Glial activation and nociceptive neuropeptide elevation associated with the development of chronic post-traumatic headache following repetitive blast exposure.

Chronic headaches and pain are prevalent in those who are exposure to blast events, yet there is a gap in fundamental data that identifies the pathological mechanism for the chronification of pain. Blast-related post-traumatic headaches (PTH) are understudied and chronic pain behaviors in preclinical models can be vital to help elucidate PTH mechanisms. The descending pain modulatory system controls pain perception and involves specific brain regions such as the cortex, thalamus, pons, and medulla.

Increased para-aortic adipose tissue on echocardiography may closely be related with fragmented QRS.

Background: The association of fragmented QRS (fQRS) with many cardiac pathologies such as cardiac fibrosis has been described previously. Paraaortic adipose tissue (PAT) is thought to be associated with many cardiac diseases and there is only one publication on its echocardiographic evaluation.

Aims: To describe the possible relationship between fQRS and PAT.

Eating disorders in medical students: prevalence, risk factors, comparison with the general population.

Objectives: The main objectives were to investigate the prevalence of ED and associated risk factors among medical students in Romania, as well as to determine which variables may predict ED and to explore the differences between medical students and the general population.

Methods: The Eating Disorders Inventory questionnaire (EDI-3) was applied. Also, the body mass index of the students was calculated, socio-demographic information regarding personal and family medical history was collected (mental and chronic diseases, self-reported sleep difficulties in the past 6 months, family history of obesity) and potentially risky events (history of ridicule, major negative events, social pressure to be thin from family, friends, media).

A study on the relationship between physical exercise and feelings of inferiority among college students: the chain mediating effect of social support and emotional regulation ability.

Objective: This study aims to explore the impact of physical exercise on feelings of inferiority among college students, focusing on the mediating roles of social support and emotional regulation ability. The research investigates both direct and indirect pathways to understand how physical exercise enhances psychological resilience and mitigates negative self-perceptions.

Methods: A sample of 2,036 college students from 15 provinces in China was surveyed using validated scales for physical exercise, feelings of inferiority, social support, and emotional regulation ability.

Japanese-as-a-foreign-language acquisition affects native Chinese lexical processing among Chinese learners.

Existing research has primarily focused on the influence of the native language on second language (L2) acquisition and processing, with less attention given to whether L2 acquisition affects native language processing. This study examines Chinese learners of Japanese, focusing on the orthographic and phonological similarities between two-character words in Chinese and Japanese. It investigates how these similarities affect native Chinese lexical processing at intermediate and advanced stages of Japanese learning and explores the predictive effect of L2 lexical processing efficiency on native language lexical processing efficiency at different stages of L2 learning.

Effectiveness of a home-based computerized cognitive training in Parkinson's disease: a pilot randomized cross-over study.

Introduction: Cognitive symptoms are common in Parkinson's Disease (PD), and digital interventions like telerehabilitation other an accessible way to manage these symptoms. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a Home-Based Computerized Cognitive Training (HB-CCT) program in individuals with PD using a pilot randomized cross-over design.

Methods: Twenty-five participants (mean age 69.

Effects of the narrative elaboration technique and open-ended rapport on accuracy of children's recall according to age.

Introduction: This study explored the impacts of the narrative elaboration technique (NET) and open-ended rapport building on younger ( = 30, ages 5-6) and older ( = 30, ages 7-8) children's free recall and suggestibility.

Methods: Children were randomly assigned to either a NET condition or an open-ended rapport condition after engaging in a photo-taking play session with an experimenter. Then, a novel interviewer asked them about the play session.

Stress, perceived competence and guilt as predictors of depression in parents with chronic pain.

Introduction: Suffering from chronic pain (CP) and coping with parenthood can be challenging for parental mental health. Pain can hinder the ability to deal with demands related to parenthood, which can negatively affect their psychological well-being because of unmet caregiving expectations.

Methods: Considering the limited amount of research regarding the mental health of parents with CP, the study's main aim was to test a predictive model based on previous scientific literature, using structural equation analysis, in which parental competence and parental guilt partially mediate the relationship between parental stress and depression.

Tunes that move us: the impact of music-induced emotions on prosocial decision-making.

Introduction: The significance of music might be attributed to its role in social bonding, a function that has likely influenced the evolution of human musicality. Although there is substantial evidence for the relationship between prosocial songs and prosocial behavior, it remains unclear whether music alone, independent of lyrics, can influence prosocial behaviors. This study investigates whether music and the emotions it induces can influence prosocial decision-making, utilizing the classical two-dimensional model of emotion (mood and arousal).

Elf autoencoder for unsupervised exploration of flat-band materials using electronic band structure fingerprints.

Two-dimensional materials with flat electronic bands are promising for realising exotic quantum phenomena such as unconventional superconductivity and nontrivial topology. However, exploring their vast chemical space is a significant challenge. Here we introduce elf, an unsupervised convolutional autoencoder that encodes electronic band structure images into fingerprint vectors, enabling the autonomous clustering of materials by electronic properties beyond traditional chemical paradigms.

Exploring the microbiome-gut-testis axis in testicular germ cell tumors.

The microbiome-gut-testis axis has emerged as a significant area of interest in understanding testicular cancer, particularly testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs), which represent the most common malignancy in young men. The interplay between the gut and testicular microbiomes is hypothesized to influence tumorigenesis and reproductive health, underscoring the complex role of microbial ecosystems in disease pathology. The microbiome-gut-testis axis encompasses complex interactions between the gut microbiome, systemic immune modulation, and the local microenvironment of the testis.

Subtilosin A production is influenced by surfactin levels in .

Although not essential for their growth, the production of secondary metabolites increases the fitness of the producing microorganisms in their natural habitat by enhancing establishment, competition, and nutrient acquisition. The Gram-positive soil-dwelling bacterium, , produces a variety of secondary metabolites. Here, we investigated the regulatory relationship between the non-ribosomal peptide surfactin and the sactipeptide bacteriocin subtilosin A.

Progressive systemic inflammation precedes decompensation in compensated cirrhosis.

Background & Aims: Systemic inflammation is a driver of decompensation in cirrhosis with unclear relevance in the compensated stage. We evaluated inflammation and bacterial translocation markers in compensated cirrhosis and their dynamics in relation to the first decompensation.

Methods: This study is nested within the PREDESCI trial, which investigated non-selective beta-blockers for preventing decompensation in compensated cirrhosis and clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH: hepatic venous pressure gradient ≥10 mmHg).

The Carnivoran Adaptive Landscape Reveals Trade-offs among Functional Traits in the Skull, Appendicular, and Axial Skeleton.

Analyses of form-function relationships are widely used to understand links between morphology, ecology, and adaptation across macroevolutionary scales. However, few have investigated functional trade-offs and covariance within and between the skull, limbs, and vertebral column simultaneously. In this study, we investigated the adaptive landscape of skeletal form and function in carnivorans to test how functional trade-offs among these skeletal regions contribute to ecological adaptations and the topology of the landscape.

The association between total social exposure and incident multimorbidity: A population-based cohort study.

Background: Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, is associated with the social determinants of health. Using comprehensive linked population-representative data, we sought to understand the combined effect of multiple social determinants on multimorbidity incidence in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Ontario respondents aged 20-55 in 2001-2011 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey were linked to administrative health data ascertain multimorbidity status until 2022.

Neighborhood income inequality, maternal relative deprivation and neonatal health in Sweden: A cross-sectional study using individually defined multi-scale contexts.

•Maternal relative deprivation is linked to intrauterine growth restriction.•Neighborhood income inequality is linked to fewer low Apgar scores in high-income mothers.•Findings support relative deprivation hypothesis over income inequality hypothesis.

: Mitochondrial signatures based analysis of an emerging public health threat in India.

Background: is a zoonotic tapeworm, commonly known as Asian It is an emerging sister species of with pigs as intermediate hosts. The present study aimed at genetic characterization and population structure analysis of metacestodes in slaughtered pigs in Haryana, north India.

Methods: In total, the vital organs of 253 slaughtered pigs were screened for the presence of metacestodes.

Local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in two forest understorey herbs in response to forest management intensity.

Local adaptation is a common phenomenon that helps plant populations to adjust to broad-scale environmental heterogeneity. Given the strong effect of forest management on the understorey microenvironment and often long-term effects of forest management actions, it seems likely that understorey herbs may have locally adapted to the practiced management regime and induced environmental variation. We investigated the response of and to forest management using a transplant experiment along a silvicultural management intensity gradient.

Floral traits underlying mating system differentiation in the wind-pollinated sister species and .

The shift from outcrossing to predominantly selfing is one of the most common transitions in plant evolution. This evolutionary shift has received considerable attention from biologists; however, this work has almost exclusively been focused on animal-pollinated systems. Despite the seminal ecological and economic importance of wind-pollinated species, the mechanisms controlling the degree of outcrossing in wind-pollinated taxa remain poorly understood.

Growth-friendly spinal surgery: Review of the effect on truncal growth.

Background: Pediatric spinal deformity surgery affects ultimate spinal height in the growing child. This effect on ultimate spinal height has also been shown to affect pulmonary development and ultimately pulmonary function. There has been an increasing trend toward growth-friendly spinal surgery in early onset scoliosis to minimize the negative consequences of early spinal fusion surgery.

Mid-term outcomes of elbow hemiarthroplasty using the triceps-on approach for comminuted distal humerus fractures.

Background: There has been an increasing interest in elbow hemiarthroplasty to circumvent the problems with total elbow arthroplasty for comminuted distal humerus fractures in the elderly. The primary aim of the study is to assess the mid-term clinical and radiological outcomes of patients undergoing TEA and hemiarthroplasty for distal humerus fractures.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of data for patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty for distal humerus fractures (OTA- C3 Comminuted total articular fractures) was done.

Relationship between ZHX2 Expression and VHL Gene Alteration in VHL-associated and Sporadic Hemangioblastomas of the Central Nervous System.

Central nervous system hemangioblastoma (CNS-HB) is the most common manifestation of von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL). The main axis of the CNS-HB pathway is the VHL-HIF signaling pathway. Recently, we proposed an alternative VHL-JAK-STAT pathway in CNS-HB.

Intestinal permeability, food antigens and the microbiome: a multifaceted perspective.

The gut barrier encompasses several interactive, physical, and functional components, such as the gut microbiota, the mucus layer, the epithelial layer and the gut mucosal immunity. All these contribute to homeostasis in a well-regulated manner. Nevertheless, this frail balance might be disrupted for instance by westernized dietary habits, infections, pollution or exposure to antibiotics, thus diminishing protective immunity and leading to the onset of chronic diseases.