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Machine learning based estimation of density of binary blends of cyclohexanes in normal alkanes

Cancer awareness among adolescents in Irish schools: A cross-sectional study

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess adolescents’ awareness of cancer signs and symptoms, cancer risk factors, cancer screening programmes, and perceived barriers to seeking medical advice. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an adapted version of the adolescent cancer awareness tool which was originally modified from the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) (Version 2.1). The sample included 474 adolescents aged 15 to 18 years recruited from nine Irish schools between November 2021 and May 2022. Results Awareness of cancer warning signs and symptoms was low when open-ended (recall) questions were used and relatively high for closed (recognition) questions. Unexplained lump or swelling was the most frequently identified cancer symptom. The least reported were difficulty swallowing and a sore that does not heal. Smoking was the most reported cancer risk factor. The least reported were not eating enough fruit and vegetables, a diet high in fat, and infection with viruses. Generally, females had greater awareness than males. The greatest barrier to seeking help was “worry about what the doctor might find” and the least reported barrier was “I don’t feel respected by the doctor.” Conclusions Overall recognition of symptoms or risk factors of cancer was higher than recall. Several modifiable barriers to medical help-seeking were identified. Findings from this study suggest further exploration using a qualitative approach to investigate the factors influencing adolescents’ cancer awareness and barriers to help-seeking.

An investigation into the mechanism for Kaempferol improving melanocyte death based on network Pharmacology and experimental verification

Abstract Melanocyte (MC) death represents the basic pathological change of vitiligo. Kaempferol (Kae) is one of the main active ingredients of Tribulus terrestris, which is a commonly used Chinese medicine in the treatment of vitiligo. However, it remains unclear whether Kae can improve MC death, and hence relevant mechanisms need to be further explored. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effect of Kae on MC death and relevant mechanisms. The targets of Kae and the differential genes of vitiligo were screened based on different databases. Besides, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the common target of Kae and vitiligo was constructed to further identify the “keycluster” genes of the drug-disease interaction (DDI) network. In addition, the enrichment analysis based on Gene Ontology (GO), Disease Ontology (DO), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) was performed on the “keycluster” genes. Based on the network pharmacological results, it was found that Kae may ameliorate MC death through the ferroptosis pathway. Hence, the ferroptosis model of human primary epidermal melanocyte 1 (HEM-1) was induced by RAS-selective lethal 3 (RSL3) and then co-cultured with Kae. Moreover, the role of Kae in MC ferroptosis was investigated by detecting the changes in mitochondrial morphology and functions, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and iron ions, the protein expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and antioxidant activities. Finally, si-GPX4 was used to silence the ferroptosis core protein GPX4 to re-examine the above indicators, thus verifying relevant mechanisms. The network pharmacology results showed that Kae was responsive to oxidative stress and ROS. The treatment of vitiligo by Kae mainly involved pigmentation, melanin metabolic processes, and such signaling pathways as melanogenesis, ferroptosis, and tyrosine metabolism. The in vitro experiment results indicated that Kae can effectively improve RSL3-induced HEM-1 ferroptosis, including alleviating mitochondrial damage, decreasing the level of ROS and iron ions, and up-regulating the expression of GPX4 and antioxidants. After silencing GPX4, the protective effect of Kae against HEM-1 ferroptosis was attenuated. Our study concluded that Kae can reduce RSL3-induced ferroptosis in HEM-1, and its mechanism is related to the regulation of the expression of the ferroptosis pathway protein GPX4. These findings are expected to provide novel insights into the treatment of vitiligo.

Correction: The association of mental health with physical activity and its dimensions in Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study

Social and individual factors mediate chimpanzee vocal ontogeny

Abstract Human language develops in social interactions. In other ape species, the role of social learning in vocal ontogeny can be typically underappreciated, mainly because it has received little empirical attention. Here, we examine the development of pant hoot vocalisations during vocal exchanges in immature wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of the Sonso community of the Budongo Forest, Uganda. We investigated how maternal gregariousness, age, sex, and social context are associated with behavioural and vocal responses to other group members’ calls. We show that the older sons of gregarious mothers are more likely to orient their attention, respond vocally to the calls of others, and are overall more exposed to others’ calls compared to other immature individuals. This effect is strongest in the presence of adult males and when their mothers also respond vocally, suggesting that chimpanzee vocal development is enhanced by social and vocal exposure. Our findings are consistent with a more flexible and socially mediated chimpanzee vocal ontogeny than previously assumed and show some parallels with animal vocal learners and children language acquisition.

Extreme Defect Tolerance for Electrochemical Intercalation in Wadsley–Roth Structures Demonstrated by Metastable NaNb ₇ O ₁₈

Ocular motor cranial neuropathy and risk of thyroid cancer: A Korean population-based study

This study investigates whether ocular motor cranial neuropathy (OMCN) can predict the onset of thyroid cancer given its association with common cardiovascular risk factors including obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and dyslipidemia. We conducted a retrospective, nationwide, population-based cohort study utilizing data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Individuals comprised those aged ≥ 20 years diagnosed with OMCN between 2010 and 2017. Exclusions were based on pre-existing conditions, inability to match controls, or incomplete data. The study involved 118,686 participants, with 19,781 in the OMCN group and 98,905 controls, matched for age and sex. Patients with OMCN showed a significantly higher risk of developing thyroid cancer (hazard ratio [HR] =  1.392 [95% confidence interval, 1.075–1.802]) compared to controls after adjusting for potential confounding factors. This association was more pronounced in participants with DM and women (HR =  2.288 in DM vs. HR =  1.209 in non-DM, p =  0.0450; HR =  1.677 in females vs. HR =  0.824 in males, p =  0.0246). The findings suggest OMCN as a potential early predictor of thyroid cancer risk, particularly in diabetic and female patients. Further research is needed to explore the underlying mechanisms linking cardiovascular risk factors to the relationship between OMCN and thyroid cancer. Proactive management of these risk factors in OMCN patients may contribute to thyroid cancer prevention.

Non high density lipoprotein to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and type 2 diabetes in Middle aged and Elderly Chinese

The effect of swine insurance participation on swine production efficiency: Evidence from China

How does swine insurance affect the swine production efficiency in China? We focus on micro-survey data from 582 swine farmers in Liaoning Province, and uses the propensity score matching method (PSM) and mediated effects model for the empirical examination. The results indicate that swine insurance positively impacts production efficiency, compared to uninsured farmers, those who participate in swine insurance exhibit a 4.7% improvement in production efficiency. Additionally, the estimations from the mediated effects models indicate that swine insurance significantly enhances swine production efficiency by influencing risk appetite, production decision and technology adoption. Furthermore, the heterogeneity analysis revealed that the positive effect of swine insurance on production efficiency becomes more pronounced as the scale of farmers’ swine production expands. Apart from this, the correlation between swine insurance coverage level and production efficiency reveals a significant U-shaped curve. These findings provide valuable insights for improving the swine insurance system and fostering the growth of the swine industry.

Endocardial-to-mesenchymal transition underlies cardiac outflow tract septation and bicuspid aortic valve formation in the Syrian hamster model

Abstract Right-left bicuspid aortic valve (R-L BAV) is the most frequent phenotype of the most common congenital heart disease. Its etiology is based on two associated morphogenetic defects during cardiac outflow tract (OFT) septation: abnormal migration of cardiac neural crest (CNC) cells, and excessive fusion of the conal ridges (CRs). The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanism involved in the fusion of the CRs responsible for normal and abnormal OFT septation and BAV formation. Two mechanisms have been proposed: endocardial apoptosis and endocardial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The involvement of these mechanisms in the fusion event was tested in embryos of the hamster model with BAV. Apoptotic cells were absent in the fusion area of the CRs. However, we detected endocardial cells (CD34 + ;VE-Cadherin + ) showing positive signals for migration markers (α-actin + ) in the fusion area of the CRs of embryos developing both normal aortic valve and BAV. These cells showed an intermediate morphological phenotype between endocardial and mesenchymal cells. The findings clearly indicate that EMT, and not apoptosis, is the cellular mechanism underlying the normal and excessive fusion of CRs that give rise to tricuspid aortic valve and BAV, respectively. Furthermore, our results show that the fusion of CRs in embryos developing BAV continues after the OFT septation, suggesting over-induction of EMT by abnormally distributed CNC cells.

Lack of association between breastfeeding duration and body mass index in children and adolescents – A Swedish cohort study

Aims The aim of the study was to investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity in children during follow-up until 16 years of age. Methods Observational cohort study of mothers and their children born 1999–2000 in a municipality in southwestern Sweden. Data were retrieved from antenatal clinics, primary care child health care centres and school health care. The study exposure was breastfeeding duration measured in months and categorised by duration < 6 months and ≥ 6 months. The study outcomes were development of BMI, and overweight and obesity according to ISO-BMI. Results The study population comprised 312 mothers and their 319 children of whom 120 were breastfed < 6 months and 199 ≥ 6 months. The overall partial or exclusive median breastfeeding duration was 6.5 months. No associations were found between breastfeeding duration in months and BMI in unadjusted (p = 0.70) and adjusted (p = 0.92) linear mixed-effects models with repeated BMI recordings at approximately 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16 years. Further, no associations were found in subgroup analyses for girls and boys. The adjusted analyses were adjusted for maternal age, smoking, BMI and parity, and for the child’s sex, gestational age at birth and birth weight. Unadjusted logistic mixed-effects models with repeated ISO-BMI classifications at approximately 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16 years showed no associations between breastfeeding duration (≥6 months versus < 6 months) and overweight or obesity as compared to underweight or normal weight, in total (odds ratio 1.46, 95% confidence interval 0.69–3.08) or in boys and girls separately. Conclusions We found no association between breastfeeding duration and childhood and adolescence BMI up to 16 years of age or the development of overweight or obesity.

Examination of effect and responder to real-time auditory feedback during overground gait for stroke: a randomized cross-over study

Association of family history of cardiovascular disease with the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors in young adults in the United Arab Emirates: The UAE healthy future study

Introduction Family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease, and the risk increases with number of family members affected. It offers insights into shared genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that influence heart disease risk. In this study, we aimed to estimate the association of family history of CVD and its risk factors, as well as the number of affected parents or siblings, with the prevalence of major cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) such as hypertension, dysglycemia, dyslipidemia and obesity in a sample of young adults. Methods The study utilized a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the UAE Healthy Future Study (UAEHFS), involving 5,058 respondents below the age of 40 years. Information on parental and sibling health regarding heart disease and stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes (T2D), high cholesterol and obesity, was gathered through a self-completed questionnaire. CRFs were estimated based on body measurements, biochemical markers and self-reported conditions. Multivariate regression analyses were used to examine the associations between categories of family history and the estimated CRFs. Results More than half (58%) of the sample reported having a positive family history of CVD or its risk factors. The most common family history reported was T2D and hypertension, which accounted for 39.8% and 35% of the sample, respectively. The prevalence of all CRFs was significantly higher among those with a positive family history compared to those without family-history (P < 0.001). The prevalence and likelihood of having a CRF increased as the number of parents and/or siblings affected increased, indicating a potential dose-response trend. The odds were highest among individuals with both parental-and-sibling family history of disease, where they increased to 2.36 (95% CI 1.68-3.32) for hypertension, 2.59 (95% CI 1.86-3.60) for dysglycemia, 1.9 (95% CI 1.29-2.91) for dyslipidemia and 3.79 (95% CI 2.83-5.06) for obesity. Conclusion In this study, we addressed the effect of family history as an independent risk factor on the major CRFs for the first time in the region. We observed that the majority of young Emirati adults had a positive family history of CVD-related diseases. Family history showed a strong association with the increased prevalence of CRFs. Additionally, having more relatives with specific diseases was associated with a higher risk of developing CRFs. Identifying people with a history of these conditions can help in early intervention and personalized risk assessments.

A universal equation-of-state model based on single variable functions

Abstract Since the ideal gas equation of state (EOS) was established in 1840, a wide variety of EOS theories have been developed. However, due to the diversity of material structures and the complexity of intermolecular interactions, numerous EOS either have complex forms or have empirical coefficients without physical meaning, which severely limits their applications. This paper builds a simple and universal EOS model by means of a fully macroscopic thermodynamic approach. Firstly, two single variable thermodynamic functions as a function of pressure only and as a function of temperature only, respectively, are constructed. On this basis, two EOS in the forms of P–V–T and P–S–T are obtained by thermodynamic derivation, which are almost as simple as the ideal gas EOS. There are no assumptions about material structures and intermolecular interactions involved here. Therefore, the model is universal. Moreover, the coefficients in these two EOS have clear thermodynamic significance and thus can be calculated directly without fitting. The model is shown to characterize the thermodynamic properties of substances well and may play an important role in high-density and supercritical applications. This work may provide a new way of developing EOS theory and enrich the fundamentals of thermodynamics.

Retraction: The biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance of bacterial profile from endotracheal tube of patients admitted to intensive care unit in southwest of Iran

Guidelines for laboratory rearing of insect evidence: the importance of air humidity for breeding of Necrodes littoralis (L.) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Abstract In forensic entomology, effective rearing of insect evidence is crucial as it increases the accuracy of post-mortem interval (PMI) estimation and facilitates species identifications of some evidence. However, virtually no single species has a forensically useful rearing protocol. This study investigates the importance of relative humidity on larval development and fitness of Necrodes littoralis (L.) (Staphylinidae), and proposes an all-inclusive rearing protocol for this forensically important beetle species. We hypothesized that high relative humidity enhances growth, shortens development and promotes thermogenesis. By manipulating relative humidity (50%, 70%, 90%) and the presence of adult beetles during the prelarval phase, we demonstrated that high relative humidity level significantly improved beetle fitness by increasing survival, beetle mass at eclosion and shortening development. Specifically, at 90% relative humidity, beetles showed a twofold increase in mass and a threefold increase in survival compared to 50%. Moreover, thermogenesis was higher at high relative humidity, further facilitating larval growth. These results highlight the key role of humidity for N. littoralis development. Finally, we proposed a comprehensive rearing protocol for N. littoralis to improve forensic investigations involving these beetles and to guide future developments of similar protocols for other insects of forensic importance.

Correction: LightGBM hybrid model based DEM correction for forested areas

Analysis and mining of Dupilumab adverse events based on FAERS database

Lantana camara plant extract catalyzed biosynthesis of graphene-metal nanocomposites with potential cytotoxic activities

This study investigates the synthesis and characterization of Plant-Ag-graphene nanocomposites through a combination of spectroscopic and microscopic techniques, the nanocomposites were formed by catalyzing silver nanoparticles with plant extracts, and the resulting structures were analyzed using advanced instrumentation. In the FTIR analysis, distinctive peaks were observed at 3340 cm⁻1 (O-H stretching), 1740 cm⁻1 (C = O stretching), and 1050 cm⁻1. When compared to silver nanoparticles, the nanocomposites exhibited altered peak intensities, indicating modifications in chemical bonding. SEM images revealed that in nanocomposites, nanoparticles were adhered to graphene sheets, confirming the successful formation of Plant-Ag-graphene structures. EDX spectra showed a reduction in the silver content, confirming the integration of graphene into the nanocomposites. XRD analysis confirmed the presence of face-centered cubic-shaped Ag metal in the nanocomposites, while graphene exhibited a hexagonal crystalline shape. UV-Vis spectroscopy demonstrated shifts in peak positions, Spectrum A (400 to 700 nm) and spectrum B (265 nm), suggesting the successful synthesis of Plant-Ag-graphene nanocomposites. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity showed cell inhibition among Plant-Ag-Graphene (65.69%) and Plant-Ag (61.39%), respectively.

Receptor mechanism producing a sweet taste from plant aroma compounds