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Enhancing cybersecurity through script development using machine and deep learning for advanced threat mitigation

Development of a multi-epitope vaccine against Acinetobacter baumannii: A comprehensive approach to combating antimicrobial resistance

Background The World Health Organization has categorized Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) as a critical priority pathogen due to its high antibiotic resistance. This resistance complicates treatment and underscores the urgent need for new antibiotics and strategies. This study developed a multi-epitope vaccine (MEV) to address this significant public health threat. Methods This study employed a computational approach to design MEV targeting A. baumannii strain VB7036. Surface-exposed proteins were identified using PSORTb and TMHMM, followed by antigenicity and allergenicity predictions using VaxiJen and AlgPred. Linear B-cell epitopes and MHC-II binding sites were predicted using BepiPred and TepiTool, while physicochemical properties were analyzed with ExPASy ProtParam and Protein-Sol. The MEV construct was validated through molecular docking with TLR2 and TLR4 using HDOCK, revealing strong binding interactions. Molecular dynamic simulations confirmed the stability of the vaccine-receptor complexes, while PCA analysis indicated minimal conformational transitions. Immune simulations were conducted using C-ImmSim online software. Results This study identified eight OMPs from A. baumannii strain VB7036 as potential immunogenic targets. MEV was designed using five critical B-cell epitopes from four proteins based on their antigenicity, non-allergenicity, and physicochemical properties. This MEV demonstrated strong binding to TLR2 and TLR4, indicating effective immune activation. Molecular dynamics simulations confirmed the structural stability of the MEV-TLR complexes. In silico immune simulations revealed that the MEV induced robust humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, including increased antibody production, T-cell activation, and cytokine release, suggesting the MEV’s potential as an effective vaccine candidate for A. baumannii. Conclusion This study developed an optimized MEV and identified novel drug targets against A. baumannii, providing broad protection against multidrug-resistant A. baumannii strains. MEV demonstrated significant potential due to its favorable physicochemical properties, as confirmed by molecular docking and dynamic simulations. However, more in vitro and in vivo studies are required to verify the drug’s effectiveness.

Comparison of usability and user-friendliness of three FeNO analyzers in a general population cohort of the LEAD study

Reciprocal regulation between Acinetobacter baumannii and Enterobacter cloacae AdeR homologs: implications for antimicrobial resistance and pathogenesis

Acinetobacter baumannii and Enterobacter cloacae are phylogenetically distant Gram−negative bacterial pathogens that represent significant challenges in healthcare settings due to their remarkable ability to acquire antimicrobial resistance. This study investigates one of the most important efflux pump systems in A. baumannii, AdeABC−AdeRS, and identifies homologous components in E. cloacae. By constructing isogenic knockout mutants, we show that the AdeB pump component and the AdeR regulator are significant for antimicrobial resistance and pathogenicity in A. baumannii. Through in silico predictions, we identify homologs of AdeB and AdeR (ECL_01758 and ECL_01761, respectively) in E. cloacae. Notably, we demonstrate that while the inactivation of the E. cloacae gene encoding the AdeB protein does not impact on pathogenesis and only alters colistin susceptibility, a knockout mutant of the gene encoding the AdeR regulator significantly affects susceptibility to various antimicrobial classes, motility, and virulence. Additionally, we demonstrate that the AdeR regulators of A. baumannii and E. cloacae can functionally substitute for each other both in vitro and in vivo conditions. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays reveal that these regulators are capable of binding to the promoter regions of each other’s species, where similar DNA motifs are present. Furthermore, cross−complementation tests show that the affected phenotypes in each species can be restored interchangeably. Moreover, phylogenomic analysis of previously published E.cloacae genomes and reconstructrion of ancestral states through the phylogenetic trees of the adeB and adeR genes suggest that these homologs are more likely derived from a common ancestor rather than through recent horizontal gene transfer. The findings of this work highlight that conserved regulatory functions concerning efflux pump expression can be maintained across species despite evolutionary divergence and open new perspectives for the control of bacterial infections.

Author Correction: Insights from serial cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging show early progress in diastolic dysfunction relates to impaired right ventricular deformation

Correction: (−)-Epicatechin regulates endoplasmic reticulum stress and promotes ferroptosis in lung cancer cells via the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4 signaling pathway

Adaptive calibration of Gafchromic EBT3 film using generalized additive neural networks

Factors associated with uptake of human papilloma virus vaccine among adolescent girls: A cross sectional survey on insights into HPV Infection Prevention in Kabarole District, Western Uganda

Background Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection imposes a substantial global disease burden and represents a critical public health concern. The persistently low uptake of HPV vaccination poses a significant obstacle to reducing cervical cancer incidence, particularly in remote rural areas of developing nations. Objective This study aims to assess the extent of Human papilloma virus vaccine coverage among adolescents and explore the associated determinants to facilitate enhanced planning strategies within the Kabarole district. Methodology Employing a cross-sectional survey approach, data were gathered from 240 adolescent girls residing in the Kabarole district between 01/09/2022 and 18/10/2022. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate the relationships between HPV vaccination uptake and various independent variables, including demographics, HPV knowledge, and health system factors. Results Of the 240 adolescents enrolled, the overall prevalence of uptake of HPV vaccination was 63%. The uptake of human papilloma was associated with demographics knowledge about HPV and health systems factors. The multivariate analysis showed that parents who completed secondary level of education were 4.1 times more likely to take their children for HPV vaccination compared to parents whose education level was primary or had no formal education (AOR = 4.06; 95%CI (1.69 - 6.87); p = 0.004). Distance from home to facility was associated with uptake HPV vaccination. Participants who came from the distance of more than 5 km were 60% less likely to uptake HPV vaccination compared to those who come from 5km or less (OR = 0.4; 95%CI (0.34 – 0.89); p = 0.006). Results further revealed that parents whose knowledge about HPV vaccination was moderate were three times more likely to take up HPV vaccine compared to those whose knowledge was low (OR =  2.99; 95%CI(1.14 – 7.87); p = 0.026). Conclusion HPV vaccination uptake was at 63% and relatively lower than national average. Education of parents, Knowledge of HPV vaccination and distance to facility were factors significantly associated with uptake of human papilloma virus vaccine.

MicroRNA 320a-3p up-regulation reduces PD-L1 expression in gastric cancer cells: an experimental and bioinformatic study

Correction: On escape criterion of an orbit with s−convexity and illustrations of the behavior shifts in Mandelbrot and Julia set fractals

Responses of rice plant to multiple abiotic stresses revealed by transcriptome meta-analysis and identification of novel genetic factors

A verifiably secure and robust authentication protocol for synergistically-assisted IoD deployment drones

Drones have limited computing and storage resources, which makes them unable to perform complex tactical tasks; drones working in clusters can be employed for such complex tactical task completion. But, the synergy between these drones working in clusters is mandatory. Otherwise, the adversary can easily target them, disturb their routine work, and even disturb the whole system. Only a robust and lightweight authentication protocol can handle both information fusion and collaboration and coordination of drones working in clusters efficiently and effectively and is one of the essential components of the Internet of Drones (IoD) environment as it is deployed for quick and intelligent decisions. In this regard, the already available security mechanisms for IoD deployment drones have either design flaws or failed to provide security against session key disclosure, spoofing, man in the middle (MITM), and denial of service (DoS) attacks. Therefore, this article presents a protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), one-way hash, concatenation, and exclusive-OR (XOR) operations to establish a secure communication session among drones which makes them a powerful system to perform complex tactical tasks and information fusion intelligently. The security analysis of the proposed protocol has formally been scrutinized via BAN logic and ProVerif and informally via realistic discussion and illustrations. The results obtained from the analysis sections demonstrate that the proposed protocol is robust in security and is 63.87% more efficient in terms of communication cost compared to its competitors, and 66.46% better in terms of computational cost.

Leveraging large language models for knowledge-free weak supervision in clinical natural language processing

Genomic insights into Mediterranean pepper diversity using ddRADSeq

This work investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of 99 pepper lines (Capsicum annuum L.), acclimated to Mediterranean climate conditions, using double-digest restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRADSeq). The aims were to understand the genetic relationships among these lines, correlate genetic clusters with botanical classifications, and provide insights into pepper domestication in the region. Obtained were 318.76 million raw sequence reads overall, averaging 3.21 million reads per sample. A total of 8475 high-quality SNPs were identified and used to assess genetic diversity and population structure. Chromosome NC_061113.1 displayed the highest amount and Chromosome NC_061118.1 the fewest of these SNPs, which were not equally spaced around the genome. Heterozygosity measures and a negative inbreeding coefficient point to the great genetic diversity seen, therefore highlighting the genetic health of the population. Different genetic clusters found by phylogenetic study and STRUCTURE analysis can be used in breeding programs to mix desired features from many genetic backgrounds. This work showed how well ddRADSeq generates high-quality SNPs for genomic research on peppers, therefore offering useful molecular tools for genomic selection and marker-assisted selection. The analysis identified significant genetic diversity and distinct genetic clusters which are valuable for breeding programs focused on crop improvement. These findings enhance our understanding of pepper domestication and provide valuable genetic resources for breeding programs aimed at improving pepper varieties.

Compensatory lymphangiogenesis is required for edema resolution in zebrafish

Multimodal prehabilitation in people awaiting acute inpatient cardiac surgery: Study protocol for a pilot feasibility trial (PreP-ACe)

Background The concept of “prehabilitation,” or optimising individual physical and mental wellbeing prior to surgery is well established in cancer and orthopaedic populations. However, amongst the cardiac surgery population, the concept is relatively new. Of the few studies available, all focus on the elective surgical population. This pilot feasibility trial is novel as it will focus on the impact of multimodal prehabilitation on the acute inpatient cardiac surgical population. Methods This single centre, prospective, single arm pilot feasibility trial will recruit 20 inpatients awaiting cardiac surgery. Measurements will be collected at the start of the trial (baseline), 7 days after intervention, and 14 days after the intervention or before the day of surgery. The primary outcome measure will be feasibility and practicality of the programme in an acute inpatient population. We will be looking into participant eligibility, acceptability, recruitment rates, completion rates and barriers to implementing a prehabilitation programme. Secondary outcomes include incidence of study-related adverse events, improvement in 6 minutes walk test (6MWT), hand grip strength, quality of life, anxiety scores and spirometry. At the end of the trial, we will be seeking the feedback of the participants on key components of the programme to help us inform future work. We hypothesise that light to moderate structured exercise training is low risk and feasible in patients awaiting inpatient cardiac surgery. The study was approved by Health Research Authority and Heath and Care Research Wales (Yorkshire & the Humber- Bradford Leeds Research Ethics Committee: REC reference 23/YH/0255) on the 8th November 2023. Discussion Multimodal prehabilitation could improve individual physical and mental wellbeing whilst awaiting inpatient cardiac surgery. Prehabilitation can provide individuals with a sense of ownership and control over their condition, improve their motivation and independence, and enhance their mental and physical recovery after surgery. Traditionally, patients waiting for cardiac surgery are discouraged from physical activity/ structured exercise training and receive limited information regarding their health. Appropriate physical and psychological support could improve their confidence to mobilise sooner after surgery. This may then facilitate earlier discharge leading to improved hospital bed utilisation and patient flow. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06275100

Density and structure of DNA immobilised on gold nanoparticles affect sensitivity in nucleic acid detection

Abstract Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are used as colorimetric biosensors that, combined with immobilised single-stranded DNA (ssDNA-AuNPs), can be used in genetic diagnosis because of their rapid and sequence-specific aggregation properties. Herein, we investigated the effect of the steric structure and density of immobilised DNA on AuNPs in non-crosslinking aggregation-based nucleic acid detection. Detection sensitivity improved with decreasing DNA density for linear conformations, but worsened for those with more rigid stem structures. We controlled the density of immobilised DNA using two different methods and investigated the aggregation behaviour of ssDNA-AuNPs. Interestingly, controlling the immobilised DNA density through ethylene glycol treatment had different effects on ssDNA-AuNP aggregation compared to those of alkanethiol substitution. This study suggests that the sensitivity of ssDNA-AuNPs for detecting target DNA could be affected by density and structure of the immobilised DNA.

Digitalizing the community health information system improved women’s retention on the maternal continuum of care pathway in northwest Ethiopia: A quasi-experimental study

Background Retaining women on the maternal continuum of care pathway remains a significant challenge for the healthcare system. Digitalizing primary healthcare system using community health workers is a key strategy to enhance maternal healthcare utilization in Ethiopia. However, the effectiveness of digitalizing community health system using frontline health system workers is uncertain. Objective To determine the effect of electronic community health information system intervention on maternal continuum of care in northwest Ethiopia. Methods A pre-post experimental study was conducted in Wogera district, northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected at household level from April to May 2022 including a total of 830 women with children with age less than one-year. A log-binomial logistic regression model was used to estimate the effect of electronic community health information system on the maternal continuum of care and its predictors. Relative risk with a 95% confidence interval was reported, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant. Results The study revealed that 10.6% women were fully retained on the maternal continuum of care before the intervention while 32.5% after the intervention(p < 0.001). Women in the intervention cluster had 3.12 times higher coverage of maternal continuum of care(ARR: 3.12,95%CI: 2.20–4.41). In addition, primary education(ARR: 1.54, 95%CI:1.14, 2.08), secondary and above education(ARR: 1.61, 95%CI:1.08,2.39); pregnancy intention (ARR: 1.67, 95%CI: 1.11,2.51), and women’s autonomy in healthcare decision making (ARR: 2.02, 95%CI: 1.03, 3.97) were significantly associated with maternal continuum of care. Conclusions Electronic community health information system improved maternal continuum of care. Maternal health service programs in rural should consider the implementation of electronic community health information system. Provision of women’s education, prevention of unintended pregnancy, and enhancement of autonomy of women in healthcare decision making should be emphasized to improve maternal continuum of care.

Deep reinforcement learning trajectory planning for robotic manipulator based on simulation-efficient training

Effects and functional mechanisms of digital fitness platforms on online fitness payment behavior under the perspective of “She-economy”

Women have become an important force for economic development. Online fitness payment behavior is an important part of women’s pursuit of “beautiful skin and healthy body”, and is also an important embodiment of the integration of the digital industry and the fitness industry. Based on Stimuli-Organism-Response and Technology Acceptance Model theories, this study systematically explored the relationship and mechanism of action between digital fitness platforms and online fitness payment behavior through a survey of 259 women using Structural Equation Modeling and Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. It was found that women’s perceived use of digital fitness platforms was positively related to satisfaction, continued use intention, and online fitness payment behavior, except for the relationship between perceived usefulness and satisfaction, which was not significant. With the exception of satisfaction, which did not mediate between perceived enjoyment and online fitness payment behavior, satisfaction, and continued using intention mediated and chained mediation between the other independent variables and the dependent variable. The “comprehensive” digital fitness platforms were the most popular and favorite among women, followed by the “hedonic” and “pragmatic” platforms. On this basis, corresponding countermeasures and recommendations are proposed to promote the healthy, sustainable, and stable development of the digital fitness industry.