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Photocatalyst-Regulated Trifluoromethoxylation of Aryl Halides under Silver Promotion
Isolation, functional characterization and antibiofilm properties of a lytic Enterococcus phage RG1 against multidrug resistant E. faecium
Global burden of gout among young people from 1990 to 2021, with projections for 2050: A systematic analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
Gout represents the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, exerting a substantial impact on patient quality of life and productivity. In recent years, the age distribution of gout has shifted, with an increasing incidence among younger individuals. Accurate statistics regarding the incidence, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with gout in this population are critical for effective resource allocation in prevention and treatment strategies. In the current study, data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database were used to analyze the burden of gout among young people aged 15–44 years in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021, with projections extending over the next 25 years. Data on prevalence, incidence, and DALYs were collected and stratified by geographical location, gender, and economic development level. Decomposition analysis and predictive modeling were employed to evaluate trends and the impact of critical indicators. In 2021, 8,516,229 young individuals were affected by gout globally, with 1,975,165 new cases and DALYs totaling 283,725 person-years. Since 1990, the age-standardized prevalence rate, age-standardized incidence rate, and age-standardized DALYs rate increased by 10.4%, 9.4%, and 10.2%, respectively, all showing positive correlation with the sociodemographic index ( r = 0.319, 0.272, 0.320, P < 0.001). It is projected that by 2046, global figures in young people will reach approximately 9,229,870 total cases, 2,202,802 new cases, and 307,441 DALYs. Males are anticipated to account for 7,460,349 affected individuals, 1,762,412 new cases, and 245,542 DALYs, whereas females will represent 1,769,521 affected individuals, 440,390 new cases, and 61,899 DALYs. The global disease burden of gout among young people increased significantly from 1990 to 2021, and it is expected to continue rising over the next 25 years. Comprehensive epidemiological data remain essential for guiding gout prevention and management, as well as shaping effective health policies.
Modified kraft lignin as sustainable consolidants for waterlogged archaeological wood
Abstract This study evaluates lightened kraft lignin: modified via acetylation and encapsulation, as a sustainable consolidant for waterlogged archaeological pine ( Pinus sp.) from the Biskupin site (Poland). Lignin was acetylated with acetic anhydride/pyridine and, in a separate route, converted into colloidal capsules by tetrahydrofuran/water self‑assembly; both modifications were characterized and then applied to waterlogged archaeological wood by 2‑week immersion. Effectiveness was assessed by Fourier‑transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), colourimetry, linear dimensional change (LDC), anti‑shrink efficiency (ASE), and water‑uptake tests. Acetylated lignin penetrated more deeply and reduced water uptake (from > 240% to ~ 96%) with moderate improvements in dimensional stability; encapsulated lignin showed limited penetration but lowered shrinkage (tangential: from 6.78 to 4.21%; radial: from 3.36% to 2.37%) through a surface‑barrier effect and was better in preserving the natural colour. These results indicate that modified kraft lignin, particularly the encapsulated formulation, can complement or partially replace petroleum‑based consolidants and motivate further optimization of capsule size/distribution to enhance mechanical performance and treatment uniformity.
Baseline task performance predicts mini-mental state examination improvement after individuals with dementia practice an N-back task with bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation
Introduction This research explores the relationship between baseline performance in dementia patients and its impact on the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving executive function. Past research suggests that those participants who are more impaired at baseline will be those who then demonstrate the greatest improvements with tDCS. In addition, we examined if bilateral or unilateral stimulation would be more effective for improving the general level of cognition of these participants. Materials and Methods The study involved 24 participants, with 18 diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 6 with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). These participants engaged in three rounds of N-back task training sessions, each separated by two months. The sessions included three types of stimulation: 4mA unilateral stimulation targeting the left Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC), 4mA bilateral stimulation targeting both the left and right DPFC, and sham stimulation. Additionally, a control group of elderly individuals without dementia was used to establish a benchmark for the normal average response time (RT) of the administered N-Back task. Evaluations, comprising of the N-Back task and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), were conducted before stimulation, at the final session, and two weeks post-stimulation in all rounds. Results Participants were retrospectively allocated into those whose baseline N-Back response times (RTs) were found on average to be within the normal range versus those who performed more slowly than the normal range. For the group that performed within the normal range, no significant improvement was observed on the N-Back task after a series of sessions involving active tDCS. In contrast, the participants with slower than normal RTs at baseline demonstrated improvement both on the N-Back task (faster times) and the MMSE (higher scores) after receiving active tDCS, although accompanying improvement on the MMSE task was restricted to the condition where participants received bilateral tDCS. Conclusion This study replicates a pervasive finding in the tDCS literature: participants who perform worse at baseline often demonstrate the greatest improvements with tDCS. Furthermore, these results have clinical implications, in that tDCS may be most beneficial in individuals when clear deficits or impairments are present. Attempts to treat less severe participants might fail to show improvement with tDCS. Ultimately, baseline condition should be routinely considered when evaluating tDCS results.
The impact of decreased left ventricular ejection fraction on neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation measured by citrullinated histone H3 (citH_3) concentration
Gain and loss: Human and environmental wellbeing – drivers of Kilimanjaro’s decreasing biodiversity
Tropical mountains such as Kilimanjaro are biodiversity hotspots providing ecosystem services for millions of people, but many are under great pressure. Effective policies to halt biodiversity loss require an understanding of which anthropogenic factors are the main direct causes. While previous research focused mainly on climate change and on the effects rather than the causes, we investigated the effects of multiple drivers on biodiversity. The focus is on floristic and vegetation diversity, as vegetation is closely related to the diversity of other taxa and plays a fundamental role in ecosystem functioning. We show that land-use change caused by rapid population growth was the main direct driver on Kilimanjaro between 1911 and 2022, when 75% of natural species per km 2 disappeared from the lower slopes. Climate change, on the other hand, had no apparent influence on the observed trends in biodiversity. The significant increase in traditional and diverse agroforestry and the establishment of protected areas show possibilities for mitigation. Kilimanjaro is thus an example of the challenges of global change, but also of the prospects and opportunities for other tropical regions.
Incident-aware smart prioritization framework for penetration testing and prevention of URL-based cybersecurity attacks in industry 4.0 IoT networks
The spatiotemporal distribution characteristics and influencing factors of ancient tombs in China: A study on the conservation of ancient tombs in China
Ancient tombs were valuable cultural heritage of China and possessed immeasurable significance. However, research on their spatiotemporal distribution and influencing factors was relatively absent. Based on the establishment of a national geographic information database of ancient tombs, this study employed ArcGIS and SPSS software to conduct both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the extant ancient tombs in China, with the aim of providing support for the protection of Chinese ancient tombs. The results showed that: ① The number of ancient tombs in the Qing Dynasty was the highest, while the number of ancient tombs from the Sui Dynasty accounted for the smallest proportion; ② Ancient tombs in different historical periods presented three distinct concentration areas around the Central Plains urban agglomeration, Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, and Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration in China; ③ The focus of ancient tombs in different historical periods concentrated in the central region of China, with a recurring shift of the focus within the current provinces of Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, and Chongqing; ④ The density of southern rice paddies (DL01) was negatively correlated with the distribution of ancient tombs in China, while the total GDP and population had a significant positive correlation with the distribution of ancient tombs. The significance of this study lies in systematically understanding the spatiotemporal distribution patterns and influencing factors of ancient tombs in China, in order to provide a theoretical basis for scientifically assessing risks, formulating effective protection plans, and guiding archaeological surveys and explorations.
Deep learning-based bacterial foraging optimization algorithm to improve digital mammography-based breast cancer detection
Keystone active bacterial lineages associated with Penaeus stylirostris shrimp health across larvae stages
The Pacific blue shrimp, Penaeus stylirostris , reared in New Caledonia, is economically important for the territory. However, since 2005, this sector has been facing huge larval mortalities occurring at all larval stages in hatcheries and for which no causes have yet been found. Microbial dysbiosis of the larvae are suspected as factors leading to larval death. To test this hypothesis, we monitored daily the larval health based on their survival rate and developmental stage and explored the active microbiota of the larvae by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA sequence. Richness proxies exhibited lower values in the unhealthy (high mortality rate) larval microbiota compared to the healthy one, highlighting a loss of microbial diversity in the unhealthy larvae. Venn diagram comparisons displayed specific taxa associated with a given larval stage and health with several taxa being vertically transmitted among multiple larval stages of a same health status as shown in the core microbiota. Besides, at the zoea stage, when the mortalities started, three ASVs related to Tenacibaculum , Microscilla and Bernardetia were specific of the unhealthy zoea suggesting that the zoea stage is crucial for dysbiosis induction. It is therefore probably at this stage that dysbiosis of the microbiota could evolve into larval pathobiome and lead to larval death. Thus, identifying specific lineages related to dysbiosis, being specific or correlated to unhealthy larvae or to the pathobiome, and demonstrating their pathogenicity, could ultimately support larval rearing by enabling targeted responses to mitigate their impact.
Optimizing MobileNetV3 for multimodal eye gaze and emotion recognition via advanced pruning and quantisation techniques
Correction: Physical Status of Human Papillomavirus Integration in Cervical Cancer Is Associated with Treatment Outcome of the Patients Treated with Radiotherapy
Order–disorder phase transitions of phosphorene and their application to adiabatic quantum computing
Correction: Environmental Response and Genomic Regions Correlated with Rice Root Growth and Yield under Drought in the OryzaSNP Panel across Multiple Study Systems
Boosting CO <sub>2</sub> Photoreduction through Dispersing Quantum Dots in Viscous Polymer Networks
Plasma-activated medium induces apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma through the MAPKs pathway
No evidence of direct activation of human neutrophil responses by multivalent prefusion trimeric SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein ex vivo
The SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein is essential for viral entry and serves as the primary immunogen in most COVID-19 vaccines. While its role in adaptive immunity is well defined, its potential to contribute directly to innate immune activation remains incompletely understood. Neutrophils, in particular, are prominent effectors in COVID-19 severity, yet how they respond directly to the S protein presented in a multivalent format is unclear. Here, we investigated whether the S protein can directly activate human neutrophils ex vivo using two biologically relevant models: nanoparticles displaying multivalent stabilized prefusion trimeric S glycoprotein, and purified β-propiolactone-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virions. Neutrophils were exposed to nanoparticles or inactivated virus, either alone or pre-coated with monoclonal or polyclonal anti-S antibodies. Nanoparticles displaying Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Fusion (F) protein and purified β-propiolactone-inactivated RSV served as comparators. Across all models and conditions tested, the S protein did not induce significant neutrophil responses. No consistent effects were observed on cell viability, surface marker expression, reactive oxygen species production, neutrophil extracellular trap formation, cytokine release, or inflammatory gene expression—even in the presence of anti-S antibodies mimicking immune complexes. Results with F-nanoparticles and inactivated RSV were similarly modest. These findings indicate that the trimeric prefusion S protein, whether displayed multivalently on nanoparticles or in the context of inactivated viral particles, is insufficient to trigger robust neutrophil activation. This work provides insight into the innate immune profile of the S protein and suggests that its use in vaccine platforms is unlikely to directly provoke neutrophil-mediated inflammatory responses.