THBS2 + cancer-associated fibroblasts promote EMT leading to oxaliplatin resistance via COL8A1-mediated PI3K/AKT activation in colorectal cancer.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) exert multiple tumor-promoting functions and are key contributors to drug resistance. The mechanisms by which specific subsets of CAFs facilitate oxaliplatin resistance in colorectal cancer (CRC) have not been fully explored. This study found that THBS2 is positively associated with CAF activation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and chemoresistance at the pan-cancer level.

Feasibility of the use of Kangaroo mother care in the transfer of preterm and low-birth-weight infants: a two-arm nonrandomized controlled cluster feasibility study of neonatal transport in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Background: Despite progress made towards SDG 3, sub-Saharan Africa lags behind the rest of the world, accounting for over 50% of global neonatal deaths. The increased number of hospital births in the region has not reciprocated the reduction in neonatal mortality rates. Sick newborns face uncertain journeys from peripheral facilities to specialized centres arriving in suboptimal conditions, which impacts their outcomes, due partly to the scarcity of dedicated neonatal transport services.

Association between serum hypertriglyceridemia and hematological indices: data mining approaches.

Background: High triglyceride (TG) affects and is affected of other hematological factors. The determination of serum fasted triglycerides concentrations, as part of a lipid profile, is crucial key point in hematological factors and significantly affect various systemic diseases. This study was carried out to assess the potential relation between the concentration of TG and hematological factors.

Gas transport mechanisms during high-frequency ventilation.

By virtue of applying small tidal volumes, high-frequency ventilation is advocated as a method of minimizing ventilator-induced lung injury. Lung protective benefits are established in infants, but not in other patient cohorts. Efforts to improve and extend the lung protection potential should consider how fundamental modes of gas transport can be exploited to minimize harmful tidal volumes while maintaining or improving ventilation.

The ability of clostridium novyi-NT spores to induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial pathway in mice with HPV-positive cervical cancer tumors derived from the TC-1 cell line.

Background: A precise observation is that the cervix's solid tumors possess hypoxic regions where the oxygen concentration drops below 1.5%. Hypoxia negatively impacts the host's immune system and significantly diminishes the effectiveness of several treatments, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Bias in machine learning applications to address non-communicable diseases at a population-level: a scoping review.

Background: Machine learning (ML) is increasingly used in population and public health to support epidemiological studies, surveillance, and evaluation. Our objective was to conduct a scoping review to identify studies that use ML in population health, with a focus on its use in non-communicable diseases (NCDs). We also examine potential algorithmic biases in model design, training, and implementation, as well as efforts to mitigate these biases.

Evaluation of population immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, EG.5.1, FY.4, BA.2.86, JN.1, JN.1.4, and KP.3.1.1 using samples from two health demographic surveillance systems in Kenya.

Increased immune evasion by emerging and highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 variants is a key challenge to the control of COVID-19. The majority of these mutations mainly target the spike protein, allowing the new variants to escape the immunity previously raised by vaccination and/or infection by earlier variants of SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we investigated the neutralizing capacity of antibodies against emerging variants of interest circulating between May 2023 and October 2024 using sera from representative samples of the Kenyan population.

A qualitative exploration of women's expectations of birth and knowledge of birth interventions following antenatal education.

Background: Expectations of birth, and whether they are met, influence postnatal psychological wellbeing. Intrapartum interventions, for example induction of labour, are increasing due to a changing pregnant population and evolving evidence, which may contribute to a mismatch between expectations and birth experience. NICE recommends antenatal education (ANE) to prepare women for labour and birth, but there is no mandated UK National Health Service (NHS) ANE curriculum.

Associations between ABO, FUT2 and chronic pancreatitis: A comprehensive meta-analysis of multiple cohorts and public biobanks.

Objectives: Associations of ABO blood group specifying transferases A/B (ABO) and fucosyltransferase 2 (FUT2) with CP remain inconclusive. We aimed to comprehensively investigate the associations by Chinese sequencing cohorts and external cohorts.

Methods: First, we analyzed the distributions of ABO blood groups and FUT2 status, along with lead single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at ABO (rs8176693 C/T) and FUT2 (rs632111 A/G) gene loci in Chinese low-coverage whole-genome sequencing discovery cohort.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Curriculum (2021) and Oral Surgery Curriculum (2023): A forensic comparison of two documents.

In the UK Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) and Oral Surgery (OS) are distinct specialties governed respectively by the General Medical Council (GMC) and General Dental Council (GDC) respectively. There has always been overlap of training and care between both specialties. The OMFS curriculum was updated in 2021 and the Oral Surgery Curriculum in 2023.

Oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) 'controlled' second-degree places in the UK - there are sufficient numbers (with high application ratios) to meet current and future OMFS recruitment needs in the UK.

In 2008 the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) Review of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) recommended that OMFS specialty training should start with second-degree studies. This recommendation has not yet happened. Currently, no OMFS controlled places at medical/dental schools are directly linked to OMFS Specialty Training (ST) posts.

Plasma phosphorylated tau and neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia with Lewy bodies.

Introduction: Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) are common in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) but their neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood.

Methods: NPSs and cognition were assessed annually in participants (DLB n = 222; Alzheimer's disease [AD] n = 125) from the European DLB (E-DLB) Consortium, and plasma phosphorylated tau-181 (p-tau181) and p-tau231 concentrations were measured at baseline.

Results: Hallucinations, delusions, and depression were more common in DLB than in AD and, in a subgroup with longitudinal follow-up, persistent hallucinations and NPSs were associated with lower p-tau181 and p-tau231 in DLB.

Genome-wide association study of anterior uveitis.

Background/aims: The purpose of this study is to define genetic factors associated with anterior uveitis through genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Methods: In this GWAS meta-analysis, we combined data from the FinnGen, Estonian Biobank and UK Biobank with a total of 12 205 anterior uveitis cases and 917 145 controls. We performed a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) to investigate associations across phenotypes and traits.

Investigating context-specific sedentary behaviours and cardiometabolic health in college-based young adults (CONTEXT-SB): a protocol for a longitudinal observational study.

Background: Sedentary behaviour (SB) is detrimental to cardiometabolic disease (CMD) risk, which can begin in young adulthood. To devise effective SB-CMD interventions in young adults, it is important to understand which context-specific SB (CS-SB) are most detrimental for CMD risk, the lifestyle behaviours that cluster with CS-SBs and the socioecological predictors of CS-SB.

Methods And Analysis: This longitudinal observational study will recruit 500 college-aged (18-24 years) individuals.

Co-designing a low-intensity psychological therapy for fear of recurrence in psychosis using translational learning from fear of recurrence in oncology: protocol for intervention development for future testing in a feasibility study.

Introduction: Fear of recurrence is a transdiagnostic problem experienced by people with psychosis, which is associated with anxiety, depression and risk of future relapse events. Despite this, there is a lack of available psychological interventions for fear of recurrence, and psychological therapies for schizophrenia are often poorly implemented in general. However, low-intensity psychological therapy is available for people who experience fear of recurrence in the context of cancer, which means there is an opportunity to learn what has worked in a well-implemented psychological therapy to see if any learning can be adapted for schizophrenia care.

Mainstreaming control interventions for neglected tropical diseases into the health system: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: The WHO neglected tropical diseases (NTD) roadmap (2021-2030) proposed a shift in approach to addressing NTDs through accountability for impact, implementing integration across NTDs, mainstreaming in national health systems and ensuring country ownership. However, a major challenge has been the dearth of evidence on how to implement this shift in a resource-limited setting. The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence on the mainstreaming or integration of programmes and/or interventions against NTDs into the national health system.

Quality of care at childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium: a cross-sectional study based on WHO standards.

Objectives: To examine quality of maternal and newborn care (QMNC) around childbirth in facilities in Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic and trends over time.

Design: A cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: Data of the Improving MAternal Newborn carE in the EURO region study in Belgium.

Care delivery in the context of district mental healthcare plans in Ghana: a qualitative study exploring experiences of primary healthcare workers and service users.

Objective: To explore the perceptions and experiences of mental health service users and healthcare workers regarding the implementation of district mental healthcare plans (DMHPs) in three district demonstration sites in Ghana.

Design: The study employed a qualitative design using reflexive thematic analysis. Interview data were analysed by combining inductive and deductive approaches.

Assessing the impact of different donor milk treatments on infant health and growth: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Donor human milk (DHM) is the first alternative if mother's own milk is unavailable or contraindicated. Much DHM research has focused on its nutritional, immunological and biochemical composition in response to various maternal variables, standard human milk banking procedures and storage protocols. The current systematic review protocol, however, aims to systematically gather and analyse existing data pertaining to the impact of these aforementioned factors on the clinical, health-related and developmental outcomes observed in infants fed with DHM.

Impact of COVID-19 and recovery of routine diabetic retinopathy digital screening across different regions in England: an analysis of publicly available data.

Objective: This study aims to examine the reduction and subsequent recovery of routine digital screening (RDS) uptake in England from 2018 to 2022, exploring national, regional and individual Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) levels. The COVID-19 lockdown in most areas of England was from 26 March 2020 to 23 June 2020 (first national lockdown), 5 November 2020 to 2 December 2020 (second national lockdown) and 6 January 2021 to 8 March 2021 (third national lockdown).

Design: Retrospective data analysis.

Measuring technology-facilitated sexual violence and abuse: a scoping review protocol of existing measurements.

Introduction: Technology-facilitated sexual violence and abuse (TFSVA) refers to a range of behaviours in which digital technologies are used to facilitate both virtual and face-to-face sexual harm. The proliferation of smartphone usage and increasing internet penetration rates across the world have made it easier for individuals to become perpetrators and victims of TFSVA. Since empirical studies of TFSVA remain limited in the academic arena, and there is an absence of evidence to support the development of a standardised TFSVA measurement, this review aims to explore what TFSVA measurements are currently available and their potential use in measuring TFSVA.