Search

In this study, the kidneys of ground squirrels (hibernated and nonhibernated), rabbits, and rats were examined macro and microanatomically. Kidney morphology was investigated by stereo microscopy, light microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Triple and immunohistochemical staining were performed for light microscopic examinations. Cold crushing and takilon injection into the renal arteries were performed for scanning electron microscopic examinations. The course and branching of intrarenal capillaries and morphologic features from glomeruli to foramina papillaria were demonstrated. The location, position, shape, weight, and size of the kidneys of the three species studied were determined. Relative medullary thickness (RMT) and kidney index (Ki) values were calculated from the measurements. Based on the RMT values of the three species, it was concluded that they are mammals belonging to the semiarid and humid habitat category. The number of nephrons with long segments was high in the kidneys of all three species. Structural findings suggested that the rat may produce more concentrated urine than the ground squirrel, and the ground squirrel may produce more concentrated urine than the rabbit. The mean diameter of the renal corpuscles was 112.5 μm in the hibernated ground squirrel, 137.6 μm in the nonhibernated ground squirrel, 138.1 μm in the rabbit, and 137.8 μm in the rat. In hibernated ground squirrels, a narrowing of the cavum glomeruli and a decrease in renal corpuscle diameters were found. In contrast to ground squirrel and rat kidneys, rabbit kidneys showed the presence of species-specific subcapsular glomeruli. Immunohistochemistry (antinestin antibody) staining and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images revealed the structure of podocytes in detail. Species-specific area cribrosa configurations were detected in the renal papillae of the kidneys we examined. With this study, new renal morphological findings were obtained in ground squirrels, rabbits, and rats., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: There are different intraoral appliances for cessation of thumb/finger sucking habit, but they have many disadvantages and to overcome it, extra oral appliances with colourful and attractive shape were developed. Electronic habit reminder in the form of wristwatch with alarming sound was assessed in cessation of thumb/finger sucking habit in children versus palatal crib after 6 and 9 months., Methods: This study is a randomized clinical pilot study, with allocation ratio 1:1 parallel group. Recruitment was at the diagnostic clinic, Paediatric Dentistry and Dental Public health Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University. Blinding was not feasible except for the statistician. Twenty-two children were included with age range (6-14), erupted upper first permanent molar and with thumb/finger sucking habit that resulted in open bite. After random allocation of participants into two groups: intervention group (electronic habit reminder) and control group (palatal crib), impressions were performed for fabrication of the appliances in both groups. Follow up was performed at 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6 and 9 months. Primary outcome was assessing cessation of thumb/finger sucking habit in children., Results: The total number of participants who were randomized and analysed was 22 (11 per group). Cessation of thumb/finger sucking habit in the intervention group was 27.3% while in the control group was 54.5% but with no statistically significant difference (P˃0.05). Positive feedback from the parents about the useful instructions, success, and ease of using the appliances but all with no statistically significant difference (P˃0.05)., Harms: Regarding the palatal crib appliance, there was gingival inflammation that resolved by proper oral hygiene care. Also, interference with speech which disappeared after adaptation. Regarding appliances breakage or dislodgment, it was repaired or replaced with another one., Conclusion: Although most of the parents and children accepted both appliances, cessation of the habit was higher in the control group than in the intervention group., Trial Registration: The trial was registered on clinicaltrials.gov, 'Trial registration number: NCT04075617 [first submitted -29/8/2019]'., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was granted by The Research Ethics Committee (REC), Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, reviewed the protocol and approved it on 26/11/2019 with approval number 9–11-19. The trial was discussed with the parent/guardian of each participant and a written informed consent was signed while verbal assent confirmed orally from the child if more than 7 years old. Consent for publication: Parents/guardians signed a written informed consent for recording, imaging and publishing their children records. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a global health challenge, demanding innovative approaches for effective treatments. Clerodendrum infortunatum Linn. (Lamiaceae) is a shrub traditionally used as a medicinal plant to treat inflammation, skin diseases, and bronchitis. This study aims to identify the main bioactive metabolites in C. infortunatum using LC-QTOF-MS/MS and investigate its potential in protecting against cognitive decline in rats with scopolamine-induced AD disease. Metabolite profiling was performed on the methanol extract of the plant's aerial parts using LC-QTOF-MS/MS. The inhibitory activity of the acetylcholinesterase enzyme was measured in vitro. To evaluate the cognitive effects, the methanol extract was orally administered at three doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg) to scopolamine-induced AD rats, and their cognitive functions were assessed using the novel object recognition test. Additionally, acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity, as well as the levels of acetylcholine, dopamine, noradrenaline, glutathione, malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and amyloid-β in the rat hippocampus, were measured using ELISA, followed by histopathological evaluation. A total of 79 metabolites, spanning various chemical classes, such as organic acids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids and phenylethanoids, flavonoids, coumarins, other phenolics, and fatty acids and their derivatives, were identified. The results showed that the extract promoted enhanced cognitive functions in the novel object recognition test. Scopolamine administration significantly altered the acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity and biomarker levels in the rat's hippocampus. However, treatment with C. infortunatum at 200 and 400 mg/kg almost restored these neurotransmitter levels to normal, which was further confirmed by histopathological analysis. This study demonstrates the therapeutic potential of C. infortunatum in mitigating cognitive decline in AD, with its first metabolite profiling revealing a range of bioactive compounds. The extract improved cognitive function in scopolamine-induced AD rats, restored acetylcholinesterase activity, normalized neurotransmitter levels, and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation. These findings suggest that C. infortunatum is a promising candidate for the development of natural therapies targeting AD., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The experiments adhered to the “Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals” published by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH Publication No 85–23, 2011). Approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Pharmacy of Cairo University (approval code: MP (3118)). ARRIVE guidelines: The study is reported in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines. A statement naming the person who identified the plant: The aerial parts of C. infortunatum were authenticated by Agriculture Engineer Therese Labib, a plant taxonomy consultant of the Ministry of Agriculture (Giza, Egypt). Voucher specimen statement: The plant material was collected with permission in compliance with national guidelines from the Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egypt at “9 Cairo University Road, Giza District, Giza Governorate”. Samples of the plant material were deposited at the herbarium of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt (sample No.10.3.2021)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae poses a severe risk to global public health, necessitating the immediate development of novel therapeutic strategies. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the green algae Arthrospira maxima (commercially known as Spirulina) both in vitro and in vivo against carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae. In this study, thirty carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates were collected, identified, and then screened for their susceptibility to several antibiotics and carbapenemase production genes using PCR. Both bla KPC and bla OXA-48 genes were the most predominant detected carbapenemase genes in the tested isolates. The phytochemical profiling of A. maxima algal extract was conducted using LC-MS/MS in a positive mode technique. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the algal extract ranged from 500 to 1000 µg/mL. The algal extract also resulted in decreasing the membrane integrity and distortion in the bacterial cells as revealed by scanning electron microscope. The bioactive compounds that were responsible for the antibacterial action were fatty acids, including PUFAs, polysaccharides, glycosides, peptides, flavonoids, phycocyanin, minerals, essential amino acids, and vitamins. Moreover, A. maxima algal extract revealed an antibiofilm activity by crystal violet assay and qRT-PCR. A murine pneumonia model was employed for the in vivo assessment of the antibacterial action of the algal extract. A. maxima showed a promising antibacterial action which was comparable to the action of colistin (standard drug). This was manifested by improving the pulmonary architecture, decreasing the inflammatory cell infiltration, and fibrosis after staining with hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome stain. Using immunohistochemical investigations, the percentage of the immunoreactive cells significantly decreased after using monoclonal antibodies of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin six. So, A. maxima may be considered a new candidate for the development of new antibacterial medications., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted according to the guidelines approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Tanta University. The approval code is TP/RE/4/24 p-002. Consent to participate is not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

The chloroform extract of leaves of E. dendroides L, reduced the levels of lipid profile in rats with hypercholesterolaemia to near-normal levels. Additionally, it significantly decreased the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA). In addition, the extract augmented the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) in the hypercholesterolemic treated rats. The docking results verified the binding mechanism of isolated compound as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. The identified compound has the essential pharmacophoric features of Simvastatin. Furthermore, the ADMET profile of an isolated terpene was computed and compared to that of simvastatin as a reference medication. This compound demonstrated a favourable absorption rate of 90.44, which is similar to that of simvastatin (94. 63). Additionally, it demonstrated better CNS penetration and lower excretion rates than simvastatin, resulting in a longer duration of action. It also has an extensive therapeutic window and better selectivity towards cancer cells in opposition to normal cells.

Objective: The objective of this study is to present the clinical characteristics of immunoglobulin G4-related diseases (IgG4-RD) patients and describe associated overlap with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs)., Patients and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 81 patients with IgG4-RD who were recruited from 13 specialized rheumatology departments and centers across the country in collaboration with the Egyptian College of Rheumatology (ECR). Patients underwent a thorough history-taking and clinical examination. We reviewed patients' medical records and recorded the medications they used. The presence of comorbidities or cumulative manifestations was determined. Laboratory investigations, imaging, and biopsy histopathology were assessed., Results: The mean (SD) age was 41.4 (14.6) years with 60 females and 21 males (F/M 2.9:1). The diagnosis was definite in 50 (61.7%), probable in 19 (23.5%), and possible in 12 (14.8%). The most common cumulative clinical features are IgG4-related respiratory disease in 19 (23.5%), autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in 18 (22.2%), and Riedel's thyroiditis in 17 (21.0%). Approximately 80% were administered corticosteroids, whereas 40% received azathioprine as adjunct therapy. Approximately 16% developed a relapse with this combination and transitioned to an alternative steroid-sparing treatment. Twelve individuals (14.7%) required rituximab. Fifty percent of patients receiving rituximab (six patients) exhibited complete improvement, while the remaining had partial improvement. Ten (12.3%) patients had associated ARDs: five (6.2%) with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), four (4.9%) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and one with vasculitis. Of the four patients with associated RA, three were rheumatoid factor (RF) negative. IgG4 was in all cases, RF was positive in 18.5%, and antinuclear antibody was in 14.7%., Conclusion: IgG4-RDs exhibit a wide range of presentations, closely associated with ARDs. Awareness among clinicians about this condition will increase their consideration and rate of prompt diagnosis, which is essential to prevent damage to critical organs. Key Points • IgG4-RDs have a myriad spectrum of presentation with a close link to rheumatic diseases. • Awareness among clinicians about this condition will increase their consideration and rate of prompt diagnosis. • The lack of reliable biomarkers for this condition has been an important hurdle for diagnosis., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Patients in the corresponding university-teaching hospitals and centers of excellence provided informed consent to participate in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments [18]. The study was approved by the Mansoura Faculty of Medicine Institutional Research Board (MFM-IRB) (approval number: R.23.09.2349). Consent for publication: Not applicable. Disclosures: None., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Fasting regimens have shown profound impact on pro-longevity and tissue regeneration in diverse species. Physiological events can induce a regenerative response in adult stem cells. However, little is known about signaling and activation of adult stem cells which are modulated by fasting. This study analyzed the presence of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) and their circulation in the peripheral blood (PB) of healthy male adults practicing Ramadan fasting. Ten healthy male volunteers were enrolled in this prospective observational study. PB samples were collected twice daily on days 0, 10, 20, and 30 of Ramadan fasting (RF). Populations of stem cells and serum soluble factors were analyzed by flow cytometry. As a response to RF, we report an increase in the average absolute count of circulating of HSPCs, defined as LIN - CD45 - and LIN - CD45 + cell subsets expressing the stem markers, CD34 and CD133. Changes in the number of HSPCs subsets reflected changes in the peripheral concentration of chemoattractant soluble factors during fasting. A chemotaxis assay showed a migratory property of HSPCs towards plasma, collected at D30 of fasting that contained a higher concentration of SCF and G-CSF. The relationship between RF and an increase in the number of circulating HSPCs in part, describes a regenerative response to the physiological changes during fasting and may open opportunities to define the role of dietary intervention in the stem cell therapy.

Objective: This study aims to determine the prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B and C Infections among Egyptian injection drug users (IDUs) and identify key risk factors contributing to their occurrence within this high-risk group., Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 200 Egyptian IDUs were assessed. Participants were negative for Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA, with anti-HCV positive patients who achieved sustained virologic response after treatment included. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect HCV RNA in plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, while HBV DNA was identified via nested PCR. Comparisons were made between Occult Hepatitis B infection (OBI) positive and OBI negative subgroups, as well as between other comprehensive income (OCI) positive and OCI negative subgroups. A significance level of 0.05 was set, with P-values below this indicating statistical significance. Statistical comparisons between OBI and OCI-positive and negative groups were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Chi-square test., Results: OBI was found in 32% of IDUs, while OCI was detected in 42% of IDUs, and was present in 53.6% of seropositive individuals. All OBI patients showed a significant increase in all liver function tests, while OCI patients had significant elevations in alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase values. HIV coinfection was identified in 39.1% and 26.1% of OBI and OCI cases respectively. OBI and OCI coinfection were detected in 31 patients., Conclusion: Hidden infections such as OBI and OCI remain an overlooked public health issue in Egypt's IDU population. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies to address these reservoirs of infection and could inform similar approaches in countries with comparable HBV/HCV epidemiology., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © International Journal of Health Sciences.)

Objectives: This study analyzes the stimulation parameters implemented during two successful trials that used non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) to effectively improve upper extremity function after chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). It proposes a framework to guide stimulation programming decisions for the successful translation of these techniques into the clinic., Materials and Methods: Programming data from 60 participants who completed the Up-LIFT trial and from 17 participants who subsequently completed the LIFT Home trial were analyzed. All observations of stimulation amplitudes, frequencies, waveforms, and electrode configurations were examined. The incidence of adverse events and relatedness to stimulation parameters is reported. A comparison of parameter usage across the American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) subgroups was conducted to evaluate stimulation strategies across participants with varying degrees of sensorimotor preservation., Results: Active (cathodal) electrodes were typically placed between the C3/C4 and C6/C7 spinous processes. Most sessions featured return (anodal) electrodes positioned bilaterally over the anterior superior iliac spine, although clavicular placement was frequently used by 12 participants. Stimulation was delivered with a 10-kHz carrier frequency and typically a 30-Hz burst frequency. Biphasic waveforms were used in 83% of sessions. Average stimulation amplitudes were higher for biphasic waveforms. The AIS B subgroup required significantly higher amplitudes than did the AIS C and D subgroups. Device-related adverse events were infrequent, and not correlated with specific waveforms or amplitudes. Within the home setting, participants maintained their current amplitudes within 1% of the preset values. The suggested stimulation programming framework dictates the following hierarchical order of parameter adjustments: current amplitude, waveform type, active/return electrode positioning, and burst frequency, guided by clinical observations as required., Conclusions: This analysis summarizes effective stimulation parameters from the trials and provides a decision-making framework for clinical implementation of tSCS for upper extremity functional restoration after SCI. The parameters are aligned with existing literature and proved safe and well tolerated by participants., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Kristen Gelenitis, Jared Pradarelli, Jenny Suggitt, Amanda Turner, and Markus Rieger are employees of ONWARD Medical. Andrea Santamaria, Jessica M D’Amico, Edelle Field-Fote, and Chet Moritz are paid consultants of ONWARD Medical. The remaining authors reported no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Finding a protocol that could prevent bone resorption and be implemented in clinical practice would be crucial in providing sufficient bone to replace missing teeth with implants., Purpose: The study aimed to determine the effectiveness of different centrifugation platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) protocols in new bone formation and bone regenerative markers., Study Design, Setting and Sample: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at Izmir Katip Çelebi Research Hospital, a population-based facility in Izmir, Turkey. Study subjects were composed of patients who required extraction of anterior teeth. Exclusion criteria included periodontal disease, resorption of alveolar bone, defects, smoking, alcoholism, and systemic diseases., Independent Variable: The independent variable was the PRF protocol. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: leukocyte platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF), advanced platelet-rich fibrin (A-PRF) and control groups (healing naturally)., Main Outcome Variable: The primary outcome of interest was the percentage of new bone formation, determined by analyzing the staining intensity in histomorphometric assessments of bone samples collected 8 weeks after extraction. The secondary outcomes were regenerative effects measured by the immunohistochemical expression of markers such as osteocalcin, alkaline phosphatase, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Potential benefits were evaluated by clinical observations of pain, swelling, membrane visibility and healing., Covariates: The covariates were age, sex and health conditions., Analyses: Histologic comparative staining intensities and biomarkers expression between groups were evaluated by one way analysis of variance. A difference of P < .05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The study included 57 subjects, with a mean age of 45 years (±5.6); 30 were male (53%) and 27 female (47%). The control group had a mean new bone formation of 32.68% (±2.5), the A-PRF group 61.37% (±3.0), and the L-PRF group 70.74% (±3.5) (P < .001). The A-PRF group showed significantly higher osteocalcin expression than the control group (P = .013). Alkaline phosphatase and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression scores for PRF groups were significantly higher than the control group's (P = .001). Both groups demonstrated significantly lower pain scores, reduced gingival swelling, better membrane visibility, and healing compared to the control group., Conclusion and Relevance: PRF enhanced bone formation rates, with L-PRF showing the most significant effect., (Copyright © 2025 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the accuracy of a large language model (LLM) in measuring clinician adherence to practice guidelines for monitoring side effects after prescribing medications for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)., Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study of electronic health records. Cohort included children aged 6 to 11 years with ADHD diagnosis and 2 or more ADHD medication encounters (stimulants or nonstimulants prescribed) between 2015 and 2022 in a community-based primary health care network (n = 1201). To identify documentation of side effects inquiry, we trained, tested, and deployed an open-source LLM (LLaMA) on all clinical notes from ADHD-related encounters (ADHD diagnosis or ADHD medication prescription), including in-clinic/telehealth and telephone encounters (n = 15 628 notes). Model performance was assessed using holdout and deployment test sets, compared with manual medical record review., Results: The LLaMA model accurately classified notes that contained side effects inquiry (sensitivity = 87.2, specificity = 86.3, area under curve = 0.93 on holdout test set). Analyses revealed no model bias in relation to patient sex or insurance. Mean age (SD) at first prescription was 8.8 (1.6) years; characteristics were mostly similar across patients with and without documented side effects inquiry. Rates of documented side effects inquiry were lower for telephone encounters than for in-clinic/telehealth encounters (51.9% vs 73.0%, P < .001). Side effects inquiry was documented in 61.4% of encounters after stimulant prescriptions and 48.5% of encounters after nonstimulant prescriptions (P = .041)., Conclusions: Deploying an LLM on a variable set of clinical notes, including telephone notes, offered scalable measurement of quality of care and uncovered opportunities to improve psychopharmacological medication management in primary care., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Background & Aims: Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prior to liver transplantation (LT) has been reported; however, ICIs may elevate the risk of allograft rejection and impact other clinical outcomes. This study aims to summarize the impact of ICI use on post-LT outcomes., Methods: In this individual patient data meta-analysis, we searched databases to identify HCC cases treated with ICIs before LT, detailing allograft rejection, HCC recurrence, and overall survival. We performed Cox regression analysis to identify risk factors for allograft rejection., Results: Among 91 eligible patients, with a median (IQR) follow-up of 690.0 (654.5) days, there were 24 (26.4%) allograft rejections, 9 (9.9%) HCC recurrences, and 9 (9.9%) deaths. Age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] per 10 years 0.72, 95% CI 0.53-0.99, p = 0.044) and ICI washout time (aHR per 1 week 0.92, 95% CI 0.86-0.99, p = 0.022) were associated with allograft rejection. The median (IQR) washout period for patients with ≤20% probability of allograft rejection was 94 (196) days. Overall survival did not differ between cases with and without allograft rejection (log-rank test, p = 0.2). Individuals with HCC recurrence had fewer median (IQR) ICI cycles than those without recurrence (4.0 [1.8] vs. 8.0 [9.0]; p = 0.025). The proportion of patients within Milan post-ICI was lower for those with recurrence vs. without (16.7% vs. 65.3%, p = 0.032)., Conclusion: Patients have acceptable post-LT outcomes after ICI therapy. Age and ICI washout length relate to the allograft rejection risk, and a 3-month washout may reduce it to that of patients without ICI exposure. Number of ICI cycles and tumor burden may affect recurrence risk. Large prospective studies are necessary to confirm these associations., Impact and Implications: This systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis of 91 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and immune checkpoint inhibitor use prior to liver transplantation suggest acceptable overall post-transplant outcomes. Older age and longer immune checkpoint inhibitor washout period have a significant inverse association with the risk of allograft rejection. A 3-month washout may reduce it to that of patients without immune checkpoint inhibitor exposure. Additionally, a higher number of immune checkpoint inhibitor cycles and tumor burden within Milan criteria at the completion of immunotherapy may predict a decreased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence, but this observation requires further validation in larger prospective studies., (Copyright © 2024 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of standing powered wheelchair (SPWC) users with spinal cord injury (SCI)., Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 20 participants with SCI. SPWC daily usage time (total, in sitting position and standing position) and the frequency of using the SPWC's standing feature were recorded. Participants' level of satisfaction and comfort associated with the SPWC were assessed on a five-point Likert scale. If there was a dissatisfaction reason with the SPWC, the issues related to it were recorded. Participants were asked about their positive and adverse experiences with the use of SPWC., Results: Mean age of the participants was 41.65 (± 9.35) years. Eighty percent were tetraplegic. Ninety percent of the participants stood for at least 30 minutes at least one day a week, and 55% stood for at least 30 minutes at least four days a week. The most commonly reported perceived benefits were improvement in activities of daily living, bowel movements, and blood pressure regulation, better perception of body image, and feeling better. The most frequently identified reasons for dissatisfaction with the SPWC were its big dimensions, heavy weight, and difficulty of use in indoor environment and on uneven surfaces., Conclusions: The findings show positive perceived experiences for SPWC users with SCI in terms of physical, social, and psychological aspects. Prospective controlled studies are needed to explore the benefits of SPWC use regarding secondary complications of SCI.

Background: Xenophobia plays a pivotal role in influencing the delivery of culturally competent care. Nevertheless, the relationship between intercultural sensitivity, ethnocentrism, socio-demographic characteristics and xenophobia in nursing students remains undetermined., Aim: This study aimed to determine the relationship between intercultural sensitivity, ethnocentrism, socio-demographic characteristics and xenophobia in nursing students., Methods and Participants: The study involved 1045 nursing students from six universities in Türkiye. Data were collected using the "Participant Information Form," the "Intercultural Sensitivity Scale," the "Ethnocentrism Scale," and the "Xenophobia Scale." Multiple linear regression was employed for the analysis., Results: Intercultural sensitivity (β = -0.09; p = 0.028) emerged as a negative predictor of xenophobia levels in students, while ethnocentrism (β = 0.17; p = 0.000) was identified as a positive predictor of xenophobia levels. Additionally, socio-demographic characteristics, including age, living in an extended family, academic year, participation in intercultural nursing courses, and interaction with immigrant neighbors, were established as significant predictors of xenophobia., Conclusion: This study revealed a direct correlation between higher intercultural sensitivity and reduced xenophobia, whereas an increase in ethnocentrism was linked to elevated levels of xenophobia. These results offer valuable insights for educators and policymakers to combat xenophobia and design targeted interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Clozapine (CLO) is an atypical antipsychotic drug indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The treatment effectiveness of CLO is better than that of other atypical antipsychotics, and it has the advantage of being able to determine its effectiveness by measuring its concentration in the patient's blood. Thus, sensitive, selective, and accurate determination of CLO in blood is highly significant for treatment monitoring. This study describes the design and fabrication of a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical sensor for CLO determination. This is the first MIP-based electrochemical application in the literature for CLO determination. Employing the thermal polymerization approach, the MIP was formed on the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) using CLO as the template, trans-3-(3-Pyridyl)acrylic acid (3,3-TA) as the functional monomer, and the support of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs). Elaborate characterizations in terms of surface morphology and electrochemistry were performed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. An indirect approach was employed to determine CLO in standard solution, real human biological samples, and tablet formulation, using 5 × 10 -3  M [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3-/4- solution as the redox probe. The limit of detection (LOD) values for the standard solution and serum sample were calculated as 2.9 × 10 -11  M and 6.01 × 10 -12  M, respectively. These values and recovery studies confirmed the sensor's sensitivity and feasibility. The measurements in the presence of similarly structured compounds (olanzapine and quetiapine fumarate) verified the sensor's superior selectivity. Moreover, the developed sensor's performance was compared and verified using an LC-MS/MS method using the student's t-test and F-test., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is an uncommon form of cerebrovascular disease. Although our understanding of CVST has improved significantly over the past decades, there has been no bibliometric analysis of CVST until now. We aimed to examine and visualize the hotspots and trends of the research related to CVST using a bibliometric analysis based on Citespace and provide new insights for scholars in their future researches in this area., Methods: The literature on CVST was collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Bibliometric analysis was performed using CiteSpace (6.2.R3) Advanced software., Results: A total of 2396 articles were included in the analysis. Publications regarding CVST have increased over time. U.S.A. contributed the most articles. Ferro JM had the highest number of published papers. Stroke was the journal with the most publications and the most commonly cited journal. Nine out of the top 10 cited journals belong to Q1. The risk factors for CVST, emerging and current treatment of CVST, and CVST related to COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines are the major potential research hot spots and trends., Conclusions: CVST is a rapidly expanding research area and has received increasing attention by the researchers. Our study can provide researchers valuable information on the current status and trends in this area and guide for future studies.

Objective: This study examined patients with normal hearing thresholds who had trouble understanding speech in noise. We used electrocochleography (ECochG) to detect and compare SP/AP amplitude area ratios, a potential indicator of cochlear synaptopathy, and investigate speech perception disorder in noise., Methods: The study included 68 people aged between 18 and 65 years, 35 patients and 33 healthy volunteers, who applied to the otorhinolaryngology clinic between November 2023 and March 2024 with a 2-month history of difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments. Everyone was given a tiptrode electrode ECochG test, and the results were compared between groups. An ECochG test was recorded with tiptrode electrodes and was performed on all participants, and the results were compared between groups., Results: In the ECochG test, the summation potential/action potential (SP/AP) amplitude and area ratios of patients who had difficulty understanding speech in a noisy environment were statistically higher than those of the control group., Conclusion: ECochG testing may provide additional evidence to evaluate auditory nerve pathways., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical Otolaryngology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The current study focused on predicting future trends in obstetrics by examining obstetricians' approaches to specific challenging vaginal delivery that require special experience, such as breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use, compared with their residency training experience., Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was qualitative and the second phase was quantitative. The "interview" and "survey" techniques served as data collection tools. In total, 20 obstetricians participated in the interviews, and 400 obstetricians took part in the survey. Data from the interviews were analyzed using the Maxqda 2020 qualitative data analysis program, and survey data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0., Results: Over the past 2 decades, there has been a gradual shift from vaginal deliveries to cesarean deliveries in cases involving breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use. While medicolegal concerns are undeniable, the prevalent belief among obstetricians that cesarean delivery is safer than vaginal delivery significantly influences this trend. Comparatively, young obstetricians often complete their residency training without acquiring sufficient knowledge and skills in vaginal delivery., Conclusion: Young obstetricians currently lack adequate experience in managing vaginal deliveries for breech presentation, macrosomic fetus, twin pregnancy, and vacuum use. This experience is at risk of disappearing entirely within the next decade as senior obstetricians retire. Policymakers should take this into consideration when shaping future healthcare policies., (© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Aims: Computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) aim to prevent adverse drug events. However, these systems generate an overload of alerts that are not always clinically relevant. Anticoagulants are frequently involved in these alerts. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficiency of CDSS alerts on anticoagulants in Dutch hospital pharmacies., Methods: A multicentre, single-day, cross-sectional study was conducted using a flashmob design in Dutch hospital pharmacies, which have CDSSs that operate on both a national medication surveillance database and on self-developed clinical rules. Hospital pharmacists and pharmacy technicians collected data on the number and type of alerts and time needed for assessing these alerts. The primary outcome was the CDSS efficiency on anticoagulants, defined as the percentage of alerts on anticoagulants that led to an intervention. Secondary outcomes where among other CDSSs efficiency related to any medications and the time expenditure. Descriptive data-analysis was used., Results: Of the 69 hospital pharmacies invited, 42 (61%) participated. The efficiency of CDSS alerts on anticoagulants was 4.0% (interquartile range [IQR] 14.0%) for the national medication surveillance database alerts and 14.3% (IQR 40.0%) for alerts from clinical rules. For any medication, the efficiency was lower: 1.8% (IQR 7.5%) and 13.4% (IQR 21.5%) respectively. The median time for assessing the relevance of all alerts was 2 (IQR 1:21) h/day for pharmacists and 6 (IQR 5:01) h/day for pharmacy technicians., Conclusion: CDSS efficiency is generally low, both for anticoagulants and any medication, while the time investment is high. Optimization of CDSSs is needed., (© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.)

New complexes with the formula of [ML(Cys)(H 2 O) 2 ] were obtained as a result of the reaction between the oxime ligand [HL: 4-(4-bromophenylaminoisonitrosoacetyl)biphenyl], cysteine (Cys), and the metal(II) salts (Mn, Ni, Co, Zn, Cu). The newly synthesized compounds were characterized using conventional techniques such as molar conductance, magnetic measurements, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, and thermal analysis (TGA/DTA). Based on the conductivity measurements in DMF, it was determined that the complexes were non-electrolytes. The TGA/DTA analysis was performed to examine the thermal stability and degradation behavior of all samples, and results demonstrated that metal oxides or sulfides formed as a result of the decompositions. In conjunction with other data obtained, the elemental analysis confirmed the octahedral coordination of the complexes with deprotonated oxime (O, O-donor) and amino acid (N, S-donor) ligands and two coordinated waters. The compounds' optimized geometries, molecular electrostatic potential diagrams, and frontier molecular orbitals were computed at the DFT/B3LYP level using the 6-311 G(d,p) and LANL2DZ basis sets. The antibacterial and DNA cleavage activities of all synthesized compounds were also screened, and molecular docking simulations were performed. According to the results of molecular docking studies conducted with three different proteins, the best interaction was found to be between HL-1HNJ with a binding energy of -9.5 kcal/mol. The stability of the HL-1HNJ complex was also verified by a molecular dynamics simulation performed for 50 ns.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

This study aims to characterize idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) using proteomic analysis to enhance diagnosis and treatment strategies. In a prospective case-control clinical trial, vitreous fluids (VF) from twelve iERM patients were collected during surgery and analyzed by 2DE-based MALDI TOF-TOF MS/MS. PANTHER and STRING analyses were performed to investigate the biological relationships between the identified proteins and to determine relevant cellular pathways. A total of 148 proteins were identified, including 24 that were unique to iERM. Grouping the proteins by biological processes revealed that most were involved in cell adhesion (n = 6), proteolysis (n = 10), and complement activation (n = 8). Compared to control VF, 12 proteins were upregulated and 12 downregulated in iERM VF, with the differentially expressed proteins strongly associated with inflammation. Proteomic analysis highlighted complement and inflammatory proteins as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets for iERM. Given that inflammation and fibrosis play critical roles in iERM, further investigation into these differential proteins holds significant clinical relevance. Despite the challenge of recruiting suitable patients, we believe the results of this study provide a valuable foundation for future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Abstract: Shaping the ear cartilage and preserving the shape are important and quite difficult. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Wharton's jelly-derived stem cell-assisted electromechanical reshaping method in a rabbit ear cartilage defect model and to compare it with surgical reshaping.For the purpose of 25 × 4-mm cartilage defect reconstruction, 48 rabbit ears were divided into 2 main groups according to the shaping method, and these main groups were divided into 3 subgroups according to stem cell injection: control, sham, and stem cell.A rabbit ear cartilage defect was created, and rib cartilage was collected for reconstruction. Although electromechanical reshaping was performed in accordance with the rabbit ear geometry angle, surgical scoring and suturing were performed in the classical method. Stem cells were applied in the first week, and the grafts were removed in the first month. Analyses included angular change, weight change, and histopathology.In this study, electromechanical reshaping was histopathologically similar to surgical reshaping and is more effective in preserving the shape. Cartilage thickness and weight were higher in stem cell groups.Electromechanical reshaping is emerging as an effective and standardized method to maintain cartilage stability and geometry and offers a viable alternative to classic surgical techniques. In addition, stem cell application gave physical strength to cartilage. It is a method that allows us to obtain more stable and more durable cartilages that maintain given shape with the combination of Wharton jelly-assisted electromechanical reshaping method., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

The study aimed to evaluate University Students' diet quality and sustainable eating behaviors, with the intention of developing strategies to promote healthy eating habits. We questioned the sociodemographic characteristics and general eating habits of the students. We administered Mediterranean diet quality scale (KIDMED) and Behaviors Scale Towards Sustainable Nutrition (BSTSN) to 300 Turkish students. We found that 163 of the students' diet quality was moderate level. KIDMED score positively correlated with the BSTSN score (r=0.306, p<0.001). When higher night eating habits predicted lower diet quality (β=-0.117, p=0.038), higher main meals and sustainable eating behavior predicted higher diet quality (β=0.145, p=0.009 and β=0.258, p<0.001, respectively). The results indicate that students generally have moderate diet quality, which sustainable eating behaviors can enhance. Night eating habits and dietary patterns impact diet quality, highlighting the importance of meal planning. To promote healthy eating, universities should incorporate sustainability into curricula and provide supportive facilities.

Background: Chronic constipation is a gastrointestinal functional disorder which affects patient quality of life. Therefore, many studies were oriented to search herbal laxative agents. In this study, we investigated the phytochemical composition of beetroot juice (BJ) and its laxative potential in an experimental model of constipation and colonic dysmotility induced by loperamide (LOP) in Wistar rats., Methods: Animals were concurrently pretreated with LOP (3 mg/kg, b.w., i.p.) and BJ (5 and 10 mL/kg, b.w., p.o.), or yohimbine (2 mg/kg, b.w., i.p.), during 1 week. The laxative activity was determined based on the weight, frequency, and water content of the feces matter. The gastric-emptying test and intestinal transit were determined. Colon histology was examined, and oxidative status was evaluated using biochemical-colorimetric methods., Key Results: The in vivo study revealed that LOP induced a significant inhibition of gastrointestinal motility, negative consequences on defecation parameters, oxidative stress, and colonic mucosa lesions. Conversely, administration of BJ reestablished these parameters and restored colonic oxidative balance. Importantly, BJ treatment protected against LOP-induced inflammatory markers (pro-inflammatory cytokines and WBC) and the increase in intracellular mediators such as hydrogen peroxide, free iron, and calcium levels., Conclusions & Inferences: This study demonstrated that the bioactive compounds in BJ provided an anti-constipation effect by modulating intestinal motility and regulating oxidative stress and inflammation induced by LOP intoxication., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The diagnosis of epilepsy based on visual inspection of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is inherently complex and prone to error, even for physicians, mainly due to the large number of signals involved and the variability between individuals. These same challenges make the development of portable epilepsy diagnostic systems for everyday use difficult. Key obstacles include the immense complexity of signal processing and the inherent ambiguity in accurately classifying disease. For these reasons, we propose in this paper the deployment of compressive sensing to condense EEG signals while preserving relevant information, allowing seizure classification based on systematically selected features of the reconstructed signals. Based on a dataset comprising EEG recordings from 13 epileptic patients with various seizure types, we explore the deployment of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) and random matrix multiplication for compression ratios ranging from 5% to 70%, balancing data reduction with signal fidelity. Following the extraction of relevant features, selection was performed based on mutual information and a correlation matrix to preserve only the most relevant features for analysis. For classification, following a comparison of adequate machine learning models, XGBoost is chosen as it realizes a classification accuracy of 98.78%. The CS method was implemented on an STM32 microcontroller and a Raspberry Pi for reconstruction and classification, to demonstrate feasibility as an embedded system. At 70% compression, significant improvements have been observed: 70% file size reduction, 84% decrease in transmission time (from 2518.532s to 400.392s), and substantial energy savings (e.g., from 11.5±0.707 mWh to 4.5±0.707 mWh for Patient 12). Thereby, the signal quality was maintained with PSNR of 16.15±3.98 and Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.68±0.15. The proposed system highlights the potential for efficient, portable, real-time epilepsy diagnosis systems that achieve precise and fully automated seizure classification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of putrescine, anti-apoptotic, antioxidant, and a cell proliferation stimulant, on embryo development and quality by supplementing it to in vitro culture medium. In this study, oocytes were obtained from the ovaries of Holstein cattle. Following maturation and fertilization, the presumptive zygotes were randomly assigned to two groups. The first group (Putrescine, n = 435) was supplemented with putrescine at a concentration of 0.5 mM to in vitro culture. The second group (n = 407) was maintained under standard culture conditions without any supplementations to the medium. Following the determination of the developmental stages of the embryos, only those in the blastocyst stage were subjected to differential staining and the cell numbers of the embryos were determined. Moreover, the TUNEL assay was employed to ascertain the extent of cell death and the apoptotic index in the embryos. Additionally, the levels of ROS were determined in the embryos. Furthermore, gene expression analyses were conducted on blastocyst-stage embryos to ascertain the potential of putrescine supplementation in embryo development along specific pathways. Following in vitro culture, the blastocyst formation rate was 44.37 % in the putrescine group and 32.97 % in the control group (P < 0.05). The counts of ICM (60.60 ± 15.79 vs 50.73 ± 16.74), TE (117.70 ± 23.67 vs 94.0 ± 22.46), and TCC (178.30 ± 26.15 vs 144.73 ± 26.86) were found to be statistically higher in blastocysts developing after putrescine supplementation compared to the control group. Furthermore, the number of apoptotic cells (7.69 ± 2.17 vs 9.96 ± 3.99) and the apoptotic index (5.07 % vs 8.01 %) were found to be lower in the putrescine group in comparison to the control group. Nevertheless, it was established that the ROS level in the control group was approximately two-fold higher than in the putrescine group (P < 0.05). The findings also revealed that putrescine up-regulated the gene expression of SOD, GPX4, CAT, BCL2, NANOG and GATA3 while simultaneously down-regulating the BAX expression level. In conclusion, the supplementation of putrescine to the culture medium during in vitro bovine embryo production was found to contribute to the improvement of embryo quality and early embryonic development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In pediatric cardiology, the fact that some new biomarkers have assay-specific normal values has to be considered for correct clinical decisions. The current study aimed to provide age-adjusted normative values for NT-proBNP and Galectin-3 using the Abbott immunoassay system from a prospective French pediatric cohort sera collection and to validate our data for NT-proBNP on a second retrospective cohort., Methods: We analyzed 283 consecutive samples for NT-proBNP and 140 samples for Galectin-3 collected from apparently healthy children (0-18 years) with outpatient treatment at our institution (Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, Paris, France) during 24 months., Results: For NT-proBNP and Galectin-3, we establish four age partitions, respectively two (<2 years / >2 years) and establish upper reference values and their 90 % CI for each biomarker (Galectin-3 (ng/mL): 56 [44-70] / 26 [23-29]). We evaluated the diagnostic performance of our upper reference values of NT-proBNP on a retrospective cohort (n = 428) with positive predictive value of 0.92., Conclusions: Using Abbott immunoassay system, we report age-specific reference values for NT-proBNP and for the first time for Galectin-3 in a healthy French pediatric cohort. These data call for larger cohort studies to define more robustly percentiles and diagnostic performance for NT-proBNP., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Pregnancy brings out significant physiological, psychological, and sexual changes that may lead to sexual dysfunction. Our study aimed to explore common beliefs about sexuality during pregnancy among pregnant women and to assess sexual dysfunction in this population., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study between March and August 2022, involving pregnant women regardless of their pregnancy term. A self-administered questionnaire was digitized using Google Forms®, and the Female Sexual Function Index was used to identify the presence of sexual dysfunction., Results: A total of 34 women with a mean age of 31.56 ± 3.25 years participated in our study. Among the participating women, 29.5% had questions about sexuality during pregnancy, 26.5% sought information from caregivers, and 41.2% received spontaneous information from their doctors. Regarding common beliefs, some pregnant women thought that sexual intercourse could harm the fetus (20.6%) or their own health (17.6%). Sexual dysfunction was found in 70.6%, and no significant associations were found between the presence of sexual dysfunction and the sociodemographic or clinical data related to ongoing pregnancy., Conclusions: The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction during pregnancy is quite high. Providing accurate information and advice from trained professionals can dispel misconceptions, demystify beliefs about sexuality, and improve the sexual performance of couples during pregnancy., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Background: Nutritional profiles and guidelines are determined by various associations to ensure optimum health of cats and provide pet food manufacturers nutritional recommendations to ensure the well-balanced and nutritionally adequate pet food., Objectives: It was aimed to determine some trace elements and macro minerals in prescription and non-prescription dry cat foods and compare the contents with the suggested guidelines to evaluate the potential in-compliance., Methods: A total of 96 dry cat foods were evaluated. Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn, Mg, Ca and P concentrations were analysed in prescription dry cat foods developed for gastrointestinal diseases-GI (n = 18), renal diseases-R (n = 15), urinary diseases-U (n = 8), obesity-O (n = 10) and non-prescription-N-P (n = 45) foods from different flavours and brands by ICP-OES., Results: Ten precent of the O group exceeded the upper limit, and 15.5% of the N-P group failed to provide a nutritional minimum level. 4.44% of prescription foods were below the minimum recommended Mn level according to the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF), and 66% of N-P foods were below the minimum adult maintenance value recommended by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). One hundred percent non-compliance with the guidelines in the GI and U groups was recorded. 22.2% of the GI group was lower, and 5.55% of the GI group was higher than the recommended levels by FEDIAF, which reflects the 27.7% in compliance. While all the prescription foods have 100% compliance with the determined minimum level of guidelines, 11.1% of N-P foods were below the minimum recommended level. In compliance with the guidelines for Ca was noted in the O and U groups (10% and 12.5%, respectively). The P ratio in all prescription food groups except for GI was below the minimum level determined by AAFCO., Conclusions: In all food groups, mean Cu, Fe, Mn, Mg, Ca and P concentrations were between the minimum and maximum limits recommended by FEDIAF. However, the mean Se level was above the upper legal limit in all food groups, and the Zn level was below the minimum recommended level in the N-P food group. Besides the mean values, a high number of foods in each group show a broad in-compliance with the guidelines., (© 2024 The Author(s). Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The present study aimed to unveil the gastroprotective potential of Vaccinium macrocarpon (VM) extract and its mechanism of action against indomethacin (INDO)-induced gastric ulcers in rats. To achieve this goal, rats were pretreated with either omeprazole (20 mg/kg) or VM (100 mg/kg) orally for 14 consecutive days. Gastric tissue samples were collected and various parameters were evaluated to understand the mechanism of VM's action, including the levels of superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione, CAT and transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), as well as the mRNA expression levels of tumour necrosis factor alpha, interleukin 1 beta, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and inhibitor kappa B (IκB). Additionally, the immunopositivity of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1, COX-2, PGE2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and caspase-3 was assessed. The total amount of phenolic compounds present in the VM extract was high (58.08 µg/mL gallic acid equivalent/mg extract). The healing effect of VM was demonstrated by an increase in the expression of PCNA. Furthermore, the level of TGF-β was found to increase upon treatment with VM. Analyses of COX-1, COX-2 and PGE2 expression in gastric tissue confirmed the gastroprotective effect of VM. Notably, the expression of NF-κB was markedly reduced, whereas that of IκB was substantially increased. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that VM extract has gastroprotective and curative effects against INDO-induced ulcers through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, mucosal regenerative and anti-apoptotic activities. Therefore, VM may serve as a useful adjuvant treatment for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-induced gastric ulcer disease., (© 2025 The Author(s). Veterinary Medicine and Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Implantable port catheters and their needles may cause cancer patients to experience fear of pain., Objective: The aim of this article was to study the effect of video information provided before implantable port catheter insertion on the fear of pain and on postoperative pain level., Methods: The study is a randomized controlled trial conducted between July and December 2022 at a university hospital with a total of 84 cancer patients: intervention group (42) and control group (42). Descriptive analyses, χ 2 analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Student's t test were used to assess the data., Results: In the preoperative period, the mean score of the fear of severe pain subdimension of the patients in the control group was found to be higher than that of the patients in the intervention group ( P < .05). When the postoperative pain levels of the patients were evaluated, no difference between the visual analog scale scores of the experimental and control groups was found ( P > .05)., Conclusion: Video information provided before the insertion of an implantable port catheter was found to reduce the fear of severe pain in cancer patients, but postoperative pain levels were not affected., Implications for Practice: The use of audiovisual materials such as videos for multimedia-based information is effective in making remembering the information easy. Video-based information may be more useful in managing fear of pain in patients than traditional verbal information. The findings of this study can serve as a guide for clinical work and for developing targeted measures to reduce fear of pain., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Liver is responsible for the metabolization processes of up to 90 % of compounds and toxins in the body. Therefore liver-on-a-chip systems, as an in vitro promising cell culture platform, have great importance for fundamental science and drug development. In most of the liver-on-a-chip studies, seeding cells on both sides of a porous membrane, which represents the basement membrane, fail to resemble the native characteristics of biochemical, biophysical, and mechanical properties. In this study, polycarbonate (PC) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) membranes were coated with gelatin to address this issue by accurately mimicking the native basement membrane present in the space of Disse. Various coating methods were used, including doctor blade, gel micro-injection, electrospinning, and spin coating. Spin coating was demonstrated to be the most effective technique owing to the ability to produce thin gel thickness with desirable surface roughness for cell interactions on both sides of the membrane. HepG2 and EA.HY926 cells were seeded on the upper and bottom sides of the gelatin-coated PET membrane and cultured on-chip for 7 days. Cell viability increased from 90 % to 95 %, while apoptotic index decreased. Albumin secretion notably rose between days 1-7 and 4-7, while GST-α secretion decreased from day 1 to day 7. In conclusion, the optimized spin coating process reported here can effectively modify the membranes to better mimic the native basement membrane niche characteristics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study evaluated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Cleome arabica (CA) fruit extract against bisphenol A (BPA)-induced ovarian injury in female Wistar rats. The antioxidant activity was estimated by the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide radical (NBT) content. For the in vivo analyses, 24 animals were divided into the following 4 groups: the control group; the BPA group (50 mg/kg BW BPA for 30 days); the BPA  + CA group (50 mg/kg BW BPA and 50 mg/kg BW CA); and the CA group (50 mg/kg BW CA). The in vitro results demonstrated that CA exhibited strong antioxidant activity and scavenged O 2 •- radicals. . Pharmacokinetic properties were also explored, reflecting the physiological dynamics of the five active molecules (quercetin, catechin, kaempferol, rosmarinic acid, and naringenin). The in vivo findings revealed a significant increase in body weight associated with a significant increase in plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α), and testosterone levels ( p  < 0.01). In addition, ovarian histological disruption was observed. However, co-administration of CA extract significantly improved ovarian histological integrity and attenuated inflammatory and androgenic disturbances. Moreover, in silico investigations showed that CA compounds interacted more strongly with the active sites of IL-1β, IL-6, or TNF-α. The best binding energy was observed between catechin (five H-bonds) and IL-1β and IL-6, at -6.0 and -6.1 kcal/mol, respectively, and between rosmarinic acid (four H-bonds) and TNF-α, at -6.4 kcal/mol. The present study supports the use of Cleome arabica in the treatment of infertility for female polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients., Competing Interests: Conflict of interestThe authors declare no conflict of interest.Informed consentWe, the undersigned, declare that this manuscript is original, has not been published before and is not currently being considered for publication, elsewhere. We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors (Table signatures below), and they, also, declared no conflict of interest. This study was approved by the local Ethical Committee for Animal Experimental Use at the Faculty of Science of Sfax/ Gafsa, Tunisia, and all animals were treated in accordance with its guidelines., (© King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.)

Objective: To examine the anatomical and morphological structure and potential pathological conditions of the submandibular gland by performing Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) sialography in patients with diabetes mellitus., Study Design: The submandibular salivary glands of 25 diabetic and 25 healthy volunteers were examined by CBCT sialography. The images were evaluated to determine the main and lateral canals, the diameter of the main canal, the presence of ductal stenosis, central ductal dilatation, acinar pooling, the presence of sialoliths, and the visualization of the main and lateral canals and parenchyma., Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the patients and controls in the diameters of the primary ducts of submandibular glands and the visibility of secondary and tertiary ducts, sialoliths, ductal stenosis, and acinar pooling (p > 0.05). Nevertheless, ductal dilatation and the location of ductal dilatation were statistically more prevalent in diabetic patients (p = 0.01 and p < 0.05, respectively)., Conclusion: The prevalence of sialolith, ductal stenosis, and peripheral ductal dilatation was higher among diabetic patients than in the control group, although this difference was not statistically significant. However, ductal dilatation was observed to be statistically significantly more prevalent in diabetics. CBCT sialography proved to be a valuable tool for demonstrating parenchymal changes., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

To investigate the effect of serum galectin-3 on naive neovascular AMD and its use as a serum marker by revealing the variation in this molecule between patient and control groups. Fifty-six naive neovascular AMD patients and 30 healthy control age-matched healthy subjects were included in this prospective case‒control study. Blood samples were obtained and used for analysis of complete blood count; High sensitivity C-reactive protein (HsCRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, homocysteine, HbA1c and galectin-3 levels. The average HsCRP level in the AMD group was significantly higher than that in the control group (p < 0.001). The median leukocyte count was significantly higher in the AMD group than in the control group (p < 0.001). Total cholesterol, LDL and TG levels were significantly higher in the AMD group than in the control group (p < 0.001; in all comparisons). The mean HDL level was significantly lower in the AMD group than in the control group (p < 0.001). The mean galectin-3 level was 8.79 ± 0.55 in the AMD group and 6.55 ± 0.55 in the control group. There was a statistically significant increase in galectin-3 levels in the AMD group (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CMT and galectin-3 levels in the control (r = 0.495, p = 0.005) and AMD (r = 0.776, p < 0.001) groups. This study reports that serum Gal-3 concentration was higher in the AMD group compared to the control group and positively correlated with CMT., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study protocol was approved by the local human research ethics committee from Recep Tayyip Erdogan University. Protocol number and date 2021/166 and 05.10.2021. All patients included in this study gave their informed consent, which adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, and written informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Consent was obtained from the patients. Consent was also obtained from our institution. Consent for publication: Consent was obtained from the patients. Consent was also obtained from our institution., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In this study, the olfactory threshold concentration was introduced in the statistical physics approach to provide fruitful and deep discussions. Indeed, a modified mono-layer mono-energy model established using statistical physics theory was successfully used to theoretically study the adsorption involved in the olfactory response of (R)-(-)-carvone and (S)-(+)-carvone key food odorants (KFOs) on cow (Bos taurus) olfactory receptor btOR1A1 through the analysis of the different model physicochemical parameters. Thus, stereographic results indicated that the two carvone enantiomers were non-parallelly docked on btOR1A1 binding sites during the adsorption process since the different values of n were superior to 1. Molecular docking studies suggest that the high olfactory response of (R)-(-)-carvone was attributed to the specific types of interactions observed. The energetic results showed via the fitted values of the molar adsorption energies, which were positive and lower than 5 kJ/mol, that the studied enantiomers were exothermically physisorbed via conventional hydrogen bond, pi-alkyl, alkyl, pi-sigma, and van der Waals interactions for (R)-(-)-carvone-btOR1A1 complex and via carbon hydrogen bond, alkyl, pi-alkyl, pi-sigma, and van der Waals interactions for (S)-(+)-carvone-btOR1A1 complex. Moreover, the cow olfactory responses were detected only when 0.49 % and 8.63 % of btOR1A1 binding sites are fired or occupied by (R)-(-)-carvone and (S)-(+)-carvone, respectively. These parameters may also be employed to quantitatively characterize the two olfactory systems., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the research contained in the paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to describe the morphological features and microstructure of the upper, lower, and third eyelids of the black-winged kite, Elanus caeruleus, and to characterize the organized lymphoid follicles and lymphocytes in the eyelid mucosa. Additionally, it aimed to illustrate the importance of the eye adnexa in the eye's immune protection. The upper, lower, and third eyelids display varying morphological differences that seem to be closely linked to the birds' way of life, indicating adjustments to their environment and eating behaviors. The black-winged kite has large, forward-facing eyes positioned under a bony shelf (lacrimal process) that shades them. Both eyelids have thick, pigmented edges and bear two rows of long, finely modified filoplume feathers, which increase at the anterior canthus. Melanocytes appear in the stratum basale of upper and lower eyelids, and Langerhans cells were observed. Aggregations of lymphatic cells were present under the conjunctival epithelium within the stroma of the lower eyelid (in the orbital zone near the tarsal plate), while they were absent in the upper eyelid and nictitating membrane. The density of goblet cells on the conjunctival surface of the upper eyelid and the nictitating membrane is higher than that of the lower eyelid. The structure of the skin and conjunctiva in both the upper and lower eyelids contains numerous defensive immune cells that maintain ocular safety and hydration. Additionally, the lower eyelid's CALT constitutes most of the CALT tissue in E. caeruleus and is recognized as part of the mucosal immune system., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Statement of Problem: Excess cement in implant-supported restorations can lead to peri-implant diseases, and its removal remains a clinical challenge. The optimum method of minimizing excess cement is unclear., Purpose: The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare 3 cementation techniques and 3 cement types and measure excess cement., Material and Methods: A total of 63 metal crowns and universal straight abutments were divided into 3 groups according to cementation techniques: direct (DT), polytetrafluoroethylene tape (PTT), and extraoral replica (ERT). (n=21) In all groups, 3 different cement types were used: glass ionomer cement (Meron; Voco), polycarboxylate cement (Adhesor Carbofine; Pentron), and resin-modified glass ionomer cement (GC FujiCEM Evolve; GC Corp) (n=7). The cemented crown-abutment combination was examined under a ×10 magnification stereomicroscope, and the cement remaining on the surface was calculated by using a computer program (ImageJ and NIH Image Software; National Institutes of Health). The relationship between cementation techniques and cement type and residual cement was examined with a 2-way ANOVA test. A post hoc test was used for intragroup comparisons (α=.05)., Results: Regardless of the cement type, the residual cement amount was found to be the lowest in the ERT group (P<.001). Regardless of the technique, the lowest residual cement was found in glass ionomer cement (1.55 ±1.05 mm², 95% CI: 1.07 to 2.02)., Conclusions: The extraoral replica technique was the most effective in reducing excess cement, and cement type influenced its amount, with the highest residual cement amounts observed with resin-modified glass ionomer cement among all techniques., (Copyright © 2024 Editorial Council for The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Invasive procedures are commonly used in pediatric healthcare, and storybooks can be used as an adjunct analgesic method., Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using storybooks as a distraction technique to reduce fear and anxiety in pediatric healthcare. This study was conducted with the aim of revealing the level of effect of storybook use on children's fear and anxiety level in pediatric health services., Methods: For this meta-analysis study, the studies were obtained by searching PubMed, Web of Scıence, Scopus, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar and YÖK Thesis Center databases in April-June 2024 without any year limitation. After the reviews, 15 studies were included in the study. The data were synthesized by meta-analysis and narrative methods., Findings: In this meta-analysis, it was found that storybook use in pediatric health services was effective on children's anxiety (SMD: -4.412, 95 % CI: -7.727 to -1.097; Z = -2.608, p = 0.009; I 2  = 99.890 %) and fear (SMD: -1.13, 95 % CI: -1.71 to -0.54; Z = -3.78, p = 0.000; I 2  = 83.065 %) levels. In addition, it was determined that the characteristics of the intervention group, age group, the characteristics and content of the storybook, the duration of the intervention and the time of the intervention played a role in the effectiveness of the storybook use intervention in pediatric health services on children's anxiety and fear levels., Conclusion: The use of story books in children's health services reduces the level of fear and anxiety in children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Acute liver injury is characterized by the rapid onset of inflammation in the liver, which in turn plays a role in the development of hypertension. Additionally, hypertension increases susceptibility to liver diseases associated with inflammatory states. Recently, the antihypertensive drug diltiazem has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to inhibit the expression of the thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), an upstream regulator of the NOD-like receptor pyrin-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome pathway. In our quest for an optimal therapeutic intervention for liver inflammatory diseases, we investigated the effects of diltiazem. Herein, we employed a multi-step approach integrating computational target prediction, network analysis, and molecular docking with experimental validation to explore potential interactions between diltiazem and TXNIP. Our investigations in rats with thioacetamide-induced liver injury revealed the anti-inflammatory potential of diltiazem, likely due to the suppression of the NLRP3 signaling pathway via targeting TXNIP. Furthermore, diltiazem suppressed the priming signal induced by nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) activation, as well as subsequent inflammasome components, including cleaved caspase-1, gasdermin D, IL-1β, and IL-18. Consequently, diltiazem exhibited anti-pyroptotic effects in the injured liver. Additionally, diltiazem was observed to reduce BCL-2-associated X-protein (Bax) levels, increase B-Cell Lymphoma-2 (BCL2) levels, and decrease the tissue expression of cleaved caspase-3, indicating potential anti-apoptotic effects. These effects were reflected in improved liver weight-to-body weight ratio, liver histology, oxidative stress parameters, and liver function. In conclusion, diltiazem shows promise as a protective agent for liver inflammatory diseases. Further research is warranted to translate these preclinical results into effective strategies for improving liver health., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Patients diagnosed with congenital kidney malformations are at an increased risk of developing hypertension, proteinuria, and progressing to chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present study aimed to determine the frequency of masked hypertension and ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI) in patients with congenital kidney malformations., Methods: The study included 174 patients with congenital kidney malformations (48 patients with unilateral renal agenesis (URA), 40 patients with ectopic kidney (EK), 36 patients with horseshoe kidney (HK), 31 patients with multicystic dysplastic kidney (MCDK), 19 patients with unilateral renal hypoplasia (URH), and 45 healthy controls., Results: The mean age was 12.9 ± 2.9 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.5. No significant differences were observed between the congenital kidney malformations groups concerning age, sex, follow-up period, proteinuria, or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, the prevalence of masked hypertension exhibited a statistically significant increase in the congenital kidney malformations groups (except the URH group) compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The AASI was significantly greater in the congenital kidney malformations groups than in the control group (P < 0.05). The nighttime diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and DBP index were significantly different between the congenital kidney malformations groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in nondipping pattern, proteinuria, or masked hypertension between the congenital kidney malformations groups., Conclusions: Patients with congenital kidney malformations should be periodically evaluated throughout life for BP. Based on the present findings, we strongly recommend ABPM for the diagnosis of masked hypertension and outcomes, including AASI score., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical approval: The study protocol was approved by the Ankara Etlik City Hospital Ethics Committee. Ankara Etlik City Hospital ethics commitee approved the study. Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Nephrology.)

In the present investigation, 13% ± 0.84 of the extracted and purified phycocyanin from Phormidium versicolor was obtained, with a purity of 0.69 following dialysis. FT-IR analysis of purified phycocyanin revealed stretching vibration peaks in the profiles of the functional groups of N-H, O-H, C = O, N-H, C = O, and C = NH + . The phycocyanin had a significant DPPH radical scavenging ability (IC 50  = 0.6 ± 0.02 mg mL -1 ) confirmed with FRAP assay, and it exhibited microbiological activity between 1.25 and 2.5 mg mL -1 against Candida albicans, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterococcus faecalis. Phycocyanin showed no cytotoxic and improved the viability of HEK-293. It was added to skin cream at a rate of 6 mg g -1 because of its significant yield extraction and biological activity. At 10 mg mL -1 , a bactericidal activity has been noted, inhibiting the growth of bacteria responsible for inflammatory skin conditions. For 60 days, the emulsion's stability was monitored at room temperature, 25 °C, and 45 °C. The appearance of the batch kept at 45 °C was changed to beige after 7 days, while the others were kept for 15 days. Skin creams enhanced with phycocyanin were found to be stable over the course of storage at both room temperature and 25 °C, based on centrifugation stability analysis. But starting on the fifteenth day, the items kept at 45 °C were unstable. Thus, the current study's findings are in favor of using phycocyanin as an antioxidant in cosmetic products. However, further investigation is required before using it in clinical trials. KEY POINTS: • Phycocyanin extraction field (13%) is particularly significant compared to other cyanobacteria. • Phycocyanin at 0.6 μg g-1 in skin cream fights bacteria in skin inflammation. • Phycocyanin-enriched cream was stable at room temp, 25 °C, and unstable at 45 °C after day 15., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To determine the risk factors for subsequent intraocular lens (IOL) surgery among eyes undergoing either combined or sequential phaco-vitrectomy., Design: Retrospective cohort study., Participants: Adult patients undergoing phacoemulsification at 8 United Kingdom National Health Service clinical centers between July 2003 and March 2015. Patients undergoing surgery for a dropped nucleus fragment, glaucoma, or iris problems were excluded., Methods: The eyes were categorized into 3 groups: with previous vitrectomy, undergoing combined phaco-vitrectomy, and with both previous vitrectomy and current combined phaco-vitrectomy. These groups were compared based on preoperative ocular and systemic factors, intraoperative findings, and the subsequent need for a second IOL surgery. The Poisson model was used to calculate adjusted relative risks (aRR)., Results: 5,215 eyes were included: 2,124 with previous vitrectomy, 2,512 with combined phaco-vitrectomy, and 579 eyes with previous vitrectomy and currently combined phaco-vitrectomy. The risk of subsequent IOL surgery was 0.6% (reference group) in eyes with previous vitrectomy, 1.6% (aRR 2.6, CI: 1.4-5.1) in eyes with current combined phaco-vitrectomy, and 3.3% (aRR 3.8, CI: 1.7-8.3) in eyes with previous plus current combined phaco-vitrectomy. Other significant risk factors were age (aRR 0.98/year), pseudoexfoliation (aRR 6.76, CI: 2-28), zonular dialysis (aRR 10.6, CI: 4.8-24), scleral buckle in the current surgery (aRR 8.05, CI: 4-14), and the use of silicone oil (aRR 3.6, CI: 1.6-8.4) compared to no tamponade., Conclusions: Combined phaco-vitrectomy was associated with a higher risk of IOL complications than sequential surgery. This information is useful for planning surgery in patients requiring both cataract and retinal surgeries., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for treating upper and lower limb spasticity among pediatric patients in 2 open-label extension trials., Methods: Patients aged <18 years received ≤5 doses of onabotulinumtoxinA (maximum: 8 U/kg [300 U], cycle 1; 10 U/kg [340 U], cycles 2-5) over 60 weeks. Week 6 efficacy endpoints included mean change from baseline in Modified Ashworth Scale-Bohannon and Modified Tardieu Scale scores, and mean Clinical Global Impression of Overall Change score. Adverse events and laboratory assessments of bone health were monitored., Results: A total of 580 patients received onabotulinumtoxinA. Modified Ashworth Scale-Bohannon change from baseline ranged from -1.01 to -1.9. Modified Tardieu Scale change from baseline was 13.6 to 18.1 (ankle), 25.8 to 44.1 (elbow), and -5.0 to -26.3 (wrist). Clinical Global Impression of Overall Change scores were 1.5 to 2.2. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were upper respiratory tract infection (16.9%) and nasopharyngitis (15.7%)., Interpretation: Repeat administration of onabotulinumtoxinA was safe and efficacious for treating upper and lower limb spasticity in children., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Mark Gormley is an advisory board member and serves on the speaker's bureau for Allergan, an AbbVie Company. Heakyung Kim has received an honorarium from AAPM&R and is an advisory board member and consultant for Allergan, an AbbVie company, Ipsen, Merz, and Pacira Biosciences, Inc. Marcin Bonikowski serves as advisory board member, consultant, and speaker for Allergan, an AbbVie company, Ipsen, and Merz. Marta Banach serves as a speaker for Allergan, an AbbVie company, Ipsen, Kedrion, Merz, and Shire and is an advisory board member and consultant for Merz. Fatma Gul receives research support from AbbVie, Ipsen, Merz, and Supernus, and is a consultant to Medisys Consultants. Jill Meilahn receives research support and dedicated research time funding through Marshfield Clinic Research Institute. Darcy Fehlings and Brad Racette have no interests that might be perceived as posing a conflict or bias. Nuoyu Huang, Xiaomeng Niu, Lynn M. James, and Rozalina Dimitrova are employees of AbbVie and may hold AbbVie stock.

In situ electrochemical liquid phase transmission electron microscopy (LP-TEM) measurements utilize micro-chip three-electrode cells with electron transparent silicon nitride windows that confine the liquid electrolyte. By imaging electrocatalysts deposited on micro-patterned electrodes, LP-TEM provides insight into morphological, phase structure, and compositional changes within electrocatalyst materials under electrochemical reaction conditions, which have practical implications on activity, selectivity, and durability. Despite LP-TEM capabilities becoming more accessible, in situ measurements under electrochemical reaction conditions remain non-trivial, with challenges including electron beam interactions with the electrolyte and electrode, the lack of well-defined experimental workflows, and difficulty interpreting particle behavior within a liquid. Herein a summary of the current state of LP-TEM technique capabilities alongside a discussion of the relevant experimental challenges researchers typically face, with a focus on in situ studies of electrochemical CO 2 conversion catalysts is provided. A methodological approach for in situ LP-TEM measurements on CO 2 R catalysts prepared by electro-deposition, sputtering, or drop-casting is presented and include case studies where challenges and proposed workflows for each are highlighted. By providing a summary of LP-TEM technique capabilities and guidance for the measurements, the goal is for this paper to reduce barriers for researchers who are interested in utilizing LP-TEM characterization to answer their scientific questions., (© 2024 The Author(s). Small Methods published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Aging is a worldwide socioeconomic burden. Cerebellar aging is an enigma contributing to many behavioral aging disorders, hence is its hindering by prophylactic measurements is a crucial geriatric research target. Red dragon fruit (RDF) is a tropical fruit with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties. This study aimed to determine the protective effect of RDF extract against cerebellar aging. Thirty-two male albino rats were randomly allocated into 4 groups: Control, RDF, aged and RDF-aged groups. Aged group revealed structural distortion affecting cerebellar layers including a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in Purkinje cells number and decrease in granular cell layer thickness by comparison to the control and RDF groups. Additionally, distorted capillary endothelium, and defective myelination were noticed. Interestingly, cerebellar active caspase-3, iNOS, MDA and 3-NT and serum TNF-α levels significantly increased with aging by comparison to the control and RDF groups (all P < 0.05). Biochemical analysis revealed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in cerebellar SOD and serum GSH levels in aged rats. RDF extract remarkably ameliorated most of the neuronal degenerative changes with a significant (P < 0.05) increase in Purkinje cells numbers, and granular cell layer thickness by comparison to the aged group. Furthermore, it resulted in a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in cerebellum expression of active caspase-3, iNOS, MDA, 3-NT, and serum TNF-α levels associated with a significant (P < 0.05) increase in cerebellar SOD and serum GSH levels by comparison to the aged group. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study showing a neuroprotective effect for RDF against cerebellar aging. RDF might be effective in attenuation of age-induced cerebellar degenerative changes through its anti-apoptotic, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)