HCM. It was our aim to report on these factors in this population.

Intranasal racemic ketamine maintenance therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression: a naturalistic feasibility study.

Background: Ketamine is a promising therapy for treatment-resistant depression due to its rapid onset, although benefits are often transitory, with patients needing maintenance therapy to prevent relapse. Most data supporting ketamine for treatment-resistant depression refers to the intravenous route of administration, leaving alternative routes lacking in data, especially as maintenance regimens. Moreover, the safety of ketamine maintenance therapy is poorly defined.

miR-24-3p Is Antiviral Against SARS-CoV-2 by Downregulating Critical Host Entry Factors.

Despite all the progress in treating SARS-CoV-2, escape mutants to current therapies remain a constant concern. Promising alternative treatments for current and future coronaviruses are those that limit escape mutants by inhibiting multiple pathogenic targets, analogous to the current strategies for treating HCV and HIV. With increasing popularity and ease of manufacturing of RNA technologies for vaccines and drugs, therapeutic microRNAs represent a promising option.

Reported Adverse Events Following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinations in the Canadian Province of Alberta and Associated Risk Factors: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

: Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) vaccines represent a significant milestone in the fight against coronavirus disease. Ongoing post-marketing surveillance and research are crucial for ensuring vaccine safety and effectiveness, aiding public health planning. : Our retrospective cohort study included Albertans five years and older and vaccinated with at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine between 14 December 2020 and 30 April 2022.

Cancer Cell's Achilles Heels: Considerations for Design of Anti-Cancer Drug Combinations.

Loss of function screens using shRNA (short hairpin RNA) and CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) are routinely used to identify genes that modulate responses of tumor cells to anti-cancer drugs. Here, by integrating GSEA (Gene Set Enrichment Analysis) and CMAP (Connectivity Map) analyses of multiple published shRNA screens, we identified a core set of pathways that affect responses to multiple drugs with diverse mechanisms of action. This suggests that these pathways represent "weak points" or "Achilles heels", whose mild disturbance should make cancer cells vulnerable to a variety of treatments.

Concurrent Experience of Self-Reported Mental Health Symptoms and Problematic Substance Use During the First Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Canadian Adults: Evidence from a Repeated Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey.

This study was aimed at identifying the prevalence of concurrent experience, poor mental health and problematic substance use, and its associated factors, among Canadian adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. A nationwide repeated cross-sectional sample of 14,897 Canadian adults (quota-sampled, weighted) were recruited on ten occasions between October 2020 and March 2022 using online panels. Concurrent experience was defined as mild to severe symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) and/or anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) AND meeting screening criteria for problematic cannabis (Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test-Revised) and/or problematic alcohol use (Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test).

Efficacy of Fruit Extract in Hangover Mitigation: Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Evaluation.

The fruit of Thunb. (HD) is renowned for its medicinal properties and is rich in bioactive compounds, traditionally used in East Asian medicine as a natural antidote for alcohol intoxication. A randomized, double-blind, crossover, placebo (PLA)-controlled clinical trial was conducted to compare the effects of beverages containing 0.