Search Results (2,534)

Background: Deep squatting is essential for daily activities and sports; however, it is often limited after ankle fracture surgery, and the contributions of posterior ankle soft tissues, including the soleus muscle (SOL), Achilles tendon (AT), flexor hallucis longus muscle (FHL), and Kager’s fat pad (KFP), to this limitation remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the relationship between posterior ankle soft tissue properties (including stiffness and echo intensity [EI]) and deep squatting ability after ankle fracture surgery. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 53 patients (49.5 ± 16.1 years, 26 men) who underwent ankle fracture surgery. We measured the shear modulus of the SOL and AT, and the EI of the FHL and Kager’s fat pad; ankle range of motion and strength were evaluated. Deep squatting ability was also assessed. Multiple regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to identify predictors of squatting limitation and evaluate discriminative performance. Results: Participants with a deep squatting limitation showed a higher shear modulus in the SOL and AT and higher EI in the FHL compared with those without limitations. SOL and AT shear modulus and FHL EI were significant independent predictors of ankle dorsiflexion angle during deep squatting. ROC analysis showed good discriminative ability for SOL shear modulus and AT shear modulus and modest discriminative ability for FHL EI. Conclusions: Increased stiffness and EI of the SOL, AT, and FHL were associated with reduced deep squatting ability after ankle fracture surgery. Targeted assessment and interventions addressing these tissues may improve postoperative function. Full article

To reveal the differences in stratum response among different environmental sections and the influences of key construction parameters on deep soil deformation during river-crossing double-line shield tunneling, the paper takes the East Genshan Road River-Crossing Tunnel as the engineering case, and systematically investigates the stratum responses of the onshore and riverbed sections as well as the effects of construction parameters via field monitoring, measured construction parameter data and three-dimensional finite element simulation based on ABAQUS. The simulation results suggest that, compared with the onshore section, the riverbed section may present larger cumulative displacement, more intense deep soil response and a wider influence range of transverse settlement under the investigated high-water-pressure and saturated soft-soil conditions. These differences are more reasonably interpreted as the combined effects of burial depth, stratum composition, mechanical properties, hydraulic boundary conditions, surface boundary constraints and overburden conditions. Among these factors, the high-water-pressure and saturated soft-soil environment may contribute to the enhanced disturbance diffusion and cumulative deformation response observed in the riverbed section. The longitudinal displacement evolution of the riverbed section presents obvious stratified transmission characteristics, and its transverse settlement trough shows a typical double-peak W-shaped distribution with larger peak values, wider trough profile and slower far-field attenuation. The single-factor parametric analysis suggests that, within the investigated parameter ranges, cutterhead torque produced the largest absolute settlement variation, followed by total shield thrust and tunneling speed. The results of this study can provide a reference basis for settlement control and construction parameter optimization of river-crossing double-line shield tunneling in high-water-pressure and saturated soft soil strata. Full article

This study presents a comparative investigation of the microstructure, phase composition, microhardness, tribological behavior, and corrosion resistance of heterogeneous coatings deposited on St3 steel by twin-wire electric arc spraying (TWEAS). Three wire combinations were examined: ER309LSi + Steel 70, Sv-08G2S + Steel 70, and 30KhGSA + ER309LSi. The coatings were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Vickers microhardness testing, ball-on-disc tribological measurements, and potentiodynamic polarization in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. All coatings exhibited a characteristic lamellar structure with a thickness of 340–360 μm and hardness values significantly higher than those of the steel substrate. The 30KhGSA + ER309LSi coating demonstrated the highest cross-sectional microhardness (532 ± 13 HV) and the lowest specific wear rate (0.411 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/(N·m)), which was more than five times lower than that of the substrate. The enhanced wear resistance was associated with the formation of the Cr₇C₃ and Cr₂₃C₆ carbide phases, as identified by XRD. The Sv-08G2S + Steel 70 coating exhibited the lowest corrosion rate among the investigated coatings due to its more homogeneous ferritic structure and reduced electrochemical contrast between lamellae. The results demonstrate that the phase composition and distribution of alloying elements play a decisive role in determining the functional properties of heterogeneous TWEAS coatings. Full article

Background/Objectives: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasingly recognized as a multisystem disorder affecting perceptual, emotional, and reward-related processes. While arts-based interventions in PD have primarily focused on active creative arts engagement, it remains unclear whether receptive arts engagement with visual art—how artworks are perceived and evaluated—is altered. Our objective is to determine whether aesthetic evaluation of visual artworks differs in individuals with PD compared to age-matched healthy controls. We further examine whether emotional interpretation, color-emotion associations, and experiential responses to art viewing are altered. Methods: In a cross-sectional case–control study, individuals with PD (n = 87) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 49) completed two online assessments. Participants evaluated 36 artworks from the Vienna Art Picture System in terms of liking, beauty, and subjective art attributes. Objective image-derived features were computed for each artwork. Interpretable machine learning models were used to test whether evaluation patterns predicted diagnostic group and to identify determinants of aesthetic judgments. Participants further completed a color-emotion association task using ambiguous expressive portraits and reported perceived changes in cognitive, emotional, motivational, and physical states following art viewing. Results: Aesthetic evaluation patterns did not support reliable classification of PD status, indicating no systematic group differences in liking, beauty, or attribute-based judgments between PD and controls. Instead, aesthetic judgments were robustly predicted by individual differences and objective artwork properties, including art-historical style, symmetry, complexity, and color-related features, whereas diagnostic group, gender, and age did not contribute to predictions. Emotional interpretation and color-emotion associations were largely comparable between groups, with a single specific deviation in color-emotion mapping. Positive emotions were less frequently associated with pink in people with PD. Self-reported experiential responses to art viewing did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: Aesthetic evaluation of visual artworks appears largely preserved in people with PD. These findings suggest that, in digital viewing contexts, substantial adaptation of visual content to make it accessible for people with PD may not be necessary, although subtle perceptual and emotional differences may still be relevant. Efforts may instead be better directed toward addressing practical barriers to visual art engagement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Evidence on the role of muscle mechanical (myotonic) properties in athletic performance remains limited in young adult and sub-elite populations, particularly in American football, and sex-specific patterns of association are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the associations between lower extremity myotonic properties and performance outcomes (strength and balance) in American football athletes, with a specific focus on sex-related differences and candidate predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional design was implemented involving 35 American football athletes (17 female, 18 male). Lower extremity muscle tone, stiffness, and elasticity were assessed using MyotonPRO. Strength parameters (lower limb, handgrip, back, and shoulder internal rotation) and balance performance (static and dynamic under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions) were evaluated using standardized measurement protocols. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to examine bivariate associations, followed by Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression to determine candidate predictors while addressing multicollinearity. Results: Male athletes exhibited significantly greater height, body mass, and BMI (p < 0.001), alongside elevated myotonic values compared to females. Correlation analyses indicated distinct sex-specific association patterns between myotonic properties and performance metrics. LASSO regression revealed a distinct sex-specific divergence in strength prediction: female strength was predominantly driven by proximal musculature (quadriceps and hamstring elasticity/stiffness), whereas male strength was anchored by distal musculature (gastrocnemius tone/stiffness). Furthermore, rigorous penalization shrunk nearly all balance coefficients to zero in both sexes, indicating that resting myotonic properties do not independently predict dynamic or static postural control. Conclusions: While lower extremity myotonic properties are candidate predictors of multi-regional strength via sex-specific proximal and distal strategies, they do not independently predict balance performance, suggesting postural control relies primarily on active motor recruitment rather than passive resting mechanics. Given the cross-sectional design of this study, causal inferences cannot be drawn, and these findings should be interpreted accordingly. The observed sex-specific differences may support consideration of individualized, sex-informed training strategies in American football athletes. Full article

With the expansion of ammonia energy applications, long-distance liquid ammonia pipelines are expected to support large-scale cross-regional ammonia transport. In the liquid ammonia pipeline commissioning process, gaseous ammonia purging involves ammonia–nitrogen mixing and possible liquefaction, while liquid ammonia injection may induce flashing and severe local cooling, all of which can affect commissioning safety. To characterize these thermodynamic phenomena, a transient gas–liquid two-phase flow model was established and validated using OLGA 2022.1.0 software for simulating the long-distance liquid ammonia pipeline commissioning. The model adopts the cross-sectionally averaged one-dimensional approach. A volume-corrected Soave–Redlich–Kwong (SRK) equation of state for ammonia was adapted, validated, and used to generate OLGA-compatible thermodynamic property tables. The results show that, during gaseous ammonia purging, a higher flowrate shortens the displacement time by accelerating nitrogen removal, and this effect is more pronounced at higher ambient temperatures due to enhanced molecular diffusion. Along the pipeline, pressure gradually decreases from frictional resistance, with a steeper drop near the outlet caused by gas acceleration, and temperature gradually approaches ambient through heat exchange with the pipe wall and surrounding soil. A high gaseous ammonia flowrate can cause partial liquefaction, regasification, and temperature fluctuations. During liquid ammonia injection, local condensation and slight liquid accumulation occur before the liquid front arrives, and the low-temperature region moves with the liquid front. The liquid ammonia mass flowrate has the strongest influence on the injection process, as it reduces the completion time but increases the outlet temperature, outlet pressure, and the low-temperature risk downstream of the valve. Therefore, it should be controlled within an appropriate range to balance efficiency and low-temperature safety risks. This work provides a rapid and efficient prediction model for key thermo-hydraulic parameters during liquid ammonia pipeline commissioning, and the overall analyses offer insights for on-site process design and safety control. Full article

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that schizophrenia may be associated with peripheral immune–inflammatory alterations, although the distributional characteristics and heterogeneity of routinely available complete blood count (CBC)-derived inflammatory indices in real-world psychiatric inpatient settings remain insufficiently characterized. The present study aimed to descriptively evaluate the distributional properties of CBC-derived inflammatory markers in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia using an exploratory panel-based analytical framework. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis using anonymized CBC laboratory panels obtained from hospitalized patients with schizophrenia at a tertiary psychiatric center. Following panel reconstruction and quality control procedures, 858 structurally valid CBC panels were included in the analyses. Primary inflammatory indices included neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and systemic immune–inflammation index (SII). Descriptive distributional analyses, threshold-based prevalence estimation, Spearman correlation analyses, and exploratory unsupervised clustering procedures were performed to evaluate inflammatory variability and internal distributional patterns within the dataset. Results: Median NLR was 2.51 (IQR: 1.95–3.55), median MLR was 0.25 (IQR: 0.19–0.31), median PLR was 124.10 (IQR: 100.40–163.94), and median SII was 686.96 (IQR: 484.81–1045.85). Threshold-based analyses demonstrated substantial variability in inflammatory burden distributions, with 35.9% of panels showing NLR > 3 and 27.0% demonstrating SII > 1000. Correlation analyses revealed strong positive associations among NLR, PLR, and SII, whereas RDW-CV and MPV demonstrated weaker and more heterogeneous relationships with the principal inflammatory indices. Exploratory clustering analyses generated two distributional clusters, including a smaller cluster exhibiting relatively higher NLR, MLR, PLR, SII, WBC, and platelet values than the remaining panels. Female panels demonstrated significantly higher PLR and SII distributions following false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that CBC-derived inflammatory indices demonstrate substantial distributional variability within this panel-based schizophrenia dataset. Although the exploratory design, absence of patient-level linkage, and lack of clinical confounder adjustment substantially limit biological interpretation, routinely available hematological inflammatory markers may still provide a pragmatic framework for descriptive characterization of inflammatory variability patterns in real-world psychiatric populations. Future patient-level longitudinal studies integrating clinical, pharmacological, and molecular variables will be necessary to determine the potential clinical relevance of inflammatory heterogeneity in schizophrenia. Full article

Background and Objectives: The Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) is a patient-reported outcome measure used to assess beliefs about back pain. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the BBQ into Serbian and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Serbian version (BBQ-Srb) in patients with chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study involving cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation was conducted in 143 patients with chronic low back pain. The adaptation process included forward and backward translation, expert review, and pilot testing. Psychometric evaluation included assessment of floor and ceiling effects, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, measurement error, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and construct validity testing using predefined hypotheses. Construct validity was examined through associations between BBQ-Srb scores and pain intensity, disability, pain catastrophizing, and work absenteeism. Results: The BBQ-Srb showed acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.728 and McDonald’s omega of 0.735. Total-score analyses were based on the preliminary exploratory 8-item BBQ-Srb version excluding BBQ13, whereas floor and ceiling effects were examined for the original 9-item scored BBQ-Srb version. Test–retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.916). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a predominantly one-factor structure, but the explained variance was modest. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 8-item version provided only partial support for unidimensionality, with marginal model fit and a low average variance extracted. The 8-item BBQ-Srb total score showed significant negative correlations with pain intensity, disability, and pain catastrophizing, confirming three of four predefined hypotheses. Conclusions: The BBQ-Srb demonstrated acceptable reliability and preliminary evidence of construct validity as a Serbian patient-reported outcome measure for assessing beliefs about back pain. However, structural validity was only partially supported, and the exploratory 8-item structure requires confirmation in larger, independent, and more diverse Serbian-speaking samples. Full article

A hollow steel structure with a hat cross-section was axially compressed under impact or quasistatic conditions. The hat height and hat width were 40 mm. The thickness was 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mm. The effect of the reinforcing member attached to the main structure on the collapse behavior was experimentally investigated. The formation of buckling lobes was observed, and the energy absorption performance was evaluated. The addition of the internal reinforcing member achieved increased compressive force, exhibiting a stepped force variation. This step became more pronounced as the wall thickness increased, and it was larger under impact conditions. When the height of the reinforcing member was 20 mm, or the hollow shape is square, a higher crush strength was achieved, with a very regular collapse pattern. To explain the increase in compressive force by using the reinforcing member, the deformation energy was calculated by considering the deformed shapes and the mechanical properties of the material. The calculated increase ratio of 3.18 was comparable with the experimental result of 3.54. The strain measurement at the hat top of the structure during the initial compression revealed that the damage, where the strain level is greater than 0.003, was successfully delayed at the reinforced section in the partially reinforced structure. Full article

In this study, Fe₇₀Ni₃₀ metal was deposited onto continuous glass fiber composites via magnetron sputtering, followed by surface coating with SiO₂. The effects of key process parameters-including Fe₇₀Ni₃₀ sputtering duration (2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min) and SiO₂ surface coating-on the electromagnetic properties and microwave absorption performance of the materials were systematically investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization revealed that as sputtering time increased, the metal coating evolved from discrete small particles into a continuous film. Cross-sectional SEM analysis further demonstrated the formation of a bilayer structure after SiO₂ introduction. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the presence of diffraction peaks corresponding to the Fe₇₀Ni₃₀ alloy solid solution. Electromagnetic parameter measurements indicated that the influence of sputtering time on electromagnetic properties was primarily pronounced during the metal layer growth stage; once a continuous film was formed, the variation in electromagnetic parameters diminished. Concurrently, the SiO₂ coating exhibited a significant regulatory effect on dielectric parameters. Reflection coefficient calculations showed that the optimal absorption thickness for the single-layer material ranged from 2.5 to 3.0 mm, with the absorption peak shifting toward lower frequencies as thickness increased. However, the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) was only 3–5 GHz, failing to meet wideband requirements. In contrast, the three-layer composite structure (total thickness: 3.8 mm) optimized via genetic algorithm achieved impedance gradient and loss synergy, expanding the EBW (R < −10 dB) from 4.8 GHz (single layer) to 10 GHz (8–18.0 GHz)-a substantial improvement over the single-layer configuration. This work provides experimental evidence and technical support for the structural design and process optimization of lightweight, high-efficiency, wideband microwave-absorbing materials. Full article

Allergic asthma is among the type 2-driven chronic inflammatory allergic diseases. Osteoimmunological findings indicate that shared systemic immune mediators and persistent inflammation can disrupt skeletal homeostasis and promote bone fragility. Treatment commonly includes inhaled corticosteroids like fluticasone propionate (FP) to suppress inflammation, with anti-immunoglobulin E (anti-IgE) biologics added to interrupt the IgE-mediated allergic cascade. TNF-α inhibitors (anti-TNF) are also being studied for their impact on inflammatory pathways. However, their capacity to preserve bone mechanical/mineral integrity in allergic airway inflammation (AAI) remains unclear. This study compared the efficacy of anti-TNF, FP, and anti-IgE monotherapies and an FP/anti-IgE combination in mitigating AAI-induced deficits in bone mechanical/mineral integrity in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced chronic murine AAI model. Fifty-six male BALB/c mice (8–10 weeks old; 22–24 g) were randomly assigned to control, AAI (OVA-sensitized/challenged), and five treatment cohorts: FP (2000 μg), low-/high-dose anti-IgE (aIgE-L/aIgE-H; 100/200 μg), anti-TNF (aTNF; 6.25 mg/kg-bw), and FP/aIgE-H combination. Following an 8-week protocol, three-point bending and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were used to assess bone mechanical properties and physicochemical characteristics of the mineral phase (calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels; stoichiometric Ca/P ratio), respectively. Analyses showed that aIgE-L and FP monotherapies failed to mitigate AAI-induced bone changes. aTNF and aIgE-H monotherapies provided comparable protection of cross-sectional properties, rigidity, energy-to-fracture, elastic modulus, and yield/ultimate moments; however, aIgE-H was more efficacious in preserving Ca and P levels and the stoichiometric Ca/P ratio. The FP/aIgE-H combination demonstrated the greatest efficacy in preventing mechanical deterioration and preserving mineral integrity, suggesting it as the optimal strategy for maintaining skeletal health in the management of type 2-driven AAI. Full article

Concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) members are widely used in long-span and high-rise structures due to their high load-bearing capacity and structural efficiency. Accurate prediction of their compressive bearing capacity is essential for reliable design. In this study, a data-driven prediction model based on the Random Forest (RF) algorithm was developed using a database of 154 axial compression tests. A total of 24 parameters, including geometric dimensions, material properties, and sectional characteristics, were considered as input variables, and the model was optimized through five-fold cross-validation and hyperparameter tuning. The results indicate that the proposed model achieves high accuracy and stability, with mean predicted-to-experimental ratios of 1.002 and 0.989 for the training and testing sets, respectively, and maximum deviations within 15%. Compared with existing design codes and alternative machine learning methods, the RF model improves prediction accuracy by approximately 9% and exhibits strong generalization capability. Furthermore, independent experimental validation using nine CFST column tests confirms its reliability, with prediction errors within 5%. These findings demonstrate that the proposed model provides an effective and practical tool for predicting the compressive bearing capacity of CFST members in engineering applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Intramuscular adipose tissue (IntraMAT) is the ectopic fat which accumulates within skeletal muscle. The relationship between trunk IntraMAT content and dietary intake was shown to differ with age in men, but it remains unclear the relationship in women. Therefore, the present study investigated the associations of IntraMAT content with dietary intake and eating behavior in younger and older women. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 24 young women aged 18 to 23 years (body mass index (BMI): 20.5 ± 2.3 kg/m²) and 25 older women aged 66 to 77 years (BMI: 21.7 ± 2.5 kg/m²) who participated. IntraMAT content was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging at the height of the 3rd lumbar vertebra. Dietary intake was evaluated using a self-administered diet history questionnaire. Eating behavior was evaluated by scores calculated using the eating behavior questionnaire in the guideline for obesity (2022). Blood properties related to metabolic syndrome were also measured. Results: In the younger group, IntraMAT content was significantly related to HDL cholesterol and insulin (r_s = −0.411 and 0.415, p < 0.05). In the older group, IntraMAT content significantly correlated with the percentage of energy from protein, sense of hunger, and total eating behavior (r_s = −0.410 to 0.412, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Trunk IntraMAT content may be related to dietary protein intake and eating behavior in the older group. Full article

The complex geometries feasible with Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) lead to varying sizes of scanned cross sections within the layers and hence differing cooling rates. Since PBF-LB/M results in intragranular cell structures, which cause relatively high strengths in the austenitic steel AISI 316L, the influence of changes in the specimen size on the cell structure was investigated. The results obtained from the geometries realized in this work showed no significant influence of the specimen size on the cell sizes. To analyze the relation between the cell structure and the mechanical properties, cyclic indentation tests (CIT) were performed accordingly, revealing no clear influence of the specimen size on the mechanical properties and no correlation between the cell size and the mechanical properties. Additionally, the impact of the cell size on the well-known anisotropy in mechanical properties of AISI 316L produced via PBF-LB/M was investigated. While the cell size was observed to be independent of the specimen orientation on the build plate, the orientation between the direction of loading and the building direction reveals a slight influence on the mechanical properties obtained from CIT. In comparison to the properties determined using CIT, a stronger influence of the orientation between the load and the building direction was observed in tensile tests, which was not caused by the intragranular cells. It was concluded that the anisotropy in the tensile properties is mainly affected by the texture, the elongated grains, and the layer orientation. Full article

Background and Objectives: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) represent one of the most frequently encountered bacterial infections in clinical practice. Although vitamin D (vit D) is recognised for its immunomodulatory properties, its relationship with the spectrum of uropathogens remains unclear. This study investigated the distribution of UTI-causing pathogens in relation to serum vit D status and demographic variables including age, sex, season, and year of presentation at a tertiary hospital in the Eastern Mediterranean. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 942 adult patients with culture-confirmed UTIs at a university hospital in Cyprus between January 2019 and December 2024. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were classified as deficient (≤20 ng/mL), insufficient (20–29.9 ng/mL), or sufficient (≥30 ng/mL) according to Turkish Endocrinology Society (TEMD) guidelines. Pathogen distribution was correlated with vit D category, sex, age group, season, and year using chi-square analysis and multivariable logistic regression. Timing of urine culture collection (at admission vs. more than 48 h after admission), catheter use, upper vs. lower urinary tract classification, and comorbidity data were recorded for each patient. Results: Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated uropathogen (48.83%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.79%) and Enterococcus faecalis (11.89%). No statistically significant association was found between vit D level and uropathogen type (p = 0.504). Infections were more prevalent in females (70.49%) and in patients aged over 70 years (56.26%). Vit D deficiency was present in 47.98% of the cohort. Catheter-derived specimens accounted for 35.1% of cultures. Upper tract infection was diagnosed in 233 patients (24.7%) and lower tract infection in 709 patients (75.3%). The most frequent comorbidities were hypertension (48.4%), diabetes mellitus (33.1%), and chronic kidney disease (21.0%); on multivariable analysis, diabetes mellitus (adjusted OR = 1.4) and chronic kidney disease (adjusted OR = 1.6) were independently associated with K. pneumoniae infection. In vit D-deficient patients, K. pneumoniae infection risk was significantly higher during winter in unadjusted analysis (OR = 1.8; 95% CI: 1.3–2.5) and remained elevated after multivariable adjustment (aOR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.1–2.3). Vit D levels showed significant seasonal variation (p < 0.001), with lower values in winter (18.6 ng/mL) and higher values in summer (28.4 ng/mL). Conclusions: On multivariable analysis, no statistically significant association was found between vit D level and uropathogen species overall (χ² = 13.291; p = 0.504); a seasonal interaction was observed between vit D deficiency and Klebsiella infections in winter. UTI risk was highest in elderly and female patients. These findings point to the need for considering seasonal and dietary factors in UTI management and call for prospective investigation. Full article