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Characterization of a Drosophila model to study functions of guarana seeds

The seeds of the Amazonian fruit, guarana (Paullinia cupana), have been used as traditional medicine and, in recent years, as an ingredient in commercial energy beverages. However, mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of guarana are not well understood. To establish a model system to study molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of guarana, we investigated how its ingestion affects physiology in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. We found that guarana enhanced oxidative stress resistance, longevity, physical activity, and fecundity of flies. To deepen our understanding of guarana function, we performed transcriptomic, metabolomic, and fecal microbiome analyses. Transcriptomic analysis identified 58 upregulated and eight downregulated genes in guarana-fed flies. Highly upregulated genes included those encoding detoxification enzymes, such as cytochromes P450 (CYPs), glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), and Juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase 1 (Jheh1). Metabolomic analysis identified glutathione metabolism, an antioxidant system, as being promoted by guarana ingestion. These findings likely represent the molecular basis for enhanced oxidative stress resistance and longevity in guarana-fed flies. We also analyzed fecal microbiota composition and found significant changes: guarana increased the proportion of probiotic Lactobacillus species, some species known to extend longevity. At the same time, it decreased the proportion of Enterococcus faecalis, a species known to reduce longevity. These changes might have contributed to the beneficial effects of dietary guarana. Thus, we demonstrate that guarana exerts beneficial effects in flies and provide fundamental data for further investigation of its biological mechanisms in Drosophila.

Prenatal developmental toxicity of Urtica simensis essential oil in rat embryos and rat fetuses

Pregnant women inhaled fresh U. simensis steam vapor to fumigate their bodies, and boiled it for tea. However, the safety of this practice during pregnancy has not yet been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the prenatal developmental toxicity of U.simensis essential oil in rat embryos and fetuses. The essential oil was extracted through hydrodistillation from aerial parts of U.simensis. One hundred pregnant rats were randomly assigned to five groups (20 rats per group). Groups I to III were administered oral doses of 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg of U.simensis essential oil. Groups IV and V were used as pair-fed and ad libitum controls, respectively. The developing embryos and fetuses were retrieved on 12 and 20 days of gestation, respectively. Embryos were evaluated for growth and developmental delays. Fetuses were evaluated for external, skeletal, and visceral abnormalities. Oral doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg of U.simensis essential oil had no observed adverse effects in both rat embryos and rat fetuses. However, somite numbers and morphological scores were significantly decreased in gravid rats treated with 1000 mg/kg of essential oil. Embryonic developments of the caudal neural tube and forebrain were significantly delayed in pregnant dams administered 1000 mg/kg of essential oil. Crown-rump length and fetal weight were significantly decreased in gravid rats given 1000 mg/kg of essential oil. Gravid rats received 1000 mg/kg of essential oil also revealed a significant increase in fetal resorption. In conclusion, high-dose oral administration of U.simensis essential oil revealed detrimental effects in both rat embryos and fetuses. Therefore, pregnant women should be informed the potential risks associated with the nutraceutical use of U.simensis during pregnancy.

Detecting outbreaks using a spatial latent field

In this paper, we present a method for estimating the infection-rate of a disease as a spatial-temporal field. Our data comprises time-series case-counts of symptomatic patients in various areal units of a region. We extend an epidemiological model, originally designed for a single areal unit, to accommodate multiple units. The field estimation is framed within a Bayesian context, utilizing a parameterized Gaussian random field as a spatial prior. We apply an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo method to sample the posterior distribution of the model parameters condition on COVID-19 case-count data from three adjacent counties in New Mexico, USA. Our results suggest that the correlation between epidemiological dynamics in neighboring regions helps regularize estimations in areas with high variance (i.e., poor quality) data. Using the calibrated epidemic model, we forecast the infection-rate over each areal unit and develop a simple anomaly detector to signal new epidemic waves. Our findings show that anomaly detector based on estimated infection-rates outperforms a conventional algorithm that relies solely on case-counts.

Small target detection algorithm based on the fusion attention mechanism and multi-layer convolution

In the realm of unmanned aerial vehicles, we proposed an enhanced small target detection algorithm, MGAC-YOLO, to address the challenges of missed detections and low accuracy associated with small target identification. Initially, we designed the MConv (Multi-layer Convolution) module to replace the conventional Conv module within the backbone network, thereby augmenting the dimensionality of information capture and enhancing the detection performance for small targets. Subsequently, we harnessed the advantages of both attention mechanisms—GAM (Global Attention Mechanism) and CloAttention (Contextualized Local and Global Attention)—to create a GACAttention module that extracts small target features from both global and local perspectives, thereby enriching the network’s focus on small target feature information and further enhancing its feature processing capabilities. Finally, we incorporated an additional small target detection layer to capture feature information at a shallower level, thereby reducing the likelihood of missed detections and bolstering the detection capabilities for small targets. Experimental results on the VisDrone2019 dataset demonstrate that the Precision, mAP50, and mAP50-95 of the MGAC-YOLO algorithm have improved by 5.3%, 6.3%, and 4.4%, respectively, in comparison to the baseline model YOLOv8s. Furthermore, when compared to other leading algorithms, the MGAC-YOLO algorithm has exhibited notable superiority.

Exploration of short-term predictions and long-term projections of Barents Sea cod biomass using statistical methods on data from dynamical models

This study aims to explore how well simple statistical modeling can generate short-term predictions and long-term projections of the total biomass of the Northeast Arctic stock of Atlantic cod (Gadus Morhua) inhabiting the Barents Sea. We examine the predictability of statistical models only based on hydrographic and lower trophic level biological variables from dynamical modeling. Simple and multiple linear regression models are developed based on gridded variables from the regional ocean model NEMO-NAA10km and the ecosystem model NORWECOM.E2E. This includes the essential environmental variables temperature, salinity, sea ice concentration, primary production and secondary production. The regression models are statistically evaluated to find variables that can capture variability in Barents Sea cod biomass. Finally, future total cod stock biomass is projected by applying the best found regression models to the range of downscaled IPCC climate scenarios from the coupled Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6 Shared Socioeconomic Pathways; SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5, SSP5–8.5). Our prediction models are based on variables that affect cod both directly and indirectly. We find that several regression models have high prediction skill and capture the variations in total stock biomass of the Northeast Arctic cod well. Our results suggest that increased ocean temperature and abundant zooplankton may lead to a large cod stock. However, even if total stock biomass has a positive trend with an increase in copepods in the highest warming scenario SSP5–8.5, we found that it has a negative trend in the low emission scenario SSP1–2.6 when the regional ocean and ecosystem models show weak cooling and reduced zooplankton. We show that variability in essential environmental variables can provide a remarkably good first approximation to cod dynamics. However, to resolve the full picture other factors like fishing and natural mortality also need to be addressed explicitly.

Reassessment of public awareness and prevention strategies for HIV and COVID-19 co-infections through epidemic modeling

A co–infection model between HIV and COVID-19 that takes into account COVID-19 vaccination and public awareness is discussed in this article. Rigorous analysis of the model is conducted to establish the existence and local stability conditions of the single-infection models. We discover that when the corresponding reproduction number for COVID-19 and HIV exceeds one, the disease continues to exist in both single-infection models. Furthermore, HIV will always be eradicated if its reproduction number is less than one. Nevertheless, this does not apply to the single-infection COVID-19 model. Even when the fundamental reproduction number is less than one, an endemic equilibrium point may exist due to the potential for a backward bifurcation phenomenon. Consequently, in the single-infection COVID-19 model, bistability between the endemic and disease-free equilibrium may arise when the basic reproduction number is less than one. From the co–infection model, we find that the reproduction number of the co–infection model is the maximum value between the reproduction number of HIV and COVID-19. Our numerical continuation experiments on the co–infection model reveal a threshold indicating that both HIV and COVID-19 may coexist within the population. The disease-free equilibrium for both HIV and COVID-19 is stable only if the reproduction numbers are less than one. Additionally, our two-parameter continuation analysis of the bifurcation diagram shows that the condition where both reproduction numbers equal one serves as an organizing center for the dynamic behavior of the co-infection model. An extended version of our model incorporates four different interventions: face mask usage, vaccination, and public awareness for COVID-19, as well as condom use for HIV, formulated as an optimal control problem. The Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle is employed to characterize the optimal control problem, which is solved using a forward-backward iterative method. Numerical investigations of the optimal control model highlight the critical role of a well-designed combination of interventions to achieve optimal reductions in the spread of both HIV and COVID-19.

Factors influencing the adoption of the BYOD policy in teaching hospitals: A cross-sectional study from Southeastern Iran

Introduction Clinicians are increasingly using their devices for work at hospitals, a practice known as Bring-your-own-device (BYOD), to enhance productivity and mobility. This study aimed to determine the affecting factors of intention to adoption of BYOD policy in public hospitals from the healthcare staff’s perspective. Methods A cross-sectional analytical study was done in 2024. The study population comprised 1130 healthcare workers from five teaching hospitals. A researcher-made and validated questionnaire was distributed among 620 samples. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and analytical (Pearson and Spearman correlation test) statistics. Results The mean score of facilitating conditions, perceived cost-effectiveness, perceived trust, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and intention to adoption BYOD was 3.90 ± 0.87, 3.87 ± 0.97, 3.83 ± 0.93, 3.76 ± 1.01, 3.07 ± 0.48 and 3.62 ± 1.16, respectively. There was a positive significant correlation between factors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived cost effectiveness, perceived trust, and facilitating conditions with an intention to adoption the BYOD policy (P < 0.05). Conclusion Healthcare workers have partially intended to adopt the BYOD policy. Ensuring the security of access to healthcare information, provision, support and maintenance of devices used by staff in the workplace for job-related activities can play a significant role in promoting the intention to adoption the BYOD. The results of the present study can be useful for planning and policy-making to increase the adoption and acceptance of the BYOD method in hospitals.

A multi-biomarker approach to risk stratification and detection of early cardiac disease in systemic sclerosis

Objective We sought to investigate the relationship between serum biomarkers of cardiac dysfunction, longitudinal strain on echocardiography, and all-cause mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis. Methods This was an observational study using a biorepository of serum samples of patients with systemic sclerosis who underwent echocardiography. We investigated 3 biomarkers: periostin, galectin-3, and N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide and applied a K-means clustering resulting in 3 patient clusters. We subsequently measured left ventricular and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain in each cluster. We then determined the association between each cluster and time to all-cause mortality compared to N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide, alone. Results The 125 patients with systemic sclerosis included in the study were divided into 3 clusters based on biomarker levels (Cluster 1: N = 75; Cluster 2: N = 39; Cluster 3: N = 11). Compared to Cluster 1, Cluster 2 had only elevated periostin levels whereas Cluster 3 had elevated levels of all 3 serum biomarkers and was characterized by reduced left ventricular and right ventricular free wall longitudinal strain, regionally and globally. When adjusted for age, sex, systemic sclerosis disease duration, and forced vital capacity, patients in Cluster 3 had a HR of 14.42 (95% CI: 4.82, 43.18) for all-cause mortality compared to those in Cluster 1. Conclusion In conclusion, combining N-terminal prohormone brain natriuretic peptide, periostin, and galectin-3 as serum biomarkers enhances risk stratification and sensitivity in detection of cardiac disease in patients with systemic sclerosis. However, before implementation in routine care, further prospective studies must refine biomarker sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy together with optimizing detection strategies and establishing clinical protocols for integration.

Correction: Identification of a disulfide bridge important for transport function of SNAT4 neutral amino acid transporter

PCSK9 drives sterol-dependent metastatic organ choice in pancreatic cancer

Criterion-related validity of self-screening using the KOJI AWARENESS™ test for range of motion and strength in healthy participants

Objective This study aimed to establish the validity of the KOJI AWARENESS™ sub-components by determining whether there is a connection between the sub-component scores and joint range of motion, muscle strength, and balance. Methods Fifty healthy adults (17 females and 33 males) participated in the study, completing the KOJI AWARENESS™ assessments and measurements of joint range of motion, muscle strength, and balance. The range of motion of the upper and lower extremities and trunk was measured using either a goniometer or an inclinometer. A handheld dynamometer was used to measure muscle strength. Balance ability was assessed using a modified balance error scoring system. Using the Mann–Whitney U test or the Jonckheere–Terpstra test, we compared KOJI AWARENESS™ scores with the corresponding body segments at a significance level of P ≤ 0.05. Results Our results indicated associations between external references and many items; however, no associations were found for flexion, extension, and rotation of neck mobility, extension and external rotation of hip mobility, and mid-section stability strength in KOJI AWARENESS™. Conclusion Overall, the KOJI AWARENESS™ sub-component scores demonstrated good validity, except for the items related to neck and hip flexibility and trunk muscle strength. Future analyses should include a wider range of age groups, such as middle-aged and older adults.

Unmasking the rising global burden of depression: A 32-year GBD analysis of gender disparities and regional hotspots in Sub-Saharan Africa

Aims Depression, a leading contributor to the global disease burden, exhibits alarming increases in incidence and prevalence, with pronounced disparities across regions and genders. This study provides the first comprehensive analysis of depression burden from 1990 to 2021, integrating the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 data to identify critical hotspots and policy-relevant trends. Methods Estimated global, regional, and national burden of disease for depression from 1990–2021 by extracting incidence, prevalence, and DALYS from the Global Burden of Disease(GBD) database 2021. Results From 1990 to 2021, the global incidence of depression surged by 15.6% (3,749–4,334 per 100,000), with Sub-Saharan Africa emerging as an unexpected epicenter. Uganda and The Gambia recorded the highest incidence rates globally (9,644 and 7,624 per 100,000, respectively), likely linked to civil instability and healthcare deficits. Women bore a disproportionate burden, with adolescent females (15–19 years) showing 64% higher incidence than males (5,584 vs. 3,401 per 100,000). High-income regions paradoxically exhibited steeper annual percentage increases (EAPC: 1.0 in North America), suggesting improved detection or escalating stressors. Conclusions This study highlights urgent priorities: (1) integrating mental health services into primary care in conflict-affected African nations. (2) gender-sensitive interventions targeting adolescent females. (3) global equity in mental health resource allocation.

RIFINs displayed on malaria-infected erythrocytes bind KIR2DL1 and KIR2DS1

Abstract Natural killer (NK) cells use inhibitory and activating immune receptors to differentiate between human cells and pathogens. Signalling by these receptors determines whether an NK cell becomes activated and destroys a target cell. In some cases, such as killer immunoglobulin-like receptors, immune receptors are found in pairs, with inhibitory and activating receptors containing nearly identical extracellular ligand-binding domains coupled to different intracellular signalling domains 1 . Previous studies showed that repetitive interspersed family (RIFIN) proteins, displayed on the surfaces of Plasmodium falciparum -infected erythrocytes, can bind to inhibitory immune receptors and dampen NK cell activation 2,3 , reducing parasite killing. However, no pathogen-derived ligand has been identified for any human activating receptor. Here we identified a clade of RIFINs that bind to inhibitory immune receptor KIR2DL1 more strongly than KIR2DL1 binds to the human ligand (MHC class I). This interaction mediates inhibitory signalling and suppresses the activation of KIR2DL1-expressing NK cells. We show that KIR2DL1-binding RIFINs are abundant in field-isolated strains from both Africa and Asia and reveal how the two RIFINs bind to KIR2DL1. The RIFIN binding surface of KIR2DL1 is conserved in the cognate activating immune receptor KIR2DS1. We find that KIR2DL1-binding RIFINs can also bind to KIR2DS1, resulting in the activation of KIR2DS1-expressing NK cells. This study demonstrates that activating killer immunoglobulin-like receptors can recruit NK cells to target a pathogen and reveals a potential role for activating immune receptors in controlling malaria infection.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles and IAA auxin affect secondary metabolism over time without altering genetic stability in chrysanthemum

Preoperative neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio as a postoperative AKI predictor in non-cardiac surgery: a retrospective cohort secondary analysis

Abstract Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a critical postoperative complication in non-cardiac surgery patients, significantly impacting patient outcomes. The neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) is a promising inflammatory biomarker for predicting AKI. However, it is still unclear whether NPAR could be used as a predictor of postoperative AKI in Non-Cardiac Surgical Patients. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive value of NPAR for postoperative AKI, controlling for potential confounders. A total of 3041 patients were considered for the analysis after excluding those with preoperative infections and chronic kidney disease. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for NPAR was 0.723, indicating moderate predictive capability for postoperative AKI. The optimal threshold for NPAR was 5.310, with a specificity of 0.640 and a sensitivity of 0.729. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that NPAR was significantly associated with postoperative AKI risk (adjusted odds ratio 1.093, 95% CI 1.072–1.116, P < 0.001), independent of other clinical factors. Preoperative NPAR is a significant predictor of postoperative AKI in non-cardiac surgical patients under general anesthesia and could be a valuable biomarker for identifying non-cardiac surgical patients at high-risk of AKI.

Pediatric adenoidectomy is safe surgery with a low complication rate: a population-based study

Abstract Population-based data on incidence of complications after pediatric adenoidectomy are sparse. Therefore, a retrospective population-based study of all 2105 pediatric adenoidectomies (59.9% male, median age: 4 years) in the year 2019 in all otolaryngology departments in one federal state, Thuringia, in Germany, was performed. Patients’ and treatment characteristics, and complications were analyzed. The highest surgery rate was seen at the age of 3 years (2747.4 per 100,000 children). Adenoidectomy was combined with tonsillotomy or tonsillectomy in 29.2% and 1.5% of the cases. Postoperative bleeding needing re-surgery occurred in 1.1% of all cases. The revision surgery for bleeding rate after solitary adenoidectomy was 0.7%. A wound infection was seen in 1.0%. Complications classified according to the Clavien-Dindo classification (CDC) occurred in 2.6% of cases. The overall complication rate was 20.3/100,000 population. Additional tonsillectomy was independently associated to bleeding > 24 h after surgery (Odds ratio [OR] = 52.141; confidence interval [CI] = 7.772-349.818; p < 0.0001). There was no independent associative factor to enhanced risk of wound infection. CDC complications occurred more frequently in comorbid patients (OR = 4.175; CI = 1.222–14.271; p = 0.023), underweight children (OR = 2.430; CI = 1.198–6.571; p = 0.040), when additional tonsillectomy was performed (OR = 11.177; CI = 2.098–59.548; p < 0.0001), and when perioperative antibiotics were applied (OR = 13.251; CI = 5.695–30.834; p < 0.001). Adenoidectomy is very safe surgery. Main risk factor for bleeding complications is additional tonsillectomy, not adenoidectomy itself.

SP140–RESIST pathway regulates interferon mRNA stability and antiviral immunity

Abstract Type I interferons are essential for antiviral immunity 1 but must be tightly regulated 2 . The conserved transcriptional repressor SP140 inhibits interferon-β ( Ifnb1 ) expression through an unknown mechanism 3,4 . Here we report that SP140 does not directly repress Ifnb1 transcription. Instead, SP140 negatively regulates Ifnb1 mRNA stability by directly repressing the expression of a previously uncharacterized regulator that we call RESIST (regulated stimulator of interferon via stabilization of transcript; previously annotated as annexin 2 receptor). RESIST promotes Ifnb1 mRNA stability by counteracting Ifnb1 mRNA destabilization mediated by the tristetraprolin (TTP) family of RNA-binding proteins and the CCR4–NOT deadenylase complex. SP140 localizes within punctate structures called nuclear bodies that have important roles in silencing DNA-virus gene expression in the nucleus 3 . Consistent with this observation, we find that SP140 inhibits replication of the gammaherpesvirus MHV68. The antiviral activity of SP140 is independent of its ability to regulate Ifnb1 . Our results establish dual antiviral and interferon regulatory functions for SP140. We propose that SP140 and RESIST participate in antiviral effector-triggered immunity 5,6 .

Development of a novel deep learning method that transforms tabular input variables into images for the prediction of SLD

‘Immortal’ stars have an elixir of youth: dark matter

Artificial intelligence-integrated video analysis of vessel area changes and instrument motion for microsurgical skill assessment

Abstract Mastering microsurgical skills is essential for neurosurgical trainees. Video-based analysis of target tissue changes and surgical instrument motion provides an objective, quantitative method for assessing microsurgical proficiency, potentially enhancing training and patient safety. This study evaluates the effectiveness of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based video analysis model in assessing microsurgical performance and examines the correlation between AI-derived parameters and specific surgical skill components. A dual AI framework was developed, integrating a semantic segmentation model for artificial blood vessel analysis with an instrument tip-tracking algorithm. These models quantified dynamic vessel area fluctuation, tissue deformation error count, instrument path distance, and normalized jerk index during a single-stitch end-to-side anastomosis task performed by 14 surgeons with varying experience levels. The AI-derived parameters were validated against traditional criteria-based rating scales assessing instrument handling, tissue respect, efficiency, suture handling, suturing technique, operation flow, and overall performance. Rating scale scores correlated with microsurgical experience, exhibiting a bimodal distribution that classified performance into good and poor groups. Video-based parameters showed strong correlations with various skill categories. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that combining these parameters improved the discrimination of microsurgical performance. The proposed method effectively captures technical microsurgical skills and can assess performance.