Does the mantis shrimp pack a phononic shield?

The powerful strikes generated by the smasher mantis shrimp require it to possess a robust protection mechanism to withstand the resultant forces. Although recent studies have suggested that phononic bandgaps complement the mantis shrimp's defensive suite, direct experimental evidence for this mechanism has remained elusive. In this work, we explored the phononic properties of the mantis shrimp's dactyl club using laser ultrasonic techniques and numerical simulations.

The genome and its giant Y chromosome.

In many species with sex chromosomes, the Y is a tiny chromosome. However, the dioecious plant has a giant ~550-megabase Y chromosome, which has remained unsequenced so far. We used a long- and short-read hybrid approach to obtain a high-quality male genome.

How can biodiversity strategy and action plans incorporate genetic diversity and align with global commitments?

National, subnational, and supranational entities are creating biodiversity strategy and action plans (BSAPs) to develop concrete commitments and actions to curb biodiversity loss, meet international obligations, and achieve a society in harmony with nature. In light of policymakers' increasing recognition of genetic diversity in species and ecosystem adaptation and resilience, this article provides an overview of how BSAPs can incorporate species' genetic diversity. We focus on three areas: setting targets; committing to actions, policies, and programs; and monitoring and reporting.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation training induces myonuclear accretion and hypertrophy in mice without overt signs of muscle damage and regeneration.

Background: Skeletal muscle is a plastic tissue that adapts to increased mechanical loading/contractile activity through fusion of muscle stem cells (MuSCs) with myofibers, a physiological process referred to as myonuclear accretion. However, it is still unclear whether myonuclear accretion is driven by increased mechanical loading per se, or occurs, at least in part, in response to muscle injury/regeneration. Here, we developed a non-damaging protocol to evaluate contractile activity-induced myonuclear accretion/hypertrophy in physiological conditions.

Emergence of collective oscillations in massive human crowds.

Dense crowds form some of the most dangerous environments in modern society. Dangers arise from uncontrolled collective motions, leading to compression against walls, suffocation and fatalities. Our current understanding of crowd dynamics primarily relies on heuristic collision models, which effectively capture the behaviour observed in small groups of people.

Retrospective evaluation of velopharyngeal insufficiency treated with Orticochea pharyngoplasty in cleft palate patients.

This study evaluated the outcomes of perceptual speech, breathing, snoring, and nasal regurgitation following Orticochea pharyngoplasty, and investigated patient characteristics associated with the resolution or improvement of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) in cleft patients. The study involved a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent Orticochea pharyngoplasty for VPI management between 2016 and 2024 in the Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Woman-Mother-Child Hospital, Lyon, France. Demographic data, speech and breathing characteristics, and the presence of snoring and nasal regurgitation were recorded using a standardized protocol.

Uncovering soil amendment-induced genomic and functional divergence in soybean rhizosphere microbiomes during cadmium-contaminated soil remediation: Novel insights from field multi-omics.

Soil amendments exhibit great potential in reducing cadmium (Cd) bioavailability and its accumulation in crop grains, but their practical implications on microbial characteristics (genomic traits and ecological functions) remain unclear. The objective of this study was to combine metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to track the dynamics of bacterial and viral communities in the soybean rhizosphere during the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil using a commercial Mg-Ca-Si conditioner (CMC), applied at low and high (975 kg ha and 1950 kg ha) rates under field conditions. Application of CMC increased the average size and decreased the guanine-cytosine (GC) content of microbial genomes, which were strongly shaped by soil pH and available Cd (ACd).

Enhancing retrieval capacity of the predictive brain through dorsolateral prefrontal cortex intervention.

Extracting spatial or temporal patterns across experiences is essential for skill acquisition and predictive processes. The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in regulating competitive cognitive systems, with a particular influence on executive functions, often opposing statistical learning. This regulatory function may account for observed improvements in the acquisition and consolidation of statistical regularities following inhibition of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex via repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Large Language Models (such as ChatGPT) as Tools for Machine Learning-Based Data Insights in Analytical Chemistry.

Artificial intelligence (AI), especially through the development of deep learning techniques like convolutional neural networks (CNNs), has revolutionized numerous fields. CNNs, introduced by Yann LeCun in the 1990s (Hubbard, W.; Jackel, L.

Mind wandering enhances statistical learning.

The human brain spends 30-50% of its waking hours engaged in mind-wandering (MW), a common phenomenon in which individuals either spontaneously or deliberately shift their attention away from external tasks to task-unrelated internal thoughts. Despite the significant amount of time dedicated to MW, its underlying reasons remain unexplained. Our pre-registered study investigates the potential adaptive aspects of MW, particularly its role in predictive processes measured by statistical learning.

Daily physical activity habits influence surgeons' stress in the operating room: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Exercise training improves heart rate variability, and evidence suggests it can mitigate the detrimental effects of stress. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between surgeons' physical activity habits and their stress, assessed as heart rate variability, at the start of surgery.

Materials And Methods: This multispecialty prospective cohort study included surgeons from fourteen cardiac, endocrine, digestive, gynecologic, orthopedic, thoracic, and urologic surgical departments of four university hospitals.

Lower extremity MRI: are their requests always appropriate in France?

Objectives: The primary aim is to assess current lower extremity MRI requests' relevance with a secondary focus on the knee.

Materials And Methods: Using data from the National Health Data System (SNDS), we conducted an observational study of adults (18+) who underwent lower extremity MRI between July 1 and December 31, 2021. This study included analyzing medical consultations and imaging procedures (particularly X-rays) in the 6 months before and after the index MRI, as well as medical procedures and hospitalizations related to knee procedures within 6 months post-MRI.

Robotic Assistance in Simultaneous Bilateral Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 126 Knees Demonstrating Enhanced Radiographic Accuracy and Comparable Safety to Conventional Methods.

Background: One-stage bilateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (BUKA) is a promising option for patients with bilateral medial knee osteoarthritis. This study aims to compare the safety, early clinical and functional outcomes, and radiological results of conventional vs robotic-assisted medial BUKA.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving patients who underwent medial BUKA as a single-stage procedure between April 2016 and January 2022.

EMT-driven plasticity prospectively increases cell-cell variability to promote therapeutic adaptation in breast cancer.

Cellular plasticity enables cancer cells to adapt non-genetically, thereby preventing therapeutic success. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a type of plasticity linked to resistance and metastasis. However, its exact impact on population diversity and its dynamics under chemotherapy is unknown.

Real-world outcomes of metastatic cancer patients hospitalized at initial diagnosis: ONIRIS, a national study.

Purpose: Therapeutic management of metastatic cancer patients who are hospitalized at the time of initial diagnosis because of impaired performance status and/or severe symptoms is challenging for clinicians. This study aims to describe their outcome.  METHODS: In this prospective multicentric study, we included all adult, inpatients with newly diagnosed metastatic solid tumors between November 2021 and May 2022.

Skeletal muscle stem cells modulate niche function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy mouse through YY1-CCL5 axis.

Adult skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are indispensable for muscle regeneration and tightly regulated by macrophages (MPs) and fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs) in their niche. Deregulated MuSC/MP/FAP interactions and the ensuing inflammation and fibrosis are hallmarks of dystrophic muscle. Here we demonstrate intrinsic deletion of transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) in MuSCs exacerbates dystrophic pathologies by altering composition and heterogeneity of MPs and FAPs.

Overview on LNP-mRNA encapsulation unit operation: Mixing technologies, scalability, and influence of formulation & process parameters on physico-chemical characteristics.

Nanoparticles carrying active drug substances have been used since the 70's and have undergone numerous improvements since then. Nowadays, the latest generation of nanoparticles, called lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), is used for different applications such as vaccines and cancer treatments and offer a versatile approach to delivering genetic materials like RNA. LNPs are non-viral delivery vehicles obtained by the self-assembly of lipids during the rapid mixing of an aqueous phase containing mRNA with an organic phase containing lipids.

Efficient removal of ciprofloxacin from waste activated sludge by electroactivation of peroxymonosulfate.

The waste activated sludge (WAS) generated from sewage treatment accumulates antibiotics including ciprofloxacin (CIP), which may be released into the environments if WAS is not handled properly. Therefore, there is a need to develop technologies aiming at removing CIP from sludge. In this study, electrically activated peroxymonosulfate (E/PMS) was investigated to remove CIP from WAS.

Top 10 palliative care research priorities in France: a 3-step, mixed-methods protocol (AXEPRO study).

Introduction: As one means to avoid waste in research investment, involving patients as full partners in research has become increasingly frequent. There is clearly a low level of investment in palliative care research. Following the guidance from the James Lind Alliance and the UK public consultation ('Palliative and End of Life Care Research Priorities Project'), we developed a 3-step protocol aimed at prioritising 10 unanswered questions in palliative care (PC) research in France, from the viewpoint of patients, volunteers, healthcare professionals and family caregivers.

Conditions of sleep restoration after smoking cessation: A systematic review.

Previous studies have highlighted the prevalence of disordered sleep in smokers, with subjective sleep complaints and alterations of sleep architecture, including a reduction in slow-wave sleep (SWS). These findings raise questions regarding the impact of smoking cessation and withdrawal on sleep. This review aims to assess the impact of smoking cessation on sleep by taking into account objective and subjective methods of assessment.

Association between Helicobacter pylori, reflux and chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review.

Background: The prevalence, role, and clinical relevance of Helicobacter Pylori (HP) in sinonasal tissues of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis remain unclear.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence and clinical relevance of Helicobacter Pylori (HP) in chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) and without nasal polyps (CRSSNP).

Methods: Three investigators conducted a PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Library systematic review of the prevalence and clinical relevance of HP infection in CRS patients through the PRISMA framework.

Effects of the physico-chemical properties of amino acids and chemically functionalized surfaces on DIOS-MS analysis.

Desorption ionization on silicon mass spectrometry (DIOS-MS) allows for the detection of low molecular weight species from fluid samples. However, this method remains scarcely used for clinical diagnosis likely because of a lack of knowledge about the desorption/ionization mechanism as well as about the interplay between the surface and analyte properties which are effective in desorption/ionization, impeding the optimization of the DIOS-MS analysis. Herein, the normalized intensity of the DIOS-MS peaks at [M+H] of seven amino acids on four different porous silicon modified surfaces are investigated.

Impact of psychedelics on craving in addiction: A systematic review.

Background: In the context of the need to increase treatment options for substance use disorders, recent research has evaluated the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. However, there is an incomplete understanding of psychedelics' effects on craving, a core symptom of addictive disorders and a predictor of substance use and relapse.

Aims: To determine if the use of psychedelics is associated with changes in craving in humans.

Attentional modulation of peripheral pointing hypometria in healthy participants: An insight into optic ataxia?

Damage to the superior parietal lobule and intraparietal sulcus (SPL-IPS) causes optic ataxia (OA), characterized by pathological gaze-centered hypometric pointing to targets in the affected peripheral visual field. The SPL-IPS is also involved in covert attention. Here, we investigated the possible link between attention and action.

Alexidine and Pentamidine Fold Inside the Bowl-shaped Cavity of p-Sulfonato-calix[4]arene.

We report on the U-shaped folding of flexible guest molecules of medicinal interest upon their inclusion into macrocyclic cavity of p-sulfonato-calix[4]arene in aqueous media. Alexidine and pentamidine are FDA-approved drug compounds currently rediscovered as potent membrane-targeting antibiotic adjuvants helping restore antibiotic activity against multidrug resistant bacteria pathogens. We have adopted host-guest and crystal engineering approach to study these drugs with a view of potential supramolecular formulations and/or crystal forms.