Efficacy of a multicomponent nature-based intervention on well-being and environmental engagement: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Nature-based interventions (NBIs) benefit human well-being, but clinical trials comparing different NBIs in various natural environments are scarce.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a multicomponent nature-based intervention (MNBI) in comparison to control group (classical forest bathing).

Primary Outcome: well-being; Secondary outcomes: vitality, happiness, connection, and engagement with nature across urban, peri-urban, and rural areas.

Anticancer Attributes and Multifaceted Pharmacological Implications of Laetrile and Amygdalin.

Laetrile, known as vitamin B17, is often used interchangeably with amygdalin. Laetrile is a semi-synthesis product of amygdalin, whereas amygdalin is a naturally occurring substance in many plants. Both compounds have a nitrile functional group that, when activated by the intestinal enzyme β-glucosidases, releases hydrogen cyanide.

Echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation: a practical guideline from the British Society of Echocardiography.

Aortic regurgitation is the third most common valve lesion with increasing prevalence secondary to an ageing population. Transthoracic echocardiography plays a vital role in the identification and assessment of aortic regurgitation and proves essential in monitoring severity and determining the timing of intervention. Building on the foundations of previous British Society of Echocardiography (BSE) recommendations, this BSE guideline presents an update on how to approach an echocardiographic assessment of aortic regurgitation.

First-in-Men Online Adaptive Robotic Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy: Toward Ultrahypofractionation for High-Risk Prostate Cancer Patients.

Purpose: Ultrahypofractionation presents challenges for a subset of high-risk prostate cancer patients due to the large planning target volume (PTV) margin required for the seminal vesicles. Online adaptive radiation therapy could potentially reduce this margin. This paper focuses on the development, preclinical validation, and clinical testing of online adaptive robotic stereotactic body radiation therapy for this patient group.

Green solutions for treating groundwater polluted with nitrates, pesticides, antibiotics, and antibiotic resistance genes for drinking water production.

The present study evaluates for the first time the seasonal performance of an innovative green groundwater treatment. The pilot plant combines microalgae-bacteria treatment and a cork-wood biofilter to reduce nitrates, pesticides, antibiotics (ABs), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from groundwater. Groundwater had nitrate concentrations ranging from 220 to 410 mg/L, while ABs (sulfonamides and fluoroquinolones) and pesticides (triazines) were detected at concentrations ranging from a few ng/L to 150 ng/L.

Minimal extra-cardiac atherosclerosis present in young people with sudden cardiac death due to coronary artery disease.

Aim: To define the association between severe coronary artery disease and widespread atherosclerosis in younger individuals.

Methods: Individuals aged 1-50 years with sudden cardiac death (SCD) from 2019-23, autopsy-proven to be due to coronary artery disease, were identified using the state-wide EndUCD registry. Presence of extra-coronary atherosclerosis greater than modified American Heart Association class III was assessed in 5 arterial beds (intra-cerebral vessels, aorta, carotid, renal and femoral arteries).

Impact of Combined Antiretroviral Treatment (cART) on Latent Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Cytomegalovirus infections and reactivations are more frequent in people living with HIV (PLWH) and have been associated with increased risk of HIV progression and immunosenescence. We explored the impact of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on latent CMV infection in 225 young adults parenterally infected with HIV during childhood. Anti-CMV IgG antibodies were present in 93.

Functional Connectivity and MRI Radiomics Biomarkers of Cognitive and Brain Reserve in Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment Prediction-A Study Protocol.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is frequently associated with long-term post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and dementia. While the mechanisms behind PSCI are not fully understood, the brain and cognitive reserve concepts are topics of ongoing research exploring the ability of individuals to maintain intact cognitive performance despite ischemic injuries. Brain reserve refers to the brain's structural capacity to compensate for damage, with markers like hippocampal atrophy and white matter lesions indicating reduced reserve.

Lethal Male Combat of (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), an Egg Parasitoid of Lepidopterous and Hemipterous Pests.

Aggressive interactions between males are common when victors gain increased mating success but can result in severe injury or death for the defeated. (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is a solitary egg parasitoid of hemipteran and lepidopteran species. Here, we investigated lethal interactions between males and analyzed aggression behavior scaled with the male condition, number of competitors, number of presented females, and female mating status.

Role of miR-181 Family Members in Stroke: Insights into Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential.

Stroke is a major cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide, making early diagnosis and effective treatment crucial for reducing its impact. In response to the limited efficacy of current treatments, alternative therapeutic strategies, such as novel biomarkers and therapies, are emerging to address this critical unmet medical need. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level.

Sodium Butyrate: A Multifaceted Modulator in Colorectal Cancer Therapy.

: Sodium butyrate (NaB) is a potent modulator of cancer-related gene networks. However, its precise mechanisms of action and effects at elevated doses remain insufficiently explored. This study investigated the impact of NaB at physiologically relevant doses on key cellular metrics (viability, confluence, cell number, morphology, nuclear integrity) and a comprehensive set of apoptosis and proliferation regulators (including underexplored genes) in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells.

Inflammatory Markers and Severity in COVID-19 Patients with Clostridioides Difficile Co-Infection: A Retrospective Analysis Including Subgroups with Diabetes, Cancer, and Elderly.

Background And Objectives: The interplay of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and infection (CDI) poses a critical clinical challenge. The resultant inflammatory milieu and its impact on outcomes remain incompletely understood, especially among vulnerable subgroups such as elderly patients, those with diabetes, and individuals with cancer. This study aimed to characterize inflammatory markers and composite inflammatory severity scores-such as Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, and age ≥ 65 years (CURB-65), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), and the Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII)-in hospitalized Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients with and without CDI, and to evaluate their prognostic implications across key clinical subgroups.

Shrimp White Spot Viral Infections Are Attenuated by Organic Acids by Regulating the Expression of HO-1 Oxygenase and β-1,3-Glucan-Binding Protein.

The absence of efficient on-farm interventions against white spot syndrome viral (WSSV) infections can cause significant economic losses to shrimp farmers. With this exploratory study we aimed to test, both in vitro and in vivo, the efficacy of an organic acid mixture (Aq) against WSSV infections in shrimp. In vitro, using shrimp gut primary cells (SGP), 2% Aq significantly reduced WSSV infection and the amounts of HO released but had no impact on CAT and SOD expression.

Transcriptional time-course analysis during ash dieback infection revealed different responses in tolerant and susceptible Fraxinus excelsior genotypes.

Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, the causal agent of Ash Dieback (ADB), has been introduced to eastern Europe in the 1990s from where it spread causing decline in European ash populations. However, the genetic basis of the molecular response in tolerant and susceptible ash trees to this disease is still largely unknown. We performed RNA-sequencing to study the transcriptomic response to the disease in four ash genotypes (ADB-tolerant FAR3 and FS36, and ADB-susceptible UW1 and UW2), during a time-course of 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation, including mock-inoculated trees as control samples for each sampling time point.

Integrative proteogenomic analysis identifies COL6A3-derived endotrophin as a mediator of the effect of obesity on coronary artery disease.

Obesity strongly increases the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, yet the underlying mediators of this relationship are not fully understood. Given that obesity strongly influences circulating protein levels, we investigated proteins mediating the effects of obesity on coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. By integrating two-step proteome-wide Mendelian randomization, colocalization, epigenomics and single-cell RNA sequencing, we identified five mediators and prioritized collagen type VI α3 (COL6A3).

Dual anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 blockade in metastatic basal cell carcinoma.

We report the basal cell cancer (BCC) cohort of the SWOG/NCI 1609 Dual Anti-CTLA-4 & Anti-PD-1 blockade in Rare Tumors (DART), a phase II prospective, multicenter basket trial of nivolumab and ipilimumab. The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR) (RECIST v1.1).

Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries.

There are increasing concerns that continued economic growth in high-income countries might not be environmentally sustainable, socially beneficial, or economically achievable. In this Review, we explore the rapidly advancing field of post-growth research, which has evolved in response to these concerns. The central idea of post-growth is to replace the goal of increasing GDP with the goal of improving human wellbeing within planetary boundaries.

The role of non-respiratory arousals in residual daytime sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea treated with positive airway pressure: An analysis of the European Sleep Apnea Database registry.

Study Objectives: To assess the impact of the non-respiratory arousal burden at baseline polysomnography (PSG) on residual daytime sleepiness in positive airway pressure (PAP)-treated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods: We included OSA patients from the European Sleep Apnea Database registry with available arousal data who had at least 2 treatment follow-up visits. The primary outcome was the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score under PAP.

The effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation in enhancing lower extremity function in children with spastic cerebral palsy: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques have emerged as a promising non-pharmacological adjunct to neurorehabilitation. Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) exhibit altered cortical excitability, and while CP remains incurable, physiotherapy combined with other interventions is essential for managing motor dysfunction. Although some studies have examined NIBS using various stimulation parameters, there is limited evidence regarding its effects on the lower extremities and optimal administration protocols.

The effect of increased vascular afterload measures on flow rate and survival in severe aortic stenosis.

Aims: Although an association between the systemic circulation and transaortic flow rate (TFR) is frequently hypothesized in patients with aortic stenosis (AS), it has not been demonstrated previously. We sought to explore the relationship between blood pressure (BP), vascular afterload measures, clinical history of hypertension, TFR, and survival in patients with severe AS (aortic valve area ≤ 1 cm²).

Methods And Results: We studied 323 patients ≥ 65 years (110 prospective, 213 registry analysis) who underwent transcatheter aortic valve replacement over a 5-year period.

A GIS-based on application of Monte Carlo and multi-criteria decision-making approach for site suitability analysis of solar-hydrogen production: Case of Cameroon.

This article analyzes and compares three methodologies for identifying suitable regions for solar hydrogen production using photovoltaic panels: AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), FAHP (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process), and MC-FAHP (Monte Carlo FAHP), integrated with GIS (Geographic Information Systems). The study employs ten criteria across technical (Global Horizontal Irradiance, temperature, slope, elevation, orientation), economic (distance from transportation and electrical networks), and social (population density, proximity to residential areas) factors. Environmental and exclusion criteria define restrictive zones.

Observation of magnetic skyrmion lattice in CrMnGe by small-angle neutron scattering.

Incommensurate magnetic phases in chiral cubic crystals are an established source of topological spin textures such as skyrmion and hedgehog lattices, with potential applications in spintronics and information storage. We report a comprehensive small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) study on the B20-type chiral magnet Cr[Formula: see text]Mn[Formula: see text]Ge, exploring its magnetic phase diagram and confirming the stabilization of a skyrmion lattice under low magnetic fields. Our results reveal a helical ground state with a decreasing pitch from 40 to 35 nm upon cooling, and a skyrmion phase stable in applied magnetic fields of 10-30 mT, and over an unusually wide temperature range for chiral magnets of 6 K ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] K).

Cohort profile: the BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) cohort study.

Purpose: Bangladesh has experienced a rapid epidemiological transition from communicable to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in recent decades. There is, however, limited evidence about multidimensional determinants of NCDs in this population. The BangladEsh Longitudinal Investigation of Emerging Vascular and nonvascular Events (BELIEVE) study is a household-based prospective cohort study established to investigate biological, behavioural, environmental and broader determinants of NCDs.

Measuring the duration of kangaroo mother care for neonates: a scoping review.

Objectives: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is high impact for survival of low birth weight neonates, but there are few rigorous evaluations of duration required for impact. We conducted a scoping review of KMC duration measurement methods and assessed their validation.

Design: Scoping review in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for conducting scoping review.

Circulating proteomic profiles are associated with type 2 diabetes in Asian populations - a longitudinal study.

Context: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a major global concern, with Asia at its epicenter in recent years. Proteins, products of gene transcription, serve as dynamic biomarkers for pinpointing perturbed pathways in disease development. Previous T2D proteomic association studies primarily focused on European populations.