Fibrin film on clots is increased by haematocrit but reduced by inflammation: implications for platelets and fibrinolysis.

Background: Blood clot formation, triggered by vascular injury, is crucial for haemostasis and thrombosis. Blood clots are composed mainly of fibrin fibres, platelets and red blood cells (RBCs). Recent studies show that clot surface also develops a fibrin film, which provides protection against wound infection and retains components such as RBCs within the clot.

Ionically crosslinked composite gels containing amine-functionalized CoFeO nanoparticles as a bioactive and pH-responsive drug delivery system.

Composite gels are a type of soft matter, which contains a continuous three-dimensional crosslinked network and has been embedded with non-gel materials. Compared to pure gels, composite gels show high flexibility and tunability in properties and hence have attracted extensive interest in applications ranging from cancer therapy to tissue engineering. In this study, we incorporated triethylenetetramine (TETA)-functionalized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (ANPs) into a hydrogel consisting of sodium alginate (SA) and methyl cellulose (MC), and examined the resulting composite gels for controlled drug release.

Mechanisms of resistance to cell wall and plasma membrane targeting antifungal drugs in candida species isolated in africa.

Introduction: There is a rise in antifungal resistance as well as the emergence of multidrug resistant fungal pathogens worldwide, including in Africa.

Method: This systematic review summarized the published data on the mechanisms and epidemiology of antifungal resistance in species in Africa between 2000 and early 2024.

Result: Seventeen reports from seven African countries were analyzed but due to the paucity of data, the prevalence of antifungal resistant isolates in Africa could not be estimated.

Place-based household vouchers for locally supplied fruit and vegetables: the Fresh Street pilot cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Households in areas of socio-economic deprivation are more likely to consume diets low in fruit and vegetables. Fresh Street is a place-based fruit and vegetable voucher scheme with vouchers redeemable with local independent (non-supermarket) vendors. Paper vouchers are offered to all households in a geographical area regardless of household type, size, or income with no requirement to demonstrate need.

Personalised care planning for older people with frailty: a review of factors influencing implementation.

Background: Frailty increases vulnerability to major health changes because of seemingly small health problems. It affects around 10% of people aged over 65.Older adults with frailty frequently have multiple long-term conditions, personal challenges, and social problems.

Injury risk factors and their priority for mitigation in women's netball: a systematic review and Delphi consensus.

This study aimed to establish consensus on injury risk factors in netball via a combined systematic review and Delphi method approach. A systematic search of databases (PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus and CINAHL) was conducted from inception until June 2023. Twenty-four risk factors were extracted from 17 studies and combined with a three-round Delphi approach to achieve consensus.

Disruption of extracellular matrix and perineuronal nets modulates extracellular space volume and geometry.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a network of macromolecules which has two forms - perineuronal nets (PNNs) and a diffuse ECM (dECM) - both influence brain development, synapse formation, neuroplasticity, CNS injury and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. ECM remodeling can influence extrasynaptic transmission, mediated by diffusion of neuroactive substances in the extracellular space (ECS). In this study we analyzed how disrupted PNNs and dECM influence brain diffusibility.

Effectiveness of interventions for psychological distress following traumatic injury: A systematic review.

Background: Traumatic injury poses significant physical and psychological challenges, often resulting in psychological distress, encompassing symptoms of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress. Despite the recognised need for psychological care in trauma rehabilitation, there is limited empirical evidence of effective interventions tailored specifically for individuals with traumatic injuries, leading to a practice-evidence gap.

Objectives: This review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychological and behavioural interventions for reducing psychological distress in adults following traumatic injury.

Mental Disorders Among Offspring Prenatally Exposed to Systemic Glucocorticoids.

Importance: Current evidence of the association between prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids and long-term mental disorders is scarce and has limitations.

Objective: To investigate the association between prenatal exposure to systemic glucocorticoids and mental disorders in offspring at the age of 15 years, comparing exposed vs unexposed offspring born to mothers with the same underlying disease (risk of preterm delivery and autoimmune or inflammatory disorders).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This nationwide population-based cohort study used data from registries in Denmark with follow-up until December 31, 2018.

The Role of Radiotherapy in the Management of Melanoma Brain Metastases: An Overview.

Clinical management of melanoma brain metastases is complex and requires multidisciplinary approach. With close collaboration between neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists, melanoma patients with brain are offered different treatment modalities: surgery, radiation therapy, systemic therapy or combined treatments. Radiation therapy (whole brain radiotherapy- WBRT and stereotactic radiosurgery- SRS) is an integral part of treating melanoma brain metastases.

Critical comparison of BMD and TD methods for the calculation of acceptable intakes for N-nitroso compounds.

The tumorigenic dose 50 (TD) is a widely used measure of carcinogenic potency which has historically been used to determine acceptable intake limits for carcinogenic compounds. Although broadly used, the TD model was not designed to account for important biological factors such as DNA repair and cell compensatory mechanisms, changes in absorption, etc., leading to the development of benchmark dose (BMD) approaches, which use more flexible dose-response models that are better able to account for these processes.

Co-evolution of atypical BRAF and KRAS mutations in colorectal tumorigenesis.

BRAF mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) comprise three functional classes: Class 1 (V600E) with strong constitutive activation, Class 2 with pathogenic kinase activity lower than Class 1, and Class 3 which paradoxically lacks kinase activity. Non-Class 1 mutations associate with better prognosis, microsatellite stability, distal tumour location and better anti-EGFR response. Analysis of 13 CRC cohorts (n=6,605 tumours) compared Class 1 (n=709, 10.

Clinical Manifestations.

Background: People with dementia frequently develop behavioural and psychological symptoms, sometimes necessitating care in specialist dementia mental health wards. There has been little research on their life expectancy following admission or need for palliative care. The work presented here explores the mortality of these patients and whether this can be predicted at their time of admission to the ward.

Determinants and progression of stigma in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease.

: Stigma in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neurone disease (ALS/MND) may be felt or enacted; felt stigma covers feeling devalued by the illness, whereas enacted stigma refers to being treated differently because of it. Stigma in ALS/MND has been shown to increase social withdrawal, worsen quality of life, and reduce use of assistive devices, so we explored prevalence and factors influencing stigma. : Participants in the Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions-ALS study completed scales measuring stigma, fatigue, spasticity, functioning, mood, worry, self-esteem, and perceived health, as well as demographic information and symptoms like head drop or emotional lability.

Hyperactive delta isoform of PI3Kinase enables long distance regeneration of adult rat corticospinal tract.

Neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) lose regenerative potential with maturity, leading to minimal corticospinal tract (CST) axon regrowth after spinal cord injury (SCI). In young rodents, knockdown of PTEN, which antagonises PI3K signalling by hydrolysing PIP3, promotes axon regeneration following SCI. However, this effect diminishes in adults, potentially due to lower PI3K activation leading to reduced PIP3.

Paracrine role of endothelial IGF-1 receptor in depot-specific adipose tissue adaptation in male mice.

During recent decades, changes in lifestyle have led to widespread nutritional obesity and its related complications. Remodelling adipose tissue as a therapeutic goal for obesity and its complications has attracted much attention and continues to be actively explored. The endothelium lines all blood vessels and is close to all cells, including adipocytes.

Neuromodulation of risk and reward processing during decision making in individuals with general anxiety disorder (GAD).

Individuals with general anxiety disorder (GAD) have an impaired future-oriented processing and altered reward perception, which might involve the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Twenty-nine adults with GAD performed the balloon analogue risk-taking task (BART) and delay discounting task (DDT) during five sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with different stimulation conditions. The stimulation conditions were: anodal dlPFC (F3)/cathodal vmPFC (Fp2), anodal vmPFC (Fp2)/cathodal dlPFC (F3), anodal dlPFC (F3)/cathodal right shoulder, anodal vmPFC (Fp2)/cathodal left shoulder, and sham stimulation.

A modified technique for radial artery access: how interventional radiologists can optimise the cardiologists' technique to suite their procedures.

Background: This is a single-centre prospective observational study examining radial access in 62 Prostatic Artery Embolisation (PAE) procedures. Evaluation of left radial artery diameter using high frequency ultrasound before and after administration of sublingual glycerl trinitrate (GTN). Pre-procedure questionnaires calculating symptom severity score compared with post-procedure.

Diagnostic accuracy of prehospital ultrasound in detecting lung injury in patients with trauma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Ultrasound is now readily available in the prehospital setting and its use has been highlighted as one of the top research priorities in prehospital care. Clinical examination remains the standard care for diagnosing lung injury in the prehospital setting, yet this can be challenging and has poor diagnostic accuracy. This review evaluates the accuracy of prehospital ultrasound for the diagnoses of pneumothorax, haemothorax and pulmonary contusions in patients with trauma.

Towards a critical posthumanist perspective on participatory design.

Participatory design places a strong emphasis on human agency, user perspectives and democratic ideals of inclusivity and empowerment, and is therefore often associated with humanist principles and values. In contrast, critical posthumanism questions key humanist assumptions about the centred and singular nature of the 'human condition'. Instead, posthumanism points to the evolving and diverse lived experiences of people and how these are transformed by (and are transforming of) culture, environment and technology.

Solar geoengineering research faces geopolitical deadlock.

The permissive "science first" approach has failed, but a nondeployment deal might yet enable responsible research.