Advancing Open Science

Pre-sowing seed treatment (priming) is a strategic tool for programming future crop yield, aimed at improving early plant development and enhancing stress resilience. This study investigated the effects of priming wheat seeds with 100 µM ibuprofen on early ontogeny under optimal conditions and salt stress (100 mM NaCl). An evaluation of germination energy, growth parameters, phytohormone levels (abscisic acid, indolylacetic acid, and cytokinins) and the status of the antioxidant system in 7-day-old seedlings demonstrated that ibuprofen treatment stimulates wheat growth and tolerance, despite its absence of accumulation in plant tissues. Modulation of hormonal balance plays a key role in these protective effects: under optimal conditions, ibuprofen elevates abscisic acid and indolylacetic acid levels, while under salt stress, it prevents excessive abscisic acid accumulation and mitigates the stress-induced decline in indolylacetic acid and cytokinins. Furthermore, ibuprofen promotes a coordinated increase in glutathione, ascorbate, and H₂O₂ levels, concomitant with the activation of key enzymes (glutathione reductase and ascorbate peroxidase), thereby enhancing the plants’ antioxidant potential. Under saline conditions, ibuprofen pretreatment also reduces stress-induced dysregulation of this system. Therefore, ibuprofen acts as a hormetic preconditioning agent that improves seedling vigor and stress tolerance by fine-tuning hormonal signaling and redox metabolism.

Background: Childhood cancer is the leading cause of natural death among children in high-income countries, despite treatment improvements. The Spanish Registry of Childhood Tumours (RETI-SEHOP) systematically records all cases treated within the network of SEHOP units. Using RETI-SEHOP data, we evaluated survival trends to assess progress in patient care, both overall and by tumour. Methods: A total of 20,534 childhood cancer cases (0–14 years) were recorded across the period 1999–2021. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method, applying the cohort approach for 1999–2018 and the period approach for 2019–2022. OS by age and sex was analysed in the recent 2009–2018 incidence cohort. Age-adjusted OS time trends were examined using joinpoint Cox models for 1999–2022. Results: For all tumours combined, 5-year OS increased from 75.4% to 84.6% between 1999–2003 and 2019–2022. While positive trends were identified for all haematological malignancies examined, a more varied scenario was evident for solid tumours, as ependymomas improved fastest (1.51 points annually), and sarcomas, except for rhabdomyosarcoma, remained stagnant. Conclusions: Our results reflect a period characterised by a combination of new therapeutic developments, improved diagnostics, and more refined risk stratification, which has ultimately led to a reduction in disease-related mortality.

The neurofibromin 1 (NF1) splice-site mutation c.61-2A>G (rs1131691100) is a rare, pathogenic, autosomal dominant variant that disrupts NF1 tumor-suppressor function, causing neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Its pathogenic mechanism is poorly understood, and the potential for personalized therapeutic genome editing remains unknown due to the absence of a standard framework for investigating splicing disorders. Here, we performed a comprehensive multi-omics analysis of a de novo c.61-2A>G case from South Korea, integrating short- and long-read whole genome sequencing, whole transcriptome sequencing, and methylation profiling. We confirm that c.61-2A>G abolishes the canonical splice acceptor site, activating a cryptic splice acceptor 16 nucleotides downstream in exon 2. This splicing shift generates a 16-nucleotide deletion, causing a frameshift and premature stop codon that truncates the protein’s N-terminal region. Long-read sequencing further reveals that the mutation creates a novel CpG dinucleotide, which is methylated in the majority of reads. Finally, we assessed therapeutic correction strategies, revealing that CRISPR-Cas9 prime editing is the only viable approach for in vivo correction. This study provides the first comprehensive multi-omics characterization of the NF1 c.61-2A>G mutation and establishes a minimal framework for precision therapeutic development in silico in monogenic splicing disorders.

Background/Objectives: Primary health care (PHC) is the cornerstone of any high-quality healthcare system. For PHC to work well, healthcare professionals need to be skilled in critical thinking, self-reflection, and patient-centered care. However, few studies have explored the potential interplays between these factors. Therefore, this cross-sectional study evaluated the critical thinking disposition and training needs of PHC professionals, alongside patient experiences and satisfaction with PHC services. Methods: The study involved 54 PHC professionals and 100 patients from sixteen PHC facilities in Crete, Greece. Professionals completed the Critical Thinking Disposition Scale (CTDS) and Training Needs Assessment (TNA) questionnaires, while patients filled out the Quality-of-Life Instrument of Chronic Conditions in Primary Health Care (QUALICOPC) questionnaire. Results: Our findings indicated that PHC professionals exhibited high critical thinking levels (CTDS, mean score of 46.46 ± 4.24). However, TNA scores suggested moderate training needs, particularly in relationships/investigations [median: 0.50 (0, 1.50)], communication/patient-centered [median: 0.30 (0, 1.1)], and flexibility and application of knowledge [median: 0.40 (0, 1.0)]. Nevertheless, no significant correlation was found between CTDS and TNA (ρ = 0.08, p > 0.05). Patients mostly rated their health as poor (40%), and 26% lacked a family physician. Although patients were highly satisfied with communication and patient-centered care (>95% reporting positive experiences), continuity and empowerment had room for improvement. Only 37% felt their GP knew their living conditions, and 26% lacked a personal physician. Patients with chronic conditions reported significantly different experiences. Specifically, patients with chronic conditions had better continuity of care (84% vs. 59%, p = 0.01) and more comprehensive care (70% vs. 43%, p = 0.01) compared to controls. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that targeted training is needed for PHC professionals to address skill gaps. These initial findings could guide the creation of customized professional development initiatives and point to areas where PHC services could be structurally improved. Additional studies, including longitudinal ones, are required to further validate these associations.

This study examines reservoir-triggered seismicity (RTS) in Poland and Vietnam. The current state of individual RTS seismic networks necessitates detecting earthquakes from only a few stations. The number of P waves is often inadequate for phase association and event location, which underscores the importance of identifying S waves. Given that individual RTS cases may consist of only hundreds of events, it is crucial for algorithms to be trained on small datasets or to detect effectively using external, global training data. To evaluate this, we compared the efficiency of a deep learning global detection model, transfer learning to the RTS database, a specialized neural network designed for RTS, and manual detection of seismic signals. Transfer learning efficiency was database dependent. Additional interpretation and parametrization of detection results are assumed. Therefore, the emphasis is on phase detection, rather than phase picking accuracy, and detection sensitivity is more important than its specificity. Phase association plays a vital role in detecting seismic signals, facilitating the elimination of most false picks. As a result, the comparisons of detections were based on parameters related to the location of seismic events. The findings indicate that neither the automatic signal detection methods nor the manual methods alone are sufficient. However, their combination significantly enhances detectability. The final catalogs cover up to 30% more events compared to the previous manual. It fulfills the main aim of applying a neural network detector, which is to increase the number of seismic events in the catalog. It may also be further utilized in the research of the triggering process, such as identifying fluid paths and determining fault geometry.

This study investigated the chemical composition, antioxidant activity, and genotoxic potential of essential oils (EOs) obtained by hydrodistillation from aerial parts of four wild-growing Lamiaceae species in eastern Morocco: Spanish ziziphora (Ziziphora hispanica L.), felty germander (Teucrium polium L.), French lavender (Lavandula dentata L.), and topped lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.). Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed eucalyptol (40.08%), thujopsene (11.25%), β-myrcene (15.82%), and fenchone (30.69%) as the major constituents in Z. hispanica, T. polium, L. dentata, and L. stoechas, respectively. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated using three complementary assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, ferric reducing antioxidant power, and β-carotene bleaching. L. stoechas and L. dentata exhibited the strongest antioxidant activities, with IC₅₀ values ranging from 0.284 to 1.71 mg/mL across assays. Genotoxicity was assessed in rat leukocytes using the alkaline Comet assay at EO concentrations of 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/mL. All tested EOs induced statistically significant DNA damage compared to the negative control, though the extent varied by species and concentration; notably, L. stoechas at 2.5 µg/mL showed the lowest genotoxic impact. These findings highlight the dual potential of these EOs as natural antioxidants while underscoring the need for dose-dependent safety evaluation prior to therapeutic or industrial application. Given that DNA damage was detectable even at 2.5 µg/mL, a conservative practical recommendation is to keep EO levels below 2.5 µg/mL-equivalent in preliminary applications, pending further in vivo toxicology to establish NOAEL-based exposure limits.

Anaerobic digestate (AD) has the potential to partially replace inorganic fertiliser, containing readily available nitrogen and other macro- and micronutrients. However, these properties vary with the feedstock. The objectives of this study were to analyse the chemical composition of AD materials and measure their effects on plant growth and greenhouse gas emissions. Anaerobic digestate came from a conventional reactor using vegetable waste and maize as feedstock (‘food AD’) and from a biogas system on a smallholder dairy farm using manure feedstock (‘manure AD’). Undigested cattle slurry (‘manure slurry’) and a complete mineral fertiliser were used as controls. These were applied to wheat plants grown in a glasshouse. Wheat grown with the food AD had a higher yield than the complete mineral fertiliser control, even when applied at a lower rate of nitrogen. Wheat grown with both the food AD and manure AD had macronutrient concentrations equal to or higher than the complete mineral fertiliser treatment. Furthermore, the wheat P concentration was significantly greater with the manure AD treatment, which was unrelated to a biomass dilution effect. However, food AD caused high ammonia emissions, and residual methane was emitted with manure AD, indicating incomplete digestion in the latter. Optimal yields and reduced greenhouse emissions were obtained with mixtures of AD and mineral fertiliser in a 1:1 ratio, indicating the potential to greatly reduce the costs and environmental impact of fertiliser application.

3,4,5-Tris(alkyloxy)benzenesulfonates constitute a class of wedge-shaped dendrons exhibiting liquid crystalline properties, characterized by a diverse and intricate phase behavior that is predominantly governed by the length of the terminal aliphatic chains and the size and nature of the dendrons’ focal group, which collectively influence their self-organization. In systems comprising both two large counterions—wedge-shaped 3,4,5-tris(alkyloxy)benzenesulfonate anions and tetrabutylammonium (N(C₄H₉)₄⁺) cations—a delicate balance between ionic interactions and microphase segregation drives the formation of giant octupoles that self-assemble subsequently into a remarkably ordered lattice. Such phase behavior is consistently observed across a broad range of compounds, with terminal aliphatic chain lengths varying from six to eighteen methylene units. While the structural configuration of the octupoles and the resulting crystalline lattice remains consistent across most compounds, a distinct transition from quantitative to qualitative changes is observed in tetrabutylammonium 3,4,5-tris(hexadecyloxy)benzenesulfonates and 3,4,5-tris(octadecyloxy)benzenesulfonates that exhibit a unique crystalline lattice structure.