Towards a decision support system for post bariatric hypoglycaemia: development of forecasting algorithms in unrestricted daily-life conditions.

Background: Post bariatric hypoglycaemic (PBH) is a late complication of weight loss surgery, characterised by critically low blood glucose levels following meal-induced glycaemic excursions. The disabling consequences of PBH underline the need for the development of a decision support system (DSS) that can warn individuals about upcoming PBH events, thus enabling preventive actions to avoid impending episodes. In view of this, we developed various algorithms based on linear and deep learning models to forecast PBH episodes in the short-term.

Electrocoagulation-free strategy in minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass with hybrid revascularisation - a case report.

Background: Hybrid coronary revascularisation benefits patients with multivessel disease, as it amalgamates the minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB) procedure and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We present a 63-year-old female with triple-vessel coronary artery disease including marked ostial stenosis of the left main coronary artery, as well as moderate stenosis of the right coronary artery. The risk of death following heart surgery (EuroSCORE II) is 4.

A randomized controlled trial comparing immersive virtual reality games versus nitrous oxide for pain reduction in common outpatient procedures in pediatric surgery.

Background: Children often experience anxiety and pain during minor surgical procedures, prompting the search for effective pain management strategies beyond traditional pharmaceutical approaches. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) as a pain reduction method in pediatric outpatient surgical interventions compared to the standard use of nitrous oxide. The research questions explore pain reduction levels, patient preferences, enjoyment during VR use, and the time limit of the VR application.

Full-length and N-terminally truncated recombinant interleukin-38 variants are similarly inefficient in antagonizing interleukin-36 and interleukin-1 receptors.

Background: Interleukin (IL)-38 is an IL-1 family cytokine that was proposed to exert anti-inflammatory effects. However, its mechanisms of action are not well understood and the identity of the IL-38 receptor(s) remains debated. Proposed candidates include the IL-1 receptor (IL-1R1), the IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) and the orphan receptor IL-1RAPL1.

Training received, knowledge, and use of Silver Diamine Fluoride among Italian dentists: a nationwide survey.

Objective: To investigate the education, knowledge and behaviour of Italian dentists regarding Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF).

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to December 2022, through an online survey linked to an online continuing medical education (CME) course sent to Italian dentists. A priori power analysis estimated the necessary sample to be 1480 dentists with an anticipated frequency of 50% and a power of 99.

Features of intermediate and late dry age-related macular degeneration on adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy: Pinnacle Study Report 8.

Background/objectives: Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy (AOO) has the potential to provide insights into AMD pathology and to assess the risk of progression. We aim to utilise AOO to describe detailed features of intermediate AMD and to characterise microscopic changes during atrophy development.

Subjects/methods: Patients with intermediate AMD were recruited into PINNACLE, a prospective observational cohort study.

Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries.

Science is crucial for evidence-based decision-making. Public trust in scientists can help decision makers act on the basis of the best available evidence, especially during crises. However, in recent years the epistemic authority of science has been challenged, causing concerns about low public trust in scientists.

Revitalizing interphase in all-solid-state Li metal batteries by electrophile reduction.

All-solid-state lithium metal batteries promise high levels of safety and energy density, but their practical realization is limited by low Li reversibility, limited cell loading and demand for high-temperature and high-pressure operation, stemming from solid-state electrolyte (SSE) low-voltage reduction and high-voltage decomposition, and from lithium dendrite growth. Here we concurrently address these challenges by reporting that a family of reductive electrophiles gain electrons and cations from metal-nucleophile materials (here a Li sulfide SSE) upon contact to undergo electrochemical reduction and form interphase layers (named solid reductive-electrophile interphase) on material surfaces. The solid reductive-electrophile interphase is electron blocking and lithiophobic, prevents SSE reduction, suppresses Li dendrites and supports high-voltage cathodes.

Effects of psychedelics on opioid use disorder: a scoping review of preclinical studies.

The current opioid crisis has had an unprecedented public health impact. Approved medications for opioid use disorder (OUD) exist, yet their limitations indicate a need for innovative treatments. Limited preliminary clinical studies suggest specific psychedelics might aid OUD treatment, though most clinical evidence remains observational, with few controlled trials.

A systematic review of Perinatal Antibiotic Stewardship - where we are, where to go?

The perinatal period is associated with high antibiotic exposure, which raises concerns about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and future health impacts. The aim of this comprehensive systematic review, including publications from 2000 to 2022, is to describe the current evidence and state of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in the perinatal period and to identify gaps in knowledge for future research. The review included 36 studies from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, involving a total of 64,798 pregnant women and 84,137 newborns.

The influence of land surface temperature on Ghana's climate variability and implications for sustainable development.

Climate change poses significant global challenges, especially in the West African sub-region, with high temperature and precipitation patterns variability, threatening socio-economic stability and ecosystem health. While global factors such as greenhouse gases and oceanic circulations shape regional climates, this study focuses on the understudied role of local climatic variables in influencing near-surface air temperature (NST) in Ghana from 1981 to 2020. Based on ground observations, our findings reveal significant correlations between land surface temperature (LST) and NST before and after the identified breakpoint year of 2001.

Kinship clustering within an ecologically diverse killer whale metapopulation.

Metapopulation dynamics can be shaped by foraging ecology, and thus be sensitive to shifts in prey availability. Genotyping 204 North Atlantic killer whales at 1346 loci, we investigated whether spatio-temporal population structuring is linked to prey type and distribution. Using population-based methods (reflecting evolutionary means), we report a widespread metapopulation connected across ecological groups based upon nuclear genome SNPs, yet spatial structuring based upon mitogenome haplotypes.

Contrasting vector competence of three main East African Anopheles malaria vector mosquitoes for Plasmodium falciparum.

There are three Anopheles mosquito species in East Africa that are responsible for the majority of malaria transmission, posing a significant public health concern. Understanding the vector competence of different mosquito species is crucial for targeted and cost-effective malaria control strategies. This study investigated the vector competence of laboratory reared strains of East African An.

Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries - the TISP dataset.

Science is integral to society because it can inform individual, government, corporate, and civil society decision-making on issues such as public health, new technologies or climate change. Yet, public distrust and populist sentiment challenge the relationship between science and society. To help researchers analyse the science-society nexus across different geographical and cultural contexts, we undertook a cross-sectional population survey resulting in a dataset of 71,922 participants in 68 countries.

Positively charged specificity site in cyclin B1 is essential for mitotic fidelity.

Phosphorylation of substrates by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) is the driving force of cell cycle progression. Several CDK-activating cyclins are involved, yet how they contribute to substrate specificity is still poorly understood. Here, we discover that a positively charged pocket in cyclin B1, which is exclusively conserved within B-type cyclins and binds phosphorylated serine- or threonine-residues, is essential for correct execution of mitosis.

A data-consistent model of the last glaciation in the Alps achieved with physics-driven AI.

25 thousand years ago, the European Alps were covered by the kilometre-thick Alpine Ice Field. Numerical modelling of this glaciation has been challenged by model-data disagreements, including overestimations of ice thickness. We tackle this issue by applying the Instructed Glacier Model, a three-dimensional model enhanced with physics-informed machine learning.

Sleeve gastrectomy reveals the plasticity of the human gastric epithelium.

Gastrin is secreted following a rise in gastric pH, leading to gastric acid secretion. Sleeve gastrectomy (SG), a bariatric surgery where 80% of the gastric corpus is excised, presents a challenge for gastric pH homeostasis. Using histology, and single-cell RNA sequencing of the gastric epithelium in 12 women, we observed that SG is associated with an increase in a sub-population of acid-secreting parietal cells that overexpress respiratory enzymes and an increase in histamine-secreting enterochromaffin-like cells (ECLs).

Non-linear enhancement of ultrafast X-ray diffraction through transient resonances.

Diffraction-before-destruction imaging with ultrashort X-ray pulses can visualize non-equilibrium processes, such as chemical reactions, with sub-femtosecond precision in the native environment. Here, a nanospecimen diffracts a single X-ray flash before it disintegrates. The sample structure can be reconstructed from the coherent diffraction image (CDI).

DepRescribing inapprOpriate Proton Pump InhibiTors (DROPIT): study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial in Swiss primary care.

Objectives: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are widely prescribed medications and commonly used for the treatment of gastric acid-related disorders. Nevertheless, PPIs are often overused leading to potential adverse effects and unnecessary healthcare costs. Deprescribing strategies have emerged to safely reduce or substitute inappropriate PPIs and optimise patient care in an evidence-based manner.

Pan-tumor analysis to investigate the obesity paradox in immune checkpoint blockade.

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for developing cancer but is also associated with improved outcomes after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a phenomenon called the obesity paradox. To interrogate mechanisms of divergent immune responses in obese and non-obese patients, we examined the relationship among obesity status, clinical responses, and immune profiles from a diverse, pan-tumor cohort of patients treated with ICI-based therapy.

Methods: From June 2021 to March 2023, we prospectively collected serial peripheral blood samples from patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors who received ICI as standard of care at Johns Hopkins.

High resolving power electrospray drift tube ion mobility spectrometer with heated desolvation tube.

Background: The separation performance of drift tube ion mobility spectrometers is usually relatively weak with resolving powers well below 100. Improving this aspect requires, besides the optimization of other parameters, the challenging increase of the drift voltage as deduced from fundamental equations describing the broadening of a drifting ion swarm. We recently succeeded in constructing an improved high voltage instrument equipped with an electrospray source capable of analysing liquid samples with resolving powers above 200.

Large language models for data extraction from unstructured and semi-structured electronic health records: a multiple model performance evaluation.

Objectives: We aimed to evaluate the performance of multiple large language models (LLMs) in data extraction from unstructured and semi-structured electronic health records.

Methods: 50 synthetic medical notes in English, containing a structured and an unstructured part, were drafted and evaluated by domain experts, and subsequently used for LLM-prompting. 18 LLMs were evaluated against a baseline transformer-based model.