Search Results (1,745)

Background: Obesity is a well-established risk factor for numerous chronic diseases, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and its impact is particularly acute among Black/African American men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70.9% of Black men aged 20 and older are overweight or obese. Despite this alarming prevalence, there remains a limited number of studies that specifically investigate the root causes of obesity in this population. Addressing this gap is critical to developing culturally relevant interventions that promote health equity. The purpose of this study was to assess dietary patterns, that are associated with overweight/obesity, in Black men aged 18–65 across the United States of America, to gain an in-depth understanding of variables influencing BMI in Black men. Methods: This study utilized a quantitative approach to collect information from participants. A survey questionnaire was developed and administered via Qualtrics to participants using a web link. The survey collected information across 18 dietary variables. Data was exported to Microsoft Excel for statistical analysis. A simple linear regression was used to determine dietary variables correlation strength and significance with BMI. A significance level of p < 0.05 was used to determine if a variable was statistically significant. Variables were then organized based on significance vs. non significance and correlation strength. Result: The study sample consisted of 466 Black men aged 18 to 65 years. The mean BMI was 30.21. Approximately 19% (n = 87) had a BMI within the healthy range (18.5–24.9), 41% (n = 190) were categorized as overweight (BMI 25.0–29.9), and another 41% (n = 189) were classified as obese (BMI ≥ 30.0). The findings revealed that fruit and vegetable consumption and whole grain cereal consumption were significantly and positively correlated with BMI. Other variables, such as fried foods, processed foods, and sugary drinks, though historically associated with obesity, did not show statistical significance in this population. Conclusions: Results suggest that while multiple dietary factors influence BMI, fruit, vegetable, and whole grain consumption are significantly correlated with BMI in Black men living in America. The findings from this study serve as a foundational step for designing targeted, culturally sensitive interventions aimed at reducing obesity-related health disparities. Future research should further explore how tailored public health messaging and community-based programming can address the specific needs of this population. Full article

Egg weight monitoring provides critical data for calculating the feed-to-egg ratio, and improving poultry farming efficiency. Installing a computer vision monitoring system in egg collection systems enables efficient and low-cost automated egg weight measurement. However, its accuracy is compromised by egg clustering during transportation and low-contrast edges, which limits the widespread adoption of such methods. To address this, we propose an egg measurement method based on a computer vision and multi-feature extraction and regression approach. The proposed pipeline integrates two artificial neural networks: Central differential-EfficientViT YOLO (CEV-YOLO) and Egg Weight Measurement Network (EWM-Net). CEV-YOLO is an enhanced version of YOLOv11, incorporating central differential convolution (CDC) and efficient Vision Transformer (EfficientViT), enabling accurate pixel-level egg segmentation in the presence of occlusions and low-contrast edges. EWM-Net is a custom-designed neural network that utilizes the segmented egg masks to perform advanced feature extraction and precise weight estimation. Experimental results show that CEV-YOLO outperforms other YOLO-based models in egg segmentation, with a precision of 98.9%, a recall of 97.5%, and an Average Precision (AP) at an Intersection over Union (IoU) threshold of 0.9 (AP90) of 89.8%. EWM-Net achieves a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.88 g and an R² of 0.926 in egg weight measurement, outperforming six mainstream regression models. This study provides a practical and automated solution for precise egg weight measurement in practical production scenarios, which is expected to improve the accuracy and efficiency of feed-to-egg ratio measurement in laying hen farms. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global threat to human and animal health, necessitating robust surveillance and stewardship tools. While existing systems address aspects of veterinary AMR, a comprehensive, user-centric dashboard for U.S. veterinarians remains a critical unmet need. This study aimed to identify U.S. veterinarians’ preferences and perceived needs for such a dashboard, to help guide its design and development. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 2024, targeting U.S. veterinarians through professional channels. The survey instrument captured demographics, experiences with existing tools, preferences for data types and visualizations, desired technical specifications, and open-ended feedback. Of the 677 respondents, a near-unanimous consensus (over 75%) emerged on the importance of functionalities like antimicrobial stewardship education, off-label use guidance, surveillance data, and empirical treatment support. Over 70% expressed comfort sharing aggregated geographic and de-identified animal data. A strong preference was observed for making the dashboard accessible by veterinary colleges (78.87%), diagnostic laboratories (72.61%), and federal agencies (USDA: 71.47%, CDC: 66.67%, FDA: 62.11%), indicating a desire for a collaborative, authoritative system. The findings provide a robust foundation for developing a U.S. veterinary AMR dashboard. Future phases should adopt an iterative, user-centered design, incorporating qualitative research with diverse stakeholders and piloting a prototype with preferred institutional partners. This approach will ensure a trusted, sustainable tool that effectively translates surveillance data into actionable insights for improved animal and public health. Full article

Bounding causal effects under unmeasured confounding is particularly challenging when the outcome variable is ordinal. When the goal is to assess whether an intervention leads to a better outcome, ordinal causal effects offer a more appropriate analytical framework. In contrast, the average causal effect (ACE), defined as the difference in expected outcomes, is more suitable for capturing population-level effects. In this paper, we derive sharp bounds for causal effects with ternary outcomes using an expectation-based framework, under both general conditions and monotonicity assumptions. We conduct numerical simulations to evaluate the width of the bounds under various scenarios. Finally, we demonstrate our method’s practical utility by applying it to the CDC Diabetes Health Indicators Dataset to assess the causal effect of health behaviors on diabetes risk. Full article

Background: Childhood obesity is becoming an increasingly pressing issue on a global scale. This study aimed to explore the relationship between thyroid hormone levels and body mass index (BMI) in obese children and adolescents, an area with limited research, particularly in Bangladesh. Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Bangladesh, from August 2018 to January 2020. We included 105 participants aged 10–18 years, divided into obese (n = 69) and normal-weight (n = 36) groups based on the CDC BMI percentiles. We conducted chi-square tests, Pearson correlation, and linear regression analyses. Results: Obese participants exhibited significantly higher mean levels of TSH (4.40 ± 3.20 µIU/mL vs. 2.26 ± 0.97 µIU/mL, p-value 0.0002) and FT3 (3.52 ± 0.71 pg/mL vs. 3.02 ± 0.48 pg/mL, p-value < 0.001) and lower FT4 levels (1.23 ± 0.21 ng/dL vs. 1.38 ± 0.30 ng/dL, p-value 0.0002) compared to normal-weight participants. We observed a positive correlation between BMI and TSH (p-value 0.002) and FT3 (p-value < 0.001), and a negative correlation between BMI and FT4 (p-value 0.003). Most of the obese children were euthyroid (71.01%), with 27.54% showing subclinical hypothyroidism and 1.45% showing overt hypothyroidism. Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that with a one unit increase in BMI, FT3 increased by 0.032 ± 0.011 pg/mL (p-value 0.004), FT4 decreased by 0.010 ± 0.004 (p-value 0.017 ng/dL, and TSH increased by 0.104 ± 0.044 µIU/mL (p-value 0.020). Conclusions: The significant association between BMI and thyroid hormone levels underscores the necessity for routine thyroid function monitoring in obese paediatric populations. The early detection and management of thyroid dysfunction may enhance health and well-being outcomes in obese children and adolescents. Full article

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies Bacillus anthracis as one of the most dangerous pathogens that may affect public health and national security. Due to its importance as a potential biological weapon, this bacteria has been classified in the highest category A, together with such pathogens as variola virus or botulinum neurotoxin. Characteristic features of this pathogen that increase its military importance are the ease of its cultivation, transport, and storage and its ability to create survival forms that are extremely resistant to environmental conditions. However, beyond bioterrorism, B. anthracis is also a naturally occurring pathogen. Anthrax outbreaks occur in livestock and wildlife, particularly in spore-contaminated regions of Africa, Asia, and North America. Spores persist for decades, leading to recurrent infections and zoonotic transmission through direct contact, inhalation, or consumption of contaminated meat. This work presents a new electrochemical method for detecting and quantifying B. anthracis in spore form using a selective immune reaction. The developed method is based on the thiol-modified electrodes that constitute the sensing element of the electrochemical system. Tests with the B. anthracis spore suspension showed that the detection limit for this pathogen is as low as 10³ CFU/mL. Furthermore, it was possible to quantify the analyte with a sensitivity of 11 mV/log (CFU/mL). Due to several features, such as low unit cost, portability, and minimal apparatus demands, this method can be easily implemented in field analyzers for this pathogen and provides an alternative to currently used techniques and devices. Full article

Climate change threatens grain production in East Asia. This study assesses the impacts of climate variables and climate change on rice, wheat, and maize total production using an improved economy–climate model (C-D-C model). The innovation is to model a roughly inverted U-shaped relationship between dry-wet conditions (measured by Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, SPEI) and production. Building on this, this study introduces a new metric reflecting extent of future climate change impact, the Impact Ratio of Climate Change (IRCC), to project the impact on production under three climate scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5) for 2021–2050. Key findings include: The dry–wet conditions exhibit a significant roughly inverted U-shaped relationship with grain production in some crop areas, with optimal production levels observed near an SPEI of zero. Effective accumulated temperature positively affects wheat production in most regions, while higher effective accumulative temperatures reduce production in warm southern areas. Future climate change in 2021–2050 will likely increase rice production in northern China but decrease it in the south (IRCC > −30%). Overall impacts on wheat will be modestly negative, accounting for about 10% of future total production. Impacts in Japan and Korea will be minimal, with absolute values of IRCC not exceeding 2.5% across all scenarios. Full article

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation, negatively impacting child growth and development. Methods: The Hair Biomarkers Study (HBS-I) evaluated healthy preschool children using parent-reported surveys, anthropometrics, and painlessly obtained scalp hair to measure hair cortisol (HCC; ng/mg) and oxytocin concentrations (HOC; ng/mg) via ELISA; log-transformed data were used in analyses. Height, weight, and BMI percentiles were based on CDC growth curves. Linear regressions examined associations of child and maternal hair biomarkers with percentiles, adjusting for sociodemographic factors. Results: The median age was 39.1 months (IQR 23.5–53.0, N = 1189). Higher child Ln-HCC was associated with an increased BMI percentile (0.027; 95%Cl: 0.013, 0.040), while higher child Ln-HOC was associated with a decreased BMI (−0.016; 95%Cl: −0.028, −0.005). Similar significant associations were observed between maternal biomarkers and child growth. In models mutually adjusted for mother and child hair biomarkers, maternal Ln-HCC was associated with an increased BMI percentile (0.036; 95%Cl: 0.003, 0.069), while maternal Ln-HOC was associated with a decreased BMI percentile (−0.034; 95%Cl: −0.052, −0.016). Maternal ACEs of 2–3 vs. 0–1 were associated with increased child weight (0.057; 95%Cl: 0.003, 0.112) and BMI percentiles (0.076; 95%Cl: 0.017, 0.135). Conclusions: We show that higher maternal and child HCC was associated with increased child BMI percentiles, while higher HOC was linked with decreased BMI percentiles. Hair biomarkers may reflect the effects of nurturing vs. adverse experiences during critical windows of growth and development in early childhood. Full article

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Treatments for advanced HCC include multikinase inhibitors (Sorafenib or Lenvatinib), with limited response rates and serious side effects, or immunotherapy applicable to a small fraction of patients. Thus, new strategies are needed to improve the management of HCC. We evaluate here the efficacy and safety of XON9, a first-in-class glyco-humanized polyclonal antibody (GH-pAb). Cytotoxic activity of XON9 against Hep3B, Huh7, HepG2 or primary hepatocytes was investigated. Apoptosis, caspase activity, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated. Efficacy of XON9 was then assessed in vivo in NMRI nude mice, while pharmacokinetics and safety were evaluated in a non-human primate. XON9 showed a potent complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) against Hep3B and Huh7 (EC50 < 10 µg/mL), and to a less extent against HepG2. XON9 induced apoptosis of HCC cells with activation of caspases 8 and 9, increase in ROS and drop in MMP. Overall, in vitro lytic activity of XON9 was superior to that of Sorafenib. In vivo, XON9 significantly reduced tumor progression and outperformed Sorafenib. No toxicity was observed after repeated injections of XON9 in a non-human primate. XON9 represents a promising and selective immunotherapy against refractory HCC. Full article

CD44 variants (CD44v) play essential roles in the promotion of tumor metastasis, maintenance of cancer stem cell properties, and resistance to treatments. Therefore, the development of anti-CD44v mAbs is essential for targeting CD44v-positive tumor cells. An anti-CD44v9 mAb, C₄₄Mab-1 (mouse, IgG₁, kappa), was previously established. C₄₄Mab-1 recognizes the variant exon 9-encoded region and applies to multiple research techniques. A mouse IgG_2a version of C₄₄Mab-1 (C₄₄Mab-1-mG_2a) was generated to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities using gastric and colorectal cancer cell lines. C₄₄Mab-1-mG_2a showed a reactivity to CD44v3–10-overexpressed Chinese hamster ovary-K1 (CHO/CD44v3–10), gastric cancer MKN45, and colorectal cancer COLO205 in flow cytometry. C₄₄Mab-1-mG_2a exhibited both antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) against CHO/CD44v3–10, MKN45, and COLO205. Furthermore, administration of C₄₄Mab-1-mG_2a significantly suppressed CHO/CD44v3–10, MKN45, and COLO205 xenograft tumor growth compared with control mouse IgG_2a. These results indicated that C₄₄Mab-1-mG_2a, which possesses ADCC/CDC activities, could be applied to the mAb-based therapy against CD44v9-positive carcinomas. Full article

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive, heterogeneous subtype of breast cancer. miRNAs play an essential role in TNBC pathogenesis and prognosis. Obesity is linked with an increased risk for several cancers, including breast cancer. Obesity is also related to the dysregulation of miRNA expression in adipose tissues. However, there is limited knowledge about race- and obesity-specific differential miRNA expression in TNBC. We performed miRNA sequencing of 48 samples (24 tumor and 24 adjacent non-tumor tissues) and RNA sequencing of 24 tumors samples from Black (AA) and White (EA) TNBC patients with or without obesity. We identified 55 miRNAs exclusively associated with tumors in obese EA patients and 33 miRNAs in obese AA patients, each capable of distinguishing tumor tissues from obese from lean individuals within their respective racial groups. In EA, we detected 41 significant miRNA–mRNA correlations. Notably, miR-181b-5p and miR-877-5p acted as negative regulators of tumor-suppressor genes (e.g., HEY2, MCL2, HAND2), while miR-204-5p and miR-143-3p appeared to indirectly target oncogenes (e.g., RAB10, DR1, PTBP3, NCBP1). Among AA patients, we found 28 significant miRNA–mRNA interactions. miR-195-5p, miR-130a-3p, miR-130a-5p, miR-424-5p, miR-148a-3p, miR-374-5p, and miR-30a-5p each potentially downregulated two or more genes (e.g., CLCN4, PLCB1, CDC25B, AEBP2, ERBB4). Pathway enrichment analysis highlighted KRAS, ESR1, ESR2, RAB10, TNRC6C, and NCAN as the most commonly differentially expressed in EA, whereas ERBB4, PLCB1, and SERPINE1 were most frequently in AA. These findings highlight the importance of considering race-specific miRNA–mRNA signatures in understanding TNBC in the context of obesity, offering insights into biomarker-driven patient stratification for targeted therapeutic strategies. Full article

This study evaluated and compared molecular methods (Whole Genome Sequencing-WGS, MinION, and RT-qPCR) for the detection of arboviruses Dengue (DENV), Chikungunya (CHIKV), and Zika (ZIKV) in 63 hospital and municipal wastewater samples collected from July 2022 to May 2023 in the region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Detection rates varied substantially across the methods (WGS, MinION, and RT-qPCR). DENV was identified in 24% (15/63) of samples using a hybrid capture method of WGS and MinION sequencing and in 66.6% (20/30) using only WGS but was not detected using the CDC Trioplex RT-PCR Assay Kit or ZDC (IBMP). CHIKV was detected in 19.0% (12/63) of the samples by WGS and MinION and in 85.7% (12/14) using only MinION sequencing. Using the RT-qPCR kit to detect CHIKV yielded a rate of 4.7% (3/63) in false positives. ZIKV was found in only one sample (1/63) by WGS, while RT-qPCR yielded a high false positive rate (65.1%, 41/63). These findings highlight the operational advantage of these methods (WGS and MinION) for enhancing early-warning surveillance where standard RT-qPCR might underperform in low-prevalence settings. This is the first study that has compared these methods to detect and genetically characterize DENV, CHICK, and ZIKV in wastewater in Brazil and has indicated that hospital wastewater can be used as a sentinel system for arbovirus surveillance. The relative effectiveness of genomic wastewater surveillance for arboviruses was demonstrated, and it was found that diagnostic RT-qPCR kits used for clinical samples were not directly suitable for environmental surveillance. The feasibility of arbovirus wastewater surveillance as an epidemiological tool was demonstrated, although absolute quantifications were not performed. Full article

Essential oils are increasingly recognized as promising agents for sustainable weed control due to their selectivity and complex modes of action. This study evaluated the effects of Acorus calamus essential oil (SEO) on mitosis in two Fabaceae species (Vicia faba, Lupinus luteus) and two Brassicaceae species (Brassica napus, Arabidopsis thaliana) treated with species-specific IC₅₀ concentrations (0.03%, 0.025%, 0.01%, and 0.005%, respectively). Previous research showed that SEO induces oxidative stress and S-phase delay via genome instability. Here, SEO consistently disrupted mitosis across all species, reducing mitotic index by 50–60%, decreasing Cdc2 (CDKA homolog) levels, and causing chromosomal aberrations, including uneven chromatin condensation, sticky chromosomes, bridges, and micronuclei. Cells accumulated in metaphase and exhibited abnormal karyokinetic and cytokinetic spindles. Immunolabeling revealed thick, tightly packed microtubules and actin filaments, indicating excessive stabilization and impaired reorganization. Epigenetic regulation was also affected: H3T3 phosphorylation was abnormally strong, widely distributed, and persistent into anaphase/telophase, while H3S10Ph intensity was weakened. These results suggest that SEO targets multiple components of mitotic machinery and epigenetic control, regardless of species. The observed selectivity depends on dosage, not mechanism. This multi-targeted action may limit the development of plant resistance, supporting the potential of SEO as a bioherbicide in sustainable agriculture. Full article

Background: Various studies have demonstrated fucoidan’s immunomodulatory effects. A previous study reported the anticancer effects of Durvillaea antarctica fucoidan (DAF) via immune activation in mice. Methods: In this study, we confirmed the DAF’s pulmonary immune activation ability by nasal administration of the dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells. Furthermore, we examined its ability to enhance the efficacy of lung cancer treatment by combining it with anti-PD-L1 antibodies to activate the lung immune response. Results: Nasal DAF administration increased C-C chemokine receptor type 7 expression in DCs and promoted DC migration to the mediastinal lymph nodes (mLN). Specifically, DAF increased conventional DC type 1 (cDC1) and cDC2 numbers in mLN and potently activated cDC1. Furthermore, the nasal administration of DAF increased the production of inflammatory cytokines in the lungs and peripheral blood. Repeated intranasal administration of DAF induced T-cell activation, resulting in the enhanced production of interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in CD4 T and CD8 T cells. CD8 T cells also showed increased secretion of cytotoxic mediators after DAF treatment, and the proportion of Tregs expressing FoxP3 decreased in the mLN. DAF inhibited lung cancer growth in Lewis lung carcinoma 2 cells, which was enhanced by combining it with an anti-programmed death-ligand 1 antibody. Finally, the anticancer effects of DAF were not observed in mice with depleted CD4-positive and CD8-positive cells. Conclusions: Nasal administration of DAF may inhibit lung cancer growth by inducing lung immune activation and is expected to be helpful as an immune activator for nasal administration. Full article

Donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSAs) bind to donor vascular endothelial cells and mediate allograft rejection (AMR), but a clinical challenge for which targeted therapeutic options remain limited. We used a multiplexed single-antigen bead (SAB) assay to detect anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies. Based on the antigens which patient’s antibodies aganist to, we developed bivalent HLA-Fc fusion proteins composed of HLA-derived antigenic domains and human IgG1-Fc effector regions (rA24-Fc and rB13-Fc). Specific binding and functional activity of the HLA-Fc proteins were further validated by flow cytometry, ELISA, complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. Our findings demonstrate that the fusion proteins rA24-Fc and rB13-Fc significantly reduced HLA-specific antibody reactivity in vitro. Notably, rA24-Fc and rB13-Fc selectively bound to B-cell hybridomas (e.g., mouse W6/32 cells) expressing membrane immunoglobulins (BCR) which bound to the most HLA class I antigens. Importantly, rA24-Fc and rB13-Fc elicited antigen-specific, Fc-dependent elimination of the specific B-cell hybridomas. This study highlights HLA-Fc fusion proteins as a promising therapeutic strategy for the antigen-specific suppression of depletion of alloreactive B cells through dual cytotoxic mechanisms. This precision targeted to BCR of B cells approach is used to apply to the treatment of antibody-mediated rejection. Full article