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Comparison of epidural space contrast flow and clinical outcomes in parasagittal versus transforaminal epidural steroid injection
No full textAbstract Epidural steroid injections (ESI) are frequently used to treat lumbosacral radicular pain, but the solute spread in the epidural space needs further investigation. This semi-blind, randomized study assessed clinical outcomes and contrast spread patterns between the parasagittal interlaminar (PIL) and transforaminal (TF) approaches in 79 adults with low back pain. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either TF-ESI (3 ml) or high-volume PIL-ESI (10 ml). All procedures were performed under fluoroscopic guidance. Contrast spread was evaluated by a blinded pain specialist, and clinical outcomes, including analgesia, patient satisfaction, and quality of life, were measured at two weeks, one month, two months, and six months post-treatment. Results showed no differences in baseline characteristics between groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in mean pain intensity at baseline and six months after treatment (p = 0.590 and 0.484, respectively). Pain relief, satisfaction, quality of life, and contrast spread to the anterior epidural space did not differ over six months. However, the TF group required significantly more fluoroscopic images (p < 0.001). High-volume PIL-ESI provides clinical efficacy and anterior contrast distribution equivalent to TF-ESI, with fewer fluoroscopic images needed
Dissociable age-dependent effects of emotion on scene and location memory
No full textAbstract Aging is associated with a decline in binding memories to their spatial context, including both spatial locations and background scenes. However, because emotions can enhance or impair memory depending on the type of spatial context, we investigated the effects of emotional modulation on spatial location and scene memory in adults between 21 and 67 years of age. 165 adults (83 female) were tested on their memory of scenes composed of emotional (or neutral) foreground images superimposed on neutral backgrounds, presented in one quadrant of the screen. In case of mental health-related individual variability, we also administered self-report surveys of depression and anxiety. First, we found that memory for the emotional foreground was more accurate but at the expense of the background scene. Across aging, we observed a decline in scene memory, particularly with positive foreground images. In contrast with memory for scenes, emotion enhanced memory for spatial location (the quadrant in which the scene was presented), but this benefit significantly decreased with age. Together, these findings provide evidence that aging not only impairs episodic memory accuracy overall but also alters the way in which emotions influence contextual binding. Finally, although we found that depression was correlated with poor memory and anxiety with better memory, neither significantly interacted with its emotional modulation
One-year prospective study of a HEMA-based hydrophobic acrylic trifocal IOL (Clareon PanOptix): visual performance, patient-reported outcomes, and optic clarity
No full textAbstract While Clareon monofocal intraocular lens (IOL) has been reported to be free from surface light scattering and glistenings, it remains unknown whether Clareon PanOptix IOL develops these optical phenomena. This study aimed to evaluate one-year surgical outcomes of this IOL, with a focus on visual function, patient-reported satisfaction, and clarity of IOL optics. A prospective study was conducted in 78 eyes of 39 patients undergoing bilateral implantation of toric or non-toric Clareon PanOptix IOLs. Postoperative examinations were conducted at 1, 6, and 12 months. At 12 months, bilateral uncorrected visual acuity (BUCVA) and bilateral distance-corrected visual acuity (BDCVA) were better than 20/20 at 40 cm, 60 cm, and 5 m. No cases of surface light scattering or glistenings were observed. Spectacle independence was achieved in 84.2% of patients. While patient satisfaction with vision in daily life and daytime driving was high, approximately half of the patients reported some difficulty with night driving. The Clareon PanOptix provided satisfactory surgical outcomes, with no formation of surface light scattering or glistenings during the one-year follow-up period
Runaway coral-algal dysbiosis may be responsible for rapid coral tissue loss
No full textAbstract Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) affects at least 22 Western Atlantic coral species and presents as focal or multifocal lesions, which swiftly expand across the colony, resulting in rapid tissue loss and mortality. Previous histopathological examinations have noted necrosis, body wall breakage, gastrodermal separation, exocytosis, and vacuolization of the symbiont as pathological signs; however, the same signs are present to some degree in otherwise apparently healthy coral tissues processed for histology. Here, we quantify the degree of symbiont vacuolization, symbiont size change, exocytosis, and gastrodermal separation in apparently healthy and diseased coral tissues of eight coral species in association with SCTLD transmission experiments in Florida (USA) and the United States Virgin Islands. We describe a characteristic progression of disease signs which support the hypothesis that coral-algal dysbiosis contributes to SCTLD-associated tissue loss. Progression begins with symbiont cell vacuolization, followed by symbiont cell exocytosis and gastrodermal cell lysis. The lysing of gastrodermal cells leads to separation of the gastrodermis from the mesoglea, and finally to liquifying necrosis. Disease signs varied by coral species and symbiont genus following known hierarchy in disease susceptibility across coral and algal genera. SCTLD histological dynamics were also associated with differential expression of genes considered indicative of stress and dysbiosis and further influenced by both coral species and algal symbiont genus
Caregiver acceptability, and uptake of voluntary medical circumcision among male children under 5 years in Gulu city, Northern Uganda
No full textAbstract Childhood male circumcision is a key intervention for reducing the transmission of HIV infection. Despite its proven efficacy, the uptake of childhood male circumcision across Uganda remains suboptimal. This study assessed the caregiver acceptability, and uptake of voluntary medical circumcision among male children under five years old in Gulu city, Uganda. A cross-sectional quantitative approach was employed, involving multistage sampling strategy to randomly select 16 parishes from Gulu City’s two divisions. Systematic household sampling, and random caregiver selection using even-numbered random assignments was conducted. Data was collected through structured surveys administered to 427 caregivers of male children under five years old, using a questionnaire informed by Sekhon’s theory of acceptability of medical interventions. Sekhon’s theory constructs (affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, self-efficacy), with Likert scale and categorical questions to quantitatively evaluate caregivers’ perceptions of childhood male circumcision acceptability. Data was analysed using STATA version 18 to determine uptake, acceptability, and associated factors. Pearson’s chi-square and modified Poisson regression was used to determine factors associated with caregiver acceptability of childhood male circumcision, while controlling for caregiver gender, marital status, education level, occupation, residence, attendance at information sessions, community information availability, and father’s circumcision status. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The acceptability of childhood male circumcision was 40.1% (95% CI: 35.4–44.8). Uptake of childhood male circumcision among study respondents was at 37.0% (158/427). Among the 269 (63.0%) who had not circumcised their children, 105 (39.0%) were unsure of considering it for their children. Having a circumcised father (aPR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.59–4.17, p < 0.001), information availability concerning childhood circumcision in the community (aPR: 1.2, 95% CI: 1.01–1.46, p = 0.034), and attending information sessions or talks about childhood male circumcision (aPR: 3.2; 95% CI: 2.09–4.82, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with the uptake of childhood male circumcision among respondents. Concerning factors significantly associated with the acceptability of childhood male circumcision, secondary level of education (aPR 1.6; 95% CI: 1.08–2.41, p = 0.019) and tertiary level of education (aPR 1.5; 95% CI: 1.01–2.34, p = 0.043), having attended information sessions (aPR 2.8; 95% CI: 2.00–4.04, p < 0.001), being in informal employment (aPR 1.2; 95% CI:1.01–1.52, p = 0.041) and having a circumcised father (aPR 2.9; 95% CI: 1.83–4.67, p < 0.001) were independently associated with acceptability of childhood male circumcision. Much as the uptake of childhood circumcision is still low in Gulu City, the caregiver acceptability is moderate but suboptimal. Specific interventions geared towards increasing information sessions, will improve on its acceptability, hence significantly enhancing uptake for HIV prevention
Field efficacy of new-generation insecticides and household residue mitigation techniques assessed by LC-MS/MS for safe tomato consumption
No full textAbstract The present study was conducted during 2023–24 and 2024–25 to evaluate the field efficacy of new-generation insecticides against major insect pests of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and to assess household-level residue mitigation techniques for safe tomato consumption. Field trials tested chlorantraniliprole, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, and indoxacarb at three dosages. Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC at the recommended 1× dose reduced Helicoverpa armigera populations by 59.82% and 51.60% across the two seasons, and aphid populations by 32.20% and 39.09%, achieving tomato yields of 17.40 t ha−1 with a benefit–cost ratio of 2.67:1, which were comparable to the marginally higher yields recorded at higher doses. Higher doses increased pest suppression and yield but reduced beneficial coccinellid beetles. Therefore, the identification of the most suitable insecticide was based on performance at the recommended (1×) dose, where effective pest control was achieved with minimal impact on beneficial arthropods. Among household decontamination methods, a 2% salt solution achieved over 84% residue reduction across all insecticides at the 1× dose, followed by lukewarm water (81.58–85.17%), lemon juice (78.82–81.88%), tamarind solution (78.15–79.55%), and tap water (77.46–79.38%). Residue removal was more effective at recommended doses due to lower initial deposits. Chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC at the recommended dose showed effective pest control while preserving natural enemies, and simple household washing techniques, particularly salt solutions, significantly reduced residues, ensuring safer tomato consumption
Correction: Integrated assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in extensive livestock farming systems
No full textCDS-PD: a novel clinical decision support platform for Parkinson’s disease
No full textAbstract The Movement Disorders Society clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson’s disease (MDS-PD) allow highly sensitive and specific diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. However, their adoption has been limited due to lack of a clinical decision support (CDS) tool to support clinicians and researchers in systematically and accurately applying the MDS-PD criteria. We have developed and performed preliminary validation of a CDS platform for PD (CDS-PD) as a modular and extensible informatics platform with comprehensive functionalities for recording relevant patient information. We have performed real-time application of diagnostic algorithm of the MDS-PD criteria. The CDS-PD platform shows high concordance with application of the MDS-PD criteria by experienced movement disorders neurologists for established PD (disease duration ≥ 5 years). The CDS-PD platform is a step towards realizing the standardized electronic implementation of the MDS-PD criteria for PD patient care and clinical trials at point-of-care. The CDS-PD platform can be accessed after registration at weblink https://www.cdspd.org
An IoT-based smart emotion recognition system by using internal body parameters
No full textAbstract Emotion recognition using physiological signals has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential applications in mental health monitoring, human–computer interaction, and stress management. This study focuses on recognizing six emotional states neutral, happy, sad, fear, anger, and surprise using internal body parameters such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation, blood glucose, heart rate, and body temperature. Leveraging an Internet of Things (IoT) enabled framework, real-time data was collected from participants. An exhaustive experimental assessment has been performed on 11 different classification algorithms of the machine learning platform. Among the algorithms, the Random Forest algorithm performed better than all other algorithms with 90.56% accuracy and 93.34% F1-score. Moreover, the precision and recall of the proposed system are extremely high. Model Robustness and generalization performances were evaluated by conducting internal as well as external validation. On conducting internal validation through k-fold cross-checking, the accuracy increased to 93.18%, clearly validating the consistency in the performance of the model. Further, the external validation was conducted by using the conventional DEAP emotional tasks, showing a collective accuracy of about 94% along with very good max and weighted average precision, recall, and F1-score values for all classes of emotions. This clearly validates the efficacy of the chosen physiological features as well as the correctness of the devised approach. The findings indicate that physiological signals, combined with IoT and machine learning, provide an effective framework for emotion recognition. This research contributes to the development of real-time, non-invasive emotion recognition systems, with promising applications in healthcare, wearable devices, and personalized user experiences. Future work will explore the integration of additional physiological parameters and advanced deep-learning models for enhanced accuracy and scalability, and usage in advanced technology
Near-source wastewater surveillance as a non-invasive tool for disease detection in prisons
No full textAbstract Near-source wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) offers a non-intrusive alternative to clinical testing of whole prison populations. Prisons sit at the centre of high transmission risk but experience limited health-care access and barriers to testing individual prisoners. However, the use of WBE for health protection in prison settings has been limited. To assess its merit during the COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations were quantified in 680 composite wastewater samples collected from 14 prisons across England and Wales between January and June 2021. Viral RNA was detected in 48% of samples, and wastewater viral loads were found to closely mirror clinical case numbers Lead–lag analysis with adjacent municipal wastewater samples indicated a bidirectional flow between the prisons and their local community: seven prisons exhibited wastewater peaks ahead of their communities, while six lagged, highlighting heterogeneous epidemiological coupling. Marked differences between prisons were apparent in both physicochemical wastewater traits and clinical testing uptake, indicating each institution constitutes a distinct surveillance unit. Collectively, findings here indicate near-source WBE as a rapid, unbiased and scalable tool for disease outbreak detection and for mapping disease flow between prisons and their surrounding communities, advocating its integration into routine health-security frameworks for custodial and other high-density settings
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