Browse Articles

Associations of subjective age trajectories with loneliness and stress across adulthood

Subjective age, that is the age a person feels like in relation to their chronological age, is indicative of a variety of biological, psychological, and social aging processes. Despite its importance, studies that investigate multi-variate, dynamic, longitudinal relations of subjective age with its potential determinants and potential mechanisms of these relations have so far rarely been employed. In the current study, we focus on loneliness as a potential subjective age determinant. As loneliness affects a variety of psychosocial and health outcomes across life and is stereotypically perceived as a feature of old age, we investigate whether loneliness is related with levels and changes in subjective age. We furthermore test whether this association is mediated via self-reported stress. N =  5,594 participants aged 18 – 93 years (Mage =  50.41, SD =  15.99) who participated in a longitudinal survey comprising up to three measurement occasions over a time span of 2.5 years reported their loneliness, subjective age, and stress as well as sociodemographic and health-related covariates. We employed latent growth modeling and found that, when controlling for sociodemographic and health-related covariates, higher loneliness was related to an older subjective age cross-sectionally and to a steeper increase in subjective age over time. These relations were mediated via stress; however, the relation between stress and subjective age was no longer statistically significant when including the covariates. All associations were qualified by significant interactions with chronological age, albeit in different directions. Our findings attest to associations between loneliness, stress and subjective aging experiences and highlight the need for an age-informed approach when planning further studies and interventions.

Insecticidal effects of nano-encapsulated lemongrass essential oil on the population parameters of Spodoptera frugiperda using two-sex life table

Abstract Essential oils derived from plants have demonstrated their efficacy in controlling insects; however, their poor physical characteristics restrict their widespread application. In this study, nano-encapsulation employing emulsification followed by ultrasonication technique has improved the insecticidal efficacy of lemongrass oil (LGO) against Spodoptera frugiperda. Beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and gum Arabic (GA) were used as coating materials to protect the vital components of LGO. Different concentrations of LGO pure and nano-capsule formulations have been used to examine the biological development of S. frugiperda 1st larval instar using two sex life table. D-Limonene, E-Citral, and Z-Citral were identified as the main compounds in LGO by GC–MS analysis. The oil concentration affected the physical properties of nano-capsules. The LGO nano-capsules had particle sizes ranging from 279.63 to 471.93 nm and an encapsulation efficiency between 51.94 and 83.59%. Following 96 h, the LGO:β-CD/GA treatment of S. frugiperda had a lower LC50 value (1.52%) than the LGO treatment (2.48%), indicating that the nano-capsules were more toxic. Nano-capsules had a significant adverse effect on the life table parameters of S. frugiperda. The results of this study indicate that encapsulating LGO with β-CD/GA inclusion enhanced the efficacy of lemongrass oil against S. frugiperda.

Allosteric mechanism in the distinctive coupling of G _q and G _s to the parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor

The mechanism determining the preferential stimulation of one heterotrimeric G protein signaling pathway over another by a ligand remains undetermined. By reporting the cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) type 1 receptor (PTH1R) complexed with Gq and comparing its allosteric dynamics with that of PTH1R in complex with G s , we uncover a mechanism underlying such preferences. We show that an allosteric coupling between the ligand PTH and the C-terminal helix α5 of the Gα subunit controls the stability of the PTH1R complex with the specific G protein, G s or G q . Single-cell-level experiments further validate the G protein–selective effects of the PTH binding pose by demonstrating the differential, G protein–dependent residence times and affinity of this ligand at the PTH1R binding site. The findings deepen our understanding of the selective coupling of PTH1R to G s or G q and how it relates to the stability and kinetics of ligand binding. They explain the observed variability in the ligand-binding affinity of a GPCR when coupled to different G proteins.

Long COVID after SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy in the United States

Does physical activity-based intervention decrease repetitive negative thinking? A systematic review

Background Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is characterized by its persistence, difficulty in control, and the tendency to focus on negative thoughts and past events. It is recognized as a key factor in the development and maintenance of mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. A growing body of research suggests that physical activity-based interventions may effectively reduce RNT. However, the extent of this effect and the mechanisms behind it remain inconsistent across studies. Methods This systematic review synthesized evidence from 19 peer-reviewed studies retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, and other relevant databases up to December 2024. The objective was to investigate the efficacy of physical activity-based interventions in reducing RNT, with a particular focus on the influence of intervention type, duration, frequency, and intensity. Results The review found that physical activity interventions effectively reduce RNT, particularly when combined with psychological training. Combined interventions yielded greater reductions than physical activity alone. Moderate-to-high intensity exercise (30-60 min/session, 3-5 times/week) over an extended period was most effective, likely due to physiological, psychological, and social mechanisms. Single-session interventions showed limited effects, emphasizing the need for sustained engagement. Notably, interventions were more effective in individuals with depression, anxiety, or chronic stress, whereas effects in healthy individuals were smaller and more variable, suggesting that baseline symptomatology enhances intervention benefits. Conclusions This review underscores the importance of designing intervention protocols that integrate both physical and psychological components to achieve greater reductions in RNT. The findings provide empirical support for the use of combined interventions involving physical activity and psychological training as an effective strategy for managing RNT. Additionally, future research should prioritize identifying optimal intervention characteristics (e.g., type, frequency, intensity) and addressing methodological limitations, such as the inclusion of diverse participant samples and broader language coverage, to provide more comprehensive insights into effective intervention strategies. These findings have important implications for mental health interventions and offer practical guidance for developing evidence-based approaches to reduce RNT.

Object detection model design for tiny road surface damage

Enhancing immunotherapy with tumour-responsive nanomaterials

The PVD neuron has male-specific structure and mating function in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

Neurons display unique shapes and establish intricate networks, which may differ between sexes. In complex organisms, studying sex differences in structure and function of individual neurons is difficult. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodites and males present an exceptional model for studying neuronal morphogenesis in a simple, sexually dimorphic system. We focus on the polymodal sensory bilateral neuron pair PVD, which forms a complex but stereotypic dendritic tree composed of multiple subunits that resemble candelabra. PVD is well studied in hermaphrodites, but not in males. We show here that during larval development, male PVD extends a similar architecture to the hermaphrodite utilizing the sexually shared Menorin patterning mechanism. In early adulthood, however, male PVD develops a unique extension into the copulatory tail structure. Alongside established tail ray neurons RnA and RnB, we show PVD is a third, previously unrecognized, neuron within the tail rays. Unlike RnA and RnB, PVD extends anterogradely, branches and turns within the ray hypodermis, and is nonciliated. This PVD sexually dimorphic arborization is absent in mutant backgrounds which perturb the Menorin guidance complex. SAX-7/L1CAM, a hypodermal component of this complex, shows a male-specific expression pattern which precedes PVD extension, and its presence allows PVD to enter the tail rays. Further, our results reveal that genetically altered arborization or ablation of the PVD results in male mating behavioral defects, particularly as males turn around the hermaphrodite. These results uncover an adult-stage sexual dimorphism of dendritic branching and a function for PVD in male sexual behavior.

Multilayered HIV-1 resistance in HSPCs through CCR5 Knockout and B cell secretion of HIV-inhibiting antibodies

Correction: Endurance-trained subjects and sedentary controls increase ventricular contractility and efficiency during exercise: Feasibility of hemodynamics assessed by non-invasive pressure-volume loops

A hybrid parallel convolutional spiking neural network for enhanced skin cancer detection

Abstract The most widespread kind of cancer, affecting millions of lives is skin cancer. When the condition of illness worsens, the chance of survival is reduced, and thus detection of skin cancer is extremely difficult. Hence, this paper introduces a new model, known as Parallel Convolutional Spiking Neural Network (PCSN-Net) for detecting skin cancer. Initially, the input skin cancer image is pre-processed by employing Medav filter to eradicate the noise in image. Next, affected region is segmented by utilizing DeepSegNet, which is formed by integrating SegNet and Deep joint segmentation, where RV coefficient is used to fuse the outputs. Here, the segmented image is then augmented by including process, such as geometric transformation, colorspace transformation, mixing images Pixel averaging (mixup), and overlaying crops (CutMix). Then textural, statistical, Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) based Local Direction Pattern (LDP) with entropy, and Local Normal Derivative Pattern (LNDP) features are mined. Finally, skin cancer detection is executed using PCSN-Net, which is formed by fusing Parallel Convolutional Neural Network (PCNN) and Deep Spiking Neural Network (DSNN). In this work, the suggested PCSN-Net system shows high accuracy and reliability in identifying skin cancer. The experimental findings suggest that PCSN-Net has an accuracy of 95.7%, a sensitivity of 94.7%, and a specificity of 92.6%. These parameters demonstrate the model’s capacity to discriminate among malignant and benign skin lesions properly. Furthermore, the system has a false positive rate (FPR) of 10.7% and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 90.8%, demonstrating its capacity to reduce wrong diagnosis while prioritizing true positive instances. PCSN-Net outperforms various complex algorithms, including EfficientNet, DenseNet, and Inception-ResNet-V2, despite preserving effective training and inference times. The results obtained show the feasibility of the model for real-time clinical use, strengthening its capacity for quick and accurate skin cancer detection.

Cancer-associated SF3B1 mutation K700E causes widespread changes in U2/branchpoint recognition without altering splicing

Myelodysplastic syndromes and other cancers are often associated with mutations in the U2 snRNP protein SF3B1. Common SF3B1 mutations, including K700E, disrupt SF3B1 interaction with the protein SUGP1 and induce aberrant activation of alternative 3′ splice sites (ss), presumably resulting from aberrant U2/branch site (BS) recognition by the mutant spliceosome. Here, we apply a method of U2 IP-seq to profile BS binding across the transcriptome of K562 leukemia cells carrying the SF3B1 K700E mutation. For alternative 3′ ss activated by K700E, we identify their associated BSs and show that they are indeed shifted from the WT sites. Unexpectedly, we also identify thousands of additional changes in BS binding in the mutant cells that do not alter splicing. These new BSs are usually very close to the natural sites, occur upstream or downstream, and either exhibit stronger base-pairing potential with U2 snRNA or are adjacent to stronger polypyrimidine tracts than the WT sites. The widespread imprecision in BS recognition induced by K700E with limited changes in 3′ ss selection expands the physiological consequences of this oncogenic mutation.

Artificial intelligence (AI) in nursing administration: Challenges and opportunities

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming nursing administration by enhancing operational efficiency and supporting data-driven decision-making. This study explores registered nurses perceptions of AI in Saudi Arabia, focusing on both challenges and opportunities. A cross-sectional survey of 202 nurses revealed that 93.6% believe AI improves understanding, and 88.1% feel it enhances the quality of learning. Significant correlations were found between years of experience and AI usage (r =  0.342, p &lt;  0.001) and between sources of information and AI perception (r =  0.146, p =  0.039). While 80.7% expressed concern that AI could reduce critical thinking, 76.8% feared job displacement. These findings underscore the need for training, ethical guidelines, and support systems to foster effective AI integration, enhancing nursing practice while addressing concerns around professional roles.

Development and evaluation of Chia seed-based nanofibers and nanoemulsions for Bacillus coagulans Encapsulation

Will I feel better? Raising the bar for quality of life in oncology

Bridging the human–AI knowledge gap through concept discovery and transfer in AlphaZero

AI systems have attained superhuman performance across various domains. If the hidden knowledge encoded in these highly capable systems can be leveraged, human knowledge and performance can be advanced. Yet, this internal knowledge is difficult to extract. Due to the vast space of possible internal representations, searching for meaningful new conceptual knowledge can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Here, we introduce a method that extracts new chess concepts from AlphaZero, an AI system that mastered chess via self-play without human supervision. Our method excavates vectors that represent concepts from AlphaZero’s internal representations using convex optimization, and filters the concepts based on teachability (whether the concept is transferable to another AI agent) and novelty (whether the concept contains information not present in human chess games). These steps ensure that the discovered concepts are useful and meaningful. For the resulting set of concepts, prototypes (chess puzzle–solution pairs) are presented to experts for final validation. In a preliminary human study, four top chess grandmasters (all former or current world chess champions) were evaluated on their ability to solve concept prototype positions. All grandmasters showed improvement after the learning phase, suggesting that the concepts are at the frontier of human understanding. Despite the small scale, our result is a proof of concept demonstrating the possibility of leveraging knowledge from a highly capable AI system to advance the frontier of human knowledge; a development that could bear profound implications and shape how we interact with AI systems across many applications.

Correction: The efficacy of acupuncture in relieving postoperative pain in patients with low simple anal fistula: Protocol of a prospective, randomised, controlled trial

Screening and validation of optimal real-time PCR reference genes for Abelmoschus Manihot

Potassium-sensitive loss of muscle force in the setting of reduced inward rectifier K ⁺ current: Implications for Andersen–Tawil syndrome

Andersen–Tawil syndrome (ATS) is an ion channelopathy with variable penetrance for the triad of periodic paralysis, arrhythmia, and dysmorphia. Dominant-negative mutations of KCNJ2 encoding the Kir2.1 potassium channel subunit are found in 60% of ATS families. As with most channelopathies, episodic attacks in ATS are frequently triggered by environmental stresses: exercise for periodic paralysis or stress with adrenergic stimulation for arrhythmia. Fluctuations in K + , either low or high, are potent triggers for attacks of weakness in other variants of periodic paralysis (hypokalemic periodic paralysis or hyperkalemic periodic paralysis). For ATS, the [K + ] dependence is less clear; with reports describing weakness in high-K + or low-K + . Patient trials with controlled K + challenges are not possible, due to arrhythmias. We have developed two mouse models (genetic and pharmacologic) with reduced Kir currents, to address the question of K + -sensitive loss of force. These animal models and computational simulations both show K + -dependent weakness occurs only when Kir current is &lt;30% of wildtype. As the Kir deficit becomes more severe, the phenotype shifts from high-K + -induced weakness to a combination where either high-K + or low-K + triggers weakness. A K + channel agonist, retigabine, protects muscle from K + -sensitive weakness in our mouse models of the skeletal muscle involvement in ATS.

Cabergoline as a preventive migraine treatment: A randomized clinical pilot trial

Background Beneficial effects of dopamine agonist treatment on migraine have been reported but remain to be properly tested. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of cabergoline as preventive treatment for migraine. Methods In a double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study, 36 adults with ≥  6 monthly migraine days were enrolled at Aarhus University Hospital. Following a 28-days baseline period, participants were randomized to receive cabergoline 0.5 mg or placebo once weekly for 12 weeks as add-on treatment. An electronic headache diary was completed daily, and headache questionnaires and blood tests were collected at baseline and following the treatment period. Primary outcome was change in monthly migraine days. The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05525611). Results Of 101 assessed participants, 36 were enrolled. Baseline monthly migraine days were 13.6 (4.1) in the cabergoline group and 14.0 (5.3) in the placebo group. No significant overall difference in the reduction of monthly migraine days was observed. However, among participants with episodic migraine (n = 20), the mean (SE) reduction in monthly migraine days from baseline to the last 28 days of the treatment period was -5.4 (1.3) with cabergoline compared to -1.8 (0.9) with placebo (p = 0.04) [odds ratio: 0.79 (95% CI 0.65 – 0.95), p = 0.014]. In participants with chronic migraine (n = 13), the reduction in monthly migraine days was not significantly different in the two groups. Patients’ global impression of change significantly improved after cabergoline treatment as compared to placebo in the entire group of participants (p = 0.006). The number of participants with episodic migraine achieving ≥  50% reduction in monthly migraine days tended to increase after cabergoline (p = 0.07). Adverse effects were reported by seven participants on cabergoline and four on placebo, none of which were serious. Conclusion Cabergoline significantly reduced monthly migraine days in episodic migraine without serious adverse effects, supporting further investigation into the use of cabergoline for migraine prevention.