Composites Based on PLA/PHBV Blends with Nanocrystalline Cellulose NCC: Mechanical and Thermal Investigation.

This study investigates the physical and mechanical properties of biodegradable composites based on PLA/PHBV blends modified with different content of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) of 5, 10, and 15 wt.%. Density measurements reveal that the density of the composite increases with increasing NCC content.

Granite Dust and Silica Fume as a Combined Filler of Reactive Powder Concrete.

By volume, cement concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world. This requires a significant amount of Portland cement, and the cement industry, in turn, causes a significant amount of CO emissions. Therefore, the development of concrete with a reduced cement content is becoming an urgent problem for countries with a significant level of production and consumption of concrete.

Functional Mechanical Behavior and Biocompatible Characteristics of Graphene-Coated Cardiovascular Stents.

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is a treatment method that involves reopening narrowed arteries with a balloon catheter that delivers a cylindrical, mesh-shaped implant device to the site of the stenosis. Currently, by applying a coating to a bare metal stent (BMS) surface to improve biocompatibility, the main risks after PCI, such as restenosis and thrombosis, are reduced while maintaining the basic requirements for the mechanical behavior of the stent itself. In this work, for the first time, the development and optimization process of the spatial structure of the Co-Cr stent (L-605) with a graphene-based coating using cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CW-CVD) to ensure uniform coverage of the implant was attempted.

Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infections Among Patients of Ukrainian Origin During the Influx of War Refugees to Poland.

The wave of wartime migration from Ukraine has raised a number of concerns about infectious diseases, the prevalence of which is higher in Ukraine than in host countries, with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection being one of them. Our analysis aimed to assess the percentage of HCV-infected Ukrainian refugees under care in Polish centers providing antiviral diagnosis and therapy, to evaluate their characteristics and the effectiveness of treatment with direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs). The analysis included patients of Polish and Ukrainian nationality treated for HCV infection between 2022 and 2024 in Polish hepatology centers.

Prevalence of Abdominal Obesity in Children and Adolescents with Intellectual Disability in Southeastern Poland.

: The aim of the study was to determine the frequency of occurrence of a significant health problem-abdominal obesity (AO)-in children and adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) compared to children and adolescents without disabilities, examined in the period 2013-2014. : The study group included 568 students with various ID degrees ( = 265 mild; = 249 moderate; = 54 severe) (age range 7-18 years) attending care and educational facilities. The comparison group (non-ID) was randomly selected based on the principle of matching the group (age and sex) among students without ID.

Genetic Risk of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Second-Line Therapy Need in Crohn's Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Crohn's disease (CD) and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) are chronic conditions with overlapping inflammatory pathways. This research investigates the genetic association between AS and the requirement for more aggressive therapeutic interventions in CD, suggesting a likelihood of increased severity in CD progression among individuals diagnosed with AS. This study utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) to analyze GWAS datasets for AS and CD requiring second-line treatment.

Current Diagnostic, Counseling, and Treatment Options in Non-Severe and Severe Apparently Isolated Fetal Ventriculomegaly.

The widening of the vestibular dimension of lateral ventricles > 10 mm should be considered a symptom rather than a definitive diagnosis. In fact, fetal ventriculomegaly (VM) is a defect with 'multifaceted' clinical consequences in the child's further neurodevelopment. Isolated fetal ventriculomegaly can cause neurological defects ranging from mild neurodevelopmental delay to severe complications in the form of ongoing palliative care to the death of patients at various developmental periods.

Complete Genome Assembly of DSM 45807 Allows the Characterization of a Novel Glycopeptide Biosynthetic Gene Cluster.

Background: Glycopeptide antibiotics (GPAs) are a very successful class of clinically relevant antibacterials, used to treat severe infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, e.g., multidrug resistant and methicillin-resistant staphylococci.

Entropy as a Tool for the Analysis of Stock Market Efficiency During Periods of Crisis.

In the article, we analyse the problem of the efficiency market hypothesis using entropy in moments of transition from a normal economic situation to crises or slowdowns in European, Asian and US stock markets and the economy in the years 2007-2023 (2008-2009, U.S. financial sector crises; 2020-2021, Pandemic period; and the 2022-2023 period of Russia's attack on Ukraine).

Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium Signaling in Hippocampal Neurons.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a key organelle in cellular homeostasis, regulating calcium levels and coordinating protein synthesis and folding. In neurons, the ER forms interconnected sheets and tubules that facilitate the propagation of calcium-based signals. Calcium plays a central role in the modulation and regulation of numerous functions in excitable cells.

Irisin Predicts Poor Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction and Low Levels of N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide.

Background: Despite existing evidence of the high predictive value of natriuretic peptides (NPs) in patients with heart failure (HF), patients treated with guideline-directed therapy who have low or near-normal NP levels are unlikely to be correctly stratified for risk of clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to detect plausible predictors for poor one-year clinical outcomes in patients with HFpEF and low NT-proBNP treated with in accordance with conventional guidelines.

Methods: A total of 337 patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) who had low levels of N-terminal natriuretic pro-peptide (NT-proBNP) at discharge due to optimal guideline-based therapy were enrolled in the study.

Novel Antimicrobial and Antitumor Agents Bearing Pyridine-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione-hydrazone Scaffold: Synthesis, Biological Evaluation, and Molecular Docking Investigation.

A series of target 4-substituted-5-(2-(pyridine-2-ylamino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones and their chloro analogs - were synthesized in a reaction of the selected aldehydes with the corresponding 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole-3-thiones and , which were obtained from 3-(pyridin-2-ylamino)propanoic acid () or 3-((5-chloropyridin-2-yl)amino)propanoic acid (), respectively, with thioacetohydrazide. The antibacterial and antifungal activities of the synthesized hydrazones were screened against the bacteria , , and and the fungi and by agar diffusion and serial dilution methods. 4-Amino-5-(2-((5-chloropyridin-2-yl)amino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione () and 4-(benzylideneamino)-5-(2-(pyridin-2-ylamino)ethyl)-2,4-dihydro-3-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione () were identified as exceptionally active (MIC 0.

Skin Cancer Knowledge, Sun Exposure, Photoprotection Behavior, and Perceived Barriers Associated with Skin Cancer Types in a Greek Cohort: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Island of Crete.

Backgorund: This study aimed to explore the relationship between different types of skin cancer and factors such as sun exposure and photoprotection measures in a Greek cohort on the island of Crete.

Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Dermatology Department of the University Hospital in Heraklion, Crete, between January 2019 and January 2024. The study population included consecutive patients diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and malignant melanoma (MM), as well as healthy controls.

"Thoracic anesthesia in patients with airborne disease".

Health care workers are at risk of infection from aerosolization of respiratory secretions, droplet and contact spread. This has gained great importance after the COVID19 pandemic. Intra-operative aerosol-generating procedures are arguably unavoidable in the routine provision of thoracic anesthesia.

Complications of Mesenteric Vein Thrombosis: Heterozygous Factor V Leiden Mutation Leads to Pulmonary Embolism in a Patient With Post-Bowel Resection Surgery.

It is critical to recognize pulmonary embolism as soon as possible in patients who have gastrointestinal problems pre- and post-surgery. Even in the absence of conventional risk factors, the Factor V Leiden mutation emphasizes the importance of a thorough thrombophilia assessment. To effectively manage and prevent thrombotic episodes, prompt anticoagulant medication and genetic screening for family members are essential.

The experiences of attending an international veteran sporting competition and preparatory camp for Team Ukraine during the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.

Introduction: This article offers unique insight into Team Ukraine's experiences of attending an international sporting event for veterans living with disability and injured active-duty personnel (the United States' Department of Defense Warrior Games, "The Games") and a 5-week preparatory camp in the United Kingdom (UK).

Methods: A survey gathered qualitative data at three time points: during the second and final week of training camp, and the in the two weeks immediately following participation at The Games. Forty-four out of 55 members of Team Ukraine (including veterans, active-duty personnel, support staff, and family members) provided responses in Survey 1, 20 in Survey 2, and 18 in Survey 3.

Just informal patient payments are not enough, 'personal connections' and knowledge of the 'rules' are also required: a logistic regression analysis of informal practices in health care in Ukraine.

In Ukraine, patients and their family members face numerous barriers to health care services. In response, they use coping strategies, that are manifold and complex activities aimed at overcoming these barriers, the financial burden of the treatment, and the poor quality of health care services. These activities include formal and informal practices.

War-related continuous traumatic stress as a potential mediator of associations between moral distress and professional quality of life in nurses: a cross-sectional study in Ukraine.

Background: At the beginning of 2022, Central Europe entered a state of emergency due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nurses were particularly vulnerable to a decline in their professional quality of life, facing repeated exposure to military trauma, ethical dilemmas, prolonged working hours, and increased stress and fatigue. This study aimed to contribute to our understanding of the potential mediating effect of war-related continuous traumatic stress on the association between moral distress and professional quality of life, including compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue, represented by burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

Fast barrier-free switching in synthetic antiferromagnets.

We analytically solve the Landau-Lifshitz equations for the collective magnetization dynamics in a synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) nanoparticle and uncover a regime of barrier-free switching under a short small-amplitude magnetic field pulse applied perpendicular to the SAF plane. We give examples of specific implementations for forming such low-power and ultra-fast switching pulses. For fully optical, resonant, barrier-free SAF switching we estimate the power per write operation to be  pJ, 10-100 times smaller than for conventional quasi-static rotation, which should be attractive for memory applications.

Early prediction of long COVID-19 syndrome persistence at 12 months after hospitalisation: a prospective observational study from Ukraine.

Objective: To identify the early predictors of a self-reported persistence of long COVID syndrome (LCS) at 12 months after hospitalisation and to propose the prognostic model of its development.

Design: A combined cross-sectional and prospective observational study.

Setting: A tertiary care hospital.

Achievements, priorities and strategies in pediatric nephrology in Europe: need for unifying approaches or acceptance of differences?

Background: There is a lack of information on the current healthcare systems for children with kidney diseases across Europe. The aim of this study was to explore the different national approaches to the organization and delivery of pediatric nephrology services within Europe.

Methods: In 2020, the European society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) conducted a cross-sectional survey to identify the existing pediatric nephrology healthcare systems in 48 European countries covering a population of more than 200 million children.

Magnetic field-induced synergistic therapy of cancer using magnetoplasmonic nanoplatform.

Combining photothermal and chemotherapy using single nanoplatform is an emerging direction in cancer nanomedicine. Herein, a magnetic field (MF) induced combination of chemo/photothermal therapy is demonstrated using FeO@mSiO@Au core@shell@satellites nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX), both and An application of an external MF to the NPs dispersion causes magnetophoretic movement and aggregation of the NPs. While the synthesized NPs only slightly absorb light at ∼800 nm, their aggregation results in a significant near infrared (NIR) absorption associated with plasmon resonance coupling between the Au satellites in the NPs aggregates.

Investigating the effect of geopolitical risk on defense companies' stock returns.

This study examines the influence of geopolitical risk (GPR) on the stock returns of 75 global representative defense companies. Our argument is based on the premise that the Crimean Peninsula's 2014 annexation was a turning point for the defense industry. The study uses wavelet coherence and phase differences to examine daily datasets spanning from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2023.