Oral Anticoagulant Treatment and the Risk of Dementia in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background We compared the dementia incidence rate between users and nonusers of oral anticoagulants (OACs) in a large cohort of primary care patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods and Results We performed a retrospective study using an Australia-wide primary care data set, MedicineInsight. Patients aged ≥18 years and newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2017, and with no recorded history of dementia or stroke were included and followed until December 31, 2018.

Use of administrative record linkage to examine patterns of universal early childhood health and education service use from birth to Kindergarten (age four years) and developmental vulnerability in the Preparatory Year (age five years) in Tasmania, Australia.

Background: In Australia, the health and education sectors provide universal early childhood services for the same population of children. Therefore, there is a strong imperative to view service use and outcomes through a cross-sectoral lens to better understand and address the service needs of young children and their families.

Objectives: To investigate patterns of health and education service use from birth through Kindergarten (age four years), the associations with cumulative risks, and developmental vulnerability in the first year of full-time school (age five years).

Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals.

Selecting foraging habitat is a fundamental behavior in the life of organisms as it directly links resource acquisition to fitness. Differences in habitat selection among individuals may arise from several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and yet, their interaction has been given little attention in the study of wild populations. We combine sex, body size, and boldness to explain individual differences in the seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals () from the Kerguelen Archipelago.

Viviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid-mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers.

Maternal stress during gestation has the potential to affect offspring development via changes in maternal physiology, such as increases in circulating levels of glucocorticoid hormones that are typical after exposure to a stressor. While the effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype (i.e.

Synthesis of Pyrrolidine- and γ-Lactam-Containing Natural Products and Related Compounds from Pyrrole Scaffolds.

Polycyclic alkaloid natural products featuring pyrrolidine and pyrrolidinone motifs remain enduring targets of total synthesis endeavors. Pyrrole and its derivatives have been exploited to access many such frameworks, including alkaloids belonging to the Aspidosperma, Stemona, and batzelladine families. In this article, a selection of exemplars that highlight the utility of pyrrole-based approaches to facilitate total syntheses of pyrrolidine- and pyrrolidinone-containing alkaloids and related molecules are showcased.

Accuracy of Smartphone Video for Contactless Measurement of Hand Tremor Frequency.

Background: Computer vision can measure movement from video without the time and access limitations of hospital accelerometry/electromyography or the requirement to hold or strap a smartphone accelerometer.

Objective: To compare computer vision measurement of hand tremor frequency from smartphone video with a gold standard measure accelerometer.

Methods: A total of 37 smartphone videos of hands, at rest and in posture, were recorded from 15 participants with tremor diagnoses (9 Parkinson's disease, 5 essential tremor, 1 functional tremor).

On the need for integrating cancer into the One Health perspective.

Recent pandemics have highlighted the urgency to connect disciplines studying animal, human, and environment health, that is, the "One Health" concept. The One Health approach takes a holistic view of health, but it has largely focused on zoonotic diseases while not addressing oncogenic processes. We argue that cancers should be an additional key focus in the One Health approach based on three factors that add to the well-documented impact of humans on the natural environment and its implications on cancer emergence.

Remarkable positive effects of figwort (Scrophularia striata) on improving growth performance, and immunohematological parameters of fish.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of figwort on the growth and immunohematological parameters of common carp (14.20 ± 0.53 g).

Impact of the 2019/2020 Australian Megafires on Air Quality and Health.

The Australian 2019/2020 bushfires were unprecedented in their extent and intensity, causing a catastrophic loss of habitat, human and animal life across eastern-Australia. We use a regional air quality model to assess the impact of the bushfires on particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM) concentrations and the associated health impact from short-term population exposure to bushfire PM.

Transferability of correlative and process-based species distribution models revisited: A response to Booth.

Here, we respond to Booth's criticism of our paper, "Predictive ability of a process-based versus a correlative species distribution model." Booth argues that our usage of the MaxEnt model was flawed and that the conclusions of our paper are by implication flawed. We respond by clarifying that the error Booth implies we made was not made in our analysis, and we repeat statements from the original manuscript which anticipated such criticisms.

Studying at university in later life slows cognitive decline: A long-term prospective study.

Introduction: Declining cognition in later life is associated with loss of independence and quality of life. This decline in cognition may potentially be reduced or reversed through engaging in cognitively stimulating activities. This study examined the potential for university attendance in later life to enhance cognitive function in older adults.

Life beneath the ice: jellyfish and ctenophores from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, with an image-based training set for machine learning.

Background: Southern Ocean ecosystems are currently experiencing increased environmental changes and anthropogenic pressures, urging scientists to report on their biodiversity and biogeography. Two major taxonomically diverse and trophically important gelatinous zooplankton groups that have, however, stayed largely understudied until now are the cnidarian jellyfish and ctenophores. This data scarcity is predominantly due to many of these fragile, soft-bodied organisms being easily fragmented and/or destroyed with traditional net sampling methods.

A self-labeling protein based on the small ultra-red fluorescent protein, smURFP.

Self-labeling proteins have revolutionized super-resolution and sensor imaging. Tags recognize a bioorthogonal substrate for covalent attachment. We show the small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) is a self-labeling protein.

Rapid Formation of an Ice Doline on Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica.

Surface meltwater accumulating on Antarctic ice shelves can drive fractures through to the ocean and potentially cause their collapse, leading to increased ice discharge from the continent. Implications of increasing surface melt for future ice shelf stability are inadequately understood. The southern Amery Ice Shelf has an extensive surface hydrological system, and we present data from satellite imagery and ICESat-2 showing a rapid surface disruption there in winter 2019, covering ∼60 km.

Climate influences on female survival in a declining population of southern elephant seals ().

The Southern Ocean has been disproportionately affected by climate change and is therefore an ideal place to study the influence of changing environmental conditions on ecosystems. Changes in the demography of predator populations are indicators of broader shifts in food web structure, but long-term data are required to study these effects. Southern elephant seals () from Macquarie Island have consistently decreased in population size while all other major populations across the Southern Ocean have recently stabilized or are increasing.

Isotopic niche variation in Tasmanian devils with progression of devil facial tumor disease.

Devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) is a transmissible cancer affecting Tasmanian devils . The disease has caused severe population declines and is associated with demographic and behavioral changes, including earlier breeding, younger age structures, and reduced dispersal and social interactions. Devils are generally solitary, but social encounters are commonplace when feeding upon large carcasses.

Long-Term Blood Pressure Variability and Risk of Cognitive Decline and Dementia Among Older Adults.

Background Blood pressure variability (BPV) in midlife increases risk of late-life dementia, but the impact of BPV on the cognition of adults who have already reached older ages free of major cognitive deficits is unknown. We examined the risk of incident dementia and cognitive decline associated with long-term, visit-to-visit BPV in a post hoc analysis of the ASPREE (Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial. Methods and Results ASPREE participants (N=19 114) were free of dementia and significant cognitive impairment at enrollment.

Dynamic interactions and intracellular fate of label-free, thin graphene oxide sheets within mammalian cells: role of lateral sheet size.

Graphene oxide (GO) holds great potential for biomedical applications, however fundamental understanding of the way it interacts with biological systems is still lacking even though it is essential for successful clinical translation. In this study, we exploit intrinsic fluorescent properties of thin GO sheets to establish the relationship between lateral dimensions of the material, its cellular uptake mechanisms and intracellular fate over time. Label-free GO with distinct lateral dimensions, small (s-GO) and ultra-small (us-GO) were thoroughly characterised both in water and in biologically relevant cell culture medium.

Classifying Multi-Level Stress Responses From Brain Cortical EEG in Nurses and Non-Health Professionals Using Machine Learning Auto Encoder.

Objective: Mental stress is a major problem in our society and has become an area of interest for many psychiatric researchers. One primary research focus area is the identification of bio-markers that not only identify stress but also predict the conditions (or tasks) that cause stress. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) have been used for a long time to study and identify bio-markers.

Rhodium-catalysed tetradehydro-Diels-Alder reactions of enediynes a rhodium-stabilized cyclic allene.

Efficient methods for the synthesis of fused-aromatic rings is a critical endeavour in the creation of new pharmaceuticals and materials. A direct method for preparing these systems is the tetradehydro-Diels-Alder reaction, however this is limited by the need for harsh reaction conditions. A potential, but underdeveloped, route to these systems is transition metal-catalysed cycloaromatisation of ene-diynes.

Genomic divergence in sympatry indicates strong reproductive barriers and cryptic species within .

Genetic studies are increasingly detecting cryptic taxa that likely represent a significant component of global biodiversity. However, cryptic taxa are often criticized because they are typically detected serendipitously and may not receive the follow-up study required to verify their geographic or evolutionary limits. Here, we follow-up a study of that unexpectedly detected two divergent lineages but was not sampled sufficiently to make clear interpretations.

Management of Secondary Poor Response to Botulinum Toxin in Cervical Dystonia: A Multicenter Audit.

Background: Botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A) is an effective treatment for cervical dystonia. Nevertheless, up to 30% to 40% patients discontinue treatment, often because of poor response. The British Neurotoxin Network (BNN) recently published guidelines on the management of poor response to BoNT-A in cervical dystonia, but adherence to these guidelines has not yet been assessed.

Intertrip consistency in hunting behavior improves foraging success and efficiency in a marine top predator.

Substantial variation in foraging strategies can exist within populations, even those typically regarded as generalists. Specializations arise from the consistent exploitation of a narrow behavioral, spatial or dietary niche over time, which may reduce intraspecific competition and influence adaptability to environmental change. However, few studies have investigated whether behavioral consistency confers benefits at the individual and/or population level.