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Kate Keenan,1 Sarah Walton,1 Kimberley Mbayiwa,1 Lara Akande,1 Anna Cherian,2 Christina Ciaccio,2 Ilaria Tare1 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; 2Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USACorrespondence: Kate Keenan, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC3077, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA, Tel +1-773-702-4449, Email kekeenan@uchicago.eduBackground: Black American children are at higher risk for developing asthma than White children. Identifying potential scalable preventive interventions that can reduce the racial disparities in asthma prevalence and associated morbidity and mortality are needed. We leveraged data from an RCT of prenatal supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in Black American women, to explore whether prenatal fatty acid supplementation is associated with offspring wheeze and asthma.Methods: Data were from the Nutrition and Pregnancy Study (NAPS), a double-blind RCT of prenatal DHA supplementation in Black women targeting stress regulation during pregnancy. A subset of mothers (n = 83) completed a standardized questionnaire on offspring wheeze and asthma when children were between 0.5 and 5.5 years of age. DHA levels were measured from venous blood and reported as percent of total fatty acids.Results: Of the 83 mothers providing data on child wheeze and asthma, 57 (68.7%) had been randomized to active DHA and 26 (31.3%) to placebo. Mothers and research staff were blind to group assignment. Comparison at the group assignment level yielded a relative reduction of 32% in the rate of wheeze or asthma among offspring of mothers assigned to active DHA compared to offspring of mothers assigned to placebo (OR = 1.6 [95% CI = 0.50– 5.09], p = 0.426). DHA levels measured at 25– 29 and 33– 37 weeks of gestation differed as a function of offspring wheeze or asthma (t = 2.21, p = 0.015 and t = 2.54, p = 0.007, respectively).Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that increasing prenatal levels of DHA could be considered as a potential prevention for asthma in Black American children.Keywords: Asthma, omega-3 fatty acids, pregnancy, Black American

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In the hours following the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent shutdown, educators across the nation were suddenly tasked with teaching online. As Jen Vanek describes in "Supporting Quality Instruction: Building Teacher Capacity as Instructional Designers (Part 1 of 3)" (EJ1344704), the majority of educators had to quickly learn and adopt new ways of planning and delivering instruction. Over time, the conversation around the role of technology in adult education shifted. In spite of the tremendous hardship experienced in and outside of the classroom, the crisis revealed an untapped opportunity to meet the needs of adult learners more effectively through flexible programming, digital skills development, and personalization of learning. The purpose of this article is to delve deeper into the myriad individual and systemic factors that impact the adult learner, educator, and their interactions through the lens of learner variability. Embracing well-designed and implemented education technology is a major step in the future of equitable and sustainable learning for adult education, and understanding the whole person remains at the core of learner success. [For Part 2, see EJ1344707.]

The study analyzes the hydromorphological impacts of barrage construction and operation on the Yamuna River over 25 years, employing the River Flow Health Index (RFHI). The RFHI methodology includes segregating flow data into different periods, identifying key parameters, assessing flow alterations, and developing an index from 0 to 1. Results indicate moderate alterations in the flow regime, with RFHI of 0.379 and 0.328 for different periods. Geomorphological analysis revealed variations in river sinuosity, peaking at 1.232 in 1999 before reducing to 1.206 by 2018, and braid-channel ratio decreasing from 1.864 in 1999 to 1.508 in 2018. Channel width narrowed in 1999 to 0.082 km and slightly expanded to 0.093 km by 2018. The channel area reduced from 6.418 km² in 1993 to 5.632 km² in 2018, with the bar area significantly decreasing and bar density dropping from 3.28 to 0.83, indicating changes in the channel belt. Construction phases showed increased fluvial bars and channel multiplicity and decreased channel area and width. Post-Hathnikund barrage, withdrawals during lean seasons left the channel dry, as seen in 2003, 2008, and 2013. These findings emphasize integrated river basin management to harmonize development with ecological impacts. HIGHLIGHTS Use of the River Flow Health Index on Yamuna, assessing hydrological changes.; Advanced GIS remote sensing for analyzing barrage-induced geomorphological impacts.; Fills research gap on barrages’ effects on flow and morphology.; Guides sustainable water management, aligning ecological conservation with human demands.; Influences policies for river restoration, applicable to global river systems.;

Background: The DAWN antivirals trial was a multicentric, randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating antiviral medication for COVID-19 in general practice. The trial was prematurely terminated because of insufficient recruitment. Aim: To explore which factors contributed to the premature termination. Design & setting: General practice in Belgium. Method: Patients were randomised to camostat or placebo (patients and physicians blinded) between June 2021 and July 2022; a third arm evaluating molnupiravir (open label) was opened in March 2022. The outcome assessor was blinded for all comparisons except for the patient reported outcomes in case of molnupiravir. The authors analysed available trial data and evaluated trial context, implementation, and mechanisms of impact based on semi-structured interviews with trial stakeholders. Results: The trial recruited 44 participants; 19 were allocated to camostat (median age 55 years), 8 to molnupiravir (median age 60 years), and 17 to placebo (median age 56 years). There were no serious adverse events in either group. Most difficulties were related to the pandemic context: disruption to routine clinical services; multiple changes to the service model for COVID-19 patients; overwhelmed clinical staff; delays of trial medication; and staff shortages in the sponsor and clinical team. In addition, regulatory approval processes were lengthy and led to additional study procedures. It was felt that the trial started too late, when vaccinations had already begun. Conclusion: The DAWN antivirals trial was stopped prematurely. Although many barriers were related to the pandemic itself, hurdles such as a small and inexperienced sponsor and clinical teams, delays in regulatory processes, and research capacity in routine settings could be overcome by established research infrastructure and standardisation of processes.

Abstract Background These days, the presence of simple impurities in pharmaceuticals is a major cause for worry. This is because some contaminants are dangerous on their own, and even small impurities can make a drug less stable and shorten its shelf life. The goal of this study was to see if creams with ximenynic acid could be tested with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry to find out how much arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, vanadium, cobalt, and nickel were in them. The best way to do things would be one that was quick, accurate, sensitive, and very productive (ICP-MS). The method included both inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and microwave digestion. Results Seven of the seven linearity correlation coefficient (‘R’) value were more than 0.99. LOD values were calculated using 33% of the 0.25 J threshold. Six LOQ responses (0.25 J level) were taken after considerable discussion. Calculated and reported %RSD for six LOQ copies. All elemental impurities Vanadium (V), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), Mercury (Hg), and Lead (Pb) were recovered between 83.33% and 115.97%, within acceptability limits. RSD% for procedure precision and intermediate precision data never exceeded 5%. The available evidence shows that the ICP-MS technique is a good way to measure these components. Conclusion The statistical analysis showed that the developed ICP-MS method for measuring elements in Topical Cream with Ximenynic Acid is selective and accurate. Since this ICPMS method is good at estimating several elements simultaneously, it could be used to check for elemental contaminants in the formulation.

One of the hallmarks of Parkinson's Disease (PD) is aggregation of incorrectly folded α-synuclein (SNCA) protein resulting in selective death of dopaminergic neurons. Another form of PD is characterized by the loss-of-function of an E3-ubiquitin ligase, parkin. Mutations in SNCA and parkin result in impaired mitochondrial morphology, causing loss of dopaminergic neurons. Despite extensive research on the individual effects of SNCA and parkin, their interactions in dopaminergic neurons remain understudied. Here we employ Drosophila model to study the effect of collective overexpression of SNCA along with the downregulation of parkin in the dopaminergic neurons of the posterior brain. We found that overexpression of SNCA along with downregulation of parkin causes a reduction in the number of dopaminergic neuronal clusters in the posterior region of the adult brain, which is manifested as progressive locomotor dysfunction. Overexpression of SNCA and downregulation of parkin collectively results in altered mitochondrial morphology in a cluster-specific manner, only in a subset of dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Further, we found that SNCA overexpression causes transcriptional downregulation of parkin. However, this downregulation is not further enhanced upon collective SNCA overexpression and parkin downregulation. This suggests that the interactions of SNCA and parkin may not be additive. Our study thus provides insights into a potential link between α-synuclein and parkin interactions. These interactions result in altered mitochondrial morphology in a cluster-specific manner for dopaminergic neurons over a time, thus unraveling the molecular interactions involved in the etiology of Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction Background: Childhood poisoning, characterised by exposure to toxic substances, poses a global health concern with variations across regions. Despite the importance of having current information about childhood acute poisoning in our region, there is a noticeable gap in such research in our local context. Regularly reviewing the agents responsible for poisoning in our locale is essential for devising prevention strategies and treatment approaches. This study aimed to examine the patterns and outcomes of childhood poisoning at the Children’s Emergency Department of the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, analysing cases of childhood poisoning in the Children’s Emergency Ward, presenting from January 2013 to December 2022. Sociodemographic data, types of poisoning agents, home interventions, clinical features and outcomes were extracted from medical records.Results Of 9389 admissions, 81 (0.8%) cases were admitted for childhood poisoning, but only 69 cases were analysed (total n=69). Children aged under 5 years (52.2%) and who were males (59.4%) were mostly involved. Organophosphates (21.7%) and kerosene (20.3%) were common poisoning agents, often accidental (72.5%) and occurring at home (94.2%). Delayed hospital presentation (>2 hours) was common (68.1%). Vomiting (72.5%) and drooling saliva (56.5%) were prevalent symptoms. Hydration (60.9%) was the main hospital intervention, while antidotes were infrequently used (15.9%). Mortality was 8.7%, predominantly due to kerosene ingestion in young children.Conclusion Organophosphate and kerosene poisoning are the most common in this facility. Enforcement challenges persist, emphasising the importance of safe storage practices and improved poison control measures. Addressing resource constraints for antidote availability and increasing awareness are vital for effective management and prevention.

Purpose. The present study aimed to improve the aqueous solubility, permeability, bioavailability, and nootropic potential of standardized Emblica officinalis extract (EOE) by developing a novel phytosomal formulation. Method. Emblica officinalis extract-loaded phytosomes (EOPs) were prepared using solvent evaporation. The EOP was prepared at different molar ratios of extract and phospholipid. Herein, the effects of phospholipid extract ratio (A), temperature (B), and reaction time (C) were systematically investigated on entrapment efficiency using Box-Behnken design. In vitro and in vivo characterizations of the optimized formulation were performed. Results. Optimized EOP formulation (89.90 ± 0.24 μg/ml) exhibited improved aqueous solubility than plain EOE (11.85 ± 0.25 μg/ml). The optimized formulation’s particle size and Zeta potential were 198.4 ± 0.20 nm and −39.0 ± 0.40 mv. DSC and XRD studies confirmed the partial amorphization of EOE in phytosomes. Optimized formulation exhibited 69.82 ± 0.17% of EOE release at 12 h and followed zero-order release kinetics. Moreover, the phytosomal formulation of EOE exhibited its rationality with an improvement of bioavailability by 2.7 folds compared with pure EOE. Compared to EOE, EOP showed significantly (p

There is a persistent gap between education research and practice, including in the design of educational technology. This study bridges this gap and examines our partnership with a literacy platform to implement evidence-based digital features that support different learner needs. We examined students' (N = 1857; Grades 1-6) use of these new optional features (e.g., audio supports, text magnification, annotation) when completing assignments online and found that 92% of students tried at least one. Importantly, we also found that students showed greater engagement with harder assignments when they used the features. Use of the support features did not differ by student characteristics such as reading proficiency, special education, or socioeconomic status, suggesting that developing research-informed features could potentially benefit all students when they need extra scaffolding.