Search Results (1,650)

Accurate volumetric quantification of brain tumor subregions in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is sensitive to local prediction bias, because boundary over-expansion, missed enhancing foci, and class confusion at subregion transitions can propagate to case-level volume errors. To address this issue, this study proposes CPLR-Net, a coarse prior-guided logit-space residual refinement framework with functional symmetry between global layout preservation and local error compensation. A Coarse Prior Segmentor first generates coarse logits that encode the global semantic layout of the tumor. These logits are then concatenated with multi-modal MRI and fed into an efficient multi-scale attention (EMA)-enhanced Residual Refiner, where three-dimensional cross-spatial feature recalibration and gated logit residual updating are used to correct ambiguous boundaries and subregion transitions while maintaining consistency with the coarse semantic prior. Experiments on the Brain Tumor Segmentation (BraTS) 2020 and 2021 datasets show that CPLR-Net achieves favorable overall performance in the Dice similarity coefficient, 95th percentile Hausdorff distance, and absolute volume difference compared with representative three-dimensional segmentation methods, supporting accurate segmentation and volumetric quantification. The results suggest that coarse-prior-constrained residual refinement in logit space provides an effective strategy for reliable key-subregion segmentation and quantitative assessment in brain tumor MRI follow-up scenarios. Full article

Background/Objectives: To evaluate whether the combination of oral eplerenone and half-dose full-fluence photodynamic therapy (HD-FF PDT) provides greater efficacy than HD-FF PDT alone in persistent central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). Methods: This monocentric, retrospective, observational study included patients with persistent (>6 months) simple or complex CSCR who had previously undergone either half-dose full-fluence photodynamic therapy (HD-FF PDT) alone or HD-FF PDT combined with oral eplerenone as part of routine clinical practice between September 2024 and March 2025. Functional and morphological data collected at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment were retrospectively reviewed. An artificial intelligence–based algorithm was used to analyze OCT scans, quantifying subretinal and intraretinal fluid volumes (SRFV, IRFV) and assessing ellipsoid zone and external limiting membrane integrity, hyperreflective foci, subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT), and central macular thickness (CMT). Results: Fifty patients (53 eyes; mean age 52 years) were included, with no significant baseline differences between groups. Best-corrected visual acuity improved more significantly in Group B at 1 and 6 months (p = 0.032 and p = 0.009, respectively). At 6 months, subretinal fluid volume (SRFV), quantified by AI-based OCT analysis, was significantly lower in the combined therapy group (p = 0.014). An AI-defined complete resolution of subretinal fluid (SRFV < 0.010 mm³) was achieved more frequently in Group B than in Group A (77% vs. 22%, p = 0.001). Conclusions: Although HD-FF PDT remains the standard treatment for persistent CSCR, adjunctive therapy with the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist eplerenone may enhance subretinal fluid reabsorption and improve mid-term anatomical and functional outcomes. Full article

Nanoplastic particles are increasingly detected in aquatic environments, yet whether cellular stress responses persist after exposure cessation remains unclear. Here, Lateolabrax maculatus rostral (LMR) cells from spotted sea bass were continuously exposed for up to 30 passages (105 days) to nominal 20 nm carboxylated fluorescent polystyrene particles (20 μg/mL), followed by 10 particle-free passages (recovery). Long-term exposure was associated with reduced proliferation and pronounced changes in cell surface morphology and ultrastructure. Although NP-associated fluorescence became undetectable during recovery, several nuclear-associated alterations persisted throughout the 10-passage recovery period, including TEM-observed nuclear-envelope alterations, filamentous actin (F-actin) reorganization, and sustained elevation of phosphorylated H2AX (γ-H2AX) foci. Several nuclear pore complex (NPC) genes were downregulated during exposure and rebounded after particle removal, whereas the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic distribution of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) remained shifted. Together, these findings indicate that prolonged exposure to this nanoscale polystyrene particle formulation was associated with nuclear stress responses that did not fully resolve within the 10-passage recovery window in fish cells. Because bulk-polymer and chemical-extract (leachate) controls were not included, nanoscale-specific effects cannot be distinguished from contributions of polymer chemistry, surface functionalization, fluorescent dye, or other formulation-related effects. Full article

Background/Objectives: Our aim is to describe the clinical, imaging, and histopathological features of odontogenic keratocyst in a Mexican cohort. Methods: This is a retrospective, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Clinical records and histopathology reports (2015–2025) from multiple laboratories were reviewed. Slides stained with hematoxylin and eosin were evaluated by pathologists using standardized criteria. Descriptive statistics were performed. Results: A total of 106 cases were included. Ages ranged from 10 to 86 years (mean 33.4 ± 17.7). There was a predominance of males (61/106; 57.5%). The most frequent location was the posterior mandible (49/106; 46.2%), followed by anterior mandible (30/106; 28.3%), posterior maxilla (19/106; 17.9%), and anterior maxilla (8/106; 7.5%). Most cases were asymptomatic (73/106; 68.9%). Association with an impacted tooth was documented in 37/106 (34.9%) and root resorption in 26/106 (24.5%). Satellite epithelial islands were observed in 8/106 (7.5%), satellite cysts in 17/106 (16.0%), and both findings in 4/106 (3.8%). Chronic inflammation was present in 62/106 (58.5%). Conclusions: In this Mexican series, odontogenic keratocyst predominated in males and, in the posterior mandible, was frequently asymptomatic, and showed satellite foci and chronic inflammation in a relevant proportion, reinforcing the need for clinical-imaging and histopathological correlation, as well as follow-up. Full article

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate imaging features associated with malignancy and to differentiate true non-mass lesions from transient non-mass ABUS findings on automated breast ultrasound (ABUS). Methods: This retrospective study included 133 women with non-mass lesions, each contributing a single lesion assessed as BI-RADS categories 0, 4, or 5 on ABUS between January 2020 and October 2022. We analyzed multiple ABUS imaging features, including background echotexture, distribution, microcalcification-like echogenic foci, posterior shadowing, architectural distortion on axial and coronal views, and volume change. These findings were statistically compared according to pathologic results for malignancy and ultrasonographic correlation for true versus transient non-mass ABUS findings. Results: Among the 133 lesions, 15 (11.3%) were malignant and 65 (48.9%) were transient non-mass ABUS findings. Segmental distribution (odds ratio [OR] = 40.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.45–367.27; p = 0.001) and coronal architectural distortion (OR = 53.59; 95% CI, 6.26–458.90; p < 0.001) showed exploratory associations with malignancy. A non-heterogeneous background echotexture (OR = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.02–0.33; p = 0.001), lack of posterior shadowing (OR = 0.14; 95% CI, 0.03–0.60; p = 0.008), and volume change (OR = 15.79; 95% CI, 1.47–170.12; p = 0.023) were associated with true lesions. Conclusions: Segmental distribution and coronal architectural distortion were associated with malignancy on ABUS in this exploratory study. Lack of posterior shadowing and the presence of volume change were associated with true lesions, while heterogeneous background echotexture was associated with transient non-mass ABUS findings. These ABUS findings may contribute to the characterization of non-mass lesions but, given the small number of malignant lesions, require cautious interpretation and validation in larger studies. Full article

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) represents one of the most severe transboundary animal diseases globally. Although considered endemic in Ghana, recent data on circulating serotypes are limited. This study investigated and characterized FMD outbreaks occurring between July and December 2024, assessed the occurrence of the infection in seemingly healthy cattle imports, and explored alternative methods to enhance early diagnosis in livestock; using probang Sera, epithelial tissue and oral mucosal swabs were obtained from cattle exhibiting signs suggestive of FMD from farms, livestock markets and a slaughter facility. This was followed by a cross-sectional survey at two major points of entry (POE) to Ghana to obtain oropharyngeal samples using probang from healthy cattle to assess the possible role of imported cattle in the outbreaks in the northern and southern regions of the country. Samples were analysed for FMD virus (FMDV) and non-structural protein (NSP) antibodies to assess infection and exposure from the outbreak foci and POE. Positive samples were sequenced to characterize the virus serotypes. Outbreaks were reported in 38 kraals, three livestock markets, and one slaughter facility across 14 districts in nine regions. Morbidity rates ranged from 8% to 100% (median = 50%), with fatalities occurring in three kraals. Of the 247 samples from outbreak locations, FMD virus was detected in 49.4% (122/247). A majority of cattle (66.03%, 140/212) tested seropositive for FMD NSP antibodies. From healthy cattle at POE, 250 oropharyngeal (probang) samples were collected, with 62.4% testing positive, distributed between the north and south. Only 1.6% of the samples had FMDV RNA detected using PCR. Phylogenetic analysis identified serotypes O, A, and SAT2. These findings confirm the co-circulation of multiple FMDV serotypes in Ghana and highlight the necessity for enhanced molecular surveillance and coordinated cross-border control measures. Full article

This prospective single-center study investigated the impact of iodinated contrast agents (Ultravist/iopromide and Visipaque/iodixanol) on DNA double-strand breaks during pediatric chest computed tomography (CT). Twenty-six children underwent medically indicated chest CT between March 2022 and November 2024: unenhanced (n = 7), Ultravist-enhanced (n = 10), and Visipaque-enhanced (n = 9). Blood samples were collected before and 30 min post-CT. DNA damage was quantified by analyzing γ-H2AX and 53BP1 foci formation in peripheral lymphocytes using immunofluorescence microscopy. All groups showed significant increases in DNA damage following CT. The absolute increases were 0.915 ± 0.250 foci/cell (unenhanced), 0.972 ± 0.279 (Ultravist), and 1.261 ± 0.251 (Visipaque), representing 6.2% and 37.8% higher values in contrast groups. However, these differences between groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.579, Kruskal–Wallis test), with small effect sizes (Cohen’s d < 0.5 for all comparisons). Contrast-enhanced protocols employed higher radiation doses than unenhanced scans (CTDIvol: 4.04–4.57 mGy vs. 2.66 mGy). When DNA damage was normalized for CTDIvol, no significant differences were observed between groups (p = 0.659). DNA damage showed no significant correlation with dosimetric parameters. When accounting for radiation dose differences, iodinated contrast agents do not enhance radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks in pediatric chest CT, confirming the safety of contrast-enhanced CT. Full article

Background/Objective: Ultrasound is the first-line imaging modality for thyroid nodule assessment; however, it remains highly operator-dependent and subject to interobserver variability. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems have been proposed to improve reproducibility, yet evidence regarding their agreement with clinician assessment—particularly at the level of individual sonographic features—remains limited. Importantly, most available studies evaluate concordance rather than true diagnostic accuracy against an independent reference standard. To evaluate agreement between an AI-based ultrasound system and expert clinician assessment in thyroid nodule evaluation, focusing on concordance of size measurements, agreement in sonographic feature classification, and exploratory diagnostic performance relative to cytological outcomes. Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 74 thyroid nodules from adult patients undergoing routine ultrasound examination. Archived ultrasound images were independently assessed by an experienced clinician and an AI-based system. Agreement for quantitative measurements was evaluated using Bland–Altman analysis, while categorical features were assessed using percent agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficients. Calibration was examined using scatter plots with the line of identity. Cytological results, when available, were used as a non-uniform exploratory reference standard for diagnostic analyses. Exploratory diagnostic performance was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUROC) estimates. Given the study design, analyses primarily reflect agreement and measurement concordance rather than true diagnostic accuracy. Results: AI-derived and clinician measurements demonstrated strong agreement across all dimensions, with minimal systematic bias and stable calibration patterns. A small but consistent underestimation of one measurement axis by approximately 1 mm was observed. For categorical features, agreement ranged from fair to moderate (κ = 0.196–0.368), with the highest concordance for echogenic foci and lowest for echogenicity. Exploratory analyses showed variable diagnostic discrimination, with the best performance observed for size measurements and selected sonographic features. Conclusions: AI-based ultrasound analysis demonstrates robust agreement with clinician assessment for quantitative thyroid nodule measurements, while agreement for categorical feature classification remains moderate and variable. The findings highlight that the present study evaluates concordance rather than definitive diagnostic accuracy, particularly given the lack of a uniform independent reference standard. These results support the role of AI as an assistive tool in thyroid ultrasound practice, improving measurement reproducibility while requiring ongoing clinician oversight for qualitative interpretation. Full article

Deforestation remains a crucial Anthropocene challenge, driving biodiversity loss, carbon emissions, and socio-ecological disruption. Despite extensive study, the long-term structure, thematic evolution, and collaborative patterns of deforestation research remain insufficiently synthesized. This bibliometric analysis examines 5091 publications from WoS and Scopus (1974–2025), using RStudio (version 4.5.2 (31 October 2025)), VOSViewer (version 1.6.20), and Excel to analyze publication trends, citation patterns, thematic clusters, and collaboration networks. Results show rapid growth after 2000, with citation peaks in 2010 and 2020. Major thematic clusters include deforestation, climate change, agriculture, governance, REDD+, and remote sensing. Environmental Research Letters is the most influential journal; Fearnside, P., is the leading author, and the UC system is a top institution. The USA and Brazil lead nationally, with the Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia as primary geographic foci, reflecting persistent North–South collaboration dynamics. Limitations include reliance on English-language publications and title-only search criteria, which may underrepresent non-Anglophone research. Future research should expand to multiple languages, incorporate gray literature, and examine the policy impacts of deforestation-free supply chain regulations, such as the EUDR. This review underscores deforestation science as a growing, multidisciplinary field that requires the integration of social and ecological sciences, AI, and geospatial tools, alongside stronger research-policy linkages and enhanced capacity in forest-affected regions. Full article

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a vision-threatening retinal disorder in which successful anatomical reattachment does not always result in satisfactory functional visual recovery. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become an essential non-invasive imaging modality for evaluating retinal microstructure and identifying biomarkers associated with postoperative visual outcomes. This narrative review summarizes and critically evaluates current evidence regarding the prognostic significance of OCT biomarkers following RRD repair. Available studies indicate that primary outer retinal biomarkers, particularly the integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane (ELM), are the most reliable predictors of postoperative best-corrected visual acuity. Preservation of these structures reflects photoreceptor viability and is strongly associated with improved visual recovery. Secondary biomarkers, including hyperreflective foci, intraretinal cystic changes, retinal folds, persistent subretinal fluid, and preretinal hyperreflective dots, provide complementary information regarding inflammatory activity, retinal remodeling, and postoperative complications such as epiretinal membrane formation. Although these biomarkers have considerable clinical value for prognostication, patient counseling, and postoperative monitoring, their interpretation is limited by heterogeneity among studies, differences in imaging protocols, and the lack of standardized assessment criteria. Future large-scale prospective studies are needed to validate OCT biomarkers and establish standardized approaches for their integration into routine clinical practice. Full article

This article examines the orientation that emerges during worship in the Abrahamic religions through the interrelation of bodily experience and architectural space. Drawing jointly on Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of the “lived body” and Mircea Eliade’s theory of sacred space, the study discusses how the directionality of worship in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam produces distinct spatial theologies. Methodologically, the research is based on a hermeneutic reading of selected sacred texts, rabbinic and liturgical sources, and on a comparative analysis of synagogue, church, and mosque spaces according to the criteria of orientation, architectural focus, bodily posture, congregational alignment, light, axis, threshold, and ritual surface. The proposed tripartite schema distinguishes between the horizontal covenantal orientation toward Jerusalem in Judaism, the vertical/transcendent axis associated with the cross, resurrection, and ascension in Christianity, and the downward orientation intensified around prostration in Islam. These orientations are not merely ritual prescriptions; rather, they constitute intentional structures through which the body is situated in relation to God, others, and the world. In the synagogue, the Torah ark and the direction of Jerusalem; in the church, the apse, cross, and luminous order; and in the mosque, the qibla wall, the alignment of prayer rows, and the surface of prostration are examined as architectural foci that materialize these intentional structures. The study brings together three domains that are often treated separately in literature: the phenomenology of religion, Eliadean cosmology, and architectural spatial analysis. In doing so, it proposes a comparative model of “spatial theology” among the Abrahamic traditions, articulated through the relationship between body, text, and worship structures. Ultimately, sacred space is interpreted as a dynamic order that is reconstituted in every act of worship through the convergence of bodily orientation, historical memory, and cosmic reference. Full article

Plague remains a globally important zoonotic disease maintained in natural foci, with ongoing epizootic activity and periodic human cases reported in several regions of the world. Continuous monitoring of antimicrobial susceptibility in Yersinia pestis is essential because the emergence of resistant strains could compromise the effectiveness of currently recommended therapeutic regimens. In this study, 75 Y. pestis isolates originating from natural plague foci of Kazakhstan were investigated using an integrated approach combining phenotypic susceptibility testing, targeted molecular screening, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based resistome analysis. The collection included historical clinical isolates obtained during plague outbreaks as well as more recent epizootic strains recovered from animal hosts and flea vectors. Phenotypic testing demonstrated uniformly high susceptibility to clinically relevant antimicrobial agents used for plague treatment. Targeted molecular screening by real-time PCR did not detect the analyzed resistance determinants. Genome-wide analysis based on WGS data from NCBI BioProject PRJNA1249055 did not identify acquired antimicrobial resistance genes, major resistance-associated mutations in key chromosomal loci (rpsL, gyrA, and parC), or plasmid-borne resistance determinants. Regulatory loci associated with adaptive responses were highly conserved across the analyzed genomes. The complete concordance between phenotypic, molecular, and genomic findings indicates a stable antimicrobial susceptibility profile of Y. pestis circulating in natural plague foci of Kazakhstan. These results support the continued effectiveness of current therapeutic strategies for plague and highlight the value of integrating genomic surveillance into long-term monitoring programs for this pathogen. Full article

Accurate, automated delineation of adult diffuse gliomas from multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is central to quantitative neuro-oncology. Volumetric 3D networks dominate the BraTS leaderboard but require expensive GPUs, long training cycles, and provide diminishing returns relative to their compute budget. Slice-wise 2D models, by contrast, discard inter-slice context that is informative for thin tumor rims and small enhancing foci. We introduce GDNet, a 2.5D multimodal MRI segmentation framework for adult glioma evaluated on the BraTS 2024 cohort. GDNet consumes a stack of three adjacent axial slices from the four standard BraTS modalities (T1, T1ce, T2, FLAIR) as a 12-channel input to a compact U-shaped encoder–decoder with Group Normalization and predicts whole tumor (WT), tumor core (TC), and enhancing tumor (ET) masks for the central slice. The training pipeline pairs the 2.5D backbone with: (i) Exponential Moving Average (EMA) of model weights with decay 0.999, (ii) mixed tumor-aware slice sampling (p_tumor = 0.50), (iii) a compound Cross-Entropy + Soft-Dice loss, and (iv) AdamW with warm-up plus cosine annealing under Automatic Mixed Precision. We performed a systematic, step-by-step ablation covering a 2D baseline, EMA + mixed sampling, tumor-centered crop fine-tuning, a GDNet-inspired architectural integration, a region-aware loss, 3-slice and 5-slice 2.5D inputs, and connected-component post-processing, and we report multi-seed results to quantify reproducibility. On the held-out BraTS 2024 test partition, the final 3-slice 2.5D GDNet achieved positive-only Dice scores of 0.791 ± 0.000 (WT), 0.736 ± 0.003 (TC), 0.654 ± 0.004 (ET), and a mean foreground positive-only Dice of 0.820 ± 0.000 across seeds; the all-slice mean foreground Dice exceeded 0.927 ± 0.000. Validation positive-only scores were 0.805 ± 0.002 (WT), 0.757 ± 0.004 (TC), 0.683 ± 0.009 (ET). The inter-seed standard deviation was small for every region (≤0.01 Dice points), indicating low inter-seed variance across the two seeds evaluated; with only two seeds, we regard this as preliminary evidence of training stability rather than a strong reproducibility claim. The ablation isolated EMA + mixed tumor sampling and the 2.5D context window as the dominant sources of improvement; notably, a GDNet-style architectural integration with a region-aware loss did not outperform the simpler 2.5D U-Net on positive-only WT/TC/ET, and light post-processing improved only all-slice Dice. A failure-mode audit found that the residual catastrophic predictions are concentrated on a small minority of diffuse, infiltrative tumors with mass effect. Conclusions: Carefully engineered training strategies, tumor-aware sampling, EMA stabilization, and a modest 2.5D context window recover a substantial fraction of the accuracy of much heavier 3D networks at a fraction of the compute, are reproducible across seeds, and outperform a heavier GDNet-inspired architectural variant on the same data. GDNet is therefore a practical and, pending external validation, potentially clinically deployable framework for multimodal glioma segmentation on workstation-class GPU hardware. Full article

Plague remains a significant natural focal zoonotic infection with continuing epidemiological relevance in the Republic of Kazakhstan. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of epizootological dynamics in natural plague foci during 2020–2025 through the integration of historical epidemiological data, phenotypic and molecular characterization of Yersinia pestis, and GIS-based spatial analysis. The study utilized long-term surveillance data (1920–2025), epidemiological records of human plague cases (1926–2003), phenotypic analysis of 1526 strains, and whole-genome sequencing of 75 representative isolates. Epizootological monitoring demonstrated high surveillance coverage and stable monitoring capacity, together with a marked increase in the application of molecular diagnostic methods. By 2025, both the number and isolation rate of Y. pestis strains increased substantially, while the epizootically active area expanded in 2024–2025, although the overall long-term trend in active area was not statistically significant. Despite these fluctuations, Y. pestis populations remained highly stable, with 94.9% phenotypically typical and 97.5% genotypically typical strains, and no evidence of antimicrobial resistance. Spatial autocorrelation analysis using Moran’s I revealed significant clustering of epizootics (Moran’s I = 0.1627; z = 4.39; p < 0.001), indicating non-random spatial distribution and localized zones of increased epizootic activity. No human plague cases have been recorded since 2003 during the period of sustained epidemiological surveillance and control measures. These findings highlight the potential utility of integrating spatial modeling and molecular surveillance into risk-oriented plague monitoring and control strategies. Full article

Rickettsia spp. are ubiquitous in nature and capable of causing diseases of varying severity. The most extensive group comprises the spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsiae, the members of which are predominantly transmitted by ticks. The expansion of tick habitats observed in recent decades poses an increasing threat of dissemination of tick-borne infections into regions previously considered non-endemic. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of SFG Rickettsiae in ixodid ticks collected in Northwest Russia and to characterize the species diversity of these pathogens within the study area. Questing adult ixodid ticks (n = 4566) were collected from eight regions of Northwest Russia (Arkhangelsk, Kaliningrad, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov and Vologda Regions, as well as the Republic of Karelia and St. Petersburg) in 2023 to 2025 (from April to September). The species composition included Ixodes ricinus (n = 1683), Ixodes persulcatus (n = 2404), and Dermacentor reticulatus (n = 479). Genomic DNA was extracted from individual ticks and screened for SFG Rickettsiae using real-time PCR, followed by conventional PCR targeting the gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4 (gene D) genes. Nucleotide sequences obtained for a subset of positive samples for the various genes were analyzed. The overall prevalence of SFG Rickettsiae was 12.6% (95% CI: 11.7–13.6). Circulation of the following species was detected: Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia conorii subsp. raoultii, Candidatus Rickettsia tarasevichiae, Rickettsia monacensis, and Rickettsia felis. The findings indicate considerable species diversity of SFG Rickettsiae in natural foci of Northwest Russia. Rickettsia monacensis was detected in ixodid ticks within the study area for the first time, and R. felis was identified in Russia for the first time. Full article