Search Results (293,679)

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed malignancy in men worldwide. Although traditionally considered a disease of older men, the incidence of early-onset PCa (diagnosis < 55 years) is steadily rising. Advances in screening and therapy have significantly improved survival, creating a growing cohort of younger survivors for whom post-treatment quality of life—notably reproductive function—is paramount. Curative treatments such as radical prostatectomy, pelvic radiotherapy, androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), and chemotherapy often cause irreversible infertility via multiple mechanisms, including surgical disruption of the ejaculatory tract, endocrine suppression of spermatogenesis, direct gonadotoxic injury to the testes, and oxidative sperm DNA damage. Despite these risks, fertility preservation is frequently overlooked in pre-treatment counseling, leaving many patients unaware of their options. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on how PCa therapies impact male fertility, elucidates the molecular and physiological mechanisms of iatrogenic infertility, and evaluates both established and emerging strategies for fertility preservation and restoration. Key interventions covered include sperm cryopreservation, microsurgical testicular sperm extraction (TESE), and assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Psychosocial factors influencing decision-making, novel biomarkers predictive of post-treatment spermatogenic recovery, and long-term offspring outcomes are also examined. The review underscores the urgent need for timely, multidisciplinary fertility consultation as a routine component of PCa care. As PCa increasingly affects men in their reproductive years, proactively integrating preservation into standard oncologic practice should become a standard survivorship priority. Full article

Helicobacter pylori is a well-established causative agent of gastritis, peptic ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma, and primary gastric lymphoma. It colonizes the human stomach and expresses numerous virulent factors that influence disease progression. Among these factors is the cytotoxin vacA gene, which encodes the vacuolating capacity of the cytotoxin and plays a key role in the bacterium’s pathogenic potential. This study investigated the allelic diversity of the vacA among H. pylori strains infecting patients in Jordan with various gastric conditions and examined potential associations between vacA s-and m- genotypes, histopathological and endoscopic findings, and the development of gastric diseases. Gastric biopsies were collected from 106 patients at two hospitals in Jordan who underwent endoscopic examination. The collected biopsies for each patient were subjected to histopathological assessment, urease detection using the Rapid Urease Test (RUT), a diagnostic test for H. pylori, and molecular detection of the vacA gene and its s and m alleles. The histopathology reports indicated that 83 of 106 patients exhibited gastric disorders, of which 81 samples showed features associated with H. pylori infection. The RUT was positive in 76 of 106 with an accuracy of 93.8%. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the 16S rRNA gene confirmed the presence of H. pylori in 79 of 81 histologically diagnosed cases as infected (97.5%), while the vacA gene was detected only in 75 samples (~95%). To explore genetic diversity, PCR-amplified fragments underwent sequence analysis of the vacA gene. The m-allele was detected in 58 samples (73%), the s-allele was detected in 45 (57%), while both alleles were not detected in 13% of samples. The predominant genotype combination among Jordanians was vacA s2/m2 (50%), significantly linked to mild chronic gastritis, followed by s1/m2 (35%) and s1/m1 (11.8%) which are linked to severe gastric conditions including malignancies. Age-and gender-related differences in vacA genotype were observed with less virulent s2m2 and s1m2 genotypes predominating in younger adults specially males, while the more virulent m1 genotypes were found exclusively in females and middle-aged patients. Genomic sequencing revealed extensive diversity within H. pylori, likely reflecting its long-standing co-evolution with human hosts in Jordan. This genetic variability plays a key role in modulating virulence and influencing clinical outcomes. Comprehensive characterization of vacA genotypic variations through whole-genome sequencing is essential to enhance diagnostic precision, strengthen epidemiological surveillance, and inform targeted therapeutic strategies. While this study highlights the significance of the vacA m and s alleles, future research is recommended in order to investigate the other vacA allelic variations, such as the i, d, and c alleles, to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of H. pylori pathogenicity and associated disease severity across different strains. These investigations will be crucial for improving diagnostic accuracy and guiding the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. Full article

Previous research has found significant associations among childhood trauma, dissociation, and shame. Furthermore, the clinical literature suggests that dissociation may foster feelings of shame in individuals who were exposed to childhood trauma. The current study aimed to test the potential mediating effect of dissociation on the association between childhood trauma and shame. The study sample consisted of 763 adults (479 females, 62.8%) from the general Italian population, aged between 18 and 65 years (M = 31.31, SD = 13.29). Self-report instruments assessing childhood trauma, dissociation, and shame were administered to participants via an anonymous online survey. Structural equation modeling showed that childhood trauma was associated with increased levels of both dissociation and shame. Moreover, dissociation partially mediated the predictive association between childhood trauma and shame. These findings suggest that dissociation might heighten the tendency to unconsciously reenact self-devaluation and self-blame in individuals exposed to childhood trauma, increasing feelings of shame. Full article

Corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the primary causes of deterioration in reinforced concrete structures, significantly impacting their durability and structural performance. This review comprehensively examines various techniques used to evaluate rebar corrosion, categorizing them into electrochemical, physical, and advanced non-destructive methods. Each method is discussed with respect to its operational principles, advantages, limitations, and field applicability. This comparative overview aims to support the selection of suitable evaluation strategies tailored to diverse structural conditions. Full article

Background: Cervical cancer ranks among the most prevalent tumors in low-income countries, with the Pap test as one of the primary screening tools. The Pap smear detects abnormal cells, the CLART test identifies specific HPV genotypes, and HPV self-sampling allows for self-collected HPV testing. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the first smartphone-based health device for home-collection HPV testing. Methods: Enrolled patients during the gynecological examination underwent three different samplings: Pap smear, HPV DNA genotyping test CLART, and vaginal HPV-Selfy swab. Each patient received a kit including an activation code, vaginal swab, and instructions. After performing the self-sample, patients returned the kit to our laboratory. Both the samples collected by the gynecologist and those collected by the patients themselves were analyzed. Results: A total of 277 patients were enrolled, with 226 self-collected swabs received for analysis. The assay yielded valid results for both self-collected and clinician-collected swabs in 190 patients. When comparing these results with paired clinician-taken vaginal swabs, we observed an agreement of 95.2% (Cohen’s Kappa: 0.845). We report an agreement of 93.7% (Cohen’s Kappa: 0.798). Conclusions: The study demonstrated the feasibility of HPV-Selfy as a complementary tool in cervical cancer screening, especially where adherence to traditional surveillance is low. Full article

Background/Objective: Executive functions (EFs) are essential in the daily management of arthritis, as they influence treatment adherence, decision-making, and the ability to cope with disease-related challenges. The objective of this study was to compare EFs alongside functional status and quality of life in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and examine their associations with disease activity and clinical variables. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 patients (70 RA, 70 PsA) were assessed using the Stroop-TBAG, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and Adult Executive Functioning Inventory (ADEXI). Functional status and quality of life were measured with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and WHOQOL-BREF, respectively. Correlations with disease activity (DAS28-CRP), age, and disease duration were examined. Results: RA patients had significantly higher disease activity and longer disease duration. They showed poorer performance on the Stroop Test (color–word time: 61.6 ± 14.8 vs. 52.4 ± 10.9 s, p < 0.001; errors: 3.2 ± 2.1 vs. 2.1 ± 1.5, p = 0.001), more WCST perseverative errors (p = 0.002), and higher ADEXI inhibition scores (13.9 ± 2.5 vs. 12.9 ± 3.0, p = 0.013). DAS28-CRP was correlated with EF impairments, disability, and poorer quality of life in RA (p < 0.05). In PsA, EFs remained relatively stable, although higher disease activity was associated with worse HAQ scores (p = 0.001). Treatment type was not linked to EF, but patients on combination therapy reported lower physical (p = 0.009) and psychological (p = 0.014) quality of life, along with higher HAQ scores (p = 0.016). Conclusions: This study revealed that patients with RA exhibit more pronounced executive dysfunction, along with lower ADL skills and quality of life compared to those with PsA. These findings highlight the need for multidimensional assessment strategies in inflammatory arthritis, especially in RA, where cognitive and functional outcomes are closely tied to clinical burden. Full article

The representation and assessment of static liquefaction in mine tailings is a significant challenge due to the severe environmental and social damage it can cause. This phenomenon, known for its catastrophic nature, is triggered when the undrained shear strength is exceeded by a static loading stress. In this study, the constitutive models HSS and NS were evaluated to calibrate the experimental curves from an isotropically consolidated undrained (CIU) triaxial test on a low-plasticity silt derived from mine tailings. An axisymmetric model was developed in Plaxis 2D for calibration, followed by a sensitivity analysis of the parameters of both constitutive models, using the RMSE to validate their accuracy. The results indicate that the proposed methodology adequately simulates the experimental curves, achieving an RMSE of 8%. After calibration, a numerical model was implemented to evaluate the propagation of the PFS of a mine tailings storage facility using both models, in terms of excess pore pressures, shear strains, and p’-q diagrams at three control points. The results show that both models are capable of representing the PFS; however, the HSS model reproduces the experimental curves more accurately, establishing itself as an ideal tool for simulating undrained behavior and, consequently, the phenomenon of static liquefaction in mine tailings. Full article

Despite the increasing adoption of a syndemic approach in HIV research, few health communication campaigns have used a syndemic approach in messaging to improve health outcomes for persons living with HIV (PWH). This paper introduces a framework for practitioners and researchers developing health communication messages in support of a syndemic approach to HIV care for PWH in the United States. Grounded in insights from a review of counseling and psychosocial interventions that demonstrated significant positive effects on HIV clinical outcomes, the C4H Framework emphasizes four components: compassion, comprehensive messaging, capacity-building, and coordination. Compassion ensures that messages resonate with individuals experiencing the intertwined challenges of HIV, substance abuse, and mental health issues. Comprehensive messaging integrates a holistic view of the barriers faced by PWH. Capacity-building empowers individuals to effectively engage with and act upon health information. Coordination promotes alignment between stakeholders and resources to ensure consistent and supportive messaging. The C4H Framework bridges the gap between research and practice, offering a foundation for crafting effective communication messages that resonate with individuals facing the complex challenges inherent in HIV syndemics. Future research should explicitly test the effectiveness and acceptability of messages developed using the C4H Framework with people living with HIV. Full article

In wind tunnel tests for aerospace and bridge engineering, the accurate prediction of Mach number remains a core challenge to ensure the reliability of airflow dynamics characterization. Pure data-driven models often fail to meet high-precision prediction requirements due to the lack of physical mechanism constraints and insufficient generalization capability. This paper proposes a physical information-based long short-term memory network (P-LSTM), which constructs a physical loss function by embedding isentropic flow equations from gas dynamics, thereby constraining the Mach number prediction solution space within the physically feasible domain. This approach effectively balances the neural network’s ability to capture temporal features with the interpretability of physical mechanisms. Aiming at the scarcity of data in new wind tunnel scenarios, an adaptive weight transfer learning method (AWTL) is further proposed, realizing efficient knowledge transfer across different-scale wind tunnels via cross-domain data calibration, adaptive source-domain weight reweighting, and target-domain fine-tuning. Experimental results show that the P-LSTM method achieves a 50.65–62.54% reduction in RMSE, 48.00–54.05% in MAE, and 47.88–73.68% in MD compared with traditional LSTM for Mach number prediction in the 0.6 m continuous wind tunnel flow field. The AWTL model also outperforms the direct training model significantly in the 2.4 m continuous wind tunnel, with RMSE, MAE, and MD reduced by 85.26%, 95.12%, and 71.14%, respectively. These results validate that the proposed models achieve high-precision Mach number prediction with strong generalization capability. Full article

Background: Chronic wounds are a growing clinical challenge due to their prolonged healing time and associated healthcare burden. Combined therapeutic approaches, including topical oxygen therapy (TOT) and negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT), have shown promise in enhancing wound healing. This pilot exploratory study aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness of combined TOT and NPWT in chronic wound treatment and to explore the prognostic value of selected laboratory and thermographic markers. Methods: Eighteen patients with chronic wounds due to type 2 diabetes mellitus or chronic venous insufficiency were treated with either TOT alone (control group) or TOT combined with NPWT (intervention group). Wound characteristics, thermographic data, and laboratory parameters (NLR, MLR, PLR, CRP, and total protein) were collected at baseline and during therapy. The primary endpoints were the total treatment duration and complete wound closure. Statistical analyses were exploratory and used non-parametric tests, correlation analyses, and simple linear regression. Results: Ulcer duration was significantly associated with the wound surface area. Lower serum total protein levels correlated negatively with ulcer duration, wound size, and granulation tissue area. A significant reduction in treatment duration was observed in the intervention group compared to the controls. One strong correlation was found between MLR and peripheral wound temperature on day 7 in the control group. No significant group differences were observed in wound size or thermographic measures after one week of treatment. Conclusions: Combining TOT and NPWT may reduce treatment duration in chronic wound management. Selected laboratory and thermographic markers show promise as prognostic tools. These exploratory findings require confirmation in larger, randomized trials. Full article

This study assessed whether COVID-19 pandemic experiences were associated with excessive alcohol use during the first year of the pandemic in Iowa, a heavy-drinking midwestern US state. We analyzed survey data from 4047 adult residents of Iowa collected in August 2020, focusing on three pandemic-related stressors (e.g., emotional reactions to the pandemic; disruption of daily activities; and financial hardship) and salient social support. Using multiple logistic regression, we tested correlates of increased drinking, heavy drinking, and binge drinking, controlling for demographic characteristics and health status. We found that nearly half (47.6%) of respondents did not change their drinking compared to before the pandemic; however, 12.4% of respondents reported increasing their drinking and 5.3% reported decreasing their drinking. Emotional reactions to the pandemic and disruption of daily activities were associated with higher odds of increased drinking, and rurality was associated with lower odds of increased drinking. No pandemic-related stressor was associated with heavy or binge drinking, but social support was associated with lower odds of binge drinking. Thus, we concluded that some pandemic-related stressors may explain increased drinking but not heavy or binge drinking. Understanding the nuances of alcohol use can inform preventive interventions, policy decisions, and preparations for future catastrophic events. Full article

With the explosive growth of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, massive amounts of heterogeneous data are continuously generated. However, IoT data transactions and sharing face multiple challenges such as limited device resources, untrustworthy network environment, highly sensitive user privacy, and serious data silos. How to achieve fine-grained access control and privacy protection for massive devices while ensuring secure and reliable data circulation has become a key issue that needs to be urgently addressed in the current IoT field. To address the above challenges, this paper proposes a blockchain-based data transaction and privacy protection framework. First, the framework builds a multi-layer security architecture that integrates blockchain and IPFS and adapts to the “end–edge–cloud” collaborative characteristics of IoT. Secondly, a data sharing mechanism that takes into account both access control and interest balance is designed. On the one hand, the mechanism uses attribute-based encryption (ABE) technology to achieve dynamic and fine-grained access control for massive heterogeneous IoT devices; on the other hand, it introduces a game theory-driven dynamic pricing model to effectively balance the interests of both data supply and demand. Finally, in response to the needs of confidential analysis of IoT data, a secure computing scheme based on CKKS fully homomorphic encryption is proposed, which supports efficient statistical analysis of encrypted sensor data without leaking privacy. Security analysis and experimental results show that this scheme is secure under standard cryptographic assumptions and can effectively resist common attacks in the IoT environment. Prototype system testing verifies the functional completeness and performance feasibility of the scheme, providing a complete and effective technical solution to address the challenges of data integrity, verifiable transactions, and fine-grained access control, while mitigating the reliance on a trusted central authority in IoT data sharing. Full article

A previously synthesized and functionalized magnetic glycidyl methacrylate-based nanocomposite, mPGMT-deta, was tested as a sorbent for Re(VII) oxoanions in Mo(VI)-containing solutions. The effect of pH on the removal efficiency and the separation factor was examined in the range of 2 to 9. A maximum separation factor (β_Re/Mo) of 8.85 was observed at pH 6. The nature of rhenium oxoanions binding to the active sites of mPGMT-deta was analyzed using density functional theory (DFT). The calculations indicated that the formation of MoO₄²⁻//hedetaH₂²⁺ adduct is electrostatically favored at pH 6, while the inclusion of solvation effects makes the formation of ReO₄⁻//hedetaH₂²⁺ adduct thermodynamically more favorable. Solvation played a dominant role in determining the selectivity of oxoanion sorption to the nanocomposite. The adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamics of Re(VII) onto mPGMT-deta were determined. The equilibrium data were best-fitted using the Langmuir adsorption model (R² = 0.999), with a maximum sorption capacity for Re(VII) of 0.43 mmol/g. The uptake kinetics of the sorption process obeyed the pseudo-second-order model, with the influence of diffusion and external mass transfer. Based on the thermodynamic parameters, Re(VII) sorption was spontaneous and endothermic. Full article

Visual search is a core component of map reading, influenced by both cartographic design and human perceptual processes. This study investigates whether the location of a target cartographic symbol—central or peripheral—can be predicted using eye-tracking data and machine learning techniques. Two datasets were analyzed, each derived from separate studies involving visual search tasks with varying map characteristics. A comprehensive set of eye movement features, including fixation duration, saccade amplitude, and gaze dispersion, were extracted and standardized. Feature selection and polynomial interaction terms were applied to enhance model performance. Twelve supervised classification algorithms were tested, including Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machines. The models were evaluated using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and ROC-AUC. Results show that models trained on the first dataset achieved higher accuracy and class separation, with AdaBoost and Gradient Boosting performing best (accuracy = 0.822; ROC-AUC > 0.86). In contrast, the second dataset presented greater classification challenges, despite high recall in some models. Feature importance analysis revealed that fixation standard deviation as a proxy for gaze dispersion, particularly along the vertical axis, was the most predictive metric. These findings suggest that gaze behavior can reliably indicate the spatial focus of visual search, providing valuable insight for the development of adaptive, gaze-aware cartographic interfaces. Full article

Black soldier fly frass (BSFF) is a nutrient-rich organic byproduct with growing potential as a sustainable fertilizer. While its effects on crops have been studied, its impact on tree seedling development for reforestation remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the effect of BSFF on the growth and survival of two native Malagasy tree species: the fast-growing Dodonaea madagascariensis and the slow-growing Verpis macrophylla. A six-month nursery experiment tested three BSFF application rates (half-, one-, and two-fold nitrogen equivalence), along with cattle manure, synthetic NPK, and a no-fertilizer control. The survival was highest in the half-fold BSFF (95% for D. madagascariensis, 87.5% for V. macrophylla) and lowest in BSFF two-fold (0% and 22.5%, respectively) treatments. NPK also significantly reduced the survival (5% for D. madagascariensis, 17.5% for V. macrophylla). The growth responses were most pronounced in D. madagascariensis, where the BSFF half- and one-fold treatments led to height growth rates that were 2.0–2.7 times higher than that of the control, cattle manure, and NPK treatments, and diameter growth that was 1.8–2.3 times higher. The biomass accumulation was also significantly higher under the BSFF half- and one-fold treatments for D. madagascariensis. In contrast, V. macrophylla showed limited response to the treatments. These findings indicate that calibrated BSFF application can enhance seedling performance in reforestation efforts, particularly for fast-growing species. Notably, the growth rate of D. madagascariensis doubled (in terms of cm/month) under optimal BSFF treatment—a critical advantage, as time is a key constraint in reforestation and faster growth directly supports more efficient forest restoration. This highlights BSFF’s potential as a sustainable and locally available input for forest restoration in Madagascar. Full article