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Nanoparticle-driven reactive oxygen species therapy:A new frontier in osteosarcoma treatment
No full textReactive oxygen species (ROS) play a critical role in osteosarcoma (OS) therapy by inducing programmed cell death when their levels exceed the cellular threshold. Due to their inherently elevated ROS levels, OS cells are more susceptible to ROS upregulation than normal bone cells, offering a therapeutic window for selective cancer cell elimination. However, the intrinsic antioxidant defense mechanisms in OS cells mitigate the effects of conventional ROS-generating agents, limiting their clinical efficacy. To overcome this challenge, nanoparticlebased strategies have been developed to enhance ROS production and improve therapeutic outcomes. Despite significant progress, a comprehensive framework for designing and optimizing ROS-generating nanoplatforms for OS treatment remains lacking. This review systematically classifies ROS-upregulating nanoparticles based on their underlying mechanisms of action and discusses their therapeutic potential. Additionally, key challenges and future directions are highlighted to guide the development of next-generation nanomaterials for OS therapy
Speech and language features as indicators of neuropsychiatric symptoms in a memory clinic population
No full textINTRODUCTION Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) are early hallmarks of neurocognitive disorders (NCDs). Speech alterations might indicate both cognitive and behavioral changes in NCDs, aiding in diagnosis and disease monitoring. This study examined associations between automatically extracted speech/language features and NPS severity. METHODS A total of N = 37 subjective cognitive decline and N = 20 mild cognitive impairment participants from the BioBank Alzheimer Centre Limburg study were recorded performing a low-constraint free-speech task. NPSs were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. Acoustic and linguistic features were automatically extracted. Correlation analysis was performed (adjusted for age, sex, and Mini-Mental State Examination) between the features and clinical scales. RESULTS Features correlated significantly with NPSs. Indicatively, depression correlated with local jitter (r = 0.38, p < 0.001) and agitation with the sum of pause duration (r = 0.32, p < 0.027). DISCUSSION Speech analysis offers a promising tool for evaluating NPSs in NCDs
Artificial intelligence in prehospital emergency care systems in low- and middle-income countries:cure or curiosity? Insights from a qualitative study
No full textIntroduction The adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in prehospital emergency medicine has predominantly been confined to high-income countries, leaving untapped potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). AI holds promise to address challenges in out-of-hospital care within LMICs, thereby narrowing global health inequities. To achieve this, it is important to understand the success factors and challenges in implementing AI models in these settings.Methods A scoping review of peer-reviewed studies and semi-structured expert interviews were conducted to identify key insights into AI deployment in LMIC prehospital care. Data collection occurred between June and October 2024. Using thematic analysis, qualitative data was systematically coded to extract common themes within the studies and interview transcripts. Themes were then summarised narratively and supplemented with illustrative quotations in table format.Results From 16 articles and nine expert interview transcripts, five core themes emerged: (1) the rapid, iterative development of AI technologies; (2) the necessity of high-quality, representative, and unbiased data; (3) resource gaps impacting AI implementation; (4) the imperative of integrating human-centred design principles; and (5) the importance of cultural and contextual relevance for AI acceptance.Conclusion Additional focus on these areas can help drive the sustainable utilisation and ensuing development of AI in these environments. Strengthening collaboration and education amongst stakeholders and focusing on local needs and user engagement will be critical to promoting future success. Moving forwards, research should emphasise the importance of evidence-based AI development and appropriate data utilisation to ensure equitable, impactful solutions for all users
Breaking the truth bias:the impact of comparable truth baselines and reality interview on veracity judgments by laypeople and police officers
No full textThis study examined whether embedding baselining within the Reality Interview (RI) protocol enhances intuitive veracity judgments. Baselining involves using a person's truthful verbal behavior as a reference point for evaluating the veracity of subsequent statements. We hypothesized that access to a comparable truth baseline (CTB) would improve veracity judgment accuracy. Eyewitnesses of a mock crime were interviewed with the RI and instructed to respond either honestly or deceptively. Laypeople (Experiment 1) and police officers (Experiment 2) evaluated these statements with or without a CTB. With a CTB, laypeople showed significantly higher accuracy in detecting deception and a reduced truth bias. However, police officers showed no improvement, maintaining chance-level performance regardless of statement veracity. These findings suggest that CTBs enhance lie detection in laypeople but not in trained professionals. Future research should explore tailored approaches to improving veracity judgments, perhaps incorporating specific guidelines on how to best use available cues
What team leaders think:exploring mental representations of leadership and teams
No full textPurposeOrganizations increasingly call for teamwork when working on challenges such as implementing new technologies or creating innovations. Teams require team leaders who analyze the situations at hand. This study explores team leaders' mental representations of such situations and their decisions on how to act.Design/methodology/approachTo study such team leaders' cognitions, four types of mental representations were explored - team leaders' mental representations of team leadership, self-view as team leaders, understanding of teams and team tasks and team leadership behavior repertoires - and any alignment between these mental representations was analyzed. Various elicitation techniques were used in interviews with 15 team leaders.FindingsThe analysis showed that team leaders thought differently about leadership and teams and did not necessarily present a collective leadership perspective or a broad view of teams. Furthermore, those with more varied mental representations of leadership and situations in teams mentioned a greater variety of leadership behaviors in their repertoires that they would apply in different situations.Originality/valueThe inclusion of these cognitive properties in "team" leadership advances leader cognition research, which predominantly takes a leader-follower perspective and contributes to research that strongly focuses on the mental representations of team members. Combinations of methods were used (e.g. survey data and vignette-driven interviews), adding empirical depth and representing methodological rigor and novelty. This study reveals the diversity and particularity of team leader cognitions and their alignment, showing the importance of a cognitive approach to complement team leadership based on behavioral research traditions
Adherence to oral zinc supplementation in the management of acute diarrhoeal disease among under-5 children:A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textZinc supplementation is a critical adjunct therapy for managing acute childhood diarrhoea, particularly in low-income countries (LICs) and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). However, adherence to the recommended zinc regimen remains a major challenge, limiting its effectiveness in real-world settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled adherence rates to zinc supplementation for diarrhoea in children under 5 and identify key determinants of adherence. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Google Scholar, ProQuest, and CINAHL was conducted between 2000 and 2024. A total of 10 observational studies were included, with pooled adherence of 63.45% (95% CI: 51.62-75.28) for 10 days regimen and 34.58% (95% CI: 7.08-62.09) for 14 days regimen, along with high heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis confirmed robustness of these estimates. Key factors associated with adherence included caregiver education, provider counselling, medication acceptability, and economic constraints related to caregiver buying capacity. Doi plot asymmetry suggested possible publication bias for 10 and 14 days regimen. Overall, adherence to zinc therapy remains sub-optimal, particularly for 14 days regimen compared to 10 days regimen. Targeted interventions addressing behavioural, provider, and formulation related barriers are urgently needed to optimize zinc adherence and improve diarrhoea outcomes globally
Appreciative Inquiry:Catalyzing Progress Towards Social Accountability
No full textChapter Summary This chapter examines the role of Appreciative Inquiry (ApI) in advancing social accountability in medical education through a strengths-based framework. Unlike traditional problem-solving approaches, ApI focuses on amplifying existing successes to drive innovation, engagement, and continuous improvement. By leveraging its 5-D cycle—Define, Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny—ApI aligns institutional activities with community health needs, fostering a culture of inclusion and resilience. Practical applications and case studies illustrate how ApI can catalyze sustainable curriculum innovation, enhance community partnerships, and improve health outcomes, positioning medical schools to effectively fulfil their social accountability obligations
The European Union:From Common Foreign and Defence Policy to Federation?
No full textSince its beginning, the design of a European Union (EU) has been inspired by federalist ideas. Eighty years later, though, its governance structure is still not clear. The EU has federalist characteristics, but it is neither a federation nor a confederation. It is perhaps best described with the words of Michael Burgess as a unique experiment. That experiment reached a critical phase with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The chapter discusses the following theses. First, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown the need for a common defence force based on a common foreign policy. To realize these, the EU must adopt a governance model that is necessary for a coherent response to Putin’s aggression. A common foreign and defence policy is also needed for withstanding future external threats. Failing to create such an adequate governance model would be missed opportunity that puts the EU’s very survival at risk. Second, if the EU does give birth to an active and operational common foreign and defence policy, a European army will be instrumental. Third, the only effective framework for realizing this is a federation of sovereign states. The chapter discusses a detailed blueprint for a federal Europe that was proposed by F.A. Hayek in 1939. We can still learn from it. Not only does it contain a detailed description of the main features of the EU today, but of its future agenda, too. Moreover, Hayek wrote his article in circumstances that are very similar to those of today, and its purpose was to try and preserve peace. In later publications, he developed his ideas on federalism in ways that may help to improve the EU’s democracy. The general framework of the chapter is the balance of power in the world. After World War II, the global balance of power changed dramatically. The Soviet Union (SU) no longer exists, and the hegemony of the United States of America (USA) is both eroded from within and actively contested by China. This is closely related to the shift from political to economic factors as the basis of geopolitical power. The successor of the SU, the Russian Federation, still considers itself to be a world power, even though it lacks the necessary economic foundation. The EU, on the contrary, has an economic weight in the world that is at a par with that of the USA and China but is not a political world power. This double asymmetry is complicated by the fact that the SU possesses the biggest nuclear weapons arsenal in the world while the EU as such does not have nuclear arms; only one of its members, France, does. The incongruence between the EU’s political stature and its economic weight is a consequence of the fact that it lacks a clear form of governance. The main thesis of this chapter is that the EU can only bring its political clout in the world in balance with its economic weight by becoming a federation. Given the reluctance of the USA to keep playing a dominant role in NATO, the way to this is the creation of a European army. This initiative dates back to the early 1950’s but the birth of NATO stopped its development in its tracks. Subsequently, it was even forgotten. For its revival, a redefinition of the relationship between a European defence force and NATO is one of the major problems that has to be solved.Finally, the chapter compares two different approaches to the creation of a united Europe. One is the gradual, piecemeal, technocratic and economic-deterministic approach that is associated with Jean Monnet. The other is that advocated by Altiero Spinelli and Friedrich von Hayek, who, from completely different political backgrounds, uphold the primacy of general principles. It is argued that the Hayekian idea of federalism, in which economic factors are necessary but not sufficient conditions, and in which democratic procedures play a central role, contains the elements to overcome the democratic deficit that has plagued the EU from its very foundation
Correlations between the Central Sensitization Inventory and measures of endogenous pain modulation in women with fibromyalgia
No full textBackground The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a self-report measure to identify key symptoms of human assumed central sensitization (HACS). However, research examining how the CSI relates to experimental pain measures in a population with predominant HACS is scarce. Objectives This study examined correlations between the CSI and experimental pain measures in 54 women with fibromyalgia. Design Cross-sectional study. Method The CSI was administered along with questionnaires of illness perception (i.e., IPQ), anxiety and depression (i.e., HADS), and health-related quality of life (i.e., RAND-36). Pressure pain thresholds (PPT), conditioned pain modulation (CPM), and exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) were assessed. PPT were examined at (1) the center of the trapezius muscle, (2) the web space between the thumb and index finger, and (3) the proximal third of the calf muscle. For CPM, PPT were reassessed during and after immersion of the non-dominant hand in hot water. EIH was determined using the Aerobic Power Submaximal Exercise Test, after which PPT were reassessed. Absolute and percentage change scores in PPT during and after immersion (i.e., parallel and sequential CPM) and the submaximal exercise test (i.e., EIH) were calculated. Results Only a negligible positive correlation between the CSI and parallel % CPM was found (r = 0.277, p = 0.046). Several weak-to-moderate correlations with the HADS, IPQ, and RAND-36 questionnaires suggest that the CSI is related to psychological constructs. Conclusions The results of the present study could not confirm associations between the CSI and experimental pain measures and suggest a closer relationship with psychological distress in patients with fibromyalgia
Linking health lifestyle classes to blue-collar workers’ participation in worksite health promotion programs in freight transport:a latent class analysis
No full textPurpose: Worksite health promotion programs (WHPPs) are able to promote a healthier lifestyle for blue-collar workers in freight transport, yet their participation is generally low. This study aims to identify different health lifestyle classes among blue-collar workers in freight transport and investigate the relationship between class membership and WHPP participation. Methods: Data from 16,897 employees were obtained from an online health questionnaire as part of a sector induced WHPP (89.1% male, 71.0% blue-collar worker, M<inf>age</inf> = 49.3 years (SD = 12.7)). A latent class analysis was conducted to identify health lifestyle classes. Classes for blue-collar and white-collar workers were compared. Characteristics of the blue-collar workers’ classes were examined together with the likelihood of WHPP participation. Results: For blue-collar workers, a 5-class solution provided the best fit. These classes were labeled: (1) “unhealthy diet” (14%), (2) “health promoting” (29%), (3) “lack of moderate physical activity” (31%), (4) “low physical activity” (15%), and (5) “sleep deprived” (11%). For white-collar workers, a 4-class solution provided the best fit, with three comparable classes and one “health compromising” class. Blue-collar workers of the “unhealthy diet” and “sleep deprived” class reported the lowest perceived health, and showed highest WHPP participation levels. “Low physical activity” class members reported unhealthy behaviors, yet showed lowest participation levels. Conclusions: These findings indicate that different lifestyle classes exist among blue-collar workers within the freight transport industry which can be linked to WHPP participation. Consequently, WHPPs and implementation strategies can be adjusted to serve existing classes among blue-collar workers within the industry, in order to enhance participation