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Exploring the potential of handgrip strength as a prognostic marker in acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: a cross-sectional study

Effects of inbound attendees of a mass gathering event on the COVID-19 epidemic using individual-based simulations

Given that mass gathering events involve heterogeneous and time-varying contact between residents and visitors, we sought to identify possible measures to prevent the potential acceleration of the outbreak of an emerging infectious disease induced by such events. An individual-based simulator was built based on a description of the reproduction rate among people infected with the infectious disease in a hypothetical city. Three different scenarios were assessed using our simulator, in which controls aimed at reduced contact were assumed to be carried out only in the main event venue or at subsequent additional events, or in which behavior restrictions were carried out among the visitors to the main event. The simulation results indicated that the increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 could possibly be suppressed to a level equivalent to that if the event were not being held so long as the prevalence among visitors was only slightly higher than that among domestic residents and strict requirements were applied to the activities of visitors.

Improved food image recognition by leveraging deep learning and data-driven methods with an application to Central Asian Food Scene

A new synonym for Viburnum erosum (Viburnaceae) in East China, based on morphological and molecular evidence

The critical observations of living plants in the field, along with the examination of type specimens and protologues, led us to conclude that the key characteristics, including the length of the petiole, stipules and peduncles, as well as the shape of leaves of Viburnum fengyangshanense, all fall within the variation range of V. erosum. Additionally, molecular analysis of nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) and three plastid DNA markers (rbcL, matK and ndhF) indicates that V. fengyangshanense and V. erosum are deeply nested within a clade. Therefore, based on morphological and molecular evidence, it is demonstrated that V. fengyangshanense should be regarded as a new synonym of V. erosum.

The relationship of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c and Apolipoprotein A‑1 ratio on short-term prognosis in STEMI patients following PCI: a retrospective study

Network traffic prediction based on transformer and temporal convolutional network

This paper proposes a hybrid model combining Transformer and Temporal Convolutional Network (TCN). This model addresses the shortcomings of current approaches in capturing long-term and short-term dependencies in network traffic prediction tasks. The Transformer module effectively captures global temporal relationships through a multi-head self-attention mechanism. Meanwhile, the TCN module models local and long-term dependencies using dilated convolution technology. Experimental results on the PeMSD4 and PeMSD8 datasets demonstrate that our method considerably surpasses current mainstream methods at all time steps, particularly in long-term step prediction. Through ablation experiments, we verified the contribution of each module in the model to the performance, further proving the key role of the Transformer and TCN modules in improving prediction performance.

Surface structural probing and photoelectrochemical characterization of electrodeposited MoS2 nanostructured thin film

CureSCi Metadata Catalog—Finding and harmonizing studies for secondary analysis of hydroxyurea discontinuation in sickle cell disease

Objectives Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a rare group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affect hemoglobin, resulting in serious multi-system complications. The limited number of patients available to participate in research studies can inhibit investigating sophisticated relationships. Secondary analysis is a research method that involves using existing data to answer new research questions. Data harmonization enables secondary analysis by combining data across studies, especially helpful for rare disease research where individual studies may be small. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Cure Sickle Cell Initiative (CureSCi) Metadata Catalog is a web-based tool to identify SCD study datasets for conducting data harmonization and secondary analysis. We present a proof-of-concept secondary analysis to explore factors associated with discontinuation of hydroxyurea, a safe and effective first line SCD therapy, to illustrate the utility of the CureSCi Metadata Catalog to expedite and enable more robust SCD research. Methods We performed secondary analysis of SCD studies using a multi-step workflow: develop research questions, identify study datasets, identify variables of interest, harmonize variables, and establish an analysis method. A harmonized dataset consisting of eight predictor variables across five studies was created. Secondary analysis employed a generalized linear model to identify factors that significantly impact hydroxyurea discontinuation. Results The CureSCi Metadata Catalog provided a platform to efficiently find relevant studies and design a harmonization strategy to prepare data for secondary analysis. Multivariate analysis of the harmonized data identified that patients who were female, had a history of blood transfusion therapy, experiencing pain, and had the SC sickle cell genotype are more likely to stop hydroxyurea treatment. Conclusion This secondary analysis provides a template for how the CureSCi Metadata Catalog expedites dataset discovery of sickle cell studies for identifying relationships between variables or validating existing findings.

Mixed and forced convection heat transfer and pressure drop in inclined tube with twisted tape in transition flow

Recording of HIV diagnosis in mental health records: A data linkage cohort study

Background Mental health professionals play a crucial role in promoting the physical well-being of people with mental illness. Awareness of HIV status can enable professionals in mental health services to provide more comprehensive care. However, it remains uncertain whether mental health professionals consistently document HIV status in mental health records. Aims To investigate the extent to which mental health professionals document previously established HIV diagnoses of people with mental illness in mental health records, and to identify the clinical and demographic factors associated with documentation or lack thereof. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using an established data linkage between routinely collected clinical data from secondary mental health services in South London, UK, and national HIV surveillance data from the UK Health Security Agency. Individuals with an HIV diagnosis prior to their last mental health service contact were included. Documented HIV diagnosis in mental health records was assessed. Results Among the 4,032 individuals identified as living with HIV, 1,281 (31.8%) did not have their diagnosis recorded in their mental health records. Factors associated with the absence of an HIV diagnosis included being of Asian ethnicity, having certain primary mental health diagnoses including schizophrenia, being older, being with a mental health service for longer, having more clinical mental health appointments, and living in a less deprived area. Conclusions A significant number of individuals living with HIV who are receiving mental healthcare in secondary mental health services did not have their HIV diagnosis documented in their mental health records. Addressing this gap could allow mental healthcare providers to support those living with HIV and severe mental illness to manage the complexity of comorbidities and psychosocial impacts of HIV. Mental health services should explore strategies to increase dialogue around HIV in mental health settings.

Optimized YOLOv8 framework for intelligent rockfall detection on mountain roads

Determinants of sibling relationships in the context of mental disorders

Many studies have been conducted on sibling relationships to explore the well-being of siblings of persons with mental disorders. In this research project, two mediation models were tested. Model 1 examined whether a sibling’s distress and the quality of the parent-typically developing sibling relationship would mediate the path between sibling-focused parentification and sibling relationships. Model 2 tested the same paths by comparing siblings of persons with mental disorders (n = 262) and siblings of typically developing persons (n = 303). From March to May 2021, 565 siblings of persons with and without mental disorders were asked to fill in an online survey. Aged 19 to 26 years, most of the siblings who participated in the study were older females. Cross-sectional results showed that the lower sibling-focused parentification was, the higher quality sibling relationships were, through the mediating role of lower distress and higher-quality parent-typically developing sibling relationships (Model 1). Siblings of persons with mental disorders reported low-quality sibling relationships (Model 2). Females and young siblings showed high distress. The findings of this study could become instrumental in promoting high-quality sibling relationships and best practices.

Examining the relations between psychosocial and caregiving factors with mental health among Vietnamese family caregivers of hospitalized lung cancer patients

Retraction: Craniofacial similarity analysis through sparse principal component analysis

Clinical characteristics of neonatal lupus erythematosus complicated by congenital heart block: a multi-center retrospective study in East China

Understanding sociocultural influences in sexual health promotion and HIV protection among Latinx sexually minoritized men: A qualitative study

In the United States, Latinx individuals account for 18% of the overall population, yet sexual minoritized men (SMM) within this demographic disproportionately represent 30% of new HIV diagnoses among all SMM. Despite the availability of highly effective HIV prevention strategies such as Pre- exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), there are marked inequities in access and utilization of these strategies among Latinx SMM. Sociocultural factors and the experiences of Latinx SMM shape beliefs about sexual health promotion and influence HIV self-protective behavior (e.g., the correct and consistent use of condoms, regular engagement in HIV testing, and PrEP use) in this group. A descriptive, qualitative study, using thematic analysis, was designed to describe the sociocultural barriers and facilitators that influence sexual health promotion and HIV self-protection among Latinx SMM. A convenience sample of 15 Latinx SMM was recruited from an ongoing longitudinal study and online for individual interview, which were conducted virtually between October 2020 and October 2021. Five themes emerged from the data: 1) prevention is better than to cure; 2) cultural and religious norms create a culture of silence around sexual health; 3) lack of information and misinformation leading to self-reliance for sexual health protection; 4) growing wiser: maturity’s impact on sexual health and relationships; and 5) unjust and dehumanizing sexual health care. The findings from this study highlighted that stigma and structural factors shape the opportunities of Latinx SMM to engage in sexual health promotion and HIV self-protection. These findings emphasize the need for focus on addressing structural barriers such as sexual health education, access to care, and healthcare provider bias to improve sexual health outcomes among Latinx SMM.

The impact of eyeliner usage on dry eye symptoms

Poor sleep and high rheumatoid arthritis risk: Evidence from large UK Biobank cohort

Objective To evaluate the relationship between sleep behaviors and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risk. Methods First, based on large-scale data from the UK Biobank, we analyzed the associations between multiple sleep factors and RA risk and calculated a poor sleep score (PSS) to assess their combined effect. Then we constructed genetic risk scores (GRS) based on a large genome-wide association study and assessed the interaction or combined effect of sleep and genetic factors on RA risk. Finally, we conducted a case-control study to explore the effect of RA on sleep. Results Sleep duration, getting up, napping during the day, insomnia, and daytime dozing were associated with the risk of RA, but no associations were observed for chronotype and snoring with RA. Participants in the high genetic risk and high PSS group had a 363.1% higher risk of developing RA compared to those with low genetic risk and low PSS. We also found that women were more likely than men to be affected by the combined effects of PSS and GRS. In the case-control study, there were statistically significant associations of RA with getting up, PSS grade and PSS. Conclusions Unhealthy sleep patterns were associated with increasing risk of RA among participants with low, intermediate, or high genetic risk.

Multi-strategy improved gazelle optimization algorithm for numerical optimization and UAV path planning

The effect of interprofessional game-based learning on perceived cognitive load and self-efficacy in interprofessional communication and collaboration in patient safety incidents

Background This study aims to investigate the effect of the interprofessional game-based learning method on students’ perceived cognitive load and self-efficacy in interprofessional communication and collaboration during patient safety incidents, in comparison to traditional instructional methods. Methods The quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2023–2024. The educational objective was to improve the interprofessional collaboration of the students in patient safety incidents. Students in operating room nursing and anesthesia nursing (n = 60) participated in this study. Interprofessional game-based learning and traditional methods were used in the intervention group and the control group, respectively. Participants completed two questionnaires about cognitive load and self-efficacy two months after intervention. The data were analyzed using descriptive tests (mean, standard deviation, and percentage) and analytical tests (including ANCOVA and Student T-test). Results The IP-GBL intervention significantly improved students’ self-efficacy in the intervention group compared to the control group (F = 26.51, df = 1.57, p-value = 0.0001, Partial Eta Squared = 0.31). The IP-GBL method enhanced GCL and eliminated ECL and ICL compared to the traditional method. (p = 0.0001). Conclusion The IP-GBL enhanced germane cognitive load and decreased the intrinsic and extrinsic cognitive load, which facilitated students’ learning. Patient safety training using interprofessional game-based learning has a favorable educational effect on students’ self-efficacy. The findings indicated that the students’ self-efficacy in interprofessional collaboration and communication regarding patient safety incidents in the surgical department significantly improved. Therefore, the interprofessional game-based learning method in formal and informal education of patient safety that requires collaboration between different professions is recommended.