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Magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles in the brain connected to alcohol-associated liver disease
Abstract Magnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles in the form of magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) are present in the human brain. They have been hypothesized to biomineralize in situ, as a result of dysfunctional iron homeostasis related to Alzheimer’s disease, or to enter the brain as airborne pollution particles. Regardless of their origin, magnetic iron-oxides pose a potential hazard to human health due to their high redox activity and surface charge. Here we report measurements on four post-mortem human brainstems, with one brainstem showing approximately 100 times higher magnetite concentrations than the other cases. This brainstem came from a subject with alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) that manifested in liver cirrhosis and massive hepatic iron overload. Laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry showed the highest levels of trace metals (iron, copper and manganese) in the ALD brainstem. It is well established that a dysfunctional liver can result in the accumulation of trace metals in the brain. Our data indicate a similar pathway for magnetite particles, yet liver pathology has not been linked to magnetite occurrence in the brain so far. It may prove to be a crucial factor in understanding the high variation of magnetite concentrations found in human brains.
Patient education for older adults with cancer and their caregivers: Protocol for a scoping review
Treatment decision-making for older adults is complex due to multimorbidity, polypharmacy, and age-related changes such as sensory impairment and cognitive decline. In addition, many older adults have lower health literacy, which impacts their ability to access, understand, and apply health information. Patient education plays a critical role to comprehend a new cancer diagnosis, explore treatment options, and manage care effectively. To be effective, education materials must be specifically tailored to the needs of this population. Despite growing recognition of the importance of geriatric-specific cancer education, no recent review has synthesized the literature on educational interventions or materials developed for this population. This review aims to answer the question: What is known about patient education interventions and materials developed for older adults with cancer and their caregivers and their effectiveness to improve outcomes?. We will follow the Arksey and O’Malley framework, refined by Levac et al., and report according to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. We will search Medline ALL, Embase, Emcare, Cochrane Central, PsycInfo (all via OvidSP), and Scopus (via Elsevier) for studies published from 2000 onward and complete a manual search of the references of included studies. A health sciences librarian conducted the searches. We will include peer-reviewed and relevant grey literature. Stakeholder consultation will be conducted to inform interpretation of findings and identify gaps. Eligible studies will use qualitative or quantitative designs focused on geriatric oncology patient education. Two reviewers will independently screen studies and extract data using Covidence and Excel. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and narrative synthesis. The quality of peer-reviewed studies will be appraised with the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (2018) for descriptive purposes only. This scoping review will map existing educational interventions and materials for older adults with cancer, support clinicians in practice, and highlight gaps to inform future research and development.
Bioinformatics analysis identifies BST1 as a potential therapeutic target linked to neutrophil extracellular traps in patients with acute liver failure
Enhancing diabetes risk prediction through focal active learning and machine learning models
To improve the effectiveness of diabetes risk prediction, this study proposes a novel method based on focal active learning strategies combined with machine learning models. Existing machine learning models often suffer from poor performance on imbalanced medical datasets, where minority class instances such as diabetic cases are underrepresented. Our proposed Focal Active Learning method selectively samples informative instances to mitigate this imbalance, leading to better prediction outcomes with fewer labeled samples. The method integrates SHAP (SHapley Additive Explanations) to quantify feature importance and applies attention mechanisms to dynamically adjust feature weights, enhancing model interpretability and performance in predicting diabetes risk. To address the issue of imbalanced classification in diabetes datasets, we employed a clustering-based method to identify representative data points (called foci), and iteratively constructed a smaller labeled dataset (sub-pool) around them using similarity-based sampling. This method aims to overcome common challenges, such as poor performance on minority classes and limited generalization, by enabling more efficient data utilization and reducing labeling costs. The experimental results demonstrated that our approach significantly improved the evaluation metrics for diabetes risk prediction, achieving an accuracy of 97.41% and a recall rate of 94.70%, clearly outperforming traditional models that typically achieve 95% accuracy and 92% recall. Additionally, the model’s generalization ability was further validated on the public PIMA Indians Diabetes DataBase, outperforming traditional models in both accuracy and recall. This approach can enhance early diabetes screening in clinical settings, helping healthcare professionals reduce diagnostic errors and optimize resource allocation.
Development of a novel quantitative lateral flow assay for vancomycin for therapeutic drug monitoring
Abstract Antibiotic optimisation through therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a key strategy in tackling antimicrobial resistance. However, current quantification methods rely on laboratory-based equipment, delaying timely dose adjustments. We developed a novel point-of-care lateral flow assay (LFA) for the quantification of vancomycin in serum. Unlike conventional LFAs with a single test and control line, this assay incorporates two test lines: one for vancomycin binding and one for avidin capture of excess conjugate. Gold nanoparticles were conjugated to biotinylated bovine serum albumin–vancomycin, enabling competitive binding with anti-vancomycin antibodies and avidin capture. Signal ratios from smartphone-acquired images were quantified using an automated image analysis algorithm. Applied to vancomycin in serum, the LFA demonstrated a quantitative detection range of 2.88 to 45,000 ng/mL, with good accuracy, reproducibility, and high recovery in spiked samples. This approach offers a promising solution for decentralised, rapid TDM in clinical settings, especially where timely dose optimisation is critical.
Efficient pretraining of ECG scalogram images using masked autoencoders for cardiovascular disease diagnosis
The relationship between C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte index and peripheral artery disease
Advancing sustainable RF energy harvesting for wearable electronics with 2.45 GHz textile-printed rectennas
Abstract The growth of IoT and wearable electronics demands sustainable energy solutions beyond short-lived, waste-generating batteries. RF energy harvesting offers a self-powered alternative by capturing ambient RF energy. However, implementing this technology on textile substrates remains challenging due to material incompatibility, ink toxicity, substrate porosity, and scalability constraints. This study addresses these challenges by developing optimized fabrication techniques for printed textile rectennas operating at 2.45 GHz. It focuses on conductive ink formulations tailored for textiles, scalable integration methods such as screen-printing and doctor blade techniques, and improved attachment methods for lumped components, ensuring full integration of a microstrip patch antenna and rectifier circuit onto fabric. The research systematically examines the impact of substrate porosity, ink adhesion, material losses, mechanical deformation, dielectric variability, and surface roughness on energy harvesting efficiency. Additionally, it promotes environmentally sustainable solutions by reducing reliance on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and complex fabrication processes. Electromagnetic simulations and experimental validations confirm the rectenna’s capability to harvest 2.4 GHz ISM band energy, despite challenges such as dielectric sensitivity and conductive ink losses. This work establishes a scalable, cost-effective framework for next-generation wearable and IoT applications, advancing flexible electronics and self-sustaining smart textiles.
Effect of multimodal preventive analgesia based on serratus anterior plane block and oxycodone on postoperative analgesia in elderly patients undergoing thoracoscopic lobectomy: a randomized controlled trial
Exploring the use of double-speed video playback in a fast-paced society through structural equation modeling
Evaluating bioassay efficacy of extremophile bacillus species for environmentally safe control of Aedes aegypti larvae
Antimicrobial effect of curcumin, alone or in combination with black pepper, against foodborne pathogens in vacuum-packed ground mutton
Abstract Finding healthy, effective, safe, and affordable natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives for extending the shelf life of meat products has become a research priority. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of curcumin (0.3%, 0.7%, and 1%), black pepper (0.3%), or their combinations on the sensory attributes, shelf life, spoilage bacterial counts, and foodborne pathogens in vacuum-packed ground mutton stored at 4 °C. Ground mutton treated with a mixture of black pepper and curcumin maintained their quality and acceptability for up to 21 days compared to only 7 days for the controls. By day 21 of storage, ground mutton treated with the combination of 0.3% black pepper and 1% curcumin exhibited significant reductions in anaerobic, lactic acid, and psychrotrophic bacterial counts by 2.37, 2.05, and 2.3 logs, respectively, along with significant reductions in the inoculated Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia coli O157:H7 by 2.75 and 2.39 logs, respectively compared to the control. Interestingly, a complete inhibition of the inoculated S. aureus (MRSA) growth was observed in ground mutton treated with 0.3% black pepper and 1% curcumin blend by the 14th day of storage. Thus, curcumin and black pepper may serve as effective natural preservatives for prolonging shelf life and controlling foodborne pathogens in meat products during vacuum-packaged storage.