l-theanine: From tea leaf to trending supplement - does the science match the hype for brain health and relaxation?

l-Theanine is a unique non-protein amino acid found abundantly in tea leaves. Interest in its potential use as a dietary supplement has surged recently, especially claims related to promoting relaxation and cognitive enhancement. This review surveys the chemistry, metabolism, and purported biological activities of l-theanine.

Prevalence of FGFR2b Protein Overexpression in Advanced Gastric Cancers During Prescreening for the Phase III FORTITUDE-101 Trial.

Purpose: Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 isoform IIIb (FGFR2b) protein overexpression is an emerging biomarker in gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction cancer (GC). We assessed FGFR2b protein overexpression prevalence in nearly 3,800 tumor samples as part of the prescreening process for a global phase III study in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic GC.

Methods: As of June 28, 2024, 3,782 tumor samples from prescreened patients from 37 countries for the phase III FORTITUDE-101 trial (ClinicalTrials.

Functional traits mediate the effect of land use on drivers of community stability within and across trophic levels.

Understanding how land use affects temporal stability is crucial to preserve biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Yet, the mechanistic links between land-use intensity and stability-driving mechanisms remain unclear, with functional traits likely playing a key role. Using 13 years of data from 300 sites in Germany, we tested whether and how trait-based community features mediate the effect of land-use intensity on acknowledged stability drivers (compensatory dynamics, portfolio effect, and dominant species variability), within and across plant and arthropod communities.

Low regulatory T-cells frequency is associated with graft rejection after small bowel transplantation: Clinical and experimental evidence.

Background: Intestinal transplantation (ITx) represents the only curative option for patients with irreversible intestinal failure. Nevertheless, its rejection rate surpasses that of other solid organ transplants due to the heightened immunological load of the gut. Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) are key players in the induction and maintenance of peripheral tolerance, suggesting their potential involvement in modulating host vs.

Time series segmentation for recognition of epileptiform patterns recorded via microelectrode arrays in vitro.

Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder that affects approximately 1% of the global population. Approximately 30-40% of patients respond poorly to antiepileptic medications, leading to a significant negative impact on their quality of life. Closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment for individuals who do not respond to medical therapy.

Physical activity and metabolic syndrome in primary care patients in Spain.

Purpose: To determine the relationship between self-reported physical activity and the components of premorbid metabolic syndrome in patients treated in primary care according to sex.

Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted on a sample of 2,359 patients without cardiovascular disease or diabetes, included in the cohort of the IBERICAN study. Using ANOVA models and adjusting for age, economic status, employment situation, level of education, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, tobacco use and alcohol consumption, we estimated the association of the variables blood pressure, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood glucose and waist circumference with the self-reported level of physical activity (sedentary, moderate, high, very high).

Is Social Jetlag Associated With Physical Fitness Among Spanish Adolescents? Insights From the EHDLA Study.

Background: The misalignment of sleeping times during weekdays/weekends (i.e., social jetlag) is particularly common among adolescents and plausibly associated with their physical fitness.

Biases in Volumetric Versus Surface Analyses in Population Receptive Field Mapping.

Population receptive field (pRF) mapping is a quantitative functional MRI (fMRI) analysis method that links visual field positions with specific locations in the visual cortex. A common preprocessing step in pRF analyses involves projecting volumetric fMRI data onto the cortical surface, typically leading to upsampling of the data. This process may introduce biases in the resulting pRF parameters.

Influence of Unspecific Visual-Perceptual-Cognitive Task Constraints on Jump Ability and Reactive Strength in Federated Soccer Players.

Soccer players must react quickly and execute complex mental processes to adapt to competitive scenarios while maintaining peak physical performance. Perceptual-cognitive training methods integrate reaction tasks using nonspecific visual stimuli with game-like motor actions, but the impact on explosive strength responses is unclear. This study investigates the effect of nonspecific visual stimuli with varying perceptual-cognitive constraints on jump performance, including countermovement jump height, reactive strength index modified, action time, and reaction time.

First insights into the life history of the early Miocene deer Procervulus ginsburgi from Spain.

The small-sized cervid Procervulus is considered as the most basal member of the Cervidae and one of the earliest ruminants bearing antler-like appendages. The Iberian Miocene record of this stem-cervid is extensively documented and largely overlaps with the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO), a transient period of global warming of particular interest when comparing present and near future conditions. Despite receiving a substantial amount of attention, histological studies on Procervulus are very scarce and only limited to postcranial remains of Procervulus praelucidus from Germany (MN3).

Evaluation of the perception of information from ChatGPT in myopia education: Perspectives of students and professionals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the perception and understanding of the information provided by ChatGPT regarding myopia among optometry students, optometrists undertaking a Master degree and practicing optometrists.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using a structured questionnaire distributed via Wooclap to 225 participants (125 optometry students, 21 Masters students and 79 practicing optometrists). All participants evaluated the responses generated by ChatGPT Version 4.

Testing Covariates Effects on Bivariate Reference Regions.

Correlated clinical measurements are routinely interpreted via comparisons with univariate reference intervals examined side by side. Multivariate reference regions (MVRs), i.e.

Value of anatomopathological examination in goats with a positive comparative intradermal tuberculin test as part of a tuberculosis control programme.

Background: Caprine tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium caprae. A tuberculosis control programme has been implemented using the comparative intradermal tuberculin (CIT) test. However, infection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculsis and infection with or vaccination against Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) may have a negative impact on specificity.

Dynamic Accommodation Responses in Subjects Wearing Myopia Control Spectacles Modifying Peripheral Refraction.

Purpose: Peripheral optics have been suggested to play a role in myopia progression, with accommodation responses also considered a potential contributor. This study aimed to investigate whether modifications in peripheral optics through different spectacle lenses affect accommodation responses.

Methods: Dynamic accommodation responses were assessed using a double-pass instrument while switching the target from distance (3 m for 3 seconds) to near (0.

A comparative analysis of perceptual noise in lateral and depth motion: Evidence from eye tracking.

The characterization of how precisely we perceive visual speed has traditionally relied on psychophysical judgments in discrimination tasks. Such tasks are often considered laborious and susceptible to biases, particularly without the involvement of highly trained participants. Additionally, thresholds for motion-in-depth perception are frequently reported as higher compared to lateral motion, a discrepancy that contrasts with everyday visuomotor tasks.

Tracheobronchitis in Noncritically Ill Children With Tracheostomy: Can Quantitative Tracheal Cultures Assist in the Management?

Background And Objectives: Bacteria in tracheal aspirate samples from children with tracheostomy can indicate infection or colonization. Our study aimed to determine whether bacterial counts > 10 or > 10 CFU (colony forming units)/mL are more frequently associated with tracheobronchitis. Additionally, we aimed to examine the association between bacterial count and variables distinguishing colonization from infection in tracheobronchitis, along with clinical severity indicators.

Measuring self-similarity in empirical signals to understand musical beat perception.

Experiencing music often entails the perception of a periodic beat. Despite being a widespread phenomenon across cultures, the nature and neural underpinnings of beat perception remain largely unknown. In the last decade, there has been a growing interest in developing methods to probe these processes, particularly to measure the extent to which beat-related information is contained in behavioral and neural responses.

Individualised Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea: Predictive Models and Anatomical Phenotyping of Mandibular Advancement Devices Responses.

Objectives: This non-randomised clinical study aimed to identify the phenotypic characteristics that distinguish responders from non-responders. Additionally, it sought to establish a predictive model for treatment response to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) using mandibular advancement devices (MAD), based on the analysed phenotypic characteristics.

Material And Methods: This study, registered under identifier NCT05596825, prospectively analysed MAD treatment over 6 years using two-piece adjustable appliances according to a standardised protocol.

α/β Conflicting Aromaticity Under the Microscope: Study of Pro-Aromatic Radicals.

The aromaticity of a representative sample of pro-aromatic radicals and its nitro, amino, hydroxyl and imine substituted derivatives has been analysed by means of multicentre delocalization indices (MCI) and nuclear-independent chemical shifts (NICS). Because of their radical character, these compounds may exhibit conflicting α/ß aromaticity, so that the contribution of α and β electrons to the MCI and NICS has been analysed separately and their values qualitatively interpreted in terms of the 2n+1/2n rule. All the monocyclic radicals investigated show conflicting α/β aromaticity.

Maximal Fat Oxidation Rate in Healthy Young Adults. Influence of Cardiorespiratory Fitness Level and Sex.

Introduction: The maximal fat oxidation (MFO) and the exercise intensity that provokes MFO (FATMAX) are inversely associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy young sedentary adults. However, how both cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) level and sex influence MFO during exercise and the FATMAX is seldom analyzed.

Objectives: This study is aimed at determining the influence of CRF and sex on MFO.

Breast MRI to Screen Women With Extremely Dense Breasts.

Women with extremely dense breasts are at a higher risk of breast cancer, and the sensitivity of mammography in this group is reduced due to the masking effect of overlapping tissue. This review examines supplemental screening methods to improve detection in this population, with a focus on MRI. Morphologic techniques offer limited benefits, digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) shows inconsistent results, and ultrasound (US), while improving cancer detection rates (CDR), results in a higher rate of false positives.

Overcoming low status or maintaining high status? A multinational examination of the association between socioeconomic status and honour.

We examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and endorsement of honour. We studied the SES-honour link in 5 studies (N = 13,635) with participants recruited in different world regions (the Mediterranean and MENA, East Asian, South-East Asian, and Anglo-Western regions) using measures that tap into various different facets of honour. Findings from these studies revealed that individuals who subjectively perceived themselves as belonging to a higher (vs.

Recovery of rare earths from end-of-life NdFeB permanent magnets from wind turbines.

This work aims to recover rare earths from wind turbines NdFeB magnets through pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical techniques. First, a NdFeB hydride powder is obtained by decrepitation with hydrogen. Subsequently, this powder was subjected to a chlorination roasting process and successive leaching with water to bring the metals into solution.