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Loneliness is a pressing public health issue. Although quintessentially individual, it is shaped by wider environmental, cultural, socio-economic, and political circumstances. Using a systematic review methodology, this paper draws on interdisciplinary research to conceptualise the relationship between the built environment and loneliness. We present a narrative synthesis of 57 relevant studies to characterise the body of evidence and highlight specific built-environment elements. Our findings demonstrate the need for further conceptual and empirical explorations of the multifaceted ways in which built environments can prevent loneliness, supporting calls for investment into this public-health approach., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne disease in the United States. However, current testing modalities are ill suited to detection of Lyme disease, leading to the diagnosis of many cases after treatment is effective. We present an improved, direct method Lyme disease diagnosis, where the Lyme specific biomarker Outer Surface Protein A (OspA) in clinical serum samples is identified using a diagnostic platform combining surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and aptamers. Employing orthogonal projections to latent structures discriminant analysis, the system accurately identified 91% of serum samples from Lyme patients, and 96% of serum samples from symptomatic controls. In addition, the OspA limit-of-detection, determined to be 1 × 10 -4 ng/mL, is greater than four orders of magnitude lower than that found in serum samples from early Lyme disease patients. The application of this platform to detect this difficult-to-diagnose disease suggests its potential for detecting other diseases that present similar difficulties., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Cardiac radiation is associated with cardiotoxicity in patients with thoracic and breast malignancies. We conducted a prospective study using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans to evaluate heart motion. We hypothesized that cine MRI could be used to define population-based cardiac planning organ-at-risk volumes (PRV)., Methods and Materials: A total of 16 real-time acquisitions were obtained per subject on a 1.5 Tesla MRI (Philips Ingenia). Planar cine MRI was performed in 4 sequential sagittal and coronal planes at free-breathing (FB) and deep-inspiratory breath hold (DIBH). In-plane cardiac motion was assessed using a scale-invariant feature transformation-based algorithm. Subject-specific pixel motion ranges were defined in anteroposterior (AP), left-right (LR), and superoinferior (SI) planes. Averages of the 98% and 67% of the maximum ranges of pixel displacement were defined by subject, then averaged across the cohort to calculate PRV expansions at FB and DIBH., Results: Data from 20 subjects with a total of 3120 image frames collected per subject in coronal and sagittal planes at DIBH and FB, and 62,400 total frames were analyzed. Cohort averages of 98% of the maximum cardiac motion ranges comprised margin expansions of 12.5 ± 1.1 mm SI, 5.8 ± 1.2 mm AP, and 6.6 ± 1.0 mm LR at FB and 6.7 ± 1.5 mm SI, 4.7 ± 1.3 mm AP, and 5.3 ± 1.3 mm LR at DIBH. Margins for 67% of the maximum range comprised 7.7 ± 0.7 mm SI, 3.2 ± 0.6 mm AP, and 3.7 ± 0.6 mm LR at FB and 4.1 ± 0.9 mm SI, 2.7 ± 0.8 mm AP, and 3.2 ± 0.8 mm LR at DIBH. Subsequently, these margins were simplified to form PRVs for treatment planning., Conclusions: We implemented scale-invariant feature transformation-based motion tracking for analysis of the cardiac cine MRI scans to quantify motion and create cohort-based cardiac PRVs to improve cardioprotection in breast and thoracic radiation., (Copyright © 2018 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The study examined the unique contribution of both personal characteristics and several types of exposure variables to the adjustment of Israeli adolescents following the Second Lebanon War. Two thousand three hundred and fourteen adolescents, who lived in areas that were the target of multiple missile attacks, completed self-report questionnaires assessing personal characteristics of gender and early traumatic events, subjective exposure (i.e., measures of fear and shortage of basic necessities during the war), objective exposure (i.e., exposure to missile attacks, knowing someone who was wounded or killed) and media exposure. Fifteen percent of the adolescents reported moderate or severe post-traumatic symptoms. Girls and adolescents who experienced earlier traumatic events were at higher risk for distress. While the level of direct exposure contributed to greater distress, the contribution of subjective exposure was significantly stronger. The discussion deals with the unique contribution of both subjective and objective characteristics to post-war adjustment., (Copyright © 2012 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

(1)H NMR studies on di-2-pyridyl ketone p-aminobenzoylhydrazone hydrate (dpkabh.H(2)O) in non-aqueous solvents show high sensitivity to its surrounding. In protophilic solvents (d(6)-dmso or d(7)-dmf), the amine protons are equivalent, while in CDCl(3) they are not. Variable temperature analysis in CDCL(3) show the NH proton to exhibit high temperature dependence due to strong intra-molecular hydrogen bonding of the type N-H...N between the amide (NH) and N atom of a pyridine ring. The temperature dependence for the same proton in d(6)-dmso and d(7)-dmf is due to hydrogen bonding of the type N-H...O between the amide proton and oxygen atom of the solvent. Optical measurements on dpkabh.H(2)O show one intra-ligand charge transfer (ILCT) transition in CH(2)Cl(2) and in protophilic solvents, two ILCT of the donor-acceptor type due to dpkabh.H(2)O and its conjugate base appeared. Variable temperature studies on protophilic solution of dpkabh.H(2)O confirm the sensitivity of dpkabh.H(2)O to its surroundings and show facile reversible inter-conversion between dpkabh.H(2)O and its conjugate base. Changes in enthalpy (DeltaH(phi)) of -5.2+/-0.4 and -24.2+/-1.20 kJ mol(-1), entropy (DeltaS(phi)) of +9.6+/-0.5 and -63.0+/-2.0 JK(-1) mol(-1), and free energy (DeltaG(phi)) of +2.3+/-0.2 and +5.4+/-0.2 kJ mol(-1) were calculated for dpkabh.H(2)O at 298 K in dmso and dmf, respectively. When stoichiometric amounts of NaBH(4) or MCl(2) (M=Zn, Cd or Hg) were added to protophilic solution of dpkanh.H(2)O conversion from the high to low energy electronic transition was observed and show that substrates in low concentrations can be detected and determined using protophilic solution of dpkabh.H(2)O.

The compound di-2-thienyl ketone p-nitrophenylhydrazone (DSKNPH) melting point 168-170 degrees C was isolated in good yield from the reaction between di-2-thienyl ketone (DSK) and p-nitrophenylhydrazine in refluxing ethanol containing a few drop of concentrated HCl. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies on DSKNPH in non-aqueous solvents revealed strong solvent and temperature dependence due to solvent-solute interactions. Optical measurements on DSKNPH in DMSO in the presence and absence of KPF(6) gave extinction coefficients of 83,300+/-2000 and 25,600+/-2000M(-1)cm(-1) at 612 and 427nm at 295K. In CH(2)Cl(2), extinction coefficient of 34,000+/-2000M(-1)cm(-1) was calculated at 422nm. When DMSO solutions of DSKNPH were allowed to interact with DMSO solutions of NaBH(4) the low energy electronic state becomes favorable and when DMSO solutions of DSPKNPH where allowed to interact with DMSO solutions of KPF(6) or NaBF(4), the high energy electronic state becomes favorable. The reversible BH(4)(-)/BF(4)(-) interconversion points to physical interactions between these species and DSKNPH and hints to the possible use of DSKNPH as a spectrophotometric sensor for a variety of physical and chemical stimuli. Thermo-optical measurements on DSKNPH in DMSO confirmed the reversible interconversion between the high and low energy electronic states of DSKNPH and allowed for the calculations of the thermodynamic activation parameters of DSKNPH. Changes in enthalpy (DeltaH(slashed circle)) of +57.67+/-4.20; 27.15+/-0.90kJmol(-1), entropy (DeltaS(slashed circle)) of +160+/-12.88; 83+/-2.91Jmol(-1) and free energy (DeltaG(slashed circle)) of -8.52+/-0.40; 2.66+/-0.25kJmol(-1) were calculated at 295K in the absence and presence of NaBH(4), respectively. Manipulation of the equilibrium distribution of the high and low energy electronic states of DSKNPH allowed for the use of these systems (DSKNPH and surrounding solvent molecules) as molecular sensors for group I and II metal ions. Group I and II metal ions in concentrations as low as 1.00x10(-5) M can be detected and determined using DSKNPH in DMSO.

To assess the prenatal toxicity to rats of the anti-foaming agent, tri-isobutylphosphate (CAS 126-71-6), a study was conducted in which daily dosages of 0, 100, 300 and 1000 mg/kg were administered to different treatment groups by gavage from day 6 to 15 of pregnancy. Dams were killed and foetuses examined on day 20 of pregnancy. Maternal effects during the dosing period included a dosage-related increase in the frequency, persistence and severity of post dosing salivation in all test groups and significantly increased water consumption at 1000 mg/kg. Bodyweight gain at 1000 and 300 mg/kg was lower than that of controls but the differences were not statistically significant. The lowest dosage of 100 mg/kg could be considered as the maternal 'lowest observed adverse effect level' (LOAEL) or 'no observed adverse effect level' (NOAEL) according to whether increased salivation is perceived to be a true toxic effect or simply a reaction to the taste of the test material. Neither litter values nor the prevalence of foetuses with abnormalities indicated any embryotoxic effects (including teratogenicity) at any dosage. The most notable feature of the results was the occurrence of a cluster of foetuses with the congenital abnormality referred to as 'hunched posture syndrome' or 'squat foetus syndrome'. However, the incidence of this finding was similar to that noted among background data for the same strain and, in the absence of any other embryotoxic findings, was considered likely to have arisen coincidentally.

The presence of a 5beta-reductase acting to convert progesterone to 5beta-pregnane-3,20-dione is described in the soluble 105,000 x g fraction of a preparation of dog cerebral cortex. The function of this enzymatic activity is obscure but may be important in regulation of sensorium. 5beta-pregnane compounds are potent depressors of the central nervous system.

We studied the interrelationships between insulin resistance, obesity, and abnormal ovarian androgen secretion in chronically anovulatory women with clinical or biochemical evidence of hyperandrogenism. Four groups of six subjects each were studied: (1) normal weight (within 10% ideal body weight) anovulatory, (2) obese (greater than 120% ideal body weight) anovulatory, (3) normal weight eumenorrheic, and (4) obese eumenorrheic. After dexamethasone suppression, human chorionic gonadotropin (2000 IU/1.5m2 body surface area intramuscularly) was administered to each subject. Serum testosterone levels were subsequently determined hourly for 17 hours. On a separate occasion, an oral glucose tolerance test was administered to five subjects from each group. Serum glucose and immunoreactive insulin levels were determined before and after the ingestion of a standard 100 gm glucose load. As a group, the anovulatory women had higher (p less than 0.05) basal testosterone levels (1005 +/- 97 pg/ml) than did the ovulatory women (241 +/- 21 pg/ml) (values +/- SE). Obesity per se was not associated with increased basal testosterone levels. Testosterone levels rose in response to human chorionic gonadotropin (p less than 0.005) only in obese anovulatory women, reached maximal levels after 3 hours, and subsequently remained stable. Basal immunoreactive insulin levels were elevated (p less than 0.05) only in obese anovulatory women (52.4 +/- 20 microU/ml) compared with obese eumenorrheic (8.7 +/- 1.0 microU/ml), normal weight anovulatory (5.8 +/- 2.4 microU/ml), and normal weight eumenorrheic (4.6 +/- 0.4 microU/ml) women. Similarly, maximal increases in immunoreactive insulin levels after glucose ingestion were significantly greater (p less than 0.01) in obese anovulatory women compared with other groups. Of note is the observation that maximal changes in testosterone observed within the first 3 hours after human chorionic gonadotropin and maximal changes in insulin were correlated (r = 0.91, p less than 0.01). These data suggest that (1) both insulin resistance and an abnormal acute response to human chorionic gonadotropin are seen only in obese anovulatory women and (2) the degree to which these two abnormalities are manifested is clearly correlated. The mechanism(s) responsible for this interrelationship, as well as the underlying cause(s) of these biochemical defects, remain to be elucidated.