Evaluation of novel surfactants for the decontamination of chemical warfare agents.

The decontamination of chemical warfare agents or compounds involved in chemical industry incidents poses a significant challenge to environmental protection and human health. These compounds are highly toxic and could be relatively resistant to conventional decontamination methods. In recent years, surfactants have emerged as a promising option, as they can enhance the solubility of organophosphorus compounds in aqueous solutions while promoting their degradation or adsorption onto surfaces.

EBAMP: An efficient de novo broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide discovery framework.

De novo design of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is challenging due to the vast combinatorial space and unknown mechanisms. We propose EBAMP, a generative-discriminative framework for de novo broad-spectrum AMP design targeting bacteria and fungi. EBAMP combines a Transformer-based generative model with advanced feature-based screening to explore peptide space and select multiobjective candidates.

Glutamate utilization fuels rapid production of mitochondrial ROS in dendritic cells and drives systemic inflammation during tularemia.

Dendritic cells (DCs) hijacked by intracellular bacteria contribute to pathogen dissemination and immunopathology. How bacteria achieve DC subversion remains largely unknown. Here, we describe the mechanism used by tularemia agent exploiting host mitochondrial anaplerosis.

Production Technologies and Application of Polymer Composites in Engineering: A Review.

Composite materials have been increasingly used in various branches of industry, transport, construction, and medicine-as well as in other sectors of the economy and science-in recent decades. A significant advancement in the improvement of composite material characteristics has been achieved through the use of nanoparticles, which substantially enhance the properties of the base material, whether it is the matrix or the reinforcing phase in hybrid composites. The broad application of polymers and polymer composites in many areas of engineering has had a significant impact on reducing friction and wear, improving the thermal characteristics of individual components and entire technical systems, enhancing electrical conductivity, reducing the specific weight of components, lowering noise and vibration levels, and ultimately decreasing fuel consumption, production costs, and the costs of operation and maintenance of technical systems.

The Influence of Rolling Direction and Dynamic Strengthening on the Properties of Steel.

The article presents an analysis of the mechanical properties of S700MC steel, which represents advanced low-alloy high-strength steels. The influence of microstructure, shaped by a controlled thermo-mechanical rolling process, on the strength, ductility, and resistance to cracking and fatigue of the material is discussed. Particular attention is paid to the anisotropy of mechanical properties resulting from the orientation relative to the rolling direction, manifested by variations in yield strength, tensile strength, and total elongation of the specimens.

Differences in anti-doping knowledge among Serbian professional athletes.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the impact of anti-doping education among professional athletes on anti-doping knowledge.

Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted on differences in knowledge toward doping among 404 professional athletes in relation to their education about doping.

Results: Participants who underwent education answered correctly significantly more often on most of the questions compared to participants without education [difference of about 20-30% in the rate of correct answers is in favor of participants with education on every question; 8.

Cytokine changes in nasal secretions after acute acoustic trauma.

Background: Occupational noise-induced hearing loss poses a significant health risk, especially for military and law enforcement. Unlike steady, prolonged noise, impulse noise, such as gunfire, leads to more immediate and severe hearing impairment. This study explores the link between sensorineural hearing loss and cytokine levels in nasal secretions of male and female military cadets exposed to high-intensity gunfire noise.

Autonomous ground vehicles for MEDEVAC: capability assessment based on agent-based modelling.

Introduction: Medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) is a crucial component of military healthcare, and the time during which evacuation of the wounded, injured and ill individuals happens is one of the most critical factors. The article focuses on the initial phase of ground evacuation from the Point of Injury to the casualty collection point (CCP). Casualty transport is the combat unit's task, triggered by a 9-liner MEDEVAC request.

Application of dicentric chromosome assay for evaluation of radioprotective effect.

The dicentric chromosome assay is a well-established biodosimetric method used to assess absorbed ionizing radiation doses by detecting dicentric chromosomal aberrations. Here, we present a detailed, reproducible protocol for applying the dicentric chromosome assay for evaluation of radioprotective agents, including novel piperazine derivatives compared with amifostine and its active metabolite WR-1065. The protocol covers all key steps-blood sample preparation, irradiation, lymphocyte culture, metaphase preparation, and scoring of dicentric chromosomes.

Association between the effectiveness of labor epidural analgesia and postpartum depression: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major health issue affecting maternal and neonatal well-being. Labor pain is a significant psychophysiological stressor, and its association with PPD is not completely understood. This study investigated the relationship between the effectiveness of labor epidural analgesia (LEA), measured as percentage improvement in pain (PIP), and the risk of PPD at six weeks postpartum.

Juvenile Paget disease with unique compound heterozygous sequence variants in the TNFRSF11B gene.

Background: Juvenile Paget disease (JPD) is a rare autosomal recessive bone disease characterized by escalated bone metabolism leading to skeletal deformities, susceptibility to fractures, and some extraskeletal findings. This genetic disease is associated with changes in the TNFRSF11B gene encoding osteoprotegerin, an important regulator of osteoresorption. Most published JPD cases have been found to carry homozygous TNFRSF11B variants, while compound heterozygous variants in this gene have been reported only twice.

Hierarchical knowledge-guided reasoning for text-based person re-identification.

Masked language modeling (MLM) has expanded the exploration of text-image person re-identification (TIReID) tasks from coarse-granularity to fine-grained alignment. Whereas, we note that vanilla MLM picks random tokens for visual-to-token reasoning, which could fail the intention of semantic visual-textual alignment by indistinguishably focusing on all the sub-words. This work proposes to leverage the inherent hierarchical scene graph knowledge in each text for guiding token masking and enhancing cross-modal representation in TIReID, thus relieving the pitfall of blind visual-textual alignment.

Utility of Mobile phone app-assisted screening for heart failure in primary care: Insights from the ECHOS3 registry.

Background: The prognosis of heart failure is comparable to that of some of the most prevalent cancers, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. This study aimed to assess whether a mobile phone application could assist in the screening and early identification of HF in primary care settings.

Methods: The Echocardiographic Society of Serbia launched a multicenter screening program in which general practitioners used a custom-designed mobile application to assess patients without a prior HF diagnosis.

Effects of adjuvant low-dose dexamethasone on recurrence in patients with significant residual chronic subdural hematoma after burr-hole drainage: a single-institution retrospective case-control series.

Objective: Recurrence after surgical treatment remains a significant challenge in the management of chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH). Patients with large postoperative residual collections are at increased risk, and adjuvant dexamethasone treatment appears promising as it may reduce inflammation within residual collections.

Research Question: This study evaluates the effectiveness of adjuvant low-dose dexamethasone treatment in reducing recurrence rates in patients with significant residual hematomas (>50 %) after burr-hole drainage.

Safety and efficacy of fenebrutinib in relapsing multiple sclerosis (FENopta): a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial and open-label extension study.

Background: The prospect for Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibition to meaningfully affect relapsing multiple sclerosis has recently been questioned due to inconsistent findings in the magnitude and sustainability of the effect of BTK inhibitors on disease activity. We assessed the safety, efficacy, and CSF drug concentrations of fenebrutinib, a highly selective, noncovalent, reversible BTK inhibitor, in patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis.

Methods: This multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial (FENopta) was conducted at 18 community centres and hospitals across six countries in Europe and North America.

Ancient schwannoma-a rare cause of mesenteric root expansion.

Ancient schwannoma is a rare cause of expansion of the mesenteric root. It grows from nerve fibers in the mesentery and manifests itself with nonspecific symtomps. The authors present the case of a 53-year-old patient who was examined for 2 months of fatigue and occasional abdominal cramps.

Development of novel experimental setup for hands-on cardiovascular biophysics education.

A foundational understanding of biophysics and fluid dynamics is critical for comprehending cardiovascular physiological phenomena, yet medical students often struggle with the mathematical complexity. Traditional teaching methods, including in vivo and in vitro experiments, are increasingly being replaced due to ethical concerns, leading to the adoption of in silico models. This study developed a biophysical model simulating the vascular tree using pumps and silicone vessels.

Kinetic and structural evidence for specific DMSO interference with reversible binding of uncharged bis-oximes to hAChE and their reactivation kinetics of OP-hAChE.

The structural basis of inhibitory effect of organic solvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on human acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.

Body mass index limitation of overweight and obesity in Czech military personnel.

Objectives: The first aim of this cross-sectional study was to reveal the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Czech military personnel (CMP). The second aim was to compare accuracy of the body mass index (BMI) classification with the body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), and visceral fat area (VFA). BMI is a commonly used method to assess obesity, but its accuracy in reflecting body composition, especially in physically fit individuals, has been questioned.

Practical design of variable fractional-order capacitors with a single tuning feature using field effect transistors and variable capacitance diodes.

This paper presents two discrete circuit solutions for realizing passive, electronically adjustable constant-phase elements, specifically half-order capacitors with a -45° phase shift. Fractional-order capacitors with electronically adjustable pseudocapacitance are especially useful for designing tunable filters and oscillators. The ability to adjust pseudocapacitance electronically and continuously is a major improvement over traditional passive solutions.

Recurrent Pelvic Inflammatory Disease After Serial Intrauterine Inseminations.

Intrauterine insemination is a basic method of assisted reproduction. It enables direct deposition of sperm inside the uterine cavity. The complications are rare.

The Therapeutic Approaches Dealing with Malocclusion Type III-Narrative Review.

According to the World Health Organization, malocclusion type III is third, most important oral health problem. It may be the least prevalent malocclusion, but it is the most noticeable and challenging for orthodontic therapy. With this narrative review, we wanted to give a summation of the most current knowledge about diagnostics, different therapy options, limitations, and additional factors that can influence the therapy of class III malocclusion to help clinicians and researchers focus on the specific approaches.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Findings in Post-COVID-19 Healthcare Workers.

Recent evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may induce subtle anatomical changes in the retina, detectable through advanced imaging techniques. This retrospective case-control study utilized optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess medium-term retinal alterations in 55 healthcare workers, including 25 individuals with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 and 30 non-COVID-19 controls, all of whom had worked in COVID-19 clinical settings. Comprehensive ophthalmological examinations, including OCT imaging, were conducted six months after infection.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus patients had lower total vitamin K levels and increased sensitivity to direct anticoagulants.

The abnormalities in blood coagulation in patients with diabetes can lead to a prothrombotic state and requirement for the administration of direct anticoagulants. However, no comparative studies have been conducted on the effects of different direct anticoagulants. A head-to-head investigation of the impact of anticoagulants in 50 patients of type 1 diabetes mellitus (DMT1) was performed, and the data were compared to 50 generally healthy individuals.