Discontinuous named entities in clinical text: A systematic literature review.

Objective: Extracting named entities from clinical free-text presents unique challenges, particularly when dealing with discontinuous entities-mentions that are separated by unrelated words. Traditional NER methods often struggle to accurately identify these entities, prompting the development of specialised computational solutions. This paper systematically reviews and presents the methodologies developed for Discontinuous Named Entity Recognition in clinical texts, highlighting their effectiveness and the challenges they face.

Clinical Utility of Systolic Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Atrial Fibrillation: Role of Prospective ECG-Triggered Cardiac CT.

Background: The assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and quantification of LV ejection fraction (EF) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) can be difficult. We previously demonstrated that LV volume changes over the 100 ms of systole (LVEF) can be used as a measure of LV systolic function.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the applicability of LVEF in AF patients.

Reducing bias in source-free unsupervised domain adaptation for regression.

Due to data privacy and storage concerns, Source-Free Unsupervised Domain Adaptation (SFUDA) focuses on improving an unlabelled target domain by leveraging a pre-trained source model without access to source data. While existing studies attempt to train target models by mitigating biases induced by noisy pseudo labels, they often lack theoretical guarantees for fully reducing biases and have predominantly addressed classification tasks rather than regression ones. To address these gaps, our analysis delves into the generalisation error bound of the target model, aiming to understand the intrinsic limitations of pseudo-label-based SFUDA methods.

Extreme heat risk and the potential implications for the scheduling of football matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Climate change is making extreme heat events more frequent and intense. This negatively impacts many aspects of society, including organised sport. As the world's most watched sporting event, the FIFA World Cup commands particular attention around the threat of extreme heat.

One-minute sit-to-stand test cut-offs for risk stratification based on six-minute walk test thresholds in pulmonary hypertension.

Aims: We aimed to establish one-minute sit-to-stand test (1-min STST) cut-off values that align with the guideline-recommended six-minute walk test (6MWT) thresholds (165m and 440m) for one-year mortality risk stratification in pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients. Furthermore, we aimed to compare clinical characteristics and long-term mortality among patients stratified by these proposed 1-min STST cut-offs.

Methods: All patients performed the 1-min STST and 6MWT.

Bimekizumab efficacy and safety through 3 years in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: Long-term results from the BE RADIANT phase 3b trial open-label extension period.

Background: Overexpression of interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F significantly influences psoriasis pathology. Until recently, biologics targeting IL-17A alone, like secukinumab, were used to treat psoriasis. Bimekizumab is a monoclonal IgG1 antibody that targets both IL-17A and IL-17F.

Fathers' experiences of perinatal death following miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death: A meta-ethnography.

Following a perinatal death, parents can experience mental health difficulties and social stigma around the loss that can lead to increased feelings of isolation. This meta-synthesis aimed to explore partners' experiences of perinatal death following miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. A search of six electronic databases resulted in the inclusion of 18 studies involving over 300 fathers.

Herpesvirus Infections After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy and Bispecific Antibodies: A Review.

In this narrative review, we explore the burden and risk factors of various herpesvirus infections in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy or bispecific antibodies (BsAb) for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Antiviral prophylaxis for herpes simplex/varicella zoster viruses became part of the standard of care in this patient population. Breakthrough infections may rarely occur, and the optimal duration of prophylaxis as well as the timing of recombinant zoster immunization remain to be explored.

The Effectiveness of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) Extraction Methods in Gram-Negative U.

Bioplastics are emerging as a promising solution to reduce pollution caused by petroleum-based plastics. Among them, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) stand out as viable biotechnological alternatives, though their commercialization is limited by expensive downstream processes. Traditional PHA extraction methods often involve toxic solvents and high energy consumption, underscoring the need for more sustainable approaches.

The Effect of the Concurrent Use of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors or Receptor Blockers on Toxicity and Outcomes in Patients Treated with Radiotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

: ACEIs protect against radiation pneumonitis by reducing angiotensin II production, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This study highlights the significance of concurrent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) use in radiotherapy by evaluating its impact on radiotherapy-related side effects and survival outcomes, addressing the gap in existing research and providing insights to guide clinical practice in oncology. : The literature was retrieved from the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Scopus databases from January 2000 to October 2024.

Towards the Measurement of Sea-Ice Thickness Using a Time-Domain Inductive Measurement System.

Frequency-domain electromagnetic induction (EMI) is routinely used to detect the presence of seawater due to the inherent electrical conductivity of the seawater. This approach is used to infer sea-ice thickness (SIT). A time-domain EMI sensor is presented, which demonstrates the potential for correlating the spectroscopic properties of the received signal with the distance to the sea surface.

EEG-to-EEG: Scalp-to-Intracranial EEG Translation Using a Combination of Variational Autoencoder and Generative Adversarial Networks.

A generative adversarial network (GAN) makes it possible to map a data sample from one domain to another one. It has extensively been employed in image-to-image and text-to image translation. We propose an EEG-to-EEG translation model to map the scalp-mounted EEG (scEEG) sensor signals to intracranial EEG (iEEG) sensor signals recorded by foramen ovale sensors inserted into the brain.

A Reading Range- and Frequency-Reconfigurable Antenna for Near-Field and Far-Field UHF RFID Applications.

In radio frequency identification (RFID), differences in spectrum policies and tag misreading in different countries are the two main issues that limit its application. To solve these problems, this article proposes a composite right/left-handed transmission line (CRLH-TL)-based reconfigurable antenna for ultra-high frequency near-field and far-field RFID reader applications. The CRLH-TL is achieved using a periodically capacitive gap-loaded parallel plate line.

Enhancing Low-Light Images with Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks in Transformer Attention.

Low-light image enhancement (LLIE) techniques improve the performance of image sensors by enhancing visibility and details in poorly lit environments and have significantly benefited from recent research into Transformer models. This work presents a novel Transformer attention mechanism inspired by the Kolmogorov-Arnold representation theorem, incorporating learnable non-linearity and multivariate function decomposition. This innovative mechanism is the foundation of KAN-T, our proposed Transformer network.

Exercise Training in Heart Failure: Current Evidence and Future Directions.

Heart Failure (HF) is a prevalent condition which places a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide. Medical management implemented with exercise training (ET) plays a role in prognostic and functional capacity improvement. The aim of this review is to determine the effect of exercise training (ET) on HFpEF and HFrEF patients as well as exercise modality recommendations in frail and sarcopenic subpopulations.

Microbiome of (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Ticks: Variation in Community Structure with Regard to Sex and Host Habitat.

ticks are the main hematophagous ectoparasites of camels, harboring a variety of microbes that can affect tick vector competence and pathogen transmission. To better understand the tick microbiome influenced by sex and host habitat, we analyzed the bacterial community of male and female ticks collected from camel farms, livestock markets, and slaughterhouses, representing the range of major habitats in the UAE, by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene. Tick samples were collected during 2022 and 2023.

Enhanced Tolerance to Antifungals as a General Feature of Rho Mutants in Yeast Species: Implications to Positive Selection of Respiratory Deficiency.

Although the mitochondrial genome is an attribute of all eukaryotes, some yeast species (called petite-positive) can replicate without mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Strains without mtDNA (known as rho mutants or petite mutants) are respiration-deficient and require fermentable carbon sources (such as glucose) for their metabolism. However, they are compromised in many aspects of fitness and competitiveness.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Motivations, Expectations, and Systemic Factors Regarding Antimicrobial Use Amongst Community Members Seeking Care at the Primary Healthcare Level: A Scoping Review.

Background/objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, and expectations of community members regarding antimicrobial use is essential for effective stewardship interventions. This scoping review aimed to identify key themes relating to the critical areas regarding antimicrobial use among community members in primary healthcare (PHC), with a particular focus on LMICs.

Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Biliary Tract Cancers Treated with Gemcitabine-Based Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Study.

Historically, the standard of care for advanced biliary tract cancers (aBTCs) was gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GemCis). Immunotherapy plus GemCis is now recommended as a first-line treatment for aBTCs. Whether patients can tolerate eight cycles of GemCis in clinical practice, as per the Advanced Biliary Cancer (ABC)-02 study, remains to be assessed.

Mobilising Cross-Sectoral Collaboration in Creating Age-Friendly Cities: Case Studies from Akita and Manchester.

Developing Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCCs) is an increasingly popular policy response to supporting ageing populations. AFCC programmes rely on cross-sectoral collaboration, involving partnerships among diverse stakeholders working across sectors to address shared goals. However, there remains a limited understanding of what mechanisms and strategies drive collaboration among diverse actors within age-friendly cities.

Uncoded chronic kidney disease prevalence in secondary care: a retrospective audit with population health implications.

Background: One million patients are estimated to have undiagnosed chronic kidney disease (CKD) in England. Clinical coding in CKD is associated with improved management and lower acute kidney injury (AKI), unscheduled care and mortality risk. Primary care's role in coding CKD is well documented.

Genome-wide association analysis of composite sleep health scores in 413,904 individuals.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of several individual sleep traits have identified hundreds of genetic loci, suggesting diverse mechanisms. Moreover, sleep traits are moderately correlated, so together may provide a more complete picture of sleep health, while illuminating distinct domains. Here we construct novel sleep health scores (SHSs) incorporating five core self-report measures: sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, chronotype, snoring, and daytime sleepiness, using additive (SHS-ADD) and five principal components-based (SHS-PCs) approaches.