Search Results (425)

The insular cortex has emerged as a key region implicated in a wide array of cognitive, emotional, and sensory processes. The anterior part of the insula (AIC) is central to emotional awareness, decision-making, and interoception, while the posterior insula (PIC) is more associated with somatosensory processing. The insula acts as a functional hub within the salience network and integrates homeostatic, affective, and cognitive information; thus, its role in different mental disorders seems to be prominent. Altered structure and connectivity of the insular cortex are evident in several psychiatric conditions. In schizophrenia, reductions in insular volume—especially on the left—correlate with hallucinations, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive deficits. Bipolar and major depressive disorders exhibit AIC volume loss and aberrant connectivity patterns linked to impaired affect regulation and interoceptive awareness. Anxiety disorders show functional hyperactivity of the insula, especially in response to fear-inducing stimuli, though findings on structural changes are mixed. Overall, growing evidence underscores the insular cortex’s central role in psychiatric pathophysiology and highlights its potential as a target for future diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Full article

This study examined the effects of a short-term ballistic training program on neuromuscular performance and strength-deficit (SDef) in elite youth female soccer players. Twenty-two under-20 athletes completed a 4-week intervention during the pre-season phase, comprising 12 loaded and 8 unloaded ballistic training sessions performed at maximal intended velocity. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included vertical jumps (squat jump [SJ], countermovement jump [CMJ]), sprinting speed (5, 10, and 20 m), one-repetition maximum (1RM) and peak force (PF) in the half-squat (HS), and peak power and velocity during jump squats (JS) at 30% of 1RM. SDef was calculated as the percentage difference in PF between 1RM in the HS and 30% 1RM. Significant improvements were observed in SJ, CMJ, sprint speed, 1RM-strength, and bar-derived mechanical outputs (ES = 1.18–1.66; p < 0.05), with no significant changes in SDef. These results indicate that elite youth female soccer players can improve strength-, power-, and speed-related capacities without compromising force production at higher movement velocities (thus maintaining their SDef). The improvements observed likely reflect the combined effect of a high-frequency, velocity-oriented training approach and a concurrent reduction in traditional technical–tactical (i.e., soccer-specific) training volume. This is the first study to demonstrate that ballistic exercises alone—when properly structured—can enhance neuromuscular performance in female soccer players without increasing SDef. These findings provide practical guidance for practitioners aiming to optimize physical development in team-sport athletes without relying on heavier training loads or extended resistance training sessions—and, especially, without compromising their ability to apply force at higher velocities. Full article

Global warming raises surface water temperatures, impacting fish alongside pollutants, such as ubiquitous xenoestrogens. Combined stressor effects are poorly studied but likely to worsen impacts and hinder biota adaptation, warranting further research. Unadapted fish face heightened risks. The liver is a vital metabolic organ, sensitive to temperature and xenoestrogens, eventually adjusting hepatocyte size and number to ensure survival, growth, and reproduction. This study assessed, for the first time, the impact of exposure (45 days) to thermal stress (29 °C versus 26 °C) and ethinylestradiol (EE2, 5 ng/L) on male guppies, primarily on body and quantitative liver morphology. Higher temperature reduced body mass (14%) and standard length (3.6%) gain. EE2 exposure reduced body mass increase (14%), hepatosomatic index (20%), and the volumes of the liver (32%), hepatocytes (16%), and their nuclei (17%). The nucleus-to-cytoplasm ratio and total hepatocyte number remained stable. No histopathological lesions existed. Guppies appear to have adapted to stressors by reducing hepatocyte size and utilizing lipid reserves, yet they exhibited deficits in body growth and hepatosomatic index. Gonadal maturation was unaffected. Only under EE2 at 29 °C did hepatocytes show minimal lipid droplet content (less vacuolation). This indicated exhausted reserves, reinforcing how heat and toxicants interact to exacerbate impacts. Full article

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a severe psychiatric condition characterised by emotional instability, impulsivity, interpersonal dysfunction, and self-injurious behaviours. Despite growing clinical interest, the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying these symptoms are still not fully understood. This review aims to summarise findings from neuroimaging, psychophysiological, and neurodevelopmental studies in order to clarify the neurobiological and physiological basis of BPD, with a particular focus on emotional dysregulation and implications for the treatment of adolescents. Methods: A narrative review was conducted, integrating results from longitudinal neurodevelopmental studies, functional and structural neuroimaging research (e.g. FMRI and PET), and psychophysiological assessments (e.g., heart rate variability and cortisol reactivity). Studies were selected based on their contribution to understanding the neural correlates of BPD symptom dimensions, particularly emotion dysregulation, impulsivity, interpersonal dysfunction, and self-harm. Results: Findings suggest that early reductions in amygdala volume, as early as age 13 predict later BPD symptoms. Hyperactivity of the amygdala, combined with hypoactivity in the prefrontal cortex, underlies deficits in emotion regulation. Orbitofrontal abnormalities correlate with impulsivity, while disruptions in the default mode network and oxytocin signaling are related to interpersonal dysfunction. Self-injurious behaviour appears to serve a neuropsychological function in regulating emotional pain and trauma-related arousal. This is linked to disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and structural brain alterations. The Unified Protocol for Adolescents (UP-A) was more effective to Mentalization-Based Therapy for Adolescents (MBT-A) at reducing emotional dysregulation compared, though challenges in treating identity disturbance and relational difficulties remain. Discussion: The reviewed evidence suggests that BPD has its in early neurodevelopmental vulnerability and is sustained by maladaptive neurophysiological processes. Emotional dysregulation emerges as a central transdiagnostic mechanism. Self-harm may serve as a strategy for regulating emotions in response to trauma-related neural dysregulation. These findings advocate for the integration of neuroscience into psychotherapeutic practice, including the application of neuromodulation techniques and psychophysiological monitoring. Conclusions: A comprehensive understanding of BPD requires a neuropsychologically informed framework. Personalised treatment approaches combining pharmacotherapy, brain-based interventions, and developmentally adapted psychotherapies—particularly DBT, psychodynamic therapy, and trauma-informed care—are essential. Future research should prioritise interdisciplinary, longitudinal studies to further bridge the gap between neurobiological findings and clinical innovation. Full article

Nerve tissue damage is an unsolved problem in modern neurology and neurosurgery, which prompts the need to search for approaches to stimulate neuroprotection and regeneration of neural tissue. Earlier we have shown that the secretome of human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) stimulates rat survival, reduces the severity of neurological deficits, and decreases the volume of brain damage in a hemorrhagic stroke model. A significant disadvantage of using the MSC secretome is the need to concentrate it (at least 5–10 fold) to achieve appreciable pharmacological activity. This increases the cost of obtaining clinically applicable amounts of secretome and slows down the clinical translation of this technology. Here, we created a number of genetically modified human MSC cultures, including immortalized MSCs and those with hyperexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and with suppressed expression of Von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor (VHL), and we evaluated the pharmacological activity of their secretomes in a model of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. The secretome of MSCs immortalized by hyperexpression of the catalytic subunit of human telomerase (hTERT) revealed neuroprotective activity indistinguishable from that of primary MSC cultures, yet it still required 10-fold concentration to achieve neuroprotective efficacy. The secretome of MSC culture with combined hyperexpression of BDNF and uPA and suppressed expression of Von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor even without additional concentration reduced the severity of neurological disorders and decreased brain lesion volume in the ICH model. The secretomes of MSCs with separate overexpression of BDNF and uPA or suppression of VHL had no such effect or, on the contrary, revealed a toxic effect in the ICH model. Presumably, this may be due to an imbalance in the representation of individual growth factors in the secretome of genetically modified MSCs, which individually may lead to undesirable effects in damaged nervous tissue, such as increased permeability of the blood–brain barrier (under the influence of pro-angiogenic factors) or neural cell apoptosis (due to an excess of neurotrophic factors). The obtained data show that genetic modification of MSC cultures can enhance or alter the therapeutic activity of their secretomes, which can be used in the creation of promising sources of biopharmaceutical substances. Full article

Background/Objectives: Early graft loss within the first year is a rare complication of renal transplantations. In some cases, venous congestion may cause renal dysfunction, but, so far, this syndrome has been assessed by the presence of the triad of an unexplained decrease in renal function together with severe volume overload, relevant heart disease, and a typical histopathological pattern of tubular injury. This study aimed to determine the proportion of patients with early allograft loss due to venous congestion within the first year after transplantation. Additionally, we characterized typical renal vein flow profiles to identify patients at risk of early graft loss due to postrenal venous congestion and prerenal perfusion deficit. Methods: In this retrospective, single-center study, patients who underwent kidney transplantations between 2010 and 2020 and experienced early graft loss within the first year after transplantation were included. Clinical data and renal vein blood flow profiles were collected retrospectively. Results: A total of 579 patients received kidney transplants between 2010 and 2020. Of these, 43 patients (7.4%) lost their grafts within the first year of transplantation. Nine of these 43 patients (20.9% with early graft loss) lost their graft due to a suspected cardiorenal syndrome. Besides graft loss, cardiorenal patients had a significantly higher risk of death than other patients. All cardiorenal patients could be identified using a distinct renal vein blood flow profile (100%). Conclusions: We characterized the typical renal vein blood flow profiles in patients at risk of premature graft loss due to venous congestion. The early identification of such patients is crucial in improving outcomes after renal transplantation. Full article

The shifting irrigation reduction in the Hetao Irrigation District and the inability to effectively discharge salts from the system have led to significant changes in salt migration patterns. Based on the integration of long-term field observations (2017–2023) with soil hydrodynamics and solute transport models, this study explored the impact of irrigation reduction on water and salt migration in a cropland–wasteland–lake system. The results indicated that before and after the reduction in irrigation and decline in groundwater levels, the migration rates of groundwater from croplands to wastelands and from wastelands to lakes remained relatively stable, averaging 78% and 40%. During the crop growth period, after irrigation reduction and groundwater level decline, the volume of groundwater recharging lakes from wastelands decreased by 80–120 mm, causing a water deficit in the lakes of 679–789 mm. After irrigation reduction and groundwater level decline, during the crop growth period, 1402 kg/ha of salt remained in the wasteland groundwater, and 597–861 kg/ha of salt accumulated in the cropland groundwater, exceeding previous levels, leading to salinization in the cropland and wasteland groundwater. This study provides insights relevant to managing groundwater and soil salinity in irrigation areas. Full article

Background/Objectives: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a global leading cause of disability and death, with millions of new cases added each year. Oxidative stress significantly exacerbates primary TBI, leading to increased levels of intracerebral cell death, tissue loss, and long-term functional deficits in surviving patients. Catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) mitigate oxidative stress and play a critical role in dampening injury severity. This study examines the neuroprotective effects of the novel antioxidant alpha lipoic acid-based therapeutic, CMX-2043, on antioxidant enzymes in a preclinical TBI model via various drug administration routes. Methods: Piglets (n = 28) underwent cortical controlled impact to induce moderate–severe TBI and were assigned to placebo (n = 10), subcutaneous CMX-2043 (SQ, 10 mg/kg; n = 9), or intravenous CMX-2043 (IV, 9 mg/kg; n = 9) treatment groups. Treatments began 1 h after TBI induction and continued for 5 days. MRI was performed throughout the study period to evaluate brain recovery. Blood was collected at 1, 7, and 42 days post-TBI, and liver and brain tissues were collected at 42 days post-TBI to measure catalase and SOD activity. Results: CMX-2043 IV-treated piglets showed 46.3% higher hepatic catalase activity than placebo (p = 0.0038), while the SQ group did not show significant changes in hepatic catalase activity compared to placebo. In the brain, SQ-treated piglets had significantly higher catalase activity than both IV (p = 0.0163) and placebo (p = 0.0003) groups (45.8340 ± 3.0855, 36.4822 ± 1.5558, 31.6524 ± 1.3129 nmol/min/mg protein for SQ, IV, and placebo, respectively), while IV-treated piglets did not show significant changes compared to placebo. IV-treated piglets did exhibit 39.3% higher brain SOD activity than placebo (p = 0.0148), while the SQ group did not show a significant change. CMX-2043 treatment did not alter plasma antioxidant enzyme activity during the study period. Importantly, within CMX-2043 treated TBI groups, piglets with significantly decreased lesion volumes, midline shift, and combined swelling and atrophy had better brain recovery, determined by MRI on day 1, 7, and 42 days post-injury TBI, exhibited higher brain catalase activity at 42 days post-injury TBI regardless of administration route, suggesting a link between improved recovery and sustained local catalase activity. Conclusions: This study highlights the impact of administration route on tissue-specific antioxidant responses, with IV administration enhancing liver catalase and brain SOD activity, while SQ administration primarily elevated brain catalase activity. In addition, this study shows an association between increased brain catalase activity and decreased TBI brain lesioning, midline shift, and combined swelling and atrophy, thus emphasizing the role of antioxidant defenses in neuroprotection post-injury. Full article

Injuries characterized by significant loss of skeletal muscle tissue volume, known as volumetric muscle loss (VML), lead to substantial impairment in functional capabilities. Natural repair processes and existing medical interventions fall short of fully restoring function post-VML. Despite progress in the VML field, there is an unsatisfactory success rate, donor site morbidity, and inefficient reconstruction of lost muscle tissue. This leads to persistent strength and functional deficits, impacting the quality of life for VML patients. In recent years, studies have explored the potential of bioactive glasses (BGs) as crucial materials in regenerating tissues beyond the skeletal system. BG, used mainly in bone engineering, can aid muscle repair by releasing ions like calcium and phosphate to stimulate cellular response. However, current BG composites struggle to match the mechanical properties of soft tissues, limiting seamless healing. This review summarizes recent advances in various BG structures studied for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration. Full article

Background/Objectives: Thrombotic diseases (TDs), currently the number one killer worldwide, account for the highest mortality rate globally. In this study, we evaluated the antithrombotic efficacy of Velefibrinase, a marine bacteria-derived fibrinolytic enzyme, across multiple animal models. Results: The results demonstrated that Velefibrinase prolonged bleeding time (BT) and clotting time (CT), reduced mortality and thrombosis, relieved pulmonary alveolar structure degeneration in an acute pulmonary thromboembolism model, and inhibited carotid artery thrombosis and endothelial tissue damage in a rat model of FeCl₃-induced carotid arterial thrombosis. Moreover, Velefibrinase reduced cerebral ischemia volume and ameliorated neurological deficits in a cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury model in rats. The putative underlying mechanisms were found to involve the inhibition of platelet aggregation and coagulation, along with the modulation of oxidative stress and inflammation levels. Conclusions: These results revealed that Velefibrinase exerts a notable thrombosis-preventive effect by interacting with multiple targets, thereby breaking the vicious cycle involving inflammation, oxidative stress, and thrombosis. Full article

Background/Objectives: Breast cancer chemotherapy patients and survivors face cognitive side effects that are not fully understood. Neuroimaging can provide a unique way to study these effects; however, it can be difficult to recruit large numbers of subjects. Our meta-analysis aims to synthesize volumetric neuroimaging data to highlight consistent findings in regional brain volume changes to further advance our understanding of the chemotherapy-related cognitive impairments faced by breast cancer patients and survivors. Methods: An Activation Likelihood Estimation analysis was conducted across the data from eight voxel-based morphometry experiments examining changes in the brains of breast cancer patients and survivors exposed to chemotherapy over time and three voxel-based morphometry experiments comparing chemotherapy-exposed subjects to controls with and without breast cancer. Results: There were consistent volume reductions across the whole brain in both experiment groups. The subjects’ over-time analysis showed peak consistency among the studies in the right inferior frontal gyrus and the left insula. Conclusions: Chemotherapy for non-central nervous system cancers such as breast cancer can cause physical changes throughout the brain that can be quantitatively measured by neuroimaging methodologies and may underlie persistent cognitive deficits in some individuals. Full article

The long-term arid climate in Xinjiang poses a major challenge to sustainable jujube production. In this study, we systematically evaluated the impacts of deficit irrigation (DI) by comparing a full irrigation control (CK) with six DI treatments—mild DI (75% CK) and severe DI (50% CK) water deficits applied during either flowering + fruit setting or fruit enlargement stages. The key findings demonstrate that flowering + fruit setting DI effectively balances water conservation with productivity. Mild DI (75% CK) during flowering + fruit setting reduced irrigation by 72 mm while maintaining near-optimal photosynthesis (95% recovery post-rewatering) and significantly improving fruit quality (5.49–10.28% higher sugar content, 3.40–5.06% larger fruit volume), despite a moderate 4.22–11.36% yield reduction. In contrast, severe DI caused irreversible physiological stress (only 75% photosynthetic recovery), and fruit-enlargement-stage DI uniformly compromised both yield and fruit size. An economic analysis confirmed flowering + fruit setting mild DI as optimal, generating 17,139–20,550 RMB·ha⁻¹ profit through enhanced water use efficiency (WUE) and premium-quality fruit production. PLS-PM validation revealed that targeted flowering + fruit setting water deficit suppresses vegetative overgrowth while optimizing source–sink relationships, achieving a 23–31% WUE improvement without sacrificing marketable yield. Thus, mild DI during flowering + fruit setting is a climate-smart irrigation strategy for Xinjiang’s jujube industry, resolving water scarcity challenges with economic viability. Full article

Crops are continually subjected to frequent and extreme changes in climate, such as high temperatures and soil water deficits. Many studies have shown the individual effects of these factors on plants, but their combined effects on reproductive growth and subsequent seed germinability have received little attention. In this study, we used canola (Brassica napus) plants and grew them through their lifecycle under two temperature regimes (20/10 °C and 24/14 °C, 16 h light/8 h dark) in controlled-environment growth chambers. Half of the plants were watered to field capacity (well-watered) and the other half at wilting point (water-stressed). During the reproductive stage, the flower, silique, and seed traits were measured. Higher temperatures decreased the petal width by 1.17 times but increased petal anthocyanins by 1.03 times. The water deficit decreased the silique length and total seed number by 1.21 and 1.32 times, respectively, but increased nectar sugar concentration by 1.28 times. The total volume of nectar was affected by the interaction of temperature and water. The nectar volume was lowest in the water-stressed plants under higher temperatures (2.66 ± 0.29 µL per flower) but highest in the well-watered plants under the same temperature regime (5.73 ± 0.37 µL per flower). In conclusion, the combined effects of temperature and water were less pronounced than the individual effects of these factors on canola reproductive yield. Full article

A field experiment was conducted in 2023 and 2024 in Beijing, China, to investigate effects of soil water stress, applied before the fruit ripening stage, on the fruit total soluble solid accumulation and cracking of jujube trees. The experiment consisted of two variation factors: (a) irrigation levels (MDI and SDI, applied 80% and 50% of the irrigation volume, respectively) and (b) growth stages (stage 1, before the fruit enlargement stage, and 2, before the fruit ripening stage). The two irrigation levels were applied at each growth stage in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, plus a control treatment receiving 100% irrigation volume, resulting in five treatments per replicate. The findings indicated that pre-enlargement stage water stress enhanced the accumulation of total soluble solid content within fruits, which subsequently promoted faster fruit growth in from the early- to mid-August period. However, by late August, both the total soluble solid content and fruit growth rates had declined, thereby mitigating the risk of fruit cracking. During the fruit enlargement stage, the fruit total soluble solid content in SDI-2 increased by approximately 24% by the end of August compared to the control, leading to lower osmotic potential and higher turgor pressure during the following ripening stage. As skin growth ceased, high turgor pressure caused fruit cracking at the following ripening stage. The SDI-2 treatment demonstrated a fruit cracking rate approximately 1.5 times higher than that of the control. Pearson correlation analysis also indicated that fruit cracking was positively correlated with total soluble solids accumulated in August. Meanwhile, the yield of SDI-2 was reduced about 18%. Therefore, the adequate soil moisture during the fruit enlargement stage was crucial to minimize jujube fruit cracking and economic losses. Meanwhile, the deficit irrigation applied during the pre-enlargement stage could effectively conserve water resources and mitigate the occurrence of extensive jujube fruit cracking. Full article

Urbanization and climate change amplify urban flooding risks, demanding efficient, data-minimal tools to strengthen flood resilience. This study presents a pioneering multi-dimensional framework that quantifies the contributions of source reduction, stormwater pipes, and drainage/flood control systems, circumventing the need for intricate hydrological models. Leveraging rainfall depth (mm), runoff volume (m³), and peak flow rate (m³/h) provides a comprehensive evaluation of stormwater management efficacy. Applied to a hypothetical city, City A, under 30- and 50-year rainfall scenarios, the framework reveals efficiencies of 91.0% for rainfall depth and runoff volume, and 90.8% for peak flow in the 30-year case (9% shortfall), declining to 75.7% peak flow efficiency with a 24.3% deficit in the 50-year scenario, underscoring constraints in extreme-event response. Contributions analysis shows stormwater pipes (42.8–47.6%, mean: 46.0%) and drainage/flood control (40.8–43.2%, mean: 41.6%) predominate, while source reduction adds 11.6–14.0% (mean: 12.4%). A primary contribution lies in reducing data demands by approximately 70% compared to traditional approaches, rendering this framework a practical, scalable solution for flood management and sponge city design in data-limited settings. These findings elucidate system vulnerabilities and offer actionable strategies, advancing urban flood resilience both theoretically and practically. Full article