Silibinin-loaded PEGylated niosomal nanoparticles restore hippocampus histological changes, memory and learning, and downregulate the inflammasome pathway in Alzheimer's disease animal models.

Urinary free cortisol analyses: Enhancing their clinical performance in Cushing's syndrome management by means of LC-MS/MS.

Elucidating the biological characteristics of overweight populations based on urine Raman spectroscopy and bioinformatics analysis.

ABSTRACT Background This study aimed to evaluate the impact of HPV vaccination at the time of treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ on recurrence/persistence. Research design and methods Unvaccinated women with genital high-grade lesion(s) were offered vaccination (Gardasil 9®) at the time of treatment. Those with CIN2 or 3 were compared with a historical control group of unvaccinated women. Results Vaccination was accepted by 99.6% of women (267/268); 170 satisfied the inclusion criteria. CIN2+ recurrence/persistence rate up to 24 months in the vaccine group was 3.0% (5/164) vs. 7.1% (21/295) in the control group, p = 0.091. There were no differences in the time until diagnosis. Positive margins (HR [hazard ratio] 8.28; 95% CI 4.08 to 16.77, p < 0.001) and age > 45 years (HR 2.99; 95% IC 1.56 to 5.74, p < 0.001) were associated with increased risk of persistence/recurrence. There was no reduction in HPV detection at 6 months, but vaccinated women were more likely to become HPV negative (HR 0.689; CI 95% 0.54 to 0.89; p = 0.003) and earlier. Conclusion There was a non-significant trend toward lower risk of recurrence/persistence of CIN2+ after treatment in vaccinated women; vaccination did not impact the short-term HPV detection but increased the likelihood of becoming undetectable.

Introduction: Ischaemic Heart Disease (IHD) and other cardiovascular conditions remain the foremost contributors to global illness and death, with India bearing a considerable share of this burden. Although progress has been made in treatment through medical and surgical approaches, inadequate patient awareness, limited self-care practices, and poor adherence to lifestyle changes continue to affect outcomes and Quality of Life (QoL). Nurse-led interventions, focusing on patient education, counselling, and ongoing support, have emerged as a potential strategy to address these challenges. Aim: To assess the impact of a nurse-led transitional care model on health outcomes (selected bio-physiological parameters) and QoL among individuals with IHD. Materials and Methods: A two-phase design was adopted. Phase I employed a mixed-methods exploratory approach at Dhiraj Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India and Railway Hospital, Lucknow, India. The study period for Phase I was 7 weeks, including (quantitative data collection for 4 weeks and qualitative data collection for consecutive 3 weeks). Based on these findings, a structured video-assisted nurse-led intervention was developed. In Phase II, an experimental study was carried out involving 90 post-operative IHD patients, who were randomly allocated to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received structured counselling, video-assisted education, and weekly telephone follow-ups for 12 weeks, while the control group continued with routine care. Outcomes were assessed using the McNew Heart Disease Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire and clinical parameters such as Blood Pressure (BP), Body Mass Index (BMI), and lipid profile, as shown by the results of the mean, standard deviation, and Unpaired t-test results. Results: In Phase I, a total of 46 patients were included, and the mean age of participants was 55.36±7.00 and 56.2±6.34 among the control and intervention groups. The majority of the population (n=17) highlighted major gaps in patients’ understanding of lifestyle adjustments, medication adherence, recognition of danger signs, and follow-up practices. In Phase II, after 12 weeks of intervention, patients in the experimental group showed significant improvements in clinical variables life including systolic BP (p-value=0.001), diastolic BP (p-value=0.016), and BMI (p-value=0.004). Lipid profile changes were not statistically significant, as evident from the mean, standard deviation, and the Unpaired t-test results. Quality of life showed marked improvement in physical, social, and global domains (p-value &lt;0.001), though the emotional domain did not show significant change. Overall, 64.4% of participants in the intervention group reported good QoL compared to only 13.3% in the control group. Conclusion: The nurse-led intervention effectively improved QoL and clinical outcomes in IHD patients, highlighting the value of structured education, video learning, and follow-up, with larger multicentric studies needed to validate these findings.

Strategies for improving preoperative anxiety in older adult cataract patients: results of a study based on simulated nursing interventions in surgical scenarios.

Various plant-based products are currently undergoing testing in aquaculture as growth and/or health enhancers for fish, serving as substitutes for chemicals and antibiotics that may be detrimental to animal and consumer well-being. Azadirachtin is a bioactive compound extracted from the Azadirachta indica plant, with great microbicidal and immunostimulant potential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary azadirachtin supplementation on the zootechnical performance and health of juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in a recirculating aquaculture system. Juvenile tilapia (n=400; mean weight 13.03±0.77g) were randomly distributed into 20 experimental units (EUs) divided into five groups with four replicates each. Over a 45-day period, four groups were given diets containing azadirachtin at concentrations of 20, 70, 120, and 170mgkg-1, while a control (0mgkg-1) group was fed a diet without the compound. At the end of this period, assessments were conducted on growth performance, haematoimmunological parameters, histological conditions of the liver, spleen, kidney, and intestine, as well as analyses of intestinal microbiota, hepatic antioxidant enzymatic activity, and malondialdehyde content. No significant differences were found in growth performance, whereas the inclusion of 170mgkg-1 of azadirachtin resulted in higher antimicrobial activity of fish blood plasma against Aeromonas hydrophila and lower intestinal Streptococcus spp. counts compared to non-supplemented fish. The mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration was significantly lower in fish from the 170mgkg-1 treatment group than in the control group. Conversely, dietary inclusion of azadirachtin adversely affected the structure and overall health of organs, especially the kidney and liver. Malondialdehyde content in the hepatic tissue of Nile tilapia was significantly higher in fish from the 120mgkg-1 treatment than in the 20mgkg-1 treatment and the control group. Fish from the 120 and 170mgkg-1 treatments showed a significant increase in superoxide dismutase activity compared to the control group. Although some beneficial effects on immunity have been observed, such as increased agglutination titre and enhanced antimicrobial activity of fish blood plasma against A. hydrophila, as well as reduced levels of Streptococcus spp. in the intestine, caution is advised when incorporating azadirachtin into the diet of juvenile O. niloticus as it may have the potential to compromise the integrity of tissues in vital organs.

Introduction: Anaemia is a common complication in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), predominantly due to Anaemia of Chronic Disease (ACD) or a combination of ACD and Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA). Differentiating anaemia associated with RA from pure IDA remains challenging because of overlapping biochemical markers. Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the soluble Transferrin Receptor-Ferritin (sTfR-F) index in differentiating anaemia associated with RA from pure IDA. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted at the Institute of Biochemistry, Rheumatology, and Internal Medicine, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, from December 2017 to November 2018. The study included 90 participants categorised into three groups: RA with anaemia (n=30), IDA without chronic disease (n=30), and healthy controls (n=30). Haematological parameters, serum ferritin, sTfR, and inflammatory markers {C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)} were measured. The sTfR-ferritin index was calculated, and its diagnostic performance was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Group comparisons were statistically analysed using one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with post hoc Tamhane’s test. Results: The mean ages of participants in the RA, IDA, and control groups were 46.1±4.25 years, 34.3±5.16 years, and 39.8±5.63 years, respectively, with a predominance of females (86.7%). Haemoglobin levels were significantly lower in the IDA group (7.8±2.09 g/dL) compared with the RA (9.79±1.63 g/ dL) and control (13.83±1.51 g/dL) groups. Ferritin levels were markedly reduced in the IDA group (8.22±8.47 ng/mL) compared with the RA (120.4±151.63 ng/mL) and control (84.66±59.18 ng/ mL) groups. The sTfR levels and the sTfR-ferritin index were significantly higher in the IDA group (p&lt;0.001). The sTfR-ferritin index effectively distinguished ACD from IDA, with an optimal cut-off value of 3.9 (sensitivity 60%, specificity 83.3%). Among patients with RA, a cut-off value of 2.12 identified iron depletion with 76.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Conclusion: The sTfR-ferritin index is a superior marker for detecting iron deficiency and effectively differentiates pure ACD from ACD with concomitant iron deficiency. Ferritin levels correlate with inflammation in RA, while sTfR levels are elevated in IDA and inversely related to haemoglobin concentrations. This makes the sTfR-ferritin index a reliable and clinically useful marker for differentiating anaemia associated with RA from pure IDA.

Hyposalivation affects cognitive function. However, its impact on hippocampus-dependent memory remains unclear. Saliva contains brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is also synthesized in the hippocampus and can pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to influence hippocampal plasticity. Therefore, we hypothesized that hyposalivation reduces peripheral BDNF availability, leading to decreased hippocampal BDNF levels and cognitive impairment. In this study, this relationship was investigated using an in vivo model of sialadenectomy-induced hyposalivation. A total of 24 8-week-old male ddY mice were divided into control and extraction (EXT) groups. The EXT group underwent submandibular and sublingual salivary gland extractions, whereas the control group underwent a sham operation. Saliva was collected at baseline (0 weeks) and at 2- and 3-weeks postoperatively. Cognitive function was assessed using the Y-maze, fear conditioning (FC), novel object recognition (NOR), and object location tests (OLT). Anxiety-like behavior was evaluated using the open field test (OFT) and elevated plus-maze (EPM) tests. Hippocampi were collected at 3 weeks post-operation for BDNF quantification using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and its concentration in subregions of the hippocampus was determined by semi-quantitative analysis. Hyposalivation significantly impaired spatial working memory in the Y-maze test and contextual fear memory in the FC, both of which are hippocampus-dependent. NOR showed only a transient deficit at 24 h during the 2-week period (no significant difference in 3-week post-operation), whereas long-term spatial memory measured by the OLT exhibited a persistent 24-h impairment at both 2 and 3 weeks, indicating reduced long-term spatial memory rather than accelerated decay. No significant differences were observed in anxiety-like behavior. Although sialoadenectomy significantly reduced salivary secretion and total salivary BDNF output, the concentration of BDNF in saliva in both groups remained unchanged at 2- and 3-weeks post-operation. However, hippocampal BDNF levels were significantly lower in the EXT group than in the control group. These findings suggest that hyposalivation may selectively impair hippocampus-related spatial memory without affecting recognition memory or anxiety-related behaviors.

Sex differences in effects of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction on marrow adipose tissue and trabecular bone in the rat proximal tibial epiphysis.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder that affects dystrophin production, characterized by progressive neuromuscular dysfunction, often accompanied by osteoporosis. We prospectively evaluate the effects of bisphosphonates on bone micro-architecture reflected by trabecular bone score (TBS) of patients with DMD. A total of 72 male children or adolescents with DMD were included, with a mean age of 9.5 ± 1.8 years. They were divided into bisphosphonate treatment groups and control group based on areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and history of fragility fractures. Patients in bisphosphonate treatment groups randomly received intravenous infusion of 5 mg zoledronic acid (ZOL) annually or oral 70 mg alendronate weekly for three years. All patients took calcium 600 mg plus 125 IU vitamin D daily and calcitriol 0.25 μg every other day. TBS at the lumbar spine (LS) and aBMD at the LS, femoral neck (FN) and total hip (TH) were measured annually by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Serum levels of β-isomerized carboxy-telopeptide of type I collagen and alkaline phosphatase were measured annually during the follow-up. A total of 25 (86.2%), 26 (92.9%) and 13 (86.7%) patients in the ZOL, alendronate and control groups completed the study. After 3 years, TBS Z-score increased from baseline by 1.13 (p < 0.01), 0.68 (p < 0.01) and 0.26 (p > 0.05) in the ZOL, alendronate and control groups, respectively. The mean increase in TBS Z-score from baseline was significantly greater in both bisphosphonate treatment groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found between the ZOL and alendronate groups. LS, FN and TH aBMD increased by 35.8%, 23.7% and 34.5% in the ZOL group (all p < 0.01 vs. baseline and control group) and by 21.5%, 29.3% and 25.0% in the alendronate group (all p < 0.05 vs. baseline and control group). LS and FN aBMD Z-scores increased by 1.56 and 1.63 in the ZOL group (all p < 0.01 vs. baseline), by 1.32 and 1.48 in the alendronate group (all p < 0.05 vs. baseline). Bisphosphonates demonstrated a favourable safety profile during the study period. This relatively long-term study confirms that zoledronic acid and alendronate are beneficial to improve micro-architecture reflected by TBS and aBMD of children or adolescents with DMD.

Does clockwise rotation of the maxillomandibular complex using the surgery-first approach to correct mandibular prognathism affect the pharyngeal airway?

Effects of the administration of probiotic complexes of Bacillus coagulans and Clostridium butyricum on intestinal barrier damage induced by 5-fluorouracil in rats.

Effect of diary intervention on sleep quality and risk of stress disorders among critically ill children in pediatric intensive care units and on their parents' anxiety level: A randomized controlled trial.

Daily Chlorhexidine Bathing for the Prevention of Nosocomial Infections in Critically Ill Patients (CLEAN-IT): a multicentre, cluster-randomised, crossover trial.

An exploratory, open-label, pilot randomized trial of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on serum ferritin in university female students: The OMEGA-3 FA study.

Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on ICU nurses' resilience and well-being.

The retention and recruitment of freshmen students transitioning to higher education or transferring to new academic institutions represents considerable challenges for universities nationwide. Research also underscores the mental health challenges encountered by students upon entering higher education, highlighting the necessity for effective resolution strategies. The study used an exploratory quasiexperimental design and a convenience sampling method to assess the impact of a plant distribution and care program on first-year university student retention, as well as levels of depression, stress, anxiety, and loneliness. The study employed a treatment and control group, both of which underwent pretest and post-test assessments using the 21-Item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale, along with the collection of demographic information and prior experiences with mental health issues and plants. The treatment group participated in an 8-week program in which they received houseplants for their dormitories and were given plant care instructions through an online platform. Additionally, students were offered further volunteer opportunities to engage in greenhouse activities with more than 50% of the treatment group opting to participate at least once. Conversely, the control group underwent pretest and post-test assessments at about the same intervals as the treatment group, without any intervention. Retention data were obtained by emailing contacting the university’s student success office to distinguish whether students re-enrolled for the spring semester. The results revealed a significant improvement in mental health among participants in the treatment group over the course of the study, despite post-test data collection coinciding with final semester exams. Conversely, the control group exhibited no discernible differences between pretest and post-test assessments. These findings suggest that houseplants combined with plant care tips teamed with the opportunity for plant-based activities may serve as a viable means to mitigate stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness among incoming university students. Additionally, the retention comparison indicated that all participants in the control group and all but one in the treatment group registered for courses in the upcoming semester, showing no difference in retention rates between the student groups.

Effect of a preoperative coating agent on postoperative skin tears in pancreatectomy.

Parenteral nutrition (PN) plays a crucial role in providing nutritional support to premature and small for gestational age (SGA) neonates. In this randomized controlled study, we evaluated PN administration in preterm SGA neonates using the corrected weight estimated at the 10th percentile, as guided by a clinical decision support system (CDSS). A total of 100 SGA neonates were randomly assigned to either the Control group (n = 50) or the Intervention group (n = 50). Both groups received PN support using a specialized CDSS. In the Control group, the CDSS calculated the PN regimen based on the actual birth weight, whereas in the Intervention group, calculations were based on the corrected weight corresponding to the 10th percentile. Growth indicators (i.e., body weight, length, and head circumference) were measured at baseline and at the time of exclusive enteral feeding initiation (endpoint). At baseline, no differences were observed between the two groups regarding gestational age, sex, birth weight, length, level of prematurity (all p's > 0.05). At the endpoint, the median weight gain was greater in the intervention group (+0.16 kg) than that of the control group (+0.09 kg), p = 0.034. The relative change in body weight was higher in the intervention group (+13.6 %) compared to the control group (+6.4 %), p = 0.047. Nutrient estimation based on the 10th percentile of weight with the assistance of CDSS, appears to be the most favorable combination for faster weight gain among SGA neonates. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07236957.