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Petra Maresova,1 Jan Hruška,1 Kristina Randlova,1,2 Lukas Rezny,1,3 María Teresa Carrillo-de-la-Peña,4 Kamil Kuca1,3 1Betthera S.r.o., Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic; 2Prague University of Economics and Business, Faculty of Management, Department of Management, Prague, Czech Republic; 3University of Hradec Kralove, Faculty of Informatics and Management, Department of Economics, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic; 4University of Santiago de Compostela, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, A Coruña, SpainCorrespondence: Kamil Kuca, Email kuca@betthera.comBackground: The increased prevalence of cancer and the negative impact of pain on the quality of life of patients underscore the need to implement efficient palliative care interventions and management of pain. The cost-effectiveness of palliative care interventions for cancer, mostly pharmacological and delivered through home-based palliative care services, is unclear. Most of the studies do not take into account indirect costs nor consider variations across different geographical regions.Objective: To describe existing and cutting-edge knowledge on cost-effectiveness or item costs related to palliative home-based care for patients with cancer. We evaluated various costs, including direct medical, non-medical, and indirect costs in different geographical regions and analysed how different options for care affect the patients’ quality of life and associated expenses.Methods: This Prospero-registered systematic review (CRD42023404217) adhered to the PRISMA criteria. Following a multistep selection process, we selected 22 articles published between 2013 and 2023 focused on quality of life outcomes and cost-effectiveness of home-based palliative care for cancer patients.Results: Home-based palliative care decreases the number of hospital visits, while its influence on patients quality of life is currently difficult to demonstrate across geographic regions based on available evidence. Overall, home care decreases the costs associated to the palliative care of patients with cancer. The cost structure analysis revealed that besides healthcare costs, informal care expenses and productivity losses represent a significant proportion of overall expenses). In Europe, the direct medical, non-medical, and indirect costs (in purchasing power parity) were on average $1,941, $842, and $1,241, per month per person, respectively. In the USA and Asia, direct medical and indirect costs are on average $1,095 (USA) vs $1,444 (Asia) and $2,192 (USA) vs $1,162 (Asia).Conclusion: In conclusion, the studies reviewed highlight significant cost variations and potential savings associated with palliative home-based care for cancer patients. Home-based palliative care, particularly involving medications, has shown favorable cost-effectiveness compared to hospital care. Specialized palliative home care, psychological interventions, and outpatient services further contribute to overall cost savings. However, the economic impact varies across different geographical contexts and cost categories, emphasizing the need for tailored approaches in palliative care planning and implementation.Keywords: cost-effectiveness, palliative care, treatment, interventions, review, pain management, cancer, quality of life

In global research, food hubs are evaluated as a suitable tool for the development of alternative food networks and the transformation of the agri-food system towards sustainability. However, in Europe, research conclusions in recent years point to a lack of knowledge about operating food hubs. Expanding information about how food hubs work is crucial for improving their operational effectiveness and establishing support from the public sector. Therefore, this exploratory research aims to discover examples of food hubs in Czechia where the term "food hub" is not used and no appropriate equivalent has been developed. This leads to the task of determining the criteria under which it is possible to define existing entities as food hubs. Using several examples supported by qualitative research, the article opens a discussion about the acceptability of the hybridization of alternative food networks. Our findings contribute to the debate about the potential of food hubs to develop local and regional food markets, especially in the context of post-socialist countries, where the conditions are different from the Western states.

The solidification processes of two compositions, hypereutectic (21.0 mol% Y2O3–79.0 mol% Al2O3) and eutectic (18.5 mol% Y2O3–81.5 mol% Al2O3), were used via the horizontal directional solidification (HDS) method to produce two ingots with dimensions of 317 × 220 × 35 mm and 210 × 180 × 35 mm, respectively. The first ingot was heterogeneous and characterized by a two-layer structure with an expressed horizontal boundary, which is parallel to the solidification direction (an experimental fact observed for the first time), separating eutectic-type ceramics in the upper layer from the lower one containing the YAG dendrites. Considering the heat transfer feature characteristic of the HDS method and its action during the solidification of materials scattering thermal radiation, an explanation of the occurrence of such structure has been proposed. On this basis, the solidification parameters of the second ingot, providing its homogeneous structure, were selected. Characterization of the crystallographic texture and microstructure of both ingots revealed the advantage of the second solidification processing conditions.

Over a period of 30 years (1993–2022), headwater catchments in the Slavkov Forest (Czech Republic) exhibited a robust increase in stream water DOC (dissolved organic carbon) concentrations following a significant reduction in acidic atmospheric deposition. Sulfur deposition decreased from 34 kg ha−1 yr−1 in 1993 to 2.6 kg ha−1 yr−1 in 2022. Three Norway-spruce-dominated research sites—Černý Potok (CEP), a 15.2 ha peatbog catchment, Lysina (LYS), a 27.3 ha granitic catchment, and Pluhův Bor (PLB), a 21.6 ha serpentinite catchment, were investigated. The three–year average DOC concentration increased from 48.2 mg L−1 (1993–1995) to 68.3 mg L−1 (2020–2022) at CEP (0.69 mg L−1 yr−1). LYS showed an increase from 16.9 mg L−1 to 25.4 mg L−1 (0.30 mg L−1 yr−1 annually). The largest increase was recorded at PLB, with an increase from 15.7 mg L−1 to 36.7 mg L−1 (0.89 mg L−1 yr−1). A decline in ionic strength was identified as the main driver of the DOC increase. The annual runoff declined significantly at CEP and LYS from 465 mm to 331 mm as a result of rising air temperatures and reduced precipitation between 2014 and 2022. PLB (average of 266 mm) did not show a statistically significant decline. Recently, PLB experienced significant deforestation that likely lowered transpiration and thus increased catchment runoff. As a result, DOC fluxes did not change significantly at CEP (average 210 kg ha−1 yr−1) and LYS (90 kg ha −1 yr−1). However, PLB’s DOC flux more than doubled, increasing from 44 to 106 kg ha−1 yr−1. Drivers connected with global change, such as increasing temperatures, or potential chemical drivers, such as reductions in Al concentrations and pH changes, were not able to explain the observed changes in DOC concentra tions and fluxes.

Knowledge of the origin of magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) in soil solutions and catchment runoff helps to predict forest ecosystems’ vulnerability to deficiencies in essential nutrients in an era of climate change, environmental pollution and bark-beetle calamities. Here we discuss isotope aspects of Mg, Ca and strontium (Sr) cycling in a spruce-forested headwater catchment in a relatively unpolluted part of Central Europe. We investigated to what extent Mg and Ca isotope signatures of runoff reflect the isotope compositions of specific Mg- and Ca-rich minerals that easily dissolve during the weathering of paragneiss, and compared the isotope variability of Mg and Ca in fresh bedrock minerals, soils and other ecosystem reservoirs. We also compared conclusions from Mg and Ca isotope systematics with inferences from catchment input–output mass budgets. Long-term input–output monitoring in the studied catchment situated near the Czech–German border (Central Europe) revealed 3.5–7 times higher outputs of Mg, Ca, and Sr via surface runoff relative to their present-day atmospheric inputs. It follows that hydrological exports of recent atmospheric Mg, Ca and Sr are minor. Release of geogenic base cations into the runoff results from the interplay between mineral abundances, concentrations of the studied elements in the minerals, and their dissolution rates. Chemical depletion fractions for the studied elements from bedrock to the soil were 50–70 %, and the losses of dominant soluble minerals in the soil were 30–80 %. Exports of residual Mg, Ca and Sr following partial incorporation of these elements into secondary phyllosilicates are probably low because newly-formed clay minerals are not abundant in the soil. Residual Ca following preferential incorporation of isotopically light Ca into growing tree biomass may contribute to the isotopically heavy runoff Ca. Isotope ratios of base cations were obtained for six minerals (plagioclase, orthoclase, biotite, muscovite, apatite, and ilmenite). Mineral fractions differ greatly in δ26Mg and δ44Ca values and 87Sr/86Sr ratios. 80–97 % of each of the three studied base cations are present in the bedrock in a single relatively easily dissolvable mineral: Mg in biotite, and Ca and Sr in plagioclase. The isotope composition of Mg in biotite was similar to the isotope composition of Mg in runoff. The isotope compositions of Ca and Sr in plagioclase were also similar to Ca and Sr isotope compositions in runoff. Thus, the dominant geogenic source of each of the studied elements (Mg, Ca and Sr) in the investigated paragneiss catchment can be represented by one relatively soluble mineral.

Lactoperoxidase (LP) is an important enzyme of the salivary and mammary glands. It has been proven to increase the shelf life of raw milk by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, especially Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas spp. The aim of this work was to verify the use of LP to extend the shelf life of meat products. In vitro experiments showed inhibitory effects on the selected bacteria (Listeria innocua (ATCC 33090), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (CP054440.1), and Pseudomonas fluorescens (ATCC 13525) due to a prolongation of the lag phase of growth curves. A lower increase in viable counts (p < 0.05) was also found by testing pork cubes’ surface treated with LP solution (5%) + L. innocua and stored for 7 days at 15 °C. LP has also been studied at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.50% in meat products (pork ham and pâté) during refrigerated storage (4 °C for 28 days). Lower viable counts were observed throughout the storage experiment, especially for 0.50% LP (p < 0.05). Meat products containing LP also showed lower levels of oxidation (MAD) (p < 0.05). According to these results, LP could extend the shelf life of a wider range of products.

Vibratory positive expiratory pressure (PEP) devices are now commonly used as a resource for voice therapy. PEP devices promote improved vocal economy with the added benefit of producing a massage effect in the vocal tract. Although the benefits of PEP devices for voice have already been demonstrated, their impact on the vocal source is still not very clear. This study assesses the impact of phonation into the Acapella Choice (a type of PEP device) on the voice. Three normophonic subjects underwent high-speed videoendoscopy assessment while pressure, flow and electroglottographic data was collected. Phonation into the Acapella device produces large changes in the pressure and flow profiles consequently affecting the voice source. In specific, when intraoral pressure increases as a consequence of the downward movement of the rocker arm in the Acapella device (reduction of the airflow outlet), phonation is hindered, demonstrated by the lower amplitude of vibration of the vocal folds and weaker modulation of the pressure and flow values by the glottal cycle. When the rocker arm in the Acapella device opens (increasing the airflow outlet), the opposite trend is observed where vocal fold vibration is aided and the modulation of pressure and flow by the vocal cycle increases. Based on the pressure and flow signals, we can assume that the impedance of the vocal tract alternates between two dominant regimes: increased inertive reactance (aided vibration) and increased resistance (hindered vibration). PEP devices, such as the Acapella device, are efficient in modulating the pressure and flow profiles in the vocal tract leading to the alternation of glottal vibration from aided to hindered. These changes in the glottal vibration can be considered an additional consequence of the massage effect caused by the Acapella device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and physical properties of reflective and black aluminum were compared for layers of different thicknesses deposited by magnetron sputtering on fused silica substrates. Reflective Al layers followed the Volmer-Weber growth mechanism classically observed for polycrystalline metal films. On the contrary, the extra nitrogen gas used to deposit the black aluminum layers modified the growth mechanism and changed the film morphologies. Nitrogen cumulated in the grain boundaries, favoring the pinning effect and stopping crystallite growth. High defect concentration, especially vacancies, led to strong columnar growth. Properties reported for black aluminum tend to be promising for sensors and emissivity applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)