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FAK activity exacerbates disturbed flow-mediated atherosclerosis via VEGFR2-CBL-NF-κB signaling
Vulnerability in research ethics: A systematic review of policy guidelines and documents
Background The history of research involving human subjects has demonstrated the importance of offering everyone an equal opportunity to participate in research, while safeguarding those who require special attention. When it comes to vulnerable individuals, this consideration is relevant. However, disagreement still exists about the meaning of vulnerability, the identification and definition of vulnerable populations, and how these concepts should be operationalised in policy documents in order to implement appropriate, preventive and respectful measures for all those subsumed within this category. Objectives Following the PRISMA-Ethics guidance, we performed a systematic review of policy documents to provide a comprehensive overview of how vulnerability is conceptualised and operationalised in research ethics. The aim is to investigate the meaning and definition of vulnerability in research ethics, its normative justification, the comprehensive set of subjects it refers to, and consequent provisions. Methods Our search centred on three main sources: three overview lists that provide comprehensive coverage of research ethics policy documents and guidelines (the International Compilation of Human Research Standards, the Listing of Social-behavioral Research Standards and the Ethics Legislation, Regulation and Conventions); search databases (PubMed and Web of Science) and grey literature (Google Scholar), to ensure completeness of included policy documents. Search strings were developed by the last author (VS) in consultation with the co-first author (GB). The whole screening process was performed by the first (AG) and co-first author (GB), separately. The search was originally performed in April 2023, and then re-performed in May 2025 to exclude obsolescent results. English-language policy documents in the field of human research ethics and addressing the subject of vulnerability were included. Eligibility criteria covered both national and international application. For data analysis and synthesis, the authors followed the steps of the QUAGOL methodology: policy documents’ reading (AG), highlighting of relevant parts (AG), development of a summary of each document’s highlighted parts (AG), summary evaluation and verification against previous QUAGOL steps (AG, GB, VS), creation of a comprehensive scheme (AG, GB, VS), and description of results (AG, GB, VS). No automation tools were used at any stage of the review. Results and discussion Seventy-nine policy documents were included in the review. Research findings were organised in four different subsections, corresponding to four research questions. The analysis of such a significant number and variety of documents allowed us to identify several recurring patterns that characterise the way vulnerability is described and addressed by policy documents. Based on our roles as bioethicists, research ethicists, biotechnologies expert in clinical trials, and study coordinators, we identified some key themes, e.g., a tendency to identify and define vulnerable groups, rather than providing a general definition of vulnerability, and a tendency to define vulnerability in relation to informed consent. Conclusions Only a proper understanding of the meaning of vulnerability, its implications and its normative justifications will make it possible to ensure a fair and ethically legitimate participation in research for all involved subjects. As to the study limitation, only publications written in English, or officially translated in English, were included in the review.
Medium-sized protein language models perform well at transfer learning on realistic datasets
Abstract Protein language models (pLMs) can offer deep insights into evolutionary and structural properties of proteins. While larger models, such as the 15 billion parameter model ESM-2, promise to capture more complex patterns in sequence space, they also present practical challenges due to their high dimensionality and high computational cost. We systematically evaluated the performance of various ESM-style models across multiple biological datasets to assess the impact of model size on transfer learning via feature extraction. Surprisingly, we found that larger models do not necessarily outperform smaller ones, in particular when data is limited. Medium-sized models, such as ESM-2 650M and ESM C 600M, demonstrated consistently good performance, falling only slightly behind their larger counterparts—ESM-2 15B and ESM C 6B—despite being many times smaller. Additionally, we compared various methods of compressing embeddings prior to transfer learning, and we found that mean embeddings consistently outperformed other compression methods. In summary, ESM C 600M with mean embeddings offers an optimal balance between performance and efficiency, making it a practical and scalable choice for transfer learning in realistic biological applications.
Choroidal evaluation of FTLD-Tau and biomarker-determined Alzheimer’s disease
Longitudinal surveillance of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in urban coastal Kenya: population dynamics, blood feeding frequency and dengue virus infection rates
Abstract The coastal region of Kenya has emerged as a focal point for urban dengue virus transmission driven by Aedes aegypti as the primary vector. To gain a deeper understanding of the epidemiological situation, we carried out a year-long longitudinal study (December 2021- November 2022) of the population dynamics of A. aegypti through weekly mosquito surveys using ovitrap and CO2-baited Biogents (BG) mosquito traps in Ukunda, an urban township in the coastal region. Aedes eggs laid in ovitraps were exclusively A. aegypti with 80.8% mean hatch rate. A total of 35,109 adult A. aegypti were captured, with twice as many females than males. The density of adult A. aegypti trap captures varied monthly, but there was no discernible delineation by season. Aedes aegypti fed more on humans (human blood index = 0.72). Two dengue-2 virus RNA was detected in two blood-fed specimens that had fed on humans. Multiple linear regression model indicated 59% variation in adult female abundance explained by weather variables including daily range in wind speed (82.9%) and temperature (17.1%). In contrast, random forest model revealed 83% variation in egg abundance attributed to weather variables, being positively influenced by mean daily temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and negatively by total precipitation. Our results confirm year-round vector presence and active circulation of dengue virus indicative of endemicity in urban Kenya. The findings highlight the importance of short-term climatic factors as predictors of A. aegypti dynamics of value in surveillance and control of arboviral diseases such as dengue.
Genetic skeletal disorders: phenotypic-genotypic characteristics and RhGH therapy responses of a pediatric cohort
Analyzing cropland fragmentation evolution and driving mechanisms in Shandong through MSPA and landscape metrics integration
Imperfect hydroxyapatite bioceramics derived from golden pomfret have enhanced osteogenic properties
Abstract Imperfect hydroxyapatite (IHA) bioceramics, which contain defects such as calcium deficiency, carbonate substitution, and metal cation substitution, exhibit improved osteogenic properties. In this study, we used a two-step calcination-hydrothermal process to manufacture two types of golden pomfret bone-derived imperfect hydroxyapatite bioceramics (G-IHA): carbonated calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite (CD-IHA) and carbonated hydroxyapatite (C-IHA). Their composition, surface morphology, zeta potential, degradation capacity, mineralization and osteogenic properties were systematically investigated. The results revealed that G-IHA with a higher defect content, including A-type carbonate substitution and Ca vacancies, had negatively charged surface. As a result, G-IHA surfaces are more favourable to ion exchange and interaction with cations (e.g., Na+, Ca2+) in the microenvironment, which results in improved degradation and mineralization. Specifically, after 28 days of degradation, G-IHA showed significantly higher weight losses (CD-IHA and C-IHA were 17% and 13%, respectively) than commercial hydroxyapatite (CHA; 7%). In addition, G-IHA have a higher better bone-like apatite formation ability, and a higher degree of osteogenic differentiation than CHA. Notably, carbonated calcium-deficient imperfect hydroxyapatite (CD-IHA) exhibited the highest bioactivity and osteogenic capacity as evidenced by its increased alkaline phosphatase activity and improved bone matrix mineralization capacity. In conclusion, this study revealed that imperfect hydroxyapatite bioceramics derived from golden pomfret bone have the potential to enhance osteogenic properties and be employed in clinical settings as bone substitute materials.
Genetic diversity, population structure, and cannabinoid variation in feral Cannabis sativa germplasm from the United States
Comparison of AI chatbot predicted and realworld survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma
PD1 × VEGF blocking bispecifics for cancer draw big backing
5hmC enhances PARP trapping and restores PARP inhibitor sensitivity in chemoresistant BRCA1/2-deficient cells
Isolation, identification, and evaluation of the antioxidant properties of lactic acid bacteria strains isolated from meat environment
Oxidative stress is a condition in which the body loses balance between the production of free radicals and the body’s ability to neutralize them. The role of antioxidants is to protect cells and tissues from the harmful effects of excessive amounts of free oxygen radicals. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can exhibit significant antioxidant properties which is the subject of research by many scientists. The aim of the work was isolation, phenotypic and genotypic identification, and evaluation of the antioxidant activity of twenty-one bacterial strains from raw fermented beef hams and the environment of a meat factory. The bacteria were screened in vitro by investigating their DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) free radical scavenging activity, superoxide anion tests, hydroxyl radical resistance, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity, and hydrogen peroxide resistance. As a result of the conducted research, 21 bacterial strains were isolated. They were assigned to Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (14), Lactiplantibacillus pentosus (3), Lactiplantibacillus argentoratensis (2), Lacticaseibacillus paracasei (1), and Pediococcus pentosaceus (1). The strains were compared with each other and some of them were able to scavenge free radicals DPPH (1.08–36.91%), ABTS (11.24–51.05%), and superoxide anions (3.04–96.70%). Furthermore, resistance to high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (0.4–1.0 mM H2O2) and hydroxyl radicals (25.90–99.22%) has been demonstrated. Some strains produced superoxide dismutase, while none of them produced catalase. The findings indicated that some LAB strains could be promising starter candidates with antioxidant properties.