Journals
2025 EN
Webb Angela G. · Potvin Dominique · Athien Ianuk
+1 more
Over the past decade, novel research has rapidly advanced our understanding of how nest occupants communicate with avian embryos. Beyond the nest, studies investigating environmental acoustics, such as anthropogenic noise, have also identified impacts on avian embryos, with potential health and developmental consequences. However, how the egg itself influences sounds – whether it amplifies, attenuates or distorts them – remains largely unknown. We conducted a pilot experiment to explore this by measuring external acoustics inside two eggs of three bird species: Southern Cassowary ( Casuarius casuarius ), Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae ) and Chicken ( Gallus gallus domesticus ). A frequency sweep at a known amplitude was played outside the egg to a hydrophone or microphone inside the egg, with and without albumen. Data were analysed as the difference in sound pressure recorded internally and externally across frequencies through the creation of a random forest model. While external sound pressures were comparable inside the eggs, depending on the frequency, some minimal amplification did occur. Species also appeared to influence sound pressure differences within the egg, although the sample size was small (two per species). Our findings provide initial validation for previous research on external acoustics in avian embryos, highlighting the importance of investigations in this area to further elucidate the acoustic environment of the avian egg.
Journals
2025 EN
Castelain Donatienne · Bokma Jade · Pas Mathilde Laetitia
+4 more
Accurate diagnosis of bloodstream infections is crucial for survival and antimicrobial de-escalation in veterinary medicine. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry enables faster identification of bacteria in BSIs. This study aimed to compare diagnostic accuracy of two Sepsityper ® methods (Rapid Sepsityper ® and Sepsityper ® Extraction) with conventional culture method for bacterial identification in clinical samples. Mean time-to-positivity and frequency of bacteria in BSIs were also determined. This diagnostic test study used bloodstream infection samples from 385 critically ill animals (121 dogs, 119 foals, and 145 calves) admitted to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent (October 2021–February 2024). Accuracy was compared using Bayesian latent class model with priors for sensitivity (99.9%) and specificity (96.0%) based on literature, and a prevalence of 26.0%. Conventional culture method identified 173 bacteria with Escherichia coli (19.1%,33/173), Staphylococcus spp. (12.1%,21/173) and Streptococcus spp. (8.1%,14/173) being most common. Sensitivity of Rapid Sepsityper ® , Sepsityper ® Extraction, and conventional culture method was 62.1%, 86.1%, and 97.4%, respectively. Specificity was 94.3%, 90.4% and 92.3%, and accuracy was 85.8%, 89.3%, and 93.6%, respectively. Mean time-to-positivity and ±standard deviation for blood cultures flagging positive was 21h25min ±17.8h. Rapid Sepsityper ® identified bacteria in approximately 30min, while Sepsityper ® Extraction method required around 50min, and conventional culture method needed 12–48h. Altogether, Sepsityper ® Extraction shows promise given the sensitivity and results were delivered more rapidly than conventional culture. Enhancing diagnostic workflow, resulting in a better prognosis, reduced hospital stays, and lower healthcare costs due to more rational use of (critically important) antimicrobials.
Journals
2025 EN
Löfgren Märit · Törnbom Karin · Gyllenhammar Daniel
+5 more
Consensus on priorities to optimize the sick leave and rehabilitation process (SRP) is lacking. To explore perspectives of stakeholders in the SRP on bridging the gap between desired process scope, and actual practice, from a multi-professional, multi-organizational, and interdisciplinary approach. Focus group interviews were conducted with various SRP frontline professionals in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, using purposive sampling to capture a range of experiences. Participants discussed their perceptions of critical changes and priorities needed to meet patients’ SRP needs in a primary care context. All interviews were analyzed using systematic text condensation, as described by Malterud. General practitioners ( n = 6), rehabilitation coordinators and licensed healthcare professionals from primary healthcare ( n = 13), administrators from the Social Insurance Agency, the Employment Agency and Social Services ( n = 12). Through data analysis, the following themes emerged: 1) The need for rules and regulations to enable coherent process governance 2) Challenges and opportunities in person-centered SRP: Professional collaboration, organizational priorities, and the need for enhanced leadership, and 3) Balancing resources and patient needs in the SRP: How to improve care quality and accessibility. In summary, participants mainly discussed how to improve process efficiency and quality of care while balancing available resources and a heavy workload. A main goal was to prevent negative spirals of suboptimal decision-making in individual cases, which could lead to increased work, unfortunate outcomes, and patient suffering. This qualitative study indicated that gaps between a desired process scope and actual practice might be bridged by enabling coherent cross-organizational process governance, prioritizing person-centered ways of working, and balancing available resources and workload. The above changes were believed to improve process quality and overall efficiency. The study project plan was pre-registered on September 21st, 2020, in the database FOU i VGR (researchweb.org), project number 274941.
Journals
2025 EN
Sandheimer Christine · Björkelund Cecilia · Hange Dominique
+4 more
Primary care centres are the first line of mental health service in Sweden responsible for individuals with mild to moderate severe symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD). The aim was to evaluate impact of sick leave and sick leave duration in patients diagnosed with CMD in primary care centres with a care manager organisation during the first and second year after implementation compared to usual care. Register data on sick leave (mean number of net and gross sick leave days) among patients with CMD was obtained per primary care centre from the national social insurance database MiDAS. Two measures of sick leave were used: impact of sick leave in total patient population with CMD, and sick leave duration among sick listed patients with CMD. Linear mixed-effects regression analysis was performed for cross-sectional differences and longitudinal changes between and within the two groups of primary care centres. Primary care centres with care as usual had a lower proportion of sick listed patients with CMD at both year 1 and 2. Primary care centres with a care manager organisation (CMO) had significantly fewer mean number of sick leave days (net and gross days) among patients with CMD compared to centres with care as usual, indicating a lower impact of sick leave. Sick leave duration among sick listed patients did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups of primary care centres. Both groups of primary care centres increased their sick leave duration significantly from year 1 to year 2, congruent to Sweden as a whole. The aim of this study was to evaluate two measures of sick leave in primary care centres with a care manager organisation compared to care as usual. There were no differences in sick leave duration. Primary care centres with a care manager organisation, designed to increase accessibility and continuity for patients with CMD, seemed to facilitate the primary care centre’s possibility to offer enhanced care taking to more patients with CMD with continued lower levels of impact of sick leave compared to care as usual. This study evaluated outcomes after implementation of CMO at primary care centres.
Journals
2025 EN
Löfgren Märit · Nordeman Lena · Ariai Nashmil
+5 more
To evaluate the effect of the LEARN-to-COPE intervention on sick leave, symptoms, and coping. Cluster-randomized controlled trial including 40 primary care centers (PCCs) in Region Västra Götaland, Sweden. Randomization at the PCC level. Effect of the intervention was compared to Care-as-Usual (CAU). Follow-up was conducted using registry sick leave data, validated questionnaires, and patient-reported data. Primary healthcare patients with recurrent or long-term sick leave or health-related unemployment from included PCCs ( n = 243). Patient education was conducted via interactive study groups, which convened for half a day every week over eight consecutive weeks. Implementation was centralized in close collaboration with educational associations. The purpose of the intervention was to strengthen participants’ sense of coherence and health literacy, with the aim of enhancing their work ability and health. The primary outcome measure was change in scheduled activity, derived from data on sick leave (obtained from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency) and participation in work-oriented rehabilitation (self-reported occupational status). Secondary outcomes (symptoms and coping) were measured with validated questionnaires at baseline and follow-ups after 3, 6, and 12 months. Included participants suffered from anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and pain and had poor health-related quality of life. After 12 months, there was no significant change in scheduled activity, sense of coherence, symptoms, or health-related quality of life, but a statistically significant positive change in health literacy and self-efficacy was found in the intervention group. Considering participants’ pronounced burden of symptoms, the focus should be on improving the sick leave process as a whole, rather than seeking quick remedies for patients’ complex health issues. Centralized implementation of the intervention was a promising concept that deserves further evaluation. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04254367.
Journals
2025 EN
Searle Kelly M. · Earland Dominique E. · Morris Keeley
+4 more
Cyclone Idai was one of the most destructive cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere. Malaria prevention is not part of cyclone response, but housing damage has been shown to increase malaria risk. To assess the extent to which housing damage led to insecticide treated net (ITN) damage, thus compounding malaria risk. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Sussundenga village. This analysis focused on household damage and ITN use in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai. Generalised estimating equations logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with ITN use. Thirty-five percent (104 of 296) of participants reported not sleeping under an ITN the previous night. Sixty-one percent (64 of 104) of participants who reported not sleeping under an ITN indicated lack of access as the reason why. Minor household damage was associated with 0.34 (95% CI: 0.15–0.78) times lower odds of ITN use and destruction was associated with 0.23 (95% CI: 0.11–0.50) times lower odds of ITN use. We found that even minor household damage was associated with 70% decreased odds of ITN use. As severe storms become more frequent due to climate change, this is an area for further research to assist malaria control programs in their success.
Journals
2025 EN
Lopis Desirée · Valentin Dominique · Manetta Céline
Olfactory-based cognitive stimulation is frequently proposed for memory-impaired patients (namely dementia patients), but little is known about the scientific rationale underlying odor choice. Here, we aimed at investigating the evolution of the olfactory experience related to memory evocation in normal aging. Methods. We presented 20 odorants to 25 Young Adults (YA), 36 “young” Older Adults (OA; 65 – 74y) and 26 “old” OA (75 – 89y) and asked them to freely report what each odor evoked to them. Responses were analyzed using both univariate inferential statistics and multivariate descriptive analysis. Results showed that the ability to experience phenomenological properties of evoked memories decreases with advancing age. Odor identity is increasingly used as a retrieval cue with age, providing necessary support for OA retrieval strategies. However, semantic information does not enhance the chances for old-OA to experience memories’ phenomenological properties. Tailoring the choice of odors during stimulating activities is therefore crucial. In this respect, we provided a limited selection of the most well-characterized odorous stimuli and sorted them based on the phenomenological experience they’re more likely to trigger across ages.
Journals
2025 UN
Matte Dominic · Leduc Martin · Paquin Dominique
+1 more
Recent studies have demonstrated that the uncertainty in projections can be reduced by weighting the GCMs based on their ability to accurately reproduce historical climate conditions in specific geographical regions. This project aims to apply a similar approach to reduce uncertainty in panCanadian downscaled projections by leveraging the latest generation of GCM projection data from CMIP6. The research is conducted in two phases. The first phase involves employing a constraint method called ClimWIP to select and weight GCMs from CMIP6 based on their performance and independence metrics, with a specific focus on accurately reproducing the annual maximum of snow water equivalent. The second phase entails comparing the constrained projections with discrete model families and the likely range of equilibrium climate sensitivities. The primary objective of this research is to deliver enhanced projections with regard to snow water equivalent as a key performance metric in the weighting process. These improved projections that may be utilized to enhance floodplain mapping by integrating dynamical downscaling and refining estimates of projection uncertainty across the pan-Canadian region.
Journals
2025 EN
Hoffelinck Marie · Detroz Pascal · Verpoorten Dominique
This paper explores, through a phenomenographic analysis, how higher education students experience comparison-based learning processes embedded in self-assessment activities. By combining observations and interviews, the paper offers a threefold contribution: (1) it provides two in-depth narratives of self-assessment activities; (2) it develops a typology that distinguishes between explicit versus implicit and analogical versus analytical comparisons; and (3) it proposes an outcome space to illustrate how students experience these contrasting assignments. The analysis detects a specific value of analogical comparisons for self-generated learning and of analytical comparisons for a better understanding of the course stakes. In both cases, making comparisons explicit is a way to foster cognitive and metacognitive benefits. Additionally, the findings indicate that comparisons with peer productions should receive special attention as students are less familiar with them than with traditional instructor feedback. Lastly, results suggest that consistency in self-marking should not always be interpreted as an indicator of powerful self-assessment. These insights hold implications for researchers and educators concerned with the ins and outs of self-assessment practice.
Journals
2025 EN
Roxas Jillian Dominique P. · San Juan Maria Angela D. · Villagracia Al Rey C.
+1 more
Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition involving elevated blood glucose levels resulting from impaired or improper insulin utilization. As the number of type 2 diabetes cases increases each year, there is an urgent need to develop novel drugs having new targets and/or complementing existing therapeutic protocols. In this regard, marine sponge-derived compounds hold great potential due to their potent biological activity and structural diversity. In this study, a small library of 50 marine sponge-derived compounds were examined for their activity towards type 2 diabetes targets, namely dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). The compounds were first subjected to molecular docking on protein models based on their respective co-crystal structures to assess binding free energies (BFE) and conformations. Clustering analysis yielded BFE that ranged from 24.54 kcal/mol to −9.97 kcal/mol for DPP-4, and from −4.98 kcal/mol to −8.67 kcal/mol for PTP1B. Interaction analysis on the top ten compounds with the most negative BFE towards each protein target showed similar intermolecular interactions and key interacting residues as in the previously solved co-crystal structure. These compounds were subjected to absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiling to characterize drug-likeness and combining the results from these analyses, ( S )-6’-debromohamacanthin B was identified as a potential multi-target inhibitor of DPP-4 and PTP1B, having favorable protein interaction, no Lipinski violations, good gastrointestinal (GI) tract absorption, blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration, and no predicted toxicity. Finally, the interaction of ( S )-6’-debromohamacanthin B with the two proteins was validated using molecular dynamics simulations over 100 ns through RMSD, radius of gyration, PCA, and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann surface area (MMPBSA) confirming favorable interactions with the respective proteins.