Search Results (2,593)

Commodity and carbon markets are central to natural resource allocation, energy security, and the effectiveness of carbon-pricing policies, yet their risk linkages can intensify sharply during crises. This study examines nonlinear, tail-dependent volatility spillovers across strategically important resource markets using a Quantile-on-Quantile connectedness framework. We employ weekly observed data from 3 January 2010 to 27 April 2025 for eleven futures markets spanning metals (copper, silver, gold), energy (WTI crude oil, heating oil, natural gas, gasoline), agricultural commodities (sugar, coffee, corn), and carbon emissions. Volatility is measured using GARCH-based estimates and embedded in quantile VAR dynamics to map state-contingent shock transmission across the distribution. The results indicate strong asymmetries: connectedness rises markedly in tail regimes and attains its highest levels during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia–Ukraine war, relative to the 2015–2016 energy market adjustment. Heating oil, gold, and natural gas frequently act as key volatility transmitters, while the carbon market shifts from a peripheral receiver to a more integrated and sometimes systemic node within the broader commodity risk network. The findings indicate that carbon-price risk propagates through resource markets in a regime-dependent manner, with implications for stress testing, tail-sensitive hedging, and the coordination of resource and climate policy under turbulent market states. Full article

Pistachio acreage is increasing noticeably in Spain. However, water management in these plantations still remains a challenge due to the fact that irrigation in new production regions is still not well defined. In this context, the current study aimed to assess the impact of two contrasting irrigation doses on the water relations, yield, and nut quality of pistachio trees (cv. Kerman) in La Seca (central Spain) over five years. Specifically, the high irrigation treatment (H) received 50% more water than the control (C). Soil moisture, stem water potential (Ψ_s), gas exchange parameters, growth, yield, and nut quality traits were monitored. During summer, a slight decline in Ψ_s was observed, with trees from the C treatment exhibiting the most negative values, indicating a slight dehydration. The dry weight of split nuts, with greater marketing value, was higher in H compared to C over the five-year study period. In general, the nutritional composition of the nuts did not differ between treatments. These results provide useful information for the establishment of a suitable irrigation strategy for pistachio cv. Kerman in central Spain and other regions with similar weather conditions. Full article

Floods are among the most frequent and destructive natural hazards in Kazakhstan, particularly in the Abai Region, Kazakhstan, where topographic, hydrological, and climatic factors strongly influence flood occurrence. This study presents a comprehensive spatial assessment of flood susceptibility in the Abai Region using a multi-criteria Geographic Information System (GIS) approach. The analysis integrates twelve flood-conditioning factors representing hydrological, topographic, environmental, and anthropogenic variables. The relative importance of these factors was determined using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The results indicate that distance to rivers (20%) and precipitation (16%) are the most influential drivers of flood susceptibility, followed by Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) (11%) and drainage density (9%). The resulting flood susceptibility map classifies the study area into five susceptibility levels. Approximately 56.6% of the study area falls within the moderate susceptibility class, while 25.0% is categorized as high susceptibility, mainly concentrated in low-lying floodplains and foothill regions. Low-susceptibility areas account for 18.1% of the region, whereas the very high and very low susceptibility classes together represent less than 1% of the territory. Model performance was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, yielding an Area Under the Curve (ROC–AUC) value of 0.893, indicating strong agreement between predicted susceptibility patterns and observed flood occurrences. Additional validation metrics derived from the confusion matrix show an overall accuracy of 83.3%, precision of 0.75, recall of 1.0, and a Kappa coefficient of 0.67, confirming reliable predictive performance. Sensitivity analysis with ±10% variation in factor weights further demonstrated the spatial stability of the susceptibility results. The resulting susceptibility map provides an important spatial basis for infrastructure planning, flood mitigation, and disaster preparedness in the Abai Region and offers a transferable framework for flood-susceptibility assessment in other semi-arid regions of Central Asia. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vaccination against respiratory viruses—such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), pneumococcal disease, influenza, and COVID-19—may reduce the risk of adverse outcomes in older adults with cardiovascular disease. This study conducted a scoping review of the effects of respiratory vaccines in older adults with cardiovascular disease. Methods: We included studies evaluating adults aged ≥ 60 years with cardiovascular disease who received different types of respiratory vaccines. Eligible designs comprised clinical trials, observational cohort studies, and other relevant studies. Editorials, commentaries, and non-original publications were excluded. A comprehensive and targeted literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science from database inception through January 2026. Results: A total of 25 studies were included, encompassing 1,782,787 adults aged ≥ 60 years with cardiovascular disease who received various respiratory vaccines. RSV vaccines were associated with a lower incidence of cardiorespiratory hospitalization and stroke among vaccinated individuals. Pneumococcal vaccines showed that sequential dual vaccination strategies were associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events. Influenza vaccination was associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes, lower mortality, and reduced adverse events. COVID-19 vaccines were associated with reductions in mortality and hospitalizations. These benefits are particularly relevant in an older population with a high burden of comorbidities; therefore, complete vaccination schedules, including booster doses, should be considered a central strategy for prevention and comprehensive management in this high-risk group. Conclusions: Vaccination against respiratory viruses in older adults with cardiovascular disease demonstrates an overall favorable/acceptable profile of efficacy and safety, with reductions in mortality, hospitalizations, and cardiovascular events, without a significant increase in serious adverse events. Full article

CLN1 disease, caused by mutations in the PPT1 gene, is a fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorder. While central nervous system (CNS) pathology is well documented, the impact on peripheral tissues remains unclear. Having previously described severe spinal cord pathology, we investigated whether PPT1 deficiency also impacts the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and skeletal muscle, and whether early systemic gene therapy can prevent these disease manifestations. NMJ morphology, terminal Schwann cell (tSC) coverage, and skeletal muscle structure were examined in symptomatic and end-stage Ppt1^−/− mice. Neonatal mice received systemic AAV9-hCLN1 gene therapy via intravenous injection. Untreated Ppt1^−/− mice exhibited pronounced NMJ pathology, including progressive tSC loss, apparently reduced innervation, and increased abnormal acetylcholine receptor clustering. In parallel, we observed skeletal muscle atrophy, with decreased myofiber diameter and reduced myonuclear content, despite preserved sciatic nerve morphology. Systemic AAV9-hCLN1 therapy partially prevented or ameliorated these phenotypes, preserving NMJ innervation and muscle fiber structure. These findings identify peripheral NMJ and muscle abnormalities as previously unrecognized features of CLN1 disease and provide proof-of-concept that early systemic gene therapy can mitigate these effects. Our results highlight the systemic nature of CLN1 pathology and support the need for treatments that address both CNS and peripheral targets for comprehensive disease modification. Full article

Thyroid disorders are among the most common endocrine disorders worldwide and are classified as noncommunicable diseases. These disorders are associated with significant morbidity, impaired quality of life, and considerable socioeconomic burden. Like other noncommunicable diseases, thyroid disorders arise from complex interactions between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle. Despite growing interest in lifestyle-based approaches to noncommunicable disease prevention and management, thyroid disorders have received comparatively limited attention in this context. Graves’ disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, is a relevant condition for exploring dietary interventions. Current treatment strategies—anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine and thyroidectomy—have remained largely unchanged for decades. Long-term remission following drug therapy is achieved in no more than approximately 50% of patients, while all treatment modalities carry potential adverse effects. These limitations underscore the need for alternative or adjunctive therapeutic strategies. Iodine intake plays a central role in thyroid hormone synthesis. Indeed, observational studies have shown inverse associations between iodine intake and remission rates, as well as achievement of euthyroidism, medication requirements and thyroid autoantibody titers. These findings suggest that dietary iodine restriction may enhance treatment efficacy and reduce medication-related risks. Beyond its direct effects on thyroid hormone synthesis, iodine may influence Graves’ disease through indirect mechanisms involving the lipid profile and the gut–thyroid axis. Autoimmune thyroid diseases are associated with a dyslipidemic profile and with gut microbiota dysbiosis; the latter characterized by increased potentially pathogenic bacteria and reduced beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Full article

Background: Cytology from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is standard-of-care to detect central nervous system (CNS) cancers but suffers from low-sensitivity and lacks associated molecular information, often requiring brain biopsy or resection to obtain. Belay Diagnostics offers analytically and clinically validated CSF-based tests to support the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary CNS cancers. However, the clinical utility (CU) of these assays has not been previously evaluated. Methods: This retrospective study presents a real-world, single institution experience of using the Belay Summit liquid biopsy test for all orders received (n = 123) between October 2024 and September 2025. Clinical information was reviewed for demographics, provisional diagnosis, oncology history, CSF cytology results, and tumor genomic profiling results. The primary endpoint of this study was to evaluate the impact of Belay CSF-based assays on physician diagnosis and treatment decisions. Secondary endpoints included evaluating the clinical performance of the Belay Summit test verses cytology in CNS malignancy detection (sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy). Results: The cohort included 120 patients with suspected or previously diagnosed primary (n = 40) or metastatic (n = 80) CNS tumors; three patients completed longitudinal testing for a total of 123 specimens and test orders. Summit showed higher sensitivity for CNS malignancy (90%) over CSF cytology (12%). The Belay CSF liquid biopsy test demonstrated strong clinical utility and was essential to clinical course pursued in 93% (114/123) of specimens, informing treatment and management decisions. Conclusions: The Belay Summit test provides clinically meaningful information to support physician decision-making for the diagnosis and management of primary and secondary CNS tumors, especially in cases where tissue sampling is infeasible. Full article

Fibromyalgia is a chronic nociplastic pain condition frequently accompanied by affective disturbances, particularly depression, for which effective treatments remain limited. Increasing evidence implicates central oxidative stress, maladaptive synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammatory alterations in its pathophysiology. This study investigated the therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen (H₂) in a reserpine-induced murine model of fibromyalgia, with emphasis on sex-dependent and region-specific mechanisms. Male and female C57BL/6 mice received repeated reserpine injections to induce fibromyalgia-like symptoms. Mechanical allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, and depressive-like behaviors were assessed, followed by molecular analyses in the spinal cord and amygdala. Reserpine induced persistent nociceptive hypersensitivity and depressive-like behaviors in both sexes, with earlier cold allodynia in females. Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) progressively reversed mechanical and thermal hypersensitivity and rapidly abolished cold allodynia, showing greater efficacy in females. HRW also normalized depressive-like behaviors in both sexes. At the molecular level, HRW reduced spinal oxidative stress and ERK-dependent plasticity without altering spinal NLRP3 expression, whereas it fully reversed NLRP3 upregulation and HO-1 downregulation in the amygdala. HRW additionally engaged sex-dependent antioxidant pathways in the spinal cord. These findings indicate that H₂ alleviates sensory and affective alterations through region- and sex-dependent central mechanisms, supporting HRW as a promising therapeutic strategy for nociplastic pain and its affective comorbidities. Full article

Background: Tirzepatide, a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, demonstrates substantial glycemic and weight benefits versus GLP-1 receptor agonists in indirect comparisons, but direct comparative safety evidence versus dulaglutide remains limited. We evaluated comparative safety (primary outcome: overall adverse events) and efficacy. Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 (prospectively registered: PROSPERO CRD420251276594), we searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, and CENTRAL (inception–31 December 2025) for randomized controlled trials (≥26 weeks) comparing once-weekly tirzepatide with dulaglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes. Three trials (N = 13,590 participants) were included. Dichotomous outcomes were pooled using random-effects models (risk ratios [RRs], 95% confidence intervals [CIs]). GRADE assessed certainty of evidence. Results: Overall adverse event incidence did not differ significantly (RR 1.04 [0.98–1.10]; I² = 36%; moderate-certainty evidence). Discontinuation due to adverse events was consistently higher with tirzepatide (RR 1.32 [1.20–1.45]; I² = 0%; high-certainty evidence), representing a 32% increased risk across all populations. Categorical HbA1c target achievement was analyzed in two trials; the third trial reported HbA1c as a continuous outcome only. At the primary threshold (HbA1c < 7.0%), tirzepatide was consistently superior with no heterogeneity (RR 1.48 [1.33–1.64]; I² = 0%; p < 0.00001). Across all thresholds combined, heterogeneity was extreme (I² = 92%), limiting confidence in any pooled summary estimate; the greatest instability occurred at the strictest threshold (HbA1c < 5.7%; I² = 98%; p = 0.40). Tirzepatide showed greater HbA1c target attainment in treatment-naive patients receiving dulaglutide 0.75 mg, whereas the glycemic advantage was smaller in patients with established cardiovascular disease receiving dulaglutide 1.5 mg. Categorical weight-loss outcomes were analyzed in two trials; tirzepatide was associated with greater weight-loss threshold achievement (RR 8.80 [4.04–19.17]; very low-certainty evidence), although interpretation is limited by substantial heterogeneity and restricted generalizability. Serious adverse events were not significantly different (RR 0.82 [0.47–1.43]; I² = 42%). Conclusions: Overall adverse events were similar between treatments, but tirzepatide consistently increased discontinuation risk, indicating a clinically important tolerability-persistence trade-off. Glycemic efficacy was highly population-dependent: benefits were consistent at the primary HbA1c target (<7.0%; I² = 0%) in early-stage disease, whereas the advantage was smaller in long-standing disease with established cardiovascular disease. Tirzepatide may be favored when glycemic or weight efficacy is prioritized in earlier-stage disease, provided tolerability is proactively managed. Dulaglutide remains appropriate when persistence is threatened by tolerability concerns or cardiovascular risk reduction is the primary goal. Full article

Log anomaly detection in modern distributed systems is challenging. Anomalous behaviors are rare. Manual labeling is expensive. Session boundaries are often set by fixed heuristics before model training. This fixed-boundary assumption is problematic because segmentation errors propagate into representation learning and cannot be corrected during optimization. To address this, this paper proposes BASN (Boundary-Aware Sessionization Network), a boundary-aware contrastive learning framework that jointly learns session boundaries and anomaly representations using a differentiable soft-reset mechanism. BASN does not treat sessionization as a separate step. Instead, it predicts boundary probabilities from event semantics and temporal gaps, then modulates end-to-end session-state updates. The session representations are optimized with self-supervised contrastive learning, enabling effective zero-shot anomaly detection and few-shot adaptation. Experiments on four benchmark datasets (BGL, HDFS, OpenStack, SSH) show strong zero-shot performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, AUROC 0.935–0.975) and boundary alignment with expert-validated proxy segmentation (boundary F1 0.825–0.877). Comparative gains over baselines are reported in the article after bibliography correction, baseline verification, and expanded statistical analysis. BASN is also computationally efficient, requiring less than 10 ms per session on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and less than 45 ms on a Central Processing Unit (CPU). This is compatible with real-time inference needs in the evaluated settings. However, cross-system transfer AUROC (0.735–0.812) remains below in-domain performance. Domain-specific adaptation is still needed for deployment in environments that differ greatly from the training domain. Full article

Background and Objectives: Population ageing is a major challenge of the 21st century and is associated with declining physical and mental abilities, increased disease burden, and higher mortality. Latvia has the lowest healthy life expectancy in the European Union. Social well-being is an important component of healthy and active ageing and may be associated with older adults’ quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to assess the relationship between social well-being, as a component of health, and QoL, including its components (control, autonomy, self-realisation and pleasure), among adults aged 50 and older in Latvia. Materials and Methods: Data from 1643 Latvian participants in wave 9 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (2022) were analysed using linear regression. QoL was measured using the 12-item Control, Autonomy, Self-Realisation, and Pleasure (CASP-12) scale. Social well-being factors included household composition, education, employment status, financial capacity, living area, social network (SN) characteristics, and received help, based on self-reported questionnaires. Results were considered statistically significant if the p-value was less than 0.05. Results: The factors positively associated with overall QoL were being employed, better financial capacity, greater satisfaction with SN, larger SN, participation in social activities, and higher educational attainment. Being employed and the ability to make ends meet easily were positively associated with all QoL components. Higher satisfaction with the SN and participation in social activities were positively related to the control, autonomy, pleasure, and self-realisation components. Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of social and economic resources for QoL in later adulthood, suggesting that both the quality of social relationships and material security play a central role in shaping overall QoL and its components among older adults. Full article

Benzydamine is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug widely used in topical formulations but occasionally misused orally at high doses for psychoactive effects. Data regarding the safety of benzydamine at supratherapeutic doses are limited and mainly focus on central nervous system effects. Even less information is available concerning its safety during pregnancy, despite the increased risk of unplanned pregnancies among users of psychoactive substances. In this preliminary study, we aimed to evaluate the maternal and fetotoxic potential of benzydamine to support future targeted reproductive toxicity investigations. Pregnant Wistar rats received benzydamine throughout gestation, followed by cesarean section and evaluation of fetal viability, fetal body weight at term, and macroscopic abnormalities. Maternal biochemical parameters related to hepatic, renal, and metabolic function, and oxidative stress markers, were also assessed. Results were compared with those of a control group. No significant differences in routine biochemical parameters were observed between groups; however, benzydamine exposure was associated with reduced fetal body weight and increased maternal plasma malondialdehyde levels. These findings suggest that benzydamine may impair fetal growth through indirect maternal toxicity and oxidative stress rather than direct teratogenic effects. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to characterize eyelid speculum-induced intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation during cataract surgery and identify ocular biometric factors that stratify susceptibility to this pressure response. This study was conducted at Zengyo Suzuki Eye Clinic, Kanagawa, Japan. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed 100 eyes that underwent routine cataract surgery. IOP was measured immediately before and within 10 s of speculum opening in the seated position using a rebound tonometer. The eyelid speculum was opened to a maximal opening position, and the opening width was recorded. Biometric parameters included axial length (AL), central corneal thickness, white-to-white distance, anterior chamber depth, and temporal angle-opening distance. Associations between IOP elevation and biometric factors were analyzed. IOP elevation rate was quantified as the percentage increase from baseline. The discriminatory performance of axial length was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results: Overall, 100 patients (100 eyes) were included in the analysis. Mean IOP increased significantly from 15.75 ± 2.77 mmHg before speculum placement to 21.42 ± 5.54 mmHg after placement. The mean IOP elevation rate was 36.0 ± 27.4%. Shorter AL was consistently associated with a greater proportional IOP elevation. ROC analysis demonstrated consistent stratification of IOP elevation susceptibility by AL (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.645), with eyes shorter than 23.84 mm showing greater pressure elevation (sensitivity, 73.1%; specificity, 56.0%). Eyes in the upper quartile of the IOP elevation rate exhibited relatively greater pressure elevation. Conclusions: Eyelid speculum placement imposes a clinically meaningful IOP load during cataract surgery, with shorter ALs making eyes more biomechanically susceptible to IOP elevation. Full article

Background: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune disorder frequently associated with ovarian teratomas in young women. Although infectious triggers have been proposed to contribute to immune activation, direct evidence linking viral presence within tumor tissue to disease pathogenesis remains limited. Case Presentation: An 18-year-old woman presented with acute neuropsychiatric symptoms, fever, gastrointestinal prodrome, and rapidly progressive behavioral disturbance progressing to encephalopathy. Cerebrospinal fluid and blood test results, together with clinical features, supported the diagnosis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Imaging identified an ovarian mass, and surgical resection was performed. Histopathology confirmed a mature teratoma containing neuroglial elements. Molecular analysis detected parvovirus B19 DNA within the resected teratomatous tissue. No systemic viremia or active central nervous system viral infection was identified. The patient received immunotherapy combined with tumor removal, with subsequent clinical improvement. Discussion: Ovarian teratomas remain a critical etiologic factor in anti-NMDAR encephalitis and mandate prompt surgical management. Detection of B19 viral DNA within teratomatous neuroglial tissue raises the hypothesis that viral persistence could enhance local immune activation and autoantibody generation. However, in this case polymerase chain reaction positivity does not indicate active infection, and the biological significance of this finding remains uncertain. Conclusions: This case documents rare detection of B19V DNA within an ovarian teratomatous tissue in anti-NMDAR encephalitis. The observation is hypothesis-generating rather than causal; established management priorities remain immunotherapy and tumor resection, and viral nucleic acid detection should be interpreted within the broader clinical context. Full article

Chronic exposure to even low levels of pesticides is a serious public health issue, mainly due to the role of oxidative stress in damaging the liver and promoting cancer. This has driven interest in finding natural, plant-based antioxidants that can counteract this kind of chemical injury. In this study, we tested whether a methanol extract from the leaves of Pteropyrum scoparium (PSE) could protect the liver against oxidative harm caused by four common pesticides: acetochlor, deltamethrin, thiamethoxam, and rotenone. Chemical analysis showed that the extract contains high levels of phenolics (345.1 ± 7.6 mg GAE/g) and flavonoids (17.3 ± 1.3 mg CAE/g). GC–MS profiling revealed a diverse set of compounds, including fat-soluble antioxidants like squalene, α-tocopherol, and γ-sitosterol, and water-soluble phenolics like pyrogallol and catechol, suggesting PSE is equipped with a multi-layered antioxidant defence. In the animal experiment, rats were given each pesticide for 30 days, with or without PSE. All four pesticides caused clear oxidative stress in the liver: glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), antioxidant enzymes activities dropped, while markers of lipid damage (MDA) and free radical activity (DPPH) rose. Co-administration of PSE significantly restored GSH, TAC and antioxidant enzymes levels and reduced MDA and residual DPPH values compared to pesticide-only groups; these parameters were statistically comparable to the controls (p > 0.05), indicating a substantial recovery of hepatic redox balance. Histopathological examination of liver tissues confirmed these findings, as pesticide treatment caused visible liver injury; deltamethrin and thiamethoxam led to congestion in central veins, while rotenone and acetochlor triggered clusters of inflammatory Kupffer cells. In animals that also received PSE, liver structure remained largely normal, with much less congestion and inflammation. These results show that the combination of antioxidant constituents in PSE might contribute to hepatoprotection through redox modulation and preservation of endogenous antioxidant balance, as suggested by the observed biochemical and histological improvements. Full article