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Global, regional, and national prevalence and trends of gynecological diseases among women of childbearing age from 1990 to 2021: An analysis of the global burden of disease study 2021
Purpose The global prevalence and trends of gynecological diseases (GDs) among women of childbearing age (WCBA) remain unclear and may be underestimated. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of GDs at global, regional, and national levels and assess changes from 1990 to 2021. Methods Data on the annual prevalence of major GDs, including uterine fibroids, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), female infertility, endometriosis, genital prolapse, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and other GDs, were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021. The study analyzed women aged 15–49 years across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. Estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) in the age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) were calculated to quantify temporal trends, by age and socio-demographic index (SDI). Results In 2021, the global prevalence of GDs among WCBA was estimated at 1.21 billion cases, corresponding to a ASPR of 62,091.73 cases per 100,000 population (95% UI: 62,088.24 to 62,095.23). While the ASPR for GDs remained stable from 1990 to 2021 (EAPC = 0% [95% CI: –0.03 to 0.02]), the number of prevalent cases doubled over the same period. In 2021, the most prevalent GD globally was PMS, followed by uterine fibroids, PCOS, and female infertility. Conditions such as uterine fibroids, PCOS, and female infertility showed a significant upward trend in ASPR over time. Additionally, the ASPR of most GDs generally decreased with rising SDI, except for PCOS, which exhibited an increasing trend with higher SDI. The prevalence of GDs also increased with age, peaking in the 40–44 years age group. However, a shift in the burden of GDs toward younger women was observed, with significant increases in prevalence rates for uterine fibroids, PCOS, female infertility, and PMS in women aged 20–29 years. Conclusions GDs among WCBA remain a global concern, underscoring the urgent need for targeted interventions, especially for younger populations and in regions with limited healthcare infrastructure. Prioritizing early intervention, addressing environmental risk factors, and removing barriers to healthcare access will mitigate the long-term impact of these conditions on women’s health and overall well-being.
Evidence against efficient spontaneous disassembly of prions into small oligomers
Incidence and predictors of preterm neonatal mortality at public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia: A prospective follow-up study
Introduction Preterm birth is a major clinical problem, affecting 15 million births every year worldwide. It is the largest cause of death in children under the age of five. Even though different studies have been done regarding the incidence of preterm neonatal death in some parts of Ethiopia, there is a paucity of evidence, especially in the eastern part. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of preterm neonatal mortality at public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia from May 1, 2022, to March 30, 2023. Methods An institution-based prospective follow-up study was conducted at public health institutions from May 1, 2022, to March 30, 2023. A structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist were used to collect the data. The data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Kaplan-Meier was used to estimate survival time. A log-rank test was used to compare survival curves between different categories of the explanatory variables. Descriptive analysis, bivariable, and multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards regression analysis were performed. The level of significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05. Results The overall incidence rate of death was 17.03 (14.3, 20.28) per 1000 person-day observations. Mothers’ obstetric complications (AHR: 2.27, 95% CI: (1.46, 3.54)), not crying at birth (AHR: 1.83, 95% CI: (1.09, 2.31)), not immediately initiating breastfeeding (HR: 1.59, 95% CI: (1.10, 2.31)), having sepsis (HR: 1.85, 95% CI: (1.26, 2.72)), having respiratory distress syndrome (HR: 1.98, 95% CI: (1.36, 2.90)), having perinatal asphyxia (HR: 3.1, 95% CI: (2.13, 4.51)), and an APGAR score of less than seven (HR: 2.16, 95% CI: (1.47, 3.16)) were significant predictors of preterm neonatal death. Conclusion This study found the high incidence rate of preterm neonatal mortality, primarily driven by preventable and manageable conditions. Strengthening early identification and timely intervention for the risk factors is critical to improving survival outcomes among preterm neonates.
Lipid asymmetry and membrane trafficking: Transbilayer distribution of structural phospholipids as regulators of exocytosis and endocytosis
Mapping strategies, components, and theories used in health education and physical activity interventions to prevent cardiovascular diseases in adults living with HIV: A scoping review protocol
Introduction Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have become the most significant contributor to non-HIV/AIDS-related deaths in people living with HIV (PLWH). The increased risk for CVDs in PLWH is attributed to a combination of traditional risk factors, the effects of chronic inflammation, and antiretroviral therapy-related metabolic changes. Objective The main objective of this scoping review is to systematically map and summarize evidence on the strategies, components, and theories used in health education and physical activity interventions to prevent cardiovascular diseases in PLWH. Inclusion criteria Peer-reviewed publications including relevant grey literature published in English will be included. The literature will focus on health education and physical activity interventions for people living with HIV, at risk of CVDs, aged between 18 years to 65 years. The literature publication will range between 2000 and June, 30th 2025, and intervention studies will include diverse research designs and literature sources from a broad array of settings including healthcare and community settings. Methods Electronic databases to be searched will include PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Embase, as well as grey literature such as Google Scholar, WHO Digital Publications (IRIS), and Proquest Thesis and Dissertation Global. A three-step process of screening consisting of titles/abstracts screening, full article screening, and manual search for references from identified articles will be conducted by two independent reviewers. In case of any discrepancies or disagreements, a third reviewer will be called upon to address the controversy. A data extraction form will be adapted from the Joanne Briggs Institute (JBI) standardized data extraction tool and key findings will be presented in tabular or diagram format followed by a narrative summary. Reporting of the scoping review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Review protocol registration The scoping review protocol is registered with Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/4wfkh/).
The effects of annual cycle stages and life-history traits on feather abrasion
Antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil and its effects on fungal gene expression
Origanum vulgare L. (oregano) essential oil showed strong antimicrobial potential, effectively inhibiting the growth of various microorganisms. In our study, oregano essential oil inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.13 µL/mL and Bacillus cereus at 6.25 µL/mL. Peronophythora litchii growth was completely suppressed by oregano essential oil at a concentration of 12.5 µL/mL over a period of 7 days. GC-MS analysis identified carvacrol as the dominant component of the oregano essential oil. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that treatment of P. litchii with oregano essential oil resulted in 9,710 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to the control. GO analysis indicated that these DEGs were primarily associated with glutathione metabolic processes, cytosolic ribosome function, and ubiquitin-like protein peptidase activity. Additionally, KEGG pathway analysis showed significant enrichment in proteasome, ribosome, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. These findings demonstrate the potent antimicrobial efficacy of oregano essential oil against both bacterial pathogens and P. litchii, highlighting its promise as a natural antimicrobial agent.
Contribution of displacement, duration, and velocity on auditory motion direction perception in macaque monkeys
Non-linear association of cardiometabolic index with gallstone disease in US adults: A cross-sectional study
Objective Obesity and disorders of lipid metabolism are key factors in gallstone formation. The cardiometabolic index (CMI) is a new marker combining obesity indicators (WHtR) and lipid levels (TG/HDL-C). The aim of this study was to investigate whether CMI is associated with the prevalence of gallstone disease (GSD) in adults. Methods This study was a cross-sectional study by cohort data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) January 2017-March 2020 cycle. Using sample-weighted multivariate logistic regression analysis, sample weighted restricted cubic spline (RCS), the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and subgroup analysis to assist us with gaining insight into the association between CMI and GSD. Results Among the 2825 included participants, 307 of them were patients with GSD. In a model adjusting for multiple covariates, each unit increase in CMI increased the odds of GSD by 16% (OR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.04-1.30; P = 0.015). Compared to participants with the lowest CMI, those with the highest index had a significantly increased risk of GSD (OR = 2.52; 95% CI = 1.45-4.36; P = 0.006). The sample-weighted multivariable adjusted RCS revealed a nonlinear relationship between CMI and GSD. ROC analysis revealed that CMI had a high predictive effect on the diagnosis of GSD (AUC = 0.680). Subgroup analysis suggested the influence of gender differences on the relationship between CMI and GSD. Conclusions The present study found that elevated CMI significantly increased the risk of GSD and emphasized the non-linear relationship between both. These results suggest that CMI could be a potential marker for early screening and intervention of GSD, thus providing guidance for future clinical management of GSD.
The association between the duration of surgery and risks of mortality and unplanned reoperation is modulated by the surgical start time
OpDetect: A convolutional and recurrent neural network classifier for precise and sensitive operon detection from RNA-seq data
An operon refers to a group of neighbouring genes belonging to one or more overlapping transcription units that are transcribed in the same direction and have at least one gene in common. Operons are a characteristic of prokaryotic genomes. Identifying which genes belong to the same operon facilitates understanding of gene function and regulation. There are several computational approaches for operon detection; however, many of these computational approaches have been developed for a specific target bacterium or require information only available for a restricted number of bacterial species. Here, we introduce a general method, OpDetect, that directly utilizes RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) reads as a signal over nucleotide bases in the genome. This representation enabled us to employ a convolutional and recurrent deep neural network architecture which demonstrated superior performance in terms of recall, F1-score and Area under the Receiver-Operating characteristic Curve (AUROC) compared to previous approaches. Additionally, OpDetect showcases species-agnostic capabilities, successfully detecting operons in a wide range of bacterial species and even in Caenorhabditis elegans , one of few eukaryotic organisms known to have operons. OpDetect is available at https://github.com/BioinformaticsLabAtMUN/OpDetect .
High-selective HDAC6 inhibitor alleviates bone marrow fibrosis through inhibiting collagen formation and extracellular matrix deposition
Abstract Bone marrow fibrosis (BMF) impairs normal hematopoietic functions in patients. The overactivation of the TGF-β signaling pathway is regarded as one of the offenders causing disease progression. Thus, factors capable of regulating TGF-β secretion hold great potential in reversing fibrotic diseases. One such factor is histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis), which can modulate the expression of TGF-β. Our previous study successfully synthesized a selective HDAC6 inhibitor, J22352, for pulmonary fibrosis; however, the treatment efficacies on BMF remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we treated bone marrow-derived myofibroblasts with J22352. The results showed that J22352 significantly reduced cell viability, induced apoptosis, and inhibited extracellular matrix (ECM) accumulation. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis was employed to disclose potential mechanisms, identifying 334 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). The DEPs were involved in cell apoptosis, programmed cell death, ECM deposition, and collagen formation. These results suggest that J22352 efficiently alleviated BMF by inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting ECM deposition. This study introduces a novel selective HDAC6 inhibitor as a potential option for slowing down the progression of BMF. We aim to provide a promising selective HDACi for clinical medicine through a detailed analysis of its mechanisms and efficacy, offering new prospects in the field.
Mechanism of Astragaloside-Brucea javanica oil nanoemulsion against oral squamous cell carcinoma through CDK1/MTFR2: Network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and experimental studies
Objective This study aims to investigate the core target of Astragaloside-Brucea javanica oil nanoemulsion (AS/BJO-NEs) against oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) through network pharmacology, bioinformatics, and in vivo/in vitro experiments, elucidating its effects on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) mediated via MTFR2 and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods By integrating network pharmacology and weighted gene co-expression network analysis, critical gene modules linked to tumor phenotypes, EMT-related adverse prognosis, and elevated MTFR2 expression were identified, pinpointing the core target gene. Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation were utilized for analysis and verification. OSCC cells (SCC9 and CAL27) were cultured, and stable cell lines with CDK1 knockdown or overexpression were established. The effects of AS/BJO-NEs on cell proliferation, migration, invasion, as well as the expression levels of related genes and proteins were evaluated. In vivo, OSCC xenograft models were established in nude mice. Following treatment with AS/BJO-NEs, tumor growth inhibition and changes in the expression of relevant genes were assessed. Results CDK1 is the core target gene of AS/BJO-NEs against OSCC, and the two can bind stably. CDK1 and MTFR2 showed highly expressed in OSCC and strongly correlated with poor prognosis and EMT. In vitro experiments revealed that AS/BJO-NEs could suppress the proliferation, migration and invasion of OSCC, and down-regulate CDK1, MTFR2 and N-cadherin, whereas up-regulate E-cadherin expression. Knockdown and overexpression of CDK1 further confirmed its effects on OSCC cell phenotype, its regulatory relationship with MTFR2, and the intervention effects of AS/BJO-NEs. In vivo experiments confirmed that AS/BJO-NEs significantly inhibited tumor growth and reduced the expression of CDK1 and MTFR2 in tumor tissues. Conclusion This study demonstrated that AS/BJO-NEs inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT process of OSCC by down-regulating CDK1 and subsequently reducing MTFR2 expression, exerting anti-tumor effects and providing new possibilities and a theoretical foundation for OSCC treatment.
A Multi-factor analysis for evaluating habitat suitability of traditional settlements in Huizhou
Epidemiological and clinical analysis, and outcomes of tuberculosis co-infection among people living with HIV in Türkiye (2014–2024) ClinSurv HIV cohort: A large case series
Background Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common opportunistic infections in people living with HIV (PLHIV). Mycobacterium tuberculosis may cause more TB in all stages of HIV infection than in the general population, with the incidence of TB and the spread of pulmonary TB to other organs increasing as the CD4 count decreases. Objective In this HIV cohort study, we aimed to evaluate the clinical features, diagnosis, and prognosis of TB among PLHIV in Türkiye. Materials and methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study to analyze clinical outcomes and identify determinants of mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV) co-infected with tuberculosis. We included 264 patients diagnosed and treated for TB across six centers in Türkiye. We extracted clinical, demographic, laboratory, microbiological, and radiological data from patient medical records. To identify independent predictors of mortality, we performed multivariable logistic regression and reported the results as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results Of the 9,687 PLHIV who were followed for 10 years, 2.7% (264 individuals) developed TB. The median age of these individuals was 40 years, and 89% were male. The prevalence of pulmonary TB only, extrapulmonary TB only, and the coexistence of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB were 42.4%, 48.8%, and 8.7%, respectively. Opportunistic infections and cancers were found in 23% (62 out of 264) of patients with HIV/TB co-infection. Among patients with HIV/TB co-infection, 42% showed lymphadenopathy, with 70% of these cases being generalized. In patients who underwent chest CT scans (n=200), radiological patterns revealed post primary TB in 46%, primary TB in 36%, and miliary TB in 18%. The positivity rates of Ehrlich-Ziehl-Neelsen staining (EZN), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and TB cultures in clinical samples were found to be 47.5%, 72.5%, and 53%, respectively. Most of our patients (95%) were given the standard TB treatment regimen (HRZE), with a paradoxical reaction observed in 11.6% of cases and hepatotoxicity occurring in 18% of cases. Age, CD4 count (<200 cells/mm3-late presenters), and thrombocytopenia were identified as independent risk factors for mortality in the 58 patients (22%) who died after diagnosis. Conclusion Even today, more than one fifth of patients with HIV–TB co-infection in our cohort died. Mortality was higher among individuals who presented late with tuberculosis disease, especially those with advanced immunosuppression (CD4 <200 cells/μL). These findings underscore the urgent need for early HIV diagnosis and systematic TB screening to reduce co-infection–related mortality and improve clinical outcomes.
Gut microbiota from Mori fructus (Morus alba L.) polyphenols and polysaccharides-dosed mice activates the PPARα/PGC-1α signaling pathway to mitigate HFD-induced metabolic syndrome in mice
Three-dimensional multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) performance in young soccer players: Age-related development and training effectiveness
Objectives The aim of the present study is to examine the developmental trajectory of 3D-MOT performance in young soccer players, and to investigate the age-related 3D-MOT performance training effect. Methods First, Experiment 1 assessed 3D-MOT performance of 404 male soccer players aged 12–18 years. Then, 127 athletes in Experiment 1 aged 13, 15, and 17 were selected as participants in Experiment 2, randomly assigned to intervention group and the control group. The intervention group but not the control group received 15 sessions of 3D-MOT training (3 sessions per day for 20 minutes for 5 days). Subsequently, post-test of 3D-MOT performance was conducted on the two groups. Results Experiment 1 showed that there was a significant main effect of age on the peak speed (p < .001,η² = .041) of 3D-MOT performance, with the performance of participants aged 15 significantly higher than that of those aged 13 (p = .018, d = −0.559). Experiment 2 revealed a significant main effect of the intervention, including peak speed (p < .001), average speed(p < .001),and speed threshold(p < .001), but the interaction between the intervention and the age group was not significant. Conclusions This research provide evidence that the 3D-MOT performance of young soccer players exhibits an increase between 13 and 15. Moreover, the results showed a significant training improvement in youth soccer players, but there was no significant relationship between the age-related development of 3D-MOT and the training effect in young soccer players. The above results provide new insights into soccer science and practice. Given the lack of data for those players younger than 12, this restricts the inference of whether there are potential sensitive periods. The study suggest that in the future, more evidence on athletes under the age of 12 be added to enhance the understanding of the full developmental trajectory of 3D-MOT performance in soccer players.
Lumbar and pelvic CT image segmentation based on cross-scale feature fusion and linear self-attention mechanism
Derivation of a novel multi‐gene prognostic model based on regulated cell death pathways in acute myeloid leukemia: A comprehensive bioinformatic analysis integrating gene expression, mutation profiling, and immune infiltration
Background Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a highly aggressive hematologic malignancy with dismal survival outcomes, where dysregulation of regulated cell death (RCD) pathways plays a pivotal role in leukemogenesis and therapeutic resistance. Methods Differential expression analyses were performed comparing AML samples with healthy bone marrow. Diagnostic differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were then intersected with curated gene sets representing apoptosis, pyroptosis, autophagy, necroptosis, and ferroptosis to derive an RCD-based gene signature. Prognostic markers were identified by univariate Cox regression, and these markers were refined using LASSO regression to construct a multi-gene prognostic model that generated an individual risk score (RS) for each patient. The performance of the model was validated internally through Kaplan–Meier survival analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival, and externally confirmed in an independent TARGET-AML cohort. In addition, mutation analysis was conducted using the maftools package, and immune infiltration profiling was performed with CIBERSORT and xCell to characterize the molecular landscape of the risk groups. Results Our integrative approach yielded a four-gene prognostic model incorporating ARHGEF35, GSN, ELANE, and AKT3. High RS was strongly associated with adverse overall survival, with Kaplan–Meier analyses showing p-value < 0.0001 in the training cohort and p-value = 0.0026 in the testing cohort. The model demonstrated robust predictive accuracy with AUC values of 82%, 87%, and 91% for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival in the training set, and 65%, 81%, and 94% in the testing set. Mutation analysis revealed that DNMT3A and RUNX1 mutations were significantly enriched in high-RS patients (p-value = 0.0015 and p-value = 0.0086, respectively), whereas KIT mutations were more prevalent in low-RS patients (p-value = 0.0058). Immune profiling indicated that high-RS patients had increased M2 macrophage infiltration (p-value = 0.0027) and reduced resting mast cells (p-value = 0.0033). Conclusion These findings establish that an RCD-based multi-gene risk model can robustly stratify AML patients by prognosis and illuminate underlying genomic and immunologic mechanisms, thereby offering promising avenues for personalized therapeutic strategies.