Enhanced decoupling of conductivity relaxation from structural relaxation in non-stoichiometric protic ionic liquids involving triflic acid and 2-aminoethyl hydrogen sulfate.

The glass transition dynamics and conductivity relaxation are studied for a series of non-stoichiometric protic ionic liquids (PILs) based on 2-aminoethyl hydrogen sulfate and triflic acid with varying molar ratios (denoted as AT-55, AT-46, AT-37, AT-28, and AT-19) by broadband dielectric spectroscopy in a wide frequency (10-1-107 Hz) and temperature range (173-353 K). The results indicate that the addition of acid lowers the glass transition temperature, as confirmed by the activation energy fine structure analysis and a crossover in the conductivity relaxation time. Notably, samples with higher acid content deliver markedly increased conductivity.

Handgrip strength and health outcomes in hospitalized children or children with chronic disease: A systematic review.

Handgrip strength (HGS) is a simple measurement of maximum voluntary muscle strength and is widely used as a single indicator of overall muscle strength. This systematic review summarized the evidence about the relation between HGS and health outcomes in hospitalized children or chronically ill children. The primary outcome was the number of hospital days in a 2-month period for outpatients and the length of hospital stay for inpatients.

Gain of 1q confers an MDM4-driven growth advantage to undifferentiated and differentiating hESC while altering their differentiation capacity.

Gain of 1q is a highly recurrent chromosomal abnormality in human pluripotent stem cells. In this work, we show that gains of 1q impact the differentiation capacity to derivates of the three germ layers, leading to mis-specification to cranial placode and non-neural ectoderm during neuroectoderm differentiation. Also, we found a weaker expression of lineage-specific markers in hepatoblasts and cardiac progenitors.

Anodizing of iron-based alloys: fundamentals, recent progress, and applications.

This review aims to comprehensively and systematically analyze the anodic oxidation process to form nanostructured oxide films on the surface of the most technologically relevant Fe-based alloys and steels. A special emphasis is put on detailed analysis of the mechanisms of the anodic formation of Fe-based nanostructured materials. The effect of anodizing parameters including the type of Fe-alloy, electrolyte composition, potential/current regimes, as well as various post-treatment procedures (including annealing treatment) on the growth, morphology, composition, and properties of the resulting oxide films is discussed in detail.

Tribocharged granular assembly of polystyrene beads confined between plates using acoustic vibrations.

In this work, we investigate the transition from an amorphous state to crystal ordering of 3 mm-sized polystyrene beads in a two-dimensional system between two plates, one of them fixed and the other is mobile and can move across the beads. The system is vibrated vertically, and we have investigated the effect of the frequency, the number of particles, and the different materials covering the bottom and top plate. We found that crystallisation is promoted by the motion of the upper plate, which pushes particles to the centre of the plate's configuration and by the onset of tribocharged-induced electrostatic interactions.

Preclinical evaluation of antigen-sensitive B7-H3-targeting nanobody-based CAR-T cells in glioblastoma cautions for on-target, off-tumor toxicity.

Background: Glioblastoma is the most common lethal primary brain tumor, urging evaluation of new treatment options. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells targeting B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3) are promising because of the overexpression of B7-H3 on glioblastoma cells but not on healthy brain tissue. Nanobody-based (nano)CARs are gaining increasing attention as promising alternatives to classical single-chain variable fragment-based (scFv)CARs, because of their single-domain nature and low immunogenicity.

The future of midwifery care and education in Belgium: A discussion paper.

Background: Advanced education of midwives acting during the first 1000 days in life is key in optimum care provision for intergenerational health and wellbeing.

Aim: This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current context of midwifery care and (inter)national trends in midwifery education. Gaps for optimizing midwifery education in Belgium are defined.

Uncovering the toll of the first three COVID-19 waves: excess mortality and social patterns in Belgium.

Background: This study aims to assess which population groups experienced the heaviest mortality burden during the first three COVID-19 waves in Belgium; and investigate potential changes in social differences in all-cause mortality during the epidemic and compared to the pre-COVID period.

Methods: Exhaustive all-cause mortality information (2015-2021) from the Belgian population register was linked to demographic and socioeconomic census and register data. Annual cohorts consisting of 6.

A synbiotic mixture for the management of infantile colic: A randomized trial.

Unlabelled: Infant colic is defined as a recurrent and prolonged period of fussing, crying and/or irritability that cannot be prevented or resolved by caregivers. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a synbiotic (Bactecal D Liquid) in infants consulting a primary health care professional for inconsolable crying. A randomized trial was conducted in 68 infants diagnosed by the consulted primary health care professional as "probably suffering from infant colic".

Solvent-free confinement of ordered microparticle monolayers: effect of host substrate and pattern symmetry.

The self-organisation of individual suspended colloids into ordered structures that can be mediated by confinement has garnered interest recently. Despite the push for solvent reduction for sustainability reasons, the comprehension and development of solvent-free assembly methods remain largely unaddressed. In this study, we explore the effect of confinement without rigid geometrical constraints, , wall-less confinement on the assembly of monodisperse PMMA powder microspheres (diameters of 3 μm and 10 μm) on fluorocarbon-patterned heterogeneous substrates using a solvent-free rubbing assembly approach.

Extension of impurity profiling on eltrombopag olamine to in-silico predictions: An effort to exploit correlated forced degradation products and known drug-related substances in drug discovery.

The recent pandemic has highlighted the impact of diseases on global health and the economy. The rapid discovery of new hit molecules remains a tough challenge. Pharmaceutical impurity profiling can be linked to drug discovery through the identification of new hits from compounds identified during the analytical profiling.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of double trophectoderm biopsy and/or cryopreservation in PGT: balancing the need for a diagnosis against the risk of harm.

Background: To prevent the transfer of embryos affected by monogenic conditions and/or chromosomal defects, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) requires trophectoderm biopsy and cryopreservation. In 2-6% of biopsies, the diagnosis may be inconclusive due to DNA amplification failure or low-quality results. In these cases, a round of re-warming, re-biopsy, and re-cryopreservation is required to obtain a genetic diagnosis.

Elder abuse in Flanders, Belgium: perspectives from home care nurses.

The present study focuses on elder abuse in the home care setting. The aim of this study was to explore home care nurses' definition, general perspectives and experiences of elder abuse, and the barriers they experience to avoid elder abuse. Individual qualitative interviews were held with Flemish home care nurses ( = 17), employed by a Dutch home nursing organization.

Automated radiofluorination of HER2 single domain antibody: the road towards the clinical translation of [F]FB-HER2 sdAb.

Background: With the next generation of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2) -targeting therapies, such as antibody-drug conjugates, showing benefit in "HER2 low" and even "HER2 ultralow" patients, the need for novel methods to quantify HER2 expression accurately becomes even more important for clinical decision making. A HER2 PET/CT imaging assessment could evaluate HER2 positive disease locations while improving patient care, reducing the need for invasive biopsies. A single-domain antibody (sdAb)-based PET tracer could combine the high specificity of sdAbs with short-lived radionuclides such as fluorine-18 (F) and gallium-68 (Ga).

How much do Ga-, Lu- and I-based radiopharmaceuticals contribute to the global radiation exposure of nuclear medicine staff?

Background: The radiation exposure of nuclear medicine personnel, especially concerning extremity doses, has been a significant focus over the past two decades. This study addresses the evolving practice of NM, particularly with the rise of radionuclide therapy and theranostic procedures, which involve a variety of radionuclides such as Ga, Lu, and I. Traditional studies have concentrated on common radioisotopes like Tc, F, and Y, but there is limited data on these radionuclides, which are more and more frequently used.

Exploring educational disparities in breast cancer dynamics: a comprehensive analysis of incidence, death within 5 years of diagnosis, and mortality in the Belgian context.

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer worldwide. Belgium shows high age-standardized incidence rates, but also high survival rates. Like many health outcomes, breast cancer has been associated with multiple factors of socioeconomic status.

Abortion Trajectory, Timing, and Access Study (ATTAS): study protocol.

Background: This study protocol outlines the phased construction of a questionnaire, data collection, and a strategy for analysis within the framework of the ATTAS project. This study has two primary objectives. First, it allows us to map the duration of the various phases of the abortion trajectory for women presenting for abortion in Flanders, Belgium.

Small Bowel Obstruction Caused by Obturator Hernia.

In an elderly patient with a history of atypical, intermittent medial thigh pain presenting with signs of intestinal obstruction, entrapment of bowel loops in an obturator hernia should be included in the differential diagnosis and should be further elaborated by computed tomography (CT).

A hands-on tutorial on quantitative structure-activity relationships using fully expressive graph neural networks.

This hands-on tutorial offers a practical guide to implementing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) within the scope of Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling. Readers will be guided through a detailed, step-by-step process of applying a state-of-the-art GNN algorithm for activity predictions. It is anticipated that this practical tutorial will provide readers with sufficient knowledge to apply GNNs to their problems as well as to gain a good intuition of the underlying concepts.

Time evolution of estrogen contamination in the Scheldt estuary.

Estrogens are contaminants in the Scheldt estuary due to a dense population and intense industrial and anthropogenic activities, but their levels and evolution in this estuary are not well studied. Here we investigated estrogenic activity (EA) in the dissolved, particulate and sediment compartments of the estuary using the Estrogen Receptor (ER)-Chemical Activated Luciferase Gene Expression (CALUX) bioassay, in recent and historical samples. EA ranges between 7-168, 2.

Patterns of shared meaning across personal narratives surrounding experiences with palliative care, serious illness, and the end of life.

Prior observations of persistent public misconceptions and negative beliefs surrounding palliative care have led to extensive calls for public education on palliative care. Yet, the development of effective initiatives to improve public perceptions of palliative care is still hindered by a lack of research providing a deeper, contextualized understanding of the way people perceive and give meaning to palliative care. This study therefore set out to explore patterns of shared meaning across personal narratives surrounding experiences with palliative care, serious illness, and the end of life.

Deciphering nonlinear optical properties in functionalized hexaphyrins explainable machine learning.

Over the years, several studies have aimed to elucidate why certain molecules show more enhanced nonlinear optical (NLO) properties than others. This knowledge is particularly valuable in the design of new NLO switches, where the ON and OFF states of the switch display markedly different NLO behaviors. In the literature, orbital contributions, aromaticity, planarity, and intramolecular charge transfer have been put forward as key factors in this regard.

Antioxidant, neuroprotective, and neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) differentiation effects of melanins and arginine-modified melanins from Daedaleopsis tricolor and Fomes fomentarius.

Background: Microbial melanins possess a broad spectrum of biological activities. However, there is little understanding of their neuroprotective and neuronal cell differentiation properties. This study aimed to extract, purify, and modify melanins from two medicinal fungi (Daedaleopsis tricolor and Fomes fomentarius), and to evaluate their antioxidant activity, as well as their cell protective ability against neurotoxins.