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International Journal of Molecular... Apr 2024Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is a common tumour in men and women. In case of resistance to the standard therapeutic agents, gemcitabine can be used as off-label...
Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is a common tumour in men and women. In case of resistance to the standard therapeutic agents, gemcitabine can be used as off-label instillation therapy into the bladder. To reduce potential side effects, continuous efforts are made to optimise the therapeutic potential of drugs, thereby reducing the effective dose and consequently the pharmacological burden of the medication. We recently demonstrated that it is possible to significantly increase the therapeutic efficacy of mitomycin C against a bladder carcinoma cell line by exposure to non-toxic doses of blue light (453 nm). In the present study, we investigated whether the therapeutically supportive effect of blue light can be further enhanced by the additional use of the wavelength-specific photosensitiser riboflavin. We found that the gemcitabine-induced cytotoxicity of bladder cancer cell lines (BFTC-905, SW-1710, RT-112) was significantly enhanced by non-toxic doses of blue light in the presence of riboflavin. Enhanced cytotoxicity correlated with decreased levels of mitochondrial ATP synthesis and increased lipid peroxidation was most likely the result of increased oxidative stress. Due to these properties, blue light in combination with riboflavin could represent an effective therapy option with few side effects and increase the success of local treatment of bladder cancer, whereby the dose of the chemotherapeutic agent used and thus the chemical load could be significantly reduced with similar or improved therapeutic success.
Topics: Humans; Riboflavin; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms; Gemcitabine; Deoxycytidine; Cell Line, Tumor; Light; Photosensitizing Agents; Oxidative Stress; Cell Survival; Lipid Peroxidation; Adenosine Triphosphate; Mitochondria; Blue Light
PubMed: 38732087
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25094868 -
Cardiovascular Diabetology May 2024Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the proposed name change for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
Prognostic value of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease over coronary computed tomography angiography findings: comparison with no-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
BACKGROUND
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the proposed name change for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study aimed to investigate the association of cardiovascular disease risk with MASLD and NAFLD in patients who underwent clinically indicated coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA).
METHODS
This retrospective study included 2289 patients (60% men; mean age: 68 years) with no history of coronary artery disease who underwent CCTA. The steatotic liver was defined as a hepatic-to-spleen attenuation ratio of < 1.0 on CT just before CCTA. MASLD is defined as the presence of hepatic steatosis along with at least one of the five cardiometabolic risk factors. Adverse CCTA findings were defined as obstructive and/or high-risk plaques. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) encompassed composite coronary events, including cardiovascular death, acute coronary syndrome, and late coronary revascularization.
RESULTS
MASLD and NAFLD were identified in 415 (18%) and 368 (16%) patients, respectively. Adverse CCTA findings were observed in 40% and 38% of the patients with MASLD and with NAFLD, respectively. Adverse CCTA findings were significantly associated with MASLD (p = 0.007) but not NAFLD (p = 0.253). During a median follow-up of 4.4 years, 102 (4.4%) MACE were observed. MASLD was significantly associated with MACE (hazard ratio 1.82, 95% CI 1.18-2.83, p = 0.007), while its association with NAFLD was not significant (p = 0.070). By incorporating MASLD into a prediction model of MACE, including the risk score and adverse CCTA findings, global chi-squared values significantly increased from 87.0 to 94.1 (p = 0.008).
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with MASLD are likely to have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those with NAFLD. Concurrent assessment of MASLD during CCTA improves the identification of patients at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease among those with clinically indicated CCTA.
Topics: Humans; Male; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; Female; Retrospective Studies; Aged; Middle Aged; Computed Tomography Angiography; Coronary Angiography; Predictive Value of Tests; Coronary Artery Disease; Prognosis; Risk Assessment; Cardiometabolic Risk Factors; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38730426
DOI: 10.1186/s12933-024-02268-1 -
Methods (San Diego, Calif.) Jul 2024Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) have been shown to have variable usability as measured by efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction despite large-scale...
INTRODUCTION
Digital Health Technologies (DHTs) have been shown to have variable usability as measured by efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction despite large-scale government projects to regulate and standardise user interface (UI) design. We hypothesised that Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) modelling could improve the methodology for DHT design and regulation, and support the creation of future evidence-based UI standards and guidelines for DHTs.
METHODOLOGY
Using a Design Science Research (DSR) framework, we developed novel UI components that adhered to existing standards and guidelines (combining the NHS Common User Interface (CUI) standard and the NHS Design System). We firstly evaluated the Patient Banner UI component for compliance with the two guidelines and then used HCI-modelling to evaluate the "Add New Patient" workflow to measure time to task completion and cognitive load.
RESULTS
Combining the two guidelines to produce new UI elements is technically feasible for the Patient Banner and the Patient Name Input components. There are some inconsistencies between the NHS Design System and the NHS CUI when implementing the Patient Banner. HCI-modelling successfully quantified challenges adhering to the NHS CUI and the NHS Design system for the "Add New Patient" workflow.
DISCUSSION
We successfully developed new design artefacts combing two major design guidelines for DHTs. By quantifying usability issues using HCI-modelling, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a methodology that combines HCI-modelling into a human-centred design (HCD) process could enable the development of standardised UI elements for DHTs that is more scientifically robust than HCD alone.
CONCLUSION
Combining HCI-modelling and Human-Centred Design could improve scientific progress towards developing safer and more user-friendly DHTs.
Topics: Humans; User-Computer Interface; Digital Technology; Biomedical Technology; Digital Health
PubMed: 38729456
DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2024.04.019 -
Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders Jul 2024Whilst disease-modifying therapies are the cornerstone for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), there is a need to develop novel therapeutics for the symptomatic...
INTRODUCTION
Whilst disease-modifying therapies are the cornerstone for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), there is a need to develop novel therapeutics for the symptomatic sequalae of the disease. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been suggested as a potential therapy for the associated pain, spasticity, and mental health disorders. However, there is a paucity of clinical evidence on CBMPs in MS. The aim of this study is to assess changes in MS-specific and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes alongside adverse event incidence in patients prescribed CBMPs for MS from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry (UKMCR).
METHOD
Patients prescribed CBMPs for MS symptoms for longer than one month were identified from the UKMCR. The primary outcomes were changes from baseline in MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), and EQ-5D-5L scales at one month, three months and six months. p < 0.050 was defined as statistically significant.
RESULTS
141 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. There was an improvement in the following subscales of the MSQoL-54 at 6 months: change in health scale, cognitive function, mental health composition, physical health, role limitations due to physical limitation and due to emotional problems, as well as social and sexual function (p < 0.050). There were also improvements in the EQ-5D-5L index value, GAD-7 and SQS (p < 0.050). 146 (103.55 %) adverse events were reported in total. Most were considered mild (n = 47; 33.33 %) and moderate (n = 72; 51.06 %).
CONCLUSIONS
This preliminary analysis demonstrates a possible association with improved general health-related quality of life in those prescribed CBMPs for MS. Moreover, the results suggest that CBMPs are well-tolerated in the first 6 months of treatment. However, this must be interpreted with caution considering the limitations of the observational study design.
Topics: Humans; Registries; Male; Female; Quality of Life; Medical Marijuana; Adult; Multiple Sclerosis; Middle Aged; United Kingdom
PubMed: 38728958
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105665 -
Heliyon May 2024Antimicrobial residues in animal-derived foods have become a major source of concern around the world. Oxytetracycline (OTC), one of these antibiotics that belongs to...
Antimicrobial residues in animal-derived foods have become a major source of concern around the world. Oxytetracycline (OTC), one of these antibiotics that belongs to the tetracycline family should be detected in these matrices. Nanostructured metal oxides have attracted a lot of scientific attention due to their special characteristics that can be exploited for creating innovative nanodevices. Therefore, in the present study, we report the fabrication of cobalt-doped ZnO/GO nanocomposites for OTC sensors using a simple and environmentally friendly method that does not require toxic solvents. Contact angle measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-Vis were used to confirm the successful fabrication of the Co-ZnO/GO nanocomposite and to determine the surface area, Structural, morphological features, chemical composition and purity of the nanocomposite. The electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties were recorded using cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Optimizing parameters such as scan rate, pH value, deposition time, and deposition potential, we achieve a wide linear concentration range from 10 M to 10 M, with an impressive detection limit of 1.6 10 M.Notably, our sensor exhibits remarkable selectivity, demonstrating its usefulness for the detection of oxytetracycline traces in real milk samples. These results emphasize the novelty and practical significance of our work and provide a promising avenue for the development of sensitive and selective electrochemical sensing platforms in various fields.
PubMed: 38726196
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30265 -
Heliyon May 2024This study aims to examine the impact of renewable energy, carbon emissions, and economic growth on healthcare spending in 36 Asian countries during 2000-2019. Fully...
This study aims to examine the impact of renewable energy, carbon emissions, and economic growth on healthcare spending in 36 Asian countries during 2000-2019. Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS) models have been applied to the panel data for 36 Asian countries. The study's findings show that CO emissions in Asia increased due to public and private health spending, with the commercial health sector having a larger negative influence on CO emissions than the public sector. According to FMOLS and DOLS findings, carbon emissions and GDP are positively related to health spending, indicating that high economic growth through energy-intensive production processes leads to increased carbon emissions, but on the contrary, renewable energy consumption has decreased healthcare expenditure. This study advocates new policies to reduce carbon emissions and hospitalisation without jeopardising national economic growth. In order to achieve sustainable health services and an environmentally friendly future in Asia, health administrators must raise state and private healthcare spending while implementing an effective cost-service and energy-efficient management plan.
PubMed: 38726120
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30136 -
Journal of Education and Health... 2024COVID-19 has caused a wide range of psychological problems, such as panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. Knowing what others have researched on, what constructs... (Review)
Review
COVID-19 has caused a wide range of psychological problems, such as panic disorders, anxiety, and depression. Knowing what others have researched on, what constructs they have focused on, will (a) summarize published information, (b) help identify research gaps, and (c) encourage future research that addresses these gaps. The aim of the study was to analyze the bibliometric indicators of scientific productivity of the impact of COVID-19 on constructs affecting undergraduate happiness. A bibliometric study was conducted. The PubMed database was used. Data summarized were: authors, year of publication, journal name, country, language of publication, and subtopic addressed. A total of 16 English-language studies were identified between April 2022 and December 2022. There were 12 countries that have published on the impact of COVID-19 on constructs affecting college students' happiness. Most of the studies were developed in the United States ( = 4, 25%) and China ( = 2, 12.5%). Thirteen journals publishing these topics were detected. The subtopics considered were organized into nine categories (e.g., a: Psychological impact, b: Adverse childhood experiences, c: Stress, d: Personality traits, e: Perception of the educational environment, f: Spiritual health, g: Distress, h: Uncertainty and socioemotional learning, i: Satisfaction with life). This study suggests that the number of countries and scientific journals that have published on the impact of COVID-19 on constructs affecting college students' happiness is small. In addition, the most discussed subtopics during the pandemic were related to constructs such as psychological impact and stress affecting college students' happiness.
PubMed: 38726077
DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_615_23 -
Clinical Case Reports May 2024Mycoplasma myocarditis is a rare but potentially serious condition that can cause inflammation of the heart muscle, leading to arrhythmia and heart failure. It is...
KEY CLINICAL MESSAGE
Mycoplasma myocarditis is a rare but potentially serious condition that can cause inflammation of the heart muscle, leading to arrhythmia and heart failure. It is important to consider this condition in the differential diagnosis of young patients presenting with unexplained signs of heart failure and SVT, even in the absence of signs of myocardiocytolysis and extra-cardiac disease.
ABSTRACT
infections are often underdiagnosed as a great proportion of patients remain asymptomatic, pauci-symptomatic, or exhibit varying presentations. manifestations can affect different systems, including the heart, with the potential to lead to high degree of morbidity and debilitating sequelae. Here we present an atypical case of associated myocarditis which presented with sustained refractory SVT, symptoms of heart failure, and with no signs of myocardiocytolysis, pulmonary involvement, or systemic infection. Given the lack of signs of myocardial inflammation, the patient was initially misdiagnosed with tachycardia induced cardiomyopathy (TIC), but later correctly diagnosed after showing signs of pneumonia during the hospitalization. The patient received the appropriate antibiotic treatment in addition to corticosteroids, was discharged on the 15th day of hospitalization, and completely recovered after 1 month with no arrhythmia recurrence and normalization of ventricular function.
PubMed: 38721564
DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.8851 -
Heliyon May 2024Food safety is a pressing issue affecting public health, and strengthening food safety regulation has become a widespread consensus. This study addresses the three-party...
Food safety is a pressing issue affecting public health, and strengthening food safety regulation has become a widespread consensus. This study addresses the three-party game involving food production enterprises, third-party testing agencies, and government regulatory authorities. Considering the influence of random disturbances and time delays on the strategy-choosing and behavioral evolution of game players, a three-party stochastic evolutionary game model for food safety regulation with time delays is established. The stability of the model is analyzed by using Lyapunov's method, and the strategy evolution of the game players is investigated while combining numerical simulations. The study shows that the net benefit of the players' expected strategies is key in determining whether the overall game system can reach the optimal equilibrium. The level of penalties imposed by the central government on local government regulators is key to food safety. The main factors influencing the strategy-choosing of game players are the level of penalties imposed by the local government regulators on third-party testing agencies, together with the supervision costs of the local government regulators. Random disturbances have a certain impact on strategy-choosing of the game players, with a greater impact on testing agencies, followed by food production enterprises, and a weaker impact on government regulatory authorities. The time delay factors exhibit a certain delay effect on the evolutionary path of strategy-choosing among the game players, which aligns with the actual situation. The findings of the study have implications for food safety regulation.
PubMed: 38720754
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30126 -
NeuroImage. Clinical 2024Prior research has established a link between thalamic pathology and cognitive impairment (CI) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, the translation of...
Thalamic atrophy and dysconnectivity are associated with cognitive impairment in a multi-center, clinical routine, real-word study of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
Prior research has established a link between thalamic pathology and cognitive impairment (CI) in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, the translation of these findings to pwMS in everyday clinical settings has been insufficient.
OBJECTIVE
To assess which global and/or thalamic imaging biomarkers can be used to identify pwMS at risk for CI and cognitive worsening (CW) in a real-world setting.
METHODS
This was an international, multi-center (11 centers), longitudinal, retrospective, real-word study of people with relapsing-remitting MS (pwRRMS). Brain MRI exams acquired at baseline and follow-up were collected. Cognitive status was evaluated using the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Thalamic volume (TV) measurement was performed on T2-FLAIR, as well as on T1-WI, when available. Thalamic dysconnectivity, T2-lesion volume (T2-LV), and volumes of gray matter (GM), whole brain (WB) and lateral ventricles (LVV) were also assessed.
RESULTS
332 pwMS were followed for an average of 2.8 years. At baseline, T2-LV, LVV, TV and thalamic dysconnectivity on T2-FLAIR (p < 0.016), and WB, GM and TV volumes on T1-WI (p < 0.039) were significantly worse in 90 (27.1 %) CI vs. 242 (62.9 %) non-CI pwRRMS. Greater SDMT decline over the follow-up was associated with lower baseline TV on T2-FLAIR (standardized β = 0.203, p = 0.002) and greater thalamic dysconnectivity (standardized β = -0.14, p = 0.028) in a linear regression model.
CONCLUSIONS
PwRRMS with thalamic atrophy and worse thalamic dysconnectivity present more frequently with CI and experience greater CW over mid-term follow-up in a real-world setting.
Topics: Humans; Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting; Female; Male; Adult; Thalamus; Cognitive Dysfunction; Atrophy; Middle Aged; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Retrospective Studies; Longitudinal Studies
PubMed: 38718640
DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2024.103609