METHODS: We reviewed studies (based on interviews or surveys) published from September 2018 to January 2023, which were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus database. The main outcomes studied were: (1) awareness; (2) utilization of scheme; (3) experiences; (4) financial protection; and (5) challenges encountered by both beneficiaries and healthcare providers.
RESULTS: A total of 18 studies conducted across 14 states and union territories of India were reviewed. The findings revealed that although PM-JAY has become a familiar name, there remains a low level of awareness regarding various facets of the scheme such as benefits entitled, hospitals empanelled, and services covered. The scheme is benefitting the poor and vulnerable population to access healthcare services that were previously unaffordable to them. However, financial protection provided by the scheme exhibited mixed results. Several challenges were identified, including continued spending by beneficiaries on drugs and diagnostic tests, delays in issuance of beneficiary cards, and co-payments demanded by healthcare providers. Additionally, private hospitals expressed dissatisfaction with low health package rates and delays in claims reimbursement.
CONCLUSIONS: Concerted efforts such as population-wide dissemination of clear and complete knowledge of the scheme, providing training to healthcare providers, addressing infrastructural gaps and concerns of healthcare providers, and ensuring appropriate stewardship are imperative to achieve the desired objectives of the scheme in the long-run.}, }
@article {pmid37801469, year = {2024}, author = {Viviano, A and Mori, E and Manzini, J and Paoletti, E and Hoshika, Y and Cotrozzi, L and Pisuttu, C and Risoli, S and Materassi, A and Moura, BB}, title = {The magpie and the grapes: increasing ozone exposure impacts fruit consumption by a common corvid in a suburban environment.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {80}, number = {11}, pages = {5491-5499}, doi = {10.1002/ps.7819}, pmid = {37801469}, issn = {1526-4998}, mesh = {*Vitis ; *Ozone ; Animals ; *Fruit ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Air Pollutants/analysis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The Eurasian magpie Pica pica is a resident bird species able to colonize farmlands and anthropized environments. This corvid shows a wide trophic spectrum by including fruits, invertebrates, small vertebrates and carcasses in its diet. A camera-trap experiment was carried out to test the effect of different ozone (O3) concentrations on potted Vitis vinifera plants, which resulted in different grape consumption rates by suburban birds. The test was performed at an Ozone-Free Air Controlled Exposure (FACE) facility, consisting of nine plots with three ozone (O3) levels: AA (ambient O3 concentration); and two elevated O3 levels, 1.5× AA (ambient air with a 50% increase in O3 concentration) and 2.0× AA (ambient air with a 100% increase in O3 concentration). Camera-traps were located in front of each treatment area and kept active for 24 h day[-1] and for 5 days at a time over a period of 3 months to monitor grape consumption by birds.
RESULTS: We collected a total of 38 videos. Eurasian magpies were the only grape consumers, with a total of 6.7 ± 3.3 passages per hour (mean ± SD) and no differences across the different O3 treatments. Grapes in the AA treatment were consumed significantly more quickly than those in the 1.5× AA treatment, which in turn, were consumed faster than those in the 2.0× AA treatment. At 3 days from the start of treatment, 94%, 53% and 22% berries from the AA, 1.5× AA and 2.0× AA treatments had been eaten, respectively. When the O3 was turned off, berries were consumed at the same rate among treatments.
CONCLUSION: Increasing O3 concentrations limited grape consumption by magpies probably because O3 acted as a deterrent for magpies, although the lower sugar content recorded in the 2.0× AA berries did not affect the consumption when O3 was turned off. Our results provided valuable insights to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts in suburban environments. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid37808414, year = {2023}, author = {Sen Yavuz, B and Yilmaz, MA and Yilmaz, HN and Agrali, OB and Bilsel, SO and Kargul, B}, title = {Assessment of Relationship between Intelligence Quotient and Orthodontic Treatment Need.}, journal = {Acta stomatologica Croatica}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {248-255}, pmid = {37808414}, issn = {0001-7019}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Low cognitive ability may reduce the ability to understand the importance of oral health and to perform the necessary practices to maintain proper oral hygiene. Early loss of primary teeth following high caries risk may lead to malocclusion of permanent dentition. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the cognitive levels of adolescents and their orthodontic treatment needs.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Between January 2018 and May 2018, 200 adolescents aged 10 - 15 who applied to the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of Marmara University and sought orthodontic treatment were invited to participate in the study. The orthodontic treatment needs of 150 adolescents who agreed to participate were evaluated with the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need - Aesthetic Component and their cognitive levels were evaluated with the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) Test. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: The mean age (± standard deviation) of 126 adolescents (77 females and 49 males) who completed the SPM test was 11.8 (± 1.3). There was no consistency between the intellectual level and the need for orthodontic treatment (Kappa value = 0.071, p-value = 0.081). There was no correlation between malocclusion severity and intelligence quotient scores of adolescents (ρ [rho] = -0.089, p = 0.322). According to Multiple logistic regression results, there was no difference between 'borderline need' (p = 0.059) and 'great need' (p = 0.881) from 'no need' for orthodontic treatment in adolescents with different intelligence quotients.
CONCLUSIONS: The results showed no evidence for an association between malocclusion and intelligence quotient.}, }
@article {pmid37810349, year = {2023}, author = {Guo, H}, title = {The evaluation of university management performance using the CS-RBM algorithm.}, journal = {PeerJ. Computer science}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {e1575}, pmid = {37810349}, issn = {2376-5992}, abstract = {Amidst the ongoing higher education reforms in China, the escalated investments in colleges and universities underscore the need for an effective assessment of their performance to ensure sustainable development. However, traditional evaluation methods have proven time-consuming and labor-intensive. In response, a novel approach called CS-RBM (Crow Search Restricted Boltzmann Machine) prediction algorithm has been proposed for the educational management of these institutions. By integrating the CS algorithm and an enhanced RBM algorithm, this method facilitates the scoring of project performance indicators, bolstered by insights from user evaluation form reports. The comprehensive project performance is ultimately derived from this combination. Comparative analysis with the standard particle swarm optimization algorithm on public data sets demonstrates a remarkable 45.6% reduction in prediction errors and an impressive 34.7% increase in iteration speed using the CS-RBM algorithm. The accuracy of the tested data set surpasses 98%, validating the efficacy of the CS-RBM algorithm in achieving precise predictions and effective assessments. Consequently, this innovative approach exhibits promising potential for expediting and enhancing the performance evaluation of colleges and universities, contributing significantly to their sustainable development.}, }
@article {pmid37813941, year = {2023}, author = {Graham, BA and Szabo, I and Cicero, C and Strickland, D and Woods, J and Coneybeare, H and Dohms, KM and Burg, TM}, title = {Habitat and climate influence hybridization among three genetically distinct Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) morphotypes in an avian hybrid zone complex.}, journal = {Heredity}, volume = {131}, number = {5-6}, pages = {361-373}, pmid = {37813941}, issn = {1365-2540}, mesh = {Animals ; Ecosystem ; Climate ; Hybridization, Genetic ; *Picea/genetics ; *Songbirds ; Canada ; }, abstract = {Examining the frequency and distribution of hybrids across contact zones provide insights into the factors mediating hybridization. In this study, we examined the effect of habitat and climate on hybridization patterns for three phenotypically, genetically, and ecologically distinct groups of the Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) in a secondary contact zone in western North America. Additionally, we tested whether the frequency of hybridization involving the three groups (referred to as Boreal, Pacific and Rocky Mountain morphotypes) is similar across the hybrid zones or whether some pairs have hybridized more frequently than others. We reanalyzed microsatellite, mtDNA and plumage data, and new microsatellite and plumage data for 526 individuals to identify putative genetic and phenotypic hybrids. The genetically and phenotypically distinct groups are associated with different habitats and occupy distinct climate niches across the contact zone. Most putative genetic hybrids (86%) had Rocky Mountain ancestry. Hybrids were observed most commonly in intermediate climate niches and in habitats where Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) overlaps broadly with boreal and subalpine tree species. Our finding that hybrids occupy intermediate climate niches relative to parental morphotypes matches patterns for other plant and animal species found in this region. This study demonstrates how habitat and climate influence hybridization patterns in areas of secondary contact and adds to the growing body of research on tri-species hybrid zones.}, }
@article {pmid37818825, year = {2023}, author = {Asrullah, M and Hositanisita, H and L'Hoir, M and Muslimatun, S and Jm Feskens, E and Melse-Boonstra, A}, title = {Intra-uterine exposure to lower maternal haemoglobin concentration is associated with impaired cognitive function in stunted adolescents: results from a 17-year longitudinal cohort study in Indonesia.}, journal = {International journal of food sciences and nutrition}, volume = {74}, number = {8}, pages = {826-835}, doi = {10.1080/09637486.2023.2267792}, pmid = {37818825}, issn = {1465-3478}, mesh = {Female ; Pregnancy ; Humans ; Adolescent ; Child ; Longitudinal Studies ; Indonesia/epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; *Anemia/epidemiology ; Hemoglobins/analysis ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {The long-term impact of maternal anaemia on cognitive performance remains unknown. Indonesian longitudinal cohort data of 363 paired pregnant mothers and their 10-14-year-old offspring were used to investigate the association between maternal haemoglobin (Hb) concentration and their offspring's cognitive function (assessed by Raven's Progressive Matrices test) during adolescence. The weighted anaemia prevalence was 49.3% in pregnant mothers and 22.2% in adolescents. Adolescents who were stunted, anaemic, or living in a rural area had significantly lower cognitive scores than their counterparts. Maternal Hb was not associated with adolescent cognitive function (β: 0.14; 95%CI: -0.052-0.340). However, the effect of maternal Hb concentration on offspring's cognitive function was modified by stunting status (β, stunted: 0.44; 95%CI: 0.05-0.82; non-stunted: 0.01; 95%CI: -0.02-0.24). This study shows adverse cognitive outcomes at adolescent age are likely multi-causal and can be partially explained by intra-uterine exposure to low maternal Hb concentrations.}, }
@article {pmid37822735, year = {2023}, author = {Carter, MQ and Quiñones, B and Laniohan, N and Carychao, D and Pham, A and He, X and Cooley, M}, title = {Pathogenicity assessment of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from wild birds in a major agricultural region in California.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1214081}, pmid = {37822735}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) consists of diverse strains differing in genetic make-up and virulence potential. To better understand the pathogenicity potential of STEC carried by the wildlife, three STEC and one E. coli strains isolated from wild birds near a major agricultural region in California were selected for comparative pathogenomic analyses. Three American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) strains, RM9088, RM9513, and RM10410, belonging to phylogroup A with serotypes O109:H48, O9:H30, and O113:H4, respectively, and a red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) strain RM14516 in phylogroup D with serotype O17:H18, were examined. Shiga toxin genes were identified in RM9088 (stx1a), RM10410 (stx1a + stx2d), and RM14516 (stx2a). Unlike STEC O157:H7 strain EDL933, none of the avian STEC strains harbored the pathogenicity islands OI-122, OI-57, and the locus of enterocyte effacement, therefore the type III secretion system biogenesis genes and related effector genes were absent in the three avian STEC genomes. Interestingly, all avian STEC strains exhibited greater (RM9088 and RM14516) or comparable (RM10410) cytotoxicity levels compared with EDL933. Comparative pathogenomic analyses revealed that RM9088 harbored numerous genes encoding toxins, toxins delivery systems, and adherence factors, including heat-labile enterotoxin, serine protease autotransporter toxin Pic, type VI secretion systems, protein adhesin Paa, fimbrial adhesin K88, and colonization factor antigen I. RM9088 also harbored a 36-Kb high pathogenicity island, which is related to iron acquisition and pathogenicity in Yersinia spp. Strain RM14516 carried an acid fitness island like the one in EDL933, containing a nine gene cluster involved in iron acquisition. Genes encoding extracellular serine protease EspP, subtilase cytotoxin, F1C fimbriae, and inverse autotransporter adhesin IatC were only detected in RM14516, and genes encoding serine protease autotransporter EspI and P fimbriae were only identified in RM10410. Although all curli genes were present in avian STEC strains, production of curli fimbriae was only detected for RM9088 and RM14516. Consistently, strong, moderate, and little biofilms were observed for RM9088, RM14516, and RM10410, respectively. Our study revealed novel combinations of virulence factors in two avian strains, which exhibited high level of cytotoxicity and strong biofilm formation. Comparative pathogenomics is powerful in assessing pathogenicity and health risk of STEC strains.}, }
@article {pmid37823489, year = {2023}, author = {Toyoshima, M and Nakaoji, K and Hamada, K and Yamanaka, A and Inaba, Y and Muraoka, K and Tohsuji, E and Sakakibara, K and Saji, N and Jinnin, M}, title = {Analysis of skin aging patterns using a facial imaging system in patients with atopic dermatitis.}, journal = {European journal of dermatology : EJD}, volume = {33}, number = {4}, pages = {383-393}, doi = {10.1684/ejd.2023.4528}, pmid = {37823489}, issn = {1952-4013}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; *Skin Aging ; *Dermatitis, Atopic/diagnostic imaging ; Face/diagnostic imaging ; Aging ; Skin ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: There are few studies on skin aging in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).
OBJECTIVES: To clarify the characteristics of facial skin aging in AD patients.
MATERIALS & METHODS: Using facial images obtained by a digital imaging system (VISIA evolution), we compared the severity scores for 10 aging signs in 53 women in the AD group and 29 women in the healthy control group, all 35-49 years old.
RESULTS: The severity scores for fine lines on the forehead, periorbital wrinkles, nasolabial folds, and texture of the mouth contour were significantly higher in the AD group than in the controls. However, in order to exclude a direct effect of dermatitis at the time of measurement, cases with signs of AD at the evaluation site were excluded from the AD group (defined as the AD [non-lesion] group), revealing no statistical significance between the AD (non-lesion) group and the healthy control group for any of the 10 facial signs. Age subset analysis showed that for individuals in their late 40s, the AD (non-lesion) group exhibited significantly higher scores for crow's feet wrinkle and nasolabial fold compared to the healthy control group. Furthermore, these two scores correlated with one other, suggesting that they may be induced by the same factors.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that skin aging associated with AD is prominent in areas prone to transient wrinkling by frequent blinking and speaking or facial expressions. Understanding of the need for appropriate AD treatment from a cosmetic perspective may increase patient adherence.}, }
@article {pmid37829066, year = {2023}, author = {Xu, Z and Zhang, P and Tu, M and Zhang, M and Lai, Y}, title = {Brain optimization with additional study time: potential brain differences between high- and low-performance college students.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1209881}, pmid = {37829066}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {This study investigates potential differences in brain function among high-, average-, and low-performance college students using electroencephalography (EEG). We hypothesize that the increased academic engagement of high-performance students will lead to discernible EEG variations due to the brain's structural plasticity. 61 third-year college students from identical majors were divided into high-performance (n = 20), average-performance (n = 21), and low-performance (n = 20) groups based on their academic achievements. We conducted three EEG experiments: resting state, Sternberg working memory task, and Raven progressive matrix task. Comprehensive analyses of the EEG data from the three experiments focused on power spectral density (PSD) and functional connectivity, with coherence (COH) employed as our primary metric for the latter. The results showed that in all experiments, there were no differences in working memory ability and IQ scores among the groups, and there were no significant differences in the power spectral densities of the delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta, and gamma bands among the groups. Notably, on the Raven test, compared to their high-performing peers, low-performing students showed enhanced functional connectivity in the alpha 1 (8-9 Hz) band that connects the frontal and occipital lobes. We explored three potential explanations for this phenomenon: fatigue, anxiety, and greater cognitive effort required for problem-solving due to inefficient self-regulation and increased susceptibility to distraction. In essence, these insights not only deepen our understanding of the neural basis that anchors academic ability, but also hold promise in guiding interventions that address students' diverse academic needs.}, }
@article {pmid37834970, year = {2023}, author = {Lee, SK and Kim, MS and Kwon, SH and Chung, BY and Han, SH and Kim, HJ}, title = {Efficacy, Safety, and Subject Satisfaction of PrabotulinumtoxinA for Moderate-to-Severe Crow's Feet: A Phase IV, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.}, journal = {Journal of clinical medicine}, volume = {12}, number = {19}, pages = {}, pmid = {37834970}, issn = {2077-0383}, support = {there is no grant number.//Daewoong Pharmaceutical (South Korea)/ ; }, abstract = {PrabotulinumtoxinA has been identified as an effective agent against crow's feet. Our study, which included Korean patients with moderate to severe crow's feet, was undertaken to compare the efficacy and safety of PrabotulinumtoxinA and placebo treatments. Of the 90 study participants, 60 received prabotulinumtoxinA (24 U), whereas 30 received a placebo. The primary outcome assessment included facial wrinkle grading by investigators. At week 4, 69.64% of patients in the prabotulinumtoxinA group exhibited minimal crow's feet severity; in contrast, a 0% improvement was observed in the placebo group (p < 0.0001). At week 12, the improvement rates were 30.36% for prabotulinumtoxinA and 6.90% for the placebo, demonstrating a significant difference (p = 0.0152). Based on the independent review panel's assessment at week 4, the improvement rate was 39.29% in the prabotulinumtoxinA group and 3.45% in the placebo group during maximum smiling. Additionally, patient satisfaction was notably higher in the prabotulinumtoxinA group (32.14%) than in the placebo group (10.34%) at week 4 (p = 0.0289). Both treatments displayed comparable safety profiles, with only mild local reactions reported as ADRs for one patient from the prabotulinumtoxinA group. Thus, prabotulinumtoxinA demonstrates significant potential as a potent and safe remedy for crow's feet.}, }
@article {pmid37835184, year = {2023}, author = {Calonico, K and De La Rosa-Millan, J}, title = {Digestion-Related Enzyme Inhibition Potential of Selected Mexican Medicinal Plants (Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H.Raven, Cnidoscolus aconitifolius and Crotalaria longirostrata).}, journal = {Foods (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {12}, number = {19}, pages = {}, pmid = {37835184}, issn = {2304-8158}, abstract = {Medicinal plants offer a valuable source of natural compounds with specific and selective bioactivity. These compounds have been isolated since the mid-nineteenth century and are now commonly used in modern medications. L. octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H.Raven, C. aconitifolius, and C. longirostrata are Mexican medicinal plants consumed regularly, and research has shown that they contain bioactive compounds capable of promoting the inhibition of digestive enzymes. This is noteworthy since enzyme inhibitors are bioactive substances that interact with enzymes, diminishing their activity and thereby contributing to the management of diseases and metabolic disturbances. To investigate the activity of these plants, individual analyses were conducted, assessing their proximal composition, bioactive compounds, and inhibition of α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase, lipase, and pepsin. The results revealed that all three plants exhibited enzymatic inhibition. When comparing the plants, it was determined that C. aconitifolius had the lowest concentration required for a 50% inhibition in α-Amylase, α-Glucosidase, and lipase, as indicated by the IC50 values. For pepsin, C. longirostrata demonstrated the lowest IC50 value. By understanding the bioactive compounds present in these plants, we can establish the relationship they have with enzymatic inhibition, which can be utilized for future investigations.}, }
@article {pmid37846510, year = {2024}, author = {Blanchet, G and Bellinger, MR and Kearns, AM and Cortes-Rodriguez, N and Masuda, B and Campana, MG and Rutz, C and Fleischer, RC and Sutton, JT}, title = {Reduction of genetic diversity in 'Alalā (Hawaiian crow; Corvus hawaiiensis) between the late 1800s and the late 1900s.}, journal = {The Journal of heredity}, volume = {115}, number = {1}, pages = {32-44}, doi = {10.1093/jhered/esad063}, pmid = {37846510}, issn = {1465-7333}, support = {BB/G023913/2/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Crows/genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Hawaii ; Inbreeding ; Genome ; Endangered Species ; }, abstract = {Genetic and genomic data are increasingly used to aid conservation management of endangered species by providing insights into evolutionary histories, factors associated with extinction risks, and potential for future adaptation. For the 'Alalā, or Hawaiian crow (Corvus hawaiiensis), genetic concerns include negative correlations between inbreeding and hatching success. However, it is unclear if low genetic diversity and inbreeding depression are consequences of a historical population bottleneck, or if 'Alalā had historically low genetic diversity that predated human influence, perhaps as a result of earlier declines or founding events. In this study, we applied a hybridization-based sequence capture to generate a genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset for comparing historical specimens collected in the 1890s, when 'Alalā were more numerous, to samples taken between 1973 and 1998, when 'Alalā population densities were near the lowest documented levels in the wild, prior to all individuals being collected for captive rearing. We found low genome-wide diversity in both sample groups, however, the modern sample group (1973 to 1998 cohort) exhibited relatively fewer polymorphic alleles, a lower proportion of polymorphic loci, and lower observed heterozygosity, consistent with a population decline and potential bottleneck effects. These results combined with a current low population size highlight the importance of continued efforts by conservation managers to mitigate inbreeding and maintain founder representation to preserve what genetic diversity remains.}, }
@article {pmid37846601, year = {2023}, author = {Blackburn, G and Ashton, BJ and Thornton, A and Woodiss-Field, S and Ridley, AR}, title = {Cognition mediates response to anthropogenic noise in wild Western Australian magpies (Gmynorhina tibicen dorsalis).}, journal = {Global change biology}, volume = {29}, number = {24}, pages = {6912-6930}, doi = {10.1111/gcb.16975}, pmid = {37846601}, issn = {1365-2486}, support = {//Ada Jackson Irwin Street Commemoration Award/ ; //Australian Government Research Training Program/ ; //Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Ecosystem ; Australia ; Noise/adverse effects ; Animals, Wild ; Cognition ; *Passeriformes ; }, abstract = {Anthropogenic noise is a pollutant of growing concern, with wide-ranging effects on taxa across ecosystems. Until recently, studies investigating the effects of anthropogenic noise on animals focused primarily on population-level consequences, rather than individual-level impacts. Individual variation in response to anthropogenic noise may result from extrinsic or intrinsic factors. One such intrinsic factor, cognitive performance, varies between individuals and is hypothesised to aid behavioural response to novel stressors. Here, we combine cognitive testing, behavioural focals and playback experiments to investigate how anthropogenic noise affects the behaviour and anti-predator response of Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis), and to determine whether this response is linked to cognitive performance. We found a significant population-level effect of anthropogenic noise on the foraging effort, foraging efficiency, vigilance, vocalisation rate and anti-predator response of magpies, with birds decreasing their foraging, vocalisation behaviours and anti-predator response, and increasing vigilance when loud anthropogenic noise was present. We also found that individuals varied in their response to playbacks depending on their cognitive performance, with individuals that performed better in an associative learning task maintaining their anti-predator response when an alarm call was played in anthropogenic noise. Our results add to the growing body of literature documenting the adverse effects of anthropogenic noise on wildlife and provide the first evidence for an association between individual cognitive performance and behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise.}, }
@article {pmid37857541, year = {2023}, author = {Prinja, S and Bahuguna, P and Singh, MP and Guinness, L and Goyal, A and Aggarwal, V}, title = {Refining the provider payment system of India's government-funded health insurance programme: an econometric analysis.}, journal = {BMJ open}, volume = {13}, number = {10}, pages = {e076155}, pmid = {37857541}, issn = {2044-6055}, mesh = {Humans ; *Insurance, Health ; *Health Care Costs ; Hospital Costs ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Government ; India ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Reimbursement rates in national health insurance schemes are frequently weighted to account for differences in the costs of service provision. To determine weights for a differential case-based payment system under India's publicly financed national health insurance scheme, the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), by exploring and quantifying the influence of supply-side factors on the costs of inpatient admissions and surgical procedures.
DESIGN: Exploratory analysis using regression-based cost function on data from a multisite health facility costing study-the Cost of Health Services in India (CHSI) Study.
SETTING: The CHSI Study sample included 11 public sector tertiary care hospitals, 27 public sector district hospitals providing secondary care and 16 private hospitals, from 11 Indian states.
PARTICIPANTS: 521 sites from 57 healthcare facilities in 11 states of India.
INTERVENTIONS: Medical and surgical packages of PM-JAY.
The cost per bed-day and cost per surgical procedure were regressed against a range of factors to be considered as weights including hospital location, presence of a teaching function and ownership. In addition, capacity utilisation, number of beds, specialist mix, state gross domestic product, State Health Index ranking and volume of patients across the sample were included as variables in the models. Given the skewed data, cost variables were log-transformed for some models.
RESULTS: The estimated mean costs per inpatient bed-day and per procedure were 2307 and 10 686 Indian rupees, respectively. Teaching status, annual hospitalisation, bed size, location of hospital and average length of hospitalisation significantly determine the inpatient bed-day cost, while location of hospital and teaching status determine the procedure costs. Cost per bed-day of teaching hospitals was 38-143.4% higher than in non-teaching hospitals. Similarly, cost per bed-day was 1.3-89.7% higher in tier 1 cities, and 19.5-77.3% higher in tier 2 cities relative to tier 3 cities, respectively. Finally, cost per surgical procedure was higher by 10.6-144.6% in teaching hospitals than non-teaching hospitals; 12.9-171.7% higher in tier 1 cities; and 33.4-140.9% higher in tier 2 cities compared with tier 3 cities, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Our study findings support and validate the recently introduced differential provider payment system under the PM-JAY. While our results are indicative of heterogeneity in hospital costs, other considerations of how these weights will affect coverage, quality, cost containment, as well as create incentives and disincentives for provider and consumer behaviour, and integrate with existing price mark-ups for other factors, should be considered to determine the future revisions in the differential pricing scheme.}, }
@article {pmid37862096, year = {2023}, author = {Bahafid, E and Bradtmöller, I and Thies, AM and Nguyen, TTON and Gutierrez, C and Desvoyes, B and Stahl, Y and Blilou, I and Simon, RGW}, title = {The Arabidopsis SHORTROOT network coordinates shoot apical meristem development with auxin-dependent lateral organ initiation.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {37862096}, issn = {2050-084X}, mesh = {*Arabidopsis/metabolism ; Meristem ; *Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Indoleacetic Acids/metabolism ; Transcription Factors/genetics/metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Homeodomain Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Cyclins/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Plants produce new organs post-embryonically throughout their entire life cycle. This is due to stem cells present in the shoot and root apical meristems, the SAM and RAM, respectively. In the SAM, stem cells are located in the central zone where they divide slowly. Stem cell daughters are displaced laterally and enter the peripheral zone, where their mitotic activity increases and lateral organ primordia are formed. How the spatial arrangement of these different domains is initiated and controlled during SAM growth and development, and how sites of lateral organ primordia are determined in the peripheral zone is not yet completely understood. We found that the SHORTROOT (SHR) transcription factor together with its target transcription factors SCARECROW (SCR), SCARECROW-LIKE23 (SCL23) and JACKDAW (JKD), promotes formation of lateral organs and controls shoot meristem size. SHR, SCR, SCL23, and JKD are expressed in distinct, but partially overlapping patterns in the SAM. They can physically interact and activate expression of key cell cycle regulators such as CYCLIND6;1 (CYCD6;1) to promote the formation of new cell layers. In the peripheral zone, auxin accumulates at sites of lateral organ primordia initiation and activates SHR expression via the auxin response factor MONOPTEROS (MP) and auxin response elements in the SHR promoter. In the central zone, the SHR-target SCL23 physically interacts with the key stem cell regulator WUSCHEL (WUS) to promote stem cell fate. Both SCL23 and WUS expression are subject to negative feedback regulation from stem cells through the CLAVATA signaling pathway. Together, our findings illustrate how SHR-dependent transcription factor complexes act in different domains of the shoot meristem to mediate cell division and auxin dependent organ initiation in the peripheral zone, and coordinate this activity with stem cell maintenance in the central zone of the SAM.}, }
@article {pmid37863938, year = {2023}, author = {Pendergraft, LT and Marzluff, JM and Cross, DJ and Shimizu, T and Templeton, CN}, title = {American crows that excel at tool use activate neural circuits distinct from less talented individuals.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {6539}, pmid = {37863938}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {S10 OD017980/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; Adult ; Female ; *Crows ; *Tool Use Behavior ; Hippocampus ; }, abstract = {Tools enable animals to exploit and command new resources. However, the neural circuits underpinning tool use and how neural activity varies with an animal's tool proficiency, are only known for humans and some other primates. We use 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography to image the brain activity of naïve vs trained American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) when presented with a task requiring the use of stone tools. As in humans, talent affects the neural circuits activated by crows as they prepare to execute the task. Naïve and less proficient crows use neural circuits associated with sensory- and higher-order processing centers (the mesopallium and nidopallium), while highly proficient individuals increase activity in circuits associated with motor learning and tactile control (hippocampus, tegmentum, nucleus basorostralis, and cerebellum). Greater proficiency is found primarily in adult female crows and may reflect their need to use more cognitively complex strategies, like tool use, to obtain food.}, }
@article {pmid37864481, year = {2023}, author = {Badás, EP and Bauch, C and Boonekamp, JJ and Mulder, E and Verhulst, S}, title = {Ectoparasite presence and brood size manipulation interact to accelerate telomere shortening in nestling jackdaws.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {32}, number = {24}, pages = {6913-6923}, doi = {10.1111/mec.17177}, pmid = {37864481}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {8444403//European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie/ ; BA 5422/1-1//DFG fellowship/ ; 823.01.009//NWO/ ; 823.01.006//NWO/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows ; Telomere Shortening/genetics ; Stress, Physiological ; Telomere/genetics ; }, abstract = {Early-life conditions impact fitness, but whether the combined effect of extrinsic stressors is additive or synergistic is not well known. This is a major knowledge gap because exposure to multiple stressors is frequent. Telomere dynamics may be instrumental when testing how stressors interact because many factors affect telomere shortening, and telomere shortening predicts survival. We evaluated the effect of manipulated brood size and natural infestation by the carnid fly Carnus hemapterus on nestling growth and telomere shortening of wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula). Telomere length, measured in blood using TRF, shortened on average by 264 bp, and on average, Carnus infection induced more telomere shortening. Further analyses showed that in enlarged broods, nestlings' telomeres shortened more when parasitized, while in reduced broods there was no effect of infection on telomere shortening. We conclude that there is a synergistic effect of number of siblings and Carnus infection on telomere shortening rate: blood-sucking parasites may negatively impact telomeres by increasing cell proliferation and/or physiological stress, and coping with infection may be less successful in enlarged broods with increased sibling competition. Larger nestlings had shorter telomeres independent of age, brood manipulation or infection. Growth was independent of infestation but in enlarged broods, nestlings were lighter at fledging. Our findings indicate that (i) evaluating consequences of early-life environmental conditions in isolation may not yield a full picture due to synergistic effects, and (ii) effects of environmental conditions may be cryptic, for example, on telomeres, with fitness consequences expressed beyond the temporal framework of the study.}, }
@article {pmid37875131, year = {2024}, author = {Hamilton, JB and Abiri, A and Nicolas, CA and Grant, EJ and Best, NC}, title = {Black Appalachia's Oldest Old: Untold Stories of Experienced Racism and Coping With Religious Practices/Beliefs.}, journal = {The Gerontologist}, volume = {64}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/geront/gnad143}, pmid = {37875131}, issn = {1758-5341}, mesh = {Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Black or African American ; *Racism ; *Religion ; United States ; Male ; Aged ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Racism and religion are recognized as prevailing Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). To explore ways in which racism and religion looms in the daily lives of African Americans, we analyzed the experiences of African Americans born during the Jim Crow years and living in the Southern Appalachian Region of the United States.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Twenty-seven African Americans participated in this qualitative descriptive study that utilized criterion sampling, open-ended semistructured interviews, and content analysis to identify a typology of categories related to experienced racism and ways in which religion was used in response to those experiences.
RESULTS: Participants were an average age of 82.22 years (SD = 5.07); primarily women (n = 19, 70.4%); married (n = 11, 40.7%); junior high school (n = 6, 22.2%), high school or general educational diploma (n = 7, 25.9%), completed college or professional school (n = 6, 22.2%); were retired (n = 27, 100.0%); and affiliated with Baptist churches (n = 18, 66.7%). Experiences with racism included inequities in healthcare and education, and racially motivated physical violence. Religious practices/beliefs included forgiveness, humility, and humanity.
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Racism experienced by African American participants was likely countered by religious practices/beliefs inspired through intergenerational teachings with affiliations to the Black Church. These experiences of the oldest old) African Americans living in communities of the Southern Appalachia, United States, illustrate the pervasive nature of racism. The religious beliefs that are frequently transmitted intergenerationally through the Black Church are relevant to understand present-day encounters with racism among African Americans and possibly other communities of color.}, }
@article {pmid37883792, year = {2023}, author = {Kirschhock, ME and Nieder, A}, title = {Numerical Representation for Action in Crows Obeys the Weber-Fechner Law.}, journal = {Psychological science}, volume = {34}, number = {12}, pages = {1322-1335}, doi = {10.1177/09567976231201624}, pmid = {37883792}, issn = {1467-9280}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Male ; Differential Threshold ; *Crows ; Cognition ; Judgment ; Neurons ; }, abstract = {The psychophysical laws governing the judgment of perceived numbers of objects or events, called the number sense, have been studied in detail. However, the behavioral principles of equally important numerical representations for action are largely unexplored in both humans and animals. We trained two male carrion crows (Corvus corone) to judge numerical values of instruction stimuli from one to five and to flexibly perform a matching number of pecks. Our quantitative analysis of the crows' number production performance shows the same behavioral regularities that have previously been demonstrated for the judgment of sensory numerosity, such as the numerical distance effect, the numerical magnitude effect, and the logarithmical compression of the number line. The presence of these psychophysical phenomena in crows producing number of pecks suggests a unified sensorimotor number representation system underlying the judgment of the number of external stimuli and internally generated actions.}, }
@article {pmid37886251, year = {2023}, author = {Mirzaghavami, M and Sadraei, J and Pirestani, M and Bahadory, S}, title = {The Role of Some Free-Ranging Animals in the Transmission of Multi-Host Species of Cryptosporidium Spp.}, journal = {Iranian journal of parasitology}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, pages = {313-323}, pmid = {37886251}, issn = {1735-7020}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: We aimed to characterize Cryptosporidium spp. in rats, cats, pigeons, and crows.
METHODS: Fifty-five animal origin Cryptosporidium spp. genome were identified, genotyped and confirmed by nested PCR and of RFLP-PCR analysis as well as sequenced based on 18s rRNA and gp60 genes in Tehran (2012-2019). Finally, the phylogenetic analysis was performed by MEGA software (version 7).
RESULTS: By the molecular method, Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 24 (15.2%), 15 (15%), 2 (2%) and 13 (13%) cases of wild rats, cat, pigeon, and crow, respectively. Among the identified species by the RFLP pattern, most isolates were identified as C. parvum (24/157) 17.8% in rats, (15/100) 15% in cats, (13/100) 13%in crew and (2/100) 2% in pigeons; and the rest of the cases were C. muris and C. felis. The results of sequencing did not prove the existence of C. parvum, C. felis, C. muris, and rat genotype. Subtyping of C. parvum was indicated that the dominant subtype family belongs to the IId family and the subtype A20G1 was the most common subtype detected in all hosts while A19G1 was detected in one isolate of cat and pigeon.
CONCLUSION: Free-ranging animals are infected by species/subtype of Cryptosporidium, which can infect humans. This shows by itself the hygienic importance of the free-ranging animals in urban ecosystems. In the transmission of human cryptosporidiosis, the multi-host Cryptosporidium species such as C. parvum, C. felis, and C. muris can be transferred potentially from these animals to humans.}, }
@article {pmid37887616, year = {2023}, author = {Bruck, HA and Gupta, SK}, title = {A Retrospective of Project Robo Raven: Developing New Capabilities for Enhancing the Performance of Flapping Wing Aerial Vehicles.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {8}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {37887616}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {FA9550-12-1-0158 and FA9550-15-1-0350//United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research/ ; }, abstract = {Flapping Wing Air Vehicles (FWAVs) have proven to be attractive alternatives to fixed wing and rotary air vehicles at low speeds because of their bio-inspired ability to hover and maneuver. However, in the past, they have not been able to reach their full potential due to limitations in wing control and payload capacity, which also has limited endurance. Many previous FWAVs used a single actuator that couples and synchronizes motions of the wings to flap both wings, resulting in only variable rate flapping control at a constant amplitude. Independent wing control is achieved using two servo actuators that enable wing motions for FWAVs by programming positions and velocities to achieve desired wing shapes and associated aerodynamic forces. However, having two actuators integrated into the flying platform significantly increases its weight and makes it more challenging to achieve flight than a single actuator. This article presents a retrospective overview of five different designs from the "Robo Raven" family based on our previously published work. The first FWAVs utilize two servo motors to achieve independent wing control. The basic platform is capable of successfully performing dives, flips, and button hook turns, which demonstrates the potential maneuverability afforded by the independently actuated and controlled wings. Subsequent designs in the Robo Raven family were able to use multifunctional wings to harvest solar energy to overcome limitations on endurance, use on-board decision-making capabilities to perform maneuvers autonomously, and use mixed-mode propulsion to increase payload capacity by exploiting the benefits of fixed and flapping wing flight. This article elucidates how each successive version of the Robo Raven platform built upon the findings from previous generations. The Robo Raven family collectively addresses requirements related to control autonomy, energy autonomy, and maneuverability. We conclude this article by identifying new opportunities for research in avian-scale flapping wing aerial vehicles.}, }
@article {pmid37894259, year = {2023}, author = {Martelli, L and Fornasiero, D and Scarton, F and Spada, A and Scolamacchia, F and Manca, G and Mulatti, P}, title = {Study of the Interface between Wild Bird Populations and Poultry and Their Potential Role in the Spread of Avian Influenza.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {37894259}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {Water birds play a crucial role in disseminating and amplifying avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in the environment. However, they may have limited interactions with domestic facilities, raising the hypothesis that other wild birds may play the bridging role in introducing AIVs into poultry. An ornithocoenosis study, based on census-transect and camera-trapping methods, was conducted in 2019 in ten poultry premises in northeast Italy to characterize the bird communities and envisage the species that might act as bridge hosts for AIVs. The data collected were explored through a series of multivariate analyses (correspondence analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling), and biodiversity indices (observed and estimated richness, Shannon entropy and Pielou's evenness). The analyses revealed a high level of complexity in the ornithic population, with 147 censused species, and significant qualitative and quantitative differences in wild bird species composition, both in space and in time. Among these, only a few were observed in close proximity to the farm premises (i.e., Magpies, Blackbirds, Cattle Egrets, Pheasants, Eurasian Collared Doves, and Wood Pigeons), thus suggesting their potential role in spilling over AIVs to poultry; contrarily, waterfowls appeared to be scarcely inclined to close visits, especially during autumn and winter seasons. These findings stress the importance of ongoing research on the wild-domestic bird interface, advocating for a wider range of species to be considered in AIVs surveillance and prevention programs.}, }
@article {pmid37896802, year = {2023}, author = {Nath, BK and Das, T and Peters, A and Gupta, SD and Sarker, S and Forwood, JK and Raidal, SR and Das, S}, title = {Australasian Pigeon Circoviruses Demonstrate Natural Spillover Infection.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {15}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {37896802}, issn = {1999-4915}, mesh = {Animals ; Columbidae ; *Circovirus/genetics ; Phylogeny ; Australia/epidemiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Genome, Viral ; *Circoviridae Infections ; *Bird Diseases ; }, abstract = {Pigeon circovirus (PiCV) is considered to be genetically diverse, with a relatively small circular single-stranded DNA genome of 2 kb that encodes for a capsid protein (Cap) and a replication initiator protein (Rep). Australasia is known to be the origin of diverse species of the Order Columbiformes, but limited data on the PiCV genome sequence has hindered phylogeographic studies in this species. To fill this gap, this study was conducted to investigate PiCV in 118 characteristic samples from different birds across Australia using PCR and sequencing. Eighteen partial PiCV Rep sequences and one complete PiCV genome sequence were recovered from reservoir and aberrant hosts. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that PiCV circulating in Australia was scattered across three different subclades. Importantly, one subclade dominated within the PiCV sequenced from Australia and Poland, whereas other PiCV sequenced in this study were more closely related to the PiCV sequenced from China, USA and Japan. In addition, PiCV Rep sequences obtained from clinically affected plumed whistling duck, blue billed duck and Australian magpie demonstrated natural spillover of PiCV unveiled host generalist characteristics of the pigeon circovirus. These findings indicate that PiCV genomes circulating in Australia lack host adapted population structure but demonstrate natural spillover infection.}, }
@article {pmid37903264, year = {2023}, author = {Kirschhock, ME and Nieder, A}, title = {Association neurons in the crow telencephalon link visual signs to numerical values.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {120}, number = {45}, pages = {e2313923120}, pmid = {37903264}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {NI 618/12-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows ; Phylogeny ; Brain/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; Telencephalon ; }, abstract = {Many animals can associate signs with numerical values and use these signs in a goal-directed way during task performance. However, the neuronal basis of this semantic association has only rarely been investigated, and so far only in primates. How mechanisms of number associations are implemented in the distinctly evolved brains of other animal taxa such as birds is currently unknown. Here, we explored this semantic number-sign mapping by recording single-neuron activity in the crows' nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), a brain structure critically involved in avian numerical cognition. Crows were trained to associate visual shapes with varying numbers of items in a number production task. The responses of many NCL neurons during stimulus presentation reflected the numerical values associated with visual shapes in a behaviorally relevant way. Consistent with the crow's better behavioral performance with signs, neuronal representations of numerical values extracted from shapes were more selective compared to those from dot arrays. The existence of number association neurons in crows points to a phylogenetic preadaptation of the brains of cognitively advanced vertebrates to link visual shapes with numerical meaning.}, }
@article {pmid37903802, year = {2023}, author = {Spironelli, C and Marino, M and Mantini, D and Montalti, R and Craven, AR and Ersland, L and Angrilli, A and Hugdahl, K}, title = {fMRI fluctuations within the language network are correlated with severity of hallucinatory symptoms in schizophrenia.}, journal = {Schizophrenia (Heidelberg, Germany)}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {75}, pmid = {37903802}, issn = {2754-6993}, abstract = {Although schizophrenia (SZ) represents a complex multiform psychiatric disorder, one of its most striking symptoms are auditory verbal hallucinations (AVH). While the neurophysiological origin of this pervasive symptom has been extensively studied, there is so far no consensus conclusion on the neural correlates of the vulnerability to hallucinate. With a network-based fMRI approach, following the hypothesis of altered hemispheric dominance (Crow, 1997), we expected that LN alterations might result in self-other distinction impairments in SZ patients, and lead to the distressing subjective experiences of hearing voices. We used the independent component analysis of resting-state fMRI data, to first analyze LN connectivity in three groups of participants: SZ patients with and without hallucinations (AVH/D+ and AVH/D-, respectively), and a matched healthy control (HC) group. Then, we assessed the fMRI fluctuations using additional analyses based on fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency-Fluctuations (fALFF), both at the network- and region of interest (ROI)-level. Specific LN nodes were recruited in the right hemisphere (insula and Broca homologous area) for AVH/D+ , but not for HC and AVH/D-, consistent with a left hemisphere deficit in AVH patients. The fALFF analysis at the ROI level showed a negative correlation between fALFF Slow-4 and P1 Delusions PANSS subscale and a positive correlation between the fALFF Slow-5 and P3 Hallucination PANSS subscale for AVH/D+ only. These effects were not a consequence of structural differences between groups, as morphometric analysis did not evidence any group differences. Given the role of language as an emerging property resulting from the integration of many high-level cognitive processes and the underlying cortical areas, our results suggest that LN features from fMRI connectivity and fluctuations can be a marker of neurophysiological features characterizing SZ patients depending on their vulnerability to hallucinate.}, }
@article {pmid37907444, year = {2022}, author = {Khorana, AA}, title = {Diversifying medical humanities: The case for Jay-Z.}, journal = {Cleveland Clinic journal of medicine}, volume = {89}, number = {9}, pages = {501-503}, doi = {10.3949/ccjm.89a.22011}, pmid = {37907444}, issn = {1939-2869}, }
@article {pmid37907616, year = {2023}, author = {Kannoth, S and Ali, N and Prasanth, GK and Arvind, K and Mohany, M and Hembrom, PS and Sadanandan, S and Vasu, DA and Grace, T}, title = {Transcriptome analysis of Corvus splendens reveals a repertoire of antimicrobial peptides.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {18728}, pmid = {37907616}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Crows ; Antimicrobial Peptides ; Staphylococcus aureus/genetics ; Escherichia coli/genetics ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Gene Expression Profiling ; *Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology ; Cathelicidins/chemistry ; Transcriptome ; }, abstract = {Multidrug resistance has become a global health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Antimicrobial peptides have been acknowledged as potential leads for prospective anti-infectives. Owing to their scavenging lifestyle, Corvus splendens is thought to have developed robust immunity to pathogens found in their diet, implying that they have evolved mechanisms to resist infection. In the current study, the transcriptome of C. splendens was sequenced, and de novo assembled to identify the presence of antimicrobial peptide genes. 72.09 million high-quality clean reads were obtained which were then de novo assembled into 3,43,503 transcripts and 74,958 unigenes. About 37,559 unigenes were successfully annotated using SwissProt, Pfam, GO, and KEGG databases. A search against APD3, CAMPR3 and LAMP databases identified 63 AMP candidates belonging to more than 20 diverse families and functional classes. mRNA of AvBD-2, AvBD-13 and CATH-2 were found to be differentially expressed between the three tested crows as well as among the tissues. We also characterized Corvus Cathelicidin 2 (CATH-2) to gain knowledge of its antimicrobial mechanisms. The CD spectroscopy of synthesized mature Corvus CATH-2 peptide displayed an amphipathic α-helical structure. Though the synthetic CATH-2 caused hemolysis of human RBC, it also exhibited antimicrobial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and B. cereus. Docking simulation results revealed that this peptide could bind to the LPS binding site of MD-2, which may prevent LPS from entering the MD-2 binding pocket, and trigger TLR4 signaling pathway. The Corvus CATH-2 characterized in this study could aid in the development of novel therapeutics.}, }
@article {pmid37919347, year = {2023}, author = {Han, Y and Li, C and Wang, R and Zhang, J and Wu, F and Zhao, J and Yan, S and Liu, Q and Pan, Y}, title = {A new Chinese crow's feet grading scale based on the DermaTOP system.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {18903}, pmid = {37919347}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Humans ; *Cosmetics ; East Asian People ; *Skin Aging ; }, abstract = {Many Chinese wrinkle studies continue to use non-Chinese scales because few Chinese-based wrinkle scales have been developed. The study aims to develop a crow's feet grading scale for Chinese individuals. We enrolled 608 healthy Chinese subjects and measured data through the DermaTOP system. We chose exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to reduce the dimensions of the data. A three-factor structure was obtained by using EFA, and it explained a cumulative total of 89.551% of the variance. A computational formula was obtained by calculating the total factor tilt scores and taking the variance contribution rate of three factors as the weight. Based on the computational formula, a grading map was designed and tested. The model validation was conducted using both subjective assessments from the expert panel and objective results from the model calculations. The results showed that our grading scale model is stable. This study developed a Chinese crow's feet (CCF) grading scale, which included a parameter, a grading map, and literal descriptions. The CCF grading scale is a validated tool for evaluating the effects of cosmetics or specific therapies. More importantly, the CCF scale was developed based on objective data, which may inspire new ideas for wrinkle grading scale development in the future.}, }
@article {pmid37929861, year = {2023}, author = {Morales, C and Flores Ferro, E and Osorio, J and Maureira Cid, F}, title = {[Independence of the anthropometric profile, attention and intelligence in higher education students in the field of physical activity in Chile].}, journal = {Nutricion hospitalaria}, volume = {40}, number = {6}, pages = {1246-1252}, doi = {10.20960/nh.04719}, pmid = {37929861}, issn = {1699-5198}, mesh = {Humans ; Chile ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Anthropometry ; *Body Composition ; *Exercise ; Intelligence ; Students ; Attention ; }, abstract = {Introduction: kinanthropometry is the current science that studies body parameters in relation to its functioning (such as body composition, proportionality, somatotype, etc.), with established norms, techniques and criteria. Objective: to relate anthropometric profile, attention and problem solving in higher education students in the field of physical activity in Chile. Method: quantitative-correlational approach, with non-experimental and cross-sectional design. Results: there is no significant relationship between body composition (body masses) and cognitive tests (attention and Raven). Regarding anthropometric data (body composition), no significant differences were observed between the sexes for any parameter. Conclusion: it can be deduced that the results of the cognitive factors may be associated with other variables, and not specifically with the variables that may affect anthropometric parameters. These are very interesting topics for future studies, so it is suggested to continue studying cognitive abilities with other variables.}, }
@article {pmid37932494, year = {2023}, author = {Apostel, A and Panichello, M and Buschman, TJ and Rose, J}, title = {Corvids optimize working memory by categorizing continuous stimuli.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {1122}, pmid = {37932494}, issn = {2399-3642}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Memory, Short-Term ; Brain ; Cognition ; *Songbirds ; Primates ; }, abstract = {Working memory (WM) is a crucial element of the higher cognition of primates and corvid songbirds. Despite its importance, WM has a severely limited capacity and is vulnerable to noise. In primates, attractor dynamics mitigate the effect of noise by discretizing continuous information. Yet, it remains unclear whether similar dynamics are seen in avian brains. Here, we show jackdaws (Corvus monedula) have similar behavioral biases as humans; memories are less precise and more biased as memory demands increase. Model-based analysis reveal discrete attractors are evenly spread across the stimulus space. Altogether, our comparative approach suggests attractor dynamics in primates and corvids mitigate the effect of noise by systematically drifting towards specific attractors. By demonstrating this effect in an evolutionary distant species, our results strengthen attractor dynamics as general, adaptive biological principle to efficiently use WM.}, }
@article {pmid37945911, year = {2024}, author = {Bastos, APM}, title = {Crows make optimal choices based on relative probabilities.}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {52}, number = {3}, pages = {207-208}, pmid = {37945911}, issn = {1543-4508}, mesh = {*Crows ; *Choice Behavior ; Animals ; Probability ; Reward ; Reinforcement, Psychology ; }, abstract = {A recent study by Johnston, Brecht, and Nieder (2023, Current Biology, 33, 3238-3243) finds that carrion crows associate varying rates of reinforcement with novel arbitrary stimuli and make optimal decisions when they must later choose between stimulus pairs. These results demonstrate that crows are capable of not only storing information about reward probabilities in their memory but also making optimal choices based on this information even a month later.}, }
@article {pmid37947547, year = {2023}, author = {Keene, S and Allen, S and McCormick, AKHG and Trottier, C and Bull Shows, B and Hallett, J and Deernose, R and Held, S}, title = {Developing and Implementing a Culturally Consonant Treatment Fidelity Support Plan with the Apsáalooke Nation.}, journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, volume = {20}, number = {21}, pages = {}, pmid = {37947547}, issn = {1660-4601}, support = {P20 GM103474/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 MD010619/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; U54 GM104944/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {United States ; Humans ; Behavior Therapy ; *Self-Management ; Chronic Disease ; *Health Services, Indigenous ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; }, abstract = {Treatment fidelity remains underreported in health intervention research, particularly among Indigenous communities. One explanation for this gap is the lack of culturally consonant strategies listed in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Behavior Change Consortium (BCC) treatment fidelity framework, the gold standard for understanding and measuring fidelity. This paper focuses on the development and implementation of a culturally consonant treatment fidelity support plan across two of the five BCC fidelity areas, provider training and treatment delivery, within a chronic illness self-management program for the Apsáalooke (Crow) Nation. Our team selected and adapted strategies from, and added strategies to, the BCC framework, that centered on relational accountability and the Apsáalooke culture. To be culturally consonant, we approached treatment fidelity as supporting Aakbaabaaniilea (Apsáalooke program facilitators) rather than monitoring them. This resulted in the development of a fifth treatment fidelity area: building and fostering relationships. We propose that fidelity to relational accountability is the foundation of successful programs in Indigenous communities. This suggests an important shift from tracking what was conducted in an intervention to prioritizing how things were conducted. We encourage others to view the BCC framework as a starting point in developing fidelity strategies that are consonant with local cultures.}, }
@article {pmid37952928, year = {2024}, author = {Gutema, BT and Levecke, B and Sorrie, MB and Megersa, ND and Zewdie, TH and Yesera, GE and De Henauw, S and Abubakar, A and Abbeddou, S}, title = {Effectiveness of intermittent iron and high-dose vitamin A supplementation on cognitive development of school children in southern Ethiopia: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.}, journal = {The American journal of clinical nutrition}, volume = {119}, number = {2}, pages = {470-484}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.11.005}, pmid = {37952928}, issn = {1938-3207}, mesh = {Child ; Female ; Humans ; Cognition ; Dietary Supplements ; Ethiopia ; *Iron ; *Iron Deficiencies ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins ; Male ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Iron is an essential mineral whose deficiency results in cognitive alteration, impaired emotional behaviors, and altered myelination and neurotransmission. In animal models, it has been shown that vitamin A (VA) could affect cognition.
OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of intermittent iron and VA supplementation on cognitive development of schoolchildren, and to assess the interaction between these supplementations.
METHODS: Considering a 2 × 2 factorial design, 504 children were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 arms: placebo VA and placebo iron supplement; high-dose vitamin VA and placebo iron supplement; iron supplement and placebo VA; and iron and high-dose vitamin VA supplements. Cognitive development was assessed using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, digit span, Tower of London, and visual search tasks.
RESULTS: The mean [± standard deviation (SD)] age of the enrolled children was 9.6 (±1.6) y. One-fifth of the children had iron deficiency or anemia, whereas 2.9%, 3.9%, and 12.1% of children had low iron stores, iron deficiency anemia, and VA deficiency, respectively. Intermittent iron supplementation did not result in any significant improvement of children's cognitive development and had a negative effect on the performance index of the visual search task compared with placebo (-0.17 SD, 95% confidence interval: -0.32, -0.02). Effects were evident among children with stunting, thinness, or children coming from understimulating home environments. High-dose VA supplementation resulted in a significant improvement of digit span z-score with a mean difference of 0.30 SD (95% confidence interval: 0.14, 0.46) compared with placebo VA. VA had a more beneficial impact for girls, children infected with helminths, and those from food secure households.
CONCLUSION: In a population where the prevalence of iron deficiency is low, intermittent iron supplementation did not have any or negative effect on the child's cognitive development outcomes. Conversely, VA supplementation improved the child's working memory.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04137354 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04137354).}, }
@article {pmid37958278, year = {2023}, author = {Palanisamy, P and Urooj, S and Arunachalam, R and Lay-Ekuakille, A}, title = {A Novel Prognostic Model Using Chaotic CNN with Hybridized Spoofing for Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy in Epileptic Seizure Prediction.}, journal = {Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {13}, number = {21}, pages = {}, pmid = {37958278}, issn = {2075-4418}, support = {PNURSP2023R79//Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia./ ; }, abstract = {Epileptic seizure detection has undergone progressive advancements since its conception in the 1970s. From proof-of-concept experiments in the latter part of that decade, it has now become a vibrant area of clinical and laboratory research. In an effort to bring this technology closer to practical application in human patients, this study introduces a customized approach to selecting electroencephalogram (EEG) features and electrode positions for seizure prediction. The focus is on identifying precursors that occur within 10 min of the onset of abnormal electrical activity during a seizure. However, there are security concerns related to safeguarding patient EEG recordings against unauthorized access and network-based attacks. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an efficient prediction and classification method for encrypted EEG data. This paper presents an effective system for analyzing and recognizing encrypted EEG information using Arnold transform algorithms, chaotic mapping, and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). In this system, the EEG time series from each channel is converted into a 2D spectrogram image, which is then encrypted using chaotic algorithms. The encrypted data is subsequently processed by CNNs coupled with transfer learning (TL) frameworks. To optimize the fusion parameters of the ensemble learning classifiers, a hybridized spoofing optimization method is developed by combining the characteristics of corvid and gregarious-seeking agents. The evaluation of the model's effectiveness yielded the following results: 98.9 ± 0.3% accuracy, 98.2 ± 0.7% sensitivity, 98.6 ± 0.6% specificity, 98.6 ± 0.6% precision, and an F1 measure of 98.9 ± 0.6%. When compared with other state-of-the-art techniques applied to the same dataset, this novel strategy demonstrated one of the most effective seizure detection systems, as evidenced by these results.}, }
@article {pmid37961949, year = {2024}, author = {O'Brien, MJ and Valverde, S and Duran-Nebreda, S and Vidiella, B and Bentley, RA}, title = {Punctuated equilibrium at 50: Anything there for evolutionary anthropology? Yes; definitely.}, journal = {Evolutionary anthropology}, volume = {33}, number = {1}, pages = {e22009}, doi = {10.1002/evan.22009}, pmid = {37961949}, issn = {1520-6505}, support = {2019 BP 00206//Beatriu de Pinós postdoctoral programme in the Office of the General Secretary of Research and Universities and the Ministry of Research and Univertisites/ ; 801370//Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND/ ; //2020-2021 Biodiversa and Water JPI/ ; 101003777//BiodivRestore ERA-NET Cofund/ ; //Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)/ ; //Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)/ ; //Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)/ ; //Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)/ ; PCI2022-132936//MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ ; //European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR/ ; PID2020-117822GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033//Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the State Research Agency (AEI)/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Biological Evolution ; *Fossils ; Cultural Diversity ; Databases, Factual ; }, abstract = {The theory of punctuated equilibrium (PE) was developed a little over 50 years ago to explain long-term, large-scale appearance and disappearance of species in the fossil record. A theory designed specifically for that purpose cannot be expected, out of the box, to be directly applicable to biocultural evolution, but in revised form, PE offers a promising approach to incorporating not only a wealth of recent empirical research on genetic, linguistic, and technological evolution but also large databases that document human biological and cultural diversity across time and space. Here we isolate the fundamental components of PE and propose which pieces, when reassembled or renamed, can be highly useful in evolutionary anthropology, especially as humanity faces abrupt ecological challenges on an increasingly larger scale.}, }
@article {pmid37963613, year = {2023}, author = {Prinja, S and Chugh, Y and Garg, B and Guinness, L}, title = {National hospital costing systems matter for universal healthcare: the India PM-JAY experience.}, journal = {BMJ global health}, volume = {8}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {37963613}, issn = {2059-7908}, mesh = {Humans ; *Universal Health Care ; *Health Care Costs ; Hospitals ; India ; }, abstract = {India envisions achieving universal health coverage to provide its people with access to affordable quality health services. A breakthrough effort in this direction has been the launch of the world's largest health assurance scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the implementation of which resides with the National Health Authority. Appropriate provider payment systems and reimbursement rates are an important element for the success of PM-JAY, which in turn relies on robust cost evidence to support pricing decisions. Since the launch of PM-JAY, the health benefits package and provider payment rates have undergone a series of revisions. At the outset, there was a relative lack of cost data. Later revisions relied on health facility costing studies, and now there is an initiative to establish a national hospital costing system relying on provider-generated data. Lessons from PM-JAY experience show that the success of such cost systems to ensure regular and routine generation of evidence is contingent on integrating with existing billing or patient information systems or management information systems, which digitise similar information on resource consumption without any additional data entry effort. Therefore, there is a need to focus on building sustainable mechanisms for setting up systems for generating accurate cost data rather than relying on resource-intensive studies for cost data collection.}, }
@article {pmid37964353, year = {2023}, author = {Otieno, B and Elson, L and Matharu, AK and Riithi, N and Chongwo, E and Katana, K and Nasambu, C and Mutebi, F and Feldmeier, H and Krücken, J and Fillinger, U and Abubakar, A}, title = {Neurocognitive and mental health outcomes in children with tungiasis: a cross-sectional study in rural Kenya and Uganda.}, journal = {Infectious diseases of poverty}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {100}, pmid = {37964353}, issn = {2049-9957}, support = {405027164//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; KR 2245/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Child ; *Tungiasis/epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Uganda/epidemiology ; Kenya/epidemiology ; Tunga/physiology ; Outcome Assessment, Health Care ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Tungiasis, a neglected tropical parasitosis, disproportionately affects children. Few empirical studies have reported neurocognitive and mental health outcomes of children with ectoparasitic skin diseases like tungiasis. Pathophysiology of tungiasis suggests it could detrimentally affect cognition and behaviour. This study pioneered the investigation of neurocognitive and mental health outcomes in children with tungiasis.
METHODS: This was a multi-site cross-sectional study including 454 quasi-randomly sampled school-children aged 8-14 from 48 randomly selected schools in two counties in Kenya and a district in Uganda. The participants were stratified into infected and uninfected based on the presence of tungiasis. The infected were further classified into mild and severe infection groups based on the intensity of the infection. Adapted, validated, and standardized measures of cognition and mental health such as Raven Matrices and Child Behaviour Checklist were used to collect data. Statistical tests including a multilevel, generalized mixed-effects linear models with family link set to identity were used to compare the scores of uninfected and infected children and to identify other potential risk factors for neurocognitive and behavioural outcomes.
RESULTS: When adjusted for covariates, mild infection was associated with lower scores in literacy [adjusted β(aβ) = - 8.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) - 17.2, - 0.6], language (aβ = - 1.7; 95% CI - 3.2, - 0.3), cognitive flexibility (aβ = - 6.1; 95% CI - 10.4, - 1.7) and working memory (aβ = - 0.3; 95% CI - 0.6, - 0.1). Severe infection was associated with lower scores in literacy (aβ = - 11.0; 95% CI - 19.3, - 2.8), response inhibition, (aβ = - 2.2; 95% CI - 4.2, - 0.2), fine motor control (aβ = - 0.7; 95% CI - 1.1, - 0.4) and numeracy (aβ = - 3; 95% CI - 5.5, - 0.4).
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides first evidence that tungiasis is associated with poor neurocognitive functioning in children. Since tungiasis is a chronic disease with frequent reinfections, such negative effects may potentially impair their development and life achievements.}, }
@article {pmid37965549, year = {2023}, author = {Sen, K and Llewellyn, M and Taheri, B and Turner, RJ and Berglund, T and Maloney, K}, title = {Mechanism of fungal remediation of wetland water: Stropharia rugosoannulata as promising fungal species for the development of biofilters to remove clinically important pathogenic and antibiotic resistant bacteria in contaminated water.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1234586}, pmid = {37965549}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {Mycoremediation uses mushroom forming fungi for remediation of sites contaminated with biotic and abiotic contaminants. The root-like hyphae of many fungi, the mycelia, have been used to remediate soil and water. In this study mushroom mycelia biofilters were evaluated for remediation efficacy of wetland water polluted with crow feces containing antibiotic resistant (AMR) bacteria. Three strains of fungi, Pleurotus ostreatus, Stropharia rugosoannulata, and Pleurotus pulmonarius, were allowed to develop dense mycelia for 3-5 weeks on wood chips within cylindrical jars. Biofilter jars were incubated with wetland water (WW) obtained from a crow roost area that was additionally spiked with AMR bacteria isolated from previous crow fecal collections. E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, Campylobacter jejuni, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enteritidis were added at concentrations of 1,500-3,500 CFU/100 ml. Remediation was calculated from bacterial counts or gene copy numbers (GCN), before and after passage of water through jars. Stropharia and P. pulmonarius biofilters remediated all bacteria, but Klebsiella, in the range of 43-78%, after 1 h. Incubation of water for 24 h showed Stropharia remediation to be superior relative to other tested fungi. Percent remediation varied as follows: S. aureus-100%, E. faecium-97%, C. jejuni-59%, P. aeruginosa-54%, E. coli-65% and S. enteritidis-27%. The mechanism of remediation was tested by removing the mycelium from the biofilter column after passage of water, followed by extraction of DNA. Association of bacterial DNA with the mycelia was demonstrated by qPCR for all bacteria, except S. aureus and Salmonella. Depending on the bacteria, the GCN ranged from 3,500 to 54,000/250 mg of mycelia. Thus, some of the ways in which mycelia biofilters decrease bacteria from water are through bio-filtration and bio-absorption. Active fungal growth and close contact with bacteria appear necessary for removal. Overall these results suggest that mushroom mycelia biofilters have the potential to effectively remediate water contaminated with pathogenic and AMR bacteria.}, }
@article {pmid37966883, year = {2023}, author = {Watanabe, T and Tahara, K and Hirano, E}, title = {Evaluating the Impact of a Cream Containing Horse Placental Extract on Eye Corner Wrinkles in Healthy Women: Single-Blind Comparative Study.}, journal = {JMIR dermatology}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {e51070}, pmid = {37966883}, issn = {2562-0959}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Placental extract has been mostly used in skin care for cosmetic purposes. However, the use of various placental extracts has been limited due to the lack of established and effective application methods.
OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the antiwrinkle effect of a cream formulation-LNC wrinkle eye cream (LNC-EC)-containing horse placental extract as the main ingredient.
METHODS: A total of 24 healthy women, aged 37-54 years, with wrinkle grades 1-3, were treated with LNC-EC for 2 weeks. The cream was applied on one-half of the participants' faces, and the results were compared with the untreated half of the face.
RESULTS: Visual inspection, using the wrinkle grade standard, showed that the area treated with LNC-EC had a significantly lower wrinkle grade than the untreated area when comparing before and after the application of LNC-EC. In addition, replica analysis showed a significant reduction in both the maximum wrinkle width and the number of wrinkles in the LNC-EC-treated area in comparison to the untreated area before and after the application. These results suggest that LNC-EC has an antiwrinkle effect on the corners of the eyes based on parameters like the maximum wrinkle width and the number of wrinkles.
CONCLUSIONS: LNC-EC, with horse placental extract as its main ingredient, was shown to be effective in improving wrinkles at the eye corners, presumably due to a reduction in the maximum wrinkle width and the number of wrinkles. Interpretation of the results is limited because this study was conducted only in the intervention group. A randomized controlled trial with a placebo control group is necessary to verify the antiwrinkle effects of horse placental extract.}, }
@article {pmid37968687, year = {2023}, author = {Sandkühler, JF and Kersting, X and Faust, A and Königs, EK and Altman, G and Ettinger, U and Lux, S and Philipsen, A and Müller, H and Brauner, J}, title = {The effects of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance-a randomised controlled study.}, journal = {BMC medicine}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {440}, pmid = {37968687}, issn = {1741-7015}, mesh = {Humans ; *Creatine/adverse effects ; Bayes Theorem ; *Dietary Supplements ; Brain ; Double-Blind Method ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Creatine is an organic compound that facilitates the recycling of energy-providing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscle and brain tissue. It is a safe, well-studied supplement for strength training. Previous studies have shown that supplementation increases brain creatine levels, which might increase cognitive performance. The results of studies that have tested cognitive performance differ greatly, possibly due to different populations, supplementation regimens, and cognitive tasks. This is the largest study on the effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance to date.
METHODS: Our trial was preregistered, cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomised, with daily supplementation of 5 g for 6 weeks each. We tested participants on Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and on the Backward Digit Span (BDS). In addition, we included eight exploratory cognitive tests. About half of our 123 participants were vegetarians and half were omnivores.
RESULTS: Bayesian evidence supported a small beneficial effect of creatine. The creatine effect bordered significance for BDS (p = 0.064, η[2]P = 0.029) but not RAPM (p = 0.327, η[2]P = 0.008). There was no indication that creatine improved the performance of our exploratory cognitive tasks. Side effects were reported significantly more often for creatine than for placebo supplementation (p = 0.002, RR = 4.25). Vegetarians did not benefit more from creatine than omnivores.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study, in combination with the literature, implies that creatine might have a small beneficial effect. Larger studies are needed to confirm or rule out this effect. Given the safety and broad availability of creatine, this is well worth investigating; a small effect could have large benefits when scaled over time and over many people.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered (drks.de identifier: DRKS00017250, https://osf.io/xpwkc/).}, }
@article {pmid37979839, year = {2024}, author = {Broekstra, DC and Werker, PMN}, title = {Correspondence to: Henry O'Brien, Jay Paniker and Liam Brown: Is a smartphone application as accurate as a traditional goniometer for assessing finger joint angles in Dupuytren's disease? Hand Surg Rehabil 2023 Sep 29.}, journal = {Hand surgery & rehabilitation}, volume = {43}, number = {2}, pages = {101619}, doi = {10.1016/j.hansur.2023.11.004}, pmid = {37979839}, issn = {2468-1210}, mesh = {Humans ; *Smartphone ; *Dupuytren Contracture/physiopathology ; *Mobile Applications ; *Finger Joint/physiopathology ; *Arthrometry, Articular/instrumentation ; }, }
@article {pmid37984348, year = {2024}, author = {Kirubalingam, K and Nguyen, P and Kang, A and Beyea, JA}, title = {Implantable Hearing Devices in Ontario: A Population-Based Study of Access to Care and Access to Devices.}, journal = {Audiology & neuro-otology}, volume = {29}, number = {2}, pages = {136-145}, doi = {10.1159/000534384}, pmid = {37984348}, issn = {1421-9700}, mesh = {Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Ontario/epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; *Hearing Aids ; *Cochlear Implants ; Hearing ; Health Services Accessibility ; Bone Conduction ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of hearing loss in Canada is high, with many patients requiring implantable hearing devices (IHDs) as treatment for their disease severity. Despite this need, many eligible patients do not pursue these interventions. The objective of this study was to examine rates of IHD based on geographic location to understand locoregional variation in access to care.
STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective population-based cohort study.
SETTING: All hospitals in the Canadian province of Ontario.
METHODS: Of all patients with IHD between April 1, 1992, and March 31, 2021, cochlear implants (CIs) (4,720) and bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA) (1,125) cohorts were constructed. Place of residence was categorized based on Local Health Integrated Network (LHIN). Summary statistics for place of surgical institution based on LHIN at first surgery, name of institution of first surgery and "as the crow flies" distance (in km) between place of residence and surgical institution were calculated. Rate of implantations was calculated for LHIN regions based on number of surgeries per 1,000,000 persons/years.
RESULTS: Toronto Central, Central, Central East, and Champlain regions had >10% of patients undergoing BAHA and CI. 1,019 (90.6%) and 4,232 (89.7%) of patients receiving BAHA and CI, respectively, resided in urban/suburban regions and 94 patients (8.4%) and 436 (9.2%) resided in rural regions. The median distance between residential location and the institution was 46.4 km (interquartile range [IQR], 18.9-103.6) and 44.7 km (IQR, 15.7-96.9) for BAHA and CI, respectively. From 1992 to 2021, the number of CI and BAHA performed across Ontario increased by 17 folds and 6 folds, respectively.
CONCLUSION: This large comprehensive population study provides longitudinal insight into the access to care of IHD based on geographic factors. Our findings of the present population-based study indicate an overall increase in access to devices with disproportionate access to care based on geographic locations. Further work is needed to characterize barriers to IHD access to align with demands.}, }
@article {pmid37989310, year = {2024}, author = {Harrington, KJ and Folkertsma, R and Auersperg, AMI and Biondi, L and Lambert, ML}, title = {Innovative problem solving by wild falcons.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, pages = {190-195.e3}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.10.061}, pmid = {37989310}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Problem Solving ; Cognition ; Learning ; *Parrots ; *Falconiformes ; }, abstract = {Innovation (i.e., a new solution to a familiar problem, or applying an existing behavior to a novel problem[1][,][2]) plays a fundamental role in species' ecology and evolution. It can be a useful measure for cross-group comparisons of behavioral and cognitive flexibility and a proxy for general intelligence.[3][,][4][,][5] Among birds, experimental studies of innovation (and cognition more generally) are largely from captive corvids and parrots,[6][,][7][,][8][,][9][,][10][,][11][,][12] though we lack serious models for avian technical intelligence outside these taxa. Striated caracaras (Phalcoboenus australis) are Falconiformes, sister clade to parrots and passerines,[13][,][14][,][15] and those endemic to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) show curiosity and neophilia similar to notoriously neophilic kea parrots[16][,][17] and face similar socio-ecological pressures to corvids and parrots.[18][,][19] We tested wild striated caracaras as a new avian model for technical cognition and innovation using a field-applicable 8-task comparative paradigm (adapted from Rössler et al.[20] and Auersperg et al.[21]). The setup allowed us to assess behavior, rate, and flexibility of problem solving over repeated exposure in a natural setting. Like other generalist species with low neophobia,[21][,][22] we predicted caracaras to demonstrate a haptic approach to solving tasks, flexibly switching to new, unsolved problems and improving their performance over time. Striated caracaras performed comparably to tool-using parrots,[20] nearly reaching ceiling levels of innovation in few trials, repeatedly and flexibly solving tasks, and rapidly learning. We attribute our findings to the birds' ecology, including geographic restriction, resource unpredictability, and opportunistic generalism,[23][,][24][,][25] and encourage future work investigating their cognitive abilities in the wild. VIDEO ABSTRACT.}, }
@article {pmid37991482, year = {2023}, author = {Kasimov, V and White, RT and Jelocnik, M}, title = {Draft genomes of novel avian Chlamydia abortus strains from Australian Torresian crows (Corvus orru) shed light on possible reservoir hosts and evolutionary pathways.}, journal = {Microbial genomics}, volume = {9}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {37991482}, issn = {2057-5858}, mesh = {Animals ; Australia ; Birds ; *Chlamydia/genetics ; *Crows ; Phylogeny ; *Genome, Bacterial ; }, abstract = {Chlamydia abortus, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is a major causative agent of reproductive loss in ruminants, with zoonotic potential. Though this pathogen is primarily known to infect livestock, recent studies have detected and isolated genetically distinct avian strains of C. abortus from wild birds globally. Before this study, only five avian C. abortus genomes were publicly available. Therefore, we performed culture-independent probe-based whole-genome sequencing on clinical swabs positive for avian C. abortus obtained from Australian Torresian crows (Corvus orru) in 2019 and 2020. We successfully obtained draft genomes for three avian C. abortus strains (C1, C2 and C3), each comprising draft chromosomes with lengths of 1 115 667, 1 120 231 and 1 082 115 bp, and associated 7 553 bp plasmids, with a genome completeness exceeding 92 %. Molecular characterization revealed that these three strains comprise a novel sequence type (ST333), whilst phylogenetic analyses placed all three strains in a cluster with other avian C. abortus genomes. Interestingly, these three strains share a distant genomic relation (2693 single nucleotide variants) with the reference strain 15-58d/44 (ST152), isolated from a Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) in Poland, highlighting the need for more publicly available genomes. Broad comparative analyses with other avian C. abortus genomes revealed that the three draft genomes contain conserved Chlamydia genomic features, including genes coding for type III secretion system and polymorphic membrane proteins, and potential virulence factors such as the large chlamydial cytotoxin, warranting further studies. This research provides the first avian C. abortus draft genomes from Australian birds, highlighting Torresian crows as novel reservoir hosts for these potential pathogens, and demonstrates a practical methodology for sequencing novel Chlamydia genomes without relying on traditional cell culture.}, }
@article {pmid37992097, year = {2023}, author = {Çilem Kızılpınar, S and Çiğdem Aydemır, M and Doğan, Ö and Bahar Atak-Akkus, F and Baran, Z}, title = {SOCIAL COGNITION AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS AND FIRST-DEGREE RELATIVES OF PATIENTS.}, journal = {Psychiatria Danubina}, volume = {35}, number = {4}, pages = {523-534}, doi = {10.24869/psyd.2023.523}, pmid = {37992097}, issn = {0353-5053}, mesh = {Humans ; *Social Cognition ; *Psychotic Disorders ; Cognition ; Schizophrenia, Paranoid ; Oxidative Stress ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Misattribution of motivational salience to non-salient (neutral) stimuli could be viewed as a hallmark of psychosis in schizophrenia. Studies have recently revealed increased subjective experience of emotional arousal (EA) to neutral social stimuli in paranoid schizophrenia psychosis, suggesting a misattribution of emotional salience to them. We examined this phenomenon directly by quantifying the level of EA subjectively attributed to low-arousal, neutral-valenced faces.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with remitted schizophrenia (PG) (n=26), first-degree relatives of schizophrenic patients (RG) (n=25), and healthy controls (HCG) (n=36) were compared in terms of oxidative stress parameters -serum Superoxide Dismutase, Catalase, Glutathione Peroxidase (GPx), Nitrite, Nitrate, Malondialdehyde, and Total Glutathione levels-, social cognition measured by the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and working memory measured by the N-back Task. Groups were compared, assuming that HCG had a genetically lower risk of schizophrenia compared to PG and RG.
RESULTS: HCG performed significantly better than PG and RG, who were genetically at high risk, in terms of social cognition (respectively p=0.000, p=0.014), working memory (respectively p=0.001, p=0.003), and had statistically lower Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX) level than the PG and RG (both p:0.000). After controlling for the effect of the general intellectual abilities measured by the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test and working memory the differences between groups on the Eyes Test disappeared (p=0.057). However, this value tended to be significant.
CONCLUSION: It was concluded that social cognition and working memory and GPx level may be used as endophenotypes and social cognition, working memory, and general intellectual skills are different but strongly related constructs. Endophenotypes guide treatment targets even after the disease has developed. The results of our study showed that in addition to psychopharmacological treatments, interventions to reduce oxidative stress and approaches to improve cognitive skills will have a positive impact on the disease's progression.}, }
@article {pmid37999484, year = {2023}, author = {Athanasakopoulou, Z and Sofia, M and Skampardonis, V and Giannakopoulos, A and Birtsas, P and Tsolakos, K and Spyrou, V and Chatzopoulos, DC and Satra, M and Diamantopoulos, V and Mpellou, S and Galamatis, D and G Papatsiros, V and Billinis, C}, title = {Indication of West Nile Virus (WNV) Lineage 2 Overwintering among Wild Birds in the Regions of Peloponnese and Western Greece.}, journal = {Veterinary sciences}, volume = {10}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {37999484}, issn = {2306-7381}, support = {"Integrated Program for Mosquito Control, Creation of a Control Structure and Development of a West Nile Virus Surveillance and Vigilance Mechanism in the Peloponnese Region" and "Epidemiological surveillance of West Nile Virus in wild birds and equines i//the Prefecture of Peloponnese (Peloponnisos SA) and the Joint Venture 2 INSEKO EU - Eleftheriou Bioapplications and Co. LTD./ ; }, abstract = {West Nile virus (WNV), a zoonotic mosquito-borne virus, has recently caused human outbreaks in Europe, including Greece. Its transmission cycle in nature includes wild birds as amplifying hosts and ornithophilic mosquito vectors. The aim of this study was to assess WNV circulation among wild birds from two regions of Greece, Peloponnese and Western Greece, during 2022. To this end, a total of 511 birds belonging to 37 different species were sampled and molecularly screened. WNV RNA was detected from February to November in a total of 71 wild birds of nine species originating from both investigated regions. The first eight positive samples were sequenced on a part of NS3 and, according to the phylogenetic analysis, they belonged to evolutionary lineage 2 and presented similarity to previous outbreak-causing Greek strains (Argolis 2017, Macedonia 2010 and 2012). It was more likely to identify a PCR positive bird as the population density and the distance from water sources decreased. The present report provides evidence of WNV occurrence in both Peloponnese and Western Greece during 2022 and underlines its possible overwintering, highlighting the need for avian species surveillance to be conducted annually and throughout the year. Magpies are proposed as sentinels for WNV monitoring.}, }
@article {pmid38000912, year = {2022}, author = {Cosma, BM and Shirali Hossein Zade, R and Jordan, EN and van Lent, P and Peng, C and Pillay, S and Abeel, T}, title = {Evaluating long-read de novo assembly tools for eukaryotic genomes: insights and considerations.}, journal = {GigaScience}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38000912}, issn = {2047-217X}, mesh = {Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; *Genome ; Algorithms ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods ; *Nanopores ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Assembly algorithm choice should be a deliberate, well-justified decision when researchers create genome assemblies for eukaryotic organisms from third-generation sequencing technologies. While third-generation sequencing by Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) has overcome the disadvantages of short read lengths specific to next-generation sequencing (NGS), third-generation sequencers are known to produce more error-prone reads, thereby generating a new set of challenges for assembly algorithms and pipelines. However, the introduction of HiFi reads, which offer substantially reduced error rates, has provided a promising solution for more accurate assembly outcomes. Since the introduction of third-generation sequencing technologies, many tools have been developed that aim to take advantage of the longer reads, and researchers need to choose the correct assembler for their projects.
RESULTS: We benchmarked state-of-the-art long-read de novo assemblers to help readers make a balanced choice for the assembly of eukaryotes. To this end, we used 12 real and 64 simulated datasets from different eukaryotic genomes, with different read length distributions, imitating PacBio continuous long-read (CLR), PacBio high-fidelity (HiFi), and ONT sequencing to evaluate the assemblers. We include 5 commonly used long-read assemblers in our benchmark: Canu, Flye, Miniasm, Raven, and wtdbg2 for ONT and PacBio CLR reads. For PacBio HiFi reads , we include 5 state-of-the-art HiFi assemblers: HiCanu, Flye, Hifiasm, LJA, and MBG. Evaluation categories address the following metrics: reference-based metrics, assembly statistics, misassembly count, BUSCO completeness, runtime, and RAM usage. Additionally, we investigated the effect of increased read length on the quality of the assemblies and report that read length can, but does not always, positively impact assembly quality.
CONCLUSIONS: Our benchmark concludes that there is no assembler that performs the best in all the evaluation categories. However, our results show that overall Flye is the best-performing assembler for PacBio CLR and ONT reads, both on real and simulated data. Meanwhile, best-performing PacBio HiFi assemblers are Hifiasm and LJA. Next, the benchmarking using longer reads shows that the increased read length improves assembly quality, but the extent to which that can be achieved depends on the size and complexity of the reference genome.}, }
@article {pmid38002488, year = {2023}, author = {Parameshwaran, D and Thiagarajan, TC}, title = {High Variability Periods in the EEG Distinguish Cognitive Brain States.}, journal = {Brain sciences}, volume = {13}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {38002488}, issn = {2076-3425}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel measure of EEG signal variability that distinguishes cognitive brain states.
METHOD: We describe a novel characterization of amplitude variability in the EEG signal termed "High Variability Periods" or "HVPs", defined as segments when the standard deviation of a moving window is continuously higher than the quartile cutoff. We characterize the parameter space of the metric in terms of window size, overlap, and threshold to suggest ideal parameter choice and compare its performance as a discriminator of brain state to alternate single channel measures of variability such as entropy, complexity, harmonic regression fit, and spectral measures.
RESULTS: We show that the average HVP duration provides a substantially distinct view of the signal relative to alternate metrics of variability and, when used in combination with these metrics, significantly enhances the ability to predict whether an individual has their eyes open or closed and is performing a working memory and Raven's pattern completion task. In addition, HVPs disappear under anesthesia and do not reappear in early periods of recovery.
CONCLUSIONS: HVP metrics enhance the discrimination of various brain states and are fast to estimate.
SIGNIFICANCE: HVP metrics can provide an additional view of signal variability that has potential clinical application in the rapid discrimination of brain states.}, }
@article {pmid38016972, year = {2023}, author = {Rolando, A and Basso, C and Brunelli, N and Bocca, M and Laini, A}, title = {The foraging ecology of yellow-billed and red- billed choughs changed between two climatically different years.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {20908}, pmid = {38016972}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Ecosystem ; *Passeriformes ; Ecology ; Homing Behavior ; Italy ; }, abstract = {Climate change is affecting the alpine ecosystem at an unprecedented rate, with marked changes in spring phenology and the elevation distribution of birds. Changes in the European Alps are happening rapidly, and it is possible behaviours stand to change from one year to the next. The year 2022 was characterised by climatic extremes: Italy experienced its hottest year ever, and it was the driest since 1800. Here, we assessed whether the foraging ecology of two coexisting upland bird species, the yellow-billed and the red-billed chough, changed from 2021 to 2022. We assessed foraging stay times, flock size, propensity to mixed flocking, foraging home ranges and altitudinal distribution. Stay times of both species when foraging in monospecific flocks significantly shortened in 2022, especially in the case of the red-billed chough. The two corvids are known to influence each other when foraging together. In 2021, as expected, the stay times of the red-billed chough decreased when in the presence of the congener, but this did not occur in 2022. Instead, the yellow-billed chough increased its altitudinal foraging distribution in 2022. The results are in line with the hypothesis that large climate variations may disrupt the foraging ecology of mountain birds. However, as it is not possible to draw solid conclusions from just two years of observations, further field research will have to be planned in the future.}, }
@article {pmid38024264, year = {2023}, author = {Islam, A and Rahman, MZ and Hassan, MM and Epstein, JH and Klaassen, M}, title = {Determinants for the presence of avian influenza virus in live bird markets in Bangladesh: Towards an easy fix of a looming one health issue.}, journal = {One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {100643}, pmid = {38024264}, issn = {2352-7714}, abstract = {Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 endangers poultry, wildlife, and human health and is enzootic in large parts of Asia, with live bird markets (LBMs) as putative hotspots for their maintenance, amplification, and spread. To mitigate the extent of these and other avian influenza viruses (AIV) of concern, we aimed to increase our quantitative understanding of the factors determining the presence of avian influenza virus in LBM stalls. Between 2016 and 2017, we collected fecal or offal samples from 1008 stalls in 113 LBMs across the Dhaka and Rajshahi districts in Bangladesh. For each stall, samples were pooled and tested for the AIV matrix gene, followed by H5 and H9 subtyping using rRT-PCR. We detected Influenza A viral RNA in 49% of the stalls. Of the AIV positive samples, 52% and 24% were determined to be H5 and H9 viruses, respectively, which are both subtypes of considerable health concern. We used generalized linear mixed effect modelling to study AIV presence in individual stalls within LBMs as a function of 13 out of the 20 risk factors identified by FAO. We found that small and feasible improvements in cleaning and disinfection frequency, installing running water in stalls, and not mixing different breeds of chicken in the same cages had large impacts on the presence of AIV in stalls (Odds ratios 0.03-0.05). Next, cleaning vehicles used in poultry transport, not selling waterfowl with chickens in the same stall, buying stock directly from commercial farms, separating sick birds from healthy ones, and avoiding access by wild birds like house crows, also had major effects on lowering the risk of stalls having AIV (Odds ratios 0.16-0.33). These findings can be directly used in developing practical and affordable measures to reduce the prevalence of AIV in LBMs. Also, in settings with limited resources like Bangladesh, such mitigation may significantly contribute to reducing AIV circulation amongst poultry and spillover to wildlife and humans.}, }
@article {pmid38028983, year = {2023}, author = {Felin Fochesatto, C and Cristi-Montero, C and Ribeiro Bandeira, PF and Brand, C and Dias, AF and Bandeira, DR and Mota, J and Araujo Gaya, AC and Reis Gaya, A}, title = {A network analysis involving mental difficulties, cognition, physical fitness, 24-hour movement components, fatness, and sociodemographic factors in children.}, journal = {Journal of exercise science and fitness}, volume = {21}, number = {4}, pages = {416-423}, pmid = {38028983}, issn = {1728-869X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Evidence supports the beneficial linear influence of diverse lifestyle behaviors on brain health since childhood; however, multiple behaviors -and not only one-simultaneously affect such outcomes. Therefore, the aim was to explore the multivariate relationship through a network analysis among mental difficulty and cognitive function with physical fitness (PF), 24-h movement components, fatness, and sociodemographic factors in children.
METHODS: Cross-sectional study involved 226 children (52.2 % boys) aged between six and 11 years. Mental difficulties were evaluated through the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and cognitive function by the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test. The body mass index and PF were assessed according to the procedures suggested by the Proesp-Br, while moderate-to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) using accelerometry. The socioeconomic level, sleep, and screen time were evaluated by questionnaires. A network analysis was carried out to evaluate the associations among variables and establish centrality measures.
RESULTS: Age and PF moderated the negative relationship between cognitive function and MVPA. Furthermore, the direct and inverse relationship between cognitive function and mental difficulties appears to be affected by the 24-h movement components. Finally, age, PF, and screen time are the nodes with higher values of expected influence, indicating more sensitivity to interventions for decreasing mental difficulty and improving cognitive function.
CONCLUSION: Mental health and cognitive function were moderated by the multivariate interaction among age, PF, and the three 24-h movement components. Nonetheless, centrality measures from the network analysis suggest that PF, MVPA, and screen time are crucial nodes in order to implement future interventions.}, }
@article {pmid38031577, year = {2023}, author = {Davis, A and Gourdine, R}, title = {Intersectionality and Social Security Age-18 Redetermination: Reducing the Stress and Trauma of Transition for Black Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities.}, journal = {Child & adolescent social work journal : C & A}, volume = {40}, number = {4}, pages = {513-523}, pmid = {38031577}, issn = {0738-0151}, support = {R61 HD104570/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; T32 HD094687/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Greater attention is being paid to the transition to adulthood for youth with disabilities. We are also at a period of reckoning with the vestiges of slavery, Jim Crow, and a lack of constitutional protections for Black-identifying persons. The contemporary impact of inequitable access to opportunities, services, and supports that would improve the quality of life of racialized Black individuals has added consequences for Black youth with disabilities. A sub-population of youth with disabilities receives monthly support in the form of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), with a disproportionate number of Black-identifying youth qualifying for SSI. Such youth are impacted by the intersectionality of racism, disability, and poverty. The outcome of an SSI age-18 redetermination can be precarious and occurs in the backdrop of these intersectional forces, impacting the life course of racialized Black youth and their families on a scale that is concerning. The authors describe the time frames of pre age-18 redetermination, age-18 redetermination and post age-18 redetermination in the contexts of intersectionality and transition, and articulate what type of services and supports can reduce the experience of chronic stress in the lives of racialized Black youth facing an SSI age-18 redetermination, and thereby improve the outcomes of these youth as they transition to adulthood.}, }
@article {pmid38035126, year = {2024}, author = {Brin, MF and De Boulle, K and Liew, S and Carruthers, A and Carruthers, J and Rivkin, A and Wu, Y and Kawashima, M and Yushmanova, I and Boodhoo, TI and Lee, E}, title = {Safety and tolerability of onabotulinumtoxinA in the treatment of upper facial lines from global registration studies in 5298 participants: A meta-analysis.}, journal = {JAAD international}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {4-18}, pmid = {38035126}, issn = {2666-3287}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Since its discovery as a facial aesthetic treatment >30 years ago, onabotulinumtoxinA has received worldwide approval for dynamic upper facial line treatment.
OBJECTIVE: Meta-analysis examining the safety of onabotulinumtoxinA for treatment of glabellar lines (GL), crow's feet lines (CFL), and forehead lines (FHL).
METHODS: Participants (N = 5298) with moderate to severe GL, CFL, or FHL at maximum contraction received onabotulinumtoxinA or placebo in 1 of 18 registration studies (14 double-blind, placebo-controlled [DBPC]; 1 double-blind; 3 open-label). Adverse events (AEs) were analyzed by descriptive statistics and fixed-effects meta-analysis.
RESULTS: In the overall double-blind placebo-controlled (DBPC) population, AEs were reported in 1443 (42.1%) and 486 (35.8%) participants in the onabotulinumtoxinA (n = 3431) and placebo (n = 1359) groups, respectively. Serious AEs were reported in 54 (1.6%) and 17 (1.3%) participants; 1 (spontaneous abortion) was considered possibly treatment related by the investigator. Using fixed-effects statistical meta-analysis, AEs of interest that were found to be statistically higher for onabotulinumtoxinA than placebo in the DBPC population were eyelid ptosis, eyelid sensory disorder, skin tightness, brow ptosis, eyelid edema, and facial pain (P ≤ .05).
LIMITATIONS: Retrospective, ad hoc analysis.
CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirms the onabotulinumtoxinA safety profile for GL, CFL, and FHL treatment, with no new onabotulinumtoxinA-associated AEs.}, }
@article {pmid38041323, year = {2023}, author = {Lim, MG and Park, YJ and Choi, DJ and Kim, DU and Hong, MS and Her, MJ and Takabayashi, AY and Jeong, Y and Park, J and Han, S and Quack, N and Bae, Y and Yu, K and Han, S}, title = {Fully reconfigurable MEMS-based second-order coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) with ultra-low tuning energy.}, journal = {Optics express}, volume = {31}, number = {24}, pages = {40166-40178}, doi = {10.1364/OE.505295}, pmid = {38041323}, issn = {1094-4087}, abstract = {Integrated microring resonators are well suited for wavelength-filtering applications in optical signal processing, and cascaded microring resonators allow flexible filter design in coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) configurations. However, the implementation of high-order cascaded microring resonators with high extinction ratios (ERs) remains challenging owing to stringent fabrication requirements and the need for precise resonator tunability. We present a fully integrated on-chip second-order CROW filter using silicon photonic microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) to adjust tunable directional couplers and a phase shifter using nanoscale mechanical out-of-plane waveguide displacement. The filter can be fully reconfigured with regard to both the ER and center wavelength. We experimentally demonstrated an ER exceeding 25 dB and continuous wavelength tuning across the full free spectral range of 0.123 nm for single microring resonator, and showed reconfigurability in second-order CROW by tuning the ER and resonant wavelength. The tuning energy for an individual silicon photonic MEMS phase shifter or tunable coupler is less than 22 pJ with sub-microwatt static power consumption, which is far better than conventional integrated phase shifters based on other physical modulation mechanisms.}, }
@article {pmid38046123, year = {2023}, author = {Srivastava, P and Jaarsveld, S and Sangani, K}, title = {Verbal-analytical rather than visuo-spatial Raven's puzzle solving favors Raven's-like puzzle generation.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1205056}, pmid = {38046123}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Raven's advanced progressive matrices (APM) comprise two types of representational codes, namely visuo-spatial and verbal-analytical, that are used to solve APM puzzles. Studies using analytical, behavioral, and imaging methods have supported the multidimensional perspectives of APM puzzles. The visuo-spatial code is expected to recruit operations more responsive to the visual perception tasks. In contrast, the verbal-analytical code is expected to use operations more responsive to the logical reasoning task and may entail different cognitive strategies. Acknowledging different representational codes used in APM puzzle-solving is critical for a better understanding of APM's performance and their relationship with other tasks, especially creative reasoning. We used the eye-tracking method to investigate the role of two representational codes, visuo-spatial and verbal-analytical, in strategies involved in solving APM puzzles and in generating an APM-like puzzle by using a creative-reasoning task (CRT). Participants took longer time to complete the verbal-analytical than visuo-spatial puzzles. In addition, visuo-analytical than visual-spatial puzzles showed higher progressive and regressive saccade counts, suggesting the use of more response elimination than constructive matching strategies employed while solving verbal-analytical than visuo-spatial puzzles. We observed higher CRT scores when it followed verbal-analytical (Mdn = 84) than visuo-spatial (Mdn = 73) APM puzzles, suggesting puzzle-solving specific strategies affect puzzle-creating task performance. The advantage of verbal-analytical over visuo-spatial puzzle-solving has been discussed in light of shared cognitive processing between APM puzzle-solving and APM-like puzzle-creating task performance.}, }
@article {pmid38050565, year = {2023}, author = {Seyyed Hashemi, SF and Tehrani-Doost, M and Khosrowabadi, R}, title = {The Brain Networks Basis for Deductive and Inductive Reasoning: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.}, journal = {Basic and clinical neuroscience}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {529-542}, pmid = {38050565}, issn = {2008-126X}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Frontoparietal (FPN) and cingulo-opercular network (CON) control cognitive functions needed in deductive and inductive reasoning via different functional frameworks. The FPN is a fast intuitive system while the CON is slow and analytical. The default-interventionist model presents a serial view of the interaction between intuitive and analytic cognitive systems. This study aims to examine the activity pattern of the FPN and CON from the perspective of the default-interventionist model via reasoning.
METHODS: We employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate cingulo-opercular and frontoparietal network activities in 24 healthy university students during Raven and Wason reasoning tasks. Due to the different operation times of the CON and FPN, the reaction time was assessed as a behavioral factor.
RESULTS: During Raven's advanced progressive matrices (RAPM) test, both the CON and FPN were activated. Also, with the increase in the difficulty level of the Raven test, a linear increase in response time was observed. In contrast, during the Wason's selection task (WST) test, only the activity of FPN was observed.
CONCLUSION: The results of the study support the hypothesis that the default-interventionist model of dual-process theory provides an accurate explanation of the cognitive mechanisms involved in reasoning. Thus, the response method (intuitive/analytical) determines which cognitive skills and brain regions are involved in responding.
HIGHLIGHTS: The cingulo-opercular and fronto-parietal networks (FPNs) control cognitive functions and processes.The frontoparietal network is a fast intuitive system that utilizes short-time attention which is compatible with type 1 processing. In contrast, the cingulo-opercular network (CON) is an analytical time-consuming system that utilizes attention and working memory for a longer time, compatible with type 2 processing.The default-interventionist model of a dual-process theory states that our behaviors are controlled by type 1 processing unless we are confronted with novel and complex problems in which we have no prior experiences.
PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: The present study examined the activity of two task-based brain networks through performing diffrent type of reasoning tasks. Fronto-parietal and Cingulo-opercular are the two task-based brain networks that are responsible for cognitive control. These two brain networks direct the way to use cognitive skills and executive functions which are necessary to perform cognitive tasks especially higher-order ones as reasoning tasks. Since the two types of inductive and deductive reasoning tasks requier two different bottom-up and top-down cognitive control respectively, different cognitive skills would be needed which affect the activity of fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular brain networks. Our results showed that through inductive reasoning task which examined by RAVEN, both of the fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular brain networks were activated but deductive reasoning task which examined by Wason Selection Card test, just the fronto-parietal brain network was activated. It seems that in the case of deductive reasoninf task, there is a higher probability of errors which lead to giving less correct responses. Based on our results, subjects paid not enough attention to details, so had failure to update informations that leaded to responding with errors. Inactivity of cingulo-opercular network through dedeuctive reasoning task clearly showed that the bottom-up cognitive control did not happen successfully. As a result of that, information processing did not proceed properly.}, }
@article {pmid38055711, year = {2023}, author = {Miller, R and Davies, JR and Schiestl, M and Garcia-Pelegrin, E and Gray, RD and Taylor, AH and Clayton, NS}, title = {Social influences on delayed gratification in New Caledonian crows and Eurasian jays.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {18}, number = {12}, pages = {e0289197}, pmid = {38055711}, issn = {1932-6203}, support = {/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Adult ; Humans ; *Crows ; *Delay Discounting ; Feeding Behavior ; *Songbirds ; *Passeriformes ; Reward ; }, abstract = {Self-control underlies goal-directed behaviour in humans and other animals. Delayed gratification - a measure of self-control - requires the ability to tolerate delays and/or invest more effort to obtain a reward of higher value over one of lower value, such as food or mates. Social context, in particular, the presence of competitors, may influence delayed gratification. We adapted the 'rotating-tray' paradigm, where subjects need to forgo an immediate, lower-quality (i.e. less preferred) reward for a delayed, higher-quality (i.e. more preferred) one, to test social influences on delayed gratification in two corvid species: New Caledonian crows and Eurasian jays. We compared choices for immediate vs. delayed rewards while alone, in the presence of a competitive conspecific and in the presence of a non-competitive conspecific. We predicted that, given the increased risk of losing a reward with a competitor present, both species would similarly, flexibly alter their choices in the presence of a conspecific compared to when alone. We found that species differed: jays were more likely to select the immediate, less preferred reward than the crows. We also found that jays were more likely to select the immediate, less preferred reward when a competitor or non-competitor was present than when alone, or when a competitor was present compared to a non-competitor, while the crows selected the delayed, highly preferred reward irrespective of social presence. We discuss our findings in relation to species differences in socio-ecological factors related to adult sociality and food-caching (storing). New Caledonian crows are more socially tolerant and moderate cachers, while Eurasian jays are highly territorial and intense cachers that may have evolved under the social context of cache pilfering and cache protection strategies. Therefore, flexibility (or inflexibility) in delay of gratification under different social contexts may relate to the species' social tolerance and related risk of competition.}, }
@article {pmid38059964, year = {2024}, author = {Gonthier, C and Harma, K and Gavornikova-Baligand, Z}, title = {Development of reasoning performance in Raven's matrices is grounded in the development of effective strategy use.}, journal = {Journal of experimental psychology. General}, volume = {153}, number = {3}, pages = {689-705}, doi = {10.1037/xge0001518}, pmid = {38059964}, issn = {1939-2222}, support = {//City of Rennes/ ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Child ; Humans ; *Problem Solving ; *Cognition ; Intelligence Tests ; Memory, Short-Term ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {Performance in reasoning tasks such as Raven's matrices experiences a dramatic increase over cognitive development, but the mechanisms responsible for this increase are unknown. Many cognitive processes are involved in a matrix task and could potentially change with age; strategy use appears to be a good candidate, as it typically improves over development and has a large impact on reasoning performance in adults. The present study tested the role of effective strategy use in Raven's standard progressive matrices in groups of 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and 18-year-olds (total N = 474). Strategy use was assessed with behavioral measures of gaze patterns in Raven's matrices. We also measured working memory capacity (WMC), a good predictor of strategy use in adults, using a battery of complex spans. The results showed that the effective strategy of constructive matching substantially increased with age, along with performance. Strategy use mediated over half the effect of age on reasoning performance. Older participants were also better at adapting strategy use to difficulty of the problems. Effective strategy use was beneficial to the same extent for participants of all ages. Age-related improvements in strategy use occurred in tandem with improvements in WMC, but did not appear to be primarily driven by them. Overall, our results indicate that strategy use is a critical underpinning of reasoning performance in children as well as in adults, and that theories of cognitive development of reasoning have to consider the central role of strategy use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid38062030, year = {2023}, author = {Jo, H and McCune, KB and Jablonski, PG and Lee, SI}, title = {Long-term memory of experienced jays facilitates problem-solving by naïve group members in the wild.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {21593}, pmid = {38062030}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Songbirds ; Problem Solving ; Memory, Long-Term ; Mental Recall ; }, abstract = {Long-term memory affects animal fitness, especially in social species. In these species, the memory of group members facilitates the acquisition of novel foraging skills through social learning when naïve individuals observe and imitate the successful foraging behavior. Long-term memory and social learning also provide the framework for cultural behavior, a trait found in humans but very few other animal species. In birds, little is known about the duration of long-term memories for complex foraging skills, or the impact of long-term memory on group members. We tested whether wild jays remembered a complex foraging task more than 3 years after their initial experience and quantified the effect of this memory on naïve jay behavior. Experienced jays remembered how to solve the task and their behavior had significant positive effects on interactions by naïve group members at the task. This suggests that natural selection may favor long-term memory of solutions to foraging problems to facilitate the persistence of foraging skills that are specifically useful in the local environment in social birds with long lifespans and overlapping generations.}, }
@article {pmid38071961, year = {2023}, author = {Kálmán, M and Sebők, OM}, title = {Entopallium Lost GFAP Immunoreactivity during Avian Evolution: Is GFAP a "Condition Sine Qua Non"?.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {98}, number = {6}, pages = {302-313}, pmid = {38071961}, issn = {1421-9743}, mesh = {Animals ; *Columbidae ; Coturnix ; Phylogeny ; Pica ; Chickens ; *Songbirds ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The present study demonstrates that in the same brain area the astroglia can express GFAP (the main cytoskeletal protein of astroglia) in some species but not in the others of the same vertebrate class. It contrasts the former opinions that the distribution of GFAP found in a species is characteristic of the entire class. The present study investigated birds in different phylogenetic positions: duck (Cairina moschata domestica), chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), and quails (Coturnix japonica and Excalfactoria chinensis) of Galloanserae; pigeon (Columba livia domestica) of a group of Neoaves, in comparison with representatives of other Neoaves lineages, which emerged more recently in evolution: finches (Taeniopygia guttata and Erythrura gouldiae), magpie (Pica pica), and parrots (Melopsittacus undulatus and Nymphicus hollandicus).
METHODS: Following a perfusion with 4% buffered paraformaldehyde, immunoperoxidase reactions were performed with two types of anti-GFAP: monoclonal and polyclonal, on floating sections.
RESULTS: The entopallium (formerly "ectostriatum," a telencephalic area in birds) was GFAP-immunopositive in pigeon and in the representatives of Galloanserae but not in songbirds and parrots, which emerged more recently in evolution. The lack of GFAP expression of a brain area, however, does not mean the lack of astroglia. Lesions induced GFAP expression in the territory of GFAP-immunonegative entopallia. It proved that the GFAP immunonegativity is not due to the lack of capability, but rather the suppression of GFAP production of the astrocytes in this territory. In the other areas investigated besides the entopallium (optic tectum and cerebellum), no considerable interspecific differences of GFAP immunopositivity were found. It proved that the immunonegativity of entopallium is due to neither the general lack of GFAP expression nor the incapability of our reagents to detect GFAP in these species.
CONCLUSION: The data are congruent with our proposal that a lack of GFAP expression has evolved in different brain areas in vertebrate evolution, typically in lineages that emerged more recently. Comparative studies on GFAP-immunopositive and GFAP-immunonegative entopallia may promote understanding the role of GFAP in neural networks.}, }
@article {pmid38072820, year = {2024}, author = {Bracken, A and Hauss, J and Grinshpun, S and Lasc, D and Hershkovich, A and Yang, Y}, title = {A profile of spatial abilities in people with Down syndrome.}, journal = {Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR}, volume = {68}, number = {3}, pages = {223-236}, pmid = {38072820}, issn = {1365-2788}, support = {SC2 HD103587/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; SC2HD103587/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adolescent ; Child ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Aptitude ; Cognition ; *Down Syndrome/psychology ; *Spatial Navigation ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Spatial abilities are fundamental cognitive abilities, have direct applications in daily life, serve as a cognitive foundation for many other complex skills and are used in many specialty jobs. The current study aimed to systematically and comprehensively evaluate the spatial abilities of individuals with Down syndrome (DS) relative to mental ability-matched typically developing (TD) children based on Newcombe and Shipley's double-dimension theoretical framework for classifying spatial abilities.
METHODS: Forty adolescents and young adults with DS and 40 TD children completed a nonverbal intelligence test (Raven's), two measures of static-extrinsic skills (water-level task and cart task), two measures of static-intrinsic skills (figure ground and form completion), two measures of dynamic-extrinsic skills (three mountains task and dog task) and two measures of dynamic-intrinsic spatial skills (mental rotation task and block design task).
RESULTS: Participants with DS showed reduced performance on two dynamic-intrinsic tasks and one static-extrinsic task (i.e. cart task) relative to TD children. Performances were similar in two dynamic-extrinsic tasks and two static-intrinsic tasks. Analyses of composite accuracy for each spatial category further confirmed deficits in dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic categories for people with DS relative to TD children.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed an uneven profile of spatial abilities in people with DS relative to ability-matched TD children with particular weaknesses in comprehending and manipulating dynamic-intrinsic and static-extrinsic spatial relations. Furthermore, our research has important clinical implications for more targeted interventions to improve spatial abilities in people with DS.}, }
@article {pmid38078562, year = {2024}, author = {Trapote, E and Moreno-González, V and Canestrari, D and Rutz, C and Baglione, V}, title = {Fitness benefits of alternated chick provisioning in cooperatively breeding carrion crows.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {93}, number = {1}, pages = {95-108}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.14033}, pmid = {38078562}, issn = {1365-2656}, support = {CGL2016-77636-P//Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad/ ; //SEO-Birdlife Research to ET/ ; BB/S018484/1//Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Crows ; Cooperative Behavior ; *Songbirds ; Breeding ; Nesting Behavior ; }, abstract = {In most bird species, parents raise offspring cooperatively. In some cases, this cooperation extends to helpers-at-the-nest who assist the breeders with a range of tasks. While cooperative food provisioning might merely arise incidentally, as a result of the efforts of carers that act independently from each other, recent studies suggest that birds may coordinate by taking turns in visiting the nest. However, evidence that such coordination emerges because individuals actively respond to each other's behaviour is controversial, and the potential benefits of carers' alternation remain unknown. We addressed this knowledge gap by analysing a multiyear dataset for cooperatively breeding carrion crows Corvus corone, comprising 8693 nest visits across 50 groups. Our results reveal that turn-taking does occur in this species and that all group members, regardless of their sex and social role (breeder/helper), tend to alternate at the nest with other carers rather than to make repeat visits. Importantly, we found that the body mass of nestlings increased significantly with the degree of carers' alternation, possibly because well-coordinated groups provided food at more regular intervals. Using earlier monitoring data, the observed increase in body mass is predicted to substantially boost postfledging survival rates. Our analyses demonstrate that alternation in nestling provisioning has measurable fitness benefits in this study system. This raises the possibility that cooperatively breeding carrion crows, as well as other bird species with similarly coordinated brood provisioning, exhibit specialized behavioural strategies that enable effective alternation.}, }
@article {pmid38081583, year = {2024}, author = {Anand, S and Reddy, RV and Omoba, OE and Detchou, D and Barrie, U and Aoun, SG}, title = {Maxine Deborrah Hyde: First Female Graduate of Case Western Reserve University's Neurologic Surgery Residency Program and Second Black Female Neurosurgeon in the United States.}, journal = {World neurosurgery}, volume = {183}, number = {}, pages = {63-69}, doi = {10.1016/j.wneu.2023.12.021}, pmid = {38081583}, issn = {1878-8769}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; United States ; Neurosurgeons ; *Internship and Residency ; Universities ; Neurosurgical Procedures ; *Neurosurgery/education ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The historical diversity gap in the neurosurgical workforce persists to this day. Women, despite constituting over half of the yearly total of medical school graduates, comprise only 6% of certified practicing neurosurgeons in the United States. Furthermore, Black Americans make up under 4% of U.S. neurosurgeons, despite making up around 14% of the national population. The purpose of this account is to highlight the life and career of Dr. Maxine Deborrah Hyde and illustrate the importance and necessity of diversity and inclusivity in advancing the field of neurosurgery. Through this paper, we aspire to encourage the development of new diversity initiatives.
METHODS: Original scientific and bibliographic materials of Hyde were examined, and an extensive analysis of her life was compiled.
RESULTS: Despite growing up during the era of Jim Crow, Dr. Hyde persevered and became the valedictorian of Oak Park High School. As a first-generation college student at Tougaloo College, she later earned her MS from Cleveland State University. Dr. Hyde graduated with honors from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in 1977. Thereafter, she became the first female and first Black graduate of Case Western's neurosurgery residency and the second Black woman to receive certification from the American Board of Neurological Surgery. Later in life, Dr. Hyde established the Beacon of Hope Scholarship Foundation to assist disadvantaged students in overcoming educational barriers.
CONCLUSIONS: Dr. Hyde was a trailblazer who overcame systematic barriers and paved the way for future generations of aspiring neurosurgeons.}, }
@article {pmid38081798, year = {2023}, author = {Shaiek, A and Monot, M and Rubert, V and Cornillon, C and Vicic, M and Decocq, G and Flament, F}, title = {Applications of the new Aeva-HE™ imaging system: Its link with the visual evaluation of facial wrinkles and its potential in screening tensile products.}, journal = {Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)}, volume = {29}, number = {12}, pages = {e13512}, pmid = {38081798}, issn = {1600-0846}, mesh = {Female ; Humans ; Cheek ; *Cosmetics ; Face/diagnostic imaging ; *Skin Aging ; White People ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: To evaluate, in vivo, a recently developed imaging system (Aeva-HE™), based on fringe projection methodology: (i) its correlation with expert's assessments and real age of 85 French Caucasian women and (ii) its potential, as a screening tool, in rapidly selecting prototypes of tensile cosmetic products.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, the bare faces of 85 differently aged French/Caucasian women were photographed under standard conditions and further analyzed by the Aeva-HE™ device. An expert aesthetician graded the severity of wrinkling on a fixed scale, helped by the use of a dedicated Skin Aging Atlas. A panel of 15 judges performed the same task on full-face standard photographs. The Aeva-HE™ software yielded various wrinkle's parameters (density, volume, mean depth, etc.) on different facial locations, according to age-groups. Second, seven women, balanced in age and wrinkling severity, were recruited in a separate study. These women applied at Day 1 a prototype of the tensile product and at Day 2, they applied another prototype of the tensile product. The whole faces (before and after products application) of the seven studied women were captured and analyzed by the Aeva-HE™ system.
RESULTS: The density of wrinkles was significantly highly correlated with the aesthetician scores and, unsurprisingly, with age. Some parameters (volume, depths) of different wrinkles (glabellar, crow's feet, cheeks) were quantified, showing different absolute values and of statistically different progressions with age. The amplitudes of the rapid effects brought by the two prototypes of tensile products were clearly differentiated.
CONCLUSION: The recently developed device Aeva-HE™ is an efficient system for rapidly establishing a faithful and precise status of facial wrinkles, in vivo and seems like a precious tool in the rapid screening of tensile products, possibly performed on a rather limited number of subjects.}, }
@article {pmid38084754, year = {2024}, author = {Forbes, SL and Kjorlien, Y and Watson, CJ}, title = {The taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in peri-urban and rural regions of central and southern Alberta. Part I - Identification of forensically relevant vertebrate scavengers.}, journal = {Journal of forensic sciences}, volume = {69}, number = {2}, pages = {415-429}, doi = {10.1111/1556-4029.15443}, pmid = {38084754}, issn = {1556-4029}, support = {RGPIN/6098/2019]//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; C150-2017-12//The Canada 150 Research Chair in Forensic Thanatology/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Alberta ; *Body Remains ; Vertebrates ; Feeding Behavior ; Birds ; Fishes ; *Ursidae ; }, abstract = {As a body decomposes in an outdoor environment, numerous taphonomic agents can act on the process of human decomposition. It is important to understand the impact of these agents as they can vary the rate of soft and hard tissue loss which may alter postmortem interval estimations. One taphonomic factor which has not been extensively investigated in many regions of the world, including Canada, are vertebrate scavengers. The current study aimed to identify scavenger guilds in the peri-urban and rural regions of two major cities in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton) where human remains are frequently located. Vertebrate scavenger activity was recorded continuously using cellular and noncellular trail cameras. Images were analyzed to determine how the scavenging profiles (i.e., scavenger species, arrival time, and feeding behavior) impacted the loss of soft and hard tissue. We identified a range of mammalian and avian scavengers and found that coyote and black-billed magpie were the predominant scavengers recorded at the Edmonton peri-urban and rural sites, and the Calgary peri-urban sites. In contrast, when a site was within bear territory such as the Calgary rural sites, black and grizzly bears were the predominant scavengers. At all sites, the large mammalian scavengers were responsible for most soft tissue loss and subsequent hard tissue dispersal. None of the scavengers demonstrated a clear preference for open versus closed sites. This taphonomic information is important to consider when searching for human remains at these locations or in other North American regions with comparable scavenger guilds.}, }
@article {pmid38097447, year = {2024}, author = {Güntürkün, O and Pusch, R and Rose, J}, title = {Why birds are smart.}, journal = {Trends in cognitive sciences}, volume = {28}, number = {3}, pages = {197-209}, pmid = {38097447}, issn = {1879-307X}, support = {101021354//AVIAN MIND/ ; 316803389//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Birds/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Neocortex ; Prefrontal Cortex ; }, abstract = {Many cognitive neuroscientists believe that both a large brain and an isocortex are crucial for complex cognition. Yet corvids and parrots possess non-cortical brains of just 1-25 g, and these birds exhibit cognitive abilities comparable with those of great apes such as chimpanzees, which have brains of about 400 g. This opinion explores how this cognitive equivalence is possible. We propose four features that may be required for complex cognition: a large number of associative pallial neurons, a prefrontal cortex (PFC)-like area, a dense dopaminergic innervation of association areas, and dynamic neurophysiological fundaments for working memory. These four neural features have convergently evolved and may therefore represent 'hard to replace' mechanisms enabling complex cognition.}, }
@article {pmid38105971, year = {2023}, author = {Watkins, SH and Testa, C and Simpkin, AJ and Smith, GD and Coull, B and De Vivo, I and Tilling, K and Waterman, PD and Chen, JT and Diez-Roux, AV and Krieger, N and Suderman, M and Relton, C}, title = {An epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation, racialized and economic inequities, and air pollution.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38105971}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {R01 AG027122/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL135009/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK063491/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR000040/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095166/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095160/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00002/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; HHSN268201500003C/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095161/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00005/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095168/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; T32 AI007358/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001079/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095169/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DK101921/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00001/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL101250/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MD014304/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095167/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095159/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00003/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001420/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00004/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095163/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00007/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; HHSN268201500003I/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; RF1 AG054474/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL126477/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095162/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00006/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001881/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095165/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095164/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {IMPORTANCE: DNA methylation (DNAm) provides a plausible mechanism by which adverse exposures become embodied and contribute to health inequities, due to its role in genome regulation and responsiveness to social and biophysical exposures tied to societal context. However, scant epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have included structural and lifecourse measures of exposure, especially in relation to structural discrimination.
OBJECTIVE: Our study tests the hypothesis that DNAm is a mechanism by which racial discrimination, economic adversity, and air pollution become biologically embodied.
DESIGN: A series of cross-sectional EWAS, conducted in My Body My Story (MBMS, biological specimens collected 2008-2010, DNAm assayed in 2021); and the Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA; biological specimens collected 2010-2012, DNAm assayed in 2012-2013); using new georeferenced social exposure data for both studies (generated in 2022).
SETTING: MBMS was recruited from four community health centers in Boston; MESA was recruited from four field sites in: Baltimore, MD; Forsyth County, NC; New York City, NY; and St. Paul, MN.
PARTICIPANTS: Two population-based samples of US-born Black non-Hispanic (Black NH), white non-Hispanic (white NH), and Hispanic individuals (MBMS; n=224 Black NH and 69 white NH) and (MESA; n=229 Black NH, n=555 white NH and n=191 Hispanic).
EXPOSURES: Eight social exposures encompassing racial discrimination, economic adversity, and air pollution.
MAIN OUTCOME: Genome-wide changes in DNAm, as measured using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip (MBMS; using frozen blood spots) and Illumina 450k BeadChip (MESA; using purified monocytes). Our hypothesis was formulated after data collection.
RESULTS: We observed the strongest associations with traffic-related air pollution (measured via black carbon and nitrogen oxides exposure), with evidence from both studies suggesting that air pollution exposure may induce epigenetic changes related to inflammatory processes. We also found suggestive associations of DNAm variation with measures of structural racial discrimination (e.g., for Black NH participants, born in a Jim Crow state; adult exposure to racialized economic residential segregation) situated in genes with plausible links to effects on health.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Overall, this work suggests that DNAm is a biological mechanism through which structural racism and air pollution become embodied and may lead to health inequities.}, }
@article {pmid38107531, year = {2023}, author = {Lohrasbi, S and Moradi, AR and Sadeghi, M}, title = {Exploring Emotion Recognition Patterns Among Iranian People Using CANTAB as an Approved Neuro-Psychological Assessment.}, journal = {Basic and clinical neuroscience}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, pages = {289-295}, pmid = {38107531}, issn = {2008-126X}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Emotion recognition is the main component of social cognition and has various patterns in different cultures and nationalities. The present study aimed to investigate emotion recognition patterns among Iranians using the Cambridge neuro-psychological test automated battery (CANTAB) as a valid neuropsychological test.
METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical study, 117 males and females (Mean±SD of age 32.1±6.4) were initially assessed by computerized intelligence and progressive matrices of RAVEN-2. Furthermore, the excitement recognition subtest taken from the Cambridge neuro-psychological test automated battery (CANTAB) was performed. The correct response of participants to each of the six basic emotions as well as the recognition time was used for analysis.
RESULTS: The maximum correct response rate was 75.83% related to happy emotion. The correct responses for sadness, surprise, disgust, anger, and fear were 70%, 68.48%, 47.84%, 42.54%, and 38.26%, respectively. Moreover, the shortest recognition time was related to disgust at 322 ms, while sadness with a mean response time of 1800 ms and fear response time at 1529 ms indicated the longest recognition time. In addition, participants recognized happiness with a mean response time of 1264 ms better than other emotions; however, post-hoc t-test analyses showed that only the correct responses for sadness and surprised emotions did not differ significantly, (t(112)=-0.59, P=0.55, d=0.05). These results suggested that different emotions have various correct responses. However, sadness and surprise did not differ.
CONCLUSION: The findings of this study could be beneficial for evaluating cognitive elements, as well as cognitive abilities and inabilities among the Iranian population. Moreover, the findings could be used for investigating social cognition in this population.
HIGHLIGHTS: Emotion recognition patterns among Iranians were investigated using a valid neuropsychological test.Iranians showed higher accuracy in recognizing happiness and lower accuracy in recognizing fear.Disgust was recognized with the shortest response time, while sadness and fear had the longest recognition time.The findings highlight cultural differences in emotion recognition and can aid in evaluating cognitive abilities and social cognition in the Iranian population.The study emphasizes the importance of considering cultural factors in assessing and understanding emotion recognition.
PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Understanding how people recognize emotions is crucial for effective communication and building social connections. However, the ability to recognize emotions can vary across cultures. This study aimed to investigate how Iranians recognize emotions using a reliable test. The researchers assessed 117 Iranian adults, both males and females, using a computer-based test. Participants were asked to identify six basic emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise) displayed on a screen. The researchers measured the participants' accuracy in identifying each emotion and the time it took them to recognize it. The findings revealed that Iranians were most accurate in recognizing happiness and least accurate in recognizing fear. They were better at identifying positive emotions like happiness and surprise compared to negative emotions like disgust and anger. Participants took the least time to recognize disgust and the longest time to recognize sadness and fear. These results show that Iranians have specific patterns in recognizing emotions, which can be influenced by cultural factors. Understanding these patterns is important for assessing cognitive abilities and social cognition in the Iranian population. Moreover, these findings have broader implications. They highlight the need to consider cultural differences in emotion recognition, as it can impact communication and social interactions. The study's outcomes can be valuable for various applications. For instance, they can aid in developing tests to assess emotion recognition difficulties in individuals with conditions such as autism or schizophrenia. Furthermore, these findings can be useful for professionals, such as employees in customer service or mental health providers, who need to accurately interpret others' emotions. By shedding light on cultural variations in emotion recognition, this research contributes to our understanding of human emotions and their role in interpersonal relationships.}, }
@article {pmid38109036, year = {2023}, author = {Raymond, S and St Clair, CC}, title = {Urban Magpies Frequently Feed on Coyote Scats and May Spread an Emerging Zoonotic Tapeworm.}, journal = {EcoHealth}, volume = {20}, number = {4}, pages = {441-452}, pmid = {38109036}, issn = {1612-9210}, support = {Canada Graduate Scholarship--Master's//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; Discovery Grant (RGPIN-2017-05915)//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; Faculty of Science Research Fellowship//University of Alberta/ ; Walter H. Johns Graduate Fellowship//University of Alberta/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Coyotes/parasitology ; Animals, Wild/parasitology ; Zoonoses/epidemiology ; Cities ; *Cestoda ; *Parasites ; }, abstract = {Allocoprophagy, in which animals feed on the feces of other individuals or species, has been little studied in vertebrates, despite its relevance to parasite transmission. These relationships may be especially important in cities, where animal density, disease incidence, and spatial overlap of humans and wildlife increase. Our goal was to document the incidence and predictors of coprophagy by black-billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) at coyote (Canis latrans) scats in Edmonton, Canada. We detected scats by following coyote trails and recorded whether coprophagy had occurred. We used multiple logistic regression to determine the top contextual and environmental predictors of coprophagy. Of 668 coyote scats, 37.3% had apparently been fed on. Coprophagy was more likely in winter and when scats were not fresh and did not contain vegetation or garbage. Environmental predictors of coprophagy included proximity to other coyote scats and playgrounds, distance from water and maintained trails, abundant natural land cover, and proximity to encampments of people experiencing homelessness. Our results reveal that magpies frequently access coyote scat and often do so near human-use areas. In Edmonton, where > 50% of coyotes are infected with a zoonotic tapeworm, coprophagy likely causes magpies to transport parasites with implications for zoonotic disease risk.}, }
@article {pmid38114856, year = {2024}, author = {Wang, CZ and van Loon, JJA}, title = {Chemosensory detection of glucosinolates as token stimuli for specialist insects on brassicaceous plants: discovery and impact.}, journal = {Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology}, volume = {210}, number = {2}, pages = {243-248}, pmid = {38114856}, issn = {1432-1351}, support = {32130090//the National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Butterflies/physiology ; Glucosinolates ; Insecta ; Larva ; }, abstract = {In this paper, we take a historical perspective by going back to Verschaffelt's landmark study published in 1910, in which he found that glucosinolates were used as token stimuli by larvae of Pieris butterflies, specialist feeders on plants in the family Brassicaceae. This classic discovery provided key evidence for Fraenkel (Science 129:1466-1470, 1959) to elaborate on the function of secondary plant substances and for Ehrlich and Raven (Evolution 18:586-608, 1964) to put forward the hypothesis of insect-plant coevolution. The discovery by Schoonhoven (Kon Nederl Akad Wetensch Amsterdam Proc Ser C70:556-568, 1967) of taste neurons highly sensitive to glucosinolates in Pieris brassicae was an important milestone in elucidating the chemosensory basis of host-plant specialization. The molecular basis of glucosinolate sensitivity was elucidated recently (Yang et al., PLoS Genet 17, 2021) paving the way to unravel the evolution of gustatory receptors tuned to glucosinolates that are crucial for host-plant selection of Pieris butterflies. We propose a hypothetical model for the evolution of labeled-line neurons tuned to token stimuli.}, }
@article {pmid38117679, year = {2024}, author = {Lipton, LR and Prock, L and Camarata, S and Fogler, J and Nyp, SS}, title = {Developmental Delay and Behavior Challenges in an Internationally Adopted Child.}, journal = {Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBP}, volume = {45}, number = {1}, pages = {e88-e91}, doi = {10.1097/DBP.0000000000001235}, pmid = {38117679}, issn = {1536-7312}, mesh = {Male ; Humans ; Child ; *Child, Adopted ; Social Behavior ; Aggression ; *Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/diagnosis ; *Language Development Disorders/diagnosis ; }, abstract = {Jay is a 6-year-old boy who was referred to a multidisciplinary developmental clinic for evaluation because of speech/language delays and challenging behaviors. He attends kindergarten with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) supporting developmental challenges with speech/language, motor, and academic skills.Jay was reportedly born full-term after an uneventful pregnancy and lived with his biological family for several months before transitioning to institutional care. Shortly before his first birthday, he transitioned to the first of 3 foster homes. It is suspected that Jay experienced malnourishment, neglect, lack of appropriate supervision, and inappropriate levels of responsibility (e.g., providing care to an infant when he was a toddler) as well as limited language input while in foster care. Ages at which he attained developmental milestones are unknown, but he has displayed delays across all developmental domains, including speech/language development in his primary language, which is not English.Jay's adoptive parents report that he is learning English vocabulary well but has been noted to have occasional word-finding difficulties and errors in verb conjugation, pronoun use, and syntax in English. Behavioral concerns include impulsivity, hyperactivity, and aggression exacerbated by new or loud environments and transitions. Socially, he seems to be typically engaged with peers but lacks understanding of personal space/boundaries. His adoptive parents have also noted that he is very sensitive to the emotions of others around him, more irritable in the morning, fascinated by "scary" things, and seems to fear abandonment. During the initial months in his adoptive home, he had frequent night awakenings, fear of the dark, and aggression at bedtime, but all these concerns have improved with time.Neuropsychological testing was completed as part of the multidisciplinary developmental evaluation, and Jay demonstrated low-average cognitive abilities, delayed preacademic skills in all language-based areas, and receptive and expressive language delays. He was socially engaged during the evaluation. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, combined presentation, and unspecified trauma/stress-related disorder.Given what is known about Jay's early history, what factors would you consider in addressing his parents' concerns regarding his speech/language development and behavior challenges?}, }
@article {pmid38145675, year = {2024}, author = {Drysdale, M and Gamberg, M and Brammer, J and Majowicz, SE and Packull-McCormick, S and Skinner, K and Laird, BD}, title = {Hexachlorobenzene and omega-3 fatty acid intake from traditional foods in the northern Yukon: A risk and benefit analysis.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {914}, number = {}, pages = {169205}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169205}, pmid = {38145675}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Humans ; *Hexachlorobenzene/analysis ; Yukon Territory ; Canada ; *Fatty Acids, Omega-3 ; Docosahexaenoic Acids ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid ; Body Weight ; }, abstract = {A human biomonitoring study was conducted in the community of Old Crow, Yukon, in 2019, finding that levels of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in plasma were elevated in the community relative to the general Canadian population. The aim of this study was to estimate dietary intake of both hexachlorobenzene, and the nutrient omega-3 fatty acids from locally harvested traditional foods in Old Crow, with the aim of identifying possible regional sources of exposure. A stochastic model was constructed to estimate intake of both hexachlorobenzene and the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Average predicted hexachlorobenzene exposure levels from traditional food consumption in Old Crow were below the tolerable daily intake of 1600-1700 ng/kg body weight/day in both average (18 ng/kg body weight/day) and short-term maximum (27 ng/kg body weight/day) exposure models. The primary contributors to average hexachlorobenzene intake were caribou fat, bone marrow, ribs, and kidneys, and Chinook salmon muscle. Average estimated dietary EPA + DHA intake levels from traditional foods were below the recommendation of 2.1 to 3.2 g of EPA + DHA per week in the average (1.6 g/week) exposure model, but above this recommendation in the short-term maximum model (3.3 g/week). The primary contributors to average EPA + DHA intake were the meat of Chinook, coho, and, chum salmon muscle, and whitefish muscle and eggs. The results of this study support the message that traditional foods continue to be an important source of nutrients and other health benefits and that the health benefits of traditional foods generally outweigh contaminant risks.}, }
@article {pmid38154314, year = {2024}, author = {Simonit, F and Da Broi, U and Giudici, F and Sciarappa, OE and Innocenti, D and Desinan, L}, title = {Autopsy findings in fire deaths in relation to manner of death: Analysis of autopsy records in Friuli, Italy (1993-2020).}, journal = {Legal medicine (Tokyo, Japan)}, volume = {67}, number = {}, pages = {102372}, doi = {10.1016/j.legalmed.2023.102372}, pmid = {38154314}, issn = {1873-4162}, mesh = {Humans ; *Suicide ; Homicide ; *Burns ; Autopsy ; Accidents ; Italy/epidemiology ; Cause of Death ; Retrospective Studies ; }, abstract = {The determination of the cause and manner of death can be particularly difficult in burned and charred bodies and autopsy remains a key element in the investigation. In this study, 39 autopsy records of fire deaths were reviewed in relation to the manner of death (25 accidents, 8 suicides, 3 homicides and 3 instances in which the manner of death remained undetermined). The analysis focused on the study of the burns, the degree to which the bodies were consumed by fire and the evidence of signs of vital exposure to fire and of non-fire-related injuries. Total surface body area (TBSA) was found to be significantly higher (p = 0.02) in suicides than in accidents. Moreover, the degree of destruction according to the Crow-Glassman Scale and the presence of a pugilistic posture tended to be higher in suicides compared to accidental deaths, whereas such parameters were found to be variable in homicides. With regard to the anatomical distribution of burns, in contrast with the literature, the feet were affected by burning in all suicides, with a significantly higher prevalence than in accidents (p < 0.01). Traumatic non-fire related injuries were noted in all homicides (with no signs of vital exposure to fire), 1 complicated suicide, 1 undetermined death and 13 accidents. We found that very few studies have focused on the analysis of burn distribution and extension according to manner of death and that there is currently no standardised anatomical model with which to study these variables for forensic purposes.}, }
@article {pmid38155685, year = {2023}, author = {Rajaei, N and Doosti, A}, title = {Designing a novel method based on multiplex PCR for detecting various meat of birds in processed ground meat products.}, journal = {Food chemistry. Molecular sciences}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {100177}, pmid = {38155685}, issn = {2666-5662}, abstract = {Falsified food directly influences wildlife, fair trade, religion, and the health of society. Here, we report a multiplex polymerase chain reaction to evaluate the accurate determination of seven species of bird meat in meals on a single assay platform. To amplify segments of DNA from Columba livia, Corvus moneduloides, Gallus gallus, Coturnix japonica, Phasianus colchicus, Struthio camelus, and Meleagris gallopavo meats, respectively, a total of seven sets of species-specific primers targeting the mitochondrial and cytochrome b genes were developed. Gel photographs and electrochromatography from an Experion Bioanalyzer were used to identify all PCR products. Species specificity checks discovered no cross-species amplification. The applicability of its screening to find target species in processed food was shown in commercial and model meatballs. A validation study revealed that the test is reliable, quick, affordable, repeatable, specific, and accurate down to 50,000 mitochondrial copies. It might be used for raw meats and products involving processed and severely deteriorated food samples. The customers, the food business, and law enforcement would all benefit immensely from this suggested approach.}, }
@article {pmid38159630, year = {2024}, author = {Xu, J}, title = {Comment on "neurotoxicity of 4-nonylphenol in adult zebrafish: Evaluation of behaviour, oxidative stress parameters and histopathology of brain"by Jay K. Desai. et al. [Environmental Pollution 334 (2023): 122206].}, journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)}, volume = {343}, number = {}, pages = {123214}, doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2023.123214}, pmid = {38159630}, issn = {1873-6424}, mesh = {Animals ; *Zebrafish/physiology ; *Brain ; Oxidative Stress ; Environmental Pollution ; *Phenols ; }, abstract = {In a recent study by Jay K. Desai et al., (Desai et al., 2023) the authors extensively documented the effects of long-term exposure to 4-nonylphenol neurotoxicity in zebrafish, including oxidative stress markers, behavioral changes, and neuropathology results. The results indicate that, although Neurotoxicity of 4-nonylphenol did not cause evident changes in zebrafish brain tissue pathology, it significantly induced oxidative stress reactions in the zebrafish brain and altered their exploratory behaviors in response to light and dark stimuli.However, upon reviewing the results of this study, we have identified several questionable outcomes and errors in image usage, leading to some concerns.}, }
@article {pmid38165586, year = {2024}, author = {Rodriguez, JM and Bae, B}, title = {Political Ideology Direction of Policy Agendas and Maternal Mortality Outcomes in the U.S., 1915-2007.}, journal = {Maternal and child health journal}, volume = {28}, number = {5}, pages = {865-872}, pmid = {38165586}, issn = {1573-6628}, mesh = {United States/epidemiology ; Humans ; *Maternal Mortality ; *Policy ; Politics ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The causes for persistently high and increasing maternal mortality rates in the United States have been elusive.
METHODS: We use the shift in the ideological direction of the Republican and the Democratic parties in the 1960s, to test the hypothesis that fluctuations in overall and race-specific maternal mortality rates (MMR) follow the power shifts between the parties before and after the Political Realignment (PR) of the 1960s.
RESULTS: Using time-series data analysis methods, we find that, net of trend, overall and race-specific MMRs were higher under Democratic administrations than Republican ones before the PR (1915-1965)-i.e., when the Democratic Party was a protector of the Jim Crow system. This pattern, however, changed after the PR (1966-2007), with Republican administrations underperforming Democratic ones-i.e., during the period when the Republican Party shifted toward a more economically and socially conservative agenda. The pre-post PR partisan shifts in MMRs were larger for Black (9.5%, p < . 01) relative to White mothers (7.4%, p < . 05) during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: These findings imply that parties and the ideological direction of their agendas substantively affect the social determinants of maternal health and produce politized health outcomes.}, }
@article {pmid38165732, year = {2024}, author = {Wagener, L and Nieder, A}, title = {Conscious Experience of Stimulus Presence and Absence Is Actively Encoded by Neurons in the Crow Brain.}, journal = {Journal of cognitive neuroscience}, volume = {36}, number = {3}, pages = {508-521}, doi = {10.1162/jocn_a_02101}, pmid = {38165732}, issn = {1530-8898}, support = {NI 618/6-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Consciousness ; *Crows ; Telencephalon/physiology ; Brain/physiology ; Visual Perception/physiology ; Neurons/physiology ; }, abstract = {The emergence of consciousness from brain activity constitutes one of the great riddles in biology. It is commonly assumed that only the conscious perception of the presence of a stimulus elicits neuronal activation to signify a "neural correlate of consciousness," whereas the subjective experience of the absence of a stimulus is associated with a neuronal resting state. Here, we demonstrate that the two subjective states "stimulus present" and "stimulus absent" are represented by two specialized neuron populations in crows, corvid birds. We recorded single-neuron activity from the nidopallium caudolaterale of crows trained to report the presence or absence of images presented near the visual threshold. Because of the task design, neuronal activity tracking the conscious "present" versus "absent" percept was dissociated from that involved in planning a motor response. Distinct neuron populations signaled the subjective percepts of "present" and "absent" by increases in activation. The response selectivity of these two neuron populations was similar in strength and time course. This suggests a balanced code for subjective "presence" versus "absence" experiences, which might be beneficial when both conscious states need to be maintained active in the service of goal-directed behavior.}, }
@article {pmid38168159, year = {2023}, author = {Krieger, N and Testa, C and Chen, JT and Johnson, N and Watkins, SH and Suderman, M and Simpkin, AJ and Tilling, K and Waterman, PD and Coull, BA and De Vivo, I and Smith, GD and Roux, AVD and Relton, C}, title = {Epigenetic aging & embodying injustice: US My Body My Story and Multi-Ethnic Atherosclerosis Study.}, journal = {medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38168159}, support = {R01 AG027122/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL135009/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK063491/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR000040/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095166/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095160/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00002/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; HHSN268201500003C/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095161/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00005/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095168/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; T32 AI007358/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001079/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095169/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DK101921/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00001/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL101250/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MD014304/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095167/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095159/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00003/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001420/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00004/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095163/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00007/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; HHSN268201500003I/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; RF1 AG054474/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL126477/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095162/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; 75N92020D00006/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001881/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095165/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; N01 HC095164/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {IMPORTANCE: Epigenetic accelerated aging is associated with exposure to social and economic adversity and may increase risk of premature morbidity and mortality. However, no studies have included measures of structural racism and few have compared estimates within or across the 1[st] and 2[nd] generation of epigenetic clocks (the latter additionally trained on phenotypic data).
OBJECTIVE: To determine if accelerated epigenetic aging is associated with exposures to diverse measures of racialized, economic, and environmental injustice measured at different levels and time periods.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional My Body My Story Study (MBMS; US, 2008-2010) and Exam 5 Multi-Ethnic Atherosclerosis Study (MESA; US, 2010-2012). MBMS DNA extraction: 2021; linkage of structural measures to MBMS and MESA: 2022.
SETTING: MBMS recruited a random sample of US-born Black non-Hispanic (BNH) and white non-Hispanic (WNH) participants from 4 community health centers in Boston, MA. The MESA Exam 5 epigenetic component included 975 randomly selected US-born BNH, WNH, and Hispanic participants from four field sites: Baltimore, MD; Forsyth County, NC; New York City, NY; St. Paul, MN.
PARTICIPANTS: US-born persons (MBMS: 224 BNH, 69 WNH; MESA: 229 BNH, 555 WNH, 191 Hispanic).
MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES: 10 epigenetic clocks (six 1[st] generation; four 2[nd] generation), computed using DNA methylation data (DNAm) from blood spots (MBMS; N = 293) and purified monocytes (MESA; N = 975).
RESULTS: Among Black non-Hispanic MBMS participants, epigenetic age acceleration was associated with being born in a Jim Crow state by 0.14 standard deviations (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00, 0.27) and with birth state conservatism (0.06, 95% CI 0.00, 0.05), pooling across all clocks, as was low parental education for both Black non-Hispanic and white non-Hispanic MBMS participants (respectively: 0.24, 95% CI 0.08, 0.39, and 0.27, 95% CI 0.03, 0.51. Adult impoverishment was positively associated with the pooled 2[nd] generation clocks among the MESA participants (Black non-Hispanic: 0.06, 95% CI 0.01, 0.12; white non-Hispanic: 0.05, 95% CI 0.01, 0.08; Hispanic: 0.07, 95% CI 0.01, 0.14).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Epigenetic accelerated aging may be one of the biological mechanisms linking exposure to racialized and economic injustice to well-documented inequities in premature morbidity and mortality.}, }
@article {pmid38170976, year = {2024}, author = {Atiyeh, B and Ghanem, OA and Oneisi, A and Chalhoub, R}, title = {Long-Term Improvement of Crow's Feet Wrinkles in Combination With Cervicofacial and Temporal Lifting: Review of the Literature.}, journal = {Annals of plastic surgery}, volume = {92}, number = {4}, pages = {474-483}, doi = {10.1097/SAP.0000000000003740}, pmid = {38170976}, issn = {1536-3708}, mesh = {Humans ; *Blepharoplasty/methods ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/therapeutic use ; Facial Muscles/surgery ; Lifting ; *Rhytidoplasty/methods ; *Skin Aging ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The lateral orbital crow's feet area is one for which rejuvenation is most frequently requested by patients. Moreover, lateral canthal wrinkles are a common source of dissatisfaction after rhytidoplasty. Botulinum toxin injection has emerged as a most popular, easy, and effective solution; nevertheless, repeated injections are required periodically for long-term effect. Other nonsurgical options have also been described to have some demonstrable advantages. Orbicularis oculi surgical manipulations have been described as well.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic PubMed literature search was conducted to identify clinical cohort studies including more than 10 patients describing surgical approaches for improvement of crows' feet wrinkles in combination with face and/or temporal lifts. The search was complemented by Embase, Medline, and Cochrane searches in addition to screening of reference lists of selected studies and simple term searches about surgical treatment of crow's feet.
RESULTS: Fourteen studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and were included in this review describing various muscle excision techniques including vertical strip excision, lateral partial resection, wedge resection, muscle resection in "C" pattern, and enlarged myectomy of about one-third of the whole orbital extension in addition to muscle manipulation modalities, including muscle splaying, muscle division, muscle division and splaying, muscle undermining with partial denervation, and muscle suspension. Interposition of fascia between orbicularis muscle and overlying skin was also reported.
CONCLUSION: View the few studies retrieved and the wide spectrum of reported techniques, it is not possible to determine from this review the most effective modality. Nevertheless, it seems that subcutaneous undermining of the lateral canthal area combined with splaying and traction of the orbicularis oculi muscle and fixation to the temporalis fascia with or without muscle division would yield the best long-term results. This review indicates also that surgical correction of crow's feet during rhytidectomy or temporal lift could be a positive complement to improve aesthetic outcome. Unfortunately, if not underreported, it is definitely neglected. We believe that this review may be an eye-opener for surgeons.}, }
@article {pmid38174442, year = {2024}, author = {Elvebakken, HF and Christensen, IB and Vedel, C and Kjærulff, S}, title = {A proof of concept: Clinical anti-aging efficacy and safety of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LB244R® applied topically in a double-blinded placebo-controlled study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {23}, number = {4}, pages = {1233-1242}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.16138}, pmid = {38174442}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; Ointments/pharmacology ; *Skin ; *Skin Aging ; Double-Blind Method ; Aging ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: With the increasing age of the westernized population, there is also increasing economic and aesthetic interest in reducing the signs of skin aging. Additionally, the physical aspect of aging can be displeasing and have detrimental effects psychologically in individuals. Probiotics have shown potential as anti-aging agents, albeit proper studies are needed to confirm their potential.
AIMS: Proving that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum LB244R® could alleviate aging signs relative to its placebo vehicle.
PATIENTS/METHODS: In total, 46 subjects were randomly assigned either the ointment with live bacteria, L. plantarum LB244R® or its vehicle ointment, and had to use the assigned ointment twice daily for 56 days. On Day 0, Day 28, and Day 56 subepidermal low echogenic band (SLEB) thickness, dermal density, skin firmness and elasticity, skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin pH, collagen fiber visualization using confocal microscopy, Crow's feet, spot score, skin smoothness, and complexion radiance were assessed by dermatologists.
RESULTS: All parameters except TEWL improved relative to their baseline (D0) for the active group. L. plantarum LB244R® improved SLEB thickness, dermal density, skin elasticity, skin hydration, and Crow's feet wrinkle score relative to the placebo vehicle ointment.
CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates an anti-aging effect of L. plantarum LB244R® for topical skin use in the first double-blinded, vehicle-ointment placebo-controlled clinical study.}, }
@article {pmid38183183, year = {2024}, author = {Zhang, L and Feng, J and Liu, C and Hu, H and Zhou, Y and Yang, G and Peng, X and Li, T and Chen, C and Xue, G}, title = {Improved estimation of general cognitive ability and its neural correlates with a large battery of cognitive tasks.}, journal = {Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)}, volume = {34}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhad510}, pmid = {38183183}, issn = {1460-2199}, support = {2021ZD0200500//STI 2030-Major Projects/ ; 32330039//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 62061136001/DFG TRR169//Sino-German Collaborative Research Project/ ; }, mesh = {Young Adult ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Neural Pathways ; *Brain/diagnostic imaging ; *Brain Mapping ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {Elucidating the neural mechanisms of general cognitive ability (GCA) is an important mission of cognitive neuroscience. Recent large-sample cohort studies measured GCA through multiple cognitive tasks and explored its neural basis, but they did not investigate how task number, factor models, and neural data type affect the estimation of GCA and its neural correlates. To address these issues, we tested 1,605 Chinese young adults with 19 cognitive tasks and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM) and collected resting state and n-back task fMRI data from a subsample of 683 individuals. Results showed that GCA could be reliably estimated by multiple tasks. Increasing task number enhances both reliability and validity of GCA estimates and reliably strengthens their correlations with brain data. The Spearman model and hierarchical bifactor model yield similar GCA estimates. The bifactor model has better model fit and stronger correlation with RAPM but explains less variance and shows weaker correlations with brain data than does the Spearman model. Notably, the n-back task-based functional connectivity patterns outperform resting-state fMRI in predicting GCA. These results suggest that GCA derived from a multitude of cognitive tasks serves as a valid measure of general intelligence and that its neural correlates could be better characterized by task fMRI than resting-state fMRI data.}, }
@article {pmid38185709, year = {2024}, author = {Liu, Y and Zhang, T and You, N and Wu, S and Shen, N}, title = {MAGPIE: accurate pathogenic prediction for multiple variant types using machine learning approach.}, journal = {Genome medicine}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {3}, pmid = {38185709}, issn = {1756-994X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Genome, Human ; *Machine Learning ; }, abstract = {Identifying pathogenic variants from the vast majority of nucleotide variation remains a challenge. We present a method named Multimodal Annotation Generated Pathogenic Impact Evaluator (MAGPIE) that predicts the pathogenicity of multi-type variants. MAGPIE uses the ClinVar dataset for training and demonstrates superior performance in both the independent test set and multiple orthogonal validation datasets, accurately predicting variant pathogenicity. Notably, MAGPIE performs best in predicting the pathogenicity of rare variants and highly imbalanced datasets. Overall, results underline the robustness of MAGPIE as a valuable tool for predicting pathogenicity in various types of human genome variations. MAGPIE is available at https://github.com/shenlab-genomics/magpie .}, }
@article {pmid38191864, year = {2024}, author = {Ramos, HHA and Amaral, V and de Oliveira Afonso, LP and Campagnaro, JCM and Gazzinelli, HCG and Muzy, G and de Almeida, ART}, title = {Advanced Injection of Botulinum Toxin in the Nasal Muscles: A Novel Dynamic Change in Facial Expression.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {48}, number = {8}, pages = {1511-1521}, pmid = {38191864}, issn = {1432-5241}, mesh = {Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; *Facial Muscles/drug effects ; Female ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage ; *Facial Expression ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Treatment Outcome ; Nose ; Cohort Studies ; Esthetics ; Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Among the nasal muscles, the levator labii superior alaeque nasi (LLSAN) acts as a transitional muscle that conjugates with other nasal and perinasal muscles. Thus, when treating the nasal region with Botulinum toxin (BTX), it is important to understand local nasal muscular dynamics and how they can influence the muscular dynamics of the entire face.
METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of cases treated by an injection pattern encompassing the face, including nasal muscles. Photographs were taken at rest and during motion (frontal and oblique views), before and after treatment.
RESULTS: A total of 227 patients have been treated in the last 18 months with the following results: eyebrow tail lifting, softness of crow's feet, improvement of the drooping of the tip of the nose, and shortening of the lip philtrum when smiling. We present cases illustrating the use of this approach.
CONCLUSIONS: Treating the facial muscles globally (including the frontal, corrugators, procerus, orbicularis oculi, platysma, DAO, and nasal muscles) can improve the smile and facial expressions. This is believed to occur because the elevated portion of the upper lip muscle becomes stronger as the nasal part of the LLSAN is paralyzed.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid38204786, year = {2024}, author = {Martin, K and Cornero, FM and Clayton, NS and Adam, O and Obin, N and Dufour, V}, title = {Vocal complexity in a socially complex corvid: gradation, diversity and lack of common call repertoire in male rooks.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {231713}, pmid = {38204786}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Vocal communication is widespread in animals, with vocal repertoires of varying complexity. The social complexity hypothesis predicts that species may need high vocal complexity to deal with complex social organization (e.g. have a variety of different interindividual relations). We quantified the vocal complexity of two geographically distant captive colonies of rooks, a corvid species with complex social organization and cognitive performances, but understudied vocal abilities. We quantified the diversity and gradation of their repertoire, as well as the inter-individual similarity at the vocal unit level. We found that males produced call units with lower diversity and gradation than females, while song units did not differ between sexes. Surprisingly, while females produced highly similar call repertoires, even between colonies, each individual male produced almost completely different call repertoires from any other individual. These findings question the way male rooks communicate with their social partners. We suggest that each male may actively seek to remain vocally distinct, which could be an asset in their frequently changing social environment. We conclude that inter-individual similarity, an understudied aspect of vocal repertoires, should also be considered as a measure of vocal complexity.}, }
@article {pmid38217213, year = {2021}, author = {Vaser, R and Šikić, M}, title = {Time- and memory-efficient genome assembly with Raven.}, journal = {Nature computational science}, volume = {1}, number = {5}, pages = {332-336}, pmid = {38217213}, issn = {2662-8457}, support = {IP-2018-01-5886//Hrvatska Zaklada za Znanost (Croatian Science Foundation)/ ; KK.01.1.1.01.0009//EC | European Regional Development Fund (Europski Fond za Regionalni Razvoj)/ ; }, abstract = {Whole genome sequencing technologies are unable to invariably read DNA molecules intact, a shortcoming that assemblers try to resolve by stitching the obtained fragments back together. Here, we present methods for the improvement of de novo genome assembly from erroneous long reads incorporated into a tool called Raven. Raven maintains similar performance for various genomes and has accuracy on par with other assemblers that support third-generation sequencing data. It is one of the fastest options while having the lowest memory consumption on the majority of benchmarked datasets.}, }
@article {pmid38222241, year = {2023}, author = {Gupta, S and Prithviraj, M and Gangwar, A and Rath, RS}, title = {Impact of Sleep Duration, Quality, and Chronotype on Learning and Academic Performance: A Cross-Sectional Study Among First Year Medical Students of a Tertiary Care Institute.}, journal = {Cureus}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {e50413}, pmid = {38222241}, issn = {2168-8184}, abstract = {Introduction The link between sleep and cognitive processes, such as memory and learning, continues to be one of the most intriguing and perplexing theories. Undergraduate medical students in their first year are particularly vulnerable to sleep disturbances. Academic achievement and learning have been linked to sleep patterns, which include not only the quantity and quality of sleep but also the timing of sleep in relation to the natural sleep onsets, or chronotypes. There have been conflicting reports on the outcomes of sleep and relatively fewer researches focused on the impact of chronotypes on learning and academic achievement among medical students. The current study thus sought to determine the chronotypes of medical students, evaluate the quantity and quality of sleep, and determine the impact of these factors on learning and academic performance. Methods The study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Gorakhpur, India. Sleep health was assessed in 167 first-year medical students using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), morningness-eveningness questionnaire (MEQ), and sleep log books. Learning and memory assessment was performed using Raven's progressive matrices test. Grade point average (GPA) was used to assess their academic performance. The relationship of sleep scores with GPA and RPM scores were obtained by linear regression analysis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and unpaired t-test were used to investigate other comparisons among categories of chronotypes and those of mean GPA. A p-value of <0.05 was considered as significant. Results The mean GPA and RPM scores obtained in the groups with PSQI ≥ 5 (2.67 ± 1.1, 49.51 ± 6.24, respectively) and PSQI < 5 (3.15 ± 0.59, 54.73 ± 4.01, respectively) and those in the group with ESS ≥ 10 (2.72 ± 1.17, 50.97 ± 5.92, respectively) and ESS < 10 (3.15 ± 0.6, 54.18 ± 3.91, respectively) varied with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Statistically significant R-squared values for the relationship of PSQI and ESS scores with RPM and GPA scores were obtained. No correlation between academic grades and chronotype was found. Poor GPA scores were found to be associated with reduced mean sleep duration for one week before the exams. Conclusion Learning and academic performance are negatively impacted by poor sleep quality and daytime sleep dysfunction. No definite evidence for the association of sleep chronotypes with the learning and memory could be attained. Higher test performance is more closely linked to the average sleep length over a duration of time preceding the exams.}, }
@article {pmid38225936, year = {2024}, author = {Bugnyar, T}, title = {Why are ravens smart? Exploring the social intelligence hypothesis.}, journal = {Journal of ornithology}, volume = {165}, number = {1}, pages = {15-26}, pmid = {38225936}, issn = {2193-7192}, support = {P 29705/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; Y 366/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, abstract = {Ravens and other corvids are renowned for their 'intelligence'. For long, this reputation has been based primarily on anecdotes but in the last decades experimental evidence for impressive cognitive skills has accumulated within and across species. While we begin to understand the building blocks of corvid cognition, the question remains why these birds have evolved such skills. Focusing on Northern Ravens Corvus corax, I here try to tackle this question by relating current hypotheses on brain evolution to recent empirical data on challenges faced in the birds' daily life. Results show that foraging ravens meet several assumptions for applying social intelligence: (1) they meet repeatedly at foraging sites, albeit individuals have different site preferences and vary in grouping dynamics; (1) foraging groups are structured by dominance rank hierarchies and social bonds; (3) individual ravens memorize former group members and their relationship valence over years, deduce third-party relationships and use their social knowledge in daily life by supporting others in conflicts and intervening in others' affiliations. Hence, ravens' socio-cognitive skills may be strongly shaped by the 'complex' social environment experienced as non-breeders.}, }
@article {pmid38232729, year = {2024}, author = {Wang, X and Kostrzewa, C and Reiner, A and Shen, R and Begg, C}, title = {Adaptation of a mutual exclusivity framework to identify driver mutations within oncogenic pathways.}, journal = {American journal of human genetics}, volume = {111}, number = {2}, pages = {227-241}, pmid = {38232729}, issn = {1537-6605}, support = {P01 CA206980/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; P30 CA008748/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 CA251339/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Computational Biology/methods ; Likelihood Functions ; *Neoplasms/genetics ; Genomics/methods ; Mutation/genetics ; Algorithms ; }, abstract = {Distinguishing genomic alterations in cancer-associated genes that have functional impact on tumor growth and disease progression from the ones that are passengers and confer no fitness advantage have important clinical implications. Evidence-based methods for nominating drivers are limited by existing knowledge on the oncogenic effects and therapeutic benefits of specific variants from clinical trials or experimental settings. As clinical sequencing becomes a mainstay of patient care, applying computational methods to mine the rapidly growing clinical genomic data holds promise in uncovering functional candidates beyond the existing knowledge base and expanding the patient population that could potentially benefit from genetically targeted therapies. We propose a statistical and computational method (MAGPIE) that builds on a likelihood approach leveraging the mutual exclusivity pattern within an oncogenic pathway for identifying probabilistically both the specific genes within a pathway and the individual mutations within such genes that are truly the drivers. Alterations in a cancer-associated gene are assumed to be a mixture of driver and passenger mutations with the passenger rates modeled in relationship to tumor mutational burden. We use simulations to study the operating characteristics of the method and assess false-positive and false-negative rates in driver nomination. When applied to a large study of primary melanomas, the method accurately identifies the known driver genes within the RTK-RAS pathway and nominates several rare variants as prime candidates for functional validation. A comprehensive evaluation of MAGPIE against existing tools has also been conducted leveraging the Cancer Genome Atlas data.}, }
@article {pmid38239514, year = {2023}, author = {Fathima, A and Jeevanandan, G}, title = {Interrelationship Between Intelligence Quotient and Space Maintainers Among Children: A Cross-Sectional Comparative Study.}, journal = {Cureus}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {e50752}, pmid = {38239514}, issn = {2168-8184}, abstract = {Introduction Intelligence quotient (IQ) is an indicator to measure a child's cognitive ability to learn or understand and to deal with new situations with their logical and analytical skills. Children with better IQ exhibit increased cooperation when undergoing dental treatments, leading to a positive attitude toward dental care. The primary aim of the study was to assess the interrelationship between the IQ of children, space maintainer therapy, and the behavior of children aged 6-10 years. Materials and methods A total of 104 children were divided into two groups: group 1 included children undergoing space maintainer therapy and group 2 included children who did not undergo space maintainer therapy. Their IQ scores were assessed using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices and behavior and the Frankl behavior rating scale. The data were analyzed by SPSS Version 23 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Independent t-tests were used to evaluate the differences between IQ and children with space maintainers, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess the differences between behavior and space maintainers. Results The mean age of the participants was approximately 8.28 years. The mean IQ score of the group of children undergoing the space maintainer therapy was 90.69 ± 7.65 and that of the control group was 105.59±10.71. Based on the Frankl behavior rating scale, the mean score in the space maintainer group was 35.44 and that of the control group was 69.56. There was a significant association between IQ, behavior, and the presence of space maintainers. Conclusion The group of children undergoing space maintainer therapy demonstrated comparatively lesser IQ, and the majority of children exhibited negative behavior. Also, children wearing space maintainers had undergone one or multiple extractions, which is traumatic for children and may lead to them likely exhibiting a negative behavior than children in the control group. Hence, it may be concluded that intelligence, behavior, and space maintainers are all significantly associated with each other.}, }
@article {pmid38244968, year = {2024}, author = {Domínguez, A and Koch, S and Marquez, S and de Castro, M and Urquiza, J and Evandt, J and Oftedal, B and Aasvang, GM and Kampouri, M and Vafeiadi, M and Mon-Williams, M and Lewer, D and Lepeule, J and Andrusaityte, S and Vrijheid, M and Guxens, M and Nieuwenhuijsen, M}, title = {Childhood exposure to outdoor air pollution in different microenvironments and cognitive and fine motor function in children from six European cohorts.}, journal = {Environmental research}, volume = {247}, number = {}, pages = {118174}, doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2024.118174}, pmid = {38244968}, issn = {1096-0953}, mesh = {Child ; Humans ; *Air Pollutants/toxicity ; *Air Pollution/analysis ; Cognition ; Cohort Studies ; Environmental Exposure/analysis ; Particulate Matter/analysis ; Transportation ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Exposure to air pollution during childhood has been linked with adverse effects on cognitive development and motor function. However, limited research has been done on the associations of air pollution exposure in different microenvironments such as home, school, or while commuting with these outcomes.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the association between childhood air pollution exposure in different microenvironments and cognitive and fine motor function from six European birth cohorts.
METHODS: We included 1301 children from six European birth cohorts aged 6-11 years from the HELIX project. Average outdoor air pollutants concentrations (NO2, PM2.5) were estimated using land use regression models for different microenvironments (home, school, and commute), for 1-year before the outcome assessment. Attentional function, cognitive flexibility, non-verbal intelligence, and fine motor function were assessed using the Attention Network Test, Trail Making Test A and B, Raven Colored Progressive Matrices test, and the Finger Tapping test, respectively. Adjusted linear regressions models were run to determine the association between each air pollutant from each microenvironment on each outcome.
RESULTS: In pooled analysis we observed high correlation (rs = 0.9) between air pollution exposures levels at home and school. However, the cohort-by-cohort analysis revealed correlations ranging from low to moderate. Air pollution exposure levels while commuting were higher than at home or school. Exposure to air pollution in the different microenvironments was not associated with working memory, attentional function, non-verbal intelligence, and fine motor function. Results remained consistently null in random-effects meta-analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: No association was observed between outdoor air pollution exposure in different microenvironments (home, school, commute) and cognitive and fine motor function in children from six European birth cohorts. Future research should include a more detailed exposure assessment, considering personal measurements and time spent in different microenvironments.}, }
@article {pmid38244996, year = {2024}, author = {Williams, ME and Corn, EA and Martinez Ransanz, S and Berl, MM and Andringa-Seed, R and Mulkey, SB}, title = {Neurodevelopmental assessments used to measure preschoolers' cognitive development in Latin America: a systematic review.}, journal = {Journal of pediatric psychology}, volume = {49}, number = {5}, pages = {321-339}, pmid = {38244996}, issn = {1465-735X}, support = {P50 HD105328/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HD102445/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; R01HD102445/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; //Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development/ ; R01HD102445/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; //DC Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center/ ; P50HD105328-01/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; //Thrasher Research Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Latin America ; Child, Preschool ; *Child Development/physiology ; *Cognition ; Child ; Neuropsychological Tests/standards/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to systematically review the standardized neurodevelopmental assessments used to study preschool-aged children's cognitive development in Spanish-speaking Latin America.
METHODS: The authors systematically searched PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases for peer-reviewed articles from Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. Articles were included if they measured cognitive development among children aged 2-6 years using at least one standardized assessment tool; 97 articles were included and reviewed in accordance with PRISMA guidelines to assess their use of these tools.
RESULTS: Ninety-seven studies across 13 countries used a total of 41 assessments to measure cognitive development; most widely used were the Wechsler intelligence scales (n = 46/97), particularly the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence and Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (n = 23 and 29, respectively). Other common assessments included the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (n = 9), Raven's Progressive Matrices (n = 9), Child Neuropsychological Assessment (n = 8), and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (n = 7). In regions where normative data for a given assessment were unpublished, authors commonly used norms from the United States, Mexico, or Spain or did not report standard scores in their analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: The wide range of tools used in these studies presents a challenge for generalizing results when measuring the neurodevelopment of Latin American preschool-aged children. The low availability of normative data for specific regions reveals concerns if some tools are culturally and linguistically appropriate even when Spanish is a common language, particularly in low-resource settings. Future work to forge greater consistency in the use of validated measures, clarity in reporting research methods, and publication of regional normative data would benefit the field.}, }
@article {pmid38255402, year = {2024}, author = {Giancola, M and Palmiero, M and Pino, MC and Sannino, M and D'Amico, S}, title = {How Do Children "Think outside the Box"? Fluid Intelligence and Divergent Thinking: A Moderated Mediation Study of Field Dependent-Independent Cognitive Style and Gender.}, journal = {Children (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {38255402}, issn = {2227-9067}, abstract = {The interplay between fluid intelligence (Gf) and divergent thinking (DT) has widely characterized current research in the psychology of creativity. Nevertheless, the evidence on the main factors involved in this association during childhood remains a matter of debate. Present research has addressed the interplay between Gf and DT, exploring the mediating role of a field dependent-independent cognitive style (FDI) and the moderating effect of gender in 101 children (Mage = 8.02; SDage = 1.43). Participants carried out Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, the Children Embedded Figure Test, and the Alternative Uses Task. The results revealed the mediating effect of FDI in the association between Gf and DT, providing evidence that this cognitive style represents a function of controlled mental processes underpinned by Gf, which are useful to thinking divergently. In addition, the findings reported that the interplay between FDI and DT was moderated by gender, suggesting that the impact of FDI on DT was stronger among boys. Through a multidimensional approach, these current research findings provide further insight into the primary children's factors involved in the ability to find alternative solutions and think divergently.}, }
@article {pmid38260596, year = {2024}, author = {Summers, J and Cosgrove, EJ and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Impacts of increasing isolation and environmental variation on Florida Scrub-Jay demography.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1101/2024.01.10.575127}, pmid = {38260596}, issn = {2692-8205}, abstract = {Isolation caused by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation can destabilize populations. Populations relying on the inflow of immigrants can face reduced fitness due to inbreeding depression as fewer new individuals arrive. Empirical studies of the demographic consequences of isolation are critical to understand how populations persist through changing conditions. We used a 34-year demographic and environmental dataset from a population of cooperatively-breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to create mechanistic models linking environmental and demographic factors to population growth rates. We found that the population has not declined despite both declining immigration and increasing inbreeding, owing to a coinciding response in breeder survival. We find evidence of density-dependent immigration, breeder survival, and fecundity, indicating that interactions between vital rates and local density play a role in buffering the population against change. Our study elucidates the impacts of isolation on demography and how long-term stability is maintained via demographic responses.}, }
@article {pmid38261918, year = {2024}, author = {Godarzi, B and Chandler, F and van der Linden, A and Sikkema, RS and de Bruin, E and Veldhuizen, E and van Amerongen, A and Gröne, A}, title = {A species-independent lateral flow microarray immunoassay to detect WNV and USUV NS1-specific antibodies in serum.}, journal = {One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands)}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {100668}, pmid = {38261918}, issn = {2352-7714}, abstract = {Arboviruses such as West Nile Virus (WNV) and Usutu Virus (USUV) are emerging pathogens that circulate between mosquitoes and birds, occasionally spilling over into humans and horses. Current serological screening methods require access to a well-equipped laboratory and are not currently available for on-site analysis. As a proof of concept, we propose here a species-independent lateral flow microarray immunoassay (LMIA) able to quickly detect and distinguish between WNV Non-Structural 1 (NS1) and USUV NS1-specific antibodies. A double antigen approach was used to test sera collected from humans, horses, European jackdaws (Corvus monedula), and common blackbirds (Turdus merula). Optimization of the concentration of capture antigen spotted on the LMIA membrane and the amount of detection antigen conjugated to detector particles indicated that maximizing both parameters increased assay sensitivity. Upon screening of a larger serum panel, the optimized LMIA showed significantly higher spot intensity for a homologous binding event. Using a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve, WNV NS1 LMIA results in humans, horses, and C. monedula showed good correlation when compared to "gold standard" WNV FRNT90. The most optimal derived sensitivity and specificity of the WNV NS1 LMIA relative to corresponding WNV FRNT90-confirmed sera were determined to be 96% and 86%, respectively. While further optimization is required, this study demonstrates the feasibility of developing a species-independent LMIA for on-site analysis of WNV, USUV, and other arboviruses. Such a tool would be useful for the on-site screening and monitoring of relevant species in more remote or low-income regions.}, }
@article {pmid38261937, year = {2024}, author = {Costa, D and Giordani, A}, title = {Aristotelian universals, strong immanence, and construction.}, journal = {Synthese}, volume = {203}, number = {2}, pages = {35}, pmid = {38261937}, issn = {0039-7857}, abstract = {The Aristotelian view of universals, according to which each universal generically depends for its existence on its instantiations, has recently come under attack by a series of ground-theoretic arguments. The last such arguments, presented by Raven, promises to offer several significant improvements over its predecessors, such as avoiding commitment to the transitivity of ground and offering new reasons for the metaphysical priority of universals over their instantiations. In this paper, we argue that Raven's argument does not effectively avoid said commitment and that Raven's new reasons fail. Moreover, we present a novel ground-theoretic interpretation of the Aristotelian view, referred to as strong immanence, and introduce a new argument against the Aristotelian view, intended to sidestep any commitment to the transitivity of ground.}, }
@article {pmid38262352, year = {2024}, author = {Johnsson, RD and Connelly, F and Lesku, JA and Roth, TC}, title = {Australian magpies.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {34}, number = {2}, pages = {R41-R43}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.017}, pmid = {38262352}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Australia ; *Songbirds ; }, abstract = {Robin D. Johnsson and colleagues introduce Australian magpies, which are not actually magpies.}, }
@article {pmid38279165, year = {2024}, author = {Ziegler, S and Srivastava, S and Parmar, D and Basu, S and Jain, N and De Allegri, M}, title = {A step closer towards achieving universal health coverage: the role of gender in enrolment in health insurance in India.}, journal = {BMC health services research}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {141}, pmid = {38279165}, issn = {1472-6963}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Universal Health Insurance ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Sexism ; Insurance, Health ; India ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: There is limited understanding of how universal health coverage (UHC) schemes such as publicly-funded health insurance (PFHI) benefit women as compared to men. Many of these schemes are gender-neutral in design but given the existing gender inequalities in many societies, their benefits may not be similar for women and men. We contribute to the evidence by conducting a gender analysis of the enrolment of individuals and households in India's national PFHI scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY).
METHODS: We used data from a cross-sectional household survey on RSBY eligible families across eight Indian states and studied different outcome variables at both the individual and household levels to compare enrolment among women and men. We applied multivariate logistic regressions and controlled for several demographic and socio-economic characteristics.
RESULTS: At the individual level, the analysis revealed no substantial differences in enrolment between men and women. Only in one state were women more likely to be enrolled in RSBY than men (AOR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.32-5.38), and this pattern was linked to their status in the household. At the household level, analyses revealed that female-headed households had a higher likelihood to be enrolled (AOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.14-1.62), but not necessarily to have all household members enrolled.
CONCLUSION: Findings are surprising in light of India's well-documented gender bias, permeating different aspects of society, and are most likely an indication of success in designing a policy that did not favour participation by men above women, by mandating spouse enrolment and securing enrolment of up to five family members. Higher enrolment rates among female-headed households are also an indication of women's preferences for investments in health, in the context of a conducive policy environment. Further analyses are needed to examine if once enrolled, women also make use of the scheme benefits to the same extent as men do. India is called upon to capitalise on the achievements of RSBY and apply them to newer schemes such as PM-JAY.}, }
@article {pmid38289304, year = {2023}, author = {Koryagina, YV and Ter-Akopov, GN and Abutalimova, SM and Nopin, SV and Akhkubekova, NK and Ukhanova, OP and Mikhailova, AA}, title = {[Effect of hyperoxic inhalations for athletes of different sports, including those who had COVID-19, when training in the middle altitude].}, journal = {Voprosy kurortologii, fizioterapii, i lechebnoi fizicheskoi kultury}, volume = {100}, number = {6}, pages = {46-51}, doi = {10.17116/kurort202310006146}, pmid = {38289304}, issn = {0042-8787}, mesh = {Humans ; Altitude ; *COVID-19 ; *Sports ; Athletes ; Hypoxia ; Oxygen ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To identify hyperoxic inhalations on the functional state of the cardiorespiratory system of athletes of different sports, who have previously had COVID-19, when training in the middle altitude.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 64 elite athletes during the preparatory period. The studies were conducted in Kislovodsk in the middle altitude (1240 meters) on the Maloe Sedlo mountain, in the conditions of training camps. We studied the parameters of heart rate variability and functional state of cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Hyperoxic inhalations were performed with the JAY-10 oxygen concentrator (LONGFIAN SCITECH CO., LTD., China). The oxygen concentration in the mixture was 93±3%, capacity - 5 l/min, exposure time - 20 min.
RESULTS: Athletes specializing in sports with predominantly anaerobic lactate and mixed mechanism of energy supply, respectively experiencing hypoxia in the process of their athletic activity during training can experience hypoxia at rest as well. The state of hypoxia during exercise in the middle altitude in such athletes is shown in heart rate variability indices (high values of heart rate and stress index, low power of high frequency waves), low saturation, increased oxygen uptake from the blood microcirculation system. The use of oxygen therapy in athletes promotes positive dynamics of the functional state, consisting in a reduced stress of regulatory mechanisms, strengthened tone of the parasympathetic nervous system in the heart rate regulation, increased economization of the central hemodynamics' parameters, improved functions of the external respiratory system.
CONCLUSION: Application of hyperoxic inhalations during intense exercise in the middle altitude has a favorable effect on the functional state of the cardiorespiratory system in all the studied sports, especially in athletes who have previously had COVID-19.}, }
@article {pmid38301191, year = {2024}, author = {Rushovich, T and Nethery, RC and White, A and Krieger, N}, title = {1965 US Voting Rights Act Impact on Black and Black Versus White Infant Death Rates in Jim Crow States, 1959-1980 and 2017-2021.}, journal = {American journal of public health}, volume = {114}, number = {3}, pages = {300-308}, pmid = {38301191}, issn = {1541-0048}, mesh = {Humans ; Infant ; *Black or African American ; *Infant Death ; United States ; *Voting/legislation & jurisprudence ; White ; }, abstract = {Objectives. To investigate the impact of the US Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 on Black and Black versus White infant deaths in Jim Crow states. Methods. Using data from 1959 to 1980 and 2017 to 2021, we applied difference-in-differences methods to quantify differential pre-post VRA changes in infant deaths in VRA-exposed versus unexposed counties, controlling for population size and social, economic, and health system characteristics. VRA-exposed counties, identified by Section 4, were subject to government interventions to remove existing racist voter suppression policies. Results. Black infant deaths in VRA-exposed counties decreased by an average of 11.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7, 21.0) additional deaths beyond the decrease experienced by unexposed counties between the pre-VRA period (1959-1965) and the post-VRA period (1966-1970). This translates to 6703 (95% CI = 999.6, 12 348) or 17.5% (95% CI = 3.1%, 28.1%) fewer deaths than would have been experienced in the absence of the VRA. The equivalent differential changes were not significant among the White or total population. Conclusions. Passage of the VRA led to pronounced reductions in Black infant deaths in Southern counties subject to government intervention because these counties had particularly egregious voter suppression practices. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(3):300-308. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307518).}, }
@article {pmid38302714, year = {2024}, author = {Jia, Y and Qiu, L and Zhang, H and Li, Z and Zhao, P and Zhang, Y and Zhang, B}, title = {Efficacy and Safety of Type III Collagen Lyophilized Fibers Using Mid-to-Deep Dermal Facial Injections for the Correction of Dynamic Facial Wrinkles.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {48}, number = {13}, pages = {2500-2512}, pmid = {38302714}, issn = {1432-5241}, support = {2020089//Scientific research project of Shanxi Provincial Health Commission/ ; 2021047//Scientific research project of Shanxi Provincial Health Commission/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Retrospective Studies ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Male ; Injections, Intradermal ; *Collagen Type III ; *Dermal Fillers/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Patient Satisfaction/statistics & numerical data ; Freeze Drying ; Esthetics ; Face ; Cosmetic Techniques ; Cohort Studies ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of injecting Type III collagen lyophilized fibers into the mid-to-deep layers of the facial dermis to ameliorate dynamic facial wrinkles.
METHODS: In this retrospective analysis, clinical data were collected from patients exhibiting dynamic facial wrinkles (encompassing frown lines, forehead lines, and crow's feet) with a wrinkle severity rating scale (WSRS) score of 3 or higher. In the control group, 75 participants received collagen implant injections into the mid-to-deep facial dermal layers, whereas 76 participants in the experimental group received injections of Type III collagen lyophilized fibers in similar layers. The study analyzed and compared clinical efficacy, WSRS score alterations, patient satisfaction, and safety profiles between the groups over the 30-day and 90-day treatment periods.
RESULTS: At the 30-day mark, the therapeutic efficacy was not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, at 90 days, the treatment efficacy in the experimental group surpassed that in the control group, showing a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05). After 30 days of treatment, the WSRS score improvement in the experimental group was significantly superior to that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conversely, at the 90-day mark, the results revealed no significant variation in WSRS score improvements between the two groups (P > 0.05). Regarding treatment satisfaction among researchers and participants post-30 and 90-day treatment in both groups, no statistically significant differences were observed (P > 0.05). Similarly, the incidence of adverse reactions between the groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: Injections of lyophilized type III collagen fibers into the mid-to-deep layers of the facial dermis have a definitive therapeutic effect on dynamic facial wrinkles. This treatment not only substantially diminishes wrinkle severity but also has a commendable safety profile.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid38306284, year = {2024}, author = {Clancey, E and MacPherson, A and Cheek, RG and Mouton, JC and Sillett, TS and Ghalambor, CK and Funk, WC and Hohenlohe, PA}, title = {Unraveling Adaptive Evolutionary Divergence at Microgeographic Scales.}, journal = {The American naturalist}, volume = {203}, number = {2}, pages = {E35-E49}, doi = {10.1086/727723}, pmid = {38306284}, issn = {1537-5323}, mesh = {Humans ; Bayes Theorem ; *Selection, Genetic ; *Ecosystem ; Phenotype ; Genetic Variation ; }, abstract = {AbstractStriking examples of local adaptation at fine geographic scales are increasingly being documented in natural populations. However, the relative contributions made by natural selection, phenotype-dependent dispersal (when individuals disperse with respect to a habitat preference), and mate preference in generating and maintaining microgeographic adaptation and divergence are not well studied. Here, we develop quantitative genetics models and individual-based simulations (IBSs) to uncover the evolutionary forces that possibly drive microgeographic divergence. We also perform Bayesian estimation of the parameters in our IBS using empirical data on habitat-specific variation in bill morphology in the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis) to apply our models to a natural system. We find that natural selection and phenotype-dependent dispersal can generate the patterns of divergence we observe in the island scrub-jay. However, mate preference for a mate with similar bill morphology, even though observed in the species, does not play a significant role in driving divergence. Our modeling approach provides insights into phenotypic evolution occurring over small spatial scales relative to dispersal ranges, suggesting that adaptive divergence at microgeographic scales may be common across a wider range of taxa than previously thought. Our quantitative genetic models help to inform future theoretical and empirical work to determine how selection, habitat preference, and mate preference contribute to local adaptation and microgeographic divergence.}, }
@article {pmid38308828, year = {2023}, author = {Kazim, AR and Houssaini, J and Tappe, D and Heo, CC and Vellayan, S}, title = {Two new records of chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) from the Oriental honey buzzard [Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)] and house crow (Corvus splendens Viellot, 1817) in Malaysia.}, journal = {Tropical biomedicine}, volume = {40}, number = {4}, pages = {416-421}, doi = {10.47665/tb.40.4.006}, pmid = {38308828}, issn = {2521-9855}, mesh = {Animals ; *Amblycera ; *Crows ; *Ischnocera ; *Lice Infestations/veterinary ; Malaysia ; *Honey ; *Bird Diseases ; Birds ; }, abstract = {We report two new records of chewing lice from avian pets in Peninsular Malaysia: Colpocephalum apivorus Tendeiro, 1958 from an Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)), and Myrsidea splendenticola Klockenhoff, 1973 from an albino house crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817). The scarcity of louse records from avian pets and wild birds, and the lack of louse research in Malaysia are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid38314367, year = {2023}, author = {Shenoy, C and Agrawal, R and Chandrashekar, BS and Lalchandani, R}, title = {Comparison of Safety and Efficacy of Two Brands of Botulinum Toxin A for the Treatment of Lateral Canthal Lines (Crow's Feet): A Split-Face Study.}, journal = {Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery}, volume = {16}, number = {4}, pages = {270-278}, pmid = {38314367}, issn = {0974-2077}, abstract = {AIM: To compare the safety and efficacy of Stunnox with the international brand of botulinum toxin A on lateral canthal lines.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a nonrandomized, controlled, pilot, split-face study in 47 patients who were given two brands of Botulinum toxin A for the treatment of lateral canthal lines for 12 weeks. Evaluation of lines was assessed with grades of 0 (none), 1 (mild), 2 (moderate), and 3 (severe) at a maximum smile and rest by using ANTERA 3D camera.
RESULTS: There was a statistical significance in lateral canthal lines wrinkles reduction on the Stunnox sides compared to pretreatment and at weeks 4, 8, and 12, respectively (all P < 0.05). The wrinkle reduction was similar to the effects of the control internationally available brand of botulinum toxin A. The clinical improvement of lateral canthal line wrinkles was greatest at 4 weeks after injection and the improvement lasted until 12 weeks of treatment with no adverse events observed.
CONCLUSION: In this split-face study, Stunnox botulinum toxin A showed a moderate but significant wrinkle-soothing effect without obvious side effects on the lateral canthal.}, }
@article {pmid38325410, year = {2024}, author = {Sitko, J and Heneberg, P}, title = {Avian trematodes of central European corvids are heterogeneous regarding preferences for host species and age.}, journal = {Journal of helminthology}, volume = {98}, number = {}, pages = {e17}, doi = {10.1017/S0022149X23001001}, pmid = {38325410}, issn = {1475-2697}, mesh = {Animals ; *Birds/parasitology ; Czech Republic ; *Dicrocoeliidae ; Ecosystem ; *Trematoda ; }, abstract = {Corvids are highly adaptive birds that respond well to anthropogenic changes in their environment. Trematode communities of corvids were studied mainly in the 1950s through 1970s in regularly flooded parts of the Volga River delta in Russia; more recent studies and data from other regions where the corvids are in less contact with postflooding habitats are limited. Data for Corvus corax were lacking. Using our samples obtained from 1963 to 2023, we performed a large-scale analysis of trematode species composition and community structure in Corvus frugilegus, Corvus cornix, C. corax, Coloeus monedula, Pica pica, and Garrulus glandarius; all originated from the Czech Republic. We identified corvids as hosts of mutually overlapping component communities of only a few species of trematodes (Brachylecithum lobatum, Lyperosomum petiolatum, Lyperosomum longicauda, Tamerlania zarudnyi, Urogonimus macrostomus), with the presence of many rare and incidental findings of other trematode species. Only a few species used corvids as their core hosts (L. longicauda and B. lobatum). Trematode component communities in first-year birds included Prosthogonimus cuneatus, Prosthogonimus ovatus, Plagiorchis asperus, and Morishitium dollfusi due to an increased share of insects (intermediate hosts of Prosthogonimus and Plagiorchis) and snails (intermediate hosts of Morishitium) in the diet of juveniles. The trematode component communities of corvid species overlapped but were heterogeneous at the level of host individuals, likely reflecting differences in food sources related to the respective host ages and nesting sites.}, }
@article {pmid38327363, year = {2023}, author = {Chaprazov, T and Petrov, R and Yarkov, D and Andonova, Y and Lazarova, I}, title = {Basic blood biochemical parameters of wild common ravens (Corvuscorax).}, journal = {Biodiversity data journal}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {e103271}, pmid = {38327363}, issn = {1314-2828}, abstract = {Baseline haematological and biochemical blood parameters in healthy wild birds are key to managing wild populations and to saving critically ill individuals. This knowledge is crucial for the care, rehabilitation and the release of birds after treatment in wildlife rescue centres. Plasma levels provide valuable information for the evaluation of the physical condition of animals. The objective of this study was to obtain reference values of some basic biochemical blood parameters of wild common ravens (Corvuscorax). Between 2020 and 2023, we took blood samples from the wild population of common ravens in Bulgaria (n = 36). We determined the values of 18 parameters - alanine transaminase (ALT, U/I), albumin (g/l), alkaline phosphatase (ALP, U/I), amylase (U/I), aspartate transaminase (AST, U/I), calcium (mmol/l), chloride (mmol/l), cholesterol (mmol/l), creatine kinase (CK, U/I), creatinine (μmol/l), blood glucose (mmol/l), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, U/I), magnesium (mmol/l), phosphorus (mmol/l), total bilirubin (μmol/l), total protein (g/l), triglycerides (TG, mmol/l) and uric acid (μmol/l). We made a comparative analysis including the regions in which the groups were sampled and the time of year. Most of the presented results were comparable to published values of other species from the Corvidae family and some were higher (ALP, amylase, AST, CK, total protein and uric acid levels). Most of these could be explained by the capture- and handling stress. This is the first report in official literary sources presenting some basic biochemical blood parameters of healthy wild common ravens in Bulgaria. The results may be of use to scientists, veterinarians and other researchers in rescue and rehabilitation centres and they can provide the basis for further studies with regards to animal welfare and health assessment of the species.}, }
@article {pmid38335048, year = {2024}, author = {Mazengenya, P and Lesku, JA and Rattenborg, NC and Manger, PR}, title = {Apparent absence of hypothalamic cholinergic neurons in the common ostrich and emu: Implications for global brain states during sleep.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {532}, number = {2}, pages = {e25587}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25587}, pmid = {38335048}, issn = {1096-9861}, support = {2022-IRG-MED-3//Ajman University Research Grant/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Dromaiidae/metabolism ; *Struthioniformes/metabolism ; Brain/metabolism ; Hypothalamus/metabolism ; Cholinergic Neurons/metabolism ; Sleep/physiology ; Cholinergic Agents ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase/metabolism ; }, abstract = {We examined the presence/absence and parcellation of cholinergic neurons in the hypothalami of five birds: a Congo grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), a Timneh grey parrot (P. timneh), a pied crow (Corvus albus), a common ostrich (Struthio camelus), and an emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). Using immunohistochemistry to an antibody raised against the enzyme choline acetyltransferase, hypothalamic cholinergic neurons were observed in six distinct clusters in the medial, lateral, and ventral hypothalamus in the parrots and crow, similar to prior observations made in the pigeon. The expression of cholinergic nuclei was most prominent in the Congo grey parrot, both in the medial and lateral hypothalamus. In contrast, no evidence of cholinergic neurons in the hypothalami of either the ostrich or emu was found. It is known that the expression of sleep states in the ostrich is unusual and resembles that observed in the monotremes that also lack hypothalamic cholinergic neurons. It has been proposed that the cholinergic system acts globally to produce and maintain brain states, such as those of arousal and rapid-eye-movement sleep. The hiatus in the cholinergic system of the ostrich, due to the lack of hypothalamic cholinergic neurons, may explain, in part, the unusual expression of sleep states in this species. These comparative anatomical and sleep studies provide supportive evidence for global cholinergic actions and may provide an important framework for our understanding of one broad function of the cholinergic system and possible dysfunctions associated with global cholinergic neural activity.}, }
@article {pmid38335247, year = {2024}, author = {Sun, C and Hassin, Y and Boonman, A and Shwartz, A and Yovel, Y}, title = {Species and habitat specific changes in bird activity in an urban environment during Covid 19 lockdown.}, journal = {eLife}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38335247}, issn = {2050-084X}, support = {3-17988//Israeli Ministry of Science/ ; 201906620060//China Scholarship Council/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Ecosystem ; *COVID-19/epidemiology ; Communicable Disease Control ; Birds ; Introduced Species ; }, abstract = {Covid-19 lockdowns provided ecologists with a rare opportunity to examine how animals behave when humans are absent. Indeed many studies reported various effects of lockdowns on animal activity, especially in urban areas and other human-dominated habitats. We explored how Covid-19 lockdowns in Israel have influenced bird activity in an urban environment by using continuous acoustic recordings to monitor three common bird species that differ in their level of adaptation to the urban ecosystem: (1) the hooded crow, an urban exploiter, which depends heavily on anthropogenic resources; (2) the rose-ringed parakeet, an invasive alien species that has adapted to exploit human resources; and (3) the graceful prinia, an urban adapter, which is relatively shy of humans and can be found in urban habitats with shrubs and prairies. Acoustic recordings provided continuous monitoring of bird activity without an effect of the observer on the animal. We performed dense sampling of a 1.3 square km area in northern Tel-Aviv by placing 17 recorders for more than a month in different micro-habitats within this region including roads, residential areas and urban parks. We monitored both lockdown and no-lockdown periods. We portray a complex dynamic system where the activity of specific bird species depended on many environmental parameters and decreases or increases in a habitat-dependent manner during lockdown. Specifically, urban exploiter species decreased their activity in most urban habitats during lockdown, while human adapter species increased their activity during lockdown especially in parks where humans were absent. Our results also demonstrate the value of different habitats within urban environments for animal activity, specifically highlighting the importance of urban parks. These species- and habitat-specific changes in activity might explain the contradicting results reported by others who have not performed a habitat specific analysis.}, }
@article {pmid38343459, year = {2024}, author = {Fine, L}, title = {We are our history: Baylor University Medical Center and Black physicians in Dallas.}, journal = {Proceedings (Baylor University. Medical Center)}, volume = {37}, number = {2}, pages = {185-195}, pmid = {38343459}, issn = {0899-8280}, abstract = {The Texas Baptist Memorial Sanatorium, the hospital that later became known as Baylor University Medical Center, dates back to 1904. With this long-lived history comes the truths that affected all hospitals during the Jim Crow era: segregation and inequality. This paper attempts to place Baylor University Medical Center, which aimed (and continues to aim) to be a "great humanitarian hospital," in its historical context. Understanding this history may help explain and combat the inequities we continue to see in health care today.}, }
@article {pmid38346081, year = {2024}, author = {Guo, Z and Duan, D and Tang, W and Zhu, J and Bush, WS and Zhang, L and Zhu, X and Jin, F and Feng, H}, title = {magpie: A power evaluation method for differential RNA methylation analysis in N6-methyladenosine sequencing.}, journal = {PLoS computational biology}, volume = {20}, number = {2}, pages = {e1011875}, pmid = {38346081}, issn = {1553-7358}, mesh = {*RNA/genetics/metabolism ; *RNA Methylation ; Methylation ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; }, abstract = {Recently, novel biotechnologies to quantify RNA modifications became an increasingly popular choice for researchers who study epitranscriptome. When studying RNA methylations such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), researchers need to make several decisions in its experimental design, especially the sample size and a proper statistical power. Due to the complexity and high-throughput nature of m6A sequencing measurements, methods for power calculation and study design are still currently unavailable. In this work, we propose a statistical power assessment tool, magpie, for power calculation and experimental design for epitranscriptome studies using m6A sequencing data. Our simulation-based power assessment tool will borrow information from real pilot data, and inspect various influential factors including sample size, sequencing depth, effect size, and basal expression ranges. We integrate two modules in magpie: (i) a flexible and realistic simulator module to synthesize m6A sequencing data based on real data; and (ii) a power assessment module to examine a set of comprehensive evaluation metrics.}, }
@article {pmid38350545, year = {2024}, author = {Tariq, A and Ahmad, SR and Qadir, A}, title = {Nesting material adaptation of native bird species with anthropogenic litter along an urbanization gradient in Pakistan.}, journal = {Environmental research}, volume = {249}, number = {}, pages = {118435}, doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2024.118435}, pmid = {38350545}, issn = {1096-0953}, mesh = {Animals ; Pakistan ; *Urbanization ; *Nesting Behavior ; Birds/physiology ; Anthropogenic Effects ; Environmental Monitoring ; Waste Products/analysis ; }, abstract = {Rapid urbanization and associated waste generation have become a mounting ecological concern for wildlife, especially avian communities. Research has primarily focused on investigating the impacts of human activities on marine birds with comparatively less focus on terrestrial species that live in far more anthropized environments and are at significant risk. Our study has explored the abundance and characteristics of anthropogenic litter in 70 nests of four generalist bird species: Bank Myna (Acridotheres ginginianus), Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis), Black Kite (Milvus migrans) and House Crow (Corvus splendens), within the city of Lahore (Pakistan) and its surroundings, by determining and following an urbanization gradient. The overall frequency of litter occurrence (FLO%) for all the sampled nests was 89%. Over 80% of the recorded litter items consisted of plastic materials, primarily dominated by sheet-like plastics. There was a strong association between fabric and Black Kite nests, and metal and House Crow nests. Litter incorporation increased across the gradient from rural to urban habitats. The highest FLO% was found in nests sampled from waste dumping sites and urban sites (95%-100%), where anthropogenic influence was more intense. The high level of litter incorporation is potentially indicative of a species' adaptive response to urbanization, associated with the decline in natural nesting material and availability of anthropogenic litter. These findings highlight the need for strengthening the existing global database for terrestrial litter and its effect on wildlife and devising policy actions for better waste management and conservation of natural ecosystem balance.}, }
@article {pmid38358989, year = {2024}, author = {Mafizur, RM and Sangjin, L and Chul, PY}, title = {Prevalence of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli in the feces of free-roaming wildlife throughout South Korea.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {2}, pages = {e0281006}, pmid = {38358989}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Swine ; Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Animals, Wild/microbiology ; Prevalence ; Phylogeny ; *Shiga-Toxigenic Escherichia coli/genetics ; *Deer/microbiology ; *Escherichia coli Infections/epidemiology/veterinary/microbiology ; Sus scrofa ; Salmonella/genetics ; Feces/microbiology ; }, abstract = {Wildlife can carry pathogenic organisms, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi, which can spread to humans and cause mild to serious illnesses and even death. Spreading through animal feces, these pathogens significantly contributes to the global burden of human diseases. Therefore, the present study investigated the prevalence of zoonotic bacterial pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), in animal feces. Between September 2015 and August 2017, 699 wildlife fecal samples were collected from various agricultural production regions and mountainous areas in South Korea. Fecal samples were collected from wild mammals (85.26%, 596/699) and birds (14.73%, 103/699). Salmonella spp. and E. coli were present in 3% (21/699) and 45.63% (319/699) of the samples, respectively. Moreover, virulence genes stx1 and both stx1 and stx2 were detected in 13.30% (93/699) and 0.72% (5/699) of the samples, respectively. The 21 Salmonella spp. were detected in badgers (n = 5), leopard cats (n = 7), wild boars (n = 2), and magpies (n = 7); STEC was detected in roe deer, water deer, mice, and wild boars. Through phylogenetic and gene-network analyses, the Salmonella spp. isolates (n = 21 laboratory isolates, at least one isolate from each Salmonella-positive animal fecal sample, and n = 6 widely prevalent reference Salmonella serovars) were grouped into two major lineages: S. enterica subsp. enterica and S. enterica subsp. diarizonae. Similarly, 93 E. coli isolates belonged to stx1, including three major lineages (groups 1-3), and stx1 and stx2 detected groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a wild leopard cat serving as a reservoir for Salmonella spp. in South Korea. The research findings can help manage the potential risk of wildlife contamination and improve precautionary measures to protect public health.}, }
@article {pmid38359753, year = {2024}, author = {Owings, CG and McKee-Zech, HS and Orebaugh, JA and Devlin, JL and Vidoli, GM}, title = {The utility of blow fly (Diptera: Calliphoridae) evidence from burned human remains.}, journal = {Forensic science international}, volume = {356}, number = {}, pages = {111962}, doi = {10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111962}, pmid = {38359753}, issn = {1872-6283}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Diptera ; Calliphoridae ; Body Remains ; Insecta ; Entomology ; *Burns ; Larva ; }, abstract = {Burning of human remains is a common method to conceal or destroy evidence associated with homicides and illegal activities. However, data regarding blow fly colonization of burned remains are scarce, with all previously published empirical studies focusing only on non-human animals. It is critically important to obtain basic data on blow fly colonization patterns of burned human remains as such evidence may represent the only feasible method for PMI estimation in cases of burning. In this study, we thermally altered six human donors to a Crow-Glassman Scale Level 3 (CGS-3) and placed them at the Anthropology Research Facility at the University of Tennessee in Summer 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022. Six unburned human donors were used as controls. Observations for insect activity began within 24 h of placement and continued twice weekly through decomposition. Age estimations were performed with immature blow flies to estimate the time of colonization (TOC), and accuracy was assessed against the time of placement for each donor. All burned donors examined in this study were colonized by blow flies. No significant difference in species composition was determined between treatments, though TOC estimations from burned donors were slightly (but significantly) less accurate than TOC estimations from unburned donors (80% vs. 83% accuracy; χ[2] = 0.041, df = 1, P = 0.840). These results indicate that blow flies can successfully colonize human remains burned to CGS-3 and that accurate TOC estimations can still be generated from larval specimens. Though several limitations to this study exist (e.g., inconsistent donor BMI, lack of donor temperature data), our results underscore the utility of entomological evidence in cases of burned human remains.}, }
@article {pmid38360908, year = {2024}, author = {Inzalaco, HN and Brandell, EE and Wilson, SP and Hunsaker, M and Stahler, DR and Woelfel, K and Walsh, DP and Nordeen, T and Storm, DJ and Lichtenberg, SS and Turner, WC}, title = {Detection of prions from spiked and free-ranging carnivore feces.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {3804}, pmid = {38360908}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {37000-0000009433//Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Prions ; *Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Feces ; *Wasting Disease, Chronic/diagnosis/epidemiology ; *Deer ; *Coyotes ; }, abstract = {Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly contagious, fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by infectious prions (PrP[CWD]) affecting wild and captive cervids. Although experimental feeding studies have demonstrated prions in feces of crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), coyotes (Canis latrans), and cougars (Puma concolor), the role of scavengers and predators in CWD epidemiology remains poorly understood. Here we applied the real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay to detect PrP[CWD] in feces from cervid consumers, to advance surveillance approaches, which could be used to improve disease research and adaptive management of CWD. We assessed recovery and detection of PrP[CWD] by experimental spiking of PrP[CWD] into carnivore feces from 9 species sourced from CWD-free populations or captive facilities. We then applied this technique to detect PrP[CWD] from feces of predators and scavengers in free-ranging populations. Our results demonstrate that spiked PrP[CWD] is detectable from feces of free-ranging mammalian and avian carnivores using RT-QuIC. Results show that PrP[CWD] acquired in natural settings is detectable in feces from free-ranging carnivores, and that PrP[CWD] rates of detection in carnivore feces reflect relative prevalence estimates observed in the corresponding cervid populations. This study adapts an important diagnostic tool for CWD, allowing investigation of the epidemiology of CWD at the community-level.}, }
@article {pmid38362046, year = {2023}, author = {Myers, T and Bouslimani, A and Huang, S and Hansen, ST and Clavaud, C and Azouaoui, A and Ott, A and Gueniche, A and Bouez, C and Zheng, Q and Aguilar, L and Knight, R and Moreau, M and Song, SJ}, title = {A multi-study analysis enables identification of potential microbial features associated with skin aging signs.}, journal = {Frontiers in aging}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {1304705}, pmid = {38362046}, issn = {2673-6217}, abstract = {Introduction: During adulthood, the skin microbiota can be relatively stable if environmental conditions are also stable, yet physiological changes of the skin with age may affect the skin microbiome and its function. The microbiome is an important factor to consider in aging since it constitutes most of the genes that are expressed on the human body. However, severity of specific aging signs (one of the parameters used to measure "apparent" age) and skin surface quality (e.g., texture, hydration, pH, sebum, etc.) may not be indicative of chronological age. For example, older individuals can have young looking skin (young apparent age) and young individuals can be of older apparent age. Methods: Here we aim to identify microbial taxa of interest associated to skin quality/aging signs using a multi-study analysis of 13 microbiome datasets consisting of 16S rRNA amplicon sequence data and paired skin clinical data from the face. Results: We show that there is a negative relationship between microbiome diversity and transepidermal water loss, and a positive association between microbiome diversity and age. Aligned with a tight link between age and wrinkles, we report a global positive association between microbiome diversity and Crow's feet wrinkles, but with this relationship varying significantly by sub-study. Finally, we identify taxa potentially associated with wrinkles, TEWL and corneometer measures. Discussion: These findings represent a key step towards understanding the implication of the skin microbiota in skin aging signs.}, }
@article {pmid38362616, year = {2024}, author = {Itahara, A and Kano, F}, title = {Gaze tracking of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) in a motion capture system.}, journal = {The Journal of experimental biology}, volume = {227}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {38362616}, issn = {1477-9145}, support = {//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; //Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; //The Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science/ ; //Academist/ ; 19H01772, 23KJ1303 and 20H05000//Japan Society for Promotion of Science/ ; //Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science/ ; 422037984//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Cluster of Excellence/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows ; Eye-Tracking Technology ; Motion Capture ; Vision, Ocular ; Visual Fields ; }, abstract = {Previous studies often inferred the focus of a bird's attention from its head movements because it provides important clues about their perception and cognition. However, it remains challenging to do so accurately, as the details of how they orient their visual field toward the visual targets remain largely unclear. We thus examined visual field configurations and the visual field use of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler 1827). We used an established ophthalmoscopic reflex technique to identify the visual field configuration, including the binocular width and optical axes, as well as the degree of eye movement. A newly established motion capture system was then used to track the head movements of freely moving crows to examine how they oriented their reconstructed visual fields toward attention-getting objects. When visual targets were moving, the crows frequently used their binocular visual fields, particularly around the projection of the beak-tip. When the visual targets stopped moving, crows frequently used non-binocular visual fields, particularly around the regions where their optical axes were found. On such occasions, the crows slightly preferred the right eye. Overall, the visual field use of crows is clearly predictable. Thus, while the untracked eye movements could introduce some level of uncertainty (typically within 15 deg), we demonstrated the feasibility of inferring a crow's attentional focus by 3D tracking of their heads. Our system represents a promising initial step towards establishing gaze tracking methods for studying corvid behavior and cognition.}, }
@article {pmid38363314, year = {2024}, author = {Zahid, N and Enam, SA and Mårtensson, T and Azam, I and Mushtaq, N and Moochhala, M and Javed, F and Kausar, F and Hasan, A and Rehman, L and Mughal, MN and Altaf, S and Kirmani, S and Brown, N}, title = {Predictors of neurocognition outcomes in children and young people with primary brain tumor presenting to tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan: a prospective cohort study.}, journal = {Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery}, volume = {40}, number = {6}, pages = {1707-1719}, pmid = {38363314}, issn = {1433-0350}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; *Brain Neoplasms/psychology/complications ; Cohort Studies ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Pakistan/epidemiology ; Prospective Studies ; *Tertiary Care Centers ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Primary brain tumors are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in children and young people (CYP) globally. Impaired neurocognitive function is a potential severe consequence in primary brain tumor (PBT) survivors. There are no in-depth studies from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to inform management and follow-up. The research questions of this study were as follows: Are the sociodemographic factors (lower age of CYP, female gender, low socioeconomic status, low parental education), disease-related factors (high grade of tumor, presence of seizures, presence of hydrocephalous), and treatment-related factors (adjuvant therapy, no surgical intervention, post-treatment seizures, placement of shunts) associated with decline in neurcognition outcomes 12 months post-treatment in CYP with PBTs?
METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted from November 2020 to July 2023 at the Aga Khan University Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, tertiary care hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. All CYP aged 5 to 21 years with a newly diagnosed PBTs were eligible. The neurocognition assessment was undertaken by a psychologist at two points, i.e., pre-treatment and at 12 months post-treatment using validated tools. The verbal intelligence was assessed by Slosson Intelligence tool, revised 3rd edition (SIT-R3), perceptual reasoning by Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM), and the Processing Speed Index by Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC V) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV). The data were analyzed by STATA version 12 software. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to determine the factors associated with the mean change in 12 months post-treatment verbal and non-verbal neurocognition scores. Unadjusted and adjusted beta coefficients with their 95% confidence intervals were reported.
RESULTS: A total of 48 CYPs with PBTs were enrolled, 23 (48%) of them were lost to follow-up and 10 (21%) died. The remaining 25 (52%) were reassessed 12 months after treatment. On multivariable analysis, a significant decline in verbal intelligence scores at 12 months was predicted by post-treatment seizures beta = - 20.8 (95% CI, - 38.2, - 3.4), mothers having no formal educational status and lower household monthly income. Similarly, a significant decline in perceptual reasoning scores was also predicted by post-treatment seizures beta = - 10.7 (95% CI, - 20.6, - 0.8), mothers having no formal education and having lower household monthly income. Worsening of processing speed scores at 12 months post-treatment were predicted by tumor histology, post-treatment seizures beta = - 33.9 (95% CI, - 47.7, - 20.0), lower educational status of the mother, and having lower household monthly. However, an improvement was seen in processing speed scores after surgical tumor resection.
CONCLUSION: In this novel study, the post-treatment mean change in verbal and non-verbal neurocognition scores was associated with sociodemographic, tumor, and treatment factors. These findings may have potential implications for targeted early psychological screening of higher risk CYP with PBTs. Identification of these predictors may serve as a foundation for developing more cost-effective treatment thereby alleviating the burden of neurocognitive morbidity. However to establish generalizability, future research should prioritize larger-scale, multicountry studies. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05709522).}, }
@article {pmid38364572, year = {2024}, author = {Brennan Kearns, P and van den Dries, MA and Julvez, J and Kampouri, M and López-Vicente, M and Maitre, L and Philippat, C and Småstuen Haug, L and Vafeiadi, M and Thomsen, C and Yang, TC and Vrijheid, M and Tiemeier, H and Guxens, M}, title = {Association of exposure to mixture of chemicals during pregnancy with cognitive abilities and fine motor function of children.}, journal = {Environment international}, volume = {185}, number = {}, pages = {108490}, doi = {10.1016/j.envint.2024.108490}, pmid = {38364572}, issn = {1873-6750}, support = {CS/16/4/32482/BHF_/British Heart Foundation/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Adult ; Child ; Maternal Exposure/adverse effects ; Cognition ; *Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated ; *Fluorocarbons ; *Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; *Environmental Pollutants/toxicity ; *Phthalic Acids ; }, abstract = {Chemical exposures often occur in mixtures and exposures during pregnancy may lead to adverse effects on the fetal brain, potentially reducing lower cognitive abilities and fine motor function of the child. We investigated the association of motheŕs exposure to a mixture of chemicals during pregnancy (i.e., organochlorine compounds, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, phenols, phthalates, organophosphate pesticides) with cognitive abilties and fine motor function in their children. We studied 1097 mother-child pairs from five European cohorts participating in the Human Early Life Exposome study (HELIX). Measurement of 26 biomarkers of exposure to chemicals was performed on urine or blood samples of pregnant women (mean age 31 years). Cognitive abilities and fine motor function were assessed in their children (mean age 8 years) with a battery of computerized tests administered in person (Raveńs Coloured Progressive Matrices, Attention Network Test, N-back Test, Trail Making Test, Finger Tapping Test). We estimated the joint effect of prenatal exposure to chemicals on cognitive abilities and fine motor function using the quantile-based g-computation method, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. A quartile increase in all the chemicals in the overall mixture was associated with worse fine motor function, specifically lower scores in the Finger Tapping Test [-8.5 points, 95 % confidence interval (CI) -13.6 to -3.4; -14.5 points, 95 % CI -22.4 to -6.6, and -18.0 points, 95 % CI -28.6 to -7.4) for the second, third and fourth quartile of the overal mixture, respectively, when compared to the first quartile]. Organochlorine compounds, phthalates, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances contributed most to this association. We did not find a relationship with cognitive abilities. We conclude that exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy may influence neurodevelopment, impacting fine motor function of the offspring.}, }
@article {pmid38368968, year = {2024}, author = {Le Covec, M and Bovet, D and Watanabe, S and Izawa, EI and Bobin-Bègue, A}, title = {Spontaneous tempo production in cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) and jungle crows (Corvus macrorhynchos).}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {217}, number = {}, pages = {105007}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105007}, pmid = {38368968}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Cockatoos/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Beak/physiology ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Musical and rhythmical abilities are poorly documented in non-human animals. Most of the existing studies focused on synchronisation performances to external rhythms. In humans, studies demonstrated that rhythmical processing (e. g. rhythm discrimination or synchronisation to external rhythm) is dependent of an individual measure: the individual tempo. It is assessed by asking participants to produce an endogenous isochronous rhythm (known as spontaneous motor tempo) without any specific instructions nor temporal cue. In non-human animal literature, studies describing spontaneous and endogenous production of motor tempo without any temporal clue are rare. This exploratory study aims to describe and compare the spontaneous motor tempo of cockatiels and jungle crows. Data were collected on spontaneous beak drumming behaviours of birds housed in laboratory. Inter beak strokes intervals were calculated from sound tracks of videos. The analyses revealed that inter beak strokes intervals are non-randomly distributed intervals and are isochronous. Recorded spontaneous motor tempos are significantly different among some cockatiels. Since we could only conduct statistical analysis with one corvid, we cannot conclude about this species. Our results suggest that cockatiels and jungle crows have individual tempos, thus encouraging further investigations.}, }
@article {pmid38375775, year = {2024}, author = {Jariwala, N and Ozols, M and Eckersley, A and Mambwe, B and Watson, REB and Zeef, L and Gilmore, A and Debelle, L and Bell, M and Bradley, EJ and Doush, Y and Keenan, A and Courage, C and Leroux, R and Peschard, O and Mondon, P and Ringenbach, C and Bernard, L and Pitois, A and Sherratt, MJ}, title = {Prediction, screening and characterization of novel bioactive tetrapeptide matrikines for skin rejuvenation.}, journal = {The British journal of dermatology}, volume = {191}, number = {1}, pages = {92-106}, doi = {10.1093/bjd/ljae061}, pmid = {38375775}, issn = {1365-2133}, support = {//Walgreens Boots Alliance/ ; 220540/Z/20/A/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Fibroblasts/metabolism/drug effects ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Rejuvenation ; *Oligopeptides/pharmacology ; Skin/drug effects/pathology/metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Extracellular Matrix/metabolism ; Male ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins/metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Proteomics/methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Extracellular matrices play a critical role in tissue structure and function and aberrant remodelling of these matrices is a hallmark of many age-related diseases. In skin, loss of dermal collagens and disorganization of elastic fibre components are key features of photoageing. Although the application of some small matrix-derived peptides to aged skin has been shown to beneficially affect in vitro cell behaviour and, in vivo, molecular architecture and clinical appearance, the discovery of new peptides has lacked a guiding hypothesis.
OBJECTIVES: To identify, using protease cleavage site prediction, novel putative matrikines with beneficial activities for skin composition and structure.
METHODS: Here, we present an in silico (peptide cleavage prediction) to in vitro (proteomic and transcriptomic activity testing in cultured human dermal fibroblasts) to in vivo (short-term patch test and longer-term split-face clinical study) discovery pipeline, which enables the identification and characterization of peptides with differential activities.
RESULTS: Using this pipeline we showed that cultured fibroblasts were responsive to all applied peptides, but their associated bioactivity was sequence-dependent. Based on bioactivity, toxicity and protein source, we further characterized a combination of two novel peptides, GPKG (glycine-proline-lysine-glycine) and LSVD (leucine-serine-valine-aspartate), that acted in vitro to enhance the transcription of matrix -organization and cell proliferation genes and in vivo (in a short-term patch test) to promote processes associated with epithelial and dermal maintenance and remodelling. Prolonged use of a formulation containing these peptides in a split-face clinical study led to significantly improved measures of crow's feet and firmness in a mixed population.
CONCLUSIONS: This approach to peptide discovery and testing can identify new synthetic matrikines, providing insights into biological mechanisms of tissue homeostasis and repair and new pathways to clinical intervention.}, }
@article {pmid38378155, year = {2024}, author = {Betz, A and Bischoff, R and Petschenka, G}, title = {Late-instar monarch caterpillars sabotage milkweed to acquire toxins, not to disarm plant defence.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {291}, number = {2017}, pages = {20232721}, pmid = {38378155}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {//German Research Foundation (DFG)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Larva ; Latex ; *Butterflies ; *Asclepias ; Cardenolides/toxicity ; }, abstract = {Sabotaging milkweed by monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) is a famous textbook example of disarming plant defence. By severing leaf veins, monarchs are thought to prevent the flow of toxic latex to their feeding site. Here, we show that sabotaging by monarch caterpillars is not only an avoidance strategy. While young caterpillars appear to avoid latex, late-instar caterpillars actively ingest exuding latex, presumably to increase sequestration of cardenolides used for defence against predators. Comparisons with caterpillars of the related but non-sequestering common crow butterfly (Euploea core) revealed three lines of evidence supporting our hypothesis. First, monarch caterpillars sabotage inconsistently and therefore the behaviour is not obligatory to feed on milkweed, whereas sabotaging precedes each feeding event in Euploea caterpillars. Second, monarch caterpillars shift their behaviour from latex avoidance in younger to eager drinking in later stages, whereas Euploea caterpillars consistently avoid latex and spit it out during sabotaging. Third, monarchs reared on detached leaves without latex sequestered more cardenolides when caterpillars imbibed latex offered with a pipette. Thus, we conclude that monarch caterpillars have transformed the ancestral 'sabotage to avoid' strategy into a 'sabotage to consume' strategy, implying a novel behavioural adaptation to increase sequestration of cardenolides for defence.}, }
@article {pmid38378710, year = {2024}, author = {Khadem, A and Nadery, M and Noori, S and Ghaffarian-Ensaf, R and Djazayery, A and Movahedi, A}, title = {The relationship between food habits and physical activity and the IQ of primary school children.}, journal = {Journal of health, population, and nutrition}, volume = {43}, number = {1}, pages = {29}, pmid = {38378710}, issn = {2072-1315}, mesh = {Child ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Intelligence Tests ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Exercise ; Schools ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Children's intelligence quotient (IQ) is influenced by various environmental and genetic variables. The current study aimed to determine how children's dietary choices and physical activity levels correlated with their IQ.
METHODS: A total of 190 students (111 girls and 79 boys) between the ages of 8 and 10 were chosen randomly for this cross-sectional research. For all children, questionnaires were utilized to gather information on their anthropometry, socio-economic position, food habits, and 24-h memory. Children's physical activity questionnaire (CPAQ) was also used to gauge their level of physical activity. Raven's color progressive intelligence test was also used to gauge children's IQ. All the questions may be filled out online with the assistance of parents. SPSS software was used to gather and evaluate the generated data.
RESULTS: Of 190 respondents, 79 (41.6%) are males, and 111 (58.4%) are girls. The results of the study showed that, a positive correlation between children's IQ and physical activity (P = 0.017, r = 0.17), if this relationship was not seen by gender. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between the IQ and food habits scores in all children (P = 0.001, r = 0.24), as well as by gender, that is, male (P = 0.04, r = 0.23) and female (P = 0.006, r = 0.26), which indicates that children with better food habits were associated with higher IQ.
CONCLUSION: It was shown that elementary school children's IQ, food habits, and degree of physical activity are all positively correlated.}, }
@article {pmid38381738, year = {2024}, author = {Mustafa, FE and Ahmed, I and Basit, A and Alqahtani, M and Khalid, M}, title = {An adaptive metaheuristic optimization approach for Tennessee Eastman process for an industrial fault tolerant control system.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {2}, pages = {e0296471}, pmid = {38381738}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Reproducibility of Results ; Tennessee ; *Algorithms ; *Environment ; }, abstract = {The Tennessee Eastman Process (TEP) is widely recognized as a standard reference for assessing the effectiveness of fault detection and false alarm tracking methods in intricate industrial operations. This paper presents a novel methodology that employs the Adaptive Crow Search Algorithm (ACSA) to improve fault identification capabilities and mitigate the occurrence of false alarms in the TEP. The ACSA is an optimization approach that draws inspiration from the observed behavior of crows in their natural environment. This algorithm possesses the capability to adapt its search behavior in response to the changing dynamics of the optimization process. The primary objective of our research is to devise a monitoring strategy that is adaptable in nature, with the aim of efficiently identifying faults within the TEP while simultaneously minimizing the occurrence of false alarms. The ACSA is applied in order to enhance the optimization of monitoring variables, alarm thresholds, and decision criteria selection and configuration. When compared to traditional static approaches, the ACSA-based monitoring strategy is better at finding faults and reducing false alarms because it adapts well to changes in process dynamics and disturbances. In order to assess the efficacy of our suggested methodology, we have conducted comprehensive simulations on the TEP dataset. The findings suggest that the monitoring strategy based on ACSA demonstrates superior fault identification rates while concurrently mitigating the frequency of false alarms. In addition, the flexibility of ACSA allows it to efficiently manage process variations, disturbances, and uncertainties, thereby enhancing its robustness and reliability in practical scenarios. To validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach, extensive simulations were conducted on the TEP dataset. The results indicate that the ACSA-based monitoring strategy achieves higher fault detection rates while simultaneously reducing the occurrence of false alarms. Moreover, the adaptability of ACSA enables it to effectively handle process variations, disturbances, and uncertainties, making it robust and reliable for real-world applications. The contributions of this research extend beyond the TEP, as the adaptive monitoring strategy utilizing ACSA can be applied to other complex industrial processes. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the development of advanced fault detection and false alarm monitoring techniques, offering significant benefits in terms of process safety, reliability, and operational efficiency.}, }
@article {pmid38389412, year = {2024}, author = {Lehner, AF and Johnson, SD and Dirikolu, L and Johnson, M and Buchweitz, JP}, title = {Mass spectrometric methods for evaluation of voriconazole avian pharmacokinetics and the inhibition of its cytochrome P450-induced metabolism.}, journal = {Toxicology mechanisms and methods}, volume = {34}, number = {6}, pages = {654-668}, doi = {10.1080/15376516.2024.2322675}, pmid = {38389412}, issn = {1537-6524}, mesh = {*Voriconazole/pharmacokinetics ; Animals ; *Antifungal Agents/pharmacokinetics ; *Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; *Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Male ; Chromatography, Liquid ; }, abstract = {Invasive fungal aspergillosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in many species including avian species such as common ravens (Corvus corax). Methods were developed for mass spectral determination of voriconazole in raven plasma as a means of determining pharmacokinetics of this antifungal agent. Without further development, GC/MS/MS (gas chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry) proved to be inferior to LC/MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry) for measurement of voriconazole levels in treated raven plasma owing to numerous heat-induced breakdown products despite protection of voriconazole functional groups with trimethylsilyl moieties. LC/MS/MS measurement revealed in multi-dosing experiments that the ravens were capable of rapid or ultrarapid metabolism of voriconazole. This accounted for the animals' inability to raise the drug into the therapeutic range regardless of dosing regimen unless cytochrome P450 (CYP) inhibitors were included. Strategic selection of CYP inhibitors showed that of four selected compounds including cimetidine, enrofloxacin and omeprazole, only ciprofloxacin (Cipro) was able to maintain voriconazole levels in the therapeutic range until the end of the dosing period. The optimal method of administration involved maintenance doses of voriconazole at 6 mg/kg and ciprofloxacin at 20 mg/kg. Higher doses of voriconazole such as 18 mg/kg were also tenable without apparent induction of toxicity. Although most species employ CYP2C19 to metabolize voriconazole, it was necessary to speculate that voriconazole might be subject to metabolism by CYP1A2 in the ravens to explain the utility of ciprofloxacin, a previously unknown enzymatic route. Finally, despite its widespread catalog of CYP inhibitions including CYP1A2 and CYP2C19, cimetidine may be inadequate at enhancing voriconazole levels owing to its known effects on raising gastric pH, a result that may limit voriconazole solubility.}, }
@article {pmid38391697, year = {2024}, author = {de Chiusole, D and Spinoso, M and Anselmi, P and Bacherini, A and Balboni, G and Mazzoni, N and Brancaccio, A and Epifania, OM and Orsoni, M and Giovagnoli, S and Garofalo, S and Benassi, M and Robusto, E and Stefanutti, L and Pierluigi, I}, title = {PsycAssist: A Web-Based Artificial Intelligence System Designed for Adaptive Neuropsychological Assessment and Training.}, journal = {Brain sciences}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {38391697}, issn = {2076-3425}, support = {PRIN: Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale - Bando 2020, Protocol n. 20209WKCLL, Project title: Computerized, adaptive and personalized assessment of executive functions and fluid intelligence//Italian Ministry of Research and University/ ; }, abstract = {Assessing executive functions in individuals with disorders or clinical conditions can be challenging, as they may lack the abilities needed for conventional test formats. The use of more personalized test versions, such as adaptive assessments, might be helpful in evaluating individuals with specific needs. This paper introduces PsycAssist, a web-based artificial intelligence system designed for neuropsychological adaptive assessment and training. PsycAssist is a highly flexible and scalable system based on procedural knowledge space theory and may be used potentially with many types of tests. We present the architecture and adaptive assessment engine of PsycAssist and the two currently available tests: Adap-ToL, an adaptive version of the Tower of London-like test to assess planning skills, and MatriKS, a Raven-like test to evaluate fluid intelligence. Finally, we describe the results of an investigation of the usability of Adap-ToL and MatriKS: the evaluators perceived these tools as appropriate and well-suited for their intended purposes, and the test-takers perceived the assessment as a positive experience. To sum up, PsycAssist represents an innovative and promising tool to tailor evaluation and training to the specific characteristics of the individual, useful for clinical practice.}, }
@article {pmid38396520, year = {2024}, author = {Zhang, Z and Bi, J and Zhao, X and Cai, Y and Yang, C}, title = {Comparison of Reproductive Strategies between Two Sympatric Copsychus Passerines.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {38396520}, issn = {2076-2615}, support = {32260127//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Reproduction plays a crucial role in determining the development, fate, and dynamics of bird populations. However, reproductive strategies vary among species and populations. In this study, we investigated the reproductive strategies of the Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) and White-rumped Shama (C. malabarica), which are closely related passerines that reproduce in sympatric areas. We found that although these two species were both cavity nesting, their nest-site selection differed; the Shama preferred nesting close to trees and forests, whereas the Magpie Robin nested close to human residential areas. Furthermore, their egg incubation patterns differed; the Shama increased daily incubation frequency with incubation time, but the Magpie Robin maintained its daily incubation time regardless of changes in incubation frequency. However, the nestling heating patterns of these two species were similar, indicating a critical demand for regulating hatchling body temperature during this crucial stage. The feeding frequencies of male parents were strongly correlated with those of females in both species, suggesting equal contribution and good synchronization between the sexes. Nestling feeding frequency was also correlated with nest cleaning frequency, implying coordination between feeding and defecation by parents and offspring, respectively. This research explored the divergence and convergence of reproductive strategies between these two sympatric species, providing valuable insights into the niche differentiation theory.}, }
@article {pmid38401133, year = {2024}, author = {Penhale, SH and Arif, Y and Schantell, M and Johnson, HJ and Willett, MP and Okelberry, HJ and Meehan, CE and Heinrichs-Graham, E and Wilson, TW}, title = {Healthy aging alters the oscillatory dynamics and fronto-parietal connectivity serving fluid intelligence.}, journal = {Human brain mapping}, volume = {45}, number = {3}, pages = {e26591}, pmid = {38401133}, issn = {1097-0193}, support = {F31 DA056296/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R36-DA059323/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R36 DA059323/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; P20-GM144641/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; P20 GM144641/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DA047828/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 DA056223/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; R01-MH116782/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; F31-DA056296/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01-MH118013/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01-DA056223/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH118013/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; R01-DA047828/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH116782/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Aged ; *Healthy Aging ; Brain/diagnostic imaging/physiology ; Magnetoencephalography/methods ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Brain Mapping/methods ; Intelligence/physiology ; }, abstract = {Fluid intelligence (Gf) involves logical reasoning and novel problem-solving abilities. Often, abstract reasoning tasks like Raven's progressive matrices are used to assess Gf. Prior work has shown an age-related decline in fluid intelligence capabilities, and although many studies have sought to identify the underlying mechanisms, our understanding of the critical brain regions and dynamics remains largely incomplete. In this study, we utilized magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate 78 individuals, ages 20-65 years, as they completed an abstract reasoning task. MEG data was co-registered with structural MRI data, transformed into the time-frequency domain, and the resulting neural oscillations were imaged using a beamformer. We found worsening behavioral performance with age, including prolonged reaction times and reduced accuracy. MEG analyses indicated robust oscillations in the theta, alpha/beta, and gamma range during the task. Whole brain correlation analyses with age revealed relationships in the theta and alpha/beta frequency bands, such that theta oscillations became stronger with increasing age in a right prefrontal region and alpha/beta oscillations became stronger with increasing age in parietal and right motor cortices. Follow-up connectivity analyses revealed increasing parieto-frontal connectivity with increasing age in the alpha/beta frequency range. Importantly, our findings are consistent with the parieto-frontal integration theory of intelligence (P-FIT). These results further suggest that as people age, there may be alterations in neural responses that are spectrally specific, such that older people exhibit stronger alpha/beta oscillations across the parieto-frontal network during abstract reasoning tasks.}, }
@article {pmid38408666, year = {2024}, author = {Simpson, AK and Drysdale, M and Gamberg, M and Froese, K and Brammer, J and Dumas, P and Ratelle, M and Skinner, K and Laird, BD}, title = {Human biomonitoring of dioxins, furans, and non-ortho dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blood plasma from Old Crow, Yukon, Canada (2019).}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {923}, number = {}, pages = {171222}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171222}, pmid = {38408666}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Dioxins/analysis ; *Polychlorinated Biphenyls/analysis ; Yukon Territory ; *Crows ; Furans/toxicity ; Biological Monitoring ; Canada ; Plasma/chemistry ; *Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins ; }, abstract = {Dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of persistent and toxic chemicals that are known to have human health effects at low levels. These chemicals have been produced for commercial use (PCBs) or unintentionally as by-products of industry or natural processes (PCBs, dioxins, and furans). Additionally, dioxin-like PCBs were formerly used in electrical applications before being banned internationally (2004). These chemicals are widely dispersed in the environment as they can contaminate air and travel hundreds to thousands of kilometers before depositing on land or water, thereafter, potentially entering food chains. Community concerns surrounding the safety of traditional foods prompted a human biomonitoring project in Old Crow, Yukon Territory (YT), Canada (2019). Through collaborative community engagement, dioxins and like compounds were identified as a priority for exposure assessment from biobanked samples. In 2022, biobanked plasma samples (n = 54) collected in Old Crow were used to measure exposures to seven dioxins, ten furans, and four dioxin-like PCBs. 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 1,2,3,7,8,9-HxCDD, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD, OCDD, 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDF, PCB 126, and PCB 169 were detected in at least 50 % of samples. Among these analytes, the only congener at elevated levels was PCB 169, which was approximately ∼2-fold higher than the general population of Canada. No significant sex-based or body mass index (BMI) differences in biomarker concentrations were observed. Generally, the concentrations of the detected congeners increased with age, except for 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD. For the first time, this research measures dioxin and like-compound exposures in Old Crow, advancing the information available on chemical exposures in the Arctic. Further research could be directed towards the investigation of PCB 169 exposure sources and temporal monitoring of exposures and determinants.}, }
@article {pmid38417339, year = {2024}, author = {Azalou, M and Assani, AS and Kpomasse, CC and Tona, K and Alkoiret, IT and Pitala, W}, title = {Phenotypic and morphometric characterization of domestic geese raised in northern Benin.}, journal = {Poultry science}, volume = {103}, number = {4}, pages = {103563}, pmid = {38417339}, issn = {1525-3171}, mesh = {Male ; Female ; Animals ; Benin ; *Geese/genetics ; *Chickens ; Phenotype ; }, abstract = {Documentation on the domestic geese (Anser anser) in Benin is scarce, making it objectively difficult to exploit. Its production depends on small flocks raised by livestock farmers in different areas. The aim of the study was to describe the phenotypic and morphometric characteristics of geese encountered in northern Benin. To this end, a total of 576 adult geese (353 males and 223 females) from 102 farms in 4 agro-ecological zones of northern Benin were evaluated for 11 quantitative and 5 qualitative body traits. There are 6 plumage colors with white (42.01%), white-brown magpie (24.65%) and white-grey magpie (17.19%) as dominant colors. The proportions of white-grey (75%) and multicolored (51.85%) in Far northern zone of Benin (FNZB) were higher (P < 0.05) than those in the cotton zone of northern Benin (CZNB), Food-producing zone of southern Borgou (FZSB) and West-Atacora Zone (WAZ). The red coloring of the tarsi was more dominant in the FZSB (63.09%) and the FZSB (61.79%) (P < 0.05). Orange (57.47%) and yellow (28.82%) colored beaks were dominant but did not vary (P > 0.05) from one agro-ecological zone to another. Quantitative traits such as body length, tarsus length, wing span and thoracic circumference of geese varied (P < 0.05) between 71.34 to73.22 cm, 10.08 to 10.6 cm, 131.95 to 135.42 cm and between 42.07 to 43.86 cm respectively. Males differed significantly from females (P < 0.05) for all morphometric traits. The live weight of geese in the FNZB showed higher values than those of other agro-ecological zones (P ˂ 0.05). In addition, white phenotype geese (3.76 kg) were heavier (P ˂ 0.05) than other phenotypes. All correlations between weight and body measurements of domestic geese were positive, but the correlations between live weight and wing span (r = 0.68) were the strongest. These correlations could be used to assess the live weight of the geese population studied and for selection based on live weight. This study provides a reference for morpho-biometric traits and will be complemented by molecular characterization.}, }
@article {pmid38418500, year = {2024}, author = {Salgotra, R and Gandomi, AH}, title = {A novel multi-hybrid differential evolution algorithm for optimization of frame structures.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {4877}, pmid = {38418500}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Differential evolution (DE) is a robust optimizer designed for solving complex domain research problems in the computational intelligence community. In the present work, a multi-hybrid DE (MHDE) is proposed for improving the overall working capability of the algorithm without compromising the solution quality. Adaptive parameters, enhanced mutation, enhanced crossover, reducing population, iterative division and Gaussian random sampling are some of the major characteristics of the proposed MHDE algorithm. Firstly, an iterative division for improved exploration and exploitation is used, then an adaptive proportional population size reduction mechanism is followed for reducing the computational complexity. It also incorporated Weibull distribution and Gaussian random sampling to mitigate premature convergence. The proposed framework is validated by using IEEE CEC benchmark suites (CEC 2005, CEC 2014 and CEC 2017). The algorithm is applied to four engineering design problems and for the weight minimization of three frame design problems. Experimental results are analysed and compared with recent hybrid algorithms such as laplacian biogeography based optimization, adaptive differential evolution with archive (JADE), success history based DE, self adaptive DE, LSHADE, MVMO, fractional-order calculus-based flower pollination algorithm, sine cosine crow search algorithm and others. Statistically, the Friedman and Wilcoxon rank sum tests prove that the proposed algorithm fares better than others.}, }
@article {pmid38419376, year = {2024}, author = {Burban, E and Tenaillon, MI and Glémin, S}, title = {RIDGE, a tool tailored to detect gene flow barriers across species pairs.}, journal = {Molecular ecology resources}, volume = {24}, number = {4}, pages = {e13944}, doi = {10.1111/1755-0998.13944}, pmid = {38419376}, issn = {1755-0998}, support = {//Région Bretagne/ ; ANR-17-EUR-0007//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; ANR-19-CE32-0009-02//Agence Nationale de la Recherche/ ; GDR 3765//Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/ ; }, mesh = {*Gene Flow ; Bayes Theorem ; *Genetic Speciation ; Genomics ; Genome ; }, abstract = {Characterizing the processes underlying reproductive isolation between diverging lineages is central to understanding speciation. Here, we present RIDGE-Reproductive Isolation Detection using Genomic polymorphisms-a tool tailored for quantifying gene flow barrier proportion and identifying the relevant genomic regions. RIDGE relies on an Approximate Bayesian Computation with a model-averaging approach to accommodate diverse scenarios of lineage divergence. It captures heterogeneity in effective migration rate along the genome while accounting for variation in linked selection and recombination. The barrier detection test relies on numerous summary statistics to compute a Bayes factor, offering a robust statistical framework that facilitates cross-species comparisons. Simulations revealed RIDGE's efficiency in capturing signals of ongoing migration. Model averaging proved particularly valuable in scenarios of high model uncertainty where no migration or migration homogeneity can be wrongly assumed, typically for recent divergence times <0.1 2Ne generations. Applying RIDGE to four published crow data sets, we first validated our tool by identifying a well-known large genomic region associated with mate choice patterns. Second, while we identified a significant overlap of outlier loci using RIDGE and traditional genomic scans, our results suggest that a substantial portion of previously identified outliers are likely false positives. Outlier detection relies on allele differentiation, relative measures of divergence and the count of shared polymorphisms and fixed differences. Our analyses also highlight the value of incorporating multiple summary statistics including our newly developed outlier ones that can be useful in challenging detection conditions.}, }
@article {pmid38420597, year = {2024}, author = {Vermeesch, AL and Ellsworth-Kopkowski, A and Prather, JG and Passel, C and Rogers, HH and Hansen, MM}, title = {Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing): A Scoping Review of the Global Research on the Effects of Spending Time in Nature.}, journal = {Global advances in integrative medicine and health}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {27536130241231258}, pmid = {38420597}, issn = {2753-6130}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: This Scoping review (ScR) builds upon the 2017 review conducted by Hansen et al which contributed to evidence base shinrin-yoku (SY), also known as forest bathing (FB), has many positive health effects and is becoming a prescribed dose (specific time spent in nature) by health care providers. Practice and research regarding SY, has been historically based in Asian countries with a recent increase in Europe. The need and call for more research worldwide continues to further the evidence of SY as a health promotion modality. Through this ScR the authors identified programmatic components, health information monitored and screened, time spent in nature, geographical regions, trends, and themes in SY research worldwide.
METHODS: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines we searched across 7 electronic databases for SY or FB research articles from 2017 through 2022. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, Embase, JSTOR were included due to the interdisciplinary nature of SY or FB research. Each database provided unique strengths ensuring a capture of a wide range of articles. The resulting articles were screened and extracted through Covidence.
RESULTS: Database searches returned 241 results, with 110 references removed during the deduplication process, 131 were initially screened in the title and abstract review stage. Resulting in 82 unique results deemed relevant and screened in full text. During the final stage of the review, 63 articles met all inclusion criteria and were extracted for data.
CONCLUSIONS: The practice of SY has physiological (PHYS) and psychological (PSYCH) benefits across age groups. Research findings indicate either the natural or the virtual environment (VW) has significant health benefits. Continued research is encouraged globally for short- and long-term health outcomes for all individuals. The connection with nature benefits the mind, body and soul and is supported by Henry David Thoreau's philosophy: "Our livesneed the relief of where the pine flourishes and the jay still scream."}, }
@article {pmid38420775, year = {2024}, author = {Rampling, JM}, title = {Citrination and its Discontents: Yellow as a Sign of Alchemical Change.}, journal = {Ambix}, volume = {71}, number = {1}, pages = {73-97}, doi = {10.1080/00026980.2024.2309059}, pmid = {38420775}, issn = {1745-8234}, mesh = {*Alchemy ; England ; *Awards and Prizes ; *Drama ; }, abstract = {Many of the "signs and tokens" described in alchemical texts relate to colour, from the Crow's Bill signifying putrefaction to the philosophical solvents disguised as Green Lions, Red Dragons, and Grey Wolves. While the process of yellowing, or citrination, often appears in medieval recipes, it seems to have interested commentators less than the more familiar processes of blackening, whitening, or reddening. Yet beyond these canonical colours, yellowness turns out to be ubiquitous in alchemy and its associated craft practices, both in Latin texts and vernacular translations. This paper uses source criticism and experimental reconstruction to interrogate the role of yellowness at the beginning, middle, and end of practice, focusing on fifteenth- and sixteenth-century England. As starting ingredients, yellow vitriol and litharge offered the potential for transmutation but also posed problems for identification and preparation. As an intermediate stage, yellowness offered promising signs of future success, in the form of dramatic colour changes and unexpected products. But yellowness also offered an end in itself, as appears from the many citrination processes attested in recipe collections which aimed to imitate the properties of gold - suggesting that yellowing was prized as a significant indicator of chemical change across diverse areas of craft practice.}, }
@article {pmid38422615, year = {2024}, author = {Johnson, SD and Lehner, A and Dirikolu, L and Buchweitz, J}, title = {Ciprofloxacin enhances therapeutic levels of voriconazole through CYP450 inhibition in the common raven (Corvus corax), possibly improving efficacy against aspergillosis: a pilot study.}, journal = {American journal of veterinary research}, volume = {85}, number = {5}, pages = {}, doi = {10.2460/ajvr.23.12.0288}, pmid = {38422615}, issn = {1943-5681}, mesh = {*Voriconazole/pharmacokinetics/therapeutic use ; Animals ; *Ciprofloxacin/pharmacokinetics/therapeutic use ; Pilot Projects ; *Aspergillosis/veterinary/drug therapy ; *Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics ; *Bird Diseases/drug therapy/microbiology ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors/pharmacology ; Male ; Female ; Random Allocation ; Administration, Oral ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To determine if a cytochrome (CYP) P450 enzyme inhibitor can maintain therapeutic plasma levels of voriconazole when administered orally.
ANIMALS: 11 healthy, common ravens (Corvus corax).
METHODS: Birds were randomly assigned to pilot study groups to receive voriconazole orally alone or combined with a CYP inhibitor. Pilot studies with 3 CYP inhibitors launched the main study using ciprofloxacin (20 mg/kg) followed 1 hour later by voriconazole (6 mg/kg) every 12 hours for 14 days. Plasma voriconazole concentrations were measured at various time points by HPLC-MS. The study period lasted from September 2016 to December 2020.
RESULTS: The birds failed to maintain therapeutic plasma levels of voriconazole during multidose administration alone or following preadministration with various CYP inhibitors. For the 14-day study period, voriconazole reached a maximum plasma concentration of 2.99 μg/mL with a time-to-peak drug concentration of 1.2 hours following preadministration of ciprofloxacin. One bird was removed from the study due to lethargy, but the other birds completed the study without incident.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Ciprofloxacin (20 mg/kg) followed by voriconazole (6 mg/kg) maintained the concentration of voriconazole within the recommended therapeutic range of 0.5 to 5 μg/mL without toxicity. Ciprofloxacin prevented the saturable metabolism of voriconazole and maintained these levels for the study duration. This drug combination could be used in the treatment of chronic aspergillosis in the common raven.}, }
@article {pmid38431156, year = {2024}, author = {Meeraus, W and Joy, M and Ouwens, M and Taylor, KS and Venkatesan, S and Dennis, J and Tran, TN and Dashtban, A and Fan, X and Williams, R and Morris, T and Carty, L and Kar, D and Hoang, U and Feher, M and Forbes, A and Jamie, G and Hinton, W and Sanecka, K and Byford, R and Anand, SN and Hobbs, FDR and Clifton, DA and Pollard, AJ and Taylor, S and de Lusignan, S}, title = {AZD1222 effectiveness against severe COVID-19 in individuals with comorbidity or frailty: The RAVEN cohort study.}, journal = {The Journal of infection}, volume = {88}, number = {4}, pages = {106129}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinf.2024.106129}, pmid = {38431156}, issn = {1532-2742}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 ; *COVID-19 ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; *Crows ; *Frailty/epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Despite being prioritized during initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout, vulnerable individuals at high risk of severe COVID-19 (hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, or death) remain underrepresented in vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies. The RAVEN cohort study (NCT05047822) assessed AZD1222 (ChAdOx1 nCov-19) two-dose primary series VE in vulnerable populations.
METHODS: Using the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Informatics Digital Hub, linked to secondary care, death registration, and COVID-19 datasets in England, COVID-19 outcomes in 2021 were compared in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals matched on age, sex, region, and multimorbidity.
RESULTS: Over 4.5 million AZD1222 recipients were matched (mean follow-up ∼5 months); 68% were ≥50 years, 57% had high multimorbidity. Overall, high VE against severe COVID-19 was demonstrated, with lower VE observed in vulnerable populations. VE against hospitalization was higher in the lowest multimorbidity quartile (91.1%; 95% CI: 90.1, 92.0) than the highest quartile (80.4%; 79.7, 81.1), and among individuals ≥65 years, higher in the 'fit' (86.2%; 84.5, 87.6) than the frailest (71.8%; 69.3, 74.2). VE against hospitalization was lowest in immunosuppressed individuals (64.6%; 60.7, 68.1).
CONCLUSIONS: Based on integrated and comprehensive UK health data, overall population-level VE with AZD1222 was high. VEs were notably lower in vulnerable groups, particularly the immunosuppressed.}, }
@article {pmid38440084, year = {2024}, author = {Bibi, N and Yuan, Q and Chen, C and Chen, S and Duan, Y and Luo, X}, title = {Three cases of collared owlet depredation on the green-backed tit within nest boxes.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {3}, pages = {e11083}, pmid = {38440084}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The main cause of the reproductive failure of cavity-nesting birds is nest predation, even though cavity nests protect from numerous predators. To study the breeding biology of the green-backed tit (Parus monticolus) and to promote the reproduction of some other avian cavity breeders, we placed 245 nest boxes in the Zixi Mountain, southwest China. We collected breeding data by regularly checking the artificial nest boxes, three cases of green-backed tits being predated by collared owlet (Glaucidium brodiei) were confirmed by the video recordings. Larger mammals, chipmunks, squirrels, sparrowhawks, jays, and snakes have been identified as common predators of cavity-nesting birds in high-latitude regions of the northern hemisphere. Limited research in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in Asia, has demonstrated squirrels and snakes as common predators of cavity-nesting birds. A gap in avian predators to cavity-nesting birds exists in the current knowledge. Hence the three cases of collared owlet's depredation reveal a new danger to green-backed tits, broadening our knowledge of the dynamics of cavity-nesting birds. In all three cases, the artificial box's entrance hole was only 5 × 5 cm in size and has not been expanded or poked. These findings provided evidence that the collared owlet is the predator of nestlings and adult green-backed tit breeding in artificial boxes, which emphasized a reevaluation of predator-prey interactions. Therefore, for effective breeding of the green-backed tit, we suggest to choose a hole size of 3 × 3 cm that is appropriate for its body size.}, }
@article {pmid38460703, year = {2024}, author = {Jin, T and Huang, T and Zhang, T and Li, Q and Yan, C and Wang, Q and Chen, X and Zhou, J and Sun, Y and Bo, W and Luo, Z and Li, H and An, Y}, title = {A Bayesian benchmark concentration analysis for urinary fluoride and intelligence in adults in Guizhou, China.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {925}, number = {}, pages = {171326}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171326}, pmid = {38460703}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Child ; Adult ; Humans ; *Fluorides/analysis ; *Fluorosis, Dental/epidemiology ; Benchmarking ; Bayes Theorem ; Intelligence ; China/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {Environmental fluoride exposure has been linked to numerous cases of fluorosis worldwide. Previous studies have indicated that long-term exposure to fluoride can result in intellectual damage among children. However, a comprehensive health risk assessment of fluorosis-induced intellectual damage is still pending. In this research, we utilized the Bayesian Benchmark Dose Analysis System (BBMD) to investigate the dose-response relationship between urinary fluoride (U-F) concentration and Raven scores in adults from Nayong, Guizhou, China. Our research findings indecate a dose-response relationship between the concentration of U-F and intelligence scores in adults. As the benchmark response (BMR) increased, both the benchmark concentration (BMCs) and the lower bound of the credible interval (BMCLs) increased. Specifically, BMCs for the association between U-F and IQ score were determined to be 0.18 mg/L (BMCL1 = 0.08 mg/L), 0.91 mg/L (BMCL5 = 0.40 mg/L), 1.83 mg/L (BMCL10 = 0.83 mg/L) when using BMRs of 1 %, 5 %, and 10 %. These results indicate that U-F can serve as an effective biomarker for monitoring the loss of IQ in population. We propose three interim targets for public policy in preventing interllectual harm from fluoride exposure.}, }
@article {pmid38464619, year = {2024}, author = {Scognamiglio, C and Sorge, A and Borrelli, G and Perrella, R and Saita, E}, title = {Exploring the connection between childhood trauma, dissociation, and borderline personality disorder in forensic psychiatry: a comprehensive case study.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1332914}, pmid = {38464619}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {This case study examines the complex relationship between childhood trauma, dissociation, and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) within the context of forensic psychiatry. It focuses on a young murder defendant named "Paul," who has experienced various traumatic events, including childhood maltreatment and domestic violence. These experiences have led to dissociative states marked by high emotional intensity, particularly of an aggressive nature, and impaired impulse control, resulting in violent behavior during dissociative episodes. The study employs advanced assessment tools like Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), and the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) to gain a comprehensive understanding of Paul's psychopathological condition, risk factors, and rehabilitation needs. The LS/CMI assessment highlights a high risk of recidivism, mainly influenced by family relationships, educational challenges, interpersonal connections, and aggressive tendencies. To address the multifaceted needs of individuals like Paul, the study emphasizes the importance of using transdiagnostic models for trauma and dissociation. This approach informs tailored treatment programs that include processing past traumatic experiences, improving self-identity, nurturing healthy relational patterns, and enhancing emotional regulation. Although this study is based on a single case, it serves as a model for integrating assessment tools and theoretical-clinical models in the field of forensic psychiatry. Understanding the intricate dynamics of childhood trauma, dissociation, and BPD is crucial for making informed decisions, conducting risk assessments, and developing rehabilitation programs within the justice system. Future research should expand the scope of cases and further validate assessment tools to advance our understanding of this complex relationship.}, }
@article {pmid38476507, year = {2024}, author = {Musharbash, IJ and Chakra, RJ}, title = {Treatment of Full Eyelid Ptosis Following Botox Injection: A Case Report.}, journal = {Cureus}, volume = {16}, number = {3}, pages = {e55970}, pmid = {38476507}, issn = {2168-8184}, abstract = {We report the case of a 24-year-old woman who was referred to one of the authors' clinics after six days of botulinum toxin type A injection to treat dynamic lines on her forehead, glabella complex, and crow's feet area. Her first esthetic injection was done by another colleague elsewhere in a different clinic. Her main complaint was full eyelid ptosis, which started four days after her treatment and continued to aggravate until the time she sought our help. We treated it with another dose of botulinum toxins. The patient started to notice a gradual improvement in her eyelid five days after our injection, so on day 14th, her eyelid was very closely back to normal opening; complete recovery was achieved. Ptosis due to botulinum toxin injection was surprisingly and successfully reversed in our article by a second dose of botulinum toxins. This suggests that this management successfully treats such cases and can deliver a beneficial reversal option for practitioners and their patients. The case report concludes that ptosis should be promptly evaluated and treated through a multimodal approach.}, }
@article {pmid38476711, year = {2024}, author = {Maryan, RE and Feizbakhsh, M and Esmaeilian, Z and Sedaghati, G}, title = {Comparison of intelligent development (IQ & EQ) of children with cleft lip and palate.}, journal = {Dental research journal}, volume = {21}, number = {}, pages = {16}, pmid = {38476711}, issn = {1735-3327}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Attention to the issue of intelligence and its promotion in children with cleft lip and cleft palate (CL and CP) is necessary to reduce their injuries in life. This study aimed to determine the intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) in children with CL and CP in comparison to healthy children.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive study, 140 children, including 70 children with CL and CP, were selected from the Children treated in Craniofacial and Cleft Research Center, Spearman correlation, ANOVA and 70 healthy children were selected from the Pediatric Dentistry Department of Isfahan University, in the age range of 5-9 years. After obtaining the consent of the children's parents, the Raven IQ questionnaire and the Mayer and Salovey EQ questionnaire were given to the children. Data were analyzed by the Pearson correlation coefficient tests (α =0.05).
RESULTS: EQ score in healthy children was significantly higher than in children with CL and CP (P < 0.001). The percentage of IQ cognitive intelligence in healthy children and children with CL and CP was not significantly different (P = 0.641). In healthy children, no significant relationship was observed between cognitive intelligence IQ and EQ (r = 0.018, P = 0.882). However, among children with CL and CP, there was a significant inverse relationship between cognitive intelligence IQ and EQ (P < 0.001, r = -0.526).
CONCLUSION: CL and CP have no effect on IQ in children, but it does affect EQ.}, }
@article {pmid38481983, year = {2024}, author = {Speechley, EM and Ashton, BJ and Thornton, A and Simmons, LW and Ridley, AR}, title = {Heritability of cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {231399}, pmid = {38481983}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Individual differences in cognitive performance can have genetic, social and environmental components. Most research on the heritability of cognitive traits comes from humans or captive non-human animals, while less attention has been given to wild populations. Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis, hereafter magpies) show phenotypic variation in cognitive performance, which affects reproductive success. Despite high levels of individual repeatability, we do not know whether cognitive performance is heritable in this species. Here, we quantify the broad-sense heritability of associative learning ability in a wild population of Western Australian magpies. Specifically, we explore whether offspring associative learning performance is predicted by maternal associative learning performance or by the social environment (group size) when tested at three time points during the first year of life. We found little evidence that offspring associative learning performance is heritable, with an estimated broad-sense heritability of just -0.046 ± 0.084 (confidence interval: -0.234/0.140). However, complementing previous findings, we find that at 300 days post-fledging, individuals raised in larger groups passed the test in fewer trials compared with individuals from small groups. Our results highlight the pivotal influence of the social environment on cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid38483002, year = {2024}, author = {Mazengenya, P and Spocter, MA and Manger, PR}, title = {Nuclear parcellation and numbers of orexinergic neurons in five species of larger brained birds.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {532}, number = {3}, pages = {e25602}, doi = {10.1002/cne.25602}, pmid = {38483002}, issn = {1096-9861}, support = {//Carnegie Corporation of New York/ ; 2022-IRG-MED-3//Ajman University Research Grant/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Neuropeptides/metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Neurons/metabolism ; Orexins ; Brain/metabolism ; Hypothalamus/metabolism ; Birds ; Mammals ; }, abstract = {The orexinergic/hypocretinergic system, while having several roles, appears to be a key link in the balance between arousal and food intake. In birds, to date, this system has only been examined anatomically in four species, all with brains smaller than 3.5 g and of limited phylogenetic range. Here, using orexin-A immunohistochemistry, we describe the distribution, morphology, and nuclear parcellation of orexinergic neurons within the hypothalami of a Congo gray and a Timneh gray parrot, a pied crow, an emu, and a common ostrich. These birds represent a broad phylogeny, with brains ranging in size from 7.85 to 26.5 g. Within the hypothalami of the species studied, the orexinergic neurons were organized in two clusters, and a densely packed paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus cluster located within the medial hypothalamus (Hyp), but not contacting the ventricle, and a more loosely packed lateral hypothalamic cluster in the lateral Hyp. Stereological analysis revealed a strong correlation, using phylogenetic generalized least squares regression analyses, between brain mass and the total number of orexinergic neurons, as well as soma parameters such as volume and area. Orexinergic axonal terminals evinced two types of boutons, larger and the smaller en passant boutons. Unlike the orexinergic system in mammals, which has several variances in cluster organization, that of the birds studied, in the present and previous studies, currently shows organizational invariance, despite the differences in brain and body mass, phylogenetic relationships, and life-histories of the species studied.}, }
@article {pmid38483609, year = {2024}, author = {González, L and Popovic, M and Rebagliato, M and Estarlich, M and Moirano, G and Barreto-Zarza, F and Richiardi, L and Arranz, E and Santa-Marina, L and Zugna, D and Ibarluzea, J and Pizzi, C}, title = {Socioeconomic position, family context, and child cognitive development.}, journal = {European journal of pediatrics}, volume = {183}, number = {6}, pages = {2571-2585}, pmid = {38483609}, issn = {1432-1076}, support = {FP7-ENV-2011 cod 282957, HEALTH.2010.2.4.5-1 and ATHLETE cod 874583//UE/ ; Red INMA G03/176, CB06/02/0041; FIS-FEDER: PI06/0867, PI09/00090, PI11/02038, PI13/02187, PI16/1288, and PI17/00663, PI18/01142 and PI19/1338//ISCIII/ ; Margarita Salas Grant MS21-125//European Union-Next Generation EU and the Ministerio de Universidades/ ; AICO/2020/285; CIAICO/2021/132//Generalitat Valenciana/ ; 2005111093, 2009111069, 2013111089 and 2015111065//Department of Health of the Basque Government/ ; DFG06/002, DFG08/001 and DFG15/221//Provincial Government of Gipuzkoa/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Child Development ; Child ; Male ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Social Class ; Longitudinal Studies ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Parenting/psychology ; }, abstract = {Socioeconomic position (SEP) may have different effects on cognitive development and family context could play a role in this association. This work aimed to analyse the role of socioeconomic positions, measured via various indicators collected longitudinally, in cognitive development at 7-11 years of age, evaluating the role of family context as a potential mediator. The study sample included 394 and 382 children from the INMA Gipuzkoa and Valencia cohorts, respectively. SEP indicators were assessed during pregnancy (family social class, parental education, employment, and disposable income) and at 7 (Gipuzkoa) and 11 (Valencia) years of age (At Risk of Poverty or Social Exclusion (AROPE)). Family context and cognitive development were measured with the Haezi-Etxadi Family Assessment Scale 7-11 (HEFAS 7-11) and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (Raven's CPM), respectively. Linear regression models were developed to assess the relationships between (a) SEP-family context, (b) SEP-cognitive development, and (c) family context-cognitive development, adjusting for a priori-selected confounders. Simple and multiple mediation analyses were performed to explore the role of family context in the SEP-cognitive development relationship. Lower SEP was related with a lower cognitive score, this association being particularly robust for family social class. SEP indicators were related to subscales of family context, in particular those regarding cognitive stimulation, parental stress, and parenting. A relationship was also found between these three subscales and child cognitive development, mediating the effect of family social class on child cognition by 5.2, 5.5, and 10.8%, respectively, and 12.0% jointly. Conclusion: Both family SEP and context contribute to a child's cognitive development. Equalising policies and positive parenting programmes could contribute to improving cognitive development in children. What is Known: • Parental social class, education, and employment status have been widely employed to measure socioeconomic position. What is New: • This work focuses on standard measurements of socioeconomic position but also other economic indicators such as the EHII and AROPE, and their effect on child cognitive development and family context. • Promotion of cognitive and linguistic development, parental stress and conflict, and parental profile fostering child development mediated the effect of family social class on cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid38495912, year = {2024}, author = {Trehan, A and Anand, R and Chaudhary, G and Garg, H and Verma, MK}, title = {Efficacy and Safety of Skin Radiance Collagen on Skin and Hair Matrix: A Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial in Healthy Human Subjects.}, journal = {Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {581-591}, pmid = {38495912}, issn = {1178-7015}, abstract = {PURPOSE: Collagen supplements are rising in the market as collagen has been demonstrated to be an important protein in the human aging process. Also, it is safe and easily absorbed in the body. Hence the aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness and safety of a collagen and antioxidant-rich treatment compared to a placebo in relation to various skin and hair indicators in healthy adult human subjects.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty healthy adult non-pregnant/non-lactating women (aged 38-50 years) provided their informed consent in writing before their participation. Skin Radiance Collagen (SRC) treatment and a placebo were assessed for efficacy before application on Day 1, and post-application on Days 28 and 56, to measure changes in skin elasticity, hydration, brightness, pigmentation; texture, wrinkles, dryness, smoothness, fine lines, changes in the crow's feet region; as well as hair strength and hair fall.
RESULTS: It was observed after 56 days that therapy with SRC, compared to placebo, produced a substantial effect on reduction of wrinkle depth and fine lines by 48.11% and 39%, respectively, with p-value <0.01 in the test group. There was a 15.69% improvement in skin hydration observed and 28% reduction in hair fall with p-value <0.01.
CONCLUSION: SRC, a combination of collagen with hyaluronic acid (HA), biotin, and vitamins C and E, showed a significant improvement in skin and hair health, including improvements in skin elasticity, skin hydration, reduction in crow's feet area wrinkles and fine lines, hair fall, and decrease in roughness, leading to improved skin texture. Vitamin C in the formulation also acts as a collagen builder for the body and helps in preventing oxidative stress in the body. The test treatment SRC was found to be efficacious and safe in healthy human adult subjects.}, }
@article {pmid38507327, year = {2024}, author = {López-Vázquez, MA and Varela-Montes, J and Serrano-Corral, ML and Junco-Muñoz, ML and Olvera-Cortés, ME}, title = {Pressure control and treatment interact in the deterioration of incidental visuospatial memory in hypertensive patients.}, journal = {Archivos de cardiologia de Mexico}, volume = {94}, number = {1}, pages = {25-32}, pmid = {38507327}, issn = {1665-1731}, mesh = {Female ; Humans ; *Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use/pharmacology ; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists/therapeutic use/pharmacology ; *Hypertension/complications/drug therapy/epidemiology ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use ; Blood Pressure ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Systemic hypertension (SH) is the main risk factor to cognitive deterioration, whereas visuospatial memory is more vulnerable to ageing. Some antihypertensive agents have a neuroprotector effect, however, such effects could be masked by comorbidities and/or the lack of effective control on the arterial pressure of patients.
OBJECTIVE: To assess this, the evaluation of incidental visuospatial memory of SH patients and the relation to the treatment received and the effective control of pressure were made.
METHOD: 80 patients (46 woman) were included grouped by the received medication: angiotensin 2 receptor blockers (ARB) or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI). A multiple correlation analysis between visuospatial scores and clinical variables was made; also, a mixed model analysis (fixed factors: treatment, pressure control, diabetes comorbidity; aleatory factors: age, schooling, months from SH diagnoses).
RESULTS: Half of the patients had a controlled pressure, from them the higher proportion received ARB, and a minor number of patients received ACEI. The normotensive patients receiving ACEI were inefficient whereas the hypertensive patients were more efficient. The systolic pressure was negatively related with the visuospatial scores in spite of no correlations occurred with MoCA and Raven tests.
CONCLUSIONS: The visuospatial incidental/intentional scores were negatively correlated with systolic pressure. The efficiency in the visuospatial ability depends on the interaction of treatment and effective control of blood pressure. The interaction between treatment and effective pressure control must be taken in count when cognitive deterioration is studied.}, }
@article {pmid38512931, year = {2024}, author = {Gutema, BT and Tariku, EZ and Melketsedik, ZA and Levecke, B and De Henauw, S and Abubakar, A and Abbeddou, S}, title = {Assessing the influence of COVID-19 lockdown measures on cognition and behavior in school age children in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance site, Southern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.}, journal = {PLOS global public health}, volume = {4}, number = {3}, pages = {e0002978}, pmid = {38512931}, issn = {2767-3375}, abstract = {Ethiopian schools were closed for nearly 40 weeks as a measure to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the study was to evaluate the role of COVID-19 pandemic's restrictive measures on cognition and behavioral difficulties of schoolchildren in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Site. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in November 2019 (pre-COVID-19-lockdown) and November 2020 (post-COVID-19 lockdown). Data were collected both at the school and homes of the children. Cognitive development of the children was assessed using digit span, Raven's coloured progressive matrices (RCPM) and Visual search using cancellation task. Behavioral difficulties score of the children was assessed using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare between the cognition outcomes and behavioral difficulties score pre- and post-COVID-19-lockdown. In a sub-group of children who provided data in both surveys, the difference in cognitive and behavioral outcomes was tested using a mixed effect model. Compared to the pre-COVID-19-lockdown, schoolchildren post-COVID-19-lockdown scored lower in the standardized performance index for the visual search task, which measures attention (0.27 SD, 95% confidence intervals (95%CI): -0.40, -0.13). However, they scored higher by 0.26 SD (95%CI: 0.13, 0.40) and 0.36 SD (95%CI: 0.22, 0.49) in digit span and RCPM, respectively, measuring working memory and non-verbal intelligence. There was no significant difference in total difficulties score between pre- and post-COVID-19-lockdown (0.01 SD, 95%CI: -0.12, 0.15). The subgroup analysis showed a significant increase in digit span among children post-COVID-19-lockdown while the other domains did not show a significant change. Factors contributing to the improvement of children's cognitive domains while away from the school environment should be explored and utilized to enhance child development. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04137354 on October 14, 2019.}, }
@article {pmid38514912, year = {2024}, author = {Hernández, LAP and Hernández, AMP and Castelanich, D and Shitara, D and Chacín, M}, title = {A novel hybrid BonT-A and hyaluronic acid cannula-based technique for eyelid ptosis and periorbital rejuvenation.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {23}, number = {6}, pages = {2001-2006}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.16264}, pmid = {38514912}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {//Universidad Simón Bolívar/ ; //Internal Funds for Research Strengthening from Universidad Simón Bolívar, Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Extensión e Innovación, Barranquilla, Colombia/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Hyaluronic Acid/administration & dosage ; *Blepharoptosis ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage ; *Rejuvenation ; *Cannula ; *Eyelids ; Female ; Cosmetic Techniques/instrumentation ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Oculomotor Muscles/drug effects ; Male ; Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Eyelid ptosis is characterized by an inferior displacement of the upper eyelid when the eye assumes its primary position. Besides its aesthetic implications, ptosis can also adversely affect visual acuity.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the simultaneous administration of IncobotulinumtoxinA (IncoBonTA) and hyaluronic acid effect in eyelid ptosis and ocular rejuvenation.
METHODS: A novel, non-surgical technique for eyelid ptosis management involving IncoBonTA and hyaluronic acid the co-administration within a single syringe, and applied using a cannula.
RESULTS: The dual action of IncoBonTA and hyaluronic acid in conjunction with the exact injection sites approaches improves overall aesthetic outcomes but also optimizes the restoration of eyelid functionality in palpebral ptosis.
CONCLUSIONS: The functional balance achieved among the contributory muscles-primarily the orbicularis oculi (OO) and its antagonists, the frontal muscle and levator palpebrae superioris (LPS), yields to both, cosmetic and functional.}, }
@article {pmid38518171, year = {2024}, author = {Bibi, C and Nigar, Z}, title = {Clinical Evaluation of a Topical Unani Polyherbal Formulation in the Management of Photodamaged Facial skin: An open-label Standard Controlled Trial.}, journal = {Alternative therapies in health and medicine}, volume = {30}, number = {3}, pages = {16-23}, pmid = {38518171}, issn = {1078-6791}, mesh = {Humans ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Medicine, Unani/methods ; Aged ; Face ; Administration, Topical ; Phytotherapy/methods ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Ageing is a natural process of life. With increasing age, the skin suffers progressive morphological and physiological decrement. Hyperpigmentation, Wrinkles, and roughness of skin are some of the symptoms of aged skin. Exposure to sunlight, pollution, stress, nicotine, etc aggravates Skin aging. This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of polyherbal formulation and compare its efficacy with the standard drug tretinoin in subjects of moderate to advanced Photoaged facial skin. Ingredients of polyherbal formulation are Aarade baqla (Vicia faba), Jau (Hordeum vulgare), Nakhud (Cicer arietinum),Masoor (Lens esculenta), Tukhm e turb (Raphanus sativus), Khardal (Brassica nigra), Haldi (Curcuma longa), Kateera (Cochlospermum religiosum).
METHODS: This was a randomized open-label standard controlled study. 82 eligible subjects were allocated equally into test and control groups by computer-generated random numbers. In the test group, a paste of 15 gm polyherbal formulation in milk, and the control group, 0.025% Tretinoin 1 gram was used topically on the face once a day for two months. The response was assessed by theclinician using following different scales for different parameters.
It was assessed by the Skin Hyperpigmentation Index online calculator (SHI). It describes the ratio of two scores, namely the hyperpigmented skin of the affected area and normal sun-protected skin from the same patient. The image was recorded with a Digital microscope-Win7 from a hyperpigmented area and normal sun-protected area. Both the images were uploaded on https://shi.skinimageanalysis.com/ and calculated the mean value of hyperpigmentation. SHI ranges from 1 (no hyperpigmentation) to 4 (maximum hyperpigmentation) where scores between 1 and 2 showed as light hyperpigmentation, 2-3 as medium hyperpigmentation, and scores between 3 and 4 as severe hyperpigmentation.
ASSESSMENT OF FINE WRINKLES: Fine wrinkles number was determined by digital photography. The photographs were taken through Canon EOS 1500D DSLR Camera with an 18-55 mm Lens. Three images were taken of each subject's face (right, left, and center full face) on Baseline and Day 15th, 30th, 45th, and 60th to assess visible changes/improvement in their fine wrinkles score.
ASSESSMENT OF NASOLABIAL FOLD: Modified Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale (MFWS) was used to assess Nasolabial folds. The scale comprised four main classes of Nasolabial wrinkling: 0, 1, 2, and 3 representing absent, fine, moderate, and deep wrinkles, respectively, and three inter classes i.e., 0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 to estimate wrinkle depth. The definitions of the entire classes of the scale are as follows: Class 0 = No wrinkle. No visible wrinkle; continuous skin line; Class 0.5 = Very shallow yet visible wrinkle; Class 1= Fine wrinkle. Visible wrinkle and slight indentation; Class 1.5= Visible wrinkle and clear indentation. <1-mm wrinkle depth; Class 2= Moderate wrinkle. Visible wrinkle, 1- to 2-mm wrinkle depth; Class 2.5= Prominent and visible wrinkle. More than 2-mm and less than 3-mm wrinkle depth; Class 3=Deep wrinkle. Deep and furrow wrinkle; more than 3-mm wrinkle depth.
Forehead lines were assessed (number and depth) by a Validated Grading Scale for Forehead Lines. The Forehead Lines Grading Scale is a 5- point photonumeric rating scale that was developed to objectively quantify resting (static) and hyperkinetic (dynamic) forehead lines. The scale ratings are 0 for no wrinkles, 1 for no wrinkles present at rest but fine lines with facial expression, 2 for fine wrinkles present at rest and deep lines with facial expression, 3 for fine wrinkles present at rest and deeper lines with facial expression, and 4 for deeper wrinkles at rest and deeper furrows with facial expression.
The number of lateral canthal lines was determined by a Validated Grading Scale for Crow's Feet. The Crow's Feet Grading Scale is a 5- point photonumeric rating scale developed to objectively quantify the severity of crow's feet. This scale was applied to two separate evaluations of crow's feet: at rest (static) and with expression (dynamic). The scale ratings are 0 for no wrinkles, 1 for very fine wrinkles, 2 for fine wrinkles, 3 for moderate wrinkles, and 4 for severe wrinkles.
The Allergan Skin Roughness Scale was used for facial skin roughness assessment. The area of assessment for the Allergan Skin roughness Scale is the area between the nasolabial fold to the preauricular cheek and from the inferior orbital rim to the mandible. The Allergan Skin Roughness Scale assigns a grade from none (0) to extreme (4) that describes the severity of skin coarseness, crosshatching, and elastosis in the midface area. The scale grading are 0 (None) Smooth visual skin texture, 1 (Minimal) Slightly coarse and uneven visual skin texture, 2 (Moderate) Moderately coarse and uneven visual skin texture; may have early elastosis, 3 (Severe) Severely coarse visual skin texture, cross-hatched fine lines; may have some elastosis, and 4 (Extreme) Extremely coarse visual skin texture, cross Hatched deep creases; extreme elastosis.
ASSESSMENT OF FACIAL DULLNESS: Dullness was assessed on a clinical basis with an arbitrary scoring ranging from 0 to 9 where 0-3=mild, 3.5-6=moderate, and 6.5-9=severe facial skin dullness.
ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE: Subjects' life quality was assessed by the Dermatology Life Quality Index questionnaire. It consists of 10 questions. Each question is scored on a four-point Likert scale: Very much = 3, A lot = 2, A little = 1, Not at all = 0, Not relevant = 0 and Question unanswered = 0. The DLQI is calculated by adding the score of each question, resulting in a maximum of 30 and a minimum of 0. Where, 0-1= no effect at all on patient's life, 2-5 = small effect on patient's life, 6-10 = moderate effect on patient's life, 11-20 = very large effect on patient's life, 21-30 = extremely large effect on patient's life.
RESULTS: Both groups showed a significant improvement in Fine Wrinkles, Forehead Lines, Crow's Feet, Roughness, Dullness, Nasolabial Fold, Hyperpigmentation, and Quality of Life parameters. (P < .001) A large number of subjects in the control group reported mild to moderate redness, itching, dryness, and blackening of the skin, while in the test group, absolutely no side effects were reported during treatment.
CONCLUSION: The effects in both groups were substantial, but the polyherbal formulation is safe and effective for use in photoaged facial skin. It may be a more feasible easily accessible cheap and safe formulation to prevent skin aging and restore skin elasticity and make skin brighter. Further studies to evaluate the efficacy of formulation on objective parameters using standard instruments should be done for appropriate measurements of parameters.}, }
@article {pmid38536907, year = {2024}, author = {Humpenöder, F and Popp, A and Merfort, L and Luderer, G and Weindl, I and Bodirsky, BL and Stevanović, M and Klein, D and Rodrigues, R and Bauer, N and Dietrich, JP and Lotze-Campen, H and Rockström, J}, title = {Food matters: Dietary shifts increase the feasibility of 1.5°C pathways in line with the Paris Agreement.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {10}, number = {13}, pages = {eadj3832}, pmid = {38536907}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {Feasibility Studies ; *Diet ; *Greenhouse Gases ; Food ; Carbon Dioxide/metabolism ; Climate Change ; Greenhouse Effect ; }, abstract = {A transition to healthy diets such as the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet could considerably reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, the specific contributions of dietary shifts for the feasibility of 1.5°C pathways remain unclear. Here, we use the open-source integrated assessment modeling (IAM) framework REMIND-MAgPIE to compare 1.5°C pathways with and without dietary shifts. We find that a flexitarian diet increases the feasibility of the Paris Agreement climate goals in different ways: The reduction of GHG emissions related to dietary shifts, especially methane from ruminant enteric fermentation, increases the 1.5°C compatible carbon budget. Therefore, dietary shifts allow to achieve the same climate outcome with less carbon dioxide removal (CDR) and less stringent CO2 emission reductions in the energy system, which reduces pressure on GHG prices, energy prices, and food expenditures.}, }
@article {pmid38537165, year = {2024}, author = {Edwards-Grossi, È and Willoughby, CDE}, title = {Slavery and Its Afterlives in US Psychiatry.}, journal = {American journal of public health}, volume = {114}, number = {S3}, pages = {S250-S257}, pmid = {38537165}, issn = {1541-0048}, mesh = {Humans ; *Enslavement ; Mental Health ; *Psychiatry/history ; Socioeconomic Factors ; United States ; *Black or African American/psychology ; }, abstract = {Antecedents of racist treatments of Black patients by the psychiatric profession in the United States affect the way they view treatment today. Specifically, in this essay, we explore the enduring consequences of racial science on various treatment practices. We examined a range of primary sources on the history of racial theories about the mind, medical and psychiatric publications, and hospitals. We contextualize this analysis by examining the secondary literature in the history and sociology of psychiatry. Through analyzing racial thinking from the antebellum through the Jim Crow periods, we show how US medicine and psychiatry have roots in antebellum racial science and how carceral logics underpinned the past and present politics of Black mental health. Changing this trajectory requires practitioners to interrogate the historical foundations of racist psychiatric concepts. This essay urges them to reject biological racial realism, which bears reminiscences to 19th-century racial science, and embrace the variable of race as a social construct to study social inequalities in health as a first step toward moving away from the legacies of past injustices in medicine. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(S3):S250-S257. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307554).}, }
@article {pmid38538209, year = {2024}, author = {Shatkovska, OV and Ghazali, M and Mytiai, IS and Stegney, MM}, title = {Patterns of integrated growth of body parts in Rook (Corvus frugilegus) ontogeny.}, journal = {Journal of morphology}, volume = {285}, number = {4}, pages = {e21690}, doi = {10.1002/jmor.21690}, pmid = {38538209}, issn = {1097-4687}, support = {2020.02/0247//National Research Foundation of Ukraine/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows ; Wings, Animal ; Chickens ; Hindlimb ; Forelimb ; }, abstract = {The early period of ontogeny is key to understanding the patterns of body plan formation in birds. Most studies of avian development have focused on the development of individual avian characters, leaving their developmental integration understudied. We explored the dynamics and integration of relative percentage increments in body mass, lengths of head, skeletal elements of wing and leg, and primary flight feathers in the embryonic and postnatal development of the Rook (Corvus frugilegus). The relative percentage increments were calculated according to Brody's equation. Groups of similar growing traits (modules) were determined using hierarchical cluster analysis, and the degree of correlation between modules was estimated by PLS analysis. The embryonic and postnatal periods demonstrate significant consistency both in the dynamics of changes in relative percentage increments of studied traits as well as in the clustering of individual modules. The modules mainly include the body mass and head length, as well as the elements that form the fore- and hind limbs. Differences were revealed in the combination of modules into clusters in embryonic and postnatal periods. Hind limb elements clustered together with wing elements in the embryonic period but with body mass and the head in the postnatal period. The strongest modularity was noted for the leg in embryogenesis, and for the wing in postnatal development. The forelimb and especially the primary feathers had more distinctive growth patterns. We suggest the changes in the degree of integration between locomotor modules in ontogenesis are connected with the earlier functioning of the legs in the postnatal period and with the preparation of the wings for functioning after a chick leaves the nest.}, }
@article {pmid38541285, year = {2024}, author = {Held, S and Feng, D and McCormick, A and Schure, M and Other Medicine, L and Hallett, J and Inouye, J and Allen, S and Holder, S and Bull Shows, B and Trottier, C and Kyro, A and Kropp, S and Turns Plenty, N}, title = {The Báa nnilah Program: Results of a Chronic-Illness Self-Management Cluster Randomized Trial with the Apsáalooke Nation.}, journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, volume = {21}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {38541285}, issn = {1660-4601}, support = {U01 MD010619/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; U01MD010619/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; U54GM104944/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; P20GM103474/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; P20 GM103474/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; U54 GM104944/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *American Indian or Alaska Native ; Chronic Disease ; Community-Based Participatory Research/methods ; *Indians, North American ; *Self-Management ; }, abstract = {Indigenous people in Montana are disproportionately affected by chronic illness (CI), a legacy of settler colonialism. Existing programs addressing CI self-management are not appropriate because they are not consonant with Indigenous cultures in general and the Apsáalooke culture specifically. A research partnership between the Apsáalooke (Crow Nation) non-profit organization Messengers for Health and Montana State University co-developed, implemented, and evaluated a CI self-management program for community members. This article examines qualitative and quantitative program impacts using a pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial design with intervention and waitlist control arms. The quantitative and qualitative data resulted in different stories on the impact of the Báa nnilah program. Neither of the quantitative hypotheses were supported with one exception. The qualitative data showed substantial positive outcomes across multiple areas. We examine why the data sets led to two very different stories, and provide study strengths and limitations, recommendations, and future directions.}, }
@article {pmid38545558, year = {2024}, author = {Tummeleht, L and Häkkä, SSS and Jürison, M and Vilem, A and Nurmoja, I and Viltrop, A}, title = {Wild boar (Sus scrofa) carcasses as an attraction for scavengers and a potential source for soil contamination with the African swine fever virus.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1305643}, pmid = {38545558}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a social animal species native to Eurasia. During the last decade, the wild boar population in Estonia has been severely affected by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which has also affected domestic pig farming. The potential transmission routes of ASFV remain unclear and are currently under intensive investigation. This pilot study aimed to clarify the frequency and characteristics of contacts between living wild boars and the carcasses of their conspecifics, which could play a role in the transmission of ASFV. Wild animals' contact and scavenging behavior on wild boar carcasses were studied using trail cameras in an experimental setting on Hiiumaa, Western Estonia. Four legally hunted carcasses were used in the present study. This study aimed to determine whether intraspecies scavenging occurs in wild boars. The persistence of ASFV DNA in soil contaminated with infected wild boar carcasses was investigated separately. Among the 17 identified wildlife species that visited wild boar carcasses, the common raven (Corvus corax) was the most frequent one (37.26%), followed by raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides; 4.25%), carcass conspecific/wild boars (3.16%), and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes; 2.14%). Regarding the direct contact with the carcass, the same species ranking was detected: common raven (74.95%), raccoon dogs (9.94%), wild boars (4.21%), and red foxes (4.21%). No clear signs of cannibalism were noted among the wild boars, although brief physical contact with the carcasses was evident. The persistence of ASFV DNA in soil contaminated by infected wild boar carcasses was investigated separately. This study revealed that ASFV DNA from infected carcasses could be detected in forest soil for prolonged periods, even after removing the carcasses. Hence, the carcasses of infected wild boars may play an important role in spreading the African swine fever virus in wild boar populations; thus, prompt removal and disinfection of the soil could be considered necessary to limit the spread of the infection.}, }
@article {pmid38545615, year = {2024}, author = {Hooper, R and Maher, K and Moore, K and McIvor, G and Hosken, D and Thornton, A}, title = {Ultimate drivers of forced extra-pair copulations in birds lacking a penis: jackdaws as a case-study.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {11}, number = {3}, pages = {231226}, pmid = {38545615}, issn = {2054-5703}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Forced copulation is common, presumably because it can increase male reproductive success. Forced extra-pair copulation (FEPC) occurs in birds, even though most species lack a penis and are widely thought to require female cooperation for fertilization. How FEPC persists, despite a presumed lack of siring success and likely non-negligible costs to the male, is unknown. Using the jackdaw (Corvus monedula) as a case study, we use SNPs to quantify the extra-pair paternity rate through FEPC and evaluate explanations for the persistence of FEPC in species without a penis. We then collate evidence for FEPC across penis-lacking birds. Combining genetic and behavioural analyses, our study suggests that the most likely explanations for the maintenance of FEPC in jackdaws are that it provides a selective advantage to males or it is a relic. Our literature review shows that across birds lacking a penis, FEPC is taxonomically widespread, and yet, little is known about its evolution. A broader implementation of the approach used here, combining both genetic and behavioural data, may shed light on why this widespread sexual behaviour persists. Additional work is necessary to understand whether a penis is needed for paternity through forced copulation and to quantify the costs of FEPC.}, }
@article {pmid38553766, year = {2024}, author = {Chambon, R and Paillisson, JM and Fournier-Sowinski, J and Dugravot, S}, title = {Agricultural habitat use and selection by a sedentary bird over its annual life cycle in a crop-depredation context.}, journal = {Movement ecology}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {26}, pmid = {38553766}, issn = {2051-3933}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Modern agriculture has undoubtedly led to increasing wildlife-human conflicts, notably concerning bird damage in productive and attractive crops during some parts of the annual cycle. This issue requires utmost attention for sedentary birds that may impact agricultural crops at any stage of their annual life cycle. Reducing bird-human conflicts requires a better understanding of the relationship between bird foraging activity and the characteristics of agricultural areas, notably with respect to changes in food-resource availability and crop sensitivity across the year.
METHODS: We explored how GPS-tagged adult male western jackdaws- sedentary corvids- utilize agricultural areas throughout their annual cycle, in a context of crop depredation. More precisely, we described their daily occurrence distribution and the extent of habitat use and selection consistency with respect to landscape composition across time.
RESULTS: Jackdaws moved in the close agricultural surroundings of their urban nesting place over the year (< 2.5 km from the nest, on average). Daily occurrence distributions were restricted (< 2.2 km[2]), relatively centered on the nesting locality (distance between the daily occurrence centroid and the nest < 0.9 km), and rather spatially stable during each annual life-cycle period (overlap range: 63.4-76.1%). Their foraging patterns highlighted that they fed mainly in grasslands all year round, and foraged complementarily and opportunistically in maize (during sowing- coinciding with the first stages of the birds' breeding period) and cereal crops (during harvesting- their post-fledging period).
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate the very limited space use by breeding male jackdaws which foraged preferentially in grasslands. We call for future investigations in other agricultural contexts and also considering non-breeders for extrapolation purposes.}, }
@article {pmid38557350, year = {2024}, author = {Wang, Z and Mayer, CH and Li, J}, title = {A psychobiographical analysis of Empress Dowager Cixi: exploring the femininity castrated complex.}, journal = {International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England)}, volume = {36}, number = {1-2}, pages = {56-68}, doi = {10.1080/09540261.2023.2274934}, pmid = {38557350}, issn = {1369-1627}, abstract = {In Chinese culture, there is a widely circulated phrase, 'A hen crows in the morning'. This phrase is used to humiliate women who steal power and engage in the political field. It demonstrates the complicated relationship between women and power in the context of Chinese culture. Women are not completely excluded from the politics, but women in power are often stigmatised. This study explores the life of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908), the last female dominator in Chinese history, takes psychobiography as the research method, and attempts to understand the complicated relationship between women and power in Chinese culture through analysing Cixi's life from the perspective of complex and cultural complex theory which originated with C.G. Jung and analytical theory. The research findings show that humiliating and suppressing women with political talent can trigger their complexes, both personal and cultural. This study attempts to propose the femininity castrated complex to better describe the conscious and unconscious psychological dynamics impacting on women within patriarchal, political Chinese culture. This complex further relates to (1) denying her biological sex in order to avoid accusations of superego and, (2) the relationship with her son who is not only her son, but also her enemy regarding (political) power.}, }
@article {pmid38563943, year = {2024}, author = {Wadas, MJ and White, WJ and LeFevre, HJ and Kuranz, CC and Towne, A and Johnsen, E}, title = {Hydrodynamic Mechanism for Clumping along the Equatorial Rings of SN1987A and Other Stars.}, journal = {Physical review letters}, volume = {132}, number = {11}, pages = {111201}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.132.111201}, pmid = {38563943}, issn = {1079-7114}, abstract = {An explanation for the origin and number of clumps along the equatorial ring of Supernova 1987A has eluded decades of research. Our linear analysis and hydrodynamic simulations of the expanding ring prior to the supernova reveal that it is subject to the Crow instability between vortex cores. The dominant wave number is remarkably consistent with the number of clumps, suggesting that the Crow instability stimulates clump formation. Although the present analysis focuses on linear fluid flow, future nonlinear analysis and the incorporation of additional stellar physics may further elucidate the remnant structure and the evolution of the progenitor and other stars.}, }
@article {pmid38564380, year = {2024}, author = {Farris, P and Berson, D and Bhatia, N and Goldberg, D and Lain, E and Mariwalla, K and Zeichner, J and Miller, D and McGuire, T and Kizoulis, M}, title = {Efficacy and Tolerability of Topical 0.1% Stabilized Bioactive Retinol for Photoaging: A Vehicle-Controlled Integrated Analysis.}, journal = {Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD}, volume = {23}, number = {4}, pages = {209-215}, doi = {10.36849/JDD.8124}, pmid = {38564380}, issn = {1545-9616}, mesh = {Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Double-Blind Method ; Retinoids ; *Skin Aging ; Treatment Outcome ; Tretinoin/adverse effects ; *Vitamin A ; Adult ; Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Chronic exposure to ultraviolet light photoages skin. Retinol, a precursor molecule to retinoic acid that causes less irritation, is available as a nonprescription, cosmetic retinoid and improves collagen production, skin elasticity, and signs of photoaging. Advances in formulation science have allowed the production of stabilized bioactive retinol formulations. This integrated analysis aims to build on previous studies and further examine the comprehensive efficacy and tolerability of topical 0.1% stabilized bioactive retinol.
METHODS: This analysis included 6 vehicle-controlled studies of 0.1% stabilized bioactive retinol in women with mild-to-moderate signs of photodamage. Across all studies, the same dermatologist investigator assessed overall photodamage; wrinkles on the forehead, cheeks, and undereye area; crow’s feet wrinkles and fine lines; lack of even skin tone; and brown spots at baseline and weeks 4, 8, and 12 on a numerical scale. Tolerability was also assessed.
RESULTS: Participants (retinol, N=237; vehicle, N=234) had a mean (SD) age of 47.4 (6.6) years. Retinol induced greater improvements from baseline in all signs of photoaging vs vehicle as early as week 4 and through 12 weeks of application. Few participants experienced irritation; all events were mild to moderate and transient. The most common signs of irritation were erythema (n=2) and skin scaling/peeling (n=5).
CONCLUSIONS: This pooled analysis of 6 vehicle-controlled clinical studies provides new evidence for the efficacy of 0.1% stabilized bioactive retinol in improving signs of photoaging without causing major irritation. Topical 0.1% stabilized bioactive retinol was well tolerated with only a few reported cases of skin irritation. J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(4): doi:10.36849/JDD.8124.}, }
@article {pmid38571527, year = {2024}, author = {Cheyette, SJ and Piantadosi, ST}, title = {Response to Difficulty Drives Variation in IQ Test Performance.}, journal = {Open mind : discoveries in cognitive science}, volume = {8}, number = {}, pages = {265-277}, pmid = {38571527}, issn = {2470-2986}, abstract = {In a large (N = 300), pre-registered experiment and data analysis model, we find that individual variation in overall performance on Raven's Progressive Matrices is substantially driven by differential strategizing in the face of difficulty. Some participants choose to spend more time on hard problems while others choose to spend less and these differences explain about 42% of the variance in overall performance. In a data analysis jointly predicting participants' reaction times and accuracy on each item, we find that the Raven's task captures at most half of participants' variation in time-controlled ability (48%) down to almost none (3%), depending on which notion of ability is assumed. Our results highlight the role that confounding factors such as motivation play in explaining individuals' differential performance in IQ testing.}, }
@article {pmid38582185, year = {2024}, author = {Maruyama, M and Ushine, N and Watanabe, Y and Ishii, C and Saito, K and Sakai, H and Kuritani, T and Doya, R and Ogasawara, K and Ikenaka, Y and Yohannes, YB and Ishizuka, M and Nakayama, SMM}, title = {Current situation of lead (Pb) exposure in raptors and waterfowl in Japan and difference in sensitivity to in vitro lead exposure among avian species.}, journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)}, volume = {349}, number = {}, pages = {123907}, doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123907}, pmid = {38582185}, issn = {1873-6424}, mesh = {Animals ; *Lead/blood/metabolism ; Japan ; *Raptors/metabolism ; *Environmental Pollutants/blood ; *Birds/metabolism ; Environmental Monitoring/methods ; Lead Poisoning/veterinary ; Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data ; Crows ; }, abstract = {Although lead (Pb) poisoning in wild birds has been considered a serious problem in Japan for over 30 years, there is little information about Pb exposure and its sources throughout Japan except for Hokkaido. Furthermore, to identify and effectively prioritize the conservation needs of highly vulnerable species, differences in sensitivity to Pb exposure among avian species need to be determined. Therefore, we investigated the current situation of Pb exposure in raptors (13 species, N = 82), waterfowl (eight species, N = 44) and crows (one species, N = 6) using concentration and isotope analysis. We employed blood or tissue samples collected in various Japanese facilities mainly in 2022 or 2023. We also carried out a comparative study of blood δ-ALAD sensitivity to in vitro Pb exposure using blood of nine avian species. Pb concentrations in the blood or tissues displayed increased levels (>0.1 μg/g blood) in two raptors (2.4%), ten waterfowl (23%) and one crow (17%). Among them, poisoning levels (>0.6 μg/g blood) were found in one black kite and one common teal. The sources of Pb isotope ratios in ten blood samples with high Pb levels were determined as deriving from shot pellets (N = 9) or rifle bullets (N = 1). In the δ-ALAD study, red-crowned crane showed the highest sensitivity among the nine tested avian species and was followed in order by five Accipitriformes species (including white-tailed and Steller's sea eagle), Blakiston's fish owl, Muscovy duck and chicken, suggesting a genetically driven variance in susceptibility. Further studies on contamination conditions and exposure sources are urgently needed to inform strict regulations on the usage of Pb ammunition. Furthermore, detailed examinations of δ-ALAD sensitivity, interspecific differences, and other factors involved in the variability in sensitivity to Pb are required to identify and prioritize highly sensitive species.}, }
@article {pmid38583220, year = {2024}, author = {Melo-Souza, V and Gavrilov, A and Rossi-Santos, MR}, title = {Dropping a bombshell: Acoustic characterization of blast fishing in Todos os Santos Bay, Brazil, and its implication for marine conservation.}, journal = {Marine pollution bulletin}, volume = {202}, number = {}, pages = {116332}, doi = {10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116332}, pmid = {38583220}, issn = {1879-3363}, mesh = {Brazil ; *Bays ; *Acoustics ; *Fisheries ; Animals ; *Conservation of Natural Resources ; Fishes ; Environmental Monitoring ; Explosions ; Ecosystem ; }, abstract = {Blast fishing is an illegal fishing method that not only affects fish populations and the marine ecosystem, but also local food security and local economy. Despite its effects, blast fishing continues to persist in many coastal regions around the world, including Todos os Santos Bay (BTS - Baia de Todos os Santos) in Northeastern Brazil. This study provides the first acoustic record of underwater explosions along this region. The acoustic data were collected between 2016 and 2018, from a boat-survey platform, using a portable system consisting of an HTI-90 min hydrophone (sensitivity of about -165 dB re 1 V/μPa) connected to a TASCAM DR-40 digital recorder (combined frequency response up to 30 kHz), recording at 7 m depth. The acoustic analysis was performed using both RAVEN 1.6 and MATLAB 2021a softwares. The results revealed a distinctive underwater explosion signal detected in the BTS, indicating evidence of blast fishing activities. The acoustic characterization of blast fishing in BTS provides crucial information on its occurrence and extent of this destructive practice worldwide.}, }
@article {pmid38583936, year = {2024}, author = {Hu, B and Wang, JM and Zhang, QX and Xu, J and Xing, YN and Wang, B and Han, SY and He, HX}, title = {Enterococcus faecalis provides protection during scavenging in carrion crow (Corvus corone).}, journal = {Zoological research}, volume = {45}, number = {3}, pages = {451-463}, pmid = {38583936}, issn = {2095-8137}, mesh = {Animals ; Mice ; *Crows ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Ecosystem ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Feeding Behavior ; Birds ; }, abstract = {The gut microbiota significantly influences host physiology and provides essential ecosystem services. While diet can affect the composition of the gut microbiota, the gut microbiota can also help the host adapt to specific dietary habits. The carrion crow (Corvus corone), an urban facultative scavenger bird, hosts an abundance of pathogens due to its scavenging behavior. Despite this, carrion crows infrequently exhibit illness, a phenomenon related to their unique physiological adaptability. At present, however, the role of the gut microbiota remains incompletely understood. In this study, we performed a comparative analysis using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology to assess colonic content in carrion crows and 16 other bird species with different diets in Beijing, China. Our findings revealed that the dominant gut microbiota in carrion crows was primarily composed of Proteobacteria (75.51%) and Firmicutes (22.37%). Significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of Enterococcus faecalis among groups, highlighting its potential as a biomarker of facultative scavenging behavior in carrion crows. Subsequently, E. faecalis isolated from carrion crows was transplanted into model mice to explore the protective effects of this bacterial community against Salmonella enterica infection. Results showed that E. faecalis down-regulated the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and interleukin 6 (IL-6), prevented S. enterica colonization, and regulated the composition of gut microbiota in mice, thereby modulating the host's immune regulatory capacity. Therefore, E. faecalis exerts immunoregulatory and anti-pathogenic functions in carrion crows engaged in scavenging behavior, offering a representative case of how the gut microbiota contributes to the protection of hosts with specialized diets.}, }
@article {pmid38589583, year = {2024}, author = {Krige, Z and Spencer, EE and Crowther, MS and Dickman, CR and Newsome, TM}, title = {Flooding, season and habitat interact to drive changes in vertebrate scavenging and carcass persistence rates.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {204}, number = {4}, pages = {861-874}, pmid = {38589583}, issn = {1432-1939}, support = {Threatened Species Recovery Hub [Theme 1//Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program/ ; Subproject 1.1.11//Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Floods ; *Ecosystem ; *Seasons ; Australia ; Vertebrates/physiology ; Food Chain ; Climate Change ; }, abstract = {Scavenging dynamics are influenced by many abiotic and biotic factors, but there is little knowledge of how scavengers respond to extreme weather events. As carrion is a major driver of the organisation and structure of food webs within ecological communities, understanding the response of scavengers to extreme weather events is critical in a world that is increasingly subject to climate change. In this study, vertebrate scavenging and carcass persistence rates were quantified in the Simpson Desert of central Australia; a system that experiences major fluctuations and extremes in weather conditions. Specifically, a total of 80 adult red kangaroo (Osphranter rufus) carcasses were placed on the landscape and monitored using remote sensor cameras. This included 40 carcasses monitored before and then 40 carcasses monitored after a major flooding event. The carcasses were monitored equally before and after the flood across different seasons (warm and cool) and in dune and interdune habitats. Overall, a total of 8124 scavenging events for 97,976 visitation minutes were recorded for 11 vertebrate species within 30 days of carcass placement pre- and post-flood. Vertebrate scavenging increased post-flood in the warm season, especially by corvids which quadrupled their scavenging events during this time. There was little difference in carcass persistence between habitats, but carcasses persisted 5.3-fold longer post-flood in warm seasons despite increased vertebrate scavenging. The results demonstrate that a flood event can influence scavenging dynamics and suggest a need to further understand how seasons, habitats and extreme weather events can drive changes in carrion-based food webs.}, }
@article {pmid38591218, year = {2024}, author = {De Tollenaere, M and Meunier, M and Lapierre, L and Chapuis, E and Guilleret, A and Harrison, I and Jean, T and Rannou, A and Scandolera, A and Reynaud, R}, title = {High molecular weight hyaluronic acid vectorised with clay provides long-term hydration and reduces skin brightness.}, journal = {Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)}, volume = {30}, number = {4}, pages = {e13672}, pmid = {38591218}, issn = {1600-0846}, mesh = {Humans ; *Hyaluronic Acid/pharmacology/chemistry ; Clay ; Molecular Weight ; Skin ; *Skin Aging ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a widely used active cosmetic ingredient. Its multiple skin care benefits are modulated by its molecular weight. Low molecular weight (LMW) HA can penetrate the skin, but high molecular weight (HMW) HA remains at the surface. Here, we assessed how vectorization of HMW HA with bentonite clay-achieved with an innovative technology-enhances its cosmetic and hydrating properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The two HA forms were applied to skin explants; their penetration and smoothing effects were monitored by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The two forms were biochemically characterised by chromatography, enzyme sensitivity assays, and analysis of Zeta potential. Cosmetics benefits such as, the smoothing effect of vectorised-HA was assessed in ex vivo experiments on skin explants. A placebo-controlled clinical study was finally conducted applying treatments for 28 days to analyse the final benefits in crow's feet area.
RESULTS: Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed native HMW HA to accumulate at the surface of skin explants, whereas vectorised HMW HA was detected in deeper skin layers. This innovative vectorisation process changed the zeta potential of vectorised HMW HA, being then more anionic and negative without impacting the biochemical structure of native HA. In terms of cosmetic benefits, following application of vectorised HMW HA ex vivo, the skin's surface was visibly smoother. This smoothing was clinically confirmed, with a significant reduction in fine lines.
CONCLUSION: The development of innovative process vectorising HMW HA allowed HMW HA penetration in the skin. This enhanced penetration extends the clinical benefits of this iconic cosmetic ingredient.}, }
@article {pmid38622257, year = {2024}, author = {Schumm, YR and Lederer-Ponzer, N and Masello, JF and Quillfeldt, P}, title = {High prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in Eurasian jays.}, journal = {Parasitology research}, volume = {123}, number = {4}, pages = {182}, pmid = {38622257}, issn = {1432-1955}, support = {LOEWE priority project Nature 4.0 - Sensing Biodiversity//Hessen State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Parasites ; Prevalence ; DNA, Protozoan ; Phylogeny ; *Songbirds ; *Passeriformes ; *Haemosporida/genetics ; *Bird Diseases/epidemiology/parasitology ; *Protozoan Infections, Animal/epidemiology/parasitology ; }, abstract = {Avian haemosporidians are vector-borne parasites, infecting a great variety of birds. The order Passeriformes has the highest average infection probability; nevertheless, some common species of Passeriformes have been rather poorly studied. We investigated haemosporidians in one such species, the Eurasian jay Garrulus glandarius (Corvidae), from a forest population in Hesse, Central Germany. All individuals were infected with at least one haemosporidian genus (overall prevalence: 100%). The most common infection pattern was a mixed Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon infection, whereas no Plasmodium infection was detected. Results on lineage diversity indicate a rather pronounced host-specificity of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon lineages infecting birds of the family Corvidae.}, }
@article {pmid38625260, year = {2023}, author = {Samal, S and Dash, R}, title = {Developing a novel stock index trend predictor model by integrating multiple criteria decision-making with an optimized online sequential extreme learning machine.}, journal = {Granular computing}, volume = {8}, number = {3}, pages = {411-440}, pmid = {38625260}, issn = {2364-4974}, abstract = {It has always been the goal of many researchers to gain a thorough understanding of the patterns in the stock market and forecast the trends it will follow. The use of an advanced forecasting model can assist with accurately forecasting the future price of stocks, their fluctuations in the markets, as well as make profits in trading. With this motivation, in this study, a novel stock index trend predictor model is designed by integrating Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) with an optimized Online Sequential Extreme Learning Machine (OSELM). Forecasting the future stock index prices and analyzing the upward or downward trends of these price forecasts are the two objectives of the proposed model. As the performance of OSELM is heavily dependent on the activation functions used in it, suitable selection of the activation function for OSELM is addressed as a MCDM problem. According to this approach, the trend prediction performance of six popular activation functions is assessed based on five regression-based and five classification-based criteria. In this investigation, three MCDM approaches are used to assess the performance matrix and determine which activation function is the best for OSELM based on six alternative models and ten criteria. To further optimize OSELM's performance, a hybrid crow search algorithm (hCSA) is incorporated in its training phase. By introducing the chaotic map and mutation operator in position update scheme and catfish behavior in the search process of original CSA, the proposed hCSA is able to achieve the right balance between exploration and exploitation improving the convergence. The proposed trend predictor model is empirically evaluated over historical data of three stock indices such as BSE SENSEX, S&P 500 and DJIA collected during pre-COVID and COVID time frame. In most of the test cases, the hCSA-OSELM model outperforms the state-of-the-art baseline models in terms of all evaluation criteria. When compared to the second-best baseline model, the suggested model is able to achieve the MSE improvements of 4-6%, 25-31%, and accuracy improvements of 0.4-0.8%, 0.9-1.3% over the pre-COVID and COVID time-frames, respectively. The statistical test also reveals the better performance of the proposed model. The robust and reliable MCDM-based model selection, superior prediction and classification outcomes clearly reveal that the proposed model can be used for financial time-series forecasting amid daily volatility as well as highly volatile markets.}, }
@article {pmid38640235, year = {2024}, author = {Zhang, C and Jia, B and Zhu, Y and Zhu, SC}, title = {Human-level few-shot concept induction through minimax entropy learning.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {10}, number = {16}, pages = {eadg2488}, pmid = {38640235}, issn = {2375-2548}, abstract = {Humans learn concepts both from labeled supervision and by unsupervised observation of patterns, a process machines are being taught to mimic by training on large annotated datasets-a method quite different from the human pathway, wherein few examples with no supervision suffice to induce an unfamiliar relational concept. We introduce a computational model designed to emulate human inductive reasoning on abstract reasoning tasks, such as those in IQ tests, using a minimax entropy approach. This method combines identifying the most effective constraints on data via minimum entropy with determining the best combination of them via maximum entropy. Our model, which applies this unsupervised technique, induces concepts from just one instance, reaching human-level performance on tasks of Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM), Machine Number Sense (MNS), and Odd-One-Out (O[3]). These results demonstrate the potential of minimax entropy learning for enabling machines to learn relational concepts efficiently with minimal input.}, }
@article {pmid38643223, year = {2024}, author = {Mansoor, MH and Lu, X and Woksepp, H and Sattar, A and Humak, F and Ali, J and Li, R and Bonnedahl, J and Mohsin, M}, title = {Detection and genomic characterization of Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli harboring tet(X4) in black kites (Milvus migrans) in Pakistan.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {9054}, pmid = {38643223}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; Tigecycline/pharmacology ; *Escherichia coli ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Pakistan ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial/genetics ; Birds/genetics ; Plasmids/genetics ; Genomics ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; }, abstract = {The emergence of plasmid-mediated tigecycline resistance gene tet(X4) among clinically relevant bacteria has promoted significant concerns, as tigecycline is considered a last-resort drug against serious infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. We herein focused on the isolation and molecular characterization of tet(X4)-positive Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) in wild bird populations with anthropogenic interaction in Faisalabad, Pakistan. A total of 150 birds including black kites (Milvus migrans) and house crows (Corvus splendens) were screened for the presence of tigecycline resistance K. pneumoniae and E. coli. We found two K. pneumoniae and one E. coli isolate carrying tet(X4) originating from black kites. A combination of short- and long-read sequencing strategies showed that tet(X4) was located on a broad host range IncFII plasmid family in K. pneumoniae isolates whereas on an IncFII-IncFIB hybrid plasmid in E. coli. We also found an integrative and conjugative element ICEKp2 in K. pneumoniae isolate KP8336. We demonstrate the first description of tet(X4) gene in the WHO critical-priority pathogen K. pneumoniae among wild birds. The convergence of tet(X4) and virulence associated ICEKp2 in a wild bird with known anthropogenic contact should be further investigated to evaluate the potential epidemiological implications. The potential risk of global transmission of tet(X4)-positive K. pneumoniae and E. coli warrant comprehensive evaluation and emphasizes the need for effective mitigation strategies to reduce anthropogenic-driven dissemination of AMR in the environment.}, }
@article {pmid38656932, year = {2024}, author = {Sutton, AO and Strickland, D and Lachapelle, J and Young, RG and Hanner, R and Brunton, DF and Skevington, JH and Freeman, NE and Norris, DR}, title = {Fecal DNA metabarcoding helps characterize the Canada jay's diet and confirms its reliance on stored food for winter survival and breeding.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {4}, pages = {e0300583}, pmid = {38656932}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Seasons ; *Feces/chemistry ; *Diet ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic/methods ; Passeriformes/physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; Breeding ; Canada ; DNA/analysis/genetics ; }, abstract = {Accurately determining the diet of wild animals can be challenging if food items are small, visible only briefly, or rendered visually unidentifiable in the digestive system. In some food caching species, an additional challenge is determining whether consumed diet items have been previously stored or are fresh. The Canada jay (Perisoreus canadensis) is a generalist resident of North American boreal and subalpine forests with anatomical and behavioural adaptations allowing it to make thousands of arboreal food caches in summer and fall that are presumably responsible for its high winter survival and late winter/early spring breeding. We used DNA fecal metabarcoding to obtain novel information on nestling diets and compiled a dataset of 662 published and unpublished direct observations or stomach contents identifications of natural foods consumed by Canada jays throughout the year. We then used detailed natural history information to make informed decisions on whether each item identified to species in the diets of winter adults and nestlings was best characterized as 'likely cached', 'likely fresh' (i.e., was available as a non-cached item when it appeared in a jay's feces or stomach), or 'either possible'. Of the 87 food items consumed by adults in the winter, 39% were classified as 'likely cached' and 6% were deemed to be 'likely fresh'. For nestlings, 29% of 125 food items identified to species were 'likely cached' and 38% were 'likely fresh'. Our results support both the indispensability of cached food for Canada jay winter survival and previous suggestions that cached food is important for late winter/early spring breeding. Our work highlights the value of combining metabarcoding, stomach contents analysis, and direct observations to determine the cached vs. non-cached origins of consumed food items and the identity of food caches, some of which could be especially vulnerable to degradation through climate change.}, }
@article {pmid38657438, year = {2024}, author = {Wada, Y and Ibrahim, AB and Umar, YA and Afolabi, HA and Wada, M and Alissa, M and Al Amri, KAS and Al Ibrahim, AA and Al Fares, MA and Albayat, H and AlKhathlan, MK and Al Kaabi, NA and Al-Subaie, MF and Alfaresi, M and Alrasheed, HA and Rabaan, AA and Yean, CY and Zaidah, AR}, title = {Status of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus in species of wild birds: A systematic review and meta-analysis.}, journal = {Journal of infection and public health}, volume = {17}, number = {6}, pages = {1023-1036}, doi = {10.1016/j.jiph.2024.04.004}, pmid = {38657438}, issn = {1876-035X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Animals, Wild/microbiology ; *Birds/microbiology ; *Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections/epidemiology/veterinary/microbiology ; Prevalence ; *Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci/isolation & purification ; }, abstract = {Wild birds could be a reservoir of medically relevant microorganisms, particularly multidrug-resistant Enterococcus spp. Resistant bacteria's epidemiology and transmission between animals and humans has grown, and their zoonotic potential cannot be ignored. This is the first study to evaluate the status of vancomycin resistant enterococci (VRE) in various wild bird species using meta-analysis and a systematic review. In this study, the pooled prevalence was obtained by analyzing data from published articles on the occurrence of VRE in wild bird species. It's unclear how the antibiotic resistance gene transfer cycle affects wild birds. Google Scholar and PubMed were used to conduct the research. The data and study methodology was assessed and extracted by two reviewers independently, with a third reviewing the results. Heterogeneity between study and publication bias were analyzed using the random effect model. Thirty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis. 382 out of the 4144 isolates tested, were VRE. The pooled prevalence of VRE among wild birds was estimated at 11.0% (95% CI; 6.9 -17.2%; I[2] = 93.204%; P < 0.001). There was high variability between study (t[2] = 2.156; heterogeneity I[2] = 93.204% with chi-square (Q) = 544.413, degrees of freedom (df) = 37, and P < 0.001). Egger's test verified the funnel plot's bias, while result from the leave-one-out forest plot had no effect on the pooled prevalence.}, }
@article {pmid38666841, year = {2024}, author = {van Hasselt, SJ and Coscia, M and Allocca, G and Vyssotski, AL and Meerlo, P}, title = {Sleep and Thermoregulation in Birds: Cold Exposure Reduces Brain Temperature but Has Little Influence on Sleep Time and Sleep Architecture in Jackdaws (Coloeus monedula).}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {13}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {38666841}, issn = {2079-7737}, support = {OCENW.KLEIN.240/NWO_/Dutch Research Council/Netherlands ; }, abstract = {Birds have an electrophysiological sleep state that resembles mammalian rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. However, whether its regulation and function are similar is unclear. In the current experiment, we studied REM sleep regulation in jackdaws (Coloeus monedula) by exposing the birds to low ambient temperature, a procedure that selectively suppresses REM sleep in mammals. Eight jackdaws were equipped with electrodes to record brain activity and neck muscle activity and a thermistor to record cortical brain temperature. Recordings covered a three-day period starting with a 24 h baseline day at an ambient temperature of 21 °C, followed by a 12 h cold night at 4 °C, after which the ambient temperature was restored to 21 °C for the remaining recovery period. Cold exposure at night caused a significant drop in brain temperature of 1.4 °C compared to the baseline night. However, throughout the cold night, jackdaws expressed NREM sleep and REM sleep levels that were not significantly different from the baseline. Also, EEG spectral power during NREM sleep was unaffected by cold exposure. Thus, while cold exposure had a clear effect on brain temperature in jackdaws, it did not have the same REM sleep suppressing effect reported for mammals. These findings suggest that the REM-sleep-like state in birds, unlike REM sleep in mammals, is protected against the influence of low temperature.}, }
@article {pmid38675927, year = {2024}, author = {Brehm, AL and Dunham, TJ and Pinto, SM and Williams, KA and Coffin, KL and Ring, ME and Ratnayake, OC and Rovnak, J and Perera, R}, title = {The 23rd Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {16}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/v16040586}, pmid = {38675927}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {R13 AI179143/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R13AI179143/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Colorado ; Animals ; *Virology ; Virus Diseases/virology ; Viruses/genetics/classification ; Prions ; Arboviruses ; One Health ; }, abstract = {Located 50 miles west of Fort Collins, Colorado, Colorado State University's Mountain Campus in Pingree Park hosted the 23rd annual Rocky Mountain Virology Association meeting in 2023 with 116 participants. The 3-day event at the end of September consisted of 28 talks and 43 posters that covered the topics of viral evolution and surveillance, developments in prion research, arboviruses and vector biology, host-virus interactions, and viral immunity and vaccines. This year's Randall Jay Cohrs keynote presentation covered the topic of One Health and emerging coronaviruses. This timely discussion covered the importance of global disease surveillance, international collaboration, and trans-disciplinary research teams to prevent and control future pandemics. Peak fall colors flanked the campus and glowed along the multiple mountain peaks, allowing for pristine views while discussing science and networking, or engaging in mountain activities like fly fishing and hiking. On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association, this report summarizes select presentations from the 23rd annual meeting.}, }
@article {pmid38682905, year = {2024}, author = {Jung, SG and Hwang, K and Hwang, YJ}, title = {Aging-Related Changes of the Historical Japanese Beauty, Ono no Komachi (, 825-900 AD).}, journal = {The Journal of craniofacial surgery}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1097/SCS.0000000000010182}, pmid = {38682905}, issn = {1536-3732}, abstract = {The aim of this study was to determine how the aging-related changes of a beautiful woman were described in Japanese literature. A poem written by Ono no Komachi was reviewed. Images of her were also searched through Google search. Komachi's poem in Hyakunin Isshu reads: "How the color has faded from the flowers. As I gaze in reverie at the falling rain, I find my beauty, too, has fallen in this world's esteem." Tamatsukuri Komachiko's Death Book describes: "She became thin and looked tired. Her hair looks like a lotus with frost. Her skin resembles a frozen pear. Her bones stick out and her tendons are visible. Her face is dark, and her teeth are yellow". Color woodblock print shows an old woman: She retains her intelligence and beauty even in her advanced years. Her posture was stooped, with a pronounced forward curvature of the spine, resulting as "turtle neck." Her hair was long and gray. Visible signs of aging included forehead wrinkles, crow's feet, deepened nasolabial folds, and marionette lines. Her upper jaw appeared retracted, a "witch's chin." She exhibited neck wrinkles as well as on her hands and wrists, which grasped a bamboo walking stick. Her eyes were sunken, accompanied by a drooping of the upper eyelids. We think that the narrative of her transformation into an ugly and poor woman was intended to convey to men the fleeting nature of women's beauty, and to women that the power of beauty is not ultimately of major significance.}, }
@article {pmid38683398, year = {2024}, author = {Smirnova, AA and Bulgakova, LR and Cheplakova, MA and Jelbert, SA}, title = {Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) manufacture objects relative to a mental template.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {36}, pmid = {38683398}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {No. 23-28-00364//Russian Science Foundation Project/ ; No. 23-28-00364//Russian Science Foundation Project/ ; No. 23-28-00364//Russian Science Foundation Project/ ; }, mesh = {*Crows ; Animals ; *Tool Use Behavior ; Female ; Male ; Reward ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {It was recently found that not only tool-specialized New Caledonian crows, but also Goffin cockatoos can manufacture physical objects in accordance with a mental template. That is, they can emulate features of existing objects when they manufacture new items. Both species spontaneously ripped pieces of card into large strips if they had previously learned that a large template was rewarded, and small strips when they previously learned that a small template was rewarded. Among New Caledonian crows, this cognitive ability was suggested as a potential mechanism underlying the transmission of natural tool designs. Here, we tested for the same ability in another non-specialised tool user-Hooded crows (Corvus cornix). Crows were exposed to pre-made template objects, varying first in colour and then in size, and were rewarded only if they chose pre-made objects that matched the template. In subsequent tests, birds were given the opportunity to manufacture versions of these objects. All three crows ripped paper pieces from the same colour material as the rewarded template, and, crucially, also manufactured objects that were more similar in size to previously rewarded, than unrewarded, templates, despite the birds being rewarded at random in both tests. Therefore, we found the ability to manufacture physical objects relative to a mental template in yet another bird species not specialized in using or making foraging tools in the wild, but with a high level of brain and cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid38684368, year = {2024}, author = {Kersten, Y and Moll, FW and Erdle, S and Nieder, A}, title = {Input and Output Connections of the Crow Nidopallium Caudolaterale.}, journal = {eNeuro}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {38684368}, issn = {2373-2822}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Telencephalon/physiology/anatomy & histology ; *Neural Pathways/physiology ; Male ; Neurons/physiology ; Female ; }, abstract = {The avian telencephalic structure nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) functions as an analog to the mammalian prefrontal cortex. In crows, corvid songbirds, it plays a crucial role in higher cognitive and executive functions. These functions rely on the NCL's extensive telencephalic connections. However, systematic investigations into the brain-wide connectivity of the NCL in crows or other songbirds are lacking. Here, we studied its input and output connections by injecting retrograde and anterograde tracers into the carrion crow NCL. Our results, mapped onto a published carrion crow brain atlas, confirm NCL multisensory connections and extend prior pigeon findings by identifying a novel input from the hippocampal formation. Furthermore, we analyze crow NCL efferent projections to the arcopallium and report newly identified arcopallial neurons projecting bilaterally to the NCL. These findings help to clarify the role of the NCL as central executive hub in the corvid songbird brain.}, }
@article {pmid38685700, year = {2024}, author = {Davis, A and Furtak, A and Paterson, S and Velthuizen, R and Shen, J and Nip, J and Bappal, A and Lathrop, W and Villa, A and Lee, JM and Guelakis, M}, title = {Topical application of retinyl propionate, 4 hexyl resorcinol, and niacinamide reverses molecular and clinical features of ageing.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {46}, number = {5}, pages = {761-774}, doi = {10.1111/ics.12958}, pmid = {38685700}, issn = {1468-2494}, support = {//Unilever/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Aged ; *Resorcinols/pharmacology/administration & dosage ; *Administration, Topical ; *Niacinamide/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology/administration & dosage ; Adult ; Cosmetics/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Topical tretinoin is the mainstay of treatment for photoageing, despite the risk of skin irritation. Cosmetic combination anti-ageing formulations may offer similar efficacy to tretinoin, while improving on tolerability. We aim to demonstrate facial appearance benefits of a novel triple-active cosmetic formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide and to identify transcriptomic biomarkers underpinning these benefits.
METHODS: A cosmetic prototype formulation containing 4-hexylresorcinol, retinyl propionate, and niacinamide was evaluated ex vivo and in a clinical study. For ex vivo experiments, the cosmetic formulation was applied for 3 days to healthy surgical discard skin from female donors aged 31-51 years, with tissues harvested for gene expression and histologic analyses. In the clinical study, females aged 47-66 years with moderate-to-severe overall visual photodamage on the face applied either topical 0.02% tretinoin or the cosmetic formulation to the face for 16 weeks and to forearms for 1 week, with forearm biopsies taken for gene expression analyses. Visual grading for facial photodamage and VISIA-CR images was taken throughout the clinical study. Safety was visually assessed during site visits, and adverse event monitoring was conducted throughout.
RESULTS: Gene expression analyses in both studies revealed modulation of pathways associated with skin rejuvenation, with several genes of interest identified due to being implicated in ageing and differentially expressed following the application of the cosmetic formulation. Reversal of a consensus skin ageing gene signature was observed with the cosmetic formulation and tretinoin in the ex vivo and clinical studies. Both the cosmetic formulation and tretinoin clinically improved the overall appearance of photoageing, crow's feet, lines, wrinkles, and pores. Adverse event reporting showed that the cosmetic formulation caused less skin irritation than tretinoin.
CONCLUSION: In a double-blind clinical study, the novel triple-active cosmetic combination formulation improved the visual appearance of photoageing similarly to prescription tretinoin. The cosmetic formulation and tretinoin reversed a consensus gene signature associated with ageing. Together with adverse event reporting, these results suggest that the cosmetic formulation may be a well-tolerated and efficacious alternative to tretinoin for improving the visual features of photoageing.}, }
@article {pmid38686548, year = {2024}, author = {Reid, SM and Byrne, AMP and Lean, FZX and Ross, CS and Pascu, A and Hepple, R and Dominguez, M and Frost, S and Coward, VJ and Núñez, A and James, J and Stephan, L and Aegerter, JN and Brown, IH and Banyard, AC}, title = {A multi-species, multi-pathogen avian viral disease outbreak event: Investigating potential for virus transmission at the wild bird - poultry interface.}, journal = {Emerging microbes & infections}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {2348521}, pmid = {38686548}, issn = {2222-1751}, mesh = {Animals ; *Influenza in Birds/transmission/virology/epidemiology ; *Chickens/virology ; *Animals, Wild/virology ; *Disease Outbreaks/veterinary ; *Influenza A Virus, H5N8 Subtype/isolation & purification/pathogenicity/genetics ; United Kingdom/epidemiology ; *Poultry Diseases/virology/transmission/epidemiology ; Poultry/virology ; Crows/virology ; Birds/virology ; }, abstract = {A free-range organic broiler (Gallus gallus domesticus) premises in Staffordshire was infected by high pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N8 during the 2020-2021 epizootic in the United Kingdom (UK). Following initial confirmation of the infection in poultry, multiple wild bird species were seen scavenging on chicken carcasses. Detected dead wild birds were subsequently demonstrated to have been infected and succumbed to HPAIV H5N8. Initially, scavenging species, magpie (Pica pica) and raven (Corvus corax) were found dead on the premises but over the following days, buzzards (Buteo buteo) were also found dead within the local area with positive detection of HPAIV in submitted carcasses. The subacute nature of microscopic lesions within a buzzard was consistent with the timeframe of infection. Finally, a considerable number of free-living pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) were also found dead in the surrounding area, with carcasses having higher viral antigen loads compared to infected chickens. Limited virus dissemination was observed in the carcasses of the magpie, raven, and buzzard. Further, an avirulent avian paramyxovirus type 1 (APMV-1) was detected within poultry samples as well as in the viscera of a magpie infected with HPAIV. Immunohistochemistry did not reveal colocalization of avian paramyxovirus antigens with lesions, supporting an avirulent APMV-1 infection. Overall, this case highlights scenarios in which bi-directional transmission of avian viral diseases between commercial and wild bird species may occur. It also underlines the importance of bio separation and reduced access when infection pressure from HPAIV is high.}, }
@article {pmid38687063, year = {2024}, author = {Chen, Z and Grim, CJ and Ramachandran, P and Meng, J}, title = {Advancing metagenome-assembled genome-based pathogen identification: unraveling the power of long-read assembly algorithms in Oxford Nanopore sequencing.}, journal = {Microbiology spectrum}, volume = {12}, number = {6}, pages = {e0011724}, pmid = {38687063}, issn = {2165-0497}, support = {U01 FD001418/FD/FDA HHS/United States ; U01FDU001418//HHS | U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/ ; }, mesh = {*Algorithms ; *Metagenome ; *Nanopore Sequencing/methods ; *Genome, Bacterial ; *High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods ; Bacteria/genetics/classification/isolation & purification ; Computational Biology/methods ; Salmonella enterica/genetics/classification/isolation & purification ; Metagenomics/methods ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; }, abstract = {Oxford Nanopore sequencing is one of the high-throughput sequencing technologies that facilitates the reconstruction of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). This study aimed to assess the potential of long-read assembly algorithms in Oxford Nanopore sequencing to enhance the MAG-based identification of bacterial pathogens using both simulated and mock communities. Simulated communities were generated to mimic those on fresh spinach and in surface water. Long reads were produced using R9.4.1+SQK-LSK109 and R10.4 + SQK-LSK112, with 0.5, 1, and 2 million reads. The simulated bacterial communities included multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotypes Heidelberg, Montevideo, and Typhimurium in the fresh spinach community individually or in combination, as well as multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the surface water community. Real data sets of the ZymoBIOMICS HMW DNA Standard were also studied. A bioinformatic pipeline (MAGenie, freely available at https://github.com/jackchen129/MAGenie) that combines metagenome assembly, taxonomic classification, and sequence extraction was developed to reconstruct draft MAGs from metagenome assemblies. Five assemblers were evaluated based on a series of genomic analyses. Overall, Flye outperformed the other assemblers, followed by Shasta, Raven, and Unicycler, while Canu performed least effectively. In some instances, the extracted sequences resulted in draft MAGs and provided the locations and structures of antimicrobial resistance genes and mobile genetic elements. Our study showcases the viability of utilizing the extracted sequences for precise phylogenetic inference, as demonstrated by the consistent alignment of phylogenetic topology between the reference genome and the extracted sequences. R9.4.1+SQK-LSK109 was more effective in most cases than R10.4+SQK-LSK112, and greater sequencing depths generally led to more accurate results.IMPORTANCEBy examining diverse bacterial communities, particularly those housing multiple Salmonella enterica serotypes, this study holds significance in uncovering the potential of long-read assembly algorithms to improve metagenome-assembled genome (MAG)-based pathogen identification through Oxford Nanopore sequencing. Our research demonstrates that long-read assembly stands out as a promising avenue for boosting precision in MAG-based pathogen identification, thus advancing the development of more robust surveillance measures. The findings also support ongoing endeavors to fine-tune a bioinformatic pipeline for accurate pathogen identification within complex metagenomic samples.}, }
@article {pmid38689546, year = {2024}, author = {Storms, RF and Carere, C and Musters, R and Hulst, R and Verhulst, S and Hemelrijk, CK}, title = {A robotic falcon induces similar collective escape responses in different bird species.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {21}, number = {214}, pages = {20230737}, pmid = {38689546}, issn = {1742-5662}, support = {//Dutch Research Council (NWO)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Escape Reaction/physiology ; *Falconiformes/physiology ; *Robotics ; Predatory Behavior/physiology ; Birds/physiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Patterns of collective escape of a bird flock from a predator are fascinating, but difficult to study under natural conditions because neither prey nor predator is under experimental control. We resolved this problem by using an artificial predator (RobotFalcon) resembling a peregrine falcon in morphology and behaviour. We imitated hunts by chasing flocks of corvids, gulls, starlings and lapwings with the RobotFalcon, and compared their patterns of collective escape to those when chased by a conventional drone and, in case of starlings, hunted by wild peregrine falcons. Active pursuit of flocks, rather than only flying nearby by either the RobotFalcon or the drone, made flocks collectively escape more often. The RobotFalcon elicited patterns of collective escape in flocks of all species more often than the drone. Attack altitude did not affect the frequency of collective escape. Starlings escaped collectively equally often when chased by the RobotFalcon or a wild peregrine falcon. Flocks of all species reacted most often by collective turns, second most often by compacting and third by splitting into subflocks. This study demonstrates the potential of an artificial aerial predator for studying the collective escape behaviour of free-living birds, opening exciting avenues in the empirical study of prey-predator interactions.}, }
@article {pmid38692588, year = {2023}, author = {Kantha, SS}, title = {Suicides of elite Japanese writers: The case of Ryunosuke Akutagawa.}, journal = {The National medical journal of India}, volume = {36}, number = {2}, pages = {117-123}, doi = {10.25259/NMJI_389_22}, pmid = {38692588}, issn = {2583-150X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Suicide/history/statistics & numerical data ; Japan/epidemiology ; History, 20th Century ; History, 19th Century ; Famous Persons ; Male ; East Asian People ; }, abstract = {Background . To mark the 130th birth anniversary of Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927), I revisit his suicide (as recorded by his hand) in comparison to that of his junior contemporaries, who also chose a similar mode of death. Data sources . Two works of Akutagawa, namely Tenkibo (1926: Death Register) and Aru Ahono Issho (1927: The Life of a Stupid Man) in English translation of Jay Rubin were used as the main sources, in addition to published literature about his creativity. Results . In his final work, The Life of a Stupid Man, completed in the penultimate month before suicide, 7 among the 51 brief descriptions, Akutagawa had described his thoughts on illness and death, in addition to visiting his biological mother in a lunatic asylum, and studying a cadaver for his famous short story 'Rashomon'. These descriptions offer a fascinating perspective on Akutagawa's state of mind, before his suicide. Akutagawa's suicide is also compared with the suicides of five other renowned Japanese writers (Osamu Dazai, Yasunari Kawabata, Misuzu Kaneko, Yukio Mishima and Juzo Itami). Conclusion . Before his suicide, doctors offered Akutagawa various diagnoses: 'insomnia, gastric hyperacidity, gastric atony, dry pleurisy, neurasthenia, chronic conjunctivitis, brain fatigue'. Though it is uncertain, what percentage of hereditary factor(s) played a role, why the practitioners of the medical profession in 1920s Japan failed to save the life of this creative individual still remains a question.}, }
@article {pmid38701068, year = {2024}, author = {Stefanova, V and Scheepers, C and Wilson, P and Papageorgiou, KA}, title = {Grandiose narcissism associates with higher cognitive performance under stress through more efficient attention distribution: An eye-tracking study.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {5}, pages = {e0302644}, pmid = {38701068}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Narcissism ; *Cognition/physiology ; Adult ; *Attention/physiology ; Young Adult ; Eye-Tracking Technology ; Stress, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Self Concept ; }, abstract = {Narcissism is a part of the Dark Triad that consists also of the traits of Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Two main types of narcissism exist: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Being a Dark Triad trait, narcissism is typically associated with negative outcomes. However, recent research suggests that at least the grandiose type may be linked (directly or indirectly) to positive outcomes including lower levels of psychopathology, higher school grades in adolescents, deeper and more strategic learning in university students and higher cognitive performance in experimental settings. The current pre-registered, quasi-experimental study implemented eye-tracking to assess whether grandiose narcissism indirectly predicts cognitive performance through wider distribution of attention on the Raven's Progressive Matrices task. Fifty-four adults completed measures of the Dark Triad, self-esteem and psychopathology. Eight months to one year later, participants completed the Raven's, while their eye-movements were monitored during high stress conditions. When controlling for previous levels of psychopathology, grandiose narcissism predicted higher Raven's scores indirectly, through increased variability in the number of fixations across trials. These findings suggest that grandiose narcissism predicts higher cognitive performance, at least in experimental settings, and call for further research to understand the implications of this seemingly dark trait for performance across various settings.}, }
@article {pmid38701808, year = {2024}, author = {Westhoff, KM and Fischer, D and Jäger, K and Trinkaus, K and Ziegler, U and Lierz, M}, title = {Laryngeal and oropharyngeal adenocarcinoma with pulmonary metastases in a common raven (Corvus corax).}, journal = {Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere}, volume = {52}, number = {2}, pages = {125-129}, doi = {10.1055/a-2289-1297}, pmid = {38701808}, issn = {2567-5842}, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; *Lung Neoplasms/veterinary/pathology/secondary ; *Adenocarcinoma/veterinary/pathology/diagnosis ; *Bird Diseases/pathology ; *Oropharyngeal Neoplasms/veterinary/pathology ; *Laryngeal Neoplasms/veterinary/pathology ; Fatal Outcome ; }, abstract = {A captive 15-year-old male common raven (Corvus corax) was presented for post-mortem examination. It had been previously presented to a local veterinarian due to a 3-4 weeks long history of abnormal respiratory sounds. Upon admission, the bird demonstrated severe dyspnea and a massive amount of mucous in the oropharynx. After symptomatic treatment, dyspnea deteriorated dramatically, and euthanasia was elicited because of poor prognosis. The necropsy revealed a 2.65 x 2.15 x 2.18 cm expansile and poorly delineated cauliflower-shaped mass around the glottis and extending inside the tracheal lumen. Additionally, a dilated salivary gland in the adjacent tissue and multifocal reddish-fleshy areas in the lung parenchyma were detected. Histopathological examination identified the mass as moderately differentiated, tubular adenocarcinoma with invasive growth and moderate to marked cellular atypia and numerous mitoses. The presumptive origin of the neoplasia was one of the salivary glands. Multiple metastases were identified in the lung both macroscopically and histologically. Bacterial culture and molecular testing for West Nile and Usutu viruses were negative. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic laryngeal and oropharyngeal adenocarcinoma in a common raven.}, }
@article {pmid38715207, year = {2023}, author = {Prinja, S and Chugh, Y and Gupta, N and Aggarwal, V}, title = {Establishing a Health Technology Assessment Evidence Ecosystem in India's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.}, journal = {Health systems and reform}, volume = {9}, number = {3}, pages = {2327097}, doi = {10.1080/23288604.2024.2327097}, pmid = {38715207}, issn = {2328-8620}, mesh = {India ; *Technology Assessment, Biomedical/methods ; Humans ; Universal Health Insurance/trends ; Health Care Reform/methods/trends ; }, abstract = {The introduction of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) scheme in India was a significant step toward universal health coverage. The PM-JAY scheme has made notable progress since its inception, including increasing the number of people covered and expanding the range of services provided under the health benefit package (HBP). The creation of the Health Financing and Technology Assessment (HeFTA) unit within the National Health Authority (NHA) further enhanced evidence-based decision-making processes. We outline the journey of HeFTA and highlight significant cost savings to the PM-JAY as a result of health technology assessment (HTA). Our paper also discusses the application of HTA evidence for decisions related to inclusions or exclusions in HBP, framing standard treatment guidelines as well as other policies. We recommend that future financing reforms for strategic purchasing should strengthen strategic purchasing arrangements and adopt value-based pricing (VBP). Integrating HTA and VBP is a progressive approach toward health care financing reforms for large government-funded schemes like the PM-JAY.}, }
@article {pmid38722645, year = {2024}, author = {Driscoll, RMH and Beaudry, FEG and Cosgrove, EJ and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Schoech, SJ and Chen, N}, title = {Allele frequency dynamics under sex-biased demography and sex-specific inheritance in a pedigreed jay population.}, journal = {Genetics}, volume = {227}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {38722645}, issn = {1943-2631}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; //National Science Foundation/ ; /NH/NIH HHS/United States ; 1939268//NSF Graduate Research Fellowship/ ; 2109639//NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship/ ; }, mesh = {Male ; Female ; *Gene Frequency ; Animals ; *Pedigree ; Models, Genetic ; }, abstract = {Sex-biased demography, including sex-biased survival or migration, can alter allele frequency changes across the genome. In particular, we can expect different patterns of genetic variation on autosomes and sex chromosomes due to sex-specific differences in life histories, as well as differences in effective population size, transmission modes, and the strength and mode of selection. Here, we demonstrate the role that sex differences in life history played in shaping short-term evolutionary dynamics across the genome. We used a 25-year pedigree and genomic dataset from a long-studied population of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to directly characterize the relative roles of sex-biased demography and inheritance in shaping genome-wide allele frequency trajectories. We used gene dropping simulations to estimate individual genetic contributions to future generations and to model drift and immigration on the known pedigree. We quantified differential expected genetic contributions of males and females over time, showing the impact of sex-biased dispersal in a monogamous system. Due to female-biased dispersal, more autosomal variation is introduced by female immigrants. However, due to male-biased transmission, more Z variation is introduced by male immigrants. Finally, we partitioned the proportion of variance in allele frequency change through time due to male and female contributions. Overall, most allele frequency change is due to variance in survival and births. Males and females make similar contributions to autosomal allele frequency change, but males make higher contributions to allele frequency change on the Z chromosome. Our work shows the importance of understanding sex-specific demographic processes in characterizing genome-wide allele frequency change in wild populations.}, }
@article {pmid38729409, year = {2024}, author = {Espinoza, MJ and Laviada, I and Taberner Cerezo, A and Luna, Á and Gil-Delgado, JA and Bernat-Ponce, E}, title = {Do birds select the plastics debris used for nest construction? A case study in a Mediterranean agricultural landscape.}, journal = {Environmental research}, volume = {255}, number = {}, pages = {119117}, doi = {10.1016/j.envres.2024.119117}, pmid = {38729409}, issn = {1096-0953}, mesh = {Animals ; *Plastics/analysis ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Agriculture ; Spain ; Waste Products/analysis ; Passeriformes ; Environmental Monitoring ; }, abstract = {Plastic pollution is becoming a global problem due to its ubiquitous occurrence and the impacts detected for many species. However, the research about plastics in nests of terrestrial bird species has remained relatively overlooked in comparison to those devoted to marine ecosystems. Here we study the occurrence and patterns of use of anthropogenic material in nests of two passerine birds, the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) and the European serin (Serinus serinus), breeding in an orange tree cultivation in Mediterranean Spain. Our results show that both species use extensively plastic debris as nest material; almost 71% of the European serin nests and 96% of nests of Eurasian magpies contained plastic debris. Furthermore, by analyzing the plastic debris availability in the agricultural landscape surveyed we confirmed a selection pattern in the two species. Thus, both species preferably select plastic filaments over other plastic debris. The Eurasian magpie does not select plastic based on size or color but the European serin avoid black plastics prefer smaller fragments in comparison to the average size available. Moreover, we suggest the apparent similarity of plastic filaments with the natural materials typically used by these species, as well as how they use the plastic in their nests could influence their selection behavior. More studies focused on terrestrial birds inhabiting human modified habitats could offer a deeper approach to how plastic debris interacts with wildlife in different ways.}, }
@article {pmid38748646, year = {2024}, author = {Davies, JR and Garcia-Pelegrin, E and Clayton, NS}, title = {Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) show episodic-like memory through the incidental encoding of information.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {5}, pages = {e0301298}, pmid = {38748646}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Memory, Episodic ; Mental Recall/physiology ; Passeriformes/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; }, abstract = {Episodic memory describes the conscious reimagining of our memories and is often considered to be a uniquely human ability. As these phenomenological components are embedded within its definition, major issues arise when investigating the presence of episodic memory in non-human animals. Importantly, however, when we as humans recall a specific experience, we may remember details from that experience that were inconsequential to our needs, thoughts, or desires at that time. This 'incidental' information is nevertheless encoded automatically as part of the memory and is subsequently recalled within a holistic representation of the event. The incidental encoding and unexpected question paradigm represents this characteristic feature of human episodic memory and can be employed to investigate memory recall in non-human animals. However, without evidence for the associated phenomenology during recall, this type of memory is termed 'episodic-like memory'. Using this approach, we tested seven Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) on their ability to use incidental visual information (associated with observed experimenter made 'caches') to solve an unexpected memory test. The birds performed above chance levels, suggesting that Eurasian jays can encode, retain, recall, and access incidental visual information within a remembered event, which is an ability indicative of episodic memory in humans.}, }
@article {pmid38756014, year = {2025}, author = {}, title = {Retracted: "Optimized lung tumor diagnosis system using enhanced version of crow search algorithm, Zernike moments, and support vector machine".}, journal = {Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine}, volume = {239}, number = {1}, pages = {NP1}, doi = {10.1177/09544119241255854}, pmid = {38756014}, issn = {2041-3033}, }
@article {pmid38758592, year = {2024}, author = {Erker, TD and Arif, Y and John, JA and Embury, CM and Kress, KA and Springer, SD and Okelberry, HJ and McDonald, KM and Picci, G and Wiesman, AI and Wilson, TW}, title = {Neuromodulatory effects of parietal high-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation on network-level activity serving fluid intelligence.}, journal = {The Journal of physiology}, volume = {602}, number = {12}, pages = {2917-2930}, pmid = {38758592}, issn = {1469-7793}, support = {F30 AG076259/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P20 GM144641/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH116782/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; RF1 MH117032/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; S10 OD028751/OD/NIH HHS/United States ; F32 NS119375/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods ; Adult ; *Parietal Lobe/physiology ; Male ; Female ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Young Adult ; Nerve Net/physiology ; Magnetoencephalography/methods ; }, abstract = {Fluid intelligence (Gf) involves rational thinking skills and requires the integration of information from different cortical regions to resolve novel complex problems. The effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on Gf have been studied in attempts to improve Gf, but such studies are rare and the few existing have reached conflicting conclusions. The parieto-frontal integration theory of intelligence (P-FIT) postulates that the parietal and frontal lobes play a critical role in Gf. To investigate the suggested role of parietal cortices, we applied high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the left and right parietal cortices of 39 healthy adults (age 19-33 years) for 20 min in three separate sessions (left active, right active and sham). After completing the stimulation session, the participants completed a logical reasoning task based on Raven's Progressive Matrices during magnetoencephalography. Significant neural responses at the sensor level across all stimulation conditions were imaged using a beamformer. Whole-brain, spectrally constrained functional connectivity was then computed to examine the network-level activity. Behaviourally, we found that participants were significantly more accurate following left compared to right parietal stimulation. Regarding neural findings, we found significant HD-tDCS montage-related effects in brain networks thought to be critical for P-FIT, including parieto-occipital, fronto-occipital, fronto-parietal and occipito-cerebellar connectivity during task performance. In conclusion, our findings showed that left parietal stimulation improved abstract reasoning abilities relative to right parietal stimulation and support both P-FIT and the neural efficiency hypothesis. KEY POINTS: Abstract reasoning is a critical component of fluid intelligence and is known to be served by multispectral oscillatory activity in the fronto-parietal cortices. Recent studies have aimed to improve abstract reasoning abilities and fluid intelligence overall through behavioural training, but the results have been mixed. High-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation (HD-tDCS) applied to the parietal cortices modulated task performance and neural oscillations during abstract reasoning. Left parietal stimulation resulted in increased accuracy and decreased functional connectivity between occipital regions and frontal, parietal, and cerebellar regions. Future studies should investigate whether HD-tDCS alters abstract reasoning abilities in those who exhibit declines in performance, such as healthy ageing populations.}, }
@article {pmid38768205, year = {2024}, author = {Walsh, SL and Townsend, SW and Engesser, S and Ridley, AR}, title = {Call combination production is linked to the social environment in Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis).}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {379}, number = {1905}, pages = {20230198}, pmid = {38768205}, issn = {1471-2970}, support = {//Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment/ ; //Ecological Society of Australia Incorporated/ ; //Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Western Australia ; Social Environment ; Social Behavior ; Male ; Passeriformes/physiology ; Female ; Songbirds/physiology ; }, abstract = {It has recently become clear that some language-specific traits previously thought to be unique to humans (such as the capacity to combine sounds) are widespread in the animal kingdom. Despite the increase in studies documenting the presence of call combinations in non-human animals, factors promoting this vocal trait are unclear. One leading hypothesis proposes that communicative complexity co-evolved with social complexity owing to the need to transmit a diversity of information to a wider range of social partners. The Western Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) provides a unique model to investigate this proposed link because it is a group-living, vocal learning species that is capable of multi-level combinatoriality (independently produced calls contain vocal segments and comprise combinations). Here, we compare variations in the production of call combinations across magpie groups ranging in size from 2 to 11 birds. We found that callers in larger groups give call combinations: (i) in greater diversity and (ii) more frequently than callers in smaller groups. Significantly, these observations support the hypothesis that combinatorial complexity may be related to social complexity in an open-ended vocal learner, providing an important step in understanding the role that sociality may have played in the development of vocal combinatorial complexity. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.}, }
@article {pmid38768208, year = {2024}, author = {Broad, HR and Dibnah, AJ and Smith, AE and Thornton, A}, title = {Anthropogenic disturbance affects calling and collective behaviour in corvid roosts.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {379}, number = {1905}, pages = {20230185}, pmid = {38768208}, issn = {1471-2970}, support = {//Leverhulme Trust/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Crows/physiology ; *Noise ; *Social Behavior ; Anthropogenic Effects ; Human Activities ; }, abstract = {Acoustic communication plays an important role in coordinating group dynamics and collective movements across a range of taxa. However, anthropogenic disturbance can inhibit the production or reception of acoustic signals. Here, we investigate the effects of noise and light pollution on the calling and collective behaviour of wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula), a highly social corvid species that uses vocalizations to coordinate collective movements at winter roosting sites. Using audio and video monitoring of roosts in areas with differing degrees of urbanization, we evaluate the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on vocalizations and collective movements. We found that when levels of background noise were higher, jackdaws took longer to settle following arrival at the roost in the evening and also called more during the night, suggesting that human disturbance may cause sleep disruption. High levels of overnight calling were, in turn, linked to disruption of vocal consensus decision-making and less cohesive group departures in the morning. These results raise the possibility that, by affecting cognitive and perceptual processes, human activities may interfere with animals' ability to coordinate collective behaviour. Understanding links between anthropogenic disturbance, communication, cognition and collective behaviour must be an important research priority in our increasingly urbanized world. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.}, }
@article {pmid38774764, year = {2024}, author = {Assari, S and Zare, H and Sonnega, A}, title = {Racial Disparities in Occupational Distribution Among Black and White Adults with Similar Educational Levels: Analysis of Middle-Aged and Older Individuals in the Health and Retirement Study.}, journal = {Journal of rehabilitation therapy}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {1-11}, pmid = {38774764}, issn = {2767-5122}, support = {U01 AG009740/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; U54 MD000214/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Occupational classes play a significant role in influencing both individual and population health, serving as a vital conduit through which higher education can lead to better health outcomes. However, the pathway from education to corresponding occupational classes does not apply uniformly across different racial and ethnic groups, hindered by factors such as social stratification, labor market discrimination, and job segregation.
AIMS: This study seeks to investigate the relationship between educational attainment and occupational classes among Black, Latino, and White middle-aged and older adults, with a focus on their transition into retirement.
METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this research examines the impact of race/ethnicity, educational attainment, occupational classes, and timing of retirement among middle-aged and older adults. The analysis includes a sample of 7,096 individuals identified as White, Black, or Latino. Through logistic regression, we assess the additive and multiplicative effects of race/ethnicity and education on six defined occupational classes: 1. Managerial and specialty operations, 2. Professional Specialty, 3. Sales, 4. Clerical/administrative support, 5. Services, and 6. Manual labor.
RESULTS: Participants were Black (n = 1,143) or White (n =5,953). This included Latino (N =459) or non-Latino (n = 6,634). Our analysis reveals a skewed distribution of Black and Latino adults in manual and service occupations, in stark contrast to White adults who were more commonly found in clerical/administrative and managerial positions. Educational attainment did not equate to similar occupational outcomes across racial groups. Key findings include: Firstly, Black individuals with a college degree or higher were less likely to occupy clerical and administrative positions compared to their White counterparts. Secondly, holding a General Educational Development (GED) credential or some college education was generally linked to reduced likelihood of being in managerial roles; however, this inverse relationship was less evident among Black middle-aged and older adults than White ones. Thirdly, having a GED reduced the chances of working in sales roles, while having a college degree increased such chances. An interaction between race and some college education revealed that the impact of some college education on sales roles was more significant for Black adults than for White ones. We did not observe any interaction between ethnicity (Latino) and educational attainment on occupational classes. Given the stability of occupational classes, these findings could also apply to the last occupation held prior to retirement.
CONCLUSION: This study highlights significant racial disparities in occupational classes among individuals with comparable levels of education, underscoring the profound implications for health and wellbeing disparities. Future research should explore strategies to alleviate labor market discrimination and job segregation as ways to close these occupational gaps. Additionally, the influence of social stratification, job segregation, and historical legacies, such as the repercussions of the Jim Crow era, on these disparities merits further investigation. Addressing these issues is crucial for enhancing the health and wellbeing of all populations.}, }
@article {pmid38777168, year = {2024}, author = {Wascher, CAF and Hillemann, F}, title = {Observation of female-male mounting in the carrion crow.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {219}, number = {}, pages = {105055}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105055}, pmid = {38777168}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; Female ; Male ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Social Behavior ; Copulation/physiology ; }, abstract = {In the biological sciences, sexual behaviours in non-human animals are traditionally investigated in the context of reproduction and direct fitness benefits. While the evolutionary functions of non-conceptive sexual behaviours ('socio-sexual behaviours') remain less well explored, these interactions and displays have been suggested to be important for shaping and maintaining social relationships. Here, we report an observation of a captive female carrion crow, Corvus corone corone, mounting her co-housed male partner. We highlight the importance of more systematic research, reporting, and discussions of rarely observed behaviours in social evolution research, including considerations for behaviours that transcend binary or heteronormative frameworks, for a more comprehensive understanding of non-conceptive socio-sexual behaviours.}, }
@article {pmid38781375, year = {2024}, author = {Liao, DA and Brecht, KF and Veit, L and Nieder, A}, title = {Crows "count" the number of self-generated vocalizations.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {384}, number = {6698}, pages = {874-877}, doi = {10.1126/science.adl0984}, pmid = {38781375}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Animals ; Acoustics ; *Crows/physiology ; Cues ; *Vocalization, Animal ; }, abstract = {Producing a specific number of vocalizations with purpose requires a sophisticated combination of numerical abilities and vocal control. Whether this capacity exists in animals other than humans is yet unknown. We show that crows can flexibly produce variable numbers of one to four vocalizations in response to arbitrary cues associated with numerical values. The acoustic features of the first vocalization of a sequence were predictive of the total number of vocalizations, indicating a planning process. Moreover, the acoustic features of vocal units predicted their order in the sequence and could be used to read out counting errors during vocal production.}, }
@article {pmid38781709, year = {2024}, author = {Fujii, Y and Masatani, T and Nishiyama, S and Takahashi, T and Okajima, M and Izumi, F and Sakoda, Y and Takada, A and Ozawa, M and Sugiyama, M and Ito, N}, title = {Molecular characterization of an avian rotavirus a strain detected from a large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) in Japan.}, journal = {Virology}, volume = {596}, number = {}, pages = {110114}, doi = {10.1016/j.virol.2024.110114}, pmid = {38781709}, issn = {1096-0341}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/virology ; Japan ; *Rotavirus/genetics/classification/isolation & purification ; *Rotavirus Infections/virology/veterinary/transmission ; *Phylogeny ; *Bird Diseases/virology/transmission ; *Feces/virology ; *Genotype ; }, abstract = {Avian rotaviruses A (RVAs) are occasionally transmitted to animals other than the original hosts across species barriers. Information on RVAs carried by various bird species is important for identifying the origin of such interspecies transmission. In this study, to facilitate an understanding of the ecology of RVAs from wild birds, we characterized all of the genes of an RVA strain, JC-105, that was detected in a fecal sample of a large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) in Japan. All of the genes of this strain except for the VP4 and VP7 genes, which were classified as novel genotypes (P[56] and G40, respectively), were closely related to those of the avian-like RVA strain detected from a raccoon, indicating the possibility that crows had been involved in the transmission of avian RVAs to raccoons. Our findings highlight the need for further viral investigations in wild birds and mammals to understand the mechanisms of avian-to-mammal RVA transmission.}, }
@article {pmid38783132, year = {2024}, author = {Lenharo, M}, title = {These crows have counting skills previously only seen in people.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {38783132}, issn = {1476-4687}, }
@article {pmid38786375, year = {2024}, author = {Bazalo, B and Morales-Sánchez, V and Pérez-Romero, N and Contreras-Osorio, F and Campos-Jara, C and Hernández-Mendo, A and Reigal, RE}, title = {Associations between Fluid Intelligence and Physical Fitness in School Children.}, journal = {Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {12}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {38786375}, issn = {2227-9032}, abstract = {Previous research has highlighted that active lifestyles that contribute to improved physical fitness are positively related to cognitive functioning in children and adolescents. Specifically, the increase in physical condition at school age is considered relevant because it is related to better cognitive ability and greater academic performance. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between explosive strength, speed-agility, and fluid reasoning in schoolchildren. To achieve this objective, an associative, comparative, and predictive design was used in this research. A total of 129 children participated in this study (age: M = 9.48; SD = 0.99). To assess fluid reasoning, the Raven test's Standard Progressive Matrices Subtest and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V) were used. To assess physical fitness, the speed-agility test and the horizontal jump test (ALPHA-fitness battery tests), as well as the ball throw test (2 kg), were used. The results showed that the speed-agility test significantly predicted WISC-V Fluid Reasoning Index scores, and the medicine ball toss test significantly predicted Raven test scores. The results obtained highlight the associations between physical condition at these ages and fluid intelligence. This suggests that promoting active lifestyles that improve physical fitness could have a positive impact on children's cognitive health.}, }
@article {pmid38788911, year = {2024}, author = {Novčić, I and Mikula, P}, title = {Nearest neighbour distance does not affect escape behaviour in urban hooded crows.}, journal = {Behavioural processes}, volume = {219}, number = {}, pages = {105057}, doi = {10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105057}, pmid = {38788911}, issn = {1872-8308}, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; *Escape Reaction/physiology ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Male ; Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Female ; }, abstract = {The nearest-neighbour distance is an important property of a group, as individuals can obtain environmental information more quickly and easily from nearby individuals. We examined whether distance to the nearest neighbour affected two components of escape behaviour - alert distance (AD) and flight initiation distance (FID) - in an urban population of hooded crows Corvus cornix, while controlling for confounding variables. We did not find evidence that AD and FID were influenced by the nearest neighbour distance. However, both AD and FID were negatively affected by feeding activity of individuals - focal crows alerted later and escaped at shorter distance if they were feeding during our approach. In addition, AD and FID were positively related to starting distance and grass coverage. The lack of evidence for the nearest neighbour effect on escape behaviour of crows may be due to: (1) disturbance by close neighbours that may impede antipredator behaviour of focal birds, (2) variable distribution of familiar, dominant or experienced individuals within a flock, and (3) dynamic change in position of the nearest neighbour during the potential predator approach.}, }
@article {pmid38806771, year = {2024}, author = {Krämer, K}, title = {Daily briefing: Carrion crows have counting skills seen only in people.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/d41586-024-01579-3}, pmid = {38806771}, issn = {1476-4687}, }
@article {pmid38808028, year = {2024}, author = {Parishar, P and Rajagopalan, M and Iyengar, S}, title = {Changes in the dopaminergic circuitry and adult neurogenesis linked to reinforcement learning in corvids.}, journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {1359874}, pmid = {38808028}, issn = {1662-4548}, abstract = {The caudolateral nidopallium (NCL, an analog of the prefrontal cortex) is known to be involved in learning, memory, and discrimination in corvids (a songbird), whereas the involvement of other brain regions in these phenomena is not well explored. We used house crows (Corvus splendens) to explore the neural correlates of learning and decision-making by initially training them on a shape discrimination task followed by immunohistochemistry to study the immediate early gene expression (Arc), a dopaminoceptive neuronal marker (DARPP-32, Dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr 32 kDa) to understand the involvement of the reward pathway and an immature neuronal marker (DCX, doublecortin) to detect learning-induced changes in adult neurogenesis. We performed neuronal counts and neuronal tracing, followed by morphometric analyses. Our present results have demonstrated that besides NCL, other parts of the caudal nidopallium (NC), avian basal ganglia, and intriguingly, vocal control regions in house crows are involved in visual discrimination. We have also found that training on the visual discrimination task can be correlated with neurite pruning in mature dopaminoceptive neurons and immature DCX-positive neurons in the NC of house crows. Furthermore, there is an increase in the incorporation of new neurons throughout NC and the medial striatum which can also be linked to learning. For the first time, our results demonstrate that a combination of structural changes in mature and immature neurons and adult neurogenesis are linked to learning in corvids.}, }
@article {pmid38813372, year = {2024}, author = {Banta Lavenex, P and Blandin, ML and Gaborieau, C and Lavenex, P}, title = {Well-designed manufacturing work improves some cognitive abilities in individuals with cognitive impairments.}, journal = {Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences}, volume = {5}, number = {}, pages = {1377133}, pmid = {38813372}, issn = {2673-6861}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Employment is recognized as a fundamental human right, which correlates with better physical and mental health. Importantly, well-designed work, which considers the physical, social, and psychological impacts of work, can serve to enhance the cognitive abilities of workers. Although often overlooked, work for individuals with disabilities, including cognitive impairments, is equally important for their physical and mental well-being. What has not been established, however, is whether well-designed work can also enhance the cognitive abilities of individuals with cognitive impairments.
METHODS: Using a longitudinal study design, we investigated the impact of well-designed work on the cognitive abilities of 60 participants (operators) at the AMIPI Foundation factories, which employ individuals with cognitive impairments to produce electrical cables and harnesses for the automobile industry. The same operators were assessed at three different time points: upon hiring (n = 60), and after working in the factory for 1 year (n = 41, since 19 left the factory) and 2 years (n = 28, since 13 more left the factory). We used five cognitive tests evaluating: (1) finger and manual dexterity, bimanual dexterity, and procedural memory using the Purdue Pegboard; (2) sustained and selective attention using the Symbol Cancellation Task; (3) short- and long-term declarative verbal memory and long-term verbal recognition memory using Rey's Audio-Verbal Learning Test; (4) short- and long-term visual recognition memory using the Continuous Visual Memory Test; and (5) abstract reasoning using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices.
RESULTS: We observed improvements in procedural memory, sustained and selective attention, and short- and long-term visual recognition memory after working in the factory for 1 or 2 years. We did not observe improvements in finger or manual dexterity or bimanual dexterity, nor short- or long-term declarative verbal memory or verbal recognition memory, nor abstract reasoning.
DISCUSSION: We conclude that, in addition to improving physical and mental well-being, well-designed manufacturing work can serve as a training intervention improving some types of cognitive functioning in individuals with cognitive impairments.}, }
@article {pmid38818494, year = {2024}, author = {Tamba, M and Bonilauri, P and Galletti, G and Casadei, G and Santi, A and Rossi, A and Calzolari, M}, title = {West Nile virus surveillance using sentinel birds: results of eleven years of testing in corvids in a region of northern Italy.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1407271}, pmid = {38818494}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {The natural transmission cycle of West Nile virus (WNV) involves birds as primary hosts and mosquitoes as vectors, but this virus can spread to mammals, human beings included. Asymptomatic infected donors pose a risk to the safety of blood transfusions and organ transplants, as WNV can be transmitted through these medical procedures. Since 2009, the region of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy has been implementing an integrated surveillance system in order to detect WNV circulation in the environment at an early stage. Here we report the results of the two components of the surveillance system, the active testing of corvids and humans, and demonstrate that bird surveillance alone improves a surveillance system based solely on human case detection. As WNV risk reduction measures are applied on a provincial basis, we assessed the ability of this surveillance system component to detect virus circulation prior to the notification of the first human case for each province. Overall, 99 epidemic seasons were evaluated as a result of 11 years (2013-2023) of surveillance in the nine provinces of the region. In this period, 22,314 corvids were tested for WNV and 642 (2.9%) were found to be infected. WNV was generally first detected in birds in July, with sample prevalence peaks occurring between August and September. During the same period, 469 autochthonous human cases were notified, about 60% of which were reported in August. WNV was detected 79 times out of the 99 seasons considered. The virus was notified in birds 73 times (92.4%) and 60 times (75.9%) in humans. WNV was first or only notified in birds in 57 seasons (72.1%), while it was first or only notified in humans in 22 seasons (27.8%). Active surveillance in corvids generally allows the detection of WNV before the onset of human cases. Failure of virus detection occurred mainly in seasons where the number of birds tested was low. Our results show that active testing of a minimum of 3.8 corvids per 100 km[2] provides a satisfactory timeliness in the virus detection, but for early detection of WNV it is crucial to test birds between mid-June and mid-August.}, }
@article {pmid38820727, year = {2024}, author = {Łopucki, R and Stępień-Pyśniak, D and Christensen, H and Kubiński, K and Lenarczyk, E and Martinez-de-Tejada, G and Kitowski, I and Masłyk, M}, title = {Interspecies transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria between wild birds and mammals in urban environment.}, journal = {Veterinary microbiology}, volume = {294}, number = {}, pages = {110130}, doi = {10.1016/j.vetmic.2024.110130}, pmid = {38820727}, issn = {1873-2542}, mesh = {Animals ; Poland/epidemiology ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Escherichia coli/drug effects/genetics/isolation & purification ; *Animals, Wild/microbiology ; *Cities ; Feces/microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Birds/microbiology ; Mammals/microbiology ; Escherichia coli Infections/veterinary/transmission/microbiology/epidemiology ; Crows/microbiology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Rodentia/microbiology ; }, abstract = {The transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacteria among wild animal species may hold significant epidemiological implications. However, this issue is seldom explored due to the perceived complexity of these systems, which discourages experimental investigation. To address this knowledge gap, we chose a configuration of birds and mammals coexisting in an urban green area as a research model: the rook Corvus frugilegus and the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius. The indirect transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria between these species is possible because rodents inhabiting rook colonies frequently come into contact with the birds' faeces and pellets. The study was conducted in two cities in eastern Poland (Central Europe) - Lublin and Chełm. Among 71 Escherichia (E.) coli isolates studied, 19.7% showed resistance to from one to six of the antibiotics tested, with much higher prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the birds (32%) than in the rodents (7%). Whole genome sequencing was performed on 10 selected E. coli isolates representing similar resistance phenotypes. The following antimicrobial resistance genes were detected: blaTEM-1b, tet(A), tet(B), aph(6)-Id, aph(3'')-Ib, aadA1, aadA2, catA1, floR, cmlA, sul2, sul3, dfrA14, and dfrA2. Birds from the same city and also from both neighbouring cities shared E. coli bacteria with the same sequence types, whereas isolates detected in birds were not found to have been transferred to the mammalian population, despite close contact. This demonstrates that even intensive exposure to sources of these pathogens does not necessarily lead to effective transmission of antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains between birds and mammals. Further efforts should be dedicated to investigating actual transmission of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in various ecological systems, including those that are crucial for public health, such as urban environments. This will facilitate the development of more accurate models for epidemiological threats and the formulation of well-balanced decisions regarding the coexistence of humans and urban wildlife.}, }
@article {pmid38826666, year = {2024}, author = {Tozzi, A and Peters, JF}, title = {Towards a single parameter for the assessment of EEG oscillations.}, journal = {Cognitive neurodynamics}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, pages = {1209-1214}, pmid = {38826666}, issn = {1871-4080}, abstract = {The single macroscopic flow on the boundary of a closed curve equals the sum of the countless microscopic flows in the enclosed area. According to the dictates of the Green's theorem, the counterclockwise movements on the border of a two-dimensional shape must equal all the counterclockwise movements taking place inside the shape. This mathematical approach might be useful to analyse neuroscientific data sets for its potential capability to describe the whole cortical activity in terms of electric flows occurring in peripheral brain areas. Given a map of raw EEG data to coloured ovals in which different colours stand for different amplitudes, the theorem suggests that the sum of the electric amplitudes measured inside every oval equals the amplitudes measured just on the oval's edge. This means that the collection of the vector fields detected from the scalp can be described by a novel, single parameter summarizing the counterclockwise electric flow detected in the outer electrodes. To evaluate the predictive power of this parameter, in a pilot study we investigated EEG traces from ten young females performing Raven's intelligence tests of various complexity, from easy tasks (n = 5) to increasingly complex tasks (n = 5). Despite the seemingly unpredictable behavior of EEG electric amplitudes, the novel parameter proved to be a valuable tool to to discriminate between the two groups and detect hidden, statistically significant differences. We conclude that the application of this promising parameter could be expanded to assess also data sets extracted from neurotechniques other than EEG.}, }
@article {pmid38829346, year = {2024}, author = {Auersperg, A}, title = {Within the sound of trouble: Do humans use pitch to correctly assess emotional arousal across species?.}, journal = {Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)}, volume = {138}, number = {2}, pages = {77-79}, doi = {10.1037/com0000389}, pmid = {38829346}, issn = {1939-2087}, mesh = {Humans ; *Arousal/physiology ; *Emotions/physiology ; Animals ; Pitch Perception/physiology ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Comments on an article by Jay W. Schwartz , Kayleigh H. Pierson, and Alexander K. Reece (see record 2024-19488-001). In this issue, Schwartz et al. (2024) tackle the pitch rule in humans by testing to what extent we use pitch alone to judge emotional arousal across closely and distantly related animal species. The findings of Schwartz et al. open a number of intriguing possibilities for future research: Notably important additional steps would include to further investigate the accuracy of the pitch rule across closely and distantly related species. Upon this, in order to study the evolutionary ancestry of the pitch rule, it will be necessary to study its applicability across nonhumans. Particularly interesting would be the inclusion of subject species that have been found to eavesdrop on heterospecific alarm calls. Previous research (see Hoeschele, 2017 for a review) as well as present findings on human ratings of macaque versus cricket calls also suggest that we should additionally focus on sound features that compliment emotional arousal rating beyond pitch such as spectral information. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid38830782, year = {2025}, author = {Higginbotham, GD}, title = {The Dark Side of Safety: A Call for a More Thorough Consideration of Racism and Collective Power Motivations in the Social Psychology of Firearms.}, journal = {Psychological reports}, volume = {128}, number = {1}, pages = {267-304}, doi = {10.1177/00332941241252773}, pmid = {38830782}, issn = {1558-691X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Firearms/legislation & jurisprudence ; *Safety ; *Racism/psychology ; *Motivation ; *Psychology, Social ; *Power, Psychological ; United States ; Ownership ; Black or African American ; White ; }, abstract = {This paper situates current social psychological research on the symbolic use of firearms (e.g., as a source of personal safety) in broader historical context to motivate a more thorough consideration of collective power motives. Historically, firearms have been used to dominate racial outgroup members (e.g., White Americans use of firearms and firearm laws to dispossess indigenous people of land or control free and enslaved Black people) or, at times, attempt to resist group-based oppression (e.g., Black Americans use of firearms to struggle against White Jim Crow terrorism). Given most gun owners report self-protection as their primary reason for firearm ownership and yet anti-Black attitudes are still a consistently important predictor of firearm ownership among dominant group members (e.g., White Americans), this paper examines how guns may function as a perceived source of personal safety and collective power. I center the persistent role of White supremacy and anti-Blackness in original U.S. firearm psychology and policy to illuminate the interrelatedness of personal safety and collective power perceptions, and how perceived threats to in-group power may motivate the use of guns and policies that selectively regulate gun access to mitigate associated safety concerns. Seeking to nudge social psychology to more thoroughly examine firearms' potential function as a symbolic source of collective power, I end by discussing how considering collective power can help us better understand how historically dominant and historically marginalized groups view firearms today while also illuminating some barriers to the pursuit of gun safety for all.}, }
@article {pmid38835280, year = {2024}, author = {Speechley, EM and Ashton, BJ and Thornton, A and King, SL and Simmons, LW and Woodiss-Field, SL and Ridley, AR}, title = {Aggressive interactions influence cognitive performance in Western Australian magpies.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {291}, number = {2024}, pages = {20240435}, pmid = {38835280}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {//Non-US Government Research Support type/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Cognition ; *Social Behavior ; Western Australia ; *Aggression ; Male ; Passeriformes/physiology ; Female ; }, abstract = {Extensive research has investigated the relationship between the social environment and cognition, suggesting that social complexity may drive cognitive evolution and development. However, evidence for this relationship remains equivocal. Group size is often used as a measure of social complexity, but this may not capture intraspecific variation in social interactions. Social network analysis can provide insight into the cognitively demanding challenges associated with group living at the individual level. Here, we use social networks to investigate whether the cognitive performance of wild Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) is related to group size and individual social connectedness. We quantified social connectedness using four interaction types: proximity, affiliative, agonistic and vocal. Consistent with previous research on this species, individuals in larger groups performed better on an associative learning task. However, social network position was also related to cognitive performance. Individuals receiving aggressive interactions performed better, while those involved in aggressive interactions with more group members performed worse. Overall, this suggests that cognitive performance is related to specific types of social interaction. The findings from this study highlight the value of considering fine-grained metrics of sociality that capture the challenges associated with social life when testing the relationship between the social environment and cognition.}, }
@article {pmid38837343, year = {2024}, author = {Yang, X and Yang, R and Zhang, T and Tan, DJ and Pan, R and Chen, Z and Wu, D and Chen, C and Xu, Y and Zhang, L and Li, X and Shu, Q and Hu, L}, title = {Genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of maple syrup urine disease in Zhejiang of China.}, journal = {QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians}, volume = {117}, number = {10}, pages = {717-727}, pmid = {38837343}, issn = {1460-2393}, support = {2024C03151//Key R&D Program of Zhejiang/ ; 82000030//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2022YFC2703401//National Program on Key Basic Research Project/ ; //Special Fund for the Incubation of Young Clinical Scientist/ ; CHZJU2022YS005//The Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine/ ; }, mesh = {*Maple Syrup Urine Disease/genetics/diagnosis ; Humans ; China ; Female ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Infant, Newborn ; *Phenotype ; *Genotype ; *Mutation ; 3-Methyl-2-Oxobutanoate Dehydrogenase (Lipoamide)/genetics ; Neonatal Screening/methods ; Infant ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder originating from defects in the branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) complex encoded by BCKDHA, BCKDHB and DBT. This condition presents a spectrum of symptoms and potentially fatal outcomes. Although numerous mutations in the BCKDH complex genes associated with MSUD have been identified, the relationship between specific genotypes remains to be fully elucidated.
AIM: Our objective was to predict the pathogenicity of these genetic mutations and establish potential links between genotypic alterations and the clinical phenotypes of MSUD.
DESIGN: Retrospective population-based cohort.
METHODS: We analyzed 20 MSUD patients from the Children's Hospital at Zhejiang University School of Medicine (Hangzhou, China), recorded from January 2010 to December 2023. Patients' blood samples were collected by heel-stick through neonatal screening, and amino acid profiles were measured by tandem mass spectrometry. In silico methods were employed to assess the pathogenicity, stability and biophysical properties. Various computation tools were utilized for assessment, namely PredictSNP, MAGPIE, iStable, Align GVGD, ConSurf and SNP effect.
RESULTS: We detected 25 distinct mutations, including 12 novel mutations. The BCKDHB gene was the most commonly affected (53.3%) compared to the BCKDHA gene (20.0%) and DBT gene (26.7%). In silico webservers predicted all novel mutations were disease-causing.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the genetic complexity of MSUD and underscores the importance of early detection and intervention. Integrating neonatal screening with advanced sequencing methodologies is pivotal in ensuring precise diagnosis and effective management of MSUD, thereby significantly improving the prognosis for individuals afflicted with this condition.}, }
@article {pmid38841134, year = {2024}, author = {Anastasiu, P and Miu, IV and Gavrilidis, AA and Preda, C and Rozylowicz, L and Sirbu, C and Oprea, A and Urziceanu, M and Camen-Comanescu, P and Nagoda, E and Memedemin, D and Barbos, M and Boruz, V and Cislariu, A and Don, I and Fagaras, M and Frink, JP and Georgescu, IM and Haruta, OI and Hurdu, BI and Matis, A and Milanovici, S and Muncaciu, S and Neacsu, AG and Neblea, M and Nicolin, AL and Niculescu, M and Oroian, S and Pop, OG and Radutoiu, DI and Samarghitan, M and Simion, I and Soare, LC and Steiu, C and Stoianov, E and Strat, D and Szabo, A and Szatmari, PM and Tanase, C and Mirea, MD and Manta, N and Sirbu, IM}, title = {Alien plant species distribution in Romania: a nationwide survey following the implementation of the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species.}, journal = {Biodiversity data journal}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {e119539}, pmid = {38841134}, issn = {1314-2828}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes. The database presented in the current study is the first consolidated checklist of alien plant species that are present in Romania, both of European Union concern and of national interest. This database complements a prior published distribution, based only on records from literature, bringing new information regarding the occurrence of alien plants in Romania, as revealed by a nationwide field survey. We consider this database a valuable instrument for managing biological invasions at both national and regional levels, as it can be utilised in further research studies and in drafting management and action plans, assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions and implementing management actions.
NEW INFORMATION: We present the results of the first nationwide survey of alien plant species in Romania, conducted between 2019 and 2022, in the framework of a national project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and the University of Bucharest. The present database complements and updates the database published by Sirbu et. al (2022), which included occurrence records published until 2019. The new database includes 98323 occurrence records for 396 alien plant species in 77 families, with most species belonging to the Asteraceae family. One alien plant species in our database, the black locust Robiniapseudoacacia L., had more than 10,000 occurrence records. The distribution database also includes information on newly-reported invasive alien plant species of European Union concern in Romania (i.e. the floating primrose-willow Ludwigiapeploides (Kunth) P.H.Raven) and documents the presence of plants in 44 additional families compared to Sirbu et al. (2022). Each entry includes information on species taxonomy, location, year, person who recorded and identified the alien plant, geographical coordinates and taxon rank.}, }
@article {pmid38841999, year = {2024}, author = {Babu, KR and Prasad, JL and Bhaskar, NL and Kumar, PN}, title = {Study on Universal Health Coverage Scheme in India - The Stumper to Private Hospitals.}, journal = {Hospital topics}, volume = {102}, number = {3}, pages = {193-199}, doi = {10.1080/00185868.2024.2359553}, pmid = {38841999}, issn = {1939-9278}, mesh = {Humans ; *Hospitals, Private/economics/statistics & numerical data ; India ; *Universal Health Insurance/statistics & numerical data/economics/trends ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Many governments have introduced health insurance schemes for the poor sections of society to save them from catastrophic health expenditure. Private hospitals play a key role in India, as they are in significant number in secondary and tertiary care services. Private hospitals have to fund their infrastructure, staff salaries from the revenue of previous year. In this study, we compared money received by a private medical college hospital bed through government insurance scheme patient and private paying patient.
METHODS: Observational study, comparing money reimbursed for top ten procedures treated in private medical college hospitals by Ayushman Bharat (AB) fund and the price offered by a paying patient in similar bed.
RESULTS: On average 600 patients received medical care through the AB scheme per month at our tertiary care super-specialty hospital. Highest numbers were seen in specialties like cardiovascular, and cancer treatments and infectious diseases under general medicine specialty. The costs considered were surgeon's cost, medicines, devices, and hospitalization costs. The laparoscopic procedures were incurring a loss of 130%, knee replacements about 50%, coronary bypass grafting thankfully due to controlling of prices by central government is incurring a loss of 10%. The package amount offered accounts to 26-52% only of the costs incurred by the private hospitals.
CONCLUSION: The private academic hospitals need 25% to 50% more than current prices offered, across various procedures.}, }
@article {pmid38845349, year = {2024}, author = {Cho, E and Pinzur, MS and Schiff, AP and Hamid, K}, title = {Outcomes Following Surgical Correction of Talocalcalcaneal Joint Dislocation in Diabetes Associated Charcot Foot Arthropathy.}, journal = {Foot & ankle international}, volume = {45}, number = {9}, pages = {972-978}, doi = {10.1177/10711007241255373}, pmid = {38845349}, issn = {1944-7876}, mesh = {Humans ; *Arthropathy, Neurogenic/surgery/complications ; Retrospective Studies ; *Joint Dislocations/surgery/complications ; Middle Aged ; Female ; *Diabetic Foot/surgery/complications ; Male ; Subtalar Joint/surgery ; Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Arthrodesis/methods ; External Fixators ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Growing clinical interest in the treatment of acquired foot deformity due to diabetes-associated Charcot foot arthropathy has led to multiple reports of favorable clinical outcomes in patients when their acquired deformity is at the midfoot level. Clinical failures and less than optimal clinical outcomes are achieved when the deformity is at the hindfoot or ankle levels.
METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients who underwent surgical correction of diabetes-associated Charcot foot arthropathy with talocalcaneal dislocation over an 18-year period. Reduction of the talocalcaneal dislocation, and maintenance of the correction with percutaneous pins and circular external fixation after subtalar joint preparation for fusion, was used as the method of surgically achieving a clinically plantigrade foot. Clinical outcomes were based on resolution of infection, limb salvage, and the ability to ambulate with commercially available therapeutic footwear.
RESULTS: Forty-three feet in 39 patients were included. A favorable clinical outcome was achieved in 32 of 43 feet (74%) with 26 (60%) considered to have an "excellent" result with minimal shoeing issues and 6 (14%) considered to have a "good" outcome based on their need for a custom shoe modification and/or some form of short ankle-foot orthosis. Eleven feet (26%) were judged to have a "poor" clinical outcome and among those 11 feet, 6 underwent partial, or whole-foot amputation, 2 had persistent wounds, and 5 required the use of a standard ankle foot orthosis or Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker (CROW).
CONCLUSION: Subtalar dislocation in Charcot arthropathy is a complex clinical problem. In our series, reduction and maintenance of the reduction after subtalar dislocation was essential for a favorable clinical outcome.}, }
@article {pmid38854476, year = {2024}, author = {Lee, JS and Yoon, YC and Kim, JM and Kim, YH and Kang, YH and Shin, YC}, title = {Liquid collagen from freshwater fish skin ameliorates hydration, roughness and elasticity in photo-aged skin: a randomized, controlled, clinical study.}, journal = {Nutrition research and practice}, volume = {18}, number = {3}, pages = {357-371}, pmid = {38854476}, issn = {1976-1457}, abstract = {BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Collagen is commonly used in diverse forms as a functional component in skincare products. On the other hand, the effects of collagen on human skin are controversial. Dietary collagen hydrolysates from freshwater Pangasius hypophthalmus fish skin ameliorated photo-aged skin of hairless mice. This study conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine if liquid fish collagen (Collagen-Tripep20™, Tripep20) as a drink strengthens skin health and quality.
SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this clinical trial, 85 subjects aged 35-60 yrs were diagnosed with photo-aged skin. Eighty-five subjects were randomized to receive either Tripep20 (n = 44) or placebo (n = 41). Seventy-eight subjects fully participating for a 12-week period consumed 1,000 mg of Tripep20 (n = 41) or placebo (n = 37) in a 50-mL bottle as a daily drink. The intend-to-treat and per-protocol populations were 85 and 78, respectively. Skin hydration, wrinkles, and elasticity were assessed at 0 (baseline), 6, and 12 weeks during the study period.
RESULTS: Skin hydration in the Tripep20 group was significantly higher from 6 weeks (P < 0.001) than the baseline. After 12 weeks, the Crow's-feet visual score and skin roughness (Ra, Rq, and Rmax) were significantly improved in the Tripep20 group than in the placebo group (P < 0.05). Consuming liquid collagen Tripep20 greatly enhanced skin elasticity (Gross R2, Net R5, and Biological elasticity R7) in 6 weeks compared to the placebo group. The Tripep20 group showed a significant increase in skin elasticity from the baseline after 6 and 12 weeks (P < 0.001). Neither abnormal symptoms nor adverse events were encountered during the study period in subjects ingesting Tripep20 or placebo. The changes in parameters related to hematology and clinical chemistry were within the normal ranges.
CONCLUSION: Oral consumption of liquid collagen Tripep20 was safe and well-tolerated. The results of this study show that freshwater fish-derived liquid collagen Tripep20 can be used as a healthy functional food ingredient to improve skin moisturizing, anti-wrinkling, and elasticity in an aging population.}, }
@article {pmid38857943, year = {2024}, author = {Sharma, D and Chauhan, AS and Guinness, L and Mehndiratta, A and Dhiman, A and Singh, M and Prinja, S}, title = {Understanding the extent of economic evidence usage for informing policy decisions in the context of India's national health insurance scheme: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY).}, journal = {BMJ global health}, volume = {9}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {38857943}, issn = {2059-7908}, mesh = {Humans ; India ; *Health Policy ; *National Health Programs/economics ; Policy Making ; Decision Making ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is one of the world's largest tax-funded insurance schemes. The present study was conducted to understand the decision-making process around the evolution (and revision) of health benefit packages (HBPs) and reimbursement rates within PM-JAY, with a specific focus on assessing the extent of use of economic evidence and role of various stakeholders in shaping these policy decisions.
METHODS: A mixed-methods study was adopted involving in-depth interviews with seven key stakeholders involved in HBP design and reimbursement rates decisions, and a survey of 80 government staff and other relevant stakeholders engaged in the implementation of PM-JAY. The data gathered were thematically analysed, and a coding framework was developed to explore specific themes. Additionally, publicly available documents were reviewed to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the decision-making processes.
RESULTS: Findings reveal a progressive transition towards evidence-based practices for policy decisions within PM-JAY. The initial version of HBP relied heavily on key criteria like disease burden, utilisation rates, and out-of-pocket expenditures, along with clinical opinion in shaping decisions around the inclusion of services in the HBP and setting reimbursement rates. Revised HBPs were informed based on evidence from a national-level costing study and broader stakeholder consultations. The use of health economic evidence increased with each additional revision with consideration of health technology assessment (HTA) evidence for some packages and reimbursement rates based on empirical cost evidence in the most recent update. The establishment of the Health Financing and Technology Assessment unit further signifies the use of evidence-based policymaking within PM-JAY. However, challenges persist, notably with regard to staff capacity and understanding of HTA principles, necessitating ongoing education and training initiatives.
CONCLUSION: While substantial progress has been made in transitioning towards evidence-based practices within PM-JAY, sustained efforts and political commitment are required for the ongoing systematisation of processes.}, }
@article {pmid38859176, year = {2024}, author = {Aslan, B and Franchi, R and Biasi, S and Ali, S and Pavesi, L}, title = {On the spectral response of a taiji-CROW device.}, journal = {Optics express}, volume = {32}, number = {9}, pages = {15177-15198}, doi = {10.1364/OE.514629}, pmid = {38859176}, issn = {1094-4087}, abstract = {Physical systems with topological properties are robust against disorder. However, implementing them in integrated photonic devices is challenging because of the various fabrication imperfections and/or limitations that affect the spectral response of their building blocks. One such feature is strong backscattering due to the surface wall roughness of the waveguides, which can flip the propagating modes to counterpropagating modes and destroy the desired topological behavior. Here, we report a study on modeling, designing and testing an integrated photonic structure based on a sequence of two taiji microresonators coupled with a middle link microresonator (a taiji-CROW device, where CROW stands for coupled resonator optical waveguides). Our study provides design constraints to preserve the ideal operation of the structure by quantifying a minimum ratio between the coupling coefficients and the backscattering coefficients. This ratio is valuable to avoid surface roughness problems in designing topological integrated photonic devices based on arrays of microresonators.}, }
@article {pmid38865769, year = {2024}, author = {Graziosi, G and Lupini, C and Favera, FD and Martini, G and Dosa, G and Trevisani, G and Garavini, G and Mannelli, A and Catelli, E}, title = {Characterizing the domestic-wild bird interface through camera traps in an area at risk for avian influenza introduction in Northern Italy.}, journal = {Poultry science}, volume = {103}, number = {8}, pages = {103892}, pmid = {38865769}, issn = {1525-3171}, mesh = {Animals ; *Influenza in Birds/epidemiology/virology ; Italy/epidemiology ; *Animals, Wild ; Poultry Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; Chickens ; Birds ; }, abstract = {Direct or indirect interactions between sympatric wildlife and poultry can lead to interspecies disease transmission. Particularly, avian influenza (AI) is a viral epidemic disease for which the poultry-wild bird interface shapes the risks of new viral introductions into poultry holdings. Given this background, the study hereby presented aimed to identify wild bird species in poultry house surroundings and characterize the spatiotemporal patterns of these visits. Eight camera traps were deployed for a year (January to December 2021) in 3 commercial chicken layer farms, including free-range and barn-type setups, located in a densely populated poultry area in Northern Italy at high risk for AI introduction via wild birds. Camera traps' positions were chosen based on wildlife signs identified during preliminary visits to the establishments studied. Various methods, including time series analysis, correspondence analysis, and generalized linear models, were employed to analyze the daily wild bird visits. A total of 1,958 camera trap days yielded 5,978 videos of wild birds from 27 different species and 16 taxonomic families. The animals were predominantly engaged in foraging activities nearby poultry houses. Eurasian magpies (Pica pica), ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus), and Eurasian collared doves (Streptopelia decaocto) were the most frequent visitors. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), an AI reservoir species, were observed only in a farm located next to a fishing sport lake. Time series analysis indicated that wild bird visits increased during spring and winter. Farm and camera trap location also influenced visit frequencies. Overall, the results highlighted specific species that could be prioritized for future AI epidemiological surveys. However, further research is required to assess their susceptibility and infectivity to currently circulating AI viruses, essential for identifying novel bridge hosts.}, }
@article {pmid38874516, year = {2024}, author = {Chen, J and Moubadder, L and Clausing, ES and Kezios, KL and Conneely, KN and Hüls, A and Baccarelli, A and Factor-Litvak, P and Cirrillo, P and Shelton, RC and Link, BG and Suglia, SF}, title = {Associations of childhood, adolescence, and midlife cognitive function with DNA methylation age acceleration in midlife.}, journal = {Aging}, volume = {16}, number = {11}, pages = {9350-9368}, pmid = {38874516}, issn = {1945-4589}, support = {R01 AG058704/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HD058515/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *DNA Methylation ; Female ; Male ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; *Cognition/physiology ; Child ; Aging/genetics ; Adult ; Intelligence/genetics ; Cognitive Aging ; }, abstract = {Prior studies showed increased age acceleration (AgeAccel) is associated with worse cognitive function among old adults. We examine the associations of childhood, adolescence and midlife cognition with AgeAccel based on DNA methylation (DNAm) in midlife. Data are from 359 participants who had cognition measured in childhood and adolescence in the Child Health and Development study, and had cognition, blood based DNAm measured during midlife in the Disparities study. Childhood cognition was measured by Raven's Progressive Matrices and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Adolescent cognition was measured only by PPVT. Midlife cognition included Wechsler Test of Adult Reading (WTAR), Verbal Fluency (VF), Digit Symbol (DS). AgeAccel measures including Horvath, Hannum, PhenoAge, GrimAge and DunedinPACE were calculated from DNAm. Linear regressions adjusted for potential confounders were utilized to examine the association between each cognitive measure in relation to each AgeAccel. There are no significant associations between childhood cognition and midlife AgeAccel. A 1-unit increase in adolescent PPVT, which measures crystalized intelligence, is associated with 0.048-year decrease of aging measured by GrimAge and this association is attenuated after adjustment for adult socioeconomic status. Midlife crystalized intelligence measure WTAR is negatively associated with PhenoAge and DunedinPACE, and midlife fluid intelligence measure (DS) is negatively associated with GrimAge, PhenoAge and DunedinPACE. AgeAccel is not associated with VF in midlife. In conclusion, our study showed the potential role of cognitive functions at younger ages in the process of biological aging. We also showed a potential relationship of both crystalized and fluid intelligence with aging acceleration.}, }
@article {pmid38878496, year = {2024}, author = {Relimpio, D and Serna Moreno, MDC and Horta Muñoz, S and Viaplana, E and Mancera, JC and Urniza, A and de la Fuente, J and Gortázar, C}, title = {Improved stability and specificity of baits for oral administration of substances to wild boar.}, journal = {Preventive veterinary medicine}, volume = {229}, number = {}, pages = {106241}, doi = {10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106241}, pmid = {38878496}, issn = {1873-1716}, mesh = {Animals ; *Sus scrofa ; Administration, Oral ; Swine ; Vaccination/veterinary/methods ; Animal Feed/analysis ; Vaccines/administration & dosage ; Honey/analysis ; Zea mays ; Animals, Wild ; Sugars ; }, abstract = {Oral vaccination is one of the most effective interventions for disease control in wildlife. As a result of the recent global reemergence of African swine fever and ongoing classical swine fever and animal tuberculosis, oral vaccination of Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) receives increased interest. Several baits for wild boar and feral pigs have been described, but developing more stable and personalized formulations is important. This paper proposes a new bait formulation primarily composed of corn flour, piglet feed, sugar, and honey as a binder to obtain improved elasticity. The bait consists of a matrix with no protective coats, has a hemispherical shape (ø 3.4 ×1.6 cm), and displays an anise aroma and blue color. The color and aroma did not affect bait choice by wild boar, while bait coloring contributed to avoid consumption by non-target species (corvids). Baits with the new formulation were significantly more resistant to humidity and high temperatures than previous versions. Simulations suggest that baits with the new formulation are elastic enough to resist impacts from a maximum altitude of 750 m. Thus, the new bait prototype solves several problems of previous bait formulations while keeping a format that can be selectively consumed by piglets and adult wild boar.}, }
@article {pmid38889775, year = {2024}, author = {Hashizume, A and Koda, R and Nakashima, Y}, title = {Infection risk associated with carnivore carcasses may govern trophic interactions between maggots and insectivorous passerine birds.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {20}, number = {6}, pages = {20240069}, pmid = {38889775}, issn = {1744-957X}, support = {//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Food Chain ; *Predatory Behavior ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Raccoons/physiology ; Larva/physiology ; Japan ; Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {Infection risk by pathogenic agents motivates hosts to avoid using resources with high risks. This, in turn, results in increased availability of these resources for other species that are more tolerant of infections. For instance, carcasses of mammalian carnivores are frequently avoided by conspecific or closely related carnivores, allowing them to be almost exclusively used by maggots. This may lead to novel interactions with other species. This study investigated the consumption of maggots from carnivore carcasses by non-corvid passerines. We successfully monitored 66 raccoon carcasses in Hokkaido, Japan, from 2016 to 2019. Vertebrates only scavenged 14 carcasses before maggot dispersal; the other 52 carcasses produced abundant maggots that regularly fed at least 12 species of non-corvid passerines. Surprisingly, predation occurred at a distance from the carcasses, mainly after maggot dispersal for pupation, despite the higher efficiency of feeding on maggot masses on the carcasses. Birds are likely to reduce the potential risk of infection from the carcass and/or from maggots on the carcasses. Overall, only 1% of maggots were consumed. Our results suggest that necrophagous flies could benefit from the infection risk associated with carnivore carcasses, which may decrease scavenging by other carnivores and constrain maggot consumption by insectivorous birds.}, }
@article {pmid38897044, year = {2024}, author = {Kampouri, M and Margetaki, K and Koutra, K and Kyriklaki, A and Daraki, V and Roumeliotaki, T and Bempi, V and Vafeiadi, M and Kogevinas, M and Chatzi, L and Kippler, M}, title = {Urinary iodine concentrations in preschoolers and cognitive development at 4 and 6 years of age, the Rhea mother-child cohort on Crete, Greece.}, journal = {Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology : organ of the Society for Minerals and Trace Elements (GMS)}, volume = {85}, number = {}, pages = {127486}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtemb.2024.127486}, pmid = {38897044}, issn = {1878-3252}, mesh = {Humans ; *Iodine/urine ; Greece ; Female ; Male ; *Cognition/physiology ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Cohort Studies ; Child Development/physiology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding child iodine intake and neurodevelopment is scarce.
METHODS: We aimed to assess the impact of child iodine intake at 4 years of age on cognitive and motor development at 4 and 6 years among 304 children from the Rhea cohort on Crete, Greece. Child iodine intake was assessed via urinary iodine concentrations (UIC) measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and adjusted for specific gravity. Child cognitive and motor development was assessed using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) at 4 years of age and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM), Finger Tapping Test (FTT), and Trail Making Test (TMT) at 6 years. Associations were explored using multivariable-adjusted linear regression analyses with UIC categorized according to WHO criteria [insufficient intake <100 µg/L, adequate 100-299 µg/L (reference group), excessive ≥300 µg/L].
RESULTS: The children's median UIC was 249 µg/L (25-75th percentile: 181-344 μg/L). Children with UIC <100 μg/L had lower scores in the motor scale at 4 years (MSCA-motor scale: B=-10.3; 95 %CI -19.9, -0.6; n=10) and in intelligence at 6 years (RCPM-total score: B=-3.6, 95 %CI -6.8, -0.5; n=9) than children in the reference group. No associations were found with the general cognitive scale at 4 years or with TMT and FTT scales at 6 years. Children with UIC ≥300 μg/L had lower cognitive scores both at 4 (MSCA; B= -3.5; 95 %CI -6.9, -0.1; n =101) and 6 years of age (RCPM-total score; B= -1.2; 95 %CI -2.3, -0.0; n =98) than children in the reference group. No associations were observed with the motor scale at 4 years or with TMT and FTT scales at 6 years.
CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that both low and excessive iodine intake at preschool age may adversely affect child cognitive abilities. Additionally, low iodine intake may also impact motor abilities.}, }
@article {pmid38906144, year = {2024}, author = {Harten, L and Chen, X and de Marcas, L and Rachum, A and Handel, M and Goldshtein, A and Levi, MF and Rosencwaig, S and Yovel, Y}, title = {Time-mapping and future-oriented behavior in free-ranging wild fruit bats.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {34}, number = {13}, pages = {3005-3010.e4}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.046}, pmid = {38906144}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Chiroptera/physiology/psychology ; Feeding Behavior ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Episodic memory and mental time travel have been viewed as uniquely human traits.[1][,][2][,][3] This view began to shift with the development of behavioral criteria to assess what is referred to as "episodic-like memory" in animals.[4][,][5] Key findings have ranged from evidence of what-where-when memory in scrub-jays, rats, and bees; through decision-making that impacts future foraging in frugivorous primates; to evidence of planning based on future needs in scrub-jays and tool use planning in great apes.[4][,][6][,][7][,][8][,][9][,][10][,][11][,][12][,][13] Field studies of these issues have been rare, though there is field-based evidence for future-oriented behaviors in primates.[8][,][10][,][14][,][15] We report evidence that free-ranging wild fruit bats rely on mental temporal maps and exhibit future-oriented behaviors when foraging. We tracked young bats as they navigated and foraged, documenting every tree they visited over many months. We prevented the bats from foraging outside for different time periods and monitored their foraging decisions, revealing that the bats map the spatiotemporal patterns of resources in their environment. Following a long period in captivity, the bats did not visit those trees that were no longer providing fruit. We show that this time-mapping ability requires experience and is lacking in inexperienced bats. Careful analysis of the bats' movement and foraging choices indicated that they plan which tree to visit while still in the colony, thus exhibiting future-oriented behavior and delayed gratification on a nightly basis. Our findings demonstrate how the need for spatiotemporal mental mapping can drive the evolution of high cognitive abilities that were previously considered exclusive to humans.}, }
@article {pmid38913736, year = {2025}, author = {Ichien, N and Stamenković, D and Whatley, MC and Castel, AD and Holyoak, KJ}, title = {Advancing with age: Older adults excel in comprehension of novel metaphors.}, journal = {Psychology and aging}, volume = {40}, number = {1}, pages = {6-16}, doi = {10.1037/pag0000836}, pmid = {38913736}, issn = {1939-1498}, support = {//National Science Foundation/ ; //Canon Corporation/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Aged ; *Metaphor ; Middle Aged ; *Comprehension/physiology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult ; Female ; Male ; Young Adult ; *Aging/psychology ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Adolescent ; }, abstract = {Older adults may experience certain forms of cognitive decline, but some forms of semantic memory remain intact in older age. To address how metaphor comprehension changes with age and whether metaphor comprehension relies more heavily on analogical reasoning (supported by fluid intelligence) or on conceptual combination (supported by crystalized intelligence), we compared performance of younger and older adults. In two experiments, healthy older adults (54-88 years) scored lower on a measure of fluid intelligence (Ravens Progressive Matrices) but higher on a measure of crystalized intelligence (Mill Hill Vocabulary Test) relative to younger adults (18-34 years). Groups were equally successful in comprehending relatively easy metaphors (Study 1), but older adults showed a striking advantage over younger adults for novel literary metaphors (Study 2). Mixed-effects modeling showed that measures of fluid and crystalized intelligence each made separable contributions to metaphor comprehension for both groups, but older adults relied more on crystalized intelligence than did younger adults. These age-related dissociations clarify cognitive effects of aging and highlight the importance of crystalized intelligence for metaphor comprehension in both younger and older adults. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid38915110, year = {2024}, author = {Shields, W and Kenney, A and Shiang, E and Malizia, R and Billie, H}, title = {Unintentional injury prevention in American Indian and Alaska Native communities: a scoping review of the Indian Health Service Primary Care Provider newsletter.}, journal = {Injury epidemiology}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {27}, pmid = {38915110}, issn = {2197-1714}, support = {R49 CE003090/CE/NCIPC CDC HHS/United States ; 5R49CE003090/CE/NCIPC CDC HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Unintentional injuries disproportionately impact American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations. Developing effective and culturally tailored data collection and intervention programs requires an understanding of past prevention efforts in AI/AN communities, but limited peer-reviewed literature on the topic is available. This scoping review aims to summarize efforts that have been published in the Primary Care Provider newsletter, a source of gray literature available through the Indian Health Service.
METHODS: The research team obtained all injury related articles in the Provider newsletter and excluded those that did not describe an unintentional injury prevention effort. Included articles were organized chronologically and by topic, and outcomes were described in a data abstraction form.
RESULTS: A total of 247 articles from the Provider newsletter were screened, and 68 were included in this review. The most number of articles were published in 2007 (n = 15). Many focused not specifically on one tribal community but on the AI/AN community as a whole (n = 27), while others reported that certain tribes were the focus of study but did not identify tribes by name (n = 24). The following is a list of 14 tribal communities explicitly mentioned: Omaha, Cherokee, Ute, Yakama, Chippewa, Apache, Ho-Chunk, The Crow Tribe, Tohono O'odham Nation, Fort Mojave Tribe, Chemehuevi Tribe, The Rosebud Tribe, Navajo, and The Pueblo of Jemez. Published unintentional injury prevention efforts have covered the following 7 topics in AI/AN communities: falls, motor vehicle crashes, poisonings, improving data, burns, children, and other.
CONCLUSION: This scoping review makes available and searchable information on injury prevention work conducted in and for AI/AN communities that is not currently found in the peer-reviewed literature.}, }
@article {pmid38921693, year = {2024}, author = {Ma, Y and Yin, J and Xuan, H and Ren, X and He, J and Wang, T}, title = {Personality Traits and Family SES Moderate the Relationship between Media Multitasking and Reasoning Performance.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {12}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {38921693}, issn = {2079-3200}, support = {32000761//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 20YJC880095//Humanities and Social Science Fund of Ministry of Education of China/ ; 2020FDD04//China Association of Higher Education/ ; }, abstract = {The prevalence of media multitasking has raised concerns regarding its potential impact on cognitive abilities. Despite increasing attention given to this topic, there remains no consensus on how media multitasking is related to cognitive performance. This study aims to shed light on this issue by examining whether and how personality traits and family socioeconomic status (SES) moderate the relationship between media multitasking and reasoning performance. To this end, a large sample of university students (n = 777) completed a battery of measures, including the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, the Media Multitasking Inventory, the Big Five Inventory, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Grit Scale, and the Family SES Questionnaire. Results revealed a negative correlation between media multitasking and reasoning performance. However, this relationship was substantially moderated by conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and family SES. Specifically, media multitasking was more detrimental to reasoning performance among individuals with lower levels of conscientiousness, extraversion, openness, and family SES, whereas it was less detrimental to counterparts with higher levels of these personality traits and family SES. The proposed moderation model, for the first time, not only offers novel insights into the theoretical accounts regarding how media multitasking relates to cognitive abilities, but also identifies the protective factors that may buffer the negative impacts of media multitasking.}, }
@article {pmid38923365, year = {2024}, author = {Dardas, LA and Al-Ammouri, I and Sweis, S and Eid, A and Abid, M and Pan, W}, title = {Beyond the heart: Cognitive and verbal outcomes in Arab children with congenital heart diseases.}, journal = {Birth defects research}, volume = {116}, number = {6}, pages = {e2374}, doi = {10.1002/bdr2.2374}, pmid = {38923365}, issn = {2472-1727}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; *Heart Defects, Congenital/psychology ; *Quality of Life/psychology ; *Arabs/psychology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; Jordan ; Wechsler Scales ; Intelligence Tests ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: This study investigates how congenital heart diseases (CHD) characteristics and interventions affect cognitive and verbal skills in Arab children, while also uncovering previously unexplored connections between these skills and the quality of life (QoL) scores as perceived by both children and parents.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Jordan, involving 62 children with CHD aged 6-16. Data were collected through standardized intelligence tests (namely The Raven's Progressive Matrices Test and The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) and QoL assessments.
RESULTS: Sex, disease severity, cyanosis, CHD defect status, conducted operations, and types of interventions did not significantly influence cognitive scores. However, a significant difference was observed in Wechsler's scores between cyanotic and non-cyanotic children (p < .01) and between severe and moderate cases (p = .01). Further, a significant positive correlation was identified between Wechsler's Scores and QoL reported by parents (r = 0.33, p < .01). This correlation was particularly pronounced in the social and school functioning dimensions of QoL.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the need for personalized care approaches for children with CHDs based on their individual characteristics. While cognitive abilities did not directly correlate with children's QoL reports, a significant positive correlation between verbal skills and QoL reported by parents underscores the importance of effective communication in assessing a child's overall well-being. Future research should further examine the cognitive development in this population, employing neurocognitive investigations and longitudinal studies to gain a deeper understanding of their cognitive profiles and trajectories.}, }
@article {pmid38927338, year = {2024}, author = {Beauchamp, G and Barve, S}, title = {Gazing Strategies among Sentinels of a Cooperative Breeder Are Repeatable but Unrelated to Survival.}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {13}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {38927338}, issn = {2079-7737}, abstract = {Vigilance is a common behavioural adaptation to increase the chances of detecting predators before it is too late to escape. Behavioural traits are often repeatable among individuals over the long term, suggesting differences in personality. Earlier studies have documented individual consistency in the time allocated to vigilance. However, little is known about individual consistency in the ways vigilance is achieved from one moment to another and whether different patterns of vigilance among individuals are associated with survival. We aimed to determine whether sentinels of a cooperative breeder showed individual consistency in their vigilance and if individual variation was related to annual survival. During sentinel bouts from vantage points, Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) turn their heads from side to side to monitor their surroundings. Over three field seasons, we found that the head-turning frequency was repeatable in breeders but not in juveniles or non-breeding helpers. The moderate repeatability in breeders was not related to survival. Our results suggest that the head-turning frequency in sentinels of the Florida scrub-jay is repeatable in breeders but not in less experienced juveniles or helpers and, therefore, likely becomes more repeatable as individuals age. The assumption that individual variation in vigilance is related to survival was unsupported in our study and requires further study.}, }
@article {pmid38931431, year = {2024}, author = {Kobylarz, D and Paprotny, Ł and Wianowska, D and Gnatowski, M and Jurowski, K}, title = {Silent Bird Poisoning in Poland: Reconfirmation of Bromadiolone and Warfarin as the Proximal Causes Using GC-MS/MS-Based Methodology for Forensic Investigations.}, journal = {Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {17}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {38931431}, issn = {1424-8247}, abstract = {The extensive use of rodenticides poses a severe threat to non-target species, particularly birds of prey and scavengers. In this study, a GC-MS/MS-based method was used to unlock the cause of bird deaths in Poland. Organs (liver, heart, kidney, and lungs) collected during autopsies of two rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and one carrion crow (Corvus corone corone), as well as fecal samples, were analyzed for the presence of anticoagulant coumarin derivatives, i.e., warfarin and bromadiolone. As for warfarin, the highest concentration was found in crow samples overall, with concentrations in the feces and lungs at 5.812 ± 0.368 µg/g and 4.840 ± 0.256 µg/g, respectively. The heart showed the lowest concentration of this compound (0.128 ± 0.01 µg/g). In the case of bromadiolone, the highest concentration was recorded in the liver of a rook (16.659 ± 1.499 µg/g) and this concentration significantly exceeded the levels in the other samples. By revealing the reality of the threat, these discoveries emphasize the need to regulate and monitor the trade in rodenticides.}, }
@article {pmid38937886, year = {2025}, author = {Dassanayake, TL and Ariyasinghe, DI and Baminiwatta, A and Hewawasam, C}, title = {Age-stratified norms for Raven's standard progressive matrices for Sri Lankan adults.}, journal = {The Clinical neuropsychologist}, volume = {39}, number = {1}, pages = {203-217}, doi = {10.1080/13854046.2024.2370908}, pmid = {38937886}, issn = {1744-4144}, mesh = {Humans ; Adult ; Sri Lanka ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Reference Values ; Age Factors ; *Aging/psychology ; *Neuropsychological Tests/standards ; Educational Status ; *Intelligence Tests ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to create age-stratified norms for the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) for Sri Lankan adults.
METHODS: A sample of 610 adults (age: 18-72 years; education: 1-19 years), underwent the 60-item version of the SPM under individual supervision of a test administrator. The sample was stratified into 5-year age bands, and the norms are presented as percentile tables and percentile curves.
RESULTS: The age-related changes were more accurately predicted by a curvilinear model (overall R[2] = 0.961) than a linear regression model (R[2] = 0.639). The SPM norms are presented as age-stratified percentile tables, as well as sex-, age- and education-adjusted multiple regression equations. The highest percentiles in the younger end of the age spectrum showed a ceiling effect. In the context of age-stratified US (1993) and British (1992) norms, older individuals in the Sri Lankan sample scored much lower than their Western counterparts. However, the difference narrowed in the younger age bands, showing no difference among the 18-to-22-year age bands in the three countries.
CONCLUSIONS: This age-by-country interaction can be partly explained by poorer education in the older individuals in the present sample compared to those in the US and UK standardization samples. SPM norms presented in this paper fill a hiatus in assessment of general intellectual ability in Sri Lankan adults. Given that Sri Lanka improves its educational, socioeconomic and health standards faster than the nations who have already reached higher standards, these norms would require re-standardization in the coming decades.}, }
@article {pmid38943372, year = {2024}, author = {Beran, F and Heckel, DG}, title = {Escalation by duplication: Milkweed bug trumps Monarch butterfly.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {33}, number = {14}, pages = {e17443}, doi = {10.1111/mec.17443}, pmid = {38943372}, issn = {1365-294X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Butterflies/genetics ; *Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase/genetics/metabolism ; *Asclepias/genetics/chemistry ; Cardenolides ; Gene Duplication ; Cardiac Glycosides/pharmacology ; Larva ; }, abstract = {The iconic Monarch butterfly is probably the best-known example of chemical defence against predation, as pictures of vomiting naive blue jays in countless textbooks vividly illustrate. Larvae of the butterfly take up toxic cardiac glycosides from their milkweed hostplants and carry them over to the adult stage. These compounds (cardiotonic steroids, including cardenolides and bufadienolides) inhibit the animal transmembrane sodium-potassium ATPase (Na,K-ATPase), but the Monarch enzyme resists this inhibition thanks to amino acid substitutions in its catalytic alpha-subunit. Some birds also have substitutions and can feast on cardiac glycoside-sequestering insects with impunity. A flurry of recent work has shown how the alpha-subunit gene has been duplicated multiple times in separate insect lineages specializing in cardiac glycoside-producing plants. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Herbertz et al. toss the beta-subunit into the mix, by expressing all nine combinations of three alpha- and three beta-subunits of the milkweed bug Na,K-ATPase and testing their response to a cardenolide from the hostplant. The findings suggest that the diversification and subfunctionalization of genes allow milkweed bugs to balance trade-offs between resistance towards sequestered host plant toxins that protect the bugs from predators, and physiological costs in terms of Na,K-ATPase activity.}, }
@article {pmid38945195, year = {2024}, author = {Desai, JK and Trangadia, BJ and Patel, UD and Patel, HB and Kalaria, VA and Kathiriya, JB}, title = {Reply to comment on "Neurotoxicity of 4-nonylphenol in adult zebrafish: Evaluation of behaviour, oxidative stress parameters and histopathology of brain" by Jay K. Desai. et al. [Environmental Pollution 334 (2023): 122206].}, journal = {Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)}, volume = {357}, number = {}, pages = {124441}, doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2024.124441}, pmid = {38945195}, issn = {1873-6424}, mesh = {Animals ; *Phenols/toxicity ; *Zebrafish ; *Oxidative Stress/drug effects ; *Brain/drug effects/metabolism ; Behavior, Animal/drug effects ; Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes ; }, }
@article {pmid38948538, year = {2024}, author = {Cavill, EL and Morales, HE and Sun, X and Westbury, MV and van Oosterhout, C and Accouche, W and Zora, A and Schulze, MJ and Shah, N and Adam, PA and Brooke, ML and Sweet, P and Gopalakrishnan, S and Gilbert, MTP}, title = {When birds of a feather flock together: Severe genomic erosion and the implications for genetic rescue in an endangered island passerine.}, journal = {Evolutionary applications}, volume = {17}, number = {7}, pages = {e13739}, pmid = {38948538}, issn = {1752-4571}, abstract = {The Seychelles magpie-robin's (SMR) five island populations exhibit some of the lowest recorded levels of genetic diversity among endangered birds, and high levels of inbreeding. These populations collapsed during the 20th century, and the species was listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List in 1994. An assisted translocation-for-recovery program initiated in the 1990s increased the number of mature individuals, resulting in its downlisting to Endangered in 2005. Here, we explore the temporal genomic erosion of the SMR based on a dataset of 201 re-sequenced whole genomes that span the past ~150 years. Our sample set includes individuals that predate the bottleneck by up to 100 years, as well as individuals from contemporary populations established during the species recovery program. Despite the SMR's recent demographic recovery, our data reveal a marked increase in both the genetic load and realized load in the extant populations when compared to the historical samples. Conservation management may have reduced the intensity of selection by increasing juvenile survival and relaxing intraspecific competition between individuals, resulting in the accumulation of loss-of-function mutations (i.e. severely deleterious variants) in the rapidly recovering population. In addition, we found a 3-fold decrease in genetic diversity between temporal samples. While the low genetic diversity in modern populations may limit the species' adaptability to future environmental changes, future conservation efforts (including IUCN assessments) may also need to assess the threats posed by their high genetic load. Our computer simulations highlight the value of translocations for genetic rescue and show how this could halt genomic erosion in threatened species such as the SMR.}, }
@article {pmid38948655, year = {2024}, author = {Isik, K and Odabaşı, Z}, title = {An interesting cause of wrist drop: The crow position in yoga and hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies.}, journal = {Turkish journal of physical medicine and rehabilitation}, volume = {70}, number = {2}, pages = {282-284}, pmid = {38948655}, issn = {2587-1250}, abstract = {Hereditary neuropathy with liability pressure palsies (HNPP) is usually caused by compression and is an episodic, painless, recurrent hereditary neuropathy with focal motor and sensory involvement. It begins in adolescence and young adulthood. The most commonly affected nerves in HNPP are the ulnar, peroneal, radial, and median nerves. In this article, we present a 31-year-old female patient with a previously undescribed case of HNPP, which presented with wrist drop due to the trapping of the radial nerve in the spiral groove after the crow position in yoga.}, }
@article {pmid38949222, year = {2024}, author = {Zhang, X and Wu, G and Qiu, C and Yang, W and Yao, T and Zhang, Z and He, Y}, title = {Research Progress of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in Recent 20 Years Based on Visual Bibliometric Analysis.}, journal = {Seminars in ophthalmology}, volume = {39}, number = {8}, pages = {639-650}, doi = {10.1080/08820538.2024.2373268}, pmid = {38949222}, issn = {1744-5205}, mesh = {*Central Serous Chorioretinopathy/diagnosis ; Humans ; *Bibliometrics ; *Biomedical Research ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/methods ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To dynamically track the publications on central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) and depict the research status and hot spots to guide future research.
METHODS: Gather all papers published in this area between 2004 and 2024 in the WOSCC databases comprehensively, assess their trends, and characterize the contributions of various nations, authors, institutions, and journals. In addition, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R software are used to obtain the most popular keywords for the topic.
RESULTS: A total of 2,203 papers were published across 1,863 institutions in 59 countries. Among these, 6,907 authors contributed to publications in 300 journals and generated a total of 35,638 citations. The number of publications continues to grow steadily. Notably, Jay Chhablani's team/Lab stands out as the leading contributor with ownership of 84 publications. Through keyword network analysis and clustering techniques, risk factor-related clustering, imaging-related clustering, pathogenesis-related clustering, and treatment-related clustering were identified. Furthermore, keyword analysis has unveiled emerging frontier areas including pachychoroid disease, choroidal vasculature abnormalities, PDT therapy, and optical coherence tomography that have garnered increasing interest.
CONCLUSION: This study presents a comprehensive review of central serous retinopathy research conducted in the past two decades, highlighting key trends and exploring emerging research frontiers within this field. As such, it provides valuable references and suggestions for researchers engaged in studying this topic.}, }
@article {pmid38951235, year = {2025}, author = {Battista, P and Aresta, S and Tagliente, S and Merlo, F and Mongelli, D and Lagravinese, G and Falcone, R and Palmirotta, C and Turi, G and Castellari, M and Zonno, A and Gelao, C and Picciola, E and Fiore, P and Battel, I and Minafra, B}, title = {Exploring the Neuropsychological Correlates of Swallowing Disorders in People with Parkinson's Disease: a Cross-Sectional Study.}, journal = {Dysphagia}, volume = {40}, number = {1}, pages = {292-304}, pmid = {38951235}, issn = {1432-0460}, mesh = {Humans ; *Parkinson Disease/complications/psychology/physiopathology ; Male ; Aged ; Female ; *Deglutition Disorders/etiology/psychology/physiopathology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Executive Function/physiology ; Attention ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Deglutition/physiology ; Severity of Illness Index ; }, abstract = {Around 80% of persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) present symptoms of dysphagia. Although cognitive impairment may contribute to dysphagia, few studies have investigated the association between the PD neuropsychological profile and objective measures of swallowing dysfunction. Since the swallowing function comprises involuntary but also voluntary actions, we hypothesize that specific measures of attention and executive functions can be underlined in PD-related dysphagia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to extensively investigate the correlation and the relationship between attentive and executive functions and safety/efficiency of pharyngeal phase of swallowing in people with PD. All participants received a fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing and were evaluated using the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS); the Yale Pharyngeal Residue Severity Rating Scale (IT-YPRSRS), and the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS-IT). Participants also underwent a neuropsychological assessment covering global cognitive status, attention, and frontal executive functions. Correlations and associations between neuropsychological measures and swallowing components were calculated. Twenty-one participants with PD (mean age 69.38 ± 6.58 years, mean disease duration 8.38 ± 5.31 years; mean MDS-UPDRS III 43.95 ± 24.18) completed all evaluations. The most significant correlations were found between attentive functions (i.e., Stroop Time), and executive functions (i.e., Raven's Progressive Matrices, Digit Backward and Semantic Fluency), and FOIS-IT, PAS, and IT-YPRSRS sinuses and valleculae. These associations were not influenced by disease duration. These results suggest that a dysfunction to attentional processes and/or to executive functions can contribute to penetration and the presence of pharyngeal residue in participants with middle-stage PD.}, }
@article {pmid38954382, year = {2024}, author = {de Almeida, AT and de Sanctis Pecora, C and Marques, ER and Contin, L and de Almeida, CT and da Cunha, AL}, title = {Assessment of the Efficacy and Durability of IncobotulinumtoxinA in the Treatment of the Upper Face in Adult Women.}, journal = {Dermatology and therapy}, volume = {14}, number = {8}, pages = {2093-2108}, pmid = {38954382}, issn = {2193-8210}, support = {001/2022//Merz Pharmaceuticals/ ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: IncobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®) is used in the treatment of dynamic wrinkles and the aesthetic repositioning of facial structures. The duration of its muscular effect typically extends for around 4 months. However, the residual aesthetic benefit can be observed for a longer period. To date, the long-term aesthetic benefit of incobotulinumtoxinA in facial aesthetics has not been systematically evaluated. This study aimed to evaluate longitudinally the duration and aesthetic benefits of incobotulinumtoxinA in the treatment of the upper face in adult women.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental, evaluator-blind, clinical trial involving 28 adult women (30-60 years old) with facial movement lines, undergoing treatment of the upper face with incobotulinumtoxinA by two injectors, following an individualized protocol (ONE21 and glabellar contraction patterns) was performed. Participants were evaluated on the day of the intervention (day 0) and days 30, 120, 180, and 240, and subjected to standardized photographs. The following outcomes were evaluated blindly at each visit: Merz Aesthetics Facial Contraction Scale (MAS), GAIS (Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale), and patient satisfaction. Adverse effects were evaluated at each visit.
RESULTS: Participants ranged in age from 30 to 60 years, 93% were self-declared white, and most of their baseline MAS scores for dynamic lines were moderate and severe. All the parameters presented significative reduction from baseline until day 180. At day 240, the dynamic MAS scores were lower than baseline for forehead lines in 15.4% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.8-30.0%) of the participants, for glabellar lines in 38.5% (95% CI 18.8-58.1%), and for crow's feet lines in 26.9% (95% CI 9.0-44.8%). Aesthetic improvement compared to baseline was identified in 35% (CI 95% 23‒50%) of the participants at day 240, and 62% (CI 95% 42‒81%) of the sample kept reporting some satisfaction with the procedure.
CONCLUSION: The aesthetic treatment of the upper face with incobotulinumtoxinA demonstrates enduring clinical benefits, and patient satisfaction lasting up to 180 days in most participants. The length of efficacy, which exceeded those reported in the literature, may be attributed to the use of techniques based on individualized assessment such as ONE21 and glabellar patterns of contraction.}, }
@article {pmid38962998, year = {2024}, author = {Factor, L and Vasconcellos, GSFM and Carvalho, VV and Acedo, T and Cortinhas, C and Chebel, RC and Baruselli, PS}, title = {Effects of supplementation of grazing Nellore cows with β-carotene and vitamins A + D3 + E + biotin on follicle diameter, oestrus, establishment of pregnancy, and foetal morphometry.}, journal = {Reproduction in domestic animals = Zuchthygiene}, volume = {59}, number = {7}, pages = {e14660}, doi = {10.1111/rda.14660}, pmid = {38962998}, issn = {1439-0531}, mesh = {Animals ; Cattle ; Female ; Pregnancy ; *Vitamin A/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; *Dietary Supplements ; *beta Carotene/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; *Vitamin E/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; *Estrus/drug effects ; *Biotin/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; Cholecalciferol/pharmacology/administration & dosage ; Ovarian Follicle/drug effects ; Diet/veterinary ; Vitamins/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; Animal Feed ; Lactation ; Fetus/drug effects ; }, abstract = {The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effects of supplementation of Nellore (Bos indicus) cows with β-carotene + vitamins A + D3 + E + biotin on body condition score (BCS), oestrus, pregnancy, and foetal morphometry. Lactating cows (n = 497) from two herds were balanced for BCS and calving period [early calving (EC); late calving (LC)] and were assigned randomly to: Control (n = 251)-supplementation with a mineral supplement; and SUP (n = 246)-supplementation with the mineral supplement fed to control + β-carotene (150 mg/day) + vitamin A (40,000 IU/day) + vitamin D3 (5000 IU/day) + vitamin E (300 mg/day) + biotin (20 mg/day). Cows were supplemented from Days -30 to 30 (Day 0 = timed artificial insemination; TAI). Pregnancy was diagnosed 30 days after TAI and foetal crown-rump distance and thoracic diameter were measured at 30 and 77 days of gestation. Cows in the SUP treatment were more likely to have BCS ≥3.0 on Day 0 (63.0 ± 3.1 vs. 60.2 ± 3.1; p < .01) and were more likely to gain BCS from Days -30 to 30 (57.7 ± 3.3 vs. 44.1 ± 3.3%; p < .01). Fewer LC cows in the SUP treatment were detected in oestrus at the time of the first TAI (Control: LC: 75.4 ± 4.4 vs. SUP: LC: 64.0 ± 5.2 vs. Control: EC: 65.3 ± 4.0 vs. SUP: EC: 71.8 ± 3.7; p = .04). There was a tendency for the SUP treatment to increase pregnancy to the first TAI (64.2 ± 3.0 vs. 56.6 ± 3.1%; p = .08). A greater percentage of SUP cows was detected in oestrus at the time of the second TAI (70.1 ± 5.0 vs. 52.3 ± 4.8%; p = .01). The SUP treatment increased pregnancy to the second TAI among LC cows (SUP: LC: 75.9 ± 8.0% vs. Control: LC: 50.0 ± 8.3% vs. Control: EC: 52.0 ± 5.9% vs. SUP: EC: 41.4 ± 6.5%; p = .02). The SUP treatment increased foetal size (crown-rump; p = .04 and thoracic diameter; p < .01) at 30 days of gestation and, despite decreasing crow-rump length at 77 days after the first TAI among EC cows (p < .01), it increased the thoracic diameter at 77 days after the first TAI independent of calving season. Our results support that pregnancy establishment and foetal growth can be improved when grazing Nellore cows are supplemented with β-carotene and vitamins A + D3 + E + biotin.}, }
@article {pmid38965805, year = {2024}, author = {Robic, J and Lata, W and Nkengne, A and Bigouret, A and Vie, K}, title = {The impact of air pollution on the facial skin of Caucasian women using real-life pollutant exposure measurements.}, journal = {Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI)}, volume = {30}, number = {7}, pages = {e13669}, pmid = {38965805}, issn = {1600-0846}, support = {//Laboratoires Clarins/ ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; *Air Pollution/adverse effects ; *Environmental Exposure/adverse effects ; Environmental Monitoring/methods ; *Face ; Geographic Information Systems ; Paris ; *Particulate Matter/adverse effects ; Pollen ; Skin/drug effects ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Smartphone ; White People ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: To date, studies examining the effect of air pollution on skin characteristics have relied on regional pollution estimates obtained from fixed monitoring sites. Hence, there remains a need to characterize the impact of air pollution in vivo in real-time conditions. We conducted an initial investigation under real-life conditions, with the purpose of characterizing the in vivo impact of various pollutants on the facial skin condition of women living in Paris over a 6-month period.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A smartphone application linked to the Breezometer platform was used to collect participants' individual exposures to pollutants through the recovery of global positioning system (GPS) data over a 6-month period. Daily exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 µm and PM 10 µm), pollen, and air quality was measured. Facial skin color, roughness, pore, hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle measurements were taken at the end of the 6-month period. Participants' cumulated pollutant exposure over 6 months was calculated. Data were stratified into two groups (lower vs. higher pollutant exposure) for each pollutant.
RESULTS: 156 women (20-60 years-old) were recruited, with 124 women completing the study. Higher PM 2.5 µm exposure was associated with altered skin color and increased roughness under the eye. Higher PM 10 µm exposure with increased wrinkles and roughness under the eye, increased pore appearance, and decreased skin hydration. Exposure to poorer air quality was linked with increased forehead wrinkles and decreased skin elasticity, while higher pollen exposure increased skin roughness and crow's feet.
CONCLUSION: This study suggests a potential correlation between air pollution and facial skin in real-life conditions. Prolonged exposure to PM, gases, and pollen may be linked to clinical signs of skin ageing. This study highlights the importance of longer monitoring over time in real conditions to characterize the effect of pollution on the skin.}, }
@article {pmid38980174, year = {2024}, author = {Kawar, K}, title = {Retracted: The Relationship Between Oral and Written Language in Narrative Production by Arabic-Speaking Children: Fundamental Skills and Influences.}, journal = {Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR}, volume = {67}, number = {11}, pages = {4534-4548}, doi = {10.1044/2024_JSLHR-23-00717}, pmid = {38980174}, issn = {1558-9102}, abstract = {NOTICE OF RETRACTION: https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_Nov2024ASHA.
PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the relationship between oral and written language skills in narrative production among Arabic-speaking children, focusing on cognitive and linguistic abilities. It examines the differences in narrative parameters between oral and written narratives and explores the associations between these parameters and cognitive and linguistic skills.
METHOD: The research involved 237 sixth-grade Arabic-speaking students from low-socioeconomic status schools in Israel. Each participant was instructed to orally tell a narrative and to write another narrative based on two sets of six sequential pictures. Various narrative features were analyzed, including word count for length, type-token ratio (TTR) for lexical diversity, mean length of utterance (MLU) for morphosyntax, and number of episodes for macrostructure. Cognitive linguistic measures, including Raven's Progressive Matrices, reading comprehension (RC), and morphological awareness (MA) were also assessed.
RESULTS: The study found significant differences between oral and written narratives regarding lexical diversity and macrostructure. Participants exhibited significantly higher TTR in written narratives compared to oral narratives, whereas the number of episodes was significantly higher in oral narratives than in written ones. However, no significant differences were observed in narrative length or MLU. Moreover, the study identified significant predictors for various aspects of written narratives, particularly MA and RC, which significantly predicted TTR, MLU, and macrostructure. Additionally, the inclusion of word count in oral narratives significantly enhanced the explained variance for narrative length and macrostructure in written language.
CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of the oral-written interface in both micro- and macrostructure representations in both oral and written modalities. They suggest that cognitive and linguistic skills, such as MA and RC, play a crucial role in narrative production. The findings have implications for educational practices and literacy outcomes in the Arab world, enhancing the understanding of the challenges and strategies involved in written language production among Arabic-speaking children.}, }
@article {pmid38989155, year = {2023}, author = {Guzmán Naranjo, M and Jäger, G}, title = {Euclide, the crow, the wolf and the pedestrian: distance metrics for linguistic typology.}, journal = {Open research Europe}, volume = {3}, number = {}, pages = {104}, pmid = {38989155}, issn = {2732-5121}, abstract = {It is common for people working on linguistic geography, language contact and typology to make use of some type of distance metric between lects. However, most work so far has either used Euclidean distances, or geodesic distance, both of which do not represent the real separation between communities very accurately. This paper presents two datasets: one on walking distances and one on topographic distances between over 8700 lects across all macro-areas. We calculated walking distances using Open Street Maps data, and topographic distances using digital elevation data. We evaluate these distance metrics on three case studies and show that from the four distances, the topographic and geodesic distances showed the most consistent performance across datasets, and would be likely to be reasonable first choices. At the same time, in most cases, the Euclidean distances were not much worse than the other distances, and might be a good enough approximation in cases for which performance is critical, or the dataset cover very large areas, and the point-location information is not very precise.}, }
@article {pmid38989559, year = {2024}, author = {Rodriguez, DCP and Weber, KC and Sundberg, B and Glasgow, A}, title = {MAGPIE: An interactive tool for visualizing and analyzing protein-ligand interactions.}, journal = {Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society}, volume = {33}, number = {8}, pages = {e5027}, pmid = {38989559}, issn = {1469-896X}, support = {K99 GM135529/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R00 GM135529/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R00GM135529/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Software ; Ligands ; *Proteins/chemistry/metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Models, Molecular ; }, abstract = {Quantitative tools to compile and analyze biomolecular interactions among chemically diverse binding partners would improve therapeutic design and aid in studying molecular evolution. Here we present Mapping Areas of Genetic Parsimony In Epitopes (MAGPIE), a publicly available software package for simultaneously visualizing and analyzing thousands of interactions between a single protein or small molecule ligand (the "target") and all of its protein binding partners ("binders"). MAGPIE generates an interactive three-dimensional visualization from a set of protein complex structures that share the target ligand, as well as sequence logo-style amino acid frequency graphs that show all the amino acids from the set of protein binders that interact with user-defined target ligand positions or chemical groups. MAGPIE highlights all the salt bridge and hydrogen bond interactions made by the target in the visualization and as separate amino acid frequency graphs. Finally, MAGPIE collates the most common target-binder interactions as a list of "hotspots," which can be used to analyze trends or guide the de novo design of protein binders. As an example of the utility of the program, we used MAGPIE to probe how different antibody fragments bind a viral antigen; how a common metabolite binds diverse protein partners; and how two ligands bind orthologs of a well-conserved glycolytic enzyme for a detailed understanding of evolutionarily conserved interactions involved in its activation and inhibition. MAGPIE is implemented in Python 3 and freely available at https://github.com/glasgowlab/MAGPIE, along with sample datasets, usage examples, and helper scripts to prepare input structures.}, }
@article {pmid38989962, year = {2024}, author = {Warma, S and Warma, H and Merja, A and Patel, N and Patel, M}, title = {Revitalizing skin, hair, nails, and muscles: Unlocking beauty and wellness with vegan collagen.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {3740-3756}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.16443}, pmid = {38989962}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Collagen/administration & dosage ; Female ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Hair/drug effects/growth & development ; Male ; Nails/drug effects ; Vegans ; Beauty ; Muscle Strength/drug effects ; Skin/drug effects ; Elasticity/drug effects ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Collagen, a key protein in the body maintains hair, skin and bone health and its production tends to decrease in synthesis as humans age. The demand for vegan collagen-builder has increased worldwide due to increased adaptability to vegan diet.
OBJECTIVE: This clinical study was designed aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of vegan collagen builder (VEGCOL™️) at different dosages (2.5, 5, and 10 g) in adult participants.
METHODS: Total 66 subjects (22 subjects/dose) aged 30 to 50 years were enrolled, and 63 subjects completed the study. Duration of study was 60 days. Evaluations included change in skin elasticity, hydration, crow's feet area wrinkles, fine lines, skin, Glogau skin age, change in pain scale score, muscle strength and subject perception assessment about test treatment use.
RESULTS: After 60 days of treatment, there was significant improvement in hair growth rate by 45.01%, 38.54% and 50.37% with p < 0.01 for doses 2.5, 5, and 10 g respectively. Additionally, 19.64% (p < 0.0001) and 20.51% (p < 0.0001) increase in hair density and hair thickness respectively was observed with 10 g dose. 2.5 g dose resulted in 33.03% (p < 0.01) increase in skin smoothness and 49.94% (p < 0.0001) decrease in crow's feet area wrinkles, decreased retraction time by 21.71 milliseconds (p < 0.05). 52.54% reduction in pain score (p < 0.001). No any adverse events were reported.
CONCLUSION: Vegan collagen-builder effectively improved multiple age-related concerns such as wrinkles, fine lines, joint pain, muscle strength and hair growth. All respondents perceived the product as beneficial in improving the aesthetics of the skin, hair, and nails. The findings support the use of vegan collagen-builder as safe and efficacious in promoting healthier skin, stronger muscles, and improved hair and nail conditions.}, }
@article {pmid39005308, year = {2024}, author = {Di Tullio, RW and Wei, L and Balasubramanian, V}, title = {Slow and steady: auditory features for discriminating animal vocalizations.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {39005308}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {R01 EB026945/EB/NIBIB NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {We propose that listeners can use temporal regularities - spectro-temporal correlations that change smoothly over time - to discriminate animal vocalizations within and between species. To test this idea, we used Slow Feature Analysis (SFA) to find the most temporally regular components of vocalizations from birds (blue jay, house finch, American yellow warbler, and great blue heron), humans (English speakers), and rhesus macaques. We projected vocalizations into the learned feature space and tested intra-class (same speaker/species) and inter-class (different speakers/species) auditory discrimination by a trained classifier. We found that: 1) Vocalization discrimination was excellent (> 95%) in all cases; 2) Performance depended primarily on the ~10 most temporally regular features; 3) Most vocalizations are dominated by ~10 features with high temporal regularity; and 4) These regular features are highly correlated with the most predictable components of animal sounds.}, }
@article {pmid39017034, year = {2024}, author = {Yi, KH and Wan, J}, title = {Anatomical considerations of medial eye wrinkles: Guidelines for botulinum neurotoxin injections.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {3503-3507}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.16474}, pmid = {39017034}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects/standards ; Middle Aged ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Facial Muscles/drug effects/anatomy & histology ; Eyelids/drug effects ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Acetylcholine Release Inhibitors/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; }, abstract = {Crow's feet lines in the lateral canthal region are a common concern among aging patients, initially appearing as dynamic wrinkles during facial expressions and becoming more pronounced with age. Botulinum neurotoxin temporarily paralyzes muscles by inhibiting acetylcholine release, smoothing wrinkles and enhancing skin's youthful appearance. Effective treatment requires tailored approaches considering individual anatomy and muscle activity. Recent cadaveric studies identified the tear trough muscle, emphasizing its role in infraorbital support and aging. Clinically, patients often present medial eye wrinkles after BoNT treatment for crow's feet, prompting exploration of underlying mechanisms and management strategies. Three cases demonstrated that medial BoNT injections in the orbicularis oculi muscle significantly improve medial eye wrinkles and tear trough appearance. The study underscores the importance of understanding muscle hyperactivity and anatomical variations for precise treatment. Enhanced injection techniques targeting specific areas can achieve better outcomes and minimize complications, particularly in culturally sensitive regions where facial expressions are valued. This research highlights the necessity for comprehensive anatomical knowledge and patient-specific treatment strategies to address medial eye wrinkles effectively.}, }
@article {pmid39026409, year = {2020}, author = {Barath, H}, title = {Flocking Phase Change: New work shows how jackdaw flocks (sometimes) transition from chaos to order.}, journal = {Scientific American}, volume = {322}, number = {2}, pages = {21}, doi = {10.1038/scientificamerican0220-21}, pmid = {39026409}, issn = {0036-8733}, }
@article {pmid39030682, year = {2024}, author = {Varnado, K and Richardson, S and Somyoo, N and Mejia-Downs, A and Dial, M}, title = {How Integrating the 5 Pillars of Community Practice Can Transform Physical Therapist Education and Reduce Health Disparities.}, journal = {Physical therapy}, volume = {104}, number = {9}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/ptj/pzae103}, pmid = {39030682}, issn = {1538-6724}, mesh = {Humans ; *Physical Therapy Specialty/education ; United States ; Healthcare Disparities ; Social Determinants of Health ; Physical Therapists/education ; Cultural Diversity ; Cultural Competency ; }, abstract = {Patient history assists clinicians in determining the most appropriate tests to identify the symptoms' source and select appropriate interventions. Therefore, a subjective history is an essential component of patient management. When physical therapist practitioners transition into academia, they must understand how the history of the education system may affect learners. Health disparities are related to the lack of workforce diversity and skills in cultural responsiveness, and the education system is critical in addressing the impact of future providers on health disparities. Developing a doctor of physical therapy program to address health disparities requires an analysis of the historical context of the US educational and health care systems, along with traditional components of physical therapist education. This country's education system was built upon a 2-tiered system, where minoritized individuals struggled to overcome barriers imposed by legislation and societal beliefs. Jim Crow laws continued this unequal access to education, and the recent Supreme Court ruling to deny race-based affirmative action continues these inequities. This historical context informed the construction of the College of Saint Mary Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. The program's mission led to using less traditional educational approaches; thus, the pillars of practice took form. The 5 pillars evolved to include social determinants, inclusive faculty and student recruitment and retention practices, equitable grading, culturally responsive pedagogy, and community development. The purpose of this paper is to present a historical overview of the US education system and its influence on physical therapist education. Furthermore, it will illustrate how this historical context inspired the 5 Pillars of Community Practice from College of Saint Mary and discuss the challenges and interventions related to these pillars. There are tremendous disparities in educational outcomes and patient services in the United States. Disparities are most significant in those with historically marginalized identities. If those disparities are to improve, a change is required in the people providing care to patients. The best way to accomplish this is by transforming how future providers are educated.}, }
@article {pmid39041009, year = {2024}, author = {Bonde, BM and Stien, A}, title = {Ecological implications of the pink salmon invasion in northern Norway-Aggregative responses and terrestrial transfer by white-tailed eagles.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {7}, pages = {e70001}, pmid = {39041009}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Over the last 10 years, the spawning population of invasive pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) has increased in the river systems in northern Norway to a level that is causing concern about their impact on endemic fauna and ecosystem processes. The scale of transfer of pink salmon carcasses into the terrestrial ecosystem is likely to be a key determinant of terrestrial impact. Bears (Ursus sp.) are responsible for most such transfers in North America but are rare in Norway. The white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) is common however, and a candidate to be a main cause of such transfers. To evaluate this hypothesis, data on the abundance of white-tailed eagles and pink salmon were collected along the river Skallelv in northern Norway in 2021, a year the pink salmon spawned in the river, and in 2022, a year no pink salmon spawned in the river. The abundance of white-tailed eagles along the river was much higher the year pink salmon spawned in the river. Furthermore, white-tailed eagles were observed aggregating and catching pink salmon where and when pink salmon were present at the spawning and post-spawning stages. Based on our observations, we suggest that the white-tailed eagle is the main species involved in the transport of pink salmon from the river into the riparian zone in northern Norway and that other scavengers, in particular the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and common raven (Corvus corax), play an important role in transporting pink salmon carcasses from the riparian zone to the wider terrestrial ecosystem.}, }
@article {pmid39044204, year = {2024}, author = {Mohanty, SK and Wadasadawala, T and Sen, S and Maiti, S and E, J}, title = {Catastrophic health expenditure and distress financing of breast cancer treatment in India: evidence from a longitudinal cohort study.}, journal = {International journal for equity in health}, volume = {23}, number = {1}, pages = {145}, pmid = {39044204}, issn = {1475-9276}, mesh = {Humans ; *Breast Neoplasms/economics/therapy ; Female ; India ; *Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data ; Longitudinal Studies ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Catastrophic Illness/economics ; Cohort Studies ; Aged ; Financing, Personal/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To estimate the catastrophic health expenditure and distress financing of breast cancer treatment in India.
METHODS: The unit data from a longitudinal survey that followed 500 breast cancer patients treated at Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai from June 2019 to March 2022 were used. The catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) was estimated using households' capacity to pay and distress financing as selling assets or borrowing loans to meet cost of treatment. Bivariate and logistic regression models were used for analysis.
FINDINGS: The CHE of breast cancer was estimated at 84.2% (95% CI: 80.8,87.9%) and distress financing at 72.4% (95% CI: 67.8,76.6%). Higher prevalence of CHE and distress financing was found among rural, poor, agriculture dependent households and among patients from outside of Maharashtra. About 75% of breast cancer patients had some form of reimbursement but it reduced the incidence of catastrophic health expenditure by only 14%. Nearly 80% of the patients utilised multiple financing sources to meet the cost of treatment. The significant predictors of distress financing were catastrophic health expenditure, type of patient, educational attainment, main income source, health insurance, and state of residence.
CONCLUSION: In India, the CHE and distress financing of breast cancer treatment is very high. Most of the patients who had CHE were more likely to incur distress financing. Inclusion of direct non-medical cost such as accommodation, food and travel of patients and accompanying person in the ambit of reimbursement of breast cancer treatment can reduce the CHE. We suggest that city specific cancer care centre need to be strengthened under the aegis of PM-JAY to cater quality cancer care in their own states of residence.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: CTRI/2019/07/020142 on 10/07/2019.}, }
@article {pmid39049707, year = {2024}, author = {Fujita, Y and Biswas, KB and Kawai, Y and Takayama, S and Masutani, T and Iddamalgoda, A and Sakamoto, K}, title = {Mentha piperita leaf extract suppresses the release of ATP from epidermal keratinocytes and reduces dermal thinning as well as wrinkle formation.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {46}, number = {6}, pages = {972-981}, doi = {10.1111/ics.12996}, pmid = {39049707}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {Humans ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology ; *Keratinocytes/drug effects ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism ; *Plant Leaves/chemistry ; *Mentha piperita/chemistry ; Adult ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: To achieve a more beautiful and younger appearance, reducing wrinkles is a key concern. The process of wrinkle formation is complex and the development of truly effective cosmetic ingredients to reduce wrinkles remains a challenge. Recent studies have revealed a close relationship between wrinkles and skin thinning, suggesting that preventing skin thinning could also prevent wrinkle formation. In this study, we examined the role of extracellular adenosine triphosphate (eATP) in the progression of thinning, as eATP reportedly increases skin ageing factors, such as senescence-associated secreted phenotype (SASP) factors in epidermal cells. We determined the effects of Mentha piperita leaf extract on suppressing eATP to reduce thinning and wrinkles.
METHODS: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels were measured in normal human epidermal keratinocytes (NHEK) in the presence of M. piperita leaf extract. Dryness, high pH, and UVB radiation were used as extrinsic ageing factors. Intrinsic skin ageing was evaluated by comparing cells from adults (AD-NHEK) and newborns (NB-NHEK). A placebo-controlled in vivo study was carried out with a formulation containing 1% M. piperita leaf extract.
RESULTS: The eATP levels were significantly higher in AD-NHEK compared with that in NB-NHEK cells. M. piperita leaf extract significantly decreased eATP levels in adult cells. Extrinsic ageing factors increased eATP levels in NHEK, whereas M. piperita leaf extract significantly suppressed eATP under all conditions. The active components of M. piperita leaf extract, luteolin glucuronide and rosmarinic acid, also decreased eATP. Moreover, compared with placebo lotion, M. piperita leaf extract-formulated lotion markedly increased dermal thickness and reduced wrinkles associated with crow's feet and the neck area.
CONCLUSION: We demonstrated for the first time that M. piperita leaf extract containing rosmarinic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucuronide has the potential to reduce eATP release from epidermal keratinocytes. An increase in eATP was observed not only during inflammation but also during natural ageing. Furthermore, the in vivo experiment revealing that 1% M. piperita leaf extract-containing lotion improved dermal thinning and wrinkles across multiple areas is attributed to the amelioration of dermal thinning. Thus, our data suggest the possibility of a novel cosmetic approach for reducing skin ageing by reducing eATP-mediated dermal thinning.}, }
@article {pmid39050654, year = {2024}, author = {Nakashima, Y and Hashizume, A and Kanda, A}, title = {A statistical approach to assess interspecific consumptive competition and functional redundancy in ephemeral resource uses using camera traps.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {7}, pages = {e70031}, pmid = {39050654}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Camera traps have been widely used in wildlife research, offering significant potential for monitoring species interactions at ephemeral resources. However, raw data obtained from camera traps often face limitations due to observation censoring, where resource consumption by dominant animals may obscure potential resource use by less dominant animals. We extended time-to-detection occupancy modeling to quantify interspecific consumptive competition and redundancy of ecosystem functions through consumption between two species, while accounting for observation censoring. By treating resource use by rival species as censored data, we estimated the proportion of resources potentially used in the absence of rival species and calculated the loss caused by the rival species, which is defined as "Competition Intensity Index." We also defined the Unique Functional Contribution, which represents the net functional loss when a species is removed, calculated by excluding the contribution potentially substituted by the other species. We also considered resource degradation and computed the quantity of resources acquired by each species. This established framework was applied to predation data on bird nests by alien squirrels and other predators (Case 1) as well as scavenging on mammalian carcasses by two carnivores (Case 2). In Case 1, the introduction of squirrels significantly affected the breeding success of birds. Although nests were being preyed upon by native crows also, our model estimated that Unique Functional Contribution by the squirrels was 0.47. This means that, by eradicating the squirrels, the reproductive success of the birds could potentially increase by as much as 47%. In Case 2, the Competition Intensity Index for foxes was 0.17, whereas that for raccoon dogs was 0.46, suggesting an asymmetric effect of resource competition between the two species. The frequency distribution of wet mass available to the two species differed significantly. This approach will enable a more robust construction of resource-consumer interaction networks.}, }
@article {pmid39057739, year = {2024}, author = {Gharaibeh, NY and De Fazio, R and Al-Naami, B and Al-Hinnawi, AR and Visconti, P}, title = {Automated Lung Cancer Diagnosis Applying Butterworth Filtering, Bi-Level Feature Extraction, and Sparce Convolutional Neural Network to Luna 16 CT Images.}, journal = {Journal of imaging}, volume = {10}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {39057739}, issn = {2313-433X}, abstract = {Accurate prognosis and diagnosis are crucial for selecting and planning lung cancer treatments. As a result of the rapid development of medical imaging technology, the use of computed tomography (CT) scans in pathology is becoming standard practice. An intricate interplay of requirements and obstacles characterizes computer-assisted diagnosis, which relies on the precise and effective analysis of pathology images. In recent years, pathology image analysis tasks such as tumor region identification, prognosis prediction, tumor microenvironment characterization, and metastasis detection have witnessed the considerable potential of artificial intelligence, especially deep learning techniques. In this context, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based methodology for lung cancer diagnosis is proposed in this research work. As a first processing step, filtering using the Butterworth smooth filter algorithm was applied to the input images from the LUNA 16 lung cancer dataset to remove noise without significantly degrading the image quality. Next, we performed the bi-level feature selection step using the Chaotic Crow Search Algorithm and Random Forest (CCSA-RF) approach to select features such as diameter, margin, spiculation, lobulation, subtlety, and malignancy. Next, the Feature Extraction step was performed using the Multi-space Image Reconstruction (MIR) method with Grey Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM). Next, the Lung Tumor Severity Classification (LTSC) was implemented by using the Sparse Convolutional Neural Network (SCNN) approach with a Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN). The developed method can detect benign, normal, and malignant lung cancer images using the PNN algorithm, which reduces complexity and efficiently provides classification results. Performance parameters, namely accuracy, precision, F-score, sensitivity, and specificity, were determined to evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented hybrid method and compare it with other solutions already present in the literature.}, }
@article {pmid39059727, year = {2024}, author = {McKechnie, AE and Freeman, MT and Kemp, R and Wolter, K and Naidoo, V}, title = {Effects of lead on avian thermoregulation in the heat: An experimental test with pied crows (Corvus albus).}, journal = {Environmental toxicology and pharmacology}, volume = {110}, number = {}, pages = {104519}, doi = {10.1016/j.etap.2024.104519}, pmid = {39059727}, issn = {1872-7077}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Body Temperature Regulation/drug effects ; *Lead/toxicity/blood ; *Hot Temperature ; Basal Metabolism/drug effects ; Male ; Water Loss, Insensible/drug effects ; Female ; Body Temperature/drug effects ; }, abstract = {Many of the negative physiological effects of lead involve the hypothalamus, but the possibility that thermoregulation is affected has received little attention. We tested the hypothesis that lead exposure reduces avian thermoregulatory performance under hot conditions in pied crows (Corvus albus) experimentally exposed to lead in their diet. Crows in our high lead treatment (blood [Pb] = 87.3 ± 44.7 μg dL[-1]) showed significantly higher air temperature (Tair) inflections for evaporative water loss (EWL) and resting metabolic rate (RMR) compared to control (6.4 ± 1.8 μg dL[-1]) or intermediate (53.9 ± 23.7 μg dL[-1]) lead groups, which did not differ. EWL, RMR and body temperature (Tb) all increased more rapidly at Tair > Tb in the high lead treatment. In contrast, neither maximum Tair tolerated by the crows nor maximum Tb varied with treatment. Our data reveal that water and energy balance during hot weather is affected by lead exposure.}, }
@article {pmid39060612, year = {2024}, author = {Blackburn, G and Ashton, BJ and Thornton, A and Hunter, H and Woodiss-Field, S and Ridley, AR}, title = {Investigating the relationship between physical cognitive tasks and a social cognitive task in a wild bird.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {52}, pmid = {39060612}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {DP200100566//ARC Discovery Grant/ ; DP200100566//ARC Discovery Grant/ ; DP200100566//ARC Discovery Grant/ ; DP200100566//ARC Discovery Grant/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Cognition ; Male ; Female ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Spatial Memory ; Social Cognition ; }, abstract = {Despite considerable research into the structure of cognition in non-human animal species, there is still much debate as to whether animal cognition is organised as a series of discrete domains or an overarching general cognitive factor. In humans, the existence of general intelligence is widely accepted, but less work has been undertaken in animal psychometrics to address this question. The relatively few studies on non-primate animal species that do investigate the structure of cognition rarely include tasks assessing social cognition and focus instead on physical cognitive tasks. In this study, we tested 36 wild Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) on a battery of three physical (associative learning, spatial memory, and numerical assessment) and one social (observational spatial memory) cognitive task, to investigate if cognition in this species fits a general cognitive factor model, or instead one of separate physical and social cognitive domains. A principal component analysis (PCA) identified two principal components with eigenvalues exceeding 1; a first component onto which all three physical tasks loaded strongly and positively, and a second component onto which only the social task (observational spatial memory) loaded strongly and positively. These findings provide tentative evidence for separate physical and social cognitive domains in this species, and highlight the importance of including tasks assessing both social and physical cognition in cognitive test batteries.}, }
@article {pmid39061443, year = {2024}, author = {Terra de Oliveira, R and Lino, TB and Scarmagnan, GS and Miziara Barbosa, SR and de Souza Pegorare, ABG and Christofoletti, G}, title = {A Controlled Clinical Trial on the Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Cognitive Functions in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.}, journal = {Brain sciences}, volume = {14}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {39061443}, issn = {2076-3425}, support = {275/2022//Fundect/ ; }, abstract = {Several therapies have been developed to reduce cognitive decline associated with aging. Aquatic exercises, which are widely used to enhance functional capacity, may play a role in stimulating cognitive functions. This study investigated the effects of a 3-month aquatic exercise program on cognitive functions in community-dwelling older adults. In this prospective, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial, 31 participants were allocated to either the experimental (aquatic exercises) or control (no-exercise) group. The intervention program consisted of exercises conducted twice a week in a 1.2 m deep indoor pool. The main outcome measures were cognitive functions, assessed using Raven's Progressive Matrices test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of the exercise program. The effect sizes (η[2]p) were reported when a level of significance was achieved (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the participants who underwent aquatic exercises showed positive outcomes in Raven's Progressive Matrices test (p = 0.046; η[2]p = 0.131) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (p = 0.001, η[2]p = 0.589). Complementary analyses of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test indicated that the benefits of the aquatic exercise were observed in terms of the number of trials (p = 0.001, η[2]p = 0.478), number of errors (p = 0.001, η[2]p = 0.458), and number of non-perseverative errors (p = 0.001, η[2]p = 0.302). The results indicate that a period of three months of aquatic exercise was beneficial for stimulating specific aspects of the cognitive function of community-dwelling older individuals. Aquatic exercise should be prescribed to this population.}, }
@article {pmid39064646, year = {2024}, author = {Nobile, V and Dudonné, S and Kern, C and Roveda, G and Garcia, C}, title = {Antiaging, Brightening, and Antioxidant Efficacy of Fermented Bilberry Extract (Vaccinium myrtillus): A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.}, journal = {Nutrients}, volume = {16}, number = {14}, pages = {}, pmid = {39064646}, issn = {2072-6643}, support = {n/a//Seppic Research and Innovation/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Antioxidants/pharmacology ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology ; Female ; *Vaccinium myrtillus/chemistry ; Double-Blind Method ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Male ; Skin/drug effects ; Skin Pigmentation/drug effects ; Fermentation ; Dietary Supplements ; Aged ; Anthocyanins ; }, abstract = {Strategies for successful aging, including the use of food supplements, are part of the approach to support skin youthfulness. To demonstrate the efficacy of fermented bilberry extract (FBE) against skin aging and uneven complexion, a clinical trial was carried out on 66 subjects with visible "crow's feet" wrinkles, mild-to-moderate skin slackness, and uneven skin tone. The wrinkle depth, skin smoothness (Ra) and roughness (Rz), skin firmness (R0) and elasticity (R2), skin coloration (ITA°), and skin antioxidant capacity were measured before and after 28 (D28), 56 (D56), and 84 (D84) days of product use (either FBE or a placebo). These parameters were also integrated with a clinical evaluation, carried out by a dermatologist, and a self-assessment questionnaire to align the measured efficacy with the visual or perceived efficacy. At D84, the wrinkle depth had decreased by 10.6%, Ra had improved by 7.9%, Rz had decreased by 7.3%, R0 had improved by 13.3%, R2 had improved by 12.4%, and skin antioxidant capacity had increased by 20.8%. ITA° increased by 20.8% and was accompanied by a decrease in the skin's redness component by 16.8% and an increase in the lightness component by 2.2%. The variation of all the above-mentioned parameters was statistically significant between the FBE and PL groups. Our findings demonstrate the efficacy of FBE in improving skin aging and complexion evenness.}, }
@article {pmid39069816, year = {2024}, author = {Connelly, F and Johnsson, RD and Mulder, RA and Hall, ML and Lesku, JA}, title = {Experimental playback of urban noise does not affect cognitive performance in captive Australian magpies.}, journal = {Biology open}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {39069816}, issn = {2046-6390}, support = {//Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment/ ; //Ecological Society of Australia/ ; DP170101003//Australian Research Council/ ; //La Trobe University/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Cognition ; *Noise/adverse effects ; Australia ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Behavior, Animal ; Male ; }, abstract = {Exposure of wildlife to anthropogenic noise is associated with disruptive effects. Research on this topic has focused on behavioural and physiological responses of animals to noise, with little work investigating links to cognitive function. Neurological processes that maintain cognitive performance can be impacted by stress and sleep disturbances. While sleep loss impairs cognitive performance in Australian magpies, it is unclear whether urban noise, which disrupts sleep, can impact cognition as well. To fill this gap, we explored how environmentally relevant urban noise affected the performance of wild-caught, city-living Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen tyrannica) on a cognitive task battery including associative and reversal learning, inhibitory control, and spatial memory. Birds were housed and tested in a laboratory environment; sample sizes varied across tasks (n=7-9 birds). Tests were conducted over 4 weeks, during which all magpies were exposed to both an urban noise playback and a quiet control. Birds were presented with the entire test battery twice: following exposure to, and in the absence of, an anthropogenic noise playback; however, tests were always performed without noise (playback muted during testing). Magpies performed similarly in both treatments on all four tasks. We also found that prior experience with the associative learning task had a strong effect on performance, with birds performing better on their second round of trials. Like previous findings on Australian magpies tested on the same tasks in the wild under noisy conditions, we could not find any disruptive effects on cognitive performance in a controlled experimental laboratory setting.}, }
@article {pmid39072224, year = {2022}, author = {Wenig, K and Pacher, L and Bugnyar, T}, title = {Testing the contagious nature of allopreening: bystander ravens are affected by conspecifics' affiliative interactions.}, journal = {Animal behaviour}, volume = {184}, number = {}, pages = {71-80}, pmid = {39072224}, issn = {0003-3472}, support = {P 33960/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; W 1262/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, abstract = {Emotional contagion refers to the mechanism of aligning with conspecifics' emotional states and is thought to be highly beneficial in social group living. While emotional contagion is well studied in humans, most studies in nonhuman animals fail to clearly distinguish between behavioural and emotional contagion. Furthermore, evidence for positive emotional contagion in nonhuman animals is almost entirely restricted to the context of play. In the present study, we aimed at adding observational evidence of contagion in a positive context, while separating aspects of behavioural and emotional contagion. In a group of nonbreeder common ravens, Corvus corax, we investigated whether witnessing conspecifics in positive social interaction, namely allopreening, would influence a bystander's behavioural and, possibly, emotional state. We recorded behavioural expressions of bystanders in postpreening observation phases and compared them to those in matched-control observation phases. We found effects of witnessing others' allopreening on the bystanders' subsequent affiliative interactions but not on their self-directed behaviours (e.g. autopreening) or agonistic interactions. Specifically, bystanders were more likely to engage in allopreening themselves in the postpreening observation phase than in the matched-control observation phase, which could be explained via behavioural and emotional contagion; however, bystanders also showed elevated levels of nonpreening affiliative interactions and spent more time close to conspecifics after observing others allopreening, which hints towards a more general effect on the bystanders' emotional states. Whether these nonpreening affiliative interactions are indeed an indication of emotional contagion needs to be tested in further studies that measure, and manipulate, emotional states.}, }
@article {pmid39073820, year = {2024}, author = {Krieger, N and Testa, C and Chen, JT and Johnson, N and Watkins, SH and Suderman, M and Simpkin, AJ and Tilling, K and Waterman, PD and Coull, BA and De Vivo, I and Smith, GD and Diez Roux, AV and Relton, C}, title = {Epigenetic Aging and Racialized, Economic, and Environmental Injustice: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program.}, journal = {JAMA network open}, volume = {7}, number = {7}, pages = {e2421832}, pmid = {39073820}, issn = {2574-3805}, support = {R01 DK101921/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; P30 ES000002/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MD014304/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001420/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; N02 HL64278/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL126477/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL101250/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001079/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; P30 DK063491/DK/NIDDK NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR000040/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; RF1 AG054474/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HL135009/HL/NHLBI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AG027122/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; UL1 TR001881/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; *Epigenomics/methods ; *Aging/genetics ; Aged ; *Epigenesis, Genetic/genetics ; United States ; Racism/statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; Social Justice ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Aged, 80 and over ; }, abstract = {IMPORTANCE: Epigenetic age acceleration is associated with exposure to social and economic adversity and may increase the risk of premature morbidity and mortality. However, no studies have included measures of structural racism, and few have compared estimates within or across the first and second generation of epigenetic clocks.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether epigenetic age acceleration is positively associated with exposures to diverse measures of racialized, economic, and environmental injustice measured at different levels and time periods.
This cross-sectional study used data from the My Body My Story (MBMS) study between August 8, 2008, and December 31, 2010, and examination 5 of the Multi-Ethnic Atherosclerosis Study (MESA) from April 1, 2010, to February 29, 2012. In the MBMS, DNA extraction was performed in 2021; linkage of structural measures to the MBMS and MESA, in 2022. US-born individuals were randomly selected from 4 community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts (MBMS), and 4 field sites in Baltimore, Maryland; Forsyth County, North Carolina; New York City, New York; and St Paul, Minnesota (MESA). Data were analyzed from November 13, 2021, to August 31, 2023.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Ten epigenetic clocks (6 first-generation and 4 second-generation), computed using DNA methylation data (DNAm) from blood spots (MBMS) and purified monocytes (MESA).
RESULTS: The US-born study population included 293 MBMS participants (109 men [37.2%], 184 women [62.8%]; mean [SD] age, 49.0 [8.0] years) with 224 Black non-Hispanic and 69 White non-Hispanic participants and 975 MESA participants (492 men [50.5%], 483 women [49.5%]; mean [SD] age, 70.0 [9.3] years) with 229 Black non-Hispanic, 191 Hispanic, and 555 White non-Hispanic participants. Of these, 140 (11.0%) exhibited accelerated aging for all 5 clocks whose estimates are interpretable on the age (years) scale. Among Black non-Hispanic MBMS participants, epigenetic age acceleration was associated with being born in a Jim Crow state by 0.14 (95% CI, 0.003-0.27) SDs and with birth state conservatism by 0.06 (95% CI, 0.01-0.12) SDs, pooling across all clocks. Low parental educational level was associated with epigenetic age acceleration, pooling across all clocks, for both Black non-Hispanic (0.24 [95% CI, 0.08-0.39] SDs) and White non-Hispanic (0.27 [95% CI, 0.03-0.51] SDs) MBMS participants. Adult impoverishment was positively associated with the pooled second-generation clocks among the MESA participants (Black non-Hispanic, 0.06 [95% CI, 0.01-0.12] SDs; Hispanic, 0.07 [95% CI, 0.01-0.14] SDs; White non-Hispanic, 0.05 [95% CI, 0.01-0.08] SDs).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The findings of this cross-sectional study of MBMS and MESA participants suggest that epigenetic age acceleration was associated with racialized and economic injustice, potentially contributing to well-documented inequities in premature mortality. Future research should test the hypothesis that epigenetic accelerated aging may be one of the biological mechanisms underlying the well-documented elevated risk of premature morbidity and mortality among social groups subjected to racialized and economic injustice.}, }
@article {pmid39106453, year = {2024}, author = {Hew, YL and Hiono, T and Monne, I and Nabeshima, K and Sakuma, S and Kumagai, A and Okamura, S and Soda, K and Ito, H and Esaki, M and Okuya, K and Ozawa, M and Yabuta, T and Takakuwa, H and Nguyen, LB and Isoda, N and Miyazawa, K and Onuma, M and Sakoda, Y}, title = {Cocirculation of Genetically Distinct Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N5 and H5N1 Viruses in Crows, Hokkaido, Japan.}, journal = {Emerging infectious diseases}, volume = {30}, number = {9}, pages = {1912-1917}, pmid = {39106453}, issn = {1080-6059}, mesh = {Animals ; *Influenza in Birds/virology/epidemiology ; Japan/epidemiology ; *Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/genetics/pathogenicity/classification/isolation & purification ; *Crows/virology ; *Phylogeny ; Influenza A virus/genetics/classification ; }, abstract = {We isolated highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N5 and H5N1 viruses from crows in Hokkaido, Japan, during winter 2023-24. They shared genetic similarity with HPAI H5N5 viruses from northern Europe but differed from those in Asia. Continuous monitoring and rapid information sharing between countries are needed to prevent HPAI virus transmission.}, }
@article {pmid39107974, year = {2024}, author = {Zang, S and Chen, J and Chevalier, C and Zhang, J and Li, S and Wang, H and Li, J and Chen, Y and Xu, H and Sheng, L and Zhang, Z and Qiu, J}, title = {Holistic investigation of the anti-wrinkle and repair efficacy of a facial cream enriched with C-xyloside.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {23}, number = {12}, pages = {4017-4028}, pmid = {39107974}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Female ; *Skin Cream/administration & dosage ; Adult ; *Filaggrin Proteins ; Middle Aged ; *Elasticity/drug effects ; Epidermis/drug effects ; Water Loss, Insensible/drug effects ; Face ; Treatment Outcome ; Glycosides/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To investigate the repairing and anti-wrinkle efficacy of the facial cream enriched with C-xyloside, aiming at comprehensively evaluating its skin anti- aging effect and clarify its potential mechanism of action.
METHODS: The repairing efficacy was studied on 3D epidermis skin model and the antiaging efficacy was studied on ex-vivo human skin. Two clinical studies were conducted with Chinese females. In the first study, 49 subjects aged between 30 and 50 with wrinkle concerns were recruited and instructed to apply the investigational cream containing C-xyloside for 8 weeks. Wrinkles attributes were assessed by dermatologist. Instrumental measurements on skin hydration, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), and skin elasticity were also conducted. In the second study, 30 subjects aged between 25 and 60 with self-declared sensitive skin and facial redness were recruited and instructed to apply the cream for 4 weeks. Biomarker analysis of the stratum corneum was conducted through facial tape strips.
RESULTS: The cream improved the histomorphology of the 3D epidermis skin model after SLS stimulation, and significantly increase the expression of LOR and FLG. On human skin, the cream improved the histopathology induced by UV, and significantly increased the protein content of COL I and COL III, collagen density and the number of Ki-67 positive cell of skin compared with model group (n = 3, p < 0.01). The results from the first clinical study demonstrate a significant increased the skin hydration and elasticity by 21.90%, 13.08% (R2) and 12.30% (R5), respectively (n = 49, p < 0.05), and the TEWL values decreased by 33.94% (n = 49, p < 0.05), after 8 weeks application of the cream. In addition, the scores for nasolabial folds, glabellar wrinkle, underneath eye wrinkles, crow's feet wrinkle and forehead wrinkle in the volunteers exhibited a significant reduction of 34.02%, 43.34%, 50.03%, 33.64% and 55.81% respectively (n = 49, p < 0.05). The (rCE)/(fCE) ratio of volunteers based on tape stripping significant increased after using the sample cream (n = 30, p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The cream containing C-xyloside showed improvement of skin wrinkles and enhancement of skin barrier function. These efficacies may be attributed to the fact that the sample cream can increase the expression of skin barrier related proteins LOR and FLG, promote the maturation of cornified envelope, enhance collagen I and III protein expression and stimulate skin cell proliferation, to provide sufficient evidence supporting its antiaging efficacy of skin.}, }
@article {pmid39108544, year = {2024}, author = {Dai, M and Mo, J and Liao, X and Li, Z and Wu, H and Xia, S and Xu, Q}, title = {The complete mitochondrial genome of Mya japonica (Jay, 1857 Myida:myidae).}, journal = {Mitochondrial DNA. Part B, Resources}, volume = {9}, number = {8}, pages = {991-994}, pmid = {39108544}, issn = {2380-2359}, abstract = {The soft-shell clam Mya japonica (Jay, 1857) is a commercially important fishery resource. In this study, we identified the complete mitochondrial genome of M. japonica and performed a phylogenetic analysis to explore its genetic relationship with Mya arenaria. The genome is 21,396 bp in length and contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 23 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and 5 D-Loop control regions. The atp8 gene was annotated in Myidae for the first time. Notably, the genome contains an additional trnM, consistent with M. arenaria. The length of the cox2 gene is 1,947 bp, which is 513 bp longer than that in M. arenaria. Its base composition is 29.14% A, 37.26% T, 10.89% C, and 22.71% G. Phylogenetic analysis based on 12 PCGs and 2 rRNAs indicates that M. japonica and M. arenaria form a sister group. In this study, the identification and phylogenetic analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of M. japonica provide significant information for future taxonomic and evolutionary research of the genus Mya.}, }
@article {pmid39110762, year = {2024}, author = {Zandberg, L and Morfi, V and George, JM and Clayton, DF and Stowell, D and Lachlan, RF}, title = {Bird song comparison using deep learning trained from avian perceptual judgments.}, journal = {PLoS computational biology}, volume = {20}, number = {8}, pages = {e1012329}, pmid = {39110762}, issn = {1553-7358}, mesh = {Animals ; *Deep Learning ; *Vocalization, Animal/physiology ; *Finches/physiology ; Algorithms ; Computational Biology/methods ; Judgment/physiology ; Male ; Sound Spectrography/methods ; Conditioning, Operant/physiology ; Humans ; }, abstract = {Our understanding of bird song, a model system for animal communication and the neurobiology of learning, depends critically on making reliable, validated comparisons between the complex multidimensional syllables that are used in songs. However, most assessments of song similarity are based on human inspection of spectrograms, or computational methods developed from human intuitions. Using a novel automated operant conditioning system, we collected a large corpus of zebra finches' (Taeniopygia guttata) decisions about song syllable similarity. We use this dataset to compare and externally validate similarity algorithms in widely-used publicly available software (Raven, Sound Analysis Pro, Luscinia). Although these methods all perform better than chance, they do not closely emulate the avian assessments. We then introduce a novel deep learning method that can produce perceptual similarity judgements trained on such avian decisions. We find that this new method outperforms the established methods in accuracy and more closely approaches the avian assessments. Inconsistent (hence ambiguous) decisions are a common occurrence in animal behavioural data; we show that a modification of the deep learning training that accommodates these leads to the strongest performance. We argue this approach is the best way to validate methods to compare song similarity, that our dataset can be used to validate novel methods, and that the general approach can easily be extended to other species.}, }
@article {pmid39111859, year = {2024}, author = {Shimoda, M and Ishitsuka, K and Morisaki, N}, title = {[Development and psychometric properties of the Japanese version of Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) among Japanese youth].}, journal = {[Nihon koshu eisei zasshi] Japanese journal of public health}, volume = {71}, number = {10}, pages = {599-605}, doi = {10.11236/jph.23-113}, pmid = {39111859}, issn = {0546-1766}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; East Asian People/psychology ; Japan ; *Psychometrics ; *Resilience, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {Objectives Resilience is the ability to navigate adversity and recover from challenging situations. Developing resilience at a young age promotes mental health and provides benefits throughout one's lifespan. Validated measures for assessing resilience at a young age are required in both clinical practice and epidemiological studies. The Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) is a tool used worldwide to assess resilience in children and young people. The objective of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the CYRM-R and investigate its psychometric properties.Methods Children in grades 5-9 were recruited via a two-stage cluster random sampling taken from the Japan Adolescent and Youth (JAY) Longitudinal Cohort Study. The participants completed the Japanese version of the CYRM-R . The CYRM-R consists of two subscales, personal resilience and caregiver resilience, with a total of 17 items. The linguistic validity of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R was ensured through translation and back-translation.Cronbach's alpha coefficients were examined for the total score and the two subscales to assess the internal consistency of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R scale. In addition, correlation coefficients of the subscales were calculated. For factorial validity, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the same two-factor structure as in the original version to assess the model's goodness of fit. Results A total of 2,266 children (50.0% male) were included in the study. The overall Cronbach's alpha of the Japanese version of the CYRM-R obtained from this sample was 0.956; For the personal resilience subscale, Cronbach's alpha was 0.932; for the caregiver resilience subscale, it was 0.919. Significant positive correlations were also found between subscales (r = 0.827, p < 0.001). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using a two-factor structure for validity. The model fit was good (RMSEA = 0.085, SRMR = 0.041, CFI = 0.934).Conclusion The Japanese version of the CYRM-R maintained the same two-factor structure as the original version. The study findings showed that the Japanese version of the CYRM-R had adequate internal consistency and factorial validity for assessing resilience in children and youth. Therefore, this scale is a valuable tool for identifying individuals or groups at risk in terms of children's resilience and for evaluating the effectiveness of support and interventions.}, }
@article {pmid39118841, year = {2024}, author = {Hosoda, C and YunFeng, Z and Watanabe, J and Maruya, K and Tabuchi, R and Hosokawa, K and Matsuhashi, T}, title = {The importance of childhood social capitals in the future well-being of children.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1389269}, pmid = {39118841}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Elucidating the enduring effects of childhood social capital is vital for shaping future well-being. Here, we investigate the impact of childhood social capital (SC) and parental engagement on adult psychological well-being and cognitive performance.
METHODS: Utilizing a cohort of 292 Japanese university students, we assessed the influences of SC and parental time during childhood on adult outcomes. Participants retrospectively reported their early childhood experiences, focusing on social interactions and parental involvement.
RESULTS: Our findings reveal a significant positive correlation between childhood SC and adult subjective well-being, particularly in its positive dimensions. Additionally, maternal involvement during childhood is associated with cognitive abilities in adulthood, as measured by Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis highlights the substantial impact of childhood SC on adult well-being, elucidating the intricate interplay between social and parental contributions to developmental trajectories.
DISCUSSION: These results highlight the crucial roles of both parental and non-parental figures in fostering social, emotional, and cognitive development from childhood to adulthood, underscoring the importance of nurturing supportive relationships throughout early life to promote positive developmental outcomes.}, }
@article {pmid39123837, year = {2024}, author = {Sankaranarayanan, S and Vijayakumar, R and Swaminathan, S and Almarri, B and Lorenz, P and Rodrigues, JJPC}, title = {Node Localization Method in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Combined Crow Search and the Weighted Centroid Method.}, journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {24}, number = {15}, pages = {}, pmid = {39123837}, issn = {1424-8220}, support = {No. KFU241353//Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia/ ; No. 306607/2023-9//Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development-CNPq/ ; }, abstract = {Node localization is critical for accessing diverse nodes that provide services in remote places. Single-anchor localization techniques suffer co-linearity, performing poorly. The reliable multiple anchor node selection method is computationally intensive and requires a lot of processing power and time to identify suitable anchor nodes. Node localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is challenging due to the number and placement of anchors, as well as their communication capabilities. These senor nodes possess limited energy resources, which is a big concern in localization. In addition to convention optimization in WSNs, researchers have employed nature-inspired algorithms to localize unknown nodes in WSN. However, these methods take longer, require lots of processing power, and have higher localization error, with a greater number of beacon nodes and sensitivity to parameter selection affecting localization. This research employed a nature-inspired crow search algorithm (an improvement over other nature-inspired algorithms) for selecting the suitable number of anchor nodes from the population, reducing errors in localizing unknown nodes. Additionally, the weighted centroid method was proposed for identifying the exact location of an unknown node. This made the crow search weighted centroid localization (CS-WCL) algorithm a more trustworthy and efficient method for node localization in WSNs, with reduced average localization error (ALE) and energy consumption. CS-WCL outperformed WCL and distance vector (DV)-Hop, with a reduced ALE of 15% (from 32%) and varying communication radii from 20 m to 45 m. Also, the ALE against scalability was validated for CS-WCL against WCL and DV-Hop for a varying number of beacon nodes (from 3 to 2), reducing ALE to 2.59% (from 28.75%). Lastly, CS-WCL resulted in reduced energy consumption (from 120 mJ to 45 mJ) for varying network nodes from 30 to 300 against WCL and DV-Hop. Thus, CS-WCL outperformed other nature-inspired algorithms in node localization. These have been validated using MATLAB 2022b.}, }
@article {pmid39140629, year = {2024}, author = {Wang, SS and Parikh, JR}, title = {A Radiologist's Wellness Journey: AJR Podcast Series on Wellness, Episode 5.}, journal = {AJR. American journal of roentgenology}, volume = {223}, number = {3}, pages = {e2431888}, doi = {10.2214/AJR.24.31888}, pmid = {39140629}, issn = {1546-3141}, mesh = {Humans ; *Radiologists ; Webcasts as Topic ; Burnout, Professional/prevention & control ; Periodicals as Topic ; Health Promotion/methods ; }, }
@article {pmid39140880, year = {2024}, author = {Machado, RB and Amorim, TOS and de Castro, F and Andriolo, A}, title = {Use of whistles for acoustic classification of delphinids (odontoceti: Delphinidae) in the Western South Atlantic Ocean.}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {156}, number = {2}, pages = {1070-1080}, doi = {10.1121/10.0028170}, pmid = {39140880}, issn = {1520-8524}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal/classification ; *Acoustics ; Atlantic Ocean ; *Dolphins/classification/physiology ; Sound Spectrography ; Brazil ; Species Specificity ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; }, abstract = {This study focuses on the acoustic classification of delphinid species at the southern continental slope of Brazil. Recordings were collected between 2013 and 2015 using towed arrays and were processed using a classifier to identify the species in the recordings. Using Raven Pro 1.6 software (Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY), we analyzed whistles for species identification. The random forest algorithm in R facilitates classification analysis based on acoustic parameters, including low, high, delta, center, beginning, and ending frequencies, and duration. Evaluation metrics, such as correct and incorrect classification percentages, global accuracy, balanced accuracy, and p-values, were employed. Receiver operating characteristic curves and area-under-the-curve (AUC) values demonstrated well-fitting models (AUC ≥ 0.7) for species definition. Duration and delta frequency emerged as crucial parameters for classification, as indicated by the decrease in mean accuracy. Multivariate dispersion plots visualized the proximity between acoustic and visual match data and exclusively acoustic encounter (EAE) data. The EAE results classified as Delphinus delphis (n = 6), Stenella frontalis (n = 3), and Stenella longirostris (n = 2) provide valuable insights into the presence of these species between approximately 23° and 34° S in Brazil. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of acousting classification in discriminating delphinids through whistle parameters.}, }
@article {pmid39141936, year = {2024}, author = {Nelson, APK and Mole, J and Pombo, G and Gray, RJ and Ruffle, JK and Chan, E and Rees, GE and Cipolotti, L and Nachev, P}, title = {The minimal computational substrate of fluid intelligence.}, journal = {Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior}, volume = {179}, number = {}, pages = {62-76}, doi = {10.1016/j.cortex.2024.07.003}, pmid = {39141936}, issn = {1973-8102}, mesh = {Humans ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Male ; Female ; *Neural Networks, Computer ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Cognition/physiology ; Young Adult ; Intelligence Tests ; Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {The quantification of cognitive powers rests on identifying a behavioural task that depends on them. Such dependence cannot be assured, for the powers a task invokes cannot be experimentally controlled or constrained a priori, resulting in unknown vulnerability to failure of specificity and generalisability. Evaluating a compact version of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM), a widely used clinical test of fluid intelligence, we show that LaMa, a self-supervised artificial neural network trained solely on the completion of partially masked images of natural environmental scenes, achieves representative human-level test scores a prima vista, without any task-specific inductive bias or training. Compared with cohorts of healthy and focally lesioned participants, LaMa exhibits human-like variation with item difficulty, and produces errors characteristic of right frontal lobe damage under degradation of its ability to integrate global spatial patterns. LaMa's narrow training and limited capacity suggest matrix-style tests may be open to computationally simple solutions that need not necessarily invoke the substrates of reasoning.}, }
@article {pmid39142379, year = {2024}, author = {Seo, H and Ansai, E and Sase, T and Saito, T and Takano, T and Kojima, Y and Waki, T}, title = {Introduction of a snake trematode of the genus Ochetosoma in eastern Japan.}, journal = {Parasitology international}, volume = {103}, number = {}, pages = {102947}, doi = {10.1016/j.parint.2024.102947}, pmid = {39142379}, issn = {1873-0329}, mesh = {Animals ; Japan ; *Trematoda/classification/isolation & purification/anatomy & histology/genetics ; *Snakes/parasitology ; Phylogeny ; Snails/parasitology ; Trematode Infections/parasitology/veterinary/epidemiology ; Introduced Species ; Mouth/parasitology ; }, abstract = {In Japan, trematodes of the family Ochetosomatidae are not naturally distributed. However, the introduced ochetosomatid Ochetosoma kansense (Crow, 1913) has been reported from the oral cavity of native snakes in western Japan since 2010s. In this study, trematodes were isolated from the oral cavities of the native Japanese snakes, Elaphe quadrivirgata (Boie, 1826), E. climacophora (Boie, 1826), and Rhabdophis tigrinus (Boie, 1826), in the central Kanto region of eastern Japan. Morphological and molecular analyses of the isolated trematodes revealed that all trematodes were identifiable to a newly introduced ochetosomatid species to Japan, O. elongatum (Pratt, 1903), which originated from North America; Lechriorchis tygarti Talbot, 1933 was synonymized with O. elongatum based on identical molecular data and morphological similarity. To identify first intermediate hosts of O. elongatum, seven freshwater snail species were examined in eastern Japan. Molecular analysis was used to identify O. elongatum sporocysts in the freshwater snail Physella acuta (Draparnaud, 1805), which also originated from North America. The other six species did not host O. elongatum, suggesting that Ph. acuta is the only first intermediate host of O. elongatum in Japan. Although O. elongatum has been detected in Japan, its invasion route and period of introduction are unclear. Frequent imports of freshwater snails and wild snakes from North America, after the 1990s and 2005, respectively, presumably introduced O. elongatum in Japan.}, }
@article {pmid39146098, year = {2024}, author = {Xu, M and Lei, P and Bai, Y and Chen, Z and Xie, X}, title = {Enhancement of Brillouin nonlinearities with a coupled resonator optical waveguide.}, journal = {Optics letters}, volume = {49}, number = {16}, pages = {4541-4544}, doi = {10.1364/OL.533979}, pmid = {39146098}, issn = {1539-4794}, abstract = {Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is a nonlinear optical phenomenon mediated from the coupling of photons and phonons. It has found applications in various realms, yet the acousto-optic interaction strength remains relatively weak. Enhancing the SBS with resonant structures could be a promising solution, but this method faces strict constraints in operational bandwidth. Here, we present the first demonstration to our knowledge of the broadband enhancement of Brillouin nonlinearities by a suspended coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW) on an SOI platform. By comprehensively balancing the Brillouin gain and operational bandwidth, a 3-fold enhancement for the Brillouin gain coefficient (GB) and a broad operational bandwidth of over 80 GHz have been achieved. Furthermore, this 1.1 mm device shows a forward Brillouin gain coefficient of 2422 m[-1]W[-1] and a high mechanical quality factor (Qm) of 1060. This approach marks a pivotal advancement toward wide bandwidth, low energy consumption, and compact integrated nonlinear photonic devices, with potential applications in tunable microwave photonic filters and phonon-based non-reciprocal devices.}, }
@article {pmid39148142, year = {2024}, author = {Martínez-Renau, E and Martín-Platero, AM and Bodawatta, KH and Martín-Vivaldi, M and Martínez-Bueno, M and Poulsen, M and Soler, JJ}, title = {Social environment influences microbiota and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities on the skin of developing birds.}, journal = {Animal microbiome}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {47}, pmid = {39148142}, issn = {2524-4671}, support = {PRE2018-085378//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/ ; CGL2017-83103-P//Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación/ ; CGL2017-83103-P//European Regional Development Fund/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Animal bacterial symbionts are established early in life, either through vertical transmission and/or by horizontal transmission from both the physical and the social environment, such as direct contact with con- or heterospecifics. The social environment particularly can influence the acquisition of both mutualistic and pathogenic bacteria, with consequences for the stability of symbiotic communities. However, segregating the effects of the shared physical environment from those of the social interactions is challenging, limiting our current knowledge on the role of the social environment in structuring bacterial communities in wild animals. Here, we take advantage of the avian brood-parasite system of Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) and great spotted cuckoos (Clamator glandarius) to explore how the interspecific social environment (magpie nestlings developing with or without heterospecifics) affects bacterial communities on uropygial gland skin.
RESULTS: We demonstrated interspecific differences in bacterial community compositions in members of the two species when growing up in monospecific nests. However, the bacterial community of magpies in heterospecific nests was richer, more diverse, and more similar to their cuckoo nest-mates than when growing up in monospecific nests. These patterns were alike for the subset of microbes that could be considered core, but when looking at the subset of potentially pathogenic bacterial genera, cuckoo presence reduced the relative abundance of potentially pathogenic bacterial genera on magpies.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the role of social interactions in shaping the assembly of the avian skin bacterial communities during the nestling period, as exemplified in a brood parasite-host system.}, }
@article {pmid39169115, year = {2024}, author = {Dos Santos, FAA and Barros, SC and Fagulha, T and Ramos, F and Henriques, AM and Duarte, A and Magalhães, A and Luís, T and Duarte, MD}, title = {First detection of Bagaza virus in Common magpies (Pica pica), Portugal 2023.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {19452}, pmid = {39169115}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {Project UIDB/00276/2020//FCT/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Portugal ; *Flavivirus/genetics/isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Bird Diseases/virology/epidemiology ; Flavivirus Infections/virology/veterinary/transmission/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {Bagaza virus (BAGV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae, genus Orthoflavivirus, Ntaya serocomplex. Like other viruses of the Ntaya and Japanese encephalitis serocomplexes, it is maintained in nature in transmission cycles involving viremic wild bird reservoirs and Culex spp. mosquitoes. The susceptibility of red-legged partridge, ring-necked pheasant, Himalayan monal and common wood pigeon is well known. Determining whether other species are susceptible to BAGV infection is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of disease transmission and maintenance. In September 2023, seven Eurasian magpies were found dead in a rural area in the Mértola district (southern Portugal) where a BAGV-positive cachectic red-legged partridge had been found two weeks earlier. BAGV had also been detected in several red-legged partridges in the same area in September 2021. Three of the magpies were tested for Bagaza virus, Usutu virus, West Nile virus, Avian influenza virus and Avian paramyxovirus serotype 1, and were positive for BAGV only. Sequencing data confirmed the specificity of the molecular detection. Our results indicate that BAGV is circulating in southern Portugal and confirm that Eurasian magpie is potential susceptible to BAGV infection. The inclusion of the abundant Eurasian magpie in the list of BAGV hosts raises awareness of the potential role of this species as as an amplifying host.}, }
@article {pmid39169572, year = {2024}, author = {Onal, C and Demirhan, B and Elmali, A and Guler, OC}, title = {Nomograms for detecting lymph node metastasis detected with surgery-Can you name any birds other than crow?.}, journal = {The Prostate}, volume = {84}, number = {15}, pages = {1413-1414}, doi = {10.1002/pros.24759}, pmid = {39169572}, issn = {1097-0045}, }
@article {pmid39172108, year = {2024}, author = {Mason, LLK and Masuda, B and Swaisgood, RR and Flanagan, AM}, title = {Nest quality predicts the probability of egg loss in the critically endangered 'Alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis).}, journal = {Zoo biology}, volume = {43}, number = {5}, pages = {481-490}, doi = {10.1002/zoo.21849}, pmid = {39172108}, issn = {1098-2361}, support = {//San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance/ ; //State of Hawaii Division of Forestry and Wildlife/ ; //Max and Yetta Karasik Family Foundation/ ; //National Fish and Wildlife Foundation/ ; //U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/ ; //Anonymous/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Endangered Species ; *Nesting Behavior/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Animal Husbandry/methods ; Ovum/physiology ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Animals, Zoo ; }, abstract = {Conservation breeding programs for endangered species face challenges, notably in the development of husbandry techniques, complicated by the impracticality of conducting controlled experiments. To reduce uncertainty regarding what works in conservation breeding programs, it is essential to capture data. In avian breeding programs, the construction of quality nests and appropriate incubation and handling of eggs by the parents are essential prerequisites to the successful production of offspring. Here, we study factors influencing nest-building and parental incubation outcomes in 'alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis), which is extinct in the wild and numbers fewer than 130 individuals in human care. Using parent-incubated egg data from 2018 to 2021 (171 clutches, 55 pairs), we evaluated the role of husbandry factors in determining the quality of nests constructed by 'alalā and the likelihood of nest quality and other social and environmental factors to predict egg loss (breaking, cannibalization, or ejection of an egg from the nest). More than half of all eggs laid failed to reach the hatch date. Nest quality was the most influential predictor of egg loss, with eggs in higher quality nests more likely to reach the hatch date. Male age also influenced egg loss, with very young (3 years old) and older males (⪞12 years old) experiencing more egg loss. Furthermore, the two facilities and two aviary types also differed in the quality of nests 'alalā constructed, indicating that nest-building behavior can be influenced by husbandry practices. These findings reduce uncertainty and provide insights for recommended management interventions to facilitate successful reproduction in human care.}, }
@article {pmid39172397, year = {2025}, author = {Gomes-Ng, S and Gray, Q and Cowie, S}, title = {Pigeons' (Columba livia) intertemporal choice in binary-choice and patch-leaving contexts.}, journal = {Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)}, volume = {139}, number = {1}, pages = {26-41}, doi = {10.1037/com0000387}, pmid = {39172397}, issn = {1939-2087}, support = {//Auckland University of Technology/ ; }, mesh = {*Columbidae/physiology ; Animals ; *Choice Behavior/physiology ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Reinforcement, Psychology ; Conditioning, Operant/physiology ; }, abstract = {Typical approaches to study self-control present subjects with a simultaneous choice between a larger-later (LL) reinforcer and a smaller-sooner (SS) reinforcer. In contrast, in patch-leaving tasks, subjects choose between staying at a patch for an SS (or LL) reinforcer and leaving for an LL (or SS) reinforcer. Previous studies show that blue jays, monkeys, humans, and rats prefer the SS reinforcer in binary-choice tasks, whereas the same subjects prefer the LL reinforcer in equivalent patch-leaving tasks. The current study systematically replicated this research using pigeons. Six pigeons responded in a binary-choice task and in two patch-leaving tasks in which staying led to an LL (Patch-L) or SS (Patch-S) reinforcer. Across conditions, the SS reinforcer delay varied from 5 to 55 s; the LL reinforcer delay was always 60 s. In binary-choice conditions, subjects preferred the SS reinforcer. In Patch-L and Patch-S conditions, subjects preferred the LL and SS reinforcer, respectively, reflecting a bias to stay at the patch. This bias persisted when the stay response was more effortful and when the delays to both reinforcers were equal. This may reflect a species-specific win-stay bias and the differential consequences of staying (which led to a stimulus signaling food) versus leaving (which led to a stimulus never associated with food). Thus, we propose a conditioned-reinforcement account of intertemporal choice in patch-leaving contexts. We suggest several avenues for further investigations of the mechanisms underlying intertemporal choice in different contexts and question the economic equivalence of the operant and patch-leaving procedures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid39175800, year = {2023}, author = {Suvorov, V and SaAkian, DB and Lynch, M}, title = {A solution of the Crow-Kimura evolution model on fluctuating fitness landscape.}, journal = {Europhysics letters}, volume = {142}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {39175800}, issn = {0295-5075}, support = {R35 GM122566/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The article discusses the Crow-Kimura model in the context of random transitions between different fitness landscapes. The duration of epochs, during which the fitness landscape is constant over time, is modeled by an exponential distribution. To obtain an exact solution, a system of functional equations is required. However, to approximate the model, we consider the cases of slow or fast transitions and calculate the first-order corrections using either the transition rate or its inverse. Specifically, we focus on the case of slow transitions and find that the average fitness is equal to the average fitness for evolution on static fitness landscapes, but with the addition of a load term. We also investigate the model for a small number of genes and identify the exact transition points to the transient phase.}, }
@article {pmid39195074, year = {2025}, author = {Rasouli, N and Malakouti, SK and Bayat, M and Mahjoubnavaz, F and Fallahinia, N and Khosrowabadi, R}, title = {Frontal Activity of Recent Suicide Attempters: EEG spectrum Power Performing Raven Task.}, journal = {Clinical EEG and neuroscience}, volume = {56}, number = {2}, pages = {140-149}, doi = {10.1177/15500594241273125}, pmid = {39195074}, issn = {2169-5202}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; *Electroencephalography/methods ; *Suicide, Attempted/psychology ; Female ; Adult ; *Major Depressive Disorder/physiopathology/psychology ; *Frontal Lobe/physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; *Problem Solving/physiology ; Executive Function/physiology ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Prefrontal Cortex/physiopathology ; }, abstract = {Background: Deficits in problem-solving may be related to vulnerability to suicidal behavior. We aimed to identify the electroencephalographic (EEG) power spectrum associated with the performance of the Raven as a reasoning/problem-solving task among individuals with recent suicide attempts. Methods: This study with the case-control method, consisted of 61 participants who were assigned to three groups: Suicide attempt + Major Depressive Disorder (SA + MDD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Healthy Control (HC). All participants underwent clinical evaluations and problem-solving abilities. Subsequently, EEG signals were recorded while performing the Raven task. Results: The SA + MDD and MDD groups were significantly different from the HC group in terms of anxiety, reasons for life, and hopelessness. Regarding brain oscillations in performing the raven task, increased theta, gamma, and betha power extending over the frontal areas, including anterior prefrontal cortex, dlPFC, pre-SMA, inferior frontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex, was significant in SA + MDD compared with other groups. The alpha wave was more prominent in the left frontal, particularly in dlPFC in SA + MDD. Compared to the MDD group, the SA + MDD group had a shorter reaction time, while their response accuracy did not differ significantly. Conclusions: Suicidal patients have more frontal activity in planning and executive function than the two other groups. Nevertheless, it seems that reduced activity in the left frontal region, which plays a crucial role in managing emotional distress, can contribute to suicidal tendencies among vulnerable individuals. Limitation The small sample size and chosen difficult trials for the Raven task were the most limitations of the study.}, }
@article {pmid39195696, year = {2024}, author = {Iacob, D and Paduraru, E and Gabor, VR and Gache, C and Breaban, IG and Gurlui, S and Plavan, G and Jijie, R and Nicoara, M}, title = {Trace Metal Bioaccumulation in Feral Pigeons (Columba livia f. domestica) and Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) Residing in the Urban Environment of Iasi City, Romania.}, journal = {Toxics}, volume = {12}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {39195696}, issn = {2305-6304}, abstract = {Nowadays, trace metal contamination within urban atmospheres is a significant and concerning global issue. In the present study, two synanthropic bird species, namely, the feral pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica) and the rook (Corvus frugilegus), were employed as bioindicators to assess the atmospheric trace metal pollution in Iasi City, Romania. The concentrations of Ni, Pb, Cd, Co, Cr, and Cu were determined through high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (HR-CS GF-AAS) of various tissues, including the liver, kidney, lung, heart, muscle, and bone, of feral pigeons and rooks collected in Iasi City. The order of trace metal concentrations in the tissues of feral pigeons and rooks in Iasi City was similar: Cu > Pb > Ni > Cd > Cr > Co. However, trace element values in most tissues were higher in the rook samples than in feral pigeon ones, except for Co, which had elevated levels in feral pigeon renal and cardiac tissues, and Cu, which registered the highest concentrations in feral pigeon liver and kidney tissues. While not statistically significant, Pb concentration values in the PM10 fraction of atmospheric particles positively correlated with Pb concentrations in rook kidney samples (p = 0.05). The concentration levels of Cd, Pb, and Ni in the PM10 fraction of air particles showed a positive correlation with Cd levels in the samples of pigeon heart and rook liver, kidney, and heart, Pb levels in the samples of pigeon kidney, heart, and muscle and rook liver and bone, and Ni levels in the samples of pigeon liver, kidney, and bone and rook liver, muscle, and bone, respectively.}, }
@article {pmid39201022, year = {2024}, author = {Colucci, F and Stefanelli, S and Contaldi, E and Gozzi, A and Marchetti, A and Pugliatti, M and Laudisi, M and Antenucci, P and Capone, JG and Gragnaniello, D and Sensi, M}, title = {Cognition in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia 1 (SCA1) and 2 (SCA2): A Neurophysiological and Neuropsychological Approach.}, journal = {Journal of clinical medicine}, volume = {13}, number = {16}, pages = {}, pmid = {39201022}, issn = {2077-0383}, abstract = {Background/Objectives: Cognitive impairment in spinocerebellar ataxia patients has been reported since the early-disease stage. We aimed to assess cognitive differences in SCA1 and SCA2 patients. Methods: We performed neuropsychological (NPS) and neurophysiological (auditory event-related potentials, aERPs) assessments in 16 SCA1 and 18 SCA2 consecutive patients. Furthermore, clinical information (age at onset, disease duration, motor disability) was collected. Results: NPS tests yielded scores in the normal range in both groups but with lower scores in the Frontal Assessment Battery (p < 0.05) and Visual Analogue Test for Anosognosia for motor impairment (p < 0.05) in SCA1, and the Trail Making Test (p < 0.01), Raven's progressive matrices (p < 0.01), Stroop (p < 0.05), and emotion attribution tests (p < 0.05) in SCA2. aERPs showed lower N100 amplitude (p < 0.01) and prolonged N200 latency (p < 0.01) in SCA1 compared with SCA2. Clinically, SCA2 had more severe motor disability than SCA1 in the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia Scale. Conclusions: SCA2 showed more significant difficulties in attentional, visuospatial, and emotional function, and greater motor impairment. In contrast, SCA1 showed less cognitive flexibility/phasic ability, probably affected by a more severe degree of dysarthria. The same group revealed less neural activity during nonconscious attentional processing (N100-N200 data), suggesting greater involvement of sensory pathways in discriminating auditory stimuli. NFS did not correlate with NPS findings, implying an independent relationship. However, the specific role of the cerebellum and cerebellar symptoms in NPS test results deserves more focus.}, }
@article {pmid39207215, year = {2024}, author = {Islam, A and Wille, M and Rahman, MZ and Porter, AF and Hosaain, ME and Hassan, MM and Shirin, T and Epstein, JH and Klaassen, M}, title = {Phylodynamics of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus in Bangladesh identifying domestic ducks as the amplifying host reservoir.}, journal = {Emerging microbes & infections}, volume = {13}, number = {1}, pages = {2399268}, pmid = {39207215}, issn = {2222-1751}, mesh = {Animals ; *Influenza in Birds/virology/epidemiology/prevention & control ; *Ducks/virology ; Bangladesh/epidemiology ; *Phylogeny ; *Disease Reservoirs/virology ; *Chickens/virology ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/genetics/pathogenicity/immunology/classification/isolation & purification ; Crows/virology ; Animals, Wild/virology ; Influenza A virus/genetics/pathogenicity/classification/immunology ; Poultry Diseases/virology/epidemiology/prevention & control ; }, abstract = {High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) virus H5N1 first emerged in Bangladesh in 2007. Despite the use of vaccines in chickens since 2012 to control HPAI, HPAI H5Nx viruses have continued to infect poultry, and wild birds, resulting in notable mass mortalities in house crows (Corvus splendens). The first HPAI H5Nx viruses in Bangladesh belonged to clade 2.2.2, followed by clade 2.3.4.2 and 2.3.2.1 viruses in 2011. After the implementation of chicken vaccination in 2012, these viruses were mostly replaced by clade 2.3.2.1a viruses and more recently clade 2.3.4.4b and h viruses. In this study, we reconstruct the phylogenetic history of HPAI H5Nx viruses in Bangladesh to evaluate the role of major host species in the maintenance and evolution of HPAI H5Nx virus in Bangladesh and reveal the role of heavily impacted crows in virus epidemiology. Epizootic waves caused by HPAI H5N1 and H5N6 viruses amongst house crows occurred annually in winter. Bayesian phylodynamic analysis of clade 2.3.2.1a revealed frequent bidirectional viral transitions between domestic ducks, chickens, and house crows that was markedly skewed towards ducks; domestic ducks might be the source, or reservoir, of HPAI H5Nx in Bangladesh, as the number of viral transitions from ducks to chickens and house crows was by far more numerous than the other transitions. Our results suggest viral circulation in domestic birds despite vaccination, with crow epizootics acting as a sentinel. The vaccination strategy needs to be updated to use more effective vaccinations, assess vaccine efficacy, and extension of vaccination to domestic ducks, the key reservoir.}, }
@article {pmid39210516, year = {2024}, author = {Pesant, M-J and Ferrell, S and Köszegi, M and Baby, V and Grenier Saint-Sauveur, V and Valle Tejada, C and Lair, S and Gagnon, CA}, title = {Complete genome sequence of a Circovirus pigeon strain in lymphocyte-depleted bursa of Fabricius of a Common Raven (Corvus corax).}, journal = {Microbiology resource announcements}, volume = {13}, number = {10}, pages = {e0037824}, pmid = {39210516}, issn = {2576-098X}, support = {RGPIN-2017-05240//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; 324663//FRQ | Fonds de recherche du Québec - Nature et technologies (FRQNT)/ ; }, abstract = {A necropsy was performed on a Common Raven (Corvus corax) presenting an opportunistic fungal respiratory infection and a bursal lymphoid depletion with inclusion bodies, suggestive of a circovirus infection. High-throughput sequencing of circular DNA in the bursa of Fabricius revealed a complete genome sequence of a Circovirus pigeon strain.}, }
@article {pmid39212877, year = {2024}, author = {Sánchez Arteaga, J}, title = {"The Logic of Monsters:" Pere Alberch and the Evolutionary Significance of Experimental Teratology.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {379-401}, pmid = {39212877}, issn = {1573-0387}, mesh = {*Teratology/history ; *Biological Evolution ; Animals ; *Developmental Biology/history ; History, 20th Century ; History, 19th Century ; Caudata/genetics ; Anura ; }, abstract = {This paper offers an historical introduction to Pere Alberch's evolutionary thought and his contributions to Evo-Devo, based on his unique approach to experimental teratology. We will take as our point of reference the teratogenic experiments developed by Alberch and Emily A. Gale during the 1980s, aimed at producing monstrous variants of frogs and salamanders. We will analyze his interpretation of the results of these experiments within the framework of the emergence of evolutionary developmental biology (or "Evo-Devo"). The aim is understand how Alberch interpreted teratological anomalies as highly revealing objects of study for understanding the development of organic form, not only in an ontogenetic sense-throughout embryonic development-but also phylogenetically-throughout the evolution of species. Alberch's interpretation of monsters reflects the influence of a long tradition of non-Darwinian evolutionary thought, which began in the nineteenth century and was continued in the twentieth century by people such as Richard Goldschmidt, Conrad H. Waddington, and Stephen Jay Gould. They all proposed various non-gradualist models of evolution, in which embryonic development played a central role. Following this tradition, Alberch argued that, in order to attain a correct understanding of the role of embryological development in evolution, it was necessary to renounce the gradualist paradigm associated with the Darwinian interpretation of evolution, which understood nature as a continuum. According to Alberch, the study of monstrous abnormalities was of great value in understanding how certain epigenetic restrictions in development could give rise to discontinuities and directionality in morphological transformations throughout evolution.}, }
@article {pmid39215030, year = {2024}, author = {Malik, S and Patro, SGK and Mahanty, C and Lasisi, A and Al-Sareji, OJ}, title = {Hybrid raven roosting intelligence framework for enhancing efficiency in data clustering.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {20163}, pmid = {39215030}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The field of data exploration relies heavily on clustering techniques to organize vast datasets into meaningful subgroups, offering valuable insights across various domains. Traditional clustering algorithms face limitations in terms of performance, often getting stuck in local minima and struggling with complex datasets of varying shapes and densities. They also require prior knowledge of the number of clusters, which can be a drawback in real-world scenarios. In response to these challenges, we propose the "hybrid raven roosting intelligence framework" (HRIF) algorithm. HRIF draws inspiration from the dynamic behaviors of roosting ravens and computational intelligence. What distinguishes HRIF is its effective capacity to adeptly navigate the clustering landscape, evading local optima and converging toward optimal solutions. An essential enhancement in HRIF is the incorporation of the Gaussian mutation operator, which adds stochasticity to improve exploration and mitigate the risk of local minima. This research presents the development and evaluation of HRIF, showcasing its unique fusion of nature-inspired optimization techniques and computational intelligence. Extensive experiments with diverse benchmark datasets demonstrate HRIF's competitive performance, particularly its capability to handle complex data and avoid local minima, resulting in accurate clustering outcomes. HRIF's adaptability to challenging datasets and its potential to enhance clustering efficiency and solution quality position it as a promising solution in the world of data exploration.}, }
@article {pmid39224166, year = {2024}, author = {Stone, MM and Afriandi, H and Suwanda, FN and Andono, A and Mahmud, R and Khairani, OK and Clark, AB and Webster, M and McGowan, K and Radcliffe, RW}, title = {Symbiosis between the Javan rhinoceros and slender-billed crow: A novel inferred cleaning mutualism.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, pages = {e70224}, pmid = {39224166}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Over the past century, the Javan rhinoceroses' (Rhinoceros sondaicus) secluded nature and low population size have led to a gap in knowledge of their ecology. With fewer than 80 individuals surviving in a single population in West Java, Indonesia, the Javan rhinoceros is one of the most critically endangered mammals in the world. As part of a pilot bioacoustics study of the Javan rhinoceros in 2019, we systematically reviewed camera trap footage from the core Javan rhinoceros range in Ujung Kulon National Park (UKNP). In doing so, we discovered a previously unknown interaction between the Javan rhinoceros and the slender-billed crow (Corvus enca), in which the crow finds and eats ectoparasites from the rhinoceros (Figure 1). We describe this interaction and suggest that it may represent a cleaning mutualism with benefits for both the crow and the rhinoceros.}, }
@article {pmid39227504, year = {2025}, author = {Cornero, FM and Clayton, NS}, title = {Object permanence in rooks (Corvus frugilegus): Individual differences and behavioral considerations.}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {53}, number = {1}, pages = {93-113}, pmid = {39227504}, issn = {1543-4508}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Individuality ; Male ; Female ; Cognition ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {Piagetian object permanence (OP) refers to the ability to know that an object continues to exist when out of sight: In humans, it develops in six stages. Species of great apes, other mammals, and birds (parrots, corvids, and pigeons) have been shown to possess partial or full OP, which is a prerequisite for more complex physical cognition abilities they may possess. In birds, the greatest variation is in Stage 6 (invisible displacements) and in "A-not-B" errors-incorrectly persevering in searching an empty location rewarded previously. Caching abilities have been invoked as holding explanatory power over results in corvids, for which this error is sometimes completely absent. The rook (Corvus frugilegus), a cognitively advanced, social, caching corvid, has not yet been studied for OP. This study applies tasks of one OP scale commonly adapted for nonhuman animals, Uzgiris and Hunt's Scale 1, as well as later-conceived tasks 16 and S, to a sample of adult, captive rooks. One rook demonstrated full OP (Stage 6b, multiple invisible displacements), whereas other individuals varied, attaining between Stages 5a (single visible displacements) and 6a (single invisible displacements). Like some corvids, a few made transient "A-not-B" errors. Behavioral considerations potentially underlying observed individual variation in results in rooks, including dominance, neophobia, past experiences, and individual idiosyncrasies, are examined. Rooks, like other corvids, possess well-developed OP abilities, and these results support the idea that exertion of executive control is required to avoid "A-not-B" errors, rather than caching abilities or developmental age, as previously suggested.}, }
@article {pmid39228068, year = {2024}, author = {Forbes, SL and Huculak, M and Watson, CJ}, title = {Taphonomic impact of vertebrate scavengers on degradation and dispersal of remains, southeastern British Columbia.}, journal = {Journal of forensic sciences}, volume = {69}, number = {6}, pages = {1985-1995}, doi = {10.1111/1556-4029.15620}, pmid = {39228068}, issn = {1556-4029}, support = {C150-2017-12//The Canada 150 Research Chairs/ ; RGPIN/6098/2019//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; British Columbia ; Swine ; *Feeding Behavior ; Postmortem Changes ; Body Remains ; Forensic Anthropology ; Seasons ; Ursidae ; }, abstract = {Vertebrate scavengers represent important taphonomic agents that can act on a body, particularly when in an outdoor environment. Understanding the effects of these agents will direct how and where to search for human remains and influence the likelihood of discovery in a particular region. The current study aimed to identify the taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in the peri-urban and rural regions of southeastern British Columbia. Vertebrate scavenger activity on pig carcasses was recorded remotely using trail cameras and analyzed to determine temporal scavenging profiles. Both the peri-urban and rural environments produced comparable scavenger guilds, namely: turkey vultures, American crows/northern ravens (classified as "corvids"), American black bears, and coyotes. Although the two locations had different study lengths due to variable degrees of scavenging, for the period that was common to both locations (summer to early fall), the black bear was the most frequent scavenger followed by coyote. However, the dispersal of remains by the mammalian scavengers was distinctly different between sites. Only 12%-33% of skeletal elements were recovered at the rural sites compared to 80%-90% recovered at the peri-urban sites, even though the latter sites had a longer study timeframe. The extended timeframe of the peri-urban sites confirmed that certain scavengers (e.g., turkey vultures and black bears) are only seasonally active in this region. These findings demonstrate the variability of scavenger behavior and the need to assign caution and local ecological knowledge when predicting scavenger trends. Such taphonomic information is relevant for human remains searches in regions with comparable scavenger guilds.}, }
@article {pmid39234642, year = {2025}, author = {Hsu, WY and Hu, SW and Yen, CE}, title = {The relationship between the food intake frequency, weight status and intelligence in school children.}, journal = {Nutrition and health}, volume = {31}, number = {3}, pages = {1103-1110}, doi = {10.1177/02601060241277579}, pmid = {39234642}, issn = {2047-945X}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Intelligence ; Taiwan ; *Body Weight ; *Feeding Behavior ; Body Mass Index ; *Diet ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schools ; }, abstract = {This study aimed to explore the relationship between food intake frequency, weight status, and intelligence among school children. A cross-sectional study involved 562 children (aged 6.3-12.7 years) randomly selected from five elementary schools in Taichung City, Taiwan. Demographic information was collected, and the children's body weight and height were measured to calculate their body mass index. A food frequency questionnaire assessed the participating children's dietary habits. Intelligence quotient scores were evaluated using Raven's colored progress matrices for first and second graders, and Raven's standard progressive matrices for third to sixth graders. This study found that there was no significant relationship in intelligence quotient scores between gender, birth order groups, and weight status. The higher consumption of pork liver, hamburgers, fruit juices, and the Taiwanese snack "Science Noodles" was associated with lower intelligence quotient scores among school children.}, }
@article {pmid39240772, year = {2024}, author = {Yonemoto, G and Cheung, TP and Vyce, SD and Gazes, MI}, title = {Vacuum-Assisted Eggshell-Type Bone Debridement with Implantation of Antibiotic-Impregnated Bone Substitute for Treatment of Calcaneal Osteomyelitis with Subsequent Charcot's Reconstruction: A Case Report.}, journal = {Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association}, volume = {114}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.7547/23-092}, pmid = {39240772}, issn = {1930-8264}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; *Osteomyelitis/surgery/etiology ; *Calcaneus/surgery ; *Debridement/methods ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use/administration & dosage ; *Bone Substitutes/therapeutic use ; Arthropathy, Neurogenic/surgery ; Calcium Sulfate/therapeutic use ; Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy/methods ; }, abstract = {Charcot's neuroarthropathy complicated by calcaneal osteomyelitis can be difficult to treat. Various surgical techniques describe how to manage these conditions. Eggshell-type debridement with application of antibiotic-impregnated bone substitute is a viable option that eliminates infected bone and allows staged reconstructive surgery. A 50-year-old woman with right midfoot Charcot's neuroarthropathy presented with osteomyelitis of the cuboid and fourth and fifth metatarsal bases after resection and failed antibiotic therapy. The patient eventually developed adductovarus, septic shock, and hematogenous osteomyelitis of the calcaneus, navicular, and lateral cuneiform. Vacuum-assisted eggshell-type debridement was performed, and the calcaneal defect was filled with antibiotic-impregnated calcium sulfate and calcium phosphate. Eight weeks after the initial surgery, the infection resolved; however, the patient had trouble walking. She underwent staged Charcot's reconstructive surgery with application of a dynamic multiplanar external fixator with gradual deformity and split-thickness skin graft to cover the residual plantar lateral foot wound. The second stage included septic fusion of the midfoot and subtalar joint from the frame. Twelve weeks postoperatively, radiographic union was achieved, the external fixator was removed, and the patient demonstrated a plantigrade foot. She was transitioned to a total-contact cast and allowed to bear weight as tolerated. Eighteen months after the initial procedure, the patient is wound-free and weightbearing in a CROW boot. This innovative eggshell-type debridement technique aspirates osteomyelitic cancellous bone while preserving cortical bone. It can be particularly useful in hematogenous osteomyelitis, where cortical integrity is not breached, or in situations where there is minimal cortical involvement. Specifically preserving the calcaneus, a major weightbearing bone, permits subsequent reconstructive surgical planning. At 18 months, there were no signs of osteomyelitis recurrence.}, }
@article {pmid39241525, year = {2024}, author = {Shichijo, T and Ikeda, T and Higashide, D and Omori, A and Suzuki, T and Suzuki, M}, title = {Quantification of wildlife visits to pig farms via camera traps in Japan.}, journal = {Preventive veterinary medicine}, volume = {232}, number = {}, pages = {106318}, doi = {10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106318}, pmid = {39241525}, issn = {1873-1716}, mesh = {Animals ; Japan ; *Animals, Wild ; Swine ; Birds ; Mammals ; Sus scrofa ; Photography ; Animal Husbandry/methods/instrumentation ; Farms ; }, abstract = {Infectious diseases in livestock not only cause significant economic losses but also affect food security. Although wildlife may be involved in these infectious diseases by serving as reservoirs, research has primarily focused on livestock and related species. Moreover, while these species represent a potential threat in wildlife-borne infectious diseases, comprehensive surveys of the presence of various species are limited. In this study, we aimed to quantitatively investigate the occurrence of various mammals and birds at three pig farms in Japan. We conducted camera trap surveys from October 15, 2020, to March 24, 2022, and determined the relative abundance index inside and outside the sanitary control zone. Wild boar (Sus scrofa), sika deer (Cervus nippon), and Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus) were photographed only outside the sanitary control zone. In contrast, small and medium-sized mammals, such as feral cats (Felis catus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), and rodent species (Muridae), and birds, such as the rufous oriental turtle dove (Streptopelia orientalis) and crows of the genus Corvus, were photographed both inside and outside the sanitary control zone. This comprehensive quantitative evidence suggests that various mammals and birds may be in indirect contact with livestock, highlighting the need to improve biosecurity at livestock farms. Moreover, while fences are effective against large mammals, they are inefficient against small to medium-sized mammals and birds. Therefore, the results of this study provide important insights into enhancing biosecurity on livestock farms by strengthening physical fencing, disinfecting clothing and equipment, and complying with standards of hygiene management.}, }
@article {pmid39252993, year = {2024}, author = {Prinja, S and Dixit, J and Nimesh, R and Garg, B and Khurana, R and Paliwal, A and Aggarwal, AK}, title = {Impact of health benefit package policy interventions on service utilisation under government-funded health insurance in Punjab, India: analysis of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY).}, journal = {The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia}, volume = {28}, number = {}, pages = {100462}, pmid = {39252993}, issn = {2772-3682}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The design of health benefits package (HBP), and its associated payment and pricing system, is central to the performance of government-funded health insurance programmes. We evaluated the impact of revision in HBP within India's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) on provider behaviour, manifesting in terms of utilisation of services.
METHODS: We analysed the data on 1.35 million hospitalisation claims submitted by all the 886 (222 government and 664 private) empanelled hospitals in state of Punjab, from August 2019 to December 2022, to assess the change in utilisation from HBP 1.0 to HBP 2.0. The packages were stratified based on the nature of revision introduced in HBP 2.0, i.e., change in nomenclature, construct, price, or a combination of these. Data from National Health System Cost Database on cost of each of the packages was used to determine the cost-price differential for each package during HBP 1.0 and 2.0 respectively. A dose-response relationship was also evaluated, based on the multiplicity of revision type undertaken, or based on extent of price correction done. Change in the number of monthly claims, and the number of monthly claims per package was computed for each package category using an appropriate seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) time series model.
FINDINGS: Overall, we found that the HBP revision led to a positive impact on utilisation of services. While changes in HBP nomenclature and construct had a positive effect, incorporating price corrections further accentuated the impact. The pricing reforms highly impacted those packages which were originally significantly under-priced. However, we did not find statistically significant dose-response relationship based on extent of price correction. Thirdly, the overall impact of HBP revision was similar in public and private hospitals.
INTERPRETATION: Our paper demonstrates the significant positive impact of PM-JAY HBP revisions on utilisation. HBP revisions need to be undertaken with the anticipation of its long-term intended effects.
FUNDING: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).}, }
@article {pmid39253095, year = {2024}, author = {d' Isa, R and Parsons, MH and Chrzanowski, M and Bebas, P and Stryjek, R}, title = {Catch me if you can: free-living mice show a highly flexible dodging behaviour suggestive of intentional tactical deception.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {11}, number = {7}, pages = {231692}, pmid = {39253095}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Intentional tactical deception, the employment of a tactic to intentionally deceive another animal, is a complex behaviour based on higher-order cognition, that has rarely been documented outside of primates and corvids. New laboratory-to-field assays, however, provide the opportunity to investigate such behaviour among free-living mice. In the present study, we placed laboratory-style test chambers with a single entrance near a forest outside Warsaw, where we observed the social interactions of two territorial murids, black-striped and yellow-necked mice, under food competition for seven months. Notably, among the social interactions, we video-recorded 21 instances of deceptive pursuer evasion. In the most obvious cases, an individual inside the chamber, to avoid an incoming mouse, hid by the chamber opening (the only means to enter or exit), paused until the pursuer entered and passed by, and then exploited the distraction of the back-turned pursuer by fleeing through the opening in a direction opposite to the one the pursuer came from. This deceptive dodging is the first evidence of a behaviour suggestive of intentional tactical deception among mice. As such, this deceptive behaviour may be of interest not only for rodent psychology but also, more generally, for the fields of non-human intentionality and theory of mind.}, }
@article {pmid39257567, year = {2024}, author = {Ham, JR and Pellis, SM and Pellis, VC}, title = {Oppositions, joints, and targets: the attractors that are the glue of social interactions.}, journal = {Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {1451283}, pmid = {39257567}, issn = {1662-5153}, abstract = {Social interactions are often analyzed by scoring segments of predefined behavior and then statistically assessing numerical and sequential patterns to identify the structure of the encounters. However, this approach can miss the dynamics of the animals' relationship over the course of the encounter, one that often involves invariant bonds, say a nose-to-nose orientation, with many different movements performed by both partners acting to counteract each other's attempts to break or maintain the relationship. Moreover, these invariant bonds can switch from one configuration to another during an interaction, leading from one stable configuration to another. It is this stepwise sequence of configurational stabilities that lead to functional outcomes, such as mating, aggression, or predation. By focusing on the sequence of invariant relational configurations, the deep structure of interactions can be discerned. This deep structure can then be used to differentiate between compensatory movements, no matter how seemingly stereotyped they may appear, from movement patterns which are restricted to a particular form when more than one option is available. A dynamic perspective requires suitable tools for analysis, and such tools are highlighted as needed in describing particular interactions.}, }
@article {pmid39260852, year = {2024}, author = {Chugh, Y and Sharma, S and Guinness, L and Sharma, D and Garg, B and Mehndiratta, A and Prinja, S}, title = {Establishing national hospital costing systems: insights from the qualitative assessment of cost surveillance pilot in Indian hospitals.}, journal = {BMJ open}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, pages = {e082965}, pmid = {39260852}, issn = {2044-6055}, mesh = {Humans ; India ; *Qualitative Research ; Pilot Projects ; *Hospital Costs ; Interviews as Topic ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The Indian Government launched Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the world's largest health insurance scheme, in 2018. To reform pricing and gather evidence on healthcare costs, a hospital cost-surveillance pilot was initiated among PM-JAY empanelled hospitals. We analysed the process and challenges from both healthcare providers and payer agency's perspectives and offer recommendations for implementing similar systems in lower- and middle-income countries.
DESIGN: We employed an open-ended, descriptive and qualitative study design using in-depth interviews (IDI) as the data collection strategy.
SETTINGS: The interviews were conducted in both virtual and face-to-face modes depending on the convenience of the participants. The IDIs for the National Health Authority (NHA) officials and all providers in Kerala were conducted virtually, while face-to-face interviews were conducted and in Haryana and Chhattisgarh.
PARTICIPANTS: Staff from 21 hospitals in three states (Haryana, Chhattisgarh and Kerala), including officials from State Health Agency (n=5) and NHA (n=3) were interviewed.
RESULTS: The findings highlight significant challenges in reporting cost data at the hospital level. These include a shortage of trained staff, leading to difficulties in collecting comprehensive and high-quality data. Additionally, the data collection process is resource-intensive and time-consuming, putting strain on limited capacity. Operational issues with transaction management system, such as speed, user-friendliness and frequent page expirations, also pose obstacles. Finally, current patient records data has gaps, in terms of quantity and quality, to be directly put to use for pricing.
CONCLUSION: Accurate cost data is vital for health policy decisions. Capacity building across healthcare levels is needed for precise cost collection. Integration into digital infrastructure is key to avoid burdening providers and ensure quality data capture.}, }
@article {pmid39261348, year = {2025}, author = {Koçak, HK}, title = {The effect of cognitive intervention program on intelligence scores in preschool.}, journal = {Cognitive processing}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {149-156}, pmid = {39261348}, issn = {1612-4790}, mesh = {Humans ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Intelligence Tests ; Students ; }, abstract = {Dynamic assessment is an approach that aims to improve student performance through interventions. One of the important application areas of dynamic assessment is the assessment of intelligence. Within the scope of the study, after a Cognitive intervention program (CIP) was developed, its effects on intelligence scores were examined with a quasi-experimental research method. The CIP was prepared by adopting a dynamic assessment approach to improve the performance of students with expert support. This improvement would be provided by the clues and feedback given during the intervention within the scope of the CIP. The sample of the study included 173 students in the 5-6 age group (83 experimental group, 90 control group). The CIP developed by the researcher consisted of 54 worksheets and was applied to the experimental group for 9 weeks. The implementation of the worksheets was supervised by classroom teachers. The digital application of the Anadolu-Sak Intelligence Scale (d-ASIS) and Raven's colored progressive matrices (RCPM) were applied to both the experimental and control groups as pretests and posttests. The increases in the intelligence scores of the experimental and control groups were analyzed by MANOVA. The analysis showed that the intelligence levels of the experimental group increased significantly more than the control group in terms of both d-ASIS and RCPM total gain scores (posttest to pretest). This result indicated that the CIP, which was developed by adopting a dynamic assessment approach, supported cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid39263731, year = {2025}, author = {Hu, B and Wang, J and Wang, Y and Li, Y and Wang, B and Xiang, C and Xing, Y and Han, S and Yuan, G and He, H}, title = {The First Report of Sphaerirostris picae Infection in the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) in Beijing, China.}, journal = {Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {21-25}, doi = {10.1089/vbz.2023.0101}, pmid = {39263731}, issn = {1557-7759}, mesh = {Animals ; Beijing/epidemiology ; *Phylogeny ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; *Passeriformes/parasitology ; China/epidemiology ; Trematode Infections/veterinary/epidemiology/parasitology ; }, abstract = {Background: Sphaerirostris picae is a parasitic species known for its ability to infect and transmit between hosts in the gastrointestinal tracts of wild avian species. However, there is limited information on its presence and impact on urban avian populations, particularly in China. Materials and Methods: In this study, morphological observations were conducted to detect the presence of Sphaerirostris sp. within the intestinal tract of the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) collected in Beijing, China. Further confirmation of the parasite's identity was achieved through phylogenetic analysis using COX1 gene sequencing to compare with previously documented Sphaerirostris picae isolates. Results: The morphological and molecular analyses confirmed the presence of Sphaerirostris picae in the Oriental Magpie. Phylogenetic analysis indicated a close relationship with known Sphaerirostris picae isolates. This represents the first reported case of Sphaerirostris picae infection in magpies from Beijing, China. Conclusion: The findings highlight the potential health hazards posed by Sphaerirostris picae to urban avian populations and public health. The study suggests that additional research and surveillance efforts are necessary to better understand the risks associated with this parasite and to develop effective mitigation strategies.}, }
@article {pmid39270252, year = {2024}, author = {Zhu, H and Fang, Y and Wu, J and Wang, Z and Li, J and Cheng, X and Ji, H and Su, Y and Shieh, W}, title = {Narrow-bandwidth silicon photonic CROW filter for carrier-extracted self-coherent (CESC) detection.}, journal = {Optics letters}, volume = {49}, number = {18}, pages = {5151-5154}, doi = {10.1364/OL.536778}, pmid = {39270252}, issn = {1539-4794}, abstract = {In this Letter, we report a second-order silicon photonic (SiP) coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW) filter with an ultra-narrow 10-dB bandwidth of 1.75 GHz and a high extinction ratio (ER) of ∼50 dB. By utilizing this CROW filter, we demonstrated an innovative self-coherent detection, called carrier-extracted self-coherent (CESC) detection. By effectively suppressing signal components with the narrow-bandwidth CROW, full-field recovery can be achieved without expensive coherent lasers and sophisticated iteration algorithms. The performance of the CROW filter-based CESC system was further experimentally verified by retrieving 100 Gb/s QPSK signals.}, }
@article {pmid39275229, year = {2024}, author = {Liu, S and Yu, X and Xing, Z and Ding, P and Cui, Y and Liu, H}, title = {The Impact of Exposure to Iodine and Fluorine in Drinking Water on Thyroid Health and Intelligence in School-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Investigation.}, journal = {Nutrients}, volume = {16}, number = {17}, pages = {}, pmid = {39275229}, issn = {2072-6643}, support = {82173641//National Nature Science Foundation of China/ ; TJWJ2022MS045//The Scientific and Technological Project of Tianjin health/ ; TJSQNYXXR-D2-151//Tianjin high-level personnel training program/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; *Iodine/urine/deficiency ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Fluorine ; *Intelligence/drug effects ; *Drinking Water/chemistry/analysis ; *Thyroid Gland/drug effects ; China ; Thyroid Hormones/blood ; Adolescent ; Intelligence Tests ; }, abstract = {Iodine and fluorine, as halogen elements, are often coexisting in water environments, with nearly 200 million people suffering from fluorosis globally, and, in 11 countries and territories, adolescents have iodine intakes higher than that required for the prevention of iodine deficiency disorders. It has been suggested that excess iodine and/or fluorine can affect thyroid health and intellectual development, especially in children, but their combined effect has been less studied in this population. This study investigated 399 school-age children in Tianjin, China, collected drinking water samples from areas where the school-age children lived, and grouped the respondents according to iodine and fluorine levels. Thyroid health was measured using thyroid hormone levels, thyroid volume, and the presence of thyroid nodules; intelligence quotient (IQ) was assessed using the Raven's Progressive Matrices (CRT) test; and monoamine neurotransmitter levels were used to explore the potential relationship between thyroid health and intelligence. Multiple linear regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses showed that iodine and fluorine were positively correlated with thyroid volume and the incidence of thyroid nodules in school-age children, and negatively correlated with IQ; similar results were obtained in the secondary subgroups based on urinary iodine and urinary fluoride levels. Interaction analyses revealed a synergistic effect of iodine and fluorine. A pathway analysis showed that iodine and fluorine were negatively associated with the secretion of free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free tetraiodothyronine (FT4), which in turn were negatively associated with the secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Iodine and fluorine may affect IQ in school-aged children through the above pathways that affect thyroid hormone secretion; of these, FT3 and TSH were negatively correlated with IQ, whereas FT4 was positively correlated with IQ. The relationship between thyroid hormones and monoamine neurotransmitters may involve the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, with FT4 hormone concentrations positively correlating with dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HT) concentrations, and FT3 hormone concentrations positively correlating with DA concentrations. Monoamine neurotransmitters may play a mediating role in the effects of iodine and fluoride on intelligence in schoolchildren. However, this study has some limitations, as the data were derived from a cross-sectional study in Tianjin, China, and no attention was paid to the reciprocal effects of iodine and fluorine at different doses on thyroid health and intelligence in schoolchildren in other regions.}, }
@article {pmid39282681, year = {2024}, author = {Ayoub, AEA and Aljughaiman, AM and Alghawi, MA and Morsy, A and Omara, EMN and Abdulla Alabbasi, AM and Renzulli, JS}, title = {Validation of Hamdan intelligence scale in upper elementary grades using the Rasch model: exploratory study.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1407734}, pmid = {39282681}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Hamdan Intelligence Scale (HIS) is the first intelligence scale that has been developed and normed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study aimed to examine the refinement, validity, and reliability of HIS in upper elementary grades using the Rasch model. A total of 4,301 students (34.3% Male; 65.7% Female) from grade 4 to 6 (32.1% grade 4; 33.7% grade 5; 34.2% grade 6) were administered to the HIS. The confirmatory factor analysis was first conducted to verify the fitness of the one-factor model of the HIS. The results of validity showed strong correlation coefficients between the HIS and the Aurora-g battery (0.83) and the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM; 0.86). Moreover, the results of the developmental trends demonstrated that raw scores of the HIS increase with age and grade relatively constantly across composite scores. Unidimensionality was confirmed through the Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Principal Component Analysis of Residuals (PCAR). The low eigenvalues of the first contrast were below 2, and additionally, the infit and outfit mean squares ranged from 0.88 to 1.14 and 0.84 to 1.14. Rasch's person reliability result of 0.62 was acceptable reliability. The results provided strong support for the validity and reliability of using the Hamdan Intelligence Scale in the UAE environment.}, }
@article {pmid39282745, year = {2024}, author = {Karaavci, FA and Dortbudak, MB and Demircioglu, M and Kocyigit, A}, title = {Investigation of Glandula Uropygialis in Different Avian Species Using Morphometric and Histological Methods.}, journal = {Anatomia, histologia, embryologia}, volume = {53}, number = {5}, pages = {e13107}, doi = {10.1111/ahe.13107}, pmid = {39282745}, issn = {1439-0264}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Male ; *Birds/anatomy & histology ; Feathers/anatomy & histology ; Geese/anatomy & histology ; Columbidae/anatomy & histology ; }, abstract = {The aim of this study was to identify the glandula uropygialis's macroanatomical and histological structure in male and female birds (stork, goose, eagle, pigeon, crow and sparrowhawk) that belong to different populations. A total of 58 specimens were used in the study. The study materials were delivered to our laboratory by nature conservation and national parks, and no animals were euthanised for this study. The longitudinal and transversal lengths, dorsoventral heights and feather length of the glandula uropygialis and papilla uropygialis were measured with a digital calliper. Haematoxylin-eosin and Masson trichrome staining were performed for histological examinations. The shape of the glandula uropygialis was found to be pear-shaped in pigeons and sparrowhawks, heart-shaped in geese, kidney-shaped in eagles and oval-fascule-shaped in storks. In the crow, the shape of the glandula uropygialis was different from the other species in that it was located dorso-caudally. Histomorphological examination of the glands of these species revealed that the gland generally consisted of two lobes, right and left, surrounded by connective tissue from the outside. The parenchyma of these lobes consisted of tubulo-alveolar secretory glands with a radial arrangement from the periphery to the centre. The glands within the lobes differed from the periphery to the centre and although the general histomorphological appearance was similar between bird species, some differences were observed between species. Similar stromal structure was observed in all bird species evaluated in the study. However, the reticular connective tissue forming the roof of the gland was found to be more developed in pigeons, especially in Masson's trichroma staining. The degenerative layer in the glands was more prominent in the eagle, followed by the goose and crow. Although a common general histological structure was observed among bird species, simple histomorphological differences were found between these formations, but no differences were found between the sexes. The results obtained will be compared with the findings of the aves class and will provide a data source for this special gland specific to birds. It is thought that the results obtained may help to determine the functional properties of the gland and contribute to the science of ornithology.}, }
@article {pmid39307930, year = {2025}, author = {Micula, A and Holmer, E and Ning, R and Danielsson, H}, title = {Relationships Between Hearing Status, Cognitive Abilities, and Reliance on Visual and Contextual Cues.}, journal = {Ear and hearing}, volume = {46}, number = {2}, pages = {433-443}, pmid = {39307930}, issn = {1538-4667}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Cues ; Middle Aged ; *Speech Perception ; *Hearing Aids ; Aged ; *Memory, Short-Term ; *Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/rehabilitation/physiopathology/psychology ; *Cognition ; *Intelligence ; *Visual Perception ; Noise ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Hearing Loss, Bilateral/rehabilitation/physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Visual and contextual cues facilitate speech recognition in suboptimal listening conditions (e.g., background noise, hearing loss, hearing aid signal processing). Moreover, successful speech recognition in challenging listening conditions is linked to cognitive abilities such as working memory and fluid intelligence. However, it is unclear which cognitive abilities facilitate the use of visual and contextual cues in individuals with normal hearing and hearing aid users. The first aim was to investigate whether individuals with hearing aid users rely on visual and contextual cues to a higher degree than individuals with normal hearing in a speech-in-noise recognition task. The second aim was to investigate whether working memory and fluid intelligence are associated with the use of visual and contextual cues in these groups.
DESIGN: Groups of participants with normal hearing and hearing aid users with bilateral, symmetrical mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss were included (n = 169 per group). The Samuelsson and Rönnberg task was administered to measure speech recognition in speech-shaped noise. The task consists of an equal number of sentences administered in the auditory and audiovisual modalities, as well as without and with contextual cues (visually presented word preceding the sentence, e.g.,: "Restaurant"). The signal to noise ratio was individually set to 1 dB below the level obtained for 50% correct speech recognition in the hearing-in-noise test administered in the auditory modality. The Reading Span test was used to measure working memory capacity and the Raven test was used to measure fluid intelligence. The data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects modeling.
RESULTS: Both groups exhibited significantly higher speech recognition performance when visual and contextual cues were available. Although the hearing aid users performed significantly worse compared to those with normal hearing in the auditory modality, both groups reached similar performance levels in the audiovisual modality. In addition, a significant positive relationship was found between the Raven test score and speech recognition performance only for the hearing aid users in the audiovisual modality. There was no significant relationship between Reading Span test score and performance.
CONCLUSIONS: Both participants with normal hearing and hearing aid users benefitted from contextual cues, regardless of cognitive abilities. The hearing aid users relied on visual cues to compensate for the perceptual difficulties, reaching a similar performance level as the participants with normal hearing when visual cues were available, despite worse performance in the auditory modality. It is important to note that the hearing aid users who had higher fluid intelligence were able to capitalize on visual cues more successfully than those with poorer fluid intelligence, resulting in better speech-in-noise recognition performance.}, }
@article {pmid39313949, year = {2025}, author = {Choi, SY and Koh, YG and Yoo, KH and Han, HS and Seok, J and Kim, BJ}, title = {A Randomized, Participant- and Evaluator-Blinded, Matched-Pair, Prospective Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy Between Polycaprolactone and Polynucleotide Fillers in the Correction of Crow's Feet.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {e16576}, pmid = {39313949}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {//This work was funded by DexLevo, Inc./ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Polyesters/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Dermal Fillers/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Male ; *Polynucleotides/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; Treatment Outcome ; Rejuvenation ; Single-Blind Method ; Foot ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dermal fillers have gained widespread popularity for facial cosmetic enhancement and anti-aging treatments. Recently, polycaprolactone (PCL) and polynucleotides (PN) fillers have emerged as promising options owing to their safety and long-lasting effects.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of a novel PCL-based dermal filler (DLMR01) with purified PN filler (RJR: Rejuran) in correcting crow's feet wrinkles.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, evaluator-blinded, prospective split-face study was conducted with 218 healthy Asian participants. The primary outcome was in the improvement rate of the Crow's Feet Grading Scale (CFGS) at rest after 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes included the improvement rate of the CFGS at expression and rest at earlier time points, changes in CFGS, and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) assessment.
RESULTS: The results showed that DLMR01 was not inferior to RJR in improving crow's feet wrinkles, with a significantly higher CGFS improvement rate at week 12. Both fillers demonstrated good safety profiles, with mild and tolerable adverse events. No serious adverse events were reported during the study period.
CONCLUSION: DLMR01, a PCL-based dermal filler, showed effectiveness and safety in improving wrinkles described as crow's feet. The study suggests that DLMR01 could be a promising option for noninvasive anti-aging treatments.}, }
@article {pmid39315189, year = {2024}, author = {Huang, J and Zhang, X and Chang, Y}, title = {Effectiveness and safety of botulinum toxin type A combined with blepharoplasty in treating sagging skin around the eyes.}, journal = {Heliyon}, volume = {10}, number = {18}, pages = {e37407}, pmid = {39315189}, issn = {2405-8440}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Researchers looked into the safety and effectiveness of blepharoplasty in conjunction with botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of periocular skin laxity.
METHODS: 92 patients who received treatment at our institution for periocular skin laxity were chosen as research subjects. Their admission time ranged from May 2020 to December 2022. Using various therapy modalities, the patients were split into two groups: an observational team (n = 46) and a controlling team (n = 46). They were respectively given blepharoplasty treatment intervention and botulinum toxin type A combined with blepharoplasty treatment intervention. Eyelid bags, crow's feet, skin radiance and aesthetic results, quality of life were analyzed before and after the intervention, and physician and patient' satisfaction with the results were compared.
RESULTS: 95.65 % was the effective rate of the observed group, which was 71.74 % compared with the control group, and significantly increased (P < 0.05). After interference, the score, aesthetic effect and quality of life grade of skin gloss, crow's feet and eyelid bags were significantly higher in the observation group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The complication rate in the observation group was 6.52 % was significantly higher than 30.43 % in the control group (P < 0.05). The patient satisfaction of the observation group was 93.48 %, significantly greater than the control group 69.57 % (P < 0.05); the customer satisfaction of the observation group was 95.65 %, which was significantly higher than the control group 82.61 % (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The combination of type A botulinum toxin and eye bag plastic surgery has a good effect on improving skin laxity around the eyes. It can significantly reduce eyelid bags and crow's feet, improve skin gloss, increase aesthetic effects, and comprehensively restore vitality to aged eye skin, improve life quality, and have high doctor-client contentment and safety.}, }
@article {pmid39324792, year = {2024}, author = {Gallichotte, EN and Fitzmeyer, EA and Williams, L and Spangler, MC and Bosco-Lauth, AM and Ebel, GD}, title = {WNV and SLEV coinfection in avian and mosquito hosts: impact on viremia, antibody responses, and vector competence.}, journal = {Journal of virology}, volume = {98}, number = {10}, pages = {e0104124}, pmid = {39324792}, issn = {1098-5514}, support = {T32-AI162691//HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ ; BII 2021909, BII 2213854//National Science Foundation (NSF)/ ; AI067380//HHS | National Institutes of Health (NIH)/ ; T32 AI162691/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R01 AI067380/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *West Nile virus/immunology ; *West Nile Fever/virology/transmission/veterinary/immunology ; *Coinfection/virology/immunology ; *Culex/virology ; *Mosquito Vectors/virology ; *Viremia/virology ; *Encephalitis Virus, St. Louis/immunology ; *Antibodies, Viral/blood/immunology ; *Bird Diseases/virology/transmission/immunology ; Encephalitis, St. Louis/virology/transmission ; Virus Replication ; Songbirds/virology ; Antibody Formation ; Birds/virology ; }, abstract = {West Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) are closely related flaviviruses that can cause encephalitis in humans and related diseases in animals. In nature, both are transmitted by Culex, with wild birds, including jays, sparrows, and robins, serving as vertebrate hosts. WNV and SLEV circulate in the same environments and have recently caused concurrent disease outbreaks in humans. The extent that coinfection of mosquitoes or birds may alter transmission dynamics, however, is not well characterized. We therefore sought to determine if coinfection alters infection kinetics and virus levels in birds and infection rates in mosquitoes. Accordingly, American robins (Turdus migratorius), two species of mosquitoes, and vertebrate and invertebrate cells were infected with WNV and/or SLEV to assess how simultaneous exposure may alter infection outcomes. There was variable impact of coinfection in vertebrate cells, with some evidence that SLEV can suppress WNV replication. However, robins had comparable viremia and antibody responses regardless of coinfection. Conversely, in Culex cells and mosquitoes, we saw a minimal impact of simultaneous exposure to both viruses on replication, with comparable infection, dissemination, and transmission rates in singly infected and coinfected mosquitoes. Importantly, while WNV and SLEV levels in coinfected mosquito midguts were positively correlated, we saw no correlation between them in salivary glands and saliva. These results reveal that while coinfection can occur in both avian and mosquito hosts, the viruses minimally impact one another. The potential for coinfection to alter virus population structure or the likelihood of rare genotypes emerging remains unknown.IMPORTANCEWest Nile virus (WNV) and St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) are closely related viruses that are transmitted by the same mosquitoes and infect the same birds in nature. Both viruses circulate in the same regions and have caused concurrent outbreaks in humans. It is possible that mosquitoes, birds, and/or humans could be infected with both WNV and SLEV simultaneously, as has been observed with Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses. To study the impact of coinfection, we experimentally infected vertebrate and invertebrate cells, American robins, and two Culex species with WNV and/or SLEV. Robins were efficiently coinfected, with no impact of coinfection on virus levels or immune response. Similarly, in mosquitoes, coinfection did not impact infection rates, and mosquitoes could transmit both WNV and SLEV together. These results reveal that WNV and SLEV coinfection in birds and mosquitoes can occur in nature, which may impact public health and human disease risk.}, }
@article {pmid39328063, year = {2024}, author = {Romero, FG and Beaudry, FEG and Hovmand Warner, E and Nguyen, TN and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {A new high-quality genome assembly and annotation for the threatened Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens).}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {14}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {39328063}, issn = {2160-1836}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), a Federally Threatened, cooperatively-breeding bird, is an emerging model system in evolutionary biology and ecology. Extensive individual-based monitoring and genetic sampling for decades has yielded a wealth of data, allowing for the detailed study of social behavior, demography, and population genetics of this natural population. Here, we report a linkage map and a chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation for a female Florida Scrub-Jay made with long-read sequencing technology, chromatin conformation data, and the linkage map. We constructed a linkage map comprising 4,468 SNPs that had 34 linkage groups and a total sex-averaged autosomal genetic map length of 2446.78 cM. The new genome assembly is 1.33 Gb in length, consisting of 33 complete or near-complete autosomes and the sex chromosomes (ZW). This highly contiguous assembly has an NG50 of 68 Mb and a Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) completeness score of 97.1% with respect to the Aves database. The annotated gene set has a BUSCO transcriptome completeness score of 95.5% and 17,964 identified protein-coding genes, 92.5% of which have associated functional annotations. This new, high-quality genome assembly and linkage map of the Florida Scrub-Jay provides valuable tools for future research into the evolutionary dynamics of small, natural populations of conservation concern.}, }
@article {pmid39344034, year = {2025}, author = {Rengot, J and Prestat-Marquis, E and Aime, I and Campos, JR and Camel, E and François, G}, title = {SCAWA scales: A new digital tool for wrinkles clinical grading based on AI.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {47}, number = {2}, pages = {240-259}, doi = {10.1111/ics.12995}, pmid = {39344034}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {*Skin Aging ; Humans ; *Artificial Intelligence ; Photography ; Machine Learning ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Clinical assessment of wrinkle depth is essential for efficacy evaluations of anti-ageing products. Standardized photographic scales, representative of different wrinkle depths are often used by experts to assign subjects reliable grades. These tools, based on real pictures, usually exist as hard copies (printed books or sheets) for in vivo gradings. Our project aims at developing a methodology to create digital standardized computer-generated scales, allowing photograph and real-life gradings, and providing raters with greater comfort, accessibility, and flexibility in their construction, thanks to the artificial intelligence significative contribution.
METHODS: A completely new approach, based on machine learning, allows the creation of Standardized ColorFace® AI-based Wrinkle Assessment (SCAWA) scales. Instead of using real photographs, the scale images are computer-generated. A generative adversarial network (GAN) is trained to create realistic wrinkle samples that are finely controllable by exploring the GAN latent space. Finally, the scale images are selected among hundreds of artificial images depicting natural wrinkle appearances, such as the illustrated wrinkle evolution is well-detailed (small gaps between grades), morphologically stable, and mathematically linear according to a criterion of wrinkle conspicuous depth.
RESULTS: The created 12-point scale for crow's feet wrinkle evaluation on ColorFace® pictures is proven to be realistic, linear, and robustly and accurately usable for photograph assessments. The scale coherence in terms of image ranking has been validated, as well as its reliability and acceptability in real conditions of use. Additionally, the wrinkle grades obtained by the SCAWA scale are well correlated (R = 0.94) with the ones obtained by the Skin Aging Atlas on the same pictures. The AI methodology and digital format brought also interesting side results, such as an enhanced harmonization between experts and a higher representativeness, that is, a decrease of out-of-range pictures.
CONCLUSION: SCAWA scale makes the most of machine learning to provide an innovative digital tool to ease wrinkles in visual assessment of pictures, while optimizing linearity, homogeneity, and accuracy aspects. The experts' enthusiastic feedback about the scale format and quality is promising regarding the adaptation of the methodology to other signs and a larger distribution of this tool in the market of cosmetic product efficacy assessment.}, }
@article {pmid39345301, year = {2024}, author = {Boadi, M and Gbedema, SY and Boakye, YD and Bayor, MT and Aboagye, EA}, title = {Wound Healing and Acute Dermal Toxicity Studies of Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P. H. Raven (Onagraceae) in Sprague-Dawley Rats.}, journal = {Journal of tropical medicine}, volume = {2024}, number = {}, pages = {9576349}, pmid = {39345301}, issn = {1687-9686}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The aerial part of Ludwigia octovalvis has been used traditionally in some parts of Asia for the management of wounds owing to the presence of phytochemicals such as tannins, flavonoids, and triterpenoids among others. The incidence of wounds, their associated complications, and the cost of wound care are on the increase globally, therefore, the need to develop alternative wound care agents. The aim of this study was to scientifically investigate the wound healing potential of the ethanolic extract of L. octovalvis using the excision wound healing model in rats and also carry out an acute dermal toxicity investigation of the plant extract.
METHOD: A 70% ethanol extract of L. octovalvis was prepared for the wound healing activity using the excision wound healing model in Sprague-Dawley rats. Aqueous creams (1, 3, and 10%) were prepared and topically applied to the wounds once daily according to the groups of animals. The wounds were assessed for rates of wound closure on days 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11. Re-epithelialization periods were also determined. Sections of wound tissues obtained on day 13 were subjected to histological investigations. An acute dermal toxicity of the plant extract was investigated.
RESULTS: L. octovalvis treatment (1, 3, and 10%) exhibited a mean percentage wound contraction range of 85.36 ± 7.22-94.14 ± 2.23 on day 11. The extract exhibited re-epithelialization periods of 17.3 ± 1.2, 19.8 ± 2.6, and 16.0 ± 1.7 days for the 1, 3, and 10% extract creams, respectively, whereas the cream-only and 1% silver sulfadiazine treatments resulted in a re-epithelialization period of greater than 28 days. Histopathological investigation revealed enhanced fibroblast infiltration and collagen deposition in the treatment groups. No adverse reaction was observed in the acute dermal toxicity study.
CONCLUSIONS: Extract of L. octovalvis exhibited wound healing by enhancing wound contraction, re-epithelialization, fibroblast infiltration, and collagen deposition at the wound site. The extract did not exhibit any toxic reaction in the acute dermal toxicity study.}, }
@article {pmid39345526, year = {2025}, author = {Shah, SS and Diamond, J and Barve, S and Cosgrove, EJ and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Lifetime fitness benefits of short-distance dispersal and low costs of inbreeding drive inbreeding tolerance in an avian cooperative breeder.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1101/2024.09.21.614049}, pmid = {39345526}, issn = {2692-8205}, abstract = {Inbreeding, or breeding with close relatives, often decreases individual fitness, but mate choice can increase inbreeding risk in some species. Inbreeding is more likely in species with limited dispersal, such as cooperative breeders, where offspring frequently breed close to home. We leverage 32 years of data from a population of Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens), an avian cooperative breeder, to investigate whether mate choice, and its lifetime fitness outcomes, affects inbreeding tolerance. We find that both sexes show shorter dispersal distances than expected under random mating. While female-biased natal dispersal mitigates inbreeding risk to some extent, limited movement away from the breeding territory by both sexes for later pairings (following mate death or divorce) results in higher relatedness between mates than expected under random mating. Males paired with close relatives and females who move longer distances experience equivalently reduced lifetime reproductive success (LRS). Moreover, breeders who move farther for first pairings experience reduced survival likelihood and consequently reduced LRS. Fitness benefits of short-distance dispersal and relatively low fitness costs of inbreeding thus permit inbreeding tolerance in Florida Scrub-Jays. Understanding how and why mate choice contributes to inbreeding is crucial for informed conservation of endangered species like the Florida Scrub-Jay.}, }
@article {pmid39355196, year = {2024}, author = {Agarwalla, S and Chandra, B and Kundu, GK}, title = {Influence of Age and Gender on Emotional Intelligence, Intelligence Quotient, Anxiety, and Behavior of Children in a Dental Setup.}, journal = {International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry}, volume = {17}, number = {5}, pages = {518-523}, pmid = {39355196}, issn = {0974-7052}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Children's age is a significant predictor factor for their panic and conduct intraoperatively. A child's developmental stage influences their ability to handle stress in dental operations, and it seems that younger children are more anxious and have a better capacity to cope with dental procedures. Age and gender are said to have a significant influence on emotional quotient (EQ) and intelligence quotient (IQ), but the data regarding this is extremely sparse in the dental literature.
AIM: To find the impact of age and gender on EQ, IQ, panic, and conduct of children in an oral care setup.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 female and 50 male (total 107) children were considered participants aged 7-12 years. The study was executed in two sessions in the pediatric dentistry department. In the first session, "Bar-On emotional quotient inventory: youth version (Bar-On EQ-i: YV)" and the "Raven's colored progressive matrices (RCPM)" tests were administered to evaluate the EQ and IQ of the children, and a clinical psychologist supervised and guided the whole procedure. In the second appointment, anxiety was recorded using the "faces version of the modified child's dental anxiety scale (MCDAS(f))," whereas behavior was recorded with the "sound, eye, and motor (SEM) scale." Interpretation of data was done by statistical methods.
RESULTS: The difference in IQ scores between the groups aged 7-9 and 10-12 years was not statistically significant. There was a statistically notable difference (p-value of 0.006) in the RCPM IQ scores among male and female participants, where female participants scored better. There was a statistically insignificant variation in total EQ scores between male and female participants. Based on age and gender, a statistically insignificant variation was noted in the anxiety scores (MCDAS(f)) among participants. A statistically notable difference (p-value of 0.018) was seen between the SEM scores of the 7-9 and 10-12 years age-groups. SEM scores of male and female participants showed no significant difference.
CONCLUSION: There was no influence of age on the IQ and EQ scores of the participants. A gender difference was found in relation to the IQ scores and the intrapersonal and stress management subscales of EQ. Based on age and gender, there was a statistically nonsignificant difference between the anxiety scores (MCDAS(f)) of the participants. A statistically notable variation was seen between the SEM scores for behavior of the 7-9 and 10-12 years age-groups. Statistically insignificant variation was noted between the SEM scores of both genders.
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Agarwalla S, Chandra B, Kundu GK. Influence of Age and Gender on Emotional Intelligence, Intelligence Quotient, Anxiety, and Behavior of Children in a Dental Setup. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2024;17(5):518-523.}, }
@article {pmid39372881, year = {2024}, author = {Kim, JS}, title = {Three-dimensional Analysis of Lifting Effects after High-intensity Focused Ultrasound (Ultraformer-MPT) across Seven Facial Aesthetic Units Considering SonoAnatomy.}, journal = {Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open}, volume = {12}, number = {10}, pages = {e6203}, pmid = {39372881}, issn = {2169-7574}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: This investigation delves deep into the lifting degree for each area of noninvasive facial rejuvenation through high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). The study meticulously examines the lifting effects of HIFU treatment across seven distinct facial aesthetic-units, using advanced three-dimensional scanner analysis.
METHODS: The study examined a cohort of 50 patients treated with HIFU. Pre- and immediate posttreatment evaluations were conducted using three-dimensional scanner analysis, allowing for precise quantification of lifting effects across seven aesthetic units. Treatment protocols were tailored to leverage five cartridges with micropulsed mode options, optimizing outcomes based on sonographic anatomy.
RESULTS: The forehead was lifted by 1.24 mm; crow's feet, 2.25; malar region, 2.46; posterior cheek, 3.40; jowl, 2.90; mandible, 3.09; and neck, 3.53.
CONCLUSIONS: The forehead showed a lift of 1.24 mm, attributed to the thin tissue requiring a cautious approach to avoid discomfort. A lift of 2.25 mm in the crow's feet area demonstrated the efficacy of HIFU in addressing fine lines and wrinkles. Significant lift of 2.47 mm in the malar region highlights HIFU's effectiveness in addressing mid-face laxity and restoring volume to the cheeks. The most substantial lift of 3.38 mm in the posterior cheek underscores targeted energy application for enhanced lifting and contouring. Notable lifting effect of 2.90 mm in the jowl area benefits sagging along the jawline, refining facial contour. Lift of 3.10 mm in the mandible shows improvement of lower facial laxity, defining the jawline. The highest lift of 3.55 mm in the neck region addresses laxity and sagging for a defined neck profile.}, }
@article {pmid39374830, year = {2024}, author = {Gems, D and Kern, CC}, title = {Biological constraint, evolutionary spandrels and antagonistic pleiotropy.}, journal = {Ageing research reviews}, volume = {101}, number = {}, pages = {102527}, pmid = {39374830}, issn = {1872-9649}, support = {215574/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 215574/Z/19/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Aging/genetics/physiology ; *Genetic Pleiotropy ; *Biological Evolution ; Longevity/genetics/physiology ; }, abstract = {Maximum lifespan differs greatly between species, indicating that the process of senescence is largely genetically determined. Senescence evolves in part due to antagonistic pleiotropy (AP), where selection favors gene variants that increase fitness earlier in life but promote pathology later. Identifying the biological mechanisms by which AP causes senescence is key to understanding the endogenous causes of aging and its attendant diseases. Here we argue that the frequent occurrence of AP as a property of genes reflects the presence of constraint in the biological systems that they specify. This arises particularly because the functionally interconnected nature of biological systems constrains the simultaneous optimization of coupled traits (interconnection constraints), or because individual traits cannot evolve (impossibility constraints). We present an account of aging that integrates AP and biological constraint with recent programmatic aging concepts, including costly programs, quasi-programs, hyperfunction and hypofunction. We argue that AP mechanisms of costly programs and triggered quasi-programs are consequences of constraint, in which costs resulting from hyperfunction or hypofunction cause senescent pathology. Impossibility constraint can also cause hypofunction independently of AP. We also describe how AP corresponds to Stephen Jay Gould's constraint-based concept of evolutionary spandrels, and argue that pathologies arising from AP are bad spandrels. Biological constraint is a conceptual missing link between ultimate and proximate causes of senescence, including diseases of aging.}, }
@article {pmid39390071, year = {2024}, author = {Lifshitz, H and Shnitzer-Meirovich, S and Koslovsky, M and Yozevitch, R}, title = {Exploring crystallized and fluid intelligence in down syndrome using graph theory.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {23738}, pmid = {39390071}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {*Down Syndrome ; Humans ; Male ; *Intelligence ; Female ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Young Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Intelligence Tests ; Middle Aged ; Intellectual Disability ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {This cross-sectional study examined the cognitive performance of crystallized intelligence (Gc) and fluid intelligence (Gf) in 340 individuals, comparing adults (aged 22-45) to adolescents (aged 16-21) in two groups of etiologies. Down syndrome (DS) and non-specific intellectual disability (NSID). The aim was to estimate whether their cognitive performance reflected accelerated, stable, or continuous trajectories. Participants were assessed using the Vocabulary, Similarities, Block Design, and Raven Matrix tests. ANOVA analysis indicated that adults exhibited higher scores than adolescents on three of the crystallized and fluid intelligence tests, with similar trends observed in the Raven Matrix test, thus supporting the Compensation Age Theory. Participants with NSID exhibited higher scores in Vocabulary than participants with DS. Participants with DS exhibited higher scores in Block Design and Raven than participants with NSID. There was no difference between the groups in Similarities, suggesting that the verbal ability of individuals with DS is not so impaired relative to participants with NSID. Graph analysis demonstrated divergent Gc-Gf networks between the two groups of etiologies. The DS etiology revealed more coherent connections between crystallized and fluid intelligence, especially in adulthood, compared to the diffuse and absent connections seen in adults with NSID. Thus, the relative strength in Similarities and the more coherent Gc-Gf interconnections in the DS etiology suggested a more coherent and not-so-impaired profile in a clear diagnostic etiology such as DS, especially in adulthood, compared to unclear genetic etiologies such as NSID. The findings hold educational implications for adults with ID with and without Down syndrome at least until their 40's as a time for growth and development, perhaps serving as a protective factor against possible cognitive decline in the future.}, }
@article {pmid39394831, year = {2025}, author = {Kruger, L and Bambino, K and Schmalenberg, K and Santhanam, U and Orentreich, D and Orentreich, C and Logerfo, J and Saliou, C}, title = {Efficacy of Topical Hydroxypinacolone Retinoate-Peptide Product Versus Fractional CO2 Laser in Facial Aging.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {e16621}, pmid = {39394831}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects/radiation effects ; Female ; *Lasers, Gas/therapeutic use/adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Face ; Adult ; Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Administration, Cutaneous ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Administration, Topical ; Rejuvenation ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Many people are interested in addressing visible signs of aging with non-invasive cosmetic treatments. Development of effective topical products will provide options to delay or support cosmetic procedures.
AIMS: This study assessed and compared the efficacy and tolerance of a topical product used over the course of 16 weeks to a single ablative laser treatment on women with moderate global photodamage on the face.
METHODS: Subjects in Cell 1 (Laser Cell) were treated over the entire face with a fractional CO2 laser system. Subjects in Cell 2 (Topical Serum Cell) were treated with a topical serum containing hydroxypinacolone retinoate and peptides over the entire face, twice per day for 16 weeks. The study was composed of 71 women, with 29 in the Laser Cell (mean age 56.2) and 42 in the Topical Serum Cell (mean age 55.0), between 40 and 65 years old. Expert grading was used to determine efficacy parameters.
RESULTS: Participants in the Topical Serum Cell achieved more significant improvement (p < 0.05) in Marionette lines, fine lines (global face), wrinkles (global face), wrinkles (crow's feet), nasolabial folds, texture, smoothness (tactile), global hyperpigmentation, lift, and photodamage compared to participants in the Laser Cell. Participants in the Topical Serum Cell achieved parity in the look of fine lines (crow's feet), forehead lines, glabella, firmness/bounce (tactile), skin tone evenness, radiance.
CONCLUSIONS: While no statistically significant differences in tolerability were observed, treatment with the topical cosmetic product achieved parity or statistically better improvement in parameters compared to laser treatment at 16 weeks.}, }
@article {pmid39397068, year = {2024}, author = {Syama, S and Ramprabhakar, J and Anand, R and Guerrero, JM}, title = {An integrated binary metaheuristic approach in dynamic unit commitment and economic emission dispatch for hybrid energy systems.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {23964}, pmid = {39397068}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The current generation portfolio is obligated to incorporate zero-emissions energy sources, predominantly wind and solar, due to the depletion of fossil fuels and the alarming rate of global warming. In the current scenario, power engineers must devise a compromised solution that not only advocates for the adoption of renewable energy sources (RES) but also efficiently schedules all conventional power generation units to balance the increasing load demand while simultaneously minimizing fuel costs and harmful emissions that are currently addressed by Unit Commitment (UC) and Combined Economic Emission Dispatch (CEED) problem solutions. However, the integration of renewable energy resources (RES) further complicates the UC-CEED problem due to their intermittent nature. Recently, metaheuristic algorithms are acquiring momentum in resolving constrained UC-CEED problems due to their improved global solution ability, adaptability, and derivative-free construction. In this research, a computationally efficient binary hybrid version of crow search algorithm and improvised grey wolf optimization is proposed, namely Crow Search Improved Binary Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm (CS-BIGWO) by inclusion of nonlinear control parameter, weight-based position updating, and mutation approach. Statistical results on standard mathematical functions prove the supremacy of the proposed algorithm over conventional algorithms. Further, a novel optimization strategy is devised by integrating enhanced lambda iteration with the CS-BIGWO algorithm (CS-BIGWO- λ) to solve a day-ahead UC-CEED problem of the hybrid energy system incorporating cost functions of RES. For the model, a day-ahead forecast of wind power and solar photovoltaic power is obtained by using the Levy-Flight Chaotic Whale Optimization Algorithm optimized Extreme Learning Machines(LCWOA-ELM). The proposed algorithm is tested for the UC-CEED solution of an IEEE-39 bus system with two distinct cases: (1) without RES integration and (2) with RES integration. Several independent trial runs are executed, and the performance of the algorithms is assessed based on optimal UC schedules, fuel cost, emission quantization, convergence curve, and computational time. For case 1, the proposed algorithm resulted in a percentage reduction of 0.1021% in fuel cost and 0.7995% in emission. In contrast, for test case 2, it resulted in a percentage reduction of 0.12896% in fuel cost and 0.772% in emission with the proposed algorithm. The results validate the dominance of the proposed methodology over existing methods in terms of lower fuel costs and emissions.}, }
@article {pmid39403249, year = {2024}, author = {Díaz-Rodríguez, C and Pérez-Córdoba, E}, title = {Influence of problem-solving ability and personality variables on the improvement and creativity of tactical decisions in basketball.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1450084}, pmid = {39403249}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Basketball players are increasingly required not only to read the tactical actions that take place in a game but also to make correct tactical decisions. This includes greater creativity in the type of solutions they must provide when faced with various tactical situations. To acquire these skills, young players need training in which personality and general intelligence variables significantly influence the learning process.
METHODS: A Perceptual Tactical Training (PTT) program was implemented, correlated with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Raven's Progressive Matrices test, to observe improvements in tactical perception and decision-making among young basketball players.
RESULTS: The PTT produced significant improvements in tactical solutions and tactical perception for all players. Players who scored high in general intelligence found it easier to perceive tactical situations but struggled to generate original tactical solutions. Conversely, players with high psychoticism and high general intelligence were more capable of creating innovative tactical solutions but did not excel in perceiving tactical game situations.
CONCLUSION: Therefore, it is crucial to be aware of the individual differences in intelligence and personality traits among young players to enhance their tactical decision-making and creative abilities.}, }
@article {pmid39406878, year = {2024}, author = {Lequitte-Charransol, P and Robert, A and Jiguet, F}, title = {Increased adult movements and decreased juvenile apparent survival of urban crows during COVID-19 lockdowns.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {24135}, pmid = {39406878}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {ESOD//Ministère de l'Écologie, du Développement Durable et de l'Énergie/ ; }, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; *COVID-19/epidemiology/mortality/prevention & control ; Humans ; SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification ; Quarantine ; Paris/epidemiology ; Urban Population ; Population Dynamics ; Cities/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {The increasing abundance of animal species thriving in urban environments is a source of conflicts with managers and users of public spaces. Although opportunistic urban species often use resources originating from human food leftovers, the potential impact of a reduction in these resources on their demography is hard to quantify. The COVID-19 epidemic, which led many countries to set up lockdowns, gave us the opportunity to estimate the impact of a drastic reduction in such food resources and human activities on the demography of an urban bird population. Based on 7 years (2015-2021) of capture-mark-recapture of carrion crows (Corvus corone) in the city of Paris, France, we used multi-state models to examine the intra-annual (3-month time steps) apparent survival and movement patterns of crows during and outside COVID-19 lockdowns. We showed that the apparent survival of juvenile carrion crows decreased down during lockdown, while adult movements increased during this period, with more adult crows moving out of the urban district. Lockdown modified the demography of this urban crow population, suggesting that the reduction in food resources was sufficient to affect fitness and reduce carrying capacity.}, }
@article {pmid39409738, year = {2024}, author = {Skoracki, M and Nielsen, ÓK and Sikora, B}, title = {Corvisyringophilus, a New Genus in the Family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) and Its Phylogenetic Position among Primitive Genera.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {14}, number = {19}, pages = {}, pmid = {39409738}, issn = {2076-2615}, support = {UAM ID-UB 094/07/POB1/0013 (to M.S.)//Excellence Initiative Program "Mobility" of the UAM Research University/ ; UAM UD-UB 094/07/POB1/0012 (to B.S.)//Excellence Initiative Program "Mobility" of the UAM Research University/ ; }, abstract = {Syringophilidae is one of the most species-rich families in the superfamily Cheyletoidea, comprising approximately 420 species across 62 genera and two subfamilies. In this paper, we propose a new genus, Corvisyringophilus, and a new species, C. krummi gen. n. et sp. n., found in the wing covert quills of the Common Raven, Corvus corax Linnaeus, in Iceland. Corvisyringophilus is placed among the primitive genera of syringophilid mites, which possess the full complement of idiosomal and leg setae. Phylogenetic analysis based on morphological characters suggests that this genus forms a sister clade to Blaszakia Skoracki & Sikora, 2008, and Charadriphilus Bochkov & Mironov, 1998, which inhabit birds of the orders Musophagiformes and Charadriiformes, respectively. The study proposes that the current distribution patterns of quill mites, based on their morphological characteristics, may result from multiple host switching followed by co-speciation events, highlighting the complex evolutionary dynamics within this family.}, }
@article {pmid39418618, year = {2024}, author = {Yearby, R}, title = {The Return of Jim Crow: Government Discrimination Against Women, LGBTQIA+ Individuals, and Racial/Ethnic Minority Individuals.}, journal = {American journal of public health}, volume = {114}, number = {12}, pages = {1331-1334}, pmid = {39418618}, issn = {1541-0048}, }
@article {pmid39419984, year = {2024}, author = {Lengyel, K and Rudra, M and Berghof, TVL and Leitão, A and Frankl-Vilches, C and Dittrich, F and Duda, D and Klinger, R and Schleibinger, S and Sid, H and Trost, L and Vikkula, H and Schusser, B and Gahr, M}, title = {Unveiling the critical role of androgen receptor signaling in avian sexual development.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {8970}, pmid = {39419984}, issn = {2041-1723}, mesh = {Animals ; *Receptors, Androgen/metabolism/genetics ; Male ; Female ; *Signal Transduction ; *Chickens/metabolism ; *Testosterone/metabolism ; *Sexual Development ; Sexual Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Fertility ; }, abstract = {Gonadal hormone activities mediated by androgen and estrogen receptors, along with cell-autonomous mechanisms arising from the absence of sex-chromosome dosage compensation, are key factors in avian sexual development. In this study, we generate androgen receptor (AR) knockout chickens (AR[-/-]) to explore the role of androgen signaling in avian sexual development. Despite developing sex-typical gonads and gonadal hormone production, AR[-/-] males and females are infertile. While few somatic sex-specific traits persist (body size, spurs, and tail feathers), crucial sexual attributes such as comb, wattles and sexual behaviors remain underdeveloped in both sexes. Testosterone treatment of young AR[-/-] males fails to induce crow behavior, comb development, or regression of the bursa of Fabricius, which are testosterone-dependent phenotypes. These findings highlight the significance of androgen receptor mechanisms in fertility and sex-specific traits in chickens, challenging the concept of a default sex in birds and emphasizing the dominance of androgen signaling in avian sexual development.}, }
@article {pmid39435947, year = {2024}, author = {Watson, SD}, title = {A Tribute to Professor Charity Scott: Imagination, Reflection, and the Jay Healey Teaching Plenary.}, journal = {The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics}, volume = {52}, number = {2}, pages = {228-231}, doi = {10.1017/jme.2024.122}, pmid = {39435947}, issn = {1748-720X}, mesh = {Humans ; Georgia ; *Teaching/history ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Faculty/history ; }, abstract = {Georgia State University College of Law Professor Emerita Charity Scott quoted these words from Albert Einstein in June of 2022 as she concluded a tribute to Professor Joseph (Jay) M. Healey, one of the founding lights of health law and health law teaching. She chose the quote because she thought the words and sentiment would resonate with Jay. I repeat it because Dr. Einstein's words capture the essence and heart of Charity's approach to teaching, pedagogy, and life. Charity modeled, urged, nudged, and taught the community of health law professors to embrace imagination and creativity. Charity's vision has helped us be more creative and reflective teachers.[2].}, }
@article {pmid39435948, year = {2024}, author = {Hoffmann, DE}, title = {Charity Scott - A Masterful Teacher.}, journal = {The Journal of law, medicine & ethics : a journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics}, volume = {52}, number = {2}, pages = {224-227}, doi = {10.1017/jme.2024.93}, pmid = {39435948}, issn = {1748-720X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Awards and Prizes ; History, 21st Century ; History, 20th Century ; Maryland ; United States ; Faculty/history ; }, abstract = {In 2006, the University of Maryland Carey School of Law had the privilege of co-hosting the annual Health Law Professors Conference with the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics (ASLME). Coincidentally, as director of the Law & Health Care Program at Maryland, I had the opportunity to announce the winner of the Jay Healey Health Law Teachers' Award at the conference. The award is given to "professors who have devoted a significant portion of their career to health law teaching and whose selection would honor Jay [Healey's] legacy through their passion for teaching health law, their mentoring of students and/or other faculty and by their being an inspiration to colleagues and students."[1] Healey, a Professor in the Humanities Department at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, was the youngest recipient of the Society's Health Law Teachers' Award, which he received in 1990. He was passionate about teaching and had the idea to devote a session each year at the annual conference to teaching health law. It was always a plenary session at which he challenged us to be better teachers. Jay died in 1993, at the age of 46, not long after the Health Law Teachers conference that year, which he attended and which also happened to be held in Baltimore at the University of Maryland School of Law. Thereafter, the award was given in his name.}, }
@article {pmid39437743, year = {2024}, author = {Taylor, AH and Johnston, M}, title = {How do animals understand the physical world?.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {34}, number = {20}, pages = {R996-R999}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.07.005}, pmid = {39437743}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Environment ; }, abstract = {The natural world is full of examples of animals interacting with their physical environment in surprising ways: capuchin monkeys crack open nuts with rocks; dolphins use sponges as 'gloves' on their rostra when searching for prey on the sea floor; and New Caledonian crows manufacture stick tools to pull grubs from logs (Figure 1). Deeper into the phylogenetic tree we continue to see interesting examples of behaviors of this kind, such as octopuses using coconut shells for protection, tuskfish breaking open cockles by hitting them against coral heads, and bees learning to pull string to gain out-of-reach food. These sophisticated behavioral interactions with their physical environment suggest that animals might have a deep understanding of their physical world at a cognitive level. In this primer, we review the performances of a variety of species when faced with tasks that probe their understanding of their physical world.}, }
@article {pmid39440441, year = {2025}, author = {Mazengenya, P and Manger, PR}, title = {Nuclear parcellation of pontine catecholaminergic and cholinergic neurons in gray parrots and pied crow brains.}, journal = {Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)}, volume = {308}, number = {9}, pages = {2433-2449}, pmid = {39440441}, issn = {1932-8494}, support = {2022-IRG-MED-3//Ajman University Research Grant/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Cholinergic Neurons/cytology/metabolism ; *Pons/cytology/anatomy & histology/metabolism ; *Parrots/anatomy & histology ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase/metabolism ; Locus Coeruleus ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase/metabolism ; Male ; *Catecholamines/metabolism ; }, abstract = {Employing immunohistochemical procedures with antibodies raised against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and choline acetyltransferase we identified and mapped the locus coeruleus complex (LoC) and the pontine laterodorsal tegmental (LDT) and pedunculopontine tegmental (PPN) cholinergic nuclei in the brains of a Congo gray parrot, a timneh gray parrot, and a pied crow. The LoC and LDT/PPN are centrally involved in the regulation and generation of different sleep states, and as all birds studied to date show both REM and non-REM sleep states, like mammals, we investigated whether these noradrenergic and cholinergic nuclei in the avian pons shared anatomical features with those in the mammalian pons. The LoC was parcellated into 3 distinct nuclei, including the locus coeruleus (A6), subcoeruleus (A7), and the fifth arcuate nucleus (A5), while distinct LDT and PPN nuclei were revealed. Several similarities that allow the assumption of homology of these nuclei between birds and mammals were revealed, including their location relative to each other and other structures within the pontine region, as well as a specific degree of topographical overlap of the noradrenergic and cholinergic neurons. Despite this, some differences were noted that may be of interest in understanding the differences in sleep between birds and mammals. Further anatomical and physiological studies are needed to determine whether these pontine nuclei in birds play the same role as in mammals, as while the homology is apparent, the functional analogy needs to be revealed.}, }
@article {pmid39441044, year = {2025}, author = {Lau, RC and Anderson, PJ and Gathercole, S and Wiley, JF and Spencer-Smith, M}, title = {Does working memory training in children need to be adaptive? A randomized controlled trial.}, journal = {Child development}, volume = {96}, number = {2}, pages = {508-526}, pmid = {39441044}, issn = {1467-8624}, support = {//Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University/ ; //Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship/ ; //Monash Graduate Excellence Scholarship/ ; //Tan Kah Kee Foundation Postgraduate Scholarship/ ; 1178487//National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grants/ ; 1176077//National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grants/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; Male ; Child ; Female ; *Cognitive Remediation/methods ; *Transfer, Psychology/physiology ; Cognitive Training ; }, abstract = {Most cognitive training programs are adaptive, despite limited direct evidence that this maximizes children's outcomes. This randomized controlled trial evaluated working memory training with difficulty of activities presented using adaptive, self-select, or stepwise compared with an active control. At baseline, immediately, and 6-months post-intervention, 201 Australian primary school children (101 males, 7-11 years) completed working memory tests (near and intermediate transfer) and the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and caregivers completed the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-Rating Scale-5 (far transfer). The intervention comprised ten 20-min sessions delivered in class. For each training condition, compared with the active control, there was no evidence of transfer immediately or 6-months post-intervention (negligible to small effects). This trial provides no evidence that adaptive working memory training maximizes children's outcomes.}, }
@article {pmid39447325, year = {2024}, author = {Kruger, RF and Pédra, MMG and Fonseca, LDS and Morales, DF and Rodrigues, GD and Marinho, MAT}, title = {The impact of burnt carcass on the occurrence probability of Chrysomya albiceps and Lucilia ochricornis (Diptera: Calliphoridae) in southern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.}, journal = {Forensic science international}, volume = {365}, number = {}, pages = {112249}, doi = {10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112249}, pmid = {39447325}, issn = {1872-6283}, mesh = {Animals ; *Calliphoridae/growth & development ; *Forensic Entomology ; *Postmortem Changes ; Brazil ; Swine ; *Feeding Behavior ; Models, Animal ; Fires ; Linear Models ; Diptera ; }, abstract = {We evaluated the impact of burnt carcasses on the probability of finding Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) and Lucilia ochricornis (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), and the time it took for them to arrive at the experimental carcasss. These species are biological indicators of the postmortem interval (PMI) in forensic scenarios. Using stillborn pig carcasses, this study analysed how different degrees of burning affect the level of attraction and colonisation by these species. Experimental models were subjected to level 2 (CG2) and 4 (CG4) burning according to the Crow-Glassman (CG) scale, ranging from fresh to skeletonization. Generalised Linear Models (GLM) with a Binomial distribution were used to evaluate the influence of decomposition time and experimental treatment on the probability of occurrence of each species. Additionally, survival analyses with the Weibull distribution were used to investigate how long it takes until the arrival of the first fly species in each experimental group. The results indicate that burning affects the probability of occurrence and colonisation time of the studied fly species. Although both species were affected by high degrees of burning, Lucilia ochricornis was more heavily affected than Chrysomya albiceps. This pattern was reflected in the time it took for the first occurrence of each fly species. In both cases, it took longer for flies to arrive at carcasses that had been more severely burnt. In the case of C. albiceps, the longest mean time until a fly was detected (Weibull, α = 79.9 h) happened in the CG4 group, followed by the CG2 group (α = 65.6 h) and the control group (α = 51.5 h). In contrast, for L. ochricornis, the longest mean first occurrence time (α = 85.4 h) was in CG2 group, followed by the Control (α = 49.1 h) and CG4 (α = 54.4 h) groups. This study emphasises the importance of considering whether or not a carcass was burnt and its degree of burning in forensic investigations, given that this variable can influence the accuracy of PMI estimation in crime scenes.}, }
@article {pmid39448510, year = {2025}, author = {Johnston, M and Scarf, D}, title = {Are crows smart? Let them count the ways.}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {53}, number = {3}, pages = {221-222}, pmid = {39448510}, issn = {1543-4508}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal/physiology ; *Cognition ; }, abstract = {Liao et al. demonstrated that crows can count out loud, revealing a level of vocal control previously unobserved in nonhuman species. This discovery suggests that rather than being judged by primate standards, birds might represent a new benchmark for vocal and perhaps broader cognitive abilities.}, }
@article {pmid39455458, year = {2025}, author = {Yue, Q and Cao, Z and Li, R and Wang, Y and Rui, S and Zhang, T and Liu, L}, title = {"Folding Fan Flap": A Novel and Dependable Surgical Technique for Crow's Feet Correction by Z-Plasty of Orbicularis Oculi Muscle.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {49}, number = {2}, pages = {484-489}, pmid = {39455458}, issn = {1432-5241}, support = {2021-I2M-1-052//Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Funds for Medical Sciences/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Surgical Flaps/transplantation ; *Facial Muscles/surgery ; Patient Satisfaction/statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; *Skin Aging/physiology ; Retrospective Studies ; *Rhytidoplasty/methods ; Follow-Up Studies ; Aged ; *Blepharoplasty/methods ; Esthetics ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The challenge of crow's feet surgical correction is to minimize the complication caused by orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) resection while ensuring the operative effect. This study aims to propose a novel technique to solve this problem and evaluate its efficacy.
METHODS: From January 2022 to April 2024, all patients who received "Folding fan flap" in our institution were included. The outer third of the OOM below the lateral canthus was dissected and received Z-plasty to exchange width for length and reconstruct the muscle dynamics in a non-circular direction. Preoperative and postoperative smiling crow's feet were assessed by two independent physicians using the Lemperle wrinkle scale. At least six months after surgery, patient satisfaction with wrinkle correction, naturalness of facial expression, and local flattening was subjectively evaluated on a five-point scale. Complications including hematomas, incomplete eyelid closure, facial stiffness, and forehead numbness were recorded.
RESULTS: A total of 32 patients (63 sides) were included with a mean follow-up of 13.9 ± 5.2 months. Postoperative assessments showed a significant reduction in Lemperle's score from 4.8 ± 0.4 to 1.5 ± 0.5 (P=0.000). Regarding the satisfaction of surgical outcomes and the naturalness of facial expressions, thirty patients (93.8%) were very satisfied. There were no severe complications such as hematomas and incomplete eyelid closure.
CONCLUSION: Preliminary clinical studies demonstrated the efficacy of this technique in ensuring outcomes while preserving normal dynamic expressions. By Z-plasty of the outer circle of OOM, the muscle dynamic was successfully modified rather than eradicated.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid39457130, year = {2024}, author = {Bello, A and Ferraresi, P and Pallini, S and Perucchini, P and Lonigro, A}, title = {Which Factors Predict L2 Receptive Vocabulary and Expressive Syntax in Bilingual Children from Low-SES Families?.}, journal = {Children (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {39457130}, issn = {2227-9067}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The objective of the current study was two-fold. First, it aimed to estimate receptive vocabulary and expressive syntax skills in L2 Italian among early sequential/simultaneous bilingual children of migrant single-mother families with very low socioeconomic status (SES). This objective was achieved by matching the participants' performance with normative data. Secondly, this study aimed to identify which individual and language exposure factors contributed to learning L2 vocabulary and syntax.
METHODS: Twenty-four early sequential/simultaneous bilingual children (age range = 5.10-12.4 years) and their mothers were enrolled. Mothers answered questions about linguistic biography and demographic information. Children completed Lexical Comprehension, Sentence Repetition, and Non-Word Repetition tasks from the Language Assessment Battery for 4-12-year-olds to, respectively, assess receptive vocabulary, expressive syntax, and phonological processing. Moreover, non-verbal intellectual functioning was evaluated by the Raven's Test.
RESULTS/DISCUSSION: Compared to normative data, 20 children showed lower receptive vocabulary abilities (<-1.5 SD), 24 lower expressive syntax skills (-2DS), and 7 children lower phonological processing (<-1.5 DS). Moreover, L2 phonological processing and the length of L2 exposure in an educational context positively predicted L2 receptive vocabulary as well as L2 expressive syntax skills. To date, performance in L2 among early sequential/simultaneous bilingual children from migrant households and very low SES remains underexplored. Future efforts need to be directed towards the understanding of factors that impact oral competence in L2, considering that these children will also be exposed to written L2 in the school context.}, }
@article {pmid39458342, year = {2024}, author = {Tang, B and Wang, Y and Dong, Y and Cui, Q and Zeng, Z and He, S and Zhao, W and Lancuo, Z and Li, S and Wang, W}, title = {The Catalog of Microbial Genes and Metagenome-Assembled Genomes from the Gut Microbiomes of Five Typical Crow Species on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {12}, number = {10}, pages = {}, pmid = {39458342}, issn = {2076-2607}, support = {2022-HZ-812//the program of science and technology international coop-654 eration project of Qinghai province/ ; }, abstract = {While considerable progress has been made in understanding the complex relationships between gut microbiomes and their hosts, especially in mammals and humans, the functions of these microbial communities in avian species remain largely unexplored. This gap in knowledge is particularly notable, given the critical roles gut microbiomes are known to play in facilitating crucial physiological functions, such as digestion, nutrient absorption, and immune system development. Corvidae birds are omnivorous and widely distributed across various habitats, exhibiting strong adaptability and often displaying the traits of accompanying humans. However, to date, information on species composition, sequenced genomes, and functional characteristics of crow gut microbes is lacking. Herein, we constructed the first relatively comprehensive crows gut microbial gene catalog (2.74 million genes) and 195 high-quality and medium-quality metagenome-assembled genomes using 53 metagenomic samples from five typical crow species (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax, Corvus dauuricus, Corvus frugilegus, Corvus macrorhynchos, and Corvus corax) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The species composition of gut microbiota at the phylum and genus levels was revealed for these five crow species. Simultaneously, numerous types of prevalent pathogenic bacteria were identified, indicating the potential of these crows to transmit diseases within the local community. At the functional level, we annotated a total of 356 KEGG functional pathways, six CAZyme categories, and 3607 virulence factor genes in the gut microbiomes of the crows. The gut microbiota of five distinct crow species underwent a comparative analysis, which uncovered significant differences in their composition, diversity, and functional structures. Over 36% of MAGs showed no overlap with existing databases, suggesting they might represent new species. Consequently, these findings enriched the dataset of microbial genomes associated with crows' digestive systems. Overall, this study offers crucial baseline information regarding the gut microbial gene catalog and genomes in crows, potentially aiding microbiome-based research, as well as an evaluation of the health risks to humans from the bacterial pathogens transmitted by wild birds.}, }
@article {pmid39460872, year = {2025}, author = {Govindharaj, V and Herald Victor, MBB and Garber, PA and Parthasarathy, TN}, title = {Nest raiding by bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) and the response of nest guarding birds in a suburban habitat.}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {66}, number = {1}, pages = {41-45}, pmid = {39460872}, issn = {1610-7365}, support = {PU/AD-3/URF-Extension/025191/23F85502/204//Periyar University/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Nesting Behavior ; *Macaca radiata/physiology ; India ; Ecosystem ; Female ; *Predatory Behavior ; Male ; *Crows/physiology ; Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {In many primate species, nest raiding is a form of opportunistic foraging behavior designed to acquire protein-rich eggs and nestlings. In urban environments, this is a significant cause of nest failure in birds. Here, we describe nest raiding and egg predation in bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) inhabiting a suburban area of Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. During nest raiding, large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) and house crows (Corvus splendens), actively defended their nest from the macaques. When several macaque foragers jointly raided the nest, they were successful in obtaining and consuming the eggs. In contrast, when a solitary macaque attempted to raid the nest, it was unsuccessful. Bird size appeared to play an important role in nest defense. Small birds, such as the scaly breasted munia (Lonchura punctulata) and the purple sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) were not able to protect their nests from lone bonnet macaques. These observations indicate that in urban landscapes, bonnet macaques are egg predators of many bird species. When macaques coordinate their actions and forage in small subgroups, they were more successful in preying on the eggs of larger-bodied bird species.}, }
@article {pmid39463687, year = {2024}, author = {Yuan, K and Yang, S and Liu, J and Liang, W}, title = {Responses of birds to observers holding popguns: Hunting history influences escape behavior of urban birds.}, journal = {Current zoology}, volume = {70}, number = {5}, pages = {631-636}, pmid = {39463687}, issn = {1674-5507}, abstract = {Human activities affect bird behavior both directly and indirectly. Birds constantly regulate their behavior in response to human disturbance. Gun hunting, a major directional disturbance, puts enormous selection pressure on birds. In China, gun bans have been in place for nearly 30 years, and little hunting using guns occurs in modern cities. However, little attention has been paid to whether a history of hunting still affects the behavioral adaptations of urban birds. In this study, we compared the flight initiation distance (FID) of the Eurasian tree sparrow Passer montanus, Azure-winged magpie Cyanopica cyanus, Common hoopoe Upupa epops and Eurasian magpie Pica pica in the presence of observers with or without popguns. The Eurasian tree sparrow, Azure-winged magpie, and Eurasian magpie effectively recognized the difference between the observers, and perceived the armed observer as a greater threat, exhibiting earlier escape behavior, but this phenomenon was not found in the Common hoopoe. The different expressions in FID of experimental bird species in China cities may be affected by the different levels of recognition of hunting pressure due to different hunting histories.}, }
@article {pmid39463698, year = {2024}, author = {Kryukov, AP and Kryukov, KA and Collier, K and Fang, B and Edwards, SV}, title = {Mitogenomics clarifies the position of the Nearctic magpies (Pica hudsonia and Pica nuttalli) within the Holarctic magpie radiation.}, journal = {Current zoology}, volume = {70}, number = {5}, pages = {618-630}, pmid = {39463698}, issn = {1674-5507}, abstract = {Partial separation of a peripheral population may lead to its divergence and, potentially, speciation due to genetic drift followed by selection and geographic isolation. This process may cause taxonomic uncertainty because reproductive isolation in allopatry cannot be verified directly. The two Nearctic allopatric species of magpies (Aves, Corvidae: Pica) serve as a good example of these problems. The Black-billed magpie Pica hudsonia is widely distributed in North America, whereas the Yellow-billed Magpie Pica nuttalli is endemic to a restricted range in California. Their relationships with Palearctic species have been little studied. We obtained complete mitochondrial genomes of both Nearctic magpie species, along with the Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) and the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica), 20 mitogenomes in total. Phylogenetic analysis reveals a basal position of P. serica, and P. pica as a sister clade to the two Nearctic species. P. hudsonia and P. nuttalli form reciprocal monophyletic subclades, showing recent divergence between and within them. Our data show that the Nearctic magpie lineage diverged from the common ancestor with P. pica, with a single migration wave via the Beringia. Within the Nearctic, we hypothesize a peripatric mode of speciation among Pica taxa due to the divergence and separation of the small marginal population in California below the Sierra-Nevada mountains. Diversifying amino acid substitutions in ND4-ND5-ND6 genes along the branch leading to the New World clade may indicate selection for heat-tolerance. Considering the clear phenotypic differences between P. hudsonia and P. nuttalli, our data, showing their reciprocal monophylies and genetic distinctness, is consistent with the two-species taxonomy.}, }
@article {pmid39465599, year = {2024}, author = {Coombs, S and Trestman, M}, title = {A multi-trait embodied framework for the evolution of brains and cognition across animal phyla.}, journal = {The Behavioral and brain sciences}, volume = {48}, number = {}, pages = {e77}, doi = {10.1017/S0140525X24000335}, pmid = {39465599}, issn = {1469-1825}, abstract = {Among non-human animals, crows, octopuses and honeybees are well-known for their complex brains and cognitive abilities. Widening the lens from the idiosyncratic abilities of exemplars like these to those of animals across the phylogenetic spectrum begins to reveal the ancient evolutionary process by which complex brains and cognition first arose in different lineages. The distribution of 35 phenotypic traits in 17 metazoan lineages reveals that brain and cognitive complexity in only three lineages (vertebrates, cephalopod mollusks, and euarthropods) can be attributed to the pivotal role played by body, sensory, brain and motor traits in active visual sensing and visuomotor skills. Together, these pivotal traits enabled animals to transition from largely reactive to more proactive behaviors, and from slow and two-dimensional motion to more rapid and complex three-dimensional motion. Among pivotal traits, high-resolution eyes and laminated visual regions of the brain stand out because they increased the processing demands on and the computational power of the brain by several orders of magnitude. The independent acquisition of pivotal traits in cognitively complex (CC) lineages can be explained as the completion of several multi-trait transitions over the course of evolutionary history, each resulting in an increasing level of complexity that arises from a distinct combination of traits. Whereas combined pivotal traits represent the highest level of complexity in CC lineages, combined traits at lower levels characterize many non-CC lineages, suggesting that certain body, sensory and brain traits may have been linked (the trait-linkage hypothesis) during the evolution of both CC and non-CC lineages. Multicellular animals are integrated systems, consisting of multiple, interacting elements, including different internal (e.g., muscles, nerves and brains) and external (e.g., eyes and appendages) body parts. The distribution of 35 body, sensory, brain, motor and behavioral/cognitive traits across 17 major lineages reveals that three lineages known for their complex brains and cognitive abilities (vertebrates, cephalopod mollusks and euarthropods) are distinct from all others based on the possession of a small subset of pivotal traits, all involved in active visual sensing and visuomotor control of spatially complex actions. It is proposed that (1) narrowly distributed pivotal traits enabled essential cognitive abilities not previously present, making complex cognition possible, and that (2) lineages with brain and cognitive complexities followed very similar evolutionary paths, involving major transitions from lesser to greater levels of complexity, with different combinations of traits at each level.}, }
@article {pmid39466899, year = {2024}, author = {Cardeña, E}, title = {An homage to Steven Jay Lynn.}, journal = {The American journal of clinical hypnosis}, volume = {66}, number = {4}, pages = {357-359}, doi = {10.1080/00029157.2024.2396776}, pmid = {39466899}, issn = {2160-0562}, }
@article {pmid39473055, year = {2024}, author = {Gupta, K and Mandal, R and Chatterjee, P}, title = {Navigating the landscape of cervical cancer in India: Epidemiology, prevention, current status, and emerging solutions.}, journal = {The journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research}, volume = {50 Suppl 1}, number = {}, pages = {55-64}, doi = {10.1111/jog.16030}, pmid = {39473055}, issn = {1447-0756}, mesh = {Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Early Detection of Cancer/statistics & numerical data ; Health Policy ; India/epidemiology ; Papillomavirus Vaccines/administration & dosage ; *Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/prevention & control/epidemiology ; Aged ; }, abstract = {Cervical cancer poses a significant health burden for women worldwide, particularly in India. Despite global progress, India's mortality rate, with 79 906 deaths, remains disproportionately high at approximately 11.2 per 100 000 women compared to the global average of 7.1 per 100 000 women. India's NPCDCS and other initiatives focus on VIA screening for women aged 30-65. The National Health Policy 2017 emphasizes primary healthcare enhancement, allocating two-thirds of the budget. Ayushman Bharat promotes universal health coverage, including Health and Wellness Centers and PM-JAY. Initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and the National Cancer Grid offer hope for improved cancer care. Leveraging technology, strengthening infrastructure, integrating services, promoting awareness, and enhancing HPV vaccination are crucial. By addressing barriers, improving access, and fostering collaboration, the cervical cancer burden can be reduced, ensuring better health outcomes for women nationwide.}, }
@article {pmid39474474, year = {2024}, author = {Helmstetter, NA and Conway, CJ and Roberts, S and Adams, JR and Makela, PD and Waits, LP}, title = {Predator-specific mortality of sage-grouse nests based on predator DNA on eggshells.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {10}, pages = {e70213}, pmid = {39474474}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Greater sage-grouse (hereafter sage-grouse; Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have declined across their range. Increased nest predation as a result of anthropogenic land use is one mechanism proposed to explain these declines. However, sage-grouse contend with a diverse suite of nest predators that vary in functional traits (e.g., search tactics or hunting mode) and abundance. Consequently, generalizing about factors influencing nest fate is challenging. Identifying the explicit predator species responsible for nest predation events is, therefore, critical to understanding causal mechanisms linking land use to patterns of sage-grouse nest success. Cattle grazing is often assumed to adversely affect sage-grouse recruitment by reducing grass height (and hence cover), thereby facilitating nest detection by predators. However, recent evidence found little support for the hypothesized effect of grazing on nest fate at the pasture scale. Rather, nest success appears to be similar on pastures grazed at varying intensities. One possible explanation for the lack of observed effect involves a localized response by one or more nest predators. The presence of cattle may cause a temporary reduction in predator density and/or use within a pasture (the cattle avoidance hypothesis). The cattle avoidance hypothesis predicts a decreased probability of at least one sage-grouse nest predator predating sage-grouse nests in pastures with livestock relative to pastures without livestock present during the nesting season. To test the cattle avoidance hypothesis, we collected predator DNA from eggshells from predated nests and used genetic methods to identify the sage-grouse nest predator(s) responsible for the predation event. We evaluated the influence of habitat and grazing on predator-specific nest predation. We evaluated the efficacy of our genetic method by deploying artificial nests with trail cameras and compared the results of our genetic method to the species captured via trail camera. Our molecular methods identified at least one nest predator captured predating artificial nests via trail camera for 33 of 35 (94%) artificial nests. We detected nest predators via our molecular analysis at 76 of 114 (67%) predated sage-grouse nests. The primary predators detected at sage-grouse nests were coyotes (Canis latrans) and corvids (Corvidea). Grazing did not influence the probability of nest predation by either coyotes or corvids. Sagebrush canopy cover was negatively associated with the probability a coyote predated a nest, distance to water was positively associated with the probability a corvid predated a nest, and average minimum temperature was negatively associated with the probability that either a coyote or a corvid predated a nest. Our study provides a framework for implementing an effective, non-invasive method for identifying sage-grouse nest predators that can be used to better understand how management actions at local and regional scales may impact an important component of sage-grouse recruitment.}, }
@article {pmid39475969, year = {2024}, author = {Liu, J and Zhou, F and Yan, H and Liang, W}, title = {Breeding stages affect egg recognition in azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {71}, pmid = {39475969}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {No. 32160242//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; Nos. 31970427 and 32270526//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ovum ; Female ; *Recognition, Psychology ; Passeriformes/physiology ; China ; }, abstract = {Egg rejection often involves a cognitive process of recognizing foreign eggs, which can vary not only between species or among different individuals of the same species, but also within the same individual during different breeding stages, leading to markedly different responses to parasitic eggs. We conducted a comparative study in Wuhan, Hubei, and Fusong, Jilin, China, on the recognition and rejection behavior of azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) at different breeding stages (pre-egg-laying, one-host-egg, multi-host-egg and early incubation stages). In the Fusong population, there was a significant difference in the rejection rate of model eggs by azure-winged magpies at different stages of the egg-laying period. During the one-host-egg stage, the rejection rate (63.6%) was significantly lower than that during the pre-egg-laying stage (85.7%) and the multi-host-egg stage (100%). The population of azure-winged magpies in Wuhan exhibited a 100% rejection rate towards model eggs during the pre-egg-laying stage. Furthermore, during the incubation stage, azure-winged magpies were able to accurately recognize and reject foreign eggs even when those were in majority. This indicates that azure-winged magpies employ a template-based recognition mechanism rather than relying on discordance mechanism for recognition after the onset of incubation. This study suggests that while azure-winged magpies can truly recognize their own eggs, different breeding stages still influence their rejection response towards parasitic eggs, especially during the pre-egg-laying and egg laying stages.}, }
@article {pmid39492799, year = {2025}, author = {Hess, KZ and Forsythe, KR and Wang, X and Arredondo-Navarro, A and Tipling, G and Jones, J and Mata, M and Hughes, V and Martin, C and Doyle, J and Scott, J and Minghetti, M and Jilling, A and Cerrato, JM and El Hayek, E and Gonzalez-Estrella, J}, title = {Emerging investigator series: open dumping and burning: an overlooked source of terrestrial microplastics in underserved communities.}, journal = {Environmental science. Processes & impacts}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {52-62}, pmid = {39492799}, issn = {2050-7895}, support = {P50 MD015706/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; R15 ES034901/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Microplastics/analysis ; *Environmental Monitoring ; Montana ; *Soil Pollutants/analysis ; Oklahoma ; *Refuse Disposal/methods ; *Incineration ; Soil/chemistry ; }, abstract = {Open dumping and burning of solid waste are widely practiced in underserved communities lacking access to solid waste management facilities; however, the generation of microplastics from these sites has been overlooked. We report elevated concentrations of microplastics (MPs) in soil of three solid waste open dump and burn sites: a single-family site in Tuttle, Oklahoma, USA, and two community-wide sites in Crow Agency and Lodge Grass, Montana, USA. We extracted, quantified, and characterized MPs from two soil depths (0-9 cm and 9-18 cm). The average of abundance of particles found at community-wide sites three sites (18, 460 particles kg[-1] soil) equals or exceeds reported concentrations from currently understood sources of MPs including biosolids application and other agricultural practices. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transformed infrared (ATR-FTIR) identified polyethylene as the dominant polymer across all sites (46.2-84.8%). We also detected rayon (≤11.5%), polystyrene (up to 11.5%), polyethylene terephthalate (≤5.1), polyvinyl chloride (≤4.4%), polyester (≤3.1), and acrylic (≤2.2%). Burned MPs accounted for 76.3 to 96.9% of the MPs found in both community wide dumping sites. These results indicate that solid waste dumping and burning activities are a major source of thermally oxidized MPs for the surrounding terrestrial environment with potential to negatively affect underserved communities.}, }
@article {pmid39494417, year = {2024}, author = {Shankar, GS and Onyema, EM and Kavin, BP and Gude, V and Prasad, BS}, title = {Breast Cancer Diagnosis Using Virtualization and Extreme Learning Algorithm Based on Deep Feed Forward Networks.}, journal = {Biomedical engineering and computational biology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {11795972241278907}, pmid = {39494417}, issn = {1179-5972}, abstract = {One of the leading causes of death for women worldwide is breast cancer. Early detection and prompt treatment can reduce the risk of breast cancer-related death. Cloud computing and machine learning are crucial for disease diagnosis today, but they are especially important for those who live in distant places with poor access to healthcare. While machine learning-based diagnosis tools act as primary readers and aid radiologists in correctly diagnosing diseases, cloud-based technology can also assist remote diagnostics and telemedicine services. The promise of techniques based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for sickness diagnosis has attracted the attention of several re-searchers. The 4 methods for the proposed research include preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification. A Smart Window Vestige Deletion (SWVD) technique is initially suggested for preprocessing. It consists of Savitzky-Golay (S-G) smoothing, updated 2-stage filtering, and adaptive time window division. This technique separates each channel into multiple time periods by adaptively pre-analyzing its specificity. On each window, an altered 2-stage filtering process is then used to retrieve some tumor information. After applying S-G smoothing and integrating the broken time sequences, the process is complete. In order to deliver effective feature extraction, the Deep Residual based Multiclass for architecture (DRMFA) is used. In histological photos, identify characteristics at the cellular and tissue levels in both tiny and large size patches. Finally, a fresh customized strategy that combines a better crow forage-ELM. Deep learning and the Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) are concepts that have been developed (ACF-ELM). When it comes to diagnosing ailments, the cloud-based ELM performs similarly to certain cutting-edge technology. The cloud-based ELM approach beats alternative solutions, according to the DDSM and INbreast dataset results. Significant experimental results show that the accuracy for data inputs is 0.9845, the precision is 0.96, the recall is 0.94, and the F1 score is 0.95.}, }
@article {pmid39496638, year = {2024}, author = {Aliabadi, MJ and Radmehr, M}, title = {Hybrid energy system optimization integrated with battery storage in radial distribution networks considering reliability and a robust framework.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {26597}, pmid = {39496638}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {This research presents a robust optimization of a hybrid photovoltaic-wind-battery (PV/WT/Batt) system in distribution networks to reduce active losses and voltage deviation while also enhancing network customer reliability considering production and network load uncertainties. The best installation position and capacity of the hybrid system (HS) are found via an improved crow search algorithm with an inertia weight technique. The robust optimization issue, taking into account the risk of uncertainty, is described using the gap information decision theory method. The proposed approach is used with 33- and 69-bus networks. The results reveal that the HS optimization in the network reduces active losses and voltage variations, while improving network customer reliability. The robust optimization results show that in the 33-bus network, the system remains resilient to prediction errors under the worst-case uncertainty scenario, with a 44.53% reduction in production and a 22.18% increase in network demand for a 30% uncertainty budget. Similarly, in the 69-bus network, the system withstands a 36.22% reduction in production and a 16.97% increase in load for a 25% uncertainty budget. When comparing stochastic and robust methods, it was found that the stochastic Monte Carlo method could not consistently provide a reliable solution for all objectives under uncertainty, whereas the robust approach successfully managed the maximum uncertainty related to renewable generation and network demand across different uncertainty budgets.}, }
@article {pmid39500372, year = {2024}, author = {Temeroli, E and Jelbert, SA and Lambert, ML}, title = {Do kea parrots infer the weight of objects from their movement in a breeze?.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {20}, number = {11}, pages = {20240405}, pmid = {39500372}, issn = {1744-957X}, support = {//Austrian Science Fund/ ; /BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; BB/X511997/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Parrots/physiology ; Male ; Problem Solving/physiology ; Female ; Weight Perception/physiology ; Movement ; }, abstract = {Weight, though it cannot be seen directly, pervades nearly every aspect of an animal's life. However, the extent to which non-human animals reason about the property of weight remains poorly understood. Recent evidence highlights birds as a promising group for testing this ability: for example, New Caledonian crows can infer the weight of objects after observing their movements in a breeze. Here, we tested for similar weight inference abilities in kea (Nestor notabilis), a parrot species known for its sophisticated problem-solving skills. Subjects were trained to exchange objects of a target weight (light or heavy) for a food reward. They were then allowed to observe pairs of novel objects (one light and one heavy) hung in front of an electric fan in both an experimental condition (fan on, light object moving) and a control condition (fan off, both objects motionless). The birds were subsequently presented with test trials in which they could use the information from the demonstration to select an object of their target weight. We found that, unlike New Caledonian crows, kea did not perform significantly better on trials in which they observed the objects' movements and discussed our findings within the context of the kea's highly explorative nature.}, }
@article {pmid39506669, year = {2024}, author = {Gona, PN and Estrada-Martinez, LM and Zhang, L and Gona, CM and Mody, A and Rao, SR and Cooper, J and Mack-Shelton, K and Chen, P and Leveille, SG and Mokdad, AH and , }, title = {Racial disparity in mortality from tuberculosis in the US between states with and without a history of Jim-Crow laws: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) and risk factors study, 1990 to 2019.}, journal = {BMC public health}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {3075}, pmid = {39506669}, issn = {1471-2458}, mesh = {Humans ; United States/epidemiology ; *Tuberculosis/mortality/ethnology ; *Global Burden of Disease ; Risk Factors ; Health Status Disparities ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: While TB-related mortality in the US declined four-fold from 1990 to 2019, country-level estimates of TB burden obscure within-state racial heterogeneity and changes in TB burden over time. In sixteen US Southern States and Washington DC, the effects of health inequities engendered by Jim-Crow laws enacted from the late 1800s to the 1960s have not been evaluated for TB-related mortality. We, therefore, sought to compare TB mortality rates and annualized rate of change (AROC) between 1990 and 2019 in former Jim-Crow vs. non-Jim-Crow states to help guide response efforts and inform resource prioritization to improve racial equity.
METHODS: We evaluated whether TB-related mortality varied over time, from 1990 to 2019, between states that have a history of enacting Jim-Crow laws vs. states with no such history using estimates from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2019 (GBD 2019). TB mortality per 100,000 population and bootstrap 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) were modeled using the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) framework with varying combinations of predictive covariates. For changes over time, we present age-standardized AROC as the percent difference in the natural logarithm of the rate in 1990 and 2019 divided by 30 (i.e., 100*[ln(2019 Rate/1990 Rate)/(30)) and the corresponding 95% UIs.
RESULTS: TB-related mortality in all US states declined between 1990 and 2019. From 1990 to 2019, most former Jim-Crow states had higher mortality rates than states that did not enact Jim-Crow laws. The most significant decline in TB mortality was in Washington DC, with a six-fold decline from 2.69 (2.46-2.96) per 100,000 population in 1990 to 0.45(0.37-0.55) in 2019, corresponding to an AROC of -0.83% (-0.86;-0.79). The lowest decline was in Iowa, from 0.30 (0.27-0.33) to 0.09 (0.07-0.11) (AROC: -0.70% (-0.76; -0.63)). Eleven of the 16 states and Washington DC in the third tertile of TB mortality rate in 1990 (range 0.81-2.69) had a history of Jim-Crow laws, whereas none of the 17 states in the first tertile (range 0.30-0.51) had such history. Conversely, mortality decreased relatively slowly in former Jim-Crow states than in non-Jim-Crow states.
CONCLUSIONS: Even though the 1964 Civil Rights Act dismantled Jim-Crow statutes, racial inequities in TB burden experienced by past generations may still be felt in subsequent generations. Understanding the role of structural racism at the intersection of science and medicine shows the complex ways historical laws, such as Jim-Crow laws, continue to negatively impact health outcomes and warn of future dangers, such as COVID-19, to avoid.}, }
@article {pmid39506848, year = {2024}, author = {Xu, X and Jigeer, G and Gunn, DA and Liu, Y and Chen, X and Guo, Y and Li, Y and Gu, X and Ma, Y and Wang, J and Wang, S and Sun, L and Lin, X and Gao, X}, title = {Facial aging, cognitive impairment, and dementia risk.}, journal = {Alzheimer's research & therapy}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {245}, pmid = {39506848}, issn = {1758-9193}, support = {JIF201036Y//the Startup grant at Fudan University/ ; XDB38010300//Strategic Priority CAS Project/ ; 2017SHZDZX01//Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project/ ; 81970684//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; *Dementia/epidemiology ; Aged ; *Cognitive Dysfunction/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; *Aging ; Face ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology ; China/epidemiology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Prospective Studies ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Facial aging, cognitive impairment, and dementia are all age-related conditions. However, the temporal relation between facial age and future risk of dementia was not systematically examined.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between facial age (both subjective/perceived and objective) and cognitive impairment and/or dementia risk.
METHODS: The study included 195,329 participants (age ≥ 60 y) from the UK Biobank (UKB) with self-perceived facial age and 612 participants from the Nutrition and Health of Aging Population in China Project (NHAPC) study (age ≥ 56 y) with objective assessment of facial age. Cox proportional hazards model was used to prospectively examine the hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of self-perceived facial age and dementia risk in the UKB, adjusting for age, sex, education, APOE ε4 allele, and other potential confounders. Linear and logistic regressions were performed to examine the cross-sectional association between facial age (perceived and objective) and cognitive impairment in the UKB and NHAPC, with potential confounders adjusted.
RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 12.3 years, 5659 dementia cases were identified in the UKB. The fully-adjusted HRs comparing high vs. low perceived facial age were 1.61 (95% CI, 1.33 ~ 1.96) for dementia (P-trend ≤ 0.001). Subjective facial age and cognitive impairment was also observed in the UKB. In the NHAPC, facial age, as assessed by three objective wrinkle parameters, was associated with higher odds of cognitive impairment (P-trend < 0.05). Specifically, the fully-adjusted OR for cognitive impairment comparing the highest versus the lowest quartiles of crow's feet wrinkles number was 2.48 (95% CI, 1.06 ~ 5.78).
CONCLUSIONS: High facial age was associated with cognitive impairment, dementia and its subtypes after adjusting for conventional risk factors for dementia. Facial aging may be an indicator of cognitive decline and dementia risk in older adults, which can aid in the early diagnosis and management of age-related conditions.}, }
@article {pmid39512141, year = {2024}, author = {Gutema, BT and Sorrie, MB and Batire, S and Hailu Zewdie, T and Levecke, B and Abubakar, A and De Henauw, S and Abbeddou, S}, title = {Association of Chronic Malnutrition, and Not Anemia, with Cognitive Development in Ethiopian Schoolchildren: A Cross-Sectional Study.}, journal = {Ecology of food and nutrition}, volume = {63}, number = {6}, pages = {647-668}, doi = {10.1080/03670244.2024.2426104}, pmid = {39512141}, issn = {1543-5237}, mesh = {Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ethiopia/epidemiology ; Female ; *Cognition/physiology ; Child ; Male ; *Malnutrition/epidemiology ; *Nutritional Status ; *Anemia/epidemiology ; Child Development ; Hemoglobins/analysis ; Body Mass Index ; Chronic Disease ; Thinness/epidemiology ; Adolescent ; Body Height ; }, abstract = {This study assesses the associations between nutritional status and cognitive development of schoolchildren. A unit increase in height-for-age Z-score was associated with 0.12 SD, 0.08 SD and 0.12 SD increase in standardized digit span, Raven's colored progressive metrics, and performance index of visual search task, respectively. A unit increase in body-mass-index-for-age Z-score was associated with 0.11 SD increase in standardized digit span. Hemoglobin concentration was not associated with any of the cognitive outcomes. Chronic malnutrition was associated with cognitive development in schoolchildren while thinness and hemoglobin concentrations were associated with selected or no cognitive outcomes, respectively.}, }
@article {pmid39513185, year = {2024}, author = {Hospers, L and Dillon, GA and McLachlan, AJ and Alexander, LM and Kenney, WL and Capon, A and Ebi, KL and Ashworth, E and Jay, O and Mavros, Y}, title = {The effect of prescription and over-the-counter medications on core temperature in adults during heat stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis.}, journal = {EClinicalMedicine}, volume = {77}, number = {}, pages = {102886}, pmid = {39513185}, issn = {2589-5370}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Heat stress impacts are an escalating global health concern. Public health bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) warn that certain medications impair thermoregulation, with limited supporting evidence. Our aim was to investigate whether medications listed by the WHO increase core temperature responses during heat stress.
METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched up to Jan.30, 2024. Randomised studies exposing humans to exertional and/or passive heat stress that investigated a drug identified by WHO compared to no drug/placebo were eligible. The primary outcome was core temperature (e.g., rectal, oesophageal, aural, tympanic). We assessed risk of bias (Cochrane's Risk of Bias 2) and certainty of evidence (GRADE). The study was pre-registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020170684).
FINDINGS: Thirty-five studies were included enrolling 353 individuals (16 women; 4.5%). Twenty-seven unique medications were tested. The average age of participants across studies was <30 years, and only one study included a clinical population. Under heat stress, there was moderate quality evidence that drugs with high anticholinergic properties increased core temperature at air temperatures ≥30°C (+0.42°C; 95% CI 0.04, 0.79°C; p = 0.03) alongside reduced sweating, although evidence is limited to the drug atropine. Similarly, non-selective beta-blockers (+0.11°C; 95% CI 0.02, 0.19°C; p = 0.02), adrenaline (+0.41°C; 95% CI 0.21, 0.61°C) and anti-Parkinson's agents (+0.13°C; 95% CI 0.07, 0.19°C; p = 0.02) elevated core temperature. Antidepressants, diuretics, or drugs with weak anticholinergic effects did not alter core temperature responses.
INTERPRETATION: Current evidence supports strong anticholinergics, non-selective beta-blockers, adrenaline, and anti-Parkinson's agents impairing thermoregulation during heat stress. No evidence indicated thermoregulation is impacted by other WHO-listed medications. Evidence is predominantly limited to healthy young men, with short heat stress exposures. Studies over longer durations, in women, older adults and those with chronic diseases are required to better inform the pharmaceutical management of patients during hot weather.
FUNDING: This study was supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Grant (2021/GNT2009507; Holder: O. Jay).}, }
@article {pmid39520985, year = {2024}, author = {Urban, L and Becker, R and Ochs, A and Sicks, F and Brecht, M and Kaufmann, LV}, title = {Water-hose tool use and showering behavior by Asian elephants.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {34}, number = {23}, pages = {5602-5606.e1}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.017}, pmid = {39520985}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Elephants/physiology ; Female ; *Tool Use Behavior ; Water ; Animals, Zoo/physiology ; }, abstract = {Since Jane Goodall's famous observations of stick tool use by chimpanzees,[1] animal tool use has been observed in numerous species, including many primates, dolphins, and birds. Some animals, such as New Caledonian crows, even craft tools.[2][,][3] Elephants frequently use tools[4][,][5] and also modify them.[6] We studied water-hose tool use in Asian zoo elephants. Flexibility, extension, and water flow make hoses exceptionally complex tools. Individual elephants differed markedly in their water-hose handling. Female elephant Mary displayed sophisticated hose-showering behaviors. She showed lateralized hose handling, systematically showered her body, and coordinated the trunk-held water hose with limb behaviors. Mary usually grasped the hose behind the tip, using it as a stiff shower head. To reach her back, however, she grasped the hose further from the tip and swung it on her back, using hose flexibility and ballistics. Aggressive interactions between Mary and the younger female elephant, Anchali, ensued around Mary's showering time. At some point, Anchali started pulling the water hose toward herself, lifting and kinking it, then regrasping and compressing the kink. This kink-and-clamp behavior disrupted water flow and was repeated in several sessions as a strict sequence of maneuvers. The efficacy of water flow disruption increased over time. In control experiments with multiple hoses, it was not clear whether Anchali specifically targeted Mary's showering hose. We also observed Anchali pressing down on the water hose, performing an on-hose trunk stand, which also disrupted water flow. We conclude that elephants show sophisticated hose tool use and manipulation. VIDEO ABSTRACT.}, }
@article {pmid39522295, year = {2024}, author = {Musálek, M and Malambo, C and Chrudimský, J and Kokštejn, J and Bačáková, R and Vokounová, Š}, title = {Strength-agility and fine motor are differently associated with non-verbal intelligence in dependency to sex and age in school children: Structural equation modelling multigroup approach.}, journal = {Acta psychologica}, volume = {251}, number = {}, pages = {104546}, doi = {10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104546}, pmid = {39522295}, issn = {1873-6297}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; *Intelligence/physiology ; *Motor Skills/physiology ; Sex Factors ; Age Factors ; Child Development/physiology ; Latent Class Analysis ; Czech Republic ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In today's digital age, demanding to interpret vast quantities of visual information with speed and accuracy, nonverbal Intelligence has become increasingly crucial for children, as it plays a key role in cognitive development and learning. While motor proficiency has been positively linked to various cognitive functions in children, its relationship with nonverbal Intelligence remains an open question. This study, therefore, explored the structural associations between motor proficiency and nonverbal Intelligence in school-aged children (6 to 11 years), focusing on potential age and sex-specific patterns.
METHODS: Data were obtained from 396 children aged 6 to 11 (214 boys, 182 girls; mean age 8.9 years ±1.3) divided into younger children 6-8 years and older Children 9-11 years. Motor proficiency was assessed using the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2), and non-verbal Intelligence was evaluated with the Raven Progressive Matrices (RPM). We conducted multigroup structural modelling with non-verbal Intelligence as a dependent latent variable.
RESULTS: The BOT-2 and RPM models demonstrated an acceptable fit in Czech children. Strength-agility and Fine motor control emerged as the strongest predictors of nonverbal intelligence level assessed by five sets of RPM. Age-specific analyses revealed that the Strength-agility construct was consistently a significant predictor of nonverbal intelligence level in both age categories. However, in older children, also Fine motor control was significantly linked to nonverbal intelligence level. Sex-specific differences were also observed in the structural modelling results, indicating significant predictor non-invariance based on participants' sex. In girls, both Fine motor control and the Strength-agility constructs were significant predictors of nonverbal Intelligence level, showing stronger associations with nonverbal Intelligence than boys. For boys, only the Strength-agility construct was a significant predictor of RPM performance.
CONCLUSION: This study reveals a nuanced age- and sex-specific relationship between children's motor proficiency and nonverbal Intelligence. The findings underscore the need for targeted physical interventions, particularly those emphasising fine motor and strength-agility exercises, to ensure equitable opportunities for motor skill development. Such interventions may enhance physical abilities and support cognitive development in an increasingly digital world.}, }
@article {pmid39533155, year = {2025}, author = {Lara Green, R and Joanne Carrington, S and Shaw, DJ and Kessler, K}, title = {Investigating visual perspective taking and belief reasoning in autistic adults: A pre-registered online study.}, journal = {Autism : the international journal of research and practice}, volume = {29}, number = {4}, pages = {920-933}, pmid = {39533155}, issn = {1461-7005}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; *Theory of Mind ; *Autistic Disorder/psychology ; Middle Aged ; *Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology ; Reaction Time ; Adolescent ; *Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {As many autistic individuals report mentalizing difficulties into adulthood, the current pre-registered study investigated potential differences in belief reasoning and/or visual perspective taking between autistic and non-autistic adults. The Seeing-Believing task was administered to 121 gender-balanced participants online (57 with a self- reported diagnosis of an autism spectrum condition and 64 without), as well as Raven's Progressive Matrices (on which the groups did not significantly differ) and the Autism Spectrum Quotient. Non-autistic adults replicated previous findings with this task, revealing slower responses to belief-reasoning than to perspective-taking trials. Autistic adults did not show significantly slower or more error-prone performance during perspective taking and/or belief reasoning. In fact, the autistic group committed significantly fewer mistakes, including fewer altercentric intrusions. The main group difference in response times was a steeper increase with increasing angular disparity between self and other in the autistic group. We discuss our findings in terms of differences in self-other control, but emphasise that our findings cannot be explained in terms of simplistic deficit-based notions of autism and suggest that autistic adults might favour slightly different strategies when judging another's perspective or belief.Lay abstractMany autistic individuals report difficulties in social situations, where they are required to think about what goes on in others' minds. These states of the mind can include how others perceive the world around them, their beliefs, or their desires. While research has shown that autistic children could be delayed in developing their full capacity in this regard, less is known about how adults process others' experiences and beliefs. Here we used a novel task and asked adults to participate online. Participants self-reported whether they had been diagnosed with autism or not and we split them into two groups depending on their response. We also asked participants to fill in a self-report questionnaire about social preferences and habits and we also asked them to conduct a test of their nonverbal reasoning ability. Importantly, the autistic and the non-autistic groups did not differ in their nonverbal reasoning abilities, and on our task, we observed that the autistic group committed fewer mistakes than the non-autistic group. Autistic participants were particularly fast and made fewer mistakes on those responses that overlapped with their own view and belief of reality. In conclusion, our findings do not support a simple view of autism in terms of deficits in either social or more general thinking abilities. Instead, autistic adults might favour slightly different ways of thinking about other's experiences and beliefs that is more firmly linked to their own experience and knowledge.}, }
@article {pmid39538855, year = {2024}, author = {Cheng, W and Guo, C and Wang, J and Shi, S and Chen, Y and Wang, P and Niu, H and Hu, G and Cui, Y and Yun, B}, title = {Flexible and reconfigurable integrated optical filter based on tunable optical coupler cascaded with coupled resonator optical waveguide.}, journal = {Optics express}, volume = {32}, number = {14}, pages = {24058-24071}, doi = {10.1364/OE.524798}, pmid = {39538855}, issn = {1094-4087}, abstract = {Reconfigurable optical filter can satisfy diverse filtering requirements in different application scenarios and shorten development cycle. However, it is still challenging to achieve multi-functional filtering richness with high performance. Here, based on a tunable optical coupler cascaded with a coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW), a highly flexible and reconfigurable integrated optical filter is proposed and demonstrated on the low-loss silicon nitride platform. Both single injection and double injection configurations can be deployed to obtain rich spectral responses. For the single injection configuration, flat-top bandpass filter was experimentally achieved, whose shape factor could be as low as 1.648 and extinction ratio (ER) can be 37.5 dB with a bandwidth tuning range from 2.12 to 4.01 GHz. For the double injection configuration, Lorentz, triangular, sinusoidal, square, tangent-like, and interleaver spectral responses have been reconfigured by controlling seven phase shifters. Moreover, both single and double free spectral ranges (FSR) can be obtained for a fixed ring perimeter in the double injection configuration. The measured ER for the notch filter of Lorentz responses with double FSR is 36.8 dB. We believe that the proposed device has great potential for reconfigurable photonic filtering and microwave photonic signal processing.}, }
@article {pmid39539237, year = {2025}, author = {Singh, N and Wigmann, C and Vijay, P and Phuleria, HC and Kress, S and Majmudar, G and Kong, R and Krutmann, J and Schikowski, T}, title = {Combined Effect of Ambient Temperature and Relative Humidity on Skin Aging Phenotypes in the Era of Climate Change: Results From an Indian Cohort Study.}, journal = {Dermatitis : contact, atopic, occupational, drug}, volume = {36}, number = {1}, pages = {72-79}, pmid = {39539237}, issn = {2162-5220}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging ; *Humidity/adverse effects ; Female ; India/epidemiology ; Phenotype ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Climate Change ; Cohort Studies ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects ; *Hot Temperature/adverse effects ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects ; *Temperature ; Air Pollution/adverse effects ; Aged ; Particulate Matter/adverse effects ; }, abstract = {Background: There is no doubt that global warming, with its extreme heat events, is having an increasing impact on human health. Heat is not independent of ambient temperature but acts synergistically with relative humidity (RH) to increase the risk of several diseases, such as cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. Although the skin is the organ in direct contact with the environment, it is currently unknown whether skin health is similarly affected. Objective: While mechanistic studies have demonstrated the mechanism of thermal aging, this is the first epidemiological study to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to heat index (HI) as a combined function of elevated ambient temperature and RH on skin aging phenotypes in Indian women. Methods: The skin aging phenotypes of 1510 Indian women were assessed using the Score of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Skin Aging (SCINEXA™) scoring tool. We used data on ambient temperature and RH, combined into an HI with solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR), and air pollution (particulate matter <2.5 µm [PM2.5]; nitrogen dioxide [NO2]) from secondary data sources with a 5-year mean residential exposure window. An adjusted ordinal multivariate logistic regression model was used to assess the effects of HI on skin aging phenotypes. Results: HI increased pigmentation such as hyperpigmented macula on the forehead (odds ratios [OR]: 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12, 1.54) and coarse wrinkles such as crow's feet (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.30) and under-eye wrinkles (OR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.47). These associations were robust to the confounding effects of solar UVR and age. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat, as indicated by high HI, contributes to skin aging phenotypes. Conclusion: Thus, ambient temperature and RH are important factors in assessing the skin aging exposome.}, }
@article {pmid39545188, year = {2024}, author = {Naser, RA and Almaliki, SH and Zghair, FS and Al-Ezzy, AIA}, title = {Study of morphological and histological properties of the pancreas in crow (Linnaecus corvus) and Iraqi black partridge (Melanoperdix niger).}, journal = {Open veterinary journal}, volume = {14}, number = {10}, pages = {2634-2641}, pmid = {39545188}, issn = {2218-6050}, mesh = {Animals ; *Pancreas/anatomy & histology ; *Crows/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Galliformes/anatomy & histology ; Male ; Female ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The structures of the pancreas in crow (Linnaecus corvus) and Iraqi black partridge (Melanoperdix niger) were the targets for histological and morphometric differences in both birds.
AIM: To study the comparative histomorphology of the pancreas in two species black partridge and local crow.
METHODS: Five healthy black partridge and five local crows were used in the current study.
RESULTS: The anatomical study reveals that the pancreas in both species is situated within the coelomic compartment on the right side. It is composed of four lobes including splenic, ventral, third, and dorsal lobes. It showed three ducts of the pancreas located between two duodenal limbs. Histologically, the pancreas of both birds contained two portions, endocrine and exocrine zone. The portion that occupied a large area of the pancreas was the exocrine which consisted of acini made of pyramid cells varying in shape and size. In black partridge, the acini have centroacinar cells but no centroacinar in crow. The duct system starting from the intercalated duct, interlobular and terminated by the main duct was folded with line simple columnar epithelium. The islet Langerhans was oval in black partridge and had a distinctive border containing two types of cells (Alpha and Beta), while a Delta, in addition to Alpha Beta cells, was detected in the crow islet Langerhans which was a sphincter in shape.
CONCLUSION: The pancreas of both bird black partridge (Melanoperdix niger) and crow (Linnaecus corvus) was a lobulated organ, that has a similar location in coelomic cavity. The pancreas in the crow was longer. In addition to the presence of some differences in histological structures between the two birds, a better understanding of the function of the pancreas in these species is needed.}, }
@article {pmid39550148, year = {2024}, author = {}, title = {50th Anniversary Presidential Edition - Ronald Raven.}, journal = {European journal of surgical oncology : the journal of the European Society of Surgical Oncology and the British Association of Surgical Oncology}, volume = {50}, number = {8}, pages = {108566}, doi = {10.1016/j.ejso.2024.108566}, pmid = {39550148}, issn = {1532-2157}, }
@article {pmid39550380, year = {2024}, author = {Ng, JY and Zhou, H and Li, T and Chew, FT}, title = {Comparisons between Caucasian-validated and Chinese-validated photo-numeric scales for assessing facial wrinkles.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {28293}, pmid = {39550380}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {N-154-000-038-001//National University of Singapore/ ; R-154-000-191-112//Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund/ ; BMRC/01/1/21/18/077//Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) (Singapore)/ ; SIgN-06-006//Singapore Immunology Network/ ; NMRC/1150/2008//National Medical Research Council (NMRC) (Singapore)/ ; NRF-MP-2020-0004//National Research Foundation (NRF) (Singapore)/ ; SFS_RND_SUFP_001_04//Singapore Food Agency (SFA)/ ; H17/01/a0/008//Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR) (Singapore)/ ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *East Asian People ; *Face ; *Skin Aging ; *White People ; }, abstract = {Skin ageing results in wrinkling. In this study, we discuss four types of facial wrinkles: Crow's Feet wrinkles, forehead wrinkles, glabellar frown wrinkles, and nasolabial folds. These four phenotypes can be assessed either with a photo-numeric scale developed and validated on Caucasian skin (i.e., Caucasian scale) or with a photo-numeric scale developed and validated on Chinese skin (i.e., Chinese scale). As Caucasian and Chinese skin have inherent differences, the main objective of this study is to determine whether these inherent differences affect the suitability of evaluating facial wrinkles on ethnic Chinese skin with a Caucasian scale. Three trained assessors studied four types of wrinkles on the faces of 1,081 ethnic Chinese young adults from the Singapore/Malaysia Cross-sectional Genetics Epidemiology Study (SMCGES). We found that Caucasian scales and Chinese scales are concordant (Spearman's Rank Correlation (ρ) values: 0.53-0.80) and the level of agreement between the Caucasian scales and Chinese scales is moderately high (Cohen's Kappa (κ) values: 0.40-0.49). When tested on ethnic Chinese skin, both the Caucasian scale and the Chinese scale are largely consistent in showing presence or absence of a given facial wrinkle (Area under curve (AUC) values: 0.79-0.90). All assessors are highly internally consistent (Weighted Kappa (κw) values: 0.686-0.992). Our results build confidence that four types of facial wrinkles on ethnic Chinese faces can be assessed with Caucasian scales. To the best of our knowledge, Chinese scales for facial wrinkles beyond the four types discussed here have yet to be developed. Caucasian scales for these other facial wrinkles will also need to be tested for their suitability to be used on ethnic Chinese skin as and when more Chinese scales are developed.}, }
@article {pmid39551240, year = {2025}, author = {Tubío-Fungueiriño, M and Cernadas, E and Fernández-Delgado, M and Arrojo, M and Bertolin, S and Real, E and Menchon, JM and Carracedo, A and Alonso, P and Fernández-Prieto, M and Segalàs, C}, title = {Prediction of pharmacological response in OCD using machine learning techniques and clinical and neuropsychological variables.}, journal = {Spanish journal of psychiatry and mental health}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {51-57}, doi = {10.1016/j.sjpmh.2024.11.001}, pmid = {39551240}, issn = {2950-2853}, mesh = {Humans ; *Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/drug therapy/physiopathology/diagnosis ; *Machine Learning ; Adult ; Female ; Male ; *Executive Function/physiology/drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; *Outcome Assessment, Health Care/methods ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Memory, Short-Term ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Obsessive compulsive disorder is associated with affected executive functioning, including memory, cognitive flexibility, and organizational strategies. As it was reported in previous studies, patients with preserved executive functions respond better to pharmacological treatment, while others need to keep trying different pharmacological strategies.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this work we used machine learning techniques to predict pharmacological response (OCD patients' symptomatology reduction) based on executive functioning and clinical variables. Among those variables we used anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive symptoms scores by applying State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale respectively, while Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test was used to assess organisation skills and non-verbal memory; Digits' subtests from Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV were used to assess short-term memory and working memory; and Raven's Progressive Matrices were applied to assess problem solving and abstract reasoning.
RESULTS: As a result of our analyses, we created a reliable algorithm that predicts Y-BOCS score after 12 weeks based on patients' clinical characteristics (sex at birth, age, pharmacological strategy, depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, years passed since diagnostic and Raven's Progressive Matrices score) and Digits' scores. A high correlation (0.846) was achieved in predicted and true values.
CONCLUSIONS: The present study proves the viability to predict if a patient would respond or not to a certain pharmacological strategy with high reliability based on sociodemographics, clinical variables and cognitive functions as short-term memory and working memory. These results are promising to develop future prediction models to help clinical decision making.}, }
@article {pmid39552205, year = {2025}, author = {Deliencourt-Godefroy, G and Legoedec, J and Bourdens, M and Juin, N and Nguyen, LT and Branchet, MC and Boisnic, S and Keophiphath, M}, title = {TFC-1326 Compound Reduces Clinical Signs of Skin Aging. Evidence From In Vitro Human Adipose and Skin Models and Pilot Clinical Trial.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {2}, pages = {e16679}, pmid = {39552205}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {//TFChem (Sirona Biochem Corp)/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Female ; Pilot Projects ; Adult ; Fibroblasts/drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Adipocytes/drug effects ; Aged ; Coculture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Skin/drug effects/cytology ; Skin Cream/pharmacology/administration & dosage ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Adipogenesis/drug effects ; Macrophages/drug effects/metabolism ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Anti-freeze Glycoproteins (AFGPs) were described to preserve biological materials and protect them from different stresses.
AIMS: The effects of a synthetic anti-freeze glycoprotein-based compound, TFC-1326, on human skin quality and its biological actions were studied.
METHODS: The effects of various concentrations of TFC-1326 on the biology of human preadipocytes, differentiated in the proinflammatory microenvironment, and on human fibroblasts grown in coculture with human mature adipocytes or monocultured in stress conditions were investigated in, in vitro studies. Additionally, the efficacy of a 1% TFC-1326 topical cream was evaluated in a clinical investigation on the skin biology and appearance of 20 women aged between 40 and 65 years throughout 84 days of application.
RESULTS: The in vitro studies revealed that TFC-1326 mitigated the deleterious effects of a proinflammatory cytokine cocktail produced by human macrophages, by restoring preadipocyte adipogenic capacity and by reducing their fibroinflammatory state. TFC-1326 also stimulated the proliferative capacity of dermal fibroblasts co-cultured with mature adipocytes as well as their production of hyaluronic acid and procollagen type I, while decreasing IL6 secretion and increasing fibroblast viability. Furthermore, daily 1% TFC-1326 topical cream application, measurably improved skin radiance and laxity, as well as skin density. Finally, significant reductions of the volume and depth of the crow's feet wrinkles were also observed.
CONCLUSIONS: The compound TFC-1326 significantly improved the physiological appearance and cellular functions of aging skin.}, }
@article {pmid39553199, year = {2024}, author = {Gutierrez, JC and Holladay, SD}, title = {Comparison of spatial and non-verbal reasoning abilities in veterinarians in the fields of radiology and surgery.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1438062}, pmid = {39553199}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {Spatial ability tests measure capacity for mentally understanding and interpreting three-dimensional images. Such skills have been found to be predictive for anatomical learning success and proficiency in human and veterinary medical students. Veterinarians in the radiology and surgery field develop high levels of three-dimensional topographic anatomic understanding through exposure to anatomy portions of the veterinary curriculum, followed by highly specialized residency programs. Validated testing tools were used to compare spatial and general non-verbal reasoning abilities in veterinarians in the field of radiology (radiology group, RG) and veterinarians in the field of surgery (surgery group, SG). These tests were: Guay's Visualization of Views Test: Adapted Version (GVVT), the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, short form (APMT). Results showed a significant difference for GVVT scores in favor of the RG (15.2 ± 0.3 and 12.3 ± 0.4, respectively, p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in scores for MRT and APMT between the RG and SG. There was a significant positive correlation between spatial ability tests scores and general non-verbal reasoning test scores for the RG but not for the SG. Future studies are planned to determine if the RG innately possess high spatial and reasoning skills, and to expand the present findings to other veterinary specialty areas.}, }
@article {pmid39571953, year = {2025}, author = {Morris, SA and Hazzi, NA and Hormiga, G}, title = {Molecular phylogenetics of nursery web spiders (Araneae: Pisauridae).}, journal = {Molecular phylogenetics and evolution}, volume = {203}, number = {}, pages = {108247}, doi = {10.1016/j.ympev.2024.108247}, pmid = {39571953}, issn = {1095-9513}, mesh = {*Spiders/genetics/classification/anatomy & histology ; Animals ; *Phylogeny ; Likelihood Functions ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Pisauridae Simon, 1890, or nursery web spiders, are a large family with a worldwide distribution and very diverse life history strategies. Despite being named for their nursery webs, similar structures are built by some members of Ctenidae, Trechaleidae, and Oxyopidae. Pisauridae has no known morphological synapomorphies that circumscribe all members of the family, and delineation of subfamilies has been a longstanding issue. In addition, several recent molecular phylogenetic studies have called into question the monophyly of Pisauridae. Here, we infer a phylogeny of Pisauridae with nine genetic markers (12S, 16S, 18S, 28S, actin, COI, histone H3, ITS2, and NADH) combined with ultraconserved elements (UCEs) to test the monophyly of the group and determine intrafamilial relationships. Our study includes a total of 81 terminals (59 of them pisaurids). Our maximum likelihood and gene coalescence analyses strongly suggest that as currently circumscribed, the family Pisauridae is not monophyletic. To circumscribe Pisauridae as a monophyletic group, based on our molecular results, we propose the restoration of the family Dolomedidae Simon, 1876 (rank resurrected) to include the genera DolomedesLatreille, 1804 and BradystichusSimon, 1884. In addition, based on morphological evidence, we also place in Dolomedidae the genera MegadolomedesDavies & Raven, 1980; Tasmomedes Raven, 2018; Mangromedes Raven, 2018; OrnodolomedesRaven & Hebron, 2018; and CaledomedesRaven & Hebron, 2018. We provide a phylogenetic delimitation of the three subfamilies of Pisauridae: Halinae, Thaumasiinae, and Pisaurinae. Ten pisaurid genera are deemed incertae sedis in terms of their placement. In light of our hypothesized molecular phylogeny, we discuss the morphological characters and putative synapomorphies of Pisauridae and propose diagnostic characters for its subfamilies and for the family Dolomedidae, along with taxonomic notes about genera not included in our study.}, }
@article {pmid39579366, year = {2024}, author = {Fochesatto, CF and Brand, C and Cristi-Montero, C and da Costa, BGG and Dias, AF and Gaya, ACA and Gaya, AR}, title = {Getting up for brain health: Association of sedentary behavior breaks with cognition and mental health in children.}, journal = {Applied neuropsychology. Child}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-8}, doi = {10.1080/21622965.2024.2432342}, pmid = {39579366}, issn = {2162-2973}, abstract = {Children spend most of their waking hours sedentary and reducing this behavior has been challenging. Interrupting prolonged episodes of sedentary behavior with active breaks can provide mental and cognitive health benefits. Considering the multifactorial nature of these health aspects, this study aimed to verify the role of body mass index (BMI), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in the relationship between the break in sedentary time with cognitive and mental health in children. This is a cross-sectional study with 129 children (62 boys), aged between 6 and 11 years (mean 8.73 ± 1.53) from a public school in southern Brazil. For the assessment of fluid intelligence, psychologists applied Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices test. Mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Sedentary breaks were measured using accelerometers, and CRF was determined using the 6-min walk test. Generalized linear regression analyses were used to verify associations of sedentary breaks with fluid intelligence and mental health, according to children's BMI, CRF, and MVPA. All models were adjusted for sex, age, somatic maturation, and total time of accelerometer use. Our results indicated that sedentary breaks were associated with fluid intelligence in overweight/obese (β = 0.108; p = 0.021) and physically inactive children (β = 0.083; p = 0.010). Regarding mental health, no association was identified with sedentary breaks. In conclusion, sedentary breaks should be encouraged for the benefits of fluid intelligence, especially in children who do not meet physical activity recommendations and are overweight.}, }
@article {pmid39585881, year = {2024}, author = {Landini, A and Segovia, M and Palma, M and Nayga, RM}, title = {Food for thought: The impact of short term fasting on cognitive ability.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {19}, number = {11}, pages = {e0312811}, pmid = {39585881}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; *Fasting/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Decision Making ; Time Factors ; Adolescent ; }, abstract = {Growing evidence suggests that resource scarcity can severely impede individuals' cognitive capacity, resulting in sub-optimal decision making. Few experimental studies investigate whether food deprivation as a form of resource scarcity influences decisions in other non-hunger related domains. We examine the effect of short term fasting on cognitive capacity by exogenously manipulating individuals' fasting time in a laboratory experiment. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: 1) 3-hour fast; 2) 12-hour fast; and 3) control, in which participants were not required to fast and consumed a protein shake upon arriving to the lab. Following the manipulation, participants completed the Raven's Progressive Matrices test which measures cognitive function. Although we find null treatment effects on cognitive ability, our results provide evidence that short term fasting does not directly inhibit cognition.}, }
@article {pmid39587617, year = {2024}, author = {Landman, F and Jamin, C and de Haan, A and Witteveen, S and Bos, J and van der Heide, HGJ and Schouls, LM and Hendrickx, APA and , }, title = {Genomic surveillance of multidrug-resistant organisms based on long-read sequencing.}, journal = {Genome medicine}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {137}, pmid = {39587617}, issn = {1756-994X}, mesh = {*Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/genetics ; Humans ; *Genome, Bacterial ; Genomics/methods ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods ; Bacteria/genetics/drug effects/classification ; Whole Genome Sequencing/methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. The ability to identify antimicrobial resistance determinants, to assess changes in molecular types, and to detect transmission are essential for surveillance and infection prevention of MDRO. Molecular characterization based on long-read sequencing has emerged as a promising alternative to short-read sequencing. The aim of this study was to characterize MDRO for surveillance and transmission studies based on long-read sequencing only.
METHODS: Genomic DNA of 356 MDRO was automatically extracted using the Maxwell-RSC48. The MDRO included 106 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, 85 Escherichia coli, 15 Enterobacter cloacae complex, 10 Citrobacter freundii, 34 Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 16 Acinetobacter baumannii, and 69 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), of which 24 were from an outbreak. MDRO were sequenced using both short-read (Illumina NextSeq 550) and long-read (Nanopore Rapid Barcoding Kit-24-V14, R10.4.1) whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Basecalling was performed for two distinct models using Dorado-0.3.2 duplex mode. Long-read data was assembled using Flye, Canu, Miniasm, Unicycler, Necat, Raven, and Redbean assemblers. Long-read WGS data with > 40 × coverage was used for multi-locus sequence typing (MLST), whole-genome MLST (wgMLST), whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (wgSNP), in silico multiple locus variable-number of tandem repeat analysis (iMLVA) for MRSA, and identification of resistance genes (ABRicate).
RESULTS: Comparison of wgMLST profiles based on long-read and short-read WGS data revealed > 95% of wgMLST profiles within the species-specific cluster cut-off, except for P. aeruginosa. The wgMLST profiles obtained by long-read and short-read WGS differed only one to nine wgMLST alleles or SNPs for K. pneumoniae, E. coli, E. cloacae complex, C. freundii, A. baumannii complex, and MRSA. For P. aeruginosa, differences were up to 27 wgMLST alleles between long-read and short-read wgMLST and 0-10 SNPs. MLST sequence types and iMLVA types were concordant between long-read and short-read WGS data and conventional MLVA typing. Antimicrobial resistance genes were detected in long-read sequencing data with high sensitivity/specificity (92-100%/99-100%). Long-read sequencing enabled analysis of an MRSA outbreak.
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that molecular characterization of automatically extracted DNA followed by long-read sequencing is as accurate compared to short-read sequencing and suitable for typing and outbreak analysis as part of genomic surveillance of MDRO. However, the analysis of P. aeruginosa requires further improvement which may be obtained by other basecalling algorithms. The low implementation costs and rapid library preparation for long-read sequencing of MDRO extends its applicability to resource-constrained settings and low-income countries worldwide.}, }
@article {pmid39590643, year = {2024}, author = {Ma, S and Jia, N}, title = {Measuring Raven's Progressive Matrices Combining Eye-Tracking Technology and Machine Learning (ML) Models.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {12}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {39590643}, issn = {2079-3200}, support = {22FJKB019//The Post-Funded Projects of The National Social Science Fund/ ; }, abstract = {Extended testing time in Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM) can lead to increased fatigue and reduced motivation, which may impair cognitive task performance. This study explores the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in RPM by combining eye-tracking technology with machine learning (ML) models, aiming to explore new methods for improving the efficiency of RPM testing and to identify the key metrics involved. Using eye-tracking metrics as features, ten ML models were trained, with the XGBoost model demonstrating superior performance. Notably, we further refined the period of interest and reduced the number of metrics, achieving strong performance, with accuracy, precision, and recall all above 0.8, using only 60% of the response time and nine eye-tracking metrics. This study also examines the role of several key metrics in RPM and offers valuable insights for future research.}, }
@article {pmid39593442, year = {2024}, author = {Roodbarani, M and Tagharrobi, Z and Sharifi, K and Sooki, Z and Zare, M}, title = {Influence of Brain Gym on children's behavioral problems with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled clinical trial.}, journal = {Journal of bodywork and movement therapies}, volume = {40}, number = {}, pages = {1248-1254}, doi = {10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.07.048}, pmid = {39593442}, issn = {1532-9283}, mesh = {Humans ; *Autism Spectrum Disorder ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Iran ; Exercise Therapy/methods ; Stereotyped Behavior/physiology ; Communication ; Social Interaction ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with a variety of behavioral problems. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Brain Gym (BG) on the behavioral problems of children with ASD in Iran.
METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 36 children with ASD at Kashan and Arak in 2019. Samples were selected using the block randomization method and assigned to the intervention and control groups. The intervention group received ten sessions of BG according to Dennison's protocol. There was no intervention in the control group. The stereotyped behavior, communication, and social interactions of the behavioral problems were assessed at the beginning (T0), the end of the intervention (T1), and two months later (T2). The data were collected using the Demographics, Rutter, GARS-2, and Raven scales. Data from 33 children were analyzed via per-protocol and intention-to-treat analysis using repeated measures analysis of variance.
RESULTS: The two groups did not differ significantly in demographic variables. The results showed a significant interaction effect of time and intervention on the severity of behavioral problems (p < 0.0001). There was a significant difference in the severity of behavioral disorders between the two groups at T1 and T2 (p < 0.05). A within-group analysis revealed a significant difference in the severity of the behavioral disorder at the three time points between the BG and control groups (p < 0.0001).
CONCLUSION: BG can alleviate the behavioral problems of children with ASD. This intervention is recommended as a complementary treatment for affected families with children with ASD.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20100211003329N5.
DATE OF REGISTRATION: 2020-07-16.}, }
@article {pmid39614750, year = {2025}, author = {George, DN and Dwyer, DM and Haselgrove, M and Le Pelley, ME}, title = {Apparent statistical inference in crows may reflect simple reinforcement learning.}, journal = {Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)}, volume = {78}, number = {10}, pages = {2043-2051}, doi = {10.1177/17470218241305622}, pmid = {39614750}, issn = {1747-0226}, mesh = {*Reinforcement, Psychology ; *Crows/physiology ; Reward ; Animals ; *Choice Behavior/physiology ; Probability ; Models, Psychological ; *Decision Making/physiology ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Male ; }, abstract = {Johnston et al. report results which they argue demonstrate that crows engage in statistical inference during decision-making. They trained two crows to associate a set of stimuli with different reward probabilities (from 10% to 90%) before choice tests between pairs of stimuli. Across most pairwise combinations, and in a control task in which the number of rewards was equated between probabilities, both crows preferred the stimulus associated with higher reward probability. The magnitude of this preference was affected by the absolute difference between the two probabilities, although (contrary to a claim made by Johnston et al. 2023) preference did not reflect the ratio of prior probabilities independently of absolute differences. Johnston et al. argue that preference for the stimulus with the higher reward probability is "the signature of true statistical inference" (p. 3238), implemented by an analogue magnitude system that represents the reward probability associated with each stimulus. Here, we show that a simple reinforcement learning model, with no explicit representation of reward probabilities, reproduces the critical features of crows' performance-and indeed better accounts for the observed empirical findings than the concept of statistical inference based on analogue magnitude representations, because it correctly predicts the absence of a ratio effect that would reflect magnitudes when absolute distance is controlled. Contrary to Johnston et al.'s claims, these patterns of behaviour do not necessitate retrieval of calculated reward probabilities from long-term memory and dynamic application of this information across contexts, or (more specifically) require the involvement of an analogue magnitude system in representing abstract probabilities.}, }
@article {pmid39620002, year = {2024}, author = {Hao, Y and Wang, Z and Qu, L}, title = {Investigating the Skin Health Benefits of Rosa roxburghii, Punica granatum and Rose: A Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Clinical Trial.}, journal = {Food science & nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {11}, pages = {9846-9855}, pmid = {39620002}, issn = {2048-7177}, abstract = {Recent studies underscore the beneficial impacts of oral natural plant extracts on human skin health, though clinical evidence of their efficacy and safety is limited. This study evaluates the skin health effects of a novel oral supplement containing Rosa roxburghii, Punica granatum, and rose extracts (RPR) 0.70 healthy female participants were randomly assigned to either a control group or an RPR group, with the latter ingesting 20 mL of the RPR supplement daily on an empty stomach over 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, the RPR group exhibited significant enhancements (p < 0.001) in skin hydration, glossiness, elasticity, and skin tone, with increases of 69.02%, 30.48%, 25.97%, and 7.52%, respectively. Concurrently, decreases in skin firmness and melanin levels were observed at 21.17% (p = 0.007) and 25.06% (p < 0.001), respectively. Statistical analysis confirmed that these changes were significantly greater than those in the control group. Image analysis indicated no significant changes in mean optical density of hyperpigmented spots within the RPR group (p = 0.367), but a significant reduction in the areas of hyperpigmented spots, under-eye fine lines, and crow's feet by 41.50%, 37.55%, and 29.36%, respectively (p < 0.001), whereas no significant changes were detected in the control group. Importantly, no adverse effects were observed. These findings suggest that the combined intake of Rosa roxburghii, Punica granatum, and rose extracts can improve skin health, offering a promising natural alternative for dermatological care.}, }
@article {pmid39622556, year = {2024}, author = {Tanne, JH}, title = {Trump nominates Jay Bhattacharya to head US National Institutes of Health.}, journal = {BMJ (Clinical research ed.)}, volume = {387}, number = {}, pages = {q2695}, doi = {10.1136/bmj.q2695}, pmid = {39622556}, issn = {1756-1833}, }
@article {pmid39623228, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, W and Wen, Y and Zhong, Y and Chen, Q}, title = {Meta-Analysis of Adverse Reactions of Botulinum Toxin A in Facial Rejuvenation Treatment.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {49}, number = {9}, pages = {2305-2314}, pmid = {39623228}, issn = {1432-5241}, mesh = {Humans ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; *Rejuvenation ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; *Neuromuscular Agents/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome ; Face ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Facial rejuvenation is a popular non-surgical treatment, and its treatment safety is of key significance to patients. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to compare the effects of botulinum toxin A and placebo on the occurrence of adverse reactions in facial rejuvenation treatment.
OBJECTIVE: According to PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted in Chinese and English databases, and 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The main result is to evaluate the level of adverse events (AEs), and the secondary result is to evaluate the level of AEs in crow's feet (CFL), glabellar lines (GL), and forehead lines (FHL).
METHODS: The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of botulinum toxin A for facial rejuvenation published up to August 2023 was searched by computer, and the completed data were retrieved manually. Two researchers screened out the included studies and evaluated the quality of the literature, and analyzed the included studies with Revman 5.3 software.
RESULTS: The 20 RCTs literatures included 7275 cases in the experimental group and 2552 cases in the control group. The AEs level in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the placebo group (RR=1.22; 95%CI 1.13-1.32; p < 0.00001), and the level of heterogeneity is low (P = 0.11, I2 = 29%). The AE level of patients in CFL test group was significantly higher than that in control group (RR = 1.13; 95%CI 1.02-1.04; P = 0.01), and the level of heterogeneity is low (P = 0.14, I2 = 38%). The level of AE in GL experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group (RR = 1.42; 95%CI 1.21-1.67; p < 0.0001), and the level of heterogeneity is low (P = 0.60, I2 = 0%). The AE level of patients in FHL experimental group was significantly higher than that in control group (RR = 1.53; 95%CI 1.12-2.10; p < 0.008), and the level of heterogeneity is low (P = 0.99, I2 = 0%).
CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis confirmed the safety of BTX-A in the treatment of facial rejuvenation (CFL, GL, FHL). Although the incidence of adverse reactions was low, there was still a significant difference compared with the placebo control group.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid39623611, year = {2024}, author = {Koh, YG and Lee, WG and Park, KY}, title = {Efficacy and Safety of Needle-Free Microjet Injection Versus Needle Injection of Botulinum Toxin for the Treatment of Crow's Feet: A Randomized Split-Face Pilot Study.}, journal = {Annals of dermatology}, volume = {36}, number = {6}, pages = {355-360}, pmid = {39623611}, issn = {2005-3894}, support = {//JSK Biomed Inc./Korea ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Botulinum toxin is commonly used for cosmetic enhancements in various applications. However, the pain experienced during the injection process remains a significant concern.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a needle-free microjet drug injector, powered by an Er:YAG laser, for the injection of botulinum toxin to treat crow's feet wrinkles.
METHODS: Botulinum toxin injections were randomly administered using a microjet injector on one side and a conventional needle injection on the other. The results were evaluated by two dermatologists, who were blinded to the treatment method. They used a 5-point scale to assess the severity of both static and dynamic crow's feet before and after the treatment. The participants' pain levels during the procedure were measured using a visual analog scale, and the physician/subject global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS) was used to assess overall aesthetic improvement.
RESULTS: Ten Korean women (mean age, 50.7) participated in the study. Both sides exhibited significant improvement in crow's feet wrinkles compared to the baseline, with no noticeable differences between the two sides. The microjet injector side showed a significantly lower mean pain score, while there was no difference between the sides in terms of P/SGAIS scores. The evaluation of the wrinkle scale demonstrated high reliability.
CONCLUSION: The needle-free microjet drug injector, which utilizes an Er:YAG laser, may be a useful option for treating crow's feet wrinkles with botulinum toxin due to its ability to reduce pain.}, }
@article {pmid39633193, year = {2024}, author = {Shin, WD and Phan, HV and Daley, MA and Ijspeert, AJ and Floreano, D}, title = {Fast ground-to-air transition with avian-inspired multifunctional legs.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {636}, number = {8041}, pages = {86-91}, pmid = {39633193}, issn = {1476-4687}, support = {/SNSF_/Swiss National Science Foundation/Switzerland ; //European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Air ; *Biomechanical Phenomena ; *Birds/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Extremities/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Flight, Animal/physiology ; Gait/physiology ; *Locomotion/physiology ; *Robotics/instrumentation/methods ; Wings, Animal/physiology ; Walking/physiology ; *Aircraft/instrumentation ; *Biomimetics/instrumentation/methods ; *Motion ; }, abstract = {Most birds can navigate seamlessly between aerial and terrestrial environments. Whereas the forelimbs evolved into wings primarily for flight, the hindlimbs serve diverse functions such as walking, hopping and leaping, and jumping take-off for transitions into flight[1]. These capabilities have inspired engineers to aim for similar multimodality in aerial robots, expanding their range of applications across diverse environments. However, challenges remain in reproducing multimodal locomotion, across gaits with distinct kinematics and propulsive characteristics, such as walking and jumping, while preserving lightweight mass for flight. This trade-off between mechanical complexity and versatility[2] limits most existing aerial robots to only one additional locomotor mode[3-5]. Here we overcome the complexity-versatility trade-off with RAVEN (Robotic Avian-inspired Vehicle for multiple ENvironments), which uses its bird-inspired multifunctional legs to jump rapidly into flight, walk on the ground, and hop over obstacles and gaps similar to the multimodal locomotion of birds. We show that jumping for take-off contributes substantially to the initial flight take-off speed[6-9] and, remarkably, that it is more energy efficient than taking off without the jump. Our analysis suggests an important trade-off in mass distribution between legs and body among birds adapted for different locomotor strategies, with greater investment in leg mass among terrestrial birds with multimodal gait demands. Multifunctional robot legs expand the opportunities to deploy traditional fixed-wing aircraft in complex terrains through autonomous take-offs and multimodal gaits.}, }
@article {pmid39633841, year = {2024}, author = {Ranjan, R and Adhikary, D and Barman, S and Islam, MS and Ken-Dror, G and Yusuf, MA and Moureen, A and Hakim, M and Sharma, P}, title = {Multidimensional Approach of Genotype and Phenotype in Stroke Etiology: The MAGPIE Study.}, journal = {Health science reports}, volume = {7}, number = {12}, pages = {e70227}, pmid = {39633841}, issn = {2398-8835}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Stroke is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Bangladesh. It is estimated that genetic determinants account for around 40%-60% of its etiology, similar to environmental factors. This study aimed to provide a better understanding of the genetic, environmental, and clinical risk factors in stroke patients from Bangladesh.
METHODS: The MAGPIE (Multidimensional Approach of Genotype and Phenotype In Stroke Etiology) study is a population-based case-control study that will allow a hypothesis-free genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify genetic risk factors associated with adult stroke (age ≥ 18 years) in Bangladesh. This study will collect detailed phenotypic data as well as blood samples from stroke patients and control subjects. High-molecular-weight genomic DNA will be isolated and archived using Qiagen DNA isolation kits.
RESULTS: We will utilize SPSS v28.0, vR-4.3.2 and gPLINK v2.0 software to analyse the study variables, as appropriate. Further, appropriate statistical tests will be applied to test the significance level between study groups. As applicable, data will be presented in tables and graphs, such as Manhattan plots and Quantile-Quantile (QQ) plots. A p < 0.05 will be considered as statistical significance.
CONCLUSION: This will be the first large-scale carefully phenotyped biobank of Bangladeshi stroke patients which will enable a GWAS enabling an understanding of the association between gene-phenotype risk factors which has the potential to revise and refine national stroke guidelines.}, }
@article {pmid39636993, year = {2024}, author = {Kaiser, J}, title = {Trump picks an 'outsider' and NIH critic to lead agency.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {386}, number = {6726}, pages = {1080-1081}, doi = {10.1126/science.adv0705}, pmid = {39636993}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Humans ; Biomedical Research/economics/legislation & jurisprudence ; *COVID-19/prevention & control/epidemiology ; Financing, Government ; *National Institutes of Health (U.S.)/economics ; Research Support as Topic/legislation & jurisprudence ; United States ; Policy ; Politics ; }, abstract = {Jay Bhattacharya, who has analyzed NIH funding and ripped U.S. COVID-19 policies, could overhaul key funder.}, }
@article {pmid39638926, year = {2024}, author = {Lois-Milevicich, J and Rat-Fischer, L and de la Colina, MA and Gómez, RO and Reboreda, JC and Kacelnik, A}, title = {Mechanical problem solving by plush-crested jays: are tools special after all?.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {82}, pmid = {39638926}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {UBACyT 20020170100521BA//Universidad de Buenos Aires/ ; PICT 2015-1628//Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Problem Solving ; Male ; Tool Use Behavior ; Female ; Passeriformes/physiology ; }, abstract = {Tool use is taxonomically associated with high behavioural flexibility and innovativeness, and its prevalence is greater in primates and some bird species. This association, however, is not known to be causally determinant of tool-related competence since flexibility and innovativeness are often observed in the absence of tool use and vice versa. For this reason, it is interesting to explore whether animals that can be loosely categorized as outstanding, or 'intelligent' physical problem solvers, are also remarkable using tools innovatively, rather than tool use presenting special constraints. We investigate this problem using plush-crested jays (Cyanocorax chrysops), a corvid new to cognitive research that shows highly flexible and inquisitive behaviour in the wild and has not been reported to use tools. We tested jays in two tasks of apparent similar manipulative complexity and incentive, one involving a tool (T) and the other not (NT). In the NT task birds had to open a box with a transparent lid blocked by a latch to get a reward, whereas in the T task, they had to use a rake to pull out the reward from the box. Eight out of nine subjects succeeded in the NT task, whereas none of them learned to solve the T task. This is consistent with tool use involving dedicated competencies, rather than just high problem-solving proficiency.}, }
@article {pmid39644715, year = {2025}, author = {Hirao, AJ and Aoyama, M and Sugita, S}, title = {During the breeding season, lymphocytes assemble into ellipse-shaped clusters in the uropygial gland of the jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos.}, journal = {Morphologie : bulletin de l'Association des anatomistes}, volume = {109}, number = {364}, pages = {100924}, doi = {10.1016/j.morpho.2024.100924}, pmid = {39644715}, issn = {1286-0115}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/anatomy & histology/physiology/growth & development ; Seasons ; Male ; Female ; *Lymphocytes/cytology/physiology ; Reproduction/physiology ; Sex Characteristics ; Breeding ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Recent studies indicate that the uropygial gland produces intraspecific chemosensory cues. The jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchos, which is a type of passerine, exhibits extreme morphological variation in the gonadal gland during the breeding season. Because the uropygial gland of the jungle crow sometimes exhibits morphological changes during the breeding season, we attempted to clarify the morphological changes in the uropygial gland of the jungle crow according to development and season.
METHODS: Captured birds were divided into three age groups according to the color of their upper palate: <1 year, 1-2 years, and >2 years old. Paraffin sections of the uropygial gland were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Elastica van Gieson, Giemsa, and a proliferating cell nuclear antigen antibody.
RESULTS: Sexual dimorphism was not seen in the morphology of the uropygial gland in the jungle crow. However, changes due to growth and season were identified. During the breeding season in birds>2 years old, lymphocytes formed ellipse-shaped clusters around the glandular cavity. These clusters were invaded by collagen fibers from spherical cells.
CONCLUSIONS: Collagen fibers, which develop from spherical cells, seem to be related to lymphoid cluster migration. Ellipse-shaped lymphoid clusters may play a crucial role in reproductive behavior during the breeding season.}, }
@article {pmid39645881, year = {2024}, author = {Scherz, MD and Rudolph, J and Rakotondratsima, M and Ratsoavina, FM and Crottini, A and Andreone, F and Glaw, F and Vences, M}, title = {Molecular systematics of the subgenus Gephyromantis (Phylacomantis) with description of a new subspecies.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5446}, number = {2}, pages = {205-220}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5446.2.3}, pmid = {39645881}, issn = {1175-5334}, mesh = {Animals ; Madagascar ; *Phylogeny ; *Animal Distribution ; Female ; *Anura/anatomy & histology/genetics/classification ; Male ; Animal Structures/anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Body Size ; Organ Size ; Genetic Variation ; }, abstract = {The mantellid subgenus Phylacomantis (genus Gephyromantis) currently contains four species of frogs distributed in the South (G. corvus, G. kintana), West (G. atsingy), North East, North, and Sambirano regions (G. pseudoasper) in Madagascar. We assess the molecular systematics of these amphibians based on extended sampling and analysis of multiple nuclear-encoded and mitochondrial genes. We confirm the delimitation of the four known species, which form monophyletic groups in a mitochondrial tree and separate phylogroups without haplotype sharing in haplotype networks of four nuclear markers. Newly included samples of G. pseudoasper from the North and North East regions confirm a comparatively low genetic variation of this species across its range, with pairwise genetic distance in the 16S gene not exceeding 1.4%. On the contrary, newly collected specimens from three sites in the North East and North West of the island strongly differed from all other Phylacomantis, with genetic distances exceeding 4.8% for the16S gene. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers strongly suggest them to be sister to G. corvus from the South. Due to haplotype sharing in two nuclear genes, absence of detectable morphological differences, and lack of data on bioacoustic differentiation, we describe these populations as a new subspecies, G. corvus bakilana ssp. nov., emphasizing that this taxon may be elevated to species status in the future pending new data. This biogeographic pattern, with apparently disjunct sister lineages in the South vs. North West of Madagascar, is rare among Malagasy anurans and calls for increased exploration of the remaining humid forest fragments in the North West and West of the island.}, }
@article {pmid39646984, year = {2024}, author = {Salinas-Velasco, HV and Valdez-Mondragón, A and Bueno-Villegas, J}, title = {A new species of the spider genus Mexentypesa Raven (Araneae: Nemesiidae) from Hidalgo, Mexico and taxonomic comments on M. chiapas Raven.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5453}, number = {2}, pages = {233-244}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5453.2.4}, pmid = {39646984}, issn = {1175-5334}, mesh = {Animals ; *Spiders/classification/anatomy & histology ; Mexico ; Male ; Female ; *Animal Distribution ; Animal Structures/anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Body Size ; Organ Size ; Ecosystem ; }, abstract = {A new species of the enigmatic spider genus Mexentypesa (Raven, 1987) from a cloud forest in Hidalgo state, Mexico is described: M. hidalguensis sp. nov. The description of the species is based on both male and female adult specimens. This discovery increases the diversity of the genus to two species: Mexentypesa chiapas (Raven, 1987) and the new species described herein. Additionally, Aptostichus sabinae syn. nov. (=M. chiapas), which was previously described as a different species, is formally synonymized.}, }
@article {pmid39649523, year = {2024}, author = {Jenkins, R and Bianchi, J and Watson, J and Shinners, J and Jaisinghani, P and Spain, B and Ruotolo, C}, title = {Risk and Prognosis of Hamstring Injuries in the National Football League: A 12-Year Review.}, journal = {Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine}, volume = {12}, number = {12}, pages = {23259671241298622}, pmid = {39649523}, issn = {2325-9671}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Hamstring injuries can have a significant burden on a professional football player's career and performance. One in 4 players will suffer a lower extremity strain in their career, with the hamstring being the most common. These injuries are often fraught with extended periods of recovery and reinjury rates varying between 16% and 38%.
PURPOSE: To determine the progression and duration of hamstring injury as well as risk factors and probability of reinjury in the National Football League (NFL).
STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study.
METHODS: Data were extracted from the official publicly accessible NFL database of injuries. NFL players suffering a hamstring injury during the study period of 2008-2020 were identified. Injuries were reported weekly as mandated by the NFL. Players were deemed cleared from injury when no longer listed in the injury report (IR). Reinjury was defined as any subsequent hamstring injury after a player's initial injury. The duration of injury and factors associated with injury were analyzed. Secondary objectives included team-specific injury rates and timing of injury.
RESULTS: A total of 2101 hamstring injuries occurred among 1354 players. The mean duration of the IR was 2.4 ± 2.1 weeks. A total of 442 (33%) players suffered subsequent reinjury, 27% of which occurred during the same season. The mean duration on the IR for reinjury was 2.4 ± 1.8 weeks, with no significant difference in duration compared with initial injury (2.4 ± 1.8 vs 2.2 ± 1.7; P = .138). Defensive skill players were most frequently injured (50.4%) followed by offensive skill players (37.7%). Of the 4812 total IR listings, 1806 (38%) did not participate in practice. A total of 1590 (33.5%) had limited participation in practice, and 1353 (28.5%) had full participation in practice. Injury rates among teams varied and ranged from 0.6% (Baltimore Ravens) to 5.7% (Houston Texans), with a median of 3.1% (P < .0001).
CONCLUSION: Hamstring injuries can have a lasting impact on a player's career with more than a third of players suffering subsequent reinjury. Although suffering a hamstring injury predisposes a player to reinjury, previous injury was not associated with longer recovery times. Rates of injury among organizational teams vary; thus, further research to understand the difference in preventive measures and treatment protocols may be warranted.}, }
@article {pmid39653419, year = {2024}, author = {Orozco-Arias, S and Sierra, P and Durbin, R and González, J}, title = {MCHelper automatically curates transposable element libraries across eukaryotic species.}, journal = {Genome research}, volume = {34}, number = {12}, pages = {2256-2268}, pmid = {39653419}, issn = {1549-5469}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {*DNA Transposable Elements ; Animals ; Humans ; *Molecular Sequence Annotation ; Software ; Gene Library ; Zebrafish/genetics ; Data Curation ; Eukaryota/genetics ; Genomics/methods ; Oryza/genetics ; Zea mays/genetics ; }, abstract = {The number of species with high-quality genome sequences continues to increase, in part due to the scaling up of multiple large-scale biodiversity sequencing projects. While the need to annotate genic sequences in these genomes is widely acknowledged, the parallel need to annotate transposable element (TE) sequences that have been shown to alter genome architecture, rewire gene regulatory networks, and contribute to the evolution of host traits is becoming ever more evident. However, accurate genome-wide annotation of TE sequences is still technically challenging. Several de novo TE identification tools are now available, but manual curation of the libraries produced by these tools is needed to generate high-quality genome annotations. Manual curation is time-consuming, and thus impractical for large-scale genomic studies, and lacks reproducibility. In this work, we present the Manual Curator Helper tool MCHelper, which automates the TE library curation process. By leveraging MCHelper's fully automated mode with the outputs from three de novo TE identification tools, RepeatModeler2, EDTA, and REPET, in the fruit fly, rice, hooded crow, zebrafish, maize, and human, we show a substantial improvement in the quality of the TE libraries and genome annotations. MCHelper libraries are less redundant, with up to 65% reduction in the number of consensus sequences, have up to 11.4% fewer false positive sequences, and up to ∼48% fewer "unclassified/unknown" TE consensus sequences. Genome-wide TE annotations are also improved, including larger unfragmented insertions. Moreover, MCHelper is an easy-to-install and easy-to-use tool.}, }
@article {pmid39664634, year = {2024}, author = {Aslanova, M and Gavrilova, M and Iurina, E}, title = {Does sibling family structure matter in the emotion understanding development in preschoolers?.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1428087}, pmid = {39664634}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of sibling family structure -including the number of children, age gaps, presence of a twin, sibling position, and gender composition - on emotion understanding and its development in children aged 5-6 years. A total of 409 preschoolers participated. Emotion understanding was assessed using The Test of Emotion Comprehension at the baseline and then again at a 1-year follow-up. In addition to the primary variables, executive functions (comprising visual and verbal working memory and cognitive flexibility) and non-verbal intelligence were controlled for in the analysis. We used the Dimensional Change Card Sort task to assess cognitive flexibility, the Sentence Repetition and Memory for Designs subtests of NEPSY-II to measure verbal and visual working memory, respectively, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices to assess non-verbal intelligence. Sibling data were obtained from the parent surveys, while psychological assessments were administered to children by psychologists. While sibling family structure influences emotion understanding, it does not significantly affect its development over a year. A more advanced reflective emotional understanding is associated with higher cognitive flexibility and having a younger sibling, compared to other sibling positions. The results of this study offer additional knowledge for parents, educators, family therapists, and child psychologists seeking a deeper understanding of emotional development in children. These professionals can design interventions and programs that leverage sibling and peer relationships to foster emotional development, encourage collaboration through age-diverse activities, and promote caregiving roles to enhance family and group dynamics.}, }
@article {pmid39666895, year = {2025}, author = {Marsja, E and Holmer, E and Stenbäck, V and Micula, A and Tirado, C and Danielsson, H and Rönnberg, J}, title = {Fluid Intelligence Partially Mediates the Effect of Working Memory on Speech Recognition in Noise.}, journal = {Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR}, volume = {68}, number = {1}, pages = {399-410}, doi = {10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00465}, pmid = {39666895}, issn = {1558-9102}, mesh = {Humans ; *Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Male ; *Noise ; Female ; *Speech Perception/physiology ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Longitudinal Studies ; Hearing Aids ; Adult ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: Although the existing literature has explored the link between cognitive functioning and speech recognition in noise, the specific role of fluid intelligence still needs to be studied. Given the established association between working memory capacity (WMC) and fluid intelligence and the predictive power of WMC for speech recognition in noise, we aimed to elucidate the mediating role of fluid intelligence.
METHOD: We used data from the n200 study, a longitudinal investigation into aging, hearing ability, and cognitive functioning. We analyzed two age-matched samples: participants with hearing aids and a group with normal hearing. WMC was assessed using the Reading Span task, and fluid intelligence was measured with Raven's Progressive Matrices. Speech recognition in noise was evaluated using Hagerman sentences presented to target 80% speech-reception thresholds in four-talker babble. Data were analyzed using mediation analysis to examine fluid intelligence as a mediator between WMC and speech recognition in noise.
RESULTS: We found a partial mediating effect of fluid intelligence on the relationship between WMC and speech recognition in noise, and that hearing status did not moderate this effect. In other words, WMC and fluid intelligence were related, and fluid intelligence partially explained the influence of WMC on speech recognition in noise.
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the importance of fluid intelligence in speech recognition in noise, regardless of hearing status. Future research should use other advanced statistical techniques and explore various speech recognition tests and background maskers to deepen our understanding of the interplay between WMC and fluid intelligence in speech recognition.}, }
@article {pmid39673229, year = {2025}, author = {Mercurio, DG and Flament, F and Muller, B and Bernerd, F and Josso, M and Jager-Lezer, N and Delaunay, C and Passeron, T}, title = {Gain of Protection Afforded by the Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate (MCE) UVA1 Filter on Pigmentary and Aging Signs: An Outdoor 4-Week Randomized, Intra-Individual Comparative Study in 52 Brazilian Women.}, journal = {Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine}, volume = {41}, number = {1}, pages = {e13020}, doi = {10.1111/phpp.13020}, pmid = {39673229}, issn = {1600-0781}, support = {//L'Oréal Research & Innovation Department/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Sunscreening Agents/chemistry ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Adult ; Brazil ; Middle Aged ; *Skin Pigmentation/drug effects/radiation effects ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects ; Prospective Studies ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Conventional sunscreens shield the skin from ultraviolet (UV) rays up to 370 nm leaving wavelengths between 370 and 400 nm unfiltered despite their potentially harmful biological and clinical effects.
OBJECTIVE: The beneficial effects of methoxypropylamino cyclohexenylidene ethoxyethylcyanoacetate (MCE) UVA1 filter were explored at 1% in a SPF50 sunscreen under outdoors summer conditions against pigmentation and aging signs compared against a reference SPF50 without the MCE filter.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective randomized comparative intra-individual study was conducted in 52 Brazilian women (phototype I-III). A hemiface application was performed for the SPF50 sunscreen with 1% MCE and SPF50 reference without MCE before 1-h outdoor sunlight exposure, twice daily for 4 weeks. Study endpoint included expert panel grading of pigmentation (3), vascular (1) signs as well as facial skin ageing and assessment of facial skin radiance and skin homogeneity by a naïve panel.
RESULTS: Significant differences were reported for all facial signs comparing areas protected with SPF50/MCE and SPF50, respectively: upper lip wrinkles, crow's feet wrinkles, upper lip texture, upper lip pigmentation, vascular abnormalities (all p < 0.0001), texture of the mouth contour (p = 0.001), ptosis of lower face (p = 0.003), lateral facial pigmentation (p = 0.005), and whole face pigmentation (p = 0.01). The evaluations performed by naïve panel showed a significant superiority of the SPF50/MCE product for skin homogeneity (p = 0.043).
CONCLUSION: Overall, this study demonstrates a significant gain of protection with the SPF50 containing 1% MCE in reducing hyperpigmentation, redness and aging signs compared to the same SPF50 sunscreen without MCE, thus supporting the need for an enlarged UVA1 photoprotection.}, }
@article {pmid39678049, year = {2024}, author = {Bildiren, A and Fırat, T and Kavruk, SZ}, title = {The Validity and Reliability Study of TONI-3 Test for 4-17 Aged Children.}, journal = {Noro psikiyatri arsivi}, volume = {61}, number = {4}, pages = {358-362}, pmid = {39678049}, issn = {1300-0667}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Since there are not enough scales to evaluate the cognitive performance of adolescents in Türkiye, the aim of this study is to conduct a reliability and validity study of the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence-3 (TONI-3) for individuals aged between 14 and 17.
METHODS: A total of 566 children between the ages of 14-17 were included in the study. A form of TONI-3 test was administered to all participants. Test-retest and parallel form application were made for reliability analyses, and Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test (RSPM) and Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT-I) tests were applied for validity analyses.
RESULTS: It has been found that the TONI-3 Test has a high reliability with an average reliability coefficient of 0.92. It was determined that there was a high, positive and significant relationship between Form A and Form B of the TONI-3 Test (r=0.76, p<0.01). The correlation coefficient between the scores was found to be 0.83 between the first application of the TONI-3 test and the test repeated after 4 weeks. A high, positive and significant correlation was found between TONI-3 Test, RSPM Test and NNAT-I (r=0.69, p<0.01; r=0.81, p<0.01).
CONCLUSION: This study revealed evidence of the reliability and validity of the TONI-3 test between the ages of 14-17. This is the first study of the TONI-3 test in this age group. It is thought that clinicians can practically evaluate cognitive abilities in children who are clinically referred to or determined to have behavior disorders at school through this test.}, }
@article {pmid39685698, year = {2024}, author = {Trinczer, IL and Shalev, L}, title = {Computerised Attention Functions Training Versus Computerised Executive Functions Training for Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomised Controlled Trial.}, journal = {Journal of clinical medicine}, volume = {13}, number = {23}, pages = {}, pmid = {39685698}, issn = {2077-0383}, support = {//Tel Aviv University Argentinian's Friends/ ; //The Minducate Learning Innovation Research and Entrepreneurship Center/ ; }, abstract = {Background: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by deficits in attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Current treatments, such as stimulant medication and behavioural therapy, ameliorate symptoms but do not address the core cognitive dysfunctions. This study aimed to investigate the effects of two computerised neurocognitive training programs, attention functions training and executive functions training, in children with ADHD. Methods: Eighty children with ADHD (ages 8-13) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Attention functions training (AFT), targeting sustained, selective-spatial, orienting, and executive attention; executive functions training (EFT), focusing on working memory, cognitive flexibility, and problem solving; or a passive control group. Training sessions were administered in small groups twice a week for nine weeks. Participants underwent comprehensive assessments of attention (Continuous Performance Test, Conjunctive Visual Search Task), executive functions (Corsi Block-Tapping Tasks), nonverbal reasoning (Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices), parent-rated behavioural symptoms, and arithmetic performance at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Results: The AFT group demonstrated significant improvements in sustained and selective-spatial attention, nonverbal reasoning, inattentive symptoms, and arithmetic performance, and most improvements persisted at follow-up. The EFT group showed gains in nonverbal reasoning and inattentive symptoms, although no improvements were documented in working memory or in parent ratings of executive functions. Conclusions: The AFT program that addressed core attentional functions in children with ADHD produced robust cognitive and behavioural benefits, whereas the EFT program yielded behavioural benefits and a limited improvement in executive functions. Future research should explore different training protocols for broader gains in executive functions. These findings support the potential of theory-driven, structured neurocognitive training targeting basic cognitive functions as an effective small-group intervention for ADHD.}, }
@article {pmid39691435, year = {2024}, author = {Zuo, T and Wang, J and Liu, J and Liu, J and Zhou, Q and Hou, J}, title = {Recognition of Predator Type and Risk Level in Azure-Winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) Through Visual and Auditory Cues.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {14}, number = {12}, pages = {e70749}, pmid = {39691435}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Predation events are an important key factor determining the survival and reproduction of prey species. To cope, prey species have evolved various anti-predator strategies, including mechanisms for accurate predator identification and distinguishing predator types and risk levels. Birds rely on visual, auditory, and olfactory cues to perceive and categorize predators. However, previous studies have focused on single sensory modalities and have largely been conducted during breeding seasons. Thus, analyses of the accuracy and differences in predator recognition cues, especially during non-breeding periods, are needed. In this study, predator recognition in Azure-winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) was evaluated during the non-breeding season. We examined responses to two predators, Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and Domestic Cat (Felis catus), and two non-predators, Oriental Magpie (Pica serica) and Oriental Turtle Dove (Streptopelia orientalis). Using specimens and playback experiment, the ability of Azure-winged magpies to identify threats through both visual and auditory cues was evaluated. The results showed that Azure-winged Magpies can identify predator types through both visual and auditory cues, accurately distinguish threat levels, and adjust their foraging behavior accordingly. Notably, they exhibited the strongest anti-predator response to Domestic Cats (frequently encountered under natural conditions), as evidenced by longer observation times, shorter foraging duration, and quicker flight responses. The results indicate that Azure-winged Magpies can correctly identify predator types and threat levels through both visual and auditory cues and exhibit stronger anti-predator behaviors with increasing apparent threat levels.}, }
@article {pmid39696032, year = {2024}, author = {Mahjubi, K and Effatpanah, M and Parsaei, M and Mojtahedi, SY and Izadi, A and Tavakolizadeh, R}, title = {Association of anthropometric parameters with intelligence quotient in early school-aged children: a cross-sectional study in Iran.}, journal = {BMC pediatrics}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {809}, pmid = {39696032}, issn = {1471-2431}, mesh = {Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Male ; Child ; Iran ; *Intelligence/physiology ; *Anthropometry ; Intelligence Tests ; Body Mass Index ; Waist Circumference ; Body Weight ; Linear Models ; Body Height ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: While the link between body growth indices in the first three years of life and neurodevelopment is well established, the relationship between these indicators and intelligence levels in later stages is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the association between various anthropometric indices and Intelligence Quotient in early school-aged children.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited healthy students aged 7 to 8 years from four primary schools in Tehran, Iran. Measurements included body weight, height, body mass index, arm circumference, waist circumference, and hip circumference. Intelligence Quotient was assessed using the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices Test, with scores standardized by age according to the Raven's manual. Separate univariate linear regression analyses evaluated the association between each anthropometric index and children's Intelligence Quotient scores. Multivariate linear regression analyses were then performed to adjust for potential confounding factors, including the child's sex, age, and parental education levels.
RESULTS: A cohort of 160 children (80 females), with a mean age of 7.5 ± 0.6 years, was included in the study. The participants exhibited the following mean anthropometric values: weight 27.7 ± 6.5 kg, height 1.2 ± 0.1 m, body mass index 17.9 ± 3.4 kg/m[2], arm circumference 20.7 ± 2.8 cm, waist circumference 56.4 ± 6.4 cm, and hip circumference 68.1 ± 6.6 cm. Their mean Intelligence Quotient score was 106 ± 16.6. In the univariate analysis, children's weight was not significantly associated with Intelligence Quotient score (P-value = 0.153, β = 0.288 [-0.108, 0.684]), while height was negatively associated (P-value = 0.048, β = -31.685 [-63.142, -0.228]) and body mass index showed a positive association (P-value = 0.001, β = 1.265 [0.524, 2.006]). Abdominal circumference was not significantly associated with Intelligence Quotient (P-value = 0.913, β = 0.051 [-0.870, 0.972]), but both waist circumference (P-value = 0.007, β = 0.542 [0.147, 0.937]) and hip circumference (P-value = 0.013, β = 0.484 [0.102, 0.866]) demonstrated significant positive associations with Intelligence Quotient. However, none of the anthropometric indices maintained statistically significant associations with Intelligence Quotient after adjusting for potential confounders (P-values > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated no strong relationship between various body measurements and intelligence levels in school-aged children after adjusting the analyses for confounders. This suggests that intelligence in these children may be largely shaped by genetic and sociodemographic factors, with minimal influence from physical growth patterns.}, }
@article {pmid39698066, year = {2024}, author = {Ranjan, R and Adhikary, D and Ken-Dror, G and Yusuf, MA and Moureen, A and Hakim, M and Sharma, P}, title = {Anthropometric Measurements in Predicting Haemorrhagic Stroke Among Bangladeshi Population: The MAGPIE Study.}, journal = {Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {5941-5947}, pmid = {39698066}, issn = {1178-2390}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Anthropometric measurements used to predict cardiovascular disease vary worldwide but are mostly derived from those of Caucasian ancestry. We sought to undertake such measurements in the little studied Bangladeshi population.
METHODS: The MAGPIE (Multidimensional Approach of Genotype and Phenotype in Stroke Etiology) study is a Bangladeshi stroke case-control study that recruited nationwide between January 2022 and June 2024. The univariate analysis was utilised to curtail the risk of independent variables, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to identify the cut-off values of Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), and Hip Circumference (HC). Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression (LR) model demonstrated the risk of independent predictors of haemorrhagic stroke (HS) among sexes.
RESULTS: Of a total of 1491 age- and sex-matched study population, 918 were haemorrhagic stroke (61.5%) with female predominance (n=489; 53.3%) and significantly older than men (P=0.003). The BMI (22.9 ±3.0 vs 21.3 ±3.0; P<0.001), WC (84.0 ±7.3 vs 80.8 ±7.3; P<0.001) and HC (90.6 ±7.1 vs 85.5 ±7.7; P<0.001) was significantly higher among women compared to men. A ROC curve demonstrated that the cut-off values of BMI, WC, and HC are 20.6kg/m[2], 78.8cm, and 84.6cm, respectively, in men and 21.1 kg/m[2], 81.5cm, and 88.1cm, respectively, in women haemorrhagic stroke population. Furthermore, an age-adjusted multivariate LR model identified a HC of ≥84.6 cm in men (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.61-4.97; P <0.001) and a WC of ≥81.5cm in women (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.01-2.37; P=0.001) as potential independent predictors of haemorrhagic stroke.
CONCLUSION: Bangladeshi men with a hip circumference of ≥84.6cm have about threefold, and women with a waist circumference of ≥81.1cm have about twofold heightened risk of haemorrhagic stroke.}, }
@article {pmid39701437, year = {2025}, author = {Bolognia, JL and Braverman, IM}, title = {The New Sydenham Society's Atlas of Portraits of Diseases of the Skin-an educational tool.}, journal = {Clinics in dermatology}, volume = {43}, number = {2}, pages = {219-224}, doi = {10.1016/j.clindermatol.2024.12.014}, pmid = {39701437}, issn = {1879-1131}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dermatology/education/history ; *Skin Diseases/history ; *Atlases as Topic/history ; History, 19th Century ; Societies, Medical/history ; }, abstract = {In 1859, the New Sydenham Society undertook the publication of an Atlas of Portraits of Diseases of the Skin, having been inspired by Ferdinand Ritter von Hebra's Atlas der Hautkrankheiten. Utilizing information contained in Sir Jonathan Hutchinson's Descriptive Catalogue of the New Sydenham's Society Atlas of Portraits of Diseases of the Skin (published in 1869 and 1875), an exhibit of 25 illustrations of cutaneous disorders, along with teaching points, was held at the Harvey Cushing/John Jay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University. It served as an educational tool for dermatologists, dermatology residents, medical students, and even physicians from other specialties.}, }
@article {pmid39703216, year = {2024}, author = {Wolff, LM and Stevens, JR}, title = {Less activity means improved welfare? How pair housing influences pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) behaviour.}, journal = {Animal welfare (South Mimms, England)}, volume = {33}, number = {}, pages = {e49}, pmid = {39703216}, issn = {2054-1538}, abstract = {The activity level and specific behaviours exhibited by captive animals are crucial indicators of welfare. Stereotypies, or repetitive behaviours that have no apparent function or goal, are performed by animals experiencing poor conditions in their environment and indicate welfare concerns. Changes in the housing environment in particular may have critical influences on behaviour and welfare. Here, we measured behavioural changes in a captive pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) population (n = 10) associated with a shift from single to pair housing. Using automated video processing, we show that pair housing greatly reduced overall activity levels in these birds. The stark reduction in activity was surprising, as we expected that social housing would increase interactions between birds, thus increasing activity levels. Upon further analysis, however, we found that stereotypic behaviours, such as beak scraping, jumping, pecking, and route tracing decreased after pair housing, whereas the positive welfare behaviours of perching and preening increased. Our results indicate that pair housing may reduce overall activity in pinyon jays; however, this reduction is primarily in stereotypic behaviours.}, }
@article {pmid39704133, year = {2025}, author = {Cartier, H and Deutsch, JJ and Braccini, F and Garcia, P and Ehlinger, A and David, M and Loreto, F and Benadiba, L and Grand-Vincent, A and Mathey, ER and Nadra, K and Fanian, F}, title = {Long-Term Performance and Safety of a Superficial HA Filler With Tri-Hyal Technology on Different Facial Zones: Forehead, Cheeks, Crow's Feet, and Upper Lips.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {e16565}, pmid = {39704133}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Dermal Fillers/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; *Hyaluronic Acid/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Single-Blind Method ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Male ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Forehead ; Lip ; Face ; Cheek ; Aged ; Rejuvenation ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The function of injectable hyaluronic acid-based fillers is to smooth dermal wrinkles formed during aging. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performance and safety of a dermal filler after its commercialization.
METHODS: In this context, an 18-month prospective randomized single-blind study for the efficacy and safety of ART FILLER Fine Lines (AFFL) was performed on the forehead, the upper lip, the cheek folds, and the crow's feet. The efficacy, the longevity, and the safety were evaluated after a single filler injection without any re-touch injection. The persistence of the correction was evaluated at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 months.
RESULTS: The observations performed on 196 subjects enrolled showed that AFFL injections induced a significant improvement in wrinkle correction for all the assessed areas. These effects were significant as soon as 3 weeks after injection and remained significant until 18 months. Furthermore, injections of AFFL were well tolerated and no severe event was recorded. The minor reported reactions were resolved within 3 weeks.
CONCLUSION: AFFL with Tri-Hyal technology is suitable and well tolerated for the treatment of superficial wrinkles without any irregularity or Tyndall effect and showed a prolonged efficacy for at least 18 months.}, }
@article {pmid39704510, year = {2025}, author = {Luo, M and Zhao, Q and Liu, W and Xu, J and He, Z}, title = {Modified Infrabrow Blepharoplasty for Periorbital Rejuvenation in Asia Women.}, journal = {The Journal of craniofacial surgery}, volume = {36}, number = {2}, pages = {e223-e227}, doi = {10.1097/SCS.0000000000011030}, pmid = {39704510}, issn = {1536-3732}, mesh = {Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Asian People ; *Blepharoplasty/methods ; Eyebrows ; Eyelids/surgery ; *Rejuvenation ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The infrabrow blepharoplasty is a common surgical operation indicated in Asians for periorbital rejuvenation. This operation alone is difficult to achieve the correction of crow's feet. Therefore, the authors elucidate the authors' experiences of applying infrabrow blepharoplasty combined with the subcutaneous undermining of the lateral periorbital region to treat upper eyelid dermatochalasis with lateral hooding deformity and alleviate crow's feet, including its indications, operative procedures, and postoperative outcomes.
METHODS: Retrospective review of patients undergoing infrabrow blepharoplasty incorporated with subcutaneous undermining of the lateral periorbital region between January 2019 and December 2023. Thirty-nine patients who were well followed up were retrospectively reviewed. The surgical procedure is described in depth. Frontal and lateral view photographs were obtained to evaluate the curative effect. The following data were collected preoperatively and at postoperative 6 months: distance between the pupil centre and the supratarsal fold, distance between the pupil centre and lower margin of eyebrow, distance between the lateral canthus and the supratarsal fold, distance between the lateral canthus and lower margin of eyebrow, the rating of Crow's Feet Grading Scale (CFGS) at rest and at a maximum smile.
RESULTS: The study included 78 eyelids of 39 patients ranging in age from 37 to 56 years, with a mean age of 46.25 years. The mean follow-up for the patients was 6.7 months. Compared with the postoperation with the preoperation, distance between the pupil centre and the supratarsal fold increased from 5.45 ± 1.31 to 5.98 ± 1.62 mm, distance between the lateral canthus and the supratarsal fold increased from 3.93 ± 1.24 to 6.13 ± 1.87 mm, no evidence of significant changes in distance between the pupil centre and lower margin of eyebrow and distance between the lateral canthus and lower margin of eyebrow. The average change in the rating of CFGS was -0.62 ± 0.11 at maximum contraction and -0.24 ± 0.08 at rest. No significant complications occurred in any patient postoperatively.
CONCLUSION: The combination of infrabrow blepharoplasty with the subcutaneous undermining of the lateral periorbital region was effective in addressing moderate dermatochalasis with lateral hooding and improve crow's feet in middle-aged Chinese patients, resulting in a rejuvenated periorbital area and flattening of the eyebrow is not noted at the same time. The anthropometric measurement of the upper eyelid and CFGS facilitate operation outcome assessment.}, }
@article {pmid39712390, year = {2024}, author = {Chang, C and Sun, Y and Li, T and Weng, B and Zou, Y}, title = {Coupling-Controlled Photonic Topological Ring Array.}, journal = {ACS photonics}, volume = {11}, number = {12}, pages = {5260-5266}, pmid = {39712390}, issn = {2330-4022}, abstract = {Photonic topological insulators with boundary states present a robust solution to mitigate structure imperfections. By alteration of the virtual boundary between trivial and topological insulators, it is possible to bypass such defects. Coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) have demonstrated their utility in realizing photonic topological insulators, as they exhibit distinct topological phases and band structures. With this characteristic, we designed and experimentally validated a CROW array capable of altering its topological phase by adjusting the coupling strength. This array functions partially as a topological insulator and partially as a topologically trivial array, guiding light along the virtuous boundary between these two regions. By altering the shape of the topological insulator, we can effectively control the optical path. This approach promises practical applications, such as optical switches, dynamic light steering, optical sensing, and optical computing.}, }
@article {pmid39719346, year = {2024}, author = {Wang, Y and Li, Q and Yin, L and Zheng, J and Sun, W and He, A and Fei, X and Cao, Y}, title = {[Nutritional status and height development of rural children aged 10-12 years in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, and the relationship with intelligence quotient in 2019].}, journal = {Wei sheng yan jiu = Journal of hygiene research}, volume = {53}, number = {6}, pages = {956-998}, doi = {10.19813/j.cnki.weishengyanjiu.2024.06.017}, pmid = {39719346}, issn = {1000-8020}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; *Nutritional Status ; Male ; Female ; *Rural Population/statistics & numerical data ; China/epidemiology ; *Intelligence ; *Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Child Development ; Intelligence Tests ; Body Weight ; Students/statistics & numerical data ; Overweight/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To investigate the nutritional status, height development and intellectual development level of rural children aged 10-12 years in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, and to analyze the relationship between the nutritional status and height development of local schoolchildren and their intellectual development.
METHODS: In 2019, a total of 1721 students were selected from 8 counties(cities) under the jurisdiction of Linxia Prefecture in Gansu Province, with 1 township selected from each county in 5 directions: east, west, south, north, and central. One primary school was randomly selected from each township, and 45 students aged 10-12 were selected from each primary school. Measure children's height and weight data, calculate body mass index(BMI). Using the Chinese Joint Raven Test(Rural Edition) for intelligence testing and using the norm to calculate their intelligence quotient(IQ). Based on national standards for children's nutrition, height development, and intelligence, explore the relationship between children's nutritional status, height development, and intelligence.
RESULTS: The IQ of children with moderate to severe weight loss, mild weight loss, normal, overweight, and obesity were 102.7, 102.8, 103.3, 102.5 and 106.9, respectively. The better the nutritional status of children, the higher their IQ values, and the intelligence of children was statistically significant(H=602.816, P<0.001). The detection rate of intellectual disability in overweight children was 0%, while the detection rate of low, marginal, and extremely excellent intelligence in obese children was 0%. The IQ of children in the growth retardation group and non growth retardation group were 99.5 and 103.3, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant(U=171.000, P<0.05). The intelligence of children with different height development levels is statistically significant(H=55.174, P<0.001), and the average intelligence of children increases with the increase of height levels. The detection rate of low and marginal intelligence among children with upper height was 0%, the detection rate of extremely high intelligence was also 0%, and the detection rate of average and above intelligence was 90.9%. Ordered logistic regression analysis showed that the height level was above average(OR=0.598, 95%CI 0.397-0.899, P<0.05), above average(OR=0.002, 95%CI 0.027 2-0.747, P<0.05), nutritional status was normal(OR=0.633, 95%CI 0.484-0.980, P<0.05), overweight(OR=0.487, 95%CI 0.299-0.795, P<0.05), obesity(OR=0.569, 95%CI 0.358-0.907, P<0.05), and non growth and developmental delay(OR=0.578, 95%CI 0.371-0.901, P<0.05) were all local. Protective factors for the intelligence of children.
CONCLUSION: The nutritional status and height development of rural children in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province are related to intelligence. Normal or above nutritional status and normal height development are beneficial for the development of children's intelligence, but obesity and superior height development may affect the development of excellent intelligence in children.}, }
@article {pmid39719650, year = {2024}, author = {Pan, DN and Xie, H and Zeng, Y and Zhou, Y and Lin, C and Ma, X and Ren, J and Jiao, Y and Wu, Y and Wei, W and Xue, G}, title = {The development and validation of a tablet-based assessment battery of general cognitive ability.}, journal = {BMC psychology}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {778}, pmid = {39719650}, issn = {2050-7283}, support = {YYBB29//by Science Foundation of Beijing Language and Culture University (supported by "the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities")/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Reproducibility of Results ; Young Adult ; *Cognition ; *Computers, Handheld ; Adolescent ; *Neuropsychological Tests/standards ; Psychometrics/instrumentation ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Memory, Short-Term ; Attention ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Traditional cognitive assessments, often reliant on paper-and-pencil tests and professional evaluators, suffer from subjectivity and limited result discrimination. This study introduces the Baguan Online Cognitive Assessment System (BOCAS), a tablet-based system that evaluates both general cognitive ability (GCA) and domain-specific functions across six domains: sensory-motor skills, processing speed, sustained attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and spatial ability.
METHODS: BOCAS was validated with 151 healthy Chinese adults aged 18-40. Reliability was assessed through internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to validate the model. The GCA score was correlated with the Raven IQ test and self-reported cognitive flexibility, and its relationship with negative emotions (depression and anxiety) was examined.
RESULTS: BOCAS showed satisfactory reliability, with internal consistency ranging from 0.712 to 0.846 and test-retest reliability from 0.56 to 0.71. Factor analysis revealed a common factor explaining 40% of the variance, and CFA indicated a good model fit (χ²/df = 1.81; CFI = 0.932). The GCA score strongly correlated with the Raven IQ test (r = 0.58) and was related to self-reported cognitive flexibility and negative emotions.
CONCLUSION: BOCAS offers a digital solution for cognitive assessment, providing automated, remote, and precise evaluations. It demonstrates reliability, validity, and potential for use in clinical and research settings.}, }
@article {pmid39730262, year = {2025}, author = {Danek, A}, title = {The 1888 dissertation of a female medical student, Ueber Character-Veränderungen des Menschen in Folge von Laesionen des Stirnhirns (On character changes of man as a consequence of lesions of the frontal lobe).}, journal = {Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior}, volume = {182}, number = {}, pages = {217-227}, doi = {10.1016/j.cortex.2024.11.008}, pmid = {39730262}, issn = {1973-8102}, mesh = {Humans ; History, 19th Century ; Female ; *Frontal Lobe/pathology/injuries ; Students, Medical/history ; *Brain Injuries/history ; }, abstract = {A case of brain injury with a transient syndrome of mainly disinhibited behaviour (Franz Binz) was the subject of the 1888 medical dissertation of Leonore Welt (∗1859 Chernivtsi, Ukraine; †1944 Geneva, Switzerland) which came to be discussed quite controversially. Although Binz was never fully forgotten, the similar "American crow-bar case" (Phineas Gage) attracted more interest. Welt's study, in contrast, provides not only well-illustrated neuropathological findings but also more detailed clinical data. Here, the clinical report and sections of its analysis are translated from the German original. Through comparison with similar cases, Welt proposed the straight gyrus (gyrus rectus) as the main area responsible. The transient nature of the behavioural alteration was taken as indicating a peculiar disease process at that location. She stressed that disinhibited behaviour suggests fronto-orbital lesions, but that the conclusion is not to be reversed. She had noted the absence of symptoms in the majority of similarly situated injuries: normal behaviour thus being no proof of an intact fronto-orbital region. Along with two sisters, Rosa Welt-Straus (1856-1938) and Sara Welt-Kakels (1860-1943), Leonore Gourfein-Welt was among the first females from then Austria to graduate in medicine - against considerable resistance. After her thesis work, she turned to practising ophthalmology in Geneva.}, }
@article {pmid39730827, year = {2024}, author = {Selvaraj, G and Rajangam, K and Vishnuram, P and Bajaj, M and Zaitsev, I}, title = {Optimal power scheduling in real-time distribution systems using crow search algorithm for enhanced microgrid performance.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {30982}, pmid = {39730827}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Microgrids (MGs) have gained significant attention over the past two decades due to their advantages in service reliability, easy integration of renewable energy sources, high efficiency, and enhanced power quality. In India, low-voltage side customers face significant challenges in terms of power supply continuity and voltage regulation. This paper presents a novel approach for optimal power scheduling in a microgrid, aiming to provide uninterrupted power supply with improved voltage regulation (VR). To address these challenges, a crow search algorithm is developed for effective load scheduling within the distribution system. The proposed method minimizes the total operating cost (TOC) and maximizes VR under varying loading conditions and distributed generation (DG) configurations. A case study in Tamil Nadu, India, is conducted using a microgrid composed of three distributed generation sources (DGs), modeled and simulated using the Electrical Transient Analyzer Program (ETAP) environment. The proposed approach is tested under three operational scenarios: grid-connected mode, islanded mode, and grid-connected mode with one DG outage. Results indicate that the crow search algorithm significantly optimizes load scheduling, leading to a substantial reduction in power loss and enhancement in voltage profiles across all scenarios. The islanded mode operation using the crow search algorithm demonstrates a remarkable reduction in TOC and maximizes voltage regulation compared to other modes. The main contributions of this work include: (1) developing a new meta-heuristic approach for power scheduling in microgrids using the crow search algorithm, (2) achieving optimal power flow and load scheduling to minimize TOC and improve VR, and (3) successfully implementing the proposed methodology in a real-time distribution system using ETAP. The findings showcase the effectiveness of the crow search algorithm in microgrid power management and its potential for application in other real-time power distribution systems.}, }
@article {pmid39738289, year = {2024}, author = {Lanszki, J and Molnár, TG and Erős, T and Ónodi, G and Lanszki, Z and Purger, JJ}, title = {Testing how environmental variables affect the survival of freshwater turtle nests and hatchlings using artificial nests and dummy hatchlings.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {31713}, pmid = {39738289}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {RRF-2.3.1-21-2022-00014//Hungarian National Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Climate Change/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Turtles/physiology ; *Nesting Behavior/physiology ; *Predatory Behavior/physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Fresh Water ; Reproduction/physiology ; Wetlands ; Female ; }, abstract = {The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a wide-ranging, long-living freshwater species with low reproductive success, mainly due to high predation pressure. We studied how habitat variables and predator communities in near-natural marshes affect the survival of turtle eggs and hatchlings. We followed the survival of artificial turtle nests placed in marshes along Lake Balaton (Hungary) in May and June as well as hatchlings (dummies) exposed in September. We found that the fewest nests remained intact in the least disturbed, most extensive area with the largest turtle population without predator control. Hatchlings, compared to nests had a significantly higher probability of survival. The density of carnivore dens indicated the negative influence on the number of exposure days, while marsh vegetation coverage was unrelated. The role of carnivores, especially the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in the predation of nests was more significant, while predation by corvids (Corvidae) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) increased for the hatchlings. Predation by mammals increased with the limited availability of dry terrestrial surfaces suitable for laying eggs and with distance to water. Our multifactorial analyses highlight the need for targeted conservation efforts to improve the reproductive success of turtles in these ecologically sensitive environments.}, }
@article {pmid39738990, year = {2024}, author = {Summers, J and Cosgrove, EJ and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Density dependence maintains long-term stability despite increased isolation and inbreeding in the Florida Scrub-Jay.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {27}, number = {12}, pages = {e14483}, pmid = {39738990}, issn = {1461-0248}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; 1R35GM133412/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Inbreeding ; Florida ; *Population Dynamics ; Population Density ; Passeriformes/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Isolation caused by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation can destabilize populations. Populations relying on the inflow of immigrants can face reduced fitness due to inbreeding depression as fewer new individuals arrive. Empirical studies of the demographic consequences of isolation are critical to understand how populations persist through changing conditions. We used a 34-year demographic and environmental dataset from a population of cooperatively breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) to create mechanistic models linking environmental and demographic factors to population growth rates. We found that the population has not declined despite both declining immigration and increasing inbreeding, owing to a coinciding response in breeder survival. We find evidence of density-dependent immigration, breeder survival and fecundity, indicating that interactions between vital rates and local density play a role in buffering the population against change. Our study elucidates the impacts of isolation on demography and how long-term stability is maintained via demographic responses.}, }
@article {pmid39747186, year = {2025}, author = {Bapat, A and Kempf, AE and Friry, S and Boucherie, PH and Bugnyar, T}, title = {Patterns of object play behaviour and its functional implications in free-flying common ravens.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {137}, pmid = {39747186}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {P 33960/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; W 1262/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; P33960//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Female ; Male ; *Social Behavior ; Play and Playthings/psychology ; Austria ; }, abstract = {Object play has been proposed to provide individuals with information about their environment, facilitating foraging skills and tool use. In species where object play co-occurs with locomotor or social play, it may have additional functional implications, such as facilitating the evaluation of peers or forming social bonds. For instance, ravens judge others' competitiveness via play caching and engage in social play by exchanging objects. However, most raven studies were conducted on a restricted number of individuals and under controlled captive settings. To validate these findings and to gauge the functional scope of object play under field conditions, we investigated the patterns and characteristics of object play in individually marked free-flying ravens in the Austrian Alps. Using two large data sets, we show a decrease in object play with age and a preference for playing longer with novel objects, supporting findings from captivity. We also find adults occasionally playing with objects and no difference in the duration of social or non-social object play bouts across age classes. Taken together, our findings are in line with the assumption that raven object play likely has more than one function and serves to gain information about the individual's physical and social environment.}, }
@article {pmid39747893, year = {2025}, author = {Loji, K and Sharma, S and Sharma, G and Rawat, T}, title = {Multiobjective distribution system operation with demand response to optimize solar hosting capacity, voltage deviation index and network loss.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {300}, pmid = {39747893}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {In this research, demand response impact on the hosting capacity of solar photovoltaic for distribution system is investigated. The suggested solution model is formulated and presented as a tri-objective optimization that consider maximization of solar PV hosting capacity (HC), minimization of network losses (Loss) and maintaining node voltage deviation (VDev) within acceptable limits. These crucial objectives are optimized simultaneously as well as individually. To assess the efficacy of the solution, different multi-objective case studies are scrutinised based on the combinations of (i) HC and Loss, (ii) HC and VDev, (iii) Loss and VDev, (iv) HC Loss and VDev simultaneously with the effect of demand response. The multi-objective research problem is formulated as non-linear and non-convex programming approach. To solve this complex problem, the modified crow search optimization (MCSO) is proposed. The MCSO achieved the 0.0714 MW of network loss with the optimal integration of distributed generation and is comparable to the well-established optimization algorithms available in literature. From the simulation results, it is found that HC is 3322.31 kW, VDev is 0.4982 p.u and system losses is 1314.86 kWh with demand response program when all the objectives are simultaneously optimized. The simulation outcomes highlight the superiority of the MCSO over others. The application results show the benefits and the beauty of proposed research work.}, }
@article {pmid39754886, year = {2025}, author = {Liao, DA and Moll, FW and Nieder, A}, title = {Bridging the fields of cognition and birdsong with corvids.}, journal = {Current opinion in neurobiology}, volume = {90}, number = {}, pages = {102965}, doi = {10.1016/j.conb.2024.102965}, pmid = {39754886}, issn = {1873-6882}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal/physiology ; *Songbirds/physiology ; *Crows/physiology ; *Brain/physiology ; Learning/physiology ; }, abstract = {Corvids, readily adaptable across social and ecological contexts, successfully inhabit almost the entire world. They are seen as highly intelligent birds, and current research examines their cognitive abilities. Despite being songbirds with a complete 'song system', corvids have historically received less attention in studies of song production, learning, and perception compared to non-corvid songbirds. However, recent neurobiological studies have demonstrated that songbird vocal production and its neuronal representations are regularly influenced by environmental and cognitive factors. This opinion article discusses the literature on 'corvid song' before introducing other flexible vocal behaviors of corvids in both the wild and controlled laboratory studies. We suggest corvids with their flexible vocal control as promising model species to study the links between brain networks for cognition and vocalization. Studying corvid vocal flexibility and associated cognitive processes in both ecological and lab settings offers complementary insights, crucial for bridging the fields of cognition and birdsong.}, }
@article {pmid39761472, year = {2024}, author = {Strozier, CB}, title = {Historical and Psychological Authenticity.}, journal = {Psychoanalytic review}, volume = {111}, number = {4}, pages = {475-480}, doi = {10.1521/prev.2024.111.4.475}, pmid = {39761472}, issn = {1943-3301}, mesh = {Humans ; *Psychoanalysis/history ; Culture ; Psychoanalytic Theory ; History, 20th Century ; }, abstract = {In this reflection the author examines the question of authenticity in the culture and in his own experience as a historian and psychoanalyst. His vantage points are death and totalism, the nature of facts, and the spiritual and psychological access to truth.}, }
@article {pmid39767918, year = {2024}, author = {Rymarczyk, K and Makowska, I and Hyniewska, S}, title = {The Impact of the Interactive Floor Device and Aerobic Training on Executive Functions in Children.}, journal = {Children (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {39767918}, issn = {2227-9067}, abstract = {BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Considering the importance of physical activity on the development of cognitive functions in children, the aim of this study was to assess the effects of a ten-week training program using the Interactive Floor device (© Funtronic), i.e., a kinesthetic educational game, and aerobic activity training on executive functions in 9-year-old children. Given current knowledge of the advantages of gamification and on-task switching, stronger improvement was expected for the Interactive Floor device than aerobic exercise activities.
METHODS: Sixty-four children (29 boys/35 girls) were randomly assigned to the Interactive Floor (n = 22), Aerobic Training (n = 22), or Control groups (n = 20). The participants had their cognitive abilities assessed twice (pre- and post-intervention) using computer tests from the Vienna Test System (VTS) and subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children[®] Fifth Edition (WISC[®]-V). From VTS, the Stroop Test was used to measure inhibition and attentional control, while the Corsi Block test assessed visuospatial short-term working memory. To assess auditory working memory, the Digit Span subtest from the WISC[®]-V was applied. Additionally, fluid intelligence was estimated using Raven's Progressive Matrices.
RESULTS: Repeated-measures mixed ANOVA and post hoc tests with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons showed that all intervention program groups improved in terms of intelligence and non-verbal abstract reasoning. The second significant finding in this study was that especially children from the Interactive Floor group developed their executive functions, i.e., inhibition and attentional control as well as their spatial short-term memory capacity.
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a combination of both physical exercise and cognitive games in the Interactive Floor group resulted in greater improvement in cognitive abilities in children than aerobic exercise or physical education lessons. It seems that a multidisciplinary approach combining physical and cognitive stimulation effectively promotes child development. Future programs aiming to improve cognitive skills in children should consider incorporating interactive and engaging activities that stimulate both the body and the mind.}, }
@article {pmid39772751, year = {2025}, author = {Hashimoto-Roth, E and Forget, D and Gaspar, VP and Bennett, SAL and Gauthier, MS and Coulombe, B and Lavallée-Adam, M}, title = {MAGPIE: A Machine Learning Approach to Decipher Protein-Protein Interactions in Human Plasma.}, journal = {Journal of proteome research}, volume = {24}, number = {2}, pages = {383-396}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jproteome.4c00160}, pmid = {39772751}, issn = {1535-3907}, mesh = {Humans ; *Machine Learning ; *Protein Interaction Mapping/methods ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods ; *Blood Proteins/metabolism ; Algorithms ; Immunoprecipitation/methods ; *Proteomics/methods ; Protein Interaction Maps ; }, abstract = {Immunoprecipitation coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (IP-MS/MS) methods are often used to identify protein-protein interactions (PPIs). While these approaches are prone to false positive identifications through contamination and antibody nonspecific binding, their results can be filtered using negative controls and computational modeling. However, such filtering does not effectively detect false-positive interactions when IP-MS/MS is performed on human plasma samples. Therein, proteins cannot be overexpressed or inhibited, and existing modeling algorithms are not adapted for execution without such controls. Hence, we introduce MAGPIE, a novel machine learning-based approach for identifying PPIs in human plasma using IP-MS/MS, which leverages negative controls that include antibodies targeting proteins not expected to be present in human plasma. A set of negative controls used for false positive interaction modeling is first constructed. MAGPIE then assesses the reliability of PPIs detected in IP-MS/MS experiments using antibodies that target known plasma proteins. When applied to five IP-MS/MS experiments as a proof of concept, our algorithm identified 68 PPIs with an FDR of 20.77%. MAGPIE significantly outperformed a state-of-the-art PPI discovery tool and identified known and predicted PPIs. Our approach provides an unprecedented ability to detect human plasma PPIs, which enables a better understanding of biological processes in plasma.}, }
@article {pmid39774767, year = {2025}, author = {Gallo, L and Kim, P and Churchill, I and Rae, C and Voineskos, SH and Thoma, A and Pusic, AL and Cano, SJ and Klassen, AF}, title = {Establishing Convergent Validity of the FACE-Q Aesthetics Module Scales.}, journal = {Aesthetic surgery journal}, volume = {45}, number = {5}, pages = {508-513}, pmid = {39774767}, issn = {1527-330X}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Adult ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Esthetics ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Face/surgery ; *Cosmetic Techniques ; Young Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Aged ; Patient Satisfaction ; *Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: FACE-Q Aesthetics scales can be used to assess patient-important outcomes following both surgical and nonsurgical facial cosmetic interventions. Convergent validity is the degree to which the scores of one measurement relate to another measuring a similar construct.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to establish the convergent validity of 11 FACE-Q Aesthetics appearance scales vs the MERZ Aesthetics (Raleigh, NC) scales.
METHODS: Data were collected from an online international sample of participants aged ≥20 years, who had presented to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon within the previous 12 months for a minimally invasive facial aesthetic treatment. Participants provided demographic and clinical data and completed 11 FACE-Q Aesthetics scales and 12 MERZ Aesthetics scales. Hypotheses regarding the strength of correlations between these scales were generated a priori. Adequate convergent validity was based on the percentage of correct hypotheses (>75%) and/or correlation ≥0.50 with an instrument measuring a similar construct.
RESULTS: In total, 1259 participants were included in this survey. The mean [standard deviation] age of the participants was 42.6 [11.9] years old, and most were female (72.5%), Caucasian (76.9%), and living in the United States (49.9%) or the United Kingdom (42.9%). FACE-Q Lines Overall, Lower Face and Jawline, Appraisal of Lines-Forehead/Between Eyebrows/Crow's Feet/Lips/Nasolabial Folds/Marionette, and Lips scales demonstrated adequate convergent validity with patient-reported MERZ Aesthetics scales. The FACE-Q Face Overall and Cheeks scales did not show adequate convergent validity.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of convergent validity for FACE-Q Aesthetics appearance scales. Establishing the validity of these scales remains an iterative process and further studies comparing the FACE-Q to other related measurement tools are required to strengthen this evidence.}, }
@article {pmid39779656, year = {2025}, author = {Worsfold, E and Clayton, NS and Cheke, LG}, title = {Revisiting episodic-like memory in scrub jays: Is there more we can still learn from what-where-when caching behaviour?.}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {53}, number = {1}, pages = {65-79}, pmid = {39779656}, issn = {1543-4508}, mesh = {*Memory, Episodic ; Male ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; *Feeding Behavior/psychology ; *Mental Recall ; }, abstract = {Professor Nicola Clayton is perhaps best known for her work on food-caching scrub jays. Her seminal 1998 paper, together with Anthony Dickinson, showed that scrub jays could remember what food they had cached, where and how long ago, suggesting memory ability that is 'episodic-like' in nature. Here, we present data from a previously unpublished study that sought to replicate and extend these findings. The results replicate previous findings and address potential alternative explanations for earlier results. We argue that the controlled behavioural analyses introduced in this study have the potential to add nuance to our understanding of memory in scrub jay cache retrieval, and to inspire new studies exploring this phenomenon, about which we still have so much to learn.}, }
@article {pmid39790721, year = {2025}, author = {Marie Montenegro, V and Mateo-Tomás, P and Schneider, J and Dent, DH and Crowther, T and Bello, C}, title = {Linking Functional Traits To Trophic Roles In Scavenger Assemblages.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {e70485}, pmid = {39790721}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Scavenging is a widespread feeding strategy involving a diversity of taxa from different trophic levels, from apex predators to obligate scavengers. Scavenger species play a crucial role in ecosystem functioning by removing carcasses, recycling nutrients and preventing disease spread. Understanding the trophic roles of scavenger species can help identify specialized species with unique roles and species that may be more vulnerable to ecological changes. To identify species with specialized roles, we studied three scavenger networks (one in north temperate Spain and two in central-south Mediterranean Spain) that comprised 25 scavenger species (65% birds and 35% mammals), consuming carcasses of four wild ungulate species. We characterized the trophic role of a species by combining four species-level network metrics (normalized degree, specialization, closeness, and betweenness centrality) into a single centrality metric, quantifying how scavenger species interact with carcass species within their ecological network. Higher centrality indicates the species feeds on a greater variety of carcasses and may contribute more to carrion consumption than species with lower centrality, which have more peripheral and specialized roles. The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) had the highest centrality. In contrast, the red kite (Milvus milvus) in the northern site had the lowest centrality, and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) was among the most peripheral species for all three networks. In general, scavengers with large home ranges and nocturnal or crepuscular activity patterns tended to have more central roles, whereas species that forage silently tended to have more peripheral roles. Changes in species' centrality between sites and the high centrality of species with large home ranges suggest that management strategies in one location can have implications that extend beyond, highlighting the need to implement coordinated transboundary protection efforts to ensure the resilience and functionality of scavenger networks and derived ecosystem services.}, }
@article {pmid39799780, year = {2025}, author = {van Schijndel, TJP and Jansen, BRJ}, title = {Integrating lines of research on children's curiosity-driven learning.}, journal = {Journal of experimental child psychology}, volume = {252}, number = {}, pages = {106168}, doi = {10.1016/j.jecp.2024.106168}, pmid = {39799780}, issn = {1096-0457}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; *Exploratory Behavior/physiology ; *Mental Recall/physiology ; *Learning/physiology ; Intelligence ; Attention ; }, abstract = {Epistemic curiosity is considered indispensable in children's learning, but previous empirical research on children's curiosity-driven learning has been fragmented; separate research lines tend to focus on single learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed at integrating different research lines by adapting an existing paradigm to investigate not only the relation between children's state curiosity and their memory performance but also their desire to explore. In addition, this study examined a possible mechanism through which curiosity affects recall: increased attentional processes. Last, this study investigated the role of intelligence and perceived prior knowledge in the relation between curiosity and recall. We applied a within-participants design in which the Trivia task (N = 32) and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices were administered to 10- to 12-year-olds. In the Trivia task, participants learn answers to trivia questions for which they have high and low curiosity, and subsequently recall is tested. Main findings include that children memorized trivia facts better when they were in a high-curious state rather than a low-curious state, and this positive relation may increase with intelligence. Importantly, the relation between curiosity and recall still held when taking into account perceived prior knowledge. Curiosity was positively related not only to recall but also to children's desire to further explore the concerning topic. Given that in some educational contexts promoting curiosity is not considered a priority and children express little school-related curiosity, an important value of this study for educational practice lies in the reinforcement of the notion of curiosity being a main driver of children's learning.}, }
@article {pmid39800907, year = {2025}, author = {Manuskiatti, W and Wannawittayapa, T and Buranaporn, P and Wanitphadeedecha, R and Lizarondo, FPJ and Nokdhes, Y}, title = {The Efficacy and Safety of Synchronized Radiofrequency and High Intensity Facial Electrical Stimulation in Improving Facial Skin Laxity and Quality in Asians.}, journal = {Lasers in surgery and medicine}, volume = {57}, number = {2}, pages = {177-186}, pmid = {39800907}, issn = {1096-9101}, mesh = {Humans ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Adult ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; *Skin Aging ; Male ; Asian People ; *Rejuvenation ; Treatment Outcome ; *Electric Stimulation Therapy/methods ; *Radiofrequency Therapy ; Face ; Single-Blind Method ; *Cosmetic Techniques ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Noninvasive aesthetic procedures for facial rejuvenation are gaining popularity. Conventional treatments, such as radiofrequency (RF) and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), primarily improve skin quality but do not address the deeper musculoaponeurotic structures that affect facial laxity. A novel approach that delivers synchronized RF with high intensity facial electrical stimulation (HIFES) thought to target both the skin and underlying musculoaponeurotic framework to effectively enhance facial laxity has been investigated.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of combined synchronous RF and HIFES therapies in treating facial skin laxity among Asian subjects.
METHODS: In this prospective, evaluator-blinded study, 15 participants aged 40-65 years with mild to moderate facial skin laxity were enrolled. Each underwent four weekly treatments using a synchronized RF and HIFES system using noninvasive electrode applicators on the forehead and cheeks. Objective assessments included forehead and cheek lifting measurements using a 3D photographic system, eyebrow lifting measurement using ImageJ software, skin texture and melanin levels using Antera 3D®, and skin elasticity using Cutometer® MPA 580. Additionally, patients provided self-assessments regarding their perceived level of improvement. Assessments were conducted at baseline, before the 3rd treatment, and at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the last treatment.
RESULTS: All participants completed the study. Significant improvements were observed in forehead and cheek lifting sustained at 6 months (p < 0.0001). A significant eyebrow lift of 1.39 mm was observed at 3 months (p = 0.0087), with a sustained lifting distance of 1.31 mm at 6 months (p = 0.0021). Skin firmness improved substantially (p < 0.0001), with R0 (skin firmness) increasing by 81.24% at 6 months. Skin texture improved notably in the crow's feet area (13.82% improvement at 3 months, p = 0.049). Melanin levels decreased significantly in the crow's feet and forehead regions. Treatment was well tolerated, with pain scores decreasing from 3.5 ± 1.8 to 1.6 ± 1.0 by the fourth session. No serious adverse events occurred.
CONCLUSIONS: Combined synchronous RF and HIFES therapy is a safe and effective Noninvasive method of improving facial skin laxity and quality in Asian subjects. Lasers Surg. Med. 00:00-00, 2024. © 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.}, }
@article {pmid39802641, year = {2025}, author = {, and , and Alexakis, L and Buczkowski, H and Ducatez, M and Fusaro, A and Gonzales, JL and Kuiken, T and Ståhl, K and Staubach, C and Svartström, O and Terregino, C and Willgert, K and Melo, M and Kohnle, L}, title = {Avian influenza overview September-December 2024.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {1}, pages = {e9204}, pmid = {39802641}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {Between 21 September and 6 December 2024, 657 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) and A(H5N5) virus detections were reported in domestic (341) and wild (316) birds across 27 countries in Europe. Many HPAI outbreaks in domestic birds were clustered in areas with high poultry density and characterised by secondary farm-to-farm spread. Waterfowl, particularly the mute swan, were primarily affected during this reporting period, with HPAI virus detections focused on south-eastern Europe. Notably, A(H5N5) viruses expanded their geographic and host range, resulting in a surge in detections and mortality events described in gulls and crows. No new HPAI virus detections in mammals were reported in Europe during this reporting period, but the number of dairy cattle farms reportedly affected in the United States of America (USA) rose to >800 in 16 States, and HPAI virus was identified in two pigs in a mixed-species farm. Between 21 September and 11 December 2024, 56 new human cases with avian influenza virus infection were reported from North America (45 A(H5N1) cases), Viet Nam (one A(H5)) and China (ten A(H9N2) cases). Most of the A(H5) human cases in North America (95.6%, n = 43/45) had reported exposure to poultry, live poultry markets, or dairy cattle prior to avian influenza virus detection or onset of illness. Human infections with avian influenza viruses remain rare and no evidence of human-to-human transmission has been documented in the reporting period. The risk of infection with currently circulating avian A(H5) influenza viruses of clade 2.3.4.4b in Europe remains low for the general public in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA). The risk of infection remains low-to-moderate for those occupationally or otherwise exposed to infected animals or contaminated environments.}, }
@article {pmid39802701, year = {2025}, author = {Halder, P and Dixit, J and Gupta, N and Mehra, N and Singh, A and Malhotra, P and Mathew, A and Kumar, L and Chandra Kataki, A and Gupta, S and Prinja, S}, title = {Access to timely cancer treatment initiation in India: extent, determinants and trends.}, journal = {The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia}, volume = {32}, number = {}, pages = {100514}, pmid = {39802701}, issn = {2772-3682}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Treatment delays are significantly associated with advanced stage, poor response to treatment, increased mortality risk, poor health outcomes, increased healthcare expenditures among cancer patients. However, factors associated with these delays have not yet been robustly evaluated. In order to bridge this gap, we determined the delayed time to treatment initiation (TTI) among cancer patients in India, ascertained its determinants, and assessed the trends of delayed TTI.
METHODS: We analysed data collected from 6695 cancer patients seeking outpatient/daycare treatment, recruited at purposively selected seven healthcare facilities across six states of India. Data on socio-demographic and clinical characteristics including date of cancer diagnosis, date of treatment initiation, cancer site, stage and type of treatment were collected to determine the median TTI and ascertain its determinants among cancer patients in India. Time to treatment initiation was calculated as the duration (days) between diagnosis of cancer (histologically/clinically) and date of initiation of treatment. Multi-variable logistic regression was employed to analyse the relationship between the outcome variable (TTI) and each explanatory variable. A Cox Proportional Hazard (CPH) model was used to conduct time-to-event analysis, and to assess the impact of government-funded health insurance on timely cancer treatment initiation.
FINDINGS: The median (IQR) overall TTI was 20 (7-39) days, with a mean of 53.7 days (SD, 192.9). The TTI was higher for those having head and neck cancer (median TTI: 29 days, IQR: 10.5-55.5) and those receiving radiotherapy as initial treatment (27.5 days, IQR: 10-49.5). Younger patients, those educated up to graduation level and males had significantly lower odds of delayed TTI. As compared to patients who were diagnosed between 1995 and 2017, those diagnosed after 2018 had a 36% (26-46%) higher odds of timely initiation of treatment within 30 days. Upon stratifying by enrolment under PMJAY, we found that while the access for timely treatment initiation increased by 33% for those who were not enrolled, vs. 90% among those enrolled under PM-JAY. Overall, this shows significant improvement in timely initiation of cancer treatment as a result of introduction of PM-JAY.
INTERPRETATION: The study highlights the positive impact of government-funded health insurance schemes on the timely access to cancer treatment in India. Our study recommends expanding AB PM-JAY cancer packages to include cost-effective treatments, increasing population coverage under screening programs and promoting e-RUPI to reduce financial constraints associated with diagnostic services to address delayed treatment initiation due to unknown cancer stages.
FUNDING: Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India.}, }
@article {pmid39814839, year = {2025}, author = {Jabari, M and Ekinci, S and Izci, D and Bajaj, M and Blazek, V and Prokop, L}, title = {Efficient pressure regulation in nonlinear shell-and-tube steam condensers via a Novel TDn(1 + PIDn) controller and DCSA algorithm.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {2090}, pmid = {39814839}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {TN02000025 National Centre for Energy II//Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports/ ; TN02000025 National Centre for Energy II//Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports/ ; CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048//Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic/ ; CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000048//Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic/ ; }, abstract = {Steam condensers are vital components of thermal power plants, responsible for converting turbine exhaust steam back into water for reuse in the power generation cycle. Effective pressure regulation is crucial to ensure operational efficiency and equipment safety. However, conventional control strategies, such as PI, PI-PDn and FOPID controllers, often struggle to manage the nonlinearities and disturbances inherent in steam condenser systems. This paper introduces a novel multistage controller, TDn(1 + PIDn), optimized using the diligent crow search algorithm (DCSA). The proposed controller is specifically designed to address system nonlinearities, external disturbances, and the complexities of dynamic responses in steam condensers. Key contributions include the development of a flexible multi-stage control framework and its optimization via DCSA to achieve enhanced stability, faster response times, and reduced steady-state errors. Simulation results demonstrate that the TDn(1 + PIDn) controller outperforms conventional control strategies, including those tuned with advanced metaheuristic algorithms, in terms of settling time, overshoot, and integral of time weighted absolute error (ITAE). This study marks a significant advancement in pressure regulation strategies, providing a robust and adaptive solution for nonlinear industrial systems.}, }
@article {pmid39816752, year = {2025}, author = {De Nardi, A and Marini, G and Dorigatti, I and Rosà, R and Tamba, M and Gelmini, L and Prosperi, A and Menegale, F and Poletti, P and Calzolari, M and Pugliese, A}, title = {Quantifying West Nile virus circulation in the avian host population in Northern Italy.}, journal = {Infectious Disease Modelling}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {375-386}, pmid = {39816752}, issn = {2468-0427}, abstract = {West Nile virus (WNV) is one of the most threatening mosquito-borne pathogens in Italy where hundreds of human cases were recorded during the last decade. Here, we estimated the WNV incidence in the avian population in the Emilia-Romagna region through a modelling framework which enabled us to eventually assess the fraction of birds that present anti-WNV antibodies at the end of each epidemiological season. We fitted an SIR model to ornithological data, consisting of 18,989 specimens belonging to Corvidae species collected between 2013 and 2022: every year from May to November birds are captured or shot and tested for WNV genome presence. We found that the incidence peaks between mid-July and late August, infected corvids seem on average 17% more likely to be captured with respect to susceptible ones and seroprevalence was estimated to be larger than other years at the end of 2018, consistent with the anomalous number of recorded human infections. Thanks to our modelling study we quantified WNV infection dynamics in the corvid community, which is still poorly investigated despite its importance for the virus circulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is among the first studies providing quantitative information on infection and immunity in the bird population, yielding new important insights on WNV transmission dynamics.}, }
@article {pmid39822556, year = {2024}, author = {Krishnakumar, A and Chellappan, DK and Jeyakodi, S and Dalal, M and Shetty, S}, title = {Efficacy and safety of a proprietary Punica granatum extract in skin health - a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study in healthy volunteers.}, journal = {American journal of translational research}, volume = {16}, number = {12}, pages = {8043-8053}, pmid = {39822556}, issn = {1943-8141}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: The concept of beauty from within is a growing trend in the market and people now look for oral supplements that can enhance the well-being of skin from within. Within this principle, a proprietary pomegranate extract (Grantria[®]), standardized to ellagic acid, punicic acid and punicalagin, was developed using ADOP (Advanced Oil-Powder) technology and was clinically evaluated for its efficacy and safety in healthy adults.
METHODS: This evaluation was carried out as a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical study for 60 days at a daily dose of 300 mg. This study involved a total of 60 subjects randomized in the ratio of 1:1 to test group and placebo group. Multiple skin health parameters were evaluated before and after the intervention.
RESULTS: Data from this study indicated that Punica granatum extract significantly reduced crow's feet wrinkles, tactile roughness, forehead fine lines, forehead wrinkles and improved skin radiance compared to the placebo in 60 days. Other skin health attributes like pores, spots and UV pigmentation were also observed to exhibit significant changes. The test group showed a significant improvement in skin tone evenness, skin moisturisation, elasticity and firmness compared to the baseline. The Tyrosinase biomarker levels were observed to drop by 3% in the Grantria[®] supplemented group.
CONCLUSIONS: Grantria[®] was found to be effective, safe, and well accepted by the subjects making it a potential candidate for use in the supplements intended for maintaining healthy and glowing skin.}, }
@article {pmid39823308, year = {2024}, author = {Liang, Y and Zhao, J and Yang, R and Bai, J and Hu, W and Gu, L and Lian, Z and Huo, H and Guo, J and Gong, H}, title = {PROCERA interacts with JACKDAW in gibberellin-enhanced source-sink sucrose partitioning in tomato.}, journal = {Plant physiology}, volume = {197}, number = {1}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/plphys/kiaf024}, pmid = {39823308}, issn = {1532-2548}, support = {32272706//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {*Solanum lycopersicum/metabolism/genetics/drug effects ; *Gibberellins/pharmacology/metabolism ; *Sucrose/metabolism ; *Plant Proteins/metabolism/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant/drug effects ; Plant Leaves/metabolism/genetics/drug effects ; Phloem/metabolism ; Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism/genetics ; Protein Binding/drug effects ; Biological Transport/drug effects ; Plants, Genetically Modified ; }, abstract = {Proper regulation of the source-sink relationship is an effective way to increase crop yield. Gibberellin (GA) is an important regulator of plant growth and development, and physiological evidence has demonstrated that GA can promote source-sink sucrose partitioning. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, we used a combination of physiological and molecular approaches to identify the components involved in GA-enhanced source-sink sucrose partitioning in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). GA treatment increased the sucrose export rate from source leaves and the sucrose level in young leaves (sink organ). GA-mediated enhancement of source-sink sucrose partitioning depended on SlPROCERA (SlPRO), the DELLA protein in tomato. Sucrose transporter 1 (SlSUT1) was involved in phloem sucrose loading. SlJACKDAW (SlJKD) was identified as an interaction partner of SlPRO. SlJKD negatively regulated the sucrose export rate from source leaves and could directly bind to the promoter of SlSUT1 and repress its expression, while SlPRO enhanced the transcription repression function of SlJKD. This study reveals the molecular mechanism by which GA promotes source-sink sucrose partitioning in tomato and provides potential targets for source-sink relationship optimization.}, }
@article {pmid39836991, year = {2025}, author = {Clark, JE}, title = {African American pharmacists and the evolution of black professional pharmacy associations.}, journal = {Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, pages = {102278}, doi = {10.1016/j.cptl.2024.102278}, pmid = {39836991}, issn = {1877-1300}, mesh = {Humans ; *Pharmacists/history/trends ; *Black or African American/history ; History, 20th Century ; *Societies, Pharmaceutical/history/trends/organization & administration ; United States ; History, 21st Century ; }, abstract = {The histography of Black professional pharmacist associations has largely been ignored. During the Jim Crow era there existed multiple and overlapping spaces within which Black civic and professional voluntary organizations engaged in representation and advocacy, professional support and development, cultural competence, community engagement and education, research and innovation, and diversity and inclusion in the professions. One group that has received minimal to no attention is that of the role of Black professional pharmacy organizations. Through historical review, several key points about Black professional pharmacy organizations will be explored. (This is the second of three papers dealing with key points of black professional pharmacy associations. This paper should be considered as a direct continuation of the preceding paper cited earlier).}, }
@article {pmid39839126, year = {2024}, author = {Liu, B and Sun, H and Zhao, Q and Li, L and Tian, R and Lui, S and Zhu, H}, title = {Plastic but not progressive changes in cognitive function and hippocampal volume in an adolescent with bipolar disorder: a case report.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry}, volume = {15}, number = {}, pages = {1507333}, pmid = {39839126}, issn = {1664-0640}, abstract = {Bipolar disorder (BD) is a prevalent mood disorder characterized by alternating episodes of depression and mania, often accompanied by varying degrees of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairments often serve as indicators of a bleak prognosis or the likelihood of progressing to dementia. Additionally, some studies suggest that individuals diagnosed with BD may undergo a decline in hippocampal volume. However, the potential for reversibility of these changes, particularly in adolescents, remains unclear. We present an intriguing case involving an 18-year-old male student who experiences concurrent occurrences of both BD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), accompanied by a subtle reduction in hippocampal volume. Initially, the individual exhibited impaired general cognitive function, as indicated by an IQ score of 80 on the Standard Raven's Progressive Matrices test, and demonstrated slightly reduced bilateral hippocampal volume compared to the normative reference, as determined through quantitative structural magnetic resonance imaging (qsMRI). The deposition profiles of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide in the brain were not identified with 18F-AV45 PET/MRI. Following six months of combined psychopharmacological treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy, the individual's psychopathological symptoms improved significantly, leading to a restoration of his IQ score to 116 and normalization of hippocampal volume. This case suggests that the hippocampal volume reduction and cognitive impairment seen in some adolescents with BD may demonstrate greater plasticity compared to neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). These findings highlight the potential importance of early intervention in young BD patients with cognitive impairments.}, }
@article {pmid39841628, year = {2025}, author = {Griffith, JI and James, HF and Ordoño, J and Fernández-Crespo, T and Gerritzen, CT and Cheung, C and Spros, R and Claeys, P and Goderis, S and Veselka, B and Snoeck, C}, title = {Reconstructing prehistoric lifeways using multi-Isotope analyses of human enamel, dentine, and bone from Legaire Sur, Spain.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {1}, pages = {e0316387}, pmid = {39841628}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dentin/chemistry ; *Dental Enamel/chemistry ; Spain ; *Bone and Bones/chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Archaeology ; Adult ; Strontium Isotopes/analysis ; History, Ancient ; Nitrogen Isotopes/analysis ; Carbon Isotopes/analysis ; Oxygen Isotopes/analysis ; }, abstract = {Megalithism has been repetitively tied to specialised herding economies in Iberia, particularly in the mountainous areas of the Basque Country. Legaire Sur, in the uplands of Álava region, is a recently excavated passage tomb (megalithic monument) that held a minimum number of 25 individuals. This study analysed the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and strontium isotope ratios of 18 individuals, in a multi-tissue sampling study (successional tooth enamel sampling, incremental dentine sampling, and bulk bone collagen sampling). The results provide a high-resolution reconstruction of individual mobility, weaning, and dietary lifeways of those inhumed at the site. Oxygen and strontium isotope analysis suggest all individuals come from a similar, likely local, geological region, aside from one biological female who presents a notably different geographical birthplace, weaning, and dietary life history than the rest of the burial population. Comparisons to other nearby megalithic sites (∼35km as the crow flies), located in a valley area, reveal that, whilst sharing the same mortuary practices, these individuals held notably different lifeways. They highlight notably earlier ages of cessation of nursing (≤2 years at Legaire Sur vs. ≥4 years in other megalithic tombs), and a greater dependence on pastoralism than previously observed in lowland megalithic graves. The results from Legaire Sur reveal the complexity of the Late Neolithic-Chalcolithic transition in north-central Iberia, categorising yet another separate socio-economic group with distinctive lifeways inhabiting the region.}, }
@article {pmid39843880, year = {2025}, author = {Dutry, M and Vereeck, A and Duyck, W and Derous, E and Schelfhout, S and Szmalec, A and Woumans, E and Schittekatte, M and Debeer, D and Dirix, N}, title = {Validation of the Children's International Cognitive Ability Resource (Ch-ICAR).}, journal = {Behavior research methods}, volume = {57}, number = {2}, pages = {66}, pmid = {39843880}, issn = {1554-3528}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Adolescent ; Male ; Female ; *Cognition ; Psychometrics ; Pilot Projects ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Intelligence Tests ; }, abstract = {The International Cognitive Ability Resource, abbreviated ICAR, counters some of the practical problems researchers face when using good, but proprietary, licensed intelligence tests like the Wechsler tests, which include unfeasible administration times and financial costs. So far, ICAR has been validated for adolescents and adults in many countries, offering a viable test alternative for these populations. For use among children, however, the appropriateness of this resource was yet unknown. Therefore, we set out to develop a children's ICAR: an instrument composed of ICAR-items, which provides a measure of cognitive ability in children between 11 and 14 years of age. The present article discusses the compilation process of the Ch-ICAR drawing from a pilot study, and evaluates its validity based on two additional studies. The pilot study involved 99 primary school pupils and aimed to select items for the Ch-ICAR instrument. Study 1 investigated the basic psychometric qualities of the Ch-ICAR in a sample of 820 secondary school pupils. Study 2 examined the construct validity by cross-validating the Ch-ICAR with on the one hand Raven's 2 Progressive Matrices, and on the other hand the Flemish CoVaT-CHC Basic Version, relying on samples of 91 secondary and 96 primary school pupils, respectively. Results support the utility of the Ch-ICAR as a measure of children's cognitive abilities within a research context.}, }
@article {pmid39846022, year = {2024}, author = {Kim, M and Wut Hmohn, ZZ and Jang, W and Baek, G and Han, JI}, title = {Hematologic and clinical chemistry reference intervals for six species of wild birds frequently rescued in the Republic of Korea.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {1484082}, pmid = {39846022}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Reference intervals for hematologic and clinical chemistry values are useful when diagnosing a pathologic condition in animals. This study establishes relevant reference intervals for six species of wild birds that are frequently rescued at wildlife rescue centers in the Republic of Korea.
METHODS: Forty-two Eurasian eagle owls (Bubo bubo), 34 Oriental turtle doves (Streptopelia orientalis), 73 domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica), 27 brown hawk-owls (Ninox scutulata), 76 common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus), and 25 Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) were included in this study. Only released birds were included because they were judged to be clinically healthy through physical examinations, blood examinations, radiographic examinations, and flight evaluations. The reference intervals were set according to the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology guideline, and if there were fewer than 20 birds, the reference intervals were set between the 2.5th percentile and the 97.5th percentile. One-way ANOVA was performed to compare hematologic and clinical chemistry parameters among species.
RESULTS: The total protein levels in carnivorous birds (Eurasian eagle owl, brown hawk-owl, and common kestrel) were significantly higher than those in omnivorous birds (Oriental turtle dove and domestic pigeon). The common kestrel exhibited significantly lower white blood cell counts and heterophil counts than other species. The Eurasian magpie had significantly higher eosinophils than other species.
CONCLUSION: This study provides reference intervals for wild birds often rescued at wildlife rescue centers in Korea. It is expected that these reference intervals will be used as important data in diagnosing diseases in rescued wild birds.}, }
@article {pmid39850750, year = {2025}, author = {Chen, Y and Xu, Y and Wang, J and Chen, T and Liu, B and Chen, P and Lu, C}, title = {The Eurasian Magpie Preys on the Nests of Vinous-throated Parrotbills in Invasive Smooth Cordgrass.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {e70905}, pmid = {39850750}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Native animals worldwide are experiencing long-term coexistence with invasive plants, leading to diverse behavioral changes. Invasive plants may create new habitat structures that affect the distribution or behavior of prey, which in turn might attract predators to these novel habitats, thereby altering predator-prey dynamics within the ecosystem. However, this phenomenon is rarely reported. Our previous research found that in the Yellow Sea wetlands of China, the native bird species, the vinous-throated parrotbill (Sinosuthora webbiana), has adapted to breeding in the invasive smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) by increasing its nesting height. Here, our observations indicate that in cordgrass habitats, the main nest predator of parrotbills was the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), accounting for 75% of predation events. In contrast, in native habitats, the primary predators were mammals and snakes, accounting for 83% of predation events, with no nests being predated by magpies. We believe that changes in the breeding and nesting behavior of parrotbills may have attracted magpie predation in cordgrass habitats. Our findings may provide an empirical case of how behavioral changes induced by invasive plants can lead to dynamic shifts in predation relationships. We advocate for further research into this intriguing phenomenon, as it could enhance our understanding of changes in interspecific relationships and their ecological consequences within the context of biological invasions.}, }
@article {pmid39854035, year = {2025}, author = {Yip, CCH and Wong, TT and Wong, BHD and Hsu, LS}, title = {Development and validation of a short form for the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices using a machine learning approach.}, journal = {The British journal of developmental psychology}, volume = {43}, number = {3}, pages = {675-690}, pmid = {39854035}, issn = {2044-835X}, support = {//University Research Committee (URC), The University of Hong Kong/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Machine Learning ; Female ; Male ; *Psychometrics/instrumentation/standards ; Child, Preschool ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Neuropsychological Tests/standards ; *Intelligence Tests/standards ; Child ; }, abstract = {Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) is a widely used assessment tool for measuring general cognitive ability in developmental and educational research, particularly in studies involving young children. However, administering the full set of the 36-item CPM can be burdensome for young participants, hindering its practicality in large-scale studies and reducing research efficiency. In the current study, a short form of the CPM was developed based on a sample of preschoolers (n = 336, mean age = 5.8 years) using penalised regression, a machine learning approach that allows for variable selection. The resulting 12-item CPM short form demonstrated a very strong correlation with the total score of the 36-item full form (r = .94). Further investigations into the short form's item stability, content validity, and concurrent validity collectively supported its psychometric properties as a reliable and valid alternative to the full form. The significance of the CPM short form is also discussed.}, }
@article {pmid39867504, year = {2023}, author = {Zhang, J and Cong, Q and Grishin, NV}, title = {Descriptions of one hundred new species of Hesperiidae.}, journal = {Insecta mundi}, volume = {1026}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {39867504}, issn = {0749-6737}, support = {R35 GM127390/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {A century and a half since the time of Hewitson, we are experiencing a renaissance in species discovery fueled by whole genome sequencing. A large-scale genomic analysis of Hesperiidae Latreille, 1809 (Lepidoptera), including primary type specimens, reveals a deluge of species new to science. One hundred of them (one in a new genus) are described here from the New World (type localities are given in parenthesis): Drephalys (Drephalys) diovalis Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Euriphellus panador Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Esmeraldas), Euriphellus panamicus Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Cecropterus (Thorybes) viridissimus Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Zamora-Chinchipe), Cecropterus (Murgaria) dariensis Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Urbanus (Urbanus) mericuti Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Telegonus (Telegonus) pastus Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Autochton (Autochton) dora Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Pastaza), Astraptes centralis Grishin, new species (Panama: Colón), Aguna claxonica Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Aguna esmeralda Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Esmeraldas), Aguna lata Grishin, new species (Guyana), Ridens angulinea Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Pythonides lera Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Pythonides latemarginatus Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Gindanes variegatus Grishin, new species (Brazil: Mato Grosso), Milanion (Milanion) virga Grishin, new species (Brazil: Rondônia), Milanion (Milanion) furvus Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Milanion (Milanion) laricus Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Charidia ronda Grishin, new species (Brazil: Rondônia), Pseudodrephalys tinas Grishin, new species (Peru: Loreto), Pseudodrephalys argus Grishin, new species (Suriname: Para), Achlyodes calvus Grishin, new species (Brazil: Santa Catarina), Spioniades artemis Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Spioniades artemidoides Grishin, new species (Brazil: Santa Catarina), Myrinia orieca Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Orellana), Myrinia aragua Grishin, new species (Venezuela: Aragua), Myrinia maculosa Grishin, new species (Guatemala), Myrinia manchada Grishin, new species (Guyana), Polyctor (Fenops) lamperus Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Nisoniades (Nisoniades) lutum Grishin, new species (Mexico: Guerrero.), Bolla (Stolla) vena Grishin, new species (Venezuela: Aragua), Staphylus (Vulga) vula Grishin, new species (Mexico: Veracruz), Staphylus (Vulga) vulga Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Staphylus (Staphylus) rotundalus Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Staphylus (Staphylus) yucatanus Grishin, new species (Mexico: Quintana Roo/Yucatan), Heliopetes (Heliopetes) lana Grishin, new species (Guatemala), Canesia ella Grishin, new species (Venezuela: Barinas), Paches (Paches) loxeca Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Morona-Santiago), Clito congruens Grishin, new species (Panama: Colón), Cycloglypha corax Grishin, new species (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Festivia peruvia Grishin, new species (Peru: Huánuco), Decinea notata Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Pompeius fuscus Grishin, new species (Brazil: Minas Gerais), Vernia clara Grishin, new species (Panama: Chiriquí), Oligoria (Oligoria) obtena Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Thespieus mandal Grishin, new species (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Psoralis (Saniba) magnamacus Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Alychna ayonis Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Wahydra banios Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Tungurahua), Wahydra cuzcona Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Cynea (Cynea) aureofimbra Grishin, new species (Ecuador), Cynea (Nycea) quada Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Cynea (Quinta) achirae Grishin, new species (Mexico: Tamaulipas), Eutus amazonicus Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Eutus incus Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Eutus septemaculatus Grishin, new species (Brazil: Mato Grosso), Godmia viridicapita Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Rhomba pulla Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Niconiades victoria Grishin, new species (Mexico: Tamaulipas), Lancephallus purpurus Grishin, new genus and new species (Guyana), Mnasicles (Remella) ecua Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Pichincha), Amblyscirtes (Amblyscirtes) aeratus Grishin, new species (Mexico: Oaxaca), Amblyscirtes (Mastor) chrysoplea Grishin, new species (Mexico: Oaxaca), Amblyscirtes (Mastor) chrysomisa Grishin, new species (Mexico: Chiapas), Amblyscirtes (Flor) meridus Grishin, new species (Mexico: Veracruz), Rectava chiriquensis Grishin, new species (Panama: Chiriquí), Cobalopsis adictys Grishin, new species (Panama: Veraguas), Cymaenes melaporphyrus Grishin, new species (Mexico: San Luis Potosí), Lerema (Morys) ecuadorica Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Pichincha), Saturnus obscurior Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Cantha zoirodicta Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Cantha meiodicta Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Phlebodes duplex Grishin, new species (Guatemala: Cayuga), Lychnuchus (Enosis) valle Grishin, new species (Colombia: Valle), Eutychide ochoides Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Dion bora Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Dion occida Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Eprius (Eprius) veledinus Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Pichincha), Radiatus panamensis Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Pheraeus pulcher Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Callimormus rades Grishin, new species (Panama: Panama), Gubrus lubens Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Loja), Ludens labens Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Rigga isa Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Napo), Flaccilla lactea Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Falga athena Grishin, new species (Panama: Darien), Panoquina jay Grishin, new species (Peru: Loreto), Calpodes salianus Grishin, new species (Peru: Madre de Dios), Calpodes stingo Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Sucumbíos), Aides nobra Grishin, new species (Panama: Colón), Thracides pavo Grishin, new species (Mexico: Tabasco), Talides eluta Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Talides laeta Grishin, new species (Peru: Cuzco), Neoxeniades angustior Grishin, new species (Brazil: Rio de Janeiro), Damas zea Grishin, new species (Guyana), Tromba xantha Grishin, new species (Mexico: Veracruz), Perichares fura Grishin, new species (Ecuador: Pichincha), Carystoides (Balma) goliath Grishin, new species (Colombia: Valle), and Agathymus galeana Grishin, new species (Mexico: Nuevo Leon). Additionally, we present evidence to support 22 taxa as species (not subspecies or synonyms) and synonymize one genus and four species. Namely, the following taxa are species: Milanion pilta Evans, 1953 (not Milanion pilumnus Mabille and Boullet, 1917), Milanion latior Mabille and Boullet, 1917 (not a synonym of Milanion marciana Godman and Salvin, 1895), Charidia pilea Evans, 1953, and Charidia pocus Evans, 1953 (not Charidia lucaria (Hewitson, 1868)), Paches (Paches) gloriosus Röber, 1925 and Paches (Paches) loxana Evans, 1953 (not Paches (Paches) loxus (Westwood, 1852)), Spioniades anta Evans, 1953 (not Spioniades abbreviata (Mabille, 1888)), Decinea onasima (Hewitson, 1877) and Decinea formosus (Hayward, 1940) (not Decinea dama (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869)), Thespieus guerreronis (Dyar, 1913) (not Thespieus dalman (Latreille, [1824])), Cynea (Nycea) erebina (Möschler, 1879) and Cynea (Nycea) cleochares (Mabille, 1891) (not Cynea (Cynea) diluta (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869)), Amblyscirtes (Mastor) repta Evans, 1955 (not Amblyscirtes (Flor) florus (Godman, 1900)), Saturnus tiberius (Möschler, 1883), Saturnus conspicuus (E. Bell, 1941), Saturnus meton (Mabille, 1891), and Saturnus obscurus (E. Bell, 1941) (not Saturnus reticulata (Plötz, 1883)), Phlebodes sifax Evans, 1955 (not Phlebodes campo (E. Bell, 1947)), Eutychide ochus Godman, 1900 and Eutychide rogersi (Kaye, 1914) (not a subspecies and a synonym, respectively, of Eutychide subcordata (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869)), Falga mirabilis Evans, 1955, Falga jacta Evans, 1955, and Falga ombra Evans, 1955 (not Falga jeconia (A. Butler, 1870)); and the following taxa are junior subjective synonyms: Libra Evans, 1955 (of Phemiades Hübner, [1819]), Papilio clito Fabricius, 1787 of Milanion hemes hemes (Cramer, 1777), Pamphila hycsos Mabille, 1891 of Cynea (Nycea) erebina (Möschler, 1879), Hesperia olympia Plötz, 1882 of Eutychide subcordata (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869), and Hesperia ocrinus Plötz, 1882 of Aides aegita (Hewitson, 1866). Furthermore, we propose new combinations for genus-species: Lychnuchus (Enosis) ponka (Evans, 1955) (not Thoon Godman, 1900), and species-subspecies: Charidia pocus mayo Evans, 1953 (not Charidia lucaria (Hewitson, 1868)), Decinea onasima boliviensis (E. Bell, 1930) (not Decinea dama (Herrich-Schäffer, 1869)), Cynea (Nycea) erebina somba Evans, 1955 (not Pamphila hycsos Mabille, 1891), Saturnus tiberius suffuscus (Hayward, 1940) (not Saturnus reticulata (Plötz, 1883)), and Falga mirabilis odol Evans, 1955 (not Falga jeconia (A. Butler, 1870)). Then, Milanion pilumnus var. hemestinus Mabille and Boullet, 1917 is a junior subjective synonym of Milanion pilumnus pilumnus Mabille and Boullet, 1917, not of Milanion leucaspis (Mabille, 1878). Lectotypes are designated for nine taxa (names in original combinations below): Pellicia bromias Godman and Salvin, 1894 (Mexico: Veracruz, Atoyac), Nisoniades perforata Möschler, 1879 (Colombia), Helias ascalaphus Staudinger, 1876 (central Panama), Pamphila hycsos Mabille, 1891 (Colombia), Amblyscirtes fluonia Godman, 1900 (Mexico: Guerrero, Xocomanatlan), Mastor anubis Godman, 1900 (Mexico: Guerrero, Omiltemi), Eutychide ochus Godman, 1900 (Mexico: Veracruz, Atoyac), Cobalus subcordata Herrich-Schäffer, 1869 (Southeast Brazil), and Thracides xanthura Godman, 1901 (Panama: Chiriquí Province, Bugaba). A neotype is designated for Eudamus briccius Plötz, 1881 (Guyana: Iwokrama Forest).}, }
@article {pmid39871427, year = {2025}, author = {Patil, VI and Patil, SR}, title = {Optimized Transfer Learning With Hybrid Feature Extraction for Uterine Tissue Classification Using Histopathological Images.}, journal = {Microscopy research and technique}, volume = {88}, number = {5}, pages = {1582-1598}, doi = {10.1002/jemt.24787}, pmid = {39871427}, issn = {1097-0029}, mesh = {Female ; Humans ; Neural Networks, Computer ; *Uterus/pathology/diagnostic imaging ; Algorithms ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; *Endometrial Neoplasms/pathology/diagnostic imaging/diagnosis ; *Uterine Neoplasms/pathology/diagnostic imaging ; }, abstract = {Endometrial cancer, termed uterine cancer, seriously affects female reproductive organs, and the analysis of histopathological images formed a golden standard for diagnosing this cancer. Sometimes, early detection of this disease is difficult because of the limited capability of modeling complicated relationships among histopathological images and their interpretations. Moreover, many previous methods do not effectively handle the cell appearance variations. Hence, this study develops a novel classification technique called transfer learning convolution neural network with artificial bald eagle optimization (TL-CNN with ABEO) for the classification of uterine tissue. Here, preprocessing is done by the median filter, followed by image enhancement by the multiple identities representation network (MIRNet). Moreover, pelican crow search optimization (PCSO) is used for adapting weights in MIRNet, where PCSO is generated by combining the crow search algorithm (CSA) and pelican optimization algorithm (POA). Then, segmentation quality assessment (SQA) helps in tissue segmentation, and deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) helps in parameter selection that is trained by fractional PCSO (FPCSO). Furthermore, feature extraction is done and, finally, cell classification is done by TL with CNN, which is trained by the proposed ABEO algorithm. Here, ABEO is newly developed by the integration of the bald eagle search (BES) algorithm and artificial hummingbird algorithm (AHA). Furthermore, ABEO + TL-CNN achieved a high accuracy of 89.59%, a sensitivity of 90.25%, and a specificity of 89.89% by utilizing the cancer image archive dataset.}, }
@article {pmid39875490, year = {2025}, author = {Zheng, M and Wan, W and Fang, Z}, title = {Abstract visual reasoning based on algebraic methods.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {3482}, pmid = {39875490}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2020AAA0109300//Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; 2020AAA0109300//Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; }, abstract = {Extracting high-order abstract patterns from complex high-dimensional data forms the foundation of human cognitive abilities. Abstract visual reasoning involves identifying abstract patterns embedded within composite images, considered a core competency of machine intelligence. Traditional neuro-symbolic methods often infer unknown objects through data fitting, without fully exploring the abstract patterns within composite images and the sequential sensitivity of visual sequences. This paper constructs a relation model with object-centric inductive biases, learning end-to-end multi-granular rule embeddings at different levels. Through a gating fusion module, the model incrementally integrates explicit representations of objects and abstract relationships. The model incorporates a relational bottleneck method from information theory, separating the input perceptual information from the embeddings of abstract representations, thereby restricting and differentiating feature processing to encourage relational comparisons and induce the extraction of abstract patterns. Furthermore, this paper bridges algebraic operations and machine reasoning through the relational bottleneck method, extracting common patterns of multi-visual objects by identifying invariant sequences within the relational bottleneck matrix. Experimental results on the I-RAVEN dataset demonstrate a total accuracy of 96.8%, surpassing state-of-the-art baseline methods and exceeding human performance at 84.4%.}, }
@article {pmid39876722, year = {2025}, author = {Hahner, L and Nieder, A}, title = {Volitional spatial attention is lateralized in crows.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {292}, number = {2039}, pages = {20242540}, pmid = {39876722}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Attention ; *Functional Laterality ; Cues ; *Space Perception ; Male ; Visual Fields ; Female ; Reaction Time ; Visual Perception ; }, abstract = {Like humans and many other animal species, birds exhibit left-right asymmetries in certain behaviours due to differences in hemispheric brain functions. While the lateralization of sensory and motor functions is well established in birds, the potential lateralization of high-level executive control functions, such as volitional attention, remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that carrion crows exhibit more pronounced volitional (endogenous) attention for stimuli monocularly viewed with the left eye and thus in the left visual hemifield. We trained four crows on Posner-like spatial cueing tasks using informative cues to evaluate their volitional top-down attention. The crows detected cued targets using either the left or right eye. As a measure of volitional attention, we calculated reaction time differences for detecting targets that were correctly (validly) and incorrectly (invalidly) cued, separately for the left and right visual hemifields. We found that cued targets were detected more quickly and efficiently in the left visual field compared with the right visual field. Because the left-eye system of the crow's brain processes information primarily from the left visual hemifield, these findings suggest that crows, like humans, exhibit superior executive control of attention in the left-eye/right hemisphere system of their brains.}, }
@article {pmid39886338, year = {2024}, author = {Bruno, F and Spadafora, P and Veltri, I and Cuconati, ML and Condino, F and Cerantonio, A and De Benedittis, S and Greco, BM and Di Palma, G and Gallo, O and Citrigno, L and Qualtieri, A and Cundari, M and Cavalcanti, F}, title = {Sex and APOE genotype modulate neuropsychological profile and depression in temporal lobe epilepsy.}, journal = {Frontiers in neuroscience}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {1514902}, pmid = {39886338}, issn = {1662-4548}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common form of focal epilepsy, often associated with cognitive impairments, particularly in memory functions, and depression. Sex and APOE ε4 genotype play a crucial role in modulating cognitive outcomes and depression in various neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease. However, the combined effects of APOE genotype and sex on cognitive performance and depression in temporal lobe epilepsy have not been previously investigated.
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to (i) identify impaired cognitive performance and clinically relevant depression; (ii) explore the interaction between sex and APOE ε4 genotype on cognitive performance and depression in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy.
METHODS: We used a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests to assess domains such as learning and memory, attention, executive functions, language, and visuo-spatial constructional skills and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. We also performed APOE genotyping to assess its role in the study. The final sample was composed by fifty-four patients (53.7% female). Cognitive performance and depression were analyzed using normative cut-off scores. To examine the main effects and interactions of sex and APOE ε4 carrier status on neuropsychological test scores and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, we also conducted a two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
RESULTS: Female APOE ε4 carriers compared to normative cut-offs, exhibited poor performance on multiple test scores, including the MMSE, The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (immediate and delayed recall), The Corsi Block-Tapping Task, The Verbal Fluency Test, The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices and The Pentagon-copying Test. Males showed impairment only in visuo-spatial short-term memory. ANOVA analysis revealed significant main effects of APOE ε4 status and sex on the MMSE, The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, The Verbal Fluency, The Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices and The Pentagon-copying Test scores. Specifically, female APOE ε4 carriers performed consistently worse than other groups on many tasks. For depression, only an effect of sex emerged. Females scored higher besides APOE genotype.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the importance of considering both sex and APOE genotype when assessing cognitive performance in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. The significant cognitive deficits we observed among females carrying the APOE ε4 allele highlight previously unexplored genetic and sex-related influences on cognition. This has potential implications for personalized therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the need for targeted assessment and intervention.}, }
@article {pmid39896409, year = {2024}, author = {Banumathy, D and Vetriselvi, T and Venkatachalam, K and Cho, J}, title = {Quantum-inspired seagull optimised deep belief network approach for cardiovascular disease prediction.}, journal = {PeerJ. Computer science}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {e2498}, pmid = {39896409}, issn = {2376-5992}, abstract = {The early detection and accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases is vital to reduce global morbidity and death rates. In this work, the quantum-inspired seagull optimization algorithm (QISOA) combined with a deep belief network (DBN) is proposed to improve the identification of cardiovascular disorders. As part of preprocessing, cleaning, transformation, and standardization are performed to eliminate noise, inconsistencies, and scaling issues in the data. QISOA is used to optimize the weights and biases of the DBN model, enhancing its prediction efficiency. The algorithm incorporates quantum mechanics concepts to develop its exploration potential further, leading to faster convergence and increased global search efficiency. Optimized DBN provides efficient acquisition of hierarchical representations of the data, which results in improved feature learning and classification accuracy. The publicly accessible Cleveland Heart Disease dataset is used to assess the performance of the suggested model. Extensive experiments are conducted to demonstrate the superior performance of the QISOA-optimized DBN model compared to traditional machine learning and other metaheuristic-based models. Initially, machine learning models such as support vector machines, decision trees, Random Forests, multi-layer perceptrons, and fully connected networks were considered for comparison with the cardiovascular predictive performance of the DBN model. Further, meta-heuristic optimization algorithms such as particle swarm optimization, genetic algorithm, grey wolf optimization, cuckoo search optimization and crow search algorithm are combined with the machine learning models and the classification efficiency is evaluated. Additionally, few state-of-the-art techniques proposed in the existing literature are investigated and compared against the proposed model. It was evident from the comprehensive performance assessment of the proposed model that it yields a higher accuracy of 98.6% with precision, recall, and F1-scores of 97.6%, 96.8%, and 97.1%, respectively, compared to other traditional and existing models for cardiovascular disease prediction.}, }
@article {pmid39896779, year = {2025}, author = {Feng, J and Wang, M and Zhang, Q and Xia, C}, title = {Winter Roost Preferences of Crows in Beijing City.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {e70931}, pmid = {39896779}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {During the winter season, an extensive population of crows (predominantly the carrion crow Corvus corone) seek refuge in Beijing's urban landscapes for roosting, subsequently generating noise and droppings that adversely affect the quality of life of residents. This study elucidates the selection criteria employed by crows in Beijing's urban areas for roosting sites. Drawing upon historical records and the outcomes of our survey, we observed a remarkable consistency in the selection of roosting locations by crows over time, with the same locations being preferentially chosen across different years. We also conducted a quantitative analysis of the habitat characteristics associated with the crow roosting sites. We discovered that crows demonstrate a preference for roosting sites situated in proximity to human structures, particularly towering buildings, which are often adjacent to broad roads. By understanding the factors that influence the selection of roosting sites by crows, policy-makers and urban planners can devise targeted interventions aimed at mitigating conflicts between humans and crows.}, }
@article {pmid39904153, year = {2025}, author = {Asano, D and Takeda, M and Gima, H and Nobusako, S}, title = {Development of fluid intelligence in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study.}, journal = {Research in developmental disabilities}, volume = {158}, number = {}, pages = {104928}, doi = {10.1016/j.ridd.2025.104928}, pmid = {39904153}, issn = {1873-3379}, mesh = {Humans ; *Cerebral Palsy/psychology/physiopathology ; Child ; Female ; Male ; *Intelligence ; Adolescent ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Severity of Illness Index ; Intelligence Tests ; Motor Skills ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy (CP) often presents alongside cognitive developmental delays and motor impairments. This study aimed to identify the function most closely linked to the development of fluid intelligence in individuals with CP, and to estimate the point at which the fluid intelligence of children with CP diverges from that of typically developing (TD) children.
METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) were used to evaluate the fluid intelligence of participants. Fifty-one participants with CP aged 4-18 years and 33 TD children aged 3-9 years were included in this study and underwent RCPM testing. The severity of CP was assessed using the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) and Communication Function Classification System (CFCS).
RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that within the three distinct functional levels, MACS was a significant predictor of fluid intelligence in children with CP (β = - 0.29, p < 0.05). Significant disparities in the development of fluid intelligence between the CP and TD groups emerge after 57.6 months of age.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings offer valuable insights into timely and functionally targeted interventions to prevent cognitive stagnation.}, }
@article {pmid39904394, year = {2025}, author = {Hahn, LG and Hooper, R and McIvor, GE and Thornton, A}, title = {Pair-bond strength is consistent and related to partner responsiveness in a wild corvid.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {292}, number = {2040}, pages = {20242729}, pmid = {39904394}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; //Leverhulme Trust/ ; //Natural Environment Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Pair Bond ; Female ; Male ; Social Behavior ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {The need to maintain strong social bonds is widely thought to be a key driver of cognitive evolution. Cognitive abilities to track and respond to information about social partners may be favoured by selection if they vary within populations and confer fitness benefits. Here we evaluate four key assumptions of this argument in wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula), corvids whose long-term pair bonds exemplify one of the putative social drivers of cognitive evolution in birds. Combining observational and experimental behavioural data with long-term breeding records, we found support for three assumptions: (i) pair-bond strength varies across the population, (ii) is consistent within pairs over time and (iii) is positively associated with partner responsiveness, a measure of socio-cognitive performance. However, (iv) we did not find clear evidence that stronger pair bonds lead to better fitness outcomes. Strongly bonded pairs were better able to adjust hatching synchrony to environmental conditions but they did not fledge more or higher quality offspring. Together, these findings suggest that maintaining strong pair bonds is linked to socio-cognitive performance and may facilitate effective coordination between partners. However, they also imply that these benefits are insufficient to explain how selection acts on social cognition. We argue that evaluating how animals navigate trade-offs between investing in long-term relationships versus optimizing interactions in their wider social networks will be a crucial avenue for future research.}, }
@article {pmid39911412, year = {2025}, author = {Tomita, KM and Matsuyama, H}, title = {Cleaning Interactions Between Crows and Sika Deer: Implications for Tick-Borne Disease Management.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {e70845}, pmid = {39911412}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Cleaning interactions between mammals and birds have been widely observed worldwide. Here, we report cleaning interactions between sika deer and crows in Japan, based on a field observations using camera traps and online research. Online research was performed on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and personal blogs. We finally collected 27 cases of cleaning associations between sika deer and crows. Crows associated with male more than female deer and mainly pecked their heads or necks, suggesting that crows remove Ixodid ticks from the deer's surface. Given that ticks on sika deer are vectors of several zoonotic pathogens such as Rickettsia and Borrelia spp., further studies should be conducted to examine the roles of crows as biocontrol agents of ticks and tick-borne diseases.}, }
@article {pmid39916800, year = {2025}, author = {Chantoufi, A and Canário, AM and Baud, T and Vallé, C and Baux, A and Jiguet, F}, title = {Seed and Color Preferences of Wild Carrion Crows From Cafeteria Experiments.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {2}, pages = {e70944}, pmid = {39916800}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Birds can cause significant damage to agricultural fields, notably in Europe, where corvid species like carrion crows (Corvus corone) and rooks (Corvus frugilegus) target spring crops, posing challenges for conservation and wildlife management. Among targeted crops, sunflower and maize suffer the highest levels of damage from corvids' foraging. While both lethal and non-lethal strategies are employed to mitigate bird damage, their effectiveness is limited and context-dependent. Consequently, there is growing interest in identifying natural bird repellents. To improve our understanding of corvid food selection and explore potential non-lethal management strategies, we conducted (1) cafeteria trials with five common seed types (maize, sunflower, soy, pea, and wheat) and (2) two-choice color tests with maize seeds in four colors (blue, green, orange, and red) on an urban population of carrion crows accustomed to human presence. Results indicated a marked preference for sunflower and wheat, while soy and pea were largely avoided, and maize was moderately consumed. The crows also demonstrated a preference for green-colored maize over blue, orange, red, and natural maize seeds. These findings suggest that strategic planting of preferred crops like wheat alongside sunflower or maize may help mitigate damage. Further, incorporating colors into repellent seed coatings could reinforce the aversive learning process in birds, although color may play a less significant role in food selection when seeds are sown.}, }
@article {pmid39921575, year = {2025}, author = {Moll, FW and Kersten, Y and Erdle, S and Nieder, A}, title = {Exploring Anatomical Links Between the Crow's Nidopallium Caudolaterale and Its Song System.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {533}, number = {2}, pages = {e70028}, pmid = {39921575}, issn = {1096-9861}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal/physiology ; Male ; Neural Pathways/physiology/anatomy & histology ; *Telencephalon/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Neurons/physiology/cytology ; }, abstract = {Crows are corvid songbirds that exhibit remarkable cognitive control, including their ability to vocalize on command. The activity of single neurons from the crow's associative telencephalic structure nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) is correlated with the execution of this vocal and many non-vocal behaviors. However, whether anatomical connections directly link the crow NCL to its "song system" remains unclear. To address this, we used fluorescent tracers along with histological staining methods to characterize the connectivity of the crow's NCL in relation to its song system. Consistent with previous findings in other songbirds, we found that the NCL sends dense projections into the dorsal intermediate arcopallium (AID) directly adjacent to the song system's telencephalic motor output, the robust nucleus of the arcopallium (RA). Similarly, we demonstrate dense NCL projections into the striatum engulfing the basal ganglia song nucleus "area X." Both of these descending projections mirror the projections of the nidopallial song nucleus HVC (proper name) into RA and area X, with extremely sparse NCL fibers extending into area X. Furthermore, we characterized the distribution of cells projecting from the lateral part of the magnocellular nucleus of the anterior nidopallium (MAN) to NCL. Notably, a separate medial population of MAN cells projects to HVC. These two sets of connections-MAN to NCL and MAN to HVC-run in parallel but do not overlap. Taken together, our findings support the hypothesis that the NCL is part of a "general motor system" that parallels the song system but exhibits only minimal monosynaptic interconnections with it.}, }
@article {pmid39927110, year = {2024}, author = {Wrigley-Field, E}, title = {Stolen Lives: Redress for Slavery's and Jim Crow's Ongoing Theft of Lifespan.}, journal = {The Russell Sage Foundation journal of the social sciences : RSF}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {88-112}, pmid = {39927110}, issn = {2377-8253}, support = {P2C HD041023/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Reparations proposals typically target wealth. Yet slavery's and Jim Crow's long echoes also steal time, such as by producing shorter Black lifespans even today. I argue that lost time should be considered an independent target for redress; identify challenges to doing so; and provide examples of what reparations redressing lost lifespan could look like. To identify quantitative targets for redress, I analyze area-level relationships between Black lifespans and six measures of intensity of slavery, Jim Crow, and racial terror. Results reveal inconsistent relationships across measures, suggesting difficulties in grounding a target for redress in such variation. Instead, I propose that policies aim to redress the national lifespan gap between White and Black Americans. The article concludes with a typology of potential strategies for such redress.}, }
@article {pmid39928177, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, R and Guo, R and Xin, Y and Jiang, Q and Qiu, J}, title = {A bibliometric analysis of immune response in oral cancer.}, journal = {Discover oncology}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {146}, pmid = {39928177}, issn = {2730-6011}, support = {20232BAB216073, 20242BAB25514//Jiangxi Natural Science Foundation/ ; GZY-KJS-2023-028//Key Projects of Jiangxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine/ ; 82260194, 82403716//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a type of oral cancer, has a high mortality rate and unfavorable outcomes. Its tumor microenvironment (TME) is intricate and adaptable, with research frequently focusing on the immune reaction. Scholars are exploring ways to enhance survival by bolstering the immune response within the TME. However, a comprehensive trend analysis is lacking. Bibliometric analysis can address this by visualizing research patterns. This study aimed to map these trends in OSCC immunology from 2003 to 2023.
METHODS: An immunology-focused search on OSCC was executed within the Web of Science Core Collection, spanning 2003 to 2023. Despite its narrow focus, the search offers a telling glimpse of current researches in this domain. Bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer, Citespace, Scimago Graphica, and R software.
RESULTS: From 2003 to 2023, the field has published 805 publications, predominantly from China and the United States. The most valuable contributing author is Friedman Jay, topping co-citation counts. The journal Oral Oncology is the leading journal with the highest publication volume. An analysis of keyword bursts indicated that research into nivolumab and chemotherapy is a prevalent area of interest within the clinical community. These findings suggest that neoadjuvant immunotherapy represents a promising avenue for future therapeutic development.
CONCLUSIONS: This study presented a summary of the current trends and research frontiers in the field of immunological aspects of OSCC. This summary can serve as a valuable reference and a source of new insights into this area of research.}, }
@article {pmid39929864, year = {2025}, author = {Khan, MA and Latif, M and Mansha, M and Hussain, T and Bin Jardan, YA and Metouekel, A and Dauelbait, M and Belkahia, H and Iqbal, F and Said, MB}, title = {Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis of common house crows (Corvus splendens).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {4871}, pmid = {39929864}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/genetics/classification ; *Phylogeny ; *Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Pakistan ; Genetic Variation ; }, abstract = {The Common House Crow (Corvus splendens) exhibits remarkable ecological adaptability, enabling its rapid expansion across continents. However, despite its wide distribution, there is a need for genetic studies to clarify its evolutionary history and population structure. This research employs DNA barcoding, focusing on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (Cox1), which is effective for species identification and phylogenetic analysis. Blood samples were collected from 70 C. splendens specimens across seven cities in Punjab, Pakistan: Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narowal, Pakpattan, Gujranwala, and Bahawalpur. Genomic DNA extraction was performed, and a partial sequence of the COX1 gene was amplified using PCR techniques. Sequencing of the Cox1 marker from 10 randomly selected specimens revealed nine distinct genetic variants. Interspecific analysis positioned our C. splendens sequences alongside various Corvus species available in GenBank, while intraspecific analysis identified a total of 15 genetic variants. These variants showed nucleotide identity rates ranging from 98.7 to 99.8%, with genetic distances between 0.002 and 0.013. The analysis indicated that the C. splendens group consists of a single heterogeneous clade with variants from multiple countries, including Pakistan, Tanzania, Nepal, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Kenya, Australia, and Singapore. This study significantly enhances our understanding of genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships within C. splendens populations, highlighting the necessity of genetic research to inform conservation strategies. Further research employing advanced molecular techniques and broader geographic sampling is essential to assess the genetic diversity and population dynamics of this adaptable species.}, }
@article {pmid39935089, year = {2025}, author = {Fink, B and Campiche, R and Shackelford, TK and Voegeli, R}, title = {Effects of under-eye skin and crow's feet on perceived facial appearance in women of five ethnic groups.}, journal = {International journal of cosmetic science}, volume = {47}, number = {3}, pages = {510-522}, pmid = {39935089}, issn = {1468-2494}, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; *Ethnicity ; *Face/anatomy & histology ; *Skin Aging ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Age-related skin changes in the periorbital region caused by intrinsic (e.g. atrophy of collagen and fat) and extrinsic (e.g. sun exposure) factors, including skin wrinkling, hyperpigmentation, dark circles and lateral canthal lines ('crow's feet'), are a concern for women. We investigated the impact of under-eye skin and crow's feet on perceptions of women's faces in different ethnic groups.
METHODS: Facial images of women (n = 180) from five ethnic groups were rated for age, health and attractiveness by naïve assessors of the same ethnic group (n = 120). Digital image analysis was used to quantify visible skin characteristics in two facial regions, that is, under the eyes (colour, gloss, tone evenness and wrinkles) and in the crow's feet region (wrinkles only). Skin image measurements were used to predict face ratings in the full sample and separately by ethnicity.
RESULTS: Ethnic differences were detected for measurements of skin colour, gloss, tone evenness and wrinkles - the latter under the eyes and in the crow's feet region. Correlational and regression analysis indicated a major role of wrinkles (both regions) in predicting rated age, health and attractiveness from the facial portraits across ethnic groups, with some variation in the types or the predictive magnitude of skin characteristics.
CONCLUSION: The predictive utility of under-eye wrinkles and crow's feet for rated age, health and attractiveness correspond to women's reported concern with under-eye bags, dark circles and crow's feet. Despite some ethnic differences in these features, their impact on women's facial appearance ratings is similar across ethnic groups.}, }
@article {pmid39943112, year = {2025}, author = {Yakhlef, V and Magalhães-Sant'Ana, M and Pereira, AL and Azevedo, A}, title = {A Global Survey on the Perception of Conservationists Regarding Animal Consciousness.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {39943112}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {Human perceptions of animal consciousness have evolved over time, influencing how they are treated. This study aimed to assess perceptions of animal consciousness in people working in conservation. An online survey of 87 participants evaluated their perceptions of animals' capabilities across 10 dimensions of consciousness, including self-consciousness, learning, and reasoning. The sum of the answers to the questions was validated as a "perception index" using a principal component analysis. Next, its variation according to taxonomic, demographic, professional factors, and the duration, type, and frequency of interaction with animals was assessed with generalized linear models and stepwise model selection. Participants' perceptions varied with taxonomic class and the level of education, with mammals obtaining higher indexes than birds (-0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.24, -0.03, p < 0.01) or reptiles (-0.41; 95% CI -0.55, -0.27, p < 0.01), and respondents holding a PhD exhibiting higher perception indexes than those with BScs (-0.19; 95% CI -0.32, -0.06, p < 0.01) or lower education (-0.18; 95% CI -0.32, -0.03, p = 0.01). The attribution of consciousness followed a phylogenetic pattern, but several exceptions (e.g., the octopus and raven) were noted on a finer scale supporting a multifactorial influence on the perception of animal consciousness that emerges upon a baseline phylogenetic pattern. Finally, the results suggest that conservationists are influenced by culture and scientific knowledge, as much as their personal experiences, when evaluating animals' perceptions, highlighting the need for further research on the convergence between perception, belief, and evidence.}, }
@article {pmid39957524, year = {2025}, author = {Barrón-Martínez, JB and Salvador-Cruz, J}, title = {Executive function abilities in Mexican people with Down syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic.}, journal = {Journal of intellectual & developmental disability}, volume = {50}, number = {1}, pages = {116-126}, doi = {10.3109/13668250.2024.2410846}, pmid = {39957524}, issn = {1469-9532}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult ; *COVID-19 ; *Down Syndrome/physiopathology/psychology ; *Executive Function/physiology ; Memory, Short-Term ; Mexico ; Neuropsychological Tests ; *Pandemics ; North American People ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The aim was to explore the executive function profile of a group of Mexican people with Down syndrome (DS) aged 12-30 years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AIM: To analyse the relationships between mental, chronological age and eight domains of executive function.
METHOD: Participants were 42 people with DS with a chronological age (CA) of 12-30 years and a mean nonverbal mental age (MA) of 7 years. MA was evaluated with Raven's Progressive Matrices test and executive function with the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-2); both were administered online.
RESULTS: The Monitor, Emotional Control, Initiative, and Organisation of Materials scales showed strengths, while Working Memory, Plan/Organise, Shift, and Inhibit scales showed weaknesses. CA correlated negatively with seven of the eight executive domains. Chronologically older participants showed less impairment in skills such as inhibition, emotional control, working memory, and monitoring. Nonverbal MA correlated negatively with two domains: emotional control and monitoring.
CONCLUSION: Participants' executive profile during the COVID-19 pandemic was consistent with that reported in studies prior to the pandemic.}, }
@article {pmid39960921, year = {2025}, author = {Park, SH and Park, SO and Jung, JA}, title = {Clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of home-used LED and IRED mask for crow's feet: A multi-center, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study.}, journal = {Medicine}, volume = {104}, number = {7}, pages = {e41596}, pmid = {39960921}, issn = {1536-5964}, mesh = {Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; *Skin Aging/radiation effects ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Adult ; Aged ; *Low-Level Light Therapy/methods/instrumentation/adverse effects ; *Infrared Rays/therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: As the elderly population continues to grow, the demand for antiaging products is increasing concurrently. On our face, wrinkles begin to form first around the eyes, where the skin is the thinnest. Previous studies have suggested that irradiating the skin with light-emitting diode (LED)/infrared emitting diode (IRED) light at 600 to 660 nm/800 to 860 nm, stimulates the cells of the dermis and epidermal tissue and is effective in wrinkle improvement and antiaging. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-level light therapy masks.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A randomized, sham device-controlled, double-blind clinical trial was conducted at 2 institutions. Sixty Asian descent individuals between the ages of 30 and 65 years who showed type II to V skin type on the Fitzpatrick scale were included. Among participants with a score of 2 to 4 on the crow's feet grading scale (CFGS) at rest (without expression), those who sought temporary improvement in both crow's feet were selected. The participants were categorized into 2 groups: the experimental group, which used a device with a combination of 630 nm LED (max 10 mW/cm3) and 850 nm IRED (max 10 mW/cm3), and the control group, which used the sham device. Efficacy evaluation included various evaluations, including the CFGS as rated by independent raters, CFGS scores assigned by investigators, and the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale evaluation by both investigators and the participants.
RESULTS: After using the LED mask for 16 weeks, the CFGS score of the independent raters and investigators showed significant differences at 8, 12, and 16 weeks. In addition, considering the success criteria of this study, a comparison of independent raters showed an improvement rate of ≥69.2% (full analysis set [FAS]: 86.2%, per-protocol set [PPS]: 89.3%) and a difference of ≥49.2% from the control group (FAS: 69.5%, PPS: 72.6%). The change in scores from the baseline showed significant differences between the test group and the control groups at 8, 12, and 16 weeks for both independent raters and investigators.
CONCLUSION: LED and IRED phototherapies at 630 nm and 850 nm, respectively, are effective, safe, well-tolerated, and painless treatment for skin rejuvenation.}, }
@article {pmid39961427, year = {2025}, author = {Yatsuda, C and Izawa, EI}, title = {Sex difference of LiCl-induced feeding suppression and, autonomic and HPA axis responses in crows.}, journal = {Physiology & behavior}, volume = {293}, number = {}, pages = {114846}, doi = {10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.114846}, pmid = {39961427}, issn = {1873-507X}, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; Female ; *Lithium Chloride/pharmacology ; *Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/drug effects/physiology ; Corticosterone/blood ; *Sex Characteristics ; *Pituitary-Adrenal System/drug effects/physiology ; *Autonomic Nervous System/drug effects/physiology ; Heart Rate/drug effects/physiology ; *Feeding Behavior/drug effects/physiology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; }, abstract = {Visceral sensation is crucial for feeding, emotion, and decision making in humans and non-human animals. Visceral discomforting stimulation activates stress-coping systems, such as the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, with varied responses and thresholds between sexes. Despite these systems working together during visceral discomfort, ANS and HPA have been separately investigated with few studies examining the co-occurrence of the ANS and HPA responses to visceral stimulations. The basic profiles of the ANS and HPA responses to visceral discomfort and sex differences in birds are poorly elucidated. This study investigated the effects of visceral stimulation via intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride (LiCl) on feeding behavior, ANS and HPA activities, and sex differences in crows. We identified the LiCl dose that suppressed the intake of a preferred food and compared the LiCl-induced feeding suppression between sexes. Changes in heart rate variability (HRV), as a proxy of sympathetic and parasympathetic activities, and serum corticosterone (CORT) levels by LiCl injection were compared. Feeding suppression occurred at higher LiCl doses in males than in females. HRV analysis revealed that LiCl injection reduced HR and increased parasympathetic activity; however, it did not change sympathetic activity, with no sex differences in any variables. In contrast, LiCl injections at lower doses increased serum CORT levels more in males than in females. Our findings provide the first evidence of sex-specific response profiles to feeding suppression and ANS and HPA activities associated with LiCl-induced visceral discomfort in birds.}, }
@article {pmid39961891, year = {2025}, author = {Larkum, AWD and Falkowski, PG and Edwards, D and Osmond, CB and Lambers, H and Sanchez-Baracaldo, P and Ritchie, RJ and Runcie, JW and Ralph, PJ and Westoby, M and Maberly, S and Griffiths, H and Smith, FA and Beardall, J}, title = {John Raven, FRS, FRSE: a truly great innovator in plant physiology, photosynthesis and much more.}, journal = {Photosynthesis research}, volume = {163}, number = {2}, pages = {18}, pmid = {39961891}, issn = {1573-5079}, mesh = {*Photosynthesis/physiology ; History, 20th Century ; *Plant Physiological Phenomena ; History, 21st Century ; *Botany/history ; }, abstract = {This is a tribute to a truly inspirational plant biologist, Prof. John A. Raven, FRS, FRSE (25th June 1941- 23rd May 2024), who died at the age of 82. He was a leader in the field of evolution and physiology of algae and land plants. His research touched on many areas including photosynthesis, ion transport, carbon utilisation, mineral use, such as silicon, iron and molybdenum, the evolution of phytoplankton, the evolution of root systems, the impact of global change, especially on the acidification of the oceans, carbon gain and water use in early land plants, and ways of detecting extraterrestrial photosynthesis. Beginning his research career in the Botany School, University of Cambridge, John studied ion uptake in a giant algal cell. This was at the time of great strides brought about by Peter Mitchell (1920-1992) in elucidating the role of energy generation in mitochondria and chloroplasts and the coupling of ion transport systems to energy generation. With Enid MacRobbie and Andrew Smith, John pioneered early work on the involvement of ion transport in the growth and metabolism of plant cells.On leaving Cambridge John took up a lectureship at the University of Dundee in 1971, where he was still attached upon his death. His primary focus over the years, with one of us (Paul Falkowski), was on phytoplankton, the photosynthetic microalgae of the oceans. Still, his publication list of 5 books and over 600 scientific papers spans a very broad range. The many highly cited papers (see Table 1) attest to an outstanding innovator, who influenced a multitude of students and coworkers and a very wide readership worldwide. At the personal level, John Raven was a wonderful human being; he had an extraordinary memory, dredging up facts and little-known scientific papers, like a scientific magician, but at the same time making humorous jokes and involving his colleagues in fun and sympathetic appreciation. Table 1 Ten best cited articles (from google scholar) Citations Date Aquatic Photosynthesis, 3rd Edition P.G. Falkowski & J.A. Raven Princeton University Press, 2013 3854 2013 The evolution of modern eukaryotic phytoplankton P.G. Falkowski, M.E. Katz, A.H. Knoll, A. Quigg, J.A. Raven, et al Science 305, 354-360 1790 2004 CO2 concentrating mechanisms in algae: mechanisms, environmental modulation, and evolution M. Giordano, J. Beardall & J.A. Raven Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 56 (1), 99-131 1648 2005 Algae as nutritional food sources: revisiting our understanding M.L. Wells, P. Potin, J.S. Craigie, J.A. Raven, S.S. Merchant, et al Journal of applied phycology 29, 949-982 1527 2017 Plant Nutrient acquisition strategies change with soil age H. Lambers, J.A. Raven, G.R. Shaver & S.E. Smith Trends in ecology & evolution 23, 95-103 1488 2008 Ocean acidification due to increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide J. Raven, K. Caldeira, H. Elderfield, O. Hoegh-Guldberg, P. Liss, et al The Royal Society, Policy Document, June 2005 1470 2005 Phytoplankton in a changing world: cell size and elemental stoichiometry Z.V. Finkel, J. Beardall, K.J. Flynn, A. Quigg, T.A.V. Rees & J.A. Raven Journal of plankton research 32, 119-137 1198 2010 Opportunities for improving phosphorus efficiency in crop plants E.J. Veneklaas, H. Lambers, J. Bragg, P.M. Finnegan, C.E. Lovelock, et al New phytologist 195, 306-320 951 2012 Adaptation of unicellular algae to irradiance: an analysis of strategies K. Richardson, J. Beardall & J.A. Raven New Phytologist 93, 157-191 914 1983 Nitrogen assimilation and transport in vascular land plants in relation to Intracellular pH regulation J.A. Raven & F.A. Smith New Phytologist 76, 415-431 893 1976 Temperature and algal growth J.A. Raven & R.J. Geider New phytologist 110, 441-461 867 1988 The role of trace metals in photosynthetic electron transport in O2 -evolving organisms J.A. Raven, M.C.W. Evans & R.E. Korb Photosynthesis Research 60, 111-150 840 1999.}, }
@article {pmid39966284, year = {2025}, author = {Double, KS}, title = {Survey measures of metacognitive monitoring are often false.}, journal = {Behavior research methods}, volume = {57}, number = {3}, pages = {97}, pmid = {39966284}, issn = {1554-3528}, support = {DE230101223//Australian Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Metacognition ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Male ; Female ; Self Concept ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Decision Making ; Psychometrics ; *Cognition ; Adolescent ; }, abstract = {Metacognitive monitoring is an extremely important ability that predicts a wide range of outcomes. However, do people have insight into their own metacognitive monitoring capacity? This study measured participants' perceived metacognitive monitoring abilities using a novel psychometrically validated questionnaire (Study 1) and then examined how well survey responses aligned with online measures of metacognitive monitoring (resolution, discrimination, sensitivity, efficiency) taken from confidence ratings participants made while performing a perceptual decision-making task and Raven's Progressive Matrices (Study 2). We found a negative correlation between the questionnaire responses and many of the online measures of metacognitive monitoring - those who reported being better at metacognitive monitoring, in fact tended to be worse according to the online metacognitive ratings. This occurred because, in general, high self-perceptions of monitoring ability were, in fact, related to higher confidence and lower cognitive performance. These findings suggest that we may have inaccurate insights into our own metacognitive monitoring capacity and questionnaire-based measures of metacognitive abilities may be problematic as they may represent unrealistic self-perceptions.}, }
@article {pmid39968405, year = {2025}, author = {Alamshah, AL and Marshall, BM}, title = {Distribution-wide morphometric data of Jungle Crows (Corvus macrorhynchos).}, journal = {Data in brief}, volume = {59}, number = {}, pages = {111325}, pmid = {39968405}, issn = {2352-3409}, abstract = {Understudied, widespread species may harbour underappreciated variation in morphology. Museum specimens represent a rich source of morphometric data, and for many species this information is untapped. Here we present a dataset derived from standardised photography of museum specimens of Jungle Crows (Corvus macrorhynchos), a widespread Asian Corvid. We photographed 1105 crows, for which 1069 we managed to collect measurements of hard tissue (i.e., bill characteristics and tarsus length). We combined these measurements with museum-curated data on the locality of the specimens, resulting in a geotagged dataset of Jungle Crow morphology. The measured crows originated from across their distribution, representing the most comprehensive morphometric dataset for Corvus macrorhynchos to date. The dataset is a valuable resource for exploring the driving forces behind morphological variation in Corvus macrorhynchos, as well as a foundation for intraspecific comparison of proposed subspecies and interspecific comparisons of other bird species.}, }
@article {pmid39976791, year = {2025}, author = {Accinelli, C and Bruno, V and Abbas, HK and Morena, C and Khambhati, VH and Shier, WT}, title = {Microplastic uptake by birds: from observation to development of a novel seed coating to prevent bird predation of corn seeds.}, journal = {Environmental science and pollution research international}, volume = {32}, number = {10}, pages = {6153-6160}, pmid = {39976791}, issn = {1614-7499}, mesh = {*Microplastics/analysis ; Animals ; Environmental Pollutants/analysis ; *Soil Pollutants/analysis ; *Seeds ; Feeding Behavior ; *Herbivory ; Crops, Agricultural ; Composting ; Environmental Monitoring ; }, abstract = {The occurrence of microplastics in soil is an emerging issue that not only impacts soil ecology but also has the potential to affect terrestrial birds foraging in agricultural fields. Foraging birds may unintentionally take up soil-borne microplastics along with soil adhering to crop residues and seeds of cultivated species. Microplastic uptake by foraging terrestrial bird species, including Pica pica (magpie), Corvus cornix (hooded crow), and Columba palumbus (common wood pigeon), studied using camera traps, showed that the risk of MP uptake by these birds microplastics from compostable plastic bags was elevated by 27 and 78% when the microplastic particles were associated with corn seed grits or corn seeds, respectively. When these film fragments were coated with a slurry containing tannic acid, saponin, and juglone, microplastic uptake was significantly reduced. Similarly, coating corn seeds with this repellent slurry reduced seed predation by birds up to 86%, and completely wrapping corn seeds with a repellent plastic film resulted in no observed seed predation by birds. The same results were obtained when the wrapping film was replaced by a seed coating containing hairy cotton fibers which may have triggered a feather fear or repulsion response in the birds. This study demonstrated that covering corn seeds with natural repellents or hairy filaments provided complete protection from bird predation.}, }
@article {pmid39978703, year = {2025}, author = {Di Plinio, S and Perrucci, MG and Ferrara, G and Sergi, MR and Tommasi, M and Martino, M and Saggino, A and Ebisch, SJ}, title = {Intrinsic brain mapping of cognitive abilities: A multiple-dataset study on intelligence and its components.}, journal = {NeuroImage}, volume = {309}, number = {}, pages = {121094}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121094}, pmid = {39978703}, issn = {1095-9572}, mesh = {Humans ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Connectome/methods ; *Brain/physiology/diagnostic imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; *Nerve Net/physiology/diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult ; Wechsler Scales ; Executive Function/physiology ; Middle Aged ; *Brain Mapping/methods ; }, abstract = {This study investigates how functional brain network features contribute to general intelligence and its cognitive components by analyzing three independent cohorts of healthy participants. Cognitive scores were derived from 1) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-IV), 2) the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (RPM), and 3) the NIH and Penn cognitive batteries from the Human Connectome Project. Factor analysis on the NIH and Penn cognitive batteries yielded latent variables that closely resembled the content of the WAIS-IV indices and RPM. We employed graph theory and a multi-resolution network analysis by varying the modularity parameter (γ) to investigate hierarchical brain-behavior relationships across different scales of brain organization. Brain-behavior associations were quantified using multi-level robust regression analyses to accommodate variability and confounds at the subject-level, node-level, and resolution-level. Our findings reveal consistent brain-behavior relationships across the datasets. Nodal efficiency in fronto-parietal sensorimotor regions consistently played a pivotal role in fluid reasoning, whereas efficiency in visual networks was linked to executive functions and memory. A broad, low-resolution 'task-positive' network emerged as predictive of full-scale IQ scores, indicating a hierarchical brain-behavior coding. Conversely, increased cross-network connections involving default mode and subcortical-limbic networks were associated with reductions in both general and specific cognitive performance. These outcomes highlight the relevance of network efficiency and integration, as well as of the hierarchical organization in supporting specific aspects of intelligence, while recognizing the inherent complexity of these relationships. Our multi-resolution network approach offers new insights into the interplay between multilayer network properties and the structure of cognitive abilities, advancing the understanding of the neural substrates of the intelligence construct.}, }
@article {pmid39979404, year = {2025}, author = {Clark, FE and Burdass, J and Kavanagh, A and King, A}, title = {Palaeognath birds innovate to solve a novel foraging problem.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {4512}, pmid = {39979404}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Feeding Behavior/physiology ; *Palaeognathae/physiology ; Cognition/physiology ; *Birds/physiology ; *Problem Solving ; Crows/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Struthioniformes/physiology ; }, abstract = {The ability to innovate implies flexible cognition, and is used as a broad metric of intelligence. Innovation in birds has been intensively studied in the larger and more taxonomically diverse Neognathae clade (particularly crows and parrots) and overlooked in the smaller and more ancestral Palaeognathae clade. The current study provides the first known evidence of technical innovation in palaeognath birds. We tested the ability of nine individuals of three species to move a hole towards a chamber to access a food reward. This problem was different to traditional innovation puzzle-boxes where an obstacle is moved away from a food chamber. Three emus and one rhea produced a wheel-turning innovation, moving the hole in the most efficient direction (closer to the nearest food item) in 90% of cases. One rhea dismantled the task twice by removing the central bolt, which we suggest is a second type of innovation, and it did not persist once they innovated the wheel turning solution. Ostriches did not innovate. We classify innovation in palaeognaths as low level/simplistic, relying on general exploration and asocial trial and error learning. Our research suggests that technical innovation may have evolved far earlier in birds than previously thought, and palaeognath birds are a compelling taxonomic group for further cognitive research.}, }
@article {pmid39985626, year = {2025}, author = {Daw, F and Beheim, BA and Wascher, CAF}, title = {Evolutionary drivers of caching behaviour in corvids.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {17}, pmid = {39985626}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Crows/physiology ; Ecosystem ; *Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {Caching has recurrently evolved across a range of animal taxa to withstand fluctuations in food availability and in the context of intraspecific competition. It is widespread in the corvid family, which exhibit considerable interspecific variation in their behavioural and morphological adaptations to caching. However, the evolutionary drivers responsible for this diversity have seldom been explored. The present study systematically reviews the literature on caching behaviour in corvids globally to determine (1) which food caching strategies species have adopted (specialist, generalist or non-cacher) and (2) whether ecological factors affect the occurrence of different strategies, namely (a) climate breadth, (b) trophic niche, (c) habitat breadth, (d) centroid latitude, (e) centroid longitude, (f) breeding system, and (g) body mass. In addition, the ancestral states of caching are reconstructed to assess the evolutionary trajectory of each strategy. Caching strategies were identified in 63 species from 16 genera (out of 128 corvid species and 22 genera). Ancestral state analysis suggested specialist caching as the ancestral state in corvids. Type of caching is associated with distance from equator and by average body mass, with generalist caching concentrated around the equatorial zone and among heavier corvids, while specialist caching occurring more commonly in smaller species found farther from the equator. Although specialist caching most likely was the ancestral state in corvids, both specialist and generalist caching evolved several times independently in the family of corvids. Our results show caching to be widespread in corvids and affected by body size and latitude but ecological factors such as topic niche and habitat breadth and breeding system, not to be strong drivers shaping caching behaviour.}, }
@article {pmid39987138, year = {2025}, author = {Nazari, MA and Abbasi, S and Rezaeian, M and Heysieattalab, S and Safakheil, H and Nasrabadi, AM and Barzegar, Z and Joghataei, MT and Asgharian, Z and Ghobadzadeh, F and Alizadeh, M and Amini Yeganeh, P and Khayyat Naghadehi, A and Azizi, K and Alizadeh Chakharlou, M and Nasiri, A and Davoudkhani, M and Rezaeian, M and Safakheil, M and Katebi, A and Hasanzadeh Tahraband, M and Delkhahi, S and Soltani, H and Shahrabi Farahani, V and Ghasemkhani, K and Nazari, E and Farkhondeh Tale Navi, F}, title = {Iranian 6-11 years age population-based EEG, ERP, and cognition dataset.}, journal = {Scientific data}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {319}, pmid = {39987138}, issn = {2052-4463}, support = {12286//Cognitive Sciences and Technologies Council (CSTC)/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; *Electroencephalography ; *Cognition ; *Evoked Potentials ; Male ; Female ; Iran ; Memory, Short-Term ; }, abstract = {This report presents an open-source dataset investigating neurodevelopmental profiles in children. The dataset consists of EEG, ERP, and cognitive assessments from 100 Iranian non-clinical participants (age range 6-11 years, Mean = 8.52 ± 1.5 SD). Notably, this is a smaller group drawn from a larger longitudinal ongoing study. The research aligns with the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, aiming to enhance diagnostic precision and intervention efficacy for specific learning disabilities (SLD) using EEG/ERP measures and machine learning. Cognitive assessments included non-verbal intelligence (Raven Test), attention (IVA-2), and working memory tasks. EEG recordings captured resting-state (eyes closed/open) and brain activity during working memory tasks with numerical and non-numerical stimuli (ERPs). Additionally, demographic information such as age, gender, education, handedness, parental history of learning difficulties, and child symptom inventory-4 (CSI-4) were collected. This dataset provides a valuable resource for exploring the neurophysiological correlates of cognitive functions in typically developing children, which can advance our understanding of the neural foundations of cognitive development in children.}, }
@article {pmid39987304, year = {2025}, author = {Qian, Y and Su, Q and Liu, W and Ma, L and Ma, M and Ma, L}, title = {The influence of socioeconomic status on intelligence in school-age children in Xuyong County: a mediation analysis of nutrition literacy and dietary diversity.}, journal = {European journal of nutrition}, volume = {64}, number = {2}, pages = {100}, pmid = {39987304}, issn = {1436-6215}, support = {06/00180176//Southwest Medical University/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Male ; Female ; *Intelligence ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adolescent ; *Diet/statistics & numerical data ; China ; *Social Class ; *Health Literacy/statistics & numerical data ; Mediation Analysis ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Nutritional Status ; Rural Population ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: While children's nutrition in rural areas has garnered attention, the most studies focus on underweight, obesity and anemia, neglecting the importance of intelligence in children's current academic performance and future success. This study aimed to examine how food and nutrition literacy (FNLIT) and dietary diversity score (DDS) mediate the impact of socioeconomic status (SES) on the intelligence development, offering insights for improving childhood nutrition.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study employed a stratified cluster random sampling method and included 1704 children aged between 8 and 16 years. Questionnaires was used to collect demographic data, FNLIT, DDS and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) scores. SES was constructed using principal component analysis. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the interrelationship between the variables.
RESULTS: The mean scores for FNLIT, DDS, and SPM were 58.06 ± 7.00, 6.25 ± 1.64, and 37.60 ± 8.91, respectively. SES is positively correlated with SPM (B = 0.434, p < 0.01); FNLIT mediates the relationship between SES and SPM (B = 0.065, 95% CI: 0.035, 0.098). Among participants with DDS ≤ 6, DDS mediates the relationship between SES and SPM (B = 0.017, 95% CI: 0.0002, 0.044). For students with DDS ≤ 6, FNLIT + DDS has a positive mediated (B = 0.003, 95% CI: 0.0004, 0.007), while for primary students, it show a negative effect (B = - 0.003, 95% CI: - 0.008, - 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Both FNLIT and DDS have impacts on children intelligence. Nutrition education and dietary interventions should prioritize children with low SES and inadequate DDS to enhance intellectual development.}, }
@article {pmid39990470, year = {2025}, author = {Edwards, SV and Fang, B and Khost, D and Kolyfetis, GE and Cheek, RG and DeRaad, DA and Chen, N and Fitzpatrick, JW and McCormack, JE and Funk, WC and Ghalambor, CK and Garrison, E and Guarracino, A and Li, H and Sackton, TB}, title = {Comparative population pangenomes reveal unexpected complexity and fitness effects of structural variants.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {39990470}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {R01 GM123489/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HG011485/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 DA047638/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Structural variants (SVs) are widespread in vertebrate genomes, yet their evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Using 45 long-read de novo genome assemblies and pangenome tools, we analyze SVs within three closely related species of North American jays (Aphelocoma, scrub-jays) displaying a 60-fold range in effective population size. We find rapid evolution of genome architecture, including ~100 Mb variation in genome size driven by dynamic satellite landscapes with unexpectedly long (> 10 kb) repeat units and widespread variation in gene content, influencing gene expression. SVs exhibit slightly deleterious dynamics modulated by variant length and population size, with strong evidence of adaptive fixation only in large populations. Our results demonstrate how population size shapes the distribution of SVs and the importance of pangenomes to characterizing genomic diversity.}, }
@article {pmid39993628, year = {2025}, author = {Gore, S and Mhamane, S and Jadhav, S and Padvi, N and Mhatre, A and Joshi, P and Sawakare, S and Samant, V and Chaturvedi, P and Pramesh, CS and Gupta, S and Budukh, A}, title = {Implementation challenges of government-funded health schemes for cancer treatment at Tata Memorial Centre.}, journal = {Journal of cancer policy}, volume = {43}, number = {}, pages = {100564}, doi = {10.1016/j.jcpo.2025.100564}, pmid = {39993628}, issn = {2213-5383}, mesh = {Humans ; *Neoplasms/therapy/economics ; Male ; Female ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Health Expenditures ; India ; *Financing, Government ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Aged ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The study aims to understand the Ayushman Bharat- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MJPJAY)health scheme awareness, challenges faced by the scheme beneficiaries, facilitators and out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for cancer treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
METHODS: We conducted an observational cross-sectional study approved by the Tata Memorial Centre Ethics Committee. We collected data by interviewing participants through a structured questionnaire.
RESULTS: Out of 515 participants, 489 (95 %) were beneficiaries (patients/caregivers) of the schemes, 15 (2.9 %) MJPJAY staff, 6 (1.1 %) medical social workers (MSW), and 5 (1.0 %) AB PM-JAY staff. Of the 489 beneficiaries, only 162 (33.1 %) were aware of the scheme. Most patients were satisfied with the benefits of the scheme; of the 83 (17 %) who were dissatisfied, 30 (36 %) cited incomplete coverage at a 95 % Confidence Interval (CI) [0.26-0.46] and 19 (23 %) 95 % CI [0.14-0.32] cited OOPE as the reason for dissatisfaction. Participants opined a need to increase package coverage of cancer treatment and essential investigations. The beneficiaries highlighted delays in the approval process and technical issues of the scheme as potential areas of improvement.
CONCLUSION: Government health schemes are effective in improving treatment completion without impoverishment and have the potential to improve treatment outcomes and cancer survival. Study results indicate the need to increase awareness about these schemes in the general population, improving the health benefit packages for cancer treatment, with inclusion investigations, supportive care, nutritional care, palliative care, immunotherapy, chemotherapy drugs, targeted therapy, bone marrow transplantation, and hormonal therapy.
POLICY SUMMARY: Government-funded health schemes are effective in reducing impoverishment related to healthcare costs and promoting Universal Health Coverage. However, periodic review of the breadth of coverage as well as feasibility of completing treatment using these packages is necessary to eliminate out-of-pocket expenditure and facilitate treatment completion.}, }
@article {pmid39997165, year = {2025}, author = {Liu, Y and He, K and Man, K and Zhan, P}, title = {Exploring Critical Eye-Tracking Metrics for Identifying Cognitive Strategies in Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices: A Data-Driven Perspective.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {39997165}, issn = {2079-3200}, abstract = {The present study utilized a recursive feature elimination approach in conjunction with a random forest algorithm to assess the efficacy of various features in predicting cognitive strategy usage in Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices. In addition to item response accuracy (RA) and response time (RT), five key eye-tracking metrics were examined: proportional time on matrix (PTM), latency to first toggle (LFT), rate of latency to first toggle (RLT), number of toggles (NOT), and rate of toggling (ROT). The results indicated that PTM, RLT, and LFT were the three most critical features, with PTM emerging as the most significant predictor of cognitive strategy usage, followed by RLT and LFT. Clustering analysis of these optimal features validated their utility in effectively distinguishing cognitive strategies. The study's findings underscore the potential of specific eye-tracking metrics as objective indicators of cognitive processing while providing a data-driven method to identify strategies used in complex reasoning tasks.}, }
@article {pmid39997167, year = {2025}, author = {Okur, M and Aksoy, V}, title = {The Effect of a Working Memory Intervention Package on the Working Memory Performance of Primary School Students with Specific Learning Disabilities.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {13}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {39997167}, issn = {2079-3200}, abstract = {This study examines the effects of a working memory (WM) intervention package on the WM performance of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs). A pre-test post-test experimental design was applied with 40 students, divided equally into experimental (20 students) and control groups (20 students). Data were collected using the Working Memory Scale (WMS), Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), and the Working Memory Performance Tasks Form (WM-PTF). The experimental group demonstrated statistically significant improvements in WMS and WM-PTF scores relative to the control group (p < 0.006, d = 1.96 for WMS; d = 1.42 for WM-PTF). Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between the increase in WM performance and intelligence scores, suggesting that intelligence may influence WM gains. In conclusion, the WM intervention package was significant in improving the WM performance of students with SLDs, indicating that such interventions have significant potential for enhancing cognitive functions and memory. These findings highlight the critical role of WM interventions in contributing to the cognitive development of students with learning difficulties.}, }
@article {pmid40003498, year = {2025}, author = {Grant, TJ}, title = {COVID-19 as a Mirror: Reflecting the Pandemic of Racism and the Historical Roots of Health Inequities.}, journal = {International journal of environmental research and public health}, volume = {22}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {40003498}, issn = {1660-4601}, mesh = {*COVID-19/epidemiology/ethnology ; Humans ; *Racism/history ; SARS-CoV-2 ; History, 20th Century ; Pandemics ; United States/epidemiology ; *Health Inequities ; History, 19th Century ; History, 21st Century ; *Health Status Disparities ; Black or African American ; Social Determinants of Health ; }, abstract = {Historically, the attribution of biology to race has shaped societies and manifested in innumerable disparities and irreparable harm, especially in communities of color. From the earliest days of the United States to the present day, the dehumanization and "othering" of African Americans have caused deep racial inequities that have been perpetuated and embedded in American culture. The early months of the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the deep racial inequalities in the US, especially in health outcomes for communities of color. Structural racism has played a critical role in exacerbating disparities, with Black, Hispanic, Latinx, and Indigenous populations experiencing higher rates of severe disease and mortality. The interconnectedness of racism with the social determinants of health, concomitant with higher rates of chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, increases vulnerability to severe COVID-19. Health disparities are compounded by implicit biases in the medical field, a lack of diversity among healthcare providers, and historical medical mistrust among marginalized groups. Underrepresentation in the medical field, biomedical sciences, and academia hinders efforts to address health disparities effectively. This essay seeks to raise awareness of how the concepts of race and racism have resulted in racial hierarchies that perpetuate systems of oppression and impede efforts toward racial and health equity. Specifically, this essay covers time periods in American history, including slavery, the Jim Crow Era, the Civil Rights Movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic, and discusses how addressing race and racism and the achievement of racial health equity require targeted efforts to increase diversity in healthcare and biomedical fields, improve cultural competence, and foster trust between medical professionals and communities of color.}, }
@article {pmid40007017, year = {2025}, author = {Dirks, KR and Pinto, SM and Pham, KN and Byrne-Haber, TJ and Thompson, RW and Ratnayake, OC and Rovnak, J and Perera, R}, title = {The 24th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {17}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/v17020262}, pmid = {40007017}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {R13 AI186419/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Animals ; *Virology ; *Virus Diseases/virology/immunology ; Viruses/immunology ; Colorado ; }, abstract = {Located in the Rocky Mountains within the Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests, Colorado State University's Mountain Campus in Pingree Park hosted the 24th Annual Rocky Mountain Virology Association's meeting in 2024. A total of 165 participants, both regional and international, participated in the 3-day event, which consisted of 48 talks and 42 posters. These presentations discussed developments in prion research, current affairs, and novel tools in virology; investigated arboviruses and their vectors, as well as molecular foundations of viral interactions; and provided increased understanding of viral immunology and vaccines. This year's Randall Jay Cohrs keynote presentation unveiled how viral infections disrupt intestinal homeostasis via Sting-dependent NK-kB signaling. This novel research demonstrated the importance of immunological pathways in the virus-induced disruption of homeostasis. Nested in the valley of the Rocky Mountains, participants could enjoy the fall colors and partake in hiking and fishing all while discussing science and networking amongst a variety of scientists. This report encapsulates selected presentations from the 24th Annual Rocky Mountain Virology Association meeting.}, }
@article {pmid40011843, year = {2025}, author = {Singhal, R and Namdev, R and Kumar, A and Bhagol, A and S, S}, title = {Correlation of fluoride intake with haemoglobin level and intelligence quotient in 8-12 year aged children: an observational study from India.}, journal = {BMC public health}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {788}, pmid = {40011843}, issn = {1471-2458}, support = {F.N. 5/9/1458/2022-Nut//Indian Council of Medical Research/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; *Fluorides/urine/analysis/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Child ; India ; *Hemoglobins/analysis ; *Fluorosis, Dental/epidemiology/blood/diagnosis ; Intelligence Tests ; *Intelligence/drug effects ; Drinking Water/chemistry/analysis ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Fluorosis caused by excess intake of fluoride can affects various soft tissues of the body, such as the gastrointestinal tract, blood, brain tissues and thyroid gland apart from dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis. Nonskeletal fluorosis is considered reversible if diagnosed early and treated promptly. Therefore, diagnostic methods that can be easily performed even by primary health care workers and depict any ongoing health problems, should be validated. Dental fluorosis, assessment of fluoride in urine and water are tests that fulfill these requirements. To date, no study has correlated haemoglobin (Hb) with dental fluorosis; moreover, studies focusing on intelligence quotient (IQ) had conflicting results and need further research. Hence, study was conducted to determine any relationship among different fluoride assessment parameters (severity of dental fluorosis, fluoride level in urine and drinking water) with IQ status and hemoglobin level of children aged 8-12 years, affected with or without dental fluorosis.
METHODS: A total of 300 children aged 8-12 years were evaluated for dental fluorosis via Dean's index, IQ level via Raven's coloured progressive matrices test, Hb level, and fluoride content in water and urine.
RESULTS: Water fluoride, age and gender were significantly associated with Hb. Intelligence was significantly related to urinary fluoride levels. Presence or absence of dental fluorosis and its severity were not significantly related to IQ or Hb.
CONCLUSIONS: Excess fluoride intake has adverse effects on hematological parameters and children's cognitive neurodevelopment, which were evaluated by current fluoride exposure markers, i.e., water and urinary fluoride. However, dental fluorosis cannot be used as a definitive assessment marker for these conditions, as it is not significantly correlated with these conditions.}, }
@article {pmid40019547, year = {2025}, author = {Vernouillet, A and Huang, N and Kelly, DM}, title = {Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) and Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) can discriminate between pilfering and non-pilfering conspecifics, but not between heterospecifics.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {19}, pmid = {40019547}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {BOF.PDO.2021.0035.01//University of Ghent/ ; RGPIN-2017-04944//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Feeding Behavior/psychology ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Male ; Female ; *Discrimination, Psychological ; }, abstract = {When foraging, individuals often need to assess potential risk from competitors. Within many food-caching (food-storing) species, individuals can modify their caching behavior depending on whether other individuals are present during the caching event. During caching, individuals may interact with not only conspecifics but also heterospecifics. However, the extent to which individual cachers can discriminate between conspecifics and heterospecifics that present a pilfering threat or not, has received little attention. During this study, we examined this issue with food-storing birds, highly social pinyon jays and less social Clark's nutcrackers. Cachers were given a choice to store their seeds in one of two visually distinct trays. Subsequently, one of the trays was given to an individual (either a conspecific or a heterospecific) who pilfered the caches, whereas the other tray was given to an individual (either a conspecific or a heterospecific) who did not pilfer the caches. When the two trays were returned to the cachers, they recached the seeds from the tray given to the pilfering observer individual more so than the tray given to the non-pilfering observer, but only when the pilferer was a conspecific. Our results suggest that the pinyon jays and nutcrackers could distinguish between conspecifics based on their pilfering behavior, but not between heterospecifics. Together, our results reconsider the ability of corvids to discriminate between individuals based on their pilfering risk and the importance of doing so while caching.}, }
@article {pmid40020660, year = {2025}, author = {Linderoth, T and Deaner, L and Chen, N and Bowman, R and Boughton, RK and Fitzpatrick, SW}, title = {Translocations spur population growth but fail to prevent genetic erosion in imperiled Florida Scrub-Jays.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {35}, number = {6}, pages = {1391-1399.e6}, pmid = {40020660}, issn = {1879-0445}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Florida ; *Conservation of Natural Resources/methods ; Animals ; *Endangered Species ; Population Growth ; Ecosystem ; *Passeriformes/genetics/physiology ; }, abstract = {Land and natural resource use in addition to climate change can restrict populations to degraded and fragmented habitats, catalyzing extinction through the reinforced interplay of small population size and genetic decay. Translocating individuals is a powerful strategy for overcoming direct threats from human development and reconnecting isolated populations but is not without risks.[1] Habitat Management Plan analyses under section 7 of the U.S. Endangered Species Act determined that multiple subpopulations of Federally Threatened Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens, hereafter FSJ) belonging to a metapopulation on Florida's west coast were declining demographic sinks, occupying areas where agriculture and fire suppression had degraded and fragmented the habitat.[2] In order to increase the viability of the overall metapopulation, 51 FSJs from five of these small subpopulations in areas to be mined were translocated throughout 2003-2010 into a larger site of more contiguous, recently restored habitat at the core of the metapopulation, which contained a small resident population.[3] Prior to translocations and for nearly two decades afterward, this core population, referred to as the M4 core region (CR) population, was extensively monitored, yielding a nearly complete pedigree. We used this pedigree, along with temporal genomic analyses and simulations, to show that translocations coupled with habitat restoration generated rapid population growth, but high reproductive skew increased inbreeding and led to genetic erosion. This mechanistic understanding of mixed conservation outcomes highlights the importance of monitoring and the potential need for genetic rescue to offset consequences of reproductive skew following translocations, regardless of demographic recovery.}, }
@article {pmid40022279, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, Y and Chen, Z and Cai, Z and Ao, W and Li, Q and Xu, M and Zhou, S}, title = {Exploring Graph Theory Mechanisms of Fluid Intelligence in the DLPFC: Insights From Resting-State fNIRS Across Various Time Windows.}, journal = {Brain and behavior}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {e70386}, pmid = {40022279}, issn = {2162-3279}, support = {//the National Natural Science Foundation Project of China/ ; //Humanity and Social Science Research Project of Jiangxi Educational Committee/ ; //Technology Planning Project of Health Commission of Jiangxi Province/ ; //Graduate Innovation Special Fund of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine/ ; //Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Innovation Team Development Program/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared/methods ; Young Adult ; *Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex/physiology/diagnostic imaging ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Brain imaging technologies can measure fluid intelligence (gF) levels more directly, objectively, and dynamically, compared to traditional questionnaire scales. To clarify the temporal mechanisms of graph theory in measuring gF, this study investigated the relationship between graph theoretical indicators in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and gF levels under various time windows.
METHODS: Using 30-min resting-state fNIRS (rs-fNIRS) data and Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices from 116 healthy participants, the relationship between individual gF levels and DLPFC brain signals was analyzed using average degree (AD) and global efficiency (Eglob).
RESULTS: AD and Eglob in the resting-state DLPFC were significantly negatively correlated with the RAPM score. Considering the effectiveness and efficiency of gF measurement, a 2-min data collection might suffice, while for Eglob, more than 15-min collection was more effective.
CONCLUSION: These findings help clarify brain indicators and demonstrate the effectiveness of rs-fNIRS in intelligence measurement, providing a theoretical and practical basis for portable and objective gF assessment .}, }
@article {pmid40024953, year = {2025}, author = {Xia, Y and Ye, Y and Liu, M and Wang, Y and Shang, L and Wang, P and Sun, H}, title = {Impact of high lodine and fluoride intake on children's IQ in rural China.}, journal = {European journal of nutrition}, volume = {64}, number = {2}, pages = {104}, doi = {10.1007/s00394-025-03617-w}, pmid = {40024953}, issn = {1436-6215}, mesh = {Humans ; China ; *Fluorides/urine/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Child ; Female ; *Iodine/urine/administration & dosage ; Male ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data ; *Intelligence/drug effects ; Intelligence Tests ; Drinking Water/chemistry/analysis ; Diet ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Excessive intake of both fluorine and iodine can lead to various health effects. The potential influence of excessive fluorine and iodine intake on the intelligence of school-age children has become a notable concern.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between urinary fluoride (UF) levels, urinary iodine (UI) levels, and intelligence quotient (IQ).
METHODS: This study involved 711 children aged 8 to 12 from rural Jiangsu, China. Water iodine levels were measured using As[3+]-Ce[4+] catalytic spectrophotometry, while UI levels were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Fluoride levels in urine and drinking water were measured using the ion-selective electrode method. Children's cognitive function, evaluated through IQ scores, was assessed using the Combined Raven's Test. The results were considered significant at the P < 0.05 level.
RESULTS: The average IQ score was 107.6, the median UF was 281 µg/L, and the median UI was 1.39 mg/L. The correlation coefficient (β) and confidence interval (95%CI) for UF and UI on IQ were - 3.34 (-4.14, -2.43) and - 3.31 (-4.19, -2.41), respectively (P < 0.001, P < 0.001). UF > 1.4 mg/L and UI ≥ 300 µg/L were negatively correlated with IQ scores in all school-age children (P < 0.001, P < 0.001), with β and 95% CIs of -3.59 (-5.45, -1.74), -4.06 (-5.91, -2.21), respectively. The interaction term (UF > 1.4 mg/L: UI ≥ 300 µg/L) was negatively correlated with IQ scores in all (P = 0.041) and female school-age children (P = 0.007), with β and 95%CIs of -4.43 (-8.66, -0.19) and - 8.87 (-15.16, -2.40), respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: High levels of both fluoride and iodine intake negatively affect the IQ of school-age children. Monitoring and regulating these elements in children's diets is essential to prevent cognitive impairment.}, }
@article {pmid40031162, year = {2025}, author = {Wei, Q and Chen, D and Yuan, B}, title = {Multi-Viewpoint and Multi-Evaluation with Felicitous Inductive Bias Boost Machine Abstract Reasoning Ability.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on image processing : a publication of the IEEE Signal Processing Society}, volume = {PP}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1109/TIP.2025.3530260}, pmid = {40031162}, issn = {1941-0042}, abstract = {Great efforts have been made to investigate AI's ability in abstract reasoning, along with the proposal of various versions of RAVEN's progressive matrices (RPM) as benchmarks. Previous studies suggest that, even after extensive training, neural networks may still struggle to make decisive decisions regarding RPM problems without sophisticated designs or additional semantic information in the form of meta-data. Through comprehensive experiments, we demonstrate that neural networks endowed with appropriate inductive biases, either intentionally designed or fortuitously matched, can efficiently solve RPM problems without the need for extra meta-data augmentation. Our work also reveals the importance of employing a multi-viewpoint with multi-evaluation approach as a key learning strategy for successful reasoning. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the unique role of metadata by demonstrating that a pre-training model supervised by meta-data leads to an RPM solver with improved performance. Codes are available in: https://github.com/QinglaiWeiCASIA/RavenSolver.}, }
@article {pmid40033487, year = {2025}, author = {Huang, MH and Kuan, YH and Tu, PC and Chan, YE and Su, TP}, title = {Differential involvement of trait impulsivity, fluid intelligence, and executive function in creativity among euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.}, journal = {Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA}, volume = {88}, number = {4}, pages = {290-297}, pmid = {40033487}, issn = {1728-7731}, mesh = {Humans ; *Bipolar Disorder/psychology/physiopathology ; Female ; Male ; *Intelligence ; Adult ; *Impulsive Behavior ; *Creativity ; *Executive Function ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: While anecdotal evidence suggests a link between bipolar disorder and heightened creativity, empirical studies are scarce, and the underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the association between trait impulsivity, executive function, fluid intelligence, and creativity among euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.
METHODS: Euthymic outpatients with bipolar disorder and age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Creativity was assessed using the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults and the Chinese Word Remote Associates Test, which examined divergent thinking and convergent thinking, respectively. Trait impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, while cognitive flexibility was evaluated using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Fluid intelligence was assessed using Raven's Progressive Matrices. General linear models were used to assess the associations between these cognitive measures.
RESULTS: Fifty-seven euthymic patients with bipolar disorder and 56 controls were recruited. Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder exhibited comparable overall creativity to controls but underperformed in convergent thinking. General linear models confirmed a negative association between trait impulsivity and creativity, primarily observed in patients with bipolar disorder. Cognitive flexibility positively correlated with creativity among patients with bipolar disorder, independent of fluid intelligence.
CONCLUSION: Our study showed that euthymic patients with bipolar disorder do not have heightened creativity. The findings underscore the importance of considering trait impulsivity and cognitive factors in understanding creativity in bipolar disorder.}, }
@article {pmid40038036, year = {2025}, author = {Han, J and Yang, X and Gong, Q and Liu, T and Tu, H and Lu, X and Yang, F and Ji, R and Hu, L}, title = {Ocular surface side effects of botulinum toxin type A injections in the treatment of lateral canthal wrinkles (Crow's Feet).}, journal = {Contact lens & anterior eye : the journal of the British Contact Lens Association}, volume = {48}, number = {4}, pages = {102389}, doi = {10.1016/j.clae.2025.102389}, pmid = {40038036}, issn = {1476-5411}, mesh = {Humans ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Tears/metabolism ; Adult ; Neuromuscular Agents/adverse effects/administration & dosage ; Aged ; *Meibomian Glands/drug effects ; *Eyelids/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; *Dry Eye Syndromes/chemically induced ; Prospective Studies ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: This study investigates the impact of Botulinum Toxin Type A (BoNT-A) injections for lateral canthal wrinkles on the ocular surface.
METHODS: A total of 30 patients (30 eyes) who received BoNT-A injections were followed over a three-month period. Evaluations included tear meniscus height (TMH), strip meniscometry test, fluorescein tear film break-up time (FTBUT), corneal staining score, meibomian gland orifice and meibum quality score. Observations were recorded at baseline, one week, one month, and three months post-injection.
RESULTS: Upper and total eyelid meiboscore, meibomian gland orifice obstruction, and meibum quality score peaked at three months post-injection, while FTBUT was shortest during the same period, with significant differences observed across time points (P < 0.05). Post-hoc analysis indicated a significant reduction in FTBUT between baseline and three months (P = 0.048). Corneal staining scores were highest at one week, with significant differences across time points (P < 0.001); post-hoc analysis revealed a significant difference between one week and three months (P = 0.037). No significant changes were found in TMH or strip meniscometry test score (P = 0.374, P = 0.732).
CONCLUSIONS: BoNT-A injections may temporarily compromise ocular surface stability by decreasing tear film stability, disrupting meibomian gland function, and causing corneal epithelial disruption.}, }
@article {pmid40038068, year = {2025}, author = {Gogola, JV and Joyce, MK and Vijayraghavan, S and Barnum, G and Wildenberg, G}, title = {NSF Workshop Report: Exploring Measurements and Interpretations of Intelligent Behaviors Across Animal Model Systems.}, journal = {The Journal of comparative neurology}, volume = {533}, number = {3}, pages = {e70035}, pmid = {40038068}, issn = {1096-9861}, support = {//Neuronex: The fabric of the primate neocortex and the origin of mental representations, NSF 2015276/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Intelligence/physiology ; *Models, Animal ; *Neurosciences ; }, abstract = {Defining intelligence is a challenging and fraught task, but one that neuroscientists are repeatedly confronted with. A central goal of neuroscience is to understand how phenomena like intelligent behaviors emerge from nervous systems. This requires some determination of what defines intelligence and how to measure it. The challenge is multifaceted. For instance, as we begin to describe and understand the brain in increasingly specific physical terms (e.g., anatomy, cell types, activity patterns), we amplify an ever-growing divide in how we connect measurable properties of the brain to less tangible concepts like intelligence. As our appreciation for evolutionary diversity in neuroscience grows, we are further confronted with whether there can be a unifying theory of intelligence. The National Science Foundation (NSF) NeuroNex consortium recently gathered experts from multiple animal model systems to discuss intelligence across species. We summarize here the different perspectives offered by the consortium, with the goal of promoting thought and debate of this ancient question from a modern perspective, and asking whether defining intelligence is a useful exercise in neuroscience or an ill-posed and distracting question. We present data from the vantage points of humans, macaques, ferrets, crows, octopuses, bees, and flies, highlighting some of the noteworthy capabilities of each species within the context of each species' ecological niche and how these may be challenged by climate change. We also include a remarkable example of convergent evolution between primates and crows in the circuit and molecular basis for working memory in these highly divergent animal species.}, }
@article {pmid40040463, year = {2025}, author = {Llewellyn, M}, title = {Ali Smith's queer autobiocritical aesthetics.}, journal = {Journal of lesbian studies}, volume = {29}, number = {2}, pages = {153-169}, doi = {10.1080/10894160.2025.2461903}, pmid = {40040463}, issn = {1540-3548}, mesh = {Humans ; *Esthetics/history ; Female ; *Sexual and Gender Minorities ; History, 20th Century ; *Homosexuality, Female ; *Literature, Modern/history ; }, abstract = {Ali Smith's allusive relationship to the literary and cultural canon is a prominent feature of her writing life. Smith's works offer a rich and diverse perspective on the magpie-like appreciation of cultural mo(ve)ments as accretive and cumulative sites of creative re/construction. But they also provide a sense of the writer as reader, thinker and re-visioner of personalised literary and cultural canons including not only books but paintings, films and music. In this essay, I explore Smith's work through what I term the "autobiocritical" - that is literary texts which serve to play with notions of identity, authorial positioning and critical approaches via an allusive, metafictional and theoretically informed exploration of fiction, form and self-representation. The essay focuses on Smith's Artful (2012) in which I suggest she engages in a complex process of homage and adaptation that is invested in the queering of the acts of reading, re-reading and critical perspective. Smith's subversive approach to the nature of critical analysis when divested of personality, character and readerly interaction presents a degree of cynicism and scepticism about the role of the aesthetic when anaesthetised from the quirks and individualities of character and of reading - that are central to Smith's aesthetic.}, }
@article {pmid40044491, year = {2026}, author = {Hussain, A and Ali, MJ}, title = {Lacrimal History - Part 39: Doyens of Dacryology Series - Jeffrey Jay Hurwitz (1944-2022).}, journal = {Seminars in ophthalmology}, volume = {41}, number = {5}, pages = {553-555}, doi = {10.1080/08820538.2025.2474341}, pmid = {40044491}, issn = {1744-5205}, }
@article {pmid40046655, year = {2025}, author = {}, title = {Editor's Note: The war on good research: Debating research ethics and methods on the basis of Jay Levy's The war on people who use drugs: The harms of Sweden's aim for a drug-free society (Routledge, 2017).}, journal = {Nordisk alkohol- & narkotikatidskrift : NAT}, volume = {42}, number = {2}, pages = {198}, pmid = {40046655}, issn = {1458-6126}, }
@article {pmid40048071, year = {2025}, author = {Takakura, Y and Otsuki, M and Takagi, R and Houkin, K}, title = {A feasibility pilot study comparing tablets and smartphones for an app-based speed training program in older people: an open-label, randomized controlled PROBE trial.}, journal = {Cognitive processing}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {625-640}, pmid = {40048071}, issn = {1612-4790}, mesh = {Humans ; Pilot Projects ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Feasibility Studies ; *Smartphone ; *Executive Function/physiology ; *Mobile Applications ; *Computers, Handheld ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Attention/physiology ; Middle Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {This feasibility pilot study examined whether the device type (tablet or smartphone) influences the effectiveness of a brain training program for older adults. Forty-four community-dwelling participants were randomly assigned to the tablet or smartphone group using a stratified block randomisation protocol based on age and sex. Each participant completed 12 supervised training sessions, each lasting approximately 40 min, over 3 to 4 months. Cognitive assessments included general intelligence, attention, memory, and executive function. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the effects of the device type and time (pre- vs. post-intervention). Of the 44 participants, 36 completed the program. No main or interaction effects were observed for device type. However, significant improvements over time were found in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, Frontal Assessment Battery, time required to complete Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, visual cancellation, and Trail-Making Test Part A. These results suggest comparable near-transfer benefits in attention and executive functions across tablets and smartphones. However, neither device produced far-transfer gains in memory measures. These findings underscore the feasibility and potential cost-effectiveness of smartphone-based training interventions for supporting cognitive health in later life.Trial Registration: Registered in the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry on October 15, 2020 (UMIN000042123).}, }
@article {pmid40052146, year = {2025}, author = {Lingstädt, F and Apostel, A and Rose, J}, title = {"Distribution of dominant wavelengths predicts jackdaw (Corvus monedula) color discrimination performance".}, journal = {Frontiers in physiology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1543469}, pmid = {40052146}, issn = {1664-042X}, abstract = {Color vision is an important perceptual ability in most species and a crucial capacity underlying any cognitive task working with color stimuli. Birds are known for their outstanding vision and tetrachromacy. Two jackdaws were trained to indicate whether they perceive two colors as same or different. The dominant wavelengths of the experimental colors were assessed to relate the birds' performance to the physical qualities of the stimuli. The results indicate that the differences or similarities in dominant wavelengths of the colors had a strong influence on the behavioral data. Colors related to a reduced discriminatory performance were colors of particularly close wavelengths, whereas differences in saturation or brightness were less relevant. Overall, jackdaws mostly relied on hue to discriminate color pairs, and their behavior strongly reflected the physical composition of the color set. These findings show that when working with color stimuli, not only the perceptual abilities of the particular species, but also the technical aspects concerning the color presentation have to be considered carefully.}, }
@article {pmid40065382, year = {2025}, author = {Rudaitytė-Lukošienė, E and Rehbein, S and Calero-Bernal, R and Butkauskas, D and Prakas, P}, title = {Morphological and molecular characterisation of Sarcocystis capracanis, Sarcocystis cornagliai and Sarcocystis rossii n. sp. infecting the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex).}, journal = {Parasites & vectors}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {96}, pmid = {40065382}, issn = {1756-3305}, mesh = {Animals ; *Sarcocystis/genetics/classification/isolation & purification/ultrastructure/cytology ; *Sarcocystosis/veterinary/parasitology/epidemiology ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S/genetics ; Austria/epidemiology ; *Goats/parasitology ; *Goat Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Diaphragm/parasitology ; DNA, Protozoan/genetics/chemistry ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The cyst-forming coccidia of the genus Sarcocystis (Sarcocystidae) are widespread protists of mammals, particularly of domestic and wild ruminants. Research on genus Sarcocystis in wild members of the subfamily Caprinae is, however, rather limited. Sarcocystis in the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) have only been investigated in depth once and then solely by morphological techniques. In the current investigation we aimed to morphologically and genetically characterise Sarcocystis species of Alpine ibex in Austria.
METHODS: Sarcocysts detected in the diaphragm and myocardium muscles were morphologically described using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Isolated sarcocysts were molecularly identified and characterised at the level of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and cytochrome c oxidase I gene (cox1). The obtained sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis.
RESULTS: Three Sarcocystis species, namely S. capracanis, S. cornagliai and S. rossii n. sp., were found in Alpine ibex. For the first time, we genetically characterised S. cornagliai, which is most closely related to Sarcocystis species that are transmitted by corvid birds. Sarcocysts of S. rossii n. sp. were found to be ribbon-shaped, with pointed tips. Hair-like protrusions about 5 μm in length were observed on sarcocyst walls. Observation of toluidine blue-stained semi-thin sections revealed that the sarcocyst of S. rossii n. sp. was thin-walled. Using TEM, cyst walls were observed to be similar to type 7a, with thin hair-like villar protrusions on the cyst wall, which were filled with many fine electron-dense granules. The ground substance layer was particularly thin, measuring 0.2-0.4 μm. The cox1 sequences of S. rossii n. sp. had the highest similarity to those of Sarcocystis arieticanis and Sarcocystis hircicanis. Sarcocystis rossii n. sp. had a close phylogenetic relationship with species that use canids as definitive hosts.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the role of the Alpine ibex as an intermediate host of three Sarcocystis species and sets a new host record for S. capracanis. It also provides the first molecular data on Sarcocystis from Alpine ibex and on S. cornagliai. In addition, a new species, S. rossii, was identified and described. Phylogenetic analyses suggested corvid birds and canids as potential definitive hosts for S. cornagliai and S. rossii n. sp., respectively.}, }
@article {pmid40075929, year = {2025}, author = {Juozaitytė-Ngugu, E and Švažas, S and Bea, A and Šneideris, D and Villanúa, D and Butkauskas, D and Prakas, P}, title = {Molecular Confirmation of Raptors from Spain as Definitive Hosts of Numerous Sarcocystis Species.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {15}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {40075929}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {Most raptors are flagship and umbrella species acting as ecosystem engineers. Research on avian parasites in raptors is therefore of interest. There is a lack of studies on Sarcocystis in naturally infected raptors. In the present work, we aimed to identify Sarcocystis spp. in intestinal scrapings of the raptors from Spain. Sarcocystis spp. were identified in 82.5% of the intestinal samples studied by nested PCR and sequencing of the partial ITS1 region and 28S rRNA. A total of nine known Sarcocystis species, S. arctica, S. columbae, S. cornixi, S. glareoli, S. halieti, S. kutkienae, S. cf strixi, S. turdusi, and Sarcocystis sp. ex Corvus corax, and three genetically new organisms, Sarcocystis sp. Rod6, Sarcocystis sp. Rod7, and Sarcocystis sp. 22AvEs1, were identified in the intestines of raptors. This study is the first report of Sarcocystis spp. in the intestines of eleven raptor species from Spain. Furthermore, the new potential definitive hosts have been determined for seven Sarcocystis species. Co-infection of Sarcocystis spp. has also been observed, with more than one species found in 72.5% of birds. Nine different Sarcocystis species were identified in the intestinal samples of the Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo). In conclusion, raptors play an important role in the transmission of Sarcocystis spp.}, }
@article {pmid40075987, year = {2025}, author = {Ciebiera, O and Czechowski, P and Morelli, F and Rubacha, S and Jerzak, L}, title = {Adaptation of Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) to Urban Environments: Population Dynamics and Habitat Preferences in Zielona Góra (Poland) over 23 Years.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {15}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {40075987}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {This study investigates the changes in population size, distribution, and habitat preferences of the Eurasian magpie Pica pica in Zielona Góra over 23 years, emphasising the effects of urbanisation and habitat transformation. A comprehensive survey conducted in 2022 identified 953 magpie pairs, with an average density of 8.8 pairs/km[2] across the current administrative boundaries of Zielona Góra (without forests), and 27.7 pairs/km[2] in strictly urbanised zones. The highest densities were observed in the old town (36.5 pairs/km[2]) and residential blocks (34.5 pairs/km[2]), while peripheral areas, like allotment gardens and industrial zones, showed significantly lower densities. The nests were predominantly located in coniferous trees, especially spruces, marking a shift from the previously favoured poplars. The mean nest height was 11.8 m, varying by habitat type, with the highest nests found in the old town and parks. Environmental factors, such as proximity to trash bins, water sources, and tall trees, were significant predictors of nest density and placement. These findings underscore the magpie's adaptability to urban environments, influenced by the availability of anthropogenic resources, habitat structure, and surrounding urban features.}, }
@article {pmid40079265, year = {2025}, author = {Burger, NFV and Nicolis, VF and Botha, AM}, title = {Evaluating long-read assemblers to assemble several aphididae genomes.}, journal = {Briefings in bioinformatics}, volume = {26}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {40079265}, issn = {1477-4054}, support = {CSRU180414320893//National Research Foundation of South Africa/ ; WCT2001/02//South African Winter Cereal Industry Trust/ ; }, mesh = {*Aphids/genetics ; Animals ; *Genome, Insect ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing/methods ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; *Software ; Genomics/methods ; }, abstract = {Aphids are a speciose family of the Hemiptera compromising >5500 species. They have adapted to feed off multiple plant species and occur on every continent on Earth. Although economically devastating, very few aphid genomes have been sequenced and assembled, and those that have suffer low contiguity due to repeat-rich and AT-rich genomes. With third-generation sequencing becoming more affordable and approaching quality levels to that of second-generation sequencing, the ability to produce more contiguous aphid genome assemblies is becoming a reality. With a growing list of long-read assemblers becoming available, the choice of which assembly tool to use becomes more complicated. In this study, six recently released long-read assemblers (Canu, Flye, Hifiasm, Mecat2, Raven, and Wtdbg2) were evaluated on several quality and contiguity metrics after assembling four populations (or biotypes) of the same species (Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia) and two unrelated aphid species that have publicly available long-read sequences. All assemblers did not fare equally well between the different read sets, but, overall, the Hifiasm and Canu assemblers performed the best. Merging of the best assemblies for each read set was also performed using quickmerge, where, in some cases, it resulted in superior assemblies and, in others, introduced more errors. Ab initio gene calling between assemblies of the same read set also showed surprisingly less similarity than expected. Overall, the quality control pipeline followed during the assembly resulted in chromosome-level assemblies with minimal structural or quality artefacts.}, }
@article {pmid40079980, year = {2024}, author = {Burgers, TA and Kamarei, K and Vora, M and Horne, M}, title = {An Automated On-The-Go Unloading System Reduces Harvest Operator Stress Relative to Manual Operation.}, journal = {Journal of agricultural safety and health}, volume = {30}, number = {3}, pages = {89-106}, doi = {10.13031/jash.15992}, pmid = {40079980}, issn = {1074-7583}, mesh = {Humans ; *Automation ; Adult ; Workload ; Male ; *Farmers/psychology ; *Occupational Stress/prevention & control ; *Agriculture/instrumentation/methods ; Female ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {HIGHLIGHTS: Stress was measured in harvest operators who performed on-the-go unloading manually and with an automated system. Automated unloading reduced the average grain cart and combine operator stress rate by 18% and 12%, respectively, compared to manual operation. Harvest operators usually worked more than 9 hours and often worked more than 12hours per workday during harvest. The use of automated unloading systems could positively affect the health of harvest operators.
ABSTRACT: On-the-go unloading improves harvest operational efficiency, but it requires skilled labor because it is challenging and stressful to balance numerous concurrent tasks. Harvest automation reduces workload, stress, and fatigue. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available, automated on-the-go unloading system (Raven Cart Automation[TM], RCA, Raven Industries) would reduce operator stress compared to manual operation. Nine grain cart tractor operators and six combine operators participated in this study. Operators performed their typical harvest operation, except to alternate on-the-go unloading using RCA or operating manually. Skin conductance (electrodermal activity) was measured with an Empatica E4 wristband, and stressful events were quantified. Machine data was collected from the tractor and combine via CAN logs. Over 200 total unload events were analyzed. Grain cart and combine operators using RCA had an 18% (p = 0.022) and 12% (p = 0.18) reduction in stress rate, respectively, compared to operating the grain cart tractor manually. RCA reduced the tractor cross-track error standard deviation by 2.5 cm on straight passes (p < 0.0001). The use of an automated on-the-go unloading system reduces operator stress during harvest and could positively affect the health of operators, especially during the long harvest workdays.}, }
@article {pmid40084976, year = {2025}, author = {Heled, E and Levi, O}, title = {The effect of age and fluid intelligence on working memory in different modalities among elderly individuals: a moderated mediation analysis.}, journal = {Neuropsychology, development, and cognition. Section B, Aging, neuropsychology and cognition}, volume = {32}, number = {5}, pages = {709-723}, doi = {10.1080/13825585.2025.2474472}, pmid = {40084976}, issn = {1744-4128}, mesh = {Humans ; Aged ; Female ; *Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; Male ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Middle Aged ; *Aging/physiology/psychology ; *Mental Recall/physiology ; *Visual Perception/physiology ; }, abstract = {Working memory (WM), the capacity to temporarily hold and manipulate information, is evaluated using the span paradigm, which consists of forward and backward recall tasks to assess storage and manipulation, respectively. In accordance with the dedifferentiation theory, which suggests that different cognitive abilities compensate for the decline of others during the aging process, the current study aimed to examine whether fluid intelligence mediates the relationship between forward and backward recall across verbal, visuospatial, and tactile modalities while including age as a moderator. A total of 106 healthy older adults aged 60-89 years underwent the Digit Span, Visuospatial Span, Tactual Span, and Raven Colored Progressive Matrices Test. We found positive correlations between forward and backward recall in all three span tasks. Additionally, the tactile and visuospatial moderated mediation models were significant, whereas the tactile model seemed more robust. However, the verbal model was found to be non-significant. These findings suggest that storage and manipulation are associated across different modalities, but fluid intelligence becomes a more significant factor as age progresses, thus compensating for WM decline. Nevertheless, this pattern varies between modalities, indicating a WM modality-specific differentiation dependent on the cognitive load. Our findings have implications for understanding cognitive aging processes and theoretical frameworks concerning WM.}, }
@article {pmid40087823, year = {2022}, author = {Burgers, TA and Vanderwerff, KJ}, title = {Vision and Radar Steering Reduces Agricultural Sprayer Operator Stress without Compromising Steering Performance.}, journal = {Journal of agricultural safety and health}, volume = {28}, number = {3}, pages = {163-179}, doi = {10.13031/jash.15060}, pmid = {40087823}, issn = {1074-7583}, abstract = {HIGHLIGHTS: Stress was measured in professional sprayer operators who, while working, drove manually and with vision or radar steering. Vision and radar steering reduced the average operator stress rate by 48% relative to manual steering. The use of automatic guidance could have a dramatic positive effect on the health of sprayer operators. Sprayer steering performance was reported for professional operators and both vision and radar guidance for the first time.
ABSTRACT: Self-propelled agricultural sprayer operators work an average of 15 h d[-1] in peak season, and steering is the task that causes the operator the most stress because of the large number of stimuli involved. Automatic guidance systems help reduce stress and fatigue for operators by allowing them to focus on tasks other than steering. Physiological signals like skin conductance (electrodermal activity, EDA) change with stress and can be used to identify stressful events. The objective of this study was to determine if using a commercially available vision and radar guidance system (VSN[®], Raven Industries) reduces agricultural sprayer operators' stress compared to when they are steering manually. Four male professional sprayer operators participated in this study. Each operator performed his job duties normally in GPS-guidance-planted fields, at his self-selected speed, except to drive some passes manually and others with VSN in the same field. EDA was measured with an Empatica E4 wristband, and stressful events were quantified. Machine data (e.g., speed, RTK-GPS, and VSN metrics) were collected from each sprayer via CAN logs. The steering type, stress rate (e.g., stressful events min[-1]), and steering performance (cross-track error standard deviation, XTE SD) were determined for each pass. In total, 51 passes (23 manual, 28 VSN) in six fields were analyzed. Operators using VSN had a significant reduction (48% lower, p < 0.001) in their stress rate compared to when they were steering manually. There was no significant difference in the XTE SD for the steering type. The use of an automatic guidance system such as VSN could have a dramatic positive effect on the health of sprayer operators, especially during the long workdays of the peak spraying season, and could reduce the negative effects that stress and fatigue have on steering performance, mistakes, and accidents.}, }
@article {pmid40102499, year = {2025}, author = {Alabduallah, B and Al Dayil, R and Alkharashi, A and Alneil, AA}, title = {Innovative hand pose based sign language recognition using hybrid metaheuristic optimization algorithms with deep learning model for hearing impaired persons.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {9320}, pmid = {40102499}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {KSRG-2024- 238//King Salman Center for Disability Research/ ; }, mesh = {*Sign Language ; Humans ; *Deep Learning ; Gestures ; Algorithms ; *Hand/physiology ; *Persons with Hearing Disabilities ; }, abstract = {Sign language (SL) is an effective mode of communication, which uses visual-physical methods like hand signals, expressions, and body actions to communicate between the difficulty of hearing and the deaf community, produce opinions, and carry significant conversations. SL recognition (SLR), the procedure of automatically identifying and construing gestures of SL, has gotten considerable attention recently owing to its latent link to the lack of communication between the deaf and the hearing world. Hand gesture detection is its domain, in which computer vision (CV) and artificial intelligence (AI) help deliver non-verbal communication between computers and humans by classifying the significant movements of the human hands. The emergence and constant growth of DL approaches have delivered motivation and momentum for evolving SLR. Therefore, this manuscript presents an Innovative Sign Language Recognition using Hand Pose with Hybrid Metaheuristic Optimization Algorithms in Deep Learning (ISLRHP-HMOADL) technique for Hearing-Impaired Persons. The main objective of the ISLRHP-HMOADL technique focused on hand pose recognition to improve the efficiency and accuracy of sign interpretation for hearing-impaired persons. Initially, the ISLRHP-HMOADL model performs image pre-processing using a wiener filter (WF) to enhance image quality by reducing noise. Furthermore, the fusion of three models, ResNeXt101, VGG19, and vision transformer (ViT), is employed for feature extraction to capture diverse and intricate spatial and contextual details from the images. The bidirectional gated recurrent unit (BiGRU) classifier is implemented for hand pose recognition. To further optimize the performance of the model, the ISLRHP-HMOADL model implements the hybrid crow search-improved grey wolf optimization (CS-IGWO) model for parameter tuning, achieving a finely-tuned configuration that enhances classification accuracy and robustness. A comprehensive experimental study is accomplished under the ASL alphabet dataset to exhibit the improved performance of the ISLRHP-HMOADL model. The comparative results of the ISLRHP-HMOADL model illustrated a superior accuracy value of 99.57% over existing techniques.}, }
@article {pmid40103280, year = {2025}, author = {Pennington, L and Potts, L and Murray, J and Geytenbeek, J and Laws, K and Sargent, J and Clarke, M and Swettenham, J and Lachkovic, J and Martin, C and McColl, E}, title = {The UK C-BiLLT: Validity and reliability of an online assessment of spoken language comprehension for children with severe motor disorders.}, journal = {International journal of language & communication disorders}, volume = {60}, number = {2}, pages = {e70025}, pmid = {40103280}, issn = {1460-6984}, support = {GN2742//Action Medical Research/ ; //Great North Children's Hospital Foundation/ ; //Peter Sowerby Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Reproducibility of Results ; Child, Preschool ; *Comprehension ; *Language Tests ; *Language Development Disorders/diagnosis ; Infant ; United Kingdom ; Psychometrics ; *Motor Skills Disorders/diagnosis ; *Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted/methods ; *Motor Disorders ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Current UK measures of early spoken language comprehension require manipulation of toys and/or verbal responses and are not accessible to children with severe motor impairments. The Computer-Based Instrument for Low motor Language Testing (C-BiLLT) (originally validated in Dutch) is a computerized test of spoken language comprehension that children with motor disorders control using their usual response methods.
AIMS: To create a UK version of the C-BiLLT, evaluate its validity and reliability, and assess its practicability for children with motor disorders.
METHODS & PROCEDURES: The C-BiLLT was translated into British English and items were adapted to ensure familiarity to UK children. A total of 424 children (233 females, 191 males) aged 1:6-7:5 (years:months) without developmental disabilities were recruited from North East England. Children completed the UK C-BiLLT and Preschool Language Scales 5 (PLS-5) for convergent validity evaluation and either the visual reception subtest of the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) (children aged 1:8-5:5) or Ravens Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) (ages 5:6-7:5) to assess divergent validity. A total of 33 children completed the UK C-BiLLT within 4 weeks of initial assessment for test-retest reliability assessment (intraclass correlation coefficient-ICC). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and exploratory factor analysis examined structural validity. A total of 24 children (10 female, 14 male; aged 4-12 years) with non-progressive motor disorders who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), rated the UK C-BiLLT's ease of use and completed British Picture Vocabulary Scales (BPVS) and CPM as for convergent and divergent validity testing.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS: Internal consistency was high for children without motor disorders (α = 0.96). Exploratory factor analysis extracted two factors, together explaining 68% of the total variance. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.95; 0.90-0.98 95% confidence interval-CI). UK C-BiLLT scores correlated highly with PLS-5 (r = 0.91) and MSEL (r = 0.81), and moderately with CPM (r = 0.41); and increased across full-year age-bands (F(6, 407) = 341.76, p = < 0.001, η[2] = 0.83). A total of 19 children with motor disorders rated the UK C-BiLLT as easy/ok to use; two judged it hard; three declined to rate the ease of use. Their UK C-BiLLT scores correlated highly with BPVS (r = 0.77) and moderately with CPM (r = 0.57).
The UK C-BiLLT is a valid, reliable measure of early spoken language development and is potentially practicable for children with motor disorders. It may facilitate international research on the language development of children with motor disorders and evaluation of intervention at the national level.
WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Young children with motor disorders have difficulties accessing standardized assessments of language comprehension that require children to handle objects or to speak a response. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study demonstrates the validity and reliability of a UK translation of the C-BiLLT and suggests that the measure is feasible for children with motor disorders who use AAC and have a reliable method of response via computer access. What are the potential or clinical implications of this work? The UK C-BiLLT is a useful addition to the limited tools currently available to assess early spoken language comprehension of children with motor disorders.}, }
@article {pmid40109554, year = {2025}, author = {Menge, BA}, title = {Impacts of Birds vs. Invertebrate Predators on Rocky Intertidal Community Structure.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {e71121}, pmid = {40109554}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Most studies of species interactions in rocky intertidal communities focus on invertebrate predators and herbivores interacting with sessile invertebrates and macrophytes. However, shorebirds are usually a conspicuous presence on rocky shores and eat sessile and mobile invertebrate prey, often including invertebrate predators and herbivores. Inspired by classic studies of strong bird predation effects in rocky intertidal habitats in Washington state (USA) and South Africa, I tested the effects of bird and invertebrate (sea stars, whelks) predation at multiple sites, wave exposures, and zones on the central Oregon coast from spring 1996 to fall 1997. To gain insight into the effects of birds relative to the effects of invertebrate predators, I used a crossed design, with bird exclusions (present and absent) and invertebrate predator removal (present and reduced). Compared to Washington state and South Africa, birds had little effect on the abundance of sessile or mobile prey in wave-exposed mid, wave-exposed low, and wave-protected mid zones at 2-4 sites. I suggest that differences between Oregon results and those in Washington and South Africa were driven by differences in bird abundance associated with whether the study site had resident colonies of shorebirds (primarily gulls, crows, and oystercatchers). That is, offshore islands often have resident breeding colonies such as in the Washington and South African studies, while sites in this study were all on the mainland where gulls were mostly transient visitors, while resident oystercatchers were usually limited to one or two pairs per site. Comparison with other marine and terrestrial experimental tests suggests that top-down effects of birds often vary in strength, and thus, future investigations should seek to understand the factors that underlie this variation.}, }
@article {pmid40109883, year = {2025}, author = {Palaniyappan, L and Liddle, PF}, title = {Seminal Contributions of Timothy J. Crow.}, journal = {Psychological medicine}, volume = {55}, number = {}, pages = {e75}, pmid = {40109883}, issn = {1469-8978}, support = {226168/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; History, 20th Century ; *Schizophrenia/physiopathology/history ; History, 21st Century ; *Psychotic Disorders/physiopathology/history ; }, abstract = {We recall the life and work of Timothy J. Crow, whose contributions provided great insights into the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and continue to shape many questions in the field. We compile his key works relating to psychotic disorders, focusing on the trajectory of his theoretical stance. Our account is interlaced with our own interpretation of the evidence that influenced Crow's arguments over the years as well as his scientific method. Crow has had a significant impact on the neuroscience of schizophrenia. Many of his observations are still valid and several questions he raised remain unanswered to date.}, }
@article {pmid40111497, year = {2025}, author = {Suresh, M and Maragatharajan, M}, title = {Optimized ensemble model for accurate prediction of cardiac vascular calcification in diabetic patients.}, journal = {Acta diabetologica}, volume = {62}, number = {9}, pages = {1529-1535}, pmid = {40111497}, issn = {1432-5233}, mesh = {Humans ; *Vascular Calcification/diagnosis/diagnostic imaging ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Machine Learning ; Algorithms ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Support Vector Machine ; Aged ; *Diabetes Mellitus ; }, abstract = {AIM: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major threat to diabetic patients, with cardiac vascular calcification (CVC) as a key predictive factor. This study seeks to improve the prediction of these calcifications using advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms. However, current ML and Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods face challenges such as limited sample sizes, insufficient data, high time complexity, long processing times, and significant implementation costs.
METHOD: To predict CVC in diabetic patients, the Simple linear iterative clustering based Ensemble Artificial Neural Network (SLIC-EANN) model is proposed in this paper. In this research article, certain biochemical, imaging, and clinical data are used that are captured from Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) dataset. The proposed model employs preprocessing techniques such as image normalization, image resizing, and image augmentation to clean and simplify the input images. Then Localization of the cardiac vascular calcification is done using the simple linear iterative clustering (SLIC) algorithm. The ensemble artificial neural network (EANN) classifies calcification severity by integrating outputs from three machine learning techniques Support Vector Machine (SVM), Gradient Boosting (GB), and Decision Tree (DT).
RESULTS: This method achieves an accuracy of 98.7% and an error rate of 1.3%, outperforming existing techniques.
CONCLUSION: A comprehensive analysis is conducted in this research article that concludes that the proposed model achieved better prediction performances of calcification in diabetic patients.}, }
@article {pmid40119198, year = {2025}, author = {Hahn, LA and Fongaro, E and Rose, J}, title = {Neuronal correlates of endogenous selective attention in the endbrain of crows.}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {470}, pmid = {40119198}, issn = {2399-3642}, support = {Freigeist Fellowship 93299//Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung)/ ; Project A19 of the collaborative research center SFB1280 Projektnummer 316803389//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Attention/physiology ; *Neurons/physiology ; Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; Male ; Cognition ; Behavior, Animal ; *Telencephalon/physiology ; }, abstract = {The ability to direct attention and select important information is a cornerstone of adaptive behavior. Directed attention supports adaptive cognitive operations underlying flexible behavior, for example in extinction learning, and was demonstrated behaviorally in both mammals and in birds. The neural foundation of such endogenous attention, however, has been thoroughly investigated only in mammals and is still poorly understood in birds. And despite the similarities at the behavioral level, cognition of birds and mammals evolved in parallel for over 300 million years, resulting in different architectures of the endbrain, most notably the absence of cortical layering in birds. We recorded neuronal signals from the nidopallium caudolaterale, the avian equivalent to mammalian pre-frontal cortex, while crows employed endogenous attention to perform change detection in a working memory task. The neuronal activity profile clearly reflected attentional enhancement of information maintained by working memory. Our results show that top-down endogenous attention is possible without the layered configuration of the mammalian cortex.}, }
@article {pmid40124943, year = {2025}, author = {Lopez-Rodriguez, B and Sharma, N and Li, Z and van der Kolk, R and van der Boom, J and Scholte, T and Chang, J and Gröblacher, S and Esmaeil Zadeh, I}, title = {Magic Silicon Dioxide for Widely Tunable Photonic Integrated Circuits.}, journal = {ACS photonics}, volume = {12}, number = {3}, pages = {1321-1328}, pmid = {40124943}, issn = {2330-4022}, abstract = {Integrated photonic circuits have transformed data communication, biosensing, and light detection and ranging and hold wide-ranging potential for optical computing, optical imaging, and signal processing. These applications often require tunable and reconfigurable photonic components, most commonly accomplished through the thermo-optic effect. However, the resulting tuning window is limited for standard optical materials, such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. Most importantly, bidirectional thermal tuning on a single platform has not been realized. For the first time, we show that by tuning and optimizing the deposition conditions in inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD) of silicon dioxide, this material can be used to deterministically tune the thermo-optic properties of optical devices without introducing significant losses. We demonstrate that we can deterministically integrate positive and negative wavelength shifts on a single chip, validated on amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC), silicon nitride (SiN), and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platforms. This enables the fabrication of a novel tunable coupled ring optical waveguide (CROW) requiring only a single heater. In addition, we observe up to a 10-fold improvement of the thermo-optic tunability and demonstrate athermal ring resonators with shifts as low as 1.5 pm/°C. The low-temperature deposition of our silicon dioxide cladding can be combined with lift-off to isolate the optical devices, resulting in a decrease in thermal crosstalk by at least 2 orders of magnitude. Our method paves the way for novel photonic architectures incorporating bidirectional thermo-optic tunability.}, }
@article {pmid40127088, year = {2025}, author = {Richman, SN and Tomback, DF and Grevstad, N and Kobobel, D}, title = {Dining with wolves: Are the rewards worth the risks?.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {3}, pages = {e0319565}, pmid = {40127088}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Wolves/physiology ; *Feeding Behavior/physiology ; Colorado ; *Crows/physiology ; *Reward ; Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Where wild populations of gray wolves (Canis lupus) occur in North America, common ravens (Corvus corax) and, in western regions, black-billed magpies (Pica hudsonia) (Family Corvidae), show up quickly at wolf kills and scavenge carcasses, often feeding near wolves. Ravens and magpies also visit wolf enclosures at gray wolf sanctuaries in Colorado, USA, and attempt to take food from wolves, but there is no information regarding how often they obtain food or are injured or killed. Working at the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, Divide, Colorado, we asked whether ravens and magpies associate with gray wolves at feeding time; what proportions of ravens and magpies obtain food per enclosure; whether individual wolves react differently to the birds; and if the birds are harmed by interacting with wolves. We also examined the effects of food type, amount, and air temperature on bird numbers. We counted raven and magpie numbers in wolf enclosures and wolf and bird behaviors during daily feeding tours across 20 visits and within eight wolf enclosures per visit. Wolf reactions within each enclosure were categorized as chasing or ignoring birds or removing food. Cumulatively, across all dates and enclosures, 33% of ravens and 43% of magpies obtained food within each enclosure. Because birds were not individually marked, these percentages could be higher. Individual wolves differed in responses to ravens and magpies but most often ignored bird presence. We found no effect of food type on bird numbers but a trend in reward probability with greater food amount for ravens. There were, however, statistically significant negative relationships between daily maximum and average temperature and raven numbers, and significant positive relationships between daily minimum and average temperature and magpie numbers. We conclude that dining with wolves represented a successful foraging strategy with low risk to ravens and magpies.}, }
@article {pmid40129562, year = {2025}, author = {Feng, W and Liu, H}, title = {Urticaria-Like Hypersensitivity Reaction Following Botulinum Toxin Injection: A Case Report of Possible Interaction with β-Lactam Antibiotics.}, journal = {International medical case reports journal}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {367-371}, pmid = {40129562}, issn = {1179-142X}, abstract = {Botulinum toxin serotype A (BTX-A) is commonly used for treating facial dynamic wrinkles. The clinical safety of BTX-A has been proven, and it has few side effects; despite this, BTX-A has the potential to cause an allergic reaction. This case raises concerns about a possible interaction between botulinum toxin serotype A (CBTX-A) and β-lactam antibiotics, contributing to the limited literature on hypersensitivity reactions. Herein, we described the case of a 35-year-old woman who was injected with Chinese botulinum toxin serotype A (CBTX-A) to treat crow's feet. The treatment was performed after the patient had taken cefprozil for an upper respiratory tract infection. Subsequently, the patient developed urticaria-like symptoms that completely resolved within 24 hours after administration of antihistamines. This case emphasises the need for careful medication history review before botulinum toxin administration, especially in patients receiving β-lactam antibiotics, as hypersensitivity reactions may occur.}, }
@article {pmid40131252, year = {2025}, author = {Yang, S and Liao, W and Zhou, Y and Peng, C and Wang, J and Zhang, Z}, title = {Normative modeling of brain morphometry in self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes.}, journal = {Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)}, volume = {35}, number = {3}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/cercor/bhaf064}, pmid = {40131252}, issn = {1460-2199}, support = {82302293//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2024NSFSC1782//Science and Technology Foundation of Sichuan Province/ ; KYTZ2023036//Talent Introduction Research Projects of Chengdu University of Information Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; *Epilepsy, Rolandic/diagnostic imaging/physiopathology/pathology ; *Brain/diagnostic imaging/pathology/growth & development/physiopathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Adolescent ; Child, Preschool ; }, abstract = {Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes is the most common pediatric epilepsy, characterized by an age-dependent onset that typically arises during childhood brain development and is followed by remission at puberty. However, the heterogeneity in children's brain development at the individual level complicates the challenge of personalized treatment. Our goal is to quantify individual deviations from the normative range of brain morphometric variation in children with Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes and to assess their associations with clinical manifestations and cognitive functions. We have developed sex-specific normative models on regional subcortical volume, cortical thickness, and surface area data from 457 healthy children sourced from two datasets. These models were then utilized to map the brain morphometric deviations of children with Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (n = 187) and sex- and age-matched healthy controls (n = 108) from another dataset. In the Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes group, children exhibited a higher proportion of regions with infra-normal deviations in subcortical volumes, the number of regions with normative deviations correlated with disease duration, seizure frequency, and Raven's total score. Our findings suggest that a few extreme distributions of heterogeneous brain morphometric deviations are present in a minority of individuals, emphasizing the need to monitor brain abnormalities throughout the course of the disease.}, }
@article {pmid40159384, year = {2025}, author = {Kocourek, M and Zhang, Y and Sandberg, L and Stehlík, P and Polonyiová, A and Olkowicz, S and Straková, B and Pavelková, Z and Hájek, T and Kušta, T and Lučan, RK and Kverková, K and Němec, P and Němec, P}, title = {Cellular Scaling Rules for Brains of the Galliform Birds (Aves, Galliformes) Compared to Those of Songbirds and Parrots: Distantly Related Avian Lineages Have Starkly Different Neuronal Cerebrotypes.}, journal = {Brain, behavior and evolution}, volume = {100}, number = {3}, pages = {183-199}, pmid = {40159384}, issn = {1421-9743}, mesh = {Animals ; *Neurons/cytology/physiology ; *Parrots/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Songbirds/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Brain/cytology/anatomy & histology ; *Galliformes/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Cell Count ; Species Specificity ; Telencephalon/cytology ; Biological Evolution ; }, abstract = {UNLABELLED: Introduction: Songbirds, especially corvids, and parrots are remarkably intelligent. Their cognitive skills are on par with primates and their brains contain primate-like numbers of neurons concentrated in high densities in the telencephalon. Much less is known about cognition and neuron counts in more basal bird lineages. Here, we focus on brain cellular composition of galliform birds, which have small brains relative to body size and a proportionally small telencephalon and are often perceived as cognitively inferior to most other birds.
METHODS: We use the isotropic fractionator to assess quantitatively the numbers and distributions of neurons and nonneuronal cells in 15 species of galliform birds and compare their cellular scaling rules with those of songbirds, parrots, marsupials, insectivores, rodents, and primates.
RESULTS: On average, the brains of galliforms contain about half the number of neurons found in parrot and songbird brains of the same mass. Moreover, in contrast to these birds, galliforms resemble mammals in having small telencephalic and dominant cerebellar neuronal fractions. Consequently, galliforms have much smaller absolute numbers of neurons in their forebrains than equivalently sized songbirds and parrots, which may limit their cognitive abilities. However, galliforms have similar neuronal densities and neuron counts in the brain and forebrain as equally sized non-primate mammals. Therefore, it is not surprising that cognitive abilities of galliforms are on par with non-primate mammals in many domains.
CONCLUSION: Comparisons performed in this study demonstrate that birds representing distantly related clades markedly differ in neuronal densities, neuron numbers, and the allocation of brain neurons to major brain divisions. In analogy with the concept of volumetric composition of the brain, known as the cerebrotype, we conclude that distantly related birds have distinct neuronal cerebrotypes.
.}, }
@article {pmid40168984, year = {2025}, author = {van Hasselt, SJ and Martinez-Gonzalez, D and Mekenkamp, GJ and Vyssotski, AL and Verhulst, S and Beckers, GJL and Rattenborg, NC and Meerlo, P}, title = {Sleep pressure causes birds to trade asymmetric sleep for symmetric sleep.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {35}, number = {8}, pages = {1918-1926.e3}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.03.008}, pmid = {40168984}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; *Sleep/physiology ; Electroencephalography ; *Birds/physiology ; Sleep, Slow-Wave/physiology ; Wakefulness/physiology ; }, abstract = {Sleep is a dangerous part of an animal's life.[1][,][2][,][3] Nonetheless, following sleep loss, mammals and birds sleep longer and deeper, as reflected by increased electroencephalogram (EEG) slow-wave activity (SWA; ≈1-5 Hz spectral power) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.[4][,][5] Stimulating a brain region during wakefulness also causes that region to sleep deeper afterwards,[6][,][7][,][8][,][9] indicating that NREM sleep is a local, homeostatically regulated process.[10][,][11] Birds and some marine mammals can keep one eye open during NREM sleep,[12][,][13] a behavior associated with lighter sleep or wakefulness in the hemisphere opposite the open eye-states called asymmetric and unihemispheric NREM sleep, respectively.[13][,][14][,][15][,][16][,][17][,][18][,][19][,][20][,][21][,][22][,][23] Closure of both eyes is associated with symmetric NREM or REM sleep. Birds rely on asymmetric and unihemispheric sleep to stay safe.[17][,][24][,][25] However, as sleeping deeply with only one hemisphere at a time increases the time required for both hemispheres to fulfill their need for NREM sleep, increased sleep pressure might cause birds to engage in symmetric sleep at the expense of asymmetric sleep.[26][,][27] Using high-density EEG recordings of European jackdaws (Coloeus monedula), we investigated intra- and inter-hemispheric asymmetries during normal sleep and following sleep deprivation (SD). The proportion of asymmetric sleep was lower early in the sleep period and following SD-periods of increased sleep pressure. Our findings demonstrate a trade-off between the benefits of sleep and vigilance and indicate that a bird's utilization of asymmetric sleep is constrained by temporal dynamics in their need for sleep.}, }
@article {pmid40171387, year = {2025}, author = {Nishikawa, K and Idogaki, H}, title = {Effect of oral intake of heat-killed Fructobacillus fructosus OS-1010 on human skin: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study.}, journal = {Bioscience of microbiota, food and health}, volume = {44}, number = {2}, pages = {122-127}, pmid = {40171387}, issn = {2186-6953}, abstract = {Fructobacillus spp. comprise a large genus of fructophilic lactic acid bacteria whose growth characteristics differ from those of other common lactic acid bacteria. The genus has been extensively investigated microbiologically and phylogenetically. However, knowledge regarding Fructobacillus nutritional benefits remains unclear. In particular, Fructobacillus fructosus OS-1010 (OS-1010) was recently shown to act on intestinal cells to release extracellular vesicle exosomes that act on distant target cells. The released exosomes reportedly enhanced the expression of longevity-associated genes and intracellular mitochondrial activity in muscle cells. OS-1010 is expected to be a functional ingredient that improves the function of distant tissues such as muscles and skin upon oral intake. This study examined the effects of the oral intake of heat-killed OS-1010 on human skin in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study of healthy participants. Significant improvement in skin elasticity was observed after eight weeks of oral OS-1010 intake. Furthermore, although no significant difference was found between the two groups in a wrinkle-related parameter, the OS-1010 group demonstrated improvements in the percentage wrinkle area and overall average wrinkle depth of crow's feet, which were not observed in the placebo group. These results indicate that OS-1010 can contribute to the improvement in skin conditions.}, }
@article {pmid40180641, year = {2025}, author = {Fielding, MW and Yates, LA and Buettel, JC and Stojanovic, D and Brook, BW}, title = {Carcass use by mesoscavengers varied across modified landscapes in the absence of top carnivores.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {207}, number = {4}, pages = {60}, pmid = {40180641}, issn = {1432-1939}, support = {FL160100101//Australian Research Council/ ; CE170100015//Australian Research Council/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ecosystem ; Carnivora ; *Feeding Behavior ; Raptors ; *Crows/physiology ; Australia ; }, abstract = {The decomposition of carrion is crucial to the functioning and nutrient cycling of ecosystems, and many species use this high-quality resource. However, the availability and reliability of carrion differs across environments. Modified landscapes, such as farms and roads, often produce a high density of carcasses, with disproportionate benefits for generalist mesoscavengers that can tolerate, or are attracted to, human presence. In this study, we placed carcasses strategically across two large islands in southern Australia and used camera traps to investigate how different scavengers locate and use carrion in forested, farmland and roadside habitats. Forest ravens, an avian generalist, were the dominant scavengers across all three habitat types but were three times more likely to discover carcasses deployed in modified landscapes. Raptors were twice as likely to discover and use carcasses in farmland habitats, indicating enhanced scavenging opportunities in these areas. The discovery rate and use of carcasses by feral cats did not differ between habitat types. In this setting, differences in carrion use between diurnal and nocturnal scavengers are potentially due to the absence of top mammalian carnivores (Tasmanian devils and quolls). Diurnal scavengers, such as forest ravens and raptors, followed expected habitat preferences, albeit with greater access to carrion due to increased persistence. However, feral cats demonstrated no preference for carcasses across habitats, likely due to the reduced landscape of fear. Overall, our study underscores the important role of native mammalian carnivores in structuring scavenger communities and further validates the value of trophic rewilding to restore key ecological functions.}, }
@article {pmid40184381, year = {2025}, author = {Ong, K and Norris, DR}, title = {Experimental evidence demonstrating how freeze-thaw patterns affect spoilage of perishable cached food.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {4}, pages = {e0319043}, pmid = {40184381}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Freezing ; *Feeding Behavior/physiology ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; }, abstract = {For the small number of temperate and boreal species that cache perishable food, previous research suggests that increasing freeze-thaw events can have a negative impact on fitness by degrading the quality of cached food. However, there is no experimental evidence that directly links freeze-thaw events to cache quality. To examine how the timing, frequency, duration, and intensity of freeze-thaw events influenced cached food mass loss, a proxy for caloric content, we conducted a series of month-long laboratory experiments by placing simulated caches (raw chicken placed between two pieces of black spruce Picea mariana bark) in programmable freezers. Freeze-thaw treatments were modelled after weather data from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, where a population of Canada jays (Perisoreus canadensis), a species that caches perishable food for overwinter survival and to support late-winter breeding, has declined by > 70% since the 1980s. First, we found no evidence that an increased frequency of freeze-thaw events influenced mass loss, suggesting that microstructural damage caused by crystal reformation does not significantly influence cache quality. Instead, our experimental results demonstrated that mass loss was positively influenced by longer individual thaws, which likely reflects increased microbial growth, oxidation, and progressive drip loss. We also found that caches lost more weight when subjected to early freeze-thaw events compared to late freeze-thaw events. Finally, we show that milder freezes led to less mass loss and, unexpectedly, warmer than average thaws post-freeze also led to less mass loss. Our results suggest that longer thaw periods post-freezing and milder freezes cause or lead to significantly increased spoilage of perishable cached food. All of these temperature-related conditions are closely associated with long-term changes in climate and, thus, the effects on cache degradation reported in these experiments should be applicable to species caching perishable food in the wild.}, }
@article {pmid40187177, year = {2025}, author = {Hu, W and Zhang, X and Shao, J and Wang, Y}, title = {Altruistic behavior in Chinese children with hearing impairment: Associations with power cognition and word comprehension.}, journal = {Acta psychologica}, volume = {255}, number = {}, pages = {104981}, doi = {10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.104981}, pmid = {40187177}, issn = {1873-6297}, mesh = {Humans ; *Comprehension/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Child, Preschool ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Altruism ; *Hearing Loss/psychology ; China ; Child ; East Asian People ; }, abstract = {Altruistic behavior is a crucial manifestation in the socialization process of preschool children with hearing impairment, yet research on this topic among Chinese children remains limited. This study investigated the effects of power cognition and word comprehension on altruistic behavior in preschool-aged children with hearing impairment. A sample of 64 children, including both hearing-impaired and typically developing children, completed altruistic behavior tasks, power cognition tasks, word comprehension tasks, and the Raven's Combined Test. The results revealed that: (1) Children with hearing impairment exhibited significantly lower levels of altruistic behavior compared to typically developing children; (2) Both power cognition and word comprehension were positively correlated with altruistic behavior in children with hearing impairment; (3) Word comprehension mediated the relationship between power cognition and altruistic behavior in children with hearing impairment.}, }
@article {pmid40188266, year = {2025}, author = {Asha, MM and Ramya, G}, title = {Predator crow search optimization with explainable AI for cardiac vascular disease classification.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {11692}, pmid = {40188266}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Humans ; *Cardiovascular Diseases/classification/diagnosis ; *Artificial Intelligence ; Algorithms ; Reproducibility of Results ; }, abstract = {The proposed framework optimizes Explainable AI parameters, combining Predator crow search optimization to refine the predictive model's performance. To prevent overfitting and enhance feature selection, an information acquisition-based technique is introduced, improving the model's robustness and reliability. An enhanced U-Net model employing context-based partitioning is proposed for precise and automatic left ventricular segmentation, facilitating quantitative assessment. The methodology was validated using two datasets: the publicly available ACDC challenge dataset and the imATFIB dataset from internal clinical research, demonstrating significant improvements. The comparative analysis confirms the superiority of the proposed framework over existing cardiovascular disease prediction methods, achieving remarkable results of 99.72% accuracy, 96.47% precision, 98.6% recall, and 94.6% F1 measure. Additionally, qualitative analysis was performed to evaluate the interpretability and clinical relevance of the model's predictions, ensuring that the outputs align with expert medical insights. This comprehensive approach not only advances the accuracy of CVD predictions but also provides a robust tool for medical professionals, potentially improving patient outcomes through early and precise diagnosis.}, }
@article {pmid40195903, year = {2025}, author = {Yu, F and Yu, C and Guo, S and Wang, X and Li, J and Li, Z}, title = {The risk perception and response of Azure-winged magpies: On the aspect of feeding behaviour and alarm calls.}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {94}, number = {5}, pages = {1101-1110}, doi = {10.1111/1365-2656.70044}, pmid = {40195903}, issn = {1365-2656}, support = {2022YFC3202104//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; BK20211151//Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Feeding Behavior ; Predatory Behavior ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Cues ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {Prey are expected to effectively perceive predation cues, recognise predators and adopt appropriate anti-predator strategies to enhance their chances of survival. Species with high cognitive abilities tend to be better at these processes, while empirical research is still lacking. The role of cognition in avoiding predation requires further investigation, especially in species with complex social structures and communication systems. Azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) have demonstrated great talents in cognitive tasks. We conducted model presentation and playback experiments to test their predator detection and information transmission in the wild. We found that magpies exhibited distinct responses according to the model type (pigeon, falcon and cat) and eye condition of models (covered or uncovered). Individuals postponed the visit to the feeder and took less food in response to predator and eye-uncovered models. The cat model was perceived as a higher risk, and magpies would emit alarm calls with a wider bandwidth, a higher frequency of 5%, and a higher frequency of 95%. We also found that the playback of alarm calls could induce different anti-predator behaviours from conspecifics. Our study examined how Azure-winged magpies perceive information and make decisions to avoid predators. It indicates that the alarm calls of Azure-winged magpies function in encoding and sharing information, providing an in-depth understanding of complex vocal communication and risk cognition in birds.}, }
@article {pmid40199999, year = {2025}, author = {Chandralekha, M and Jayadurga, NP and Chen, TM and Sathiyanarayanan, M and Saleem, K and Orgun, MA}, title = {A synergistic approach for enhanced eye blink detection using wavelet analysis, autoencoding and Crow-Search optimized k-NN algorithm.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {11949}, pmid = {40199999}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {RSPD2024R697//King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia/ ; }, mesh = {*Blinking/physiology ; Humans ; *Electroencephalography/methods ; *Wavelet Analysis ; *Algorithms ; Machine Learning ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Deep Learning ; Adult ; }, abstract = {This research endeavor introduces a state-of-the-art, assimilated approach for eye blink detection from Electroencephalography signals. It combines the prominent strategies of wavelet analysis, autoencoding, and a Crow-Search-optimized k-Nearest Neighbors to enhance the performance of eye blink detection from EEG signals. This procedure is initiated by escalating the robustness of EEG data through jittering, which integrates noise into the dataset. Consequently, the wavelet transform is highly demanded during feature extraction in identifying the essential time-frequency components of the signals. These features are further distilled using an autoencoder to provide a dense, yet informative representation. Prior to introducing these features into the machine learning system, they were adjusted. Evidently, the hyperparameters of the k-Nearest Neighbors model have been fine-tuned using Crow Search Algorithm, inspired by the hunting characteristics of crows. This optimization method actively samples the search space to balance exploration and exploitation to identify the optimal configuration for the model. The k-NN model that has been optimized using the proposed method demonstrates significantly higher performance in the eye blink detection process in comparison to the deep learning models when equipped with decorous feature extraction and fine tuning. The effectiveness of the developed system has been ascertained according to the assessment indices such as accuracy, classification reports, and confusion matrix. Thus, the present work offers an optimal method of detecting the eye blink from the EEG signals assisting in the development of further EEG applications including user interfaces, fatigue level identification, and neurological disorders analysis through the enhancement of signal processing and optimization methods. It becomes evident after a detailed evaluation that conventional machine learning algorithms if implemented with correct feature extraction and fine-tuning surpass the deep learning approaches including the frameworks composed of Convolutional Neural Network and Principal Component Analysis and empirical mode decomposition by approximately 96% across all datasets. This proves the advantage of optimized traditional Machine Learning models over the Deep Learning models in realistic EEG-based eye blink detection.}, }
@article {pmid40204817, year = {2025}, author = {Bharath, S and Vasuki, A}, title = {Adaptive energy loss optimization in distributed networks using reinforcement learning-enhanced crow search algorithm.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {12165}, pmid = {40204817}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Modern power distribution network incorporates distributed generation (DG) for numerous benefits. However, the incorporation creates numerous challenges in energy management and to handle the challenges it requires advanced optimization techniques for an effective operation of the network. Unlike traditional methods such as Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and standard Crow Search Algorithm (CSA), which suffer from premature convergence and limited adaptability to real-time variations, Reinforcement Learning Enhanced Crow Search Algorithm (RL-CSA) which is proposed in this research work solves network reconfiguration optimization problem and minimize energy losses. Unlike conventional heuristic methods, which follow predefined search patterns, RL-CSA dynamically refines its search trajectory based on real-time feedback, ensuring superior convergence speed and global search efficiency. The novel RL-CSA enables real-time adaptability and intelligent optimization for energy loss reduction in distributed networks. The proposed model validation is performed on the IEEE 33 and 69 Bus test systems considering diverse performance metrics such as power loss reduction, voltage stability, execution time, utilization efficiency for DG deployment, and energy cost minimization. Comparative results show that RL-CSA achieves a 78% reduction in energy losses, limiting power loss to 5 kW (IEEE 33-Bus) and 8 kW (IEEE 69-Bus) whereas traditional models converge at higher loss levels. The execution time is optimized to 1.4 s (IEEE 33-Bus) and 1.8 s (IEEE 69-Bus), significantly faster than GA, PSO, and CSA, making RL-CSA more efficient for real-time power distribution applications. By balancing exploration-exploitation using CSA while adapting search parameters through reinforcement learning, RL-CSA ensures scalability, improved DG utilization (98%), and better voltage stability (< 0.005 p.u.), making it a robust and intelligent alternative for modern smart grid optimization.}, }
@article {pmid40208017, year = {2025}, author = {Gwee, CY and Metzler, D and Fuchs, J and Wolf, JBW}, title = {Reconciling Gene Tree Discordance and Biogeography in European Crows.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {34}, number = {10}, pages = {e17764}, pmid = {40208017}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {WO 14262-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; INST 86/2050-1 FUGG//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; ERCStG-336536 FuncSpecGen/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/genetics/classification ; Gene Flow ; *Genetics, Population ; Europe ; Phylogeography ; Phylogeny ; Models, Genetic ; Genetic Introgression ; }, abstract = {Reconstructing the evolutionary history of young lineages diverging with gene flow is challenging due to factors like incomplete lineage sorting, introgression, and selection causing gene tree discordance. The European crow hybrid zone between all-black carrion crows and grey-coated hooded crows exemplifies this challenge. Most of the genome in Western and Central European carrion crow populations is near-identical to hooded crows, but differs substantially from their Iberian congeners. A notable exception is a single major-effect colour-locus under sexual selection aligning with the 'species' tree. To understand the underlying evolutionary processes, we reconstructed the biogeographic history of the species complex. During the Pleistocene carrion and hooded crows took refuge in the Iberian Peninsula and the Middle East, respectively. Allele-sharing of all-black Western European populations with likewise black Iberian crows at the colour-locus represents the last trace of carrion crow ancestry, resisting gene flow from expanding hooded crow populations that have homogenised most of the genome. A model of colour-locus introgression from an Iberian ancestor into hooded crow populations near the Pyrenées was significantly less supported. We found no positive relationship between introgression and recombination rate consistent with the absence of genome-wide, polygenic barriers in this young species complex. Overall, this study portrays a scenario where few large-effect loci, subject to divergent sexual selection, resist rampant and asymmetric gene exchange. This study underscores the importance of integrating population demography and biogeography to accurately interpret patterns of gene tree discordance following population divergence.}, }
@article {pmid40212605, year = {2025}, author = {Jiang, X and Liang, W and Zhang, Y}, title = {Host personality and seasonal parasitism risk do not account for egg rejection behavior in the azure-winged magpie.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife}, volume = {26}, number = {}, pages = {101056}, pmid = {40212605}, issn = {2213-2244}, abstract = {Brood parasitism reduces the reproductive success of hosts and many host birds have evolved a range of anti-parasitism strategies, including egg recognition and egg rejection. Recent studies have shown that host egg rejection behavior can vary according to personality traits and parasitism risk. However, these relationships have not been clearly determined. The aim of this study was to further investigate the influence of seasonal parasitism pressure and host personality traits on egg rejection behavior in the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus). Our results showed no significant difference in the proportion of egg rejection between hosts with low (before the arrival of cuckoos) and high (after the arrival of cuckoos) parasitism pressure. In addition, no significant difference was detected in the proportion of egg rejection between bold individuals (shorter flight initiation distance, FID) and shy individuals (longer FID). We hypothesized that the relatively weak effect of the presence or absence of cuckoos on this species could be attributed to their inherently strong egg recognition abilities. Moreover, the quantification of host behavior along a single personality axis (boldness-shyness) may be insufficient to capture behavioral differences that arise from the combined effects of various personality traits. Our study provides novel insights into the influence of seasonal parasitism risk and personality traits on host egg rejection behavior.}, }
@article {pmid40215319, year = {2025}, author = {Schmidbauer, P and Hahn, M and Nieder, A}, title = {Crows recognize geometric regularity.}, journal = {Science advances}, volume = {11}, number = {15}, pages = {eadt3718}, pmid = {40215319}, issn = {2375-2548}, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; Humans ; *Pattern Recognition, Visual/physiology ; }, abstract = {The perception of geometric regularity in shapes, a form of elementary Euclidean geometry, is a fundamental mathematical intuition in humans. We demonstrate this geometric understanding in an animal, the carrion crow. Crows were trained to detect a visually distinct intruder shape among six concurrent arbitrary shapes. The crows were able to immediately apply this intruder concept to quadrilaterals, identifying the one that exhibited differing geometric properties compared to the others in the set. The crows exhibited a geometric regularity effect, showing better performance with shapes featuring right angles, parallel lines, or symmetry over more irregular shapes. This performance advantage did not require learning. Our findings suggest that geometric intuitions are not specific to humans but are deeply rooted in biological evolution.}, }
@article {pmid40216706, year = {2025}, author = {Jyani, G and Gedam, P and Sharma, S and Dixit, J and Prinja, S}, title = {Financial Viability of Private Hospitals Operating Under India's National Health Insurance Scheme Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY).}, journal = {Applied health economics and health policy}, volume = {23}, number = {5}, pages = {841-853}, pmid = {40216706}, issn = {1179-1896}, support = {F.NO.T.11011/02/2017-HR/3176774//Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India/ ; }, mesh = {India ; *Hospitals, Private/economics ; Humans ; *National Health Programs/economics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Private hospitals account for 46% of all hospitals empanelled in India's national health insurance scheme and contribute to 54% of all the hospitalizations under it. However, insufficient package prices are often cited as a constraint to viable hospital operations. This study assesses the financial viability of establishing such hospitals at district level, with a focus on determining the break-even threshold by forecasting the financial trajectory of hospitals.
METHODS: By utilizing primary data from 27 district hospitals across nine states in India on cost of providing healthcare services, a blend of bottom-up and top-down micro-costing methods was used to estimate financial cost across input resource categories, including land procurement, building construction, human resources, equipment, drugs, consumables, maintenance, and overheads. Revenue from inpatient services was estimated using healthcare provider payment rates under India's largest tax-funded health insurance scheme, coupled with patient volume data stratified by distinct diseases across different specialties. Revenue projections from outpatient services were extrapolated as a fixed proportion of their inpatient counterparts. A 10-year evaluation framework was employed to forecast the hospital operations using revenue-expenditure perspective. Sensitivity analyses were undertaken to assess the extent of variations in the output owing to varying bed-occupancy levels and doctor-to-bed ratios.
RESULTS: For a model 100-bed private hospital operating at district level, the average annual expenditure and revenue are projected to be at Indian Rupee (₹)85.27 million (US $1.03 million) and ₹104.36 million (US $1.26 million), respectively, for the initial 10 years. Human resources constitute the primary share (40%) of total expenditure, followed by spending on drugs and consumables (20%). A sequential evaluation of annual revenue and expenditure reveals that hospitals reach breakeven by their fourth operational year, subsequently transitioning into a profitable phase.
CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests a viable financial trajectory for private hospitals at district level, following the pricing structure of government-sponsored health insurance scheme.}, }
@article {pmid40216860, year = {2025}, author = {Si, S and Jiang, X and Su, Q and Carin, L}, title = {Detecting implicit biases of large language models with Bayesian hypothesis testing.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {12415}, pmid = {40216860}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Bayes Theorem ; Humans ; Bias ; Large Language Models ; }, abstract = {Despite the remarkable performance of large language models (LLMs), such as generative pre-trained Transformers (GPTs), across various tasks, they often perpetuate social biases and stereotypes embedded in their training data. In this paper, we introduce a novel framework that reformulates bias detection in LLMs as a hypothesis testing problem, where the null hypothesis [Formula: see text] represents the absence of implicit bias. Our framework leverages binary-choice questions to measure social bias in both open-source and proprietary LLMs accessible via APIs. We demonstrate the flexibility of our approach by integrating classical statistical methods, such as the exact binomial test, with Bayesian inference using Bayes factors for bias detection and quantification. Extensive experiments are conducted on prominent models, including ChatGPT (GPT-3.5-Turbo), DeepSeek-V3, and Llama-3.1-70B, utilizing publicly available datasets such as BBQ, CrowS-Pairs (in both English and French), and Winogender. While the exact Binomial test fails to distinguish between no evidence of bias and evidence of no bias, our results underscore the advantages of Bayes factors, particularly their capacity to quantify evidence for both competing hypotheses and their robustness to small sample size. Additionally, our experiments reveal that the bias behavior of LLMs is largely consistent across the English and French versions of the CrowS-Pairs dataset, with subtle differences likely arising from variations in social norms across linguistic and cultural contexts.}, }
@article {pmid40221436, year = {2025}, author = {Al-Matarneh, FM}, title = {Integrating hybrid bald eagle crow search algorithm and deep learning for enhanced malicious node detection in secure distributed systems.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {12647}, pmid = {40221436}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {A distributed system comprises several independent units, each planned to track its tasks without interconnecting with the rest of them, excluding messaging services. This indicates that a solitary point of failure can reduce a method incapable without caution since no single point can achieve all essential processes. Malicious node recognition is a crucial feature of safeguarding the safety and reliability of distributed methods. Numerous models, ranging from anomaly recognition techniques to machine learning (ML) methods, are used to examine node behaviour and recognize deviances from usual patterns that may designate malicious intent. Advanced cryptographic protocols and intrusion detection devices are often combined to improve the flexibility of these methods against attacks. Moreover, real-time observing and adaptive plans are vital in quickly identifying and answering emerging attacks, contributing to the complete sturdiness of safe distributed methods. This study designs a Hybrid Bald Eagle-Crow Search Algorithm and Deep Learning for Enhanced Malicious Node Detection (HBECSA-DLMND) technique in Secure Distributed Systems. The HBECSA-DLMND technique follows the concept of metaheuristic feature selection with DL-based detection of malicious nodes in distributed systems. To accomplish this, the HBECSA-DLMND technique performs data normalization using the linear scaling normalization (LSN) approach, and the ADASYN approach is employed to handle class imbalance data. Besides, the HBECSA-DLMND method utilizes the HBECSA technique to choose a better subset of features. Meanwhile, the convolutional sparse autoencoder (CSAE) model detects malicious nodes. Finally, the dung beetle optimization (DBO) method is employed for the parameter range of the CSAE method. The experimental evaluation of the HBECSA-DLMND methodology is examined on a benchmark WSN-DS database. The performance validation of the HBECSA-DLMND methodology illustrated a superior accuracy value of 98.99% over existing approaches.}, }
@article {pmid40223762, year = {2025}, author = {Grossmann, D and Srivastava, S and Winkler, V and Brenner, S and Gupta, KJ and Paliwal, A and Singh, K and De Allegri, M}, title = {Determinants of outpatient healthcare-seeking behaviors among the rural poor affected by chronic conditions in India: a population-based cross-sectional study in seven states.}, journal = {Global health action}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {2480413}, pmid = {40223762}, issn = {1654-9880}, mesh = {Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; India/epidemiology ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Chronic Disease/therapy/epidemiology ; *Patient Acceptance of Health Care/statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; *Rural Population/statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult ; *Ambulatory Care/statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; Poverty ; Health Services Accessibility ; Aged ; Insurance, Health ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: A rising burden of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) increases demand for outpatient healthcare. Yet, evidence on preferences and barriers to healthcare services for India's most disadvantaged population, the target of India's largest public health insurance scheme (PM-JAY), is lacking.
OBJECTIVE: We explore determinants of outpatient healthcare-seeking behavior among PM-JAY eligible individuals with CNCDs in rural areas of seven states.
METHODS: Using cross-sectional data from a household survey (conducted between November 2019 and March 2020), we employed multilevel multinomial logistic regression to identify factors associated with seeking care from informal (home treatment, pharmacies, traditional healers), formal public, or formal private providers, compared with no care. Anderson's behavioral model informed the selection of independent variables.
RESULTS: Of 51,820 individuals, 5,061 (9.8%) reported a chronic condition. Despite their disease, 1,168 (23.1%) reported not using regular outpatient care. Another 2,421 individuals (48.0%) used formal private, 922 (18.3%) used formal public, and 535 (10.6%) used informal care. Predictors of formal private care were higher socioeconomic status (RRR = 2.441, 95% CI [1.61, 3.70]) and health insurance coverage (RRR = 1.478, 95% CI [1.12, 1.95]). Residents of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Gujarat were more likely to use formal public care (RRR = 23.915, 95% CI [9.01, 63.44]). Suffering from Major CNCDs or experiencing limitations in daily activities increased the probability of using healthcare across all options.
CONCLUSION: Future research should explore the reasons for non-utilization of chronic care and the preference for private providers. Policies to enhance public healthcare utilization and expand insurance for outpatient care could improve access and reduce health inequities.}, }
@article {pmid40226647, year = {2024}, author = {Ceolato-Martin, C and Chevallier-Collins, C and Clément, JP and Charles, E and Lacroix, A and Ranoux, D}, title = {OnabotulinumtoxinA in Resistant Depression: A Randomized Trial Comparing Two Facial Injection Sites (OnaDEP Study).}, journal = {Depression and anxiety}, volume = {2024}, number = {}, pages = {1177925}, pmid = {40226647}, issn = {1520-6394}, mesh = {Humans ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; Male ; Female ; *Depressive Disorder, Treatment-Resistant/drug therapy ; Middle Aged ; *Major Depressive Disorder/drug therapy ; Adult ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {Background: OnabotulinumtoxinA (OnaA) injection in glabella area appears to be a promising treatment for major depression. However, one major concern of placebo-controlled studies on botulinum toxin injections is to ensure adequate blinding. Patients and Methods: In this context, all subjects of this trial received the active product (OnaA). After randomization, 58 patients with resistant major depressive disorder (MDD) received OnaA either in the glabella area (N = 29) or in the crow's feet area (N = 29). Subjects were blinded to the supposedly effective area against resistant depression and the examiner was not aware of the injected area. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of responders (50% or greater decrease in MADRS [Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale] score from baseline) in glabella group versus crow's feet group at week 6 after the OnaA injection. Results: The number of responders was significantly higher in the glabella group than in the crow's feet group with 13 responders out of 29 patients (44.8%) in the glabella group and five out of 28 patients (17.9%) in the crow's feet group (p=0.029). The rate of psychomotor agitation as measured by item 9 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), associated with a shorter span of psychiatric disorder, was a potent positive predictive factor of positive response to treatment. Conclusion: We conclude that OnaA injected in the glabella muscles is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for MDD. We suggest that patients with a high score at item 9 of the HAM-D might be a subgroup of best responders. We assume that OnaA may act as a modulator of the activity of the primary sensorimotor cortex and then of the amygdala. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03484754.}, }
@article {pmid40233941, year = {2025}, author = {Mole, J and Ruffle, JK and Nelson, A and Chan, E and Shallice, T and Nachev, P and Cipolotti, L}, title = {A right frontal network for analogical and deductive reasoning.}, journal = {Brain : a journal of neurology}, volume = {148}, number = {5}, pages = {1757-1768}, pmid = {40233941}, issn = {1460-2156}, support = {//Department of Health's National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre's/ ; //National Brain Appeal/ ; MR/X00046X/1//Guarantors of Brain and the Medical Research Council/ ; /WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; 089231/A/09/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Frontal Lobe/physiopathology/pathology/diagnostic imaging ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Bayes Theorem ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; *Thinking/physiology ; Intelligence/physiology ; *Nerve Net ; Prospective Studies ; Brain Mapping ; }, abstract = {Two of the most well-studied types of reasoning are analogical reasoning (AR) and deductive reasoning (DR). Yet, our understanding of the relationship between reasoning abilities and their neuroanatomical basis remains surprisingly limited. We aimed to conduct fine-grained anatomical mapping of performance on tests of AR, DR and fluid intelligence (Gf), in a large sample of patients with unilateral focal frontal or posterior lesions and healthy controls. We assessed 247 prospectively recruited patients using two new tests: the Analogical Reasoning Test (ART) and the Deductive Reasoning Test (DRT); and the best-established measure of Gf: Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (RAPM). Non-parametric Bayesian stochastic block modelling was used to reveal the community structure of lesion deficit networks, disentangling functional from confounding pathological distributed effects. ART and DRT performance was significantly impaired in patients with frontal lesions [ART: F(2,238) = 18.93; P < 0.001; Frontal group worse than Posterior group and healthy controls, both P < 0.001; DRT: F(2,387) = 18.491; P < 0.001; Frontal group worse than healthy controls, P < 0.01]. Right frontal effects were evident on both tests. Thus, on the ART, right frontal patients were more impaired than left (P < 0.05). On the DRT, right frontal patients were more impaired than left frontal patients on questions with indeterminate solutions (P < 0.05) but not on questions with determinate ones. Non-parametric Bayesian stochastic block modelling implicated a right frontal network in ART and DRT performance. Strikingly, we found that this network was also implicated in performance on RAPM. Our study represents the most robust investigation of AR and DR in the focally injured brain. Our findings imply that a right frontal network is critical. The ART and DRT appear to be promising new clinical tests, capable of evaluating reasoning abilities and identifying right frontal lobe dysfunction.}, }
@article {pmid40238963, year = {2025}, author = {Nelson, M}, title = {Honoring Dr. Jay Siwek and 75 Years of American Family Physician.}, journal = {American family physician}, volume = {111}, number = {4}, pages = {293}, pmid = {40238963}, issn = {1532-0650}, }
@article {pmid40242334, year = {2025}, author = {Husby, M and Slagsvold, T}, title = {The Neophobia Hypothesis: nest decoration in birds may reduce predation by corvids.}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {12}, number = {4}, pages = {250427}, pmid = {40242334}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Many birds suffer heavily from nest predation, selecting several behaviours to avoid the risk. Corvids are among the most serious nest predators. However, they are also among the most neophobic of any birds. We suggest that nesting birds may take advantage of this fear by decorating the nest with anthropogenic materials that are novel to the predators (termed the Neophobia Hypothesis). They may also add large, conspicuous feathers that may indicate a site where a bird has recently been killed. In a study in the field, we found that territorial Eurasian magpies Pica pica waited for a longer period to remove eggs from artificial nests decorated with a shiny metal teaspoon, or with large, white feathers compared to adjacent artificial control nests with no decoration. On a landfill, where the birds had become more habituated to forage among anthropogenic material, common ravens Corvus corax also avoided nests decorated with a teaspoon or with feathers. The study supports the hypothesis that birds may suffer less nest predation by corvids if they decorate the nest with anthropogenic material or with large feathers.}, }
@article {pmid40242340, year = {2025}, author = {Aota, I and Takano, M and Izawa, EI}, title = {Effects of a short-term removal of the dominant male on vocalization in captive groups of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorynchos).}, journal = {Royal Society open science}, volume = {12}, number = {4}, pages = {241458}, pmid = {40242340}, issn = {2054-5703}, abstract = {Dominance hierarchy is widespread among group-living animals as a conflict resolution strategy to avoid the cost and risk of fights among individuals. Dominance signals are well-known mechanisms that allow individuals to assess their opponent's fighting ability without physical contact, thereby maintaining dominance relationships. In fission-fusion societies, where group composition is fluid, dominance status can shift depending on the current group members. In such situations, vocal signals may be particularly useful as dominance signals due to their easy modification by the signaller. In this study, we investigated the relationship between rank-dependent behaviours and rank ascending by temporarily removing individuals from captive groups of large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos). We removed either the first-ranked or third-ranked individuals from the group for 1 day and compared the behaviours of the remaining group members before the removal, during the removal and after the removed individuals rejoined the group. We found that the number of sequential ka calls, which is assumed to be a status signal, increased only during the removal of first-ranked individuals and decreased after they rejoined the group. These results suggest that sequential ka calls serve as dominance signals, and the subordinates flexibly adjust their vocalization depending on the presence of high-ranked individuals.}, }
@article {pmid40242372, year = {2025}, author = {Elman, C and Feltey, KM and Wittman, B and Stevens, C and Hartsough, MB}, title = {How the Struggle for Public Health in the Jim Crow South Reflected and Reinforced Systemic Racial Health Inequality.}, journal = {Du Bois review : social science research on race}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {93-117}, pmid = {40242372}, issn = {1742-058X}, support = {P2C HD065563/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG034424/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The twenty-first century COVID-19 epidemic revealed a U.S. public health system that countenanced health inequities and a U.S. public that resisted disease containment policies. This crisis, however, was only the most recent chapter in a longer struggle in the United States to institutionalize public health. We focus on two early twentieth-century public health campaigns in the American South, the unhealthiest U.S. region at the time. Black southerners-denied basic health, political, economic, and social rights under a rising Jim Crow regime-self-organized health services networks, including through the Tuskegee Woman's Club, the Negro Organization Society of Virginia, and the Moveable School (1890s-1915). Around the same time, a philanthropic project, the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission (RSC, 1909-1914), seeded state-level public health agencies in eleven southern states, thereby installing public health in a top-down manner. We use archival data sources to explore key similarities and differences in the public health concerns and coalition-building approaches of each campaign and southern resistance to their efforts. We find Black-led campaigns often blurred the color line to form coalitions that provided services to the underserved while tackling environmental health risks at the community level. In contrast, RSC affiliates in southern states, as directed by RSC administrators, provided health services as short-term public dispensaries. Services reached Black and White communities willing to participate but in a manner that did not overtly challenge Jim Crow-era practices. Southern resistance to public health expansion persisted under each approach. The legacies of these struggles remain; the political-economic and ideological forces that limited public health expansion while marginalizing Black community health efforts reverberate in public health inequities today.}, }
@article {pmid40247751, year = {2025}, author = {Ren, H and Zha, P and Liu, Y and Zhang, W and Meng, H and Di, T}, title = {Study on Moisturizing Effect of Dendrobium officinale, Sparassis crispa, and Their Compound Extracts.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {4}, pages = {e70189}, pmid = {40247751}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Filaggrin Proteins ; *Dendrobium/chemistry ; Humans ; Aquaporin 3/genetics/metabolism ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology/chemistry ; Hyaluronic Acid/metabolism ; Hyaluronan Synthases/genetics/metabolism ; Claudin-1/metabolism/genetics ; Epidermis/drug effects/metabolism ; *Polysaccharides/pharmacology/chemistry ; *Emollients/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Recently, natural plants have been widely developed and applied in moisturizing cosmetics. Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (D. officinale) is known as one of the "Nine Immortals" of Chinese herbal medicine, whereas Sparassis crispa (Wulf.) Fr. (S. crispa) is known as the "king of mushrooms"; both of which have excellent biological activity.
AIMS: To explore the effects of D. officinale polysaccharide (DOP) with different molecular weights and S. crispa on the expression of moisturizing-related genes and verify the moisturizing performance of their complex.
METHODS: PCR was carried out to explore the aquaporin 3 (AQP3), hyaluronic acid synthetase1 (HAS1), HAS2, and HAS3 genes expression. Immunofluorescence (IF) analysis was used to test the protein level expression of hyaluronic acid (HA), AQP3, claudin-1, and filaggrin (FLG) influenced by moisturizing composition in a reconstructed epidermis skin model. The ability of samples to resist cell drying damage was evaluated by a cell drying damage model. Furthermore, this study validated the effect of the compositions during their application in cosmetics through tests of skin moisture content, crow's feet, and skin elasticity.
RESULTS: The results showed that DOP with molecular weights of 100 k-500 kDa (Dalton) had higher effects on AQP3 gene expression compared to that with molecular weights of 10 k-100 kDa and 1 k-10 kDa. Additionally, the extract of S. crispa significantly promoted the expression of HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3 genes, which are genes encoding hyaluronic acid synthesis. In addition, the mRNA and protein expression levels of HA, AQP3, claudin-1, and FLG were significantly increased as a result of the moisturizing composition consisting of DOP (100 k-500 kDa) and S. crispa. The application of the moisturizing composition markedly increased the skin moisture content, improved eye wrinkles, and enhanced skin elasticity.
CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our study proved that D. officinale and S. crispa had good moisturizing effects, and as natural plant humectants, they may have broad applications in future moisturizing cosmetics.}, }
@article {pmid40251059, year = {2025}, author = {Gutiérrez-Ibáñez, C and Němec, P and Paré, M and Wylie, DR and Lefebvre, L}, title = {How do big brains evolve?.}, journal = {Trends in ecology & evolution}, volume = {40}, number = {6}, pages = {554-562}, doi = {10.1016/j.tree.2025.03.008}, pmid = {40251059}, issn = {1872-8383}, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Brain/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Birds/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Mammals/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Organ Size ; Cognition/physiology ; Humans ; Neurons ; }, abstract = {In both birds and mammals, variation in brain size predominantly reflects variation in mass or volume of the pallium (neocortex) and, to a lesser extent, of the cerebellum, suggesting convergent coevolution of brains and cognition. When brain measures are based on neuron counts, however, a surprisingly different picture emerges: The number of neurons in the cerebellum surpasses those in the pallium of all mammals (including humans and other primates) and in many but not all birds studied to date. In particular, parrots and corvids, clades known for cognitive abilities that match those of primates, have brains that contain more pallial than cerebellar neurons. Birds and mammals may thus have followed different evolutionary routes of pallial-cerebellar coordination behind enhanced cognitive complexity.}, }
@article {pmid40257903, year = {2025}, author = {Havoc, RC and Woody, WD}, title = {The shrouded self: Racial passing as a tool of survival in early 20th century psychology.}, journal = {History of psychology}, volume = {28}, number = {2}, pages = {170-178}, doi = {10.1037/hop0000277}, pmid = {40257903}, issn = {1939-0610}, abstract = {Josiah Moses faced repeated rejections from academic positions during 1905-1911 because of his Jewish identity, which at that time was viewed as his race. In 1911, after changing his name, Josiah Morse was hired at the University of South Carolina during the time of explicitly antisemitic Jim Crow. In this article, we reveal the deceptive tactics Moses/Morse used to pass as a White person who was not Jewish with the support of his former doctoral advisor, G. Stanley Hall. We conclude with the examination of the consequences of passing and Morse's influence in psychology and other communities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid40264843, year = {2025}, author = {Sadik, AS and Datta, AK}, title = {Nesting on Cell Phone Towers: An Inexplicable Breeding Strategy by Asian Woollynecks Ciconia episcopus in Bangladesh.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {4}, pages = {e71353}, pmid = {40264843}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {The Asian Woollynecks were once thought to be a rare winter migrant to the wetlands of Bangladesh, and until very recently, only a few incidents of nesting had been observed. New information shows expanding populations across their habitat, though little is known about their movement ecology, breeding ecology and preferences for artificial nest sites. In this paper, we documented some crucial nesting and breeding information on this species. We used camera traps as a means of passive monitoring and identified Large-billed crow Corvus macrorhynchos and House crow Corvus splendens as potential nest predators. Three nests were found in artificial structures, where anthropogenic activity, like disturbances during cell phone tower maintenance, or predators limit the breeding success of Asian Woollynecks.}, }
@article {pmid40268688, year = {2025}, author = {Buniyaadi, A and Prabhat, A and Bhardwaj, SK and Kumar, V}, title = {Role of melatonin in physiological mitigation of sleep disruption in an unnatural temporal environment.}, journal = {Journal of neuroendocrinology}, volume = {37}, number = {8}, pages = {e70035}, doi = {10.1111/jne.70035}, pmid = {40268688}, issn = {1365-2826}, support = {//Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi/ ; }, mesh = {*Melatonin/blood/pharmacology/metabolism/physiology ; Animals ; *Sleep/physiology/drug effects ; *Circadian Rhythm/physiology/drug effects ; Crows/physiology ; Male ; Photoperiod ; Pineal Gland/metabolism ; Light ; Hypothalamus/metabolism/drug effects ; }, abstract = {Illuminated nights reduce melatonin peak and disrupt sleep. Using this as the basis of the present experimental paradigm, we investigated whether nocturnal melatonin levels were crucial for sleep regulation in a diurnal vertebrate. Acclimated Indian house crows (Corvus splendens) were randomly segregated into three groups of 12 each. For the next 10 days, one group was maintained on 12 L:12 D, as before (LD control); for the other two groups, the absolute darkness was replaced with dim light at night (dLAN; L = ~150 lux, D = ~6 lux). Under dLAN, half an hour before light off time, the LD control and one dLAN group received intraperitoneally 200 μL of vehicle (0.75% physiological saline), while the other dLAN group received a similar 200 μL vehicle but containing melatonin at a dose of 50 μg bird[-1] day[-1]. Under dLAN, exogenous melatonin elevated nocturnal AANAT mRNA and plasma melatonin levels and induced changes in diurnal expressions of clock genes (PER2, CRY1, BMAL1, NPAS2, REVERB) in the pineal gland and hypothalamus, and of genes encoding melatonin receptors (MEL1a, MEL1b) and epigenetic modifiers (HAT1, HDAC2, HDAC4, DNMT3a) in the hypothalamus. Elevated nocturnal melatonin levels bettered sleep with positive effects on the hypothalamic expression of genes associated with nocturnal sleep (cytokine pathway: TLR4, TNFα, IL-1β, NOS1; calcium pathway: CAMK2, SIK3) and awake (ACHM3, EGR1, HOMER1a, OREXIN) states, and with neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity (BDNF, EGR1, CREB). These suggested the role of melatonin in mitigation of the dLAN-induced sleep disruption. Nocturnal melatonin peak levels are a crucial component of the regulatory transcriptional pathways underlying the daily wake-sleep pattern, with far-reaching implications for sleep-related issues in diurnal species including perhaps humans inhabiting an over-lit environment with pervasive light pollution.}, }
@article {pmid40269659, year = {2025}, author = {Emmerich, E and Alcantara, E and Úngari, L and O'Dwyer, L and Pérez-Ponce de León, G and Silva, R}, title = {First integrative assessment of Ochetosoma heterocoelium (Travassos, 1921) (Digenea: Ochetosomatidae) parasite of Bothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 (Reptilia: Viperidae) from Brazil.}, journal = {Journal of helminthology}, volume = {99}, number = {}, pages = {e57}, doi = {10.1017/S0022149X25000343}, pmid = {40269659}, issn = {1475-2697}, mesh = {Animals ; Brazil ; Phylogeny ; *Bothrops/parasitology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S/genetics ; *Trematoda/genetics/classification/isolation & purification/anatomy & histology/ultrastructure ; DNA, Helminth/genetics/chemistry ; DNA, Ribosomal/genetics/chemistry ; *Trematode Infections/veterinary/parasitology ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Electron Transport Complex IV/genetics ; Mouth/parasitology ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Esophagus/parasitology ; Venomous Snakes ; }, abstract = {Ochetosoma heterocoelium (Travassos, 1921) was collected from the mouth and oesophagus of a pit viper, Bothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 in São Sebastião do Paraíso Farm (21°51'48.26" S, 48°26'56.78" W), municipality of Boa Esperança do Sul, São Paulo State, Brazil. In this study, we provide the first molecular characterisation of this digenean using 28S rDNA and COI sequences, and its phylogenetic position within the Plagiorchiida is assessed. Furthermore, new morphological features are added to the diagnosis of the species, and scanning electron microscopy photomicrographs are presented. Sequences of the 28S rRNA gene of O. heterocoelium were successfully obtained and aligned with 35 digenean species belonging to Plagiorchiida. Only three congeners - O. aniarum (Leidy, 1890), O elongatum (Seo et al. 2024), and O. kansense (Crow, 1913) - have been sequenced for this molecular marker. The newly sequenced individuals of O. heterocoelium are 98.7% and 99.4% similar to O. aniarum and O. kansensis, respectively, and Ochetosoma is not recovered as a monophyletic group. Dasymetra nicolli Holl and Allison, 1935 and Lechriorchis tygarti Talbot, 1933 are nested with Ochetosoma.}, }
@article {pmid40271352, year = {2025}, author = {Liu, H and Zhang, D and Zhu, Y and Ma, H and Xiao, H}, title = {Emotions spread like contagious diseases.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1493512}, pmid = {40271352}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Emotional contagion, that is, the spontaneous synchronization of emotions among individuals, is the basic mechanism of social cohesion and survival of different species. Emotional contagion can be observed in humans and many animals, and it has become an effective means to protect individuals from danger. The study of emotional contagion in different animals is of evolutionary significance, and in human society, emotional contagion has an important impact on mental health and group behavior. However, the existing research still has obvious shortcomings in the similarities and differences of cross-species emotional contagion, the communication dynamics in virtual space and the infectious effect of positive emotions. This paper reviews the mechanisms of emotional contagion in different species, such as rodents, nonhuman primates, dogs, crows and zebrafish, highlighting evolutionary conservatism and species-specific adaptation, and analyzes the role of human children's behavioral mimicry in its early development. Furthermore, we extend the discussion of emotional contagion to virtual social networks, revealing the unique communication mechanism in online environment. In addition, by combing the sociological model and the emerging neurocognitive model, the complex process of emotional contagion can be explained more comprehensively. Through multidisciplinary perspective, it provides systematic theoretical and empirical support for us to understand emotional contagion.}, }
@article {pmid40278429, year = {2025}, author = {Heled, E and Levi, O and Strobinsky, E and Zeilig, G}, title = {Non-Verbal Working Memory in Post-Stroke Motor Aphasia: A Pilot Study Using the Tactual Span.}, journal = {Neurology international}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {40278429}, issn = {2035-8385}, abstract = {Background: Working memory (WM) impairment is a potential consequence of motor aphasia resulting from left-hemisphere ischemic stroke. While verbal WM has been studied extensively in this disorder, research regarding non-verbal modalities remains limited, particularly visuospatial WM, tactile WM, and the relationship between them. Additionally, language impairments limit the ability to assess WM in aphasia patients, highlighting the necessity of non-verbal diagnostic tools in clinical practice. The current study's objectives were to compare tactile and visuospatial WM in patients with post-stroke motor aphasia and to validate the one-hand version of the Tactual Span task as a clinical measure of WM. Methods: A total of 29 participants-14 with post-stroke motor aphasia and 15 healthy controls-completed a battery of cognitive tests, including the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices Test, the Visuospatial Span, the Tactual Span, and a visual 1-Back task. Results: There was significantly lower performance across all WM tasks in the aphasia group compared to the controls. Additionally, the Tactual Span successfully discriminated between patients and controls, showing sensitivity estimates of 92.9% and a specificity of 66.7%, with a cut-off score of 4.5 (AUC = 0.91), for the forward stage. The backward stage revealed a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 73.3%, with a cut-off score of 3.5 (AUC = 0.83). Conclusions: The findings may suggest that non-verbal WM impairment in post-stroke aphasia affects both visuospatial and tactile modalities similarly. Furthermore, the Tactual Span appears to be sensitive to left-hemisphere stroke damage, suggesting its potential utility as a clinical tool for WM assessment in patients with motor aphasia.}, }
@article {pmid40278933, year = {2025}, author = {Beauchamp, G and Bakley, TD and Fitzpatrick, JW and Barve, S}, title = {Food, weather, and population density, not number of helpers, drive overwinter survival in Florida Scrub-Jays.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {207}, number = {5}, pages = {68}, pmid = {40278933}, issn = {1432-1939}, mesh = {Animals ; Population Density ; *Weather ; Florida ; Seasons ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; }, abstract = {Survival is affected by many ecological factors including food, weather, population density, and predation pressure, but documenting survival rates together with all these associated variables requires long-term observational and ecological data from a large, marked population. We used 33 years of data on Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) demography, local weather, and food availability to assess determinants of jay survival during the non-breeding season (September to February). We used the known-fate model from program MARK to analyze the probability of survival for breeders and juveniles while independently testing multiple covariates. Breeder survival increased when territory size was larger, decreased when local population density was higher, and did not vary with mean daily minimum temperature in the winter. Juvenile survival slightly increased with mean daily minimum temperature in the winter but showed no association with territory size or local population density. For both breeders and juveniles, odds of survival increased with presence of both breeders in the territory and higher acorn availability, and decreased with higher total winter rainfall. Neither breeder nor juvenile survival was correlated with number of helpers or juveniles in the group. Our results emphasize the importance of environmental variables in driving adult and juvenile survival in this declining endangered bird.}, }
@article {pmid40284799, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, Y and Cui, Q and Hou, Y and He, S and Zhao, W and Lancuo, Z and Sharshov, K and Wang, W}, title = {Metagenomic Insights into the Diverse Antibiotic Resistome of Non-Migratory Corvidae Species on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.}, journal = {Veterinary sciences}, volume = {12}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {40284799}, issn = {2306-7381}, support = {2022-HZ-812//the program of science and technology international cooperation project of Qinghai province/ ; }, abstract = {Antibiotic resistance represents a global health crisis with far-reaching implications, impacting multiple domains concurrently, including human health, animal health, and the natural environment. Wild birds were identified as carriers and disseminators of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and their associated antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). A majority of studies in this area have concentrated on migratory birds as carriers for the spread of antibiotic resistance over long distances. However, there has been scant research on the resistome of non-migratory Corvidae species that heavily overlap with human activities, which limits our understanding of antibiotic resistance in these birds and hinders the development of effective management strategies. This study employed a metagenomics approach to examine the characteristics of ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in five common Corvidae species inhabiting the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The ARGs were classified into 20 major types and 567 subtypes. Notably, ARGs associated with multidrug resistance, including to macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramins, tetracyclines, beta-lactam, and bacitracin, were particularly abundant, with the subtypes acrB, bacA, macB, class C beta-lactamase, and tetA being especially prevalent. A total of 5 types of MGEs (166 subtypes) were identified across five groups of crows, and transposase genes, which indicated the presence of transposons, were identified as the most abundant type of MGEs. Moreover, some common opportunistic pathogens were identified as potential hosts for these ARGs and MGEs. Procrustes analysis and co-occurrence network analysis showed that the composition of the gut microbiota shaped the ARGs and MGEs, indicating a substantial association between these factors. The primary resistance mechanisms of ARGs in crows were identified as multidrug efflux pumps, alteration of antibiotic targets, and enzymatic inactivation. High-risk ARGs which were found to potentially pose significant risks to public health were also analyzed and resulted in the identification of 81 Rank I and 47 Rank II ARGs. Overall, our study offers a comprehensive characterization of the resistome in wild Corvidae species, enhancing our understanding of the potential public health risks associated with these birds.}, }
@article {pmid40303116, year = {2024}, author = {Sohier, C and Breman, FC and Vervaeke, M and De Regge, N}, title = {West Nile Virus Monitoring in Flanders (Belgium) During 2022-2023 Reveals Endemic Usutu Virus Circulation in Birds.}, journal = {Transboundary and emerging diseases}, volume = {2024}, number = {}, pages = {4146156}, pmid = {40303116}, issn = {1865-1682}, mesh = {Animals ; Belgium/epidemiology ; *West Nile virus/isolation & purification ; *Bird Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; *West Nile Fever/veterinary/epidemiology/virology ; Birds ; *Flavivirus Infections/veterinary/epidemiology/virology ; *Flavivirus/isolation & purification ; }, abstract = {The recent emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) and Usutu virus (USUV) in some European countries has triggered an increase in animal and human cases across Europe. Wild birds, serving as key reservoirs for WNV and USUV, often act as crucial indicators for the introduction and spread of these viruses. Currently, there is no durable large-scale monitoring for WNV in Belgium, and specific monitoring for USUV is lacking. In Flanders, passive WNV monitoring in birds has been in place for many years, while initial efforts to initiate active monitoring started in 2022. Here, we present the results of a limited study conducted during the vector seasons of 2022 and 2023 in Flemish bird populations to actively and passively monitor the prevalence of WNV and additionally assess the presence of USUV. Several real-time reverse transcription-PCR tests were employed for virus detection, revealing the absence of WNV-RNA during both vector seasons. Conversely, USUV-RNA was identified in 2022 through active surveillance, affecting two (5.5%) out of 36 birds (Corvus corone), and in passive surveillance, impacting eight (72.7%) out of 11 birds (Turdus merula [6] and Rhea pennata [2]). In 2023, active surveillance was more extensive and identified 16 (7.2%) USUV-RNA positive birds (Buteo buteo [1], T. merula [14] and Athene noctua [1]) out of 222 examined birds, while passive surveillance detected two (7.1%) positive birds (T. merula [1], and Larus marinus [1]) out of 28. Viral sequence information was obtained from seven USUV-positive birds using whole genome sequencing or Sanger sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis placed all identified strains within the Africa 3 lineage. This restricted WVN monitoring effort in Flanders did not reveal WNV presence, but found indications of an endemic USUV circulation in Belgium. It is crucial to intensify monitoring efforts for WNV in the coming years, considering its endemic status in several European countries and its expanding geographical range in northern Europe.}, }
@article {pmid40303696, year = {2023}, author = {Ito, S and Bosch, J and Aguilar-Vega, C and Isoda, N and Martínez-Avilés, M and Sánchez-Vizcaíno, JM}, title = {Development of an Effective Oral Vaccine Dissemination Strategy against Classical Swine Fever for Wild Boar in Gifu Prefecture, Japan.}, journal = {Transboundary and emerging diseases}, volume = {2023}, number = {}, pages = {9484441}, pmid = {40303696}, issn = {1865-1682}, mesh = {Animals ; *Classical Swine Fever/prevention & control/epidemiology ; Swine ; Japan/epidemiology ; Administration, Oral ; *Sus scrofa ; *Viral Vaccines/administration & dosage/immunology ; *Classical Swine Fever Virus/immunology ; }, abstract = {In September 2018, classical swine fever (CSF) reemerged in Japan after more than a quarter of a century. After the first notification on a pig farm, wild boars positive for CSF were found continuously in the surrounding area. Gifu was the first prefecture in Japan to disseminate oral vaccines to wild boars in March 2019, with vaccines spread to approximately 14,000 sites between 2019 and 2020. While these diligent measures seemed to have shown some effectiveness, several vaccine spray sites remained without wild boar emergence. Based on the vaccine dissemination records from these periods, this study conducted a statistical analysis to propose more effective vaccine dissemination sites. First, a generalized linear mixed model was used to identify factors correlated with wild boar emergence. Then, two spatial interpolation methods, inverse distance weighted (IDW) and Kriging, were adopted to create a probability map of wild boar emergence for the entire Gifu Prefecture. The analysis showed a positive correlation between wild boar emergence and the appearance of raccoons, raccoon dogs, and crows as well as road density and wild boar distribution index. In particular, raccoon (OR: 1.83, 95%CI: 1.25-2.68, p < 0.001), raccoon dog (OR: 1.81, 95%CI: 1.25-2.66, p < 0.001), and medium level road density (OR: 1.56, 95%CI: 1.04-2.39, p = 0.04) were strongly correlated with wild boar emergence. The spatial interpolation approach resulted in better prediction accuracy for the Kriging method than for IDW by the root mean square error, but both approaches identified a high wild boar appearance probability area in southeastern Gifu and a low appearance probability area in central Gifu. Here we have demonstrated a tool to effectively disperse oral vaccine to wildlife.}, }
@article {pmid40304112, year = {2025}, author = {Coban, I and Erkmen, FY and Aktaş, GD}, title = {Dynamic Periocular Wrinkle Patterns: An Anatomical Study on Young Adults.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {5}, pages = {e70215}, pmid = {40304112}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {294//Scientific Research Projects Board of Izmir Democracy University/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Skin Aging/physiology ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Photography ; *Face/anatomy & histology ; Healthy Volunteers ; Eyelids/anatomy & histology ; Observer Variation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Aging causes facial wrinkles, especially dynamic wrinkles related to mimic movements, predisposing areas to static wrinkles from a young age, notably in the periorbital region. This study aims to analyze dynamic wrinkle patterns on periorbital skin during mimic movements in healthy young adults to identify wrinkle precursor regions.
METHODS: Dynamic periorbital wrinkle patterns were analyzed in 184 healthy adults (93 females, 91 males) aged 18-24 years. Standardized facial photographs were taken at rest and during various mimic movements. The periorbital region was divided into superior, inferior, lateral, and medial subregions; wrinkle patterns were classified and analyzed. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability were assessed.
RESULTS: In the upper periorbital region, the most common wrinkle pattern was oblique lines extending from the medial and lateral canthus to the upper corners (Type 3, 56%). Inferiorly, the most common pattern was a linear wave from the lateral canthus to the lateral margin (Type 3, 25.5%). Medially, no specific pattern (Type 6, 33.2%) and an arrowhead-like motif directed toward the medial canthus (Type 2, 20.7%) were prevalent. Laterally, radial waves extending from the lateral canthus to the lateral brow tip were most common (Type 1, 34.8%). The absence of a distinct wrinkle pattern in the medial region was more common in men than in women (48.4% vs. 17.6%). Males were more likely to have wrinkle patterns consisting of oblique short lines in the inferolateral direction in the inferior region (Type 2, 31.2%). Miniature crow's feet-like wrinkles were more common in females.
CONCLUSION: This study presents a new classification of dynamic wrinkle patterns in the periorbital region in young adults, highlighting sex differences.}, }
@article {pmid40308131, year = {2025}, author = {Aplin, L and Crates, R and Flack, A and McGregor, P}, title = {Social learning and culture in birds: emerging patterns and relevance to conservation.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {380}, number = {1925}, pages = {20240128}, pmid = {40308131}, issn = {1471-2970}, support = {//Swiss Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI)/ ; //New South Wales Local Land Services under the Commonwealth of Australia's National Landcare program/ ; //Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Social Learning ; *Conservation of Natural Resources ; *Birds/physiology ; *Social Behavior ; *Culture ; }, abstract = {There is now abundant evidence for a role of social learning and culture in shaping behaviour in a range of avian species across multiple contexts, from migration routes in geese and foraging behaviour in crows, to passerine song. Recent emerging evidence has further linked culture to fitness outcomes in some birds, highlighting its potential importance for conservation. Here, we first summarize the state of knowledge on social learning and culture in birds, focusing on the best-studied contexts of migration, foraging, predation and song. We identify extensive knowledge gaps for some taxa but argue that existing evidence suggests that: (i) social learning and culture are taxonomically clustered and that (ii) reliance on social learning in one behavioural domain does not predict reliance across others. Together, we use this to build a predictive framework to aid conservationists in species-specific decision-making under imperfect knowledge. Second, we review evidence for a link between culture and conservation in birds. We argue that understanding which behaviours birds are likely to learn socially can help refine conservation strategies, improving the trajectories of threatened populations. Last, we present practical steps for how consideration of culture can be integrated into conservation actions including reintroductions, translocations and captive breeding programmes.This article is part of the theme issue 'Animal culture: conservation in a changing world'.}, }
@article {pmid40308392, year = {2025}, author = {Elhaddad, M and Carrillo-Kashani, A and Tavakalyan, K and Massaband, BD}, title = {Dufourmentel Rhomboid Flap for Plantar Charcot Midfoot Ulcer: A Novel Reconstructive Approach.}, journal = {Cureus}, volume = {17}, number = {3}, pages = {e81484}, pmid = {40308392}, issn = {2168-8184}, abstract = {Chronic plantar ulcers in Charcot neuropathic osteoarthropathy (CNO) present a significant challenge in limb salvage due to biomechanical instability, poor tissue quality, and high mechanical stress at weight-bearing sites. Traditional surgical techniques, such as exostectomy and tendo-Achilles lengthening (TAL), effectively redistribute plantar pressure but often fail to provide durable soft tissue coverage. This study describes the first documented use of a Dufourmentel rhomboid flap for reconstructing a chronic plantar midfoot ulcer in a 59-year-old female with CNO and poorly controlled diabetes. The patient presented with a non-healing ulcer over a prominent osseous deformity, complicated by advanced neuropathy and a rocker-bottom foot. Surgical intervention included TAL, exostectomy, and meticulous wound debridement, followed by primary closure using a Dufourmentel flap to achieve tension-free, durable coverage. Postoperatively, the patient was managed with strict immobilization using a total contact cast and transitioned to a Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker (CROW) boot. Despite partial non-compliance with weight-bearing restrictions, the wound healed completely by six months, with no recurrence. This case highlights the Dufourmentel flap as an innovative and effective reconstructive option for complex plantar ulcers in CNO, offering enhanced soft tissue resilience and long-term stability. The integration of TAL, exostectomy, and biomechanically optimized wound closure provides a comprehensive approach to limb salvage in high-risk diabetic patients. Further research is warranted to evaluate the flap's long-term outcomes and broader applicability in Charcot foot reconstruction.}, }
@article {pmid40309632, year = {2025}, author = {Yusuf, MA and Ranjan, R and Adhikary, D and Moureen, A and Hakim, M}, title = {Association of Paternal Diabetes With Hemorrhagic Stroke in Bangladeshi Women: The MAGPIE Study.}, journal = {Health science reports}, volume = {8}, number = {5}, pages = {e70809}, pmid = {40309632}, issn = {2398-8835}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) accounts for ~10% of all first-time strokes, with an increasing incidence in Asia and a scarcity of information available about sex-related differences. This study investigates the independent predictors of HS among Bangladeshi women.
METHODS: The Multidimensional Approach of Genotype and Phenotype in Stroke Etiology (MAGPIE) study is a Bangladeshi observational study that recruited nationwide HS patients between 2022 and 2024. We utilized univariate analysis to identify risk patterns in the data sets, whereas a multivariate logistic regression (LR) analysis identified the independent predictors of HS in women.
RESULTS: We evaluated a total of 1080 hemorrhagic patients with female predominance (59.5%) and similar age of onset to males (p = 0.38). Although males had significantly higher rates of hypertension (p < 0.001), diabetes (p = 0.008), chronic constipation (p = 0.03), and systolic blood pressure (p < 0.001), females were found to have significantly higher body mass index (23.1 ± 3.1 vs. 21.4 ± 2.9; p < 0.001) and paternal diabetes (9.6% vs. 4.8%; p = 0.004) compared to male. Further, the age-adjusted multivariate LR model found paternal diabetes (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.5, p = 0.007) as a potential independent predictor of HS in females compared to males. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve of 0.67 (95% CI 0.63-0.70, p < 0.001) with 67.7% sensitivity and 58.2% specificity presents the goodness of fit of the model.
CONCLUSION: Bangladeshi women with a history of paternal diabetes have a 2.1-fold heightened risk of HS than men.}, }
@article {pmid40316871, year = {2025}, author = {Veit, W and Browning, H and Garcia-Pelegrin, E and Davies, JR and DuBois, JG and Clayton, NS}, title = {Dimensions of corvid consciousness.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {35}, pmid = {40316871}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {*Consciousness ; Animals ; Animal Welfare ; *Crows ; }, abstract = {Corvids have long been a target of public fascination and of scientific attention, particularly in the study of animal minds. Using Birch et al.'s (2020) 5-dimensional framework for animal consciousness we ask what it is like to be a corvid and propose a speculative but empirically informed answer. We go on to suggest future directions for research on corvid consciousness and how it can inform ethical treatment and animal welfare legislation.}, }
@article {pmid40319179, year = {2025}, author = {Rajan, P and Goswami, D and Vanlalhmuaka, and Datta, S and Rabha, B and Kamboj, DV}, title = {Acoustic behaviour and flight tone frequency changes in adult Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {15499}, pmid = {40319179}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Aedes/physiology ; *Culex/physiology ; *Flight, Animal/physiology ; Female ; Male ; Wings, Animal/physiology ; Acoustics ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Species-specific wingbeat frequency of mosquitoes has already been shown to be useful in species identification. However, mosquito identification using their fundamental wingbeat frequency requires proper evaluation along with its morphological and ecological characters. An acoustic study was carried out on four species of laboratory reared mosquitoes Aedes albopictus, Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles crawfordi, and Armigeres subalbatus. However, a detailed study on wingbeat frequency and its variation at different points of the adult life stages was conducted for Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus. Recorded wingbeat beat frequency during the different point of adult life stages was analyzed using the Raven Pro 1.6.1 sound analysis software. Result showed that there was a significant difference in the fundamental frequency between four study species (F = 81.62; df = 151; p < 0.001). Wingbeat frequency of Ae. albopictus and Cx. quinquefasciatus observed to be low immediately after emergence from the pupal stage and gradually became peak during the swarming stage which is considered as the species' fundamental frequency. These change in wingbeat frequency during the early adult stages leads to uncertainty in species identification based on the fundamental frequency. Swarming and pairing activities in Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus exclusively depends on the convergence between male first harmonics (M1) and female second harmonics (F2) of their fundamental frequency and make combined harmonic frequency at 1400-1500 Hz. Interestingly, this study observed that the frequency of adult male and early stages of female did not converge at the M1-F2 harmonics, thereby preventing successful mating. It thus infers that the wingbeat frequency of active male and female have significant role in the selection of potential mates within the species.}, }
@article {pmid40320498, year = {2025}, author = {Smirnova, AA and Cheplakova, MA and Kubenko, KN}, title = {Some Hooded crows (Corvus cornix) understand how a loose string works.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {15569}, pmid = {40320498}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {23-28-00364//Russian Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; }, abstract = {In a loose-string task an out-of-reach tray baited with food can only be retrieved by simultaneously pulling on both ends of a string threaded through the loops on the tray. This task is used to assess an animal's ability to cooperate, with each animal only having access to one end of the string. Some studies use the loose-string task in a pre-training phase, during which animals are individually taught to pull both ends of the string. Usually, no additional tests are conducted to determine whether the animals have understood how the loose string works. It is conceivable that a lack of knowledge of the causal basis of the loose-string task could make it more challenging to grasp how the partner can assist with it. Here, we tested whether Hooded crows could acquire some knowledge of the causal basis of the loose-string task. Prior to the critical test (Phase 3), the birds were presented with two different tasks (Phase 1 and Phase 2) to allow them to acquire some knowledge of the causal basis of the task. The results may indicate that, as a consequence of the experience gained, some crows may have begun to understand how the loose string works.}, }
@article {pmid40334149, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, JH and Sherry, AD and Bazyar, S and Sutera, P and Radwan, N and Phillips, RM and Deek, MP and Lu, J and Dipasquale, S and Deville, C and DeWeese, TL and Song, DY and Wang, H and Hobbs, RF and Malek, R and Dudley, SA and Greco, SC and Antonarakis, ES and Marshall, CH and Denmeade, S and Paller, CJ and Carducci, MA and Pienta, KJ and Oz, OK and Ramotar, M and Leenstra, JL and Park, SS and Abramowitz, MC and Desai, N and Berlin, A and Stish, BJ and Tang, C and Tran, PT and Kiess, AP}, title = {Outcomes of Radium-223 and Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy Versus Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy for Oligometastatic Prostate Cancers: The RAVENS Phase II Randomized Trial.}, journal = {Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology}, volume = {43}, number = {18}, pages = {2059-2068}, pmid = {40334149}, issn = {1527-7755}, support = {75N91019C00040/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; P01 CA272222/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U54 CA273956/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; *Radiosurgery/adverse effects/methods ; Aged ; *Radium/therapeutic use/adverse effects ; *Bone Neoplasms/secondary/radiotherapy ; Middle Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant/pathology/radiotherapy ; Radioisotopes ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have shown progression-free survival (PFS) benefits of metastasis-directed therapy (MDT) without androgen deprivation therapy for oligometastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (omCSPC). Most patients with bone metastatic (BM) omCSPC recur with additional bone disease after MDT. We hypothesized the BM-targeting alpha-emitter radium-223 dichloride (Ra223) could target subclinical bone disease and delay progression.
METHODS: This is an investigator-initiated, multicenter, open-label phase II RCT. Eligible men with recurrent omCSPC with ≥one bone metastasis (≤three on conventional imaging and/or ≤five on molecular imaging) were randomly assigned (1:1) to stereotactic ablative radiation (SABR) MDT alone or SABR MDT with Ra223 (six cycles). Primary end point was composite PFS.
RESULTS: From August 9, 2019, to March 2, 2023, 64 patients were randomly assigned, 33 to SABR MDT and 31 to SABR MDT/Ra223 balancing for key covariates. Most SABR MDT/Ra223 patients (87%) received six cycles of Ra223. The median PFS was 11.8 months with SABR MDT and 10.5 months with SABR MDT/Ra223 (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.42 [95% CI, 0.79 to 2.56]; P = .24). Seven patients (11%) experienced grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (no grade 4 or 5), 2 of 33 (6%) with SABR and 5 of 30 (17%) with SABR MDT/Ra223. Patients with high-risk (HiRi) pathogenic mutations in ATM, BRCA1/2, RB1, or TP53 had worse PFS (HR, 5.95 [95% CI, 1.83 to 19.3]; P = .003). Greater T-cell receptor (TCR) unique productive rearrangements were prognostic for improved PFS independent of the treatment arm (aHR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.21 to 0.96]; P = .04).
CONCLUSION: Adding Ra223 to SABR MDT in BM omCSPC does not delay progression of disease. We provide evidence for an HiRi mutational signature and TCR repertoire as prognostic biomarkers in omCSPC treated with SABR MDT, highlighting the importance of collecting biological correlates in RCTs for omCSPC.}, }
@article {pmid40334748, year = {2025}, author = {Pinar-Martí, A and Ayala-Aldana, N and Ruiz-Rivera, M and Lertxundi, N and Subiza-Pérez, M and González-Safont, L and Vioque, J and Riaño-Galán, I and Rodríguez-Dehli, C and Iglesias-Vázquez, L and Arija, V and Fernández-Barrés, S and Romaguera, D and Pascual-Rubio, V and Fabregat-Sanjuan, A and Healy, D and Basagaña, X and Vrijheid, M and Guxens, M and Foraster, M and Julvez, J}, title = {Maternal prenatal nut and seafood consumption and child neuropsychological function from 4 to 15 years of age: a population-based cohort study.}, journal = {The American journal of clinical nutrition}, volume = {122}, number = {1}, pages = {274-284}, pmid = {40334748}, issn = {1938-3207}, mesh = {Humans ; *Seafood ; Female ; Child ; Pregnancy ; *Nuts ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Male ; Cohort Studies ; *Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Neuropsychological Tests ; *Diet ; Fatty Acids, Omega-3/administration & dosage ; Adult ; *Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; Child Development ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Understanding the role of maternal diet in early brain development is critical, as pregnancy represents a period of significant vulnerability and growth for the developing brain.
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the association between maternal nuts, total seafood, and large fatty fish consumption during pregnancy and offspring neuropsychological function ≤15 y, considering the potential mediation of omega-3 fatty acids.
METHODS: This study was part of The Spanish Childhood and Environment birth cohort, following 1737 mother-child pairs from pregnancy to age 15. Maternal diet was evaluated using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, whereas children's neuropsychological function was measured through standardized computer-based tests. Attention (hit reaction time and its variability, HRT and HRT-SE) was measured with the Conners' Kiddie Continuous Performance Test and the Attention Network Test. Working memory (detectability in 2-back, d2', and 3-back tasks, d3') was evaluated using the N-back task. Fluid intelligence was assessed with Raven's Progressive Matrices and the Test of Primary Mental Abilities. Linear mixed-effects regression models assessed the association of nuts, seafood and large fatty fish with neuropsychological outcomes, whereas generalized structural equation modeling was used for mediation analyses.
RESULTS: Higher maternal nut consumption was significantly linked to improved attention [HRT-SE β = -0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.09, -0.00] and working memory (d2' β = 0.05, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.09, and d3' β = 0.06, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.11) in offspring. Greater consumption of large fatty fish was associated with better attention (HRT-SE β = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.10, -0.02; and HRT β = -0.04, 95% CI: -0.08, -0.00), and fluid intelligence (β = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.13). Omega-3 fatty acids mediated 8%-14% of these effects on attention.
CONCLUSIONS: Maternal diet at pregnancy and omega-3 intake may support long-term cognitive development in children and adolescents.}, }
@article {pmid40338023, year = {2025}, author = {Banks, S and Ware, IV and Dunson, A and Sibert, D and Nakayama, DK}, title = {Tragedy and Healing: The Impact of 2 Black Surgeons in the Jim Crow South.}, journal = {Journal of the American College of Surgeons}, volume = {241}, number = {4}, pages = {730-737}, doi = {10.1097/XCS.0000000000001437}, pmid = {40338023}, issn = {1879-1190}, mesh = {Humans ; *Surgeons/history ; History, 20th Century ; *Black or African American/history ; United States ; *Homicide/history ; *General Surgery/history ; *Racism/history ; White ; }, abstract = {In 1956, as racial conflict in the South reached a murderous climax, Thomas H Brewer Sr (1894 to 1956), a prominent Black physician and civic leader in Columbus, GA, was shot and killed by a White business owner. When his assailant was released without charges, many Black physicians and professionals left town, fearing for their safety and unwilling to live under Jim Crow. In 1964, M Delmar Edwards (1926 to 2009), graduating surgery resident at the nearby Tuskegee Veterans Administration Hospital, asked 2 White surgeons in Columbus-Seaborn Roddenbery III and Abraham Conger-to serve as preceptors during his last 2 years of training, a requirement for board certification. They agreed, and Edwards joined their practice. Edwards filled the void left by Brewer's death. He overcame White-only restrictions to the hospital medical staff, segregated wards, and professional shunning. He eventually served in leadership roles for the hospital, including chair of the department of surgery and vice president of the hospital system. During the next decades, he encouraged more than 70 Black physicians to settle in Columbus as full members of the city's professional community. Their stories separated by only 8 years, Brewer and Edwards embodied an inflection point in the civil rights movement: the transition between murderous injustice and the integration of the Black community into the social and political mainstream of the South brought on by a Supreme Court decision, an Act of Congress, and changes in the hearts of the American people.}, }
@article {pmid40339952, year = {2025}, author = {Perales, A and Aviño, J and Diaz-Martinez, A and Conde-Agudelo, A and Romero, R and Rojo, L and Serra, V}, title = {Prenatal exposure to vaginal progesterone for the prevention of preterm birth is not associated with abnormal psychopathological and cognitive profiles in dichorionic twins at 6 to 9 years of age: a follow-up study of a randomized controlled trial.}, journal = {American journal of obstetrics and gynecology}, volume = {233}, number = {4}, pages = {313.e1-313.e12}, pmid = {40339952}, issn = {1097-6868}, support = {Z01 HD002400/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Progesterone/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; Pregnancy ; *Premature Birth/prevention & control ; Administration, Intravaginal ; Child ; Double-Blind Method ; Follow-Up Studies ; *Pregnancy, Twin ; *Progestins/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; *Cognition/drug effects ; *Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects ; Adult ; Twins ; Male ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Current evidence indicates that administration of vaginal progesterone to women with a twin gestation and a short cervix reduces the risk of preterm birth occurring at early gestational ages and of neonatal morbidity and mortality. However, the potential long-term effects of prenatal administration of vaginal progesterone for preventing preterm birth on the psychopathological and cognitive profiles of twins remain unknown.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychopathological and cognitive profiles at 6 to 9 years of age of surviving children born to mothers who participated in a randomized controlled trial that compared 2 different daily doses of vaginal progesterone (200 mg and 400 mg) to placebo to prevent preterm birth in dichorionic twin gestations.
STUDY DESIGN: This is a follow-up study from a multicenter, double-blind, randomized controlled trial with 3 parallel groups (placebo, vaginal progesterone 200 mg/d, and vaginal progesterone 400 mg/d administered from 20 to 34 weeks of gestation or delivery, whichever came first; randomization ratio 1:1:1). The Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6 to 18 questionnaire and the Raven's colored progressive matrices test of nonverbal intelligence were applied to the participating mothers and their surviving children aged 6 to 9 years, respectively. The participant mothers, questionnaire collector, and database organizer were blinded to the intervention received in the original trial. The primary outcomes were behavioral, emotional, and social problems evaluated by the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6 to 18 questionnaire, and the intelligence coefficient percentile evaluated by the Raven's colored progressive matrices test. Analyses were performed on an intention-to-treat basis using descriptive and analytical tests. P values <.05 were considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: A total of 206 children born to 104 mothers (35.4% of those included in the original randomized controlled trial) were included in the study: 75 were exposed to vaginal progesterone 200 mg/d, 63 to vaginal progesterone 400 mg/d, and 68 to placebo. Overall, there were no significant differences in maternal sociodemographic, pregnancy, and neonatal characteristics between participants and nonparticipants in the follow-up study and between the 3 participating study groups (all P values ≥.05). The mean scores of the 11 psychopathological syndrome scales evaluated by the Child Behavior Checklist for ages 6 to 18 questionnaire among children exposed to vaginal progesterone 200 mg/d, 400 mg/d, or 200 and 400 mg/d were not significantly different to those among children exposed to placebo (all P values ≥.05). There were no significant differences in the mean total Child Behavior Checklist score between the vaginal progesterone groups (31.08±22.58 for the 200 mg/d group, 37.48±28.59 for the 400 mg/d group, and 34.00±25.60 for the 200 and 400 mg/d group) and the placebo group (34.60±25.55) (P=.38, .54, and .87, respectively). The mean percentiles of the Raven's test were slightly higher among children exposed to vaginal progesterone 200 mg/d (63.11±27.03) and 400 mg/d (60.40±31.51) than among those exposed to placebo (59.40±30.64), although these differences were not statistically significant (P=.44 and .85, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Exposure to 200 or 400 mg/d of vaginal progesterone in the second half of pregnancy for preterm birth prevention had no effect on the psychopathological and cognitive profiles of dichorionic twins at 6 to 9 years of age.}, }
@article {pmid40340205, year = {2025}, author = {Labbe, D and Alsajjan, H and Abdulshakoor, A}, title = {Comparison of classic vs double concentrated dose botulinum toxin injections in the treatment of crow's feet.}, journal = {Annales de chirurgie plastique et esthetique}, volume = {70}, number = {4}, pages = {273-278}, doi = {10.1016/j.anplas.2025.03.005}, pmid = {40340205}, issn = {1768-319X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage ; Female ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: When it comes to administering botulinum toxin for treating rhytids, a standard approach is usually used by most providers in terms of dose concentration. The aim of this study is to compare the outcomes of a classic, none double concentrated dose vs. a double concentrated dose for treating crow's feet.
METHOD: We have injected the orbicularis oculi in a series of 10 patients with the left side as a control side using the classically concentrated dose (2 units per 0.5cm[3]) compared to the double concentrated dose on the right (2 units per 0.25cm[3]). The injections were administered using an auto-injecting syringe.
RESULTS: On control day 14, we noticed that the majority of patients had a more apparent reduction in wrinkles on the left-classically concentrated-side (wrinkling appeared to be more prominent on the double concentration right side). A benefit noticed in some patients was a more symmetrical appearance of periorbital rhytids and sometimes the eyebrows with the uneven doses.
CONCLUSION: We found that injecting a double concentrated dose of botulinum toxin does not necessarily mean better reduction in the appearance of wrinkles even with the retrograde injection technique. However, certain implications may be found in tailoring the dosing of botulinum toxin depending on the needs of the patient on opposite sides of the face as opposed to unifying the dose for both sides.}, }
@article {pmid40340778, year = {2025}, author = {Waddington, JL}, title = {From genetics and cerebral asymmetry, through motor dysfunction intrinsic to psychosis, to early intervention: elaborating the seminal contributions of Timothy J. Crow.}, journal = {Psychological medicine}, volume = {55}, number = {}, pages = {e143}, pmid = {40340778}, issn = {1469-8978}, }
@article {pmid40341248, year = {2025}, author = {Zhao, J and Tang, J and Wang, Z and Munir, S and Jiao, R and Li, J and Chao, K and Wan, Q and Wang, L and Ye, C}, title = {Extraction, analysis, and antifungal activity study of algae antibiotic active substances in plateau lakes.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {5}, pages = {e0319853}, pmid = {40341248}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Antifungal Agents/pharmacology/isolation & purification/chemistry ; *Lakes ; Polyphenols/pharmacology/isolation & purification/chemistry ; Fusarium/drug effects ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Chlorella vulgaris/chemistry ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology/isolation & purification/chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; }, abstract = {This study was carried out to assess the inhibitory activity of algae in plateau lakes against plant pathogenic fungi, and further conduct preliminary research and analysis on their antifungal active ingredients, in order to provide a certain basis for the development and utilization of algal secondary metabolite as anti-plant pathogenic fungal agents. Different solvent extraction methods using water, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and methanol were conducted to extract polyphenol metabolites from Ulothrix, Chlorella vulgaris, and Microcystis pseudofilamentosa Crow. The composition of the extracts was analyzed based on the UPLC-MS/MS detection platform, and the antifungal activity was determined. The results showed that the content of polyphenol metabolites extracted from Ulothrix using methanol was the highest, followed by ethyl acetate and ethanol. The water extraction method resulted in the highest loss of polyphenolic metabolites. Three species of Fusarium oxysporum were used as indicator fungus to determine the antifungal activities of algae extracts. The three types of algae extracts showed good antimicrobial effects on F. oxysporum. The polyphenol metabolites extracted from Ulothrix using methanol demonstrated the strongest antifungal activity, with up to 20 mm in diameter of inhibition zone. The metabolite with the weakest antifungal activity was M. pseudofilamentosa Crow, with an 8-mm diameter of inhibition zone. Based on the UPLC-MS/MS detection, 242 polyphenol metabolites were initially identified in the methanol extracts of the three algae, including 160 phenolic acids, 32 flavonoids, 17 flavonols, 7 dihydroflavones, 2 dihydroflavonols, 2 chalcones, 2 flavanols, 5 flavonoids, 5 lignans, and 10 coumarins. Principal component analysis, fold change analysis, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis were used to conduct differential metabolite screening and related metabolic pathway enrichment. The methanol extract samples of the three algae were mainly classified into two categories. Ten important differential metabolites and 15 important metabolic pathways were obtained. In addition, the methanol extracts of Ulothrix contained the largest variety of phenolic acid compounds, with a total of 75 phenolic acid compounds detected, which was followed by C. vulgaris, with 44 phenolic acid compounds detected, and M. pseudofilamentosa Crow, with 37 phenolic acid compounds. Compared with phenolic acid compounds, the quantitative differences of other polyphenols were smaller. Based on these results and those from the antifungal experimental analysis, phenolic acids in algae polyphenol metabolites are the main antifungal active ingredients.}, }
@article {pmid40341629, year = {2025}, author = {Piao, JZ and Lee, JH and Hu, KS and Kim, HJ}, title = {Positional Relationship Between the Orbicularis Oculi and Zygomaticus Complex Muscles by Ultrasonography: New Anatomical Insights for Crow's Feet Injection.}, journal = {Clinical anatomy (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ca.24290}, pmid = {40341629}, issn = {1098-2353}, support = {NRF-RS-2023-00279373//National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF)/ ; }, abstract = {The orbicularis oculi muscle (OOc) is strongly associated with facial aging as its contraction causes the formation of crow's feet. Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) injection is a representative treatment targeting muscle. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the anatomical relationship between the OOc and the zygomaticus complex muscles, and to visualize the distribution of the facial nerve that innervates the OOc, thereby providing reference data for BoNT injections targeting that muscle. The positional relationships and overlapping ranges between the OOc, zygomaticus minor (Zmi), and zygomaticus major (ZMj), and their distances from the skin, were measured on four different perpendicular planes using ultrasonography. Specimens of the OOc were stained with modified Sihler's stain. The mean distances between the lateral canthus horizontal plane (LCHP) and the zygomaticus complex muscles superior margin were 20.0, 17.9, 22.8, and 20.8 mm in perpendicular planes LC (lateral canthus), OR (orbital rim), M (midpoint of the frontal process of zygomatic bone), and J (Jugale point), respectively. The mean distances between the OOc and the skin were 4.9, 4.8, 5.5, and 4.7 mm in those perpendicular planes. The mean distances between the zygomaticus complex muscles and the OOc were 3.0, 3.1, 4.5, and 4.1 mm. The authors propose new insights for crow's feet injection based on anatomical information obtained from ultrasonography and Sihler's staining, which should contribute to minimizing complications and improving the efficacy of BoNT administration.}, }
@article {pmid40357133, year = {2025}, author = {Giri, T and Garcia-Pelegrin, E}, title = {Opportunistic Tool Use by Two Unexpected Corvid Species.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {5}, pages = {e71314}, pmid = {40357133}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {This Nature note reports the first documented instance of tool use in Sunda crows (Corvus enca) and provides additional evidence of this ability in house crows (Corvus splendens). At Singapore Zoo (December 2023), individuals from both species spontaneously manipulated a hooked stick to extract food rewards from enclosed containers. This observation extends the catalogue of tool-using corvids. We briefly review tool use across the corvid family and examine competing hypotheses regarding its evolution, including inherited predisposition from a tool-using ancestor and the development of general physical intelligence with food caching as a potential precursor. Our findings suggest that the cognitive foundation for tool use may be conserved across the corvid family, with expression contingent upon environmental demands rather than species-specific adaptations. This work contributes to ongoing discussions regarding the evolutionary origins of complex problem-solving in birds and the potential role of general physical intelligence in corvid cognition.}, }
@article {pmid40368805, year = {2025}, author = {Tokuda, T and Yoshioka, N and Tanaka, A and Kojima, S and Yamaguchi, K and Yanagiuchi, T and Ogata, K and Takei, T and Nakama, T}, title = {Comparison of Stent Strategy and Drug-Coated Balloon After JETSTREAM for Severely Calcified Femoropopliteal Artery Disease (CORVUS Study).}, journal = {Circulation journal : official journal of the Japanese Circulation Society}, volume = {89}, number = {12}, pages = {1940-1946}, doi = {10.1253/circj.CJ-25-0087}, pmid = {40368805}, issn = {1347-4820}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; *Popliteal Artery/physiopathology ; *Peripheral Arterial Disease/therapy/physiopathology ; *Femoral Artery/physiopathology ; *Vascular Calcification/therapy/physiopathology ; Aged, 80 and over ; Vascular Patency ; *Atherectomy/adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; *Stents ; Japan ; Treatment Outcome ; *Angioplasty, Balloon/instrumentation/adverse effects ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: This study compared procedural complications, patency, and adverse events between a stent strategy and drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment after using the JETSTREAM atherectomy device for severely calcified femoropopliteal (FP) lesions.
METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively analyzed multicenter data from 588 patients who underwent endovascular therapy for severely calcified de novo FP lesions between April 2018 and December 2023 at 8 centers in Japan. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the revascularization method: stent strategy and DCB after JETSTREAM atherectomy. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to compare primary patency, clinically driven target lesion revascularization (CD-TLR), and the occurrence of acute limb ischemia (ALI)/major amputation at 1 year. After PSM, 82 matched pairs of patients were identified, with no significant intergroup differences in baseline characteristics. The rates of primary patency, CD-TLR, ALI, and major amputation were similar between the 2 groups. However, the rate of distal embolization was significantly higher in the DCB after JETSTREAM group. (18.3% vs. 1.2%; P<0.001) Baseline characteristics had no interaction effects on the association between the 2 strategies and the 1-year restenosis risk.
CONCLUSIONS: DCB after JETSTREAM atherectomy demonstrated comparable safety, except for distal embolization, and high efficacy in patients with severely calcified FP lesions, suggesting that it may be an alternative revascularization method to the stent strategy.}, }
@article {pmid40372593, year = {2025}, author = {Loconsole, M and Schnell, AK and Garcia-Pelegrin, E and Clayton, NS}, title = {Uncertainty monitoring in Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {37}, pmid = {40372593}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Uncertainty ; Animals ; Male ; *Metacognition ; Female ; Decision Making ; Memory, Short-Term ; Choice Behavior ; *Passeriformes ; Reward ; }, abstract = {Metacognition- namely the capacity to reflect on one's own cognitive processes - provides animals with numerous evolutionary advantages. Metacognition abilities encompass enhanced decision-making in uncertain situations, more efficient resource management, error detection and correction, and improved problem-solving skills. Here, we investigate how Eurasian jays, Garrulus glandarius, monitor uncertainty through a working memory food-retrieval task. In this task, a desirable food item is hidden under one of two cups, which are then shuffled either once (easy treatment) or several times (difficult treatment). The jays then choose to either engage in locating the food or opt out by selecting a third cup that offers a less preferred food reward. Our findings reveal that the difficulty of the task significantly influenced the jays' choice, with a higher tendency to opt out during difficult trials. Individual performance analysis revealed that when jays that typically opted out of difficult trials chose to engage instead, they exhibited significant accuracy. This suggests their decisions were guided by a confidence assessment of their knowledge. Overall, our study indicates that Eurasian jays possess metacognitive abilities that enable them to evaluate their own certainty and make strategic decisions based on perceived task difficulty and confidence in their knowledge. These capabilities likely confer advantages in natural settings, such as caching behaviours, allowing jays to make well-informed decisions about when to store or retrieve food based on environmental cues and internal assessments of uncertainty.}, }
@article {pmid40378360, year = {2025}, author = {Bhavnani, S and Ranjan, A and Mukherjee, D and Divan, G and Prakash, A and Yadav, A and Lal, C and Gajria, D and Irfan, H and Sharma, KK and Todkar, S and Patel, V and McCray, G}, title = {A non-specialist worker delivered digital assessment of cognitive development (DEEP) in young children: A longitudinal validation study in rural India.}, journal = {PLOS digital health}, volume = {4}, number = {5}, pages = {e0000824}, pmid = {40378360}, issn = {2767-3170}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {Cognitive development in early childhood is critical for life-long well-being. Existing cognitive development surveillance tools require lengthy parental interviews and observations of children. Developmental Assessment on an E-Platform (DEEP) is a digital tool designed to address this gap by providing a gamified, direct assessment of cognition in young children which can be delivered by front-line providers in community settings. This longitudinal study recruited children from the SPRING trial in rural Haryana, India. DEEP was administered at 39 (SD 1; N = 1359), 60 (SD 5; N = 1234) and 95 (SD 4; N = 600) months and scores were derived using item response theory. Criterion validity was examined by correlating DEEP-score with age, Bayley's Scales of Infant Development (BSID-III) cognitive domain score at age 3 and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) at age 8; predictive validity was examined by correlating DEEP-scores at preschool-age with academic performance at age 8 and convergent validity through correlations with height-for-age z-scores (HAZ), socioeconomic status (SES) and early life adversities. DEEP-score correlated strongly with age (r = 0.83, 95% CI 0.82 0.84) and moderately with BSID-III (r = 0.50, 0.39 - 0.60) and CPM (r = 0.37; 0.30 - 0.44). DEEP-score at preschool-age predicted academic outcomes at school-age (0.32; 0.25 - 0.41) and correlated positively with HAZ and SES and negatively with early life adversities. DEEP provides a valid, scalable method for cognitive assessment. It's integration into developmental surveillance programs could aid in monitoring and early detection of cognitive delays, enabling timely interventions.}, }
@article {pmid40380315, year = {2025}, author = {Malin, KJ and Vance, AJ and Moser, SE and Zemlak, J and Edwards, C and White-Traut, R and Koerner, R and McGrath, J and McGlothen-Bell, K}, title = {The impact of social determinants of health on infant and maternal health using a reproductive justice lens.}, journal = {BMC pregnancy and childbirth}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {577}, pmid = {40380315}, issn = {1471-2393}, support = {1K23NR021043-01A1/NR/NINR NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Social Determinants of Health/statistics & numerical data ; Pregnancy ; *Maternal Health/statistics & numerical data ; *Infant Health/statistics & numerical data ; Infant, Newborn ; United States/epidemiology ; *Social Justice ; Infant ; Adult ; Infant Mortality ; Prenatal Care/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) admissions continue to rise in the United States (US). Social determinants of health (SDOH) are recognized as significant contributors to infant and maternal health, underscoring the need for use of research frameworks that incorporate SDOH concepts. The Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT) theoretical framework is rooted in reproductive justice (i.e. reproductive rights and social justice-based framework) and emphasizes both structural and social determinants as root causes of health inequities. The impact of SDOH on maternal and infant mortality and morbidity can often be traced to structural determinants unique to the US, including slavery, Jim Crow laws, redlining, and the GI Bill.
AIMS: Using data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) 8 database, we aimed to evaluate relationships between SDOH (as guided by the ROOTT Framework) and maternal and infant health outcomes.
METHODS: Data were analyzed from 11 states that included the SDOH supplement in their PRAMS 8 data collection. We used bivariate analyses to examine relationships between SDOH measures guided by the ROOTT framework (e.g. abuse during pregnancy, access to prenatal care, housing stability and education) and maternal morbidity (i.e., gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes) and infant outcomes (i.e., preterm birth, NICU admission, breastfeeding). Pre-identified covariates were controlled for in the logistic and linear regression models.
RESULTS: Preterm birth, NICU admission, breastfeeding, and maternal morbidities were significantly associated with SDOH measures linked to structural determinants in the US. Abuse during pregnancy, access to prenatal care, housing, and education were all significantly associated with poorer infant health outcomes in the final regression models. Women who received prenatal care beginning in the 3[rd] trimester were twice as likely to develop gestational hypertension.
CONCLUSIONS: SDOHs rooted in structural determinants are important predictors of poorer maternal and infant health outcomes. Evaluating health outcomes using a reproductive justice framework reveals modifiable risk factors, including access to stable healthcare, safety, and housing. Comprehensive healthcare provision must ensure early and consistent access to healthcare and resources for safety and housing stability to support maternal and infant health.}, }
@article {pmid40389693, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, Z and Zhan, P}, title = {Eye-tracking-based hidden Markov modeling for revealing within-item cognitive strategy switching.}, journal = {Behavior research methods}, volume = {57}, number = {6}, pages = {175}, pmid = {40389693}, issn = {1554-3528}, support = {24YJA190019//the MOE (Ministry of Education in China) Project of Humanities and Social Sciences/ ; 31900795//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Markov Chains ; *Problem Solving/physiology ; *Eye-Tracking Technology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adult ; *Eye Movements/physiology ; }, abstract = {Identifying cognitive strategies in problem-solving helps researchers understand advanced cognitive processes and their applicable contexts. Current methods typically identify strategies for each item of Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices, capturing only between-item cognitive strategy switching (CSS). Although within-item CSS is recognized, methods to dynamically identify and reveal it are lacking. This study introduces the concept of an eye movement snippet, a basic unit for studying within-item CSS, along with a new eye-tracking process measure that quantifies the sequence length of alternatives viewed in a snippet. Combined with hidden Markov modeling, we propose a new method for dynamically identifying within-item cognitive strategies and revealing their switching. Using eye-tracking data from a matrix reasoning test, we demonstrate the value of the proposed method through a series of analyses. The results indicate that during problem-solving: (1) participants predominantly used two strategies-constructive matching and response elimination; (2) there is a high probability of switching from constructive matching to response elimination, but not vice versa; (3) more difficult items lead to more frequent strategy switching; (4) frequent strategy switching decreases time spent in the matrix area and on problem-solving planning; (5) frequent strategy switching correlates with incorrect answers for some items; and (6) frequent strategy switching increases total response time. Additionally, within-item CSS showed three distinct patterns as the test progressed, with significant differences in participants' intelligence levels and total test time among the patterns. Overall, the proposed method effectively identifies within-item cognitive strategies and their switching in matrix reasoning tasks.}, }
@article {pmid40403206, year = {2025}, author = {Zhu, C and Wang, Z and Peng, Y and Xiao, W}, title = {An improved Red-billed blue magpie feature selection algorithm for medical data processing.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {5}, pages = {e0324866}, pmid = {40403206}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Algorithms ; Humans ; *Data Mining/methods ; Machine Learning ; Pattern Recognition, Automated/methods ; }, abstract = {Feature selection is a crucial preprocessing step in the fields of machine learning, data mining and pattern recognition. In medical data analysis, the large number and complexity of features are often accompanied by redundant or irrelevant features, which not only increase the computational burden, but also may lead to model overfitting, which in turn affects its generalization ability. To address this problem, this paper proposes an improved red-billed blue magpie algorithm (IRBMO), which is specifically optimized for the feature selection task, and significantly improves the performance and efficiency of the algorithm on medical data by introducing multiple innovative behavioral strategies. The core mechanisms of IRBMO include: elite search behavior, which improves global optimization by guiding the search to expand in more promising directions; collaborative hunting behavior, which quickly identifies key features and promotes collaborative optimization among feature subsets; and memory storage behavior, which leverages historically valid information to improve search efficiency and accuracy. To adapt to the feature selection problem, we convert the continuous optimization algorithm to binary form via transfer function, which further enhances the applicability of the algorithm. In order to comprehensively verify the performance of IRBMO, this paper designs a series of experiments to compare it with nine mainstream binary optimization algorithms. The experiments are based on 12 medical datasets, and the results show that IRBMO achieves optimal overall performance in key metrics such as fitness value, classification accuracy and specificity. In addition, compared with nine existing feature selection methods, IRBMO demonstrates significant advantages in terms of fitness value. To further enhance the performance, this paper also constructs the V2IRBMO variant by combining the S-shaped and V-shaped transfer functions, which further enhances the robustness and generalization ability of the algorithm. Experiments demonstrate that IRBMO exhibits high efficiency, generality and excellent generalization ability in feature selection tasks. In addition, used in conjunction with the KNN classifier, IRBMO significantly improves the classification accuracy, with an average accuracy improvement of 43.89% on 12 medical datasets compared to the original Red-billed Blue Magpie algorithm. These results demonstrate the potential and wide applicability of IRBMO in feature selection for medical data.}, }
@article {pmid40407737, year = {2025}, author = {De León-Hernández, A and Martínez-Hernández, A and Bolivar-Tellería, I and Bosch-Sánchez, A and Cabrera-Padilla, MF and López-López, CO}, title = {A Method for Custom-Contoured Cushion Fabrication Based on Pressure Mapping for Wheelchair Users to Prevent Pressure Ulcers: Feasibility Quasi-Experimental Study.}, journal = {JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {e68612}, pmid = {40407737}, issn = {2369-2529}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Pressure ulcers constitute a major health care burden, characterized by significant morbidity, diminished quality of life, and elevated treatment costs. Wheelchair users are predisposed to pressure ulcers due to sustained ischial and sacral interface pressures resulting from prolonged periods of sitting. Implementation of pressure-relieving interventions, including specialized seating systems engineered to redistribute load and augment the weight-bearing surface area, is critical for mitigating the risk of pressure ulcers.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate a methodology for the custom fabrication of pressure relief cushions, through the user-cushion interface pressure mapping to reduce high-pressure areas and increase contact area in wheelchair users.
METHODS: First, a validation study was carried out with 7 healthy volunteers. The pressure was determined with an FSA sensor (BodiTrak BT1510, Vista Medical Manufactures), and the cushion profile was obtained through a linear relation with pressure values. In the second phase, 10 cushions for wheelchair users were manufactured and tested. The resulting data from buttock pressure using a flat foam, Jay X2 (gel-foam), ROHO high profile (air), and customed-contoured cushions were analyzed and compared using the following 4 variables: peak pressure, peak pressure index, mean pressure, and contact area.
RESULTS: In the validation study, the statistically significant difference between the flat and the custom-contoured cushion showed a better performance in pressure relief for the custom cushion (mean pressure 27.3, SD 4.5 mm Hg and 34.6, SD 3.5 mm Hg; P<.001). Regarding the study with wheelchair users, custom-contoured cushions had lower peak pressure (mean 91.3, SD 36 mm Hg), peak pressure index (mean 69.5, SD 33.7 mm Hg), and mean pressure (34.2, SD 17.4 mm Hg) against flat, Jay X2, and ROHO high profile cushions (P<.005). The contact area (mean 1457.6, SD 254.1 cm2) was greater for the contoured cushion (P<.001) than for flat and ROHO high profile (Permobile) cushions; nevertheless, it was not significantly different from Jay X2 (P=.59).
CONCLUSIONS: The main finding is that the buttock pressure mapping method produces custom-contoured cushions that, compared with commercial cushions, have good pressure distribution and increased contact area. These results suggest that pressure mapping is a good alternative for manufacturing affordable custom-contoured cushions that can prevent the development of pressure ulcers.}, }
@article {pmid40408204, year = {2025}, author = {Kwiatkowski, J and Krawiec, K}, title = {Staged Self-Supervised Learning for Raven Progressive Matrices.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on neural networks and learning systems}, volume = {36}, number = {9}, pages = {16564-16576}, doi = {10.1109/TNNLS.2025.3561069}, pmid = {40408204}, issn = {2162-2388}, abstract = {This study presents and investigates abstract compositional transformers (ACTs), a class of deep learning (DL) architectures based on the transformer blueprint, designed to handle abstract reasoning tasks that require completing spatial visual patterns. We combine ACTs with choice-making modules and apply them to Raven progressive matrices (RPMs), logical puzzles that require selecting the correct image from the available answers. We devise a number of ACT variants, train them in several modes and with additional augmentations, subject them to ablations, demonstrate their data scalability, and analyze their behavior and latent representations that emerged in the process. Using self-supervision allows us to successfully train ACTs on relatively small training sets, mitigate several biases identified in RPMs in past studies, and achieve SotA results on the two most popular RPM benchmarks.}, }
@article {pmid40410321, year = {2025}, author = {Ghochani, G and Aghajani, A and Rajabi, MT and Zand, A and Yaseri, M and Rafizadeh, SM}, title = {Comparison of Two Botulinum Neurotoxin Type A Preparations (Masport and Dysport) for Upper Face Rhytides: A Randomized Clinical Trial.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {49}, number = {14}, pages = {3976-3986}, pmid = {40410321}, issn = {1432-5241}, mesh = {Humans ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage ; Female ; Double-Blind Method ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Patient Satisfaction ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Esthetics ; Rhytidoplasty/methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Botulinum neurotoxin type A has played a key role in the treatment of facial rhytides. We aimed to compare the safety and effectiveness of Masport and Dysport as botulinum toxin type A preparations in the treatment of upper face rhytides.
METHODS: A double-blind randomized, clinical trial was conducted on adults with at least mild severity (scale 1) for lateral canthal (crow's feet), glabellar, and frontal lines at maximum contraction positions (dynamic status), regardless of their static scales (rest position). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either Masport or Dysport. Rhytides in each area were scaled at baseline and at post-injection weeks 2, 8, 12, and 16. Self-satisfaction were assessed at follow-ups.
RESULTS: For both groups, a decrease in dynamic rhytides was observed at week 2 compared to baseline (all Ps < 0.05). Although dynamic rhytides increased again in subsequent follow-ups, they remained significantly lower than baseline levels until week 12 (all Ps < 0.05). By week 16, no differences were observed compared to baseline (all Ps > 0.05). While at week 2, both dynamic and static scales were higher in the Masport group (all Ps < 0.05), this difference did not persist for most of them at weeks 12 and 16. Satisfaction scores were similar between the groups throughout all follow-ups (all Ps > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: The onset and duration of action for Masport and Dysport are similar in the treatment of upper face rhytides at equal doses. While Dysport may initially show a stronger effect than Masport in treating upper face rhytides, this advantage does not persist in the long term.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these evidence-based medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid40411979, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, L and Han, Y and Yan, H and Zhang, C and Li, X and Liang, J and Tang, C and Wu, W and Deng, W and Xie, G and Guo, W}, title = {Decreased left brain specialization in bipolar disorder patients and its association with neurotransmitter and genetic profiles: A longitudinal study.}, journal = {Asian journal of psychiatry}, volume = {109}, number = {}, pages = {104539}, doi = {10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104539}, pmid = {40411979}, issn = {1876-2026}, mesh = {Humans ; *Bipolar Disorder/physiopathology/genetics/drug therapy/diagnostic imaging/metabolism ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Longitudinal Studies ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; *Neurotransmitter Agents/metabolism ; *Temporal Lobe/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging ; *Brain/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {Brain specialization plays a crucial role in human behavior and cognition. Previous studies have suggested abnormal specialization in psychiatric disorders; however, the specialization patterns of bipolar disorder (BD) and the effects of medication on these changes remain unclear. According to Crow's hypothesis regarding the key role of language in the origin of psychoses, BD patients (BDPs) may exhibit abnormal language-related specialization. Here, we aimed to explore brain specialization alterations of BDPs before and after pharmacological treatment. The autonomy index, based on resting-state images, was used to assess brain specialization in 82 BDPs and 88 healthy controls (HCs). Among patients, 43 BDPs who underwent 3 months of pharmacological treatment completed the follow-up. Using autonomy index as input, support vector regression (SVR) analysis was conducted to predict treatment response. Additionally, we conducted cross-sample correlation analyses between autonomy index and genetic profiles or the densities of neurotransmitter receptors/transporters. At baseline, BDPs exhibited reduced autonomy index in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) relative to HCs. However, no significant alterations were observed following pharmacological treatment. Using autonomy index, the SVR model could predict treatment response for BDPs with a correlation coefficient of 0.705. Brain specialization patterns were correlated with six genes and neurotransmitters including dopaminergic (D1R, D2R, and DAT) and serotonergic (5-HT2A) transmission. In line with Crow's hypothesis, we found reduced brain specialization in a key node of the language network (LN) in BDPs. We also provided potential genetic and biological mechanisms underlying BD.}, }
@article {pmid40418245, year = {2025}, author = {Hunter, H and Blackburn, G and Ashton, BJ and Ridley, AR}, title = {Group size affects spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in wild Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {41}, pmid = {40418245}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; *Discrimination, Psychological ; Female ; Reward ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; Social Behavior ; Western Australia ; }, abstract = {Animals may benefit from the ability to discriminate between quantities in their environment; for example, when choosing between foraging patches differing in food availability or assessing the size of rival groups. Numerous studies utilising spontaneous quantity discrimination tasks have found that a wide range of species possess the ability to discriminate between quantities, with large interspecific differences being found in these capabilities. However, the causes of variation in quantity discrimination have received less attention, particularly when considering intraspecific variation. Here, we use a spontaneous quantity discrimination task to (i) investigate if Western Australian magpies possess quantity discrimination abilities, and (ii) determine the factors that underlie individual variation in this ability. We found that magpies were able to discriminate between two discrete quantities of a food reward and chose the larger quantity of food more often than expected by chance, with their accuracy increasing as the difference between the two quantities of food items increased (i.e. as the ratio decreased). Individual performance on the assay was significantly affected by group size, with individuals from smaller groups choosing the larger quantity of food more often than individuals from larger groups when presented with the 2 vs. 5 combination. This group size difference may arise because individuals from smaller groups benefit more from enhanced quantity discrimination abilities compared to individuals from larger groups due to the greater risk of competition and loss of resources from intergroup conflict with larger groups. Our study is the first to investigate and identify group size as a source of intraspecific variation in spontaneous quantity discrimination abilities and highlights the importance of considering the causes of individual variation in cognitive performance.}, }
@article {pmid40425099, year = {2025}, author = {Helal, ZH and Soriano, NF and Chung, DH and Lee, DH and Tocco, N and Gazeyoglu, F and Hyeon, JY and Risatti, GR}, title = {Molecular epidemiology of West Nile Virus in raptors, Connecticut, USA, 2022: A case series with whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.}, journal = {Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases}, volume = {132}, number = {}, pages = {105769}, doi = {10.1016/j.meegid.2025.105769}, pmid = {40425099}, issn = {1567-7257}, mesh = {Connecticut/epidemiology ; *West Nile virus/genetics/classification ; Phylogeny ; Animals ; *West Nile Fever/epidemiology/virology/veterinary ; Whole Genome Sequencing ; *Bird Diseases/virology/epidemiology ; Genome, Viral ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Birds/virology ; Genetic Variation ; }, abstract = {West Nile virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, circulates in an enzootic cycle between birds and mosquitoes, with raptors serving as key amplifying hosts. Despite their importance in WNV surveillance, complete genome sequences from raptors remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and evolutionary history of WNV in raptors from Connecticut, USA. Samples were collected in 2022 from the brain tissue of deceased red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, Cooper's hawks, a peregrine falcon, and American crows. Complete protein-coding sequences (CDSs) of 19 WNV isolates were obtained using multiplex tiling reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) developed in this study and Illumina iSeq100 sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses revealed our sequences were grouped into two monophyletic clusters and two singletons within lineage 1, showing genetic similarities to WNV strains detected in mosquitoes in New York (2012-2015) rather than earlier strains from Connecticut (1999-2008). Bayesian analysis indicated at least four independent introductions, with the estimated time to the most recent common ancestor (tMRCA) for Clusters 1 and 2 in April 2009 and February 2010, respectively. The mean substitution rate was 4.30 × 10[-4] substitutions/site/year. All sequences contained the T249P mutation in NS3, which has been linked to reduced virulence in avian models. These findings provide valuable reference data for future WNV genomic surveillance studies, emphasizing the role of raptors as sentinel species and the need for ongoing genomic surveillance to monitor WNV evolution, transmission, and potential public health risks.}, }
@article {pmid40442496, year = {2025}, author = {Bhojani-Lynch, T and Shah-Desai, S and Bichet, JC and Magalhães, B and Poupard, K}, title = {Real-World Evidence on the Routine Use, Efficacy, and Safety of a Hyaluronic Acid-Based Dermal Filler in the Periorbital Region.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {49}, number = {15}, pages = {4392-4402}, pmid = {40442496}, issn = {1432-5241}, mesh = {Humans ; *Hyaluronic Acid/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; *Dermal Fillers/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; Adult ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Rejuvenation/physiology ; Patient Satisfaction/statistics & numerical data ; Esthetics ; *Cosmetic Techniques ; Follow-Up Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Aged ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The appearance of the periorbital region is essential in facial aesthetic perception and is a frequent concern of patients seeking rejuvenation. TEOSYAL® PureSense Redensity 2 (R2) has a 10-year track record of effectively and safely treating the under-eye area, specifically the tear trough.
METHODS: A prospective, observational study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of R2 in a real-world setting for aesthetic indications. Participants received at least one treatment injection with R2, and investigators followed their routine injection techniques and indications. The primary endpoint was the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS) score recorded 3 months post-injection. Secondary efficacy outcomes included subject and investigator satisfaction, as well as GAIS scores at later timepoints. Safety was monitored by documenting common treatment responses (CTRs) and adverse events (AEs).
RESULTS: The 136 subjects enrolled in EYELIGHT received 958 initial injections, of which 451 (47.1%) were performed with R2: 89 (35.3%) tear trough, 61 (24.2%) palpebromalar groove, 45 (17.9%) outer canthus, 38 (15.1%) crow's feet, and 19 (7.5%) brow. A GAIS improvement of more than 70% was achieved for the tear trough and remaining periorbital indications, with most subjects reporting satisfaction with treatment (84.3%). Treatment effect was observed up to 12 months post-injection. All CTRs were mild or moderate and resolved within a month. No severe AEs were reported.
CONCLUSION: Real-world evidence confirmed the 10-year long success of R2 as an effective and safe treatment of the tear trough. Based on this evidence, its use extends beyond the tear trough, showing effectiveness and safety in the whole periorbital area.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid40448730, year = {2025}, author = {Lamien-Meda, A and Harl, J and Lieber, A and Unterköfler, MS and Eigner, B and Wortha, LN and Müller, F and Heddergott, M and Fuehrer, HP}, title = {Molecular analysis of blood-associated pathogens in common ravens (Corvus corax) from Germany.}, journal = {Parasitology research}, volume = {124}, number = {6}, pages = {56}, pmid = {40448730}, issn = {1432-1955}, mesh = {Animals ; Germany/epidemiology ; *Crows/parasitology ; Prevalence ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; *Haemosporida/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; Trypanosomatina/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; *Blood/parasitology ; Filarioidea/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; }, abstract = {Common ravens (Corvus corax) are intelligent scavengers that adapt to diverse environments, playing a key ecological role, but their health and ecosystem contributions can be affected by parasites. This study investigates the prevalence and diversity of blood parasite infections in common ravens using molecular techniques. Blood samples (n = 42) were collected from dead common ravens in Germany and screened for filarioid nematodes, trypanosomatids, and haemosporidian parasites. The results showed that 26.2% of the common ravens were PCR-positive for at least one parasite, with some cases of mixed infections. Filarioid nematodes were found in 16.7%, trypanosomatids in 4.8%, and haemosporidian parasites in 16.7% of the common ravens. Sequencing revealed the presence of four Leucocytozoon CytB lineages and one Haemoproteus lineage. The findings suggest that common ravens in Germany are often infected with diverse avian blood parasites, with a higher prevalence of filarioid nematodes. Further research is needed to confirm the circulation of these parasites in the common raven population and to identify the specific filarioid nematode species present in Germany.}, }
@article {pmid40452390, year = {2025}, author = {Xin-Li, and Lingling-Hu, and Weimin-Song, and Qian-Lu, }, title = {Safety and efficacy of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of periorbital skin photoaging.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy : official publication of the European Society for Laser Dermatology}, volume = {27}, number = {4-5}, pages = {166-172}, doi = {10.1080/14764172.2025.2513380}, pmid = {40452390}, issn = {1476-4180}, mesh = {Humans ; *Platelet-Rich Plasma ; *Skin Aging ; Female ; Patient Satisfaction ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Male ; Aged ; Rejuvenation ; Water Loss, Insensible ; Elasticity ; }, abstract = {Periorbital skin photoaging is a common cosmetic problem.Presently, conventional treatment methods cannot achieve satisfactory results. Periorbital skin aging may benefit from platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. However, there is little experimental evidence on the safety and efficacy of PRP in the treatment of periorbital skin photoaging. To examine the safety and efficacy of PRP injection in the treatment of periorbital skin photoaging, PRP was injected into the periorbital skin of 20 patients, and patient satisfaction was assessed at the first month (M1), the second month (M2), and the third month (M3) after treatment. Two experienced dermatologists independently evaluated the patient's skin before and after treatment according to internationally accepted guidelines. The objective indicators of skin hydration, melanin index, erythema index, skin brightness, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin elasticity, and skin thickness were measured. Some subjective indicators, including pigmentation around the eyes, suborbital wrinkles, and static crow's feet, were significantly improved. Some objective indicators, including skin brightness, skin thickness, and collagen strength, were also significantly improved. Eye bags and TEWL slightly improved, but the differences were not statistically significant. The overall patient satisfaction with the treatment was high, no serious complications were noted, and the recovery profile was favorable. PRP injection was safe and effective for the treatment of periorbital skin photoaging.}, }
@article {pmid40455535, year = {2025}, author = {Shen, J and Palmeri, TJ}, title = {Modeling the dynamics of real-world perceptual expertise.}, journal = {Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition}, volume = {51}, number = {10}, pages = {1529-1548}, doi = {10.1037/xlm0001496}, pmid = {40455535}, issn = {1939-1285}, support = {//National Science Foundation/ ; //Vanderbilt University/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Adult ; Female ; Young Adult ; Bayes Theorem ; *Concept Formation/physiology ; *Models, Psychological ; Reaction Time ; Decision Making ; }, abstract = {Novices are faster to verify categories at intermediate ("basic") levels of abstraction (bird) than superordinate (animal) or subordinate (blue jay) levels, whereas experts are equally fast at subordinate and intermediate levels. One explanation ("entry-level hypothesis") is that for novices, categorization at intermediate levels is faster because it is the "entry level" into conceptual knowledge; experts become as fast at the subordinate level because the subordinate level becomes an alternative entry level. An alternative explanation ("differentiation hypothesis") is that for novices, categorization at intermediate levels is faster because that level is more differentiated and informative, not that it happens first; experts become as fast at the subordinate level because representations of objects at that level become more differentiated. We evaluated these hypotheses by fitting the diffusion decision model to accuracy and response time data from online participants with various psychometrically measured levels of birding expertise. We identified the alternative hypotheses with diffusion decision model parameters: Differences in nondecision time across category levels are arguably associated with the entry-level hypothesis, whereas differences in drift rate are arguably associated with the differentiation hypothesis. We fitted the diffusion decision model using a Bayesian hierarchical framework to estimate individual differences in model parameters across conditions. Behaviorally, we replicated the entry-level shift online. Theoretically, we found that differences in categorization speed across levels of expertise were captured by differences in both drift rate and nondecision time across levels. These results provide insights into the changes in representations and processes with the development of perceptual expertise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid40463953, year = {2025}, author = {Eibner-Gebhardt, MW and Fleischer, RC and Campana, MG}, title = {A historical Hawaiian Avipoxvirus genome reconstructed from an 1898 museum specimen.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {28}, number = {4}, pages = {112153}, pmid = {40463953}, issn = {2589-0042}, abstract = {Avipoxvirus is an avian pathogen that likely contributed to the declines and extinctions of endemic Hawaiian birds since its 19th century introduction. We surveyed 719 DNA libraries, including 639 representing 440 Hawaiian bird specimens, for evidence of Avipoxvirus infection. We reconstructed a 5.2× Avipoxvirus genome from an 1898 Hawaii 'amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens) specimen. Its sequence matched an extant Hawaiian Avipoxvirus strain, supporting the strain's persistence in Hawaii over the last century. We identified the earliest molecularly verified case of Avipoxvirus in the Hawaiian Islands in an 1887 'alalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) specimen and reconstructed a partial Avipoxvirus genome from this specimen. Both specimens' Avipoxvirus strains were most closely related to canarypox virus, suggesting that introduced passerines may be the source of Avipoxvirus in Hawaiian endemic land birds. These findings clarify the origins and evolution of Avipoxvirus in Hawaii and provide evidence for the broader role of pathogens in driving biodiversity loss.}, }
@article {pmid40467686, year = {2025}, author = {Shawky, EM and Hamdy, R and Elgindi, MR and Baky, MH}, title = {UPLC-HRMS-MS profiling of Ludwigia adscendens subsp. diffusa aerial parts and investigation of the anti-inflammatory effect.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {19718}, pmid = {40467686}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {*Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology/chemistry ; *Plant Components, Aerial/chemistry ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology/chemistry ; Phytochemicals/pharmacology/chemistry/analysis ; Animals ; Mice ; Flavonoids ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; }, abstract = {Ludwigia adscendens subsp. diffusa (Forssk.) P.H. Raven, also known as L. stolonifera, is an aquatic herb belonging to family Onagraceae and widely distributed in canals and drains in the Nile Delta, Egypt. The main goal of the current study is to investigate the metabolic profile of L. adscendens aerial parts using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS/MS) and investigation of its anti-inflammatory activity. A total of 168 metabolites were identified by UPLC-MS/MS analysis in negative and positive modes belonging to several phytochemical classes including phenolics (57), flavonoids (26), terpenoids (25), sterols (23), fatty acids (11), coumarins (7) organic acids (5), sugar derivatives (5), lactones (4), acids (3), and glycoside (2). The UPLC-MS analysis of L. adscendens revealed identification of a diverse array of phytochemicals which contribute to its potential pharmacological properties. The identification of bioactive metabolites in L. adscendens aerial parts including gallic acid, quercetin, ellagic acid, and betulinic acid can impart biological activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated for L. adscendens methanol and ethyl acetate extract using nitric acid inhibition assay revealing IC50 of 26.4 and 23.9 µg/ml, respectively, compared to resveratrol as a standard anti-inflammatory with IC50 value of 14.2 µg/ml. These findings can highlight the importance of L. adscendens aerial parts as a potential source of bioactive metabolites.}, }
@article {pmid40470745, year = {2025}, author = {Avilés, JM and de la Cruz, C and González-Medina, E and Villegas, A and Valencia, J and Masero, JA}, title = {Body size as a mediator of climatic effects: Insights from a long-term study of social Iberian magpies.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {106}, number = {6}, pages = {e70130}, pmid = {40470745}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {2PR02A080//Junta de Extremadura/ ; IB18089//Junta de Extremadura/ ; IPR99A020//Junta de Extremadura/ ; PRI09A057//Junta de Extremadura/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Body Size/physiology ; Male ; Female ; *Climate Change ; Reproduction ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; *Climate ; Time Factors ; }, abstract = {The importance of considering body size in assessing evolutionary responses to climatic change is increasingly recognized, as body size correlates with morphological, physiological, and ecological traits that are climate-sensitive and influence fitness. However, the role of body size in mediating climatic effects in vertebrates remains poorly understood. Here, we examined structural body-size responses to natal and adult-experienced climate in a social bird and assessed whether body size mediates the direction of climatic effects. Using 26 years of data on cooperatively breeding Iberian magpies Cyanopica cooki, we found that adult males reared in late spring nests were smaller than those hatched earlier in the breeding season. This pattern was driven by smaller females, which reproduced later and produced smaller sons. Larger males born in hottest years had lower lifetime fledgling production, while larger males experiencing hotter springs as adults produced more fledglings over their lifetime. Additionally, larger males born in driest years or raised in nests with many brood mates had shorter lifespans. Despite a significant increase in temperature in the study area over 26 years, the average tarsus length of males has not changed, likely due to opposing effects of natal and adult climate on body size. Our findings illustrate how inherited body size mediates climatic effects at different life stages, with these effects acting in contrasting directions on fecundity, resulting in apparent trait stasis despite ongoing climate warming.}, }
@article {pmid40474401, year = {2020}, author = {Freeberg, TM}, title = {On mark-test replication and mirror self-recognition in magpies.}, journal = {Journal of comparative psychology (Washington, D.C. : 1983)}, volume = {134}, number = {4}, pages = {361-362}, doi = {10.1037/com0000256}, pmid = {40474401}, issn = {1939-2087}, abstract = {We have known about the importance of replication and reproducibility since our earliest science classes. In animal behavioral studies, the major texts on methods in the field stress the importance of study replication. Nonetheless, there has been a growing call in animal behavior for greater efforts to replicate published studies. An interesting avian candidate for the mark-test is the magpie, Pica pica. Over 10 years ago, a study revealed evidence of two magpies (out of five tested) passing the mark-test (Prior, Schwarz, & Güntürkün, 2008). Given the importance of this finding to the field of comparative cognition, and the aforementioned arguments about the need for increased efforts to replicate such findings, Soler et al. (2020) set out to replicate the earlier magpie study with a slightly larger sample size. The magpies were caught in the wild as adults (whereas those in the earlier study were adults that had been hand-raised in the lab; Prior et al., 2008). During the experiment itself, Soler and colleagues (2020; this issue) tried to follow the experimental steps of the earlier study as closely as possible. Magpies were marked on their throats with different sizes and colors of stickers and were presented with either a mirror or a size-matched cardboard stimulus. Although the magpies showed different social and self-directed behavior in the context of the mirror as compared with the cardboard control stimulus, they did not pass the mark-test. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid40481186, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, X and Huang, C and Gui, W}, title = {A multi-strategy improved crow search algorithm for multi-level thresholding image segmentation.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {20033}, pmid = {40481186}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The standard crow search algorithm suffers from low convergence accuracy, insufficient stability, and susceptibility to getting stuck in local optima. To tackle these formidable challenges, this paper proposes a novel multi-strategy improved crow search algorithm (MSICSA) specifically designed for multi-level image segmentation. The proposed approach incorporates three key enhancements: firstly, opposition-based learning (OBL) is utilized to improve the quality of initial solutions within MSICSA; secondly, an adaptive awareness probability mechanism is introduced to better balance the trade-off between exploration and exploitation; lastly, two differential mutation operators are developed to enhance global search capabilities, increase population diversity, and reduce the risk of converging on local optima. To validate the performance of the proposed algorithm, two sets of experiments are conducted. In the first set of experiments, CEC 2020 benchmark test functions are selected to compare the performance of MSICSA with other group intelligent optimization algorithms. In the second set of experiments, Otsu's method and fuzzy entropy are employed as objective functions for performing multilevel threshold segmentation on twelve grayscale images. The experimental results demonstrate that MSICSA outperforms seven comparison algorithms in terms of both convergence speed and segmentation quality.}, }
@article {pmid40482599, year = {2025}, author = {Isoda, N and Hiono, T and Hew, YL and Takaya, F and Nguyen, BL and Kobayashi, D and Fujino, K and Sakoda, Y}, title = {Dynamics of high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection with multiple introductions in a crow flock in an urban park in Hokkaido, Japan.}, journal = {Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases}, volume = {121}, number = {}, pages = {102367}, doi = {10.1016/j.cimid.2025.102367}, pmid = {40482599}, issn = {1878-1667}, mesh = {Animals ; *Influenza in Birds/virology/epidemiology/transmission ; Japan/epidemiology ; *Crows/virology ; Phylogeny ; *Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/pathogenicity/genetics/isolation & purification ; Animals, Wild/virology ; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus/genetics ; }, abstract = {Since 2021, high pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) of the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been circulating globally, not only in domestic poultry but also in wild birds, both migratory and resident species. In March to May 2022, March to April 2023, and January to April 2024, crow die-offs were reported in an urban garden in Hokkaido, Japan, raising suspicions of HPAIV infection. Since August 2022, all dead carcasses were investigated for HPAIV detection and isolation. Phylogenetic analysis of the H5 hemagglutinin gene revealed that all detected HPAIVs belonged to clade 2.3.4.4b, a dominant lineage in Hokkaido since early 2022. Two distinct subgroups were identified: G2d (in 2022-2024) and G2a (in 2024). A maximum clade credibility tree, based on concatenated nucleotide sequences of the isolates, suggested that multiple distinct types of HPAIVs were introduced into the garden in rotation during the winters of 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Infectious HPAIVs were isolated not only from the lungs and brains but also from the rectal contents of the dead crows, with no apparent difference in viral titers between the two subgroups. The case reproduction numbers of HPAIV infection in the crow flock ranged from 0.52 and 1.57 in the spring of 2022 and from 0.55 to 1.78 in the spring of 2023, suggesting that the contiguous HPAIV infections in the crows were due to multiple introductions into the flock. Crow can play a key role of potential spread to other animals, poultry and wildlife in urban areas or humans in rural areas.}, }
@article {pmid40491745, year = {2025}, author = {Gupta, U and Kumar, N}, title = {Feathers, folklore, and eco-literacy: Stories ascribe cultural keystone status to avian scavengers in South Asian cities.}, journal = {Ornithological applications}, volume = {127}, number = {1}, pages = {duae056}, pmid = {40491745}, issn = {2732-4621}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, abstract = {We examined the cultural significance of commensal avian scavenger species-vultures, kites, and crows-and their exploitation of anthropogenic resources and sentiments within Delhi's urban landscapes. For this, we investigated the intrinsic values attributed to these birds by people, which are indicative of complex, rapidly urbanizing social-ecological systems. Semi-structured interviews revealed folk perceptions intertwined with socio-cultural narratives and traditions, shaped by observations of avian morphology, ecology, and behavior. Birds' nesting habits, habitats, home ranges, and foraging behaviors affected people's perceptions, while ecosystem services inspired zoomorphism and anthropomorphism via vernacular-nomenclature (e.g., chidiya collectively for songbirds, giddha for scavenging raptors). Culturally rooted perceptions, which informed ritual feeding practices and shaped prevalent attitudes toward commensal species, fostered mutual tolerance, and brought people into closer contact with urban biodiversity. Such physical and cultural proximity is a defining characteristic distinguishing tropical urban ecosystems from their Western counterparts. We also uncovered the web of social-technological influences on animal-related folk stories. The urbanization of perceptions in vulture extinction zones revealed shifts in social-ecological relationships with wildlife. It adds cultural dimensions to the currently appreciated keystone status of vultures, vital for their erstwhile coexistence at extremely high densities in South Asia. Urban transformations, technological advancements, and media exposure potentially reshaped human-animal interface, with media misinformation affecting personalized ecologies. Conflicts and health concerns arose from media narratives on garbage-consuming animals. Our findings offer insights to prevent severing of people and nature connections due to urbanization (e.g., technological applications can integrate scientific knowledge with biocultural narratives and folklore), promoting a new-age eco-literacy.}, }
@article {pmid40501980, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, X and Kostrzewa, C and Reiner, A and Shen, R and Begg, C}, title = {A Bayesian Approach for Identifying Driver Mutations within Oncogenic Pathways through Mutual Exclusivity.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1101/2025.05.27.656485}, pmid = {40501980}, issn = {2692-8205}, abstract = {Distinguishing driver mutations from the large background of passenger mutations remains a major challenge in cancer genomics. Evidence-based approaches to nominate driver mutations are often limited by the availability of experimental or clinical validation for specific variants. As clinical sequencing becomes integrated into patient care, computational methods provide powerful opportunities to analyze expanding genomic datasets and identify functional candidates beyond the current knowledge base. Among various analytical frameworks, mutual exclusivity, the observation that mutations in two or more genes tend not to co-occur within the same tumor, has been particularly attractive. Building on this principle, we propose BayesMAGPIE, a refined version of a statistical method, MAGPIE, developed previously for identifying driver genes within oncogenic pathways. The new method introduces two key innovations. First, it incorporates information on mutation type using a Bayesian hierarchical modeling framework, enabling the distinction between potential differences in functional effects among variants within the same gene, thereby improving the accuracy of driver identification. Second, it models gene-specific driver frequencies with a Dirichlet prior which effectively controls the sparsity of the inferred driver set and aligns with the biological expectation that most tumor types are driven by a small number of genes. We evaluate BayesMAGPIE through extensive simulation studies to assess its estimation bias and accuracy in driver identification, and benchmark its performance against MAGPIE using TCGA data from eight cancer types.}, }
@article {pmid40504381, year = {2025}, author = {de Quadros, RM and Júnior, JAC and Raffi, MF and Casagrande, RA and Bassini-Silva, R}, title = {Collyriclum faba (Bremser, 1831) (Digenea: Collyriclidae) in the Azure jay, Cyanocorax caeruleus (Vieillot, 1818): the first report of the parasite in Brazil.}, journal = {Veterinary research communications}, volume = {49}, number = {4}, pages = {221}, pmid = {40504381}, issn = {1573-7446}, mesh = {Animals ; Brazil/epidemiology ; *Trematoda/isolation & purification/classification ; *Trematode Infections/veterinary/parasitology/epidemiology ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; *Passeriformes/parasitology ; Female ; }, abstract = {This study aims to document the first record of the trematode Collyriclum faba in Brazil. This species parasitizes various bird groups, including Passeriformes, Galliformes, and domestic birds, across Europe, Northeast Asia, and the Americas. An Azure Jay (Cyanocorax caeruleus) found in Praia Grande, Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil, exhibited an unusual enlargement and obliteration of the pericloacal region by an approximately 4 cm diameter, multilobular mass was firm in consistency. A sample of the excised tissue was extracted and sent for histopathological analysis, revealing eight adult C. faba specimens within the cyst. Each cyst cavity contained two parasites, surrounded by fibrous connective tissue, forming multiple cavitations. Longitudinal and transverse sections of the trematodes showed a tegument-covered body with parenchymal lining inside the cavity. The uterus contained numerous thick-walled, yellowish-brown eggs. The parasites were encircled by a predominant infiltrate of macrophages, multinucleated giant cells, and diffuse heterophils, accompanied by bacterial colonies, resulting in the formation of a parasitic heterophilic granuloma.}, }
@article {pmid40510728, year = {2025}, author = {Punde, P and Mishra, N and Joshi, A and Ramgadiya, A}, title = {A modified high infraorbital with lateral crow feet extension incision (Punincision) for body of zygoma fractures and zygoma implants: Original research.}, journal = {National journal of maxillofacial surgery}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {71-76}, pmid = {40510728}, issn = {0975-5950}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the infraorbital incision with lateral crow feet extension to treat fractures present towards the body of zygoma.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Totally fifteen patients aged from 22 to 69 years diagnosed with fracture line running close to body of zygoma which had been reported to authors between February 2013 and June 2018 were included in this study. Seven patients had low-level frontozygomatic fractures. Eight had fracture lines too lateral to infraorbital foramina. These fractures require longer incisions if conventional approaches are used. New incision design comprising of laterally placed infraorbital incision joined with crow feet extension was used in all these cases. Fracture stabilization was done using 1.5 mm plates in all the cases.
RESULTS: The fractures were well reduced and stabilized. The scar was inconspicuous in nature hidden in skin crease in all the cases. Operation time was observed to be less when compared to using surgical records of conventional incision cases. Soft tissue swelling was also found out to be less as compared to conventional incision cases.
CONCLUSION: This modified incision was found to be effective for fractures near the center of body of zygoma in terms of easiness of fracture site exposure and fixation in less time.}, }
@article {pmid40514777, year = {2025}, author = {Gasparini, M and Scandola, M and Salati, E and Margiotta, R and Barbetti, S and Diana, S and Amato, S and Gambina, G and Bruno, G and Vanacore, N and Moro, V}, title = {The need to adapt neuropsychological tests to population changes. An update of the Italian normative data for three tests: Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure, Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices and COWAT -FAS.}, journal = {Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology}, volume = {47}, number = {4}, pages = {263-274}, doi = {10.1080/13803395.2025.2519295}, pmid = {40514777}, issn = {1744-411X}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; *Neuropsychological Tests/standards ; Aged, 80 and over ; Adult ; Reference Values ; Italy ; Educational Status ; Age Factors ; *Aging ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The study aims to update normative data for three of the tests which are most widely used in the Italian clinical services for dementia screening: the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test, the Coloured Progressive Matrices test and the Controlled Oral Word Association test. In fact, the obsolescence of normative data is a crucial problem for cognitive tests, and their periodical updating is recommended because of the Flynn Effect: the longer the time which has passed since standardization, the greater the likelihood is that scores will overestimate real abilities.
METHODS: A total of 364 neurologically healthy individuals (130 males/234 females; age ≥ 40, mean = 65.67 ± 10.29 years, education = 12.98 ± 3.88 years; MMSE score = 29.32 ± 1.11) were recruited from Rome and the surrounding area and divided into 8 groups by five-year age intervals (range 40-85 years). Linear models with modulating effects for age, education, and gender were applied to obtain the correction scores. Percentiles and Equivalent Scores were calculated as well.
RESULTS: Normative data corrected for age, gender and education were obtained for the three tests. Decremental effects of age and incremental effects of education were confirmed, while mixed results were found for gender. When compared with previous Italian normative studies, a global increase in the mean scores was recorded.
CONCLUSIONS: The study provides updated scores for the Italian population for three tests widely used in clinical and experimental settings. The effects of aging, education, and gender on cognitive performance are confirmed, as well as the Flynn effect and the necessity for periodical updating of normative data for neuropsychological tests.}, }
@article {pmid40522119, year = {2025}, author = {Yadav, K and Hazarika, J and Rohullah, M and Chosenyah, M and Chandrasekar, R}, title = {Thermo-Welded Periodic Arrays of Fluorescent Polymer Microspheres for Rollable Coupled-Resonator Optical Waveguides.}, journal = {Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)}, volume = {21}, number = {32}, pages = {e2502583}, doi = {10.1002/smll.202502583}, pmid = {40522119}, issn = {1613-6829}, support = {SERB-STR/2022/00011//SERB-New Delhi/ ; CRG/2023/003911//SERB-New Delhi/ ; DST/INT/RUS/RSF/P-71/2023(G)//DST-RSF/ ; }, abstract = {Polymer microspherical resonators that trap light are crucial structures for on-chip and on-board integration in nanophotonic applications. Using advanced micromanipulation and thermo-welding methods, welded polystyrene-based coupled-resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) are successfully created with customized lengths, shapes, and optical characteristics. Through the thermal fusion of blue, green, and red fluorophore-doped polystyrene microspheres, multi-fluorescent cohesive units are created from dimeric to henicosameric periodic arrangements. Detailed micro-spectroscopy studies reveal CROWs' capability to support optical whispering-gallery modes. The periodic arrangements of different fluorophore-doped resonators within the CROW facilitate efficient guided transmission of light via both active and passive mechanisms in opposite directions. The welded structures exhibit mechanically driven rolling motion, confirming their integration as cohesive units. These findings highlight the versatility and performance of thermo-welded polymer microsphere-based waveguides, paving the way for scalable, low-cost photonic devices in sensing, modulation, and light guiding, emphasizing their role in future integrated photonics.}, }
@article {pmid40526551, year = {2025}, author = {Zuo, Z and Dong, J and Wu, Y and Qu, Y and Wu, Z}, title = {PADiff: Reconstruction From Patch to Pixel With Normality-Guided Diffusion Model for Unsupervised Anomaly Localization.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on neural networks and learning systems}, volume = {36}, number = {10}, pages = {18558-18571}, doi = {10.1109/TNNLS.2025.3572438}, pmid = {40526551}, issn = {2162-2388}, abstract = {Anomaly localization (AL) is an indispensable and challenging task in manufacturing. Recently, diffusion models have been widely used to localize anomalies through discrepancies between original and reconstructed representations, which is based on the hypothesis that diffusion models regard anomalies as noise and reconstruct them to normal representations. However, anomalies usually deviate from prior standard Gaussian distribution and diffusion models cannot reconstruct anomaly parts as normal patterns well due to powerful generalization. These issues hinder the application of diffusion models in AL and lead to suboptimal performance. As a remedy, we present a novel framework for AL based on the diffusion model, dubbed PADiff. To enable the diffusion model to reconstruct abnormal regions to normal regions in an anomaly image, we propose to guide the diffusion model in the reconstruction process using its normal counterpart. High-quality guided normal counterpart plays a key role in our method. Therefore, we propose a patch-substitution strategy to obtain a high-quality-guided normal counterpart. Specifically, we first construct a normal patch memory bank using normal training samples. With a normal memory bank, we find potential anomaly patches in testing images and substitute them with most similar normal patches in the memory bank. After substitution, pseudo-normal images are generated to guide the diffusion model. To make our method more data-efficient, we divide an image into patches and propose patch-wise training and reconstruction. As one of our innovations, we propose to encode each patch into positional embedding and add it on time embedding, which introduces patch-level representation and position information in the diffusion model. Extensive experiments are conducted on three commonly used anomaly detection datasets (MVTec-AD, VisA, and BTAD) to showcase the state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance of the proposed PADiff. The source code is publicly available at https://github.com/Jay-zzcoder/padiff.}, }
@article {pmid40526687, year = {2025}, author = {Yadav, SK and Bakhsh, A and Sharma, D}, title = {Who pays for surgical care in the global south? A narrative review.}, journal = {PLOS global public health}, volume = {5}, number = {6}, pages = {e0004781}, pmid = {40526687}, issn = {2767-3375}, abstract = {For decades, surgical care was sidelined in global health policy, perceived as costly, complex, and secondary to communicable disease control. However, the past two decades have witnessed a paradigm shift, with evidence highlighting surgery's critical role in addressing nearly 30% of the global disease burden. Landmark efforts like the 2015 Lancet Commission on Global Surgery and WHO Resolution WHA68.15 underscored that safe, timely, and affordable surgical care is indispensable to achieving Universal Health Coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, despite increasing advocacy, a fundamental question remains inadequately addressed: who pays for surgical care in the Global South? This narrative review explores the current landscape of surgical financing in low- and middle-income countries, examining domestic public funding, insurance-based models, donor assistance, diaspora contributions, and the persistent burden of out-of-pocket payments. While some initiatives-such as India's AB PM-JAY and organizations like Smile Train and KidsOR-illustrate scalable financing models, most low- and middle-income countries still rely on fragmented, underfunded systems that lead to catastrophic health expenditures. Moreover, political neglect, lack of standardized surgical metrics, and low visibility within global health frameworks continue to hinder sustained investment. The review further highlights the cost-effectiveness and economic benefits of surgical interventions, positioning surgery not only as a clinical imperative but also as a strategic investment in national development. Emphasizing the emerging concept of value-based surgery, it argues for integrating frugal innovations and systems-based approaches into health financing frameworks. To achieve equitable and sustainable surgical systems in the Global South, the global health community must address the multifaceted barriers to financing-economic, structural, and political. The review calls for strategic investments, better data, and policy integration to ensure that surgical care is no longer a privilege but a universal right.}, }
@article {pmid40531062, year = {2025}, author = {Montgomery, GH and Green, JP and Apelian, C and Zahedi, A and Polizzi, CP and Terhune, DB and Lynn, SJ}, title = {Hypnosis at the Crossroads: A Primer of the Past and Visions for the Future.}, journal = {The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis}, volume = {73}, number = {3}, pages = {342-380}, pmid = {40531062}, issn = {1744-5183}, support = {R25 CA193098/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; R25 CA248462/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; *Hypnosis/history/methods ; }, abstract = {The field of hypnosis has intrigued clinicians and researchers alike for more than 200 years. Below, a review of hypnosis is presented from historical, theoretical, experimental, and clinical perspectives in order to provide those readers less aware of the field with a broad foundation. The literature reveals that while theoretically driven experimental research has led to groundbreaking clinical applications, there remains much to be done regarding dissemination of efficacious interventions and our understanding of underlying mechanisms responsible for observed effects. The goal is to inspire readers to pursue innovative work to improve our understanding of hypnosis and the quality of life of patients through clinical application. Along the way, we highlight empirical findings and selective writings of Dr. Steven Jay Lynn who was a tireless champion of hypnosis and psychotherapy.}, }
@article {pmid40539864, year = {2025}, author = {Llinares-Segura, J and Alarcón, A and Mendoza, ME and Green, JP and Capafons, A}, title = {The Development and Use of the Valencia Scales of Attitudes and Beliefs Toward Hypnosis.}, journal = {The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis}, volume = {73}, number = {3}, pages = {315-341}, doi = {10.1080/00207144.2025.2507720}, pmid = {40539864}, issn = {1744-5183}, mesh = {*Hypnosis ; Humans ; Psychometrics ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; }, abstract = {The importance of attitudes and beliefs in relation to people's behavior, both in general and within the context of psychological treatment, is undeniable. This is especially true in the field of hypnosis, where misinformation and myths are widespread. In response to a request from, and as a tribute to, Professor Steven Jay Lynn, we summarize the status of the Valencia Scales of Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis, both the client (VSABH-C) and therapist (VSABH-T) versions. A literature review was conducted in May 2024 across nine databases. The only inclusion criterion was that the studies had to cite and/or use either or both versions of the VSABH scales as a measurement instrument. A total of 73 references were selected and classified into four categories: psychometric analyses, use of the scales, citations, and unpublished references. The findings indicate that the VSABHs are widely used, useful, robust, and versatile scales with international projection, and its 37-item version is recommended. Scholars and practitioners are encouraged to continue the psychometric and applied study of these scales and to undertake adaptation processes in different languages, cultures, and samples, adhering to the guidelines set forth by the International Test Commission (ITC) rather than relying solely on reverse translations.}, }
@article {pmid40547778, year = {2025}, author = {Kumar, S and Singh, R and Kampani, S and Gopal, KM}, title = {Policy mandates for Ayush in National Health Policy-2017: Achievements, impediments, and future prospects.}, journal = {Journal of family medicine and primary care}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, pages = {1597-1603}, pmid = {40547778}, issn = {2249-4863}, abstract = {The Ayush sector has seen multidimensional growth in the last 10 years, especially since its inception as the Ministry of Ayush in 2014 from the earlier Department of Ayush. This expansion is evident across various facets of the sector, notably reflected in the allocation within the union budget, the surge in exports of herbal medicines, the proliferation of educational institutions, the establishment of integrated Ayush hospitals, and the integration into the broader public healthcare system. The National Health Policy 2017 (NHP-2017) is the cornerstone guiding document for all health-related matters, including Ayush systems. It advocates for transitioning from a standalone to a comprehensive three-dimensional mainstreaming of Ayush services, emphasising the intricate integration of Ayush into the public healthcare system and adopting Ayush-based promotive and preventive strategies for fostering healthy lifestyles. Significant strides have been undertaken in recent years to realise the mandates outlined in NHP-2017. Noteworthy initiatives include the approval of 12,500 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs - Ayush (erstwhile Health and Wellness Centres), the establishment of co-located Ayush facilities across three tiers of public healthcare, the provision for Ayush academic departments in all new and forthcoming AIIMS establishments, and, more recently, the publication of guidelines related to Indian Public Health Standards for Ayush. However, several challenges persist, such as the skewed distribution of Ayush facilities, the non-inclusion of Ayush packages from the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), and logistical issues about the supply chain of medicines in co-located facilities. Addressing these challenges is imperative for achieving a seamless integration of Ayush systems into the mainstream public healthcare framework and fulfilling the policy mandate designated to Ayush. Such integration holds promise for contributing to realising universal health coverage, national health objectives, and the overarching goal of health for all. This paper delves into the policy imperatives for Ayush within the public health domain as stipulated by NHP-2017, examining its progress, identifying challenges, and proposing potential solutions.}, }
@article {pmid40550692, year = {2025}, author = {Liao, DA and Schwarzbach, E and Nieder, A}, title = {Exploring Neural Dynamics in the Auditory Telencephalon of Crows Using Functional Ultrasound Imaging.}, journal = {The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience}, volume = {45}, number = {29}, pages = {}, pmid = {40550692}, issn = {1529-2401}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Telencephalon/physiology/diagnostic imaging/blood supply ; Ultrasonography/methods ; *Crows/physiology ; Acoustic Stimulation ; *Auditory Perception/physiology ; *Auditory Pathways/physiology/diagnostic imaging ; Cerebrovascular Circulation/physiology ; }, abstract = {Crows, renowned for advanced cognitive abilities and vocal communication, rely on intricate auditory systems. While the neuroanatomy of corvid auditory pathways is partially explored, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms are largely unknown. This study used functional ultrasound imaging (fUSi) to investigate sound-induced cerebral blood volume (CBV) changes in the Field L complex of the auditory telencephalon in two female crows. fUSi revealed frequency-specific CBV responses, showing a tonotopic organization within the Field L complex, with low frequencies in the posterior dorsal region and high frequencies in the anterior ventral region. Machine learning analyses showed fUSi signals could be used to classify sound types accurately, in both awake and anesthetized states. Variable CBV responses to longer sound stimuli suggest a delineation of subregions within the Field L complex. Together, these findings highlight the potential of fUSi for providing high-resolution insights into functional systems in corvids, enabling future exploration of experimental task-related cognitive dynamics.}, }
@article {pmid40559547, year = {2025}, author = {Garcia, YLNL and Gomes, AJC and Neto, GG and Ando, NF and Rodrigues, CS and Cesario, RA and Domit, C and Lima, FH and Ferreira, HL and Araújo, JP and Silva, BLD and Spilki, FR and Thomazelli, LM and Gamon, THM and Assis, IB and Durigon, EL and Oliveira, DBL and Costa, VGD and Calmon, MF and Rahal, P}, title = {Potential New Avian Species as Carriers of Diverse Circoviruses.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {40559547}, issn = {2076-0817}, support = {88887.805202/2023-00//Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Circovirus/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; *Circoviridae Infections/veterinary/virology/epidemiology/transmission ; *Birds/virology ; Brazil/epidemiology ; *Bird Diseases/virology/epidemiology ; Phylogeny ; *Carrier State/virology/veterinary ; }, abstract = {Avian species pose risks for transmitting viruses, including avian circoviruses, that could be a threat for conservation and introduction into commercial flocks. This study investigated the presence of circovirus in 81 avian species from different regions of Brazil, including the northwest region of São Paulo and the coast of Paraná. Blood samples and oropharyngeal, cloacal, and other organ swabs were collected. The samples were extracted and screened using nested PCR for the replicase gene. In positive cases, the samples were sequenced. Regarding the results, a total of 1528 swab samples were collected from 601 birds, of which 24 (4%, 95% CI: 2.4-5.6) tested positive for various circovirus subtypes. Most positive birds (92%, 22/24) were from the northwest region of São Paulo, mainly from the city of São José do Rio Preto (54%, 12/22). The study also identified the presence of circovirus subtypes in avian families that were not previously described. Furthermore, the presence of raven circovirus in the blood sample of a Nyctibius griseus (potoo), suggests the possibility of a new carrier of the virus. Ultimately, the findings underscore the complexity of the viral ecology of avian circoviruses, highlight the necessity of enhancing future studies, and emphasize the need to support health assessment of wildlife, including marine birds.}, }
@article {pmid40559580, year = {2025}, author = {Gherman, CM and Balea, A and Györke, A and Kalmár, Z and Ionică, AM and Villena, I and Spano, F and de Craeye, S and Cozma, V}, title = {Prevalence and Toxoplasma gondii Genotypes Circulating in Five Wild Corvid Species from Romania.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {40559580}, issn = {2076-0817}, mesh = {*Toxoplasma/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; Romania/epidemiology ; Animals ; *Genotype ; *Toxoplasmosis, Animal/epidemiology/parasitology ; Prevalence ; DNA, Protozoan/genetics ; Antibodies, Protozoan/blood ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; }, abstract = {The apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii can potentially infect all warm-blooded animals, including birds, which, due to their high dispersal capabilities, are considered a significant candidate group of sentinel animals that reveal environmental contamination with this protozoan. In the present study, the serologic and molecular prevalences of T. gondii infection were determined in 333 corvids from Romania. Paired meat juice (n = 333) and heart samples (n = 244) were collected and analyzed using the modified agglutination test for antibodies, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for DNA, and SAG2 molecular marker sequencing for genotyping. The overall T. gondii antibodies prevalence was 19.5%, with 48.1% infected jackdaws, 72.8% rooks, 89.7% hooded crows, 77.5% magpies, and 42.9% jays. Of 244 heart samples analyzed with PCR amplification, only 3 (1.2%) resulted positive and were shown to belong to genotype III through the sequencing of the SAG2 amplicon. This is the first extensive study on T. gondii in crows from Romania.}, }
@article {pmid40561730, year = {2025}, author = {Payne, H}, title = {G.G. Simpson's changing attitude towards quantum evolution.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of science}, volume = {112}, number = {}, pages = {60-69}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsa.2025.06.007}, pmid = {40561730}, issn = {0039-3681}, abstract = {This paper conducts a study of the published responses to a key process - quantum evolution - in G.G. Simpson's paleontological masterpiece Tempo and Mode in Evolution (1944), with the primary goal of revealing the reasons for Simpson's changed views, as indicated in his next book Major Features of Evolution (1953), on the importance of quantum evolution. I argue that the primary force that drove this change was not pressure from other leading synthesis thinkers like Mayr and Dobzhansky but rather empirical paleontological considerations. I consider the implications this has for the supposed hardening of the synthesis as defended by Stephen Jay Gould and for our understanding of the status of paleontology in the post-synthesis period. I claim that paleontology's secondary status in the immediate post-synthesis period resulted from the internal workings of paleontology and not merely pressures from allied biological disciplines.}, }
@article {pmid40563936, year = {2025}, author = {Gryz, J and Krauze-Gryz, D and Brach, M}, title = {Wildfire-Driven Shifts in Bird and Red Fox Activity: A Case Study from Biebrza National Park.}, journal = {Biology}, volume = {14}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {40563936}, issn = {2079-7737}, support = {This work was supported by the Forest Fund from the State Forests under contract number EZ.0290.1.24.2020 with the Biebrza National Park.//Polsih State Forests/ ; }, abstract = {Fires of natural or anthropogenic origin shape some ecosystems on Earth; this disturbance can maintain the landscape and influence many processes like vegetation structure, carbon, and hydrological cycle, climate, and others [...].}, }
@article {pmid40566893, year = {2025}, author = {Çelik, S and Arslan, L and Özarslan, C and Mart, M}, title = {Psychometric Properties of the Social Attribution Task and Its Relationship With Cognitive Functions.}, journal = {Psychiatry investigation}, volume = {22}, number = {6}, pages = {687-698}, pmid = {40566893}, issn = {1738-3684}, support = {1919B012206375//TUBITAK 2209-A program project/ ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The Social Attribution Task-Multiple Choice (SAT-MC) battery is one of tests used to evaluate social cognitive capacity. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the SAT-MC for the first time in healthy adults and in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, then to investigate the effect on SAT-MC performance of clinical variables in schizophrenia patients.
METHODS: The study included 207 volunteers; 157 healthy adults, and 50 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia. All the study participants were applied with the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices Test (RSPM), the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET), and the SAT-MC.
RESULTS: The results of the analyses showed that the SAT-MC had content and criteria validity in both the individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and in the healthy control group. Internal consistency of test was calculated as McDonald's omega coefficient 0.81, and the test-retest reliability was found to be 0.75. Hierarchical multivariate regression analysis showed a predictive effect of RSPM and RMET on the SAT points.
CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that SAT was valid and reliable in evaluating social attribution skills in both a healthy and a schizophrenia sample group. Social attribution skill was found to be related to the perceptual reasoning and abstract thinking skills of neurocognition. The social cognition dimension was determined to be related to the theory of mind skills. Insufficient social attribution skills, seen especially in schizophrenia patients, can lead to social withdrawal and isolation by disrupting interactions and relationships with others.}, }
@article {pmid40572647, year = {2025}, author = {Jin, Y and Li, N and Chen, Z and Zeng, K and Wang, J and Sheng, A and Fu, H and Hu, L and Mao, J}, title = {Clinical Characteristics and Genetic Variants in Children with PAX2 Mutation-Associated Disorders.}, journal = {Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)}, volume = {61}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {40572647}, issn = {1648-9144}, support = {2022YFC2705103//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; 2022YFC2705100//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; LTGD24H050002//Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *PAX2 Transcription Factor/genetics/analysis ; Female ; Male ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; Mutation/genetics ; Phenotype ; Genetic Variation/genetics ; Genotype ; }, abstract = {Background and Objectives: PAX2 serves as a critical transcription factor integral to the process of embryogenesis. Variations in the PAX2 gene could result in the aberrant development of numerous organs. Despite the identification of numerous mutations within the PAX2 gene, the correlation between specific genotypes has yet to be fully clarified. The objective of this study was to examine the clinical phenotypes and genotypes associated with PAX2 mutation-induced disorders in pediatric patients of Chinese descent. The aim of our study was to forecast the pathogenic potential of these genetic mutations and to ascertain possible correlations between genotypic variations and the clinical manifestations of disorders linked to PAX2 mutations. Materials and Methods: We recruited 14 pediatric subjects with PAX2 mutations, meticulously examining the clinical characteristics and genetic alterations present in these individuals. Computational techniques were utilized to evaluate the pathogenicity, stability, and biophysical characteristics. A range of computational tools were employed for this assessment, including PredictSNP, MAGPIE, iStable, Align GVGD, ConSurf, and SNP effect. Results: The age at onset ranged from prenatal to 12 years. Five patients progressed to end-stage renal disease. Proteinuria and bilateral renal hypoplasia were observed in 92% of cases. Ocular and auditory abnormalities were also noted. We identified eleven different PAX2 mutations, including five novel variants not previously reported in the literature. We predicted that all mutations, with the exception of p.F27-L33 del and N188S, exhibited high pathogenicity scores. In particular, R117P and R140W are strongly associated with disease pathogenicity and are likely to cause more significant damage than other gene mutants. Conclusions: This study expands the mutational and phenotypic spectrum of PAX2-related disorders in the pediatric population. The identification of five novel variants enhances our understanding of the genetic basis of these conditions. Despite recurrent mutations, marked phenotypic heterogeneity persists, underscoring the need for further research.}, }
@article {pmid40572814, year = {2025}, author = {Bayir, MC and Mensur, E}, title = {XGBoost-Based Modeling of Electrocaloric Property: A Bayesian Optimization in BCZT Electroceramics.}, journal = {Materials (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {18}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {40572814}, issn = {1996-1944}, support = {FA9550-21-2-0296//United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research/ ; }, abstract = {Electrocaloric materials, which exhibit adiabatic temperature change under an applied electric field, are promising for solid-state cooling technologies. In this study, the electrocaloric response of lead-free BaxCa1-xZryTi1-yO3 (BCZT) ceramics was modeled to investigate the effects of composition, processing, and measurement conditions on performance. A high-accuracy XGBoost regression model (R[2] = 0.99, MAE = 0.02 °C) was developed using a dataset of 2188 literature-derived data points to predict and design the electrocaloric response of BCZT ceramics. The feature space incorporated compositional ratios, processing parameters, measurement settings, and atomic-level Magpie descriptors, along with Curie temperature to account for phase-transition behavior. Feature importance analysis revealed that electric field, measurement temperature, and proximity to the Curie point are the most critical factors influencing ΔTEC. Bayesian optimization was applied to navigate the design space and identify performance maxima under unconstrained and realistic constraints, offering valuable insights into the nonlinear interactions governing electrocaloric performance. Under room temperature and moderate-field conditions (24 °C, 40 kV/cm), the optimized ΔTEC achieved a value of 1.03 °C for Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.40Ti0.60, to be processed at 1090 °C for 3 h during calcination, 1300 °C for 2 h during sintering. By integrating experimental insight with machine learning and optimization, this study offers a refined, interpretable framework for accelerating the design of high-performance electrocaloric ceramics while reducing the experimental workload.}, }
@article {pmid40573437, year = {2025}, author = {Vilibić-Čavlek, T and Barbić, L and Klobučar, A and Vucelja, M and Bogdanić, M and Sabadi, D and Kutleša, M and Gjurašin, B and Stevanović, V and Curman Posavec, M and Bjedov, L and Boljfetić, M and Jozić-Novinc, T and Škara, R and Tomljenović, M and Hruškar, Ž and Al-Mufleh, M and Potočnik-Hunjadi, T and Rončević, I and Savić, V}, title = {Re-Emergence of Usutu Virus and Spreading of West Nile Virus Neuroinvasive Infections During the 2024 Transmission Season in Croatia.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {17}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {40573437}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {NPOO 1//European Union NextGenerationEU project supported by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia/ ; 653316//European Virus Archive goes Global (EVAg) project that has received funding from the Europe-an Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme/ ; }, mesh = {Croatia/epidemiology ; Animals ; Humans ; *West Nile Fever/epidemiology/transmission/virology/veterinary ; Horses/virology ; *West Nile virus/genetics/isolation & purification ; Antibodies, Viral/blood ; *Flavivirus/genetics/isolation & purification/immunology ; *Flavivirus Infections/epidemiology/transmission/virology/veterinary ; Horse Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; Female ; Seasons ; Male ; Birds/virology ; Phylogeny ; Middle Aged ; Culicidae/virology ; Adult ; Adolescent ; RNA, Viral/genetics ; Young Adult ; Aged ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Child ; Mosquito Vectors/virology ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; }, abstract = {Neuroinvasive arboviruses such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Usutu virus (USUV), and Toscana virus (TOSV) have (re-)emerged with increasing incidence and geographic range. We analyzed the epidemiology of arboviral infections in Croatia during the 2024 transmission season. A total of 154 patients with neuroinvasive diseases (NID), 1596 horses, 69 dead birds, and 7726 mosquitoes were tested. Viral RNA was detected using RT-qPCR. IgM/IgG-specific antibodies were detected using commercial ELISA or IFA, with confirmation of cross-reactive samples by virus neutralization test. RT-qPCR-positive samples were Sanger sequenced. Arboviral etiology was confirmed in 33/21.42% of patients with NID. WNV was most frequently detected (17/11.03%), followed by TBEV (10/6.49%), USUV (5/3.24%), and TOSV (1/0.64%). WNV infections were reported in regions previously known as endemic, while in one continental county, WNV was recorded for the first time. USUV infections re-emerged after a six-year absence. In addition to human cases, acute WNV infections were recorded in 11/395 (2.78%) of horses and two dead crows. WNV IgG seropositivity was detected in 276/1168 (23.63%) and TBEV IgG seropositivity in 68/428 (15.88%) horses. None of the tested mosquito pools were positive for WNV and USUV RNA. Phylogenetic analysis showed the circulation of WNV lineage 2 and Usutu Europe 2 lineage. Climate conditions in 2024 in Croatia were classified as extremely warm, which could, at least in part, impact the quite intense arboviral season. The spreading of flaviviruses in Croatia highlights the need for continuous surveillance in humans, animals, and vectors ("One Health").}, }
@article {pmid40573526, year = {2025}, author = {Yang, Z and Yu, J and Liu, M and Peng, T and Wang, H}, title = {A Method for Predicting Trajectories of Concealed Targets via a Hybrid Decomposition and State Prediction Framework.}, journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {25}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {40573526}, issn = {1424-8220}, abstract = {Accurate trajectory prediction of concealed targets in complex, interference-laden environments present a formidable challenge for millimeter-wave sensor tracking systems. To address this, we propose a state-of-the-art autonomous prediction framework that integrates an Improved Sequential Variational Mode Decomposition (ISVMD) algorithm with an Extreme Learning Machine (ELM), synergistically optimized by the novel Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO). The ISVMD enhances signal reconstruction by transforming noisy target echo signals into robust feature sequences, effectively mitigating the impacts of environmental disturbances and intentional concealment. Subsequently, the RBMO-optimized ELM leverages these feature sequences to predict the future trajectories of concealed targets with high precision. The RBMO further refines critical parameters within the ISVMD-ELM pipeline, ensuring adaptability and computational efficiency across diverse scenarios. Experimental validation using real-world data demonstrates that the RBMO-ISVMD-ELM approach surpasses state-of-the-art algorithms in both accuracy and robustness when predicting the trajectories of concealed ground targets, achieving optimal performance metrics under demanding conditions.}, }
@article {pmid40574575, year = {2025}, author = {Krackow, E and Rashed, J and Thompson, I}, title = {Does Hypnosis Aid Memory Retrieval?: A Review of Steven Jay Lynn's Research.}, journal = {The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis}, volume = {73}, number = {3}, pages = {381-390}, doi = {10.1080/00207144.2025.2508410}, pmid = {40574575}, issn = {1744-5183}, mesh = {*Hypnosis ; Humans ; *Mental Recall ; History, 20th Century ; }, abstract = {Steven Jay Lynn was one of the most prolific clinical psychologists who made major contributions to the scientific literature in numerous areas, including in the area of hypnosis and memory. We review this work, limited to studies appearing in empirical journals, with special emphasis on research methodology. Hypnosis did not enhance accurate recall in any study and in some cases impeded recall. In numerous studies, hypnosis increased recall of never-experienced events; this recall persisted over time, and participants were at least moderately confident in their recall of these never-experienced events. We discuss the branching off of this work into the courts and psychotherapy.}, }
@article {pmid40578069, year = {2025}, author = {Rademacher, N and McLeod, MC and Williams, CP and Awan, S and McElroy, KE and Saini, G and Gogineni, K and Luningham, JM and Aneja, R and Gutnik, LA}, title = {Association between travel burden and surgical timeliness for women with breast cancer in Georgia.}, journal = {American journal of surgery}, volume = {247}, number = {}, pages = {116484}, pmid = {40578069}, issn = {1879-1883}, support = {K01 CA296932/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; K08 CA289935/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; T32 CA229102/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; T32 HS013852/HS/AHRQ HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Breast Neoplasms/surgery ; Georgia ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; *Time-to-Treatment/statistics & numerical data ; *Travel/statistics & numerical data ; Aged ; *Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data ; Adult ; *Mastectomy/statistics & numerical data ; *Healthcare Disparities/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: This study evaluates associations between patient distance traveled to surgical care and receipt of timely breast cancer surgery in Georgia.
METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included electronic health record data from women diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer from 2004 to 2020 who received upfront surgery. Race was self-reported. Distance from patient home address to surgical treatment facility was measured as crow-fly distance. Multivariable logistic regression models estimated associations between time to surgery, race, and distance.
RESULTS: Of 18,240 patients (White = 61 % and Black = 39 %) with a median distance to surgery of 11.4 miles (IQR: 5.9, 19.6), Black patients had approximately half the odds of receiving surgery within the recommended 60 days of diagnosis (OR: 0.52, 95 % CI: 0.47-0.56). Distance traveled was not associated with time to surgery.
CONCLUSION: Understanding mechanisms driving surgical care delays and their effects on breast cancer outcomes is critical to reducing inequities in breast cancer care.}, }
@article {pmid40578306, year = {2025}, author = {Tavares, S and Crow, J}, title = {Advocacy spotlight series: Jennifer Crow.}, journal = {European journal of cardiovascular nursing}, volume = {24}, number = {6}, pages = {1003-1004}, doi = {10.1093/eurjcn/zvaf093}, pmid = {40578306}, issn = {1873-1953}, }
@article {pmid40586182, year = {2025}, author = {Chang, H and Tao, K and Yang, Y and Wang, Y and Ge, M and Wang, X and Tang, S and Yu, H}, title = {Novel Cyclized Hexapeptide-9 Outperforms Retinol Against Skin Aging: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Active- and Vehicle-Controlled Clinical Trial.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {7}, pages = {e70290}, pmid = {40586182}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Double-Blind Method ; Healthy Volunteers ; *Oligopeptides/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; *Peptides, Cyclic/administration & dosage ; Skin/drug effects ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; *Vitamin A/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The functionality and regenerative capacity of skin progressively deteriorate with aging. Topical use of peptides with a hyper-safety profile has been implicated in replacing retinol for skin anti-aging use, but is limited due to low stability and poor skin permeability.
AIMS: In this randomized, double-blinded, active- and vehicle-controlled clinical trial, we aim to evaluate the efficacy of an innovative cyclized hexapeptide-9 (CHP-9) with increased stability and skin permeability on skin aging compared to retinol.
METHODS: Healthy volunteers with aging skin were randomly assigned to twice-daily topical use of 0.002% CHP-9 serum, 0.002% retinol serum, or vehicle serum for 56 days.
RESULTS: CHP-9 treatment significantly decreased the number, area, and roughness of both crow's feet (-2.20, 95% CI: -4.38, -0.03; -3.95, 95% CI: -5.80, -2.11; -1.95, 95% CI: -3.30, -0.59, respectively) and forehead wrinkles (-2.88, 95% CI: -4.21, -1.56; -4.90, 95% CI: -5.97, -3.82; -3.96, 95% CI: -5.92, -2.01, respectively), while retinol only decreased the area of crow's feet (-2.23, 95% CI: -3.86, -0.60) and the number and area of forehead wrinkles (-1.05, 95% CI:-1.69, -0.41). Except for the roughness of crow's feet, CHP-9 demonstrated significantly larger extent of effects than retinol did on all other outcomes. Furthermore, long-term use of CHP-9 showed time-dependent augmentation in its potency to reduce the number of crow's feet, and the number, area, and roughness of forehead wrinkles.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, CHP-9 is more potent than retinol in improving skin aging-related symptoms, especially for long-term use. Cyclization of collagen peptides may present a preventive/therapeutic option for skin aging.}, }
@article {pmid40588685, year = {2025}, author = {Brown, JL}, title = {What are 40 Acres and a Mule Worth in the Twenty-First Century? A Rapid Review of Modern Reparative Initiatives to Address Socioeconomic and Health Inequality Among Black Americans.}, journal = {Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {40588685}, issn = {2196-8837}, abstract = {The historical call for reparations for Black Americans has recently regained relevance. Reparations aim to address not only generational inequality established during slavery but also the perpetuation of socioeconomic and health disparities over time via Jim Crow, redlining, police brutality, and other forms of structural and systemic racism. Using Public Health Critical Race Praxis (PHCRP), this rapid review assesses the landscape of reparative initiatives across the United States at the governmental and organizational levels, analyzing the eligibility criteria, political ideologies, and goals of various stakeholders. Additionally, it examines the potential ability of reparations initiatives to reduce socioeconomic and health inequality. Key themes identified include American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS) should be eligible for reparations; the overall goals of reparative initiatives differ between governments and organizations; reparations extend far beyond direct payments; and reparations initiatives are influenced by one another but largely uncoordinated. The ways in which these themes align with PHCRP and the extensive policy implications are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid40588966, year = {2025}, author = {Giunti, G and Mylonopoulou, V and Rivera-Romero, O and Isomursu, M}, title = {Power Dynamics Analysis of Participatory Design in Digital Health Research: Case Study.}, journal = {Studies in health technology and informatics}, volume = {328}, number = {}, pages = {454-458}, doi = {10.3233/SHTI250760}, pmid = {40588966}, issn = {1879-8365}, mesh = {Humans ; *Power, Psychological ; *Patient Participation/methods ; *Community-Based Participatory Research/organization & administration ; Digital Health ; }, abstract = {Digital health adoption remains a challenge requiring engagement from patients, healthcare professionals, and family members. Participatory design (PD) enables stakeholders to co-create tools but the relationship among stakeholders influences power dynamics. We explored power dynamics in a series of PD workshops with patients, healthcare professionals and family members taking place in 4 different countries. Data was collected through participant observation, recordings, and facilitator interviews, then analyzed using French and Raven's Bases of Power framework. Findings indicate that each stakeholder group holds distinct types of power that impact the design process. Patients brought referent and informational power derived from lived experiences. Healthcare professionals often wielded expert and legitimate power, while family members sometimes exerted coercive or reward power.}, }
@article {pmid40589659, year = {2025}, author = {Nadarajan, V and Thota, B and Dogaroiu, A and Kim, L and Niksic, A and Peters, V and Ngo, TC and Barillas, J and Kenkel, J}, title = {A Decade in Focus: Examining Lessons Learned From Office-Directed Injectables in an Academic Practice.}, journal = {Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {ojaf013}, pmid = {40589659}, issn = {2631-4797}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Noninvasive facial rejuvenation procedures have continued to grow in popularity, with botulinum toxin and injectable soft-tissue fillers being the most common.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in patient cost, provider product preferences, and complications of a single surgeon's 10-year experience with botulinum toxin and soft-tissue fillers. Additionally, this study aimed to quantify the crossover between patients receiving injectables and patients receiving aesthetic surgery.
METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis utilizing internal/departmental records and Epic charting from January 2013 to January 2023. Botulinum toxin and soft-tissue filler cases were captured using select CPT codes, and patient demographics, complications, and follow-up data were recorded.
RESULTS: One thousand three hundred and sixty-eight patients undergoing 5794 injectable cases were assessed. The study population was majority female (89.3%) and Caucasian (78.7%). Injectable cases increased over time, except for a decrease in 2020. Botulinum toxin was most common (59%), followed by fillers (18%), and combination therapy (19%). Common injection sites included the glabella, crow's feet, and forehead for neurotoxins and marionette lines and nasolabial folds for fillers. Complications were rare, with 35 from botulinum toxin and 33 from fillers. Of patients receiving injectables, 19.6% went on to receive an aesthetic surgery, and 0.6% of patients undergoing aesthetic surgery subsequently received injectables.
CONCLUSIONS: Botulinum toxin and soft-tissue fillers are safe with low complication rates when administered by an experienced provider. These procedures may serve as a starting point for patients pursuing antiaging treatments and an opportunity to establish continuity of care for providers.}, }
@article {pmid40608153, year = {2025}, author = {Damini, S and Blum, CR and Sumasgutner, P and Bugnyar, T}, title = {When to mob? plasticity of antipredator behavior in common ravens' families (Corvus corax) across offspring development.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {55}, pmid = {40608153}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Male ; *Crows/physiology/growth & development ; *Predatory Behavior ; *Social Behavior ; *Behavior, Animal ; Humans ; }, abstract = {The ability to respond appropriately to predators is essential for survival. Because response options vary with predation context, anti-predator behavior is often flexible, context dependent and shaped by learning. Corvids engage in predator mobbing, which contains a vocal component (scolding) and predator-directed behaviors (approaches, attacks). Individuals typically gang up for mobbing and pass on information about predators; yet their expression of antipredator behavior is influenced by factors such as social status, age, and rearing conditions. Here we investigated the development of antipredator behavior in ravens, specifically the onset of mobbing and the extent to which these responses are affected by parental agitation. We exposed 12 captive families to a potentially dangerous human (DH) at two stages of offspring development: shortly after fledging and near independence. We tested the hypotheses that (i) parents are more protective when the offspring are young and that (ii) offspring show more predator-directed behaviors with increasing age. We found that (i) adults mobbed significantly more during the early test period and (ii) offspring were less likely to ignore the DH and showed increased engagement during the late test period. These findings suggest that parental anti-predator investment diminishes as offspring develop greater motoric and cognitive abilities. This reduced investment may encourage offspring to independently assess and respond to threats. Yet, they hardly engage in mobbing while they are with their parents. Future studies may clarify if the increase in offsprings' interindividual variance in both mobbing components are indicative for the emergence of individuality.}, }
@article {pmid40613544, year = {2025}, author = {Bai, XD and Liu, YC and Ge, SY and Fei, WC}, title = {Clinical Trial of Salmon Nasal Cartilage-Derived Proteoglycans on Human Facial Antiaging: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {7}, pages = {e70218}, pmid = {40613544}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adult ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Administration, Oral ; Dietary Supplements ; Double-Blind Method ; Elasticity/drug effects ; Face ; *Nasal Cartilages/chemistry ; *Proteoglycans/administration & dosage/adverse effects/pharmacology ; *Salmon ; Skin/drug effects ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Skin Pigmentation/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Proteoglycans (PGs) derived from salmon nasal cartilage are believed to have antiaging effects on the skin. However, comprehensive evaluations of their impact on various skin parameters in Chinese populations remain limited.
AIMS: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of oral PG supplementation in enhancing skin elasticity, hydration, and reducing roughness, wrinkles, and pigmentation in healthy adult volunteers.
METHODS: A 56-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted involving 66 subjects aged 30-60. Subjects received a daily dose of 20 mg PG, and skin parameters were measured at baseline, 28 days, and 56 days. The study assessed skin elasticity, hydration, roughness, wrinkles, melanin content, and brown spots while monitoring for any adverse effects.
RESULTS: Subjects receiving PG supplementation showed significant improvements in skin elasticity and hydration at both 28 days and 56 days (p < 0.001), with reductions in skin roughness and wrinkles (p < 0.001), and a significant decrease in melanin content and brown spots (p < 0.001). Compared to the placebo group, the PG group exhibited significant improvements in most skin parameters by 56 days, except in the wrinkle area percentage at the crow's feet, where no significant difference was observed. PG was well tolerated, with no adverse effects reported.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that daily oral intake of 20 mg PG effectively improves skin health by enhancing elasticity, hydration, and reducing signs of aging such as wrinkles and pigmentation.}, }
@article {pmid40623149, year = {2025}, author = {Gallimore, M and Krackow, E}, title = {An Examination of Developmental Factors in False Confessions.}, journal = {The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis}, volume = {73}, number = {3}, pages = {274-295}, doi = {10.1080/00207144.2025.2513918}, pmid = {40623149}, issn = {1744-5183}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; *Deception ; Adolescent ; Executive Function ; Impulsive Behavior ; Delay Discounting ; Age Factors ; }, abstract = {We examined possible developmental factors associated with false confessions. Participants (N = 33) between 13-and-37-years-old (M = 21.79, SD = 6.20) completed a delay discounting task and a pencil-and-paper measure of impulsivity. A researcher accused the participant of having engaged in an accidental wrongdoing. Approximately half the participants confessed. When chronological age and impulsivity scores of confessors and nonconfessors were examined, neither differed significantly, although Bayesian analyses provided moderate evidence that participants who confessed were older. Additionally, some analyses were conducted by creating developmental groups in which participants were divided into ongoing and completed executive functioning (EF) groups, using age as a proxy for EF. False confessions did not differ by EF-proxy developmental group. However, an analysis of the instability of false confession across oral and written modes revealed significant developmental group effects based on specific mode of confession. The reasons people provided for their choice to confess or not confess were examined and are consistent with cases depicted in the literature of false confessions. Forensic implications, as well as the overlap between this work and that of Steven Jay Lynn are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid40625330, year = {2025}, author = {Zhou, F and Lu, Y and Liu, J and Liang, W}, title = {Geographical Variation in Egg Rejection by Azure-Winged Magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) Across China.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {7}, pages = {e71726}, pmid = {40625330}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Brood parasitism negatively affects the reproductive success of hosts, leading many hosts to evolve defense strategies to recognize and reject parasitized eggs. While studies have shown that hosts may adjust their defensive behavior according to parasitism risk, whether different geographical populations of the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus), which are parasitized by multiple cuckoo species and face varying parasitism risks, exhibit geographical variation in egg rejection behavior is unclear. As studies have shown that the color of model eggs can influence the egg rejection behavior of hosts, we also tested whether red or blue model eggs would affect the egg rejection behavior of the azure-winged magpies. From April to June in 2023, we investigated the egg recognition ability of azure-winged magpie populations in Fusong County, Jilin Province; Huangpi District, Hubei Province; and Luqu County, Gansu Province, China. The results showed that the azure-winged magpie populations in all three regions rejected approximately 100% of the model eggs, with no significant difference in rejection rates between red and blue model eggs. This study revealed that Chinese populations of azure-winged magpies exhibited high egg recognition ability. There was no geographical variation in their egg rejection behavior when presented with non-mimetic blue or red model eggs. This study provided basic data for further research on the anti-parasitic strategies of the azure-winged magpie.}, }
@article {pmid40630878, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, J and Dong, M and Liu, L and Qiu, S and Pan, M and Zhou, X and Qian, Q}, title = {The Role of Executive Function in the Co-occurrence of ADHD and Developmental Dyscalculia in Chinese Children.}, journal = {Alpha psychiatry}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {42712}, pmid = {40630878}, issn = {2757-8038}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of executive function deficits in children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbid with developmental dyscalculia (ADHD+DD).
METHODS: Three groups of Chinese children (n = 637) aged from 6 to 16 years were included in this study. Initially, a between-group comparison on both performance-based and scale-based executive function was conducted, controlling for age, Raven score, and gender. Partial correlation analysis and regression analysis were then used to investigate the association between executive function, ADHD symptoms, and arithmetic ability. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis and path analysis were used to differentiate the effect of executive functions on ADHD without developmental dyscalculia (ADHD-DD) and ADHD+DD.
RESULTS: Both ADHD groups had more severe executive function impairment than the control group. Compared with the ADHD-DD group, the ADHD+DD group performed worse in performance-based executive functions but similar in scale-based executive functions. ADHD-DD and ADHD were differentiated by inhibition (odds ratio (OR) = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.42; 2.81) and processing speed (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.84; 0.97). In terms of symptom dimensions, verbal working memory had an effect on ADHD symptoms and complex subtraction (pIna = 0.006, pHI = 0.018, pCS = 0.002), processing speed (pIna = 0.002, pCS = 0.001) and working memory factors influenced inattention and complex subtraction (pIna < 0.001, pCS = 0.001), and inhibition (p = 0.004) and cognitive flexibility (p = 0.013) contributed uniquely to complex subtraction.
CONCLUSION: Individuals with ADHD+DD exhibit multiple executive function deficits, with inhibition and processing speed being potential etiological factors. Verbal working memory, processing speed, and working memory factors are shared executive function deficits for ADHD symptoms and arithmetic ability. Cognitive flexibility and inhibition are specific risk factors for arithmetic ability.}, }
@article {pmid40635306, year = {2026}, author = {Jay, EK and Patterson, C and Moxham, L}, title = {The Jay-Canvas Artboard Approach: an innovative arts-based research method.}, journal = {Nurse researcher}, volume = {34}, number = {1}, pages = {24-31}, doi = {10.7748/nr.2025.e1968}, pmid = {40635306}, issn = {2047-8992}, mesh = {Humans ; *Art ; *Nursing Research/methods ; *Research Design ; *Data Collection/methods ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: There is an increasing need to develop innovative ways of collecting data that empower vulnerable people, such as those who use mental health services.
AIM: To describe a novel, arts-based research method called the Jay-Canvas Artboard Approach (Jay-CAA), which involves a group collectively writing short descriptions on a canvas artboard about their experiences.
DISCUSSION: The authors asked participants in two studies to use coloured pens to write decorative comments on shared canvas artboards. They then analysed this data using thematic analysis.
CONCLUSION: The Jay-CAA enabled the creation and collection of data in a time-effective way that was unproblematic for recruiting and retaining participants.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The Jay-CAA method enables research participants to summarise and express their experiences.}, }
@article {pmid40637207, year = {2025}, author = {Merondun, J and Wolf, JBW}, title = {DNA Methylation Reflects Cis-Genetic Differentiation Across the European Crow Hybrid Zone.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {34}, number = {21}, pages = {e70026}, pmid = {40637207}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {//Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München/ ; WO 1426/2-1 (JBWW)//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; Project Grant (JBWW)//Knut och Alice Wallenbergs Stiftelse/ ; ERCStG-336536 FuncSpecGen (JBWW)/ERC_/European Research Council/International ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/genetics ; *DNA Methylation/genetics ; Hybridization, Genetic ; *Genetic Variation ; Genetic Speciation ; Europe ; }, abstract = {Chromatin modifications provide a substrate for epigenetic variation with evolutionary potential. To quantify the contribution of this layer of variation during speciation in crows, we leveraged genome and methylome sequencing data from an incipient avian species: all-black carrion crows, grey-coated hooded crows, and their hybrids. Combining controlled experimentation under common garden conditions and sampling of natural genetic variation across the hybrid zone, we show that 5mC methylation variation was largely explained by genome properties and the ontogenetic programme of the organism. Taxonomically related methylation divergence clustered in intergenic space, with the only genomic region of strongly elevated genetic differentiation encoding the diagnostic colour contrast between taxa. We conclude that methylation variation with relevance to speciation largely follows cis-genetic polymorphism in this system and does not constitute an autonomous axis of evolution.}, }
@article {pmid40645200, year = {2025}, author = {Beier, FD and Dietrich, JP and Heinke, J and Abrahao, G and von Jeetze, P and Bodirsky, BL and Crawford, M and Humpenöder, F and Merfort, L and Weindl, I and Herrero, M and Mason-D'Croz, D and Rockström, J and Sundiang, M and Wierik, ST and Norberg, A and Klein, D and Müller, C and Lotze-Campen, H and Popp, A}, title = {Planetary boundaries under a land-based climate change mitigation scenario with a food demand transformation: a modelling study.}, journal = {The Lancet. Planetary health}, volume = {9}, number = {10}, pages = {101249}, doi = {10.1016/S2542-5196(25)00087-7}, pmid = {40645200}, issn = {2542-5196}, mesh = {*Climate Change ; Greenhouse Gases ; *Food Supply ; Models, Theoretical ; *Conservation of Natural Resources/methods ; Global Warming/prevention & control ; Humans ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Ambitious climate change mitigation in all economic sectors is crucial for limiting global warming. Cost-effective mitigation pathways to keep global average temperature increases below 1·5°C by the end of the 21st century often rely on land-based greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions, increased land-based carbon uptake and biomass supply to other sectors (eg, energy and transport), and demand-side changes in the food system. To evaluate the broader sustainability of land-based climate change mitigation action, we evaluated synergies and trade-offs of individual and combined supply-side mitigation measures across five planetary boundaries. We also examined the role of a food demand transformation aligned with the dietary recommendations of the updated planetary health diet defined in the forthcoming EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 report in shaping planetary boundary outcomes.
METHODS: In this modelling study, we used the dynamic land-system modelling framework MAgPIE to assess the consequences of land-based GHG reductions, increased land-based carbon uptake, increased biomass supply to other sectors, and a food-system transformation towards the planetary health diet including food waste reductions on five planetary boundary domains (climate change, nitrogen, land-system change, freshwater use, and biosphere integrity) relative to a reference scenario without land-system mitigation throughout the century. For each planetary boundary control variable, we calculated the level of planetary boundary transgression (ie, the extent to which scenario outcomes exceeded the defined safe operating space) and assessed the contributions of land-based mitigation strategies to reducing planetary boundary transgressions projected for the reference scenario.
FINDINGS: Our projections show that a food-system transformation together with ambitious land-system and energy-system climate change mitigation can limit global warming to below 1·5°C by 2100, while also reducing planetary boundary transgression (particularly for the climate change, land-system change, biosphere integrity, and nitrogen planetary boundaries). However, a safe operating space was not achieved through these mitigation measures, as most planetary boundaries were still projected to remain transgressed by the end of the 21st century. Increased bioenergy supply alone worsened planetary boundary transgression when only looking at land-system impacts, but combining increased bioenergy supply with GHG pricing in the land system alleviated these trade-offs. Food waste reductions and dietary shifts towards the planetary health diet were projected to ease pressures on the land system and reduce planetary boundary transgression of all assessed planetary boundaries.
INTERPRETATION: This research highlights the importance of considering multiple planetary boundaries and the interactions between various mitigation strategies when assessing climate mitigation action in the land system to avoid negative consequences for other aspects of the environment. Following an ambitious climate change mitigation pathway compatible with the Paris Agreement results in a transgression of all assessed five planetary boundaries by 2100. However, the combination of the land-system mitigation measures included in this study produced a substantial shift towards the safe operating space for humanity.
FUNDING: EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0.}, }
@article {pmid40651201, year = {2025}, author = {D, C and M, M}, title = {Fusion of bio-inspired optimization and machine learning for Alzheimer's biomarker analysis.}, journal = {Computers in biology and medicine}, volume = {196}, number = {Pt A}, pages = {110746}, doi = {10.1016/j.compbiomed.2025.110746}, pmid = {40651201}, issn = {1879-0534}, mesh = {*Alzheimer Disease/diagnostic imaging/metabolism ; Humans ; Biomarkers/metabolism ; *Machine Learning ; *Deep Learning ; Male ; Female ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Brain/diagnostic imaging ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; }, abstract = {Identification of Alzheimer's Disease (AD), especially in its early phases, presents significant challenges due to the nonexistence of reliable biomarkers and effective treatments. Clinical trials for AD medications also suffer from high failure rates. Accurate diagnosis, prognosis determination, progression monitoring, and treatment effect assessment depend heavily on analysing various brain regions, including the Corpus Callosum (CC), Grey Matter (GM), Hippocampus (HC), Ventricle, and White Matter (WM). Among these, the Hippocampus plays a pivotal role in early detection. This study employs deep learning for classification and optimization techniques for segmenting the HC region to enable the AD diagnosis. The pre-processing of raw images involves histogram equalization and Otsu's thresholding methods. The research focuses on data collection and pre-processing as essential steps for advancing diagnostic methods. Segmentation and classification utilize Elephant Herding Optimization (EHO) and Crow Search Optimization (CSO) techniques in combination with the ResNet50 classifier. The results reveal that Crow Search Optimization achieves superior performance, with an accuracy of 92 %, surpassing Elephant Herding Optimization.}, }
@article {pmid40670669, year = {2025}, author = {Kuspiel, M and Lindeman, A and Naguib, M and Kingma, SA}, title = {The duration of alarm- and territorial defence calls alters receiver response in Eurasian magpies.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {59}, pmid = {40670669}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Territoriality ; Time Factors ; Male ; Female ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; *Songbirds/physiology ; }, abstract = {Animals use vocal signals to provide information across a wide range of contexts. However, it is more complex to identify the information content when the same vocalizations are produced in different contexts, such as against predators and conspecific competitors. This raises the question whether information about the caller or context can be coded in relatively subtle variation within the call type and whether receivers respond differentially to such variation. Using playbacks of the general ‘chatter’ alarm call of Eurasian magpies (Pica pica), we tested whether or not territorial magpies respond differently to variation in call duration and rate. We show that magpies responded acoustically faster to chatters of longer duration, which may signal a greater motivation or urgency of territorial intruders. Alternatively, a delay in chatter response to shorter calls may reflect a period of hesitation and risk avoidance. Interestingly, magpies did not approach the loudspeaker more closely in response to longer calls and the total chatter response did not differ either. This suggests that after the short initial response, the persistence of the signal over time as well as visual information on the level or type of danger become essential for more differentiated response behaviours. Taken together, our results show that magpies perceive and respond differentially to variation in alarm call duration, suggesting that such variation encodes meaningful information.}, }
@article {pmid40680373, year = {2025}, author = {Buniyaadi, A and Bhardwaj, SK and Kumar, V}, title = {Conspecifics confer survival advantage in the face of night-light polluted environment: Evidence from melatonin secretion, sleep, mood and cognitive performance in Indian house crows.}, journal = {Hormones and behavior}, volume = {174}, number = {}, pages = {105793}, doi = {10.1016/j.yhbeh.2025.105793}, pmid = {40680373}, issn = {1095-6867}, mesh = {Animals ; *Melatonin/metabolism ; *Crows/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Affect/physiology ; *Sleep/physiology ; Male ; Circadian Rhythm/physiology ; Light ; Photoperiod ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {The survival advantage of group living remains poorly understood. Here, this was investigated by using several physiological and neurobehavioral traits in Indian house crows (Corvus splendens) in the face of a temporally disrupted day-night environment. Crows were housed singly or with two other conspecifics and subjected to daily 12-h light and 12-h periods of complete (0 lx) or dimly lighted (∼6 lx) dark nights. Nocturnal melatonin and sleep levels were measured as indices of the direct and circadian effects, while mood (feeding, preening, and self-mutilation) and cognition (innovative problem-solving task) performances were considered reflecting the higher-order brain function effects. Under 6-lx dim light at night (dLAN) condition, group housing alleviated the depressive-like responses and enhanced cognitive performance but had no effect on the midnight melatonin levels and nocturnal sleep consolidation. Concurrently, there were increased nr4a2 and decreased tnfr1 gene expressions in hippocampus, increased dcx and darpp-32 gene expressions in the nidopallium caudolaterale, and th expression in midbrain. We interpret that an increased conspecific interaction improved mood and cognitive performance without affecting the melatonin secretion and sleep in communally roosting house crows. Perhaps, living with conspecifics is part of an overall evolutionary strategy to enhance the survival in a highly social species like the Indian house crow.}, }
@article {pmid40682472, year = {2025}, author = {Farassi, R and d'Oliveira Coelho, J and Carvalho, S}, title = {Habitat Use and the Demographics of Object Manipulation by Wild Chacma Baboons.}, journal = {American journal of biological anthropology}, volume = {187}, number = {3}, pages = {e70094}, pmid = {40682472}, issn = {2692-7691}, support = {//The Palaeontological Scientific Trust (PAST)/ ; //Mr. Greg Carr/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Ecosystem ; Male ; Female ; *Tool Use Behavior/physiology ; *Papio/physiology ; Anthropology, Physical ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Studying object manipulation may offer insights about the emergence of habitual tool use in the hominin clade. Previous research on object manipulation has focused on habitual tool-using animals such as apes, capuchins, dolphins, and corvids. Investigating object manipulation in wild baboons, a highly social, ecologically adaptable, and terrestrial primate that is not a habitual tool user, can shed further light on the pressures favoring or inhibiting the use of technology. In this study, we investigate factors that influence object manipulation in the chacma baboons of Gorongosa National Park, across demographic and environmental conditions.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data using focal and scan sampling, with the aid of the Animal Observer app, and recorded object use and other behaviors. We followed three focal troops: Chitengo, Montebelo, and Floodplain. A total of 2262 observations were recorded across 88 individuals (787 events involved object use).
RESULTS: Mixed-effects logistic regressions revealed that habitat, age, and substrate use significantly predicted object use among baboons. Object use was most likely in open forests. Adults are less likely to engage in object manipulation, and this behavior decreases with age, which is in line with previous results reported for bonobos. Interestingly, baboons spend more time manipulating objects arboreally than terrestrially.
DISCUSSION: Our findings contribute to the current discussions about the contexts that promote tool use across the primate order. Further studies expanding on these results and assessing differential availability of resources can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution of tool use.}, }
@article {pmid40688176, year = {2025}, author = {Elman, C and Feltey, K and Wittman, B and Stevens, C and Isenberg, MB}, title = {'Little Baby's gone to Heaven': A Mixed-Methods Study of Black Children's Survival Disadvantage in Jim Crow-Era Arkansas.}, journal = {Social science history}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {40688176}, issn = {0145-5532}, support = {P2C HD065563/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG034424/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Nearly all US Black children born before 1910 were born in the American South. We use a mixed-methods design to examine Black children's survival disadvantage over the twentieth century's turn under the rising regime of Jim Crow. We focus on 1910 Arkansas, taking advantage of within-state heterogeneity in agriculture (plantation vs. subsistence farming), disease environments, and geographic racial concentration (macro-segregation). This one-state focus allows purposive sampling of Works Progress Administration and Behind the Veil oral interviews of Arkansan Black Americans who were born or lived under the state's Jim Crow regime. We also use the 1910 complete-count Integrated Public Use Microdata Series (IPUMS) linked to US Decennial and 1916 Plantation Censuses to examine race-related differences in child mortality rates among ever-married, parous Arkansas women (n = 234,811). Count regression models find the Black-White child mortality gap widest among Arkansas mothers economically tied to plantation vs. subsistence agriculture; exposed to worse health environments; living in tenant farm vs. owned-farm households; and with limited individual resources such as literacy. Oral accounts illustrate how Black children's lives reflected contextual, living standard, psychosocial, and other health risks associated with the racialized policies and practices of the Jim Crow South; they capture otherwise hidden historical processes that linked the era's institutional racism and child mortality.}, }
@article {pmid40693715, year = {2025}, author = {Westheimer, G}, title = {Jay M. Enoch (1929-2025), Berkeley Optometry Dean and leading retina researcher: A biographical memoir of an important 20th-century vision researcher and optometric educator, by one of his contemporaries.}, journal = {Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry}, volume = {102}, number = {8}, pages = {475-479}, doi = {10.1097/OPX.0000000000002277}, pmid = {40693715}, issn = {1538-9235}, }
@article {pmid40697942, year = {2025}, author = {Kryukov, AP}, title = {Genetic variation and phylogeography of the magpie's genus Pica in the Holarctic.}, journal = {Vavilovskii zhurnal genetiki i selektsii}, volume = {29}, number = {4}, pages = {578-593}, doi = {10.18699/vjgb-25-61}, pmid = {40697942}, issn = {2500-0462}, abstract = {The theory of Pleistocene refugia is often used to explain the population genetic structure of species. However, it does not fully account for the diversity of species-specific characteristics and natural conditions. The genus Pica, which is widespread in the Holarctic, provides an ideal model for studying phylogeographic patterns in order to better understand processes of diversification and speciation. Markers of mitochondrial DNA remain widely used in phylogeographic studies, despite advances of whole genome techniques. We have summarized published research on the mitochondrial DNA Control Region (CR) variation, based on data from 279 samples which represent the majority of extant taxa across the entire distribution range of the genus. In the phylogenetic trees and networks, we found several cases of reciprocal monophyly among most allopatric species and subspecies, and in addition some examples of paraphyly and polyphyly. Bayesian skyline plots were calculated to explore population dynamics over time. They showed varying longevity of the lineages since their origin or after experiencing a bottleneck, e. g., in the case of the Kamchatka population, as well as unequal rates of expansion. In most cases, speciation followed a geographic model involving expansion and vicariance, sometimes with divergence in refugia. Somewhere, peripatric speciation may have happened due to separation of a marginal populations. By comparing haplotype composition among populations, we traced the origin of the recently established populations on Hokkaido and Kyushu islands from a limited number of colonizers from the mainland. Isolated cases of species in statu nascendi were identified through evidence of incomplete lineage sorting, leading to paraphyly, or signs of limited unidirectional interspecies introgression of nuclear genes in secondary contact zones. Several hypotheses regarding the formation of the magpie´s range are proposed. Various evolutionary scenarios found in the genus Pica were compared to those reported for the other bird species in a number of literature sources.}, }
@article {pmid40708691, year = {2025}, author = {Jeffers, NK and Arrington, LA and Marcelle, E and Snowden, EC and Aslami, LM and Mensah, CN and Marea, CX}, title = {"This year is not about carrying the heaviest burden"- a qualitative study on Black women's postpartum experiences.}, journal = {SSM. Qualitative research in health}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {40708691}, issn = {2667-3215}, support = {KL2 TR001432/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; TL1 TR001431/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {There is a growing literature that seeks to understand Black women/birthing people's postpartum experiences, particularly in the context of structural, political and historical exclusion of Black people in the United States. The overarching goals of this manuscript were to explore Black women's postpartum experiences, how racism impacts the postpartum year, and for those insights to reimagine a model of postpartum care that enables Black birthing people to achieve that vision of wellness. We conducted four focus groups with 23 self-identified Black women in the Washington DC metropolitan area who had given birth in the prior two years. Participants attributed the intense overwhelm that characterizes the postpartum period to the historical legacy of slavery, the Jim Crow era, and the enduring "strong Black woman" racial trope. Most participants reported receiving only one postpartum care visit amidst unmet care needs. Structural barriers like transportation, minimal paid leave, and crowded and racially segregated healthcare systems contributed to feelings that postpartum care and wellness were inaccessible. Racist encounters with healthcare providers and fears of family policing sometimes led to care avoidance as a means of mitigating harm while simultaneously motivating attempts to seek racially and culturally concordant care. Participants also shared the ways in which they resisted racism while also rejoicing in mothering and child (ren). Our findings demonstrate an urgent need to reimagine postpartum care to address the enduring impact of the historical context, the manifestations of racism, and the structural ways that postpartum is neglected, while also promoting wellness and joy.}, }
@article {pmid40708954, year = {2025}, author = {Yoshida, T and Kobayashi, M and Hara, D and Taniguchi, R and Fukunaga, Y and Sone, M}, title = {Cognitive function and speech outcomes after cochlear implantation in older adults.}, journal = {Frontiers in neurology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1630946}, pmid = {40708954}, issn = {1664-2295}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The impact of cochlear implantation on cognitive function in older adults and the relationship between preoperative cognitive ability and postoperative speech perception remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of cochlear implant use on cognitive function in older adults and to explore the association between preoperative cognitive ability and postoperative speech discrimination.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study at a university hospital between June 2017 and March 2025. Thirty cochlear implant recipients aged ≥61 years were included, with 21 receiving unilateral implants and nine receiving bilateral implants. All participants underwent cognitive assessments both preoperatively and postoperatively. We analyzed the cognitive function test results before and after cochlear implantation. The primary outcomes measured were: (1) the correlation between preoperative cognitive test scores and postoperative speech discrimination scores; and (2) longitudinal changes in postoperative cognitive function.
RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was observed between preoperative Kohs Block Design Test scores and postoperative speech discrimination scores (p < 0.01). Preoperative Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices scores also correlated positively with postoperative speech discrimination scores (p < 0.05). Postoperatively, Kohs scores demonstrated significant positive correlations with both the Mini-Mental State Examination (p < 0.01) and Reading Cognitive Test Kyoto test (p < 0.0001) scores. Following a 3.7-year mean follow-up, Kohs scores remained stable, with some patients showing improvements.
CONCLUSION: Cognitive assessments performed during the preoperative CI evaluation may yield valuable insights into postoperative outcomes in older adults. Additionally, long-term postoperative cognitive function is generally preserved, with the potential for improvement following cochlear implantation.}, }
@article {pmid40710810, year = {2025}, author = {von Gugelberg, HM and Troche, SJ}, title = {Individual Differences in Strategy and the Item-Position Effect in Reasoning Ability Measures.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {13}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {40710810}, issn = {2079-3200}, abstract = {Despite the high similarity of reasoning ability items, research indicates that individuals apply different strategies when solving them. The two distinct strategies are response elimination and constructive matching. The latter, frequently showing a positive correlation with reasoning ability, entails the individual systematically investigating the presented problem matrix of an item before scanning the response alternatives. To further understand the sources of individual differences in strategy use during test taking, three different eye-tracking metrics were investigated in participants (N = 210) solving the Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM). Relying on the fixed-links modeling approach, bifactor models were fit to the data. The latent model approach revealed, in line with other research, a positive correlation between reasoning ability and constructive matching. The results further indicated that a change in strategy use was correlated with the item-position effect and not reasoning ability. The former exhibited a different direction of effect, depending on the eye-tracking metric analyzed. When investigating the toggle rate, the participants used more constructive matching towards the end of the APM. The proportional time to first fixation on response alternatives indicated less constructive matching as the test progressed, and the proportional time on the problem matrix exhibited no distinct pattern regarding a change in strategy use. These diverging results point towards the possibility of a more nuanced problem-solving behavior than previously assumed. By including the item-position effect in the analyses, the increasing individuals differences in problem-solving behavior can be taken into account, which could be a necessary step in attaining a more comprehensive understanding of problem-solving behavior.}, }
@article {pmid40711602, year = {2025}, author = {Daw, F and Beheim, BA and Wascher, CAF}, title = {Correction: Evolutionary drivers of caching behaviour in corvids.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {65}, doi = {10.1007/s10071-025-01989-4}, pmid = {40711602}, issn = {1435-9456}, }
@article {pmid40711630, year = {2025}, author = {Vernouillet, A and Huang, N and Kelly, DM}, title = {Correction: Pinyon Jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) and Clark's nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) can discriminate between pilfering and non-pilfering conspecifics, but not between heterospecifics.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {64}, doi = {10.1007/s10071-025-01995-6}, pmid = {40711630}, issn = {1435-9456}, }
@article {pmid40718697, year = {2025}, author = {Jiménez, J and Finat, R and Fernández-Tizón, M and Hernández-Hernández, J and Martínez-González, AI and Virgós, E}, title = {Jackdaws Use Lynx Scat in Nests: Implications for Iberian Lynx Genetic Monitoring.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {7}, pages = {e71859}, pmid = {40718697}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {We present the first documented case of jackdaws (Coloeus monedula) collecting and placing Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) scat in their nests in the Montes de Toledo, Spain. This behavior may significantly compromise conservation efforts for species whose monitoring relies on non-invasive genetic sampling-such as the lynx-especially in areas with dense populations of jackdaws or other species exhibiting similar behavior, where this removal may substantially reduce sample availability. Using artificial nest boxes equipped with camera traps, we confirmed that jackdaws actively transport lynx scat to their nests. In a controlled experiment simulating a lynx latrine, all scat was removed in just over an hour. Simulations using spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models showed that this behavior can introduce bias and reduce the accuracy of population estimates based on genetic sampling, a widely used method in wildlife monitoring. These findings highlight the importance of considering interspecific interactions when designing monitoring protocols for threatened species. More broadly, this case illustrates how overlooked ecological behaviors can compromise conservation tools and underscores the need for adaptive monitoring strategies in dynamic ecosystems.}, }
@article {pmid40719962, year = {2025}, author = {Devita, M and Ravelli, A and Panzeri, A and Castaldo, A and Arioli, M and Olivito, G and Berardi, A and Miscioscia, A and Ferrari, C and Siciliano, L and Mariotti, C and De Rui, M and Ghisi, M and Cattaneo, Z and Sergi, G and Mapelli, D and Leggio, M}, title = {The Italian Standardization of the Cerebellar Cognitive Affective/Schmahmann Syndrome Scale: Cognitive Profiling in a Healthy, Heterogeneous Population.}, journal = {Cerebellum (London, England)}, volume = {24}, number = {5}, pages = {138}, pmid = {40719962}, issn = {1473-4230}, support = {PRIN_PNRR_2022 P2022TWSWS//Fondo per il Programma Nazionale della Ricerca (PNR) e Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)/ ; PRIN_PNRR_2022 P2022TWSWS//Fondo per il Programma Nazionale della Ricerca (PNR) e Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale (PRIN)/ ; PRIN 20203LT7H3//Italian Ministry of University and Research/ ; RF-2021-12374279)//Ricerca Finalizzata 2021/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; Italy ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Neuropsychological Tests/standards ; Young Adult ; Aged ; *Cognition/physiology ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; *Cerebellar Diseases/diagnosis/psychology ; Healthy Volunteers ; Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The Cerebellar Cognitive Affective Syndrome (CCAS), also known as Schmahmann's syndrome, is increasingly recognized for its impact on cognitive and emotional functioning yet remains underdiagnosed. This study aimed to standardize the CCAS-Scale (CCAS-S) in the Italian population, enhancing its methodological and statistical validity.
METHODS: A total of 671 healthy Italian volunteers (mean age = 46.19 years with SD 18.47, 58.88% females), were recruited from various geographical, educational and social backgrounds. Participants were assessed using the CCAS-S, alongside the Cognitive Reserve Index questionnaire, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the Mini-Mental State Examination to ensure a comprehensive assessment and establish convergent validity. Moreover, the parallel CCAS-S version B was administered to 51 individuals.
RESULTS: Statistical analyses on the Italian version of the CCAS-S revealed strong psychometric properties. Internal consistency was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha values of 0.70 and 0.74 for parallel forms A and B. Construct validity was supported by a moderate-to-high correlation (r = 0.453) with the Mini-Mental State Examination, suggesting both scales are related yet measure different cognitive functions, with the CCAS-S focusing on executive functions. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability were optimal (ICC = 0.902 and 0.989, respectively). Minimal practice effects were observed after 1 to 3 months, with further validation achieved using parallel version B.
CONCLUSIONS: The present work provides the first Italian standardization of CCAS-S. The results highlight the necessity for increased awareness and recognition of CCAS in clinical settings, advocating for the integration of the CCAS-S into routine assessments to improve diagnostic accuracy and patient care.}, }
@article {pmid40720520, year = {2025}, author = {Videman, K and Ashorn, U and Ashorn, P and Hallamaa, L and Maleta, K and Mangani, C and Leppänen, JM}, title = {Eye-tracking measures of oculomotor speed and control as markers of cognitive ability in Malawian adolescent population: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial.}, journal = {PLOS global public health}, volume = {5}, number = {7}, pages = {e0004811}, pmid = {40720520}, issn = {2767-3375}, abstract = {Processing speed and response control are fundamental properties of brain function and potential markers of cognitive ability. This study, a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, examined whether eye-tracking measures of saccadic reaction time and gaze control are associated with an established cognitive ability test, Raven's coloured progressive matrices (CPM), among 13-year-old rural Malawian adolescents (1003 participants, 50.3% boys). Mean prosaccadic reaction time (pSRTm), antisaccade error rate (PE) and CPM result were obtained for 760 (75.8%), 621 (61.6%) and 997 (99.4%) children. Pearson correlation and linear regression were used to evaluate the association of the tasks.Faster pSRTm and lower PE were very weakly associated with higher CPM score (rs -0.12, p = .001 and -0.11, p = .006). In the covariate adjusted regression models, faster prosaccadic reaction time (pSRTm) was very weakly associated with higher scores in CPM test (adjusted coef -0.02, 95%CI (-.03- -.002), p = .03), but antisaccadic errors were not associated with CPM score (adjusted coef -0.63, 95%CI (-1.60 -.33), p = .20). Post hoc-analyses suggested stronger associations between eye-tracking measures and CPM among participants with more schooling (years in school <4.5 or >4.5, rs between pSRTm and CPM -0.05 and -0.21; between PE and CPM -0.01 and -0.39). The results confirm the predicted association between saccadic speed and cognitive ability in an understudied population, but the connection is weaker than expected according to earlier studies. Schooling potentially moderates the association between eye-tracking tests and CPM.}, }
@article {pmid40723516, year = {2025}, author = {Hayward, L}, title = {Reader Responses to Online Reporting of Tagged Bird Behavior.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {15}, number = {14}, pages = {}, pmid = {40723516}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {This paper explores responses to online coverage of an avian tracking project. Researchers attached novel trackers to a small group of wild magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen). These were subsequently removed by conspecifics, an example of 'rescue behavior' that was recounted in several media outlets. Online comments on three articles, from across the political spectrum (the Conversation, UK Guardian, and UK Daily Mail), were selected for thematic analysis. The resulting 680 comments were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to uncover predominant themes and the overall balance of positive and negative sentiments expressed about this tagging project or wildlife tagging generally. Topics occurring most frequently were themed into three interrelated areas: (1) sharing personal feelings and experiences, (2) comparing the merits of different species, and (3) sharing knowledge and opinion. Twenty-one percent (21%) of respondents expressed an opinion on the ethics of wildlife tagging. In the Daily Mail and Guardian, this opinion was more likely to be negative towards the use of tags. Opinion was more balanced for readers of the Conversation's article. Willingness to comment on online news is low, and readers of this story were not asked directly for their opinion. Nevertheless, the data here illustrate some public perceptions of wildlife tagging, and there was a clear negative reaction from many responders. Widening the means through which people can engage with animal science has the potential to advance discussions around research ethics and animal welfare. Reactions to this story expose important questions for scientists seeking to engage with, and convince, the public of the merits of their work.}, }
@article {pmid40732203, year = {2025}, author = {Kim, J and Kim, H and Goh, J and Nam, SW and Chung, EJ and Shin, M and Seol, D and Kim, KH and Kwak, W}, title = {The Complete Genomes of Microcystis ichthyoblabe Kützing and Microcystis protocystis (Crow) Komárek & Anagnostidis Reveal the Complexity and Plasticity of Microcystis Genomes.}, journal = {Microorganisms}, volume = {13}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {40732203}, issn = {2076-2607}, abstract = {Microcystis is a genus of cyanobacteria responsible for harmful algal blooms (HABs) in freshwater ecosystems, posing significant ecological and public health risks. Despite its importance, current genomic resources are heavily biased toward Microcystis aeruginosa, limiting comprehensive understanding of genomic diversity within the genus. In this study, we present the first complete genome sequences of two morphospecies, M. ichthyoblabe FBCC-A1114 and M. protocystis FBCC-A270. Using long-read sequencing, both genomes were assembled into single circular chromosomes of 5.84 Mb and 5.76 Mb, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses placed both strains within genospecies G, alongside M. aeruginosa and M. viridis. Comparative analysis of biosynthetic gene clusters revealed that, while most genospecies G members harbor aeruginosin, cyanobactin, and microviridin gene clusters, the two newly sequenced strains lack cyanobactin and microcystin clusters but retain the microginin cluster. Synteny analysis demonstrated high structural conservation between the two genomes, while notable structural variations were observed when compared with M. aeruginosa NIES-298. These findings reveal both functional and structural plasticity within the genospecies, suggesting ecotype diversification driven by environmental adaptation. The newly assembled genomes provide critical resources to refine classification frameworks and advance our understanding of Microcystis genomic diversity.}, }
@article {pmid40737589, year = {2025}, author = {Kim, YJ and Hwang, K}, title = {Graceful Aging in the Bust of Hadrian: Reflections for Modern Anti-Aging Surgery Ethics.}, journal = {The Journal of craniofacial surgery}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1097/SCS.0000000000011721}, pmid = {40737589}, issn = {1536-3732}, abstract = {Roman imperial portraiture served not only to project authority but also to communicate cultural and philosophical values. Emperor Hadrian's busts are notable for expressing visible signs of aging-deliberate departure from the ageless idealism of prior emperors such as Augustus. This paper examines how Hadrian's sculpted image embodies a vision of graceful aging and considers its relevance to modern anti-aging surgery ethics. The aim is to explore the artistic, historical, and philosophical dimensions of Hadrian's portraiture and draw ethical parallels for contemporary aesthetic surgeons who increasingly face requests to erase the physical evidence of age rather than preserve individuality and emotional narrative. Hadrian's likeness features subtle crow's feet, forehead lines, and softening around the jaw-elements typically associated with aging, yet portrayed with remarkable dignity and intellectual poise. This reflects Hellenistic ideals, particularly Stoic and Epicurean values, in which aging signifies wisdom, balance, and self-mastery. In contrast, today's aesthetic culture often pathologizes aging, favoring aggressive rejuvenation and digital smoothness. This commentary proposes the concept of selective aging preservation, encouraging surgeons to retain features that communicate personal identity while respectfully restoring or softening others. Hadrian's marble visage offers more than artistic value; it provides ethical and aesthetic mirror for anti-aging practitioners. Aging need not be erased to achieve beauty. In embracing balanced approach-one that values natural signs of time alongside thoughtful intervention-modern plastic surgery can restore not only surface form but deeper human meaning. The surgeon, like the ancient sculptor, holds the responsibility to craft not just appearance, but legacy.}, }
@article {pmid40738215, year = {2025}, author = {Ferrari Cagidiaco, E and Verniani, G and Pontoriero, DIK and Saracutu, OI and Manfredini, D and Ferrari, M}, title = {Posterior partial crowns out of lithium disilicate with or without posts: A randomized controlled study at 9 years follow up.}, journal = {Journal of dentistry}, volume = {161}, number = {}, pages = {106005}, doi = {10.1016/j.jdent.2025.106005}, pmid = {40738215}, issn = {1879-176X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Crowns ; *Dental Porcelain/chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Follow-Up Studies ; Dental Restoration Failure ; Tooth, Nonvital/therapy ; *Post and Core Technique ; Middle Aged ; Bicuspid ; Adult ; Molar ; Dental Prosthesis Design ; Treatment Outcome ; Cementation/methods ; Aged ; Dental Abutments ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: These randomized controlled clinical aims to evaluate the long-term clinical performance of posterior lithium disilicate partial crowns used to restore endodontically treated teeth (ETT), with or without fiber post placement, over a 9-year period in patients who did not report any bruxism activities at baseline.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were recruited at the University of Siena, Siena, Italy. Patient were≥18 years, in need for one partial crown on posterior teeth (molars and premolars) following endodontic treatment and with at least 50 % of the coronal structure remaining. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: Group 1 received fiber posts for abutment build-up, and Group 2 did not. Lithium disilicate partial crowns were fabricated and adhesively cemented for both groups. Clinical and radiographic evaluations were conducted at baseline, 1, 2, 3, and 9 years. Failures were defined as post debonding/fracture, root fracture, crown dislodgement/fracture, or the presence of periapical lesion. Cox regression analysis was used to assess the influence of post placement and tooth type.
RESULTS: A total of 120 patients were enrolled. At the 9-year follow-up, survival of ETT ranged between 88.8 % in molars without post and to 85.7 % in premolars with no post. No statistically significant difference was observed regarding post placement or tooth type on failure rates (p > .05).
CONCLUSION: The findings of the present clinical trial support the idea in patients with no report of bruxism, the insertion of a fiber post for the reconstruction of endodontically treated teeth with partial crown lithium disilicate in posterior teeth is not a necessary procedure.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: When at least 50 % of coronal structure is maintained, fiber post placement does not significantly influence survival rates. Lithium disilicate partial crowns provide excellent long-term outcomes in restoring endodontically treated posterior teeth.}, }
@article {pmid40742461, year = {2025}, author = {Wascher, CAF and Youngblood, M}, title = {Vocal efficiency in crows.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {75}, pmid = {40742461}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Male ; Female ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {Many communicative systems have been selected for efficiency, shaped by the trade-off between information transmission and energetic or temporal constraints. Linguistic laws such as Menzerath's law-predicting shorter elements in longer sequences-have emerged as widespread principles across vocal communication in many species. While these laws have been predominantly studied at the species level, the influence of individual and social factors remain underexplored. In this study, we investigated adherence to Menzerath's law in the vocal communication of carrion crows, Corvus corone corone, hooded crows, Corvus corone cornix and hybrids. Our findings show that crow call sequences adhere to Menzerath's law, with shorter calls occurring in longer sequences, demonstrating structural efficiency in vocal communication. In carrion crows specifically, we analysed call sequences in relation to individual characteristics (sex, age) and social variables (group size, dominance status, strength of affiliative relationships). Interestingly, adherence to Menzerath's law was stronger in males and younger individuals, while no effects were found for group size, dominance, or affiliative relationships. This study provides the first evidence of Menzerath's law in corvid vocal communication and suggests that individual-level traits, rather than broader social dynamics, may shape vocal efficiency. These findings broaden our understanding of widespread principles in animal communication and raise new questions about the ontogeny and flexibility of vocal efficiency in complex social species.}, }
@article {pmid40758670, year = {2025}, author = {Fattahi, M and Esmaeil-Zadeh, M and Soltanian-Zadeh, H and Rasouli, N and Fallahinia, N and Jafari Mehdi Abad, A and Khosrowabadi, R and Malakouti, SK}, title = {Neuroimaging insights into recent suicide attempters utilizing the raven task.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {8}, pages = {e0327562}, pmid = {40758670}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; *Suicide, Attempted/psychology ; Female ; Adult ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; *Major Depressive Disorder/physiopathology/psychology ; Young Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; *Neuroimaging ; Brain Mapping ; *Brain/physiopathology ; Middle Aged ; Suicidal Ideation ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Understanding brain function in individuals who have recently attempted suicide is critical for improving diagnosis and treatment strategies. This study aimed to examine neural activity patterns in such individuals (who had attempted suicide 1-4 weeks before the study) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and the General Linear Model (GLM).
METHODS: Sixty participants were recruited and categorized into three groups: individuals with a recent suicide attempt and Major Depressive Disorder (SA + MDD), individuals with Major Depressive Disorder without a suicide attempt (MDD), and healthy controls (HC). Participants performed the Raven task, consisting of 24 trials with a 25-second time limit for each item. Brain activity was analyzed to identify regional differences among groups using ANOVA, followed by Tukey's post-hoc pairwise comparisons.
RESULTS: Compared to the MDD and HC groups, the SA + MDD group exhibited significantly reduced activation in the left medial superior frontal cortex (SFC), left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and left precentral gyrus. Positive correlations were observed between the Scale for Suicidal Ideation scores and activity in the medial SFC and ACC, whereas a negative correlation was found with precentral gyrus activity. While task accuracy did not significantly differ among the groups, the SA + MDD group demonstrated significantly shorter response durations.
CONCLUSION: Individuals with recent suicide attempts show diminished activation in key left-hemispheric regions involved in cognitive control and problem-solving, including the medial SFC, ACC, and precentral gyrus. These neural deficits may impair decision-making and problem-solving abilities, particularly when compounded by hopelessness and a diminished sense of purpose, potentially contributing to increased suicide risk.}, }
@article {pmid40759476, year = {2025}, author = {Zahid, N and Mughal, MN and Brown, N and Mårtensson, A and Mårtensson, T and Ibrahim, MS and Naeem, S and Qazi, S and Amin, W and Azam, I and Mushtaq, N and Moochhala, M and Kausar, F and Hasan, A and Javeed, F and Rehman, L and Altaf, S and Kirmani, S and Enam, SA}, title = {MicroRNA Expression and Neurocognitive Outcomes in Children and Young People With Primary Brain Tumor in Karachi, Pakistan: A Pilot Exploratory Study.}, journal = {Brain tumor research and treatment}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, pages = {87-94}, pmid = {40759476}, issn = {2288-2405}, support = {//Aga Khan University/Pakistan ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: microRNAs regulate various cellular pathways and may serve as medium-term prognostic markers in neurocognitive function, as suggested by adult studies. However, no comparable data exist for children with central nervous system tumors. This pilot study explored miRNA expression and its correlation with 12-month posttreatment neurocognitive function in children and young adults (5-21 years) with primary brain tumors.
METHODS: The study was conducted at Aga Khan University Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (November 2020 to July 2023). This study analyzed serum levels of miR-21, miR-146a, miR-296-5p, miR-210, and miR-10b using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR. Neurocognitive assessments using Slosson Intelligence Test, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and Wechsler Intelligence Scale were performed at pretreatment and 12 months posttreatment. The paired t-test was used to assess miRNA expressions, and correlation analysis assessed relationships between pretreatment miRNA expression and neurocognitive outcomes.
RESULTS: Of the 48 patients, serum samples were available for analysis from 34 (71%) patients each at pretreatment and 48 hours post-surgery, and 13 (27%) patients at 12 months posttreatment. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between pretreatment miR-210 levels and perceptual reasoning scores at 12 months posttreatment (ρ=-0.59), and a positive correlation between pretreatment miR-10b levels and processing speed scores (ρ=0.49). However, there were no differences in microRNA expressions between pretreatment and 48 hours post-surgery (n=34), pretreatment and 12 months posttreatment (n=13), or 48 hours post-surgery and 12 months posttreatment.
CONCLUSION: This pilot exploratory study found two statistically significant correlations: a negative correlation between pretreatment miR-210 levels and 12 months posttreatment perceptual reasoning scores and a positive correlation between miR-10b expression and 12 months posttreatment speed scores. Further studies are needed to understand the protective or restorative function of miR-10b in cognitive processes and the detrimental role of miR-210 in cognitive processes to evaluate their potential future use as prognostic biomarkers for neurocognitive outcomes in children and young people with primary brain tumors.}, }
@article {pmid40759695, year = {2025}, author = {Leibovici, A and Itzhaki, N and Shapsa, H and Yvgeny, J and Lerer, and Shechtman, M and Mesika, D and Raizman, R and Tsarfaty, G and Zibly, Z and Ungar, L and Peled, A and Gardner, RC and Zaltsman, SL and Bondi, M and Gaidukov, E and Schmahmann, JD and Plavsic, A and Livny, A}, title = {Compensatory cerebellar activation during fluid intelligence processing following mild traumatic brain injury.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {28377}, pmid = {40759695}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; *Cerebellum/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Adult ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; *Brain Concussion/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging/psychology ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Cognition/physiology ; Brain Mapping ; }, abstract = {Cognitive outcome following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) vary widely, with many individuals experiencing long-term impairments associated with frontoparietal network dysfunction. Mild TBI patients have demonstrated functional reorganization, suggesting an expansion of activation to cerebellar regions during specific executive functions. In this study, we investigated cerebellar involvement in fluid intelligence processing using a novel fMRI paradigm based on Raven's Progressive Matrices in 51 acute mTBI patients and 61 healthy controls. Despite comparable task accuracy, mTBI patients exhibited significantly increased activation in anterior cerebellar regions, including Vermis III and Cerebellum IV-V. Seed-based functional connectivity analysis further revealed altered cerebellar-frontoparietal interactions in mTBI patients compared to healthy controls. In mTBI patients, connectivity was enhanced with the left lateral prefrontal cortex and lower with the right posterior parietal cortex, which also showed a change from positive to negative connectivity. These findings suggest that the cerebellum is adaptively recruited to maintain cognitive performance, in line with the cerebellar reserve theory. This study provides initial evidence of cerebellar activation during fluid intelligence processing in mTBI, highlighting a potential role for the cerebellum in adaptively interacting with cortical networks to support cognitive function following brain injury.}, }
@article {pmid40761836, year = {2025}, author = {Gutierrez, JC and Nlebedum, U and Wanakumjorn, P and Holladay, SD}, title = {Spatial and non-verbal reasoning abilities in first-year female DVM students before and after 4 h of canine osteology training or 19 h of canine dissection: preliminary study.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1593360}, pmid = {40761836}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {Spatial ability refers to human cognitive ability to form, retrieve, and mentally manipulate models of spatial nature. This critical component of human intellect is relevant on a wide spectrum of professional disciplines including engineering, architecture, mathematics, computer sciences, natural sciences and a variety of medical disciplines, including anatomy and diagnostic imaging. In the present study, validated testing tools were used to compare spatial and general non-verbal reasoning abilities in first-year female veterinary medical students. These tests were: Guay's Visualization of Views Test (GVVT) and, Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, short form (APMT). Osteology Group (OG): students took the tests before and after exposure to general canine osteology (4 h). Dissection Group (DG): students took the tests before and after exposure to dissections/pro-sections/palpation labs (19 h). Results for the OG showed a numeric but non-significant increase in GVVT (p = 0.092), with mean scores of 8.01 and 11.34 pre-training and post-training, respectively. Similar results were found for the APMT, with pre-training and post-training mean scores of 7.44 and 8.44 (p = 0.16), respectively. Results for the DG showed a numeric but non-significant increase in GVVT (p = 0.67), with mean scores of 11.77 and 13.28 pre-labs and post-labs, respectively. For the APMT, the increase in scores was significant (p = 0.028), with mean scores of 6.8 and 10.2, pre-labs and post-labs, respectively. Future studies are planned with greater numbers of students and groups with different hours of anatomy exposure. Future studies might also consider subgroups such as pre-veterinary students.}, }
@article {pmid40763283, year = {2025}, author = {Han, L and Yang, K and Ming, Y and Tang, J}, title = {PDCSA: A parallel discrete crow search algorithm for influence maximization in social networks.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {8}, pages = {e0329350}, pmid = {40763283}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Algorithms ; Humans ; *Social Networking ; Models, Theoretical ; }, abstract = {The essence of the influence maximization (IM) problem is how to identify the set of seed nodes so that the node numbers ultimately affected in the network reach the maximum under a certain spreading model. In the field of influence maximization research, the investigation of seed nodes identifying algorithms is a hot yet challenging work. Although conventional greedy algorithms and heuristic algorithms have high performance, their efficiency remains a challenge when applied to large-scale social networks. In recent years, swarm intelligence-based optimization algorithms have seen increasing application in addressing this problem, with notable improvements in performance. However, the efficiency of these swarm intelligence-based algorithms still needs to be improved in large-scale social networks. Based on this issue, a parallel discrete crow search algorithm (PDCSA) designed for parallel computing is proposed. Based on the evolution characteristics, PDCSA makes full use of the efficiency advantage of parallel computing to improve the time efficiency of solving IM problems.The results of experiments conducted on six datasets show that PDCSA achieves performance comparable to state-of-the-art algorithms, with the added advantages of high efficiency and robustness.}, }
@article {pmid40763797, year = {2025}, author = {Reynolds, A}, title = {Topological interactions account for border dynamics of murmurations and transit flocks.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {22}, number = {229}, pages = {20250020}, pmid = {40763797}, issn = {1742-5662}, support = {//SCP/ ; /BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; //Smart/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Models, Biological ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Stochastic Processes ; }, abstract = {Murmurations are one of nature's most striking examples of collective behaviour. Despite extensive research the dynamics of individuals at the borders of these flocks remain poorly understood. These dynamics result in two unexplained phenomena: the tendency of birds to remain longer at the border than the way internal birds keep their position inside the flock; and the hardness (sharpness) of the borders. It has been suggested that the border dynamics can be attributed to selection pressures for advantageous behaviours such as prey evasion. Here with the aid of stochastic models we show that the observed border dynamics are an accidental but potentially advantageous by-product of topological interactions (when birds interact with a fixed number of neighbours) and that they do not arise with metric interactions (when birds coordinate with neighbours based on spatial distance). I find support for these predictions in an analysis of pre-existing telemetry data for flocks of jackdaws (Corvus monedula).}, }
@article {pmid40764895, year = {2026}, author = {Bohnert, M and Heinsen, H and Mittal, P and Bohnert, S}, title = {Macroscopic findings of the skull and brain in fire fatalities - an update.}, journal = {Forensic science, medicine, and pathology}, volume = {22}, number = {2}, pages = {469-479}, pmid = {40764895}, issn = {1556-2891}, mesh = {Humans ; *Burns/pathology ; *Fires ; *Brain/pathology ; *Skull/pathology ; Forensic Pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Female ; Aged ; Young Adult ; }, abstract = {On the skull, the best known and most frequently observed autopsy findings are the heat fractures of the skull and the burn hematoma. The macromorphological changes of the brain have been described comparatively less frequently in the primary and secondary literature. We have evaluated the fire deaths of our institute over a period of 10 years with regard to the macromorphological changes of the skull and brain and described four stages (0-III) after postmortem fireexposure. In stage 0, the scalp showed up to third-degree burns, but the skull and brain were not affected. In stage I, in which the scalp showed fourth degree burns but the skull was still completely intact and unbroken, a certain hardening of the brain and a paling of the lateral parts of the temporal lobes, in particular, could already be regularly observed. In stage II, the head skin was burned away, and the skull was charred but still closed. There was a noticeable shrinkage of the dura mater, which was often torn. The brain itself appeared shrunken, pale and showed a flattening of the convolutions and a spreading of the furrows. In stage III, the skull was opened, charred to calcified and broken in clods. Tears in the dura mater led to herniation of brain tissue to the outside. The aim of this study was to classify the macromorphological changes of the skull and brain after fire exposure, both chronologically and according to their severity. The proposed staged classification (0-III) is intended to summarize the findings and to update and complement the descriptions in the older literature. It can be seen as an extension and further development of the Crow-Glassman scale, which classifies the extent of fire destruction of human bodies.}, }
@article {pmid40765475, year = {2025}, author = {Yang, F and Guo, M and Zhu, J and Wang, H}, title = {Clinical Evaluation of a Multi-Component Facial Mask for Moisturizing, Repairing, and Anti-Aging Effects.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {8}, pages = {e70355}, pmid = {40765475}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Female ; Water Loss, Insensible/drug effects ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Elasticity ; Face ; *Masks ; *Skin Care/instrumentation/methods ; Male ; Skin/diagnostic imaging/drug effects ; Rejuvenation ; *Cosmetic Techniques/instrumentation ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Facial masks are commonly used in skincare for targeted and intensive treatment. However, masks that provide only moisturizing benefits have limited functionality and may not adequately meet comprehensive anti-aging needs.
OBJECTIVES: To design and evaluate the efficacy of a multi-component facial mask for moisturizing, repairing, and anti-aging effects.
METHODS: The clinical efficacy of the facial mask was evaluated in a 28-day study, with skin parameters measured immediately after application, and at 14 and 28 days. Skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured using a Corneometer and a Vapometer, respectively. Skin elasticity and firmness were assessed using a Cutometer. Facial photographs were captured using the VISIA CR system, and wrinkles and roughness were analyzed with Antera 3D.
RESULTS: Immediate and 28-day assessments revealed significant improvements in skin hydration and reduced TEWL (p < 0.001). After 28-day use, skin elasticity and firmness increased by 17.31% and 16.18%, respectively. VISIA CR analysis demonstrated enhanced skin gloss and decreased redness. Antera 3D measurements indicated significant reductions in the length and width of under-eye wrinkles and crow's feet, along with improved skin texture (p < 0.001). Participant self-assessments reported high satisfaction with the mask's safety and efficacy, both in the short term and long term.
CONCLUSION: The multi-component facial mask demonstrated significant efficacy in enhancing skin hydration, improving barrier repair, and providing anti-aging benefits.}, }
@article {pmid40777180, year = {2025}, author = {Rahman, A and Rao, M and Aldughpassi, A and Jallad, R and Shaban, L}, title = {Blood levels of copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc are positively associated with cognitive function and academic performance in adolescents.}, journal = {Frontiers in nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1638283}, pmid = {40777180}, issn = {2296-861X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Microminerals copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) regulate neuronal signaling and brain function. Deficiencies of these minerals are common in adolescents due to unhealthy eating habits. We investigated the association between micromineral levels and cognitive function and academic performance in a nationally representative sample of adolescents.
METHODS: Adolescents (N = 1,370; 11-14 years) were selected from public middle schools in Kuwait, using cluster random sampling. Data on various covariates were collected through a questionnaire from the subjects and their parents. Blood micromineral levels were determined using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Cognitive function was evaluated through the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test and academic performance data were taken from the school records.
RESULTS: Median (IQR) blood levels of microminerals (μg/dL) were as follows: Cu, 22.5 (15.2, 33.0); Mn, 6.0 (3.5, 10.6); Se, 34.2 (22.1, 52.5); Zn, 163.5 (118.5, 233.5). On average, SPM score was higher by 5 points in adolescents with mineral levels above the median, compared to those with levels below median (p < 0.05). Academic performance in adolescents with micromineral levels in Q1 was lower by an average of seven-percentage points compared to those in Q4 (p < 0.01). Multivariable regression analysis showed positive association (p < 0.01) with both cognitive function and academic performance, whether the micromineral levels were used as continuous variable or as quartiles.
CONCLUSION: In this cohort, blood micromineral levels are positively associated with cognitive function and academic performance. Improving micromineral status by public health intervention is strongly warranted, as academic performance during early-life education has implications on the later-life socio-economic status.}, }
@article {pmid40777419, year = {2025}, author = {Summers, J and Jones, BSCL and Cosgrove, EJ and Bakley, TD and Barve, S and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Context-Dependent Fitness Outcomes of Helping in the Cooperatively-Breeding Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens).}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1101/2025.07.21.666021}, pmid = {40777419}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Cooperatively breeding species frequently live in family groups of related individuals, with helpers delaying their own reproduction and participating in alloparental care, predator vigilance, and territory defense. It remains challenging to disentangle the roles of the indirect fitness benefits of helping kin and the potential direct fitness benefits helpers receive in the evolution of cooperative breeding. While many studies test for associations between helper relatedness and helping effort, few estimate the realized fitness consequences of helping in relation to these factors. Understanding these fitness outcomes elucidates the selective forces that maintain helping behavior, whether through inclusive fitness gains by helping related individuals or as a means of gaining access to later direct fitness benefits. Using 29 years of extensive demographic data from a closely monitored population of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens), we quantified the effect of helpers on breeder survival, offspring survival, and nestling production and how these effects depend on relatedness and sex of helpers. We found that female breeder survival was significantly greater when more helpers were present and that offspring survival was greater when more male helpers were present on small territories. Neither effect of helpers depended on the relatedness between helpers and the individuals they helped. Our results suggest that helping behavior is highly context-dependent and varies based on the potential impact of helping and the direct fitness benefits helpers receive.}, }
@article {pmid40784037, year = {2025}, author = {Jones, J and Lee, J and Douglas, A and Akinkuotu, A and Romain, C}, title = {Representation matters: advocating for increased diversity in the pediatric surgical workforce to address health inequity.}, journal = {Seminars in pediatric surgery}, volume = {35}, number = {}, pages = {151521}, doi = {10.1016/j.sempedsurg.2025.151521}, pmid = {40784037}, issn = {1532-9453}, mesh = {Humans ; *Specialties, Surgical ; *Pediatrics ; *Healthcare Disparities ; *Health Inequities ; *Cultural Diversity ; Racism ; United States ; Child ; Health Equity ; }, abstract = {Equitable health is the state in which all have the opportunity to attain full health potential and no disadvantage from achieving this because of social position or another socially defined circumstance [1]. One measure of society is marked by how vulnerable populations, like children, are treated, including the right to achieve and access good health. Focusing on health equity helps to address the social determinants of health which can adversely affect pediatric care and threatens surgical outcomes for the most vulnerable children in society [1-5]. Inextricable from attaining health equity is a surgical workforce that adequately represents the populations they serve. Pediatric surgery, like many surgical subspecialties, has fallen short in its goal of achieving equitable gender and ethnic representation at the fellowship, faculty, and leadership level [6-8]. Racial physician-patient discordance has been suggested as a mechanism that perpetuates health inequities within the minority pediatric populations [9-15]. Underrepresentation in pediatric surgery, and more broadly medicine can be attributed to both historical and present-day racism conjoined with high barriers to entry in our field [16-28]. The impact of chattel slavery, Jim Crow laws, federally sponsored residential segregation, mass incarceration, and ongoing systematic disinvestment, reverberates and perpetuates the paucity of representation. To address this issue requires a multi-faceted approach [29-33]. Pathway programs have been deployed in many contexts to provide mentorship and exposure to medical careers [2, 35-40]. But these avenues alone are insufficient. Advocacy is necessary to address systemic inequities in early childhood education where pathways to careers in medicine, including pediatric surgery, are significantly threatened.}, }
@article {pmid40796618, year = {2025}, author = {Chae, S and Hwang, J and Choe, JC and Jablonski, PG and Lee, SI and Kim, J}, title = {Empirical evidence for the functional benefit of intra-specific wing shape variation in a sedentary bird, the Oriental Magpie (Pica serica).}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {29495}, pmid = {40796618}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {22-BRP-03//Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology/ ; 2023R1A2C1005420//National Research Foundation of Korea/ ; }, mesh = {*Wings, Animal/anatomy & histology/physiology ; Female ; Male ; Animals ; *Flight, Animal/physiology ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; *Passeriformes/physiology/anatomy & histology ; }, abstract = {This study investigates the intraspecific variation in wingtip shape and its effects on aerodynamic forces and flight capabilities with the Oriental Magpies as a model species. Characterized by short and rounded wings, Oriental Magpies are highly sedentary and exhibit wingtip shape variations between juveniles and adults, as well as between males and females due to physiological changes during breeding. Analysis of 115 individuals revealed a significant interaction between sex and age in the location of the wingtip, with adult females exhibiting wings with backward-shifted wingtips than other sex and age categories. In order to examine the functional aspect of this pattern of variation, we conducted wind tunnel experiments and measured the aerodynamic performances of three wings by varying the position of wingtip from forward to backward. The results show that wings with backward-shifted wingtips have higher lift coefficient compared to wings with forward-shifted wingtips, especially at low free-stream velocities. Our findings suggest that wings with backward-shifted wingtips enhance maneuverability during both turning- and straight-flight conditions, particularly during slow gliding flight. We hypothesize that aerodynamic benefits of the backward-shifted wingtips are more important for adult females, who has increased body weight with center of mass shifted to rear part of the body due to fully developed reproductive organs including eggs and follicles. Our results suggest that age- and sex-dependent wingtip shape change can be fine-tuned according to intraspecific variation in the ecological requirements of the individuals.}, }
@article {pmid40802067, year = {2025}, author = {Bennett, AJ and Watson, DM and Watson, MJ}, title = {Positive and negative impacts of electrical infrastructure on animal biodiversity: A systematic review.}, journal = {Oecologia}, volume = {207}, number = {9}, pages = {142}, pmid = {40802067}, issn = {1432-1939}, mesh = {*Biodiversity ; Animals ; Birds ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Ecosystem ; }, abstract = {Electrical infrastructure networks are predicted to greatly expand in response to the expected 48% increase in global energy demand by 2040. While assessments of electrical infrastructure are abundant, mixed effects on animal diversity have been reported, warranting further evaluation to determine true effects. We conducted a systematic literature review covering individual, population, and community-level assessments to determine the impacts posed to animal biodiversity by electrical infrastructure and the measures to reduce impacts. Our results show that the literature around electrical infrastructure and animal biodiversity has grown exponentially since the start of the millennium and is biased towards birds and mammals in economically developed countries. We found the majority of reported impacts were negative, occurring primarily through barrier effects (collision) and use of linear features as a resource (electrocution), causing significant population impacts in select species. However, we also found that electrical infrastructure provided positive effects (increased habitat provisioning) to certain taxonomic groups (e.g. corvids, storks), which suggests the potential to encourage conservation efforts using appropriate mitigation on electrical infrastructure. We found the majority of current literature detailed mitigation measures focused on reducing collisions through line (51%) and tower alterations (30%), but often omitted the impacts of EMF, noise, and UV, indicating significant knowledge gaps. On a wider scale, we found that mortality from electrical infrastructure ranked lower than building collisions and predation from feral cats, but remained higher than other anthropogenic energy sources, indicating the potential to cause significant impacts to large-bodied bird species if not addressed.}, }
@article {pmid40807968, year = {2025}, author = {Badawy, TR and Ziedan, NI}, title = {Optimized Intelligent Localization Through Mathematical Modeling and Crow Search Algorithms.}, journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {25}, number = {15}, pages = {}, pmid = {40807968}, issn = {1424-8220}, abstract = {Localization has emerged as a critical problem over the past decades, with diverse techniques developed to address robot and mobile localization challenges across varied domains. However, existing localization methods still fall short of achieving the precision needed for certain high-demand applications. The proposed algorithm is designed to enhance localization accuracy by integrating mathematical modeling with the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA). The objective is to identify the most probable position within a designated search space. Anchored by a network of fixed points, the search area is initially defined. A mathematical approach is then applied to reduce this area by calculating the intersections between circles centered at each anchor point. Within this reduced area, an array of candidate points are selected, and their centroid is computed to serve as an initial estimate. The modified CSA iteratively improves upon this estimate by emulating the natural behavior of crows, updating its variables to converge on the optimal position. Experimental evaluations, conducted on both real and simulated datasets, demonstrate that the proposed algorithm leads to a better localization accuracy than existing methods. The proposed methodology achieves a significant accuracy improvement with an accuracy of 98%. These results confirm the effectiveness of our approach for applications that require high precision with minimal infrastructure and low computational complexity.}, }
@article {pmid40809830, year = {2025}, author = {Proctor, TL and Fatungase, F and Barquero Leiva, JA and Javier, F and Durr, CE and Paladino, FV}, title = {Tiny Patch, Big Value: A Small Dry Forest Patch Supports Wildlife Conservation in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {8}, pages = {e71972}, pmid = {40809830}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened tropical ecosystems due to ongoing agricultural expansion and development. Despite this, small forest patches persist within fragmented landscapes, though their conservation value remains poorly understood. To evaluate the role of one such patch in supporting wildlife, we deployed camera traps across three zones (Dense Forest, Grassland, and Sparse Forest) within the Murren Reserve, a small dry forest patch on the southern coastline of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Camera traps detected 16 vertebrate species, with opportunistic encounters adding 16 more. The most detected species included the white-nosed coati (Nasua narica), raccoon (Procyon lotor), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Additionally, we recorded nationally endangered species, including the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), puma (Puma concolor), and mantled howler monkey (Alouatta palliata), as well as nationally threatened species such as the spotted skunk (Spilogale angustifrons) and white-throated magpie-jay (Calocitta formosa). Extrapolated rarefaction curves suggest that further sampling could improve species richness estimates for the Dense Forest and Grassland. Although we did not detect a difference in species composition among zones (ANOSIM, R = 0.14, p = 0.26), a generalized linear mixed model indicated that zone explained 17% of the variation in species richness. These findings highlight the role that small dry forest patches play in conserving both threatened species and broader vertebrate communities. We also provide recommendations for future research to address current data gaps and improve long-term monitoring in fragmented landscapes.}, }
@article {pmid40813886, year = {2025}, author = {Khadidos, AO and Yafoz, A}, title = {An intelligent object detection and classification framework for assisting visually challenged persons using deep learning and improved crow search optimization.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {29822}, pmid = {40813886}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {KSRG-2024-070//King Salman Center for Disability Research/ ; }, mesh = {*Deep Learning ; Humans ; Algorithms ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; *Persons with Visual Disabilities/rehabilitation ; *Self-Help Devices ; Crows ; }, abstract = {According to an estimation, one billion persons are experiencing disabilities, so assistive technologies are developed, enhancing independence and accessibility. Significant developments have been made in assisting disabled people. Object detection (OD) and classification systems are effective computer technologies for image processing and computer vision (CV). It is mainly used to identify and describe objects such as vehicles, individuals, and animals from digital videos and images, which will be useful for older or disabled persons. Deep learning (DL) models demonstrate to be more expert in resolving OD defects. However, DL techniques are extensively utilized to perceive, track, and identify in real-time objects met during navigation in an indoor environment. This study proposes a Hybrid DL Model for Object Detection and Classification Using an Improved Crow Search Algorithm (HDLMODC-ICSA) method. The HDLMODC-ICSA method primarily focuses on an accurate and real-time object recognition method to assist visually challenged persons. In the initial stage, the image pre-processing stage utilizes median filtering (MF) to remove noise or distortions and make the image more transparent. Furthermore, the OD process employs the Faster R-CNN model to generate precise region proposals and detect objects within images efficiently. Moreover, the HDLMODC-ICSA technique employs the Improved LeNet-5 model to extract meaningful and discriminative features from the identified regions. The hybrid of the attention-based stacked bi-directional long short-term memory (ABS-Bi-LSTM) technique is used for OD and classification. Finally, the hyperparameter selection of the ABS-BiLSTM model is performed by implementing the improved crow search algorithm (ICSA) model. The efficiency of the HDLMODC-ICSA approach is validated by comprehensive studies using the Indoor objects detection dataset. The comparison study of the HDLMODC-ICSA approach demonstrated a superior accuracy value of 99.59% over existing techniques.}, }
@article {pmid40814769, year = {2025}, author = {Neves, MLBB and Thome, C and da Silva Junior, SV and Machado, T and Sánchez-Ayala, A and Câmara-Souza, MB and De la Torre Canales, G}, title = {Efficacy and Durability of the Association of Botox and Skinvive in the Treatment of Moderate/Severe Wrinkles in the Periorbital Region: A Randomized, Controlled, Double-Blind, Split-Face Clinical Study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {8}, pages = {e70403}, pmid = {40814769}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Double-Blind Method ; Middle Aged ; *Hyaluronic Acid/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome ; *Dermal Fillers/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Adult ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Patient Satisfaction ; Severity of Illness Index ; Electromyography ; Face ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The combined efficacy and durability of botulinum toxin A (BTX) and hyaluronic acid fillers (HA) for canthal wrinkles have not been thoroughly evaluated in randomized clinical trials.
AIMS: This study evaluated the efficacy, safety, and durability of the combined treatment protocol of onabotulinumtoxinA and Juvederm Volite VYC-12 (Skinvive) for moderate and severe canthal lines.
METHODS: This randomized double-blinded split-face trial included 25 women with periorbital dynamic wrinkles at severity levels II-IV according to the Merz 5-point scale. After bilateral onabotulinummtoxinA injections, the sides of the participants' faces were randomized to receive HA injections or a simulated injection. Assessed variables included electromyography activity (EMG), Merz 5-point crow's feet scale, and FACE-Q appraisal on crow's feet lines. Assessments were performed at baseline, 1, 2, 3, and 6 months. For differences in EMG and satisfaction scores, the two-way repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc analyses were conducted. Wrinkle severity scores were analyzed with the Mann-Whitney U test.
RESULTS: Inter-treatment comparisons revealed no significant differences between treatment protocols in all assessed periods for EMG (p = 0.86). For severity of canthal wrinkles, onabotulinumtoxinA + VYC-12 exhibited lower canthal wrinkle severity in rest and contracted positions after 3 (p = 0.04), and 3 (p = 0.007) and 6 (p = 0.001) months, respectively. Additionally, satisfaction with BTX-HA treatment was significantly higher after 3-month (p = 0.001) and 6-month (p = 0.001) follow-ups compared to BTX treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Higher improvements in canthal wrinkles could be enhanced by using onabotulinumtoxinA and VYC-12 in association as a treatment protocol.}, }
@article {pmid40816474, year = {2025}, author = {Hassaneen, RK and Mobarak, YM and El-Baz, LMF and Farouk, H and Sharaf, H and Hafez, HS}, title = {Short- and long-term captivity impacts on bird memory, corticosterone level, and oxidative stress genes: Perspectives on deep learning analysis.}, journal = {Physiology & behavior}, volume = {301}, number = {}, pages = {115064}, doi = {10.1016/j.physbeh.2025.115064}, pmid = {40816474}, issn = {1873-507X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Corticosterone/blood ; *Deep Learning ; *Birds/physiology ; *Oxidative Stress/genetics/physiology ; Recognition, Psychology/physiology ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism/genetics ; *Memory/physiology ; Male ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4/metabolism/genetics ; }, abstract = {Captivity can harm birds' behavior despite receiving care. The effects of captivity on birds' brain function have not been well studied. This study examined the effects of one-day and seven-day captivity stress on corticosterone levels, memory through novel object and place recognition, and Nrf2, cyclin D, and BMP4 gene expression as inflammatory indicators in hooded crows (Corvus cornix), common mynas (Acridotheres tristis), and cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis). Developing a deep learning analysis to monitor birds' head, leg, wing, and tail movements during novel object and place recognition enhances understanding of avian behavior, cognition, and response, which were assessed using the VGG16 neural network on video footage. Monitoring the head, legs, wings, and tail movements of birds during novel object recognition enhances the understanding of avian visual processing and cognitive abilities, providing insights into environmental interactions. The novelty index showed negative values for novel object detection in the three bird species during captivity, suggesting impaired identification. Corticosterone levels were significantly elevated after 30 min of captivity (P< 0.05) and stabilized by the end of the first day of captivity. Additionally, the gene expression of Nrf2, cyclin D, and BMP4 in the Wulst region was measured using qRT-PCR, which revealed variable responses among the bird species and genes with downregulation of neuroprotection and plasticity gene Nrf2 in seven days of captivity. Birds in long-term captivity during novel object detection showed reduced exploration and poorer cognitive performance. Deep learning was used to identify bird organ use during exploration behavior. Both captivity conditions negatively impacted avian behavior, affecting novel object identification.}, }
@article {pmid40828075, year = {2025}, author = {Wong, K}, title = {Humans Are Not So Special After All: Whales mourn, magpies exhibit self-awareness, and Venus flytraps make memories.}, journal = {Scientific American}, volume = {333}, number = {2}, pages = {52}, doi = {10.1038/scientificamerican092025-6lSyysU5dnLuFG5C8LM6te}, pmid = {40828075}, issn = {0036-8733}, }
@article {pmid40829649, year = {2025}, author = {Garcia-Pelegrin, E}, title = {Task affordances shape hornbills' problem-solving strategies.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {21}, number = {8}, pages = {20250271}, pmid = {40829649}, issn = {1744-957X}, mesh = {Animals ; *Problem Solving ; Male ; Female ; *Passeriformes/physiology/anatomy & histology ; Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Innovative problem-solving in birds has traditionally focused on corvids and parrots, but growing evidence shows that many other bird species are also capable of such feats. The vertical string-pulling paradigm, a hallmark test of avian cognition, requires birds to retrieve suspended food by incrementally pulling the string with their bill while securing it with their foot, demonstrating sensorimotor flexibility and the capacity to perceive some of the task's properties. However, Oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) present an interesting case due to their distinctive foot morphology; their fused proximal phalanges may limit their ability to employ the typical foot assisted string-pulling technique used by other birds. In this study, six hornbills were presented with two string-pulling tasks, each requiring a different approach. Despite their anatomical constraints, five birds solved both problems on their first encounter, with average solution times under 18 s. Strikingly, individuals immediately deployed distinct and appropriate strategies: vigorous shaking to dislodge unsecured rewards and coordinated bill-and-tongue manipulation for secured ones. These rapid, flexible responses suggest that hornbills are highly sensitive to task properties and capable of adjusting their behaviour based on both environmental structure and their own morphology.}, }
@article {pmid40829650, year = {2025}, author = {Arbon, JJ and Truskanov, N and Stott, E and McIvor, GE and Thornton, A}, title = {Wild jackdaws learn to tolerate juveniles to exploit new foraging opportunities.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {21}, number = {8}, pages = {20250179}, pmid = {40829650}, issn = {1744-957X}, support = {//Leverhulme Trust/ ; /BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; //Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Learning ; *Crows/physiology ; Social Behavior ; Female ; Male ; }, abstract = {Social tolerance can enhance access to resources and is thought to be crucial in facilitating the evolution of cooperation, social cognition and culture, but it is unknown whether animals can optimize their social tolerance through learning. We presented wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula) with a novel social information problem using automated feeders. Juveniles could always feed (simulating a situation where juveniles were sources of information about a new resource) but adults could only access food if they inhibited their tendency to displace juveniles and instead showed tolerance by occupying an adjacent feeder perch. Accordingly, adults learned to tolerate juveniles, with some evidence they generalized across juveniles as a cohort. The ability to learn to tolerate sources of valuable information, and generalize across cohorts of informed individuals, may facilitate adaptive responses in the face of environmental change and help to explain the success of jackdaws in human-dominated environments.}, }
@article {pmid40833622, year = {2025}, author = {Wascher, CAF and Youngblood, M}, title = {Correction: Vocal efficiency in crows.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {79}, doi = {10.1007/s10071-025-02001-9}, pmid = {40833622}, issn = {1435-9456}, }
@article {pmid40834275, year = {2025}, author = {Green, JP and Elkins, G}, title = {An Introduction to the Special Issue Honoring Steven Jay Lynn.}, journal = {The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis}, volume = {73}, number = {3}, pages = {225-229}, doi = {10.1080/00207144.2025.2536450}, pmid = {40834275}, issn = {1744-5183}, mesh = {*Hypnosis/history ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; }, abstract = {This issue of the International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis includes a collection of articles in honor of Dr. Steven Jay Lynn. Dr. Lynn passed away on March 29, 2024; however, his impact on the field of hypnosis and psychology continues through his many students, colleagues, and publications of over 500 published works, including 23 books. Dr. Lynn's enormous work covers a wide range of areas including: evidence-based psychotherapy; the treatment of psychological disorders; critical thinking and scientific inquiry; theories of hypnosis; clinical and forensic applications of hypnosis; memory, dissociation, and suggestibility; and, mindfulness and other mind-body approaches. Readers will find this special issue also covers a range of fascinating topics reflective of Dr. Lynn's work.}, }
@article {pmid40848091, year = {2025}, author = {Dong, Y and Fan, S and He, S and Zhao, W and Lancuo, Z and Sharshov, K and Li, Y and Wang, W}, title = {RNA-viromics unveils diverse RNA viral communities in Large-billed crows and Northern Ravens.}, journal = {Virus genes}, volume = {61}, number = {6}, pages = {657-667}, pmid = {40848091}, issn = {1572-994X}, support = {grant No. 32111530018//the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Russian Foundation for Basic Research Cooperative Exchange Project/ ; grant No. 2022-HZ-812//program of science and technology international cooperation project of Qinghai province/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/virology ; *RNA Viruses/genetics/classification/isolation & purification ; *Virome/genetics ; Metagenomics ; Feces/virology ; RNA, Viral/genetics ; Phylogeny ; }, abstract = {Birds have historically served as key vectors for viruses causing significant diseases. Corvid birds, often living in close proximity to livestock, poultry, and humans, provide substantial opportunities for cross-species viral transmission. Such transmission can occur through their feces or via ectoparasites (such as ticks, mites, and fleas) on their bodies, thereby releasing viruses into the environment. Despite the development of viral metagenomics, an increasing number of RNA viruses are being characterized across different species. RNA viruses in birds' gut microbial communities remain poorly studied. Here we report an extensive analysis of an RNA virome in fecal samples from Large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos) and Northern Ravens (Corvus corax), both of which are common Corvus species found in the high-altitude forest and grassland regions of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. This study aims to assess the RNA viruses present in the intestines of these corvids and provides the first comprehensive characterization of the diversity of gut-colonizing viruses in these two crow species.}, }
@article {pmid40849595, year = {2025}, author = {Jiguet, F and Gantin, C}, title = {Fission-fusion dynamics and spring movements in first-year carrion crows Corvus corone challenge the efficiency of culling strategies.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {31068}, pmid = {40849595}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {ESOD//Ministère de la Transition écologique et Solidaire/ ; }, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; Seasons ; Paris ; Population Dynamics ; Behavior, Animal ; Social Behavior ; *Animal Migration ; Spatial Behavior ; }, abstract = {This study investigates the spatial behaviour and social dynamics of immature carrion crows (Corvus corone) caught in Paris, with the objective of discussing the efficiency of current culling strategies used to mitigate crop damage. Using GPS tracking data from 80 first-year crows of four different cohorts, we characterized seasonal variations in movement, roosting behaviour, and fission-fusion spatial dynamics. Results show that young crows remain closely associated with their natal sites until March of the year following hatching, after which they disperse to urban, peri-urban and rural areas, particularly in April and May, with peak daily movement distances averaging 2.7 km. This period coincides with the sowing of sensitive crops such as maize and sunflower, during which culling campaigns are often conducted. Furthermore, we document fission-fusion dynamics, with fluid group associations centred around predictable anthropogenic food sources and communal roosts, certainly facilitating repeated interactions and social learning. These findings suggest that current culling practices, largely targeting transient juveniles, are unlikely to achieve long-term reductions in population size or crop damage. Instead, the study highlights the importance of addressing particularly anthropogenic food availability as a potentially more effective and ethical strategy for managing urban, peri-urban and even rural crow populations.}, }
@article {pmid40853924, year = {2025}, author = {Paz, AAD and Shimizu-Aleixo, D and Oliveira-Wittmann, A and Wittmann, F and Ribeiro, C and Campos, RI}, title = {Plant recruitment six years after the Samarco's tailings-dam disaster: Impacts on species richness and plant growth.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {20}, number = {8}, pages = {e0315990}, pmid = {40853924}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Biodiversity ; Soil/chemistry ; *Mining ; Brazil ; *Plant Development ; *Disasters ; Ecosystem ; *Plants ; }, abstract = {One of the greatest tragedies in Brazilian mining history occurred in November 2015 in Mariana, Minas Gerais state, when a dam from the mining company Samarco was breached. Millions of mine tailings from this upstream embankment were dumped over the Doce River basin, impacting an area of approximately 1469 ha of riparian vegetation. Our objective was to experimentally investigate whether plant recruitment and establishment are impaired in areas affected by tailings six years after the deposition. To achieve this goal, in 2021 we compared soil chemical properties between affected and unaffected areas, performed a soil seed bank experiment in controlled conditions, and conducted a greenhouse growth experiment using the two most abundant plant species. Affected soils presented lower fertility and organic matter content. At the same time, the mean abundance and richness of emerging plants did not differ between soils. Still, affected areas exhibited approximately 35% lower accumulated species richness (gamma diversity) than unaffected ones. The three most abundant species in both areas represented 34% of the individuals, being Marsypianthes chamaedrys (Vahl) Kuntze, Ludwigia octovalvis (Jacq.) P.H. Raven and Ageratum conyzoides L. In the growth experiment, plants growing in affected soils presented reduced height and stem diameter increment (L. octovalvis) or allocated fewer resources to root production than aerial parts (M. chamaedrys), potentially in response to soil infertility and density. Even after six years, our results showed that tailings-affected areas continue to experience negative impacts on plant recruitment, highlighting its adverse effects on ecosystem functions and services.}, }
@article {pmid40856377, year = {2025}, author = {Tohyama, T and Fukunaga, M and Otaka, Y}, title = {A connectome-based functional magnetic resonance imaging study of visuospatial analogical reasoning in stroke.}, journal = {European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine}, volume = {61}, number = {3}, pages = {462-471}, pmid = {40856377}, issn = {1973-9095}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Stroke/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging/complications/psychology ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Middle Aged ; *Connectome/methods ; Aged ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; *Space Perception/physiology ; Japan ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Visuospatial function is a core domain of functional cognition in stroke. Post-stroke cognitive impairment disrupts rehabilitation practice, highlighting the importance of characterizing patients with higher-order visuospatial dysfunction to inform personalized rehabilitation strategies. Although neuroimaging offers insights into disease-related mechanisms, its clinical application remains limited.
AIM: The aim of this paper was to investigate whether the residual resting-state functional connectivity supports higher-order visuospatial function after stroke and whether changes in connectivity can characterize patients with visuospatial dysfunction.
DESIGN: Observational study.
SETTING: Inpatient rehabilitation ward at Fujita Health University Hospital in Japan.
POPULATION: Fifty-eight patients with stroke.
METHODS: Visuospatial analogical reasoning was assessed using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM). Resting-state functional connectivity was evaluated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Empirical covariance matrices and group-sparse inverse covariance (GSIC) matrices were computed from the fMRI data, with the latter negated to estimate partial correlations representing direct connectivity. Correlations between connectivity measures and RCPM scores were analyzed, alongside data-driven clustering to stratify patients.
RESULTS: No significant correlation was found between empirical covariance connectivity and RCPM scores. However, GSIC-based analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between connectivity of the posteromedial and the left inferior parietal cortex and RCPM scores. Higher parietal connectivity was associated with lower RCPM performance. Patients in the highest connectivity cluster exhibited severe impairments in visuospatial analogical reasoning, particularly in tasks requiring the integration of discrete figures into spatially related wholes. The lesions in these patients were predominantly localized in the left subcortex.
CONCLUSIONS: Medio-lateral parietal connectivity may underlie visuospatial analogical reasoning after stroke.
Clustering analysis highlighted a distinct pattern of low scores in patients with increased parietal connectivity, suggesting that parietal connectivity changes have the potential for characterizing patients with severe dysfunction.}, }
@article {pmid40858007, year = {2025}, author = {Dresow, M}, title = {How the cambrian exploded: Contingency in the history of science and life.}, journal = {Studies in history and philosophy of science}, volume = {113}, number = {}, pages = {34-45}, doi = {10.1016/j.shpsa.2025.08.008}, pmid = {40858007}, issn = {0039-3681}, mesh = {History, 20th Century ; History, 19th Century ; *Biological Evolution ; Animals ; *Biology/history ; History, Ancient ; *Science/history ; }, abstract = {Few scientific terms are as colorful as the "Cambrian explosion": the name given to the rapid increase in animal diversity and abundance between about 540 and 520 million years ago. But for all its popularity, considerable uncertainty surrounds the history of the expression. Discussions of explosive evolution date to the early twentieth century and gained in popularity during the 1940s. Still, these discussions did not emphasize- and many did not even mention- the Cambrian Period, instead focusing on later explosions as a means of characterizing a distinctive mode of evolutionary activity. So how did the Cambrian explosion come to overshadow all other evolutionary explosions to become "the Cambrian explosion"? And how have these developments shaped discussions of the nature and significance of the event? This paper examines these questions, beginning in the nineteenth century and focusing especially on the events of the twentieth century. In doing this it illuminates the contingent history of a term- and a set of ideas- that has played an outsized role in discussions of historical contingency in biology.}, }
@article {pmid40863192, year = {2025}, author = {Di Blas, L and De Osti, G}, title = {A Multilevel Analysis of Associations Between Children's Coloured Progressive Matrices Performances and Self-Rated Personality: Class-Average and Class-Homogeneity Differences in Nonverbal Intelligence Matter.}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {13}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {40863192}, issn = {2079-3200}, abstract = {The relationship between self-rated personality and nonverbal intelligence has been studied in young students, but these studies have generally not considered nested data, despite their allowing us to analyse between-classroom variability. The present cross-sectional study involved third- to sixth-grade students (n = 447) who were nested into their classrooms (n = 32). The participants completed the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) as a measure of nonverbal intelligence and a personality questionnaire based on the Five Factor Model. At the class level, the study data included class size, class-average CPM scores, and class-homogeneity in CPM performances. Multilevel modelling with class-mean centring of personality predictors was applied to examine class-average differences in CPM scores and interaction effects between personality and class-homogeneity on CPM scores. The results showed significant differences in average CPM performances across classrooms, significant fixed and random slope effects linking nonverbal intelligence and Imagination, and a cross-level effect revealing that Imagination is a stronger predictor of CPM scores when class-homogeneity in intelligence is lower. Beyond confirming the intelligence-Imagination association generally observed in the literature, the present findings emphasise the importance of using nested structures when collecting personality and intelligence data in classrooms. More attention needs to be paid to how the classroom environment affects children's self-reported personality and intelligence test performances.}, }
@article {pmid40866418, year = {2025}, author = {Dong, X}, title = {Predictive analysis of concrete tensile strength using metaheuristic algorithms helping a neural network.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {31560}, pmid = {40866418}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {In most construction projects, concrete is a widely used material in different structural elements due to its suitable mechanical behavior. Therefore, it is crucial to achieve a dependable estimation of the concrete mechanical parameters such as tensile strength. In this research, a well-known machine learning model-multi-layer perceptron neural network (MLPNN)-is optimized by multi-tracker optimization algorithm (MTOA) to avoid computational insufficiencies. The model predicts the splitting tensile strength of concrete based on the features of the concrete mixture. For validation, MTOA is compared to multi-verse optimizer (MVO), crow search algorithm (CSA), and backtracking search algorithm (BSA). Primary results showed that all optimized ANNs can reliably understand and predict the tensile strength pattern. However, from accuracy comparison, MTOA-MLPNN > MVO-MLPNN > CSA-MLPNN > BSA-MLPNN, based on respective percentage errors of 10.75, 11.28, 13.70, and 14.58, as well as correlation coefficients of 0.92, 0.90, 0.87, and 0.83. Moreover, the computational cost of the MTOA-MLPNN was found to be lower than the mentioned benchmarks. In addition, this model was validated using 10-fold cross-validation, and also its accuracy surpassed several models from earlier literature. All in all, the hybrid of MTOA-MLPNN created a scientifically novel and efficient predictive framework for the low-cost analysis of concrete tensile strength and mixture design.}, }
@article {pmid40866624, year = {2025}, author = {da Silva, JL and Spiridonov, A}, title = {Elisabeth S. Vrba, the "Three Musketeers," and the Expansion of Macroevolutionary Theory.}, journal = {Journal of the history of biology}, volume = {58}, number = {3}, pages = {325-344}, pmid = {40866624}, issn = {1573-0387}, support = {88881.980947/2024/01//Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; }, mesh = {*Biological Evolution ; History, 20th Century ; *Paleontology/history ; History, 21st Century ; }, abstract = {Elisabeth S. Vrba (1942-2025) was an important figure in paleobiology and evolutionary theory, leaving an indelible mark on macroevolutionary research. Vrba's collaboration with Stephen Jay Gould led to the introduction of the term "exaptation," refining how evolutionary biologists distinguish between traits originally selected for one function and those later co-opted for another; Gould and Vrba also clarified conceptual issues surrounding species sorting and selection, although they would later disagree on the meanings of species selection. Vrba further advanced, with Niles Eldredge, a hierarchical perspective on evolution, emphasizing cross-level causality. Her contributions to macroevolutionary theory, particularly through hypotheses advanced by herself, for example, the Effect Hypothesis, the Resource-Use Hypothesis and the Mass-Heterochrony Hypothesis, underscored the role of environmental pressures in shaping biodiversity. Vrba's contribution, which advanced and defined the field of macroevolution, is one of rigorous theoretical innovation, and more importantly empirical integrative testing using approaches from community ecology, developmental dynamics, and the paleoclimatology of species turnover patterns at large temporal and spatial scales, influencing not only paleontology but evolutionary biology at large. As we bid farewell to one of the field's most influential thinkers, we recognize the lasting impact of her work on how we understand the history of life. Additionally, we highlight points of harmony and disagreement between Vrba, Gould and Eldredge, which we consider mostly missing from historical literature.}, }
@article {pmid40867167, year = {2025}, author = {Andhare, MS and Vijayan, T and Karthik, B and Urooj, S}, title = {A Novel Optimized Hybrid Deep Learning Framework for Mental Stress Detection Using Electroencephalography.}, journal = {Brain sciences}, volume = {15}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {40867167}, issn = {2076-3425}, abstract = {Mental stress is a psychological or emotional strain that typically occurs because of threatening, challenging, and overwhelming conditions and affects human behavior. Various factors, such as professional, environmental, and personal pressures, often trigger it. In recent years, various deep learning (DL)-based schemes using electroencephalograms (EEGs) have been proposed. However, the effectiveness of DL-based schemes is challenging because of the intricate DL structure, class imbalance problems, poor feature representation, low-frequency resolution problems, and complexity of multi-channel signal processing. This paper presents a novel hybrid DL framework, BDDNet, which combines a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN), bidirectional long short-term memory (BiLSTM), and deep belief network (DBN). BDDNet provides superior spectral-temporal feature depiction and better long-term dependency on the local and global features of EEGs. BDDNet accepts multiple EEG features (MEFs) that provide the spectral and time-domain features of EEGs. A novel improved crow search algorithm (ICSA) was presented for channel selection to minimize the computational complexity of multichannel stress detection. Further, the novel employee optimization algorithm (EOA) is utilized for the hyper-parameter optimization of hybrid BDDNet to enhance the training performance. The outcomes of the novel BDDNet were assessed using a public DEAP dataset. The BDDNet-ICSA offers improved recall of 97.6%, precision of 97.6%, F1-score of 97.6%, selectivity of 96.9%, negative predictive value NPV of 96.9%, and accuracy of 97.3% to traditional techniques.}, }
@article {pmid40872422, year = {2025}, author = {Li, G and Xue, S and Mu, J and Liu, S and Zhang, Q and Wu, W and Wang, Z and Ma, Z and Diwu, D and Wang, C}, title = {The Multi-Objective Optimization of a Dual C-Type Gold Ribbon Interconnect Structure Considering Its Geometrical Parameter Fluctuation.}, journal = {Micromachines}, volume = {16}, number = {8}, pages = {}, pmid = {40872422}, issn = {2072-666X}, support = {52275268 and 52475278//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2022KXJ-030//The Project about Building up "Scientists + Engineers" of Shaanxi Qinchuangyuan Plat-form/ ; }, abstract = {With the increasing demand for high integration, low cost, and large capacities in satellite systems, integrating the antenna and microwave component into the same system has become appealing to the satellite engineer. The dual C-type gold ribbon, performing as the key electromagnetic signal bridge between the microwave component and the antenna, has a significant impact on the electrical performance of satellite antennas. However, during its manufacturing and operating, the interconnection geometry undergoes deformation due to mounting errors and environmental loads. Consequently, these parasitic geometry parameters can significantly increase energy loss during the signal transmission. To address this issue, this paper has proposed a method for determining the design range of the geometrical parameters of the dual C-type gold ribbon, and applied it to the performance prediction of the microstrip antennas and the parameter optimization of the gold ribbon. In this study, a mechanical response analysis of the antennas in the operating environment has been carried out and the manufacturing disturbance has been considered to calculate the geometry fluctuation range. Then, the significance ranking of the geometry parameters has been determined and the key parameters have been selected. Finally, the chaos feedback adaptive whale optimization algorithm-back propagation neural network has been used as a surrogate model to establish the relationship between the geometry parameters and the antenna electromagnetic performance, and the multi-objective red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm has been combined with the surrogate model to optimize the configuration parameters. This paper provides theoretical guidance for the interconnection geometry design and the optimization of the integration module of the antennas and microwave components.}, }
@article {pmid40878617, year = {2026}, author = {Du, Y and Yang, P and Peng, J and Wang, C and Song, S and Chen, J}, title = {To Share or Not to Share: Food Sharing in Wild Azure-Winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus).}, journal = {Integrative zoology}, volume = {21}, number = {4}, pages = {733-740}, pmid = {40878617}, issn = {1749-4877}, support = {32070445//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; XZ202501ZY0018//Science and Technology Projects of Xizang Autonomous Region, China/ ; 2021ZD0204101//STI2030-Major Project/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Feeding Behavior ; *Social Behavior ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; }, abstract = {Food sharing is very common in the animal kingdom. Despite extensive research, the mechanisms underlying food sharing remain debated. Moreover, the majority of studies on food sharing in non-human animals have been conducted under controlled environments. The natural behavioral characteristics and ecological factors influencing the natural selection of food sharing are still not well understood. In this study, we introduce a method to examine food-sharing behaviors in wild birds within their natural habitat. Using two types of feeders-one permitting food sharing with conspecifics and the other providing exclusive access to food-along with infrared cameras to record feeder-triggering events, we found that azure-winged magpies did not exhibit proactive food-sharing behaviors. However, they did exhibit passive food-sharing behaviors under conditions of low food availability. Consistent with the harassment-avoidance hypothesis, the birds prioritized the sharing feeders to decrease harassment from food snatching when food was limited. These findings suggest that food sharing is likely shaped into a passive behavioral pattern under limited resources conditions, which induce conflicts within social groups. This context-dependent strategy may effectively reduce harassment costs, optimize individual access to resources to maximize individual benefits, and potentially enhance the survival of other group members.}, }
@article {pmid40890360, year = {2025}, author = {Molina-Morales, M and Avilés, JM and Precioso, M and Martínez, JG and Morales, MM}, title = {Lifetime expression of egg rejection behaviour in Eurasian magpies is associated with variation in a polymorphic genetic marker.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {32181}, pmid = {40890360}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación fellowship (IJC2018-036411-I)//SEEEEE (Sociedad Española de Etología y Ecología Evolutiva/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; Microsatellite Repeats/genetics ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Genetic Markers ; *Nesting Behavior/physiology ; Genotype ; *Passeriformes/genetics/physiology ; Gene Frequency ; *Ovum ; }, abstract = {Obligate avian brood parasitism is a reproductive strategy in which parasitic birds rely entirely on host species for incubation and chick rearing, reducing host reproductive success. This pressure has led many host species to evolve defenses, particularly the ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs. However, not all individuals within a host population exhibit this behavior-some accept parasitic eggs, while others reject them. One proposed explanation for this behavioral variation is genetic polymorphism. Previous research on Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) linked egg rejection behavior to a specific microsatellite locus (Ase64), though these studies used genotypes from nestlings, not adult females, who are the ones expressing the behavior. Since egg rejection can change with age, accurately categorizing females as acceptors or rejecters requires repeated observations across their lifespan. This study genotyped adult females whose behavior had been reliably classified over their lifes to test for genetic differences. Results showed significant differences in the genotypic and allelic frequencies at the microsatellite marker MSLp4, which was more common in acceptors. These findings support the hypothesis that a genetic polymorphism contributes to individual variation in egg rejection behavior, a defensive trait that may shift over an individual's lifetime in magpies.}, }
@article {pmid40894466, year = {2025}, author = {, and , }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 6 August 2025.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {8}, pages = {e9624}, pmid = {40894466}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {In 2025, and as of 6 August 2025, 6 countries in Europe reported 202 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection with known place of infection. The earliest and latest date of onset were respectively on 2 June 2025 and 2 August 2025. Locally acquired cases were reported by Italy (168), Greece (26), France (3, of which 1 with unknown place of infection), Romania (3), Bulgaria (1) and Hungary (1). In Europe, 10 deaths were reported. Case numbers reported so far this year are slightly above the average for the past decade in the same period (163). However, these figures remain lower than those seen in 2024 and 2018-years when virus circulation was particularly intense, with 382 and 385 cases reported by this point in the year, respectively. As of 6 August, locally acquired human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) infection have been reported in 40 regions across six countries. This compares with 108 regions (11 countries) during the same period in 2024 and 68 regions in 2018 (seven countries). All six countries have previously reported human cases of WNV. Italy is currently experiencing a significant outbreak, with 168 confirmed human infections, including 10 fatalities. For the first time in Italy, the provinces of Latina (ITI44) and Frosinone (ITI45) have reported human cases. Similarly, Romania has reported its first cases in Sălaj County (RO116). As observed in previous years, most cases were among males aged 65 years and older. The hospitalisation rate was high compared with previous years, with 100% of cases hospitalised this year compared to 93% in the past decade. That most cases are hospitalised is most likely due to the nature of WNV surveillance, which tends to predominantly capture the most severe cases. The case fatality rate so far this year is 7%, which is comparable to the 11% observed in the previous decade. Neurological manifestations were reported in 56% of cases this year compared to 66% in the previous decade. In general, a dominance of neurological cases is expected, as cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed. From the veterinary perspective, 16 WNV outbreaks among equids and 20 outbreaks among birds have been reported in Europe in 2025. The earliest start date of an outbreak among equids and birds was on 15 January 2025 in Germany and 16 February 2025 in Italy, while the latest onset of an outbreak among equids and birds was, respectively, on 29 July 2025 in Italy and 29 July 2025 in Austria. Outbreaks among equids were reported by Italy (11), Greece (2), Germany (1), Hungary (1) and Spain (1). Outbreaks among birds were reported by Italy (19) and Austria (1). In the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) database no information was provided on the exact equid species reported, whereas species details were available for birds. The following bird species were associated with the reported outbreaks: common magpie (4), common kestrel (4), carrion crow (3), herring gull (3), hooded crow (3), common moorhen (1), rock dove (1), and unidentified Columbidae (1). In June and July 2025, the monthly number of outbreaks in equids slightly exceeded the 10-year mean (2015-2024) of June and July, while the monthly count for outbreaks in birds from March to July 2025 fell below the historical monthly mean, with a marked decline in July 2025. In 2024, up to 6 August, 38 and 132 outbreaks were reported in equids and birds, respectively, which is notably higher than the number of outbreaks reported during the same period in 2025. As of 6 August 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in 23 regions across six countries. This compares with 47 regions (eight countries) during the same period in 2024 and 16 regions (three countries) in 2018. All six countries reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids in 2024 and in prior years, reflecting endemic WNV activity in these territories. However, as of 6 August, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time to ADIS in the following three Italian provinces: Foggia (ITF46), L'Aquila (ITF11), and Lecco (ITC43). Additionally, equid outbreaks were reported for the first time by Greece in Aetolia-Acarnania (EL631) and Kavala (EL515), and by Spain in Almería (ES611). Reports of WNV outbreaks during the winter, when mosquito activity is minimal, should be carefully evaluated as they raise questions about the timing of infection. Two such reports - one outbreak in equids reported by Germany in January, and one in birds reported by Italy in February - warrant cautious interpretation, as they may reflect residual detection (e.g. lingering antibodies or viral RNA from infections acquired in the year before) rather than active transmission in 2025. Three countries - Italy, Greece and Hungary - reported both WNV human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds. As of 6 August 2025, Italy accounted for 83% of all reported human cases and all reported outbreaks in equids and birds, underscoring the significant WNV activity in the country. This is likely due to favourable climate conditions and ecological hotspots (e.g. wetlands, agricultural areas) that support WNV transmission by influencing mosquito vector populations and host dynamics. Intensive surveillance in Italy may also contribute to high detection rates of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids. The identification of WNV cases in humans and animals within previously unaffected areas underscores the ongoing geographic expansion of the virus, which is most likely due to environmental, climatic and ecological changes. In addition, increased surveillance or monitoring sensitivity and raised awareness in these areas might play a role in the detection of the cases. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, as well as the fact that most of the WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the case numbers provided in this report likely underestimate the true number of cases. Of note, the seasonal surveillance in humans primarily focuses on capturing laboratory-confirmed cases, which contributes to the diagnostic delay. Given the favourable weather conditions for WNV transmission in Europe, we expect that the number of human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds will continue to raise in the coming weeks. In previous years, the peak of transmission was observed in August-September. Both ECDC and EFSA will follow-up closely on the situation in Europe, in particular regarding severity indicators.}, }
@article {pmid40896066, year = {2025}, author = {Maeshima, S and Takeda, A and Sakurai, K and Osawa, A and Arai, H}, title = {Aphasia Leading to the Diagnosis of Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1: A Case Report.}, journal = {Cureus}, volume = {17}, number = {7}, pages = {e89002}, pmid = {40896066}, issn = {2168-8184}, abstract = {Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystem autosomal dominant disorder primarily characterized by myotonia and distal muscle weakness. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement, including cognitive, executive, and emotional dysfunctions, is increasingly being recognized; however, language impairment as an initial presentation is rare. A 50-year-old right-handed woman with a six-month history of progressive word-finding difficulty, vague speech, and social withdrawal was referred for evaluation. Neurological examination revealed distal muscle atrophy (grip strength: 5 kg right, 8 kg left) without overt dysarthria or dysphagia, and intact reflexes and coordination. Neuropsychological testing revealed fluent spontaneous speech with anomia, semantic paraphasia, impaired comprehension of longer sentences, and surface dyslexia/agraphia (Mini-Mental State Examination-Japanese: 22/30, Frontal Assessment Battery: 8/18, Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices: 28/36, Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Japanese: 21/30). Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed left-sided frontotemporal and limbic atrophy, and [99m]Tc-ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography showed a corresponding left-dominant hypoperfusion. Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan results were negative. Two weeks later, percussion and grip myotonia emerged. Genetic analysis revealed a cytosine-thymine-guanine repeat expansion (~1500 repeats) in the myotonic protein kinase 1 gene, confirming the diagnosis of DM1. The patient's semantic-variant primary progressive aphasia-like profile (impaired semantic processing with preserved fluency) and frontotemporal imaging findings were consistent with rare CNS phenotypes reported in DM1. Previous studies have described frontotemporal atrophy, hypoperfusion, and cognitive/emotional changes in DM1. Negative amyloid PET excluded Alzheimer-related primary progressive aphasia. The subsequent detection of myotonia and a positive family history were key to diagnosis. We conclude that this case expands the clinical spectrum of DM1 to include progressive aphasia as an initial manifestation. Clinicians should maintain a high suspicion of neuromuscular disorders and actively pursue targeted genetic testing when atypical aphasia symptoms are accompanied by distal muscle atrophy.}, }
@article {pmid40909241, year = {2025}, author = {Brancaccio, A and Epifania, OM and Anselmi, P and de Chiusole, D}, title = {Automatic Generation of Rule-Based Raven-Like Matrices in R: The matRiks Package.}, journal = {Applied psychological measurement}, volume = {50}, number = {3}, pages = {01466216251374826}, pmid = {40909241}, issn = {1552-3497}, }
@article {pmid40910225, year = {2025}, author = {Mussetto, I and Bongiovanni, A and Colavita, F and Giambi, C and Sala, MG and Del Borgo, C and Carletti, F and Scicluna, MT and Zerbetto, A and Corpolongo, A and Romiti, F and Valli, MB and Vaglio, S and Giammattei, R and Scognamiglio, P and De Carli, G and Agresta, A and De Liberato, C and Di Luzio, G and Micarelli, F and Nicastri, E and Siddu, A and Ficarelli, V and Girardi, E and Maggi, F and Vairo, F and , and , }, title = {Outbreak of autochthonous West Nile virus infection in Lazio region, Italy, July to August 2025: preliminary investigation.}, journal = {Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin}, volume = {30}, number = {35}, pages = {}, pmid = {40910225}, issn = {1560-7917}, mesh = {*West Nile Fever/epidemiology/diagnosis/veterinary/virology ; Italy/epidemiology ; *Disease Outbreaks ; *West Nile virus/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; Humans ; Animals ; Horses/virology ; Phylogeny ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Culex/virology ; Adult ; Horse Diseases/epidemiology/virology ; Aged ; Blood Donors/statistics & numerical data ; Adolescent ; }, abstract = {In July-18 August 2025, 171 autochthonous cases with West Nile virus (WNV) infection were confirmed in Lazio, Italy: four asymptomatic blood donors, 110 with WNV fever, 57 with neuroinvasive syndrome and nine deaths. WNV lineage 2 was detected in two neuroinvasive cases. Infection with WNV was confirmed in 28 horses, five crows and a Culex pipiens pool. We present the preliminary epidemiological and phylogenetic analysis of the outbreak and the public health measures taken within a One Health approach.}, }
@article {pmid40910756, year = {2026}, author = {Van de Weyer, Y and Zendri, F and Barbon, AR and Maciuca, IE and Patel, E and Lopez, J and Chantrey, J and Drake, G}, title = {Osteomyelitis, arthritis and myositis associated with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in village weavers (Ploceus cucullatus) and an oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis).}, journal = {Avian pathology : journal of the W.V.P.A}, volume = {55}, number = {1}, pages = {18-26}, doi = {10.1080/03079457.2025.2536335}, pmid = {40910756}, issn = {1465-3338}, mesh = {Animals ; *Myositis/veterinary/microbiology/pathology ; *Osteomyelitis/veterinary/microbiology/pathology ; *Yersinia pseudotuberculosis/genetics/isolation & purification ; *Yersinia pseudotuberculosis Infections/veterinary/pathology/microbiology ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/pathology ; *Arthritis/veterinary/microbiology/pathology ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Avian pseudotuberculosis infection usually presents as well-demarcated visceral necrotic foci, typically affecting the gastrointestinal tract, liver and spleen. This case series describes an atypical presentation of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Yptb) characterized by severe chronic myositis, arthritis and osteomyelitis in five village weavers (Ploceus cucullatus), and acute osteomyelitis and myositis associated with septicaemia in an oriental magpie robin (Copsychus saularis) from a zoological collection. Clinical signs of the weavers included lethargy, poor flying ability and focally extensive periarticular and muscular swelling, whereas the magpie robin was found dead without premonitory signs. Radiography revealed focal lytic and proliferative bone lesions with loss of articular congruity and increased radiopacity of skeletal muscles, which was compatible with severe necrotizing, granulomatous osteomyelitis and polyphasic myositis with large intralesional bacterial colonies on histology. Most (n = 4/5) birds with available histology exhibited only mild to moderate heterophilic to histiocytic inflammatory lesions in their intestines, spleen and liver. Bacterial cultures typically yielded Yptb from joint and muscle samples (3/3), and less consistently from visceral organs (6/11) and bone marrow (0/5). Bacterial typing using Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy suggested that weaver Yptb strains were closely related. Whole genome sequencing of two Yptb strains identified one as ST14 serotype O:2a and the other ST42 serotype O:1a, with the presence of virulence genes including plasmid-borne yadA and chromosomally encoded virulence genes ail and invA. Weavers may be prone to develop atypical pseudotuberculosis with the musculoskeletal system as a predilection site for bacterial growth and associated granulomatous lesions.}, }
@article {pmid40924242, year = {2025}, author = {Cornero, FM and Lane, WM and Clayton, NS}, title = {Can an old rook learn new tricks? Vocal command comprehension and obedience in rooks (Corvus frugilegus).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {81}, pmid = {40924242}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {Herchel Smith Postgraduate Fellowship//Harvard University/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; Cues ; *Crows/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Learning ; Comprehension ; Humans ; }, abstract = {Although many animal species are known to learn to respond to human verbal commands, this ability is understudied, as are the cues used to do so. For the best-studied species, the dog, domestication itself is used to justify successful attending to human communicative cues. However, the role of domestication in sensitivity to human cues remains debated. Corvids are songbirds that engage in complex communicative behaviors with conspecifics and with other species. Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) are a cognitively complex, undomesticated corvid shown to possess complex vocal behaviors, and to learn to follow human gaze and pointing cues. Leonidas (Leo), an adult rook, began following verbal commands during unrelated studies, and was tested to confirm his command proficiency and to examine what part(s) of the signal he was using. Leo learned to perform three verbal commands correctly, and was primarily attending to the auditory components of the commands. He showed no evidence of using gaze or any subconscious cues from the experimenter, and though he did initially attend to lip movements, he rapidly overcame their absence. Two additional rooks could only be tested for a shorter duration, but also showed learning of commands, and reached proficiency in some. The ability of this undomesticated non-mammalian species to learn human verbal commands joins existing evidence that neither domestication nor extensive enculturation are strictly necessary for use of heterospecific human cues: instead, some species may be able to co-opt other complex cognitive abilities, possibly the same ones required for their complex communication, to achieve this.}, }
@article {pmid40928221, year = {2025}, author = {Arosoaie, A and Hennessy, E}, title = {Teaching critical histories of microbiology: two case studies.}, journal = {Journal of microbiology & biology education}, volume = {26}, number = {3}, pages = {e0021024}, pmid = {40928221}, issn = {1935-7877}, abstract = {In recent years, microbiologists have emphasized the importance of understanding the historical relation between microbiomes and public health as a means of contributing to social equity. Consistent with critical engaged and anti-racist pedagogical practices, we developed a curricular intervention-HEALing the Sciences-that centers critical histories of science as means to educate scientists about how science has contributed to and replicated inequities in society. Here, we describe two case studies that our interdisciplinary team designed, implemented, and assessed specifically for a module on the history of microbiology. Both case studies, "Germs and Jim Crow" and "Ghosting Race," encourage participants to think critically about the field of microbiology's historical contributions to the maintenance of racial disparities in ways that remain relevant to the present. In this manuscript, we expand on the implementation and assessment of the case studies, suggesting possible modifications that would enable instructors to adopt and adapt the research design we have developed. We have taught these case studies via remote synchronous instruction to a cohort of microbiologists, including graduate students, faculty, and research staff, who provided extensive qualitative feedback through surveys that suggest both the effectiveness of the material and possible modifications for improvement. We hope these case studies will provide STEM educators in microbiology and beyond with useful pedagogical tools to advance anti-racist efforts in the academe.}, }
@article {pmid40931095, year = {2025}, author = {Johnston, M and Kirschhock, ME and Nieder, A}, title = {A neuronal correlate for time interval estimation in the crow's telencephalon.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {8256}, pmid = {40931095}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {Postdoctoral Fellowship//Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation)/ ; NI 618/11-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Telencephalon/physiology/cytology ; *Crows/physiology ; Male ; *Neurons/physiology ; *Time Perception/physiology ; Cues ; Photic Stimulation ; Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Reward ; }, abstract = {Interval timing, the ability to perceive and estimate durations between events, is essential for many animal behaviors. In mammals, it is linked to specific cortical and sub-cortical brain regions, but its neural basis in birds remains unclear. We trained two male carrion crows on a time estimation task using visual stimuli, cueing them to wait for a minimum duration of 1500 ms, 3000 ms, or 6000 ms before responding to receive a reward. During the task, we recorded activity from single neurons in the nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), the avian executive telencephalon. Many neurons showed tuning to specific durations, suggesting that time intervals are encoded as abstract magnitudes along an ordered scale. Population-level decoding revealed that NCL activity predicted the crows' intended wait time, independent of the sensory properties of the cues. These findings show that abstract time estimation can emerge from neural architectures different from the mammalian neocortex.}, }
@article {pmid40934918, year = {2025}, author = {Moll, FW and Würzler, J and Nieder, A}, title = {Learned precision tool use in carrion crows.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {35}, number = {19}, pages = {4845-4852.e3}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.033}, pmid = {40934918}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; *Tool Use Behavior ; *Learning ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Tool use is rare in the animal kingdom but relatively common among dexterous generalists such as primates, parrots, and corvid songbirds.[1] New Caledonian (NC) crows, known for their instinctive tool-making abilities, have long intrigued researchers; however, the motor-cognitive skills underlying these behaviors-such as the level of cause-and-effect understanding and precise yet flexible motor control-remain unresolved.[2][,][3][,][4][,][5][,][6] To investigate how learning shapes these skills, we studied carrion crows, an NC-crow-related corvid species with similar cognitive abilities but no tool-use-specific adaptations.[7][,][8] We trained three tool-naive carrion crows to use a beak-held stick to retrieve food pellets from a transparent Plexiglas crack in an automated apparatus. Utilizing computational pose estimation,[9] we tracked the crows' development of stick tool skills over thousands of trials. Our findings demonstrate that tool-naive carrion crows learn to handle tools with impressive skill, achieving dexterity similar to habitual tool users like NC crows. More notably, we observed that all the crows developed efficient, unique, and goal-directed movement patterns. Even after extensive training, the crows retained a remarkable level of flexibility, swiftly correcting errors and adjusting the orientation of the stick to maintain precise alignment. Our findings suggest that reinforcement learning alone can foster skilled tool use in dexterous, cognitively flexible corvids. This implies that only modest evolutionary changes-such as a predisposition to maneuver elongated objects when exploring crevices[7][,][10]-may be needed to transform dexterous generalists into habitual tool users.}, }
@article {pmid40936599, year = {2025}, author = {Stokes, BR and Keitt, TH}, title = {An Intergeneric Hybrid Between Historically Isolated Temperate and Tropical Jays Following Recent Range Expansion.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {9}, pages = {e72148}, pmid = {40936599}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Shifts in species' ranges are creating novel ecosystems and previously unobserved species interactions. Documenting and understanding these novel interactions between species is an emergent priority of global ecological importance. We report a wild hybridization resulting from recent range expansion: a hybrid between Green Jay (Cyanocorax yncas) and Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata), charismatic and historically allopatric species whose ranges newly overlap in Texas. Morphological and genetic evidence indicate the hybrid individual resulted from the pairing of a female Green Jay and a male Blue Jay. Hybridization between these species is remarkable across vertebrate species, as such events typically occur between recently diverged populations, whereas the most recent common ancestor to Blue and Green Jays is estimated to have lived at least 7 million years ago. We believe this hybridization event joins a growing list of increasingly unexpected outcomes of contemporaneous range expansions fueled by anthropogenic global change. As birds are keystone species in ecological webs and reservoirs for zoonotic diseases, the creation of unique genomic contexts resulting from climate-driven hybridization is a phenomenon of both scientific and practical importance.}, }
@article {pmid40944353, year = {2025}, author = {Sun, NN and Jia, BY and Xu, RY and Gao, LF and Guo, XF and Li, R and Wang, YJ and Wang, SM and Du, B}, title = {Male and Female Parent Birds Enhance Their Reproductive Success Using Different Strategies but the Same Optimal Pathway.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {34}, number = {20}, pages = {e70111}, doi = {10.1111/mec.70111}, pmid = {40944353}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {32071491//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31772465//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31572271//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 31370417//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; Female ; *Reproduction/genetics ; *Passeriformes/physiology/genetics ; Linear Models ; Genetic Fitness ; }, abstract = {Parental birds exhibit diverse alternative reproductive strategies; however, the pathways by which these alternative strategies enhance the reproductive success of parents remain poorly understood. Here, we used generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) and structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse a long-term dataset of multiple components of reproductive fitness in the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus), including incipient offspring number, extra-pair fertilisation (EPF), unhatched eggs, offspring preyed on by predators and conspecific raiders and offspring that starved. GLMM results revealed significant associations between these components and the first lay date. SEM further elucidated causal relationships among female/male breeding conditions, cooperative breeding, first lay date and the positive/negative effects on female/male reproductive success. SEM results revealed that both female and male reproductive success were mainly influenced by negative effects rather than positive effects. Specifically, negative effects were largely determined by unhatched eggs for females but by female EPF frequency for males. In contrast, positive effects were predominantly determined by the incipient offspring number for both sexes. Therefore, minimising negative effects was prioritised over enhancing positive effects to achieve reproductive success in both sexes. To modulate these effects, females and males employed different strategies. However, they achieved their respective goals through a shared pathway: reducing negative effects for social bonds formed with smaller-bodied males and enhancing positive effects for social bonds formed with larger-bodied males. Our multivariate analysis of various aspects of avian reproduction suggests that the formation of social bonds plays a more important role than alternative reproductive strategies in determining individual reproductive success.}, }
@article {pmid40952030, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, L and Wang, C and Jiang, L and Hu, H and Wu, Y and Li, Y and Sun, P}, title = {Efficacy of Encorelane in Enhancing Barrier Function and Reducing Aging Signs in Sensitive Skin.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {9}, pages = {e70454}, pmid = {40952030}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {//Proya Cosmetics Co. Ltd./ ; }, mesh = {*Skin Aging/drug effects/radiation effects ; Humans ; Filaggrin Proteins ; Female ; Double-Blind Method ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Cytokines/metabolism ; Male ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects ; Epidermis/drug effects/metabolism ; *Oligosaccharides/pharmacology/therapeutic use/administration & dosage ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Sensitive skin requires targeted care to improve barrier function, reduce inflammation, and manage neurovascular reactivity.
OBJECTIVE: Encorelane, a novel ingredient blend of saccharide isomerate, ribose, and fructooligosaccharides, was evaluated for its efficacy in addressing sensitive skin and visible aging signs.
METHODS: In vitro: A 3D epidermal model (EpiKutis) with Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) induction was used to assess cytokines (interleukin 1α [IL-1α], interleukin 6 [IL-6], interleukin 8 [IL-8], tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α], prostaglandin E2 [PGE2]) and barrier markers (filaggrin [FLG], loricrin [LOR], transglutaminase 1 [TGM1]). Hydration was examined via aquaporin 3 (AQP3) expression levels. Anti-wrinkle efficacy was tested against UVA/UVB exposure, evaluating collagen synthesis and skin matrix components (Collagen types I, III, IV, VII, XVII, Laminin 5, hyaluronic acid [HA], Chondroitin sulfate [CS]). In vivo: A 6-week double-blind, half-face study in 23 sensitive-skin subjects evaluated the clinical effects of Encorelane versus placebo on repair, redness, firmness, and wrinkles.
RESULTS: In vitro: Compared to the control group, Encorelane significantly reduced the levels of IL-1α, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, and PGE2 (p < 0.05), and significantly increased the levels of AQP3, FLG, LOR, TGM1, collagen types I, III, IV, VII, XVII, and laminin 5 (p < 0.05). In vivo: Compared to the placebo, Encorelane significantly improved TEWL, R2, F4, and crow's feet wrinkles (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Encorelane effectively targets both inflammation and aging signs, supporting its use as a dermocosmetic solution for sensitive, aging-prone skin.}, }
@article {pmid40958786, year = {2025}, author = {, and , }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 3 September 2025.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {9}, pages = {e9662}, doi = {10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9662}, pmid = {40958786}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {In 2025, and as of 3 September 2025, 9 countries in Europe reported 652 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection with known place of infection. The earliest and latest date of onset were respectively on 2 June 2025 and 31 August 2025. Locally acquired cases were reported by Italy (500), Greece (69, of which 1 with unknown place of infection), Serbia (33), France (20), Romania (15), Hungary (6), Spain (5), Albania (3) and Bulgaria (1). In Europe, 38 deaths were reported. Case numbers reported so far this year are above the average for the past decade in the same period (514). However, these figures remain lower than those seen in 2018, 2022, and 2024 - years when virus circulation was particularly intense, with over 1000 cases reported by this point in the year. As the latter figures are based on consolidated data, while the current year's data remain delayed and incomplete, direct comparisons should be made with caution. Italy is currently experiencing a large outbreak, with 500 confirmed human infections, including 32 fatalities (case fatality rate of 6.4%, which is within the expected range). This is the highest number of human WNV infections reported by Italy at this time of the year. The cases are mainly reported from the Lazio region (Latina, Roma and Frosinone), with a total of 218 cases, and the Campania region (Napoli, Caserta, Salerno and Avellino), with a total 106 cases. Other regions are reporting similar numbers as in previous years. As of 3 September 2025, locally acquired human cases of WNV infection have been reported in 100 regions across nine countries. This compares with 174 regions (16 countries) during the same period in 2024, and 129 regions (12 countries) in 2018 (based on consolidated data). All nine countries have previously reported human cases of WNV. During the current transmission season, the following regions reported human cases of WNV infection for the first time ever: by Italy in Genova (ITC33), Sondrio (ITC44), Avellino (ITF34), Catanzaro (ITF63), Reggio di Calabria (ITF65), Palermo (ITG12), Messina (ITG13), Nuoro (ITG2E), Arezzo (ITI18), Latina (ITI44) and Frosinone (ITI45), by France in Seine-Saint-Denis (FR106), Puy-de-Dôme (FRK14) and Vaucluse (FRL06), and by Romania in Sălaj (RO116). As observed in previous years, most cases are among males aged 65 years and older. The hospitalisation rate is similar to previous years, with 91% of cases hospitalised this year compared to 92% in the past decade. The high hospitalisation rate is due to the nature of WNV surveillance, which tends to predominantly capture the most severe cases. The case fatality rate so far this year is 6%, which is below but comparable to the 11% observed in the previous decade. Neurological manifestations were reported in 54% of cases this year, compared to 67% in the previous decade. In general, a dominance of neurological cases is expected, as cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed. From the veterinary perspective, 72 WNV outbreaks among equids and 114 outbreaks among birds have been reported in Europe in 2025. The earliest start date of an outbreak among equids and birds was on 15 January 2025 in Germany and 16 February 2025 in Italy, while the latest onset of an outbreak among equids and birds was, respectively, on 21 August 2025 in Austria and 22 August 2025 in Italy. Outbreaks among equids were reported by Italy (44), Croatia (9), France (6), Greece (4), Hungary (3), Spain (3), Germany (2) and Austria (1). Outbreaks among birds were reported by Italy (104), Germany (8), Austria (1) and Spain (1). In the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) database, no information was provided on the exact equid species reported, whereas species details were available for birds. The bird species associated with the highest number of reported outbreaks were the carrion crow (29) and the common magpie (25), followed by the common kestrel (10), herring gull (7), unidentified Accipitridae (6), hooded crow (5), common wood-pigeon (4) and little owl (3). In addition, several other bird species were involved in only one or two outbreaks. In June and July 2025, the monthly number of outbreaks in equids slightly exceeded the 10-year average (2015-2024) for those months, while the number of outbreaks reported in August fell below the 10-year average. The number of bird outbreaks reported to date this year remains below the figures recorded during the same period since 2022 - the year following the introduction of mandatory reporting of bird outbreaks by EU Member States. In 2024, up to 3 September, 205 outbreaks in equids and 289 in birds were reported, figures that are notably higher (by 62%) than those recorded during the same period in 2025. As of 3 September 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in 63 regions across eight countries. This compares with 131 regions (13 countries) during the same period in 2024 and 50 regions (seven countries) in 2018. All eight countries reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids in 2024 and in prior years, reflecting endemic WNV activity in these territories. However, as of 3 September, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time to ADIS in the following seven Italian provinces: Caltanissetta (ITG15), Foggia (ITF46), Frosinone (ITI45), L'Aquila (ITF11), Lecco (ITC43), Reggio Calabria (ITF65), and Siracusa (ITG19). Additionally, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time by Croatia in Koprivničko-križevačka županija (HR063) and Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija (HR021), by France in Yvelines (FR103), and by Spain in Almería (ES611) and Menorca (ES533). Furthermore, in 2025, outbreaks in equids were reported in the Greek region of Thasos-Kavala (EL515) following 12 years since the last reported outbreak in animals. Reports of WNV outbreaks during the winter, when mosquito activity is minimal, should be carefully evaluated as they raise questions about the timing of infection. Two such reports - one outbreak in equids reported by Germany in January, and one in birds reported by Italy in February - warrant cautious interpretation, as they may reflect residual detection (e.g. lingering antibodies or viral RNA from infections acquired in the year before) rather than active transmission in 2025. Five countries - Italy, Greece, France, Hungary, and Spain - reported both WNV human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds. As of 3 September 2025, Italy accounted for 76.3% of all reported human cases and for 79.6% of all reported outbreaks in equids and birds, underscoring the significant WNV activity in the country. This is likely due to favourable climate conditions and ecological hotspots (e.g. wetlands, agricultural areas) that support WNV transmission by influencing mosquito vector populations and host dynamics. Intensive surveillance in Italy may also contribute to high detection rates of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids. The identification of WNV cases in humans and animals within previously unaffected areas underscores the ongoing geographic expansion of the virus, which is most likely due to environmental, climatic and ecological changes. In addition, increased surveillance or monitoring sensitivity and raised awareness in these areas might play a role in the detection of the cases. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, as well as the fact that most of the WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the case numbers provided in this report likely underestimate the true number of cases. Of note, the seasonal surveillance in humans primarily focuses on capturing laboratory-confirmed cases, which contributes to the diagnostic delay. Given the favourable weather conditions for WNV transmission in Europe, the number of human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds might continue to rise in the coming weeks. In previous years, the peak of transmission was observed in August-September. Both ECDC and EFSA will closely follow up on the situation in Europe, in particular regarding severity indicators.}, }
@article {pmid40959475, year = {2024}, author = {Bhowon, Y and Prendergast, LA and Taylor, NF and Shields, N}, title = {Using Geospatial Analysis to Determine the Proximity of Community Gyms for a Population-Based Cohort of Young People with Cerebral Palsy.}, journal = {Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada}, volume = {76}, number = {4}, pages = {415-422}, pmid = {40959475}, issn = {0300-0508}, abstract = {PURPOSE: To quantify a perceived barrier to physical activity participation (proximity to exercise facilities) by investigating the distance a population-based cohort of young people with cerebral palsy aged 13-30 years lived from community gyms.
METHOD: We developed a web-based application using open-access software that could be used to complete a geospatial analysis by simultaneously visualizing, describing, and estimating the location of young people with cerebral palsy, using deidentified data from a cerebral palsy register, in terms of distance and travel time to all available community gyms in one metropolitan city. The suitability of facilities for individuals was not investigated. Distance to the closest gym for participants was measured using the "as the crow flies" and "street network" methods. The proportion of the cohort living 5, 7, and 9 km from a community gym was calculated using the "as the crow flies" method. Distances and travel times to the closest gym for each person were calculated using the "street network" method. Data analysis used one-dimensional (median, quartiles) and two-dimensional (spatial median, bagplot) dispersion measures.
RESULTS: Of 568 young people with cerebral palsy, 97% lived within 7 km of a community gym, with a median absolute distance to their closest gym of 3.6 km (1[st] and 3[rd] quartiles 2.4, 5.1) and median travel time of 6.6 minutes (1[st] and 3[rd] quartiles 4.4, 8.8) by car. For the two-dimensional analysis, the spatial medians were 3.7 km and 6.5 minutes.
CONCLUSIONS: The open-access, web-based application that was developed can be used by physiotherapists and others to study proximity of clinical and community infrastructure for other populations in other cities and regions. In this study, most young people with cerebral palsy living in one metropolitan city had reasonable access by car to a community gym.}, }
@article {pmid40961894, year = {2026}, author = {Riviere, E and Fombouchet, Y and Gentaz, E and Courbois, Y}, title = {Developmental changes in emotion recognition from human biological motion in children with intellectual developmental disorders and typically developing peers.}, journal = {Journal of experimental child psychology}, volume = {261}, number = {}, pages = {106357}, doi = {10.1016/j.jecp.2025.106357}, pmid = {40961894}, issn = {1096-0457}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Male ; Female ; *Emotions ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; *Recognition, Psychology/physiology ; *Intellectual Disability/psychology ; *Child Development/physiology ; *Motion Perception ; Peer Group ; Facial Expression ; }, abstract = {Individuals with intellectual developmental disorders (IDD) often experience difficulties in emotion recognition. Previous research has primarily investigated these difficulties through tasks involving emotional facial expressions. However, no study has yet explored emotion recognition through other modalities, such as dynamic bodily expressions. The current study aimed to investigate developmental changes in emotion recognition through human biological motion presented in point-light displays (HBM-PLD) in children with IDD. Forty-two children with IDD and 157 typically developing (TD) children aged between 4 and 18 years participated in tasks requiring the recognition of emotional HBM-PLD (joy, anger, fear, sadness, and neutral) presented on a screen. We relied on a matched-pair design with two comparison groups: 31 pairs of participants were matched by chronological age (CA-matching) and 36 pairs were matched by fluid intelligence score assessed with Raven's 2 Progressive Matrices (CE-matching). Results showed that children with IDD performed significantly worse than their TD peers when matched by chronological age. However, when matching was based on cognitive efficiency, these differences were greatly reduced, bringing the performances of children with IDD closer to those of younger TD children with similar cognitive efficiency. Generalized additive modeling (GAM) demonstrated that these differences could be explained by chronological age (reflecting experience related to development) and fluid intelligence (reflecting reasoning abilities). These results, obtained for the first time using HBM-PLD, provide empirical support for the hypothesis that emotion recognition abilities in children with IDD may reflect a developmental delay. The discussion highlights important considerations for developing targeted interventions tailored to individuals with IDD.}, }
@article {pmid40965876, year = {2025}, author = {Zhao, X and Yang, Y and Zhong, Y and Ouyang, H and Saliou, C and Jiang, LI}, title = {Development and Validation of Photo-Numerical Scales for Facial Wrinkles on Chinese Population.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {9}, pages = {e70451}, pmid = {40965876}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; China ; *Face/diagnostic imaging ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; *Photography ; Reproducibility of Results ; Skin/diagnostic imaging ; *Skin Aging/ethnology ; East Asian People ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Various ethnicities age differently due to intrinsic genetic factors and inherent responses to UV exposure. The unique facial skeletal structure and function of Chinese skin can result in distinct aging signs compared to those observed in Caucasians. Additionally, there are limited published photo-numerical scales for cosmetic treatments, which often yield relatively low efficacy compared with aesthetic surgery. Therefore, appropriate and sensitive clinical evaluation tools are needed to accurately assess signs of aging and the efficacy of cosmetic treatments for the Chinese population.
AIMS: Develop a new set of photo-numerical scales to evaluate facial wrinkles specifically based on a Chinese population.
PATIENTS/METHODS: Four photo-numerical wrinkle scales were developed based on Visia-CR images from 5310 Chinese females aged 18-69, focusing on forehead, glabella, crow's feet, and nasolabial fold wrinkles. These 10-point (0-9) scales were rigorously validated for repeatability, reliability, and usability through inter- and intra-grader assessments conducted by multiple clinical research labs. Additionally, the correlation between these scales and objective 3D measurements from the Primos 3D instrument was analyzed. It was further assessed whether the scales were more appropriate and relevant in assessing Chinese skin wrinkles severity when compared to Caucasian skin or mixed population skin scales.
RESULTS: Forehead, glabellar, crow's feet, and nasolabial fold wrinkle scales were established based on the Griffith principle with a 10-point harmonious scale. Inter- and intra-grader validation data among 5 graders from different regions in China showed very high correlation scores, with ICC > 0.9 for intra-grader and ICC > 0.8 for inter-grader validation. The results indicate that the scales are highly reproducible and reliable when used by trained graders. Moreover, the grading results by naïve graders correlated well with those by expert graders, suggesting that the scales are user-friendly and easy to apply. A comparison between grading scores and Primos data revealed a strong correlation between wrinkles' volume and grading scores (r = 0.79) and between wrinkles' depth and grading scores (r = 0.82). This crucial validation confirmed that the core range of the scales (mild to moderate, the general target population for cosmetic products) is particularly effective. When compared to previously used Caucasian skin scales, the grading scores obtained from the Chinese wrinkle scales showed significantly higher mean wrinkle severity values (p < 0.001) for the same set of photos, indicating that the new scales are scientifically sound, practical, and suitable for a Chinese population.
CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the photo-numeric wrinkle scales have demonstrated strong repeatability and reproducibility, high practicality, and reliable correlation with objective measurement. Given the tremendous sample size covering various regions in China, these scales are beneficial tools to evaluate the effectiveness of cosmetic products in a Chinese population.}, }
@article {pmid40969109, year = {2025}, author = {Li, L and Xiao, Z and Hu, T}, title = {Camera Calibration Optimization Algorithm Based on Nutcracker Optimization Algorithm.}, journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {25}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {40969109}, issn = {1424-8220}, abstract = {Camera calibration is a core task in computer vision. Traditional calibration methods usually achieve approximate solutions due to the complexity of solving nonlinear equations, resulting in reprojection errors. This article proposes a camera calibration optimization algorithm based on the Starling-Inspired Strategy optimization algorithm, which improves calibration accuracy and stability by combining chaotic mapping and sine cosine optimization strategies. First, we constructed a real camera calibration image dataset that includes various calibration scenarios and calculated the initial values of camera calibration parameters based on Zhang's calibration method. Then, we established a reprojection error model to evaluate the accuracy of the calibration parameters. Finally, we reduced the reprojection error through a hybrid optimization method based on the Steller Jay optimization algorithm. Experimental results show that our algorithm significantly reduces the reprojection error and improves the camera calibration accuracy.}, }
@article {pmid40972215, year = {2025}, author = {Jia, S and Piché, N and McKee, MD and Reznikov, N}, title = {Advancing X-ray microcomputed tomography image processing of avian eggshells: An improved registration metric for multiscale 3D images and resolution-enhanced segmentation of eggshell pores using edge-attentive neural networks.}, journal = {Micron (Oxford, England : 1993)}, volume = {199}, number = {}, pages = {103915}, doi = {10.1016/j.micron.2025.103915}, pmid = {40972215}, issn = {1878-4291}, mesh = {Animals ; *Egg Shell/ultrastructure/diagnostic imaging ; *Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods ; *X-Ray Microtomography/methods ; *Neural Networks, Computer ; *Birds/anatomy & histology ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; }, abstract = {Avian eggs exhibit a variety of shapes and sizes, reflecting different reproductive strategies. The eggshell not only protects the egg contents, but also regulates gas and water vapor exchange vital for embryonic development. While many studies have explored eggshell ultrastructure, the distribution of pores across the entire shell is less well understood because of a trade-off between resolution and field-of-view in imaging. To overcome this, a neural network was developed for resolution enhancement of low-resolution 3D tomographic data, while performing voxel-wise labeling. Trained on X-ray microcomputed tomography images of ostrich, guillemot and crow eggshells from a natural history museum collection, the model used stepwise magnification to create low- and high-resolution training sets. Registration performance was validated with a novel metric based on local grayscale gradients. An edge-attentive loss function prevented bias towards the dominant background class (95% of all voxels), ensuring accurate labeling of eggshell (5%) and pore (0.1%) voxels. The results indicate that besides edge-attention and class balancing, 3D context preservation and 3D convolution are of paramount importance for extrapolating subvoxel features.}, }
@article {pmid40974626, year = {2025}, author = {Daskalou, SD and Gerosideris, N and Tsakni, G and Vlotinou, P and Bablekos, G and Katsouri, IG}, title = {Identifying cognitive vulnerability in school-aged children born preterm: The role of neonatal and early-life factors.}, journal = {Early human development}, volume = {211}, number = {}, pages = {106396}, doi = {10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2025.106396}, pmid = {40974626}, issn = {1872-6232}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; Child ; *Infant, Premature/growth & development ; Infant, Newborn ; *Cognition ; Gestational Age ; Intelligence ; Breast Feeding ; *Child Development ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Children born preterm are at increased risk for cognitive difficulties. While gestational age is a known predictor, the combined influence of early-life variables such as breastfeeding, NICU stay, and birth weight on later cognitive outcomes remains less understood.
OBJECTIVE: To compare cognitive performance between preterm and non preterm school-aged children and identify neonatal and postnatal predictors of verbal and non verbal intelligence.
METHODS: A total of 140 children aged 6-12 years (70 preterm, 70 non preterm) were assessed using Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) and Crichton Vocabulary Scale (CVS). Mann-Whitney U tests and multiple linear regressions were used to examine group differences and predictors of cognitive scores. Predictors included gestational age, NICU stay, socioeconomic status (SES), breastfeeding, birth weight, age, and sex. VIF values were used to assess multicollinearity.
RESULTS: Preterm children scored significantly lower than non preterm peers on both CPM (p < 0.001, r = - 0.27) and CVS (p < 0.001, r = - 0.43). Regression models showed that gestational age was a consistent predictor across both scales. Breastfeeding and higher SES were associated with higher CPM and CVS scores, while prolonged NICU stay negatively impacted CVS performance. No multicollinearity issues were detected (VIF < 2.6).
CONCLUSION: Preterm birth is linked to reduced cognitive performance during middle childhood, especially in verbal reasoning. Breastfeeding and shorter NICU stay may offer protective benefits. These findings highlight the importance of early-life factors and support targeted developmental surveillance and interventions for preterm populations.}, }
@article {pmid40975631, year = {2025}, author = {Laroche, D and Scheive, M}, title = {Diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare and society: A historical imperative, ethical framework, and strategic pathway amidst evolving challenges.}, journal = {Journal of the National Medical Association}, volume = {117}, number = {6}, pages = {364-369}, doi = {10.1016/j.jnma.2025.08.098}, pmid = {40975631}, issn = {1943-4693}, mesh = {Humans ; *Cultural Diversity ; *Health Equity/ethics/history ; *Healthcare Disparities ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; *Social Inclusion ; United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives aim to address systemic inequalities related to race, gender, socioeconomic status, and other identities in workplaces and society. Rooted in the civil rights struggles of the United States, DEI has evolved from affirmative action policies of the 1960s to broader efforts promoting inclusive environments and equitable opportunities.
OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the core principles of DEI, its historical context in American legal discrimination, the evolution and expansion of DEI initiatives, evidence-based responses to common criticisms, and the ongoing challenges and societal benefits of advancing DEI efforts.
METHODS: A comprehensive literature review of historical documents, legislative milestones, social movements, contemporary literature was conducted to synthesize the evolution and practical implications of DEI. This approach facilitates a nuanced understanding of DEI's necessity and impact within health equity.
RESULTS: DEI encompasses diversity (valuing differences), equity (fair treatment and access), and inclusion (empowering participation). Historical legal discrimination against African Americans, including slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow laws, and voter suppression, created deep-seated systemic inequities within American society, workplaces, and healthcare. Affirmative action, initiated in the 1960s, laid the foundation for modern DEI efforts, which have expanded to include multiple marginalized groups. DEI initiatives have benefits to individuals and organizations that improve collaborate and innovation to overall enhance U.S. population health and wellbeing.
CONCLUSIONS: DEI remains a vital framework for addressing historical and systemic inequalities in American society and workplaces, particularly within healthcare. Effective DEI programs require sustained commitment, expert facilitation, and broad-based support to overcome resistance. Continued advocacy and research are essential to realize the full benefits of DEI for all individuals and organizations.}, }
@article {pmid40976604, year = {2025}, author = {Freeman, BG and Eyster, HN and Heavyside, JM and Yip, DA and Mather, MH and Waterhouse, FL}, title = {Pacific Northwest birds have shifted their abundances upslope in response to 30 years of warming temperatures.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {106}, number = {9}, pages = {e70193}, pmid = {40976604}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {2024-77385//David and Lucile Packard Foundation/ ; //Georgia Institute of Technology/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Birds/physiology ; *Climate Change ; British Columbia ; *Temperature ; Time Factors ; Altitude ; *Global Warming ; Population Dynamics ; }, abstract = {Mountain species are predicted to respond to warming temperatures by moving to higher elevations that remain relatively cool. Species can track warming by shifting their entire distributions upwards (the "escalator to extinction" hypothesis) or by increasing in abundance in the upper portion of their elevational range while maintaining stable elevational limits (the "upslope lean" hypothesis). Alternatively, mountain species may not change their abundance or distribution despite climate change (the "persist-in-place" hypothesis). Here we evaluate these three contrasting hypotheses by analyzing responses of breeding forest bird species to three decades of warming in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Consistent with the upslope lean hypothesis, species' optimum elevations (elevations of highest abundance) increased by an average of 126 m, approximately tracking upslope movements in temperature isotherms. In contrast, species' elevational range limits were stable on average, contra the escalator to extinction hypothesis. Many individual species had stable distributions and abundances, and species with upslope abundance increases typically maintained stable abundances within the lower elevation portions of their range. Taken together, most species in our study region appear to be responding neutrally or favorably to warming temperatures. Nevertheless, one mountain species, the Canada Jay, Canada's national bird, is declining and vulnerable to the escalator to extinction within our study region. Overall, we emphasize the importance of empirical data-and abundance data in particular-when evaluating mountain species' vulnerability to climate change.}, }
@article {pmid40976675, year = {2025}, author = {Kumar, AP and Yerram, A and Chugh, Y and Rana, S and Mudgal, D and Prinja, S and V R, M}, title = {Impact of India's publicly funded health insurance scheme on financial risk protection: a case-control study from Haryana state in India.}, journal = {BMJ open}, volume = {15}, number = {9}, pages = {e093304}, pmid = {40976675}, issn = {2044-6055}, mesh = {Humans ; India ; Case-Control Studies ; *Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult ; *Financing, Personal/statistics & numerical data ; *Catastrophic Illness/economics ; Adolescent ; *Insurance, Health/economics ; *Financing, Government ; *National Health Programs/economics ; Hospitalization/economics ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: This paper examines the impact of India's National Publicly Funded Health Assurance Scheme, Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY), in Haryana on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses and catastrophic health expenditure (CHE).
DESIGN: We conducted a case-control study using a stratified random sampling approach.
SETTINGS: Six districts in Haryana, based on utilisation, were selected: Mewat, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Karnal.
PARTICIPANTS: A total sample size of 772 individuals, that is, 386 PM-JAY beneficiaries (cases) and non-beneficiaries (controls) each.
INTERVENTION: Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire covering household demographics and expenditure details. The interview gathered information on hospitalisation within the past year, types of ailments, the type of empanelled facility visited, expenditure details and borrowing/selling of assets for treatment.
Mean OOP expenditure was calculated for beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries based on the type of healthcare provider. The impact of PM-JAY on OOP expenditure was analysed using a generalised linear model controlling for religion, caste, type of house, type of family, morbidity patterns, type of disease, type of health facility, hospital stay duration, average distance to the facility and travel time. CHE was defined as OOP payments ≥30% of household income. Logistic regression was used to assess the determinants of CHE.
RESULTS: We found that direct medical expenses incurred for hospitalisations were 65% lower for beneficiaries (11 131 rupees) compared with non-beneficiaries (31 675 rupees). While OOP expenditures are similar for both groups in public empanelled hospitals, non-beneficiaries incur OOP costs three times higher than PM-JAY beneficiaries in private empanelled hospitals. Factors, including the disease type, average distance from home to the facility, average travel time and type of hospital, significantly influence these expenses. Furthermore, the prevalence of CHE is significantly lower among PM-JAY beneficiaries (13.3%) compared with non-beneficiaries (45.9%), with an OR of 7.15 (95% CI: 4.74 to 10.80; p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows the scheme's impact on decreasing OOP expenditure and CHE. To enhance the scheme's effectiveness, the study highlights the necessity of addressing non-medical expenses and expanding coverage for indirect costs, such as food, accommodation and transportation. Additionally, strengthening the supply side through improved drug availability at healthcare facilities is crucial for enhancing financial protection and access to care.}, }
@article {pmid40977003, year = {2025}, author = {Anselmi, P and de Chiusole, D and Robusto, E and Bacherini, A and Balboni, G and Brancaccio, A and Epifania, OM and Mazzoni, N and Stefanutti, L}, title = {An extension of the basic local independence model to multiple observed classifications.}, journal = {The British journal of mathematical and statistical psychology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/bmsp.70008}, pmid = {40977003}, issn = {2044-8317}, support = {//Italian Ministry of Research and University, PRIN: Progetti di Ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale - Bando 2020, Protocol n. 20209WKCLL, Project title: Computerized, adaptive, and personalized assessment of executive functions and fluid intelligence/ ; }, abstract = {The basic local independence model (BLIM) is appropriate in situations where populations do not differ in the probabilities of the knowledge states and the probabilities of careless errors and lucky guesses of the items. In some situations, this is not the case. This work introduces the multiple observed classification local independence model (MOCLIM), which extends the BLIM by allowing the above probabilities to vary across populations. In the MOCLIM, each individual is characterized by proficiency, careless and guessing classes, which are observed and determine the probabilities of knowledge states, careless errors and lucky guesses of a population. Given a particular class type (proficiency, careless, or guessing), the probabilities are the same for populations with the same class but may vary between populations with different classes. Algorithms for maximum likelihood estimation of the MOCLIM parameters are provided. The results of a simulation study suggest that the true parameter values are well recovered by the estimation algorithm and that the true model can be uncovered by comparing the goodness-of-fit of alternative models. The results of an empirical application to data from Raven-like matrices suggest that the MOCLIM effectively discriminates between situations where group differences are expected and those where they are not.}, }
@article {pmid40979369, year = {2025}, author = {Penezić, A and Uzelac, A and Breka, K and Simin, S and Ovari, K and Pantelić, I and Ćirković, V and Ćirović, D and Klun, I}, title = {Understanding Toxoplasma gondii transmission in an ecological context-the contribution of wild avian species from urban environments.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1634254}, pmid = {40979369}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The role of avians in the transmission chain of Toxoplasma gondii, a zoonotic coccidian parasite of the phylum Apicomplexa, is as intermediate hosts. However, the true contribution and significance of wild species in the maintenance and spread of the parasite in different ecosystems is not well understood.
METHODS: For this study, heart tissue of 224 individual birds, representing 15 common wild species, and one domestic, Gallus gallus domesticus (backyard chickens), was collected. Total nucleic acids were extracted and the presence of T. gondii gDNA was ascertained by amplification of the 529 bp repeat element.
RESULTS: The infection was detected in 24.1% of the wild birds and in 41.4% of backyard chickens. The occurrence of infection in wild species did not statistically differ by diet or among urban (22.4%), peri-urban (27.3%) and rural areas (22.7%); in contrast, a statistically significant difference was observed between peri-urban (21%) and rural (80%) backyard chickens. Among the 11 city dwelling species, wood pigeons (Columba palumbus), rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and hooded crows (Corvus cornix) were the most numerous. The frequency of infection in the two corvid species was 32.1% and 31.6% in rooks and hooded crows, respectively, and 15.6% in wood pigeons, suggesting that corvids may be good bioindicators for the parasite in cities. As the majority (84%) of the city dwelling birds originated from a single residential area, possible local natural reservoirs of T. gondii, rodents and water, were analyzed additionally. Of the 16 rodents, 56.2% were infected, while three out of four samples of river water harbored T. gondii gDNA, indicating a fairly high probability of exposure to the parasite.
DISCUSSION: Collectively, our findings show that diet may not be a primary risk for T. gondii infection. Instead, the importance of understanding prevalence in birds in an ecological context and the contribution of environmental factors in different habitats are highlighted.}, }
@article {pmid40979804, year = {2025}, author = {Blackburn, G and Ashton, BJ and Hunter, H and Ridley, AR}, title = {Response to intruder number is related to spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in a wild bird.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology}, volume = {36}, number = {5}, pages = {araf093}, pmid = {40979804}, issn = {1045-2249}, abstract = {Quantity discrimination abilities are considered a valuable skill for many aspects of life, including foraging, predator avoidance, and intergroup contests. Two types of experiments are often utilized to detect such abilities in animals; cognitive tasks in which individuals must choose between two quantities of food, and playback experiments of the vocalizations of differing numbers of intruding individuals. To date, no study has investigated whether individual performance in these two types of experiments is related. We presented wild Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis) with both a spontaneous quantity discrimination cognitive task and a playback experiment, to investigate quantity discrimination abilities, and to explore if performance on these experiments is related. We found that magpies (1) selected the greater quantity of food in the cognitive task and (2) responded more strongly to playback of three callers compared to one caller, suggesting this species possesses quantity discrimination abilities. Individual performance on these two experiments was negatively correlated, with magpies that performed better on the cognitive task spending less time vigilant following the three-caller playback compared to magpies that performed worse. Our results highlight the importance of exploring the relationship between performance in a cognitive task and ecologically relevant behaviors, as this has the potential to offer profound insights into cognitive ecology.}, }
@article {pmid40980749, year = {2025}, author = {Kritsotakis, G and Morfidi, E}, title = {Reading Comprehension Challenges in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Linguistic Factors and Figurative Language Proficiency.}, journal = {Autism & developmental language impairments}, volume = {10}, number = {}, pages = {23969415251371544}, pmid = {40980749}, issn = {2396-9415}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disability often face challenges in understanding written text. However, considerable variability in this area underscores the need to examine their reading profiles and the factors influencing the development of reading comprehension (RC). This study investigates the RC of upper elementary school children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) peers and explores the role of broader linguistic abilities in RC, with a specific focus on pragmatic competence (e.g., figurative language comprehension). Nonlinguistic factors such as age and nonverbal cognitive capacity are also considered. A secondary aim is to assess the potential heterogeneity in RC and linguistic abilities within the ASD sample.
METHODS: In total, 35 children with ASD and 35 TD controls (mean age = 10.7 years, SD = 0.97) were matched for age, gender, and nonverbal cognitive ability using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. Both groups completed assessments of RC, structural language skills (receptive vocabulary and morphosyntax), and figurative language competence. To evaluate variability, the ASD group was divided into two subgroups based on RC performance.
RESULTS: Participants with ASD scored significantly lower than their TD peers in RC, morphosyntactic skills, and figurative language comprehension, but no significant differences were observed in receptive vocabulary. For children with ASD, chronological age, nonverbal cognitive ability, and receptive vocabulary accounted for significant variance in RC. In contrast, RC in TD children was predicted by morphosyntactic ability and figurative competence. Furthermore, the substantial heterogeneity within the ASD group was evident, highlighting their variability across the range of examined variables.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings indicate that children with ASD as a group experience notable difficulties in text comprehension and language processing at the morphosyntactic and pragmatic levels, despite achieving receptive vocabulary and nonverbal cognitive scores comparable to those of their TD peers. The two groups appear to employ distinct strategies for deriving meaning from text. The pronounced variability in RC and linguistic abilities among ASD participants underscores the complexity of their reading and language profiles, highlighting the importance of tailored educational assessments and interventions, which are further discussed.}, }
@article {pmid40989466, year = {2025}, author = {Li, L and Yue, T and Wu, H and Zhao, Y and Liu, Q and Zhang, H and Xu, W}, title = {Effective classification for neonatal brain injury using EEG feature selection based on elastic net regression and improved crow search algorithm.}, journal = {PeerJ. Computer science}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {e3000}, pmid = {40989466}, issn = {2376-5992}, abstract = {Neonatal brain injury carries the risk of neurological sequelae such as epileptic seizures, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and even death. Classification methods based on electroencephalography (EEG) signals and machine learning algorithms are crucial for assessing neonatal brain injury. However, classification methods that utilise all features from the original EEG signals may result in lengthy training and classification times, thereby reducing the performance of the classification system. This article presents a novel classification system with a proposed feature selection method for assessing neonatal brain injury, in which the feature selection method is combined using elastic net (EN) regression and an improved crow search algorithm (ICSA), named EN-ICSA. In the EN-ICSA method, EN regression is used to conduct the pre-screening of features. The ICSA is utilised to select the essential figures further by introducing the dynamic perception probability for deciding whether to search locally or globally, a novel neighbor-following strategy for the local search and a global search strategy according to the crow's search experience, resulting in accelerating the search efficiency while effectively avoiding falling into local optima. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system, based on support vector machine (SVM) with the EN-ICSA feature selection method, performs exceptionally well compared to other traditional machine learning and feature selection methods, achieving an accuracy of 91.94%, precision of 92.32%, recall of 89.85%, and F1-score of 90.82%.}, }
@article {pmid40989563, year = {2025}, author = {Nagafuchi, T and Bussaka, Y and Ikegami, M and Tsuchiya, K and Tokuda, M}, title = {Population Declines of the Oriental Magpie Pica serica (Corvidae) in the Saga Plain, Japan: Relationships With Land Use Patterns, Nesting Sites, and Breeding Success.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {9}, pages = {e72193}, pmid = {40989563}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Urban areas are hotspots of biological invasions where land use and other factors are associated with the success of non-native species. Non-native species alter their habits during the process of adapting to new environments, making them important subjects for studying organismal environmental adaptation. The Oriental Magpie Pica serica was introduced and established a substantial population in the Saga Plain, Japan, from the Korean Peninsula, probably by the early 17th century. As an adaptation to urbanization, this species has gradually begun to prefer to nest on utility poles rather than trees since around the late 1970s, but has declined its population since the 1990s. In this study, we hypothesized that the recent magpie decline is related to the changes in land use patterns and that magpie density affects its breeding success. We investigated the nesting density of magpies in the Saga Plain and compared the density with previous surveys. In addition, we surveyed the breeding success in areas with low and high magpie densities. As a result, the magpie densities rapidly decreased from 2008 to 2019, whereas nesting rates on artificial structures increased significantly. In our analysis, building and farmland areas themselves had a positive effect on magpie density. Over the recent decade, the building area has increased, whereas the farmland has decreased in our census sites. Then the negative impacts of the farmland reduction were considered larger than the positive impacts of the increase in building areas. These suggest that urban developments critically affect the magpie decline. Breeding success rates were significantly higher in areas with high magpie density than in low-density areas. In low-density areas, success rates from egg hatch to fledging are significantly lower than in high-density areas, suggesting that low-density trends of magpies in most areas facilitate breeding failure and further negative impacts on the populations.}, }
@article {pmid40991092, year = {2025}, author = {Blanchard, MD and Aidman, E and Stankov, L and Kleitman, S}, title = {A recipe for dyadic collective intelligence for well-structured tasks: mix equal parts cognitive ability and confidence plus a pinch of social sensitivity.}, journal = {Cognitive research: principles and implications}, volume = {10}, number = {1}, pages = {63}, pmid = {40991092}, issn = {2365-7464}, support = {ID8052//Defence Science and Technology Group/ ; ID7276//Defence Science and Technology Group/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; *Intelligence/physiology ; Young Adult ; Adult ; *Metacognition/physiology ; Adolescent ; *Group Processes ; *Personality/physiology ; }, abstract = {A collective intelligence factor (CI) was introduced by prior research to characterise the cognitive ability of groups. Surprisingly, individual intelligence did not predict CI. Instead, it correlated with individual social sensitivity, the equality of conversational turn-taking, and the proportion of females in a group. However, these findings may depend on the type of tasks completed by groups. Our study re-examined these relationships by (1) testing the robustness of the CI factor in dyads using well-structured tasks guided by the Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence; (2) exploring the relationship between dyadic CI and metacognitive confidence, which is known to influence group processes and outcomes; and (3) identifying the psychological characteristics of distinct dyad types using latent profile analysis. We measured CI in 105 undergraduate dyads using three group tasks aligned with the broad abilities of the CHC model. Individual intelligence was assessed using Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices. We also measured social sensitivity, proportion of females, equality of turn-taking, working memory, and personality. Results indicated that individual intelligence and confidence were the strongest predictors of dyadic CI for well-structured tasks, contrasting with previous findings emphasising social factors. While we replicated the relationship with social sensitivity, we did not replicate the findings for equality of turn-taking or gender composition. Latent profile analysis identified three psychological profiles: dyads performing consistently high individually and collectively, those performing consistently low, and those performing better collectively than individually. Our "smarter" dyads consisted of intelligent and confident individuals with higher social sensitivity. These findings suggest that, in dyads performing well-structured tasks, individual cognitive abilities and confidence play significant roles in CI. This challenges the emphasis on social factors and underscores the importance of task selection.}, }
@article {pmid40991191, year = {2026}, author = {Anoch, B and Parthiban, L}, title = {Detection and classification of medical images using deep learning for chronic kidney disease.}, journal = {International urology and nephrology}, volume = {58}, number = {3}, pages = {1089-1110}, pmid = {40991191}, issn = {1573-2584}, mesh = {Humans ; *Deep Learning ; *Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/diagnostic imaging/classification ; *Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Algorithms ; }, abstract = {Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an advancing disease which significantly impacts global healthcare, requiring early detection and prompt treatment is required to prevent its advancement to end-stage renal disease. Conventional diagnostic methods tend to be invasive, lengthy, and costly, creating a demand for automated, precise, and efficient solutions. This study proposes a novel technique for identifying and classifying CKD from medical images by utilizing a Convolutional Neural Network based Crow Search (CNN based CS) algorithm. The method employs sophisticated pre-processing techniques, including Z-score standardization, min-max normalization and robust scaling to improve the input data's quality. Selection of features is carried out using the chi-square test, and the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) further optimizes the feature set for the improvement of accuracy classification and effectivess. The CNN architecture is employed to capture complex patterns using deep learning methods to accurately classify CKD in medical pictures. The model optimized and examined using an open access Kidney CT Scan data set. It achieved 99.05% accuracy, 99.03% Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (AUC-ROC), and 99.01% Area under the precision-recall curve (PR-AUC), along with high precision (99.04%), recall (99.02%), and F1-score (99.00%). The results show that the CNN-based CS method delivers high accuracy and improved diagnostic precision related to conventional machine learning techniques. By incorporating CSA for feature optimization, the approach minimizes redundancy and improves model interpretability. This makes it a promising tool for automated CKD diagnosis, contributing to the development of AI-driven medical diagnostics and providing a scalable solution for early detection and management of CKD.}, }
@article {pmid40995067, year = {2025}, author = {Lobo, E and Mukherjee, D and Choudhury, PK and Babu, GR and Srinivas, PN and van Schayck, OCP}, title = {Home-learning environment and cognitive and academic outcomes among children aged 4-8 years: A cross-sectional study from South India.}, journal = {Dialogues in health}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {100238}, pmid = {40995067}, issn = {2772-6533}, abstract = {PURPOSE: Home-learning environment is critical for cognitive and academic outcomes; yet its impact during the 4-8 years' period remains underexplored, especially in the Global South. This study examines the relationship between the home-learning environment and children's fluid intelligence and early language numeracy outcomes in urban poor households in Bangalore, South India.
METHODS: We analysed data from 940 mother-child dyads from the MAASTHI birth cohort when children were 4-8-years old. The Family Care Indicators (FCI) tool assessed the home-learning environment, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) measured children's fluid-intelligence, and the preschool Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) tool measured literacy-numeracy skills. Multilevel linear regression models, adjusted for household, maternal, and child factors, were used to examine the associations.
RESULTS: Higher levels of parental education, maternal Intelligence Quotient, and lower maternal depressive symptoms were significantly associated with better cognitive and early language outcomes. A stimulating home-learning environment characterized by the availability of ≥6 age-appropriate books, higher levels of caregiver engagement, and higher overall home environment scores (FCI-Total) was linked to better non-verbal fluid intelligence and early language scores during 4-8 years of age. However, these factors were not significantly associated with numeracy.
CONCLUSION: This study underscores the sustained benefits of a stimulating home-learning environment in urban poor settings on children's cognitive and academic outcomes between 4 and 8 years of age. Our results reinforce the need for interventions that promote caregiver engagement and access to a variety of books and toys to optimize child outcomes in marginalized settings.}, }
@article {pmid41002791, year = {2025}, author = {Ye, M and Wang, X and Guo, Z and Hu, B and Wang, L}, title = {A Multi-Strategy Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer for Global Optimization.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {41002791}, issn = {2313-7673}, abstract = {To enhance the convergence efficiency and solution precision of the Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO), this study proposes a Multi-Strategy Enhanced Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (MRBMO). The principal methodological innovations encompass three aspects: (1) Development of a novel dynamic boundary constraint handling mechanism that strengthens algorithmic exploration capabilities through adaptive regression strategy adjustment for boundary-transgressing particles; (2) Incorporation of an elite guidance strategy during the predation phase, establishing a guided search framework that integrates historical individual optimal information while employing a Lévy Flight strategy to modulate search step sizes, thereby achieving effective balance between global exploration and local exploitation capabilities; (3) Comprehensive experimental evaluations conducted on the CEC2017 and CEC2022 benchmark test suites demonstrate that MRBMO significantly outperforms classical enhanced algorithms and exhibits competitive performance against state-of-the-art optimizers across 41 standardized test functions. The practical efficacy of the algorithm is further validated through successful applications to four classical engineering design problems, confirming its robust problem-solving capabilities.}, }
@article {pmid41002826, year = {2025}, author = {Li, Y and Zhi, J and Wang, X and Shi, B}, title = {Multi-Strategy Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm and Its Applications.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {41002826}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {52278171//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {To address the issues of low convergence accuracy, poor population diversity, and susceptibility to local optima in the Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm (RBMO), this study proposes a multi-strategy improved Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm (SWRBMO). First, an adaptive T-distribution-based sinh-cosh search strategy is used to enhance global exploration and speed up convergence. Second, a neighborhood-guided reinforcement strategy helps the algorithm avoid local optima. Third, a crossover strategy is also introduced to improve convergence accuracy. SWRBMO is evaluated on 15 benchmark functions selected from the CEC2005 test suite, with ablation studies on 12 of them, and further validated on the CEC2019 and CEC2021 test suites. Across all test sets, its convergence behavior and statistical significance are analyzed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Comparative experiments on CEC2019 and CEC2021 demonstrate that SWRBMO achieves faster convergence and higher accuracy than RBMO and other competitive algorithms. Finally, four engineering design problems further confirm its practicality, where SWRBMO outperforms other methods by up to 99%, 38.4%, 2.4%, and nearly 100% in the respective cases, highlighting its strong potential for real-world engineering applications.}, }
@article {pmid41003427, year = {2025}, author = {Verma, AK and Kumar, M and Murugkar, HV and Nagarajan, S and Tosh, C and Namdeo, P and Singh, R and Mishra, S and Dhanapal, S and Pathak, A and Singh, VP and Sanyal, A}, title = {Evaluation of In-Contact Transmission Potential of H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus in House Crows (Corvus splendens).}, journal = {Avian diseases}, volume = {69}, number = {3}, pages = {237-242}, doi = {10.1637/aviandiseases-D-24-00085}, pmid = {41003427}, issn = {1938-4351}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows ; *Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/physiology/isolation & purification ; *Influenza in Birds/transmission/virology ; Virus Shedding ; }, abstract = {We evaluated the infection and transmission potential of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus from infected crows (Corvus splendens) to healthy in-contact crows. Six crows were inoculated with 10[6] EID50 of H5N1 virus (A/crow/India/01CA249/2021), and 24 hr later six in-contact crows were introduced with them. All the birds were observed for signs of illness, and swabs were collected up to 14 days postinfection (dpi). One of the infected birds showed dullness, ruffled feathers, shivering, and reluctance to move at 7 dpi, while the other five infected crows showed no significant clinical signs except ruffled feathers and some signs of mental confusion. All the in-contact crows remained asymptomatic throughout the experiment. Virus could be isolated in swabs of infected birds from 1 to 7 dpi, and viral quantification revealed viral shedding up to 8 dpi. Although virus was not isolated from the swabs collected from in-contact birds, low numbers of viral RNA copies were detected in some samples. Virus was isolated from the brain and trachea of most of the infected birds along with other tissues. Virus was also isolated from different tissues collected from three of the in-contact birds, albeit with low numbers of viral copies. All six infected and five in-contact crows were found to be seroconverted against H5N1 virus when analyzed on 14 dpi. These findings suggest that the H5N1 virus was transmitted to in-contact birds, but the infectious doses were low, resulting in only a limited infection. Our study highlights that H5N1 viruses may be transmitted by direct contact within the house crow population, a feature that might play an important role in the epidemiology of avian influenza.}, }
@article {pmid41011815, year = {2025}, author = {Blanco, G and Garijo-Toledo, MM and González Del Barrio, JL and Frías, Ó and Montoya Ayala, R and Palacios-Martínez, I}, title = {Sociability Linked to Reproductive Status Affects Intestinal Parasite Infections in the Red-Billed Chough.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {14}, number = {9}, pages = {}, pmid = {41011815}, issn = {2076-0817}, mesh = {Animals ; *Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology/veterinary/epidemiology ; Feces/parasitology ; Spain/epidemiology ; *Social Behavior ; Reproduction ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; Birds/parasitology ; Isospora/isolation & purification ; Female ; Male ; Helminths/isolation & purification ; }, abstract = {Social behaviour plays a crucial role in the dynamics of parasitic infections in wild bird populations. The red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), a corvid undergoing notable population declines, shows contrasting social structures linked to reproductive status: non-breeding individuals aggregate in communal roosts during winter, whereas breeding pairs often maintain territorial pair-bonds and roost at nesting sites. This study tested whether differences in sociality (communal roosting vs. territorial pairs) affect intestinal parasite infections. Fresh faecal samples were collected during winter in central Spain and analysed using flotation and McMaster techniques to detect and quantify coccidian oocysts and helminth eggs. The results revealed a relatively high positive rate of Isospora (36.2%, n = 116) and a low positive rate of helminths (9.5%, n = 116) among communally roosting non-breeders, while no parasites were detected in samples from territorial pairs. One communal roost in the Southern Plateau showed higher coccidian positive rate, possibly influenced by structural features that facilitate faecal contact. Although sample size for pairs was limited, the absence of parasites in this group suggests reduced infection risk, likely reflecting superior condition and immune defences rather than differences in exposure alone. These findings highlight the value of non-invasive parasite monitoring as an early-warning tool in wildlife health assessments and stress the importance of considering social behaviour and environmental heterogeneity into conservation strategies for threatened species.}, }
@article {pmid41017246, year = {2025}, author = {Nelson, JM and Jeffrey, A and Schnitker, SA}, title = {Mino-Bimaadiziwin and the Pursuit of Harmony.}, journal = {Personality and social psychology review : an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc}, volume = {29}, number = {4}, pages = {421-432}, doi = {10.1177/10888683251345043}, pmid = {41017246}, issn = {1532-7957}, mesh = {Humans ; *Indians, North American/psychology ; }, abstract = {Academic AbstractTheories of well-being are heavily influenced by Western viewpoints; even when Majority World perspectives are incorporated, psychologists often fail to consider the rich cultural knowledge of the Indigenous peoples of North America. We propose that personality and social psychologists engage in "deep learning" (without appropriation or colonization) of a Native American Majority World perspective on well-being. We present a description of the "storywork" surrounding the concept of Mino-Bimaadiziwin, translated as "the good life" or "living in a good way," emerging for the Anishinaabeg, who are Indigenous peoples consisting of the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Potawatomi, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Nipissing, and Mississauga First Nations. We discuss the Gichi-dibaakonigewinan, The Seven Grandfather Teachings, that emerge to promote well-being, which is inherently relational and concerns harmony in contrast to happiness. Gichi-dibaakonigewinan are composed of seven virtues-Truth, Humility, Respect, Love, Bravery, Integrity, and Wisdom-whose consideration reveals pathways to well-being possible in Majority World Contexts that psychologists should consider.Public AbstractWhat is the good life, or living in a good way? Western psychology, rooted in Western philosophy, has sought to study this very question. However, researchers have not considered the perspective of the Majority World. In this paper, we present how the Anishinaabeg, who are Indigenous peoples consisting of the Ojibwe (Chippewa), Potawatomi, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Nipissing, and Mississauga First Nations, think about the good life, or Mino-Bimaadiziwin. Mino-Bimaadiziwin is characterized by the pursuit of harmony in contrast to happiness. We discuss the Gichi-dibaakonigewinan, The Seven Grandfather Teachings, that promote well-being. These Seven Grandfather Teachings are composed of seven virtues, each typified by an animal-the turtle for Truth, wolf for Humility, buffalo for Respect, eagle for Love, Bear for Courage, Raven for Integrity, and Beaver for Wisdom-whose consideration reveals pathways to well-being possible in Majority World Contexts psychologists should consider.}, }
@article {pmid41023067, year = {2025}, author = {Prasad, SB and Parker, NG and Baggaley, AW}, title = {Crow instability of vortex lines in dipolar superfluids.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {33364}, pmid = {41023067}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {RPG-2021-108//Leverhulme Trust/ ; RPG-2021-108//Leverhulme Trust/ ; RPG-2021-108//Leverhulme Trust/ ; EP/T01573X/1//Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council/ ; }, abstract = {In classical inviscid fluids, antiparallel vortices perturbed by Kelvin waves exhibit the Crow instability, where the mutual interaction of the Kelvin modes renders them dynamically unstable. This results in the approach and reconnection of the vortices, leading to a cascaded decay into ever-smaller vortex loops. Through mean-field simulations we study the Crow instability of quantum vortex lines in a superfluid whose atoms are subject to the anisotropic, long-ranged dipole-dipole interaction. We observe that the direction of dipole polarization plays a crucial role in determining the dynamically favored Kelvin modes. The subsequent rate of the instability is linked to the mediation of the vortex curvature by the effective dipole-dipole interaction between the vortices themselves. The vortex curvature is strongly suppressed and modes of lower wavenumber are preferred when the dipole polarization is parallel to the vortices, whereas the curvature is maximized for polarizations along the vortices' separation axis. For polarizations along the binormal axis, modes of higher wavenumber are favorable but the instability rate is considerably inhibited. This paves the way to a deeper understanding of vortex reconnections, vortex loop cascades and turbulence in dipolar superfluids.}, }
@article {pmid41024633, year = {2026}, author = {Patel, SC and Kamath, RN and Murthy, TSN and Subash, K and Avanija, J and Sangeetha, M}, title = {Enhancing Microscopic Image Quality With DiffusionFormer and Crow Search Optimization.}, journal = {Microscopy research and technique}, volume = {89}, number = {3}, pages = {351-374}, doi = {10.1002/jemt.70072}, pmid = {41024633}, issn = {1097-0029}, mesh = {Humans ; Algorithms ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; *Microscopy/methods ; *Pneumonia/diagnostic imaging ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Brain Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging ; Reproducibility of Results ; }, abstract = {Medical Image plays a vital role in diagnosis, but noise in patient scans severely affects the accuracy and quality of images. Denoising methods are important to increase the clarity of these images, particularly in low-resource settings where current diagnostic roles are inaccessible. Pneumonia is a widespread disease that presents significant diagnostic challenges due to the high similarity between its various types and the lack of medical images for emerging variants. This study introduces a novel Diffusion with swin transformer-based Optimized Crow Search algorithm to increase the image's quality and reliability. This technique utilizes four datasets such as brain tumor MRI dataset, chest X-ray image, chest CT-scan image, and BUSI. The preprocessing steps involve conversion to grayscale, resizing, and normalization to improve image quality in medical image (MI) datasets. Gaussian noise is introduced to further enhance image quality. The method incorporates a diffusion process, swin transformer networks, and optimized crow search algorithm to improve the denoising of medical images. The diffusion process reduces noise by iteratively refining images while swin transformer captures complex image features that help differentiate between noise and essential diagnostic information. The crow search optimization algorithm fine-tunes the hyperparameters, which minimizes the fitness function for optimal denoising performance. The method is tested across four datasets, indicating its optimal effectiveness against other techniques. The proposed method achieves a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 38.47 dB, a structural similarity index measure of 98.14%, a mean squared error of 0.55, and a feature similarity index measure of 0.980, which outperforms existing techniques. These outcomes reflect that the proposed approach effectively enhances the quality of images, resulting in precise and dependable diagnoses.}, }
@article {pmid41030123, year = {2026}, author = {Shrestha, V}, title = {Historical Racial Oppression and Healthcare Access: Unveiling Disparities Post-ACA in the American South.}, journal = {Health economics}, volume = {35}, number = {1}, pages = {12-24}, doi = {10.1002/hec.70042}, pmid = {41030123}, issn = {1099-1050}, mesh = {Humans ; *Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ; *Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data ; *Healthcare Disparities ; United States ; Politics ; *Racism ; History, 20th Century ; }, abstract = {This study investigates geographical disparities in the implementation and effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by linking them to the historical legacy of racial oppression in the American South. Using a cross-border regression discontinuity design that leverages variations in racial oppression intensity, we find that bordering counties in states with less oppressive regime experienced significantly greater benefits from the ACA compared to neighboring counties in more oppressive states. This divergence in insurance outcomes, which did not exist before the ACA, underscores the influence of historical racial regimes on contemporary policy efficacy. Furthermore, we demonstrate that political preferences from the Jim Crow era are correlated with the observed variations in ACA effectiveness. Our findings suggest that the racialization of the ACA is deeply rooted in the historical context of racial oppression in the American South.}, }
@article {pmid41030150, year = {2025}, author = {Tyler, C and Koganti, L and Liu, J and Ngo, A and Wong, TW and Zeng, XT and Seyfarth, EA and Zottoli, SJ}, title = {Supramedullary Neurons in Teleost Fishes: Distribution and Putative Functions.}, journal = {Journal of morphology}, volume = {286}, number = {10}, pages = {e70090}, doi = {10.1002/jmor.70090}, pmid = {41030150}, issn = {1097-4687}, support = {//Williams College and the Marine Biological Laboratory provided financial support for part of this study./ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Neurons/cytology/physiology ; *Fishes/anatomy & histology/physiology ; *Spinal Cord/cytology ; *Medulla Oblongata/cytology/physiology ; }, abstract = {Supramedullary neurons (SMNs) were described almost 150 years ago as large, unipolar cells whose somata are located on the dorsal aspect of the medulla oblongata and spinal cord in adults of teleost fishes. SMNs are either aligned in a single, median longitudinal row, generally extending over the rostral third of the spinal cord, or clustered over the medulla oblongata and rostral spinal cord. We add to the list of species that have SMNs and provide the first description of a novel distribution of SMNs along most of the spinal cord in the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) and sea raven (Hemitripterus americanus). The number of SMNs ranges from 27 in the Atlantic butterfish (Peprilus triacanthus) to 3712 in the oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau), and soma diameter ranges from an average of 23 µm in the Atlantic butterfish to 232 µm in the Southern pufferfish (Sphoeroides nephelus). SMNs could not be identified in 11 species, including seven freshwater fishes. We discuss factors that may affect the presence/absence of SMNs including age, length of time in captivity, and habitat salinity. Proposed functions of SMNs include neurosecretion and mucous secretion, and we suggest approaches that may aid in the discovery of the role of these fascinating neurons.}, }
@article {pmid41031972, year = {2025}, author = {Dierick, F and Buisseret, F and Hoho, T and Fiévet, A and Luta, AM}, title = {Solving Raven's Matrices While Walking on a Treadmill: Insights into Cognitive-Motor Interference Patterns in Dual-Task.}, journal = {Journal of motor behavior}, volume = {57}, number = {6}, pages = {798-807}, doi = {10.1080/00222895.2025.2566195}, pmid = {41031972}, issn = {1940-1027}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; *Walking/physiology/psychology ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Psychomotor Performance/physiology ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Gait/physiology ; Aged ; Exercise Test ; Executive Function/physiology ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {This study investigates cognitive-motor interference by combining Raven's Progressive Matrices Test (RPMT) with treadmill walking. Two groups of healthy adults-20 young adults (born after 1995) familiar with treadmill walking and 18 older adults (born before 1980) without treadmill experience-completed both single-task and dual-task conditions. Cognitive performance (RPMT score) and gait metrics (stride interval variability and sample entropy) were recorded. Results revealed diverse interference patterns, with a predominance of gait-prioritization strategies under dual-task conditions. Significant differences between groups were found: younger adults showed greater cognitive performance decline, while older adults increased stride interval under dual-task conditions. A negative correlation between gait variability and complexity suggested adaptive motor strategies in some participants. This dual-task paradigm offers a standardized framework to explore both individual and group variability in multitasking performance. These insights may inform the design of safer environments and interventions targeting populations with different cognitive-motor profiles.}, }
@article {pmid41038887, year = {2025}, author = {Salgado-López, P and Llauradó-Calero, E and García-Vilana, S and Sánchez-Molina, D and Brun, A and Font-I-Furnols, M and Gasa, J and Solà-Oriol, D}, title = {Evaluation of organ and skeletal physiological characteristics for improved classification of growth-restricted newborn piglets.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {34328}, pmid = {41038887}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2023 FI-2 00080//Departament de Recerca i Universitats, Generalitat de Catalunya/ ; 2023 INV-2 00076//NextGenerationEU/ ; PID2019-103915GB-100//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Gobierno de España/ ; PID2019-103915GB-100//Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Gobierno de España/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Swine ; *Fetal Growth Retardation/physiopathology/veterinary ; Animals, Newborn ; Tibia/diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Birth Weight ; Organ Size ; Brain/growth & development ; *Bone and Bones/physiology ; Bone Density ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; }, abstract = {The identification of potentially slow-growing pigs at birth, using both external and internal traits, would enable the early implementation of targeted management and feeding strategies to optimize herd management and improve production efficiency. Twenty-four piglets from six hyperprolific sows were classified into four categories based on birth body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), and crow-to-rump length (CRL): severe intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR), low birth weight (LBW), moderate birth weight (MBW), and high birth weight (HBW). Organ weights, computed tomography (CT) measurements, bending tests to assess tibial mechanical and geometric properties, and tibial mineral content analysis were performed to evaluate organ and skeletal physiological characteristics. Severe IUGR piglets exhibited higher brain-to-organ ratios and relative brain weights, which decreased linearly across categories. High birth BW piglets demonstrated 70% more bone volume and a greater proportion of high-density bones than sIUGR piglets, along with the largest cortical area and thickness in tibia measurements. On the other hand, sIUGR showed higher maximum stress, stiffness values, and manganese content in their tibiae compared to other categories. These findings reveal that piglets with varying degrees of IUGR prioritize brain development, exhibit asymmetrical organ growth, and experience impaired ossification and longitudinal bone growth. This study underscores the need to incorporate complementary birth indicators to refine the classification of newborn piglets with different degrees of restriction.}, }
@article {pmid41038985, year = {2025}, author = {Skoracki, M and Haarder, S and Unsoeld, M and Nielsen, ÓK and Hromada, M and Sikora, B}, title = {Syringophilid mites parasitising the crows and the competitive exclusion principle.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {34436}, pmid = {41038985}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {UAM ID-UB 094/07/POB1/0013//Excellence Initiative Program "Mobility" of the UAM Research University/ ; UAM UD-UB 094/07/POB1/0012//Excellence Initiative Program "Mobility" of the UAM Research University/ ; APVV-22-0440//Slovak Research and Development Agency/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Mites/physiology/classification ; *Crows/parasitology ; Phylogeny ; *Host-Parasite Interactions ; *Mite Infestations/parasitology/veterinary ; Host Specificity ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology ; }, abstract = {Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae (Acariformes: Prostigmata) are one of the most species-rich groups of mite ectoparasites permanently associated with birds, characterised by high host specificity and strict microhabitat preferences. In this study, we examined 179 individuals representing 19 species of the genus Corvus (Passeriformes: Corvidae) to investigate the prevalence and host associations of syringophilid mites. Quill mites were detected in 31 hosts from 11 host species, with infestations restricted exclusively to the wing coverts and involving two species: Syringophiloidus glandarii and Corvisyringophilus krummi. These mites exhibited mutually exclusive host distributions, with the vast majority of corvid species infested by only one of the two mite species. The phylogenetic distribution of these mites across Corvus hosts, combined with their shared microhabitat and lack of co-occurrence, strongly supports historical interspecific competition and subsequent host specialisation, in accordance with the Competitive Exclusion Principle. S. glandarii appears to be the dominant lineage, infecting nine Corvus, while C. krummi was restricted to only three hosts. Only in Corvus albicollis were both mite species detected, though a limited sample size precludes definitive conclusions about stable co-occurrence. These findings highlight how ecological interactions, such as competition, can shape parasite distributions and drive specialisation, even among permanent and highly host-specific parasites. They provide insights into the factors governing host specificity and have implications for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns in host-parasite systems.}, }
@article {pmid41040262, year = {2025}, author = {Gonzalez, WA and Moqadam, R and Zeighami, Y and Dadar, M}, title = {RAVEN: Robust, generalizable, multi-resolution structural MRI upsampling using Autoencoders.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {41040262}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {U54 MH091657/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Due to their high inter-tissue contrast, Magnetic resonance images (MRIs) can reflect neuroanatomical changes related to healthy aging and pathological processes. However, standard brain MRI acquisition resolutions hinder the ability to measure the more subtle changes that occur in early disease stages. Increasing the resolution during acquisition poses multiple challenges, including increased noise, higher acquisition times and cost, and discomfort of the scanned individual. In this work, we propose a robust, generalizable single-image super-resolution network for brain MRIs named Resolution Augmentation with Variational auto-Encoder Networks (RAVEN) with generative adversarial networks (GANs). We show RAVEN is capable of upsampling in-vivo and ex-vivo MRIs of diverse modalities (e.g. T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and T2*) and varying field strengths (3T to 7T) to target voxel sizes as small as 0.5mm isotropic using arbitrary upsampling factors. RAVEN achieved state-of-the-art performance against deep learning and non-deep learning methods, best preserving true anatomical information. We have also made RAVEN open access, with the source code as well as training and evaluation scripts available and ready to use at: https://github.com/waadgo/raven.}, }
@article {pmid41041244, year = {2025}, author = {Chaudhuri, T and Pandit, A and Kumari, P and Faisal, A and Ghosh, J and Roy Choudhury, S and Koner, S}, title = {The double burden of malnutrition and its impact on academic achievement and cognitive function in students of rural India.}, journal = {Journal of family medicine and primary care}, volume = {14}, number = {8}, pages = {3315-3321}, pmid = {41041244}, issn = {2249-4863}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The study explores the interrelationship between nutritional status, cognitive function (IQ), and academic performance in rural primary school children, recognizing these as critical and interconnected health parameters.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship among nutritional condition, cognitive ability, and academic outcomes in children aged 6-8 years in rural Jharkhand, India.
METHODS: A total of 560 children (280 boys and 280 girls), aged between 6 and 8 years, from four rural primary schools in Jharkhand, were included in the study. Nutritional condition was assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI), and cognitive function was evaluated using the Raven Progressive Matrices test.
RESULTS: A high rate of malnutrition was observed: 28.03% of children were undernourished and 28.75% were severely malnourished, with a higher prevalence among boys. Additionally, 4.47% of the children were found to be overweight or obese, indicating a growing double burden of malnutrition in rural areas. A positive association was found between BMI and IQ score (r = 0.41, P ≤ 0.01), indicating that better nutritional status is linked with improved cognitive function. Alarmingly, 50.71% of the children were categorized as "intelligently impaired" based on IQ scores, with only 3.22% scoring in the above-average range. Logistic regression revealed strong associations between academic performance and IQ categories, emphasizing the key role of cognitive function in educational outcomes.
CONCLUSION: The study highlights the intricate relationship between malnutrition, cognitive development, and academic performance. It underscores the urgent need for integrated interventions targeting both under- and over-nutrition, while prioritizing cognitive enhancement and educational support in resource-constrained rural settings.}, }
@article {pmid41042056, year = {2025}, author = {Hausdorf, T and Ferdinand, A and Koo-Poeggel, P and Mölle, M and Bazhenov, M and Marshall, L}, title = {Stimulating the Stimulated Cortex-Frontocortical Anodal Electric Stimulation Combined With Closed-Loop Acoustic Stimulation During Sleep Impairs Memory in Subjects With High Cognitive Ability.}, journal = {The European journal of neuroscience}, volume = {62}, number = {7}, pages = {e70266}, pmid = {41042056}, issn = {1460-9568}, support = {IIS-1724405//US-German Collaboration in Computational Neuroscience/ ; 1R01MH125557/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; RF1NS132913/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; R01 MH125557/MH/NIMH NIH HHS/United States ; R01 NS109553/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; 2223839//National Science Foundation/ ; RF1 NS132913/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; MA 2053/12-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 01GQ1706//US-German Collaboration in Computational Neuroscience/ ; MA 2053/11-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; 1R01NS109553/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; MA 2053/9-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Adult ; Male ; *Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/adverse effects ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; *Acoustic Stimulation/adverse effects ; *Memory Consolidation/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; Electroencephalography ; *Sleep/physiology ; Sleep, Slow-Wave/physiology ; }, abstract = {This study investigates the impact of simultaneous anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) and closed-loop acoustic stimulation (CLAS) during slow-wave sleep on memory consolidation and neural oscillations. In this experiment, anodal tDCS was used to modulate cortical excitability, aiming to alter the brain state and investigate the resultant impact of CLAS-induced effects on sleep electroencephalography and overnight memory consolidation. Twenty participants (aged 18-30) completed two experimental nights involving either CLAS alone or tDCS combined with CLAS (AmodCLAS). Offline detected spontaneous SOs were shifted toward negative potential values by AmodCLAS, SO duration was increased, and density decreased. AmodCLAS also decreased sleep efficiency and REM sleep in the second part of the night. Compared with CLAS alone, AmodCLAS failed to influence memory consolidation across all subjects. However, memory retention of participants with higher fluid intelligence (as measured by Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices) was significantly decreased after AmodCLAS, together with a more pronounced negative shift of SO up-state intervals, yet a weaker reduction in REM sleep. Our findings suggest that individuals with higher cognitive ability exhibit greater susceptibility to sleep-based neuromodulation while possibly possessing greater resilience against sleep perturbance. This highlights the critical role of interindividual cognitive differences in shaping responsiveness to neuromodulation techniques and underscores the need for personalized approaches during such interventions.}, }
@article {pmid41043087, year = {2025}, author = {Tran, PT and Wang, JH and Tang, C and Kiess, AP}, title = {Reply to: Revisiting Radium-223 in Oligometastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: RAVENS Trial Insights.}, journal = {Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology}, volume = {43}, number = {35}, pages = {3772-3773}, pmid = {41043087}, issn = {1527-7755}, support = {75N91019C00040/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; P01 CA272222/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; U54 CA273956/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States ; }, }
@article {pmid41043104, year = {2025}, author = {Li, J and Huang, R and Hu, H}, title = {Revisiting Radium-223 in Oligometastatic Castration-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: RAVENS Trial Insights.}, journal = {Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology}, volume = {43}, number = {35}, pages = {3771-3772}, doi = {10.1200/JCO-25-01476}, pmid = {41043104}, issn = {1527-7755}, }
@article {pmid41070518, year = {2025}, author = {Özgür, BG and Coşgun, GBY and Özaydin, BC}, title = {Relationship of Autistic Traits with Cognitive Flexibility and Other Executive Functions in Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder.}, journal = {Turk psikiyatri dergisi = Turkish journal of psychiatry}, volume = {36}, number = {}, pages = {57}, pmid = {41070518}, issn = {2651-3463}, mesh = {Humans ; Adolescent ; *Executive Function ; Male ; Female ; *Phobia, Social/psychology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Case-Control Studies ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales ; *Autistic Disorder/psychology ; *Cognition ; Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology ; Cognitive Flexibility ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare cognitive flexibility and executive functions in adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder (SAD) who have autistic traits with those who do not, and to investigate whether there is a significant difference compared to healthy controls.
METHOD: The study included 36 adolescents diagnosed with SAD and 36 healthy controls. All participants completed the Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS), and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale was administered to the SAD group. Neuropsychological tests including the Stroop Test TBAG Form, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices Test, and Visual-Auditory Digit Span Test-B were applied. Autistic traits were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient-Adolescent’s Version (AQ-Adolescent) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale.
RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in CFS scores between the social anxiety disorder and control groups. The SAD group showed poorer performance in the subdomains of the WCST. Additionally, in all subtestes of the Stroop test, the SAD group took significantly longer to complete the test. The AQ-Adolescent scores were significantly higher in the SAD group compared to the controls. In 25% (n=9) of the cases, autistic traits were above the cutoff. There were no significant difference in neuropsychological test results between the groups who have and do not have autistic traits within the case group. A weak negative correlation was found between the Liebowitz total and avoidance subscale scores and the AQ-imagination and attention to detail scores, while no correlation was found between the Liebowitz dimensions and CFS scores.
CONCLUSION: This is the among the first studies to examine autistic traits and executive functions among adolescents with SAD. While no difference was found in cognitive flexibility scale scores between the SAD and control groups, the SAD group showed poorer performance in tests measuring other executive functions. However, this difference was not significantly influenced by the presence of autistic traits.}, }
@article {pmid41071523, year = {2025}, author = {Grier-Welch, AM and Vance, AY and Alamdari, N and Sharafi, M}, title = {Efficacy of an Oral Skincare Supplement on Skin Aging: A 12-Week Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.}, journal = {Dermatology and therapy}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {3689-3702}, pmid = {41071523}, issn = {2193-8210}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Aging leads to structural and compositional changes in the skin, contributing to more wrinkles, less smoothness, and dryness. There is growing interest in oral non-invasive interventions to help ameliorate visual signs of skin aging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an oral skincare supplement containing hyaluronic acid and wheat oil extract on parameters of skin aging in a diverse population.
METHODS: Healthy adults (ages 26-64) were recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 31) or placebo group (n = 32). The intervention group received an oral skincare supplement consisting of wheat oil extract and low molecular weight sodium hyaluronate, with a 12-week follow-up period.
RESULTS: The intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in crow's feet wrinkles and improvements in both facial and global skin smoothness beginning at week 8 and continuing to week 12, compared to the placebo group. Additionally, the intervention group exhibited significant increases in skin hydration and elasticity in the leg region relative to the placebo group. Dermatologists' evaluations revealed significant reductions in global scores of both deep and fine wrinkles from baseline to week 12, but only in the intervention group. By week 12, a greater proportion of participants in the intervention group reported improvements in fine lines and wrinkles, skin radiance/glow, skin resilience/elasticity, and overall signs of aging, with these changes being significantly different from the placebo group.
CONCLUSION: An oral skincare supplement combining wheat oil extract and hyaluronic acid offers a comprehensive method for addressing skin aging, providing measurable clinical improvements in various skin parameters and enhancing subjective perceptions of skin health and appearance.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT06083402.}, }
@article {pmid41078303, year = {2025}, author = {Tangili, M and Sudyka, J and Furni, F and Palsbøll, PJ and Verhulst, S}, title = {Sex-Chromosome-Dependent Ageing in Female Heterogametic Methylomes.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {34}, number = {22}, pages = {e70147}, pmid = {41078303}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {//Adaptive Life Scholarship, University of Groningen/ ; 101025890//European Union's Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie/ ; 813383//European Union's Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Sex Chromosomes/genetics ; Female ; *DNA Methylation/genetics ; *Aging/genetics ; *Finches/genetics ; Male ; CpG Islands/genetics ; *Crows/genetics ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; *Epigenome/genetics ; }, abstract = {Recent research in humans and both model and non-model animals has shown that DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic modification, is one of the mechanisms underlying the ageing process. DNAm-based indices predict mortality and provide valuable insights into biological ageing mechanisms. Although sex-dependent differences in lifespan are ubiquitous and sex chromosomes are thought to play an important role in sex-specific ageing, they have been largely ignored in epigenetic ageing studies. We characterised the genome-wide distribution of age-related CpG (Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine) sites from longitudinal samples in two avian species (zebra finch and jackdaw), including for the first time the avian sex chromosomes (Z and the female-specific, haploid W). In both species, we find a small fraction of the CpG sites to show age-related changes in DNAm with the majority of them being located on the haploid, female-specific W chromosome, where DNAm levels predominantly decrease with age. Age-related CpG sites were over-represented on the zebra finch but under-represented on the jackdaw Z chromosome. Our results highlight distinct age-related changes in sex chromosome DNAm compared to the rest of the genome in two avian species, suggesting this previously understudied feature of sex chromosomes may be instrumental in sex-dependent ageing. Moreover, studying the DNAm of sex chromosomes might be particularly useful in ageing research, facilitating the identification of shared (sex-dependent) age-related pathways and processes between phylogenetically diverse organisms.}, }
@article {pmid41085224, year = {2025}, author = {Kanakis, K and Morris, RGM and Gobbo, F}, title = {Modelling of What-Where-When Everyday Memories in Rats.}, journal = {The European journal of neuroscience}, volume = {62}, number = {7}, pages = {e70278}, pmid = {41085224}, issn = {1460-9568}, support = {207481/Z/17/Z/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Rats ; *Models, Animal ; *Memory, Episodic ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Mental Recall/physiology ; *Models, Neurological ; }, abstract = {Episodic memories contain information about the nature of an event, the place where it happened and the time when it occurred. In animals, the term 'episodic-like memory' is preferred to refer to mnemonic instances containing these three features, commonly referred to as 'what-where-when'. Models to study episodic-like memory have been proposed in corvidae and rodents, although their use in neuroscience research has been limited due to certain limitations and potential ambiguities. Although the neurological correlates of 'what-where-when' have been identified in neuronal types such as place and time cells, it is unclear how they contribute to form a unitary representation or how this information can be accessed during memory recall, either holistically or differentially. Here, we outline two new behavioural paradigms based on the everyday memory task that we have developed to model what and when components as well as 'where' information. In Experiment 1 (E1), we demonstrate that rats are able to learn two distinct food positions on a daily basis and retrieve them independently. In E2, we establish that rats can learn that two flavours are replenished at different times after an initial sampling, thus using the temporal component to guide their decision making. These two tasks can therefore provide the basis to study how the item, location and time information of a memory are stored and accessed by the brain. This should be observable in single-unit recording or calcium-imaging studies.}, }
@article {pmid41089886, year = {2025}, author = {Czyżowski, P and Nawłatyna, P and Beeger, S and Zieliński, D}, title = {Long Term Assessment of Predator Pressure on Artificial Nests of Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) in Urban and Agricultural Areas of Lublin (Poland).}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {10}, pages = {e72336}, pmid = {41089886}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {In the study (2005-2023), the pressure of predators on breeding common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) in urban (city of Lublin) and agricultural areas was compared using artificial nests. The average nest predation was higher in the urban than in agricultural areas. The main predator in the city was the common magpie (Pica pica), which preyed on nests mostly in ruderal areas and in the city park. The main predator in the agrocenoses was the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), which destroyed nests in the ecotone zones. A higher density of pheasants in urban areas, combined with a simultaneous higher pressure of predators than in agricultural areas, suggests that other environmental factors influence pheasant density more than the pressure of predators. In agricultural areas, the pressure of predators on artificial nests was shown to decrease along with the increase in the suitability of soils for agricultural production, which is associated with the decline in ecotone sites in intensively used agrocenoses.}, }
@article {pmid41096512, year = {2025}, author = {Torres, JA and Tizado, EJ and Castillo-Contreras, R and Villanueva, LF and Sánchez-García, C}, title = {From Removal to Selective Control: Perspectives on Predation Management in Spanish Hunting Grounds.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {15}, number = {19}, pages = {}, pmid = {41096512}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {Historically, predator control has been a frequent practice conducted in the hunting grounds of Spain. After the approval of Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity, and the enforcement of international regulations, predator control methods are required to be selective, non-massive, and conducted by trained specialists when traps are used; however, there is a lack of research on the current status of predator management. Data was gathered from 16 regional wildlife departments and from 373 questionnaires from hunting grounds targeting the conservation of small game species. Seven predatory species were included in the regional game species lists, the most frequently controlled being the red fox (Vulpes vulpes, 90.4%), wild boar (Sus scrofa, 78.3%), and Eurasian magpie (Pica pica, 51.5%), with control intensity differing among regions. In total, 87% of the questionnaire respondents declared controlling at least one predator species, while 49.3% employed gamekeepers to perform the control. In all surveyed regions, shooting was authorized, and it was the most frequent control method in hunting grounds for the aforementioned species (ranging from 76 to 100%), while the use of approved restraint methods was allowed in 11 regions but only used in 7 for foxes (8%) and magpies (25%). The control intensity (animals culled/km[2]) for foxes was higher when conducted by full-time keepers, while for magpies and wild boars, it was higher when conducted by hunters. The implementation of habitat management (agricultural and forest measures) that helps to reduce predation was higher in hunting grounds not conducting predator control. Based on our results, we propose a national predation management framework focused on controlling rather than removing predators.}, }
@article {pmid41098306, year = {2025}, author = {, }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 3 October 2025.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {10}, pages = {e9715}, doi = {10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9715}, pmid = {41098306}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {In 2025, and as of 3 October 2025, 13 countries in Europe reported 989 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection with known place of infection. The earliest and latest date of onset were on 2 June 2025 and 26 September 2025, respectively. Locally acquired cases have been reported by Italy (714), Greece (91), Serbia (60), France (42), Romania (36), Spain (23), Hungary (11), Croatia (4), Albania (3), North Macedonia (2), Bulgaria (1), Kosovo* (1) and Türkiye (1). In Europe, 63 deaths were reported. Case numbers reported so far this year are above the average for the past decade in the same period (687). However, these figures remain lower than those seen in 2018, 2022, and 2024 - years when virus circulation was particularly intense, with over 1200 cases reported by this point in the year. As the latter figures are based on consolidated data, while the current year's data remain delayed and incomplete, direct comparisons should be made with caution. Italy is currently experiencing a large outbreak, with 714 confirmed human infections, including 48 fatalities (case fatality rate of 6.7%, which is within the expected range). This is the highest number of human WNV infections reported by Italy at this time of the year. The cases have mainly been reported from the Lazio region (Latina, Roma and Frosinone), with a total of 252 cases, and the Campania region (Napoli, Caserta, Salerno and Avellino), with a total 124 cases. Other regions are reporting similar numbers as in previous years. As of 3 October 2025, locally acquired human cases of WNV infection have been reported in 139 regions across 13 countries. This compares with 179 regions (18 countries) during the same period in 2024. All 13 countries have previously reported human cases of WNV. During the current transmission season, 35 regions reported human cases of WNV infection for the first time ever: by Italy in Genova (ITC33), Sondrio (ITC44), Avellino (ITF34), Brindisi (ITF44), Catanzaro (ITF63), Reggio di Calabria (ITF65), Palermo (ITG12), Messina (ITG13), Siracusa (ITG19), Nuoro (ITG2E), Sud Sardegna (ITG2H), Grosseto (ITI1A), Massa-Carrara (ITI11), Arezzo (ITI18), Siena (ITI19), Latina (ITI44) and Frosinone (ITI45); by France in Paris (FR101), Hauts-de-Seine (FR105), Seine-Saint-Denis (FR106), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Val-d'Oise (FR108), Lot-et-Garonne (FRI14), Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Puy-de-Dôme (FRK14), Ardèche (FRK22) and Vaucluse (FRL06); by Greece in Irakleio (EL431) and Lakonia, Messinia (EL653); by Spain in Alicante/Alacant (ES521) and Almería (ES611); by Croatia in (HR035); by Kosovo* in Pejë (XK003); by Romania in Sălaj (RO116); and by Türkiye in Çanakkale (TR222). As observed in previous years, most cases are among males aged 65 years and older. The hospitalisation rate is similar to previous years, with 88% of cases hospitalised this year compared to 91% in the past decade. The high hospitalisation rate is due to the nature of WNV surveillance, which tends to predominantly capture the most severe cases. The case fatality rate so far this year is 7%, which is below but comparable to the 10% observed in the previous decade. Neurological manifestations were reported in 56% of cases this year, compared to 67% in the previous decade. In general, a dominance of neurological cases is expected, as cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed. From the veterinary perspective, 127 WNV outbreaks among equids and 217 outbreaks among birds have been reported in Europe in 2025. The earliest start date of an outbreak among equids and birds was on 15 January 2025 in Germany and 16 February 2025 in Italy, while the latest onset of an outbreak among equids and birds was, respectively, on 23 September 2025 in Hungary and 26 September 2025 in Germany. Outbreaks among equids were reported by Italy (59), France (37), Croatia (10), Hungary (7), Germany (5), Greece (4), Spain (4) and Austria (1). Outbreaks among birds were reported by Italy (192), Germany (15), Belgium (3), Spain (3), Austria (2), Croatia (1) and Hungary (1). In the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) database, no information was provided on the exact equid species reported, whereas species details were available for birds. The bird species associated with the highest number of reported outbreaks in 2025 were the carrion crow (47) and the common magpie (40), followed by the common wood-pigeon (16), common kestrel (15), herring gull (9), unidentified Accipitridae (9), hooded crow (8), little owl (6) and northern goshawk (6). In addition, several other bird species were involved in between one and four outbreaks. In June, July, and August 2025, the number of outbreaks in equids exceeded the 10-year average (2015-2024) for those months, while the number of bird outbreaks remained below the three-year monthly mean (2022-2024) for most months, with the exception of August 2025. However, these figures were generally lower than those observed during the same period in 2024, a year marked by particularly intense WNV circulation. As of 3 October 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in 95 regions across nine countries. Of the nine countries that submitted data in 2025, eight had previously reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids in previous years, reflecting endemic WNV activity in these territories. In contrast, Belgium reported WNV outbreaks for the first time ever to ADIS in 2025, with three outbreaks in wild birds. Two outbreaks involved Eurasian jackdaws, and one involved carrion crows, all recorded in August 2025. These outbreaks occurred in the administrative units of Mechelen (BE212) and Halle-Vilvoorde (BE241). Additionally, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time to ADIS in 23 regions: by Italy in Arezzo (ITI18), Caltanissetta (ITG15), Firenze (ITI14), Foggia (ITF46), Frosinone (ITI45), L'Aquila (ITF11), Lecco (ITC43), Reggio Calabria (ITF65), Siracusa (ITG19), and Sondrio (ITC44); by France in Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Loiret (FRB06), Oise (FRE22), Paris (FR101), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Vaucluse (FRL06), and Yvelines (FR103); by Croatia in Koprivničko-križevačka županija (HR063), and Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija (HR021); by Spain in Almería (ES611) and Menorca (ES533); by Austria in Innsbruck (AT332); and by Germany in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (DE128). Furthermore, in 2025, outbreaks in equids were reported in the Greek region of Thasos-Kavala (EL515), marking the first such report in animals since the last recorded outbreak 12 years prior. Reports of WNV outbreaks during the winter, when mosquito activity is minimal, should be carefully evaluated as they raise questions about the timing of infection. Two such reports - one outbreak in equids reported by Germany in January, and one in birds reported by Italy in February - warrant cautious interpretation, as they may reflect residual detection (e.g. lingering antibodies or viral RNA from infections acquired in the year before) rather than active transmission in 2025. Six countries - Italy, Croatia, France, Greece, Hungary, and Spain - reported both WNV human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds. As of 3 October 2025, Italy alone accounted for 72% of all reported human cases and for 73% of all reported outbreaks in equids and birds, underscoring the significant WNV activity in some parts of the country. This is likely due to favourable climate conditions and ecological hotspots (e.g. wetlands, agricultural areas) that influence mosquito vector populations and the distribution and behaviour of animal hosts. Intensive surveillance in Italy may also contribute to high detection rates of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids. The reporting of WNV outbreaks in birds marks the first detection of the virus in Belgium. Notably, the country has never recorded any locally acquired human cases. This development signals a significant step in the local emergence of WNV and points to a likely recent introduction of the virus into the national ecosystem. These findings underline the need for enhanced surveillance and increased public health preparedness. The identification of WNV cases in humans and animals within previously unaffected areas underscores the ongoing geographic expansion of the virus, which is most likely due to environmental, climatic and ecological changes. In addition, increased surveillance or monitoring sensitivity and raised awareness in these areas might play a role in the detection of the cases. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, as well as the fact that most of the WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the case numbers provided in this report likely underestimate the true number of cases. Of note, the seasonal surveillance in humans primarily focuses on capturing laboratory-confirmed cases, which contributes to the diagnostic delay. Given that the weather conditions are becoming less favourable for WNV transmission in Europe, the number of human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds is expected to decrease in the coming weeks. In previous years, the peak of transmission was observed in August-September.}, }
@article {pmid41107036, year = {2025}, author = {Hahner, L and Hoeppe, L and Nieder, A}, title = {Neuronal responses to frontal binocular and lateral monocular visual stimuli in the crow nidopallium caudolaterale.}, journal = {Journal of neurophysiology}, volume = {134}, number = {5}, pages = {1645-1662}, doi = {10.1152/jn.00431.2025}, pmid = {41107036}, issn = {1522-1598}, support = {NI 618/12-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Vision, Monocular/physiology ; *Neurons/physiology ; *Vision, Binocular/physiology ; Male ; *Visual Fields/physiology ; *Visual Perception/physiology ; Photic Stimulation ; }, abstract = {In birds, visual information from the binocular-frontal and monocular-lateral fields is processed through multiple lateralized pathways that converge in associative telencephalic areas, where sensory inputs are integrated to guide behavior. How these initially separated inputs are represented in such higher areas remains unclear. We recorded single-unit activity in the left nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL), a higher-order associative area, in two passively viewing carrion crows (Corvus corone). The crows were presented with static and moving sine-wave gratings of varying parameters, and colored natural images, in the frontal binocular and lateral monocular visual fields. About 40% of units were strongly modulated by stimulus position (frontal, left, right), with subpopulations distinguishing frontal versus lateral inputs or left-eye versus contralateral right-eye inputs. Nearly 30% of neurons responded selectively to colored images, whereas only ∼10% discriminated between grating parameters, favoring higher spatial frequencies. Stimulus content interacted with position, showing stronger selectivity for frontal and right-eye inputs, consistent with contralateral processing. These results demonstrate that left NCL integrates inputs from both eyes to represent visual information across the visual fields.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Single-unit activity recorded in the left associative nidopallium caudolaterale (NCL) of awake crows was modulated by the position of stimuli across the visual field. Distinct subpopulations of visually responsive neurons distinguished both frontal binocular versus lateral monocular inputs and contralateral right-eye versus monocular left inputs. Stimulus content was more consistently encoded in the contralateral half-field, revealing that stimulus processing in left NCL differs across the visual field.}, }
@article {pmid41112778, year = {2025}, author = {Dong, Y and Fan, S and He, S and Zhao, W and Lancuo, Z and Sharshov, K and Li, Y and Wang, W}, title = {Comparative analysis of fecal DNA viromes in Large-billed crows and Northern ravens reveals diverse viral profiles.}, journal = {PeerJ}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {e20170}, pmid = {41112778}, issn = {2167-8359}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/virology ; *Feces/virology ; *Virome/genetics ; *DNA, Viral/genetics ; *DNA Viruses/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; Metagenomics ; }, abstract = {As facultative scavenger birds, crows carry various parasites, viruses, and bacteria, making them significant infection hosts and transmission vectors. In this study, we employed viral metagenomics to enrich viral particles from three fecal samples of the Northern ravens (Corvus corax) and four fecal samples of the Large-billed crows (Corvus macrorhynchos). Viral DNA was then extracted, and seven sequencing libraries were constructed. The composition and characteristics of the DNA viromes in the feces of these two facultative scavenging bird species were analyzed using the Illumina NovaSeq platform (PE150 mode). The results showed that the fecal DNA viruses carried by Northern ravens mainly belonged to Parvoviridae (31.49%), Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (21.91%), Microviridae (21.57%), and Genomoviridae (18.2%), while those carried by Large-billed crows were predominantly Genomoviridae (29.7%), Parvoviridae (26.15%), and Caudoviricetes_Unclassified (22.15%). Diversity analysis using Richness, Shannon, and Simpson indices showed no significant differences in viral composition between the two crow species. Additionally, principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) (F = 1.079, P = 0.155) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) (F = 1.079, P = 0.154) analyses demonstrated no distinct separation between the two groups. Moreover, the KEGG-enriched pathways in both crow species were primarily associated with metabolic and genetic information processing functions. The selection of the Large-billed crows and Northern ravens in this study was based on their widespread distribution, close association with human settlements, and distinctive scavenging behavior. Comparative analysis of the diversity and composition of their DNA viral communities offers a basis for evaluating the zoonotic risks associated with these scavenger birds.}, }
@article {pmid41119248, year = {2025}, author = {Horvth, I}, title = {New records of fossil bird bones from the Neogene in Hungary.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5627}, number = {2}, pages = {327-342}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5627.2.5}, pmid = {41119248}, issn = {1175-5334}, mesh = {Animals ; *Fossils/anatomy & histology ; Hungary ; *Bone and Bones/anatomy & histology ; *Birds/anatomy & histology/classification ; }, abstract = {This paper presents previously unreported fossil bird bones from the Hungarian Neogene. They derive from seven sites as follows: Beremend 26 and 38, Egyhzasdengeleg, Hidas and Mriahalom. The Early Miocene is represented by four new fossils from Mriahalom, with taxa and numbers of specimens as follows: Pandion pannonicus [1], Gruidae gen. et sp. indet. [1], Passeriformes sp. indet. [2]. Two fossils derive from one Middle Miocene sites as follows: Hidas (Aves sp. indet.. Two fossils come from Late Miocene sites: Alstelekes (Aves indet.) and Egyhzasdengeleg (Aves sp. indet.). A further 17 fossil bird bones are reported from the Pliocene Beremend sites 26 and 38 and represent 10 taxa (Aquila, Palaeocryptonyx, Palaeortyx, Tetrao, Cuculus, Surnia, Corvus, Muscicapidae, Turdidae, 2 Passeriformes, and 2 Aves indet.). These fossils provide records of 10 new taxa to the Hungarian Neogene avifauna.}, }
@article {pmid41126173, year = {2025}, author = {Chen, W and Wang, N and Xie, X and Liu, H and Wang, Y and Nie, Y and Chen, C and Sun, H and Hong, A and Guo, C and Xiong, S}, title = {Recombinant type I & III chimeric collagen significantly enhances the vitality of fibroblasts and decelerates the skin aging process.}, journal = {BMC biotechnology}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {116}, pmid = {41126173}, issn = {1472-6750}, mesh = {*Skin Aging/drug effects ; Humans ; Animals ; *Fibroblasts/drug effects/cytology/metabolism ; *Collagen Type I/genetics/pharmacology/metabolism/chemistry ; *Collagen Type III/genetics/pharmacology/metabolism/chemistry ; Caenorhabditis elegans ; Recombinant Proteins/pharmacology/genetics ; Skin/drug effects ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; *Recombinant Fusion Proteins/pharmacology/genetics ; Escherichia coli/genetics/metabolism ; Cell Survival/drug effects ; Cell Movement/drug effects ; }, abstract = {Collagen, the most abundant protein in the mammalian extracellular matrix, is critical for skin structure and function, with Type I and Type III collagens being particularly important. Collagen degradation in skin is accelerated by aging and UV exposure, leading to structural and functional impairments. Exogenous collagen supplementation has been shown to restore skin structure and function. Traditional collagen extraction from animal tissues is limited by safety and quality concerns, while recombinant human collagen offers improved safety but faces challenges in solubility and production. This study aimed to construct a chimeric collagen derived from both Type I and Type III collagens and achieve its soluble expression in E. coli. Through translational pausing technology, a recombinant chimeric human collagen containing functional domains of both collagen types was successfully constructed and expressed with a yield of 1.36 g/L. A cysteine-rich C-propeptide domain was fused to enhance assembly and stability. The "dual-function" collagen significantly promoted fibroblast proliferation, migration, and adhesion, while stimulating endogenous Type I and Type III collagen production. Using the C. elegans model, the recombinant protein extended lifespan and enhanced oxidative aging resistance. Skin imaging confirmed its penetration into the dermis, and human skin efficacy tests demonstrated its ability to reduce periorbital wrinkles and crow's feet. This recombinant "dual" human collagen promotes endogenous collagen synthesis, accelerates skin repair, reduces aging signs, and shows no observed side effects, offering promising potential for anti-aging applications.}, }
@article {pmid41128904, year = {2025}, author = {Kovářová, E and Linhart, P and Syrová, M and Robovský, J and Urbanová, N and Veselý, P}, title = {Acoustic variation in alarm calls of Corvidae-effect of morphology, ecology and phylogeny.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {83}, pmid = {41128904}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal/physiology ; Phylogeny ; Acoustics ; Ecosystem ; }, abstract = {Bioacoustic parameters of vocalization are generally well adapted to the environment that the species inhabits and are influenced by the morphology and life history of the species. These effects are frequently studied on bird songs; however, little is known about how ecology, phylogeny and morphology affect alarm calls. We investigated these factors in the crow family (Corvidae, Passeriformes) that exhibits extensive distribution around the world and is well known for their variable, conspicuous alarm calls. Using a free database of sounds (xeno-canto) as well as own recordings, we collected alarm calls of 66 species representing 21 out of 24 genera within the family. We measured four vocal characteristics, which showed high variability among the family and low mutual correlation - peak frequency, peak frequency change, harmonicity and call duration. The effect of body mass and preferred habitat openness of the species on these four parameters was tested using phylogenetic regression. We also assessed the strength of the phylogenetic signal. Peak frequency, peak frequency change and harmonicity were influenced by phylogeny, while the alarm call duration evolved independently of phylogeny. Body mass significantly affects the mean peak frequency with bigger species producing sounds of lower frequency. Additionally, the openness of the preferred habitat of the species significantly affects the maximum change in peak frequency. Forest species show less peak frequency fluctuation within the alarm call, probably because dense vegetation does not favour good transmission of highly modulated signals. We conclude, that features of corvid alarm calls are affected by similar drivers as e.g. bird song.}, }
@article {pmid41134061, year = {2025}, author = {Ikegami, S and Ito, T and Okamoto, H and Fujikura, C and Itatani, H and Yagi, M and Ohkuma, A and Okumura, N and Yamaki, A and Shigematsu, N and Kunimoto, K and Jinnin, M}, title = {Effect of Protease-Treated Royal Jelly Extract on Facial Wrinkles: A Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {10}, pages = {e70503}, pmid = {41134061}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {//Yamada Bee Company Inc./ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Female ; Double-Blind Method ; *Fatty Acids/administration & dosage/pharmacology/chemistry ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Skin Cream/administration & dosage/pharmacology ; *Peptide Hydrolases ; Face ; Treatment Outcome ; Microbiota/drug effects ; Administration, Cutaneous ; Stem Cells/drug effects ; Royal Jelly ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: No clinical trials have reported on the wrinkle-improving effects of cosmetics which activate stem cells in vitro.
AIMS: To evaluate the anti-wrinkle effects of protease-treated royal jelly (pRJ)-containing cream application to the skin.
MATERIALS & METHODS: Seventy healthy Japanese women concerned about skin aging were treated with pRJ-containing cream or placebo for 12 weeks using the split-face method in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group study.
RESULTS: The pRJ-containing cream group showed an improvement in the maximum depth and average depth of the biggest wrinkle in the crow's feet wrinkle, along with increased water content of the stratum corneum and dermal thickness, compared to the placebo group. Significant decreases in the relative amount of bacterial microbiome of the cheeks were observed only in the pRJ-containing cream group. In the ex vivo study, expression of COL17A1, epidermal stem cell function marker, was significantly up-regulated with the use of the pRJ-containing cream compared with the placebo cream.
CONCLUSION: This is the first study to demonstrate the wrinkle-improving effects of pRJ. Our results suggest that pRJ not only controls stratum corneum water content, dermal thickness, and bacterial microbiome, but also affects stem cell competition and mesenchymal stem cell activation. pRJ can reduce or eliminate certain skin concerns of women by improving age-related wrinkles.}, }
@article {pmid41141382, year = {2025}, author = {Kumar, MS and Krishna, MB and Soman, KP and Stanley, J and Pourmand, N and Suravajhala, P and Babu, TGS}, title = {Benchmarking long-read assembly tools and preprocessing strategies for bacterial genomes: A case study on E. coli DH5α.}, journal = {Biotechnology reports (Amsterdam, Netherlands)}, volume = {48}, number = {}, pages = {e00931}, pmid = {41141382}, issn = {2215-017X}, abstract = {Genome assembly is a crucial step in microbial genomics, significantly impacting downstream applications such as functional annotation and comparative genomics. While long-read sequencing technologies have improved genome reconstruction, the choice of assembler and preprocessing methods substantially influences assembly quality. Genome assembly is a crucial step in microbial genomics, significantly impacting downstream applications such as functional annotation and comparative genomics. While long-read sequencing technologies have improved genome reconstruction, the choice of assembler and preprocessing methods substantially influences assembly quality. Here, we benchmarked eleven long-read assemblers-Canu, Flye, HINGE, Miniasm, NECAT, NextDenovo, Raven, Shasta, SmartDenovo, wtdbg2 (Redbean), and Unicycler-using standardized computational resources. Assemblies were evaluated on runtime, contiguity (N50, total length, contig count), GC content, and completeness using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO). Assemblers employing progressive error correction with consensus refinement, notably NextDenovo and NECAT, consistently generated near-complete, single-contig assemblies with low misassemblies and stable performance across preprocessing types. Flye offered a strong balance of accuracy and contiguity, although it was sensitive to corrected input. Canu achieved high accuracy but produced fragmented assemblies (3-5 contigs) and required the longest runtimes. Unicycler reliably produced circular assemblies but with slightly shorter contigs than Flye or NextDenovo. Ultrafast tools such as Miniasm and Shasta provided rapid draft assemblies, yet were highly dependent on preprocessing and required polishing to achieve completeness. HINGE and wtdbg2 underperformed due to structural instability and fragmentation. Preprocessing had a marked effect: filtering improved genome fraction and BUSCO completeness, trimming reduced low-quality artifacts, and correction benefited OLC-based assemblers but occasionally increased misassemblies in graph-based tools. Overall, assembler choice and preprocessing jointly determine accuracy, contiguity, and computational efficiency. These results provide a reproducible framework for selecting assembly pipelines in prokaryotic genomics, underscoring that no single assembler is universally optimal.}, }
@article {pmid41144671, year = {2025}, author = {Jannasch, LL and Grüb, J and Nieder, A}, title = {Shared cognitive biases influence numerical judgments in macaques and crows.}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}, volume = {122}, number = {44}, pages = {e2512219122}, pmid = {41144671}, issn = {1091-6490}, support = {LJ//Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (Studienstiftung)/ ; NI 618/13-1 (FOR 5159)//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Judgment/physiology ; Male ; Bayes Theorem ; *Macaca/physiology/psychology ; Female ; }, abstract = {Cognitive biases, which come from the shortcuts our brains use to make decisions, often lead people to misjudge sizes, amounts, or other magnitudes. However, it is still unclear how these biases evolved. Nonhuman animals like primates and corvids share with humans a nonsymbolic number sense. Whether biases in magnitude estimation are evolutionarily widespread in animals remains an open question. We investigated numerical estimation in macaque monkeys and carrion crows-two distantly related but numerically proficient vertebrates-using a delayed match-to-numerosity task with dot arrays. Both species exhibited key biases commonly observed in humans during numerical estimation tasks: scalar variability (increasing response variability with numerosity), regression to the mean (overestimation of small and underestimation of large numerosities), and a sequential effect (estimates biased toward previous trial numerosities). Traditionally, these biases have been attributed either to static influences of overall task history or to dynamic effects from recent trials. Here, we demonstrate that a Bayesian model incorporating dynamic priors based on multiple previously encountered numerosities can account for all observed behavioral patterns. Our findings suggest that numerical judgments in both species are shaped by uncertainty and the integration of recent experience, revealing shared Bayesian-like mechanisms for cognitive biases across distantly related animals.}, }
@article {pmid41151344, year = {2025}, author = {Argiuolo, A and Luongo, M and Somma, F and Gigliotta, O and Maldonato, NM and Ponticorvo, M}, title = {Laterality, verticality and spatial organization of school-age children measured through E-Baking Tray Task quantitative indexes: A comparative developmental approach.}, journal = {Acta psychologica}, volume = {261}, number = {}, pages = {105816}, doi = {10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105816}, pmid = {41151344}, issn = {1873-6297}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; *Space Perception/physiology ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; *Functional Laterality/physiology ; *Child Development/physiology ; *Psychomotor Performance/physiology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Laterality, verticality, and spatial organization are fundamental aspects of visuo-spatial tasks. The Enhanced Baking Tray Task (E-BTT) applies advanced technology to assess visuo-spatial organization using quantitative indexes related to laterality, verticality, and spatial quality. This study reanalyzes existing data, focusing on school-age children and comparing their spatial organization profiles to those of an adult sample.
METHOD: A total of 137 typically developing children (aged 6-11 years) and 122 healthy adults (aged 18-37 years) completed the E-BTT. Inclusion criteria ensured normal or corrected vision and typical cognitive profiles, verified via Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) for children and Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM) for adults. Multiple spatial and organizational indexes were computed. Non-parametric and generalized linear model (GLM) analyses were conducted to explore differences across school grades and between children and adults, with RCPM included as a covariate of fluid intelligence.
RESULTS: Children showed less organized spatial performance than adults, with greater dispersion, irregular paths, and faster execution. Spatial organization improved with age, especially between early and middle primary grades.
DISCUSSION: The E-BTT proves to be a sensitive and ecologically valid tool for assessing these abilities, with promising implications for developmental research and early identification of spatial planning difficulties.}, }
@article {pmid41159293, year = {2025}, author = {Dupak, V and Kuzmin, Y and Syrota, Y and Svitin, R and Greben, O}, title = {Helminths of the hooded crow (Corvus cornix) in cities and beyond: a descriptive analysis of historical and contemporary data from Ukraine.}, journal = {Journal of helminthology}, volume = {99}, number = {}, pages = {e118}, doi = {10.1017/S0022149X25100850}, pmid = {41159293}, issn = {1475-2697}, support = {№ 0124U002245//National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Ukraine/epidemiology ; *Helminths/classification/isolation & purification/genetics ; *Helminthiasis, Animal/parasitology/epidemiology ; Cities ; *Crows/parasitology ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; Biodiversity ; }, abstract = {This study presents data on helminth communities from 93 Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix). The dataset includes historical and contemporary records from three localities in Ukraine with different levels of urbanisation: Kyiv, the Middle Dnipro River, and Polissya. Thirty-two helminth species were identified, including 14 trematodes, six cestodes, 11 nematodes, and one acanthocephalan. The nematodes Eufilariella delicata and Hadjelia truncata are documented in Hooded Crows for the first time. During the statistical analysis, it was revealed that the used dataset is insufficient for robust inference regarding the impact of urbanisation on helminth communities due to its temporal and spatial biases. Despite the limitation, the data offer information for future research on the influence of urbanisation on helminth biodiversity in avian hosts.}, }
@article {pmid41159558, year = {2026}, author = {Madkour, FA and Mohammed, ESI and Al-Rasheed, M and Abdelhakeem, F}, title = {Comprehensive Structural Characterization of the Esophageo-Gastric Tube in the Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix): Histological, Histochemical, and Ultrastructural Insights.}, journal = {Microscopy research and technique}, volume = {89}, number = {3}, pages = {520-537}, doi = {10.1002/jemt.70086}, pmid = {41159558}, issn = {1097-0029}, support = {KFU252515//Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/anatomy & histology ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; *Esophagus/anatomy & histology/ultrastructure ; *Stomach/anatomy & histology/ultrastructure ; Proventriculus/ultrastructure/anatomy & histology ; Histocytochemistry ; }, abstract = {The esophagus and stomach of nine adult healthy hooded crows (Corvus cornix) were collected for light and scanning electron microscopes (SEM) as well as histomorphometric analysis. SEM showed that the esophageal mucosa has round-shaped gland openings, extending to its junction with the proventriculus. The proventriculus luminal surface had roughly circular gland openings surrounded by simple mucosal folds that appeared as raised tubular structures. A cuticle at the proventricular-gizzard junction was present. The gizzard cuticle appeared as thread-like rods, while the tubular gastric glands resembled broccoli sprouts. Histologically, the esophageal mucosa exhibited argyrophilic endocrine cells within both the lining epithelium and glandular epithelium. Numerous telocytes surrounded the secretory acini of the superficial and deep proventricular glands and encircled blood vessels in the lamina propria. Columnar to cuboidal (oxynticopeptic) cells were abundant in the deep proventricular glands. The most superficial epithelial cells of the gizzard contained excessive metachromatic granules. Telocytes were detected around the glandular secretory acini within the lamina propria and muscle fibers of the gizzard. The results of the current study suggest that the esophageo-gastric tube histomorphology in hooded crows revealed some characteristics that might be attributed to adaptation to a diverse urban and rural diet.}, }
@article {pmid41160145, year = {2025}, author = {Baglione, V and Canestrari, D and Cusimano, M and Hoffman, B and Moreno, V and Trapote, E}, title = {Capturing vocal communication in a free-living corvid: high-resolution data from low-impact miniaturized tags.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {85}, pmid = {41160145}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Crows/physiology ; Social Behavior ; Spain ; Female ; Male ; Accelerometry ; }, abstract = {Understanding vocal communication is essential to unraveling avian social behavior and cognition; however, audio recording remains particularly challenging in field studies involving wild populations. In this study, we deployed a lightweight, multi-sensor biologging device (MiniDTAG) designed for medium- to large-sized birds. The device integrates a microphone, accelerometer, magnetometer, and pressure sensors into a 12.5 g package, enabling high-fidelity acoustic and behavioral data collection. We deployed 52 MiniDTAGs over three breeding seasons in free-ranging cooperatively breeding carrion crows (Corvus corone) in northern Spain. The auto-releasing attachment method allowed the birds to free themselves from the tag after 18.5 days, on average. We recovered 87% tags, collecting over 83 h of data per device on average. Using a machine learning model (Voxaboxen), we detected over 127,000 vocalizations and assigned them to focal tagged individuals, adult conspecifics, crow chicks, and parasitic great spotted cuckoo nestlings (Clamator glandarius) with high precision and recall. We also explored the potential of accelerometer data to identify specific behaviors within a cooperative context, namely anti-predator mobbing. To evaluate logger impact, we analyzed 825 h of video from 22 crow groups and found minimal effects on brood feeding rates and reproductive success. Our results highlight the MiniDTAG's potential to advance the study of animal communication by capturing vocalizations across the whole range of amplitudes. This approach opens new avenues for exploring the mechanisms of cooperation and information exchange in complex social systems and lays the groundwork for future comparative studies in corvid communication.}, }
@article {pmid41165856, year = {2025}, author = {Wascher, CAF and Waterhouse, G and Beheim, BA}, title = {Vocal mimicry in Corvids.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {88}, pmid = {41165856}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; *Crows/physiology ; Bayes Theorem ; *Biological Mimicry ; }, abstract = {Vocal mimicry, the copying of sounds produced by another species or the environment, is commonly described in vocal learners, such as songbirds. Understanding the functions of vocal mimicry can help to uncover the evolutionary drivers of vocal learning. Different adaptive functions like interspecific and intraspecific communication have been suggested, as well as the possibility of vocal mimicry to be a mistake during vocal learning. In the present study, we review the occurrence of mimicry in the family of corvids and investigate the socio-ecological factors driving the evolution of vocal mimicry in this group of birds. We recorded evidence of vocal mimicry from primary (xeno-canto recordings) as well as secondary sources (published literature) and found evidence for vocal mimicry in 39 out of 128 corvid species (30%). Socio-ecological factors like breeding system, habitat and trophic niche did not have a significant effect. We used Bayesian modelling based on existing data from primary and secondary sources to estimate the occurrence of mimicry, suggesting that vocal mimicry may be more widespread among corvids than currently documented, with many species potentially being 'hidden mimics'. Our study for the first time systematically reviews the occurrence of vocal mimicry across the family of corvids and investigates a range of socio-ecological factors driving the behaviour, hopefully inspiring future field work on those species.}, }
@article {pmid41165906, year = {2025}, author = {Harrington, KJ and Biondi, LM and Lambert, ML}, title = {Rethinking raptors: caracaras as a model for avian cognition in the wild.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {89}, pmid = {41165906}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Cognition ; *Raptors/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Social Behavior ; Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Caracaras (subfamily Polyborinae) are a behaviorally distinctive and underexplored lineage of falcons that offer valuable opportunities to investigate the evolution of avian cognition in ecologically valid settings. Belonging to the sister clade to parrots and corvids-groups renowned for their cognitive abilities-caracaras express key traits linked to cognitive evolution, including large brains, high pallial neuron counts, complex social structures, ecological flexibility, and generalist foraging strategies. This review synthesizes existing behavioral, ecological, and neurological evidence suggesting that caracaras are well-suited for testing hypotheses in both social and physical cognition. Caracaras' accessibility and behavioral responsiveness in the wild make them exceptionally well-suited for field-based studies, with the potential to address a critical gap in ecologically relevant comparative cognition. We highlight specific opportunities for research and emphasize that caracaras are a promising model for investigating how cognition evolves in response to varied socio-ecological pressures. We conclude that expanding cognitive research to include caracaras will broaden taxonomic representation and may offer broader insights into patterns of cognitive evolution.}, }
@article {pmid41176790, year = {2025}, author = {Zubair, M and Khan, AH and Bilal, SF and Li, J}, title = {Deep learning approaches for resolving genomic discrepancies in cancer: a systematic review and clinical perspective.}, journal = {Briefings in bioinformatics}, volume = {26}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {41176790}, issn = {1477-4054}, mesh = {*Deep Learning ; Humans ; *Neoplasms/genetics ; *Genomics/methods ; Computational Biology/methods ; Mutation ; }, abstract = {Discrepancies in cancer sequencing data continue to pose significant challenges for accurate mutation detection, potentially resulting in misdiagnoses and suboptimal treatment strategies. Although deep learning (DL) has emerged as a transformative approach for identifying and rectifying these errors, there remains a lack of comprehensive evaluation of DL architectures, performance benchmarks, and clinical translation. In this systematic review of 78 studies (2015-2024), We synthesize recent advancements in DL methodologies for identifying genomic discrepancies, demonstrating that convolutional and graph-based architectures currently achieve state-of-the-art performance in variant calling and tumor stratification. DL models reduce false-negative rates by 30%-40% compared to traditional pipelines, with methods such as MAGPIE prioritizing pathogenic variants with 92% accuracy. However, challenges such as data scarcity, batch effects, and the interpretability of "black-box" models persist. We propose a future research roadmap advocating federated learning to enhance data privacy and attention mechanisms to improve model transparency. By bridging bioinformatics and oncology, this review offers actionable insights to expedite the deployment of DL in precision cancer therapy.}, }
@article {pmid41183436, year = {2026}, author = {Packull-McCormick, S and Ratelle, M and Drysdale, M and Borghese, MM and Bouchard, M and Stark, KD and Gamberg, M and Swanson, H and Skinner, K and Laird, BD}, title = {Determinants of human hair mercury, blood mercury, blood selenium, and plasma omega-3 fatty acid levels within northern Canada.}, journal = {International journal of hygiene and environmental health}, volume = {271}, number = {}, pages = {114703}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114703}, pmid = {41183436}, issn = {1618-131X}, mesh = {Humans ; *Mercury/blood/analysis ; *Selenium/blood ; *Hair/chemistry ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Biomarkers/blood ; Animals ; Diet ; *Environmental Pollutants/blood/analysis ; Docosahexaenoic Acids/blood ; *Fatty Acids, Omega-3/blood ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Northwest Territories ; Eicosapentaenoic Acid/blood ; Canada ; Environmental Monitoring ; Fishes ; }, abstract = {To address community concerns within northern Canada, human biomonitoring projects measured concentrations of environmental contaminants and nutrients in human biological samples from the Dehcho and Sahtú regions of the Northwest Territories and Old Crow, Yukon. Hair and blood samples were analyzed for total mercury, blood was analyzed for selenium, and plasma was analyzed for eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Demographic and dietary characteristics associated with concentrations of these biomarkers, within and between the northern Canadian regions sampled, were assessed. Spearman correlations between biomarker concentrations were calculated, geometric mean biomarker concentrations were compared across strata of participant characteristics (stratified by region), and associations were further examined in multivariable models. Participant age and consumption of at least one species of fish and waterfowl were associated with mercury (adjusted R[2] = 0.26 for hair mercury) and EPA + DHA (adjusted R[2] = 0.33) biomarker concentrations in the final models. Region and consumption of several fish species as well as caribou livers and kidneys were associated with blood selenium concentrations in the final model (adjusted R[2] = 0.32). Mercury and EPA + DHA biomarker concentrations were moderately/strongly correlated across all three regions (rs = 0.36 to 0.65) while correlations with selenium were inconsistent (rs = 0.04 to 0.28). These findings provide information on the demographic/dietary factors that may be associated with mercury, selenium, and EPA + DHA biomarker concentrations in the northern study regions and highlight the need to consider the nutritional benefits of traditional foods while seeking to understand and reduce the risks of contaminant exposure.}, }
@article {pmid41185229, year = {2025}, author = {Zhu, H and Fang, Y and Lu, W and Yuan, P and Shi, D and Ji, H and Shieh, W}, title = {200 G self-coherent PON based on SiP CROW filter-enabled dual-polarization carrier-extracted self-coherent detection.}, journal = {Optics letters}, volume = {50}, number = {21}, pages = {6718-6721}, doi = {10.1364/OL.570494}, pmid = {41185229}, issn = {1539-4794}, abstract = {In this Letter, we present a 200 G C-band self-coherent PON based on dual-polarization (DP) carrier-extracted self-coherent (CESC) detection. Applying a narrowband silicon photonic (SiP) coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW) filter, a pure carrier can be extracted from the received signal to beat with the DP self-coherent signal, realizing a coherent-like detection without local oscillators. Conveying a 223.2-Gbps DP-QPSK signal with an SOA pre-amplification in the downstream transmission, the self-coherent PON can realize a 33-dB loss budget over 20-km SSMF under 1 × 10[-2] BER threshold. As a cost-effective and performant scheme, DP-CESC detection-based self-coherent PON is promising for the next-generation PON beyond 100 G.}, }
@article {pmid41193538, year = {2025}, author = {Kalaivani, A and Kavitha, P and Dhivya, G and Aruna, D and Thulasi, T and Yong, X and Chan, CK and Rani, P}, title = {Enhancing IoT-based healthcare security with grey filter bayesian CNN and optimization algorithms.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {38751}, pmid = {41193538}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {AA24010001//Guangxi Science and Technology/ ; }, mesh = {*Internet of Things ; *Computer Security ; Bayes Theorem ; *Algorithms ; Convolutional Neural Networks ; Humans ; Soft Computing ; Digital Health ; Neural Networks, Computer ; *Delivery of Health Care ; }, abstract = {The integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in healthcare systems has significantly enhanced patient monitoring and intervention capabilities, offering real-time data for improved decision-making. However, the widespread deployment of IoT devices has introduced critical security vulnerabilities, making healthcare systems vulnerable to cyberattacks that compromise patient safety and data privacy. This paper aims to address the security challenges in IoT-enabled healthcare by developing an advanced anomaly detection system that integrates the Grey Filter Bayesian Convolutional Neural Network (GFB-CNN), the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA), and the Binary Grey Wolf Optimizer (BGWO). The GFB-CNN is employed to filter out noise and uncertainties in the data, thereby improving the accuracy of anomaly detection. Meanwhile, CSA and BGWO optimize feature selection and tackle class imbalance, thereby enhancing computational efficiency. An experimental evaluation of the CIC IoT dataset demonstrates that the proposed method significantly outperforms existing security solutions, providing a robust and real-time anomaly detection framework. The results confirm that integrating GFB-CNN, CSA, and BGWO offers a promising approach for enhancing security in IoT-based healthcare systems, thereby ensuring better protection against cyber threats. This study contributes to the advancement of secure IoT healthcare solutions, paving the way for more reliable and scalable health system access in future healthcare applications.}, }
@article {pmid41195065, year = {2025}, author = {Tia, A and Hauser, J and Konan, AG and Ciclet, O and Grzywinski, Y and Mainardi, F and Visconti, G and Frézal, A and Nindjin, C}, title = {Unraveling the relationship between nutritional status, cognitive function, and school performance among school-aged children in Taabo, Côte d'Ivoire: a school-based observational study.}, journal = {Frontiers in nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1630497}, pmid = {41195065}, issn = {2296-861X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Nutritional deficiencies are one of the main factors that affect cognitive development. In Côte d'Ivoire, although nutritional deficiencies have been reported among schoolchildren, their association with cognitive function or academic performance remains unexplored.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between nutritional status, cognition, and school performance in school-aged children from Taabo, Côte d'Ivoire.
METHODS: A sample of 252 schoolchildren (6-12 years) was recruited. Nutrient biomarkers were measured in blood samples, cognition (fluid intelligence) was assessed using the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), and school performance was quantified based on academic results in mathematics and literature.
RESULTS: Overall scores were 15.4 ± 4.4 for the RCPM, 6.0 ± 2.4 for mathematics, and 5.4 ± 1.8 for literature (out of a maximum of 36, 10, and 10, respectively). Most of the children had normal nutritional status, but all had inadequate plasma levels of iron, folate, thiamine, and vitamin B12. Significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between biomarkers of iron, folate, tryptophan, calcium, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids with cognition or school performance. In contrast, no associations were found with zinc, iodine, riboflavin, vitamin B12, or vitamin D. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors in regression models, calcium was identified as a predictor of cognitive skills (R [2] = 0.3, p = 0.020; 95% CI: 8.2 × 10[-6]-9.3 × 10[5]) and folate as a predictor of performance in both mathematics (R [2] = 0.1, p = 0.006; 95% CI: 0.1-0.3) and literature (R [2] = 0.1, p = 0.005; 95% CI: 0.1-0.2).
CONCLUSION: This study found high rates of B vitamins and iron deficiencies in Ivorian school-aged children. Iron, folate, tryptophan, calcium, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acid biomarkers showed promising correlations with cognition and academic performance. Further research aimed at investigating such relationships is needed.}, }
@article {pmid41204789, year = {2026}, author = {Videman, K and Leppänen, JM and Hallamaa, L and Maleta, K and Ashorn, P and Mangani, C and Ashorn, U}, title = {Childhood Linear Growth and Early Morbidity as Predictors of Adolescent Cognitive Ability in Malawi: A Prospective Observational Study.}, journal = {Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)}, volume = {115}, number = {3}, pages = {634-642}, pmid = {41204789}, issn = {1651-2227}, support = {//Finninsh Cultural Foundation/ ; T64134//Tampere University Hospital Support Foundation/ ; T64504//State funding for University-level health research, Tampere University Hospital, Wellbeing services county of Pirkanmaa/ ; //Medical Research Fund of Tampere University Hospital/ ; 207010//Academy of Finland/ ; 79787//Academy of Finland/ ; //Foundation for Pediatric Research in Finland/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Malawi/epidemiology ; Male ; Adolescent ; Female ; Child ; Prospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Infant ; *Cognition ; *Child Development ; *Body Height ; }, abstract = {AIM: Growth faltering and loss of development potential are common in low- and middle-income countries. We aimed to study whether linear growth before and after 2 years, height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) from 1 month until 13 years and morbidity during the first 3 years predict adolescent cognitive ability.
METHODS: Cognitive assessment was done between 2018 and 2019 using Raven's coloured progressive matrices (N = 997), a measure of inductive reasoning and eye-tracking measures of saccadic speed (N = 760) and saccadic control (N = 618) among children whose mothers originally participated in a randomised clinical trial in rural Malawi. Linear regression was used to predict cognitive ability. The primary model was adjusted for age and sex, and the covariate-adjusted model for other prespecified variables.
RESULTS: Saccadic control was predicted by a change in HAZ between 2 and 13 years in the adjusted model (coef -0.03, p = 0.04). Raven's score was predicted by change in HAZ between 1 month and 2 years (coef. 0.47, p < 0.05), and HAZ at 2, 5 and 13 years (coefs. 0.27-0.38, p < 0.05). Morbidity did not predict adolescent cognition.
CONCLUSION: Linear growth before 2 years of age and single HAZ measurements from 2 years onwards associated with later cognitive ability measured with Raven's test, but not consistently with eye-tracking assessment.}, }
@article {pmid41206538, year = {2025}, author = {Hall, MB and Zhou, C and Coin, LJM}, title = {Genome size estimation from long read overlaps.}, journal = {Bioinformatics (Oxford, England)}, volume = {41}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {41206538}, issn = {1367-4811}, support = {FSPGN000045//Australian Government Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Genomics Health Futures Mission (GHFM) Flagships-Pathogen Genomics/ ; //META-GP/ ; //DELIVERING A CLINICAL METAGENOMICS PLATFORM FOR AUSTRALIA/ ; }, mesh = {*Genome Size ; *Software ; Genome, Bacterial ; *Genomics/methods ; Algorithms ; *Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods ; }, abstract = {MOTIVATION: Accurate genome size estimation is an important component of genomic analyses such as assembly and coverage calculation, though existing tools are primarily optimized for short-read data.
RESULTS: We present LRGE, a novel tool that uses read-to-read overlap information to estimate genome size in a reference-free manner. LRGE calculates per-read genome size estimates by analysing the expected number of overlaps for each read, considering read lengths and a minimum overlap threshold. The final size is taken as the median of these estimates, ensuring robustness to outliers such as reads with no overlaps. Additionally, LRGE provides an expected confidence range for the estimate. We validate LRGE on a large, diverse bacterial dataset and confirm it generalizes to eukaryotic datasets. On bacterial genomes, LRGE outperforms k-mer-based methods in both accuracy and computational efficiency and produces genome size estimates comparable to those from assembly-based approaches, like Raven, while using significantly less computational resources.
Our method, LRGE (Long Read-based Genome size Estimation from overlaps), is implemented in Rust and is available as a precompiled binary for most architectures, a Bioconda package, a prebuilt container image, and a crates.io package as a binary (lrge) or library (liblrge). The source code is available at https://github.com/mbhall88/lrge and an archive at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17183812 under an MIT license.}, }
@article {pmid41208551, year = {2026}, author = {Gwee, CY and Tassoni, L and Boev, Z and Tomek, T and Bochenski, ZM and Talamo, S and Wolf, JBW}, title = {Performance of Two Custom Probe Kits for In-Solution Enrichment of Ancient Avian DNA.}, journal = {Molecular ecology resources}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {e70071}, pmid = {41208551}, issn = {1755-0998}, support = {WO 1426/7-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; //FARE (Framework per l'attrazione ed il rafforzamento delle eccellenze per la Ricerca in Italia - III edizione)/ ; Prot. R20L4N7MS5 CUP J53C2200374000//Evaluate the precision of time in Human Evolution adopting spectrometric methods for archaeological bones - EURHOPE/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *DNA, Ancient/isolation & purification/analysis ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; *Crows/genetics ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization/methods ; }, abstract = {Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis remains challenging due to low endogenous DNA content of degraded samples. Hybridisation-based in-solution enrichment has emerged as an effective tool for targeting genomic regions, enhancing endogenous DNA yield while minimising overall sequencing effort. Despite their widespread use, the performance of different probe kits in capture efficiency remains insufficiently understood, particularly in nonhuman model organisms. In this study, we examined the performance of two commercially available custom probe systems, the RNA-based myBaits and DNA-based Twist, in enriching endogenous aDNA (0.9%-90.1%) extracted from crow bones collected from the early to late Holocene (100-14,000 years ago). The target regions included a panel of 104 K genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified from modern populations of the Corvus corone species complex. Both custom probe kits substantially improved fold enrichment and target site detection rates compared with shotgun sequencing. Between the two kits, myBaits consistently achieved higher capture efficiency. In contrast, Twist retained a greater proportion of endogenous DNA, but most of this originated from off-target regions, resulting in lower target efficiency under our experimental conditions. Twist demonstrated higher coverage in regions with extreme GC content, highlighting its utility for applications targeting GC-rich genomic regions. These findings provide insights into the performance of commercially available DNA enrichment methods and help guide study design.}, }
@article {pmid41211409, year = {2025}, author = {Bakhti, R and Fonseka, N and Amati, F and Nicholls, DE and Hargreaves, D and Lazzarino, A and McCan, L and Gardner, SN and Narayan, K and Kerslake, H and Weston, A and Gnani, S}, title = {A narrative review of school-based screening tools for dyslexia among students.}, journal = {Frontiers in public health}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {1654470}, pmid = {41211409}, issn = {2296-2565}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dyslexia/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Child ; Adolescent ; *Mass Screening/methods ; *Students/statistics & numerical data ; *Schools ; Male ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; *School Health Services ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Early detection and intervention of dyslexia in children and young people (CYP) can help mitigate its negative impacts. Schools play a crucial role as a key point of contact for dyslexia screening.
OBJECTIVE: In this review, we examined the range of screening tools and reported sensitivities and specificities in school settings to identify CYP with dyslexia and explored variations in how tools captured the socio-demographic characteristics of screened student's groups.
DESIGN: Narrative review.
METHODS: We searched five electronic databases: EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Cochrane, and Scopus (2010-2023) to identify worldwide school-based dyslexia screening studies conducted in CYP aged 4-16 years. Three independent researchers screened the papers, and data were extracted on the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tools, the informants involved, the prevalence of dyslexia among those who screened positive, and the socio-demographic characteristics of the identified CYP.
RESULTS: Sixteen of 6,041 articles met the eligibility criteria. The study population ranged from 95 to 9,964 participants. We identified 17 different types of school-based dyslexia screening tools. Most studies combined screening tools (mean number of 3.7, standard deviation = 2.7) concurrently to identify dyslexia. Three studies used a staged approach of two and three stages. Developmental Dyslexia and Dysorthographia and Raven Progressive Matrices were the most used tools. The percentage of cases screening positive for dyslexia ranged from 3.1 to 33.0%. Among CYP identified by screening with dyslexia, there were missing socio-demographic data on gender (50%) and socio-economic status (81%) and none on ethnicity.
CONCLUSION: A variety of screening tools are used to identify children and young people (CYP) with dyslexia in school settings. However, it is unclear whether this wide range of tools is necessary or reflects variations in definitions. Greater collaboration between researchers and front-line educators could help establish a solid evidence base for screening and reduce the inconsistencies in approach. In the meantime, a practical and beneficial approach may involve starting with a highly sensitive screening tool, followed by more specific tests to assess detailed deficits and their impact.}, }
@article {pmid41215298, year = {2025}, author = {Kwaśny, A and Soboń, G}, title = {Performance evaluation of metaheuristic algorithms for femtosecond laser pulse optimization.}, journal = {Optics express}, volume = {33}, number = {21}, pages = {45398-45412}, doi = {10.1364/OE.574464}, pmid = {41215298}, issn = {1094-4087}, abstract = {We report our investigation on ultrashort laser pulse optimization using metaheuristic algorithms in a system comprising a mode-locked oscillator, a spectral phase shaper, and a highly nonlinear amplifier. We implemented and evaluated the performance of three bio-inspired metaheuristic algorithms: Grey Wolf Optimizer, Genetic Algorithm, and Crow Search Algorithm. Our comparative analysis focused on the convergence of cost functions, autocorrelation traces, and optical spectra of the optimized pulses. We also conducted repeatability tests to assess the algorithm's robustness. The results demonstrate that metaheuristic algorithms are highly effective in minimizing pulse duration, with the Crow Search Algorithm consistently achieving the lowest cost and highest repeatability. Importantly, our approach is universal and can be successfully applied to a wide range of laser systems, including mode-locked oscillators, chirped pulse amplifiers, and others. This work underscores the potential of intelligent optimization strategies in advancing ultrafast photonics.}, }
@article {pmid41215693, year = {2025}, author = {Dai, D and Di, Y and Li, W and Zhu, Y and Chen, S and Lu, B and Shi, B}, title = {Dietary Supplement With Cherry Blossom Flower and Rosa roxburghii Tratt Fruit Extract Improves Skin Aging: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blinded Clinical Study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {11}, pages = {e70536}, pmid = {41215693}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Female ; *Rosa/chemistry ; *Plant Extracts/administration & dosage/adverse effects/pharmacology ; Adult ; *Dietary Supplements/adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Fruit ; Flowers ; Double-Blind Method ; Skin/drug effects ; Elasticity/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The cherry blossom flower (sakura) and Rosa roxburghii Tratt (RRT) fruit demonstrate well-established antioxidant and anti-aging properties. However, their synergistic effects on skin aging remain understudied.
OBJECTIVE: This clinical study was designed to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of a dietary supplement containing sakura and RRT fruit extract in improving skin aging parameters.
METHODS: Sixty healthy female participants aged 30-50 years were randomly allocated to receive a daily dietary supplement (150 mg sakura extract + 200 mg RRT fruit extract) or a placebo for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes- skin hydration, chromaticity, elasticity, collagen index, texture and scaliness, and wrinkles- were quantitatively assessed at baseline and week 8 using standardized instrumental methods.
RESULTS: After 8 weeks of intervention, the dietary supplement significantly improved skin aging parameters versus placebo. Compared to before intervention, skin hydration increased by 28.07% (cheek) and 25.81% (forearm), significant improvement of skin chromaticity and elasticity on the cheek and inner forearm were observed (p < 0.01), and the mean collagen index rose by 1.8% (cheek) or 1.27% (inner forearm). Skin texture and scaliness reduction were presented. An evident reduction in the average volume and area ratio of skin wrinkles, including forehead wrinkles, crow's feet and nasolabial folds, were observed. There are reductions in neck line number (9.51%), neck line length (10.23%) and average depth of single neck line (7.14%).
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the sakura and RRT fruit extract complex is a safe and effective nutraceutical for mitigating skin aging.}, }
@article {pmid41229299, year = {2025}, author = {Kohda, M and Sogawa, S and Bshary, R}, title = {On the mirror test and the evolutionary origin of self-awareness in vertebrates.}, journal = {Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences}, volume = {380}, number = {1939}, pages = {20240312}, pmid = {41229299}, issn = {1471-2970}, support = {23H03872 AND 24K03238//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Biological Evolution ; *Awareness ; *Perciformes/physiology ; *Self Concept ; *Recognition, Psychology ; *Vertebrates/physiology ; }, abstract = {Self-awareness in animals is often documented by showing evidence for mirror self-recognition (MSR), which is confirmed by the mirror mark-test. The classic assumption about self-awareness was that it is a complex cognitive process, restricted at best to a few large-brained species. Indeed, early MSR research yielded positive results only in great apes, elephants, dolphins and magpies, while most endotherm species failed. However, recent detailed proof of MSR based on a mental representation of self, i.e. private self-awareness (PrSA), in cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, a small-brained ectotherm fish, indicates that the origin and cognitive complexity of self-awareness must be reconsidered. Here, we first recapitulate key concepts on the evolution of self-awareness, and then summarize the evidence that cleaner wrasse exhibit PrSA. We propose that the many negative MSR results are potentially false-negatives, and that self-awareness does not require a large brain. We posit a new hypothesis: self-awareness was already present in the early shared ancestors of modern vertebrates.This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary functions of consciousness'.}, }
@article {pmid41229698, year = {2025}, author = {Speechley, EM and Ashton, BJ and Thornton, A and King, SL and Simmons, LW and Ridley, AR}, title = {Social Interactions Are Related to Cognitive Development in Western Australian Magpie Fledglings.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {11}, pages = {e72435}, pmid = {41229698}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Social interactions during development can have a significant and lasting impact on adult phenotypes and fitness. Indeed, a growing body of evidence suggests the early social environment plays an important role in cognitive development. However, existing studies largely focus on the impact of social group size, which does not necessarily capture all the cognitive demands associated with group living. Social network analysis can provide detailed insight into variation in social interactions between group members, and thus the information-processing challenges associated with group living at the individual level. Here, we explore whether social interactions during development are related to cognitive performance in juvenile Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis). Specifically, we investigated the relationship between social network measures of connectedness (physical proximity, play, agonistic and vocal interactions) and individual cognitive performance, tested at three developmentally sensitive time points during the first year of life. We found that social measures were related to cognitive performance: individuals in larger groups solve an associative learning task in fewer trials at 300 days post-fledging. Additionally, individuals that responded to vocalisations from more conspecifics and those that received aggressive interactions from more conspecifics perform better at an associative learning task at 300 days post-fledging. Our study highlights the value of considering individual-based social network measures, which capture the differences in specific social connections between individuals within groups, when investigating the relationship between the social environment and cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid41240384, year = {2025}, author = {Aulakh, DK and Upadhyay, P and Kaur, G and Goraya, JS and Mishra, BP}, title = {Profiles of cold executive function performance among pediatric acquired brain injury.}, journal = {Applied neuropsychology. Child}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-12}, doi = {10.1080/21622965.2025.2589424}, pmid = {41240384}, issn = {2162-2973}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To compare cold executive functioning (EF) among children with perinatal ischemic stroke (PAS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and brain tumors (BT), and to delineate distinct neuropsychological profiles across these acquired brain injury (ABI) subtypes.
METHOD: A cross-sectional neuropsychological assessment was conducted on children aged 6 to 18 years divided into three study groups: PAS (n = 22), TBI (n = 17), and BT (n = 11) with each participant matched to a control (1:1) based on age, gender, and educational attainment resulting in three control groups. Participants were screened for 'intellectual impairment' as per Raven's Progressive Matrices. Standardized tests measuring planning (Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure test), sustained attention (Color Cancelation Test), focused attention (Color Trails Test), working memory (Digit Span), verbal fluency (Phonemic fluency test), visuo-constructive (Block Design), and visuo-conceptual tasks (Picture Completion Test) were administered. Group comparisons were conducted using non-parametric and ANCOVA analyses with age and gender adjustments.
RESULTS: A heterogeneous pattern of cold executive dysfunction across the three ABI etiologies was found. Trends indicate TBI > BT > PAS for attention and working memory; for verbal fluency PAS > TBI > BT; and BT > TBI > PAS for planning. Age controlled post hoc differences reveal significant dysfunction in PAS group for planning, visuo-conceptual and visuo-constructive abilities. Post hoc effects controlled for gender revealed significant dysfunction for visuo-conceptual and visuo-constructive ability.
CONCLUSIONS: Distinct executive function profiles were observed across ABI subtypes, with PAS associated with the most pervasive impairments, TBI with selective deficits, and BT with targeted planning difficulties. These findings highlight the importance of tailored cognitive rehabilitation strategies based on ABI subtype.}, }
@article {pmid41242203, year = {2025}, author = {Hartshorn, S and Barrett, MJ and Bloom, B and Lyttle, MD and Walton, E and Steel, K and Yee, SA and Irvine, A and , }, title = {Treatment of acute trauma-related pain in children and adolescents with methoxyflurane (Penthrox®) compared to placebo (MAGPIE): A randomised clinical trial.}, journal = {Injury}, volume = {56}, number = {12}, pages = {112830}, doi = {10.1016/j.injury.2025.112830}, pmid = {41242203}, issn = {1879-0267}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Male ; *Methoxyflurane/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; Female ; Double-Blind Method ; Adolescent ; *Acute Pain/drug therapy/etiology ; Pain Measurement ; Treatment Outcome ; *Wounds and Injuries/complications/drug therapy ; Ireland/epidemiology ; *Anesthetics, Inhalation/administration & dosage/therapeutic use ; *Pain Management/methods ; United Kingdom/epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Administration, Inhalation ; }, abstract = {IMPORTANCE: Methoxyflurane, an inhalational analgesic, has proven safety and efficacy in clinical trials and clinical practice. This double-blind, well-controlled study aimed to establish the benefit-risk of methoxyflurane in a paediatric population.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of methoxyflurane in children with minor trauma and acute pain presenting to emergency departments (ED).
DESIGN: Randomised, double-blind, multicentre, placebo-controlled study (MAGPIE).
SETTING: Conducted at 11 EDs in the UK and Ireland.
PARTICIPANTS: Participants aged from 6-<18 years of age with minor trauma and pain scores of 60-80 mm on a visual analogue scale (VAS), or 6-8 on a Wong Baker Pain Scale, were recruited.
INTERVENTIONS: Methoxyflurane 3 mL or placebo (normal saline, 5 mL) via a Penthrox® inhaler device, with a second inhaler upon request.
Primary: change in VAS pain intensity from baseline to 15-minutes in participants aged 9-<18 years (secondary: included the total Intent-To-Treat (ITT) population, aged 6-<18 years).
RESULTS: 4513 patients screened, 249 participants randomised (127 methoxyflurane, 122 placebo), 192 treated (92 methoxyflurane, 100 placebo). Mean (standard deviation (SD)) age 11.1 (2.45) years; 108/192 (56 %) were male. At 15-minutes, the mean change from baseline in VAS was -20.0 mm (methoxyflurane) and -13.2 mm (placebo); least squares (LS) mean difference in 9-<18-year old's -6.8 mm [95 % CI -12.5 to -1.2 mm], p = 0.018, which was similar to the total ITT population. Fewer methoxyflurane participants required rescue medication (9.8 % vs 30.0 %). There were statistically significant odds of better global medication performance assessments for the methoxyflurane group compared to the placebo group, based on physician (OR 5.29, 95 % CI 3.02 to 9.45, p < 0.001) and research nurse assessments (OR 5.78, 95 % CI 3.32 to 10.27, p < 0.001). Adverse events were more common with methoxyflurane (64 %) vs. placebo (55 %). Common treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) included dizziness (methoxyflurane 41 %, placebo 12 %) and euphoric mood (methoxyflurane 12 %, placebo 0 %). Discontinuations due to TEAEs occurred in 8 methoxyflurane and 1 placebo participant. There were no serious adverse events related to methoxyflurane.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this pivotal placebo-controlled trial, methoxyflurane was efficacious for treatment of acute trauma-related pain in paediatrics, with a safety profile consistent with adults.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT03215056.}, }
@article {pmid41244595, year = {2025}, author = {Nanua, S and Steward, R and Neely, B and Datto, M and Youens, K}, title = {Retrieval-augmented generation for interpreting clinical laboratory regulations using large language models.}, journal = {Journal of pathology informatics}, volume = {19}, number = {}, pages = {100520}, pmid = {41244595}, issn = {2229-5089}, abstract = {Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated strong performance on general knowledge tasks, but they have important limitations as standalone tools for question answering in specialized domains where accuracy and consistency are critical. Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is a strategy in which LLM outputs are grounded in dynamically retrieved source documents, offering advantages in accuracy, explainability, and maintainability. We developed and evaluated a custom RAG system called Raven, designed to answer laboratory regulatory questions using the part of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) pertaining to laboratory (42 CFR Part 493) as an authoritative source. Raven employed a vector search pipeline and a LLM to generate grounded responses via a chatbot-style interface. The system was tested using 103 synthetic laboratory regulatory questions, 88 of which were explicitly addressed in the CFR. Compared to answers generated manually by a board-certified pathologist, Raven's responses were judged to be totally complete and correct in 92.0% of those 88 cases, with little irrelevant content and a low potential for regulatory or medical error. Performance declined significantly on questions not addressed in the CFR, confirming the system's grounding in the source documents. Most suboptimal responses were attributable to faulty source document retrieval rather than model hallucination or misinterpretation. These findings demonstrate that a basic RAG system can produce useful, accurate, and verifiable answers to complex regulatory questions. With appropriate safeguards and with thoughtful integration into user workflows, tools like Raven may serve as valuable decision-support systems in laboratory medicine and other knowledge-intensive healthcare domains.}, }
@article {pmid41246254, year = {2025}, author = {, and , }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 5 November 2025.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {11}, pages = {e9762}, doi = {10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9762}, pmid = {41246254}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {In 2025, and as of 5 November 2025, 14 countries in Europe reported 1 096 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection with known place of infection. The earliest and latest date of onset were on 19 May 2025 and 27 October 2025, respectively. Locally acquired cases have been reported by Italy (773), Greece (95), Serbia (62), France (59), Romania (49), Spain (31), Hungary (13), Croatia (4), Albania (3), Germany (2), North Macedonia (2), Bulgaria (1), Kosovo (1) and Türkiye (1). In Europe, 95 deaths were reported. Case numbers reported this year are above the average for the past decade (751). However, these figures remain lower than those seen in 2018, 2022, and 2024 - years when virus circulation was particularly intense, with over 1 300 cases reported by this point in the year. As the latter figures are based on consolidated data, while the current year's data remain delayed and incomplete, direct comparisons should be made with caution. This year, Italy experienced a large outbreak, with 773 confirmed human infections, including 71 fatalities (case fatality rate of 9.2%, which is within the expected range). This is the highest number of human WNV infections reported by Italy at this time of the year. Most cases (265) were reported from the Lazio region (Latina, Roma and Frosinone), followed by 133 cases reported by the Campania region (Napoli, Caserta, Salerno and Avellino). Other regions are reporting similar numbers as in previous years. As of 5 November 2025, locally acquired human cases of WNV infection have been reported in 155 regions across 14 countries. This compares with 187 regions across 18 countries during the same period in 2024. All 14 countries have previously reported human cases of WNV. During the current transmission season, 35 regions reported human cases of WNV infection for the first time ever: by Italy in Genova (ITC33), Sondrio (ITC44), Avellino (ITF34), Brindisi (ITF44), Catanzaro (ITF63), Reggio di Calabria (ITF65), Palermo (ITG12), Messina (ITG13), Siracusa (ITG19), Nuoro (ITG2E), Sud Sardegna (ITG2H), Grosseto (ITI1A), Massa-Carrara (ITI11), Arezzo (ITI18), Siena (ITI19), Latina (ITI44) and Frosinone (ITI45); by France in Paris (FR101), Yvelines (FR103), Essonne (FR104), Hauts-de-Seine (FR105), Seine-Saint-Denis (FR106), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Val-d'Oise (FR108), Seine-Maritime (FRD22), Lot-et-Garonne (FRI14), Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Tarn-et-Garonne (FRJ28), Puy-de-Dôme (FRK14), Ardèche (FRK22) and Vaucluse (FRL06); by Germany in Aschaffenburg, Landkreis (DE264); by Greece in Irakleio (EL431) and Lakonia, Messinia (EL653); by Spain in Alicante/Alacant (ES521) and Almería (ES611); by Croatia in Splitsko-dalmatinska županija (HR035); by Kosovo* in Pejë (XK003); by Romania in Sălaj (RO116); and by Türkiye in Çanakkale (TR222). As observed in previous years, most cases are among males aged 65 years and older. The hospitalisation rate is similar to previous years, with 85% of cases hospitalised this year compared to 91% in the past decade. The high hospitalisation rate is due to the nature of WNV surveillance, which tends to predominantly capture the most severe cases. The case fatality rate so far this year is 8.9%, which is below but comparable to the 10% observed in the previous decade. Neurological manifestations were reported in 56% of cases this year, compared to 66% in the previous decade. In general, a dominance of neurological cases is expected, as cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed. From the veterinary perspective, 178 WNV outbreaks among equids and 345 outbreaks among birds have been reported in Europe in 2025. The earliest start date of an outbreak among equids and birds was on 15 January 2025 in Germany and 16 February 2025 in Italy, while the latest onset of an outbreak among equids and birds was, respectively, on 21 October 2025 in France and 22 October 2025 in Italy. Outbreaks among equids were reported by Italy (86), France (55), Croatia (10), Spain (9), Hungary (7), Germany (5), Greece (4), Austria (1) and the Netherlands (1). Outbreaks among birds were reported by Italy (318), Germany (15), Belgium (3), Spain (3), Austria (2), France (2), Croatia (1) and Hungary (1). In the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) database, no information was provided on the exact equid species reported, whereas species details were available for birds. The bird species associated with the highest number of reported outbreaks in 2025 were the carrion crow (95) and the common magpie (59), followed by the common wood-pigeon (30), common kestrel (18), northern goshawk (10), herring gull (9), little owl (9), rock dove (9), unidentified Accipitridae (9) and hooded crow (8). In addition, several other bird species were involved in between one and seven outbreaks. In June, July and August 2025, equid outbreaks exceeded the 10-year monthly average (2015-2024) but fell below it in September and October, while bird outbreaks remained under the three-year monthly mean (2022-2024) for most months, except in August and September 2025. As of 5 November 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in 111 regions across 10 countries. Of the 10 countries that submitted data in 2025, eight had reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids to ADIS in previous years, reflecting endemicity in these territories. In contrast, Belgium reported WNV outbreaks for the first time ever to ADIS in 2025, with three outbreaks in wild birds. Two outbreaks involved Eurasian jackdaws, and one involved carrion crows, all recorded in August 2025. Both bird species are generally resident, although Eurasian jackdaws from northern and eastern Europe may migrate south during winter. These outbreaks occurred in the administrative units of Mechelen (BE212) and Halle-Vilvoorde (BE241). Additionally, in October 2025, the Netherlands reported a WNV outbreak in equids to ADIS for the first time. The outbreak occurred in the administrative unit of Groot-Rijnmond (NL366). However, this was not the first detection of the virus in the Netherlands, where WNV was first documented in mosquitoes, birds and humans back in 2020. Besides the three new regions in Belgium and in the Netherlands up to 5 November 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time to ADIS in 26 regions: by Italy in Arezzo (ITI18), Ascoli Piceno (ITI18), Caltanissetta (ITG15), Firenze (ITI14), Foggia (ITF46), Frosinone (ITI45), L'Aquila (ITF11), Lecco (ITC43), Ragusa (ITG18), Reggio Calabria (ITF65), Siracusa (ITG19) and Sondrio (ITC44); by France in Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Loiret (FRB06), Oise (FRE22), Paris (FR101), Tarn (FRJ27), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Vaucluse (FRL06) and Yvelines (FR103); by Croatia in Koprivničko-križevačka županija (HR063) and in Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija (HR021); by Spain in Almería (ES611) and Menorca (ES533); by Austria in Innsbruck (AT332); and by Germany in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (DE128). Furthermore, in 2025, outbreaks in equids were reported in the Greek region of Thasos-Kavala (EL515), marking the first such report in animals since the last recorded outbreak 12 years prior. Reports of WNV outbreaks during the winter, when mosquito activity is minimal, should be carefully evaluated as they raise questions about the timing of infection. Two such reports - one outbreak in equids reported by Germany in January 2025, and one in birds reported by Italy in February 2025 - warrant cautious interpretation, as they may reflect residual detection (e.g. lingering antibodies or viral RNA from infections acquired in the year before) rather than active transmission in 2025. Seven countries - Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Spain - reported both WNV human cases and outbreaks in equids and/or birds. This year, Italy accounted for the majority of the human cases (71%) and the outbreaks in equids and birds (77%). Following an intense circulation of the virus in some regions of the country during the summer and the early autumn, the transmission is now reaching an end. This high number of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids was likely due to favourable climate conditions and ecological hotspots (e.g. wetlands, agricultural areas) that influenced mosquito vector populations and the distribution and behaviour of animal hosts. Intensive surveillance in Italy may also have contributed to high detection rates of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids. The reporting of WNV outbreaks in birds marks the first detection of the virus in Belgium. Notably, the country has never recorded any locally acquired human cases. This development signals a significant step in the local emergence of WNV and points to a likely recent introduction of the virus into the national ecosystem. These findings underline the need for enhanced surveillance and increased public health preparedness. The identification of WNV cases in humans and animals within previously unaffected areas underscores the continuing geographic expansion of the virus, likely driven by conducive environmental conditions and ecological factors. In addition, increased surveillance or monitoring sensitivity and raised awareness in these areas might play a role in the detection of the cases. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, as well as the fact that most of the WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the case numbers provided in this report likely underestimate the true number of cases. Of note, the seasonal surveillance in humans primarily focuses on capturing laboratory-confirmed cases, which contributes to the diagnostic delay. Given that the weather conditions are much less favourable for WNV transmission in Europe, the number of human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds is steadily decreasing. The transmission season is reaching its end, and only a few sporadic cases are expected in the coming weeks.}, }
@article {pmid41249210, year = {2025}, author = {Guerrero-Campos, M and Marrero, P and Medina, FM and Becerra, RG and Miranda, JC and Fajardo, S and Beierkuhnlein, C and Weiser, F and Walentowitz, A and Jentsch, A and Domínguez-Flores, T and Wilkens, V and Chano, V and Nogales, M}, title = {Ecological resilience and biodiversity dynamics of an Island forest following a volcanic eruption.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {40163}, pmid = {41249210}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {1207 456E 7600400 fondo 70V1201 227G0170//Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge of the Spanish Government/ ; RCMZ-21-DJVHZ3-7-90M8PD//Spanish Ministry of Universities with European Union-Next Generation EU funds/ ; CSIC-PIE20223PAL009//Ministry of Sciences and Innovation of Spanish Government/ ; }, mesh = {*Volcanic Eruptions/adverse effects ; *Biodiversity ; *Forests ; Animals ; Ecosystem ; Islands ; Birds ; Spain ; Pinus ; }, abstract = {Volcanic eruptions are complex natural disturbances with profound effects on ecosystems; however, detailed studies on their spatio-temporal impacts remain scarce. The Tajogaite eruption on La Palma (Canary Islands) lasted 85 days, from September 19 to December 13, 2021, severely affecting the endemic Canary Islands pine forest through lava flows, widespread tephra fallout, and gases. In this habitat, we conducted a comprehensive biodiversity survey over two years on twelve 30 × 30 m plots along a 7 km transect from the crater southwards. We quantified species richness and abundance of gymnosperms, angiosperms, invertebrates, lizards, birds, and bats, linking biodiversity patterns to tephra thickness and distance from the crater. Pinus canariensis near the crater resprouted a month after the eruption; however, their severe physical damage eventually resulted in their death. From June 2022 onwards, a more pronounced recovery was observed in the pines located more than 400 m from the crater. Woody understory plants survived at farther distances, while herbs and grasses have not yet arrived for recolonisation of the new substrate. The abundance and recovery of invertebrates were closely linked to host plant availability, with increases in Hemiptera, Coleoptera, and Araneae. Lizards were the most affected vertebrates, with slow recovery. Small passerines returned to fragmented habitat, while raptors and corvids remained present throughout the affected region, with populations correlating with food availability. Bats were observed throughout the pine forest, but sparsely. Overall, the study highlights the complex, group-specific dynamics of ecosystem recovery after volcanic disturbance, providing insights into resilience and succession in island ecosystems.}, }
@article {pmid41252039, year = {2026}, author = {Kontopodis, E and Serafeim, C and Cavouras, D and Kalatzis, I and Ventouras, E and Kakkos, I and Skouroliakou, A}, title = {A Machine Learning Framework for Automatic Cognitive Task Classification Using Dry Electrode EEG Data.}, journal = {Advances in experimental medicine and biology}, volume = {1489}, number = {}, pages = {529-541}, pmid = {41252039}, issn = {0065-2598}, mesh = {Humans ; *Electroencephalography/methods/instrumentation ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Machine Learning ; Male ; Electrodes ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; *Brain/physiology ; Task Performance and Analysis ; }, abstract = {In recent years, electroencephalography (EEG) has been extensively utilized to study brain activation across various cognitive tasks. This study aimed to implement an acquisition protocol alongside an analysis framework to accurately estimate participants' cognitive workload and the task in which they were engaged. Five participants were participated, using a 20-channel dry-electrode EEG device while performing three distinct cognitive tasks: a Baseline task involving verbal counting, a Language task involving Verbal Fluency Tests, and a Reasoning task using Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices Test. Multiple features from individual EEG channels accurately discriminated between the Baseline vs. Language and Baseline vs. Reasoning tasks, while a combination of different features from multiple EEG channels was used to distinguish the Language vs. Reasoning task. The dominant features in the analysis were the Band Power Beta and Theta, Mean Teager Energy, Arithmetic Mean, Median Value, and Maximum Value. The proposed analysis framework efficiently discriminated different workloads, achieving up to 96% accuracy in each two-class classification problem. This resulted in an efficient model for estimating participants' cognitive workload and accurately identifying the task they were engaged in, showing the potential for future real-time cognitive workload monitoring systems.}, }
@article {pmid41255330, year = {2025}, author = {Kicherova, OA and Berdichevskaya, EB and Reikhert, LI and Doyan, YI and Kicherova, KP}, title = {[POEMS syndrome: A complex diagnostic case under the guise of chronic polyneuropathy].}, journal = {Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova}, volume = {125}, number = {10}, pages = {137-143}, doi = {10.17116/jnevro2025125101137}, pmid = {41255330}, issn = {1997-7298}, mesh = {Humans ; *POEMS Syndrome/diagnosis ; Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Male ; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating/diagnosis ; Polyneuropathies/diagnosis ; }, abstract = {POEMS syndrome (Crow-Fukase syndrome) is a rare lymphoproliferative disease of significant interest to neurologists, since its first and most common manifestation is a progressive demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy. The name of the syndrome reflects the key symptoms: Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, the presence of M-protein, and Skin changes. The article presents a clinical case of POEMS syndrome in a 32-year-old patient, illustrating the challenging diagnosis. It is emphasized that the disease often remains unrecognized for several years due to the low awareness of doctors about this pathology, as well as the fact that the syndrome may be more common than diagnosed. Particular attention is paid to diagnostic criteria and the importance of careful examination of patients with slowly progressive polyneuropathy of unclear origin or resistant to standard therapy for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). A key diagnostic method is serum protein electrophoresis with immunofixation to detect M-protein. Timely diagnosis and early pathogenetic therapy significantly improve the prognosis of the disease. This clinical case highlights the importance of considering POEMS syndrome in the differential diagnosis of unexplained polyneuropathies.}, }
@article {pmid41256931, year = {2025}, author = {Vijayakumar, V and Climent, E and Enrique, M and Lamelas, A and Álvarez, B and Chenoll, E and Naghibi, M and Day, R}, title = {S-equol status modulates skin response to soy isoflavones in postmenopausal women: results from a randomized placebo-controlled pilot trial.}, journal = {Frontiers in nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1671835}, pmid = {41256931}, issn = {2296-861X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Soy isoflavones may benefit skin health in postmenopausal women, potentially via S-equol, a gut-derived metabolite with enhanced estrogenic and antioxidant activity.
METHODS: Sixty-six postmenopausal women received either Novasoy®400 (n = 33), a soy isoflavone extract, or identical placebo (n = 33) for 12 weeks. Skin parameters, including crow's feet and under-eye wrinkles, hydration, barrier function, and skin colour were assessed at baseline, D42 and D84. Urinary isoflavone metabolites, including S-equol, were measured at each time point.
RESULTS: Crow's feet wrinkle roughness decreased by 5.6% in the Novasoy®400 group versus a 1.6% increase in the placebo group, this difference was not statistically significant. However, urinary biomarker analysis identified 46.9% of women in the Novasoy®400 group and 15.6% in the placebo group as S-equol producers. In exploratory regression analysis limited to S-equol producers, higher urinary S-equol levels were significantly associated with improved under-eye wrinkle parameters and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) at D42. Multivariable model adjusting for age, soy intake, phototype and their interactions confirmed that older women experienced greater improvements in undereye wrinkles and barrier function in response to increased S-equol levels. Skin hydration showed a modest but statistically significant association with S-equol when combining data from both D42&84, indicating a potential cumulative effect.
CONCLUSION: Soy isoflavone supplementation increased urinary S-equol concentrations and was associated with improvements in under-eye wrinkle appearance, skin hydration, and barrier function-particularly among older postmenopausal women identified as S-equol producers. Findings suggest region-specific, time-sensitive effects dependent on S-equol levels.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06047145, NCT06047145.}, }
@article {pmid41266491, year = {2025}, author = {Wang, N}, title = {Research on coal and gas outburst risk prediction based on improved search algorithm optimized deep learning network.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {40976}, pmid = {41266491}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {XKY030//Research Fund of Shanxi University of Science and Technology/ ; }, abstract = {With the gradual deepening of coal mining, the surrounding rock pressure significantly increases, and the risk of gas release and accumulation also increases, increasing the likelihood of coal and gas outburst hazards. This study used boxplot and data interpolation method to preprocess data and used correlation to screen out highly correlated influencing factors as disaster prediction indicators. Build an initial prediction model framework using Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), optimize model hyperparameters using Chaos Mapping and Levy Flight Improved Crow Search Algorithm (ICSA), and establish a coal and gas outburst prediction model based on ICSA-CNN. Finally, a comparative model was established to compare the evaluation indicators and confusion matrix. According to the results, the ICSA-CNN model stood out as the most accurate in its predictive capabilities, better robustness and generalization ability, and higher security.}, }
@article {pmid41274175, year = {2026}, author = {Giovagnoli, AR and Sateriale, M and Didato, G and Di Giacomo, R}, title = {Preserved social behavior recognition in patients with epilepsy.}, journal = {Epilepsy & behavior : E&B}, volume = {174}, number = {}, pages = {110796}, doi = {10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110796}, pmid = {41274175}, issn = {1525-5069}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; *Social Behavior ; Empathy/physiology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Middle Aged ; *Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe/psychology/complications ; Young Adult ; *Recognition, Psychology/physiology ; Anxiety/etiology/psychology ; Executive Function/physiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; *Epilepsy/psychology/complications ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: Recognition of the social behaviors is a multifaceted function on the borderline between neuroscience and social science. In neurological patients, it may be influenced by brain damage, cognition, and psychological distress. This study aimed to clarify whether social behavior recognition can be preserved in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and whether empathy, executive functions and anxiety may play an influential role.
METHODS: The Social Situations Test (SST), Empathy Questionnaire (EQ), State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Phonemic Word Fluency (PWF), and Raven Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) were used to assess the ability to recognize normative behaviors and violations, empathy, anxiety, strategic search, and abstraction in patients with TLE and healthy controls (HCs).
RESULTS: Compared to 56 HCs, 75 patients with TLE obtained the same SST scores, but showed lower scores at the EQ, PWF, and RCPM and higher levels of anxiety. In the patients' group, the SST scores were predicted by the EQ and PWF scores, while the RCPM and STAI scores, demographics, and epilepsy-related variables had no effects. In the HCs, the EQ score only predicted the SST scores. Patients with different temporal lobe lesions and HCs showed similar SST scores.
CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TLE maintain a good ability to recognize the appropriateness of social behavior and violations of social norms, which is closely linked to empathy and strategic research. This study, the first addressing these aspects together in TLE, adds positive information to the cognitive phenotype. Further studies are needed to understand social behavior in epilepsy.}, }
@article {pmid41277718, year = {2026}, author = {Cheek, RG and Hohenlohe, PA and Sillett, TS and Morrison, SA and Funk, WC and Ghalambor, CK}, title = {Genetic parallelism underlying repeated bill divergence in the island scrub-jay (Aphelocoma insularis) increases at higher genetic levels of organization.}, journal = {Evolution; international journal of organic evolution}, volume = {80}, number = {2}, pages = {381-395}, doi = {10.1093/evolut/qpaf235}, pmid = {41277718}, issn = {1558-5646}, support = {DEB-1754821//U.S. National Science Foundation/ ; //The Nature Conservancy/ ; //Smithsonian Institution/ ; //Colorado State University/ ; }, mesh = {Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Animals ; *Beak/anatomy & histology ; *Passeriformes/genetics/anatomy & histology ; California ; Phenotype ; Islands ; *Biological Evolution ; }, abstract = {Whether the same genes underlie parallel adaptive trait evolution remains an open question in biology. The degree of genetic parallelism is expected to increase at higher genetic hierarchical levels (i.e., single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] to genes to pathways to phenotype) due to the hierarchical nature of the genetic basis of traits, which genomic approaches can help elucidate. Previous research shows a large degree of variation in the extent to which phenotypic parallelism shares the same genetic mechanisms in nature. Here, we analyzed the degree of genetic parallelism underlying repeated divergence in bill morphology of island scrub-jays (Aphelocoma insularis), across three naturally replicated pine-oak ecotones on Santa Cruz Island, California, US. We analyzed 66,503 SNPs generated using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing in 161 island scrub-jays to identify candidate SNPs associated with environmental variation and divergence in bill morphology. We then examined signatures of parallelism in genomic regions containing candidate SNPs and the associated genetic pathways. We found little evidence for parallelism at the SNP or gene level, but substantial parallelism at the pathway level. Our results support the view that the degree of genetic parallelism underlying repeated phenotypes depends on the genetic level of organization being analyzed.}, }
@article {pmid41277724, year = {2025}, author = {Escobar, S and Oliveira, MVS and Calomeni, M and Bravo, C and Arroyo, P and Saavedra, P and Cotofana, S and Alfertshofer, M}, title = {Accessing the Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi (LLSAN) Muscle for the Treatment of Infraorbital Dimples-A Case Report.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {24}, number = {12}, pages = {e70534}, pmid = {41277724}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Adult ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; *Facial Muscles/drug effects ; Injections, Intramuscular ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome ; Smiling ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Medial infraorbital dimples are dynamic soft tissue depressions that can emerge or intensify following neuromodulator treatment in the periorbital region. Rather than being congenital or structural in origin, these dimples often result from imbalanced facial muscles most notably the levator labii superioris alaeque nasi (LLSAN).
OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the pathophysiology of a medial infraorbital dimple arising after botulinum toxin injection into the lateral orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM) and to demonstrate the clinical efficacy of a targeted neuromodulator injection into the LLSAN muscle.
CASE SUMMARY: We present a case involving a 31-year-old female who developed a prominent medial infraorbital dimple four weeks after receiving a cosmetic botulinum toxin injection for her crow's feet. This dimple was most prominent during smiling. A single, superficial injection of 2 units of botulinum toxin type A into the LLSAN led to substantial aesthetic improvement, starting 2 days after the treatment with preserved natural expression and no functional deficit.
CONCLUSION: Recognition of compensatory muscular activity and intramuscular injection of neuromodulators for the LLSAN offers a safe and effective approach for treating medial infraorbital dimples while preserving facial harmony.}, }
@article {pmid41278022, year = {2025}, author = {Minami, M and Kida, Y and Onishi, O and Hoshika, S and Sugaya, H and Takahashi, K and Freehill, MT}, title = {Effect of long-toss throwing on elbow injuries in high school baseball pitchers.}, journal = {Asia-Pacific journal of sports medicine, arthroscopy, rehabilitation and technology}, volume = {42}, number = {}, pages = {90-95}, pmid = {41278022}, issn = {2214-6873}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Long-toss throwing is a common practice in baseball for arm strengthening, arm recovery, and as part of an interval throwing program after elbow surgery. However, the effect of long-toss throwing on the throwing elbow remains controversial, with limited studies. Different long-toss techniques, such as using a crow-hop and varying the throw trajectory, may influence elbow stress and injury risk. This study investigated the association between long-toss distance, technique, and subjective elbow symptoms and clinical findings among high school baseball pitchers.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether subjective elbow symptoms and clinical findings were associated with long-toss throwing techniques in high school baseball pitchers. We hypothesized that longer distances and specific techniques correlate with a higher incidence of elbow symptoms and clinical findings on physical examination and ultrasound.
METHODS: One hundred eighty-two high school baseball pitchers from 49 schools participated in the study. After excluding two players who did not routinely use long-toss, 180 pitchers (mean age 16.2 ± 0.6 years, mean baseball experience 8.1 ± 1.8 years) completed a thorough history, physical examination, and elbow ultrasound examination. The history collected demographical data, elbow pain within the past year, and long-toss techniques (distance, use of crow-hop, and throw trajectory). Physical examination assessed medial, lateral, and posterior-sided elbow tenderness, moving valgus stress test, and extension stress tests. Ultrasound examination evaluated for abnormalities of the medial epicondyle, ulnar collateral ligament (UCL), and coronoid. Statistical analyses assessed the relationship between long-toss, positive clinical findings, and subjective elbow symptoms.
RESULTS: The mean long-toss distance was 67.0 m, with 75 m being the most common distance. Among the pitchers, 75 % used a crow-hop, and 58 % used a "not on a line" trajectory. Sixty-six pitchers (37 %) reported elbow pain within the past year. The mean long-toss distance was significantly longer for pitchers using a crow-hop, 68.8 m and a "not on a line" trajectory, 72.8 m compared to those not using these techniques, 61.8 m (p = 0.006) and 59.1 m (p < 0.001). Longer distances were associated with positive moving valgus stress tests (p = 0.041, cut-off = 82.8 m, Odds ratio (OR) = 3.4) and UCL abnormalities on ultrasound (p = 0.019, cut-off = 65.0 m, OR = 4.6). The use of a crow-hop was significantly associated with elbow pain within the past year (42 % vs. 20 %, adjusted p = 0.018, adjusted OR = 2.8), and a "not on a line" trajectory was linked to higher UCL abnormalities (14 % vs. 1 %, adjusted p = 0.039, adjusted OR = 10.7).
CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a significant association between long-toss throwing practices, elbow symptoms, and clinical findings in high school baseball pitchers. Greater long-toss distances, the use of a crow-hop, and a "not on a line" trajectory appear associated with greater elbow stress and a higher prevalence of UCL abnormalities. These findings underscore the need for training programs that consider the mechanical loads placed on the elbow during long-toss throwing with particular techniques.
DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study.}, }
@article {pmid41289246, year = {2025}, author = {Zavala, E and Murray-Kolb, LE and Hurley, KM and Khatry, SK and LeClerq, SC and Wu, LSF and Katz, J and Tielsch, JM and Christian, P}, title = {The influence of nutritional status, the home environment, and schooling on behavioral outcomes of hyperactivity and inattention among grade-school children in rural Nepal.}, journal = {PLOS global public health}, volume = {5}, number = {11}, pages = {e0005495}, pmid = {41289246}, issn = {2767-3375}, abstract = {Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children is characterized by frequent inattention and/or hyperactivity that can affect child development, including learning, social adaptation, and mental health. Despite the impact of these behaviors, data on the prevalence and risk factors of child behavioral and neurodevelopmental disorders in low- and middle-income countries are limited. This paper aims to identify maternal, child and environmental risk factors associated with ADHD-related behaviors (hyperactivity/ oppositionality, and inattention) in a cohort of 7- to 9-year-old children born between 1999-2001 (n = 1,927), whose mothers participated in a cluster randomized trial of prenatal micronutrient supplementation, and who were subsequently enrolled in a preschool micronutrient supplementation trial. Behaviors were assessed using the Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scales-Revised (CPRS-R, CTRS-R). T-scores are reported and dichotomized at the upper tertile, defining the presence of behavioral difficulties. Multivariable logistic regression models were conducted to assess the association between behavioral outcomes and maternal characteristics (anemia, education, and intelligence using the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices), child nutritional status (anemia, height-for age, body mass index z-scores (HAZ, BMIZ)), child schooling history and the home environment, using the Middle Childhood Home Observation Measurement of the Environment (MC-HOME). Boys (50.2%) and girls (49.8%) were evenly distributed, with a mean age of 8.38 (SD 0.66) years and parent and teacher behavioral assessments were available for 1,808 and 1,374 children, respectively. Mean t-scores for parent-reported inattention and hyperactivity/oppositionality and teacher-reported inattention and hyperactivity were 62.9 (SD 6.29), 62.1 (SD 5.84), 62.2 (SD 8.07) and 62.2 (SD 8.43), respectively. In adjusted logistic regression models, a higher HOME score was associated with a reduced risk of parent-reported inattention (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96, 0.99), whereas higher maternal Raven's score (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.97, 1.00), a higher HOME score (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97, 1.00) and child pre-primary, late and continuous schooling compared to no schooling (RR 0.75, 95% CI 0.57, 0.98; RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.52, 0.85; RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.48, 0.98) were associated with a reduced risk of parent-reported hyperactivity/oppositionality. Higher child HAZ was associated with a reduced risk of teacher-reported hyperactivity (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.80, 0.96) after adjustment. The home psychosocial environment, and child schooling and height were the strongest predictors of inattention and hyperactivity/oppositionality in school-age children in rural Nepal.}, }
@article {pmid41291096, year = {2025}, author = {Buniyaadi, A and Prabhat, A and Bhardwaj, SK and Kumar, V}, title = {Midnight darkness and evening melatonin pre-treatment reverse night-light-induced neurobehavioural disruptions in a diurnal corvid.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {15}, number = {1}, pages = {45331}, pmid = {41291096}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Melatonin/pharmacology/administration & dosage/metabolism ; *Circadian Rhythm/drug effects/radiation effects ; *Light/adverse effects ; *Behavior, Animal/drug effects/radiation effects ; *Crows/physiology ; *Darkness ; Doublecortin Protein ; Sleep/drug effects ; Male ; Brain/drug effects/metabolism ; Neurogenesis/drug effects ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics/metabolism ; Photoperiod ; }, abstract = {Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a growing environmental pollutant with significant risks to brain health in both animals and humans. This study assessed the ALAN-induced negative impact and examined potential mitigative strategies on neurobehavioural traits and associated neural pathways in diurnal Indian house crows subjected to dim light at night (dLAN, 6 lx) in a 12-hour:12-hour light-dark cycle. The 12-hour dLAN period was either interrupted midway by a 2-hour dark period (controls in 0 lx dark night; experiment 1) or preceded by a 50 µg day[-1] crow[-1] melatonin pre-treatment 30 min before the dLAN onset (controls received vehicle; experiment 2). dLAN exposure reduced nocturnal melatonin levels, and negatively impacted the circadian behaviour, sleep, mood and cognitive performance as well as the mRNA expression of genes associated with neurogenesis (bdnf, dcx, nr4a2), neuroinflammation (tnfα and tnfr1), and epigenetic regulation (hat1, hdac2, hdac4) in hippocampus and nidopallium caudolaterale brain regions. The midnight 2-hour dark period partially restored, but the evening melatonin pre-treatment completely restored the dLAN-induced disrupted neurobehaviours and associated gene expressions. These results provide mechanistic insights into night-light pollution effects, and suggest a pivotal role of melatonin in preserving the sleep integrity and cognitive functions in animals, perhaps also in humans.}, }
@article {pmid41292148, year = {2026}, author = {Chantoufi, A and Baux, A and Jiguet, F}, title = {Peck or pass? Individual-level testing of a bird-repellent seed coating.}, journal = {Pest management science}, volume = {82}, number = {3}, pages = {2333-2339}, pmid = {41292148}, issn = {1526-4998}, support = {//Direction de l'Eau et de la Biodiversité of the French Ministry in charge of ecology/ ; //FOAG/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Seeds/chemistry ; *Crows/physiology ; Zea mays/chemistry ; *Plant Extracts/pharmacology ; Female ; Male ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Carrion crows (Corvus corone) are a major depredating species of spring crops across European agroecosystems, especially during sowing, but limited effective non-lethal repellents are currently available.
RESULTS: We assessed the deterrent effect of a bird-repellent seed coating, based on black pepper oleoresin (BPO) and applied to maize seeds, on free-ranging carrion crows. Using a standardized unique-choice test design in an urban context, we recorded the behavior of 45 ringed individuals exposed to natural, purple-dyed and purple BPO-coated maize seeds. Although color alone had no deterrent effect, BPO-coated seeds were largely avoided. Age-related differences in habituation emerged: younger birds (≤2 years) habituated to color cues over time, unlike older birds (≥3 years); all age groups maintained an aversion to BPO-treated seeds.
CONCLUSION: Our results underscore the relevance of chemosensory repellents for persistent deterrence and offer a novel and replicable framework for pre-field testing of avian repellents. © 2025 The Author(s). Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.}, }
@article {pmid41294452, year = {2025}, author = {Li, S and Kou, L}, title = {An Enhanced Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer Based on Superior Data Driven for Numerical Optimization Problems.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {41294452}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {2024R1//Shanghai Key Laboratory of Rail Infrastructure Durability and System Safety/ ; }, abstract = {The Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO) is a recently introduced swarm-based meta-heuristic that has shown strong potential in engineering optimization but remains under-explored. To address its inherent limitations, this paper proposes an Enhanced RBMO (ERBMO) that synergistically incorporates two key strategies: a dominant-group-based two-stage covariance-driven strategy that captures evolutionary trends to improve population quality while reinforcing global exploration, and a Powell mechanism (PM) that eliminates dimensional stagnation and markedly strengthens convergence. Extensive experiments on the CEC 2017 benchmark suite demonstrate that ERBMO outperforms ten basic and improved algorithms in global exploration, local convergence accuracy and robustness, attaining Friedman ranks of 1.931, 1.621, 1.345 and 1.276 at 10D, 30D, 50D and 100D, respectively. Furthermore, empirical studies on practical engineering design problems confirm the algorithm's capability to consistently deliver high-quality solutions, highlighting its broad applicability to real-world constrained optimization tasks. In future work, we will deploy the algorithm for real-world tasks such as UAV path-planning and resource-scheduling problems.}, }
@article {pmid41294460, year = {2025}, author = {Qiao, Y and Han, Z and Fu, H and Gao, Y}, title = {An Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Algorithm and Its Application to Constrained Optimization Problems.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {10}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {41294460}, issn = {2313-7673}, abstract = {The Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization (RBMO) algorithm is a metaheuristic method inspired by the foraging behavior of red-billed blue magpies. However, the conventional RBMO often suffers from premature convergence and performance degradation when solving high-dimensional constrained optimization problems due to its over-reliance on population mean vectors. To address these limitations, this study proposes an Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization (IRBMO) algorithm through a multi-strategy fusion framework. IRBMO enhances population diversity through Logistic-Tent chaotic mapping, coordinates global and local search capabilities via a dynamic balance factor, and integrates a dual-mode perturbation mechanism that synergizes Jacobi curve strategies with Lévy flight strategies to balance exploration and exploitation. To validate IRBMO's efficacy, comprehensive comparisons with 16 algorithms were conducted on the CEC-2017 (30D, 50D, 100D) and CEC-2022 (10D, 20D) benchmark suites. Subsequently, IRBMO was rigorously evaluated against ten additional competing algorithms across four constrained engineering design problems to validate its practical effectiveness and robustness in real-world optimization scenarios. Finally, IRBMO was applied to 3D UAV path planning, successfully avoiding hazardous zones while outperforming 15 alternative algorithms. Experimental results confirm that IRBMO exhibits statistically significant improvements in robustness, convergence accuracy, and speed compared to classical RBMO and other peers, offering an efficient solution for complex optimization challenges.}, }
@article {pmid41296061, year = {2025}, author = {Salis, A and Martin, K and Girard-Buttoz, C}, title = {Challenges and new opportunities in deciphering the meaning of corvid call sequences.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {95}, pmid = {41296061}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {EP/Z002508/1//UK Research and Innovation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Crows/physiology ; }, abstract = {Due to their complex social systems and remarkable cognitive abilities, corvids are interesting candidates for large scale comparative research on the meaning of animal calls. However, research on corvid communication has primarily focused on individual signatures or mimicry capabilities, and investigations into the meaning of their calls have yielded comparatively fewer results. This discrepancy can be attributed to several challenges faced by researchers, including difficulties in identifying the units that convey meaning, accurately determining the specific context associated with a call, and the limitations of traditional playback methods when applied to species with extensive repertoires and considerable flexibility in call sequences. In this review, we outline a series of emerging research avenues—recently explored in other songbirds and mammals—that may prove valuable for researchers seeking to understand the meaning behind corvid call sequences. We specifically address the various approaches to identify meaning-bearing units; the strategies for refining the definition of ‘context’ in the assessment of corvids’ repertoires; and the novel protocols and methods that offer alternative perspectives on meaning, beyond the classical playback experimental approaches that were historically used to assess the meaning of calls or call sequences.}, }
@article {pmid41296111, year = {2025}, author = {Lee, VE and McIvor, GE and Thornton, A}, title = {Wild jackdaws recognise the contact calls of their mate.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {28}, number = {1}, pages = {97}, pmid = {41296111}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {NE/L002434/1//Natural Environment Research Council/ ; BB/H021817/1/BB_/Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council/United Kingdom ; RGP-2020-170//Leverhulme Trust/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Female ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Recognition, Psychology ; *Crows/physiology ; Male ; *Sexual Behavior, Animal ; Pair Bond ; }, abstract = {In stable social environments, the ability to recognise other group members and integrate individual cues with previous experience is likely to be beneficial in mediating social interactions. Under these conditions, selection for individual discrimination and learning of conspecific vocalisations is expected. Recognition may be particularly important in structured societies in which individuals form enduring pair bonds and coordinate biparental care. Many corvids, famed for their sophisticated cognitive abilities, form long-term pair bonds and are considered ideal subjects for investigating the cognitive mechanisms associated with pair bonding; however, evidence that corvids individually recognise their partner under natural conditions remains limited. Here, we tested whether wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula), a colonial corvid, discriminate between the contact calls of individual conspecifics. Incubating females were presented with contact call playbacks from their long-term breeding partner, a male from a neighbouring nest, and an unfamiliar male. Females were quicker to respond to the calls of their partner, providing evidence of mate recognition in corvids in the wild.}, }
@article {pmid41305529, year = {2025}, author = {Dong, Y and Fan, S and Zhu, L and Sharshov, K and Wang, W}, title = {Viromic Insights into Gut RNA Virus Diversity Among Three Corvid Species.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {17}, number = {11}, pages = {}, pmid = {41305529}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {grant No. 2022-HZ-812//the program of science and technology international cooperation project of Qinghai province/ ; grant No. 32111530018//the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Russian Foundation for Basic Research Cooperative Exchange Project/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *RNA Viruses/genetics/classification/isolation & purification ; Phylogeny ; Metagenomics ; *Crows/virology ; *Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; *Virome ; *Birds/virology ; Genome, Viral ; Tibet ; Genetic Variation ; }, abstract = {As viromics advances, the diversity and ecological significance of RNA viruses in global ecosystems are gaining growing recognition. Nevertheless, studies on RNA viruses in wildlife, especially non-model avian species, are still relatively scarce. This study employed viral metagenomics to systematically characterize the gut RNA viromes of three widely distributed corvid species on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: the Red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax), Daurian jackdaw (Coloeus dauuricus), and Rook (Corvus frugilegus). These three corvid species are closely associated with human-inhabited areas on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and display distinctive scavenging behaviors that may lower their exposure to environmental pathogens while concurrently elevating their risk of viral infection, rendering them key targets for viral surveillance and research into zoonotic disease transmission. The analysis annotated viral communities into 4 phyla and 8 classes, with Pisuviricota and Kitrinoviricota emerging as the predominant phyla in all samples. Alpha diversity analysis indicated no significant differences among groups, while beta diversity showed significant compositional differences. KEGG annotation revealed that enriched functional pathways were mainly concentrated in "Global and overview maps", "Drug resistance: antimicrobial", and "Biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites". Furthermore, 4 antibiotic resistance genes and 13 putative virulence factor genes were identified. Phylogenetic analysis further indicated that several identified viruses have the potential for cross-species transmission, underscoring the pivotal role of wild birds in viral ecosystems and disease spread. This study uncovered multi-faceted features of the gut RNA viromes in the three crow species, spanning structural, functional, and evolutionary dimensions. These results offer novel perspectives on the viromes of wild corvids and their potential contributions to viral emergence and dissemination in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau ecosystem.}, }
@article {pmid41305651, year = {2025}, author = {Tia, A and Konan, AG and Hauser, J and Ndri, KY and Ciclet, O and Esso, LE and Nindjin, C}, title = {A Cross-Sectional Study of the Relationship Between Dietary Micronutrient Intake, Cognition and Academic Performance Among School-Aged Children in Taabo, Côte d'Ivoire.}, journal = {Nutrients}, volume = {17}, number = {22}, pages = {}, pmid = {41305651}, issn = {2072-6643}, support = {[Grant Nestlé. Ref: CSRS/Ph D School children performance/2021]//Société des Produits Nestlé/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Micronutrients/administration & dosage ; *Cognition ; Cote d'Ivoire ; *Academic Performance ; *Diet ; Nutritional Status ; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Adequate nutrient intake is crucial for cognitive development and academic performance in schoolchildren. This study assessed the association between dietary intake and both cognition and academic performance in school-aged children from Taabo, Côte d'Ivoire.
METHODS: A total of 252 schoolchildren aged 6-12 years were randomly selected from seven public primary schools. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 24 h recalls. Cognitive skills were evaluated using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and academic performance was determined based on end-of-year school results.
RESULTS: More than half of the participants had adequate intakes of vitamin A (55.8%), vitamin B6 (61.0%), vitamin B12 (61.0%) and omega-3 fatty acids (70.1%), while most had inadequate intakes of iron (96.8%), zinc (100%), thiamin (99.2%), riboflavin (99.6%) and folate (96.8%). Thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc and a nutrient blend (comprising iron, zinc, thiamin, riboflavin and folate) showed significant associations with RCPM scores (p < 0.05). Additionally, higher intakes of thiamin (AOR = 6.3; 95% CI: 2.5-16.0, p < 0.001) and riboflavin (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.5-7.8, p = 0.003) were associated with increased odds of better cognitive performance compared with lower intakes. No consistent associations were found with academic performance.
CONCLUSIONS: Compared to recommendations, intakes of several micronutrients were inadequate in most of the children. While thiamin, riboflavin, folate, iron, zinc and the nutrient blend showed significant associations with cognition, no association was found with academic performance. Further studies exploring such links are needed, especially those involving interventions.}, }
@article {pmid41310776, year = {2025}, author = {Watkins, SH and Testa, C and Simpkin, AJ and Smith, GD and Coull, B and De Vivo, I and Tilling, K and Waterman, PD and Chen, JT and Diez-Roux, AV and Krieger, N and Suderman, M and Relton, C}, title = {An epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation, racialized and economic inequities, and air pollution.}, journal = {Clinical epigenetics}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {4}, pmid = {41310776}, issn = {1868-7083}, support = {R01 MD014304/MD/NIMHD NIH HHS/United States ; MC_UU_00011/1,3, & 5 and MC_UU-00032/1/MRC_/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom ; R01MD014304//National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Minority and Health Disparities/ ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Air Pollution/adverse effects/analysis ; Black or African American/genetics/statistics & numerical data ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *DNA Methylation ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; *Epigenome ; Epigenomics/methods ; Genome-Wide Association Study/methods ; Hispanic or Latino/genetics/statistics & numerical data ; *Racism ; Socioeconomic Factors ; United States ; White/genetics/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: DNA methylation (DNAm) provides a plausible mechanism by which adverse exposures become embodied and contribute to health inequities, due to its role in genome regulation and responsiveness to social and biophysical exposures tied to societal context. However, scant epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have included structural and lifecourse measures of exposure, especially in relation to structural discrimination. Our study tested the hypothesis that DNAm is a mechanism by which racial discrimination, economic adversity, and air pollution become biologically embodied, via a series of cross-sectional EWAS, conducted in two population-based samples of US-born Black non-Hispanic (Black NH), white non-Hispanic (white NH), and Hispanic individuals (My Body My Story:: n = 224 Black NH and 69 white NH;; and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis:: n = 229 Black NH, n = 555 white NH and n = 191 Hispanic). Genome-wide changes in DNAm were measured using the Illumina EPIC BeadChip (MBMS; using frozen blood spots) and Illumina 450 k BeadChip (MESA; using purified monocytes).
RESULTS: We observed the strongest associations with traffic-related air pollution (between 0 and 22 DNAm sites associated at p < 2.4e-07, measured via black carbon and nitrogen oxides exposure), with evidence from both studies suggesting that air pollution exposure may induce epigenetic changes related to inflammatory processes. However, we did not replicate previous air pollution EWAS findings. We also found suggestive associations of DNAm variation with measures of structural racial discrimination (e.g. for Black NH participants, in MBMS born in a Jim Crow state associates with a DNAm site in ZNF286B at p = 8.43E-08; and in MESA adult exposure to racialized economic residential segregation associates with a DNAm site in FUT6 at p = 4.05E-08) situated in genes with plausible links to effects on health.
CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this work suggests that DNAm is a biological mechanism through which structural racism and air pollution (of which distribution of exposure is inequitable) become embodied and may lead to health inequities. Due to the extensive range of exposures we tested, further replication in additional studies and other tissues is warranted.}, }
@article {pmid41316149, year = {2025}, author = {Srivastava, S and Parmar, D and Strupat, C and Couturier, V and Ziegler, S and Basu, S and De Allegri, M}, title = {"We get support now …": a mixed methods study of patients' experiences of healthcare under the national health insurance scheme (PM-JAY) in India.}, journal = {BMC health services research}, volume = {25}, number = {1}, pages = {1552}, pmid = {41316149}, issn = {1472-6963}, mesh = {Humans ; India ; *Patient Satisfaction/statistics & numerical data ; Female ; Male ; *National Health Programs/organization & administration ; Qualitative Research ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Focus Groups ; Interviews as Topic ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Publicly-funded health insurance (PFHI) schemes are widely employed in low- and middle-income countries to enhance financial protection and advance universal health coverage. India's Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), launched in 2018, provides inpatient coverage to over 500 million socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals. Although positive patient experiences are linked to improved health outcomes, evidence on patient experiences under PM-JAY remains limited. This mixed-methods study investigates patient experiences with PM-JAY healthcare services, while incorporating provider reflections on these experiences.
METHODS: A concurrent triangulation mixed-methods study was conducted across 16 districts in 7 Indian states. Qualitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews (n = 219 doctors, n = 55 beneficiaries) and 28 focus group discussions with beneficiaries. Quantitative data included 508 patient exit surveys, 115 hospital surveys, and 115 infrastructure checklists. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis. Data triangulation occurred during the analysis phase.
RESULTS: While hospitals had the required physical amenities and patient exit surveys indicated very high satisfaction with PM-JAY services, the qualitative interviews and group discussions with beneficiaries and healthcare providers revealed several areas needing procedural and service improvements. Chief among these were the need for better communication, and enhanced abilities of PM-JAY implementers to provide empathetic and coordinated care. There were also stark differences across states: beneficiaries in Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Meghalaya and Tamil Nadu were more appreciative of PM-JAY services, while those in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh reported significant dissatisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS: Beneficiaries and healthcare providers identified key areas for improvement, including patient-provider communication, empathy, emotional support, care coordination, and quality. Barriers included limited awareness of scheme processes among beneficiaries and providers, and deficient communication skills. Addressing organizational and structural challenges, alongside using informal community networks via frontline health workers, offer opportunities to enhance PM-JAY healthcare delivery.}, }
@article {pmid41322039, year = {2025}, author = {Frank, K and Duschek, N and Prinz, V and Friedrich, M and Cajkovsky, M}, title = {Real-World Outcomes of a Novel Botulinum Toxin A for Upper Face Aesthetics: Insights From Routine Clinical Practice.}, journal = {Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum}, volume = {7}, number = {}, pages = {ojaf136}, pmid = {41322039}, issn = {2631-4797}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Aging signs of the upper face result from complex interactions among facial muscles and include forehead lines, glabellar lines, and crow's feet. Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) injections are widely utilized to address these concerns. An optimal treatment strategy should consider the interplay between elevator and depressor muscles. Comprehensive treatment approaches targeting the comprehensive upper face are gaining popularity but remain underreported in the context of newer products such as letibotulinumtoxinA.
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a comprehensive upper-face treatment using letibotulinumtoxinA (Letybo) and to assess its effect on glabellar lines, forehead lines, and crow's feet using validated clinical scales.
METHODS: In this prospective, observational study, 20 participants (mean age: 35.8 ± 9.3 years) received standardized injections totaling 64 units. Treatment included 16 intramuscular injections: glabella (5 sites), forehead (5 sites), and crow's feet (3 per side), with 4 units (0.1 mL) per site. Efficacy was evaluated at baseline, Week 2, and Week 16 using the Facial Wrinkle Scale, Clinician's Dynamic Forehead Line Assessment Scale, and Clinician's Dynamic Crow's Feet Assessment Scale.
RESULTS: At Week 2, ≥2-point improvement was observed in 95% of glabellar, 90% of forehead, and 90% of crow's feet cases. At Week 16, ≥1-point improvements persisted in 70% to 80% of participants. Five participants (25%) required a touch-up at Week 2. No adverse drug reactions were reported.
CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive upper-face treatment with letibotulinumtoxinA showed meaningful, sustained aesthetic improvement with good tolerability. These findings support further research in larger populations.}, }
@article {pmid41325131, year = {2026}, author = {Kirschner, GK and Oyarce, P and Yao, J and Aljedaani, F and Butt, H and Smet, W and Mahfouz, M and Blilou, I}, title = {NUTCRACKER orchestrates cortical cell divisions and sustains stem cell niche integrity in the rice root meristem.}, journal = {Journal of experimental botany}, volume = {77}, number = {8}, pages = {2296-2310}, pmid = {41325131}, issn = {1460-2431}, support = {//KAUST Competitive Research Grants/ ; }, mesh = {*Oryza/genetics/cytology/physiology/metabolism ; *Meristem/cytology/genetics/metabolism/physiology ; *Plant Proteins/metabolism/genetics ; *Stem Cell Niche ; *Cell Division ; Plant Roots/cytology/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Transcription Factors/metabolism/genetics ; }, abstract = {In Arabidopsis thaliana, BIRD nuclear factors, also known as the INDETERMINATE DOMAIN (IDD) protein family, regulate asymmetric cell division and tissue patterning in the root meristem. The BIRD protein JACKDAW (JKD) forms a regulatory complex with the GRAS transcription factors SHORT-ROOT (SHR) and SCARECROW (SCR) to maintain the stem cell niche and stabilize tissue boundaries. While BIRD protein functions are well characterized in Arabidopsis, their role in other plant species remains unclear. Here, we show that in rice, the JKD ortholog NUTCRACKER (NUC) restricts cell division in the root meristem. nuc knockout mutants display ectopic divisions in the ground tissue and vasculature, a loss of quiescence in the quiescent center, and premature differentiation of columella stem cells. NUC associates with SHR and SCR and regulates the expression of SCR and QUIESCENT CENTER-SPECIFIC HOMEOBOX (QHB/WOX5). NUC is expressed in the ground tissue and exodermis and complements the nuc mutant when driven by its native promoter. These findings reveal a role for the BIRD protein NUC in controlling cell division and maintaining the stem cell niche in the rice root meristem.}, }
@article {pmid41325165, year = {2026}, author = {Johnston, M and Kean, D and Taylor, AH}, title = {A deep neural network tracks tool proficiency development.}, journal = {Journal of experimental psychology. Animal learning and cognition}, volume = {52}, number = {2}, pages = {61-62}, doi = {10.1037/xan0000419}, pmid = {41325165}, issn = {2329-8464}, mesh = {Animals ; *Deep Learning ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; Humans ; *Psychomotor Performance/physiology ; }, abstract = {DeepLabCut, a deep-learning-based network for markerless pose estimation, has been used to track the acquisition and development of tool use in a nontool-using corvid species. This development has the potential to lead to new lines of research understanding how tool and motor expertise develop at the behavioral, neural, cognitive, and evolutionary level. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).}, }
@article {pmid41331733, year = {2026}, author = {Sugasawa, S}, title = {Stick dexterity in carrion crows.}, journal = {Learning & behavior}, volume = {54}, number = {2}, pages = {183-184}, pmid = {41331733}, issn = {1543-4508}, mesh = {*Crows/physiology ; Animals ; *Tool Use Behavior/physiology ; Reward ; }, abstract = {A recent study trained three tool-naïve carrion crows (Corvus corone) to use a stick tool for getting a reward out of a crevice. Automated tracking of tool tips showed gradual changes of their trajectories, demonstrating improved efficiency in their tool dexterity over time (Moll et al. Current Biology, 35, 4845-4852, 2025).}, }
@article {pmid41337815, year = {2026}, author = {Calabrese, EJ and Selby, PB}, title = {Embracing dishonesty: How LNT became king.}, journal = {Chemico-biological interactions}, volume = {424}, number = {}, pages = {111832}, doi = {10.1016/j.cbi.2025.111832}, pmid = {41337815}, issn = {1872-7786}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; History, 20th Century ; Risk Assessment ; }, abstract = {The US NAS BEAR I Genetics Panel in 1956 offered a profoundly influential recommendation to switch from a threshold to a linear dose response model for radiation-induced hereditary changes and key gene-mutation-mediated somatic endpoints. Historical and recent findings indicate that this NAS Report is based on falsified data from panelist William L. Russell that significantly inflated panelist estimates of radiation-induced mutational risks and that panelist James Crow disguised massive panelist uncertainty and variability to promote acceptance of its LNT-risk-based recommendations. This paper extends those challenges to the integrity and credibility of the 1956 NAS report and of decisions by regulatory agencies such as the US EPA to adopt such recommendations by showing that: (1) the "esteemed" NAS panel lacked the necessary expertise to guide the country on radiation-induced genetic risks based on a strikingly anemic research publication record on that topic, (2) selection of the panelists was influenced by commitments toward an evolutionary-based eugenics framework, (3) a key eugenics strategy involved the adoption of an LNT model for risk assessment to reduce population genetic variability, and (4) Muller persuaded the Panel chair to add Crow to blunt an anticipated challenge to Muller's genetic load hypothesis by population geneticists based on enhanced fitness in heterozygotes at optimized radiation exposures, which challenged his eugenics framework. In addition, the selection of a Panel scientifically weak regarding radiation experiments may have been intentional to allow Muller to dominate Panel activities consistent with his eugenics perspectives. It appears likely that Muller and Crow conspired to manipulate Panel activities, leading to the adoption of LNT for radiation risk assessment, as part of the larger RF plan to control the direction of human evolution via eugenics principles and practices.}, }
@article {pmid41349453, year = {2026}, author = {Elman, C and London, AS and O'Rand, AM}, title = {Birthplace, perinatal loss, and the parity-post-reproductive mortality relationship: Evidence from the Jim Crow-era American South.}, journal = {Social science & medicine (1982)}, volume = {389}, number = {}, pages = {118767}, pmid = {41349453}, issn = {1873-5347}, support = {P2C HD065563/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG034424/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; P30 AG066583/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; U01 NS041588/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pregnancy ; *Black or African American/statistics & numerical data ; *Parity ; *Perinatal Mortality/ethnology/trends ; United States/epidemiology ; *White/statistics & numerical data ; }, abstract = {Early studies of the parity-mortality relationship expected high parity to elevate mortality risk, but studies increasingly find that childless and high-parity women have higher post-reproductive mortality risk than moderate-parity women (U-shaped pattern). We investigate race-related differences in completed parity and parity-mortality associations, including attention to childlessness. We use a non-Hispanic Black and White sample of U.S. women born between 1920 and 1941 drawn from the REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS, 2003-2007) dataset (N = 6542). Black women born in this period, compared to White women, reached higher parity (5+ children) and were more likely childless due, respectively, to greater exposure to southern Jim Crow-era agricultural arrangements (sharecropping) and poorer health. Identification of women's birthplaces in REGARDS allows us to link county-level measures from U.S. Plantation Censuses to women's records. We use count regressions to model completed parity and shared-frailty proportional hazards regressions to model all-cause mortality. We find Black but not White women's high-parity status associated with contextual exposure to plantation agricultural arrangements, and Black but not White women's childlessness primarily associated with perinatal child loss(es). We also find U-shaped parity-post-reproductive mortality patterns among all women, but especially among high-parity Black women born in plantation-holding counties. In the historical context of our study, women's childbearing careers and subsequent mortality risk reflected complex reproductive health histories (especially among the childless) and fertility control practices, which, in turn, reflected differential exposure to geographic, social, and political-economic contexts.}, }
@article {pmid41357788, year = {2025}, author = {Kjorlien, Y and Dalziel, D and Watson, CJ and Forbes, SL}, title = {The taphonomic impact of scavenger guilds in peri-urban and rural regions of central and southern Alberta. Part II - Dispersal patterns of forensically relevant vertebrate scavengers.}, journal = {Forensic science international. Synergy}, volume = {11}, number = {}, pages = {100649}, pmid = {41357788}, issn = {2589-871X}, abstract = {Recovering forensic evidence in dispersed scenarios is challenging because of the taphonomic influence of scavengers. This study aimed to observe how remains were dispersed by the scavenger guilds identified in Part 1 (Forbes et al., 2024) of a Canadian study, which include bears, canids, and magpies, and other possible environmental factors. Clothed pig carcasses (Sus scrofa) were placed in open- and closed-canopy habitats of peri-urban and rural regions of two major cities in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton). Four carcasses were deposited in each city in August 2021 and again in 2022, and a search to document and recover the remains was conducted 10-12 months after deposition. The mean recovery rates of skeletal elements were 22.5 % (2.0 %-66.9 %). Calgary rural open and closed environments had the largest maximum dispersal distances (60-70 m) which may be associated with the presence of grizzly bears and canid scavengers (coyotes and semi-wild dogs). There was no statistical difference in dispersal distances between open and closed habitats. Limbs were the most common skeletal element dispersed furthest. The results offer new and relevant information to organizations tasked with searching for human remains, especially remains that may have been scavenged and scattered from the original deposition site in an Albertan landscape.}, }
@article {pmid41361144, year = {2026}, author = {Jeon, W and Park, M and Kim, SW and Kim, J}, title = {Efficacy of Ionization-Adjusted PN Filler in Minimizing Injection Pain: A Randomized, Patient-Blinded, Split-Face Study.}, journal = {Aesthetic plastic surgery}, volume = {50}, number = {7}, pages = {2723-2730}, pmid = {41361144}, issn = {1432-5241}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dermal Fillers/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Middle Aged ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Adult ; Rejuvenation ; Pain Measurement ; Male ; Treatment Outcome ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Single-Blind Method ; *Procedural Pain/prevention & control ; Esthetics ; Injections, Intradermal ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; }, abstract = {Polynucleotide (PN) fillers are widely used for skin rejuvenation due to their regenerative properties; however, injection-related pain remains a major drawback. This randomized, patient-blinded, split-face study evaluated a novel "ionization-adjusted" PN filler with modified pH and ionic strength designed to reduce injection pain without compromising efficacy. Fifteen participants received 1 mL of conventional PN filler on one side of the face and 1 mL of the ionized PN filler on the other. Pain was assessed using a 10-point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), while wrinkle improvement was evaluated using the Crow's Feet Grading Scale (CFGS) and Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS). The ionized PN filler demonstrated significantly lower pain scores (VAS 3.39 ± 1.81) compared to the conventional filler (VAS 5.04 ± 2.19, p < 0.005), with fewer cases of erythema (40% vs. 60%) and embossing (13.3% vs. 56.7%). Both formulations showed significant improvements in CFGS and GAIS scores without statistical differences. These findings suggest that ionization-adjusted PN filler provides a more comfortable injection experience while maintaining similar clinical efficacy and safety profiles. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE I: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .}, }
@article {pmid41361503, year = {2025}, author = {Lebeuf-Taylor, E and Meltzer, A and Lubrano, S and Cottenie, K and Griesser, M}, title = {Passive environmental and group-level processes drive gut microbiome composition in a wild corvid.}, journal = {Animal microbiome}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {4}, pmid = {41361503}, issn = {2524-4671}, support = {Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; Discovery Grant//Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada/ ; EXC 2117 L21-04//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The gut microbiome is known from laboratory studies to be essential to host function and sociality, yet comparatively little is known about this association in wild animals. In wild birds, the gut microbiome seems to be broadly driven by environmental factors, and there is mixed evidence for a link with sociality. Here, we describe the gut microbiome composition of the Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus), a highly social group-living and food-caching corvid of the Eurasian boreal forest. RESULTS: We present evidence of potential environment-related variation in the gut microbiome of wild Siberian jays. Environmental acquisition of microbes may be an important process shaping their gut microbiome composition based on similarities to the local environmental microbial community, for which we propose an environment–oral–gut route as a potential underlying mechanism. We also identify an unexpected group-level convergence, wherein social horizontal transmission of gut microbes may be an incidental consequence of reciprocal cache pilfering among group members. CONCLUSIONS: While the ecological significance of gut microbiome variation in Siberian jays is still unclear, our results paint a picture of passive microbiome assembly resulting from a combination of environmental acquisition and social transmission in a wild bird species.}, }
@article {pmid41367950, year = {2025}, author = {Liu, Y and Liu, J and Liang, W}, title = {Mangrove Habitats in Zhanjiang of South China: A Potentially High-Risk Environment for Breeding Birds.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {e72651}, pmid = {41367950}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Nest predation is one of the most important causes of breeding failure in birds, and the risk of predation is closely related to nest site selection. To maximize site suitability, birds should choose safe locations for nest site to reduce the risk of nest predation. Mangroves and mudflats are very important feeding and wintering grounds for many birds; however, we still know little about the risk of nest predation experienced by birds breeding in mangrove habitats. From August to December 2019, we studied nest predation rates and predator types in mangroves by setting up artificial nest experiments in the Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve in Guangdong Province, south China. The results showed that the nest predation rates in the Jiulongshan mangrove area in the reserve were substantially higher than those in the Caoyang mangrove area during the first 3 days for both the artificial nests on trees and on the ground. However, the nest predation rates were 100% for the experimental nests in both mangroves within 7 days. There were diverse predators, including the greater coucal (Centropus sinensis), Oriental magpie-robin (Copsychus saularis), white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus), mangrove crabs (Chiromantes dehaani), and rats. We recorded a total of 44 nests. The predation rate of the greater coucal on the experimental nests was as high as 70.45%, while the predation rates of the mangrove crabs and rats on the experimental nests were both 20.45%. Our research indicates that birds breeding in mangrove habitats of the Zhanjiang Mangrove in south China face a relatively high risk of nest predation.}, }
@article {pmid41379033, year = {2025}, author = {Smucker, BJ and Wright, SE and Williams, I and Page, RC and Kiss, AJ and Silwal, SB and Weese, M and Edwards, DJ}, title = {Large row-constrained supersaturated designs for high-throughput screening.}, journal = {Biometrics}, volume = {81}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {41379033}, issn = {1541-0420}, support = {R35 GM128595/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; //BJS/ ; GM128595/NH/NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods/statistics & numerical data ; Computer Simulation ; *Drug Discovery/methods ; Models, Statistical ; Biometry/methods ; beta-Lactamases ; }, abstract = {High-throughput screening, in which large numbers of compounds are traditionally studied one-at-a-time in multiwell plates against specific targets, is widely used across many areas of the biological sciences, including drug discovery. To improve the effectiveness of these screens, we propose a new class of supersaturated designs that guide the construction of pools of compounds in each well. Because the size of the pools is typically limited by the particular application, the new designs accommodate this constraint and are part of a larger procedure that we call Constrained Row Screening or CRowS. We develop an efficient computational procedure to construct the CRowS designs, provide some initial lower bounds on the average squared off-diagonal values of their main-effects information matrix, and study the impact of the constraint on design quality. We also show via simulation that CRowS is statistically superior to the traditional one-compound-one-well approach as well as an existing pooling method, and demonstrate the use of the new methodology on a Verona Integron-encoded Metallo-$\beta$-lactamase-2 assay.}, }
@article {pmid41379974, year = {2025}, author = {Edwards, SV and Fang, B and Khost, D and Kolyfetis, GE and Cheek, RG and DeRaad, DA and Chen, N and Fitzpatrick, JW and McCormack, JE and Funk, WC and Ghalambor, CK and Garrison, E and Guarracino, A and Li, H and Sackton, TB}, title = {Multispecies pangenomes reveal a pervasive influence of population size on structural variation.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {390}, number = {6778}, pages = {eadw1931}, pmid = {41379974}, issn = {1095-9203}, support = {R01 HG013618/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; U41 HG010972/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; U01 HG013760/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; R01 HG011485/HG/NHGRI NIH HHS/United States ; R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 DA057530/DA/NIDA NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {*Population Density ; Animals ; *Genomic Structural Variation ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; *Evolution, Molecular ; Genome Size ; *Genome ; }, abstract = {Structural variants (SVs) are widespread in vertebrate genomes, yet their evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Using 45 long-read de novo genome assemblies and pangenome tools, we analyze SVs among three closely related species of North American jays (Aphelocoma, scrub-jays) displaying a 55-fold range in effective population size. We find rapid evolution of genome architecture, including ~100-megabase decreases in genome size driven by shifts in complex satellite landscapes. SVs exhibit slightly deleterious dynamics modulated by variant length and population size, with consistent evidence of adaptive fixation only in the largest population. Gene copy number variants exhibit an inverse relationship with population size, indicating strongly deleterious dynamics, with consequences for gene expression. Our long-read dataset and pangenome analysis demonstrate how population size shapes genome complexity.}, }
@article {pmid41383887, year = {2025}, author = {Fincan, AC and Yön, Mİ}, title = {The Relationship Between Fatigue Levels and Cognition in Patients with Epilepsy.}, journal = {Noro psikiyatri arsivi}, volume = {62}, number = {4}, pages = {368-373}, pmid = {41383887}, issn = {1300-0667}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Fatigue is a common symptom reported in epilepsy. The effect of fatigue on cognitive functions in patients with epilepsy (PWE) is unknown. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between fatigue and cognitive functions in PWE.
METHODS: Thirty-three PWE and twenty-two healthy controls participated in the study. Psychological examinations (Fatigue Impact Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Quality of Life) and cognitive tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Serial Digit Learning Test, Stroop Test, Raven's Progressive Matrices Test) were administered to the participants.
RESULTS: The results revealed that fatigue scores were significantly higher in PWE compared to the control group (p< .001). Fatigue was found to be associated with anxiety (p<.001), depression (p<.001) and quality of life (p<.05). The results demonstrated a significant difference between the groups in terms of Raven scores (p<.001), and a significant correlation between fatigue and Raven scores in the general epilepsy group (p<.001). Fatigue was found to be correlated with Stroop Test (p<.05) and Raven's Test in the focal epilepsy group (p<.001).
CONCLUSION: In conclusion, PWE experience higher levels of fatigue compared to healthy controls and this fatigue has a relationship with visuospatial perception. Fatigue is also associated with attention and visuospatial perception in patients with focal epilepsy. However, it remains unclear whether cognitive impairments are a direct consequence of fatigue or whether cognitive impairments contribute to fatigue.}, }
@article {pmid41394201, year = {2025}, author = {Miller, KE and Hewett Ragheb, EL and Dudek, S and Cardas, A}, title = {Source Population Response When Florida Scrub-Jay Family Groups Are Removed for Translocation.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {e72693}, pmid = {41394201}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Conservation translocation studies typically focus on assessing the fate of translocated individuals at recipient populations, and assessments of the source population's capacity to recover from removals are rare. Our understanding of the population level-impacts of avian translocation remains limited because of the small sample sizes (i.e., number of territories) typically involved and because when breeding vacancies are refilled the identity of the colonizers is usually unknown. To address this information gap, we studied the impacts of translocating 13 territorial Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) family groups (31 individuals) from long-term study sites where most birds were color banded and of known age so the source of colonizers could be determined. Eleven of 13 (85%) vacated territories were colonized within 1-2 weeks and all family groups that occupied vacancies attempted reproduction in the year of the removal. Habitat quality appeared to affect reoccupancy for this early-successional scrub specialist, as the two vacated territories that remained unoccupied were in the two oldest forest stands (14 years since mechanical clearing). In most cases (8 of 13; 62%), vacancies were partially, or entirely, absorbed into existing neighboring territories. However, two vacancies were colonized by newly formed family groups created by adults and helpers from other territories within the same management stand, and another vacancy was colonized by an immigrant group. This mix of refilling mechanisms for this species suggests a complex interplay of habitat quality, territoriality, and availability of non-breeders on the landscape. Removing Florida scrub-jay family groups from a source population may reduce the number of breeding territories if non-breeding helpers are either unavailable in the landscape or unable to outcompete established neighboring territory holders for vacancies. More broadly, practitioners of avian translocation may benefit from considering habitat patch quality and the availability of non-breeding adults when selecting birds for removal for translocation.}, }
@article {pmid41396106, year = {2026}, author = {Do, Q and Morin, TM and Stern, CE and Hasselmo, ME}, title = {A feature-based generalizable prediction model for both perceptual and abstract reasoning.}, journal = {Cognitive neuroscience}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {13-29}, doi = {10.1080/17588928.2025.2599784}, pmid = {41396106}, issn = {1758-8936}, mesh = {Humans ; *Neural Networks, Computer ; *Thinking/physiology ; Deep Learning ; }, abstract = {A hallmark of human intelligence is the ability to infer abstract rules from limited experience and apply these rules to unfamiliar situations. This capacity is widely studied in the visual domain using the Raven's Progressive Matrices. Recent advances in deep learning have led to multiple artificial neural network models matching or even surpassing human performance. However, while humans can identify and express the rule underlying these tasks with little to no exposure, contemporary neural networks often rely on massive pattern-based training and cannot express or extrapolate the rule inferred from the task. Furthermore, most Raven's Progressive Matrices or Raven-like tasks used to train neural networks consist only of symbolic challenges, whereas humans can flexibly solve both symbolic and perceptual challenges. In this work, we present an algorithmic approach to rule detection and application using feature detection, affine transformation estimation and search. We applied our model to a simplified Raven's Progressives Matrices task, previously designed for behavioral testing and neuroimaging in humans. The model exhibited one-shot inference and achieved near human-level performance in the symbolic reasoning condition of the simplified task. Furthermore, the model can express the relationships discovered and generate multi-step predictions in accordance with the underlying rule. Finally, the model can handle perceptual challenges containing continuous patterns. We discuss our results and their relevance to studying abstract reasoning in humans, as well as their implications for improving intelligent machines.}, }
@article {pmid41398510, year = {2026}, author = {Ordiway, G and Woolley, SMN}, title = {Translational Potential of the Avian Cortex.}, journal = {Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {1-3}, pmid = {41398510}, issn = {1438-7573}, support = {DC009810/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; DC009810/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Birds/physiology ; *Translational Research, Biomedical ; *Auditory Cortex/physiology ; Hearing/physiology ; }, abstract = {Birds have contributed to important hearing-science discoveries. Examples include cochlear development, hair cell regeneration and brainstem circuit organization in chickens, sound localization in owls, vocal learning in songbirds, and cognition in parrots and corvids. Recent findings demonstrate the power and relevance of the avian cortex in studying auditory function.}, }
@article {pmid41398536, year = {2025}, author = {Szipl, G and Baotic, A and Kotrschal, K}, title = {Variability and individuality in the contact calls of jackdaws (Corvus monedula).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {2}, pmid = {41398536}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {P18920//Austrian Science Fund/ ; P361202//Austrian Science Fund/ ; }, mesh = {*Vocalization, Animal ; Male ; Animals ; Individuality ; *Crows/physiology ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {In socially complex species, vocal signals often convey individual identity, enabling recognition and coordination of individualized groups. Jackdaws (Corvus monedula) are highly social corvids that form life-long monogamous pair bonds. They frequently produce 'tchak' contact calls while foraging in loose ground-based heterospecific flocks where maintaining cohesion without visual contact may be advantageous. We recorded tchak contact calls from nine adult males during natural foraging and analysed their acoustic structure using both conventional acoustic methods and machine learning approaches. Unsupervised classification revealed two structurally distinct call variants, a harmonic and a noisy form, which differed in spectral and temporal properties. While the harmonic variant occurred in eight out of the nine males, the noisy form was only recorded in five individuals. Both variants encoded individual identity, and spectrogram-based analyses yielded higher classification accuracy. These results suggest that tchak calls convey stable identity cues which facilitate individual recognition. The coexistence of two structurally and individually distinctive call forms within a single call type highlights the flexibility of jackdaw vocal communication.}, }
@article {pmid41402471, year = {2025}, author = {Gidl, H and Binder, S and Osiecka, AN and Klump, BC}, title = {The ontogeny of vocal identity in carrion crows (Corvus corone).}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {17}, pmid = {41402471}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology/growth & development ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Male ; Individuality ; Female ; Social Behavior ; }, abstract = {For social species, the ability to identify individual group members is crucial. Vocalizations often carry individual signatures that can serve as cues for the caller's identity. However, it is still unclear how consistent these signatures are and how early they develop. Here, we investigate the development of vocal individuality in hand-raised carrion crows. Over the course of four weeks, spanning both the nestling and fledgling stage, we recorded vocalisations of known individuals across various behavioural contexts. We show that vocal individuality is present early on and is encoded by several acoustic parameters whose importance remains consistent as the birds age. Additionally, while vocal dissimilarity between individuals generally increased over time, the pattern of change varied across contexts. Our findings highlight the dynamic nature of vocal individuality coding during early life and provide new insights into the relationship between vocal and social development in corvids.}, }
@article {pmid41408274, year = {2025}, author = {Bereznicka, A and Duk, M and Kapczynska, K and Modlinska, A and Piasecki, T and Link-Lenczowski, P and Heidorn-Czarna, M and Pasikowski, P and Czerwinski, M and Kaczmarek, R}, title = {P1PK blood group antigens in birds: implications for veterinary blood transfusion, human and pet health.}, journal = {BMC veterinary research}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {56}, pmid = {41408274}, issn = {1746-6148}, support = {2018/31/B/NZ6/01828//The National Science Centre of Poland/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Blood Group Antigens/metabolism/immunology/genetics ; Humans ; *Birds/blood/immunology ; Blood Transfusion/veterinary ; Erythrocytes/metabolism ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The P1PK blood group system in humans, composed of three glycosphingolipid antigens, plays a significant role in transfusion medicine. These antigens are synthesized by the enzyme α1,4-galactosyltransferase, encoded by the A4GALT gene, and also act as receptors for Shiga toxins, which are key virulence factors produced by pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli. Birds are known to be resistant to the effects of Shiga toxins, yet the molecular basis of this resistance has remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the presence, expression, and functional role of P1PK antigens in birds, particularly in relation to their exposure to human-associated bacteria.
RESULTS: Birds residing in urban environments, such as pigeons (Columba livia) and crows (Corvus cornix), express higher levels of Shiga toxin receptors on their red blood cells. These levels are higher compared to species living in more isolated areas, such as woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola). This pattern may suggest an evolutionary adaptation to human environments. We analyzed RBC glycan expression in 52 birds representing 10 species using flow cytometry, mass spectrometry, and HPTLC to assess interspecies variation in P1PK-related antigens. We propose that the increased expression of these antigens in urban birds functions as a decoy mechanism, reducing the toxicity of Shiga toxins by sequestering them before they can cause cellular damage. The glycomic analysis identified novel glycosphingolipids and glycoproteins with terminal galactose residues that are specifically recognized by the B subunit of Shiga toxin. In addition, we found that a cellular protein, RAB11FIP5, may influence the intracellular trafficking of Shiga toxins, adding another layer of protection in birds.
CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggests that certain birds, particularly those residing in human-influenced environments, possess mechanisms that enable them to partially tolerate or neutralize Shiga toxins. These findings provide a basis for comparative studies of avian red blood cell glycan biology and offer valuable context for future research in veterinary transfusion science and immunology.}, }
@article {pmid41409113, year = {2025}, author = {, and , }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 3 December 2025.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {23}, number = {12}, pages = {e9835}, doi = {10.2903/j.efsa.2025.9835}, pmid = {41409113}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {In 2025, and as of 3 December, 14 countries in Europe reported 1112 locally acquired human cases of WNV infection. The earliest and latest date of onset were on 19 May 2025 and 27 October 2025, respectively. Locally acquired cases have been reported by Italy (779), Greece (96, of which 1 with unknown place of infection), France (62), Serbia (62), Romania (49), Spain (36), Hungary (14), Croatia (4), Albania (3), Germany (2), North Macedonia (2), Bulgaria (1), Kosovo (1) and Türkiye (1). In Europe, 97 deaths were reported. Case numbers reported this year were above the average for the past decade (758). However, these figures remained lower than those seen in 2018, 2022, and 2024 - years when virus circulation was particularly intense, with over 1300 cases reported. This year, Italy experienced a large outbreak, with 779 confirmed human cases, including 72 fatalities (case fatality rate of 9.2%, which is within the expected range). This is the highest number of human WNV cases reported by Italy in a year. Most cases (267) were reported from the Lazio region (Latina, Roma and Frosinone), followed by 133 cases reported by the Campania region (Napoli, Caserta, Salerno and Avellino). Other regions reported similar numbers as in previous years. Furthermore, France reported more cases than in any previous year and 14 regions reported cases for the first time ever. As of 3 December 2025, locally acquired human cases of WNV infection were reported in 157 regions across 14 countries. This compares with 188 regions across 18 countries in 2024. All 14 countries had previously reported human cases of WNV. This year, 35 regions reported human cases of WNV infection for the first time ever: by Italy in Genova (ITC33), Sondrio (ITC44), Avellino (ITF34), Brindisi (ITF44), Catanzaro (ITF63), Reggio di Calabria (ITF65), Palermo (ITG12), Messina (ITG13), Siracusa (ITG19), Nuoro (ITG2E), Sud Sardegna (ITG2H), Grosseto (ITI1A), Arezzo (ITI18), Siena (ITI19), Latina (ITI44) and Frosinone (ITI45); by France in Paris (FR101), Yvelines (FR103), Essonne (FR104), Hauts-de-Seine (FR105), Seine-Saint-Denis (FR106), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Val-d'Oise (FR108), Seine-Maritime (FRD22), Lot-et-Garonne (FRI14), Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Tarn-et-Garonne (FRJ28), Puy-de-Dôme (FRK14), Ardèche (FRK22) and Vaucluse (FRL06); by Germany in Aschaffenburg, Landkreis (DE264); by Greece in Irakleio (EL431) and Lakonia, Messinia (EL653); by Spain in Alicante/Alacant (ES521) and Almería (ES611); by Croatia in Splitsko-dalmatinska županija (HR035); by Kosovo* in Pejë (XK003); by Romania in Sălaj (RO116); and by Türkiye in Çanakkale (TR222). As observed in previous years, most cases were among males aged 65 years and older. The hospitalisation rate was similar to previous years, with 84% of cases hospitalised this year compared to 89% in the past decade. The high hospitalisation rate is due to the nature of WNV surveillance, which tends to predominantly capture the most severe cases. The case fatality rate this year was 9%, which is below but comparable to the 10% observed in the previous decade. Neurological manifestations were reported in 56% of cases this year, compared to 66% in the previous decade. In general, a dominance of neurological cases is expected, as cases with more severe symptoms are more likely to be diagnosed. From the veterinary perspective, 186 WNV outbreaks among equids and 359 outbreaks among birds have been reported in Europe in 2025. The earliest start date of an outbreak among equids and birds was on 15 January 2025 in Germany and 16 February 2025 in Italy, while the latest onset of an outbreak among equids and birds was, respectively, on 7 November 2025 in Spain and 4 November 2025 in Italy. Outbreaks among equids were reported by Italy (87), France (57), Spain (12), Croatia (11), Hungary (7), Germany (5), Greece (5), Austria (1) and the Netherlands (1). Outbreaks among birds were reported by Italy (330), Germany (15), Spain (4), Belgium (3), Austria (2), France (2), Croatia (1), Cyprus (1) and Hungary (1). In the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) database, no information was provided on the exact equid species reported, whereas species details were available for birds. The bird species associated with the highest number of reported outbreaks in 2025 (eight or more outbreaks) were the carrion crow (97) and the common magpie (62), followed by the common wood-pigeon (30), common kestrel (18), northern goshawk (14), herring gull (9), little owl (9), rock dove (9), unidentified Accipitridae (9), Eurasian jay (8), hooded crow (8) and European turtle-dove (8). In addition, several other bird species were associated with up to seven outbreaks. In June, July, and August 2025, equid outbreaks exceeded the 10-year monthly average (2015-2024) but fell below it from September through to November. Meanwhile, bird outbreaks stayed below the three-year monthly mean (2022-2024) from April to July, then rose above it in August, September and October 2025. Overall, this year, the number of reported WNV outbreaks in equids was higher than in all previous years, except 2018 and 2024. For birds, the number of outbreaks reported in 2025 was higher than in any year since the start of mandatory reporting in 2021, except for 2024. As of 3 December 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in 116 regions across 11 countries. Of the 11 countries that submitted data in 2025, eight had previously reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids to ADIS in previous years, reflecting endemicity in these territories. In contrast, Belgium reported WNV outbreaks for the first time ever to ADIS in 2025, with three outbreaks in wild birds. Two outbreaks involved Eurasian jackdaws, and one involved carrion crows, all recorded in August 2025. Both bird species are generally resident, although Eurasian jackdaws from northern and eastern Europe may migrate south during winter. These outbreaks occurred in the administrative units of Mechelen (BE212) and Halle-Vilvoorde (BE241). In October 2025, the Netherlands also reported a WNV outbreak in equids to ADIS for the first time. The outbreak occurred in the administrative unit of Groot-Rijnmond (NL366). However, this was not the first detection of the virus in the Netherlands, where WNV was first documented in mosquitoes, birds, and humans back in 2020. Additionally, in November 2025, Cyprus (CY000) notified ADIS of a bird outbreak that had occurred back in March 2025 and involved a Great Cormorant. This was the first WNV animal outbreak reported by Cyprus to ADIS. However, WNV infections have been reported in humans in Cyprus already during multiple years since 2016. Besides the four new regions in Belgium, in the Netherlands and in Cyprus, up to 3 December 2025, outbreaks in birds and/or equids were reported for the first time to ADIS in 26 regions: by Italy in Arezzo (ITI18), Ascoli Piceno (ITI18), Caltanissetta (ITG15), Firenze (ITI14), Foggia (ITF46), Frosinone (ITI45), L'Aquila (ITF11), Lecco (ITC43), Ragusa (ITG18), Reggio Calabria (ITF65), Siracusa (ITG19), and Sondrio (ITC44); by France in Haute-Garonne (FRJ23), Loiret (FRB06), Oise (FRE22), Paris (FR101), Tarn (FRJ27), Val-de-Marne (FR107), Vaucluse (FRL06), and Yvelines (FR103); by Croatia in Koprivničko-križevačka županija (HR063), and in Bjelovarsko-bilogorska županija (HR021); by Spain in Almería (ES611) and Menorca (ES533); by Austria in Innsbruck (AT332); and by Germany in Rhein-Neckar-Kreis (DE128). Furthermore, in 2025, outbreaks in equids were reported in the Greek region of Thasos-Kavala (EL515), marking the first such report in animals since the last recorded outbreak 12 years prior. Reports of WNV outbreaks during the winter, when mosquito activity is minimal, should be carefully evaluated as they raise questions about the timing of infection. Two such reports - one outbreak in equids reported by Germany in January 2025, and one in birds reported by Italy in February 2025 - warrant cautious interpretation, as they may reflect residual detection (e.g. lingering antibodies or viral RNA from infections acquired in the year before) rather than active transmission in 2025. Seven countries - Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Spain - reported both WNV human cases and outbreaks in equids and/or birds. This year, Italy accounted for the majority of the human cases (70%) and the outbreaks in equids and birds (75.4%). This was likely due to favourable climate conditions and ecological hotspots (e.g. wetlands, agricultural areas) that influenced mosquito vector populations and the distribution and behaviour of animal hosts. Intensive surveillance in Italy may also have contributed to high detection rates of human cases and outbreaks in birds and equids. The reporting of WNV outbreaks in birds marks the first detection of the virus in Belgium. Notably, the country has never recorded any locally acquired human cases. This development signals a significant step in the local emergence of WNV and points to a likely recent introduction of the virus into the national ecosystem. These findings underline the need for enhanced surveillance and increased public health preparedness. The identification of WNV cases in humans and animals within previously unaffected areas underscores the continuing geographic expansion of the virus, likely driven by conducive environmental conditions and ecological factors. In addition, increased surveillance or monitoring sensitivity and raised awareness in these areas might have played a role in the detection of the cases. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, as well as the fact that most of the WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the case numbers provided in this report likely underestimate the true number of cases. Of note, the seasonal surveillance in humans primarily focuses on capturing laboratory-confirmed cases, which contributes to the diagnostic delay. This year, the peak of WNV infections occurred in August for humans and birds, and in September for equids, which is consistent with the pattern seen in previous years. In 2025, the EU/EEA recorded the fourth highest annual total of human WNV infections since surveillance began in 2008. The number of reported WNV outbreaks in equids was the third highest on record, while bird outbreaks in 2025 were the second highest since mandatory reporting began in 2021. As environmental conditions are no longer favourable for vector activity and virus replication in vectors, no more locally acquired WNV infections are expected in 2025. However, a few sporadic infections might occur. This report is the final monthly update for 2025. Regular monthly reporting will resume with the onset of the next vector activity season, anticipated to begin with the detection of the first human cases in 2026, likely in June or July. Isolated cases that may arise outside the typical mosquito transmission season will not trigger additional monthly reports.}, }
@article {pmid41420136, year = {2025}, author = {Townsend, AK and Bennett, EM and Argay, SM and Wallace, M and Chan, J and DeLena, AR}, title = {Low motivation drives poor performance of infected, anorexic crows on a string-pulling task.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {13}, pmid = {41420136}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/microbiology/physiology ; *Motivation ; *Campylobacter Infections/veterinary/psychology/physiopathology ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/psychology/physiopathology ; Male ; Female ; *Anorexia/veterinary ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {There is growing concern that infectious disease can impair the cognitive performance of wild animals, but the mechanisms by which this may occur are unclear. Here, we examined the apparent contributions of cognitive and motivational factors to the poor performance on a string-pulling task among American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) infected with a common bacterial pathogen (Campylobacter spp.). In a sample of 57 crows, of which 65% were infected with Campylobacter, we found that infected crows were significantly less likely to solve a string-pulling task with a food reward and took longer to solve it after engaging with the task. However, their poor performance appeared largely motivational. Infected birds exhibited longer latency to attempt the task (9.0 ± 2.8 vs. 22.8 ± 3.4 min when uninfected vs. infected, respectively). They also had a slower attempt rate after initial engagement (lower persistence) than uninfected crows: on average, the attempt rate of infected birds was 61% lower than for uninfected birds. Anorexia may have played a role in this lower motivation, as infected crows consumed significantly fewer calories when food was provided ad libitum than uninfected crows: birds with the highest apparent infection intensity ate 43.4% fewer calories/day than uninfected birds. Our study provides a framework for distinguishing among the potential mechanisms underlying impaired performance on a problem-solving task among infected individuals. It also sheds light on some of the potential downstream fitness and survival consequences for animals exhibiting disease-linked changes in behavior and cognitive performance.}, }
@article {pmid41421045, year = {2026}, author = {Towler, JR and Kannan, C and Soupioni, C and Castle, E and Fletcher-Miles, H and Childs, M and Donnelley, S and Reinert-Joensen, T and Brooks, D and Tree, JJ}, title = {Facial expression recognition in the broader autism phenotype: What does alexithymia have to do with it?.}, journal = {Cognition}, volume = {270}, number = {}, pages = {106407}, doi = {10.1016/j.cognition.2025.106407}, pmid = {41421045}, issn = {1873-7838}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; *Affective Symptoms/physiopathology/psychology ; Adult ; *Facial Recognition/physiology ; *Facial Expression ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Emotions/physiology ; Adolescent ; Phenotype ; *Autistic Disorder/psychology/physiopathology ; *Autism Spectrum Disorder/psychology/physiopathology ; *Social Perception ; }, abstract = {Emotion recognition difficulties are widely reported in autism, but the "alexithymia hypothesis" proposes that such deficits are driven by co-occurring alexithymic traits rather than autism itself. We tested this hypothesis in a large sample of 556 adults spanning the broader autism phenotype, using self-reported autistic traits (Autism Quotient, AQ), alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20), and multiple face processing tasks. All participants completed an emotional expression discrimination task; Subsample 1 (N = 231) additionally completed an expression labelling task and Raven's matrices, while Subsample 2 (N = 325) completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test. Across correlational, regression, partial correlation, and mediation analyses, autistic traits-particularly social-communicative difficulties-were the strongest and most consistent predictors of poorer emotion recognition. In contrast, the core alexithymia facets of difficulty identifying and describing feelings did not contribute unique variance once autistic traits were controlled. Importantly, externally oriented thinking (EOT) emerged as the only alexithymia facet with independent predictive value, consistently associated with reduced accuracy across both emotional and identity face recognition tasks. This suggests that EOT reflects a broader domain-general attentional style that deprioritises reflective engagement with socially salient information. Group-based analyses further confirmed that high autistic trait groups showed significant recognition impairments regardless of alexithymia levels. These findings challenge the alexithymia hypothesis and highlight autistic traits as primary drivers of emotion recognition difficulties, with EOT adding an additional, qualitatively distinct influence. The results call for revised multivariate models of face and emotion processing that integrate autistic traits, attentional orientations, cognitive ability, and gender.}, }
@article {pmid41425916, year = {2025}, author = {Mwangala, PN and Nasambu, C and Wagner, RG and Duta, M and Scerif, G and Newton, CR and Abubakar, A}, title = {Assessing neurocognitive functioning among adults ageing with and without HIV at the Kenyan Coast: measurement issues and correlates.}, journal = {Frontiers in aging neuroscience}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {1702869}, pmid = {41425916}, issn = {1663-4365}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is one of the most prevalent complications of HIV infection, with significant medical and functional impacts. However, valid, and reliable assessment tools are lacking for the newly emergent ageing population of people living with HIV (PLWH) in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Kenya. Without these tools, critical intervention opportunities, e.g., psychoeducation, treatment and additional support, are missed. To bridge this gap in Kenya, we adapted the Oxford Cognitive Screen Plus (OCSPlus), a tablet-based cognitive assessment tool designed for low-literacy settings, with adults ageing with HIV ≥ 50 years and their uninfected peers. This study examines the acceptability, reliability, and validity of the OCSPlus tool among older Kenyan adults and provides an initial understanding of the cognitive performance of these adults (by HIV status) and the biopsychosocial factors associated with their cognitive performance.
METHODS: In a cross-sectional sample of 440 older adults (257 living with HIV), we administered the OCSPlus tool alongside the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), the International HIV Dementia Scale (IHDS), and health and sociodemographic assessments.
RESULTS: There was a high level of acceptability of OCSPlus by participants and test administrators. OCSPlus demonstrated good test-retest reliability. Acceptable correlations between individual OCSPlus sub-tasks and conventional tests (RSPM and IHDS) were also observed for convergent validity. Regarding cognitive performance, older adults living with HIV (OALWH) presented with significantly lower scores on language (picture naming task), executive function, and the IHDS overall score compared to their uninfected peers. However, OALWH performed significantly better on memory domain (orientation, word encoding and word recall tasks), non-verbal intelligence and processing speed. There were no differences in attention domain. Cognitive performance as assessed by OCSPlus was significantly associated with behavioural and lifestyle factors (physical activity, sleeping difficulties, obesity, and sexual activity), sociodemographic factors (age, sex, educational status, household income, household size and asset index), medical or treatment factors (self-reported urinary incontinence, hearing problems, history of TB, seeking services of traditional healers, antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen change, being on 3rd line ART treatment) and psychosocial factors including ageism and food insecurity.
CONCLUSION: We demonstrated the feasibility of OCSPlus administration by trained lay persons, its acceptability, and preliminary reliability and validity among low-literacy older adults on the Kenyan coast. Mean cognitive scores were mixed across the two groups. Cognitive performance was associated with several biopsychosocial factors spanning behavioural/lifestyle, sociodemographic, psychosocial, medical and treatment factors. Further validation studies and epidemiological research are needed to understand better the utility of OCSPlus and the cognitive function of these adults.}, }
@article {pmid41430232, year = {2025}, author = {Dirshe, MW and Yıldırımhan, HS and Redhwan, AM and Girisgin, AO and Civil, Y and Hassan, AA}, title = {Prevalence and diversity of helminths in three corvid species (Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758), Garrulus glandarius (Linnaeus, 1758), and Corvus corax (Linnaeus, 1758) from Türkiye.}, journal = {BMC veterinary research}, volume = {21}, number = {1}, pages = {711}, pmid = {41430232}, issn = {1746-6148}, mesh = {Animals ; *Helminthiasis, Animal/epidemiology/parasitology ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Female ; *Helminths/classification/isolation & purification ; Male ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Corvidae birds are ecologically significant and host a diverse range of helminth parasites; however, data on their parasitic fauna in Türkiye remain limited. Here, we examined 44 individuals of three corvid species (39 Coloeus monedula, 3 Garrulus glandarius and 2 Corvus corax) from Bursa Province through necropsy and microscopic identification. RESULTS: We detected helminth infections in 79.5% of the birds, identifying 12 species across Digenea (Brachylaima fuscata, Brachylecithum lobatum, Lyperosomum longicauda), Cestoda (Choanotaenia macracantha, Passerilepis stylosa), Nematoda (Syngamus trachea, Dispharynx nasuta, Dispharynx sp., Baruscapillaria obsiganata, B. resecta), and Acanthocephala (Sphaerirostris picae, Plagiorhynchus (Prosthorhynchus) cylindraceus). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents the third record for C. monedula, the second for G. glandarius, and the first for Co. corax in Türkiye. Notably, B. fuscata, Br. lobatum, C. macracantha, P. stylosa, and B. resecta helminths were recorded for the first time in Türkiye. These findings enhance the understanding of helminth diversity in regional corvid populations and provide a foundation for future studies on host–parasite dynamics and avian health in Eurasian ecosystems.}, }
@article {pmid41430796, year = {2025}, author = {Suvorov, V and Solé, R and Saakian, DB}, title = {Geometric phase in the Crow-Kimura model of molecular evolution on dynamic environments.}, journal = {Physical review. E}, volume = {112}, number = {5-1}, pages = {054409}, doi = {10.1103/rv4q-l8cq}, pmid = {41430796}, issn = {2470-0053}, abstract = {When taking place under fluctuating environments, some classical results of evolutionary dynamics in fitness landscapes need to be reconsidered. Under such nonequilibrium conditions, the properties of adaptive evolution might escape from the expectations grounded in equilibrium systems. Here, an important contribution to this nonequilibrium dynamics results from the presence of a geometry (Berry) phase in the Crow-Kimura model of molecular evolution with asymmetric mutations. By considering changes in fitness alone as well as changes in both fitness and mutation, analytical expressions for the Berry phase are derived, showing strong singularities at bulk transition points. Periodically varying parameters are also analyed for the two-dimensional case. The potential implications for evolutionary and prebiotic scenarios are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid41438879, year = {2026}, author = {Hwang, Y and Kim, JH and Lee, HE and Jie, IWK and Song, JK and Jalali, A and Rosellini, I and Thulesen, J and Vitale, M and Kim, EJ and Yi, KH}, title = {Efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound for treating upper and lower eyelid sagging.}, journal = {JPRAS open}, volume = {48}, number = {}, pages = {147-154}, pmid = {41438879}, issn = {2352-5878}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Eyelid sagging is a frequent concern among aging patients, yet achieving noticeable improvement with noninvasive methods remains challenging.
OBJECTIVE: This prospective cohort study evaluated the efficacy and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for improving upper and lower eyelid sagging.
METHODS: Thirty-four Korean women (aged 31-67 years) with mild to moderate eyelid laxity underwent a single session of HIFU (ULTRAFORMER MPT) using a 2.0-mm, 4-MHz probe, delivering 120 shots to the periocular region. Outcomes were assessed at 12 weeks via a four-point scale rated by blinded clinicians and patients. Eyelid length was measured using standardized photography.
RESULTS: Mean eyelid length decreased by 0.94 ± 0.34 mm (p < 0.0001). Clinical improvement was reported by 76 % of patients and recognized by clinicians in 59 % of cases. The mean scores for overall improvement, eyelid tightening, and crow's feet reduction were 2.25 ± 0.3, 2.10 ± 0.4, and 1.95 ± 0.3, respectively. Mild pain and erythema were the only reported side effects, resolving within 3-4 days.
CONCLUSION: HIFU is a safe and effective noninvasive option for improving both upper and lower eyelid sagging, with high patient satisfaction and minimal adverse effects.}, }
@article {pmid41440815, year = {2025}, author = {Young, SR and Kim, J and McKee, K and Doyle, DR and Novack, MA and Revelle, W and Gershon, R and Dworak, EM}, title = {Validation of International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) Implemented in Mobile Toolbox (MTB).}, journal = {Journal of Intelligence}, volume = {13}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {41440815}, issn = {2079-3200}, support = {U2C AG060426/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; Research Grant//Woodcock Institute/ ; 5U2CAG060426-02/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {Standardized cognitive assessments are essential in research but often limited by proprietary restrictions and methodological constraints. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of two public-domain International Cognitive Ability Resource (ICAR) measures implemented in the Mobile Toolbox (MTB) assessment library: Puzzle Completion and Block Rotation. Using a sample of 100 adults (18-82 years), we assessed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity compared to gold-standard measures. Results demonstrated acceptable reliability for both Puzzle Completion and Block Rotation. Each measure showed moderate to strong correlations with respective gold-standard assessments: Puzzle Completion correlated with Raven's Progressive Matrices (r = 0.40), and Block Rotation with Mental Rotation Test (r = 0.46). Practice effects were non-significant. Both demonstrated the ability to discriminate between verbal and nonverbal abilities. Findings were consistent with previous ICAR validations, suggesting MTB provides a viable option for remote self-administration while preserving measurement integrity. This enables larger sample collection and ecological assessment of cognitive abilities outside of laboratory settings.}, }
@article {pmid41450448, year = {2026}, author = {Jalali, A and Pupo, D and Yi, KH}, title = {Full-face aesthetic treatment with onabotulinumtoxin A: Results from a retrospective real world analysis.}, journal = {JPRAS open}, volume = {48}, number = {}, pages = {223-230}, pmid = {41450448}, issn = {2352-5878}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Full-face aesthetic treatment with neuromodulators is common in routine practice but not widely analyzed in clinical studies.
METHODS: This was a retrospective, two-center chart review evaluating the effectiveness and safety of full-face onabotulinumtoxinA injections for the aesthetic treatment of adult females, all of whom had severe forehead lines at baseline. Patients received a total dose of 114 U: 64 U in the upper face using the on-label treatment pattern for glabellar, crow's feet, and forehead lines; 20 U per side in the jawline based on the recently proposed "toxin lift" method; and 10 U in the chin.
RESULTS: Thirty-three females were included (mean age: 42.5 ± 7.6 years). Physician-rated forehead line severity improved from "severe" to "mild" or "none" in all patients at 4 weeks, as assessed using the Facial Wrinkle Scale and Forehead Lines Grading Scale. All study participants showed greater facial symmetry, enhanced jawline contour, and high patient satisfaction (FACE-Q Satisfaction with Outcome, 83.9 ± 9.0; Satisfaction with Forehead and Eyebrows, 95.4 ± 5.7). Adverse events were minor and transient.
CONCLUSIONS: Full-face onabotulinumtoxinA was effective in reducing facial lines and improving overall symmetry and jawline contour, with high levels of patient satisfaction, and a favorable safety profile.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.}, }
@article {pmid41455775, year = {2025}, author = {Zhang, J and Li, H and Zhang, G and Chen, R and Zhang, T and Jin, A}, title = {Red-billed blue magpie optimization for training feedforward neural networks.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {1301}, pmid = {41455775}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {2024AH051989//Natural Science Key Research Project of Anhui Educational Committee/ ; 0045024064//Horizontal research subject: Research on path planning technology of smart agriculture and forestry harvesting robots based on evolutionary algorithms/ ; 0045025108//Horizontal research subject: Design of power supply and drive system for agricultural and forestry weeding and picking robots/ ; WGKQ2022052//Start-up Fund for Distinguished Scholars of West Anhui University/ ; wxxy2023079//School-level Quality Engineering (Teaching and Research Project)/ ; GXXT-2021-026//University Synergy Innovation Program of Anhui Province/ ; 2022AH010091//Smart Agriculture and Forestry and Smart Equipment Scientific Research and Innovation Team (Anhui Undergrowth Crop Intelligent Equipment Engineering Research Center)/ ; AUCIEERC-2022-01//Open Fund of Anhui Undergrowth Crop Intelligent Equipment Engineering Research Center/ ; 0045025107//Horizontal research subject: Research on Information Transmission Control Technology of Agricultural and Forestry Weeding Robot Based on Event Triggering/ ; CSBD2025-ZD03//Open Research Fund of Anhui Province Engineering Laboratory for Big Data Analysis and Early Warning Technology of Coal Mine Safety/ ; }, abstract = {The input layer, hidden layer, and output layer constitute the feedforward neural networks (FNNs) with unidirectional propagation and no feedback loop connection. The FNNs exhibit pivotal properties of nonlinear fitting ability, flexible structure, multitasking adaptability, easy implementation, strong compatibility and composability. The FNNs can independently tackle classification and regression tasks and support the construction of complex networks. The red-billed blue magpie optimization (RBMO) is constructed on the collective collaborative exploration and sophisticated hunting proficiency of the red-billed blue magpies. The RBMO emulates searching for food sources, chasing and attacking prey, and hoarding superfluous food to balance extensive global exploration and meticulous local exploitation, and to ascertain the fittest solution. In this paper, the RBMO is proposed to train FNNs, the motivation is to measure the dissimilarity between anticipated and actual outputs, quantify the training efficiency and classification precision of the sample datasets, and fabricate the connection weights and biases. The RBMO exhibits the distinctive advantages of extensible adaptability and flexibility, accelerated convergence speed, heightened calculation accuracy, decreased control parameters, remarkable robustness and stability, and diminished computational complexity. Seventeen sample datasets are utilized to authenticate the applicability and practicality, the RBMO is compared with SFOA, FLO, APO, HEOA, EGO, BKA, WO, HO, IAO, NRBO, ETO and PO. The experimental results demonstrate that the RBMO can dynamically alternate between exploration and exploitation to strengthen stability and robustness, intensify training efficiency and classification precision, promote convergence speed and solution quality.}, }
@article {pmid41468422, year = {2026}, author = {Zerouali, S and Kaddouri, H and El-Kamia, A and Alaoui, S}, title = {Direct effects of dyscalculia on executive functions: revisiting mediation models.}, journal = {Child neuropsychology : a journal on normal and abnormal development in childhood and adolescence}, volume = {32}, number = {5}, pages = {730-748}, doi = {10.1080/09297049.2025.2610225}, pmid = {41468422}, issn = {1744-4136}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dyscalculia/physiopathology/psychology ; *Executive Function/physiology ; *Memory, Short-Term/physiology ; Cognitive Flexibility/physiology ; *Inhibition, Psychological ; Child ; Female ; Male ; Adolescent ; Neuropsychological Tests ; }, abstract = {Dyscalculia, a specific learning disability in mathematics, is linked to deficits in executive functions, yet integrative studies in Arabic-speaking contexts remain scarce. This study examined working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility collectively in children with dyscalculia. Using 64 children (32 per group), advanced techniques including Ridge regression, PCA, and ROC analysis assessed these functions. Both groups demonstrated average intelligence (Raven's Progressive Matrices), with the dyscalculia group showing profound mathematical deficits across nine arithmetic domains. Significant group differences emerged in all three executive functions (p < .001), with large effect sizes (d = -2.15 to -1.80; r = 0.80), extremely high predictive accuracy (ROC-AUC = 0.999, requiring replication), and significant correlations with mathematical performance (r = .32 to .62, all p < .01). Unexpectedly, no significant mediation was observed (ACME: p > .05), with dyscalculia exerting direct effects, and a significant interaction limited to cognitive flexibility (β = 0.62, p = .043). These findings contribute to understanding executive function architecture in dyscalculia and mark the first integrative analysis in an Arabic-speaking context. Results may support early diagnostic tools and targeted interventions addressing specific executive function deficits, offering potential advancements for educational practices in Arabic-speaking regions, though cross-cultural validation remains essential.}, }
@article {pmid41468790, year = {2026}, author = {Yarım, D and Karakaya, E and Aydın, F and Abay, S}, title = {Escherichia coli strains from wild birds in Türkiye: Antibiotic resistance, virulence factors and phylogroups.}, journal = {Research in veterinary science}, volume = {200}, number = {}, pages = {106045}, doi = {10.1016/j.rvsc.2025.106045}, pmid = {41468790}, issn = {1532-2661}, mesh = {Animals ; *Escherichia coli/genetics/drug effects/pathogenicity/isolation & purification/classification ; *Virulence Factors/genetics ; *Birds/microbiology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Feces/microbiology ; Turkey/epidemiology ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/epidemiology ; *Escherichia coli Infections/veterinary/microbiology/epidemiology ; Animals, Wild/microbiology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests/veterinary ; Phylogeny ; }, abstract = {This study aimed to isolate and identify Escherichia coli (E. coli) from the feces of wild bird species and to determine antibiotic susceptibilities, phylogroups, and virulence genes in the isolates obtained. For this purpose, a total of 575 fecal samples from 100 Eurasian Tree Sparrow, 250 Eurasian Jackdaw, 156 Eurasian Magpie, 4 Short-toed Snake-Eagle, 60 Rock dove, and 5 Long-legged Buzzard were used. E. coli isolation was performed using direct inoculation on MacConkey agar. The isolates were identified through phenotypic tests, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The susceptibility of the isolates to nine antibiotics was determined by the disk diffusion method. Phylogroups and the presence of virulence genes were determined by Clermont typing and the multiplex PCR (mPCR) methods, respectively. Among 575 feces samples, E. coli was isolated from 37 (6.43 %). The highest antibiotic resistance was found in ampicillin, azithromycin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole at 35.1 %. Moreover, 43.2 % of the E. coli isolates were detected as Multidrug-Resistant (MDR), and these isolates exhibited 13 different MDR patterns by demonstrating resistance to three to eight various antibiotic classes. While the most common phylogroup detected among isolates was A (18.9 %), none belonged to phylogroups C and F. 72.9 % had at least one virulence gene. The most frequently detected virulence gene was stx1 + stx2 (32.4 %), and all isolates were negative for bfpA and lt genes. In conclusion, considering the role of birds of prey in the ecological balance, the data obtained in this study suggest that wild birds may contribute to the spread of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant E. coli strains globally.}, }
@article {pmid41477879, year = {2026}, author = {Kaiser, J}, title = {Man in the middle.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {391}, number = {6780}, pages = {16-19}, doi = {10.1126/science.aee9886}, pmid = {41477879}, issn = {1095-9203}, abstract = {NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya has struggled to convince observers he has the agency's best interests in mind-and is truly in charge.}, }
@article {pmid41479148, year = {2026}, author = {Manzano, MCR and Sawaya, RJ and Rezende, GC and Silva, MLD}, title = {Vocalizations Reveal Species Differences in Endangered Lion Tamarins (Primates, Callitrichidae).}, journal = {American journal of primatology}, volume = {88}, number = {1}, pages = {e70115}, pmid = {41479148}, issn = {1098-2345}, support = {001//Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior/ ; 307956/2022-9//Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) for financial support/ ; 2020/12658-4//Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Leontopithecus/physiology ; Endangered Species ; Species Specificity ; Female ; Acoustics ; Male ; Sound Spectrography ; }, abstract = {Acoustic communication is important for social cohesion and territory defense in forest primates, including the endangered lion tamarins (genus Leontopithecus). Although vocalizations of individual species have been studied, there is still no comparative analysis examining whether acoustic parameters can reliably distinguish among all four species. We hypothesized that species-specific differences in acoustic features allow discrimination among lion tamarin species, and we predicted that both spectral and temporal parameters would reveal interspecific variation. To test this, we analyzed seven shared vocalizations (long calls, whines, trills, rasps, clucks, tsicks, and peeps) from the black-faced lion tamarin (Leontopithecus caissara), golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia), golden-headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas), and black lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus). Acoustic data were obtained from online sound libraries and analyzed using Raven Pro software. Spectral and temporal parameters, including frequency at 5% and 95%, peak frequency, center frequency, and bandwidth 90% were measured, followed by principal component analysis (PCA) and nonparametric statistical tests to identify species-specific differences. Our results revealed significant interspecific differences across multiple vocalizations, with spectral parameters being the most relevant for distinguishing species, whereas temporal parameters contributed less. L. caissara emerged as the most acoustically distinct species, while L. rosalia and L. chrysopygus exhibited the greatest vocal similarity. In conclusion, this study provides the first comparative analysis of seven vocalization types across all four lion tamarin species, establishing an acoustic baseline, confirming the importance of spectral parameters for species differentiation, and demonstrating the potential of vocalizations for conservation applications.}, }
@article {pmid41482724, year = {2026}, author = {Li, L and Tang, W and Li, J and Wu, Z and Wen, Y and Zhou, W and Lu, X and Liu, G}, title = {Extreme Squeezing of Volumetric Triboelectric Charge to a New Record of 224 nC cm[-3] Inspired by Aesop's Fables.}, journal = {Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)}, volume = {38}, number = {11}, pages = {e15482}, doi = {10.1002/adma.202515482}, pmid = {41482724}, issn = {1521-4095}, support = {52362025//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 62304058//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 2021YFA1201603//National Key R&D Project from the Ministry of Science and Technology/ ; YCBZ2023038//Innovation Project of Guangxi Graduate Education/ ; }, abstract = {Direct-current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENGs) attract attention for their high output and low crest factor. However, inefficient spatial layouts create harmful discharge regions, causing internal charge loss. Inspired by Aesop's fable "The Crow and the Pitcher," projection micro stereolithography integrates densely packed dual-channel charge-collecting electrodes into the slider, developing an Aesop's Fables-inspired DC-TENG (AF-TENG) based on extreme spatial compression. This design creates efficient charge-release pathways and achieves a record surface charge density of 14.2 mC m[-] [2]. To eliminate device dimension effects on performance evaluation, a novel metric, volumetric triboelectric charge, is introduced to normalize charge transport efficiency and provide a universal standard for evaluating DC-TENG designs. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental optimizations enable the AF-TENG to achieve 800 V output and a record 224 nC cm[-] [3] volumetric charge, with a fingertip-sized device lighting 32 2 W LEDs and driving hygrometers and calculators, advancing performance and establishing an evaluation system as a benchmark for future DC-TENGs.}, }
@article {pmid41484286, year = {2026}, author = {Lee, D and Lee, S}, title = {Development of crow search algorithm using the characteristics of qubits and application of engineering problems.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {1055}, pmid = {41484286}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {RS-2023-00244008//National Research Foundation of Korea/ ; RS-2024-00352968//National Research Foundation of Korea/ ; }, abstract = {Recently, researchers have attempted to develop a new algorithm by combining quantum systems and metaheuristics algorithms and are confirming its applicability in engineering optimization problems. This paper proposes a new QbCSA (quantum-based crow search algorithm) combining quantum systems and CSA (crow search algorithm). Unlike CSA, the initial matrix of QbCSA consists of qubits and performs operations through spin and measurement processes. Six benchmark functions were used to compare the convergence performance according to the parameter change used in the developed QbCSA, and the optimal parameter range is suggested. In addition, the CEC2019 benchmark functions and four engineering example problems were solved and compared with the results of previous studies. QbCSA demonstrated comparable performance to CSA, which uses decimal-based design variables, while achieving lower variance and more stable convergence than QbHSA. In particular, for multimodal optimization problems, QbCSA exhibited superior search efficiency and solution diversity. Furthermore, the four engineering examples confirmed the practical applicability of QbCSA, and these results indicate that qubit-based encoding can enhance the search efficiency of CSA and suggest broader applicability to engineering optimization problems.}, }
@article {pmid41488277, year = {2025}, author = {Rao, A and Briskey, D and Roche, G and Tremblay, A and Da Silva Pinto, M and Tompkins, TA}, title = {Trans-resveratrol reduces visible signs of skin ageing in healthy adult females over 40: an 8-week randomized placebo-controlled trial.}, journal = {Frontiers in aging}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {1727244}, pmid = {41488277}, issn = {2673-6217}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical study evaluated the effects of trans-resveratrol on skin health. To date, and to the best of our knowledge, no study has tested trans-resveratrol as the only active ingredient, orally or topically, for improving skin parameters in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of trans-resveratrol on skin health and visible signs of ageing, when administered orally and/or applied topically to the face.
METHODS: Healthy females aged 40 years and older were randomly assigned to one of four groups: placebo oral and topical (P/P Group), trans-resveratrol oral and placebo topical (A/P Group), placebo oral and trans-resveratrol topical (P/A Group), and trans-resveratrol oral and topical (A/A Group). Participants were instructed to take one capsule (75 mg trans-resveratrol) and apply 1 g of cream (1.5% trans-resveratrol) twice daily for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included wrinkle assessment, skin age, temperature, pore size, forehead lines, glabellar lines, Crow's feet, nasolabial folds, pigmentation, sebum levels, moisture, and elasticity, along with a self-assessment questionnaire, serum trans-resveratrol concentrations, and safety.
RESULTS: Out of 134 participants enrolled, 122 completed the study. Results indicated significantly reduced wrinkle scores in the A/A Group compared to the P/P Group at week 8. All treatment groups showed increased sebum levels, with the active topical groups (P/A and A/A Groups) having significantly higher U-zone sebum at week 8 compared to placebo topical groups (P/P and A/P Groups). No significant differences were found in other skin parameters. Serum trans-resveratrol conjugate levels increased significantly in the A/P and A/A Groups at week 4 and 8. All trial products were shown to be safe with minimal and only mild adverse events recorded in every group.
CONCLUSION: Oral and topical trans-resveratrol treatment can help improve skin health parameters. When taken orally and applied topically, trans-resveratrol was effective at wrinkle reduction, and when applied topically, it increased sebum levels.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: identifier ACTRN12621000709842.}, }
@article {pmid41493867, year = {2026}, author = {Song, R and Yuan, B}, title = {Funny-Valen-Tine: Planning Solution Distribution Enhances Machine Abstract Reasoning Ability.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on neural networks and learning systems}, volume = {37}, number = {7}, pages = {3218-3231}, doi = {10.1109/TNNLS.2025.3647282}, pmid = {41493867}, issn = {2162-2388}, abstract = {The importance of visual abstract reasoning problems in the field of image processing cannot be overstated. Both Bongard-Logo problems and Raven's progressive matrices (RPM) belong to the domain of visual abstract reasoning tasks, with Bongard-Logo categorized as image clustering reasoning and RPM involving image progression pattern reasoning. This article introduces a novel baseline model, visual abstraction learning network (Valen), which falls under the umbrella of probability-highlighting models. Valen demonstrates remarkable performance in solving both RPM and Bongard-Logo problems, offering a versatile solution for these reasoning tasks. Our investigation extends beyond the application of Valen, delving into the underlying mechanisms of probability-highlighting solvers. In revisiting how these solvers handle RPM and Bongard-Logo tasks, we realize that they approximate the solution to each reasoning problem as a distribution in which primary samples are compliant while auxiliary samples are not. This prompts us to propose that the learning objective of probability-highlighting solvers is not the distribution of correct solutions but rather one jointly delineated by primary and auxiliary samples. To bridge the discrepancies, we introduced the Tine method, an adversarial learning-based approach that helps Valen estimate a distribution close to that of the correct solutions. However, adversarial training in Tine suffers from instability. Motivated by this limitation, we model the sample distribution of reasoning problems as a mixture of Gaussian distributions, enabling Valen to capture the correct solution distribution more efficiently. This nonadversarial methodology leads to the development of the framework utilizing neural networks for yielding (Funny) method. Building on a similar Gaussian-mixture paradigm, we further propose the supervised representation distribution planning method (SBR) method to plan the distribution of progressive pattern representations. Overall, this article contends that the key to enhancing solvers' ability to address visual abstract reasoning problems lies in explicitly planning the distribution of predicted solutions to approach the correct solution distribution. Codes are available in: https://github.com/Yuanbeiming/Funny-Valen-Tine-Planning-Solution-Distribution-Enhances-Machine-Abstract-Reasoning-Ability.}, }
@article {pmid41495176, year = {2026}, author = {Ashour Mohameed Almabrouk, A and Avci, SA and Rahebi, J}, title = {Parameter Estimation in photovoltaic systems using a hybrid Bat and crow metaheuristic algorithm.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {4670}, pmid = {41495176}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The increasing adoption of solar energy as a clean and sustainable power source has intensified research efforts toward developing more efficient photovoltaic (PV) cells. These cells exhibit nonlinear characteristics that are significantly influenced by variations in irradiance and temperature. Accurate estimation of PV model parameters plays a crucial role in maximizing performance, particularly via precise maximum power point (MPP) tracking. This paper presents a new hybrid metaheuristic algorithm that combines the global exploration capability of the Bat Algorithm (BA) with local exploitation efficiency of the Crow Search Algorithm (CR) to optimize PV parameter estimation. The proposed approach is tested using Single-Diode (SDM), Double-Diode (DDM), and Triple-Diode (TDM) models based on the RTC France dataset. The hybrid model demonstrates better convergence behavior and robustness compared to conventional approaches. Qualitatively, it effectively manages parameter uncertainty; quantitatively, it achieves RMSE values of 0.00077299 (SDM), 0.0008215 (DDM), and 0.0008068 (TDM), outperforming traditional algorithms such as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA).}, }
@article {pmid41501078, year = {2026}, author = {Williams, EC and Franzén, L and Olsson Lindvall, M and Hamm, G and Oag, S and Majumder, MM and Denholm, J and Hamidinekoo, A and Escudero Morlanes, J and Vicari, M and Lundeberg, J and Setyo, L and Godfrey, TM and Eberlin, LS and Zakirov, A and Hornberg, JJ and Stamou, M and Ståhl, PL and Ollerstam, A and Tan, JY and Mohorianu, I}, title = {Spatially resolved integrative analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic changes in tissue injury studies.}, journal = {Nature communications}, volume = {17}, number = {1}, pages = {205}, pmid = {41501078}, issn = {2041-1723}, support = {/WT_/Wellcome Trust/United Kingdom ; G117817//RCUK | Medical Research Council (MRC)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Metabolomics/methods ; Multiomics ; Lung/metabolism/pathology ; *Transcriptome ; *Pulmonary Fibrosis/metabolism/chemically induced/pathology/genetics ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization ; Spatial Transcriptomics ; Gene Expression Profiling/methods ; Humans ; Mice ; *Metabolome ; }, abstract = {Recent developments in spatially resolved -omics have enabled the joint study of gene expression, metabolite levels and tissue morphology, offering greater insights into biological pathways. Integrating these modalities from matched tissue sections to probe spatially-coordinated processes, however, remains challenging. Here we introduce MAGPIE, a framework for co-registering spatially resolved transcriptomics, metabolomics, and tissue morphology from the same or consecutive sections. We show MAGPIE's generalisability and scalability on spatial multi-omics data from multiple tissues, combining Visium with MALDI and DESI mass spectrometry imaging. MAGPIE was also applied to new multi-modal datasets generated with a specialised sampling strategy to characterise the metabolic and transcriptomic landscape in an in vivo model of drug-induced pulmonary fibrosis and to link small-molecule co-detection with endogenous lung responses. MAGPIE demonstrates the refined resolution and enhanced interpretability that spatial multi-modal analyses provide for studying tissue injury especially in pharmacological contexts, and delivers a modular, accessible workflow for data integration.}, }
@article {pmid41509568, year = {2026}, author = {Tamekloe, SE and Daniels, JK and Monney, KA and Deikumah, JP}, title = {Season, Microclimate and Shoreline Disturbance Interactively Shape Bird Functional Diversity.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {e72901}, pmid = {41509568}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Understanding how ecological processes shape avian community structures remains fundamental to conservation in tropical coastal ecosystems, where birds serve crucial roles as seed dispersers, scavengers, and prey population regulators. West African coastal habitats face mounting pressures from urbanization and changing microclimate; however, we lack a comprehensive understanding of how these stressors interact with seasonal cycles to influence functional diversity. We examined how seasonality, microclimate, and shoreline disturbance shape bird functional diversity along a 15 km coastal transect in Ghana's Central Region. Bird communities were surveyed across the dry and wet seasons at 30 points. Four functional diversity indices (Functional Richness, Evenness, Divergence, and Dispersion) were quantified using trait-based approaches. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the interaction between the shoreline condition and season significantly influenced trait composition (PERMANOVA: R [2] = 0.045, p < 0.001), with natural shorelines exhibiting pronounced seasonal functional turnover that was suppressed in urbanized sites. Natural shorelines showed higher functional dispersion during the dry season (4.01 ± 0.29) than the wet season (1.90 ± 0.16), whereas urbanized shorelines maintained stability year-round, dominated by generalists, including Pied Crow (Corvus albus) and Yellow-billed Kite (Milvus aegyptius). Functional divergence increased from the dry to wet seasons (0.877-0.901), while functional richness was higher during the wet seasons (6.72 vs. 5.29). Cloud cover was the most consistent environmental predictor, negatively associated with functional dispersion (β = -0.012, p < 0.001) but positively associated with divergence (β = 0.004, p < 0.01). Air temperature β = 0.316, p < 0.001 and low tidal levels (β = 0.318, p < 0.05) positively influenced dispersion. These findings demonstrate that urbanization dampens the temporal dynamics essential for ecosystem resilience, emphasizing the need to preserve natural shoreline integrity for maintaining seasonal functional turnover in tropical coastal regions.}, }
@article {pmid41509956, year = {2025}, author = {Gangwal, R and Kambalimath, HV and Maran, S and Chadhha, NR and Qureshi, S and Adchitre, KS and Vatsa, A and Chaddha, MR}, title = {Correlation of Intelligence Quotient and Prevalence of Dental Caries in 5-11-Year-old Orphan Children Using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices.}, journal = {International journal of clinical pediatric dentistry}, volume = {18}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {S11-S15}, pmid = {41509956}, issn = {0974-7052}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Human intelligence is defined as the capacity for complicated cognitive tasks as well as a high degree of drive and awareness. It permits human experience and thought. The most recent understanding of the association between environmental influences and tooth caries, which includes social-psychosocial, biological, and behavioral components, is presented in a deeply complex and related way. Children with low IQs need a lot longer to comprehend and embrace the importance of practicing good dental health.
AIM AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to use Raven's colored progressive matrices, an intelligence test, to determine if there is an association between dental caries and IQ in children with no parents and ages 7-11 years.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The current research involved 150 orphan children aged 7-11 years from Indore region, focusing on the relation between intelligence quotient (IQ) and dental caries in this population. To measure IQ and determine if children had carious lesions, researchers used Raven's colored progressive matrices and the index of missing, decayed, or filled teeth.
RESULTS: A link between intelligence and dental caries was shown to be statistically significant, with lower IQs being associated with higher rates of dental caries.
HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Gangwal R, Kambalimath HV, Maran S, et al. Correlation of Intelligence Quotient and Prevalence of Dental Caries in 5-11-Year-old Orphan Children Using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2025;18(S-1):S11-S15.}, }
@article {pmid41529509, year = {2026}, author = {Sonenblum, SE and Shea-Stifel, M and Waugh, K and Dyson-Hudson, T}, title = {Quantifying seated buttock tissue response to commercial wheelchair cushions through MRI and pressure mapping analyses.}, journal = {Journal of tissue viability}, volume = {35}, number = {1}, pages = {100983}, doi = {10.1016/j.jtv.2026.100983}, pmid = {41529509}, issn = {0965-206X}, mesh = {*Wheelchairs/adverse effects/standards ; Humans ; Buttocks/physiopathology ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods ; Pressure/adverse effects ; Pressure Ulcer/prevention & control ; *Equipment Design/standards ; Male ; Female ; Sitting Position ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To describe how different wheelchair cushion designs impact interface pressure and buttock tissue deformation during sitting.
MATERIALS & METHODS: 43 chronic full-time wheelchair users at high risk for pressure injuries were studied in an unloaded/suspended condition and on the Acta-Embrace, HR45, Jay J2 Deep Contour, Java, Matrx Vi, and/or the Roho HP cushions in randomized order. FONAR Upright MRI scans were used to measure seated soft tissue anatomy, and interface pressure mapping was used to measure peak pressure index (PPI) and pressure gradient.
RESULTS: Median unloaded bulk tissue thickness beneath the ischium was 36.0 mm, decreasing by 53% when loaded. Tissue thickness under the ischium varied significantly between the Java (an off-loading design) and other pressure redistributing cushions (HR45, J2 Deep Contour, Matrx Vi) during upright sitting. Greater bulk tissue thickness correlated with increased proximal thigh thickness and reduced deformation under the ischium. Average PPI and pressure gradient were 116.2 ± 44.8 mmHg and 26.1 ± 17.8 mmHg, respectively. Matrx Vi exhibited significantly higher PPIs and gradients despite comparable deformation. Both PPI and gradient showed weak inverse correlations with tissue thickness (r = -0.276, p = 0.002; r = -0.321, p < 0.001). Both were associated with greater immersion on most cushions.
CONCLUSION: The wheelchair cushions investigated showed comparable tissue deformation and PPI, though individuals with greater tissue thickness experienced less deformation. While participants experienced similar maximal tissue deformation across cushions, pressure gradients provided a more reliable representation of internal tissue response than PPI. Different cushion designs influenced load distribution uniquely despite similar overall tissue response, with notable differences between off-loading and pressure redistribution approaches. Regular skin checks remain essential for all wheelchair users.}, }
@article {pmid41541092, year = {2023}, author = {Chen, Z and Yun, X}, title = {Increased brain activation and functional connectivity after working memory training in patients with ischemic stroke: an fMRI study.}, journal = {Frontiers in stroke}, volume = {2}, number = {}, pages = {1189573}, pmid = {41541092}, issn = {2813-3056}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: Working memory (WM) impairment is common in patients after a stroke. WM training (WMT) has been suggested as a way to improve cognitive function. However, the neural effects following WMT in stroke patients remain largely unclear. This study aimed to explore the behavioral changes and neural effects of WMT on patients with chronic ischemic stroke.
METHODS: Fifty first-ever ischemic stroke patients with WM deficits in the chronic stage were randomly assigned to either a 4-week WMT group or a control group. Verbal n-back, digital and spatial memory-span, Raven's standard progressive matrices, and the Stroop color-word test, as well as task-state and resting-state fMRI were assessed for all patients at baseline and after the intervention.
RESULTS: The WMT group showed improvements in WM, fluid intelligence, and attention after training. Additionally, the WMT group exhibited increased activation in the left middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and middle occipital gyrus after training. At baseline, all patients were impaired in their abilities to elevate activation in their WM network as a response to increasing WM load. However, in the WMT group, increased activation was observed in the left cerebellum anterior lobe, right cerebellum posterior lobe (CPL), and MFG in the 2-back vs. 1-back contrast after WMT. We also found increased functional connectivity between the left MFG and the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and between the bilateral IPL and the right CPL after training in the WMT group.
CONCLUSION: Our study supported that WMT potentially improved WM capacity in ischemic stroke patients during the chronic stage, and that the training effects might transfer to fluid intelligence and attention ability. Our results also demonstrated that repeated WMT potentially increased brain activation and resting-state functional connectivity within the WM network in patients with ischemic stroke. These findings provided robust evidence to support WMT as an effective intervention to enhance cognitive rehabilitation and shed light on the functional neuroplasticity mechanism of WMT on cognitive recovery after ischemic stroke.}, }
@article {pmid41548023, year = {2026}, author = {Xie, M and Xiao, Q and Wu, H and Zhang, Y and Han, H and Xie, X and Zhang, W and Cheng, J and Xu, J}, title = {Masked autoencoding, generalizable pretraining, and integrated experts for enhanced glioma segmentation.}, journal = {NPJ digital medicine}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {163}, pmid = {41548023}, issn = {2398-6352}, support = {82503929//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; ZR2025QC892//Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province/ ; tsqn202408393//Taishan Scholars Program/ ; 25-1-1-140-zyyd-jch//Qingdao Municipal Natural Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {Accurate glioma segmentation is critical for clinical diagnosis and treatment planning, yet remains challenging due to infiltrative tumor growth, heterogeneous imaging protocols, and scarcity of expert annotations. We present MAGPIE, a self-supervised learning framework that combines masked autoencoding, contrastive learning, and sparse mixture of experts to enable accurate glioma segmentation with minimal labeled data. By pretraining on 43,505 unlabeled multi-modal brain MRI scans, MAGPIE learns generalizable representations through a channel-agnostic architecture that handles varying modality configurations without protocol-specific preprocessing. The sparse MoE mechanism with top-2 routing allows specialized expert networks to emerge for different glioma subregions, while deformable attention mechanisms capture infiltrative margins and multi-scale features. Fine-tuning on only 20 labeled cases achieves 60.87% Dice score on BraTS21, a 2.59% absolute improvement over training from scratch, with 70.32% on out-of-distribution data demonstrating robust cross-domain generalization. These results reduce annotation requirements by 95% compared to typical supervised methods, directly addressing the data scarcity bottleneck in rare tumor subtypes and enabling deployment across heterogeneous clinical imaging systems.}, }
@article {pmid41550966, year = {2026}, author = {Keestra, SM and de Rooij, SR and Roseboom, TJ and Königs, M and Vrijkotte, TG and Finken, MJJ}, title = {Maternal thyroid function in the first half of pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in early adolescence in the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) cohort.}, journal = {Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology}, volume = {25}, number = {}, pages = {100333}, pmid = {41550966}, issn = {2666-4976}, abstract = {Maternal thyroid hormone levels in pregnancy have been implicated to play a role in brain development, but few observational studies have examined their relationship with neurodevelopmental outcomes beyond early childhood. We investigated associations between maternal thyroid function during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in 1824 children aged 10-13 years from the Amsterdam Born Children and their Development (ABCD) cohort. Outcomes included neurocognition (non-verbal intelligence [Raven's Progressive Matrices], executive working memory [SOPT]), behavioural organisation (behaviour regulation and metacognition [BRIEF], and internalizing behaviour and risk-seeking [SURPS]), and emotional, social, and behavioural problems (mother-, teacher-, and self-reported SDQ internalizing and externalizing problems). We fitted linear and quadratic multivariable regression models, as well as restricted cubic splines with three knots for the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles, choosing the best model to assess associations across the continuous range of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine (FT4) on the outcomes, both in pregnancies without overt thyroid disease and in the full cohort. Secondary analyses examined potential threshold effects (10th and 90th percentiles of TSH and FT4), and impact of clinical thyroid dysfunction based on cohort-specific reference ranges, anti-TPO positivity, and sex differences. We found a small but significant positive linear association between maternal log-transformed TSH in pregnancies free of overt thyroid disease and non-verbal intelligence in girls (estimate: 0.05, 95 % CI: 0.01 to 0.09, p = 0.02; SMD: 0.015), but not in boys, after correction for multiple testing. No other neurodevelopmental outcomes were associated with maternal thyroid function. These findings suggest that maternal thyroid function in early pregnancy, in the absence of overt thyroid disease, shows no consistent associations with child neurodevelopmental outcomes in adolescence, apart from a small association with non-verbal intelligence in girls that may not be clinically relevant.}, }
@article {pmid41556854, year = {2026}, author = {Morisaki, N and Itoi, S and Piedvache, A and Ishitsuka, K and Shimoda, M and Yoshida-Komiya, H}, title = {Associations between female caregivers' climacteric symptoms and adolescent mental health: findings from a National Japanese Cohort.}, journal = {Menopause (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {33}, number = {6}, pages = {683-691}, pmid = {41556854}, issn = {1530-0374}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Adolescent ; *Caregivers/psychology/statistics & numerical data ; Japan/epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Mental Health/statistics & numerical data ; *Menopause/psychology ; Anxiety/epidemiology ; Depression/epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Cohort Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Loneliness/psychology ; East Asian People ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations between caregivers' climacteric symptoms and adolescent mental health.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from the 2023 wave of the Japan Adolescent and Youth (JAY) cohort, a nationally representative survey of caregiver-adolescent dyads. The sample included 1,541 dyads. Caregivers' symptoms were assessed using the Simplified Menopausal Index (SMI), comprising vasomotor, psychological, and somatic domains. Adolescent mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-LS3), short version of the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (Short-CAS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for Adolescents (PHQ-A), and Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire (YDQ) for internet addiction. Multivariable regression analyses assessed associations between SMI scores and adolescent outcomes, adjusting for caregiver age, adolescent age, adolescent sex, and household income.
RESULTS: Among caregivers, 26.4% reported moderate to severe climacteric symptoms (SMI score ≥51), and 4.6% were currently under treatment for menopause. Among caregivers not undergoing treatment, higher SMI scores were significantly associated with greater caregiver-reported difficulties with their adolescents, and increased adolescent reports of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and problematic internet use. Among the three domains of symptoms (vasomotor, psychological, and somatic), psychological climacteric symptoms showed the strongest associations with adolescent health outcomes.
CONCLUSION: Caregivers' climacteric symptoms are associated with poorer adolescent mental health. Given low care-seeking rates, greater awareness and support for midlife health may benefit both caregivers and children, promoting broader family well-being.}, }
@article {pmid41558766, year = {2026}, author = {Linson, A and Beauchamp, G and Barve, S}, title = {Alerting and orienting attention in anti-predator vigilance: neurocognitive modelling and behavioural evidence.}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society, Interface}, volume = {23}, number = {234}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1098/rsif.2025.0687}, pmid = {41558766}, issn = {1742-5662}, mesh = {Animals ; *Predatory Behavior/physiology ; *Attention/physiology ; *Models, Biological ; *Orientation/physiology ; *Songbirds/physiology ; Computer Simulation ; }, abstract = {Field manipulations of perceived predation risk are frequently used to interpret changes in gaze shift patterns between foraging and anti-predator vigilance. Gaze shifts relate to spatial attention mechanisms studied in psychophysical and neuroimaging laboratory studies. However, connecting laboratory-based insights to naturalistic contexts involving predation risk remains challenging. To bridge this gap, we developed a study of Florida scrub-jay sentinels (Aphelocoma coerulescens). Sentinel bouts exclude foraging, providing a simplified focus for studying attention in the wild. We first defined a neurocognitive agent-based model. For initial model validation, we manipulated background predation risk in simulations, which produced head rotation behaviour consistent with empirical literature. We then conducted an experiment both in the field and in computational simulations based on the model. In the field experiment and its simulation, we manipulated perceived acute predation risk and measured a decrease in head rotation frequency. The model suggests that greater background risk requires more frequent head rotations to enhance predator detection, whereas greater acute risk requires more observations of fine-grained (possible) predator locations per head position. This shift from detection to localization is consistent with a shift from alerting to orienting attention. Our approach demonstrates a promising path for integrating ecological field experiments with laboratory-based comparative (neuro)cognition research.}, }
@article {pmid41560767, year = {2026}, author = {Slagsvold, T and Husby, M}, title = {Birds Decorating Their Nests With Plastic May Suffer Less Egg Depredation by Corvids.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {e72966}, pmid = {41560767}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Many birds add anthropogenic material to the nest. This may increase the probability of total failure because the nest may be more easily located by enemies. However, the material may also induce a threat response in predators sceptical to new objects (the Neophobia Hypothesis). We presented artificial nests on the ground each with two quail eggs, in territories of Eurasian magpies Pica pica in spring. Some nests were decorated with pieces of white plastic while others were not (control). When nests of both types were presented simultaneously on a magpie territory and only a meter apart, depredation started later for nests with plastic than for control nests, supporting the Neophobia Hypothesis. When a trial was repeated on the same territory later in the season, predation started sooner. However, this was probably caused by habituation to the experimental set up (wildlife camera and artificial nests) and not to the plastic itself because in the repeated trials, the eggs in the nests with plastic were still depredated later than the eggs in the control nests. The nests were not depredated sooner if similar experiments had been conducted on the same territory in the previous year. The onset of depredation was no sooner in territories that initially contained plastic close to the magpie nest than in territories containing no plastic. Finally, when only a single nest was presented on a magpie territory, the time lag until depredation was similar for decorated and control nests, suggesting that the increased detectability caused by decoration outweighed the fear response to the plastic. We conclude that the Neophobia Hypothesis may be relevant to natural cases including birds nesting in habitats containing anthropogenic material and to circumstances with repeated visits by corvids to bird nests, such as in a bird colony.}, }
@article {pmid41564073, year = {2026}, author = {Shi, F and Li, B and Xue, X}, title = {Abstracting Concept-Changing Rules for Solving Raven's Progressive Matrix Problems.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on pattern analysis and machine intelligence}, volume = {48}, number = {6}, pages = {6425-6436}, doi = {10.1109/TPAMI.2026.3656670}, pmid = {41564073}, issn = {1939-3539}, abstract = {The abstract visual reasoning ability in human intelligence benefits discovering underlying rules in the novel environment. Raven's Progressive Matrix (RPM) is a classic test to realize such ability in machine intelligence by selecting from candidates. Recent studies suggest that solving RPM in an answer-generation way boosts a more in-depth understanding of rules. However, existing generative solvers cannot discover the global concept-changing rules without auxiliary supervision (e.g., rule annotations and distractors in candidate sets). To this end, we propose a deep latent variable model for Concept-changing Rule ABstraction (CRAB) by learning interpretable concepts and parsing concept-changing rules in the latent space. With the iterative learning process, CRAB can automatically abstract global rules shared on the dataset on each concept and form the learnable prior knowledge of global rules. CRAB outperforms the baselines trained without auxiliary supervision in the arbitrary-position answer generation task and achieves comparable and even higher accuracy than the compared models trained with auxiliary supervision. Finally, we conduct experiments to illustrate the interpretability of CRAB in concept learning, answer selection, and global rule abstraction.}, }
@article {pmid41568147, year = {2026}, author = {Bapat, A and Jain, V and Blum, CR and Boucherie, PH and Sumasgutner, P and Bugnyar, T}, title = {Spatio-temporal patterns of juvenile common ravens integrating into a free-flying non-breeder flock.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {114412}, pmid = {41568147}, issn = {2589-0042}, support = {P 33960/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; W 1262/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; Y 1486/FWF_/Austrian Science Fund FWF/Austria ; }, abstract = {For animals living in structured groups, social integration matters: numerous studies reveal fitness advantages for well-integrated over poorly integrated individuals. Surprisingly, little is known about individuals' spatio-temporal behaviors preceding naturally occurring social integration events. We here applied a biologging-based approach to study juvenile ravens during dispersal, when they approach and join non-breeder groups. We computed three GPS-based movement metrics as proxies for their attraction to locations used by the local non-breeder flock and their attraction to other conspecifics. We found differences in the spatial usage patterns of juveniles compared to older birds, and an influence of the rearing background (wild or captive parents). We also found that familiarity among individuals, i.e., whether they were from the same release groups or not, predicted shared space use. Our results indicate that spatial patterns derived from movement analyses are a promising step toward understanding how individuals spatially orient themselves preceding social integration.}, }
@article {pmid41575234, year = {2026}, author = {Smalling, KL and Bradley, PM and Romanok, KM and Doyle, JT and Eggers, MJ and Martin, C and Barnhart, EP and Binette, P and Castro, EM and Chavez, M and Ewing, SA and Gordon, SE and Fields, MW and Gray, JL and Groshong, AM and Hwang, C and Kanagy, LK and LaFrance, JW and Loftin, KA and Long, CM and McCleskey, RB and Meppelink, SM and Richards, CL and Schreiner, ML and Shikany, JI and Tesfamariam, M}, title = {Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other contaminants of concern in tribal waters of Montana.}, journal = {Environmental science. Processes & impacts}, volume = {28}, number = {2}, pages = {579-597}, doi = {10.1039/d5em00565e}, pmid = {41575234}, issn = {2050-7895}, mesh = {Montana ; *Environmental Monitoring ; *Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis ; *Fluorocarbons/analysis ; Rivers/chemistry ; Humans ; Indians, North American ; Animals ; }, abstract = {We assessed potential exposures to a broad suite of contaminants (inorganic, organic and microbial) in culturally important surface waters from three watersheds in a northern plains Native American community (Apsáalooke [Crow Tribe of Montana]) in south-central Montana, United States, with water insecurity concerns. Inorganic (37), organic (435) and microbial (3) constituents were assessed in 12 surface water sites from the Pryor Creek (n = 2), Bighorn River (n = 2) and Little Bighorn River (n = 8) valleys. Twenty-six organics, 33 inorganics and Escherichia coli were detected. Despite relatively low concentrations in surface waters within the Crow Reservation, mixture toxicity indicated prevalent chronic ecological effects and human-health secondary contact (recreation) effects at multiple sites. Further, to address Tribal concerns over the prevalence and corresponding risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), we sampled water, sediment, biofilms and fish at a limited number of locations in the Little Bighorn River. Results indicated that PFAS were prevalent in fish tissues, including whole blood and filets, and to a lesser extent in biofilms, despite few detections in water and sediment samples. This is the first attempt to document environmental PFAS contamination within the reservation and the potential human-health concerns for the general population from consumption of recreational/subsistence fish. Overall, this effort provided preliminary information on the contaminant mixtures present and their potential health implications, which can support the protection of community health and culturally meaningful resources across the Crow Reservation.}, }
@article {pmid41579717, year = {2026}, author = {Ciach, M and Binkowski, ŁJ and Fröhlich, A and Kucharska, K}, title = {Urban green infrastructure fails to mitigate exposure to mercury with increasing pollution levels: evidence from corvids.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {1015}, number = {}, pages = {181432}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181432}, pmid = {41579717}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Animals ; *Mercury/analysis ; *Environmental Monitoring ; Feathers/chemistry ; Ecosystem ; Urbanization ; Poland ; *Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data/analysis ; *Passeriformes/metabolism ; *Air Pollutants/analysis ; *Environmental Pollutants/analysis ; Cities ; }, abstract = {The urban landscape acts as a novel habitat providing opportunities for certain species. However, populations of these so-called urban winners are constantly exposed to environmental contaminants, among which mercury (Hg) is perceived as a significant health concern for both wildlife and humans. While absorption of Hg is primarily related to its environmental level, it could be theoretically mitigated by near-natural habitats that have persisted within the urban landscape. Here, we investigated this hypothesis using three sympatric corvids as a model - Magpie Pica pica, Jackdaw Corvus monedula and Rook Corvus frugilegus. Total Hg concentrations were identified in the feathers (in the shafts and barbs separately) of each species collected in their breeding territories located along the urbanization gradient of Kraków (Poland). These concentrations were then correlated with particulate matter emissions (PM10) and habitat features (green and grey infrastructure) measured in the territories where the feathers had been collected. We expected that Hg concentrations in feathers would increase with increasing local pollutant emissions but decrease with increasing areas of green infrastructure, i.e. natural or semi-natural vegetation. Mean Hg concentrations in both feather shafts and barbs differed between the species. Magpie showed the highest concentrations (0.621 ± 0.442 μg/g in barbs), followed by Jackdaw (0.441 ± 0.272 μg/g) and Rook (0.296 ± 0.134 μg/g). A generalized linear model yielded a correlation between habitat composition and Hg concentration only for Jackdaw feather shafts. A generalized additive model, however, revealed a non-linear relationship between PM10 emissions and Hg concentrations in feather barbs and/or shafts of Jackdaw and Magpie (but not Rook). Hg concentrations initially increased, but then fell with increasing PM10 emissions; these relationships were not influenced by habitat features. In conclusion, we found no evidence that Hg contamination was mitigated by urban green infrastructure.}, }
@article {pmid41582470, year = {2026}, author = {Xing, Y and Hu, H and Ma, Q and Yang, J and Wang, X}, title = {Differential Improvement in Memory and Executive Functions: Personalized Exercise versus Acupuncture for Mild Cognitive Impairment in Stroke-prone Individuals.}, journal = {Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {67-83}, pmid = {41582470}, issn = {1738-1088}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: This study compared the effects of personalized exercise versus acupuncture on multidimensional cognitive function in individuals at high risk for stroke with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
METHODS: A randomized controlled trial enrolled 200 stroke-risk adults aged 50-80 years. Ninety participants diagnosed with MCI (MMSE, HIS, CDR criteria) were randomly assigned to exercise (n = 30), acupuncture (n = 30), or control (n = 30) groups. Interventions lasted 6 months. Cognitive outcomes (MMSE, Raven's Progressive Matrices, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Animal Fluency, Rey-Osterrieth test, Stroop test) were assessed before and after intervention. Multivariate regression identified risk factors for MCI. ANOVA was used for group comparisons.
RESULTS: Hypertension (aOR = 1.5) and diabetes (aOR = 1.3) were significant risk factors for MCI. After intervention, the exercise group showed the largest MMSE improvement (Δ = 5.0), compared with acupuncture (Δ = 3.0) and control (Δ = 1.0) (p < 0.001). Exercise produced greater gains in non-verbal reasoning (31.8% vs. 26.1% in acupuncture, p < 0.01). Acupuncture more effectively enhanced processing speed and attention (DSST: Δ = 26 vs. Δ = 20 in exercise, p = 0.03) and executive function (Stroop interference time: Δ = 16 vs. Δ = 15 seconds in exercise, p = 0.04). Both interventions significantly improved verbal fluency (p < 0.001), with larger benefits in those with baseline MMSE ≤ 20.
CONCLUSION: Hypertension and diabetes are key risk factors for MCI in stroke-prone individuals. Exercise yields greater improvement in global cognition and memory, whereas acupuncture is more effective for enhancing attention and executive function. Both modalities benefit verbal fluency, particularly in lower-functioning participants.}, }
@article {pmid41588082, year = {2026}, author = {Martin, K and Tomasek, M and Hivet, A and Ravignani, A and Obin, N and Dufour, V}, title = {Rooks (Corvus frugilegus) can show spontaneous vocal flexibility when exposed to dynamically changing rhythmic sounds.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {18}, pmid = {41588082}, issn = {1435-9456}, support = {349-PE-3176//Michelin Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Male ; *Crows/physiology ; Female ; *Auditory Perception ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Sound ; Music ; }, abstract = {Musicality is the predisposition to process and produce music. In human beings, processing and producing music often involves entrainment, the ability to synchronise behaviour to external auditory rhythms. Most non-human primates have limited entrainment skills; its search in other taxa has shown cases of entrainment much more advanced than any non-human primate in a few taxa, among which birds. Finding convergently-evolved entrainment abilities in several species may highlight shared evolutionary origins. Here, we investigate spontaneous vocal entrainment in rooks, a social corvid, using non-biologically relevant stimuli. We exposed individual rooks to sound sequences varying in tempo and metrical structure, and tested the effect of these two manipulations on temporal adjustments in their song. Of the 11 birds tested, eight sang while listening to the stimuli. Three of them sang often enough for us to analyse their responses to most tempos and meters. We found that two of these individuals were influenced by particular tempi and/or metrical structures: one bird produced shorter vocalisations at slower tempo and another reduced the intervals between its vocalisations upon hearing isochronous sequences with a unary metre and slow tempo. Still, the timing of the start of their vocalisations did not match accurately the timing of the beat of the stimuli. Our results provides additional data on vocal flexibility in this vocal learning species. We cannot exclude that rooks may have attempted to vocally entrain, but the possibility will require further investigations. Despite their evolutionary distance from humans, rooks, and possibly other corvids and songbirds, are interesting species for future studies on rhythmic perception, and could help shed light on convergently evolved building blocks of human musicality.}, }
@article {pmid41589943, year = {2026}, author = {Han, C and Zhang, T and Han, H and Dai, W and Wu, W}, title = {An Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization for Function Optimization and Engineering Problems.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41589943}, issn = {2313-7673}, abstract = {The Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization (RBMO) algorithm is an emerging metaheuristic with strong potential applications in solving function optimization and various engineering problems, but it is often hampered by limitations such as premature convergence and an imbalanced exploration-exploitation mechanism. To overcome these deficiencies, an Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization (IRBMO) algorithm is introduced in this paper. The IRBMO integrates three synergistic strategies within a multi-population cooperative framework: (1) an enhanced RBMO search with elite guidance to accelerate convergence; (2) an adaptive differential evolution operator to bolster local search and escape local optima; and (3) a mechanism for boosting global exploration and enhancing population diversity through quasi-opposition-based learning. The performance of IRBMO was rigorously evaluated on 26 classical benchmark functions and several real-world engineering design problems. As demonstrated by the experimental results, IRBMO significantly exceeds the performance of the original RBMO and other leading algorithms across the metrics of solution accuracy, convergence speed, and stability.}, }
@article {pmid41589960, year = {2026}, author = {Xu, Y and Xue, N and Zhang, Y}, title = {An Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm for 3D UAV Path Planning in Complex Terrain.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41589960}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {, No.20240101334JC.//the fund of the Science and Technology Fundamental Project of Jilin Province/ ; }, abstract = {This paper presents the Circle-Mapping Transition and Weighted Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (CTWRBMO), designed to address significant challenges in 3D path planning for drones. Although the original Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO) algorithm features a simple structure, few parameters, and strong local search capability, making it well-suited for UAV path optimization, it suffers from insufficient population diversity, limited global search ability, and a tendency to fall into local optima in complex high-dimensional scenarios. To overcome these limitations, four enhancement strategies are introduced. Firstly, the Circle chaotic mapping strategy leverages the randomness and ergodicity of chaotic sequences to generate an initial population that is uniformly distributed. This enhancement improves population diversity from the beginning and provides a solid foundation for global optimization. Secondly, the ε parameter is dynamically adjusted to prioritize local refinement during the early stages of optimization. This adjustment enables rapid convergence toward potentially optimal areas. This parameter increases to enhance global search capabilities as the algorithm progresses, thereby broadening the optimization space and achieving a dynamic equilibrium. Additionally, a nonlinear dynamic weighting factor (wd) is incorporated into the position update formula. The algorithm's ability to escape local optima is significantly improved by dynamically altering the weight ratio between historical optimal positions and the current position. Furthermore, an elite perturbation mechanism based on individual neighborhoods is implemented to generate candidate solutions using local information. This mechanism enhances the algorithm's local exploration capabilities and improves the stability of preserving optimal solutions, supported by a greedy criterion for optimal retention. Experimental results show that the CTWRBMO algorithm significantly outperforms comparison algorithms in terms of optimization accuracy and convergence speed, demonstrating exceptional global optimization capabilities. Additional applications in UAV 3D path planning simulations evaluated paths based on length, threat avoidance efficiency, and smoothness. The results indicate that paths planned using CTWRBMO are shorter, safer, and smoother compared to those generated by the Harrier Hawks Optimization (HHO), African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (AVOA), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) Algorithm, and the traditional Magpie Algorithm, effectively meeting practical engineering requirements for UAV 3D path planning.}, }
@article {pmid41594401, year = {2026}, author = {Serpieri, M and Bonaffini, G and Passarino, E and de Silva, M and Quaranta, G and Mauthe von Degerfeld, M}, title = {The Avian-RUM Block: A Locoregional Technique for Distal Wing Procedures in Birds-An Anatomical Cadaveric Feasibility Study with a Clinical Illustration.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {16}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {41594401}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {Anaesthesia in avian species presents significant challenges due to high peri-anaesthetic mortality rates and marked anatomical variability. Multimodal anaesthetic protocols incorporating locoregional techniques are advocated to improve analgesia and minimise systemic drug requirements. While brachial plexus blocks are described for avian wing surgery, the proximity to major vessels and air sacs increases the risk of complications. This study introduces the "Avian-RUM block," a novel locoregional technique for the distal wing, adapted from the mammalian RUMM block but modified to reflect avian neuroanatomy, which lacks a distinct musculocutaneous nerve. Twelve rock doves (Columba livia) and twelve hooded crows (Corvus cornix) received transcutaneous injections of a dye solution targeting the radial and median-ulnar nerves at two volumes (0.15 and 0.3 mL/kg). Both species demonstrated high rates of nerve staining and procedural feasibility, with no significant difference in staining length between volumes. An illustrative clinical application of the Avian-RUM block in a domestic goose is also reported to contextualise the cadaveric findings within a multimodal perioperative setting. The results confirm the feasibility of the Avian-RUM block and its potential as a simple, equipment-free technique for regional anaesthesia of the avian wing. These findings provide a foundation for future clinical validation across bird species.}, }
@article {pmid41594759, year = {2025}, author = {Al Kindi, F and Al Maskari, R and Al Mahruqi, F and Al Riyami, A and Al Yarabi, Z and Kaddoura, R and Al Busaidi, M and Al Adawi, S}, title = {The Effect of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Mood and Cognitive Function in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.}, journal = {Brain sciences}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41594759}, issn = {2076-3425}, support = {G/DVC/MRC/24/06//Medical Research Centre, Sultan Qaboos University/ ; G/DVC/MRC/24/06//Sultan Qaboos University/ ; }, abstract = {Background/Objectives: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with significant neuropsychological burden, including cognitive impairment and mood disturbances. While sacubitril/valsartan has demonstrated cardiovascular benefits, its effects on cognitive and emotional functioning remain underexplored, particularly in Middle Eastern populations. We aimed to evaluate the impact of sacubitril/valsartan on intellectual capacity, cognitive function and mood in patients with HFrEF using an idiographic study design. Methods: This study was conducted in adult patients with HFrEF selected to take sacubitril/valsartan to improve their clinical status. Participants were assessed at baseline and 3 months after treatment initiation using Al Khoudh Cognitive Test, PHQ-9 and Raven's Progressive Colored Matrices. Results: Following three months of treatment, participants showed a statistically significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (p = 0.043), depression severity (p = 0.025) and a non-significant trend toward improvement in abstract reasoning scores (p = 0.051). On the other hand, participants did not demonstrate significant improvements in the cognitive subdomains assessed by the Al Khoudh Test. Among these subdomains, the largest improvement was observed with verbal fluency (p = 0.057). Improvements in LVEF were not significantly associated with the changes in mood (p = 0.93), cognitive function (p = 0.34) or verbal fluency (p = 0.46). Conclusions: This study provides preliminary, hypothesis-generating evidence of potential short-term improvement in mood and reasoning scores in HFrEF patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan. Notably, these changes were not attributed to the observed improvements in cardiac function. These findings underscore the need for further investigation into the neurocognitive benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in larger and more diverse populations.}, }
@article {pmid41594966, year = {2025}, author = {Jin, Z and Long, F and Wei, H}, title = {The Impact of Test Anxiety and Cognitive Stress on Error-Related Brain Activity.}, journal = {Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41594966}, issn = {2076-328X}, support = {32300884//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; BK20230652//Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province/ ; SJCX24_1834//Postgraduate Research & Practice Innovation Program of Jiangsu Province/ ; }, abstract = {Test anxiety is considered to affect individuals' cognitive control and task performance, particularly in error monitoring. While previous research has explored the relationship between anxiety and cognitive performance, this study aims to investigate the impact of test anxiety and cognitive stress on error processing, focusing on changes in error-related negativity (ERN). Participants were divided into high test anxiety (HTA) and low test anxiety (LTA) groups based on their scores on the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS). Cognitive stress was induced by administering the Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices test, accompanied by instructions that emphasized score comparison with others. Participants completed the Subjective Test Anxiety Scale (STAS), the Short State Anxiety Inventory (SSAI), and a Flanker task before and after the stress manipulation. The effectiveness of the stress manipulation was confirmed by significant increases in STAS and SSAI scores and changes in behavioral performance. EEG data were recorded to analyze ERN, correct-response negativity (CRN), and ΔERN (ERN minus the CRN) amplitudes. HTA individuals exhibited a trend toward larger ERN amplitudes than LTA counterparts, indicating heightened sensitivity to errors. However, no significant changes in ERN amplitudes were observed between pre- and post-stress conditions. CRN and ΔERN amplitudes also showed no significant differences across anxiety groups or stress conditions. ERN changes appear to be more closely related to trait test anxiety than to transient stress.}, }
@article {pmid41601871, year = {2025}, author = {Lopresti, AL and Smith, SJ}, title = {The effects of magnesium L-threonate (Magtein[®]) on cognitive performance and sleep quality in adults: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.}, journal = {Frontiers in nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {}, pages = {1729164}, pmid = {41601871}, issn = {2296-861X}, abstract = {BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Magnesium may help support cognition and sleep. The purpose of this two-arm, 6-week, parallel-group, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was to examine the effects of magnesium L-threonate (Magtein[®]) supplementation on cognitive performance, cognitive age, sleep quality, and selected physiological indicators in adults.
METHODS: One hundred adults aged 18 to 45 with self-reported dissatisfied sleep were supplemented with 2 g daily of Magtein[®] or a placebo. Outcome measures comprised the computer-based National Institute for Health (NIH) Cognitive Toolbox and Raven's Progressive Matrices Version 2 for the assessment of cognitive function, self-report evaluations of sleep quality and emotional wellbeing, a reaction time test, and physiological data obtained from a sleep-tracking wearable device (Oura Ring), including resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep.
RESULTS: Compared to the placebo, Magtein[®] was associated with greater improvements in overall cognitive performance as measured by the NIH Total Cognition Composite (p = 0.043), with larger treatment effects on working and episodic memory. There was also a 7.5-year reduction in estimated brain cognitive age and a greater improvement in reaction time (p = 0.031). However, there were no group differences in changes in the Raven's test (p = 0.953). Based on self-report measures, there was a greater improvement in sleep-related impairment (p = 0.043), but no group differences in changes in sleep disturbances (p = 0.316), restorative sleep (p = 0.439), or general wellbeing (p = 0.436); although in a subset of participants with more severe sleep-related problems, group differences in sleep-disturbances were identified (p = 0.031). Based on data from the sleep tracking ring, there were no group differences in sleep outcomes, although there was a greater reduction in HR (p = 0.030) and an increase in HRV (p = 0.036), a physiological marker of stress reduction and improved autonomic balance. Magtein[®] was well-tolerated, and there were no reports of significant adverse reactions.
CONCLUSION: The results from this study suggest Magtein[®] supplementation for 6 weeks improves overall cognition, cognitive age, working memory, reaction time, HR, HRV, and some subjective, but not objective measures of sleep in healthy adults with self-reported dissatisfied sleep.}, }
@article {pmid41608168, year = {2025}, author = {Ying, Z and Chungang, H and Haiying, Y and Pavlova, A and Malykh, A and Malykh, S}, title = {Low math anxiety prevents math achievement decline for urban but not rural Chinese schoolchildren.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1665098}, pmid = {41608168}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Across a number of countries, rural schoolchildren systematically underperform in math in comparison with their urban counterparts. To plan targeted interventions, it is important to understand if there are any differences in factors influencing math performance in rural and urban areas. The purpose of the study was to compare the association between math performance, socio-demographic variables, nonverbal intelligence, and math anxiety in rural and urban China. The sample consists of 1,412 urban schoolchildren (51% females, M = 12.04) and 1,032 rural schoolchildren (50% females, M = 13.63). Raven's Progressive Matrices were used to measure nonverbal intelligence, and the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale served as a measurement tool for math anxiety. Overall, nonverbal intelligence is positively associated with math performance, whereas math anxiety is negatively associated. In contrast to the subtle decline in math performance with age in urban regions, in rural areas, math performance deteriorates sharply, widening the achievement gap over time. Notably, high nonverbal intelligence, low math anxiety, and high maternal education hinder the decline in math performance in urban areas, whereas in rural areas, only high nonverbal intelligence attenuates the decline. Furthermore, in urban areas, females show lower math achievement and higher math anxiety than males, while no gender differences are observed for rural areas. Potential explanations of the difference between rural and urban contexts and practical implementation are discussed.}, }
@article {pmid41608351, year = {2025}, author = {Bednorz, A and Trybek, P and Hoang, MT and Religa, D}, title = {Sex differences in APOE- and PICALM-related cognitive profiles in healthy middle-aged adults.}, journal = {Frontiers in aging}, volume = {6}, number = {}, pages = {1694701}, pmid = {41608351}, issn = {2673-6217}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: The APOE ε 4 and PICALM GG genotypes are strong genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to identify cognitive subgroups using unsupervised machine learning and to investigate the influence of APOE and PICALM genotypes on cognitive performance.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cognitive, genetic and demographic data from 192 healthy middle-aged adults (50-63 years) from the PEARL-Neuro Database were analyzed using agglomerative hierarchical clustering. Neuropsychological tests included the California Verbal Learning Test, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. Subsequent analyses used linear regression models to assess the effects of APOE, PICALM, and their interaction on cognitive outcomes.
RESULTS: Two cognitive subgroups (better vs. worse performance) were identified for both females (n = 60/43) and males (n = 38/51). In women with lower cognitive performance, the presence of the APOE ε 3 ε 4 allele was significantly associated with a higher number of perseverations (CVLT9: p FDR = 0.02 , R 2 = 0.18) and lower recognition accuracy (CVLT12: p FDR = 0.04 , R 2 = 0.12). A significant PICALM GG × education interaction was observed for fluid intelligence (p FDR = 0.03 , R 2 = 0.34). In men with lower cognitive performance, the APOE ε 3 ε 4 genotype was associated with lower fluid intelligence scores (RPM: p FDR = 0.04 , R 2 = 0.09). Furthermore, significant APOE × PICALM interactions were found for verbal learning (CVLT1: p FDR = 0.03 , R 2 = 0.16) as well as delayed cued recall (CVLT6: p FDR = 0.03 , R 2 = 0.12 ; CVLT8: p FDR = 0.03 , R 2 = 0.13).
CONCLUSION: This study revealed significant sex differences in gene-cognition interactions. In females with lower cognitive performance, the genotype APOE ε 3 ε 4 was associated with poorer recognition, while the combined effects of APOE × PICALM in males were associated with weaker episodic memory. Although performance remained within normative ranges, these subtle differences may indicate early risk and warrant longitudinal monitoring.}, }
@article {pmid41612927, year = {2026}, author = {Sohier, C and Breman, FC and Vervaeke, M and Sikkema, R and Boter, M and Oude Munnink, B and Koopmans, M and Linden, A and Duran Illan, L and Romero, JR and Lernout, T and De Regge, N}, title = {First detection of West Nile virus in Belgium through wild bird surveillance, Belgium, 2025.}, journal = {Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin}, volume = {31}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {41612927}, issn = {1560-7917}, mesh = {Animals ; *West Nile virus/isolation & purification/genetics ; Belgium/epidemiology ; *Birds/virology ; *West Nile Fever/veterinary/epidemiology/virology/diagnosis ; *Animals, Wild/virology ; *Bird Diseases/virology/epidemiology/diagnosis ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Viral/genetics ; Culicidae/virology ; Population Surveillance ; Whole Genome Sequencing ; }, abstract = {In August 2025, West Nile virus (WNV) was detected for the first time in Belgium through a monitoring programme in wild birds, with three corvids testing positive by RT-qPCR. In September and October, four additional infected birds were identified. Whole genome sequencing classified the strain as WNV lineage 2, consistent with strains circulating elsewhere in Europe. These detections provide evidence of local WNV circulation with important implications for animal and public health preparedness and surveillance during the 2026 mosquito season.}, }
@article {pmid41613403, year = {2025}, author = {Xue, M and Zhu, Y and Liu, B and Song, S and Zhang, Z and Zhang, S and Yu, H and Wang, L}, title = {ORBMO-RF: a non-destructive classification method for ginseng seeds based on multimodal fusion and improved red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm.}, journal = {Frontiers in plant science}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1743311}, pmid = {41613403}, issn = {1664-462X}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Ginseng, as a precious medicinal plant, requires precise classification of its seeds, which directly impacts production processes and the stability of herbal quality. Furthermore, this classification plays a critical role in advancing ginseng breeding and the modernization of the industry. Current research indicates that systematic automated precision classification technologies for ginseng seeds remain underdeveloped, necessitating breakthroughs in technical bottlenecks.
METHODS: This study innovatively proposes a smart classification method based on multimodal data fusion. It employs recursive feature elimination (RFE) to select morphological features from images, followed by competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) to extract spectral bands from hyperspectral data within the 350~2500 nm range. Morphological and spectral features are then integrated to construct a random forest (RF) classification model optimized using an enhanced, red-billed blue magpie optimization (RBMO) algorithm. To address the RBMO algorithm's tendency to converge to local optima, the hybrid optimization framework is constructed by integrating three mechanisms: the improved Circle chaotic map, the golden sine search strategy, and the adaptive simulated annealing perturbation mechanism.
RESULTS: Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model outperforms the baseline model RF, achieving 4.69%、4.79%、4.69 and 4.74% improvements in classification accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score on test datasets, respectively.
DISCUSSION: The established multimodal data fusion classification system not only provides theoretical and technical foundations for industrial-scale ginseng seed classification but also offers a transferable intelligent decision-making paradigm for non-destructive testing in traditional Chinese medicine.}, }
@article {pmid41622135, year = {2026}, author = {Huang, C and Kang, Y and Peng, R and Zhong, H and Zeng, N and Zhang, L and Chen, X and Du, S}, title = {A novel de Novo KCNC1 mutation (c.1147 C > T) presenting with epilepsy and ADHD: a case report and literature review.}, journal = {BMC neurology}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41622135}, issn = {1471-2377}, support = {E43613//Lingnan Pediatrics Wenziyuan Academic School Inheritance Studio Construction Project of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine/ ; E43729//Ying Lv's Renowned Expert Inheritance Studio Construction Project of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Child ; *Shaw Potassium Channels/genetics ; *Epilepsy/genetics/complications ; *Mutation/genetics ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Pathogenic KCNC1 mutations (encoding Kv3.1 potassium channels) drive heterogeneous neurological disorders, ranging from progressive myoclonus epilepsy-ataxia (MEAK) to developmental/epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) and global developmental delay. Transmembrane-domain variants predominantly cause MEAK-like phenotypes, whereas cytoplasmic mutations associate with severe DEE characterized by refractory seizures and cognitive impairment. The genotype-phenotype correlation in the currently reported 54 cases remains unclear, particularly for non-transmembrane mutations. This paper describes a novel KCNC1 variant (c.1147 C > T, p.His383Tyr) and utilizes protein modeling to elucidate its structural impact, aiming to advance precision therapy for KCNC1-related channelopathies. CASE PRESENTATION: An 11-year-old male with normal early development developed febrile convulsions at 19 months, progressing to generalized tonic-clonic seizures and drop attacks by 20 months. Initiated on valproate at age 2 after EEG confirmation of epilepsy, he achieved sustained seizure freedom (> 3 years) with dose optimization. Current assessment shows age-appropriate motor/social function and superior cognition (Raven’s 75-80th percentile) alongside idiopathic short stature (-2.08 SDS height), persistent EEG abnormalities, mega cisterna magna on MRI, and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-related academic impairment. The whole exome sequencing identified a de novo KCNC1 mutation (c.1147 C > T). Three-dimensional protein modeling demonstrated structural disruption in voltage-sensing domains. Comparative analysis of 54 published cases revealed that transmembrane domain mutations predominantly cause epilepsy-ataxia syndrome, whereas non-transmembrane variants are correlated with developmental encephalopathies. CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to report a c.1147 C > T KCNC1 mutation and highlights the importance of transmembrane domain integrity for neurological function. The dissociation between seizure control and persistent neurodevelopmental deficits suggests distinct pathomechanisms for epileptic versus cognitive manifestations. These findings emphasize the prognostic value of mutation localization as well as support early genetic testing in neurological disorder patients with subclinical EEG abnormalities.}, }
@article {pmid41625318, year = {2026}, author = {Kumar, V and Aduri, TT and Gupta, A and Dhatt, SS}, title = {Impact of Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY) on access to spine surgery at a tertiary care centre in North India: A retrospective analysis.}, journal = {Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma}, volume = {73}, number = {}, pages = {103352}, pmid = {41625318}, issn = {0976-5662}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Access to complex, resource-intensive procedures such as spine surgery is often limited for economically disadvantaged populations due to high out-of-pocket expenditure. The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) was launched to mitigate these costs, yet data on its specific impact on spine surgery remains limited. This study aims to analyse the impact of PM-JAY on access to spine surgery at a tertiary care centre in North India.
METHODS: A retrospective, single-centre observational study was conducted analysing all spine surgeries performed from January 2023 to December 2024. Data regarding patient demographics, clinical diagnosis, surgical procedure, and mode of financing were extracted from institutional records. Financing modes were categorised as PM-JAY, self-paid, and other government schemes. Comparative analysis of financing patterns across the study years was performed using the chi-square test.
RESULTS: A total of 410 patients underwent spine surgery during the study period (mean age 49.3 ± 4.1 years). Degenerative spinal disorders (46.1 %) and traumatic injuries (33.4 %) constituted the majority of cases. Overall, 276 procedures (67.3 %) were funded under PM-JAY, while 110 (26.8 %) were self-financed. A significant temporal shift was observed: PM-JAY utilisation increased from 58.7 % (101/172) in 2023 to 73.5 % (175/238) in 2024. Correspondingly, self-financed procedures declined from 37.8 % in 2023 to 18.9 % in 2024 (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a substantial and statistically significant increase in the utilisation of PM-JAY for spine surgery, with a concurrent decline in self-financed procedures. The findings suggest that publicly funded insurance is effectively improving financial access to implant-intensive spine care across a broad spectrum of pathologies. However, robust clinical governance remains essential to ensure equitable implementation and prevent overutilisation.}, }
@article {pmid41627930, year = {2026}, author = {Page, B}, title = {Diabetes Spotlight: Jay M. Sosenko, MD-Diabetic Neuropathy and Prevention Strategies for Type 1 Diabetes.}, journal = {Diabetes}, volume = {75}, number = {2}, pages = {227-228}, doi = {10.2337/dbi25-0051}, pmid = {41627930}, issn = {1939-327X}, }
@article {pmid41641733, year = {2026}, author = {Dekhkonov, SI and Gulomova, DI and Fundukchiyev, SE and Chen, L and Hao, Y and Wang, S and Song, G and Kholmatov, BR and Jashenko, RV and Lei, F}, title = {Hidden Diversity in the Sands: Genomic Footprints of Pleistocene Refugia and Fragile Futures of the Turkestan Ground-Jay (Podoces panderi) in Central Asia.}, journal = {Integrative zoology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1749-4877.70058}, pmid = {41641733}, issn = {1749-4877}, support = {2022YFC2601601//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; 180GJHZ2023016MI//International Co-Research Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/ ; W2411018//Major International Joint Research Project/ ; 32100332//National Science Foundation of China/ ; 2023IOZ0104//Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences/ ; SKLA2502//Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences/ ; }, abstract = {The Turkestan ground-jay (Podoces panderi), a corvid endemic to Central Asia's deserts and steppes, exemplifies how extreme environments drive speciation. Our study provides the first comprehensive high-resolution genomic analysis of this species, using complete mitochondrial genomes (49 individuals) to decode its population structure and demographic past. Our analyses revealed three highly divergent genetic clusters with strong geographic structure. The P. p. iliensis population (Cluster_3) showed particularly pronounced genetic distinctiveness, with significant differentiation from P. p. panderi (Cluster_2 and Cluster_1) populations. This clear genetic separation supports the taxonomic validity of P. p. iliensis as a distinct evolutionary lineage. Demographic reconstruction indicated that Cluster_2 likely represents the ancestral group, with subsequent southward expansion into the Karakum region. The isolated P. p. iliensis population exhibited signatures of long-term isolation, including reduced genetic diversity and absence of recent gene flow with other clusters. These results provide strong evidence that P. p. iliensis represents a distinct evolutionary unit. The genetic structuring into three clusters reflects historical isolation in desert refugia during Pleistocene climatic fluctuations. Notably, we detected asymmetric gene flow among three clusters. These findings redefine P. panderi as a model for desert adaptation, where climatic extremes forged genetic fragmentation amid limited dispersal. Beyond taxonomy, our work highlights how aridification sculpted biodiversity in Asia's interior, urging conservation attention for these evolutionarily distinct lineages.}, }
@article {pmid41642230, year = {2026}, author = {Mehrafshan, H and Purmohammad, M}, title = {Executive Function Performance in Bilingual and Monolingual Individuals with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a Comparative Analysis of Cold (Inhibitory Control and Cognitive Flexibility) and Hot (Theory of Mind) Executive Functions.}, journal = {Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists}, volume = {41}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/arclin/acag008}, pmid = {41642230}, issn = {1873-5843}, mesh = {Humans ; *Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/psychology/complications ; *Executive Function/physiology ; *Cognitive Flexibility/physiology ; *Multilingualism ; Male ; *Inhibition, Psychological ; Neuropsychological Tests ; *Theory of Mind/physiology ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; *Cognition Disorders/etiology ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: This research had three main objectives. The first objective was to compare the performance of individuals with ADHD and normal individuals in hot (theory of mind) and cold (cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control) executive functions. The second objective was to compare hot and cold executive functions in bilingual and monolingual individuals. The third objective of the study was to examine the interactive effect of bilingualism and ADHD on hot and cold executive functions.
METHODS: To conduct the research, a variety of tools were employed, including the language experience and proficiency questionnaire, socio-economic status questionnaire (SES), Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale, Go/No-Go task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and The Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test.
RESULTS: Individuals with ADHD showed deficits in both hot and cold executive functions. Another finding showed no significant difference between the bilingual and monolingual groups in cold executive functions, but there was a significant difference between the two groups in hot executive functions. Moreover, the results showed that bilingual and monolingual individuals with ADHD did not differ significantly in hot and cold executive functions.
CONCLUSION: Individuals with ADHD exhibited impairments in both cold and hot executive functions, whereas bilingualism was associated with better theory-of-mind performance but not with cold executive functions. Critically, no significant interaction between bilingualism and ADHD was observed for any executive function domain, indicating that bilingualism neither mitigated nor exacerbated ADHD-related deficits.}, }
@article {pmid41647767, year = {2025}, author = {Ablon, G and Paturi, J and Juchaux, F and Barresi-Thornton, R and Fallou, B and Liao, IC and Yan, J and Chen, Y and Laboureau, J and Ballihaut, C and Catalan Martin, E and Simonnet, JT and Marat, X and Zheng, Q}, title = {The Application of a Formulation Containing Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol and Niacinamide to Augment Anti-aging Benefits in a Double-blind, Randomized Nonablative Laser Treatment Study.}, journal = {The Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology}, volume = {18}, number = {12}, pages = {66-72}, pmid = {41647767}, issn = {1941-2789}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: With advances in aesthetic procedures, best practices for postprocedure care to support immediate healing and augment efficacy are still without consensus. A postprocedure formula containing hydroxypropyl tetrahydropyrantriol (HPT) and niacinamide (NAM) has been developed. This study evaluated the functional benefits and clinical efficacy of pairing HPT/NAM formula with nonablative fractional laser treatment.
METHODS: The functional benefits of HPT/NAM were explored using 2D cellular models, reconstructed skin equivalents, and ex vivo skin models. The clinical efficacy of a HPT/NAM formula vs. a clinical control (Aquaphor Healing Ointment) was investigated through a randomized, double-blind, split-face, multicenter, multiethnic study with a White and a Northeast Asian panel. The investigative products were randomly assigned to one side of the face following a single full-face fractional nonablative laser procedure, and the products were applied twice daily for 56 days.
RESULTS: In vitro testing showed that the HPT/NAM combination decreased the secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), encouraged the production of glycosaminoglycan, α-smooth muscle actin, and various angiogenic growth factors. In both panels, the HPT/NAM formula demonstrated significant improvement vs. the clinical control for key anti-aging parameters such as fine lines, crow's feet wrinkles, skin roughness, and overall healthy appearance over the course of 56 days.
LIMITATIONS: This study only investigated the pairing of HPT/NAM formula with nonablative laser treatment.
CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated comparable healing benefits to the clinical control along with augmented skin resurfacing benefits with HPT/NAM use following a nonablative fractional laser treatment.}, }
@article {pmid41649619, year = {2026}, author = {Chanpura, M}, title = {Spillover effects of public school integration in the southern United States: diverging trends in statewide annual breast cancer incidence, 2001-2019.}, journal = {Cancer causes & control : CCC}, volume = {37}, number = {3}, pages = {40}, pmid = {41649619}, issn = {1573-7225}, mesh = {Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Black or African American/statistics & numerical data ; *Breast Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Incidence ; Missouri/epidemiology ; *Schools/statistics & numerical data ; South Carolina/epidemiology ; United States/epidemiology ; White ; }, abstract = {PURPOSE: Education has long been established as a key determinant of health, with prior research linking higher educational attainment to improved health outcomes and better self-management of chronic disease. This analysis investigated diverging trends in breast cancer incidence among cohorts of non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) women of school age during public school integration in the southern United States following Brown v. Board of Education.
METHODS: Using U.S. Cancer Statistics data from 2001 to 2019, I conducted several segmented linear regressions comparing trends in annual breast cancer incidence among women in Missouri and South Carolina born between 1937 and 1950, as these two states' responses to Brown v. Board starkly contrasted one another. I hypothesized that, given Missouri's swift integration of public schools in 1955-versus South Carolina's continued resistance to integration through 1970-I'd observe significant changes in trend after age 62, the median age of breast cancer diagnosis, among NHB women in Missouri born from 1944 to 1950.
RESULTS: Among NHB women in Missouri born from 1944 to 1950, I observed a significant reduction in breast cancer incidence post-cutoff relative to NHW women in Missouri (p < 0.001) and NHB women in South Carolina (p = 0.017) within the same birth cohort. In both states, I observed no significant differences in incidence among NHB and NHW women born from 1937 to 1943.
CONCLUSION: Public school integration appears to have been associated with long-term protective spillover effects against breast cancer among younger Black students in Missouri, underscoring the importance of, and continued need for, policies that combat lingering de facto school segregation.}, }
@article {pmid41665528, year = {2026}, author = {Calabrese, EJ and Selby, PB}, title = {Breaking the LNT Code: The First Detailed Evaluation of the Unpublished Technical Reports by the BEAR I Genetics Panel Used to Support Their Linearity Decision.}, journal = {Health physics}, volume = {131}, number = {3}, pages = {233-251}, doi = {10.1097/HP.0000000000002088}, pmid = {41665528}, issn = {1538-5159}, support = {AFOSR FA9550-19-1-0413//US Air Force/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Risk Assessment ; United States ; Mice ; National Academy of Sciences, U.S. ; }, abstract = {The 1956 recommendation by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation (BEAR) I Genetics Panel to transition from a threshold to a linear dose response model for hereditary effects had a profound impact on environmental/occupational risk assessment, affecting policies/practices of US regulatory agencies, having much influence on regulations worldwide to the present. The recommendation gained influence due to the authority of the NAS, the prestige of the Panel, and the claim of a striking degree of uniformity among six independent estimates of radiation-induced hereditary risk. This claim was orchestrated by panelist James Crow who removed conflicting findings from the nine panelists who submitted estimates, acting with the approval of the entire Panel. These misrepresentations were ensured by the US NAS President who refused to share the Panel's technical reports and related documents with the scientific community. Ironically, the mouse mutation rate data used by the panelists who calculated risk estimates for either mouse or Drosophila were incorrect due to falsification by panelist William Russell without their knowledge. This action led to greatly exaggerated mutation risks and enhanced their overall false impression of agreement/scientific convergence. The actions of Crow were such that the already grossly inflated and falsified risk estimates of the panelists were made to appear in reasonably good agreement. These massive and compounded errors and deceptions have significantly affected regulatory practices for cancer risk assessment in the US and globally to the present. The present paper provides for the first time in the scientific literature an assessment of the unpublished technical reports of each of the nine participating geneticists of the BEAR I Genetics Panel and provides the basis for the above critical conclusions.}, }
@article {pmid41674195, year = {2026}, author = {Gent, JV and Cotton, BA}, title = {Declaring futility after traumatic injury and the burden of failure on the surgeon.}, journal = {Transfusion}, volume = {66 Suppl 1}, number = {Suppl 1}, pages = {S1-S4}, pmid = {41674195}, issn = {1537-2995}, mesh = {Humans ; *Medical Futility/ethics ; *Wounds and Injuries/therapy/surgery ; *Blood Transfusion/ethics ; *Surgeons/ethics ; *Resuscitation/ethics ; }, abstract = {In this edition of the THOR supplement in Transfusion, there are two articles that deal with resuscitation futility and transfusion. In one article, Yazer et al. delve into the details of the studies outlined in this editorial and summarize the literature on the topic of transfusion and futility. The second article by Dr. Jay Malone discusses the ethical issues surrounding massive transfusion and resuscitation. Taken together, these articles address the clinical and ethical issues surrounding this very emotive and difficult topic.}, }
@article {pmid41676848, year = {2026}, author = {Maeshima, S and Osawa, A and Kamizato, C and Arai, H}, title = {Challenges of Dementia Care among Older Adults Living Alone in Japan: Insights from a Memory Clinic Study.}, journal = {JMA journal}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {350-354}, pmid = {41676848}, issn = {2433-3298}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Japanese society is rapidly aging, and increasing numbers of older adults are living alone, which may hinder the early detection and management of dementia. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of older adults living alone who attended a memory clinic, focusing on cognitive, physical, and caregiving burdens.
METHODS: A total of 278 older adults (aged 66-94 years) were categorized as living alone (n = 57) or living with others (n = 221). Evaluations included cognitive, physical, and behavioral assessments, caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview-8), and long-term care insurance (LTCI) status.
RESULTS: The group living alone was older and included a higher proportion of women. They had lower cognitive scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Japanese version and the Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices but showed higher grip strength, Rivermead Mobility Index, and Vitality Index scores. Walking speed, Timed Up and Go Test, and depressive symptoms were similar between groups. Caregivers of those living with others reported greater role strain, while LTCI use was generally low, particularly among participants living alone.
CONCLUSIONS: Older adults living alone face a greater risk of cognitive decline despite preserved physical function. Low LTCI utilization highlights the need for enhanced support. Effective strategies should aim to maintain both cognitive and physical function while addressing caregiver needs across different living arrangements.}, }
@article {pmid41678465, year = {2026}, author = {Misbah, AM and Farouk, M and AbdulAzim, M}, title = {Fine-Tuning Arabic Large Language Models for improved multi-turn dialogue: A blueprint for synthetic data generation and benchmarking.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {e0341905}, pmid = {41678465}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Large Language Models ; Humans ; *Benchmarking ; *Communication ; *Language ; }, abstract = {The rapid evolution of Large Language Models (LLMs) has fueled increasing interest in developing Arabic conversational systems capable of sustaining coherent multi-turn dialogues. However, progress remains constrained by the scarcity of large-scale, diverse, and high-quality datasets specifically designed for Arabic multi-turn interaction. This study presents a reproducible methodology for constructing such a dataset through structured prompting of an instruction-tuned Arabic LLM (Jais-13b-chat), yielding 43,316 multi-turn conversations across 93 topics and 151 countries. Two pre-trained Arabic language models (ArabianGPT-08B-V2 and AraGPT2-mega) were fine-tuned on this synthetic data and benchmarked against multilingual instruction-tuned baselines using a comprehensive evaluation framework combining automatic metrics (Perplexity and RAVEN) with structured human evaluation. Fine-tuned ArabianGPT-08B-V2 achieved the highest RAVEN score (0.823) for cross-model comparison, outperforming both fine-tuned AraGPT2-mega and instruction-tuned baselines while maintaining strong within-model perplexity (9.4). Human evaluation by two independent raters demonstrated acceptable inter-rater reliability (Cohen's κ = 0.229-0.739) with positive rank correlations (Spearman ρ = 0.424-0.759), yielding overall quality scores of 4.04-4.34 on a five-point scale. These findings demonstrate that high-quality, LLM-generated synthetic data effectively improves Arabic conversational models, providing a scalable, resource-efficient blueprint for dialogue systems in low-resource and culturally specific settings.}, }
@article {pmid41684960, year = {2025}, author = {Epifania, OM and Brancaccio, A and Anselmi, P and de Chiusole, D}, title = {Generation of rule-based matrices with the matRiks package: a tutorial.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {1698995}, pmid = {41684960}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Few resources are available for the automatic generation of Raven-like matrices. Some of them are no longer working, while others are hardly customizable without advanced programming skills. Although an R package exists for generating stimuli for psychological assessments, it currently only supports creating rotations of the same shape. The matRiks package has been developed to address the above-mentioned issues. This package generates matrices based on different types of transformation rules. Some rely on visuospatial features, such as shape, size, or orientation. Others are based on logical operations, such as set intersection or union. The package also introduces a key innovation, the automatic generation of distractors based on the common error patterns observed in Raven's tests. This allows for the construction of realistic and diagnostically meaningful response options for each matrix. Overall, the matRiks package provides a flexible and systematic framework for generating well-structured and cognitively interpretable matrix reasoning tasks, based on clearly defined transformation rules. It enables precise control over matrix complexity and supports scalable matrix creation for experimental and assessment purposes. Developed in the R environment, the matRiks package is fully open-source, facilitates the reproducibility of stimuli, and is designed to be easy to use for people with basic knowledge of the R language.}, }
@article {pmid41685534, year = {2026}, author = {Nakagun, S and Gonzalez Vera, CG and Ysrael, M and Moore, CE}, title = {Systemic campylobacteriosis in an American crow chick.}, journal = {Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc}, volume = {38}, number = {3}, pages = {528-531}, pmid = {41685534}, issn = {1943-4936}, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; *Campylobacter Infections/veterinary/pathology/microbiology/diagnosis ; *Crows ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/pathology/diagnosis ; *Campylobacter/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; Sepsis/veterinary/microbiology/pathology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Brain/pathology/microbiology ; }, abstract = {A wild, male American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) nestling found dead in a pond in San Diego, CA, USA, was submitted for postmortem examination. Autopsy revealed that the chick was markedly underweight for the presumed age with no grossly appreciable fat stores. The primary histologic finding was lymphocytic vasculitis throughout the cerebrum and optic tectum, with lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalitis. The areas of inflammation were consistently associated with myriad, argyrophilic, curved bacilli with a characteristic "seagull" morphology. Additional significant findings included severe unilateral heterophilic and lymphohistiocytic pectoral myositis, with similar intralesional bacilli, and evidence of sepsis based on pancarditis, multifocal random hepatitis, and bilateral orchitis. Using conventional PCR and third-generation sequencing, the bacteria in the brain were identified as most closely related to Campylobacter molothri, a recently described species of Campylobacter. Our finding of a novel pathogen inducing encephalitis and sepsis in a wild bird highlights the utility of advanced molecular techniques in diagnostic pathology.}, }
@article {pmid41687740, year = {2026}, author = {Menezes-Filho, JA and Di Giuseppe, ECA and Moraes, TMP and Couto, BAT and Ferreira, BS and Matos da Silva, NB and Lima, CS and Moraes, WP and Florentino, AC and Barbosa-Jr, F and Passos, CJS}, title = {Schoolchildren's exposure to potentially toxic metals/metalloids and cognitive impairments in communities of the Brazilian Amazon new agricultural frontiers.}, journal = {Neurotoxicology}, volume = {113}, number = {}, pages = {103404}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuro.2026.103404}, pmid = {41687740}, issn = {1872-9711}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; Female ; Brazil/epidemiology ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Environmental Exposure/adverse effects ; *Cognitive Dysfunction/chemically induced/blood/epidemiology ; *Agriculture ; Lead/blood ; Mercury/blood ; }, abstract = {Brazilian Amazon communities near new agricultural frontiers are affected by the extensive use of pesticides and dust exposure due to soil erosion. This study investigated the exposure to potentially toxic metals/metalloids and associations with cognitive impairments in Amazonian children living near new agricultural frontiers (soybean crops). This cross-sectional study was conducted in six communities in the Santarém plateau, State of Pará, Brazil. During the 2024 rainy season soy plantation, we collected cubital blood samples of 69 children aged 6-12 years. Metals/metalloids were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Cognitive evaluation was performed in 53 children using Raven Colorful Matrix, NEPSY II, and FDT tests. Blood lead (PbB) median (range) was 1.9 μg/dL (0.6-40.1), 14.3 % above 3.5 μg/dL. Total blood mercury (THgB) concentrations were 2.11 μg/L (0.45-17.07), of which 17.4 % were above the reference level of 5 μg/L. Non-linear and linear associations were evaluated between metal levels and cognitive outcomes, adjusting for children's age, sex, and maternal education. OLS regressions detected a significant inverse association between Log2PbB levels and the verbal domain scores (β= -2.71, 95 %-CI: -4.46 to -0.95), which was also non-linearly negatively associated with Raven raw scores. Log2Hg levels were negatively associated with Raven percentile scores (β= -5.05, 95 %-CI= -10.20-0.11), with Se levels significantly affecting the association. Amazonian children are vulnerable to cognitive impairments associated with lead exposure, likely originating from foods cultivated in naturally Pb-rich soils, and to mercury exposure resulting from a diet rich in contaminated fish.}, }
@article {pmid41688904, year = {2026}, author = {Zhang, Y and Song, S and Zhang, W and Liu, Y and Li, S}, title = {Characterization and geographical variation of the mitochondrial genome in the Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus).}, journal = {BMC genomics}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41688904}, issn = {1471-2164}, support = {No. 32470496 and 32170481//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; No. XTZ24020//Academic Innovation Teams of South-Central Minzu University/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Genome, Mitochondrial ; Phylogeny ; Altitude ; *Passeriformes/genetics/classification ; China ; Geography ; Genetic Variation ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Republic of Korea ; Evolution, Molecular ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Phylogeography ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In recent years, studies of mitochondrial genomes have yielded significant insights into the adaptive mechanisms utilized by high-altitude species. However, comparative analyses of mitochondrial genomes in bird species across varying altitudes and latitudes have been rarely conducted. This study delves into the analyses of the mitochondrial genome of the high-altitude Cyanopica cyanus from Gannan, China (3,500 m altitude, near the upper limit of its altitudinal distribution), and compares it with samples from Wuhu, China (10 m altitude), and South Korea (45 m altitude). As a resident bird, C. cyanus offers greater research value for investigating variations in mitochondrial genomes related to elevation and latitude compared to migratory birds. RESULTS: The mitochondrial genomes of three C. cyanus individuals share identical structure and composition. However, the South Korea mitochondrial genome is 6 bp longer in total length than those of the Chinese individuals. The sequence identity between the Gannan and Wuhu is 99.80%, whereas the sequence identity between the Gannan and South Korea is 99.04%. Divergence between two Chinese C. cyanus from different altitudes occurred 0.09 million years ago in the late Pleistocene, while divergence with a South Korea individual happened earlier at ca. 0.80 million years ago during the early Pleistocene. Recent colonization of high-elevation and high-latitude regions, coupled with climate change, may be driving the differentiation of C. cyanus. By conducting a comparative analysis of the mitochondrial genomes from high-altitude Gannan and low-altitude South Korea of C. cyanus, we identified a 6-bp insertion within the ND4 gene in C. cyanus of South Korea. When comparing individuals from high-altitude Gannan with those from low-altitude Wuhu, 15 nucleotide variation sites were detected. However, a comparison with individual from South Korea showed a higher number of nucleotide variation sites, amounting to 128 in total, with 23 of these sites being situated in the ND5 gene. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings suggest that both altitudinal and latitudinal variations play roles in governing intraspecific divergence within C. cyanus. The mitochondrial genome of the high-altitude C. cyanus obtained in this study will provide a valuable resource for future research.}, }
@article {pmid41689167, year = {2026}, author = {Ziade, G and Keyrouz, E and El Maalouf, J and Swaidan, D and Karam, D and Daou, D and Fidawi, G}, title = {Prospective Observational Study of Polynucleotide Injections for Periorbital Rhytides.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {25}, number = {2}, pages = {e70736}, pmid = {41689167}, issn = {1473-2165}, mesh = {Humans ; Prospective Studies ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Patient Satisfaction ; *Polynucleotides/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Female ; Injections, Intradermal ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Rejuvenation ; Adult ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects ; Treatment Outcome ; Eyelids ; Follow-Up Studies ; }, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Polynucleotides (PN), derived from salmon sperm DNA, are highly purified DNA fragments with reported tissue-repair and anti-inflammatory properties mediated through adenosine A2A receptor activation. These agents have been increasingly used in aesthetic dermatology for skin rejuvenation and scar treatment. This study aimed to evaluate longitudinal changes in periorbital appearance and patient-reported outcomes following intradermal polynucleotide injections.
METHODS: This prospective observational case series included patients presenting for undereye rejuvenation who received intradermal injections of absorbable polynucleotides (7.5 mg/mL; Pluryal Silk, MD Skin Solutions, Luxembourg), with a total volume of 2 mL per session. Outcomes were assessed using validated FACE-Q patient-reported questionnaires at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months following treatment. Adverse events were assessed 2 days after each treatment session. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-tests.
RESULTS: Forty-two patients were included. Significant improvements in lower eyelid and crow's feet appraisal scores were observed at all follow-up time points compared with baseline (p < 0.001). The greatest improvements and highest patient satisfaction were observed at 3 months following two treatment sessions. Reported adverse events were minimal.
CONCLUSION: In this prospective observational cohort, intradermal polynucleotide injections were associated with improvements in periorbital appearance and patient-reported satisfaction over baseline, with minimal adverse events. These findings support further controlled studies to confirm efficacy and refine treatment protocols.}, }
@article {pmid41694085, year = {2026}, author = {Chisu, V and Giua, L and Zobba, R and Chessa, G and Masala, G and Cabras, P and Foxi, C and Cacciotto, C and Bazzoni, E and Alberti, A}, title = {Rickettsia asembonensis in fleas from wild and domestic hosts in Italy.}, journal = {Veterinary and animal science}, volume = {31}, number = {}, pages = {100584}, pmid = {41694085}, issn = {2451-943X}, abstract = {This study provides the first molecular evidence and surveillance data of Rickettsia asembonensis in Sardinia, Italy, detected in fleas (Pulex irritans, Xenopsylla cheopis, and Archaeopsylla erinacei) collected from domestic (goat, dog, cat, and pig) and wild (wild boar, fox, kestrel, crow, pigeon, peacock, buzzard, hen, barn owl, martin, hedgehog, owl, and flamingo) hosts in Sardinia between 2021 and 2024. Multilocus molecular analyses of gltA, ompA, ompB, Sca4, and htrA genes revealed sequences with 100% identity to R. asembonensis strains previously reported from Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Thailand, and Malaysia, while all lice examined tested negative. These findings broaden current understanding of Rickettsia diversity in the Mediterranean region and highlight the importance of integrated surveillance involving diverse ectoparasite species. Sustained molecular monitoring of fleas and their hosts will be vital to clarify the ecology, distribution, and potential zoonotic relevance of R. asembonensis and other emerging Rickettsia species in southern Europe.}, }
@article {pmid41705171, year = {2026}, author = {Hew, YL and Guinat, C and Couty, M and Fornasiero, D and Hiono, T and Isoda, N and Sakoda, Y}, title = {Introduction and inter-species transmission dynamics of high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 viruses in Japan 2021-25.}, journal = {Virus evolution}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {veag005}, pmid = {41705171}, issn = {2057-1577}, abstract = {High pathogenicity avian influenza virus impacts poultry and wild birds worldwide. Since the introduction of clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 isolates in Japan in late 2021, new cases have been reported in domestic birds and poultry each winter. To understand the role of wild birds in introducing these viruses in Japan, a phylodynamic analysis based on geography and host species was conducted using H5N1 isolates in Japan from 2021 to 2025. A total of 892 hemagglutinin gene sequences of H5N1 viruses, collected from birds between June 2021 and May 2025, along with additional sequences that were highly similar to those of Japanese isolates, were obtained from a public database. The role of wild birds in the transmission dynamics of H5N1 isolates in Japan across four winter seasons (2021-25) was assessed using a Bayesian phylodynamic approach with a Multi-Type Birth-Death model. Phylodynamic analysis revealed that the clade 2.3.4.4b comprised three distinct subgroups, G2b, G2c, and G2d, which were prevalent during the winter seasons. Isolates from G2b and G2c were linked to common ancestral strains from North Asia and Northeast Asia, respectively. Meanwhile, G2d, the dominant strain in Japan from 2021 to 2025, shared an ancestral strain from the Northwest America. During winters 2023-25, the ancestral strain was traced back to Northeast Asia, indicating a shift in the viral origin. This transition suggests an increase in virus migration events and expansion of host diversity, implying that Japan may function as a hub for intercontinental virus introductions, receiving multiple independent viral entries from North Asia, Northeast Asia, and Northwest America. Additionally, waterfowl and raptors played a role in introducing viruses into Japan, while poultry and crows generally serving as dead-end hosts. However, the continuous introduction of H5N1 isolates into Japan each winter can alter the disease transmission pattern observed in crows, resulting in more virus spillover from crows to other hosts, such as poultry and charadriiformes. These findings emphasize the importance of continuous monitoring and prompt information sharing to understand the global dynamics of viruses better.}, }
@article {pmid41711977, year = {2026}, author = {Zhirov, D and Dubovitskiy, N and Sharshov, K and Derko, A and Loginova, A and Kolotygin, I and Druzyaka, A and Druzyaka, O and Shestopalov, A}, title = {Viral diversity in synanthropic birds of Southwestern Siberia.}, journal = {Archives of virology}, volume = {171}, number = {3}, pages = {81}, pmid = {41711977}, issn = {1432-8798}, support = {23-44-00026//Russian Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Siberia/epidemiology ; Phylogeny ; *Bird Diseases/virology/epidemiology ; *Birds/virology ; *Genetic Variation ; Paramyxoviridae/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; *Astroviridae/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; Coronaviridae/genetics/isolation & purification/classification ; }, abstract = {Infectious diseases in birds represent a significant threat to poultry economies, wild bird biodiversity, and public health, underscoring the importance of surveillance within a One Health framework. Synanthropic birds, which live in close proximity to humans and domestic animals, can act as crucial bridge hosts for viral transmission between wild and domestic populations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and diversity of four key viral families—Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae, and Astroviridae—in synanthropic birds from the south of Western Siberia, an important convergence zone of major migratory flyways for many bird species. Using molecular detection methods, we identified avian coronaviruses (ACoV) and avastroviruses (AAstV), but found no evidence of avian influenza virus (AIV) or avian paramyxoviruses (APMV). Overall, 3.8% of birds tested positive for at least one of the studied viruses, with ACoV detected in 1.4% and AAstV in 2.4% of samples. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the detected coronaviruses belong to the genus Deltacoronavirus and form a distinct clade with a previously identified virus from North Siberia, suggesting a stable, regional corvid-associated lineage. The detected astroviruses were highly diverse, falling within a broad group of unclassified passerine-associated avastroviruses with phylogenetic links to viruses from Kazakhstan and China, reflecting the region's role as a migratory crossroads. The absence of AIV and APMV may reflect low prevalence at the time of sampling or host-specific factors like low susceptibility or immunocompetence that suppress viral replication. These findings highlight that synanthropic birds in this key ecological region harbor novel and diverse viruses and represent important, though often overlooked, subjects for expanding our understanding of viral diversity in surveillance programs.}, }
@article {pmid41714786, year = {2026}, author = {Paládi, P and Benmazouz, I and Tóth, M and Kövér, L and Lengyel, S}, title = {Spatial and temporal dynamics in the use of urban habitats by Hooded Crows.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41714786}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Cities ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Hungary ; Seasons ; Spatio-Temporal Analysis ; Biodiversity ; Humans ; }, abstract = {Understanding the habitat use of animals in cities is relevant for urban planning, human-wildlife conflict management and urban biodiversity conservation. We studied the habitat use of Hooded Crows, a nuisance bird in much of Europe, in 16 different neighborhoods (sections) of a recently crow-colonized city in E Hungary. In the breeding season, when crows defend territories, crow numbers increased with nesting site availability and the number of trashbins but were unaffected by habitat type or area of the section. However, colonization probability was negatively influenced by the number of trashbins and restaurants, was high in parks, sports complexes, and quieter residential areas, and was low in residential areas busy with traffic. Outside the breeding season, when crows move around in groups, crow numbers increased with time in the section with the highest number of trashbins, decreased in residential areas and was stable in parks and sports complexes. Our results suggest that while crows are attracted by the foraging opportunities offered by anthropogenic food sources, they avoid nesting in such areas, likely due to high human disturbance. This implies that residential areas with fewer food sources will attract fewer crows, potentially reducing human-crow conflicts. Our study also suggests that improved waste management, such as closed-top trashbins in public places or covered enclosures in zoos, may further reduce the availability of anthropogenic food sources to crows and that targeted crow control is best scheduled for the breeding season and in residential areas.}, }
@article {pmid41719246, year = {2026}, author = {Thakur, A and Meza-Torres, B and Fan, X and Byford, R and Joy, M and Meeraus, W and Venkatesan, S and Taylor, S and de Lusignan, S and Clifton, DA}, title = {Prediction of COVID-19 hospitalisation, ICU admission or death following ChAdOx1 vaccination using artificial intelligence: A clinical predictive model from the English RAVEN study.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {e0336449}, pmid = {41719246}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; *ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 ; Male ; *Intensive Care Units/statistics & numerical data ; *Artificial Intelligence ; *COVID-19/mortality/prevention & control/epidemiology ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; *COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage ; Vaccination ; Middle Aged ; England/epidemiology ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Adult ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: This study identifies predictors of severe COVID-19 following completion of two-dose primary series of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine, employing eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Shapely additive explanations (SHAP), as an explainable artificial intelligence (AI) approach.
METHOD: A retrospective cohort study using linked primary care data from the Oxford-Royal College of General Practitioners Clinical Informatics Digital Hub (ORCHID), including computerised medical records of over 19 million people in England, for the period from 8th December 2020-31st December 2021, as part of the Real-world effectiveness of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine in England (RAVEN) study. We evaluated a two-dose primary series of the AZD1222 vaccine on COVID-19 related hospitalisation, ICU admission or death.
RESULTS: A total of 4,515,280 individuals with a two-dose primary series of AZD1222 vaccine were analysed, where 7,171 individuals had a record of severe COVID-19. Variables with the greatest predictive weight for COVID-19 mortality in vaccinated individuals were age ≥ 85 years, high Cambridge Multi-Morbidity Score, and chronic heart, respiratory and kidney diseases; variables predicting COVID-19 hospitalisation following completed primary series included high CMMS, obesity, and being offered early COVID-19 vaccination in the national vaccine campaign (e.g., vaccinated during the first quarter of 2021); predictors of COVID-19 ICU admission included obesity, female sex, being offered early COVID-19 vaccination in the national vaccine campaign, chronic kidney disease and diabetes. Across models, age ≥ 85 years was highly predictive of mortality and moderately predictive of hospitalisation. However, for ICU admission it was reported as not predictive.
CONCLUSION: Obesity, chronic heart, respiratory and kidney diseases were the main predictors across models, which is comparable to the scientific literature, validating the explainable AI approach. XGBoost can accurately predict severe outcomes in fully vaccinated individuals. Predictive models built on real-world primary care data can help to timely identify individuals to be prioritised for vaccination booster.}, }
@article {pmid41720423, year = {2026}, author = {Calabrese, EJ and Selby, PB}, title = {The National Academy of Sciences Biological Effects of Atomic Radiation (BEAR) Genetics Panel recommended no second-generation genetic damage study of the offspring of the atomic bombings in Japan.}, journal = {Chemico-biological interactions}, volume = {430}, number = {}, pages = {111975}, doi = {10.1016/j.cbi.2026.111975}, pmid = {41720423}, issn = {1872-7786}, mesh = {Japan ; Humans ; *Nuclear Weapons ; National Academy of Sciences, U.S. ; }, abstract = {This paper provides the basis for the recommendation of the BEAR Genetics Panel for the US NAS not to support an assessment of genetic damage of the second generation of offspring of parents exposed to the atomic bomb explosions in Japan in 1945. This recommendation was largely based on a report by James V. Neel and William Schull, directors of the first-generation ongoing study. Neel was also a member of the Panel. As expected, the first-generation study continued. The current paper was based on an assessment of a series of unpublished letters and the Neel-Schull report obtained within the Neel and James Crow preserved papers.}, }
@article {pmid41722906, year = {2026}, author = {Zegers, RHC}, title = {Sleep, circadian rhythm, and maritime safety: The Titanic disaster revisited.}, journal = {The American journal of the medical sciences}, volume = {372}, number = {1}, pages = {5-7}, doi = {10.1016/j.amjms.2026.02.012}, pmid = {41722906}, issn = {1538-2990}, mesh = {Humans ; *Circadian Rhythm/physiology ; *Sleep Deprivation ; *Sleep/physiology ; History, 20th Century ; *Ships/history ; *Naval Medicine/history ; *Disasters/history ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: In 1912, the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. The question of why the iceberg was detected too late to avoid collision has been debated ever since. The potential role of sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm disturbance has not previously been explored scientifically. Given that the diagnosis of sleep disturbances rests primarily on patient history and circumstantial evidence, this study systematically examines these factors.
METHODS: An online search and literature review were conducted, drawing on extensive documentation provided by witnesses and experts who testified before the American and British inquiries held shortly after the disaster.
RESULTS: The lookouts in the crow's nest served continuous rotations of two hours on duty followed by four hours off, while the Officer of the Watch (OOW) on the bridge served four hours on duty followed by eight hours off. At the time of the accident, those on watch were working their fifth consecutive night shift and the lookouts had less than four hours between duties for personal hygiene, meals, and sleep. Although the OOW had longer rest periods, his off-duty time was frequently interrupted by additional responsibilities. This duty pattern, particularly for the lookouts, was likely to have produced sleep restriction, poor sleep quality, and circadian disruption. Fatigue and sleepiness remain significant contributors to accidents in modern maritime operations.
CONCLUSIONS: The Titanic's lookouts, more so than the OOW, were likely to have been affected by sleep loss and circadian misalignment. Sleep-related performance impairment continues to pose a threat to safety in maritime transport today.}, }
@article {pmid41741534, year = {2026}, author = {Narayanan, P and Kandasamy, P and Kandasamy, N and Selvaraj, J}, title = {A hybrid optimization and graph network for sustainable electric vehicle charging using a dual active bridge converter and renewable energy.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41741534}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The Hybrid Renewable Energy (HRE) in Electric Vehicle (EV) charging involves combining power from Photovoltaic (PV), Fuel Cell (FC), and batteries, as well as charging batteries for upcoming charging cycles. However, power conversion efficiency and grid stability are required for reliable, smooth charging of EVs. The problems at hand necessitate a hybrid approach to the economic assessment of the EV Charging System (EVCS) implemented with a Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter and Hybrid Renewable Energy Sources (HRES). The proposed method integrates the Pelican Optimization Algorithm (POA) and Attributed Multi-order Graph Convolutional Network (AMOGCN); therefore, it is called the POA-AMOGCN technique. The objective is to reduce the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) in order to enhance the economic performance of the EVCS combined with HRES. The POA optimizes power management by balancing power generation from RES and battery storage with the demand of EVCS while generating control signals for the DAB converter. The AMOGCN predicts the optimal control signal for the DAB converter to enhance resource distribution, facilitating the integration of EVs with RES. Accordingly, the proposed method is implemented in the MATLAB environment and its performance is assessed against several existing approaches, including the Gorilla Troop Optimizer (GTO), Hybrid Crow Search Algorithm-Particle Swarm Optimization (HCSA-PSO), Neural Network with Improved PSO (NN-IPSO), Forensic Investigation Algorithm-Archimedean Optimization Algorithm (FBIAOA), and conventional PSO. The proposed POA-AMOGCN approach achieves the lowest LCOE of $0.0549/kWh, demonstrating a substantial improvement in cost-effectiveness compared to other optimization methods.}, }
@article {pmid41746996, year = {2026}, author = {Shalaby, M}, title = {Polarization-aware UAV deployment for reliable MIMO communication in forested environments.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {2}, pages = {e0343057}, pmid = {41746996}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {*Forests ; *Unmanned Aerial Devices ; Algorithms ; Models, Theoretical ; }, abstract = {Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication systems are increasingly deployed to restore or extend connectivity in forested and remote regions where terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable. However, radio propagation through vegetation is strongly affected by polarization-dependent scattering, attenuation, and depolarization, which can severely degrade link reliability. This study investigates polarization-aware UAV deployment as a means to enhance air-to-ground communication performance under dense canopy conditions. A vegetation-aware propagation model is developed using the Debye relaxation framework combined with Kramers-Kronig relations to capture the dielectric response of moist foliage. Cross-Polarization Discrimination (XPD) is identified as a dominant factor influencing signal quality, exhibiting non-monotonic variations that complicate UAV positioning. To address this, the Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) is employed to determine optimal UAV locations that minimize XPD between orthogonal polarization channels. Simulation results demonstrate that polarization-aware optimization significantly improves link robustness compared to traditional path-loss-based strategies, particularly at higher frequencies. The findings highlight the importance of integrating polarization awareness into UAV communication planning for critical missions such as search-and-rescue and post-disaster recovery in vegetated environments.}, }
@article {pmid41754111, year = {2026}, author = {Kim, H and Bang, WY and Jeong, KH and Jung, YH and Yang, J and Moon, JS}, title = {Effects of Heat-Killed Lactobacillus acidophilus IDCC 3302 on Skin Aging Parameters: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial in Healthy Adults.}, journal = {Nutrients}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {41754111}, issn = {2072-6643}, support = {Not applicable//Ildong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging ; Double-Blind Method ; *Lactobacillus acidophilus ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; *Probiotics/administration & dosage ; Hot Temperature ; Elasticity ; Aged ; Skin ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Skin aging is a multifactorial process driven by intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Orally administered postbiotics may support skin homeostasis; however, clinical validation of their efficacy remains limited. In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of oral supplementation with the heat-killed lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus IDCC 3302 (ID-ACT 3302) on skin aging-related markers in healthy adults with periorbital wrinkles.
METHODS: In this 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 100 participants were assigned to receive either ID-ACT 3302 or a placebo. The prespecified primary endpoint was the change in crow's-feet wrinkles at week 12, assessed using investigator visual wrinkle grading and PRIMOS[lite]. Secondary endpoints included skin hydration, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), skin elasticity indices (including the overall elasticity index R2), and global improvement scores.
RESULTS: In the full analysis set, wrinkle grade, hydration, TEWL, and elasticity improved over 12 weeks in both groups; however, ID-ACT 3302 exhibited no superiority over placebo for the primary wrinkle endpoints. The overall elasticity index R2 exhibited significant inter-group difference, whereas R5, R7, hydration, TEWL, and global assessment scores improved consistently in both groups. In the absence of multiplicity adjustments for secondary endpoints, the R2 finding is considered exploratory. Safety outcomes were comparable between the groups, with no serious adverse events.
CONCLUSIONS: The 12-week supplementation with ID-ACT 3302 was safe and well tolerated. However, no placebo-adjusted benefit was observed for the prespecified primary wrinkle endpoints. An exploratory between-group difference was observed for the Cutometer overall elasticity index (R2), but because secondary endpoints were not multiplicity-adjusted and the effect size was small, this finding should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and requires confirmation in adequately powered trials.}, }
@article {pmid41760421, year = {2026}, author = {Cardoso, SAM and Pedroso, CM and de Goes, MF and da Silva, VTM and Prado-Ribeiro, AC and Santos-Silva, AR}, title = {Treatment planning software to protect dental structure, salivary glands, and nontarget tissue in head and neck cancer patients: a scoping review.}, journal = {Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology}, volume = {142}, number = {2}, pages = {213-225}, doi = {10.1016/j.oooo.2026.01.019}, pmid = {41760421}, issn = {2212-4411}, mesh = {Humans ; *Head and Neck Neoplasms/radiotherapy ; *Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted/methods ; *Salivary Glands/radiation effects ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; *Software ; *Radiation Injuries/prevention & control ; Organs at Risk/radiation effects ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: to identify the treatment planning systems (TPS) used in radiotherapy for head and neck cancer patients and evaluate their impact in reducing toxicities to teeth, salivary glands, and nontarget tissues.
METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted in 6 databases and gray literature sources. Eligible studies involved patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy and evaluated dosimetric strategies or planning software to protect critical structures. TPS impact was categorized as low, moderate, or high based on dose reduction and clinical benefit reported in each study.
RESULTS: A total of 26 studies were included, covering 8 different TPS. Of these, 23 studies assessed dose reduction to the salivary glands or nontarget tissues and 3 studies focused on dental structures. Overall, 51% of TPS assessments (n = 19) reported a high impact on dose reduction, 35% showed a moderate impact, and 14% demonstrated a low impact in minimizing radiation exposure to critical structures. Eclipse was the most frequently assessed TPS, showing predominantly high or moderate impact across all structure types. These findings indicate a predominance of evidence supporting Eclipse's dosimetric performance, whereas variability among other systems (Pinnacle, Monaco, KonRad, XiO, and CORVUS) suggests differences in optimization algorithms and clinical implementation.
CONCLUSION: TPS show heterogeneous results regarding the sparing of nontarget tissues. Eclipse demonstrated the most consistent positive outcomes, but dental structures remain underexplored concerning TPS approaches.}, }
@article {pmid41760855, year = {2026}, author = {Wei, J and Wang, C and Cai, Y and Zhan, P and Tu, D}, title = {A multi-strategy cognitive diagnosis model based on response times and fixation counts.}, journal = {Behavior research methods}, volume = {58}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {41760855}, issn = {1554-3528}, support = {32160203//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 62167004//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 32300942//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Reaction Time/physiology ; *Problem Solving/physiology ; *Models, Psychological ; *Fixation, Ocular/physiology ; *Eye Movements/physiology ; Decision Making/physiology ; }, abstract = {Individuals typically employ multiple cognitive strategies rather than relying on a single approach in decision-making scenarios or problem-solving tasks. With recent advancements in measurement technology, the collection of process data has become increasingly common, with response times (RTs) and eye movement fixation counts (FCs) emerging as critical indicators of cognitive processing. Analysis of RTs and FCs can reveal problem-solving strategies that may not be discernible from response patterns alone. To enhance diagnostic accuracy and provide deeper insights into the cognitive processes underlying strategy selection, this study developed a multi-strategy cognitive diagnosis modeling framework that integrates individual RTs and FCs into a unified framework to define strategy selection (MS-CDM-RTFC). The empirical study utilized data from Raven's Advanced Progressive Matrices (APM), a widely used measure of nonverbal reasoning and fluid intelligence, to evaluate the practical applicability of the MS-CDM-RTFC model. Simulation results based on the empirical analysis indicate that the MS-CDM-RTFC achieves higher parameter recovery and attribute classification accuracy, demonstrating significantly better performance than traditional multi-strategy models.}, }
@article {pmid41761207, year = {2026}, author = {Abdulla Alabbasi, AM and Alansari, AM and Deifalla, A and Runco, MA and Sequeira, RP and Alotaibi, GA and AlSaleh, A}, title = {Convergent thinking, divergent thinking, and openness to experience as predictors of academic success among high-achieving and typical-achieving medical students.}, journal = {BMC medical education}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41761207}, issn = {1472-6920}, support = {G02-AGU-5-22//Arabian Gulf University/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Students, Medical/psychology ; *Thinking ; Male ; *Academic Success ; *Creativity ; Female ; Problem-Based Learning ; *Personality ; Young Adult ; Educational Measurement ; Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Creativity-related cognitive processes and personality traits are not often examined together in educational contexts, particularly when discussing high-achieving subgroups of medical students. This study investigated these predictors of academic performance among high-achieving and typical-achieving medical students within a problem-based learning (PBL) environment of a medical school. METHODS: Data were collected from 274 Doctor of Medicine students at Arabian Gulf University during the 2024–2025 academic year. Participants completed assessments of convergent thinking (Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices and Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal), divergent thinking (Alternative Uses Test and Figural Divergent Thinking Test), and openness to experience (NEO-FFI). Students’ grade point averages (GPAs) were obtained from institutional records. Hierarchical regression analyses and moderation tests were performed, controlling for age and sex. RESULTS: Convergent thinking (β = 0.20, p < .001) and divergent thinking (β = 0.25, p < .001) emerged as modest-to-moderate positive predictors of GPA, whereas openness to experience showed a small negative association (β = −0.13, p = .026). Achievement status, defined as high-achieving versus typical-achieving GPA, significantly moderated the effects of both convergent and divergent thinking, such that the academic benefits of higher thinking skills were meaningfully stronger among high-achieving students, while these associations were weaker among their typical-achieving peers. No moderating effect was observed for openness to experience. CONCLUSIONS: Convergent and divergent thinking independently enhance academic performance in medical students, with amplified effects for high-achieving students. In contrast, openness to experience was negatively linked with GPA, reflecting the complex interplay between personality traits and structured medical training. These findings underscore the need for medical curricula that balance convergent reasoning with creative problem-solving while considering diverse student cognitive and personality profiles.}, }
@article {pmid41778382, year = {2026}, author = {Innes, P and Carling, MD and Linck, EB}, title = {A chromosome-scale genome assembly for Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana).}, journal = {G3 (Bethesda, Md.)}, volume = {16}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {41778382}, issn = {2160-1836}, support = {//University of Wyoming Museum of Vertebrates and the Berry Avian Ecology Fund/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Genome ; *Passeriformes/genetics ; *Genomics/methods ; *Chromosomes/genetics ; }, abstract = {Focal and intelligent passerine songbirds, corvids (Aves: Corvidae) have served as models for research on the genomics of hybridization and cognition. Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), the sole North American member of its genus, is distributed in mountain forests from northern Mexico to northern British Columbia. A seed predator, N. columbiana is highly reliant on pine nuts from Pinus spp. conifers, which it both consumes directly from cones and caches for future use. Since cached seeds may be forgotten or not needed, it is a major seed disperser for high elevation pines-in particular Whitebark Pine P. albicaulis. Previous studies of genetic variation in Clark's Nutcracker found range-wide panmixia and generally high levels of heterozygosity at a handful of nuclear and mitochondrial loci, potentially due to seasonal elevational movements and long-term dispersal. An earlier genome assembly from low-coverage short-read data was highly fragmented and has not to date been used as the basis for population-level resequencing. Here, we report on the first chromosome-scale genome assembly for N. colombiana. We generated long-read sequencing and genome conformation mapping data from tissues sampled from a male N. columbiana individual in Wyoming, USA. These data were assembled into a highly contiguous and complete assembly, which showed strong chromosomal synteny with New Caledonian crow (Corvus moneduloides). We also found evidence of a long-term decline in effective population size dating back to the Pleistocene, after accounting for a technical artifact common to demographic inference using the pairwise sequential Markovian coalescent. These findings raise concerns about the future viability of the species and its mutualist P. albicaulis; we hope the assembly will motivate further comparative and conservation genomics research.}, }
@article {pmid41779064, year = {2026}, author = {de Oliveira Campos, H}, title = {Engagement is more than a checkbox: a patient's perspective.}, journal = {Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation}, volume = {35}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1007/s11136-026-04187-y}, pmid = {41779064}, issn = {1573-2649}, mesh = {Humans ; *Patient Participation/psychology ; *Quality of Life ; Patient Advocacy ; }, abstract = {Quality of Life Research recently introduced an author statement inviting researchers to describe how their studies engaged people with lived experience. This commentary responds to that statement from the perspective of a patient advocate and long-standing research partner. While the statement represents a hopeful development, asking about engagement at manuscript submission risks reducing partnership to a retrospective checkbox. Drawing on experiences ranging from transformative to tokenistic, this piece argues that meaningful engagement requires intention from the start, a willingness to share power, and governance structures that give patient partners real influence over research decisions. Using Jay Katz’s concept of “inevitable conflict” as a framework, the commentary explores what patients uniquely contribute and offers concrete recommendations for researchers seeking to move beyond symbolic participation. Engagement that does not redistribute power is not partnership.}, }
@article {pmid41782535, year = {2026}, author = {Goryunov, AV and Morozova, MA and Koval-Zaytsev, AA and Britova, VS and Beniashvili, AG and Shushpanova, OV and Gornushenkov, ID and Blinova, TE}, title = {[Clinical experience with melatonin and memantine combination (Miladean) in children with cognitive and behavioral impairments].}, journal = {Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova}, volume = {126}, number = {2}, pages = {83-91}, doi = {10.17116/jnevro202612602183}, pmid = {41782535}, issn = {1997-7298}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; *Melatonin/therapeutic use ; Adolescent ; Male ; Female ; *Memantine/therapeutic use ; Pilot Projects ; *Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Treatment Outcome ; Cognitive Enhancement ; }, abstract = {An open-label, single-arm pilot study evaluated the efficacy of the combined melatonin and memantine preparation (Miladean) as add-on therapy in 20 children and adolescents (aged 8-15 years) with cognitive and behavioral impairments within hyperkinetic conduct disorder (F90.1, n=7), schizotypal disorder (F21, n=10), and schizophrenia (F20, n=3). All patients received stable background therapy, to which Miladean was added (2 tablets sublingually at bedtime) for 8 weeks. Cognitive tests (Raven's Progressive Matrices, Stroop test, computerized Go/No-Go task), sleep quality questionnaire (modified Spiegel scale), and ADHD symptom scales (SNAP-IV) were used to assess outcomes. The drug demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile. A statistically significant reduction in symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity on the SNAP-IV scale (p<0.001), improved sleep quality (p=0.002), and increased reaction speed in the Go/No-Go task (p=0.001-0.033) were observed. A trend towards improved performance on the intelligence test (Raven's Progressive Matrices, p=0.067-0.077) was noted. The preliminary data obtained at this study indicate the potential efficacy of Miladean in correcting cognitive and behavioral impairments in children across various diagnostic categories and justify conducting further double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.}, }
@article {pmid41784398, year = {2026}, author = {Broad, HR and McIvor, GE and Thornton, A}, title = {Socially learnt predator recognition in nestling jackdaws.}, journal = {Biology letters}, volume = {22}, number = {3}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2025.0770}, pmid = {41784398}, issn = {1744-957X}, support = {//Leverhulme Trust/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Vocalization, Animal ; Predatory Behavior ; *Crows/physiology ; *Social Learning ; *Recognition, Psychology ; Hawks/physiology ; Learning ; }, abstract = {Recognizing whether other species pose a threat is critical to survival. Learning from others avoids the need for dangerous encounters, so it can be particularly valuable, especially for young, vulnerable animals. Here, we tested whether young birds can learn socially about potential dangers even while still in the nest. Using playbacks, we presented wild jackdaw nestlings with calls from an unfamiliar predatory species (Eurasian goshawk) and an unfamiliar non-predator (American golden plover) in association with either conspecific alarm calls, implying danger, or contact calls, a neutral stimulus. When predator calls were paired with jackdaw alarm calls, nestlings learned to increase their vigilance rates. By contrast, vigilance rates were unchanged after predator calls were paired with jackdaw contact calls. Responses to the non-predator were not affected by pairing with either alarm or contact calls. This indicates that jackdaw nestlings can socially learn about unfamiliar calls and raises the possibility that they may show a predisposition (or 'preparedness') towards learning fear-relevant stimuli. Understanding the interplay between preparedness and social learning in the development of anti-predator responses is increasingly important as anthropogenic influences are altering predator compositions.}, }
@article {pmid41786961, year = {2026}, author = {Alenius, F and Revstedt, J and Johansson, LC}, title = {Feather aerodynamics suggest importance of lift and flow predictability over drag minimization.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41786961}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Partly overlapping feathers form a large part of birds’ wing surfaces, but in many species the outermost feathers split, making each feather function as an independent wing. These feathers are complex structures that evolved to fulfil both aerodynamic and structural functions. Yet relatively little is known about how the profile shape and microstructures of feathers impact aerodynamic performance. Here we determined, using fluid dynamic modelling, the aerodynamic capabilities of a section of the primary flight feather forming the leading edge of the split wing tip of a Jackdaw (Corvus monedula). Our findings demonstrate that the feather section exhibits a relatively high performance, with lift comparable to manmade aerofoils, however, there is a drag penalty associated with the feather shaft. The model’s vortex shedding behaviour shows low amplitude temporal fluctuations in lift, compared to manmade aerofoils. Notably, the aerodynamic pitch torque around the shaft varies with angle of attack. This, when combined with the built-in pitch-up twist of the feather implies a passive pitch control mechanism for the feather. Taken together, our findings suggest evolutionary adaptations of the flow around the feather, which could be of interest when designing micro-air vehicles and wind turbines.}, }
@article {pmid41794986, year = {2026}, author = {Liu, H and Cai, C and Li, P and Wang, Y and Zhao, M and Tang, C and Tu, B and Li, Y and Zheng, X and Ma, Y and Liang, H and Chen, M}, title = {Hybrid prediction system for reliable multi-seasonal sustainable energy generation under meteorological and environmental volatility.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41794986}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {11975177//Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Amid escalating climate change and energy crises, wind energy, as a pivotal renewable resource, poses significant challenges to grid stability and energy management due to its inherent stochastic intermittency and nonlinear dynamics. Consequently, this research presents a hybrid prediction system, ICEEMDAN-NCRBMO-AELM, integrating data decomposition with intelligent computing to reveal spatiotemporal coupling patterns in climatic variables for reliable wind power forecasting. This system utilizes Improved Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (ICEEMDAN) to dissect sequences into several modes, addressing time–frequency features and alleviating mode mixing through a dynamic noise-weighting scheme. To further optimize Adaptive Extreme Learning Machine (AELM) performance, this research proposes a novel Normal Cloud Red-billed Blue Magpie Intelligent Optimization (NCRBMO) algorithm, motivated by cloud model theory and the swarm behavior of Red-billed Blue Magpie. NCRBMO employs a multiphase mapping inverse generation strategy for initializing individuals and designs five heuristic search strategies for global optimization. Regarding hyperparameter tuning, NCRBMO optimizes the weight matrix and bias vector in the output layer of a single-hidden-layer feedforward network, enhancing prediction accuracy and stability. The interseasonal wind power prediction results from Jiangsu region, China, indicate that this system surpasses competing representative techniques in addressing complex seasonal trends and meteorological abrupt changes.}, }
@article {pmid41804157, year = {2026}, author = {Seurko, K and Sokolov, R and Kosenkov, A and Stolarchuk, E and Seurko, K and Belykh, E and Bokarev, M and Shakhbanov, M and Mamykin, A and Demyanov, A and Kanadashvili, O}, title = {LEFT HEMICOLECTOMY IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER: SURGICAL VIEW ON INFERIOR MESENTERIC ARTERY ANATOMY VARIABILITY.}, journal = {Georgian medical news}, volume = {}, number = {370}, pages = {234-242}, pmid = {41804157}, issn = {1512-0112}, mesh = {Humans ; *Mesenteric Artery, Inferior/anatomy & histology/diagnostic imaging/surgery ; *Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery/diagnostic imaging ; *Colectomy/methods/adverse effects ; Female ; Male ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Laparoscopy/methods/adverse effects ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vascular structures may be damaged during laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer. One of the major reasons is the variant anatomy of the inferior mesenteric artery. It could lead to intraoperative massive bleeding and also postoperative intestinal ischemia. Thus, preoperative study of the inferior mesenteric artery variant anatomy is very important.
AIM: Our aim is to develop a clinical - based and useful classification of inferior mesenteric artery variability for healthcare practitioners.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: From December 2019 to March 2023, 214 abdominal computed tomograms (CT) with contrast were analyzed. We studied the inferior mesenteric artery variant anatomy.
RESULTS: The 15 inferior mesenteric artery anatomical types were identified in previous studies. But due to the complexity of using this in practice - new classification of inferior mesenteric artery anatomy and its branches was developed: type I - several colonic branches by separate trunks (54.2%); type II - all colonic branches from one point in the form of a "crow's foot" (25.2%); type III - a single trunk which is divided into colonic branches throughout its length (20.6%).
CONCLUSIONS: The new inferior mesenteric artery classification is developed and been induced in practice. By using this classification and CT angiography with 3D reconstruction surgeons could perform operations on colorectal region with minimal risk of complications.}, }
@article {pmid41807721, year = {2026}, author = {Wang, X}, title = {A photovoltaic maximum power point tracking strategy based on the IRBMO-VP&O algorithm.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41807721}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Under partial shading conditions (PSC), the Power–Voltage (P–V) output curve of a photovoltaic (PV) array shows multiple peaks. To address this, this paper introduces a hybrid maximum power point tracking (MPPT) strategy called the improved red-billed blue magpie optimization algorithm combined with a variable-step perturb and observe algorithm (IRBMO-VP&O) of the exponential decay. This strategy merges an improved red-billed blue magpie optimization (IRBMO) algorithm with a variable-step perturb and observe (VP&O) method. It incorporates Lévy flight and an individual diversity mechanism to boost its global search ability. Additionally, it uses adaptive step-size fine-tuning for better tracking accuracy and a restart mechanism triggered by sudden power changes, enhancing its adaptability to dynamic environments. MATLAB/Simulink simulations compare the proposed algorithm with GWO, PSO, RIME, SSA, IGWO-VINC, PSO-P&O, RBMO, IRBMO, INC, and P&O. Under static shading conditions, IRBMO-VP&O outperformed others by reducing average convergence time by 52.99% (to 0.042–0.067 s) and increasing tracking accuracy by 4.06% (to 91.785–99.988%) compared to eight other algorithms. Under dynamic conditions, it achieved an average convergence time of 0.055 s and tracking accuracy above 99.986%, consistently locking onto the global maximum power point (GMPP) without local optima trapping.}, }
@article {pmid41813831, year = {2026}, author = {Hermosilla, P and Soto, R and Monfroy, E and Vega, E and Suazo, C and Erazo, L and Crawford, B}, title = {Analysis of hybrid CNN models optimized with metaheuristic algorithms for melanoma detection.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41813831}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Convolutional Neural Networks ; *Melanoma/diagnosis/diagnostic imaging ; *Algorithms ; Humans ; *Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis/diagnostic imaging ; Particle Swarm Optimization ; *Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods ; Neural Networks, Computer ; }, abstract = {Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, with a high mortality rate when not detected early. This public health challenge underscores the need for accurate and efficient diagnostic tools. Convolutional Neural Networks have shown strong performance in medical image analysis. However, their effectiveness relies heavily on optimal architectural and hyperparameter configurations, which are often designed without alignment to the target domain or transferred from unrelated domains, limiting adaptability to specific medical datasets. Existing hybrid CNN-metaheuristic approaches typically optimize only fixed network parameters. They often fail to explore how metaheuristics can adaptively shape the CNN architectures themselves.In this study, a comprehensive hybrid optimization framework is proposed that integrates CNNs with six nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithms that mimic biological or physical phenomena to solve complex problems. These include Cuckoo Search, Firefly Algorithm, Whale Optimization Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization, Grey Wolf Optimizer, and Crow Search Algorithm. Rather than tuning a predefined architecture, each optimizer searches the architectural and training space to identify high-performing CNN configurations, enabling emergent and data-driven network design. This unified framework allows a systematic cross-algorithm comparison under identical conditions, providing new insights into convergence stability, exploration-exploitation dynamics, and generalization behavior. A robust preprocessing and data augmentation pipeline, including brightness normalization, hair artifact removal, and geometric transformations, is incorporated to improve model generalization and enhance the optimizer's search landscape. Experiments on the HAM10000 dataset demonstrate that the metaheuristic-optimized CNNs outperform the baseline, achieving accuracies up to 91.25%. These findings confirm that population-based optimization is an efficient and reliable mechanism for guiding CNN architecture design. This approach achieves superior performance compared to traditional manual or other optimization-based strategies.}, }
@article {pmid41814459, year = {2026}, author = {Fatola, OI and Gilbert, TT and Usende, IL and Olopade, JO}, title = {Baseline histological and morphometric description of the retina in the Pied Crow (Corvus albus).}, journal = {BMC research notes}, volume = {19}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41814459}, issn = {1756-0500}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/anatomy & histology ; *Retina/anatomy & histology/cytology/metabolism ; Male ; Immunohistochemistry ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: The Pied Crow (Corvus albus) is a visually guided diurnal corvid widely distributed across sub-Saharan Africa, yet detailed descriptions of its ocular microanatomy remain limited. This study provides a concise histological and immunohistochemical characterization of the retina from an adult male specimen obtained through an ethically approved wildlife surveillance programme. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, Alcian Blue staining, and NeuN immunolabeling were used to document retinal organization and neuronal localization. The objective was to generate baseline morphological data for this species.
RESULTS: The retina exhibited a well-organized multilayered structure typical of diurnal avian species, supported by a prominent hyaline scleral cartilage plate. The outer nuclear layer contained 3-4 rows of nuclei, consistent with the duplex organization of avian retinas. Total retinal thickness measured approximately 303 μm, with the ganglion cell layer measuring ~ 27 μm. NeuN immunolabeling showed strong nuclear immunoreactivity in the ganglion cell layer and moderate labeling in the inner nuclear layer. NeuN-positive neuronal somata in the ganglion cell layer ranged from 2.4 to 5.8 μm in diameter. These findings provide baseline histological and morphometric reference data for Corvus albus, contributing foundational information for future comparative and functional investigations.}, }
@article {pmid41818376, year = {2026}, author = {Loretto, MC and Beck, KB and Smith, DW and Stahler, DR and Walker, LE and Wikelski, M and Mueller, T and Safi, K and Marzluff, JM}, title = {Ravens anticipate wolf kill sites across broad scales.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {391}, number = {6790}, pages = {1151-1154}, doi = {10.1126/science.adz9467}, pmid = {41818376}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Predatory Behavior ; *Spatial Memory ; *Wolves ; Wyoming ; *Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {Scavengers generally rely on patchily distributed, unpredictable carrion. A long-standing hypothesis suggests scavenging ravens reliably locate such food by directly following large carnivores to their kills. However, by satellite tracking 69 ravens, 20 wolves, and 11 cougars in Yellowstone National Park, we found that following of predators over large distances rarely occurred. Instead, ravens routinely revisited sites where wolf kills were common-returning from distances of up to 155 kilometers to find carrion. Much like navigating to permanent anthropogenic subsidies, ravens appear to remember potential sources of carrion shaped by previous encounters with wolves or their kills. These findings suggest that spatial memory and navigation play a considerably greater role than previously assumed among scavengers, and possibly other wide-ranging species, in search of ephemeral resources.}, }
@article {pmid41818813, year = {2026}, author = {Mason, SL and King, SL and Ridley, AR}, title = {Ontogenetic evidence of socially learned call sequences in Western Australian magpies.}, journal = {Proceedings. Biological sciences}, volume = {293}, number = {2066}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1098/rspb.2025.1620}, pmid = {41818813}, issn = {1471-2954}, support = {//UWA Research Collaboration Award/ ; //Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Social Behavior ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; *Learning ; Male ; Western Australia ; }, abstract = {Combinatoriality is the capacity to combine discrete vocal elements into larger structures. Previously thought unique to human language, combinatoriality has now been documented in several non-human taxa. This capacity is believed to be related to social complexity and the need to transmit complex information, as predicted by the social complexity hypothesis for communicative complexity (SCHCC). Research into combinatoriality has predominantly focused on adult repertoires, limiting the ability to determine social influences on the emergence of vocal sequences. We used longitudinal observations of magpie fledglings to document the emergence of their non-song repertoire and investigate the effect of social complexity on repertoire size and the rate at which call sequences are acquired. We found that fledglings acquire their sequence repertoires over time and produce the sequences of their social group-not the broader population-suggesting they are socially learned. Furthermore, individual sociability was found to modulate this process: fledglings who spent more time with others produced sequences sooner and those with more social contacts produced more sequence types. This study is the first to document the emergence of combinatoriality in an open-ended vocal learner and provide individual-level ontogenetic evidence that the SCHCC applies to combinatoriality.}, }
@article {pmid41824300, year = {2026}, author = {Tia, A and Hauser, J and Konan, AG and Nindjin, C}, title = {Systematic Review of Nutrients' Impact on Cognition and School Performance in School-Aged Children in Sub-Saharan Africa.}, journal = {Nutrition reviews}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/nutrit/nuag014}, pmid = {41824300}, issn = {1753-4887}, support = {grant CSRS/PhD School children performance/2021//Société des Produits Nestlé SA, Switzerland/ ; }, abstract = {CONTEXT: Over the past few decades, numerous studies have reported significant associations between nutrient intake, cognition, and later academic achievement in school-aged children. Most of these studies were conducted in Western countries, with a limited number in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
OBJECTIVE: This study provides a systematic review of research exploring the links between nutrients and cognition and/or academic performance in SSA and proposes appropriate cognitive and academic performance assessments for future research in this area.
DATA SOURCES: Systematic searches were conducted in the Web of Science, HINARI, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases, as well as in the reference lists of relevant publications, from January to June 2023.
DATA EXTRACTION: Data were manually extracted from included publications by independent reviewers and registered in predefined sheets.
DATA ANALYSIS: A total of 31 publications were included in this review. Of these, 11 assessed the relationship between nutrients and cognition and/or academic performance, and 14 and 6 reported on cognitive and academic assessment tests, respectively. Fortification-based interventions were generally more effective than multimicronutrient (MMN) supplementation (MMNS). Additionally, micronutrients including iron, zinc, iodine, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 demonstrated positive associations with cognition, whereas evidence for vitamin A, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids remains inconclusive. Noteworthy, most of the included studies focused on micronutrients, and there is a lack of research on the potential impacts of other types of nutrients, such as complex lipids. Furthermore, the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (RCPM) and academic performance assessment using school marks have been repeatedly used, with acceptable validity for the RCPM.
CONCLUSION: Cognitive and academic performance may be associated with specific micronutrients in school-aged children in SSA. The RCPM is a promising tool for assessing cognition in this population. Nevertheless, the findings remain inconclusive for MMNS and some nutrients, which further research may help elucidate.
PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023392215.}, }
@article {pmid41829410, year = {2026}, author = {Butt, MA and Janaszek, B}, title = {A Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguide-Based Refractive Index Sensor Employing Sagnac Loop Reflectors.}, journal = {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {26}, number = {5}, pages = {}, pmid = {41829410}, issn = {1424-8220}, abstract = {This work presents a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) refractive index sensor based on a coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW) architecture employing two inversely coupled Sagnac loop reflectors (SLRs) connected through a self-coupled feedback waveguide. The structure exploits bidirectional propagation and discrete-continuum interference to produce sharp Fano-type asymmetric resonances with steep spectral slopes, enabling enhanced wavelength sensitivity. Numerical analysis demonstrates that tuning the loop radius, directional-coupler length, coupling gap, and feedback-path length provides precise control over free spectral range (FSR), resonance asymmetry, and spectral sharpness. The sensor exhibits consistent and monotonic resonance shifts for refractive index variations from 1.33 to 1.36, with sensitivities ranging from 106 to 120 nm/RIU for the ridge feedback configuration. Sensitivity is further improved by introducing a subwavelength grating (SWG) segment into the feedback waveguide, which enhances evanescent-field interaction and increases the overlap factor without compromising compactness or Fano asymmetry. The SWG-assisted design attains sensitivities of 185.8-212.2 nm/RIU, nearly doubling sensitivity. The proposed coupled-SLR CROW provides a compact footprint, high-Q resonances, and flexible spectral engineering through accessible geometric parameters. These characteristics highlight the potential of the coupled-SLR and SWG-enhanced CROW as a promising platform for high-resolution, photonic refractive index sensing applications on SOI.}, }
@article {pmid41831071, year = {2026}, author = {Liao, DA and Ilmanen, A and Brecht, KF and Nieder, A}, title = {Investigating Menzerath's law in crows and humans during cued vocal 'counting'.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41831071}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; Animals ; Cues ; *Crows/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Female ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Cognition ; }, abstract = {To uncover universal principles of vocal behavior, studies have examined whether linguistic laws apply across species. Menzerath’s law, for instance, posits that larger constructs have shorter constituent parts, reflecting an efficiency principle that reduces articulatory and energetic demands. Another proposed universal is final lengthening, where end-of-sequence vocalizations are extended to potentially signal sequence boundaries. While studies have examined these temporal patterns in ecological communicative contexts, it remains unclear whether they also emerge in more constrained, externally instructed vocal responses. This study examines temporal patterns in vocal sequences during a numerically cued production task in crows and humans. While both species performed the same task, they differ in their numerical representations: crows rely on an approximate number system, whereas humans possess a symbolic understanding of number. Crows showed a negative correlation between sequence length and vocalization duration—consistent with Menzerath’s law—and a positive correlation between sequence position and duration, consistent with final lengthening. In contrast, humans exhibited the opposite: vocalization duration increased with sequence size and decreased with position. These findings suggest that Menzerath’s law is not a universal principle but shaped by species-specific cognition, motor constraints, and task demands. This highlights the importance of considering context and cognitive capacities when interpreting temporal patterns in vocal behavior across species.}, }
@article {pmid41834780, year = {2026}, author = {}, title = {RETRACTION: A Randomized, Participant- and Evaluator-Blinded, Matched-Pair, Prospective Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy Between Polycaprolactone and Polynucleotide Fillers in the Correction of Crow's Feet.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {25}, number = {3}, pages = {e70794}, doi = {10.1111/jocd.70794}, pmid = {41834780}, issn = {1473-2165}, abstract = {S. Y. Choi, Y. G. Koh, K. H. Yoo, H. S. Han, J. Seok, and B. J. Kim, "A Randomized, Participant- and Evaluator-Blinded, Matched-Pair, Prospective Study Comparing the Safety and Efficacy Between Polycaprolactone and Polynucleotide Fillers in the Correction of Crow's Feet," Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 24, no. 1 (2025): e16576, https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.16576. The above article, published online on 23 September 2024 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) has been retracted by agreement between the authors; the journal Editor-in-Chief, Michael H Gold; and Wiley Periodicals, LLC. The retraction has been agreed following the authors' request. The authors informed the journal that a misidentification occurred regarding the dermal filler used in the clinical study. Specifically, the product DLMRO1 dermal filler was misidentified as containing pegylated polycaprolactone (PCL), whereas it is composed solely of pure PCL filler. Because pure PCL and pegylated PCL are distinct materials with different biocompatibility, viscosity, and biodegradation profiles, the misidentification significantly affects the reported methods and undermines the reliability of the study's findings. Accordingly, the article has been retracted.}, }
@article {pmid41842441, year = {2026}, author = {Shayan, K and Creazzo, T and Wieand, B and Wood, C and Mazur, BM and Stine, C and Prather, D}, title = {Programmable microwave photonic filtering with coupled ring resonators.}, journal = {Applied optics}, volume = {65}, number = {2}, pages = {676-684}, doi = {10.1364/AO.579355}, pmid = {41842441}, issn = {1539-4522}, abstract = {Microwave photonic filters play a crucial role in radio frequency over fiber applications by eliminating unwanted tones following RF to optical up-conversion. This study demonstrates that coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) can serve as efficient microwave photonic filters on silicon-on-insulator platforms, achieving roll-off slopes above 4 dB/GHz with less than 1 dB ripple. We demonstrate that roll-off slopes exceeding 7 dB/GHz can be achieved by serially cascading two CROW filters. This result is further validated through single-sideband signal generation using electro-optic modulators combined with these cascaded filters, achieving a measured roll-off slope of 7.5 dB/GHz. Furthermore, we show that cascading two CROW filters enables programmable filtering with two operation modes: spectral width tuning from 470 to 23 GHz by relative tuning of one filter, and broad spectral width center frequency tunability up to 1.2 THz through simultaneous tuning of both filters. We present a comprehensive experimental study of these devices, including chip-to-chip, intra-chip, and run-to-run statistical analysis. Moreover, we show that the addition of a SiN capping layer enhances fabrication tolerance and extinction ratio by 5 dB.}, }
@article {pmid41845545, year = {2026}, author = {Montanaro, FAM and Hagerman, RJ and Spano, G and Tassone, F and Logroscino, G and Bosco, A}, title = {Psychiatric and Cognitive Features in Italian Women With the FMR1 Premutation: A Comprehensive Assessment Using SCID-5 and Standardized Cognitive Measures.}, journal = {American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/ajmg.b.70014}, pmid = {41845545}, issn = {1552-485X}, abstract = {Women with the FMR1 premutation (PM) are at increased risk for fragile X-associated conditions (FXPAC), including cognitive and psychiatric features collectively termed fragile X-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (FXAND). This study is the first to systematically investigate cognitive and psychiatric features in Italian female premutation carriers (PCs). One hundred Italian women with the PM were stratified into four age-groups (≤ 40, 41-50, 51-64, and ≥ 65 years). Cognitive performance was assessed using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) and the Telephone Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA). Psychological symptoms were measured with standardized self-report questionnaires, and psychiatric diagnoses were determined through the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5) disorders. Cognitive scores were generally within the normal range; however, participants aged ≥ 65 years performed significantly worse on both RSPM and T-MoCA. SCID-5 interviews showed that 51% met criteria for at least one current psychiatric disorder, most commonly generalized anxiety (37%) and major depression (18%). Early-life neurodevelopmental difficulties were frequently reported. Self-report measures often underestimated clinical severity relative to interview findings. These findings underline significant psychiatric vulnerability in female PCs and emphasize the need for prevention and timely intervention, including routine psychiatric assessment in clinical care.}, }
@article {pmid41852242, year = {2026}, author = {Pandey, M and Clark, JA and Piedmonte, NP and Daniels, TJ and Hekkala, E}, title = {Changes in an exurban bird assemblage and the phenology of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on birds: a comparison of three sampling periods between 1984 and 2019.}, journal = {Journal of medical entomology}, volume = {63}, number = {2}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1093/jme/tjag035}, pmid = {41852242}, issn = {1938-2928}, support = {//Henry Luce Foundation through a Clare Boothe Luce Fellowship awarded to Medha Pandey/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Tick Infestations/veterinary/parasitology/epidemiology ; Seasons ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; Larva/physiology/growth & development ; *Ixodidae/physiology/growth & development ; *Birds ; Nymph/physiology/growth & development ; *Ixodes/physiology/growth & development ; }, abstract = {The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say) has undergone range contractions and expansions since its origination half a million years ago and is expanding in all cardinal directions. These changes affect the range of several tick-borne diseases. Birds host larval and nymphal I. scapularis and may contribute to the local distribution of ticks in the environment. Furthermore, bird migration and dispersal provide mechanisms for the rapid range expansion of ticks and their pathogens. We examined data spanning 35 yr to evaluate changes in the bird assemblage and the seasonal occurrence of ticks on birds from 1984 to 1985, 2010 to 2011, and 2019. The five most abundant bird species changed across sampling periods. Bird species that hosted ticks during each sampling period and where at least five individuals hosted ticks in one sampling period were the American robin (Turdus migratorius Linnaeus), black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus L.), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata L.), gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis L.), northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis L.), song sparrow (Melospiza melodia Wilson), white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis Gmelin), and wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina Gmelin). The infestation intensity and prevalence of ticks on birds generally increased over time and appear to be driven by a rise in I. scapularis larvae. Finally, bird species predicted the number of I. scapularis larvae per bird and the proportion of birds carrying I. scapularis larvae. Birds may be increasingly important in the local maintenance and long-distance dispersal of I. scapularis, given the rise in the infestation intensity and prevalence of I. scapularis larvae.}, }
@article {pmid41855690, year = {2026}, author = {Machts, T and Kirschhock, ME and Nieder, A}, title = {Reaction-time signatures reveal divergent cognitive strategies underlying numerical decisions in monkeys and crows.}, journal = {Cognition}, volume = {273}, number = {}, pages = {106527}, doi = {10.1016/j.cognition.2026.106527}, pmid = {41855690}, issn = {1873-7838}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Reaction Time/physiology ; Male ; *Macaca mulatta/physiology ; *Cognition/physiology ; *Mathematical Concepts ; *Decision Making/physiology ; Female ; Species Specificity ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; }, abstract = {Non-symbolic numerical competence, supported by the approximate number system (ANS), is widespread across animals, yet it remains unclear whether similar numerical performance reflects shared cognitive mechanisms. We compared two rhesus monkeys and two carrion crows on an extended delayed match-to-numerosity task. Animals viewed a sample numerosity (one to four), maintained it across a delay, and searched sequentially through up to three test displays for a match. Behavioral accuracy was comparable across species, with both showing classical ANS signatures such as numerical distance and numerical size effects. However, reaction-time analyses revealed striking species differences: monkeys' responses slowed with increasing numerosity and later test phases, whereas crows responded faster over later test phases and showed numerosity-invariant reaction times. Classifier decoding further confirmed that numerosity and test phase were strongly reflected in monkeys' reaction times but only weakly in crows'. These findings demonstrate that equivalent numerical performance can arise from fundamentally different cognitive strategies, as revealed by distinct reaction-time dynamics, highlighting how evolutionary constraints shape species-specific solutions to the same computational problem. ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY: Monkeys solve an abstract-category delayed match-to-sample task through slow, capacity-limited, sequential checking, whereas crows rely on fast, parallel, anticipatory processing with reduced working-memory load.}, }
@article {pmid41859994, year = {2026}, author = {Sıtkı, A and Diren Sığırcı, B}, title = {Zoonotic risk of Campylobacter spp. in urban wild birds: Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiles in Istanbul, Türkiye.}, journal = {Polish journal of veterinary sciences}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {49-54}, doi = {10.24425/pjvs.2026.158500}, pmid = {41859994}, issn = {2300-2557}, mesh = {Animals ; *Campylobacter/drug effects/isolation & purification/classification ; *Campylobacter Infections/veterinary/epidemiology/microbiology ; *Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Birds ; Turkey/epidemiology ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/epidemiology ; Animals, Wild ; *Zoonoses/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; *Bacterial Zoonoses/epidemiology/microbiology ; Humans ; Feces/microbiology ; }, abstract = {The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter species in urban wild birds living alongside humans in Istanbul, to determine the species distribution of isolated strains, and to characterize their antimicrobial resistance profiles. In this study, 150 fresh fecal samples from wild birds living alongside humans (crows and seagulls living along the coastlines, and pigeons living in tourist areas in the city center) were collected from various regions of Istanbul, Türkiye. For Campylobacter isolation, mCCDA agar was inoculated, and suspected isolates identified as Campylobacter spp. by biochemical tests were identified by PCR. The phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the isolated strains were determined. When fecal samples were examined using conventional methods, Campylobacter spp. was isolated from 2/150 (1.33%). As a result of mPCR applied to DNAs obtained directly from the examination samples, 16 Campylobacter spp. were found in 15/150 (10%). 14 of these (93.3%) were identified as C. coli, and 2 (12.5%) were identified as C. jejuni. Campylobacter was detected in 11 of 127 pigeons (8.66%), while 10 (7.87%) were identified as C. coli, and 2 (1.57%) were identified as C. jejuni; Campylobacter was detected in 4 of 22 seagulls (18.18%), and all were identified as C. coli. When the sample collection regions were compared, the frequency of Campylobacter spp. was highest in Beyazıt Square (60%), followed by Küçükçekmece Beach (40%). As a result of antimicrobial susceptibility tests and PCR performed for the presence of tet(O), aphA-3 and gyrA genes, gyrA gene was found in both isolates, while tet(O) and aphA-3 genes were not detected. This study revealed that urban wild bird populations resident in Istanbul are a significant reservoir for thermophilic Campylobacter species and pose a potential public health risk.}, }
@article {pmid41860181, year = {2026}, author = {Wu, C and Zhang, Y and Chen, Z and Fu, H and Du, Z and Chen, L and Wang, G and Mao, J and Hu, L}, title = {Molecular Mechanisms of CLCN5 Missense Mutations in Dent Disease Type 1: A Comprehensive Computational Analysis and Clinical Correlations in a Chinese Cohort.}, journal = {Journal of cellular and molecular medicine}, volume = {30}, number = {6}, pages = {e71108}, pmid = {41860181}, issn = {1582-4934}, support = {R25H120005//Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province/ ; 82200784//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; Male ; China ; *Chloride Channels/genetics/chemistry ; *Computational Biology/methods ; *Dent Disease/genetics ; *Genetic Diseases, X-Linked/genetics ; Molecular Dynamics Simulation ; *Mutation, Missense ; *Nephrolithiasis/genetics ; East Asian People/genetics ; }, abstract = {Dent's disease, an X-linked recessive disorder predominantly affecting males, is characterized by nephrocalcinosis, nephrolithiasis, and a high risk of progression to end-stage renal disease. Dent's disease type 1, accounting for 60% of cases, caused by mutations in the CLCN5 gene encoding the chloride ion channel protein ClC-5, exhibits significant clinical heterogeneity and variability in disease progression. The lack of hotspot mutations poses challenges for genetic diagnosis and counselling, complicating the prediction of disease outcomes. This study systematically evaluated the functional and structural impacts of 181 CLCN5 missense mutations using computational tools, including PredictSNP, MAGPIE, and molecular dynamics simulations, to propose a robust method for improving genetic counselling and prognosis prediction. Our analysis identified mutations at the dimer interface and chloride selectivity filter as critical disruptors of ClC-5 function and stability. Notably, molecular dynamics simulations of L200R, P213L, and G512R mutations revealed that L200R significantly destabilized the protein structure. Clinical data from a multicentre cohort of Chinese patients with CLCN5 mutations corroborated our computational predictions, highlighting the essential role of helix O in ClC-5 function. By integrating bioinformatics analyses with clinical validation, this study provides molecular insights into Dent's disease heterogeneity and proposes a framework for enhancing genetic counselling and prognostic assessment for affected patients.}, }
@article {pmid41872050, year = {2026}, author = {de Guinea, M and Landesman, R and Madden, JR and Bugnyar, T and Bartan, Y and Nathan, R}, title = {Integrating Lab- and Field-Based Approaches to Decipher Individuals' Response to Anthropogenic Change.}, journal = {Ecology letters}, volume = {29}, number = {3}, pages = {e70366}, pmid = {41872050}, issn = {1461-0248}, support = {3-17405//Ministry of Science of Israel/ ; 2715/23//Israel Science Foundation/ ; //Hebrew University of Jerusalem/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Israel ; *Anthropogenic Effects ; Risk-Taking ; *Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {The global expansion of human activities increasingly exposes wild animals to novel, potentially threatening conditions. Consistent behavioural responses to perceived risk may be detrimental to wildlife, either by limiting foraging opportunities or by overexposing them to lethal hazards. We examine the relationship between risk responses, movement patterns and survival in fan-tailed ravens (Corvus rhipidurus) inhabiting Israel's Dead Sea coastline. We found consistent individual differences assessed through controlled laboratory assays (novel food, objects, environment and foraging near humans) and even stronger consistencies in the wild via GPS-derived movement metrics. While risk-prone ravens remained near tourist sites and travelled less, risk-averse individuals foraged farther towards the edge of their home ranges, avoiding human activity. Further, risk-averse individuals were more likely to survive over extended periods than risk-prone individuals. As anthropogenic change accelerates, variation in consistent risk-taking behaviour could determine individuals' capacity to adapt and survive and consequently shape population composition and persistence.}, }
@article {pmid41874137, year = {2026}, author = {Villalta-Paucar, M and Rebolledo-Etchepare, JV}, title = {Visual Attention in Real Classrooms: A Study with Eye-Tracking in Urban and Rural Schools of Chile.}, journal = {Journal of eye movement research}, volume = {19}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {41874137}, issn = {1995-8692}, support = {AYUDANTE_DICYT project, Code: 032556VP, Vicerrectoría de Investigación, Innovación y Creación.//Universidad de Santiago de Chile/ ; }, abstract = {Student gaze behavior has been scarcely studied in real Latin American primary school classrooms. The objective of this study is to analyze the relationship between primary students' eye behavior and cognitive development in urban and rural contexts. A quantitative method was employed, including 126 primary school students aged 6 to 8 years old, from urban and rural schools in Chile. Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices (CPM) measured cognitive development, and students' eye behavior was recorded during a real class using eye-tracking glasses. Eye behavior was analyzed in six areas of interest: (1) Own material (2) teacher, (3) teacher's material, (4) peer, (5) peer's material, and (6) non-interactional gaze. The results indicate that the CPM scale demonstrates adequate reliability (α = 0.89). In addition, no significant differences, nor relationship between eye behavior and cognitive development, were found by sex; however, significant differences were found by environment (urban versus rural). The regression analysis is significant (F(7, 102) = 6.173, p < 0.001) and suggests that gazing at the teacher's material and one's own material are negative predictors of non-interactional gaze or students' disconnection from the class. In conclusion, distraction in the classroom is influenced by learning-related contextual variables rather than sex or cognitive development.}, }
@article {pmid41874505, year = {2026}, author = {Yinon, R and Tal, D and Shaul-Millear, S and Kanat-Maymon, Y and Katzir, T and Karni, A}, title = {Kindergarten Screening for Early (Grade 1) and Late-Emerging (Grade 4) Dyslexia Risk.}, journal = {JAMA network open}, volume = {9}, number = {3}, pages = {e263036}, pmid = {41874505}, issn = {2574-3805}, mesh = {Humans ; *Dyslexia/diagnosis/epidemiology ; Female ; Male ; Child, Preschool ; Longitudinal Studies ; Israel/epidemiology ; Prospective Studies ; Child ; *Mass Screening/methods ; }, abstract = {IMPORTANCE: Pediatric primary care offers a unique opportunity for early dyslexia screening, yet validated prereading measures capturing the full spectrum of developmental risk are absent from standard assessments, representing a critical gap in preventive care. Establishing predictive validity of these measures is essential before clinical implementation.
OBJECTIVE: To examine whether and to what extent deficits in 4 cognitive-linguistic domains in kindergarten estimate risk for both early-emerging (grade 1) and late-emerging (grade 4) dyslexia.
This prospective longitudinal cohort study was conducted at 128 kindergartens and 60 public elementary schools representing diverse socioeconomic backgrounds in northern Israel from May 2019 to June 2023. Hebrew-speaking children who demonstrated age-appropriate nonverbal abilities (as assessed with the Raven Progressive Matrices) were included.
EXPOSURES: Exposures included 4 cognitive-linguistic measures, (1) phonological awareness, (2) rapid automatized naming, (3) letter knowledge, and (4) morphological awareness, assessed in kindergarten (May to June 2019).
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was dyslexia risk in grades 1 (January to March 2020) and 4 (February to June 2023), defined as word-reading fluency at or below the 10th percentile. Cognitive-linguistic and word-reading fluency composite scores were computed by averaging raw scores from 2 to 3 tasks. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations of cognitive-linguistic measures with dyslexia risk, which were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs.
RESULTS: Among 515 Hebrew-speaking children (285 girls [55.3%]; mean [SD] age, 5.9 [0.4] years), kindergarten deficits in letter knowledge (OR, 4.75; 95% CI, 2.04-11.04; P < .001) and phonological awareness (OR, 4.17; 95% CI, 2.05-8.47; P < .001) were associated with a 4- to 5-fold increased risk of dyslexia in grade 1. Deficits in letter knowledge (OR, 3.57; 95% CI, 1.53-8.31; P = .003), morphological awareness (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.09-5.97; P = .03), and rapid automatized naming (OR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.05-5.43; P = .04) were associated with a 2.4- to 3.6-fold increased risk of dyslexia in grade 4, independently of grade 1 risk (OR, 4.98; 95% CI, 2.22-11.13; P < .001).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In this cohort study of 515 children followed from kindergarten through grades 1 and 4, distinct patterns of cognitive-linguistic deficits in kindergarten were associated with 2- to 5-fold increased risk for early- and late-emerging dyslexia. These findings provide a foundational evidence base to support the integration of developmentally sensitive screening into pediatric surveillance frameworks, facilitating early identification and a shift from reactive to preventive care, including for children at risk of late-emerging dyslexia.}, }
@article {pmid41874758, year = {2026}, author = {Öztürk, M and Nacar, C and Nisbet, HÖ and Umur, Ş}, title = {Prevalence of Toxocara cati and the Role of Wild Birds as Paratenic Hosts: First Evidence from Türkiye.}, journal = {Acta parasitologica}, volume = {71}, number = {2}, pages = {}, pmid = {41874758}, issn = {1896-1851}, support = {BAP01-2024-5092//Ondokuz Mayıs University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (BAP)/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Toxocara/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; *Bird Diseases/parasitology/epidemiology ; *Birds/parasitology ; Prevalence ; *Animals, Wild/parasitology ; *Toxocariasis/epidemiology/parasitology/transmission ; DNA, Ribosomal Spacer/genetics/chemistry ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Larva ; Phylogeny ; Disease Reservoirs/parasitology ; DNA, Helminth/genetics/chemistry ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; }, abstract = {Purpose Toxocara cati is a zoonotic ascarid nematode primarily infecting felids, with various vertebrates serving as paratenic hosts. Despite its public health importance, the role of wild birds in the transmission dynamics of T. cati remains understudied in many regions. This study aimed to investigate the presence of T. cati larvae in wild birds in Türkiye, evaluating their role as paratenic hosts and their contribution to the environmental reservoir of this parasite.Methods A total of 102 deceased wild bird specimens from various species were examined at the Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Pectoral muscle tissues and internal organs were collected and processed using the artificial digestion method to recover nematode larvae. The recovered larvae were initially identified via light microscopy based on morphological characteristics. Molecular confirmation was performed by PCR amplification and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) ribosomal DNA region.Results Toxocara cati larvae were detected in 11 out of 102 specimens, representing a total prevalence of 10.78%. The parasite was identified in six different avian species: barn owl (Tyto alba), yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), common buzzard (Buteo buteo), long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus), tawny owl (Strix aluco), and carrion crow (Corvus corone). Both morphological features and phylogenetic analysis of the ITS sequences (GenBank accession numbers: PX443431–PX443438) confirmed the identity of the larvae as T. cati.Conclusion This study provides the first morphological and molecular evidence of T. cati in wild birds in Türkiye. The findings highlight that diverse wild bird species act as paratenic hosts, playing a significant role in the ecological maintenance and transmission of this zoonotic parasite. These results contribute to a better understanding of the environmental risk factors associated with toxocariasis and underscore the importance of wildlife surveillance within a One Health framework.}, }
@article {pmid41878109, year = {2026}, author = {Ayub, E and Lasekan, OA and Mathew, BS and Godoy Pena, MT and Bhat, AW}, title = {Beyond coverage: why Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana struggles to deliver healthcare in Jammu and Kashmir.}, journal = {Frontiers in public health}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1783458}, pmid = {41878109}, issn = {2296-2565}, mesh = {India ; Humans ; *Health Services Accessibility/statistics & numerical data/economics ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Male ; Female ; Health Literacy ; Adult ; *Insurance, Health/statistics & numerical data ; Interviews as Topic ; }, abstract = {Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), the biggest publicly financed health insurance program in the world, has substantial use issues, especially in places like Jammu and Kashmir that are affected by conflict. Despite the program's goal of ensuring equal and cashless access to healthcare, the existing literature does not offer region-specific insights into the actual obstacles preventing its adoption. This study intends to identify and measure the physical, administrative, financial, and informational hurdles experiences by the beneficiaries in the urban and semi-rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir face when utilizing PM-JAY. Primary data was gathered through structured interviews with 320 randomly chosen PM-JAY recipients using a cross-sectional approach. To evaluate the relative effects of various obstacles on scheme use, the study used binary logistic regression, chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and descriptive statistics. Despite being enrolled, only 48.4% of enrollees reported accessing PM-JAY services. The most significant positive predictors of usage were health literacy and awareness gaps, notably knowledge of empanelled hospital lists (OR = 1.245, p < 0.05) and awareness of scheme entitlement (OR = 1.253, p < 0.05). A statistically significant negative factor was inadequate road infrastructure (OR = 0.761, p < 0.05). Despite being often mentioned, administrative and financial obstacles were surprisingly not significant in the regression model. There were no discernible variations in use between the two districts, indicating problems with systemic access. Increasing PM-JAY use in disadvantaged areas requires more than just financial incentives; it also requires better physical infrastructure and informational availability. To convert coverage into useful access, policymakers should concentrate on region-specific IEC initiatives, transportation connectivity, and health system navigation support mechanisms. These interventions are essential for translating PM-JAY's theoretical coverage into meaningful, equitable healthcare access, particularly in underserved and fragile regions like Jammu and Kashmir.}, }
@article {pmid41880772, year = {2026}, author = {Lakshmi, R and Balasubramanian, V}, title = {Optimized Complex-Valued Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder detection in pediatric EEG signals.}, journal = {Computers in biology and medicine}, volume = {207}, number = {}, pages = {111625}, doi = {10.1016/j.compbiomed.2026.111625}, pmid = {41880772}, issn = {1879-0534}, mesh = {Humans ; *Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity/physiopathology/diagnosis ; *Electroencephalography/methods ; Graph Neural Networks ; *Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Child ; Algorithms ; Male ; Female ; }, abstract = {Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting mood, anxiety, learning, and sleep. Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals assist diagnosis, but challenges include complexity, nonlinearity, non-stationarity, overlapping patterns, and limited feature interpretability. To address these issues, Optimized Complex-Valued Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Networks for ADHD Detection in Pediatric EEG Signals (c) is proposed. Input signals are collected from an EEG dataset for ADHD and an EEG dataset of children with Learning Disabilities (LD). Preprocessing is performed using a Multi-Window Savitzky-Golay Filter (MWSGF) to remove noise and artifacts, followed by the Synchro Transient Extracting Transform (STET) for extracting EEG channel features. These features are input into a Complex-Valued Spatio-Temporal Graph Convolutional Network (CSTGCN), classifying signals into ADHD or No-ADHD, and LD or No-LD. Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm (RBBMO) is employed to optimize the network weights. Implemented in Python, the proposed CSTGCN-ADHD-EEG framework achieves 99.46% accuracy and 98.32% precision, outperforming existing models.}, }
@article {pmid41883746, year = {2026}, author = {Espinosa-Colín, M and de la Cruz, C and Gutiérrez, JS}, title = {Experimental evidence for flexibility in provisioning behavior in a cooperatively breeding bird.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology}, volume = {37}, number = {3}, pages = {arag021}, pmid = {41883746}, issn = {1045-2249}, abstract = {The flexible-investment hypothesis posits that parents should allocate their resources according to offspring needs. The available evidence suggests that this is valid in most avian biparental care systems; yet, experiments designed to quantify the degree to which caregivers respond to the demands of offspring are rare in cooperative breeding systems, where offspring are reared by individuals additional to the breeding pair (ie helpers). By cross-fostering Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki) chicks of different ages, we tested whether breeders and helpers adjust both the duration and intensity of care in response to brood developmental stage. Both breeders and helpers (all males) prolonged their nestling care period when raising chicks younger than their own and shortened it when raising chicks older than their own, with no detectable effect on reproductive success. Overall, provisioning increased when the chick-rearing period was experimentally shortened and decreased when it was prolonged. Yet, the magnitude of these responses differed among carer statuses. In the shortening experiment, female breeders showed the strongest increase in provisioning, whereas helpers showed little or no change. In contrast, during brood prolongation, provisioning declined in all carer types but was most pronounced in breeders. Overall, these results support the flexible-investment hypothesis while indicating that helpers exhibit more limited flexibility in their feeding responses than breeders. Combined with previous observational work, our results are consistent with the idea that helping behavior may function in part as a signal to gain direct benefits through reciprocity.}, }
@article {pmid41884391, year = {2026}, author = {Osuna Arellano, A and Ranneva, E and Doroshenko, O and Mustafina, A and Deprez, P}, title = {Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Injectable Non-Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid Associated with a Protective Buffer in Patients with Photoaging of the Periorbital Area.}, journal = {Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology}, volume = {19}, number = {}, pages = {571896}, pmid = {41884391}, issn = {1178-7015}, abstract = {PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of injectable non-crosslinked HA associated with a protective buffer in patients with photoaging, particularly in lateral canthal rhytids.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a post-market interventional clinical investigation in patients with lateral canthal rhytids graded between 1 and 4 based on the crow's feet grading scale who received a single session of the product in the periorbital area. The primary endpoint of this clinical investigation was improvement in hydration. Secondary endpoints included the evaluation of the product efficacy against lateral canthal rhytids and infraorbital dark circles, subjects' and investigator's satisfaction, as well as the occurrence of any adverse events. The follow-up was for 7 days.
RESULTS: The study included 34 patients (6 male and 28 female) with a mean age of 53 ± 7.58 years. The mean corneometric index (CM value) increased from 57.17 ± 11.04 to 58.83 ± 7.36 (p < 0.05). Dynamic rhytids reduced by 6%, with a significant reduction in the crow's feet grading scale from 2.76 ± 0.69 to 2.59 ± 0.76 (p < 0.05). Infraorbital dark circles improved in 50% of patients. Patients' satisfaction was similar to the evaluators' satisfaction, with 74% of the patients rating the outcome as "improved" or " much improved", and 68% of evaluators rating the outcome as "improved" or "much improved" on the Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale (GAIS). Mild ecchymosis was the only reported adverse event.
CONCLUSION: Non-cross-linked HA associated with a protective buffer is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for the consequences of photoaging in the periorbital area.}, }
@article {pmid41901761, year = {2026}, author = {Perdikaris, S and Evangelidou, M and Diamantopoulos, G and Kofidou, E and Markakis, G and Vourvidis, D and Papadogiannakis, E and Komnenou, A and Angelakis, E}, title = {Molecular Evidence of Zoonotic Pathogens in Free-Living Wild Birds: A Greek Surveillance Study.}, journal = {Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {41901761}, issn = {2076-0817}, mesh = {Animals ; Greece/epidemiology ; *Birds/microbiology/parasitology ; *Zoonoses/microbiology/epidemiology/parasitology ; *Animals, Wild/microbiology/parasitology ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/epidemiology/parasitology ; }, abstract = {Wild birds are increasingly recognized as contributors to the circulation and environmental dissemination of zoonotic pathogens, yet data from Greece remain limited, particularly for raptors, corvids, and water birds. This study investigated selected parasitic, mycotic, and bacterial pathogens of public health relevance in free-living wild birds originating from various regions of Greece and admitted to two animal health care facilities. Between November 2023 and May 2025, cloacal swabs from 212 injured or sick birds were analyzed using quantitative PCR for Cryptococcus spp., Chlamydia psittaci, Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., and Mycobacterium avium. At least one pathogen was detected in 37 samples (17.5%), with Cryptococcus spp. being the most frequent agent (11.8%), followed by C. psittaci (3.8%), G. duodenalis (0.9%), and Cryptosporidium spp. (0.9%). M. avium was not detected. Pathogen occurrence varied by bird category, genus, and region, and was associated with health status. To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first molecular evidence worldwide of G. duodenalis in Ardea spp., Cryptosporidium spp. in Asio otus, and C. psittaci in Botaurus stellaris and Plegadis falcinellus. These findings highlight wild birds as potential zoonotic reservoirs and support the implementation of One Health-oriented surveillance programs.}, }
@article {pmid41912659, year = {2026}, author = {Wang, H and Xin, Z and Qi, X and Zhou, Q and Liu, J and Li, Z}, title = {Enhanced Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer for engineering optimization problems.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41912659}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {The design of efficient and robust metaheuristic algorithms remains a fundamental challenge in addressing complex optimization problems, particularly those involving high dimensionality, nonlinearity, and multimodal landscapes where traditional methods often struggle. To overcome these difficulties and enhance search effectiveness and adaptability, this paper proposes the Enhanced Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (ERBMO), an improved variant of the recently introduced Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO). ERBMO integrates three synergistic enhancement mechanisms: Diversity-adaptive weight updating, Periodic pattern search, and Evolutionary probabilistic combinatorial mutation. These components are specifically designed to strengthen population diversity, mitigate premature convergence, and achieve a dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation throughout the optimization process. Comprehensive evaluations demonstrate the superior performance of ERBMO. On the CEC2017 benchmark suite, ERBMO achieves the highest Friedman rankings across all tested dimensions, with average ranks of 1.667 (30D), 1.433 (50D), and 1.133 (100D), consistently outperforming the original RBMO which ranked second. On the CEC2022 benchmark suite, ERBMO again secures the top overall rankings for both 10D (1.833) and 20D (1.833), surpassing nine state-of-the-art algorithms including ESC and RBMO. Ablation study results confirm the effectiveness of each proposed strategy, as the complete ERBMO achieves superior Friedman rankings (2.282 for 10D, 2.140 for 20D) compared to variants with any single strategy removed. Furthermore, when compared against classical algorithms (PSO, DE, CMA-ES) and their advanced variants (SaDE, LSHADE) on CEC2022, ERBMO obtains the best overall rankings (3.550 for 10D, 3.089 for 20D). When applied to four real-world engineering design problems-speed reducer, pressure vessel, step-cone pulley, and hydrostatic thrust bearing-ERBMO consistently ranks first, achieving optimal or near-optimal solutions with superior robustness. The superior performance across both benchmark and practical problems highlights the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed improvements. This work presents a framework for engineering optimization and metaheuristic algorithm design. The source code of ERBMO is publicly available at: https://github.com/x5865/Enhanced-Red-billed-Blue-Magpie-Optimizer-ERBMO- .}, }
@article {pmid41915688, year = {2026}, author = {Gaviria-Alzate, SJ and Arcila-Rojas, C and González, LÁ and Monsalve, JP and Taborda, JA and Restrepo, L and Valencia-Sánchez, WG}, title = {Power and influence in world-level sport coaching: A Foucauldian and Raven-informed interpretive vignette study in underwater rugby.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {3}, pages = {e0345874}, pmid = {41915688}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Humans ; *Mentoring/methods ; Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; *Football ; Male ; *Athletes/psychology ; *Power, Psychological ; *Rugby ; }, abstract = {This study examined how world-level underwater rugby coaches mobilise interpersonal power to shape athletes' behaviour, cohesion and self-regulation under high-pressure, low-verbal conditions. Anchored in Foucauldian accounts of power/knowledge and Raven's interpersonal power bases, we examined how trust, expertise and authority were narrated within an embodied coaching ecology. An interpretive qualitative vignette design with a hermeneutic sensibility was employed with three world-champion coaches (aged 42-44; ≥ 12 years' international experience). Data were generated via an online questionnaire comprising ten high stakes coaching scenarios. For each vignette, participants selected the single response option that best approximated their likely first-line action (mapped at design time to French and Raven's power bases, including informational power) and provided a brief open-text rationale. Analysis combined a deliberately modest descriptive use of the closed selections with reflexive thematic analysis of the written rationales, treating the taxonomy as a sensitising framework at interpretation. Three themes captured coaches' influence work: relational anchoring under aquatic risk; expertise as embodied pedagogy, in which brief reasons were folded into demonstration; and boundary-setting governance, in which formal authority was framed as selective and proportionate. The contribution is not a general revision of power theory, but a context-specific refinement. In low-verbal aquatic settings, influence was narrated as a compressed choreography in which referent trust opens receptivity to expert demonstration, informational reasoning is nested within expert guidance, and formal authority operates mainly as a bounded safety and standards resource.}, }
@article {pmid41939003, year = {2026}, author = {Lee, T and Barrett, M and Pilon, L and Shultz, AJ and McGlynn, T}, title = {Population- and Species-Level Variation in Near- and Mid-infrared Radiation in Birds: A Preliminary Analysis.}, journal = {Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England)}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {obag006}, pmid = {41939003}, issn = {2517-4843}, abstract = {Animal coloration has diverse functions, such as camouflage, communication, thermoregulation, and protection from UV damage and more, and can be shaped by environmental selective pressures. Some climatic selective pressures are strong enough to produce consistent patterns in many species across large-scale geographic gradients, leading to the creation of macrophysiological rules such as Gloger's rule, which predicts that endothermic populations in hot, humid areas will be visibly darker than those in cool, dry areas, and the thermal melanism hypothesis, which predicts that ectothermic animals will be visibly darker in cooler areas. While these rules often capture trends in animal absorptance in the visible spectrum, wavelengths of visible light are not the only relevant wavelengths to an animal's energy budget: solar radiation extends beyond the visible spectrum [0.4-0.7 μm] into the near-infrared; thus, thermal pressures may result in changes in surface reflectance characteristics beyond the visible [e.g., 0.7-2.5 μm] in birds. Further, heat exchange with the environment extends into the mid-infrared (MIR), including heat loss through the atmospheric transparency window [8-14 μm]. It is unknown whether animal absorptance in the NIR or emittance in MIR might also follow macrophysiological rules, as seen in the visible spectrum, such as more absorptance of NIR and less emittance of MIR in cooler areas for ectotherms under the thermal melanism hypothesis. Here, we examine both UV-NIR absorptance and MIR emittance in five species of birds: the Great Horned Owl, Northern Bobwhite, Steller's Jay, Song Sparrow, and Common Raven. We show that NIR absorptance varies by species and population, corresponding to their habitat and thermoregulatory strategies. MIR emittance, in contrast, was stable across species and populations but differed slightly across populations of Northern Bobwhites. We conclude by highlighting the importance of considering the full spectrum from UV to MIR in research on animal adaptation. Further consideration of infrared radiation is necessary for a complete view of animals' phenotypic diversity and possible responses to thermal challenge.}, }
@article {pmid41940450, year = {2026}, author = {Malhi, GS}, title = {Gordon's penchant for ginning up controversy: A fetish for argumentation?.}, journal = {Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {10398562261438782}, doi = {10.1177/10398562261438782}, pmid = {41940450}, issn = {1440-1665}, abstract = {In September 2025, I accepted an invitation to speak at Professor Gordon Parker's Festschrift. This paper reflects on some of the topics I expounded upon in my presentation. When executed properly, debating involves skilful and erudite critique, for which Gordon's marvellous mind is innately suited. Therefore, in this paper, I argue that this seemingly innate ability has contributed to his success in argumentation as well as his penchant for entertaining academic discourse. To illustrate this, I retrace an ongoing debate that he and I have had over the past two decades that concerns the validity of subtyping bipolar disorder. Gordon is the quintessential academic gladiator as he never cowers and seldom crows. Consequently, his contributions to the field of mood disorders have been phenomenal and time and again he has proven that he is a true champion. Hence, it is a pleasure to celebrate him and his achievements.}, }
@article {pmid41942990, year = {2026}, author = {Gona, PN and Estrada-Martinez, LM and Zhang, L and Gona, CM and Mody, A and Rao, SR and Cooper, J and Mack-Shelton, K and Chen, P and Leveille, SG and Mokdad, AH and , }, title = {Correction: Racial disparity in mortality from tuberculosis in the US between states with and without a history of Jim‑Crow laws: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) and risk factors study, 1990 to 2019.}, journal = {BMC public health}, volume = {26}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41942990}, issn = {1471-2458}, }
@article {pmid41943001, year = {2026}, author = {Hamza, DA and Rabiee, RM}, title = {Molecular detection of Chlamydia psittaci in wild birds, broiler chickens, and sheep in Egypt: a public health concern.}, journal = {BMC veterinary research}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41943001}, issn = {1746-6148}, mesh = {Animals ; *Chlamydophila psittaci/isolation & purification/genetics ; Egypt/epidemiology ; *Psittacosis/veterinary/epidemiology/microbiology ; Phylogeny ; *Chickens/microbiology ; Sheep/microbiology ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/genetics ; Prevalence ; Animals, Wild/microbiology ; *Sheep Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology ; *Birds/microbiology ; *Bird Diseases/epidemiology/microbiology ; Public Health ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Chlamydia psittaci is a neglected pathogen of global concern, characterized by significant zoonotic and spillover potential, posing considerable risks to public health. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of C. psittaci in broiler chickens, wild resident birds, and sheep in Egypt using molecular detection and sequence analysis to explore possible zoonotic relevance. METHODS: A total of 230 oropharyngeal swabs were collected from apparently healthy animals, including broiler chickens (n = 100), resident wild birds (n = 80; hooded crows n = 20, cattle egrets n = 20, rock pigeons n = 20, and laughing doves n = 20), and sheep (n = 50). Genomic DNA was extracted and screened using PCR targeting the Chlamydia genus-specific 16S rRNA gene. Species identification of C. psittaci was confirmed by amplification of the ompA gene. Moreover, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the ompA gene were performed. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of C. psittaci was 3.5% (8/230). Positive samples were identified in broiler chickens (5/100; 5%), hooded crows (1/20; 5%), rock pigeons (1/20; 5%), and sheep (1/50; 2%), while cattle egrets and laughing doves tested negative. Phylogenetic analysis of the ompA gene sequence showed close clustering with previously reported C. psittaci strains from seabirds, confirming a strong genetic relationship. CONCLUSION: The detection of C. psittaci in broiler chicken, wild birds, and sheep within the same geographic area highlights the potential circulation of this pathogen among multiple host species. These findings emphasize the importance of developing targeted surveillance systems and implementing One Health control strategies.}, }
@article {pmid41946605, year = {2026}, author = {Huang, X and Fei, Y and Hu, Z}, title = {Letter to the Editor: Treatment of acute trauma-related pain in children and adolescents with methoxyflurane (Penthrox®) compared to placebo (MAGPIE): A randomised clinical trial.}, journal = {Injury}, volume = {57}, number = {6}, pages = {113244}, doi = {10.1016/j.injury.2026.113244}, pmid = {41946605}, issn = {1879-0267}, }
@article {pmid41951184, year = {2026}, author = {Nakano, S and Tashiro, Y and Fukuchi, H and Aizawa, S and Takeuchi, S}, title = {Constitutive activation of MC1R in the large-billed crow (Corvus macrorhynchos) and its potential role in black plumage.}, journal = {General and comparative endocrinology}, volume = {380}, number = {}, pages = {114924}, doi = {10.1016/j.ygcen.2026.114924}, pmid = {41951184}, issn = {1095-6840}, mesh = {Animals ; *Receptor, Melanocortin, Type 1/metabolism/genetics ; *Crows/metabolism/genetics ; *Feathers/metabolism ; Pigmentation/genetics/physiology ; Humans ; Cricetulus ; HEK293 Cells ; CHO Cells ; }, abstract = {Melanin-based plumage coloration in birds is largely regulated by the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), a G protein-coupled receptor that promotes eumelanin synthesis via cAMP signaling. In domestic chickens, constitutively activating mutations such as the MC1R^E (E92K) allele cause melanistic phenotypes, demonstrating that persistent MC1R activation can drive generalized darkening. However, to our knowledge, no experimental study has directly demonstrated constitutive MC1R activation in wild birds exhibiting uniformly black plumage. We investigated the sequence and signaling properties of MC1R from the Large-billed Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), a species with strongly eumelanin-dominant plumage. Crow MC1R exhibited elevated basal cAMP signaling and minimal responsiveness to α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in both stable Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells and transient CRE-luciferase assays in HEK293T cells, demonstrating ligand-independent activation comparable to that observed in the melanizing chicken MC1R^E (E92K) allele. Comparative sequence analysis identified multiple substitutions conserved across Corvus species. Among these, E12K and E18K were functionally evaluated based on prior associations with melanism in other birds. Although E12K modestly increased basal signaling in chicken MC1R, E18K alone or in combination with E12K did not reproduce crow-level constitutive activity, and reciprocal substitutions in crow MC1R failed to abolish ligand-independent activation. These findings demonstrate that crow MC1R possesses constitutive activity and suggest that this phenotype reflects lineage-specific modifications rather than a single activating substitution. Our results provide experimental evidence that constitutive MC1R activation is a plausible molecular mechanism that may contribute to the black plumage in the Large-billed Crow, although a direct causal relationship remains to be established.}, }
@article {pmid41970607, year = {2026}, author = {Tsakmakidis, I and Moustakidis, K and Alvanou, MV and Lefkaditis, M and Athanasakopoulou, Z and Zaralis, K and Giantsis, IA}, title = {Migratory and opportunistic wild and domestic birds, as Toxoplasma gondii carriers.}, journal = {Parasite epidemiology and control}, volume = {33}, number = {}, pages = {e00502}, pmid = {41970607}, issn = {2405-6731}, abstract = {Toxoplasmosis is among the most prevalent parasitic diseases worldwide. Birds are important intermediate hosts and are regarded as good carriers or reservoirs for Toxoplasma gondii, because of their high dispersal capabilities and moreover they can act as sentinels of environmental contamination with oocysts. Birds can become infected by ingesting sporulated oocysts from contaminated feed, water, or soil, or for carnivorous birds, by ingesting tissue cysts of infected prey. On the other hand, infected birds, as frequent prey for felines, can transmit T. gondii to the definitive hosts. To the best of our knowledge, there are no data on T. gondii infection in birds in the territory of Greece. In this study we estimated the occurrence of T. gondii in various wild and farm bird species in Greece using molecular techniues, contributing to the update of knowledge about the diffusion of toxoplasmosis in birds. Results revealed that 14% (14/100) of examined magpies (Pica pica) 31.25%, of rock partridges (Alectoris graeca graeca) (5/16), 35.71% (10/28) of wild quails (Coturnix coturnix), 0% of Eurasian woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) (0/20) and 0% (0/107) of farmed quails, were detected positive to infection, after the molecular examination of bird brains, resulting in an overall prevalence of 10.70% (29/271). This study represents the first confirmed report of T. gondii natural infection in rock partridges worldwide, while also the first proven report in magpies, rock partridges and common quails in Greece.}, }
@article {pmid41978835, year = {2026}, author = {Ajai, AK}, title = {Multi-omics data integration for disease phenotype prediction using adversarial vision graph networks.}, journal = {Health information science and systems}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {55}, pmid = {41978835}, issn = {2047-2501}, abstract = {Disease Phenotype Prediction is the process of predicting the manifestation of specific observable features related to a disease based on genetic data. The primary challenge is to predict disease phenotypes accurately by integrating heterogeneous, high-dimensional multi-omics data and environmental factors while considering complex interactions between genetic and environmental influences. Hence, an Adversarial Vision Graph Network with Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (Adv-VGN_RBMO) model is developed for disease phenotype prediction to allow for earlier detection of diseases based on genetic signatures, potentially improving patient outcomes. Here, the input Messenger Ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and Micro Ribonucleic acid (miRNA) expression data are accumulated, and then, the input mRNA and miRNA expression data are directed to the mRNA and miRNA interaction network. These interactions help reveal the pathways responsible for regulating gene activity. Moreover, both omics datasets and the results of their interaction network are provided as inputs to the phenotype prediction model. Here, the disease phenotype prediction is achieved by the Adv-VGN_RBMO model. The hyperparameters of Adv-VGN are tuned by Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO). Moreover, the Adv-VGN_RBMO recorded 95.988% recall, 95.168% accuracy and 94.768% precision with K-fold 8.}, }
@article {pmid41984251, year = {2026}, author = {Wascher, CAF and Dufour, V}, title = {Editorial: vocal communication in corvids.}, journal = {Animal cognition}, volume = {29}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {41984251}, issn = {1435-9456}, mesh = {Animals ; *Vocalization, Animal ; Biological Evolution ; Female ; *Crows/physiology ; }, abstract = {Corvids are one of the most prominent avian taxa for the study of animal behaviour and cognition, yet their vocal communication remains comparatively understudied. This special collection synthesizes current research on the ontogeny, mechanisms, functions, and evolutionary trajectories of corvid vocal systems through the lens of Tinbergen’s four questions. Contributions highlight early emergence of vocal individuality and socio-contextual plasticity in vocal behaviour across development. Corvid vocal sequences often conform to linguistic laws like Menzerath’s law, while also exhibiting context-sensitive modulation. Experimental work demonstrates advanced vocal flexibility and cognitive control: rooks can learn human verbal commands by attending primarily to auditory cues, and perceive rhythmic variations and flexibly adjust vocal timing in response to tempo and metrical changes, even without full entrainment, positioning corvids as promising models for exploring the evolutionary roots of rhythm and musicality. Field-based experiments show that female jackdaws recognize mates’ contact calls under natural conditions, supporting social coordination and pair-bond stability. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrate how ecological pressures and social complexity shape acoustic structure across the Corvidae family, while novel biologging and machine-learning approaches promise to overcome methodological challenges in studying vocal communication in corvids. Together, these findings position corvids as a powerful model for exploring the evolution of communication systems and their cognitive underpinnings.}, }
@article {pmid41984915, year = {2026}, author = {Shimazu, Y and Isoda, N and Hiono, T and Hew, YL and Kobayashi, D and Shibazaki, M and Nguyen, BL and Morita, T and Obara, RD and Miki, M and Osaki, H and Shishido, T and Ikenaka, Y and Sakoda, Y}, title = {Evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of baloxavir marboxil against high pathogenicity avian influenza virus infection in duck model.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {4}, pages = {e0347205}, pmid = {41984915}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; Ducks/virology ; *Influenza in Birds/drug therapy/virology ; Morpholines ; *Triazines/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics/pharmacology ; *Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use/pharmacology/pharmacokinetics ; *Dibenzothiepins/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics/pharmacology ; *Pyridones/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics ; *Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype/pathogenicity/drug effects ; Virus Shedding/drug effects ; *Oxazines/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics/pharmacology ; *Thiepins/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics/pharmacology ; Disease Models, Animal ; *Pyridines/therapeutic use/pharmacokinetics/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {High pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) infections have been frequently reported in wild birds since 2020. Because HPAIV infection has occasionally caused outbreaks in captive rare birds, treatment using antiviral drugs has been considered from the perspective of conservation medicine. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of baloxavir marboxil (BXM) was evaluated using a duck model to support the establishment of post-infection strategies for captive avian species. Sixteen four-week-old ducks were divided into four groups and intranasally inoculated with the HPAIV strain, A/crow/Hokkaido/0103B065/2022 (H5N1). BXM was administered orally once daily at doses of 12.5, 2.5, 0.5, or 0 mg/kg to each of the four groups from 2 to 6 days post-infection. Blood samples were collected at 2, 8, and 24 hours after the initial BXM administration to measure the plasma concentrations of its active form, baloxavir acid (BXA). All ducks were monitored until 14 days post-infection, and oral and cloacal swabs were collected for virus recovery. All eight ducks administered either 12.5 or 2.5 mg/kg of BXM survived, demonstrating a significant reduction in virus recovery compared with the 0 mg/kg group. To further characterize the relationship between BXA exposure and virus shedding, an additional experiment was conducted in which ducks received a single oral administration of BXM at doses of 7.3, 4.3, or 0.5 mg/kg at 2 days post-infection. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic analysis of BXA across all dose groups showed that reductions in virus shedding from oral swabs were positively correlated with BXA exposure, and AUC0-24hr exhibited the strongest association. These findings demonstrate that BXM administration within 48 hours post-HPAIV infection in ducks effectively reduces mortality and virus shedding. Comparison of pharmacokinetic parameters may facilitate the estimation of optimal BXM dosing options for captive avian species.}, }
@article {pmid41986733, year = {2026}, author = {Nieder, A}, title = {Feathered primate of the air: the carrion crow as model in cognitive neuroscience.}, journal = {Lab animal}, volume = {55}, number = {5}, pages = {153-155}, pmid = {41986733}, issn = {1548-4475}, support = {NI 618/15-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; NI 618/16-1 (FOR-5768)//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation)/ ; }, }
@article {pmid41990675, year = {2026}, author = {Dai, Z and Li, J and Liu, S and Fu, H}, title = {Optimization and control of wastewater treatment using a multi-strategy improved red-billed blue magpie optimizer and hybrid neural network.}, journal = {Journal of environmental management}, volume = {405}, number = {}, pages = {129661}, doi = {10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.129661}, pmid = {41990675}, issn = {1095-8630}, mesh = {*Neural Networks, Computer ; *Wastewater ; *Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods ; Algorithms ; }, abstract = {Amid the challenge of balancing energy consumption and effluent quality in wastewater treatment, this study proposes a dynamic optimization control method integrating a Multi-strategy Improved Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (MIRBMO) with a CNN-BiLSTM-Attention neural network to optimize energy consumption (EC) and effluent quality (EQ). The CNN-BiLSTM-Attention neural network models the EQ-EC relationship. MIRBMO, enhanced by chaotic initialization, spiral search, and Cauchy mutation, demonstrates superior performance on multi-objective benchmark functions with 43-98% average IGD reduction and 15-35% average HV increase on the ZDT test suite, and comparative experiments against seven state-of-the-art metaheuristic algorithms (NSGA-II,SBOA, GKSO, BWO, COA, ARO, and AVOA) confirm its overall superiority across all performance metrics. An intelligent decision system selects optimal solutions, tracked by a PI controller. Evaluated on the Benchmark Simulation Model No. 1 (BSM1), the MIRBMO-CNN-BiLSTM-Attention-PI method achieves a 5.56% reduction in energy consumption while ensuring effluent quality compliance, significantly lowering costs and supporting carbon neutrality in wastewater treatment.}, }
@article {pmid41996616, year = {2026}, author = {Staff, T and Staff, R and Gobet, F and Bishop, D and Parton, A}, title = {The Effect of Cognitive Ability on Novices' Learning of a Field Hockey Motor Skill.}, journal = {Research quarterly for exercise and sport}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-11}, doi = {10.1080/02701367.2026.2655029}, pmid = {41996616}, issn = {2168-3824}, abstract = {Elite athletic performance is linked to advanced cognitive functioning, yet cognition's role in motor skill acquisition among novices remains underexplored. This study examined how cognition influences learning a complex field hockey skill in participants with minimal prior experience. Forty novices (mean age = 20.04 years) completed a hockey ball control task assessed across six timepoints, three before and three after viewing a coaching video of an expert performing the task. Cognitive measures included fluid intelligence (Raven's Progressive Matrices), crystallized intelligence (Spot-the-Word), working memory (OSpan), perceptual speed (Inspection Time), and psychomotor ability (Fitts's task). Declarative and procedural knowledge were also recorded. Performance was evaluated using positional and technical scoring systems. Gains through repetition were modeled via linear regression. No overall significant improvement occurred during uncoached repetition. However, crystallized intelligence predicted individual differences in pre-coaching gains while fluid intelligence was positively associated with immediate coaching effects. Post-intervention improvements were predicted by working memory capacity and number of practice attempts. Psychomotor ability predicted gains through repetition both before and after intervention. Distinct cognitive domains support different phases of motor learning. Cognitive profiling may inform talent identification in early skill acquisition.}, }
@article {pmid42008138, year = {2026}, author = {Dobrev, D and Lorenz, K}, title = {Ursula Ravens - recipient of the Schmiedeberg Medal: a distinguished career dedicated to cardiovascular pharmacology and cardiac electrophysiology.}, journal = {Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology}, volume = {399}, number = {10}, pages = {16583-16588}, pmid = {42008138}, issn = {1432-1912}, }
@article {pmid42018300, year = {2026}, author = {Nakayama, DK and McElveen, K}, title = {Medical Student Contributions to Surgical Innovation: Historical Lessons for Modern Training.}, journal = {The American surgeon}, volume = {92}, number = {9}, pages = {2481-2485}, doi = {10.1177/00031348261446636}, pmid = {42018300}, issn = {1555-9823}, mesh = {History, 20th Century ; Humans ; *General Surgery/history/education ; *Students, Medical/history ; History, 19th Century ; United States ; *Education, Medical/history ; }, abstract = {Several advances in surgery originated from observations made by medical students during their training. Although students are usually viewed primarily as learners, their position at the intersection of scientific study and patient care gave a handful a chance to have significant impact. Jean-François Calot described the hepatocystic triangle in his doctoral thesis, establishing an anatomical principle that remains central to safe cholecystectomy. Harvey Cushing and Ernest Amory Codman developed the anesthesia record, a chart that tracks vital signs during surgery and became the foundation of modern perioperative monitoring. Jay McLean identified anticoagulant substances that led to the discovery of heparin, enabling the development of vascular and cardiac surgery. After reasoning that platelets were destroyed in the spleen, Paul Kaznelson proposed splenectomy as treatment for immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Charles Best's observation that ligation of the pancreatic duct in dogs caused atrophy of the exocrine pancreas while preserving the islets led to the isolation of insulin, one of the most important therapeutic discoveries in medicine. Seeking a more efficient method of blood transfusion, Michael DeBakey designed the roller pump, a device that later became essential to cardiopulmonary bypass. As a medical student at Johns Hopkins, David C. Sabiston Jr participated in early work with Mark Ravitch exploring restorative operations for ulcerative colitis. Thomas Fogarty conceived the balloon embolectomy catheter after seeing the difficulty of removing arterial emboli. These episodes illustrate how curiosity and careful observation during medical education can produce insights that shape surgical practice for decades.}, }
@article {pmid42019057, year = {2026}, author = {Sun, ZH and Zhang, RY and Zhen, Z and Wang, DH and Li, YJ and Wan, X and You, H}, title = {Systematic Abductive Reasoning via Diverse Relation Representations in Vector-Symbolic Architecture.}, journal = {IEEE transactions on neural networks and learning systems}, volume = {PP}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1109/TNNLS.2026.3684958}, pmid = {42019057}, issn = {2162-2388}, abstract = {In abstract visual reasoning, monolithic deep learning models suffer from limited interpretability and generalization, while existing neuro-symbolic approaches fall short in capturing the diversity and systematicity of attribute and relation representations. To address these challenges, we propose a systematic abductive reasoning model with diverse relation representations (Rel-SAR) in vector-symbolic architecture (VSA) to solve Raven's progressive matrices (RPM). To derive attribute representations with symbolic reasoning potential, we introduce not only various types of atomic high-dimensional (HD) encodings that capture numeric, periodic, and logical semantics, but also the structured HD representation (SHDR) for the overall grid component. For systematic reasoning, we further propose novel numerical and logical relation functions and perform rule abduction and execution in a unified framework built upon these relation representations. Experimental results demonstrate that Rel-SAR achieves significant performance improvements on RPM tasks. By synergistically combining HD attribute representations with symbolic reasoning, Rel-SAR enables systematic abductive reasoning with both interpretable and computable semantics.}, }
@article {pmid42020725, year = {2026}, author = {Satapathy, P and Mohanty, PK and Nayak, JR and Debnath, MK and Sahu, BK and Bajaj, M and Bereznychenko, V and Touti, E}, title = {Load frequency control of a PV-DSTS integrated thermal-hydro power system using a CCSA-optimized fuzzy fractional-order parallel controller.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42020725}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Two area multi-unit thermal hydro (TAMTH) system integrated with solar and dish-Stirling solar thermal system (DSTS) is investigated to regulate the frequency disturbance. An adaptive controller with a combination of Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC), Fractional Order proportional integral derivative (FOPID) and 2 Degree of Freedom PID (2 DOFPID) is designed to achieve frequency stability. The decisive parameters of the proposed Fuzzy based FOPID-2DOFPID (FFOPID-2DOFPID) controller are optimized by Crow Search Algorithm (CSA) and craziness factor of crow in CSA (CCSA). The proposed FFOPID-2DOFPID controller is enforced in each area for both thermal and hydro units to contribute a fine-tuned stable power system. The conformation of superiority of projected controller is presented by a comparative analysis with different kind of controllers along with some newly published research works. The comparative simulation performance analysis is performed by considering undershoot, overshoot and settling time of deviations to show the supremacy of the FFOPID-2DOFPID controller.}, }
@article {pmid42022676, year = {2026}, author = {Skaineh, Z and Hammoud, R and Chaaban, A and Eldawra, E and Ibrahim, JN}, title = {A Narrative Review on Integrative Bioinformatics Approaches for microRNA Research in Familial Mediterranean Fever: Current Insights and Future Directions.}, journal = {Health science reports}, volume = {9}, number = {3}, pages = {e72047}, pmid = {42022676}, issn = {2398-8835}, abstract = {BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a monogenic autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations in the MEFV gene, resulting in recurrent inflammatory episodes and a risk of developing amyloidosis. Although its pathophysiology is well described, FMF still lacks specific biomarkers and personalized treatment strategies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), which regulate gene expression posttranscriptionally, have emerged as promising diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarkers. Given their complex expression patterns, bioinformatics approaches are essential for their identification and interpretation. Hence, this review aims to summarize current bioinformatics tools used in FMF-related miRNA research and highlight additional platforms employed in other inflammatory diseases that may advance FMF research.
METHODS: A narrative review was conducted by examining published FMF studies that applied miRNA-focused bioinformatics analyses, including miRWalk, TargetScan, and machine learning pipelines. To identify tools with potential relevance to FMF, platforms widely used in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Crohn's disease, and psoriasis, such as miRDeep2, miRTarBase, DIANA-miRPath, miEAA, and MAGPIE, were evaluated for their analytical strengths and applicability to autoinflammatory pathways.
RESULTS: Most FMF studies rely on a narrow set of tools, primarily miRWalk or TargetScan for target prediction. Emerging machine learning approaches have also been utilized to classify patients and explore candidate biomarkers. Other inflammatory diseases use more advanced platforms enabling miRNA discovery, validated interaction mapping, pathway enrichment, and multi-omics integration. Tools such as miRDeep2, miRTarBase, DIANA-miRPath, miEAA, and MAGPIE remain underutilized in FMF. Key limitations include small cohorts, patient heterogeneity, and limited experimental validation.
CONCLUSION: Broadening the bioinformatics toolkit for FMF miRNA research could significantly enhance biomarker identification and mechanistic insight. Larger datasets, integrated analysis pipelines, and cross-disciplinary collaboration are essential to advancing precision diagnostics and targeted therapies for FMF.}, }
@article {pmid42036448, year = {2026}, author = {Jorge, MH and Jorge, LA and Jarosinski, D and Chandler, RB and D'Angelo, GJ and Ruder, MG and Chamberlain, MJ}, title = {White-tailed deer scavenging community in a chronic wasting disease-endemic region and considerations for prion movement.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42036448}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {AR-W-F20AF00265//Arkansas Game and Fish Commission/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Wasting Disease, Chronic/transmission/epidemiology ; *Deer/physiology ; *Prions/metabolism ; Arkansas/epidemiology ; Feeding Behavior ; }, abstract = {Scavengers impact the geographic spread of pathogens through complex interactions that can either decrease or increase the risk of transmission. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy fatal to cervids and has been detected throughout much of the United States and internationally. Chronic wasting disease prions have long environmental persistence, and some scavengers have been shown to pass infectious CWD prions through their digestive tracts. We designed a study in a CWD-endemic area of northwestern Arkansas, to determine which scavengers routinely fed on white-tailed deer carcasses and therefore have the potential to be involved in movement or sequestration of CWD prions. Using videos from game cameras, we recorded 25 species that visited white-tailed deer carcasses and calculated abundance, presence duration, and feeding rate. American crows had the greatest number of individuals per video (5.33, 95% CI 3.88-7.32), followed by turkey vultures (3.03, 2.21-4.16), and black vultures (2.94, 2.14-4.04). Black vultures had the longest bout duration in minutes (10.46, 8.01-13.67), followed by bald eagles (9.00, 6.88-11.77) and turkey vultures (8.45, 6.47-11.04). Bald eagles (50%, 38-62%), black vultures (49%, 40-58%), and American black bears (45%, 33-56%) spent the greatest proportion of time feeding, respectively. Species rank varied across metrics, but the average of the three measurements indicated that black vultures, bald eagles, and turkey vultures had the greatest potential to ingest and potentially move CWD prions. Our research highlights the need to experimentally evaluate more avian scavengers for the potential to spread infectious prions.}, }
@article {pmid42040749, year = {2026}, author = {Shimi, A and Charalambidou, C}, title = {When Attention Fails Memory: Voluntary Orienting Deficits and Visual Short-Term Memory in Intellectual Disability.}, journal = {Journal of cognition}, volume = {9}, number = {1}, pages = {26}, pmid = {42040749}, issn = {2514-4820}, abstract = {Individuals with intellectual disability (ID) exhibit deficits in both selective attention and visual short-term memory (VSTM). However, whether attentional deficits directly constrain VSTM performance in ID remains unknown. Here, we examined the interplay between these two processes in ID and their correlates with fluid intelligence across individuals with varying levels of intellectual functioning. Nineteen adults with ID and twenty-two chronologically matched neurotypical adults (TDA) carried out the Attentional Orienting Task (AOT), in which they briefly viewed a memory array, followed by a probe and indicated whether the probe was previously presented in the memory array. Visuospatial attention cues were shown before (pre-cues) or after (retro-cues) the memory array to assess attentional orienting in service of VSTM encoding and maintenance, respectively, compared to neutral, baseline attention cues. Additionally, participants completed Raven's 2, a non-verbal reasoning test. TDA adults outperformed individuals with ID across all conditions. Importantly, while TDA demonstrated clear attentional orienting benefits in service of VSTM, individuals with ID showed no cueing benefits either before encoding into VSTM or during VSTM maintenance. Correlation and regression analyses showed that attentional orienting abilities predicted fluid intelligence beyond baseline VSTM performance. Current results show for the first time that attentional deficits constrain VSTM performance in ID, whereas individual differences in attentional orienting in service of VSTM predict non-verbal reasoning abilities. These findings speak to the overall functioning difficulties individuals with ID face and highlight the need to consider the dynamic relation between these cognitive processes when designing assessments and interventions for intellectual disabilities.}, }
@article {pmid42041512, year = {2026}, author = {Shen, M and Zhang, Z and Qin, G and Zhou, D and Du, L and Yu, L}, title = {Aerodynamic Optimization of Relay Nozzle Using a Chebyshev KAN Surrogate Model Integration and an Improved Multi-Objective Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimizer.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {42041512}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {Grant No. 51505344, 11872046//This project is supported by the Chinese National Science Foundation/ ; 2024CXGC010215//the Shandong Province key research and development plan projects refer to major Science and Technology Innovation Engineering/ ; No. T2022015//the Project of Outstanding Young and Middle-aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Team in Universities of Hubei Province/ ; No. 2020001//Hubei Key Laboratory of Digital Textile Equipment Open Subjects/ ; }, abstract = {In air jet looms, relay nozzles are critical components in governing airflow velocity and air consumption during the weft insertion process. Although computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers high-fidelity simulation for aerodynamic analysis, its computational burden hinders its practicality in iterative aerodynamic design of relay nozzles. To address the challenge, this study proposes a data-driven framework integrating a Chebyshev polynomial Kolmogorov-Arnold Network (Chebyshev KAN) surrogate model with an Improved Multi-objective Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (IMORBMO). The accuracy of the Chebyshev KAN model was benchmarked against conventional multilayer perceptrons (MLP), convolutional neural networks (CNN), and the standard Kolmogorov-Arnold Network (KAN). Experimental results demonstrate that the Chebyshev KAN model achieves the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.103 for airflow velocity and 0.115 for air consumption. Building upon the non-dominated sorting and crowding distance strategies, IMORBMO was developed, incorporating an adaptive mutation mechanism by information entropy for improvement of convergence, diversity, and uniformity of the Pareto-optimal solutions. Comprehensive evaluations on the ZDT and WFG benchmark suites confirm that the IMORBMO consistently attains the best and highly competitive performance, yielding the lowest generation distance (GD), inverted generational distance (IGD) values and the highest hypervolume (HV). Applied to the aerodynamic optimization of a relay nozzle, the proposed framework delivers an optimal aerodynamic design that increases airflow velocity by 10.5% while reducing air consumption by 15.4%, as verified by CFD simulation. The steady-state flow field was simulated by solving the Reynolds-Average NavierStokes equations with the k-ω turbulent model, utilizing Fluent 2025.R2. No-slip wall, inlet pressure and outlet pressures are boundary conditions to the relay nozzle surfaces. This work establishes a computationally efficient and accurate optimization paradigm that holds significant promise for aerodynamic design and other complex real-world engineering applications.}, }
@article {pmid42041517, year = {2026}, author = {Ni, J and Miao, J and Zheng, Y and Cao, L and Qiu, Y and Yue, Y}, title = {Multi-Strategy Improved Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimization Algorithm and Its Engineering Applications.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {42041517}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {LY23F010002//Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation/ ; }, abstract = {In response to the decline in population diversity, the imbalance between exploration and exploitation, and the low convergence efficiency in the middle and later stages of the Red-billed Blue Magpie Optimizer (RBMO) when addressing complex optimization problems, this study proposes a multi-strategy enhanced variant termed CLD-RBMO. The proposed algorithm improves the original search mechanism from three perspectives: strengthened global exploration, enhanced local refinement, and directed exploitation in the middle and later stages. During the exploration phase, a hierarchical perturbation mechanism based on Logistic chaotic mapping and Lévy flight is introduced to enhance randomness and spatial coverage in the early search process. In the local exploitation phase, a Cauchy-Gauss hybrid mutation operator is employed to improve the algorithm's capability to escape from local optima. In the middle and later search stages, a stochastic differential mutation strategy is incorporated to provide population-structure-based directional guidance for individuals, thereby accelerating convergence and improving optimization accuracy. Simulation results on the CEC2017 benchmark test functions indicate that CLD-RBMO demonstrates clear superiority over the original algorithm and several representative swarm intelligence optimization algorithms in terms of optimization accuracy, stability, and overall performance ranking. Convergence curve analysis confirms its dynamic performance improvements across different search stages, and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test further statistically validates the significance of the performance enhancement achieved by the proposed improvements compared with the original algorithm. Moreover, evaluations on two representative mechanical engineering optimization case studies further demonstrate the algorithm's strong stability and engineering generalization capability.}, }
@article {pmid42043253, year = {2026}, author = {Byrne-Haber, TJ and Pham, KN and Joob, A and Pinto, SM and Ratnayake, OC and Thompson, R and Rovnak, J and Perera, R}, title = {25th Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association.}, journal = {Viruses}, volume = {18}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.3390/v18040464}, pmid = {42043253}, issn = {1999-4915}, support = {R13 AI186419/AI/NIAID NIH HHS/United States ; R13AI186419-03//National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Virology ; Prions ; Viruses ; Virus Diseases/transmission/virology ; Virus Internalization ; Glycoproteins ; }, abstract = {Located on the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations, Colorado State University's Mountain Campus hosted the 25th Annual Rocky Mountain Virology Association meeting. The three-day event, held from 26 September to 28 September 2025, welcomed 152 participants focused on the following topics: viruses, prions, immunology, transmission, structural biology, and vector biology. This year's Randall Jay Cohrs Keynote Presentation summarized ongoing research on viral glycoproteins in relation to viral entry and assembly. Understanding the role of viral glycoproteins is essential in vaccine and antiviral development for enveloped RNA viruses. Alongside rigorous scientific discourse and networking, attendees made the most of their time by hiking amidst beautiful fall colors, wildlife, and young aspens starting the forest anew. On behalf of the Rocky Mountain Virology Association, this report summarizes select presentations from the 25th annual meeting.}, }
@article {pmid42047071, year = {2026}, author = {Šehanović, A and Kunić, S and Šehanović, A and Smajlović, D and Tupković, E and Ibrahimagić, OĆ}, title = {The impact of cognitive impairments on the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis.}, journal = {Medicinski glasnik : official publication of the Medical Association of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina}, volume = {23}, number = {1}, pages = {124-129}, doi = {10.17392/1984-23-01}, pmid = {42047071}, issn = {1840-2445}, mesh = {Humans ; *Quality of Life/psychology ; *Multiple Sclerosis/psychology/complications ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Prospective Studies ; *Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology/psychology ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Middle Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Executive Function ; }, abstract = {AIM: To assess the impact of cognitive impairments on various domains of quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).
METHODS: This prospective study included 135 MS patients and 50 healthy controls. Participants were divided into three groups: patients with MS for more than one year (n=85), newly diagnosed MS patients (n=50), and healthy individuals (n=50). Neurocognitive assessments included the Mini-Mental State Examination, Wechsler Intelligence Scale, Revised Beta Test, Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, Wechsler Memory Scale, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Audio-Verbal Learning Test, and the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale.
RESULTS: Cognitive impairments were present in 40–60% of MS patients, with memory dysfunctions being the most prominent (30–60%). Longer disease duration was associated with poorer visuospatial, visuoconstructive, and attention-related abilities. Patients also showed reduced logical and working memory. Quality of life was significantly lower in MS groups compared to controls, with a notable correlation between cognitive impairment and decreased MMSE scores.
CONCLUSION: Cognitive impairments in MS patients, particularly those affecting memory, executive functioning, and attention, significantly reduce quality of life. Cognitive testing should be considered essential in assessing disease severity and treatment planning.}, }
@article {pmid42048688, year = {2026}, author = {Antoniella, G and Capizzi, D and Calò, A and Corsanici, R and Cimini, D and Salvati, R and Zapparoli, M and Mugnozza, GS and Papale, D and Chiti, T and Sabatti, M}, title = {High acorn predation limits assisted regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands.}, journal = {The Science of the total environment}, volume = {1032}, number = {}, pages = {181834}, doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2026.181834}, pmid = {42048688}, issn = {1879-1026}, mesh = {Animals ; *Food Chain ; Forestry/methods ; *Forests ; *Herbivory ; Italy ; Mediterranean Region ; Murinae ; Passeriformes ; *Quercus ; *Seeds ; Species Specificity ; }, abstract = {Regeneration in Mediterranean oak woodlands is increasingly constrained by intense post-dispersal seed predation. Inside an ungulate-exclosure fence in the Castelporziano Presidential Estate (Central Italy), we conducted a factorial field experiment by sowing 1728 acorns of four native oaks (Quercus cerris, Q. pubescens, Q. ilex, Q. robur) under two seed-placement treatments (surface vs. buried) across paired microhabitats (clearing vs. understory), while monitoring predators with infrared camera traps. Acorn loss was rapid, with most removal occurring within four days. At the plot level, acorn loss differed among species (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.009); Q. ilex showed the highest mean removal, and the only Bonferroni-supported contrast was Q. ilex > Q. robur (p = 0.010). These two species represent the extremes of the seed-size spectrum, with Q. ilex producing smaller and lighter acorns and Q. robur larger and heavier ones (diameter, length, and mass; ANOVA, all p < 0.0001), suggesting a contribution of acorn morphology to interspecific removal differences. Removal tended to be higher in the understory than in clearings and higher for surface than buried acorns, but plot-paired tests did not support these patterns (n = 4 plot pairs). Camera trapping revealed strong habitat-diel segregation: wood mice (Apodemus spp.) were recorded only at night and exclusively in understory plots, whereas Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius) were strictly diurnal and used both habitats. Behavioural responses shifted with seed placement, with burial increasing exploration and digging and surface acorns eliciting more removal/consumption. Overall, early acorn fate was shaped primarily by predator identity and context-dependent activity, while seed placement modulated accessibility and behaviour rather than consistently reducing losses. These findings indicate that, although ungulate exclosures are essential for preventing browsing and supporting regeneration, they may not be sufficient to reduce early-stage seed predation. Assisted regeneration strategies should therefore combine microhabitat diversification with targeted seed protection during the critical post-dispersal early stages.}, }
@article {pmid42050537, year = {2026}, author = {Ramasamy, S and Gahlawat, S and Galhotra, A and Rathore, V}, title = {Financial strain beyond coverage: assessing out-of-pocket costs for dialysis care in chronic kidney disease at a tertiary care centre in Central India.}, journal = {Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E}, volume = {24}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42050537}, issn = {1478-7547}, abstract = {PURPOSE: The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) was launched in 2018 to reduce financial risk arising out of catastrophic health expenditure. Chronic dialysis is one of the costliest treatments and PMJAY has emerged as one of the most important method of subsidizing dialysis allowing many patient to afford dialysis. In fact dialysis has become the most sought after treatment under PMJAY. Despite subsidies from PMJAY, patients often have out of pocket expenditure in accessing dialysis services. OBJECTIVES: To assess the out-of-pocket expenditure in accessing dialysis services among chronic kidney disease patients in Central India. METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among stable hemodialysis patients attending a tertiary care teaching hospital in the state of Chhattisgarh. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic and clinical details. The participants were asked to provide details of out-of-pocket expenditure, including the charges of direct medical expenses and indirect medical expenses. Costs were reported as median values with interquartile range. RESULTS: A total of 99 hemodialysis patients took part in this study. Median age was 43 (IQR: 34–54) years and the median distance travelled to avail dialysis was 30 (IQR:7-85.8) kilometres. Thirty-three patients who initially received dialysis at a private setup subsequently transitioned to a public dialysis facility, with a mean interval of 19 months. 25 (25.3%) received PMJAY (Ayushman card) subsidies at the initiation of hemodialysis, but in the later part, this proportion increased to 78 (78.7%) during the course of ongoing dialysis services. The monthly overall out-of-pocket expenditure was INR 17058.3 (IQR: 11922.9–26672.9). Three-fourths have borrowed money to meet the healthcare expenses. CONCLUSION: The majority of the maintenance hemodialysis patients visiting our centre availed the Ayushman scheme, but still needed other sources to meet their financial healthcare costs. An expanded comprehensive health insurance is needed to address the substantial OOPE borne by the hemodialysis patients on travelling and medications.}, }
@article {pmid42053749, year = {2026}, author = {Hussein, A and Rabbo, AA}, title = {Psychological and cognitive indicators of Takotsubo syndrome.}, journal = {Discover mental health}, volume = {6}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42053749}, issn = {2731-4383}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Takotsubo syndrome (broken-heart syndrome) is considered a cardiac disorder typically associated with exposure to severe psychological or physical stress, and it clinically resembles acute coronary syndrome. The literature indicates its association with elevated levels of anxiety and depression among patients, in addition to the potential impairment of cognitive functions.
AIMS: This study aims to identify the differences in psychological indicators (anxiety & depression) and cognitive functions between patients with Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) and healthy Controls.
METHODS: A case-control cross-sectional design was employed. The study sample consisted of twenty patients who were selected from the Health Insurance Hospital in Zagazig, Al-Sharqia Governorate, aged (35.8 ± 8.4) years, and twenty healthy Controls aged (36 ± 9.7) years, who were matched with the patient group in terms of demographic characteristics, including gender, age, educational level, and mental state variables. The study instruments included an initial clinical interview for data collection, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Raven's Progressive Matrices Test, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
RESULTS: The study revealed a significant increase in anxiety and depression levels, along with cognitive impairment in patients with TTS compared to healthy controls, manifested particularly in executive functions, memory, and attention, thereby reflecting a unique interaction between the brain and the heart in this syndrome.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the psychological and cognitive indicators in patients with TTS are multifactorial in nature, involving an interplay of Cerebral Hypoperfusion, Neurohormonal alterations, and dysfunction of brain networks.}, }
@article {pmid42063259, year = {2026}, author = {G, D and Marimuthu, K and Prasad, RG and Rao, PV}, title = {Cloud EEG Privacy Using Red-Billed Blue Magpie Optimized Physics-Penalized Dual-Branch Spectral-Spatial Neural Network for Epileptic Seizure Prediction.}, journal = {Developmental neurobiology}, volume = {86}, number = {3}, pages = {e70031}, doi = {10.1002/dneu.70031}, pmid = {42063259}, issn = {1932-846X}, mesh = {Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Young Adult ; Cloud Computing ; Computer Security ; Confidentiality ; Datasets as Topic ; *Deep Learning ; *Electroencephalography ; Forecasting ; *Seizures/diagnosis ; *Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Software Validation ; }, abstract = {Epileptic seizure prediction is a critical research area that enables timely intervention and prevention of severe neurological complications. With the growing integration of IoT in healthcare, real-time EEG monitoring has become essential for continuous and automated seizure detection. The suggested approach presents a hybrid deep learning architecture that integrates various sophisticated computational approaches to deliver precise, safe, and effective seizure prediction. EEG data are recorded in real time with an IoT-based headband and processed with Shape-Aware Mesh Normal Filtering (SMNF) in order to eliminate noise and enhance the quality of the signal. In addition to that, the Quadratic Phase Quaternion Domain Fourier Transform (QPQDFT) is the feature extraction principle that is effective in both spectral and temporal variations. The features extracted are then categorized with Physics-Penalized Dual-Branch Spectral-Spatial Neural Network (PP-DBSSNN), which employs physics-based regularization and dual-branch attention as a way of enhancing generalization and interpretability of the data. Finally, Key Escrow-Free Attribute-Based Encryption (KEF-ABE) is a method that guarantees the security and privacy of EEG information on clouds. The findings of the experiment show the best performance with an accuracy of 99.95%, a precision of 99.93%, and a specificity of 99.91% in the case of the Bonn EEG dataset, and an accuracy of 99.96%, a precision of 99.94%, and a specificity of 99.92% in the case of the CHB-MIT dataset, which confirms its robustness and reliability.}, }
@article {pmid42071247, year = {2026}, author = {Annaful, VT and Tandoh, MA and Haik, D and Amoah, I}, title = {Dietary diversity and body mass index predict cognitive performance and anaemia risk in Ghanaian adolescent girls.}, journal = {BMC nutrition}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42071247}, issn = {2055-0928}, support = {2022//Big Ideas Grand Prize/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Adolescence presents an opportunity for nutritional intervention especially among girls whose physical and cognitive development during this period has lifelong implications. In this cross-sectional study, the interrelationship between dietary diversity, nutritional status, anaemia and cognitive performance among 181 adolescent girls in public schools in Southern Ghana were examined.
METHODS: The study employed structured questionnaires to collect sociodemographic data, anthropometric measurements to assess nutritional status, haemoglobin testing to determine anaemia status and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices to evaluate cognitive performance. Data analysis was conducted using R version 4.4.2 to explore the relationship between food quality, nutritional markers and cognitive outcomes.
RESULTS: The mean dietary diversity score was 5.7 ± 1.9, and nearly one in three participants was either underweight or overweight, indicating a double burden of malnutrition. Anaemia affected 18.4% of the participants, primarily in mild or moderate forms, while 14% demonstrated poor cognitive performance. A consistent and significant inverse relationship was observed between dietary diversity and poor cognition. Though not statistically significant, each unit increase in dietary diversity was associated with a 19% reduction in the odds of poor cognitive performance (OR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.65-1.01, p = 0.056). Mid-adolescents (14-16 years) were significantly less likely to be malnourished compared to early adolescents (10-13 years) (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21-0.86, p = 0.017). Normal BMI-for-age z-scores (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.23-1.66, p = 0.329) and higher hemoglobin levels (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.46-1.07, p = 0.081) were associated with reduced odds of poor cognitive performance; however, these associations were not statistically significant.
CONCLUSIONS: In contexts where nutrition insecurity and educational inequalities converge, school-based interventions that promote diverse diets and screen for anaemia could improve adolescent health and academic outcomes.}, }
@article {pmid42078534, year = {2026}, author = {Sampieri, M and Bardasi, L and Bonardi, S and Menozzi, I and Dodi, A and Scaltriti, E and Galletti, G and Massella, E and Bacci, C and Rega, M and Conter, M}, title = {Wildlife as sentinel of antimicrobial resistance in Klebsiella spp. with genomic insights into Klebsiella pneumoniae in Northern Italy.}, journal = {Frontiers in microbiology}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {1716432}, pmid = {42078534}, issn = {1664-302X}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern, particularly worsened by the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria such as Klebsiella pneumoniae.
METHODS: This study investigated the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae in wild birds (corvids and waterfowl) and in red foxes in Northern Italy.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Although the overall prevalence of K. pneumoniae in the present study was relatively low (2.0, 95% CI: 1.0-3.7%), its isolation from multiple wild species confirms the environmental circulation of this clinically relevant AMR bacterium in ecosystems not directly exposed to antibiotic pressure. In particular, the isolation of a carbapenemase-producing strain from a fox highlights the introduction of clinically significant carbapenemase genes into wildlife reservoirs. The phenotypic AMR profiles of K. pneumoniae isolates revealed a high prevalence of MDR strains that were largely confirmed by the genomic analysis. In-silico analyses of K. pneumoniae sequencing data led to the identification of the most frequent resistance genes and the in-silico typing reveals the prevalence of the ST307 high-risk clone. Remarkably, wildlife could be considered a significant AMR sentinel, serving as carriers of MDR K. pneumoniae in different and even distant geographic areas. These findings underscore the importance of integrating wildlife surveillance to monitor the environmental spread of AMR within a One Health approach.}, }
@article {pmid42081632, year = {2026}, author = {Bruning, E and Keh, M and Santhanam, U and Schmalenberg, K and Saliou, C and Draelos, ZD}, title = {Clinical Methodology to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Topical Cosmetic Eye Formulation on the Appearance of Dynamic Periorbital Lines.}, journal = {Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD}, volume = {25}, number = {5}, pages = {460-464}, doi = {10.36849/JDD.9461}, pmid = {42081632}, issn = {1545-9616}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; *Cosmetics/administration & dosage ; Elasticity/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; *Ophthalmic Solutions/administration & dosage ; Administration, Topical ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Dynamic lines in the periorbital region are the first signs of aging. Dynamic lines show only when emoting, possibly becoming static lines present with worsening with age.
OBJECTIVE: This research was aimed at developing a novel methodology with the sensitivity to effectively evaluate the improvement of dynamic lines in the periorbital region by applying a topical cosmetic eye formulation.
METHOD: Female subjects aged 28-65 years with mild to moderate photoaging of all Fitzpatrick skin types were enrolled in a 12-week monadic study with evaluations at baseline and 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. A topical eye formulation was applied twice daily. Dermatologist evaluations of dynamic lines at maximum smile, static lines at neutral expression, and tactile evaluations of firmness and elasticity were obtained in addition to clinical photographs, subjective assessments, and instrumental noninvasive measurements of hydration and elasticity.
RESULTS: After 12 weeks of twice-daily application, there was a statistically significant increase of 52% in cutaneous hydration, 183% improvement in viscoelasticity, 48% reduction in retraction time, and 58% in Young’s modulus, demonstrating improved elasticity in the crow’s feet area. 12-week investigator assessments revealed statistically significant improvements in the appearance of periorbital static lines (53%) and dynamic lines (33%). The tactile assessment methodology produced a 39% improvement in crow’s feet pinch and 47% improvement in pinch recoil as measures of elasticity/hydration, and a 45% improvement in touch rebound as an assessment of firmness/hydration.
CONCLUSIONS: This research established the value of a novel dynamic line evaluation methodology to assess a topical cosmetic.}, }
@article {pmid42081936, year = {2026}, author = {Haobo, Z and Bin, Z and Xiaofeng, M}, title = {Neural and behavioral effects of adaptive semantic long-term memory retrieval training: A task fMRI study.}, journal = {Biological psychology}, volume = {208}, number = {}, pages = {109281}, doi = {10.1016/j.biopsycho.2026.109281}, pmid = {42081936}, issn = {1873-6246}, mesh = {Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Female ; *Semantics ; Male ; Young Adult ; *Memory, Long-Term/physiology ; Reaction Time/physiology ; Brain Mapping ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Adult ; *Mental Recall/physiology ; *Brain/physiology/diagnostic imaging ; Cognitive Training ; Oxygen/blood ; *Transfer, Psychology/physiology ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; }, abstract = {Semantic long-term memory retrieval (SLTMR) is a core component of higher-order cognition. Previous studies suggest that targeted cognitive training can enhance SLTMR performance; however, the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, 58 participants were randomly assigned to either an adaptive training group or an active control group. The training group completed 18 sessions of adaptive Posner task-based training, while the control group performed a non-adaptive variant. Pre- and post-session assessments included semantic retrieval tasks (Sort and Posner tasks) and far-transfer tasks (Stroop, switching, updating, reading fluency, and Raven), with functional MRI acquired during the Sort task. Results showed that the training group exhibited significant improvements in both the training and near-transfer tasks, with faster reaction times in the categorization and Posner tasks. Far-transfer tasks showed a main effect of training sessions but no significant group by session interactions. fMRI analyses revealed training-specific increases in activation of the left superior temporal gyrus (temporal pole) during semantic retrieval. These findings indicate that SLTMR training selectively enhances domain-specific semantic retrieval and is associated with training-related functional plasticity in a key semantic region, while evidence for effects on broader cognitive domains was more limited in the present dataset.}, }
@article {pmid42084136, year = {2026}, author = {Scott, L and Scott, J and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, }, title = {Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation squeezes in hope for childhood cancer: an interview with Liz and Jay Scott.}, journal = {Disease models & mechanisms}, volume = {19}, number = {4}, pages = {}, pmid = {42084136}, issn = {1754-8411}, }
@article {pmid42087413, year = {2026}, author = {He, Y and Ning, M and Wang, F and Liang, Y and Yan, S}, title = {Efficacy of 1064-Nm Picosecond Nd: YAG Laser in Treating Facial Photoaging and Improving Skin Barrier Enhanced by a Multi-Beneficial Composition Formulation: A Blinded Randomized Clinical Trial Study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic dermatology}, volume = {25}, number = {5}, pages = {e70886}, pmid = {42087413}, issn = {1473-2165}, support = {2022YKZY006//Yunnan Characteristic Plant Extraction Laboratory/ ; 2025YKZY003//Yunnan Characteristic Plant Extraction Laboratory/ ; }, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/radiation effects/drug effects ; Female ; Double-Blind Method ; *Lasers, Solid-State/therapeutic use/adverse effects ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Face ; Treatment Outcome ; *Low-Level Light Therapy/methods/instrumentation/adverse effects ; Skin/radiation effects/drug effects/metabolism ; Water Loss, Insensible/radiation effects/drug effects ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In recent years, skin photoaging has received increasing attention, and laser therapy has become the most commonly used treatment due to its safety and efficacy; emerging evidence suggests that adjunctive "integrated skincare" may enhance treatment benefits by reducing post-procedural reactions and supporting skin barrier repair.
OBJECTIVE: The split-face, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, monocentric clinical trial was conducted to validate the potential efficacy of anti-photoaging and skin repair of a multifunctional serum formulation following a one-session therapy of 1064-nm picosecond Nd:YAG laser.
METHODS: A total of twenty-four participants requesting picosecond laser therapy to address age-associated facial alterations were recruited for the study. Following a two-week washout period, participants underwent a single laser session on Day 1 (T1d) and applied either the multi-beneficial serum or the placebo to the designated facial side twice daily for eight weeks. Their facial skin manifestations were assessed by two dermatologists at baseline, T0, T15d, T29d, and T57d, and the Symptom Score Reduction Index (SSRI) was analyzed later. Non-invasive measurements and self-assessments were also administered at each visit.
RESULTS: Twenty-four women aged 30-48 years completed the trial. The scores for all other manifestations of skin photoaging, with the exception of coarse wrinkles, decreased on both the test and control sides throughout follow-up. Based on SSRI values for individual photoaging signs, clinical efficacy rates for the test sides were superior to their counterparts. Regarding skin barrier function, decreasing transepidermal water loss and increasing stratum corneum hydration were observed on the test side during the period of recovery, with significant intergroup differences on T29d and T57d. Skin tone indicators (erythema index, melanin index, and tone evenness) rose shortly after the laser treatment and then declined on both sides; the magnitudes of reductions were greater on the test sides than on the control ones. Even though the improvement of skin surface evenness was found due to the therapy, the test sides exhibited more favorable changes than the controls, for instance, a reduction in the area proportion of crow's feet. No adverse events related to the test product were found during the study.
CONCLUSION: The test serum enhanced the efficacy of 1064-nm picosecond laser treatment for facial photoaging and supported skin barrier recovery.}, }
@article {pmid42090095, year = {2026}, author = {Halaç, B and Kekeç, AI and Çelik, B and Kesen, D and Kahraman, BB and Sığırcı, BD and Bağcıgil, AF and Metiner, K and Çokal, Y and Ak, S}, title = {Frequency and characterization of β-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli from wild birds from Marmara Region in Turkey.}, journal = {Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology]}, volume = {57}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42090095}, issn = {1678-4405}, mesh = {Animals ; *Escherichia coli/drug effects/isolation & purification/genetics/classification ; *Birds/microbiology ; *Escherichia coli Infections/veterinary/microbiology/epidemiology ; *Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology ; *Animals, Wild/microbiology ; beta-Lactamases/genetics/metabolism ; *beta-Lactam Resistance ; Feces/microbiology ; Turkey/epidemiology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; *Bird Diseases/microbiology/epidemiology ; *beta-Lactams/pharmacology ; }, abstract = {This study aimed to phenotypically and genotypically detect beta-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli in the feces of wild and migratory birds residing in or passing through the Marmara Region during seasonal migration. A total of 272 fresh fecal samples were non-invasively collected and grouped as follows: (1) resident wild waterfowl, (2) resident urban birds (e.g., pigeons, crows, sparrows), (3) migratory birds overwintering in Turkey, and (4) migratory birds staying during spring and summer. Samples were cultured on MacConkey agar with and without cefotaxime (1 mg/L). Carbapenem resistance was assessed using the Modified Hodge Test; none of the 212 isolates tested positive. Among the 272 birds sampled, 62 (22.8%) carried ESBL and/or AmpC producing isolates. Antimicrobial-resistant E. coli were identified in 59 of 272 birds (21.7%), including 47 ESBL-positive, 6 AmpC-positive, and 5 harboring both resistance types. Group 1 (mainly gulls) showed the highest resistance rates. PCR analysis revealed that among 84 isolates, 48 carried only beta-lactamase genes, 3 only AmpC genes, and 5 both. Detected genes included: blaCTX-M (n = 50), blaSHV (n = 2), and blaOXA10 (n = 10); for AmpC: blaMOX (n = 6) and blaCIT (n = 2). Species-specific results confirmed the highest frequency of resistance genes in gulls. The Frequency of resistant isolates was significantly higher in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.001). The resistance profiles identified in gulls especially those feeding at landfills or in direct contact with human, animal, and agricultural waste suggest a likely anthropogenic and/or zoonotic origin of the beta lactam resistance observed in this study conducted in Marmara Region.}, }
@article {pmid42092606, year = {2026}, author = {Bryan, CS and Schroeder, MJ}, title = {Addressing racism as a clinical competence: Robert Wilson, Jr. (1867-1946).}, journal = {The American journal of medicine}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.amjmed.2026.04.030}, pmid = {42092606}, issn = {1555-7162}, abstract = {Addressing health inequity is now recognized as a clinical competency in medical education. We examined the career and writings of Robert Wilson Jr. (1867-1946), longtime dean of the Medical College of the State of South Carolina during the Jim Crow Era, using primary and secondary sources within the context of systemic and structural racism, particularly in South Carolina. Wilson used public health data to refute the "Black Extinction Hypothesis" rooted in social Darwinism. He challenged assumptions of inherent Black susceptibility to tuberculosis, linking disease instead to social determinants of health. He also identified disproportionate mortality from kidney and cardiovascular disease among Black populations, anticipating modern health disparities research. Wilson further acknowledged systemic injustice and implicated structural conditions, including housing, in shaping outcomes. In an era of continuing health inequity and racial health disparities, Wilson applied empirical evidence to reject biological determinism, identify outcomes disparities, and advocate for racial justice.}, }
@article {pmid42094624, year = {2026}, author = {Commey, NA and Anum, JO and Daayi, B and Martha, NJT and Baah, A and Tandoh, MA}, title = {Association Between Hydration Status, Nutrition, and Cognitive Performance in School-Age Children in Kumasi, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study.}, journal = {Health science reports}, volume = {9}, number = {5}, pages = {e72442}, pmid = {42094624}, issn = {2398-8835}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Adequate hydration is essential for maintaining good health and optimal cognition in school-age children. Adequate water intake enhances metabolic and physiological processes, yet school-age children are vulnerable to dehydration.
AIM: This cross-sectional study investigated the associations between hydration status, nutritional anthropometry, and cognitive performance among 200 school-age children (aged 6-13) in Kumasi, Ghana.
METHOD: Ethical approval, parental consent, and child assent were obtained. Hydration status was assessed via urine specific gravity (USG) and categorized as well-hydrated (USG ≤ 1.010) or dehydrated (USG ≥ 1.011). Nutritional status was evaluated using BMI-for-Age Z-score (BAZ), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), and height-for-age Z-score (HAZ) based on WHO growth reference charts. Cognitive performance was measured using Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices. Linear and binary logistic regressions examined associations between hydration status, nutritional indicators and cognitive performance.
RESULTS: The sample comprised 37.5% males and 62.5% females. Mean Z-scores for BAZ (-0.13) and HAZ (-0.11) indicated generally normal growth, though 17.5% of children were overweight/obese and 8.5% were stunted. Notably, 89% of participants were dehydrated, while 70% passed the cognitive test. Multilinear regression revealed an inverse association between BAZ and continuous USG (β = -0.273, p = 0.005) and a positive association between HAZ and USG (β = 0.189, p = 0.01). In binary logistic regression, only HAZ remained significantly associated with categorized hydration status (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.36-0.93, p = 0.02). No direct associations were found between hydration status and cognitive performance.
CONCLUSION: Dehydration was highly prevalent among school-age children in Kumasi and was significantly associated with height-for-age. These findings emphasize the need for integrated nutrition and hydration assessments in pediatric health programs.}, }
@article {pmid42096559, year = {2026}, author = {Cohen, J}, title = {After pulling vaccine study, CDC leader calls for new journal.}, journal = {Science (New York, N.Y.)}, volume = {392}, number = {6798}, pages = {564-565}, doi = {10.1126/science.aei6151}, pmid = {42096559}, issn = {1095-9203}, mesh = {Humans ; *Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. ; *COVID-19/prevention & control ; *COVID-19 Vaccines ; *Periodicals as Topic ; United States ; }, abstract = {Jay Bhattacharya clashes with epidemiologists over widely used design.}, }
@article {pmid42120456, year = {2026}, author = {Kim, EJ and Lee, WS and Kang, CW and Choi, S and Choi, CY}, title = {Weak migratory connectivity undermines human-wildlife conflict management of urban-adapted Eastern Rooks (Corvus frugilegus pastinator) wintering in Korea.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42120456}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Animals ; *Animal Migration/physiology ; Seasons ; Republic of Korea ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; *Crows/physiology/genetics ; Humans ; *Animals, Wild/physiology ; Ecosystem ; Female ; }, abstract = {Global habitat loss and urban expansion are intensifying human-wildlife conflicts worldwide, particularly involving migratory birds that cause harm through fecal contamination, aesthetic degradation, and the risk of disease transmission, yet remain challenging to manage due to their broad-scale movements. We investigated the migratory connectivity and migration patterns of the Eastern Rook (Corvus frugilegus pastinator), an urban-adapted species that has become a major source of conflict with residents in Korea. Using hydrogen stable isotope (δ[2]H) and mitochondrial DNA analyses, we examined 66 carcasses from four wintering sites in Korea. Feather δ[2]H values did not differ significantly among wintering sites, and isoscape-based assignment revealed broadly overlapping breeding origins around the Mongolia-Russia and China-Russia border regions. No clear latitudinal trend in breeding origins was detected, suggesting the absence of chain migration. Adults consistently had higher δ[2]H values than first-winter individuals, likely reflecting age-related differences in molt timing and location. Genetic analyses revealed high intermixing among wintering populations, with no evidence of distinct population structure. Together, these findings suggest that Korean wintering rooks constitute a diffuse population, implying that localized lethal control is unlikely to be effective. Non-lethal strategies, including habitat modification, alternative roosting sites, and deterrence measures, should be prioritized to mitigate conflicts.}, }
@article {pmid42132281, year = {2026}, author = {Mir, AY and Das, S and Sharma, S and Preetha, GS and Pandey, AK and Neogi, SB}, title = {Breaking Barriers: Strategies for Inclusive Transgender Healthcare in Indian Hospitals-A Commentary.}, journal = {The International journal of health planning and management}, volume = {41}, number = {4}, pages = {786-789}, doi = {10.1002/hpm.70087}, pmid = {42132281}, issn = {1099-1751}, mesh = {India ; Humans ; *Transgender Persons ; Female ; *Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration ; Male ; *Health Services for Transgender Persons/organization & administration ; }, abstract = {Transgender people have historically been discriminated against by the society. Since the time their legal rights were recognised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) v. Union of India, remarkable progress has been made to improve access to health services. The Transgender Act of 2019 and SMILE-Support for Marginalised Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprise project by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in 2022 have boosted the efforts further. The Act emphasises that at least one government hospital in a state should provide safe and free gender-affirming surgery and related services. A major component of the SMILE scheme focuses on transgender health, providing a comprehensive medical health package in conjunction with the integration of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY). However, its operationalisation is fraught with several systemic challenges. In order to ensure effective implementation, an inclusive approach across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of health system is warranted. This manuscript emphasises on creating Transgender Friendly Hospital Initiative by following a comprehensive approach. Establishment of a dedicated transgender OPD, separate wards/units, measures to improve quality of holistic care, sensitisation of care providers and hospital machinery, continuous medical education and advocacy for equal access are some of the measures suggested for institutionalisation of services. Success lies in collaborative and collective implementation of activities by creating a healthcare landscape that prioritises the well-being of transgender individuals across India.}, }
@article {pmid42135735, year = {2026}, author = {Tobias, N and Maria, K}, title = {Young adults in eastern Germany know dandelion and sparrows but few farmland species.}, journal = {Journal of ethnobiology and ethnomedicine}, volume = {22}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42135735}, issn = {1746-4269}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; Germany ; Biodiversity ; Birds ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; *Knowledge ; Female ; Male ; Agriculture ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Ecosystem ; Young Adult ; Farms ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The global biodiversity crisis comprises the ongoing loss of species simultaneous to the decrease in local knowledge of native plant and animal species. Such local knowledge is fundamental to societal engagement in conservation efforts. It is, however, unclear how familiar people are with the biodiversity in their surrounding landscape.
METHODS: We used a cultural domain analysis to assess the public's local knowledge of plant and bird species in northwest Saxony, an agricultural region in eastern Germany. We interviewed 463 adults and asked them to freelist all wild plants and birds they know to occur in their surrounding agricultural landscape. We hypothesized that (i) people know mostly common generalist species, but few species characteristic for their surrounding agricultural land; and (ii) younger people know fewer species than older people.
RESULTS: We found that 15 plant and 21 bird taxa were part of the people's cultural domain of local farmland species. On average, people named only two plant and three bird taxa out of the 62 plant and 25 bird farmland indicator species that occur in the region. Thus, most of the species characteristic for agricultural habitats were unknown. Species knowledge generally increased with age at least up to 46-55 years. Characteristic farmland plant species such as Cornflower, Chamomile, or Yarrow, and characteristic farmland bird species such as Starling or Skylark were significantly more salient among older participants (> 45 years old), whereas generalist plants, such as Dandelion, Common daisy, or Stinging nettle, and high-order bird taxa, such as crows, pigeons and birds of prey, were more salient among younger participants (≤ 45 years old).
CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that people's local knowledge of plant and bird species comprises a few plant and a few more bird species that are characteristic for their agricultural landscape. Nevertheless, most of the common indicator species for agricultural habitats in our study region are not part of the people's cultural domain. Possibilities to enhance local knowledge necessary for conserving biodiversity include restoring the cultural relevance of wild plants, as foods or medicine, and teaching the relevance of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning at school, particularly through outdoor education in rural environments.}, }
@article {pmid42137773, year = {2026}, author = {Starvaggi Cucuzza, L and Pregel, P and Pérez-Rodríguez, AD and Bollo, E and Scaglione, FE}, title = {Lineage-specific tissue distribution and high prevalence of haemosporidian parasites in hooded crows (Corvus cornix) from northwestern Italy.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {1724903}, pmid = {42137773}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {Haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon are widespread vector-borne pathogens of birds, yet their tissue distribution and lineage diversity remain poorly understood in many host species. We investigated haemosporidian infections in hooded crows (Corvus cornix) from Northwestern Italy using a multi-organ molecular approach. Forty-seven individuals collected between 2010 and 2011 were screened by nested PCR targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, followed by sequencing. Overall infection prevalence was 97.9%, with Leucocytozoon spp. detected in all infected individuals, followed by Plasmodium spp. (52.2%) and Haemoproteus spp. (17.4%). Five Leucocytozoon lineages were identified, with lineage COCOR09 being dominant and widely distributed across organs (heart, lung, liver, kidney, spleen skeletal muscle and brain), while other lineages showed more restricted tissue patterns. Sequencing also revealed the Haemoproteus lineage CXPIP27 and three globally distributed Plasmodium lineages (LINN1, GRW06, and SGS1) detected for the first time in this host species. Mixed infections were frequent, occurring in over two-thirds of infected birds. These findings demonstrate extensive tissue dissemination, lineage-specific organ tropism, and high infection complexity in hooded crows, underscoring the importance of multi-organ, lineage-level approaches for understanding the ecology and epidemiology of avian malaria parasites.}, }
@article {pmid42141478, year = {2026}, author = {Shimizu, Y and Miyaura, J and Hanya, M and Okuda, M and Mizutani, H and Kamei, H}, title = {Validity and reliability of a cognitive function assessment tool using psychomotor function tests in patients with alcohol use disorders - a pilot study.}, journal = {Journal of pharmaceutical health care and sciences}, volume = {12}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42141478}, issn = {2055-0294}, support = {KAKENHI, Grant Number JP23K06243 (Japan)//Japan Society for the Promotion of Science/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Even after alcohol detoxification, 50-80% of patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) exhibit cognitive impairments, which affect key domains of social functioning, such as employment, interpersonal relationships, and communication. Therefore, it is necessary to assess cognitive function in patients with AUD in routine practice. However, existing cognitive function assessments are difficult to apply in routine practice because they require a long time, are burdensome on patients, and are limited to evaluators with special training. The present study investigated the relationship between a simple and novel assessment, called Psychomotor Function Tests (PFT), and existing Neuropsychological Tests (NT) in patients with AUD.
METHODS: Twenty patients with AUD underwent a cognitive assessment using NT (Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices, Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), and Clinical Assessment for Attention (CAT)) as well as tablet-based PFT, with each assessment being conducted twice: 1 week and 2 months after alcohol detoxification with benzodiazepines. Twenty healthy controls underwent the same assessment.
RESULTS: Psychomotor function assessed by PFT was significantly worse in patients with AUD than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). At both assessment time points, PFT composite score correlated with the total FAB score (r = 0.500, 0.458) and CAT time required (r = -0.447, -0.496). The CRT, CTT-TT, CTT-PAT and RVIP demonstrated a degree of test-retest reliability (r = 0.816, 0.812, 0.797, 0.676).
CONCLUSIONS: The correlations observed between PFT and conventional NT suggest the utility of PFT for evaluating cognitive function in patients with AUD in clinical settings.}, }
@article {pmid42141567, year = {2026}, author = {Ahmed, I and Islam, MS and Faruque, IA}, title = {From scattered to focused: Task-dependent connectivity in honey bees, with midge swarms and bird flocks.}, journal = {Physical review. E}, volume = {113}, number = {4-1}, pages = {044403}, doi = {10.1103/9mfj-2jh2}, pmid = {42141567}, issn = {2470-0053}, mesh = {Animals ; Bees/physiology ; *Models, Biological ; *Birds/physiology ; *Behavior, Animal ; }, abstract = {Collective motion in biological swarms emerges from local interactions among individuals with limited sensing and cognition, offering valuable insights for decentralized engineered systems. This study presents a systematic framework for extracting interaction graphs from multiagent trajectory data. Three graph identification methods, sparse regression, Granger causality, and cross-correlation, together with geometric anisotropy analysis, are applied to experimental recordings of honey bees during scattered and focused return-to-hive behaviors, aggregations of midges, and flocking passerine jackdaws. Connectivity analysis reveals task-dependent interaction structures: scattered honey bees exhibit causal interactions with up to ten neighbors, whereas focused bees interact with only two to three agents, with midges showing slightly lower connectivity. Cross-correlation analysis indicated honey bees exhibit distance-sensitivity in close proximity, while flocking birds exhibit a distance-dependent correlation decline. These results highlight diverse coordination mechanisms relevant to bio-inspired networked systems.}, }
@article {pmid42151313, year = {2026}, author = {Abaatyo, J and Arinda, A and Kawesi, H and Kaggwa, MM}, title = {Antipsychotic use among paediatric patients living with epilepsy in Uganda.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {16}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42151313}, issn = {2045-2322}, mesh = {Humans ; Child ; *Epilepsy/drug therapy/epidemiology ; Male ; Uganda/epidemiology ; Female ; Adolescent ; *Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use ; Risperidone/therapeutic use ; Carbamazepine/therapeutic use ; Valproic Acid/therapeutic use ; }, abstract = {Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in childhood, often accompanied by behavioural and psychiatric challenges such as aggression, irritability, and hyperactivity. Management of these comorbidities may involve antipsychotic medications, yet data on their use in African settings remain scarce. To examine the prevalence and patterns of antipsychotic prescribing among children and adolescents with epilepsy in Uganda. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at Mulago National Referral Hospital and Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital. Children (5-9 years) and adolescents (10-17 years) with epilepsy were consecutively recruited during routine visits. Data were obtained through caregiver interviews and review of medical records. Intellectual disability was evaluated with Raven's Progressive Matrices. Antipsychotic and anti-seizure prescriptions were recorded. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. A total of 305 participants were recruited, mostly male (62.6%) and adolescents (51.8%). Overall, 6.9% (n = 21, 95% CI: 4.5-10.3) were prescribed antipsychotics, with risperidone being the most common (47.6%). The most common combinations involved carbamazepine with risperidone (38.1%) and sodium valproate with risperidone (28.6%). A statistically significant site-related difference was observed: nearly all individuals receiving antipsychotics were recruited from Mulago National Referral Hospital (9.1%), compared to only 1.2% from Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital (p = 0.014). Antipsychotic use among children and adolescents with epilepsy in Uganda is relatively low but follows international trends, with risperidone being the predominant choice. Antipsychotic prescriptions often involve combinations with carbamazepine or valproate, raising concerns about drug interactions and metabolic risks. These findings underscore the need for locally adapted prescribing guidelines, systematic monitoring of safety outcomes, and strengthened psychosocial interventions to complement pharmacological care.}, }
@article {pmid42153977, year = {2026}, author = {Feng, SY and Cheng, JR and Qin, Y and Lei, J and Gao, CC and Fu, HY and Wu, LP and Nguyen, TD and Deng, XL and Fu, KY and Liu, Y}, title = {Mastication-Induced Electrical Stimulation Activates Prg4[+] Chondroprogenitors for Osteoarthritis Therapy.}, journal = {Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {e75725}, pmid = {42153977}, issn = {2198-3844}, support = {2023YFC2509200//National Key R&D Project of China, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China/ ; 52303171//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 52273258//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 82170979//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 82201091//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 82221003//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; 7254456//Beijing Natural Science Foundation/ ; 825MS196//Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Osteoarthritis (OA) is a whole-joint degenerative disease primarily driven by excessive mechanical overloading, yet current therapies fail to harness biomechanical cues to halt cartilage degeneration. Here, we developed mastication-driven magnesium-incorporated piezoelectric nanofibers (MagPie) that could convert joint loading into localized electrical stimulation while releasing Mg[2] [+] to neutralize the acidic microenvironment. Under mechanical stimulation, MagPie promoted chondrocyte anabolism and suppressed inflammation in vitro. In a rat temporomandibular joint OA model induced by overloading, MagPie, coupled with physiological mastication, restored the damaged osteochondral unit. Through single-cell transcriptomics, an electro-sensitive Prg4[+] chondroprogenitor-like cell population was identified as a key mediator of cartilage regeneration. Mechanistically, MagPie-activated Prg4[+] cells enhanced anabolic activity via the ECM-mediated FAK-PI3K-Akt axis and ameliorated the arthritic microenvironment by shifting macrophage polarization toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Genetic ablation of Prg4 attenuated the therapeutic efficacy of MagPie. Together, these findings uncover a mechanism of electrosensitive tissue repair and establish a 'trash-to-treasure' strategy that harnesses joint overloading to activate endogenous regenerative programs for OA therapy.}, }
@article {pmid42160270, year = {2026}, author = {Palacios-Martínez, I and Carrete, M and García, J and Alonso, H and Arizaga, J and Frías, Ó and Godinho, C and Hernández-Brito, D and Hortas, F and Martín-Zúñiga, J and Montoya-Ayala, R and Mouriño, J and Muñoz, AR and Pérez-García, JM and Prieta, J and Sanz, J and Solé-Bujalance, L and Travassos, P and Villanúa, D and Zamora-Marin, JM and Blanco, G}, title = {Large-scale interspecific associations and ecological context shape communal roosts of Western jackdaw (Coloeus monedula).}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {5}, pages = {e0346626}, pmid = {42160270}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Crows/physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Species Specificity ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {Communal roosting in birds often involves complex interspecific interactions influenced by ecological, social, and environmental factors. We examined winter roosts (n = 232) of western jackdaws (Coloeus monedula) across the Iberian Peninsula to assess patterns of species composition, roost sharing, heterospecific abundance, and dominance. Most roosts (71.6%) were shared with other species, primarily corvids, starlings (Sturnus sp.), and cattle egret (Ardea ibis), with an average richness of 2.7 species per roost. Shared roosts hosted significantly more jackdaws than non-shared roosts, with anthropogenic factors (e.g., proximity to landfills and urban areas) positively influencing sharing, whereas elevation, temperature range, and forest cover had negative effects. Shared roosting with cattle egrets, wood pigeons, and starlings increased jackdaw abundance, whereas glossy ibises and high densities of starlings reduced it. Jackdaws were numerically dominant in over half of shared roosts, though dominance was context-dependent and influenced by the abundance of certain associates. These results reveal selective interspecific associations shaped by environmental context and flexible social roles, emphasizing the importance of conserving large communal roosts across diverse habitats to support overwintering bird communities, particularly declining species in open and agricultural landscapes.}, }
@article {pmid42160274, year = {2026}, author = {Mildener, A and Buchman, D and Ragir, S and Reiss, D}, title = {Evidence for mirror self-recognition in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas).}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {5}, pages = {e0348287}, pmid = {42160274}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {Animals ; *Beluga Whale/physiology/psychology ; Female ; *Behavior, Animal/physiology ; *Recognition, Psychology/physiology ; }, abstract = {Tests of mirror self-recognition (MSR) have provided behavioral evidence of a high level of self-awareness in humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, orangutans, gorillas, bottlenose dolphins, Asian elephants, magpies, and to some extent in the cleaner wrasse. We conducted the standard mirror test with a social group of four beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), one subadult and three adult females, housed together at the New York Aquarium of the Wildlife Conservation Society. We exposed the whales to a two-way plexiglass mirror and a transparent control surface during baseline and post-mirror sessions and recorded and analyzed their behavioral responses in the three conditions. Two of the four whales, the subadult and her mother, exhibited a rich suite of self-directed behaviors at the mirror and subsequent mark and control sham-mark tests were conducted with both whales. The adult female showed mark-directed behavior at the mirror and passed one of the initial mark tests in a series of tests given. The self-directed behaviors exhibited by both whales and mark directed behavior by the adult female provides evidence for the capacity of MSR in the beluga whale.}, }
@article {pmid42169868, year = {2026}, author = {Kumar, V and Nimesh, R and Dhatt, SS and Goni, V and Madhu Babu, K and Kumar, R}, title = {Ayushman card (PM-JAY) as a tool for financial risk protection in orthopaedic trauma care: Evidence from a Level-1 trauma centre.}, journal = {Journal of clinical orthopaedics and trauma}, volume = {78}, number = {}, pages = {103468}, pmid = {42169868}, issn = {0976-5662}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Orthopaedic trauma care is highly resource-intensive and often requires urgent surgical intervention, costly implants, and prolonged hospitalisation. In low- and middle-income settings, lack of financial protection can delay or prevent access to definitive care. Publicly funded insurance schemes such as Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) aim to improve access and reduce out-of-pocket expenditure. However, real-world evidence on utilization of these schemes in trauma surgery remains limited.
METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at a tertiary care trauma centre, including orthopaedic trauma admissions from January 2024 to December 2025. Data were extracted from institutional electronic medical records and insurance claim databases. Key indicators included operative utilization rate, ward-based admission distribution, insurance coverage rate, scheme-wise distribution, and contribution of PM-JAY to total surgical volume.
RESULTS: During the study period, orthopaedic trauma workload increased substantially in 2025 compared with 2024. Total trauma admissions rose from 3378 in 2024 to 4085 in 2025, reflecting a 20.9% increase in inpatient volume. Similarly, the number of orthopaedic trauma surgeries increased from 2526 to 3,236, representing a 28.1% rise in operative workload. Insurance status was documented for 59% of patients, while the remaining 41% were managed through self-payment. Among patients with documented insurance coverage, PM-JAY was the predominant funding source, covering 80.7% of surgeries, followed by HIMCARE (9.3%), poor/free category (9.1%), and staff-free beneficiaries (0.9%). Notably, the contribution of PM-JAY to overall surgical volume increased from 31% in 2024 to 37.4% in 2025, highlighting its growing role in facilitating access to operative trauma care.
CONCLUSION: PM-JAY plays a major role in financing orthopaedic trauma surgery in economically vulnerable populations. Improved documentation and future outcome-based studies are needed to assess long-term effectiveness.}, }
@article {pmid42171353, year = {2026}, author = {Arroteia, LS and Stolf, CS and Paz, HES and Paschoal, TFM and Monteiro, MF and Casati, MZ and Santamaria, MP and Casarin, RCV}, title = {Effect of aesthetic crown lengthening on life quality and self-esteem: 2-year study.}, journal = {Clinical advances in periodontics}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/cap.70030}, pmid = {42171353}, issn = {2163-0097}, support = {001//National Council for Scientific and Technological Development/ ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: A gummy smile can result from several factors, often leading to a disharmonious appearance and causing physical and psychological discomfort for the patient. This study aimed to evaluate changes in self-esteem and quality of life for patients, as well as the recidivism rate, following aesthetic crown lengthening (ACL) surgery.
METHODS: Twenty-two periodontally healthy patients who expressed interest in undergoing ACL and met the procedural indications were selected. Before surgery, at 30 days, and 2 years postoperatively, the Oral Health Impact Profile - 14 items (OHIP-14) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used to assess patients' perceptions of quality of life and self-esteem. Crow dimensions, gingival phenotype, and the recidivism rate were assessed.
RESULTS: ACL significantly improved the psychosocial parameters of patients (p < 0.05). Both self-esteem and quality of life showed improvement 30 days post-surgery (p = 0.02 and 0.00024, respectively). After 2 years, further improvements were observed in the self-esteem index compared to the 30-day results (from 11 [interquartile range {IQR}: 8.0-14.0] to 14 [IQR:12-15, p < 0.05]) and in the OHIP score (from 19 [IQR:14-27] to 6 [IQR: 0.0-8.0]). The clinical crown length established 30 days after surgery remained stable after 2 years (0.82 ± 0.11).
CONCLUSIONS: ACL can enhance patients' quality of life and self-esteem, serving as a valuable procedure in aesthetic periodontics.
PLAIN LANGUAGE SUMMARY: A "gummy smile," where too much gum tissue shows when a person smiles, can affect both appearance and confidence. This study looked at whether aesthetic crown lengthening surgery (a procedure that reshapes the gums and exposes more of the teeth) could improve how people feel about themselves and their daily lives. We followed 22 patients who underwent this surgery and measured their self-esteem and quality of life before the procedure, 1 month later, and again 2 years after the procedure. Results showed that patients felt noticeably better about their smiles and overall quality of life just 1 month after surgery. Even more encouraging, these benefits continued to grow over the course of 2 years, with patients reporting higher self-esteem and fewer problems related to their oral health. Importantly, the changes achieved by the surgery-such as the new tooth and gum proportions-remained stable, with no return of the gummy smile. These findings suggest that crown lengthening is not only an effective and lasting solution for improving the appearance of a gummy smile but also has meaningful, long-term benefits for patients' confidence and well-being.}, }
@article {pmid42173094, year = {2026}, author = {Manlick, PJ and Demarest, AB and Maddox, ML and Valladolid, A}, title = {Fear of humans disrupts trophic interactions that underpin animal-mediated ecosystem functions.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {36}, number = {11}, pages = {2947-2954.e3}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.063}, pmid = {42173094}, issn = {1879-0445}, mesh = {Animals ; Humans ; *Food Chain ; *Fear ; *Ursidae/physiology ; *Ecosystem ; Salmon ; Soil/chemistry ; }, abstract = {Keystone trophic interactions have disproportionate impacts on the structure and function of ecosystems by regulating the flow of nutrients through food webs.[1] However, human disturbances alter animal habitat use and foraging behavior, with uncertain consequences for trophic interactions and the ecosystem functions they support.[2,3] We simulated human activities to manipulate a keystone process-animals transporting salmon-derived nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems-and documented the effects on animal behaviors and associated ecosystem functions. We used acoustic playbacks to alter the landscape of fear at salmon streams, and we experimentally added salmon carcasses to identify the pathways linking human activities to salmon removal, soil biogeochemistry, and organic matter decomposition. We show that animals, including bears (Ursus spp.), were twice as likely to flee from off-highway vehicle sounds compared with control sounds (gull calls), and they were almost 10× more likely to flee from human vocalizations. We found no effect of treatments on soil biogeochemistry, but structural equation models revealed significant direct and indirect effects of bears on decomposition via trophic interactions. Bears significantly increased the removal of added salmon at both control and treatment sites (p < 0.001), which significantly reduced decomposition (p < 0.001); however, the total effect of bears on decomposition was 3.6× stronger at control sites compared with treatment sites. Our findings demonstrate how human activities alter the landscape of fear, thereby disrupting foraging behaviors and degrading animal-mediated ecosystem functions. Conserving and restoring complex trophic interactions in human-dominated landscapes will therefore be essential to maintaining resilient ecosystems in the Anthropocene.}, }
@article {pmid42174433, year = {2026}, author = {Jiménez, NE and Espinoza, M and Mejías, S and Mendoza, SN and Segovia, I and Salgado, JC and Conca, C and Gerdtzen, ZP}, title = {Selecting methods for draft GEM generation in multicellular eukaryotes: a comparative analysis.}, journal = {BMC bioinformatics}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42174433}, issn = {1471-2105}, support = {NCN2021033//Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo/ ; CMM FB210005//Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo/ ; STIC190013//Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Cricetulus ; CHO Cells ; *Models, Biological ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Phaeophyceae/genetics/metabolism ; Genome ; Cricetinae ; }, abstract = {Motivated by the applications of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) for biological discovery and metabolic engineering, several approaches have been developed for automatic generation of draft GEMs. However, most of these methods are not optimized for their use in multicellular eukaryotes and their performance for this task is unclear. In this work we present a comparative analysis of seven automated reconstruction tools (AuReMe, CarveMe, merlin, ModelSEED, Pathway Tools, RAVEN and Reconstructor) applied to three multicellular eukaryotes: the mosquito Aedes aegypti, the CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cell line from Cricetulus griseus and the brown algae Ectocarpus siliculosus. Evaluation of these tools was based on metrics for network size, functionality, consistency, representation of organelle-specific functions and organism-specific metabolites, annotation quality and execution time. We find that methods differ strongly in a trade-off between model functionality and representation of eukaryotic features such as compartmentalization and organism-specific metabolism, with no single approach excelling at both. Our work aims at providing a practical resource to guide researchers in selecting methods for draft generation tailored to organism characteristics and research goals.}, }
@article {pmid42176689, year = {2026}, author = {Holmes, M}, title = {Feathered architects: Collecting histories of anthropogenic material in birds' nests.}, journal = {Endeavour}, volume = {50}, number = {1-2}, pages = {101049}, doi = {10.1016/j.endeavour.2026.101049}, pmid = {42176689}, issn = {1873-1929}, mesh = {Animals ; *Birds ; History, 20th Century ; History, 19th Century ; Humans ; *Nesting Behavior ; History, 21st Century ; *Anthropogenic Effects ; *Architecture/history ; }, abstract = {Numerous examples of birds incorporating artificial or anthropogenic materials into their nests - from anti-bird spikes in the Netherlands to fiber optic cables in eastern Ukraine - have recently made headlines. Yet the appearance of these nests is not a new phenomenon, with ornithologists documenting the use of artificial materials in birds' nests since at least the nineteenth century. In this paper, I argue that nests containing anthropogenic items provide a snapshot of the present state of the Anthropocene, acting as sites where ideas about the environment, its animal inhabitants, and the human impact upon it are made. In the nineteenth century, nests constructed from items such as watch springs, hair pins, and textiles were interpreted as evidence of avian intelligence. In the twentieth century, corvid nests of metal wire were associated with economic and ecological desolation, but also with urbanization and animal culture. The twenty-first century has seen scientific and popular interest in artificial nest material surge. Birds now incorporate everything from plastic packaging to cigarette butts in their nests and these structures are simultaneously celebrated and lamented. Nests are now seen as both proof of the remarkable intelligence of birds and as signs of the unsustainable impact of humanity on the environment. Natural history collections have been central in understanding these developments.}, }
@article {pmid42178644, year = {2026}, author = {Mouton, JC and Pesendorfer, M and Hostetter, NJ and Morrison, SA and Sillett, TS}, title = {Environmental and demographic mechanisms underlying population dynamics provide relative stability in an island songbird.}, journal = {Ecology}, volume = {107}, number = {5}, pages = {e70409}, doi = {10.1002/ecy.70409}, pmid = {42178644}, issn = {1939-9170}, support = {//Nature Conservancy, Channel Islands National Park/ ; DEB-1754821//U.S. National Science Foundation/ ; //Smithsonian Institution/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Population Dynamics ; Islands ; *Songbirds/physiology ; Models, Biological ; Climate Change ; Droughts ; }, abstract = {Understanding demographic and ecological mechanisms underlying population dynamics is a key goal in population ecology and can inform effective conservation and management. Species may be well adapted to persist under normal ranges of environmental conditions, but increasingly novel conditions due to climate change may strain their demographic buffering mechanisms. Small isolated populations on islands are expected to be especially vulnerable to declines caused by novel environmental conditions, but the ecological drivers of population dynamics on islands are often unknown. We used an integrated population model to (1) examine ecological drivers of population growth and (2) assess global population trends of the Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis) from 2009 to 2019. Our results suggest that population size increased slightly over this interval despite declines during severe drought. We also found evidence that density dependence, precipitation, and food availability affected fecundity and the survival of nonbreeding individuals. Breeder survival was relatively stable and had a weak effect on population growth as expected for long-lived species. Overall, our results provide an optimistic snapshot for this species by demonstrating resilience to contemporary drought but also emphasize the species' potential vulnerability due to its small population size.}, }
@article {pmid42179435, year = {2026}, author = {Hämäläinen, L and Marsland, CM and White, TE and Rowland, HM and Umbers, KDL}, title = {The protective value of the size and movement components of deimatic behavior.}, journal = {Behavioral ecology : official journal of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology}, volume = {37}, number = {4}, pages = {arag047}, pmid = {42179435}, issn = {1045-2249}, abstract = {Deimatic behavior is an antipredator defense such as a sudden movement or sounds performed by prey upon perceiving a threat from a predator. Such behaviors can cause predators to slow or stop their attack, but how different components of deimatic behavior influence predator responses remains untested. We investigated the effect of prey movement, size, and size change on predator attack behavior using a robotic moth and wild Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) as predators. We first tested birds' responses to a nonmoving control moth and then presented them with a moving moth displaying deimatic behavior. The experiment included 3 different deimatic behavior treatments with the moving prey: a small moth, a large moth, and a moth that increased in size from small to large. We found that all deimatic behavior treatments were more effective at stopping the first approach compared with the nonmoving control moth, and that no treatment was more effective than another. There was no significant difference in attack latency among the treatments, although birds tended to attack the prey more quickly after the display when the moving prey remained small, compared with moving prey that increased in size during the movement. The robotic moth did not include warning colors or chemical defenses. Our results therefore indicate that protective value is conferred by movement alone, supporting the "startle-first" hypothesis that the behavioral component of deimatism can evolve before other defenses.}, }
@article {pmid42182339, year = {2026}, author = {Summers, J and Cosgrove, EJ and Bakley, T and Barve, S and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Sustained multigenerational fitness benefits of natural immigration.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.64898/2026.05.13.724961}, pmid = {42182339}, issn = {2692-8205}, support = {R35 GM133412/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {The fitness of immigrants and their descendants determines the effectiveness of gene flow. Genetic incompatibilities or outbreeding depression can limit the spread of novel alleles, while highly fit immigrant lineages can hasten introgression. These fitness effects of gene flow can also differ between generations as immigrant and resident haplotypes recombine. Understanding the genetic factors that shape immigrant fitness over multiple generations is increasingly important as habitat fragmentation threatens populations by reducing genetic variation and leading to increased levels of inbreeding. Few studies have measured the multigenerational fitness of immigrant lineages, especially within populations that had histories of high gene flow. We used 33 years of life history and pedigree data on a population of Florida scrub-jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) with historically high immigration to quantify the fitness of immigrants and their descendants. We compared the fitness of immigrants and residents as well as their resulting descendants (F1, F2, etc.) to determine the composite genetic effects responsible for fitness differences. We found evidence of additive benefits of immigrant ancestry and heterosis driven by non-additive effects that persists for multiple generations. These results are promising for conservation efforts aiming to increase connectivity and illustrate the complex dynamics that determine the rates of introgression in natural populations.}, }
@article {pmid42183497, year = {2026}, author = {Spinoso, M and Benassi, M and Riccardi, A and Orsoni, M and Mazzoni, N and Brancaccio, A and Epifania, OM and Allegretti, M and Muccinelli, M and Novelli, C and de Chiusole, D and Anselmi, P and Stefanutti, L and Bacherini, A and Pierluigi, I and Balboni, G and Giovagnoli, S}, title = {Error patterns on a computerized version of Raven's progressive matrices in specific learning disorders.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {1800128}, pmid = {42183497}, issn = {1664-1078}, abstract = {Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) are neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by persistent difficulties in reading, writing, or mathematics. These difficulties occur in the absence of intellectual disabilities, sensory impairments (visual/auditory), or neurological issues, indicating that SLDs do not reflect a lack of ability or a global cognitive impairment. Rather, they represent a different learning profile, where domain-specific difficulties coexist with otherwise adequate intellectual functioning. Consistent with this perspective and contemporary models conceptualizing intelligence as a multidimensional construct, research reveals marked heterogeneity in SLD cognitive profiles, particularly subtle weaknesses in working memory and processing speed, closely intertwined with Fluid Intelligence (FI). FI is defined as the ability to think logically, identify patterns, and solve novel problems independently of prior knowledge. Existing research has not found different FI levels in SLDs; however, most studies focused exclusively on quantitative measures, such as total accuracy, which may hinder individual differences in cognitive processes. Qualitative dimensions of FI, particularly error patterns, remain largely unexplored in this population, yet examining these patterns could reveal inefficiencies in reasoning that quantitative scores cannot capture. The present study investigated FI in children and adolescents with SLD using MatriKS, a new computerized version of Raven's Progressive Matrices. A sample of 160 participants aged 7-19 years (88 with SLD, 72 typically developing) completed MatriKS alongside standardized cognitive and academic assessments. Among participants with SLD, further distinction was considered, based on academic impairment area (reading/writing disorder vs. mathematical disorder, isolated or combined). Results demonstrated good convergent validity of MatriKS with traditional Raven's Matrices, and revealed significant group differences in overall accuracy, with the mathematics subgroup showing the most pronounced difficulties. Qualitative error analysis uncovered distinct patterns across SLD subtypes and developmental stages, with specific error types successfully distinguishing between diagnostic groups at different ages. These findings show that while global FI scores may fall within average range, qualitative error analysis can uncover specific inefficiencies, differentiating SLD subtypes across development. Therefore, incorporating error analysis into cognitive assessment could enhance the understanding of individual cognitive profiles and provide insights for interventions addressing underlying processing vulnerabilities, rather than solely academic skill deficits.}, }
@article {pmid42189840, year = {2026}, author = {Beres, SK and Bakley, TD and Summers, J and Fitzpatrick, JW and Barve, S}, title = {Multiple routes to territory inheritance in Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens).}, journal = {The Journal of animal ecology}, volume = {95}, number = {7}, pages = {1273-1284}, pmid = {42189840}, issn = {1365-2656}, support = {//Archbold Biological Station/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; Female ; Florida ; Reproduction ; *Territoriality ; *Passeriformes/physiology ; *Songbirds/physiology ; }, abstract = {In many animals, being the dominant owner of a territory is a pre-requisite for reproductive success. Acquisition of territory by inheritance, where at least a portion of the new (breeding) territory is acquired from the natal territory, characterizes many social animals and offers multiple benefits over dispersing away from natal ground. Territory dynamics change rapidly and are difficult to objectively quantify. Additionally, little is known regarding the non-dispersive sex's potential to inherit. We spatially analysed decades of territory maps to identify all nontrivial instances of natal territory inheritance in first-time breeding Florida Scrub-Jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) and compared initial reproductive success of those that gained breeding status through any form of inheritance versus by other means. Among inheritors, we studied how first-time territory acquisition strategies differed between the sexes. Between 1982 and 2024, 139 out of 1014 first-time breeders gained significant natal territory through inheriting the entire natal territory upon the death of both parents, pairing with an adjacent, widowed neighbour and incorporating some natal ground, or pairing with a novice disperser and budding off of their natal territory (or some combination of two). Among all breeders that inherited substantial portions of natal territory, males did so about twice as often as females (97 vs. 42 instances, respectively). Birds that inherited natal territory did not have higher initial reproductive success than those that did not inherit. Comparing reproduction among birds who inherited, males and females did not differ either. Proportions of territory gained from the natal territory differed markedly between the sexes. Males gained a significantly higher percentage of their natal territory than females, and inherited territory made up a greater portion of their new territories. Males and females took different routes to inheritance: females showed higher plasticity in their acquisition strategy and more frequently paired with neighbouring, experienced widows on large territories, while males more commonly established new, relatively small territories with dispersing, novice females. Our study demonstrates the value in objectively quantifying field-gathered spatial data, as it revealed a previously unidentified trend of opportunistic female dispersals with beneficial fitness consequences.}, }
@article {pmid42201529, year = {2026}, author = {Saraiva, GL and Awane, GA and Cavichia, RG and Gutierres, JDS and Lovato, DLFL and Aguiar, LM and Vidotto-Magnoni, AP}, title = {Spontaneous juggling behavior in a wild urban capuchin monkey (Sapajus nigritus cucullatus).}, journal = {Primates; journal of primatology}, volume = {67}, number = {4}, pages = {435-440}, pmid = {42201529}, issn = {1610-7365}, mesh = {Animals ; Brazil ; *Sapajus/physiology ; Male ; Female ; *Tool Use Behavior ; *Cebinae/physiology ; }, abstract = {Juggling, defined as the repeated and rhythmic throwing and catching of an object, is a rare and complex form of object manipulation among non-human animals. While object play has been described in several taxa, true juggling behavior, intentional, successive aerial manipulation of the same object, has only been formally documented in a few species such as otters, dolphins, corvids, and, more recently, in gibbons and macaques. In this study, we report the first known case of juggling behavior in a wild free-ranging Platyrrhini, a juvenile black-horned capuchin monkey (Sapajus nigritus cucullatus) inhabiting an urban forest fragment in southern Brazil, with access to human foods. The event was recorded opportunistically during a behavioral study of object manipulations by capuchins. The juvenile, positioned alone on the ground in a green open area, picked up a coconut and performed a sequence of seven successive throws and recoveries, each executed with precision, rhythm, and apparent intentionality. This observation expands the known taxonomic and ecological range of juggling-like behaviors and underscores the cognitive and motor flexibility of Sapajus species. It also raises questions about the influence of urban environments on behavioral innovation in wild primates, where exotic objects are present and predation and competition may be more relaxed, freeing up time for innovations. We propose that this object manipulation represents an innovative play behavior in a juvenile capuchin, which, beyond serving as a ludic activity, may function as a means of cognitive engagement, motor practice, and possibly cultural transmission.}, }
@article {pmid42202343, year = {2026}, author = {Small, R}, title = {Botulinum Toxin Procedures: A Practical Approach to Cosmetic Injections.}, journal = {American family physician}, volume = {113}, number = {}, pages = {449-456}, pmid = {42202343}, issn = {1532-0650}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; *Cosmetic Techniques ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; *Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; *Botulinum Toxins/administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Face ; }, abstract = {Botulinum toxin injection for treatment of facial wrinkles is the most commonly performed minimally invasive cosmetic procedure in the United States. Cosmetic indications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration include treatment of wrinkles in the upper face (eg, glabellar lines [frown lines], frontalis lines [horizontal forehead lines], lateral orbicularis oculi lines [crow's feet]). Treatment offers predictable results with high patient satisfaction and few adverse effects. Facial wrinkles are formed by dermal atrophy and repetitive contraction of underlying musculature. Injection of small quantities of botulinum toxin, a potent neurotoxin, into specific overactive muscles causes localized muscle relaxation, smoothing the overlying skin and thereby reducing wrinkles. Clinical effects of botulinum toxin typically take 2 weeks to fully develop and last approximately 3 to 4 months. Treatment of dynamic wrinkles, seen during muscle contraction, yield more dramatic results than static wrinkles, which are visible at rest. Botulinum toxin injection is contraindicated in patients with keloidal scarring, neuromuscular disorders (eg, myasthenia gravis), and allergy to constituents of the botulinum toxin product. Minor bruising and swelling can occur with these injections. Temporary blepharoptosis and eyebrow ptosis are technique-dependent complications, and their incidence declines as injector skill improves. Clinicians can attain procedural proficiency through formal instructional courses and precepting with an experienced aesthetic medicine clinician.}, }
@article {pmid42202561, year = {2026}, author = {Pascali, M and Gratteri, M and Savani, L and Marchese, G and Pascali, F and Persichetti, P}, title = {Orbicularis oculi selective-denervation (OOSD): A secondary long-term effect for crow's feet reduction following temporal subcutaneous brow lift with orbicularis repositioning.}, journal = {Journal of plastic, reconstructive & aesthetic surgery : JPRAS}, volume = {118}, number = {}, pages = {166-173}, doi = {10.1016/j.bjps.2025.12.014}, pmid = {42202561}, issn = {1878-0539}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; *Rhytidoplasty/methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; *Facial Muscles/innervation/surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Eyebrows ; Skin Aging ; Retrospective Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: In the last decades various authors have experimented and described more invasive techniques for manipulation of the orbicularis muscle to surgically reduce crow's feet. Nevertheless, scientific literature still has too few articles reporting experience with these surgeries leading to the inability to determine which is the most effective technique. The aim of the study was to report surgeons' experience based on one hundred ninety four cases of orbicularis oculi selective-denervation with crow's feet correction following temporal subcutaneous brow lift with orbicularis repositioning and Temporal MORE (Modified Orbicularis REpositioning). Furthermore, an overview of the anatomical evidences on the orbicularis oculi muscle was illustrated.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: The authors included in this study one hundred ninety four consecutive patients who underwent temporal subcutaneous brow lift with orbicularis repositioning or Temporal MORE with a minimum follow-up of two years. An evaluation of the pre- and post-operative photos was performed by a jury composed of 3 independent plastic surgeons basing on the Merz five-point dynamic Crow's Feet Grading Scale. Statistical analysis was conducted with Prism9.
RESULTS: Of the 194 analyzed cases, the 182 (93.81%) patients who had an initial score greater than or equal to 2 had a score at the first postoperative time (T3) of 0 or 1 showed a statistically significant reduction in score between T0 and T3. No statistically significant difference between T3 and T12 and between T12 and T24.
CONCLUSIONS: Temporal subcutaneous lift with orbicularis reposition and Temporal MORE allow crow's feet relaxation providing long-term results due to OOSD.}, }
@article {pmid42212372, year = {2026}, author = {Kumar, KS and Linda, A and Maurya, SK and Bhowmick, S}, title = {Physics-Aware Representation Learning on Electronic Charge Density for Materials Property Prediction.}, journal = {Journal of chemical information and modeling}, volume = {66}, number = {12}, pages = {7113-7123}, doi = {10.1021/acs.jcim.6c00235}, pmid = {42212372}, issn = {1549-960X}, mesh = {*Density Functional Theory ; Representation Machine Learning ; Convolutional Neural Networks ; *Electrons ; Thermodynamics ; Autoencoder ; Boosting Machine Learning Algorithms ; }, abstract = {The fundamental quantity governing the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of a crystalline solid is its electronic charge density. Yet, its direct use for the rapid prediction of materials properties remains challenging due to its high dimensionality. Here, we present a physics-informed deep learning framework that directly predicts mechanical and thermodynamic properties from the three-dimensional electronic charge density derived from density functional theory (DFT). The proposed approach first utilizes a three-dimensional convolutional autoencoder for unsupervised dimensionality reduction, compressing a high-resolution charge-density grid (128 × 128 × 128) into a compact latent representation (16 × 16 × 16 × 16) while preserving physically meaningful features, as confirmed by negligible reconstruction errors across diverse crystal systems. The compressed latent-space representation of charge density is then used by two different regression models for property prediction: Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM) and Attention-based 3D Convolutional Neural Networks (Att CNN), and their performance is compared. Combining composition-based descriptors (Material Agnostic Platform for Informatics and Exploration or MAGPIE) with electronic charge density data further improves the model accuracy. Using a data set of about 6059 inorganic compounds spanning multiple crystal symmetries, the models achieve strong predictive performance for bulk modulus K (R[2] = 0.94), Young's modulus E (R[2] = 0.88), shear modulus G (R[2] = 0.87), formation energy Eform (R[2] = 0.96), and Debye temperature Θ (R[2] = 0.89). This work establishes electronic charge density as a transferable, physics-grounded descriptor for materials property prediction, requiring ≈1/25 of the computational resources of full-fledged DFT calculations.}, }
@article {pmid42212776, year = {2026}, author = {Acharya, KP and Phuyal, S and Shah, Y and Pun, SB}, title = {Low pathogenic avian influenza in dead crows in Nepal.}, journal = {The Veterinary record}, volume = {198}, number = {11}, pages = {485-486}, doi = {10.1002/vetr.70852}, pmid = {42212776}, issn = {2042-7670}, }
@article {pmid42213139, year = {2026}, author = {Malvandi, H and Shamabadi, MH and Vaezi, I}, title = {Biomonitoring of Heavy Metals Using Feathers of Different Bird Species in Mashhad Metropolis, Iran.}, journal = {Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology}, volume = {116}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {42213139}, issn = {1432-0800}, mesh = {Animals ; *Metals, Heavy/analysis/metabolism ; *Birds/metabolism ; *Feathers/chemistry ; *Environmental Pollutants/metabolism/analysis ; Iran ; *Biological Monitoring ; Cities ; *Environmental Monitoring ; }, abstract = {In the present study, thirteen urban bird species were used as bioindicators to monitor metal concentrations in the metropolis of Mashhad. The concentrations of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) ranged from 0.004 to 0.073, 0.750 to 1.400, and 0.502 to 1.202 µg/g dry w, respectively. The lowest concentration of Pb was observed in Corvus corax and Corvus frugilegus species, while the highest concentration was found in Turdus iliacus. The lowest concentration of Zn was in C. frugilegus, and the highest concentration was in Spilopelia senegalensis. The lowest concentration of Cu was in Galerida cristata, with the highest concentration in S. senegalensis. The results revealed statistically significant differences in the concentrations of the studied elements in some species. Although the values of the studied elements were higher in the Insectivore and then Granivorous groups compared to the Carnivore and Omnivore groups, there was no significant difference between species based on their diet. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in element concentrations between adult and immature samples, as well as between small-bodied and large-bodied samples. Risk assessment of element exposure showed that the concentrations in all thirteen species' samples were below the permissible limits, indicating a low health risk from metal exposure for these species. It is worth noting that this research marks the first global measurement of metal values in Spinus spinus, T. iliacus, and Phoenicurus erythronotus species.}, }
@article {pmid42225539, year = {2026}, author = {Turner, AC and Abbott, EM and Garcia, MA and Brachman, DG}, title = {Response to the "Letter to the editor with regards to 'A biologically effective dose-based framework for integrating LDR brachytherapy and EBRT in glioblastoma treatment' by Turner et al." from Dr. Christopher J. Tien and Dr. Zhe (Jay) Chen.}, journal = {Brachytherapy}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.brachy.2026.04.010}, pmid = {42225539}, issn = {1873-1449}, }
@article {pmid42229366, year = {2026}, author = {Palacios-Martínez, I and Carrete, M and García, J and Alonso, H and Arizaga, J and Frías, Ó and Godinho, C and Hernández-Brito, D and Hortas, F and Martín-Zúñiga, J and Montoya Ayala, R and Mouriño, J and Muñoz, AR and Pérez-García, JM and Prieta, J and Sanz, J and Solé-Bujalance, L and Travassos, P and Villanúa, D and Zamora-Marin, JM and Blanco, G}, title = {Environmental Drivers of Communal Roost Distribution and Size in Western Jackdaws (Coloeus monedula) Under Landscape Transformation.}, journal = {Integrative zoology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/1749-4877.70132}, pmid = {42229366}, issn = {1749-4877}, support = {//IPM/ ; PID2022-139442NB-100//FPI/ ; PREP2022-000484//FPI/ ; //National Autonomous University of Mexico/ ; //Staff Development Support Programme/ ; CIAPOS/2023/129//JMZM/ ; }, abstract = {Large-scale studies linking species distribution to environmental variables are crucial for understanding human impacts on ecosystems and informing conservation actions. Multiscale habitat models reveal how organisms interact with their environment and respond to pressures like habitat loss and urbanization. This study investigates the environmental drivers influencing the winter distribution and abundance of the Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula) across the Iberian Peninsula, highlighting its value as a model for assessing anthropogenic impacts. Using data from a coordinated winter census of communal roosts, we employed a multiscale analytical framework to analyze roost location and size. Environmental suitability models were developed to identify potential roosting and foraging areas, with particular emphasis on the role of urbanization in shaping the species' distribution in winter. Urban areas and th composition of agricultural landscapes emerged as key determinants of roost location, positively influencing both roost occurrence at fine scales and habitat suitability across foraging areas. Conversely, high vegetation productivity and dense vegetation cover negatively impacted roost size, suggesting that communal roosting patterns are heavily dictated by the proximity and quality of foraging grounds. Suitability models identified urban areas, agricultural landscapes, and river valleys as the most favorable habitats. Nevertheless, urbanization significantly constrained overall suitable habitat extent. These results reveal an emerging urban commuting strategy where individuals decouple nocturnal safety in urban refugia from diurnal foraging in agro-pastoral habitats. This behavioral shift helps explain widespread declines of common species, as rising energetic costs of balancing anthropogenic safety and resource availability may drive population instability in the Anthropocene.}, }
@article {pmid42237204, year = {2026}, author = {Jain, V and Loretto, MC and Bugnyar, T and Sumasgutner, P}, title = {Fluctuations in direct human presence, not predictable weekly cycles, influence avoidance behaviour in ravens.}, journal = {Movement ecology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1186/s40462-026-00671-9}, pmid = {42237204}, issn = {2051-3933}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Rhythms in human activity create patterns of opportunities and disturbances for wildlife, influencing their behaviour and spatial ecology. The weekend effect hypothesis posits that weekday-weekend routines in human activity can impact wildlife in creating cyclic conditions. At our study site - an outdoor wildlife park - free-flying ravens opportunistically exploit food intended for captive animals on a routine basis. While disturbances from visitor activity levels are typically low on weekdays and high on weekends, they can also vary day-to-day. Our access to data detailing visitor numbers makes our context well-suited to test whether ravens anticipate and respond to predictable weekday-weekend patterns following (1) a '5 + 2' structure, or if they respond (2) flexibly to fluctuations in direct human activity levels. By testing the weekend effect hypothesis from the perspective of a '5 + 2' pattern versus flexibly responding to fluctuations in human activity, we better understand wildlife response strategies to human activity.
METHODS: Using long-term GPS tracking data, we investigated the weekend effect hypothesis by examining raven foraging probability and space use across two temporal scales: (1) daily patterns over five years, encompassing periods of Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions, and (2) bihourly patterns over six weeks. We hypothesized that increased human activity levels would result in lower foraging probabilities and higher space use in ravens, varying between weekdays and weekends.
RESULTS: Our findings provided limited support for the weekend effect hypothesis, considering a '5 + 2' pattern in human activity. However, ravens consistently avoided elevated human activity by decreasing in their probability of foraging at the site and increasing space use on a daily level.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals that ravens are behaviourally flexible in their movement responses to disturbance when exploiting anthropogenically created foraging opportunities. Changes influencing anthropogenic resources and disturbances at resources should consider the potential knock-on effects to wildlife.}, }
@article {pmid42239253, year = {2026}, author = {Spitz, G and Tian, D and Cosgrove, E and Bakley, TD and Barve, S and Bowman, R and Fitzpatrick, JW and Chen, N}, title = {Indirect genetic effects across ontogeny in an avian cooperative breeder.}, journal = {bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {42239253}, issn = {2692-8205}, abstract = {Social interactions are ubiquitous in nature and have the potential to affect trait evolution, particularly in group-living animals such as cooperative breeders. Interactions among conspecific individuals can affect the amount of additive genetic variation for a trait when the phenotype of an individual is also affected by the genotype of its social partner(s) via indirect genetic effects. Thus, quantifying both direct and indirect genetic effects of social partners is critical for understanding and predicting evolutionary trajectories. While much is known about maternal indirect genetic effects, empirical estimates of indirect genetic effects from other social partners remain limited, particularly in wild populations. Here, we use animal models to assess the contribution of indirect genetic effects from all social partners in a family group (mothers, fathers, and helpers) on juvenile morphometric traits across ontogeny in the cooperatively-breeding Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens). We found indirect genetic effects of helpers and fathers on nestling weight, but no indirect genetic effect of mothers. Across ontogeny, we found increasing additive genetic variation in both weight and tarsus length. Our study provides a comprehensive assessment of within-group indirect genetic effects in a cooperative breeder and highlights the importance of considering indirect genetic effects beyond maternal effects.}, }
@article {pmid42239724, year = {2026}, author = {Hui, T and Zhang, J and Pei, X and Zhi, Y and Song, T and Song, S and Zhu, A and Gao, W and Zhang, C}, title = {Effects of forest park's biological sounds on the positive responses of stressed university student.}, journal = {iScience}, volume = {29}, number = {6}, pages = {116073}, pmid = {42239724}, issn = {2589-0042}, abstract = {Given the widespread concern over university students' psychological health and the significant role of biological sounds in psychological recovery, this study experimentally verified the effects of forest park biological sounds on stressed university students. We recruited 32 students (stress measured via the Perceived Stress Scale), used 11 biological sound samples from Henan forest parks as auditory stimuli, and tested their electroencephalogram (EEG) and psychological questionnaire in the laboratory. We find that biological sounds enhance security/relaxation and alleviate fatigue, with stronger effects in highly stressed students; Oecanthus indicus Saussure, Hirundo rustic, and Ardea intermedia exert the most positive effects, while Corvus macrorhynchos and Tettigonia chinensis Willemse have negative effects; Hirundo rustica, Oecanthus indicus Saussure, and Passer ammodendri score highest in psychological perception; and psychological and physiological responses correlate significantly. These findings highlight bioacoustics' value in relieving student stress and provide data for future forest park landscape and soundscape design.}, }
@article {pmid42245134, year = {2026}, author = {Sayman, C and Toplutaş, E and Aylak, U and Safa, SS and Savcılı, M and Karakuş, A and Uçak, D and Hanoğlu, L and Cankaya, S and Mardinoglu, A and Yuluğ, B}, title = {Resting-state EEG microstates link neural dynamics to fluid intelligence in mild cognitive impairment.}, journal = {Frontiers in aging neuroscience}, volume = {18}, number = {}, pages = {1734828}, pmid = {42245134}, issn = {1663-4365}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Resting-state EEG microstates offer millisecond-scale markers of large-scale network dynamics that may capture early cognitive dysfunction in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). We investigated whether microstate characteristics relate to global cognition and fluid intelligence in MCI.
METHODS: Sixty adults (30 MCI; 30 healthy controls, HC) were evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Raven's Progressive Matrices (RPM), and the Benton Facial Recognition Test (BFRT). Resting-state, eyes-closed EEG was recorded, and microstate Global Explained Variance (GEV) was calculated by mapping study specific topographies to the seven canonical classes (A-G) of the Metamaps2023 templates. In addition to GEV, temporal parameters (duration, occurrence, and coverage) were analyzed. Group differences and age/education/sex-adjusted correlations were assessed using a unified non-parametric framework with FDR correction.
RESULTS: MCI patients showed significantly lower scores across all cognitive domains compared to HC (p < 0.01). GEV was significantly higher in the MCI group for microstate B (≈11.3% vs. 7.9%; p = 0.007) and microstate C (≈6.1% vs. 4.1%; p = 0.007), while other classes showed no significant differences. Temporal analysis revealed that microstates B and C exhibited significantly increased occurrence and coverage in the MCI group, whereas mean duration did not differ between groups. Correlation analysis demonstrated that increased GEV of microstates B and C was associated with poorer performance on the MoCA and RPM, while microstates A and G showed positive correlations with MMSE scores. These associations remained robust after controlling demographic covariates.
CONCLUSION: MCI is characterized by an increased contribution of microstates B and C, which are linked to impairments in fluid reasoning and executive control. These findings suggest that microstate dynamics serve as sensitive markers of early network disorganization in the predementia stage, reflecting a loss of neural flexibility that mirrors cognitive decline.}, }
@article {pmid42253068, year = {2025}, author = {Simonetti, N}, title = {A Case for the Literary Eco-Crip: (Re)Producing Disability and Nature in Richard Powers's Bewilderment.}, journal = {Literature and medicine}, volume = {43}, number = {2}, pages = {375-396}, pmid = {42253068}, issn = {1080-6571}, mesh = {Humans ; *Persons with Disabilities ; *Medicine in Literature ; }, abstract = {Inspired by Sarah Jaquette Ray and Jay Sibara's call for more scholarship at the intersection of Critical Disability Studies and the Environmental Humanities, this article offers an eco-crip analysis of Richard Powers's Bewilderment (2021), focusing on the character of Robin, a neurodivergent environmentalist, to trace the entangled representation of disability and nature in the novel. I first argue that the narrative articulates a complex representational system in which the framing of the neurodivergent protagonist as alternatively diseased and a supercrip risks supporting ableist assumptions and undercutting the novel's ecological critique. Subsequently, I propose that Bewilderment might also be productively interpreted through an eco-crip lens as a generative site of political possibility. Speculative fiction emerges here not only as a key site for diagnosing problematic cultural imaginaries, but also for envisioning more capacious relations between disability and nature.}, }
@article {pmid42260048, year = {2026}, author = {Gallerani, EM and Ostermann-Kelm, S and Williams, CB and Fricker, GA and Cavanaugh, KC and Gillespie, TW}, title = {Sensor fusion and downscaled climate projections reveal climate refugia in the California Channel Islands.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-56345-4}, pmid = {42260048}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {P24AC02515//DOI-Department of the Interior National Park Service/ ; }, abstract = {Conservation actions such as habitat restoration and translocation require spatially informed, quantitative decision-making. We modeled habitat suitability for nine priority landbird species of the Channel Islands to understand habitat preferences, inform conservation planning and assess future climate impacts. In the absence of recent airborne lidar, we derived vegetation structure from spaceborne lidar, radar and optical remote sensing data combined with downscaled climate observations to train machine-learning models. Models performed well (average AUC = 0.84) under spatial cross-validation. Incorporating citizen science data improved Boyce Index performance for eight of the nine species, though AUC declined for 6 out of 9 species, likely reflecting spatial bias in opportunistic records. A radar-derived vegetation index was consistently influential, while maximum temperature strongly affected species restricted to Santa Cruz Island. Most species are projected to lose suitable habitat under two near-future (2040-2069) climate scenarios, except Grasshopper sparrow, Island scrub jay and Rufous-crowned sparrow. We identified climate change refugia to inform spatial conservation priorities.}, }
@article {pmid42260237, year = {2026}, author = {de Chiusole, D and Epifania, OM and Anselmi, P and Brancaccio, A and Mazzoni, N and Spinoso, M and Orsoni, M and Giovagnoli, S and Pierluigi, I and Bacherini, A and Benassi, M and Balboni, G and Stefanutti, L}, title = {Multi-method validation of the new computerized test of fluid intelligence MatriKS.}, journal = {Behavior research methods}, volume = {58}, number = {7}, pages = {}, pmid = {42260237}, issn = {1554-3528}, mesh = {Humans ; *Intelligence ; *Intelligence Tests ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Male ; Female ; Reproducibility of Results ; }, abstract = {This paper introduces MatriKS, a new computerized tool for the assessment of fluid intelligence based on Raven-like matrices. Based on knowledge structure theory (KST), a mathematical framework initially designed for efficient assessment and personalized learning, MatriKS is the first large-scale application of KST to fluid intelligence assessment. The validation results for MatriKS, suitable for Italian individuals aged 4 to 11 (N = 568), are presented. A multi-method approach incorporating classical test theory (CTT), item response theory (IRT), and KST was employed. Each of the three approaches, with its own assumptions and models, highlights structural properties of the data that are not captured by the other two. Nevertheless, the three approaches provide an acceptable modeling of the data supporting the adequate functioning of MatriKS. The study concludes by exploring the methodological and practical benefits of using KST for constructing tests and estimating individual cognitive profiles.}, }
@article {pmid42261578, year = {2026}, author = {Shatkovska, OV and Ghazali, M and Mytiai, IS}, title = {Alterations of Growth Trajectories in Rook (Corvus frugilegus) Ontogeny.}, journal = {Journal of morphology}, volume = {287}, number = {6}, pages = {e70141}, doi = {10.1002/jmor.70141}, pmid = {42261578}, issn = {1097-4687}, mesh = {Animals ; Forelimb/growth & development/embryology/anatomy & histology ; *Crows/growth & development/embryology/anatomy & histology ; Hindlimb/growth & development/embryology/anatomy & histology ; Body Size ; Head/growth & development/embryology/anatomy & histology ; }, abstract = {The growth of birds is a subject of constant interest to researchers, and somewhat contradictory data on this issue have accumulated. It is known that the growth patterns of fore- and hind limbs differ during the embryonic and postnatal periods, whereas their increments change rather similarly. The question arises: how are these contradictory trends reconciled, and what role do they play in shaping body proportions? Our study was carried out on Rook embryos and nestlings. We studied the dynamics of changes in head, forelimb, and hind limb length in relation to body mass using regression analysis. Then, the dynamics of relative sizes were compared with the dynamics of relative increments of these traits that we studied earlier. We distinguished four periods in the dynamics of relative sizes, just as we identified earlier in the dynamics of relative increments, when the growth trajectories of traits undergo significant changes. The studied traits scaled mainly with positive allometry in the first period (from the 10th to 13th days of embryogenesis) and third period (from the 5th to 23rd days of the postnatal period), negative allometry in the second period (from the 14th day of embryonic to the 3rd day of postnatal development) and isometrical in the fourth period (from 25th to 30th days of the postnatal period). Despite the roughly consistent changes in an organism within the designated periods, variations in the regression exponents led to changes in proportions. The hind limb had the highest growth rate during embryogenesis, while the forelimb grew faster across most of the nesting period. We assume that changes in the dynamics of body parts' growth are associated with the preparation of organs for function and with the influence of factors that limit the growth of an entire organism.}, }
@article {pmid42265001, year = {2026}, author = {Hartshorn, S and Barrett, MJ and Lyttle, MD and Yee, SA}, title = {MAGPIE study author's reply.}, journal = {Injury}, volume = {57}, number = {8}, pages = {113431}, doi = {10.1016/j.injury.2026.113431}, pmid = {42265001}, issn = {1879-0267}, }
@article {pmid42266599, year = {2026}, author = {Skoracki, M and Hromada, M and Wamiti, W and Sikora, B and Kosicki, JZ}, title = {Quill Mites Parasitising African Shrikes: New Host Records and Distributional Insights Into Host and Habitat Specificity.}, journal = {Journal of parasitology research}, volume = {2026}, number = {}, pages = {2067519}, pmid = {42266599}, issn = {2090-0023}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Quill mites of the family Syringophilidae are permanent ectoparasites inhabiting the lumen of avian feather quills and exhibiting high host and microhabitat specificity. Despite the broad geographic distribution and ecological diversity of shrikes (Laniidae), their syringophilid fauna has received insufficient study.
METHODS: We examined 288 museum specimens representing 13 shrike species (genera Lanius, Urolestes and Corvinella) from the Afrotropical region. Mites were extracted from feather quills, identified morphologically and analysed with respect to host associations, microhabitat preferences, prevalence and evolutionary patterns of host-parasite relationships.
RESULTS: Five syringophilid species belonging to three genera, Syringophilopsis, Syringophiloidus and Aulonastus, were recorded from eight host species. Several new host and locality records substantially expanded the known distribution of quill mites in Laniidae. All recorded species were oligoxenous and showed strict feather-type specificity. Two phylogenetically distinct lineages of Syringophilopsis were found on closely related shrike hosts. No representatives of the subfamily Picobiinae were detected. Prevalence ranged from 2.5% to 25.0%.
CONCLUSIONS: The distribution patterns of syringophilid mites associated with shrikes suggest a complex evolutionary history that cannot be explained by a single process and likely involves ancestral host tracking, secondary colonisation and lineage sorting, with some associations potentially reflecting cospeciation. Additionally, the absence of representatives of Picobiinae may reflect historical constraints in host-parasite associations or limited colonisation and persistence of body-feather specialists in shrikes. All recorded species exhibited strict feather-type specificity, highlighting microhabitat specialisation as a key factor structuring shrike-quill mite associations. The generally low prevalence observed in shrikes is likely related to their predominantly solitary behaviour, which may limit opportunities for direct transmission of these permanent and highly host-specific parasites. These findings provide a basis for future studies on the coevolutionary relationships between corvid birds and their syringophilid mites.}, }
@article {pmid42277911, year = {2026}, author = {Görtz-Dorten, A and Schindler, L and Klee, J and Wähnke, L and Döpfner, M}, title = {Effects of an app-augmented cognitive behavioral therapy using the Journaling App for Youth (JAY) for adolescents with internalizing disorders-a study protocol.}, journal = {Trials}, volume = {27}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42277911}, issn = {1745-6215}, mesh = {Humans ; *Cognitive Behavioral Therapy/methods ; Adolescent ; *Mobile Applications ; *Adolescent Behavior ; Treatment Outcome ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Germany ; Smartphone ; Patient Compliance ; *Anxiety Disorders/therapy/psychology ; Adherence Interventions ; *Depression/therapy/psychology ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression can be especially severe during adolescence, presenting significant challenges for affected individuals. While cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown promise as an effective treatment for these conditions, a significant proportion of youth do not benefit sufficiently from CBT. One critical factor that may influence the effectiveness of CBT is adherence to therapy homework, with evidence suggesting a relationship between homework completion and therapy outcomes, including symptom reduction. In this context, smartphone apps have emerged as a potentially helpful tool to enhance adherence by providing engaging ways for adolescents to complete their therapy homework. However, in Germany, there is currently a lack of evaluated smartphone apps that can be deployed as adjuncts to CBT for adolescents.
METHOD: This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial (RCT). It will evaluate the effects of the JAY smartphone app on therapy homework adherence during CBT for adolescents with internalizing disorders (n = 35) compared to CBT with standard paper-and-pencil homework (n = 35).
DISCUSSION: The findings of the JAY trial may contribute to the understanding of how smartphone apps can be integrated into CBT for adolescents to enhance therapy homework adherence and ultimately treatment outcomes.
TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) DRKS00026623. Registered on 13th October 2023, https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00026623/details .}, }
@article {pmid42282978, year = {2026}, author = {Yousefi, M and Nezami, B and Asgari, F and Illanloo, SS and Alemohammad, S and Bosso, L}, title = {Climate Change Reduces Habitat Suitability of the Endemic Iranian Ground-Jay (Podoces pleskei): Spatial Analyses to Guide Conservation Strategies.}, journal = {Ecology and evolution}, volume = {16}, number = {6}, pages = {e73637}, pmid = {42282978}, issn = {2045-7758}, abstract = {Dryland and semiarid ecosystems in Iran are increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities, posing significant risks to endemic avian species such as the Iranian Ground-jay (Podoces pleskei). In this study, we used ecological niche models and GIS analyses to predict the impacts of climate change on the habitat suitability of this bird. Our models showed that the habitat suitability for P. pleskei was primarily concentrated within the deserts and xeric shrublands biomes and identified extensive suitable habitat patches along the Iran-Pakistan border. Podoces pleskei showed a higher probability of presence at low values of mean temperature of the driest quarter, annual precipitation, NDVI, and distance from human settlements. Our findings reveal that although approximately 36% of suitable habitats fall within formally designated protected areas, the majority remain unprotected and suffer from severe fragmentation, compromising long-term conservation prospects. We found that P. pleskei lost a considerable proportion of its suitable habitats due to climate change i.e., 18% and 52% under SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios, respectively. Our models showed strong predictive performance as indicated by high Area Under Curve and True Skill Statistic values. Moving beyond traditional protected area designation, conservation efforts must prioritize habitat connectivity and community engagement to ensure the persistence of P. pleskei and other dryland avian species, particularly in light of the significant habitat loss caused by climate change. Our findings contribute valuable insights into avian ecology in Iran's fragile ecosystems and inform evidence-based conservation planning in the country.}, }
@article {pmid42284657, year = {2026}, author = {Menon, KV and Victor, V and Vaidya, OS}, title = {Does integrating pharmaceutical coverage into publicly financed health insurance reduce out-of-pocket spending? Difference-in-differences evidence from Kerala, India.}, journal = {Social science & medicine (1982)}, volume = {404}, number = {}, pages = {119483}, doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119483}, pmid = {42284657}, issn = {1873-5347}, abstract = {RATIONALE: Publicly financed health insurance expansions in India have often increased inpatient utilisation without commensurate reductions in out-of-pocket (OOP) spending. Whether integrating benefits to cover chronic-disease medicines improves financial protection has received little empirical attention.
OBJECTIVE: This study examines whether the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), Kerala's implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), which consolidated multiple state and national schemes under a unified purchaser and expanded package-based cashless coverage for secondary, tertiary, and eligible day-care services from April 2019, reduced household OOP health expenditure.
METHODS: We use household panel data from the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey (CPHS) covering April 2017 to February 2020, comprising 58,171 household interview observations across Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, and apply a difference-in-differences (DiD) design. Outcomes include net OOP health spending and its components.
RESULTS: KASP reduced net OOP health spending by approximately 31.7% in specifications allowing Kerala-specific trends. The decline was concentrated in medicine spending, while hospitalisation rates were statistically unchanged. Total health spending declined in baseline two-way fixed-effects (TWFE) models but was statistically indistinguishable from zero in trend-adjusted specifications; the net OOP reduction remained robust. Effects were larger among poorer households and those with chronic conditions, and smaller in rural areas, consistent with limited access to empanelled hospitals. Results are robust to event-study diagnostics, alternative comparator pools, and a timing placebo based on Tamil Nadu's December 2018 inpatient-cap expansion.
CONCLUSIONS: Benefit expansion covering medicine costs can improve financial protection by reducing point-of-care payments, even without reducing total costs in the short run. The findings suggest that aligning public insurance benefit packages with households' pharmaceutical spending patterns, particularly among those managing chronic conditions, may offer a more direct route to financial protection than hospitalisation-focused expansion alone.}, }
@article {pmid42288782, year = {2026}, author = {Alshreef, BS}, title = {Hybrid metaheuristic feature selection for breast cancer detection in digital mammography: a radiomics and deep learning pilot feasibility study.}, journal = {BMC medical imaging}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1186/s12880-026-02507-9}, pmid = {42288782}, issn = {1471-2342}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Artificial intelligence (AI) can improve breast cancer detection in mammography, but high-dimensional feature spaces and feature-selection instability remain challenging. This study developed a hybrid metaheuristic feature-selection framework that combines radiomics and deep learning features and evaluated its methodological feasibility on a small real mammography pilot and a controlled synthetic comparison designed to test behavior under collapse-prone conditions.
METHODS: Using the public CBIS-DDSM dataset, 2,051 Image Biomarker Standardization Initiative (IBSI)-compliant radiomic features and 2,048-dimensional deep features from a pretrained, non-fine-tuned EfficientNet-B5 model were extracted for each lesion region of interest (ROI). A hybrid Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm and Crow Search Algorithm (GOA-CSA) with a proposed multi-constraint fitness function was used to select an optimal feature subset for a multilayer perceptron (MLP) classifier. Performance was assessed on a small CBIS-DDSM pilot subset (n = 22, 5-fold stratified cross-validation) and on a synthetic dataset (N = 16, D = 1114) designed to compare the proposed fitness against a legacy fitness under collapse-prone conditions.
RESULTS: On the CBIS-DDSM pilot, the hybrid GOA-CSA model selected an average of 486 features, achieving a cross-validated area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.750 ± 0.433 and sensitivity of 0.433 ± 0.435, compared with an all-features baseline AUC of 0.900 ± 0.224 and sensitivity of 0.667 ± 0.471. In the synthetic comparison, the proposed fitness achieved an AUC of 0.810 ± 0.115 and sensitivity of 0.571 ± 0.198 versus 0.476 ± 0.210 and 0.286 ± 0.241, respectively, for the legacy fitness. The collapse-prevention penalty was implemented but was not empirically triggered in this pilot because both models maintained non-zero sensitivity.
CONCLUSIONS: This pilot feasibility study demonstrates that the hybrid GOA-CSA framework can successfully identify compact feature subsets combining radiomic and deep features. The results are exploratory and hypothesis-generating, and the small real-data sample size limits definitive performance evaluation. The synthetic experiment supports the conceptual value of the multi-constraint fitness design, but the collapse-prevention penalty remains empirically unvalidated on real mammography data. External validation on independent cohorts such as VinDr-Mammo remains a crucial subject for future work.}, }
@article {pmid42289104, year = {2026}, author = {Nguyen, L and Dierickxsens, C and W Schneider, S and Karsai, S and Herberger, K}, title = {Radiofrequency microneedling for skin rejuvenation of the periorbital region - a prospective, clinical study.}, journal = {Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy : official publication of the European Society for Laser Dermatology}, volume = {28}, number = {1-5}, pages = {35-39}, doi = {10.1080/14764172.2026.2680304}, pmid = {42289104}, issn = {1476-4180}, mesh = {Humans ; *Skin Aging ; Female ; Prospective Studies ; *Rejuvenation ; Percutaneous Collagen Induction/methods ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; *Radiofrequency Therapy ; *Cosmetic Techniques/adverse effects/instrumentation ; Needles ; Face ; }, abstract = {Minimally invasive treatments such as fractional lasers are well-established options for addressing the aging skin in the periorbital region. Among energy-based devices, radiofrequency microneedling (RFMN) has emerged as a potential alternative. To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of RFMN for periorbital rejuvenation. In this prospective, evaluator-blinded clinical study, patients with periorbital wrinkles and fine lines received 1-3 RFMN sessions at 6-8-week intervals. Follow-up occurred 6 months after the final treatment. Outcomes were assessed using automated imaging software and a 5-point numeric rating scale (1 = very much improved; 5 = worsened) by two blinded, board-certified dermatologists. Adverse events (AEs) were documented. In total, 25 patients were included. Imaging analysis showed mean wrinkle reduction of 25.3 ± 40.4% in the infraorbital area and 37.3 ± 64.0% in the crow's feet region. Blinded evaluators reported a mean clinical score of 3.21 ± 0.98, reflecting variable improvement. All patients experienced transient erythema and edema, resolving within days. No severe AEs occurred. RFMN appears to be a promising option for periorbital rejuvenation with minimal downtime. Larger comparative studies are needed to confirm efficacy and define its role relative to established treatments.}, }
@article {pmid42296988, year = {2026}, author = {Zheng, T and Huang, Y and Sugino, M and Shimba, K and Jimbo, Y and Kotani, K}, title = {High-definition transcranial random noise stimulation enhances fluid intelligence with increasing cortical excitability.}, journal = {Journal of neural engineering}, volume = {23}, number = {4}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1088/1741-2552/ae7d58}, pmid = {42296988}, issn = {1741-2552}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Young Adult ; Electroencephalography/methods ; Double-Blind Method ; *Intelligence/physiology ; *Cortical Excitability/physiology ; *Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation/methods ; Reaction Time/physiology ; Cognitive Enhancement ; *Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex/physiology ; }, abstract = {Objective.Fluid intelligence is a core component of higher-order cognition, yet whether high-definition high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (HD/HF-tRNS) can enhance demanding reasoning performance and modulate its neural correlates remains unclear.Approach.We investigated the after-effects of offline HD/HF-tRNS targeting the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In a double-blind, sham-controlled, between-groups design, 26 healthy adults completed Raven's progressive matrices (RPM) before and after receiving active or sham stimulation. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during task and resting-state sessions. Behavioral outcomes were accuracy and reaction time; neurophysiological outcomes were high-gamma mean spatial phase synchronization and the aperiodic exponent of neural power spectra.Main results.Active HD/HF-tRNS did not significantly alter accuracy but selectively reduced reaction time on the most difficult RPM items. During hard-level trials, reaction time decreased after active stimulation but not after sham stimulation, and post-stimulation reaction time was lower in the active group than in the sham group. High-gamma spatial phase synchronization increased after active stimulation, and the aperiodic exponent decreased during medium- and hard-level trials, with effects predominantly over the right hemisphere. No significant stimulation-related changes were observed during resting state.Significance.Offline HD/HF-tRNS over the right DLPFC facilitated response speed during demanding fluid-intelligence performance and induced task-dependent changes in EEG-derived correlates of cortical excitability. These findings support HD/HF-tRNS as a focal neuromodulatory approach for probing neural processes engaged during demanding reasoning.}, }
@article {pmid42297612, year = {2026}, author = {, }, title = {[Expert consensus in Southwest China on the application of botulinum toxin type A in upper and mid-facial aesthetics].}, journal = {Hua xi kou qiang yi xue za zhi = Huaxi kouqiang yixue zazhi = West China journal of stomatology}, volume = {44}, number = {3}, pages = {378-391}, pmid = {42297612}, issn = {2618-0456}, mesh = {*Botulinum Toxins, Type A/administration & dosage/adverse effects/therapeutic use ; Humans ; China ; *Skin Aging ; *Face ; Esthetics ; *Neuromuscular Agents/administration & dosage ; *Cosmetic Techniques ; }, abstract = {This consensus systematically addresses the unique facial anatomical and aging characteristics of the population in Southwest China and systematically proposes an individualized injection protocol for botulinum toxin type A (BONT/A) for upper and mid-face aesthetic treatments. The protocol was tailored to the skeletal and muscular features of this regional group and incorporates precise injection techniques, dosage recommendations, and depth guidance for key upper facial areas, such as forehead lines, glabellar lines, crow's feet, nasal wrinkles, and temporalis muscle. In addition, it outlines peri‑injection assessment procedures, combined treatment strategies, and the management of adverse reactions. The aims are to provide clinicians with standardized operational guidance that aligns with regional characteristics and to enhance the safety, precision, and aesthetic outcomes of treatment.}, }
@article {pmid42300963, year = {2026}, author = {Han, HW and Lee, DH and Joe, A and Jeon, YJ and Lim, YR and Lee, SB and Bin, BH and Lee, J and Thambi, T and Conde, J and Manivasagan, P and Jang, ES}, title = {Wearable near-infrared LED photothermal microneedle patch reduces periorbital wrinkles in a randomized pilot clinical trial.}, journal = {Journal of materials chemistry. B}, volume = {14}, number = {25}, pages = {7985-7999}, doi = {10.1039/d6tb00534a}, pmid = {42300963}, issn = {2050-7518}, mesh = {Humans ; Female ; Infrared Rays ; *Skin Aging/drug effects ; Pilot Projects ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Microneedle Drug Delivery ; Gold/chemistry ; Hyaluronic Acid/chemistry ; Needles ; *Wearable Electronic Devices ; }, abstract = {Microneedle patches are typically passive, limiting control over dissolution kinetics and transdermal transport. Here we introduce a wearable, actively actuated microneedle system in which dissolving hyaluronic-acid tips penetrate the stratum corneum while a hydrocolloid backing embedded with hyaluronic-acid-gold-nanorod (HA-GNR) nanocomposites provides near-infrared (NIR, ≈780 nm) photothermal actuation. Under brief LED illumination, the GNRs deliver a mild, eyelid-safe thermal micro-dose (∼41 °C) that accelerates tip dissolution and enhances short-range transport without increasing needle length. Tissue-mimicking phantoms show heat-augmented dye advance (≈5.1 mm vs. ≈2.6 mm at 15 min), supporting a mechanism involving accelerated dissolution and enhanced localized transport driven by combined diffusion and micro-convective effects. In a monocentric, randomized, investigator-blinded pilot trial (n = 20 women, 30-59 year) with thrice-weekly use for four weeks, under-eye PRIMOS average roughness (Ra) improved by 16.3% at week 4 (p < 0.001), and periorbital brightness (VISIA-CR L*) increased by ∼1.5-2.0%. A with-/without-NIR comparison at the crow's-feet favored actuation (∼14.1% vs. ∼1.9% improvement at week 4). No device-related adverse events were observed. By decoupling penetration from actuation through a plasmonic nanocomposite backing, this platform transforms dissolving microneedles into programmable, eyelid-compatible transdermal devices with human evidence, suggesting broad utility for gentle, controllable delivery at sensitive sites.}, }
@article {pmid42302543, year = {2026}, author = {Anithalakshmi, V and Thiagarajan, R}, title = {Dominant cross-frequency analysis-based early diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in pediatrics using FRHIS and DSTCNN.}, journal = {Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging}, volume = {362}, number = {}, pages = {112270}, doi = {10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112270}, pmid = {42302543}, issn = {1872-7506}, mesh = {Humans ; *Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis/physiopathology ; Convolutional Neural Networks ; *Electroencephalography/methods ; Early Diagnosis ; Infant ; Fuzzy Logic ; Neural Networks, Computer ; Child, Preschool ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; }, abstract = {Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition that affects children's cognitive, social, and behavioral skills. Thus, early diagnosis of ASD for children below 2 years old is very significant. Nevertheless, the prevailing works overlooked the depth of the dynamic frequency band variation during ASD detection, leading to misclassification. Therefore, a dominant cross-frequency analysis-based early ASD detection in pediatrics using a Fuzzy Root Hesitant Inference System (FRHIS) and Deep Squared Tau Convolutional Neural Network (DSTCNN) is proposed in this paper. Primarily, the Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals of children below 2 years old are gathered. Then, the artifacts are removed using the EWI-BPF. Afterward, by using Variation Frechet Distribution Mode Decomposition (VFDMD), the signals are decomposed. Then, by utilizing the FRHIS, the frequency bands are determined, followed by non-linear variables and feature extraction. In the meantime, the cross-frequency analysis is carried out by estimating the modulation depth using the Phase Amplitude Method (PAM) and determining the cross-frequency strength. Then, to select optimal features, the CRBM is applied. Lastly, the ASD classification is carried out using DSTCNN. When analogized with other traditional works, the proposed work attained superior performance in detecting ASD for pediatrics with a higher accuracy of 99.03%.}, }
@article {pmid42312596, year = {2026}, author = {Blanco-González, J and López-Rull, I and Enríquez, F and Cayuela, L}, title = {Balancing conflict and coexistence: Interactions between invasive monk parakeets and native urban birds.}, journal = {Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, volume = {36}, number = {4}, pages = {e70275}, pmid = {42312596}, issn = {1939-5582}, support = {IND2022/AMB-23645//Comunidad de Madrid/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Introduced Species ; *Parakeets/physiology ; Cities ; Ecosystem ; *Birds/physiology ; }, abstract = {Biological invasions often generate complex ecological paradoxes, particularly when invasive species act as ecosystem engineers that simultaneously compete with and benefit native communities. Understanding these dual dynamics is critical for managing urban biodiversity. Here, we investigated the interactions between invasive monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) and native avifauna to assess the balance between behavioral competition and structural commensalism. We assessed competition through (1) agonistic interactions and (2) correlations between parakeet abundance and that of native species. Commensalism was evaluated by analyzing tenant species in parakeet nests and the drivers of their occurrence. Agonistic interactions manifested through highly species-specific conflicts: Density-dependent aggression with rock pigeons (Columba livia) was strictly reciprocal, while parakeets directed targeted intimidation toward Eurasian magpies (Pica pica). Conversely, direct agonistic encounters involving either Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) or house sparrows (Passer domesticus) were negligible. However, spatially, Passer spp. abundance correlated negatively with the number of parakeet nest chambers (a proxy for parakeet abundance), whereas common blackbirds (Turdus merula) showed a positive correlation. Furthermore, parakeets provided a massive structural subsidy. We recorded 11 native species breeding in 48% of surveyed parakeet nests (N = 252). Tree sparrows and stock doves (Columba oenas) dominated this tenant community, accounting for 86% of native breeding pairs. Native breeding abundance-including tree sparrows, stock doves, and rock pigeons-as well as total species richness scaled positively with nest chamber density. Yet, active parakeet presence limited nest use for stock doves but did not deter tree sparrows or rock pigeons from successful co-nesting. Our findings reveal a dual ecological dynamic: Parakeets show a negative spatial correlation with declining urban sparrows, yet simultaneously act as ecosystem engineers by providing valuable breeding habitats for local biodiversity. However, without data on tenant reproductive success and pathogen transmission, these novel subsidies risk functioning as ecological traps. Consequently, while indiscriminate nest removal could inadvertently harm native tenants, current evidence does not confirm the long-term safety of this commensalism. Effective management must transcend simple eradication, adopting a holistic framework that weighs the loss of nesting resources against the competitive and sanitary risks of retaining these invasive populations.}, }
@article {pmid42317414, year = {2026}, author = {Hasheminia, S and Sho'ouri, N and Mahmoudi, MT}, title = {Predicting Theta/Alpha Neurofeedback Success through Psychological and Personality Profiles: A Hybrid Approach Using Multilayer Perceptron and Elastic Net Models.}, journal = {Journal of medical signals and sensors}, volume = {16}, number = {}, pages = {10}, pmid = {42317414}, issn = {2228-7477}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to identify and analyze the psychological, cognitive, and neurophysiological factors influencing success in theta/alpha neurofeedback training. The research focused on how personality dimensions (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), impulsivity (UPPS), intelligence quotient (Raven's Progressive Matrices), and baseline EEG frequency bands relate to neural self-regulation performance.
METHODS: A quantitative descriptive-analytical design was employed. Data from six healthy participants who completed eight neurofeedback sessions were collected and analyzed using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network and Elastic Net regression implemented in Python.
RESULTS: Findings revealed consistent increases across EEG frequency bands, with baseline neurophysiological measures sufficient for predicting training outcomes. The Elastic Net analysis identified the Judging personality trait, impulsivity, and baseline delta power as the most influential predictors of responsiveness. Furthermore, enhanced negative correlations between theta and alpha bands suggested improved cognitive differentiation during training.
CONCLUSION: Neurofeedback responsiveness is a multifaceted phenomenon influenced by both neurophysiological indices and psychological-cognitive factors. These results underscore the importance of integrating psychological profiling with neural data to optimize individualized neurofeedback interventions.}, }
@article {pmid42323513, year = {2026}, author = {Fu, Q and Han, Y and Zhang, J and Li, X and Yu, M and Liu, Q and Pan, Y}, title = {A dual track predictive model for assessing crow's feet aging across different clinical severity grades.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-59266-4}, pmid = {42323513}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Accurate assessment of crow's feet is limited by subjective scales and single-dimensional objective tools, impeding standardized evaluation. We recruited 350 healthy Chinese women and acquired macroscopic and microstructural parameters using VISIA-CR, DermaTOP[®], and two-photon microscopy. Following expert clinical grading, we developed a dual-track modeling strategy that combines interpretable Ridge Regression and TPOT-optimized Support Vector Regression (SVR) to translate macroscopic parameters into clinical scores. SVR model interpretability was evaluated by SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) analysis. Crow's feet severity increased non-linearly with age. Two-photon microscopy qualitatively supported the hypothesis that grade 4 corresponds to a phase of notable epidermal barrier disruption and grade 5 to pronounced dermal matrix disorganization. The Ridge Regression model achieved a robust overall fit (R[2] = 0.519). Macroscopically, the Stacked SVR model achieved superior predictive precision in the Early Stage (Grades 0-2) by capturing subtle non-linear textural shifts, whereas the Ridge Regression model maintained robustness from the Transition Stage (Grades 3-4) onwards. SHAP analysis supported the physiological plausibility of the non-linear model. This study clarifies the micro‑physiological basis of crow's feet aging and establishes a stage-specific dual-track predictive framework, providing an objective, standardized approach for skin aging assessment.}, }
@article {pmid42325064, year = {2026}, author = {Lim, HC and Shakya, SB and Gawin, DF and Sheldon, FH}, title = {Contrasting Genomic Outcomes of Secondary Contact in Bornean Bird Lineages: Insights From Barrier Loci, Demographic History and Genomic Features.}, journal = {Molecular ecology}, volume = {35}, number = {12}, pages = {e70444}, doi = {10.1111/mec.70444}, pmid = {42325064}, issn = {1365-294X}, support = {//George Mason University Department of Biology/ ; //Coypu Foundation of Louisiana/ ; //National Geographic Society/ ; DEB-0228688//National Science Foundation/ ; DEB-813 1241059//National Science Foundation/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Genetics, Population ; Gene Flow ; *Reproductive Isolation ; *Songbirds/genetics ; Borneo ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; *Genetic Speciation ; DNA, Mitochondrial/genetics ; Genetic Variation ; Phenotype ; }, abstract = {Secondary contact before the completion of reproductive isolation can alter speciation trajectories by impeding divergence through gene flow or accelerating it via reinforcement. Using genomic data, we investigated secondary contact between two pairs of Copsychus (Muscicapidae) lineages in Borneo: subspecies of magpie-robins (C. saularis) and two species of shamas (C. malabaricus and C. stricklandii). Although eastern and western lineages in both groups have similar divergence times, they show markedly different phenotypic and genomic outcomes following contact. Magpie-robins exhibit extensive genomic introgression and weak population structure across Borneo, consistent with shallow plumage clines. In contrast, eastern and western shama lineages remain genetically distinct, with little apparent evidence of late-generation hybrids or backcrosses, indicating strong postmating reproductive isolation. The genomic landscape of divergence in shamas contains pronounced peaks, including loci putatively associated with melanism and song learning and production. Mitogenomic data suggest repeated colonization of Borneo by western Sundaland magpie-robin lineages, displacing older Bornean lineages eastward, likely reflecting their greater ability to exploit open habitats that expanded across the Sunda Shelf during glacial periods. In magpie-robin, but not shama, absolute divergence (DXY) is positively associated with recombination rate at the chromosomal level, suggesting a greater role for within-population processes, such as reduced linked selection in high-recombination regions, in shaping genetic diversity, whereas divergence in shama reflects greater accumulation of differences between populations. Elevated introgression of the Z chromosome in magpie-robins suggests a role for sex-biased processes such as dispersal. Our study highlights Sundaland as a natural laboratory for understanding genomic and evolutionary outcomes of secondary contact.}, }
@article {pmid42339238, year = {2025}, author = {Pendleton, JRL and Clayton, NS}, title = {Time in mind: a multidisciplinary review on temporal perception, cognition, and memory.}, journal = {Frontiers in cognition}, volume = {4}, number = {}, pages = {1688754}, pmid = {42339238}, issn = {2813-4532}, abstract = {This review examines temporal cognition through the lens of Mental Time Travel (MTT): the subjective experience of recalling past events and using them to construct future scenarios. The analysis specifically addresses how language and cultural context affect these abilities, integrating psychology, linguistics, cognitive neuroscience, and anthropology. Findings from comparative cognition challenge whether they are uniquely human. Although such an approach was traditionally taken in non-human primates, the field of comparative cognition has become much more diverse. Comparative insights derived from studies of corvid and cephalopod cognition are particularly pertinent, as they suggest these abilities have evolved more widely within the animal kingdom, especially in groups with very different neural architectures, raising questions about whether these abilities have evolved convergently in species undergoing similar selection pressures or independently in those subject to different selection pressures, as opposed to homologous evolution widespread amongst these animal taxa. These evolutionary perspectives inform theories of human temporal cognition and Mental Time Travel, influencing memory encoding and retrieval processes, false memory production, as well as the mechanisms underlying temporal cognition, such as episodic memory formation, interval timing, and circadian modulation of memory consolidation. Additionally, the review evaluates evidence on the cognitive impact of technological tools (calendars, clocks, and other technologies) used to externalize and standardize temporal frameworks, including implications for subjective perception and memory accuracy, and identifies directions for future interdisciplinary research. Building on this synthesis, we advance five core claims: that elements of temporal cognition likely arise under convergent evolutionary pressures; that language, culture, and social organization tune how people represent and use time; that technologies which externalize time can reshape behavior by aligning with or pulling against internally constructed event time; that memory is adaptively biased toward flexible, future-oriented construction rather than veridical record; and that these processes are structured by "mind time" and extended via transpersonal extended mental time travel, whereby shared representations support the projection and coordination of futures across individuals and generations.}, }
@article {pmid42345695, year = {2026}, author = {Ye, Z and Yan, Y and Ma, Y and Ma, F and Cai, T}, title = {High-Dimensional Feature Selection Using Improved Hybrid Breeding Optimization Algorithm with Feature Grouping.}, journal = {Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland)}, volume = {11}, number = {6}, pages = {}, pmid = {42345695}, issn = {2313-7673}, support = {T2023007//Young and Middle-aged Scientific and Technological Innovation Team Plan in Higher Education Institutions in Hubei Province, China/ ; 62376089, U23A20318, 62302153, 62302154//National Natural Science Foundation of China/ ; }, abstract = {Feature selection is essential for improving classification performance in high-dimensional biomedical data, yet conventional metaheuristic algorithms often suffer from premature convergence and loss of population diversity. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Feature Grouping and Improved Hybrid Breeding Optimization framework (FGIHBO). First, the original feature space is hierarchically partitioned using the Maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy criterion and Symmetric Uncertainty analysis to alleviate the curse of dimensionality. Then, a Multi-Strategy Synergistic Improved Hybrid Breeding Optimization (MSIHBO) algorithm is developed by incorporating Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) guidance and a Shannon entropy-adaptive simulated annealing mechanism to balance exploration and exploitation. Experimental results on the CEC2022 benchmark suite demonstrate that MSIHBO provides robust optimization performance across diverse problem categories. Furthermore, evaluations on eleven high-dimensional biomedical datasets show that FGIHBO achieves average classification accuracies ranging from 92.77% to 97.66%. Compared with representative algorithms, including Multi-strategy Improved Grey Wolf Optimizer (MIGWO), Hybrid Whale Optimization Algorithm based on Gathering strategy (HWOAG), Dynamic Crow Search Algorithm (DCSA), GWO, Hybrid Breeding Optimization (HBO), Hybrid Breeding Optimization based on Lévy flight and Elite Opposition-Based Learning strategy (LEHBO), and MSIHBO, the proposed framework improves average classification accuracy by 1.47-27.46%, with the largest gain observed on dataset D10 relative to HWOAG. These results confirm the effectiveness, robustness, and scalability of the proposed framework for high-dimensional biomedical feature selection.}, }
@article {pmid42350456, year = {2026}, author = {Sathyaseelan, DNS and Perumal, DNK and Bharti, and Ramanathan, V}, title = {Predicting band gap from chemical composition: a comparative study of machine learning and deep learning models.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-56899-3}, pmid = {42350456}, issn = {2045-2322}, abstract = {Predicting the band gap of inorganic semiconductors is crucial for designing materials used in electronic and optoelectronic applications. This study employs a range of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms i.e. Linear Regression, Random Forest, XGBoost, Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and Graph Neural Network (GNN) to predict band gaps using the expt_gap dataset from the Matminer library, which contains experimental band gap values for 6,354 inorganic semiconductors. Following rigorous preprocessing and extraction of composition-based descriptors via the Magpie featurizer, the models were evaluated using a unified fivefold cross-validation protocol applied consistently to all five model classes. The Random Forest model achieved the highest predictive accuracy with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.2836 eV, closely followed by the ANN (0.3321 eV) and XGBoost (0.3575 eV). These results significantly outperform the Linear Regression baseline (MAE: 0.5718 eV) and demonstrate the effectiveness of non-linear ensemble and deep learning architectures in capturing the complex, multi-dimensional relationships between chemical composition and electronic properties. The competitive performance of the GNN (MAE: 0.3978 eV) further highlights the potential of graph-based representations in materials informatics. These findings underscore the capacity of advanced ML and DL frameworks to accelerate materials discovery by providing accurate, scalable, and computationally efficient band gap predictions.}, }
@article {pmid42356014, year = {2026}, author = {Alshreef, BS and Kariri, YA}, title = {Hybrid Metaheuristic Feature Selection for Breast Cancer Detection in Digital Mammography: A Feasibility Study with Nested Validation, Benchmarking, and External Stress Testing.}, journal = {Journal of clinical medicine}, volume = {15}, number = {12}, pages = {}, pmid = {42356014}, issn = {2077-0383}, abstract = {Background/Objectives: The "small-n-large-p" dilemma in mammography artificial intelligence (AI)-where the number of candidate imaging features far exceeds the number of labeled cases-commonly results in model overfitting, unstable feature selection, and poor generalization across clinical settings. This study aims to reassess the internal performance of the HiTopology-GOA-CSA (Grasshopper Optimization Algorithm-Crow Search Algorithm) feature-selection framework for mammography using a larger real Curated Breast Imaging Subset of Digital Database for Screening Mammography (CBIS-DDSM) cohort and a stricter leakage-aware evaluation strategy. Methods: In this retrospective computational study using public anonymized datasets, an expanded internal cohort of 98 CBIS-DDSM mass cases (49 benign, 49 malignant) was assembled from digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) region of interest (ROI) series. A total of 1074 features were extracted per case, including 88 handcrafted radiomic descriptors and 986 EfficientNet-B5 deep features. HiTopology-GOA-CSA selected 102 features, corresponding to 91% feature reduction. Two internal evaluation modes were compared: Mode A, which matched the original pilot methodology by performing feature selection once on the full cohort before cross-validation, and Mode B, which used strict nested feature selection within training folds. Performance was assessed with 5-fold stratified cross-validation using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) classifier. Results: On the expanded cohort, Mode A achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.726 (95% CI: 0.594-0.858), sensitivity of 0.658, specificity of 0.651, and F1-score of 0.644. Under the stricter nested evaluation, Mode B achieved AUC of 0.683 (95% CI: 0.549-0.817), sensitivity of 0.598, specificity of 0.631, and F1-score of 0.595. Mean pairwise Jaccard similarity across nested folds was 0.604, indicating moderate feature stability. Benchmark comparisons showed that the proposed method was competitive but did not outperform standard baselines; LASSO logistic regression achieved the highest AUC of 0.739, while the proposed HiTopology-GOA-CSA + MLP achieved an AUC of 0.683. Real external validation on the locked VinDr-Mammo subset (n = 25) remained near-random (AUC of 0.500 [95% CI: 0.304-0.696]), with complete prediction collapse (sensitivity of 1.000, specificity of 0.000). Conclusions: The framework demonstrated feasibility for structured feature selection and stress testing in a small-cohort mammography AI setting; however, external validation revealed near-random discrimination and prediction collapse, indicating limited generalizability. These findings emphasize the need for benchmark comparisons, transparent uncertainty reporting, patient-level validation, and larger multicenter datasets before clinical translation.}, }
@article {pmid42358339, year = {2026}, author = {Yu, S and Hong, P and Chou, TC and Wang, CM and Chou, S and Lai, CH}, title = {A new Isospora species (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea) (Passeriformes: Corvidae) with the first complete corvid coccidian mitogenome.}, journal = {International journal for parasitology. Parasites and wildlife}, volume = {30}, number = {}, pages = {101246}, pmid = {42358339}, issn = {2213-2244}, abstract = {Passerine birds are highly susceptible to Isospora infections, yet the coccidian fauna of endemic Taiwanese avifauna remains largely unexplored. Here, we describe Isospora kwongchungi n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea, Corvidae), utilizing an integrative taxonomic approach. Morphological characterization was complemented by Sanger sequencing of the nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene (1,679 bp) and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) long-read sequencing of the complete mitochondrial genome (6,251 bp). Sporulated oocysts are subspherical to spherical (28.9 × 26.4 μm) with a smooth, single-layered wall, possessing both a polar granule and a distinct oocyst residuum. Sporocysts are ovoid (22.3 × 13.6 μm) and feature a knob-like to bubble-shaped Stieda body, a rounded substieda body, and a compact ellipsoidal sporocyst residuum. While the 18S rRNA gene phylogeny exhibited limited intrageneric resolution, the concatenated tree of three mitochondrial protein-coding genes robustly placed I. kwongchungi n. sp. in a clade with Isospora spp. from the invasive Javan myna (Acridotheres javanicus, Sturnidae) and the American robin (Turdus migratorius, Turdidae). This study establishes a molecular anchor for corvid-associated Isospora and highlights the efficacy of combining traditional and next-generation sequencing in resolving the evolutionary dynamics of wildlife parasites.}, }
@article {pmid42362607, year = {2026}, author = {Rezaei, M and Karamoozian, A and Faraji, M}, title = {The impact of exposure to fluoride in drinking water on intelligence in school age children in Iran.}, journal = {Scientific reports}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-56923-6}, pmid = {42362607}, issn = {2045-2322}, support = {402001053//Environmental Health Engineering Research Center/ ; }, abstract = {The present study aimed to compare the intelligence quotient (IQ) and body mass index (BMI) of 161 school-aged children (10-12 years old) residing in two cities with different levels of fluoride (F[-]) in drinking-water: 0.02 mg/L in Lalehzar (City 1) and 1.15 mg/L, corresponding to the WHO guideline value, in Reyhanshahr (City 2), Kerman Province, southeastern Iran. Additionally, the study evaluated, for the first time in 2024, the associated non-carcinogenic health risk and investigated the potential role of aluminum (Al) in forming F-Al complexes that may cross the blood-brain barrier. IQ scores were assessed using Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and water samples were analyzed for aluminum and fluoride content. The mean aluminum concentrations were 0.01 mg/L in City 1 and 0.04 mg/L in City 2 (p < 0.001). The corresponding mean IQ scores were 108.55 ± 11.50 and 110.41 ± 9.53, respectively, showing no statistically significant difference (p = 0.264). Regression analysis revealed no significant association between Al concentration in drinking-water and IQ (p = 0.279). A significant inverse relationship was observed between fluoride concentration and BMI (p = 0.01). Due to the conflicting findings regarding whether fluoride is safe for children's intelligence within the WHO limits, it is not possible to make a definitive statement. However, an increase in fluoride concentration appeared to be associated with a reduction in BMI, likely due to fluoride's influence on growth parameters, particularly height development. Hazard quotient (HQ) values were below unity in both cities, indicating no potential risk associated with fluoride exposure. Although the estimated risk level in City 2 was below the safety threshold (HQ = 0.81), it was relatively close to unity, warranting attention. Therefore, it is recommended that local authorities monitor and, if feasible, reduce fluoride concentrations in drinking-water, limiting additional exposure to fluoride-containing products such as toothpaste and mouthwash. Longitudinal studies in broader age groups are needed to confirm these associations and clarify the underlying mechanisms.}, }
@article {pmid42366153, year = {2026}, author = {Newen, A and Griem, M and Huber, L and Bugnyar, T and Blaisdell, A and Pika, S}, title = {Animal empathy reconsidered: a multidimensional profile account.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/brv.70196}, pmid = {42366153}, issn = {1469-185X}, support = {GRK 2185/2//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; NE 576/14-1//Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft/ ; }, abstract = {Empathy is the glue that holds societies together and yet several fundamental questions about empathy persist. What is empathy (the definitional question)? Is it uniquely human and, if not, which nonhuman animals possess empathy (the distribution question)? Which type or quality of empathy is realized in different species (the quality question)? To tackle these three questions, we developed a species-sensitive, multidimensional profile account of empathy. The main function of this account is to enable cross-species comparisons and to capture the rich variety of typical empathetic phenomena. Therefore, we aim to characterize behaviour-based cognitive profiles of empathy which are built on multifactorial characterizations of the dimensions of empathy and of the features realizing these dimensions. The distribution question can be answered by assessing family resemblances of profiles of empathy to paradigmatic cases of empathy. Answers to the quality question can be provided with reference to the relevant empathy profile, which allows us to describe and predict associated behaviours. To gain an initial understanding of the feasibility of this framework for interspecies comparisons, we applied it to four groups of animals: rodents, apes, canids and corvids. Comparing these groups, we demonstrate that each species has a specific empathy profile which has a predictive power: in complex situations requiring empathy, distinct profiles will result in more distinct behavioural responses whereas similar profiles will result in more similar responses, even among phylogenetically distinct groups. This new multidimensional profile account enables fine-grained comparisons within and between species instead of the prevailing all or nothing perspectives of empathy. Furthermore, it offers the integration of phylogenetic and ontogenetic perspectives thereby providing a crucial tool to explicate the notion of empathy to humans and other animals in a species-sensitive way. We demonstrate this framework by applying it specifically to empathy, and the framework's advantages invite it to be generalized to all rich and flexible cognitive abilities in nonhuman animals.}, }
@article {pmid42371608, year = {2026}, author = {Adhikary, D and Yusuf, MA and Parvez, AN and Faruque, SMB and Barman, S and Moureen, A and Rogers, LJ and Momin, A and Chandrasekaran, V and Adhikary, AB and Ranjan, R}, title = {Risk of hemorrhagic stroke in warfarin-treated patients following heart valve replacement: Findings from the MAGPIE study.}, journal = {Ibrain}, volume = {12}, number = {2}, pages = {250-258}, pmid = {42371608}, issn = {2769-2795}, abstract = {Hemorrhagic stroke (HS) remains a serious and potentially disabling complication following heart valve replacement (HVR). We aimed to evaluate the incidence and predictors of HS among mechanical HVR patients in Bangladesh. The Multidimensional Approach of Genotype and Phenotype In Stroke Etiology (MAGPIE) is an ambispective study recruited 568 consecutive HVR patients who had long-term (≥6 months) warfarin therapy between January 2010 and December 2024. Among the 568 HVR patients, 4.4% experienced HS, with a mortality rate of 52%, and the median age was 40 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 32-45). The median duration of warfarin uses among mechanical heart valve patients with HS varied by procedure: 63 months (IQR: 48-86) for mitral valve replacement, 60 months (12-85) for aortic valve replacement, 96 months (52-101.50) for double valve replacement, and 42 months (24-60) for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with valve replacement. Additionally, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified 104 months as the discriminatory threshold for warfarin therapy duration in predicting post-HVR HS onset. An age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression model identified severe pulmonary hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 4.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-17.04; p = 0.02) and warfarin therapy duration ≥104 months (OR 1.99; 95% CI 1.00-3.76; p = 0.04) as independent predictors of HS in patients with mechanical HVR. Severe pulmonary hypertension was associated with a 4.4-fold higher risk and warfarin therapy beyond 104 months with a twofold higher risk of HS among patients with mechanical HVR.}, }
@article {pmid42377938, year = {2026}, author = {Kim, BS and Pan, Y and Hao, Y and Li, L and Hou, M and An, Y and Zhang, Y and Chai, G}, title = {A Four-Step Strategy for the Treatment of Facial Rhytids: A Focus on Upper Facial Wrinkles.}, journal = {Plastic and reconstructive surgery}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1097/PRS.0000000000013295}, pmid = {42377938}, issn = {1529-4242}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Facial wrinkles, characterizing cutaneous aging, involve multifactorial mechanisms such as dermal collagen fragmentation, elastin degeneration, and volume loss, which are often inadequately addressed by single-modality treatments. This study aims to assess the efficacy and safety of a four-step injection strategy combining subcutaneous hyaluronic acid (HA) volume restoration, intradermal microdroplet HA, and selective botulinum toxin type A (BoNTA) for treating facial wrinkles.
METHODS: In this retrospective study, 53 subjects with moderate-to-severe upper facial wrinkles (including glabellar lines, forehead lines, and crow's feet) received a standardized protocol: (1) cannulabased subcutaneous HA restoration; (2) intradermal microdroplet injection of diluted HA; (3) microdroplet diluted BoNTA along persistent rhytids; and (4) conventional BoNTA for dynamic wrinkles. Outcomes were evaluated via blinded physician assessments and patient questionnaires immediately, at 1 month, and at 12 months.
RESULTS: All subjects completed follow-up. Physician ratings showed significant wrinkle improvement at 1 and 12 months (P<0.01). Patients reported high satisfaction and improved quality of life. No serious adverse events occurred; minor transient bruising resolved within two weeks, while all observed erythema resolved within one week.
CONCLUSIONS: This four-step strategy, by concurrently targeting anatomical and kinetic causes of rhytids, offers a safe, effective, and durable approach to upper facial rejuvenation with high patient satisfaction.}, }
@article {pmid42379965, year = {2026}, author = {Rubino, M and Dietrich, M and Verdolini Abbott, K}, title = {Psychometric and Acoustic Investigation of Identity and Phonotraumatic Vocal Hyperfunction.}, journal = {Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice Foundation}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.jvoice.2026.06.003}, pmid = {42379965}, issn = {1873-4588}, support = {P20 GM103653/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this research was to explore how (1) identity orientation and (2) vocal congruence influence voice output characteristics in nonperformers with suspected phonotraumatic vocal hyperfunction (PVH) compared with vocally healthy performers and vocally healthy nonperformers across varying identity conditions.
STUDY DESIGN: The design was prospective cross-sectional.
METHODS: Participants were (1) nonperformers with suspected PVH (n = 11, 10 women; mean age = 23.27 years; SD = 8.28), (2) healthy vocal performers (n = 8, 4 women; mean age = 23.75 years; SD = 5.34), and (3) healthy nonperformers (n = 10, 8 women; mean age = 22.90 years; SD = 5.04). Participants improvised statements under four different identity conditions: self with one's own (habitual) point of view (hPOV), resonant voice with hPOV, British accent with hPOV, and Romeo/Juliet. Participants also completed questionnaires pertaining to identity (Social and Personal Identities Scale [Nario-Redmond et al, 2004]) and vocal congruence (Vocal Congruence Scale [Crow et al, 2021]). The voice outcome was mean cepstral peak prominence mCPP (dB) across identity conditions.
RESULTS: Only the PVH group showed a significant relationship between identity orientation and mCPP (dB) across identity conditions; as personal identity orientation increased, so did variation in mCPP (dB). Vocal congruence was not significantly associated with voice variations in any of the groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with PVH may vary vocal quality more than many others to express identity. Clinical implications point to the potential value of tailoring rehabilitation goals for PVH to patients' identity-centric needs.}, }
@article {pmid42380981, year = {2026}, author = {Arinda, A and McVoy, M and Abaatyo, J and Kaddumukasa, M and Sajatovic, M and Katabira, E}, title = {Prevalence and factors associated with intellectual impairment in children with epilepsy in two national referral hospitals in Uganda.}, journal = {Acta epileptologica}, volume = {8}, number = {1}, pages = {}, pmid = {42380981}, issn = {2524-4434}, support = {D43NS118560/NS/NINDS NIH HHS/United States ; }, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Epilepsy is a common neurological condition in children and is often associated with intellectual impairment. However, there is limited information on the intellectual impairment among children with epilepsy in Uganda. This study assessed the prevalence and associated factors of intellectual impairment among children and adolescents with epilepsy attending two national referral hospitals in Uganda.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study included children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years who had a diagnosis of epilepsy. Intellectual functioning was assessed using the Raven's Progressive Matrices. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine demographic and clinical factors associated with intellectual impairment.
RESULTS: Of 386 participants, 34.7% had intellectual impairment. Older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 6.94, P = 0.001), being in a special needs school (aOR = 14.50, P = 0.016), not being in school (aOR = 26.01, P < 0.001), delayed speech (aOR = 3.26, P = 0.030), and anti-seizure medication polypharmacy (aOR = 3.08, P = 0.020) were positively associated with intellectual impairment, while adolescent-onset epilepsy (aOR = 0.05, P = 0.030) was negatively associated.
CONCLUSIONS: Intellectual impairment is common among Ugandan children and adolescents with epilepsy and is associated with older age, school non-attendance, special-needs school placement, delayed speech, and anti-seizure medication polypharmacy. These findings underscore the need for routine assessment of intellectual functioning and targeted interventions, including academic support, speech therapy, and optimization of treatment regimens.}, }
@article {pmid42381991, year = {2026}, author = {Sun, L and Shen, Y and Wang, Y and Che, X and Lei, Y and Luo, X}, title = {Compassionate self-talk enhances autonomic flexibility during cognitive stress in generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial with HRV evidence.}, journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry}, volume = {17}, number = {}, pages = {1795990}, pmid = {42381991}, issn = {1664-0640}, abstract = {UNLABELLED: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), characterized by persistent and excessive worry, exhibits high treatment resistance. While self-compassion training shows promise in alleviating anxiety, its acute effects on stress-related autonomic regulation in GAD remain unclear. This randomized controlled trial examined whether a single-session compassionate self-talk protocol improves emotional and autonomic stress responses in GAD, focusing on high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) as an index of parasympathetic engagement. Forty-six clinically diagnosed GAD participants were randomly assigned to either a compassionate self-talk group (n = 23) or a neutral self-talk control (n = 23). Participants completed a cognitive stress task (time-limited Raven's matrices with evaluative feedback) with continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) recording. State anxiety (STAI-S), perceived stress, state self-compassion (SSCS), and affect (PANAS) were assessed pre- and post-intervention. The self-compassion group showed greater reductions in perceived stress (t (44) = -2.09, p = 0.043, d = 0.62) and increased positive affect (t (44) = 2.29, p = 0.028, d = 0.67), though no significant group differences emerged for state anxiety or state self-compassion. During stress exposure, HF-HRV was significantly higher in the self-compassion group (t (37) = 2.15, p corrected = 0.038) during a late post-feedback interval. Correlational analyses revealed that increased state self-compassion correlated with reduced stress (r = -0.54, p = 0.001) and anxiety (r = -0.45, p = 0.010). These findings suggest that brief compassionate self-talk may improve subjective stress coping in GAD and may be associated with altered event-related autonomic dynamics during cognitive stress. Given the modest sample and ultra-short HRV segments, physiological interpretations warrant a cautious approach. Future studies may test whether combining self-compassion training with HRV biofeedback optimizes intervention efficacy in clinical settings.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100053374.}, }
@article {pmid42389055, year = {2026}, author = {Nurulfa, R and Klavina, A and Melczer, C}, title = {Associations Between Sports-Based After-School Activities, Cognitive Ability, Physical Health, Problematic Internet Use, Psychosocial Health, and Health-Related Behaviors Among Indonesian Adolescents.}, journal = {Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry}, volume = {37}, number = {3}, pages = {151-164}, pmid = {42389055}, issn = {2233-9183}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare cognitive ability, physical (motor proficiency and fitness), and psychosocial (depressive symptoms and quality of life) outcomes between adolescents participating in extracurricular sports (ES) and non-sports (NS) and to examine predictors of problematic Internet use (PIU).
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 433 Indonesian adolescents (ES=239, 49.0% males; NS=194, 52.1% males). Standardized measures included the Problematic and Risky Internet Use Screening Scale for PIU, Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices for cognitive ability, Bruininks-Oseretsky Test-2 for motor proficiency, the Indonesian Student Physical Fitness Test, the Youth Quality of Life-Short Form for quality of life, and the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent Version for depression. Group differences were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Spearman's correlations were used to assess associations between variables, and linear regression was used to identify predictors of PIU.
RESULTS: ES adolescents showed significantly higher cognitive ability, motor proficiency, physical fitness, and quality of life and lower PIU and depressive symptoms than the NS groups (all p<0.001). PIU positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with motor proficiency, physical fitness, cognitive ability, and quality of life. The regression analyses identified depression as a strong positive predictor of PIU, whereas cognitive ability, motor proficiency, physical fitness, and quality of life were significant negative predictors, explaining the substantial variance in PIU.
CONCLUSION: Adolescents participating in ES demonstrated higher cognitive, physical (motor proficiency and fitness), and psychosocial outcomes (depressive symptoms and quality of life) than NS participants. Depression was positively associated with PIU, whereas motor proficiency, fitness, cognitive ability, and quality of life were inversely associated with PIU.}, }
@article {pmid42408518, year = {2026}, author = {Barroso, LZ and Velasco, IG and Nunes, I}, title = {Advertisement calls of anuran amphibians from Itinguçu State Park-Peruíbe municipality, São Paulo state, Brazil.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5796}, number = {1}, pages = {38-50}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5796.1.2}, pmid = {42408518}, issn = {1175-5334}, mesh = {Animals ; Brazil ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Anura/physiology/classification ; Male ; Female ; Acoustics ; Ecosystem ; Animal Distribution ; }, abstract = {In anurans, acoustic communication is essential for reproduction, territorial defense, and social interactions. The advertisement call plays a central role in mate attraction and species recognition, making it a key trait in taxonomic and ecological studies. This study aims to review and update the acoustic features of the advertisement calls of seven species recorded within the Itinguçu State Park, located in the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo, Brazil. We compared our results to existing data available in literature. Recordings were made during fieldwork from April 2022 to February 2023, combining passive acoustic monitoring and active searches. Acoustic data were analyzed in the software Raven Pro 1.5. We reviewed calls from seven species distributed across four families: Bufonidae, Hylidae, Hylodidae and Phyllomedusidae. Our results include the definition of sound type for all species recorded, providing temporal and spectral parameters for each species. Most results aligned with existing data, although we report updates for the dominant frequency of Hylodes dactylocinus, and new information on the call duration and pulse number of Scinax perereca. Additionally, we compared the acoustic parameters obtained via passive and active sampling methods using principal component analysis (PCA). This study on acoustic data variation across different regions aids in taxonomic identification and ecological studies, as different behavioural and acoustic pressures exist in different localities.}, }
@article {pmid42408615, year = {2026}, author = {Jäger, P}, title = {Fourteen new species and notes on the genera Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 and Bowie Jäger, 2022 (Arachnida: Araneae: Ctenidae) from Southeast Asia.}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {5839}, number = {3}, pages = {401-438}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.5839.3.1}, pmid = {42408615}, issn = {1175-5334}, mesh = {Animals ; Male ; Female ; *Spiders/classification/anatomy & histology/growth & development ; Asia, Southeastern ; Body Size ; Animal Distribution ; Organ Size ; Animal Structures/anatomy & histology/growth & development ; }, abstract = {Material of the spider family Ctenidae from Southeast Asia is investigated. Ten new species of the genus Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 are described: A. grasshoffi sp. nov. (first record from the Philippines; male), A. kihit sp. nov. (Laos; female), A. kochang sp. nov. (Thailand; female), A. lombok sp. nov. (Indonesia; male, female), A. maimoun sp. nov. (Laos; female), A. phamom sp. nov. (Laos; female), A. penang sp. nov. (Malaysia; male), A. prangphe sp. nov. (Thailand; male, female), A. saiyok sp. nov. (Thailand; female) and A. thammim sp. nov. (Laos; male, female); the male of A. khanense Jäger & Nophaseud, 2024 is described for the first time. New records are listed for A. jagelkii Jäger, 2012 (Laos) and A. mariae Omelko & Fomichev, 2024a (Indonesia). Four new species of the genus Bowie Jäger, 2022 are described: B. kosulicisp. nov. (Thailand; male, female), B. soundandvisionsp. nov. (Thailand; male, female) and B. weepingwall sp. nov. (Thailand; female) from the bemywife-group, and B. lehtinenisp. nov. (Sabah; female) from the chinagirl-group. Intraspecific variation is shown for the male of B. subterraneans Jäger, 2022, the female is described for the first time using topotypic material. The alleged record of B. neukoeln Jäger, 2022 from Sabah by Omelko and Fomichev (2024b) is considered a misidentification.}, }
@article {pmid42410004, year = {2026}, author = {Bradfield, LA}, title = {What scrub jays have taught us about the neural intersection of memory and action selection.}, journal = {Nature reviews. Neuroscience}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {42410004}, issn = {1471-0048}, }
@article {pmid42417526, year = {2026}, author = {Nikbin, N and Rezaei, M and Khamsan, A}, title = {The effectiveness of the cogmed computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation program on the reading skills of linguistic dyslexic children.}, journal = {Applied neuropsychology. Child}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {1-11}, doi = {10.1080/21622965.2026.2697448}, pmid = {42417526}, issn = {2162-2973}, abstract = {OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Cogmed computer-assisted cognitive rehabilitation program and training for reading in improving reading skills in children with linguistic dyslexia.
METHODS: A randomized, controlled clinical trial was used. Thirty children with linguistic dyslexia were assigned to experimental group (n = 15) or control group (n = 15). Two participants (one from each group) dropped out during the intervention, resulting in a final sample of 28 participants (n = 14 per group. The experimental group received 25 sessions of reading training and the Cogmed cognitive rehabilitation intervention, while the control group only received reading training. Data were collected using the NEMA Reading and Dyslexia Test, the Specific Learning Disorder Questionnaire, Raven's Progressive Matrices Test, and the Assessment of Persian Reading Ability.
RESULTS: The findings indicated that the combined Cogmed and reading training intervention significantly improved multiple reading components, including low-frequency word reading (F = 56.34, p < 0.001, η[2] = 0.68), high-frequency word reading (F = 29.62, p < 0.001, η[2] = 0.53), word chains (F = 39.76, p = 0.001, η[2] = 0.60), and word comprehension (F = 49.19, p = 0.001, η[2] = 0.65).
CONCLUSIONS: The combined Cogmed and reading training intervention produced statistically significant improvements across multiple reading subskills in children with linguistic dyslexia. These improvements remained stable over a one-month follow-up period, indicating short-to-medium-term durable cognitive and linguistic gains. Future research should examine long-term maintenance, test efficacy in other dyslexia subtypes, and utilize executive function (EFs) assessments along with neuroimaging techniques to explore the underlying mechanisms of change.}, }
@article {pmid42418401, year = {2026}, author = {Jha, CK and Stevanović, M and Das, P and Dietrich, JP and Mosnier, A and Popp, A and Ghosh, RK and Lotze-Campen, H}, title = {India's biofuel blending policy presents serious trade-offs with land use, nitrogen emissions and food security.}, journal = {PloS one}, volume = {21}, number = {7}, pages = {e0351419}, pmid = {42418401}, issn = {1932-6203}, mesh = {India ; *Biofuels ; *Nitrogen/analysis ; *Food Security ; Fertilizers ; Agriculture ; Ethanol ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Saccharum ; Molasses ; }, abstract = {This study examines the environmental and resource implications of India's 20% ethanol blending mandate, with a focus on its effects on land use, water and fertilizer use, and greenhouse gas emissions. Using a global partial equilibrium model of the land-use sector, MAgPIE, we evaluate scenarios involving different feedstock combinations involving molasses and sugarcane juice. Results reveal that ethanol production from molasses exerts considerable pressure on natural resources due to the high land, water, and fertilizer demands of sugarcane. Conversely, ethanol derived from sugarcane juice proves to be a more sustainable option, requiring less water and fertilizer while generating lower greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, all scenarios present challenges related to food security, through increases in food prices, and resource competition. Sensitivity analysis shows that limited technological progress or constrained trade amplify domestic land, water, and emission burdens. Our findings provide directly usable evidence for designing India's biofuel roadmap. They can inform (a) the choice of feedstock-mix for achieving blending targets with lower land, water, and nitrogen footprints (b) complementary policies on fertilizer management, irrigation efficiency, and trade; and (c) the timing and scale-up of diversified and second-generation feedstocks. Overall, the study highlights that careful management of feedstock portfolios and supporting agricultural policies is essential for aligning India's ethanol expansion with long-term climate, food security, and resource sustainability goals.}, }
@article {pmid42421886, year = {2026}, author = {George, A and Aastrup, C and Emmenegger, T and Hegemann, A}, title = {Within- and between-brood variations in haemosporidian infections of nestlings reveal complex host-vector-parasite relationships.}, journal = {Journal of ornithology}, volume = {167}, number = {3}, pages = {803-816}, pmid = {42421886}, issn = {2193-7192}, abstract = {UNLABELLED: Avian blood parasites are vector-transmitted protozoan parasites and common in wild birds. They cause acute and chronic infections at different life stages with potentially detrimental effects on host fitness. Transmission often happens during the nestling period, when biting dipterans have easy access to featherless skin. However, little is known about patterns of infection within and between broods. Therefore, we investigated prevalence of haemosporidians (Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) nestlings over four non-consecutive years. Prevalence varied by year, averaged at 33.9%, with Leucocytozoon being the most prevalent genus. We found no links between infection and morphometry, nor with sex or hatching date, at the population level. However, at the brood level, among female nestlings, those with shorter tarsi were more likely to be infected than female siblings with longer tarsi. Infection probability was positively correlated with brood size at the brood level, but not at the individual level. Finally, more broods were partially infected than fully infected or uninfected. Thus, the observed patterns in prevalence were manifold, indicating that haemosporidian infections, caused by bites of vectors, are influenced by various factors in this host-vector-parasite system.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10336-026-02417-1.}, }
@article {pmid42423352, year = {2026}, author = {Breuer, C and Leist, L and Fremerey, S and Raake, A and Klatte, M and Fels, J}, title = {The influence of reverberation time on auditory selective attention switching in a virtual classroom scenea).}, journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America}, volume = {160}, number = {1}, pages = {333-344}, doi = {10.1121/10.0044270}, pmid = {42423352}, issn = {1520-8524}, mesh = {Humans ; *Attention ; Young Adult ; Acoustic Stimulation ; Time Factors ; Adult ; *Virtual Reality ; Male ; Female ; Reaction Time ; *Acoustics ; *Auditory Perception ; *Facility Design and Construction ; Speech Intelligibility ; Vibration ; Speech Perception ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; }, abstract = {This study investigated the influence of room acoustics, specifically reverberation time, on switching auditory selective attention. Two classroom scenarios were simulated using the room acoustic software raven: one with favorable acoustic properties (T30=0.48 s) and one with unfavorable properties (T30=1.52 s). In a listening experiment with 16 adult participants, both scenarios were live-rendered using the ravenintegration for Virtual Acoustics in Unity to examine auditory attention switching in an audiovisual virtual classroom. Reaction times were unaffected by reverberation. However, participants made significantly more errors in the unfavorable condition compared to the favorable and anechoic scenarios. Results further suggest that long reverberation times impaired the spatial separation between target and distractor sounds, leading to reduced performance in the attention-switching task. Post-experiment questionnaires indicated lower perceived speech intelligibility and higher listening effort in the highly reverberant condition. These findings demonstrate that reverberation consistent with realistic classroom acoustics can impair auditory selective attention in an audiovisual virtual reality scenario, highlighting the importance of incorporating room acoustic conditions when investigating complex listening tasks.}, }
@article {pmid42436324, year = {2026}, author = {Boucherie, PH and Comin, V and Bugnyar, T}, title = {Subtle differences in family size mediate object play in young ravens (Corvus corax).}, journal = {Communications biology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s42003-026-10290-0}, pmid = {42436324}, issn = {2399-3642}, support = {P33960-B//Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung)/ ; P33960-B//Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung)/ ; P29705-B29//Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung)/ ; W1262//Austrian Science Fund (Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung)/ ; 10.47379/VRG21011//Vienna Science and Technology Fund (Wiener Wissenschafts-, Forschungs- und Technologiefonds)/ ; }, abstract = {The social environment at upbringing shapes the developmental trajectories of offspring behaviour and competences in various species. Surprisingly, little is known about how slight variations in early social environments, such as differences in sibling numbers, affect these trajectories. Common ravens undergo an impressive socio-cognitive development post-fledging, engaging in various forms of play. We investigate the influence of (manipulated) family size on object-directed behaviours of juvenile ravens, testing the prediction that larger family size would foster more object play at standardised playgrounds. Contrary to our prediction, family size does not affect the individuals' access to objects and amount of play; however, offspring from small families are more often together at the playground and show more and selective interest in others' object manipulations than offspring from large families. Our findings indicate that even slight differences in family size - within natural range - can mediate juveniles' opportunities to interact, play, and develop their social repertoire.}, }
@article {pmid42437871, year = {2026}, author = {Meyer, R}, title = {It's cognition, with style: rethinking the biology of intelligence.}, journal = {Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1002/brv.70202}, pmid = {42437871}, issn = {1469-185X}, support = {E5359801//Beijing Overseas Talents Center/ ; }, abstract = {Intelligence has been attributed to a growing number of non-primate species, including birds, cephalopods, and jumping spiders. This review outlines key findings in animal intelligence, finding that there is significant support for the presence of a wide variety of intelligent capacities in these groups. Yet, how intelligence can be achieved with relatively small, non-mammalian brains remains an open question, and neuroscientific efforts have not established the relationship between brains and intelligence. Core to these research programs is the assumption that intelligence sits higher on a scale of complexity than other kinds of cognition, requiring greater neural resources. This review shows that, despite its ubiquity, there is little evidence available for this assumption, and that it does not align well with the goals of contemporary research on animal intelligence. I argue that, like other biological functions, cross-species comparisons of cognition are not usefully framed as a question of as better or worse, simpler or more complex. Cognitive differences between species are the result of differing cognitive styles, rather than gradations on a universal scale of cognition. Intelligence is the human cognitive style, and intelligent animals are those whose cognitive style bears a family resemblance to ours. This approach embraces the anthropocentrism of the concept of intelligence, while rejecting the idea that intelligence is a superior capacity. With this alternative intelligence concept in mind, investigations into animal intelligence and its neural basis could gain traction by shifting away from the search for greater absolute neural capacity in animals, instead approaching these smaller-brained species as models that reveal what is not required for intelligence.}, }
@article {pmid42440722, year = {2026}, author = {Turco, EC and Caiazza, L and Gnazzo, M and Baldini, V and Pisanò, G and Brugnano, C and Petrolini, L and Vitali, T and Piccolo, B and Campana, B and Esposito, S and Tonna, M and Pera, MC}, title = {Neurodevelopmental outcomes in adolescents born very and extremely preterm: a prolonged follow-up from a single-center cohort.}, journal = {Frontiers in pediatrics}, volume = {14}, number = {}, pages = {1861045}, pmid = {42440722}, issn = {2296-2360}, abstract = {INTRODUCTION: Preterm birth remains a major global health concern, with growing evidence linking it to long-term neurodevelopmental and psychiatric sequelae. Children born very or extremely preterm are at increased risk for cognitive, motor, and emotional difficulties that may persist into adolescence.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective and prospective observational study involving 29 adolescents (aged 14-18 years) born very or extremely preterm between 2005 and 2011 at the University Hospital of Parma. Participants underwent in-person neurological examinations, cognitive testing (Raven's Progressive Matrices), and motor assessments (Movement ABC-2 or Brief Motor Scale), alongside retrieval of early developmental scores from the Bayley Scales (administered between 3 and 36 months).
RESULTS: Early cognitive assessments showed strong predictive associations with later intellectual functioning: MDI scores at 12 and 18 months correlated significantly with Raven QI equivalent scores in adolescence (ρ = 0.705 and ρ = 0.763, respectively, p < .01), while the association at 3 months was weaker and non-significant (ρ = 0.410, p = .052). In contrast, early motor scores showed inconsistent predictive associations, with only the 18-month PDI reaching significance (ρ = 0.583, p = .022). Psychiatric or neurodevelopmental diagnoses were present in 50% of extremely preterm and 33.3% of very preterm adolescents. Visuomotor coordination showed the strongest negative correlation with gestational age among motor domains (r = -0.57).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the 12-18 month developmental assessment window carries meaningful prognostic value for both cognitive and motor outcomes in preterm survivors, and support the implementation of structured multidisciplinary surveillance extending into adolescence.}, }
@article {pmid42442356, year = {2026}, author = {Nguyen, TN and Cosgrove, EJ and Chen, N and Lehr, N and Lokey, MG and Beaudry, FEG and Fitzpatrick, SW and Bowman, R and Miller, KE and Fitzpatrick, JW and Clark, AG}, title = {Florida scrub-jay genomes across space and time reveal impacts of population decline and reduced gene flow.}, journal = {Current biology : CB}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.044}, pmid = {42442356}, issn = {1879-0445}, abstract = {Whole-genome sequencing is proving to be highly informative about the past demography of free-living populations, and in the context of endangered species, it can provide a quantification of the genetic risk posed by reduced genetic diversity and inbreeding. Prior to 1920, the Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) was more numerous across peninsular Florida, but with the expansion of agriculture and human habitation, its population has declined by 95%, resulting in fragmentation into semi-isolated subpopulations. By sequencing 241 individuals sampled from five different regions and across two time points, this study quantifies a greater loss of genetic diversity and greater levels of inbreeding in smaller and more isolated subpopulations. Consistent with population genetics theory, a reduction in population size results in a dramatic loss of rare alleles, skewing the site frequency spectrum far from the expected equilibrium. Increased inbreeding in the smaller, more remote subpopulations is especially evident in the increased size and number of runs of homozygosity. The Florida scrub-jay displays limited dispersal, and habitat fragmentation has greatly reduced the magnitude of gene flow in the past 30 years, resulting in further decline of genetic diversity, especially in the peripheral populations. Analysis of these data is informative in guiding conservation efforts to retain genetic diversity and minimize the consequences of inbreeding in the Florida scrub-jay.}, }
@article {pmid42450716, year = {2026}, author = {Prakas, P and Rumbutis, S and Levinger, V and Šukytė, T and Juozaitytė-Ngugu, E and Pakeltytė, G and Butkaukas, D and Švažas, S}, title = {Molecular and Microscopic Identification of Sarcocystis spp. in the Intestines of the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) in Lithuania.}, journal = {Animals : an open access journal from MDPI}, volume = {16}, number = {13}, pages = {}, pmid = {42450716}, issn = {2076-2615}, abstract = {The role of birds of the Strigiformes order in the transmission of globally distributed Sarcocystis parasites remains insufficiently studied. In the present work we aimed to evaluate the diversity of Sarcocystis species in the intestines of 22 naturally infected Tawny Owls (Strix aluco) sampled in Lithuania. The Sarcocystis infection was established using combined light microscopy and DNA sequence analysis. Samples were analyzed using Sarcocystis-genus and species-specific primers in nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Sporocysts of Sarcocystis spp. were detected in 45.5% of samples, while 77.3% of samples were positive by molecular methods. Comparison of 28S rRNA and ITS1 sequences obtained and phylogenetic analyses indicated the presence of eight Sarcocystis taxa: S. halieti, S. kutkienae, S. turdusi, and Sarcocystis sp. ex Corvus corax, associated with birds, and S. funereus, S. glareoli, Sarcocystis sp. LT24Sa1, and Sarcocystis sp. LT24Sa11, associated with small mammals. Our results supplement previous findings that some Sarcocystis species can be transmitted by birds of three orders: Accipitriformes, Falconiformes, and Strigiformes. Overall, the low burden of sporocysts and predominance of single-species infections (63.6%) suggest that Tawny Owls transmit a limited number of Sarcocystis species associated with small mammals and birds.}, }
@article {pmid42459448, year = {2026}, author = {, and , }, title = {Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report - data submitted up to 24 June 2026.}, journal = {EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority}, volume = {24}, number = {7}, pages = {e10231}, doi = {10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10231}, pmid = {42459448}, issn = {1831-4732}, abstract = {Epidemiological summary As of 24 June, two countries in Europe reported three locally acquired[1] human cases of WNV infection: Italy reported two cases and North Macedonia one case. Dates of onset ranged from 12 to 27 May 2026. No deaths have been reported. The cases were reported from three regions across the two countries. Although no cases had been reported by this time in 2025, some cases with onset dates in May and June were subsequently notified with a delay. Therefore, the current situation remains consistent with the early phase of the seasonal reporting pattern observed in previous years. This year, human cases of WNV infection were reported for the first time ever in one affected area: North Macedonia in Vardarski (MK001). Among the three cases reported this year, one person was aged 65 years or older, one was aged under 65 years, and the age of one person was unknown. All three cases were hospitalised. Neurological manifestations were reported in two individuals; information on clinical presentation was unavailable for the remaining case. As only three cases have been reported to date, comparisons with demographic or severity patterns observed over the previous decade are not yet meaningful. Further updates will be provided in subsequent monthly reports. From the veterinary perspective, five WNV outbreaks have been reported in Europe in 2026: one among equids and four among birds. The equid outbreak was reported by France and started on 30 March 2026. The four bird outbreaks were reported by Italy, with start dates ranging from 31 March to 4 May 2026. No information was available on the equid species involved in the outbreak reported in France in the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS). For birds, species information indicated that the four outbreaks reported in Italy involved hooded crows (three outbreaks) and a golden eagle (one outbreak). Outbreaks in birds and/or equids have been reported in three regions across two countries. Both countries that reported outbreaks in 2026 had previously reported WNV outbreaks in birds and/or equids in the same regions, indicating that WNV is endemic in these areas. The number of outbreaks in birds and equids reported during this first period of 2026 is similar to the mean monthly outbreak count for the same time of year, calculated for 2022-2025 for birds and for 2016-2025 for equids. Italy reported both locally acquired human WNV cases and WNV outbreaks in birds; however, the human cases and bird outbreaks were reported from different regions. Owing to delays in diagnosis and reporting, and because most WNV infections are asymptomatic or subclinical, the reported case numbers likely underestimate the true number of infections. Seasonal surveillance in humans primarily captures laboratory-confirmed cases, which may further contribute to reporting delays. Given the favourable weather conditions for WNV transmission in Europe, ECDC and EFSA expect further human cases and outbreaks in equids and birds to be reported in the coming weeks and months. In previous years, transmission has typically peaked in August and September. ECDC and EFSA will continue to closely monitor the situation in Europe.}, }
@article {pmid42459762, year = {2026}, author = {Raja, M and Jayaram Reddy, A}, title = {Fractal gradient divergence-tuned deep belief network for osteoporosis detection using X-ray images.}, journal = {Frontiers in artificial intelligence}, volume = {9}, number = {}, pages = {1870392}, pmid = {42459762}, issn = {2624-8212}, abstract = {Osteoporosis is a major illness that reduces bone strength, increasing the likelihood of fractures. Various imaging modalities are employed in the prediction and diagnosis of osteoporosis, including X-ray and Computed Tomography (CT). To assess the risk of fractures and bone disease, various machine learning (ML) techniques have been utilized. However, accurate diagnosis based on X-ray images remains a major concern for osteoporosis prediction. To improve the accuracy of osteoporosis disease prediction and reduce time, a novel Transformed Sampling Fractal Gradient Divergence Tuned Deep Belief Network (TSFGDTDBN) is proposed. It includes image acquisition, Augmentation, preprocessing, feature extraction, classification, and fine-tuning. Initially, numerous X-ray knee images were collected from the dataset during the acquisition phase. Rotation-transformed Image-SMOTE-based augmentation was employed for creating synthetic image samples of the minority class. The Gradient Divergence Tuned Deep Belief Network (DBN) involves two primary steps: layer-by-layer training and fine-tuning. In layer-by-layer training, preprocessing is performed with the Grubbs-normalized linear box blur method. Edge, shape, and texture features are extracted. Finally, the disease is classified as normal, Osteopenia, and Osteoporosis. During fine-tuning, hyperparameters are optimally adjusted using the Gradient Divergence Crow Search Tuning algorithm to improve classification accuracy. It enhances the deep neural network's performance and overall learning efficiency in osteoporosis disease prediction. Experimental evaluation is conducted using X-ray images with various factors. TSFGDTDBN improves accuracy with minimal time compared to conventional deep learning methods.}, }
@article {pmid42462124, year = {2026}, author = {Iheduru-Anderson, K and Freborg, K and Chalmers, LC}, title = {"But I Love the Colored": Unpacking White Emotional Defensiveness and Racial Harm in Nursing Academia.}, journal = {Nursing inquiry}, volume = {33}, number = {3}, pages = {e70139}, pmid = {42462124}, issn = {1440-1800}, mesh = {Humans ; Academia ; Antiracism ; Emotions ; *Faculty, Nursing/psychology ; *Racism/psychology ; *White/psychology ; }, abstract = {This paper examines the discursive, emotional, and institutional dynamics embedded in the racially defensive statement, "But I love the Colored," voiced by a white nurse leader in academia. The phrase "the Colored," a US-specific designation rooted in Jim Crow-era segregation, is deliberately retained to surface how segregationist vocabulary can be effectively reactivated in contemporary academic settings. While seemingly well-intentioned, such language reveals the enduring mechanisms of whiteness in nursing academia, including benevolent racism, white emotionality, and the rhetorical deflection of accountability. Through historical, theoretical, and linguistic analyses, this paper argues that these racial speech acts function as institutional behaviors that retraumatize racialized faculty and students, cause increased workload and fatigue, silence dissent, and reproduce racial hierarchies under the guise of care. This discursive analysis, which draws on critical whiteness studies, calls for faculty to engage in racial literacy training, self-inquiry, emotional self-regulation, and racial accountability. Rather than relying on performative policies, the paper urges antiracist transformation rooted in critical reflective practice, courageous dialogue, and structural change. While the specific linguistic signifiers analyzed here are particular to the United States, the broader phenomena may manifest in distinct forms across other national contexts. Ultimately, this analysis reveals that equity must address white emotional defensiveness within nursing education and the racial harm it produces as the future of the discipline depends not on white comfort, but on institutional transformation.}, }
@article {pmid42480655, year = {2026}, author = {Zhou, M and Li, A and Yang, B and Liu, T and Tang, Y and Yang, Y and Han, S and Gao, W and Zhou, Y and He, M and Zhang, J and Wang, Z and Shu, Y and Zhang, J}, title = {Interface-engineered supramolecular collagen peptide nanocapsules for barrier repair and matrix remodeling: From molecular assembly to clinical translation.}, journal = {Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society}, volume = {397}, number = {}, pages = {115185}, doi = {10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.115185}, pmid = {42480655}, issn = {1873-4995}, abstract = {The transdermal delivery of hydrophilic low-molecular collagen peptides (MW ∼5 kDa,) remains a major dermatological barrier, owing to the strong barrier function of the stratum corneum. While recombinant collagen peptides holds significant therapeutic promise, its application is severely limited by poor penetration and susceptibility to enzymatic degradation. Herein, we present an interface-engineered strategy based on a therapeutic supramolecular solvent to overcome these limitations. We constructed a supramolecular collagen peptides nanocapsules (Supra-Coll-Nano) system via the non-covalent assembly of α-bisabolol and dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline (DPHP). Unlike conventional inert carriers, this lipid-based supramolecular solvent not only stabilizes recombinant human type III collagen peptides (rhCOL3A1) through precise interfacial modulation but also synergistically regulates the skin microenvironment. The Supra-Coll-Nano exhibited exceptional physicochemical stability and achieved a 22.43-fold increase in viable epidermis collagen peptides deposition compared to free collagen peptides, penetrating to a depth of ∼40 μm within 8 h, corresponding to deep viable epidermis. Mechanistically, the system activates the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, orchestrating the upregulation of a broad spectrum of collagens (types I, III, IV, VII, XVII, XVIII) and key barrier-associated proteins (Filaggrin, Loricrin), while simultaneously suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1α) via the release of bioactive α-bisabolol. Clinical efficacy evaluations further confirmed these pleiotropic effects, demonstrating significant improvements in stratum corneum hydration (+38.38%) and skin elasticity (+21.57%), along with a remarkable 53.94% reduction in crow's feet wrinkles. This work establishes a new paradigm for "carrier-active" synergistic delivery, offering a robust material strategy for sensitive skin repair and non-invasive anti-aging therapies from molecular design to clinical application.}, }
@article {pmid42481494, year = {2026}, author = {Gorsse, S and Bijun, T and Tang, Y and Mingyu, M and Liu, Z}, title = {Curated dataset of multinary alloy HER catalysts for composition-only modelling with Magpie descriptors and GP baselines.}, journal = {Scientific data}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1038/s41597-026-07856-2}, pmid = {42481494}, issn = {2052-4463}, support = {PEPR ADVANCE no. 23-PEXD-0001//French National Research Agency (ANR)/ ; PEPR ADVANCE no. 23-PEXD-0001//French National Research Agency (ANR)/ ; PEPR ADVANCE no. 23-PEXD-0001//French National Research Agency (ANR)/ ; PEPR ADVANCE no. 23-PEXD-0001//French National Research Agency (ANR)/ ; PEPR ADVANCE no. 23-PEXD-0001//French National Research Agency (ANR)/ ; }, abstract = {High-entropy alloy (HEA) electrocatalysts offer a large design space for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but literature data are sparse, heterogeneous and often difficult to reuse for quantitative modelling. Here we present a curated dataset of 180 multinary alloy catalysts compiled from published sources, with standardized provenance (DOIs), normalized atomic-percent compositions, harmonized metadata, and two HER targets: onset potential and Tafel slope. Each entry is enriched with composition-derived Magpie descriptors, and we provide a mutual-information-selected subset to support reproducible small-data benchmarking. To characterize the dataset structure, we report a composition-only UMAP embedding with K-means partitioning and element-wise sensitivity analyses within clusters. As a technical validation and reference baseline, we train Gaussian-process regression models with uncertainty estimates and evaluate their performance under random and grouped-by-DOI cross-validation. Finally, we use the grouped-by-DOI results to quantify the transferability of composition-derived baselines to unseen literature sources, and provide an uncertainty-aware, model-guided list of 100 candidate alloys intended to guide future standardized HER experiments.}, }
@article {pmid42483520, year = {2026}, author = {Zheng, M and Lin, X and Wang, S and Zhang, X and Li, C and Huang, R and Jin, X}, title = {Drawing Characteristics Associated with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children: Findings from the Synthetic House-Tree-Person Test.}, journal = {Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment}, volume = {22}, number = {}, pages = {612297}, pmid = {42483520}, issn = {1176-6328}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine drawing characteristics in the Synthetic House-Tree-Person (S-HTP) drawing test among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to explore their associations with ADHD symptom severity.
METHODS: A total of 60 children aged 7-11 years (30 with clinically diagnosed ADHD and 30 healthy controls) completed the S-HTP drawing test and the SNAP-IV scale. Drawing characteristics were independently coded by two trained raters using predefined criteria. Group differences were analyzed using chi-square and rank-sum tests. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate associations with ADHD status, and ROC analyses were used to assess discrimination. FDR correction and bootstrap internal validation were additionally applied.
RESULTS: Six drawing characteristics differed significantly between groups in the initial analyses, of which five remained significant after FDR correction. Seven drawing characteristics showed exploratory associations with SNAP-IV scores. After adjustment for age, gender, family structure, and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices scores, three drawing characteristics remained associated with ADHD status: A3 (tracing in shaky lines; OR = 4.31, 95% CI: 1.10-16.94), A4 (lines jagged and not joined; OR = 5.45, 95% CI: 1.45-20.49), and A8 (more than seven different colors; OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05-0.72). Exploratory ROC analyses indicated that combining these characteristics improved discriminatory performance. The combined model achieved an AUC of 0.835. Bootstrap internal validation yielded an optimism-corrected AUC of 0.812, indicating reasonable model stability within the present sample.
CONCLUSION: Certain S-HTP drawing characteristics were associated with ADHD status and symptom severity in this sample. In particular, A3, A4, and A8 were identified as drawing characteristics of potential interest for future research. However, given the exploratory design, relatively small sample size, and lack of external validation, further studies are required before the clinical utility of these findings can be established.}, }
@article {pmid42483709, year = {2026}, author = {Pucciarelli, A and Cardillo, L and Picazio, G and Viscardi, M and Cavaliere, S and Santomartino, F and Riccardi, MG and Napolitano, A and Lella, M and Fusco, G and D'Alessio, N and Galiero, G and de Martinis, C}, title = {Emergence of Usutu virus in Southern Italy: phylogenetic profiling of potential introduction and dissemination routes.}, journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science}, volume = {13}, number = {}, pages = {1867579}, pmid = {42483709}, issn = {2297-1769}, abstract = {Usutu virus (USUV) is an emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to West Nile virus (WNV), sharing ecological niches and transmission cycles involving Culex mosquitoes and wild birds. In Italy, USUV was first detected in 1996 and has become endemic in northern regions, whereas, to date, no cases have been reported in southern Italy. In August 2025, a yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) from the provinces of Salerno for passive surveillance and a Eurasian jay (Garrulus glandarius) during active surveillance from Caserta (southern Italy), were examined. Heart, spleen, kidney, and brain tissues were collected for virological investigation. Real-time RT-PCR assays targeting West Nile virus and Usutu virus were performed and USUV RNA was detected in both avian specimens, while samples tested negative for WNV. Next, entomological surveillance was conducted on both sites and a mosquito pool collected near the yellow-legged gull carcass tested positive. Positive samples were subjected to Sanger sequencing of the NS5 gene. BLAST and phylogenetic analyses revealed strain belonged to lineage Europe 2, sub-group 2-A showing 99.6% nucleotide identity with northern Italian strains circulating between 2018 and 2023 and 99.8% identity with northern European strains circulating between 2016 and 2024. These findings suggest two possible scenarios: local southward spread of an autochthonous Italian strain or a recent introduction from other European countries mediated by migratory wild birds. This study provides the first molecular evidence of USUV circulation in southern Italy and underscores the critical role of molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analysis in tracing routes of pathogen introduction and spread.}, }
@article {pmid42487107, year = {2026}, author = {Akbay, G}, title = {Hereditarianism: a century of the science of inequality.}, journal = {History and philosophy of the life sciences}, volume = {48}, number = {3}, pages = {}, pmid = {42487107}, issn = {1742-6316}, support = {1059B192202453//Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu/ ; }, mesh = {History, 20th Century ; *Eugenics/history ; Humans ; United States ; *Racism/history ; Intelligence/genetics ; *Socioeconomic Factors/history ; History, 21st Century ; }, abstract = {Hereditarianism, the belief that genetic factors significantly influence differences in behavioral traits and social outcomes, remains relevant in the age of polygenic embryo screening and social science genomics. Although early twentieth-century monogenic versions of hereditarianism-suggesting specific genes for traits like feeble-mindedness, nomadism, and pauperism-may now seem outdated, similar reasoning persisted into the early twenty-first century through candidate gene studies. With the advent of high-resolution genomic association studies, the understanding of complex traits has shifted toward a massively polygenic architecture, moving away from the "gene for X" paradigm. Nevertheless, the aspiration to identify purely genetic causes persists, and a more nuanced form of hereditarian theory continues to exist. This paper explores the evolution of hereditarianism in its various forms, examining its connections to racism and anti-egalitarian politics. In a sense, this work is an extension of the twentieth century critique of hereditarianism, in line with key figures like Richard Lewontin and Stephen Jay Gould. The paper begins with early twentieth-century eugenics and the hereditarian approach to IQ in the United States, progresses to modern scientific racism, and concludes with an evaluation of causal claims in contemporary social science genomics. A consistent theme across these periods and fields is the belief in the potential for genetic explanations of social inequalities both within and between groups.}, }
@article {pmid42493278, year = {2026}, author = {Persaud, E}, title = {Dr. Grady diploma orange (1900-1946): Baseball, segregation, and medicine.}, journal = {Journal of the National Medical Association}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1016/j.jnma.2026.06.015}, pmid = {42493278}, issn = {1943-4693}, abstract = {Dr. Grady Orange was a baseball player in the Negro National League (NNL) from 1925 to 1930, and then a practicing physician until his sudden death. Born in 1900, in Terrell, Texas, Grady was raised in the Jim Crow South. There were economic and societal barriers for African Americans, including access to well-paying jobs and opportunities for career advancement. Hospitals were segregated, as Black doctors faced barriers to medical education and were often not permitted to practice in white institutions. After Orange's baseball career, using NNL salaries to cover costs, he turned his focus to completing medical school and graduated at the top of his class. Dr. Orange devoted time beyond his medical practice, often educating his community and giving talks on tuberculosis, syphilis, and other public health topics. Dr. Orange and other players of his era helped pave the way towards baseball integration and the start of the modern-day civil rights movement in the United States. Studying Dr. Grady Orange's biography helps preserve both his life's impact and provide a history of baseball, segregation, and medicine.}, }
@article {pmid42503024, year = {2026}, author = {Wang, S and Wei, X and Jia, K and Ma, X and Feng, J and Wang, T}, title = {Free-ranging livestock grazing shifts the acoustic community in a northeast Asian temperate forest.}, journal = {Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America}, volume = {36}, number = {5}, pages = {e70283}, pmid = {42503024}, issn = {1939-5582}, support = {JYB2025XDXM902//Fundamental and Interdisciplinary Disciplines Breakthrough Plan of the Ministry of Education of China/ ; 2024YFF1307300//National Key Research and Development Program of China/ ; }, mesh = {Animals ; *Forests ; China ; *Acoustics ; Cattle/physiology ; *Vocalization, Animal ; *Herbivory ; Seasons ; }, abstract = {Understanding livestock-wildlife interactions, especially in forest ecosystems, is critical for biodiversity conservation and sustainable land management. However, the long-term and cascading impacts of livestock grazing on forest structure and community bioacoustics are important yet largely neglected areas of research. Here, we used acoustic indices and a sound event detection (SED) model to evaluate the effects of continuous cattle grazing on seasonal soundscapes in Northeast China. We collected and analyzed over 18,785 h of recordings from 10 cattle-grazed forest plots and 10 ungrazed forest plots in Northeast China. We identified sound events in each recording via deep learning and calculated six acoustic indices, as well as extracted vegetation characteristics using light detection and ranging point cloud data. Our results revealed that grazing activities significantly changed seasonal soundscape dynamics, with biophony being highest in grazed forests and lowest in ungrazed forests in winter. Livestock shifted the forest soundscape composition by increasing the audibility of birds and insects while decreasing the vocalizations of sika deer (Cervus nippon) and crows, resulting in reduced sound diversity and complexity in grazed forests. We also found that grazing can reduce the leaf area index, herbaceous plants, and canopy density, which can influence these effects indirectly. Interestingly, cowbells noticeably altered the dawn chorus of birds; during spring and summer grazing periods, the chorus was characterized by an increased bird calling rate and greater vocal complexity (elevated Acoustic Complexity Index), patterns consistent with a behavioral adjustment to acoustic masking. This study highlights how livestock modify forest acoustic communities. To preserve natural soundscapes, we suggest mitigating cowbell noise through silent trackers (e.g., GPS) or reduced bell density in priority zones. Sustainable practices, including rotational grazing and buffer zones, are also vital to maintain forest structure and acoustic diversity. We suggest that integrating SED models with acoustic indices provides a robust framework for monitoring such anthropogenic disturbances.}, }
@article {pmid42503735, year = {2026}, author = {Lorente, CJ and Licursi, M and Gutierrez, MF and Miró, MV and Lifschitz, A and Mesa, L}, title = {Contrasting accumulation of ivermectin in rooted emergent and free-floating macrophyte-biofilm assemblages from floodplain wetlands.}, journal = {Journal of environmental quality}, volume = {55}, number = {4}, pages = {e70229}, pmid = {42503735}, issn = {1537-2537}, support = {PICT-2018-02203//Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica/ ; }, mesh = {*Wetlands ; *Ivermectin/analysis/metabolism ; *Biofilms ; *Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis/metabolism ; *Environmental Monitoring ; Animals ; }, abstract = {Veterinary pharmaceuticals, such as ivermectin, are widely used in livestock production and reach nearby wetlands primarily bound to cattle dung, yet their environmental behavior within aquatic vegetation remains poorly understood. This study assessed the accumulation and distribution of environmentally relevant concentrations of ivermectin in two macrophytes with contrasting life forms from the Middle Paraná River floodplain (Argentina): the rooted emergent Ludwigia peploides (Kunth) P.H. Raven and the free-floating Salvinia biloba Raddi and in their epiphytic biofilms. A 10-day outdoor mesocosm experiment was conducted using ivermectin-spiked cattle dung to simulate input from grazing livestock. Ivermectin concentrations were quantified in roots, leaves, biofilm, and sediment under single- and mixed-species treatments. Ivermectin was detected in all analyzed matrices, with higher concentrations generally observed in L. peploides. Root concentrations were higher in L. peploides (≈18 ng g[-1]) than in S. biloba (≈8 ng g[-1]). Ivermectin concentrations in the biofilm of L. peploides were also notable (≈9 ng g[-1]), whereas in S. biloba they were lower or below detection limits. Leaf concentrations remained comparatively low in both species (generally below 3 ng g[-1]). Comparison between single- and mixed-species treatments showed species-dependent responses that varied across matrices. These results indicate that plant life forms influence ivermectin accumulation patterns, with roots and epiphytic biofilms as the primary retention compartments. Macrophyte-biofilm assemblages may therefore act as temporary sinks, while also representing potential reservoirs for ivermectin transfer through aquatic food webs, highlighting their relevance for understanding the environmental fate of veterinary pharmaceuticals in livestock-impacted wetlands.}, }
@article {pmid42504190, year = {2026}, author = {Vogelzang, M and Wigdorowitz, M and Tsimpli, IM}, title = {Challenging existing Raven's norms based on children attending government schools in India.}, journal = {Journal of cultural cognitive science}, volume = {10}, number = {2}, pages = {287-303}, pmid = {42504190}, issn = {2520-1018}, abstract = {Intelligence measures, such as the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM), rely on norm-referenced scores to interpret individual performance and guide educational or clinical interventions. However, when norm comparisons result in a severely skewed distribution, the validity of the norm sample must be scrutinized rather than accepting implausible interpretations. In this study, we challenge existing norms and improve the suitability of the CPM for Indian children attending government schools by developing new norms that better reflect their socio-demographic and educational contexts. Our sample includes 1,752 children in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Patna from two large-scale projects. Using existing CPM norms for India, we found that 78.5% of our sample scored in the bottom 10th percentile with an IQ score of 80 or lower, highlighting a heavily skewed distribution. Upon reviewing the existing norm sample, we identified several limitations: its size was five times smaller than our sample, the sample's linguistic background was underspecified, and it predominantly represented children from higher socio-economic backgrounds attending private schools. This norm sample fails to represent the majority of Indian pupils, particularly those in government schools, who constitute approximately two-thirds of the pupil population. In response, we developed alternative norms across four age categories (8, 9, 10, 11) that better align with the demographic realities of this group. These norms demonstrate an expected distribution of scores and provide a better benchmark for evaluating intelligence, specifically visuo-spatial reasoning, of Indian children attending government schools. We encourage researchers, educators and clinicians to use these norms as appropriate.}, }
@article {pmid42508146, year = {2026}, author = {Dzianok, P and Wojciechowski, J and Wolak, T and Kublik, E}, title = {Subtle cortical thinning in the temporal pole in middle-aged APOE-ε4 and PICALM (rs3851179) AA/AG carriers without dementia.}, journal = {Neurobiology of aging}, volume = {168}, number = {}, pages = {63-72}, doi = {10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2026.07.004}, pmid = {42508146}, issn = {1558-1497}, abstract = {The symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are caused by neurodegeneration and atrophy in particular brain regions, especially in the temporal lobe. However, the influence of genetic risk on cortical thickness prior to dementia onset, remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between AD genetic risk (related to APOE and PICALM genes) and cortical thickness in selected regions of interest (ROIs) in middle-aged individuals without dementia. Sixty-nine (N = 69) participants (34 females, 35 males; age: 55.45 ± 3.19) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They were divided into three groups based on their genetic AD risk: A+ P+ (APOE/PICALM risk variants), A+P- (APOE risk variant, PICALM neutral variants), and the N group (APOE/PICALM neutral alleles). Cortical thickness was analyzed using CAT12 software (surface-based morphometry with the Destrieux atlas) based on T1-weighted MR images in five ROIs referred to as "the cortical signature of AD" in previous studies. The A+P- group had a thinner right temporal pole cortex than non-carriers after controlling for sex, age, and Raven's Progressive Matrices scores. Although this finding did not survive FDR correction across the 10 tested regions, it is consistent with our hypotheses and prior literature. No other differences in cortical thickness were found in the analyzed regions of AD "signature". The observed effect was restricted to single-risk APOE carriers without PICALM risk alleles. Therefore, further research is needed to understand the genetic interplay between these two genes in conferring AD risk.}, }
@article {pmid42517889, year = {2026}, author = {Bretthauer, J and Canu, D and Thiemann, U and Fleischhaker, C and Biscaldi, M and Smyrnis, N and Bender, S and Beauducel, A and Klein, C}, title = {Watching reasoning at work: eye movement patterns of participants with ADHD solving Raven´s matrices.}, journal = {European child & adolescent psychiatry}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, pmid = {42517889}, issn = {1435-165X}, abstract = {Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been associated with broad cognitive deficits, particularly in tasks regarding working memory and executive control. However, how individuals with ADHD process visual reasoning tasks remains largely unclear. In typically developing (TD) individuals, two main problem-solving strategies have been described for Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM): Constructive Matching (CM) is an efficient processing style involving hypothesis generation and integration of relations in working memory, whereas Answer Elimination (AE) is a less demanding trial-and-error approach. This study examined group differences in processing style using eye-tracking during RSPM solving and explored the role of individual cognitive ability in strategy use. Seventy-nine participants (38 ADHD, 41 TD) completed a validated 9-item short form of the RSPM while their eye movements were recorded. Gaze parameters reflecting CM, AE and speed parameters were analyzed. Participants with ADHD showed reduced RSPM accuracy alongside normal CM and adaptation to increasing item difficulty. In this group, furthermore, RSPM item difficulty interacted with Culture Fair Test(CFT)-assessed intelligence such that CM-related adaptation to trial difficulty from easy to medium items (but not medium to hard) was more pronounced in participants with ADHD with higher CFT-assessed intelligence. This association with CFT-assessed intelligence was absent in controls. Our findings suggest that participants with ADHD show normal RSPM processing style (CM and adaptation to varying task demands) despite reduced accuracy and that higher intelligence may improve processing style up to a certain point of task complexity. Our results confirm the assumed compensatory role of intelligence for cognition in ADHD.}, }
@article {pmid42520083, year = {2026}, author = {Brea, J and Modirshanechi, A and Iatropoulos, G and Gerstner, W}, title = {Remembering the "when": Hebbian memory models for the time of past events.}, journal = {PLoS computational biology}, volume = {22}, number = {7}, pages = {e1014575}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1014575}, pmid = {42520083}, issn = {1553-7358}, abstract = {Humans and animals can remember how long ago specific events happened. Little is known about the neural mechanisms that enable remembering the "when" of memories stored for long durations in the episodic memory system - in contrast to interval-timing on the order of seconds and minutes. Based on a systematic exploration of neural coding, association and retrieval schemes, we develop model classes that span the space of possible mechanisms for the reconstruction of the time of past events. In concrete examples we show how network architecture, Hebbian plasticity, synaptic pruning or systems consolidation allow the retrieval of the time of past events. In a simulation, we demonstrate how these mechanisms would enable food-caching animals such as corvids to remember what they cached, where, and how long ago. To dissociate different hypotheses, we propose three kinds of novel, non-verbal experiments that can be run with humans and animals. Our simulations predict the experimental results for different classes of models. Our study shows that remembering the "when" can be implemented by many biologically plausible mechanisms and that carefully designed experiments are needed to pin down the actual neural implementation of the memory for the time of past events in different species.}, }
@article {pmid42525494, year = {2026}, author = {Elovaara, K and Dawson, C and Svedholm-Häkkinen, AM and Kaakinen, JK and Simola, J}, title = {The Role of Cognitive Sophistication in Science Capital.}, journal = {Scandinavian journal of psychology}, volume = {}, number = {}, pages = {}, doi = {10.1111/sjop.70133}, pmid = {42525494}, issn = {1467-9450}, abstract = {Science capital, a collection of science-related forms of capital, promotes access to and utilization of scientific information, which is integral in a time of flourishing anti-science attitudes. Nonetheless, it is not yet known which individual-level characteristics are associated with science capital. The present study links sociological concepts of science capital to the psychological study of individual differences by examining the role of cognitive sophistication in science capital. Participants (n = 146) completed an online survey. To assess cognitive sophistication, we used measures associated with the motivation and/or disposition (i.e., need for cognition, actively open-minded thinking and epistemic curiosity) and ability (i.e., understanding randomness and probability, susceptibility to representativeness and equiprobability heuristics, and performance in Raven's progressive matrices) to reason. These measures were used to predict two aspects of science capital, science self-efficacy and science attitudes, with regression analyses. Results of hierarchical regression analyses showed that epistemic curiosity was associated with both aspects of science capital, while need for cognition and understanding probabilistic concepts predicted science self-efficacy, and susceptibility to the equiprobability heuristic predicted science attitudes. Additionally, education predicted both science self-efficacy and science attitudes. Taken together, the study indicates that both motivation or disposition and ability to reason are important for science capital. Moreover, the study demonstrates the value of linking sociological and psychological perspectives together to better understand what makes people pro-science.}, }
@article {pmid42534187, year = {2026}, author = {Campbell-Ward, M and Palmer, C and Quain, A and Sandøe, P}, title = {Easy rescues, difficult decisions: Advancing the ethical dialogue in wildlife triage, treatment and rehabilitation.}, journal = {Animal welfare (South Mimms, England)}, volume = {35}, number = {}, pages = {e43}, pmid = {42534187}, issn = {2054-1538}, abstract = {Wildlife rescue is a morally motivated practice that seeks to alleviate suffering in free-ranging, predominantly native, wild animals. However, actions to help individual animals in circumstances that appear relatively easy to handle often have far-reaching and sometimes unintended consequences for animal welfare and raise wider concerns regarding animal ethics and ecological integrity. This can lead to difficult decisions that are inadequately addressed by existing triage guidelines. We present three example rescue scenarios as a foundation for exploring the broad range of concerns that may arise, including the immediate and longer-term risks, benefits and conflicts. Each example, drawn from contemporary Australian wildlife care settings, considers animal welfare implications amidst a variety of contextual factors and competing values. The cases include an orphaned Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) whose predicament is relatively isolated from broader ecological and population-level dynamics, a parasitised wombat (Vombatus ursinus) in a field setting where treatment to improve its welfare may affect populations and ecosystems, and a fire-impacted koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) whose rehabilitation involves the making of complicated welfare, environmental and other ethical trade-offs. By evaluating varying concerns as they apply to these examples and others, along with relevant evidence and prevailing approaches, we expose a range of ethically loaded considerations that apply to wildlife rescue. With increasing environmental threats and a shift in public attitudes in support of wildlife interventions, we propose that decision-making competencies and communication can be promoted through further training in ethical reasoning, the adoption of an ethical review process that includes assessment over time and across individuals, and increased transparency.}, }