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Background: Androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) remains a cornerstone in treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer. ADT is associated with several adverse effects, including osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular events, leading to guidelines recommending routine testing to monitor for these toxicities. There is a lack of data assessing adherence to these recommendations. Methods: The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative data from Ontario, Canada between 2008 and 2021. They identified all older men (aged 65 years and older) who received ADT for prostate cancer using comprehensive provincial health databases. The primary outcomes were the use of testing for lipids, dysglycemia (glucose), bone health serum, and bone density between 6 weeks before and 1 year after the initiation of ADT. Results: In total, 29,097 patients were examined, of whom 52.8% were prescribed ADT by urologists, 37.9% were prescribed ADT by radiation oncologists, 2.8% were prescribed ADT by medical oncologists, and 2.4% were prescribed ADT by other physicians. Adherence to guidelines was low: only 21.3% of patients received a bone density scan, 41.2% underwent bone health–related serum tests, 51.3% completed a lipid profile, and 65.9% underwent dysglycemia testing within 1 year of diagnosis. Overall, only 11.9% of patients received all of the recommended investigations. Adherence to testing did not appear to improve over time (2008–2021) or with guideline publication. Patient (age) and physician (specialty) factors had important associations with adherence to testing. Conclusions: Most patients receiving ADT for prostate cancer do not receive recommended testing to monitor for treatment‐related toxicity. Further study is required to address barriers to therapeutic monitoring of men on ADT and to reduce treatment‐associated adverse events. Androgen‐deprivation therapy (ADT) remains a cornerstone in treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer and is associated with several adverse effects. Population‐based assessment revealed that only 11.9% of patients on ADT received all of the recommended testing to screen for adverse effects associated with ADT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Renewable energy resources are widely available, yet they are unevenly distributed globally. In a renewable future, countries lacking high-quality renewable resources may choose to import energy from other countries. To assess the resource-dependent and techno-economic basis for global renewable energy trade and identify potential importers and exporters, this study introduces two new metrics: Renewable Export Cost Index (Cost Index) and Renewable Export Volume Index (Volume Index). These metrics are computed based on regional resource potential, domestic energy demand and varying financial costs across countries, without the need for any energy system modeling. By applying these two metrics to 165 countries/regions, we identify countries with significant potential for exporting renewable energy (e.g., the US, China) and those that lack the domestic resources to satisfy demand (e.g., South Korea, Japan). The Cost Index and Volume Index are validated through a separate analysis, employing a comprehensive energy system model for each country/region.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pivotal biomarkers for cancer screening. Identifying distinctive expression patterns of miRNAs in specific cancer types can serve as an effective strategy for classification and characterization. However, the development of a minimal signature of miRNAs for accurate cancer classification remains challenging, hindered by the lack of integrated approaches that systematically analyse miRNA expression levels of miRNAs alongside their associated biological pathways. In this study, we present a comprehensive integrative approach that utilizes transcriptomic data from lung, breast, and melanoma cancer cell lines to identify specific expression patterns. By combining bioinformatics, dimensionality reduction techniques, machine learning, and experimental validation, we pinpoint miRNAs linked to critical biological pathways. Our results demonstrate a highly significant differentiation of cancer types, achieving 100 % classification accuracy with minimal training time using a streamlined miRNA signature. Validation of the miRNA profile confirms that each of the three identified miRNAs regulates distinct biological pathways with minimal overlap. This specificity highlights their unique roles in tumour biology and set the stage for further exploration of miRNAs interactions and their contributions to tumourigenesis across diverse cancer types. Our work paves the way for multi-cancer classification, emphasizing the transformative potential of miRNA research in oncology. Beyond advancing the understanding of tumour biology, our step-by-step guide offers a robust tool for a wide range of users to investigate precise diagnostics and promising therapeutic strategies.

The article focuses on the impact of informed and shared decision-making on prostate cancer survivorship. Topics include the link between decision-making and treatment regret, the role of patient expectations in coping with side effects, and the need to address disparities in access to multidisciplinary care for equitable treatment decisions.

Language acquisition, reading comprehension, and teacher PD will be presented in this article to discuss how the three components can be helpful in supporting emergent bilinguals (EBs). Using children’s literature in mathematics classes could improve the performance of (EB) students. The most current research suggests students who engage more with language through meaningful experiences like stories have greater retention for the material they are learning while they also see the English language in action. The more interaction and exposure to the language may increase EBs performance in the class subjects of English Language Arts and Reading. One of the best ways to engage emergent bilingual students with science and mathematics while supporting language acquisition is the use of children’s literature to teach science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) concepts. The elements of a story help students learn the structure of English usage in everyday speech while giving them solid STEAM concepts they can more easily understand through the story. This strategy also allows the teacher to scaffold for EB students using the story as a building block. By selecting and pairing effective EB strategies with children’s STEAM literature, there may be an increase in student performance overall.

Background: Bats are recognized as the natural reservoir of several zoonotic viruses that pose a threat to public health worldwide. In our recent reports, we describe the identification of a novel poxvirus, IsrRAPXV, in Egyptian fruit bats. This poxvirus is associated with high morbidity and mortality in bats., Methods: Herein, we describe the identification of a poxvirus in a female patient hospitalized with systemic symptoms and severe painful skin lesions on her hands. We performed quantitative polymerase chain reaction, whole genome sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis to identify and characterize this poxvirus as the etiologic agent., Results: The patient interacted with wounded and sick bats as a volunteer in a bat shelter run by an Israel bat sanctuary organization. Samples collected from the patient's skin lesions were positive for the presence of IsrRAPXV by polymerase chain reaction. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis showed that this virus is identical to IsrRAPXV, originally described by us as the causative agent of skin lesions in fruit bats., Conclusions: Our finding suggest that IsrRAPXV is zoonotic; therefore, veterinarians and volunteers working in bat shelters should meticulously follow the guidelines of working with bats and use required personal protective equipment., Competing Interests: Potential conflicts of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Purpose: Some evidence suggests no association between type 1a (T1a) selective alpha-blockers and hypotension-related adverse drug reactions (HR-ADRs), although safety concerns still exist. We sought to investigate the association of HR-ADRs with selective T1a blockers and identify at-risk groups., Methods and Materials: We used disproportionality analysis to detect signals of HR-ADRs (dizziness, fainting, falls, fractures) reported with selective T1a blocker use in VigiBase, a global database of individual case safety reports. Excluding duplicates, all reports were included (1967 to 2022). Significance was determined using lower bound 95% Empiric Bayes Estimator >1; only then were reporting odds ratios (ROR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) reported. Subgroup analyses were stratified by sex, age (<65 and ≥65 years), and indication for men only (urinary stone disease [USD] and benign prostatic hyperplasia [BPH])., Results: We identified 5963 reports of HR-ADRs with selective T1a blockers. Selective T1a blockers were significantly associated with HR-ADRs (ROR 1.46; 95% CI 1.42-1.49). In men, selective T1a blockers for USD were associated with increased risk of HR-ADRs (ROR 1.60; 95% CI 1.56-1.65), which only remained significant in the older subgroup (ROR 6.70; 95% CI 3.20-14.01). No association was found for BPH. In women, selective T1a blockers were associated with an increased risk of HR-ADRs (ROR 1.09; 95% CI 0.99-1.09). This was only significant in the younger subgroup (ROR 1.17; 95% CI 1.03-1.32)., Conclusions: In older men with USD and younger women, selective T1a blockers were associated with higher risk of HR-ADRs, suggesting continued monitoring in these populations is needed. No signal was observed for men with BPH.