Prognosis of Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) accounts for a small portion of thyroid carcinomas but contributes to a significant proportion of thyroid carcinoma-associated deaths. The clinicopathological prognostic factors and clinical outcomes of PDTC remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with PDTC after curative treatment. Methods: A comprehensive search was performed up to September 2023. We included studies investigating treatment outcomes in patients with PDTC who underwent initial surgery. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were extracted. In this meta-analysis, the enrolled PDTC histological criteria included 3rd, 4th, and 5th World Health Organization (WHO) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) classification. A random-effects model was used for the pooled proportion analysis. Meta-regression analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic factors. Results: Twenty retrospective studies published between 2007 and 2023, including 1,294 patients, met all inclusion criteria. Studies that diagnosed PDTC based on various histological criteria including 3rd WHO (n=5), 4th WHO (n=12), 5th WHO (n=2), and MSKCC (n=1) were included. Overall, 5-year DFS and 5-year OS were 49.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 42.3 to 56.4) and 73.8% (95% CI, 66.5 to 79.9), with moderate heterogeneity of 58% and 55%, respectively. In meta-regression analysis, extrathyroidal extension (ETE) was a prognostic factor for OS. Conclusion: The meta-analysis of DFS and OS in patients with PDTC show the moderate heterogeneity with a variety of histological criteria. ETE appears to have a significant impact on OS, regardless of histological criteria.

Comparative analysis of immunotherapy responses in small cell lung cancer patients with dermatomyositis.

Cancer-associated dermatomyositis (CAD), a paraneoplastic syndrome characterized by dermatomyositis (DM), frequently presents in association with small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Although the advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has revolutionized cancer treatment, their efficacy and safety in patients with concurrent autoimmune diseases (AD) and malignancies remains uncertain. Several studies have suggested the safe administration of ICIs in patients with AD, indicating that successful cancer therapy can alleviate CAD symptoms. Conversely, other studies have raised concerns about the potential for ICIs to exacerbate AD flares or immune-related adverse events (irAEs). A comparative analysis of two cases from our institution emphasizes the variability in ICI responses among SCLC patients with CAD. One patient, previously reported as a case study, exhibited significant clinical improvement in DM symptoms after ICI administration, whereas the other developed severe exfoliative skin changes and experienced an unfavorable prognosis. This variability emphasizes the need for careful patient selection and close monitoring during ICI treatment. We hypothesized that overweight or obese individuals and those with severe initial skin lesions and elevated lactate dehydrogenase levels are more susceptible to developing irAEs following ICI therapy. Therefore, caution is advised when considering immunotherapy in these patients.

Risk Factors for Respiratory Depression Associated with Tramadol Based on the Global Pharmacovigilance Database (VigiBase).

Tramadol, a weak µ-opioid receptor agonist, has been used worldwide for pain management. It is considered to have a favorable safety profile without serious adverse events; however, safety issues of respiratory depression were proposed by regulatory governments. We aimed to examine the risk and contributing factors associated with tramadol-related respiratory depression using a real-world database, VigiBase. Disproportionality analysis of tramadol and tramadol/paracetamol was performed using proportional reporting ratios, reporting odds ratios, and information components for all drugs and opioids. Factors related to respiratory depression, including sex, age, presence of abuse, death, and various concomitant medications, were evaluated. Among 140,721 tramadol reports, respiratory depression was reported in 1126 cases, 81.3% of which were deemed serious. Five adverse events were detected as signals of tramadol-related acute central respiratory depression (ACRD) in 882 reports. A higher proportion of ACRD cases in children and adolescents was observed than all adverse events cases of tramadol. Concomitant users of CYP2D6 inhibitors, opioids, benzodiazepines, and anti-depressant drugs showed a higher proportion in ACRD cases than non-ACRD cases. ACRD was related to drug abuse and death. This pharmacovigilance study, using VigiBase, confirmed a high risk of respiratory depression (a serious, potentially fatal adverse event) secondary to the use of tramadol, especially in pediatric patients, drug abusers, or during concomitant use of opioids, benzodiazepines, or antidepressants.

Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes of Older Patients with COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review.

The consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are particularly severe in older adults with a disproportionate number of severe and fatal outcomes. Therefore, this integrative review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the clinical characteristics, management approaches, and prognosis of older patients diagnosed with COVID-19. Common clinical presentations in older patients include fever, cough, and dyspnea. Additionally, preexisting comorbidities, especially diabetes and pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, were frequently observed and associated with adverse outcomes. Management strategies varied, however, early diagnosis, vigilant monitoring, and multidisciplinary care were identified as key factors for enhancing patient outcomes. Nonetheless, the prognosis remains guarded for older patients, with increased rates of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and mortality. However, timely therapeutic interventions, especially antiviral and supportive treatments, have demonstrated some efficacy in mitigating the severe consequences in this age group. In conclusion, while older adults remain highly susceptible to severe outcomes from COVID-19, early intervention, rigorous monitoring, and comprehensive care can play a pivotal role in improving their clinical outcomes.

Effect of Mortality alongside 5-Year Survival Rates and Incidence on the Public's Perceived Benefits of Cancer Screening and Screening Intention: A Web-Based Experimental Study.

BACKGROUND: Mortality is critical information in evaluating the benefits of cancer screening. However, 5-y survival rates and incidence, without mortality, have been frequently communicated to the public. Based on the literature that people's perceptions and judgments can be altered by the way of presenting health statistics, the current study examined whether mortality alongside 5-y survival and incidence would influence laypeople's perceptions of the effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention. METHODS: In an online-based experimental survey conducted in South Korea in October 2022, 300 adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (mortality: no v. yes) to be presented with 3 different cancers (A, B, and C). The perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention were measured using 7-point scales for each cancer. RESULTS: Across all cancers, participants in the no-mortality group perceived cancer screening to be more effective and were more willing to undergo screening compared with those in the mortality group, although the results were not statistically significant on the intention. CONCLUSIONS: In general, mortality had an effect of decreasing the perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention compared with no mortality, although the effect on the intention was not statistically significant. IMPLICATIONS: When communicating the benefits of cancer screening to the public, mortality statistics may play a role in mitigating the potentially inflated perception of the benefits of cancer screening and screening intention. HIGHLIGHTS: Five-year survival rates, either alone or with incidence rates, are frequently communicated to the public in the context of the benefits of cancer screening.However, 5-y survival rates can sometimes be inflated without a reduction in mortality.Including mortality statistics in communications decreased the perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intentions.Mortality information needs to be communicated in the benefits of cancer screening.

Medial temporal lobe functional network architecture supports sleep-related emotional memory processing in older adults.

Memory consolidation occurs via reactivation of a hippocampal index during non-rapid eye movement slow-wave sleep (NREM SWS) which binds attributes of an experience existing within cortical modules. For memories containing emotional content, hippocampal-amygdala dynamics facilitate consolidation over a sleep bout. This study tested if modularity and centrality-graph theoretical measures that index the level of segregation/integration in a system and the relative import of its nodes-map onto central tenets of memory consolidation theory and sleep-related processing. Findings indicate that greater network integration is tied to overnight emotional memory retention via NREM SWS expression. Greater hippocampal and amygdala influence over network organization supports emotional memory retention, and hippocampal or amygdala control over information flow are differentially associated with distinct stages of memory processing. These centrality measures are also tied to the local expression and coupling of key sleep oscillations tied to sleep-dependent memory consolidation. These findings suggest that measures of intrinsic network connectivity may predict the capacity of brain functional networks to acquire, consolidate, and retrieve emotional memories.

Examining the diagnostic value of the mnemonic discrimination task for classification of cognitive status and amyloid-beta burden.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia, characterized by early memory impairments and gradual worsening of daily functions. AD-related pathology, such as amyloid-beta (Aß) plaques, begins to accumulate many years before the onset of clinical symptoms. Predicting risk for AD via related pathology is critical as the preclinical stage could serve as a therapeutic time window, allowing for early management of the disease and reducing health and economic costs. Current methods for detecting AD pathology, however, are often expensive and invasive, limiting wide and easy access to a clinical setting. A non-invasive, cost-efficient platform, such as computerized cognitive tests, could be potentially useful to identify at-risk individuals as early as possible. In this study, we examined the diagnostic value of an episodic memory task, the mnemonic discrimination task (MDT), for predicting risk of cognitive impairment or Aß burden. We constructed a random forest classification algorithm, utilizing MDT performance metrics and various neuropsychological test scores as input features, and assessed model performance using area under the curve (AUC). Models based on MDT performance metrics achieved classification results with an AUC of 0.83 for cognitive status and an AUC of 0.64 for Aß status. Our findings suggest that mnemonic discrimination function may be a useful predictor of progression to prodromal AD or increased risk of Aß load, which could be a cost-efficient, noninvasive cognitive testing solution for potentially wide-scale assessment of AD pathological and cognitive risk.

NODDI-derived measures of microstructural integrity in medial temporal lobe white matter pathways are associated with Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: Diffusion tensor imaging has been used to assess white matter (WM) changes in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the tensor model is necessarily limited by its assumptions. Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) can offer insights into microstructural features of WM change. We assessed whether NODDI more sensitively detects AD-related changes in medial temporal lobe WM than traditional tensor metrics. METHODS: Standard diffusion and NODDI metrics were calculated for medial temporal WM tracts from 199 older adults drawn from ADNI3 who also received PET to measure pathology and neuropsychological testing. RESULTS: NODDI measures in medial temporal tracts were more strongly correlated to cognitive performance and pathology than standard measures. The combination of NODDI and standard metrics exhibited the strongest prediction of cognitive performance in random forest analyses. CONCLUSIONS: NODDI metrics offer additional insights into contributions of WM degeneration to cognitive outcomes in the aging brain.

Orbitally Controlled Quantum Hall States in Decoupled Two-Bilayer Graphene Sheets.

The authors report on integer and fractional quantum Hall states in a stack of two twisted Bernal bilayer graphene sheets. By exploiting the momentum mismatch in reciprocal space, the single-particle tunneling between both bilayers is suppressed. Since the bilayers are spatially separated by only 0.34 nm, the stack benefits from strong interlayer Coulombic interactions. These interactions can cause the formation of a Bose-Einstein condensate. Indeed, such a condensate is observed for half-filling in each bilayer sheet. However, only when the partially filled levels have orbital index 1. It is absent for partially filled levels with orbital index 0. This discrepancy is tentatively attributed to the role of skyrmion/anti-skyrmion pair excitations and the dependence of the energy of these excitations on the orbital index. The application of asymmetric top and bottom gate voltages enables to influence the orbital nature of the electronic states of the graphene bilayers at the chemical potential and to navigate in orbital mixed space. The latter hosts an even denominator fractional quantum Hall state at total filling of -3/2. These observations suggest a unique edge reconstruction involving both electrons and chiral p-wave composite fermions.

A patient with a lung adenosquamous carcinoma harboring a de novo T790M mutation and huge nonbacterial vegetative growths successfully treated with osimertinib: A case report.

Nonbacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare condition; sterile vegetations attach to heart valves. NBTE is typically found in patients with malignancies or autoimmune disorders. Although surgical interventions are sometimes performed, the appropriate indication and timing are still unclear. Here, we describe a 72-year-old woman diagnosed with adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung. She was initially diagnosed as pT2aN0M0 and underwent RUL lobectomy. After nine months, lung cancer recurred, and she underwent treatment with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, images showed progression after only one month. Rebiopsy revealed she had comutation of de novo EGFR L858R and T790M. Treatment was changed to gefitinib. After one month, she experienced loss of consciousness. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple lesions resembling infarctions or metastases. Chest computed tomography (CT) revealed progression. Osimertinib was prescribed and she underwent echocardiography to rule out the possibility of a cardiogenic embolism. Surprisingly, severe mitral regurgitation and a massive vegetation on the mitral valve were found. Cardiologists recommended surgery due to the severity of the embolic event and valve dysfunction, but it was decided to continue antibiotics, osimertinib, and anticoagulants instead of surgery due to the patient's poor general condition and the possibility of NBTE. Six weeks later, the patient's condition markedly improved and echocardiography revealed a marked reduction in vegetation size. Clinicians should be aware that targeted therapy can be effective in treating severe cancer complications, such as NBTE, as evidenced by the successful treatment of lung cancer with osimertinib. This option should be considered, particularly for elderly lung cancer patients, before resorting to surgery as a first-line treatment for NBTE.

Posterior white matter hyperintensities are associated with reduced medial temporal lobe subregional integrity and long-term memory in older adults.

White matter hyperintensities are a marker of small vessel cerebrovascular disease that are strongly related to cognition in older adults. Similarly, medial temporal lobe atrophy is well-documented in aging and Alzheimer's disease and is associated with memory decline. Here, we assessed the relationship between lobar white matter hyperintensities, medial temporal lobe subregional volumes, and hippocampal memory in older adults. We collected MRI scans in a sample of 139 older adults without dementia (88 females, mean age (SD) = 76.95 (10.61)). Participants were administered the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Regression analyses tested for associations among medial temporal lobe subregional volumes, regional white matter hyperintensities and memory, while adjusting for age, sex, and education and correcting for multiple comparisons. Increased occipital white matter hyperintensities were related to worse RAVLT delayed recall performance, and to reduced CA1, dentate gyrus, perirhinal cortex (Brodmann area 36), and parahippocampal cortex volumes. These medial temporal lobe subregional volumes were related to delayed recall performance. The association of occipital white matter hyperintensities with delayed recall performance was fully mediated statistically only by perirhinal cortex volume. These results suggest that white matter hyperintensities may be associated with memory decline through their impact on medial temporal lobe atrophy. These findings provide new insights into the role of vascular pathologies in memory loss in older adults and suggest that future studies should further examine the neural mechanisms of these relationships in longitudinal samples.

Associations between saliva and plasma cytokines in cognitively normal, older adults.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory responses play key roles in the development and progression of many pathological conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. Accurate quantification of inflammatory factors in saliva would be highly advantageous, given its convenience and non-invasive nature, especially in elderly populations. METHODS: In this study, we measured levels of 10 cytokines, and the pro-inflammatory factor, YKL-40, in plasma and saliva samples from a cohort of nondemented older adults (n = 71; 62% female; 70.3 ± 6.4 years) using sensitive electrochemiluminescence-based immunoassays. RESULTS: We found that the mean levels of all cytokines were higher in saliva compared to plasma and that strong sex differences were observed for both saliva and plasma cytokines in this population. Comparing each cytokine between the two biofluids, we found that levels of interferon-gamma (IFNγ), interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) in blood were significantly correlated with their respective levels in saliva. We further observed that levels of these cytokines in blood were significantly correlated with additional cytokines in saliva, including IL-1ß, IL-10, IL-8, IL12p70 and IL-13. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that inflammatory markers in saliva are associated with those found in circulation, suggesting shared inflammatory mechanisms between these two fluids. The higher levels of cytokines measured in saliva suggest that it might represent a better peripheral fluid to gauge inflammatory processes. Finally, our findings of robust sex differences in several salivary cytokines could have important implications for their potential use as disease biomarkers in the elderly and might be related to sex differences in the prevalence of age-related conditions.

Entorhinal-Hippocampal Circuit Integrity Is Related to Mnemonic Discrimination and Amyloid-ß Pathology in Older Adults.

Mnemonic discrimination, a cognitive process that relies on hippocampal pattern separation, is one of the first memory domains to decline in aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease. We tested whether functional connectivity (FC) within the entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, measured with high-resolution resting state fMRI, is associated with mnemonic discrimination and amyloid-ß (Aß) pathology in a sample of 64 cognitively normal human older adults (mean age, 71.3 ± 6.4 years; 67% female). FC was measured between entorhinal-hippocampal circuit nodes with known anatomical connectivity, as well as within cortical memory networks. Aß pathology was measured with 18F-florbetapir-PET, and neurodegeneration was assessed with subregional volume from structural MRI. Participants performed both object and spatial versions of a mnemonic discrimination task outside of the scanner and were classified into low-performing and high-performing groups on each task using a median split. Low object mnemonic discrimination performance was specifically associated with increased FC between anterolateral entorhinal cortex (alEC) and dentate gyrus (DG)/CA3, supporting the importance of this connection to object memory. This hyperconnectivity between alEC and DG/CA3 was related to Aß pathology and decreased entorhinal cortex volume. In contrast, spatial mnemonic discrimination was not associated with altered FC. Aß was further associated with dysfunction within hippocampal subfields, particularly with decreased FC between CA1 and subiculum as well as reduced volume in these regions. Our findings suggest that Aß may indirectly lead to memory impairment through entorhinal-hippocampal circuit dysfunction and neurodegeneration and provide a mechanism for increased vulnerability of object mnemonic discrimination.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mnemonic discrimination is a critical episodic memory process that is performed in the dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3 subfield of the hippocampus, relying on input from entorhinal cortex. Mnemonic discrimination is particularly vulnerable to decline in older adults; however, the mechanisms behind this vulnerability are still unknown. We demonstrate that object mnemonic discrimination impairment is related to hyperconnectivity between the anterolateral entorhinal cortex and DG/CA3. This hyperconnectivity was associated with amyloid-ß pathology and neurodegeneration in entorhinal cortex, suggesting aberrantly increased network activity is a pathological process. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation of the vulnerability of object compared to spatial mnemonic discrimination in older adults and has translational implications for choice of outcome measures in clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease.

The Effect of Safety Claims on Consumer Chemical Product Perceptions and the Role of Warnings.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of safety claims and warnings on perceptions of consumer chemical products. BACKGROUND: Manufacturers have two contradictory objectives: to increase sales by emphasizing the positive aspects of a product and to protect consumers from hazards of the product. One of the strategies that some manufactures have devised to achieve these goals is to use anti-warnings. Safety claims placed on consumer chemical products were examined to determine if anti-warnings influenced product perceptions. METHOD: Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, three consumer chemical products with manipulated safety claims were presented to 300 participants, who completed a survey to rate their perceptions of the products. In Experiment 2, the same products with the safety claims and added warnings were presented to 600 participants and were rated using the same measurements as Experiment 1. RESULTS: Safety claims on product labels decreased perceived hazards compared to no safety claims on products in both Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiment 2, added warnings raised the perceived hazards. CONCLUSION: The use of safety claims on consumer chemical products had an effect on product perceptions by decreasing hazard perceptions. The addition of strong warnings on product labels mitigated this effect. APPLICATION: This research provides empirical evidence suggesting that the use of safety claims decreased hazard perceptions of potentially hazardous consumer chemical products and can serve as a possible form of anti-warnings.

Disease progression and brain atrophy in NMDAR encephalitis: Associated factor & clinical implication.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the longitudinal pattern, determining factors, and clinical implications of brain volume changes in N-methyl d-aspartate receptor-antibody (NMDAR) encephalitis. METHODS: Baseline clinical profiles, treatment profiles, and outcome measured using the Clinical Assessment Scale in Autoimmune Encephalitis (CASE) and modified Rankin scale (mRS) were obtained from a long-term clinical database documenting an NMDAR encephalitis cohort. In serial MRI, the change in the normalized volume of different brain regions from the baseline evaluation was measured. At each MRI evaluation time point, the cumulative disease burden (CASE score × months) and the cumulative duration of status epilepticus were also evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients were followed-up for 28.5 months (range 12-63 months). The volume ratio at last MRI to baseline was the lowest in the cerebellum (94.4 ± 5.7%, p < 0.001). Once developed, cerebellar volume reduction followed a progressive course until 2 years from disease onset. The degree of cerebellar volume reduction was positively correlated with mRS and total CASE scores (all, p < 0.001), and CASE scores in the domains of memory, language, and psychiatric problems, gait instability/ataxia, and weakness (all, p < 0.01). In linear mixed model analyses, the degree of cerebellar volume reduction was associated with cumulative disease burden up to 2 years (p < 0.001) and duration of status epilepticus (p < 0.001), and delayed removal of teratoma for ≥1 month (p = 0.006). INTERPRETATION: In NMDAR encephalitis, cerebellar volume reduction was progressive once developed. Cerebellar volume reduction might reflect disease burden and extent of progression and be associated with poor outcomes in multiple functional domains.

Simultaneous determination of the shape and refractive index of a deformed microjet cavity from its resonances.

Measuring the boundary shape of a deformed liquid microjet is of great importance for using it as an optical resonator for various applications. However, there have been technical challenges due to transparency and uncertainty in the refractive index of the liquid. In this study, we have developed a spectroscopic technique that enables simultaneous determination of the boundary shape and the refractive index of a liquid deformed microjet. A detailed procedure of the technique based on imposition of one-to-one correspondence between experimentally observed resonances and numerically calculated ones are presented along with the measurement results including the refractive index of ethanol between a wavelength of 550 nm and 670 nm.

Comparative Transcriptome Analysis between Two Potato Cultivars in Tuber Induction to Reveal Associated Genes with Anthocyanin Accumulation.

Anthocyanins are generally accumulated within a few layers, including the epidermal cells of leaves and stems in plants. Solanum tuberosum cv. 'Jayoung' (hereafter, JY) is known to accumulate anthocyanin both in inner tissues and skins. We discovered that anthocyanin accumulation in the inner tissues of JY was almost diminished (more than 95% was decreased) in tuber induction condition. To investigate the transcriptomic mechanism of anthocyanin accumulation in JY flesh, which can be modulated by growth condition, we performed mRNA sequencing with white-colored flesh tissue of Solanum tuberosum cv. 'Atlantic' (hereafter, 'Daeseo', DS) grown under canonical growth conditions, a JY flesh sample grown under canonical growth conditions, and a JY flesh sample grown under tuber induction conditions. We could identify 36 common DEGs (differentially expressed genes) in JY flesh from canonical growth conditions that showed JY-specifically increased or decreased expression level. These genes were enriched with flavonoid biosynthetic process terms in GO analysis, as well as gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis. Further in silico analysis on expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes including rate-limiting genes such as StCHS and StCHI followed by RT-PCR and qRT-PCR analysis showed a strong positive correlation with the observed phenotypes. Finally, we identified StWRKY44 from 36 common DEGs as a possible regulator of anthocyanin accumulation, which was further supported by network analysis. In conclusion, we identified StWRKY44 as a putative regulator of tuber-induction-dependent anthocyanin accumulation.

Reduced acoustic resonator dimensions improve focusing efficiency of bacteria and submicron particles.

In this study, we demonstrate an acoustofluidic device that enables single-file focusing of submicron particles and bacteria using a two-dimensional (2D) acoustic standing wave. The device consists of a 100 µm × 100 µm square channel that supports 2D particle focusing in the channel center at an actuation frequency of 7.39 MHz. This higher actuation frequency compared with conventional bulk acoustic systems enables radiation-force-dominant motion of submicron particles and overcomes the classical size limitation (≈2 µm) of acoustic focusing. We present acoustic radiation force-based focusing of particles with diameters less than 0.5 µm at a flow rate of 12 µL min-1, and 1.33 µm particles at flow rates up to 80 µL min-1. The device focused 0.25 µm particles by the 2D acoustic radiation force while undergoing a channel cross-section centered, single-vortex acoustic streaming. A suspension of bacteria was also investigated to evaluate the biological relevance of the device, which demonstrated the alignment of bacteria in the channel at a flow rate of up to 20 µL min-1. The developed acoustofluidic device can align submicron particles within a narrow flow stream in a highly robust manner, validating its use as a flow-through focusing chamber to perform high-throughput and accurate flow cytometry of submicron objects.

Pet Insects May Improve Physical Performance and Sleep in Community-Dwelling Frail Elderly People with Chronic Diseases: A Single-Arm Interventional Pilot Study.

Purpose: Animal-assisted intervention (AAI) is an effective intervention that improves the mental and physical health. However, few have examined the efficacy of pet insects as a form of AAI for prefrail and frail elderly. This study aimed to ascertain the effects of pet insects on physical performance and psychological health in community-dwelling frail elderly individuals with a chronic disease. Patients and Methods: This study was an 8 week prospective single-arm interventional pilot study that enrolled prefrail and frail community-dwelling adults aged 70 years and older, all of whom had a chronic disease and attended a daycare facility. Pet insects and appropriate equipment were provided, and supporting programs were used to educate participants about how to rear the insects and how to get close to them. Pre- and post-interventional physical and psychological functions were evaluated. Results: A total of 23 subjects (mean age, 82.78 years) were enrolled in the final analysis. The timed up-and-go-test (TUG) was used to measure functional mobility, and grip strength was used as a measure of muscle strength; both showed significant changes after the 8-week intervention (Δ = -0.35±0.73 sec, P = 0.034; and Δ = 0.73±0.99 kg, P = 0.002, respectively). In addition, the insomnia severity index (ISI) and average sleep duration improved significantly (Δ = -2.91±5.64, P = -0.021; and Δ = 0.87±1.98, P = 0.047, respectively). There were no significant changes in the results of other psychometric tests. Logistic regression analysis using the forward stepwise selection method revealed that the baseline ISI score and the absence of other comorbidities were significantly associated with the probability of positive changes in both the TUG and HS tests after the intervention. Conclusion: Pet insects may be an effective and easily applicable type of AAI, which improves physical function and sleep in prefrail and frail elderly individuals.