Background: COVID-19 was initially identified as a respiratory system disorder, but it has been discovered to interact with and influence the cardiovascular system. COVID-19-associated cardiovascular (CV) complications are common, resulting in high acute phase mortality and a large number of morbidities in the chronic phase, thus severely impacting patients' quality of life and health outcomes. Nevertheless, clinical, cellular, and molecular biological factors underlying the pathophysiology of cardiovascular complications associated with COVID-19 are poorly understood. Objective: This review investigates putative underlying clinical factors as well as cellular and molecular biological mechanisms by which COVID-19 leads to acute CV complications, including state-of-the-art genomic sequencing-based findings, assessing the long-term CV consequences of COVID-19, and aiming to shed light on developing strategies for differential diagnosis, risk prognostic stratification, prevention, and clinical management of CV sequlea in COVID-19 patients. Methods: For this purpose, a through review of literature and published data was carried out from first report of COVID-19 till October 2023 to find out a comprehensive account of clinical, cellular and molecular genetic factors underlying COVID-19-associated cardiovascular diseases. Results: We found that the relationship between COVID-19 and CV risk is complex and multifaceted. In addition to acute COVID-19 detertriuos effects, COVID-19 survivors may experience long-term CV effects. We provide a detailed account of the involvement of a large number of genomic alterations, microRNAs, and novel viral as well as host proteins in CVDs associated with COVID-19, which has helped identify some novel drug targets to treat COVID-19-related cardiovascular complications. Conclusions: The relationship between COVID-19 and CV risk is complex and multifaceted. While COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, it can also significantly affect CV health. as compared to classical cardiovascular diseases, there are new clinical, cellular and molecular biological factors in CVDs related to COVID-19, that need specific diagnostic assays, prognostic stratification and treatment modules. Therefore, specail care is must taken to treat cardiovascular diseases associated with COVID-19.

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are known to regulate and stimulate osteogenesis, both proteins playing an important role in bone homeostasis, constituting good candidates for osteoporosis´ treatment. Herein we aim to evaluate the effects of recombinant human BMP-7 (rhBMP7) and PDGF-BB (rhPDGF-BB) in oophorectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats. To this end, 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were submitted to oophorectomy surgery and treatments were started at the 100th day after the surgery, when all animals showed signs of osteoporosis. These peptide growth factors were applied intravenously once or twice a week and animals were followed for a total of five weeks. Two weeks after the end of the treatments, the animals were euthanized, the tissues were collected and Alkaline Phosphatase, X-ray, micro-CT and histology were assessed. The results indicate that the most promising treatments are: 20 µg/kg PDGF-BB + 30 µg/kg BMP-7 2x/week and 30 µg/kg BMP-7 2x/week, presenting an increase of 15% (p<0.05) and 13% (p<0.05) in bone volume fraction and 21% (p<0.05) and 23% (p<0.05) in trabecular number, respectively. In conclusion, rhPDGF-BB and rhBMP-7 are capable of inducing an increase in bone volume and density in this osteoporotic animal model, constituting interesting candidates for osteoporosis treatment.

This study aimed to assess the prevalence and identify risk factors for schistosomiasis among school-aged children in low- and middle-income communities. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted, involving the examination of 24 034 children for Schistosoma haematobium ova. Data were analyzed using IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27. Logistic regression was employed to determine the factors associated with schistosomiasis. The overall prevalence of schistosomiasis in the study population was 75%, with higher rates observed in rural-dominated areas, particularly Bushbuckridge (73%) and Nkomazi (51%). Age, a history of bilharzia, and the presence of blood in urine were significantly associated with schistosomiasis, while being a female child was found to be a protective factor. This study underscores the importance of implementing robust screening procedures and the necessity for health education to mitigate the high prevalence of schistosomiasis and prevent its further spread.

Background and aims: Only one cohort study exists on the incidence of the risk of malnutrition (RM) in older adults, though numerous cross-sectional –and that cohort research– have reported several risk factors associated with the prevalence and incidence of this condition. However, alterations of body composition and impaired physical performance as exposition variables of RM have not been explored. This study assessed the incidence of RM and determined its association with excess fat mass, low total lean tissue, gait speed, and handgrip strength as exposition variables for RM in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: This is a secondary analysis in older adults (≥60 years old) derived from the study “Frailty, dynapenia, and sarcopenia in Mexican adults (FraDySMex)” a prospective cohort project conducted from 2014 to 2019 in Mexico City. At baseline, volunteers underwent body composition analysis and physical performance tests. Several covariates were identified through comprehensive geriatric assessment. At baseline and follow-up, RM was assessed using the long form of the mini nutritional assessment (MNA-LF) scale. Associations between the exposition variables and RM were assessed by multiple logistic regression. Results: The cohort included 241 subjects. Average age was 75.6±7.8 years; 83.4% were women. The mean follow-up period was 4.1 years, during which 28.6% of subjects developed RM. This condition was less likely to occur in subjects with excess fat mass index, even after adjusting for several covariates. RM was also more likely to occur in subjects with low total lean tissue index, according to both an unadjusted model and after adjusting for the corresponding variables. Regarding the association between RM and gait speed, RM was also more likely to occur in subjects with low gait speed according to both the unadjusted and adjusted models. Similar results were found for RM in relation to low handgrip strength; however, after adjusting for the associated covariates, models 1 and 2 no longer reached the level of significance. Conclusion: The risk of malnutrition diagnosed by MNA-LF was significantly less likely to occur among subjects with excess fat mass, but possibility was significantly higher in those with low total lean tissue and low gait speed after 4.1 years of follow-up in community-dwelling older adults. These results highlight that excess fat mass, low total lean tissue, and low gait speed are first than risk of malnutrition and not vice versa.

The global prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has surged in recent decades and the identification of differential glycemic responders can aid tailored treatment for prevention of pre-diabetes and T2DM. A mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT) based on regular foods offers potential to uncover differential responders in dynamical postprandial events. We aimed to fit a simple mathematical model on dynamic postprandial glucose data from repeated MMTTs among partic-ipants with elevated T2DM risk, to identify response clusters and investigate their association with T2DM risk factors and gut microbiota. Data were used from a 12-week multi-center dietary inter-vention trial involving high-risk T2DM adults, comparing high- versus low-glycemic index foods within a Mediterranean diet context (MEDGICarb). Model-based analysis of MMTTs from 155 participants (81 females, 74 males) revealed two distinct plasma glucose response clusters that were associated with baseline gut microbiota. Cluster A, inversely associated with HbA1c and waist circumference and directly with insulin sensitivity, exhibited a contrasting profile to cluster B. Findings imply that a standardized breakfast MMTT using regular foods could effectively distin-guish non-diabetic individuals at varying risk levels for T2DM using a simple mechanistic model.

The Hwangdo tidal flat is an intertidal landform located in Cheonsu Bay, Taean-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, on the west coast of Korea. The topographical characteristics of the semi-enclosed bay on the eastern side of the study area include waterways, sandbars, small islands, and tidal flats. In this study, data were acquired from tide gauges installed on the Hwangdo Bridge, and the height of the ellipsoid was measured using a real-time kinematics global positioning system (RTK-GPS). Digital elevation model (DEM) using Matrice 300 drone data were also acquired after processing. The geochemical sediment characteristics in the study area were analyzed, together with tidal-flat exposure-time characteristics based on environmental factors. Sediment data (n = 107) collected from October 25 to 28, 2022 (Korean local time) were used to classify sediment particles according to Folk and Ward (1957). Sedimentary facies ranged from coarse sand (sand:mud ratio = 9:1) to sandy silt (sZ) followed by muddy sand (mS) and slightly gravelly sandy mud ((g)sM). Total organic carbon (TOC) in the surface sediments were also characterized based on a particle-size analysis. The mean change in tidal height measured at Hwangdo Bridge during the sampling period was ~7.53 m (minimum: –3.86 m, maximum: +3.67 m). Based on the Boryeong's sea level measurement tide data in 2022, the tidal area in the drone images ranged from 6.362 m² (0.006 km²) at DEM +4.0 to 4,841,078 m² (4.841 km²) at DEM –4.0 m, indicating an increase in the tidal-flat area according to the tidal level of up to ~800-fold. The daily average exposure time was 9.0 h (minimum: 1.5 h, maximum: 17.9 h). Based on the results of multivariate analysis using exposure times and a geochemical dataset, four groups were identified: upper, middle, and lower intertidal zones and regions with a relatively high organic-matter concentration. A determination of the main characteristics of the Hwangdo tidal flat according to their spatial distribution showed that, among various environmental factors, changes in the sand or clay sediment composition were determined by community factors. The results of this study demonstrate the four statistically processed groups of marine environmental characteristics in the Hwangdo tidal flats. Changes in sedimentary patterns, rather than in the exposure time, accounted for the differences in the sediment compositions of the upper, middle, and lower stations, a response that is expected to continue.

Background: Increasing number of long-term gastrointestinal (GI) cancer survivors highlights the importance of understanding factors that contribute to their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We investigated the risk factors of HRQoL, in-cluding demographics, clinical characteristics, and social and behavioral determinants of health (SBDH). Methods: Adult GI cancer survivors (n = 3,201) in the BRFSS surveys from 2014-2021 (except for 2015) were analyzed. Unadjusted/adjusted logistic regression was used. Results: The majority were female (54%) and White (78%), with a median age of 67. Survivors who were 65 years or older, diagnosed with colorectal cancer, or who had fewer comorbidities were more likely to report significantly better HRQoL. Significant social factors of poor HRQoL were being unmarried, racial and ethnic minorities, low socioeconomic status, and poor health care access. Significant behavioral factors of poor HRQoL were lack of physical activity, heavy alcohol consumption, and current smoking, with lack of physical activity being the most significant factor. Conclusions: The SBDH have a critical role in HRQoL. Future studies are warranted to develop a tailored survivorship intervention, such as physical rehabilitation and to ex-plore machine learning/artificial intelligence predictive models to identify cancer sur-vivors at a high risk of developing poor HRQoL.

Background and Objectives: Since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic, the infection primarily affected patients with following chronic conditions: cardiovascular disease, hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity and cancer. The aim of this study was to explore clinical and epidemiological characteristics associated with COVID-19 outcomes in patients at the primary health care centre from March 2020 to September 2022. Materials and Methods: The study included 40,692 citizens of Banja Luka County, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were confirmed and registered as RT-PCR positive on COVID-19. Differences regarding the distributions of patients between groups were analysed using Pearson chi square test and Mantel-Haenszel chi square test for trends, while differences in mean values were compared using independent samples t test. Relationship between mortality and independent variables were examined using logistic regression. Results: Out of 40,692 COVID-19 positive patients, 7.76% were hospitalized. The average age of hospitalized patients was significantly higher than the age of non-hospitalized patients (64.2±16.1 vs. 45.4±18.7; p<0.001). The average age of patients with lethal outcome was nearly twice higher compared to patients with non-lethal outcome (74.6±11.5 vs. 45.7±18.6; p<0.001). Male patients had higher hospitalization and mortality rate, compared to females (9.8% vs. 5.9%, p<0.001; 4.8% vs. 3%, p<0.001, respectively). The highest hospitalization rate was in patients with chronic renal failure, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, while the death rate was the highest among patients with CRF and hearth comorbidities. Fever, cough, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, chest pain, shortness of breath and appetite loss favoured hospitalization. Patients with fatigue and appetite loss had higher percentage of lethal outcome. Vaccinated patients had significantly lower rate of lethal outcome. Conclusions: Clinical symptoms, signs and outcomes, are posing as predictive parameters for further management of COVID-19. Vaccination has an important role in clinical outcomes of COVID-19.

Deciding when to replace dairy bulls presents a complex challenge for artificial insemination (AI) companies. These decisions encompass multiple factors, including a bull's age, predicted semen production, and estimated genetic merit. This study's purpose was to provide a practical, objective tool to assist in these decisions. We utilized a Markov Chain model to calculate the economic valuation of dairy bulls, incorporating key factors such as housing costs, collection and marketing expenses, and the bull's probable tenure in the herd. Data from a leading AI company were used to establish baseline values. The model further compared a bull's net present value to that of a potential young replacement, establishing a relative valuation (BullVal$). The range of BullVal$ observed spanned from -$316,748 to $497,710. Interestingly, the model recommended culling for 49% of the bulls based on negative BullVal$. It was found that a bull's net present value was primarily influenced by market allocation and pricing, coupled with the interaction of semen production and genetic merit. This study offers a robust, data-driven model to guide bull replacement decisions in AI companies. Key determinants of a bull's valuation included market dynamics, semen production rates, and genetic merit.

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated the huge difference between medical care and disease prevention in Chinese medical institutions. This study aimed to investigated the relationship between the symbiotic units, environments, models, and effects of the integration of medical and disease prevention. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 762 employees of public hospitals in 11 cities in Zhejiang Province by random stratified sampling. We analyzed the influence paths of elements in the mechanism of integration of medical and disease prevention and the mediating effect of symbiotic models among symbiotic units, symbiotic environments, and effects for on this integration. Results: The path coefficient of symbiotic unit on the symbiosis model was 0.46 (p<.001), the path coefficient of symbiotic environment on symbiosis model was 0.52 (p<.001). The path coefficient of the symbiotic unit and environment was 0.91 (p<.001). The symbiotic models exhibited a partial mediation effect between symbiotic units and the effect of this integration. Sobel test = 3.27, β = 0.152, and the mediating effect accounted for 34.6%. Conclusions: It is suggested that Health policy-makers and public hospital managers should provide sufficient symbiotic units, establish collaborative symbiotic models, and improve the effects of integration of medical and disease prevention in public hospitals.

The objective is to describe infant feeding practices and the nutritional status of infants under six months among Syrian refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugee mothers with children under five years (July-October 2018), mothers with infants under six months were included in the analysis (n=114). Additionally, eleven focus groups discussions were conducted to explore supportive factors and barriers associated with early breastfeeding practices. The prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding was high (62.5%), whereas early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) was low (31%), and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) very low (24.6%). About one-fifth of the infants were suffering from anemia (20.5%) and 9.6% were wasted. Supporting factors of adequate infant feeding practices comprised knowledge on maternal nutrition and EBF, in addition to receiving support from healthcare professionals and family members. Identified barriers included preterm delivery, pre-lacteal feeding, an at-risk waist circumference and moderate to severe depression among mothers, bottle feeding, early introduction of food, maternal health reasons, breastmilk substitutes’ distribution, and misinformation offered by mothers-in-law. To address sub-optimal feeding practices documented among Syrian refugees in our study, existing infant and young child feeding policies and programs need to be strengthened and revised to tackle the identified gaps.

Lenalidomide-based regimens are effective treatment options for patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). However, they are associated with an increased risk of infectious complications. This study examines the clinical factors influencing the occurrence of infection in MM patients treated with lenalidomide and dexamethasone (Rd). A retrospective analysis of all patients who received the Rd regimen between 2017-2021 at our institution was performed. The study group consisted of 174 patients and the median age was 65 years. Most patients (n=110, 63.2%) received the Rd treatment in second-line treatment. The majority of patients (64.3%) received bortezomib-based regimens in the first line of treatment. The median progression-free survival was 12.6 (95% CI: 9.5 – 16.2) months, and the median overall survival was 22.3 (95% CI: 15.9 – 28.6) months. The overall response rate was 64.1%, 12.7% of patients achieved complete response and 20.4% had a very good partial response. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, hypoalbuminemia (OR 4.2, 95%CI:1.6-11.2, p= 0.0039), autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) before Rd (OR 2.6, 95% CI:1.0- 6.7, p= 0.048) and anemia grade ≥3 (OR 5.0, 95%CI: 1.8-14.0, p= 0.002) were independent factors related to the occurrence of infections. In conclusion, in this large cohort of RRMM patients, AHSCT before Rd regimen therapy, hypoalbuminemia and anemia during treatment were identified as three independent factors influencing the frequency of infections during Rd therapy. Patients with established risk factors may benefit from optimal supportive therapy.

In silico analysis is a promising approach for understanding biological events in complex diseases. Herein, we report an in silico analysis of the entire genome of virus ZikaSPH2015 strain, which was performed in order to identify the occurrence of specific motifs on genomic sequence of Zika Virus that is able to bind and therefore, sequester host’s Transcription Factors (TFs) as well as subsequently predict a possible interactions within host genome. Accordingly to obtained results of this original computational work-flow it is possible to hypothesize that these TFs Binding Motifs might be able to explain the complex and heterogeneous phenotype presentation in Zika Virus affected fe-tus/newborns, as well as the less severe condition in adults. Moreover, the proposed in silico protocol identified thirty three different TFs same as the distribution of TFBSs (Transcription Factor Binding Sites) on ZikaSPH2015 strain, potentially able to influence genes and pathways with biological functions confirming that this approach could find potential answers on disease pathogenesis.

β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate (HMB) is a bioactive metabolite formed from breakdown of the branched-chain amino acid leucine. Given the popularity of HMB supplements among different athletes, specifically, those who engage in regular resistance training, this review was performed to summarize current literature on some aspects of HMB supplementation that have received less attention. Because of the small number of published studies, it has not been possible to conclude the exact effects of HMB on cardiovascular parameters, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers. Thus, the interpretation of outcomes should be taken cautiously. However, the data presented here suggest that acute HMB supplementation may attenuate pro-inflammatory response following an intense resistance exercise in athletes. Also, the available findings collectively indicate that chronic HMB consumption in conjunction with resistance training has no more adaptive advantages associated with decreasing cardiovascular risk factors and oxidative stress markers. Taken together, there is clearly a need for further well-designed, longer duration studies to support these findings and determine whether HMB supplementation affects the adaptations induced by resistance training associated with body’s inflammatory condition, antioxidative defense system, and cardiovascular risk factors in humans.

An increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) had been found when individuals had consumed large amounts of processed meat and sausages at young age (Lauer, 2014). Furthermore it was found in many studies that MS patients had acquired a number of common childhood infections at higher ages than controls. Therefore, MS patients from an epidemiological long-term investigation in Germany and different hospital controls, were evaluated for a statistical interaction of these two factors. 324 MS patients and 242 hospital controls were inquired. The study focussed on age 0 - 16. Subjects were tested for additive interaction by multiple linear regression analysis (Knol et al., 2007). There was an additive interaction of the age at any common childhood infection with the consumption of scalded sausages (regression estimate = 0.1370; standard error = 0.0603; p = 0.0239). In contrast, no such interaction could be shown for: animal fats; smoked meat (e.g. ham and bacon); and cold - smoked German salami. Thus there was a synergy of the intake of scalded sausages (e.g. frankfurters, bolognas, etc.) and age at common childhood infections, for the later risk of MS.

Background: Bacterial/fungal coinfections (BFC) are associated with antibiotic overuse, poor outcomes such as prolonged ICU stay and increased mortality. Our aim was to develop machine learning-based predictive models to identify respiratory bacterial or fungal coinfections on ICU admission. Methods: Secondary analysis of two prospective multicenter cohort studies with confirmed influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 and COVID-19. Multiple logistic regression (MLR) and random forest (RF) were used to identify factors associated with BFC in the overall population and in each subgroup (influenza and COVID-19). Performance was assessed by area under the ROC curve (AUC) and out-of-bag (OOB) for MLR and RF, respectively. Results: Of the 8,902 patients, 41.6% had influenza and 58.4% had SARS-CoV-2 infection. The median age was 60 years, 66% were male and the crude ICU mortality was 25%. BFC was observed in 14.2% of patients. Overall predictive models showed modest performance with AUC of 0.68 (MLR) and OOB 36.9% (RF). Specific models did not show improved performance. However, age, procalcitonin, CRP, APACHE II, SOFA and shock were factors associated with BFC in most models. Conclusion: Machine learning models for predicting respiratory BFC in patients with pandemic viruses are not able to predict adequately. However, the presence of factors such as advanced age, elevated procalcitonin or CPR and high severity of illness should alert clinicians to the need to rule out this complication on admission to the ICU.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to develop a logistic regression model to predict post-operative in-hospital mortality rates for patients undergoing emergency cardiac surgeries, with the aim of improving predictive accuracy over traditional risk assessment tools and enhancing patient outcomes and clinical decision-making. Methods: Data were collected from 4,855 patients who underwent emergency cardiac surgeries at a tertiary hospital between 2008 and 2017. The analysis incorporated demographic, anthropomet- ric, and clinical factors, including the ASA classification, emergency status, and various preoperative laboratory values. A logistic regression model was developed, and the Elixhauser Comorbidity Index was calculated using standard ICD-10 codes for its comprehensive assessment of comorbidities. Model performance was evaluated using metrics such as AUROC, AUPRC, accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score. Results: The logistic regression model demonstrated strong predictive performance, with an AUROC of 0.939 and an AUPRC of 0.350. Key pre-operative factors identified included emergency operation status, ASA classification, and preoperative prothrombin time. The model significantly outperformed the traditional ASA classification system, which showed an AUROC of 0.524 and an AUPRC of 0.010. These findings suggest a substantial improvement in predicting post-operative mortality. Conclusion: The logistic regression model significantly improves the prediction of post-operative mortality in emergency cardiac surgeries compared to the ASA classification system. These findings highlight the potential of incorporating comprehensive pre-operative factors into predictive models to enhance clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Implementing such models in routine clinical practice could lead to more accurate risk assessments, better resource allocation, and improved patient care.

One of the main problems for managing global crises is to clarify and reduces drivers of systemic weaknesses to face complex emergencies. This study here analyzes the relation between public debt, healthcare expenditures and fatality rates in the presence of pandemic crises, such as COVID-19. Statistical evidence, based on a sample of European countries, here shows that high public debt over time reduces health expenditures and increases the vulnerability of countries to face emergencies, such as COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Regression analysis with a log-log model suggests that when European countries experience a 1% increase in healthcare expenditure per capita, in general they have a 1.2% reduction in the COVID-19 fatality rate. Main implications of this study to reduce the systemic risk and vulnerability to environmental threats are that countries must reduce public debt with good governance and institutions without reducing the allocation of economic resources to the healthcare sector in order to improve the preparedness to unforeseen emergencies and crises, such as pandemics, natural disasters, conflicts, and other environmental threats.

The CACCC-box motif emerges as a pivotal cis-regulatory element implicated in diverse developmental processes and diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study centers on the intricate interplay between the CACCC-box and its binding proteins such as: the Krüppel-like family (KLF) of transcription factors as primary effectors in the context of CVDs. Our analysis was through a bioinformatics approach, which reveal significant transcriptional activity among KLF subgroup 2, exhibiting the highest number of interactions focusing on the established roles: pluripotency, cancer, and cardiovascular development and diseases. Our analysis reveals KLF's interactions with GATA4, MEF2C, NKX2.5 and other ~ 90 potential genes that participate in the regulation of the hypertrophic environment (or CVD's Environment). Also, the GO analysis showed genes containing the motif CACCC were enriched for multiple CVD’s, in combination with STRING analysis these results pointed to a link between KLFs and these diseases. The analysis further identifies other potential CACCC-box binding factors, such as SP family members, WT1, VEZF1, and -SALL4, which are implicated in cardiac contraction, remodeling, and inflammation processes.

The aim of the study was to identify factors associated with non-adherence to tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment among contacts with latent TB infection of new cases of pulmonary TB cases reported in Catalonia in 2019-2021. All contacts aged 18 years or older with a latent TB infection who received a TB preventive treatment were included in the study. The Chi square test and the odds ratios (OR) were used to assess the association between non-adherence to TB preventive treatment and the study variables, considering a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to detect the in-dependent factors associated with TB preventive treatment non-adherence, considering a p < 0.05 as statistically significant. The percentage of non-adherence to TB preventive treatment found in this study was 23.7%. A multivariable logistic regression analysis determined that the following factors were significantly associated with TB preventive treatment non-adherence among adult contacts: “exposure at school or workplace” (aOR = 3.34), “exposure to an index case without laboratory confirmation of TB” (aOR = 2.07), “immigrant contact” (aOR = 1.81), “male gender” (aOR = 1.75) and “exposure duration <6 hours per week or sporadic exposure” (aOR = 1.60). By contrast, the factor “short-term TB preventive treatment regimen” (aOR = 0.38) was significantly associated with a lower treatment non-adherence. Adherence to TB preventive treatment should be improved among adult contacts of TB pulmonary cases with latent TB infection by recommending short-term treatment regimens and by developing health education activities, with a greater focus on contacts with factors associated with treatment non-adherence.

Aim of the study: To draw inferences from a retrospective evaluation of PSMA PET CT scans performed for the evaluation of biochemical recurrence. Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of 295 PSMA PET CT scans spanning 3 years between 2020 and 2022 was undertaken. Results: Of 295 PET CT scans, 179 were positive, 66 negative and 50 had indeterminate findings. In positive group, 67 had radical prostatectomy and PSMA avid lesions were seen most commonly in pelvic lymph nodes. Remaining 112 positive scans, in non-radical prostatectomy group; 25 had recurrence only in prostate, 17 had recurrence involving prostate bed; 28 had no recurrence in prostate gland, while 42 had recurrence in prostate as well as extra prostatic sites. Overall, in non-prostatectomy group, 75 % population was harbouring a PSMA avid lesion in prostate gland while in remaining 25% population recurrence did not involve prostate gland. Majority of indeterminate findings were seen in small pelvic or retroperitoneal lymph nodes or skeletal regions (ribs/others) and in 9 patients indeterminate focus was seen in the prostate bed only. Follow up PSMA PET CT was helpful in prior indeterminate findings and unexplained PSA rise. Conclusion: A higher recurrence in prostate bed while evaluating biochemical recurrence prompts us to think; whether prostatectomy should be offered more proactively? Follow up PSMA PET CT is helpful for indeterminate findings; a PSA rise of 0.7 ng/ml in 6 months can result in positive PSMA PET CT while negative scan can be seen upto 2ng/ml PSA rise in 6 months.

Human Perrault syndrome (PRLTS) is defined by autosomal recessive inheritance with primary ovarian insufficiency and early hearing loss. Most PRLTS disease proteins modulate mitochondrial transcription or translation. Among the genetic causes are ClpP mutations, which trigger also complete azoospermia, whose cellular and molecular underpinnings are unknown. Here, the ClpP-null mouse model was studied by global transcriptomics, proteomics, RT-qPCR, immunoblots, tissue fractionation, testis histology, and was crossed with STING/IFNAR mutants. Spermatogenesis showed accumulated early spermatocytes, versus deficits of desynapsis and kinetochore factors; excess Dazl/Stra8 and acetylSMC3, versus deficient SHCBP1L, were molecular correlates. Spermiogenesis showed few round spermatids, tsHMG/TFAM in elongated spermatids was absent; transcripts for tail/acrosome factors were downregulated from start. Nuclear anomalies included a failed Rec8 induction, early BRDT deficiency, histone H3 cleavage, and cGAMP increase, among antiviral responses typical of ClpP-mutants. However, deletion of downstream innate immune signals STING/IFNAR failed to reestablish fertility. As mitochondrial triggers, we observed accumulation of ClpX, with PTCD1, POLDIP2, GRSF1, ALKBH7, DNAJA3, AURKAIP1, VWA8, and Perrault proteins ERAL1, PEO1, HARS2, partially showing nuclear redistribution. ClpP-depletion is known to cause extra-mitochondrial release of mispacked mtDNA/mtRNA/protein complexes. Now we define nuclear inflammatory responses and meiotic arrest as consequences, similar to observations in mito-mice and mutator-mice.

Human Perrault syndrome (PRLTS) is defined by autosomal recessive inheritance with primary ovarian insufficiency and early hearing loss. Most PRLTS disease proteins modulate mitochondrial transcription or translation. Among the genetic causes are ClpP mutations, which trigger also complete azoospermia, whose cellular and molecular underpinnings are unknown. Here, the ClpP-null mouse model was studied by global transcriptomics, proteomics, RT-qPCR, immunoblots, tissue fractionation, testis histology, and was crossed with STING/IFNAR mutants. Spermatogenesis showed accumulated early spermatocytes, versus deficits of desynapsis and kinetochore factors; excess Dazl/Stra8 and acetylSMC3, versus deficient SHCBP1L, were molecular correlates. Spermiogenesis showed few round spermatids, tsHMG/TFAM in elongated spermatids was absent; transcripts for tail/acrosome factors were downregulated from start. Nuclear anomalies included a failed Rec8 induction, early BRDT deficiency, histone H3 cleavage, and cGAMP increase, among antiviral responses typical of ClpP-mutants. However, deletion of downstream innate immune signals STING/IFNAR failed to reestablish fertility. As mitochondrial triggers, we observed accumulation of ClpX, with PTCD1, POLDIP2, GRSF1, ALKBH7, DNAJA3, AURKAIP1, VWA8, and Perrault proteins ERAL1, PEO1, HARS2, partially showing nuclear redistribution. ClpP-depletion is known to cause extra-mitochondrial release of mispacked mtDNA/mtRNA/protein complexes. Now we define nuclear inflammatory responses and meiotic arrest as consequences, similar to observations in mito-mice and mutator-mice.

The mosaic disease in maize is caused by Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV), a member of the Potyviridae family. The best strategy to cope with viral infections is the use of disease-resistant maize lines. To better understand the resistance response to SCMV, we analyzed differentially expressed genes among a resistant line (CI-RL1), a susceptible line (B73), and the F1 progeny from a cross between both lines using RNA-Seq data. We also analyzed transcript expression pattern clustering to allocate previously reported resistance candidate genes. GO enrichment analysis of biological processes highlighted a strong regulation in ROS detoxification in both the susceptible and resistant lines. The enrichment of cellular components led to the identification of an integral component of the plasma membrane in the RL line. Transcript expression patterns provide evidence of the importance of host translation in virus response, showing the diverse and complex behavior of eIF4E homologs and the presence of eleven eEF1α factors in maize. In addition, we identified two genes putatively implied in long-distance movement: ZmPiezo and ZmPVIP1. Finally, we propose an ABC transporter to be associated with viral resistance.

There is evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by activation of the immune-inflammatory response (IRS) and compensatory immune-regulatory (CIRS) systems and lowered neuroprotection. Studies performed on antipsychotic-naïve first episode psychosis (AF-FEP) and schizophrenia (FES) patients are important as they may disclose the pathogenesis of the disease. However, the interactome of FEP/FES is not well delineated. The aim of the current study was to delineate the characteristics of the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of AN-FEP and its transition to FES and the biological functions, pathways, and molecular patterns, which are over-represented in FEP/FES. PPI network analysis shows that FEP and FEP/FES are strongly associated with a response to a bacterium, TNF, NFκB, RELA, SP1, JAK-STAT, death receptor and TLR4 signaling, and tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT proteins. Specific molecular complexes of the peripheral immune response are associated with microglial activation, neuroinflammation and gliogenesis. FEP/FES is accompanied by lowered protection against inflammation in part attributable to dysfunctional miRNA maturation, deficits in neurotrophin/Trk, RTK and Wnt/catenin signaling and adherens junction organization. Lowered neuroprotection due to reduced neurotrophin/Trk and Wnt/catenin signaling, and DISC1 expression and multiple interactions between lowered BDNF, CDH1, CTNNB, and DISC1 expression, increase the vulnerability to the neurotoxic effects of immune products including cytokines and complement factors. All pathways or molecular patterns enriched in the interactome of FEP/FES are directly or indirectly affected by LPS. In summary: FEP appears to be triggered by a biotic stimulus (e.g. Gram-negative bacteria) which may induce neuro-immune toxicity cascades especially when anti-inflammatory and neurotrophic protections are deficient.

This study aimed to examine the trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to determine the associated socioeconomic and household environmental factors among women in Nepal. Using nationally representative data from the 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016 cross-sectional Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHSs) (n = 33,507), the prevalence of overweight–obesity (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) among women aged 15–49 years were examined. From the latest NDHS 2016, non-pregnant women with recorded anthropometric measurements (n = 6165) were included in the final analyses. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to determine the socioeconomic and household environmental factors associated with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI ≥ 30. Between 1996 and 2016, the prevalence of overweight–obesity increased from 1.8% to 19.7%, while the prevalence of obesity increased from 0.2% to 4.1%. Age, marital status, wealth index, province of residence, cooking fuel, refrigerator, and bicycle were significantly associated with having both overweight–obesity and obesity. Similarly, educational status, religion, type of toilet facility, television, and mobile phone were significantly associated with having overweight–obesity. Given the alarming increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity among Nepalese women, there is an urgent need of interventions addressing these critical socioeconomic and household environmental factors.

Stakeholder input into the decision-making process when developing public health programs and policies is crucial. This article presents an innovative approach, involving online participation with a wide group of stakeholders located in different geographic locations, for policy consensus by research methodology. The results of the project have been used to propose assumptions regarding a strategy for preventing blood-borne diseases in Poland. The research was conducted iteratively using a multi-stage qualitative methodology to explore risk assessment involving blood-borne infections. The final output of the entire project is a list of key problems/challenges and solutions associated with medical and nonmedical services that are connected to the breakage of tissue continuity. Qualitative research is rare in risk assessment as priority is usually given to statistical data and end-points (quantitative studies ). Statistical data on health risk allows to assess the health implications, while the methodology applied also allowed diagnosis of the processes leading to these effects. In addition to policy preparation for blood-borne illnesses, the methodology employed in the study can also be used to successfully explore other areas of public health policy decisions.

The present study explained factors influencing citizen satisfaction service in the Investment and One-Stop Service Agency of Tanah Bumbu Regency. In particular, this research analyses the level of citizen satisfaction and the extent to which Awareness, Rules, Organizational, Income, Skill-Ability, and Service Facility Factor influence Citizen Satisfaction. This study uses a mixed methodology with a sequential explanatory strategy. Using the incidental sampling with Slovin's Formula to calculate the number of samples is 93 respondents. The quantitative data were analyzed by the SmartPLS 3.0 program. The findings showed that the level of citizen satisfaction is included in the category "Satisfied". Furthermore, the variable of Citizen Satisfaction is influenced by variables of Awareness, Rules, Organizational, Income, Skill-Ability dan Service Facility Factor for 70,5%. Whereas Awareness, Rules, Organizational, and Skill-Ability Factor has a significant influence on Citizen Satisfaction. Besides, Income and Service Facility Factor do not have a significant influence on Citizen Satisfaction.

In South Korea, landslides are caused by localized heavy rainfall and typhoons, which often occur in the summer season at natural slopes in mountainous areas and artificial slopes in urban surroundings. Flow-type landslides frequently occur in mountainous areas. To evaluate flow-type landslides, it is essential to identify the physical characteristics of soil, giving focus to the soil on the top layers of various types of slope. This study conducts a survey and an analysis of the characteristics of landslides that occurred in the study area with different geological conditions of granite and gneiss. The characteristics of soil in the area and its surroundings that have or have not undergone landslides for every geological condition is also evaluated. Based on these characteristics and a statistics method, it extracts the triggering factors, permeability coefficients (k), and shearing strength with cohesion (c) and internal friction angel (φ) of soils that are highly related to landslides around weathered soil layers. As a result, the permeability coefficients show significant relevance with void ratio (e), the effective size of grains (D10), and uniformity coefficient (cu), while the shearing strength with the proportion of fine-grained soil (Fines), uniformity coefficient (cu), degree of saturation (S), dry weight density (rd), and void ratio (e). By obtaining this result, the study uses the regression analysis to suggest models to estimate the permeability coefficients and shearing strength. For the gneiss area, the statistics-based estimation model (SEM) is proposed as k_gn = (1.488 × 10^-02 × e) + (1.076 × D₁₀) + (-1.629 × 10^-04 × c_u) - (1.893 × 10^-02) for permeability coefficients; cgn = (-0.712 × Fines) + (-0.131 × c_u) + 15.335 for cohesion; and φgn = (27.01 × r_d) + (-12.594 × e) + 6.018 for internal frictional angle of soils. For the granite area, the statistics-based estimation model (SEM) is proposed as kgr = (8.281 × 10^-03 × e) + (0.639 × D₁₀) + (-2.766 × 10^-05 × c_u) - (9.907 × 10^-03) for permeability coefficients; c_gr = (-0.689 × Fines) + (-0.0744 × S) + 18.59 for cohesion; and φ_gr = (33.640 × r_d) + (-0.875 × e) - 9.685 for internal frictional angle of soils. The use of statistics-based estimation models (SEMs) for landslide-triggering factors that trigger landslides will support the simple calculation of permeability coefficient and shearing strength (cohesion and internal frictional angle), only requiring information about the physical properties of soil at the natural slopes that have different geological features such as gneiss and granite areas.

Successful strategies that can contribute to poverty reduction and improve the livelihoods of the poor, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), are critically needed to address the technology adoption constraints. The objectives of this study were to assess the adoption rate of improved technologies and management practices and to identify the key factors influencing their adoption in the major wheat-producing areas of Sudan's irrigated, dry, and heat-prone environments. A farm survey was conducted in 2021 using a structured questionnaire that included all recommended technological options for optimum and sustainable wheat production. A total of 300 farmers, 93, 101, and 106 from Northern (NS), Kassala (KS), and Gezira (GS) states, respectively, were selected and interviewed. Besides descriptive statistics, a binary logistic model was used to identify the socioeconomic and production factors affecting farmers' perceptions of improved and recommended technological options. The study found a wide range of adoption rates depending on the specific technology practice and the area surveyed. The lowest adoption rate was observed for land preparation (6.5%) in NS. Adoption rates ranging from 26-100% were observed for technologies such as sowing date, seed rate, seed treatment, awareness of released varieties, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers application, and chemical weed control. The difference in the productivity of technological options adopters was significant (P = 0.015) compared to non-adopters. The binary logistic regression results showed that five out of seven explanatory variables hypothesized to influence wheat farmers' perceptions on the decision to adopt improved and recommended technologies significantly influenced farmers' decision to adopt the technologies. In particular, access to quality seed, financial credit, and extension services were found to be the most critical determinants of adopting improved technologies. Approaches that bring together all stakeholders along the crop value chain, including policymakers, to jointly analyze, identify, and prioritize challenges, develop and apply solutions and work plans using feedback and learning mechanisms are expected to increase farmer awareness and adoption of improved technologies, ultimately leading to sustainable wheat production.

The persistence of geographic inequities in vaccination coverage often evidences the presence of zero-dose and missed communities and vulnerabilities to vaccine-preventable diseases. These inequities were exacerbated in many places during the COVID-19 pandemic, due to severe disruptions to vaccination services. Understanding changes in zero-dose prevalence and associated risk factors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is, therefore, critical to designing effective strategies to reach vulnerable populations. Using data from nationally representative household surveys conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2018 and during the pandemic in 2021 in Nigeria, we fitted Bayesian geostatistical models to map the distribution of three vaccination coverage indicators: receipt of DTP1, MCV1 and any of the four basic vaccines (BCG, OPV0, DTP1 and MCV1), and corresponding zero-dose estimates independently at 1x1 km resolution and the district level during both time periods. We also explored changes in the factors associated with non-vaccination at the national and regional levels using multilevel logistic regression models. Our results revealed no increases in zero-dose prevalence due to the pandemic at the national level, although considerable increases were observed in a few districts. We found substantial subnational heterogeneities in vaccination coverage and zero-dose prevalence both before and during the pandemic, showing broadly similar patterns in both time periods. Areas with relatively higher zero-dose prevalence occurred mostly in the north and a few places in the south in both time periods. We also found consistent areas of low coverage and high zero-dose prevalence using all three zero-dose indicators, revealing areas in greatest need. At the national level, risk factors related to socioeconomic/ demographic status (e.g., maternal education), maternal access to and utilization of health services and remoteness were strongly associated with the odds of zero dose in both time periods, while those related to communication were mostly relevant before the pandemic. These associations were also supported at the regional level, but we additionally identified risk factors specific to zero dose in each region; for example, communication and cross-border migration in the northwest. Our findings can help guide tailored strategies to reduce zero-dose prevalence and boost coverage levels in Nigeria.

In order to better realize rural revitalization, this paper analyzes the spatial and temporal char-acteristics and influencing factors of agricultural surface source pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from the three perspectives of government, enterprise and agriculture by using the spatial Durbin model and the dynamic GMM method in the period of 2006-2021, and further re-searches the threshold characteristics of the distortion of the factor market on the agricultural surface source pollution under the different strengths of environmental regulation. The results show that there is a positive spatial correlation between agricultural surface pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and government environmental regulation, input factor market distortion and labor force transfer all have a significant impact on agricultural surface pollution. Among them, factor market distortion has a significant spatial spillover effect on agricultural surface pollution in the Yangtze River Economic Zone, and has a significant single-threshold ef-fect on environmental regulation. Accordingly, the government should strengthen environmental regulation, continuously improve the agricultural factor market mechanism, and pay attention to the construction of talents to provide support for rural revitalization.

Arrhythmic sudden cardiac death (SCD) has an annual prevalence of 1 per 1000 while 75% of the victims suffer from ischemic and 10% from non-ischemic or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Altogether, these three entities account for more than 80% of the total SCD victims. Guidelines for implantable cardiac defibrillators are still dominated by LVEF<30% from the MADIT II study. In terms of arrhythmic risk stratification, the PRESERVE-EF study restored in clinical practice the two-step arrhythmic risk stratification approach based on Electrocardiographic non-invasive risk factors (NIRFs) guiding to electrophysiological study. In our times with the multiple cardiac imaging methods and artificial intelligence applications availability, this two-step approach based on integrated arrhythmia mechanisms detection, emerges as an efficient SCD risk stratification paradigm for these three entities but also for the patients with congenital heart disease.

The presence of burnout, anxiety and depression among health professionals is a crucial issue that must be carefully addressed. The aim of the present study is to investigate levels of burnout, anxiety and depression among health professionals (medical and nursing staff) during the pandemic crisis, the association of burnout with anxiety and depression as well as the impact of occupational and demographic factors. One hundred twenty-five health professionals (medical and nursing staff) participated who were working in a public hospital in the broader area of Athens (sample of convenience). Specifically, 41 males and 84 females with the majority of them being in the category of 36-45 years of age. For the data collection, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the HADS questionnaire were used. The results showed that there was a statistically significant and negative correlation of emotional exhaustion to HADS total (r= -0,377, p=0,000) as well as HADS anxiety (r= -0,417, p=0,000). Also, there was a statistically significant and negative correlation of depersonalization to HADS total (r= -0,370, p=0,000) as well as HADS anxiety (r= -0,431, p=0,000). Moreover, there was a statistically significant effect (p<0,05) of occupational and demographic characteristics.

Surgical methods for treating spasmodic torticollis include denervation and myotomy (DAM) of the affected muscles, and deep brain stimulation (DBS). This study reports on the long-term efficacy, prognostic factors, safety, and hospitalization costs following these two procedures. We collected data from 94 patients with spasmodic torticollis, of whom 41 and 53 were treated with DAM and DBS, respectively, from June 2008 to December 2020 at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital. We used the Tsui scale and the global outcome score of the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) to evaluate the preoperative and postoperative clinical condition in all patients. We also determined the cost of hospitalization, prognostic factors, and serious adverse events following the two surgical procedures. The mean follow-up time was 68.83 months (range = 13–116). Both resection surgery and DBS showed good results in terms of Tsui (Z = -5.103, P = 0.000; Z = -6.210, P = 0.000) and TWSTRS scores (t = 8.762, P = 0.000; Z = -6.308, P = 0.000). Compared with the DAM group, the preoperative (47.71, range 24–67.25) and postoperative (18.57, range 0–53) TWSTRS scores in the DBS group were significantly higher (Z = -3.161, P = 0.002). We found no correlation between prognostic factors and the patient age, gender, or disease duration for either surgical procedure. However, prognostic factors were related to the length of the postoperative follow-up period in the DBS surgery group (Z = -2.068, P = 0.039; Z = -3.287, P = 0.001). The mean hospitalization cost in the DBS group was 6.85 times that found in the resection group (Z = -8.284, P = 0.000). The total complication rate was 4.26%. We found, both resection surgery and DBS, showed good results in the patients with spasmodic torticollis. Although DBS had a greater impact on the quality of life and the degree of pain relief, it was more expensive. Prognostic factors were related to the length of the postoperative follow-up period in patients who underwent DBS surgery.

Objectives: To develop a multivariate model for risk factors specific to early onset preeclampsia (EOP) and late onset preeclampsia (LOP) in our entire population (singleton and twin pregnancies). Material and methods: 20 year-observational population-based historical cohort study (2001-2020). All consecutive births delivered at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Hospitalier Sud Reunion’s maternity. A standardized validated epidemiological perinatal data base. Results: During the 20-year period, there were 81,834 pregnancies and 83,555 infants born, 1232 dichorionic and 350 monochorionic twin pregnancies. There were 2120 cases of preeclampsia, of which 2001preeclamptic singleton pregnancies and 119 twin pregnancies (incidence 7.5% in twin pregnancies vs 2.5% singletons, OR 3.0, p<0.001). Independent risk factors for EOP and LOP in a multivariate model (controlling for the two major confounders: namely maternal ages -both risks for EOP and LOP- and maternal pre-pregnancy BMI – specific risk factor for LOP) were: history of preeclampsia (aOR 11.7 for EOP, 7.8 for LOP, p < 0.0001), chronic hypertension (aOR 7.3 for EOP, 3.9 for LOP, p < 0.0001), history of perinatal death (aOR 2.2 for EOP, p < 0.0001 and 1.48 for LOP, p= 0.007), primipaternity (aOR 3.0 for EOP and 3.6 for LOP, p = 0.001), dizygotic twin pregnancies (aOR 3.7 for EOP, p < 0.0001 and 2.1 for LOP, p = 0.003), monozygotic twin pregnancies (aOR 3.98 for EOP, p = 0.003 and NS for LOP), ovulation induction (aOR 5.6 for EOP, p = 0.004 and NS for LOP), and in vitro fertilization (aOR 2.8 for EOP, p = 0.05 and NS for LOP). Specific to LOP and NS for EOP: renal diseases (aOR for LOP 2.9, p= 0.007) and gestational diabetes mellitus (aOR 1.2, p= 0.04). Conclusions: Maternal ages over 35 years, chronic hypertension , history of preeclampsia, ovulation induction, in vitro fertilizations, history of perinatal deaths and twin pregnancy (in our experience, especially mono zygotic twin pregnancies) are significant risk factors for EOP. New paternity is an independent factor for both EOP and LOP.

Evidence regarding the effect of psychological factors and evacuation on cardiovascular disease occurrence after large-scale disasters is limited. This prospective study followed up a total of 37,810 Japanese men and women aged 30–89 years from the Fukushima Prefecture with no history of stroke or heart disease at baseline (2012), until 2017. This period included 3000 cardiovascular events recorded through questionnaires and death certificates. The participants’ psychological distress, trauma reaction, and evacuation status were defined, and divided into four groups based on combinations of psychological factors and evacuation status. We calculated the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for only psychological, only evacuation, or both of them compared with neither using Cox proportional hazard models. Psychological factors along with evacuation resulted in approximately 5% to 25% higher magnitude of stroke and heart disease risk than psychological factors only among men. Compared to neither, the multivariable hazard ratios of those with both psychological distress and evacuation were 1.75 for stroke and 1.49 for heart disease, and those of both trauma reaction and evacuation were 2.01 and 1.57, respectively, among men. Evacuation combined with psychological factors increased the risk of stroke and heart disease risks especially in men after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the health care workers (HCWs) at the frontline have been largely exposed to infected patients, running an high risk of being infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study investigates the epidemiological, clinical and lifestyles characteristics that might play roles in the susceptibility of HCWs to COVID-19 in a hit Italian hospital. Methods:Demographic, lifestyle, work-related and comorbidities data of 1447 HCWs which underwent a nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 were retrospectively collected. For the 164 HCWs positive for SARS-CoV-2, data about safety in the workplace, symptoms and clinical course of COVID-19 were also collected. Cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was estimated. Risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection were assessed using a multivariable Poisson regression. Results: The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection among the screened HCWs was 11.33 (9.72-13.21). Working in a COVID-19 ward, being a former smoker (vs being a person who never smoked) and BMI were positively associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, whereas being a current smoker was negatively associated with this variable. Conclusions: Assuming an equal accessibility and proper use of PPE of all the HCWs of our Hospital, the great and more prolonged contact with COVID-19 patients remains the crucial risk factor for SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, increased and particular care needs to be focused specifically on the most exposed HCWs groups, which should be safeguarded. Furthermore, in order to limit the risk of asymptomatic spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the HCWs mild symptoms of COVID-19 should be considered when evaluating the potential benefits of universal staff testing

This article focuses on the current state-of-the-art in the area of cellular and molecular biotechnology for over-production of clinically relevant therapeutic growth factors and how the technology can be used for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). Transfected and irradiated protein packaging cell lines may be used as “cellular factories” for large-scale production of therapeutic proteins and pro-anabolic growth factors, particularly in the context of cartilage matrix regeneration. We discuss the potential for new innovations in regenerative medicine for degenerative diseases of synovial joints using mammalian protein production platforms, specifically protein packaging cell lines, for over-producing growth factors for cartilage tissue regeneration and give recent examples. Mammalian protein production platforms that incorporate protein packaging cell lines are superior to bacterial expression systems and are likely to have a significant impact on the development of new biological therapies for treating focal cartilage defects and more generally for the treatment of degenerative joint diseases such as OA.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have recently emerged as global infections with consequential disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. This study aimed to explore the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the occurrence of CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks throughout Barranquilla, Colombia during 2014 and 2016 and explored the potential for clustering. Incidence data were fitted using multiple Bayesian Poisson models based on a suite of explanatory variables as potential risk factors and multiple options for random effects. A best fit model was used to analyse the case incidence risk for both epidemics to identify any risk factors during their epidemics. Neighbourhoods in the northern region of Barranquilla were hotspots for the outbreaks of both CHIKV and ZIKV. Additional hotspots occurred in the south-western and central regions of the CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks, respectively. Multivariate conditional autoregressive models strongly identified higher socioeconomic strata (SES) and residing in detached houses as risk factors for ZIKV case incidences. These novel findings challenge the belief that these infections are driven by social vulnerability and merits further study both in Barranquilla and throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have recently emerged as global infections with consequential disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and economic burden. This study aimed to explore the spatiotemporal heterogeneity in the occurrence of CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks throughout Barranquilla, Colombia during 2014 and 2016 and explored the potential for clustering. Incidence data were fitted using multiple Bayesian Poisson models based on a suite of explanatory variables as potential risk factors and multiple options for random effects. A best fit model was used to analyse the case incidence risk for both epidemics to identify any risk factors during their epidemics. Neighbourhoods in the northern region of Barranquilla were hotspots for the outbreaks of both CHIKV and ZIKV. Additional hotspots occurred in the south-western and central regions of the CHIKV and ZIKV outbreaks, respectively. Multivariate conditional autoregressive models strongly identified higher socioeconomic strata (SES) and residing in detached houses as risk factors for ZIKV case incidences. These novel findings challenge the belief that these infections are driven by social vulnerability and merits further study both in Barranquilla and throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Background/Objectives: RAS is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), exacerbation of arterial hypertension and progression to heart failure, but remains frequently unrecognised in clinical practice. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies by pooling data of patients undergoing CAG due to suspected or stable CAD that received a bilateral renal artery angiography; Results: A total of 31 studies with 31,689 patients were included (mean age 63.2±8.7 years, 20.9% were female). Overall, 13.4% (95%CI 10.5-16.7%) of patients undergoing coronary angiography had significant RAS, with 6.5% (95% CI 4.5-8.9%) and 3.7% (95%CI 2.5-5.2%) having severe and bilateral RAS. The mean weighted proportion of patients with 3-vessel coronary disease (3VD) was 25.1 (95%CI 19.6-30.9%) while 4.2% (95%CI 2.6-6.2%) had leftmain (LM) coronary disease. Patients with RAS compared to those without RAS were significantly older (mean difference - MD 4.2 years, (95%CI 3.8-4.6). The relative risk of RAS was greater for the female sex (risk ratio, 95%CI; RR 1.3, 1.03-1.57), presence of diabetes (RR 1.2, 1.10-1.36), arterial hypertension (RR 1.3, 1.21-1.46), dyslipidemia (RR 1.1, 1.06-1.14), peripheral artery disease-PAD (RR 2.1, 1.40-3.16), chronic kidney disease-CKD (RR 2.6, 2.04-3.37), 3VD (RR 1.6, 1.30-1.87), and LM disease (RR 1.8, 1.28-2.47). Smoking had a neutral effect on the risk of RAS occurrence (RR 1.0, 0.94-1.06); Conclusions: RAS is common in patients undergoing coronary angiography. CKD, PAD, older age, and severe CAD were among the strongest predictors for the presence of significant RAS.

This study analyzed the relationship between contextual factors, personal factors, and entrepreneurial intentions of business area students from the perspective of the Theory of Planned Behavior. Data were collected using a questionnaire applied to 229 entering the courses, and the analysis was carried out using Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrated that: a) H1a: education had a positive influence on the choice of an entrepreneurial career, and b) H1b: business-friendly environments reinforce this choice, influenced by broader social and cultural support. This demonstrates that environmental, factors enhance cognitive factors and the intention to undertake. The results also showed that: c) H2c: the perception of abilities to start a business, and d) H2a: the favorable evaluation of choosing an entrepreneurial career, are determining elements of entrepreneurial intentions in the studied context. However, the negative relationship between e) H1c: government incentives and the ability to start a business, and f) H2b: the influence of social and environmental on entrepreneurial intentions requires attention from universities and governments in promoting environments conducive to entrepreneurship, the choice of an entrepreneurial career and the decision of young people to get involved in sustainable business projects. In conclusion, environmental and psychological aspects have positive and significant effects on the entrepreneurial career intentions of higher education students, opening space for governments and universities to promote student entrepreneurship with the sustainability business as beliefs and values.

This retrospective study aimed to compare risk factors for vascular calcification (VC) between pre-hemodialysis (HD) and prevalent HD adult patients while investigating associations with calcification biomarkers. Baseline data from 30 pre-HD and 85 HD patients were analyzed, in-cluding iPTH, vitamin D, FGF-23, fetuin-A, sclerostin and VC scores (Adragao method). Preva-lence of VC was similar in both groups, but HD patients had more frequent VC scores ≥6. Pre-HD patients were older, with higher prevalence of hypertension and less frequent use of calcium phosphate binders. Both groups showed similar patterns of hyperphosphatemia, low vitamin D, and iPTH. Fetuin-A levels were higher in pre-HD, while FGF-23 was elevated in HD patients. Higher VC risk in pre-HD patients was associated with male gender, older age, lower fetuin-A and higher sclerostin, lower ferritin and no vitamin D treatment, while in HD patients with higher sclerostin, FGF23 and urea, and lower iPTH. Conclusion. Progression of CKD from the pre-HD to the HD stage is accompanied by a decreased effect of the inhibitor and an increase in the promoter VC. However, mineral imbalance, hormonal regulation, treatment options, and patient-specific fac-tors should be considered. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying pathways.

Background: Fertility is a crucial component of population maintenance and growth. A declin-ing fertility trend has been observed over the past two decades, and it continues. Objective: The aim of this research was to examine the level of fertility knowledge, factors in-fluencing fertility knowledge, and the relationship between fertility knowledge and the decision to have a child. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of mothers in five hospitals on the Adriatic coast of the Republic of Croatia, involving 1541 mothers from September 2021 to De-cember 2023. The Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale was used for the research. Results: The participants were divided into two groups based on fertility status in women, spe-cifically the period of declining fertility in women. Group 1 included participants aged 18-31 with sustained fertility, and Group 2 included participants aged 32 and older experiencing de-clining fertility. Fertility knowledge was 58.9%. Women with higher educational status showed better results (62.3%). The most common sources of fertility knowledge were the healthcare sys-tem and the internet. Factors associated with the level of fertility knowledge included higher education, marital status, and higher economic status. Conclusion: The research results reveal a lack of fertility knowledge among participants, as well as an intention to have a child in later stages of life. The lack of formal education on this topic leads to information gathering from unreliable sources.

This study investigated how broader parental factors including parental happiness, parental play engagement, and parenting stress are related to Korean children’s happiness and weight status across three years via indirect pathways through the children’s energy-related behaviors of healthy and unhealthy food intake, physical activity, and screen time. Data from 1551 Korean parent pairs and 7-yaer-old children in the Panel Study on Korean Children were analyzed. Path analysis and gender-based structural equation modeling were conducted. Maternal happiness was negatively related to child screen time. Maternal play engagement showed positive concurrent associations with child healthy food intake and physical activity and negative associations with screen time. Maternal parenting stress was negatively related to child healthy eating. There was one significant finding related to fathers’ role on children’s energy-related behaviors, happiness, and weight status: the positive association between parental happiness and boys’ unhealthy food intake. Child screen time was positively related to child weight status and negatively to child happiness at each age. Broader maternal parenting factors can serve as a protective factor for childhood happiness and weight status in 7-to 9-year-olds through being associated with a reduction in child screen time.

Antimicrobial application of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), capped CNT, C60 fullerene, and C70 fullerene are increasing owing to their low cytotoxicity properties compared to other nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles. Enhanced mechanical property and antibacterial activity can be caused by incorporation of CNTs in 3-dimentional (3D) printed nanocomposites (NCs). Interruption of bacterial membrane resulting from cylindrical shape and high aspect ratio properties has been found as the prominent antibacterial mechanism of CNTs. However, unraveling interaction of CNT, capped CNT, C60 fullerene, and C70 fullerene with virulence factors of the main bacterial pathogenesis has not yet been known. Therefore, in the present study, interactions of CNT, capped CNT, C60, and C70 with the eight virulence factors including protein kinase A and ESX-secreted protein B of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, pseudomonas elastase and exotoxin A of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, alpha-hemolysin and penicillin binding protein 2a of Staphylococcus aureus and shiga toxin 2a and heat-labile enterotoxin of Escherichia coli have been evaluated by molecular docking method of AutoDock Vina. This study disclosed the binding strength followed the sequence CNT &gt; capped CNT &gt; C70 &gt; C60 towards alpha-hemolysin of S. aureus compared to other virulence factors with values of -19.6, -18.8, -13.6, and -12.8 kcal/mol, respectively. The lowest and highest binding affinity were found for CNT against 1TII and 1MWT by binding energy values of 97.4 and -20.1 kcal/mol. The stability of CNT-1MWT complex at the different times has resulted according to the normal mode analysis of elNémo and iMOD servers. Future studies should be focused on improving cellular uptake of CNTs, capped CNTs, C70, and C60 by surface functionalization for active targeting of bacteria.

(1) Background: Pedestrian injuries (PIs) represent a significant proportion of road traffic injuries. We aimed at investigating the incidence and mortality of PIs in different age groups and Socio-demographic Index (SDI) categories between 1990 and 2017. (2) Method: Estimates of age-standardized incidence and mortality along with trends of PIs by SDI levels were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease from 1990 to 2017. We also calculated forecasts until 2040. (3) Results: Globally, PIs incidence increased by 3.31% (–9.94 to 16.56) in 2017 compared to 1990. Men have a higher incidence of PIs than women. Forecasted incidence was 132.02 (127.37 to 136.66) per 100,000 population in 2020, 101.52 (65.99 to 137.05) in 2030 and reduced further to 71.02 (10.62 to 152.65) by 2040. Globally across all SDI categories, there was a decreasing trend in mortality due to PIs with the global estimated percentage reduction of 37.12% (–45.19 to –29.04). (4) Conclusions: The results show that PIs are still a burden for all SDI categories despite some variation. Although incidence and mortality are expected to decrease globally, some SDI categories may require particular attention in addition to specific vulnerable age groups. Further studies addressing incidence and mortality patterns in vulnerable SDI categories are needed.

Glioblastoma is a solid, infiltrating and the most frequent highly malignant primary brain tumor. Our aim was to find the prognostic value of mutations of IDH1, MGMT, EGFR, p53, ATRX, Ki67 genes and the correlation between sex, age, presenting with seizures, number of interventions, extent of resection with Overall Survival (OS), Progression Free Survival (PFS) and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score. A randomized retrospective analysis of 122 patients treated by a single operator at Sapienza University of Rome, was carried out. After surgery patients followed standard treatment Stupp protocol [6]. Exclusion criteria were: patients with primitive brainstem and spinal cord gliomas and patients who underwent partial resections (resection < 90%) and cases of brain biopsy exclusively for diagnostic purposes. Statistical analysis with a simultaneous regression model was carried on by SPSS 25 ® (IBM) program. Results showed statistically significant survival increase in four groups: 1) patients treated with gross total resection (p< 0.03); 2) patients with methylated MGMT promoter (p<0.005); 3) patients with non EGFR amplification or EGFRvIII mutation (p<0.035); 4) mutated IDH1/IDH2 (p<0.0161). Higher survival rates (but not statistically significant) were observed also in patients with: age < 75 years, Ki 67 <10%, lesions in non eloquent areas, ATRX gene mutation and presentation with seizures.

Previously we demonstrated, in rats, that the treatment with growth hormone (GH) and rehabilitation, carried out immediately after a motor cortical ablation, significantly improved the motor affectation produced by the lesion and induced the re-expression of nestin in the contralateral motor cortex. Here we analyze cortical proliferation after ablation of the frontal motor cortex and investigate the re-expression of nestin in the contralateral motor cortex and the role of the striatum and thalamus in motor recovery. The rats were subjected to ablation of the frontal motor cortex in the dominant hemisphere or sham-operated and immediately treated with GH or vehicle (V), for five days. At 1 dpi (days after injury), 5 rats received daily injections (4 days) of bromodeoxyuridine and were sacrificed. The other 15 rats (n = 5 / group) underwent treatment and rehabilitation and were sacrificed at 25 dpi. GH induced the greatest number of proliferating cells in the perilesional cortex. GH and rehabilitation produced the functional recovery of the motor lesion and increased the expression of nestin in the striatum. In the thalamic ventral nucleus ipsilateral to the lesion, cells positive for nestin and actin were detected, but this was independent of GH. Our data suggest that GH-induced striatal nestin is involved in motor recovery.

The analysis of the key factors which prevent or contribute to the promotion and development of the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in order to meet the sustainability goals represents an important issue which worth being investigated, especially in the situation in which entering in bilateral relations inside this contract has a powerful meaning in achieving new climate targets, developing and improving the use of green energy, and promoting a sustainable green economy. The main goal of this research is to identify and analyze the main factors which help or pre-vent the promotion and development of a PPA, in order to meet the sustainability goals by promoting a green economy. For this research survey based on comparative analysis, questionnaires and interviews with energy experts, Spearman’s correlation matrix and IBM SPSS Statistics for Window are also used. The results suggest that although there are positive interest and an open attitude towards the PPA from both sides (sellers and buyers), but there is still place for improvement, the lack of knowledge or the insufficient measures taken so far being two of the reasons way until now in Romania we do not have a developed PPA market and the level of knowledge regarding this type of mechanism is quite low.

Disturbed metabolism of vitamins B1 or B6, which are essential for neurotransmitters homeostasis, may cause epilepsy. Our study aims at revealing therapeutic potential of vitamins B1 and B6 in epilepsy by estimating effects of their combined administration on a seizure and its consequences in rats subjected to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). The PTZ dose dependence of a seizure and its parameters according to Racine’s scale along with delayed physiological and biochemical consequences next day after the seizure are assessed regarding sexual dimorphism in epilepsy. PTZ sensitivity is stronger in the female than male rats. Next day after a seizure, gender differences in behavior and brain biochemistry arise. The induced gender differences in anxiety, exploratory and locomotor activity correspond to disappearance of gender differences in the brain GABA, aspartate, alanine and serine, with appearance of those in glutamate, glutamine and tyrosine. PTZ decreases the brain malate dehydrogenase activity, glutamine and urea in the males, and phenylalanine in the females. Administration of vitamins B1 and B6 24 h before PTZ delays a seizure in female rats only. This desensitization is not observed at short intervals (0.5-2 h) between the vitamins and PTZ administration. With the increasing interval, the pyridoxal kinase (PLK) activity in the female brain decreases, suggesting that the PLK downregulation by vitamins contributes to the desensitization. Delayed effects of vitamins and/or PTZ are mostly gender-specific and interacting. Our findings on the gender differences in sensitivity to epileptogenic factors, action of vitamins B1/B6 and associated biochemical events have medical implications.

This paper presents the results of quantitative research regarding the examination of the levels of efficiency of the fire protection system and the training of employees in Electrical power distribution of Serbia for fire protection, ie the analysis of the manner of implementation of fire protection measures, and determining whether these measures are adequately applied. Following the subject set in this way, the aim of the research was set, and that is the scientific analysis of the manner of application of fire protection measures. The results of this research showed that the employees of Electro distribution Belgrade perceive the preparedness of their company highly positively and certain socio-demographic characteristics also affect certain attitudes, especially those related to the experience with fire, the knowledge of employees to react in case of fire, and the choice of the appropriate response, assessment of the readiness of the company and the employees themselves. It was found that knowledge of how to react in case of fire is influenced by gender and level of education; the choice of one of the methods of action in case of fire is influenced by gender; the assessment of the readiness of the employees themselves is influenced by the marital status; the desire of employees to participate in training to increase their preparedness for fires is influenced by gender. The results of the research can be used to improve the preparedness of employees in various organizations to respond to disasters caused by fires.

In recent years, many studies have reported that several distinct families of transcription factor (TF) genes play crucial roles in the response of plants to abiotic stress. Although some of these families got systematically studied in many species, little knowledge exists about these genes in oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.). In this study, 20 genes differentially expressed in the leaves of oil palm plants subjected to salinity or drought stress and encoding TFs belonging to four families of TFs - MYB, HD-ZIP, NF-Y, and HSFF - got selected for further characterization. The genes underwent a structural and functional annotation, besides having their RNA-Seq expression profile validated by the qPCR technique, and a correlation analysis of their response under both stresses got performed. The annotation analysis of the promoter region showed the presence of seven cis-acting elements, all already reported to be involved in plants' response to abiotic stress. The structural and functional characterization of the proteins encoded by the selected genes showed that some groups present patterns of conserved regions and are orthologs to genes already linked to salinity or drought resistance in other plant species. It was possible to confirm the RNA-Seq expression profile of 19 genes, only gene 4 showed the opposite response when using qPCR. Through correlation analysis, it was possible to observe a high level of similarity in the behavior of the 20 genes in response to drought or salinity stress, a behavior already reported in other species. The results presented here shed light on the role of 20 TFs in the leaves of young oil palm plants under severe levels of soil salinity or water deprivation. The high level of similarity in the molecular response to both stresses allowed the identification of genes that might grant strategies aiming to develop oil palm plants with a tolerance to both salinity and drought at once.

It is well known that the strong-evidence foodborne outbreaks of human campylobacteriosis are associated with the consumption of raw or incompletely thermally processed poultry meat, whereas broilers act as the main reservoir for Campylobacter species. Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the two main species of campylobacters detected in chicken meat, while they account for almost 90% of the reported cases of campylobacteriosis in humans. Over 80% of these cases are attributed to C. jejuni and about 10% of them are due to C. coli. Therefore, until recently the dominance of C. jejuni against all other Campylobacter spp. isolated from chicken meat samples was well established and unquestionable. Lately, however, C. coli has been increasingly recovered from chicken meat to such an extent that it is now evident that it often comprises the dominant species among the identified campylobacters in the meat samples. This work attempts for the first time a detailed review in the literature to deepen into this noteworthy epidemiological swift in the prevalence of C. jejuni and C. coli, along with the distribution of Campylobacter spp. in chicken meat. Factors such as the sampling method followed for screening campylobacters in broiler carcasses (e.g., swabs or carcass rinsates, skinned or skinless meat excised samples) and part of the animal carcass from which the sample is obtained (e.g., neck, breast, leg), seasonality of sampling (summer vs. winter) and environmental conditions (e.g., rainfall, relative humidity) at the farm level, the isolation procedure (enumeration or detection) and pathogen identification (biochemical or molecular), the enrichment and plating isolation media (e.g., Bolton vs. Preston broth, charcoal-based vs. chromogenic agars), as well as the biofilm-forming ability of different campylobacters, highlight the multivariate dimension of the phenomenon and are thoroughly discussed in the present review.

In the TANGO study, the long-term noninferior efficacy of switching to dolutegravir/lamivudine (DTG/3TC) compared to continuing tenofovir alafenamide–based regimens was demonstrated in treatment-experienced adults with HIV. However, there is limited real-world data comparing the effectiveness and safety of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (BIC/FTC/TAF) and DTG/3TC in Asia. This retrospective observational study, conducted at a designated HIV-care hospital from March 2019 to January 2023, aimed to address this gap. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data, including HIV viral loads and lipid profiles, were collected and analyzed. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with HIV RNA <50 copies/mL at week 48 in both groups, utilizing a snapshot, per-protocol–exposed population. A total of 1086 patients were included, with 511 in the DTG/3TC group and 575 in the BIC/FTC/TAF group. At week 48, 98% of patients in the DTG/3TC group and 94% in the BIC/FTC/TAF group achieved HIV RNA <50 copies/mL (p <0.01). Logistic regression analysis identified risk factors for detectable viral loads at week 48, including HIV RNA >100,000 copies/mL (AOR 5.13, 95% CI 1.42–18.53), low-level viremia (AOR 3.91, 95% CI 1.07–14.25), and record of virologic failure ≥2 times (AOR 4.21, 95% CI 1.64–10.85) before the switch. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the DTG/3TC and BIC/FTC/TAF regimens (AOR: 1.51, 95% CI 0.70–3.24). In conclusion, the study demonstrates that the effectiveness and safety profiles of DTG/3TC and BIC/FTC/TAF were comparable in treatment-experienced adults with HIV, particularly among those with undetectable viral loads at baseline.

In January and February 2001, El Salvador was hit by two strong earthquakes that triggered thousands of landslides, causing 1,259 fatalities and extensive damage. The analysis of aerial and SPOT-4 satellite images taken a few days after the events allowed us to map 6,491 coesismic landslides, which occurred in 14 study areas extending for about 400 km2. Four different Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) models were produced by using different covariate sets and landslide inventories, the latter containing the slope failures triggered by an extreme rainfall event of November 2009 and those induced by the earthquakes of 2001. Moreover, two validation scenarios were employed, including the 25% and 95% of the mapped landslides, respectively. The results of our experiment revealed that: (i) MARS algorithm provides reliable predictions of coesismic landslides; (ii) models calibrated with rainfall-induced landslides predict with acceptable accuracy landslides caused by deep earthquakes and distributed over vast areas; (iii) the best accuracy is achieved by models trained with both preparatory and trigger variables; (iv) a small portion of the landslides produced by an earthquake can be used to calibrate MARS predictive models that help to identify slopes where yet unreported landslides may have occurred.

Background: Maternal near-miss refers to a situation where a woman who nearly died but survived from severe life-threatening obstetric complications that occurred during pregnancy, childbirth or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy. It has been estimated that up to 9 million women survive obstetric complications every year. According to studies done around the world most mothers suffer from Near Miss due to the factors which includes, low socioeconomic status, patient related, health provider related, and health related and health institution related issues. Objectives: The objective of the study was to determine the proportion of maternal near misses and its associated factors in Selected Public Health Institutions of Keffa, Bench-Maji and Sheka Zones of South Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional state, South West Ethiopia, 2017. Methodology: Hospital based cross-sectional study design was employed and simple random sampling techniques (Lottery Method) was used to select the study institution and Systematic sampling technique was used to select 845 study participants every 5^th interval. Information was collected by using pre-tested and structured interviewer administered questioner. Using SPSS version 21 software, descriptive statistics and bivariate logistic regression analysis was done and variables with p-value <0.2 were transferred to multivariate analysis and during Multivariate logistic regression analysis Variables with P-value < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant and AOR with 95% CI were used to control for possible confounders and to interpret the result. The results were summarized by tables, graphs and charts. Result: There were 5530 Live Births, 227 Sever Acute Maternal Morbidity cases of this 210 were Maternal Near-Misses cases and 17 were maternal deaths, 364 Maternal Near-Misses Events. The overall Maternal Near-Misses Proportion is 24.85%. The maternal Near-Misses outcome ratio was 41 cases/1,000 live births (LB); mortality ratio was 12.35cases/1 maternal death and 74.8/1000LB of mortality index. Parity, residence, distance of living place from hospital, ANC Follow up, duration of labor, and administrative related problems were found to have statistically significant associations. Conclusion: The proportion of Maternal Near-Misses is relatively high when compared to other regional studies and efforts should be done to lower the near-misses.

Background: Breast cancer remains a significant health concern among women globally. Despite advancements in awareness and diagnostic techniques, it persists as a leading cause of death, with profound impacts on affected individuals' quality of life. Primary and secondary prevention, including regular screenings and practices like Breast Self-Examination (BSE), are pivotal in ensuring early diagnosis. The NHS in Italy offers screenings for women aged 50-69 every two years, managed by the Local Health Authority. However, the participation rates, especially among the Chinese female population residing in Italy, are not well-understood. Methods: Using a snowball method, we electronically disseminated a survey to investigate how Chinese women living in Italy engage with available NHS screening programs. The survey also explores their practice of BSE, the use and impact of technological tools on prevention, and aims to understand their depth of knowledge and misconceptions about breast cancer. Results: The data revealed a significant gap in breast cancer screening adherence and knowledge among Chinese women in Italy, with a notable discrepancy between the general population and those who have previously encountered cancer. Conclusions: The results highlight the urgent need for interventions that are culturally sensitive, stressing that these actions are not only desirable but essential.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been one of the leading causes of death and disability-adjusted life years lost worldwide. Blood pressure, lipid, and cholesterol are good predictors of CVD risk and correspond upon age and physical fitness. However, few studies have explored the variation trend of CVD risk factors across different populations upon age and their muscle strength. Objective: to analysis the variation tendency of CVD risk factors in blood according to age and relative grip strength among different populations. Method: 25363 participants were recruited in this cross-sectional study and 24709 were included in the analysis. A logistic regression and a Bayesian probabilistic analysis based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Modeling is conducted to build probability prediction models of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia according to age, relative grip strength, body weight conditions, and physical activity levels. Results: 1) age might be the main influence factor of hypertension, which is regarded as one of the primary CVD risk factors. However, although keeping a high level of physical activity might have positive effect on preventing hypertension because that individuals with normal body weight and higher physical activity shows a lower probability of being diagnosed with hypertension, it might could not prevent individuals from getting hypertension with age. 2) After 60, individuals of normal body weight seem more likely to have hyperlipidemia than those are overweight or obese. 3) Larger relative grip strength might not be able to offset the negative effects of obesity, overweight and physical inactivity on hyperlipidemia. 4) The probability of getting hypercholesterolemia varies less with age and relative grip strength. Conclusion: Body weight management and keeping high levels of physical activity are recommended at any age. It might benefit to increase some bodyweight after 60 years old.

Since December 2019, a rapid increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) cases was reported worldwide, despite strict infection control and lock down measures. Current paper investigated the actual facts behind this rapid increase in the number of cases. Study of genomic sequence reveals that domestic and wild animals were likely ancestors and zoonotic source for SARS-CoVs, MERS-CoVs, and SARS-CoV-2. Strong evidence suggest that these viruses already existed and replicated in animals and humans during past several decades, exhibiting diverse mutations, evolutions and self-limiting diseases, except during outbreaks. Serious zoonotic reservoir investigations are required to investigate animal transmission of SARS-CoVs and SARS-CoV-2 to limit current pandemic. This might be the reason of increasing number of cases via animals. SARS-CoV-2 has been retrospectively isolated in different studies in August 2019, several months before Wuhan announced. Hence, there is a possibility that viruses existed, went undetected, infecting subclinically, in past several years, and SARS-CoV-2 antigens and neutralizing antibodies may have been present in humans since long time. This might be another reason of increasing number of cases by screening as mass screening and antigen or antibody testing was not carried out in the past years. Randomized controlled trials are required to investigate human to human transmission by touch, as the current evidence is limited with conflicting results. As all SARS-CoVs are basically respiratory viruses, droplet precautions and infection control measures are essential, especially for hospital staff. Increased number of SARS-CoV-2 asymptomatic, or subclinical cases are detected worldwide. This silent phase of transmission can be beneficial for humans. Lack of symptoms eventually lessen virus transmission and reduce the pathogen's long-term survival and provide humoral herd immunity up to several years. Hence, seropositivity with diverse antibodies develops against mutating SARS-CoVs which will confer strong immunity during epidemics. Strategies such as identification, contact tracing and quarantine are costly and practically difficult. Hence, asymptomatic persons can continue their work with droplet precautions and standard infection control procedures, while symptomatic or sick persons can isolate themselves in their homes without the need for strict quarantine until clinical recovery, with reduced hospital visits and minimizing chances of hospital acquired infections. RT-PCR has low sensitivity and specificity, carries a high risk of handling live virus antigens, and requires difficult protocols. As viral load also sharply declines after few days of onset of infection, this technique might overlook infection. Furthermore, SARS-CoV-2 infection may be present in blood when oropharyngeal swabs are negative by RT-PCR. Additionally, RT-PCR usually gives false negative and false positive results and must be interpreted cautiously. This might be again a reason of increasing number of cases by false positive RT-PCR reporting. Moreover, antibodies against SARS-CoVs develop robustly in serum even by reduced amount of antigens. In contrast to RT-PCR, ELISA for diagnosing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 demonstrates 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity, even in clinically asymptomatic individuals. These antibodies can be used for serologic surveys, monitoring and screening. However, screening tests for SARS-COV-2 should be avoided in unhygienic public places by nasopharyngeal swabs, which carry a high risk of further transmission, co-infection or superinfection. Such highly infectious virus must be isolated and tested in highly sterilized laboratory. Further strict international laws and policies are required to stop the possible spread of experimental viruses, biological warfare and bioterrorism.

This aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between lifestyle factors, insulin resistance, and male fertility in 73 men with and without insulin resistance. The participants were divided based on insulin resistance status. Their physical activity, diet, perceived stress, sleep quality, libido level, and the duration of sexual abstinence were assessed on the basis of a number of parameters, including indices proposed by the authors. The results highlighted associations between a number of parameters, i.e., micronutrient and vitamin intake, diet quality, body composition, insulin resistance, and the duration of sexual abstinence, and semen quality, as measured by sperm motility. Significantly, the presence or absence of insulin resistance was linked to male fertility. A multivariate model was developed, incorporating parameters such as the Matsuda index, vitamin intake, and sexual abstinence duration, to predict motility scores. The study underscores the negative impact of modern civilization’s lifestyle choices on male fertility. Notably, vitamin and mineral consumption, especially from antioxidant-rich diets like the Mediterranean diet, emerged as key modifiable factors affecting fertility. Routine diagnostics for insulin resistance in fertility-related interventions is recommended. The study also highlights the importance of considering sexual abstinence duration during semen collection for accurate diagnostic results. Future research should focus on validating the proposed multivariate model and exploring the effects of lifestyle modifications, particularly vitamin supplementation, on fertility outcomes in men, especially in the context of insulin resistance.

How the subculture and marginalized community have become the leading sectors in the egalitarian and inclusive creative economy is a growing issue and still needs elaboration. One of the subculture phenomena that happened recently in one of Southeast Asia's countries is known as Citayam Pop-up and Makeshift Fashion Week (CFW). Then this paper aims to elaborate on how the CFW can contribute and play a significant role in the development of an egalitarian and inclusive creative economy. The current CFW was not developed instantly, yet it is through the complexities of push and pull factors that are very typical among SE Asian marginalized people that led to the onset of SE Asian subculture, particularly among the youth. Driven by finding their self-identity, wanting to belong, and combined with economic, family, and peer pressures, this group of suburban youth, at the beginning, find a corner of a city in the middle of the business district as a medium to express their identity in the form of CFW. As a result and in lieu of growing discourses, the CFW has boosted local economic growth, and the adolescents who participated in the CFW have also received endorsement from a startup business for marketing certain teen products. In the long term, the mutual relationships created can lead to job opportunities

To explore cast HEAs reinforcement by MC carbides three equimolar CoNiFeCrC alloys without or with Carbon and either hafnium or tantalum were investigated. Their microstructures were specified and tests at 1100°C in oxidation by air and flexural creep tests were carried out. The HEAbase was single–phased. The HEAhfc and HEAtac contained eutectic script HfC and TaC carbides respectively, in the interdendritic spaces. After oxidation for 50h at 1100°C all alloys were covered by a (Cr,Mn)2O3 scale with various proportions in Cr and Mn. HfO2 or CrTaO4 also formed. The subsurface was depleted in Cr and especially in Mn. The HEAbase alloy deformed quickly. The MC carbides greatly improved the creep resistance, and divided deformation by five to ten times.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to compare croup management patterns between pediatricians and emergency medicine (EM) physicians to enhance pediatric emergency care and inform the training of future specialists. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for 1,676 children diagnosed with croup who visited a single pediatric emergency department (PED) from March 2019 to February 2023. Patient characteristics, management patterns, and the impact of physician specialty on emergency care were analyzed. Results: EM physicians used injected dexamethasone monotherapy more frequently, whereas pediatricians favored combined use of nebulized epinephrine and dexamethasone. Pediatricians also prescribed oral antibiotics and corticosteroids at discharge more often. The appropriate use of nebulized epinephrine based on the Westley Croup Score was significantly higher in the EM physician group. Despite these differences, there were no significant disparities in PED length of stay or revisit rates within 48 hours. Conclusions: EM physicians adhered more closely to clinical guidelines for croup management. These findings underscore the need for standardized, evidence-based pediatric emergency care and provide valuable insights for training programs in this field.

Phase errors in magnetic resonance (MR) techniques, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), pose significant challenges to data accuracy and interpretation. As MR technologies advance, the demand for more sophisticated phase correction methods continues to grow, enhancing diagnostic precision and analytical outcomes. This review explores the evolution of phase correction models, beginning with simple global phase shifts, progressing through traditional linear statistical models, and culminating in modern machine learning techniques—specifically, neural networks. We also examine a range of optimization functions and optimizers, including both MR data-specific and common statistical approaches, applied in phase error correction. Despite notable progress, challenges remain in developing fully automatic phase error correction methods, particularly given the absence of ground truth in real-world MR data. This review highlights key methods, discusses their limitations, and proposes future pathways, including ensemble learning, that could guide further innovation in phase error correction.

Light pollution of the night sky is a phenomenon increasingly observed around the world and reported in the form of thematic maps. The major contributor to light pollution is ill-adjusted or inappropriately designed artificial lighting by outdoor light sources. The phenomenon occurs mainly over urban areas, but affects both the urban environment and the areas adjacent to it. The problem of excessive artificial light emission at night and the negative effects it causes has already become so serious and global in its impact that effective and comprehensible methods of cartographic presentation of this phenomenon have been explored. The literature on the subject provides examples of how to present the results of measurements of light pollution of the night sky, but these have been developed using different colour scales, often in discretionary ranges and units of measurement. This paper presents an overview of the measurement scales and units found in the literature to describe the phenomenon of light pollution that obscures the night sky. A proposal of the author’s color scale for the presentation of the phenomenon was proposed and shown by example. The differences between measurement scales and how they affect interpretation of results are discussed. Furthermore, a recommendation is made for a standardised method of cartographic visualisation of the spatial distribution and presentation of light smog measurement results.

The increasing global demand for biodiesel is due to the urgent need to replace mineral diesel with a fuel based on renewable energy sources. In this scenario, biocatalysis stands out as an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical catalysis. When associated with the use of immobilized enzymes, which allow their reuse in the process of obtaining biofuel, this approach makes production sustainable and reduces costs. In this sense, we investigated the use of the lipase produced by an Amazonian endophytic fungus in immobilized form as a biocatalyst in the transesterification of waste cooking oil for biodiesel production. The fungus Endomelanconiopsis endophytica QAT_7AC demonstrated high production of lipase. The lipolytic extract was precipitated in ethanol, which increased the specific enzyme activity by 28%. The lipolytic extract and the precipitated lipolytic extract were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. Immobilization efficiency was over 89%. The immobilized biocatalysts showed thermal stability (30-50 °C) and were used in the production of biodiesel using waste cooking oil and ethanol. It was possible to reuse them for up to four reaction cycles, with yields greater than 70%. These results prove the efficiency of immobilized biocatalysts in the production of ethyl esters from waste oils.

Glycogen, a branched polysaccharide organized into glycogen granules (GGs), is delivered from the cytoplasm to the lysosomes of hepatocytes by the STBD1-driven selective autophagy (glycophagy). Recently, we developed Komagataella phaffii yeast as a simple model of GG autophagy and found that it proceeds non-selectively under nitrogen starvation conditions. However, another group, using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model, found that glycogen is a non-preferred cargo of the nitrogen-starvation induced bulk autophagy. To clarify cargo characteristics of K. phaffii GGs, we used the same glycogen synthase-based reporter (Gsy1-GFP) of GG autophagy in K. phaffii, as was used in S. cerevisiae. The K. phaffii Gsy1-GFP marked GGs and reported on their autophagic degradation during nitrogen starvation, as expected. However, unlike in S. cerevisiae, glycogen synthase-marked GGs were delivered to the vacuole and degraded there with the same efficiency as a cytosolic glycogen synthase in glycogen-deficient cells suggesting that glycogen is a neutral cargo of bulk autophagy in K. phaffii. We verified our findings with a new set of reporters based on the glycogen-binding CBM20 domain of human STBD1. The GFP-CBM20 and mCherry-CBM20 fusion proteins tagged GGs, reported about autophagy of GGs and confirmed that GGs in K. phaffii are neither preferred, nor non-preferred substrates of bulk autophagy. They are its neutral substrates.

This case represents the association between the presence of large fibroid tumor and pulmonary embolism in 47-year-old women. We highlight the diagnostic investigations and treatment methods for PE, followed by further evaluation of the underlying explanation of this pathology and eliminating other related risk factors.

The connection between a prefabricated reinforced concrete column and a pocket foundation is a case treated from a general perspective in the European Standard named EN 1992-1-1, and when the structural engineer deals with the dimensioning or verification of the connection, he tackles several unknowns. The present work aims to fill in the missing information by presenting detailed calculation models based on the strut-and-tie method for 4 of the widely used pocket foundations: pedestal pocket foundation with smooth, rough or keyed internal walls, and pad foundation with pocket possessing keyed internal walls. Additionally, detailed design prescriptions applicable to seismic areas are given. Afterwards, as a case study, a pocket foundation is designed in all 4 variations, having the structural design particularities, similitudes and differences pointed out. Finally, to conclude the advantages and disadvantages are mentioned for pocket foundations in respect to the type of internal wall surface used. Quantifiable data based on the case study undertaken is available.

The encapsulation of bacteria in emulsion droplets offer various advantages over other conventional methods of encapsulation such as improvement in bacterial viability and may served as microenvironments for bacterial growth. Nevertheless, changes in temperature may affect bacterial viability and droplet stability. In this study, the encapsulation of bacteria in single water-in-oil (W/O) and double water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2) emulsions was investigated under cold storage with a study on temperature-modulated release. The microencapsulation of bacteria in emulsion droplets was achieved by using a flow-focusing microfluidic device. Droplets stability was determined by measuring changes in droplets size and creaming behaviour at different temperatures. Thermal properties of the samples were determined by using differential scanning calorimetry while the release of bacteria with change in temperature was determined by measuring colony form unit (CFU) of the released bacteria and fluorescence microscopy. Higher bacterial viability was observed for encapsulated samples as compared to free cells indicating the ability of emulsion system in improving the bacterial viability during cold temperature storage. Crystallization temperature was lowered in the presence of bacteria, but the melting temperature was similar with or without bacteria. Storage in freezing temperatures of -20°C and -80°C leads to an extensive droplet destabilization with immediate release of encapsulated bacteria upon thawing in which temperature modulated release of encapsulated bacteria was achieved. This study provides an overview of the potential application of emulsion droplets for encapsulation and controlled release that is beneficial for various applications such as food and pharmaceuticals.

Anaerobic digestion has the potential to convert organic waste materials into valuable energy. At the same time, using press water from biomass materials for energy generation, while taking advantage of the resulting cake for other purposes is an emerging approach. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the residual potential expected from a typical biogas feedstock in the West African context after it has been mechanically separated into liquid and solid phases. Hence, in this study, the rumen contents of ruminants (cow, goat and sheep) and their proportionate ratios were obtained from an abattoir in Ghana. Resource characterisation of the waste samples were carried out in the Central laboratory of the HFR, Germany. Anaerobic batch tests for biogas (biomethane) yield determination were set-up using the Hohenheim Biogas Yield Test (HBT). Inoculum used was obtained from an inoculum production unit at the Hohenheim University biogas laboratory. The trial involved two different forms of the sample: mixture of rumen contents, press water, and inoculum, each in four (4) replicates. The trial was carried out at a mesophilic temperature of 37°C. Results obtained over a seventy (70) day period were transformed into biogas yields. Overall, the results show that the current contents are suitable for biogas generation as an option, as opposed to the current form of disposal at a refuse dump. However, using these mixtures in their original forms is more technically viable than using press water without further treatment.

Background/Objectives: Actual urate-lowering therapies may cause serious side effects in patients. Thus, alternative treatments are needed to regulate uric acid (UA) levels in patients with hyperuricemia associated with kidney injury, and natural sources have demonstrated utility in this field. For the first time, our study evaluated the effects of an extract of Dactylopius opuntiae insects on hyperuricemia related to renal dysfunction in vitro and in mice. Methods: Insects were bred and collected, and two different extracts (D1 and D2) were obtained. For both extracts, xanthine oxidase (XO) and radical inhibitory assays were performed. Subsequently, serum purine levels and renal markers were quantified in male BALB/c mice who received potassium oxonate, hypoxanthine, and gentamicin. Results: The D2 extract contained 18,037.7 µg of carminic acid/mL, inhibited 53.2% of XO activity at one concentration, and showed IC50 values of 18,207.8 and 5729.6 µg/mL against ABTS and DPPH radicals. D2 administration reduced serum UA and creatinine levels, and it avoided the increased kidney weight and reduced renal antioxidant capacity caused by hyperuricemia and allopurinol use in mice. Despite the satisfactory results obtained in vitro, the D1 extract killed the animal models due to its citric acid content. Conclusions: The D2 insect extract can be used as an effective therapy for hyperuricemia associated with kidney dysfunction.

This paper focuses on the long-standing issue of galactic rotation, i.e. the discrepancy between observed rotation rates and predictions based on Newtonian gravity. While Newton's law holds within the solar system, it fails to explain the higher-than-expected rotation speeds of galaxies, particularly at greater distances from their centers. This study finds that Newton's gravitational formula applies only when gravitational lensing has a negligible impact. We examine the gravitational force on objects farther from the galactic center, where the lensing effect of a supermassive black hole becomes significant. This lensing causes the actual gravitational force to exceed Newtonian predictions, with the discrepancy increasing with distance. This effect offers an alternative explanation for the galactic rotation curve without the need for dark matter. Our findings suggest that Newton's formula requires revision to account for gravitational lensing, a key factor in understanding galactic dynamics and its broader cosmic implications.

This study investigated whether quantitative MRI and histology of the prostate reveals differences between races that can affect diagnosis. Cancer signal enhancement rate (α) on DCE-MRI was significantly higher for African Americans (AA) compared to Caucasian Americans (CA). Signal washout rate (β) was significantly lower in benign tissue in AAs and significantly elevated in cancers in AAs. However, no significant differences were found for ADC and T2. ROC analysis showed that ADC and T2 are slightly less effective in AA compared to CA. DCE significantly improves the differentiation of PCa from benign in AAs (α: 52%, β: 62% more effective in AA compared to CA). Histologic analysis showed cancers have a greater proportion of epithelium and lower lumen in AA compared to CA. This study shows that the different races have different quantitative MRI values and histologic makeup. Quantitative DCE-MRI is highly effective and improves PCa diagnosis in African Americans.

Enhancing the acoustical quality in learning environments is mandatory, especially for Hearing Aids (HAs) users. When in-field evaluations cannot be performed, Virtual Reality (VR) can be adopted for the acoustical quality assessment of existing and new buildings, contributing to the acquisition of subjective impressions in lab settings. To ensure an accurate spatial reproduction of the sound field in VR also for HAs users, multispeaker-based systems can be employed to auralize a given environment. However, most systems are effortful due to costs, size and construction. This work deals with the validation of a VR-system based on a 16-speaker-array synced with a VR-headset, arranged to be easily replicated in small non-anechoic spaces and suitable for HAs users. Both objective and subjective validations are performed against a real university lecture room of 800 m3 and with 2.3 s of Reverberation Time at mid-frequencies. Comparisons of binaural and monoaural room acoustic parameters are performed between measurements in the real lecture room and its lab reproduction. To validate the AudioVisual experience, 32 normal-hearing subjects were administered the Igroup Presence Questionnaire (IPQ) on the overall sense of perceived presence. The outcomes confirm that the system is a promising and feasible tool to predict the perceived room acoustical quality.

Specific strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus can cause acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), a critical issue in shrimp aquaculture despite the application of several control strate-gies. The use of antibiotics is now restricted due to increasing bacterial resistance and overuse. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have shown potential in shrimp aquaculture, with applications in boosting immunity against certain types of pathogens, promoting growth, and improving sur-vival rates. However, an economically viable solution that protect the organisms has not been found, which is why the search for nanoparticles synthesized with plant extracts is necessary to generate environmentally friendly control strategies. In this study, we synthesized AgNPs from Larrea tridentata extract and administered them orally with feed over a 35-day period. Shrimps fed with AgNPs-enriched diets showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in mRNA expression of immune-related genes (CTL-5, MNK, SR, and GILT), particularly within the first 24–48 hours. No significant differences were observed in growth rates, but survival rates in a challenge against V. parahaemolyticus exceeded 85%, higher than the control group. Based on our findings and previ-ous literature, L. tridentata can effectively promote the synthesis of AgNPs and shows potential as an antimicrobial agent, without affecting the growth or survival of treated shrimp.

Cannabis sativa is known for producing over 120 distinct phytocannabinoids, with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) being the most prominent, primarily in their acidic forms. Beyond Δ9-THC and CBD, a wide array of lesser-known phytocannabinoids, along with terpenes, flavonoids, and alkaloids, demonstrate diverse pharmacological activities, interacting with the endocannabinoid system (eCB) and other biological pathways. These com-pounds, characterized by phenolic structures and hydroxyl groups, possess lipophilic properties, allowing them to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) effectively. Notably, their antioxidant, an-ti-inflammatory, and neuro-modulatory effects position them as promising agents in treating neu-rodegenerative disorders. While research has extensively examined the neuropsychiatric and neuroprotective effects of Δ9-THC, other minor phytocannabinoids remain underexplored. Given the well-established neuroprotective potential of CBD, there is growing interest in the therapeutic benefits of non-psychotropic minor phytocannabinoids (NMPs) in brain disorders. This review highlights the emerging research on these lesser-known compounds and their neuroprotective potential. It offers insights into their therapeutic applications across various major neurological conditions.

Objective: The study aims to evaluate the correlation between 68Ga-PSMA uptake in PSMA PET/CT in primary prostate cancer (PC) and its histopathological grading (Gleason Score and ISUP grade). Additionally, we compared preoperative biopsy histopathological findings with definitive pathology results in radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 86 patients who underwent 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT for primary PC staging, of which 40 patients later underwent radical prostatectomy. PET/CT results, including SUVmax values, were correlated with GS and PSA concentrations. Histopathology reports were analyzed and compared between biopsy and final pathology results following RP. Results: A significant positive correlation was observed between SUVmax and ISUP grades (Pearson's ρ = 0.34, p < 0.001), with higher SUVmax values associated with more advanced grades. A cut-off SUVmax value of 5.64 was determined to predict upstaging in patients, yielding a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 60% (AUC = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70–0.94). Additionally, 57.5% of patients experienced a grade shift following RP, with a 35% upgrade and 22.5% downgrade in ISUP grades. Conclusion: 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT demonstrated high sensitivity in detecting high-risk prostate cancer, particularly in patients with GS > 7 or PSA levels ≥ 10 ng/ml. The findings suggest that this imaging modality may be less effective for staging of patients with lower GS or PSA values, that is low-risk PCa. Further prospective studies are necessary to validate these results.

Climate change is significantly reshaping global and regional climates, with profound impacts on local microclimates and agricultural productivity. This study investigates the effects of climate change on regional microclimates and examines how these shifts influence agricultural output, focusing on case studies from vulnerable regions. Utilizing secondary climate data from international agencies, this research applies statistical techniques, including time series analysis, correlation analysis, and extreme value theory, to assess changes in temperature, precipitation, and other environmental factors. The study employs spatial analysis to explore the geographic variability in these effects, and regression models to quantify the relationship between climatic changes and crop yields. Preliminary results indicate a marked shift in microclimate patterns, with significant consequences for farming practices, particularly in regions reliant on climate-sensitive crops. The findings underscore the need for adaptive strategies in agricultural sectors to mitigate the risks posed by climate change. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and farmers, emphasizing the importance of localized climate data in developing sustainable agricultural frameworks.

In the dynamic landscape of online shopping, predicting user behaviors such as clicks, cart additions, and orders is crucial for optimizing sales strategies. Traditional recommendation systems often focus on a single objective, limiting their effectiveness in a multifaceted e-commerce environment. This article proposes a multi-objective recommendation system that leverages previous events in user sessions to forecast these key metrics, addressing challenges such as imbalanced positive and negative samples, varying session lengths, and the need for effective sampling techniques. Our approach integrates LightGBM, XgBoost, and Recbole GRU4Rec through ensemble learning, combining the strengths of these models to enhance prediction performance. Extensive evaluations demonstrate that our model outperforms existing methods, offering significant improvements in accuracy and robustness. This work provides a comprehensive solution for online retailers to better predict user behaviors and optimize their sales strategies, ultimately enhancing customer satisfaction and business outcomes.

Retinal diseases are an important focus of in vivo gene therapy, for which adeno-associated virus is a preferred vector. Intravitreal injection is a highly desirable delivery route because it is much simpler, safer and inexpensive than the main alternative subretinal injection. However, existing capsids have low efficiency, require high doses and are susceptible to neutralization by antibodies that are present in the vitreous. Using AAV5 as starting material, we applied a combination of directed evolution and rational design to develop PT1, a novel AAV capsid capable of efficiently transducing the retina after intravitreal injection. The most striking property of PT1 is its remarkable ability to evade preexisting neutralizing antibodies, thanks to its multiple mutations spread over large areas of the capsid surface, disrupting several epitopes. Our results suggest that PT1 has a strong potential as a useful candidate capsid for human retinal gene therapy.

Understanding the relationship between urban fabrics and sustainability is critical for addressing contemporary urban challenges. Urban fabrics contain information that reveals the performance and spatial heterogeneity of urban systems. This study evaluates the variability and spatial patterns of sustainability indicators across different urban fabric typologies in Cuenca, Ecuador. Using a 150-radius hexagonal grid covering the study area, 30 sustainability indicators are assessed in this study, exploring their spatial patterns and relationships with urban fabrics trough spatial and statistical analyses and visualization techniques. Results reveal significant variability among urban fabrics, with built environment indicators playing a dominant role in overall sustainability. There is evidence of marked spatial heterogeneity, with inner-core areas showing higher sustainability, while fringe expansion areas lag, and transitional areas also identified. Spatial clusters of high or low sustainability fabrics tend to be homogeneous, whereas mid-range sustainability fabrics exhibit greater heterogeneity. This quantitative evidence highlights hidden patterns in urban morphology and sustainability, offering valuable insights to support and enhance evidence-based urban planning. The open-source data and tools reported are developed to allow for customisation as well as replication in other urban areas.

A large number of magnetic sensors, like superconducting quantum interference devices, optical pumping and nitrogen vacancy magnetometers, were shown to satisfy the energy resolution limit. This limit states that the magnetic sensitivity of the sensor, when translated into a product of energy with time, is bounded below by Planck’s constant, ħ. This bound implies a fundamental limitation as to what can be achieved in magnetic sensing. Here we explore biological magnetometers, in particular three magnetoreception mechanisms thought to underly animals’ geomagnetic field sensing: the radical-pair, the magnetite and the MagR mechanism. We address the question of how close these mechanisms approach the energy resolution limit. At the quantitative level, the utility of the energy resolution limit is that it informs the workings of magnetic sensing in model-independent ways, and thus can provide subtle consistency checks for theoretical models and estimated or measured parameter values, particularly needed in complex biological systems. At the qualitative level, the closer the energy resolution is to ħ, the more “quantum” is the sensor. This offers an alternative route towards understanding the quantum biology of magnetoreception. It also quantifies the room for improvement, illuminating what Nature has achieved, and stimulating the engineering of biomimetic sensors exceeding Nature’s magnetic sensing performance.

This research seeks to provide local governments with a comprehensive alternative for the proper maintenance of roads, focusing on the surface and functional evaluation of pavements. It com-pares conventional methods of the International Roughness Index (IRI) and the Pavement Condi-tion Index (PCI) with novel methodologies that employ smart technologies. Road maintenance is essential for economic development, facilitating the circulation of services and resources. This re-search analyzes the efficiency of smart technologies in the maintenance of local roads in Arequipa, taking as a case study a 2 km section of the AR-780 highway in Polobaya. The International Roughness Indices (IRI) obtained through the Merlin Roughness Meter and the Roadroid applica-tion were compared, finding a minimum variation of 4.007% in the left lane and 8.5% in the right lane. Roadroid turned out to be 60 times faster than the conventional method, with a cost differ-ence of 220.11 soles. Both methods classified the road condition (PSI) as GOOD, validating the accuracy of Roadroid. In addition, the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) was evaluated with con-ventional methods and a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone, finding a variation of 6.89%. The cost difference between the methodologies was 1,047.73 soles, and the use of the drone proved to be 10 times faster than visual inspection. Finally, it can be said that this study contributes to closing the knowledge gap regarding the use of smart technologies for better pavement management on local roads, so that the actors in charge of the roads can make decisions based on science and thus con-tribute to the well-being of the population.

In the DC distribution networks, DC bus voltage is maintained by the grid-connected converter, the controllability and reliability of the grid-connected converter significantly affects the bus voltage characteristic. To address the problem of limited stability and frequent oscillations, this paper proposes a state feedback control method for the AC/DC converter. Conventional AC/DC converter adopts the voltage-current double-closed-loop control structure with the proportional integral (PI) controllers, which is the equivalent of the typical type II control system, but the typical type II control system cannot fully settle the stability and immunity problems. In contrast, the state feedback control strategy not only achieves the control objectives of the traditional double-closed-loop control, but also reduce the AC/DC converter system model to a typical I-type system, which improves the stability, thus enhances the oscillation suppression capability of the bus voltage. By selecting multiple state variables and designing the converter pole configuration range, the proposed single-loop state feedback control method manages to optimize both the dynamic and steady-state performances of the grid-connected AC/DC converter. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed single-loop state feedback control strategy has been verified by both the simulation and experiment results.

Interactive conversational agents, also known as chatbots, have the potential to increase the success rate of digital technology interventions to promote healthy behaviors. However, due to their newness and limited use, little is known about their integration, usefulness, and effectiveness in promoting smoking and vaping cessation. The aim of this mixed methods systematic review was to assess the effectiveness and characteristics of current interactive conversational agents in promoting and supporting smoking and vaping cessation. A mixed methods systematic review was conducted to identify studies published in the last 20 years in five relevant databases. Eight studies, including seven on smoking cessation and one on smoking and vaping cessation, were included. The results showed that, compared to other smoking cessation methods, chatbots can lead to better engagement in treatment, resulting in higher rates of sustained abstinence and improved quality of life. In addition, chatbots can be perceived as empathetic and establish a decent therapeutic alliance thanks to their communication skills. This knowledge could be useful for the development of interactive conversational agents to support smoking and/or vaping cessation. Alternative intervention tools targeting younger generations, such as chatbots, may offer an additional way for public health professionals to reach them.

Assessing handling qualities is crucial for ensuring the safety and operational efficiency of aircraft control characteristics. The growing interest in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has increased the focus on electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft; however, a comprehensive assessment of eVTOL handling qualities remains a challenge. This paper proposed a handling qualities framework to assess eVTOL handling qualities, integrating pilot compensation, task performance, and qualitative comments. An experiment was conducted, where eye-tracking data and subjective ratings from 23 participants as they performed various Mission Task Elements (MTEs) in an eVTOL simulator were recorded. The relationship between pilot compensation and task workload was investigated based on eye metrics. Data mining results revealed that pilots' eye movement patterns and workload perception change when performing Mission Task Elements (MTEs) that involve aircraft deficiencies. Additionally, pupil size, pupil diameter, iris diameter, interpupillary distance, iris-to-pupil ratio, and gaze entropy are found to be correlated with both handling qualities and task workload. Furthermore, a handling qualities and pilot workload recognition model is developed based on Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM), which is subsequently trained and evaluated with experimental data, achieving an accuracy of 97%. A case study was conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. Overall, the proposed framework addresses the limitations of the existing Handling Qualities Rating Method (HQRM), offering a more comprehensive approach to handling qualities assessment.

Explainable AI (XAI) has emerged as a pivotal tool in healthcare diagnostics, offering much-needed transparency and interpretability in complex AI models. XAI techniques, such as SHAP, Grad-CAM, and LIME, enable clinicians to understand AI-driven decisions, fostering greater trust and collaboration between human and machine in clinical settings. This review explores the key benefits of XAI in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, personalizing patient care, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. However, despite its advantages, XAI faces significant challenges, including balancing model accuracy with interpretability, scaling for real-time clinical use, and mitigating biases inherent in medical data. Ethical concerns, particularly surrounding fairness and accountability, are also discussed in relation to AI's growing role in healthcare. The review emphasizes the importance of developing hybrid models that combine high accuracy with improved interpretability and suggests that future research should focus on explainable-by-design systems, reducing computational costs, and addressing ethical issues. As AI continues to integrate into healthcare, XAI will play an essential role in ensuring that AI systems are transparent, accountable, and aligned with the ethical standards required in clinical practice.

Anaerobic digestion followed by microalgal cultivation is considered a promising renewable alternative for the production of biomethane with reduced effluent generation, thus lowering the environmental impact. In this arrangement, in addition to generating energy, the microalgae act by potentiating the refinement of the effluents generated via anaerobic digestion (digestates). In this study, the microalga Tetradesmus obliquus was cultivated in photobioreactors with the final digestate resulting from the codigestion of Arundo donax L. plant biomass and cattle wastewater. The biotechnological route used was efficient, and biogas production ranged from 50.20 to 94.69 mL gVS-1. The first-order kinetic model with variable dependence (FOMT) provided the best fit for the biogas production data. In the microalgal posttreatment, the removal values ranged from 81.5 to 93.8% for chemical oxygen demand, 92.0 to 95.3% for N-NH4+, and 41.7 to 83.3% for PO43- after 26 days. The macromolecular composition of the algal biomass reached lipid contents ranging from 33.4 to 42.7%. Thus, the proposed process mediated by microalgae can be considered promising for the bioremediation and recovery of effluents produced by agriculture through the use of microalgal biomass for bioproduct production.

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a multifariousness syndrome, account-ing for over half of heart failure (HF) patients receiving clinical treatment. The prevalence of HFpEF is rapidly increasing in the coming decades as the global population ages. It is becoming clearer that HFpEF has a lot of different causes, which makes it challenging to find effective treatments. Currently, there are no proven treatments for people with deteriorating HF, or HFpEF. Although the pathophysiologic foundations of HFpEF are complex, excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and increased oxidative stress caused by mitochondrial dys-function seem to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of HFpEF. Emerging evidence from an-imal models and human myocardial tissues from failed hearts shows that mitochondrial aberra-tions cause a marked increase in mitochondrial ROS (mtROS) production and oxidative stress. Furthermore, studies have reported that common HF medications like beta blockers, angioten-sin receptor blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists indirectly reduce the production of mtROS. Despite the harmful effects of ROS on cardiac remodelling, maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and cardiac functions requires small amounts of ROS. In this review, we will provide an overview and discussion of recent findings on mtROS production, its threshold for imbalance, and the subsequent dysfunction that leads to related cardiac and systemic phenotypes in the context of HFpEF. We will also focus on newly discovered cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying ROS dysregulation, current therapeutic options, and future perspectives for treating HFpEF by targeting mtROS and associ-ated signal molecules.

The number zero is happily used by mathematics, but not physics for various reasons. It should be incorrect to say that $\phi(x)= 0=\gamma(x)$, when there are two, different, physical meanings, such as fields for two very different kinds of particles, etc. That could lead to some kind of confusion in physics. In that case, it could even be necessary to {\bf reject} using the zero number in certain expressions, and instead, at least try to `go around them'. Do not forget that the number zero was {\it banned} for 1,500 years, long, long ago!

The plantar plate (PP) tear of the second metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) is the most common reason for forefoot pain in clinical practice. PP is the main stabilizing structure of the joint and, together with collateral ligaments, is the key to maintaining the stability of MTPJ. Many surgical procedures have been described to repair PP tears. Currently, there is still controversy regarding which is the surgical superior option (direct versus indirect PP repair techniques). Transfer of the flexor digitorum longus tendon to the dorsum of the proximal phalanx is one of the surgical techniques described to treat PP tears associated with MTPJ instability. We present two cases that developed instability of the second MTPJ secondary to chronic PP tear with symptoms resolved after transfer of the flexor digitorum longus (FDL). Currently, the literature review shows that the procedure seems to be the most consistent surgical option in chronic cases of PP tears.

The Supportive and Palliative Indicators Tool (SPICT) was developed for timely identifying patients who may benefit from supportive and palliative care for a better treatment review, care plan discussion, and end-of-life care. Although the SPICT has been validated in different languages and patients living in different settings, it has not been validated in patients receiving home-based medical care (HBMC), or in the context of using traditional Chinese characters. The present study aimed to validate the Taiwan version of SPICT (SPICT-TW) and to measure its ability to predict six-month mortality in patients who received HBMC in Taiwan. Seven HBMC agents (five clinics and two hospitals) participated in this validation study. We recruited 129 patients aged ≥50 years who had been consistently receiving HBMC for &gt; two months. The results revealed that the SPICT-TW demonstrated similar reliability and validity compared to other language versions of SPICT. It may be an appropriate tool for healthcare professionals to timely detect the needs of palliative care in older people who received home healthcare. Furthermore, we found that a combination of four general indicators and one clinical indicator in SPCIT-TW has the best prediction ability at predicting six-month mortality in these HMBC recipients. This multicenter study validated the SPICT-TW among HBMC recipients in Taiwan. SPICT-TW demonstrated high reliability and validity and may be a practical tool for identifying older people at risk of dying within six months who would benefit from palliative care.

1) Background: Impeded resolution of inflammation contributes substantially to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); consequently, resolving inflammation is pivotal to the amelioration of AD pathology. This can potentially be achieved by the treatment with specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), which should resolve neuroinflammation in brains. 2) Methods: Here, we report the effects of long-term treatment with a SPM, maresin like 1 (MarL1), on AD pathogenesis in a transgenic 5xFAD mouse model. 3) Results: MarL1 treatment reduced Aβ overload, curbed the loss of neurons in brains especially cholinergic neurons associated with cleaved-caspase-3-associated apoptotic degeneration, reduced microgliosis and the pro-inflammatory M1 polarization of microglia, curbed the AD-associated decline in anti-inflammatory Iba1⁺Arg-1⁺-M2 microglia, inhibited phenotypic switching to pro-inflammatory N1 neutrophils, promoted the blood–brain-barrier-associated tight-junction protein claudin-5 and decreased neutrophil leakage in 5xFAD brains, and induced the switch of neutrophils toward the inflammation-resolving N2 phenotype. 4) Conclusion: Long-term administration of MarL1 mitigates AD-related neuropathogenesis in brains by curbing neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration. These findings provided the preclinical leads and mechanistic insights for the development of MarL1 into an effective modality to ameliorate AD pathogenesis.

The study was conducted in the milking parlor of a cattle farm with a capacity of 400 cows of the Holstein-Friesian breed. The milking installation was a double 8 "Herringbone" type without windows, and the roof was constructed of glass. The reporting of temperature, air humidity and temperature-humidity index (THI) was performed three times during each milking (at the start, in the middle and at the end of milking) with measurements repeated during the morning, noon and evening milking. The highest mean and maximum daytime air temperature values were recorded in summer and spring. Although the average values for the spring season were lower than those for summer (by about 4 ⁰ C), the maximum values reached were equally high – 31.4 ⁰ C. In terms of relative air humidity, the highest mean values were reported for the winter sea-son – 82.39%. For the other seasons, the relative humidity values were on average high and close in value - from 62.51 to 67.46%. In THI, the highest average daily and maximum values were re-ported in the summer months - 73.41 and 80, respectively.

The emergence and re-emergence of pathogens with pandemic potential has been a persistent issue throughout history. Recent decades have seen significant outbreaks of zoonotic viruses from members of the Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Flaviviridae, and Togaviridae families, resulting in widespread infections. The continual emergence of zoonotic viral pathogens and associated infections highlights the need for prevention strategies and effective treatments. Central to this effort is the availability of suitable animal models, which are essential for understanding pathogenesis and assessment of transmission dynamics. These animals are also critical for evaluating the safety and efficacy of novel vaccines or therapeutics and are essential in facilitating regulatory approval of new products. Rapid development of animal models is an integral aspect of pandemic response and preparedness; however, their establishment is fraught by several rate-limiting steps, including selection of a suitable species, the logistical challenges associated with sharing and disseminating transgenic animals (e.g., the time-intensive nature of breeding and maintaining colonies), availability of technical expertise, as well as ethical and regulatory approvals. A method for rapid development of relevant animal models that has recently gained traction is the use of gene therapy vectors to express human viral receptors in readily accessible laboratory animals to enable virus infection and development of clinical disease. These models can be developed rapidly on any genetic background making mechanistic studies and accelerated evaluation of novel countermeasures possible. In this review, we will discuss important considerations for the effective development of animal models using viral vector approaches and review the current vector-based animal models for studying viral pathogenesis and evaluating prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) faces several mathematical challenges, such as optimization, generalization, interpretability of models, and phase transitions. These problems significantly limit the application of AI in critical areas such as medicine, autonomous systems, and finance. This paper examines the main mathematical problems of AI and proposes solutions based on the use of the universality of the Riemann zeta function.

Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) are designed to provide adequate blood flow to patients suffering from heart failure. Once implanted, the patient becomes dependent on the VAD, making it unacceptable to have situations with the potential to cause harm to patients on circulatory support. The VADs can be categorized as Critical Systems (CS), as device malfunction or Adverse Events (AEs) can result in harm to the patient, including the risk of death. Undesirable situations can occur in two ways: deviations in the functionality of the VAD linked to failures or defects or deviations in the patient's physiological responses associated with AEs. The AEs can result in hospitalization, causing permanent harm to the patient, including the risk of death. Patient care is provided through in-person consultations, and reports of incidents are submitted through Medical Device Reports (MDRs), monitored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the crucial issue is that there is no real-time monitoring of AEs or supervision of patients. Therefore, an Open System for Supervising Critical Adverse Processes in Patients with Implanted Ventricular Assist Devices (OSCVAD) is proposed based on horizontal and vertical integration architecture. A method for structuring the processes in this system is proposed to address its complexity, involving different domains of operation: device, patient, and medical team, as well as the possible interactions between the entities that comprise the OSCVAD. In this context, the formalism of Interpreted Petri Nets was employed to synthesize diagnostic models for AEs and intervention models based on Intervention Protocols, utilizing the medical team's knowledge.