Browse Articles

Belief in science-related conspiracy theories is not just a matter of knowledge: The democratic quality of countries as a protective factor

Concerns regarding the increasing prevalence of conspiracy theory beliefs are growing in public discourse. This study investigates science-related conspiracy theories due to their significant potential impact on individual and global health. Using data from a Special Eurobarometer survey (n = 37,079), our research demonstrates the importance of considering public perceptions of science when trying to understand the acceptance of such conspiracy theory beliefs. They are strongly associated with mistrust in scientists and lower level of knowledge. But there is a key factor at the country level, the quality of democracy, which plays a protective role against the acceptance of unwarranted beliefs. Even individuals with lower levels of knowledge or greater mistrust of scientists are less likely to believe in science-related conspiracy theories if they live in democratic countries than in authoritarian states.

Comparison of post-operative pain prevalence after single visit endodontic treatment with two NiTi rotary files - a randomized clinical trial

Abstract In root canal treatment, post-operative endodontic pain is considered as a common post-operative complication. Knowledge about its causes helps the clinician in proper instrument and technique selection to decrease its incidence. Therefore, the aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the post-operative pain occurrence after single visit root canal preparation using ProTaper Universal rotary system or M-Pro rotary system. Eighty patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in mandibular first molars were allocated into two groups. In group A ( n  = 40): root canal preparation was performed using ProTaper Universal system and in group B ( n  = 40): root canal preparation was performed using M-Pro rotary system. Pain level was assessed by the patient using the numerical rating scale (NRS) at 24 h and 7 days postoperatively. The patients were advised to take the prescribed analgesics in case of emergency need. Data and statistical analysis showed that there was significant decrease in pain in both groups after 24 h and after 7 days. Insignificant difference was found between ProTaper Universal group and M-Pro group after 24 h and after 7 days. Insignificant difference was found in analgesics intake between both groups after 24 h and after 7 days. Trial registration: The trial protocol was registered at https://ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06777381), registered January 15, 2024.

Correction: An innovative submucosal filler for esophageal endoscopic submucosal dissection: A porcine model study (with video)

Genistein ameliorates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice by modulating gut microbiota and hepatic macrophage polarization

Abstract Genistein (GEN) exhibits diverse biological activities. This study is conducted to explore the effect of GEN on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) mice. MASLD was induced in mice by a high-fat diet (HFD). The results indicated that GEN significantly reduced HFD-induced body weight and improved lipid homeostasis and glucose tolerance in HFD-fed mice. Furthermore, GEN intervention markedly ameliorated hepatic pathological changes, hepatic dysfunction, and macrophage polarization. Meanwhile, GEN had a beneficial significant impact on colonic pathological changes and the expression of tight junction-related proteins. The results of gut microbiota showed that high-dose GEN intervention was able to down-regulate Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and increase Bacteroidota at the phylum level. At the genus level, GEN intervention increased Lactobacillus , Muribaculum , and Muribaculaceae_unclassified in MASLD mice, and decreased Ruminococcus , Allobaculum , and Helicobacter . In conclusion, GEN attenuated lipid metabolism disorders and hepatic inflammatory reaction via regulating the composition of the gut microbiota and hepatic macrophage polarization in MASLD mice.

Expression of concern: CD117 expression in fibroblasts-like stromal cells indicates unfavorable clinical outcomes in ovarian carcinoma patients

Multi-omic profiling reveals age-related immune dynamics in healthy adults

Polygenic risk for autism spectrum disorder based on four group comparison across term and preterm birth

Assessing the clinical relevance of point-of-care ultrasound for hospitalists: Influence on clinical reasoning and decision-making

Introduction Point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) is increasingly recognized in internal medicine, yet its influence on hospitalists’ clinical reasoning remains underexplored. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the influence of POCUS on diagnostic hypotheses, management strategies, and confidence levels among hospitalists in a transitional care unit with limited access to advanced imaging. Methods Prospective descriptive study in a transitional care unit enrolling 19 hospitalists. During routine care, clinicians used POCUS at their discretion and, immediately afterward, completed a structured form capturing the clinical question, pre- and post-POCUS diagnostic hypotheses, confidence levels, and management decisions. Per-encounter changes in these parameters were summarized descriptively. Results POCUS led to a change in the primary diagnostic hypothesis in 37% (38/104) of clinical encounters and altered management in 39% (41/104) of cases. Diagnostic confidence increased in 46% (48/104) of instances. Even when the primary hypothesis remained unchanged (62% − 66/104), POCUS strengthened diagnostic confidence in 36% (24/66) of these cases and aided in ruling out alternative diagnoses in 62% (41/66). Notably, POCUS had no discernible influence in only 13% (14/104) of cases. Conclusion This study suggests that POCUS may influence clinical reasoning and decision-making among hospitalists in a setting with limited imaging resources. POCUS frequently led to changes in diagnostic hypotheses and management plans, and often increased diagnostic confidence, even when the initial hypothesis was maintained. These findings suggest that POCUS may play a supportive role in bedside assessment and patient management in internal medicine, underscoring the need for further research and structured training before broader integration.

Plasma p-tau217 and p-tau217/Aβ1–42 ratios associate with medial temporal lobe subfield atrophy in normal aging and mild cognitive impairment

Retraction: Endometriosis and pregnancy: The illusion of recovery

Storage tank detection in remote sensing images based on circular bounding boxes and large selective kernel

Antibiotic dispensing behaviors for pediatric diarrhea: A qualitative study of informal healthcare providers in rural Bangladesh

Antibiotic resistance is a significant public health concern and requires coordinated efforts to promote antibiotic stewardship. In rural Bangladesh, informal healthcare providers known as “village doctors” are a primary source of antibiotics for a range of ailments, including pediatric diarrhea. This qualitative study explored the factors influencing antibiotic dispensing practices for pediatric diarrhea among village doctors in the Chattogram district of Bangladesh. In May 2023, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 village doctors and analyzed the data using thematic analysis approach. The resulting themes were mapped onto the five domains of the Social Ecological Framework (SEF) to identify the multi-level drivers of antibiotic dispensing practices. At the individual level, antibiotic provision for treatment of pediatric diarrhea is influenced by village doctors’ clinical knowledge, training, and beliefs about antibiotics. At the interpersonal level, village doctors often alter their antibiotic dispensing practices based on patient and caregiver demands and influences from pharmaceutical companies. Organizational level factors include financial incentives from medication sales and pharmaceutical companies, resource constraints, diagnostic limitations, and a competitive healthcare landscape. We also identified that cultural expectations for rapid recovery through antibiotics and widespread community access to antibiotics at the community level. Finally, at the policy level, we identified weak regulatory frameworks, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and healthcare system challenges that position village doctors as essential but unregulated providers. The findings highlight the multi-level drivers for inappropriate antibiotic use. Effective interventions should enhance clinical training, address economic incentives, promote community education, and establish clear regulatory frameworks. Future strategies should consider the interconnected nature of these influences rather than targeting isolated levels.

A Museum artifact classification model based on cross-modal attention fusion and generative data augmentation

The reciprocal relationship between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hypothyroidism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of about 39 million individuals

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hypothyroidism are both prevalent conditions with potential reciprocal influences. This study evaluates the link between NAFLD and hypothyroidism. Methods A systematic search was performed using Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. A random-effects meta-analysis assessed the bidirectional connection between hypothyroidism and NAFLD. Subgroup, meta-regression, and sensitivity analyses explored variability. R software (version 4.4.1) was employed for all analyses. Results Data from 38,877,762 people were assessed, with 99% being female, limiting generalizability to male populations. Among the study population, females were significantly more numerous than males. Hypothyroidism increased the presence of NAFLD and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.34–2.87; I2 = 89%). In subgroup analysis, the incidence of NAFLD/NASH was increased in both subclinical and unspecified hypothyroidism patients (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.08–2.35; I2 = 91%, and OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.09–3.54; I2 = 79%, respectively). Conversely, overt hypothyroidism did not significantly increase the risk of NAFLD/NASH (OR = 4.27, 95% CI = 0.90–20.19; I2 = 89%). Additionally, NAFLD patients were more likely to develop hypothyroidism (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.35–2.53; I2 = 100%). According to the subgroup analysis, NAFLD patients were more prone to develop subclinical hypothyroidism (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.11–3.03; I2 = 87%). The increased presence of overt hypothyroidism wasn’t found to be significant in NAFLD patients (OR = 1.94, 95% CI = 0.73–5.18). Conclusion This study suggests a reciprocal connection between hypothyroidism and NAFLD, underscoring the need for integrated management strategies and additional research into the underlying mechanisms. The predominance of female participants, combined with high heterogeneity, limits the applicability of findings to broader populations.

A comprehensive framework for legal dispute analysis integrating prompt engineering and multi-dimensional knowledge graphs

Abstract Legal dispute analysis is crucial for intelligent legal assistance systems. However, current Large Language Models (LLMs) face challenges in understanding complex legal concepts, maintaining reasoning consistency, and accurately citing legal sources. This study presents a framework combining prompt engineering with multi-dimensional knowledge graphs to improve LLM capabilities for legal dispute analysis. The framework comprises a three-stage hierarchical prompt structure (task definition, knowledge background, reasoning guidance) and a three-layer knowledge graph (legal classification ontology layer, representation layer, instance layer). Additionally, four supporting methods enable legal concept retrieval: direct code matching, semantic vector similarity, ontology path reasoning, and professional terminology matching. Systematic testing on 500 test samples integrated from six internationally recognized legal AI benchmark datasets demonstrates performance improvements for mainstream models: F1 score increased from 0.356 to 0.714, BLEU-4 reached 0.451, ROUGE-L F1 improved from 0.34 to 0.71, and legal professional content quality scores increased by 18-20 points (on a 100-point scale). This framework provides a technical approach for legal analysis, contributing to the advancement of intelligent legal assistance systems.

Do government subsidies lead to TFP losses? A perspective on the formation of zombie firms

This study examines how government subsidies affect aggregate total factor productivity (TFP) through the formation of zombie firms in China. Using panel data of A-share listed firms from 2007 to 2022 and industry–province–year aggregates, we analyze both firm-level dynamics and aggregate productivity outcomes. The results show that subsidies reduce the exit probability of low-productivity firms and significantly increase the likelihood of zombie firm formation. Although the prevalence of zombie firms fluctuates over time, it remains a persistent challenge. At the aggregate level, subsidies exert a negative impact on TFP, with zombie firm prevalence serving as a key mediating channel. The mediating effect is particularly strong in industries with a higher share of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), whereas regional differences stem from distinct mechanisms: subsidies more strongly induce zombie formation in Central–Western China, while the productivity drag of zombies is larger in the more competitive Eastern region. These findings highlight the unintended productivity costs of subsidy policies and underscore the need for more targeted and efficiency-oriented intervention.

Integrated energy scheduling for grid-connected microgrids using battery degradation-aware optimization and coordinated control strategies

The hidden risks of polypharmacy: Exploring potentially inappropriate prescribing with STOPP/START criteria version 3–A cross-sectional study

Polypharmacy and inappropriate prescribing are critical challenges in geriatric medicine, leading to adverse drug reactions, hospitalizations, and increased healthcare costs. The updated STOPP/START version 3 criteria provide an expanded tool for identifying potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) and potentially prescribing omissions (PPOs) in older adults. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of PIMs and PPOs in a cohort of partially dependent older patients and identify factors associated with prescribing inappropriateness. A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted in two day-care centres in Poland. The study included 296 patients with polypharmacy (≥5 medications) and partial dependency. PIMs and PPOs were identified using STOPP/START version 3, and data were analyzed for factors influencing the prevalence of inappropriate prescribing. STOPP version 3 identified 543 PIMs in 73.6% of participants, with the most frequent related to analgesics as well as acetylsalicylic acid in cardiovascular indications. START version 3 detected 517 PPOs in 78.7% of patients, with cardiovascular treatments and laxatives being the most commonly omitted. Factors influencing PIMs prevalence included the number of received medications, the diagnosis of depression, and recurrent falls in the previous year. PPOs prevalence was significantly associated with multimorbidity, a high number of received medications, the diagnosis of heart failure, coronary artery disease, benign prostate hyperplasia and depression. Our study highlights the importance of using tools for optimizing pharmacotherapy due to the high prevalence of both PIMs and PPOs. Many frequent inappropriate prescribing regard relatively new medications and refer to recent updates in evidence-based medicine.

Liposomal co-delivery of β-carotene and doxorubicin for enhanced colorectal-cancer therapy

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality, motivating delivery systems that retain antitumor activity while limiting off-target toxicity. We engineered neutral multilamellar soy-lecithin liposomes co-encapsulating β-carotene (BC) and doxorubicin (DOX). Thin-film hydration produced vesicles with a DLS Z-average of 122.4 ± 83.4 nm (PDI = 0.534) and ζ-potential of − 25.6 ± 8.0 mV, and a TEM diameter of 184 ± 34 nm, with > 90% entrapment efficiency for both cargos. In HCT-116 cells the formulation preserved DOX potency (IC₅₀, µg mL⁻ 1 , mean ± SD: free DOX 610.9 ± 11.4; DOX-Lipo 614.0 ± 1.8; BC–DOX-Lipo 618.9 ± 5.8) and remained ~ 1.5-fold more active than BC alone (free BC 960.6 ± 13.6; BC-Lipo 951.8 ± 18.8). Annexin V/PI flow cytometry showed that BC–DOX-Lipo achieved the highest total apoptosis (44.51 ± 4.45%) and deep G₀/G₁ arrest (92.06 ± 9.2%), reducing S-phase to 6.37 ± 0.60% (p = 0.0186 vs DOX-Lipo). Alkaline comet analysis indicated that co-delivery modestly attenuated DOX-associated DNA fragmentation (tailed cells 11.43 ± 0.45% for BC–DOX-Lipo vs 16.27 ± 0.25% for DOX-Lipo, p < 0.001), consistent with BC’s redox buffering. Differential scanning calorimetry and FTIR supported drug–bilayer interactions: BC slightly increased Tm and acyl-chain order, whereas DOX disrupted cooperativity; co-loading shifted T m to 37.84 °C and broadened the transition, indicating a more fluid bilayer at 37 °C. In-silico ADMET profiling (contextual, not in-vivo PK) highlighted superior oral absorption and BBB penetration for BC and negligible oral uptake for DOX; docking predicted higher DOX affinities across Bcl-2, β-catenin, P-glycoprotein, and topoisomerase II (e.g., − 9.06 to − 9.30 kcal mol⁻ 1 ) relative to BC (≈ − 7.6 to − 7.8 kcal mol⁻ 1 ). Overall, liposomal co-delivery maintains DOX cytotoxicity while strengthening G₁/S checkpoint blockade and increasing programmed cell death, with partial moderation of DNA fragmentation. These in-vitro data motivate stability optimization and in-vivo evaluation in CRC models.

Effect of creep-feeding supplementation during the pre-weaning phase on gene co-expression in Longissimus thoracis muscle of F1 Angus x Nellore calves at weaning

The aim of this study was to analyze gene co-expression in skeletal muscle of calves with or without creep-feeding during the pre-weaning phase. Forty-eight F1 uncastrated male Angus-Nellore calves were divided into two groups: G1 - no creep-feeding, and G2 - creep-feeding. After weaning (210 days), all animals were kept in the feedlot for 180 days under the same conditions. Weaning weight, backfat thickness, and intramuscular fat content were significantly higher in G2, with intramuscular fat and marbling score being 17.2% and 14.0% higher, respectively, compared with G1 (P < 0.05). Longissimus thoracis muscle samples were collected at weaning for transcriptome analysis (RNA-Seq) in 12 animals of each group. Gene co-expression analysis using the CEMiTool R package identified seven modules; five showed differential activity between groups (adjusted P < 0.002). Modules 1, 2, and 3 showed the greatest association with treatments. Hub genes and enrichment in biological pathways and processes were identified in these modules. The absence of supplementation was associated with increased connectivity of hub genes involved in insulin signaling, oxidative metabolism, and cell cycle regulation, including CDKN1A , FOXO1 , and NAMPT . These genes were enriched in processes related to lipid oxidation and response to ketone bodies, suggesting reduced myogenic and adipogenic activity. Notably, FOXO1 has context-dependent effects on adipogenesis, acting as both an inducer and inhibitor depending on the differentiation stage. In contrast, supplementation increased the activity of hub genes involved in cell signaling, muscle development, and differentiation, such as ITGB6 , REEP1 , TPCN1 , PPARA , PTPN11 , and MAP3K20 , and enriched processes associated with muscle and adipose cell development. In conclusion, creep-feeding supplementation during the pre-weaning phase altered gene co-expression in skeletal muscle, activating pathways related to myogenesis, adipogenesis, and energy metabolism. These results suggest potential lasting molecular effects consistent with increased intramuscular fat deposition during finishing.