Browse Articles

Impact of substrate choice on human osteoclast differentiation and secretome: Implications for targeted therapeutic development

Osteoclasts (OCs) exhibit substrate-specific molecular adaptations crucial for bone remodeling. We utilized mass spectrometry and functional enrichment analysis to delineate the proteomic profiles of mature polarized OCs cultured on mineralized versus plastic plates. Our findings reveal that mineralized surfaces promote the expression of proteins specialized for bone resorption and matrix interaction, such as lysosomal enzymes and ion transporters. This environment induces a mature and resorptive phenotype in OCs, enriched in pathways like VEGF/VEGFR signaling and various cytokine pathways. Conversely, OCs on plastic plates display a more diverse proteomic profile, highlighting adaptations in adhesion, proliferation, and stress response pathways, suggesting a focus on cellular maintenance rather than active resorption. Key therapeutic targets for osteoclastogenesis include components of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway—SHH, DHH, and IHH—with Smoothened (SMO) integral to Hh signaling in OC differentiation. Additionally, Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors (GEFs), significantly enriched on plastic plates, are crucial for adapting to non-mineralized environments. Other notable targets include molecular regulators such as NCOR2, which modulates gene expression; NOS1, involved in nitric oxide production and OC function; and XIAP, which influences cell survival. Chromatin remodeling proteins like TACC2 and signaling pathways involving IRS1, MSX1, and AKT are also highlighted. The targets identified in this study are specific to polarized OCs and may not apply to non-polarized OCs or other cell types. These findings underscore the complexity of OC differentiation and function, enhancing our understanding of substrate-specific adaptations and suggesting new strategies for modulating bone metabolism and addressing bone-related disorders.

Comparative evaluation of amiodarone and furosemide compatibility under different mixing conditions

Abstract Amiodarone and furosemide are frequently administered together in the intensive care unit, and their co-administration poses a risk of precipitation and catheter occlusion due to incompatibility. Thus, compatibility should be evaluated under clinically relevant conditions to ensure safe drug administration. This study investigated the impact of different mixing procedures on the physical compatibility of amiodarone and furosemide by employing two clinically relevant approaches: simulated mixing (SM) and route mixing (RM). Mixtures were prepared at therapeutic concentrations and evaluated by visual inspection, absorbance measurement, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), pH analysis, and particle size assessment. Although the drug ratios were identical, the RM samples displayed greater turbidity than the SM samples. The PXRD analysis showed no formation of new crystalline substances, and the precipitates consisted of known furosemide and amiodarone hydrochloride polymorphs. The pH shifted toward the alkaline range as the injection volume increased with furosemide dose. Importantly, differences in particle growth behavior were noted between SM and RM, with larger particles observed in the RM samples. In conclusion, mixing route significantly affects drug compatibility, with RM presenting a higher risk of precipitation. Assessing drug compatibility under clinically relevant conditions may help prevent catheter-related complications and improve the safety of intravenous pharmacotherapy.

The interplay between social dominance and decision-making under expected and unexpected uncertainty: Evidence from event-related potentials

Decision-making is a fundamental aspect of human behavior, especially in uncertain situations where social interactions play a significant role. Social dominance, which involves power dynamics within groups, holds the potential to shape decision-making. Individuals’ expectations and certainty about outcomes are crucial for monitoring their performance in social dominance situations. However, the impact of expected and unexpected uncertainty on decision-making in social dominance contexts remains unclear. This study aimed to unravel the neural and behavioral patterns associated with decision-making across varying social dominance levels under conditions of uncertainty. Researchers investigated this by analyzing brain activity in 51 students. Participants were presented with both positive and negative feedback under conditions of both expectation and uncertainty, while their brain activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). Specifically, we investigated the properties of key neural correlates of feedback processing, including feedback-related negativity (FRN), and P3 components of event-related potential (ERP), and reward prediction error (RPE) signals. The results revealed that the low-dominance group exhibited a larger FRN amplitude than the high-dominance group. Also, unexpected-uncertain negative feedback elicits a stronger FRN amplitude than other conditions. P3 amplitude was larger for high-dominance compared to low-dominance individuals. Additionally, P3 amplitude varied by feedback valence and condition, with larger amplitudes for positive feedback and unexpected-uncertain conditions. In FRN wave difference, the high-dominance individuals exhibited more negative amplitude in unexpected-uncertain conditions. This reveals distinct neural responses to uncertainty and feedback between individuals with high and low dominance, suggesting that social hierarchy modulates brain mechanisms underlying decision-making and reward processing.

Blastocyst quality and congenital malformation risk in singleton births after frozen embryo transfer

Abstract The relationship between blastocyst morphological quality and the risk of congenital malformations in assisted reproductive technology (ART) remains poorly understood, limiting clinical decision-making for embryo selection. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 3986 frozen embryo transfer cycles (January 2014–June 2023) to evaluate whether blastocyst morphological quality influences the risk of congenital malformations. Blastocysts were classified according to Gardner’s grading system, and 1:2 propensity score matching was applied to control for maternal age, BMI, infertility characteristics, and other potential confounders. After matching, 1743 singleton births were analyzed (1162 good-quality vs. 581 poor-quality blastocysts). Baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. The risk of congenital malformations was similar between good- and poor-quality groups (aOR 1.14, 95% CI 0.54–2.41, P = 0.7310; 1.72% vs. 2.07%), with no significant between-group differences in any ICD-10 organ-specific categories (all P > 0.10). Secondary outcomes showed no significant differences: preterm birth (aOR 0.80, 95% CI 0.57–1.12, P = 0.1976), low birth weight (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 0.72–2.19, P = 0.4172), other neonatal outcomes, and obstetric complications (aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.64–1.22, P = 0.4629). These findings indicate that blastocyst morphological quality does not influence the risk of congenital malformations, supporting the use of morphologically poor blastocysts when high-quality alternatives are unavailable, which may reduce unnecessary discarding of embryos, alleviate patient anxiety, and improve treatment accessibility.

The antibacterial effect of human adipose-derived stem cells on LL-37-resistant bacteria

Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) exhibit antibacterial properties, but their effectiveness against bacteria resistant to LL-37- a natural human antimicrobial peptide important in the immune defense- is not fully understood. Some bacteria have evolved mechanisms to evade the antimicrobial effects of LL-37. We aimed to investigate the antibacterial efficacy of hADSCs against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus mirabilis, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), focusing on the antimicrobial peptide LL-37. hADSCs were isolated from human adipose tissue, identified by flow cytometry and differentiation assays, and divided into three groups: unstimulated, stimulated with interferon-gamma (IFN-γ; 100 ng/mL) or Escherichia coli (300 CFU). LL-37 gene expression was measured by qPCR after 6 hours in the E. coli stimulated group. LL-37 peptide levels were quantified by ELISA in conditioned media from unstimulated, IFN-γ stimulated cells, both before and after incubation with pathogens (300 CFU). Antibacterial activity was assessed by colony counting incubation following incubation of conditioned media with bacteria. Conditioned media from both unstimulated and stimulated hADSCs significantly inhibited growth of all three pathogens ( P  < 0.05), with highest efficacy against P. aeruginosa (86.4% inhibition), followed by MRSA (74%) and P. mirabilis (63%). LL-37 gene expression increased after bacterial stimulation, and also LL-37 concentrations increased in conditioned media but significantly decreased after bacterial exposure ( P  < 0.05). Despite this reduction, antibacterial activity persisted. hADSC-conditioned media exert potent antibacterial effects against LL-37-resistant pathogens, even when LL-37 levels are reduced after bacterial exposure. These findings support the therapeutic potential of hADSC secretomes, particularly for infections caused by bacteria capable of reducing LL-37 levels.

Earlier and greater vascular endothelial cell proliferation on hydrocoils compared to bare platinum coils: an in vitro study

A new functional classification of U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas

This study develops a new functional classification of metropolitan and micropolitan areas in the United States. The methodology used was based on the widely used locational quotient and the Coefficient of Specialization (also known as the Index of Divergence). Determining a specialty or which industrial category may be dominant was set to be the outliers above the upper inner fence for each distribution. The units of analysis were all 927 United States metropolitan and micropolitan areas, excluding Puerto Rico. Readily available employment data from the American Community Survey for 2021 was used. Issues and problems with previous classification systems, such as the reliance on a small number of large cities, the inclusion of unpublished data, and subjectivity, were avoided. A relatively small number of urban areas were found to have multiple functional specializations: only forty-five (4.9% of all areas) had two or more functional specialties. Only five had three functional specialties (just over half a percent). Diversified Metro/Micro Areas, which had no industrial category that stood out as dominant, was the single largest class. The pattern of employment for metropolitan areas that specialized in the Productive Class diverged the most from the overall national pattern of metropolitan areas. Those areas in the Extractive Class followed with the second highest degree of divergence.

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in a single Dy adatom ferrimagnet

Spatial factors affecting young females’ disaster exposure in municipalities facing population decline

Understanding and reducing the risk of natural disasters is crucial for maintaining the economy and society. Since Japan is a disaster-prone country and the most advanced nation in the world regarding aging and population decline, it necessitates a natural disaster risk analysis that considers both challenges. This paper represents the first study to explore the risk of natural disasters, specifically for young females exposed to four types of events: floods, tsunamis, storm surges, and sediment disasters, particularly in municipalities at risk of vanishing. We identified municipalities with a high proportion of young females exposed to these natural disasters and examined them from a geographical perspective. Utilizing a spatial regression model, we statistically analyzed the factors influencing the proportion of the exposed population. The result showed that young females exposed to flooding tend to the areas with a higher proportion of habitable land, inland regions, and locations abundant in rivers and lakes. Conversely, young females affected by tsunamis tend to be in coastal areas with few buildings. Additionally, those exposed to storm surges are often in regions characterized by features such as rice fields and other facilities. In the case of landslides, young females tend to reside in areas where habitable land is scarce, such as coastal regions. Our findings suggest that municipalities with a risk of citywide flooding or storm surge should enhance countermeasures, such as implementing building regulations in high-hazard residential areas. Additionally, it recommends that municipalities with a risk of tsunami or sediment should relocate hazardous housing.

Reasons for consultations and afflicted body systems in rural areas of The Republic of the Congo: A cross-sectional study

In the Republic of the Congo, rural areas are characterized by vulnerable populations and endemic infectious diseases, while health facilities have limited technical capabilities. Our objective was to study the distribution of reasons for consultation and afflicted body systems in rural health facilities. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Bouenza, Lékoumou, and Sangha departments. Individuals attending General Medicine outpatient services of selected health facilities were included in the study between September 2020 and January 2021. Reasons for consultation and afflicted body systems were standardized using the second edition of the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC-2). The overall results were subsequently stratified by department, sex, and age. Most participants were females (53.2%) and the most attended health facilities for consultation were health care centers (55.9%). The most common reason for consultation was fever (25.7%), followed by headache (8.9%), with the most common combination of reasons for consultation being ‘fever-cough-nasal congestion’ (4.5%). In Bouenza specifically, asthenia (3.0%) and headache (11.6%) were the most common reasons for consultation, whereas skin rash (4.6%) and foot injuries (2.0%) were the most frequent in Lekoumou and cough (8.1%) and chills (6.6%) the most frequent reasons for consultation in Sangha. Although neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are considered to be common diseases in rural areas of the Republic of the Congo, reasons for consultation related to NTDs were uncommon in this study. According to the ICPC-2 classification, “fever or chills” (taken as non-specific manifestations, thus separate from body systems) and the digestive system were the most afflicted body systems, as observed in 29.7% and 21.2% of cases, respectively. The main reason for consultation was fever, and “fever or chills” was found to be the most frequent afflicted body system, followed by the digestive system. Further studies are required to complete the history of diseases, the medical diagnoses, and collect information during rainy seasons due to the seasonal nature of several diseases.

How migrants’ transcultural perceptions shape their children’s bilingual language development: Insights from a cross-sectional multicultural study

Background Little is known about the factors affecting children’s language acquisition in transcultural situations and how clinicians can take these children’s specific needs into account. Objectives To better understand the acquisition of bilingualism by migrant parents’ children, our aim was to study the relations between parental transcultural perceptions and their children’s language skills in both the heritage language and the host country’s majority language. Methods This cross-sectional study included 114 kindergarten children, born in France to migrant parents speaking Arabic, Tamil, or Soninke. Children’s expressive language and comprehension skills were assessed with the ELAL and the N-EEL scales. In semistructured interviews, parents answered questions about perceptions of migration-related changes, extended-family relationships, and transgenerational transmission. Quantitizing methods and regression models were used to assess these factors’ potential associations with children’s language skills after adjustment for background characteristics and languages used at home. Results Children of parents with a strongly positive perception of transgenerational transmission had better expressive skills in their heritage language. However, strongly positive parental perceptions of extended-family relationships and of migration-related changes were independently associated with some poorer skills in the heritage language. None of these transcultural/familial factors was significantly associated with any of the majority language skills assessed. Conclusion This research suggests that parental perceptions of migration, extended-family relationships, and transgenerational transmission are closely related to their children’s heritage language skills regardless of the choice of languages spoken at home. Further research on transcultural factors is necessary to illuminate the mechanisms underlying bilingual learning and inform evidence-based practices for clinicians.

Higher anaerobic digester performance by the strategical increase in the feeding rate of cow manure in laboratory continuous stirred tank reactor

Improper management of dairy cow manure poses a major risk of environmental pollution. In contrast, anaerobic digestion provides a sustainable pathway by transforming manure into renewable biogas while reducing environmental burdens compared with conventional handling methods. This study examined the operational adaptation and performance of a continuous stirred-tank anaerobic digester fed with dairy cow manure, where the daily organic loading rate (kgVS/m³ reactor volume) was gradually increased to maximize biogas generation. The loading was progressively raised until clear signs of process instability appeared. The experiment was conducted over 98 days under mesophilic conditions, with pH maintained between 7.10 and 7.40. Initially, the digesters were supplied with 20 g of fresh manure per day (0.49 gVS/L), and the input was doubled weekly until reaching 280 g/day (6.82 gVS/L). Under optimal conditions, peak biogas and methane productions were 16.2 NL and 9.2 NL, respectively, corresponding to a maximum specific methane yield of 232 NL CH₄/gVS. The results show that higher loading rates stimulated microbial activity and accelerated organic matter degradation, leading to substantially greater biogas output. Moreover, the digestate exhibited improved physicochemical characteristics, enhancing its value as a nutrient-rich amendment for agricultural applications.

A multicriteria model for prioritizing 5G network deployment with Monte Carlo stability analysis: A case study in Magdalena, Colombia

The global deployment of 5G mobile networks has followed a progressive and strategic approach, depending on regional characteristics. This study develops a reference framework to prioritize areas for deployment, considering technical, sociodemographic, geographic, and economic criteria. The methodology integrates multi-criteria decision-making techniques such as AHP, CRITIC, TOPSIS, and SAW to evaluate and prioritize alternatives. This framework was applied to the municipalities of the Magdalena department in Colombia. The AHP results indicate that technical criteria are the most relevant in the selection process, with a weight of 34.3%, followed by sociodemographic criteria at 33.6%, geographic criteria at 19.47%, and economic criteria at 12.63%. A high similarity in municipality prioritization was observed, with a correlation of ρ = 0.9897 according to Spearman’s coefficient. Using TOPSIS and SAW, the municipality of Ciénaga ranks first, given that the sub-criteria of population size, area, and 4G coverage hold the highest relevance in the selection process, with percentages of 13.13%, 12.16%, and 11.12%, respectively, while the municipalities of Fundación and Plato alternate between second and third place. On the other hand, La Zona Bananera ranks fourth and fifth. To assess the model’s robustness against variability in the criterion weights, a sensitivity analysis was conducted using the Monte Carlo method with 10,000 iterations. The results indicate that the ranking remains stable, with an average correlation of ρ = 0.9010 between the rankings obtained with SAW and the final ranking using TOPSIS. The influence of high-weight and highly correlated sub-criteria was also assessed. Rankings from AHP-SAW and AHP-TOPSIS were compared with CRITIC-SAW and CRITIC-TOPSIS, yielding correlations of 0.98 and 0.76, respectively. It can be concluded that the deployment of 5G networks can be systematically prioritized based on the mentioned criteria, using a model that remains stable despite changes in criterion weights.

Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and cognitive impairment: Protocol of a systematic review

Occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been associated with adverse health effects, yet evidence on the cognitive consequences of such exposure remains fragmented and has not been systematically synthesized across occupational groups. This protocol outlines a systematic review that will examine the relationship between occupational PAH exposure and cognitive impairment across eight predefined occupational categories. Relevant studies will be identified through electronic searches of major databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, ProQuest, PsycINFO, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Eligible studies must assess PAH exposure in occupational settings and evaluate cognitive outcomes using validated instruments, with domain-specific neuropsychological tests prioritized as primary outcomes and global screening tools (e.g., MoCA, MMSE) included as supportive outcomes. Both observational and comparative study designs will be considered. Titles and abstracts will be screened by two independent reviewers, and full texts of potentially eligible articles will be assessed using predefined criteria. Data will be synthesized narratively, with contingency meta-analysis conducted where sufficient comparable data are available and heterogeneity is acceptable. Prespecified subgroup analyses will be undertaken by occupational category, biomarker, cognitive domain, and exposure context, with meta-regression considered if an adequate number of studies are identified. Risk of bias will be assessed using JBI tools at the study level and ROBIS at the review level, with planned sensitivity analyses. The review will consolidate current evidence on PAH-related cognitive outcomes across occupational groups, including under-studied populations such as wildland firefighters, and will inform occupational health policy, workplace screening initiatives, and future research aimed at safeguarding cognitive health in exposed populations.

Exploring biases related to the use of large language models in a multilingual depression corpus

Abstract Recent advancements in Large Language Models (LLMs) present promising opportunities for applying these technologies to aid the detection and monitoring of Major Depressive Disorder. However, demographic biases in LLMs may present challenges in the extraction of key information, where concerns persist about whether these models perform equally well across diverse populations. This study investigates how demographic factors, specifically age and gender affect the performance of LLMs in classifying depression symptom severity across multilingual datasets. By systematically balancing and evaluating datasets in English, Spanish, and Dutch, we aim to uncover performance disparities linked to demographic representation and linguistic diversity. The findings from this work can directly inform the design and deployment of more equitable LLM-based screening systems. Gender had varying effects across models, whereas age consistently produced more pronounced differences in performance. Additionally, model accuracy varied noticeably across languages. This study emphasizes the need to incorporate demographic-aware models in health-related analyses. It raises awareness of the biases that may affect their application in mental health and suggests further research on methods to mitigate these biases and enhance model generalization.

Transfer learning-driven prediction of oil and gaspipeline corrosion rates in small sample scenarios

To ensure the safe operation of oil and gas pipeline systems in complex environments, accurately predicting the corrosion rate of natural gas well pipes is of paramount importance. Given the widespread challenge of pipe corrosion in the oil and gas industry, we propose a transfer learning model based on a CNN-LSTM-Transformer architecture with a staged fine-tuning strategy for corrosion rate prediction under small-sample conditions. The model integrates Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM), and Transformer modules. CNN is employed to extract local features from corrosion data. LSTM captures the temporal dependencies within the data, and the Transformer module applies multi-head attention to recalibrate features, effectively addressing long-range dependencies. To enhance the model’s adaptability, the CNN-LSTM-Transformer model is initially trained on a source domain and then progressively fine-tuned on a target domain to facilitate knowledge transfer. Experimental results demonstrate that, after staged fine-tuning, the CNN-LSTM-Transformer model achieves an MAE of 0.021, RMSE of 0.031, and an R² of 0.909, outperforming other transfer learning approaches by a substantial margin.

Computational analysis of L4–L5 interspinous process devices and interbody fusion spacers using ceramic and polymeric materials via finite element modeling and artificial intelligence

Abstract Lumbar spinal stenosis involves pathological narrowing of the spinal canal, whereas disc degeneration refers to the progressive deterioration of intervertebral disc structure and function. Interspinous process devices (ISPs) are commonly used to manage spinal stenosis, whereas anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) spacers are employed for conditions such as spondylolisthesis and disc degeneration. Although titanium remains the standard material for spinal devices, ceramics and polymers have emerged as promising alternatives because of their favorable biomechanical and biological properties. This study investigated the biomechanical performance of ceramic- and polymer-based materials in ALIF and ISP devices via finite element method (FEM) simulations and further explored the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) models to predict biomechanical responses on the basis of material characteristics. In the first phase, FEM models were used to evaluate spinal devices made of ceramics (zirconia, alumina), ceramic composites (ZTA, ATZ), polymers (PEEK, PEKK, PMMA), fiber-reinforced composites (CFR-PEEK, GFR-PEEK), and hydroxyapatite-reinforced PEEK (HA-PEEK) under physiological loading in both normal and osteoporotic bone conditions. In the second phase, eighteen machine learning regression models were trained on FEM-generated datasets to predict key biomechanical metrics, including stress, strain, and range of motion (ROM). The results demonstrated that for ISP devices, stiffer materials such as ceramics and CFR-PEEK 60% reduced stress and strain in adjacent vertebrae compared with softer polymers, thereby lowering fracture risk. Conversely, for ALIF spacers, more compliant materials, such as PEEK and PEKK, offered better performance in osteoporotic spines because of improved load-sharing capabilities. Among AI models, multilayer perceptron (MLP), support vector regression (SVR), and XGBoost achieved high predictive accuracy (R2 > 0.95; MAE < 5%), enabling efficient estimation of spinal biomechanics across diverse material and loading scenarios.

SARS-CoV-2 sequencing artifacts associated with targeted PCR enrichment and read mapping

Protocols and pipelines for SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing were rapidly established when the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a pandemic. The most widely used approach for sequencing SARS-CoV-2 includes targeted enrichment by PCR, followed by shotgun sequencing and reference-based genome assembly. As the continued surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide is transitioning towards a lower level of intensity, it is timely to re-visit the sequencing protocols and pipelines established during the acute phase of the pandemic. In the current study, we have investigated the impact of primer scheme and reference genome choice by sequencing samples with multiple primer schemes (Artic V3, V4.1 and V5.3.2) and re-processing reads with multiple reference genomes. We have also analysed the temporal development in ambiguous base calls during the emergence of the BA.2.86.x variant. We found that the primers used for targeted enrichment can result in recurrent ambiguous base calls, which can accumulate rapidly in response to the emergence of a new variant. We also found examples of consistent base calling errors, associated with PCR artifacts and amplicon drop-out. Similarly, misalignments and partially mapped reads on the reference genome resulted in ambiguous base calls, as well as defining mutations being omitted from the assembly. These findings highlight some key limitations of using targeted enrichment by PCR and reference-based genome assembly for sequencing SARS-CoV-2, and the importance of continuously monitoring and updating primer schemes and bioinformatic pipelines.

Learning curve for robotic-assisted hiatal hernia repair determined by cumulative analysis of adjusted operative times

Short-duration ischemic preconditioning does not improve jump or change of direction performance in elite male handball players

This study aimed to compare the effects of a short-duration ischemic preconditioning (IPC) protocol with different cuff pressures on change of direction and jumping performance in elite male handball players. Twelve national-level male handball players (age:20.08 ± 3.12 years; height:1.81 ± 0.07 m; weight:77.88 ± 13.01 kg) participated in the study. Players visited the laboratory on five non-consecutive days. Following the familiarization session, each player completed four identical visits save for the cuff pressure used; cuff pressure was randomized into sham, 80% arterial occlusion pressure (AOP),100%AOP or 120% AOP with one used in each of the 2nd-5th visits. In the supine position, players underwent 3 cycles of 2 minutes of applied pressure and 2 minutes of reperfusion (total duration: 12 minutes). Ten minutes afterward, squat jumps (SJ) and countermovement jumps (CMJ) were performed in sequential order (5-minute rest between tests). Five minutes later, T-test and Zigzag test were performed (5-minute rest between tests). There was no significant difference across the IPC protocols for any of the parameters evaluated in the tests: SJ (F = 1.89; p = 0.151; ηp2 = 0.146), CMJ (F = 1.40; p = 0.260; ηp2 = 0.113), T-agility test (F = 0.01; p = 0.997; ηp2 = 0.002) and Zigzag test (F = 0.240; p = 0.860; ηp2 = 0.021). Our study found no effects of a 3x2-min IPC protocol using different IPC pressures on vertical jump and change of direction in elite male handball players. Therefore, it is premature to recommend the use of short-duration IPC protocols as a pre-exercise strategy for improving neuromuscular performance during ballistic and reactive athletic tasks in elite male handball players.