Engaging stakeholders to level up COPD care in LMICs: lessons learned from the "Breathe Well" programme in Brazil, China, Georgia, and North Macedonia.

Background: Effective stakeholder engagement in health research is increasingly being recognised and promoted as an important pathway to closing the gap between knowledge production and its use in health systems. However, little is known about its process and impacts, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. This opinion piece draws on the stakeholder engagement experiences from a global health research programme on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) led by clinician researchers in Brazil, China, Georgia and North Macedonia, and presents the process, outcomes and lessons learned.

X-ray Powder Diffraction and Supervised Self-Ogranizing Maps as Tools for Forensic Classification of Soils.

Due to its transferability, the soil has been commonly used as evidence in criminal investigations. In this work, 172 soil samples taken from five urban parks from the town of Tetovo (North Macedonia) and from additional four rural locations in its vicinity. The soil samples were examined using X-ray powder diffraction.

Predictive Admission Risk Factors, Clinical Features and Kidney Outcomes in Covid-19 Hospitalised Patients with Acute Kidney Injury.

: In COVID-19 patients, acute kidney injury (AKI) is recognized as a cause of high mortality. The aim of our study was to assess the rate and the predictors of AKI as well as survival among COVID-19 patients. : We analyzed clinical and laboratory admission data, predictors of AKI and outcomes including the need for renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality at 30 days.

Family-focused intervention to promote adolescent mental health and well-being in Moldova and North Macedonia (FLOURISH): feasibility study protocol.

Introduction: Family-Focused Adolescent & Lifelong Health Promotion (FLOURISH) project will adapt, implement and evaluate a programme to support adolescent mental health and well-being through strategies, such as strengthening parenting practices, adolescent-caregiver relationships, adolescent and parent socioemotional skills, and social support.

Methods And Analysis: The project will focus on adolescents aged 10-14 years and their caregivers in North Macedonia and Moldova. The countries were selected based on implementation readiness of two organisations and a need for accessible evidence-informed services to help mitigate health risks due to economic, social and political challenges.

Preventive Measures and Hygiene Habits of Apple Producers in the Prespa Region.

Background: Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries, both for the employees in that sector and for their families and the environment. The use of personal protective preventive measures and the maintenance of good hygienic practices are the basis for healthy production and healthy workers. The safety and hygiene of food products should be present during all stages of production.

URINARY NEPHRIN AS AN EARLY BIOMARKER OF HYPERTENSIVE NEPHROPATHY.

Hypertensive nephropathy (HN) is characterized by kidney damage due to chronic high blood pressure. Podocytes play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of HN, thus, nephrin could be important in the early diagnosis of HN. The aim of the study was to investigate the association of urinary nephrin (u-nephrin) levels with clinical and laboratory characteristics in patients with HN and to test diagnostic relevance of u-nephrin as an early biomarker of HN.

The impact of the comorbid seizure/epilepsy on the health related quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis: an international multicentric study.

Introduction: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with (Pw) multiple sclerosis (MS) is usually deteriorated. It has been recently suggested that comorbidities may have the negative influence on the quality of life of the PwMS, but according to the best of our knowledge, only one study investigated, although in a very small cohort, the impact of individual comorbidity on the quality of life of PwMS. The aim of our investigation was to assess, in an international, multicentric study, the impact of comorbid seizure/epilepsy on the HRQoL in PwMS.

Random Walks on Comb-like Structures under Stochastic Resetting.

We study the long-time dynamics of the mean squared displacement of a random walker moving on a comb structure under the effect of stochastic resetting. We consider that the walker's motion along the backbone is diffusive and it performs short jumps separated by random resting periods along fingers. We take into account two different types of resetting acting separately: global resetting from any point in the comb to the initial position and resetting from a finger to the corresponding backbone.

Improvement of the Welfare Quality scoring model for dairy cows to fit experts' opinion.

After several years of implementation, the original Welfare Quality scoring model for dairy cows appears to be highly sensitive to the number and cleanliness of drinkers and not enough to the prevalence of diseases, and as a consequence may not fit the opinion of some animal welfare experts. The present paper aims to improve the Welfare Quality calculations for the criteria 'Absence of prolonged thirst' and 'Absence of disease' in dairy cows, so that the results are more sensitive to input data and better fit experts' opinion. First, we modified the calculation of 'Absence of prolonged thirst' by linearising the calculation for drinkers' availability to avoid threshold effects.

Ultrasensitive Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide Using Methylene Blue Grafted on Molecular Wires as Nanozyme with Catalase-like Activity.

In this study, we present the development of an electrochemical sensor designed for ultrasensitive detection of endogenous HO. This sensor relies on signal amplification achieved through nanozyme activity exhibited by methylene blue (MB) grafted onto a peptide support. The sensor exhibited excellent selectivity and sensitivity, with a limit of detection of 18 nM and a linear detection range of 20-200 nM.

Adaptive fuzzy prescribed time tracking control for nonlinear systems with input saturation.

This article investigates the adaptive fuzzy prescribed time tracking control problem for a class of strict-feedback systems simultaneously considering the user-defined asymmetric tracking performance, input saturation, and external disturbances. From the perspective of ensuring the reliability for control implementation, a saturation-based fixed-time funnel boundary is constructed by embedding the modification signals related to input saturation errors into a funnel function, which is capable of automatically enlarging or recovering itself when input saturation occurs or disappears, thereby reducing the risk of system singularity. Subsequently, by constructing a fixed-time tracking performance function, any known bounded tracking error is recast into a new variable with a zero initial value.

Bleeding metastasis of renal cell cancer to anal canal treated with radiation.

Renal cell cancer (RCC) has the ability to metastasize to various organs, including the anal canal which is reported to be the rarest location. An 88-year-old male patient who had previously been treated for right RCC subsequently developed distant metastases to the prostate, lungs, and small bowel. Four years following nephrectomy, the patient presented with a bleeding anal mass which was excised and has been proven to be an anal canal metastasis of RCC.

Circulating Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Among Macedonian COVID - 19 Patients in the First Year of Pandemic.

Genomic epidemiology has proven to be a useful tool for investigating pandemic outbreaks and tracking pathogen spread and evolution. This study describes the circulation of SARS-CoV-2 strains in N. Macedonia during a period of one year, encompassing three waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Increased risk of brucellosis misdiagnosis in regions that lose their endemicity.

Over the last decades, the epidemiology of human brucellosis globally has been subjected to significant changes, with the eradication of many existing endemic hot spots. This paper describes three cases with initial misdiagnosis of brucellosis that were managed during 2011-2017 in Republic of North Macedonia, country that until recently has been declared as endemic region. In spite of the fever, constitutional symptoms, focal disease (spondylitis, pneumonia and orchitis) and previous contact with domestic animals, brucellosis was not initially recognized, and patients were inadequately managed.

Celiac-Like Duodenopathy Associated With Enteric-Coated Mycophenolate Sodium Immunosuppression in Renal Transplant Recipients: Report of 4 Cases.

Celiac-like disease and celiac sprue associated with widespread use of mycophenolic acid are among the most frequent complications of renal transplant. Most cases have been observed in patients receiving mycophenolate mofetil; however, there have been rare instance after administration of enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium. Here, we describe 4 renal transplant recipients with celiac-like duodenopathy that occurred in association with enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium treatment in a time period of 14 to 19 years after living donor kidney transplant.

Square-wave voltammetry of human blood serum.

A study on voltammetric analysis of blood serum diluted in a phosphate buffer is presented using advanced square-wave voltammetry at an edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode. The results demonstrate that even in a complex medium like human blood serum, electrochemical characterization can be achieved through the use of advanced voltammetric techniques in conjunction with an appropriate commercially available electrode, such as the edge plane pyrolytic graphite electrode, which boosts superior electrocatalytic properties. Without undergoing any chemical treatment of the serum sample, the square-wave voltammetry technique reveals, for the first time, the electrode reactions of uric acid, bilirubin, and albumin in a single experiment, as represented by well-defined, separated, and intense voltammetric signals.

Neural Cross-Frequency Coupling Functions in Sleep.

The human brain presents a heavily connected complex system. From a relatively fixed anatomy, it can enable a vast repertoire of functions. One important brain function is the process of natural sleep, which alters consciousness and voluntary muscle activity.

Lithological distribution of rare earth elements in soils in the As-Sb-Tl Allchar mining area, North Macedonia.

Despite the growing interest, the information available on rare earth elements (REEs) in the last two decades is relatively premature and sparse. The importance of these elements as indicators of soil and physiological processes and responses have contributed to the increased interest in these previously less considered elements in the environmental sciences. This study provides an overview of the content and distribution of rare earth elements in the soil in the vicinity of the hydrothermal volcanogenic As-Sb-Tl deposit of Allchar, North Macedonia.

Accumulation and distribution of heavy metals in soil and food crops in the Pb-Zn mine environ. Case study: Region of Probištip, North Macedonia.

The aim of the study was to investigate the exploration and distribution of various chemical elements in soils and vegetables from gardens in the region of Probištip, North Macedonia. This region was exposed to heavy metals pollution from Pb-Zn mining and flotation tailings landfill near the town of Probištip for 70 years. A total of 38 samples of various crops and vegetable products from 19 gardens were analyzed.

PrEP Scale-Up and PEP in Central and Eastern Europe: Changes in Time and the Challenges We Face with No Expected HIV Vaccine in the near Future.

With no expected vaccine for HIV in the near future, we aimed to define the current situation and challenges for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP and PEP) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The Euroguidelines CEE Network Group members were invited to respond to a 27-item survey including questions on PrEP (response rate 91.6%).

mHealth Apps Targeting Obesity and Overweight in Young People: App Review and Analysis.

Background: Overweight and obesity have been linked to several serious health problems and medical conditions. With more than a quarter of the young population having weight problems, the impacts of overweight and obesity on this age group are particularly critical. Mobile health (mHealth) apps that support and encourage positive health behaviors have the potential to achieve better health outcomes.

The usefulness of [99mTc]MIBI scintigraphy in the diagnostic algorithm of ultrasonographical suspected thyroid nodules by using EU-TIRADS criteria.

Background: Although not yet involved in the algorithm of thyroid nodules, 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile ([99mTc]MIBI) scintigraphy may help in the individual diagnostic workup of a thyroid patient, especially where indeterminate fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is present. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of [99mTc]MIBI thyroid scintigraphy in the diagnostic algorithm of thyroid nodules, particularly in ultrasound EU-TIRADS 4 or 5 lesions, that cytologically were either indeterminate or benign.

Material And M: ETHODS: A retrospective randomized study, including 42 thyroid patients, with mean age 47 ± 17 years, was conducted.