Background/Objectives: PEMF therapy has gained significant attention due to its potential benefits in promoting tissue repair and improving overall well-being. Recent publications in the field of exercise physiology, showed that pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) enhanced the velocity and the quantity of muscle O2 available and the rate of muscle oxygen extraction and utilization, in semi-professional cyclists, during a heavy constant-load exercise. In this paper, we investigate the effect of stimulation on muscular activation, in sedentary young people, during a constant-load exercise, performed at moderate intensity. Methods: Nine male sedentary young people, partic-ipated in this study. The response of the muscle activity, was recorded by surface EMG and assessed measuring the root mean square (RMS) normalized to the peak of the maximum voluntary con-traction. Data were collected in the right vastus Medialis (RVM) and right Biceps Femoris (RBF) at the baseline (standstill sitting), on warm-up (unloaded cycling) and during 30 minutes of con-stant-load exercise, in two experimental conditions (PEMF ON vs PEMF OFF). Results: The mul-tivariate analysis of variance performed on RVM showed a significant effect of PEMF in both warmup and exercise, while on RBF showed a significant effect of PEMF and warmup. Conclusions: PEMF strongly enhanced the amplitude of muscle activity in young sedentary people. The increase in the amplitude of the muscular response may lead to a higher oxygen consumption and release.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Despite new methods of diagnostics and treatment as well as extensive biological and immunosuppressive treatment, the etiology of RA is not fully understood. Moreover, the problem of diagnosis and treatment of RA patients is still current and affects a large group of patients. It is suggested that these ER-related features may impair adaptation to chronic stress, inferring the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. The main goal in this study was evaluation of changes in mRNA translation to determine chronic ER stress conditions in rheumatoid arthritis patients. The study group consist of 86 individuals including total 56 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 30 healthy controls. The expression level of mRNA form blood samples of RA patients as well as controls of the PERK-UPR associated genes: p-eIF2, BCL-2, PERK, ATF4, BAX were investigated by Real-Time qPCR. GAPDH expression was used as a standard control. Considering the median, the expression of PERK, BCL-2, p-eIF2, ATF4, BAX was found to be significantly increased in the blood of RA patients compared with the control group. The p-value for the PERK gene was 0.0000000036, the p-value for the BCL-2 gene was 0.000000014, the p-value for the p-eIF2 gene was 0.006948, the p-value for the ATF4 gene was 0.0000056 and the p-value for the BAX gene was 0.00019, respectively. Thus, it can be concluded that targeting of the components of the PERK-dependent UPR signaling pathway via small-molecule PERK inhibitors, may contribute to the development of novel, innovative treatment strategies against rheumatoid arthritis.

Genetic and environmental factors including lifestyle are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). There is evidence that diet can enhance the inflammatory response in genetically predisposed individuals. On the other hand, certain types of diets are thought to alleviate RA symptoms due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Also, natural compounds with potential effectiveness in RA management belong to different chemical classes such as flavonoids, polyphenols, carotenoids, and alkaloids with their antioxidant characteristics. In this paper, the nutritional approaches to prevent or extenuate the disease progress were examined in the light of current literature. Mediterranean and vegan diets equally have been shown to exhibit positive effects on RA as the consumption of dietary fiber, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds from fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and seeds are high. Whereas Mediterranean diet additionally includes beneficial nutrients of animal origin such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from fish and seafood, patients on vegan diet need to be monitored closely for intake of all critical nutrients. Certain calorie restrictions and intermittent fasting diets have been shown to benefit RA patients although there is an obvious need for further studies to establish solid evidence-based recommendations and guidelines. The research data available strongly suggest that dietary approaches may help delay the onset of RA and/or improve symptoms and thus nutrition should be routinely addressed to facilitate management of the disease.

Pardosa pseudoannulata is one of the most common wandering spiders in agricultural fields and a potentially good bioindicator for heavy metal contamination. However, little is known about the mechanism by which spiders respond to heavy metals at the molecular level. In this study, high-throughput transcriptome sequencing was employed to characterize the de novo transcriptome of the spiders and to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after cadmium exposure. We obtained 60,489 assembled unigenes, 18,773 of which were annotated in the public databases. Ultimately, 3450 cDNA simple sequence repeats were identified and validated as potential molecular markers in the unigenes. A total of 2939, 2491 and 3759 DEGs were detected among the three libraries of two Cd-treated groups and the control. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that metabolism processes and digestive system function were predominately enriched in response to Cd stress. At the cellular and molecular levels, significantly enriched pathways in lysosomes and phagosomes as well as replication, recombination and repair demonstrated that oxidative damage resulted from Cd exposure. Based on the selected DEGs, certain critical genes involved in defence and detoxification were analysed. These results may elucidate the molecular mechanism underlying spiders' responses to heavy metal stress.

Background. The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ) is widely used to measure functional ability in persons with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). The instrument was developed with limited involvement from persons with RA, and their perception of the instrument has not been studied in depth. The aim of this study was to explore how persons with RA experience the use of the HAQ in care. Methods. Forty persons with RA were purposefully recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were then analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. Results. The participants questioned the relevance of the HAQ but nevertheless experienced that the instrument had a profound effect on their understanding of health and how care is delivered. The analysis resulted in three themes: Problems with individual items, meaning of the summative score, and effects on care and health perceptions. Conclusions. To make the HAQ relevant to persons with RA, it needs to be revised or to include an option to select items most meaningful to the respondent. To ensure relevance, the HAQ update should preferably be co-created by researchers, clinicians and persons with RA.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is one of the most serious extra-articular complications of rheu-matoid arthritis (RA), which increases the mortality of RA. Because the pathogenesis of RA-ILD remains poorly understood, appropriate therapeutic strategies and biomarkers have not yet been identified. Thus, the goal of this review was to summarize and analyze the reported data on the etiology and pathogenesis of RA-ILD. The incidence of RA-ILD increases with age, and is also generally higher in men than in women and in patients with specific genetic variations and eth-nicity. Lifestyle factors associated with an increased risk of RA-ILD include smoking and exposure to pollutants. The presence of an anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, high RA disease activity, and rheumatoid factor positivity also increase the risk of RA-ILD. We also explored the roles of biological processes (e.g., fibroblast–myofibroblast transition, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, and immunological processes), signaling pathways (e.g., JAK/STAT and PI3K/Akt), and the his-topathology of RA involved in RA-ILD pathogenesis based on published preclinical and clinical models of RA-ILD in animal and human studies.

Emulsifiers like egg yolk (EY) are necessary for the formation of mayonnaise, which is an oil-in-water type colloid. This study aimed to assess the potential of defatted soybean powder treated with supercritical carbon dioxide (DSF-SC) in enhancing the quality of plant-based may-onnaise as plant-based alternatives gain popularity. This study involved producing DSF-SC and comparing its quality attributes to those of mayonnaise made with varying amounts of control soy flour (CSF), DSF-SC, and EY. It was found that mayonnaise made with DSF-SC, with increased emulsifier quantity, showed better emulsion stability, viscosity, and smaller, more uniform particle size compared with CSF mayonnaise. Additionally, DSF-SC mayonnaise was overall rated higher in sensory evaluation. The addition of approximately 2% DSF-SC positively influenced the emul-sion and sensory properties of the vegan mayonnaise, making DSF-SC a promising plant-based alternative emulsifier for replacing animal ingredients.

Many farms are replacing the lighting with light emitting diode (LED) bulbs because of the technological modernization. We aimed to investigate the effects of incandescent light (IL) and LED lighting on Cobb500 broiler chickens for six weeks. Production parameters (body weight, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio), calculated slaughter values (yield%, relative breast%, thigh%) and breast meat quality parameters (pH at 45 min and 24 h postmortem, color, drip loss, kitchen equipment losses, shear force, meat composition) were recorded. Non-stop recordings were used to analyze the behavior of the birds in several periods of the rearing. LED group was significantly better in body weigh parameter between week 1-5 and feed conversion ratio between week 2-3. The most significant difference in behavior was observed in the middle of the rearing period. The chickens in the LED group spent more eating time, drinking time, interacting, and resting less. There was no difference in the meat quality parameters, only shear force was significantly lower in the LED group (1781.95±0.33 g/s vs. 2098.82±0.42 g/s). Based on our results, LED lighting can bring positive changes in animal production efficiency, behavior, and important characteristics for meat consumers.

A novel determination method using flow-through cartridge purification and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was developed for the identification and quantification of 30 mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2, sterigmatocysin, T-2 toxin, diacetoxyscirpenol, roquefortine C, methylergonovine, ergocornine, lysergol, enniatin A, enniatin A1, enniatin B, enniatin B1, beauvericin, deoxynivalenol, 3-acetylDeoxynivalenol, 15-acetylDeoxynivalenol, patulin, verruculogen, neosolaniol, gliotoxin, HT-2 toxin, wortmannin, zearalenone, α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, and β-zearalanol) in feedstuffs. Mycotoxins were extracted from sample by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (16/84 v/v), then purified by a Cleanert® MC clean-up column. As a result, the pigments and other matrices were efficient removed from the sample extract solution. The purified eluate was collected, then evaporated and redissolved by 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution/acetonitrile (70:30 v/v) for UPLC-MS/MS detection. A BEH Shield RP18 chromatographic column was employed for separation of 30 mycotoxins in a total of 14 min. Multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was applied for qualitative and quantitative analysis, and matrix calibration curves obtained with the external-standard method was used for quantitation of target analytes. Under optimized conditions, the linearity range was from 2 to 1000 ng/g, and the limit of quantification of the developed method was from 2 to 50 ng/g. The recoveries of 30 mycotoxins spiked in urine samples were from 72.0% to 118.5%, and the relative standard deviation was below 20%. The method was also well approved by certified reference sample, and applied on the real feedstuff samples testing successfully.

The conformity assessment of products or a measured value with the given standards is carried out based on the global risk of producers and consumers calculation. A product may conform to specifications but be falsely rejected as non-conforming. This is about the producer's risk. If a product doesn't meet the requirements but is falsely accepted as conforming, that poses a risk to the consumer. The conventional approach to risk assessment, which yields only a single numerical value for the global risk of producers and consumers, is naturally extended, and utilized for assessing risk in measurement models with linear regression. The outcomes of the two-dimensional extension, along a moderate scale, are the parabolas with an opening upwards. Risk surfaces were obtained through three-dimensional extension over the area limited by the moderate scale and guard band axes. Four models with different ranges of tolerance intervals were used to test this innovative method of risk assessment in linear regression. The corresponding standard measurement uncertainties are determined by applying a simplified measurement model with the use of comprehensive data on the measurement performance and by determining measurement uncertainty derived from consideration of the functional relationship obtained by linear regression analysis. Models that utilize information from linear regression analysis to determine measurement uncertainty are biased towards risks at the edges of the moderate scale. Testing the model's performances with metrics related to the confusion matrix, such as the F1 score, further substantiated this assertion. The diagnostic odds ratio has been proven to be extremely effective in identifying the curve along the guard band axis, along which the global risks of producers and consumers are at their lowest.

Anti-interferon (IFN)-γ autoantibodies are linked to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Given the elevated risks of herpes zoster (HZ) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), we aimed to examine the relationship between anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies with HZ development in JAKi-treated patients. In twenty-four RA patients with new-onset HZ and forty-two without HZ, serum titers of anti-IFN-γ autoantibodies, plasma levels of IFN-γ, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and IFN-γ inducible protein-10 (IP-10) were measured by ELISA. Significantly lower MCP-1 levels were observed in patients with HZ compared to those without (median, 98.21pg/ml, interquartile range (IQR) 77.63-150.30pg/ml versus 142.3pg/ml, IQR 106.7-175.6pg/ml, p<0.05). There was no significant difference in anti-IFN-γ titers, IFN-γ levels, or IP-10 levels between patients with and without HZ. Three of 24 patients with HZ had severe HZ with multi-dermatomal involvement. Anti-IFN-γ titers were significantly higher in patients with severe HZ than in those with non-severe HZ (median 24.8ng/ml, IQR 21.0-38.2ng/ml versus 10.5ng/ml, IQR 9.9-15.0ng/ml, p<0.005). In conclusion, patients with HZ had significantly lower MCP-1 levels than those without HZ, and patients with severe HZ had significantly higher titers of anti-IFN-γ than those with non-severe HZ. Given small sample size, our results need further validation in future studies.

The adulteration of goat milk powder occurs frequently, cattle-derived and soybean-derived ingredients are common adulterants in goat milk powder. However, simultaneously and rapidly detecting cattle-derived and soybean-derived components is still a challenge. high throughput and efficient screening method for adulteration detection is need. In this study, a rapid method was developed to detect the adulteration of common cattle-derived and soybean-derived components simultaneously in goat milk powder by combining the CRISPR/ Cas12a system with recombinant polymerase amplification (RPA). A dual DNA extraction method was employed, primers and crRNA for dual detection were designed and screened, and a series of condition optimizations were carried out in this experiment. The optimized assay can rapidly detect cattle-derived and soybean-derived components in 40 min. The detection limits of both cattle-derived and soybean-derived components were 1% (w/w) for the mixed adulteration models. The established method was applied into a blind survey of 55 commercially available goat milk powder products. The results showed that 36.36% of the samples contained cattle-derived or soybean-derived ingredients, which revealed the noticeable adulteration situation in the goat milk powder market. This study realizes a fast flow of dual extraction, dual amplification and dual detection of cattle-derived and soybean-derived components in goat milk powder for the first time. It can be used for high-throughput and high-efficiency on-site primary screening of goat milk powder adulterants, and provide a technical reference for combating with food adulteration.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex illness with both hereditary and environmental compo-nents. Globally, in 2019, 18 million people had RA. RA is characterised by persistent inflammation of the synovial membrane that lines the joints, cartilage loss, and bone erosion. Phenolic molecules are the most prevalent secondary metabolites in plants, with a diverse spectrum of biological ac-tions that benefit functional meals and nutraceuticals. These compounds have received a lot of at-tention recently because they have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and anti-rheumatoid activity by modulating tumour necrosis factor, mitogen-activated protein kinase, nu-clear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells, and c-Jun N-terminal kinases, as well as other preventative properties. This article discusses dietary polyphenols, their pharmacological properties, and innovative delivery technologies for the treatment of RA, with a focus on their possible biological activities. Nonetheless, commercialization of polyphenols may be achievable only after confirming their safety profile and completing successful clinical trials.

As the most serious of the many worse new pathological changes caused by diabetes, there are many risk factors for the occurrence and development of DR. It mainly includes hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and so on. Among them, hyperglycemia is the most critical cause, which plays a key role in the pathological changes of DR.High-sucrose diets(HSDs) lead to elevated blood glucose levels in vivo, which, through oxidative stress, inflammation, the production of AGEs and VEGF, causes plenty of pathological damages to the retina and ultimately bring about loss of vision. The existing therapies for DR primarily target the terminal stage of the disease, when irreversible visual impairment has appeared. Therefore, early prevention is particularly critical. Early prevention of DR-related vision loss requires adjustments to dietary habits, mainly by reducing sugar intake. This article primarily discusses the risk factors, pathophysiological processes, and molecular mechanisms associated with the development of DR caused by HSDs. It aims to raise awareness of the crucial role of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR, promote timely changes in dietary habits, prevent vision loss, and improve the quality of life. The aim is to make people aware of the importance of diet in the occurrence and progression of DR. According to the dietary modification strategies we give, patients can change their poor eating habits timely, avoid the retinopathy that can be avoided theoretically, and obtain a excellent outcome.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by chronic systemic inflammation causing progressive joint damage that can lead to lifelong disability. The pathogenesis of RA involves a complex network of various cytokines and cells that trigger synovial cell proliferation and cause damage to both cartilage and bone. Involvement of the cytokines TNF- and IL-6 is central to the pathogenesis of RA, but recent research has revealed that other cytokines such as IL-17, IL-23, GM-CSF, IL-33, and IL-2 also play a role. Clarification of RA pathology has led to the development of therapeutic agents such as biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, and further details of the immunological background to RA are emerging. This review covers existing knowledge regarding the roles of cytokines, related immune cells and the immune system in RA, manipulation of which may offer the potential for even safer and more effective treatments in the future.

A new quinazolinone alkaloid, named peniquinazolinone A (1), as well as eleven known compounds, 2-(2-hydroxy-3-phenylpropionamido)-N-methylbenzamide (2), viridicatin (3), viridicatol (4), (±)-cyclopeptin (5a/5b), dehydrocyclopeptin (6), cyclopenin (7), cyclopenol (8), methyl-indole-3-carboxylate (9), 2,5-dihydroxyphenyl acetate (10), methyl m-hydroxyphenylacetate (11), conidiogenone B (12), was isolated from the endophytic Penicillium sp. HJT-A-6 derived from the stem of Rhodiola tibetica. The chemical structures of all compounds were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, including 1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS. The absolute configuration at C-13 of peniquinazolinone A (1) was established by applying the modified Mosher’s method. Compounds 2, 3, and 7 exhibited an optimal promoting effect on the seed germination of Rhodiola tibetica at a concentration of 0.01 mg/mL, while the optimal concentration for compounds 4 and 9 to promote Rhodiola tibetica seed germination is 0.001 mg/mL. Compound 12 showed optimal seed-germination-promoting activity at a concentration of 0.01 mg/mL. Compared with the positive drug 6-benzyladenine (6-BA), compounds 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, and 12 could extend the seed-germination period of Rhodiola tibetica up to the 11th day.

In this study, a basic study was performed to analyze the seasonal temperature status of a research room in the Global Environment Research Building where ceiling-embedded indoor units are installed to study the room temperature status of the building as well as to improve its thermal environment. In addition, a direction for improvement of the indoor thermal environment in the winter was proposed through a CFD (computational fluid dynamics) simulation and was proven by an additional experiment. Through the results of this study, it appeared that if the ceiling-embedded indoor unit was installed in the small indoor space without considering the thermal vulnerability of its perimeter boundary, the air temperature of the upper part was greatly different from that of the bottom part in the winter. Hence, in this study, as a means to improve it, convectors were installed to minimize the effect of the external thermal environment and angle-controllable air flowing fans were installed to mitigate the stratification distribution. With such result, it was intended to present the essential data for improvement of the thermal environment as well as conservation of heating energy in the winter for buildings by reviewing the use of the ceiling-embedded indoor unit in the future.

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.

Carotid atherosclerotic lesions are a major cause of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Identification and quantification of carotid plaques are important for categorizing the vulnerability of plaques for rupture and assessing the impact of treatments. The irregularity of plaque surface is associated with previous plaque rupture and plays an important role in the risk of stroke. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop and validate novel vulnerability biomarkers from three-dimensional ultrasound (3DUS) images by analyzing the surface morphological characterization of carotid plaque using fractal geometry features. 3D box-counting and 3D blanket are the two types of 3D fractal dimension that were employed to describe the smoothness of plaques. This fractal dimension analysis tool was used to evaluate the effect of atorvastatin using 3DUS carotid images, which were acquired from 6 patients treated with atorvastatin with 80 mg daily and 5 patients with placebo. The Student's T Test results showed that those two fractal features were effective for detecting the statin-related changes in carotid atherosclerosis with p<0.0068 and p<0.015 respectively, suggesting that 3D fractal dimension measurements can be used effectively to analyze the surface characteristics of carotid plaques, especially for evaluating the impact of the treatment.

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 2x10^4 – 2x10^7 CFU per ml and has a sensitivity of S = 1.655x10^5 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).

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) occurs more frequently in women than in men, and the studies that have addressed clinical and prognostic differences between sexes are scarce and have contradictory results and methodological problems. The present work aims to evaluate sex and gender-related differences in the clinical expression and prognosis of RA as well as the impact on psychosocial variables, coping behavior, and healthcare use and access. By identifying between-sex differences and gender-related outcomes in RA, it may be possible to design tailored therapeutic strategies that consider the differences and unmet needs. Being sex, together with age, the most relevant biomarker and health determinant, a so-called personalized medicine approach to RA must include clear guidance on what to do in case of differences.

The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is 1.5 times higher compared to the general population. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the type of cardiovascular complications that can appear in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Reducing the cardiovascular risk, through an aggressive management of the traditional and non-traditional risk factors, is another objective of this study. Early diagnosis and initiation of therapeutic measures to reduce the progression rate of rheumatoid arthritis, while also maintaining an active lifestyle, are the most important problems in young patients. We included a number of 200 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, presenting various stages of disease, concomitant with cardiovascular complications. The incidence by gender was higher in women, while men presented a higher incidence of traditional and non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors. All the patients presented an atherogenic coefficient over 2, indicating a significant risk of atherogenesis. An increased incidence of coronary artery disease was found in men. The patients presented cardiac arrhythmias, especially in the active stage of the condition, while the incidence of atrial fibrillation was higher in women. The active stage of the disease was evaluated using inflammatory biomarkers (ESR, PCR). ESR is not a specific tool for diagnosing the disease, but its important role in monitoring the activity of RA should not be ignored. Moreover, ESR has a significant role in monitoring the evolution and determining the prognostic of congestive heart failure. A target treatment prescribed a target treatment to reduce inflammation and prevent exacerbations was prescribed for all patients. However, in daily clinical practice, the screening for RA is poorly done. Thus, patients are often undiagnosed, while the risk factors are not assessed. In conclusion, even nowadays, RA patients continue to present an increased risk of developing CVD.

Synanthropic flora (weeds, spontaneously developed plants) are plants that accompany humans, appearing as a result of anthropopressure as well as after its cessation. The potential of synanthropic flora in shaping green areas usually brings many measurable benefits that depend on land management in cities. The study aimed to determine the preferences and attitudes of adults towards synanthropic flora in settlement units. The article presents survey results from 447 city residents. The obtained results were statistically analyzed using the k-means clustering method to identify segments of respondents with similar attitudes and preferences toward synanthropic flora. Mann-Whitney U tests were employed to determine statistical differences in the demographic variables among the analyzed clusters of respondents. Additionally, multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the opinions and attitudes towards synanthropic flora, that may influence their greater acceptance in the vicinity of residential areas. The results obtained in multiple regression allow for the statement that the respondent’s evaluation of the level of support for the introduction of more synanthropic vegetation into urban greenery (Yw) grows with the increase of acceptance of synanthropic plants occurrence in surroundings. Respondents’ opinions on the subject of the presence of synanthropic plants were studied using such variables concerning: synanthropic vegetation found in turfgrasses has a positive impact on the visual attractiveness of a site (X1), synanthropic plant communities present themselves better than others (X2), presence of synanthropic vegetation in an estate improves the quality of life in that location (X3), introduction of synanthropic flora into estate arrangements is a positive (X4), support for the use of synanthropic flora for educational purposes - as elements of playgrounds or in the form of environmental workshops (X5). Residents’ acceptance of synanthropic flora in green areas is at a relatively high level.

Background/Aim: Baricitinib (BAR) is the first oral selective Janus kinase inhibitor approved in Europe for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Real-world data are still needed to clarify its long-term benefit/risk profile. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, persistence, adherence, and safety of BAR in a real-world setting. Methods: An ambispective study was conducted between October 2017 and December 2021 in RA patients starting BAR. Effectiveness was evaluated by change from baseline in the Disease Activity Score using 28-joint counts-C reactive protein (DAS28CRP), and achievement of low disease activity/remission. Drug persistence was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Adherence was estimated by medication possession ratio (MPR) and the 5-item Compliance Questionnaire for Rheumatology. Safety was assessed by global incidence proportion and adjusted incidence rates of adverse events. Results: 61/64 recruited patients were finally analyzed, 83.6% female, 78.7% seropositive, mean age of 58.1 (15.4) years, and disease duration of 13.9 (8.3) years. 32.8% were naïve to biologics and 16.4% received BAR on monotherapy. After a median exposure to BAR of 12.4 (6.6-31.2) months (range 3.1-51.4), a significant change in DAS28CRP was observed (difference -1.2, p=0.000). A total of 70.5% and 60.7% patients achieved low disease activity or remission, respectively and 50.8% (31/61) patients remained on BAR during follow-up with a median persistence of 31.2 (9.3-53.1) months. The average MPR was 0.96 (0.08) and all patients were “good adherents” by questionnaire. 21.3% patients discontinued baricitinib due to toxicity. Conclusion: In our real-world practice, BAR demonstrated effectiveness, large persistence, high adherence to treatment and acceptable safety profile.

Several rheumatologic diseases are primarily distinguished by their involvement of bone tissue, where it not only serves as a mere target of the condition but often plays a pivotal role in its pathogenesis. This scenario is particularly prominent in chronic inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and spondyloarthritis (SpA). Given the immunological and systemic nature of these diseases, in this review, we report an overview of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the specific bone involvement, focusing on the complex interactions that occur between bone tissue's own cells and the molecular and cellular actors of the immune system, a recent and fascinating field of interest defined osteoimmunology. Specifically, we have comprehensively elaborated on the distinct pathogenic mechanisms of bone erosion seen in both rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthritis, as well as the characteristic process of aberrant bone formation observed in spondyloarthritis. Lastly, chronic inflammatory arthritis lead to systemic bone involvement, resulting in systemic bone loss and consequent osteoporosis, along with increased skeletal fragility.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease that affects about 1% of the global population, with a female-male ratio of 3:1. To date, genetic predisposition, the involvement of a deficient immune system and lifestyle are known to be the major responsible for the onset of the disease. RA preferably affects the joints, with consequent joint swelling and deformities followed by ankylosis. Patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis can also develop extra-articular manifestations, which mainly affect the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, the skin, the eye, the respiratory system, the kidney and the gastrointestinal system. It has been shown that about 20% of RA patients can develop neuropathies, multiple mononeuritis, distal sensory neuropathies and sense motor neuropathies. Neurological involvement occurs as a consequence of vasculitis of the nerve vessels leading to vascular ischaemia, axonal degeneration and neuronal demyelination. In RA, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is very high and depends, most probably, on vascular damage resulting from endothelial dysfunction. Hence, it is reasonable to assume that the integrity of the endothelium is also involved in the neurological disorders resulting from RA. This review aims to highlight the main characteristics of the extra-articular manifestations at the nervous level resulting from rheumatoid arthritis. To this end, the literature main results on these pathological manifestations have been collected with particular focus on the involvement of endothelial dysfunction. In fact, the endothelium could be considered a valuable target for minimizing the incidence of extra-articular neurological manifestations in RA.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systemic, abnormal inflammatory immune response. It is characterized by the involvement of the synovium and multiple organs and the destruction of joints and articular cartilage. Over the past 30 years, several promising novel compounds and antibodies have been developed for the treatment of RA. The introduction of new drugs and precision medicine for all forms of RA raises several issues related to access to novel treatments by patients, optimal regimen selection, cost-effectiveness, prognosis monitoring and outcome surveillance, particularly with regarding to the development of low drug response rates, drug resistance and adverse side effects. Tremendous attention has been given to the identification of optimized drug combinations for the treatment of RA, particularly in early high-risk vulnerable and early individuals. Addressing these issues requires novel therapeutic approaches with new mechanisms and the establishment of accurate guidelines for drug selection, drug recombination, and non-chemical therapeutic efforts. In this study, we reviewed the most exciting recently established or ongoing novel drugs and methods according to the clinical trial database maintained by the United States National Library of Medicine and discussed the trends in RA drug development and challenges in the treatment, providing a reference significant for the accurate treatment of RA and the research direction in the future.

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).

Oligopeptide transporters (OPTs) are a group of membrane localized proteins that have a broad range of substrate transport capabilities and contribute to numerous biological processes. However, limited information has been reported on OPTs in higher plants. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the OPT gene family in Medicago truncatula was performed. A total of 26 OPT genes (MtOPT01-MtOPT26) have been identified in the Medicago truncatula genome. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that MtOPTs consisted of two distinct subgroups, 12 MtOPTs belonged to the peptide transport subgroup (PT-OPT) based on their predicted amino acid sequences containing the two highly conserved motifs (NPG and KIPPR) and 14 MtOPTs belonged to yellow stripe subgroup (YS-OPT). The MtOPTs distributed on each of 8 chromosomes in Medicago truncatula. Sequence analysis verified that MtOPTs significant similar to those in other plants. The copy number of MtOPTs was low and the multiply of MtOPTs was simple relatively. Gene structure analysis showed that most of the MtOPTs have various numbers of introns. The multiple of MtOPTs might play different biological roles which were supported by the fact that MtOPTs have a distinct tissue-specific expression pattern. The data obtained in this study will help to better understand the complexity of the MtOPTs gene family and provide new evidence for the function and evolution of the OPT gene family in higher plants.

Neuronal cells are believed to rely on autophagy to maintain cellular homeostasis. Nevertheless, autophagy may be a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases because of the role it plays in neuronal cell death. Despite Beclin 1 association with autophagy and apoptosis, the molecular mechanisms that underlie Tau-induced vesicular pathology and Tau protein aggregates in humans remain poorly understood. Here, we set out to examine the role of three genes-ATG14L, Beclin 1 and VPS34- in autophagy nucleation failure-associated Tau disorders in fruit fly models. We found that either reduced ATG14L levels improve neuronal outcomes, or transgenic expression of ATG6/Beclin 1 greatly reduced age-dependent neurodegeneration and Tau pathology; whereas, the loss of Beclin 1 exacerbated these effects. Prior to p-Tau accumulation, the neuronal Beclin 1 network is critical for reducing p-Tau accumulation, indicating that the loss of Beclin 1 causes Tau pathology and neurodegeneration. As neurodegeneration progressed, glial cells showed an upregulation of vesicular Beclin 1 immunoreactivities. The reduced VPS34 also resulted in p-Tau accumulation, suggesting that neurons require both Beclin 1 and VPS34 to reduce p-Tau accumulation. Our results provide mechanistic insight into the molecular pathways that cause age-dependent Tau pathology and neurodegeneration due to an excess of autophagy nucleation processes and autophagy activity, and we derive novel inferences on the therapeutic possibilities of rebalanced Beclin 1 network by reducing autophagic specific nucleation component of ATG14L.

Background and Objectives: The risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is two times higher compared to the general population. The objective of this retrospective study was to determine the type of cardiovascular complications that can appear in men vs. women with rheumatoid arth-ritis. Early diagnosis and initiation of therapeutic measures to reduce the progression rate of rheumatoid arthritis, while also maintaining an active lifestyle, are the most important problems in young patients. Materials and Methods: We included a number of 200 pa-tients, divided in 2 groups according to gender (124 women and 76 men) with rheumatoid arthritis, presenting various stages of disease concomitant with cardiovascular complications. We assessed traditional and non-traditional risk factors, electrocardio-graphic and echocardiographic findings in both groups. Results: All patients presented an atherogenic coefficient over two, indicating a significant risk of atherogenesis. Men had elevated levels of total cholesterol compared with women (≥ 200 mg/dL; 77.6% - men vs. 25.8% - women, p<0.001). The participants presented cardiac arrhythmias, especially in the active stage of RA. Women had an increased risk of atrial fibrillation by 2.308 times compared with men (p=0.020). One of the most important complications in young women was pulmonary arterial hypertension (p=0.007). Conclusion: However, in daily clinical practice, the screening for RA is poorly done. Thus, patients are often undiagnosed, while the risk factors are not assessed and RA patients continue to present an increased risk of developing CVD.

The concept of economic self-reliance, widely known by Thai people as the philosophy of sufficiency economy, has been widely promoted in rural Thai societies. By practicing this philosophy, it is expected that the citizens’ quality of life and local environments could be sustainably improved. This study aims to explore the contribution of the community practices of the sufficiency economy philosophy to rural villagers’ quality of life improvement, and to investigate potential factors that determine the trust of villagers in the philosophy. With the purpose to propose strategies which could enhance trust and promote villagers’ practices of the philosophy, the study investigated influences of three relevant factors on trust towards the philosophy. Those factors included factors related to cognitive-based trust, factors related to emotional-based trust, and factors related to demographic characteristics. Questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews with community leaders and local villagers were conducted in the Ban Jamrung community, in Thailand’s Rayong province. The results of the statistical analysis revealed that the residents who applied the sufficiency economy philosophy in their daily lives experienced a relatively better quality of life. Additionally, it was found that trust in the philosophy could be predicted more by rational factors than by emotional factors. These findings could be utilized to develop strategies to maintain and enhance the trust of the people in the philosophy of sufficiency economy.

Background: The bacterium Capnocytophaga spp. is a part of the oral microbiome of dogs, which has zoonotic potential. This study aimed to assess factors that influence the prevalence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi and Capnocytophaga canimorsus in Wrocaw’s dog population. Methods: Molecular detection (PCR) involved 105 swabs, examining parameters such as oral cavity condition, underlying health issues, recent antibiotics, age, medications, material collection, and dog chews. Results: The study highlighted significant associations between the presence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi and oral cavity condition, material collection method, and use of dog’s chews. Conclusions: Correlations obtained in this study between the oral health of Wroclaw's dog population and the presence of Capnocytophaga cynodegmi suggest its significance in the oral microbiome of dogs. Limitations, including the small sample size, highlight the need for more research to comprehensively understand additional factors that affect the prevalence of Capnocytophaga spp. in dogs

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a well-known autoimmune inflammatory disease that affects the diarthrodial joints. Inflammation increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may explain why RA is one of the diseases that induce oxidative stress. This study aimed to evaluate potential differences in biochemical, hematological and oxidative stress markers in early stages of RA and after different treatment regimens. The study involved 111 patients, 28 men and 83 women, aged 34 to 59 years who were divided based on their c-reactive protein (CRP) levels into inactive RA patients (IRA) with CRP &lt; 1.3 (n = 57, 22 men and 35 women) and active RA patients (ARA) with CRP ≥ 1.3 (n = 54, 6 men and 48 women). The study participants were divided into two groups, A and B, based on their treatment regimen. Group A, which comprised 90% IRA, received methotrexate (MTX) monotherapy. Group B, which comprised 90% ARA, received a combination of leflunomide, a conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD), and a biologic DMARD. Hematological, biochemical, oxidative stress and RA-specific biomarkers were measured twice in groups A and B, in the early stage in the disease, before and 3 months post-treatment, using conventional colorimetric, fluorometric and immunological assays. According to the results of our study, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), ROS, calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) ions, vitamin C and D, and lipid profile could serve as potential diagnostic markers in the early stages of the disease. Both treatment options were equally effective in improving the overall health of the patients. However, treatment resulted in a further increase in ROS levels and a decrease in antioxidant markers.

Bacteriophages (phages) are potential alternatives to chemical antimicrobials against pathogens of public health significance. Understanding the diversity and host specificity of phages is important for developing effective phage biocontrol approaches. Here, we assessed the host range, morphology, and genetic diversity of eight Salmonella enterica phages isolated from a wastewater treatment plant. The host range analysis revealed that six out of eight phages lysed more than 81% of the 43 Salmonella enterica isolates tested. The genomic sequences of all phages were determined. Whole genome sequencing data (WGS) data revealed that phage genome sizes ranged from 41 to 114 kb with GC contents be-tween 39.9 and 50.0 %. Two of the phages SB13 and SB28 represent new species Epsep-timavirus SB13 and genera Macdonaldcampvirus, respectively as designated by the In-ternational Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) as per genome based taxonomic classification. One phage (SB18) belonged to the Myoviridae morphotype while the re-maining phages belonged to the Siphoviridae morphotype. The gene content analyses showed that none of the phages possessed virulence, toxin, antibiotic resistance, type I-VI toxin-antitoxin modules or lysogeny genes. Three (SB3, SB15 and SB18) out of the eight phages possessed tailspike proteins. Whole genome-based phylogeny of the eight phages with their 113 homologs revealed three clusters A, B, C and seven subclusters (A1, A2, A3, B1, B2, C1 and C2). While cluster C1 phages were predominantly isolated from animal sources, cluster B contained phages from both wastewater and animal sources. The broad host range of these phages highlights their potential use to control the presence of S. enterica in foods.

Urinary tract diseases are common in cats, and often require surgical reconstruction. Here, to explore the possibility of urinary tract reconstruction in cats using in-vivo tissue architecture (iBTA), biosheets fabricated using iBTA technology were implanted into the feline bladder and the regeneration process was histologically evaluated. The biosheets were prepared by embedding molds into the dorsal subcutaneous pouches of six cats for 2 months. A section of the bladder wall was removed, and the biosheets were sutured to the excision site. After 1 and 3 months of implantation, the biosheets were harvested and evaluated histologically. Implantable biosheets were formed with a success rate of 67%. There were no major complications following implantation, including tissue rejection, severe inflammation, or infection. Urinary incontinence was also not observed. Histological evaluation revealed the bladder lumen was almost entirely covered by urothelium after 1 month, with myofibroblast infiltration into the biosheets. After 3 months, the urothelium became multilayered, and mature myocytes and nerve fibers were observed at the implantation site. In conclusion, this study showed that tissue reconstruction using iBTA can be applied to cats, and that biosheets have the potential to be useful in both the structural and functional regeneration of the feline urinary tract.

Heart failure is a prevalent cardiovascular condition with significant health implications, necessitating effective diagnostic strategies for timely intervention. This study explores the potential of continuous monitoring of non-invasive signals, specifically integrating Photoplethysmogram (PPG) and Electrocardiogram (ECG), for enhancing early detection and diagnosis of heart failure. Leveraging a dataset from the MIMIC-III database, encompassing 682 heart failure patients and 954 controls. Feature selection techniques were used to systematically select key features which were identified for their clinical relevance and significance in capturing cardiovascular dynamics and to reduce computational complexity and to decrease the chance of overfitting the ML algorithms. These features are then utilized to train and evaluate machine learning algorithms, resulting in a model with an impressive accuracy of 98%, sensitivity of 97.60%, specificity of 96.90%, and precision of 97.20%. The integrated approach outperforms single-signal strategies, showcas-ng its potential for early, precise, and non-invasive heart failure diagnosis. Furthermore, the study underscores the significance of continuous monitoring through wearables, emphasizing the benefits of integrating multiple signals for a comprehensive evaluation of cardiovascular health. The proposed approach holds promise for implementation in hardware systems to enable continuous monitoring, aiding in early detection and prevention of critical health conditions.

This study investigated interactions between sugar-related dietary patterns (DP), personality traits, cognitive-behavioural, and emotional functioning. The study involved females aged 18-54. Data were collected between the Winter and Spring of 2020/21. The survey was conducted using anonymized questionnaires. The Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) was used to examine personality traits based on the Big Five Personality Trait Model. Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) was used to measure eating behaviours: cogni-tive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). The KomPAN question-naire collected the frequency of intake. Dietary patterns (DPs) were derived by principal component analysis (PCA). A logistic regression (OR) was applied to verify the association between the DPs, personality traits, cognitive-behavioural and emotional functioning. Three DPs were identified: sweet-western (SWDP), pro-healthy (PHDP) and dairy (DDP). Women with high conscientiousness were less likely, by 33%, to adhere to the upper tercile of SWDP and 80% more likely to the upper tercile of PHDP. Elevated CR intensity increased by almost 2-fold (OR: 1.93; p

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that has significant impact on quality of life and work capacity. Treatment of RA aims to control inflammation and alleviate pain, however achieving remission with minimal toxicity is frequently not possible with the current suite of drugs. This review aims to summarise current treatment practices and highlight the urgent need for alternative pharmacogenomic approaches to novel drug discovery. These approaches can elucidate new relationships between drugs, genes, and diseases to identify additional effective and safe therapeutic options. This review discusses how computational approaches such as connectivity mapping offers the ability to repurpose FDA approved drugs beyond their original treatment indication. This review also explores the concept of drug sensitisation, to predict co-prescribed drugs with synergistic effects that produce enhanced anti-disease efficacy by involving multiple disease pathways. Challenges of this computational approach are discussed including the availability of suitable high-quality datasets for comprehensive analysis and other data curation issues. The potential benefits include accelerated identification of novel drug combinations, and ability to trial and implement established treatments in a new index disease. This review underlines the huge opportunity to incorporate disease-related data and drug-related data to develop methods and algorithms which have strong potential to determine novel and effective treatment regimens.

It has been shown that Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is associated with several forms of cancer. Additionally, although there are more than 100 types of HPV, more than ten types of it, including types 16 and 18, are considered high-risk. The two proteins that make up the viral capsid of HPV 16 are L1, the major capsid protein, and L2, the minor capsid protein. FDA (The Food and Drug Administration) approved HPV vaccines mostly target L1 and L2 capsid proteins, which facilitate intracellular entry during infection. In this study, it was set out to analyze the creation of phylogenetic relations of L1 nucleic acid sequences of viral isolates. This study also analyzed sequences of three key elements within the amino acid sequences of HPV 16 L1: loops critical for structural stability, nuclear localization signal sequences, and residues implicated in viral attachment. As highlighted by the literature, these elements represent pivotal aspects of viral function. Furthermore, the report highlighted the particular inter-sequence variability within the HPV 16 L1 protein sequences. Overall analysis revealed clustering of sequences primarily due to geographical and characterized by more phylogenetic relatedness within location-specific clusters.

A thorough analysis and comparison of the fatty acid profiles of stipe and blade from Laminaria hyperborea, a kelp species found in the northern Atlantic, is presented. Lipids were extracted and fractionated into neutral lipids, free fatty acids and polar lipids, then derivatized to fatty acid methyl esters prior to GC-MS analysis. A total of 42 fatty acids were identified and quantified, including the n-3 fatty acids α-linolenic acid, stearidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. An n-6/n-3 ratio of 0.8:1 was found in blade and 3.5:1 in stipe, respectively. The ratios vary between the lipid fractions within stipe and blade, with the lowest ratio in the polar lipid fraction of blade. The fatty acid amounts are higher in blade than in stipe, and the highest amounts of n-3 fatty acids are found within the neutral lipid fractions. The amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids are 3.4 times higher in blade than stipe. This study highlights the compositional differences between the lipid fractions of stipe and blade from L. hyperborea. The amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids, compared to saturated- and monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as the n-6/n-3-ratio, is known to influence human health. In the pharmaceutical, food, and feed industries this can be of importance for production and sale of different health products. Additionally, lipids are today among the unused by products of alginate production, exploiting this material for commercial interest should give both economical and environmental benefits.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in the regulation of the transcriptome and development of diseases including cancer and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Currently, a comprehensive map, illustrating how miRNAs regulate transcripts, pathways, immune system differentiation, and their interaction with terminal cells, such as T cells, fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS), osteoblasts, and osteoclasts, is still missing. In this review, we provide a thorough summary of the roles of miRNAs in the susceptibility to pathogenesis, diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, and prognosis of RA. Numerous miRNAs are abnormally expressed in cells involved in RA, and regulate target genes and pathways including the NF-κB, Fas-FasL, JAK-STAT, IRE1-RIDD, and mTOR pathways. By regulating gene expression, miRNAs affect T cell differentiation to diverse cell types, including Th17 and T-reg cells, and thus constitute promising gene therapy targets to modulate the immune system in RA. We summarize the diagnostic and prognostic potential of blood-circulating and cell-free miRNAs, highlighting the novel opportunities to combine these with rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) to provide accurate diagnosis and prognosis, especially for seronegative patients. Furthermore, we outline how functional genetic variants of miR-499 and miR-146a partly explain the unmet susceptibility to RA. Additionally, we review the evidence implicating miRNAs as promising biomarkers of efficiency, response, and resistance to disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMRDs) and immunotherapy. Finally, we discuss the autotherapeutic effect of miRNA intervention as a step toward the development of miRNA-based anti-RA drugs. Collectively, the current evidence supports miRNAs as interesting targets to better understand the pathogenetic mechanisms of RA and design more efficient therapeutic interventions.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA); is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease which causes loss of joint function and significantly reduces quality of life. Plasma metabolite concentrations of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) can influence treatment efficacy and toxicity. This study explored the relationship between DMARD metabolising gene variants and plasma metabolite levels in RA patients. DMARD metabolite concentrations were determined by tandem mass-spectrometry in plasma samples from 100 RA patients with actively flaring disease, collected at two intervals. Taqman-probes were used to discriminate single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes in cohort genomic DNA: rs246240 (ABCC1), rs1476413 (MTHFR), rs2231142 (ABCG2), rs3740065 (ABCC2), rs4149081 (SLCO1B1), rs4846051 (MTHFR), rs10280623 (ABCB1), rs16853826 (ATIC), rs17421511 (MTHFR) and rs717620 (ABCC2). Mean plasma concentrations of methotrexate (MTX) and MTX-7-OH metabolites were higher (p<0.05, C.I. 95%) at baseline in rs4149081 GA genotype patients. Patients with rs1476413 SNP TT or CT alleles in the have significantly higher (p<0.001, 95% C.I) plasma poly-glutamate metabolites at both study time points and correspondingly elevated disease activity scores. Patients with the rs17421511 SNP AA allele reported significantly lower pain scores (p<0.05, 95% C.I.) at both study intervals. Genotyping strategies could help prioritise treatments to RA patients most likely to gain clinical benefit, whilst minimizing toxicity.

(1) Background: TNF inhibitors (TNFi) have revolutionized the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, 30-40 % of RA patients do not respond adequately to those biologics. In addition to neutralizing soluble TNF, TNFi have the ability to bind the transmembrane form of TNF, tmTNF. Importantly, tmTNF can act itself as a receptor that induces a “Reverse Signaling” (RS) in cells. We previously showed that certolizumab, a Fab’ TNFi, activates RS in human primary monocytes, at least in part through the transcription factor NRF2 that is known to regulate the expression of genes involved in anti-inflammatory response and oxidative stress. (2) Methods: Here, we have developed an assay for the prediction of clinical response of RA patients to TNF inhibitors. This assay is based on mRNA quantitation of CD36 activation and of 6 genes induced by NRF2 following tmTNF RS in fresh monocytes. (3) Results: We could predict the response to anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with 93.3 % accuracy. However, our method was not suitable for the prediction of the response to TNF soluble receptor etanercept. (4) Conclusions: We have developed a rather simple, short-term, test that can be standardized. Predicting the response to TNF mAbs will help physicians offer the best available treatment and provide patients with personalized medicine.

Background: In response to inflammation, the absorption of nutritional iron is restricted. Multiple inflammation-related signaling pathways can lead to ferroptosis, an iron-dependent mechanism of programmed cell death. Since the pathophysiological significance of the presence and uptake of iron in chronic inflammation is still unknown, we tested the effect of a low iron diet on the clinical course of arthritis in the mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Methods: Six- to eight-week-old male DBA/1 mice were fed either a normal or a low iron diet starting three weeks before arthritis induction. From day four after the collagen-booster made on day 25, the development of arthritis was regularly monitored until the end of the experiment (day 34), using a standard clinical arthritis score. The complete blood count was determined as well as Fe2+, Fe3+, oxidized and reduced glutathione (GSH and GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in whole paw tissue by ELISA. Quantitative PCR was performed from whole paw tissue for glutathione peroxidase 4 and other key regulator genes of iron metabolism and ferroptosis. We used nonparametric tests to com-pare markers of iron metabolism and ferroptosis as well as nonlinear regression models for longitu-dinal data for signs of arthritis. Results: Mice fed a low iron diet showed a significantly less severe course of arthritis compared to mice fed a normal iron diet (p

Background: The purpose of this review is to clarify the natural course of Benign Paroxysmal Torticollis (BPT) and to update the relationship of this disorder with migraine. BPT belongs to a group of “episodic syndromes that may be associated with migraine” and is diagnosed when according to diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition. It is present in infants and young children and it is an underdiagnosed manifestation, because it is not well recognized and in most cases with a benign evolution, but requires careful differential diagnosis. It was first described by Snyder in 1969 as a movement disorder, a cervical dystonia consequent to labyrinthic disorder.Materials and methods: The PubMed and Web of Science databases were consulted from 1968 to 2024, according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines ,2020.( PRISMA)Results: 113 articles were identified, 86 selected and 20 considered for the purpose of this review. The clinical studies were considered in relation to evolution, cognitive and motor development, to genetic and not genetic etiology, to the relationship with migraine with and without aura, vestibular migraine, hemiplegic migraine, and paroxysmal vertigo.

Hemangioblasts give rise to endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which also express the cell surface markers CD133 and C-kit. They may differentiate into the outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) that control neovascularization in the developing embryo. Reduced levels of EPC in circulation have been linked to human cardiovascular disorders, according to numerous studies. Furthermore, preeclampsia and senescence have been linked to levels of EPCs produced from cord blood. Uncertainties surround how preeclampsia affects the way EPCs function. It is reasonable to speculate that preeclampsia may have an impact on the function of fetal EPCs during the in utero period; however, given the present literature's suggestion that maternal vasculopathies, including preeclampsia, damage fetal circulation. Additionally, the differentiation potential and general activity of EPCs may serve as an indicator of the health of the fetal vascular system since they promote neovascularization and repair during pregnancy. Thus, the purpose of this review is to compare, through assessment of their quantity, differentiation potency, angiogenic activity, and senescence, the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs obtained from cord blood for normal and pregnancy problems. This will shed light on the relationship between the angiogenic function of fetal EPCs and pregnancy complications, which could have an effect on the management of long-term health issues like metabolic and cardiovascular disorders in offspring with abnormal vasculature development.

The COVID-19 pandemic over the past years has shown a great need for rapid, low-cost and on-site detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this paper, an aptamer-based colloidal gold nanoparticle lateral flow test strip was well developed to realize the visual detection of wild type SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) and multiple variants. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a low detection limit of SARS-CoV-2 S protein of 0.68 nM was acquired, and the actual detection recovery was 83.3% to 108.8% for real world samples. This suggests a potential tool for the prompt detection of SARS-CoV-2 with good sensitivity and accuracy, and a new method for the development of alternative antibody test strips for the detection of other viral targets.

Spermatogenesis is critical for insect reproduction and is regulated by many different genes. In this study, we found that Forkhead transcription factor Fd59a functions as a key factor in spermatogenesis of Drosophila melanogaster. Fd59a contains a conversed Forkhead domain, and it is clustered to the FoxD subfamily with other FoxD members from some insect and vertebrate species. Mutation in Fd59a caused swelling in the apical region of the testis. More importantly, only a few mature sperm were present in the seminal vesicle of Fd59a mutant flies compared to the control flies, and the fertility of Fd59a2/2 mutant males was significantly lower than that of the control flies. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the homeostasis of testis stem cell niche in Fd59a2/2 mutant and Fd59a RNAi flies was disrupted, and apoptosis of sperm bundles was increased. Furthermore, results from RNA-sequencing and qRT-PCR suggest that Fd59a can regulate expression of genes related to reproductive process and cell death. Taken together, our results indicated that Fd59a plays a key role in the spermatogenesis of Drosophila.

Uncontrolled chronic inflammation results in cardiovascular disease and early death. In this review, we studied the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on the cardiovascular system, including the early and accelerated development of atherosclerosis, and its clinical manifestations, focusing on the inflammatory mechanisms leading to arterial wall damage, rapid atherosclerotic plaque formation, and thrombosis. Furthermore, the influence of medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis on the cardiovascular system. The influence of chronic inflammation and medicaments on traditional cardiovascular risk factors is not the main subject of this review. We found that uncontrolled chronic inflammation and some medications directly impact all stages of atherosclerosis. In conclusion, reducing inflammation and maintaining long-term remission in rheumatoid arthritis may pre-vent early atherosclerosis. We believe that this review will encourage a better interdisciplinary approach for these patients and further research in this field.

Properties of time domain parameters of the vibration signal have been extensively studied for the fault diagnosis of rolling element bearings (REB). Parameters like kurtosis and Envelope Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio are most widely applied in this field and some important progress has been made. However, since only one-sided information is contained in these parameters respectively, problems still exist in practice when the signals collected are of complicated structure and/or contaminated by strong background noises. A new parameter, named Shock pulse index (SPI), is proposed in this paper. It integrates the mutual advantage of both parameters above and can help effectively identify fault related impulse components under the interference of strong background noises, unrelated harmonic components and random impulses. The SPI optimizes the parameters of Maximum Correlated Kurtosis Deconvolution (MCKD), which is used to filter the signals under consideration. Finally, the interested transient information contained in the filtered signal can be highlighted through demodulation with Teager Energy Operator (TEO). Fault related impulse components can therefore be extracted accurately. Simulations and experiment analyses verify the effectiveness and correctness of the SPI.

Drosophila melanogaster serves as a important research model both for genetic investigations and for the study of metal toxicity, facilitating the elucidation of physiological mechanisms comparable to those of human organisms. In our research, we evaluated the toxicity effect resulting from exposure to various concentrations of lead and copper on the prolificity rates throughout the life cycle (egg-adult) of four genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster: wild-type (control), white, brown, and white-vestigial. During our study, the prolificity rates were examined across three repetitions under the impact of exposure to concentrations of 0.50, 1.00, 2.00, and 4.00 mM of copper (CuSO₄) and lead (Pb(C₂H₃O₂₎₂). Prolificity rates throughout the life cycle exhibited variations as a direct consequence of genetic factors, the concentration of exposure, and the specific type of metal, either copper or lead. The mutant white-vestigial genotype revealed an IC₅₀ concentration for prolificity inhibition at lower doses of 2.00 mM for copper and 4.00 mM for lead, in contrast to the control genotype (wild-type), which exhibited an inhibition concentration rate >IC₅₀ of 4.00 mM only in the case of copper. Our results concluded that the (i) dose influences the prolificity rate in a directly proportional manner, (ii) comparative analyses between copper and lead revealed that copper displayed toxicity across all genotypes within the concentration range of 0.50 mM to 2.00 mM. In contrast, lead exhibited toxicity within the concentration range of 1.00 mM to 4.00 mM, highlighting a (iii) more acute toxicity characteristic in the case of copper. Thus, the results of this research reflect the importance of using Drosophila melanogaster as a genetic model in the comparative study of the interaction between genetic factors and the toxicity of metals, offering significant insights into monitoring their impact and defining the maximum permissible doses on organisms.

The tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 1 (TRAF1) plays a key role in promoting lymphocyte survival, proliferation, and cytokine production. Recent evidence showed that TRAF1 plays opposing roles in monocytes and macrophages where it controls NF-B activation and limits pro-inflammatory cytokine production as well as inflammasome-dependent IL-1 secretion. Importantly, TRAF1 polymorphisms have been strongly linked to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, whether and how TRAF1 contributes to RA pathogenesis is not fully understood. Moreover, investigating the role of TRAF1 in driving RA pathogenesis is complicated by its multifaceted and opposing roles in various immune cells. In this study, we show that intraarticular injection of TRAF1 deficient macrophages into knee joints of wildtype (WT) mice subjected to the collagen antibody induced arthritis (CAIA) model of RA significantly exacerbated joint inflammation, immune cell infiltration and tissue damage compared to mice injected with WT macrophages. This study may lay the groundwork for novel therapies for RA that target TRAF1 in macrophages.

According to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization, the world population will increase to about 91 million (Asia 51 million, Africa 19 million). A rise in the world’s population means an increased need for food. However, climate change has caused desertification and unpredictable weather, creating problems in the supply and demand of food. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is an alternative to solving the food problem, as it is one of the world’s most important food crops, especially in developing countries. The tuberous roots of sweet potato are usually used as staple food, animal feed, industrial material, or raw material for alcohol production. In the future, more variations of sweet potato will be needed for breeding this crop. Recently, molecular markers developed for sweet potato have demonstrated good potential for use in genetic selection. In this study, a cDNA library was constructed from the total RNA of sweet potato leaves. A total of 789 copies of the cDNA were cloned in Escherichia coli by employing the pGEM-T Easy vector. Sequencing was carried out by Solgent Co. (Korea). As many as 579 expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers were designed (73.38%) from the known cDNA nucleotide base sequences. The lengths of the developed EST-SSR markers ranged from 100 to 499 bp (average length 238 bp). Their motif sequence types were varied, with most being dinucleotides and pentanucleotides, and the most commonly found motifs were CAGAAT (29.0%) and TCT (2.8%). Based on these SSR-containing sequences, 619 pairs of high-quality SSR primers were designed using WebSat and Primer3web. The total number of primers designed was 144. Polymorphism was evident in 82 EST-SSR markers among 20 Korean sweet potato cultivars tested and in 90 EST-SSR markers in the two parents of a mapping population, Yeseumi and Annobeny. In this study, the hexaploid sweet potato (2n = 6x = 90) EST-SSR markers were developed in the absence of full-sequence data. Moreover, by acting as a molecular tag for particular traits, the EST-SSR marker can also simultaneously identify information about the corresponding gene. These EST-SSR markers will allow the molecular analysis of sweet potato to be done more efficiently. Thus, we can develop high-quality sweet potato while overcoming the challenges from climate change and other unfavorable conditions.

(1) Background: Grapes and their associated by-products (as grape pomace, GP) stand out for their polyphenol content, which makes them a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity. The aim of this research was to determine if the inclusion of 50 g/kg of GP in the diet of hens could enrich egg with antioxidants and to study its effect on internal and external egg quality parameters. (2) Methods: A trial was conducted with two genetic lines of hens, which were fed either a control diet or a diet containing 50 g/kg of GP. Performance, internal and external egg quality, and egg yolk content of vitamins E and A, and gallic acid were determined; (3) Results: In eggs laid by hens fed GP diet, Haugh units and yolk colour score were enhanced, and eggshell became thinner, but without affecting the breaking strength. No dietary effect was observed on vitamin contents in yolk. Higher gallic acid content was observed in yolk of eggs laid by hens fed the GP diet, suggesting that some dietary phenolic compounds could be transferred to the eggs. Hen genetics influenced egg weight, albumen Haugh units, shell thickness and α- and γ-tocopherol concentration in yolks; (4) Conclusions: Dietary inclusion of GP improved the internal quality of eggs, enriching yolks with a phenolic compound, but reduced shell thickness.

Until recently, no disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument existed for pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this revalidation study, the psychometric properties and the validity of the final German version of the 35-item QOLIBRI-KID/ADO questionnaire were examined in 300 children and adolescents. It is the first self-reported TBI-specific instrument for measuring pediatric HRQoL in individuals aged 8–17 years. The six-factor model fits the data adequately. Internal consistencies were excellent for the total score and satisfactory to excellent for the scale scores. Intraclass correlations indicated good test-retest reliability. Construct validity was supported by overlaps between the QOLBRI-KID/ADO and the PedsQL, which measures generic HRQoL. Discriminant validity indicated that HRQoL was significantly lower in older children and girls, and in those with anxiety, depression, and post-concussion symptoms than in comparison groups, replicating the results of the questionnaire’s first development study. Our results suggest that the QOLIBRI-KID/ADO is a valid and reliable multidimensional instrument for assessing disease-specific HRQoL after pediatric TBI in clinical and research settings, which can additionally be used across the lifespan in combination with the adult version. This may help to improve care, treatment, daily functioning and HRQoL after TBI.

This study addresses the urgent need for sustainable protein sources in aquaculture due to the depletion of marine resources and rising costs. Animal protein sources, particularly poultry by-product meal (PBM) and insect exuviae meal, are investigated as viable alternatives to fishmeal (FM). Research confirms the successful replacement of FM with a combination of PBM and insect exuviae meal (up to 50%) in the diet of European seabass without compromising growth, feed conversion, gut health and liver fat content. In particular, growth performance was robust with both PBM formulations, with the 25% PBM diet showing better results. Histological examinations showed good gut and liver health, contradicting the concerns of previous studies. The study emphasizes the importance of holistic analyzes that go beyond growth parameters and include histomorphological investigations. The results show that PBM in combination with insect/exuviae meal is well tolerated by seabass, which is consistent with literature reports of mitigating negative effects on gut health. A detailed analysis of the microbiota revealed a decrease in the Firmicutes/Proteobacteria ratio due to an increase in potentially pathogenic bacteria. However, the formulation containing insect exuviae partially counteracted this effect by preserving the beneficial Lactobacillus and promoting the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), particularly butyrate. Chitin-rich components from insect exuviae were associated with improved gut health, which was supported by increased production of SCFA, which are known for their anti-inflammatory properties. The study concludes that a combination of PBM and insect/exuviae meal can replace up to 50% of FM in the diet of seabass, supporting sustainable aquaculture practices. Despite some changes in the microbiota, the negative effects are mitigated by the addition of insect exuviae, highlighting their potential as a prebiotic to increase fish productivity and contribute to a circular economy in aquaculture.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease triggered by the interaction between genetics and environment, especially through the shared epitope (SE) and cell surface calreticulin (CSC) theory. However, the available evidence shows that genetic diversity and environmental exposure cannot explain all the clinical characteristics and heterogeneity of RA. In contrast, recent studies demonstrate that epigenetics play important roles in the pathogenesis of RA, especially DNA methylation and histone modification. DNA methylation and histone methylation are involved in innate and adaptive immune cell differentiation, and migration, proliferation, apoptosis, and mesenchymal characteristics of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). Epigenetic-mediated regulation of immune-related genes and inflammation pathways explains the dynamic expression network of RA. In this review, we summarized the comprehensive evidence to show that methylation of DNA and histones is significantly involved in the pathogenesis of RA and could be applied as a promising biomarker in the disease progression and drug response prediction. We also explained the advantages and challenges of the current epigenetics research in RA. In summary, epigenetic modules provide a possible interface, through which genetic and environmental risk factors connect to contribute to the susceptibility and pathogenesis of RA. Additionally, epigenetic regulators provide promising drug targets to develop novel therapeutic drugs for RA. Finally, DNA methylation and histone modifications could be important features for providing a better RA subtype identification, to accelerate personalized treatment and precision medicine.

Background: In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), anti-citrullinated protein/peptide antibodies (ACPAs) are responsible for disease onset and progression, however, our knowledge is limited on ligand binding affinities of autoantibodies with different citrulline-peptide specificity. Methods: Citrulline-peptide specific ACPA IgGs were affinity purified and tested by ELISA. Binding affinities of ACPA IgGs and serum antibodies were compared by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. Bifunctional nanoparticles harboring a multi-epitope citrulline-peptide and a complement activating peptide were used to induce selective depletion of ACPA producing B cells. Results: KD values of affinity purified ACPA IgGs varies between 10-6-10-8 M and inversely correlate with disease activity. Based on their cross-reaction with citrulline-peptides we designed a novel multi-epitope peptide, containing Cit-Gly and Ala-Cit motifs in two-two copies, separated with a short, neutral spacer. This peptide detects antibodies in RA sera with 66 % sensitivity and 98 % specificity in ELISA and is recognized by 90% of RA sera, while none of the healthy samples in SPR. When coupled to nanoparticles, the multi-epitope peptide specifically targets and depletes ACPA producing B cells ex vivo. Conclusions: The unique multi-epitope peptide designed on the basis of ACPA cross-reactivity might be suitable to develop better diagnostics and novel therapies for RA.

Urban lakes, especially those of natural origin, provide ecosystem services, recreation being one of the most important and highly valued by the city dwellers. Fulfilling the needs of city residents to relax and have contact with nature has become a priority in urbanized areas and has been proved to positively affect people’s health and well-being. The recreational potential of water bodies was identified to be most important aspect of ecosystem services to the residents of the neighboring areas. An assessment of recreational ecosystem services (RES) provisioning to society based on the real time spent by the citizens and housing values in the rural-urban gradient revealed that the economic benefits of lakes differ in urbanized, suburban and rural landscapes. The growth of cities has led to an increased population density in the surroundings of ecologically valuable areas, resulting in higher pressure from visitors seeking recreational areas. Along with urbanization, the impoverishment of ecosystem functions takes place, limiting their capability to provide ecosystem services. In this work provisioning of recreational ecosystem services of 28 floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient of the Warsaw agglomeration was assessed. The relationship between the ecological value of the water bodies, measured using naturalness indices, and the recreational ecosystem services they can provide was assessed. The results showed that the floodplain lakes located along the urban-rural gradient are of a great importance to the citizens due to their recreational potential. The provisioning of recreational ecosystem services is poorly connected with the ecological characteristics of the floodplain lakes. Only hemeroby, was significantly correlated with provisioning, and there was no relationship with factors such as naturalness of vegetation or water quality, demonstrating that public preference was not generally influenced by high ecological quality. These data should be available to potential buyers and be integrated in spatial planning management plans in order to shape future housing policy.

Mediterranean Diet (MD), rich in minimally processed plant foods and in monounsaturated fats, but low in saturated fats, meat and dairy products, represents one of the most studied diets for cardiovascular health. It has been shown, from both observational and randomized controlled trials, that MD reduces body weight, improves cardiovascular disease surrogates such as waist-to-hip ratio, lipids, and inflammation markers, and even prevents the development of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases. However, it is unclear whether it offers cardiovascular benefits from its individual components or as a whole. Furthermore, limitations in the methodology of studies and meta-analyses have raised some concerns on its potential cardiovascular benefits. MD is also associated with characteristic changes in the intestinal microbiota, mediated through its constituents. These include increased growth of species producing short-chain fatty acids, such as Clostridium leptum and Eubacterium rectale, increased growth of Bifidobacteria, Bacteroides and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii species, and reduced growth of Firmicutes and Blautia species. Such changes are known to be favorably associated with inflammation, oxidative status, and overall metabolic health. This review will focus on the effects of MD on cardiovascular health through its action on gut microbioma.

Aluminum, a contentious trace element found in the environment, has been demonstrated to have harmful effects on both humans and animals. In contrast, Sempervivum tectorum, an evergreen plant, has been found to offer numerous beneficial effects for both humans and animals. Therefore, this study aims to assess the protective effect of S. tectorum on certain reproductive biomarkers in male rats exposed to aluminum. Thirty-five Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: NTC (no-treatment control) received distilled water; NC (negative control) received drinking water containing 1 mg/L aluminum sulfate (AS); E1 received 1 mg/L AS along with an 8% S. tectorum extract; PC (positive control) received only 8% S. tectorum extract; E2 received 1 mg/L AS for three months followed by 8% extract for one month. The study analyzed testosterone, LH, FSH, body weight, and the histological structure of the testis, epididymis, and prostate, as well as the levels of zinc, manganese, copper, and iron in these organs. Significant decreases in body weight, testis, and epididymis size were observed in the aluminum-exposed groups compared to the control, whereas these decreases were not significant in the S. tectorum-treated groups compared to the control. Aluminum exposure led to significant decreases in testosterone and LH levels, with FSH levels showing a non-significant decrease in males, which were mitigated significantly by the administration of the plant extract. Histological analysis revealed alterations in the testis, epididymis, and prostate of the AS-exposed groups, including necrosis of seminiferous tubule epithelium and Leydig cells in the testis, and basal epithelial necrosis in the epididymis and prostate. Aluminum levels increased in all organs studied, while levels of zinc, copper, iron, and manganese decreased, showing a negative and significant correlation with aluminum levels. The aqueous extract of S. tectorum demonstrated a protective effect on certain studied biomarkers in male rats affected by aluminum exposure.

Quality of life (QoL) assessments are integral to cancer care, yet their effectiveness in providing essential information for supporting survivors varies. This study aimed to elucidate key indicators of QoL among colorectal cancer survivors from the perspective of healthcare professionals, and to evaluate existing QoL questionnaires in relation to these indicators. Two studies were conducted: a Delphi study to identify key QoL indicators and a scoping review of questionnaires suitable for colorectal cancer survivors. Fifty-four healthcare professionals participated in the Delphi study's first round, with 25 in the second. The study identified two primary QoL domains (Physical and Psychological) and 17 subdomains deemed most critical. Additionally, a review of 12 questionnaires revealed two instruments assessing the most important general domains. Findings underscored a misalignment between existing assessment tools and healthcare professionals' clinical priorities in working with colorectal cancer survivors. To enhance support for survivors' QoL, efforts are needed to develop instruments that better align with the demands of routine QoL assessment in clinical practice.

With the rising cost of animal feed protein, finding affordable and effective substitutes is crucial. Walnut kernel cake, a polyphenols, fiber, protein and fat-rich byproduct of walnut oil extraction, has been underexplored as a potential protein replacement in pig feed. In this study, we found that feeding large Diqing Tibetan pigs walnut kernel cake promoted adipose deposition and improved pork quality during pig growth. Transcriptome analysis revealed the upregulation of genes ANGPTL8, CCNP, ETV4, and TRIB3, associated with adipose deposition. Pathway analysis highlighted enrichment in adipose-deposition-related pathways, including PPAR, Insulin, PI3K-Akt, Wnt, and MAPK signaling. Further analysis identified DEGs (differentially expressed genes) positively correlated with adipose-related traits, such as PER2 and PTGES. Single-cell transcriptome data pointed to the specific expression of CD248 and PTGES in adipocyte progenitor/stem cells (APSCs), pivotal for adipocyte differentiation and adipose deposition regulation. This study demonstrates walnut kernel cake's potential to substitute soybean cake in pig feed, providing high-quality protein and promoting adipose deposition. It offers insights into feed protein replacement, human functional food, fat metabolism, and related diseases, with marker genes and pathways supporting pig breeding and pork quality improvement.

Tumour necrosis factor-α is a key mediator of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis its discovery led to the development of highly successful anti-TNF therapy. Subsequently, other biologic drugs targeting immune pathways, namely interleukin-6 blockade, B cell depletion, and T cell co-stimulation blockade, have been developed. Not all patients respond to a biologic drug leading to a knowledge gap between biologic therapies available and the confident prediction of response. So far, genetic studies have failed to uncover clinically informative biomarkers to predict response. Given that the targets of biologics are immune pathways, immunological study has become all the more pertinent. Furthermore, advances in single cell technology have enabled the characterisation of many leucocyte subsets. Studying the blood immunophenotype may therefore define biomarker profiles relevant to each individual patient’s disease and treatment outcome. This review summarises our current understanding of how immune biomarkers might be able to predict treatment response to biologic drugs.

This review provides a comprehensive and updated information on chalcones, presenting their sources, methods of identification and properties putting emphasis on applications in agricultural industry. Vast exploitation of synthetic pesticides led to the weed and pest resistance issue, causing economic loss but more importantly health risk due to pesticide overuse. Because one of the aim of the European Green Deal 2030 is the Farm to Fork strategy which targets on reducing by 50% the use of chemical pesticides by 2030, and push towards natural pesticides which are more environmentally friendly and restore natural resources, chalcones and their derivatives seem to fit perfectly. They have herbicidal, fungicidal, bactericidal and antiviral properties. Moreover, chalcones are naturally occurring substances, known for their favorable health effect for years, working on many areas. This review is complementary to the previous ones describing chalcones use in agriculture, updates them but additionally shows methods of detection.

We investigated the potential genetic variants using whole exome sequencing (WES) and evalu-ated the disease course using T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Fourteen patients with RA and five healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. For patients with RA, only naïve patients were recruited before treatment, and data were collected at baseline and 6 and 12 months after the initiation of disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) treatment. Laboratory data and disease parameters were also collected. Genetic variants were detected using WES, and the diversity of the TCR repertoire was assessed using Shannon-Weiner diversity. Some variants were detected by WES, but their clinical significance should be confirmed by further studies. The diversity of the TCR repertoire in patients with RA was lower than that in HCs; however, after DMARD treatment, it increased significantly. The diversity was negatively cor-related with laboratory findings and disease measures with statistical significance. Variants with a potential for RA pathogenesis were identified and the clinical significance of TCR repertoire was evaluated in Korean patients with RA. Further studies are required to confirm the findings of the present study.

Objectives To examine the comorbidity burden in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients using a nationwide population-based cohort by assessing the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI), Multimorbidity Index (MMI), and Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index (RDCI) scores and to investigate their predictive ability for all-cause mortality. Methods We identified 24,767 RA patients diagnosed between 1998–2008 in Taiwan and followed up until December 31, 2013. The incidence of comorbidities was estimated in three periods (before, during, and after the diagnostic period). The incidence rate ratios were calculated by comparing during vs. before and after vs. before the diagnostic period. One- and 5-year mortality rates were calculated and discriminated by low and high-score groups and modified models for each index. Results The mean score at diagnosis is 0.8 in CCI, 2.8 in ECI, 0.7 in MMI, and 1.3 in RDCI, and annual percentage changes are 11.0%, 11.3%, 9.7%, and 6.8%, respectively. The incidence of any increase in the comorbidity index is significantly higher in the periods of ‘during’ and ‘after’ the RA diagnosis (incidence rate ratios for different indexes: 1.33-2.77). The mortality rate significantly differs between the high and low-score groups measured by each index (adjusted hazard ratios: 2.5-4.3 for different indexes). CCI is slightly better in the prediction of 1- and 5-year mortality rates. Conclusion Comorbidities are common before and after RA diagnosis, and the rate of accumulation accelerates after RA diagnosis. All four comorbidity indexes are useful to measure the temporal changes and to predict mortality.

Postprandial glucose levels between 4 and 7.9 hours (PPG4–7.9h) correlate with mortality from various diseases including hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This study aimed to assess if predicted PPG4–7.9h could diagnose diabetes. Two groups of participants were involved: Group 1 (4420 participants) had actual PPG4–7.9h, while Group 2 (8422 participants) lacked this measure but had all the diabetes diagnostic measures. Group 1 underwent multiple linear regression to predict PPG4–7.9h using 30 predictors, achieving accuracy within 11.1 mg/dL in 80% of the participants. Group 2 had PPG4–7.9h predicted using this model. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that predicted PPG4–7.9h could diagnose diabetes with an accuracy of 87.3% in Group 2, with a sensitivity of 75.1% and specificity of 84.1% at the optimal cutoff of 102.5 mg/dL. Simulation on 10,000 random samples from Group 2 revealed that 175 participants may be needed to investigate PPG4–7.9h as a diabetes diagnostic marker with a power of at least 80%. In conclusion, predicted PPG4–7.9h appears to be a promising diagnostic indicator for diabetes. Future studies seeking to ascertain its definitive diagnostic value might require a minimum sample size of 175 participants.

Land use and cover change (LUCC) is an important method to investigate the causes of global environment change. We utilized the emergy ecological footprint (EEF) model to construct a land-use change model to be used as a systematic measuring tool for monitoring sustainable development trends. In particular, we estimated the eco-security of the Cing-jing region as a case study so that responsible agencies can use it to maintain a balance between ecological preservation and tourism development. The results indicated the following: First, the ecological environment of the Cing-jing region satisfied the safety standard in 2008–2014; however, the related indices increased considerably. Second, the grey model predicted a decrease in 2015–2024 ecological carrying capacities of Cing-jing and a large increase in capita EFs, resulting in a larger ecological deficit and higher EFI. The eco-security from 2015–2024 was higher compared to 7 years ago and is predicted to reach the Grade 2 intermediate level in 2022; thus the Cing-jing region is gradually becoming ecologically unsustainable. Strengths of our study included the use of EEF theory in a quantitative analysis of slope lands for the effective evaluation of ecological security. Finally, we expanded our research to include ecological security issues.

Prompt removal of misfolded membrane proteins and misassembled membrane protein complexes is essential for membrane homeostasis. However, the elimination of these toxic proteins from the hydrophobic membrane environment has high energetic barriers. Transmembrane FtsH is the only known ATP-dependent protease responsible for this task, unlike other well-studied soluble ATP-dependent proteases. The mechanisms by which FtsH recognizes, unfolds, translocates, and proteolyzes its substrates remain unclear. Here, we report the crystal structures of the Thermotoga maritima FtsH periplasmic domain (PD) in an associative trimeric state at a 1.5-1.95 Å resolution. We also describe the pH-dependent oligomerization states of the isolated PD using dynamic light scattering. These observations help us understand how FtsH recognizes membrane-anchored misfolded proteins.

This study aimed to investigate the potential of Cord Blood Stem Cell-derived exosome vesicles (CBSC-EVs) in regulating cancer growth and preventing cellular damage. The study aimed to examine the effects of CBSC-EVs on CHL1 cancer cells and healthy fibroblasts. The study results reveal that CBSC-EVs have an anti-cancer/antioxidant effect on CHL1 cancer cells without inducing any toxic effects on healthy lymphocytes. Further analysis of CBSC-EVs revealed the presence of seven miRNAs (noncoding RNA molecules), including three from the Let 7 family, two from the Let 5 family, and two novel miRNAs. The function of the novel miRNAs was the main focus of the study. To assess the efficacy of CBSC-EVs, CHL1 cells (a type of malignant melanoma cell line) and human fibroblasts were grouped into different treatments. One group of those cell lines were treated with CBSC-EVs, and in the second group, the cells were transfected with either miRNA inhibitor Novel 1 (miRNA IN1) plus CBSC-EVs or miRNA inhibitor Novel 2 (miRNA IN2) and CBSC-EVs to knock down those novel miRNAs in the CBSC-EVs. Therefore, by comparing these groups, the function of novel miRNAs is more understandable. In this study, the Comet assay was employed to evaluate cancer cells' DNA damage and CCK8 to measure cell viability. The findings revealed that CBSC-EVs caused an increase in DNA damage in CHL1 cells compared to cells without treatment (p

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease in which joints are gradually de-stroyed, and early diagnosis and treatment before joint deformation or destruction is im-portant. The detection of novel RA biomarkers in saliva may facilitate the early detection of RA before the onset of disease. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis of salivary proteins from RA model mice. Proteins were identified by Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum, saliva, and ankle joints from DBA/1JJmsSlc mice, a model of rheumatoid arthritis. Ankle joints and submandibular glands were hematoxylin and eosin stained and immunostained, and the results were compared with those of control mice. Citrullinated α1 antitrypsin (A1AT, 46 kDa) was commonly detected in saliva, serum, and ankle joints of severe RA model mice, and was confirmed by proteome analysis. Western blotting detected a band corresponding to 46 kDa in serum, saliva and ankle joints, and immunostaining of ankle joints with A1AT an-tibody showed a strong positive signal in the synovium. In DBA/1JJmsSlc mice, not only cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies but also A1AT may be involved in protein citrulli-nation and contribute to the development and severity of RA.

Background: Scientific literature on COVID-19 is still limited about long-term impacts on the all-body systems and they treatments. The aim of the study was to create a safe protocol-based in-tervention to improve functional and equilibrium abilities in older adults impacted by COVID-19. Methods: The study completed 46 people (intervention group: n=26; control group: n=20). Re-sistance training (RT) was held twice a week, 60 min per session for 8 weeks. The postural stability and quality of life questionnaire (WHQOOL) were conducted during pre- and post-testing. Results: Results indicated significant differences in overall stability index (OSI) with eyes open (EO), ante-rior-posterior stability index (APSI) EO, fall risk index 6-2 (FRI6-2) values in males (p

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease, causing inflammation of joints, cartilage destruction and bone erosion. Biomarkers and new drug targets are actively sought and progressed to improve available options for patient treatment. The Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 protein (CTHRC1) may have an important role as a biomarker for rheumatoid arthritis, as CTHRC1 protein concentration is significantly elevated in the peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients, compared to osteoarthritis (OA) patients and healthy individuals. CTHRC1 is a secreted glycoprotein that promotes cell migration and has been implicated in arterial tissue-repair processes. Furthermore, high CTHRC1 expression is observed in many types of cancer and this is associated with cancer metastasis to the bone and poor prognosis. However, the function of CTHRC1 in RA is still largely undefined. The aim of this review is to summarize recent findings on the role of CTHRC1 as a potential biomarker and pathogenic driver of RA progression that may be linked to the pathogenic behavior of fibroblast-like synoviocytes, cartilage destruction, and bone erosion.

In this study, the microbial strain was isolated from the humus soil to ferment Sophora flavescens and Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus extracts. The isolated microbial was identified as Bacillus genus by 16S rRNA sequence analysis. The fermented plant extracts exhibited the antifungal effects against four types of the plant pathogens such as P. carotorum, B. cinerea, C. fructicola Sau-3, and C. gloeosporioides according to incubation time. Especially, the fermented plant extracts showed the most active activities for Colletotrichum genus to inhibit mycelium growth. Metabolite changes in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts were confirmed through LC-Q-TOF/MS. Flavonoid and peptide derivatives were improved in fermented S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts compared to their unfermented one, respectively. This study suggested that the isolated Bacillus microbial fermentation could be a valuable tool in improving the bioactivity of S. flavescens and E. sessiliflorus extracts to have potential with more environmentally-friendly antifungal agents.

Interrelationships between traditional dental variables are becoming more evident in far reaching aspects of life such as psychosocial interaction, self-esteem, overall health and even occupational performance. This study compares quality of life (QoL) in postmenopausal women (PMW) with poor oral health (POH) with QoL in PMW with good oral health. 200 randomly recruited PMW received a dental evaluation and completed Utian Quality of Life Survey. The participants were divided into POH and healthy groups based on dental exam. Mean scores were calculated for each QoL item, domain and the overall summary score. For each of the four parameters for periodontitis diagnosis, periodontitis patients’ QoL outcomes were compared to those of healthy patients using T-test with threshold of significance at p<0.05. QoL in all fields measured were significantly poorer in the POH compared to the healthy patients, occupational (19.95±5.35vs. 27.56±6.13), health (18.02±8.23 vs. 26.59 ±6.45), emotional (15.68±10.22vs. 21.15±9.15), sexual (6.2±5.98vs. 10.02±5.35), and total score (60.21±25.85 vs. 84.26±22.35). This study finds that PMW with POH, report significantly poorer quality of life. Clinicians caring for PMW should be aware of that oral health impacts QoL and make appropriate referral decisions for patients’ dental care. Keywords: Quality of Life, Oral Health, Post-menopause, Women

Grain quality, cooking quality and nutritional quality traits are some of the major attributes that enhance uptake and utilisation of improved cowpea varieties. Therefore, there is need for a better understanding of the genetic variation and inter-relationships among these quality traits in cowpea to integrate them in cowpea breeding programs. The study was conducted to determine genetic variability among 306 cowpea genotypes for grain quality, cooking quality and nutritional quality traits and to understand the interrelationships among these traits for exploitation in breeding programs. The results showed highly significant differences (P

The association between normal-range triglycerides and diabetes mortality remains unclear. This cohort study aimed to elucidate this relationship by examining 19,010 US adult participants with fasting serum triglycerides below 150 mg/dL. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate mortality hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Participants were followed up for a mean of 15.3 years, during which 342 diabetes deaths were recorded. A 1-natural-log-unit increase in triglycerides was associated with a 57% higher risk of diabetes mortality (adjusted HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.04–2.38). Comparable results were obtained when triglycerides were analyzed in quartiles. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified an optimal triglyceride cutoff of 94.5 mg/dL for diabetes mortality; individuals with triglyceride levels above this threshold faced a greater risk of diabetes mortality (adjusted HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.12–1.83). Further investigation revealed a positive association between normal triglyceride levels and all-cause mortality, though no association was observed between normal triglycerides and mortality from hypertension or cardiovascular disease. In conclusion, elevated triglycerides within the normal range were associated with an increased risk of diabetes mortality. Individuals with triglyceride levels of 95 mg/dL or higher may require vigilant monitoring for diabetes and its associated complications.

A simple approach was developed to predict corn yields using the MoDerate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data product from two geographically separate major corn crop production regions: Illinois, USA and Heilongjiang, China. The MOD09A1 data product, which are 8-day interval surface reflectance data, were obtained from day of the year (DOY) 89 to 337 to calculate the leaf area index (LAI). The sum of the LAI from early in the season to a given date in the season [end of DOY (EOD)] was well fitted to a logistic function and represented seasonal changes in leaf area duration (LAD). A simple phenology model was derived to estimate the dates of emergence and maturity using the logistic function parameters b1 and b2, which represented the rate of increase in LAI and the date of maximum LAI, respectively. The phenology model predicted emergence and maturity dates fairly well, with root mean square error (RMSE) values of 6.3 and 4.9 days for the validation dataset, respectively. Two simple linear regression models (YP and YF) were established using LAD as the variable to predict corn yield; the yield model (YP) used LAD from predicted emergence to maturity, and the yield model (YF) used LAD for a predetermined period from DOY 89 to a particular EOD. When state/province corn yields for the validation dataset were predicted at DOY 321, near completion of the corn harvest, the YP model performed much better than the YF model, with RMSE values of 0.68 t/ha and 0.66 t/ha for Illinois and Heilongjiang, respectively. The YP model showed a similar or better performance, even for the much earlier yield prediction at DOY 257, compared to that of the YF model. In conclusion, the phenology and yield models were developed based only on logistic changes in remote sensing-derived LAD, and predicted phenological dates and corn yields with considerable accuracy and precision for the two regions selected for this study. However, these models must be examined for spatial portability in more diverse agro-climatic regions.

The wellness economy has developed rapidly recently, particularly in wellness tourism. Wellness tourism transforms sustainable strategy through the availability of extended multi-actor engagement in service innovation to further the tourism experience. Therefore, when operating a wellness tourism destination, it is necessary to encourage multi-actor engagement in service innovation to achieve sustainable development. This paper introduces a mixed research method with the SWOT-AHP-QSPM, as it qualitatively analyzes the advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats, constructs an evaluation index system, conducts quantitative analysis using the analytic hierarchy process, determines the index weight and weighted score, and calculate the sustainable development strategy, which is appropriate for wellness development of Chongqing Tea Mountain and Bamboo Forest National Forest Park. Purposive field surveys and personal interviews were conducted in Chongqing forest tourism destinations, involving 356 effective respondents. The research reveals that multi-actor engagement significantly enhances sustainable development. These findings bridge service innovation knowledge gaps and provide valuable insights for forest tourism destination management and sustainable policy strategies to elevate multi-actor engagement in forest sites.

In this study the impact of terrorist attacks on exchange rate is estimated. Particularly, the study focuses on Turkish terrorist attacks and its implication on Turkish lira versus pound sterling exchange rate. In order, to find the causal effect the study employed Autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) bound testing approach as an estimation technique. Accordingly, the analysis reveals that terrorist attack has a negative impact on the exchange rate in both short and long-run. However, the negative effect of terrorism tends to be small in both the short-run and long-run. More precisely, terrorist attack depreciates the exchange rate between Turkish lira and pound sterling by approximately 0.00072 in the next trading day. The long-term effect also shows that terrorist attack depreciates the exchange rate on average by 0.00212.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by swelling in at least one joint. Owing to an overactive immune response, extra-articular manifestations are observed in certain cases, with interstitial lung disease (ILD) being the most common. Rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the interstitial space, which causes fibrosis and the scarring of lung tissue. Controlling inflammation and pulmonary fibrosis in RA-ILD is important because they are associated with high morbidity and mortality. Pirfenidone and nintedanib are specific drugs against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and have shown efficacy against RA-ILD in several clinical trials. Immunosuppressants and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) with antifibrotic effects have also been used to treat RA-ILD. Immunosuppressants moderate the overexpression of cytokines and immune cells to reduce pulmonary damage and slow the progression of fibrosis. DMARDs with mild antifibrotic effects target specific fibrotic pathways to regulate fibrogenic cellular activity, extracellular matrix homeostasis, and oxidative stress levels. Therefore, specific medications are required to effectively treat RA-ILD. In this review, the commonly used RA-ILD treatments are discussed based on their molecular mechanisms and clinical trial results. In addition, a computational approach is proposed to develop specific drugs for RA-ILD.

While the majority of previous studies assessing pain-related variables in psychopaths used electric shocks, little is known about the effectiveness of alternative pain-inducing methods to increase emotional responses such as fear and anxiety. A small sample of healthy undergraduate men (N = 15) was recruited to assess the effectiveness of a heat stimulus to induce pain in an immediate versus delayed punishment paradigm. Although pain catastrophizing, anxiety, and threat of pain did not increase throughout the experiment, participants experienced a significant increase of fear of pain and pain intensity, indicating that the heat stimulus was effective in inducing pain. Furthermore, subjects were slower in initiating the pain stimulus during the first five trials, but no time difference was found during the 15 remaining trials. No correlation was found between psychopathic traits and pain-related variables, with the exception of inconsistent results within the Fearless Dominance factor. Findings are discussed in terms of improvement for a larger scale study involving psychopathic individuals.

With the increasing interest in CM as a potential source of nutrients and bioactive compounds, there arises a necessity to delve into methods for its processing and drying. Over recent decades, a significant amount of research has been conducted on the chemical composition of CM and its potential health benefits. Consequently, this study is directed towards examining CM drying technology, including an analysis of the influence of different drying methods on its chemical composition and nutri-tional properties. The objective of this review is to systematically summarize the available literature on CM drying processes and their impact on its chemical composition. Special attention is devoted to comparing various drying methods such as freeze-drying, spray drying, and freeze-drying, as well as investigating factors affecting the quality of dried CM. To achieve this goal, we scrutinize a series of studies published between 2003 and 2022 to identify optimal drying methods that promote the maximum preservation of CM's nutritional components and bioactive compounds. Additionally, we explore possibilities for reducing drying time to enhance production efficiency. This research is grounded in the analysis of data from diverse scientific research databases, including Scopus and Google Scholar, encompassing a systematic review of scientific literature and a comparative analysis of the obtained results.

The aim of the current study was to develop and evaluate the therapeutic potential of apocynin (APO) loaded pH-sensitive nanoparticles (NPs) based transdermal hydrogel for management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Slightly modified nanoprecipitation technique was used for preparation of polymeric nanoparticles. Optimization was done through design expert software. Optimized APO-NPs were loaded into carbopol-934 based hydrogel as final dosage form and further studied for physicochemical properties. Optimized APO-NPs formulation had a minimum particle size 63.44 nm, polydisperibility index 0.161, and zeta potential -15mV with a maximum encapsulation efficiency of 89%. In-vitro and ex-vivo studies of APO-NPs based hydrogel was performed at pH 5.5 (pH of normal skin) and 6.8 (pH of inflammed joint) showed a pH-responsive sustained drug release and increased penetration in comparison to free APO based hydrogel. The stability studies of APO-NPs based hydrogel were done to strengthen the potential use of the prepared formulation through transdermal route. Assessment and therapeutic efficacy of the prepared pH-sensitive nanocarriers system was evaluated in chronic inflammatory RA mice model. Parameters associated with chronic inflammation were investigated including behavioral changes and histopathological, and radiological x-rays images of joints of mice paws. In-vivo study depicts improvement in behavioral parameter, decline in synovial hyperplasia and bone structure restoration. In conclusion, APO loaded pH-sensitive NPs based transdermal is a promising carrier system that can effectively manage RA.

Objective: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the synovium and articular cartilage that initiates joint damage. RA associates with a change in many inflammatory biomarkers. The present study aims to measure the levels of inflammatory adipocytokines (chemerin and visfatin) and their ratio in addition to some related biomarkers in RA patients group in comparison to healthy control group and find out their efficacy in diagnosis of RA.Methods: The study included 60 RA patients and 30 healthy control group. Serum visfatin and chemerin were measured by using ELISA technique, while other biomarkers were determined spectrophotometrically. Multivariate general linear model analysis and Receiver operating curve was used to study the opportunity of using chemerin and visfatin as diagnostic tools for RA.Results: The results indicated that there was a significant increase (p<0.05) in all lipid profile components, except HDLc that decreased, in RA patients in comparison with healthy control group; while significant decrease (p<0.001) in high density lipoprotein-cholesterol of RA patients in comparison with control group. Serum chemerin, visfatin, C-reactive protein, and uric acid levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in RA patients than those of control group. The results showed a relatively good sensitivity and specificity of chemerin (sensitivity=88.1, specificity=75.9) at a concentration=187.88ng in diagnosis of RA.Conclusions: chemerin is able to diagnose RA efficiently but this diagnoses, due to relatively small specificity, may interfere with other inflammatory disorders. However, with adjuvant with other diagnostic parameters, chemerin may represent a useful addition in diagnosis of RA.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) influences the quality of life of women. The research applied ICIQ LUTS qol (The International Consultation Incontinence Questionnaire Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms quality of life) as a tool to measure the quality of life (QOL) of patients with stage 1 SUI in many areas. 140 perimenopausal women who participated in a urodynamic test at Department of Gynecology, Endocrinology and Gynecologic Oncology, Pomeranian Medical University, Police, Poland in the years 2013-2015 were enrolled in the study. Patients were divided into two groups: A and B. Two questionnaires were applied: the author’s original questionnaire and the standardized ICIQ LUTS qol. Gymnastic plans were recommended 4 times per week for the period of 3 months. The plan for group A included the exercises of pelvic floor muscles (PFM) with the simultaneous tension of the transverse abdominal muscle (TrA) and for group B included the exercises of PMF without TrA. The evaluation of the quality of life of patients with stage 1 SUI with the use of ICIQ LUTS qol among patients from groups A and B after therapy showed a significant improvement in most areas. More impact is observed in the physiotherapy of both PFM with TrA.

Assessment of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been limited in children and adolescents due to a lack of disease-specific instruments. To fill this gap, the Quality of Life after Traumatic Brain Injury for Children and Adolescents (QOLIBRI-KID/ADO) was developed for the German-speaking population. Reference values from a comparable general population are essential for comprehending the impact of TBI on health and well-being. This study examines the validity of the German QOLIBRI-KID/ADO in a general pediatric population in Germany and provides reference values for use in clinical practice. Overall, 1997 children and adolescents aged 8-17 years from the general population and 300 from the TBI population participated in the study. The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity. A measurement invariance (MI) approach was used to assess the comparability of the HRQoL construct between both samples. Reference values were determined by percentile-based stratification according to factors that significantly influenced HRQoL in regression analyses. The QOLIBRI-KID/ADO demonstrated strong psychometric properties. The HRQoL construct was measured largely equivalently in both samples, and reference values could be provided. The QOLIBRI-KID/ADO was considered reliable and valid for assessing HRQoL in a general German-speaking pediatric population, allowing for clinically meaningful comparisons between general and TBI populations.

In multi-objective optimization problems, the optimization target is to obtain a set of non-dominated solutions. Comparing solution sets is crucial in evaluating the performances of different optimization algorithms. The use of performance indicators is common in comparing those sets and, subsequently, optimization algorithms. A good solution set must be close to the Pareto-optimal front, well-distributed, maximally extended and fully filled. Therefore, an effective performance indicator must encompass these features as a whole and must be Pareto dominance compliant. Unfortunately, some of the known indicators often fail to properly reflect the quality of a solution set or cost a lot to compute. This paper demonstrates that the Degree of Approximation (DOA) quality indicator, is a weakly Pareto compliant unary indicator that gives a good estimation of the match between the approximated front and the Pareto-optimal front. Moreover, DOA computation is easy and fast.

Background/Objectives: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of infections. The risk of presenting herpes zoster (HZ) is 1.5-2 times higher than in immunocompetent individuals and disseminated presentation is more frequent. Our aim was to analyze the prevalence and general features of HZ in RA patients. Methods: Prospective study of 392 RA patients included in the vaccination program of our hospital between 2011 and 2016, and followed-up until December 2020. Diagnosis of HZ was made according to clinical manifestations: skin rash, blisters, paresthesia and local pain in one or more dermatomes. Results: We studied 392(309women/83men), mean age 59±13years. Every patient was followed-up during a mean period of 137±110 months (range: 42months- 42years). HZ infection was observed in 30 of 392 (25women/5men) patients; age (mean±SD) 64.7±11.8years. Prevalence was 7.65% in this period and incidence rate was 13.22/1000patients/year. Three patients had facial involvement, one with optic involvement and one patient presented a disseminated HZ. Seven patients presented postherpetic neuralgia treated with gabapentinoids. The main features of RA of these 30 patients were: positive RF(n=17; 56.6%), positive anti-CCP(13; 43.3%) and erosive disease(10; 33.3%). At HZ infection they were in treatment with glucocorticoids (19; 63.3%), conventional DMARDs (15; 50%), biological DMARDs (15; 50%), tofacitinib (2; 6.6%) and upadacitinib (1; 3.3%). Conclusions: HZ is a relative frequent viral complication of RA patients. In our series, one patient presented a disseminated HZ and nearly 25% of patients had post-herpetic neuralgia. Include HZ vaccine in our vaccination program in RA patients may be beneficial.

Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to estimate adherence to methotrexate in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and identify specific nonadherence risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study included 111 patients (age mean 56.2±10.6 years, 78.4% female, and disease duration mean 6 (3-13) years). Three adherence self-assessment questionnaires were used: the Compli-ance-Questionnaire-Rheumatology (CQR19), the Medication Adherence Reports Scale (MARS-5), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). We also collected demographic data, disease and treatment characteristics, and anxiety/depression estimation results (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale- HADS). Results: Adherence was identified in 48.6% of patients (COR19), 70.3% (MARS-5), and 82.9% of patients in the VAS questionnaire. All three questionnaires displayed a significant positive mutual correlation: CQR19 with MARS-5 and VAS (r =0.364, r=0.329 respectively, p<0.001 for both), between VAS and MARS-5 score (r=0.496, p<0.001). A significant positive prediction was shown for urban residence (0.347 (0.134-0.901), p=0.030), using the MARS-5 scale, female sex (0.264 (0.095-0.730), p=0.010) according to CQR19 and for a dose of methotrexate (0.881 (0.783-0.992), p=0.036) in VAS scale, while negative prediction were shown for comorbidity number (3.062 (1.057-8.874), p=0.039), and depression (1.142 (1.010-1.293), p=0.035) using MARS-5 scale and for older age (1.041 (1.003-1.081), p=0.034) according to CQR19. The use of steroids was a significant positive predictor in all three questionnaires and remained an independent predictor for metho-trexate adherence in multivariant logistic regression. Conclusion: We showed nonadherence to methotrexate in a significant number of patients using all three questionnaires. Concomitant steroid therapy emerged as an independent positive predictor for adherence.

The mechanism of sex determination and differentiation in animals remains a central focus of reproductive and developmental biology research, and the regulation of sex differentiation in amphioxus remains poorly understood. Cytochrome P450 Family 19 Subfamily A member 1 (CYP19A1) is a crucial sex differentiation gene that catalyzes the conversion of androgens into estrogens. In this study, we identified two aromatase-like genes in amphioxus: cyp19-like1 and cyp19-like2. Cyp19-like1 is more primitive and may represent the ancestral form of cyp19 in zebrafish and other vertebrates. Cyp19-like2, on the other hand, is likely the result of gene duplication within am-phioxus suggesting its potential role as a key gene in sex differentiation. To gain further insights into the expression patterns of these two aromatase-like, we examined their expression in different gonad tissues and during different stages of gonad development. While the expression patterns of the two genes differ in gonad tissues, both are highly expressed in the gonad primordium and are primarily localized to microsomal membrane systems. However, as development proceeds, their expression levels decrease significantly. This study enhances our understanding of sex dif-ferentiation mechanisms in amphioxus and provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of sex determination mechanisms in vertebrates.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases the risk of mortality and morbidity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with RA have a 50-60% increased risk for CVD compared with the general population. Cardiovascular risk is commonly meas-ured using the Systemic Coronary Risk Estimation 2 calculator modified for patients with RA. Traditional modifiable risk factors for CVD include arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, cigarette smoking, and low physical activity. In this study, we analyzed the effects of smoking and the risk of CVD in patients with RA. Methods: This was a prospective, clinical, cohort study with an eight-year follow-up pe-riod. A total of 201 patients, 124 with RA (study group) and 77 with osteoarthritis (OA) (control group), were included in this study. However, only 137 patients (82 with RA and 55 with OA) completed the study. Fifty-eight patients (41 with RA and 17 with OA) died during the study period. We compared the prevalence of smoking and its association with the risk for CVD and RA. Results: The prevalence of smoking in the RA group was higher than that in the OA group (p<0.0001). Trends in the prevalence of smoking in both groups did not change signifi-cantly during the follow-up period. In the RA group, smoking was associated with the in-cidence of CVD in current smokers (p=0.028) and in patients with a history of smoking (p=0.016). These results suggest that smokers have an increased risk for RA. The trend of continued smoking in patients with RA may be attributed to attempts to reduce stress caused by RA symptoms. Conclusions: Previous studies have shown that current and former smokers with RA have more severe symptoms, more joint damage, and poorer response to therapy than those who have never smoked. However, the reason underlying the trend of continued cigarette smoking in patients with RA remains unclear. Further studies are needed to clarify the trend of continued smoking in patients with RA.

Psoriasis is a lifelong, systemic, immune mediated inflammatory skin condition, affecting 1-3% of the world’s population, with an impact on quality of life similar to diseases like cancer or diabetes. Genetics are the single largest risk factor in psoriasis, with GWAS studies showing that many psoriasis risk genes lie along the IL23/Th17 axis. Potential psoriasis risk genes determined through GWAS can be annotated and characterised using functional genomics, allowing the identification of novel drug targets and the repurposing of existing drugs. The pathogenesis of psoriasis is complex and focusing on the IL23/Th17 axis can provide insight into key cell types, cytokines and intracellular signaling pathways involved. Examination of currently available biological treatments, time to relapse post drug withdrawal and rates of drug primary/secondary drug failure show the need for greater understanding of the underlying genetic mechanisms of psoriasis and how they can impact treatment. This could allow for patient stratification towards the treatment most likely reduce dis-ease burden for the longest period possible.

Abstract: Efforts for carbon emission reduction have been identified as a major climate change mitigation target in the Paris Agreement. The 26th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change highlighted the worldwide effort for cleaner and greener mining, urging the mineral industry to embrace greener operational emissions reduction technologies and strategies. Ghana pledged at the Paris Conference to reduce CO2 emissions by 15% and increase renewable energy share to 10% of the national energy mix. Here the fundamental question is how Ghana’s mining industry can contribute to CO2 emission reduction efforts. This paper investigates barriers to low-carbon emission policy implementation among mining companies in Ghana. The questionnaire survey was conducted among Ghana’s four large-scale gold mining companies. As the sample number of available companies is limited, we used a descriptive analysis to assess the responses. The results show that the companies expressed widely different ways to respond to the issues of cost, a government policy/regulations for carbon emission reduction, and the adoption/acquisition of low-carbon technologies. Those companies that are relatively less prepared for this endeavor emphasized the uncertainties of securing sufficient energy in case of using low-carbon technologies. They also expressed a need for more trained workers to handle low-carbon technologies. All companies agreed with a expected high cost of adopting low-carbon options. There was a communication gap with the relevant government ministry about low-carbon mining options where the government should be able to facilitate the involvement of othe low technology providers, such as solar PV installation.

Photovoltaic (PV) technologies are developing rapidly as a result of their ability to reduce energy consumption from conventional sources as well as the growth of global energy expenditures. Nevertheless, several impact categories during the PV panel life cycle occur and some principal sectors are affected. These impact categories are assessed by applying life cycle analysis (LCA) techniques through various software programs, databases and methods. Such analyses of energy technologies are crucial, as they can reveal the occurrence of hazardous emissions at distinct life cycle stages. In the present paper, a PV panel impact assessment through life cycle analysis is carried out. More precisely, a combination of PV technologies—monocrystalline, multicrystalline, copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), amorphous, and ribbon—is studied. The impact categories of ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, ionising radiation, photochemical ozone formation, acidification, eutrophication, and ecotoxicity, as well as the sectors of human health, ecosystem quality, and environment, are assessed using the openLCA software, the ecoinvent database, the eco-indicator 99, IMPACT 2002+, ReCiPe, and TRACI methods.

Introduction: When analyzing the current situation in Spain, derived from our current lifestyles far from following a Mediterranean lifestyle, there is an alarming prevalence of diabesity, which increases the global risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and decreases the quality of life related to health (QLRH). In order to guarantee, beyond glycemic control of patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2), adequate control of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) in DM2, it will be necessary to carry out a community intervention focused on the application of education programs focused on promoting the acquisition of healthy eating habits through the Mediterranean diet (DMED). This dietary pattern, together with physical exercise, has been shown to contribute to improving the QLRH of patients. Objective: To analyze the quality of life related to health, present in patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, to determine the possible relationship between this and the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and to examine whether there are differences between the sexes. Material and methods: Observational descriptive study in 93 patients diagnosed with DM2 with poor glycemic control (1Ac ≥ 7%), carried out in various health centers in Albacete and Cuenca, in which the baseline relationship between adherence to DMed and the HRQoL. They were administered a data collection sheet that included a survey of the degree of adherence to the DMed (MEDAS-14) and QLRH (SF-12v2) in the Primary Care (PC) medical and nursing consultations. The variables were analyzed: age groups, sex, years of evolution of DM2, body mass index (BMI), as well as basal glycemia (GB) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The “MEDAS-14” (adherence to DMED) was the main variable and the “SF-12v2” (QLRH) was the secondary variable. Material and methods: Observational descriptive study in 93 patients diagnosed with DM2 with poor glycemic control (1Ac ≥ 7%), carried out in various health centers in Albacete and Cuenca, in which the baseline relationship between adherence to DMed and the HRQoL. They were administered a data collection sheet that included a survey of the degree of adherence to the DMed (MEDAS-14) and QLRH (SF-12v2) in the Primary Care (PC) medical and nursing consultations. The variables were analyzed: age groups, sex, years of evolution of DM2, body mass index (BMI), as well as basal glycemia (GB) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). The “MEDAS-14” (adherence to DMED) was the main variable and the “SF-12v2” (QLRH) was the secondary variable. Results: Patients with poorly controlled DM2 and with low adherence to the MedDM show a non-significantly greater affectation in the physical sphere: fair general state of health, physical function I (limitation to make moderate efforts such as moving a table, vacuuming or walk more than an hour), physical function II (limitation to climb several flights of stairs), physical role (problems at work or daily activities doing less than loved ones), physical role II (they had to stop performing some tasks at work or activities of daily living) and regular body pain. Presenting less affectation in the mental field: emotional role I, emotional role II, mental health I, vitality and mental health II. Without affectation in the social function since they consider that rarely the emotional or physical problems have hindered their social activities. Conclusions: Diabetic patients with poor glycemic control have low adherence to the MedMD (<9 points) and have poor QLRH. Low adherence to the DMed and obesity are related to a greater affectation in the physical dimension and less affectation in the mental dimension without affectation in the "social function".

In this study, 10%PTFE/PEEK blend were modified by potassium titanate whisker (PTW) and chopped glass fiber (GF), respectively. The blends were prepared by three-screw extruder. Through the investigation of thermal stability, tribological properties, mechanical properties and rheological behavior, the effects of reinforcing agents were determined. The results illustrated that the mechanical properties of 10%PTFE/PEEK blend can be dramatically improved by adding reinforcing agent of PTW or GF, and the reinforcing effect of GF was especially obvious. As for tribological properties, 1% addition was the best proportion. The friction coefficient and wear rate of the blend with 1% PTW were 0.283 and 4.97 × 10^-6 mm³/N · m, which decreased by 7.2% and 21% compared with those of the blend without reinforcing agent.

This study introduces a novel computational approach for testing conditional independence (BB CI test) within causal Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs), leveraging Bayesian non-parametric bootstrap and machine learning techniques. Our method offers an alternative for validating the assumptions underpinning causal DAGs. Through simulation studies and an industrial case analysis, we demonstrate the test procedure in accurately assessing conditional independence, comparing it with the Generalized Covariance Measure (GCM) test. Our findings suggest that the BB CI test is advantageous in scenarios where existing methods may falter due to violations of model assumptions. This research contributes to the causal inference literature by providing a computational tool for researchers and practitioners to validate causal models.