Plasma endothelin-1 levels in patients with rotator cuff tear: a case-control study.

Background: Several recent studies have demonstrated that the alteration of tendon microcirculation is one of the main causes of rotator cuff degeneration and tear. The aim of this study was to assess if patients with a rotator cuff tear (RCT) exhibit altered levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a powerful vasoconstrictor that could play a key role in the pathogenesis of RCTs, as well as in other tendon structures.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 103 participants, divided into 60 cases and 43 controls.

Wild bee diversity of the National Park of the Semois Valley (Belgium).

Background: Wild bees are essential pollinators, yet their decline due to human activities threatens ecosystem stability. Protecting these pollinators requires a detailed understanding of both their diversity and distribution. In Belgium, the recently-established Semois Valley National Park (SVNP) is located in a region with limited bee sampling data and this study aims to identify the habitats most suitable to bees, especially for threatened species.

Enabling the twin transition of the textile industry: A systematic literature review.

The textile industry, a significant resource consumer and polluter, ranks as the fourth-largest sector in raw material consumption and the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. To address these significant environmental challenges, there is an urgent need for a transformative shift toward sustainable production paradigms. However, circular strategies specific to various textile materials still need to be explored in existing research.

loses essential genetic elements and cell proliferative potential during stationary phase in culture but not in the tick vector.

The Lyme disease agent is a polyploid bacterium with a segmented genome in which both the chromosome and over 20 distinct plasmids are present in multiple copies per cell. This pathogen can survive for at least 9 months in its tick vector in an apparent dormant state between blood meals, without losing cell proliferative capability when re-exposed to nutrients. Cultivated cells grown to stationary phase or resuspended in nutrient-limited media are often used to study the effects of nutrient deprivation.

Climate catastrophe in Rio Grande do sul, Brazil: impact of strategic actions in response to flooding.

Objective: In May 2024, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, faced the greatest climate catastrophe in its history when a flood affected approximately 90% of the entire state territory. This study aimed to describe the strategic actions of volunteers gathered by a social institution linked to a private hospital in southern Brazil and their impacts on the affected community.

Methods: Descriptive study, based on the experience of the team at the Instituto Moinhos Social (IMS) - Hospital Moinhos de Vento (Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil), which brought together a group of volunteers to develop actions in response to the flood.