Search Results (11,874)

Background: The aim of our study was to evaluate the association of angiopoietin 2 (ANGPT2) rs2442598 and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) rs2010963 with diabetic nephropathy (DN) in Slovenian subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Angiopoietin–endothelial tyrosine kinase receptor (Ang-Tie2) and VEGF-A signaling regulate glomerular endothelial stability and permeability and may contribute to DN susceptibility. Methods: We conducted a case–control study including 897 unrelated Slovenian subjects with T2DM (344 DN cases; 553 long-standing T2DM controls without DN). ANGPT2 rs2442598 and VEGFA rs2010963 were genotyped using TaqMan assays. Genetic associations were analysed using co-dominant, additive, dominant, and recessive genetic models with logistic regression adjusted for waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, and triglycerides. Results: ANGPT2 rs2442598 was significantly associated with DN, with increased risk in carriers of the C allele, including a significant additive per allele effect (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.10–1.74) and a dominant model effect (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.11–1.96). In contrast, VEGFA rs2010963 showed no evidence of association across genetic models. Conclusions: In Slovenian patients with T2DM, ANGPT2 rs2442598 is associated with DN, whereas VEGFA rs2010963 is not. This association suggests that ANGPT2 genetic variation may influence DN risk and supports further functional work to define the biological effects of rs2442598. Full article

Background and Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) represents a major cause of disability worldwide, with a significant impact on quality of life and functional capacity. Standard physiotherapy is widely used for LBP, whereas comparative short-term evidence on balneotherapy and prolotherapy remains limited. This study aimed to compare clinical outcomes across therapeutic approaches in patients with LBP. Materials and Methods: This non-randomized, three-group interventional cohort study included adult patients diagnosed with LBP lasting more than three months and presenting a baseline Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score ≥ 4. 84 patients were allocated to one of three treatment groups: standard physiotherapy (CG) (25 patients), balneotherapy plus physiotherapy (BG) (28 patients), or prolotherapy (PG) (31 patients). Outcome measures included pain intensity, functional disability, lumbar mobility, quality of life, and psychological status. This clinical study has been officially registered on ClinicalTrials.gov under the identifier NCT07399145. Results: Statistical analyses were performed to assess within- and between-group differences over time. At the 4-week follow-up, all three treatment groups showed significant improvements compared to baseline in pain intensity (VAS; p < 0.001 for PG, BG, and CG) and lumbar mobility (Schober test; p < 0.001 for PG, BG, and CG), and functional disability (RMDQ; p < 0.001 for PG, p = 0.027 for BG, and p = 0.016 for CG). Between-group analyses at T1 revealed significant differences for RMDQ, ODI, Schober, and EQ-5D-5L. In contrast, no significant intergroup differences were observed for VAS, PPT-RS, PPT-LS, total PPT, HADS-A, HADS-D, BDI-II, or PHQ-9. Conclusions: All evaluated interventions improved clinical, functional, and psychological outcomes in patients with LBP. Prolotherapy showed a pattern of more consistent improvements, particularly in disability, spinal mobility, and health-related quality of life. These findings should be interpreted cautiously, given the non-randomized design and baseline differences between groups. Further randomized studies with larger samples and longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these results. Full article

Sorghum is recognized as a potential functional ingredient with high resistance to digestion. Therefore, this study investigates the anti-digestive properties of eight different types of sorghum cultivars with distinct compositional differences. The results confirmed that the whole sorghum flours exhibit stronger anti-digestive properties compared to its isolated starch, indicating that non-starch components play a role in inhibiting starch digestion. However, there was no significant correlation between the differences in individual components among sorghum varieties and their resistance to digestion. Analysis of sorghum starch structure demonstrated that relative crystallinity and double-helix degree in the long-range ordered architecture show a significant positive correlation with resistant starch (RS). Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) revealed that the relatively thick and dense layered structure of sorghum starch is associated with a lower degree of enzymatic hydrolysis. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis showed that higher weight-average molecular weight is associated with a higher RS content to a certain extent, while a higher PDI is unfavorable for the formation of digestion-RS structures due to its association with a reduction in the onset gelatinization temperature. Cultivars AH-3, AH-5, and AH-2 with higher molecular weight, narrower molecular weight distribution and denser nanoscale lamellar structures exhibit superior digestion resistance. This research provides a reference for the screening of low-glycemic-index sorghum varieties and their application in functional foods. Full article

OAS1 (2′–5′-oligoadenylate synthetase 1) and OAS3 have been identified through a genome-wide association study as major loci associated with COVID-19. The rs10774671A>G variant affects alternative splicing and generates two distinct mRNA and protein isoforms. The A allele produces the shorter p42 isoform, which has been associated with increased susceptibility, greater disease severity, and higher mortality from COVID-19, whereas the G allele produces the longer p46 isoform, which has been associated with a protective effect. In addition, the functional variants OAS1 rs4767027C>T, OAS1 rs1131454A>G, and OAS3 rs10735079A>G have also been associated with susceptibility to and/or severity of COVID-19. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether four variants in the OAS1 and OAS3 genes are associated with susceptibility to COVID-19 and with the clinical signs and symptoms of the disease. We included 305 patients with COVID-19 and 288 healthy controls. We genotyped the OAS1 rs10774671A>G, rs4767027C>T, rs1131454A>G, and OAS3 rs10735079A>G variants using TaqMan^® assays. The association between OAS1 and OAS3 variants and disease susceptibility or severity was assessed using binary logistic regression adjusted for age and sex. The Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was evaluated using SNPStats, whereas haplotypes and linkage disequilibrium were analyzed with Haploview. Statistical power was calculated using Quanto. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and sex revealed an association between the OAS1 rs10774671A risk allele and susceptibility to COVID-19 (G vs. A: OR = 1.9, p = 0.007). In contrast, no associations with COVID-19 susceptibility were observed for the rs4767027C>T, rs1131454A>G, or rs10735079A>G variants. However, the rs1131454A>G and rs10735079A>G variants showed associations with sore throat. Overall, our findings suggest that OAS1 acts as a susceptibility factor for COVID-19 and the rs1131454A>G and rs10735079A>G SNVs are associated with sore throat in the Mexican population. Full article

The Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), through the process of snow accumulation, to snowmelt, to streamflow runoff, provides a critical water source to approximately 40 million residents in the Southwestern United States. Given the importance of late fall–winter–early spring (October, November, December, January, February, March, or ONDJFM), cumulative precipitation, future estimates of ONDJFM cumulative precipitation, and potential drought occurrence would provide a benefit to water managers and planners. Previous research efforts successfully reconstructed (extended the period of record) the regional April 1st Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) in the UCRB using tree-ring chronologies and reconstructed climate (El Niño–Southern Oscillation or ENSO). The current research efforts differ by (a) incorporating future [Shared Socioeconomic Pathway (SSP) 5-8.5] predictions of ONDJFM cumulative precipitation (in lieu of April 1st SWE) at a single station location (Kendall R.S.) in the UCRB; (b) reconstructing ONDJFM cumulative precipitation (in lieu of April 1st SWE) using tree-ring chronologies and ENSO; and (c) evaluating an alternative reconstructed ENSO index. The reconstructed record, recent past observations, and future (SSP 5-8.5) ONDJFM cumulative precipitation were then combined to provide a paleo perspective of future drought. Results indicate that extreme ONDJFM cumulative precipitation drought periods projected for the ~2040s were exceeded in the reconstructed record. A pattern of alternating wet and dry conditions was also identified, consisting of a wet (pluvial) period in the 2030s, followed by drought conditions in the 2040s, and another wet period in the 2050s. Many of the extreme future wet (pluvial) periods exceeded those in the recent record and reconstructed record. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most consumed drugs worldwide and the main cause of drug hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs). The most common NSAID-HSR class is cross-hypersensitivity (CR), with patients reacting to NSAIDs from different chemical groups without specific immunological recognition, with NSAID-induced acute urticaria/angioedema (NIUA) being the most frequent clinical phenotype. Although CR-HSRs are triggered by arachidonic acid (AA) alterations following cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 inhibition and cysteinyl-leukotrienes synthesis by 5-lypoxygenase (5-LO), current evidence supports the participation of additional mechanisms. As COX-1 and 5-LO head oxidative pathways, it is conceivable that enzymes participating in antioxidant control are involved in these mechanisms. In addition, as the CR-HSR susceptibility seems to be influenced by genetic factors, the possibility of genetic variants playing a role in such enzymes should not be excluded. Methods: In this observational case–control study, we analysed for the first time in NIUA the overall genetic variability in key antioxidant defence enzymes genes, including catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX)-1 and 3, and superoxide dismutase (SOD)-1. We selected a set of tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) in these genes using data from Europeans in the 1000 Genomes Project. Two independent Spanish populations (discovery and replication) of NIUA patients and NSAID-tolerant individuals were included. Results: Twenty-six tSNPs were genotyped in the discovery population, with three that were significantly associated with NIUA: rs3448 (GPX-1), rs3792798 (GPX-3), and rs10432782 (SOD-1). They were then genotyped in the replication group, with rs3792798 being protective and rs10432782 being associated with an increased NIUA risk. Conclusions: Our results suggest that a role for antioxidant enzyme polymorphisms in NIUA is required. Nevertheless, further research is needed to replicate our findings in other populations and their meaning at the molecular level and to investigate the role of such variants in other CR-HSR-induced phenotypes. Full article

Semi-arid territories in Latin America face chronic water stress; limited observability and fragmented institutions constrain effective water resources management (WRM). This narrative review synthesizes peer-reviewed evidence (2020–2026) on smart technologies that strengthen basin- and utility-level WRM, using Peru (Piura-like coastal semi-arid contexts) as an anchor and Latin America as a comparative lens. We used a structured, traceable database-based workflow and synthesized studies reporting measurable outcomes across five application categories: drought/flood early warning, hydrometeorological forecasting, water quality surveillance, non-revenue water (NRW)/leakage, and allocation and compliance. Findings were organized into an application-oriented taxonomy spanning remote sensing (RS) and GIS, Internet of Things (IoT)/telemetry, analytics/AI-enabled decision support, and hybrid approaches. Evidence most consistently reports operational gains (coverage, timeliness, predictive performance), while governance outcomes are less frequently measured and appear contingent on interoperability, digital capacity, and sustainable operations and maintenance (O&M) conditions. We conclude with a territorial adoption agenda specifying minimum enabling conditions and a phased pathway from pilots to scalable, eco-efficient smart WRM in Peru and comparable semi-arid settings across Latin America. Full article

Cyantraniliprole, a second-generation diamide insecticide, exhibits broad-spectrum efficacy against numerous insect pests due to its selective activation of insect ryanodine receptors (RyRs). This activation triggers uncontrolled calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, resulting in sustained muscle contraction, paralysis, and ultimately death. Its unique mode of action, which is different from that of organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, and neonicotinoids, helps minimize cross-resistance, making it a valuable component of integrated pest management (IPM). However, continuous field use has led to the development of resistance, primarily mediated by target-site mutations within the RyR transmembrane domain (e.g., G4946E, I4743M, and I4790K) and by enhanced metabolic detoxification via cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, carboxylesterases, and glutathione S-transferases. These mechanisms often confer cross-resistance to other diamide insecticides, thereby complicating resistance management. Moreover, sublethal exposures can disrupt insect growth, development, and reproduction, potentially accelerating resistance evolution. In addition, cyantraniliprole poses ecological risks due to its toxicity to non-target organisms such as aquatic species, including zebrafish and water fleas, pollinators such as honeybees, and soil fauna, as well as the environmental persistence of its major metabolite, J9Z38. This review comprehensively integrated current knowledge on the molecular mechanisms of action, genetic and metabolic bases of resistance, sublethal effects, and ecotoxicological impacts of cyantraniliprole, along with its environmental fate, plant uptake and translocation, and residue dynamics in agricultural systems. Finally, we discuss potential risk-mitigation strategies, including formulation optimization, application-method improvements, and resistance monitoring. Overall, this review aims to provide a comprehensive scientific foundation for the sustainable use, resistance management, and regulatory assessment of this widely used insecticide. Full article

Dillapiol is a naturally occurring methylenedioxyphenyl compound with insecticide-synergizing activity comparable to piperonyl butoxide (PBO). This study identified structurally related molecules with practical potential for managing insecticide-resistant insects. Six new dillapiol analogs, containing ester- or ether-linked side chains, were synthesized and evaluated as pyrethrum synergists against the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Their activity was assessed through bioassays and by quantifying inhibition of Phase I and II detoxification enzymes in vitro and in vivo. All six compounds displayed higher synergistic activity by ingestion than by topical exposure, and each structural class included at least one compound with a synergism ratio greater than 20. In the resistant CPB strain (RS-CPB), two ester compounds inhibited P450 monooxygenase activity in vitro as effectively as PBO, while dillapiol and one ether analog reduced P450 activity in vivo. Notably, all six analogs reduced glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity; the most active was an ether analog with an in vitro IC₅₀ of 0.23 (±0.04) mM. Dillapiol also significantly reduced GST activity in vivo. These analogs demonstrated PBO-equivalent P450 inhibition combined with unique GST inhibition and show promise as alternative synergists for managing insecticide-resistant insects. Full article

Soil respiration (Rs) plays a pivotal role in carbon cycling within semi-arid ecosystems. In our millet field experiment, we measured Rs, autotrophic respiration (Ra), heterotrophic respiration (Rh), water consumption (ET), yield (Y), water use efficiency (WUE), and key soil environmental properties to examine the effects of supplemental irrigation and selenium application on Rs dynamics and to clarify the controlling factors. The experiment was conducted from 2023 to 2024 with four treatments and three replicates per treatment each year. These treatments comprised conventional rainfed (CK), supplemental irrigation (SI, 50 mm), rainfed with Se addition (CS, 67.84 g·hm⁻²), and supplemental irrigation with Se addition (SIS). SI increased CO₂ emissions in the millet field, whereas selenium application (CS) suppressed them. Ra was the dominant component of Rs and was 1.03–4.01 times greater than Rh. SI and CS significantly affected cumulative CO₂ emissions through Ra (p < 0.05), whereas their effects on Rh were minor. The CS treatment resulted in the lowest cumulative CO₂ emissions at 4233 and 4009 g·m⁻² in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Diurnal variation patterns of Rs, Ra, and Rh differed across millet growth stages. Both supplemental irrigation and selenium application improved soil water retention, soil enzyme activity, and soil organic matter (SOM), and moderated soil temperature. Classification and Regression Tree (CART) algorithm analysis revealed that Ra was primarily driven by soil temperature, with a feature weight of 86.95% determined by CART based on machine learning, whereas Rh was mainly influenced by soil enzyme activity, with a feature weight of 76.11%. The CS treatment enhanced production while promoting emission mitigation. The combined SIS treatment achieved the highest WUE and maintained a lower Rs than SI. These findings suggest an environmentally sustainable management strategy for millet production in semi-arid regions. However, due to the limited number of parcels in this study, further field-scale validation and additional experimental research involving multiple levels of supplemental irrigation and Se addition are necessary. Full article

Background: Forensic DNA phenotyping (FDP) enables the inference of externally visible characteristics (EVCs) and biogeographic ancestry when conventional STR profiling is inconclusive. The ForenSeq™ Imagen kit (107 SNPs) integrates phenotype-, ancestry-, and Y-SNPs markers; however, its performance under partial genotyping conditions has not been systematically evaluated. Methods: Ninety-four samples from a Mexican mestizo population were analyzed using the ForenSeq™ Imagen kit on the MiSeq FGx™ platform. Due to incomplete genotype recovery, 41 samples with >60% locus detection were selected for downstream analyses. Phenotype prediction was performed using the HIrisPlex-S model, and ancestry inference was assessed through principal component analysis. In silico simulations were conducted to evaluate locus-specific dropout effects. Results: Eye color prediction showed both reduced feasibility (68.3%) and lower overall accuracy (56.1%), primarily driven by systematic prediction failure when rs12913832 (HERC2) was absent, although accuracy among successfully predicted samples remained high (82.1%). In contrast, hair and skin color inference remained feasible in >97% and 100% of evaluable samples, respectively; however, classification accuracy was moderate (70% for hair and 61% for skin), improving substantially when allowing adjacent-category concordance (90.2% for skin). Ancestry inference was robust when at least 27 aiSNPs were detected, and Y-SNPs reliably distinguished male and female samples. In silico analyses confirmed the critical contribution of rs12913832 to eye color model operability. Conclusions: FDP performance under partial genotyping reflects a trade-off between prediction feasibility and accuracy and depends on locus-specific integrity rather than overall genotype completeness. The ForenSeq™ Imagen kit shows robustness for ancestry, sex, hair, and skin prediction, although with variable accuracy, whereas eye color inference remains structurally vulnerable to drop out of high-impact variants. Evaluating FDP systems under realistic non-ideal conditions is essential to define their true operational limits and ensure scientifically robust and responsible implementation. Full article

Econophysics is an interdisciplinary field that applies physics concepts to economic and financial systems. By utilizing tools such as statistical physics, including fractal analysis and entropy measures, econophysics helps model the complex and non-linear dynamics of equity markets. This paper examines the intrinsic dynamics and regularity in information content in green finance markets (carbon, clean energy, and sustainability markets) by means of range scale analysis (R/S), detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA), fractionally integrated generalized auto-regressive conditionally heteroskedastic (FIGARCH) process, and Shannon entropy (SE). The empirical results can be summarized as follows. First, prices in all markets are persistent; however, returns are likely random as estimated Hurst exponents are close to 0.5. Second, the FIGARCH process shows that volatility series in carbon and sustainability markets are persistent, whilst volatility in clean energy is anti-persistent. Third, in carbon and sustainability markets, entropy is high in prices compared to returns and volatility series. On the contrary, the clean energy market shows lower entropy for prices than for returns and volatility. In sum, it is concluded that price and volatility series are predictable, whilst return series are not. Finally, based on a rolling window framework, it is concluded that the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war have altered long memory and randomness in all three green finance markets. Full article

Daily exposure to blue light emitted by digital devices has raised concerns about oxidative stress-mediated damage to the ocular surface. Despite growing interest, validated in vitro models to study blue light-induced oxidative stress in corneal epithelial cells remain limited. A reproducible in vitro method was developed using rabbit corneal epithelial (RCE) cells exposed to blue LED light (405 nm). Irradiation parameters were optimized to induce oxidative stress without causing overt cytotoxicity. Cellular viability, intracellular ROS production, and mitochondrial oxidative stress were assessed. The model was validated using reference antioxidants (ascorbic acid and oleuropein), oleuropein formulated in a drug-in-cyclodextrin-in-liposome system (OLE-DCL), and two commercial ophthalmic formulations applied before or after irradiation. Blue light irradiation at 4.57 W/m² for 30 min significantly increased intracellular and mitochondrial ROS levels while preserving cell viability, indicating sublethal photo-oxidative stress. Ascorbic acid effectively suppressed ROS generation, whereas free oleuropein showed reduced efficacy, likely due to photosensitivity. OLE-DCL significantly enhanced antioxidant activity under irradiation. The model also discriminated between protective and restorative treatment strategies. This study establishes a validated in vitro blue light-induced oxidative stress model for corneal epithelial cells, suitable for screening antioxidant compounds, formulations, and application strategies relevant to ocular surface protection. Full article

High-resolution remote sensing (RS) images exhibit complex backgrounds, large intra-class variability, and low inter-class differences, posing substantial challenges for semantic segmentation. Although existing class-level contextual modeling methods partially alleviate these issues, they often overlook the importance of accurate and discriminative class representations and fail to effectively handle hard samples during training. To address these limitations, we propose CRECA-Net, a class representation-enhanced class-aware network designed from two complementary perspectives: class prototype refinement and difficulty-aware learning. Specifically, we introduce a class prototype refinement (CPR) module that improves class representations through pixel selection, confidence-aware contribution weighting, and an inter-class prototype separation loss, yielding more reliable and discriminative class centers. In addition, class-level context aggregation (CLCA) modules capture pixel-to-class prototype correlations via cross-attention to inject class-aware semantics into decoder features, thereby reducing interference from cluttered backgrounds and visually similar categories. Furthermore, a difficulty-aware (DA) loss dynamically estimates pixel-wise difficulty and redistributes the loss weights within each image, gradually shifting the learning focus from easy to hard samples while maintaining training stability. Extensive experiments on two benchmark RS segmentation datasets demonstrate that CRECA-Net consistently outperforms state-of-the-art methods across multiple evaluation metrics. Full article

Dietary antioxidants are widely valued for their potential health benefits, but incorporating them into functional foods is not straightforward. Polyphenols are among the most abundant and important antioxidants in foods, and this review focuses on them because the same structural features linked to their health-promoting effects can also cause pronounced bitterness and astringency, ultimately limiting consumer acceptance. This review examines how these challenges are interconnected across three levels: food matrix interactions, bioavailability, and consumer psychobiology. We describe how non-covalent interactions between polyphenols, proteins, and polysaccharides can have both positive and negative effects. While these interactions may alter oral lubrication and flavour release, they also protect highly reactive bioactive compounds from gastric degradation. Furthermore, we broaden the concept of bioavailability by exploring the microbiota-mediated “colonic rescue” of polyphenols that are not released during earlier digestion. We also highlight the role of extraoral bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Activation of these receptors during digestion can trigger relevant metabolic and endocrine responses, indicating that systemic absorption is not the only pathway to bioactivity. Finally, we connect these mechanisms to individual differences in food acceptance, showing that genetic factors (e.g., TAS2R38 and the salivary proteome) and psychological traits (such as neophobia and reward sensitivity) can shape rejection or flavour-nutrient learning. Overall, the successful development of functional foods will require a “sensory-by-design” approach. This strategy utilises matrix interactions strategically to improve both consumer acceptance and physiological efficacy. Full article