Modelling the potential impact of TB-funded prevention programs on the transmission dynamics of TB.

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a major global health challenge, with millions of new cases and deaths each year despite the massive efforts and funding put in the fight against the disease. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model to evaluate the impact of TB-funded prevention programs on the transmission dynamics of TB. The model incorporates stages of TB infection (latent and active), and accounts for the effects of treatment, funding and TB-funded prevention programs.

Private Data Incrementalization: Data-Centric Model Development for Clinical Liver Segmentation.

Machine Learning models, more specifically Artificial Neural Networks, are transforming medical imaging by enabling precise liver segmentation, a crucial task for diagnosing and treating liver diseases. However, these models often face challenges in adapting to diverse clinical data sources as differences in dataset volume, resolution, and origin impact generalization and performance. This study introduces a , a data-centric approach to enhance the adaptability of Artificial Neural Networks by progressively exposing them to varied clinical data.

A Method for Custom-Contoured Cushion Fabrication Based on Pressure Mapping for Wheelchair Users to Prevent Pressure Ulcers: Feasibility Quasi-Experimental Study.

Background: Pressure ulcers constitute a major health care burden, characterized by significant morbidity, diminished quality of life, and elevated treatment costs. Wheelchair users are predisposed to pressure ulcers due to sustained ischial and sacral interface pressures resulting from prolonged periods of sitting. Implementation of pressure-relieving interventions, including specialized seating systems engineered to redistribute load and augment the weight-bearing surface area, is critical for mitigating the risk of pressure ulcers.

Exosome-Based Sensor: A Landmark of the Precision Cancer Diagnostic Era.

Extracellular vesicles are nanoscale vesicles released by a diversity of cells that mediate intercellular communication by transporting an array of biomolecules. They are gaining increasing attention in cancer research due to their ability to carry specific biomarkers. This characteristic makes them potentially useful for highly sensitive, noninvasive diagnostic procedures and more precise prognostic assessments.

Immunization Coverage, Equity, and Access for Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review of Challenges, Strategies, and Lessons Learned to Reduce the Number of Zero-Dose Children.

: Children with disabilities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), face heightened risks of vaccine-preventable diseases due to a range of systemic and social barriers. Although immunization is a fundamental human right and a proven public health intervention, this vulnerable group is often overlooked in policy and practice. Understanding the factors compromising vaccine equity for these children is critical to reducing zero-dose prevalence and improving health outcomes.

Exosome-based cancer vaccine: a cell-free approach.

Despite advancements in medical research, cancer remains a significant and persistent cause of death globally. Cancer vaccine, a novel approach, holds immense promise in development of potentially effective cancer treatment. While the concept of developing cancer vaccines has been explored for decades, significant challenges have hindered their clinical translation.

Exosomes in melanoma: Future potential for clinical theranostics.

Melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, presents significant therapeutic challenges due to its resistance to conventional treatments and propensity for metastasis. Exosomes, nanoscale vesicles secreted by a wide variety of cells, have emerged as promising tools for developing novel melanoma therapies. Exosome-based therapeutic approaches offer several advantages, including inherent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and the ability to cross biological barriers.

Genetic mechanisms, biological function, and biotechnological advance in sorghum tannins research.

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) holds a unique position in the human diet and serves as a stable food source in many developing countries especially in African and south Asian regions. Tannins, the primary secondary metabolites in sorghum, are pivotal in determining its characteristic bitter taste. Beyond their influence on flavor, tannins play a vital role in sorghum's resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses and serve as key indicators of grain quality.

Predicting Linear Dimensional Accuracy of Material Extrusion Parts in Dependence of Process Parameters Using Neural Networks Optimized by an Evolutionary Algorithm.

Material extrusion (MEX) enables the economical manufacturing of complex parts and small lot sizes. The quality of the additive manufactured parts is significantly influenced by process parameters, which are defined beforehand. However, the resulting part quality is often unknown, leading to a reduced applicability of the process and relatively high safety factors for the process parameters to ensure a certain quality.

A Review of Multi-Robot Systems and Soft Robotics: Challenges and Opportunities.

This review investigates the latest advancements in Multi-Robot Systems (MRSs) and soft robotics, with a particular focus on their integration and emerging opportunities. An MRS extends principles from distributed artificial intelligence and coordination frameworks, enabling efficient collaboration in robotic applications such as object manipulation, navigation, and transportation. Soft robotics employs flexible materials and biomimetic designs to improve adaptability in unstructured environments, with applications in manufacturing, sensing, actuation, and modeling.

Association of expenditure on ultra-processed foods and beverages and anthropometric indicators in Mexican children: A longitudinal study.

The prevalence of obesity in Mexico has been rising dramatically from school age onward. The high consumption of ultra-processed food has been identified as a contributing factor. We explored the longitudinal association between household expenditure on ultra-processed foods and beverages (UPF) and changes in anthropometric indicators of obesity among Mexican children aged 5 to 10 years in 2002.

Unlocking the potential of exosomes: A new frontier in liver cancer liquid biopsy.

Liquid biopsy has emerged as one of the non-invasive diagnostic strategies for cancer, offering significant advantages over traditional tissue biopsies. Exosomes the nanoscale extracellular vesicles, have significantly been in the spotlight of research and investigation as highly informative biomarkers in liquid biopsy. These vesicles, which are secreted by a variety of cells, including tumor cells, contain useful information on the molecular characteristics of the parent cell and could be used as a mirror into the processes underlying cancer biology.

Exosomes-based liquid biopsy: An effective approach for drugs and therapeutics resistance screening in cancer.

Cancer drugs and therapeutics resistance are a complicated domain of cancer treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) based cancer investigation reveals several complicated concepts about cancer. EVs are associated with cellular communication.

Methane production from anaerobic pre-treatment of municipal wastewater combined with olive mill wastewater: A demonstration study.

The advanced anaerobic technology (AAT), developed based on an immobilized high-rate anaerobic reactor, was applied as a pretreatment of municipal wastewater (WW) at Karmiel's treatment plant in Israel. The demonstration-scale AAT (21 m) system was operated at a flow rate of 100 mday municipal WW mixed with olive mill wastewater (OMW) (0.5 mday) to simulate the scenario of illegal discharge of agro-industrial WW.

Body composition differences in older adults with and without Alzheimer's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.

Background: Research on body composition and fat distribution in Alzheimer's disease (AD) has presented conflicting findings.

Objective: Compare body composition and anthropometric measurements in older adults with and without AD.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following Cochrane guidelines and PRISMA standards.

Integrated use of electrochemical anaerobic reactors and genomic based modeling for characterizing methanogenic activity in microbial communities exposed to BTEX contamination.

In soil polluted with benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), oxygen is rapidly depleted by aerobic respiration, creating a redox gradient across the plume. Under anaerobic conditions, BTEX biodegradation is then coupled with fermentation and methanogenesis. This study aimed to characterize this multi-step process, focusing on the interactions and functional roles of key microbial groups involved.

Developing a toolkit to support parents' involvement in child death review: an experience-based co-design study.

Background: Understanding why children die is important for grieving parents and for informing system improvements aimed at prevention and future care. Many countries have child death review (CDR) process, but little is known about how best to engage parents. The aim of this study was to use experience-based co-design to create a toolkit to support parental involvement in CDR.

A case of pseudoaneurysm of the marginal artery of Drummond post-open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair.

We present the first published account of a pseudoaneurysm of the Marginal artery of Drummond (MAoD) following an emergency open surgical repair of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm, in which the inferior mesenteric artery was ligated. This was hypothesized to be an iatrogenic injury secondary to retraction of the colonic mesentery during dissection of the aneurysm neck. The risk of pseudoaneurysm growth and rupture versus bowel ischaemia were evaluated in the post-operative phase.

A machine learning approach for the design optimization of a multiple magnetic and inertial sensors wearable system for the spine mobility assessment.

Background: Recently, magnetic and inertial measurement units (MIMU) based systems have been applied in the spine mobility assessment; this evaluation is essential in the clinical practice for diagnosis and treatment evaluation. The available systems are limited in the number of sensors, and neither develops a methodology for the correct placement of the sensors, seeking the relevant mobility information of the spine.

Methods: This work presents a methodology for analyzing a system consisting of sixteen MIMUs to reduce the amount of information and obtain an optimal configuration that allows distinguishing between different body postures in a movement.

Enhancing methane yield and shifting microbial communities in anaerobic reactors treating lipid-rich dairy wastewater through exogenous lipase addition.

This study explores a novel enzymatic pretreatment approach in anaerobic reactors for dairy wastewater, using lipase AY Amano to enhance methane production and modify microbial and archaeal community composition. Batch and semi-batch reactors with a total volume of 2000 mL were used to treat dairy wastewater with initial COD of 2000 and 15,000 mg L, respectively. In a new novel approach, the semi-batch reactors underwent a three-phase operation: 30 days of acclimation, 30 days of rest, and 30 days of active operation.

In-situ biological biogas upgrading using upflow anaerobic polyfoam bioreactor: Operational and biological aspects.

A high rate upflow anaerobic polyfoam-based bioreactor (UAPB) was developed for lab-scale in-situ biogas upgrading by H injection. The reactor, with a volume of 440 mL, was fed with synthetic wastewater at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.5 g COD/L·day and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 7.

Peripheral neuropathy in patients with gout, beyond focal nerve compression: a cross-sectional study.

Neuropathies secondary to tophus compression in gout patients are well known; however, limited data exist on other types of peripheral neuropathies (PN). Our aim was to describe PN frequency, characteristics, distribution, patterns, and associated factors in gout patients through clinical evaluation, a PN questionnaire, and nerve conduction studies (NCS). This cross-sectional descriptive study included consecutive gout patients (ACR/EULAR 2015 criteria) from our clinic.