Search Results (1,953)

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) often involves autonomic dysfunction, most notably impaired baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), which disrupts cardiovascular homeostasis and contributes to orthostatic hypotension (OH). Pharmacological and invasive treatments, including deep brain stimulation, have yielded inconsistent benefits and carry procedural risks, highlighting the need for safer, more accessible alternatives. In this systematic review, we evaluated non-invasive interventions—spanning somatosensory stimulation, exercise modalities, thermal therapies, and positional strategies—aimed at improving cardiovascular autonomic function in PD. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE (Ovid), Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science for studies published between January 2014 and December 2024. Eight original studies (n = 8) including 205 participants met the inclusion criteria for analyzing cardiac sympathovagal balance. Results: Five studies demonstrated significant post-intervention increases in BRS. Most reported favorable shifts in heart rate variability (HRV) and favorable changes in the low-frequency/high-frequency (LF/HF) ratio. Across modalities, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased by an average of 5%, and some interventions produced benefits that persisted up to 24 h. Conclusion: Although sample sizes were small and protocols heterogeneous, the collective findings support the potential of non-invasive neuromodulation to enhance BRS and overall cardiovascular regulation in PD. Future research should focus on standardized, higher-intensity or combined protocols with longer follow-up periods to establish durable, clinically meaningful improvements in autonomic function and quality of life for people living with PD. Full article

Wellington, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to disaster-induced food security crises due to its geography and geological characteristics, which can disrupt transportation and isolate the city following disasters. Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a potential alternative food source for post-disaster scenarios. This study examined the potential of urban agriculture for enhancing post-disaster food security by calculating vegetable self-sufficiency rates. Specifically, it evaluated the capacity of current Wellington’s community gardens to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of both weight and nutrient content. Data collection employed mixed methods with questionnaires, on-site observations and mapping, and collecting high-resolution aerial imagery. Garden yields were estimated using self-reported data supported by literature benchmarks, while cultivated areas were quantified through on-site mapping and aerial imagery analysis. Six post-disaster food demand scenarios were used based on different target populations to develop an understanding of the range of potential produce yields. Weight-based results show that community gardens currently supply only 0.42% of the vegetable demand for residents living within a five-minute walk. This rate increased to 2.07% when specifically targeting only vulnerable populations, and up to 10.41% when focusing on gardeners’ own households. However, at the city-wide level, the current capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed people remained limited. Nutrient-based self-sufficiency was lower than weight-based results; however, nutrient intake is particularly critical for vulnerable populations after disasters, underscoring the greater challenge of ensuring adequate nutrition through current urban food production. Beyond self-sufficiency, this study also addressed the role of UA in promoting food diversity and acceptability, as well as its social and psychological benefits based on the questionnaires and on-site observations. The findings indicate that community gardens contribute meaningfully to post-disaster food security for gardeners and nearby residents, particularly for vulnerable groups with elevated nutritional needs. Despite the current limited capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed residents, findings suggest that Wellington could enhance post-disaster food self-reliance by diversifying UA types and optimizing land-use to increase food production during and after a disaster. Realizing this potential will require strategic interventions, including supportive policies, a conducive social environment, and diversification—such as the including private yards—all aimed at improving food access, availability, and nutritional quality during crises. The primary limitation of this study is the lack of comprehensive data on urban agriculture in Wellington and the wider New Zealand context. Addressing this data gap should be a key focus for future research to enable more robust assessments and evidence-based planning. Full article

This paper presents an ethnographically informed analysis of research in Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt) surrounding the 2022 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP27) summit. I discuss the geopolitics and geopolitical disruptions of researching activism and activist lives in politically sensitive environments. As shown here, developing new methodological interventions plays a crucial role in understanding contextual methodological limitations, dealing with logistical challenges, and building authentic relationships with research participants. Here, I introduce counter-interviews as a methodological strategy to build trust and invest in researcher–participant relationships. This article draws on participant observation, conversations with environmental and climate activists and non-activists in Cairo prior to and after COP27 and in Sharm El-Sheikh during the second week of the summit, reflective field notes, and 20 semi-structured interviews conducted online between February and August 2023. Here, I use the term “environmental non-activism” to draw attention to the sensitivity, complexity, and fragility of political or apolitical environmental and climate action in an authoritarian context where any form of collective action is highly monitored, regulated, and sometimes criminalized by the state. The main argument of this paper is that examining interlocking power dynamics that shape and reshape the activist space in relation to the state is a requirement for understanding and researching the complexities and specificities of climate activism and non-activism in authoritarian contexts. Along with this argument, this paper invites climate education researchers to reevaluate what non-movements and non-activists in the Global South offer to their analyses of possible alternatives, socio-political change, and politics of hope (and to the broader field of activism in educational research, where commitment to disruption, refusal, and subversion play a key role. Full article

Background and Objectives: Long-acting cabotegravir and rilpivirine (LA-CAB/RPV) offers an alternative to daily oral antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV (PLWH). Although LA-CAB/RPV has been approved in Turkey, the country remains in the pre-rollout period, and national data on patient perspectives are lacking. This is the first nationwide study from Turkey, a setting of increasing HIV incidence, assessing PLWH perspectives on switching to LA-CAB/RPV and the influence of motivational factors on treatment preferences. Materials and Methods: A prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional study was conducted across 11 HIV treatment centers representing all regions of Turkey. Virologically suppressed PLWH meeting current eligibility criteria for LA-CAB/RPV were included. Treatment preferences (switch to LA-CAB/RPV or remain on oral ART) and five anticipated motivational domains, namely perceived efficacy, safety, convenience, privacy, and cost, were systematically assessed through structured, face-to-face interviews. Results: Among 200 eligible participants, 86% (n = 172) preferred switching to LA-CAB/RPV. In all subgroups, LA-CAB/RPV was preferred over oral ART, except for those with no formal literacy. Prior awareness of LA-CAB/RPV was significantly associated with the switching preference (p < 0.001), with healthcare providers being the most common source of information, at 45.5% (n = 172) (p < 0.001). Residential proximity to the healthcare center (p = 0.018) and all motivational factors significantly influenced the preference (p < 0.05). Notably, when participants who initially chose to remain on oral ART were asked whether they would reconsider switching if injections were administered every six months, overall preference for long-acting therapy increased from 86% to 98%. Conclusions: High clinical eligibility and strong acceptability for LA-CAB/RPV were observed among Turkish PLWH. Our findings demonstrate that structured motivational factors significantly influence the treatment preference. Addressing these patient-centered factors and logistical barriers may support the successful integration of long-acting therapies into routine HIV care. Future longer-interval agents may improve patient-centered acceptability. Full article

Indoor navigation poses persistent challenges due to the limitations of traditional positioning systems within buildings. In this study, we propose a novel approach to address this issue—not by continuously tracking the user’s location, but by estimating their position based on how closely their observed behavior matches the expected progression along a predefined route. This concept, while not universally applicable, is well-suited for specific indoor navigation scenarios, such as guiding couriers or delivery personnel through complex residential buildings. We explore this idea in detail in our paper. To implement this behavior-based localization, we introduce an LSTM-based method for classifying user behavior patterns, including standing, walking, and using stairs or elevators, by analyzing velocity sequences derived from smartphone sensors’ data. The developed model achieved 75% accuracy for individual activity type classification within one-second time windows, and 98.6% for full-sequence classification through majority voting. These results confirm the viability of real-time activity recognition as the foundation for a navigation system that aligns live user behavior with pre-recorded patterns, offering a cost-effective alternative to infrastructure-heavy indoor positioning systems. Full article

In this article, I take up Pushor’s conceptualization of ‘walking alongside,’ of accompanying families on their journey to educate their children, as an alternative to the ways in which educators have stood over parents as authorities with more knowledge. I detail the parent and grandparent knowledge approaches to schooling. I make my ways of thinking, doing, and being visible by storying moments of my lived experiences as a nēhiyaw in education, a parent and grandparent, a teacher and assistant professor. I share aspects of my cultural knowledge through nēhiyawēwin-Cree language when it comes to visiting, gratitude, and storytelling with the aim of adding a nēhiyaw voice to the field of research and literature on family engagement. Full article

Egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) possesses advantages such as low cost, easy availability, simple preparation, high antigen specificity, absence of drug residues, and compliance with animal welfare standards, making it an environmentally friendly and safe alternative to antibiotics. This research utilizes IgY antibody technology to develop a multivalent passive immune vaccine for major pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture. In this study, IgY antibodies against live Shewanella xiamenensis (LSX-IgY) and inactivated S. xiamenensis (ISX-IgY) were prepared by immunizing laying hens, and passive immunization protection experiments were conducted in Carassius auratus infected with S. xiamenensis and Aeromonas hydrophila. The passive immunization protection rates of LSX-IgY and ISX-IgY against S. xiamenensis were 63.64% and 72.73%, respectively, and the passive cross-protection rates against A. hydrophila were 50% and 71.43%, respectively. Further, C. auratus sera could specifically bind to S. xiamenensis or A. hydrophila in vitro, and the phagocytic activity of leukocytes was increased. LSX-IgY and ISX-IgY could reduce the bacterial load in the C. auratus kidneys. Meanwhile, they could significantly reduce the levels of antioxidant factors in serum and inhibit the mRNA expression of inflammation-related factors in the kidneys and spleens. Additionally, histopathology and immunofluorescence analysis showed that both IgY preparations preserved tissue integrity and reduced the expression of apoptosis factor (p53) and DNA damage factor (γH2A.X) of visceral organs, respectively. In summary, LSX-IgY and ISX-IgY can combat various bacterial infections, with no significant difference between the two. Additionally, inactivated bacterial immunization is more aligned with animal welfare standards for laying hens. Therefore, ISX-IgY is expected to serve as a multivalent vaccine against major aquaculture pathogens. Full article

This study examines the integration and sustainability of solar energy technologies as a tool for rural electrification in Ghana, using the Lofetsume community as a case study. Persistent electricity access deficits in rural areas, coupled with unreliable grid systems and high energy costs, underscore the need for alternative energy solutions. Through semi-structured interviews and surveys, the study explores community perspectives and expert views on the viability of solar energy in rural Ghana. Findings reveal strong grassroots support for solar energy due to its reliability and environmental benefits, despite barriers such as high upfront installation costs and maintenance challenges. The study recommends multi-stakeholder partnerships, innovative financing models, and capacity-building initiatives to enhance solar energy adoption. By prioritizing solar energy technologies, the government, private sector, and local communities can collaborate to develop sustainable and affordable electrification solutions, ultimately improving living standards in remote areas and contributing to Ghana’s broader energy sustainability goals. Full article

Cancer remains a leading global health burden, profoundly affecting patient survival and quality of life. Current treatments—including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery—are often limited by toxicity or insufficient specificity. Conventional chemotherapy, for instance, indiscriminately attacks rapidly dividing cells, causing severe side effects. In contrast, peptide-based therapeutics offer a paradigm shift, combining high tumour-targeting precision with minimal off-target effects. Their low immunogenicity, multi-pathway modulation capabilities, and adaptability for diagnostics and therapy make them ideal candidates for advancing oncology care. Innovative peptide platforms now enable three transformative applications: (1) precision molecular diagnostics (e.g., ¹⁸F-PSMA-1007 for prostate cancer detection), (2) targeted therapies (e.g., BT5528 and SAR408701 targeting tumour-specific antigens), and (3) theranostic systems (e.g., RAYZ-8009 and ¹⁷⁷Lu-FAP-2286 integrating imaging and radiotherapy). Despite their promise, peptides face challenges like metabolic instability and short half-lives. Recent advances in structural engineering (e.g., cyclization and D-amino acid incorporation) and delivery systems (e.g., nanoparticles and PEGylation) have significantly enhanced their clinical potential. This review highlights peptide-based agents in development, showcasing their ability to improve early cancer detection, reduce metastasis, and enhance therapeutic efficacy with fewer adverse effects. Examples like CLP002 underscore their role in personalised medicine. By overcoming current limitations, peptide drugs are poised to redefine cancer management, offering safer, more effective alternatives to conventional therapies. Their integration into clinical practice could mark a critical milestone in achieving precision oncology. Full article

We present a miniaturized, inexpensive, and user-friendly microfluidic platform to support biological applications. The system integrates a mini-incubator providing controlled environmental conditions and housing a microfluidic device for long-term cell culture experiments. The incubator is designed to be compatible with standard inverted optical microscopes and Raman spectrometers, allowing for the non-invasive imaging and spectroscopic analysis of cell cultures in vitro. The microfluidic device, which reproduces a dynamic environment, was optimized to sustain a passive, gravity-driven flow of medium, eliminating the need for an external pumping system and reducing mechanical stress on the cells. The platform was tested using Raman analysis and adherent tumoral cells to assess proliferation prior and subsequent to hydrogen peroxide treatment for oxidative stress induction. The results demonstrated a successful adhesion of cells onto the substrate and their proliferation. Furthermore, the platform is suitable for carrying out optical monitoring of cultures and Raman analysis. In fact, it was possible to discriminate spectra deriving from control and hydrogen peroxide-treated cells in terms of DNA backbone and cellular membrane modification effects provoked by reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. The 800–1100 cm⁻¹ band highlights the destructive effects of ROS on the DNA backbone’s structure, as its rupture modifies its vibration; moreover, unpaired nucleotides are increased in treated sample, as shown in the 1154–1185 cm⁻¹ band. Protein synthesis deterioration, led by DNA structure damage, is highlighted in the 1257–1341 cm⁻¹, 1440–1450 cm⁻¹, and 1640–1670 cm⁻¹ bands. Furthermore, membrane damage is emphasized in changes in the 1270, 1301, and 1738 cm⁻¹ frequencies, as phospholipid synthesis is accelerated in an attempt to compensate for the membrane damage brought about by the ROS attack. This study highlights the potential use of this platform as an alternative to conventional culturing and analysis procedures, considering that cell culturing, optical imaging, and Raman spectroscopy can be performed simultaneously on living cells with minimal cellular stress and without the need for labeling or fixation. Full article

Logs supplied in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are predominantly sourced from fast-growing tree species of plantation forests. The timber primarily consists of sapwood, which is highly susceptible to biodeterioration. At a training center, CCA (chromated copper arsenate) is still used for wood preservation, while in the wood industry, ACQ (alkaline copper quaternary) is commonly applied to enhance the service life of timber. In the future, polystyrene impregnation or other non-biocidal treatments could potentially serve this purpose. This study aimed to determine the discoloration and resistance of polystyrene-impregnated and CCA-preserved woods. Wood samples, Anisoptera thurifera and Octomeles sumatrana from Papua New Guinea, and Anthocephalus cadamba and Falcataria moluccana from Indonesia, were used. The wood samples were treated with polystyrene impregnation, CCA preservation, or left untreated, then exposed at the PNG Forest Research Institute site for four months. After treatment, the color change in polystyrene-impregnated wood was minor, whereas CCA-preserved wood exhibited a noticeably different color compared to untreated wood. The average polymer loading for polystyrene-impregnated wood reached 147%, while the average CCA retention was 8.4 kg/m³. Densities of untreated-, polystyrene-, and CCA-wood were 0.42, 0.64, and 0.45 g/cm³, respectively, and moisture contents were 15.8%, 9.4%, and 13.4%, respectively. CCA preservation proved highly effective in preventing termite attacks; however, CCA is hazardous to living organisms, including humans. Polystyrene impregnation also significantly improved wood resistance to subterranean termites, as indicated by lower weight loss and a higher protection level compared to untreated wood. Additionally, polystyrene treatment is nonhazardous and safe for living organisms, making it a promising option for enhancing wood resistance to termite attacks in the future as an alternative to the biocides currently in use. Full article

As China’s primary grain-producing area, the Luxi Plain is rich in groundwater resources, which serves as the main water supply source in this region. Investigating the evolution of hydrochemical characteristics and influencing factors of groundwater in this region is crucial for maintaining the safety of groundwater quality and ensuring the high-quality development of the water supply. This study took Liaocheng City in the hinterland of the Luxi Plain as the study area. To clarify the hydrochemical characteristics evolution trend of groundwater in the area, the hydrochemical characteristics of shallow groundwater in recent years were systematically analyzed. The methods of ion ratio, correlation analysis, Gibbs and Gaillardet endmember diagrams, as well as the application of the absolute principal component scores–multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) receptor model were used to determine the contribution rates of different ion sources to groundwater and to elucidate the driving factors behind the evolution of groundwater chemistry. Results showed significant spatiotemporal variations in the concentrations of major ions such as Na⁺, SO₄²⁻, and Cl⁻ in groundwater in the study area, and these variations demonstrated an overall increasing trend. Notably, the increases in total hardness (THRD), SO₄⁻, and Cl⁻ concentrations were particularly pronounced, while the variations in Na⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and other ions were relatively gradual. APCS-MLR receptor model analysis revealed that the ions such as Na⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻ and NO₃⁻ all have a significant influence on the hydrochemical composition of groundwater due to the high absolute principal component scores of them. The hydrochemical characteristics of groundwater in the study area were controlled by multiple processes, including evaporites, silicates and carbonates weathering, evaporation-concentration, cation alternating adsorption and human activities. Among the natural driving factors, rock weathering had a greater influence on the evolution of groundwater hydrochemical characteristics. Moreover, mining activities were the most important anthropogenic factor, followed by agricultural activities and living activities. Full article

This article examines the struggles for water justice led by women in the Aconcagua River Basin (Valparaíso, Chile) through a hydrofeminist perspective. Chile’s water crisis, rooted in a colonial extractivist model and exacerbated by neoliberal policies of water privatization, reflects a deeper crisis of socio-environmental injustice. Rather than understanding water merely as a resource, this research adopts a relational epistemology that conceives water as a living entity shaped by and shaping social, cultural, and ecological relations. Drawing on life-history interviews and the construction of a hydrofeminist cartography with women river defenders, this article explores how gendered and racialized bodies experience the crisis, resist extractive practices, and articulate alternative modes of co-existence with water. The hydrofeminist framework offers critical insights into the intersections of capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, and environmental degradation, emphasizing how women’s embodied experiences are central to envisioning new water governance paradigms. This study reveals how women’s affective, spiritual, and territorial ties to water foster strategies of resilience, recovery, and re-existence that challenge the dominant extractivist logics. By centering these hydrofeminist life histories, this article contributes to broader debates on environmental justice, decolonial feminisms, and the urgent need to rethink human–water relationships within the current climate crisis. Full article

Background: Immunocompromised patients are at risk of severe varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection and reactivation. In VZV seronegative immunocompromised persons, live-attenuated VZV vaccination is contraindicated, thus the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (rHZV) remains a safe alternative, although an off-label application. Yet, data on the induction of a VZV-specific immune response in immunocompromised individuals with VZV-specific IgG below the assay’s cut-off are only available for patients after solid-organ transplantation (SOT). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the induction of VZV-specific IgG antibody levels after vaccination with rHZV in immunocompromised patients who previously tested anti-VZV-IgG negative between March 2018 and January 2024. Results: Of 952 vaccinees screened that received 2 or 3 doses rHZV, depending on the underlying disease, 33 patients (median age 53.0; 51.5% female) with either hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (82%) or high-grade immunosuppressive treatment (18%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Upon rHZV vaccination, 88% (29/33) individuals mounted a significant antibody response exceeding the assay’s cut-off level for seropositivity (p < 0.0001). We detected higher geometric mean antibody concentrations after three compared to two doses. However, 12% remained below the assay’s cut-off level and were therefore considered non-responsive. Conclusions: The rHZV is immunogenic in VZV-seronegative immunocompromised individuals and therefore presents a valid option to induce seroconversion. However, antibody testing in high-risk groups should be considered to identify humoral non- and low responders. Full article

The advent of effective antiretroviral therapy in the mid-1990s, which successfully prevented the progression to AIDS in people living with HIV (PLWH), was associated with the appearance of the so-called HIV-associated lipodystrophy. This condition involved subcutaneous fat atrophy; abdominal fat hypertrophy; and, in some cases, lipomatosis. It was also associated with systemic metabolic disturbances, primarily insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Following the replacement of certain antiretroviral drugs, particularly the thymidine-analog reverse transcriptase inhibitors stavudine and zidovudine, with less toxic alternatives, the incidences of lipoatrophy and lipomatosis significantly declined. However, lipodystrophy resulting from first-generation antiretroviral therapy does not always resolve after switching to newer agents. Although the widespread use of modern antiretroviral drugs—especially integrase strand transfer inhibitors and non-lipoatrophic reverse transcriptase inhibitors such as tenofovir alafenamide—has reduced the incidences of severe forms of lipodystrophy, these regimens are not entirely free of adipose tissue-related effects. Notably, they are associated with weight gain that resembles common obesity and can have adverse cardiometabolic consequences. Recent evidence also suggests the hypertrophy of specific fat depots, such as epicardial and perivascular adipose tissue, in PLWH on last-generation treatments, potentially contributing to increased cardiovascular risk. This evolving landscape underscores the persistent vulnerability of PLWH to adipose tissue alterations. While these morphological changes may not be as pronounced as those seen in classic HIV-associated lipodystrophy, they can still pose significant health risks. The continued optimization of treatment regimens and the vigilant monitoring of adipose tissue alterations and metabolic status remain essential strategies to improve the health of PLWH. Full article