Parasitology of the twenty-first century: are we moving in the right direction?

For thousands of years, parasitic infections have represented a constant challenge to human health. Despite constant progress in science and medicine, the challenge has remained mostly unchanged over the years, partly due to the vast complexity of the host-parasite-environment relationships. Over the last century, our approaches to these challenges have evolved through considerable advances in science and technology, offering new and better solutions.

Biparametric vs Multiparametric MRI for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: The PRIME Diagnostic Clinical Trial.

Importance: Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with or without prostate biopsy, has become the standard of care for diagnosing clinically significant prostate cancer. Resource capacity limits widespread adoption. Biparametric MRI, which omits the gadolinium contrast sequence, is a shorter and cheaper alternative offering time-saving capacity gains for health systems globally.

Comparative Safety of JAK Inhibitors vs TNF Antagonists in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Importance: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are highly effective medications for several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs). However, safety concerns have led to regulatory restrictions.

Objective: To compare the risk of adverse events with JAK inhibitors vs tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonists in patients with IMIDs in head-to-head comparative effectiveness studies.

Statistical parametric mapping and neurometrics-a 30-year dialogue.

This commentary reflects three decades of interaction between the Cuban neuroinformatics tradition and the statistical parametric mapping (SPM) framework. From the early development of neurometrics in Cuba to global initiatives like the Global Brain Consortium, our trajectory has paralleled and intersected with that of SPM. We highlight shared commitments to generative modeling, Bayesian inference, and population-level brain mapping, as shaped through collaborations, workshops, and joint theoretical work with Karl Friston and his group.

ASF outbreaks in Vietnam (2019-2024): insights and lessons learned.

African swine fever (ASF) is a contagious viral disease that affects domestic pigs and Eurasian wild boars, causing significant economic losses to the global pig industry. Since its first outbreak in February 2019, ASF has had a profound impact on the Vietnamese pig sector. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of ASF outbreaks in Vietnam from 2019 to 2024, focusing on outbreak dynamics, control strategies, economic impact, and key lessons learned.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants: genomic shifts, immune evasion, and therapeutic perspectives.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the continuously evolving SARS-CoV-2 virus, has presented persistent global health challenges. As novel variants emerge, many with enhanced transmissibility and immune evasion capabilities, concerns have intensified regarding the efficacy of existing vaccines and therapeutics. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape of COVID-19 vaccination, including the development and performance of monovalent and bivalent boosters, and examines their effectiveness against newly emerging variants of interest (VOIs) and variants under monitoring (VUMs), such as JN.

Global challenges in diabetes research and care: which way forward? An appraisal from the EASD Global Council.

This review article, developed by the EASD Global Council, addresses the growing global challenges in diabetes research and care, highlighting the rising prevalence of diabetes, the increasing complexity of its management and the need for a coordinated international response. With regard to research, disparities in funding and infrastructure between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are discussed. The under-representation of LMIC populations in clinical trials, challenges in conducting large-scale research projects, and the ethical and legal complexities of artificial intelligence integration are also considered as specific issues.

Predictors of change in sleep disturbance in Canadian long-term care facilities: a longitudinal analysis based on interRAI assessments.

Purpose: Sleep disturbance is prevalent in long-term care facilities (LTCFs), yet there is limited understanding of individual factors predicting changes in sleep within these populations. Our objective was to determine predictors of sleep disturbance in LTCFs and investigate variation in prevalence across facilities in two Canadian provinces-New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

Method: This retrospective longitudinal cohort study used interRAI comprehensive health assessment data from 2016 to 2021, encompassing 21,394 older adults aged ≥ 65 years across 228 LTCFs.

Drawing insights: exploring how participants experience rich picture interviews for studying complex issues in health professions education.

Innovative qualitative approaches are essential for exploring how health professions education (HPE) can address complex, value-laden constructs such as social accountability. Visual elicitation techniques, including rich picture interviews (RPIs), offer distinctive opportunities to surface layered, affective, and contextually embedded understandings. This methodological study examines participant perspectives on the use of RPIs within a broader qualitative interpretive description on social accountability.

Using Medication Dispensation Data to Identify Clusters with Similar Prescribing Patterns in Older Adults Living with Dementia.

Background And Objectives: Older adults living with dementia are a heterogeneous group, which can make studying optimal medication management challenging. Unsupervised machine learning is a group of computing methods that rely on unlabeled data-that is, where the algorithm itself is discovering patterns without the need for researchers to label the data with a known outcome. These methods may help us to better understand complex prescribing patterns in this population.

Quantitative MRI Dixon signal drop and fat fraction for differentiating bone marrow lesions: a two-center prospective analysis.

Background: Bone marrow (BM) lesion differentiation remains challenging, and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may enhance accuracy over conventional methods. We evaluated the diagnostic value and inter-reader reliability of Dixon-based signal drop (%drop) and fat fraction percentage (%fat) as adjuncts to existing protocols.

Materials And Methods: In this prospective two-center study, 172 patients with BM signal abnormalities underwent standardized 1.

Making Advanced Therapies Affordable and Accessible: Two Strategic Approaches.

This article explores two complementary strategies for addressing the affordability and access challenges facing advanced therapies. As high development costs and limited market access have led to the withdrawal of several therapies, the article examines how these barriers create 'valleys of death' that prevent innovation from reaching patients. Through the case of Glybera and other examples, it outlines a rehabilitative approach focused on reforming current systems through improved reimbursement schemes, regulatory streamlining, and more efficient manufacturing.

Player-Level Tackle Training Interventions in Tackle-Collision Sports: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Background: In tackle-collision sports, the tackle has the highest incidence, severity, and burden of injury. Head injuries and concussions during the tackle are a major concern within tackle-collision sports. To reduce concussion and head impact risk, evaluating optimal tackle techniques to inform tackle-related prevention strategies has been recommended.

The implications of host-pathogen co-evolutionary outcomes on macro-epidemics based on a combined-host strategy.

Host defense and pathogen virulence interact and mutually shape each other's evolution. Host-pathogen co-evolutionary outcomes have potentially significant impacts on population dynamics and vice versa. To investigate host-pathogen interactions and explore the impact of micro-level co-evolutionary outcomes on macro-level epidemics, we develop a co-evolutionary model with a combined host-defense strategy.

A Phase II Trial to Assess the Evolution of the KRAS Mutation Load by Liquid Biopsy in Patients With Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Treated With Neoadjuvant NALIRIFOX.

Objectives: To evaluate the association between the KRAS mutational load and the histologic tumor response in patients with resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who received neoadjuvant treatment (NAC) with pegylated liposomal irinotecan in combination with oxaliplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin (NALIRIFOX).

Methods: This was a multicenter, single-arm, interventional, open-label, phase 2 trial in patients 18 years or older who had histologically or cytologically confirmed PDAC and were candidates for surgery and received neoadjuvant NALIRIFOX. The primary outcome was determination of the association between the KRAS mutational load and the histologic tumor response after chemotherapy.

Robust Antifogging and Antifouling Coating Tailored with Zwitterionic Nanocellulose for Multi-Functional Applications.

Biofouling often occurs simultaneously with fogging, presenting significant challenges to visibility, safety, and operational efficiency. The development of biocompatible coatings that offer both antifouling performance and stability under fogging conditions is highly sought after. A method to form multifunctional coatings is presented, utilizing a zwitterionic nanocellulose composite material that demonstrates both antifogging and antifouling properties, suitable for application on various surfaces.

A Scoping Review of Implementation Science in Planning and Delivering Tobacco Control Interventions in the United States from 2000 to 2020: Frameworks, Intervention Characteristics, and Health Equity Considerations.

Introduction: Evidence-based interventions to reduce tobacco-related morbidity and mortality are not widely or effectively implemented, thereby failing to equitably address disparities in tobacco-related health outcomes. Implementation science (IS) has the potential to advance the impact of tobacco control programs, but its use in this field has not been previously explored. To identify opportunities for expanding tobacco intervention impact, this scoping review investigated the use of IS tools in tobacco control research in the United States.

Psychometric properties of Brachial Plexus outcome measure: COSMIN-based systematic review.

Purpose: Children with incomplete recovery from Brachial Plexus Birth Injury (BPBI) experience varying degrees of upper limb impairment, and 20-30% require interventions to optimize function. A psychometrically validated measure of upper limb activity capacity is essential to guide shared clinical decisions for surgical and rehabilitation interventions.

Materials And Methods: Following the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis, this systematic review included studies on the measurement properties of the Brachial Plexus Outcome Measure (BPOM) - Activity Scale, a performance-based outcome measure of upper limb activity capacity in children with BPBI.

Manual therapy and exercise targeted to the neck and orofacial regions for patients with orofacial pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of manual therapy (MT) and exercise targeted to the neck or jaw and neck (combined) in the management of orofacial pain (OFP).

Material And Methods: The protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021227490). Electronic searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and CINAHL.

Binocular cues to 3D face structure increase activation in depth-selective visual cortex with negligible effects in face-selective areas.

Studies of visual face processing often use flat images as proxies for real faces due to their ease of manipulation and experimental control. Although flat images capture many features of a face, they lack the rich three-dimensional (3D) structural information available when binocularly viewing real faces (e.g.

Genomes of two siphophages infecting : B1VFA and V1VFA-S, exhibiting phage-plasmid-like features.

We report the genome sequences of two -infecting siphophages, B1VFA and V1VFA-S, isolated from Canadian agricultural soils. Both encode genes associated with plasmid maintenance, including , , and , and share similar genome architecture. These phages expand the diversity of rhizobiophages and may represent a distinct siphophage lineage.

Enhanced metagenomic surveillance for bovine respiratory disease pathogens and antimicrobial resistance by hybridization capture sequencing.

Unlabelled: Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the primary disease of cattle and is responsible for most of the antibiotic use in the beef industry, both for metaphylaxis and treatment. Infection prevention and targeted treatments would benefit from detecting and identifying bacterial pathogens and, ideally, assessing antibiotic sensitivity. Here, we report success refining targeted metagenomics by hybridization capture sequencing (CapSeq) to detect and genotype bacterial pathogens and genes for antibiotic resistance in BRD.

Electrocatalytic Upcycling of PET Waste to Chemical Products and Fuels Coupled With Cathodic Reactions.

Plastic waste continues to be a major environmental challenge, worsened by energy-intensive conventional recycling methods that require highly pure feedstocks. In this review, emerging electrochemical upcycling technologies are critically examined, focusing on the electro-oxidation transformation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into valuable chemical products. Key reaction pathways and target products are outlined to clarify the selective electrochemical reforming of PET.