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Exploring PM2.5 and PM10 ML forecasting models: a comparative study in the UAE

Factors affecting postoperative nasal morphology after Le Fort I osteotomy on multiple regression analysis

Acute LPS exposure enhances susceptibility to peripheral prion infection

Abstract After peripheral infections, the initial accumulation of prions within secondary lymphoid tissues is essential for the transmission of disease to the brain. Macrophages are considered to sequester or destroy prions, but little was known of their impact on disease susceptibility after a peripheral infection. Inflammation in the peritoneal cavity can trigger the macrophage disappearance reaction, whereby the macrophages are temporarily contained within cellular aggregates on the mesothelium. We studied the impact of the bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated macrophage disappearance reaction on susceptibility to an intraperitoneal prion infection. Intraperitoneal LPS injection significantly enhanced prion disease susceptibility approximately 100X when given 24–3 h before infection. The effects on disease susceptibility coincided with the reduced abundance of macrophages within the peritoneal cavity at the time of infection and the enhanced early accumulation of prions in the spleen. This suggests that the reduced recoverable abundance of macrophages in the peritoneal cavity following acute LPS-treatment, increased disease susceptibility by enhancing the initial propagation of the prions from site of exposure (peritoneal cavity) to the spleen from where they subsequently spread to the brain. Further studies may help identify novel macrophage-targeted treatments that can reduce susceptibility to peripherally acquired prion infections.

Trends in adverse pregnancy outcomes in Louisiana, 2017 to 2022

Daily briefing: Babies make memories — so why don’t we recall them?

Reducing toxicity and enhancing efficacy of doxorubicin by liposomal doxorubicin and aprepitant in breast cancer

A general simulation-based study on printability of inks in direct ink writing

Effects of age on postoperative oral function in older adults with oral squamous cell carcinoma and its cutoff values: a cross-sectional study

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the influence of age on postoperative oral function in older adults with oral squamous cell carcinoma and its cutoffs. 102 patients (74 males; 28 females) with oral squamous cell carcinoma were treated according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Shimane University Hospital, between September 2019 and March 2023 were included. Their mean age was 69.6 years. Background data were obtained from the medical records, and oral function measurements were performed the day before discharge. Final analysis was performed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and propensity score. The primary tumor site was the tongue in 45 (44.1%), gingiva in 41 (40.2%), and other sites in 16 (15.7%) patients. ROC analysis showed a cutoff age of 75 years for occlusal force. The propensity score method showed that the odds ratio of age was 4.32 (confidence interval: 1.48 − 12.55 [P = 0.01]) for occlusal force. Treatment age is independently associated with postoperative oral function, and the incidence of postoperative oral dysfunction is approximately four times higher for patients aged > 75 years. The development of measures for postoperative oral function recovery may be particularly necessary in older adult patients aged > 75 years.

Use of thrombocyte count dynamics after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage to predict cerebral vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia: a retrospective monocentric cohort study

Abstract Cerebral vasospasm (CVS) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) are critical complications following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality. This retrospective cohort study investigated thrombocyte count (TC) dynamics as a potential marker for predicting CVS and DCI in 233 adult patients with aSAH. Parameters including TC, C-reactive protein, hematocrit, CVS, and DCI were analyzed using logistic regression, Spearman correlation, and time-to-event analysis. CVS and DCI occurred in 71.1% and 41.2% of patients, respectively. A relative thrombocyte count decrease greater than 12.6% within the early post-aSAH period was significantly associated with increased risks of CVS (p < 0.001; 95% CI 4.74–25.3) and DCI (p = 0.003; 95% CI 1.39–5.43). Temporal analysis revealed that greater TC decrease correlated with earlier CVS onset (p = 0.00016; R=-0.28), with a median of three days from the minimum TC to CVS onset. This association suggests a potential diagnostic window for early detection and intervention if validated in prospective studies.

An advanced CNN-attention model with IFTTA optimization for prediction air consumption of relay nozzles

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and testosterone level in Palestinian butchers

A diagnostic model for polycystic ovary syndrome based on machine learning

An improved YOLOv5n algorithm for detecting surface defects in industrial components

Abstract Due to the small defect areas and indistinct features on industrial components, detecting surface defects with high accuracy remains challenging, often leading to false detections. To address these issues, this paper proposes an improved YOLOv5n algorithm for industrial surface defect detection. The main improvements are as follows: the DSConv-CA module in the backbone network enhances the feature extraction capability, the Gold-YOLO structure replaces the original PANet structure in the neck to improve information fusion, and the SIoU loss function is adopted to replace the regression loss, further improving detection accuracy. Experimental results demonstrate that the improved YOLOv5n algorithm achieves a mean average precision of 75.3% on the NEU-DET dataset, which is 4.3% higher than the original model.

Generalization and extinction of platform-mediated avoidance in male and female rats

Emilia sonchifolia (L.) DC. inhibits the growth of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis by modulating its physiology through multiple mechanisms

Preliminary feasibility study on DTI to assess the early brain injury in germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage rats

Abstract To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for detecting early brain microstructure alterations in germinal matrix-intraventricular hemorrhage (GMH-IVH) rat model. This study used a postnatal day 5 (PND 5) rat model of GMH-IVH. T2-weighted imaging and DTI were performed during acute (6 h and 24 h) and subacute (3d and 7d) phases after GMH-IVH. Four DTI parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusion (MD), axial diffusion (AD) and radial diffusion (RD) were collected in 9 specific brain regions to assess the brain microstructure alterations. Early and long-term neurological function tests were evaluated. Transcriptome sequencing analysis was also performed to investigate possible underlying mechanisms. Regional abnormalities after GMH-IVH were observed in T2-weighted images that showed significant hypointense in striatum region which close to the germinal matrix. DTI parameters also observed changes in striatum region in GMH-IVH. Alterations in other regions of brain including hippocampus, thalamus, external capsule and motor cortex also noted, which were associated with the abnormalities observed in behavioral experiments. Long-term behavioral tests show that compared to sham group, rats in GMH-IVH group caused abnormal motor function. In addition, at 24 h after GMH-IVH, transcriptome analysis results showed that the highly expressed differential genes encode hemoglobin components and down-regulate neurodevelopment-related pathways. DTI imaging allows the early assessment of neurological alteration in GMH-IVH rat pups, and providing great value in evaluating long-term behavioral deficits.

How sediment granulometry affects feeding behaviour in sea cucumbers: a case study on Holothuria sanctori

Mechanical forces trigger invasive behavior in synovial fibroblasts through N-cadherin/ADAM15 -dependent modulation of LncRNA H19

Abstract Joint damage caused by immune-mediated inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) preferentially affects site-specific mechano-sensitive areas. The perception of physical forces in the synovial tissue by the residing fibroblasts initiates signalling responses with impact on cellular functions. Here, we describe a mechanotransduction pathway in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts (RASF), which is critically dependent on the disintegrin metalloproteinase ADAM15 and N-cadherin (NCAD). Both molecules co-localize in NCAD-based adherens junctions and trigger mechanosignaling events involving the activation of p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2). The mechanically induced phosphorylation of PAK2 subsequently leads to its co-recruitment together with the adaptor molecule Nck to the NCAD/ADAM15 complex at the cell membrane. These signal transduction events initiate strain-induced downregulation of lncRNA H19 and miR-130a-3p. They finally result in an upregulation of cadherin-11 (CDH11), thereby enhancing cell invasive properties - a feature characteristic of aggressive RASFs. Accordingly, we propose a new mechano-induced pathway that causes an altered composition of cadherin expression in the adherens junctions of synovial fibroblasts and likely contributes to the site-specific variability of the aggressive RASF-phenotype in RA-pathogenesis.

Experimental study on mechanical properties of fissured loess under true triaxial conditions

Potential impacts of microplastic pollution on soil–water–plant dynamics

Abstract This study was designed to assess the potential impact of microplastic (MP) pollution on soil hydrology, specifically in retaining and releasing moisture. Herein, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) MP of different sizes (i.e., 0.5–1, 1–3, and 3–5 mm) and shapes (i.e., fiber, film, and fragment) were evaluated for their effects on water retention curve (WRC) of sandy loam soil, chosen for its agricultural relevance and widespread environmental presence of HDPE. Nine contamination scenarios were simulated with a low MP pollution rate, 0.01% w/w. Van Genuchten models were used to assess plant available water (PAW), wilting point (WP), and water holding capacity (WHC). Results showed that studied MP could significantly affect WRC and PAW mainly by changing WHC rather than WP and that this effect varied with MP shape and size. According to the results, fragment MP had the greatest impact on soil WHC by increasing 36.3%, followed by fibers and films by 19.8% and 15.7%. MP particles significantly increased WHC, while WP remained relatively unchanged. An observed trend indicated that the impact on WHC increased with the size of the MP particles. These findings emphasize the need to manage soil MP pollution to protect plant growth, agriculture, and water dynamics.