Preferential flow plays an important role in the ecosystem. In order to understand the influence of enclosure on the root-soil structure in the preferential flow region, and to understand the difference of root-soil structure between the preferential flow region and the matrix flow region. In this paper, the soil in the preferential flow region of Caragana korshinskii shrub under enclosure or grazing measures in Yanchi, Ningxia, China was selected as the research object. The geometric distribution and topological indexes of root-soil structure (aggregates, macropores and roots) were obtained by CT scanning and three-dimensional image processing. The results showed that the enclosed natural grassland had the highest staining area ratio (40.38%) and staining depth (271 mm). The distribution of soil aggregates and macropores in grazing artificial C. korshinskii shrub and enclosed natural C. korshinskii shrub was more uniform. Enclosure significantly reduced the number density and volume density of soil aggregates, macropores and roots in the preferential flow region (p<0.05). Compared with the matrix flow region, the number density of soil aggregates in the preferential flow region increased significantly (p<0.05), and the average equivalent diameter decreased significantly (p<0.05). Enclosure negatively affects soil aggregates and macropores. Aggregates directly promote the preferential flow process, and macropores indirectly affect the preferential flow process through aggregates. Clarifying the relationship between enclosure, root-soil structure and preferential flow can provide a basis for vegetation restoration management in arid and semi-arid areas.

Surviving the storm: Insights into the pericardial injuries and roller coaster of multisystem trauma in bomb blast victimsMuhammad Nadeem Ahmad1, Shahzeb Ali2, Muhammad Ahmed1, Naila Nadeem1, Mallick Muhammad Zohaibuddin1, Hatem Eltaly3, Muhammad Owais Rao1, Faheemullah Khan3, Uffan Zafar11 The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.2 Quaid-e-Azam Medical college, Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan.3 Cleveland Clinic Main Campus Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, USA .

A Case Study Highlighting the Fatal Nature and Underappreciation of Herbicidal ToxicityAuthors 1. Pratik Adhikari, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, Nepal2. Sujan Kafle, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, Nepal3. Varsha Chhetri, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, Nepal4. Joshan Bajracharya, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, NepalCorresponding Author Dr. Pratik Adhikari, Department of Internal Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, 56700, Nepal.Email: [email protected]: +9779860733348Degree: M.B.B.S, BPKIHS Orcid ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5051-2684

This editorial focuses on the issue of data misuse which is increasingly evidenced in social media as well as some premiere scientific journals like yours. This issue is of critical importance to open science projects in general, and ABCD in particular, given the broad array of biological, behavioral and environmental information collected on this American sample of 12.000 youth and parents. ABCD data are already widely used with over 1000 publications and twice as many citations per year as expected (relative citation index based on year, field and journal). However, the adverse consequences of misuse of data, and inaccurate interpretation of emergent findings from this precedent setting study may have profound impact on disadvantaged populations and perpetuate biases and societal injustices. This editorial contains recommendations and references which may guide authors and assist reviewers alike in avoiding misleading scientific interpretations not only with use of ABCD data but other large scale data sets as well.

Background and Purpose Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized to contribute to drug-resistant epilepsy. Activation of the ATP-gated P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) has emerged as an important upstream mechanism and increased P2X7R expression is present in the seizure focus in rodent models and patients. Pharmacologic antagonism of the P2X7R can attenuate seizures in rodents but this has not been explored in human neuronal networks. Experimental Approach Human neurons were differentiated from two induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. P2X7R function on neurons was assessed via P2X7R agonist BzATP-evoked calcium transients. Acute or chronic in vitro models of epileptiform-like events were generated by exposure of hiPSC cultures to the GABAA receptor antagonist picrotoxin or a cocktail of picrotoxin and neuroinflammatory agents with or without the presence of P2X7R antagonists. Epileptiform-like activity was measured via single cell patch-clamp recordings. Key Results BzATP application (300 µM) resulted in increased calcium influx in hiPSC-derived neurons which was blocked by the P2X7R antagonists JNJ-47965567 (100 nM) and AFC-5128 (30 nM). Single-cell patch-clamp recordings showed that, while treatment with AFC-5128 did not reduce epileptiform-like activity triggered by picrotoxin alone, AFC-5128 reduced the severity of epileptiform-like activity under inflammatory conditions. Notably, epileptiform-like events in the inflammation-primed picrotoxin model were refractory to the anti-seizure medication carbamazepine alone but were reduced by the co-application of carbamazepine with AFC-5128. Conclusion and Implications Our findings demonstrate anti-seizure effects of targeting the P2X7R in a human neuronal network model of epilepsy and suggest P2X7R-based treatments may be an effective add-on therapy for controlling drug-resistant seizures.

1. Leaching – the release of elements from organic matter through dissolution in water – plays an important role in biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem processes. However, understanding the patterns in and underlying drivers of element solubility in leaves lags far behind that of other related plant traits. 2. In this study, we quantify the solubility of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) from leaves of Betula pubescens - a widespread boreal tree species - across a 5182 year postfire retrogressive chronosequence. 3. We find that P is much more soluble than C and N, and is released in solution mainly in readily accessible mineral form. Solubility patterns are strongly related to foliar chemical and structural traits, particularly for green leaves, whereas metrics related to stand structure exert a stronger influence over solubility from senesced leaf litter. 4. Overall, our results indicate that leaching could constitute an important flux of nutrients to the soil, particularly of P, and that the rate and spatio-temporal pattern of this flux appear readily predictable from foliar and ecosystem properties. Further application of the method across more species and environmental contexts should allow for rapid integration of leaching-related foliar traits into broader plant trait frameworks.

This review paper presents a comprehensive examination of the current and future landscape of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in healthcare, with a particular focus on the integration and potential of generative AI and GPT-3 technologies. The research delves into the transformative applications of NLP in clinical documentation, patient feedback analysis, and the burgeoning field of AI-driven virtual health assistants. It highlights how these advanced technologies can streamline healthcare data management, enhance patient engagement, and facilitate innovative research methodologies. The paper also critically examines the challenges and limitations inherent in the application of NLP within healthcare. These include ensuring the accuracy and reliability of AI-generated information, addressing privacy and ethical concerns related to patient data, and integrating these technologies into existing healthcare infrastructures. The research underscores the need for rigorous standards and ethical considerations in the development and implementation of NLP tools in healthcare. Looking ahead, the paper discusses the potential future directions for NLP in healthcare, emphasizing the role of generative AI models like GPT-3 in advancing patient care, medical documentation, and healthcare research. This review serves as a foundational analysis for future research in this field, advocating for continuous innovation and ethical implementation of NLP and AI technologies in healthcare.

In complex and dynamic environments, the decision-making sequence of individual robots significantly influences the effectiveness of collaboration and cooperation among multi-robot systems in completing tasks. This paper focuses on the division of labor in autonomous multi-robot systems, aiming to find optimal strategies for resource allocation among robots operating in complex scenarios. Each robot makes independent yet interacting decisions in relatively isolated dynamic environments. We propose a model that applies game theory from economics, classifying the robots into resource-providing robots and resource-consuming robots. Resource providers acquire resources and compete to determine the optimal strategy, while resource consumers purchase resources, making decisions based on the pricing set by providers.The problem is formulated as a two-stage game. In the first stage, resource providers engage in resource games, abstracted into Cournot or Stackelberg models, where optimal decisions are made based on available resources and estimated strategies of other participants. The second stage involves price games between providers and consumers, analogous to market supply and demand relationships. Price adjustments and demand changes lead to the discovery of Nash equilibria in the price game. Simulations are conducted to compare the system-wide benefits when providers adopt different strategies in the first stage. Results indicate that using the Stackelberg model yields higher overall benefits, further demonstrating the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed strategies. This highlights the importance of strategic model selection in optimizing the performance and resource efficiency of multi-robot systems operating in dynamic environments.

Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs) were introduced into the National Health Service (NHS) Primary Care to support the delivery of the NHS Long-Term Plan for medicines optimisation. SMRs improve the quality of care, reduce harm, and offer value for money. However, evidence to support SMRs for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage G4-5D with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality is unknown. This scoping review aimed to assess the extent and nature of SMR research in the population of patients with CKD stage G4-5D. Electronic databases were searched on 20 October 2023. Studies were eligible if they described an SMR in adults with CKD stage G4-5D, regardless of the study design. Data detailing the global patterns, population and intervention descriptions, professionals performing SMR, and reported areas for future research were extracted. The extracted outcome data were categorised as clinically important, patient-important, medication-related, and experience-related. A narrative synthesis was completed. Seventeen studies (81%) were conducted in nephrology outpatient setting, three (14%) during acute hospital admissions, and one (5%) within the community pharmacy. Eighteen studies (86%) were quantitative, to include five randomised controlled trials. Ten (48%) studies were undertaken in the United States of America and Canada, and two in Europe (France and Norway). No such studies have been conducted in the United Kingdom. Our review revealed that there is a lack of evidence for SMR as a strategy to reduce polypharmacy and harms from medication for adults with CKD stage G4-5D. Therefore, further research is required in this area.

A document by DR DHIREN SHAH. Click on the document to view its contents.

Recent research indicates the need to understand how threats operate at a local level. In the wake of Brexit’s significant impact on Ireland’s political, economic, and social climate, the present research investigated whether information about economic threat posed by this political event affect political preferences in the Republic of Ireland, as well as national identity and boundaries of the national group ( N = 267). We experimentally manipulated perceived economic threat posed by Brexit using fictitious information and assessed political preferences for a ‘United Ireland’. Additionally, we examined the impact of this economic threat for strength of national identification, as well as the boundaries of the national community, measured by civic and ethnic nationalism. We also assessed participants’ agreement with the manipulated information about Brexit as a moderator of these effects. Results indicated that threatening information about Brexit goes along with more support for Irish unity the more participants’ agree with the information and reduces support the more participants’ disagree. There was no effect of threat on national identification or civic and ethnic nationalism. The discussion highlights the implications for constructing threats in political messaging and offers important insights into preferences for Irish unity within the evolving Brexit context.

Congenital Perineal Hernia in Siblings: Case Reports and Review of LiteratureMalik W.Z. Khan*¹; Muhammad Ahmad*²; Samra Iftikhar¹; Asfandiyar K. Mohmand²; Ahmed Kertam³; Salma Qudrat²; Jibran Ikram⁴; Salman Khan⁵; Long H. Tu¹¹Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, USA; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]²Khyber Medical College, Peshawar, Pakistan. [email protected];  [email protected]; [email protected]³Ain-Shams University Medical School, Cairo, Egypt; [email protected]⁴Department of Outcomes Research, Cleveland Clinic, Ohio, USA; [email protected]⁵Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health, NY, USA; [email protected]* Contributed equally

Successful Multi-Disciplinary Workup in Management of Virginal Breast Hypertrophy Associated with Kallmann Syndrome in Adolescent female

Liparis maguanensis, a new orchid species from Yunnan province of China, is described and illustrated based on morphological and molecular analysis. Morphologically, this new species is similar to L. viridiflora, but it can be distinguished from the latter by having one leaf, a loosely flowered, 11-30 cm inflorescence, and a 1-5 cm × 0.5-1.2 cm obovate-elliptic pseudobulb. Phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS and plastid matK DNA sequences data further supported that Liparis maguanensis is a distinct species.

The ventral and dorsal components of the ascending colon are adjoined by the ascending mesocolon, and few case reports have described congenital or acquired malformations of this structure. This case series reports the occurrence of large mesenteric rents of the ascending mesocolon ( Hernia mesocolica coli ascendentis) in 6 adult horses diagnosed during exploratory laparotomy. Based on the history of the patients, the rents were most likely acquired. The rents were mainly located directly adjacent to the left dorsal colon, and without affecting the intestinal blood supply. The size of the defect varied between 20 and 80 cm, and in 5/6 cases it was a subacute or chronic rupture with rounded edges. Two different types of intestinal displacements in relation to the rent were found, with either a localized torsion of the dorsal colon or herniation of the pelvic flexure through the rent. In all cases, the intestine could be repositioned, and the rent was sutured. Despite some minor postoperative complications, the short- and long-term outcome was excellent. It was hypothesised that recurrent colon displacements or trauma elicited by an intrauterine foal may have been the cause of the rent in some of the cases.

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a severe cardiovascular disease characterized by the formation of vegetations on heart valves. Our previous research found that streptococcal endocarditis is more common in elderly people and is prone to embolic complications leading to adverse clinical outcomes. von Willebrand Factor (VWF) is a crucial regulatory factor in the formation process and composition of vegetation in bacterial endocarditis, but its mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study investigated the role of VWF in the pathogenesis of Streptococcus mutans-induced endocarditis using two distinct mouse models: damage-induced and inflammation-induced endocarditis. We employed histological analysis, immunofluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular techniques to elucidate the mechanisms of vegetation formation and the contribution of VWF in each model.Our findings reveal significant differences in the timing and extent of VWF involvement between the two models, with a more rapid and pronounced role in the damage-induced model. VWF knockout mice showed reduced vegetation formation, particularly in the damage-induced model, while VWF supplementation restored vegetation development.These results highlight the critical role of VWF in endocarditis pathogenesis and suggest potential therapeutic strategies targeting VWF for the prevention and treatment of IE. Furthermore, our study provides novel insights into the interplay between VWF and inflammatory responses during endocarditis progression, opening new avenues for understanding the complex pathophysiology of this life-threatening condition.

Clinical considerations in the diagnosis and management of enteric fever and its complications

Numerous specimens stored in natural history collections have been involuntarily preserved together with their associated microbiomes. We propose exploiting centuries-old soils occasionally found on the roots of herbarium plants to assess the diversity of ancient soil microbial communities originally associated with these plants. We validated this approach extracting and sequencing DNA from rhizospheric soils and roots of four plant species preserved in herbaria for more than 120 years. Extracted DNA displayed typical features of ancient DNA, with cytosine deamination at the ends of fragments predominantly shorter than 50 bp. When compared to extant microbiomes, herbarium microbial communities clustered with soil communities and were distinct from communities from other environments. Herbarium communities also displayed biodiversity features and assembly rules typical of soil and plant-associated ones. Soil communities were richer than root-associated ones with which they shared most taxa. Regarding community turnover, we detected collection site, soil versus root, and also plant species effects. Eukaryotic taxa that displayed a higher abundance in roots were mostly plant pathogens or obligate symbionts that were not identified among soil-enriched ones. Conservation of these biodiversity features and assembly rules in herbarium-associated microbial communities indicates that herbarium-extracted DNA could reflect the composition of the original plant-associated microbial communities and that preservation in herbaria seemingly did not alter these characteristics. Through the use of this approach, it should be possible to investigate historical soils and herbarium plant roots to explore the diversity and temporal dynamics of soil microbial communities.