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The physiological stress response of juvenile nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) to catch-and-release recreational angling

Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum), especially juveniles, are often encountered by near-shore and shore-based recreational anglers and are suggested to exhibit minimal behavioral and physiological responses to capture, largely based on studies of adults using commercial or scientific fishing methods. To quantify the sub-lethal effects of recreational angling on juvenile nurse sharks, 27 individuals (across 31 angling events) were caught using hook-and-line fishing methods. Over a 30-min period, 4 blood samples were taken with variable time intervals between sampling (i.e., randomized ordering of an interval of 5, 10, and 15 min between each sampling event). Lactate increased by 611% (6.7 ± 2.17 mmol/L) on average over the 30-min fight, and significant relationships were identified between lactate and blood draw number, fight time, and temperature, with large effect sizes. Significant relationships were also detected between blood draw number, glucose, and hematocrit, while osmolality was only affected by fishing site. These results suggest juvenile nurse sharks may exhibit a greater physiological stress response when exposed to recreational angling than adults captured with other fishing methods.

Association between early life second-hand smoke exposure on child sleep and psychoactive substance use on adult sleep patterns in an urban informal settlement in Uganda

Background Psychoactive substance use in adults and second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure among children are leading contributors to sleeping problems. Despite this, there is limited data on how these exposures influence sleep patterns in informal settings. Our study assessed the associations between substance use, SHS exposure and sleep disturbances among adults and children in an urban informal settlement in Uganda. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in an urban informal settlement in Kampala, Uganda. Data was collected on self-reported sleep problems among adults including sleep duration, insomnia and sleep dissatisfaction, as well, as sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in children. We evaluated children’s early-life SHS exposure and psychoactive substance use in adults using questionnaires. We modelled the associations between the exposures and sleep problems in adults and children using modified Poisson regression. Results Data were collected from 284 adults, who also reported on their children’s sleep experience. Among adults, 59.2% reported insufficient sleep (less than 7 hours), 34.9% experienced insomnia, and 28.3% were dissatisfied with their sleep patterns. Active smoking was associated with insomnia (Prevalence Ratio (PR) = 2.74, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.14–6.59), and alcohol use was associated with sleep dissatisfaction (PR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.23–2.69). In children, 40.0% (88/220) exhibited SDB problems. Those exposed to SHS either during pregnancy or within six months post-birth had a higher risk of SDB than unexposed children (PR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.21–2.61). The risk was also elevated for children exposed to SHS during both periods (PR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.02–2.13). Conclusions Our findings suggest that smoking was associated with insomnia and alcohol with sleep dissatisfaction among adults. Early-life SHS exposure was associated with an increased risk of SDB in children. These results emphasize the need to support ongoing public health initiatives and maintain a smoke-free environment, particularly for children in their early life.

The association between helicobacter pylori infection and Triglyceride-Glucose (TyG) index in US adults: A retrospective cross-sectional study

Background The Triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is a marker for insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, while Helicobacter pylori is linked to gastrointestinal diseases and may affect metabolic risks. This study examined the association between the TyG index and H. pylori infection in adults. Methods Data from 3797 participants in the NHANES 1999–2000 cycle were analyzed. The relationship between the TyG index and H. pylori infection was assessed using multivariate logistic regression and a two-piecewise logistic model to explore non-linear effects. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, sex, glucose levels, BMI, and CKD. Results A linear association between the TyG index and H. pylori infection was found. Subgroup analyses revealed significant interactions with a few variables. Conclusions This study indicates a linear relationship between the TyG index and H. pylori infection, suggesting metabolic influences on H. pylori infection and potential for targeted interventions in at-risk groups.

Point prevalence survey of antibiotic use in Mexican secondary care hospitals

Introduction Tackling the inertia of growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) requires changes in how antibiotics are prescribed and utilized. The monitoring of antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals is a critical component in optimizing antibiotic use. Point prevalence surveys (PPSs) enable the surveillance of antibiotic prescribing at the patient level in small hospitals that lack the resources to establish antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP). In this study, we analyzed antibiotic use at two public secondary care hospitals in Mexico using PPSs. Methods Following WHO methodology, we conducted four cross-sectional PPSs on antibiotic use in two public secondary care facilities in Mexico: two surveys in a women’s specialty hospital (H1) and two in a general referral hospital (H2). We collected data from clinical records of all patients with active antibiotic prescriptions (APs) across the medical, surgical, and mixed (MIX) wards, and intensive care units (ICUs). Descriptive statistics were computed to analyze the PPSs data using Stata. Results The PPSs collected data on 127 patients, and 283 active APs. The prevalence of antibiotic use was 60.4% (H1, n = 29/48) and 70.5% (H2, n = 98/139). Antibiotics were more frequently used among patients in the MIX wards (H1: 87.5%, n = 14/16) and ICUs (H2: 90%, n = 9/10). The most frequent patient indications for antibiotic use were medical prophylaxis (H1: 51.7%, n = 15/29), community-acquired infections (H2: 42.9%, n = 42/98), and preoperative prophylaxis (H1: 27.6%, n = 8/29; H2: 23.5%, n = 23/98). The APs were mostly empirical (H1: 97%, n = 64/66; H2: 98.2%, n = 213/217), and parenterally administered (H1: 90.9%, n = 60/66; H2: 96.8%, n = 210/217). Most clinical records lacked documented post-prescription reviews (H1: 82.8%, n = 24/29; H2: 98%, n = 96/98). Preoperative prophylaxis was predominantly administered as multiple doses for more than one day. Penicillins with extended-spectrum (24.2%, n = 16/66), aminoglycosides (22.7%, n = 15/66), and first-generation cephalosporins (16.7%, n = 11/66) were the most prescribed antibiotic classes in H1, while third-generation cephalosporins (35%, n = 76/217), fluoroquinolones (14.3%, n = 31/217), and carbapenems (13.4%, n = 29/217) were the most prescribed in H2. No hospital had formally established ASP. Conclusions This study shows high prevalence rates of antibiotic use and variations in commonly prescribed antibiotic classes in public Mexican secondary care hospitals, along with shared practices in broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription. PPS-based surveillance enables the identification of specific targets to optimize antibiotic use according to the healthcare needs of patients in each hospital and facilitates comparative evaluations across hospitals.

An end-to-end implicit neural representation architecture for medical volume data

Medical volume data are rapidly increasing, growing from gigabytes to petabytes, which presents significant challenges in organisation, storage, transmission, manipulation, and rendering. To address the challenges, we propose an end-to-end architecture for data compression, leveraging advanced deep learning technologies. This architecture consists of three key modules: downsampling, implicit neural representation (INR), and super-resolution (SR). We employ a trade-off point method to optimise each module’s performance and achieve the best balance between high compression rates and reconstruction quality. Experimental results on multi-parametric MRI data demonstrate that our method achieves a high compression rate of up to 97.5% while maintaining superior reconstruction accuracy, with a Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) of 40.05 dB and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) of 0.96. This approach significantly reduces GPU memory requirements and processing time, making it a practical solution for handling large medical datasets.

Cracking susceptibility of full-sibs of a cross of a cracking tolerant and cracking susceptible sweet cherry: Relation to cuticle characteristics, microcracking and calcium

Rain cracking compromises quality and quantity of sweet cherries worldwide. Cracking susceptibility differs among genotypes. The objective was to (1) phenotype the progeny of a cross between a tolerant and a susceptible sweet cherry cultivar for cuticle mass per unit area, strain release on cuticle isolation, cuticular microcracking and calcium/dry mass ratio and (2) relate these characteristics to cracking susceptibilities evaluated in laboratory immersion assays and published multiyear field observations. Mass of the dewaxed cuticle per unit area and strain release upon cuticle isolation were significantly related to cracking susceptibility in lab or field. Cuticular microcracking in the stylar end region as indexed by infiltration with acridine orange was more severe in susceptible than in tolerant genotypes and significantly correlated with susceptibility to cracking in lab and field. The Ca/dry mass ratio was lower (-8%) for susceptible than for tolerant genotypes. Fruit that cracked early had less Ca than those that cracked later. Only the Ca/dry mass ratio of the stylar end region was significantly correlated with cracking susceptibility in the field. Based on stepwise regression analyses microcracking of the cuticle accounted for most of the cracking susceptibilities in field and lab (partial r2 = 0.331 to 0.338 for field vs. r2 = 0.326 to 0.453 for lab). The variability in cracking susceptibility accounted for increased to a r2 = 0.571 (lab) when adding mass of dewaxed cuticle, up to r2 = 0.421 (field) when adding the Ca/dry mass ratio in the stylar end region or up to r2 = 0.478 (field) when entering the strain release on isolation into the model. A protocol for phenotyping is suggested that allows larger progenies to be phenotyped for microcracking, DCM mass and strain release.

Evaluating socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated oral health and its contributing factors in Brazilian older adults

Objectives This study aimed to evaluate socioeconomic inequalities in self-reported oral health among community-dwelling Brazilian older adults and evaluate the oral health factors contributing to the inequalities. Methods This was a cross-sectional study with data from the Brazilian National Health Survey conducted in 2019. The dependent variable is the self-report of oral health categorized as good or poor. Household per capita income in quintiles and schooling were used as socioeconomic variables. The explanatory covariates were age; gender; limitation in basic activities of daily living; number of teeth, use of dental prostheses; difficulty in eating; and recent dental visit. The Oaxaca-Blinder two-fold decomposition for binary outcomes was used to evaluate the factors contributing to the inequalities in self-reported oral health. Results Self-reported poor oral health was found among 35.8% of the dentate and 29.6% of the edentulous individuals. Poor self-reported oral health was more prevalent among older adults with low income and educational levels. Among dentate individuals, the difference in the proportion of poor self-reported oral health (the gap) between those with no schooling and those with some schooling was 12.8 percent points (p.p.), favoring the poor. The gap between dentate in the lowest and highest income groups was 14.8 p.p. favoring the poor. Among edentulous individuals, those with no schooling had a higher proportion of self-reported oral health (total gap 10.6 p.p.). Concerning income inequalities, the gap favored the poorer group and was 5.4 p.p. higher among individuals in the lowest income group. Conclusion The decomposition analyses suggested that oral health variables explained most of the education and income inequalities; difficulties in eating were the most contributing factor in both the dentate and edentulous groups. There was a relatively reduced contribution of recent dental visits to socioeconomic inequality.

Gender disparities in application and admission to the medical residency program in Peru: A cross sectional study from 2016 to 2023

Objective To investigate gender disparities in applications and admissions to the medical residency programs in Peru, focusing on differences in application and admission proportions between male and female. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess the proportions of female applicants and admissions to medical residency programs in Peru from 2016 to 2023. Bayesian multilevel linear models were employed, incorporating random intercepts and slopes by specialty to account for variability across specialties. This approach provided initial proportions of female in 2016 (intercepts) and annual percentage changes (beta coefficients) for each specialty. A multilevel Poisson regression model with robust variance was used to determine if being female was associated with higher admission frequency. Results Of the 48,013 applicants, 48% were considered female applicants. Most specialties exhibited an increasing trend in female applicants (+0.2% to +2% annually), except for Family Medicine, Hematology, Pediatric Neurology, and Pathological Anatomy (-0.6%, -0.6%, -0.7%, and -0.9% annually, respectively). The specialties with the highest proportions of female admissions were in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (71.9%), Dermatology (71.2%), and Pathological Anatomy (71.2%). In contrast, the lowest proportions were observed in Neurosurgery (18.9%), Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (17.7%), and Urology (15.6%). Declining trends in female admissions were noted in Family Medicine, Hematology, and Pathological Anatomy (-0.6%, -0.6%, and -0.8% annually, respectively). In addition, being female was associated with an 18% lower probability of admission to the medical residency program (prevalence ratio: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.78–0.85; p-value: <0.001). Conclusion This study identified persistent gender disparities in medical residency programs in Peru, with female applicants facing reduced probabilities of admission and exhibiting specialty-specific trends from 2016 to 2023.

Correction: Impact of PARP inhibitor maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed advanced epithelial ovarian cancer: A meta-analysis

Correction: Short-term effects of the COVID-19 state of emergency on contraceptive access and utilization in Mozambique

Correction: Expression and Localization of Lung Surfactant Proteins in Human Testis

Correction: Prey selection along a predators’ body size gradient evidences the role of different trait-based mechanisms in food web organization

Correction: Effect of monovalent electrolyte solutions on the human tear ferning pattern

Intracerebroventricular administration of a modified hexosaminidase ameliorates late-stage neurodegeneration in a GM2 mouse model

The GM2 gangliosidoses, Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease, are devastating neurodegenerative disorders caused by β-hexosaminidase A (HexA) deficiency. In the Sandhoff disease mouse model, rescue potential was severely reduced when HexA was introduced after disease onset. Here, we assess the effect of recombinant HexA and HexD3, a newly engineered mimetic of HexA optimized for the treatment of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease. Enzyme replacement therapy was administered by repeat intracerebroventricular injections in Sandhoff disease model mice with dosing beginning before and after signs of neurodegeneration. As previously observed, HexA effectively increased the lifespan of Sandhoff disease mice by 3.5-fold only when treatment was started before onset of neurodegeneration. In contrast, HexD3 halted motor decline and ameliorated late-stage disease severity even when dosing began late, after neurodegeneration onset. Additionally, HexD3 had advantages over HexA in enzyme stability, distribution potential, and homodimer activity. Overall, our data indicate that advanced therapeutics may widen the treatment window for neurodegenerative disorders.

Noether and partial Noether approach for the nonlinear (3+1)-dimensional elastic wave equations

The Lie group method is a powerful technique for obtaining analytical solutions for various nonlinear differential equations. This study aimed to explore the behavior of nonlinear elastic wave equations and their underlying physical properties using Lie group invariants. We derived eight-dimensional symmetry algebra for the (3+1)-dimensional nonlinear elastic wave equation, which was used to obtain the optimal system. Group-invariant solutions were obtained using this optimal system. The same analysis was conducted for the damped version of this equation. For the conservation laws, we applied Noether’s theorem to the nonlinear elastic wave equations owing to the availability of a classical Lagrangian. However, for the damped version, we cannot obtain a classical Lagrangian, which makes Noether’s theorem inapplicable. Instead, we used an extended approach based on the concept of a partial Lagrangian to uncover conservation laws. Both techniques account for the conservation laws of linear momentum and energy within the model. These novel approaches add an application of variational calculus to the existing literature. This offers valuable insights and potential avenues for further exploration of the elastic wave equations.

Reinforcement learning algorithm for improving speed response of a five-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor based model predictive control

Enhancing the performance of 5ph-IPMSM control plays a crucial role in advancing various innovative applications such as electric vehicles. This paper proposes a new reinforcement learning (RL) control algorithm based twin-delayed deep deterministic policy gradient (TD3) algorithm to tune two cascaded PI controllers in a five-phase interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (5ph-IPMSM) drive system based model predictive control (MPC). The main purpose of the control methodology is to optimize the 5ph-IPMSM speed response either in constant torque region or constant power region. The speed responses obtained using RL control algorithm are compared with those obtained using four of the most recent metaheuristic optimization techniques (MHOT) which are Transit Search (TS), Honey Badger Algorithm (HBA), Dwarf Mongoose (DM), and Dandelion-Optimizer (DO) optimization techniques. The speed response are compared in terms of the settling time, rise time, maximum time and maximum overshoot percentage. It is found that the suggested RL based TD3 give minimum settling time and relatively low values for the rise time, max time and overshoot percentage which makes the RL provide superior speed responses compared with those obtained from the four MHOT. The drive system speed responses are obtained in the constant torque region and constant power region using MATLAB SIMULINK package.

Clinical outcomes and anti-inflammatory mechanisms predict maximum heart rate improvement after physical activity training in individuals with psychiatric disorders and comorbid obesity

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity and discriminatory ability of clinical outcomes, inflammatory activity, oxidative and vascular damage, and metabolic mechanisms for detecting significant improve maximum heart rate after physical activity training in individuals with psychiatric disorders and obesity comorbid using a longitudinal design and transdiagnostic perspective. Methods Patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and, schizophrenia and with comorbid obesity (n = 29) were assigned to a 12-week structured physical exercise program. Peripheral blood biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, vascular mechanisms, and metabolic activity, as well as neurocognitive and functional performance were assessed twice, before and after intervention. Maximum heart rate was considered a marker of effectiveness of physical activity. Mixed one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analyses were performed. Results Individuals with psychiatric disorders and comorbid obesity exhibited an improvement in cognition, mood symptoms and body mass index, increase anti-inflammatory activity together with enhancement of the oxidative and cardiovascular mechanisms after physical activity training (p<0.05 to 0.0001; d = 0.47 to 1.63). A better clinical outcomes along with regulation of inflammatory, oxidative, and cardiovascular mechanisms were critical for predicting significant maximum heart rate variation over time (χ2 = 32.2 to 39.0, p < 0.0001). Conclusions The regulation of the anti-inflammatory mechanisms may be essential for maintained of healthy physical activity across psychiatric disorders and obesity. Likewise, inflammatory activity, oxidative stress, vascular and cardio-metabolic mechanisms may be a useful to identify individuals at greater risk of multi-comorbidity.

Motivation of nursing undergraduate program entrants: A scoping review protocol

Motivation is of great importance in the teaching-learning process, because motivated students seek out opportunities and show interest and enthusiasm in carrying out their tasks. The objective of this review is to identify and present the information available in the literature on the status quo of motivation among nursing program entrants. This is a qualitative scoping review study, a type of literature review designed to map out and find evidence to address a specific research objective, following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. The objective was outlined using the PCC (Population, Concept, Context) acronym. The protocol was developed and registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform under DOI 10.17605/OSF.IO/EJNGY. The search strategy and database selection were defined by a library and information science professional together with the authors. The search will be carried out in the following databases: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Lilacs Esp, National Library of Medicine (PubMed), ScienceDirect, Scopus, and the Web of Science platform. The researchers will meet to discuss discrepancies and make decisions using a consensus model, and a third researcher will be tasked with independently resolving any conflicts. Data extraction will involve two independent researchers reviewing each article. Documents such as original articles; theoretical studies; experience reports; clinical study articles; case studies; normative, integrative, and systematic reviews; meta-analyses; meta-syntheses; monographs; theses; and dissertations in English, Portuguese, and Spanish from 2017 to 2023 were included. The results will be presented in tabular and/or diagrammatic format, along with a narrative summary.

Tau phosphorylation suppresses oxidative stress-induced mitophagy via FKBP8 receptor modulation

Neurodegenerative diseases are often characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction. In Alzheimer’s disease, abnormal tau phosphorylation disrupts mitophagy, a quality control process through which damaged organelles are selectively removed from the mitochondrial network. The precise mechanism through which this occurs remains unclear. Previously, we showed that tau which has been mutated at Thr-231 to glutamic acid to mimic an Alzheimer’s-relevant phospho-epitope expressed early in disease selectively inhibits oxidative stress-induced mitophagy in Caenorhabditis elegans. Here, we use immortalized mouse hippocampal neuronal cell lines to extend that result into mammalian cells. Specifically, we show that phosphomimetic tau at Ser-396/404 (EC) or Thr-231/Ser-235 (EM) partly inhibits mitophagy induction by paraquat, a potent inducer of mitochondrial oxidative stress. Moreover, a combination of immunologic and biochemical approaches demonstrates that the levels of the mitophagy receptor FKBP8, significantly decrease in response to paraquat in cells expressing EC or EM tau mutants, but not in cells expressing wildtype tau. In contrast, paraquat treatment results in a decrease in the levels of the mitophagy receptors FUNDC1 and BNIP3 in the presence of both wildtype tau and the tau mutants. Interestingly, FKBP8 is normally trafficked to the endoplasmic reticulum during oxidative stress induced mitophagy, and our results support a model where this trafficking is impacted by disease-relevant tau, perhaps through a direct interaction. We provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease and highlight FKBP8 receptor as a potential target for mitigating mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases.

Prediction of the need for surgery in patients with unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm based on SOFA score

Objective This retrospective study aimed to explore the association and clinical value of sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score on the predictors of adverse events in patients with unruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Methods A total of 322 patients from Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database were enrolled. Logistic regression was conducted to explore the association between SOFA and primary outcome (need for surgery, NFS). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and nomogram analyses were used to assess its performance for predicting NFS. We also explored the association and clinical value of SOFA on secondary outcomes including hospital length of stay (LOS), ICU-LOS, and in-hospital mortality by linear and logistic regression analyses, generalized additive model, ROC, and decision curve analysis. Results Totally 291 patients underwent the surgery. High SOFA score significantly correlated with NFS both in crude and adjusted models (all P<0.05). SOFA had a relatively favorable prediction performance on NFS (AUC = 0.701, 95%CI: 0.596–0.802). After adjusting for related diseases, its prediction performance was increased. When SOFA was combined with lactate and gender, the model showed an AUC of 0.888 (95%CI: 0.759–1.000) and 0.3–0.9 prediction possibility. Further, the SOFA also showed significant relationship with hospital-LOS, ICU-LOS, and in-hospital mortality (all P<0.05), and exerted some value in the prediction of 7-day hospital-LOS (AUC = 0.637, 95%CI: 0.575–0.686) and in-hospital mortality (AUC = 0.637, 95%CI: 0.680–0.845). Conclusions SOFA score was related to the NFS and can be regarded as a useful indicator for predicting the NFS in patients with AAA.