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Radio-protective effects of ultra-fine bubble hydrogen water and serum protein responses in whole-body radiation-exposed mice

RESILSTIGMA. Resilience to self-stigmatization experienced by people living with HIV: Which self-reported factors improve awareness among health workers?

Background Self-stigmatization is the process by which environmental stigmas are internalized. It leads to a decline in self-esteem, isolation, denial and risk behavior, and impairs quality of life. The aims of our study were to investigate the psychological, social and medical factors, in particular psychological flexibility and its defusion component, that are associated with resilience to self-stigmatization in people living with HIV (PLHIV), and to assess clinicians’ perceptions of the condition. Methods A multicenter observational study was conducted in France using self-reports from PLHIV consulted between January 15, 2022 and June 15, 2022 and from professionals responsible for their care (study registration number 2021-A01588-33/SI:21.02814.000036). Self-stigmatization was measured by examining four domains: perceived stigma, anticipated stigma, internalized stigma and enacted stigma. Results Self-reports were collected from 45 hospital wards, 666 from PLHIV, of whom 71% were male with a mean age of 53 +/- 12.6 years, and 131 from health professionals, of whom 72.5% were clinicians. A total of 279 PLHIV (42%) reported items of self-stigmatization. Multivariable analysis showed that self-stigmatization was significantly associated with major depression (OR: 3.59, 95% CI: 1.19 to 10.80, p = 0.02), psychological inflexibility (OR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.19 to 1.97, p = 0.001), and parental support deficit in childhood (OR parental support: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.98, p = 0.04). Among the dimensions of psychological inflexibility associated with HIV self-stigma, only fusion was positively associated (p<0.01). The proportion of PLHIV experiencing self-stigma was accurately estimated by only 31 (23.7%) health workers. Those health workers who did not minimize the prevalence of self-stigmatization among PLHIV had no particular characteristics. Conclusions While the best means to combat self-stigmatization would be a social-ecological approach, it is fundamental to target in parallel individual vulnerability and protective factors accessible to health workers’ interventions. Psychiatric care and/or the new cognitive-behavioral therapies could be offered more often as part of personalized care.

Willing to wait: Anorexia nervosa symptomatology is associated with higher future orientation and reduced intertemporal discounting

Abstract Anorexia nervosa is a severe eating disorder characterized by food restriction in service of a future goal: thinness and weight loss. Prior work suggests altered intertemporal decision-making in this disorder, with more farsighted decisions—i.e. reduced delay discounting—in patients with acute anorexia nervosa. Future-oriented cognition, such as frequent prospective future thinking in daily life, promotes farsighted decision making. However, whether temporal orientation is altered in anorexia nervosa, potentially contributing to reduced delay discounting in this population, remains unclear. We measured delay discounting behavior, anorexia nervosa symptomatology, and temporal orientation in a large sample of never-diagnosed individuals. We found that higher anorexia nervosa symptomatology was associated with reduced delay discounting. Anorexia nervosa symptoms were also correlated with increased future-oriented cognition. Moreover, future-oriented cognition mediated the difference in delay-discounting behavior between high and low anorexia nervosa symptom groups. These results were unrelated to subjective time perception and independent of mood and anxiety symptomatology. Collectively, these findings suggest that future-oriented cognition may be a cognitive mechanism underlying altered intertemporal decision making in anorexia nervosa.

Mint essential oil: A natural and effective agent for controlling house dust mites

Conventional methods of house dust mite control often involve chemical pesticides, raising concerns about their potential hazards. Mint essential oil presents a natural and eco-friendly alternative for managing house dust mite infestations. In this study, ten varieties of mint plants were cultivated, and their essential oils were extracted through steam distillation. The toxicity of these mint essential oils and their main compounds on adult house dust mites was assessed using contact+fumigant mortality bioassays and vapour-phase mortality bioassays. A repellent bioassay was also conducted to evaluate the repellent effects of mint oils and main compound on house dust mites. The toxicity of mint essential oils varied among the different varieties, with some demonstrating higher potency in eradicating house dust mites. Mint oils showed both acaricidal action and repellent effects on house dust mites, with certain varieties exhibiting stronger efficacy. Linalool as active compounds was identified as key contributors to the acaricidal properties of mint essential oil. Mint essential oil, particularly certain varieties rich in active compounds, shows promise as a natural and effective agent for controlling house dust mites. Its dual functionality in killing and repelling house dust mites, along with its environmentally friendly nature, make it a viable alternative to chemical pesticides for house dust mite management. Further research on the specific mechanisms of action and long-term effectiveness of mint essential oil in house dust mite control is warranted to explore its full potential as a sustainable pest management solution.

Deferiprone ameliorates cisplatin induced peripheral neurotoxicity via ferritinophagy adjustment

Abstract Cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity is one of the limiting factors to its use especially in tumors that demand high drug dosage. One of the Cisplatin pathways is ferritinophagy which may end up in ferroptosis. So, we aimed to use iron chelator as a new strategy based on an anti-ferroptotic mechanism and to evaluate its neuroprotective effect against polyneuropathy in Cisplatin-treated rats. Twenty-four male Wistar albino rats were arranged into four groups: (I) Control group, rats were given vehicle; (II) Def group, rats received deferiprone (200 mg/kg orally once daily for 10 days); (III) Cis group, rats were injected by Cis 2 mg/Kg once daily for 3 consecutive days i.p.; and (IV) Cis + Def group, rats received deferiprone (200 mg/kg orally once daily for 10 days, rats were injected with Cis in the 4th, 5th, and 6th days). Cis increased and upregulated ferritinophagy inducers significantly including MDA, NCOA4, and IREB1 as compared to the control group. On the other hand, GSH, GPX4, SLCA11 and FTH1 were decreased and down regulated significantly compared to the control group. In addition to significant deterioration in the histopathological and immunological nerve tissue assessment using silver stain and PNCA. Embracing the cisplatin dosage with deferiprone reversed cisplatin-induced neuropathy, in which the physiological function significantly improved along with the immune and histopathology of nerve tissue. This was accompanied by down regulation of ferritinophagy inducers and enhancing ferritinophagy inhibitors. The current results concluded that rapping cisplatin with deferiprone can mitigate neurotoxicity induced by cisplatin in experimental animals through ferritinophagy pathway adjustment.

Relationship between movement behaviours and life satisfaction in Chinese children: A cross-lagged panel analysis

Understanding the impacts of daily movement behaviours on the well-being of children is crucial for developing effective health promotion strategies. This study examined the relationship between movement behaviours and life satisfaction (LS) using longitudinal data from a sample of primary school students. This one-year follow-up study included 683 students (8.91 ± 1.31 years old) from Shanghai, China. Information on days of moderate- to vigorous-physical activity (MVPA), days of muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE), screen time (ST), and sleep duration was measured via a self-reported questionnaire. Cross-lagged models were used to assess the relationships between movement behaviours at baseline and LS at follow-up. Path analysis showed baseline sleep duration was a significant predictor of subsequent LS. Sex-specific models indicated baseline LS and sleep duration were predictors in males, and baseline MVPA, MSE, and sleep duration in females. Grade-specific models revealed positive relationships of baseline MSE and sleep duration with LS in Level 1 (grade 1 and 2), and baseline MVPA and MSE in Level 2 (grade 3 and 4). This study shows a complex interplay between 24-hour movement behaviours and LS among children. While baseline sleep duration emerged as a consistent predictor of LS at follow-up across the overall sample, the influence of MVPA, MSE, and ST varied by sex and grade level. These results highlight the importance of considering a range of lifestyle factors, including sleep and physical activity, in understanding and potentially enhancing life satisfaction in childhood.

Enhanced cloud removal via temporal U-Net and cloud cover evolution simulation

Cost-effectiveness of Transcendental Meditation (TM) for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Objective A recent trial found that Transcendental Meditation (TM) was an effective non-trauma focused treatment for veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The objective of this analysis was to examine the cost-effectiveness of TM for PTSD based on the trial results. Methods Between 2013–2017, 203 veterans with PTSD were randomized to either TM, Prolonged Exposure (PE), or to a PTSD health education (HE) control. Each group received 12 treatment sessions over 12 weeks. Results indicated that TM was non-inferior to PE for improving PTSD outcomes and both TM and PE were superior to HE, as hypothesized. The proportion of participants with a clinically significant improvement on the CAPS (≥10 point reduction) were TM = 61%, PE = 42%, and HE = 32%. A Markov model was developed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of TM, using the trial effectiveness data. Intervention costs, health care costs, and health utility values associated with response and non-response were derived from scientific literature. Costs were viewed from an organizational perspective and a 5-year time horizon (20 3-month cycles). One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted. Results TM was the dominant treatment strategy over both PE and HE in the cost-effectiveness analysis. TM cost an estimated $1504/12 sessions while PE and HE cost $2,822 and $492, respectively. The higher health care costs associated with non-response to therapy offset intervention cost differences. Findings were robust to variability. Conclusion In summary, using data from a recent RCT, TM was found to both improve health outcomes and reduce total costs in this analysis. Based on these results, further effectiveness trials and wider adoption of TM should be considered.

Identification of the immune infiltration and biomarkers in ulcerative colitis based on liquid–liquid phase separation-related genes

Evaluation of a Low-threshold Exercise And Protein supplementation intervention for Women (LEAP-W) experiencing homelessness and addiction: Protocol for a single-arm mixed methods feasibility study

Background Frailty is a complex multi-dimensional state of increased vulnerability to adverse outcomes and is associated with older age but there is growing evidence of accelerated ageing and frailty in non-geriatric populations, including those experiencing socio-economic deprivation and extreme social exclusion, such as people experiencing homelessness. Addiction, as a coping mechanism for prior trauma, is common among people who are homeless and can have a gendered dimension. Women experiencing homelessness and addiction have unique needs which require a gendered approach. The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and impact of an exercise intervention to target the known physical functioning deficits and frailty which this population experiences. Methods This quantitatively driven, sequential single-arm mixed-methods feasibility study will evaluate the feasibility and impact of a low threshold trauma informed exercise intervention on physical functioning and frailty in women experiencing homelessness and addiction. Physical function (10m Walk Test, 2Min Walk Test, Single Leg Stance, Chair Stand Test, hand grip dynamometry), frailty (Clinical Frailty Scale and the SHARE-Frailty Instrument) and nutritional status (Mini-Nutritional Status), pain (Numerical Rating Scale) and quality of life (SF 12-V2) will be evaluated. The 10-week intervention will involve a 3-times weekly exercise programme with protein supplementation. Following this, qualitative interviews, which will be thematically analysed using Braun & Clarke methodology, will be conducted. This study will be conducted in Dublin from February to July 2024. Discussion Little is known about frailty-focussed interventions in women experiencing homelessness and addiction. This proposed study will help to increase the knowledge base regarding the physical health burden and frailty experienced by this vulnerable population and will deliver a targeted intervention with a gendered dimension to mitigate its affects. The findings of this research will help narrow the research gap and will guide clinicians and policy makers to implement unique gender-based treatment strategies for this population. (300). Clinical trials.gov number NCT05700305.

Research on geographic information update index of RTK location big data

China’s cheap, open AI model DeepSeek thrills scientists

“They gave us the right to choose.” A qualitative study of preferences for differentiated service delivery location among recipients of antiretroviral therapy at Lighthouse Trust in Lilongwe Malawi

Some differentiated service delivery (DSD) models for antiretroviral therapy (ART) allow stable recipients of care (RoC) to receive multi-month ART drug refills and complete rapid reviews in community sites. As DSD options expand across sub-Saharan Africa, RoC’s preferences and perspectives on community-based DSD versus clinic-based care models warrants attention. Lighthouse Trust (LT) implements DSD services for the Ministry of Health in Lilongwe, Malawi, including a community-based ART service delivery model that complements it traditional, clinic-based care. In this qualitative study, we explore reasons why RoC enrolled in LT clinics and eligible for DSD chose clinic-based ART services or a Nurse-led Community-based ART Program (NCAP) that reaches clients in established community peer support groups. We conducted eight focus group discussions (FGDs) among LT RoC: four FGDs among NCAP groups and four clinic-based FGDs (2 per setting) to explore opinions, preferences, and perceptions about ART service delivery. FGDs were recorded in Chichewa, translated and transcribed into English for thematic analysis. Findings were discussed with LT and NCAP teams to ensure results resonated with their personal experiences. Sixty-three participants took part in FGDs. Many findings were similar across care model. Across both NCAP and clinic FGDs, RoC were pleased with the care quality and appreciated the convenience of integrating their appointment visits at their chosen care model into their daily lives. Across FGDs, RoC also appreciated the quality of care, the respectful provider-to-patient interactions, and the attention to privacy at community and clinic sites. RoC in both clinic and NCAP care models expressed satisfaction with their chosen care model and preferred that choice over alternative options and locations, some noting their willingness to travel far to access LT’s high quality of clinic-based care. Privacy protection was an important consideration for choosing care models. At LT clinics, RoC highlighted the importance of physical separation between LT’s HIV-specific service site and other care services. In NCAP, RoC expressed that their choice of care model was reinforced by the sense of mutual support they received through NCAP peer support. These findings suggest the importance of offering personal choice to RoC on care model and selection of DSD options to support their ongoing engagement in care.

Novel histone deacetylase-5 inhibitor T2943 exerts an anti-depressive effect in mice by enhancing GRID1 expression

The dependency structure of international commodity and stock markets after the Russia-Ukraine war

In recent years, the international community has witnessed many crisis events, and the Russia-Ukraine war, which broke out on 24th February 2022, has increased international policy uncertainty and impacted the current world commodity and financial markets. Thus, we try to capture how the Russia-Ukraine war has affected the correlation structure of international commodity and stock markets. We study six groups of commodity daily returns and one group of stock daily returns and select the sample from 24th February 2022 to 1st June 2022 as the sample during the Russia-Ukraine war; in addition, we select the sample from 1st December 2019 to 31st December 2020 as the sample during COVID-19 control group, and the sample from 1st January 2014 to 31st December 2017 as the non-extreme event control group, to explore the correlation structure of international commodity and stock markets before the war, and to compare and uncover the impact of the uncertain event of the Russia-Ukraine war on the commodity and stock markets. In this paper, the marginal density function of each series is constructed using the ARMA-GARCH-std method, and the R-Vine copula model is built based on the marginal density function to analyze the correlation relationship between each market. From the Tree1 of the Vine copula, it is found that crude oil becomes the core connecting each commodity market and the stock market during the Russia-Ukraine war. The price fluctuations of crude oil may be contagious to agricultural and precious metal markets in the same direction, while the stock market price fluctuations are inversely correlated with commodity markets. Comparison with the selected control group sample reveals that the Russia-Ukraine war increases the correlation between the markets and enhances the possibility of risk transmission. The core of the correlation structure shifts from agricultural commodities and precious metals to crude oil after the Russia-Ukraine war.

The differential impacts of team diversity as variability versus atypicality on team effectiveness

Early changes in microRNA expression in Arabidopsis plants infected with the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum

Plants respond to biotic stressors by modulating various processes in an attempt to limit the attack by a pathogen or herbivore. Triggering these different defense processes requires orchestration of a network of proteins and RNA molecules that includes microRNAs (miRNAs). These short RNA molecules (20–22 nucleotides) have been shown to be important players in the early responses of plants to stresses because they can rapidly regulate the expression levels of a network of downstream genes. The ascomycete Fusarium graminearum is an important fungal pathogen that causes significant losses in cereal crops worldwide. Using the well-characterized Fusarium-Arabidopsis pathosystem, we investigated how plants change expression of their miRNAs globally during the early stages of infection by F. graminearum. We have created a catalog of miRNAs that have differential expression in infected samples even before any visual symptoms of the infection are present. In addition to miRNAs that have been previously implicated in stress responses, we have also identified evolutionarily young miRNAs whose levels change significantly in response to fungal infection. Some of these young miRNAs have homologs present in cereals, which suggest that some of these miRNAs could be drivers of stress response. By examining if the miRNAs in this catalog have causal roles in plant infection response, a unique path toward development of plants with increased resistance to fungal pathogens can be developed.

Analysis of drought and extreme precipitation events in Thailand: trends, climate modeling, and implications for climate change adaptation

Microplastics block blood flow in the brain, mouse study reveals

Underwater paleontology inside cenotes reveals the Miocene-Pliocene fish diversity in the Yucatan Peninsula, southeast Mexico

The Yucatan Peninsula, southeast México, hosts a unique underwater karstic system of galleries connected by multiple sinkholes, locally called cenotes. This system is developed on a great Late Miocene to Early Pliocene carbonate platform belonging to the Carrillo Puerto Formation. The karstification process partially erodes these deposits’ surfaces and exposes the fossil assemblage. Here, we present the fossil fish diversity in underwater prospections in the Cenotes Sambulá, San Juan, and X-Nabuy. Our results indicate the presence of at least 11 different taxa, which include: 1) species that live today on Mexican coasts, such as Carcharhinus brachyurus, C. leucas, C. perezii, Carcharodon carcharias, and unidentified Rhinoptera species; 2) extinct taxa, such as †Galeocerdo mayumbensis, †Hemipristis serra, and †Otodus (Carcharocles) megalodon; 3) taxa that are not currently distributed in Mexican coasts, such as Carcharhinus macloti and representatives of the genus Aetomylaeus. Furthermore, a new Diodontidae species, †Chilomycterus dzonotensis sp. nov., is described. It represents an increment in the Neogene fish diversity in the Gulf of Mexico and supports a shallow marine environment associated with a coral reef system. The small size of some teeth indicates that the deposits of Carrillo Puerto could be a shelter for tiny marine organisms, and the presence of some taxa highlights local extinctions in the Western Atlantic during the Late Cenozoic.