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Intraovarian injection of securinine stimulates the growth of small ovarian follicles by reducing stromal suppression

Point-of-care brain magnetic resonance imaging in children with head trauma (BRAINCHILD): Protocol for a prospective observational cohort study

Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability and death in children. More than 30% of children presenting to the emergency department (ED) with head trauma undergo brain computed tomography (CT), the standard neuroimaging modality in acute evaluation of intracranial pathology. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-ionizing alternative with greater sensitivity for certain intracranial injuries but is infrequently used in acute TBI because of limited scanner access and longer scan duration. Rapid brain MRI protocols reduce scan time and can be completed without sedation, with diagnostic accuracy for TBI comparable to CT, yet real-world availability remains limited. Point-of-care, low-field MRI (POC LF-MRI) systems are a recent radiologic advance that are portable, require less infrastructure, and allow bedside neuroimaging, including in critically injured children who cannot be safely transported. However, critical knowledge gaps exist regarding the diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of POC LF-MRI for pediatric head trauma in emergency and critical care settings. Objective Our research aims to (1) determine the accuracy of POC LF-MRI for neuroradiographic TBI and clinically important TBI compared to current clinical standard of care initial neuroimaging, (2) determine the accuracy of POC LF-MRI for neuroradiographic injury progression on repeat neuroimaging, and (3) determine feasibility metrics and balancing measures of POC LF-MRI, including order-to-scan time, scan duration, proportion of incomplete scans, and ED length-of-stay. Methods We will conduct a prospective, single-center, observational diagnostic accuracy cohort study of children 7–17 years old with blunt head trauma who undergo standard-of-care neuroimaging. Children with MR-unsafe implants or metallic shrapnel and wards of the state will be excluded. POC LF-MRI will be obtained within a reasonable time window of clinical neuroimaging, with a flexible window up to 72 hours, either in the ED, inpatient unit, or intensive care unit (ICU). The primary outcome is neuroradiographic TBI, defined as any traumatic intracranial finding on neuroimaging. Secondary outcomes include clinically important TBI (defined as TBI-related neurosurgical intervention, endotracheal intubation >24 hours, death, or ≥2-night hospitalization) and neuroradiographic injury progression on repeat neuroimaging (yes/no). Feasibility outcomes include order-to-scan time, scan duration, proportion of incomplete scans, and ED length of stay, along with other operational and balancing measures. Accuracy will be determined using imaging-level analyses comparing POC LF-MRI with clinical standard-of-care neuroimaging, reporting sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios with 95% confidence intervals for neuroradiographic TBI, clinically important TBI, and neuroradiographic injury progression, including predefined non-inferiority criteria for sensitivity, subgroup analyses, descriptive analyses of feasibility metrics, and exploratory analyses addressing incomplete imaging and missing data. Results The project was funded in 2024, and enrollment will be completed in July 2026. Data analyses are expected to be completed by December 2026, and the primary study results will be submitted for publication in 2027. Conclusions This study will evaluate accuracy and feasibility for POC LF-MRI in an important subset of pediatric trauma patients and will provide preliminary data to inform future multicenter studies evaluating POC LF-MRI for children with head trauma.

Isaac Choi

Energy-aware latency minimization in multi-source spatiotemporal data fusion for IoT networks

Author Correction: Mechanism of trans-envelope bacterial polysaccharide secretion in Class-3 outer-membrane polysaccharide export (OPX) protein systems

Effective Coverage of Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Sub-Saharan Africa: What distinguishes high from medium and low performers?

Background Effective coverage (EC) has emerged as a better measure of service coverage, in the past decades, compared to the simple crude coverage measures. It represents the proportion of a population in need of a service that successfully receives it with sufficient quality to achieve the intended health benefits. Nevertheless, EC in maternal and newborn health (MNH) services are significantly variable across and within countries. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the societal and health system factors that can explain why some countries are having higher EC of MNH services than others in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods A mixed-method case study design was employed with inclusion of document review. Effective coverage rates were estimated using countries demographic and health survey (DHS) datasets. Two countries were then selected for each MNH service domain from each performance category, high, medium, and low, for further analysis of explanatory factors. Data sources included DHS and health facility survey summary reports, the Global Health Expenditure Database, and TheGlobalEconomy.com. Results We found huge variation in EC of MNH services across countries in SSA. The scores range from 7% in Ethiopia to 64% in Liberia for 4 + ANC visits, 9% in Ethiopia and Nigeria to 81% in Rwanda for institutional delivery, 3% in Ethiopia to 77% in Gambia for PNC mothers, and 1% in Ethiopia to 68% in South Africa for PNC newborns. These discrepancies are highly likely influenced by multilevel health system and societal factors. High-performing countries in EC of MNH services have higher service availability and readiness scores than medium- and low-performing ones. For instance, Ghana and Liberia scored 83% and 84%, respectively, for tracer indicators of ANC service availability, compared to 43% in Ethiopia and 64% in Malawi. Similar pattern is observed between the selected countries EC estimates of MNH services and their health service specific readiness index scores. In addition, they also have favourable societal factors including high proportion of women attending primary and/or more school levels, better mass media and internet access, and relatively lower political instability indexes. Low-performing countries like Ethiopia and Nigeria had complex futures including having low health service availability and readiness scores and unfavourable societal factors including in women’s education, and internet and mass media access. Furthermore, the two countries had weakest average political stability index that hinders the utilization and delivery of MNH services. Conclusions The findings revealed that better health service availability and readiness, strong healthcare financing, favourable societal factors and having a relatively stable political index are critical in determining countries performance in EC of MNH services. Therefore, countries, particularly low performers in EC of MNH services need to learn from positive outliers in improving EC of MNH services. Strengthening existing health facilities with better staffing, training, and resources is crucial beyond merely expanding new ones.

Opportunistic airport-collision samples from swifts reveal ant nuptial flight phenology

Hypercapnia dissociates neuronal and hemodynamic responses impairing neurovascular coupling and functional brain connectivity

Abstract Neurovascular coupling (NVC) underpins the interpretation of hemodynamic signals as proxies for neural activity, yet its response to metabolic perturbations remains poorly understood. Here, we leverage concurrent fluorescence calcium imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging in mice expressing genetically encoded calcium indicators to dissect how elevated CO₂ levels reshape the interplay between neural and vascular responses. Our findings indicate that hypercapnia induces opposing trends in calcium and blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses, accompanied by global desynchronization of brain activity. Additionally, 5% CO₂ suppressed sensory-evoked BOLD and hemoglobin responses, while neuronal and astrocytic activity remained unaffected. Dynamic functional connectivity and co-activation pattern analyses further reveal a dissociation in the coordination between BOLD hemodynamic responses and their underlying neural dynamics under hypercapnic conditions. Notably, we observed that hemodynamic responses, normally driven by neuronal signaling, get attenuated with BOLD signals no longer reflecting neural activity patterns in the brain. These findings demonstrate that hypercapnia can override conventional NVC relationships, compelling a reassessment of how BOLD contrast is interpreted under hypercapnic stress in preclinical and clinical settings. This holds particular relevance for chronic hypercapnia-related conditions where a deeper understanding of NVC disruption may inform improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Adverse events in different administration routes of Edaravone: A pharmacovigilance study based on the FDA adverse event reporting system

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved intravenous edaravone for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2017, followed by the approval of the oral formulation in 2022. This study aims to utilize the FDA#39;s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) to investigate the spectrum and timing of adverse events (AEs) associated with edaravone administration, employing repeatability analysis, the Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) approach, Weibull distribution, and stratification methods. The investigation focuses on data collected from the first quarter of 2017 through the fourth quarter of 2024, aiming to identify adverse event signals and their temporal patterns related to both intravenous and oral edaravone administration. In total, 3,262 records of edaravone-related adverse reactions were identified; among these, 1,534 incidents were associated with intravenous administration, while 453 incidents pertained to oral administration. The analysis revealed distinct adverse reaction profiles for the two routes of administration. Notably, the spectrum of adverse reactions resulting from oral administration predominantly involved the respiratory system, digestive system, and skin damage. In contrast, intravenous administration was more frequently linked to complications associated with invasive procedures and local tissue damage. Furthermore, the timing of adverse reactions exhibited significant variability between the two routes. Weibull distribution analysis indicated that the median onset time for adverse reactions following intravenous administration was 35 days, whereas for oral administration, it was 27 days. Both analytical approaches identified early failure signals, suggesting that the risk of adverse events diminishes over time.

Changes in the mechanical properties of myotonometric muscles following manual therapy during archery: a single-group, single-session repeated measurement study

Flexible, large-area, recyclable, decoupled dual sensing of temperature and pressure enabled by mechanically-electrically hybrid networks

Retraction: Plant and Fungal Diversity in Gut Microbiota as Revealed by Molecular and Culture Investigations

Energy storage-enabled fractional-order virtual synchronous generator for DC-link voltage regulation in DC microgrid under load and renewable disturbances

Abstract This paper presents an advanced control strategy for energy storage–integrated DC microgrids to improve DC-link voltage stability and transient performance under operating uncertainties. The proposed approach emulates virtual synchronous generator (VSG) behavior through coordinated primary and secondary control layers, where virtual inertia and damping are introduced to enhance dynamic response. To improve robustness against load changes and renewable-generation fluctuations, a fractional-order control law is designed to regulate the rate of change of the DC-link voltage (RoCoV), offering additional tuning flexibility compared with conventional integer-order VSG schemes. Controller parameters are optimally selected using a metaheuristic optimization method to further enhance regulation quality and efficiency. Extensive simulations benchmark the proposed fractional-order VSG against representative integer-order, derivative-based VSG controllers. The results demonstrate improved DC-link voltage regulation during load variations and renewable power disturbances, with the proposed method achieving up to 80% reduction in DC-link voltage overshoot in some test scenarios compared with the baseline controller.

Author Correction: Reproductive individuality of clonal fish raised in near-identical environments and its link to early-life behavioral individuality

Modelling associated factors of maternal age at first birth in Ethiopia: Gamma regression approach

Background Maternal age at first birth (AFB) is a key indicator of reproductive health, influencing maternal and child outcomes, population dynamics, and socio-economic well-being. Early childbearing increases risks of maternal morbidity, poor neonatal outcomes, and intergenerational poverty. Despite progress in Ethiopia, disparities in AFB persist across regions, religions, and residential settings, particularly among women who have already given birth. This study determines the magnitude and direction of effects from religious, regional and residential determinants of maternal AFB in Ethiopia. Methods Data were drawn from 5,839 women included in the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (Mini EDHS 2019). A comparative modeling framework was employed; fitting Generalized Linear Models (GLM), Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM), and distributional Gamma regression models to examine the consistency of the coefficients for covariates across different modeling framework. Both classical estimation (Maximum Likelihood Estimation) and Bayesian inference via Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) were used. Results Among women in Ethiopia who had experienced a first birth by the time of the survey, the average maternal age at first birth was 18.7 years(95% CI: [18.2, 19.3]), indicating that a substantial proportion of women begin childbearing at the lower limit recommended by the World Health Organization. Regional differences in mean maternal age at first birth were notable: women in Amhara (4%), Oromia (3%), SNNPR (3%), Benishangul-Gumuz (3%), and Gambela (8%) had earlier average maternal age at first births, whereas those in Addis Ababa (11%), Somali (4%), and Dire Dawa (4%) delayed childbirth compared to Togray. Variability in AFB also differed by region, with higher dispersion observed in Afar (37.7%), Benishangul-Gumuz (37.7%), Somali (36%), Gambela (32.3%), SNNPR (27.1%), and Harari (25.9%), while Addis Ababa (22.1%) and Dire Dawa (13.1%) showed lower variability. Women who have already given birth and identify as Orthodox or Protestant tend to experience a higher average age at first birth, with increases of approximately 4% and 3%, respectively, relative to Muslim women. Conversely, women classified under the “other religions” category tend to have their first child approximately 5% earlier than Muslim women. Residence influenced both mean and variability: rural women who had already given birth experienced first births about 5% earlier than urban women and exhibited 7.3% greater dispersion, indicating more heterogeneous reproductive patterns. Conclusion Maternal age at first birth in Ethiopia remains low (18.7 years), with significant disparities in mean and variabilities across religion, residence, and region. Women from rural areas, Muslim backgrounds, and regions such as Amhara, Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, SNNPR, and Gambela are more likely to give birth earlier, while urban women, particularly in Addis Ababa, Dire-Dawa, and Somali, tend to delay childbearing. The persistence of very early childbearing (as young as 10 years) highlights urgent reproductive health challenges. These findings call for context-specific policies: expanding girls’ education, delaying marriage, and strengthening youth-friendly reproductive health services in rural and high-risk regions; engaging religious leaders and institutions as partners in promoting delayed childbearing; and addressing structural inequities through regionally tailored programs that respect cultural and pastoralist lifestyles.

Experimental study of mRNA from human dental pulp tissue for late postmortem interval estimation

Multiomics characterization of acute child illness and mortality in Africa and South Asia

Abstract Childhood illnesses from infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries contribute substantially to the global under-five mortality. Many hospitalized children experience incomplete recovery, readmission, and post-discharge mortality despite guideline-directed care. However, targeted interventions remain elusive due to limited understanding of underlying mechanisms. In this work, we employ multiomic profiling and multivariate modeling to investigate biological drivers of inpatient and post-discharge mortality in 3,101 acutely ill children across nine sites in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In a nested case-cohort ( N  = 1008), we generate plasma proteomics, serum metabolomics and lipidomics, stool metagenomics, and fecal pathogen data at admission and discharge. Additionally, we profile 270 geographically matched community children for biological baselines. We identify a generalizable mortality signature marked by immune, inflammatory, and metabolic dysregulation with gut dysbiosis. We show that mortality-associated signals persist from admission through discharge, indicating unresolved disease and that malnourished children show greater baseline perturbations, explaining elevated risk. We also find some children with low clinical severity display high predicted mortality risk from targeted biomarkers. Finally, we distill predictive models to a clinically feasible biomarker panel and validate our findings in an independent cohort ( N  = 100). By linking inpatient and post-discharge mortality to specific biological mechanisms, our findings highlight why current care can fail and demonstrate how biomarker-guided risk stratification can identify vulnerable children currently missed by clinical assessments, enabling targeted interventions to reduce mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

Correction: Study on the change characteristics and market driving factors of residential land price in the Beijing Tianjin Hebei urban agglomeration, China

Understanding the acute and chronic effects of basketball dual-task complexity on athletes’ inhibitory capacity

Abstract Inhibitory control (IC) enables athletes to suppress inappropriate responses and shift attention during sport practice. However, how acute training effects on IC relate to chronic adaptations remains unclear. This study investigated whether cognitive-motor complexity during interventions fosters long-term adaptations and how IC capacity moderates outcomes. One hundred twenty-five healthy athletes (68 men, 57 women; mean age, 21.1 ± 1.8 years) were divided into high- and low-IC capacity groups and assigned to one of four basketball cognitive motor dual-task interventions, varying in executive demands and physical load. A repeated-measures design assessed the effects of 11 training sessions on IC and whether the effects remained after three months. High-capacity groups showed improved IC accuracy and response time in each session ( p < 0.001), followed by low-capacity groups, initially under low executive demands ( p < 0.001) and then high executive demands ( p < 0.001). At three months, performance generally declined ( p < 0.001), except in the high-capacity group under high-demand conditions, where it was maintained. Notably, the negative performance peak during interventions correlated with final IC assessment ( p = 0.002). Cognitively demanding training enhanced IC in athletes with a higher baseline capacity, while less complex tasks were more effective for individuals with lower capacity. These findings support adapting task complexity to cognitive level to optimise cognitive development.

Past political violence and interpersonal violence against children and youth in Africa

Abstract Political violence (the use of force by groups for political motives) adversely affects children and youth, but there is limited rigorous evidence on whether exposure to political violence is associated with a higher risk of subsequent interpersonal violence against adolescents and young adults. We estimate this association with multi-country micro data from nine African countries, merging nationally representative Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) data with Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) for Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We find that a one standard deviation increase in past long-term exposure to political violence increases the odds of adolescents and young adults subsequently experiencing emotional violence from family members by 5.5%, physical violence from intimate partners by 3.0%, and sexual violence in poorer households by 16.9%. There was no statistically significant association for past short-term exposure to political violence.