Search Results (29,401)

Anxiety and depression are mental disorders with significant global impact, and are especially prominent in women during times of hormonal fluctuations. The microbiota–gut–brain axis (MGB axis) has emerged as a crucial pathway in the pathogenesis of these disorders, as it directly influences the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin (5-HT), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and dopamine (DA). In addition, they have shown estrogenic effects through enzymes such as β-glucuronidase, which modulate hormone metabolism and consequently mood. A comprehensive search of recent preclinical studies has found that probiotic intake in female rats led to significant improvements in anxiety- and depression-related behaviors. Similarly, clinical trials in certain populations, particularly women with hormonal imbalances during menopause or premenstrual syndrome, have shown promising results. However, there are still significant problems, such as the individual variability of responses and the need for controlled long-term studies. The development of specific probiotics for hormonal modulation and the implementation of personalized approaches integrating omics and neuroimaging technologies to optimize therapeutic interventions in the field of mental health are promising. Accordingly, a comprehensive search was conducted in scientific databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science. Preclinical studies investigating the estrogenic effects of different probiotic strains in animal models and in controlled clinical trials during chronic treatment were selected, excluding those studies that did not provide access to full text. Full article

Bacterial lysates have emerged as promising immunomodulatory agents that can enhance innate immune responses. Given the crucial role of macrophages in recognizing and controlling intracellular pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, this study aimed to evaluate the immunological effects of selected bacterial lysates on human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). We examined the ability of commercial bacterial lysates, Pulmonarom, Ismigen, Uro-Vaxom, and a lysate of M. tuberculosis H37 Ra (LMtb) to stimulate the production of key pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8. In addition, we investigated whether these lysates could modulate the expression of bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), a critical antimicrobial effector, and assessed their ability to reduce the intracellular burden of mycobacteria and induce autophagy. The results demonstrate diverse immunostimulatory profiles among the lysates, highlighting differences in both inflammatory and antimicrobial responses that may be relevant for host-directed therapeutic strategies against tuberculosis. Notably, beyond the in vitro antimycobacterial activity observed for BPI, this protein was also found to be elevated in both serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with active TB, reflecting local and systemic immune activation. Furthermore, the reduction in BPI levels after treatment suggests its potential utility for following the dynamics of infection. Full article

Neopestalotiopsis zimbabwana is an emerging phytopathogen with multiple hosts. Considering the environmental, toxicological, and resistance issues linked to synthetic fungicides, Origanum vulgare L. essential oil (OEO) was evaluated through in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches. The pathogen, isolated from Watsonia borbonica L., was molecularly identified. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed hexadecanoic acid (15.98%), dodecanoic acid (15.74%), terpinen-4-ol (11.61%), and thymol (7.65%) as the main components. In vitro assays determined a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 30% OEO and a minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) of 60% OEO. Growth chamber trials demonstrated that preventive sprays maintained 0% foliar damage—similar to Captan^®—while controls reached ≈98%; suspending applications after week 4 resulted in ≈45% damage by week 8. These results confirm that OEO lacks systemic residual activity, acting only as a protectant within preventive integrated pest management (IPM) schemes. Docking to cytochrome b (protein data bank, PDB: 5TL8) indicated strong binding of α-farnesene (−7.638 kcal·mol⁻¹), isoterpinolene (−6.944), and α-terpineol (−6.918), suggesting disruption of mitochondrial respiration via Complex III. OEO represents a promising eco-friendly alternative for managing N. zimbabwana under controlled conditions and reducing reliance on synthetic fungicides. Full article

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women globally and represents the leading cause of mortality related to malignant tumors. Currently, healthcare professionals are focused on developing and implementing innovative techniques to improve the early detection of this disease. Thermography, studied as a complementary method to traditional approaches, captures infrared radiation emitted by tissues and converts it into data about skin surface temperature. During tumor development, angiogenesis occurs, increasing blood flow to support tumor growth, which raises the surface temperature in the affected area. Automatic classification techniques have been explored to analyze thermographic images and develop an optimal classification tool to identify thermal anomalies. This study aims to design a concise description using statistical and texture features to accurately classify thermograms as control or highly probable to be cancer (with thermal anomalies). The importance of employing a short description lies in facilitating interpretation by medical professionals. In contrast, a characterization based on a large number of variables could make it more challenging to identify which values differentiate the thermograms between groups, thereby complicating the explanation of results to patients. A maximum accuracy of 91.97% was achieved by applying only seven features and using a Coarse Decision Tree (DT) classifier and robust Machine Learning (ML) model, which demonstrated competitive performance compared with previously reported studies. Full article

Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse), a mosquito vector with increasing capacity to transmit human arboviral infections worldwide, naturally harbors the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia spp. This relationship has been observed in native mosquito populations of Ae. albopictus around the world and, more recently, in Mérida, Yucatán, México (abbreviated hereafter as MID). This study provides additional evidence confirming the presence of Wolbachia A (wAlbA) and B (wAlbB) strains in field-collected Ae. albopictus of Mérida, based on wsp gene DNA sequencing analyses of 14 positive PCR samples. Maximum likelihood (ML) analyses of the wsp gene showed high nucleotide sequence homology between Wolbachia from Merida and the globally reported strains A and B, suggesting that these two Wolbachia strains have remained stable in Ae. albopictus over time, regardless of the geographical area. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Wolbachia gene sequencing in native populations of Ae. albopictus in Yucatán, Mexico. Currently many Aedes mosquitoes (e.g., Ae. aegypti) harboring intracellular Wolbachia B bacteria are being released as part of arbovirus and mosquito control programs in Yucatan and globally. Understanding the presence and stability of Wolbachia strains across different Aedes host backgrounds is crucial to ensuring the long-term effectiveness of biological interventions aimed at controlling mosquito populations and arbovirus transmission in endemic areas. Full article

This article presents an innovative chaotic communication scheme that integrates the multiuser access technique known as Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) with the chaos-based selective strategy Chaos-Based Selective Symbol (CSS) and the unconventional modulation Chaos Parameter Shift Keying (CPSK). The system is designed to operate in the 2.45 GHz band and provides a robust and efficient alternative to conventional schemes such as Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM). The proposed CPSK modulation enables the encoding of information for multiple users by regulating the 36 parameters of a Reconfigurable Chaotic Oscillator (RCO), theoretically allowing the simultaneous transmission of up to $2^{24}$ independent users over the same channel. The CSS technique encodes each user’s information using a unique chaotic segment configuration generated by the RCO; this serves as a reference for binary symbol encoding. W-CDMA further supports the concurrent transmission of data from multiple users through orthogonal sequences, minimizing inter-user interference. The system was digitally implemented on the Artix-7 AC701 FPGA (XC7A200TFBG676-2) to evaluate logic-resource requirements, while RF validation was carried out using a ZedBoard FPGA equipped with an AD9361 transceiver. Experimental results demonstrate optimal performance in the 2.45 GHz band, confirming the effectiveness of the chaos-based W-CDMA approach as a multiuser access technique for high-spectral-density environments and its potential for use in 5G applications. Full article

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are eco-technologies used for wastewater treatment, where vegetation is a key component. In recent decades, the adaptability and phytoremediation functions of ornamental plants (OPs)—which are not typically found in natural wetlands— have been tested. However, few comprehensive studies address the processes or mechanisms by which these OPs enhance pollutant removal in CWs and their artisanal applications. It is also vital to understand the most used OP species in CWs and their advantages in phytoremediation. Thus, this study enhances the understanding of the processes involved in pollutant degradation within CWs, specifically focusing on absorption, adsorption, translocation, radial oxygen loss, and root exudates. It reaffirms the essential role that plants play in these systems, as suggested in previous scientific reports, and discusses some potential applications for the ornamental plants produced in CWs, such as flower arrangements and crafts. This also includes the social aspect, emphasizing community engagement through social capital initiatives for the adoption and appropriation of the ecotechnology. Additionally, a bibliometric analysis revealed that Mexico is among the countries with the most significant research on OPs in CWs, particularly concerning commercially valuable species, followed by India and China. These findings can be instrumental in planning future community projects focused on wastewater treatment using CWs using OPs. Full article

Lucuma and goldenberry are rich in bioactive compounds, and swell-drying (SD) can help preserve these properties. This study examined how SD impacts the nutritional quality of lucuma and goldenberry. The SD process involved the following: (1) initial pre-drying, with Interval Highly Active Drying (IHAD) for lucuma and Continuous Convective Airflow Drying (CCAD) for goldenberry, (2) a DIC treatment under an experimental design with 13 treatments, and (3) a final CCAD step. The parameters studied for DIC were steam pressure (0.1 to 0.5 MPa) and treatment time (5 to 55 s). Bromatological analysis and antioxidant activity were the response variables. Under accurate SD conditions, both fruits maintained their nutritional quality and increased their antioxidant activity compared to controls. Carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, and ash average contents of lucuma were 88.73%, 7.28%, 1.18%, 1.88%, and 0.92%, respectively. The DIC treatment of 0.27 MPa for 22 s increased the percentage of ABTS and the DPPH inhibition of lucuma by 1.2 and 1.5 times, respectively. For goldenberry, carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, and ash average contents were 71.87%, 7.18% 7.01%, 6.60%, and 6.77%, respectively. DIC treatment of goldenberry at 0.5 MPa for 30 s increased ABTS % inhibition by 1.5 times, and DIC at 0.10 MPa for 30 s increased DPPH inhibition by 4.9%. Full article

This paper presents an optimal control for autonomous vehicles navigating in intersection scenarios. The proposed controller is based on solving a Quadratic Programming optimization technique to provide a feasible control signal respecting actuator constraints. The proposed controller was implemented in a scale-sized vehicle and is executed using only on-board perception and computing systems to retrieve the state dynamics, i.e., an inertial measurement unit and a monocular camera, to compute the estimated states through intelligent computer vision algorithms. The stability of the error signals of the closed-loop system was proved both mathematically and experimentally, using standard performance indices for ten trials. The proposed technique was compared against LQR and MPC strategies, showing 67% greater accuracy than the LQR approach and 53.9% greater accuracy than the MPC technique, while turning during the intersection. Moreover, the proposed QP controller showed significantly greater efficiency by reducing the control effort by 63.3% compared to the LQR, and by a substantial 78.4% compared to the MPC. These successful results proved that the proposed controller is an effective alternative for autonomously navigating within intersection scenarios. Full article

This paper introduces a variant of differential evolution with micro-populations, called $\mu$-DE-ERM, which incorporates a periodic elitist replacement mechanism with the aim of preserving diversity without the need to measure it explicitly. The proposed algorithm is designed for scenarios with reduced evaluation budgets, where efficiency and convergence stability are critical. Its performance is evaluated on CEC 2005 and CEC 2017 benchmark suites, covering unimodal, multimodal, hybrid, and composition functions, as well as on two real-world engineering problems: the identification of dynamic parameters and the tuning of a PID controller for a one-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulator. The comparative analysis shows that $\mu$-DE-ERM achieves competitive or superior results against its predecessors DE and $\mu$-DE, and remains effective when contrasted with advanced algorithms such as L-SHADE and RuGA. Furthermore, additional comparisons with algorithms with competitive replacement mechanisms, $\mu$-DE-Cauchy and $\mu$-DE-Shrink, confirm the robustness of the proposal in real applications, particularly under strict computational constraints. These findings support $\mu$-DE-ERM as a practical and efficient alternative for optimization problems in resource-limited environments, delivering reliable solutions at low computational cost. Full article

The lion’s paw scallop (Nodipecten subnodosus) is a commercially valuable pectinid whose postharvest quality strongly depends on storage and handling conditions. This study investigated the combined effects of seasonality, postmortem time, and storage temperature on energy metabolism in the adductor muscle, focusing on metabolites associated with rigor mortis and freshness. Adult scallops (~10 cm shell height) were harvested in four seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter), transported under commercial conditions for approximately 2 h, and stored at 0, 5, and 10 °C for 48 h. Muscle samples were collected every 8 h and analyzed for ATP, ADP, AMP, glycogen, arginine phosphate (Arg-P), and free arginine using HPLC and enzymatic assays. In addition, the adenylate energy charge (AEC) was determined in freshly harvested and post-transport specimens. Initial ATP concentrations ranged from 4.2 to 6.5 µmol/g, with higher levels in winter, while Arg-P varied from 3.1 to 4.8 µmol/g. Seasonality significantly influenced all metabolites except arginine, and transport markedly reduced ATP and AEC, particularly in spring and autumn. Storage at 0 °C resulted in rapid ATP depletion (<1.0 µmol/g within 12 h) and AMP accumulation (>3.0 µmol/g), indicating accelerated energy collapse. In contrast, scallops stored at 5 and 10 °C maintained ATP levels above 2.5 µmol/g for up to 24 h, delaying rigor mortis, reducing postmortem contraction, and preserving muscle texture and appearance. Overall, these findings demonstrate that moderate refrigeration represents a physiologically suitable and technologically advantageous strategy to optimize scallop postharvest handling, extend shelf life, and enhance product quality for the fresh seafood market. Full article

Titanium and, in particular, its alloys are widely used in biomedical applications due to their favorable combination of mechanical properties, such as high strength, low density, low elastic modulus, and excellent biocompatibility. In this study, novel titanium-based alloys were developed using powder metallurgy techniques. The chemical composition of the studied alloys was 93%Ti-7%Fe, 90%Ti-7%Fe-3%Al, and 88%Ti-7%Fe-5%Cr. The metallic powders were processed in a planetary mill, uniaxially compacted, and subsequently sintered at 1300 °C during 2 h under an inert atmosphere. The primary objective was to evaluate the corrosion behavior of these alloys in simulated body fluid solutions, as well as to determine some of the properties, such as the relative density, microhardness, and elastic modulus. The resulting microstructures were homogeneous, with micrometer-scale grain sizes and the formation of intermetallic precipitates generated during sintering. Mechanical tests revealed that the Ti-Fe-Cr alloy exhibited the highest microhardness and Young’s modulus values, followed by Ti-Fe and Ti-Fe-Al. These results confirm a strong correlation between hardness and stiffness, showing that Cr enhances mechanical and elastic properties, while Al reduces them. Corrosion tests demonstrated that the alloys possess high resistance and stability in physiological environments, with a low current density, minimal mass loss, and strong performance even under prolonged exposure to acidic conditions. Full article

Background and Objectives: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure that has demonstrated both safety and effectiveness in the treatment of obesity. By reducing the stomach’s volume without the need for surgical incisions, ESG promotes weight loss and can improve obesity-related comorbidities. However, patient responses to ESG can vary significantly. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive search was performed on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for studies with endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty; the main outcomes of interest are BMI, weight loss, and postinterventional complications. The search strategy employed a combination of keywords and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms, including “endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty,” “endoscopy,” and “overweight”. To ensure the thoroughness of the review, additional manual searches of key journals and the reference lists of identified studies were performed. Grey literature, such as dissertations and conference abstracts, meta-analysis, and systematic reviews, was excluded to maintain a focus on peer-reviewed evidence. Duplicate records were identified and removed using Rayyan software to streamline the screening process. The I2 test was employed for heterogeneity assessment, while the risk of bias was evaluated utilizing ROBINS-I. Results: Our literature search resulted in the inclusion of 38 studies. Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty for weight loss is important since it is more effective than pharmacological treatments and lifestyle changes and presents lower adverse event rates compared to bariatric surgery. Long-term weight loss outcomes varied, with total body weight loss ranging from 16% to 20.9% over a period from 2 to 5 years, while excess weight loss ranged from 13% to 79%. Revisional procedures showed higher failure rates, with up to 34.3% of patients experiencing insufficient weight loss. Most interventions led to clinically significant and sustained weight loss, though variability in outcomes highlights the need for further research to optimize long-term weight management strategies. Conclusions: Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) emerges as a promising minimally invasive option for weight loss, offering significant improvements in both weight reduction and obesity-related comorbidities, such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Full article

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex condition characterized by a group of interconnected metabolic abnormalities. Due to its increasing prevalence, better predictive markers are needed. Therefore, this study aims to develop predictive models for MetS by integrating adipokines, metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors, and anthropometric indices. Data were collected from 381 subjects aged 20 to 59 years (242 women and 139 men) from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, who were classified as having MetS or non-MetS based on the ATP-III criteria. Four supervised machine learning models were developed—Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost)—and their performance was evaluated using the Area under the Curve (AUC), calibration curves, Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), and local interpretability analysis. The RF and XGBoost models achieved the highest AUCs (0.940 and 0.954). The RF and LR models were the best calibrated and showed the highest net benefit in DCA. Key variables included age, anthropometric indices (BRI and DAI), insulin resistance measures (HOMA-IR), lipid profiles (sdLDL-C and LDL-C), and high-molecular-weight adiponectin, used to classify the presence of MetS. The results highlight the usefulness of specific models and the importance of anthropometric variables, cardiovascular risk factors, metabolic profiles, and adiponectin as indicators of MetS. Full article

The second virial coefficient (SVC) of the Lennard-Jones fluid is a cornerstone of molecular theory, yet its calculation has traditionally relied on the complex integration of the pair potential. This work introduces a fundamentally different approach by reformulating the problem in terms of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). For the classical component of the SVC, we generalize the confluent hypergeometric and Weber–Hermite equations. For the first quantum correction, we present entirely new ODEs and their corresponding exact-analytical solutions. The most striking result of this framework is the discovery that these ODEs can be transformed into Schrödinger-like equations. The classical term corresponds to a harmonic oscillator, while the quantum correction includes additional inverse-power potential terms. This formulation not only provides a versatile method for expressing the virial coefficient through a linear combination of functions (including Kummer, Weber, and Whittaker functions) but also reveals a profound and previously unknown mathematical structure underlying a classical thermodynamic property. Full article