Explore the vast range of titles available.

Objective This study builds on brief focused mindfulness meditation (BFMM) to examine its associations with physiological indices and electroencephalographic (EEG) neural features related to stress in young adults. In addition, deep learning models are employed to identify complex, nonlinear patterns in EEG signals during BFMM, aiming to determine the most effective classification model. Methods Twenty-nine participants (n=29) were enrolled in a before-and-after study of the same cohort. Participants underwent a 10-min resting state, then were instructed to perform BFMM for 10 min. Physiological indices were recorded pre- and post-BFMM, while EEG signals were captured during both the resting and BFMM states. Deep learning techniques including multi-layer perceptron (MLP), long short-term memory (LSTM), convolutional neural network (CNN), and ensemble models were subsequently employed to classify EEG signals. Results Final Twenty-four participants (n=24) were included in the analysis. The differences in both heart rate (t = 4.22, p < 0.001) and respiratory rate (t = 5.05, p < 0.001) were significant between pre- and post-BFMM levels. Results showed significant power spectral density differences between the resting and BFMM states in the theta (Z = 3.17, q = 0.039, beta (Z = 3.17, q = 0.049) bands of the right frontotemporal region (T8) and the theta (t = 3.41, q = 0.039) band of the right frontocentral region (FC6). In addition, the ensemble model (MLP+LSTM+CNN) outperformed other methods, achieving an accuracy of 79.0% in classifying EEG signals. Conclusion These finding suggested that a single session of BFMM may regulate the autonomic nervous system and modulate neural activity. The proposed ensemble model shows promise in distinguishing BFMM from resting-state EEG, providing a foundation for future EEG-based assessment of mindfulness meditation.

BackgroundViral respiratory tract infections (vRTIs) are a leading cause of paediatric hospitalisation and healthcare utilisation. Existing syndromic surveillance tools, including the WHO Severe Acute Respiratory Infection definition, demonstrate limited diagnostic accuracy in children whose symptom profiles vary widely. This study aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to predict microbiologically confirmed vRTIs in hospitalised children and to evaluate performance across age groups and viral pathogens.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of 2050 paediatric patients (<18 years) admitted with acute respiratory infections to two tertiary paediatric hospitals in Canada. Predictors included age, sex, hospital transfer status, chronic comorbidity status and 22 presenting symptoms. The primary outcome was microbiologically confirmed vRTI, determined by multiplex PCR or rapid antigen testing. Six ML algorithms were trained and the best-performing model, identified by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (auROC), was tested on age subgroups, viral pathogens and sites.ResultsAmong 2050 patients (median (IQR) age 2.4 (0.8–5.2) years), 1831 (89.3%) tested positive, most commonly for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (38.7%) and enterovirus/rhinovirus (32.8%). Logistic regression with L2 regularisation demonstrated the best performance (auROC, 0.754; 95% CI 0.697 to 0.808; sensitivity, 69.2%; specificity, 69.9%), with greatest performance among children <1 year (auROC, 0.763) and RSV cases (auROC, 0.727).ConclusionsAn ML-based logistic regression model using admission data accurately predicted paediatric vRTIs, outperforming traditional syndromic surveillance definitions, especially among infants <1 year. By integrating ML models into hospital electronic medical records, healthcare systems can achieve enhanced respiratory virus surveillance, faster outbreak detection, greater diagnostic efficiency and improved pandemic preparedness.

Background/objectives: Ischemic stroke is a major health concern, and nutrition is a modifiable risk factor that can influence recovery outcomes. This study investigated the impact of maternal dietary deficiencies in folic acid (FADD) or choline (ChDD) on the metabolite profiles of offspring after ischemic stroke. Methods: A total of 32 mice (17 males and 15 females) were used to analyze sex-specific differences in response to these deficiencies. Results: At 1-week post-stroke, female offspring from the FADD group showed the greatest number of altered metabolites, including pathways involved in cholesterol metabolism and neuroprotection. At 4 weeks post-stroke, both FADD and ChDD groups exhibited significant disruptions in metabolites linked to inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurotransmission. Conclusions: These alterations were more pronounced in females compared to males, suggesting sex-dependent responses to maternal dietary deficiencies. The practical implications of these findings suggest that ensuring adequate maternal nutrition during pregnancy may be crucial for reducing stroke susceptibility and improving post-stroke recovery in offspring. Nutritional supplementation strategies targeting folic acid and choline intake could potentially mitigate the long-term adverse effects on metabolic pathways and promote better neurological outcomes. Future research should explore these dietary interventions in clinical settings to develop comprehensive guidelines for maternal nutrition and stroke prevention.

Background and Rationale: Incidence of erectile dysfunction is rising in both developing and developed countries including Bangladesh. Even in this 21st century people attracted to the herbal and/alternative medicine. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of Haab-e-Munish in the treatment using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire.Material and Methods: A total 33 married male subjects participated in this study. The study was approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the Ibn Sina Medical College & Hospital. Informed written consent was obtained from each participant. Data were expressed as mean±SD and were managed by SPSS for Windows Version 17. P<0.05 was considered significant.Results: Mean (SD) age of the participants was 36.8±7.7. Basic data like pulse, blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were unchanged compared to the baseline. IIEF Score of all five functional domain demonstrated significant improvement from the baseline.Conclusion: Herbal preparation Haab-e-Munish has positive effect in improving erectile dysfunctions and is safe for liver and kidney function on short term basis.

Background and Rationale: Incidence of erectile dysfunction is rising in both developing and developed countries including Bangladesh. Even in this 21st century people attracted to the herbal and/alternative medicine. The present study was aimed to evaluate the effect of Haab-e-Munish in the treatment using the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire. Material and Methods: A total 33 married male subjects participated in this study. The study was approved by the Research and Ethics Committee of the Ibn Sina Medical College & Hospital. Informed written consent was obtained from each participant. Data were expressed as mean±SD and were managed by SPSS for Windows Version 17. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: Mean (SD) age of the participants was 36.8±7.7. Basic data like pulse, blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were unchanged compared to the baseline. IIEF Score of all five functional domain demonstrated significant improvement from the baseline. Conclusion: Herbal preparation Haab-e-Munish has positive effect in improving erectile dysfunctions and is safe for liver and kidney function on short term basis. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.19(1) 2020 p.176-179

Porous hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with interconnected porosity have been successfully fabricated by using food grade gelatin as a gelling agent. Phase stability, chemical composition and topographical features of HA scaffolds were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy respectively. XRD study revealed that additives used in the gel-casting process did not influence the phase composition of the investigated materials. The porosity of sintered scaffolds was assessed by the liquid displacement method and found to be 55–76 %. The pores were tailored to spherical shape and size in the range 300–400 nm, feature of utmost interest to clinicians for cell attachment, proliferation and development of soft tissues. Biocompatibility of HA scaffolds was evaluated via hemolysis studies. The results of hemolysis proved the highly biocompatible behavior of the synthesized HA scaffolds.

Marfan Syndrome (MFS) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that affects connective tissue throughout the body due to mutations in the gene. Individuals with MFS display symptoms in different organs, particularly in the vasculature, but the mechanisms of this multi-system dysfunction are still under investigation. There is still a gap in our understanding of the impact of monogenic connective tissue aberrations on the brain. This study aims to determine the impact of MFS on neurodegeneration, in cortical brain tissue of male and female MFS mice. Brain tissue of 6-month-old female and male mice with the mutation and wildtype litter mates was collected and stained for active caspase-3 (ac3), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neuronal nuclei (NeuN) or with TUNEL and DAPI. Data revealed increased levels of ac3 in neurons within the sensory and motor cortical areas of female MFS mice compared to sex- and age-matched controls. We confirm increased levels of apoptosis in MFS mice using TUNEL staining within the same brain areas. We also report increased levels of neuronal BDNF levels in cortical brain tissue of male and female MFS mice. These results indicate a heightened susceptibility for neurodegeneration in the mouse model of MFS.

Ischemic stroke is a debilitating disease, with nutrition being a modifiable risk factor. Changes in levels of metabolites can be used to measure the alterations in the gut, a significant marker for the etiology of diseases. This study utilized untargeted metabolomics to investigate changes in fecal samples of offspring in response to maternal dietary deficiencies and ischemic stroke. Female mice were placed on control (CD), folic acid- (FADD), or choline-deficient (ChDD) diets prior to, during pregnancy, and lactation. Offspring were weaned on to CD and at 2 months of age an ischemic stroke was induced. Fecal samples were collected prior to ischemic stroke, and at 1- and 4-weeks post-stroke for analysis. Sex and maternal dietary differences in metabolites were observed at both the 1- and 4-week post-stroke timepoints. At the 1-week post-stroke, female FADD offspring had more changes in metabolites than males. Comparatively, at the 4-week post-stroke timepoint, female offspring on either FADD or ChDD demonstrated metabolite changes. This study demonstrates a long-lasting impact of maternal dietary deficiencies on central nervous system and gut microbiome function after ischemic stroke. Our study investigated metabolite changes in female and male offspring fecal samples from mothers maintained on folic acid or choline deficient diet. We report that female offspring metabolite levels were impacted.