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Mitochondrial protein COXFA4L3 (C15ORF48) confers resistance to DNA-damaging anticancer agents by repressing mitochondrial DNA damage responses
Religious ceremonies and the ethical development of medical sciences students: A qualitative study on participation barriers and perceived value
Religious ceremonies can play a pivotal role in shaping ethical values among medical sciences students. However, participation in such ceremonies is often influenced by multiple academic, social, and cultural factors. This study aimed to explore the perceived value of religious ceremonies and the barriers affecting student participation in these practices within the context of their ethical development. This qualitative study was conducted at Sirjan School of Medical Sciences in southern Iran from March to July 2025, using a latent content analysis approach grounded in the interpretivist paradigm. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 33 students from diverse academic programs and backgrounds. Data were analyzed inductively based on Graneheim and Lundman’s framework using MAXQDA 2022 software. Trustworthiness was ensured through Lincoln and Guba’s criteria including credibility, confirmability, dependability, and transferability. Seven main themes and twenty- four subthemes emerged. The themes included: (1) Time and Academic Pressure (e.g., course overload, exam clashes); (2) Perceived Irrelevance (e.g., disconnection from professional goals); (3) Cultural and Personal Beliefs (e.g., secular upbringing, concerns about religious imposition); (4) Social Dynamics (e.g., fear of judgment, peer influence); (5) Institutional Support (e.g., lack of promotion, insufficient facilities); (6) Perceived Ethical Value (e.g., development of professionalism and compassion); and (7) Emotional and Community Benefits (e.g., stress relief, sense of belonging, spiritual recharge). While religious ceremonies hold perceived ethical and emotional value for many students, numerous academic, institutional, and cultural barriers limit participation. Integrating religious practices into educational contexts in a more inclusive, flexible, and voluntary manner could enhance students’ moral development without alienating diverse beliefs.
Hyperuricemia aggravates acute pancreatitis through CNR1-mediated inflammatory signaling and gut-pancreas axis dysregulation: a multi-omics and clinical study
Framework Electronegativity Governs Interfacial Transport Kinetics in Lithium-Metal Batteries
The association of presbyphagia with urinary incontinence and Incontinence-related quality of life in nursing home residents: A cross-sectional study
Purpose The association between presbyphagia (age-related swallowing decline) and urinary incontinence (UI) remains poorly understood. This study therefore investigated the relationship between presbyphagia and both UI and incontinence-specific quality of life (I-QOL) in a distinct population of functionally independent healthy elderly in a nursing home. Method The presence of presbyphagia was determined in 73 participants in the nursing home using the 100 ml water swallowing test (100mlSwal) and the Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10) tests. UI was determined using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short (ICIQ-SF) and I-QOL was determined using the King’s Health Questionnaire (KHQ). The presence of presbyphagia, age and female gender confounding factors were analysed by multiple regression analysis. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression analyses were performed with presbyphagia, age, gender, and handgrip strength. Binary logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios for UI presence. Results Presbyphagia was significantly associated with UI (p = .001). Individuals with presbyphagia had 7.47-fold higher odds of UI. Presbyphagia was also significantly associated with multiple I-QOL sub-domains, including incontinence impact, role limitation, physical limitation, and emotions (all p < .001). Male gender was associated with higher UI presence (OR=5.16), but not with UI severity. Age showed no significant associations with UI or I-QOL. Conclusion Presbyphagia is independently associated with UI presence and poorer I-QOL in nursing home residents. Male gender was associated with higher UI prevalence but similar severity and I-QOL to females. These findings suggest an independent association between presbyphagia and UI, thereby contributing to the formulation of hypotheses aimed at understanding the complex interactions between oral frailty and the urinary system. Further research is needed to elucidate underlying mechanisms and explore the potential clinical implications of this association. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06827561
Biocontrol potentiality and plant growth-promoting traits of endophytic Enterobacter cloacae RO2 isolated from Portulaca oleracea L. against Bipolaris sorokiniana
Abstract In agricultural applications, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) have demonstrated their efficacy as both biofertilizers and biocontrol agents against several phytopathogens. This study reports, for the first time, the isolation of an endophytic Enterobacter cloacae from the medical plant Portulaca oleracea L., which produces iturin-like lipopeptides effective against B. Sorokiniana that causes severe diseases that affects several important crops. The present study investigates the ability of E. cloacae as a PGPB and a producer of bioactive metabolites that participate in the biological control of Bipolaris sorokiniana . Twelve endophytic bacterial isolates obtained from P. oleracea , grown in El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, were examined for their antagonistic activity against B. sorokiniana through the disk diffusion method. Also, the most active isolates (2, 5, 7 and 8) were investigated using a dual culture technique against B. sorokiniana in vitro , and the percentages of inhibition were 43.48, 40.55, 36.60, and 35.57%, respectively. Therefore, the most active endophytic bacterial isolate (2) was molecularly identified as E. cloacae strain RO2 with accession number PV739238. In vitro assessment of PGP traits of E. cloacae strain RO2 proved that it can produce protease, amylase, cellulase, in addition to nitrogen fixation, siderophore production, phosphate and calcium carbonate solubilization and ammonia production. E. cloacae caused irregular mycelial growth and morphological deformation in B. sorokiniana hypha. HPLC analysis of E. cloacae’ s lipopeptide extract revealed the occurrence of lipopeptide like Iturin that had inhibitory effects on B. sorokiniana . In addition, the growth-promoting potential of E. cloacae was evaluated on wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) seeds bio-primed with it, and the results showed enhanced shoot height, radicle length, fresh and dry weight of seedling as compared to the control. Consequently, E. cloacae strain could be used as biofertilizers and biocontrol agent in agriculture to reduce the risk of chemical pesticides.
Association of leuko-glycemic index with mortality in ICU patients with Acute kidney injury: A retrospective multicenter cohort study
Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) complicates the course of critical illness and carries high short- and long-term mortality rates; however, reliable early prognostic markers remain limited. The leuko-glycemic index (LGI), the product of white blood cell counts and blood glucose, has shown prognostic value in other acute conditions; however, its role in intensive care unit (ICU) patients with AKI remains unexplored. Methods In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we analyzed 112,235 adult ICU admissions from the MIMIC-IV (n = 54,840) and eICU-CRD (n = 57,395) databases. Patients with multiple ICU stays and those aged <18 years were excluded. The LGI was calculated within 24 h of admission and stratified into quartiles (Q1–Q4). The primary endpoints were 30- and 90-day in-hospital mortality, and the secondary endpoint was overall in-hospital mortality. Kaplan–Meier survival curves, multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, and restricted cubic splines (RCS) assess the association between LGI and outcomes, with subgroup and interaction analyses for key comorbidities. Results Higher LGI quartiles were associated with progressively worse survival (p < 0.0001). In the fully adjusted models, each unit increase in LGI conferred a small but significant rise in 30-day (HR 1.01; 95% CI 1.01–1.01) and 90-day mortality (HR 1.01; 95% CI 1.01–1.01), while Q4 versus Q1 yielded HRs of 1.22 (95% CI 1.13–1.31) and 1.21 (95% CI 1.13–1.30), respectively. RCS demonstrated a nonlinear relationship, and the associations persisted across subgroups. Conclusion LGI may be an independent biomarker associated with short-term mortality in ICU patients with AKI. Its potential clinical relevance warrants further investigation and validation in larger cohorts.
Exploring provider attitudes towards digital therapeutics for diabetes and depression
Gradient chamber for measuring the exhalation rate of radon and thoron from surfaces
Abstract A novel instrument (gradient chamber) and method for measuring the exhalation rates of radon (²²²Rn) and thoron (²²⁰Rn) from surfaces (e.g., soil, rocks, building materials) have been developed and tested. Determining radon and thoron exhalation rates is essential both for protecting human health from radon/thoron exposure and for providing valuable data relevant to climate change research. The chamber is cylindrical with open bases: the upper base is covered with a porous material that blocks atmospheric turbulence while remaining permeable to radon and thoron, and the lower base is placed in direct contact with the test surface. Within the chamber, radon and thoron activity concentrations form a diffusion profile, measured by detectors for alpha particles, installed at different heights inside the chamber walls. Each detector comprises a Kodak Pathe LR-115/II alpha track detector covered by activated carbon fabric (ACC-5092-10), which efficiently adsorbs radon and thoron. The detectors are compact (≈ 1 cm) and locally sensitive, enabling high-resolution profiling of radon and thoron distributions. Exhalation rates are determined from the diffusion gradient using Fick’s law. Results from theoretical modeling and pilot field experiments confirm the high sensitivity of this method, sufficient to quantify even low environmental radon exhalation rates from the earth’s surface.
Continuously graded-doped SnO2 for efficient n–i–p perovskite solar cells
Gyne nutrition as a stronger predictor of mating success than nestmateship in Vespula germanica
Integrated CNN–LSTM–XGBoost hybrid model predicts shale oil seismic attributes and global oil price trends
Abstract This study proposes a hybrid CNN–LSTM–XGBoost model that integrates shale oil seismic attributes with macroeconomic indicators to predict global oil prices. The model extracts spatial features from seismic volumes using 3D CNNs and captures temporal dependencies in economic data via LSTM, with fused features processed by XGBoost regression. It achieves an RMSE of 3.61 USD/barrel, R 2 of 0.847, and MAPE of 6.98%, outperforming standalone models by 12.7–23.1%. SHAP analysis shows that seismic attributes contribute an average marginal impact of 0.19 on the model output. The model uses seismic attributes as input features to forecast oil price trends, providing a transparent and interpretable framework for integrated geophysical–economic analysis. At the local scale, the model assists shale oil operators in optimizing drilling and production decisions by linking seismic-derived reservoir quality to medium-term supply expectations. At the broader global scale, the framework demonstrates how geological information can be systematically incorporated into energy market forecasting, offering a new paradigm for geoeconomic modeling under supply‑side uncertainties.
Neural representation of action symbols in primate frontal cortex
Abstract A hallmark of intelligence is proficiency in solving new problems, including those that substantially differ from previously seen problems. Problem solving in turn depends on the goal-directed generation of novel ideas and behaviours 1 , which has been proposed to involve internal representations of discrete units (or symbols) that can be recombined into numerous possible composite representations 1–7 . Although this view has been influential in cognitive-level explanations of behaviour, definitive evidence for a neuronal substrate of symbols has remained elusive. Here we identify a neural population that encodes action symbols—recombinable representations of discrete units of motor behaviour—in a specific area of the frontal cortex. In macaque monkeys performing a drawing-like task, we found behavioural evidence that action elements (strokes) exhibit three crucial features that indicate an underlying symbolic representation: (1) invariance over low-level motor parameters; (2) categorical structure, which reflects discrete action types; and (3) recombination into novel sequences. Based on simultaneous neural recordings across eight regions of the motor, premotor and prefrontal cortex, we identified population activity specifically in the ventral premotor cortex that encodes planned actions in a manner that also reflects invariance, categorical structure and recombination. These findings reveal a neural representation of action symbols localized to the ventral premotor cortex and a putative neural substrate for symbolic operations.
Optimization of BP neural network based on Harris Hawk algorithm to predict resistance spot welding quality
Epidemiological and pathogen characteristics of symptomatic male reproductive tract infections in Hunan province: retrospective study
Same-day tagmentation PCR-based whole genome sequencing of bacteriophage genomes from a single plaque without DNA extraction
Electrical and mechanical properties of conductive elastic bands as wearable sensors
Abstract Crochet-based elastic textiles represent a promising option for wearable sensors due to their good stretchability and flexible structure. However, achieving cyclic electrical stability under realistic physiological motion and mechanical wear remains a critical challenge. This study systematically investigates the mechanical, aesthetic, and electrical performance of crochet elastic bands integrated with silver-coated polyamide (Ag/nylon) conductive yarns for wearable sensing applications. Dynamic resistance measurements were conducted using a custom-designed breathing simulator that replicates human respiratory motion, enabling real-time evaluation under cyclic deformation conditions. Conductive yarns were incorporated at different structural positions within the elastic bands to examine the influence of yarn configuration on sensor durability and signal stability. To simulate the cyclic use, samples were subjected to controlled abrasion cycles of 0, 5000, and 10,000 cycles. The results demonstrate that increasing abrasion levels lead to a gradual reduction in tensile strength and elongation due to progressive changes in surface morphology and stitch regularity, resulting in modified electrical pathways with the formation of pilling. Electrical performance strongly depended on conductive yarn placement. While several configurations exhibited significant signal degradation or delayed failure under abrasion, a specific configuration featuring balanced warp-weft integration of conductive yarns showed exceptional electrical stability, maintaining nearly constant resistance response across all abrasion levels. Statistical analysis confirmed the significant effects of both yarn configuration and abrasion cycles ( p < 0.05). These findings highlight the critical role of conductive yarn positioning in enhancing the durability and sensing reliability of crochet-based wearable sensors. The proposed design strategy provides valuable guidance for the development of robust wearable sensors capable of maintaining stable electrical performance under simulated physiological motion and cyclic mechanical abrasion.