Caregiver acceptability of seasonal malaria chemoprevention in two districts in the Upper West region, Ghana: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Acceptability of malaria chemoprevention interventions by caregivers is crucial for overall programme success. This study assessed coverage and acceptability of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in selected communities in the Northern part of Ghana.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional design was conducted from "July 23rd to August 4th, 2020-a 12-day period that covered 5 days of the first SMC implementation cycle and 7 days post-implementation.

Brain-derived tau oligomer polymorphs: distinct aggregations, stability profiles, and biological activities.

Aggregation of microtubule-associated tau protein is a distinct hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Tau oligomers are suggested to be the primary neurotoxic species that initiate aggregation and propagate prion-like structures. Furthermore, different diseases are shown to have distinct structural characteristics of aggregated tau, denoted as polymorphs.

Staffing Up: The Nursing Home Minimum Staffing Rule.

On April 22, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new staffing mandates for long-term care (LTC) facilities in an effort to improve care quality in nursing homes (NHs). The guidelines require a minimum of 3.48 h of daily care per resident, including 0.

Online energy consumption forecast for battery electric buses using a learning-free algebraic method.

Accurately predicting the energy consumption plays a vital role in battery electric buses (BEBs) route planning and deployment. Based on the algebraic derivative estimation, we present a novel method to forecast the energy consumption in real time. In contrast to the mainstream machine-learning-based methods, the proposed method does not require access to the historical energy consumption data.

Myristoylated Eepd1 Enhances Lipolysis and Thermogenesis through PKA Activation to Combat Obesity.

Middle-aged obesity, characterized by excessive fat accumulation and systemic energy imbalance, often precedes various health complications. Recent research has unveiled a surprising link between DNA damage response and energy metabolism. Here, we explore the role of Eepd1, a DNA repair enzyme, in regulating adipose tissue function and obesity onset.

Activation of three targets by a TAL effector confers susceptibility to bacterial blight of cotton.

Bacterial transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) promote pathogenicity by activating host susceptibility (S) genes. To understand the pathogenicity and host adaptation of Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm), we assemble the genome and the TALE repertoire of three recent Xcm Texas isolates.

A library of proton lineal energy spectra spanning the full range of clinically relevant energies.

Purpose: In locations where the proton energy spectrum is broad, lineal energy spectrum-based proton biological effects models may be more accurate than dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET) based models. However, the development of microdosimetric spectrum-based biological effects models is hampered by the extreme computational difficulty of calculating microdosimetric spectra. Given a precomputed library of lineal energy spectra for monoenergetic protons, a weighted summation can be performed which yields the lineal energy spectrum of an arbitrary polyenergetic beam.

Rhabdomyosarcoma Surgical Update.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) tumors arise from mesenchymal tissue and represent half of pediatric sarcomas, which in turn make up 7% of pediatric tumors. Advances in local control therapy of RMS have improved outcomes after surgical resection of the primary tumor, either before or after induction chemotherapy, even in the setting of metastatic disease. The utilization of diagnostic core needle and sentinel node biopsy techniques for lymph node staging are becoming more widely used.

Factors Associated With Prolonged Venous Transit in Large Vessel Occlusion Acute Ischemic Strokes.

Background And Purpose: Prolonged venous transit (PVT), derived from computed tomography perfusion (CTP) time-to-maximum (T) maps, reflects compromised venous outflow (VO) in acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (AIS-LVO). Poor VO is associated with worse clinical outcomes, but pre-treatment markers predictive of PVT are not well described.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 189 patients with anterior circulation AIS-LVO who underwent baseline CT evaluation, including non-contrast CT, CT angiography, and CTP.

Longitudinal Trends in Physical Activity Among Older Adults With and Without HIV in Uganda.

Introduction: Physical Activity (PA) and its links to frailty, quality of life (QoL), and other comorbidities in older Ugandans living with HIV remain under-explored.

Methods: We analyzed data from three annual assessments of older people living with HIV (PLWH) and age- and sex-similar people not living with HIV (PnLWH). We fitted linear generalized estimating equations (GEE) regression models to estimate the correlates of PA, including demographics, frailty, QoL, HIV, and other comorbidities.

Safety and efficacy of a light antithrombotic regimen after left atrial appendage occlusion: Insights from the LOGIC (left atrial appendage occlusion in patients with gastrointestinal or IntraCranial bleeding) international multicenter registry.

Background: Antithrombotic therapy (AT) after left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) has the purpose of preventing device related thrombosis (DRT), avoiding embolic events; nevertheless, the correct antithrombotic regimen after LAAO is still under debate.

Aims: Aim of this substudy of the observational LOGIC registry was to describe the efficacy and safety of a light antithrombotic regimen, comprising single antiplatelet therapy or none, compared to a standard antithrombotic regimen, after a successful LAAO.

Methods: Patients with NVAF that underwent LAAO were previously included in the LOGIC registry.

N-Acetylcysteine and Liver Transplant. Advantages of its Administration in Multi-Organ Donors Especially During World-Economical-Crisis. Long-Term Sub-Group Analysis in a Randomized Study.

Background: Liver transplantation (LT) is the main indication for the treatment of end-stage liver disease but have to face organ shortages. Using marginal donors is an option to increase the donor pool. Previous studies showed that the graft procured using N-acetylcysteine (NAC) provides a longer survival compared to perfusion with standard solutions, especially in marginal liver donors.

The Dose-Dependent Effect of Obesity on Adverse Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in a Hispanic Population.

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with maternal obesity in a Hispanic population. We hypothesized that obesity confers a dose-dependent risk associated with these outcomes.

Study Design: This was a retrospective cohort study of singleton pregnancies delivered between 24 and 42 weeks gestation at an urban county hospital between 2013 and 2021.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals suppression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein in gender-specific differences in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related dementia preferentially impacts two-thirds of women and one-third of men. The steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein mediates the biosynthesis of neurosteroids that sustain diverse neuronal activities. Aging, involving neurosteroidal imbalance, is the predominant risk factor for AD causing dementia.

Programmed cell death in nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Programmed cell death is a type of autonomic and orderly cell death mode controlled by genes that maintain homeostasis and growth. Tumor is a typical manifestation of an imbalance in environmental homeostasis in the human body. Currently, several tumor treatments are designed to trigger the death of tumor cells.

Genomic and phenotypic correlates of mosaic loss of chromosome Y in blood.

Mosaic loss of Y (mLOY) is the most common somatic chromosomal alteration detected in human blood. The presence of mLOY is associated with altered blood cell counts and increased risk of Alzheimer disease, solid tumors, and other age-related diseases. We sought to gain a better understanding of genetic drivers and associated phenotypes of mLOY through analyses of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of a large set of genetically diverse males from the Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program.

High cellular plasticity state of medulloblastoma local recurrence and distant dissemination.

Medulloblastoma (MB), a heterogeneous pediatric brain tumor, poses challenges in the treatment of tumor recurrence and dissemination. To characterize cellular diversity and genetic features, we comprehensively analyzed single-cell/nucleus RNA sequencing (sc/snRNA-seq), single-nucleus assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (snATAC-seq), and spatial transcriptomics profiles and identified distinct cellular populations in SHH (sonic hedgehog) and Group_3 subgroups, with varying proportions in local recurrence or dissemination. Local recurrence showed higher cycling tumor cell enrichment, whereas disseminated lesions had a relatively notable presence of differentiated subsets.

Social Determinants of Health and College Persistence Risk in Accelerated Undergraduate Nursing Students.

Social determinants of health have been identified as factors influencing resilience, but little data exist regarding their influence on nursing students' persistence to graduation. Nursing schools must address interventions to promote persistence. This nonexperimental quantitative study explored the impact of social determinants in prelicensure nursing.

Injectable ionic hydrogel conductors: Advancing material design to transform cardiac pacing.

Direct pacing of the mid myocardium where re-entry originates can be used to prevent ventricular arrhythmias and circumvent the need for painful defibrillation or cardiac ablation. However, there are no pacing electrodes small enough to navigate the coronary veins that cross these culprit scar regions. To address this need, we have developed an injectable ionically conductive hydrogel electrode that can fill the epicardial coronary veins and transform them into flexible electrodes.

Predicting cobalt ion concentration in hydrometallurgy zinc process using data decomposition and machine learning.

Solid waste is one of the primary contributors to environmental pollution currently, it is crucial to enhance the prevention and control of solid waste pollution in environmental management. The effectiveness of the second stage of purification in the industrial zinc hydrometallurgy is determined by the concentration of cobalt ion. Manual testing and monitoring of cobalt ion concentration are time consuming and costly, and prone to delays, which can result in discharge of cobalt ion concentration that does not meet the standards, leading to water pollution.

Strong legacies of emerging trends in winter precipitation on the carbon-climate feedback from Arctic tundra.

Changes in winter precipitation accompanying emerging climate trends lead to a major carbon-climate feedback from Arctic tundra. However, the mechanisms driving the direction, magnitude, and form (CO and CH) of C fluxes and derived climate forcing (i.e.

Trends and predictors of leaving before medically advised in US emergency departments from 2016 to 2021.

Background: Leaving before medically advised (BMA) is a significant issue in the US healthcare system, leading to adverse health outcomes and increased costs. Despite previous research, multi-year studies using up-to-date nationwide emergency department (ED) data, are limited. This study examines factors associated with leaving BMA from EDs and trends over time, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.