Browse Articles

Multiomic analysis identifies glutaminolysis-dependent metabolic enhancement of immune memory utilised for vaccine development

Abstract Vaccines work by inducing an immunological memory response to protect against infection or disease. More effective vaccines are required to improve protection of high-risk groups such as the elderly. Here we screen transcriptional signatures of T cell memory against repurposable drug signatures, identifying a subclass of lysine deacetylase inhibitors (KDACi) capable of promoting a memory precursor phenotype in primary T cells. Leveraging combined acetylomic, metabolomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses, we identify enhanced glutaminolysis as the mechanism responsible for the KDACi effect, with selective inhibition reversing the changes induced by KDACi treatment. We validate the ability of a repurposable KDACi (sodium valproate) to promote immune memory in four murine models of infection and immunisation, with the effect reversed by concurrently inhibiting glutaminolysis. Finally, we undertake a human challenge study, which demonstrates a 10-fold increase in correlates of protection following seasonal influenza vaccination. These results reveal immune-metabolic adjuvant properties of repurposable lysine deacetylase inhibitors and demonstrate that systematic screening can identify both efficacy and mechanism of repurposable drugs.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward artificial intelligence among health sciences students: A cross-sectional study in Palestine

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into healthcare education and clinical practice. Understanding health sciences students’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward AI is important for informing curriculum development, particularly in resource-limited educational settings. Objective To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward artificial intelligence among health sciences students at a Palestinian university. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2024–2025 academic year among 666 undergraduate students from nursing, medicine and health sciences, and dentistry programs. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire assessing AI knowledge (7 items), attitudes (10 items), and practices (7 items). Descriptive statistics were calculated. Independent-samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to examine group differences. Effect sizes were reported using Cohen’s d and eta squared (η²). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results The overall AI knowledge accuracy rate was 42.9% (mean 3.00 ± 1.61), indicating limited foundational understanding, particularly regarding machine learning and deep learning concepts. Attitudes toward AI were generally positive (mean 3.60 ± 0.44), with high endorsement of ethical awareness. AI practice levels were moderate (mean 3.32 ± 0.70), with frequent use for assignments and research activities. Formal AI training was associated with higher knowledge scores (t(664)=7.45, p < 0.001, d = 0.69) and slightly more positive attitudes (t(664)=2.59, p = 0.010, d = 0.23), but not with practice frequency (p = 0.807). Differences across colleges and academic years demonstrated small effect sizes (η² ≤ 0.03). Conclusion Health sciences students demonstrated positive attitudes and regular academic use of AI tools despite limited foundational knowledge. These findings suggest the potential benefit of structured AI literacy integration within health sciences curricula.

A Kalman filtering framework for virtual sensor–enhanced photoacoustic imaging

Diverse radical transformations of allenic C(sp)–C(sp2) and C(sp3)–C(sp2) bonds enabled by silyl substitution

Association of SARS-CoV-2 infection with incident diabetes among U.S. Veterans in a prospective longitudinal cohort

Objective To assess care-seeking patterns and incident diabetes risk following SARS-CoV-2 infection in a prospective longitudinal cohort. Research design and methods We used data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-based, prospective longitudinal study Epidemiology, Immunology, and Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 (EPIC 3 ) and electronic health records from participants with and without a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection who were free from diabetes at baseline and enrolled between June 2020 and September 2022 (n = 1,212); participants were followed prospectively for a median of approximately 4 years. We fit Cox proportional hazard models to examine associations of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection with incident diabetes. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, smoking status, BMI, education, and comorbidities, as well as number of laboratory test days in the year prior. Results Men comprised 79.4% of the cohort. Median age was 50.1 (SARS-CoV-2–positive) and 57.2 (SARS-CoV-2–negative) years. After accounting for time-varying SARS-CoV-2 infection status, compared to participants with a negative test, participants with a positive test had fewer days/year with clinic visits (18.2 vs. 25.4, p < 0.001), laboratory tests of any kind (3.1 vs. 4.3, p < 0.001), and glucose tests (1.8 vs. 2.8, p < 0.001) post-enrollment; however, the number of days/year on which they had HbA1c tests was not significantly different (0.7 vs. 0.7, p = 0.094); diabetes incidence was 16.1 and 21.2 per 1,000 person-years in SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative groups, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 was not associated with adjusted diabetes-free survival overall, in inpatients or in outpatients (adjusted HRs: 0.82 [95% CI, 0.51–1.35], 1.03 [0.27–3.96], and 0.79 [0.44–1.39], respectively). Conclusion Although SARS-CoV-2–positive participants used healthcare less often than those without, HbA1c testing rates were similar. We did not replicate prior reports of higher diabetes risk after SARS-CoV-2, although small sample size may have reduced power to detect modest associations. NCT: NCT05764083.

TriAttnNet based deep learning model for automated cotton pest detection and disease classification

Single-cell analyses identify the ginseng embryonic protoderm as a native compartment for high-efficiency ginsenoside production

Understanding the drivers of modern contraceptive use trend change and inequalities among sexually active women in Lesotho: A decomposition analysis (2004–2023)

Background Improving utilization of contraceptive methods serves as a powerful catalyst for advancing women’s education, health, and personal autonomy. Many countries have pledged to enhance contraceptive availability as part of their commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically under indicator 3.7.1. This study sought to understand the drivers of modern contraceptive use trend and inequalities among sexually active women of reproductive ages in Lesotho during the period 2004–2023. Methods The study used four rounds of Lesotho demographic and health survey datasets for the years 2004, 2009, 2014 and 2023. A total sample of 22,325 sexually active women of reproductive ages 15–49 years was used in the analysis. Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique was used to analyse drivers of trend change in modern contraceptive while the concentration curves and indices were used to assess the levels of inequality. All analyses were conducted in Stata software version 17 and weighted to account for complex sampling techniques in demographic and health surveys. Results The prevalence of modern contraceptive use among sexually active women increased significantly from 36.1% (95% CI: 34.2, 37.9) to 62.7% (95% CI: 61.1, 64.2) during the period 2004–2023. Overall, about 10% of the trend increase in modern contraceptive use was attributable to changes in the compositional characteristics of women. On the other hand, 90% of the trend increase was due to contraceptive behaviour change among sexually active women. Changes in the proportion of women with tertiary education (22.41%) emerged as the major contributor to trend increase in modern contraceptive use. The concentration curves showed that utilization of modern contraceptive methods was profoundly higher among the wealthy than the poor in the first three rounds of the surveys and disappeared in the last round (2023). This pro-rich inequality was persisted throughout the study period except for 2023 where it disappeared. Erreygers concentration Index (EI) values were 0.2360 in 2004, 0.1606 in 2009, 0.0473 in 2014 and −0.0164 in 2023. Conclusion The observed reduction in inequality in modern contraceptive use in Lesotho from 2004 to 2023 reflects meaningful progress in women’s reproductive autonomy. This could be explained by improvements in education, health service access, empowerment, and social change. Sustaining these gains will depend on continued investments in the health system, educational opportunities, and community-engaged approaches that are culturally sensitive to respond to the contraceptive barriers and shifting demographic realities.

Network pharmacology, molecular docking, molecular dynamics and animal experimental validation to investigate the mechanism of hydrocortisone in treating sepsis-induced acute lung injury

Electrochemical direct air capture by local alkalinity generation at three-dimensional interfaces

Correction: Comparative metabolic profiling, enzyme inhibitory activities, and in-silico analysis of the hexane extract and the hydrodistilled oil of Boswellia serrata

Predicting token prices in the blockchain market using neural networks

A dual-pathway dysregulation in prefrontal-habenular circuits mediates stress susceptibility

Tracking rehabilitated sea turtles in the Indian Ocean using satellite telemetry: Insights into behaviour, ecology, and conservation implications

Understanding the movements and behaviour of threatened marine turtles is essential for effective conservation management. Satellite telemetry is a valuable tool which has previously provided valuable insights sea turtle behaviour, particularly mating and post-nesting movements; however, certain life stages and species remain under-represented. Here, we use satellite tracking to investigate the post-rehabilitation behaviour of olive ridley, green, and hawksbill turtles in the Indian Ocean. We find that rehabilitated turtles survive for extended periods following release and display species and life-stage specific behaviour comparable to wild individuals. Monsoon-driven ocean currents strongly influence movements in open ocean with turtles actively swimming to maintain position or navigate along continental shelves and ridges. These findings provide valuable insights into the behaviour of groups under-represented in current literature, namely olive ridley and juvenile turtles, demonstrates the value of rehabilitation for both facilitating research and supporting animal welfare, and underscores the importance of regional cooperation for the conservation of these wide-ranging species.

Novel Alzheimer’s disease-associated variants and genetic interactions identified from UK biobank whole-exome sequencing data using IBI-DT

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a highly heritable neurodegenerative disorder whose genetic architecture remains incompletely understood, particularly with respect to rare variants and higher-order interactions. We applied Individualized Bayesian Inference-Decision Tree (IBI-DT) to 790,000 whole-exome sequencing variants from 8,292 unrelated White British individuals in the UK Biobank, using genome-wide association analysis (GWAS) based on Fisher’s exact test as a marginal association comparator and evaluated the findings in an independent ADSP-Discovery ICE cohort of 1,560 unrelated individuals with 852,997 variants. In the discovery cohort, IBI-DT identified 178 significant variants using empirical null calibration, which mapped to 173 genes, whereas GWAS identified 16 significant variants that mapped to four genes. Compared with GWAS, IBI-DT prioritized more rare variants among the top 178 signals (147 vs. 66 with minor allele frequency ≤ 0.01) and identified variants with less correlated, less redundant linkage patterns. The IBI-DT-prioritized variants included established AD genes as well as additional biologically supported genes not prioritized by GWAS. Replication supported three variants and four genes across cohorts, including gene-level replication of KIF14 and ZNF90 , which were replicated only by IBI-DT. IBI-DT also identified significant gene-gene and gene-environment interactions and biologically plausible enriched pathways. Neural networks trained on IBI-DT-prioritized variants outperformed GWAS-based models (AUC 0.67 vs. 0.63). Overall, these findings indicate that IBI-DT complements GWAS by recovering established AD signals while prioritizing rare, less redundant, and interaction-related AD-associated signals.

Retraction Note: A biomimetic hybrid nanoplatform for encapsulation and precisely controlled delivery of theranostic agents

Effects of 12-weeks of Brisk Walking on Health-related Physical Fitness, Balance, and Life Satisfaction in Overweight Older Chinese Women: A Cluster Randomized Control Trial

Obesity among the elderly is primarily the result of a lack of exercise. Many people around the world are concerned about how physical activity can improve the life satisfaction and physical health of overweight seniors. As a result, this study aims to investigate how brisk walking impacts the physical fitness, balance, and overall quality of life of overweight senior women in China. This study design based on cluster randomized control trial. 54 older women between the ages of 60 and 69 were randomly assigned to the brisk walking group (n = 27) or the control group (n = 27). The brisk walking group received three times, (35-60) minutes sessions per week for 12 weeks, while the control group kept their daily routine. Data collection at zero week and twelfth week. Results have presented that brisk walking improved (p < 0.05) cardiorespiratory fitness, flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, balance, and life satisfaction after 12-weeks intervention, except for body composition. Only the chair stand test of muscular endurance showed a significant difference between the brisk walking group and the control group after 12 weeks of training. Nevertheless, the effect size between the groups was increased after 12 weeks of training. In conclusion, brisk walking promotes health-related physical fitness, balance, and life satisfaction among overweight older women after 12 weeks intervention, except body composition.

Impact of knife size and saline-optimized electrosurgical modes on tissue effects in saline-immersion third-space endoscopy

PlanarFold: a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model of RNA in two-dimensional space

Abstract RNAs serve versatile functional roles by virtue of their structures and dynamics. RNA computational models are typically tailored to either perform structural modeling or solve a specific class of folding problems. Here, we present PlanarFold, a coarse-grained RNA model that integrates molecular dynamics simulation in two-dimensional space with dynamic programming to explore the diverse dynamic behaviours of RNAs, achieving a speedup of more than four orders of magnitude compared with all-atom molecular dynamics models. We demonstrate that, at the secondary structure level, PlanarFold quantitatively reproduces experimental results across diverse scenarios, including the native secondary structures, thermodynamics and kinetics, mechanical properties, and co-transcriptional and de novo folding pathways. The conformational dynamics revealed by PlanarFold can provide mechanistic insight into how RNAs perform or lose functions, and offer potential targets for mutagenesis and therapeutics design, as well as guide the development of RNA-based devices.

Plasma C5a and serum C5aR levels in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria: A single-center case-control study

Background C5a and its receptor, C5aR, are involved in the degranulation of mast cells and basophils, leading to the release of proinflammatory cytokines. However, to date, their roles in the pathogenesis of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) remain incompletely understood. Objective To investigate the association of plasma C5a and serum C5aR with disease severity in Vietnamese patients with CSU. Methods A case-control study was conducted involving 146 patients with CSU and 30 healthy adults matched by age and sex (the matching ratio ~ 5:1), at the Urticaria clinic, National Hospital of Dermatology and Venereology, Vietnam. Plasma C5a and serum C5aR levels were measured using the ELISA technique, and disease severity was assessed using the Urticaria Activity Score over 7 days (UAS7). The associations between C5a/C5aR with disease severity and several patient’s characteristics were evaluated using Spearman’s correlation and logistic regression. Results Plasma C5a levels were significantly increased in CSU patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001), whereas serum C5aR levels in CSU patients were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between disease severity based on UAS7 scores and plasma C5a levels (Spearman’s rho = 0.63, p < 0.001), but not for serum C5aR levels (Spearman’s rho = 0.05, p = 0.527). A C5a level of 4335 pg/mL was defined as the optimal cutoff points for identifying severe CSU with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.80–0.92, p < 0.001), sensitivity of 64%, and specificity of 100%. Several factors were found to be associated with C5a and C5aR levels, such as prothrombin time and anti-TPO antibodies. Conclusions CSU patients demonstrate elevated plasma C5a and reduced serum C5aR levels compared to healthy controls. While plasma C5a may serve as a potential biomarker for indicating CSU severity, C5aR levels show no significant association with the disease severity.