Search Results (275)

Background: Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that maintain chromosome integrity in eukaryotes. In insects, the canonical telomeric repeat (TTAGG)n is considered ancestral, though alternative motifs exist across various orders. Neuroptera, comprising about 5800 species, remains understudied regarding telomeric sequences, with data available for only seven species across three families. Previous studies reported the absence of (TTAGG)n in Chrysopidae species, contrasting with its presence in other Neuroptera families. This study aimed to identify and characterize telomeric motifs in Chrysopidae using chromosome-level genome assemblies and search for retrotransposon insertions. Methods: We analyzed chromosome-level genome assemblies from four Chrysopidae species: three Chrysopinae—Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens, 1836), Chrysopa pallens (Rambur, 1838), and Nineta flava (Scopoli, 1763); and one Nothochrysinae—Nothochrysa capitata (Fabricius, 1793). Terminal sequences of chromosome pseudomolecules were examined using Geneious Prime^®, applying five specific criteria for optimal telomeric sequence identification. We searched for SART and TRAS retrotransposons using the graphical sequence panel in GenBank. Results: We identified (TTGGG)n as the telomeric motif in N. flava, representing the first report of this pentanucleotide repeat in telomeres of Neuroptera. Arrays ranged from 228 to 8005 bp across seven terminal locations in five chromosome pseudomolecules. In N. capitata, we detected (TTAGG)n arrays (2316–3808 bp) at four terminal locations. No telomeric motifs meeting all criteria were found in C. carnea and C. pallens. No SART/TRAS retrotransposons were detected in any species. Conclusions: This study reveals previously unknown telomeric diversity within Chrysopidae, with both canonical (TTAGG)n and novel (TTGGG)n motifs present. The discovery of (TTGGG)n in Neuroptera expands known telomeric sequence diversity in this order. Full article

Background and Objectives: Acute exercise lowers vagal HRV, yet it is unclear who will show the largest drop and whether simple questionnaires can identify them. To test whether resting HRV complexity (Sample Entropy) predicts the magnitude of acute vagal withdrawal and whether this physiology-based marker has greater practical utility than self-report activity/sleep measures for screening and recovery decisions. Materials and Methods: In a single-arm pre–post experimental study, twenty-nine students (20.4 ± 0.5 y; 13 males, 16 females) completed one morning visit (08:00–12:00 h). After a 2 min resting ECG and a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), participants cycled 15 min at 0.85 × (220 − age) bpm following a 5 min 25 W warm-up. HRV was re-recorded within ~2 min and SART ~5 min post exercise. The IPAQ defined low/medium/high activity tertiles. Correlations related baseline measures to change scores. Results: RMSSD decreased by −12.93 ms [−25.71, −2.03] (p = 0.003, r = 0.60) and SDNN by −14.91 ms [−22.30, 7.66] (p = 0.011, r = 0.51). Reaction time shortened slightly (−8.77 ms [−59.33, 30.40], p = 0.35). Activity tertiles did not differ in ΔRMSSD, ΔSDNN, or ΔRT (all p > 0.10). Sample Entropy predicted autonomic change (ΔRMSSD r = 0.43, p = 0.034; ΔSDNN r = 0.59, p = 0.002), whereas the PSQI and IPAQ did not. Equivalence tests showed non-significant tertile differences were not within our predefined equivalence bounds. Conclusions: Individuals with more complex resting HRV were more likely to show a larger immediate vagal withdrawal after moderate cycling. Questionnaires did not identify these responders. Non-linear HRV may aid practical screening/monitoring, whereas self-reports alone appear insufficient. Generalizability is limited by the homogeneous young adult sample. Full article

Aquaculture currently supplies over half of the world’s fish and relies heavily on feed additives to enhance growth, improve feed efficiency, and increase disease resistance. This review consolidates peer-reviewed studies identified through targeted searches of Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar, focusing on aquaculture feed additives. It emphasizes the principal classes of additives employed in finfish and shrimp cultivation, such as natural immunostimulants (including beta-glucans and nucleotides), probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phytogenics, enzymes, and synthetic nutrients. For each, it summarizes their mechanisms of action, commonly reported inclusion rates, production outcomes, environmental risks, and regulatory statuses. Evidence indicates that immunostimulants enhance innate defences (including phagocyte activity and cytokine responses). Probiotics and prebiotics, on the other hand, regulate gut microbiota and barrier function. Phytogenics offer antimicrobial and antioxidant effects, and synthetic additives provide targeted nutrients or functional compounds that support growth and product quality. Where data are available, typical application ranges include probiotics in the order of 10⁴–10⁹ CFU per gram, prebiotics at approximately 2–10 g per kilogram, and pigments or antioxidants (such as astaxanthin) at 50–100 mg per kilogram. Significant gaps exist, notably the absence of species-specific dose–response data for tropical and subtropical aquaculture species, as well as limited experimental evidence regarding additive–additive interactions under commercial rearing conditions. Additional gaps include long-term ecological fate, regional regulatory discrepancies, and species-specific dose–response relationships. It is recommended that mechanistic studies employing omics approaches, standardised dose–response trials, and harmonized risk assessments be conducted to promote the sustainable and evidence-based application of feed additives. Full article

There remains little understanding of how short-term mindfulness interventions influence creative cognition. We report an experiment that examined the impact of a brief mindfulness intervention on sustained attention, attentional inhibition, and convergent thinking, relative to a control group. Participants (N = 117) were assigned to either a brief mindfulness practice (n = 60) or an active control task (n = 57), before completing the following: (i) a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), to assess sustained attention; (ii) a flanker task, to assess attentional inhibition; and (iii) a convergent thinking task (a series of rebus puzzles). The mindfulness group showed faster reaction times than the control group on the SART, along with fewer task-unrelated mind-wandering thoughts, suggestive of better sustained attention. The mindfulness group also demonstrated improved reaction times and accuracy relative to the control group during the flanker task, indicating enhanced inhibitory control. However, rebus puzzle scores did not differ between groups, indicating that although a brief mindfulness practice enhances sustained attention and attentional inhibition, this improved attentional control does not facilitate convergent thinking in solving rebus puzzles. Full article

The study of various microorganisms isolated from an Indian Ocean sponge, Scopalina hapalia ML-263, led to the selection of a promising Actinobacteria strain, Micromonospora sp. SH-82. Genomic analysis identified this strain as a new species, revealing the presence of 23 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), some of which are associated with the synthesis of specialized metabolites such as polyketides deriving from polyketide synthases (PKSs). The strain was cultivated under favorable conditions for the production of bioactive molecules, resulting in the isolation and identification of seven microbial metabolites. Three of them are potentially novel, two erythronolides and one erythromycin, all characterized by a rare C10–C11 double bond. Some of these compounds also display atypical conformations, forming hemiacetals or spiroacetals. Their identification was achieved through detailed chemical analyses (NMR and ESI⁺-HRMS). A molecular networking approach was employed to assess the presence of potentially novel molecules in the microbial crude extract, supported by the identification of isolated molecules. Four molecules (1, 2, 3 and 5) were evaluated for their cytotoxic activities against cancer cell lines (HCT-116 and MDA-MB-231) and the immortalized retinal pigment epithelial RPE1 cells. No activity was observed in the latter, suggesting a lack of toxicity toward healthy cells. Moreover, megalomicin C1 (3), one of the isolated compounds, showed interesting antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum 3D7, with an IC₅₀ of 6.37 ± 2.99 µM. Full article

Hydrothermal scheelite from three Romanian occurrences was analyzed in order to ascertain its structural, physical, vibrational, paragenetic, and crystal-chemical peculiarities as an important tool for characterizing the metallogenetic behavior and facilitating the ore-processing. All three occurrences, i.e., Ciclova and Oravița in Banat and Băița Bihor in the Bihor Mountains, are related to skarn deposits developed at the contact of Upper Cretaceous granodioritic bodies with Mesozoic calcareous deposits. Typical crystals show {001}, {111}, and {101} forms and are up to 15 mm across. The structure was successfully refined as tetragonal, space group I4₁/a, with R₁ = 0.0165 (Ciclova), 0.0204 (Oravița), and 0.0237 (Băița Bihor), respectively. The cell parameters refined for the same samples are a = 5.2459(10) Å and c = 11.3777(5) Å at Ciclova, a = 5.2380(2) Å and c = 11.3679(8) Å at Oravița, and a = 5.2409(2) Å and c = 11.3705(6) Å at Băița Bihor. The multiplicity of bands in both infrared absorption and Raman spectra is consistent with the S₄ punctual symmetry of the tungstate anion, agreeing with the structural data. In all cases, the analyzed scheelite is close to the CaWO₄ end-member. Cathodoluminescence peculiarities at the level of single crystals suggest that they crystallized in a slightly oxidizing to reducing environment from late hydrothermal solutions. Textural and paragenetic peculiarities suggest that scheelite from the three occurrences crystallized from epithermal, low-temperature, fluoride- and boron-bearing aqueous solutions. Full article

Background: A critical gap exists in the current literature regarding pediatric-specific creatinine reference data. This study established age- and sex-stratified reference intervals and a corresponding median (Qcr) model for serum creatinine in children, providing a crucial foundation for improved diagnostic accuracy and clinical decision-making in this vulnerable population. Methods: A total of 9090 children (52.38% males and 47.65% females) who were getting regular check-ups at clinical laboratories in three regions were included in this study to establish Qcr serum and reference ranges for creatinine concentration. Results: The reference values and serum Qcr creatinine were established for children based on age and sex. Both males and females experience an incremental increase in creatinine levels with advancing age. In addition, significant differences were seen across the three areas in other age groups (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These newly established, age- and sex-stratified reference and Qcr values provide a critical resource for clinical laboratories, empowering clinicians to more accurately assess pediatric renal function and enabling more precise, individualized care for children with renal concerns. Full article

Background/Objectives: In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of women with breast cancer. Breast cancer prediction is defined as a medical data analysis and image processing problem. Experts may need artificial intelligence technologies to distinguish between benign and malignant tumors in order to make decisions. When the studies in the literature are examined, it can be seen that applications of deep learning algorithms in the field of medicine have achieved very successful results. Methods: In this study, 11 different deep learning algorithms (Vanilla, ResNet50, ResNet152, VGG16, DenseNet152, MobileNetv2, EfficientB1, NasNet, DenseNet201, ensemble, and Tuned Model) were used. Images of pathological specimens from breast biopsies consisting of two classes, benign and malignant, were used for classification analysis. To limit the computational time and speed up the analysis process, 10,000 images, 6172 IDC-negative and 3828 IDC-positive, were selected. Of the images, 80% were used for training, 10% were used for validation, and 10% were used for testing the trained model. Results: The results demonstrate that DenseNet201 achieved the highest classification accuracy of 89.4%, with a precision of 88.2%, a recall of 84.1%, an F1 score of 86.1%, and an AUC score of 95.8%. Conclusions: In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of deep learning algorithms in breast cancer classification. Future research should focus on integrating multi-modal imaging data, refining ensemble learning methodologies, and expanding dataset diversity to further improve the classification accuracy and real-world clinical applicability. Full article

Background/Objectives: The regulatory SNPs (rSNPs) that disturb the binding of transcription factors (TFs) and alter the transcription levels of genes play a paramount role in the formation of different traits and are associated with many pathologies. The search for allele-specific events in RNA-seq and ChIP-seq data is a powerful genome-wide approach to detect rSNPs. Using this approach, we have identified the T → A rs2072580 substitution in the bidirectional SART3/ISCU promoter as a potential rSNP and demonstrated its association with colorectal cancer, relying on International Cancer Genome Consortium data. The goal of this work was to identify the TF binding site that is affected by the T → A substitution and to study the effect of this substitution on reporter gene expression in different plasmid constructs. Methods: Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), cross-competition analysis and supershift assay, plasmid construction, and dual luciferase reporter assay. Results: The T → A rs2072580 substitution is shown to damage the binding site for ubiquitous TF CREB1 and to significantly decrease the activity of the heterologous promoter carrying the cassettes of two or three repeated CREB binding sites inserted upstream of it. However, the substitution disturbing the CREB1 binding site within the bidirectional promoter shared by SART3 and ISCU inhibits the promoter activity of only the SART3 gene but has no effect on the activity of the ISCU promoter. Conclusions: The performed comprehensive functional analysis of the T → A rs2072580 in the bidirectional SART3/ISCU promoter unambiguously implies it is an rSNP. These results form the background for further studies of this rSNP and its potential significance for various pathologies. Full article

The use of animal models of idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is of great importance in the field of epilepsy research, with IGE affecting more than 20 million people worldwide. IGEs are characterized by a high degree of genetic heterogeneity, which makes it difficult to understand the underlying mechanisms leading to seizures. The development of animal models, whether spontaneous or resulting from genetic manipulation, has significantly contributed to our understanding of the pathological processes underlying certain IGEs, notably absence epilepsy. Research suggests that the concept of generalized epilepsy covering the whole brain should be replaced by a model in which the thalamus and its various nuclei are integrated into thalamo-cortical loops. These then assume distinct roles in the generation and generalization of seizures, which may differ across the spectrum of IGE disorders. The study of epileptogenesis is also essential: this area of research, grounded in systematic developmental neuroscience, examines the intermediate stages of neuronal activity to determine when, and how, functional development diverges between healthy and pathological states. Understanding nervous system development requires a comprehensive view of how anatomic, molecular, and genetics factors relate to neuronal activity. The emerging use of optogenetic methods and human assembloids will greatly aid our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these processes. Full article

Bronchiectasis (BE) and bronchomalacia (BM) are chronic respiratory diseases in dogs, yet their combined occurrence (BEBM) is not well studied. This retrospective study analyzed 65 dogs diagnosed via endoscopy with BE, BM, or BEBM (E-BE, E-BM, E-BEBM) to identify clinical and pathological differences and assess how imaging results (radiography and computed tomography (CT)) align with endoscopic findings. Clinical symptoms like coughing, dyspnea, and exercise intolerance were similar across all groups, except lung crackles, which were more common in E-BEBM. Inflammation seen during bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid results, including neutrophil counts, showed no significant differences between groups. Bacterial infections were present in 15% of dogs with no difference among groups. Diagnostic agreement between radiography and endoscopy was low: 18.1% for E-BE, 10.5% for E-BM, and 38.4% for E-BEBM. CT results matched endoscopic findings in all E-BE cases but only in half of E-BM and 40% of E-BEBM cases. The bronchial-to-arterial ratio, a benchmark for BE diagnosis, did not align with CT findings. Overall, the study found limited clinical or pathological differences between BE, BM, and BEBM and limited concordance between imaging and endoscopic findings, emphasizing the need for further research to clarify potential implications for treatment strategies. Full article

Expanded graphite (EG) with high infrared (IR) absorption is incorporated at low concentrations (≤2 wt%) into polystyrene (PS) foams to reduce radiative thermal conductivity and solid thermal conductivity, which account for 20~40% and 10~30% of total thermal conductivity, respectively. After systematically and quantitatively investigating thermal insulation behavior in PS/EG foams, it was found that the inclusion of 1 wt% EG in 25-fold expanded PS/EG foam blocks over 90% of the radiative thermal conductivity, with only a marginal increase in heat conduction. A great reduction in total thermal conductivity from 36.5 to 30.2 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ was then achieved. By further optimization using a co-blowing agent in the supercritical CO₂ foaming process, superthermal insulating PS/EG foam with a total thermal conductivity of 19.6 mW·m⁻¹·K⁻¹ was achieved for the first time. This significant result implies that the composite material design together with the foaming process design is capable of obtaining a superthermal insulating composite foam by using the following strategy: using additives with high IR absorption efficiency, a foam with a large expansion ratio, and a co-blowing agent with low gas conductivity. Full article

The leakage signal of the hydraulic valve is a weak, nonlinear, and non-periodic signal that is easily overpowered by background noise from the surroundings. To address this issue, the Search and Rescue Team (SaRT) algorithm was introduced to adaptive coupled stochastic resonance, and a new signal-enhancement method based on SaRT for coupled multi-stable stochastic resonance (CMSR) was proposed for enhancing valve-leakage vibration signals. Initially, the method employs the rescaling technique to preprocess the signal, thereby transforming the fault signal into a small-parameter signal. Subsequently, the mutual correlation gain is utilized as an adaptive measure function of the SaRT algorithm to optimize the parameters of the coupled multi-stable stochastic resonance system. Ultimately, the output signal is solved by the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. This study validated the method using sinusoidal signals and leakage signals of the check valve. The results demonstrate that all CMSR parameters require optimization. Furthermore, the noise reduction was effective for three different leakage signals of faulty check valves, in which the highest in the number of interrelationships increased by 6.9569 times and the highest amplitude ratio of the peak frequency increased by 11.7004 times. The data quality was significantly improved. Full article

This research quantifies mercury use and models its transport in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in the Lom River during two key periods of intense mining activities and high water flow. Mercury concentrations from mining surfaces were estimated using a soil input function approach. Industrial mercury releases were assessed with a ratio-based approach using official gold production data and the mercury-to-gold ratio. The PEGASE model was applied to simulate mercury transport and pollution in the Lom River and to analyze the pressure–impact relationships of ASGM activities on surface water. Field measurements of the mercury concentrations in the Lom River during the dry and rainy seasons of 2021 were used to validate modeling results. The results indicate that volatilization has a more significant impact on the predicted mercury concentrations than photodissociation. Three scenarios were modeled for mercury use: whole ore amalgamation (WOA), combined whole and concentrate ore amalgamation (WOA + COA), and concentrate ore amalgamation (COA). Mercury use estimates ranged from 2250–7500 kg during intense activity to 1260–4200 kg during high water for the gold production of 750 and 525 kg, respectively. Industrial discharges dominated mercury pollution during the dry season while leaching from mining surfaces was the primary contributor during the rainy season. Full article

Stingless bees are crucial for pollination and support diverse ecological relationships, offering economic benefits and contributing to enhanced crop yields. Their tropical pollinator status makes them highly sensitive to environmental changes and disruptions, which could affect their survival, as well as to pathogens that threaten their health. The lack of comprehensive research and the scattering of reports make it difficult to identify pathogens and contaminants. This review aims to provide an overview of diseases in stingless bees, examine chemical contaminants in their products, and explore threatened sources. Using the PRISMA flowchart, a total of 30 articles from 2009 to 2024 concerning pathogens and contaminants in stingless bees were retrieved. A total of 15 pathogens and 26 pollutants affect life expectancy and survival rate of stingless bees (mainly the genera Melipona and Tetragonisca) were identified in five major areas of the Neotropics, including Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Australia, and Asia. Studies indicated that the bacterial genera Pseudomonas, Melissococcus, and Lysinibacillus are affecting the survival of stingless bees, particularly their brood, and contributing to annual colony deaths. Heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and microplastics have been detected in by-products of stingless bees, especially honey. Epidemiological research is crucial, including studies on pathogens associated with diseases, the effects of contaminants on bees, and the development of quality guidelines for stingless-bee products. Full article