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The role of frailty in shaping social contact patterns in Belgium, 2022–2023
Abstract Social contact data are essential for understanding the spread of respiratory infectious diseases and designing effective prevention strategies. However, many studies often overlook the heterogeneity in mixing patterns among older age groups and individual frailty levels, assuming homogeneity across these sub-populations. This shortcoming may undermine non-pharmaceutical interventions by not targeting specific contact behaviours, potentially reducing their effectiveness in controlling disease. To address this gap, we conducted a contact survey in Flanders, Belgium (June 2022–June 2023). We collected data from 5995 participants (overall response rates of 19.34%) who recorded 31,375 contacts with distinct individuals. Within this cohort, 14.50% were classified as frail, and 46.85% were classified as non-frail. On average, participants report 5.48 contacts daily, with a median of 4 contacts (IQR: 2–7). These contacts vary based on participants’ age and frailty levels, influenced by the locations of their interactions. Using the collected data, we reconstructed frailty-dependent contact matrices and developed a contact-based mathematical model that integrates participants’ and contactees’ frailty levels to investigate how frailty levels affect transmission dynamics. Incorporating frailty levels into the mathematical model substantially alters the shape of epidemic curves and peak incidences. Such insights might provide useful insights for informing non-pharmaceutical interventions, indicating the potential benefit of similar data collection in different countries.
Development and validation of survival prediction tools in early and late onset colorectal cancer patients
Biomarker and cognitive decline in atrial fibrillation: a prospective cohort study
Defending against and generating adversarial examples together with generative adversarial networks
Theoretical characterization of mesoscopic structure of PBT propellant based on liquid film thickness
Blood proteome profiling for biomarker discovery in broilers with necrotic enteritis
Performance analysis of fiber reinforced recycled aggregate concrete at elevated temperatures using response surface methodology
Abstract The increasing risk of fire hazards and the environmental burden of construction and demolition (C&D) waste necessitate sustainable, fire-resistant building materials. This study investigates the potential of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) reinforced with fibers to enhance high-temperature performance while promoting waste utilization. In the first phase, concrete mixtures with 0%, 25%, and 50% recycled aggregate (labeled RAC00, RAC25, and RAC50) were evaluated at 23 °C, 300 °C, and 600 °C. RAC00 exhibited a 16% reduction in compressive strength at 300 °C and over 50% at 600 °C. While RAC25 initially showed a 10–30% decrease compared to conventional concrete at room temperature, it exhibited only a 1% strength decline at 300 °C and a 28% reduction at 600 °C, making it the most effective composition for further study. In the second phase, steel fibers (SF) and polypropylene fibers (PPF) were incorporated into RAC25, yielding substantial tensile strength improvements: RAC25-SF increased by 5.6% at 23 °C, 24.8% at 300 °C, and 28.3% at 600 °C. RAC25-PPF showed a 12.5% increase at 23 °C but declined at higher temperatures, with a 9.9% decrease at 300 °C and 32.9% at 600 °C. SF enhanced strength across all temperatures, while PPF reduced performance above 200 °C. Fiber additions improved ductility, toughness, and moisture retention, mitigating crack propagation under heat. Statistical modeling using ANOVA and response surface methodology (RSM) confirmed high model validity (R2 > 0.80). The study concludes that RAC25 with steel fibers offers a sustainable, heat-resistant construction material, addressing both fire resilience and C&D waste challenges.
Enhancing diesel engine performance and emissions with N-Butanol enhanced biodiesel derived from Scenedesmus obliquus algae
Mixed precision quantization based on information entropy
Reconsideration of the load-bearing functions of the plantar fascia and intrinsic foot muscles in the windlass mechanism
An optimized luciferin formulation for NanoLuc-based in vivo bioluminescence imaging
Dietary patterns and physical activity in young South Asians and white Europeans and their potential implications for cardiovascular risk
Abstract Individuals of South Asian (SA) ethnicity have greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) relative to white Europeans (WEs). Factors which generally contribute to increased CVD risk include physical inactivity and poor dietary habits, including high intake of salt and saturated fat. Contrastingly, diets rich in fibre, antioxidants and polyphenols are considered cardioprotective. The current questionnaire-based study aimed to examine whether the dietary habits and physical activity levels of young adult SAs living in the UK may contribute to their increased CVD risk in comparison to age-matched WEs. All participants (80 healthy individuals, 40 SA/ 40 WE (gender-balanced, aged 18–26 years) completed questionnaires to assess: general health; habitual physical activity levels, assessed by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire; and dietary patterns, assessed by EPIC-food frequency questionnaire and three-day food diaries. SAs had higher sitting times (SA: 469 ± 19.4, WE: 387 ± 21.5 min/day, p = 0.0107) and were less physically active (SA: 2050 ± 1110, WE: 4850 ± 2810 MET mins/day, p < 0.0001) than WEs. Further, SAs had lower consumption of cardioprotective nutrients, such as fibre (p = 0.0183), folate (p = 0.0242), vitamin C (p = 0.0105) and phytochemicals, such as flavonoids (p = 0.0644). SAs also consumed less alcohol (p < 0.0001), fat (p = 0.0066), sugar (p = 0.0218) and sodium (p = 0.0011) compared to WEs. These findings suggest that lower consumption of nutrients and phytochemicals that are cardioprotective, rather than excess consumption of fat, sugar and sodium, amongst young SAs may contribute to their increased CVD risk. Young SA individuals may also reduce their future CVD risk by increasing their physical activity.
Publisher Correction: Proteasome inhibition induces DNA methylation alteration by attenuating the synthesis of DNA methyltransferase 1 and 3B in colorectal cancer
Intrinsic optical bistability via switching between saturable and reverse saturable absorption
Quantum chimp-enanced SqueezeNet for precise diabetic retinopathy classification
Assessing ChatGPT 4.0’s Capabilities in the United Kingdom Medical Licensing Examination (UKMLA): A Robust Categorical Analysis
Abstract Advances in the various applications of artificial intelligence will have important implications for medical training and practice. The advances in ChatGPT-4 alongside the introduction of the medical licensing assessment (MLA) provide an opportunity to compare GPT-4’s medical competence against the expected level of a United Kingdom junior doctor and discuss its potential in clinical practice. Using 191 freely available questions in MLA style, we assessed GPT-4’s accuracy with and without offering multiple-choice options. We compared single and multi-step questions, which targeted different points in the clinical process, from diagnosis to management. A chi-squared test was used to assess statistical significance. GPT-4 scored 86.3% and 89.6% in papers one-and-two respectively. Without the multiple-choice options, GPT’s performance was 61.5% and 74.7% in papers one-and-two respectively. There was no significant difference between single and multistep questions, but GPT-4 answered ‘management’ questions significantly worse than ‘diagnosis’ questions with no multiple-choice options ( p = 0.015). GPT-4’s accuracy across categories and question structures suggest that LLMs are competently able to process clinical scenarios but remain incapable of understanding these clinical scenarios. Large-Language-Models incorporated into practice alongside a trained practitioner may balance risk and benefit as the necessary robust testing on evolving tools is conducted.
Uncovering genomic diversity and signatures of selection in red Angus × Chinese red steppe crossbred cattle population
Clinical characteristics and treatment response of chronic disseminated candidiasis in patients with hematological disorders
Memantine abrogates testicular dysfunction induced by risperidone in rats with a potential role of ERK1/2-Nrf2-caspase-3 signaling pathway
Abstract Psychosis is usually a substantial global burden with a prevalence of 0.4–2%. On the other hand, 50 million people are suffering from dementia, with dementia-related psychosis affecting approximately 25% of them. The current experiment aimed to investigate the effect of the anti-dementia drug memantine (MEM) on testicular damage and insulin resistance induced by the chronic administration of risperidone (RIS) in rats. Six groups of Wistar albino rats were designated as follows: control, MEM-5 (rats received MEM at 5 mg/kg/day, orally, for 4 weeks), MEM-10 (rats received MEM at 10 mg/kg/day, orally, for 4 weeks), RIS (rats were administered RIS at 2.5 mg/kg/day, orally, for 4 weeks), RIS + MEM-5 (rats received MEM at 5 mg/kg/day, orally, co-administered with RIS as in the RIS group for 4 weeks), and RIS + MEM-10 (rats received MEM at 10 mg/kg/day, orally, co-administered with RIS as in the RIS group for 4 weeks). The duration of the study was 28 days. Serum testosterone, resistin, and adiponectin concentrations were determined. The homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was also evaluated. Oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and immunoblotting of ERK1/2, and Nrf2 were quantified in testicular tissue together with histopathological evaluation and a caspase-3 immunohistochemical study. MEM co-administration increased adiponectin, serum testosterone, GSH, SOD, CAT, and Nrf2 expression while decreasing HOMA-IR, resistin, MDA, NOx, ERK1/2, IL-6, TNF-α, NFĸB, and caspase-3 expression. Furthermore, MEM ameliorated all measured parameters and histopathological changes that occurred in the RIS group in a dose-dependent manner. The primary outcomes were attained by attenuating oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in the testis caused by chronic RIS administration via regulation of the ERK1/2-Nrf2 signaling pathway. Targeting the ERK1/2-Nrf2 pathway is a potential strategy for addressing testicular injury.