Search Results (239)

In recent years, online streaming has encountered the challenge of retaining its user base. This study considers the role of transaction cost economics theory in consumer choices to continue subscribing. Participants respond to their top three streaming services, resulting in 797 responses, accounting for multiple selections by each respondent. Respondents could choose their top three services from a list of Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Apple TV+. The study’s conclusions highlight the impact of uncertainty, a negative measure of streaming quality, on online subscription-based video streaming. Additionally, asset specificity, reflecting uniqueness and exclusive content, is found to be positively related to continuing a subscription. This research distinguishes itself by examining individuals who are already subscribers to provide insights and guidance through the lens of Transaction Cost Economics, to help marketing professionals seeking a deeper understanding of consumer behavior in the online streaming landscape. Full article

Respiratory pathogens are significant causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 and the mitigation measures implemented to control the pandemic, other respiratory viruses’ transmission and circulation patterns were substantially disrupted. We leveraged the influenza hospitalization surveillance in Tanzania to understand the distribution of respiratory viruses shortly after nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were lifted. A total of 475 samples that tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza from March through May 2022 were included in this study. The samples were tested for 16 virus targets using Anyplex II RV16 multiplex assays. The findings indicate that most hospitalizations (74%) were among children under 15 years, with human bocavirus (HBoV) being the most prevalent (26.8%), followed by rhinovirus (RV, 12.3%), parainfluenza viruses (PIVs1–4, 10.2%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, 8.7%), adenovirus (AdV, 4.3%), and metapneumovirus (MPV, 2.9%). Notably, 54% of respiratory hospitalizations had no viruses detected. The findings highlight the broad circulation of respiratory viruses shortly after NPIs were lifted in Tanzania. Surveillance for respiratory pathogens beyond influenza and SARS-CoV-2 can inform public health officials of emerging threats in the country and should be considered an important pandemic preparedness measure at a global level. Full article

This study investigated the effect of adding superhard ReB₂ to atmospheric plasma sprayed (APS) coatings based on 60 wt% Al₂O₃ and 40 wt% ZrO₂. The amorphous phases commonly present in such coatings are known to impair their performance. ReB₂ was introduced as a crystallization nucleus due to its high melting point. ReB₂ decomposes in the presence of moisture and oxygen into H₃BO₃, ReO₃, HBO₂, and HReO₄. ReB₂ was encapsulated with Al₂O₃ via metallothermic synthesis to improve moisture stability, yielding a powder with d₉₀ = 15.1 μm. After milling, it was added at 20 wt% to the Al₂O₃-ZrO₂ feedstock. Agglomeration parameters were optimized, and coatings were deposited under varying APS conditions onto 316L steel substrates with a NiAl bond coat. In the coating with the highest ReB₂ content, the identified phases included ReB₂ (2.6 wt%), Re (0.8 wt%), α-Al₂O₃ (30.9 wt%), η-Al₂O₃ (32.4 wt%), and monoclinic and tetragonal ZrO₂. The nanohardness of the coating, measured using a Vickers indenter at 96 mN and calculated via the Oliver–Pharr method, was 9.2 ± 1.0 GPa. High abrasion resistance was obtained for the coating with a higher content of η-Al₂O₃ (48.7 wt%). The coefficient of friction, determined using a ball-on-disc test with a corundum ball, was 0.798 ± 0.03. After 15 months, the formation of (H₃O)(ReO₄) was observed, suggesting initial moisture-induced changes. The results confirm that Al₂O₃-encapsulated ReB₂ can enhance phase stability and crystallinity in APS coatings. Full article

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO₂) can modify gene and protein expression, signaling pathways, and vascular function, leading to altered vasomotor responses. Adenosine receptors (ARs) may mediate these effects by modulating vasoactivity. This study investigated flow-induced dilation (FID) and hypoxia-induced dilation (HID) in the presence or absence of A1R/A2aR agonists (CCPA and CGS-21680, respectively) and antagonists (DPCPX and SCH-58261, respectively) in isolated middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) from Sprague Dawley rats of both sexes and the direct dose-dependent effects of A1R and A2aR agonists on the vascular reactivity of MCAs. Rats were exposed to either acute HBO₂ (Ac-HBO₂) or intermittent HBO₂ over four days (In-HBO₂). Ac-HBO₂ impaired vascular responses to A1R and A2aR agonists and significantly decreased FID and HID. In both Ac-HBO₂ and In-HBO₂, A1R modulation did not significantly affect FID or HID. A2aR stimulation reduced FID in the In-HBO₂ group, while A2aR antagonism had no significant effect on HID. However, the A2aR agonist’s presence enhanced HID in In-HBO₂-exposed rats. Protein expression of A1R and A2aR decreased after Ac-HBO₂, while gene expression increased following In-HBO₂. These findings suggest that ARs play a role in HBO₂-induced vasoreactivity, which possibly changes in MCA, potentially via the modulation of ARs gene and protein expression. Full article

Background. The venom of Loxoscelesrufescens (L.r.), also known as the violin and/or brown spider, contains a wide variety of proteins and can induce a complex, intense, and uncontrolled inflammatory response, hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, dermo-necrosis, and renal failure. Studies have postulated the efficacy of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for Loxosceles bites. However, data describing the use and beneficial effects of HBO are, to date, relatively scarce. Only a few cases of Loxosceles bites in Northern Italy have been documented, and there is no laboratory test available for the diagnosis. Objectives. We present seven cases (aged 54.5 ± 4.2 years) of patients who presented to the emergency room (E.R.) of Niguarda Hospital in Milan from March to October 2022. Methods. Blood and urine samples were collected and biomarkers of oxidative stress (OxS) (reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid peroxidation (8iso-PFG2α), DNA damage (8-OH-dG)), inflammation (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, sICAM1), and renal function (creatinine, neopterin, uric acid) before (T0), during (T1, T2), and after (1–2 wk T3–T4; 1 month T5) the HBOT treatment (US Navy Treatment Table 15 protocol) were studied. Results. At T0, patients showed a significant unbalance of OxS; high levels of ROS, 8-isoPGF2α, and inflammatory status (IL-6, TNF-α; sICAM); and a low level of antioxidant capacity. At the end of HBOT (T2), a significant reduction in Oxy-inflammation levels over time—8-iso −26%, 8-OH-dG −9%, IL-6 −71%, IL-1bβ −12%, TNF-α −13%, and sICAM1 −17%—associated with clinical improvement was shown. Conclusions. These reductions, along with those in renal function markers, mirrored the observed improvement in the evolution of the skin lesion and the patients’ self-reported general wellness and pain. In conclusion, HBOT should be considered a valuable therapeutic tool after L.r. bites. Full article

It is important to understand which bacterial taxa are most abundant during SARS-CoV-2 infection and to promote mitigation strategies for conditions subsequent to infection. Nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected from patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and their family contacts (uninfected and asymptomatic) during the outbreak of the P.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Parintins, Amazonas–Brazil, in March 2021. The samples were investigated by a shotgun sequencing metagenomic approach using the NextSeq 500 Illumina® system. The samples were stratified according to the presence or absence of SARS-CoV-2, household group, sex, and age. Of the total of 63 individuals, 37 (58.73%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 26 (41.27%) were negative for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses (FLU, AdV, HBoV, HCoV, HMPV, RSV, PIV, HRV). The alpha diversity indexes Chao1, species observed, Simpson, and Inv Simpson demonstrated a significant difference (p < 0.05) in both the diversity of observed species and the abundance of some taxa between positive and negative individuals. We also observed an abundance of opportunists such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus spp, and Shigella sonnei, previously associated with the severity of COVID-19. Our results suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes changes in the microenvironment of the nasopharyngeal region, allowing greater proliferation of opportunistic bacteria and decreased abundance of commensal bacteria. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study explores variations in brain activity between individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT) and healthy older adults during a resting state using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: FNIRS measured brain activity in ten AD patients and six healthy individuals. A device with 16 channels was placed on each participant’s forehead to measure oxygenation levels while they kept their eyes closed. The data were analyzed using a support vector machine (SVM) model. Results: The results indicated differences in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) levels between the two groups. Specifically, HbO levels were generally higher in the dementia group in the left hemisphere, with a sharp increase after 26 s. Conversely, HbO levels were consistently lower in the right hemisphere of the dementia group. The SVM analysis demonstrated high accuracy in differentiating between the AD and healthy groups based on HbO levels. Conclusions: The study indicates that differences in brain activity during resting state can potentially distinguish people with DAT from healthy individuals. We found relatively reduced hemoglobin activity in the prefrontal areas of those with DAT. Furthermore, the concentration changes in the HbO in the left lateral prefrontal and right medial brain regions emerged as the most informative in distinguishing individuals with DAT from healthy individuals. The results of the current study show that this method could improve current DAT diagnostic practices due to its efficiency. Full article

Background/Objectives: Art-based interventions have been shown to enhance communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet their impact on prefrontal hemodynamics remains unclear. Methods: This study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine hemoglobin oxygenation (HbO) changes in the prefrontal cortex of school-age children with ASD, providing empirical support for its therapeutic efficacy. Sixty age-matched children participated in a 9-week art therapy program, including twenty ASD children and forty typically developing peers. Assessments included self-portrait drawing (SPD), the Diagnostic Drawing Series (DDS), and the General Quality of Life Inventory (GQOL-74). In addition, we performed fNIRS measurements in the ASD participants and observed changes in prefrontal HbO at rest and while drawing. Results: The drawing intervention significantly enhanced drawing ability, emotional expression, and cognitive skills, with the intervention group outperforming the controls. ASD participants exhibited distinct prefrontal connectivity patterns with visual, motor, and language-related regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal eye field, and Broca’s area. Task-based painting interventions indirectly influenced the frontal lobe’s hemodynamic characteristics, indicating drawing intervention as an effective intervention for ASD. Full article

This study investigates how the sound of a hair dryer influences users’ perceptions of its quality, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation. Eighteen participants were involved in a within-subject evaluation experiment where they assessed the perceived quality of hair dryers with three different sound levels: no sound, low sound, and high sound. The results show that hair dryers with high sound levels were rated as having higher quality and caused greater increases in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) compared to soundless hair dryers. In contrast, when participants evaluated low-sound hair dryers, differential activation between the left and right hemispheres was observed, with increased left-brain activity. These findings highlight the significant role of multisensory factors, such as sound, in shaping product perception. Moreover, DLPFC activity, especially in the left hemisphere, emerges as a potential marker for evaluating product quality, contributing new insights to the understanding of sensory-driven decision-making in product evaluation. Full article

Background/Objectives: The concept of the “smoker’s paradox” in prior research posits that smoking could potentially offer neuroprotective effects in cases of acute carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. This study aimed to determine the validity of this hypothesis by minimizing selection bias and confounding variables in a comparison of neurocognitive outcomes between smokers and non-smokers following acute CO poisoning. Methods: A total of 1150 patients were included in this retrospective study. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to control for variables such as age, initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, co-morbidities, and HBO₂ therapy application. Neurocognitive outcomes were assessed and compared between smokers and non-smokers. Results: In the initial analysis, 1150 patients were divided into non-smoking (61.7%) and smoking (38.3%) groups. Before PSM, smokers had a lower rate of poor outcomes (12.1% vs. 6.8%, p = 0.004). However, baseline differences emerged, with non-smokers being older with longer CO exposure, while smokers had more males and higher rates of intentional CO poisoning and drug ingestion. Smokers had a 0.56 times lower relative risk of poor outcomes compared to non-smokers (95% CI: 0.38–0.84, p = 0.004). After meticulous 1:1 PSM with 15 covariates, 317 patient pairs were matched, creating balanced cohorts. Neurocognitive outcomes at 1 month post-CO exposure showed no significant differences between matched non-smoking and smoking groups (9.8% vs. 7.9%, p = 0.461). Post-PSM, the relative risk for poor outcomes remained approximately 0.81 times lower in smokers compared to non-smokers, but with no statistical significance [0.81 (95% CI: 0.49–1.33, p = 0.402)]. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the idea of a protective effect from smoking in the context of acute CO poisoning. After accounting for potential confounders through PSM, we found that smoking status was not significantly associated with more favorable neurocognitive outcomes. Full article

Background and Objectives: In this study, the role of oxyhemoglobin (HbO) in subregions of the prefrontal cortex during a static balance task under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions was investigated in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a powerful neuroimaging tool that enables more natural and flexible measurement in the analysis of balance mechanisms and motor tasks. Materials and Methods: Hemodynamic changes in the right and left dorsolateral cortex (DLPFC), frontopolar prefrontal cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex were analyzed in 16 healthy controls and 15 individuals with AIS. The statistical results were supported by HbO contrast maps. Results: Significant differences were found in the cortical activity patterns between the AIS and control groups. The AIS group had lower HbO concentrations than the control group in the eyes-closed condition and completely differed from the control group by showing more active HbO concentrations in the DLPFC regions than in the frontopolar regions. In the eyes-open condition, it was found that the maximum HbO value was reached in the frontopolar regions, and this value was weakened and observed throughout the left frontopolar region. Discriminative differences were also found in the orbitofrontal region in the eyes-closed static balance condition. Conclusions: The results obtained were evaluated and discussed in terms of postural balance compensation, differences in neural pathways, and the conscious balance mechanism. It was determined that the AIS group tended to utilize a conscious balance mechanism in the eyes-closed static balance condition and developed its own balance compensation mechanism in the eyes-open static balance condition. This study concludes that fNIRS is a powerful tool in the evaluation of balance and control mechanisms and can be used effectively in the evaluation of rehabilitation-oriented development in AIS. Full article

Pneumonia and diarrhea are the leading causes of death in children under 5 globally, worsened by viral infections. This study investigates viral agents in children ≤ 3 years with respiratory illness and diarrhea in Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, Brazil, during spring 2021. Twenty paired samples (oropharyngeal swab and feces) were tested using in-house qPCR for HBoV and HAdV, RT-qPCR for RVA, EV, PeV-A, and NoV, and a commercial RT-qPCR kit for SARS-CoV-2, Flu A/B, and RSV. HAstV was detected with conventional nested (RT)-PCR. Positive samples were sequenced for molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis. Seven viruses were identified: HBoV, NoV, HAdV, PeV-A, EV, RSV, and Flu A. HBoV and NoV were detected in 75% of cases, with co-infection in 65% of patients, indicating their involvement in the gastro-respiratory illness. Genotyping of HBoV (HBoV-1), NoV (GII.4_Sydney[P16], GII.2[P16], and GII.4_Sydney[P31]), EV (Coxsackievirus A6), HAdV (species C, type 6), and PeV-A (genotype 1) showed local virus diversity. Phylogenetic analysis indicated no ongoing community outbreak, with distinct clusters observed. The findings highlight the overlap of respiratory and enteric diseases, revealing local viral diversity and high exposure to enteric viruses. This underscores the challenges in differential diagnosis and the need for syndromic surveillance. Full article

Parvoviruses are small, single-stranded DNA viruses that have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to hijack host cell machinery for replication and persistence. One critical aspect of this interaction involves the manipulation of the host’s DNA Damage Response (DDR) pathways. While the viral genome is comparatively simple, parvoviruses have developed strategies that cause significant DNA damage, activate DDR pathways, and disrupt the host cell cycle. This review will explore the impact of parvovirus infections on host genome stability, focusing on key viral species such as Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV), Minute Virus of Mice (MVM), and Human Bocavirus (HBoV), and their interactions with DDR proteins. Since parvoviruses are used as oncolytic agents and gene therapy vectors, a better understanding of cellular DDR pathways will aid in engineering potent anti-cancer agents and gene therapies for chronic diseases. Full article

Poly(2-oxazoline) (POx), a typical thermoresponsive polymer with good biocompatibility, was conjugated with environment-sensitive tetraphenylenethene (TPE) and hydroxyphenylbenzoxazole (HBO) to achieve unique thermometer readings. Through phase transition induced by temperature, the thermometers can measure temperature in biologic range with ratiometric fluorescence response, ultrahigh sensitivity and good reversibility. Moreover, the thermometer can be used to measure the change in temperature with large fluorescence difference in living cells. Full article

Background. Influenza remains a significant public health issue, with seasonal trends varying across regions. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of influenza virus trends in Italy, leveraging epidemiological and virological data from the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS). The primary objective is to assess influenza activity at both national and regional levels, highlighting variations in incidence rates and viral subtype circulation during the 2023/2024 season. Methods. We conducted a systematic approach to data collection, processing, and visualization, utilizing influenza surveillance data from ISS. Incidence rates, subtype distribution, and co-circulating respiratory viruses were analyzed to identify key trends. Results. Our findings reveal a significant increase in influenza cases during the 2023/2024 season, with incidence rates surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Notably, changes in the circulation of influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B were observed, alongside the presence of other respiratory viruses such as RSV and rhinovirus. Conclusions. This study underscores the importance of real-time surveillance, transparent data sharing, and advanced visualization tools in guiding public health responses. By integrating lessons from COVID-19, we highlight the necessity of standardized surveillance frameworks to enhance preparedness for future seasonal outbreaks and potential pandemics. Full article