Seasonal volatile organic compound dynamics in urban and forest environments in Thailand: Implications for air quality and secondary pollutants.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) notably influence air quality, climate and secondary pollutant formation, particularly regions in where urban emissions interact with natural biogenic sources at the interface of urban and natural ecosystems. This study examined the VOC profiles in the Sakaerat dry evergreen forest and the urban area of Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, throughout 2023, focusing on seasonal and spatial variations in biogenic and anthropogenic VOCs (BVOCs and AVOCs, respectively). Hydrocarbons, mainly alkanes, dominated VOC compositions, contributing 43.

China's position and competitiveness in the global antibiotic value chain: implications for global health.

Background: Antibiotics are a key commodity for global health, and inadequate access is a major contributor to global mortality. COVID-19 has refocused attention on global pharmaceutical value chains and the need for sustainable and secure production and supply of key products, including antibiotics. Production of antibiotics and their active pharmaceutical ingredients is capital- and technology-intensive, however, and value chains are dominated by a limited number of countries.

Sociodemographic, lifestyle and psychological factors associated with healthy ageing in a national longitudinal study of middle-aged and older adults in Thailand.

The aim of this study was to estimate the longitudinal associations with healthy ageing as well as its association with mortality in a national sample in Thailand. The analytic sample consisted of 2585 participants (≥45 years) in four study assessments in 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022. The distribution of the healthy ageing components at baseline was 93.

Nicaraven enhances the cytotoxicity of X-ray irradiation in cancer cells with homologous recombination deficiency.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is involved in the repair of DNA single-strand breaks. PARP inhibitors are cytotoxic to cancer cells with homologous recombination (HR) deficiency through a synthetic lethality mechanism. Nicaraven is a hydroxyl radical scavenger that has been investigated for the treatment of organ ischemia such as brain infarction.

Rising-frequency chirp stimuli effectively enhance the amplitude and shorten the latency of 40-hz auditory steady-state response.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of changes in group delay from a click signal to a chirp signal on the 40-Hz Auditory Steady-State Response (ASSR) using magnetoencephalography (MEG).

Design: In this study, each participant was exposed to 10 chirp signals with gradually varying group delays from the CE chirp to the click at 60 dB nHL. The 40-Hz ASSR was measured using MEG and evaluated for amplitude and latency in the maximum signal channel at the click signal measured in each hemisphere.

Transmembrane protein 106B amyloid is a potential off-target molecule of tau PET tracers in the choroid plexus.

Purpose: Tau positron emission tomography (PET) has become an essential tool for the clinical diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and the study of tau pathology in the brain. However, some tau tracers exhibit off-target binding in the basal ganglia, choroid plexus, and meninges. Recently, transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) was identified to form novel amyloid filaments in the brain during aging.

Kinesin-like motor protein KIF23 maintains neural stem and progenitor cell pools in the developing cortex.

Accurate mitotic division of neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) is crucial for the coordinated generation of progenitors and mature neurons, which determines cortical size and structure. While mutations in the kinesin-like motor protein KIF23 gene have been recently linked to microcephaly in humans, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we explore the pivotal role of KIF23 in embryonic cortical development.

Narrative Preparedness: Policy-Makers Must Engage With People's Values and Experiences to Ensure Effective Implementation of Interventions in Health Emergencies Comment on "Health Preparedness and Narrative Rationality: A Call for Narrative Preparedness".

Engebretsen and Baker's conceptual paper "" advocates for the adoption of narrative preparedness in addition to health preparedness, emphasising the importance of engaging with people's stories and values during health emergencies. This ensures that policy-makers and health authorities gain the trust of communities as there is evidence this leads to improved outcomes. Their key argument is that science cannot be used effectively in policy unless it makes sense to people and is presented in a way that resonates with their values.

Assessment of Chromosome Oscillations in Mammalian Cells by Live Cell Imaging.

In metaphase, chromosomes undergo a back-and-forth movement between two spindle poles called chromosome oscillation. This dynamic is necessary to maintain the robustness of chromosome segregation. This chapter describes the materials and methods required to observe chromosome oscillation in mammalian cell lines and calculate the deviation of amplitude (DAP), which is used to quantify the degree of chromosome oscillation.

Fibrous corona is reduced in cancer cell lines that attenuate microtubule nucleation from kinetochores.

Most cancer cells show increased chromosome missegregation, known as chromosomal instability (CIN), which promotes cancer progression and drug resistance. The underlying causes of CIN in cancer cells are not fully understood. Here we found that breast cancer cell lines show a reduced kinetochore localization of ROD, ZW10, and Zwilch, components of the fibrous corona, compared with non-transformed breast epithelial cell lines.

Self-Choice Emotion Regulation Enhances Stress Reduction: Neural Basis of Self-Choice Emotion Regulation.

Background/objectives: Opting to perform emotion regulation when facing high-arousal stimuli enhances the reduction in negative emotions. Previous research has indicated that self-choice, that is, personally choosing from multiple alternatives, can improve performance. However, it is unclear whether the emotion regulation strategy chosen among multiple alternatives in daily life enhances stress reduction compared to a forced strategy.

Intrahousehold Food Distribution in the Philippines: A Food Share Over Energy Share Perspective.

Background: Studies on intrahousehold inequality in food distribution typically have focused on the distribution of total energy within the household. While some members within the household can satiate their hunger primarily from the consumption of inexpensive staple food items, others can consume a significantly larger share of much more expensive nonstaple food items rich in bioavailable micronutrients. This potential inequality, which significantly impacts micronutrient malnutrition in developing countries, can be influenced by the gender-related sociocultural norms.

Pretreatment neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio as a prognostic factor in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer treated with pembrolizumab.

Pembrolizumab-containing regimens are the standard first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M HNSCC). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) have been reported to be important prognostic factors in a variety of carcinomas, but none have been investigated in combination with pembrolizumab and chemotherapy or in first-line treatment. Seventy-four patients with R/M HNSCC received pembrolizumab-containing regimens at Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan, from April 2020 to March 2023.

Common protein-altering variant in GFAP is associated with white matter lesions in the older Japanese population.

The genetic architecture of white matter lesions (WMLs) in Asian populations has not been well-characterized. Here, we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify loci associated with the WML volume. Brain MRI and DNA samples were collected from 9479 participants in the Japan Prospective Studies Collaboration for Aging and Dementia (JPSC-AD).

Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Ion-Conductance Microscopy for Investigation of Biomechanical Characteristics of Neutrophils.

Scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is a versatile tool for studying a wide range of materials. It is well suited for investigating living matter, for example, in single-cell neutrophil studies. SPM has been extensively utilized to analyze cell physical properties, providing detailed insights into their structural and functional characteristics at the nanoscale.

Structural insights into the agonist selectivity of the adenosine A receptor.

Adenosine receptors play pivotal roles in physiological processes. Adenosine A receptor (AR), the most recently identified adenosine receptor, is expressed in various tissues, exhibiting important roles in neuron, heart, and immune cells, and is often overexpressed in tumors, highlighting the therapeutic potential of AR-selective agents. Recently, we identified RNA-derived N-methyladenosine (mA) as an endogenous agonist for AR, suggesting the relationship between RNA-derived modified adenosine and AR.

Using participatory and inclusive methodologies to explore inclusive education in Africa.

Background: This paper presents researchers' experiences using participatory, inclusive research methodologies to explore aspects of inclusive education, with children with disabilities, parents, and teachers in Nigeria and Kenya.

Objectives: The objective is to describe working with children and adults with disabilities, as research collaborators, alongside local INGO staff and OPD partners.

Method: In Kenya we worked with 9 peer researchers with disabilities to run focus groups and interviews with children with disabilities, parents and teachers about inclusive pre-school education.

The psychological mechanisms of the better-than-average effect in the moral and competence domains under self-enhancement and self-protection motives among young Japanese adults.

The better-than-average effect (BTAE) refers to the phenomenon where individuals perceive themselves as better than the average person. This effect has been independently examined in terms of social perception dimension and motivation. Additionally, no psychobehavioral traits have been found to be associated with the BTAE in the moral domain.

Is digitalization essential for abating carbon emission growth in South Asia?

Output generation processes across South Asia are deemed unclean (highly emission-intensive) due to excessive reliance on fossil fuels. Thus, decarbonizing the growth processes of countries within this region has critical emphasis among policymakers. However, since the South Asian countries are not yet ready to undergo the renewable energy transition in full form, it is unlikely that their annual carbon discharge levels will subside anytime soon.

Analysis of co-operative irrigation farming and household food security in Africa: A PRISMA model approach.

This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the relationship between co-operative irrigation farming and household food security in Africa. The research aims to identify key studies, authors, and thematic clusters, analyse the geographical distribution of research efforts, and evaluate the impact of co-operative irrigation farming on food security indicators. Utilizing the PRISMA model, data were systematically gathered from peer-reviewed publications indexed in the Dimensions database, focusing on materials published between 2019 and 2023.