Gut metagenomic features of frailty.

This study investigates the relationship between frailty severity and gut microbiome characteristics in adults in Kazakhstan. We analyzed 158 participants across four frailty severity (mild to very severe) using metagenomic sequencing of stool samples. Frailty was significantly correlated with age, weight, and functional measures like walking speed and grip strength.

Accurately assessing congenital heart disease using artificial intelligence.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) remains a significant global health challenge, particularly contributing to newborn mortality, with the highest rates observed in middle- and low-income countries due to limited healthcare resources. Machine learning (ML) presents a promising solution by developing predictive models that more accurately assess the risk of mortality associated with CHD. These ML-based models can help healthcare professionals identify high-risk infants and ensure timely and appropriate care.

The Mediating Roles of Self-Compassion and Emotion Regulation in the Relationship Between Psychological Resilience and Mental Health Among College Teachers.

Background: The compromised well-being of educators engenders a range of educational, social, and economic issues that cannot be adequately addressed through the mere awareness of risk factors. The present research explores the mediating roles of self-compassion and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) on the relationship between academic teachers' psychological resilience and mental health.

Methods: A total of 405 academic teachers from four colleges in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study between September and November 2023.

Perspectives of Patients Regarding Artificial Intelligence and Its Application in Healthcare: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Artificial intelligence integration into healthcare has gained significant attention in recent years, with its use ranging from disease diagnosis to surgical assistance. While artificial intelligence's potential to improve patient outcomes and optimise patient care is undeniable, concerns regarding privacy, transparency, and the potential for medical errors persist. To take full advantage of artificial intelligence's transformative abilities, understanding patient perceptions and attitudes towards its integration into medicine is crucial for ethical considerations and health outcomes.

Stakeholder perspectives on the costs and benefits of circular construction.

The construction industry significantly impacts the environment through natural resource depletion and energy consumption, leading to environmental degradation. Circular Economy (CE) material efficiency strategies-such as material reuse, design for disassembly, prefabrication, and recycling-offer promising solutions for reducing resource consumption and waste. This paper explores stakeholders' perspectives on the costs and benefits of implementing CE material efficiency strategies in the construction industry, using the 3-R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) framework.

Rabbit heart bioartificial tissue: perfusion decellularization and characterization.

Despite new approaches in the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft, and left ventricular assist devices, which cannot fully compensate for the effectiveness of the original heart, heart transplantation still remains as the most effective solution. A growing body of literature recognizes the importance of developing a whole heart constructed from living tissues to provide an alternative option for patients suffering from diseases of the cardiovascular system. A potential solution that shows a promise is to generate cell-free, i.

Photoactivity Enhancement of WO Photoanodes Using the Combined Effect of Plasmonic Au and Photoluminescent YO:Eu Nanoparticles.

The WO photoanode has great potential application for solar photoelectrochemical water oxidation due to suitable band edge positions with water oxidation potentials. However, it suffers from poor light absorbance in the visible region. Here, we use Eu-doped YO nanoparticles (NPs) in combination with plasmonic gold (Au) NPs to better utilize and adsorb photons from UV and visible regions of sunlight.

Dimensionless analysis of foam stability for application in enhanced oil recovery.

The stability of foam during injection into oil reservoirs is critical, especially under high-temperature and high-salinity conditions. This study formulates foam stabilizers using one polymer, two surfactants, and six types of nanoparticles (NPs). Foam stability was assessed with a static setup, examining factors such as interfacial tension (IFT), bubble characteristics, and solution viscosity through dimensionless numbers: Bond number (Bo), Worthington number (We), and Neumann number (Ne).

The impact of PPARγ and ApoE gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to diabetic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis.

Background: Globally, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) has become the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, imposing substantial social and economic costs. This meta-analysis was designed to provide valuable insights into gene-disease interactions by investigating the potential association between lipid metabolism gene polymorphisms and the risk of DKD.

Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted on MEDLINE Complete, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed.

Phylogenetic and phylodynamic analysis of respiratory syncytial virus strains circulating in children less than five years of age in Karachi-Pakistan.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of infant morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in Pakistan. To date, few studies have explored RSV epidemiology in different areas of Pakistan. However, none have performed comprehensive phylogenetic and phylodynamic analyses of RSV strains.

Optimizing scaffold pore size for tissue engineering: insights across various tissue types.

Scaffold porosity is a critical factor in replicating the complex microenvironment, directly influencing cellular interactions, migration, nutrient transfer, vascularization, and the formation of functional tissues. For optimal tissue formation, scaffold design must account for various parameters, including material composition, morphology, mechanical properties, and cellular compatibility. This review highlights the importance of interconnected porosity and pore size, emphasizing their impact on cellular behavior and tissue formation across several tissue engineering domains, such as skin, bone, cardiovascular, and lung tissues.

Association of Gene Variants with Adverse Perinatal Outcomes in COVID-19 Infected Pregnant Women in Kazakhstan.

SARS-CoV-2 utilizes the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors located on membranes to enter host cells. Nevertheless, the gene primarily encodes for a zinc metalloproteinase, which is a part of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS). ACE2 downregulation results in the deregulation of RAS in favor of pro-fibrosis, pro-apoptosis, oxidative stress, pro-inflammation, aldosterone production and release, and blood vessel contraction axis.

PTHF/LATP Composite Polymer Electrolyte for Solid State Batteries.

The novel crosslinked composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) was developed and investigated using polytetrahydrofuran (PTHF) and polyethyleneglycol diacrylate (PEGDA), incorporating lithium aluminum titanium phosphate (LATP) particles and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt. Composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) for solid-state lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were synthesized by harnessing the synergistic effects of PTHF crosslinking and the addition of LATP ceramics, while systematically varying the film composition and LATP content. CPEs containing 15 wt% LATP (PPL15) demonstrated improved mechanical strength and electrochemical stability, achieving a high conductivity of 1.

Hemadsorption with CytoSorb in Infants with Sepsis: Non-Systematic Review of Cases.

Sepsis is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to an infection damages its own tissues and organs. It can lead to organ failure and death if not treated. Cytosorb is a promising medical device for hemadsorption in pediatric septic patients (under 18 years old).

Identification of SNPs Associated with Drought Resistance in Hybrid Populations of (L.) H. Karst.- (Ledeb.).

Background/objectives: The spruces of the - complex have a total range that is the most extensive in the world flora of woody conifers. Hybridization between the nominative species has led to the formation of a wide introgression zone, which probably increases the adaptive potential of the entire species complex. This study aimed to search the genes associated with drought resistance, develop primers for the informative loci of these genes, identify and analyze SNPs, and establish the parameters of nucleotide diversity in the studied populations.

Targeted NGS Revealed Pathogenic Mutation in a 13-Year-Old Patient with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: A Case Report.

Familial hypercholesterolemia is an autosomal hereditary disease defined by an increased level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which predisposes significant risks for premature cardiovascular disorders. We present a family trio study: proband, a 13-year-old Kazakh girl with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) and her parents. HoFH is much more rare and severe than a heterozygous form of the disorder.

Double-Edge Effects of Leucine on Cancer Cells.

Leucine is an essential amino acid that cannot be produced endogenously in the human body and therefore needs to be obtained from dietary sources. Leucine plays a pivotal role in stimulating muscle protein synthesis, along with isoleucine and valine, as the group of branched-chain amino acids, making them one of the most popular dietary supplements for athletes and gym-goers. The individual effects of leucine, however, have not been fully clarified, as most of the studies so far have focused on the grouped effects of branched-chain amino acids.

20-Hydroxyecdysone Boosts Energy Production and Biosynthetic Processes in Non-Transformed Mouse Cells.

20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is an arthropod steroid hormone that possesses a number of beneficial pharmacological activities in humans, including anabolic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, and antineoplastic properties, etc. While several studies have explored the anabolic activity of 20E in muscle cells, they have concentrated on its effects on myofibril size, protein biosynthesis intensity, and myostatin expression, without assessing energy metabolism. In this research, we have demonstrated that 20E boosts both catabolism and anabolism, coupling energy-producing and biosynthetic metabolic processes in mouse myoblasts and fibroblasts in the same way.

Experimental analysis and gene expression programming optimization of sustainable concrete containing mineral fillers.

Rapid urbanization has led to a high demand for concrete, causing a significant depletion of vital natural resources, notably river sand, which is crucial in the manufacturing process of concrete. As a result, there is a growing need for environmentally sustainable alternatives to fine aggregate in concrete. Quarry dust (QD) has evolved as a viable and ecologically friendly substitute in response to this demand.

Solid-state hydrogen storage materials.

The increasing global emphasis on sustainable energy alternatives, driven by concerns about climate change, has resulted in a deeper examination of hydrogen as a viable and ecologically safe energy carrier. The review paper analyzes the recent advancements achieved in materials used for storing hydrogen in solid-state, focusing particularly on the improvements made in both physical and chemical storage techniques. Metal-organic frameworks and covalent-organic frameworks are characterized by their porous structures and large surface areas, making them appropriate for physical adsorption.

Sustainable Scalable Mechanochemical Synthesis of CdS/BiS Nanocomposites for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

In the present study, a green, scalable, and environmentally friendly approach was developed for the fabrication of BiS-decorated CdS nanoparticles with an efficient hydrogen generation ability from the water. As a sulfur source, thiourea was used. The process was completed in two stages: mechanical activation and thermal annealing.

Strontium- and Copper-Doped Ceramic Granules in Bone Regeneration-Associated Cellular Processes.

Background: Pathological bone fracturing is an escalating problem driven by increasing aging and obesity. Bioceramics, particularly tricalcium-phosphate-based materials (TCP), are renowned for their exceptional biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, and ability to promote biomineralization. In the present study, we designed and characterized TCP porous granules doped with strontium (Sr) and copper (Cu) (CuSr TCP).

Unlocking Genome Editing: Advances and Obstacles in CRISPR/Cas Delivery Technologies.

CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated with protein 9) was first identified as a component of the bacterial adaptive immune system and subsequently engineered into a genome-editing tool. The key breakthrough in this field came with the realization that CRISPR/Cas9 could be used in mammalian cells to enable transformative genetic editing. This technology has since become a vital tool for various genetic manipulations, including gene knockouts, knock-in point mutations, and gene regulation at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.