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Abstract Background Breast cancer (BrCa) is a predominant malignancy, with metastasis occurring in one in eight patients, nearly half of which target the bone, leading to serious complications such as pain, fractures, and compromised mobility. Structural rigidity, crucial for bone strength, becomes compromised with osteolytic lesions, highlighting the vulnerability and increased fracture risk in affected areas. Historically, two-dimensional radiographs have been employed to predict these fracture risks; however, their limitations in capturing the three-dimensional structural and material changes in bone have raised concerns. Recent advances in CT-based Structural Rigidity Analysis (CTRA), offer a promising, more accurate non-invasive 3D approach. This study aims to assess the efficacy of CTRA in monitoring osteolytic lesions’ progression and response to therapy, suggesting its potential superiority over existing methodologies in guiding treatment strategies. Methods Twenty-seven female nude rats underwent femoral intra-medullary inoculation with MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells or saline control. They were divided into Control, Cancer Control, Ibandronate, and Paclitaxel groups. Osteolytic progression was monitored weekly using biplanar radiography, quantitative computed tomography (QCT), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). CTRA was employed to predict fracture risk, normalized using the contralateral femur. Statistical analyses, including Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA, assessed differences in outcomes among groups and over time. Results Biplanar radiographs showed treatment benefits over time; however, only certain time-specific differences between the Control and other treatment groups were discernible. Notably, observer subjectivity in X-ray scoring became evident, with significant inter-operator variations. DEXA measurements for metaphyseal Bone Mineral Content (BMC) did not exhibit notable differences between groups. Although diaphyseal BMC highlighted some variance, it did not reveal significant differences between treatments at specific time points, suggesting a limited ability for DEXA to differentiate between treatment effects. In contrast, the CTRA consistently demonstrated variations across different treatments, effectively capturing bone rigidity changes over time, and the axial- (EA), bending- (EI), and torsional rigidity (GJ) outcomes from the CTRA method successfully distinguished differences among treatments at specific time points. Conclusion Traditional approaches, such as biplanar radiographs and DEXA, have exhibited inherent limitations, notably observer bias and time-specific inefficacies. Our study accentuates the capability of CTRA in capturing real-time, progressive changes in bone structure, with the potential to predict fractures more accurately and provide a more objective analysis. Ultimately, this innovative approach may bridge the existing gap in clinical guidelines, ushering in enhanced Clinical Decision Support Tool (CDST) for both surgical and non-surgical treatments.

Background: The group climate within residential youth care institutions is considered a transactional process, both within a group of youth from various cultural backgrounds and between them and their group workers. The ongoing interaction between the cultural characteristics of these girls may influence the quality of the group climate. This study aimed to provide an in-depth account of the living group climate experiences and perceptions of Dutch girls with a Moroccan cultural background in Dutch residential groups. Method: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was employed to explore the girls’ group climate experiences. Result: Three major themes emerged, namely (a) level of involvement of Moroccan girls in their living group, (b) perceptions of Moroccan girls’ sense of belonging in a living group, and (c) cultural and religious equality or disparity results in two interaction patterns. The findings revealed that equality or disparity in language, culture, and religion affect Moroccan girls’ experiences and perceptions of the living group climate. A crucial finding was that cultural and religious disparity leads to interaction patterns wherein the girls pre-emptively exclude themselves from receiving support from native group workers. Conclusion: Professionals must be aware of the cultural and religious dynamics, including the interplay and impact of cultural and religious equality and disparity, influencing Moroccan girls’ group climate experiences.

Background: The consequences of radial nerve palsy associated with a humeral shaft fracture are unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the functional recovery of radial nerve palsy, at presentation or postoperatively, in patients with a humeral shaft fracture. Methods: Data from patients who participated in the HUMeral shaft fractures: measuring recovery after operative versus non-operative treatment (HUMMER) study, a multicenter prospective cohort study including adults with a closed humeral shaft fracture Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen (AO) type 12A or 12B, and had radial nerve palsy at presentation or postoperatively, were extracted from the HUMMER database. The primary outcome measure was clinically assessed recovery of motor function of the radial nerve. Secondary outcomes consisted of treatment, functional outcome (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand and Constant–Murley Score), pain level, quality of life (Short Form-36 and EuroQoL-5D-3L), activity resumption, and range of motion of the shoulder and elbow joint at 12 months after trauma. Results: Three of the 145 nonoperatively treated patients had radial nerve palsy at presentation. One recovered spontaneously and 1 after osteosynthesis. Despite multiple surgical interventions, the third patient had no recovery after entrapment between fracture fragments. Thirteen of the 245 operatively treated patients had radial nerve palsy at presentation; all recovered. Nine other patients had postoperative radial nerve palsy; 8 recovered. One had ongoing recovery at the last follow-up, after nerve release and suture repair due to entrapment under the plate. At 12 months, the functional outcome scores of all patients suggested full recovery regarding functional outcome, pain, quality of life, activity resumption, and range of motion. Conclusion: Radial nerve palsy in patients with a humeral shaft fracture at presentation or postoperatively functionally recovers in 94% and 89%, respectively.

Mining in general, and particularly mining for energy resources such as coal and lignite, results in massive impacts on the surrounding landscape and ecosystems. Post-mining reclamation that takes account of the disturbed ecosystem services requires a research approach that links the mining impact to ecosystem functions and ecosystem service potentials. The method used in this paper combines the Driving Forces–Pressures–State–Impact–Response (DPSIR) framework and the ES cascade approach by complementing the limitations of each approach with the strengths of the other. The DPSIR framework is extended to a causal network to account for the multiple interconnected causal chains of coal and lignite mining impacts. The presented causal network supports the identification of ES indicators for the assessment, planning, and monitoring of post-mining reclamation in coal/lignite mining landscapes. The presented approach can also inform political and administrative decisions by identifying the ecosystem elements at risk of being degraded from mining.

This study examines young people's involvement in regional sustainability transformation processes based on a real-world experiment in a community of 5700 inhabitants on the southern outskirts of city of Vienna, Austria. The eight-month experiment aimed to explore methods and tools for transdisciplinary co-creation with youth, the impact of structural conditions on their participation and the effects of their integration. Findings highlight the crucial roles of topics relevant to youth, a trusted intermediary like a youth worker, and structural conditions such as political support and resource allocation in enhancing youth engagement success. Collaborative decision making with policymakers and direct communication were also key to effective participation. The real-world experiment laid the groundwork for future participatory methods and had an impact on youth-community relations. It affirmed the role of youth in regional development, with effects that extended beyond the immediate scope of the experiment in terms of time, space, and topic., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Earthworms are affected by physical stress, like injury, and by exposure to xenobiotics, such as the toxic metal cadmium (Cd), which enters the environment mainly through industry and agriculture. The stress response to the single and the combination of both stressors was examined in regenerative and unharmed tissue of Lumbricus terrestris to reveal if the stress response to a natural insult like injury (amputation) interferes with Cd detoxification mechanisms. We characterized the roles of metallothionein 1 (MT1) and MT2 isoforms, heat shock protein 70 as well as immune biomarkers such as the toll-like receptors (TLR) single cysteine cluster TLR and multiple cysteine cluster TLR. The role of the activated transcription factors (ATFs) ATF2, ATF7, and the cAMP responsive element binding protein as putative regulatory intersection as well as a stress-dependent change of the essential trace elements zinc and calcium was analyzed. Phosphorylated AMP activated protein kinase, the cellular energy sensor, was measured to explore the energy demand, while the energy status was determined by detecting carbohydrate and protein levels. Taken together, we were able to show that injury rather than Cd is the driving force that separates the four treatment groups - Control, Cd exposure, Injury, Cd exposure and injury. Interestingly, we found that gene expression differed regarding the tissue section that was analyzed and we hypothesize that this is due to the migration of coelomocytes, earthworm immune cells, that take over a key role in protecting the organism from a variety of environmental challenges. Surprisingly, we discovered a role for MT1 in the response to multiple stressors and an isoform-specific function for the two newly characterized TLRs. In conclusion, we gathered novel information on the relation of innate immunity, wound healing, and Cd detoxification mechanisms in earthworms., Competing Interests: 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 © 2023 Aigner, Peer, Fiechtner, Piechnik and Höckner.)

Background: Possible sex differences in hepatitis A virus (HAV) incidence rates in different age groups are not well documented. We aimed to obtain stable pooled estimates of such differences based on data from a number of high-income countries., Methods: We obtained data on incident cases of HAV by sex and age group over a period of 6-25 years from nine countries: Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Israel, Netherland, New Zealand and Spain. Male to female incidence rate ratios (IRR) were computed for each year, by country and age group. For each age group, we used meta-analytic methods to combine the IRRs. Meta-regression was conducted to estimate the effects of age, country, and time period on the IRR., Results: A male excess in incidence rates was consistently observed in all age groups, although in the youngest and oldest age groups, where the numbers tended to be lower, the lower bounds of the 95% confidence intervals for the IRRs were less than one. In the age groups <1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-44, 45-64 and 65+, the pooled IRRs (with 95% CI) over countries and time periods were 1.18 (0.94,1.48), 1.22 (1.16,1.29), 1.07 (1.03,1.11), 1.09 (1.04,1.14), 1.46 (1.30,1.64), 1.32 (1.15,1.51) and 1.10 (0.99,1.23) respectively., Conclusions: The excess HAV incidence rates in young males, pooled over a number of countries, suggest that the sex differences are likely to be due at least in part to physiological and biological differences and not just behavioral factors. At older ages, differential exposure plays an important role. These findings, seen in the context of the excess incidence rates in young males for many other infectious diseases, can provide further keys to the mechanisms of the infection., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Green et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Dangerous gases arising from combustion processes must be removed from the air simply and cheaply, e.g., by adsorption. This work is focused on competitive adsorption experiments and force field-based molecular modeling of the interactions at the molecular level. Emission gas, containing CO, NO, SO 2 , and CO 2 , was adsorbed on activated carbon, clay mineral, silicon dioxide, cellulose, or polypropylene at two different temperatures. At 20 °C, activated carbon had the highest NO and SO 2 adsorption capacity (120.83 and 3549.61 μg/g, respectively). At 110 °C, the highest NO and SO 2 adsorption capacity (6.20 and 1182.46 μg/g, respectively) was observed for clay. CO was adsorbed very weakly, CO 2 not at all. SO 2 was adsorbed better than NO, which correlated with modeling results showing positive influence of carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups on the adsorption. In addition to the wide range of adsorbents, the main novelty of this study is the modeling strategy enabling the simulation of surfaces with pores of controllable sizes and shapes, and the agreement of the results achieved by this strategy with the results obtained by more computationally demanding methods. Moreover, the agreement with experimental data shows the modeling strategy to be a valuable tool for further adsorption studies.

Introduction: Gender differences in the incidence rates for tuberculosis are occasionally reported. However, the magnitude and consistency of the differences by age group, among different populations, and over extended periods of time are not clear., Materials and Methods: We obtained national data from seven countries from open-access internet sites or personal communications with official representatives. We computed the male-to-female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) by country and year for every age group and pooled these ratios using meta-analytic methods. Meta-regression analysis was performed to estimate the contribution of age, country, and calendar years to the variation in the IRRs., Results: In the age groups of < 1, 1-4, 5-9, and 10-14, the pooled male-to-female IRRs (with 95% CI) were as follows: 1.21 (1.05, 1.40), 0.99 (0.95, 1.04), 1.01 (0.96, 1.06), and 0.83 (0.77, 0.89), respectively. In the age groups 15-44, 45-64, and 65+ years, incidence rates were significantly higher in men, with IRRs of 1.25 (1.16, 1.35), 1.79 (1.56, 2.06), and 1.81 (1.66, 1.96), respectively. Meta-regression analysis revealed that age significantly contributed to the variation in the IRRs., Conclusions: There were gender differences in the incidence rates for tuberculosis, with higher rates in boys aged less than one, no significant differences in boys of ages 1-9, and higher rates in boys/men older than 15. The only excess in female gender was in the age group 10-14 years. The age-related gender differences in tuberculosis incidence rates observed over several countries indicate the importance of including sex as a biological variable when assessing the risk factors for tuberculosis., Competing Interests: 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 © 2023 Peer, Schwartz and Green.)

A comparative study was carried out of emissions from the catalytic combustion of pellets made from furniture board waste and pellets made from wood mixed with Fe 2 O 3 . The mass content of the Fe 2 O 3 catalyst in the fuel was varied from 0% to 5%, 10%, and 15% in relation to the total dry mass weight of the pellets. The average flame temperature in the boiler was between 730 and 800 °C. The effect of the catalyst concentration in the fuel was analysed with respect to the contents of O 2 , CO 2 , CO, H 2, and NO x in the flue gas and the combustion quality of the pellets in the heating boiler. Changes in the CO 2 content and the proportion of unburned combustible components in the combustion residue were assessed. It was established that an increase in the Fe 2 O 3 content of the prepared fuels had a positive effect on reducing NO x , CO, and H 2 emissions. However, the proportion of iron oxide in the tested fuel pellets did not significantly influence changes in their combustion quality. A strong effect of the addition of Fe 2 O 3 on the reduction of the average NOx content in the flue gas occurred with the combustion of furniture board fuel, from 51.4 ppm at 0% Fe 2 O 3 to 7.7 ppm for an additive content of 15%. Based on the analysis of the residue in the boiler ash pan, the amount of unburned combustibles relative to their input amounts was found to be 0.09-0.22% for wood pellets and 0.50-0.31% for furniture board waste pellets.

Several options to treat hospitalized severe COVID-19 patients have been suggested. The study aimed to describe survival in patients treated with convalescent COVID plasma (CCP) and to identify in-hospital mortality predictors. This prospective cohort study examined data from 112 severe COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the Corona Departments in an acute care hospital who received two units of CCP (at least one of them high-titer). Demographic and medical data was retrieved from the patients' electronic health records (EHR). Possible predictors for in-hospital mortality were analyzed in a univariate analysis and those found to be clinically significant were further analyzed in a multivariable analysis. Median age was 67 years (IQR 55-74) and 66 (58.9%) of them were males. Of them, 20 (17.9%) died in hospital. On multivariable analysis diabetes mellitus (p = 0.004, OR 91.54), mechanical ventilation (p = 0.001, OR 59.07) and lower albumin levels at treatment (p = 0.027, OR 0.74) were significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality. In our study, in-hospital mortality in patients receiving CCP is similar to that reported for the general population, however certain variables mentioned above were associated with increased in-hospital mortality. In the literature, these variables were also associated with a worse outcome in patients with COVID-19 who did not receive CCP. As evidence points toward a benefit from CCP treatment in immunocompromised patients, we believe the above risk factors can further define COVID-19 patients at increased risk for mortality, enabling the selection of candidates for early treatment in an outpatient setting if possible., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Gender differences in a number of infectious diseases have been reported. The evidence for gender differences in clinical measles incidence rates has been variable and poorly documented over age groups, countries and time periods., Methods: We obtained data on cases of measles by sex and age group over a period of 11-27 years from seven countries. Male to female incidence rate ratios (IRR) were computed for each year, by country and age group. For each age group, we used meta-analytic methods to combine the IRRs. Meta-regression was conducted to the estimate the effects of age, country, and time period on the IRR., Results: In the age groups < 1, 1-4, 5-9, 10-14, 15-44, and 45-64 the pooled IRRs (with 95% CI) were 1.07 (1.02-1.11), 1.10 (1.07-1.14), 1.03 (1.00-1.05), 1.05 (0.99-1.11), 1.08 (0.95-1.23), and 0.82 (0.74-0.92) respectively. The excess incidence rates (IR) from measles in males up to age 45 are remarkably consistent across countries and time-periods. In the age group 45-64, there is an excess incidence in women., Conclusions: The consistency of the excess incidence rates in young males suggest that the sex differences are more likely due to physiological and biological differences and not behavioral factors. At older ages, differential exposure can play a part. These findings can provide further keys to the understanding of mechanisms of infection and tailoring vaccination schedules., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Sex differences in incidence rates (IRs) of infectious diseases could provide clues to the mechanisms of infection. The results of studies on sex differences in the incidence of rotaviral enteritis have been inconsistent. Methods: We carried out a pooled analysis of sex differences in IRs for rotaviral enteritis in three countries for a period of 7-22 years. Male-to-female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were computed by age group, country, and years of reporting. A meta-analytic methodology was used to combine IRRs. Metaregression was performed to evaluate the contribution of age group, country, and years of reporting to the IRR. Results: Significantly higher IRs in males were found in the age groups 0-4, 5-9, and 10-14 years, with pooled IRRs (with 95% confidence intervals [CIs]) of 1.12 (1.09-1.14), 1.07 (1.05-1.09), and 1.13 (1.05-1.21), respectively. In adults, the sex differences were reversed with higher rates in females. The pooled male-to-female IRRs (with 95% CIs) were 0.66 (0.64-0.68), 0.78 (0.72-0.85), and 0.78 (0.72-0.84) for the age groups 15-44, 45-64, and 65+ years, respectively. Metaregression results demonstrated that age is responsible for much of the variation in IRRs. Conclusions: The higher rotaviral enteritis IRs in males at a very early age suggest that sex-related factors unrelated to exposure may play a role. The higher IRs in adult females could result, at least partly, from behavioral and occupational factors., Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist., (© Victoria Peer et al., 2022; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Granulated beet pulp and wheat straw, first separately and then mixed in a weight ratio of 50/50%, underwent a pyrolysis process in a laboratory batch generator with process temperatures of 400 and 500 °C. The feedstock's chemical composition and the pyrolysis products' chemical composition (biochar and pyrolysis gas) were analysed. A synergistic effect was observed in the co-pyrolysis of the combined feedstock, which occurred as an increase the content of the arising gas in relation to the total weight of the products. and as a reduction of bio-oil content. The maximum gas proportion was 21.8% at 500 °C and the minimum between 12.6% and 18.4% for the pyrolysis of individual substrates at 400 °C. The proportions of the gases, including CO, CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 , and O 2 , present in the resulting synthesis gases were also analysed. The usage of a higher pyrolysis final temperature strongly affected the increase of the CH 4 and H 2 concentration and the decrease of CO 2 and CO concentration in the pyrolysis gas. The highest percentage of hydrogen in the synthesis gas, around 33% vol , occurred at 500 °C during co-pyrolysis.

Background: The adverse events reported from the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have varied from very mild, such as pain near the vaccination site, to more severe, with occasional anaphylaxis. Details of age-specific gender differences for the adverse effects are not well documented. Methods: Age and gender disaggregated data on reports of adverse events following two or three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were obtained from four cross-sectional studies. The first was from reports submitted to the Israel Ministry of Health national adverse events database (for ages 16 and above). The second was from a national cross-sectional survey based on an internet panel (for ages 30 and above), and the third and fourth were from cross-sectional surveys among employees of a large company (for ages 20-65) using links to a self-completed questionnaire. Results: In all studies, the risks of adverse events were higher following the second dose and consistently higher in females at all ages. The increased risk among females at all ages included local events such as pain at the injection site, systemic events such as fever, and sensory events such as paresthesia in the hands and face. For the combined adverse reactions, for the panel survey the female-to-male risk ratios (RRs) were 1.89 for the first vaccine dose and 1.82 for the second dose. In the cross-sectional workplace studies, the female-to-male RRs for the first, second and third doses exceeded 3.0 for adverse events, such as shivering, muscle pain, fatigue and headaches. Conclusions: The consistent excess in adverse events among females for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine indicates the need to assess and report vaccine adverse events by gender. Gender differences in adverse events should be taken into account when determining dosing schedules.

Transdisciplinary research (TDR) collaborations are considered effective when they yield relevant results for science and practice. In this context, the different expectations, experiences, skills, and disciplines of the team members involved determine TDR collaboration. Using the example of 13 team members involved in the 3-year TDR project 'Römerland Carnuntum 2040' (Austria), we aim to identify and compare diverse expectations regarding TDR collaboration. In doing so, we question the often emphasised dichotomy between science and practice as the main challenge of TDR collaboration and aim towards making individual expectations regarding TDR collaboration visible and tangible. The contribution of the present paper is twofold: on the one hand, we provide statements for a formative assessment to externalise implicit expectations, assumptions, and epistemologies of TDR project team members regarding TDR collaboration and results. On the other hand, we present the Q-methodology as a viable approach to uncover diverging viewpoints as visible, tangible, and enunciable differences that need to be acknowledged in early stages of TDR projects when allocating resources and planning further project steps. Our investigations result in two viewpoints: one emphasises learning, collective reflection, and knowledge exchange as the main TDR expectation. The second focuses on 'changing practices', assuming that the project supports the introduction of new practices for (sustainable) regional development. These diverging expectations reveal subconscious tensions, which have to be addressed when allocating resources and defining project success within the TDR project., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

Background: There are few studies on sex differences in the incidence rates (IR) for salmonellosis over several countries by age and time period. The purpose of this study was to explore the extent and consistency of the sex and age-specific differences., Methods: We analyzed national data from eight countries between 1994 and 2016. We computed country-specific male to female incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for each age group and pooled the data using meta-analytic methods. Variations of the IRRs by age, country and time period were evaluated using meta-regression., Results: The pooled male to female incidence RRs for ages 0-1, 1-4, 5-9 and 10-14, were 1.04 (1.02-1.06), 1.02 (1.01-1.03), 1.07 (1.05-1.08) and 1.28 (1.23-1.33), respectively. For the ages 15-44 and 45-64, the incidence rates were significantly higher in females. Meta-regression analyses indicate that age groups contributed most of the variation in the male to female IRRs., Conclusions: We suggest that genetic and hormonal factors and interactions between hormones and gut microbiota could contribute to the sex differences observed in young children. These findings should provide clues about the mechanisms of the infection, and should be useful in targeting treatments and development of vaccines., Highlights: (1) This manuscript provides consistent estimates of the excess salmonellosis incidence rates in male children up to age 15, which suggests an impact of sex hormones or genetic differences. (2) Our findings should promote the further investigations on sex-related determinants of infectious diseases.