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Water adlayers bridging metal spillover to boost catalytic activity

Investigating the effect of microstructure difference on hydrogen embrittlement sensitivity of X80 pipeline

The association between HbA1c/HDL-C and the incidence of cardiometabolic multimorbidity in middle-aged and elderly adults: Results from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

Background Cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) refers to a cluster of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) are widely used to assess glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism disorders, respectively, given their close association with the onset of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and the incidence of newly diagnosed CMM in individuals aged 45 and older, using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database. Method Our study utilized data from the CHARLS database from 2011 to 2018. A multivariate logistic regression model was established to determine the association between the cumulative average HbA1c/HDL-C (2011–2015) and the incidence of newly diagnosed CMM (2015–2018). Besides, a multivariable-adjusted restricted cubic spline (RCS) curve, stratified analysis, and interaction tests were conducted to evaluate the relationship between HbA1c/HDL-C and CMM. Results Our longitudinal analysis included 4,225 participants, with 716 new cases of CMM identified over a 7-year follow-up period. A positive association was observed between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and the incidence of CMM. In the fully adjusted model, the highest quartile of HbA1c/HDL-C (Q4) exhibited the highest risk of CMM (OR = 1. 08, 95% CI: 1. 04–1. 12). The association between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and CMM incidence was consistent in all subgroups except for education level. Stratified analysis showed no significant interaction between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and factors such as age, gender, marital status, education level, residence, smoking status, drinking status, and body mass index (BMI). Conclusion A significant linear relationship exists between the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio and the risk of CMM. Accordingly, the HbA1c/HDL-C ratio may be an independent risk factor for CMM. Among middle-aged and older adults, monitoring and managing HbA1c/HDL-C levels may aid in identifying individuals at high risk of developing CMM.

FAP+ fibroblasts orchestrate tumor microenvironment remodeling in renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus

Prevalence and associated factors of musculoskeletal disorders among older adults living in Bahir Dar City Ethiopia cross-sectional study

Follow-up patterns after positive primary aldosteronism screening

Primary aldosteronism (PA) screening remains underdiagnosed at <2% of eligible patients, with inconsistent interpretation of positive screening results across institutions. This study investigated whether patients with positive PA case screening test results received appropriate follow-up interventions. We assessed plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone concentration (PAC), calculating the aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR). Three commonly used criteria defined positive case detection: PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL and PRA < 1 ng/mL/h; ARR ≥ 20 and PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL; and ARR ≥ 30 and PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL. We identified 237 patients meeting at least one criterion between April 2018 and May 2023, then assessed follow-up care at least 6 months post-screening. Adequate follow-up included documented abnormal results in progress notes, further PA diagnostics, new MRA treatment, or specialist referral. Inadequate follow-up was observed across all screening criteria: 37% (82/222) of patients meeting PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL and PRA < 1 ng/mL/h, 38% (89/237) of those meeting ARR ≥ 20 and PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL, and 30% (53/180) of those meeting ARR ≥ 30 and PAC ≥ 10 ng/dL lacked appropriate care. History of hypokalemia (p < 0.001), English as primary language (p ≤ 0.007), and higher socioeconomic status (p ≤ 0.06) were consistently associated with adequate follow-up. These findings highlight the need for standardized criteria and automated alerts to improve follow-up after positive PA screening.

Selecting fitted models under epistemic uncertainty using a stochastic process on quantile functions

Abstract Fitting models to data is an important part of the practice of science. Advances in machine learning have made it possible to fit more—and more complex—models, but have also exacerbated a problem: when multiple models fit the data equally well, which one(s) should we pick? The answer depends entirely on the modelling goal. In the scientific context, the essential goal is replicability: if a model works well to describe one experiment, it should continue to do so when that experiment is replicated tomorrow, or in another laboratory. The selection criterion must therefore be robust to the variations inherent to the replication process. In this work we develop a nonparametric method for estimating uncertainty on a model’s empirical risk when replications are non-stationary, thus ensuring that a model is only rejected when another is reproducibly better. We illustrate the method with two examples: one a more classical setting, where the models are structurally distinct, and a machine learning-inspired setting, where they differ only in the value of their parameters. We show how, in this context of replicability or “epistemic uncertainty”, it compares favourably to existing model selection criteria, and has more satisfactory behaviour with large experimental datasets.

A high precision and speed question answering system about the post-COVID-19

The reach of road salt into vernal pools and the response of amphibians

Deicing salts are causing freshwater wetlands to become increasingly saline near roadways, with cascading impacts on local ecosystems. Understanding the full reach of salt into surrounding landscapes can inform the decisions made every winter about roadway management. We measured conductivity and surveyed for vernal-pool obligate species at 541 wetlands identified as potential vernal pools in western Massachusetts, USA, estimating that the salt effect zone extends as far as 167 m to 251 m from roadways. For the smallest wetlands with perimeters under 100 m, the salt effect zone extends to between 81 and 128 m. The mean conductivity of wetlands beyond 251 m was 91 μS/cm (SD = 109 μS/cm), whereas mean conductivity was 168 μS/cm (SD = 180 μS/cm) between 167 m and 251 m, and 274 μS/cm (SD = 340 μS/cm) at wetlands within 167 m of roads. Occupancy and N-Mixture models found that the threefold higher conductivities in average wetlands within the salt effect zone would cause 14% (SE = 5%) lower predicted rates of site occupancy for spotted salamander ( Ambystoma maculatum ), 15% (SE = 5%) lower occupancy for wood frogs ( Lithobates sylvatica ), 29% (SE = 11%) lower population sizes for spotted salamanders and 19% (SE = 14%) lower population sizes for wood frogs, although the wood frog abundance model did not meet the threshold for statistical significance. Compared to average wetlands, the mean conductivity was lower in wetlands with marbled salamanders ( Ambystoma opacum ) and fairy shrimp ( Eubranchipus sp.) and approximately the same for Jefferson salamanders ( Ambystoma jeffersonianum and associated unisexual Ambystoma ), but data for these species were insufficient for formal occupancy modeling. We estimate that 78% of all vernal pools in Massachusetts fall within the road salt effect zone, underscoring the importance of integrating decision-making surrounding roadways and conservation.

Niche-associated Type IV collagen promotes GLP-1/Notch receptor activation in the C. elegans germline

Molecular design and thermodynamic insights into TnSm-type gemini surfactants for advanced interfacial applications

Editorial Note: Complete Phenotypic Recovery of an Alzheimer’s Disease Model by a Quinone-Tryptophan Hybrid Aggregation Inhibitor

Dynamic fibroblast–immune interactions shape recovery after brain injury

Abstract Fibroblasts and immune cells coordinate tissue regeneration and necessary scarring after injury. In the brain, fibroblasts are border-enriched cells whose dynamic molecular states and immune interactions after injury remain unclear 1 . Here we define the shared fibroblast–immune response to brain injury. Early profibrotic myofibroblasts develop from pre-existing brain fibroblasts and infiltrate brain lesions, orchestrated by fibroblast TGFβ signalling, profibrotic macrophages and microglia, and perilesional glia. Myofibroblasts transition into several late fibroblast states, including lymphocyte-interactive fibroblasts. Interruption of the early myofibroblast state exacerbated sub-acute brain injury, tissue loss and secondary neuroinflammation, with increased mortality in the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model. Disruption of late lymphocyte–fibroblast niches via selective loss of fibroblast chemokine CXCL12 led to late brain-specific innate inflammation and lymphocyte dispersal with increased IFNγ production. These data indicate the response to brain injury is coordinated by evolving temporal and spatial fibroblast states that limit functional tissue loss and chronic neuroinflammation.

Fundamental role of spatial positioning of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mycobacterial survival in macrophages

The effect of aerobic training and NBS superfood supplementation on apoptosis and cardiac damage in methamphetamine-withdrawn rats

Effect of COVID-19 restrictions and fuel prices on traffic volume and offenses in Iran: A spatiotemporal analysis

With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent imposition of mobility restrictions in many nations, traffic volumes and driving behaviors have changed worldwide. This study aims to investigate the effect of COVID-19 restrictions and fuel prices on traffic volume and offenses (speeding, tailgating, and illegal overtaking) in Iran’s provincial and aggregated data in the study period of March 21, 2019, to May 20, 2020. A time-series analysis was conducted to capture the effects of interventions in level and trend, followed by a spatial autocorrelation of the interventions among provinces to identify the provinces that formed clusters in terms of traffic volume and offenses before and after each intervention. Most of the COVID-19 restrictions (and the pandemic itself) did not reduce traffic volume and rate of traffic offenses whereas an increase in fuel prices decreased traffic volume and offenses (except for illegal overtaking). Furthermore, traffic volume showed an increasing trend after the imposition of mobility restrictions, suggesting that preventive measures could not control intercity trips during the pandemic. Spatiotemporal analysis showed mobility restrictions effectively removed some provinces from the clusters with above-average volume, tailgating, and overtaking data. The possible reasons for these findings and potential solutions are discussed.

DNA2 enables growth by restricting recombination-restarted replication

Abstract Nuclease–helicase DNA2 is a multifunctional genome caretaker that is essential for cell proliferation in a range of organisms, from yeast to human 1–4 . Bi-allelic DNA2 mutations that reduce DNA2 concentrations cause a spectrum of primordial dwarfism disorders, including Seckel and Rothmund–Thomson-related syndromes 5–7 . By contrast, cancer cells frequently express high concentrations of DNA2 (refs.  8–11 ). The mechanism that precludes cell proliferation in the absence of DNA2 and the molecular aetiology of DNA2 -linked diseases remain elusive. Here we used yeast and human cells to demonstrate that DNA2 suppresses homologous recombination-restarted replication and checkpoint activation at stalled DNA replication forks. Loss of this control mechanism upon degradation of DNA2 in human cells causes recombination-dependent DNA synthesis and build-up of RPA-bound single-stranded DNA in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. Consequently, DNA2 deprivation triggers the DNA damage checkpoint and invariably leads to ATR–p21-dependent cell-cycle exit before mitosis. These findings explain why DNA2 is essential for cell proliferation and reveal that replication fork processing to restrict recombination is indispensable for avoiding cellular senescence. Stochastic entry into senescence stifles the proliferative potential of cells following the expression of a Seckel syndrome patient-derived DNA2 hypomorph or partial degradation of DNA2, providing a conceptual framework to explain global growth failure in DNA2 -linked primordial dwarfism disorders.

Systematic metaproteomics mapping reveals functional and ecological landscapes of Ex vivo human gut microbiota responses to therapeutic drugs

Impact of cryotherapy on incidence and severity of oral mucositis in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: retrospective observational study

Abstract Oral mucositis (OM) is a common and significant complication of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, particularly in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This retrospective observational study assessed the effectiveness of oral cryotherapy in reducing the incidence and severity of OM in 258 HSCT recipients treated at a single transplant center in Poland between 2018 and 2024. Patients were divided into two groups: 199 received cryotherapy as part of their conditioning regimen, while 59 did not. Cryotherapy was administered using ice chips from 10 min before chemotherapy infusion to two hours afterward. OM occurred in 48% of the cryotherapy group versus 68% in the control group, representing a statistically significant 20% relative risk reduction ( p  = 0.008). Furthermore, the incidence of severe OM (grades 3–4) was significantly lower in the cryotherapy group ( p  = 0.006). No significant differences were observed in platelet engraftment or hospitalization duration. Although neutrophil engraftment was slightly delayed in the cryotherapy group, this finding lacked clinical relevance. Overall, the results support cryotherapy as a safe, cost-effective, and easily implementable strategy for OM prevention in the HSCT setting. Further prospective studies are warranted to validate these findings and optimize treatment protocols.

Becoming fathers, becoming caregivers: A qualitative exploration of intersectional influences shaping caregiving in an urban poor South Indian setting

Background Caregiver engagement is crucial for early child development; however, research on paternal involvement remains limited, particularly in urban settings of the Global South. This exploratory study aimed to understand how fathers’ lived experiences and aspirations, along with systemic inequities, shape their parenting practices in urban poor settings in Bangalore, South India. Methods Ten fathers of children aged 4–6 years from low socio-economic backgrounds in the MAASTHI birth cohort were purposively selected for in-depth interviews, conducted using a pre-tested topic guide in Hindi and Kannada . All interviews were transcribed, translated, and analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Results Fathers prioritized their children’s education and safety, often viewing financial provision as their primary role due to ingrained gender norms and economic hardship. Most worked long hours in informal employment, thereby limiting their participation in daily caregiving, which was typically handled by their mothers. Fathers’ own childhood experiences influenced their parenting, with those who experienced adversity often aiming to break intergenerational cycles by being more emotionally present and supportive. While structural barriers limited involvement, many fathers expressed a strong desire to be more engaged, thereby challenging traditional roles. Safety concerns in their neighbourhoods further shaped protective parenting practices. Despite these constraints, some fathers reported that they preferred spending time with their families and participated in co-parenting through shared decision-making and engaging in play. Conclusion This study highlights the intersectionality between gender, socio-economic status, and intergenerational adversity in shaping fathering practices. To promote inclusive caregiving, early childhood programmes must actively include fathers and address both individual and structural barriers that constrain their involvement.