Research Infinity - Search Results

Biomedical

Clinical importance of laboratory biomarkers in liver fibrosis

Hepatic cirrhosis is a major health problem across the world, causing high morbidity and mortality. This disease has many etiologies, yet the result of chronic hepatic injury is hepatic fibrosis causing cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, as the liver’s architecture is progressively destroyed. While liver biopsy is currently the gold standard for fibrosis staging, it has significant disadvan...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Diagnostic role of urine human epididymis protein 4 in ovarian cancer

Urine human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) is a promising, non-invasive tumor marker for ovarian cancer (OC), offering advantages in early detection and monitoring. Studies show urine HE4 concentrations are higher than serum levels, with comparable sensitivity and specificity for detecting OC. It can aid in the differential diagnosis, monitor chemotherapy response, and track disease recurrence. Howeve...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Affordable Biologics for All

To paraphrase something that Mark Twain is alleged to have said, “Everybody talks about drug prices, but nobody does anything about them.” The last part of the paraphrase is not quite accurate, but to date, none of the major federal proposals to lower drug prices have been enacted, and state legislation, such as the California Preserving Access to Affordable Drugs Act, is under legal challenge...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Is the Environment Associated With Preterm Birth?

The study by Zhang et al. explores the link between preconception exposure to phthalates and an increased risk of preterm birth. Phthalates, commonly found in food and consumer products, are endocrine disruptors. The research found that higher concentrations of specific phthalate metabolites in maternal urine were associated with a 50% increased risk of preterm birth. The findings suggest that int...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

The Challenges of Improving Nursing Home Quality

The study by Song et al. explores the relationship between work environment factors in nursing homes and missed or rushed care. Key findings highlight the importance of organizational slack, social capital, and culture, although the unexpected association between organizational culture and rushed care raises questions. The study, however, does not identify causal pathways and only establishes asso...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Single Hormone Receptor–Positive Breast Cancer—Signal or Noise?

Canonical predictors for the prognosis of breast cancer include estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and ERBB2 (formerly HER2) receptor. In most cases, positive ER status is auspicious, but there are exceptions (young women, black women, and BRCA2 mutation carriers). The simplest designation, hormone receptor–positive cancers, includes tumors that express ER and/or PR (hormone rec...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Spatial Epidemiology of Diabetes and Tuberculosis in India

In the study by Hernandez et al., the spatial distribution of diabetes in India was examined, revealing a concentration in southern and eastern regions. The study also explored the potential overlap between diabetes and tuberculosis prevalence, but found no significant spatial correlation between the two. This work highlights the importance of spatial epidemiology in understanding disease patterns...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

The Implications of Early Adversity Even Before Birth

This study examines how prenatal exposure to maternal psychological distress, such as stress, anxiety, and depression, can impact fetal brain development. Findings suggest that these stressors may lead to changes in brain volume and structure, with potential long-term effects on behavioral development. The research highlights the importance of maternal mental health during pregnancy, indicating th...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Progesterone Exposure and Breast Cancer Risk—Addressing Barriers

This article addresses the role of progesterone exposure in breast cancer risk, focusing on both biological and technical barriers in studying progesterone’s impact. Research indicates that higher progesterone levels in postmenopausal women may modestly increase breast cancer risk, with a stronger association for invasive breast cancers. The study also highlights the complex relationship between...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Physician Networks and the Complex Contagion of Clinical Treatment

One of the greatest challenges in contemporary research on quality of care is to understand unexplained regional variation in physicians’ use of new medical treatments. Keating et al1 offer valuable new insight into this problem by studying physicians’ uptake of the biological cancer therapy bevacizumab. To identify the sources of variation, Keating et al1 developed a compelling new approach. ...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Pregnancy and Risk of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

The study highlights pregnancy's role in increasing the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), especially within the first 12 weeks postpartum. Key risk factors include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. Treatment strategies focus on blood pressure control, the use of low-dose aspirin for high-risk women, and managing coagulation issues. Timely diagnosis and neuroim...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Electronic Fetal Monitoring—Imperfect but Opportunities for Improvement

Electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) has limitations in detecting fetal hypoxia and acidemia, and clinicians often do not act on abnormal readings. Recent studies suggest that improving clinician training, refining monitoring algorithms, and establishing standardized protocols can help prevent neonatal encephalopathy. Despite its flaws, EFM presents opportunities to enhance neonatal outcomes through ...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Do Patients Care What Their X-rays Look Like?

The study by Chung et al. shows that radiographic parameters of distal radius fractures have little association with patient-reported and objective functional outcomes. This suggests that surgeons should focus more on low-risk, effective interventions for returning patients to function rather than stressing precise anatomical restoration. Surgical procedures may still be necessary for severely dis...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Tobacco Use in High-Risk Populations

The study by Akhtar and colleagues highlights the high rate of tobacco use (over 90%) among rural individuals who inject drugs, revealing the ongoing smoking epidemic in high-risk populations. Tobacco use is linked to social stressors like Medicaid insurance and homelessness. The study suggests that smoking cessation interventions have not effectively reached this group, and advocates for integrat...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

The Uncertain Science of Predicting Death

The study by Seow et al. explores the development of a patient-oriented prognostic tool to help patients with cancer understand their mortality and disease trajectory. It aims to improve end-of-life (EOL) care by empowering patients to make informed decisions aligned with their goals. The study highlights the importance of prognosis awareness, functional decline, and symptom monitoring in improvin...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Managing Uncertainty in Prenatal Diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease

The study focuses on the emotional challenges faced by parents dealing with a prenatal congenital heart disease (CHD) diagnosis, particularly the uncertainty surrounding the condition’s severity and long-term impacts. It suggests integrating palliative care techniques to help pediatric cardiologists support families better. Key recommendations include using more positive terminology like “hear...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Limitations of Meta-analyses of Studies With High Heterogeneity

Sabitova et al have performed an important service in compiling and summarizing 2 decades of studies on job burnout and satisfaction among physicians and dentists in middle-income countries and a few low-income countries. The authors followed a standard approach to performing a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze studies that assessed job-related morale among physicians and dentists wor...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Challenges in Predicting Lyme Disease Risk

The article discusses the challenges in predicting Lyme disease risk due to incomplete and inconsistent data. Although Lyme disease incidence is increasing, accurate prediction models are hindered by gaps in tick distribution, infection prevalence, and human disease surveillance. The authors emphasize the need for more accurate and standardized data, particularly regarding the presence of infected...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

How Should Surveillance Systems Account for Concurrent Intravascular Catheters?

The risk of central venous catheter (CVC)-associated bloodstream infections has decreased dramatically.1 The same may not be true for infections associated with short-term peripheral venous catheters.2 The effects of future preventive efforts should be measured using data derived from evidence-based surveillance programs. Dube et al3 describe a multicenter, retrospective cohort study that assessed...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Unexpected abnormal coagulation test results in a 2-year-old child

Rejection of the sample with repeated blood withdrawal is always an unwanted consequence of sample nonconformity and preanalytical errors, especially in the most vulnerable population – children. Here is presented a case with unexpected abnormal coagulation test results in a 2-yearold child with no previously documented coagulation disorder. Child is planned for tympanostomy tubes removal unde...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Multi-Response Optimization of Process Parameters in Friction Stir Welding of AA 8011-H14 / AA 5052-H34 using Taguchi Grey Relational Analysis

Friction stir welding (FSW) offers a distinct advantage in its ability to effectively join dissimilar metals and alloys. This study focuses on the butt welding of AA 8011-H14 and AA5052-H34 through FSW, aiming to explore the influence of process parameters on crucial mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, percentage elongation, and hardness. The examination of the...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Mechanical characteristics of dissimilar friction stir welding processes of aluminium alloy [AA 2024-T351 and AA 7075-T651]

Aerospace industries have remained dependent on aluminium alloys for airframe structural components manufacturing due to their superior strength, fracture toughness, and ability to resist corrosion. Especially, AA2024 and AA7075 have been the most prominent and timely tested robust aluminium alloys in these manufacturing sectors. However, joining these aluminium alloys through conventional fusion ...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Extreme Convective Gusts in the Contiguous USA

Most damage to buildings across the contiguous United States of America (USA) is caused by gusts in convective events associated with thunderstorms. Design rules for structures to resist these events rely on the integrity of meteorological observations and the methods of assessment. These issues were addressed for the US Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) in six preliminary studies publis...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Signs of frost drought in stem diameter variations

Frost drought refers to the chronic or acute desiccation of trees exposed to high evaporative pressures while being rooted in cold or frozen soils. This phenomenon has been known for more than a century but is still poorly characterized. Summer desiccation manifests itself as long-term stem contractions. Similar contractions have been reported in winter. In this study, we investigated the causes o...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Use of CAMS near Real-Time Aerosols in the HARMONIE-AROME NWP Model

Near real-time aerosol fields from the Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Services (CAMS), operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), are configured for use in the HARMONIE-AROME Numerical Weather Prediction model. Aerosol mass mixing ratios from CAMS are introduced in the model through the first guess and lateral boundary conditions and are advected by the model dy...
Posted 6 months ago

Social Science

Gender differences and new venture performance

Purpose This study compares the performance of female majority-owned new ventures (FNV) vs. male majority-owned new ventures (MNV). It analyzes the differences in levels of variables such as education, the same industry work experience of owners, and other venture level attributes between FNVs and MNVs. More importantly, this study employs decomposition techniques to determine the individual cont...
Posted 6 months ago

Social Science

Unfolding entrepreneurial resourcefulness: a systematic literature review

Purpose Literature on entrepreneurial resourcefulness (ER) has grown constantly in the last two decades. ER is a construct that describes the specific behavior of entrepreneurs, focusing on the generation and deployment of resources to pursue an opportunity. Since the ER literature has expanded and diversified, the purpose of this study is to integrate its findings with existing knowledge about ...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Epidermal Differentiation Genes of the Common Wall Lizard Encode Proteins with Extremely Biased Amino Acid Contents

The epidermal differentiation complex (EDC) is a cluster of genes that code for protein components of cornified cells on the skin surface of amniotes. Squamates are the most species-rich clade of reptiles with skin adaptations to many different environments. As the genetic regulation of the skin epidermis and its evolution has been characterized for only a few species so far, we aimed to determine...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

The Hydrophobic Effects: Our Current Understanding

Hydrophobic interactions are involved in and believed to be the fundamental driving force of many chemical and biological phenomena in aqueous environments. This review focuses on our current understanding on hydrophobic effects. As a solute is embedded into water, the interface appears between solute and water, which mainly affects the structure of interfacial water (the topmost water layer at th...
Posted 6 months ago

Humanities and Arts

Unveiling Connections: A Thorough Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals Integration within the Spanish Physical Education Curriculum

This study analyses the relationship between the physical education (PE) curriculum in secondary education in Spain and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Physical education curriculum of compulsory secondary education, as well as the complementary materials, were analysed through document analysis. Although there is no explicit relationship, the analysis reveals links between c...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Hydration, Reactivity and Durability Performance of Low-Grade Calcined Clay-Silica Fume Hybrid Mortar

Low-grade calcined clay, due to its low cost, availability and low temperature calcination, has been gaining attention in recent times as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in the manufacture of revolutionary building materials to improve the fresh and hardened properties of concrete. Silica fume, on the other hand, has been used, over the years, to improve the performance of concrete due...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Subsurface Topographic Modeling Using Geospatial and Data Driven Algorithm

Infrastructures play an important role in urbanization and economic activities but are vulnerable. Due to unavailability of accurate subsurface infrastructure maps, ensuring the sustainability and resilience often are poorly recognized. In the current paper a 3D topographical predictive model using distributed geospatial data incorporated with evolutionary gene expression programming (GEP) was dev...
Posted 6 months ago

Humanities and Arts

Jon Sobrino and ‘the Crucified People’

‘The crucified people’ became a key theological concern in the writings of Jon Sobrino SJ in the 1990s. This article examines how and why Sobrino made this concern a central element in his theology at the time. Section 2 discusses what Sobrino has described as his ‘awakening from the sleep of inhumanity’ in the 1970s as he encountered liberation theology in El Salvador following his doctor...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Forms of Non-Apoptotic Cell Death and Their Role in Gliomas—Presentation of the Current State of Knowledge

In addition to necrosis and apoptosis, the two forms of cell death that have been known for many decades, other non-apoptotic forms of cell death have been discovered, many of which also play a role in tumors. Starting with the description of autophagy more than 60 years ago, newer forms of cell death have become important for the biology of tumors, such as ferroptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, an...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Impact of Low-Reactivity Calcined Clay on the Performance of Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Mortar

Availability of aluminosiliceous materials is essential for the production and promotion of geopolymer concrete. Unlike fly ash, which can only be found in industrial regions, clays are available almost everywhere but have not received sufficient attention to their potential use as a precursor for geopolymer synthesis. This study investigates the effectiveness of calcined clay as a sole and binary...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Prevalence of Leishmaniasis among Blood Donors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Our study seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of leishmaniasis prevalence among blood donors, employing rigorous methodologies to inform public health initiatives and transfusion safety measures. A thorough literature search was conducted using electronic databases (Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar) to identify the relevant studies reporting the prevalence of leishmanias...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Diazenium Betaines Derived from the Stable Free Radical DPPH with Diradicaloid Behavior

Starting from the well known stable free radical DPPH (or its reduced counterpart, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazine) and several amino derivatives, novel zwitterionic compounds (diazenium betaines) were obtained and characterized by different means, like NMR, IR, MS, and UV–Vis. These betaines are highly intense blue-colored compounds that can be easily reduced by ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or sod...
Posted 6 months ago

Humanities and Arts

The Roma Population: Migration, Settlement, and Resilience

The Roma population—with a unique history marked by migration, settlement issues, and ongoing resilience—has always faced significant social marginalization and has often been subjected to forced migration. Despite being one of the largest and most diverse ethnic groups in Europe, Roma continue to face systemic discrimination and social exclusion, leading to poor outcomes in education, employm...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Intramolecular Interactions in Derivatives of Uracil Tautomers

The influence of solvents on intramolecular interactions in 5- or 6-substituted nitro and amino derivatives of six tautomeric forms of uracil was investigated. For this purpose, the density functional theory (B97-D3/aug-cc-pVDZ) calculations were performed in ten environments (1 > ε > 109) using the polarizable continuum model (PCM) of solvation. The substituents were characterized by electronic ...
Posted 6 months ago

Social Science

From Place-Branding to Community-Branding: A Collaborative Decision-Making Process for Cultural Heritage Enhancement

The international debate on cultural heritage enhancement and cultural cross-overs, highlights the need to rethink the relationship between economy, society and territory by working on innovative urban planning and evaluation approaches. In recent times, the concept of “place branding” has become widespread in strategic urban plans, linking marketing approaches to the attractive features of pl...
Posted 6 months ago

Social Science

Determinants of Motivation to Work in Terms of Industry 4.0—The Gen Z Perspective

The mentality of Generation Z differs markedly from the approach to social and economic issues presented by earlier generations. These young people have had access to the internet and other innovative technologies since birth. A tape recorder or a floppy disk is a museum exhibit for them. They are unfamiliar with the everyday problems that citizens of Central and Eastern Europe faced during the so...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

An Overview of the Epigenetic Modifications in the Brain under Normal and Pathological Conditions

Epigenetic changes are changes in gene expression that do not involve alterations to the DNA sequence. These changes lead to establishing a so-called epigenetic code that dictates which and when genes are activated, thus orchestrating gene regulation and playing a central role in development, health, and disease. The brain, being mostly formed by cells that do not undergo a renewal process through...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

New microbes, new infections, new editor, new directions

Key Questions

1. What is the new direction for the journal New Microbes and New Infections?

The journal will expand its focus to emerging microbes, evolving infections, and their societal impact.

...
Posted 6 months ago

Social Science

Development of a Seed Treatment with Pochonia chlamydosporia for Biocontrol Application

Seed treatment is a powerful technique for adding beneficial ingredients to plants during the seed preparation process. Biopolymers as drying agents and delivery systems in seed treatments were investigated for their biocompatibility with blastospores of the nematophagous fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia. To produce a novel seed treatment for the cover crop Phacelia tanacetifolia, xanthan gum TG and...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Marangoni Bursting: Insight into the Role of the Thermocapillary Effect in an Oil Bath

Marangoni bursting describes the spontaneous spread of a droplet of a binary mixture of alcohol/water deposited on a bath of oil, followed by its fast spontaneous fragmentation into a large number of smaller droplets in a self-similar way. Several papers have aimed to describe the physical phenomena underlying this spectacular phenomenon, in which two opposite effects, solutal and thermal Marangon...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Evaluating a Dental Public-Health Game across Two Learning Contexts

Serious games have been shown to be effective learning tools in various disciplines, including dental education. Serious-game learning environments allow learners to improve knowledge and skills. GRAPHIC (Games Research Applied to Public Health with Innovative Collaboration), a serious game for dental public health, was designed to simulate a town, enabling students to apply theoretical knowledge ...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Dynamics of Health Financing among the BRICS: A Literature Review

Despite economic progress, government efforts, and increased healthcare investments, health deprivation continues to persist in the countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS). Hence, addressing the growing demand for health financing in a sustainable way and adopting unique approaches to healthcare provision is essential. This paper aims to review publications on the exist...
Posted 6 months ago

Physics Maths Engineering

Applications of Machine Learning to the Study of Crystalline Materials

This Special Issue, “Applications of Machine Learning to the Study of Crystalline Materials”, is a collection of seven original articles published in 2021 and 2022 and dedicated to applications of machine learning in materials research. Machine learning (ML) is rapidly revolutionizing many fields and is starting to change landscapes for physics, chemistry, materials science, and structural re...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Software Development for Processing and Analysis of Data Generated by Human Eye Movements

This research focuses on a software application providing opportunities for the processing and analysis of data generated by a saccade sensor with human eye movements. The main functional opportunities of the developed application are presented as well. According to the methodology of the experiments, three experiments were prepared. The first was related to visualization of the stimuli on a stimu...
Posted 6 months ago

Biomedical

Development of Ornithology and Ornithological Journals—A New Opening by the MDPI with the Birds Journal

Before I started to produce this Editorial article for the new ornithological open access journal, Birds, of the MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute), I read a fascinating book about the history of ornithology by Michael Walters. A lot has happened since the first ornithological journals, the Journal of Ornithology (1853), Ibis, the Auk, Wilson Journal of Ornithology and the Cond...
Posted 6 months ago

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Key Questions

1. What is the new direction for the journal *New Microbes and New Infections*?

1. What is the new direction for the journal New Microbes and New Infections?