Gene regulation and signaling pathways in immune response to respiratory sensitizers: a database analysis.

Introduction: Humans are regularly exposed to environmental substances through inhaled air. Some chemicals or particles are respiratory sensitizers that can cause adverse respiratory health effects by triggering amplified immune responses. Understanding the process of respiratory sensitization and identifying potential sensitizers have been challenging due to the complexity of the underlying mechanisms.

Mast cells are key mediators in the pulmonary inflammatory response to formaldehyde exposure.

Formaldehyde (FA) is a common chemical linked to respiratory problems such as airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary inflammation. Due to its toxicological effects and ease of mass production, FA is also recognized as a significant chemical threat by the U.S.

SENSE-Cog Residential Care: hearing and vision support for residents with dementia in long-term care in Ireland-protocol for a pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Hearing and vision loss is highly prevalent in residents with dementia (RwD) living in long-term care (LTC) facilities. Sensory loss often has a negative impact on quality of life and other dementia-related outcomes. Optimising sensory function may improve dementia-related outcomes in LTC facilities.

Modulation of the thiol redox proteome by sugarcane ash-derived silica nanoparticles: insights into chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology.

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease of unknown etiology (CKDu) is an epidemic which is increasingly prevalent among agricultural workers and nearby communities, particularly those involved in the harvest of sugarcane. While CKDu is likely multifactorial, occupational exposure to silica nanoparticles (SiNPs), a major constituent within sugarcane ash, has gained increased attention as a potential contributor. SiNPs have high potential for generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and their accumulation in kidney could result in oxidative stress induced kidney damage consistent with CKDu pathology.

The transcriptomic signature of respiratory sensitizers using an alveolar model.

Environmental contaminants are ubiquitous in the air we breathe and can potentially cause adverse immunological outcomes such as respiratory sensitization, a type of immune-driven allergic response in the lungs. Wood dust, latex, pet dander, oils, fragrances, paints, and glues have all been implicated as possible respiratory sensitizers. With the increased incidence of exposure to chemical mixtures and the rapid production of novel materials, it is paramount that testing regimes accounting for sensitization are incorporated into development cycles.

Health burden of sugarcane burning on agricultural workers and nearby communities.

Sugarcane is the most widely cultivated crop in the world, with equatorial developing nations performing most of this agriculture. Burning sugarcane is a common practice to facilitate harvest, producing extremely high volumes of respirable particulate matter in the process. These emissions are known to have deleterious effects on agricultural workers and nearby communities, but the extent of this exposure and potential toxicity remain poorly characterized.

An In Vitro Alveolar Model Allows for the Rapid Assessment of Particles for Respiratory Sensitization Potential.

Dust, both industrial and household, contains particulates that can reach the most distal aspects of the lung. Silica and nickel compounds are two such particulates and have known profiles of poor health outcomes. While silica is well-characterized, nickel compounds still need to be fully understood for their potential to cause long-term immune responses in the lungs.

Peripheral (lung-to-brain) exposure to diesel particulate matter induces oxidative stress and increased markers for systemic inflammation.

Combustion-derived air pollution is a complex environmental toxicant that has become a global health concern due to urbanization. Air pollution contains pro-inflammatory stimulants such as fine and ultrafine particulate matter, gases, volatile organic compounds, and metals. This study is focused on the particulate phase, which has been shown to induce systemic inflammation after chronic exposure due to its ability to travel to the lower airway, resulting in the activation of local immune cell populations, releasing acute phase reactants to mitigate ongoing inflammation.

Freedom and loneliness: dementia caregiver experiences of the nursing home transition.

Background: the transition to nursing home care has previously been linked to negative outcomes for spousal caregivers of persons with dementia (PwD). However, little is known about the experience or trajectory of loneliness in spousal caregivers during this time.

Objectives: to explore experiences of loneliness in caregivers during the nursing home admission of their spouse or partner with dementia.

Human lung cell models to study aerosol delivery - considerations for model design and development.

Human lung tissue models range from simple monolayer cultures to more advanced three-dimensional co-cultures. Each model system can address the interactions of different types of aerosols and the choice of the model and the mode of aerosol exposure depends on the relevant scenario, such as adverse outcomes and endpoints of interest. This review focuses on the functional, as well as structural, aspects of lung tissue from the upper airway to the distal alveolar compartments as this information is relevant for the design of a model as well as how the aerosol properties determine the interfacial properties with the respiratory wall.

An in vitro alveolar model allows for the rapid assessment of chemical respiratory sensitization with modifiable biomarker endpoints.

Diisocyanates are commonly used in polyurethanes where use includes industrial, commercial, and residential applications and can exist as respirable contaminants. These respirable contaminants exist in the air we breathe. Yet, there is no rapid assay available to test for potential respiratory sensitizers.

Silver and Copper Nanoparticles Induce Oxidative Stress in Bacteria and Mammalian Cells.

Silver and copper nanoparticles (AgNPs and CuNPs) coated with stabilizing moieties induce oxidative stress in both bacteria and mammalian cells. Effective antibacterial agents that can overcome existing mechanisms of antibacterial resistance will greatly improve biomedical interventions. In this study, we analyzed the effect of nanoparticle-induced stress.

The impact of an occupational therapy group cognitive rehabilitation program for people with dementia.

Introduction: This study was conducted to examine the impact of a group cognitive rehabilitation program for people with dementia on everyday memory function and quality of life.

Methods: Participants included in the study were community-dwelling adults with a diagnosis of dementia. The intervention was a 5-week occupational therapy lead group cognitive rehabilitation program delivered once a week for 1.

Synergistic cytotoxicity of bromoacetic acid and three emerging bromophenolic disinfection byproducts against human intestinal and neuronal cells.

Halogenated disinfection byproducts (halo-DBPs) are drinking water contaminants of great public health concern. Nine haloaliphatic DBPs have been regulated by the U.S.

Physical, chemical, and toxicological characterization of sulfated cellulose nanocrystals for food-related applications using and strategies.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are a next-generation cellulose product with many unique properties including applications in the food industry as a food additive, food coating, and in food-contact packaging material. While CNC is anticipated to be safe due to its similarity to the many forms of cellulose currently used as food additives, special consideration is given to it as it is the first manufactured form of cellulose that is nanoscale in both length and width. A proactive approach to safety has been adopted by manufacturers to demonstrate CNC safety toward responsible commercialization.

Assessing the impact of dementia inclusive environmental adjustment in the emergency department.

Objectives: Acute hospitals, in particular the emergency department, can be disorienting for people living with dementia. As part of a larger project to improve care for people living with dementia, dementia-inclusive modifications were made to two emergency department bays in a large acute care hospital in Ireland. Modifications to spatial configuration included noise reduction, altered lighting and the addition of an orientation aid and fixed seating for relatives.

Multimodality Imaging and Percutaneous Closure of Right Sinus of Valsalva to Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Fistula After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement.

We present the diagnosis and treatment of a 90-year-old male with critical aortic stenosis and multiple medical comorbidities who underwent TAVR that was complicated by annular rupture.

High monocyte to lymphocyte ratio is associated with impaired protection after subcutaneous administration of BCG in a mouse model of tuberculosis.

The only available tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), has variable efficacy. New vaccines are therefore urgently needed. Why BCG fails is incompletely understood, and the tools used for early assessment of new vaccine candidates do not account for BCG variability.

Prosopagnosia as a Type of Conversion Disorder.

Background: Conversion disorder is a common and debilitating condition that remains poorly understood. We present a previously undescribed form of conversion disorder to highlight the complexity of the condition and consider the interplay of factors that produce conversion symptoms.

Case: A 50-year-old male presented with acquired prosopagnosia and language impairment.

Transformation diffusion reconstruction of three-dimensional histology volumes from two-dimensional image stacks.

Traditional histology is the gold standard for tissue studies, but it is intrinsically reliant on two-dimensional (2D) images. Study of volumetric tissue samples such as whole hearts produces a stack of misaligned and distorted 2D images that need to be reconstructed to recover a congruent volume with the original sample's shape. In this paper, we develop a mathematical framework called Transformation Diffusion (TD) for stack alignment refinement as a solution to the heat diffusion equation.

Encouraging lifestyle behaviour change in mild cognitive impairment patients: development of appropriate educational material.

Objectives: A healthy lifestyle may help maintain cognitive function and reduce the risk of developing dementia. This study employed a focus group approach in order to gain insight into opinions of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients, caregivers (CG) and health professionals (HP) regarding lifestyle and its relationship with cognition. The qualitative data were used to design, develop and pilot test educational material (EM) to help encourage lifestyle behaviour change.