Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Design and application of species-specific primers to Quercus cerris roots’ identification in urban forests
Effects of mentoring on self-reflection and competence in Final year medical students’ internal medicine rotation
Background Final year medical students (FYMS) in Germany transfer theoretical knowledge to clinical practice. However, there is a deficiency in structured guidance and feedback and self-reflective practices are often neglected. This study aims to investigate the impact of three mentoring strategies on cultivating self-reflection and introspection in FYMS and to assess competence during routine activities. Methods Final year medical students (n = 46) completing a mandatory internal medicine rotation at Heidelberg University Hospital were randomized to either passive mentoring or active mentoring (split into structured and unstructured sessions). Across an 8-week rotation, we assessed the influence of mentoring styles on self-reflection and introspection (SRIS) at the beginning and at the end of the rotation. Changes in SRIS were compared by Mann Whitney U tests. Translated, adapted and newly generated questionnaires were analysed calculating cronbach’s alpha and optimized using an item-drop analysis. Results Key findings include: a general reluctance to initiate mentor-mentee relationships (1 out of 15 in the passive group sought meetings, p < 0.0001), a propensity for FYMS to undervalue their competence compared to external evaluations (3.6 vs. 4.5 p < 0.0001), a tendency for female FYMS to have higher perceived competence (PCS) than males, with means of 3.8 vs. 3.3 (p = 0.0021), and a measurable improvement in introspection (SRIS-IN) across all participants by the program’s end, regardless of the mentoring style received (median change on scale: 0.25, p = 0.0016). However, the mentoring intervention itself revealed no significant impact on self-reflection. Conclusions Active mentoring had little to no effect on self-reflection and insight of final year medical students in Germany in the setting of an 8-week rotation. Interventional learning studies were well accepted, and participation rate was high. However, form completion rates were low. Future studies should focus on increasing form completion rates through additional incentives.
Feeding state-dependent neuropeptidergic modulation of reciprocally interconnected inhibitory neurons biases sensorimotor decisions in Drosophila
Abstract An animal’s feeding state changes its behavioral priorities and thus influences even nonfeeding-related decisions. How the feeding state information is transmitted to nonfeeding-related circuits and what circuit mechanisms are involved in biasing nonfeeding-related decisions remain open questions. By combining calcium imaging, neuronal manipulations, behavioral analysis and computational modeling, we determined that the competition between different aversive responses to mechanical cues is biased by changes in the feeding state. We found that this effect is achieved by the differential modulation of two different types of reciprocally connected inhibitory neurons promoting opposing actions. This modulation results in a more frequent active type of response and, less frequently, a protective type of response if larvae are fed sugar than when they are fed a balanced diet. Information about the internal state is conveyed to inhibitory neurons through homologs of the vertebrate neuropeptide Y, which is known to be involved in regulating feeding behavior.
Comparative analysis of supervised and self-supervised learning with small and imbalanced medical imaging datasets
Abstract Self-supervised learning (SSL) in computer vision has shown its potential to reduce reliance on labeled data. However, most studies focused on balanced, large, broad-domain datasets like ImageNet, whereas, in real-world medical applications, dataset size is typically limited. This study compares the performance of SSL versus supervised learning (SL) on small, imbalanced medical imaging datasets. We experimented with four binary classification tasks: age prediction and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease from brain magnetic resonance imaging scans, pneumonia from chest radiograms, and retinal diseases associated with choroidal neovascularization from optical coherence tomography with a mean size of training sets of 843 images, 771 images, 1,214 images, and 33,484 images, respectively. We tested various combinations of label availability and class frequency distribution, repeating the training with different random seeds to assess result uncertainty. In most experiments involving small training sets, SL outperformed the selected SSL paradigms, even when a limited portion of labeled data was available. Our findings highlight the importance of carefully selecting learning paradigms based on specific application requirements, which are influenced by factors such as training set size, label availability, and class frequency distribution.
A cytotoxic peptide-drug conjugate for tumor-specific delivery of co-injected molecules
An ideal cancer therapy enhances anti-tumor effects while minimizing side effects. iRGD, a non-cytotoxic peptide that activates a tumor-specific molecular transport machinery, promotes the penetration of co-injected drugs into tumor tissues. Clinical trials have demonstrated its potential as a tumor-specific delivery scaffold and potentiator of anti-cancer agents. In this study, we synthesized an iRGD conjugate containing monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF), a highly toxic antimitotic agent, and characterized its dual function as a tumor-specific cytotoxic agent and co-injected drug delivery scaffold. The iRGD-MMAF conjugate internalized and killed cultured tumor cells in an αv integrin-dependent manner. When injected systemically, iRGD-MMAF homed selectively to tumors in mice, and extensively spread in the extravascular tumor tissue in line with the tumor-penetrating capacity of iRGD. iRGD-MMAF also significantly enhanced tumor-specific entry of a co-injected molecule by serving as an effective drug delivery scaffold. The results indicate that a chemically modified iRGD peptide with an added therapeutic benefit retains its ability to deliver co-injected agents to tumors.
Quantum metric–induced giant and reversible nonreciprocal transport phenomena in chiral loop-current phases of kagome metals
Emergence of quantum orders with nontrivial quantum geometric properties in metals represent central issues in condensed matter physics. In this context, recently discovered chiral loop-current order in kagome metals has garnered significant attention. Particularly noteworthy is the giant electrical magnetochiral anisotropy (eMChA) observed in CsV 3 Sb 5 , which provides compelling evidence for the simultaneous breaking of time-reversal and inversion symmetries. However, the origin of the eMChA and its fundamental connection to the loop-current remain highly elusive, as the loop-current itself preserves inversion symmetry. Here, we demonstrate that the loop-current phase breaks inversion symmetry in the presence of the experimentally observed stripe charge-density wave, leading to finite eMChA coefficient γ eM . In this mechanism, γ eM is proportional to the product of the loop-current-induced orbital magnetization, M orb 0 , and the lifetime of conduction electrons, τ . Therefore, γ eM is reversible by the magnetic fields, and it takes large value in kagome metals with τ v Fermi ≫ a 0 (=lattice constant). Surprisingly, the quantum metric, which defines a fundamental geometric aspect of Bloch wavefunctions, acquires significant momentum dependence in the loop-current phase, resulting in a dramatic enhancement of eMChA by ∼100 times. This research not only clarifies the fundamental symmetry-breaking states in kagome metals but also opens a path for exploring quantum metric–induced phenomena arising from exotic quantum phase transitions in various metals.
Defective neutrophil-derived exosomes facilitate macrophage activation through miR-122-5p in Behçet’s disease
Advanced power structure for enhanced optical performance of AMOLED displays at low luminance levels
Effect of sensory art therapies on root canal treatment anxiety and high dental anxiety in adults: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Objective Root canal treatment is one of the most anxiety-provoking procedures in dental practice. Sensory art therapies can help control patient anxiety during the procedure. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the state of knowledge in this field and to examine whether sensory art therapies can reduce state anxiety during endodontics and in patients with high levels of dental anxiety. Methods Six electronic databases, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCOhost, were searched for articles published before January 2025. According to the PICOS strategy, the inclusion criteria were as follows: (P) adult patients with root canal treatment-related symptoms, high dental anxiety or dental phobia; (I) exposure to sensory art (including art therapy targeting the five senses); (C) control group receiving conventional treatment or placebo; (O) improved clinical or psychological health outcomes; and (S) randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials (RoB 2). The strength of evidence of the included studies was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool. Meta-analysis of the extracted data was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software, and a fixed effects inverse variance model was used for sensitivity analysis. Results Thirteen RCTs were included in the current review. Six studies had low risk of bias, six were rated as “some concerns,” and one had a high risk of bias. Descriptive analysis showed that sensory art therapies had an effect on relieving patients’ anxiety index, heart rate and blood pressure. The outcome indicators STAI-S, VAS, HR, SBP and SC were significantly improved in both the random and fixed effect models (P < 0.05), and the results of MDAS and DBP were significant in the fixed effect model (P = 0.002 for both), which demonstrates the effectiveness of SAT in reducing state anxiety and physiological stress responses. GRADE analysis presented a very low to high certainty of evidence. Conclusion Given the quality of evidence ranging from very low to high, sensory art therapies (SAT)—which includes modalities such as audiovisual resources, music, yoga, aromatherapy, and virtual reality—may offer a cost-effective and non-invasive method to alleviate physiological stress responses and reduce state anxiety during dental treatment. Further well-designed randomized controlled trials are needed to determine its clinical efficacy. Clinical relevance This systematic review and meta-analysis included 13 studies, providing low-quality evidence. Dental care professionals may consider using sensory art therapies to help reduce patients’ anxiety during dental procedures.
Symbiosis with and mimicry of corals were facilitated by immune gene loss and body remodeling in the pygmy seahorse
A remarkable example of symbiosis involves the pygmy seahorse ( Hippocampus bargibanti ). It lives obligatorily on gorgonian corals, mimicking their polyps with pink coloration and skin protuberances. Unique for seahorses, pygmy seahorses retain juvenile paedomorphic stunted snouts, resembling the coral’s polyps. We analyzed the tiny seahorse’s genome revealing the genomic bases of several adaptations to their mutualistic life including substantial reductions in conserved noncoding elements that are associated with genes in the vicinity of those CNEs that are known to play a role in growth and metamorphosis-related pathways. Comparative RNA- and ATAC-Seq analyses during their ontogeny suggest that their stunted snout might result from craniofacial remodeling associated with hoxa2b defunctionalization. This is consistent also with findings from in situ hybridization and CRISPR experiments. Their immune system shows extremely low numbers of MHC genes and additional considerable losses of other immune-related genes. This is likely facilitated by the host coral’s antimicrobial metabolites and by the earlier evolution of male pregnancy that requires immunotolerance.
Unveiling the polarization switching pathway through tetragonal phase as a metastable intermediate state in ferroelectric HfxZr1-xO2 thin film
Risk factor identification mechanism for coronary artery disease based on multiple cross-filtering and binary cuckoo search
The Spurious Prospective Associations Model (SPAM): Explaining longitudinal associations due to statistical artifacts
Analysis of longitudinal data often relies on models which can be prone to statistical artifacts. We have previously shown that several published prospective associations can be explained by a combination of a general association between constructs, imperfect measurement reliability, and regression to the mean. Here, we formalize our analysis of this type of statistical artifact and introduce the Spurious Prospective Associations Model (SPAM). We show that the SPAM performs better than adjusted cross-lagged effects models to explain several observed prospective associations, including new examples involving loneliness and social anxiety and resilience and depressive symptoms, without assuming any true increasing or decreasing effects between constructs over time. Moreover, unlike the models we challenge, the SPAM is consistent with seemingly paradoxical findings indicating simultaneous increasing and decreasing effects between constructs. We conclude that the SPAM agrees well with observed data and is better supported than competing adjusted cross-lagged effects models in the cases investigated here.
Cellular cartography reveals mouse prostate organization and determinants of castration resistance
Inadequate response to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) frequently arises in prostate cancer, driven by cellular mechanisms that remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated single-cell RNA sequencing, single-cell multiomics, and spatial transcriptomics to define the transcriptional, epigenetic, and spatial basis of cell identity and castration response in the mouse prostate. Leveraging these data along with a meta-analysis of human prostates and prostate cancer (PCa), we identified cellular orthologs and key determinants of ADT response and resistance. Our findings reveal that mouse prostates harbor lobe-specific luminal epithelial cell types distinguished by unique gene regulatory modules and anatomically defined androgen-responsive transcriptional programs, indicative of divergent developmental origins. Androgen-insensitive, stem-like epithelial populations—resembling human club and hillock cells—are notably enriched in the urethra and ventral prostate but are rare in other lobes. Within the ventral prostate, we also uncovered two additional androgen-responsive luminal epithelial cell types, marked by Pbsn or Spink1 expression, which align with human luminal subsets and may define the origin of distinct PCa subtypes. Castration profoundly reshaped luminal epithelial transcriptomes, with castration-resistant luminal epithelial cells activating stress-responsive and stemness programs. These transcriptional signatures are enriched in tumor cells from ADT-treated and castration-resistant PCa patients, underscoring their likely role in driving treatment resistance. Temporal tracking of cells will precisely map disease-associated cellular transitions, and our technical framework facilitates such interrogations. Collectively, our comprehensive cellular atlas of the mouse prostate illuminates the importance of lobe-specific contexts for PCa modeling and reveals potential therapeutic targets to counter castration resistance.
A mechanical route for cooperative transport in autonomous robotic swarms
Foliar spray of carbon quantum dots alleviated cadmium stress in Dracocephalum Moldavica by altering physiological and biochemical responses
Effectiveness of Peer-assisted learning in medical education: A meta-analysis study
The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare the effects of peer-assisted learning (PAL) and traditional teaching methods on the theoretical knowledge and practical skill education in clinical medicine by summarizing the relevant randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies reported to date. A comprehensive search was conducted across several medical literature databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Springer, Ovid, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and China Biology Medicine Disc (CBMdisc). All pertinent articles, reviews, and references published from January 1970 to May 2023 were analyzed using Review Manager 5.4 software. A total of 81 RCTs were included in this analysis. The findings indicated that PAL surpassed traditional teaching methods in enhancing the transfer of theoretical knowledge and the acquisition of practical skills, especially in terms of student satisfaction and acceptance. It was also observed that, although PAL displayed advantages in certain areas, its effectiveness might not be substantial in fields demanding high levels of specialized knowledge. Furthermore, the reliability of the findings could be constrained by small sample sizes and inadequate implementation of blinding methods. Consequently, it is concluded that PAL is an effective and promising teaching method. Nonetheless, more rigorous research is required in the future to comprehensively explore the role of PAL in medical education.
The nonadaptive advantage: Why our brains can’t quit gaming
Human protein synthesis requires aminoacyl-tRNA pivoting during proofreading
Abstract Rigorous studies have characterized the aa-tRNA selection mechanism in bacteria, which is essential for maintaining translational fidelity. Recent investigations have identified critical distinctions in humans, such as the requirement of subunit rolling and a tenfold slower proofreading step. Although these studies captured key intermediates involved in tRNA selection, they did not elucidate the transitions of aa-tRNA between intermediates. Through diverse structure-based simulations, we simulated 1856 aa-tRNA accommodation events into the human ribosomal A site. Here we show the requirement for a distinct ~30° pivoting of aa-tRNA about the anticodon stem within the accommodation corridor. This pivoting is crucial for navigating the crowded accommodation corridor, which becomes more constrained due to subunit rolling. Subunit rolling-dependent crowding increases the steric contributions of the accommodation corridor during aa-tRNA accommodation, consistent with the tenfold reduction in the rate of proofreading. Furthermore, we show that eEF1A interacts with the accommodating aa-tRNA through conserved basic residues, limiting premature aa-tRNA dissociation from the A site. These findings provide a structural description of the human aa-tRNA selection process and demonstrate that the aa-tRNA alignment relative to the ribosomal catalytic sites is a critical determinant of translational fidelity.