Search Results (10,159)

The number of individuals affected by dementia and cognitive decline is progressively increasing, becoming a serious global health challenge. Several investigations underline the role of nutrition and dietary habits as a preventive strategy. Recent studies suggest that dietary supplementation with polyphenols may constitute an efficient preventive strategy. Indeed, it is emerging that polyphenols exhibit a neuroprotective effect because of their pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Notably, several studies underline the role of the gut microbiota in the metabolism of the polyphenols, producing bioactive molecules that are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. They may exhibit beneficial effects on the central nervous system. Moreover, dietary polyphenols modulate gut microbiota composition, demonstrating a reciprocal regulation between gut microbiota and polyphenol-induced effects on brain functions. Thus, polyphenols are proposed to have an important role on the gut–microbiota–brain axis regulation. The literature search for this narrative review was conducted across three electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science as well as the NIH ClinicalTrials.gov registry, covering the period from January 2000 to 10 February 2026. The following search terms were used: “polyphenols”, “microbiota”, “gut–brain axis”, “dementia”, “cognitive function”, “polyphenols and cognitive dysfunction”, and “polyphenols and microbiota”. The study selection process was performed in two sequential stages: (i) screening of titles and abstracts, followed by (ii) full-text assessment for eligibility. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed studies (in vitro, in vivo, or clinical trials), published in English, and addressed the effects of polyphenols on cognitive outcomes, gut microbiota composition, or the gut–microbiota–brain axis. Exclusion criteria included non-peer-reviewed sources, studies lacking relevant cognitive or microbiota-related endpoints, and publications not available in full. Full article

Presbycusis, or age-related hearing loss (ARHL), is a multifactorial disorder characterized by a gradual, bilateral sensorineural decline in hearing sensitivity, predominantly affecting high-frequency sounds. It is one of the most common chronic conditions in the aging population and represents a major public health concern due to its high prevalence and progressive nature. Presbycusis significantly impairs speech perception, especially in noisy environments, leading to communication difficulties, reduced social participation, increased risk of social isolation, and a decline in quality of life. Moreover, growing evidence highlights a strong association between ARHL and cognitive impairment, dementia, depression, and increased frailty in older adults. The etiology of presbycusis is complex and involves the interplay between genetic predisposition and cumulative environmental and lifestyle-related factors. Genetic susceptibility influences cochlear aging, neural degeneration, and vulnerability to external insults. Non-genetic contributors include chronic noise exposure, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and dyslipidemia, ototoxic medications, smoking, and other lifestyle factors that may accelerate cochlear damage through oxidative stress and microvascular dysfunction. This narrative review aims to provide an updated overview of the genetic and environmental determinants involved in the development and progression of presbycusis. Furthermore, it discusses the clinical implications of these factors for early identification, audiological evaluation, prevention strategies, and personalized management approaches. A better understanding of the multifactorial nature of presbycusis may support the development of targeted interventions to preserve hearing function and improve overall health outcomes in the aging population. Full article

Background: PPP1CB-related Noonan syndrome-like disorder with loose anagen hair type 2 (NSLH2; OMIM #617506) is a rare RASopathy caused by pathogenic variants in PPP1CB, encoding the catalytic beta subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1C). Since its first description in 2016, only a limited number of patients have been reported, leaving the full phenotypic spectrum and genotype–phenotype correlations largely undefined. Objectives: To systematically review the clinical, molecular, and functional characteristics of NSLH2, we define its phenotypic spectrum, explore genotype–phenotype correlations, and summarize current evidence on therapeutic management. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, supplemented by searches of Orphanet, OMIM, and ClinVar, from 2016 to 2026. Studies reporting patients with pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in PPP1CB were included. Individual patient-level data were extracted and analyzed descriptively. Additionally, we report a novel patient identified at our institution. Results: Thirty patients from 14 publications were included, harboring nine distinct PPP1CB variants. The most frequently identified variant was p.Pro49Arg (n = 17, 56.7%), followed by p.Met182Lys (n = 4, 13.3%) and p.Glu183Ala (n = 3, 10.0%). The majority of variants arose de novo (n = 26, 86.7%). Ectodermal anomalies, predominantly slow-growing and structurally abnormal hair consistent with loose anagen hair, were present in 79.3% of patients. Congenital heart defects were identified in 75.9%, with pulmonary stenosis and atrial septal defect representing the most common lesions. Short stature was documented in 69.2% of cases, and neurodevelopmental delay—encompassing motor and language delay—affected the majority of patients (72.4–84.6%). Brain structural anomalies were detected in 35.7%. Facial dysmorphic features were universal. Macrocephaly was present in 58.6% of cases, intellectual disability was reported in 26.9%, and epilepsy in 6.7%. Three familial cases with inherited p.Met182Lys transmission from an affected mother to three children are described, representing the largest reported familial cluster. Conclusions: NSLH2 is a clinically recognizable RASopathy with a consistent core phenotype comprising loose anagen hair, congenital heart defects, short stature, macrocephaly, and neurodevelopmental delay. The p.Pro49Arg variant accounts for the majority of reported cases and appears associated with a broad phenotypic expression. Larger cohorts and functional studies are needed to fully delineate genotype–phenotype correlations and guide therapeutic strategies. Full article

This paper investigates how sustainable public procurement (SPP) is operationalised in school catering in the Metropolitan City of Rome and how it reshapes market conditions affecting the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region. While SPP is widely framed as a lever for sustainability and local development, its concrete effects on SME inclusion and supply-chain organisation remain underexplored. Drawing on procurement document analysis and supply-chain reconstruction in the Metropolitan City of Rome, the study examines how sustainability criteria—such as organic quotas, traceability requirements and quality standards—are translated into operational requirements. The findings show that SPP goes beyond the simple performative addition of sustainability requirements to existing markets and actively reorganises market coordination structures and supply-chain relations. Procurement shapes not only what is sourced, but also how logistics, continuity of supply, and coordination are organised across the agri-food chain. SME participation emerges as conditional and capability-dependent rather than automatically enabled by sustainability-oriented procurement. In fragmented agri-food systems, smaller firms often participate indirectly through intermediaries or larger catering operators rather than through direct access to contracts. Rather than interpreting these dynamics as a simple exclusion of SMEs, the paper argues that SPP operates as a form of selective and asymmetrical market-shaping, redistributing participation opportunities unevenly across actors depending on their organisational and coordination capacities. The paper contributes to the literature by conceptualising procurement as a governance instrument whose effects depend on the interaction between procurement architecture, sustainability requirements, and the structural characteristics of the supply base. More broadly, it highlights the importance of aligning sustainability objectives with existing supply-chain capacities and territorial market structures when designing procurement policies. Full article

The analysis of publicly expressed opinions on social media is crucial for designing effective behavioral public policies. By considering both social-media-based public opinion (operationalized as individual, non-representative expressions) and official governmental positions (formal policy statements), this paper employs a systemic case study to understand the political and social factors that influence decision-making in major international events such as Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge. Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic clustering and correlation analysis, this study examines public opinion from five language groups (Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian, each mapped to a primary country or region: China, the US/UK as representative English-speaking countries, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia respectively) regarding Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge, compares governmental attitudes across these five national contexts, and identifies the factors behind their divergence. Public opinion was clustered into six themes; combined with domain expert analysis, they vary significantly across countries that speak different languages in our translated Twitter corpus, though translation artifacts may affect fine-grained comparisons. Public opinion as expressed on Twitter/X is closely associated with a country’s level of international engagement, maritime industry development, and geographic distance from Japan. Furthermore, exploratory analysis of a small set of six countries suggests that governmental positions are influenced more by strategic and economic ties with Japan than by domestic public opinion. Given the small sample size, this finding is preliminary and requires validation in larger-N studies. Public and government opinions on Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge are sharply divided in the English- and Japanese-language corpora (representing the US/UK and Japan), polarized in the Korean-language corpus (South Korea), and relatively aligned in the Chinese- and Indonesian-language corpora (China and Indonesia). These findings regarding the entire international event system suggest that governments should take public opinion into greater account when addressing international public crises and encourage broader public participation through digital platforms to better respond to global challenges. However, due to the inherent limitations of cross-lingual translation, our cross-country comparisons should be interpreted as indicative rather than definitive. Full article

Introduction: The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), an endangered scavenger, plays an important role in ecosystem health and corpse decomposition processes. However, populations have been declining throughout the Indian subcontinent, mainly due to anthropogenic influences. The present study explores how human activities affect the scavenging ecology and feeding behavior of Egyptian vultures in Gonda District, Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Methods: The observations were conducted from January to June 2025. Systematic field observations were conducted at certain dumping locations. Point count sampling techniques were used to capture information on interspecific interactions, food type, feeding duration, and frequency of foraging. Results: The findings showed that vultures relied extensively on manmade food sources, mainly animal carcasses (57%), poultry waste (25%), and market rubbish (10%). Feeding activity peaked in the morning (08:00–11:00 h), coinciding with carcass disposal times at dump sites. Feral dogs, cattle egrets, and crows frequently engaged in interspecific conflict, limiting feeding time and food availability. Dependence on human-mediated food sources demonstrates both adaptation and susceptibility—adaptability in exploiting alternative resources, but vulnerability due to potential exposure to toxins, diminished food supply, and habitat disruption. Conclusions: The study underlines the critical need for better waste management techniques, construction of vulture feeding zones, and public awareness campaigns to support the long-term conservation of Egyptian Vultures in human-modified environments. Full article

The rapid proliferation of Large Language Models (LLMs) is increasing electricity demand from data centers, creating new challenges for power-demand forecasting and grid planning. A key difficulty is that architecture- and deployment-related information that affects inference load is often private to LLM providers. This paper proposes a two-stage, mechanism-assisted forecasting framework under information asymmetry. In the first stage, a stylized incentive mechanism elicits verifiable reduced-form demand parameters from LLM providers at a chosen reporting precision. In the second stage, the elicited parameters are incorporated into forecasting models as architecture- and deployment-informed features. Using calibrated synthetic scenarios constructed from public data-center energy reports, open LLM-inference energy benchmarks, and secondary public estimates, we find that incorporating elicited parameters reduces the mean squared error (MSE) of the ResNet forecasting backbone by 65.1% relative to an architecture-agnostic ResNet baseline. Similar improvements are observed for a gradient-boosting model, indicating that the main empirical value comes from procuring informative provider-side demand features rather than from a specific neural architecture. The results should be interpreted as a proof-of-concept demonstration rather than a full operational model of LLM serving or power-system dispatch. Full article

Background/Objectives: Residues of β-lactam antibiotics in foods of animal origin are important for official residue control and public-health risk assessment. Sample storage conditions may affect the measured concentrations of these analytes, whereas cooking may influence consumer exposure. This study evaluated the stability of six β-lactam antibiotics—amoxicillin, ampicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, benzylpenicillin, cefazolin, and cefotaxime—and clavulanic acid, a β-lactamase inhibitor, in chicken meat during storage and thermal processing. Methods: Incurred chicken meat samples were obtained after in vivo administration of the studied compounds. Stability was assessed during storage at +4 °C, −20 °C, and −86 °C for up to 165 days, during repeated freeze–thaw handling, and during heating at 100 °C for up to 30 min. The target compounds were quantified by HPLC–MS/MS after acetonitrile extraction and hexane clean-up. Results: The studied compounds were unstable at +4 °C, with concentrations decreasing below the detection limit within 3–27 days depending on the compound. Storage at −20 °C was insufficient for long-term preservation of most penicillins, whereas −86 °C improved stability. Cefazolin was the most stable compound under the tested storage conditions, while cefotaxime was the least stable. Heating at 100 °C for 30 min caused substantial reduction in parent-compound concentrations, ranging from 63.8 ± 4.0% for cefazolin to complete disappearance below the detection limit for cefotaxime. Conclusions: For reliable official residue analysis, chicken meat samples intended for β-lactam testing should be stored at −86 °C whenever long-term storage is required. Repeated thawing should be avoided. Cooking substantially reduces the concentrations of the parent compounds but cannot be considered a reliable safety measure, because degradation may be incomplete and degradation products were not assessed in this study. Full article

Social mobility is a central indicator of socioeconomic development. It indicates the improvement of an individual’s socioeconomic position across generations. Recently, welfare policies, education, and redistribution schemes have received increasing attention from the academic community as they affect social mobility outcomes. Despite the growing volume of literature, there is an inadequate linkage between research on social mobility and social policy. This study uses a bibliometric analysis of 389 Scopus-indexed articles to examine research on social mobility and social policy from 1990 to 2025. The findings highlight the relationship between the impacts of policy interventions on social mobility. Performance analysis and science mapping are used, which provide insight into publication trends and leading contributors and reveal the intellectual and conceptual structures of the research field. Studies are concentrated in developed economies such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Further, in the science mapping analysis, co-word analysis is followed by bibliographic coupling, which reveals emerging trends and promising themes. The study provides a comprehensive synthesis of the conceptual and intellectual evolution of social mobility research, offers insights for policymakers and highlights the future direction of interdisciplinary research. Full article

Dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), represents one of the most pressing public health challenges of the 21st century, affecting more than 55 million individuals worldwide, with projections reaching 139 million by 2050. Current pharmacological treatments offer limited efficacy and significant side effects, driving intense interest in plant-derived natural products as both preventive and therapeutic agents. This review synthesizes preclinical and clinical evidence for key phytochemical classes, including polyphenols, phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and alkaloids, in the context of dementia and age-related cognitive decline. Molecular mechanisms are examined in detail, including effects on antioxidant defense and redox homeostasis, suppression of neuroinflammation, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission. Despite promising preclinical and epidemiological evidence, most clinical trials remain limited in scale and duration and provide mixed results on the efficacy of using phytochemicals for cognitive health. Among the compounds with the most consistent clinical support are the ginkgo diterpene extract EGb 761, saffron carotenoids, curcumin, and rosmarinic acid. A dedicated section addresses the emerging evidence for aromatherapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for behavioral and cognitive symptoms of dementia. Future directions include strategies to improve bioavailability of phytochemicals, the utilization of aromatherapy together with oral supplements, and the need for larger randomized controlled trials using well-characterized and reproducibly manufactured formulations and purified active compounds. Priority areas for future investigation include resolving pharmacokinetic barriers to central nervous system (CNS) delivery, standardizing herbal product composition, and conducting adequately designed clinical trials in well-defined patient populations. Full article

Accurate estimation of soil total nitrogen (TN) and soil organic matter (SOM) is important for sustainable soil fertility assessment and precision nutrient management. Visible–near-infrared hyperspectral sensing provides a rapid and non-destructive solution, but its inversion accuracy is strongly affected by spectral preprocessing, especially under small-sample conditions. To reduce dependence on a manually selected preprocessing operator, this study proposes a homologous preprocessing representation fusion framework based on greedy concatenation (HPRF–GC). The framework constructs multiple homologous spectral views from the same raw spectrum, selects informative views through cross-validation-guided greedy forward selection, and concatenates the selected views before random forest or support vector regression. A self-built in situ hyperspectral dataset was collected from two representative black calcareous Mollisol farms in Heilongjiang Province, China, including 200 composite samples measured with a GaiaField Pro V10 imager at 5 m height under midday illumination using white reference calibration. On this dataset, HPRF–GC reduced RMSE by 3.61% for TN–RF, 9.94% for TN–SVR, 0.87% for SOM–RF, and 7.15% for SOM–SVR compared with the strongest single-preprocessing baseline, while introducing only a modest training-time overhead. On the public LUCAS 2015 dataset, HPRF–GC achieved competitive TN prediction performance, with an $R^2$ of 0.890 and an RMSE of 1.191 under RF. These results indicate that HPRF–GC provides a lightweight, interpretable and reproducible strategy for reducing preprocessing selection sensitivity in small-sample soil hyperspectral inversion. Full article

Inflation, recognized as a social determinant of health (SDOH), significantly affects the daily lives of individuals through the rising costs of food, housing, and other basic needs, all of which are public health concerns. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation has become a prominent concern in the U.S. and has been linked to increased stress and poor mental health among adults. While data on inflation is tracked routinely, how it is discussed publicly is understudied. Social media platforms provide insights into how inflation is framed and experienced by the public, and these assessments may be used to determine public health needs and policy advocacy. In this study, we conducted a time-bound, platform-specific case study of inflation-related discourse on X (formerly Twitter). Analysis revealed a predominance of negative sentiments (68.5%) including frustration and distrust. Posts primarily concerned monetary policy/government spending (31.6%), Federal Reserve interest rates/financial markets (24.5%), and U.S. presidential politics (12.9%). The users did not explicitly discuss personal-level hardships, and the discussions largely focused on macro-level issues framed in polarized political perspectives. These patterns matter for public health because institutional trust shapes support for social and health policies. Our study findings suggest a fragmented social environment that may exacerbate community-wide anxiety and challenge health promotion efforts and the need for public health surveillance through surveys or personal interviews to identify and address the psychological burden of inflation. Full article

The spectral features in hyperspectral images are easily affected by the spatial position changes in objects. In this study, a Multi-Scale Spectral Spatial Discriminative model (MS²D) is proposed for the spectral feature changes caused by different positions. This model decomposes the original image into multi-scale low-rank components through multi-scale low-rank decomposition (MSLRD), which decouples the complex correlation between spatial structure and spectral variability. Considering the time complexity of MSLRD, we propose three optimization points: (1) using superpixel segmentation to gather pixels to form superpixels, so as to reduce the calculation of the number of pixels; (2) selecting the band with a large amount of information on the representative band of the input to reduce the cost of redundant bands; (3) replacing standard singular value decomposition (SVD) with random SVD to reduce computational complexity. After classification, the majority voting strategy is used to vote on the results to alleviate the discrimination conflict between features. The experimental results on three public datasets show that the performance of MS²D is better than that of the other models, which verifies that this model can control computational complexity and improve classification accuracy. Full article

Rabies is a fatal zoonotic viral disease that continues to pose a significant threat to both animal and public health worldwide. Despite considerable progress in its control across Europe, sporadic outbreaks still occur, particularly in regions where wildlife reservoirs and stray animal populations sustain virus circulation. This study provides one of the first comparative longitudinal analyses integrating European countries and Turkiye rabies surveillance data over a decade (2013–2023). Information on reported outbreaks was obtained from the Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) and the World Animal Health Information System (WAHIS) database. The analysis focused on temporal trends, regional differences, and the distribution of affected animal species. During the study period, a total of 4865 outbreaks were reported in 16 countries. The number of detected outbreaks declined considerably over time, decreasing from 1022 cases in 2013 to 325 cases in 2023, representing an overall reduction of approximately 68%. The temporal trend was not uniform, with periods of decline followed by temporary increases. The highest number of outbreaks was registered in Türkiye, followed by Romania and Poland, indicating pronounced regional disparities. Domestic dogs represented the most frequently affected species, while cases were also recorded in wildlife and domestic cats, confirming the epidemiological importance of both domestic and wild reservoirs. The observed reduction in the number of outbreaks reflects the impact of vaccination programs and coordinated control measures, but may also be influenced by differences in surveillance systems and reporting practices. Nevertheless, the persistence of rabies in several regions indicates that the disease remains an epidemiological concern. Sustained vaccination of domestic animals, continued wildlife immunization, and strengthened surveillance and cross-border cooperation are essential for long-term control and prevention. Full article

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global crisis, affecting healthcare systems and professionals worldwide. This study investigates the prevalence and factors associated with burnout and insomnia among Greek physicians affiliated with the Athens Medical Association after the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were collected through an anonymous online survey distributed to active physician members of the Athens Medical Association between 15 June 2023 and 15 July 2023. Burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and insomnia was assessed using the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS). Descriptive, unadjusted, and multivariable analyses were performed. Results: A total of 1023 physicians participated. Insomnia (AIS ≥ 6) affected 83.0% of the participants. Based on standard MBI cut-offs, 52.4% had high emotional exhaustion, 35.9% had high depersonalization, and 39.2% had low personal accomplishment. In multivariable logistic regression, older age was significantly associated with lower odds of insomnia, while public-sector employment and high concern about future career consequences were associated with higher odds. In multiple linear regression models, a higher AIS total score was significantly associated with higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and with lower personal accomplishment. Conclusions: These findings suggest high rates of insomnia and burnout in this physician sample. Greater insomnia was significantly associated with less favorable scores across all three burnout dimensions. Younger age, public-sector employment, and higher concern about future career consequences were associated with insomnia. These findings should be interpreted as associations, rather than causal effects. Full article