Search Results (13,327)

The use of different marine resources, including various colouring agents, is rooted in human history. They have been used as nutrients and medicaments and in luxury products. Readily available marine biological pigments (MBPs) are considered inexpensive materials, since they can be used as colourants. MBPs form part of the ‘’blue technology’’ approach for industrial colouring applications, including staining, textile dyeing, and uses to give fashionable colours to luxury products. They serve as nutrient additives, cosmetic ingredients, and as parts of beauty products. Today, they still are broadly used in the context of diverse new applications. MBPs can be concentrated differently on the bodies of marine creatures, providing each pigment its unique colour and properties. MBPs like carotenoids can complement important cell activities, like photosynthesis. They can function independently or support other micro- and macromolecules. MBPs are essential for their host’s survival. Outside their primary hosts (in the context of uses on and in consumers’ corpora), they either stay unmodified or can be changed by association with specific micro- and macromolecules. A few types of MBPs have been extracted, purified, identified, and formulated as drugs or pure chemicals. MBPs share common properties, such as functioning as antioxidants, can protect against sunlight and UV waves, and can improve vision. They take part in health protection and disease treatment, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-neurodegeneration, anti-ageing, and anti-wrinkle functions, and can function as an antimicrobial. With many undiscovered properties, MBPs represent a source for de novo applications with innumerable chances that might offer mastery of the fields of colour-based applications. This review summaries the importance of MBPs and addresses important applicable properties that make them attractive for nutraceutical, medicinal, pharmaceutical, and cosmeceutical uses, in addition to various industrial applications, and discusses historical and contemporary facts that have attracted human attention, both in the past and today, along with setting out expectations for the future of MBPs. Full article

The United States has long been a destination for immigrants seeking better economic opportunities and an improved quality of life, and among these populations, Muslim women represent a particularly vulnerable group facing unique challenges. First-generation Muslim immigrant women in America navigate a complex web of intersecting stressors that significantly impact their mental health and overall wellbeing. Despite the pervasiveness of mental health and heightened attention on mental health challenges post COVID-19, research on the mental health of the Muslim community—particularly immigrant Muslim women in the United States—is seldom studied. This qualitative study utilized a focus group among a purposive sample of immigrant Muslim women to explore the multifaceted mental health challenges with particular attention to how racism, Islamophobia, and acculturative stress create cumulative mental health burdens. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes highlighting the various mental health challenges faced by participants: experience encountering racism and discrimination, the importance of faith and Islamic practice in addressing mental health challenges, the role of family and peers in addressing mental health challenges, and mental health service utilization. These findings underscore the importance of culturally responsive mental health services and community-based interventions that recognize the intersection of migration, discrimination, and religious identity in shaping the mental health experiences of immigrant Muslim women. Full article

Background/Objectives: Veterinary vaccine manufacturing is essential for controlling transboundary animal diseases, strengthening animal health systems, and supporting livestock development, particularly in Southeast Asia where livestock production continues to expand. However, modernization toward Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) compliance remains challenging because it requires coordinated development across regulatory, technical, organizational, financial, and governance domains. This study aimed to develop an evidence-informed strategic framework for veterinary vaccine manufacturing modernization through a structured and systematically documented framework development methodology integrating multidisciplinary evidence and practice-informed implementation experience. Methods: An evidence-informed framework development study was conducted through the multidisciplinary integration of multiple evidence sources, including international regulatory guidance, peer-reviewed scientific literature, multidisciplinary feasibility assessment, and practice-informed implementation experience derived from a government-commissioned consultancy project. Framework development followed a structured methodology comprising evidence collection, evidence categorization, multidisciplinary evidence synthesis, framework development, iterative refinement, and expert-informed validation. Only generalized methodological principles and potentially transferable implementation knowledge were incorporated to ensure confidentiality of project-specific information. Results: Multidisciplinary evidence synthesis identified ten evidence domains encompassing regulatory, technical, organizational, economic, legal, environmental, governance, workforce, infrastructure, and implementation considerations. These domains were translated through a structured process into an evidence-informed strategic framework organized around four sequential modernization phases—Design, Construction, Validation, and Continuous Improvement—supported by cross-cutting strategic enablers. Iterative refinement through expert review, technical consultation, and implementation verification strengthened the framework’s scientific consistency, regulatory alignment, and practical applicability. Conclusions: Veterinary vaccine manufacturing modernization should be regarded as a multidisciplinary organizational transformation rather than solely as an infrastructure or engineering project. Beyond proposing a strategic framework, this study provides a transparent, systematically documented and traceable methodology for translating multidisciplinary evidence into strategic decision-support tools. The proposed framework may assist governments, regulatory authorities, vaccine manufacturers, and researchers in developing evidence-informed modernization strategies for veterinary biological manufacturing systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, subject to adaptation to specific regulatory, technical, institutional, and resource contexts. Full article

Humans and other great apes are unique among animals in lacking functional uricase, an enzyme that breaks down urate and allows its excretion. Modern-day humans have elevated serum urate, which is associated with various chronic health issues, including gout, metabolic syndrome, and hypertension. This prompts the question: what is the evolutionary benefit of the loss of uricase function, given that it may confer an increased risk of these chronic diseases? In this review, we explore numerous possible advantages, including some less commonly discussed, such as urate’s function as an antioxidant, its roles in ancestral survival, and its metabolic role in the context of our evolutionary history and the environmental pressures that have shaped human biology. We go on to examine the tradeoffs of urate’s evolutionary advantages, and how these features may be a double-edged sword for our health in our modern environment characterized by a caloric abundance of key nutrients, such as fructose, which are intimately linked with urate production and/or metabolism. Moving forward, we suggest that future work should explore the role of our evolutionary history in the rising prevalence of gout and other modern-day metabolic diseases. We further recommend that drugs and therapeutic strategies for diseases such as gout be informed by an understanding of the rich evolutionary context from which these maladies emerged and the unifying role of serum urate across these disease states. Full article

Background/Objectives: Health literacy is a critical determinant of health, closely linked to behaviours, outcomes, and broader social determinants. Given that young people navigate distinct social contexts and health-related challenges compared to adults, understanding how to support their health literacy development during this important period is essential for lifelong wellbeing. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of academics and community-based practitioners regarding the concept of health literacy in young people and the importance of supporting its development. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants (academics n = 17, health and wellbeing practitioners n = 9, policy/research n = 4) based across Europe and Australasia, with experience in youth health literacy. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: Three key themes were identified: (i) Building lifelong health agency: From early foundations to transitional autonomy; (ii) Navigating novel health changes; and (iii) Structural inequities and intergenerational barriers in health literacy. Conclusions: Participants emphasised that youth health literacy interventions should move beyond didactic, individual-level information delivery toward fostering critical digital competencies and addressing structural barriers through participatory co-design with young people. Full article

This study examines whether fertility-related employment penalties differ across countries at different stages of demographic transition, using Kenya and South Africa as comparative case studies. Using nationally representative Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data, the analysis employs an instrumental-variable approach that exploits exogenous variation in fertility generated by twin births, with the sex composition of the first two children used as a supplementary robustness instrument. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA)-based Economic Independence Index is also employed as an alternative outcome measure to capture broader dimensions of economic autonomy. The results show that higher fertility significantly reduces women’s paid employment participation and broader measures of economic autonomy. Instrumental-variable estimates exceed ordinary least squares estimates, suggesting that conventional models underestimate the economic costs of childbearing. Fertility-related employment penalties are remarkably similar across Kenya and South Africa despite their different demographic transition trajectories, providing little evidence that lower-fertility contexts experience weaker employment penalties. The adverse effects are strongest among women with higher parity and lower educational attainment, highlighting important life-course heterogeneity. The study contributes comparative causal evidence on fertility-related employment penalties across two Sub-Saharan African countries using a common quasi-experimental identification strategy. The findings have implications for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by demonstrating that demographic change alone is unlikely to improve women’s labour-market outcomes. Instead, policies that reduce childcare constraints and strengthen women’s labour-force participation may help mitigate fertility-related employment penalties and promote more inclusive and sustainable development. Full article

Substance use disorders (SUDs) represent a major psychiatric and public health burden. Although integrated biopsychosocial approaches combining pharmacotherapy with psychosocial and behavioral interventions are recommended by international guidelines, real-world evidence on their effectiveness in acute emergency settings remains scarce, particularly in Eastern European healthcare contexts. This single-center, retrospective, observational study examined behavioral and psychosocial predictors of clinical response and compared an integrated therapeutic strategy (pharmacotherapy combined with psychosocial and behavioral interventions) with pharmacotherapy alone among all emergency psychiatric admissions for SUDs (ICD-10 F10–F19) at the Clinical Psychiatric Hospital “Elisabeta Doamna,” Galați, Romania, between January 2020 and December 2024 (N = 331; census sampling). The primary outcome was clinical status at discharge (improved/stationary/worsened). Patients receiving the integrated strategy showed a significantly higher improvement rate at discharge than those receiving pharmacotherapy alone (98.3% vs. 76.3%; OR = 17.88; 95% CI: 5.62–56.91; p < 0.001). A hospitalization window of 4–14 days was associated with optimal outcomes. In an exploratory logistic regression analysis, older age (≥51 years) and unemployment emerged as independent psychosocial predictors of suboptimal response. These findings suggest that integrating behavioral and psychosocial interventions with pharmacotherapy is associated with superior discharge outcomes in acute SUD management; given the observational, non-randomized design, these results should be regarded as hypothesis-generating rather than causal, pending confirmation in prospective multicenter studies before informing behaviorally informed triage and risk stratification in emergency psychiatry. Full article

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most influential technological innovations in contemporary mental healthcare. Advances in machine learning, natural language processing, conversational agents, and large language models have accelerated the integration of AI into clinical practice, professional education, and healthcare. Despite its increasing adoption, important questions remain regarding its clinical effectiveness, implementation, safety, and ethical governance. Objective: This systematic review aimed to synthesize the current evidence on the application of artificial intelligence in mental health, with particular emphasis on clinical practice, educational transformation, and ethical governance. Methods: This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar were systematically searched. The electronic database search was last conducted on 31 December 2025, and studies published between January 2019 and December 2025 were considered eligible. Eligible studies examined the application of artificial intelligence in mental health across clinical practice, educational contexts, and ethical governance. Study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment were carried out independently by two reviewers using predefined eligibility criteria and standardized extraction forms. Owing to substantial methodological heterogeneity across the included studies, the findings were synthesized narratively. Results: A total of 88 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the final qualitative synthesis. The findings showed that AI demonstrated potential to improve diagnostic support, risk prediction, treatment planning, symptom monitoring, and access to psychological support. AI also supported educational innovation and workforce development while highlighting the importance of ethical governance for responsible implementation in mental healthcare. Conclusions: Future progress will depend on interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that AI complements rather than replaces human expertise. Although AI demonstrates substantial potential, many systems remain experimental, with limited external validation. Prospective multicenter evaluation, transparent algorithm development, and robust ethical governance are therefore essential before widespread clinical implementation. Full article

Cadmium contamination in water poses a serious environmental and health concern due to its high toxicity and persistence. In this context, the development of efficient and low-cost adsorbent materials has attracted increasing attention. This work examines the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution using a cellulose acetate–clay composite membrane as an adsorbent material. To evaluate the impact of clay inclusion, membranes were fabricated with varying clay concentrations (0%, 12.5%, and 25%). A Box–Behnken design was used to optimize the process; thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to analyze the produced composite membranes. The characterization results confirmed the successful incorporation of clay into the cellulose acetate matrix and revealed important changes in the membrane structure and surface morphology. The adsorption performance was strongly affected by operating conditions, particularly temperature, contact time, and clay content. Under the optimal conditions of 30 °C, 4 h, and 5% clay content, the CA-Clay composite membrane achieved a maximum Cd(II) removal efficiency of 93.93% and an adsorption capacity of 12.35 mg/g. These results demonstrate that the composite membrane has a high affinity toward Cd(II) ions, exhibiting its high potential as a low-cost and efficient adsorbent for the removal of Cd(II) from aqueous solution. Full article

The mental health of young people has increasingly emerged as a public health priority due to the growing prevalence of mental health problems during adolescence and early adulthood. The literature has identified community-based programs as effective strategies for promoting well-being and preventing psychological symptomatology. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the interventions provided by junior psychologists working in the Youth Health Offices of the Cuida-te Program of the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ) on the quality of life, well-being, and mental health of Portuguese youth through a pre- and post-intervention analysis. A total of 1164 young people, aged between 12 and 29 years old, participated across three editions of the program. Self-report instruments were used to assess the quality of life, the well-being, and the psychological symptoms (stress, depression, and anxiety) of the participants. The results revealed statistically significant improvements between pre- and post-intervention assessments, including increased quality of life and well-being, as well as reduced levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. These findings were observed among both female and male participants and across different age groups. Non-binary participants showed less pronounced results, although with no statistically significant differences identified, suggesting the need for more research with larger samples and for inclusive interventions tailored to the specific needs of sexual and gender minorities. Overall, the work carried out appears to constitute an effective and cost-effective community-based response for the prevention of mental health symptoms and the promotion of mental health in adolescents and young adults, reinforcing the importance of permanent, accessible, and inclusive public policies. Full article

While research has investigated the mental health burdens of refugee and asylum seekers with diverse sexual orientation and gender identity and expression (SOGIE), far less attention has been given to what supports their mental health, particularly within the Canadian context. In response to an identified need from a local community organization, this scoping review aimed to identify current approaches that support SOGIE asylum seekers’ mental health in Canada. Using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, searches took place on 7 and 8 March 2026 across peer-reviewed and grey literature databases indexed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, LGBTQ+ Source, Scopus, Web of Science, SocIndex, Sociological Abstracts, ERIC, Global Health, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Citation Index, EBSCO Open Dissertations, ProQuest’s Canadian Research Index, Government of Canada Library, Canadian Council for Refugees Member Organizations, Newcomer Research Library, UNHCR Canada, Egale, and Google. Title, abstract, and full-text screening were completed by two team members, and seven studies met the eligibility criteria outlined. The analysis of four peer-reviewed studies and three grey literature documents suggests that SOGIE asylum seeker mental health should involve emotional and psychological support during the refugee determination process, as well as address social determinants of health. Additionally, the available literature indicated that there must be an awareness of how stigma and mistrust, intersectional challenges, and structural barriers impact how mental health supports are provided to and received by SOGIE asylum seekers in Canada. While having seven included documents primarily based in Ontario and Quebec is a limitation in the evidence, this also provides evidence for the need to conduct further research about SOGIE asylum seeker mental health in other areas of Canada. Full article

It is commonly accepted by mental health professionals who work in the area of death and grief that both the help which communities may offer to the bereaved and creativity may prove decisive factors in their recovery after loss; the article aims to introduce specific existential films to the discussion about the value of both. Communality and creativity are also key ecclesiological and theological concepts. They are integral parts of the life of ecclesiastical communities, which honor the memory of the dead and have a duty to stand by their mourning members. These concepts may therefore create a bridge between spirituality and psychology/psychiatry, encouraging church leaders and health professionals to cooperate in addressing the needs of the bereaved. In the above-described context, films like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life (2011), Rachid Buchareb’s London River (2009) and the short animation film Lila (2014) by Carlos Lascano may become valuable resources. Firstly, for challenging questionable religious responses to death while also discovering beauty in natural and community life in spite of/through loss, as well as embracing the memory of the deceased through creativity. As the latter has been characterized by relevant bibliography in death studies as both a form of expressing grief and a therapeutic process, it is also a crucial calling for the faithful to remain creative in the image and likeness of their Creator. In the discussion of the films, these links between theological/spiritual and psychological/mental health perspectives are explored with regard to both preparing for death and responding to it through joint efforts or lessons at schools. Full article

This qualitative descriptive study uses an emic perspective to examine how displacement, statelessness, and resettlement shape health and health care access among 21 Rohingya people with refugee backgrounds living in the United States. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by a Rohingya member of the research team and analyzed using a taxonomic approach. Findings show that participants’ health concerns were not limited to general barriers commonly reported across refugee populations; rather, chronic pain, somaticized distress, comorbid conditions, and difficulties communicating health concepts emerged within a specific context of protracted statelessness, trauma exposure, limited Rohingya-language medical interpretation, and post-resettlement stress pile-up. Participants also described financial, transportation, and language barriers to health care access, alongside instances of positive, respectful care experiences. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating how Rohingya participants describe health and care access through culturally and historically situated narratives, highlighting the need for trauma-informed, language-accessible, and culturally responsive health systems that attend to both structural barriers and embodied expressions of displacement. Full article

Background/Objectives: Nutrition during school age is a key public health issue, as eating habits formed in this period may affect growth, cognitive development, and future health. This study aimed to assess food consumption frequency and age, gender, and socio-demographic differences in dietary patterns among schoolchildren aged 7–17 years in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among schoolchildren aged 7–17 years attending state secondary schools in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, from September 2025 to February 2026. Food consumption frequency was assessed using a bilingual Russian–Kazakh questionnaire developed by the authors based on food frequency questionnaire approaches and adapted to the Kazakhstani context; the questionnaire included 41 food items, including national meat products and traditional fermented milk drinks, and Principal Component Analysis was applied to identify dietary patterns. Results: A total of 864 schoolchildren aged 7–17 years were included in the study, with comparable distribution by sex and age groups. Frequent consumption of fast food, coffee, processed and canned meat products increased markedly with age, while consumption of milk, fermented dairy products, juices, fresh fish and berries was lower, especially among older adolescents. Principal Component Analysis identified three dietary patterns—“processed and fast-food”, “traditional meat-based”, and “mixed dairy-based pattern”—with the processed and fast-food pattern more strongly associated with older age, non-Kazakh ethnicity, and school location in the South-East district. Conclusions: The findings indicate age-related shifts toward less balanced dietary choices among Karaganda schoolchildren, particularly among adolescents, supporting the need for targeted school- and family-based interventions to reduce fast food, sugary drink, coffee, and processed meat consumption while promoting healthier food choices. Full article

This paper is presented by a collective of Black women who have devoted years to sexual health as educators, programmers and facilitators. It offers an insider perspective on their experiences facilitating the pilot of the Sista2Sista project, a sexual health intervention adapted to the Canadian context for young Black women ages 15–29. The post-pilot focus groups were conducted with stakeholders and facilitators to gather feedback on the intervention. This approach centers the perspectives of facilitators and stakeholders in implementing sexual health programs for Black youth. Findings show that the Sista2Sista pilot benefited from Black women facilitators, whose positionality fostered a culturally affirming space for young Black women. Additionally, the findings highlight gaps in race-based data and sexual health programming for Black youth in Ontario specifically, and Canada more broadly. Participants highlighted the need for holistic, relevant and sustainably funded interventions that address sexual health alongside pleasure, body image and systemic barriers, such as anti-Black racism. Overall, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of sexual health for young Black women by centring the lived experiences of Black women facilitators who informed the pilot intervention while advocating for contextually relevant approaches that reflect the realities of Black communities. Full article