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Intervention effectiveness in reducing the clustering of non-communicable disease risk factors in the workplace: A quasi-experimental study

Understanding the clustering patterns of non-communicable disease risk factors is important to address chronic diseases effectively, thus minimizing their onset and enhancing overall health. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a three-year workplace intervention in decreasing clustering of non-communicable disease risk factors in employees. A quasi-experimental study, including six companies, was conducted in the governorate of Sousse between 2010 and 2014. It involved an intervention group (Sousse-Jawhara and Sousse-Erriadh) and a control group (M’saken). The sample of participants in both groups was representative. Actions promoting physical activity, healthy diet, and smoking cessation in the workplace were included in this intervention. The participants’ socio-demographic characteristics and data concerning the risk factors were collected through interviews using a pretested questionnaire. The clustering of tobacco use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, obesity, and high blood pressure were examined pre- and post-intervention. In the intervention group, the mean risk factors per employee decreased significantly from 1.99 ± 1.00 to 1.81 ± 1.05 (p < 10−3). A minor non-significant increase, from 1.72 ± 0.97 to 1.78 ± 1.11, was noted in the control group. In the intervention group, the prevalence of two risk factor clusters dropped significantly from 40% to 34.4% pre- and post-intervention (p = 0.014). However, a non-significant decline was noted in the control group. Combinations such as obesity/hypertension and unhealthy diet/physical inactivity tended to aggregate in both groups. Overall, the intervention program showed significant protective effects in reducing the co-occurrence of multiple risk factors in the intervention group, with an adjusted OR of 0.81; CI95% [0.68–0.97]. Along with the existing literature, the present study confirmed the feasibility and effectiveness of health promotion programs in reducing non-communicable disease risk factors and their clustering. Integrating this intervention program into a national health policy could potentially generalize its positive impact.

Author Correction: Antimicrobial and antioxidant study of combined essential oils of Anethum Sowa Kurz. and Trachyspermum ammi (L.) along with quality determination, comparative histo-anatomical features, GC‒MS and HPTLC chemometrics

‘Breakthrough’ stem-cell patches strengthened a woman’s failing heart

Solvothermal synthesis of polyvinyl pyrrolidone encapsulated, amine-functionalized copper ferrite and its use as a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent

Copper ferrite nanoparticles for use as MRI contrast agents were synthesized using two different methods. A novel microwave-assisted (MW) solvothermal method was developed and compared to a conventional 12-hour synthesis (Reflux) as an eco-friendlier approach. This innovative synthesis method successfully produced nanoparticles with enhanced properties compared to traditional ferrite materials. The nanoparticles’ morphological and magnetic properties were evaluated and tested in in-vivo MRI studies. The results revealed both similarities and differences between the amine-functionalized copper ferrite nanoparticles. FTIR, XRD, HRTEM, and VSM analyses indicated improved properties in the CuFe2O4-NH2 MW particles, while AFM confirmed successful polymer encapsulation of the nanoparticles. For the CuFe2O4-NH2 MW sample, 76.8 wt% copper ferrite and 23.2 wt% magnetite were detected, with crystallite sizes of 8 ± 2 nm and 13 ± 2 nm, respectively. In the CuFe2O4-NH2 Refl. sample, in addition to these two magnetic phases, larger copper particles (31.6 wt%) were also formed. DLS analysis demonstrated that the CuFe2O4-NH2 MW sample exhibited excellent colloidal stability, maintaining its size distribution in aqueous media for 3 hours without aggregation, unlike the CuFe2O4-NH2 Refl. sample, which showed slight aggregation. The CuFe2O4-NH2 MW sample displayed superparamagnetic behavior (Ms: 15 emu/g, Mr: 0 emu/g, Hc: 0 Oe), while the CuFe2O4-NH2 Refl. sample exhibited ferromagnetic characteristics (Ms: 40 emu/g, Mr: 1.35 emu/g, Hc: 30 Oe). Both samples produced comparable results during in vitro MRI measurements, showing similar T2* relaxation and signal characteristics. Further in vivo studies demonstrated that both samples induced significant hypointense changes. The study provides valuable insights into the synthesis, properties, and potential applications of these materials, emphasizing the importance of eco-friendly methods and the optimization of ferrite-based MRI contrast agents.

Performance evaluation and application of second-generation environmentally-friendly composite dust suppressant in dust control

Bioinspired activation strategies for Peano-HASEL artificial muscle

Background Human muscles perform many functions during activities of daily living producing a wide range of force outputs, displacements, and velocities. This versatile ability is believed to be associated with muscle activation strategies, such as the number and position of activated motor units within the muscle, as well as the frequency, magnitude and shape of the activation signal. Activation strategies similar to those in the human neuromuscular system could increase the functionality of artificial muscles. Activation in an artificial muscle is the contraction of a single actuator or multiple actuators within the muscle. The number of activated actuators, timing and magnitude of activation (the activation strategy) will enable modulation of the artificial muscles force, displacement and contraction velocity. These activation strategies will mean that an artificial muscle will be able to change its performance to modulate its displacement, length (maximal contractile strain) and velocity for various loading conditions without altering its hardware–making it more versatile in a range of applications or tasks. This study aims to investigate the effect of activation strategies on the displacement-time response, force-length relationship, and force-velocity relationship of a Peano-hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic (HASEL) artificial muscle. Method This study developed a finite element model of an artificial muscle consisting of four Peano-HASEL actuators arranged in three parallel groups in a diamond pattern (two actuators in series in the middle–middle actuators, with one actuator in parallel either side–side actuators). Bioinspired activation strategies were applied to the artificial muscle. Specifically, the number of activated actuators (i.e., activation level), the position of activated actuators, the profile, frequency, and phase of the activation signal were investigated. Results Activating more actuators resulted in increased displacement (106%) and increased average contraction velocity (128%), but overall energy efficiency was sacrificed by 47%. The distortion of inactivated actuators was mitigated by symmetric and phased activation. Phased activation refers to activating middle actuators before side actuators. In addition, displacement patterns of the Peano-HASEL artificial muscle changed with activation signal frequency. The ramp activation signal with low frequencies (less than 5 Hz) is suitable for applications favouring controllable displacement, while the step activation signal produces greater average contraction velocity (325%) which would be advantageous for applications requiring a fast response. Conclusion This paper demonstrates that activation strategies can enhance multi-actuator artificial muscle function without changing the physical hardware configuration. Specifically, activation strategy can, improve displacement control, contraction velocity and output force. Future work should focus on more complex artificial muscle arrangements and test activation strategies in practical experiments.

Exploring the influence of pre-analytical variables on gene expression measurements and relative expression orderings in cancer research

The impact of apolipoprotein E, type ∊4 allele on Alzheimer’s disease pathological biomarkers: a comprehensive post-mortem pilot-analysis

The apolipoprotein E type ∊4 allele (ApoE4) is known as the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Meanwhile, many aspects of its impact on AD pathology remain underexplored. This study conducts a systematic data analysisof donor data from the Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas. Our investigation delves into the intricate interplay between identified biomarkers and their correlation with ApoE4 across all severities of AD. Employing Pearson R correlation, and one-way and two-way ANOVA tests, we elucidate the pathological changes in biomarkers and the altering effects of ApoE4. Remarkably, the phosphorylation of tau observed in neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) marked by the AT8 antibody, emerges as the most correlated factor with other pathological biomarkers. This correlation is mediated by both tau and amyloid pathology, suggesting a higher hierarchical role in determining AD pathological effects than other biomarkers. However, non-ApoE4 carriers exhibit a more significant correlation with disease progression severity compared to ApoE4 carriers, though ApoE4 carriers demonstrate significance in exacerbating the effect of accumulating phosphorylated tau and amyloid plaques assessed by AT8 and 6E10 antibodies. Furthermore, our analysis does not observe dramatic neuronal changes in grey matter across the span of AD pathology. Glia activation, measured by Iba1 and GFAP, demonstrates an amyloid-specific correlation. This research marks the first human post-mortem analysis providing a comprehensive examination of prevailing AD biomarkers and their interconnectedness with pathology and ApoE4 genetic factor. Limitations in the study are acknowledged, underscoring the need for further exploration and refinement in future research endeavors.

Phytochemicals of Vitis vinifera L. var. King Ruby protect mice from benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung injury

Abstract The world’s concern about smoking hazards, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer was the motivation to investigate plants as a source of new drugs with lung protective effect. The phytochemical profile of Vitis vinifera L. var. King Ruby leaves methanol extract (VLME) was tentatively recognized by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS/MS). Fifty-two and forty-seven compounds were identified by negative and positive ESI modes, respectively. Taraxerol (1), β-sitosterol (2), daucosterol (3), quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucuronoide-6″-methyl ester (4) and isoquercetin (5) were isolated from VLME. The sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay of the different fractions against A-549 cell line revealed that the methylene chloride fraction (MCF) had the lowest cell viability at 300 µg/mL (4.54 ± 0.19%). Mice of 10 groups (n = 6) was treated as follows: Group I (negative control group), group II (disease control, mice received B(a)P 125 mg/kg, orally), groups III-V (mice received 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg of VLME, followed by B(a)P), group VI (mice received only 300 mg/kg of VLME), groups VII-XI (mice received 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg of MCF, followed by B(a)P), group X (mice received only 300 mg/kg of MCF). On the seventh day, all groups received a single oral dose of B(a)P 125 mg/kg body, except group I, VI and X. In vivo studies showed VLME and MCF (300 mg/kg body weight) effectively mitigated benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung injuries in mice. The anti-inflammatory effects were confirmed by the downregulation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and CD34, alongside reduced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) expression. Antioxidant activity was indicated by decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression with the remarkable increase in glutathione (GSH). Histological improvements further support the potential of Vitis vinifera L. leaves as a natural lung protectant. Further pre-clinical and clinical investigations will be required to deliver a new drug with promising protection effect.

Molecular identification and genetic diversity analysis of Cryptosporidium spp. infecting dogs from central and northern Jordan: Detection of zoonotic genotype IId

Cryptosporidium spp. are common causes of gastrointestinal disease in both humans and animals. This was a cross-sectional study conducted to determine the infection rate and genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium infecting dogs in Jordan. A total of 249 faecal samples were collected from stray, pet, and breeding dogs from kennels (independent of their clinical condition) across three governorates in Jordan (Amman and Zarqa in Central Jordan and Irbid in Northern Jordan). Faecal samples were screened for Cryptosporidium using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 18S rRNA gene, revealing an overall infection rate of 18.9% (47 out of 249). Cryptosporidiosis was significantly associated with indoor dogs, dogs cohabiting with other animals, and consuming raw food. Among the successfully sequenced samples, 25 (58.1%) were Cryptosporidium canis, 15 (34.9%) were Cryptosporidium parvum, and three (7.0%) were Cryptosporidium baileyi. Multiple diversity tests were employed, indicating low genetic differentiation between the studied populations of C. parvum and C. canis. Stability was observed for C. parvum, with minimal expansion observed for C. canis. Notably, each species exhibited a single dominant haplotype, consistent with the AMOVA results, where most of the variability occurred within populations. Further genotyping of C. parvum and C. canis was conducted by sequencing the gp60 gene. C. parvum isolates worldwide displayed solely the zoonotic IId genotypes, namely, IIdA20G1, IIdA22G1, IIdA18G1, and IIdA19G1. In contrast, the C. canis isolates exhibited the animal subtypes XXe and XXd. Consequently, dogs may serve as a source of infection with C. parvum and pose a public health risk in Jordan.

Increasing the concentration of plasma molecules improves the biological activity of platelet-rich plasma for tissue regeneration

A potential photo-protective, antioxidant function for DMSO in marine phytoplankton

The marine compound dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is ubiquitous in the world’s surface ocean, constituting one of the largest sources of reduced organic sulfur in seawater. DMSO cycling has been linked to the formation of the climate-active gas dimethyl sulfide (DMS) through a reductive pathway, but the underlying physiological role of DMSO reduction, and the environmental controls on this pathway, remain unresolved. Here we present evidence that DMSO reduction to DMS serves an antioxidant role in phytoplankton through a secondary electron-scavenging pathway that can dissipate excess light-harvested energy, and potentially mitigate the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Results from isotopic tracer experiments demonstrate significant increases in DMSO reduction rates in low-light acclimated natural phytoplankton assemblages exposed to high irradiance. Increased DMSO reduction rates were negatively correlated with non-photochemical quenching, while treatment with the photosynthetic electron transport inhibitor DCMU significantly decreased DMSO reduction, indicating a link to photosynthetically-derived electrons. Our results show that photic stress drives enhanced DMSO reduction in marine phytoplankton, linking DMS production to irradiance and vertical mixing through an electron scavenging mechanism that could serve an antioxidant role.

Power and data simultaneous transmission using double-clad fibers towards 6G

Diet quality of Chilean schoolchildren: How is it linked to adherence to dietary guidelines?

Introduction In Chile, the prevalence of overweight among schoolchildren over the age of 5 is approximately 50%, one of the highest in the Americas region. This is largely influenced by the presence of inadequate food environments, characterized by limited access to healthy foods and a high availability of highly processed foods (HPF). This study analyzes food consumption in Chilean schoolchildren and the association of this with the Chilean Dietary Guidelines Based on Foods (DGBF) and the HPF consumption. Material and methods The sample (1,094 schoolchildren) was obtained from the baseline of the FONDEF IT18I0016 project, in Santiago-Chile. Anthropometry and socioeconomic data were measured. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative frequency survey featuring images of food groups aligned with DGBF, as well as HPF. All data were collected by trained professional nutritionists. Associations between dependent and independent variables, and potential confounding factors were calculated using logistic regression models with stepwise backward/forward. A p < 0.05 was accepted as significant, using Stata 16.0. Results Most of the students (54.1%) were with malnutrition by excess and 20.0% exhibited abdominal obesity. Twenty percent of the students met the recommended intake for DGBF (fruits, vegetables, fish, milk and dairy products, legumes, water) and less than 5% did not consume any HPF. Consuming some sub-groups of HPF in moderate quantities (either no consumption or occasional consumption) increases the likelihood of meeting DGBF: candies and sweets (OR: 0.72; p = 0.04), pies with or without filling (OR: 0.63; p = 0.01), and salted snacks (OR: 0.67; p = 0.02). Conclusion Our results contribute to reaffirm the need to enhance healthy food consumption among schoolchildren and to discourage the intake of HPF, particularly focusing on specific sub-groups of HPF that may increase the risk of displacing the consumption of food groups recommended by the DGBF.

Double Stokes polarimetric microscopy for chiral fibrillar aggregates

Abstract Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is a powerful tool for imaging collagen and other noncentrosymmetric fibrillar structures in biological tissue. Polarimetric SHG measurements provide ultrastructural information about the fibrillar organization in a focal volume (voxel). We present a reduced nonlinear polarimetry method named double Stokes polarimetry (DSP) for quick characterization of chiral $$C_6$$ C 6 symmetry fibers without data fitting that simplifies and speeds up the polarimetric analysis. The method is based on double Stokes-Mueller polarimetry and uses linear and circular incident and outgoing polarization states. The analytical expressions of DSP polarimetric parameters are defined in terms of conventional SHG Stokes vector components. A complex chiral susceptibility (CCS) model is assumed to derive expressions of ultrastructural parameters consisting of the magnitude and phase of molecular complex-valued chiral susceptibility ratio, real-valued achiral ratio, and fiber orientation in a voxel. The ultrastructural parameters are expressed in terms of directly measurable DSP polarimetric parameters. DSP is validated with rat tail tendons sectioned at different orientations. DSP can be applied to investigate the origin of chiral complex-valued susceptibility of collagen, to study modifications of collagen in cancerous tissue, and to map ultrastructural parameters of large areas for whole-slide histopathology.

Host metabolism balances microbial regulation of bile acid signalling

Synthetic wheat as a new source of flour quality under drought conditions: Associations with solvent retention capacity

Synthetic hexaploid lines are proposed as high-potential germplasm for improving bread wheat by introducing new genes (biotic and abiotic stresses) lost during common wheat evolution. A panel of 99 synthetic and common wheat was studied for quality and grain-related traits and drought tolerance under two different moisture conditions (water stress and normal) during two growing seasons. Results indicated different variations for most traits suggesting that the synthetic hexaploid wheat-derived lines (SHW-DL) panel contains valuable genes for drought tolerance improvement of wheat. Drought stress reduced morphological traits and production but increased protein (Pro), rapid mix test (RMT), and solvent retention capacity (SRC) traits. Synthetic wheat lines were superior with higher grain yield, glutenin, damaged starch, available pentosane, overall water holding capacity, and gluten strength (glutenin and gliadin strength) compared to common wheat making them more suitable for bread-baking. The results showed that solvent retention capacity had a strong capacity to differentiate the quality of wheat genotypes. Correlation analysis indicated that genetic improvement for high-yielding varieties can be achieved by producing more damaged starch, higher water absorption, hardness, and lower gluten strength, and zeleny (ZEL). Selection of superior genotypes using univariate and multivariate methods will be discussed.

Investigating knowledge and attitudes toward genetic testing and counseling among palestinians

One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse1 and important for livelihoods and economic development2, but are under substantial stress3. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods4,5 are used to guide environmental policy6 and conservation prioritization7, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors8–13. However, there is evidence14–17 that such data are insufficient to represent the needs of freshwater species and achieve biodiversity goals18,19. Here we present the results of a multi-taxon global freshwater fauna assessment for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans, fishes and odonates, finding that one-quarter are threatened with extinction. Prevalent threats include pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture and invasive species, with overharvesting also driving extinctions. We also examined the degree of surrogacy of both threatened tetrapods and freshwater abiotic factors (water stress and nitrogen) for threatened freshwater species. Threatened tetrapods are good surrogates when prioritizing sites to maximize rarity-weighted richness, but poorer when prioritizing based on the most range-restricted species. However, they are much better surrogates than abiotic factors, which perform worse than random. Thus, although global priority regions identified for tetrapod conservation are broadly reflective of those for freshwater faunas, given differences in key threats and habitats, meeting the needs of tetrapods cannot be assumed sufficient to conserve freshwater species at local scales.

Design and analysis of lightweight and robust authentication protocol for securing the resource constrained IIoT environment

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a vast network of devices, sensors, wearables, or any other object capable of processing, storing, sending, and receiving data over an open network channel. This versatility gives IoT numerous applications, one of them being in the industry, also known as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). As IIoT relies on an open network channel for data sharing, it is vulnerable to numerous threats, including side channels, impersonation attacks, and clock synchronization issues for which device authentication becomes crucial. Researchers occasionally proposed numerous authentication protocols using conventional cryptographic methods, identity-based cryptographic techniques, or certificateless methods; however, these protocols either suffer from modular exponentiation partial private key distribution problems or are completed in four to five round-trips during authentication. Therefore, this article presents an Elliptic Curve Cryptographic (ECC)-based efficient technique that emerges as a significant solution, addressing the certificate revocations, overheads problem, and the partial private key distribution problem of identity-based cryptography, respectively. The security of the proposed ECC-based protocol is of utmost importance in addressing all the known vulnerabilities in IIoT, freeing the industrial system from the urgency and the issue of data breaches. Its potential to instil a sense of security and confidence in IIoT deployment is crucial in improving user trust. Upon comparing the proposed protocol with state-of-the-art schemes, the result demonstrated that the proposed protocol enhanced 51.44% in terms of communication costs and 91.88% in terms of computation costs. So, it is recommended for practical implementation due to its fast and provable secure nature, making the industry feel confident and safe about its implementation.