Late Bedtime from the Perspective of Adolescents: A Qualitative Study.

Purpose: Later sleep timing is a key determinant of reduced sleep duration and quality in adolescents and is associated with negative mental and physical outcomes. However, little is known about adolescents' views on late bedtime. The study's purpose is to explore adolescents' perspectives on why they go to sleep late during school nights and what would help them to go to bed earlier.

Effect of Gentamicin-Loaded Calcium Phosphate Coating and Polymeric Coating on the Degradation Properties of Biodegradable Iron-Based Biomaterials.

In the past decades, iron has been one of the intensively studied biodegradable metals due to its suitable mechanical properties, but it suffers from slow degradation in a physiological environment and low bioactivity. In this work, the beneficial properties of ceramic and polymer coatings were merged to enhance the corrosion properties and biological compatibility of Fe-based biomaterials. A new bilayer coating for Fe-based biomaterials that speeds up degradation while offering controlled, localized drug release to prevent infections was prepared.

Wound healing: insights into autoimmunity, ageing, and cancer ecosystems through inflammation and IL-6 modulation.

Wound healing represents a complex and evolutionarily conserved process across vertebrates, encompassing a series of life-rescuing events. The healing process runs in three main phases: inflammation, proliferation, and maturation/remodelling. While acute inflammation is indispensable for cleansing the wound, removing infection, and eliminating dead tissue characterised by the prevalence of neutrophils, the proliferation phase is characterised by transition into the inflammatory cell profile, shifting towards the prevalence of macrophages.

Nanostructured Boron-Doped Ultra-Nanocrystalline Diamond Micro-Pyramids: Efficient Electrochemical Supercapacitors.

The miniaturization of electrochemical supercapacitors (EC-SCs) requires electrode materials that are both durable and efficient. Boron-doped diamond (BDD) films are an ideal choice for EC-SC due to their durability and exceptional electrochemical performance. In this study, nanostructured boron-doped ultra-nanocrystalline diamonds (NBUNCD) are fabricated on Si micro-pyramids (Si) using a simple reactive ion etching (RIE) process.

Comparative analysis of antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in cardiac surgery: a survey in Czechia and Slovakia.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) in cardiac surgery significantly impact patient outcomes. This study examines cardiac antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines in Czech and Slovak hospitals, crucial for reducing SSI incidence.

Methods: An electronic survey was conducted across cardiac surgery departments in both countries, focusing on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) protocols, antibiotic choices, dosages, timing and postoperative infection rates.

A new approach to overcome cytotoxic effects of Cu by delivering dual therapeutic ions (Sr, Cu).

Introduction: The incorporation of trace elements such as strontium (Sr) and copper (Cu) in the composition of mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) is widely known to enhance its biological functionality for bone tissue regeneration METHODS: Two MBG powders with the composition 80SiO-11CaO-5PO-xCuO/SrO, one doped with 4 mol.% of CuO, the second with 4 mol.% of SrO were blended in the weight ratios of Cu-MBG: Sr-MBG; 100:0, 70: 30, 50: 50, 30: 70 and 0:100 aiming at minimizing Cu to minimize the cytotoxicity of Cu while preserving its antimicrobial activity.

Morphological changes in cerebrospinal fluid production.

The ventricular system and subarachnoid space are filled with cerebrospinal fluid, which plays a key role in the nervous system. This fluid is produced by the choroid plexus, an organ rich in ion transporters that precisely control the transport of specific ions into the cerebrospinal fluid thanks to tight junctions between the plexus cells; these prevent the passage of substances other than the transporters, thus allowing for precise control of the fluid composition. Cerebrospinal fluid production is based on a network of interrelationships between specific ion flows enabled by the numerous transporters.

"The doctors and nurses looked like aliens': a qualitative study on the subjective hospitalization experiences of severe COVID-19 patients in Slovakia".

Due to the need to hospitalize a large number of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychological conditions of hospitalized patients were often overlooked. This study focuses on the qualitative analysis of the subjective experiences of patients with a severe COVID-19 disease in Slovakia during hospitalization. A total of 27 Slovak participants (11 men and 16 women, mean age 57.

Promoting Prevention and Targeting Remission of Asthma: A European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases Consensus Statement on Raising the Bar in Asthma Care.

Asthma is a common multifaceted respiratory disease with a major impact on quality of life. Despite increased insights into mechanisms underlying various asthma phenotypes and endotypes and the availability of targeted biologic treatment options, the disease remains uncontrolled in a substantial proportion of patients with risk of exacerbations, requiring systemic corticosteroids, and with progressive disease. Current international guidelines advocate a personalized management approach to patients with uncontrolled severe asthma.

Antioxidant effect, DNA-binding, and transport of the flavonoid acacetin influenced by the presence of redox-active Cu(II) ion: Spectroscopic and in silico study.

Acacetin (AC) is a natural polyphenol from the group of flavonoids. It is well established that the behavior of flavonoids depends on the presence of redox-active substances; therefore, we aim to investigate their biological activity following the interaction with Cu(II) ion. Our study demonstrates that AC can effectively bind Cu(II) ions, as confirmed by UV-Vis and EPR spectroscopy as well as DFT calculations.

Fractional hyper-ballistic transport under external oscillating electric fields.

The generalized Langevin equation (GLE) for a tagged particle in a liquid of charged particles under the influence of external AC electric fields is studied. For the fractional memory kernel in the GLE, the mean square displacement (MSD) of the particle is studied analytically in both the underdamped and overdamped regimes. The MSD consists of a part corresponding to the absence of the external field and a part affected by the external field, which is expressed through the mean velocity of the particle.

Asymptomatic carriage of intestinal protists is common in children in Lusaka Province, Zambia.

Background: PCR-based screenings on the presence of diarrhoea-causing intestinal protist species are limited in Zambia, resulting in inaccurate current prevalence and epidemiological data. Sensitive PCR-based methods are particularly well suited for detecting subclinical infections in apparently healthy carriers.

Methodology: In this prospective cross-sectional study, we investigated the occurrence of the most common intestinal protists in an apparently healthy paediatric population (5-18 years) in Lusaka Province, Zambia.

-related disorder in 87 adults: Natural history and self-sustainability.

Purpose: is one of the most frequently mutated genes in intellectual disability cohorts. Thus, far few adult-aged patients with -related disorder have been described, which limits our understanding of the disease's natural history and our ability to counsel patients and their families.

Methods: Data on patients aged 18+ years with -related disorder were collected through an online questionnaire completed by clinicians and parents.

The trap of a closed fist : Is democracy capable of preventing a global ecological catastrophe?

Metaphors reforging science and art may help us to find a way to upgrade democracy so that it makes decisions with a positive impact for the next generations. [Image: see text]

Investigating the geography of thought across 11 countries: Cross-cultural differences in analytic and holistic cognitive styles using simple perceptual tasks and reaction time modeling.

This article investigates cross-cultural differences in analytic/holistic cognitive styles among participants from 11 countries: Armenia, Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Ghana, Philippines, Slovakia, Taiwan, and Türkiye. Using a preregistered design, 993 university students were assessed with three perceptual tasks based on Navon's hierarchical figures and Gottschaldt's embedded figures. Analytic and holistic cognitive styles were estimated using reaction time modeling, specifically a Bayesian four-parameter shifted Wald distribution and a hierarchical linear ballistic accumulator model.

Determination of activities of Pb in Slovak tobacco and cigarettes: a study on radiological risks.

This study investigates the Pb activity concentrations in tobacco and cigarettes available in Slovakia, utilizing two specific extraction methods including the Sr Resin sorbent used in extraction chromatography, and the AnaLig Sr01 sorbent, which operates based on molecular recognition principles. The findings revealed significant variations in Pb activity concentrations, with concentrations ranging from 13.3 to 33.

Variation of functional diversity structure measured as combined species dominance, functional diversity, and functional redundancy in two taxa of ectoparasitic arthropods at two spatial scales: host-associated, ecological, and geographic effects.

The functional diversity structure of a community can be represented as a combination of three additive components (species dominance D, functional redundancy R, and functional diversity Q) (DRQ approach in which different facets of functional differences between species are considered simultaneously). We applied this concept to assemblages of fleas and gamasid mites parasitic on small mammals at continental (across regions of the Palearctic) and regional (across sampling sites in Slovakia) scales and asked: What are the relative effects of host species, biome/habitat type, and geographic locality on the DRQ composition of a parasite assemblage? At the continental scale, regions were partitioned according to predominant biome or geographic position in a continental section. At the regional scale, sampling sites were partitioned according to habitat type or geographic locality.

Time-restricted feeding does not improve daily rhythms in locomotion and drinking disrupted by artificial light at night.

Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural darkness and desynchronizes daily rhythms in physiological processes and behavior. Previously, in rats, we have shown that dim ALAN disturbed the central circadian control and the temporal organization of behavior, and hormonal and metabolic pathways. The measurements of undisturbed daily behavioral (locomotor activity, feeding and drinking) patterns revealed reduced amplitudes and a transitory activity peak in the middle of the light (i.

Understanding spatio-temporal complexity of vegetation using drones, what could we improve?

Unraveling the intricate spatial and temporal complexities of vegetation represents a crucial key to understanding ecosystem functioning. Drones, as cutting-edge technology, hold immense potential in bridging the gap between on-ground measurements and satellite remote sensing data. Nonetheless, a multitude of challenges still looms, with one of the foremost being the nuanced identification of scales that strike a balance between capturing maximum complexity while minimizing measurement errors.

Analysis of the intensity of carious infection of teeth in children permanently living in conditions of a pollated ecosystem.

Objective: Aim: Assessment of dental caries and its impact on the level of dental health of children aged 15-18 years of Upper Tysa region, who constantly live in conditions of combined negative effects of factors of natural and technological genesis.

Patients And Methods: Materials and Methods: During the dental examination, the incidence of dental caries in 360 children aged 15-18 years from various biogeochemical zones of the cross-border region of the Upper Tysa region was studied and assessed using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System - ICDAS II (International Caries Detection and Assessment System).

Results: Results: It was found that the use of physiologically suboptimal drinking water from decentralized water resources is among the environmental determinants of the state of dental health of children in the Upper Potyssia.

Comparing self-regulation strategies among adult learners from Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

An active and constructive process whereby individuals possess the ability to develop, implement, and flexibly maintain planned behavior in order to achieve a desired achievement goal is referred to as self-regulation. The aim of the present study is to examine the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Self-Regulation Questionnaire, validated in the Czech educational context (SRQ-CZ). The other target is to identify any usage of self-regulation strategies which may differ as nationality, gender, age, education, and internal motivation to learn come into play.

A novel algorithmic multi-attribute decision-making framework for the evaluation of energy systems using rough approximations of hypersoft sets.

Selecting the best power source that is legal, affordable, environmentally friendly, and able to ensure long-term viability is a difficult but vital task. Existing frameworks based on traditional fuzzy and soft sets are unable to adequately capture the complexity of the optimal energy system selection (ESS). These decision models may also be complex, especially when rough data and integrity need to be taken into account.