Cancer stem cells in focus: Deciphering the dynamic functional landscape of stemness in cancer.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are central to tumour initiation, progression, and relapse, yet their dynamic and adaptive nature hampers therapeutic targeting. Once viewed as a fixed subpopulation, CSCs are now recognised as a fluid functional state that tumour cells can enter or exit, driven by intrinsic programs, epigenetic reprogramming, and microenvironmental cues. This plasticity complicates identification due to inconsistent marker expression and enables resistance, dormancy, and metastasis.

Using a patient-reported history questionnaire to aid decision-making in the lung cancer diagnostic pathway: a single centre observational study of primary care chest X-ray referrals.

Aim: To determine the utility and efficacy of a patient-reported history questionnaire to identify the presence of red flag symptoms indicative of lung cancer.

Materials And Methods: The study site introduced a paper-based screening questionnaire in 2019 to establish the presence of patient-reported red flag symptoms. This retrospective four-week (February 2020) single-centre observational study determined the prevalence of symptoms, compared referrer-reported to patient-reported clinical history, explored the relationship to the chest X-ray (CXR) outcome, and identified those diagnosed with lung cancer in the following two years.

Creatinine clearance, reduced kidney function, and optimizing prescribing safety through practice feedback: a mixed methods study.

Background: Kidney function declines with age, increasing risk of harm from raised blood levels of many medicines. Prescribing is often inappropriate for older people with reduced creatinine clearance (CrCl).

Objective: To examine the feasibility and acceptability of providing performance feedback to increase CrCl calculation and coding and reduce potentially inappropriate prescribing.

Real-time ventilation feedback devices for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a review of the literature.

Introduction: In the United Kingdom, ambulance services attempt resuscitation on 30,000 people per year, with fewer than 9% surviving and leaving hospital. Correct ventilation during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is essential, as both hypo- and hyperventilation are linked to increased mortality. Despite this, ventilations are frequently given outside of recommended guidelines.

A qualitative analysis of strategies for managing work-related stress among optometrists in the United Kingdom.

Significance: Work-related stress is common in the optometry profession, yet there is limited research on how optometrists and organizations manage and mitigate these issues. This study explores strategies to reduce work-related stress and provides recommendations for individuals, employers, and the profession, to inform future support and guidance.

Purpose: To explore how optometrists self-manage work-related stress and to identify potential strategies that employers can implement to minimize stress and foster a supportive and positive work environment.

Drug Repurposing Investigation for Combating Ebola Virus Disease: Database Mining, Docking Calculations, Molecular Dynamics, and Density Functional Theory Study.

Ebola virus (EBOV), one of the deadliest diseases, is responsible for infecting individuals with hemorrhagic fever syndrome, which remains an ongoing worldwide health concern. The extremely deadly nature and virulence of EBOV illness illuminate the imperative need to evolve effective curative agents. Viral protien (VP35) acts as an Achilles heel for EBOV reproduction and also interacts with numerous human proteins, which leads to impairing the immune system.

Cross-cultural adaptation and the evaluation of psychometric properties of the Sinhala version of the general rehabilitation adherence scale (GRAS-Sin).

Background: Physiotherapy adherence can be defined as an active, voluntary patient involvement in a mutually agreed-upon course of action to achieve a desired preventive or therapeutic outcomes. Nonadherence may result in increased healthcare costs and poor recovery. Therefore, it is crucial to measure physiotherapy adherence to eliminate obstacles and promote adherence.

Discovery of a reversible ALDH1A3 inhibitor throwugh a consensus docking-based virtual screening study.

Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) belong to a group of enzymes that play a vital role in various biological processes and cellular defence against aldehyde toxicity. The ALDH1A subfamily has largely been associated with elevated expression in cancer tissues, and in particular in cancer stem-like cells ALDH1A1 is a frequently expressed enzyme in stem cells and target for therapeutic intervention, however, other isoforms such as 1A2, 1A3, 2, 3A1 and 7A1 have drawn significant attention in the recent years due to their involvement in various pathophysiological conditions. The current study is aimed at therapeutic intervention of ALDH1A3 by developing new inhibitors with the aid of computer-assisted drug design approach.

Prevalence of refractive errors in Vietnamese school children: a meta-analysis.

Clinical Relevance: The findings provide greater information on the level of refractive errors in Vietnam, which could assist clinicians and relevant stakeholders to identify high-risk groups and prioritise interventions and preventative measures, contributing to more efficient eye care and cost-effective strategies.

Background/aims: Vietnam, a developing country in Southeast Asia, has shown an increase in myopia progression in recent years. However, the prevalence of refractive errors across the country is unclear.

Increased GM-WM in a prefrontal network and decreased GM in the insula and the precuneus are associated with reappraisal usage and reduced perceived stress: A data fusion approach.

Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in mental health, and difficulties in regulating emotions can contribute to psychological disorders. While reappraisal and suppression are well-studied strategies, the joint contributions of gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) to these strategies remain unclear due to methodological limitations in previous studies. To address this, we applied a data fusion approach using Parallel Independent Component Analysis (Parallel ICA) to GM and WM MRI images from 165 individuals.

Mining of the Streptome Database for Hunting Putative Candidates to Allosterically Inhibit the Dengue Virus (Serotype 2) RdRp.

In the last few decades, the dengue virus, a prevalent flavivirus, has demonstrated various epidemiological, economic, and health impacts around the world. Dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) plays a vital role in dengue-associated mortality. The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of DENV2 is a charming druggable target owing to its crucial function in viral reproduction.

A Process Evaluation of the UK Randomised Trial Evaluating 'iSupport', an Online e-Health Intervention for Adult Carers of People Living with Dementia.

Supporting dementia carers is a global priority. As a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) (n = 352) of the Word Health Organization recommended, an internationally disseminated 'iSupport' e-health intervention was conducted, revealing no measurable benefits to the wellbeing of adult dementia carers. This process evaluation contributes original insights of the trial outcomes.

Understanding the Implementation of CareCoach-A Blended eHealth Intervention for Carers of People Living with Dementia: A Qualitative Process Evaluation Using Normalisation Process Theory.

CareCoach seeks to enhance self-efficacy in family caregivers of people living with dementia and has been feasibility tested in a multicentre randomised controlled trial. The intervention offers two face-to-face sessions with a trained coach and access to an online platform with nine modules. This paper reports findings from an embedded qualitative process evaluation assessing implementation from the implementer's ('coach's') (n = 8) perspective using individual interviews and implementer group discussions.

Decoding the adaptive survival mechanisms of breast cancer dormancy.

Breast cancer (BC) recurrence remains a major clinical challenge, leaving patients in perpetual uncertainty about disease relapse after primary treatment. BC dormancy, an adaptive survival state of disseminated tumour cells, is a key driver of both early and late recurrence. However, the mechanisms regulating BC dormancy remain poorly understood.

The Bradford Visual Function Box can predict visual acuity in children who are hard to test.

Clinical Relevance: Children with special educational needs can find it difficult to engage with traditional visual acuity testing methods; nonetheless, estimates of visual function are key to understanding how a child uses their vision for learning. Appreciating how functional vision testing relates to clinical scores is essential.

Background: The Bradford Visual Function Box (BVFB) has been shown to be useful in estimating visual function in children who cannot participate in standard acuity tests.

A Single Subcutaneous Dose of BMD-1141 Stimulates Hair Regrowth Comparable to Daily, High-Dose Ruxolitinib in a Mouse Model of Alopecia Areata.

Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune disorder of hair loss resulting from a T-cell mediated attack on hair follicles. Three Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe alopecia areata; however, safety concerns for immunosuppressive therapy have limited their use. We previously demonstrated that BMD-1141, consisting of parathyroid hormone (PTH) fused to a collagen-binding domain (CBD) (PTH-CBD) improved hair retention, increased anagen hair follicles counts, and reduced hair follicle dystrophy in C3H/HeJ-engrafted mice).

An explorable model of an adverse outcome pathway of cytokine release syndrome related to the administration of immunomodulatory biotherapeutics and cellular therapies.

Introduction: Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a potentially severe systemic inflammatory condition triggered by various immunomodulatory therapies, making understanding its pathogenesis critical for improving patient outcomes.

Results/methods: By combining immunotoxicology and systems biology approaches, we offer a novel and integrative conceptual model of CRS as an adverse outcome (AO), induced by five different immunomodulatory biotherapies: 1) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, 2) checkpoint inhibitors, 3) T cell engaging bispecific modalities, 4) monoclonal antibodies targeting and activating T cell receptors, and 5) FcγR activating monoclonal antibodies. This model uniquely integrates multiple CRS-inducing therapies into a unified framework, offering a comprehensive mechanistic representation of CRS pathophysiology.

Machine learning-optimized dual-band wearable antenna for real-time remote patient monitoring in biomedical IoT systems.

This work presents a machine learning (ML)-optimized dual-band wearable antenna designed specifically for biomedical applications in healthcare monitoring. Fabricated on a Rogers substrate of 40 × 41 mm, the antenna operates at 2.4 GHz and 5.

Coping Strategies To Enhance Mental Health and Wellbeing of Ethnic Minority Populations in the United Kingdom: A Scoping Review.

Mental health issues among ethnic minority populations in the UK are a significant concern. Synthesised evidence related to coping strategies to improve mental health among these groups is lacking. This scoping review aimed to identify and consolidate literature on coping strategies used by ethnic minority groups in the UK to overcome their mental health problems.

Metabolomics using anion-exchange chromatography mass spectrometry for the analysis of cells, tissues and biofluids.

The direct coupling of ion-exchange chromatography with mass spectrometry using electrochemical ion suppression creates a hyphenated technique with selectivity and specificity for the analysis of highly polar and ionic compounds. The technique has enabled new applications in environmental chemistry, food chemistry, forensics, cell biology and, more recently, metabolomics. Robust, reproducible and quantitative methods for the analysis of highly polar and ionic metabolites help meet a longstanding analytical need in metabolomics.

Cataract Surgery in Cognitive Impairment: Navigating the Accessibility Challenge in European Healthcare.

This narrative review examines the challenges of providing cataract surgery to people living with cognitive impairment within European healthcare systems. It highlights the significant unmet need for improved ophthalmological management of this vulnerable population, given the established link between visual impairment, cognitive decline, and quality of life. While the benefits of cataract surgery in improving vision and cognition are well-documented, significant inconsistencies exist across European healthcare systems regarding protocols and access.

Long COVID Optimal Health Programme to Enhance Mental and Physical Health: A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Long COVID (LC) is characterised by fatigue, muscle weakness and impaired concentration among other symptoms. No standardised diagnostic or treatment pathway is yet available, though a holistic, person-centred approach to symptom management is recommended. The LC Optimal Health Programme (LC-OHP) is a psychoeducational programme designed to support the mental and physical health of people with LC.