Search Results (10,921)

Background: There might be a significant association between hearing loss (HL) and cognitive performance or postural imbalance, but how they relate to each other remains unknown. The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of these relationships. Methods: An observational prospective study with subjects ≥ 55 years old divided into groups: normal hearing (group A), untreated HL > 20 decibel hearing level (dBHL) (group B), and patients with treated HL > 20 dBHL (group C). At the initial visit and follow-up, participants underwent tests and questionnaires evaluating hearing, balance, and cognition. Statistical analyses—including relative risk, Spearman’s Rho correlation, interaction, and adjusted models—were performed using Stata 17; a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In total, 714 subjects were initially recruited: 210 in group A, 302 in group B, and 202 in group C. A mean follow-up time of 3.6 years was completed by 101 individuals. Compared with the normal-hearing group, hearing loss increased the probability of unsteadiness by 1.4-fold in group B and 4.1-fold in group C. Poorer performance on the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test was predicted by lower scores on both cognitive executive function tests, with correlations of −0.4 and 0.34 (p < 0.001). Regarding confounding factors, statistically significant differences were found for age and education in cognitive performance; age in the TUG results; and sex, cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF), and education in HL. Conclusions: Postural imbalance and cognitive executive function are related to HL. However, there is no evidence linking dizziness to cognitive executive function, although an association with TUG results was found. Therefore, HL is correlated with both balance and cognition, and cognition is also related to balance. Full article

Background/Objectives: Malocclusion and delayed expressive language are generally managed as separate clinical problems, although both may be influenced by early feeding experiences and stomatognathic development. This study whether neonatal feeding modality was associated with occlusal morphology and expressive language development in preterm children, and explored the relationship between these outcomes. Methods: Forty preterm children (gestational age < 37 weeks; corrected age, n = 14), tube feeding with structured non-nutritive sucking (NNS) (Group B, n = 13), and total parenteral nutrition without oral stimulation (Group C, n = 13). Seven of 47 children assessed were excluded according to predefined eligibility criteria. morphology was independently evaluated by two blinded paediatric dentists (Cohen’s κ = 0.91). Expressive language was evaluated using the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories and a structured phonological checklist. Group differences were analysed using Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn–Bonferroni tests; associations were examined using Spearman ‘s rank correlation and multivariable ordinary least squares regression adjusted for sex, area of residence, and socioeconomic status. Results: Significant differences were observed among three feeding groups in occlusion score, language score, and age at first words (all p < 0.001; ε² = 0.81–0.90). Occlusion and language scores were strongly associated (Spearman’s ρ = 0.986, p < 0.001), and this association remained essentially unchanged after adjustment for demographic covariates (β = 2.10, 95% CI 2.01–2.19). Occlusal morphology subtypes also differed significantly across groups (χ²(6) = 19.1, p = 0.004). Conclusions: p = 0.004). Neonatal feeding modality was associated with both occlusal morphology and expressive language outcomes in this cohort of preterm children. Breastfeeding was associated with the most favorable outcomes, structured NNS with intermediate outcomes, and TPN with the least favorable outcomes. Given the observational design, modest sample size, and potential for residual confounding, findings should be considered exploratory and require confirmation in larger prospective multicenter studies. Full article

Background and Objectives: Three-dimensional printing is increasingly used to fabricate dental restorations; however, limited evidence is available on the mechanical performance and fracture behavior of printable resin materials used for endocrown restorations. Fracture load alone may not fully describe material performance, particularly when brittle or defect-sensitive failure occurs. This in vitro study aimed to compare the fracture resistance, Weibull parameters, experimental Mode I fracture toughness parameter, and failure patterns of three 3D-printed resin materials used for endocrown restorations. Materials and Methods: Thirty anatomically identical molar replicas were produced from a single prepared tooth model and restored with endocrowns fabricated from NextDent C&B MFH (NextDent B.V., Soesterberg, The Netherlands), SprintRay Crown (SprintRay Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA), and BEGO VarseoSmile Crown Plus (BEGO GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen, Germany) (n = 10/group). The restorations were cemented and subjected to compressive loading until fracture. Maximum fracture force values were analyzed using Welch’s ANOVA and Weibull statistics. In parallel, single-edge-notched bend (SENB) specimens were fabricated from the same materials and tested using an ASTM D5045-based configuration to calculate an experimental Mode I fracture toughness parameter. Representative fractured crowns and standardized specimens were examined using stereomicroscopy to assess visible failure morphology. Results: No statistically significant difference in maximum fracture force was found among the three materials (Welch’s ANOVA, p = 0.217). The mean fracture force values were 862.37 N for NextDent C&B MFH, 804.37 N for SprintRay Crown, and 699.43 N for BEGO VarseoSmile Crown Plus. In the complementary analyses, BEGO VarseoSmile Crown Plus showed the highest Weibull modulus (m = 9.36), indicating a narrower distribution of fracture values, and the highest mean experimental Mode I fracture toughness parameter (5.250 MPa·m^0.5) under the present experimental conditions. Qualitative stereomicroscopic analysis revealed material-dependent visible failure patterns: SprintRay Crown exhibited more extensive fragmentation, whereas BEGO VarseoSmile Crown Plus showed a more defined visible fracture pattern with less secondary fragmentation. Conclusions: Fracture load alone was insufficient to characterize the mechanical behavior of the tested materials fully. Weibull parameters, the experimental fracture toughness parameter, and failure morphology provided complementary information and should be considered when evaluating 3D-printed resin materials for endocrown restorations. Full article

Background: Traditional outcome assessment after liver surgery mainly relies on perioperative morbidity and mortality. However, these parameters fail to capture the multidimensional recovery experienced by patients after hepatic resection. This study aimed to evaluate changes in quality of life (QoL) between the preoperative and three-month postoperative assessments using Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) and to identify factors associated with impaired postoperative recovery. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted including 71 consecutive patients undergoing liver resection at a tertiary hepatobiliary referral center between May 2024 and May 2025. QoL was assessed preoperatively and three months after surgery using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LMC21 questionnaires. PROMs were correlated with demographic, clinical, operative, and postoperative variables. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with worse postoperative QoL. Results: Significant improvements in postoperative QoL were observed at three months compared with baseline in both the QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LMC21 questionnaires (both p < 0.001). Psychological domains also significantly improved after surgery. Patients with ASA scores ≥ 3 (p = 0.044) and those requiring intraoperative blood transfusion (p = 0.011) reported significantly worse postoperative quality-of-life scores. On multivariable regression analysis, Grade B bile leak was associated with impaired postoperative QLQ-C30 outcomes (95% CI 0.75–23.81; p = 0.038). Conclusions: Liver resection was associated with improvement in patient-reported QoL three months after surgery. PROMs provide clinically relevant information beyond conventional surgical metrics and may help identify patients requiring tailored perioperative support. The integration of PROMs into liver surgery pathways may contribute to the development of a more patient-centered model of surgical care. Full article

Major floods following prolonged drought can substantially alter ground cover, soil stability and pasture condition, yet longer-term trajectories of rangeland recovery remain poorly understood. This study assessed land condition at 62 monitoring sites in the Flinders River catchment, north-west Queensland, following the 2019 flood, with re-assessment in 2024. Land condition was evaluated using the A–B–C–D framework alongside rainfall, satellite-derived bare ground, land type, distance to drainage and flood-extent data. In March 2019, 79% of sites were classified as C or D, reflecting the combined influence of prolonged drought and flood disturbance. By 2024, 30 of 62 sites (48%) had improved by at least one class, and median condition shifted from class C to B, though change was spatially variable. Initial land condition was negatively correlated with net change (ρ = −0.47, p < 0.001, n = 62). Rainfall showed no significant association with land condition or net change among sites, whereas dry-season bare ground was significantly associated across multiple temporal windows. These findings indicate that land condition change following drought–flood disturbance is likely associated with site-level factors, particularly residual pasture structure and soil surface condition, and highlight the value of combining field and satellite data for rangeland monitoring following extreme climate events. Full article

The development of low-cost and sustainable adsorbents for carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture has gained increasing attention as a strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. In this study, activated biochars produced from babassu, elephant grass, and Pinus elliottii were evaluated as CO₂ adsorbents after different activation treatments. The biochars were produced by slow pyrolysis at 400 °C and subsequently modified using three activation routes: steam activation, chemical activation with KOH, and KOH activation followed by acid washing. The materials were characterized by proximate analysis, specific surface area measurements, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and CO₂ adsorption tests. Steam activation produced the highest specific surface areas, reaching 1270.53, 1027.28, and 907.87 m² g⁻¹ for babassu, elephant grass and Pinus, respectively. Despite the superior textural properties achieved through steam activation, the highest CO₂ adsorption capacities were obtained for the samples subjected to chemical activation followed by acid washing. These results indicate that adsorption performance is governed not only by the development of surface area but also by pore accessibility and the surface chemistry of the adsorbent. Maximum adsorption capacities of 82.78, 81.19, and 85.24 mg g⁻¹ were obtained for ACKAW B, ACKAW CE, and ACKAW P, respectively. Adsorption–desorption cycling experiments demonstrated regenerability and stable performance over repeated cycles. The results indicate that KOH activation followed by acid washing is an effective strategy for producing high-performance biochar-based adsorbents for CO₂ capture. Full article

Phytoene, a colorless precursor of carotenoids, has attracted increasing attention because of its favorable bioavailability, antioxidant activity, and potential applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and animal nutrition. However, its industrial utilization remains limited by low natural abundance and the dependence of current production strategies on genetic engineering or metabolic pathway manipulation. In this study, we identified and characterized a naturally occurring Brevundimonas vesicularis strain (Bv-xms2024) exhibiting pronounced phytoene accumulation without genetic modification. The strain was comprehensively characterized using morphological, biochemical, molecular, genomic, metabolomic, and transcriptional analyses. Quantitative LC–MS/MS analysis demonstrated that Bv-xms2024 accumulated phytoene to 420.42 ± 98.11 μg/g dry biomass after 96 h of cultivation, substantially exceeding the levels of downstream carotenoids, including β-carotene and astaxanthin. Optimization of cultivation parameters identified 25 °C, pH 7.0, and 96 h as the optimal conditions for phytoene accumulation, while serial passaging confirmed stable production over 20 generations. Genome annotation identified the carotenoid biosynthetic gene repertoire, while RT-qPCR analysis revealed a temporal shift from early upregulation of crtE and crtB to later upregulation of downstream pathway genes, consistent with the observed phytoene-dominant carotenoid profile. Short-term tolerance evaluations in mice and chickens revealed no observable adverse effects under the tested conditions. Collectively, these findings identify Bv-xms2024 as a promising natural microbial resource for phytoene production and provide a basis for further process development and strain-level safety evaluation. Full article

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) is a preferred vector in gene therapy, although high production costs inhibit widespread adoption. The most common approach for rAAV production involves transfection of HEK293 cells with three plasmids: pTransgene, pRep/Cap and pHelper. Producing sufficient amounts of these plasmids accounts for up to 40% of total batch costs. Initially, this work aimed to increase plasmid yields by replacing the backbones. While this approach increased pHelper yields, pRep/Cap and pTransgene yields were unaffected. A possible reason was identified: pTransgene contains inverted terminal repeat (ITR) sequences that are essential for rAAV production. ITRs have strong secondary structures (including hairpin loops termed B and C arms) that likely interfere with plasmid production. Therefore, targeted deletions were performed within the ITRs. Partial deletions in both the B and C arms of the ITR were most beneficial, as both plasmid yield and transgene expression increased. Importantly, partial deletions did not reduce rAAV yield, as had been previously observed when the B and C arms were fully deleted. In summary, we report a 140% increase in pHelper plasmid production, while the most successful ITR variant increased pTransgene plasmid yields by 57% and transgene expression by 28%, without reducing rAAV yields or transduction efficiency. Full article

Consumers increasingly favor frozen yogurt as a healthier alternative to ice cream due to its lower fat content and probiotic benefits. Baked fermented milk (BFM), with its caramelized flavor, brown color, and enhanced nutritional properties, has emerged as a promising ingredient for improving the functional and sensory qualities of frozen yogurt. This study aimed to develop a novel probiotic baked frozen yogurt (PBFY) using BFM instead of traditional fermented milk (TFM) and to evaluate its physicochemical, microbiological, and sensory characteristics compared with traditional probiotic frozen yogurt (PTFY). Reconstituted skim milk and fresh cream were heat-treated (90 °C, 5 min) for TFM or baked (115 °C, 20 min) for BFM prior to culture inoculation. Both bases were inoculated with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, along with the probiotic strains Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacteriumanimalis subsp. lactis. PTFY and PBFY were formulated by blending ice cream mix with TFM or BFM at 25, 50, and 75% substitution levels. Increasing fermented milk concentration significantly decreased pH and surface tension while elevating mix viscosity. High inclusion levels (75%) impaired whipping ability, reduced overrun, increased fat destabilization, decreased the melting rate, and reduced culture survival during storage. Compared with PTFY, PBFY exhibited a higher melting rate, lower viscosity, and superior antioxidant activity (1.31- and 1.33-fold higher DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activity, respectively); however, the fermented milk type did not significantly affect overrun or fat destabilization. During storage, S. thermophilus was the most stable strain, with a decline rate of 0.6–0.69 log₁₀ CFU/mL/month, whereas B. animalis subsp. lactis showed a more rapid decline (0.80–0.89 log₁₀ CFU/mL/month). Sensory evaluation revealed that a 50% BFM inclusion level was optimal, producing PBFY with a smooth texture, light brown color, and appealing caramel-like flavor. Full article

Accurate State-of-Health (SOH) prediction is essential for deploying retired electric vehicle batteries into reliable second-life energy storage systems. However, this task is challenged by sparse and noisy operational data from onboard Battery Management Systems (BMS). This study systematically evaluates a spectrum of deep learning architectures for SOH forecasting under BMS-style data constraints derived from laboratory cycling data: a BiLSTM on aggregated cycle statistics (Model A), preliminary zero-shot transfer to a single unseen cell (Model B), a waveform BiLSTM with full intra-cycle voltage, current, and temperature trajectories (Model C), a baseline TCN (Model D) and a probabilistic TCN-GPR hybrid (Model E). All models are constrained to identical low-fidelity BMS-style variables extracted from the NASA battery aging dataset. Model C achieves the lowest point accuracy error of 0.46% ± 0.18% MAE across five random seeds, demonstrating that high-resolution waveform inputs capture degradation signatures, notably voltage plateau morphology, transient dynamics, and implicit SOC information, that aggregated features irreversibly lose. Model D using the same waveform inputs and evaluation protocol as Model C, achieves a MAE of 2.99% at a single seed, providing direct architectural comparison evidence that the BiLSTM’s position-sensitive temporal summarization outperforms GlobalAveragePooling1D under these conditions. Model E achieves a higher MAE of 2.12% ± 0.33% but uniquely provides calibrated predictive distributions of 99.4% ± 1.2% coverage, NLL = −1.877 ± 0.038, with approximately uniform 95% predictive intervals (mean width 19.83% SOH across 34 test cycles at seed = 42), reflecting the near-constant posterior variance produced by the large optimized GPR length-scale under the frozen two-stage training design. A paired t-test confirms that Model C statistically significantly outperforms Model E on point accuracy (p < 0.01). Isotonic regression recalibration reduces mean calibration error from 0.138 to 0.010, demonstrating that shape-level miscalibration is correctable post hoc. The central implication for second-life battery deployment is a clear accuracy–uncertainty trade-off: Model C is preferred when point estimates suffice, while Model E is essential for risk-aware decisions requiring confidence intervals. Full article

Boron (B) toxicity severely restricts Citrus growth and productivity in high-B soil and irrigation water environments. Although exogenous Zinc (Zn) has been reported to mitigate B toxicity in plants, the underlying physiological regulation mechanisms—particularly in Citrus—remain incompletely understood. In this study, seedlings of two Citrus species differing markedly in B tolerance—Citrus sinensis (sweet orange, B-tolerant) and C. grandis (sour pomelo, B-sensitive)—were subjected to three boric acid treatments (10, 200, and 400 μM) and five ZnSO₄ treatments (0.002, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.25 mM) in a fully factorial design over 15 weeks. Comprehensive physiological assessments—including growth parameters, photosynthetic performance, mineral-nutrient profiling (in leaves and roots), and antioxidant enzyme activity—were conducted to decipher the mechanistic basis of Zn-mediated B detoxification. Results showed that 400 μM BA alone triggered severe B toxicity symptoms in the older leaves of C. grandis, whereas 0.25 mM Zn independently led to chlorosis symptoms similar to Fe deficiency in the apical leaves of both Citrus species. Either B or Zn toxicity affected photosynthesis in matured leaves. Exogenous Zn at 0.05–0.20 mM alleviated B toxicity symptoms in B-sensitive C. grandis, yet consistent alleviation of Zn toxicity by excess B was not observed across all measured variables. Severe B toxicity caused a significant reduction in Fe, N, P and Ca contents and a significant increase in Cu and Mn contents in C. grandis roots, yet it only led to a significant reduction in Mn, N, P and Ca contents in C. grandis leaves. Unlike this, B toxic treatments in C. sinensis resulted in a significant reduction in merely Fe content and a significant increase in Cu, Mn, N and K contents in roots, and a significant reduction in Mn and Ca contents in the leaves. Under basal B supply, 0.05–0.20 mM Zn supplementation dose-dependently increased root Zn, Cu and Mn contents as well as leaf Zn and Cu contents in both Citrus species, but concurrently decreased root Fe content and leaf Fe and Ca contents—additionally, in C. grandis, leaf N, P, K and Mg contents were further reduced. Regarding antioxidant responses in C. grandis, B toxicity significantly suppressed leaf CAT activity while enhancing APX and GPX activities. Under B toxicity conditions, 0.2 mM Zn supplement significantly restored CAT activity and suppressed APX and GPX activities. These antioxidant modulations were highly dependent on species identity and treatment combination, and were markedly more pronounced in B-sensitive C. grandis. Collectively, this work clarifies the physiological interplay between Zn and B in Citrus, uncovers divergent adaptive strategies employed by contrasting citrus species under combined B–Zn stress, and provides a mechanistic foundation for optimizing exogenous Zn application to mitigate B toxicity in citrus production. Full article

β-Nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) is an important intermediate in nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺) metabolism and has attracted increasing interest as a bioactive compound and biomanufacturing product. In this study, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 was engineered for NMN production using a “block–enhance–transport” strategy. Deletion of nicB impaired nicotinic acid degradation and resulted in the accumulation of 66.2 μM nicotinic acid in cell extracts, whereas additional deletion of the putative NMN-consuming genes pncC and ushA did not lead to detectable NMN accumulation. Coexpression of endogenous pncB and engineered Francisella tularensis nadE* enabled low-level NMN formation through a Preiss–Handler pathway-based route. By contrast, overexpression of endogenous nadA, nadB, and nadC strengthened precursor supply through the NAD⁺ de novo biosynthetic pathway and resulted in approximately 0.17 mM NMN in cell extracts. Chromosomal integration of an engineered Salmonella enterica pnuC* transporter cassette was associated with pronounced extracellular NMN accumulation. Additional overexpression of genes involved in downstream NAD⁺ metabolism or phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate supply did not considerably improve production, possibly because of metabolic competition or expression burden. The best-performing strain, LW10, produced 1.28 mM extracellular NMN, corresponding to approximately 0.43 g/L, after 96 h of shake-flask cultivation in basal salt medium containing glucose and L-aspartate. These results suggest the feasibility of NMN biosynthesis in engineered P. putida KT2440 and highlight the importance of balancing precursor supply, competing reactions, and product transport. Thus, P. putida KT2440 represents an alternative chassis for further pathway balancing and process optimization toward fermentative NMN production. Full article

To explore the effects of legume intercropping on soil nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling processes in mulberry plantations during the winter fallow period, three treatments were set up: control (no intercropping, CK), single-legume intercropping (T1: Medicago polymorpha), and mixed-legume intercropping (T2: Medicago polymorpha + Astragalus sinicus). The variations in soil available nutrients, enzyme activities, microbial community structure, and functional gene abundances were investigated, with a focus on the influence of spatial heterogeneity (middle of inter-row as position A, and mulberry-adjacent as position B). Compared with CK, both T1 and T2 significantly altered soil microbial community composition and enhanced β-diversity (R² = 0.747, p < 0.001), and these effects were more pronounced at position A. For soil N cycling, T1 and T2 reduced available N content especially at position B; however, T2 significantly increased urease activity, while T1 decreased urease activity at position A. Both treatments elevated the abundances of N-cycling functional genes (e.g., glnA, ureC, nifD) and symbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, with T1 increasing Bradyrhizobium and T2 increasing Sinorhizobium. For soil P cycling, T1 and T2 enhanced phosphatase activity to promote organic P conversion; T1 strengthened the entire P metabolic chain by upregulating multiple P-related functional genes, while T2 specifically increased the abundance of the organic P transport gene ugpb. Structural equation modeling showed that soil microbial Shannon diversity promoted the relative abundances of N-cycling and P-cycling functional genes, and cascading pathways among nutrient-cycling genes and enzyme activities governed soil available N and P. The distinct effects of T1 and T2 highlight the importance of optimizing intercropping patterns, and spatial heterogeneity should be considered in agronomic effect evaluation. Leguminous green manure intercropping should be encouraged in mulberry plantations to boost soil nutrient-cycling processes driven by microorganisms. Full article

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss and is strongly driven by oxidative stress and inflammation. This study investigated the protective effects of cynarin against sodium iodate (NaIO₃)-induced retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) injury, focusing on the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Materials and Methods: Human ARPE-19 cells were exposed to NaIO₃, and cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay. Protein expression of MAPK components (p38, JNK, ERK) and the NF-κB pathway was analyzed by Western blotting, and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) mRNA expression was measured by RT-qPCR. In vivo, NaIO₃-induced retinal degeneration in C57BL/6 mice was treated with cynarin (3 or 10 mg/kg) for seven days, and retinal changes were evaluated by fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and OCT. Results: Cynarin preserved ARPE-19 cell viability without cytotoxicity. It significantly attenuated NaIO₃-induced p38 and JNK phosphorylation, IκB degradation, and NF-κB activation while downregulating IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression. In vivo, cynarin reduced drusen-like lesions, hyperfluorescent abnormalities, and retinal thinning, and dose-dependently suppressed ocular pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusions: Cynarin protects against oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration by suppressing MAPK and NF-κB inflammatory signaling, representing a promising therapeutic candidate for preventing or delaying NaIO₃-induced dry AMD-like retinal injury. Full article

Background: Emergency Department (ED) viral hepatitis screening programs typically report short-term outcomes. We evaluated the medium-term impact of an ED-based screening for Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis B (HBV), and Hepatitis D (HDV) viruses. Methods: Prospective opportunistic screening conducted between January 2020 and December 2024 at a referral hospital in Barcelona. Adults attending the ED were screened for HBV, HCV, and HDV. Positive cases were evaluated and linked to care when appropriate. To assess screening impact, HCV RNA and HBsAg prevalences were compared between 2020–2021 and 2023–2024 among participants aged ≤80 years. Results: Over five years, 39,532 individuals were screened: 220 (0.56%) had detectable HCV RNA, 234 (0.59%) HBsAg, and 4 HDV RNA. Of 110 patients with detectable HCV RNA eligible for linkage, 84 (76%) were treated and cured. Among 135 HBV-positive individuals eligible for linkage, 116 (86%) attended outpatient follow-up. HCV RNA prevalence significantly decreased (0.58% vs. 0.35%, p = 0.005), whereas HBsAg prevalence did not vary (0.7% vs. 0.58%, p = 0.224). Conclusions: Sustained ED-based screening enabled the identification and linkage to care of several individuals with HBV and HCV. This strategy contributed to a reduction in HCV prevalence among ED attendees and supports opportunistic ED screening in viral hepatitis elimination goals. Full article