Research works

Development and usability evaluation of a software prototype for quality management in Human Milk Banks: a methodological study

Human Milk Banks (HMB) are specialized services that promote, protect, and support breastfeeding, as well as process, control, and distribute donated human milk, especially for premature or hospitalized infants. Brazil has the largest and most consolidated HMB network worldwide,...

AI literacy and AI anxiety in emergency and first aid students: a cross-sectional study

This study was conducted to determine Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy and AI anxiety levels in students attending the First Aid and Emergency Program, to analyze the relationship between these variables, and to identify significant predictors of AI literacy and AI anxiety....

The impact of cognitive behavioral therapy and third-wave therapies on the quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and third-wave therapies on the quality of life of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Librar...

Ethnobotanical study of wild and semi-wild edible plants and their contributions to food security in Zigem District, Ethiopia

Wild edible plants (WEPs) are key components of indigenous food systems, contributing to food security, dietary diversity, livelihood resilience, and the maintenance of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in rural communities. However, empirical data on WEP diversity, utilizat...

Bacterial etiology, antimicrobial susceptibility, and clinical outcomes in cervicofacial space infections before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a 10-year single-centre study

To investigate epidemiological trends of cervicofacial space infections in Western China, including pathogen distribution, antimicrobial resistance, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pathogen susceptibility and patient outcomes. Clinical data from 542 hospitalized patien...

Legislative architecture of online hate speech offences in Arab cybercrime laws: legality and proportionality

This article examines the legislative architecture of online hate-speech offences in four Arab jurisdictions: Jordan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Algeria. It asks whether cybercrime, media, and anti-discrimination frameworks criminalise online hate in a manner consisten...

Log-transformed Red-Tailed Hawk optimization for single-diode photovoltaic parameter extraction

Accurate extraction of the five parameters of the single-diode photovoltaic equivalent-circuit model is hampered by the nine-orders-of-magnitude dynamic range of the diode saturation current I 0 , which can cause gradient-free optimisers to converge to degenerate solutions when I...

Embedding e-learning in postgraduate medical education: system-level barriers and enablers in Hong Kong

INTRODUCTION: E-learning is increasingly central to postgraduate medical education (PGME), yet system-level barriers may hinder its integration. In Hong Kong, the Academy of Medicine (HKAM) has invested in a learning management system and faculty development, but uptake among Aca...

Closed System Self-Update Paradox

This paper proves a fundamental theorem concerning the impossibility of self-memory in finite closed systems. Suppose the total information storage capacity of a system consists of a finite number of information atoms (indivisible minimal semantic units). We prove that any non-tr...

Levodopa-responsive parkinsonism with dystonia in RAB39B-related Waisman syndrome: a case report

Pathogenic variants in RAB39B, located on chromosome Xq28, cause a rare X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and early-onset parkinsonism, commonly referred to as Waisman syndrome. RAB39B encodes a neuron-specific small GTPase involved in...

Impact of sex disparities on laparoscopic adrenalectomy outcomes: a coarsened exact matching study

It is unclear how sex disparities affect surgical outcomes following retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy (RLA). Therefore, we studied whether gender could affect RLA outcomes perioperatively. A retrospective study was performed involving consecutive cases underwent unilate...

From routine to identity: the Habit-Trait Crystallization Model of personality change in the workplace

Personality research recognises both the relative stability of adult traits and their capacity for change, and habit research explains how repeated behaviour becomes automatic. What remains underspecified is the mechanism through which repeated, socially reinforced workplace beha...

Synergistic adsorption–photocatalysis in TiO₂/activated carbon composites: optimization of p-nitrophenol degradation and application to real textile wastewater treatment

The photocatalytic degradation of persistent nitro-aromatic pollutants is often limited by poor light utilization and fast electron-hole recombination in conventional TiO 2 systems. In this work, TiO 2 /carbon composites were prepared using activated carbon (AC) and biomass-deriv...

Visual and rapid detection of Fasciola spp. in fecal samples using a one-pot RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a assay

Fasciolosis caused by Fasciola spp. has substantial veterinary and public-health importance, while conventional fecal microscopy has limited sensitivity and PCR depends on laboratory equipment. This study aimed to develop a rapid, visual one-pot recombinase polymerase amplificati...

Evaluating Immunotherapy Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer (KCSG LU23-15)

PurposeChemoimmunotherapy has improved outcomes in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), but its benefit in older adults remains uncertain because this population is underrepresented in clinical trials.We evaluated the real-world efficacy of first-line atezolizumab pl...

Computational investigation of the antibacterial and antioxidant potential of Rosa damascena essential oil from Morocco: Molecular docking and ADMET analysis of fourteen volatile compounds

The emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains has intensified the search for novel plant-derived antimicrobial agents. The present study reports the first comprehensive in silico investigation of the major volatile constituents of Rosa damascena Mill. essential oil (RDEO...

Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with adjustment and reintegration to civilian life: a prospective and cross-sectional analysis of transitioning and ex-serving military personnel

The prevalence of reintegration and adjustment difficulties among military veterans transitioning to civilian life is high, with maladjustment linked to poor mental health and increased suicide risk. Identifying factors predictive of adjustment may inform the development of preve...

Patterns and perceptions of supplement use among patients with plasma cell disorders

As novel treatments have improved survival in patients with plasma cell disorders (PCDs), there is a growing interest in complementary medicine (CM), particularly dietary supplements (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and herbs), amongst patients with cancer [ 1 ]. Multiple myelo...

Physical activity from bus travel: objective estimates linking accelerometer and travel card data

Background Low physical activity contributes to chronic disease and premature death. Public transport can integrate activity into daily routines, but robust methods are needed to estimate physical activity during public transport trips. This study quantified duration, intensity,...

The impact of digital transformation on urban green and low-carbon transformation efficiency: evidence from a double machine learning approach

This study selected 279 Chinese cities as research samples and integrated double machine learning models, Gini coefficients, and standard deviation ellipses to systematically analyze the dynamic evolution of urban green and low-carbon transformation efficiency amid digital transf...