Geographical Disparities in Research Misconduct: Analyzing Retraction Patterns by Country.

This study examines disparities in research retractions due to misconduct, identifying countries with the highest retraction counts and those disproportionately represented relative to population and publication output. The findings emphasize the need for improved research integrity measures.

Weighing up the potential of "superfoods" compounds of green tea or turmeric as adjuncts in comparison to established therapeutical approaches for periodontal disease.

Objective: Aim of this study was to critically appraise clinical evidence on the potential benefits of adjunctive use of superfoods green tea and turmeric as mouthrinse or local delivery agents in the treatment of periodontal disease.

Materials And Methods: Electronic searches were performed in four databases for randomized trials from inception to February 2024 assessing the supplemental use of superfoods green tea and turmeric for gingivitis/periodontitis treatment. After duplicate study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment with the RoB 2 tool, random-effects meta-analyses of Mean Differences (MD) or Standardized Mean Differences (SMD) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were performed.

Direct Electrical Access to the Spin Manifolds of Individual Lanthanide Atoms.

Lanthanide atoms show long magnetic lifetimes because of their strongly localized 4 electrons, but electrical control of their spins has been difficult because of their closed valence shell configurations. We achieved electron spin resonance of individual lanthanide atoms using a scanning tunneling microscope to probe the atoms bound to a protective insulating film. The atoms on this surface formed a singly charged cation state having an unpaired 6 electron, enabling tunnel current to access their 4 electrons.

Triage body temperature predicts outcome in cats at emergency department admission: a retrospective study of 1440 cases (January 2018 to December 2021).

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between triage body temperature (BT) and outcome in cats presenting to the emergency department (ED).

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on cats presented to the ED. BT, clinical diagnosis and outcome were recorded.

Mikhail 'Misha' Blagosklonny's enduring legacy in geroscience: the hyperfunction theory and the therapeutic potential of rapamycin.

The untimely passing of Dr. Mikhail "Misha" Blagosklonny has left a lasting void in geroscience and oncology. This review examines his profound contributions, focusing on his pioneering the Hyperfunction Theory and his advocacy for rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, as a therapeutic agent for lifespan extension.

Survival of Eurasian lynx in the human-dominated landscape of Europe.

Survival and cause-specific mortality rates are vital for evidence-based population forecasting and conservation, particularly for large carnivores, whose populations are often vulnerable to human-caused mortalities. It is therefore important to know the relationship between anthropogenic and natural mortality causes to evaluate whether they are additive or compensatory. Further, the relation between survival and environmental covariates could reveal whether specific landscape characteristics influence demographic performance.

Benchmarking the Efficacy of Salvage Systemic Therapies for Recurrent Meningioma: A RANO Group Systematic Review and Meta-analysis to Guide Clinical Trial Design.

Background: Despite advances in our understanding of the molecular underpinnings of meningioma progression and innovations in systemic and local treatments, recurrent meningiomas remain a substantial therapeutic challenge. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide a historical baseline, contemporary analysis, and propose a "rate of probable interest" to inform future clinical trial design and development on behalf of the RANO meningioma group.

Methods: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.

Multimodal imaging of murine cerebrovascular dynamics induced by transcranial pulse stimulation.

Introduction: Transcranial pulse stimulation (TPS) is increasingly being investigated as a promising potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the safety and preliminary clinical efficacy of TPS short pulses have been supported by neuropsychological scores in treated AD patients, its fundamental mechanisms are uncharted.

Methods: Herein, we used a multi-modal preclinical imaging platform combining real-time volumetric optoacoustic tomography, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and ex vivo immunofluorescence to comprehensively analyze structural and hemodynamic effects induced by TPS.

An empirical study of LLaMA3 quantization: from LLMs to MLLMs.

The LLaMA family, a collection of foundation language models ranging from 7B to 65B parameters, has become one of the most powerful open-source large language models (LLMs) and the popular LLM backbone of multi-modal large language models (MLLMs), widely used in computer vision and natural language understanding tasks. In particular, LLaMA3 models have recently been released and have achieved impressive performance in various domains with super-large scale pre-training on over 15T tokens of data. Given the wide application of low-bit quantization for LLMs in resource-constrained scenarios, we explore LLaMA3's capabilities when quantized to low bit-width.

Outcomes following resective and disconnective strategies in the treatment of epileptic spasms: a systematic review of the literature and individual patient data meta-analysis.

Epileptic spasms (ES) are a unique seizure type typically presenting in the form of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) with characteristic hypsarrhythmia on scalp EEG and a preponderance with developmental delay or regression. While pharmacotherapy is the mainstay of treatment, surgical options, including disconnective or resective procedures, are increasingly recognized as viable therapeutic options for recurrent or persistent ES. However, limited data on safety, effectiveness, and prognostic factors hinder informed decision-making regarding surgery indications, timing, and intervention type.

Taylor dispersion analysis and release studies of β-carotene-loaded PLGA nanoparticles and liposomes in simulated gastrointestinal fluids.

β-Carotene (βC), a natural carotenoid, is the most important and effective vitamin A precursor, known also for its antioxidant properties. However, its poor water solubility, chemical instability, and low bioavailability limit its effectiveness as an orally delivered functional nutrient. Nanoparticle encapsulation improves βC's bioaccessibility by enhancing its stability and solubility.

Disparities in response to mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines according to sex and age: A systematic review.

Background: The rapid development and distribution of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines has been essential in containing the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic around the globe. For ongoing and future immunization campaigns globally, there is a need to evaluate the impact of population demographics such as age and sex, on vaccine efficacy and safety.

Methods: This systematic review (PROSPERO ID CRD42023328245) conducted according to PRISMA guidelines evaluates the impact of age and sex on the safety and efficacy of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations administrated in 15 studies that were chosen according to strict criteria.

Do national cancer control plans address care and research for children, adolescents, and young adults? A review of status, priorities, and recommendations across 41 European countries.

Paediatric cancers, although rare, are the leading cause of disease-related mortality in European children above one year. A key pillar of the European Health Union, Europe's Beating Cancer Plan (EBCP) puts a spotlight on childhood cancer. National Cancer Control Plans (NCCPs) have a key role but did not address childhood cancers sufficiently previously.

Individual Assembly of Radical Molecules on Superconductors: Demonstrating Quantum Spin Behavior and Bistable Charge Rearrangement.

High-precision molecular manipulation techniques are used to control the distance between radical molecules on superconductors. Our results show that the molecules can host single electrons with a spin 1/2. By changing the distance between tip and sample, a quantum phase transition from the singlet to doublet ground state can be induced.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Super High-Pressure Balloon (SIS-OPN) for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Introduction: The super high-pressure NC balloon (OPN NC; SIS Medical AG, Winterthur, Switzerland) is increasingly used in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of its efficacy and safety.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted using PubMed and the Cochrane Library to identify studies using the OPN NC balloon in PCI.

Identifying risk factors for vomiting during diarrhea: A secondary analysis of a randomized trial of zinc supplementation.

Objectives: Supplemental zinc during acute diarrhea reduces illness duration but also increases vomiting. In a recent trial, we found that children receiving lower daily doses of zinc (5 mg or 10 mg vs. 20 mg) had lower rates of vomiting with comparable stool output and duration of diarrhea.

Digital health technologies for metabolic disorders in older adults: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia, obesity, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome) are leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide. These disorders disproportionately affect older adults relative to those younger. Digital health technologies (DHTs), such as patient monitoring, digital diagnostics and digital therapeutics, emerge as promising tools for health promotion in day-to-day life.

Protocol to assess bottlenecks inhibiting the scaling up of evidence-based family planning practices in low-income and middle-income countries using mixed methods.

Introduction: Scaling up evidence-based practices (EBPs) in family planning (FP), as recommended by the WHO, has increasingly been accepted by global health actors as core to their mission, goals and activities. National policies, strategies, guidance, training materials, political commitment and donor support exist in many countries to adopt and scale up a range of EBPs, including postpregnancy FP, task sharing for FP and the promotion of social and behaviour change (SBC) for FP. While there has been some success in implementing these practices, coverage remains inadequate in many countries.

Challenges of sharing individual participant data for secondary research on neglected tropical diseases: the experience of Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative and a call for action.

Introduction: The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is committed to maximising the scientific value of the individual participant data (IPD) it has collected during its 20 years of activity and the IPD it will collect in the future, while safeguarding research participants' privacy and their right to know how their data will be processed.

Objective: The objective of this article is to share what DNDi has learnt while working on its commitment to data sharing. It also aims to advance the debate about best practice in the research community to avoid 'IPD sharing paralysis', with a focus on multistakeholder projects involving patients and researchers based in countries with various levels of data privacy regulations and measures.

Transition to home after very preterm birth: improving outcomes of children and their families-a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Medical progress has significantly improved the survival rates of very preterm-born infants in recent decades. Nevertheless, these infants are still at increased risk for long-term impairments as compared with term-born infants. While the homecoming of a preterm-born infant is long-awaited and brings relief to families, it also marks the end of intensive monitoring and highly specialised professional care.

Experience, access and utilisation of fertility care for infertile men within the biomedical sector in urban Bangladesh: protocol for a qualitative study.

Introduction: One in six people of reproductive age experience infertility in their lifetime throughout the world, often with devastating consequences. Men are often invisible in infertility research and services, yet masculinity and reproductive agency intersect within social, cultural and religious contexts to shape their experiences of infertility and masculine expression. This study aims to provide insights into the lived experience of male infertility, the availability and access of infertility services for men within the biomedical sector in Bangladesh and the potential willingness of men to use home-based semen testing.