Cognitive reserve and its impact on cognitive and functional abilities, physical activity and quality of life following a diagnosis of dementia: longitudinal findings from the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (IDEAL) study.

Background: The concept of cognitive reserve may explain inter-individual differences in susceptibility to neuropathological changes. Studies suggest that experiences over a lifetime impact on cognitive reserve, and it is hypothesised that following a dementia diagnosis, greater reserve levels are linked to accelerated disease progression.

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal impact of cognitive reserve on cognitive and functional abilities, physical activity and quality of life in people with dementia.

α-Synuclein Deletion Impairs Platelet Function: A Role for SNARE Complex Assembly.

Granule secretion is an essential platelet function that contributes not only to haemostasis but also to wound healing, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. Granule secretion from platelets is facilitated, at least in part, by Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-Sensitive Factor (NSF) Attachment Protein Receptor (SNARE) complex-mediated granule fusion. Although α-synuclein is a protein known to modulate the assembly of the SNARE complex in other cells, its role in platelet function remains poorly understood.

Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome among infertile women in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a significant contributor to female infertility and other various metabolic disorders. This systematic review estimates the prevalence of PCOS among infertile women in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Methods: The study searched five databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and SCOPUS), from their inception to 2022 for observational studies conducted in GCC countries.

Disposable and sensitive electrochemical magneto-immunosensor for point-of-care HCV diagnostics: Targeting HCVcAg, the active viremia biomarker, in patient samples.

Early detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is crucial for eliminating this silent killer, especially in resource-limited settings. HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) represents a promising alternative to the current "gold standard" HCV RNA assays as an active viremia biomarker. Herein, a highly sensitive electrochemical magneto-immunosensor for the HCVcAg was developed.

Polarity-Sensitive fluorescent probes based on triphenylamine for fluorescence lifetime imaging of lipid droplets.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a disease closely associated with metabolic abnormalities. Lipid droplets (LDs) serve as organelles that store intracellular neutral lipids and maintain cellular energy homeostasis. Their abnormalities can cause metabolic disorders and disease, which is also one of the distinctive characteristics of NAFLD patients.

Time Below Range and Its Influence on Hypoglycemia Awareness and Severe Hypoglycemia: Insights From the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists Study.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between time below range (TBR), impaired awareness of hypoglycemia (IAH), and severe hypoglycemia (SH).

Research Design And Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from individuals with diabetes using continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in the Association of British Clinical Diabetologists audit. Hypoglycemia awareness was assessed via the Gold score (≥4 denoting IAH), and SH was defined as hypoglycemia requiring third-party assistance.

Mapping the local ambidextrous chirality in thin films of N phase by circular dichroism spectra.

Circular dichroism mapping (CDM) method was introduced by utilizing the highly collimated light beam of synchrotron radiation (SR) available at Diamond Light Source B23 beamline for scanning the thin films of the N phase. We apply SR-CDM to two achiral dimeric materials exhibiting the N phase: symmetric DTC5C9 and dissymmetric DTC5C9CB. The SR-CDM measurements directly capture the chiral information in the local N domains, providing the ultimate complement to the theoretical predictions of the helical structures: the spontaneous symmetry breaking in N phase is ambidextrous.

Self-assembly of defined core-shell ellipsoidal particles at liquid interfaces.

Hypothesis: Ellipsoidal particles confined at liquid interfaces exhibit complex self-assembly due to quadrupolar capillary interactions, favouring either tip-to-tip or side-to-side configurations. However, predicting and controlling which structure forms remains challenging. We hypothesize that introducing a polymer-based soft shell around the particles will modulate these capillary interactions, providing a means to tune the preferred self-assembly configuration based on particle geometry and shell properties.

Barriers and facilitators for cardiopulmonary resuscitation discussions with people with heart failure.

Background: Care planning with people with advanced heart failure enables appropriate care, and prevents futile interventions, such as cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Aim: To explore what motivates clinicians to conduct, and people with heart failure and their carers, to engage in well-conducted CPR discussions.

Methods: In-depth remote interviews with i) people with heart failure and self-reported daily symptoms (≥ 3 months), ii) informal carers and, iii) clinicians recruited through social media and professional groups, team contacts and snowballing.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator deactivation and end-of-life: British Heart Rhythm Society practical consensus guideline.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are implanted in increasing numbers of patients with the aim of treating ventricular arrhythmias in high-risk patients and reducing their risk of dying. Individuals are also living longer with these devices. As a result, a greater number of patients with an ICD will deteriorate either with worsening cardiac failure, another non-cardiac condition or general frailty and will have a limited prognosis.

Effect of bed clay on surface water-wave reconstruction from ripples.

Wave ripples can provide valuable information on their formative hydrodynamic conditions in past subaqueous environments by inverting dimension predictors. However, these inversions do not usually take the mixed non-cohesive/cohesive nature of sediment beds into account. Recent experiments involving sand-kaolinite mixtures have demonstrated that wave-ripple dimensions and the threshold of motion are affected by bed clay content.

A randomised controlled pilot trial protocol for patient led cognitive gamified training during haemodialysis.

Disruptions in cognitive function have been reported in individuals undergoing haemodialysis and those with chronic kidney disease. This pilot study protocol primarily assesses the feasibility and acceptability of using mobile cognitive gaming apps for patient-led cognitive training during haemodialysis sessions. The protocol consists of three phases: (1) reviewing and evaluating available cognitive gaming apps, (2) conducting focus groups/interviews with people with kidney disease to determine app preferences, and (3) undertaking a quasi-experimental randomised controlled trial to compare cognitive outcomes between a patient-led app intervention group and a standard care control group over four months.

Exploring UK clinician perceptions of through-knee amputation compared to above-knee amputation: a mixed methods study.

Background: Through-knee amputation (TKA) has potential advantages over above-knee amputation (AKA) but is rarely performed in the United Kingdom (UK). This mixed methods study aimed to explore clinicians' perceptions of TKA compared to AKA.

Method: An online survey of vascular surgeons, prosthetists, and physiotherapists between May 2019 and April 2020.

Delays to Revascularisation and Outcomes of Non-elective Admissions for Chronic Limb Threatening Ischaemia: a UK Population Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Major amputation and death are significant outcomes after lower limb revascularisation for chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI), but there is limited evidence on their association with the timing of revascularisation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between time from non-elective admission to revascularisation and one year outcomes for patients with CLTI.

Methods: This was an observational, population based cohort study of patients aged ≥ 50 years with CLTI admitted non-electively for infra-inguinal revascularisation procedures in English NHS hospitals from January 2017 to December 2019 recorded in the Hospital Episode Statistics database.

The relationship between muscle mass changes and protein or energy intake in critically ill children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Survivorship after pediatric critical illness is high in developed countries, but many suffer physical morbidities afterwards. The increasing focus on follow-up after critical illness has led to more pediatric studies reporting muscle mass changes (using ultrasound), albeit with different results. A systematic literature review was undertaken examining muscle mass changes, assessed by ultrasound of the quadriceps femoris muscle in children who are critically ill.

RNAi of the elastomeric protein resilin reduces jump velocity and resilience to damage in locusts.

Resilin, an elastomeric protein with remarkable physical properties that outperforms synthetic rubbers, is a near-ubiquitous feature of the power amplification mechanisms used by jumping insects. Catapult-like mechanisms, which incorporate elastic energy stores formed from a composite of stiff cuticle and resilin, are frequently used by insects to translate slow muscle contractions into rapid-release recoil movements. The precise role of resilin in these jumping mechanisms remains unclear, however.

Multicellular model of neuroblastoma proposes unconventional therapy based on multiple roles of p53.

Neuroblastoma is the most common extra-cranial solid tumour in children. Over half of all high-risk cases are expected to succumb to the disease even after chemotherapy, surgery, and immunotherapy. Although the importance of MYCN amplification in this disease is indisputable, the mechanistic details remain enigmatic.

Empowering informal caregivers and nurses to take a person-centred view: adaptation and clinical utility of the Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale (IPOS-Dem) for use in acute and community care settings.

Background: Dementia is a progressive and terminal illness. Symptoms are present for people with dementia across all stages, leading to poor quality of life and considerable carer burden. In acute and community care services, no holistic, person-centred outcome tools are available for nurses and informal caregivers to measure symptoms and needs from the person`s with dementia point of view.

From ashes to evidence: A study on the alterations in bloodstain patterns in high heat environments and post-fire scenes.

Fire is often used to conceal or destroy evidence of violent crimes, making it essential to understand how fire environments affect forensic evidence, particularly bloodstain patterns. This study investigates the impact of high heat environments and fire on the morphology and analysis of bloodstain patterns. Using controlled fire exposure, bloodstains were analyzed pre- and post-fire exposure on various substrates, including glass, painted drywall, and painted plywood.

Comparison of airway inflammation characteristics detected by lower exhaled nitric oxide in cough variant asthma, non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis, and classic asthma.

Objective: To investigate the inflammatory profiles of non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB), cough variant asthma (CVA), and classic asthma (CA) using fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) analysis to identify their unique inflammatory phenotypes.

Methods: This study involved cough patients newly diagnosed, corticosteroid-naïve with CVA ( = 68), NAEB ( = 53), and CA ( = 49). FeNO measurements at exhalation flow rates of 50 mL/s (FeNO) and 200 mL/s (FeNO) were conducted.

Genotype But Not Body Shape Predicts River Migration Success in Atlantic Salmon.

Migratory species typically undertake demanding long-distance journeys, across different habitat types during which they are exposed to multiple natural and anthropogenic stressors. Mortality during migration is typically high and may be human induced. Understanding individual responses to these selection pressures is rarely attempted because of the challenges of relating individual phenotypic and genetic data to migration success.

Feedback in nursing practice: exploring barriers to and strategies for effective delivery.

Feedback is essential for promoting nurses' professional development and enhancing the quality of patient care. Effective feedback, in terms of delivery, content and receipt, can support nurses to identify their strengths and areas for improvement, enhance patient care and strengthen teamwork and communication. Despite its importance, however, delivering feedback can be challenging, notably due to concerns about how it will be received.

Formulation of Epoxy Prepregs, Synthesization Parameters, and Resin Impregnation Approaches-A Comprehensive Review.

Prepregs are resin-impregnated, expensive composites mainly limited to high-end applications within the aeronautical, defense, automotive, and energy sectors. Prepreg technology is mainly protected by trade secrets, resulting in limited studies on prepreg resin matrix development and recent advancements. Three key parameters for epoxy resin matrix development including B-staging, viscosity, and tackiness, and their control strategies are discussed in detail.