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Activin B improves glucose metabolism via induction of Fgf21 and hepatic glucagon resistance
Outdoor recreation’s association with mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic
Outdoor recreation provided a crucial way to maintain physical activity, reduce stress, and preserve a sense of normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assessed the relationship between outdoor recreation and mental health in the context of COVID-19. Cross-sectional online survey data were collected in early 2021 from a sample (n = 503) representative of the U.S. adult population in age, gender, and race. We observed prevalent engagement in near-home outdoor activities, widespread reductions in outdoor engagement relative to the pre-COVID period, and significant age, financial, and racial differences in engagement patterns. Regression models suggested that reduced outdoor recreation was associated with higher levels of perceived stress and depressive symptoms, whereas more frequent outdoor activities predicted better well-being. The health implications of adaptive engagement versus cumulative exposure during times of significant disruptions are discussed, along with the need to address structural inequities in accessing outdoor recreation as a health behavior.
Estimating the quasi-Fermi level of holes at the surface of semiconductor photoanodes using outer-sphere redox couples
Quantitative risk assessment and interventional recommendations for preventing canine distemper virus infection in captive tigers at selected wildlife stations in Thailand
Canine distemper virus (CDV) can cause high morbidity and mortality in large felids and pose a significant threat to the conservation of captive and non-captive tiger (Panthera tigris). This study conducted in Thailand’s wildlife stations aimed to assess the risks of CDV introduction to captive tiger populations. A stochastic quantitative risk assessment model was employed to determine the pathways and estimate the risk probabilities through humans, animal reservoirs, and fomites. The final risk probability of entry, obtained from a combination of six entry pathways, indicated that the absence of measures resulted in a relatively high risk at 0.858. The sensitivity analysis identified CDV-contaminated human hands, followed by other CDV-infected wild animals, and CDV-contaminated equipment, as the most influential pathways of CDV spread. Risk probabilities were compared among those without intervention, with routine intervention at wildlife stations, and with full intervention implementation. Implementing all interventions at the captive wildlife stations significantly reduced the risk of CDV introduction. These interventions included control measures such as quarantining and isolating infected animals and providing treatment to reduce infectiousness. Preventive measures included screening tests for healthy individuals for early detection of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases, preventing further spread or complications, CDV vaccination campaigns, and promoting hand hygiene among staff and visitors. Environmental interventions involve restricting dogs and cats from accessing tiger enclosures, disinfecting animal transport vehicles, using separate equipment for each cage, etc. Together, these interventions lowered the median risk of CDV introduction to 0.089, representing an 89.6% risk reduction. This approach assessed CDV infection risks and adapted interventions to specific situations at wildlife stations. Consistent implementation of these measures is essential to minimize CDV spread. Wildlife stations must strictly implement these interventions as standard procedures to protect the health of captive tigers.
A neural circuit for sex-dependent conditioned pain hypersensitivity in mice
Resveratrol decreases extracellular traps (ETs) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (NB4) cells
Background Activated neutrophils can create structures known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs/ETs) consisting of nuclear components and granules. The ETOsis phenomenon leads to activating the platelets and coagulation factors. Accordingly, coagulation and fibrinolysis can be promoted. Resveratrol (RSV) is a botanical antioxidant with anti-inflammatory and anti-leukemia effects. The present study was conducted to assess the effect of RSV on the occurrence of ETOsis in the NB4 cell line. Methods Human acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line (NB4) were stimulated and treated by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and RSV, respectively. Sytox green and a fluorescent microscope were used to assess the ETOsis in NB4 cells. Furthermore, the expression level of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) gene and the occurrence of ETOsis in NB4 cells were evaluated by real-time PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit was utilized to measure tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) cytokine. Results Following treatment with RSV, a significant decrease in PAD4 gene expression and TNF-α cytokine concentration in the supernatant of NB4 cell line culture medium was observed. Besides, the amount of ETOsis in the NB4 cells treated with LPS and RSV decreased. Conclusion The findings demonstrated that RSV can inhibit the process of ETOsis in NB4 cells. By inhibiting the process of ETOsis, RSV may be able to reduce the bleeding and, consequently, the failure after treatment in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients.
Understanding ultrafast free-rising bubble capturing on nano/micro-structured super-aerophilic surfaces
Abstract Rapid bubble capture is essential for collecting targeted gaseous media and eliminating floating impurities across aquatic environments. While the role of nanostructures during the collision of free-rising bubbles with super-aerophilic surfaces is well established, the fundamental contribution of microtextures in promoting initial capture, even before contact, has yet to be fully understood. We report the rising bubble-induced large deformation of the entrapped gas layer, rapidly thinning the liquid film to its rupture threshold and thus achieving an ultrafast bubble capture down to about 1 ms with an array of microcones, decorated with nanoparticles as a convenient example to obtain super-aerophilicity. This rapid capture is also very stable due to the hysteresis movement of three-phase contact lines that inspired a critical pressure criterion for ensuring gas-layer stability and capture efficacy. The present nano/microstructured surface supports prolonged, loss-free gas transport in challenging shear flow as well, providing robust bubble control strategies for diverse systems.
Improved performance of fNIRS-BCI by stacking of deep learning-derived frequency domain features
The functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based brain-computer interface (fNIRS-BCI) systems recognize patterns in brain signals and generate control commands, thereby enabling individuals with motor disabilities to regain autonomy. In this study hand gripping data is acquired using fNIRS neuroimaging system, preprocessing is performed using nirsLAB and features extraction is performed using deep learning (DL) Algorithms. For feature extraction and classification stack and fft methods are proposed. Convolutional neural networks (CNN), long short-term memory (LSTM), and bidirectional long-short-term memory (Bi-LSTM) are employed to extract features. The stack method classifies these features using a stack model and the fft method enhances features by applying fast Fourier transformation which is followed by classification using a stack model. The proposed methods are applied to fNIRS signals from twenty participants engaged in a two-class hand-gripping motor activity. The classification performance of the proposed methods is compared with conventional CNN, LSTM, and Bi-LSTM algorithms and one another. The proposed fft and stack methods yield 90.11% and 87.00% classification accuracies respectively, which are significantly higher than those achieved by CNN (85.16%), LSTM (79.46%), and Bi-LSTM (81.88%) conventional algorithms. The results show that the proposed stack and fft methods can be effectively used for the classification of the two and three-class problems in fNIRS-BCI applications.
Aerobic oxidative bromination and iodination enabled by alloxan and ascorbic acid to mimic flavin-dependent halogenases
Enhanced DWT-OFDM communication system using wavelet domain equalizer with Co-CFO
For the design of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), the Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) offers significant benefits over the classic Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT). This article proposes a Joint Low Complexity Regularized Zero Forcing-Wavelet Domain Equalizer (JLCRLZF-WDE) as substitute to a Frequency Domain Equalizer (FDE) for improving the Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output (MIMO) DWT-OFDM. The results have been assessed using the Co-Carrier Frequency Offset (Co-CFO) Rayleigh fading channel. The proposed scheme’s relevance is demonstrated by a comparison of its Bit-Error-Rate (BER) and simulated time with those of conventional schemes. The obtained results showed that the proposed JLCRLZF-WDE outperforms conventional equalizers, requiring only 0.82 dB additional SNR to match the BER performance of Linear Minimum Mean Square Error (LMMSE)-WDE at BER = 10-3, and 0.27 dB at BER = 10-4. In comparison, other equalizers, such as Linear Zero Forcing (LZF)-FDE and LMMSE-FDE based on DWT and DFT, require significantly higher SNR values to reach the same performance benchmarks, with differences ranging from 0.31 dB to over 15.35 dB. Additionally, the proposed scheme achieves a simulated time reduction of 3.17% and 12.4% compared to LMMSE-WDE based on DWT and DFT, respectively.
Large-scale 3D printed fouling-resistant self-floating evaporator
Exploring the association between dietary indices and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Mediation analysis and evidence from NHANES
Background The association between dietary indices and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has shown inconsistent results in previous studies. Additionally, the potential mediating variables linking dietary quality to MASLD have not been adequately explored. Methods We analyzed data from 6,369 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2018. Three dietary indices—Healthy Eating Index (HEI), Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (EDII), and Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI)—were evaluated for their associations with MASLD using logistic regression models adjusted for a comprehensive range of covariates. Mediation analysis was performed to evaluate the roles of potential mediators from four domains: insulin resistance (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, HOMA-IR; metabolic score for insulin resistance, METS-IR), systemic inflammation (systemic inflammatory response index, SIRI; systemic immune-inflammation index, SII), obesity or visceral fat distribution (a body shape index, ABSI; body roundness index, BRI), and oxidative stress (Gamma-Glutamyltransferase, GGT; Bilirubin; Uric Acid). Results After adjusting for all covariates, only HEI showed a consistent inverse association with MASLD, while EDII and CDAI showed no significant associations. Mediation analysis identified METS-IR, HOMA-IR, BRI, and ABSI as significant mediators in the relationship between HEI and MASLD, with mediation proportion accounting for 47.16%, 48.84%, 52.69%, and 13.84%, respectively. Conclusion Higher HEI is associated with a reduced risk of MASLD. The findings suggest that insulin resistance and visceral fat distribution partially mediate the relationship between HEI and MASLD, providing insights into potential mechanisms linking diet and liver health.
Anti-nucleocapsid and anti-spike antibody trajectories in people with post-covid condition versus acute-only infections: a nested longitudinal case-control study within the Virus Watch prospective cohort
Abstract People with Post-Covid Condition (PCC) may demonstrate aberrant immune responses post-infection; however, serological follow-up studies are limited. We aim to compare SARS-CoV-2 serological responses to infection and vaccination in people who develop PCC versus those with an acute infection only. Participants (n = 2010) are a sub-cohort of the Virus Watch community cohort in England who provided monthly finger-prick serological samples. We compare the likelihood of post-infection seroconversion using logistic mixed models and the trajectories of anti-nucleocapsid (anti-N) and anti-spike (anti-S) antibodies using linear mixed models. Participants who developed PCC (n = 394) have 1.8x the odds of post-infection seroconversion for anti-N antibodies compared to those with an acute infection only (n = 1616) (odds ratio= 1.81 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16-2.90); however, these results are moderated by vaccination status and variant – with differences observed in pre-Omicron, unvaccinated participants. Anti-N levels, however, were elevated within 200 days post-infection in people with PCC compared to those without, after accounting for variant and vaccination status. Vaccination response (anti-S) pre- or post-infection did not systematically differ between groups. People with PCC demonstrate persistently higher anti-N antibody levels following primary infection compared to those with an acute infection only. These findings extend emerging evidence around infection-related immune activation and PCC.
Developing policy recommendations for controlling energy drink consumption in secondary school students using social marketing theory, Shiraz, Iran: A study protocol
Background Energy drink (ED) consumption has risen sharply among children and adolescents, posing health risks such as obesity and overweight, heart problems, mood disorders, and insomnia. Recognizing these concerns, international organizations have issued guidelines discouraging adolescent ED consumption, leading to policy measures in many countries. This study leverages social marketing theory to develop targeted policy recommendations for managing ED consumption in secondary school students. Methods This study utilizes a cross-sectional design with a mixed-methods approach to collect data and formulate policy recommendations. A multistage cluster sampling method was employed to randomly select students from 24 schools, serving as the primary data source. Information is gathered through a questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Additionally, a food environment analysis of the selected schools, a critical factor influencing ED consumption, is conducted using the NEMS-S INFORMAS tool. This tool assesses the availability, pricing, and marketing of EDs. The study further explores stakeholder perspectives through key informant interviews and a systematic literature review, providing valuable insights into existing policy frameworks. The study aims to develop actionable policy recommendations to effectively address ED consumption by synthesizing findings from all these phases. Discussion The social marketing model focuses on understanding the audience and evaluating outcomes to develop effective policy proposals. It is particularly useful for behavior change policies, offering evidence-based recommendations that often surpass traditional health promotion methods. This study will analyze ED consumption and its influencing factors using the model’s constructs to present informed and practical policy recommendations.
Harnessing database-supported high-throughput screening for the design of stable interlayers in halide-based all-solid-state batteries
Phenotypes of painful TMD in discordant monozygotic twins according to a cognitive-behavioral-emotional model: a case-control study
Objectives This case-control study aimed to investigate variables based on a cognitive-behavioral-emotional model related to the development of painful temporomandibular disorders (TMD) in a sample of monozygotic twins discordant for the condition. Materials and Methods This case-control study investigated 20 monozygotic twins (10 pairs discordant for painful TMD), aged between 18 and 55. Participants were recruited through a comprehensive strategy following ethical approval, with inclusion criteria disseminated via social media, websites, local radio, messaging apps, and physical posters in public and healthcare spaces in Ribeirão Preto.The diagnosis of painful TMD was determined according to the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders - Brazilian Portuguese (DC/TMD). The cognitive-behavioral-emotional variables analyzed were a sociodemographic profile, pain sensitivity (pain threshold to pressure, allodynia, and hyperalgesia), oral behaviors, pain vigilance and awareness, pain catastrophizing, central sensitization, stress, anxiety, depression, alexithymia, mindfulness facets, sleep quality, pain control, pain intensity and interference, trigeminal and extra trigeminal pain areas. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with TMD (p < 0.20), followed by multicollinearity analysis using Spearman’s correlation to exclude highly correlated variables. The final multiple logistic regression model included independent predictors to ensure robustness and accurate estimates, with statistical significance set at α = 0.05. Results While the adjusted model did not identify statistically significant associations, variables such as increased pain sensitivity in the masseter muscle (OR = 3.29, 95% CI: 0.17–62.8, p = 0.428), higher levels of pain catastrophizing (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.64–1.8, p = 0.776), difficulty in externalizing feelings (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 0.13–2.9, p = 0.539), and higher scores on the distraction facet of mindfulness (OR = 4.65, 95% CI: 0.39–55.7, p = 0.225) were included due to their clinical relevance and their significant associations in the bivariate analysis (p < 0.20). Conclusions Our study highlights the potential clinical relevance of cognitive-behavioral-emotional variables, such as increased pain sensitivity in the masseter muscle, higher levels of pain catastrophizing, difficulty in externalizing feelings, and higher scores on the distraction facet of mindfulness, in understanding painful TMD. While these variables did not show statistical significance in the adjusted model, their inclusion underscores the importance of exploring these factors in clinical practice. Further research is needed to validate these findings and clarify their role in the development and management of painful TMD. Clinical Relevance This study underscores the importance of cognitive-behavioral-emotional factors in the context of painful TMD, suggesting that variables like pain sensitivity and emotional regulation may be valuable for clinical assessment and management strategies. Despite the lack of statistically significant associations, these findings provide a foundation for future research to better understand and address the multidimensional nature of TMD in clinical practice.
Individual variation in the chimpanzee arcuate fasciculus predicts vocal and gestural communication
Risk prediction models for non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in patient with depressive disorder: a protocol for systematic review and mata-analyisis
Introduction Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequently occurs in patients with depressive disorder and often presents as burning or severe scratching. NSSI plays a crucial role in increasing the risk of self-injury in individuals with depressive disorder. Despite the progressive development of various risk prediction models to identify NSSI, there are significant differences in their overall predictive performance. This systematic review aims to evaluate the quality and applicability of these models in predicting NSSI among patients with depressive disorders. Methods and analysis A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted targeting patients with depressive disorder. We included studies on risk prediction models for NSSI behavior in this population that were developed and published. The primary outcome was NSSI behavior as reported by the prediction models. Predictive variables were measured at different disease stages in patients with depressive disorder, with no specific limitations on the prediction horizon. The intended use of the risk prediction model is to individualize the prediction of NSSI behavior of in patients with depressive disorder, thus facilitating the implementation of preventive measures to avoid adverse events. Databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, VIP Database, PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, and Embase, were searched from inception to March 2024 by two independently reviewers. Data extraction followed the guidelines outlined in the Checklist for Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies (CHARMS). The risk of bias and applicability of the included studies were assessed using PROBAST. Descriptive statistical methods were employed to summarize the characteristics of the NSSI models and meta-analysis for model validation was conducted using Stata software. Conclusion The study will systematically review the prediction models for NSSI in patients with depressive disorders to enhance clinical practice. This research will also assist clinicians in selecting effective prediction models for NSSI in this patient population.