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Comparative analyses of chloroplast genomes of Theobroma cacao from northern Peru

Theobroma cacao is the most economically important species within the genus Theobroma. Despite its importance, the intraspecific relationships of this species has not been fully elucidated due to insufficient molecular information. To facilitate a better understanding of the intraspecific evolutionary relationships of T. cacao, Sequencing technology has been to decode the plastid genomes, with the objective of identify potential DNA barcode genetic markers, explore intraspecific relationships, and infer divergence times. The plastid genome of the seven cocoa genotypes analyzed in this study, exhibited a typical angiosperm genomic structure. However, the structure of each plastid genome reflects notable changes in each genotype; for example, the infA gene was present in all the analyzed samples, unlike in previously published cocoa plastid genomes, while the complete ycf1 gene sequence has potential for use as DNA Barcoding in T. cacao. The estimated age of the node connecting T. cacao and T. grandiflorum, which was 10.11 Ma, supports this indication. It can be inferred that T. cacao diverged at approximately 7.55 Ma, and it is highly likely that T. cacao populations diversified during the Pliocene or Miocene. Therefore, it is crucial to perform mitochondrial and nuclear-based analyses on a broader spectrum of cocoa samples to validate these evolutionary mechanisms, including genetic estimates and divergence. This approach enables a deeper understanding of the evolutionary relationships among cocoa.

Thiophene Sulfone Single Crystal as a Reversible Thermoelastic Linear Actuator with an Extended Stroke and Second-Harmonic Generation Switching

Hepatic venous pressure gradient in patients with (compensated and decompensated) advanced chronic liver disease – A comparison of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease with alcohol-associated liver disease: A retrospective view

Background and aims Hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is a strong surrogate of severity and outcome but its relative prognostic value in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is yet to be clarified. We compared HVPG in MASLD with ALD and other etiologies according to cirrhosis complications. Patients and methods In our cirrhosis registry RH7, we identified patients with data on HVPG and scrutinized them against the etiology of advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) (MASLD, ALD, Other) and specific complications of ACLD such as variceal bleeding or ascites. We excluded patients with advanced malignancies and less than 6 months of follow-up. Results We enrolled 220 patients with ALD, MASLD, and Other etiology in 128, 52, and 40 cases, respectively; te median age was 57, 60, and 52 years (P = 0.09); the proportion of females was 31, 67, and 55%, respectively (P < 0.01). Median MELD scores in ALD, MASLD, and Other etiologies were 16.0, 13.0, and 12.0 (P < 0.01), and the median HVPG was 18.0, 14.0, and 11.5 mmHg (P < 0.001). In 19, 30, and 25 compensated patients, the median HVPG was 10.0, 11.5, and 11.0 mmHg (P = 0.97). In 109, 22, and 15 decompensated patients, the median HVPG was 19.0, 15.5 and 14 mmHg (P = 0.01 for trend, difference ALD vs. other P < 0.01, ALD vs. MASLD, P = 0.295). Between decompensated MASLD and ALD patients, we observed no differences in the proportion of clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) (>10 mmHg). Conclusion In our cirrhosis registry study of hospitalized patients with ACLD, baseline HVPG measured for accepted indications differed according to the etiology of dACLD: patients with ALD had the highest values followed by MASLD and Other etiologies. Importantly, when looked at from the point of view of complications, the treshold for clinically significant portal hypertension remained fixed at the level recommended by BAVENO Consensus - 10 mm Hg irrespective of etiology.

Analysis of the TiO₂ Photoanode Process Using Intensity Modulated Photocurrent Spectroscopy and Distribution of Relaxation Times

Correction: Does chubby Can get lower grades than skinny Sophie? Using an intersectional approach to uncover grading bias in German secondary schools

Red Light Mediated Photoconversion of Silicon Rhodamines to Oxygen Rhodamines for Single-Molecule Microscopy

Human placental mesenchymal stem cells ameliorates premature ovarian insufficiency via modulating gut microbiota and suppressing the inflammation in rats

The core objective of this study was to explore the effects and potential mechanism of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) in improving early-onset ovarian dysfunction (POI). Mesenchymal stem cells with multidirectional differentiation ability were isolated from human placenta tissue and a culture system of human PMSCs was constructed for this study. Subsequently, we successfully constructed POI rat models using cisplatin induction. We randomly divided these models into four groups: CON group (blank control), MOD group (POI model), MED group (hormone therapy), and PMSC group (PMSCs therapy). Then, we compared the differences in estrus cycle, ovarian index, ovarian weight, and ovarian histopathological features, as well as hormones and inflammatory factors in rats of diverse groups. The content of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in plasma was determined by limulus reagent kit. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to evaluate the changes in gut flora composition. Further, we investigated short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the metabolites of rat gut microbiota by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). As a result, we successfully established an efficient cell culture system of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) in vitro. Then, we evaluated the effects of PMSC intervention on POI rats: Compared to the untreated MOD group, the estrous cycle of rats in the PMSC group gradually became regular, the ovarian weight and ovarian index were significantly increased, and the ovarian tissue structure was improved by showing an increase in the number of follicles and a decrease in the number of atretic follicles. Moreover, PMSC intervention significantly affected plasma sex hormones by a major impact on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and Estradiol (E2). In terms of inflammatory factors, PMSC intervention decreased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-33, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in plasma and ovarian tissue of POI rats. Meanwhile, the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was increased. In addition, we found that there was ectopic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the blood of POI rats, which could be significantly reduced by PMSC intervention. Intestinal microbiota sequencing and analysis showed that after PMSC intervention, the phyla abundances of Firmicutes, Bacteroides, and Proteobacteria showed remarkable differences between the MOD and PMSC groups (P < 0.05). Further genus analysis showed that PMSC treatment had a major influence in gut microbitoa by increasing the abundances of Turicibacter and Desulfovibrio, as well as reducing Alloprevotella, Parabacteroides, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, and Rikenella. The changes of SCFAs in intestinal microbial metabolites of rats after PMSC intervention were analyzed: caproic acid level was markedly increased, butyric acid showed a decreased trend. Notably, we found a closed and complicated potential correlation among differential microbiota, inflammatory factors and hormones after PMSCs intervention. Collectively, this study have successfully established a suitable cultured PMSCs that can effectively promote the improvement of reproductive function in POI rats and achieve therapeutic effects by regulating the inflammatory response and reshaping the gut intestinal microbiota.

Light-Independent Fe₃O₄–<i>Methanosarcina acetivorans</i> Biohybrid Enhances Nitrogen Fixation and Methanogenesis

Relationship of sleep and activity, assessed via a wristwatch-type pulsimeter with an accelerometer, with health status in community-dwelling older adults: A preliminary study

Wearable devices have the potential to promote a healthy lifestyle; however, studies on the use of wearable devices in monitoring health in older adults are limited. We aimed to investigate the relationship of sleep and activity data with health status among older adults. Fifty-five community-dwelling older adults were asked to wear a wristwatch-type wearable device (the Pulsense [PS]) and measure home blood pressure (HBP) over a period of 5–7 consecutive days. Deep-sleep duration, physical and mental activity duration, and body-movement duration were obtained from PS data using special software. We also collected data on demographics and physical and mental health status. We found that the body-movement duration in women was longer than that in men. Among men, body-movement duration was strongly and negatively correlated with the Kihon Checklist (KCL) score. It also showed moderate correlations with the Geriatric Depression score, physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, social function, and role emotional scores from the Medical Outcomes Survey Short Form-8 questionnaire, as well as with hand-grip strength. There was no significant correlation between monitoring data and health status in women. In the multiple linear regression analysis, body-movement duration was negatively associated with age and the KCL score. KCL is a common questionnaire for screening frailty in Japan. Our results showed that body-movement duration was negatively associated with age and the KCL score, suggesting the potential of PS in guiding personalized health management of older community-dwelling adults with risks of frailty.

Orthogonal Control of Transport Channels in Boron-Embedded Acenes

Short sleep duration is a significant risk factor of obesity: A multicenter observational study of healthy adults in Japan

This multicenter study aimed to elucidate the association between sleep duration and various lifestyle-related disorders in healthy adults in Japan. A total of 62,056 healthy participants (age: 49.4 ±  10.9 years) who received medical checkups from 2010 to 2020 were analyzed cross-sectionally and longitudinally. The mean sleep duration was 6.2 ±  1.0 h in men and 6.1 ±  1.0 h in women. The distribution of sleep duration showed that older people tended to sleep longer, which was clearly observed in men but not in women. Univariate analyses showed that older age, lower body mass index (BMI), habitual drinking, and habitual exercise were significantly associated with longer sleep duration. Multivariate analyses in men showed that sleep duration was positively associated with age, habitual exercise, serum triglyceride (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and habitual drinking and negatively associated with BMI and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Alternatively, in women, sleep duration was positively associated with habitual exercise and TG and negatively associated with BMI, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, HbA1c, and current smoking. During the follow-up period, 3,360 of 31,004 individuals (10.8%) developed obesity. The Cox proportional hazards model showed that shorter sleep duration was a significantly higher risk of obesity, and longer sleep duration might be a lower risk of obesity. On the other hand, 1,732 of 39,048 participants (4.4%) developed impaired glucose tolerance, and 6,405 of 33,537 participants (19.1%) developed hypertriglyceridemia. However, the Cox proportional hazards model did not show significant association between sleep duration and impaired glucose tolerance or hypertriglyceridemia. In conclusion, our large-scale cross-sectional study showed that sleep duration was positively associated with habitual exercise and TG and negatively associated with BMI and HbA1c, regardless of sex. Longitudinal analysis revealed that shorter sleep duration is a significant risk factor for obesity.

Verdazyl-Based Radicals for High-Field Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR

Retraction: A freight integer linear programming model under fog computing and its application in the optimization of vehicle networking deployment

A supersolid made using photons

De Novo Design of Proteins That Bind Naphthalenediimides, Powerful Photooxidants with Tunable Photophysical Properties

Spatial distribution of mixed milk feeding and its determinants among mothers of infants aged under 6 months in Ethiopia: Spatial and geographical weighted regression analysis

Background Mixed milk feeding is defined as providing formula and/or animal milk along with breast milk to infants under six months old which is prevalent in many countries. However, this practice is generally not recommended as it can reduce the intake of breast milk, depriving the infant of its optimal nutritional and immunological benefits. Unlike formula, breast milk contains complex bioactive constituents that promote intestinal and pancreatic growth and develop mucosal defenses. The aim of this study was to analyze the spatial distribution and predictors of MMF practices in Ethiopia. Methods This study utilized data from the 2019 Mini-Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (MiniEDHS), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted from March to June 2019. The total weighted sample size derived from the data examined in this study amounted to 524 infants. The data analysis used Global Moran’s I for spatial autocorrelation and the Getis-Ord Gi * statistic for local cluster analysis to assess the spatial distribution of mixed milk feeding prevalence across Ethiopia’s administrative regions and cities. Empirical Bayesian Kriging was used for spatial interpolation to estimate mixed milk feeding prevalence in unsampled areas. The analysis utilized a maximum spatial cluster size threshold of 50% of the population to detect clusters of varying sizes. Ordinary least squares regression analysis identified significant spatial predictors. In geographically weighted regression analysis, the effect of predictor variables on the spatial variation of mixed milk feeding was detected using local coefficients. Results The overall weighted prevalence of Mixed Milk Feeding (MMF) in Ethiopia was 10.12% (95% CI: 7.8, 13.01). This prevalence shows significant regional variations across the country emphasizing regional disparities in prevalence and distribution. The Global Moran’s I statistic was 0.14, with a Z-score of 3.18 and a p-value of &lt; 0.001, indicating a significant spatial clustering of MMF prevalence. Hotspots of mixed milk feeding were identified in Somali, Dire Dawa, and Afar, while cold spots were observed in Amhara, Tigray, Benishangul Gumuz, SNNPR, and parts of Oromia. Household wealth (middle wealth index) and lack of baby postnatal checkups emerged as key influencers of mixed milk feeding practices. Conclusion The study found significant regional variations in mixed milk feeding practices in Ethiopia. Households with middle wealth index and baby without postnatal check were significant spatial predictors of mixed milk feeding. To reduce mixed milk feeding prevalence, targeted interventions should engage community leaders, enhance breastfeeding education in maternal health services, and integrate counseling into routine healthcare to support informed maternal choices and improve child health outcomes nationwide.

Rapid Microwave-Assisted Chemical Recycling of Poly(<i>p</i>-Phenylene Terephthalamide)

Navigating the risks: Stakeholder views on risk-based cervical cancer screening

Background The development of risk-based cancer screening programs requires a paradigm shift in existing practices and healthcare policies. Therefore, it is crucial to not only assess the effectiveness of new technologies and risk prediction models but also to analyze the acceptability of such programs among healthcare stakeholders. This study aims to assess the acceptability of risk-based cervical cancer screening (RB CCS) in Estonia from the perspectives of relevant stakeholders. Methods and materials This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with healthcare policy and service level stakeholders in Estonia. The Theoretical Framework of Acceptability guided the interview design, and the findings were charted using framework analysis based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results 17 interviews were conducted with stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, cancer registry representatives, technology specialists, policymakers, and health insurance providers. While stakeholders generally supported the concept and potential benefits of RB CCS, recognizing its capacity to improve screening outcomes and resource allocation, they raised significant concerns about feasibility, complexity, and ethical challenges. Doubts were expressed about the readiness of the healthcare system and population, particularly the current health information system’s capacity to support risk-based approaches. The need for evidence-based and internationally validated screening models, comprehensive public communication, provider training, and collaborative discussions involving all relevant parties, including the public, was emphasized. Conclusion The favorable attitude towards RB CCS among stakeholders provides a strong foundation for advancing its development. However, a comprehensive strategy emphasizing the generation of robust evidence, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, prioritizing patient empowerment, and cultivating a collaborative environment built on trust is crucial.

Synthesis and Stabilization of a Benzene Dianion with a Triplet Ground State and Baird Aromaticity

Antibiotic prescription patterns and associated symptoms in children living with HIV at Arthur Davison Children’s Hospital in Ndola, Zambia

Background Children with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are disproportionately susceptible to bacterial infections. There are a wide range of antibacterial agents available to manage HIV positive children with bacterial infections. However, administration of antibiotics in most children is empirical which could lead to antimicrobial resistance. Objectives This study aimed to determine commonly prescribed antibiotics and associated symptoms in children at Arthur Davison children’s hospital antiretroviral therapy clinic in Ndola, Zambia. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that analysed the antibiotic prescribing patterns from routinely collected secondary data at Arthur Davison children’s hospital. Children diagnosed with HIV before the age of 5, actively attending antiretroviral therapy clinic identified by SmartCare software and who had taken antiretroviral therapy for at least 6 months were eligible. Data were collected from files of children who met the eligibility criteria. STATA software version 16 SE (STATA Corp., College Station, Texas, USA) was used for analysis. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant at a confidence interval of 95%. Results From a total of 132 children included in the study, 37.9% presented with symptoms with the most common symptoms being cough (70.0%) and diarrhoea (30.0%). A larger proportion of children (62.1%) were on arbacavir/lamivudine/dolutogravr combination of antiretroviral therapy while 8.2% were on the tenoforvir alafenamide/lamivudine/dolutobravir regimen. Children who were on abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir regimen presented with more symptoms (48.8%) compared to those on tenofovir alafenamide/lamivudine/dolutegravir (21.0%) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/lamivudine/dolutegravir (18.2%) (p = 0.006). Approximately 60.0% of children presenting with symptoms were prescribed antibiotics. Co-trimoxazole was the most commonly (38.0%) prescribed, while erythromycin (2.0%) and Cephalexin (2.0%) were the least. Conclusions Respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms were the most common presentations suggestive of a suspected infection requiring antibiotic prescription in HIV-positive children on ART. Despite co-trimoxazole being the prophylactic drug among HIV-positive children, it was the most common antibiotic among children presenting with symptoms suggestive of an infection. This calls for the prudent use of co-trimoxazole to avoid its resistance.