Post-treatment Recovery Research Articles

Effect of Short Duration Heat Stress on the Physiological and Production Parameters of Holstein-Friesian Crossbred Dairy Cows in Bangladesh

Heat stress is a major concern for lactating dairy cows. This study evaluated the effects of heat stress on six Holstein-Friesian crossbred dairy cows exposed to three thermal conditions represented by the Temperature-Humidity Index (THI). These conditions included a baseline pre-treatment phase at THI-72, a heat stress treatment phase at THI-75 and THI-80, and a post-treatment recovery phase at THI-72. The duration of the heat stress treatment phase was 24 h. A total of four trials, each involving three cows, were conducted in an IoT-based climatic chamber to assess various physiological, hematological, biochemical, and production parameters across these phases. Compared to the baseline (THI-72), cows showed significant increases (p < 0.05) in rectal temperature (RT), heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and water intake (WI) at both THI-75 and THI-80, with the highest elevations observed at THI-80 (RT: 5.1%, HR: 8.6%, RR: 23.5%, and WI: 19.1%). Feed intake declined significantly (p < 0.05) by 6.5% and 14.0%, and milk yield dropped by 5.3% and 14.7% at THI-75 and THI-80, respectively; milk fat and protein percentages decreased by 1.1-fold and 1.2-fold. Hemoglobin, platelet, and lymphocyte counts, along with biochemical parameters (excluding serum creatinine) also decreased significantly (p < 0.05). The different levels of THI influenced pairwise correlation patterns, with THI-75 showing intense interactions and THI-80 exhibiting greater variability. The findings highlight that Holstein-Friesian crossbreed dairy cows are particularly vulnerable to heat stress, even with short-term exposure. This vulnerability can lead to economic losses for Bangladeshi dairy farmers rearing Holstein-Friesian crossbreed cows.

Substance use negatively impacts change in reinforcement during the year following substance use treatment.

Although research supports an association between increased alternative reinforcement and decreased substance use, the impact of substance use on changes in reinforcement during posttreatment recovery remains untested. This study tested the effect of abstinence duration and substance use frequency on the trajectories of four reinforcement mechanisms, behavioral activation, reward probability, reward barriers, and valued living, from pre- to 12-month posttreatment. Adults in intensive outpatient substance use disorder treatment (N = 206) completed self-report measures of the four reinforcement constructs and substance use over six timepoints from pre- to 12-month posttreatment. Latent curve models were used to test the association between reinforcement trajectories and abstinence duration and substance use frequency, respectively. Lower substance use frequency was associated with significantly improved behavioral activation, reward probability, and reward barriers across the posttreatment period (ps < .05). Higher substance use frequency was associated with significantly lower valued living at each timepoint (ps < .05). Longer abstinence duration was significantly associated with higher behavioral activation and valued living, and lower reward barriers at 12-months (ps < .05). Substance-free reinforcement improves during treatment and is negatively impacted by substance use frequency during posttreatment. Abstinence duration is positively associated with substance-free reinforcement at 12-month posttreatment. These findings support the conceptualization of reinforcement as a malleable treatment target that is negatively impacted by substance use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of Papain-Urea for Enzymatic Debridement of Coagulation Zones Following Ablative Fractional Laser Treatment.

Ablative fractional CO2 laser (10,600 nm) treatment creates an array of microscopic treatment zones composed of an ablation zone (AZ) surrounded by a denatured coagulation zone (CZ). The CZ is believed to play a functional role in skin tightening, posttreatment inflammation, and laser-assisted drug delivery. This study investigates the viability of enzymatic post-processing to remove the CZ without affecting the surrounding tissue. Ex vivo skin samples were treated with either control, papain, urea, or papain-urea solutions before being covered with occlusive dressing and incubated at 37°C for 1 h. Tissue viability as well as AZ and CZ geometries were assessed histologically. Treatment with all three experimental solutions resulted in a decrease in CZ. The largest average reduction in CZ area was observed in the papain-urea group (44%, p < 0.001), followed by the papain (14%, p < 0.001) and urea (11%, p < 0.001) only groups. Only the papain-urea group showed a significant increase in AZ (14%) and changes in lesion geometry. This exploratory study of enzymatic post-processing with papain-urea highlighted the potential of selectively removing the CZ after treatment with ablative fractional laser therapy. If results can be translated to in vivo studies, these findings could expand the use of high-fluence CO2 laser therapy with functional implications for lowering posttreatment recovery time, providing clinicians more control over skin tightening, and enabling a broader range of laser-assisted drug delivery.

The Characteristics and Prognosis of Acute Hearing Loss in Military Personnel.

Introduction: The military population is one of the high-risk groups for acute hearing loss. This retrospective study aims to examine acute acoustic trauma (AAT) and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL) among military personnel. Materials and Methods: A total of 111 cases of acute hearing loss from a tertiary hospital between 2009 and 2021 were divided into AAT (53 cases) and ISSNHL (58 cases) groups. The time interval between trauma and treatment initiation, accompanying symptoms, and hearing thresholds before and after treatment were examined for all cases. Results: Two-thirds of the AAT group participants experienced damage to the left ear, and all individuals in this group presented with tinnitus at the time of trauma, but vertigo was less common in the AAT group than in the ISSNHL group. Hearing improvement after treatment was significant in both groups. An intergroup comparison of post-treatment hearing recovery revealed that prognosis was primarily determined by the initial severity of hearing loss rather than the underlying condition of AAT or ISSNHL. Conclusions: This finding emphasizes the importance of prompt and aggressive treatment in severe cases and the need for tailored strategies within military healthcare systems to improve hearing outcomes.

Development of modified MgO/biochar composite for chemical adsorption enhancement to cleanup fluoride-contaminated groundwater

Fluoride contamination in groundwater has become a global environmental issue. Magnesium oxide (MgO) has demonstrated effectiveness as an adsorbent in treating fluoride pollution in groundwater. However, its use in powder and fine granular form often results in losses during the adsorption process, posing challenges for post-treatment recovery and potentially causing secondary environmental pollution. In this study, two novel fluoride adsorbents [rice husk (RH) and spent coffee grounds (SCG)-based magnesium oxide (MgO) biochar composites (MgO/RH and MgO/SCG)] were developed to cleanup fluoride-polluted groundwater. During the adsorbent synthesis process, RH and SCG biochar were pyrolyzed at 500 °C and modified by calcination using MgO. Both MgO/RH and MgO/SCG surfaces exhibited abundant pore structures and formed MgO crystal phases. Batch experiments results show that when the MgO/RH and MgO/SCG material dosages were 1 g/L, fluoride removal rates reached 80% and 86% respectively. The isotherms and kinetics of fluoride adsorption with MgO/RH and MgO/SCG followed the Langmuir isotherm equation and pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum fluoride adsorption capacities of MgO/RH and MgO/SCG were 63.47 mg/g and 141.98 mg/g, respectively, indicating these materials used mono-layer adsorption mechanism for fluoride adsorption. The addition of MgO into the pores of porous adsorbent materials effectively increased their reactive sites and enhanced the adsorption performance of carbon materials. Particularly, SCG biochar had a richer pore structure than RH biochar, providing a larger contact surface area, facilitating the effective dispersion and doping of MgO into the pores. Therefore, MgO/SCG composite exhibited excellent fluoride adsorption properties in water, indicating the potential for developing a new type of MgO-modified SCG adsorbent material with green prospects. This composite effectively mitigated fluoride contamination, reducing the fluoride concentration in groundwater. Both RH and SCG are agricultural and food waste by-products, thus offering the opportunity to significantly reduce production, operation, and maintenance costs.

Recovery of cranial nerve neuropathies after LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery for benign cavernous sinus meningioma

PurposeCranial Nerve Neuropathies (CNNs) often accompany Cavernous Sinus Meningioma (CSM), for which Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) or fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR) are established treatments. This study assesses CNNs recovery in CSM patients treated with LINAC, offering insight into treatment effectiveness.MethodsThis study was conducted on 128 patients with CSM treated with LINAC-based SRS/FSR between 2005 and 2020 at a single institution. 46 patients presented with CNNs. The study analyzed patients’ demographics, clinical parameters, SRS/FSR treatment characteristics, post-treatment CNNs recovery duration, status, and radiological control on their last follow-up.ResultsThe median follow-up duration was 53.4 months. Patients were treated with SRS (n = 25) or FSR (n = 21). The mean pretreatment tumor volume was 9.5 cc decreasing to a mean end-of-follow-up tumor volume was 5.1 cc. Radiological tumor control was achieved in all cases. CNN recovery was observed in 80.4% of patients, with specific nerve recoveries documented as follows: extra-ocular nerves (43.2%), trigeminal nerve (32.4%), and optic nerve (10.8%). A higher CNNs recovery rate was associated with a smaller pre-treatment tumor volume (p < 0.001), and the median time-to-improvement was 3.7 months. Patients with tumor volumes exceeding 6.8 cc and those treated with FSR exhibited prolonged time-to-improvement (P < 0.03 and P < 0.04 respectively).ConclusionsThis study suggests that SRS/FSR for CSM provides good and sustainable CNNs recovery outcomes with excellent long-term radiological control. A higher CNNs recovery rate was associated with a smaller pre-treatment tumor volume. while shorter time-to-improvement was identified in patients treated with SRS compared to FSR, particularly in those with small pre-treatment tumor volume.

Type II RAF inhibitor tovorafenib in relapsed/refractory pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG): Reversible decreases in growth velocity in the phase 2 FIREFLY-1 trial.

10036 Background: Tovorafenib is an investigational, selective, CNS-penetrant, type II RAF inhibitor. Results from the ongoing FIREFLY-1 (NCT04775485) phase 2 study (1) in BRAF-altered pLGG showed clinically meaningful tumor responses and a manageable safety profile with tovorafenib monotherapy. Decreased growth velocity (GV) was observed; this is an update on changes in GV in skeletally immature children receiving tovorafenib. Methods: A planned safety analysis was completed on August 8, 2023 and included 137 patients (Arm 1: 77 &amp; Arm 2: 60) treated with ≥1 dose of tovorafenib in FIREFLY-1. This report provides additional follow-up on all cases of decreased growth velocity (GV), an adverse event of special interest (AESI), reported to the Sponsor’s global safety database (GSDB) as of January 19, 2024. Results: Decreased GV was reported in 40 (29.2%) of 137 patients; 26 (19%) had GV reduction ≥50% from baseline (BL). Of those with decreased GV, 30 (75.0%) had pre-existing neuromuscular or endocrine comorbidities that may affect normal growth, including 6 (15%) with precocious puberty being treated with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue, and 9 (22.5%) with BL heights 2 standard deviations above or below average for age and sex. Nineteen of the 40 patients with this AESI had on-treatment bone age assessments; none showed advancement of bone age from BL or premature closure of growth plates. No osteopenia or abnormal fractures were reported. Of the 35 patients with growth hormone (GH) testing, only 2 had signs of GH deficiency (both had optic pathway tumors; 1 had GH deficiency at BL, the other, a new tumor-associated GH deficiency). Post-treatment heights ≥3 months off treatment were reported for 10 of 40 patients who had interrupted or discontinued treatment for any reason (mean follow up: 5.8 months), including 2 (1.5%) permanent discontinuations and 3 (2.2%) interruptions due to decreased GV. All 10 showed post-treatment recovery in annualized GV (AGV) (average on-treatment AGV 1.1 cm/y vs. average post-treatment AGV 8 cm/y), in some cases exceeding expected average AGV for age. One additional 4-year-old boy with on-treatment AGV of 1.2 cm/y had an off-treatment AGV of 12.3 cm/y after 2 months of off-treatment follow-up. Decreased GV was reported to the GSDB for 5 (11.4%) of 44 patients who received above the maximum dose of tovorafenib used in FIREFLY-1 in an ongoing investigator-initiated study. Four of the 5 patients from this study had ≥3 months of off-treatment follow-up reported; all 4 showed evidence of GV recovery. Conclusions: Decreased GV has been observed in patients treated with tovorafenib. Early follow-up data from patients whose treatment was interrupted show consistent evidence for GV recovery and preservation of growth potential on bone age studies. 1. Kilburn LK, et al. Nat Med.2023. Clinical trial information: NCT04775485 .

Effectiveness of the garlic (Allium sativum) juice on removing the Pacific abalone postlarvae (Haliotis discus hannai) and subsequent growth evaluation

The Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is widely cultivated in East Asian countries. Aquaculture of this species has become a thriving industry in China, with adequate seed production being a key contributing factor. However, maintaining sufficient diatom abundance during the nursery phase remains challenging. In this study, we assessed a transfer nursery culture method that involves prolonged cultivation with a sufficient diatom supply. This method involved treating postlarvae on diatom-depleted plates with a garlic juice (GJ) solution to facilitate detachment, followed by transfer to newly diatom-precoated plates for further growth in the nursery. We investigated the effects of garlic juice concentration (GJC) and animal size on detachment and mortality rates using a two-factor design. Our negative binomial regression analysis uncovered significant impacts of both factors and their interactions on the target traits. We noticed that the optimal GJC for smaller groups of abalone postlarvae (2.2 ± 1.0 mm) was 0.7 %, while for larger groups (3.8 ± 2.2 mm), it increased to 1.0 %. Notably, suitable GJC concentrations during post-treatment recovery resulted in no apparent mortality in Pacific abalone postlarvae. Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of the transfer nursery method, showing an improvement of over ∼1.1 mm in shell length and a 43.1 % increase in survival during a 30-day experiment. Our study presents a significant advancement, as it likely introduces the first reported method of large-scale postlarval removal of H. discus hannai for prolonged nursery periods with sufficient diatom provision. The integration of GJ treatment and the transfer nursery method exhibited promising results, highlighting the benefits of its application for enhancing husbandry procedures, nursery management, and the overall industrial productivity of Pacific abalone.

Treatment intensity affects immune reconstitution even after childhood cancer not treated with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Only a few previous studies examine immune system recovery after completed cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze immune reconstitution after childhood cancer therapy in a non-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation setting. We analyzed children (N = 79) who received chemotherapy with/without irradiation for cancer diagnosed between 2014 and 2019 at Turku University Hospital, Finland. We retrospectively collected data on baseline parameters and post-treatment immunological recovery, namely neutrophil and lymphocyte counts, IgG levels, CD19, CD4 and natural killer cell counts. Immunological parameters were followed until their normalization. Treatment intensity was stratified according to the Intensity of Treatment Rating Scale (ITR-3). We analyzed the effects of treatment intensity on normalization of immunological parameters across the entire treatment range. Treatment intensity had a major effect on immune system recovery after completion of treatment. Most patients had normal immunological parameters 1-4 months post-treatment both in high- and low-intensity treatment groups, but patients classified in the high-intensity group had low parameters more often than patients in the low-intensity group. Our data suggest a fast recovery of studied immunological parameters after the majority of current pediatric oncologic treatments. Treatment for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, medulloblastoma, and mature B-cell lymphoma was associated with prolonged recovery times for a substantial proportion of cases. High treatment intensity was associated with prolonged immunological recovery.

Shared Vision for Improving Outcomes for Serious Fungal Diseases: Report of a Patient, Caregiver, and Clinician Summit.

Recently, increasing focus on patient input into research and healthcare improvements has fostered expanded patient-centered advocacy efforts. This first pan-fungal disease summit, part of the MYCology Advocacy, Research, & Education effort, brought together patients, caregivers, and mycology experts to better document patient experiences with invasive fungal disease (IFD) and establish priorities for mycology education, advocacy, and research. Patients who had suffered from IFD, their caregivers, clinicians, industry representatives, government officials, and patient advocacy professionals were invited. Patients and caregivers shared their stories and struggles with IFD. Breakout sessions separated mycology experts from patients and caregivers for further discussions to identify commonalities and perceived gaps and to formulate recommendations. The 2 groups then reconvened to develop consensus recommendations. IFD patients and their caregivers shared experiences reflecting the typically lengthy prediagnosis, acute treatment, long-term treatment, and posttreatment recovery stages of IFD. They reported substantial physical, psychological, and financial burdens associated with the IFD experience, particularly related to delayed diagnoses. They reaffirmed a need for coordinated patient-centered education, peer support, and advocacy to document the burden of serious fungal infections. Mycology experts discussed strategies to address gaps in the mycology field, such as insufficient training, inadequate workforce support, and a need to partner more with patient groups. A summit involving patients with IFD, family caregivers, and mycology experts identified a substantial nonclinical burden of disease associated with IFD. Patients and mycology experts prioritized several goals for education, advocacy, and research to raise awareness of IFD and improve outcomes.

Podocalyxin promotes the formation of compact and chemoresistant cancer spheroids in high grade serous carcinoma

High grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) metastasises primarily intraperitoneally via cancer spheroids. Podocalyxin (PODXL), an anti-adhesive transmembrane protein, has been reported to promote cancer survival against chemotherapy, however its role in HGSC chemoresistance is unclear. This study investigated whether PODXL plays a role in promoting chemoresistance of HGSC spheroids. We first showed that PODXL was expressed variably in HGSC patient tissues (n = 17) as well as in ovarian cancer cell lines (n = 28) that are more likely categorised as HGSC. We next demonstrated that PODXL-knockout (KO) cells proliferated more slowly, formed less compact spheroids and were more fragile than control cells. Furthermore, when treated with carboplatin and examined for post-treatment recovery, PODXL-KO spheroids showed significantly poorer cell viability, lower number of live cells, and less Ki-67 staining than controls. A similar trend was also observed in ascites-derived primary HGSC cells (n = 6)—spheroids expressing lower PODXL formed looser spheroids, were more vulnerable to fragmentation and more sensitive to carboplatin than spheroids with higher PODXL. Our studies thus suggests that PODXL plays an important role in promoting the formation of compact/hardy HGSC spheroids which are more resilient to chemotherapy drugs; these characteristics may contribute to the chemoresistant nature of HGSC.

Abstract 6298: The value of routine trastuzumab-related cardiac toxicity monitoring in gastrointestinal cancers

Abstract Background: It is a common practice to monitor trastuzumab-related cardiac toxicity (TRCT) using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients who receive trastuzumab-containing therapy for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive cancers. However, this monitoring approach does not appear cost effective in patients with HER2-positive gastrointestinal (GI) cancers given poor overall survival (OS). Here, we aim to examine the incidence of clinically significant TRCT in this target population. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of patients with advanced HER2-positive GI cancers who received trastuzumab-containing therapies (trastuzumab +/- pertuzumab, chemotherapy +/- immunotherapy + trastuzumab, trastuzumab deruxtecan) between 2011 and 2023. HER2 status was determined by immunohistochemistry, fluorescent in situ hybridization, and/or next generation sequencing. LVEF was estimated by serial transthoracic echocardiograms (TTE). Continuous variables were summarized as median and interquartile range (IQR). Paired Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare serial LVEF. OS was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method. Results: A total of 243 patients were included in this study with a median age of 64 (IQR: 55-70) years. 139 (57%) patients had esophageal or GEJ adenocarcinoma; 45 (19%) patients had gastric cancer; 37 (15%) patients had colorectal cancer; and the rest had other GI cancers. Median follow-up time was 18.6 (IQR: 9.2-36) months. Median OS from cancer diagnosis and the first dose of trastuzumab-containing therapy were 24.1 (95%CI: 20.2-30.2) and 11.7 (95%CI: 10.4-15.6) months, respectively. Patients received a median of 13 cycles of trastuzumab-containing therapy for a median duration of 4.1 (IQR: 1.4-10.1) months. The median number of TTE each patient had throughout therapy was 2 (IQR: 1-4). Median baseline LVEF was 61% (IQR: 56-65%) which was significantly higher (p&amp;lt;0.001) than the median lowest LVEF of 58% (IQR: 53-62%) during therapy, but not different (p=0.14) from the most recent median LVEF of 60% (IQR: 56-64%) after discontinuation of trastuzumab. Among 176 patients with serial LVEF data, 16 (9%) had &amp;gt; 10% LVEF drop; 7 (44%) of these 16 patients had LVEF recovery. None of the cardiovascular risk factors prior to trastuzumab treatment including hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, peripheral arterial disease, coronary artery disease, and stroke were significantly associated with the development of TRCT. Conclusion: The incidence of clinically significant LVEF drop appears low in patients with advanced GI cancers as post-treatment LVEF recovery to baseline was observed at the population level. The value of using TTE to monitor TRCT in these patients with short OS should be further assessed in the perspective of cost effectiveness. Citation Format: Samual R. Kosydar, Matteo Castrichini, Mojun Zhu, Hao Xie. The value of routine trastuzumab-related cardiac toxicity monitoring in gastrointestinal cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 6298.

Identification of common genes of rhinovirus single/double‑stranded RNA‑induced asthma deterioration by bioinformatics analysis.

Rhinovirus (RV) is the most common respiratory virus affecting humans. The majority of asthma deteriorations are triggered by RV infections. However, whether the effects of RV single- and double-stranded RNA on asthma deterioration have common target genes needs to be further studied. In the present study, two datasets (GSE51392 and GSE30326) were used to screen for common differentially expressed genes (cDEGs). The molecular function, signaling pathways, interaction networks, hub genes, key modules and regulatory molecules of cDEGs were systematically analyzed using online tools such as Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, STRING and NetworkAnalyst. Finally, the hub genes STAT1 and IFIH1 were verified in clinical samples using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). A total of 85 cDEGs were identified. Function analysis revealed that cDEGs served an important role in the innate immune response to viruses and its regulation. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), interferon induced with helicase C domain 1 (IFIH1), interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), DExD/H box helicase 58 (DDX58) and interferon-stimulating gene 15 (ISG15) were detected to be hub genes based on the protein-protein interactions and six topological algorithms. A key module involved in influenza A, the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, was identified using Cytoscape software. The hub genes were regulated by GATA-binding factor 2 and microRNA-146a-5p. In addition, RT-qPCR indicated that the expression levels of the hub genes STAT1 and IFIH1 were low during asthma deterioration compared with post-treatment recovery samples. The present study enhanced the understanding of the mechanism of RV-induced asthma deterioration.

Evaluating Wilson sims tool: Quality improvement on fall risk in UAE psychiatric patients

BACKGROUND Falls among patients in psychiatric inpatient healthcare settings present a significant global challenge, despite ongoing efforts to reduce the risks. Falls negatively impact patient safety, post-treatment recovery, and medical costs. AIM This study aimed to evaluate the predictive validity of the Wilson Sims Fall Risk Assessment Tool (WSFRAT), investigate predictors of falls, and determine the optimal cut-off point for the WSFRAT. Additionally, we aimed to assess the predictive validity of clinical judgement in identifying individuals at high risk of falls. METHODS We conducted a psychometric study at a specialized psychiatry hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, using data collected from hospital-wide quality projects between April 16, 2019, and March 31, 2021. Our sample comprised 492 patients. RESULTS Contrary to the recommended cut-off point of 7 in the literature, this study results indicate that the optimal cut-off point for the WSFRAT was 5+. This yielded an accuracy of 87%, a diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 0.728, a kappa value of 0.208, a sensitivity of 83%, and a specificity of 87%. Furthermore, the regression analyses identified significant predictors of fall risk, including age, gender, assistive device, WSFRAT, and evaluation duration. Notably, clinical judgement did not significantly predict fall risk (p=0.331). CONCLUSION In conclusion, the present research demonstrates that the WSFRAT is a reliable tool with high sensitivity and specificity for predicting falls in psychiatric inpatient settings. The findings emphasize the importance of employing evidence-based tools and a comprehensive assessment approach to prevent falls. Furthermore, our findings challenge the recommended cut-off point of 7 and highlight the need for further research to confirm the optimal cut-off point. Finally, this investigation revealed that clinical judgement alone is not an effective method for predicting falls in this population.

Digital home-based post-treatment exercise interventions for female cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Although exercise benefits female cancer survivors, clinical decision-making regarding timing, frequency, duration, and intensity is lacking. Optimizing exercise interventions in this population is necessary. This study aimed to describe existing digital home-based exercises and to assess their effectiveness at improving physical health in female cancer survivors upon completion of therapy. We conducted a systematic review using articles from Web of Science, Embase and Medline (Ovid). We included intervention studies examining the effects of digital home-based exercise programs on post-treatment recovery in female cancer survivors. Rob2 and ROBIN I were used to assess quality of studies. Quality-of-life, fatigue score, and physical performance were assessed using meta-analysis. This study involved 1578 female cancer survivors in 21 interventions. Following guidelines and supervised exercise with coaches led to better outcomes than interventions without guidelines, programs without coaches, or lower intensity exercise. Exercise led to significant improvement in some physical performance outcomes. Significant improvements were seen in physical performance outcomes, including the 6-min walk test, metabolic equivalent task, and number of steps per day. Providing cancer survivors with standard guidelines for home-based, coach-supervised, vigorous exercise on digital platforms could improve their physical function, health, and quality-of-life.

The impact of spiritual well-being and social support on substance use treatment outcomes within a sample of predominantly Black/African American adults

IntroSubstance use and associated problems often return following treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), which disproportionally impact Black/African American (AA) individuals. Social support and spiritual well-being are sources of recovery capital identified as particularly important among Black/AA adults. Social support and spiritual well-being are also posited mechanisms in 12-step; thus, this study tested the effects of social support and spiritual well-being on substance use outcomes over time, distinct from 12-step involvement, among Black/AA adults post-SUD treatment. The study hypothesized that social support and spiritual well-being would demonstrate significant interactions with time, respectively, on substance use frequency and substance use consequences, above the effect of 12-step involvement. MethodThe study drew data from a study of 262 adults (95.4 % Black/AA) entering residential SUD treatment (NCT#01189552). Assessments were completed at pretreatment and at 3-, 6-, and 12-months posttreatment. Two generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) tested the effects of social support and spiritual well-being, above the effect of 12-step involvement, on substance use frequency and substance use consequences over the course of 12-months posttreatment. ResultsHigher spiritual well-being predicted significantly less frequent substance use during recovery (β = 0.00, p = .03). Greater 12-step involvement predicted significantly fewer substance use consequences during recovery (β = 0.00, p = .02). In post hoc analyses the effect of spiritual well-being and 12-step involvement dissipated by 3.5- and 6.6-months posttreatment, respectively. The study found no significant effects of social support over time. DiscussionSpiritual well-being and 12-step involvement are associated with lower substance use and substance use consequences, respectively, in the early months of posttreatment recovery among Black/AA adults. These findings contribute to the growing recovery capital literature informing paths to recovery and sources of support outside of 12-step affiliation. However, these effects diminish over time.

Aluminium dross waste utilization for phosphate removal and recovery from aqueous environment: Operational feasibility development

The need to minimize eutrophication in water bodies and the shortage of phosphate rock reserves has stimulated the search for sequestration and recovery of phosphate from alternative sources, including wastewater. In this study, aluminium dross (AD), a smelting industry waste/by-product, was converted to high-value material by encapsulation in calcium alginate (Ca-Alg) beads, viz. Ca-Alg-AD and utilized for adsorptive/uptake removal and phosphate recovery from an aqueous environment. Encapsulation of AD in alginate beads solves serious operational difficulties of using raw AD material directly due to density difference constraining efficient contact of AD with pollutants present in water and post-treatment recovery of AD material. The phosphate removal was evaluated in both batch and continuous flow operation modes. The batch adsorption study revealed 96.86% phosphate removal from 10 mg L−1 of initial phosphate concentration in 70 min of optimal contact time. Further, the phosphate removal potential of Ca-Alg-AD beads turned out to be independent of solution pH, with an average of 95.93 ± 1.40 % phosphate removal in the 2–9 pH range. The result reflects phosphate adsorption on Ca-Alg-AD beads following a second-order pseudo-kinetic model. Ca-Alg-AD beads-based adsorption followed Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models. Further, a continuous packed bed column study revealed a total phosphate adsorption capacity of 1.089 mg g−1. The chemical composition, physical stability, and surface properties of Ca-Alg-AD beads were analyzed by means of state-of-the-art analytical techniques, such as Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetry/Differential Thermal Analysis (TG/DTA). These characterization techniques comprehend the mechanism and influence of surface properties and morphology on the phosphate adsorption behaviour, which induce the involvement of multiple mechanisms such as ligand complexation, ion exchange, and electrostatic attraction for phosphate adsorption on Ca-Alg-AD beads.

Prehabilitation in Radiation Therapy: A Scoping Review

Radiation therapy (RT) is a central component of cancer treatment with survival and long-term quality-of-life benefits across a spectrum of oncologic diagnoses. However, for certain cancers, RT has been associated with high levels of fatigue, pain, weight loss, and changes in mental health both during and post-treatment. Prehabilitation aims to optimize health prior to anti-neoplastic therapy in order to reduce complications, increase adherence to treatment, expedite posttreatment recovery, and improve long-term outcomes. Though prehabilitation has been studied in those undergoing cancer-related surgery, literature on prehabilitation in individuals undergoing RT has not been comprehensively explored. Thus, this scoping review aims to summarize the existing literature focused on prehabilitation interventions for patients receiving RT. The PRISMA-ScR checklist for conducting scoping reviews was adopted to identify and evaluate studies investigating the efficacy of prehabilitation before and during RT for cancer over the past 21 years (10/2002-10/2022). A search of prehabilitation and RT was performed to identify studies investigating prehabilitation interventions in adult cancer patients before or during RT. A total of 31 articles met inclusion criteria, yielding 4,031 total participants. Nineteen (61%) studies were randomized controlled trials with sample sizes ranging from 26-221. The most commonly studied populations were patients with head and neck cancer, followed by rectal, breast, and lung cancer. A majority (87%) of studies evaluated one prehabilitation intervention (i.e., unimodal). Targeted exercises were the most common intervention, followed by general exercises and technology/apps. Adherence/feasibility was the most common primary outcome, representing 23% of studies. All studies collected data on sex, and six (19%) studies collected data on race and/or ethnicity. Prehabilitation interventions have been successfully implemented in samples of patients with cancer undergoing surgical treatment. Studies demonstrating the efficacy of prehabilitation in RT are evolving. Though our review identified many RCTs, they were frequently small trials with primary outcomes focused on feasibility, rather than functional status. Thus, there is a need for adequately powered, randomized controlled intervention trials to investigate the efficacy of prehabilitation in RT.

Clinical and microbiology profile of typhoidal and nontyphoidal Salmonella blood stream infection: An observational study from a university hospital

Objectives: Species distribution and antibiotic resistance pattern of Salmonella varies with time and place. Rapid and correct use of antibiotics requires understanding of the distribution and drug resistance patterns. Therefore, we aimed to study the clinical profile of patients along with speciation and antibiogram of Salmonella isolates from blood. Materials and Methods: It is an observational study, conducted from December 2019 to December 2021 at our university hospital. Blood cultures were processed by automated blood culture system. Salmonella isolates were identified by their morphological properties, biochemical reaction, and serological tests. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern was assessed by Kirby–Bauer’s disc diffusion method and Phoenix automated system. Results: The male-to-female ratio of the patients in the study was 2.5:1 and the mean age of the patients was 11.7 years (1–27 years). Salmonella spp. was isolated from 21 patients out of 1,350 positive blood cultures. Nine isolates were identified as S. Typhi seven as S. Choleraesuis three as S. Paratyphi A and two as S. Paratyphi B. Immuno-compromised conditions were significantly associated in nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteremia (p = 0.0253). Isolates showed maximum resistance toward nalidixic acid (100%) followed by fluoroquinolones (52.4%). Multidrug resistance, extreme drug resistance, and azithromycin resistance was seen in 14.3, 4.8, and 4.8% isolates, respectively. Posttreatment recovery was observed in 20 patients. Conclusions: Emergence of S. Choleraesuis among Salmonella spp. in blood stream infection, next only to S. Typhi was noted. Rising drug resistance is a matter of concern.

The Effects of Natural Epigenetic Therapies in 3D Ovarian Cancer and Patient-Derived Tumor Explants: New Avenues in Regulating the Cancer Secretome.

High mortality rates in ovarian cancer have been linked to recurrence, metastasis, and chemoresistant disease, which are known to involve not only genetic changes but also epigenetic aberrations. In ovarian cancer, adipose-derived stem cells from the omentum (O-ASCs) play a crucial role in supporting the tumor and its tumorigenic microenvironment, further propagating epigenetic abnormalities and dissemination of the disease. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor derived from green tea, and Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a histone deacetylase inhibitor from cruciferous vegetables, carry promising effects in reprograming aberrant epigenetic modifications in cancer. Therefore, we demonstrate the action of these diet-derived compounds in suppressing the growth of 3D ovarian cancer spheroids or organoids as well as post-treatment cancer recovery through proliferation, migration, invasion, and colony formation assays when compared to the synthetic epigenetic compound Panobinostat with or without standard chemotherapy. Finally, given the regulatory role of the secretome in growth, metastasis, chemoresistance, and relapse of disease, we demonstrate that natural epigenetic compounds can regulate the secretion of protumorigenic growth factors, cytokines, extracellular matrix components, and immunoregulatory markers in human ovarian cancer specimens. While further studies are needed, our results suggest that these treatments could be considered in the future as adjuncts to standard chemotherapy, improving efficiency and patient outcomes.