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Quantifying grain boundary deformation mechanisms in small-grained metals
Nutritional, antioxidant, and sensory properties of Ziziphus spina-christi fruit powder and its application in bakery products
Abstract Bioactive compounds from natural sources have attracted growing scientific interest due to their functional, pharmacological, and biological properties. Among these, sidr (Ziziphus spina-christi), a plant native to South and East Asia, is recognized for its nutritional and therapeutic potential. Z. spina-christi produces fruits rich in bioactive constituents, yet they remain largely underutilized in food applications. This study investigated the effect of fortifying waffles and breadsticks with dehydrated Z. spina-christi fruit powder (DNP) on their nutritional composition, antioxidant activity, and sensory characteristics. Wheat flour was partially replaced with DNP at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% (w/w). Adding DNP significantly ( P < 0.05) increased ash, crude fiber, total phenolic and flavonoid contents, and DPPH radical scavenging activity, while slightly decreasing protein content and lightness (L*) values. The redness (a*) increased due to the fruit’s natural pigments, and texture parameters like hardness, gumminess, and chewiness rose with higher substitution levels. Sensory evaluation revealed that 10–15% DNP provided the optimal balance between improved nutritional and antioxidant properties and acceptable sensory quality, whereas higher levels slightly reduced overall acceptability. Therefore, this study recommends the use of Ziziphus spina-christi fruit powder as a functional ingredient in bakery products, enhancing their health-promoting properties without compromising consumer acceptance.
Empowering sexual self-care in HPV-positive women: A randomized trial of health belief model–Based education
Introduction The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection worldwide. The present study aimed to examine the impact of an educational intervention based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) on sexual self-care among women of reproductive age infected with HPV. Method This study was a randomized controlled trial with two parallel groups. Seventy-two women with HPV were selected through simple random sampling from Arash and Imam Khomeini hospitals in Tehran, Iran, and were allocated to a control group (n = 35) and an intervention group (n = 37). Participants in the intervention group received Health Belief Model (HBM)-based sexual self-care education during four weekly sessions, each lasting 45–60 minutes. The sessions were conducted using lectures, group discussions, question-and-answer sessions, PowerPoint presentations, pamphlets, educational videos, and role-playing. Data were collected using a demographic and obstetric information questionnaire, the Sexual Self-Care Questionnaire, and the HBM Questionnaire at three stages: before the intervention, immediately after, and 8 weeks after the completion of the intervention. Data analysis was performed using independent t-tests, Fisher’s exact test, chi-square test, and repeated measures ANOVA, with SPSS version 26 software. Results Both groups participating in the study were homogeneous in terms of demographic and obstetric characteristics (p > 0.05). The mean total score of sexual self-care and all its dimensions did not show a statistically significant difference between the intervention and control groups before the intervention (p = 0.275). However, immediately after and 8 weeks after the completion of the intervention, a significant increase was observed in the intervention group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the implementation of the intervention in the intervention group led to a significant increase in the constructs of perceived sensitivity, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy, as well as a significant decrease in perceived barriers, both immediately and 8 weeks after the completion of the intervention (p < 0.001). However, the construct of perceived severity regarding sexual self-care did not show a statistically significant difference between the two groups at any time point (p > 0.05). Conclusion Based on the results of the study, education based on the Health Belief Model has been effective in improving sexual self-care and enhancing the constructs of the model in women with human papillomavirus (HPV). Therefore, it is recommended that this theory be considered by healthcare providers and midwives when educating patients with human papillomavirus. Trial registration This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials on 2024/01/01 (code: IRCT20231223060503N1) URL: https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/trial/74692
Design, synthesis and biological activity of glycoconjugated ADAMTS5 exosite inhibitors: applications in osteoarthritis and ovarian cancer models
Abstract Pharmacological inhibition of the extracellular zinc metalloprotease A Disintegrin-like And Metalloprotease domain with Thrombospondin type I motifs 5 (ADAMTS5) has been proposed as a treatment for osteoarthritis (OA), a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage loss. More recently, ADAMTS5 has been implicated in ovarian cancer (OC), due to its essential role in promoting cell migration and association with poor prognosis. ADAMTS5 major substrates are the proteoglycans aggrecan and versican, which support the structural integrity of the cartilage and the tumor microenvironment. We have recently described a non-chelating arylsulfonamide glycoconjugate, compound 4b , as a selective ADAMTS5 inhibitor, and shown its effectiveness in an OC 3D model. Here, we modified the structure of 4b to improve its biological activity. We showed that, while 4b induces cytotoxicity in several cell lines as well as in porcine and human cartilage explants, its derivative 2 was tolerated at high micromolar concentrations and effective in inhibiting aggrecan degradation in human ex vivo OA explants and reducing directional OC cell migration and pseudopod elongation. In silico analyses provided a rationale behind the different biological activities of the two compounds. These findings highlight the potential of non-chelating glycoconjugated arylsulfonamides to treat pathologies characterized by excessive ADAMTS5 activity.
Barriers and facilitators for self-harm prevention and surveillance: A cross-sectional study with primary health care nurses in Brazil
Most individuals who die by suicide do not have contact with specialised mental health services; instead, they engage with primary health care services. This highlights the critical role of primary care in preventing self-harm and suicide. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers, facilitators, and associated factors influencing suicide and self-harm prevention and surveillance from the perspective of primary care nurses. This cross-sectional observational study used a quantitative approach and included 125 nurses from the five macro-regions of Brazil. Data concerning barriers and facilitators to self-harm prevention and surveillance, along with associated factors, were collected online using a data capture software. Instruments were based on the Theoretical Domains Framework, developed and validated for the Brazilian context. Data analysis was performed using Generalised Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS), with distribution selection based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Generalised AIC (GAIC). Analyses were conducted in R (version 4.4.1) with a significance level of 5%. In terms of self-harm prevention, “knowledge and skills” was identified as a facilitator (58.1%), while “context” (75.7%) and “reinforcement” (91.7%) were recognised as barriers. For self-harm surveillance, “reinforcement” (89.8%) and “intentions” (56.5%) were identified as barriers, whereas facilitators included “knowledge and skills” (61.7%), “beliefs about consequences” (82.9%), “emotions” (55.8%), and “behavioural regulation” (61.4%). Identifying barriers and facilitators within healthcare is crucial for implementing evidence-based practices. The findings of this study can contribute to the development of more tailored self-harm prevention strategies across different regions of Brazil.
Bioinformatics analysis reveals C5AR1’s impact on thyroid cancer development via immune infiltration
Prehypertension and its associated factors among government employees in Tilottama Municipality of Rupandehi District, Nepal
Government employees are vital workforce of the nation comprising individuals in the working age group. These employees have to face an increased workload, limited decision-making scope, lack of support from fellow workers, regular night shifts, limited physical mobility which puts them at increased risk for hypertension. Detecting prehypertension is essential to prevent related complications and reduce risks of future health issues such as an increased risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and other cardiovascular problems. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of prehypertension and its associated factors among the government employees of Tilottama Municipality, Nepal. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 333 government employees from 15 June 2023 to 10 November 2023. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants. A structured questionnaire was adapted from the WHO STEPs Survey. Data were cleaned and then exported to IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0 for analysis. Demographic characteristics of respondents were described using descriptive statistics. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to determine the association between individual characteristics and prehypertension. Statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05. The mean (±SD) age of the 333 participants was 36.9(±8.89) years. Most of them were females (54.1%). This study found that 29.4% of participants were prehypertensive, and 14.1% were hypertensive. Participant’s age, sex, working department, family history of hypertension, presence of diabetes, BMI, waist-hip ratio, ever-alcohol consumption and duration of service were found to be significantly associated with prehypertension in bivariate analysis. Meanwhile, working department (Adjusted Odds Ratio AOR: 3.2, CI: 1.4–7.0), family history of hypertension (AOR: 1.9, CI: 1.1–3.4), and BMI (AOR: 1.7, CI: 1.0–3.1) were found to be significantly associated with prehypertension. This study concluded that a significant proportion of government employees had prehypertension and hypertension. Targeted health promotion programs should be implemented in non-health departments. Regular hypertension screening program and healthy workplace settings such as healthier food choices, physical activity, stress management techniques, and smoke-free zones should be promoted in each institution, with a focus on hypertension prevention and control for employees.
The pancreatic cancer models helping to drive innovation in the field
Thiorphan reprograms neurons to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury
Abstract We previously identified an embryonic shift in the corticospinal motor neuronal transcriptome after spinal cord injury associated with successful axonal regeneration 1 . Exploiting this transcriptional regenerative ‘signature’, here we used in silico screens to identify small molecules that generate similar shifts in the transcriptome, and identified thiorphan—a neutral endopeptidase inhibitor—as a lead candidate. In a new adult motor cortex neuronal in vitro screen 2 , thiorphan increased neurite outgrowth 1.8-fold ( P < 0.001). We then infused thiorphan into the central nervous system beginning 2 weeks after severe C5 spinal cord contusions and, when combined with a neural stem cell graft, thiorphan elicited significant improvements in forelimb function ( P < 0.005) and corticospinal regeneration ( P < 0.05). Extending clinical relevance, thiorphan significantly increased neurite outgrowth in primary cortical neuronal cultures from a 56-year-old human. These findings represent a new path for drug discovery, starting from in silico screens to proof-of-concept in adult human brain cultures.
Efficacy and safety of pioglitazone versus dapagliflozin as an add-on to metformin and alogliptin combination therapy: the EPIDOTE study
DynamicSeq2SeqXGB for PM2.5 imputation in extremely sparse environmental monitoring networks
Environmental monitoring networks face critical data gaps that compromise public health protection and regulatory compliance, with missing data rates often exceeding 40% in operational settings. This study validates DynamicSeq2SeqXGB, a novel hybrid model that integrates a sequence-to-sequence encoder–decoder for temporal pattern extraction with an XGBoost regressor for robust gap reconstruction under extreme sparsity. Data from five monitoring stations in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan, collected over a 15-month period from May 23, 2024 to July 19, 2025, were analyzed representing severely compromised infrastructure (completeness rates 23.3–57.5%). The methodology employs adaptive context processing and implements hierarchical decomposition for extended outages. Two data preparation strategies were evaluated: selective compression applying quality thresholds versus full compression retaining all available observations. Benchmarking against classical methods using synthetic gaps of 5–72 hours demonstrated DynamicSeq2SeqXGB’s superiority in 96% of cases under full compression and 100% under selective compression (average 48.8% improvement for both strategies) with corresponding MAE values of 3.7–8.5 μg/m 3 across the Pavlodar stations. Notably, full and selective compression showed equal overall effectiveness (50% win rate each), with optimal strategy depending on station-specific characteristics. External validation on the Beijing dataset (Guanyuan station, 2016) with controlled degradation confirmed cross-regional transferability, achieving MAE of 8.50 μg/m 3 and coefficient of determination (R 2 ) of 0.944 (68–79% improvement over baselines). The method successfully reconstructed PM 2.5 time series even at 23.3% completeness, demonstrating robust performance for operational deployment in severely degraded monitoring networks.
Identification and validation of palmitoylation metabolism related biomarkers in osteoarthritis using transcriptomic and single cell RNA sequencing analyses
Corollary discharge and efference copy mechanisms in schizophrenia and controls: The N1 and P2 evoked potential components differentially react to self-initiated tones in schizophrenia
“Efference copy” and “corollary discharge” mechanisms may help to distinguish internal from external stimuli. Previous studies indicate that patients with schizophrenia show a lack of N1 evoked response potential component amplitude suppression to self-initiated auditory stimuli, suggesting a corollary discharge impairment. In our study, we examined N1 and P2 component amplitude suppression in 27 patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls using an auditory button-press paradigm. In addition to symptom ratings we conducted neuropsychological assessments. Our findings replicated N1 amplitude suppression to self-generated tones in schizophrenia patients. We found no correlation between N1, P2, and lateralized readiness potential, suggesting that the readiness potential may not directly represent corollary discharge mechanisms. Cognition performance was reduced in schizophrenia patients and performance reduction correlated with negative symptoms. Cognition was not associated with evoked potential data. Regarding the P2 component, P2 suppression to self-generated tones was observed in patients as well as in controls. In conclusion, the N1 and the P2 component seem to be differentially involved in corollary discharge and efference copy mechanisms. Further investigation is needed to elucidate functional differences and sources of both components in this context.
China is leading the world on AI governance: other countries must engage
Development of an active counter unmanned aerial system with integrated autonomous mobile robot for inspection and defense
Effects of supplementing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) leaves in concentrate diet on carcass traits and meat characteristics of Longissimus muscle in goat kids
The influence of dietary hemp ( Cannabis sativa L.) leaf (HL) supplementation in a concentrate diet on carcass traits, physicochemical properties, amino acids, ribonucleotides, lipid oxidation, and fatty acids of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle in goat kids was evaluated. Fifteen entire Thai native x Boer bucks (body weight: 16.28 ± 0.35 kg; age: 4 months) were randomly assigned to concentrate diets containing 0% (HL-0), 2% (HL-2), or 4% (HL-4) HL for 150 days, after which they were slaughtered. The LTL muscles were assessed for physicochemical properties, fatty acids, amino acids, ribonucleotides and lipid oxidation. The HL-4 goats had heavier hot and cold carcass weights compared to the other groups ( P < 0.05). Shoulder percentage was lower in the HL-0 goats than in the other groups ( P < 0.05). The diets did not affect color, chemical composition, shear force, muscle fiber diameter, sarcomere length, ribonucleotides, or free and total amino acids in the LTL muscle in goats. However, the HL-4 meat had higher ( P < 0.05) pH 24 h compared to the HL-2 meat, while the pH of the HL-0 meat did not differ from that of the other groups. The HL-4 meat had lower cook loss compared to the other meats ( P < 0.05). HL supplementation increased C20:4n-6 concentration ( P < 0.05). HL-2 meat had higher total polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to the other groups (P < 0.05). The HL-2 and HL-4 meats had lower TBARS values ( P < 0.05) throughout the 5-day postmortem chill storage. Dietary inclusion of 2–4% hemp leaves improved carcass yield, fatty acids, and oxidative stability of goat meat without compromising other quality traits, suggesting its potential as a natural feed additive to enhance meat quality and shelf life.
Origins of chromosome instability unveiled by coupled imaging and genomics
Abstract Somatic chromosome instability results in widespread structural and numerical chromosomal abnormalities (CAs) during cancer evolution 1–3 . Although CAs have been linked to mitotic errors resulting in the emergence of nuclear atypia 4–7 , the underlying processes and rates of spontaneous CA formation in human cells are underexplored. Here we introduce machine-learning-assisted genomics and imaging convergence (MAGIC)—an autonomously operated platform that integrates live-cell imaging of micronucleated cells, machine learning on-the-fly and single-cell genomics to systematically investigate CA formation. Applying MAGIC to near-diploid, non-transformed cell lines, we track de novo CAs over successive cell cycles, highlighting the common role of dicentric chromosomes as initiating events. We determine the baseline CA mutation rate, which approximately doubles in TP53 -deficient cells, and observe that chromosome losses arise more frequently than gains. The targeted induction of DNA double-strand breaks along chromosome arms triggers distinct CA processes, revealing stable isochromosomes, coordinated segregation and amplification of isoacentric segments in multiples of two, as well as complex CA outcomes, influenced by the chromosomal break location. Our data contrast de novo CA spectra from somatic mutational landscapes after selection occurred. The experimentation enabled by MAGIC advances the dissection of DNA rearrangement processes, shedding light on fundamental determinants of chromosomal instability.
Enhancing innovative behavior of undergraduate students through an integrated thinking promotion program: a quasi-experiment study
Generation of a primary culture of chick embryo enterocytes to evaluate the effects of fumonisin B1 and deoxynivalenol on cell morphology, actin filaments and nuclei
Fumonisin B1 (FB1) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are among the most impactful mycotoxins affecting poultry production. The negative effects of these mycotoxins on intestinal epithelial morphology and integrity have been previously described. However, cell culture methods using cells from species with different genetic backgrounds have been used to obtain these results. The objective of this work was to evaluate the damage caused by fumonisin B1 (FB1) and deoxynivalenol (DON) on cell morphology, actin filaments and nuclear morphology in primary enterocytes obtained from chick embryos via fluorescence microscopy. The results revealed that FB1 and DON did not induce actin filament depolymerization, and stress fibers remained intact under the concentrations of mycotoxins evaluated. However, the cytoarchitecture was disrupted in treated cells, leading to cell thinning and reduced viability, and this change affected one of the main characteristics of enterocytes, which is their ability to absorb nutrients. Damage to the integrity of the nucleus was also observed until its fragmentation, especially in cells treated with deoxynivalenol (DON). These results provide new insights into the mechanisms of action by which DON and FB1 exert their negative effects on chicken enterocytes, for which there was no previous information.