How Do Trematodes Induce Cancer? A Possible Evolutionary Adaptation of an Oncogenic Agent Transmitted by Flukes.

There is strong epidemiological evidence that development of various cancer types is linked to infection with flukes (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The exact nature of the mechanism by which cancer is induced by these parasites is unknown. Here, we provide a new hypothesis suggesting that flukes are not the primary cause of cancer but act as vectors of cancer-inducing microbial pathogens.

Purging the Judiciary After a Transition: Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Judges play a key role in the implementation of transitional justice mechanisms. Yet, less attention has been paid so far to the question of how to address their collaboration with non-democratic regimes. In theory, judges can be subjected to virtually all transitional justice mechanisms ranging from criminal prosecution and lustration to truth-seeking, or even amnesties.

Photosynthetic traits of along an ecological gradient and developmental stages.

Common reed () is a cosmopolitan species, though its dieback is a worldwide phenomenon. In order to assess the evolutionary role of phenotypic plasticity in a successful plant, the values and plasticity of photophysiological traits of were investigated in the Lake Fertő wetlands at 5 sites with different degrees of reed degradation and along a seasonal sequence. On the one hand, along the established ecological degradation gradient, photophysiological traits of changed significantly, affecting plant productivity, although no consistent gradient-type trends were observed.

Distinct Effects of Olanzapine Depot Treatment on Behavior and Muscarinic M1 Receptor Expression in the Triple-Hit Wisket Rat Model of Schizophrenia.

This study aimed to characterize the triple-hit schizophrenia-like model rats (Wisket) by the assessment of (1) behavioral parameters in different test conditions (reward-based Ambitus test and HomeManner system) for a prolonged period, (2) cerebral muscarinic M1 receptor (M1R) expression, and (3) the effects of olanzapine treatment on these parameters. Wistar (control) and Wisket rats were injected for three consecutive weeks with olanzapine depot (100 mg/kg) and spent 4 weeks in large cages with environmental enrichment (HomeManner). The vehicle-treated Wisket rats spent longer time awake with decreased grooming activity compared to controls, without changes in their active social behavior (sniffing, playing, fighting) obtained in HomeManner.

Probing the Signal Transduction Mechanism of the Light-Activated Adenylate Cyclase OaPAC Using Unnatural Amino Acid Mutagenesis.

OaPAC, the photoactivated adenylyl cyclase from , is composed of a blue light using FAD (BLUF) domain fused to an adenylate cyclase (AC) domain. Since both the BLUF and AC domains are part of the same protein, OaPAC is a model for understanding how the ultrafast modulation of the chromophore binding pocket caused by photoexcitation results in the activation of the output domain on the μs-s time scale. In the present work, we use unnatural amino acid mutagenesis to identify specific sites in the protein that are involved in transducing the signal from the FAD binding site to the ATP binding site.

Dynamic in vivo monitoring of granum structural changes of Ctenanthe setosa (Roscoe) Eichler during drought stress and subsequent recovery.

Investigating the effects of drought stress and subsequent recovery on the structure and function of chloroplasts is essential to understanding how plants adapt to environmental stressors. We investigated Ctenanthe setosa (Roscoe) Eichler, an ornamental plant that can tolerate prolonged drought periods (40 and 49 days of water withdrawal). Conventional biochemical, biophysical, physiological and (ultra)structural methods combined for the first time in a higher plant with in vivo small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) were used to characterize the alterations induced by drought stress and subsequent recovery.

Radio-tracking urban breeding birds: The importance of native vegetation.

As urban areas continue to expand globally, a deeper understanding of the functioning of urban green spaces is crucial for maintaining habitats that effectively support wildlife within our cities. Cities typically harbor a wide variety of nonnative vegetation, providing limited support for insect populations. The resulting scarcity of arthropods has been increasingly linked to adverse effects at higher trophic levels, such as the reduced reproductive success of insectivorous birds in urban environments.

Drug combinations targeting antibiotic resistance.

While the rise of antibiotic resistance poses a global health challenge, the development of new antibiotics has slowed down over the past decades. This turned the attention of researchers towards the rational design of drug combination therapies to combat antibiotic resistance. In this review we discuss how drug combinations can exploit the deleterious pleiotropic effects of antibiotic resistance and conclude that each drug interaction has its prospective therapeutic application.

Synthesis, HS releasing properties, antiviral and antioxidant activities and acute cardiac effects of nucleoside 5'-dithioacetates.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) is an endogenous gasotransmitter with cardioprotective and antiviral effects. In this work, new cysteine-selective nucleoside-HS-donor hybrid molecules were prepared by conjugating nucleoside biomolecules with a thiol-activatable dithioacetyl group. 5'-Dithioacetate derivatives were synthesized from the canonical nucleosides (uridine, adenosine, cytidine, guanosine and thymidine), and the putative 5'-thio metabolites were also produced from uridine and adenosine.

An updated reference genome of Barbatula barbatula (Linnaeus, 1758).

The stone loach Barbatula barbatula is a benthic fish species widely distributed throughout Europe, primarily inhabiting stony upper sections of stream networks. This study presents an updated genome assembly of B. barbatula, contributing to the species' available genomic resources for downstream applications such as conservation genetics.

Anthropometric but not motor characteristics of young volleyball players were improved after a one-week-long intense training sports camp.

This study aimed to examine potential changes in the anthropometric and motor characteristics of volleyball players aged 17.98 ± 0.51 years after participation in a week-long sports camp.

A preliminary study of combined toxicity and underlying mechanisms of imidacloprid and cadmium coexposure using a multiomics integration approach.

Imidacloprid (IMI) and cadmium (Cd) have been shown to be harmful to mammals separately, but their combined toxicity to mammals remains largely unknown. In this study, biochemical analysis (oxidative stress and serum indicators of liver and kidney function), pathological sections and multiomics (metabolomics and transcriptomics) methods were used to investigate the changes and mechanisms of liver and kidney in mice coexposed to IMI and Cd. Biochemical analysis and pathological section results showed that oxidative stress, organ function, and cell damage were aggravated after the combination of the two methods.

Short communication: The importance of random effects in detecting purging of inbreeding depression: A model comparison in Pannon White rabbits.

Inbreeding depression (ID) is a well-documented phenomenon associated with reduced fitness and possible extinction. However, ID can be mitigated or even eliminated through the interplay of inbreeding and selection, a process known as purging. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive power of two commonly used approaches in models with and without random dam effects to detect purging (full and reduced models).

Abelacimab versus Rivaroxaban in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Background: Abelacimab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds to the inactive form of factor XI and blocks its activation. The safety of abelacimab as compared with a direct oral anticoagulant in patients with atrial fibrillation is unknown.

Methods: Patients with atrial fibrillation and a moderate-to-high risk of stroke were randomly assigned, in a 1:1:1 ratio, to receive subcutaneous injection of abelacimab (150 mg or 90 mg once monthly) administered in a blinded fashion or oral rivaroxaban (20 mg once daily) administered in an open-label fashion.

Life satisfaction around the world: Measurement invariance of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups.

The Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) is a widely used self-report measure of subjective well-being, but studies of its measurement invariance across a large number of nations remain limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset-with data collected between 2020 and 2022 -to assess measurement invariance of the SWLS across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups (N = 56,968). All participants completed the SWLS under largely uniform conditions.

Effects of Variable Ventilation on Gas Exchange in an Experimental Model of Capnoperitoneum: A Randomized Crossover Study.

Background: The rapid advancement of minimally invasive surgical techniques has made laparoscopy a preferred alternative because it reduces postoperative complications. However, inflating the peritoneum with CO2 causes a cranial shift of the diaphragm decreasing lung volume and impairing gas exchange. Additionally, CO2 absorption increases blood CO2 levels, further complicating mechanical ventilation when the lung function is already compromised.

FFR-Negative Nonculprit High-Risk Plaques and Clinical Outcomes in High-Risk Populations: An Individual Patient-Data Pooled Analysis From COMBINE (OCT-FFR) and PECTUS-obs.

Background: Despite fractional flow reserve (FFR)-guided deferral of revascularization, recurrent events in patients with diabetes or after myocardial infarction remain common. This study aimed to assess the association between FFR-negative but high-risk nonculprit lesions and clinical outcomes.

Methods: This is a patient-level pooled analysis of the prospective natural-history COMBINE (OCT-FFR) study (Optical Coherence Tomography Morphologic and Fractional Flow Reserve Assessment in Diabetes Mellitus Patients) and PECTUS-obs study (Identification of Risk Factors for Acute Coronary Events by OCT After STEMI and NSTEMI Patients With Residual Non- Flow Limiting Lesions).

NTRK amplification occurs frequently in pan-TRK immunopositive dedifferentiated liposarcomas.

The () gene family is of rising importance as their fusions are oncogenic, and specific target drugs are available to inhibit the chimera proteins. Pan-TRK antibody, which shows the overexpression of the genes, is a useful tool to detect tumors with or without gene alterations, due to high negative predictive value. Though it is well known that pan-TRK immunopositivity is usually not connected to fusion, the role of other possible genetic alterations is under-researched.

Association between the use of mobile touchscreen devices and the quality of parent-child interaction in preschoolers.

The early use of mobile touchscreen devices (MTSDs), including smartphones and tablets, may reduce the frequency and quality of social interactions between children and parents, which could impact their relationship and have negative consequences on children's socio-cognitive development. In this study, we applied a parental questionnaire and a behavioral observational method in a laboratory setting (free and structured play sessions) to examine the association between preschool MTSD use and the quantity and quality of parent-child relationships. Our findings revealed that preschoolers who regularly use MTSDs ( = 47, aged 4-7 years, engaging in MTSD use for at least 2 h per week) are spending less time with their parents and exhibited lower quality interactions compared to non-users ( = 25).

Machine learning algorithms for predicting PTSD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This study aimed to compare and evaluate the prediction accuracy and risk of bias (ROB) of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) predictive models. We conducted a systematic review and random-effect meta-analysis summarizing predictive model development and validation studies using machine learning in diverse samples to predict PTSD. Model performances were pooled using the area under the curve (AUC) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

Pembrolizumab and chemotherapy in high-risk, early-stage, ER/HER2 breast cancer: a randomized phase 3 trial.

Addition of pembrolizumab to neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by adjuvant pembrolizumab improved outcomes in patients with high-risk, early-stage, triple-negative breast cancer. However, whether the addition of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab to chemotherapy would improve outcomes in high-risk, early-stage, estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (ER/HER2) breast cancer remains unclear. We conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study (KEYNOTE-756) in which patients with previously untreated ER/HER2 grade 3 high-risk invasive breast cancer (T1c-2 (≥2 cm), cN1-2 or T3-4, cN0-2) were randomly assigned (1:1) to neoadjuvant pembrolizumab 200 mg or placebo Q3W given with paclitaxel QW for 12 weeks, followed by four cycles of doxorubicin or epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide Q2W or Q3W.

Breed differences in olfactory performance of dogs.

Most studies on dogs' olfactory performance focused only on some individuals pre-trained for a task or on specially selected/trained detection dogs. Here, using the Natural Detection Task (NDT) that does not require training, we assessed the effect of several potential factors on the performance of a large sample of dogs (N = 527/tested, 484/analysed). Olfactory success was associated with breeds, but breed groups (selected for olfaction, cooperation, or both) were proven non-relevant, suggesting that breed-specific traits are more influential than functional breed group characteristics.