Inhibition of N-type calcium ion channels by tricyclic antidepressants - experimental and theoretical justification for their use for neuropathic pain.

A number of tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are commonly prescribed off-label for the treatment of neuropathic pain. The blockade of neuronal calcium ion channels is often invoked to partially explain the analgesic activity of TCAs, but there has been very limited experimental or theoretical evidence reported to support this assertion. The N-type calcium ion channel (Ca2.

Ready for Prime Time? Using Normalization Process Theory to Evaluate Implementation Success of Personal Health Records Designed for Decision Making.

Personal health records designed for shared decision making (SDM) have the potential to engage patients and provide opportunities for positive health outcomes. Given the limited number of published interventions that become normal practice, this preimplementation evaluation of an integrated SDM personal health record system (e-PHR) was underpinned by Normalization Process Theory (NPT). The theory provides a framework to analyze cognitive and behavioral mechanisms known to influence implementation success.

Green Space and Health in Mainland China: A Systematic Review.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have become a major cause of premature mortality and disabilities in China due to factors concomitant with rapid economic growth and urbanisation over three decades. Promoting green space might be a valuable strategy to help improve population health in China, as well as a range of co-benefits (e.g.

Larger cells have relatively smaller nuclei across the Tree of Life.

Larger cells have larger nuclei, but the precise relationship between cell size and nucleus size remains unclear, and the evolutionary forces that shape this relationship are debated. We compiled data for almost 900 species - from yeast to mammals - at three scales of biological organisation: among-species, within-species, and among-lineages of a species that was artificially selected for cell size. At all scales, we showed that the ratio of nucleus size to cell size (the 'N: C' ratio) decreased systematically in larger cells.

Syndemic in a pandemic: An autoethnography of a COVID survivor.

This paper provides my personal experience as a COVID-19 survivor during and postrecovery periods. The stigma that my children and I underwent exposed us to the fragility of a social system that we struggle with all through our life to remain a part of. My story revealed a strong symbiotic relationship between the disease (COVID-19) and the patient's low acceptance in society, primarily attributed to misinformation and xenophobia around the COVID-19.

Never-ending repetitiveness, sadness, loss, and "juggling with a blindfold on:" Lived experiences of Canadian college and university faculty members during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We report on the lived experiences of faculty members during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, exploring the broader experiences of faculty members as individuals living multifaceted lives whose homes became their offices, their students scattered geographically and their home lives upended. Using a phenomenological approach for data collection and analysis, we conducted 20 in-depth interviews with faculty holding varied academic appointments at universities across Canada. Experiences during the early months of the pandemic were described as being overwhelming and exhausting, and participants described as being stuck in a cycle of never-ending repetitiveness, sadness and loss, or managing life, teaching and other professional responsibilities with little sense of direction.

Incidence and Outcomes of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest in Singapore and Victoria: A Collaborative Study.

Background Incidence and outcomes of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) vary between communities. We aimed to examine differences in patient characteristics, prehospital care, and outcomes in Singapore and Victoria. Methods and Results Using the prospective Singapore Pan-Asian Resuscitation Outcomes Study and Victorian Ambulance Cardiac Arrest Registry, we identified 11 061 and 32 003 emergency medical services-attended adult OHCAs between 2011 and 2016 respectively.

Predation shapes the impact of cancer on population dynamics and the evolution of cancer resistance.

Cancer is a widespread disease that affects most of the metazoans. However, cancer development is a slow process and, long before causing the death of the individual, may weaken organisms' capacities and impair their interactions with other species. Yet, the impact of cancer development on biotic interactions, and over the dynamics of the whole ecosystem, is still largely unexplored.

A thermodynamic and kinetic study of the antioxidant activity of natural hydroanthraquinones.

Novel hydroanthraquinones isolated from marine algal-derived endophytic fungus EN-501 exhibited promising antioxidant properties in preliminary studies, raising the prospect of adapting these compounds for therapeutic use in diseases caused by oxidative stress. For medicinal applications it is beneficial to develop a full understanding of the antioxidant activity of these compounds. In this study, the hydroperoxide radical scavenging activity of five natural hydroanthraquinones was evaluated by kinetic and thermodynamic calculations.

The antioxidant activity of natural diterpenes: theoretical insights.

Diterpenes that were isolated from (Loes.) Lundell (Celastraceae) plants are reported to exhibit a range of biological activities, in particular as radical scavengers. Thus further insight into the antioxidant activity of diterpenes in physiological environments is much needed but not studied yet.

Cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light concentration predicts brain atrophy and cognition in Alzheimer's disease.

Introduction: This study assessed the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neurofilament light (NfL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis, its association with amyloid and tau pathology, as well as its potential to predict brain atrophy, cognition, and amyloid accumulation.

Methods: CSF NfL concentration was measured in 221 participants from the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers & Lifestyle Flagship Study of Ageing (AIBL).

Results: CSF NfL levels as well as NfL/amyloid β (Aβ42) were significantly elevated in AD compared to healthy controls (HC; < .

Association between height and hypertension in the adult Nepalese population: Findings from a nationally representative survey.

Background And Aims: The burden of hypertension is increasing in Nepal. Different studies have evaluated the relationship between height and blood pressure in different regions, with mixed results. The relationship between height and hypertension has not yet been explored in the Nepalese context.

A theoretical study of the radical scavenging activity of natural stilbenes.

Oxidative stress is implicated in aging and aging-related diseases, including cancer. Prevention-focused health management approaches emphasize the importance of dietary antioxidants, which naturally draws attention to the antioxidant capacity of natural products. Several groups of plant-derived antioxidant compounds have been identified and their radical scavenging activity confirmed and measured; it has proven challenging, however, to link the experimentally determined activity quantitatively to a molecular mechanism of action.

Psychometric properties of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy: a COSMIN systematic review protocol.

Background: Empathy is an important characteristic to possess for healthcare professionals. It has been found to improve communication between professionals and patients and to improve clinical health outcomes. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) was developed to measure this quality and has been used extensively, and psychometrically appraised, with a variety of cohorts and in different cultural environments.

Genomic and clinical predictors of lacosamide response in refractory epilepsies.

Objective: Clinical and genetic predictors of response to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are largely unknown. We examined predictors of lacosamide response in a real-world clinical setting.

Methods: We tested the association of clinical predictors with treatment response using regression modeling in a cohort of people with refractory epilepsy.

Acoustically responsive polydopamine nanodroplets: A novel theranostic agent.

Ultrasound-induced cavitation has been used as a tool of enhancing extravasation and tissue penetration of anticancer agents in tumours. Initiating cavitation in tissue however, requires high acoustic intensities that are neither safe nor easy to achieve with current clinical systems. The use of cavitation nuclei can however lower the acoustic intensities required to initiate cavitation and the resulting bio-effects in situ.

CORP: Practical tools for improving experimental design and reporting of laboratory studies of cardiovascular physiology and metabolism.

The exercise consisted of: ) a short survey to acquire baseline data on current practices regarding the conduct of animal studies, ) a series of presentations for promoting awareness and providing advice and practical tools for improving experimental design, and ) a follow-up survey 12 mo later to assess whether practices had changed. The surveys were compulsory for responsible investigators ( = 16; paired data presented). Other investigators named on animal ethics applications were encouraged to participate (2017, total of 36 investigators; 2018, 37 investigators).

Unravelled facets of milk derived opioid peptides: a focus on gut physiology, fractures and obesity.

Beyond being a source of key nutrients, bovine milk influences physiological functions by synthesising bioactive peptides during the process of digestion. Some of the claimed negative health outcomes associated with milk consumption, such as cardiovascular diseases and type 1 diabetes may be attributed to an opioid peptide, beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7), derived from A1 beta-casein. BCM-7 exerts its function by binding to the μ-opioid receptors in the body.

Benefit of Echocardiography in Patients With Bacteremia at Low Risk of Endocarditis.

Background: The risk of endocarditis among patients with bacteremia is not uniform, and a number of different scores have been developed to identify patients whose risk is less than 5%. The optimal echocardiography strategy for these patients is uncertain.

Methods: We used decision analysis and Monte Carlo simulation using input parameters taken from the existing literature.