Tipping detection using climate networks.

The development of robust Early Warning Signals (EWSs) is necessary to quantify the risk of crossing tipping points in the present-day climate change. Classically, EWSs are statistical measures based on time series of climate state variables, without exploiting their spatial distribution. However, spatial information is crucial to identify the starting location of a transition process and can be directly inferred by satellite observations.

A visual scale to rate amygdalar atrophy on MRI.

Background: Visual rating scales are routinely used in clinical radiology to assess brain atrophy on scans of patients with suspected neurodegenerative conditions. Limbic predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE) has recently been described, featuring early and severe atrophy of the amygdala. However, there is currently no scoring system specifically designed to assess amygdalar atrophy on MRI.

Estimating disability prevalence in population surveys: an exploratory study using national surveys carried out in Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and USA.

Background: The call for high quality disability data has gained momentum around the world. The objective of this paper is to analyse the consistency of estimates obtained with the Washington Group short set of questions, which are being recommended for use in national population surveys.

Methods: Prevalence rates and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated using data from five surveys carried out in three low-income countries and one high-income country.

Characterization of a tomato chlh mis-sense mutant reveals a new function of ChlH in fruit ripening.

Tomato fruit ripening is a complex developmental process that is important for fruit quality and shelf life. Many factors, including ethylene and several key transcription factors, have been shown to play important roles in the regulation of tomato fruit ripening. However, our understanding of the regulation of tomato fruit ripening is still limited.

Challenging Reported Frizzled-Targeting Compounds in Selective Assays Reveals Lack of Functional Inhibition and Claimed Profiles.

Selective inhibitors of Frizzled (FZD) GPCRs are highly sought after as potentially highly efficacious and safe treatments for cancer as well as tools in regenerative medicine and fundamental science. In recent years, there have been several reports claiming the identification of small molecule agents that are selective toward certain FZD proteins using a variety of approaches. However, the majority of these studies lacked a selective functional assay to validate their functionality.

Investigating the acute cognitive effects of dietary compounds using fNIRS: methodological limitations and perspectives for research targeting healthy adults.

The brain's response to cognitive demands hinges on sufficient blood flow, with changes in brain hemodynamics serving as a reflection of this process. Certain bioactive compounds found in our diet, such as caffeine, polyphenols, and nitrate, can acutely impact brain hemodynamics through diverse neural, vasoactive, and metabolic mechanisms. Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) offers a non-invasive and real-time method to investigate these effects.

Pushing the boundaries of radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations: highlights from the 7 immunorad conference.

Over the last decade, the annual Immunorad Conference, held under the joint auspicies of Gustave Roussy (Villejuif, France) and the Weill Cornell Medical College (New-York, USA) has aimed at exploring the latest advancements in the fields of tumor immunology and radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations for the treatment of cancer. Gathering medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, physicians and researchers with esteemed expertise in these fields, the Immunorad Conference bridges the gap between preclinical outcomes and clinical opportunities. Thus, it paves a promising way toward optimizing radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations and, from a broader perspective, improving therapeutic strategies for patients with cancer.

Validation of prognostic models predicting mortality or ICU admission in patients with COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries: a global individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: We evaluated the performance of prognostic models for predicting mortality or ICU admission in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Clinical Platform, a repository of individual-level clinical data of patients hospitalized with COVID-19, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We identified eligible multivariable prognostic models for predicting overall mortality and ICU admission during hospital stay in patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 from a living review of COVID-19 prediction models. These models were evaluated using data contributed to the WHO Global Clinical Platform for COVID-19 from nine LMICs (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, India, Niger, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe).

Challenges in accessing health care services for women and girls with disabilities using a humanitarian physical rehabilitation program in Lebanon: a mixed method study.

Background: Achieving equitable healthcare access for persons with disabilities is vital, as they often face various barriers that impact their health and well-being. Recognizing the importance of gender equity, this study aims to explore the specific barriers faced by women and girls with disabilities in accessing quality healthcare services in Lebanon.

Methods: A mixed-method sequential explanatory approach was employed.

Is there a relationship between psychiatrist's clinical assessment of medication non-adherence and treatment outcomes? Implications for practice.

Background: There is considerable research on the ramifications of medication non-adherence for adults with psychotic illnesses. Much of which has tightly controlled designs and strict inclusion/exclusion procedures (i.e.

Exploring the impact of the Global Community-Based Education (G-CBE) program at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), Rwanda: insights from the inaugural cohort.

Background And Context: Community-Based Education (CBE) integrates practical experiences within community settings to deepen students' understanding of real-world issues. In July 2023, the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) launched the Global Community-Based Education (G-CBE) program, designed to immerse international students in diverse settings across Rwanda and enhance their grasp of social determinants of health, community health and social medicine.

Objectives: This study explores the experiences and perceptions of the first cohort of the G-CBE program at UGHE.

Robustness assessment of regressions using cluster analysis typologies: a bootstrap procedure with application in state sequence analysis.

Background: In standard Sequence Analysis, similar trajectories are clustered together to create a typology of trajectories, which is then often used to evaluate the association between sequence patterns and covariates inside regression models. The sampling uncertainty, which affects both the derivation of the typology and the associated regressions, is typically ignored in this analysis, an oversight that may lead to wrong statistical conclusions. We propose utilising sampling variation to derive new estimates that further inform on the association of interest.

Cost-effectiveness of integrating paediatric tuberculosis services into child healthcare services in Africa: a modelling analysis of a cluster-randomised trial.

Background: In 2021, over one million children developed tuberculosis, resulting in 214 000 deaths, largely due to inadequate diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis is limited in most high-burden countries because services are highly centralised at secondary/tertiary levels and are managed in a vertical, non-integrated way. To improve case detection and treatment among children, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends decentralised and integrated tuberculosis care models.

Prioritising and including children in intersectoral policymaking: uncovering Immunity to Change in Ghana.

Despite strong commitments to improving children's well-being, nearly a third of Ghanaian children aged 36-59 months are not developmentally on track, with additional challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Improvements in children's health and well-being rely on effective intersectoral policies, however, not enough is known about how to achieve this in practice, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We report on a case study of participatory intersectoral policymaking for child health in Ghana in 2021, feeding into the national Early Childhood Care and Development Policy.

Decoding the Clinical and Molecular Signatures of EGFR Common, Compound, and Uncommon Mutations in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Introduction: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations are key oncogenic drivers in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), predominantly affecting Asian, non-smoking, and female populations. While common mutations, such as exon 19 deletions and L858R, respond well to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), uncommon EGFR mutations and compound variants exhibit variable treatment responses. This study aims to compare clinical characteristics and molecular profiles of patients with common, uncommon, and compound EGFR mutations, assessing their implications for therapy outcomes.

Intracorneal iontophoretic delivery of triamcinolone acetonide prodrugs: Physicochemical parameters guiding electrotransport.

Intracorneal delivery of ten amino acid (alanine, arginine, asparagine, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, lysine, methionine and valine) ester prodrugs of triamcinolone acetonide (TA-AA) was investigated in vitro, using a corneal iontophoresis device (IONTOFOR-CXL; SOOFT Italia S.p.A.

Ebola Outbreak Response in the DRC with rVSV-ZEBOV-GP Ring Vaccination.

Background: At the beginning of the 2018-2020 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), no vaccine had been licensed. However, cluster-randomized evidence from Guinea in 2015 had indicated that ring vaccination around new cases (targeting contacts and contacts-of-contacts) with the use of single-dose live-replicating rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine reduced EVD rates starting 10 days after vaccination. Thus, ring vaccination was added to the standard control measures for that outbreak.

Prevalence of non-tuberculous mycobacteria among people with acid-fast positive presumptive tuberculosis in Mali.

Background: Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are environmental agents that can cause opportunistic pulmonary disease in humans and animals, often misdiagnosed as tuberculosis (TB). In this study, we describe the cases of NTM identified during the first national anti-TB drug resistance survey conducted in Mali and explore associated risk factors.

Methods: Sputum was collected from people presenting for pulmonary TB diagnosis from April to December 2019, regardless of age.

EXAM: Ex-vivo allograft monitoring dashboard for the analysis of hypothermic machine perfusion data in deceased-donor kidney transplantation.

Deceased-donor kidney allografts are exposed to ischemic injury during ex vivo transport due to the lack of blood oxygen supply. Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) effectively reduces the risk of delayed graft function in kidney transplant recipients compared to standard cold storage. However, no free software implementation is available to analyze HMP data for state-of-the-art visualization and quality control.

Comment on: Toward an optimal contraception dosing strategy.

The optimal contraception dosing strategy proposed by Gavina et al. recently is a commendable attempt to model a complex physiological process with potenial to apply to real-life data. However, there is a need to take into account the real challenges that arise when moving from the theory to its practical application, and it is important that lessons learnt from clinical studies be taken into consideration in any theoretical modelling.

3D-printed patient-specific implants made of polylactide (PLDLLA) and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) for corrective osteotomies of the distal radius.

The most common surgical procedure to manage the malunion of the bones is corrective osteotomy. The current gold standard for securing the bone segments after osteotomy is the use of titanium plates and allografts which have disadvantages such as possible allergic reaction, additional operations such as extraction of the graft from other sites and removal operation. The utilization of resorbable materials presents an opportunity to mitigate these drawbacks but has not yet been thoroughly researched in the literature.

Novel radionuclides: demand, production and distribution for translational research in Europe.

Background: In the field of medical and scientific research, radionuclides are used to investigate various physiological and pathological processes. PRISMAP - the European medical radionuclide programme was created to bring together production facilities including intense neutron sources, an isotope mass separation facility, high-power accelerators, biomedical research institutes, and hospitals to support medical research. The aim of this article is to introduce readers with the current status of innovative radionuclides in Europe.

Mental burden of ocular surface discomfort.

Objective: This research investigates the associations between Dry Eye Disease (DED), pain perception, and mental health, focusing on how neuropathic pain influences treatment efficacy and patients' quality of life.

Methods And Results: The study delves into the complexity of DED by assessing the correlation between ocular pain, depression, PTSD, and systemic pain conditions. It highlights the role of chronic neuropathic pain in DED and the nociceptive hypothesis, which suggests that psychological stress can exacerbate DED symptoms.