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Predicting fuzzy topological indices from crisp indices in hexagonal and honeycomb networks using linear regression
Understanding the landscape of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer testing in Brazil
Judicious use of LLMs could speed up progress in the social sciences
Correction: 1H-NMR serum metabolomic profiling from clinical routine identifies signatures of progressive melanoma metastasis
Atroposelective Bromination for the Synthesis of Chiral Biaryl Phosphines via Cross-Assembled Catalysis with Chiral Phosphoric Acid and Achiral Phenol
Efficacy of mental and physical training on blood pressure and resting heart rate among physically inactive young adults with elevated blood pressure: a randomized controlled trial
Endowing Metal Oxychloride Solid Electrolytes with Improved Li Compatibility
Modeling the resilient modulus of railway subgrade material considering the effects of initial stress state under long-term cyclic loading
Universal cell embedding provides a foundation model for cell biology
Visible-Light-Enabled Ir-Catalyzed Asymmetric Allylic Etherification and Dearomative Photocycloaddition
Effects of dynamic neuromuscular stabilization on balance, gait, and quality of life in older adults: a randomized controlled trial
Abstract Age-related declines in neuromuscular and sensory systems substantially increase fall risk and impair independence in older adults. Exercise interventions improve balance and gait; however, the maintenance of these training-induced gains over time remains uncertain, as most benefits may diminish within months after training ceases. This study determined whether an 8-week Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) programme produces post-intervention and short-term follow-up improvements in balance, gait speed, fear of falling, and health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. In this assessor-blinded randomised controlled trial, 44 older adults aged 60–75 years were randomly allocated to either supervised DNS (totaling 24 sessions: three sessions per week for 8 weeks, 40–50 min per session) or a usual-activity control group. Outcomes were measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at 2-month follow-up using validated clinical instruments. Thirty-nine participants completed the trial (DNS group, n = 19; control group, n = 20). Mixed-design ANOVA showed significant group × time interactions for all outcomes (all P < 0.001). At post-test, the DNS group exhibited large effect-size improvements compared with controls: static balance errors decreased by 58–74% (Cohen’s d = 2–2.65), dynamic balance scores increased by 36% (d = 2.05), gait speed increased by 28% (d = 1.54), fear of falling decreased by 42% (d = 1.92), and physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL) components improved substantially (d = 2.20–2.28). At 2-month follow-up, these improvements were largely maintained without significant deterioration within the follow-up period ( P > 0.05). The control group exhibited no meaningful changes. An 8-week DNS intervention yields robust, clinically meaningful, and sustained short-term improvements across multiple domains related to fall risk in older adults. These short-term retained adaptations position DNS as an effective neurophysiologically based approach for fall prevention within the observed follow-up period. Trial registration: RTC, prospectively registered in the Clinical Trial Registry (UMIN000055127) on 29/12/2024.
An intrinsic cytoskeletal oscillator establishes neuronal polarity
Abstract Neurons acquire polarity by specifying one neurite as the axon, whereas the others become dendrites. But how this fundamental asymmetry is established remains unclear 1 . Neuronal polarization has been thought to rely primarily on growth cones that sense external cues 2 . Here we show that growth cones alone do not direct this process and that the soma acts as a central organizer of neuronal polarization. Using live imaging and genetic loss-of-function approaches in vivo, combined with optogenetic control and local cytoskeletal perturbations in cultured neurons, we uncover a soma-initiated oscillatory program that primes axon selection. Periodic actin branching that depends on the actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex at the soma remodels a global actomyosin network, thereby generating an actin wave that retracts neurites before propagating into a single neurite tip. Exposure to this wave relaxes local actomyosin contractility, which drives a transient microtubule-based protrusion and biases this neurite towards axon fate. As the cell exits this oscillatory stage, this neurite can overcome global inhibition and extend independently of ARP2/3, whereas actomyosin activity suppresses axon formation in the remaining neurites so that they subsequently become dendrites. This soma-driven mechanism ensures the emergence of a single axon independent of environmental cues and underpins the unidirectional information flow in neuronal circuits.
Ligand-Regulated Metallaphotoredox Aminoarylation for the Valorization of Feedstock Alkenes
EAT-lancet diet linked to increased infant head circumference: a contrast with plant-based diet indices
Ancient feeding-related neuropeptides regulate alloparenting in ants
Abstract Alloparental care and division of labour are hallmarks of insect societies 1 . Social insect workers typically care for brood within the nest when they are young and transition to foraging outside the nest as they age 2–5 . This provides a powerful paradigm to study the neural basis of parenting and age-related behavioural change. Although previous work has interrogated aspects of these dynamics 6–14 , the underlying neural and molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, using an unbiased pharmacological screen of neuropeptides, we show that two ancestral regulators of feeding, neuropeptide F (NPF) and allatostatin A (AstA), modulate brood-care behaviour in the clonal raider ant. Through functional manipulations, we show that NPF increases brood-care behaviour, whereas AstA has the opposite effect. Furthermore, we find that the levels of NPF and AstA in the brain change naturally as ants age, suggesting that these changes underlie the age-related changes in brood-care behaviour. Finally, we show that, as in solitary species 15,16 , NPF and AstA remain sensitive to nutritional state, and nutritional state affects brood-care behaviour accordingly. Our results reveal that evolution has co-opted molecular mechanisms that regulated feeding ancestrally to enable cooperative brood care and age-associated division of labour.