Search Results (22,320)

Gallbladder diseases spanning cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, and gallbladder cancer represent a clinically heterogeneous continuum in which type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) acts as a key metabolic modifier. Conventional models centered on bile supersaturation alone do not sufficiently account for the persistent inflammation and inter-individual variability frequently observed in practice. Here, we synthesize emerging evidence implicating the gut microbiota–bile acid (BA) axis as an integrative mechanism linking metabolic dysregulation, barrier dysfunction, and biliary pathobiology in the diabetic host. Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance, together with impaired mucosal resilience, are associated with shifts in microbial community structure and BA-transforming functions (e.g., bile salt hydrolase and 7α-dehydroxylation), favoring a more hydrophobic BA pool. These changes may disrupt BA receptor signaling, including FXR–FGF15/19 and TGR5-related pathways, thereby amplifying metabolic inflammation, promoting lithogenic bile formation, and impairing gallbladder motility. In parallel, barrier vulnerability may facilitate microbial translocation and LPS-driven immune activation, reinforcing a feed-forward loop that supports the gallstone–inflammation–carcinogenesis trajectory. Translationally, microbiome- and BA-oriented strategies (dietary patterns, bile acid therapeutics, and targeted microbiome modulation) are promising adjuncts, yet precision management should explicitly consider medication- and weight loss–related confounding—particularly with incretin-based therapies—to optimize biliary outcomes across disease stages. Full article

The intestinal microbiome plays a fundamental role in canine health and well-being, regulating functions, including digestion, immunity, metabolism, and behavior. Dysbiosis refers to the disruption of the balanced composition of resident commensal communities, and gut bacteria can influence behavior via neurological, metabolic, endocrine, and immune-mediated pathways. Growing evidence supports the existence of a bidirectional communication between the gut and the central nervous system, known as the gut–brain axis, through which intestinal microorganisms may influence behavior via neurological, metabolic, endocrine, and immune-mediated pathways. Despite the expanding interest in this field, the contribution of intestinal dysbiosis to the development and severity of behavioral and neurological disorders in companion dogs remains poorly understood. This review aims to critically analyze the literature from 2011 to 18 September 2025 concerning the association between dysbiosis, the gut–brain axis, and both gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal illnesses in dogs. To our knowledge, this review represents the first application of Text Mining (TM) in this domain: TM facilitates the identification and analysis of valuable information from extensive datasets, converting unstructured content into structured data, thereby enabling quantitative analysis. We used the following search terms on three bibliographic databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science): “dysbiosis” AND “canine” OR “dog” AND “gut–brain axis” AND “behavior”. Of the 1176 records retrieved, 35 studies were checked following the PRISMA guidelines, and they met the predefined inclusion criteria in the final analysis. Full article

Digital platforms became central to institutional participation during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about how participants experience digitally mediated decision-making processes and which conditions foster high-quality deliberation. Guided by an ecological perspective from community psychology, this study examined university staff’s experiences with platform-based participation, focusing on the relationship between online participation practices, digital empowerment, and perceived deliberative quality. In November 2021, faculty and technical/administrative staff at an Italian university (N = 673) completed an online questionnaire assessing platform use (Microsoft Teams), participation practices, perceived benefits and limitations of digital platforms, digital empowerment, and deliberative quality (critical awareness and engagement). Exploratory factor analyses supported multidimensional measures of platform perceptions and deliberative quality. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that interaction rules and perceived improvements in participation processes were the strongest predictors of deliberative quality. Platform benefits related to participatory quality were positively associated with both outcomes, while efficiency-related benefits showed a small negative association with critical awareness. Digital empowerment uniquely predicted deliberative engagement above and beyond participation practices. Overall, results suggest that deliberative quality in digital institutional settings depends more on structured interaction and empowerment-supportive conditions than on platform use frequency, with implications for designing sustainable online and hybrid participatory processes. Full article

Fish host complex intestinal bacterial communities that contribute to a wide range of functions, from nutrient assimilation to modulation of the immune system. Understanding how environmental and host-related factors shape the fish gut microbiota is essential for advancing sustainable aquaculture practices. This study compared the intestinal microbiota of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) between wild and aquaculture populations in western Greece using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V3–V4 region, combined with culture-based methods. The analysis was based on a 97% similarity threshold and included 141 gastrointestinal samples of fish collected at two aquaculture facilities and two wild fisheries, representing two different growth phases (150 g and 300 g body weight). High-throughput sequencing data revealed a clear separation of gut microbial communities according to origin (wild vs. aquaculture), geographic location, and body growth phase, with most wild fish groups exhibiting higher microbial diversity than their farmed counterparts, except for group MES_150 which showed similar or lower values. The gut microbiota was dominated by Pseudomonadota (53%), Bacillota (29%), Actinomycetota (7%), Deinococcota (5%), and Bacteroidota (4%). A shared core microbiome, comprising Psychrobacter, Staphylococcus, Geobacillus, Aeromonas, Enterobacter, Pantoea, Bacillus, and Acinetobacter, was detected across all populations. Wild fish were enriched in Psychrobacter, Aeromonas, and Photobacterium, while aquaculture fish displayed higher abundances of Vibrio, Allomeiothermus, and Staphylococcus. Network analysis revealed mostly mutually exclusive interactions in both groups but distinct patterns of co-occurrence, driven mainly by Paenibacillus, Enterobacter, and Staphylococcus in wild samples, and by Vibrio, Aeromonas, and Pseudomonas in farmed fish. Culture-based assays demonstrated greater diversity in wild fish, dominated by Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, and Vibrio strains, in contrast to the frequent occurrence of Staphylococcus and Psychrobacter in aquaculture samples. The findings suggest that aquaculture practices significantly alter gut microbial community structure and reduce diversity, with potential implications for fish health and disease resistance. The identified core and differentially abundant taxa provide candidates for probiotic development to improve aquaculture sustainability. Full article

Background/Objectives: Adequate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), defibrillation, and treatment of reversible causes are essential for improving the survival of patients suffering from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCAs). The Advanced Life Support (ALS) algorithm includes reversible causes for cardiac arrest. This study aimed to develop an interactive mobile checklist to identify reversible causes of OHCA (REBECCA) and evaluate their usability and usefulness among emergency physicians. Methods: This mixed-methods study was conducted at the Emergency Medical Service Vienna, Austria. All participants were emergency physicians from the Medical University of Vienna. An interactive mobile checklist was developed using a participatory design approach involving a focus group of 10 emergency physicians. Usability and applicability were assessed using structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participant characteristics and evaluation outcomes. Results: Among the included participants, 70% were specialists with a median prehospital experience of 2.0 (1.0–4.3) years. Although most participants were confident about their level of professional experience with OHCA, 85% still found the checklist to be helpful. The majority of the participants preferred the digital checklist over the paper-based checklist and appreciated its integration with the point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) application. Although the participants did not communicate a significant need for further details on most causes, a small majority favored more information on intoxication and electrolyte disorders. Conclusions: The majority of the included emergency physicians found the REBECCA checklist helpful regardless of training level, whereas almost no physician needed further detailed information on the reversible causes. Our findings underscore the potential importance of future investigations aiming to reduce the cognitive load of emergency physicians during OHCA scenarios. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite growing recognition of empathy as a cornerstone of high-quality care, its role within interprofessional collaboration remains underexplored. While the Interprofessional Education Collaborative explicitly references empathy only under the Values and Ethics domain, emerging evidence suggests its potential relevance across all four core competencies. This study aimed to explore the influence of empathy on each of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative core competencies and to highlight its role in the contemporary interprofessional healthcare environment. Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted to identify articles published in English between 2014 and 2025, through searches of PubMed and Scopus. The sub-competency statements of the Interprofessional Education Collaborative framework were used to guide keyword selection and map concepts that empathy may influence. Results: Seventy-two articles were included in this narrative review. According to the literature, evidence suggests that empathy may support humanitarian values and ethical decision making (Values and Ethics), but the mechanisms underlying this remain to be considered. Empathy has also been discussed in relation to therapeutic and team communication (Communication), as well as to processes such as conflict resolution, supportive leadership, team cohesion, and staff well-being (Teams and Teamwork). The evidence regarding the Roles and Responsibilities domain remains relatively limited, preventing definitive conclusions about the potential influence of empathy in this domain. A clear distinction emerges between clinical and interprofessional empathy, with evidence suggesting that both are essential for collaborative practice. Conclusions: Empathy appears to be linked with several domains of interprofessional collaboration and may represent an important relational component in collaborative healthcare practice. However, the influence of empathy may depend on structural and organizational conditions and may vary across different interprofessional healthcare contexts. These findings offer a conceptual bridge between empathy and interprofessional collaboration, providing actionable insights for educators, leaders, and policymakers involved in healthcare training. Full article

Rural educators face persistent structural barriers to accessing professional development that supports instructional change, particularly in disciplines such as engineering that require specialized knowledge and resources. This study examines a needs-driven professional development initiative designed to support rural K–12 educators in integrating engineering concepts through a school–university partnership in Southwest Virginia. Using a mixed-methods needs assessment consisting of a regional survey and in-depth interviews with teachers and administrators, we identified key challenges related to professional development access, relevance, and sustainability. These findings informed the design of a two-day professional development workshop grounded in place-based education and teacher pedagogical choice. Results highlight educators’ preferences for contextually relevant, hands-on learning experiences and the importance of ongoing support and professional community-building. While situated in a rural region, the findings have broader implications for professional development policy and practice across diverse educational settings. By explicitly examining how needs assessment findings were translated into professional development design decisions, this study contributes practice-based evidence for creating more equitable and context-responsive professional learning models. Full article

Radicular cysts (RCs) represent the most frequent inflammatory cystic lesions of the jaw, typically arising from non-vital teeth. While standard management via enucleation is well-documented, complex cases involving the anterior maxilla present significant surgical challenges due to their proximity to the nasal cavity floor (NCF) and the maxillary sinus floor (MSF). This report provides a comprehensive revision of a clinical case series involving seven patients (ages 17–50) treated with multimodal surgical and regenerative protocols. The patients were stratified into five distinct anatomical risk groups (A–E) based on the integrity of the bony boundaries and the presence of oronasal communications. The treatment strategies combined meticulous cyst enucleation with advanced regenerative techniques, including platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), allogeneic and xenograft bone substitutes, and local flaps such as the buccal fat pad (BFP). The results across all seven cases demonstrated favorable clinical and radiographic outcomes, with no instances of oronasal fistula formation or recurrence during follow-up periods ranging from 12 months to three years. This report emphasizes the necessity of structured anatomical stratification and multimodal planning to ensure scientific precision and surgical predictability in the management of complex maxillary lesions. The differences between approaches towards the nasal cavity and maxillary sinus have to be highlighted. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to evaluate the long-term outcomes of different treatment modalities. Full article

Traditional media have progressively lost electoral centrality, while social media platforms have become key arenas for political communication. Although digital campaigning has been widely studied, limited cross-platform research has examined how social media engagement relates to broader patterns of digital public attention, particularly in Southern European multi-party systems. This study analyses the digital strategies of Portuguese political parties during the 2024 Legislative Elections, drawing on an original dataset of 6251 posts and 8.5 million interactions across Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok, combined with Google search trends data. The main findings show that ideologically extreme parties generate significantly higher engagement, especially the far-right. However, high engagement does not necessarily translate into broader digital attention. Televised debates remain decisive in structuring peaks of online interest, confirming the persistence of hybrid media dynamics. By integrating cross-platform engagement metrics with search data, this study demonstrates the limits of engagement as a proxy for political attention and electoral impact. Full article

Elemental migration and enrichment are important processes influencing tea plant growth and the assembly of rhizosphere bacterial communities within the rock–soil–plant continuum. This study explores how soil parent materials (granite, quartz schist, and sericite schist) are potentially associated with these processes and their observed associations with the elemental composition of tea leaves. Exploratory statistical analyses revealed distinct, lithology-specific biogeochemical patterns that serve as a foundation for hypothesis generation. In granite soils, chlorite correlated with the mobility of Cr, Pb, Cu, Ni, Mg, and Na, coinciding with shifts in the relative abundances of Verrucomicrobia, Armatimonadetes, and Chloroflexi. In quartz schist, kaolinite exhibited notable correlations with the dynamics of Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, and As, which were statistically linked to Planctomycetes, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteria. Complex mineral–microbe interactions were observed in sericite schist soils, where clay minerals (e.g., chlorite, illite) were closely associated with the migration of multiple elements (Pb, K, Ca, Cd, As, Al, Fe, Zn), paralleling structural variations in communities of Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi, and Proteobacteria. Potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and manganese (Mn) showed bioaccumulation tendencies in tea leaves across all lithologies, with an enrichment capacity order of Ca > K > Mn > Mg > Na > Al. Exploratory Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis suggested that the migration of K, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Hg corresponded most closely with their soil concentrations. Manganese (Mn) exhibited a mineral-associated trend, with kaolinite content as a potential correlate, while cadmium (Cd) migration was statistically linked to the relative abundance of Armatimonadetes. These findings highlight potential candidate relationships between mineralogy, microbes, and elemental mobility rather than confirming causal mechanisms, emphasizing the need for further validation in larger or experimental datasets. Full article

Natural grasslands are among the most endangered habitats in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe due to the agricultural intensification, land abandonment and afforestation, urban expansion, and the loss of traditional low-intensity management, on which their biodiversity depends. One way to increase the number of natural grasslands is by integrating them into urban green infrastructure as a nature-based solution to enhance ecological resilience and urban livability: diverse grassland systems support pollinators, improve soil structure and stormwater infiltration, mitigate urban heat and provide restorative, experience-rich public spaces. The aim of the study is to explore opportunities and barriers to integrating different types of grasslands into the green infrastructure of Latvian cities, with a primary focus on public perceptions and institutional aspects of urban grassland implementation and management. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining resident surveys, interviews with municipal experts—territorial development specialists, planners and maintenance managers—and comparative policy analysis. Results show that although residents acknowledge the ecological benefits of urban grasslands, they prefer them in peripheral or underused areas rather than in city centres and residential zones, as these areas are often aesthetically perceived as “untidy” or neglected, conflicting with cultural norms that favour short, intensively mown lawns and raising concerns about insects. Acceptance increases through communication and participatory practices. Municipal approaches range from structured maintenance guidelines, including delayed mowing, biomass removal, and invasive species control, to flexible experimentation. The study contributes scientifically grounded insights into governance, perception, and management interfaces critical for mainstreaming socially accepted urban grasslands. Full article

This work examines how digital technologies, particularly 3D imaging, additive man-ufacturing, and digital twins, contribute to a more interactive and process-oriented understanding of cultural preservation. Building on practical experience with museum scanning and 3D reproduction, the study introduces the Heritage 4.0 Cycle, a conceptual framework that structures digital heritage management into four iterative phases: Capture, Curate, Connect, and Co-create. The model integrates technological, ethical, and social aspects of preservation, describing how cultural heritage operates as a living system supported by data, interpretation, and participation. Findings indicate that 3D technologies function as mediators between tangible and intangible heritage, promoting inclusivity, collaborative learning, and sustainable engagement. The framework aligns digital preservation practices with broader objectives of education, innovation, and community development. By formalizing Heritage 4.0 into a structured and iterative framework, this study contributes a transferable model that supports sustainable and smart cultural ecosystems by aligning digital documentation, ethical curation, participatory engagement, and digital twin-enabled connectivity within a coherent heritage management strategy Full article

Accurate tree species mapping is critical for forest inventory, biodiversity assessment, and ecosystem management. In mountainous regions, terrain-induced radiometric non-stationarity and limited field access often produce scarce, clustered, and environmentally biased samples, limiting model generalization. To address this issue, this study proposes a terrain-aware self-supervised representation learning framework for tree species classification under small-sample conditions. The framework integrates terrain information into representation learning and adopts a hybrid contrastive–generative self-supervised strategy to learn discriminative and terrain-robust features from large volumes of unlabeled multi-source remote sensing data. These learned representations are subsequently combined with limited field samples to produce regional-scale tree species maps. Experiments conducted across Yunnan Province, China, using Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2 and Landsat time-series data show that the proposed framework substantially improvesa class separability and classification robustness in complex mountainous environments. The framework achieves an overall accuracy of 75.8%, significantly outperforming conventional feature engineering (38.3–40.6%) and supervised deep learning models (37.3–47.8%). Species with relatively homogeneous structure and strong ecological niche dependence can be accurately mapped with limited training samples, whereas structurally complex forest communities require broader environmental sample coverage. Overall, the results highlight the potential of terrain-aware self-supervised representation learning as a scalable and data-efficient paradigm for forest mapping in mountainous and environmentally heterogeneous regions. Full article

Osteoarthritis (OA) has emerged as a significant public health crisis in Latin America, with prevalence rates in Mexico doubling over the last two decades. Despite this growing burden, current management in underrepresented populations —defined here as groups facing structural barriers to care, including rural or remote communities, uninsured individuals, and socioeconomically disadvantaged groups —is hindered by a critical mismatch between international guidelines and regional healthcare realities. This narrative review, synthesized under the SANRA framework, evaluates the last 20 years of evidence to address the structural and clinical barriers that sustain a 50% diagnostic gap at the primary care level and high rates of inadequate pain relief. Using Mexico as a primary case study, we move beyond conventional symptomatic treatment to explore the complex interplay of central sensitization, neuroinflammation, and metabolic phenotypes, factors often overlooked in standardized protocols. By identifying the limitations of current pharmacological reliance and the underutilization of non-pharmacological interventions, this work proposes a strategic shift toward a multidisciplinary, patient-centered model. We outline a translational roadmap that integrates multi-omic research with personalized therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the need for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines tailored to the socioeconomic and genetic contexts of Latin American patients. Ultimately, this review serves as a call to action to bridge the healthcare disparity gap, offering a framework for innovative, integrative care to transform long-term clinical outcomes in developing healthcare systems. Full article

Kombucha fermentation is driven by a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY), a cellulose-rich biofilm that hosts a complex microbial consortium. While most kombucha studies focus on the liquid beverage, the SCOBY pellicle itself remains underexplored, particularly with respect to species-level microbial resolution and its intrinsic biological activities. In this study, a commercial kombucha SCOBY was characterized using full-length 16S rRNA gene and ITS amplicon sequencing based on Oxford Nanopore Technology, enabling species-level taxonomic resolution. In parallel, hydroalcoholic and aqueous extracts of dried SCOBY biomass were evaluated for in vitro antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS assays), antidiabetic-related enzyme inhibition (α-glucosidase and dipeptidyl peptidase-4, DPP4), and anti-aging-related enzyme inhibition (tyrosinase and elastase). The SCOBY bacterial community was strongly dominated by acetic acid bacteria, with Komagataeibacter saccharivorans and Acetobacter tropicalis accounting for more than 60% of total reads, reflecting a biofilm structure optimized for cellulose production and oxidative metabolism. The yeast community showed marked unevenness, with Brettanomyces bruxellensis representing over 80% of reads, consistent with its known role in ethanol production and stress tolerance within kombucha systems. In vitro assays revealed that hydroalcoholic SCOBY extracts consistently exhibited higher biological activity than aqueous extracts across all tested assays. However, both extracts showed substantially lower potency than purified reference compounds, indicating moderate but measurable bioactivity typical of complex fermented matrices. These findings support the potential valorization of SCOBY as a fermentation-derived biomaterial and functional ingredient while underscoring the need for further chemical characterization, mechanistic studies, and biological validation beyond enzyme-based assays. Full article