Biomedical Issues Research Articles

A hierarchical GNN across semantic and topological domains for predicting circRNA-microRNA interactions

Identifying circRNA-microRNA interactions (CMI) is a significant biomedical issue in recent years. This problem provides insights into using circRNA as biomarkers, developing cancer therapies and producing cancer vaccines. Using computational methods for identification is a more time-efficient and cost-effective approach. In computational methods, using graphs to represent and explore the CMI is a mainstream approach. However, existing relevant methods do not achieve optimal results by utilizing both the semantic information extracted from sequences and the topological information extracted from graph structures. To address this issue, we propose HGLMALLM, a graph contrastive learning method that learns node representation crossing both the semantic domain generated via motif-aware pre-trained LLMs and the topological domain extracted from hierarchical graph structures. Our method effectively addresses the issue in existing Message Passing Neural Network (MPNN) method that edge components losing heterogeneity after multiple iterations. Moreover, this method utilizes the heterogeneity of graph which is extended from the traditional bipartite graph to heterogeneous through the semantic domain. Two commonly used datasets were partitioned based on the distribution of node degrees. Then, we benchmarked our method against existing methods. In the independent testing set evaluation, it achieved a 3 % and 1 % improvement on two datasets. Our method demonstrated the best stability in ten-fold cross-validation on the training set. A test conducted on the peripheral components reveals robust performance of our model. A dataset collected from real scenarios was used to demonstrate the strong predictive ability of our method for identifying unidentified CMI.

Olfactory Diagnosis Model for Lung Health Evaluation Based on Pyramid Pooling and SHAP-Based Dual Encoders.

This study introduces a novel deep learning framework for lung health evaluation using exhaled gas. The framework synergistically integrates pyramid pooling and a dual-encoder network, leveraging SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) derived feature importance to enhance its predictive capability. The framework is specifically designed to effectively distinguish between smokers, individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and control subjects. The pyramid pooling structure aggregates multilevel global information by pooling features at four scales. SHAP assesses feature importance from the eight sensors. Two encoder architectures handle different feature sets based on their importance, optimizing performance. Besides, the model's robustness is enhanced using the sliding window technique and white noise augmentation on the original data. In 5-fold cross-validation, the model achieved an average accuracy of 96.40%, surpassing that of a single encoder pyramid pooling model by 10.77%. Further optimization of filters in the transformer convolutional layer and pooling size in the pyramid module increased the accuracy to 98.46%. This study offers an efficient tool for identifying the effects of smoking and COPD, as well as a novel approach to utilizing deep learning technology to address complex biomedical issues.

Exploring the Intersection of Sex and Race Within Transcranial Doppler Sonography: Implications for Future Neuroergonomic Research and Application

Transcranial Doppler Sonography (TCD) employs ultrasound to measure cerebral blood flow velocity for medical diagnostics and research. Unfortunately, certain groups experience disproportionately higher TCD failure rates than others, impacting their representation in healthcare and research. To delve into the factors influencing successful TCD application, particularly across different sexes and racial populations, a literature review was conducted. It emerged that factors such as bone density and headset design contribute to these disparities. For example, minority women, on average had comparatively denser temporal windows, consequently facing elevated failure rates in comparison to other groups. Moreover, TCD headset designs often overlook accommodating diverse hairstyles, especially those prevalent in Black communities. While addressing bone density of the transtemporal window is a deeper biomedical engineering issue of the TCD, designers should build upon the insights highlighted in this paper to create a more inclusive TCD that can safely adapt to varying bone density.

Policy action points and approaches to promote fertility care in The Gambia: Findings from a mixed-methods study.

In the Global South, (in)fertility care is scarcely recognized as a priority, yet the government of The Gambia has recently included it as one of the key priorities in its reproductive health strategic plan. This inclusion appears to be the result of years of engagement between policy actors, academic researchers, and activists in the field of reproductive health and specifically of infertility. However, the operationalization of the strategic plan may be hampered by multiple factors. The research aims to identify and analyze challenges that may impede the effective implementation of the strategic plan, thereby providing policy action points and practical guidance into the operationalization of (in)fertility care in the context of The Gambia's health system. This is a mixed-methods study with data from a survey and semi-structured interviews collected between 2020 and 2021 in The Gambia that were separately published. In this paper, we present the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data using a convergence coding matrix to identify relevant policy action points. Six fertility care policy action points, driven by data, arose from the triangulation and interpretation process, specifically: (i) establishing and maintaining political commitment and national priority for fertility care; (ii) creating awareness and increasing the involvement of men in SRH and fertility; (iii) ensuring data-driven health policymaking; (iv) offering and regulating affordable IVF alternatives; (v) improving knowledge of and means for fertility care provision; and (vi) enhancing the collaboration among stakeholders and building links with the private healthcare sector. This study found the implementation of the fertility care-related activities in the reproductive health strategic plan may face challenges that require careful mitigation through a holistic approach. Such an approach conceptualizes infertility not just as a biomedical issue but as a broader one that incorporates educational and socio-emotional aspects, including male and (not only) female involvement in sexual and reproductive health. Moreover, it is supported by a comprehensive health management information system that includes capturing data on the demand for, and access to, infertility services in The Gambia health system.

Cosmetic skin lightening: Contextualizing biomedical and ethical issues

The skin-lightening (SL) industry has a global reach and is projected to continue to grow over the coming decade. Although SL treatments may be safely prescribed for the treatment of some dermatologic conditions, many over-the-counter SL products contain ingredients that can cause harm to the skin and other organ systems. Given a lack of transparent information to patients and the historical colorist foundation that contextualizes a component of the cosmetic SL industry, dermatologists need to navigate biomedical and ethical concerns when explaining SL products to patients. This commentary briefly outlines the medical ethical issues surrounding this topic and describes avenues by which dermatologists may provide informed patient care that best supports beneficence, justice, autonomy, and nonmaleficence.

Type 1 diabetes care delivery in Yaoundé, Cameroon: Social and political representations.

Increasing chronic diseases challenges the health systems of low- and middle-income countries, including Cameroon. Type 1 diabetes (T1D), among the most common chronic diseases in children, poses particular care delivery challenges. We examined social representations of patients' roles and implementation of T1D care among political decision-makers, healthcare providers and patients within families. The study was conducted in Yaoundé, Cameroon. Eighty-two individuals were included in the study. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with policy makers (n= 5), healthcare professionals (n= 7) and patients 'parents (n= 20). Questionnaires were administered to paediatric patients with T1D (n= 50). The authors also observed care delivery at a referral hospital and at a T1D-focused non-governmental organisation over 15 days. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis and descriptive statistics. Cameroonian health policy portrays patients with T1D as passive recipients of care. While many practitioners recognised the complex social and economic determinants of adherence to T1D care, in practice interactions focused on specific biomedical issues and offered brief guidance. Cultural barriers and policy implementation challenges prevent patients and their families from being fully active participants in care. Parents and children prefer an ongoing relationship with a single clinician and interactions with other patients and families. Patients and families mobilise experience and lay knowledge to complement biomedical knowledge, but top-down policy and clinical practice limit their active engagement in T1D care.Contribution:Children with T1D and their families, policy makers, healthcare professionals, and civil society have new opportunities to contribute to person-centred care, as advocated by the Sustainable Development Goals.

Hypoxia-responsive AIEgens for precise disease theranostics.

Specific biomarker-activatable probes have revolutionized theranostics, being beneficial for precision medicine. Hypoxia is a critical pathological characteristic prevalent in numerous major diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disorders, inflammatory diseases, and acute ischemia. Aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have emerged as a promising tool to tackle the biomedical issues. Of particular significance are the hypoxia-responsive AIEgens, representing a kind of crucial probe capable of delicately sensing and responding to the hypoxic microenvironment, thereby enhancing the precision of disease diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we summarize the recent advances of hypoxia-responsive AIEgens for varied biomedical applications. The hypoxia-responsive structures based on AIEgens, such as azobenzene, nitrobenzene, and N-oxide are presented, which are in response to the reduction property to bring about significant alternations in response spectra and/or fluorescence intensity. The bioapplications including imaging and therapy of tumor and ischemia diseases are discussed. Moreover, the review sheds light on the future challenges and prospects in this field. This review aims to provide comprehensive guidance and understanding into the development of activatable bioprobes, especially the hypoxia-responsive AIEgens for improving the diagnosis and therapy outcome of related diseases.

NECESSITY IN XENOTRANSPLANTATION: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVES REVISITED

Organ failures cause significant problems and sufferings which affect the livelihood, quality of life and decrease in life expectancy to the person. The caregivers, family and community also carry the disease burden and costs of the organ failures. Allotransplantation (AT) offers probable cures to organ failure but is limited by the supply of human organs. Organ shortages have resulted in numerous biomedical ethical problems and illegal activities. Xenotransplantation (XT) and specifically Porcine Xenotransplantation (PXT) has high expectations from researchers and clinicians to be the alternative to AT. From the Islamic perspectives, multiple deliberations and fatwas are issued that vary from total prohibition to conditional permissibility and full permissibility. Often, ḍarūrah or dire necessity is invoked to make XT or PXT permissible. The relevant biomedical issues and whether pre-conditions for ḍarūrah have been satisfied are discussed.

Harnessing alginate-based nanocomposites as nucleic acid/gene delivery platforms to address diverse biomedical issues: A progressive review

Among various polysaccharides, alginate-based nanostructures have etched an indelible mark on the canvas of biomolecules’ delivery. Although several review articles on the use of alginates for the delivery of drugs and other bio-active agents can be retrieved from various literature repositories, however, the progress in the realm of alginate-based nanomaterials and its nanocomposites for nucleic acid/gene delivery has not been specifically reviewed of late. In this context, the write up in this article is geared off with highlights on alginate's structure-bioactivity concert, molecular modulations, and brief description about the different approaches to fabricate its various nanostructures. The subsequent section is then specifically streamlined towards comprehending the formulation, the biophysicochemical features and applications of alginate-based nanomaterials and nanocomposites for nucleic acid/ gene delivery applications to address various biomedical issues, as attested by a couple of topical investigations. Representative studies on gene delivery using alginate-based nanobiomaterials in research pertaining to cancer therapy, macrophage targeting and repolarization, intestine-inflammation targeting, bone regeneration, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease therapy and wound healing therapy, amongst others are presented. Various practical snags and prospective future direction of research in the use of alginate based nanobiomaterials for gene therapy are highlighted in the concluding section.

Development of Bioactive Scaffolds for Orthopedic Applications by Designing Additively Manufactured Titanium Porous Structures: A Critical Review.

We overview recent findings achieved in the field of model-driven development of additively manufactured porous materials for the development of a new generation of bioactive implants for orthopedic applications. Porous structures produced from biocompatible titanium alloys using selective laser melting can present a promising material to design scaffolds with regulated mechanical properties and with the capacity to be loaded with pharmaceutical products. Adjusting pore geometry, one could control elastic modulus and strength/fatigue properties of the engineered structures to be compatible with bone tissues, thus preventing the stress shield effect when replacing a diseased bone fragment. Adsorption of medicals by internal spaces would make it possible to emit the antibiotic and anti-tumor agents into surrounding tissues. The developed internal porosity and surface roughness can provide the desired vascularization and osteointegration. We critically analyze the recent advances in the field featuring model design approaches, virtual testing of the designed structures, capabilities of additive printing of porous structures, biomedical issues of the engineered scaffolds, and so on. Special attention is paid to highlighting the actual problems in the field and the ways of their solutions.

Sustainable Materials and Technologies for Biomedical Applications

Over the past few years, 3D-printed biomaterials have gained widespread usage in the manufacturing of orthopaedic implants. 3D-printed implants have low weight, minimal material waste, ease of creation, the capacity to create complex topological implants that are patient specific, and a porous structure that permits tissue development. 3D printing has the potential to reduce material waste, cut transportation costs, optimise manufacturing costs, streamline the supply chain in supply chain management (SCM), and enhance environmental sustainability by utilising the concept of production-on-demand (POD). Biopolymer-based composites consisting of cellulose, chitin, and chitosan are sustainable materials that may be utilised as necessary. In light of the present biomedical issues, hydroxyapatite and starch combinations have immense potential for generating sustainable biomaterials. Carbon, which is a key category of sustainable biomaterials, is found in a wide range of carbonaceous gels and biomaterials based on cellulose fibres and carbon nanotube. The goal of this article is to give a thorough review of a few of the most recent developments, uses, and challenges for biomaterials made from sustainable resources. In this article, the authors have initially covered different biomaterials such as metallic, polymeric, ceramic, and composite and their properties and applications. Sustainable manufacturing techniques for biomaterials such as 3D and 4D printing are also covered in this article. Different sustainable biomaterials are covered with their properties and applications such as protein-based, cellulose, chitin, and chitosan composite-based, hydroxyapatite-starch-based and carbonaceous biomaterials. At last, future scope and opportunities in sustainable biomaterials and manufacturing techniques are covered. It has been found out that 3D printing technologies may support circular production systems across a range of sectors including biomedical by permitting the use of recycled and recovered materials as raw materials only when necessary.

Knowledge and perceptions of lymphatic filariasis patients in selectedhotspot endemic communities in southern Ghana.

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease that is one of the leading global causes of permanent disability. To date, LF interventions have been largely biomedical, focusing on drug treatments to disrupt parasite transmission and manage disease morbidity. Although important, these Mass Drug Administration (MDA) programs neglect the significance of socio-economic burden to the health of LF patients, which are compounded by social stigmatization, discrimination and associated depressive illnesses. The MDA program also typically fails to engage with local community beliefs and perceptions of LF, which may differ markedly from biomedical explanations and may have fueled non-compliance to treatments which is one of the major challenges of the Mass Drug Administration program. LF is not only a biomedical issue but also a social issue and LF interventions need to understand people's world views and the contexts through which they interpret bodily maladies. Hence, an effective LF intervention must bring together both the biomedical and the social components. The goal of this exploratory study was to assist in refining a large qualitative study (currently underway) that seeks to integrate culturally appropriate LF interventions into current LF control programs in Ghana. In this paper, we discuss the findings of a pre-intervention, exploratory study aimed at gaining a baseline grasp of a local culturally informed understanding of lymphatic filariasis and the knowledge gaps looking at three endemic Ghanaian communities in the Ahanta West District. A structured questionnaire was employed to assess the wellbeing, social inclusion, and cultural understanding of LF with a geographic focus within LF-endemic areas in Ghana. Interestingly, 45.8% of the 72 participants reported to have received information about LF from health care providers and the MDA program but only 5 out of the 72 (6.9%) respondents believed that LF was transmitted by mosquitos. This baseline study revealed several alternative interpretations and misconceptions about the disease, as well as the social and economic impacts, and importantly, the need to integrate qualitative research to develop culturally appropriate interventions and increase engagement with existing control programs.

'I accept his manhood is on life-support': A qualitative understanding of the impact of diabetes on sexual relationships among men and women living with type 2 diabetes and their partners in South Africa.

To explore the impact of diabetes on sexual relationships among men and women living with type 2 diabetes People living with type 2 diabetes (PLWD) and their partners in Cape Town, South Africa. As part of a larger study developing an intervention to improve type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) self management, we conducted in-depth individual interviews with 10 PLWD and their partners without diabetes about experiences living with T2DM, between July 2020 and January 2021. We used inductive thematic analysis. Both PLWD and partners felt that their sexual relationships and desires changed post-diagnosis, in ways beyond biomedical issues. Although couples' reports on the quality of their sexual relationships were concordant, most participants had not communicated their sexual desires and concerns with each other, causing unhappiness and fears of disappointing or losing their partner. Participants felt uninformed about sexual dysfunction but had not discussed this with their healthcare provider, leading to increased anxiety. PLWD and their partners need more informational support to increase their understanding of diabetes-associated sexual dysfunction and to decrease fears and anxiety. Strengthening communication within couples on sexual issues may empower them to find solutions to problems experienced. This may improve couples' relationships and quality of life, and indirectly result in better self management of T2DM.

Survey of adolescents’ needs and parents’ views on sexual health in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

BackgroundAlthough the advent of new therapeutics for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) patients has considerably lessened the impact of the disease and reduced its sequelae, the outcomes of JIA remain important in their lives. Disease repercussions and side effects of treatments may affect sexual health and cause psychological distress. This aim of the study was to determine the expectations of adolescent JIA patients and the perceptions of their parents regarding knowledge and communication with healthcare providers (HCPs) in the field of sexual health (SH).MethodsIn France, from September 2021 to April 2022, a survey was conducted, using anonymous self-administered questionnaires, among JIA patients (adults (aged 18–45 years) to provide insights from their recollection of their adolescence) and their parents in nine rheumatology centers and three patient associations.ResultsThe responses to the 76 patient questionnaires and 43 parent questionnaires that were collected were analyzed. Half of the patients thought JIA impacted their romantic relationships, but the results were less clear-cut for their sexual activity; and 58.7% of the patients said they would be comfortable discussing the subject with HCPs, but only 26.3% had done so, mainly regarding biomedical issues. The patients and their parents thought that ideally, the topic should be addressed in an individual patient education session at the hospital (51.3% and 34.9%, respectively), in a regular consultation (47.4% and 53.5%), or in a dedicated consultation requested by the adolescent without the adolescent’s parents being informed (38.2% and 20.9%). Most of the respondents thought HCPs should be proactive in SH (77.6% of the patients and 69.8% of their parents). More patients than parents said the following digital information tools must be used: videos (29.0% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.0127) and smartphone applications (25.0% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.0372).ConclusionHCPs should consider addressing the unmet need for SH discussions during their patient encounters. To meet this need, we propose concrete actions in line with the wishes of patients and parents.Clinical trial registration numberNCT04791189.

Adultification and the Youth Sports Industrial Complex

Adultification bias is where children are treated as being more mature than they actually are by a reasonable social standard of development. There are deleterious effects of treating children as adults. This has been shown in children of minority groups, specifically African Americans and their treatment in the justice system. It is postulated that a form of adultification is occurring in youth sports. Over the past several decades, there has been the increase of the youth sports industrial complex with concomitant phenomena of youth specialization. It has been noted that these individuals undergo more biomedical issues such as more musculoskeletal injuries, however other risks that have yet to be discerned. It is postulated, the youth sports industrial complex also is a form of adultification, with most children at risk for this, which may impact minority children even more so. We aim to introduce the concept of adultification in the context of youth sports, in order to spur more discussion, debate and research into the issue.

Recent Advances of Metal-Polyphenol Coordination Polymers for Biomedical Applications.

Nanomedicine has provided cutting-edge technologies and innovative methods for modern biomedical research, offering unprecedented opportunities to tackle crucial biomedical issues. Nanomaterials with unique structures and properties can integrate multiple functions to achieve more precise diagnosis and treatment, making up for the shortcomings of traditional treatment methods. Among them, metal-polyphenol coordination polymers (MPCPs), composed of metal ions and phenolic ligands, are considered as ideal nanoplatforms for disease diagnosis and treatment. Recently, MPCPs have been extensively investigated in the field of biomedicine due to their facile synthesis, adjustable structures, and excellent biocompatibility, as well as pH-responsiveness. In this review, the classification of various MPCPs and their fabrication strategies are firstly summarized. Then, their significant achievements in the biomedical field such as biosensing, drug delivery, bioimaging, tumor therapy, and antibacterial applications are highlighted. Finally, the main limitations and outlooks regarding MPCPs are discussed.

Nanomaterials for Periodontal Tissue Regeneration: Progress, Challenges and Future Perspectives.

Bioactive nanomaterials are increasingly being applied in oral health research. Specifically, they have shown great potential for periodontal tissue regeneration and have substantially improved oral health in translational and clinical applications. However, their limitations and side effects still need to be explored and elucidated. This article aims to review the recent advancements in nanomaterials applied for periodontal tissue regeneration and to discuss future research directions in this field, especially focusing on research using nanomaterials to improve oral health. The biomimetic and physiochemical properties of nanomaterials such as metals and polymer composites are described in detail, including their effects on the regeneration of alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, cementum and gingiva. Finally, the biomedical safety issues of their application as regenerative materials are updated, with a discussion about their complications and future perspectives. Although the applications of bioactive nanomaterials in the oral cavity are still at an initial stage, and pose numerous challenges, recent research suggests that they are a promising alternative in periodontal tissue regeneration.

Applications of artificial intelligence-machine learning for detection of stress: a critical overview.

Psychological distress is a major contributor to human physiology and pathophysiology, and it has been linked to several conditions, such as auto-immune diseases, metabolic syndrome, sleep disorders, and suicidal thoughts and inclination. Therefore, early detection and management of chronic stress is crucial for the prevention of several diseases. Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) have promoted a paradigm shift in several areas of biomedicine including diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis of disease. Here, our review aims to present some of the AI and ML applications for solving biomedical issues related to psychological stress. We provide several lines of evidence from previous studies highlighting that AI and ML have been able to predict stress and detect the brain normal states vs. abnormal states (notably, in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)) with accuracy around 90%. Of note, AI/ML-driven technology applied to identify ubiquitously present stress exposure may not reach its full potential, unless future analytics focus on detecting prolonged distress through such technology instead of merely assessing stress exposure. Moving forward, we propose that a new subcategory of AI methods called Swarm Intelligence (SI) can be used towards detecting stress and PTSD. SI involves ensemble learning techniques to efficiently solve a complex problem, such as stress detection, and it offers particular strength in clinical settings, such as privacy preservation. We posit that AI and ML approaches will be beneficial for the medical and patient community when applied to predict and assess stress levels. Last, we encourage additional research to bring AI and ML into the standard clinical practice for diagnostics in the not-too-distant future.

Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Laboratory for an Integrated Chemistry/Biology Program: Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs)-Cellulose Composite Materials with Antimicrobial Activity.

This laboratory exercise integrates chemistry and biology concepts to give third/fourth-year undergraduate students an opportunity to apply knowledge from different subject areas to address a real-world biomedical issue such as pathogen inhibition using composite materials. It involves the preparation of a bacteria-derived cellulosic biopolymer through microbial cultivation, impregnation of the bacterial cellulose (BC) with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), followed by the analysis of the materials and the antimicrobial properties of the biomaterial-AgNPs composites. The methods are relatively simple and use inexpensive chemicals. A Tollens type approach is adopted to produce silver nanoparticles-bacterial cellulose (AgNPs-BC) composites by the reduction of [Ag(NH3)2]+ complex embedded in the cellulose matrix. The samples were dried by two different methods: freeze-drying or vacuum-drying. The dried AgNPs-BC films were evaluated for antimicrobial properties against a test organism, in this example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative biosafety containment level 2 (BSL 2) bacterium, using an agar diffusion test. For additional flexibility and customization, options for dividing the chemistry/biology content of this laboratory into smaller units with an emphasis on characterization techniques of nanomaterials for chemistry majors are also discussed.

The biomedical securitization of global health

BackgroundThe COVID-19 outbreak has shifted the course in the global health debate further towards health security and biomedical issues. Even though global health had already played a growing role in the international policy agenda, the pandemic strongly reinforced the interest of the media, the general public and the community in cross-border infectious diseases. This led to a strengthening of the already dominant biomedical understanding of global health and the securitization of health in foreign policy.MethodsThis paper critically provides a narrative, iterative review of the health security literature available to date, with a special focus on the development of the currently prevailing concept of health security and the dual trend towards the securitization and biomedicalization of global health.FindingsIn a world increasingly determined by power asymmetries, unequal distribution of opportunities and resources, and inadequate governance structures, securitizing health has become a key feature of global governance. Health security is predominantly based on a concept that neglects the global burden of disease determined by non-communicable conditions rather than by infectious diseases. Moreover, it exhibits a trend towards biomedical solutions and neglects root causes of global health crises.ConclusionsAs important as health security is, the underlying concept driven by biomedical and technocratic reductionism falls short. It widely neglects the social, economic, political, commercial and environmental determination of health. Beyond improved health care and prevention, health-in-all policies are ultimately required for ensuring health security and reducing one of its main challenges, health inequalities within and between countries. Global health security must first and foremost seek to guarantee the universal right to health and therefore emphasise the social, economic, commercial and political determination of health.