Global Consensus-Based Essential and Expanded Packages for Palliative Care and Pain Relief for Adults and Children: A Delphi Study.

Background: In 2018, the Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain Relief introduced the concept of serious health-related suffering (SHS) to quantify the need for palliative care and proposed an Essential Package of Palliative Care and Pain Relief (PCPR) to address it. However, this package did not account for complex and specialized needs, and its global implementation has been limited.

Objectives: We conducted a multi-stage, modified Delphi study to update and expand the initial Essential Package for children and adults METHODS: Two international panels -adult and pediatric- representing diverse geographical regions and income levels participated in two Delphi rounds.

Revealing slip behavior in organic molecular crystals: AFM nanoindentation of acetaminophen.

Molecular crystals are subjected to mechanical stress that can alter their slip planes which are structural features that play a critical role in governing mechanical behaviors such as milling, that requires fundamental insight for the successful manufacturing and performance of solid oral dosage forms. Milling is a critical unit operation in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical dosage forms. During this process, slip planes may become disrupted and dislocations can form, potentially inducing plastic deformation and significantly altering the physicochemical properties of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

Regional 4D Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Strain Predicts Cardiomyopathy Progression in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Background: Cardiomyopathy (CMP) is the leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Characterization of disease trajectory can be challenging, especially in early stages of CMP where onset and progression may vary. Traditional metrics from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging such as LVEF (left ventricular ejection fraction) and LGE (late gadolinium enhancement) are often insufficient for assessing the pace of disease progression.

A Mouse Model of Partial Pancreas Agenesis Induced by Polo-like kinase 1 Mutation.

The pancreas regulates metabolic homeostasis through exocrine and endocrine pathways. Dysfunction or loss of pancreatic β-cells causes diabetes. Here we explore the role of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) in the pancreas using a pancreatic-lineage specific knockout (Plk1) mouse model.

Orange corn diet decreased serum corticosterone and improved gait, egg production, egg quality and fertility of breeder Pekin ducks exposed to heat stress.

Heat stress (HS) impairs poultry performance and welfare, necessitating effective mitigation strategies. Carotenoids exhibit antioxidant properties that may enhance thermotolerance. This study evaluated whether a high-carotenoid orange corn (OC) diet could mitigate the effects of HS in breeder Pekin ducks compared to a standard yellow corn (YC) diet.

Enhancing scientific identity and persistence through a poultry-focused course-based undergraduate research experience.

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide hands-on opportunities for students to engage in relevant research, which can lead to increased student intent to persist in science. Poultry-focused CUREs not only provide general research experiences but expose students to the critical role that poultry science plays in the global agricultural industries. Five second-year undergraduate students in animal science were selected to participate in Fall 2024 CURE program.

A Mixed Methods Analysis of Factors That Influence the Diet Quality and Decision-Making of Adolescent Girls in an Urban Informal Settlement in Kenya.

Due to the nutrition transition, adolescent diets globally appear to be shifting to increased consumption of fast foods and snacks high in sodium, added sugar, and saturated fat. In urban informal settlements in Kenya, limited evidence suggests adolescents consume 1-2 meals per day, have low dietary diversity, and consume foods from roadside stalls. We characterized the diets of adolescent girls in an urban informal settlement in Kenya and assessed the factors associated with diet quality and decision-making.

Modulating metabolism to improve the therapeutic outcomes of CAR cell therapies: From bench to bedside.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell therapies have emerged as a groundbreaking approach in cancer treatment, offering new hope for patients with refractory tumors. Despite their success, the therapeutic efficacy of CAR cell therapies is often undermined by metabolic factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME), which impede CAR cell function and lead to treatment resistance. Current literature has not fully explored how these metabolic processes contribute to CAR cell therapy failure, particularly in the context of solid tumors, where the TME presents unique challenges.

Evaluation of Different Disinfectant Chemistries and Application Methods on Surfaces Contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: Transmission of healthcare-acquired infections from pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus is still a concern in hospital environments. Proper cleaning and disinfection application methods are essential to mitigate the spread of pathogens. We hypothesized there would be significant differences in hygiene outcomes of the products, application methods, and wiping cloths.

Label-free classification of nanoscale drug delivery systems using hyperspectral imaging and convolutional neural networks.

Label-free characterization of nanoscale drug delivery systems remains a critical challenge in pharmaceutical research. Traditional analytical methods, such as cryo-electron microscopy, are labor-intensive, low-throughput, and often require labeling, which can interfere with nanoparticle functionality. This study introduces a non-invasive hyperspectral imaging (HSI) framework combined with deep learning to classify therapeutic liposomes.

Prediction of knee loads during activities of daily living using custom instrumented insoles and machine learning.

Medial joint contact force, knee adduction moment, and knee flexion moment are key mechanical risk factors of knee osteoarthritis, yet calculating these knee loads traditionally requires time-intensive procedures with a gait laboratory. Integrating wearable technologies, such as instrumented insoles, with neural networks offers a promising avenue for rapid and accessible estimation of these variables in clinical environments. This study aimed to estimate knee loads during walking, running, sit-to-stand, and stand-to-sit activities using a recurrent neural network model trained on wearable sensor data.

Aerial Imagery-Derived Dataset of Manufactured Housing Communities in the North Central United States.

Manufactured housing communities (MHCs) are residential neighborhoods consisting mainly of factory-built homes, providing affordable housing for economically disadvantaged households. There are few, if any, publicly available, systematically created datasets that detail unit-level characteristics of MHCs, e.g.

Dismantling Barriers in Professional Psychology: Supporting Formerly Justice-Involved Students and Trainees.

In the United States, approximately 1.9 million adults are incarcerated, 5.5 million individuals are under some form of correctional supervision, and nearly 80 million people live with the collateral consequences of having a legal record.

Examination of mycoparasites reveals a new type of host-parasite interface and rearranges the taxonomy of and (, ).

The present study investigates the species boundaries, evolutionary relationships, and host-parasite interfaces of dimorphic mycoparasites that were previously assigned to , , and based on morphological similarities Our comparison of recently collected and cultivated samples with the type specimens of and shows that both groups are species complexes, of which the taxa can be differentiated based on morphological and ecological characters. By integrating the results of a seven-locus dataset (SSU, LSU, ITS, , , , and mitochondrial ) and detailed micromorphological comparisons of the investigated specimens, we show for the first time that these three groups of mycoparasites belong to (). We applied a polyphasic species concept involving morphology, phylogeny, and ecology to delineate and circumscribe these and new genera.

Self-reported head trauma among Native Americans who inject methamphetamine: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern, with disparities in prevalence and care access among Native Americans. The syndemic relationship between substance use and TBI remains underexplored in Native Americans who inject methamphetamine, a population at high risk for both conditions. This study examines the association between self-reported TBI and substance use patterns in a sample of Native Americans who inject methamphetamine.

Using a Vortex Whistle System to Estimate Phonatory Airflow via the Phonation Quotient.

Introduction: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between phonation quotient (PQ) obtained using a low-cost vortex whistle system (VWS) vs phonatory airflow (PA) in sustained voicing calculated using a clinical-standard pneumotach-based system (the Phonatory Aerodynamic System [PAS]). PQ values obtained using the VWS were also compared with PQ values obtained using a "gold" standard pneumotach-based Koko Sx1000 spirometer.

Methodology: Participants were 91 vocally healthy young adults (61 females and 30 males) between the ages of 18 and 30 years.

Defining cellular diversity at the swine maternal-fetal interface using spatial transcriptomics and organoids.

The placenta is a dynamic, embryo-derived organ essential for fetal growth and development. While all eutherian mammals have placentas composed of fetal-derived trophoblasts that mediate maternal-fetal exchange, their anatomical and histological structures vary across species due to evolutionary divergence. Despite the cellular heterogeneity of porcine trophoblasts in vivo, understanding the mechanisms driving porcine placental development has been limited by the lack of in vitro models replicating this heterogeneity.

Viral Inactivation by Light-Emitting Diodes: Action Spectra Reveal Genomic Damage as the Primary Mechanism.

Irradiation with ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) represents a promising method for viral inactivation, but a detailed understanding of the wavelength-dependent action spectra remains limited, particularly across different viral components. In this study, we established standardized UV action spectra for infectivity reduction in pathogenic viruses using a system equipped with interchangeable LEDs at 13 different peak wavelengths (250-365 nm). The reduction in viral infectivity induced by UV-LED exposure was strongly related to viral genome damage, whereas no significant degradation of viral structural proteins was detected.

Bioactive Potential of Flower Extracts: Antidiabetic, Anti-Skin Aging, Cytotoxic, and Dihydroorotase-Inhibitory Activities.

Carnivorous plants have garnered attention as sources of pharmacologically active compounds, yet their floral tissues remain largely underexplored. In this study, we investigated the bioactive properties of flower extracts prepared using water, methanol, ethanol, and acetone. Among these, the ethanol extract exhibited the highest total phenolic content (18.

Ensemble Learning Framework for Anomaly Detection in Autonomous Driving Systems.

The inherent limitations of individual AI models underscore the need for robust anomaly detection techniques for securing autonomous driving systems. To address these limitations, we propose a comprehensive ensemble learning framework specifically designed for anomaly detection in autonomous driving systems. We comprehensively assess the effectiveness of ensemble learning models for detecting anomalies in autonomous vehicle datasets, focusing primarily on the VeReMi and Sensor datasets.

Single Shot High-Accuracy Diameter at Breast Height Measurement with Smartphone Embedded Sensors.

Tree diameter at breast height (DBH) is a fundamental metric in forest inventory and management. This paper presents a novel method for DBH estimation using the built-in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and red, green and blue (RGB) sensors of an iPhone 13 Pro, aiming to improve measurement accuracy and field usability. A single snapshot of a tree, capturing both depth and RGB images, is used to reconstruct a 3D point cloud.

Enhancing Sensitivity of Commercial Gold Nanoparticle-Based Lateral Flow Assays: A Comparative Study of Colorimetric and Photothermal Approaches.

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are extensively utilized in point-of-care diagnostics due to their affordability, simplicity, and rapid time-to-results. However, their low sensitivity remains a significant limitation, particularly for detecting foodborne pathogens at concentrations below regulatory thresholds. This study evaluated two distinct sensing modalities-photothermal speckle imaging and colorimetric line intensity analysis-for their potential to enhance the sensitivity of commercially available LFAs.

Oral Contraceptives Induce Time- and Intestinal Segment-Dependent Shifts in the Gut Microbiota.

Oral contraceptives (OCs) containing estrogen and/or progesterone are the second most common form of female contraception in the United States. While endogenously synthesized estrogen is known to provide protective effects against cardiometabolic diseases, exogenous forms such as OCs have been linked to increased susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases and an elevated risk of myocardial infarction. The gut microbiota is thought to be a critical regulator of cardiometabolic disease risk; however, its interactions with OC use remain understudied.

Suppression of Spotted Wing Drosophila, (Matsumura), in Raspberry Using the Sterile Insect Technique.

is an invasive pest of many fruit crops worldwide. Employing the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) could mitigate population growth and crop damage. This study evaluated the efficacy of SIT on commercial fruit, by (1) validating the quality of irradiated sterile males (male mating competitiveness, courtship, and flight performance) in the laboratory, and (2) assessing population suppression and fruit damage reduction in commercial raspberry fields.

A Missing Link: The Double-Slit Experiment and Quantum Entanglement.

This article reconsiders the double-slit experiment by establishing a new type of relationship between it and the concept of entanglement. While the role of entanglement in the double-slit experiment has been considered, this particular relationship appears to have been missed in preceding discussions of the experiment, even by Bohr, who extensively used it to support his argument concerning quantum physics. The main reason for this relationship is the different roles of the diaphragm with slits in two setups, S1 and S2, defining the double-slit experiment as a quantum experiment.