Search Results (16,233)

Background: Helicobacter pylori infection is a common chronic bacterial infection and an established cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Environmental and host metal status may interact with gastric inflammatory and microbial processes, and infection-related changes in gastric acidity, mucosal permeability, and metal handling may in turn alter local tissue concentrations. This study compared systemic and gastric tissue concentrations of seven elements in adults with histopathologically confirmed H. pylori infection and uninfected controls. Methods: This single-center case–control study included 110 adults undergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (55 H. pylori-positive and 55 H. pylori-negative). H. pylori status was established by hematoxylin–eosin and modified Giemsa staining. Whole blood collected in purple-top K₂EDTA tubes was analyzed for As, Pb, Cd, and Sn; serum obtained from yellow-top serum-separator tubes containing clot activator and separator gel was analyzed for Al, Co, and Ni. A separate fresh antral biopsy, not the formalin-fixed histology specimen, was used for ICP-MS; tissue concentrations were normalized to recorded dry weight. Between-group metal comparisons were corrected as one family of 14 tests using Benjamini–Hochberg FDR. Prespecified age- and sex-adjusted models and an exploratory multivariable model were supplemented by ROC, PCA, and internally cross-validated PLS-DA analyses. Results: The H. pylori-positive group was older than the negative group (55.65 ± 15.01 vs. 52.42 ± 12.53 years). Blood aluminum was nominally higher in the positive group (p = 0.032; q = 0.112). In gastric tissue, aluminum was higher [0.23 (0.13–13.40) vs. 0.13 (0.10–0.23) μg/g dry weight; p < 0.001; q = 0.002], whereas arsenic was lower [1.35 (0.54–2.02) vs. 1.92 (1.47–2.43) μg/g dry weight; p < 0.001; q = 0.003] in H. pylori-positive participants. Tissue cobalt and blood/tissue nickel differences did not remain significant after FDR correction. In prespecified age- and sex-adjusted models, tissue arsenic showed an inverse association (OR = 0.431, 95% CI 0.263–0.705; p = 0.0008), whereas tissue aluminum showed a positive association (OR = 4.957, 95% CI 1.629–15.085; p = 0.0048). In the exploratory joint model, only tissue aluminum remained significant (adjusted OR = 4.016, 95% CI 1.119–14.417; p = 0.033). The joint model had an apparent within-cohort AUC of 0.774; repeated five-fold cross-validated PLS-DA yielded an AUC of 0.707. Conclusions: Histopathologically confirmed H. pylori status was associated with compartment-specific metal concentration patterns, particularly higher tissue aluminum and lower tissue arsenic. Because the study was cross-sectional and measured total concentrations, these findings do not establish environmental exposure, temporal accumulation, toxicity, or a causal direction. The regression and multivariate findings are exploratory and require validation in independent cohorts with standardized tissue sampling, arsenic speciation, exposure assessment, and quantitative gastric pathology. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vaccination represents one of the most significant achievements of modern medicine and public health. However, the scope, mandatory status, and vaccination coverage vary considerably across European countries. Methods: This narrative review compares selected elements of vaccination programmes in Poland, purposively selected EU/EEA countries, and the United Kingdom. Official data from the WHO, UNICEF, ECDC, EMA, and national sources were used to delineate vaccination policies, reimbursement models, delivery arrangements, coverage rates, and educational approaches. Due to temporal and methodological heterogeneity, the findings were interpreted descriptively. Results: Poland, together with Latvia, has the largest number of vaccinations classified as mandatory among the EU/EEA countries included in this comparison. Vaccination is mandatory in only nine EU/EEA countries; however, several countries without such policies also report high vaccination coverage in settings characterized by extensive public education and accessible vaccination services. Adult vaccination policies, recommendations, and reimbursement frameworks for influenza, pneumococcal, and RSV vaccines vary significantly depending on the country, target population, age criteria, and scope of funding. Conclusions: This comparison indicates a potential gap between the structured delivery of childhood vaccinations and the predominantly recommendation-based adult vaccination approach in Poland. Strategies utilized in selected European countries suggest that life-course vaccination continuity can be enhanced through accessible delivery systems, adequate reimbursement, systematic assessment of vaccination status, active engagement of healthcare professionals, sustained public communication, and trust-building. Mandatory status alone should not be regarded as sufficient to ensure high vaccination coverage. Full article

The paper shows the effect of organic fining agents on the formation of the elemental composition of young white wine of the Chardonnay variety. Substances of plant and animal origin and their mixtures were used as fining agents in the clarification of wines. The results were compared with clarification with activated calcium bentonite. In the untreated young wines from different areas of grape cultivation the concentrations of macroelements were 707–837 mg/L; minor elements—5.05–9.67 mg/L; microelements—0.033–0.058 mg/L; and rare earth elements (REEs)—0.001–1.350 µg/L. It was noted that organic agents have a smaller effect on the mineral composition of wine. The content of macroelements in wine decreased, regardless of the fining agent used (p < 0.01). After treatment with organic agents, the concentrations of Ti, Sr, Na and Ca increased, while the concentrations of Cu, Zr, Mo, Cs, Ba, W, Fe, Rb and K decreased. No increase in the REE content was observed. A moderate correlation (Pearson r = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.44–0.85, n = 30, p < 0.0001) was established between the applied concentration of Na in wine and its concentration in the fining agent. Despite changes, the elemental “image” of wine allows us to correctly determine the geographical origin of the drink. The most reliable markers were Li and Mn. Full article

Fruit aroma is a key factor shaping the commercial value of pears. MYB and ERF transcription factors (TFs) are involved in regulating the biosynthesis of fruit aroma compounds, yet the mechanisms underlying their synergistic regulation of pear aroma formation remain elusive. Calcium signaling exerts an important role in fruit aroma biosynthesis; nevertheless, how calcium signaling mediates MYB-ERF transcription factors to participate in pear aroma biosynthesis remains unclear. Here, transcriptomic profiling of calcium-treated pear fruits screened two significantly upregulated TFs, PuMYB44 and PuERF118, as candidate genes. Phylogenetic analysis and conserved domain characterization further suggested that these two genes may be involved in regulating fatty acid biosynthesis. Transient overexpression experiments in pear fruits revealed that the co-expression of PuMYB44 and PuERF118 synergistically activated a set of fatty acid biosynthesis genes, including PuFAD2, PuFAD3, PuFAD8, PuLOX5, PuLOX21, and PuSCD. Meanwhile, the co-expression markedly increased the contents of key aroma volatiles, such as ethyl acetate, 1-hexanol, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate and hexadecane. Yeast two-hybrid and luciferase complementation assays confirmed an interaction between PuMYB44 and PuERF118. Analysis of the PuFAD8 promoter sequence revealed a conserved MYB-binding motif and an ERF-responsive cis-acting element. Dual-luciferase reporter assays further confirmed that both PuMYB44 and PuERF118 can independently activate PuFAD8 transcription, and that the synergistic activation effect resulting from the co-expression of these two factors is significantly stronger than that observed when either factor is expressed alone. In summary, this study elucidated a calcium-responsive transcriptional module underlying the biosynthesis of pear aroma and provided potential molecular targets for improving the flavor quality of pear fruit. Full article

The present investigation delineates the mechanistic landscape governing the [1 + 2] cycloaddition of CO₂ with triplet monomeric pnictinidenes ([G15–Rea]³; G15 = Group 15 element) and identifies the principal energetic factors controlling their periodic reactivity. The computed potential-energy profiles support a stepwise mechanism in which cycloaddition is initiated on the triplet potential-energy surface through [G15–TS]³, followed by a singlet–triplet surface-crossing event at [G15–T/S] and subsequent relaxation to the singlet heterocyclic products [G15–Prod]¹. ASM analysis reveals that the activation barriers are governed primarily by the deformation penalty associated with CO₂, whereas deformation of the pnictinidene and interfragment interaction contribute comparatively little to the overall barrier. The systematic increase in this deformation penalty with increasing G15 atomic radius provides a direct energetic basis for the progressive attenuation of reactivity from the lighter to the heavier pnictinidenes. Taken together, these findings establish a deformation-controlled origin for the periodic reactivity trend and provide a qualitative theoretical framework for assessing the feasibility and mechanistic implications of the proposed experimental observations. Full article

Durian is highly sensitive to chilling temperatures, which restrict its cultivation beyond tropical regions. In this study, one-year-old seedlings of the cultivars ‘Musang King’ and ‘Monthong’ were exposed to 10 °C for 7 days to characterize their phenotypic, physiological, and transcriptional responses. Leaf phenotype, membrane injury, osmotic adjustment, photosynthetic pigment contents, amylase activity, and antioxidant enzyme activities were evaluated, and transcriptome sequencing was performed using samples collected before chilling treatment and after 1 and 5 days of exposure. ‘Monthong’ exhibited earlier and visually more extensive leaf abscission than ‘Musang King’, while the two cultivars showed contrasting temporal patterns of malondialdehyde accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activities. Comparative transcriptome analysis was subsequently used to construct a Musang King-focused discovery set comprising genes prioritized based on progressive induction patterns and higher transcript abundance in ‘Musang King’. Because AP2/ERF transcription factors were represented in this discovery set, the DREB gene family was characterized at the whole-genome level. A total of 81 DzDREB genes were identified and classified into six subgroups. Integration of transcriptomic response patterns, stress-related functional annotations, and promoter cis-regulatory elements supported the prioritization of a ten-gene DzDREB panel for further investigation. Exploratory seasonal field-expression profiling provided additional support for seven candidates, among which DzDREB36, DzDREB45, DzDREB62, and DzDREB66 showed comparatively stronger support across datasets. These results provide candidate resources for further functional investigation of differential chilling responses in durian. Full article

Rare actinobacteria are promising sources of specialized metabolites, yet genome mining still prioritizes genomes encoding many biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) rather than clusters that are distant from characterized chemistry. Here, we describe the isolation of a novel Jiangella strain reported from a marine, animal-associated plastisphere and place its biosynthetic repertoire in the context of the whole genus, providing a genome-based prioritization of candidate biosynthetic targets. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (57.8%) and OrthoANIu (94.65%) values against its closest relative, J. alba DSM 45237ᵀ, support its assignment as a candidate novel species, although formal species description will require additional phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characterization. antiSMASH predicted twelve BGCs, within the range observed across the genus (7–13), of which only one matched a characterized pathway, and the Biosynthetic Novelty Index of the genome was 865.3, the fourth highest among the twelve genomes analyzed. Across these genomes, 124 BGCs grouped into 70 gene cluster families, 74% of them strain-specific. Two families without any characterized representative, a lasso-peptide family and a RiPP recognition element-containing family, were instead conserved across a subclade, down to nearly identical precursor peptides. No antimicrobial activity was detected under the conditions tested. Genus-wide comparison therefore identifies conserved yet uncharacterized families as rational priorities that cluster counts alone would miss. Full article

Temperature stress is a major constraint on the productivity of microalgae used in aquaculture. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is well-established as a key player in the stress tolerance of higher plants, yet its role in microalgae remains largely unexplored. Here, we examined the effects of low (15 °C), optimal (25 °C), and high (35 °C) temperatures on the GABA shunt in Isochrysis zhanjiangensis during the initial and mid-exponential growth phases. The results demonstrated that temperature stress significantly inhibited cell growth and photosynthetic efficiency (assessed by Fv/Fm and Fv’/Fm’), with soluble protein decreasing and soluble sugar accumulating. During the initial exponential phase, both low and high temperature stress triggered marked GABA accumulation, accompanied by coordinated increases in glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities. Interestingly, the transcript levels of IzGAD and IzDAO decreased under these conditions, suggesting that GABA accumulation at this stage is predominantly governed by post-translational activation rather than transcriptional upregulation. Upon entry into the mid-exponential phase, a distinct phase-dependent shift in GABA biosynthetic regulation emerged. Under low temperature stress, GAD activity and IzGAD expression were both suppressed, whereas DAO activity and IzDAO transcripts increased significantly, indicating the transition to DAO-mediated GABA production as the dominant route. Under high temperature stress, both GAD and DAO activities increased, yet their corresponding gene transcription remained repressed, revealing a persistent asynchrony between enzyme activities and gene expression across both phases. Meanwhile, the expression of catabolic genes (IzGABA-T, IzSSADH1, and IzSSADH2) was consistently downregulated, further facilitating the net accumulation of GABA. Promoter analysis revealed multiple stress- and hormone-responsive cis-elements in these genes, implying a complex regulatory network. Collectively, our findings uncover a growth-phase-dependent reconfiguration of GABA biosynthetic pathways in I. zhanjiangensis under temperature stress. These insights provide a mechanistic basis for strain-specific temperature management in aquaculture applications. Full article

Fimbristylis ochotensis (Meinsh.) Kom. is a rare and vulnerable plant species of significant scientific and ecological importance. It is an obligate thermophyte that grows exclusively around hot springs and geothermal fields on the Kamchatka Peninsula and in northern Japan. For the first time, the elemental composition of Fimbristylis ochotensis and its associated soils was determined using neutron activation analysis, supplemented with ICP-OES and a direct mercury analyzer, on samples collected from three hot spring zones on the Kamchatka Peninsula. In total, 43 elements were quantified in soil samples and 31 elements in plant samples. Both soil and plant material collected near different hot springs exhibited significant variation in elemental composition. Mass fractions of most elements were higher in soil samples, with the exceptions of Zn, Br, Rb, Cs, and Cd. Enrichment factor values indicated moderate to extreme soil enrichment in As, Br, Cd, Sb, and W, while transfer factors greater than unity were obtained for K, Rb, Cs, Br, Zn, S, and Cd, suggesting efficient accumulation of these elements by the plant from the soil. Full article

The global tea industry generates millions of tons of waste annually, yet the bacteria capable of degrading this recalcitrant biomass remain poorly characterized. This study performed whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of six bacterial strains isolated from oolong tea residue fermentation: Bacillus sp., Paenibacillus sp., Pantoea sp., two Pseudomonas isolates, and Stenotrophomonas sp. Genome sizes ranged from 3.61 to 6.33 Mbp, with GC content from 43.2% to 66.5%. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis confirmed species-level identification for Paenibacillus (ANI > 95%), Pantoea (ANI > 95%), and both Pseudomonas isolates (ANI > 95%), while the Bacillus and Stenotrophomonas isolates showed ANI < 95% to all reference genomes, suggesting potential taxonomic novelty requiring further characterization. Antimicrobial resistance genes were detected only in Bacillus (cat86, dfrG) and Pantoea (oqxB). Genome-wide MGE profiling identified 349 MGE-associated genes across all six strains, including 101 IS elements, 61 integron-associated genes, and 183 plasmid-associated genes; tetracycline resistance-associated gene homologs were additionally detected in four strains below CARD thresholds. Virulence-associated gene profiling revealed that the 32 factors identified in Pseudomonas isolates primarily encode motility, biofilm formation, and secretion system components, traits associated with environmental adaptation rather than pathogenicity. Carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) annotation identified conserved plant biomass-degrading capabilities across all isolates. Descriptive comparisons suggested potential differences in enzyme profiles relative to isolation time: early-stage isolates appeared to harbor more hemicellulose-degrading enzymes, while late-stage isolates showed more lignin- and polyphenol-related enzyme annotations; however, these patterns require experimental validation. This genomic resource provides a foundation for understanding bacterial adaptation to tea waste environments and informs candidate strain selection for future inoculant development studies. Full article

This study aimed to elucidate the role of Lactococcus G423 in regulating the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) signaling pathway and gut microbiota, and to investigate the mechanisms underlying its potential to improve lipid metabolism in broilers. In this trial, 960 one-day-old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group (CON), a low-dose Lactococcus G423 group (Lac-L), and a high-dose Lactococcus G423 group (Lac-H). Each group consisted of eight replicates, with 40 individuals per replicate. Compared with the CON group, the Lac-L and Lac-H groups showed no significant differences in ADFI (Average Daily Feed Intake), ADG (Average Daily Gain), FCR (Feed Conversion Ratio), breast muscle yield, leg muscle yield, or abdominal fat yield (p > 0.05). Compared with the control group, neither Lac-L nor Lac-H affected serum TG (Triglyceride) or LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) levels (p > 0.05). However, both Lac-L and Lac-H significantly decreased serum CHO (Cholesterol) and increased serum HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) (p < 0.05). Regarding the AMPK signaling pathway, both the Lac-L and Lac-H groups significantly downregulated the hepatic mRNA expression of Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) (p < 0.05). The Lac-L groups significantly increased the mRNA expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Sterol Regulatory Element-Binding Protein 1 (SREBP1) (p < 0.05), and the Lac-H groups significantly increased the mRNA expression of Apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1) and Protein kinase B (PKB) (p < 0.05) and significantly reduced the mRNA expression of Fatty acid-binding protein 1 (FABP1) (p < 0.05), compared to the CON group. Gut microbiota analysis indicated that both treatment groups exhibited significantly increased α-diversity indices (p < 0.05) and altered microbial composition at an order level comparable with that of the CON group. Specifically, the abundances of beneficial families such as Lachnospirales and Lactobacillales were elevated, while significant changes were observed in other taxa including Ruminococcaceae and Akkermansiaceae (p < 0.05). These changes corresponded with significant differences in the MDI and GMHI (p < 0.05). In conclusion, Lactococcus G423 may regulate lipid metabolism in broilers through the combined modulation of the AMPK signaling pathway and the gut microbiota. Specifically, Lactococcus G423 appears to regulate broiler lipid metabolism by modulating the gut microbiota–hepatic lipid metabolism axis. Full article

Rubber compounds intended for Mars exploration missions must remain elastic at extremely low temperatures while being manufactured in a reliable and energy-efficient manner. In this study, the effect of vulcanization temperature (100–160 °C) on the network structure and properties of butadiene/silicone rubber (BR/VMQ) blends was investigated, comparing a conventional sulfur curing system (REF) with the same system activated by fluoride anion obtained from tetra-n-butylammonium fluoride (TBAF). The fluoride anion acts as an in situ activator of elemental sulfur, through the opening of the S₈ ring, facilitating the crosslinking process at significantly lower temperatures. Fluoride enabled rapid vulcanization at 100–120 °C, shortening the optimum cure time from 129.1 min to 61.4 min at 100 °C and from 36.7 min to 16.9 min at 120 °C. Equilibrium swelling and thiol-amine analysis revealed opposite structural responses to lowered curing temperature: the crosslink density of the reference compounds increased (from 1.25 × 10⁻⁴ to 1.56 × 10⁻⁴ mol/cm³ between 160 °C and 120 °C), whereas that of the TBAF-containing compounds decreased (from 1.32 × 10⁻⁴ to 0.60 × 10⁻⁴ mol/cm³ between 160 °C and 100 °C), yielding networks dominated by elastic polysulfidic crosslinks (up to 97.2%). We attribute this to a suppressed crosslink maturation under conditions of reduced thermal energy and shortened curing time. Low-temperature curing also suppressed the crystallization of the VMQ phase (melting enthalpy decreasing from 1.23 J/g to 0.21 J/g for TBAF compounds), which we hypothesize results from insufficient energy for phase separation and regular chain packing in this strongly immiscible blend. TBAF-cured compounds exhibited lower tanδ peaks, a stable tanδ plateau between approximately −60 °C and +20 °C, a tanδ-peak shift towards lower temperatures with decreasing curing temperature, and higher elongation at break and tensile strength at −40 °C. The results show that low-temperature, fluoride-activated vulcanization is a promising route for tailoring BR/VMQ networks towards stable dynamic performance across the Martian daily temperature range. Full article

Long-term transgene silencing remains a major challenge in lentiviral gene delivery, particularly in pluripotent stem cells undergoing lineage-specific differentiation. Universal chromatin opening elements (UCOEs) have emerged as effective regulatory elements for protecting transgene expression against epigenetic silencing; however, their relatively large-size limits vector design flexibility. In the present study, we evaluated the anti-silencing activity of three next-generation UCOE constructs (1.7 kb, 1.2 kb, and a newly developed minimal 0.5 kb fragment) during long-term culture and neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). UCOE fragments were cloned into self-inactivating lentiviral vectors and validated by restriction enzyme analysis and agarose gel electrophoresis. Lentiviral particles produced in HEK293T cells were used to transduce human iPSCs, followed by neuronal differentiation. Transgene expression was monitored for up to 60 days using fluorescence microscopy, confocal immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and vector copy number analysis by quantitative PCR. All UCOE-containing vectors demonstrated significantly improved transgene stability compared with the UCOE-less control throughout both the undifferentiated and differentiated stages. The UCOE-containing constructs maintained substantially greater expression stability than the UCOE-less control, with the minimal 0.5 kb UCOE showing long-term performance comparable to the larger UCOE constructs. These findings demonstrate that considerable UCOE minimization can be achieved without markedly compromising anti-silencing activity, providing a potential vector-design advantage by reducing the regulatory cassette footprint and increasing available vector capacity. The compact 0.5 kb UCOE therefore represents a promising regulatory element for sustained transgene expression in stem cell engineering, disease modeling, regenerative medicine, and future gene therapy applications. However, the present study did not directly assess genomic safety, insertional effects, genotoxicity, or cellular transformation, and dedicated preclinical studies will be required to determine the long-term safety and in vivo performance of this compact UCOE configuration. Full article

Open-Set Recognition (OSR) in Remote Sensing Scene Images (RSSIs) is severely hindered by complex backgrounds, which obscure the generative failures of unknown classes in traditional reconstruction-based methods. To address this, we propose a Semantic-Driven Adversarial Reconstruction (SDAR) framework that shifts the OSR paradigm to targeted semantic verification. A two-stage training protocol is utilized: the encoder is first trained via classification to extract high-level semantic features, after which the decoder is unfrozen for joint training to achieve semantic-level reconstruction. Driven by these semantics, a Class Activation Map (CAM) is used to dynamically mask only the core semantic elements, and a background-agnostic loss forces the model to exclusively reconstruct these critical parts rather than complex backgrounds. Consequently, the model solely masters the generative essence of known semantics; when presented with unknown categories lacking these identified semantic rules, it inevitably fails to reconstruct their masked cores, yielding a highly discriminative metric for OSR. Full article

Madinah, Saudi Arabia, is a hot-desert pilgrimage city receiving millions of religious visitors annually, yet its fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has not been chemically characterized. The city whose population is periodically influx by millions of religious visitors, generating concentrated increases in vehicular activity while simultaneously exposing a large transient population to ambient air pollution. Despite this, its fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has not been chemically characterized. Twenty-four-hour PM_2.5 samples were collected at five urban sites between December 2014 and February 2016 and analyzed for black carbon, water-soluble inorganic ions, and trace elements; sources were resolved by enrichment factors and positive matrix factorization (PMF), and screening-level inhalation risks estimated for eight PM_2.5-bound metals. Site means ranged from 37.7 ± 20.5 µg m⁻³ at Uhad to 103 ± 50.7 µg m⁻³ at Al-Awali, exceeding the World Health Organization 24-h guideline of 15 µg m⁻³ at all sites in every season. Observed site–cycle means ranged from 37.7 ± 20.5 µg m⁻³ at Uhad to 103 ± 50.7 µg m⁻³ at Al-Awali, with concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization 24-h guideline of 15 µg m⁻³ across the monitored site–cycle datasets. Reconstructed mass was dominated by organic matter (53–80.5%) and crustal material (15–53%). Sulfate was the dominant water-soluble ion, but secondary inorganic aerosols contributed only 1–22% of mass, resembling rapidly urbanizing arid cities rather than Asian or European megacities. PMF resolved five sources: crustal dust, industrial mixed dust, oil combustion, vehicular emissions, and secondary aerosols. Hazard quotients remained below unity and cumulative carcinogenic risks below 10⁻⁶, principally from chromium and nickel. Because these measurements precede the Vision 2030 urban-transformation program, they establish a chemically resolved reference state for evaluating future air-quality change in Madinah. Full article