Effect of artificial intelligence-based video-game system on dysphagia in patients with stroke: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Post-stroke dysphagia is highly prevalent and causes complication. While video games have demonstrated potential to increase patient engagement in rehabilitation, their efficacy in stroke patients with dysphagia remains unclear. This aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the artificial intelligence-based video-game (AI-VG) intervention in improving swallowing function among stroke patients with dysphagia.

Neurotrophin-3 as a mediator in the link between PM exposure and psychiatric disorders: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The causal relationship between PM (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) and common mental disorders, along with its neuropathological mechanisms, remains unclear.

Methods: We used genome-wide association study datasets from the UK Biobank and Psychiatric Genomics Consortium to systematically investigate the causal relationship between PM and nine common psychiatric disorders using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) methods.

Novel yeast Pichia kudriavzevii alleviates aflatoxins induced toxicopathology in broiler chickens through immunomodulation and antioxidant enhancement.

This study aimed to investigate the potential of Pichia kudriavzevii (PK), a newly discovered yeast strain, in alleviating the deleterious effects induced by aflatoxins on broilers. Eighty one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups and subjected to various combinations of aflatoxin dosages at 300 μg/kg of feed alongside PK supplementation at 1 g/kg of feed. Assessment encompassed a comprehensive array of parameters including performance metrics, hepatic and renal biomarkers, interleukin concentrations, blood cell counts, hemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, antibody response to sheep red blood cells, lymphoproliferative response to PHA-P, phagocytic response utilizing the carbon clearance assay system, as well as evaluation of oxidants and antioxidants.

Redox-induced phosphorus release from critical source areas following rainfall events in New Zealand.

Critical source areas (CSAs) can act as a source of phosphorus (P) during intermittent rainfall events and contribute to dissolved P loss via runoff. Dissolved forms of P are readily accessible for plant and algal uptake; hence it is a concern in terms of the eutrophication of freshwater bodies. The potential of CSAs to release dissolved P to surface runoff upon intermittent short-term submergence caused by different rainfall events has not been studied at a field-scale in New Zealand previously.

POCUS-first in acute diverticulitis: Quantifying cost savings, length-of-stay reduction, and radiation risk mitigation in the ED.

Background: Recent studies have validated the efficacy of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) as an alternative diagnostic imaging approach to computed tomography (CT) for patients with suspected acute diverticulitis. This study aimed to quantify the national impact of this approach in cost savings, ED length-of-stay (LOS), and radiation risk mitigation using a POCUS-first approach for acute diverticulitis in the emergency department (ED).

Methods: Using published data, we constructed a Monte Carlo simulation model to compare two POCUS-first strategies (nonselective and selective approaches) for evaluating patients with suspected acute diverticulitis in the ED.

Challenges in intraoperative differentiation of craniopharyngioma and Rathke cleft cyst on endoscopic visualization.

Background: Craniopharyngiomas are epithelial tumors derived from the remnants of the Rathke pouch, while Rathke cleft cysts (RCC) are benign cystic lesions originating from the Rathke pouch itself [1]. Rathke cleft cysts comprise 10-15% of the hypophyseal tumors, while craniopharyngiomas are relatively rare, comprising only 2-5% of intracranial tumors [2]. Both located in the sellar and parasellar regions and share clinical symptoms including headache, visual disturbances, and endocrine dysfunction [3].

Sex disparities and trends in stroke incidence, prevalence, and mortality in the US and worldwide: Findings from the global burden of disease, 1990-2021.

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of death/disability, with notable differences in incidence, prevalence, and mortality observed. Despite advancement in stroke research, notable gaps persist in understanding the overall trend and sex-specific disparities in stroke burden over the past three decades, both in the United States of America (USA) and globally.

Aims: This observational-study aims to investigate evolving trends and sex-specific disparities in the incidence, prevalence, and mortality of stroke in the USA and globally from 1990 to 2021.

Preoperative Nutrition Status Predicts Hospital Length of Stay and Unplanned Reoperation Risk in Pediatric Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Introduction: Many pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients require surgical intervention during their lifetime. Poor nutrition status correlates with adverse surgical outcomes in the adult population. A paucity of data exists on the association of preoperative nutrition status and postoperative outcomes in the pediatric population.

Electrochemical sensors: Types, applications, and the novel impacts of vibration and fluid flow for microfluidic integration.

Electrochemical sensors are part of a diverse and evolving world of chemical sensors that are impacted by high demand and ongoing technological advancements. Electrochemical sensors offer benefits like cost-efficiency, short response time, ease of use, good limit of detection (LOD) and sensitivity, and ease of miniaturization while providing consistent analytical results. These sensors are employed in various fields-such as healthcare and diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and the food industry-to detect bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, pesticides, and more.

Distribution of potentially toxic elements in sediments of the municipal river channel (Balu), Dhaka, Bangladesh: Ecological and health risks assessment.

The concern of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in the river ecosystem is growing due to anthropological activity. The contents of seven PTEs in sediments from the Balu River channel were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and an environmental risk model. Several PTEs were found in the sediment at high levels, including zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and mercury (Hg), that might pose a risk to human and ecological health.

Bariatric surgery and alcohol and substance use: A case-control survey study.

Purpose: Studies suggest alcohol and/or other substance misuse may develop after bariatric surgery (BS), but findings are not consistent or conclusive.

Procedures: This cross-sectional online survey investigated alcohol and other substance use, via a modified version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, before and after bariatric surgery, compared to a non-bariatric surgery sample. Data were anonymously collected via Qualtrics from adults who reported alcohol or substance use (BS, n = 328; non-BS, n = 292).

Should antinuclear antibodies (ANA) be used to screen for connective tissue disease in neurological patients?

Background: Patients with connective tissue diseases (CTD) can have a wide range of neurological manifestations. Neurological complaints may be the presenting symptom of CTD. Therefore, screening for CTD using anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) is a common practice.

Metoprolol vs diltiazem for atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular rate: Systematic review and meta-analysis of adverse events.

Background: Intravenous (IV) diltiazem and metoprolol are commonly used to achieve rate control for atrial fibrillation with RVR (Afib with RVR), and are both recommended as first-line by current guidelines. While prior studies investigated the efficacy of these medications, there is little evidence available regarding the risk of adverse events (AEs) with their use.

Methods: We identified randomized controlled trials (RCT) and observational studies reporting rates of AEs following administration of IV diltiazem and metoprolol for Afib with RVR by searching PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library.

A multi-constraint Monte Carlo Simulation approach to downscaling cancer data.

This study employs an innovative multi-constraint Monte Carlo simulation method to estimate suppressed county-level cancer counts for population subgroups and extend the downscaling from county to ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTA) in the U.S. Given the known cancer counts at a higher geographic level and larger demographic groups at the same geographic level as constraints, this method uses the population structure as probability in the Monte Carlo simulation process to estimate suppressed data entries.

Validation of AI-driven measurements for hip morphology assessment.

Rationale And Objectives: Accurate assessment of hip morphology is crucial for the diagnosis and management of hip pathologies. Traditional manual measurements are prone to mistakes and inter- and intra-reader variability. Artificial intelligence (AI) could mitigate such issues by providing accurate and reproducible measurements.

Fine-tuning probes for fluorescence polarization binding assays of bivalent ligands against polo-like kinase 1 using full-length protein.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is an important cell cycle regulator that is a recognized target for development of anti-cancer therapeutics. Plk1 is composed of a catalytic kinase domain (KD), a flexible interdomain linker and a polo-box domain (PBD). Intramolecular protein-protein interactions (PPIs) between the PBD and KD result in "auto-inhibition" that is an essential component of proper Plk1 function.

Kinesiophobia, catastrophizing, and the duration of immobilization: A prospective study on factors associated with shoulder disability following wrist-hand injuries.

Background: Shoulder pain is a major musculoskeletal problem after wrist-hand immobilization. There is limited evidence regarding the relationship of kinesiophobia or pain catastrophizing with shoulder pain and disability after wrist-hand injury.

Purpose: To explore associations between kinesiophobia and pain catastrophizing with ipsilateral persistent shoulder disability in patients with wrist-hand injury after 6 months.

Senescent brain cell types in Alzheimer's disease: Pathological mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.

Cellular senescence is a cell state triggered by programmed physiological processes or cellular stress responses. Stress-induced senescent cells often acquire pathogenic traits, including a toxic secretome and resistance to apoptosis. When pathogenic senescent cells form faster than they are cleared by the immune system, they accumulate in tissues throughout the body and contribute to age-related diseases, including neurodegeneration.

How To Write a Response to Reviewers.

Peer review and comments from reviewers are part of the submission process for scientific papers. We provide tips on how best to respond to reviewers, and point out the most common mistakes that authors make. The ultimate goal is to work with reviewers and editors to improve the quality of a paper so that it is accepted for publication.

How does globally accumulated tropical cyclone energy vary in response to a changing climate?

How tropical cyclone (TC) activity varies in response to a changing climate is widely debated. The accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) is one of the indicators of TC activity and has attracted considerable attention because of its close relationship with the damages caused by TCs. Previous studies have focused on detecting long-term trends in global ACE; however, the results are inconclusive.

Repairing the Nasal Valve in Revision Surgery.

Nasal airway obstruction is a frequent complaint in an otolaryngology clinic and is often multifactorial. Anatomic contributors may include a nasal septal deviation, inferior turbinate hypertrophy, and nasal valve compromise. Septoplasty and inferior turbinate reduction are one of the most common procedures performed by an otolaryngologist.