Search Results (1,095)

Background: Spexin is a neuropeptide involved in various physiological functions, including energy metabolism, appetite regulation, and weight loss. This study aimed to identify correlations between circulating spexin levels, obesity, and insulin resistance (IR) in Korean children and adolescents. Methods: We included 128 Korean children and adolescents in the study. Among them, 69 individuals (53.9%) were classified as obese, 43 (33.6%) were considered overweight, and 16 (12.5%) had a normal weight. We recorded participants’ anthropometric parameters, fasting biochemical parameters, and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and assessed their correlations with plasma spexin levels. Results: Plasma spexin levels were significantly lower in obese subjects than in controls (mean, 163.1 vs. 198.4 pg/mL; p = 0.01). Subjects with IR had lower spexin levels than those without IR (mean, 145.3 vs. 185.1 pg/mL; p < 0.001). Spexin levels were negatively correlated with the BMI SDS (r = −0.30; p < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (r = −0.33; p < 0.001), fasting insulin (r = −0.41; p < 0.001), HOMA-IR value (r = −0.41; p < 0.001), triglyceride (TG) level (r = −0.38; p < 0.001), and plasma leptin level (r = −0.26; p = 0.004). In multivariate analysis, HOMA-IR and TG levels were independently associated with plasma spexin levels (p < 0.001 for both). Mediation analyses suggest a potential bidirectional relationship between obesity-related reductions in circulating spexin and insulin resistance. Conclusions: Decreased circulating spexin levels were associated with obesity and IR among Korean children and adolescents. Our findings suggest a link between circulating spexin, obesity, and IR in this population. Full article

Background/Objectives: Classified as a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The abnormal trophoblast invasion that leads to a failed transformation of the uterine spiral arteries during placentation remains the most probable cause for preeclampsia. It is known that adiponectin acts on the placenta, playing a regulatory role in placentation processes. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to compile scientific evidence to evaluate the role of adiponectin as a biomarker for preeclampsia. Methods: The protocol for this systematic review was registered on the PROSPERO database (ID CRD42024542403) and follows the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Overall, twenty-nine studies were selected from the PubMed and Scopus databases, including case–control, prospective and retrospective cohort, cross-sectional, and bidirectional Mendelian randomization studies. Results: From the articles analyzed, nine studies indicated an increase in adiponectin levels in preeclampsia, eleven reported a decrease, eight detected no significant changes, and in two studies, it was not possible to determine the glycoprotein levels. Analysis of the evidence quality revealed that moderate and low evidence levels predominate, with stronger evidence for decreased adiponectin levels. Conclusions: Promoting the advancement of scientific research is crucial, particularly exploring the association between adiponectin and other biomarkers. This approach could facilitate the development of screening and diagnostic methods, enabling the implementation of specific preventive and therapeutic strategies. Full article

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a key constituent of the tumor microenvironment. CAFs may affect the development of tumor cells. The critical role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment is linked to their epigenetic modifications, as a stable yet reversible regulation of cellular phenotypes. Current evidence indicates that their formation and function are closely linked to epigenetic mechanisms. Existing research indicates that the epigenetic alteration abnormalities are triggered by metabolic cues and stabilize the acquired phenotype of CAFs. This process is associated with transcriptional changes and patient outcomes in various tumors, providing a biological rationale and translational potential for reprogramming CAFs. Understanding of epigenetic modifications in CAFs remain insufficient, while DNA methylation in CAFs can alter CAF states through multiple pathways and thereby influence tumor progression. It is necessary to investigate the unique, identifiable epigenetic signatures of CAF. As an epigenetic reader couple histone acetylation to high-output oncogenic transcription; meanwhile, noncoding RNAs modulate CAF formation and therapeutic responses via bidirectional crosstalk between tumor cells and stroma. The interactions between different epigenetic modifications and their underlying regulatory logic may play a crucial role in developing new therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on the roles of DNA methylation, histone acetylation, and enhancer reprogramming in CAFs. Full article

Natural latex harvest is pushing the boundaries of unmanned agricultural production in rubber milk collection via integrated robots in hilly and mountainous regions, such as the fixed and mobile tapping robots widely deployed in forests. As there are bad working conditions and complex natural environments surrounding rubber trees, the real-time and precision assessment of rubber milk yield status has emerged as a key requirement for improving the efficiency and autonomous management of these kinds of large-scale automatic tapping robots. However, traditional manual rubber milk yield status detection methods are limited in their ability to operate effectively under conditions involving complex terrain, dense forest backgrounds, irregular surface geometries of rubber milk, and the frequent occlusion of rubber milk bowls (RMBs) by vegetation. To address this issue, this study presents an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery rubber milk yield state detection method, termed YOLOv8n-RMB, in unstructured field environments instead of manual watching. The proposed method improved the original YOLOv8n by integrating structural enhancements across the backbone, neck, and head components of the network. First, a receptive field attention convolution (RFACONV) module is embedded within the backbone to improve the model’s ability to extract target-relevant features in visually complex environments. Second, within the neck structure, a bidirectional feature pyramid network (BiFPN) is applied to strengthen the fusion of features across multiple spatial scales. Third, in the head, a content-aware dynamic upsampling module of DySample is adopted to enhance the reconstruction of spatial details and the preservation of object boundaries. Finally, the detection framework is integrated with the BoT-SORT tracking algorithm to achieve continuous multi-object association and dynamic state monitoring based on the filling status of RMBs. Experimental evaluation shows that the proposed YOLOv8n-RMB model achieves an AP@0.5 of 94.9%, an AP@0.5:0.95 of 89.7%, a precision of 91.3%, and a recall of 91.9%. Moreover, the performance improves by 2.7%, 2.9%, 3.9%, and 9.7%, compared with the original YOLOv8n. Plus, the total number of parameters is kept within 3.0 million, and the computational cost is limited to 8.3 GFLOPs. This model meets the requirements of yield assessment tasks by conducting computations in resource-limited environments for both fixed and mobile tapping robots in rubber plantations. Full article

Background/Objectives: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are chronic disorders affecting different organs, and evidence has proposed a bidirectional link between them. Fecal calprotectin, which reflects intestinal inflammation and gut barrier injury, is augmented in different neurodegenerative diseases, including PD. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether fecal calprotectin levels in PD increase independently of gastrointestinal inflammation and aging. Methods: Fecal calprotectin values were compared in two groups (PD and IBD) of 30 patients each, taking into consideration variables such as endoscopic aspects and age. Analyses of fecal calprotectin levels in PD patients show an increase with advancing age, which was not observed in the IBD cohort. Results: Most PD patients had fecal calprotectin values exceeding 200 μg/g (mean value 366.25 μg/g), and their levels were comparable to those of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s Disease, mean value 537.70 μg/g). In the PD cohort, a weak positive association between calprotectin levels and inflammatory signs was observed, and in the IBD cohort, higher calprotectin levels were strongly associated with more severe endoscopic modifications. Conclusions: This weak but positive correlation with intestinal inflammation in PD patients suggests the involvement of complex mechanisms, other than those related to inflammaging or gut barrier injuries. Full article

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), characterized by obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, is a growing global health concern. This review examines the relationship between adipose tissue insulin resistance (AT-IR) and MetS. Adipose tissue functions beyond energy storage as an endocrine organ that regulates metabolism through hormone and cytokine secretion. When adipose tissue becomes insulin resistant, it contributes to systemic metabolic dysfunction through impaired glucose uptake and dysregulated adipokine production. This creates a bidirectional relationship where AT-IR promotes MetS development, while MetS-associated inflammation further worsens adipose insulin sensitivity. Key mechanisms include inflammatory signaling, altered adipokine profile, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Understanding these interactions offers therapeutic opportunities, as targeting adipose tissue function may provide novel approaches for MetS treatment. This review synthesizes current evidence on AT-IR-MetS interactions and discusses therapeutic implications and future research directions. Full article

Mitochondria are crucial for a wide range of cellular processes. One of the most important is innate immunity regulation. Apart from functioning as a signaling hub in immune reactions, mitochondrial nucleic acids can themselves act as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) to participate in immune processes directly. This review synthesizes the current understanding of mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) biology and its link to immune activation through aberrant accumulation. We focus on its origin through bidirectional mitochondrial transcription and metabolism, encompassing maturation (cleavage, polyadenylation, modification) and degradation. Dysregulation of mtRNA metabolism leads to mt-dsRNA (mitochondrial double-stranded RNA) accumulation, which escapes mitochondria via specific channels into the cytosol and serves as DAMPs to trigger an immune response. We discuss the critical roles of key regulatory factors, including PNPT1 (PNPase, Polyribonucleotide Nucleotidyltrans ferase 1), in controlling mt-dsRNA levels and preventing inappropriate immune activation. Finally, we review the implications of mt-dsRNA-driven inflammation in human diseases, including autoimmune disorders, cellular senescence, and viral infection pathologies, highlighting unresolved questions regarding mt-dsRNA release mechanisms. Full article

Exercise-induced fatigue can degrade athletic performance and increase injury risk, yet traditional fatigue assessments often rely on subjective measures. This study proposes an objective fatigue recognition approach using high-fidelity motion capture data and deep learning. This study induced both cognitive and physical fatigue in 50 male participants through a dual task (mental challenge followed by intense exercise) and collected three-dimensional lower-limb joint kinematics and kinetics during vertical jumps. A bidirectional Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU) with an attention mechanism (BiGRU + Attention) was trained to classify pre- vs. post-fatigue states. Five-fold cross-validation was employed for within-sample evaluation, and attention weight analysis provided insight into key fatigue-related movement phases. The BiGRU + Attention model achieved superior performance with 92% classification accuracy and an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 96%, significantly outperforming the single-layer GRU baseline (85% accuracy, AUC 92%). It also exhibited higher recall and fewer missed detections of fatigue. The attention mechanism highlighted critical moments (end of countermovement and landing) associated with fatigue-induced biomechanical changes, enhancing model interpretability. This study collects spatial data and biomechanical data during movement, and uses a bidirectional Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU) model with an attention mechanism to distinguish between non-fatigue states and fatigue states involving both physical and psychological aspects, which holds certain pioneering significance in the field of fatigue state identification. This study lays the foundation for real-time fatigue monitoring systems in sports and rehabilitation, enabling timely interventions to prevent performance decline and injury. Full article

Amid rapid industrialization and the growing integration of financial technologies, emerging economies face increasing pressure from rising ecological footprints (ECOF). This study examines the environmental impacts of natural resource rents (NRES) and digital financial technology (DFIN), emphasizing the moderating role of governance (INST), using data from the top 10 emerging economies between 1995 and 2023. The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach is employed to capture heterogeneous effects across different levels of environmental stress. The results reveal that both NRES and DFIN exacerbate ECOF, particularly in economies facing higher ecological pressures. However, strong governance significantly reduces these adverse effects, especially at higher ECOF quantiles, highlighting its pivotal role in aligning resource management and digital innovation with environmental sustainability goals. Interaction terms further confirm that effective institutional quality can buffer the ecological risks associated with resource exploitation and FinTech expansion. Additionally, Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality tests reveal a unidirectional causality from NRES and economic growth (EGRO) to ECOF, while bidirectional relationships are observed between DFIN, INST, education, urbanization, renewable energy, and ECOF. These findings underscore the complex interlinkages between economic growth, technological advancement, and institutional frameworks. In the context of post-COP28 climate commitments and Sustainable Development Goals, this study provides timely policy recommendations to promote sustainable growth through robust governance, responsible resource utilization, and balanced FinTech integration. Full article

Aging is the result of the accumulation of a great variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. During aging, the brain undergoes changes and diseases such as depression, dementia, anxiety, Alzheimer’s, delirium, behavioral disorders and aggression, and prolonged mourning, among others, appear. The gut–brain axis suggests that the gut and the brain have a bidirectional communication, so it is important to maintain proper intestinal health to strengthen the neurological changes of this age group. The intestinal microbiota is a dynamic and highly complex ecosystem of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract. The bidirectional and dynamic communication between the homeostatic systems, such as the endocrine and immune systems, as well as the nervous system, allow us to face problems associated with several diseases. Probiotics are defined as non-pathogenic live microorganisms that provide beneficial effects to the organism and participate in the prevention and treatment of diseases, which is the reason why it is important to promote interventions that keep intestinal microbiota in eubiosis (microbiota balance). The concentration and balance of the intestinal microbiota depend on several conditions, such as diet, antibiotic consumption, and lifestyle, to mentioned a few. However, interventions with probiotics have shown improvements in both cognitive function and processes that promote neurodegeneration. It is such that the research has been directed on designing strategies that improve not only oral bioavailability but also intestinal adhesion and retention, to clarify the frequency and dosage that should be consumed. Full article

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) represents a global challenge due to its high prevalence worldwide. Inflammation is the most extensively studied and plausible biological pathway involved in the onset of MDD. Individuals with MDD often exhibit low-grade inflammation, characterized by immune system dysregulation and activation of pro-inflammatory pathways. Elevated inflammation is also associated with a reduced response to antidepressant therapies, suggesting that targeting inflammation could represent a promising therapeutic approach for MDD. MDD frequently co-occurs with other pathological conditions, including cardiometabolic, autoimmune, and chronic pain disorders. These comorbidities further complicate MDD treatment and contribute to reduced antidepressant efficacy. Like MDD, these disorders are characterized by a strong inflammatory component, and several cytokines and pro-inflammatory mechanisms altered in MDD are also found in these comorbid conditions. This narrative review explores inflammation as a shared biological mechanism in MDD and its most frequent comorbidities, to provide a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between inflammation and these comorbid conditions. Persistent low-grade inflammation may help explain the high rate of bidirectional co-occurrence between MDD and its comorbidities. Moreover, it may represent a target for better understanding the molecular mechanisms driving this co-occurrence, potentially contributing to the development of tailored treatment and improving antidepressants response rates. Full article

Despite growing recognition of the role of the gut microbiome in host health and in modulating pathogen activity, the dynamic and reciprocal relationship between enteric viruses and the gut microbial ecosystem remains insufficiently defined and requires further exploration. This comprehensive review examines the bidirectional interplay between the gut microbiome and enteric viral infections by addressing (i) viruses associated with gastrointestinal alterations, (ii) how enteric viral infections alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome, (iii) how the gut microbiome modulates viral infectivity and host susceptibility, and (iv) current microbial-based approaches for preventing or treating enteric viral infections. Gastrointestinal viral infections induce gut microbiome dysbiosis, marked by reductions in beneficial bacteria and increases in potentially pathogenic populations. Specific gut microorganisms can modulate host susceptibility, with certain bacterial genera increasing or decreasing infection risk and disease severity. Pattern recognition receptors in the intestinal epithelium detect microbial signals and trigger antimicrobial peptides, mucus, and interferon responses to control viral replication while maintaining tolerance to commensal bacteria. The gut microbiome can indirectly facilitate viral infections by creating a tolerogenic environment, suppressing antiviral antibody responses, and modulating interferon signaling, or directly enhance viral replication by stabilizing virions, promoting host cell attachment, and facilitating coinfection and viral recombination. In turn, commensal gut bacteria can inhibit viral entry, enhance host antiviral responses, and strengthen mucosal barrier function, contributing to protection against gastrointestinal viral infections. Probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation constitute potential microbial-based therapeutics that support antiviral defenses, preserve epithelial integrity, and restore microbial balance. In conclusion, the role of the gut microbiome in modulating enteric viral infections represents a promising area of future investigation. Therefore, integrating microbiome insights with virology and immunology could enable predictive and personalized strategies for prevention and treatment. Full article

The link between oral health and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has gained increasing attention in recent years. Emerging evidence suggests that this association is bidirectional, involving both biological mechanisms and behavioral consequences that reinforce one another over time. Literature Review: A narrative synthesis of systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and scoping reviews published between January 2010 and March 2024 was conducted. Searching was performed in four electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library), using a combination of MeSH terms and free-text keywords related to dementia and oral health. Inclusion criteria targeted human studies published in English with full-text access and a clear focus on the interplay between oral status and Alzheimer’s disease. Results: The reviewed literature indicates that periodontal disease, tooth loss, and oral microbiome alterations may contribute to neuroinflammation and cognitive decline, potentially influencing the onset and progression of AD. Conversely, Alzheimer’s disease negatively affects oral health through impaired self-care, reduced motor coordination, salivary changes, and altered pain perception. Conclusions: By mapping out these interconnections, the findings support a shift in perspective; oral health should be considered a relevant factor in both the prevention and management of Alzheimer’s disease. Dentistry and neurology must move closer together in clinical practice, particularly in the care of older adults. Promoting oral health is not just about preserving teeth; it may be part of preserving cognitive function and quality of life. Full article

Offline forms of violence are evolving into their online counterparts. The aim of this study was to examine cyber child-to-parent violence by (1) analyzing its bidirectional relationships with offline CPV and distress, (2) identifying individual risk factors (distress and substance abuse) and family-related risk factors (exposure to family violence, parental ineffectiveness, parental impulsivity, and punitive discipline) regarding Cyber-CPV, (3) examining individual and family-related risk factors for CPV and (4) evaluating the moderating role of substance abuse in the relationship between distress and Cyber-CPV. The study sample consisted of 1034 adolescents (M_age = 15.05; SD = 1.53), who completed the measures at two time points, six months apart. The results show bidirectional relationships between Cyber-CPV and distress. Furthermore, CPV significantly predicted the occurrence of Cyber-CPV over time. Moreover, substance abuse predicted Cyber-CPV and moderated the association between distress and Cyber-CPV; this association was strengthened under high levels of substance abuse. Additionally, both substance abuse and punitive discipline predicted CPV. This study highlights the predominant role of individual factors in Cyber-CPV, and it provides pioneering insights into the related variables of this emerging form of intrafamilial violence mediated by digital technologies, thus laying the groundwork for future research. Full article

Concerns about ensuring a sustainable environment are growing, attracting major attention from policy professionals worldwide. Therefore, this study investigates the nonlinear impacts of fiscal consolidation on CO₂ emissions in 17 OECD countries from 1978 to 2020. To probe the short- and long-term connections across various quantiles of CO₂ emissions, we adopted panel QARDL frameworks. The Granger non-causality test was used to investigate the variables’ association with CO₂ emission. The study’s main findings confirm the overall beneficial effect of fiscal consolidation on carbon emissions. It reduces CO₂ emissions at almost all quantiles in the short run. By contrast, in the long run, the effect is positive at lower quantiles and turns negative at upper quantiles. Furthermore, a causality analysis identified a bidirectional causal relationship between fiscal consolidation and CO₂ emissions, confirming the existence of mutual influence. While Keynesian theory links fiscal consolidation to economic recession, our findings support the non-Keynesian view, showing that such policy can foster economic growth and thereby contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions in the short run. Thus, OECD countries are orienting public spending and carbon taxation toward environmentally friendly practices while ensuring environmental protection and deficit reduction. Nonetheless, the identified mixed effect in the long run highlights the need for sustained consolidation policies by enhancing expenditure efficiency and adopting targeted taxation measures to achieve lasting emission reductions and support the transition to cleaner energy, even when emissions are relatively low. Full article