Search

Background: Preconception care is expected to prevent diseases, promote health, and improve pregnancy outcomes. Although a consensus exists on the efficacy of folic acid supplementation and preconception vaccination, evidence regarding comprehensive approaches to preconception care targeting the general population remains lacking. We aimed to identify and examine preconception care programs delivered to reproductive-aged women and men to promote behavioral change. Methods: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL databases on November 30, 2023. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster RCTs assessing preconception care programs provided to the general population. We included behavioral change interventions, including screening, counseling, and education, to encourage preconception health. We performed a narrative synthesis of the characteristics and a summary of the intervention effects of the included studies. Results: We identified 26 trials (from 29 reports). Most of the studies recruited women. The most common study setting was healthcare services, and various types of behavioral change interventions were noted. All types of interventions, including individual education, group education, online education, and information campaigns, exhibited certain effects of improvement regarding behavioral change, knowledge, health outcomes, and other health-related outcomes in preconception health. Conclusions: In this systematic review, only three studies recruited men. Further research on preconception care in men is needed. The topics typically addressed in preconception care are folic acid supplementation and nutrition. Additionally, further research is needed for a comprehensive approach, including physical, mental, and social health. Future research addressing the broad determinants of preconception health for both women and men could provide more effective preconception care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THz spintronics is an emergent area of research aimed at bridging the gap between fifth- and sixth-generation wireless telecommunications by utilizing spintronic devices such as magnetic spin torque oscillators as a source of low powered THz emission. The realization of such devices using ferromagnetic metal thin films however requires magnetic materials with both large perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and low Gilbert damping constants. In this Letter, we report on the development of L 1 0 -ordered FePt with an effective Gilbert damping constant as low as 0.033. Using time-resolved magneto-optical Kerr effect, we characterized the magnetization dynamics of continuous L 1 0 -ordered FePt grown on MgO and SrTiO3 substrates. By changing the substrate on which FePt is grown, the lattice mismatch and subsequent number of misfit dislocations at the interface and L 1 0 -ordering can be controlled. We found that fewer misfits and improved ordering in FePt lead to a reduced Gilbert damping constant due to reduced electron scattering but that FePt grown on SrTiO3 also shows robust perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Importantly, these results demonstrate the ability to control the damping in FePt and similar materials by changing the number of misfit dislocations at the interface and the smaller damping in FePt opens up the possibility of using this material in spintronic materials in the THz wave range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The primary purpose of this research was to explore how occupational therapists in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings describe their experiences of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Methods: Researchers used a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Electronic surveys (n = 181) and qualitative data collection through interviews (n = 6) and a focus group (n = 3) were used. Qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis, and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Both data sets were compared to identify patterns. Results: Five main categories were identified: (a) supports to worker role, (b) barriers to worker role, (c) exposure to client trauma, (d) undefined role expectations, and (e) impact of client trauma. A few of the STS symptoms experienced by occupational therapists are as follows: 39.9% occupational therapists stated wanting to avoid working with certain clients, and 47.3% of occupational therapists identified having trouble concentrating. However, 45% of the respondents did not feel comfortable asking for help for their mental health from employers. Conclusion: Findings indicated acute care and inpatient rehabilitation occupational therapists are exposed to many types of client trauma and developing STS. There is inadequate education and support for occupational therapists in this practice setting to manage the effects of STS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aim: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare cancers originating from Cajal's stromal cells in the gastrointestinal tract. The most common driver mutation in these cancers is the KIT mutation. This report presents a case of response to low-dose imatinib in a patient with GIST harboring KIT exon 11 W557_K558 deletion. Case Report: In June 2023, an 82-year-old male developed perineal pain. Computed tomography (CT) imaging revealed a mass measuring >9 cm, extending from the rectum to the prostate. Submucosal tumor biopsy revealed a tumor with CD117-positive and DOG1-positive spindle-shaped cells leading to a diagnosis of GIST. c-Kit gene mutation analysis detected a W557_K558 deletion in exon 11. Treatment with imatinib (400 mg/day) was initiated in late October 2023 to preserve organ function; the dose was reduced to 300 mg/day after 5 days of treatment and further reduced to 200 mg/day after 10 days, with continued treatment at this dose. The CT performed in January, April, and June 2024 showed that the rectal GIST had shrunk. The blood imatinib concentration remained at approximately 650 ng/ml from January to March 2024 and decreased to 391 ng/ml in May 2024. Conclusion: The response rate of GISTs to imatinib is influenced by genetic mutations. GIST with KIT exon 11 W557_K558 deletion is associated with a high risk of recurrence. In vitro data showed that low-dose imatinib was effective in such cases. Low-dose imatinib is a treatment option for patients with GIST harboring KIT exon 11 W557_K558 deletion who are intolerant to high-dose imatinib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To clarify the risk factors affecting prognosis after primary tumor resection (PTR) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer with synchronous peritoneal metastasis (mCRC-SPM). Methods: Patients were enrolled prospectively in the JSCCR project “Grading of Peritoneal Seeding in Colorectal Cancer.” Factors that may influence overall survival―age, sex, location of the primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, presence of liver metastasis, degree of peritoneal metastasis, peritoneal cancer index (PCI), cancer cure, and postoperative chemotherapy―in the PTR group were examined using multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 133 enrolled patients with mCRC-SPM, 112 patients underwent PTR. Among them, 26 (23.2%) had mCRC-SPM of grade P1, 47 (42.0%) of P2, and 39 (34.8%) of P3. The median PCI was 4 (range, 1-28); no surgery-related deaths occurred. Postoperative complications of Clavien-Dindo classification grade 2 were observed in 20 (17.9%) patients. R0 surgery became more difficult as the degree of dissemination increased, and the PTR group had a significantly better prognosis than the non-PTR group. In the multivariate analysis, age 75 years, rectal cancer, presence of liver metastasis, higher PCI, non-curative resection, and non-treatment with systemic chemotherapy were associated with poor prognosis in patients after PTR. Conclusions: In patients with mCRC-SPM, postoperative complications are infrequent for P1 with localized peritoneal dissemination, and PTR may be considered as aggressive treatment. Factors including age 75 years, rectal cancer, presence of liver metastasis, increased PCI, non-curative resection, and non-treatment with systemic chemotherapy are associated with a reduced survival benefit from PTR.

Abstract: Functional recovery in penetrating neurological injury is hampered by a lack of clinical regenerative therapies. Biomaterial therapies show promise as medical materials for neural repair through immunomodulation, structural support, and delivery of therapeutic biomolecules. However, a lack of facile and pathology-mimetic models for therapeutic testing is a bottleneck in neural tissue engineering research. We have deployed a two-dimensional, high-density multicellular cortical brain sheet to develop a facile model of injury (macrotransection/scratch wound) in vitro. The model encompasses the major neural cell types involved in pathological responses post-injury. Critically, we observed hallmark pathological responses in injury foci including cell scarring, immune cell infiltration, precursor cell migration, and short-range axonal sprouting. Delivering test magnetic particles to evaluate the potential of the model for biomaterial screening shows a high uptake of introduced magnetic particles by injury-activated immune cells, mimicking in vivo findings. Finally, we proved it is feasible to create reproducible traumatic injuries in the brain sheet (in multielectrode array devices in situ) characterized by focal loss of electrical spiking in injury sites, offering the potential for longer term, electrophysiology plus histology assays. To our knowledge, this is the first in vitro simulation of transecting injury in a two-dimensional multicellular cortical brain cell sheet, that allows for combined histological and electrophysiological readouts of damage/repair. The patho-mimicry and adaptability of this simplified model of brain injury could benefit the testing of biomaterial therapeutics in regenerative neurology, with the option for functional electrophysiological readouts., (Copyright © 2025 Neural Regeneration Research.)