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BACKGROUND: Optimal self-management is the key to home-based cardiac rehabilitation for patients with heart disease. At present, there is a lack of a specific assessment tool to evaluate the home-based cardiac rehabilitation self-management behavior in patients with heart disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Self-Management Scale and validate its psychometric properties among patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: A multiphase cross-sectional study was conducted that study covered 3 phases: (1) item generation and revision, (2) item evaluation and preliminary exploration, and (3) assessment of the psychometric properties of the scale...

MIMO (Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output) antenna systems are promising for fifth-generation (5G) networks, offering lower latency and higher data rates. These systems utilize millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands for efficient transmission and reception of multiple data simultaneously, enhancing overall efficiency and performance. This article presents a compact size, wide band tri-circular ring mmWave MIMO antenna with suitable performance characteristics for next-generation communication systems. The MIMO system consists of a tri-circular ring patch with slots on a ground plane...

Forests are important ecosystems offering extensive material and immaterial benefits to people and the environment. If not well monitored and sustainably managed, forest resource use can lead to degradation, which has global environmental and socio-economic implications. There is currently limited information on the factors that lead to forest use in the Cryptosepalum forests of Zambia, and how these factors potentially influence forest integrity. This study aimed at establishing the socio-economic aspects that determine resource utilisation and forest loss in the Cryptosepalum forest of Manyinga and Zambezi Districts of North-western Zambia...

Background and objective Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) constitute a significant global health challenge, causing millions of deaths annually and straining healthcare systems worldwide. This study aimed to investigate and elucidate gender-specific factors, risks, and therapeutic approaches related to cardiovascular health in women within the context of contemporary medicine. Methodology We conducted a prospective observational study spanning one year (November 2022 to October 2023) at the Peshawar Medical Complex Hospital, to meticulously explore the field of women's cardiovascular health...

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in various biological processes, such as chromatin remodeling, post-transcriptional regulation, and epigenetic modifications. Despite their critical functions in regulating plant growth, root development, and seed dormancy, the identification of plant lncRNAs remains a challenge due to the scarcity of specific and extensively tested identification methods. Most mainstream machine learning-based methods used for plant lncRNA identification were initially developed using human or other animal datasets, and their accuracy and effectiveness in predicting plant lncRNAs have not been fully evaluated or exploited...

AIM: To evaluate the relationship of overweight and obesity with retinal and choroidal thickness in adults without ocular symptoms by swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). METHODS: According to the body mass index (BMI) results, the adults enrolled in the cross-sectional study were divided into the normal group (18.50≤BMI<25.00 kg/m2 ), the overweight group (25.00≤BMI<30.00 kg/m2 ), and the obesity group (BMI≥30.00 kg/m2 )...

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of different alveolar ridge preservation (ARP) approaches on bone resorption and their potential for facilitating implant placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent one or two tooth extractions with a desire for restoration were included in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups for ARP. The groups were as follows: (1) Half grafting of bovine bone mineral (DBBM-C) covered with non-resorbable dense polytetrafluoroethylene (dPTFE) membrane (Test 1 group); (2) Half grafting of bovine bone mineral (DBBM-C) covered with collagen membrane (Test 2 group); and (3) Full grafting with collagen membrane (DBBM-C + Collagen membrane) as the Control group...

Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease, affecting nearly 1%-2% of the world's population. Current pharmacological treatment and regimen adjustments are aimed at controlling seizures; however, they are ineffective in one-third of the patients. Although neuronal hyperexcitability was previously thought to be mainly due to ion channel alterations, current research has revealed other contributing molecular pathways, including processes involved in cellular signaling, energy metabolism, protein synthesis, axon guidance, inflammation, and others...

The report covers the current and past activities of the department Molecular Genetics-Function and Therapy (MGFT) at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING), an affiliated Reference Center for the European Reference Network on Rare Endocrine Conditions (Endo-ERN).The presented data is the outcome of > 15 years long standing collaboration between MGFT and endocrine specialists from the local government hospitals and the private sector. Up-to-date > 2000 genetic tests have been performed for the diagnosis of inherited rare endocrine disorders...

Paternal pre-conceptual exposures, including stress, diet, substance abuse, parasite infection, and viral immune activation via Poly I:C, have been reported to influence the brains and behavior of offspring through sperm epigenetic changes. However, the effects of paternal (F0) pre-conceptual exposure to bacterial-induced immune activation on the behavior and physiology of F1 and F2 generations remain unexplored. We examined this using C57BL/6J mice. Eight-week-old males (F0) received a single intraperitoneal injection of the bacterial mimetic lipopolysaccharide (LPS: 5 mg/kg) or 0...

Pregabalin is the first-line treatment for neuropathic pain. Cases of cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions caused by pregabalin generally occur within 2 weeks of initiating medication. We report a rare case of a delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction caused by pregabalin, which was confirmed by a drug provocation test. A 72-year-old man with severe herpes zoster neuralgia developed maculopapular drug eruption covering 80% to 90% of his total body surface area after 40 days of combined multidrug analgesia...

The new material introduced by the ITTF in 2014 for table tennis balls has attracted significant attention from players and coaches. Changes in both material selection and production procedures are likely to have affected the static performance of the ball. However, the raw data regarding the elasticity and hardness of these new material balls, encompassing various brands and structures, often lacks practical information crucial for players' rapid adaptation and daily training. The static properties tested in this study were provided by the ITTF, covering both hardness and elasticity...

BACKGROUND: Conducting a health needs assessment for older adults is important, particularly for early detection and management of frailty. Such assessments can help to improve health outcomes, maintain overall well-being, and support older adults in retaining their independence as they age at home. OBJECTIVE: In this study, a systematic approach to health needs assessment is adopted in order to reflect real-world practices in municipal health care and capture the nuances of frailty...

PURPOSE: Currently, the rigid instruments used for laparoscopic radical resection of prostate cancer not only have the risk of damage to tissues, blood vessels, and nerves, but their limited freedom will also cause surgical blind areas. Soft robots are expected to solve these issues due to inherent flexibility, compliance, and safe interaction with tissues and organs. In addition, to achieve high surgical accuracy and provide precise guidance for surgeons, the navigation method should be studied for the soft robot...

BACKGROUND: Total marrow (lymphoid) irradiation (TMI/TMLI) is a radiotherapy treatment used to selectively target the bone marrow and lymph nodes in conditioning regimens for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A complex field geometry is needed to cover the large planning target volume (PTV) of TMI/TMLI with volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). Five isocenters and ten overlapping fields are needed for the upper body, while, for patients with large anatomical conformation, two specific isocenters are placed on the arms...

The ubiquity and ease with which microbial cells disperse over space is a key concept in microbiology, especially in microbial ecology. The phenomenon prompted Baas Becking's famous "everything is everywhere" statement that now acts as the null hypothesis in studies that test the dispersal limitation of microbial taxa. Despite covering the content in lectures, exam performance indicated that the concepts of dispersal and biogeography challenged undergraduate students in an upper-level Microbial Ecology course...

BACKGROUND: The relationship between waist circumference and nocturia has not been previously studied. This study investigated the association between waist circumference and the occurrence of nocturia in adults. METHODS: We analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey covering 2005-2020, encompassing 6287 adults aged ≥20. Nocturia was defined as the need to urinate two or more times during the night. First, we compared baseline characteristics between the nocturia and non-nocturia groups...

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to investigate treatment options for older women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and postoperative outcomes based on their long-term care (LTC) status. METHODS: We used the medical and LTC insurance claims databases of Tochigi Prefecture in Japan, covering 2014 to 2019. We included women 65 years and older with POP and evaluated their care status and treatment, excluding women with an observation period <6 months. Among women with a postsurgical interval ≥6 months, we compared care level changes and deaths within 6 months and complications within 1 month postoperatively between those with and without LTC using Fisher exact test...

Individuals with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for suicide, and this can be influenced by a range of biological, clinical, and environmental risk factors. Biological components associated with suicide include DNA modifications that lead to changes in gene expression. Common genetic variation and DNA methylation changes are some of the most frequent types of DNA findings associated with an increased risk for suicidal behavior. Importantly, the interplay between genetic predisposition and DNA methylation patterns is becoming more prevalent in genetic studies...

This study focuses on experimental testing of the contamination hypothesis and examines how the contamination of insect adhesive pads with three-dimensional epicuticular waxes of different plant species contributes to the reduction of insect attachment. We measured traction forces of tethered Chrysolina fastuosa male beetles having hairy adhesive pads on nine wax-bearing plant surfaces differing in both shape and dimensions of the wax structures and examined insect adhesive organs after they have contacted waxy substrates...