PLoS ONE
Articles in this Issue
Exploring collaborative strategies to improve patient safety in healthcare organizations: A qualitative study
Background Patient safety remains a critical concern in healthcare, necessitating the exploration of collaborative approaches to enhance care quality and outcomes. This qualitative...
The effects of vaginal gel from Myrtus communis on the sexual function of married women during reproductive aging: A study protocol for a randomized controlled trial
Introduction Human sexuality is an important aspect of functionality, and many patients believe that it determines their quality of life. Sexual dysfunction can lead to stress, str...
The association between smoking and clinical outcomes among spondylodesis patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background The effects of smoking on outcomes after spinal spondylodesis remain unclear due to conflicting findings in the existing literature. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate...
Investigating the antioxidant, antibacterial, and antifungal properties of typha domingensis leaves assisted synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles
Green-synthesized nanoparticles (NPs) offer unique properties over traditional approaches, with applications in coatings, catalysts, packaging, environmental cleaning, and medicine. This research invo...
Global profiling of α-glucosidase inhibitors from Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium based on affinity ultrafiltration screening coupled with UPLC-ESI-Orbitrap-MS method
As a medicinal and edible herb, Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium has multiple biological activities. The latest modern pharmacological researches have found that...
Towards an effective refactoring taxonomy for sustainable software systems
Software refactoring is pivotal in improving software quality and ensuring complex software systems’ long-term viability and sustainability. However, developers still face challenges in understanding...
Effects of wet-dry cycles on the bimodal soil-water characteristic curve and unsaturated permeability of granite residual soil
The unsaturated permeability coefficient of granite residual soil (GRS) increases rapidly with rising moisture content, as the loss of matric suction enhances the continuity of the water phase within...
Patient satisfaction in outdoor department of primary health care facilities in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study
Background Perception of patients on healthcare services is important in evaluating the quality of a healthcare structure. Focusing on a major humanitarian emergency in South-East...
Computational screening of natural inhibitors against Plasmodium falciparum kinases: Toward novel antimalarial therapies
An important worldwide problem is the resistance of Plasmodium falciparum to practically all antimalarial medications. Therefore, new treatment approaches are u...
Prognostic value of tumor deposits and their different response to neoadjuvant therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer
Background Tumor deposits (TDs) may have a worse prognosis in rectal cancer, but their significance in the neoadjuvant era is less certain. Post-treatment TDs might even be a sign...
Genome-wide identification and functional characterization of alpha-amylase genes in Litopenaeus vannamei
Alpha-amylase is a key enzyme involved in carbohydrate hydrolysis and food digestion in animals. However, its molecular characteristics and functions remain poorly understood in the economically impor...
Well-being issues: Its influence on RPE and enjoyment in masters water polo training and the player–coach gap
The present study aimed to monitor male master water polo players’ training by means of well-being (Hooper-Index), internal training load (ITL) parameters (rating of perceived exertion, RPE; session-R...
Investigating epigenetic biomarkers of age, sex, and disease in captive South African cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus)
Epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, are strongly associated with chronological age across mammalian species. This study developed cheetah-specific epigenetic clocks from methylatio...
Exosome encapsulated albumin nanoparticles target delivery of DBET6 as a treatment for triple-negative breast cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive disease with significant mortality, and there is an urgent need for therapies that can effectively target the disease and enhance patient su...
Blood-brain barrier integrity and prevalence of intrathecal T helper 17.1 cells in Huntington´s disease
Background Blood-brain barrier (BBB) involvement in the pathogenesis of Huntington´s disease (HD) is not well understood. We previously demonstrated increased prevalence of T Helpe...
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy in alleviating cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via the BMP6/Smad-hepcidin pathway
Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CCI) is a cause of neurological damage. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can improve recovery in CCI in relation to iron metabolism and ferroptosis, but the preci...
Opioid dispensing prior to opioid toxicity hospitalizations and emergency department visits in Canada, 2018–2022
Background Both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical opioids contribute to overdoses and other drug-related harms in Canada; however, the role of these sources of opioids have bee...
Prevalence, demographic factors, co-morbidities, and treatment types associated with acanthosis nigricans in a large cross-section of 900+ transmasculine patients: Data from a single academic center 2016–2023
Background Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is a highly visible cutaneous condition that has been associated with cardiometabolic factors, drugs, or malignancy in various populations. AN...
Prioritizing areas for post-fire restoration in Greece using mixed-methods spatial analysis
The Mediterranean region will likely face an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires due to climate change. Despite being fire-prone, Greece lacks a developed standardized system for iden...
Time to treatment failure and its predictors among children receiving first-line antiretroviral therapy in Tigray Region public general hospitals, North Ethiopia, 2024: Retrospective cohort study
Background Pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a significant public health challenge, with an estimated 1.5 million children living with HIV globally. In addition,...
Rally and recover: Physiological demands between tennis drills
This study examined physiological recovery between repeated tennis drills in elite adolescent tennis players. Ten tennis players (5 males, 5 females; age 17 ± 2 years) underwent treadmill testing to e...
Higher fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio is associated with the severity of toxin associated acute kidney injury in high-altitude (3650 m) population: A retrospective analysis
Background Few reports used acute kidney injury concept in the area of toxic kidney damage, especially in highland areas. Recent evidence suggests that the fibrinogen-to-albumin ra...
Automated, stress-free, and precise measurement of songbird weight in neuroscience experiments
Monitoring the health and well-being of research animals is essential for both ethical and scientific purposes. In songbirds, body weight is one of the main indicators of their overall condition, yet...
Calibrated-Two Optional Randomized Response Techniques (C-TORRT) for the estimation of quantitative sensitive variable information
Accurate estimation of sensitive quantitative variables remains a challenge in survey research due to respondents’ reluctance to disclose truthful information. While existing randomized response techn...
Effectiveness of clinical decision support in fall prevention among older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Systematic use of Clinical Decision Support (CDS), which provides timely information to assist healthcare practitioners in decision-making, is recommended in the impleme...