Search Results (7,469)

Background/Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF), the most prevalent form of clinical cardiac arrhythmia globally, is associated with markedly increased morbidity, mortality, and socio-economic expenditure. Accumulating strong evidence highlights genetic abnormalities underpinning its etiopathogenesis. A recent investigation has demonstrated that mutations in the TBX20 gene, which codes for a T-box transcription factor essential for proper cardiovascular development and structural remodeling, contribute to familial AF. Nevertheless, the mutational prevalence and spectrum of this gene in patients with sporadic AF remain unknown. Methods: A cohort of 352 individuals suffering from sporadic AF and a group of 376 healthy subjects without AF history were recruited prospectively. Sanger sequencing examination of TBX20 was implemented in all research participants. The functional impacts of the discovered TBX20 variations were quantitatively measured by dual-reporter gene analysis. Results: Two novel heterozygous truncating TBX20 variations, NM_001077653.2: c.725C>A; p.(Ser242*) and NM_001077653.2: c.826A>T; p.(Lys276*), were detected in two of the 352 cases with sporadic AF, respectively, with a mutational prevalence of approximately 0.57%. The two TBX20 variants were absent from the 752 control chromosomes. Functional measurements revealed that both Ser242* and Lys276* variants lost transactivation on KCNH2 and NPPA, two genes responsible for AF. In addition, each of the two variations abrogated the synergistic transactivation of NPPA by TBX20 together with NKX2.5, another gene reported to cause AF. Conclusions: The current data indicate haplo-insufficient TBX20 variations as new genetic defects predisposing to sporadic AF and hence are conducive to improving the prophylaxis and treatment strategies of sporadic AF in a subset of patients. Full article

Background/Objectives: Wearable devices, such as smartwatches, represent an emerging digital health tool that can enhance patient engagement, support patient-provider communication, and enable more personalized, patient-centered care. Understanding public willingness to share health-generated data with healthcare providers is essential for informing digital health implementation strategies that prioritize patient trust and active participation in the care process. This study aimed to address this gap by assessing the willingness of a sample of smartwatch users in Riyadh to share their health-generated data and identifying factors associated with this willingness. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using venue-based convenience sampling at a large public venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an electronic self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics, while bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine factors associated with willingness to share health-generated data. Results: Among the 391 participants, 168 reported owning a smartwatch and comprised the population for the primary analysis of willingness to share health-generated data. Among smartwatch owners (n = 168), 104 (62%; 95% CI: 54–69%) expressed willingness to share their health-generated data. Among those willing to share, healthcare providers were the most preferred recipients (95%, 99/104), followed by family members and friends (63%, 66/104). Most demographic, socioeconomic, health-related, and behavioral characteristics were not significantly associated with willingness to share; however, in bivariate analysis, previous use of online support groups was significantly associated with greater willingness to share health-generated data (OR 5.00; 95% CI: 1.66–15.10; p = 0.002). None of the predictors included in the multivariable model was independently associated with willingness to share. Conclusions: Most smartwatch users were willing to share their health-generated data with healthcare providers, reflecting positive public attitudes toward integrating this data into healthcare systems. These findings support Saudi Arabia’s digital health transformation initiatives, while highlighting the need to address privacy, trust, and data governance to enable successful implementation. Full article

Family firms are distinctive organisational forms in which ownership, governance, leadership, and strategic decision-making are closely intertwined. Although prior research has examined leadership, succession, governance, and strategy in family firms, the literature remains fragmented regarding how leadership styles are associated with both strategic behaviour and strategic choices. This study addresses this gap by conducting a Systematic Literature Network Analysis of 59 studies on leadership and strategy in family firms. Combining systematic review procedures with bibliographic network analysis, this paper maps the intellectual and thematic structure of the field and synthesises the evidence around five research questions. The findings show that the literature is theoretically rich but not yet fully consolidated, with socioemotional wealth, upper echelon theory, agency theory, stewardship theory, and the resource-based view serving as dominant lenses. Leadership appears to be connected with strategy mainly through affective, political, and cognitive mechanisms, while the procedural core of strategic decision-making, including participation, dissent, consensus formation, and formal planning, remains underdeveloped. This review also shows that leadership is more frequently studied in relation to identity-relevant strategies, such as sustainability, innovation, succession, digital transformation, and professionalisation, while scale-and-scope strategies remain less examined. This study contributes by proposing an integrative framework of five leadership-to-outcome pathways and by outlining a future research agenda for leadership, entrepreneurship, and strategic renewal in family firms. Full article

Common prosperity places the distributional consequences of digitalization at the center of China’s current development agenda. This study develops a two-level analytical framework linking macro-level structures to household income positions. The empirical analysis combines a prefecture-level panel for 2009–2022 with the China Family Panel Studies to examine how city-level digital development relates to the urban–rural income gap. City-level estimates indicate that more advanced digital economies are associated with a wider urban–rural income gap during the sample period. The mechanism estimates are consistent with possible channels involving skill-biased technological progress and unequal digital access and absorptive capacity. Moderation tests indicate that interaction between an “enabling government” and an “efficient market” can mitigate this widening trend. Evidence from the Broadband China pilot further suggests that infrastructure expansion without complementary institutions may intensify polarization, highlighting the limits of policy intervention. At the micro level, digital participation exhibits an inclusive yet asymmetric pattern. Internet use is associated with lower income-based relative deprivation in both groups, with a slightly larger estimated reduction among urban households. Taken together, the evidence points to a distributional tension between digital expansion and equity and supports policies that pair connectivity with stronger capabilities and inclusive institutions. Full article

Genes encoding DUF568 domain-containing proteins participate in plant stress adaptation. To elucidate the functional role of DUF568 domain-containing genes in Trichoderma-induced wheat defense responses against wheat Fusarium crown rot, we performed a genome-wide identification and characterization of the TaDUF568 gene family in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). In this study, a total of 33 TaDUF568 family genes were systematically identified and characterized at the genome-wide level, exhibiting uneven chromosomal distribution and diverse physicochemical properties. Phylogenetic, structural, and collinearity analyses revealed conserved family characteristics among monocot species. Segmental duplication was verified as the primary driver of gene family expansion. Expression profiling revealed divergent tissue-specific expression patterns among TaDUF568 family members, among which TaDUF568.18 was strongly induced by Trichoderma M2. Subcellular localization assays confirmed that TaDUF568.18 is a plasma membrane-localized protein. Functional validation via stable transgenes demonstrated that overexpression of TaDUF568.18 restricted lesion expansion, improved agronomic traits, and enhanced disease resistance. This study is the first to characterize the wheat DUF568 family and confirm that TaDUF568.18 (annotated as TaAIR12) acts as a positive regulator of Trichoderma-mediated wheat defense, providing a valuable gene resource for wheat disease-resistance breeding. Full article

Background: Fathers may experience psychological difficulties during the transition to parenthood, and depressive symptoms during the antenatal period may be associated with fathers’ well-being and adjustment to the paternal role. Marital satisfaction and paternal attachment may be important psychosocial factors associated with fathers’ mental health during this period. This study aimed to examine the relationships among marital satisfaction, paternal attachment, and depressive symptoms among expectant fathers. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed. The study was approved by the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University Non-Interventional Clinical Research Ethics Committee (20 December 2024; Approval No. 2024/13-07). Institutional permission was obtained from the hospital where the study was conducted. Written and verbal informed consent was obtained from all participants, and the study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Data were collected between January 2025 and September 2025 at a hospital located in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye. The study was completed with 336 fathers. Data collection instruments included the Personal Information Form, Marital Life Scale (MLS), Paternal–Antenatal Attachment Questionnaire (PAAQ), and Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS). Multiple regression analysis and forest plot analysis were performed. Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between EPDS scores and MLS, PAAQ, educational status, spouse’s educational status, place of residence, family type, income status, spousal attendance at antenatal visits, and history of depression (p < 0.05). The regression model was statistically significant (F(9326) = 14.4, p < 0.001) and explained 26.4% of the variance in EPDS scores (R² = 0.284). In the adjusted regression model, MLS, educational level, PAAQ, and family type were significantly negatively associated with EPDS scores, whereas a history of depression was significantly positively associated with EPDS scores (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Higher marital satisfaction and paternal attachment were associated with lower depressive symptoms among expectant fathers, whereas a history of depression was associated with higher depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of considering marital and attachment-related factors when assessing fathers’ psychological well-being during the antenatal period. Full article

Psychopathy is a multidimensional personality construct associated with substantial personal, familial, and societal burden. Among the various forms of psychopathology that co-occur with psychopathy, substance misuse represents one of its most prominent comorbidities. Despite growing interest in the psychopathy–substance misuse association, most facet-level studies have been cross-sectional or have relied on lifetime indices of substance involvement, limiting understanding of whether distinct psychopathy facets uniquely predict subsequent substance-related problem severity. The present study prospectively examined whether the four psychopathy facets uniquely predicted six-month drug- and alcohol-related problem severity among adults recovering from a violent injury. Participants (N = 106) completed baseline assessments of the four psychopathy facets using the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale–Short Form (SRP-SF) and drug- and alcohol-related problem severity using the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), with drug- and alcohol-related problem severity reassessed six months later. Separate multiple regression models examined whether the interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial psychopathy facets uniquely predicted six-month drug- and alcohol-related problem severity after controlling for baseline drug and alcohol use severity, age, sex, race, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), history of head injury, and the substantial covariance among psychopathy facets. Affective psychopathic traits uniquely predicted greater six-month drug-related problem severity, whereas antisocial psychopathic traits uniquely predicted greater six-month alcohol-related problem severity. The remaining psychopathy facets were not uniquely associated with either outcome. These findings suggest that the psychopathy facets most strongly associated with substance misuse in cross-sectional research may differ from those that uniquely predict the persistence of drug- and alcohol-related problems over time, underscoring the importance of prospective facet-level research to inform etiological models, risk assessment, and targeted prevention and intervention. Full article

Panax ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.) produces pharmacologically valuable ginsenosides. WD40-repeat (WDR) proteins act as versatile regulators of plant specialized metabolism, yet their biological roles under methyl jasmonate (MeJA) elicitation remain largely uncharacterized in ginseng. In this study, we identified 29 PgWDR family members at the whole-genome level, and systematically analyzed their phylogeny, gene structure, cis-acting promoter elements, as well as organ- and development-dependent expression patterns. Six candidate genes potentially associated with ginsenoside biosynthesis were screened through integrating gene–metabolite correlation analysis and gene co-expression analysis. Under MeJA treatment, three of these candidates showed statistically significant expression responses, while the other three exhibited variable expression fluctuations with no statistical significance. PgWDR24 displayed a positive correlation with key ginsenoside biosynthetic enzyme genes, and a negative correlation with protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside accumulation. Combined with its predicted nuclear localization, we hypothesize that PgWDR24 participates in the negative modulation of protopanaxadiol-type ginsenoside accumulation, although further genetic functional validation is still required. This work provides valuable candidate genes for deciphering ginsenoside regulatory networks and offers support for molecular-assisted breeding of high-quality ginseng. Full article

Background/Objectives: While screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is a widely recommended evidence-based approach for early detection and intervention for alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, limited guidance exists for implementing SBIRT among hospitalized adolescents with chronic medical conditions (A-CMCs). This exploratory qualitative study examined A-CMC and caregiver perspectives on factors that may shape the acceptability, feasibility, and equitable implementation of a proposed inpatient SBIRT approach for A-CMCs. Methods: Two separate focus groups were conducted in an urban pediatric hospital in 2023 with A-CMCs aged 13–18 (n = 7), who had a history of hospitalization for their medical condition, and their caregivers (n = 6). Data were coded using thematic analysis guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and the Health Equity Implementation Framework (HEIF), which captured implementation and equity-relevant determinants, respectively. Results: Although A-CMCs and caregivers recognized the importance of SBIRT within hospital settings, its acceptability hinged on the conditions of its delivery. The timing, relevance to current health needs, and modality of screening shaped an A-CMC’s willingness to disclose AOD use. Clinician communication style, including the use of a nonjudgmental tone and clear parameters for confidentiality, were also indicated as crucial for SBIRT delivery. Broadly, participants noted the significant impact that the sociopolitical context (e.g., stigma) and structural factors (e.g., financial burden) had on a family’s ability to benefit from SBIRT. Conclusions: In this exploratory qualitative study, participants identified confidentiality-forward, patient-centered workflows, and accessible follow-up supports as potentially important considerations for inpatient SBIRT among A-CMCs. These findings generate hypotheses for future co-design and implementation research across diverse pediatric inpatient settings. Full article

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other communication-related conditions may experience substantial emotional demands, yet depressive symptoms have been underexamined in Greek families. This exploratory cross-sectional study assessed depressive symptoms in 164 Greek parents using the Greek-language Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Of the participants, 117 reported having a child with ASD, and 47 reported having a child with another communication-related condition. Mean BDI-II scores were significantly higher among parents of children with ASD than among parents of children with other communication-related conditions (17.65 vs. 9.36; Welch’s t(140.19) = 5.73, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.80). This association remained significant after adjustment for parent-reported functional-speech status and available parent characteristics (B = 8.27, 95% CI [4.73, 11.80], p < 0.001). Parent-reported functional-speech status was also associated with the distribution of BDI-II symptom-severity categories (exact p = 0.002); however, the continuous-score difference and adjusted association for absence of functional speech were not statistically significant (p = 0.086 and p = 0.080, respectively). These findings suggest that parent-reported ASD status was more consistently associated with depressive-symptom severity than functional-speech status in this exploratory sample. Cross-sectional design, convenience sampling, parent-reported child characteristics, and limited measurement of potential confounders warrant cautious interpretation. Full article

This study examined parents’ and grandparents’ perspectives on intergenerational interactions within an innovative school–family partnership in early childhood education (ECE). Drawing on sociocultural concepts of learning and a ‘more-than-parents’ approach to intergenerational learning (IGL), this research project adopted a two-way partnership perspective, encouraging children and their family members to explore and reconstruct local cultural heritage sites together by utilising their lived experiences and cultural resources. A qualitative case study approach was employed, with data derived from an online open-ended questionnaire completed by 20 adult participants (i.e., 14 parents and six grandparents). Inductive thematic analysis revealed five core themes: (a) acknowledging children as capable agents; (b) identifying children’s learning; (c) adults as learners; (d) shared activities as a space for fostering family connection; and (e) challenges and suggestions for future implementation. The findings demonstrate that the shared exploration of cultural heritage can enhance mutual learning and foster vivid intergenerational communication, thereby strengthening family relationships. By observing the active role of young learners in intergenerational activities, participants acknowledged capabilities that they had previously overlooked in their children and/or grandchildren. However, challenges relating to time constraints, available resources and practical issues suggest that schools need to provide families with tailored information about such initiatives. Overall, this study emphasises the pivotal role of early childhood education in fostering IGL through reciprocal school–family partnerships. Full article

This article examines queer Hmong identity and cultural change in the United States over the past fifty years, a period shaped by refugee resettlement, intergenerational negotiation, and evolving family practice. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with ten queer Hmong individuals and analyzing the findings through two frameworks centering Hmong epistemologies, this article argues that queer Hmong belonging is negotiated through placement: the positioning of queer Hmong children in Hmong genealogical structures. Participants describe acceptance not only through “coming out” or verbal acceptance, but through everyday acts of care, inclusion, and protection that sustain family life. By centering acceptance, obligation, and sacrifice, this article reframes queerness as an act of cultural continuity emerging through intergenerational care, mutual accommodation, and shared responsibility, rather than through the rejection of Hmong tradition. These findings show how Hmong parents and queer children actively negotiate shifting norms while reconfiguring belonging, family cohesion, and cultural responsibility within the diaspora. In doing so, this article contributes to critical Hmong studies, queer of color critique, education, and social work by offering a framework for understanding queer identity formation that is grounded in Hmong genealogical and epistemological terms, rather than measured against Western models of visibility and disclosure. Full article

Hispanics of Mexican American descent in South Texas show a very high prevalence of MASLD, with some studies reporting rates as high as 50% in adults. However, assessment of genetic risk factors underlying this prevalence is complicated by a high co-occurrence of other metabolic disorders and variable endogenous and exogenous environmental risk factors. To map the transcriptomic architecture of MASLD hepatic steatosis risk, we conducted an epidemiological-scale investigation using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocyte cultures from 193 participants in our longitudinal South Texas Family Study (STFS). iPSC-based models offer greater power to map genetic risk factors by experimentally controlling for confounding organismal and environmental factors. We combined transcriptome-wide gene expression analysis with high-content cellular measurements of neutral lipids to define a core hepatic steatosis MASLD phenotype at baseline (vehicle-treated) and following a lipid challenge. The additive genetic heritability of hepatic steatosis measures was 0.44 (p-value = 0.03) at baseline and 0.42 (p-value = 0.03) at post-lipid challenge. Multivariable linear regression comparing each gene’s expression against hepatic steatosis measures identified 1070 genes at baseline and 1229 genes post-lipid challenge, whose expression showed a transcriptome-wide statistically significant association (standardized |β| ≥ 0.24; Bonferroni-corrected p-value ≤ 0.001) with baseline and post-lipid challenge hepatic steatosis measures, respectively. Functional annotation and pathway enrichment analyses of these genes implicated a broad range of hepatocellular functions, mapping an overall transcriptomic architecture of MASLD-associated steatosis risk in Mexican Americans. The genes whose expression was positively correlated with hepatic steatosis measures suggest a direct role of variation in fatty acid (FA) and cholesterol uptake, de novo lipogenesis (DNL), and carbohydrate shunts in hepatic steatosis risk, as well as a cellular stress-associated and high-turnover metabolic state marked by elevated FA-oxidation and ketogenesis. In contrast, the genes whose expression was inversely correlated with hepatic steatosis measures suggest a significant role of the cellular cytoskeleton, hepatocyte epithelial integrity, and endosomal and autophagic clearance machinery in steatosis risk. Full article

Despite the growing interest in purpose-driven business models, there is currently no operational, practice-based instrument that can be used to empirically assess corporate consciousness at the firm level based on the firm’s own reported practices rather than a self-report perceptual scale. This study addresses this gap by inductively developing the Conscious Business Index (CBi), an exploratory instrument built bottom-up from organizations’ reported practices using a sequential mixed-methods design. Drawing on data from 316 firms that participated in Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies (BMC) programme in Mexico (2023–2024), we conducted inductive thematic analysis (n = 243 open-ended responses), expert-panel evaluation (n = 7), and quantitative analysis (t-tests and k-means clustering). This was done to test whether BMC-awarded firms exhibit higher corporate consciousness than finalists. The results confirmed that the awarded firms scored significantly higher on the CBi than the finalists in both years ($d=1.04$ in 2023; $d=1.14$ in 2024), and this remained robust after controlling for cohort year, sector, firm size, and family business status ($\beta =0.098$, $p<0.001$). Furthermore, significant asymmetry emerged across the four pillars (Friedman $p<0.001$), with Higher Purpose solidifying over time as the lowest-scoring dimension. These results suggest that operational excellence does not consistently translate evenly into purpose-driven commitment. Current business-excellence frameworks capture the operational and cultural dimensions of conscious capitalism far more effectively than its philosophical core. This calls into question whether standard reporting requirements truly reflect genuine corporate consciousness. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns heavily impacted the stress levels of families worldwide. We examined parental stress levels regarding a variety of subtopics (including finances, schooling, and seeing extended family) in North Bay, Ontario, Canada. A mixed-method survey approach was used with a volunteer sample of 101 parents from the North Bay community. Included in the survey were 25 potential parental stressors, which parents were asked to rate in terms of their stressfulness, both during the COVID-19 lockdowns and post-pandemic. To accomplish this, participants were administered only one questionnaire, after the height of the pandemic was over, and asked to reflect on both the current time and on the time during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. General stress levels were higher after the lockdowns ended compared to during the lockdowns, indicated by 20 out of the 25 surveyed parental stressors. Four themes were identified in the qualitative data obtained from open-ended questions: ability to parent; requiring additional support; mental and physical well-being; and child-rearing. Specifically, in terms of the first theme, some parents felt that parenting had become more difficult, while others did not. With respect to theme two, many parents felt a need for support in a variety of areas, which relates to theme three, as supports were often desired to improve mental or physical well-being. The fourth theme highlighted the opportunity to spend more time at home with family and raise children according to parents’ own principles. Parents were also asked about changes in their behaviours, like gambling and alcohol use; gambling, in particular, increased during and after the pandemic compared to before. However, parents reported that the difficulty associated with continuing to parent as they did before the lockdowns was minimal, and that it did not change during or after the lockdowns. Finally, parents were asked about changes to their own mental and physical health; results were mixed, but approximately half of participants perceived positive changes in their well-being. Thus, compared to existing research, the current study provides a more comprehensive overview of stressors experienced by families in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns. It also brings to light suggestions and recommendations from survey respondents to improve parents’ quality of life in post-COVID-19 North Bay, Ontario. Full article