full moon

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of stand-alone intermittently scanned continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM) with or without a structured education programme and blood glucose monitoring (BGM) in adults with type 2 diabetes on multiple daily insulin injections (MDI). METHODS: In this 24 week randomised open-label multicentre trial, adults with type 2 diabetes on intensive insulin therapy with HbA1c levels of 58-108 mmol/mol (7...

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear and acidic polysaccharides. They are ubiquitous molecules, which are involved in a wide range of biological processes. Despite being structurally simple at first glance, with a repeating backbone of alternating hexuronic acid and hexosamine dimers, GAGs display a highly complex structure, which predominantly results from their heterogeneous sulfation patterns. The commonly applied method for compositional analysis of all GAGs is "disaccharide analysis." In this process, GAGs are enzymatically depolymerized into disaccharides, derivatized with a fluorescent label, and then analysed through liquid chromatography...

Constructing an artificial solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on lithium metal electrodes is a promising approach to address the rampant growth of dangerous lithium morphologies (dendritic and dead Li0 ) and low Coulombic efficiency that plague development of lithium metal batteries, but how Li+ transport behavior in the SEI is coupled with mechanical properties remains unknown. We demonstrate here a facile and scalable solution-processed approach to form a Li3 N-rich SEI with a phase-pure crystalline structure that minimizes the diffusion energy barrier of Li+ across the SEI...

Grass puffer is a semilunar-synchronized spawner: spawning occurs on beaches only for several days of spring tide around new moon (lunar age 0) and full moon (lunar age 15) every 2 weeks from spring to early summer. To investigate the role of kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in the semilunar-synchronized spawning, lunar age-dependent expression of the genes encoding kisspeptin ( kiss2 ), kisspeptin receptor ( kissr2 ), GnIH ( gnih ), GnIH receptor ( gnihr ), gonadotropin-releasing hormone 1 (GnRH1) ( gnrh1 ), and three gonadotropin (GTH) subunits ( gpa , fshb , lhb ) was examined in the male grass puffer, which was kept in an aquarium under natural light condition in a lunar month during the spawning period...

BACKGROUND: The most common form of dementia, Alzheimer's Disease (AD), is challenging for both those affected as well as for their care providers, and caregivers. Socially assistive robots (SARs) offer promising supportive care to assist in the complex management associated with AD. OBJECTIVES: To conduct a scoping review of published articles that proposed, discussed, developed or tested SAR for interacting with AD patients. METHODS: We performed a scoping review informed by the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley and adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist for reporting the results...

The emergence of high-form-factor electronics has led to a demand for high-density integration of inorganic thin-film devices and circuits with full stretchability. However, the intrinsic stiffness and brittleness of inorganic materials have impeded their utilization in free-form electronics. Here, we demonstrate highly integrated strain-insensitive stretchable metal-oxide transistors and circuitry (442 transistors/cm2 ) via a photolithography-based bottom-up approach, where transistors with fluidic liquid metal interconnection are embedded in large-area molecular-tailored heterogeneous elastic substrates (5 × 5 cm2 )...

Description According to theatrical superstition, saying "Macbeth" in the theater when you aren't actively performing or rehearsing foreshadows impending doom. In a similar way, in the hospital, its own production of sorts where medical staff is under pressure to perform, it's the "Q" word. We all dread the "Q" word and are vexed with anyone who dares say it. Yet sometimes wandering the hospital during night float, I often feel a profound sense of "Quiet." The word is typically associated with a lack of it, but I find there is a certain peace with being alone with one's thoughts...

BACKGROUND: Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SE) are used to replace energy yielding sugars and maintain sweet taste in a wide range of products, but controversy exists about their effects on appetite and endocrine responses in reduced or no added sugar solid foods. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the acute (1 day) and repeated (two-week daily) ingestive effects of 2 S&SE vs. sucrose formulations of biscuit with fruit filling on appetite and endocrine responses in adults with overweight and obesity...

BACKGROUND: Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia have high rates of relapse, especially if they are unable to complete standard consolidation strategies or allogeneic haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). The phase 3 QUAZAR AML-001 study showed an overall survival benefit with oral azacitidine maintenance. The BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax is highly active in acute myeloid leukaemia and synergistic with azacitidine. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low dose azacitidine plus venetoclax as maintenance therapy in acute myeloid leukaemia...

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone known for its pivotal role in enhancing insulin secretion and reducing glucagon release from the pancreas. Diabetic nephropathy, which is characterized by albuminuria, represents a significant microvascular complication of diabetes. Most of the previous studies mainly focused on the therapeutic renal protective effect in clinical trials after the administration of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), rather than before administration. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the association between fasting plasma GLP-1 levels and albuminuria before GLP-1 RA administration...

BACKGROUND: Many studies have been performed to identify various genomic loci and genes associated with the meat quality in pigs. However, the full genetic architecture of the trait still remains unclear in part because of the lack of accurate identification of related structural variations (SVs) which resulted from the shortage of target breeds, the limitations of sequencing data, and the incompleteness of genome assemblies. The recent generation of a new pig breed with superior meat quality, called Nanchukmacdon, and its chromosome-level genome assembly (the NCMD assembly) has provided new opportunities...

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects up to 13% of the Chinese population, though it is under diagnosed throughout China. Screening among asymptomatic individual as part of routine health checks in China can facilitate early diagnosis and intervention to prevent disease progress. The COPD Population Screener (COPD-PS) or COPD Screening Questionnaire (COPD-SQ) has yet to be applied in Chinese physical examination centers (PECs) for COPD screening, and their feasibility and effectiveness should be clarified before full-scale implementation...

BACKGROUND: The effect of clothing colour on the biting rates of different vector mosquito species is not well understood. Studies under tropical field conditions are lacking. This study aimed to determine the influence of clothing colours on mosquito biting rates in rural and suburban settings in West Africa. METHODS: We performed a simulated field study in a suburban and a rural site in Mali using Mosquito-Magnet traps utilizing CO2 and other attractants, which were covered with black, white, and black/white striped textile sheets covers...

PURPOSE: To present a case series of Cushing's syndrome (CS) during pregnancy caused by adrenocortical adenomas, highlighting clinical features, hormonal assessments and outcomes. METHODS: We describe five pregnant women with CS, detailing clinical presentations and laboratory findings. RESULTS: Common clinical features included a full moon face, buffalo back and severe hypertension. Elevated blood cortisol levels with circadian rhythm disruption and suppressed adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels were observed...

To examine a potential correlation between food waste and lunar phases, we have devised a randomized controlled trial. The experiment spanned from 31 March to 10 July 2022, during which we employed the direct weighing method to collect 1903 valid data points on food waste. Utilizing propensity score matching, we meticulously controlled for various factors, including dining dates, the number of diners, dining times, spending levels, and store activities. The study revealed a close relationship between lunar phases and food waste...

Plasmodium vivax , the most widespread human malaria parasite, and P. knowlesi , an emerging Plasmodium that infects humans, are the phylogenetically closest malarial species that infect humans, which may induce cross-species reactivity across most co-endemic areas in Southeast Asia. The thrombospondin-related anonymous protein (TRAP) family is indispensable for motility and host cell invasion in the growth and development of Plasmodium parasites. The merozoite-specific TRAP (MTRAP), expressed in blood-stage merozoites, is supposed to be essential for human erythrocyte invasion...

BACKGROUND: Posterior tibial slope (PTS) exhibits considerable variability among individuals and is anticipated to influence the accuracy of radiographic measurements related to the knee. Despite this potential impact, there is a lack of prior research investigating how PTS affects the accuracy of these measurements. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of PTS on the measurement reliability regarding the radiographic parameter of the knee. METHODS: The medical records of patients who took full-length anteroposterior radiographs of the lower limb between January 2020 and June 2022 were evaluated retrospectively...

INTRODUCTION: This scoping review was undertaken to obtain conceptual clarification about how racism and cultural safety are understood by interdisciplinary health professionals globally in the aged care sector in regional, rural and remote areas. There is evidence in Australia and internationally that racism is a factor impacting significantly on the health of First Peoples and other racialised minorities. Recent policy changes in Australia have required health professionals to integrate cultural safety into their practice to mitigate racism and improve the health of older First Nations Australians and older people from diverse ethnic and cultural groups...

Large-scale diffusion MRI tractography remains a significant challenge. Users must orchestrate a complex sequence of instructions that requires many software packages with complex dependencies and high computational costs. We developed MaPPeRTrac, an edge-centric tractography pipeline that simplifies and accelerates this process in a wide range of high-performance computing (HPC) environments. It fully automates either probabilistic or deterministic tractography, starting from a subject's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, including structural and diffusion MRI images, to the edge density image (EDI) of their structural connectomes...

The diel flight activity in Cathartus quadricollis (Guerin-Meneville) (Coleoptera: Silvanidae), a predator of two important pests in Hawaii, coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) and tropical nut borer, Hypothenemus obscurus (F.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) was studied in a macadamia nut orchard using yellow sticky traps baited with pheromone and fungal volatile attractants. The study was conducted at different months throughout the year and at different times during the lunar cycle (new moon and full moon)...