Social Determinants of Quality of Life in the Last Year of Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Multimorbidity.

Quality of life (QOL) at the end of life often declines in relation to various determinants, yet the role of social determinants, including social capital, in end-of-life care is frequently overlooked. This study aims to examine the association between social determinants and QOL in the last year of life and to test the mediating role of social capital in the relationship between social determinants and QOL among older adults with multimorbidity (MM). We used secondary data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS) in Rounds 10 and 11, involving 3,085 adults aged 65 and older.

Roles of Randomized Controlled Trials in Establishing Evidence-Based Gender-Affirming Care and Advancing Health Equity.

This article reviews the design of a recently published randomized controlled trial (RCT) on immediate vs delayed access to gender-affirming hormones for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people and outlines key learning points that clinicians should know about how RCTs can and cannot contribute to advancing health equity for TGD people.

A non-invasive approach to skin cancer diagnosis via graphene electrical tattoos and electrical impedance tomography.

Making up one of the largest shares of diagnosed cancers worldwide, skin cancer is also one of the most treatable. However, this is contingent upon early diagnosis and correct skin cancer-type differentiation. Currently, methods for early detection that are accurate, rapid, and non-invasive are limited.

Accounting for unobserved population dynamics and aging error in close-kin mark-recapture assessments.

Obtaining robust estimates of population abundance is a central challenge hindering the conservation and management of many threatened and exploited species. Close-kin mark-recapture (CKMR) is a genetics-based approach that has strong potential to improve the monitoring of data-limited species by enabling estimates of abundance, survival, and other parameters for populations that are challenging to assess. However, CKMR models have received limited sensitivity testing under realistic population dynamics and sampling scenarios, impeding the application of the method in population monitoring programs and stock assessments.

Empowerment Through Academia.

This is the sixth article in a series on nurse innovators, which focuses on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlines working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. In this installment, we describe the role of academia in building the next generation of nurse-engineers, highlighting three novel academic programs that have reimagined nursing and engineering education to promote interdisciplinary partnership and innovation.

A paradigm for ethanol consumption in head-fixed mice during prefrontal cortical two-photon calcium imaging.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a hub for cognitive behaviors and is a key target for neuroadaptations in alcohol use disorders. Recent advances in genetically encoded sensors and functional microscopy allow multimodal in vivo PFC activity recordings at subcellular and cellular scales. While these methods could enable a deeper understanding of the relationship between alcohol and PFC function/dysfunction, they typically require animals to be head-fixed.

A Comprehensive Study on Cyber Attacks in Communication Networks in Water Purification and Distribution Plants: Challenges, Vulnerabilities, and Future Prospects.

In recent years, the Internet of Things (IoT) has had a big impact on both industry and academia. Its profound impact is particularly felt in the industrial sector, where the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), also known as Industry 4.0, is revolutionizing manufacturing and production through the fusion of cutting-edge technologies and network-embedded sensing devices.

A paradigm for ethanol consumption in head-fixed mice during prefrontal cortical two-photon calcium imaging.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a hub for higher-level cognitive behaviors and is a key target for neuroadaptations in alcohol use disorders. Preclinical models of ethanol consumption are instrumental for understanding how acute and repeated drinking affects PFC structure and function. Recent advances in genetically encoded sensors of neuronal activity and neuromodulator release combined with functional microscopy (multiphoton and one-photon widefield imaging) allow multimodal PFC recordings at subcellular and cellular scales.

Improving Bruise Detection in Patients with Dark Skin Tone.

This is the fifth article in a series on nurse innovators, which focuses whenever possible on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlines working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. In this installment, we profile Katherine N. Scafide, a forensic nurse and researcher, who has partnered with engineers over many years to improve bruise detection in patients with dark skin tone.

Nonlethally assessing elasmobranch ontogenetic shifts in energetics.

Body condition is an important proxy for the overall health and energetic status of fishes. The classically used Fulton's condition factor requires length and mass measurements, but mass can be difficult to obtain in large species. Girth measurements can replace mass for wild pelagic sharks.

Nurse-Engineer Partnerships in Academia.

This is the fourth article in a series on nurse innovators, which focuses whenever possible on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlines working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. In this installment, we explore the work of four engineers who are forging a path to strengthen nurse-engineer partnerships through their work in academia. Their experiences exemplify the work of nurse-engineer teams, inform ways to employ these teams, and reveal the insights that result when these disciplines collaborate in real time to solve health care problems.

Early and progressive mobility in a community hospital: A new interdisciplinary safe patient handling and mobility model.

An early mobility program in a small community hospital resulted in high levels of staff engagement and decreased rates for falls and heel and sacral pressure injuries.

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to Xenopus proteins.

Monoclonal antibodies are powerful and versatile tools that enable the study of proteins in diverse contexts. They are often utilized to assist with identification of subcellular localization and characterization of the function of target proteins of interest. However, because there can be considerable sequence diversity between orthologous proteins in Xenopus and mammals, antibodies produced against mouse or human proteins often do not recognize Xenopus counterparts.

Fluoride exposure and hypothyroidism in a Canadian pregnancy cohort.

Background: While fluoride can have thyroid-disrupting effects, associations between low-level fluoride exposure and thyroid conditions remain unclear, especially during pregnancy when insufficient thyroid hormones can adversely impact offspring development.

Objectives: We evaluated associations between fluoride exposure and hypothyroidism in a Canadian pregnancy cohort.

Methods: We measured fluoride concentrations in drinking water and three dilution-corrected urine samples and estimated fluoride intake based on self-reported beverage consumption.

A Nurse Innovator Paves the Way for Other Nurses.

This is the third article in a series on nurse innovators, which focuses whenever possible on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlines working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. In this installment, we profile Brian Mohika, BSN, RN, creator of CathWear-a wearable medical device that supports patients with catheter drainage leg bags. His nine-year journey of successes and challenges highlights the value of early, real-time collaboration with an interdisciplinary team, and underscores the need for nurses to see themselves as innovators.

Beyond Amyloid Fibers: Accumulation, Biological Relevance, and Regulation of Higher-Order Prion Architectures.

The formation of amyloid fibers is associated with a diverse range of disease and phenotypic states. These amyloid fibers often assemble into multi-protofibril, high-order architectures in vivo and in vitro. Prion propagation in yeast, an amyloid-based process, represents an attractive model to explore the link between these aggregation states and the biological consequences of amyloid dynamics.

Collaborative Nurse-Engineer Product Innovation.

This is the second article in a series on nurse innovators, which focuses whenever possible on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlines working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. In this installment, we profile Lindsey Roddy, a nurse, and Kyle Jansson, an engineer-partners who collaborated on an innovative medical device called SecureMove-TLC, designed to improve caregiver workflow, reduce health care costs associated with line dislodgment, and promote safety for both patients and caregivers.

Health Care Innovation: Embracing the Nurse-Engineer Partnership.

This article introduces a series on nurse innovators, focusing whenever possible on nurse-engineer partnerships and outlining working, replicable models of collaboration between the two disciplines. This first column highlights the similarities between nursing and engineering, provides a case example, and discusses barriers to nurse-engineer partnerships as well as recommendations for success. Listen to a podcast with the authors at www.

Online Gain Adaptation of Whole-Body Control for Legged Robots with Unknown Disturbances.

This paper proposes an online gain adaptation approach to enhance the robustness of whole-body control (WBC) framework for legged robots under unknown external force disturbances. Without properly accounting for external forces, the closed-loop control system incorporating WBC may become unstable, and therefore the desired task goals may not be achievable. To study the effects of external disturbances, we analyze the behavior of our current WBC framework the use of both full-body and centroidal dynamics.

Family Dog Ownership and Youth Physical Activity Levels: A Scoping Review.

Higher youth physical activity (PA) is associated with favorable health outcomes. The PA Guidelines for Americans recommend school-aged children complete at least 60 minutes of daily PA. Only one in three children meet these guidelines.

Secondary Medication Administration and IV Smart Pump Setup.

Secondary infusion by large-volume IV smart pump is used extensively in the acute care setting for one-time or intermittent administration of medications such as antibiotics, electrolyte replacements, and some oncology drugs. Consistent and accurate delivery of secondary medications requires a full understanding of the system and setup requirements. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for nurses to find a secondary medication only partially administered when their programming should have resulted in a complete infusion.