Self-management support interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged older adults with chronic conditions: A systematic review.

Objectives: To identify and describe the theories, components, and effectiveness of self-management support interventions for socially disadvantaged older adults (≥60 years) with chronic conditions and multimorbidity.

Methods: Six electronic databases were searched in November 2023. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) focused on self-management support interventions for socioeconomically disadvantaged community-dwelling older adults with chronic conditions and multimorbidity were included.

Human exposure to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Asia and contributing factors, with a focus on East Asia.

The production and use of PFAS in some countries, coupled with uncertainties about their applications across Asia, underscore the urgent need to assess human exposure-particularly beyond China, Japan, and South Korea, which account for 80-90% of existing environmental PFAS studies. Exposure levels vary significantly across the region, with industrial activities, including textile and automotive manufacturing, contributing to severe contamination, especially in freshwater sources. Studies have detected PFAS in surface and groundwater across 20 Asian countries (∼3000 samples), sometimes at concerning concentrations.

How may grant applications change in future because of artificial intelligence? An international and historical perspective.

Grant application processes fulfil a vital role by determining the allocation of resources to facilitate medical research. Existing grant application processes run by large governmental institutions have changed over time. Through examination of previous changes to grant application processes and the current challenges facing grant applicants and reviewers, including the increasing role of artificial intelligence, insights may be obtained into future modifications in grant application structures that require consideration.

Get Involved Reach Top Health (GIRTH): A community-based, peer-led group lifestyle modification program for men - A quasi-randomised trial.

Men are underrepresented in community-based lifestyle modification programs (LMP). A quasi-randomised trial was undertaken to assess the efficacy of GIRTH, a peer-led, group-based LMP for men, in reducing cardiometabolic risk factors. One-hundred-seventy-eight men (mean age 58 yrs, waist circumference 110 cm) in 11 groups, were allocated 1:3 to either a control group receiving healthy lifestyle information only (n = 45) or a GIRTH group involving 12, weekly, face-to-face sessions focused on health literacy, goal setting, problem solving and self-monitoring (n = 133).

Development of the Double-Blind, Randomized Trials of Effects of Antihypertensive Medicines (DREAM) Database and Characteristics of the Included Trials: Protocol for an Umbrella Review and Meta-Analyses.

Background: A comprehensive evaluation of short-term effects of antihypertensive medicines is important for informing guidelines and clinical practice.

Objective: We aimed to develop the Double-blind Randomized trials of Effects of Antihypertensive Medicines (DREAM) database to facilitate a series of meta-analyses evaluating the short-term effects of antihypertensive medicines.

Methods: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Epistemonikos from inception until December 2022 to identify relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs).

Screening and hit evaluation of a microbial metabolite library against the pathogenic Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii parasites.

Frontline drug treatments for malaria are at risk of failing due to emerging resistance, meanwhile drugs used to treat toxoplasmosis have suboptimal efficacy and safety. As demonstrated by the success of clinically used antiparasitic drugs, the diverse structural complexity and biological activity of natural products holds great potential for drug discovery and development, to address the need for new compounds with novel mechanisms. Here we screened the BioAustralis Discovery Plates Series I library, a collection of 812 microbial natural product compounds including rare microbial metabolites, against Plasmodium falciparum erythrocytic stage and Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoite parasites.

Coatomer protein complex I is required for efficient secretion of dengue virus non-structural protein 1.

Secreted non-structural protein 1 (sNS1) is an important orthoflavivirus pathogenic factor that can induce vascular leakage, a key symptom of severe dengue disease. Given the role of sNS1 in dengue pathogenesis, defining the molecular mechanisms of NS1 secretion may contribute to the development of NS1-targeting antiviral therapies. To this end, we performed a customized membrane-trafficking siRNA screen to identify human host factors involved in NS1 secretion.

Associations between attenuated auditory p300 event-related potential and cognitive basic symptoms in young people at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Aims: The value of assessing basic symptoms in clinical-high-risk for psychosis (CHR) is becoming increasingly apparent. Greater recognition of subjective experience in neuroscience and psychiatry has renewed research interest in electrophysiological biomarkers of basic symptoms. This study aims to investigate whether cognitive basic symptoms (COGDIS), which capture a subset of basic symptoms, are associated with P3b attenuation and the modulation of brain connectivity in a large sample of CHR.

Cytogenetic profiling of human articular cartilage chondrocytes, fibronectin adhesion assay derived chondroprogenitors and migratory chondroprogenitors.

Purpose: Cartilage-derived chondroprogenitors, with inherent chondrogenic capacity and low hypertrophic potential, represent a promising avenue for cartilage regeneration. For clinical translation, assessment of cellular genomic stability is a quality control mandate. Since culturing cells to higher passage numbers for achieving the cell requirement is indispensable, it is necessary to evaluate the possibility of culture-driven mutations before transplantation.

Middle ear myoclonus: pathophysiology and management.

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the pathophysiology and treatment of middle ear myoclonus (MEM), a rare and under-recognized cause of objective and subjective tinnitus.

Recent Findings: MEM is increasingly recognized as a distinct subset in tinnitus patients, with symptoms arising from involuntary contractions of the stapedius and/or tensor tympani muscles. Pharmacological management currently centres around agents such as clonazepam, carbamazepine, and piracetam.

Do the effects of type and place of birth on early initiation of breastfeeding differ by place of residence? Evidence from the Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey 2017.

Background: Timely initiation of breastfeeding is one of the core infant and young child feeding practices recommended for optimal nutrition, growth, and the overall health of neonates. Using nationally representative data, we examined the association between the type and place of birth on early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) segregated by place of residence in Indonesia.

Methods: Data for 12,144 mother-child pairs were extracted from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey.

Phospholipid scramblase 1 (PLSCR1) is a novel substrate of NEDD4-2 (NEDD4L) mediated ubiquitination.

NEDD4-2 (human NEDD4L), a ubiquitin ligase, plays an essential role in regulating a number of membrane proteins, including ion channels and transporters. In the kidney, NEDD4-2 deletion results in a progressive loss of tubular cells and salt-sensitive chronic kidney disease. While deregulation of sodium homeostasis due to increased levels and function of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and sodium chloride transporter (NCC), both NEDD4-2 substrates, plays a critical role in kidney damage in this model, other ubiquitination targets may also be important.

Higher carboxylated osteocalcin is an independent predictor of improved femoral bone strength: A cross-sectional study.

Carboxylated osteocalcin (cOC), produced during post-translational modification of osteocalcin (OC) in a vitamin K-dependent pathway, has a high affinity for calcium and hydroxyapatite. Despite the observed link between vitamin K deficiency and fracture risk, supplementation studies have not consistently demonstrated improvements in bone mineral density (BMD) or bone microarchitecture, though studies have reported improvement in cOC status. We hypothesise that these inconsistent findings are due to the lack of knowledge on the mechanisms by which cOC affects bone health.

What Makes a Surgical Expert Witness?

Background: Surgical expert witnesses play a crucial role in providing informed and objective opinions on surgical procedures, standards of care and patient outcomes. However, clear criteria outlining the qualifications and level of expertise required to be considered an expert witness are lacking.

Objective: To provide a guideline for the essential and desired qualifications required of a surgeon to serve as an expert witness.

BCG Intolerance in Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer-A Systematic Review.

Background: Most patients with localized bladder cancer are initially managed with endoscopic resection. For high-grade nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy is the gold standard adjuvant treatment. However, 30%-40% of patients fail BCG treatment with lack of response or disease relapse.

Tear Inflammatory Cytokine Profiles in Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy.

Purpose: To provide a review surrounding the utility of tear inflammatory cytokines in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO).

Methods: A comprehensive search was performed for published English-language studies reporting the analysis of tear inflammatory cytokines in TAO. Exclusion criteria included in vitro studies describing tear proteomics (without cytokine analysis).

Health-Seeking Behaviours Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women With Sexually Transmitted Infections: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background And Aims: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), less than 10% of men, compared to 50%-80% of women, are affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Untreated STIs can lead to severe reproductive health complications, including infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and increased susceptibility to HIV. Understanding the determinants of healthcare-seeking behaviour for STIs is crucial for informing policies and interventions aimed at improving access to timely and appropriate care.

Rural-urban disparities in cervical cancer screening uptake and its predictors among women aged 30-49 years in Ghana: a multivariate decomposition analysis.

Background: Despite the high morbidity and mortality associated with cervical cancer in Ghana, screening uptake remains alarmingly low. Rural-urban disparities exist in screening uptake among women aged 30-49 years, a priority group for cervical cancer screening according to the World Health Organisation guidelines. This study examined rural-urban disparities in cervical cancer screening uptake and its predictors among women aged 30-49 years.

Transcription Profiling of Glycosyltransferases in Cultivars Following Smoke Exposure.

Smoke taint is a fault that can occur in wines made from smoke-affected grapes. Smoke taint research has largely focused on chemical and sensory analysis and mitigation strategies, with limited attention to underlying molecular responses. We performed RNA sequencing on berries from cultivars Shiraz and Chardonnay after controlled smoke exposure.

Balancing Solvation Ability of Polymer and Solvent in Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Efficient Lithium Metal Batteries.

Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) show practical potential in lithium metal batteries (LMBs), but their development is hindered by insufficient understanding of Li solvation chemistry and its impact on ion transport and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation. By regulating the solvation abilities of polymer and solvent, this work explores the relationships between GPE composition, Li coordination structures, Li transference number, and interphase chemistry. The GPE combining weakly coordinated solvents with strongly coordinating polymer results in strong Li-polymer attachment, leading to sluggish ion transport.

In Situ Vaccines in the Era of Cancer Immunotherapy: Conceptual Innovation and Clinical Translation.

Historically, directly injecting therapeutics into tumors has been deemed suboptimal and less favorable in clinical settings compared to systemic administration due to the inability to eradicate circulating/metastatic tumor cells until the emergence of the concept of in situ vaccine. In situ vaccine leverages patients' own tumors as a pool of antigens to elicit systemic antitumor immunity (also known as "abscopal effect") that aims to eliminate both primary and distal/metastatic tumors. One typical example of an approved product is Talimogene laherparepvec, an oncolytic virus approved in 2015 for treating advanced melanoma.

Comparison of automated and manual approaches for microglial quantification and classification: A focus on the HALO digital pathology platform.

Phenotypic changes in microglia have been linked to multiple neurological conditions, such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury. Consistent identification and classification of microglia is essential in understanding potential links with neurological diseases. Currently, there are several ways by which the microglial population and morphology are assessed, including manually or using open-source image analysis platforms, such as ImageJ.

Metal-Free Carbon Cocatalysis in Fenton Chemistry.

To address the challenges of low hydrogen peroxide utilization efficiency and excessive iron sludge accumulation in conventional Fenton processes, metal-free carbon cocatalysts harness their cost-effectiveness, ecofriendliness, and modifiable surface to propel green and enhanced Fenton chemistry. Their cocatalytic efficacy stems from structural features (pore architecture, hybridization state, and dimension) and surface properties (defect, heteroatom, functional group, graphitic structure, and site distribution), resulting in carbon cocatalysts playing multifaceted roles in assisting Fenton systems. This overview provides mechanistic insights into carbon cocatalyzed Fenton reactions, focusing on electron sources for iron reduction, and categorizes mechanisms into three approaches (electron donors, carbon-Fe(III) complexes, and electron mediators).

Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy unveils selenium distribution and a phloem-sink hypothesis in Neptunia amplexicaulis.

Neptunia amplexicaulis is a legume that grows on seleniferous soils in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the strongest known selenium (Se) hyperaccumulators, capable of accumulating up to 13,600 μg Se g-1 in its leaves. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and translocation of Se within N.