Introduction: The balance of bioelements is crucial as it ensures the organism's homeostasis and proper execution of reactions within the body, nerve conductivity, and correct polarity of cell membranes, but it is also very important for fertility. It is known that disturbances in the balance of bioelements lead to reproductive dysfunction. In women, changes in the composition of follicular fluid can occur, which can lead to limited follicular growth and lack of oocyte activation. Objective: The main objective was to examine whether the concentration of bioelements Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe in follicular fluid influences the outcome of the in vitro fertilization process. Methods: The study involved 120 female patients undergoing in vitro fertilization. Follicular fluid obtained after follicle aspiration in the ovaries was used as biological material for analysis. The values of Na (selective electrode method), K (selective electrode method), Ca (arenajo method), Mg (spectrophotometric method), and Fe (colorimetric method) in follicular fluid were determined using the AU 680 apparatus, Beckman Coulter. Istanbul Consensus criteria for clinical embryologists were used to assess embryo quality. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 software package. Results: Analysis of follicular fluid samples showed no correlation between the concentration of bioelements in follicular fluid and the quality of oocytes or the outcome of in vitro fertilization. Conclusion: Based on our results, it can be concluded that the concentration of bioelements in follicular fluid does not affect the outcome of in vitro fertilization.

Major factors affecting in vitro immature embryo rescue efficiencies from Prunus persica or P. armeniaca accessions, have been identified along with improving its economic feasibility. Three culture media, based on Woody Plant Medium (WPM) have been used depending on the embryo size. Embryos less than 5-mm-long were cultured in WPM supplemented with 1 mM BAP and 1 mM GA3, while embryos bigger than 5-mm-long were cultured in hormone-free medium, with or without vermiculite. Environmental in vitro culture conditions consisted of three phases, a (I) stratification at 4 C during a 3 to 5-month-long period in the dark, followed by (II) growth of germinated embryos at 14 C for 4-week-long period, with 12h light a day, which favors plantlet development, and finally (III) growth at 24 C, with 16h light a day, until the plantlets were moved to the greenhouse for acclimatization. Germination of smaller embryos, at the end of the phase I, ranged from 82.2% to 22.1%, for apricot and flat peaches, respectively, whereas for bigger embryos the germination varied from 97.4% to 53.2% for the same type of fruits. Embryo germination for peaches and nectarines ranged from 40.1% to 30.3% for smaller embryos, and from 91.9% to 64.0% for bigger embryos. Endo- and exophytic contamination, affecting from 7.4% to 52.9% of cultured embryos depending on the fruit type and conservation conditions, and the capacity to acclimate to soil conditions, ranging from 50.4% to 93.2%, were the two most important factors influencing protocol’s efficiency and economic feasibility. Considering the overall efficiencies, expressed as hardened plants transferred to field plots over clean uncontaminated embryo, values ranged from 55.8% for nectarines, 54.0% for peaches, 45.6% for apricot, and 23.3% for flat fruits. Addition of vermiculite to the culture medium significantly improved plantlet development, avoiding subculture to fresh medium when an extension of the phase III was required before acclimatization. Compared to laboratory glassware, use of food glass containers with air-permeable sealing film, along with vermiculite-containing medium significantly reduced costs, when handling the large number of embryos required for breeding programs.

During fertilization, the fusion of the spermatozoa with the oocytes causes the release of calcium from the oocyte endoplasmatic reticulum. This, in turn, triggers a series of calcium ion (Ca2+) oscillations, a process known as oocyte activation. The sperm-specific factor responsible for oocyte activation is phospholipase C zeta (PLCζ). Men undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with their spermatozoa lacking PLCζ are incapable of generating Ca2+oscillation, leading to fertilization failure. The immunofluorescence assay is the most used technique to assess the expression and localization of PLCζ and to diagnose patients with reduced/absent ability to activate the oocytes. In these patients, the use of assisted oocyte activation (AOA) technique can help to yield successful ICSI results and shorten the time of pregnancy. However, the production of a stable PLCζ recombinant protein represents a new powerful therapeutic approach to treating individuals with this condition. We aim to conduct a systematic review focusing on the expression, level, and localization of PLCζ, discussing the novel genetic mutation associated with its impairment. In addition, we highlight the benefits of AOA, looking at new and less invasive methods to diagnose and treat cases with PLCζ dysfunction ability.

Açaí, a fruit from the Amazon, is valuable both economically and nutritionally. Its seeds, often discarded, can be transformed into bio-oil through pyrolysis (a thermochemical degradation process of residual biomass), providing a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. This study investigates how temperature and molarity influence the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of the produced bio-oil. Tests were conducted using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and assays to evaluate antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities at different temperatures (350, 400, and 450 °C) and molarities (0.5 M, 1.0 M, and 2.0 M). Phenolic compounds were the most abundant in the bio-oil (55.70%), followed by cyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons (11.89%) and linear hydrocarbons (9.64%). Despite a reduction in oxygenated compounds, the bio-oil maintained bacteriostatic activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus across various temperature ranges, particularly at 350 °C. Antioxidant activity was highest at 350 °C and at lower molarities. Additionally, lower concentrations of acid impregnation exhibited cytotoxic effects at higher temperatures. Thus, bio-oil from açaí seeds produced via pyrolysis demonstrates potential for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, suggesting viability for further testing at dilutions with lower cytotoxicity.

Listeria monocytogenes is an emerging pathogen responsible for the serious foodborne disease, listeriosis. The commensal gut microbiota is the first line of defense against pathogen internalization. The gut microbiome can be modified by prebiotic substrates, which are frequently added to food products and dietary supplements. Prebiotics should selectively support the growth of beneficial microbes and thus improve host health. Nevertheless, little is known about their effect on the growth of L. monocytogenes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth ability of four L. monocytogenes strains, representing the most common serotypes, on prebiotic oligosaccharides (beta-(1,3)-D-glucan, inulin, fructooligosaccharides, galactooligosaccharides, lactulose, raffinose, stachyose, and 2´-fucosyllactose and a mixture of human milk oligosaccharides) as a sole carbon source. The results showed that only beta-(1,3)-D-glucan was metabolized by L. monocytogenes. Therefore, the safety of beta-(1,3)-D-glucan with respect to listeriosis development should be further studied.

The utilization of electroporation for delivering the CRISPR/Cas9 system components has enabled efficient gene editing in mammalian zygotes, facilitating the development of genome-edited animals. In our study，This research focused on targeting the ACTG1 and MSTN genes in sheep, revealing a threshold phenomenon in electroporation with a voltage tolerance in sheep in vitro fertilization (IVF) zygotes. Various poring voltages near 40V and pulse durations were examined for electroporating sheep zygotes. The study concluded that stronger electric fields required shorter pulse durations to achieve the optimal conditions for high gene mutation rates and reasonable blastocyst development. The investigation also assessed the quality of Cas9/sgRNA ribonucleoprotein complexes (Cas9 RNPs) and their influence on genome editing efficiency in sheep early embryos. It was highlighted that pre-complexation of Cas9 proteins with single-guide RNA (sgRNA) before electroporation was essential for achieving a high mutation rate. The use of suitable electroporation parameters for sheep IVF zygotes led to significantly high mutation rates and heterozygote ratios. By delivering Cas9 RNPs and single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODNs) to zygotes through electroporation, targeting the MSTN (Myostatin) gene, a knock-in efficiency of 26% was achieved. The successful generation of MSTN-modified lambs was demonstrated by delivering Cas9 RNPs into IVF zygotes via electroporation.

Fluorinated cytokinins have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional cytokinins in plant tissue culture, offering enhanced stability and bioactivity. However, their metabolic fate and impact on endogenous cytokinin profiles remain largely unexplored. This study investigated the cytokinin metabolism of Phalaenopsis orchids under varying exogenous cytokinin treatments (BA, FmT, FmTR) and culture conditions (open vs. closed containers). The results reveal distinct metabolic profiles associated with each treatment, highlighting the complex interplay between exogenous and endogenous cytokinin levels. Additionally, we proposed an alternative inactivation pathway involving the conversion of FmTR and BA to pT and pTR. These findings provide valuable insights into the intricate relationship between cytokinin metabolism and plant growth under in vitro conditions, with implications for optimizing micropropagation protocols

In the field of human in vitro fertilization (IVF), selecting the best oocyte for freezing or embryo for transfer remains an important focus of clinical practice. Although several techniques are and have been used for this goal, results have generally not been favorable and/or are invasive such that damage to some embryos occurs, resulting in a reduced number of healthy births. Therefore, the search continues for non-invasive oocyte and embryo quality markers that signal the development of high-quality embryos. Multiple studies indicate the important positive effects of retinoic acid (RA) on oocyte maturation and function. Here, we present evidence that part of these effects are via the ability of RA to regulate the activity of connexin 43 (Cx43), the main subunit of gap junction channels in human cumulus granulosa cells (CGC). These channels play an important role in regulating the micronutrient environment of the oocyte by allowing the transfer of ions, metabolites, and small molecules. Multiple studies have demonstrated the requirement for Cx43 in CGC for the normal progression of folliculogenesis, and that increased expression of this connexin is linked to improved developmental competence of the oocyte. The data has shown that RA can up-regulate gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in the cumulus-oocyte complex by a non-genomic mechanism that results in the dephosphorylation of Cx43 and enhanced GJIC. Recognizing the positive role played by gap junctions in CGC on oocyte development and the regulation of Cx43 by RA, the findings have highlighted the possibility that CGC RA levels may serve as a non-invasive indicator for selecting high-quality oocytes for IVF procedures. In addition, the data suggests that manipulation of Cx43 with retinoid compounds could provide new pharmacological approaches to improve IVF outcomes in cases of failed implantation, recurrent miscarriage, or in certain diseases that are characterized by reduced fecundity, such as endometriosis.

Crop production in Afghanistan suffers from limited phosphorus (P) availability, which severely hinders national agriculture sustainability. This present study hypothesized that deep fertilizer placement could significantly enhance uptake of immobile P and thus tissue P accumulation and crop yield. A two-year pot experiment growing two maize (Zea mays) hybrid cultivars (Xida-789 and Xida-211) was therefore conducted to test these hypotheses under three contrasting fertilizer placement methods (broadcast, side band, and deep band). In doing so, P concentrations in both maize tissues and soils were compared at 45, 60, and 115 days after sowing (DAS) under nine combinations of nitrogen (N) and P fertilizer rates (kg ha-1: N112P45, N112P60, N112P75, N150P45, N150P60, N150P75, N187P45, N187P60, N187P75). Results have shown that deep band placement significantly increased P uptake efficiency, leading to greater P concentration and accumulation in maize tissues compared to other two fertilization methods. This improved P uptake was attributed to several factors associated with deep placement, including reduced P fixation, enhanced root access to P, and moisture availability for P uptake. Additionally, deep band placement combined with higher N application rates (N187 and N150) further enhanced plant P uptake by promoting P availability and utilization mechanisms. Deep band placement also resulted in significantly higher total soil P, Olsen-P, and P use efficiency than broadcast and side band methods, indicating a more efficient P fertilization strategy for maize that can improve growth and yield. This present study also found positive correlations between P concentration in plant organs and soil Olsen-P, highlighting the importance of adequate soil P levels for optimal plant growth. Overall, our results have showed that deep band fertilizer placement emerged as a superior strategy for enhancing P uptake efficiency, utilization, and maize productivity compared to broadcast and side band placement. This approach can potentially optimize P fertilizer utilization, improve maize growth and yield, while minimizing environmental P losses associated with broadcast applications.

Antimicrobial peptides represent a promising alternative to traditional drugs in relation to cost, toxicity and, primarily, the growing problem of drug resistance. Here we report on the activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 of a previously described wide-spectrum synthetic decapeptide, Killer Peptide (KP). As determined by plaque reduction assays, treatment with KP at 100 μg/mL resulted in a reduction in the viral yield titer of 3.5 Logs for HSV-1 and 4.1 Logs for HSV-2. Further evaluation of KP antiviral activity focused on the early stages of virus replicative cycle, including the determination of the residual infectivity of viral suspensions treated with KP. A direct effect of the peptide on viral particles, impairing virus absorption and penetration, was shown. The toxicity profile proved to be extremely good with a selectivity index of 29.6 for HSV-1 and 156 for HSV-2. KP was also active against an acyclovir (ACV)-resistant HSV-1 strain, while HSV-1 subcultures in the presence of sub-inhibitory doses of KP did not lead to the emergence of resistant strains. Finally, the antiviral action of KP proved to be synergistic with that of ACV. Overall, these results demonstrate that KP could represent an interesting addition/alternative to acyclovir for antiviral treatment.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) has revolutionized the field of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) by offering hope to individuals and couples struggling with infertility. Nevertheless, traditional IVF methods are not exempt from drawbacks, such as suboptimal success rates, intrusive procedures, and ethical considerations. The introduction of micro/nanorobotics in IVF offers a revolutionary chance to tackle these difficulties. This paper presents a short review of the utilization of micro/nanorobotics in IVF, investigating progress in the manipulation of sperm, retrieval of oocytes, culture of embryos, and potential future developments in this fast progressing area. In this discussion, we explore the fundamental concepts, advantages, difficulties, and possible influence of micro/nanorobotics in transforming IVF processes and enhancing patient outcomes.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the effect of estradiol (E2) on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels are not completely understood, although a role for proprotein con-vertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has been proposed. We aimed to investigate the association between levels of E2, PCSK9 and lipid parameters in premenopausal women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Methods: Healthy women undergoing IVF in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University General Hospital of Ioannina were recruited. Levels of E2, pro-protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), total cholesterol (TCHOL), high-density lip-oprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-C, and triglycerides (TGs) were measured 10 days after ovarian depression (E2min) and 7 days after ovarian stimulation (E2max). Results: A total of 34 consecutive healthy women aged 38 (26-46) years old who underwent a full IVF cycle were included. E2 levels increased by 329.6% from E2min to E2max (108 [47-346] to 464 [241-2471] pg/mL, p<0.05). At the same time, serum PCSK9 levels significantly decreased by 30.8% (245 ± 80 to 170 ± 64 ng/mL, p<0.05). No significant changes in TCHOL, LDL-C, TGs and HDL-C were found (-0.4%, -3.8%, -2.2%, and +5.3%, p >0.05). Conclusions: The increase in endogenous E2 production during an IVF cycle was associated with a significant decrease in serum PCSK9 levels during a 7-day period.

Nowadays recurrent implantation failure (RIF) after invitro fertilization is common problem that reproductive specialists usually faced. The phenomenon of thin endometrium in RIF patients has yet not completely understood and properly treated. This study aimed to reveal significantly dysregulated selected genes expression between RIF patients with thin endometrium and fertile women. Endometrial samples were collected in the implantation window days (LH+7 – LH+10) of the natural menstrual cycle from RIF patients (n=20) and fertile women (n=14). Ten genes were chosen as target genes regarding their possible relations with the implantation process. Endometrial gene expression levels showed differences in RIF samples compared to fertile samples. The significant downregulation was observed for CXCL1 (p=0.005) and C4BPA (p=0.03) genes. There was no statistically significant difference between the RIF groups and the fertile group in the expression of 8 genes: CXCL8, HPRT1, MMP10, INFG, VEGFB, HAND2, IL15 and TNC (p&gt;0.05). The use of a combination of two markers (C4BPA + CXCL1) allows for good discrimination of RIF patients from fertile women (AUC 0.806).

The use of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) in the interaction with the oocyte and in the temporary postponement of spontaneous meiosis resumption has already been well described. However, its action in pre-implantation developmental stage embryos remains to be understood. Thus, our study aimed to detect the presence of the canonical CNP receptor (natriuretic peptide receptor, NPR2) in germinal vesicle (GV), metaphase II (MII), presumptive zygotes (PZ), morula (MO), and blastocyst (BL) stage embryos and, later, to observe possible modulations on the embryos when co-cultured with CNP. In the Experiment I, we detected and quantified the NPR2 on the above-mentioned embryo stages. Following, Experiment II, intended to test different concentrations (100, 200, or 400 nM of CNP) at different times of inclusion in the in vitro culture (IVC; inclusion from the beginning, i.e. day 1, or from day 5). In Experiment III, it was used 400 nM of CNP on day 1 (D1) in the IVC, which did no demonstrate to be embryotoxic, and it showed potentially promising results in blastocyst production rate, when compared to the control. Thus, we analyzed the embryonic development rates of bovine embryos (D7) and hatching kinetics (D7, D8, and D9). Subsequently, morula and blastocyst were collected and evaluated for transcript abundance to competence and quality (apoptosis, oxidative stress, proliferation and differentiation) and lipid metabolism. Differences with probabilities less than P < 0.05, and/or Foldchange (FC) ˃1.5 were considered significant. We demonstrate the presence of NPR2 until the blastocyst development stage when there was a significant decrease in membrane receptors. There was no statistical difference in production rate after co-culture with 400 nM CNP. However, when we evaluated the abundance of morula transcripts, there was an upregulated transcription in ADCY6 (P=0.057), and downregulated transcripts, in BMP15 (P= 0.013), ACAT1 (P= 0.040), CASP3 (P=0.082). In addition, a total of 12 transcriptions in morula presented variation FC ˃1.5. In blastocysts, the treatment with CNP induced upregulation in BID, CASP3, SOX2, HSPA5 transcripts, and downregulation in BDNF, NLRP5, ELOVL1, ELOVL4, IGFBP4, and FDX1 transcripts (FC >1.5). Thus, our study identified and quantified the presence of NPR2 in bovine pre-implantation embryos. Furthermore, 400 nM of CNP in IVC, a concentration not previously described in the literature, modulated some transcripts related to embryonic metabolism and it was not embryotoxic morphologically.

Probiotics are living microbes that provide benefits to the host. The increasing data on health promotion following probiotics administration triggered growing interest among researchers and pharmaceutical companies looking for novel therapeutic or preventive tools. Infections of the lower genital tract in females are caused by a wide range of pathogens, they are widespread, and represent one of the main areas for the use of probiotics and postbiotics. Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) affects 75% of women in their reproductive age at least once during their lifetime. Of these women 5-8% develop the recurrent form (RVVC). The disease onset is triggered by the overgrowth of Candida species on the vaginal mucosa. Here, we evaluated the beneficial properties of the Bacillus coagulans spore-producing LMG S-24828 against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis. Our results show that both alive B. coagulans and its Cell-Free-Supernatant (CFS) exerted antifungal activity against both fungi. Moreover, alive B. coagulans reduced hyphal formation, inhibited C. albicans adhesion to vaginal epithelial cells and showed co-aggregation capacity. Overall, B. coagulans LMG S-24828 exerted a protective effect on vaginal epithelial cells infected with C. albicans. These data suggest that B. coagulans LMG S-24828 may provide benefits in the context of Candida vaginal infections.

2019-n-CoV is the seventh coronavirus known to infect humans and cause serious illness, and due to its lethality there was a worldwide mobilization for the development of new drugs and new vaccines for Covid-19. Therefore, the present work aims to carry out a virtual screening of terpenes with potential anti SARS-CoV-2 activity. To perform the ligand-based virtual, a model was constructed regarding the compounds which already showed inhibitory activity of the SARS-CoV-2. The test series corresponded to terpenes isolated in the Fabaceae Family. The compounds that were most likely to activity were subjected to Molecular Docking and the best poses obtained were subjected to Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations carried. The molecules under study were submitted to in vitro evaluation to assess inhibitory activity of compounds against SARS-CoV-2 in a phenotypic screening model of the virus. The compounds selected by in silico screening corresponded to triterpenoids from the lupane series. In the in vitro test, both demonstrated activity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The virtual screening performed managed to identify the compounds with the highest probability of activity, as well as the most stable compounds, and the method used was validated by the in vitro study carried out.

Our study aimed to assess sprinkler irrigation's impact on the activity of selected soil enzymes concerning nitrogen metabolism and oxidation-reduction processes in the soil with different doses of inorganic nitrogen fertilizers. The soil Alfisol was sampled from the experimental field of spring barley in the University Research Center in the central part of Poland in the moderate transitory climate during the growing seasons 2015–2017. The index resistance (RS) was derived to recognise the resistance enzymes of drought. In the maturity phase, nitrate reductase activity was at an 18% higher level in irrigated soils and the activity of other enzymes was higher in no-irrigated treatments by 25% in dehydrogenase, 22% in peroxydase 33% in catalase and 17% in urease case. The development stage of barley influenced nitrate reductase activity. Enzymatic activity has been changing in the examined years of the research, depending on the weather conditions. During the maturity stage, the soil's lower ammonium nitrogen content resulted from higher spring barley uptake due to drought stress. Irrigation probably contributes to increased leaching of nitrate in soil. The highest index of resilience was presented in the soil catalase activity.

Groundwater pollution in intensive horticultural areas is becoming an increasingly important problem. Therefore, this study evaluates nitrogen (N) fertilization in open field processing pepper crop in Extremadura, Spain. Previous research on the effect of N on sweet peppers grown in greenhouses is abundant, but data on outdoor cultivation, especially considering variety and site influences, are lacking. Field trials were conducted in 2020, 2021 and 2022 to determine the opti-mum N fertilizer rate for processing peppers, with the aim of reducing environmental impacts such as nitrate leaching while maintaining crop yields. Different N rates were applied in the trials, ranging from no N fertilizer to 300 kg N/ha. Meas-urements included crop yield, biomass, intercepted photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), and canopy cover. The study also developed a critical nitrogen curve (CNC) to determine the minimum N concentration required for optimal growth. The results showed that applying more than 200 kg N/ha did not significantly increase yield. Nitrogen-free treatments resulted in earlier fruit maturity, concentrating the harvest and reducing waste. In addition, excessive N application led to envi-ronmental problems such as groundwater contamination due to nitrate leaching. The study concludes that outdoor pepper crops in this region can achieve optimal yields with lower N rates (around 120 kg N/ha) compared to current practices, thereby reducing environmental risks and fertilizer costs. It also established relationships between biomass, canopy cover, and N uptake to improve fertilization strategies. These data support future crop modelling and sustainable fertili-zation practices.

.Various synthetic nematicides are currently used effectively in the control of plant parasitic nematodes. However, these nematicides have adverse effects on humans and the environment. Neem oil is eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic nematicides. The effectiveness of repeated neem oil application in suppressing the root-knot nematodes infestation in figs seedlings was therefore examined in this study, both in its natural form (10 ml/L) and in its nano-emulsion form (5 and 7 ml/L). The recorded reduction parameters of M. incognita were J2/250g soil, galls and egg masses / 5g roots of infected fig seedlings were measured at that time, and the effects of these natural additives were compared with the Fosthiazate (Krenkel 75%EC). The impact of such soil amendments on some typical plant parameters, the total microbial count of soil, and the overall enzymatic activity of the fig rhizosphere were also included. Obtained results revealed that the soil population density of root knot nematode suppressed by 80.3% , reduction of nematode egg masses (60.4%) due to the application of nano-emulsion of neem oil (at 7ml/L). Present work recommend the use of nano-emulsion of neem oil as one of the effective and eco-friendly means to reduce the root- knot nematode on fig .

The individual and combined effects of extracellular products (ECP) from Arthrobotrys oligospora (Ao) and A. musiformis (Am) growth in liquid media against Haemonchus contortus L3 (HcL3) were assessed. The following methodological steps were established: isolation, morphological (MI) and molecular identification (Mol-I), assessment of nematocidal activity (NA) of fungal liq-uid culture filtrates (LCF) produced in two liquid media alone and in combination and finally, the myco-compound profile identification (MCP). The MI of both isolates suggested that the fungi corresponded to the species Ao and Am. This result was confirmed by PCR analysis followed by sequencing, alignment and obtaining coverage and similarity with respect to isolates reported in the NCBI database. Likewise, the highest Hc mortalities were 91.4% with individual LCF of Am and 86.2% with those of Ao at the highest concentration (100 mg/mL) in Czapek-Dox Broth. The combination of both LCF resulted in a similarly high larval mortality with no statistical differ-ences in relation to individual activity (P>0.05). The MCP showed the presence of alkaloids in both fungi. Coumarins, triterpenes and saponins were found only in Ao. Both fungi produced ECP with a high NA that could be identified and assessed in future studies as potential natural an-thelmintic compounds.

Current microbiological methods for pneumonia diagnosis require invasive specimen collection and time-consuming analytical procedures. There is a need for less invasive and faster methods to detect lower respiratory tract infection. The analysis of volatile metabolites excreted by pathogenic microorganisms provides the basis for developing such a method. Given the synergistic role of Candida albicans in increasing the virulence of pathogenic bacteria causing pneumonia and the cross-kingdom metabolic interactions between microorganisms, we compare the emission of volatiles from Candida albicans yeasts and the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus using single and mixed co-cultures and apply that knowledge to human in vivo investigations. Gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis resulted in the identification of sixty-eight volatiles that were found to have significantly different levels in cultures compared to reference medium samples. Certain volatiles found in co-culture originated mainly from C. albicans metabolism (e.g., isobutyl acetate), whereas other volatiles primarily came from S. aureus (e.g., ethyl 2-methylbutyrate). Isopentyl valerate reflects synergic interactions of both microbes, as its level in co-cultures was found to be approximately three times higher than the sum of its amounts in monocultures. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) coated meshes for thin-film microextraction (TFME) were used to pre-concentrate volatiles directly from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens collected from patients suffering from ventilation-associated pneumonia (VAP) that was caused explicitly by C. albicans and S. aureus. GC-MS analyses confirmed the existence of in vitro-elucidated microbial VOCs in human specimens. Significant differences in BAL-extracted amounts respective to the pathogen causing pneumonia were found. The model in vitro experiments provided evidence that cross-kingdom interactions between pathogenic microorganisms affect the synthesis of the volatile compounds. The TFME meshes coated with HLB particles proved to be suitable for extracting VOCs from human material, enabling the translation of in vitro experiments on the microbial volatilome to the in vivo situation involving infected patients. This indicates the direction that should be taken for further clinical studies on VAP diagnosis based on volatile analysis.

The temporary immersion system bioreactor named GreenTray®[2], [3]presents advantages over the existing ones. Firstly, there is no need to use forceps to move the shoots or plantlets in or out of the recipient, neither the use of scalpel to divide them. Secondly, the basis of the shoot can remain in the GreenTray® and can sprout again in several cycles of growth. These two characteristics reduce the costs in the process of micropropagation. Besides, shoots or plantlets development is enhanced by the aeration of the recipient, thus enriching with CO2 the recipient atmosphere. The chapter describes and provides images and values of interest in (1) the micropropagation process of some commercial Prunus or Pyrus rootstocks; (2) the plantlet growth under autotrophic conditions; and (2) the inoculation of plants with pathogens that reproduce in vitro the symptoms observed in vivo, using the GreenTray® bioreactor.

Brain aging causes a wide variety of changes at molecular and cellular levels, leading to the decline of cognitive functions and increased vulnerability to neurodegenerative disorders. The research aimed at understanding the aging of the brain has made much progress in recent decades. Technological innovations such as single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq), proteomic analyses, and spatial transcriptomic analyses have facilitated the research on the dynamic changes occurring within neurons, glia, and other cells along with their impacts on intercellular communication during aging. In this review, we introduce recent trends of how neurons and glia change during aging and discuss the impact of the brain microenvironment such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Two new dimacrolide sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids (DMSPAs), dimacroregelines A (1) and B (2), were isolated from the stems of Tripterygium regelii. The structures of both compounds were characterized by extensive 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopic analyses, as well as HRESIMS data. Compounds 1 and 2 are two rare DMSPAs possessing unique 2-(3′-carboxybutyl)-3-furanoic acid units forming the second macrocyclic ring, representing the first example of DMSPAs bearing an extra furan ring in their second macrocyclic ring system. Compound 2 showed inhibitory effects on the proliferation of human rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast cell (MH7A) at a concentration of 20 μM.

Background Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in the world. Due to the prevalence and high morbidity, it is of key importance to make a quick and accurate diagnosis and effective therapy. The use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of endometrial cancer is a significant challenge in conducting clinical trials. PDT is non-invasive, with few side effects, damaging only neoplastic tissue, leaving healthy adjacent structures intact. Thanks to numerous experiments (also in vitro), PDT is gaining more and more recognition as a potential tool in endometrium cancer treatment. Objective The aim of the study was to analyze the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy on endometrial cancer tissue samples Methods In the in vitro experiment of PDT, sections of endometrial cancer tissue taken from female patients were subjected to. Rose Bengal was used as a photosensitizer in order to assess the usefulness of the applied PDT and to introduce these solutions into the in vivo test procedure. Results Changes on the cellular substrate, such as: chromatin condensation, disturbed structure and shape of cell nuclei were observed in all tissues subjected to PDT. Conclusions The PDT experiment in vitro offers opportunities and hopes for using the chosen procedure also in vivo. Keywords endometrial cancer; photodynamic therapy; in vitro; treatment; rose bengal

Abstract: The study focuses on how socio-economic and demographic indicators affect fertilization sustainability (excessive amount of fertilization). Principally we aim to examine the significance magnitude of the effects of three socio-demographic variables such as traditional way of fertilization, rental land farming, and farmers’ younger age on over-fertilization in Bangladesh and other developing countries. In 1960s, Bangladesh state authority launched a campaign ‘Grow more Food’ to feed huge numbers of population and thus the farmers are provided chemical fertilizers and pesticides at a subsidized low price. Farmers began to use huge amount of fertilizers for gaining high yields and continued it to present causing environmental woes a lot. We interview (face-to-face, focus group discussion, and phone interview) 210 Bangladesh farmers in 2016 by semi-structured questionnaire. Data has been analyzed using General Linear Model (GLM) in Univariate Analysis of Variance. The study found the effect of traditional way of fertilization on excessive amount of fertilization is strongly significant at 1% level. Apart from, rental land farming and farmers’ younger age have a significant influence on over- fertilization; though their significance level (5% and 10% respectively) is quasi-strong. Policy makers can be able to formulate fertilizer policy on the basis of these findings.

Organic fertilizer application in agricultural land is known to improve soil microbial processes, fertility, and yield. In particular, stable changes in soil chemical composition through multi-year fertilization of organic fertilizers are thought to cause changes in the microbial community. Here, the effects of oil cake amendments (OC) on soil bacterial diversity, community profile and enzyme activity were evaluated and compared to those amended with chemical fertilizer (NPK). The comparison of diversity indices between OC and NPK amended soils shows that application of oil cake has increased microbial diversity potentially with an increase in the number of different microbial groups. The ordination plot distinguished and clustered both treatments showing differential effects of soils chemical factors on the microbial communities of each treatment. Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Bacteriodetes were significantly abundant in OC amended soil than in the NPK received soil, indicating alterations in community structure, composition, and diversity con-current to the changes in pH, Ca and Mg contents of the soil. These shifts in bacterial community structure and composition could also be observed from the phylum to the genus level in both NPK and OC amended soils partially explained by differences in soil chemical factors. The OC soil compared to the NPK amended soil also contain significantly higher abundance of predicted genes corresponding to enzymes related to biogeochemical cycling, decomposition and plant growth promotion. Collectively, these results support the use of an unconventional organic fertilizer positively altering bacterial populations in jujube orchards. The application of oil cake-based organic fertilizer improved microbial diversity and enhanced potential ecosystem functions related to bio-geochemical cycles, mineralization and plant growth promotion.

The nature of the interaction between Th17 cells and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is critical for the development of autoimmune inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). TNF-a or IL-17 stimulation is known to enhance the adherence of Th17 cells to the brain endothelium. The brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) express VCAM-1, the receptor responsible for inflammatory cell adhesion, which binds VLA-4 on migrating effector lymphocytes at the early stage of brain inflammation. The present study examines the effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-a and IL-17 on the adherence of Th17 cells to bEnd.3 The bEnd.3 cells were found to increase production of CCL2 and CXCL1 after stimulation by pro-inflammatory cytokines, while CCL2, CCL5, CCL20 and IL17 induced Th17 cell migration through a bEnd.3 monolayer. This interaction between Th17 cells and the brain endothelium appears to be mediated by VCAM-1 and some chemotactic cytokines. This observation may suggest potential therapeutic targets for the prevention of autoimmune neuroinflammation development in the CNS.

Sepsis is a life-threatening syndrome triggered by infection and accompanied by high mortality, with antimicrobial resistances (AMRs) further escalating clinical challenges. Rapid and reliable detection of causative pathogens and AMRs are key factors for fast and appropriate treatment, in order to improve outcome in septic patients. However, current sepsis diagnostics based on blood culture is limited by low sensitivity and specificity while current molecular approaches fail to enter clinical routine. Therefore, we developed a Suppression PCR-based selective enrichment sequencing approach (SUPSETS), providing a molecular method combining multiplex suppression PCR with Nanopore sequencing to identify most common sepsis-causative pathogens and AMRs using plasma cell-free DNA. Applying only 1 mL of plasma, we target eight pathogens across three kingdoms and ten AMRs in a proof-of-concept study. SUPSETS was successfully tested on first ten clinical samples and revealed comparable results to clinical metagenomics while clearly outperforming blood culture. Several clinically relevant AMRs could be detected additionally. Furthermore, SUPSETS provided first pathogen and AMR-specific sequencing reads within minutes of starting sequencing, thereby potentially decreasing time to results to 11 - 13 hours and suggesting diagnostic potential in sepsis.

Reviewed are recent efforts leading to chemo-enzymatic syntheses of strongly fluorescent ribosides of nucleobase analogs, potentially applicable in analytical biochemistry and cell biology. Described are syntheses and properties of fluorescent purine, 8-azapurine and etheno-purine ribosides, obtained using various types of the purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) as catalysts of ribosylation, and -ribose-1-phosphate (r1P) as a second substrate. In several instances, the ribosylation sites were different than the canonical purine N9. Some of the obtained ribosides show fluorescence yields close to 100%. Their main applications are assays of PNP, nucleoside hydrolases, and other enzyme activities both in vitro and, possibly, within the living cells, using fluorescence microscopy.

In this article, we describe a simple procedure for evaluating the sterility of nutrient media using a shear-horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) biosensor. We used the SH-SAW biosensor platform to monitor the time-dependent phase responses of the material for the media that binds to a monolayer of 3-mercaptopropanyl-N-hydroxy succinimide on the biosensor surface. Increases in the phase shift less than 50% of the starting phase shift recorded 180 minutes after the sterilization indicate a successful sterility test of the media. Our devices were then applied to sterility testing using a viable Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 solution to confirm our hypothesis. Filtered LB Broth was the negative control, and a 24-hour culture of E. coli was the positive control. Before testing, the cell solution was pelleted, the media decanted and then replaced with a 1x phosphate-buffered saline solution (1x PBS). Since we know that the N-hydroxysuccinimide residues will bind to amine groups, only in cases where microbial species are present will the surface binding increase greater than 50%. We confirmed our hypothesis using SH-SAW biosensors and overnight E. coli cultures. The sensitivity for our 250 MHz quartz SH-SAW sensors was calculated based on the response from the E. coli K-12 solution over the linear dynamic range, which appears to be 2x104 – 2x107 CFU per ml and has a sensitivity of S = 1.655x105 o m2 Kg-1. The limit of detection (LOD) for these sensors was calculated to be approximately 2x10-9 grams (g) which is estimated to be approximately 2,000 Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 cells. However, the sensitivity and insertion loss remained approximately unchanged before and after coating the sensor with 3,3'-Dithiobis(succinimidyl) Propionate (DSP).

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) has not significantly benefited from advances in immunotherapy, mainly because of the lack of well-defined actionable antigen targets. Using proteogenomic analyses of primary EOC tumors, we previously identified 91 aberrantly expressed tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) originating from unmutated genomic sequences. Most of these TSAs derive from non-exonic regions, and their expression results from cancer-specific epigenetic changes. The present study aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity of 48 TSAs selected according to two criteria: presentation by highly prevalent HLA allotypes and expression in a significant fraction of EOC tumors. Using targeted mass spectrometry analyses, we found that pulsing with synthetic TSA peptides leads to a high-level presentation on dendritic cells. TSA abundance correlated with the predicted binding affinity to the HLA allotype. We stimulated naïve CD8 T cells from healthy blood donors with TSA-pulsed dendritic cells and assessed their expansion with two assays: MHC-peptide tetramer staining and TCR Vβ CDR3 sequencing. We report that these TSAs can expand sizeable populations of CD8 T cells and, therefore, represent attractive targets for EOC immunotherapy.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is the main severe complication of the ovarian stimulation for in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles. The aim of the current study was to identify the interventions for prevention of and reduction in the incidence and severity of OHSS in patients who undergo IVF not included in systematic reviews with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs), assess and grade their efficacy and evidence base. The best available evidence for each specific intervention was identify, analyzed in terms of safety/efficacy ratio and of risk of bias, and graded using Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) hierarchy of evidence. A total of 15 interventions to prevent OHSS were included in the final analysis. In IVF population not at high risk for OHSS, follitropin delta for ovarian stimulation may reduce the incidence of early OHSS and/or preventive interventions for early OHSS. In high-risk patients, inositol pretreatment, ovulation triggering with low doses of urinary hCG, and the luteal phase administration of GnRH antagonist may reduce the OHSS risk. In conclusion, even if not supported by systematic reviews with homogeneity of the RCTs, several treatments/strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of OHSS have shown to be promising.

As modern systems are becoming more complex their control strategy cannot longer relay only on measurement information that usually comes from probes but also from mathematical models. Those systems models can lead to unbearable computation times due to their own complexity, turning the control process non-viable, which leads to the implementation of surrogate models that enable to achieve estimates within acceptable time to take decisions. A control trained with Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithm, using a Physics-Informed Neural Network to obtain the temperature map on the following time step, replaces the need of running Direct Numerical Simulations. On this work we considered an 1D heat conduction problem, which temperature distribution feeds a control system to activate a heat source aiming to obtain a constant, previously defined, temperature value. With this approach, control training becomes much faster without the need of performing numerical simulations or laboratory measurements, as well the control is taken based on Neural Network enabling its implementation on simple processors to edge computing.

With the exponential growth of internet usage and mobile devices, the volume of user behavior data has surged, offering significant opportunities and challenges for businesses. This paper explores user behavior analysis in the context of big data, highlighting its pivotal role in driving innovation and strategic decision-making. We begin by discussing the importance of user behavior data and reviewing technological advancements such as machine learning, natural language processing, and data mining that enable deep insights into user behavior. Through a case study on linguistic analysis in livestreaming e-commerce, we demonstrate how text-mining techniques can correlate linguistic characteristics with sales performance, providing actionable marketing insights. We further explore the broader business applications, including personalized recommendations, user portraits, product design, and strategic decision-making. Technical and ethical challenges, such as data integration, privacy concerns, and algorithmic bias, are also addressed. The paper concludes with a discussion on future trends, such as AI and ML advancements, edge computing, IoT proliferation, and ethical AI frameworks, poised to shape user behavior analysis. Our findings underscore the transformative potential of user behavior data in enhancing business operations and user experiences, providing recommendations for future research focused on real-time analytics, privacy-preserving techniques, and ethical implications of data-driven decisions.

Water footprint has been widely used to illustrate the consumption of water in many situations; for instance, in products, processes or regions of interest. In this work, we analyzed – using a sensitivity analysis approach – the effect of some variables in the calculation of the water footprint in the viticulture in Brazilian Serra Gaúcha (the major producing region of Brazilian Wine).The classical Penman-Monteith model for evapotransporation was considered, with uncertainties in some parameters (dead mulch covering fraction in the vineyard, maximum temperatures for some months, altitudes and latitudes of the site). The sensitivity analysis was conducted using the SAFE toolbox under Octave framework. The results indicated that the the portion of the water footprint corresponding to the evapotranspiration is more sensitive to the values of mulch covering fraction and the altitude of the site in comparison with the latitude and the maximum temperatures.

The composition simplex (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) of the leaf is the main scores used by different approaches like the Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis to study the nutrient interactions and balance in plant leaves. However, the application and validation of these concepts to grain composition remains unexplored. Contrary to foliar analysis's early intervention for nutrient deficiency detection and correction, applying this approach to seeds assesses diverse cultivars' potential, enabling anticipation of their adaptation to climate conditions and informed selection for future crops. In the present study, a collected database of more than 924 scores including the grain yield (kg ha-1) and the nutrient composition (mg kg-1) of different corn varieties is used to develop a novel nutrient-based diagnostic approach to identify reliable markers of nutrient imbalance. A 'nutrient signature' model is proposed based on the impact of the environ-mental conditions on the nutrient indices and composition (N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) of the corn grains. The yield threshold used to differentiate between low and high-yielding subpopulations is established at 12.000 kg ha-1and the global nutrient imbalance index (GNII) of 2.2 is determined using the chi-square distribution function and vali-dated by the Cate-Nelson partitioning method, which correlated yield data distribution with the GNII. Therefore, the nutrient compositions were classified into highly balanced (GNII ≤ 1.6), balanced (1.6 < GNII ≤ 2.2), and imbalanced (GNII > 2.2). In addition, we found that the Xgboost model's predictive accuracy for GNII is signif-icantly affected by soil pH, organic matter, and rainfall. These results pave the way for adapted agricultural practices by providing insights into the nutrient dynamics of corn grains under varying environmental conditions.

Based on the need for real-time sag monitoring of Overhead Power Lines (OPL) for electricity transmission, this article presents the implementation of a hardware and software system for online monitoring of OPL cables and cable sag determination. The mathematical model based on differential equations and the methods of algorithmic calculation of OPL cable sag are presented. Considering that, based on the mathematical model presented, the calculation of OPL cable sag can be done in different ways depending on the sensors used, and the presented application uses a variety of sensors. Therefore, a direct calculation is made using one of the different methods. Subsequently, the verification relations are highlighted directly and, respectively, the calculation by the alternative method, which uses another group of sensors, to generate both a verification of the calculation and the functionality of the sensors, thus obtaining a defect observer of the sensors. The hardware architecture of the OPL cable online monitoring application is presented, together with the main characteristics of the sensors and communication equipment used. The configurations required to transmit data using the ModBUS and ZigBee protocols are also presented. The main software modules of the OPL cable condition monitoring application are described, which ensure the monitoring of the main parameters of the power line and the visualisation of the results both on the electricity provider's intranet using a web server and MySQL database, and on the Internet using an Internet of Things (IoT) server. This categorisation of the data visualisation mode is done in such a way as to ensure a high level of cyber security. Starting from the mathematical model of the OPL cable sag calculation, it goes through the stages of creating such a monitoring system, from the numerical simulations carried out using Matlab to the real-time implementation of this monitoring application. The main modules of the application software are: the software module for reading quantities from the sensor network through a ModBUS Input/Output (I/O) server, the software module for real-time calculation of the OPL cable sag, the software module for read/write operations based on MySQL type data, the software module for transferring data to the user's intranet through a web server, and the software module for viewing data by authorised users based on user and password through an IoT server. The development software environments used are Matlab and Laboratory Virtual Instrument Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW).

Phyllanthus emblica (P. emblica) has been described in many studies to have multiple therapeutic activities and is considered an important part of Ayurvedic and Unani medicinal systems. This study successfully synthesized P. emblica loaded polyvinylalcohol/gelatin based cryogels (PVA/Gel/P.emblica) to examine their potential in wound dressing applications. Swelling tests, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and morphology analysis were conducted within the scope of characterization studies. In vitro cell culture studies were performed using HaCaT cells to illustrate the suitability of the synthesized cryogels as wound dressing material. The swelling tests and BET analysis results showed that swelling and surface area properties of cryogels increased with increasing P. emblica amounts. Morphological results displayed that the cryogels had a dense, interconnected pore morphology and a macroporous structure. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), trypan blue exclusion and live-dead assay results revealed that adding of P. emblica into cryogels led to enhanced cell proliferation, increased cell number, and improved cell viability. Based on the phase contrast microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), immunofluorescence and giemsa staining images, it was observed that P. emblica promoted cell attachment, proliferation and penetration. In conclusion, it has been shown that PVA/Gel/P.emblica cryogels are suitable for use as wound dressing materials and can be developed with further studies.

Nitrogen fertilization can provide greater nutritional support and mitigate salt stress in the millet crop. The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological responses and agronomic performance of millet crops subjected to nitrogen fertilization and irrigation water salinity. The study was carried out in a greenhouse, using a completely randomized design in a 5 x 2 factorial scheme, with 4 rep-lications, with five doses of nitrogen (40; 60; 80; 100 and 120 kg ha-1 of N) and two levels of elec-trical conductivity of the irrigation water: 0.3 and 4.0 dS m-1. We concluded that salt stress in-creased leaf sodium levels and had a negative impact on stalk dry mass and panicle dry, leaf gas exchange, mineral element concentrations (K, P and Ca), and water use efficiency. The use of lower salinity water associated with increased nitrogen fertilization provides greater stalk dry mass and panicle dry, photosynthesis, water use efficiency, chlorophyll index, leaf potassium concentration, and biomass production. Salt stress negatively affected transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf P and Ca levels, and increased leaf sodium levels as nitrogen fertilization increased in millet plants grown under pot conditions. These results can be used to create a strategy to reduce the negative impact of salt stress associated with the nutrition of millet plants, using nitrogen fertilization.

Renal replacement therapy (RRT), widely used in the treatment of renal injury in the course of sepsis, aims to eliminate the toxins and proinflammatory cytokines, involved in the pathomechanism underlying septic shock. Dialysis filters characterised by a high adsorption potential for cytokines in RRT when septic renal injury is the case. It is of key importance in the antibiotics treatment of sepsis to achieve desired values of PK/PD indices. Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) may affect antimicrobial clearance, increasing their elimination in some cases. The aim of this study was to determine the degree of adsorption for linezolid, on three different types of filters used in CRRT. In our in vitro study a continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) was conducted using 3 types of filters: polysulfone (PS), polyethyleneimine-treated polyacrylonitrile (PAN PEI) and non-PEI-treated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) filters. Each type of filter was used in 3 CVVH cycles, involving the use of 600 mg of linezolid dissolved in 700 ml of bovine blood or in 700 ml of 0.9% NaCl. In each case the total volume of the obtained solution was 1000 ml. Blood samples, at particular time points, were collected in order to measure drug concentration. The differences in mean drug/NaCl adsorption and drug/ blood adsorption were determined using one-way ANOVA with multiple comparisons by Tukey post-hoc test. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered to be significant. A significant adsorption of linezolid was found for PAN PEI filter, both in samples obtained from bovine blood and 0.9% NaCl solutions, at the endpoint. No significant adsorption was demonstrated on PAN or PS filters. There is a need for in vivo research to confirm the effect of filter type on linezolid concentration in patients undergoing CRRT.

Essential oils (EOs) have been gaining popularity in the past decades among researchers due to their potential to replace conventional chemicals used in the fight against pests, pathogenic and spoilage microbes and oxidation processes. EOs are complex mixtures with many chemical components the content of which depends on many factors – not just the plant genus, species or subspecies, but also chemotype, locality and climatic conditions, phase of vegetation, method of extraction and others. Due to this fact, there’s still much to study, with antimicrobial effect being one of the key properties of EOs. There are many methods that have been frequently engaged by researchers for in vitro evaluation; however, although the research has been going on for decades, an internationally accepted standard is still missing. Most of methods are based on time-proven standards used for testing of antibiotics. Due to the specific properties of EOs and their components, such as volatility and hydrophobicity, many modifications of these standard procedures have been adopted. The aim of this review is to describe the most common methods and their modifications for testing of antimicrobial properties of EOs and to point out the most controversial variables which can potentially affect results of the assays.

: Greenhouse plants are usually grown in containers filled with growing media. Peat is the main component of the growing media used in greenhouses. However, peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. Wood fiber can be an alternative to use as a growing media for controlled-climate crops. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the vegetative container. Therefore, this study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) conventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in WF/PS 50/50 and WF/PS 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat substrate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

Nuclear vacuoles are specific structures present on the head of the human sperm of fertile and non-fertile men. Human sperm head vacuoles have been previously studied using motile sperm organelle morphology examination (MSOME) and their origin related to ab-normal morphology, abnormal chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation. How-ever, other evidences argued that human sperm vacuoles are physiological structures and consequently, to date, the nature and origin of the nuclear vacuoles remains to be elucidat-ed. Here, we aim to define the incidence, position, morphology, and molecular content of the human sperm vacuoles using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immuno-cytochemistry techniques. Results showed that ~50% of the analyzed human sperm cells (n = 1908; 17 normozoospermic human donors) contained vacuoles mainly located (80%) in the anterior head region. A significant positive correlation was also found between the sperm vacuole and nucleus areas. Furthermore, it was confirmed that nuclear vacuoles were invaginations of nuclear envelope containing cytoskeletal proteins and a cytoplas-mic enzyme, discarding a nuclear or acrosomal origin. According to our findings, these human sperm head vacuoles are cellular structures which take the origin from nuclear invaginations and contain perinuclear theca (PT) components, allowing to define a new term of ‘nuclear invaginations’ rather than ‘nuclear vacuoles.

Probiotic feed additives have attracted considerable research interest in recent years because the effectiveness of probiotics can differ across microbial strains and the supplemented macroorganisms. The present study was conducted on 16 lambs divided into two groups (C - control and E - experimental). The examined lambs were aged 11 days at the beginning of the experiment and 40 days at the end of the experiment. The diet of group E lambs was supplemented with a multi-strain probiotic formulation (Lactobacillus plantarum AMT14, Lactobacillus plantarum AMT4, Lactobacillus rhamnosus AMT15, and Bifidobacterium animalis AMT30), whereas group C lambs did not receive the probiotic additive. At the beginning of the experiment (day 0) and on experimental days 15 and 30, blood was sampled from the jugular vein to determine and compare: phagocytic activity (PHAGOTEST) and oxidative metabolism (PHAGOBURST) of peripheral blood granulocytes and monocytes by flow cytometry. An analysis of the phagocytic activity of granulocytes and monocytes revealed significantly higher levels of phagocytic activity (expressed as the percentage of phagocytic cells and mean fluorescence intensity) in lambs administered the multi-strain probiotic formulation than in the control group. The probiotic feed additive also exerted a positive effect on the oxidative metabolism of both granulocytes and monocytes (expressed as the percentage of oxidative metabolism and mean fluorescence intensity) after stimulation with Escherichia coli bacteria and with PMA (4-phorbol-12-β-myristate-13-acetate).

Multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) outbreaks have been steadilyincreasing in Intensive care units (ICUs). Still, healthcare institutions and workers (HCW) reached no unanimity on how and when implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies. We aimed to provide a pragmatic, physician practice-oriented, resume of strategies towards different MRDOs outbreaks in ICU. We performed a narrative review on IPC in ICUs, investigating patient-to-staff ratios, education, isolation, decolonization, screening and hygiene practices, outbreak reporting, cost-effectiveness, reproduction-number(R0), and future perspectives. The most effective IPC strategy remains unknown. Most studies focus on a specific pathogen or disease, making the clinician losing the big picture. IPC strategies proved their cost-effectiveness regardless typology, country, or pathogen. A standardized, universal, pragmatic protocol for HCW education should be elaborated. Likewise, a rapid outbreak recognition tool elaboration (i.e., an easy-to-use mathematical model) would improve early diagnosis and spreading prevention. Further studies are needed to express in favor or against MDROs decolonization. New promising strategies are emerging and need to be tested in the field. The lack of IPC strategies application has made, and still makes ICUs a major MDROs reservoir into the community. In a not-too-distant future genetic engineering and phage therapies could represent a plot-twist in MDROs IPC strategies.

Cymbidium faberi Rolfe is one of the traditional Chinese orchids with important ornamental value, and the cultivation of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe mutant strains with different appearances is essential to increase its economic value, but at present, the acquisition of Cymbidium faberi Rolfe mutant strains basically relies on natural mutation.The objectives of this research were to mutagenize Cymbidium faberi Rolfe protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) and shoots in vitro using sodium azide (NaN3), and to screen and evaluate mutants in mutagenized Cymbidium faberi Rolfe seedlings using morphological characteristics.Cymbidium faberi Rolfe PLBs and shoots were used as mutagenic materials, and co-cultivated in induced shoots growth medium with the addition of 0.0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 mg/L and 0.0 (control), 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, and 10.0 mg/L NaN3 to induce the mutations, and the mortality rates of the PLBs and shoots were increased with the increase of the NaN3 concentration.At 14 d of co-cultivation, PLBs and shoots were most efficiently mutagenized with 1.5 mg/L and 4.0 mg/L NaN3, respectively.After the explants were cultured for 3 months, changes in leaf and flower morphology were observed in some mutants: shorter and thicker leaves, shorter node length, reduced height, and mid-translucent leaves compared with controls; and some Cymbidium faberi Rolfe bloomed prematurely, with single flowers with large, thick petal sepals and small inflorescences, and colours include light green throughout, and a few with purple stamens.This suggests that NaN3 can effectively mutagenise Cymbidium faberi Rolfe PLBs and shoots to satisfy people's demand for Cymbidium faberi Rolfe's ornamental properties while increasing its economic value.

Microsporidia are intracellular parasites infecting a wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. In bees, they cause a diarrheal disease called nosematosis, which represents a growing problem contributing to the decline of bee colonies. This parasitic disease infects the gastrointestinal tract of bees, disrupts their immune system, weakens them, and shortens their lifespan. There are two known species of this microsporidial parasite with a global distribution: Vairimorpha apis and Vairimorpha ceranae, with current research indicating that the species V. ceranae is gradually replacing V. apis. In this study, we focused on the detection and occurrence of Vairimorpha spp. in bee colonies kept in different environments, as well as on comparing the impact of hive location on its occurrence. The methods used included sampling from winter bee carcasses, microscopic examination of bee gut contents, and subsequent molecular duplex PCR analysis. Altogether, we examined 82 hives located at 4 different sites and focused on the impact of transportation as an abiotic factor disturbing bees leading to the development of Vairimorpha spp. disease. The results indicate an increased occurrence of this parasite in hives located in urban sites and hives situated in intravillage locations, which may be attributed to transportation and associated vibrations as an abiotic stress factor. Detection revealed that all samples were positive for Vairimorpha ceranae.

:Peat substrate is made from peat from drained peatlands, which is a limited resource. A realistic estimate is that 50% of the world’s wetlands have been lost. Peat is used in horticulture, especially for the cultivation of vegetables in greenhouses. The consequences of peatland exploitation are an in-crease in the greenhouse effect and a decrease in carbon stocks. Wood fiber can be used as an al-ternative to peat. The chemical properties of the growing media interact and change continuously due to the small volume of the growing media, which is limited by the growing container. This study aims to gain new knowledge on the impact of nutrient changes in the microbial degradation of carbon compounds in wood fiber and mixtures with peat substrate on the content and uptake of nutrients required by plants. Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.) variety “Dirigent H” developed in the Netherlands, were cultivated in growing media of peat substrate and wood fiber: (1) peat substrate (PS); (2) wood fiber (WF); (3) wood fiber and peat substrate 50/50 v/v (WF/PS 50/50); (4) wood fiber and peat substrate 25/75 v/v (WF/PS 25/75). The rates of fertilization were the following: (1) con-ventional fertilization (CF); (2) N13; (3) N23; (4) N30. The experiment was carried out in three repli-cations. As the amount of wood fiber increased, the humidity and pH of the growing medium in-creased. Fertilization of cucumbers with different rates of nitrogen influenced the nutrient uptake. Plants grown in 50/50 and 25/75 growing media had the best Cu uptake when fertilized with N23. When the plants grown in the wood fiber media and the 50/50 media were fertilized with N13, N23, and N30, the Mn content in the growing media at the end of the growing season was significantly lower than the Mn content in the media with conventional fertilization. Thus, nitrogen improved the uptake of Mn by plants grown not only in the wood fiber but also in combinations with peat sub-strate. Growing plants in wood fiber and fertilizing them with N13 can result in optimum uptake of micronutrients. The number and mass of cucumber fruits per plant were influenced by the amount of wood fiber in the growing media and the application of nitrogen fertilizer. The highest number of fruits and mass of fruits per plant was obtained significantly higher when cucumbers were grown on WF/PS 50/50 growing media with additional N13 fertilization.

Despite the recognized influence of body mass on combat techniques, the relationship between body segment mass (BSM) and combat moves remains unexplored. This study aimed to examine the relationship between striking arm mass (SAM), kicking leg mass (KLM), and body mass (BM) with the dynamic forces of the direct punches (DP), palm strikes (PS), elbow strikes (ES), front kicks (FK), and countermovement jumps (CMJ) performance. Sixteen male military cadets (22.3 ± 1.8 years, 181.4 ± 7.0 cm, 82.1 ± 8.5 kg) performed combat techniques, with performance measured by using a force plate and body segment mass assessed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Spearman's correlation analysis, the Wilcoxon test, and Cohen's d were applied. Results indicated the relationship between KLM or BM and FK impulse (r = 0.64, p = 0.01; r = 0.52, p = 0.04, respectively) and CMJ impact force (r = 0.80, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.70, p ≤ 0.01, respectively). Moreover, FK peak and impact forces were moderately correlated with CMJ jump height (r = 0.74, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.77, p ≤ 0.01). The highest relationship was found between KLM and FK impulse; however, the difference in variability explained by KLM versus body mass is only 12%. This suggests that knowledge of BSM did not provide a significantly better estimate of the dynamic forces of the punches and FK than BM.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) stands as a significant cause of drug attrition. To mitigate clinical DILI risks, assessing drugs using human liver models is crucial since animal studies may fall short due to species-specific liver pathway variations. Cell-based preclinical hepatotoxicity testing is often pertinent. In the present study, cells from a human liver cancer line (HepG2, HepaRG) were cultured in both formats of 2D and 3D spheroids to explore their responses to drugs. Liver-specific marker expressions across cell lines and culture formats were also examined to assess disparities in drug-induced liver injury marker expressions. In cytotoxicity assays, HepG2 cells exhibited heightened sensitivity to amiodarone HCl, while HepaRG cells showed greater sensitivity to acetaminophen. Generally, 2D cultures were more responsive to drugs than 3D cultures. Consistency was observed between cytotoxicity assays and liver injury markers AST and ALT. Variations were also noted in liver cell marker secretion, with albumin and urea concentrations declining post-drug treatment, particularly with higher baseline expression in HepaRG cells and 3D cultures. Additionally, mRNA expression levels of CYP enzymes involved in hepatocellular drug metabolism were compared following treatment with enzyme inducers. CYP1A2 and CYP2C9 were not expressed in HepG2 cells. On the other hand, CYP3A4 was expressed higher in 3D culture than in 2D culture. HepaRG cells exhibited significantly increased expression of all three enzymes post-treatment. Notably, enzyme expression was notably higher in 3D cultures than in 2D cultures. Collectively, these findings suggest that HepaRG cells and 3D cultures hold promise for evaluating DILI during early-stage drug development.

In recent years, the prevalence of tobacco and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among adolescents has raised significant public health concerns worldwide. This study aims to investigate respiratory symptoms among Polish adolescents. We conducted an online survey among Polish school students from all provinces, collecting data over two months in Spring 2021. Students voluntarily complete the anonymous survey, answering questions about respiratory symptoms, smoking habits (both traditional and electronic cigarettes), and demographic information. Analysis focused on four subgroups: non-tobacco users, traditional cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users, and dual users, totaling 10,388 pupils aged 12-18 years, predominantly attending secondary technical and comprehensive schools. A total of 10388 pupils participated in the study, 55.6 % (5778) of whom were girls and 44.4 % (4610) boys. Adolescents, who admitted using both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes experienced more frequent episodes of cough during the day (39.70%) and at night (18.40%) compared to their peers in other groups. Chest discomfort, including pain and pressure, was also reported more often by adolescents, who used e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes concurrently (27.60%) compared to their peers in other groups. Chest pressure was experienced less commonly by non-smoking adolescents (14.40%) than by smokers (18.90%). Higher severity of cough during the day and at night was observed in the group of adolescents using traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes concurrently compared to the other groups. The adolescents in the dual user group experienced more severe dyspnoea and wheezing compared to the other groups included in the comparison. The results of this study confirm the correlation between the occurrence of respiratory symptoms in adolescents who smoke cigarettes, use e-cigarettes and in dual users. The respiratory symptoms occur most frequently and are the most severe in the group of adolescents who use e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes

In Brazil, Brazilian borreliosis (BB), characterized molecularly, exhibits symptoms akin to Lyme disease (LD) but presents unique epidemiological, clinical, and morphological features. This study explores the incidence, diagnostic challenges, and awareness initiatives regarding this disease in Brazil. Employing a narrative review methodology, data were sourced from Pubmed, Ebsco, Google Scholar, and Web of Science without temporal constraints. Results reveal diagnostic complexities in Brazil due to the low sensitivity of conventional tests and the use of North American B. burgdorferi antigens. Despite challenges, epidemiological studies indicate an upswing in cases in humans and animals. Therefore, there is an urgent need to define new biomarkers, molecular strategies, or new antigenic targets to advance the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Early and accurate pathogen identification is crucial for active surveillance to comprehend and manage this zoonosis.

Companion cropping involves growing two or more species together, benefiting the conservation of natural resources and improving fertilization and nutrient cycling by balancing chemical and organic sources. Studies, as in the case of tree tomato and Hass avocado, have shown a significant increase in yield compared to monocultures, highlighting the viability of this practice. In addition to their environmental benefit, companion crops offer economic advantages to producers by obtaining multiple products in a single harvest, strengthening food security and the economy of rural families. This study evaluated three levels of fertilization and interactions between fruit trees at different altitudes, observing differential behavior in the variables evaluated. The combination of cape gooseberry and blackberry showed significantly positive results, with more leaves and fewer pests, demonstrating the benefits of companion plants. A trend towards the combined use of chemical and organic fertilizers was observed, a potential strategy to reduce costs and improve crop growth. The results were shared with producers interested in implementing companion cropping, encouraging the adoption of this more sustainable and profitable agricultural practice. Companion crop agriculture represents a viable and promising strategy for a more efficient and sustainable agriculture, with both environmental and economic benefits.

This review examines the effects of lingonberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea L.) on general and oral health. The effects of lingonberry are based on the vitamins, minerals, fibers and polyphenolic compounds it contains. Lingonberry's bioactive substances have a diverse range of antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiproteolytic, anticarcinogenic and antioxidant properties. Research results suggest that lingonberries can have a positive effect on human health. Berries, lingonberry juice/lingonberry nectar/fermented lingonberry juice and polyphenol fractions have been used in clinical studies. Lingonberries balance post-meal blood sugar, free fatty acids and insulin levels. Fermented lingonberry juice reduces Streptococcus mutans, Candida and periodontal pathogen counts, but is probiotic because it favors growth of Lactobacilli. In addition, it increases saliva secretion and thus lowers the risk of oral infections. It lowers the clinical parameters of periodontitis and the active matrix metalloprotease-8, reducing the low-grade inflammation associated with periodontal diseases. More studies on humans are needed.

Members of the genus Armillaria are widespread forest pathogens against which effective protection has not yet been developed. Due to their longevity and the creation of large-scale cloning of Armillaria individuals, the use of mycoviruses as biocontrol agents (BCAs) against these pathogens could be an effective alternative. This work describes the screening of double-stranded RNA banding patterns as a first approach for potential virus discovery and the use of stranded total RNA-seq for viral detection and characterization in Armillaria spp. collected in the Czech Republic. A total of five single-stranded RNA viruses were detected in Armillaria ostoyae and A. cepistipes, including the first virus of the family Tymoviridae found infecting a member the genus Armillaria and four viruses belonging to the recently described virus group "ambiviruses" with circular ambisense genome organization. Both hammerhead (HHRz) and hairpin (HpRz) ribozymes were detected in all the ambiviricot sequences. Armillaria viruses were compared by phylogenetic analysis and confirmed their specific host by direct RT-PCR, which showed the occurrence of interspecies transmission.

Steel surface protection with hard coatings is essential in the metalworking industry, yet developing high-performance hard coatings still remains a challenge. Quaternary nitride coatings, particularly TiAlSiN, have been extensively studied, but commercial TiAlSiN coatings vary widely, and there is a lack of consistent data. This study presents findings on the development and evaluation of TiAlSiN and TiAlSiN/TiN thin films, with an 800 nm thick TiAlSiN top coating and a 100 nm thick TiN mid-coating. The films were deposited on C120 tool steel discs via reactive DC magnetron sputtering. Ti and TiAlSi 75–20–5 (at.%) disc-shaped targets (50.8 mm diameter × 6.3 mm thickness), fabricated by our team through spark plasma sintering, were used for the sputtering process. Coatings were grown on smooth steel substrates heated to 300 °C, resulting in a uniform micro-structure with nanoparticles of globular (TiN) or pyramidal shape (TiAlSiN), as evidenced by SEM analysis. Nanoindentation tests showed superior mechanical properties for all coatings compared to the steel substrate. Micro-scratch tests indicated better scratch resistance for TiAlSiN/TiN bilayer (BL) coatings than for TiAlSiN single-layer (SL) coatings. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution revealed that the BL coatings demonstrated superior corrosion resistance compared to the SL coatings, even after thermal aging at 800 °C for 1 hour. The superior properties of the synthesized TiAlSiN/TiN films recommend them as protective coatings for tool steel surfaces.

Named Entity Recognition (NER) is a fundamental and pivotal stage in the development of various knowledge-based support systems, including knowledge retrieval and question-answering systems. In the domain of pig diseases, Chinese NER models encounter several challenges such as the scarcity of annotated data, domain-specific vocabulary, diverse entity categories, and ambiguous entity boundaries. To address these challenges, we propose PDCNER, a Pig Disease Chinese Named Entity Recognition method leveraging lexicon-enhanced BERT and contrastive learning. Firstly, we construct a domain-specific lexicon and pre-train word embeddings in the pig disease domain. Secondly, we integrate lexicon information of pig diseases into the lower layers of BERT using a Lexicon Adapter layer, which employs char-word pair sequences. Thirdly, to enhance feature representation, we propose a lexicon-enhanced contrastive loss layer on top of BERT. Finally, a Conditional Random Field (CRF) layer is employed as the model's decoder. Experimental results show that our proposed model demonstrates superior performance over several mainstream models, achieving a precision of 87.76%, a recall of 86.97%, and an F1-score of 87.36%. The proposed model outperforms BERT-BiLSTM-CRF and LEBERT by 14.05% and 6.8%, respectively, with only 10% of the samples available, showcasing its robustness in data scarcity scenarios. Furthermore, the model exhibits generalizability across publicly available datasets. Our work provides reliable technical support for the information extraction of pig diseases in Chinese and can be easily extended to other domains, thereby facilitating seamless adaptation for named entity identification across diverse contexts. The codes have been open-sourced at https://github.com/tufeifei923/pdcner.

Capsinoids (CAP) are potential antioxidant agents capable of reducing oxidative damage and the resulting complications triggered by obesity. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CAP on adiposity and biomarkers of cardiac oxidative stress in rats with obesity induced by a high-fat diet. Male Wistar rats were exposed to a high-fat diet for 27 consecutive weeks. After characterization of obesity (week 19), some of the obese (Ob) animals began to receive capsinoids (10 mg/kg/day) by orogastric gavage. Adiposity and comorbidities were assessed. In the heart, remodeling, injury and biomarkers of oxidative stress were determinated. The treatment did not reduce the adiposity induced d by obesity, but they were efficient in reducing cholesterol levels. CAP treatment did not cause a difference in heart and LV mass, despite having reduced troponin I concentrations. Furthermore, capisinoids did not reduce the increase in advanced oxidation of proteins products (AOPP) and carbonylated proteins (CBO) caused by obesity in cardiac tissue. Besides that, it was observed that ObCap rats presented high levels of malondialdehyde and greater activity of antioxidant enzymes compared to Ob. In conclusion, treatment with capsinoids did not lead to significant positive effects in reducing obesity-induced oxidative stress.

The zebrafish Danio rerio is suitable to study gametes as a model organism. There were &gt; 70% of zebrafish spermatozoa activated, because they were contaminated with urine or excrement. The movement of spermatozoon in water was propagated along the flagellum at 16 s after sperm activation, then damped from the end of the flagellum for 35 s and fully disappear at 61 s after activation. For artificial fertilization, milt must be added to an extender, which stops the movement of sperm and keeps the sperm motionless until fertilization. E400 was shown to be the most suitable extender as it allows to store sperm for fertilization for 6 to 12 h at 0-2oC. Sperm motility decreased only to 36% at 12 h post stripping (HPS) for E400 extender and to 19% for Kurokura extender. To achieve an optimal level of fertilization and hatching, a test tube with a well-defined amount of 6,000,000 spermatozoa in E400 extender per 100 eggs and 100 µl of activation solution has proved to be more successful than using a Petri dish. The highest fertilization and hatching rates reached 80% and 40-60%, respectively, with milt stored for 1.5 h in E400 extender at 0-2oC.

The extensive use of polypropylene (PP) in various industries has heightened interest in devel-oping efficient methods for recycling and optimising its mixtures. This study focuses on formu-lating predictive models for the Melt Flow Rate (MFR) and shear viscosity of PP blends. The in-vestigation involved characterising various grades, including virgin homopolymers, copolymers, and post-consumer recyclates, in accordance with ISO 1133 standards. The research examined both binary and ternary blends, utilising traditional mixing rules and symbolic regression to predict rheological properties. High accuracy was achieved with the Arrhenius and Cragoe models, at-taining R² values over 0.99. Symbolic regression further enhanced these models, offering signif-icant improvements. To mitigate overfitting, empirical noise and variable swapping were in-troduced, increasing the models' robustness and generalisability. The results demonstrated that the developed models could reliably predict MFR and shear viscosity, providing a valuable tool for improving the quality and consistency of PP mixtures. These advancements support the de-velopment of recycling technologies and sustainable practices in the polymer industry by opti-mising processing and enhancing the use of recycled materials.

The medicinal herb Centaurium erythraea is well-known for its natural ability to treat digestive issues like dyspepsia and liver insufficiency by promoting the secretions of the liver and esophagus. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of Centaurium erythraea extracts in treating diabetes. Decoction and Soxhlet procedures were used to examine the extracts, with water serving as the solvent. The extracts were tested for antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial effects, and inhibitory effects on alpha-amylase activity. In comparison to the aqueous extract, the decocted extract had higher levels of polyphenols, total tannins, and anthocyanins, as well as more effective antioxidant capacities. Due to its reduction of alpha-amylase activity and enteric absorption of glucose, Centaurium erythraea has also shown considerable anti-hyperglycemic action.

Populational aging is marked by chronic non-communicable diseases, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). IL-10 and IL-1β are pleiotropic cytokines with multiple biological effects linked to metabolic disorders. This cross-sectional study assessed 193 participants' IL-10 and IL-1β serum levels regarding their role in developing MetS, clinical characteristics, and their IL1B rs1143627 and IL10 rs1800890 variants' genotype frequencies in a population over 60. IL-10 levels correlated weakly with HDL levels and fat mass and inversely with triglycerides, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and estimated average blood glucose levels. IL-10 levels were also indirectly influenced by the patient's T2DM duration, lean mass amount, and bone mineral content. Participants with altered HDL, elevated serum glucose, raised HbA1c levels, or those over 80 had reduced serum IL-10 levels compared to those with normal levels or other age groups, respectively. Women also had higher serum IL-10 levels than men. Dissimilarity, IL-1β levels correlated directly only with the number of total leukocytes and segmented neutrophils, showing only significant variations with self-reported alcohol consumption. Our study also found that those with the IL10 AA genotype (lower IL-10 levels) had a significantly higher risk of developing MetS. These findings may help direct future research and more targeted therapeutic approaches in older adults.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with abdominal obesity, but this association has not yet been investigated in individuals on hemodialysis. This cross-sectional study, developed with 1014 individuals, aimed to analyze the prevalence of abdominal obesity and its association with the consumption of ultra-processed foods in individuals on hemodialysis. Consumption of ultra-processed foods was measured using a questionnaire, whose list of foods was based on the Surveillance System of Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases through Telephone Enquiry. Waist circumference was used to determine the presence of abdominal obesity. The difference in proportions between the independent variables and the outcome was verified using Pearson's chi-square test. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to determine the association between the outcome and the independent variables. The prevalence of abdominal obesity was 77.22%. In the final model, higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, be male and an adult, have between 8 and 11 years of schooling and practice physical activity below the recommended level increased the chances of having abdominal obesity. The research provides a basis for the creation and improvement of public policies that promote improvements in these health determinants.

Current agriculture intensifies crop cultivation to meet food demand, leading to unsustainable use of chemical fertilizers. This study investigates a few physiological and agronomic responses of common wheat following the inoculation with plant growth-promoting bacteria to reduce nitrogen inputs. A field trial was conducted in 2022-23, in Legnago (Verona, Italy) on Triticum aestivum var. LG-Auriga comparing full (180 kg ha-1) and reduced (130 kg ha-1) N doses, both with and without foliar application at end tillering of the N-fixing bacterium Methylobacterium symbioticum. Biofertilization did not improve shoot growth, while it seldom increased root length density in the arable layer. It delayed leaf senescence, prolonged photosynthetic activity, amplified stomatal conductance and PSII efficiency under reduced N dose. Appreciable ACC-deaminase activity of such bacterium disclosed augmented nitrogen retrieval and reduced ethylene production, explaining ameliorated stay-green. Yield and testing weight were unaffected by biofertilization, while both glutenin-to-gliadin and HMW-to-LMW ratios increased together with dough tenacity. It is concluded that Methylobacterium symbioticum can amplify nitrogen metabolism at reduced nitrogen dose, offering a viable approach to reduce chemical fertilization under suboptimal growing conditions for achieving a more sustainable agriculture. Further research over multiple growing seasons and soil types is necessary to corroborate these preliminary observations.

One of the main factors that influence the fertility of cattle in grazing systems in hot tropical climates is heat stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of season, breed, hormonal and physiological condition on the quantity and quality of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) and embryos produced in vitro, from Romosinuano (RM) and Tropical Milking (TM) donors. Three ovum pick-up and in vitro fertilization (OPU-IVF) were performed, one per season; hot dry (HD; 10, 10), hot humid (HH; 9, 9) and fresh dry (FD; 7, 10) in RM and LT donors. Serum levels of cortisol, insulin and glucose were measured, in addition to heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR) and rectal temperature (RT). Effect of season x genotype interaction (p≤0.05) was observed in all COCs variables and only in cleavage embryos (CLI) (p≤0.05). Body weight (BW) affected all COCs variables (p≤0.01), except unviable (UNV) although affected degenerated embryos (DEG) (p≤0.01) and total blastocysts (BLAST) (p≤0.01). Cow age only affected viable COCs (VIAB) (p ≤ 0.05), code one blastocysts (BC1) and BLAST (p≤0.01). Cortisol affected total COCs (COCsT), VIAB and total matured in vitro (TMIV) (p≤0.01), as well as CLI, BC1 (p≤0.01) and BLAST (p≤0.05). Insulin affected COCsT (p≤0.01), UNV (p≤0.05), denuded oocytes (DE) (p≤0.01), BC1 and code two blastocysts (BC2) (p≤0.01). Glucose affected all COCs variables (p≤0.01), except UNV and all embryo variables except BC2. HR affected COCsT, DE, TMIV (p≤0.01), CLI, BLAST and DEG (p≤0.05). RR affected COCsT, UNV, VIAB, CLI (p≤0.05), BC1, BLAST and DEG (p≤0.01). RT only affected DE, VIAB (p≤0.01) and BLAST (p≤0.05). The seasonal climatic year variation of Veracruz and changes in physiological and hormonal variables have diverse effects on the cumulus-oocyte complexes and embryos produced by RM and TM donors.

This study explores the implementation of the ANSI/373: Sustainable Production of Natural Dimension Stone standard within the North American dimension stone industry to identify driving forces behind the initiative and consider potential outcomes as it advances. The method involves a thorough review of ANSI/373, comparing it with voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSIs) in the forest industry to assess its effectiveness and challenges, and semi-structured interviews with contacts in the dimension stone field. Key drivers such as corporate social responsibility and market pressures influence the adoption of sustainability standards. The results highlight the embedded environmental considerations within the emerging dimension stone standards and their implications for sustainable practices in the industry. While the ANSI/373 standard promotes sustainable awareness and practices, it faces challenges in certification credibility and industry acceptance, particularly due to inconsistency among firms in their response, rigorous certification demands, and skepticism about certification credibility. The research advocates for enhanced collaborative frameworks to increase the standard’s adoption and impact, suggesting that industry stakeholders prioritize showcasing dimension stone as a practical, environmentally considerate material.

Cancer treatment is a significant focus in medicine owing to the increasing global incidence. Patients with advanced cancers that do not respond to conventional therapies have limited options and an unfavorable prognosis. Consequently, researchers are investigating complementary approaches to conventional treatments. One such approach is alkalization therapy, which aims to neutralize the acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) by increasing its pH level. The acidic TME promotes inflammation, tumor progression, and drug resistance. Alkalization therapy has been demonstrated to be effective for various cancers. In addition, natural products, such as triterpenoids, parthenolides, fulvic acid, Taxus yunnanensis, and apple pectin have the potential to alleviate symptoms, maintain physical fitness, and improve treatment outcomes of cancer patients through their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. In this review, we focus on the effects of alkalization therapy and natural products on cancer. Furthermore, we present a case series of advanced cancer patients who received alkalization therapy and natural products alongside standard treatments, resulting in long-term survival. We posit that alkalization therapy together with the supplementation of natural products may confer benefits to cancer patients by mitigating the side effects of chemotherapy and complementing standard treatments. However, further research is warranted to validate these clinical findings.

Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs), which contained cellulose tri-acetate used as a polymer base, a plasticizer in the form of o-NPOE, and meso-tetra methyl tetrakis-[methyl-2-(4-acetlphenoxy)] calix[4]pyrrole (KP) used as a carrier, were prepared and tested for the effective purification of aqueous solutions of methylene blue dye. The scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) were used to define the microstructure and surface of PIMs. Experimental results showed that with the increased concentration of methylene blue in an aqueous solution, the removal percentage also increased. Further observation also showed that the flux increased with the rise of the source phase pH values from 3 to 10. The carrier and plasticizer content in the membrane significantly influenced the membrane’s transport properties. The optimal composition of the membrane in per cent by weight was for KP: 74% plasticizer; 18% support; 8% carrier. It was shown that the membrane with optimal composition showed good reusability and enabled the easy and spontaneous separation of methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

Diarrhea is a common occurrence following vascular organ transplantation, including kidney transplants. It can be induced by non-infectious factors, adverse effects of immunosuppressive drugs, or infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites. Intestinal protozoan parasites, include Cryptosporidium spp., are causes of infectious diarrhea particularly in immunocompromised patients. This review aims to summarize reports on epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of Cryptosporidium spp. infection in adult patients, particularly following kidney transplantation.

Diabetes is a major health concern that the next-generation of on-demand insulin releasing implants may overcome for personalized therapy. Therein, 3D-printed phenylboronic acid-containing subcutaneous implants with on-demand glucose-triggered drug release abilities are produced using high resolution stereolithography technology. To that end, the methacrylation of phenylboronic acid is targeted following a two-step reaction. The resulting photocurable phenylboronic acid derivative is accordingly incorporated within bioinert polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate-based hydrogels at varying loadings. The end result are sub-centimeter scaled 3D-printed bionert implants that can be remotely activated with 1,2-diols and 1,3-diols such as glucose for on-demand drug administration such as insulin. As a proof of concept, varying glucose concentration from hypoglycemia to hyperglycemia levels readily allow the release of pinacol, i.e. a model molecule with similar release properties than insulin, at respectively low and high rates. In addition, the results demonstrated that adjusting the geometry and size of the 3D-printed part is a simple and suitable method for tailoring the release behavior and dosage.

Cybercrime Threat Intelligence (CTI) allows us to change our actions from reactive to proactive in the fight against threat actors, and to make more informed, data-driven security decisions. Thus this study proposes the practical implementation of CTI in the Arab world. This study focuses on strengthening CTI by integrating Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) and collecting realistic security alerts from honeypot systems and open source intelligence. The collected data is stored in the Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP), an open source platform that allows users to create and share IoCs with other organizations while staying informed about new threats. It features an intuitive interface for data analysis and threat identification, facilitating sharing, storage, and correlation of IoCs. Therefore, we leveraged MISP to generate IoCs based on the collected data and analyzed the results to identify potential cyber threats. The implemented platform aims to provide organizations with actionable information to prevent, detect and respond to cybercrime. This study presents a practical approach to strengthening CTI in the Arab world and provides an opportunity to strengthen the region’s security posture.

IgE-mediated wheat allergy is a gluten-related disorder. Wheat is one of the five most common food allergens in children. However, the natural history of IgE-mediated wheat allergy has seldom been described in the research literature. This study presents the current state of knowledge about the IgE-mediated wheat allergy in children.

Aim of our study was to retrospectively evaluate whether the oral administration of L. crispatus (M247) could increase pregnancy and live birth rates in women undergoing assisted reproductive technology procedures. Enrolled women (N=160) were divided into two groups: treated (N=80) or untreated (N=80) with the probiotic strain. The odds ratio for a treated woman to get a positive pregnancy test (PPT) was 1.56. In women aged 30–40 years, M247 increased the probability of a PPT in correlation with the progressive rise in BMI, reaching 47% (35% in controls) with a BMI of 35 (odds ratio: 2.00). The CAID statistics showed that in a woman of the blastocyst subgroup, below 43 years, with a BMI over 18.6, treatment with M247 increased the chance of a PPT from 28.4% to 44.5% (odds ratio: 2.08; p<0.05). Considering live births, rate of probiotic group was 12.5% versus 7.5% (odds ratio=1.76). Considering only the blastocyst subgroup, the treatment increased the number of live births by 200% (odds ratio: 3.64; p=0.05). As confirmed also by statistical indices like NNT, NNH and LHH, the use of M247 demonstrated a risk-benefit ratio to the full advantage of the benefits.

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the remineralization potential of primary teeth enamel after being exposed to different laser diode therapy. Methods: Ninety-six vestibular primary teeth enamel samples were divided into eight groups (n=12) with varying treatments: control (G1), CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish (G2), diode lasers at 980 nm (G3), 808 nm (G4), 450 nm (G5), 980 nm + CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish (G6), 808 nm + CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish (G7), and 450 nm + CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish (G8). Each sample was assessed using DIAGNOdent® at baseline, post-treatment, and post-pH cycle re-mineralization. SEM imaging was performed before and after treatment and following the pH cycle. Results: The results indicated that the 980 nm and 808 nm diode lasers, both alone and in combination with CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish, either maintained or increased the calcium (Ca) weight percentage (Wt%) in the enamel. The 980 nm diode laser combined with CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish (G6) showed a significant increase in Ca Wt%, suggesting a strong remineralization effect. Similarly, the 808 nm diode laser alone (G4) also promoted a substantial increase in Ca Wt%. In contrast, the 450 nm diode laser, whether applied alone or in combination with CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish, resulted in a lower Ca Wt% and an increase in phosphorus (P) Wt%. Most groups, except for the CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish alone (G2), demonstrated an increase in P Wt%, indicating a complex interaction between laser therapy and enamel remineralization. Conclusions: The combined use of laser therapy with CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish significantly enhanced the remineralization of temporary teeth enamel. The 980 nm diode laser + CPP-ACP-fluoride varnish showed the most pronounced improvement in remineralization, while the 808 nm diode laser alone also effectively increased calcium solubility. These findings suggest that higher wavelength diode lasers, particularly when combined with remineralizing agents, can effectively enhance the mineral content of primary teeth and promote enamel remineralization.

Berberine (BER) is a natural alkaloid found in various Berberis species, used traditionally in herbal medicine and dietary supplements. BER exhibited various biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-tumour properties by modulating cellular pathways and influencing gene expression. While BER shows promise in various health applications, its possible toxicity raises concerns. In 2023, EFSA issued a call for data on BER- and protoberberine (PROTBER)-containing products, to comprehensively assess its safety and potential health claims. With these premises, new data was collected by assessing: i) the phytochemical profile of BER- and PROTBER-containing preparations by newly developed HPLC-DAD method; ii) in silico and in vitro investigation of pharmacokinetics properties of BER; iii) in vitro cytotoxicity in different human cell lines and, iv) biological and molecular activities of extracts containing BER and PROTBER in in vitro human non-cancer cells. By testing 16 commercial Berberis extracts, the evidence collected showed a good qualitative reliability in terms of phytochemical profile and limited relapses on cytotoxicity even at 200 µg/ml after a 24h of exposure, while evidencing a good cellular bioavailability and cell migration inhibition. The potential for plant-drug interactions affecting CYP450 proved to be minimal. Overall, our work provides a useful overview to better elucidate potential concerns on botanicals containing BER and minor PROTBER commonly used in food supplement.

Background: Obesity remains a widely debated issue, often criticized for the limitations in its identification and classification. This study aims to compare two distinct systems for classifying obesity: Body Mass Index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BFP) as assessed by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). By examining these measures, the study seeks to clarify how different metrics of body composition influence the identification of obesity-related risk factors. Methods: The study enrolled 1255 adults, comprising 471 males and 784 females, with a mean age of 36 ± 11.90 years. Participants exhibited varying degrees of weight status, including optimal weight, overweight, and obesity. Body composition analysis was conducted using the TANITA Body Composition Analyzer BC-418 MA III device (T5896, Tokyo, Japan), evaluating the following parameters: current weight, basal metabolic rate (BMR), adipose tissue (%), muscle mass (%), and hydration status (%). Results: Age and psychological factors like cravings, fatigue, stress, and compulsive eating were significant predictors of obesity in the BMI model but not in the BFP model. Additionally, having a family history of diabetes was protective in the BMI model (OR: 0.33) but increased risk in the BFP model (OR: 1.66). The BMI model demonstrates exceptional predictive ability (AUC=0.998). In contrast, the BFP model, while still performing well, exhibits a lower AUC (0.975), indicating slightly reduced discriminative power compared to the BMI model. Conclusions:BMI classification demonstrates superior predictive accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity. This suggests that BMI remains a more reliable measure for identifying obesity-related risk factors compared to the BFP model.

Named Entity Recognition (NER) serves as a fundamental and pivotal stage in the development of various knowledge-based support systems, including knowledge retrieval and question answering systems. In the domain of pig diseases, Chinese NER models encounter several challenges such as the scarcity of annotated data, domain-specific vocabulary, diverse entity categories, and ambiguous entity boundaries.To address these challenges, a corpus, labeled datasets and a lexicon specific to pig diseases for Chinese named entity recognition were constructed. Subsequently, a Pig Disease Chinese Named Entity Recognition (PDCNER) model was proposed. The model integrates external lexicon knowledge of pig disease by employing Lexicon-enhanced BERT and enhance feature representation by incorporating contrastive learning. Experimental results show that the model achieved the best recognition results, with a precision of 86.92%, a recall of 85.08%, and an F1-score of 85.99% respectively. Furthermore, the model exhibits robustness and generalizability across few-shot and publicly available datasets. Experimental results illustrate the proposed model could effectively identify Chinese named entities of pig diseases, outperforming several existing baseline methods. Moreover, the proposed model can be extended to other animal disease domains, such as chicken and cattle, thereby facilitating seamless adaptation for named entity identification across diverse contexts.

Walls-like structured monoclinic WO3 thin films were obtained by spray deposition method for further integration in gas sensors. For sensing applications, it is very important to achieve a high surface-to-volume ratio surface together with a proper thin films structure. The present communication reports on the effect of the sprayed solution volume variation (as a thickness variation element) on the detailed Raman spectroscopy for WO3 thin films with different thicknesses grown from precursor solutions with two different concentrations. Detailed analysis of the two series of samples shows that the growing thickness strongly affects the films morphology while their crystalline structure is only slightly affected. The Raman analysis contribute to refining the structural features clarifications. It was observed that, for both concentrations, the increase in thickness seems to slightly affect the stoichiometry of material and, in association with surface morphology variations, provide new possibilities for fine tuning of films properties towards enhanced as sensing applications. Further studies are ongoing.

Obesity has increasingly become a worldwide epidemic, as demonstrated by epidemiological and clinical studies. Obesity may lead to development of a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), such as coronary heart disease (CHD), hypertension, heart failure (HF), cerebrovascular disease, atrial fibrillation (AF), ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). In addition to hypertension, there are other cardiometabolic risk factors (CRFs) such as visceral adiposity, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, elevated levels of fibrinogen, and C-reactive protein and others, all of which increase the risk of CVD events. Mechanisms involved between obesity and CVD mainly include insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and adipokines dysregulation, which cause maladaptive structural and functional alterations of the heart, particularly left ventricular (LV) remodeling and diastolic dysfunction. Natural products of plants, provide a diversity of nutrients and different bioactive compounds, including phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, carotenoids, anthocyanins, vitamins, minerals, fibers, and others, which possess a wide range of biological activities including antihypertensive, antilipidemic, antidiabetic, and other activities, thus conferring cardiometabolic benefits. In this review, we discussed the main therapeutic interventions using extracts from herbs and plants in preclinical and clinical trials with protective properties targeting CRFs. Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets of herbs and plants extracts for the prevention and treatment of CRFs are also reviewed.

Despite the existing effective treatment methods, tuberculosis (TB) is the second most deadly infectious disease globally, its carriers in the latent and active phases accounting for more than 20% of the world population. An effective method to control TB and reduce the mortality is regular population screening and diagnosis of the latent form of TB in order to take preventive and curative measures. Numerous methods allow diagnosing TB and directly detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) biomarkers, including M.tb DNA, proteins, and specific metabolites, as well as antibodies produced by the host immune system in response to M.tb. PCR, ELISA, immunofluorescence and immunochemical analyses, flow cytometry, and other methods allow the detection of M.tb biomarkers or the host immune response to M.tb by recording the optical signal of fluorescent or colorimetric dyes included in the diagnostic tools. Current research in biosensors is aimed at increasing the sensitivity of detection, which can be achieved by using brighter and more photostable optical tags containing fluorescent quantum dots. Here, we review current methods for detection of M.tb biomarkers using optical sensor systems, primarily quantum dot–based nanosensors, and summarize M.tb biomarkers whose detection can be made significantly more sensitive by using quantum dot–based nanosensors.

Immunofluorescent methods in vitro have been widely used to characterize the distribution and extent of colocalization of molecules located in various intracellular compartments. These are key processes to better understand the role of those molecules in physiological and pathological conditions.In the brain, interactions of astrocytes with neurons are fundamental for the establishment and proper functioning of neuronal circuits. Among these, the phagocytosis of synapses that need to be removed is a process known as synaptic pruning. When this process is dysregulated, it might lead to the development of several brain disorders. Here, we describe the adaptation of a method to characterize the astrocyte-mediated synaptic phagocytosis and evaluate astrocytic (dys)functions in healthy cells and cells derived from an animal model of major depressive disorder (MDD).

Introduction: This review explores the literature and presents institutional cases of concurrent robotic multisite surgery—in particular, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) for synchronous prostate and kidney cancers. We highlight dual-console synchronous robotic procedures, emphasizing the unique docking tech-nique developed. Aim: The aims of the study were to evaluate the feasibility, safety, and clinical outcomes of concurrent RARP and RAPN for synchronous prostate cancer and small renal tumors, as well as other concurrent robotic multisite surgeries, and to compare institutional findings with the existing literature. Materials and Methods: We describe the unique docking technique used in our procedures, which facilitates atraumatic transitions between surgeries using the same port sites. Additionally, eligible studies on concurrent robotic multisite surgery that were published in English were retrieved from the MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Data on operative time, blood loss, complications, and postoperative outcomes were extracted. Results: Eight cases from our institution demonstrated the feasibility and safety of the proposed approach, which is consistent with previous reports. The unique docking technique and dual-console setup enhance surgical precision, offering significant benefits in patient outcomes. As part of the litera-ture review, nine retrospective studies involving 40 cases of concurrent RARP and RAPN were reviewed. Additionally, eleven retrospective studies involving 392 cases of concomitant RARP and robotic transabdominal preperitoneal inguinal hernia repair (RTAPPIHR) were analyzed. Conclusions: Concurrent RARP and RAPN for synchronous prostate and kidney tumors is a viable and effective approach. Our early experience suggests that this and other combined procedures can optimize patient care and reduce costs. Prospective trials are needed to validate these findings and further refine the techniques.

Analysing the human body by direct observation can lead to misinterpretation of underlying trends, whereas in vitro organ models facilitate their understanding. Likewise, in vitro organ models serve as valuable tools for assessing the toxicity of compounds. However, none of the existing models had the features we considered critical for toxicity assessment, so we developed an in vitro liver model for toxicity assessment. We used four different types of primary liver cells: Hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, hepatic stellate cells, Kupffer cells and hepatocytes. We cultured them in different combinations of composition and volume of cell medium, hepatocyte proportion of total cells, and addition of extracellular matrix. We added rifampicin, ibuprofen and 5-fluorouracil to this model and observed the microanatomy and physiology changes for a week with preclinical and clinical instruments. Among the different model configurations, we selected the feature combination of the in vitro model that had similar biomarker values to those measured by the clinical instruments used in clinical diagnostics. When we exposed the selected model configuration to rifampicin, ibuprofen and 5-fluorouracil, the viability of Kupffer cells and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells was significantly lower than in the untreated samples. In contrast, we observed negligible viability of hepatocytes compared to the untreated samples. We have built an in vitro liver model that resembles the liver microenvironment and we have analysed it with clinical instrumentation to facilitate the data translation. In this sense, we have established that Kupffer and LSEC cells are suitable candidates for the search for clinical diagnostic markers of liver function.

Background/Objectives: Endocrine disruptors are ubiquitous agents in the environment and are present in everyday consumer products. These agents can interfere with the endocrine system, and subsequently the reproductive system, especially in pregnancy. Increasing research has been conducted to discover and describe the health effects of these agents on humans, including pregnant women, their fetuses, and the placenta. This review discusses prenatal exposure to various endocrine disruptors focusing on Bisphenols, Phthalates, Organophosphates, and Perfluoroalkyl substances, and their effects on pregnancy and fetal development. Methods: We reviewed the literature via PubMed and EBSCO databases and included the most relevant studies. Results: Our findings reveal that several negative health outcomes were linked to endocrine disruptors. However, despite the seriousness of this topic and the abundance of research on these agents, it remains challenging to draw strong conclusions about their effects from the available studies. This does not allow for strong, universal guidelines and might result in poor patient counseling and heterogeneous approaches to regulating endocrine disruptors. Conclusion: The urgency of the matter calls for urgent efforts, as more studies are needed in this realm, to protect pregnant patients ultimately and in the long term, society.

The mutation in NF2 is the most common alteration associated with meningioma oncogenesis, and it is related to the loss of a suppressing protein called merlin. At the same time, alterations in energy production are visible in cancer cells where increased demand for energy is observed. Fatty acid oxidation could be one of the ways cancer cells obtain energy. This metabolic pathway uses the acylcarnitine shuttle system, which is responsible for the acylation of fatty acids and their transport through mitochondria. Therefore, this study aimed to profile acylcarnitines with short-, medium- and long-acyl chain length in meningiomas to assess their changes in tumors with different NF2 mutation statuses. For the analysis, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled with liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) was used. The presented sampling method enables low invasive and easy collection of the analytes from the studied lesions, which can be crucial for future analysis of potential biomarkers in the surgery room. It was observed that higher levels of these analytes characterized meningiomas with NF2 mutation. Moreover, increased energy consumption and elevated levels of acylcarnitines show that these analytes can be considered as a marker of increased fatty acid oxidation in NF2 mutated cells.

Lake sediment records are of great importance for understanding the evolution of watershed environments. Various studies have been carried out to constrain the depositional ages of lake sediments and examine their physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, aiming to construct historical vegetation, environment and climate patterns in Chinese lake watersheds. In this study, we obtained relevant literature on lake sediment records by searching the key word 'age-depth' from the databases – Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, the largest Chinese academic database). We analyzed the literature based on its type (published in a Chinese/English journal or as a Master’s/PhD thesis), period of publication, journal (if published in a journal), key authors, study area, dating scale, and main aims. The results suggest that the lakes in the plateau regions are the most popular research topic typically covering 100–200 years (short-term) and 500–30,000 years (long-term). The literature focuses on a wide range of topics, from past environmental evolution in the watershed to lake ecology, and provides a solid foundation for better understanding regional climate change and the preservation of lake environments and ecosystems. In the future, resulting data from environmental reconstruction with lake sediments will be needed to integrate with emerging information processing technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence and meta-analysis), to disentangle the complex interplay between Earth surface processes and global climate change; furthermore, strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration will deepen our comprehension of man-land relationship and promote the sustainable management of lake ecosystems in the context of global climate change.

This work presents a novel compact CMOS potentiostat designed circuit for electrochemical cell. The proposed topology functions as a circuit interface, controlling the polarization of voltage signals at the sensor electrodes and facilitating current measurement during the oxidation-reduction process of a analyzed solution. The potentiostat, designed for CMOS technology, comprises a two-stage amplifier, two current mirror blocks coupled to this amplifier, and a CMOS push-pull output stage. It employs the electrochemical method of cyclic voltammetry, operating within voltage range of ±0.8 V and scan rates of 10mV/s, 25mV/s, 100mV/s and 250 mV/s. The circuit is capable of reading currents ranging from 10 µA to 500 µA. Experimental results were obtained using a potassium ferrocyanide (K3(FeCN)6) redox solution with concentrations of 10, 15 and 20 mmol/L, and their corresponding voltammograms were evaluated. The experimental results from a discrete circuit demonstrate that the proposed potentiostat topology produces outcomes consistent with those of classical topologies presented in the literature and industrial equipment.

In this paper, we proposed the fusion of two projection based face recognition algorithms: local binary Patterns in DCT domain and singular value decomposition (SVD) characterized by its simplicity and efficiently. Standard databases ORL are used to test the experimental results which prove that proposed system achieves more accurate face recognition as compared to individual method.

Poultry farming in Slovakia has a tradition and an irreplaceable position to ensure rational nutrition for the population. In terms of a nutritional value, poultrymeat (Galliformes) contains a high amount of proteins, essential amino acids, essential unsaturated fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and a low fat content. Poultrymeat production has a relatively short reproductive cycle and thus allows regulating the demand and supply. The poultry market also influences the development of domestic consumption. According to the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, the consumption of meat has witnessed a persistent increase over the last 10 years. [1] According to the 2023 AVEC (The Voice of European Meat Sector) annual report, the consumption of poultrymeat in Slovakia was 20.0 kg per person per year. The average consumption in the EU-27 (2021) was 23.4 kg, with the countries with the highest consumption being Portugal (37.8 kg), Ireland (36.0 kg), Hungary (33.5 kg) and Spain (29.9 kg). On the other hand, the countries with the lowest consumption of poultrymeat, apart from Slovakia, also include Austria and Greece with a consumption of 21.5, resp. 21.0 kg [2]. The breeding of broiler chickens, as well as the production and placing on the market of poultrymeat must comply with the requirements laid down by legislation, while the compliance is regularly checked by the competent authorities.

Background - Compared to the da Vinci platform, there is limited experience with the Hugo RAS platform for colorectal surgery in Europe. This difference is especially notable when considering a single complex procedure, such as total colectomy. Aim - To demonstrate the feasibility and safety of using the Hugo RAS for assisted total colectomy. Clinical case- Female patient: eighteen-year-old with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). Her IBM was 19. She underwent a total colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis using the Hugo RAS platform. The procedure took 230 minutes and had no complications. The postoperative period was uneventful. She was discharged from the hospital on the third postoperative day. Conclusion - The Hugo RAS platform is one of the emergent minimally invasive robotic platforms that can be used even in total colectomy if the proper patient selection is made. The placement choice of arms and trocars was crucial to obtain a similar operative time of the single laparoscopic approach. The certification of Hugo’s new instruments, such as energy devices and staplers, will make this platform even more competitive.

Despite the recognized influence of maximum or acceleration strength on combat techniques and countermovement jump (CMJ) performance, the relationship between body segment weights and combat techniques remains unexplored. This study aimed to examine the impact of body segment weights, including striking arm weight (SAW), kicking leg weight (KLW), and trunk weight (TW), on the dynamics of direct punches (DP), palm strikes (PS), elbow strikes (ES), front kicks (FK), and CMJ performance. Sixteen male military cadets (22.3±1.8 years, 181.4±7.0 cm, 83.0±8.1 kg) performed combat techniques, with performance measured by using a force plate and body segment weights assessed by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Spearman's correlation analysis was applied. Results indicated a strong correlation between KLW and FK impulse (r = 0.64, p ≤ 0.01) and CMJ impact force (r = 0.80, p ≤ 0.01). SAW showed moderate correlations with DP impulse (r = 0.53, p ≤ 0.05) and ES impulse (r = 0.54, p ≤ 0.05). Additionally, FK peak and impact forces were strongly correlated with CMJ jump height (r = 0.74, p ≤ 0.01; r = 0.77, p ≤ 0.01), and FK peak force moderately correlated with CMJ peak velocity (r = 0.63, p ≤ 0.05). These findings suggest targeted arm strength training could enhance striking abilities, while improvements in leg acceleration strength may directly boost kicking performance and vertical jump capabilities, which are crucial in combat scenarios.

Although a growing number of evidence emphasizes superior of VATS over conventional thoracotomy, still is little known about early postoperative diaphragm muscle function after lobectomy via these two approahces. To fill the gap in existing literature, we conducted comparative study between VATS and conventional thoracotomy in terms of postoperative diaphragm muscle function, assessing its contractility, strength, magnitude of effort and potential risk of dysfunction such as: atrophy and paralysis. A total of 59 patients (30 after VATS), who underwent anatomical pulmonary resection at our institution, were enrolled into this study. The control group was consisted of 28 health subjects without medical condition could contribute to diaphragm dysfunction. Diaphragm muscle was assessed before and after surgery using ultrasonography. We found that both surgical approaches were associated with postoperative impairment of diaphragm muscle function - compared to baseline data. Postoperative reduction of diaphragm contraction was demonstrated in all of 59 patients. In case of control group, the differences between measurements were no observed. We noted that lobectomy via thoracotomy was linked with greater percentage of patients with diaphragm paralysis or/and atrophy that VATS. Similar findings were observed in refer to diaphragm magnitude effort, as well as, diaphragm contraction strength, where minimal invasive surgery was associated with better diaphragm function parameters - in comparison to thoracotomy. Disturbance of diaphragm work was reported both at operated and non-operated side. Upper right and left lobectomy was connected with greater diaphragm function impairment than other segments. In conclusion, VATS technique seems to be less invasive than conventional thoracotomy providing a better postoperative function of a main respiratory muscle.

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, with its highly sensitive olfactory system, has emerged as a promising tool for testing chemotaxis. In the field of cancer diagnostics, there is a growing interest in the development of non-invasive screening methods for the detection of volatile organic compounds in a patient's urine. The objective of this study was to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by evaluating the ability of a Caenorhabditis elegans-based chemotaxis assay to discriminate between urine samples from healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with breast or colon cancer. Following synchronization of the developmental stages of C. elegans, nematodes were exposed to the urine of cancer patients and healthy individuals. Subsequently, chemotactic indices were calculated for each urine sample. Our results demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the chemotactic response of C. elegans to urine samples from cancer patients compared to healthy volunteers (p < 0.001). Moreover, the test exhibited promising diagnostic utility, with a sensitivity of 98%, a specificity of 62%, and a detection rate of 78%. Our findings expand on previous observations, confirming the remarkable sensitivity of C. elegans hermaphrodites to discriminating cancer-related volatile organic compounds in urine samples.

Background: Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) have been proposed as an alternative to traditional metal alloys for the realization of frameworks in full-arch implant supported prostheses. The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the deflection under load of seven prostheses endowed with frameworks made of different materials, including different types of fiber reinforced composites (FRCs). Methods: A master cast with four implant analogues in correspondence of the two lateral incisors and the two first molars was used to create full-arch fixed prostheses with the same shape and different materials. Prostheses were made in different materials (framework+veneering material): gold alloy+resin (Au+R), titanium+resin (Ti+R), FRC with multi-directional carbon fibers+resin (ICFRC+R), FRC with unidirectional carbon fibers+composite (UCFRC+C), FRC with glass fibers+resin (GFRC+R), FRC with glass fibers+composite (GFRC+C), resin (R, full-acrylic prosthesis). Flexural tests were conducted using Zwick/Roell Z 0.5 machine and the deflection of the lower surface of the prosthesis was measured in order to obtain load/deflection graphs. Results: Greater rigidity and less deflection were recorded for UCFRC+C, GFRC+C, followed by Ti+R, and Au+R. The greatest deformations were observed for resin alone, ICFRC+R and GFRC+R. The results were slightly different in the incisal region probably due to the greater amount of veneering material in this area. Conclusions: When used to realize full-arch frameworks, Au and Ti allow a predictable mechanical behavior with gradual deformations with increasing load. UCFRC also demonstrated good outcomes and less deflection than ICFRCs when loaded. The GFRC full-arch framework may be a valid alternative, however showed greater deflections. Further studies are needed in order to evaluated how different prosthesis design and material thickness might affect the outcomes.

The importance of conflict analysis and safety considerations during work zone intervals at signalized intersections cannot be overstated, as these periods pose unique challenges and safety risks for both motorists and pedestrians. Work zones introduce temporary changes to traffic patterns, lane configurations, and signal timings, which can disrupt the flow of traffic and increase the likelihood of conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. By conducting comprehensive conflict analysis, it is possible to identify potential conflict points, such as merging areas, pedestrian crossings, and lane transitions, and implement targeted safety measures to mitigate risks. Additionally, considering safety considerations during work zone intervals is paramount to safeguarding the well-being of road users and minimizing the occurrence of conflicts or collisions. Measures such as enhanced signage, temporary traffic control devices, and increased enforcement efforts can help promote compliance with traffic regulations and ensure the safe passage of vehicles and pedestrians through work zones. This study investigates the dynamics of traffic behavior and safety implications within work zones at signalized intersections, aiming to address key challenges and enhance intersection management strategies. Through comprehensive analysis, varying frequencies of Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) conflicts were observed across different movement directions, with significant occurrences identified in specific phases of the traffic signal cycle. Specifically, 69 V2V conflicts in phase #1, 181 in phase #2, 31 in phase #3, 207 in phase #4, 1 in phase #5, 274 in phase #6, 93 in phase #7, and 186 in phase #8 were recorded. Furthermore, the examination of Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) conflicts underscored the importance of prioritizing pedestrian safety, with notable occurrences observed in phases associated with pedestrian crossing movements. Meanwhile, despite the closure of left-turn movements, instances of red light running persisted, with 69 red light running events in phase #1, 181 in phase #2, 31 in phase #3, 207 in phase #4, 1 in phase #5, 274 in phase #6, 93 in phase #7, and 186 in phase #8.To mitigate these safety concerns during work zone intervals, proactive measures are essential. Strategies include improving communication through clear signage and advanced warning systems, enhancing enforcement efforts with red light cameras and increased police presence, and investing in infrastructure improvements such as temporary pedestrian facilities. Integration of real-time data from sensors, particularly LiDAR technology, offers significant advantages in detecting conflicts and red light runners during work zone intervals. LiDAR's precise, real-time data on vehicle and pedestrian movements, combined with its 360-degree coverage and high spatial resolution, facilitates accurate detection and tracking of potential conflict scenarios, contributing to enhanced intersection safety and traffic management efficiency. This study endeavored to conduct a traffic safety analysis during work zone intervals at a signalized intersection in Baltimore City, known for its high rate of traffic crashes, utilizing LiDAR sensor technology.

With the ongoing amendment of the EU legislation on the treatment of urban wastewater, stricter requirements for the removal of pollutants are expected, which calls for the need for innovative wastewater treatment technologies. Biological systems are still the first choice. The survey of typical bioreactors applied in wastewater treatment is presented. Wastewater treatment objective, bio-chemical environment and microbial growth are selected as a main criterion for classification of these bioreactors. Hydraulic and kinetic aspects are considered, advantages and drawbacks of these bioreactors regarding the selection of appropriate type of the reactor as well as regarding operation of reactors are mentioned. The aim of this paper is to provide operators and designers with a brief overview of selected traditional and advanced processes, reactors, and technologies for nutrient removal from municipal wastewater. Another goal is to discuss the possibilities and limitations to comply with more strict effluent standards. From the evaluation of the published papers, it follows that the currently applied traditional methods of nutrients removal have the potential to convey also with the expected stricter limits.

Latin America and the Caribbean offer the most favorable natural and social conditions for the emergence of cattle ranching that regenerate and maintains the ecosystem services on which life on Earth depends, that is energy efficient and that contributes to meeting fundamental human food needs. Unlike other major global producers, cattle farming in Latin America and the Caribbean is fundamentally based on pasture. Therein lies both its strength (due to the regenerative potential of well-managed pastures) and its vulnerability (due to the pervasive link between deforestation and pasture formation, especially in the Amazon, where 40% of the Brazilian herd is concentrated). The diversification of pastures (today marked by impressive monotony, with brachiaria accounting for 85% of the species in Brazil), the introduction of legumes and tree plantations within them, and the proper management of herds, open the way to the possibility of drastically reducing the area currently occupied by the activity (especially in the Amazon) while maintaining the supply of its products. Agricultural research has disseminated forms of moderate intensification of cattle ranching, which represent a low opportunity cost of animal feed and, at the same time, regeneration of ecosystem services that have so far been destroyed by the prevailing methods of farming.

Understanding HCPs COVID-19 vaccine concerns can provide critical insights to optimize success of the vaccine rollout program as they are a trusted source of health information to patients and the general population. We sought to understand reasons for health care providers’ COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in Kenyatta National teaching and referral Hospital. From April to July 2021, we interviewed 60 HCPs purposively sampled from the Infectious Disease Unit (IDU) (n=20) and other departments (n=40). We analyzed data using inductive and deductive approaches to understand reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. The HCPs had a median age of 37 years, (Interquartile range: [IQR 20.0-58.0]), 57% were female, 30% nurses among other cadres. Most HCPs cited low confidence in the vaccine such as mistrust in healthcare system and government, vaccine safety and efficacy concerns. Constraints such as uncertainty about the second vaccine dose availability, and misinformation caused hesitancy. Further, few were reluctant receiving the vaccine because of perceived herd immunity from a recent COVID-19 infection, and the need for more information before deciding. The study highlights the need to address any misinformation about vaccines safety and efficacy, and ensure accurate information is easily accessible to HCPs which can translate to higher vaccine uptake.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive and potentially fatal complication of sickle cell disease (SCD) affecting 6-10% of adult SCD patients. Various mechanisms and theories have been evaluated to explain the pathophysiology of the disease. However, questions remain, particularly regarding the clinical heterogeneity of the disease in terms of symptoms, complications, and survival. Beyond the classical mechanisms that have been thoroughly investigated and include hemolysis, nitric oxide availability, endothelial disorders, thrombosis, and left heart failure, attention is focused nowadays on the potential role of the genes involved in such processes. Potential candidate genes are investigated through next-generation sequencing, with the TGF-β pathway being the initial target. This field of research may also provide novel targets for pharmacologic agents in the future as is already the case with idiopathic PH. The collection and processing of data and samples from multiple centers can yield safe results that will allow a better understanding of SCD-related PH as a part of the disease’s clinical spectrum. The following review attempts to capture the most recent findings of studies on gene polymorphisms that have been associated with PH in SCD patients.