Principles of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare.

BACKGROUND: Experts are currently investigating the potential applications of the metaverse in healthcare. The metaverse, a groundbreaking concept that arose in the early 21st century through the fusion of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies, holds promise for transforming healthcare delivery. Alongside its implementation, the issue of digital professionalism in healthcare must be addressed. Digital professionalism refers to the knowledge and skills required by healthcare specialists to navigate digital technologies effectively and ethically. This study aims to identify the core principles of digital professionalism for the use of metaverse in healthcare. METHOD: This study utilized a qualitative design and collected data through semi-structured online interviews with 20 medical information and health informatics specialists from various countries (USA, UK, Sweden, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Italy, Iran). Data analysis was conducted using the open coding method, wherein concepts (codes) related to the themes of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare were assigned to the data. The analysis was performed using the MAXQDA software (VER BI GmbH, Berlin, Germany). RESULTS: The study revealed ten fundamental principles of digital professionalism for the metaverse in healthcare: Privacy and Security, Informed Consent, Trust and Integrity, Accessibility and Inclusion, Professional Boundaries, Evidence-Based Practice, Continuous Education and Training, Collaboration and Interoperability, Feedback and Improvement, and Regulatory Compliance. CONCLUSION: As the metaverse continues to expand and integrate itself into various industries, including healthcare, it becomes vital to establish principles of digital professionalism to ensure ethical and responsible practices. Healthcare professionals can uphold these principles to maintain ethical standards, safeguard patient privacy, and deliver effective care within the metaverse.

Evaluation of ChatGPT's responses to information needs and information seeking of dementia patients.

Many people in the advanced stages of dementia require full-time caregivers, most of whom are family members who provide informal (non-specialized) care. It is important to provide these caregivers with high-quality information to help them understand and manage the symptoms and behaviors of dementia patients. This study aims to evaluate ChatGPT, a chatbot built using the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) large language model, in responding to information needs and information seeking of such informal caregivers. We identified the information needs of dementia patients based on the relevant literature (22 articles were selected from 2442 retrieved articles). From this analysis, we created a list of 31 items that describe these information needs, and used them to formulate 118 relevant questions. We then asked these questions to ChatGPT and investigated its responses. In the next phase, we asked 15 informal and 15 formal dementia-patient caregivers to analyze and evaluate these ChatGPT responses, using both quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (interview) approaches. In the interviews conducted, informal caregivers were more positive towards the use of ChatGPT to obtain non-specialized information about dementia compared to formal caregivers. However, ChatGPT struggled to provide satisfactory responses to more specialized (clinical) inquiries. In the questionnaire study, informal caregivers gave higher ratings to ChatGPT's responsiveness on the 31 items describing information needs, giving an overall mean score of 3.77 (SD 0.98) out of 5; the mean score among formal caregivers was 3.13 (SD 0.65), indicating that formal caregivers showed less trust in ChatGPT's responses compared to informal caregivers. ChatGPT's responses to non-clinical information needs related to dementia patients were generally satisfactory at this stage. As this tool is still under heavy development, it holds promise for providing even higher-quality information in response to information needs, particularly when developed in collaboration with healthcare professionals. Thus, large language models such as ChatGPT can serve as valuable sources of information for informal caregivers, although they may not fully meet the needs of formal caregivers who seek specialized (clinical) answers. Nevertheless, even in its current state, ChatGPT was able to provide responses to some of the clinical questions related to dementia that were asked.

Influence of nitrogen fertilization, seed inoculation and the synergistic effect of these treatments on soybean yields under conditions in south-western Poland.

Soybean, belonging to legumes, has a specific ability to biological nitrogen fixation, which can be reinforced by seeds inoculation. However, support with a starter dose of mineral nitrogen fertilizer may be necessary to achieve high seed yields. A four-year field experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mineral N fertilization (0, 30, 60 kg ha-1), seed inoculation with two commercial inoculants and combinations of these treatments on yield components and yielding of soybean in conditions of south-western part of Poland. The synergistic effect of mineral fertilization at dose 30 kg ha-1 and inoculation on soybean productivity was the most beneficial. Similar effects were observed when 60 kg N ha-1 was applied both separately and with inoculation. However, due to the environmental impact of mineral fertilizers and to promote plants to biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), it is advisable to use lower doses of N fertilizer (at 30 kg ha-1) and inoculate soybean seeds in agro- climatic conditions of south-western Poland. Therefore, based on this study we recommend to apply starter dose of N and inoculation.

Development of a Mobile App for Self-Care Against COVID-19 Using the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (ADDIE) Model: Methodological Study.

BACKGROUND: Mobile apps have been shown to play an important role in the management, care, and prevention of infectious diseases. Thus, skills for self-care-one of the most effective ways to prevent illness-can be improved through mobile health apps. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to design, develop, and evaluate an educational mobile-based self-care app in order to help the self-prevention of COVID-19 in underdeveloped countries. We intended the app to be easy to use, quick, and inexpensive. METHODS: In 2020 and 2021, we conducted a methodological study. Using the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) educational model, we developed a self-care management mobile app. According to the ADDIE model, an effective training and performance support tool is built through the 5 phases that comprise its name. There were 27 participants who conducted 2 evaluations of the mobile app's usability and impact using the mobile health app usability and self-care inventory scales. The study design included pre- and posttesting. RESULTS: An Android app called MyShield was developed. The results of pre- and posttests showed that on a scale from 0 to 5, MyShield scored a performance average of 4.17 in the physical health dimension and an average of 3.88 in the mental well-being dimension, thereby showing positive effects on self-care skills. MyShield scored highly on the "interface and satisfaction," "ease of use," and "usefulness" components. CONCLUSIONS: MyShield facilitates learning self-care skills at home, even during quarantine, increasing acquisition of information. Given its low development cost and the ADDIE educational design on which it is based, the app can be helpful in underdeveloped countries. Thus, low-income countries-often lacking other tools-can use the app as an effective tool for fighting COVID-19, if it becomes a standard mobile app recommended by the government.

The involvement of cyclotides in mutual interactions of violets and the two-spotted spider mite.

Plants employ different chemicals to protect themselves from herbivory. These defenses may be constitutive or triggered by stress. The chemicals can be toxic, act as repellents, phagosuppressants and/or phago-deterrents. The two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) is a generalist arthropod herbivorous pest and its feeding causes extensive damage both to crops and wild plants. Cyclotides are cyclic peptides involved in host-plant defenses. A single Viola sp. can produce more than a hundred cyclotides with different biological activities and roles. The organ and tissue specific cyclotide patterns change over the seasons and/or with environment, but the role of biotic/abiotic stress in shaping them remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the involvement of cyclotides in mutual interactions between violets and mites. We used immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometry imaging to show the ingested cyclotides in T. urticae and assess the Viola odorata response to mite feeding. Moreover, to assess how mites are affected by feeding on violets, acceptance and reproductive performance was compared between Viola uliginosa, V. odorata and Phaseolus vulgaris. We demonstrate that cyclotides had been taken in by mites feeding on the violets. The ingested peptides were found in contact with epithelial cells of the mite digestive system, in the fecal matter, feces, ovary and eggs. Mites preferred common bean plants (P. vulgaris) to any of the violet species; the latter affected their reproductive performance. The production of particular cyclotides in V. odorata (denoted by molecular weights: 2979, 3001, 3017, 3068, 3084, 3123) was activated by mite feeding and their levels were significantly elevated compared to the control after 5 and 21 days of infestation. Specific cyclotides may affect mites by being indigestible or through direct interaction with cells in the mite digestive tract and reproductive organs. A group of particular peptides in V. odorata appears to be involved in defense response against herbivores.

Smartphone-Based Healthcare Apps for Older Adults in the COVID-19 Era: Heuristic Evaluation.

Many national governments have attempted to prevent and combat COVID-19 using mobile health (mHealth) technologies during the epidemic. During this time, governments began developing smartphone-based apps for prevention, call tracking, and monitoring people with COVID-19. An important question is, does everyone benefit from these technologies equally and fairly? To answer this question, we evaluated the user interface of smartphone-based apps developed during the COVID-19 era by considering their design for older adults, in order to determine whether social justice has been considered in the development of these apps.

MDA Framework for FAIR Principles.

This paper shows that the MDA framework can be helpful for designing and implementing FAIR principles. We reached this conclusion based on a focus group interview with six experts, during which we focused on the three MDA components: mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics.

Oilseed Cake Flour Composition, Functional Properties and Antioxidant Potential as Effects of Sieving and Species Differences.

Oilseed cakes are produced as a by-product of oil pressing and are mostly used as feed. Their use for human consumption is due to the functional properties and benefits for human health. Herein, oilseed cake flours of eight species (flax, hemp, milk thistle, poppy, pumpkin, rapeseed, safflower, sunflower) were sieved into fractions above (A250) and below (B250) 250 µm. The chemical composition, SDS-PAGE profiles, colour, functional properties and antioxidant activities of these flours were evaluated. The B250 fractions were evaluated as being protein and ash rich, reaching crude protein and ash content ranging from 31.78% (milk thistle) to 57.47% (pumpkin) and from 5.0% (flax) to 11.19% (poppy), respectively. A high content of carbohydrates was found in the flours of hemp, milk thistle and safflower with a significant increase for the A250 fraction, with a subsequent relation to a high water holding capacity (WHC) for the A250 fraction (flax, poppy, pumpkin and sunflower). The A250 milk thistle flour was found to have the richest in polyphenols content (TPC) (40.89 mg GAE/g), with the highest antioxidant activity using an ABTS•+ assay (101.95 mg AAE/g). The A250 fraction for all the species exhibited lower lightness than the B250 fraction. The obtained results indicate that sieving oilseed flour with the aim to prepare flours with specific functional characteristics and composition is efficient only in combination with a particular species.

A Preliminary Assessment of Amblyseius andersoni (Chant) as a Potential Biocontrol Agent against Phytophagous Mites Occurring on Coniferous Plants.

Development, survival and reproduction of Ambyseius andersoni (Chant), a predatory mite widely distributed in Europe, were assessed on different food items. These included two key pests of ornamental coniferous plants, i.e., Oligonychus ununguis (Jacobi) and Pentamerismus taxi (Haller) and pollen of Pinus sylvestris L. The rationale behind these experiments was to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential of A. andersoni as a biocontrol agent of the above phytophagous arthropods and evaluate pine pollen as an alternative food source for the predator. Under laboratory conditions (23 ± 0.5 °C, 70 ± 10% RH and 16L:8D) A. andersoni was able to feed, develop and reproduce on all tested diets. The shortest development time (egg to female) was obtained when the predator fed on P. taxi (mean = 5.12 d) and the longest was on pine pollen (mean = 6.55 d). The rm value was significantly higher on both tested prey (0.166 on P. taxi and 0.160 on O. ununguis) than on pollen (0.139). Thus, we do not recommend pine pollen for mass rearing of A. andersoni; however, we conclude that pollen may provide sufficient sustenance for the predator population under field conditions when prey are absent. The potential of A. andersoni as a biocontrol agent of O. ununguis and P. taxi is discussed.

Assessment of Infestation of Selected Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum L.) Genotypes by the Blackcurrant Leaf Midge (Dasineura tetensi Rübs.) in Poland.

Blackcurrant leaf midge (Dasineura tetensi) is a widespread pest of blackcurrant. Attacks by this pest can cause up to 60% reduction in the growth of shoots resulting in yield decreases. Our study, conducted (2012-2014) in Poland, aimed to assess the susceptibility of blackcurrant genotypes to D. tetensi, in order to select genotypes as parental lines for breeding new blackcurrant genotypes. Among tested blackcurrant genotypes, none were found to be completely resistant to this pest. The pest colonized genotypes Big Ben, Nr 8/72, Ben Connan, Ben Alder, Ben Hope, Foxendown, Ben Nevis, Fariegh, Ojebyn, and Ben Tirran below the threshold level (10%). In contrast, genotypes Nr 7/15, Ben Lomond, Ben Finlay, Tisel, Polares, Polonus, Tiben, PC-110, Polben, Gofert, Ruben, and Ores suffered pest levels above the threshold. With regard to egg numbers, the fewest were recorded on genotypes Big Ben, Ben Connan, Ben Alder, and Ben Nevis, and the most on Gofert and Ores. Fewer larvae were recorded on genotypes Big Ben, Nr 8/72, Ben Connan, and Foxendown compared to Ben Lomond, PC-110, Gofert, Tiben, Polben, and Ores. Developing blackcurrant genotype resistance to leaf midge strongly supports the IPM strategy.

Activity profiling of barley vacuolar processing enzymes provides new insights into the plant and cyst nematode interaction.

Vacuolar processing enzymes (VPEs) play an important role during regular growth and development and defence responses. Despite substantial attempts to understand the molecular basis of plant-cyst nematode interaction, the mechanism of VPEs functioning during this interaction remains unknown. The second-stage Heterodera filipjevi juvenile penetrates host roots and induces the formation of a permanent feeding site called a syncytium. To investigate whether infection with H. filipjevi alters plant host VPEs, the studies were performed in Hordeum vulgare roots and leaves on the day of inoculation and at 7, 14 and 21 days post-inoculation (dpi). Implementing molecular, biochemical and microscopic methods we identified reasons for modulation of barley VPE activity during interaction with H. filipjevi. Heterodera filipjevi parasitism caused a general decrease of VPE activity in infected roots, but live imaging of VPEs showed that their activity is up-regulated in syncytia at 7 and 14 dpi and down-regulated at 21 dpi. These findings were accompanied by tissue-specific VPE gene expression patterns. Expression of the barley cystatin HvCPI-4 gene was stimulated in leaves but diminished in roots upon infestation. External application of cyclotides that can be produced naturally by VPEs elicits in pre-parasitic juveniles vesiculation of their body, enhanced formation of granules, induction of exploratory behaviour (stylet thrusts and head movements), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and final death by methuosis. Taken together, down-regulation of VPE activity through nematode effectors promotes the nematode invasion rates and leads to avoidance of the induction of the plant proteolytic response and death of the invading juveniles.

Effectiveness of Individual Nutrition Education Compared to Group Education, in Improving Anthropometric and Biochemical Indices among Hypertensive Adults with Excessive Body Weight: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to compare the effectiveness of individual and group nutrition education methods in improving key anthropometric and biochemical markers in drug-treated, overweight-obese hypertensive adults. METHODS: The randomized trial included 170 patients with pharmacologically well-controlled primary hypertension and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2. For six months, the patients received six sessions, either one-to-one individual nutrition education (IE, n = 89) or group education (GE, n = 81), developed by dietitians. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, and fasting measures of biochemical parameters were obtained at baseline and after six months of intervention. RESULTS: 150 patients completed the nutrition education program. The IE group significantly improved in many parameters compared to the GE group, including weight (p < 0.001), waist circumference (p < 0.001), BMI (p < 0.001), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) (p < 0.001), fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.011), oral glucose tolerance test (OGGT) (p = 0.030), and insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, HOMA-IR) (p < 0.001). The groups did not differ in terms of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations. CONCLUSION: Individual nutrition education is more effective than group education in terms of improving anthropometric and biochemical indices in overweight-obese hypertensive adults.

[Socio-demographic indicators of alcohol dependence in patients treated for addiction in a post-industrial city]. / Wskazniki socjodemograficzne uzaleznienia od alkoholu u osób leczonych odwykowo w miescie postindustrialnym.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the place of living on the prevalence of the alcohol dependence syndrome (ADS) and to find its possible connections with socio-demographic data within a post-industrial city with a population > 100 000 inhabitants. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out in 2004-2012 on a group of 431 patients living in Bytom with diagnosed ADS treated either in psychiatric wards or in outpatient psychiatric clinics. The patients' gender, age, employment, marital status, level of education and the fact of living in a given town district were analysed. The majority of the demographic data was obtained from the City Office. RESULTS: The study demonstrated the influence of the place of living, age, gender, level of education and employment on the prevalence of ADS in a post-industrial city. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol addicts who seek treatment are predominantly men > 40 years of age, with low education, mostly unemployed, living in the urbanized districts within the city center or the post-industrial area of the city, which are the areas with the highest risk of ADS. Living in a suburban neighborhood may protect against alcohol addiction due to the lower risk of exposure to environmental factors contributing to the prevalence of ADS. Additional protective factors include at least secondary education and paid employment prospects. The neighborhood of people with ADS has a particularly devastating effect on women, who are more likely to become addicted in such environments. Med Pr. 2019;70(2):221-8.

Biographical articles in scientific literature: analysis of articles indexed in Web of Science.

Biographical articles in scientific journals offer a platform for the commemoration of distinguished individuals from the world of science. Despite so important a role for the scientific community, research on biographical articles is scarce. To fill this gap, we have analyzed 190,350 biographical articles indexed in Web of Science, written by 251,908 authors in 1945-2014. We have analyzed the development of this article type over the studied period and research areas, how women and men are represented in the subject of articles, and who the authors are. Over the time the number of biographical articles has been increasing, with the highest number in Life Sciences and Biomedicine. Around 20% of the articles were written about women, with the highest share of 24% in Arts and Humanities. Both male and female authors write more often about men than about women, a stable situation for the last 70 years.

CI Thermometer: Visualizing Confidence Intervals in Correlation Analysis.

Correlation analysis is one of the most popular statistical methods. Despite that, the way research reports correlation is often misleading. The difficulty increases with the amount of information that must be read and interpreted. The proposed CI thermometer makes correlation matrices much easier to read and provides information that would be difficult to interpret when presented in another way.

Typhlodromus pyri and Euseius finlandicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae) as potential biocontrol agents against spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) inhabiting willows: laboratory studies on predator development and reproduction on four diets.

Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten and Euseius finlandicus (Oudemans) are important predators of phytophagous mites. The present laboratory study aimed to determine whether both species can develop and reach maturity feeding on spider mites occurring on willows, i.e., Schizotetranychus schizopus (Zacher), Schizotetranychus garmani Pritchard & Baker, and Tetranychus urticae Koch, and on Brassica napus L. pollen. The predators' development, reproduction and demographic parameters were significantly affected by diet. The data suggest that rape pollen can be useful in mass rearing of E. finlandicus but is completely unsuitable as alternative food for T. pyri. Short development time and high values of population parameters achieved by T. pyri feeding on larvae and protonymphs of S. schizopus and by E. finlandicus feeding on juvenile stages of S. garmani indicate great suitability of these preys as food for the phytoseiids, and make both predatory species promising biocontrol agents in spider mite control on willows.

How have the Eastern European countries of the former Warsaw Pact developed since 1990? A bibliometric study.

Did the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 influence the scientific performance of the researchers in Eastern European countries? Did this historical event affect international collaboration by researchers from the Eastern European countries with those of Western countries? Did it also change international collaboration among researchers from the Eastern European countries? Trying to answer these questions, this study aims to shed light on international collaboration by researchers from the Eastern European countries (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia). The number of publications and normalized citation impact values are compared for these countries based on InCites (Thomson Reuters), from 1981 up to 2011. The international collaboration by researchers affiliated to institutions in Eastern European countries at the time points of 1990, 2000 and 2011 was studied with the help of Pajek and VOSviewer software, based on data from the Science Citation Index (Thomson Reuters). Our results show that the breakdown of the communist regime did not lead, on average, to a huge improvement in the publication performance of the Eastern European countries and that the increase in international co-authorship relations by the researchers affiliated to institutions in these countries was smaller than expected. Most of the Eastern European countries are still subject to changes and are still awaiting their boost in scientific development.

Lysine metabolism in antisense C-hordein barley grains.

The grain proteins of barley are deficient in lysine and threonine due to their low concentrations in the major storage protein class, the hordeins, especially in the C-hordein subgroup. Previously produced antisense C-hordein transgenic barley lines have an improved amino acid composition, with increased lysine, methionine and threonine contents. The objective of the study was to investigate the possible changes in the regulation of key enzymes of the aspartate metabolic pathway and the contents of aspartate-derived amino acids in the nontransgenic line (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Golden Promise) and five antisense C-hordein transgenic barley lines. Considering the amounts of soluble and protein-bound aspartate-derived amino acids together with the analysis of key enzymes of aspartate metabolic pathway, we suggest that the C-hordein suppression did not only alter the metabolism of at least one aspartate-derived amino acid (threonine), but major changes were also detected in the metabolism of lysine and methionine. Modifications in the activities and regulation of aspartate kinase, dihydrodipicolinate synthase and homoserine dehydrogenase were observed in most transgenic lines. Furthermore the activities of lysine α-ketoglutarate reductase and saccharopine dehydrogenase were also altered, although the extent varied among the transgenic lines.

Genetic and morphological diversity of Trisetacus species (Eriophyoidea: Phytoptidae) associated with coniferous trees in Poland: phylogeny, barcoding, host and habitat specialization.

Eriophyoid species belonging to the genus Trisetacus are economically important as pests of conifers. A narrow host specialization to conifers and some unique morphological characteristics have made these mites interesting subjects for scientific inquiry. In this study, we assessed morphological and genetic variation of seven Trisetacus species originating from six coniferous hosts in Poland by morphometric analysis and molecular sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene and the nuclear D2 region of 28S rDNA. The results confirmed the monophyly of the genus Trisetacus as well as the monophyly of five of the seven species studied. Both DNA sequences were effective in discriminating between six of the seven species tested. Host-dependent genetic and morphological variation in T. silvestris and T. relocatus, and habitat-dependent genetic and morphological variation in T. juniperinus were detected, suggesting the existence of races or even distinct species within these Trisetacus taxa. This is the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of the Trisetacus species. The findings presented here will stimulate further investigations on the evolutionary relationships of Trisetacus as well as the entire Phytoptidae family.