Browse Articles

Retraction: Identification of the Sites of Tau Hyperphosphorylation and Activation of Tau Kinases in Synucleinopathies and Alzheimer’s Diseases

The impact of sensory integration based sports training on motor and social skill development in children with autism spectrum disorder

“Calming the nightmares”: A qualitative study of a socially assistive robot for sensory and emotional support in individuals with eating disorders and PTSD

Individuals with eating disorders (ED) and co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often face difficulties with sensory overload and emotion regulation (ER), which can make treatment more complex. Assistive devices that offer real-time support are needed to enhance therapeutic interventions. This qualitative pilot study explored the engagement, acceptability, and perceived impact of Purrble, a socially assistive robot, as an adjunct tool for sensory and ER support. Nine participants (8 female, 1 non-binary, aged 20–55) were recruited from an ED service and engaged with Purrble over a 10-day period following a sensory well-being workshop. Participants recorded their use of Purrble and daily reflections in diaries and participated in a focus group. Thematic analysis revealed three themes: (1) Integration into daily life, where participants highlighted Purrble’s portability and ease of use in managing anxiety across various settings; (2) Managing PTSD-related difficulties, such as calming nightmares, reducing sensory overload, and providing emotional comfort; and (3) Challenges and improvements, where participants suggested modifications, such as adding a night mode and better sound control. This study provides preliminary evidence that an assistive device can support individuals with ED and PTSD, particularly in managing sleep disturbances, overstimulation, and feelings of emotional isolation. Further research using standardised methodologies is needed to expand on these preliminary findings.

The outcome prediction method of football matches by the quantum neural network based on deep learning

The impact of biochar and activated carbon on the purification efficiency of two wetland systems under varying pollution loads

Influence of loud auditory noise on postural stability in autistic children: an exploratory study

Investigation of the preparation of iron sulfate-loaded niosomes by an experimental novel method

Multimodal dynamic retinal vessel analysis offers new insights in microvascular defects in Fabry’s disease

Abstract Fabry’s Disease (FD) is one of many disorders that result in altered vascular function. With the Dynamic Vessel Analyzer (DVA, IMEDOS Systems), retinal vessels can be recorded non-invasively in real time and dynamic responses to stimuli that affect vessel diameter can be directly visualized. The data obtained can be further mathematically evaluated in terms of dynamic time- and location-dependent vessel behavior. This principle of multimodal analysis of dynamic retinal vascular behavior has been applied to demonstrate specific structural and functional retinal microvascular changes in Fabry’s disease. The retinal vascular response was examined with DVA in 10 patients with FD, 4 women, 6 men including 1 child aged 42.5 (34.3–57.3) years (median (1st quartile–3rd quartile)) and in 10 age- and sex-matched healthy participants. The vessel width of an arterial and a venous retinal vessel segment of ~ 1 mm in length was examined in all participants. After 50 s of baseline observation, a monochromatic rectangular luminance flicker (530–600 nm; of 12.5 Hz frequency) was applied three times for 20 s. The vascular response to flicker light was analyzed. Using mathematical signal analysis, the longitudinal microstructure of retinal vessels was assessed and unstimulated vessel wall oscillations were characterized. Group comparisons were performed exploratively using Mann–Whitney-U test. The entire patient group showed no significant difference in response to the flicker light compared to the control group. After dividing the patient group by sex, male patients with FD showed significantly larger arterial dilatation of 6.3 (5.6–7.9)% compared to age-matched controls: 3.3 (2.5–4.1)%, p < 0.01. In contrast, female patients showed a reduced arterial response of 3.4 (3.1–3.7)% compared to age-matched controls: 5.4 (4.0–6.7)%, p = 0.1. When analyzing the periodicity of the spontaneous unstimulated vessel wall modulation, female Fabry patients had a higher and less scattered periodicity of vasomotions in arteries and veins, while male patients showed lower periodicity of vasomotions in arteries with more scattered periods and longer more scattered periods in veins, compared to age-matched controls. The cardiac rhythm was more aperiodic and less pronounced in male patients. In addition, the longitudinal microstructure of retinal arteries and veins in FD was structurally and functionally altered. This was particularly notable in veins at all stages of the vascular reaction and in arteries at all stages except the baseline by more pronounced waves with periods of ~ 50–100 µm. Multimodal dynamic retinal vessel analysis conveys information about different aspects of vascular regulatory potential. The flicker provoked retinal arterial response is more pronounced in male patients with FD. This reaction is nitric oxide (NO) mediated and conveyed by the vascular endothelial cells. With an altered baseline smooth muscle activity in vessel walls subsequent reactions to vascular stimuli such as flicker light for the retina may be more pronounced in the imbalanced system of male Fabry patients. Spontaneous retinal vessel oscillations are altered in Fabry’s disease. These alterations are more dramatic in male patients, and are especially characterized with less periodic vessel behavior over the large frequency range. This is a result of altered smooth muscle reaction potentially due to disease mediated altered potassium channel activity. Both arterial and venous retinal vessel walls in FD show peculiar microstructural changes. The characteristic microirregularities of retinal vessels are of functional nature in arteries and rather of structural nature in veins. The DVA examination with multimodal retinal vessel analysis represents a practical possibility to investigate central microvascular status of Fabry’s disease in more detail and might elucidate the effect of potential therapeutic interventions.

Spatiotemporal variations of precipitation and driving forces during wheat maturation season in Henan Province

Control of a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle using a robust fractional order controller

Proteome-wide Mendelian randomization reveals causal associations between plasma proteins and autoimmune thyroid disease

The characterisation of the complete mitochondrial genome of Polygonatum Kingianum reveals recombination mediated by repeats associated with DNA replication

Multifunctional gradations of TPMS architected heat exchanger for enhancements in flow and heat exchange performances

Abstract Heat exchangers (HXs) based on triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) architectures have recently attracted significant interest due to their continuous and smooth shell structures with extensive surface areas. This study proposes an efficient design methodology for TPMS-based HXs by employing three gradation strategies to enhance their thermofluidic performance: (i) filtering gradation to guide hot and cold fluids through designated inlet and outlet regions with reduced flow resistance; (ii) cell-size gradation to ensure uniform flow distribution by reducing dead zones; and (iii) level-set gradation to maintain a minimum allowable wall thickness under cell-size variations. These multifunctional gradations are realized through adaptive manipulation of the signed distance fields for TPMS formulations. Computational fluid dynamics simulations were performed for various HX designs, identifying a graded design with cell sizes ranging from 6 to 10 mm as optimal for minimizing local flow stagnation. The optimized HX was fabricated via additive manufacturing and validated experimentally. Experimental results revealed a 30% improvement in heat exchange capacity with only a 0.3 kPa increase in pressure drop, resulting in a 28% enhancement in the overall heat exchange performance. These findings demonstrate that the multifunctional gradation approach enables the optimal design of TPMS-based HXs with superior thermofluidic performance and structural integrity.

Correction: The effect of resveratrol, curcumin and quercetin combination on immuno-suppression of tumor microenvironment for breast tumor-bearing mice

Association between timing of surgery and refracture after initial osteoporotic fractures

Spatiotemporal evolution, driving factors, and policy impacts on ecological quality in the li river basin from 1995 to 2021

Optimizing software crowdsourcing requirements design through machine learning

Persistence of hepatitis C virus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients who achieved sustained virological response following treatment with direct-acting antivirals is associated with a distinct pre-existing immune exhaustion status

Abstract Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a primary hepatotropic pathogen responsible for acute and chronic hepatitis C, however, it can also cause “occult” infection (OCI), defined as the presence of the virus’ genetic material in hepatocytes and/or peripheral blood cells, but not in plasma/serum. Assessment of the sustained virologic response (SVR) after treatment with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) is based exclusively on HCV-RNA testing in plasma/serum, which may preclude the diagnosis of post-treatment OCI. Possible clinical consequences of OCI were described previously, but its occurrence after DAA-based antiviral treatment programs and determinants of the virus persistence are not fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of post-treatment OCI after successful DAA-based treatment and to identify clinical and immunological factors associated with this phenomenon. In 97 patients treated with DAA, HCV-RNA was tested by RT-PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at baseline (i.e., before the onset of treatment) and at the time of SVR assessment. Before treatment, HCV-RNA was detectable in all patients’ PBMC. All subjects responded to therapy according to the clinical criteria, but 9 (9.3%) patients revealed the HCV-RNA in PBMC at SVR. In most of these cases, post-DAA OCI was related to switch of the dominant infecting genotype. Post-treatment OCI was characterized by significantly lower pre-treatment HCV viral load and lower expression of Tim-3 (T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3) on CD8+ T-cells. Our results imply that post-treatment OCI may be related to lower pretreatment viral load as well as distinct pre-existing immune exhaustion status.

Preliminary clinical study of p-iodo benzoyl moiety-modified PSMA inhibitors and prospective comparison with 68Ga-PSMA-11

Inhibition of levodopa metabolism to dopamine by honokiol short-chain fatty acid derivatives may enhance therapeutic efficacy in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract This study investigates the antimicrobial properties of honokiol (HNK), a naturally occurring polyphenol, when conjugated with short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate. We examined the effects of HNK-SCFA ester conjugates on Enterococcus faecalis, a gut bacterium that metabolizes levodopa, a drug used to manage Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Our findings indicate that HNK-SCFA-esters (e.g., HNK-acetate, HNK-propionate, HNK-butyrate, and HNK-hexanoate) inhibit E. faecalis growth in a dose-dependent manner, followed by a temporary recovery period during which levodopa remains intact and unmetabolized. Notably, HNK-SCFAs exhibit enhanced cellular permeability and are hydrolyzed within bacterial cells, releasing HNK and SCFAs. These results suggest that HNK-SCFAs may reversibly modulate the gut metabolism of levodopa to dopamine, potentially enhancing its therapeutic efficacy in treating Parkinson’s disease.