Rectal glands and tergal glands as sources of volatile pheromones in cucumber fruit fly, Zeugodacus Cucumis.

Male tephritid fruit flies typically emit pheromones from rectal glands to attract mates. Consistent with this, virgin females of the cucumber fruit fly, Zeugodacus cucumis (French), were found to be attracted to volatiles emitted by crushed male rectal glands in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. Electrophysiological studies identified several male rectal gland compounds that triggered responses in female antennae.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after intrathecal administration of nusinersen.

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is an uncommon sequela of low intracranial pressure, which may result from a lumbar puncture (LP). We describe a case of a patient in their 40s presenting with 48 hours of persistent headache following intrathecal administration of nusinersen for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 3. There were no focal neurological signs or symptoms apart from baseline symmetrical proximal limb weakness attributed to SMA.

Textbook outcome in liver surgery for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: defining predictors of an optimal postoperative course using machine learning.

Background: We sought to define textbook outcome in liver surgery (TOLS) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) by considering the implications of perioperative outcomes on overall survival (OS).

Methods: Using a multi-institutional database, TOLS for ICC was defined by employing novel machine learning (ML) models to identify perioperative factors most strongly predictive of OS ≥ 12 months. Subsequently, clinicopathologic factors associated with achieving TOLS were investigated.

Nasal Valve Considerations in Mohs Reconstruction.

Airway obstruction is a possible sequela following reconstruction of the nose after Mohs excision of skin cancers. While the principles and goals of tissue replacement after Mohs micrographic surgery are well-established, less attention has been paid to the evaluation of the nasal airway after reconstruction. Reconstructive planning begins with understanding the risk factors associated with the development of nasal valve compromise.

Adaptive responses in Cambrian predator and prey highlight the arms race during the rise of animals.

Predation is an important driver of species-level change in modern and fossil ecosystems, often through selection for defensive phenotypes in prey responding to predation pressures over time. Records of changes in shell morphology and injury patterns in biomineralized taxa are ideal for demonstrating such adaptive responses. The rapid increase in diversity and abundance of biomineralizing organisms during the early Cambrian is often attributed to predation and an evolutionary arms race.

The fate of intracellular and extracellular antibiotic resistance genes during ultrafiltration-ultraviolet-chlorination in a full-scale wastewater tretament plant.

Effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is recognized as a significant source of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment. Advanced treatment processes such as ultrafiltration (UF), ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection, and chlorination have emerged as promising approaches for ARG removal. However, the efficacy of sequential disinfection processes, such as UF-UV-chlorination on intracellular (iARGs) and extracellular ARGs (eARGs), remains largely unknown.

Guidance for Introducing the Tobacco-Free Generation Policy.

This article serves as a guide to the Tobacco-Free Generation policy (TFG) for policy-makers, drawing on experiences of negotiations regarding TFG in a wide number of jurisdictions. It explains the underlying concept: the highly addictive nature of nicotine prompts policy focus on preventing initial use by forbidding sales to those born after a prescribed cut-off birthdate, while resisting prohibition for those in older cohorts who may already be nicotine-dependent. The policy signals that there is no safe age for tobacco products.

Atomically Dispersed Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for Acidic Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Designing efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under demanding acidic environments plays a critical role in advancing proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) catalysts with atomically dispersed metals have gained attention for their affordability, excellent catalytic performance, and distinctive features including consistent active sites and high atomic utilization. Over the past decade, significant achievements have been made in this field.

Examination of Methods to Estimate Productivity Losses in an Economic Evaluation: Using Foodborne Illness as a Case Study.

Background: Cost-utility analyses commonly use two primary methods to value productivity: the human capital approach (HCA) and the friction cost approach (FCA). Another less frequently used method is the willingness-to-pay (WTP) approach, which estimates the monetary value individuals assign to avoiding an illness. In the context of foodborne illnesses (FBI), productivity loss represents one of the most significant economic impacts, particularly in developed nations.

Dental care and services of children and young people with cerebral palsy in Australia: A comprehensive survey of oral health-related quality of life.

Aims: To investigate caregiver-reported dental care experiences and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: Between May and August 2023, caregivers of children and young people from three Australian states were invited to complete questionnaires, including the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP-SF 19).

Results: Sixty-eight caregivers participated in the survey.

Rescue therapy after failed thrombectomy in medium/distal vessel occlusions: A retrospective analysis of an international, multi-center registry.

Background: There are limited therapeutic options in cases of failed reperfusion (modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction [mTICI] score < 2b) after stent-retriever and/or aspiration based endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke. Despite the absence of data supporting its use, rescue therapy (balloon angioplasty and/or stent implantation) is often utilized in such cases. Studies are limited to large vessel occlusions, while the outcomes and complications after rescue therapy in medium/distal vessel occlusions (MDVOs) have not been reported.

Behind the scenes of EQA-characteristics, capabilities, benefits and assets of external quality assessment (EQA).

The main stakeholders in external quality assessment (EQA) programs are the participants, in whose interests these challenges are ultimately organised. EQA schemes in the medical field contribute to improving the quality of patient care by evaluating the analytical and diagnostic quality of laboratory and point-of-care tests (POCT) by independent third parties and, if necessary, pointing out erroneous measurement results and analytical or diagnostic improvement potential. Other benefits include the option of using EQA samples for other important laboratory procedures, such as the verification or validation of diagnostic medical devices (IVD-MDs), a contribution to the estimation of measurement uncertainty, a means of training and educating laboratory staff through educational EQA programmes or samples, or even for independent and documented monitoring of staff competence, such as on samples with unusual or even exceptional characteristics.

Land Use Change Consistently Reduces α- But Not β- and γ-Diversity of Bees.

Land use change threatens global biodiversity and compromises ecosystem functions, including pollination and food production. Reduced taxonomic α-diversity is often reported under land use change, yet the impacts could be different at larger spatial scales (i.e.

The Adelaide Score: prospective implementation of an artificial intelligence system to improve hospital and cost efficiency.

Background: The Adelaide Score is an artificial intelligence system that integrates objective vital signs and laboratory tests to predict likelihood of hospital discharge.

Methods: A prospective implementation trial was conducted at the Lyell McEwin Hospital in South Australia. The Adelaide Score was added to existing human, artificial intelligence, and other technological infrastructure for the first 28 days of April 2024 (intervention), and outcomes were compared using parametric, non-parametric and health economic analyses, to those in the first 28 days of April 2023 (control).

Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children With Down Syndrome in an Australian Population.

Objectives: The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be higher in children with Down syndrome (DS) than the general pediatric population, with lower rates of surgical cure. This study aims to determine the prevalence and predictors of OSA and evaluate the outcomes of surgical intervention for OSA in a cohort of Australian children with DS.

Methodology: A retrospective chart review was conducted on 156 patients with DS from 0 to 18 years who had undergone overnight, attended polysomnography (PSG) at Sydney Children's Hospital from January 2010 to July 2023.

How Useful is Nuchal Translucency in Detecting Chromosomal Abnormalities Missed by Genome-Wide NIPT and What Measurement Threshold Should Be Used?

Introduction: Genome-wide non-invasive prenatal testing (gwNIPT) has screening limitations for detectable genetic conditions and cannot detect microdeletions/microduplications (MD) or triploidy. Nuchal translucency (NT) increases with gestation and with genetic or structural abnormalities. This study aims to determine the utility of NT measurement in detecting genetic abnormalities not identified by gwNIPT and the optimal NT threshold value.

Source Causal Connectivity Noninvasively Predicting Surgical Outcomes of Drug-Refractory Epilepsy.

Aims: Drug-refractory epilepsy (DRE) refers to the failure of controlling seizures with adequate trials of two tolerated and appropriately chosen anti-seizure medications (ASMs). For patients with DRE, surgical intervention becomes the most effective and viable treatment, but its success rate is unsatisfactory at only approximately 50%. Predicting surgical outcomes in advance can provide additional guidance to clinicians.

Professional judgement: a social practice perspective on a multiple mini-interview for specialty training selection.

Background: Interviewers' judgements play a critical role in competency-based assessments for selection such as the multiple-mini-interview (MMI). Much of the published research focuses on the psychometrics of selection and the impact of rater subjectivity. Within the context of selecting for entry into specialty postgraduate training, we used an interpretivist and socio-constructivist approach to explore how and why interviewers make judgments in high stakes selection settings whilst taking part in an MMI.

Health security-Why is 'public health' not enough?

There is a growing tendency in global discourse to describe a health issue as a security issue. But why is this health security language and framing necessary during times of crisis? Why is the term "health security" used when perhaps simply saying "public health" would do? As reference to 'health security' grows in contemporary discourse, research, advocacy, and policymaking, its prominence is perhaps most consequential in public health. Existing power dynamics in global health are produced and maintained through political processes.

Using routine data to examine factors associated with stillbirth in three tertiary maternity facilities in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Background: Over one-third of the global stillbirth burden occurs in countries affected by conflict or a humanitarian crisis, including Afghanistan. Stillbirth rates in Afghanistan remained high in 2021 at over 26 per 1000 births. Stillbirths have devastating physical, psycho-social and economic impacts on women, families and healthcare providers.

Development of a standardized patient-reported clinical questionnaire for children with spinal pain.

Background: Spinal pain affects up to 30% of school-age children and can interfere with various aspects of daily life, such as school attendance, physical function, and social life. Current assessment tools often rely on parental reporting which limits our understanding of how each child is affected by their pain. This study aimed to address this gap by developing MySpineData-Kids ("MiRD-Kids"), a tailored patient-reported questionnaire focusing on children with spinal pain in secondary care (Danish hospital setting).

Nudges for people who think.

The naiveté of the dominant 'cognitive-miser' metaphor of human thinking hampers theoretical progress in understanding how and why subtle behavioural interventions-'nudges'-could work. We propose a reconceptualization that places the balance in agency between, and the alignment of representations held by, people and choice architects as central to determining the prospect of observing behaviour change. We argue that two aspects of representational (mis)alignment are relevant: cognitive (how people construe the factual structure of a decision environment) and motivational (the importance of a choice to an individual).

Training Community Clinicians in Implementing CBT-ERP for Youth with OCD: A Pilot Study in Australian Community Mental Health Services.

This pilot study evaluated the outcomes associated with a training workshop in cognitive-behavioural therapy with exposure and response prevention (ERP) for youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) aimed at improving clinicians' capabilities and motivations. Questionnaires and role-plays were completed by 17 Australian clinicians working across community youth (i.e.