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.

Estimating the contribution of early and late noise in vision from psychophysical data.

Human performance in psychophysical detection and discrimination tasks is limited by inner noise. It is unclear to what extent this inner noise arises from early noise (e.g.

Crystal growth, structural phase transitions and optical gap evolution of FAPb(BrCl) hybrid perovskites (FA: formamidinium ion, CH(NH)).

Chemically tuned organic-inorganic hybrid halide perovskites based on bromide and chloride anions CH(NH)Pb(BrCl) (CH(NH): formamidinium ion, FA) have been crystallized and investigated by neutron powder diffraction (NPD), single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-vis spectroscopy. FAPbBr and FAPbCl experience successive phase transitions upon cooling, lowering the symmetry from cubic to orthorhombic phases; however, these transitions are not observed for the mixed halide phases, probably due to compositional disorder. The band-gap engineering brought about by the chemical doping of FAPb (BrCl) perovskites (x = 0.

Association Between Diagnostic Delay and Economic and Clinical Burden in Axial Spondyloarthritis: A Multicentre Retrospective Observational Study.

Introduction: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory condition associated with considerable pain and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for affected patients. Despite the documented increase in healthcare resource utilization (HRU) related to axSpA, few studies have explored the impact of diagnostic delays on these outcomes. This study sought to determine the association between diagnostic delay of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and costs in the 3 years after diagnosis.

Validation of a tele-robotic ultrasound system for abdomen and thyroid gland explorations: a comparison with standard ultrasound.

Background: Tele-robotic ultrasound (US) is a novel technique that might help overcome the current shortage of radiologists and poor access to radiologists and/or sonographers in remote or rural areas. Despite the promising results of this technology in the past two decades, there is still insufficient data about its advantages and limits, as well as the implementation in routine clinical practice and the learning curve for the user. The purpose of this prospective cohort-based study is to evaluate the performance of a 5G-based tele-robotic US system for abdominal and thyroid gland assessment in a cohort of healthy volunteers and outpatients, as well as assessing the learning curve and patient satisfaction.

Assessment of hard tissue changes after horizontal guided bone regeneration with the aid of deep learning CBCT segmentation.

Objectives: To investigate the performance of a deep learning (DL) model for segmenting cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans taken before and after mandibular horizontal guided bone regeneration (GBR) to evaluate hard tissue changes.

Materials And Methods: The proposed SegResNet-based DL model was trained on 70 CBCT scans. It was tested on 10 pairs of pre- and post-operative CBCT scans of patients who underwent mandibular horizontal GBR.

Preventing common mental health problems by increasing neighbourhood socioeconomic status: a mental health impact assessment in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Neighbourhood socioeconomic status (NSES) has been identified as a determinant of mental health. In this study, we aimed to quantify how many cases of common mental health problems could be prevented by increasing NSES in the most socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and how the increases in NSES would affect mental health inequalities. We used publicly available data for conducting a quantitative Health Impact Assessment (HIA) of two counterfactual policy scenarios.

Anatomical dissection influences emotions of podiatry students.

Background: Dissection and examination of prosected cadavers is a tool for teaching anatomy. However, this experience can provoke anxiety and stress among students. This study aims to understand the attitudes, reactions, fears, and anxiety states of podiatry students before their first dissection in addition to evaluate its usefulness as an educational tool for academic training in anatomy.

Viedma deracemization mechanisms in self-assembly processes.

Simulations on an ODE-based model shows that there are many common points between Viedma deracemization and chiral self-assemblies of achiral building blocks towards chiral nanoparticles. Both systems occur in a closed system with energy exchange but no matter exchange with the surroundings and show parallel reversible growth mechanisms which coexist with an irreversible cluster breaking (grinding). The various mechanisms of growth give rise to the formation of polymerization/depolymerization cycles while the consecutive transformation of achiral monomer into chiral cluster results into an indirect enantioselective autocatalysis.

Plasma metabolome reveals altered oxidative stress, inflammation, and amino acid metabolism in dogs with idiopathic epilepsy.

Objective: Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs and an established natural animal model for human epilepsy types with genetic and unknown etiology. However, the metabolic pathways underlying IE remain largely unknown.

Methods: Plasma samples of healthy dogs (n = 39) and dogs with IE (n = 49) were metabolically profiled (n = 121 known target metabolites) and fingerprinted (n = 1825 untargeted features) using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry.

Extreme Optical Chirality from Plasmonic Nanocrystals on a Mirror.

Metal nanocrystals synthesized in achiral environments usually exhibit no chiroptical effects. However, by placing nominally achiral nanocrystals 1.3 nm above gold films, we find giant chiroptical effects, reaching anisotropy factors as high as ≈ 0.

Hearing loss rather than vestibular loss identifies patient subgroups with different outcomes in Meniere's disease.

Objective: This study investigates the relationship between Meniere's disease (MD) duration and both hearing thresholds and vestibular dysfunction.

Design: Retrospective cohort study. First, the relationships between MD duration and pure-tone audiometry thresholds for each frequency, the canal paresis (CP) ratio, and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain were analysed.

Virulence profile of carbapenem-resistant strains by an model of .

is a significant healthcare-associated pathogen, notable for its diverse virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles. This study aimed to characterize the genotypic and phenotypic diversity of isolates and evaluate their virulence using the model. Biomass production, metabolic activity, capsule formation, and siderophore production were assessed in 27 .

Identification of a circulating carbohydrate antigen as a highly specific and sensitive target for schistosomiasis serology.

Unlabelled: The World Health Organization (WHO) 2030 roadmap for schistosomiasis calls for development of highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tools to continue and sustain progress towards elimination. Serological assays are excellent for sensitive detection of primary schistosome infections and for schistosomiasis surveillance in near- and post-elimination settings. To develop accurate assay formats, it is necessary to identify defined antibody targets with low cross-reactivity and potential for standardized production.

A "phosphorus derivative" of aziridines: on the importance of ring strain energy and three heteropolar bonds in azaphosphiridines.

Compared to aziridines, azaphosphiridines, which formally result from the replacement of a carbon atom by phosphorus, have been much less studied. In this work, accurate values for one of the most prominent properties, the ring strain energy (RSE), have been theoretically examined for a wide range of azaphosphiridine derivatives. Strongly related aspects of interest for developing the use of azaphosphiridines in heteroatom and polymer chemistry are ring opening reactions and polymerisations, the latter facilitated by their significantly high RSE.

Liver GPBAR1 Associates With Immune Dysfunction in Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Its Activation Attenuates Cholestasis in Abcb4-/- Mice.

Background And Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterised by progressive biliary inflammation and fibrosis, leading to liver cirrhosis and cholangiocarcinoma. GPBAR1 (TGR5) is a G protein-coupled receptor for secondary bile acids. In this study, we have examined the therapeutic potential of BAR501, a selective GPBAR1 agonist in a PSC model.

Real-Space Visualization of Canalized Ray Polaritons in a Single Van der Waals Thin Slab.

Polaritons are central to the development of nanophotonics, as they provide mechanisms for manipulating light at the nanoscale. A key advancement has been the demonstration of polariton canalization in which the energy flow is directed along a single direction. An intriguing case is the canalization of ray polaritons, characterized by an enhanced density of optical states.

Detection of odorants in odour mixtures among healthy people and patients with olfactory dysfunction.

Target odorant detection in mixtures has been shown to become more difficult as the number of background odorants increases and falls below chance level in mixtures with 16 components. Our aim was to investigate target odorant detection in mixtures among healthy people and compare it between dysosmic patients and age- and gender-matched controls. Participants underwent extensive olfactory testing and performed two target odorant detection tasks.

Clinical, Pathologic, and Molecular spectrum of Angioinmmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma Cutaneous Lesions: Clinical, Pathologic, and Molecular Analysis.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is an aggressive malignancy that frequently presents with extranodal involvement. Cutaneous tropism is clinically and histopathologically variable, which may pose a diagnostic challenge. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 40 samples of 20 cases of cutaneous AITL, focusing on the clinicopathologic and molecular correlations between skin and lymph node (LN) samples.

Do We Have Sufficient Evidence to Derive Innovative Approaches to Assessing Unmet Need, Delivering Education on Bladder and Bowel Continence Health, and Providing a Better Environment for Joint Decision-Making? ICI-RS 2024.

Context: Improved continence outcomes are reliant on identification of unmet need, education delivery, and shared decision-making. The evidence base on which to derive innovative approaches in these areas was unclear.

Methods: A debate held at the International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society meeting, held in Bristol in June 2024, considered ways to improve research requirements to advance these areas.

Interlocked 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks from Overcrowded Nodes.

A challenging aspect in the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) that goes beyond the framework's structure and topology is interpenetration, where two or more independent frameworks are mechanically interlocked with each other. Such interpenetrated or interlocked frameworks are commonly found in three-dimensional (3D) COFs with large pores. However, interlocked two-dimensional (2D) COFs are rarely seen in the literature, as 2D COF layers typically crystallize in stacks that maximize stabilization through π-stacking.

Enhancing Hemocompatibility in ECMO Systems With a Fibrinolytic Interactive Coating: in Vitro Evaluation of Blood Clot Lysis Using a 3D Microfluidic Model.

Blood-contacting medical devices, especially extracorporeal membrane oxygenators (ECMOs), are highly susceptible to surface-induced coagulation because of their extensive surface area. This can compromise device functionality and lead to life-threatening complications. High doses of anticoagulants, combined with anti-thrombogenic surface coatings, are typically employed to mitigate this risk, but such treatment can lead to hemorrhagic complications.