Search Results (1,792)

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

Chronic pain continues to be a major global health burden and is frequently refractory to conventional pharmacologic and conservative therapies. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has emerged as an important neuromodulatory treatment for selected patients with chronic neuropathic and mixed pain syndromes. Since its introduction in the 1960s, SCS has evolved from paresthesia-based tonic stimulation into more adaptive and personalized neuromodulation. This review summarizes the current evidence regarding the mechanisms, clinical applications, technological advances, and future directions of SCS therapy. Mechanistically, SCS modulates nociceptive transmission through dorsal column and dorsal horn pathways, inhibitory neurotransmitter systems, wide-dynamic-range neuronal activity, and supraspinal pain-processing networks. Technological advances have expanded available stimulation paradigms, including burst stimulation, high-frequency stimulation, closed-loop evoked compound action potential-controlled systems, and differential target multiplexed stimulation. These approaches aim to improve analgesic durability, reduce the burden of paresthesia, and address mechanisms such as neuroinflammation and neural habituation. Clinically, SCS is used for conditions including failed back surgery syndrome, complex regional pain syndrome, painful diabetic neuropathy, ischemic limb pain, and emerging non-traditional pain states. However, outcomes remain variable and are influenced by psychological readiness, pain phenotype, anatomic factors, trial response, neurophysiologic markers, and patient engagement. Complications such as lead migration, infection, implantable pulse generator malfunction, and loss of efficacy remain important considerations. Future progress in SCS will likely depend on artificial intelligence, remote monitoring, biomarker-guided programming, and integration with multidisciplinary chronic pain care. Full article

Large-scale administrative hospital discharge data is a key resource for secondary health systems research, yet reuse is constrained by barriers of access, quality, interoperability, and semantic comparability. This paper presents and validates a reproducible, declarative, loss-aware harmonization framework for public discharge data that avoids full migration to a comprehensive common data model. The framework comprises a lightweight 14-field canonical model, versioned JSON crosswalks, a shared execution engine, a resilient file reader, schema validation, idempotency tests, value-domain checks, and an information-loss map. It was evaluated on public record-level discharge data from five jurisdictions on three continents (Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and New York State), comprising 561,966,231 harmonized records from 2001 to 2025. Validation demonstrated conformance to the declared source profiles for 82 of 99 files and full canonical conformance for 39, idempotency across all 99 files, 99.99% conformance with permitted value domains under an explicitly stated aggregation, and detection of source-level defects such as truncated files, malformed rows, and completeness anomalies. A marker-condition query for ischemic stroke (ICD-10 I63) showed that a single case definition executes consistently on the four sources retaining raw ICD-10 codes. The results show that, for heterogeneous administrative data, the key value lies not in scale alone but in the auditability of transformations, explicit loss documentation, and reproducibility of the harmonization process. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate gingival margin modifications during and after orthodontic treatment with Clear Aligners in paediatric patients. Secondary objectives included assessing the relationship between gingival changes and different types of tooth movement and evaluating the stability of these changes after treatment completion. Methods: A total of 50 patients (26 f, 24 m, mean age: 7.6 ± 1.1 years) in mixed dentition were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were good general health, plaque and gingival indices below 20%, good compliance with aligners, and no prior orthodontic treatment. Patients with periodontal issues, medications influencing gingival response, or with poor expected compliance were excluded. Patients were treated using Clear Aligners and attachments to facilitate specific tooth movements (expansion, intrusion, and rotational corrections). Measurements were performed at four time points: before treatment (T0), after 6 months (T1), at the end of treatment (T2), and 12 months post-treatment (T3). At each time point, intraoral scans, clinical photographs, and periodontal measurements were recorded. Results: A statistically significant increase in gingival margin height was observed from baseline to T1 (+0.29 mm), T2 (+0.44 mm), and T3 (+0.39 mm). Mean Changes between T0 and T3 were +0.39 ± 0.22 (p ≤ 0.001). A total of 60% of patients demonstrated a coronal migration of the gingival margin. Gingival Index showed a non-significant increase at T1, followed by normalization at T2 (p = 0.481) and T3 (p = 0.637). Plaque Index (PI) remained stable throughout the observation period. Expansion was associated with the greatest gingival change (+0.52 mm), followed by intrusion (+0.45 mm). Conclusions: Clear aligner treatment in mixed dentition appears to produce favourable and stable gingival margin modifications, with minimal adverse periodontal effects when properly monitored. Full article

Sustainable management of antibiotic fermentation residues is critical to mitigating environmental and public health risks associated with pharmaceutical waste. Gentamicin fermentation residue (GFR), a challenging antibiotic byproduct rich in nitrogen and organic matter, presents both environmental risks and untapped resource potential. Pyrolysis can convert GFR into high-value products (pyrolysis oil, gas, and char) and eliminate environmental risks through high-temperature treatment. In this study, the product yields, pyrolytic kinetics, and nitrogen transformation pathways at different temperatures (400–800 °C) were investigated to explore the pyrolysis behavior and mechanism of GFR. Results revealed that temperature strongly influenced product distribution: biochar yield was dominant at low temperatures 51.2 ± 0.4% at 400 °C, oil yield peaked at 600 °C 14.6 ± 0.4%, and gaseous products became prevalent above 700 °C, reaching an estimated 78.4 ± 0.2% at 800 °C by mass-balance difference. Furthermore, isoconversional kinetic analysis (FWO and KAS) yielded apparent activation energies of 226.9–249.4 kJ/mol over α = 0.5–0.8, with R² values of 0.946–0.976, indicating conversion-dependent, multi-step devolatilization behavior. For nitrogen transformation, elemental and spectroscopic analyses showed that nitrogen transitioned from unstable pyrrolic forms in raw GFR to more stable pyridinic and graphitic forms in biochar, enhancing its potential for catalytic and environmental applications. Meanwhile, gaseous nitrogen species such as NH₃ and HCN were released at different temperature stages, and a three-stage nitrogen transformation mechanism was proposed linking the decomposition kinetics to the nitrogen migration pathways. These findings highlight pyrolysis as a promising, controllable, and sustainable method to convert antibiotic residues into valuable energy products and functional materials, with its contribution to sustainable pharmaceutical waste management contingent on proper NH₃/HCN gas treatment. Full article

Background/Objectives: The health-protective properties of olive oil phenolics, including their potential chemopreventive and anticancer effects, have attracted considerable scientific interest. However, their in vivo efficacy and mechanisms of action remain insufficiently understood. Recent advances in extraction and purification technologies have enabled large-scale production of highly purified olive oil phenols and phenolic-rich extracts, facilitating translational research. Methods: Herein, the antitumor efficacy of isolated olive oil phenols and phenolic-rich formulations was investigated in an MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) xenograft model. Results: Intraperitoneal administration of oleocanthal (OLC), oleuropein aglycone (OleA) or their combination reduced endpoint tumor burden, with OLC exhibiting the most pronounced effect. Oral administration of total olive oil phenolics (OOPs) achieved comparable efficacy. Pre-treatment initiated before tumor cell implantation conferred the greatest protection, consistent with a prophylactic mode of action. In contrast, delayed intervention displayed diminished or no antitumor benefit. Phenolic-rich extra virgin olive oil likewise showed an inhibition trend in tumor progression. Mechanistically, OOPs attenuated plasma protein oxidation, modulated proteasome mediated proteolysis, and reduced γH2AX levels in vivo. Furthermore, OOPs negatively affected the MDA-MB-231 cell migration in a concentration-dependent manner in vitro. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings are consistent with antitumor activities of olive oil phenolics via multiple mechanisms and support their further investigation as prophylactic agents in TNBC and as nutraceuticals. Full article

Background/Objectives: Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) have emerged as ubiquitous environmental contaminants resulting from the extensive production, use, and degradation of plastic materials. Human exposure occurs primarily through contaminated food and drinking water, with inhalation representing an additional important route. Growing concern has focused on the ability of these particles, particularly NPs, to cross biological barriers, enter the systemic circulation, and reach human tissues. The aim of this review was to summarize current evidence on dietary exposure to MPs and NPs, their gastrointestinal bioavailability and toxicokinetics, and their potential systemic health effects, with particular emphasis on organ-specific responses, underlying biological mechanisms, and the strength and limitations of the available evidence. Methods: A comprehensive narrative review of the scientific literature published between 2000 and 2026 was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Original research articles and review papers addressing dietary exposure, occurrence in food and drinking water, migration from food-contact materials, gastrointestinal absorption, translocation, biodistribution, bioaccumulation, elimination, molecular mechanisms, and potential organ-specific or systemic health effects were included. Publications without full-text availability, conference proceedings, editorials, commentaries, duplicate publications, and studies without relevance to human exposure or health were excluded. Results: Food, drinking water, beverages, and food-contact materials represent important sources of human exposure to MPs and NPs. Following ingestion, most larger particles are eliminated through the gastrointestinal tract, whereas smaller MPs and particularly NPs may cross biological barriers and potentially reach the systemic circulation and distant tissues. Experimental studies consistently identify interconnected biological responses involving oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, barrier impairment, immune dysregulation, genotoxicity, apoptosis, and endocrine disruption. These mechanisms have been associated with alterations in the gastrointestinal, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, and skeletal systems and with biological processes relevant to carcinogenesis. However, most mechanistic evidence derives from in vitro and animal models, whereas human evidence remains limited and predominantly observational. Consequently, the extent to which these experimental findings translate into clinically significant effects in humans remains uncertain. Conclusions: Current evidence supports the biological plausibility of systemic effects associated with MNP exposure but is insufficient to establish causal relationships between chronic dietary exposure and specific human diseases. The detection of MNPs in human tissues and reported associations with pathological conditions should therefore be interpreted cautiously. Standardized analytical methods, improved characterization of realistic human exposure, and well-designed longitudinal epidemiological studies integrating quantitative exposure assessment with validated clinical outcomes are required to clarify dose–response relationships, long-term health effects, and the clinical significance of MNP exposure. Full article

The agricultural sector in Greece heavily relies on migrant workers, particularly from South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. Research has shown that these workers face numerous challenges, including unsanitary living conditions, exposure to hazardous working conditions, harmful chemicals, a lack of safety equipment, accidents, abuse, violence, and exploitative conduct from employers. Drawing on 45 in-depth interviews, this article analyzes the experiences of Bangladeshi migrant farmworkers employed as strawberry pickers in Nea Manolada, Greece. This study specifically examines how precarious and harsh working conditions in the agricultural sector affect the health, quality of life, and social integration of these unskilled workers. Evidence from the empirical sample reveals that Bangladeshi workers experience hazardous working environments, a lack of labor rights and contracts, chronic job insecurity, and exposure to harmful chemicals and are particularly vulnerable to injury, exploitation, and poverty due to the ethnic–racial division of labor, legal uncertainty, threats of deportation, overcrowded and unsanitary housing, poor nutrition, persistent job insecurity, health risks, and limited access to healthcare. These challenges and inequalities, both in employment and health, are seen as situations akin to modern slavery. This study underscores the urgent need for legislative, labor, and public health interventions to address the specific conditions faced by Bangladeshi migrant workers in the agricultural sector. While this research provides an in-depth insight into this group, it also acknowledges limitations regarding gender, sector, and wider representativeness. The results contribute to a nuanced understanding of the intersection between legal status, the ethnic–racial division of labor, working conditions, health, and quality of life among South Asian migrant agricultural workers in Southern Europe. Full article

Background/Objectives: Vitis vinifera is a rich source of polyphenolic compounds that are known for their benefits on skin health, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and photoprotective effects. Red wines have shown a positive impact on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer prevention; however, evidence regarding their effects on skin biology remains scarce. This study evaluated red wine concentrates obtained from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot varieties, selected based on their previously demonstrated biological activities, to identify the samples with the highest potential for skin health applications by assessing their inhibitory activity against skin-related enzymes (tyrosinase, elastase, and collagenase), along with their effects on HaCaT cells, including cytotoxic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activities. Methods: Enzyme inhibition studies were based on spectrophotometric methods; the MTT and CV assays were carried out to test the cytotoxicity, and the DCFH-DA assay was employed to evaluate the antioxidant activity of the wine concentrates; wound healing potential was examined by the cell scratch assay, and anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using ELISA and qPCR analyses. PCA of the samples and their biological activity was performed as well. Results: Examined red wine concentrates exhibited significant enzyme inhibitory activity and showed no cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells up to the concentration of 50 μg/mL; the samples stimulated cell migration, inhibited intracellular ROS production in AAPH-stressed keratinocytes, and selectively modulated TNF-α-induced inflammatory responses, reducing IL-8 secretion while enhancing certain cytokine transcripts, underscoring the complexity of their bioactive effects. Conclusions: Red wine concentrates showed significant potential as skin-beneficial agents, demonstrating strong antiaging, marked cellular antioxidant effects and wound healing activity when applied at non-cytotoxic concentrations. Multivariate analysis revealed distinct bioactivity profiles among the wine concentrates. Full article

Background/Objectives: Aluminium is a widespread environmental element and food contaminant to which the general population is continuously exposed, primarily through diet and drinking water. Although gastrointestinal absorption is generally low, bioavailability varies according to chemical form, food matrix, and interactions with dietary components. Prolonged exposure can nevertheless result in gradual tissue accumulation. This review summarises current evidence on dietary aluminium exposure, factors influencing its bioavailability, toxicokinetics, biological effects, gut microbiota interactions, and population-level health risk. Methods: A comprehensive narrative literature review was conducted using publications retrieved from PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Original research articles, review papers, and reports issued by international organisations were critically evaluated with particular emphasis on dietary sources, drinking water, food additives, food contact materials, gastrointestinal absorption, toxicokinetics, biological mechanisms, gut microbiota, and health risk assessment. Results: Food represents the principal source of aluminium exposure in the general population, while drinking water usually contributes a smaller but continuous fraction of total oral intake. Dietary exposure varies substantially between populations and is influenced by food composition, processing practices, the use of aluminium-containing additives, and migration from food contact materials. Aluminium bioavailability is modified by chemical speciation and dietary constituents, including citrate, phosphates, silicates, phytates, polyphenols, and essential minerals. Despite limited absorption, prolonged exposure can lead to gradual aluminium accumulation, particularly in bone tissue and the central nervous system. Proposed biological mechanisms include oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of mineral homeostasis, and inflammatory signalling. Emerging evidence also indicates that aluminium may alter the gut microbiota, impair intestinal barrier integrity, and influence the gut–brain axis. Population exposure assessments show considerable regional variation, with some groups approaching or exceeding established tolerable weekly intake values. Conclusions: Dietary aluminium exposure represents a relevant issue in nutritional toxicology and food safety. Although current evidence does not establish that typical dietary exposure directly causes chronic disease, long-term exposure, differences in bioavailability, and the possibility of elevated intake in selected population groups justify continued monitoring and further prospective human studies. Future research should integrate dietary intake, aluminium speciation, nutritional status, biomarkers of internal exposure, and long-term health outcomes to improve risk assessment and support effective exposure-reduction strategies. Full article

Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) offer significant potential to enhance energy efficiency and reduce reliance on SO₂ and other chemical preservatives, aligning with current sustainability and health demands. This work evaluates PEF industrial viability for wine stabilisation through a multidisciplinary pilot-scale approach (108 L/h). A sulfur-free comparative trial evaluated four sequential bipolar PEF treatments (20–23 kV/cm; 19–34 kJ/kg) against stabilisation with a commercial chitosan–glucan complex. PEF caused significant effects on microbial kinetics: B. bruxellensis was successfully maintained below the detection limit and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were undetected by the end of the trial. Standard oenological parameters showed no relevant changes, except for lactic acid dynamics, corroborating LAB knockdown. Regarding metal ion migration into the food matrix, Fe, Ni, and Cr were assessed. No significant variations were found for Fe and Ni compared to the control group; all elements presented residual concentrations compatible with international regulatory guidelines. Sensory analysis revealed that PEF-treated wines exhibited lower perceived bitterness and higher colour intensity, driven by B. bruxellensis proliferation in control wines. In total, 75% of panellists preferred PEF wines. OPEX analysis demonstrates industrial competitiveness for medium-to-large scale, reducing consumable costs over 10-fold (0.6064 vs. 6.50 €/hL), excluding initial CAPEX. These findings validate multi-stage, pilot-scale PEF as a competitive and electrochemically safe technology to transition toward sustainable reduced-SO₂ or SO₂-free winemaking. Full article

In the mining process of shallow-buried and close-distance coal seam groups in western China, the interconnected collapse fractures between the overlying goaf and the surface form large-area composite goafs, which aggravate surface air leakage and elevate oxygen levels within the goaf. This, in turn, leads to hazardous conditions such as CO over-limits and O₂ deficiency at the working face’s return air corner, which seriously threatens the respiratory health of underground operators and the safe production of mines. Taking the 104 working face of a coal mine in Shenfu-Dongsheng Mining Area as the engineering background, this paper comprehensively adopts SF₆ tracer gas test, fuzzy cluster analysis, and CFD numerical simulation methods to systematically study the distribution characteristics of three-dimensional air leakage channels in composite goafs and their influence mechanism on gas migration in goafs, and proposes a dynamic pressure equalization ventilation (PEV) regulation technology system. The research results show that a multi-dimensional three-dimensional air leakage channel of “surface-interlayer-own layer-roadway” exists in the research area, in which the surface fracture air leakage velocity is about 0.068 m/s, and the interlayer and internal goaf air leakage velocity is about 0.384 m/s. The atmospheric pressure difference between the working face and the surface is the main controlling factor inducing the O₂ deficiency disaster of the working face. Every 100 Pa change in atmospheric pressure difference causes an O₂ concentration fluctuation of about 0.30% at the return air corner, and the critical pressure difference for activating PEV is determined to be 300 Pa. Setting the PEV regulation point at the return air outlet of the working face and adopting the combined dynamic regulation system of fans and air windows can realize accurate pressure balance between the working face and the overlying composite goaf. Full article

Access to clean drinking water is one of the main factors influencing public health during humanitarian crises. In the northern districts of the Gaza Strip, long-term warfare and mass migration caused serious damage to the water supply system, cutting off access to drinking water, limiting the availability of fuel and chemicals used for water chlorination, and increasing reliance on intermittent networks and water transportation services. The present study is a descriptive cross-sectional study of water quality and health risks in 11 emergency camps. Water samples were collected from supply points, communal tanks, and household storage containers and analyzed for key physicochemical indicators (pH, turbidity, electrical conductivity/total dissolved solids, residual free chlorine) and microbiological contamination (E. coli and fecal coliforms). Household surveys documented transport and storage practices, perceived service adequacy, and recent gastrointestinal illness. Overall, 35% of samples exceeded WHO microbiological limits; E. coli was detected in 28% of household containers and 24% of distribution tanks. Residual chlorine was <0.5 mg/L in 40% of samples and turbidity exceeded guidance in 18%. Forty-five percent of households reported transferring water using open/uncovered containers, and 42% reported gastrointestinal illness in the previous month, with higher reporting in sites showing microbial contamination. The results suggest that there are significant weaknesses in the source-to-point-of-use system during emergencies. The priority actions we recommend are, restoring residual disinfection; strengthening monitoring at important control points; improving hygienic transport and covered storage; and providing backup fuel and treatment supplies to minimize the risk of waterborne diseases in shelters in North Gaza. Full article

The concentrations of 18 chemical elements were determined in the upper soil horizons within the landscapes of river basins in the Eastern Caucasus, using the Ulluchay, Sulak, Sunzha, Samur, Shuraozen (Russia), Karachay, and Atachay (Azerbaijan) rivers as case studies. This research aims to provide an ecological and geochemical assessment of soil conditions in the mountain river basins of the Eastern Caucasus. The ecological status of the soils is largely governed by elevated concentrations of such elements as Zn, Ni, Cu, Mo, As, and Cr, which exhibit both accumulation tendencies and potential toxicity. Environmentally unfavorable areas were identified through an integrated scoring assessment that incorporates the values of four ecological and geochemical indices: the modified contamination factor (mCf), the Pollution Load Index (PLI), the Potential Ecological Risk Index (PERI), and the total contamination index (Zc). According to each index, more than half of the study area is classified as uncontaminated. Low PLI values were recorded for 54% of the sampling sites, and low mCf values for 63%. Based on PERI and Zc, 82% of the sampling sites are categorized as uncontaminated. The integral scoring assessment enabled the delineation of more than a dozen environmentally unfavorable areas, with the highest concentrations observed in the Atachay and Karachay basins, spatially extensive in the Sunzha basin. The formation of environmentally unfavorable zones in terms of soil contamination is primarily driven by natural factors, including lithological conditions, climatic features, complex topography, and the directions of waterborne and mechanical migration. Anthropogenic factors contribute to a lesser extent to the development of high-contamination zones and exert only localized influences near major settlements. The results can be applied to mitigate public health risks and to promote sustainable development of mountain river basins. Targeted measures are proposed for the sustainable management of contaminated areas, including restrictions on agricultural activities and the use of drinking water sources. Full article

Quercetin is a plant-derived flavonol positioned at the interface of metabolic health and food preservation. This review integrates quercetin chemistry, plant biosynthesis and metabolism, production-relevant extraction and microbial synthesis, bioavailability, mechanisms of action, preclinical and clinical evidence in metabolic syndrome (MetS), and applications in clean-label food preservation. Experimental studies indicate that quercetin modulates obesity-associated inflammation, dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and gut-barrier impairment through interconnected Nrf2/HO-1, NF-κB/NLRP3, AMPK/SIRT1, PI3K/Akt, eNOS/NO, lipid metabolism, and microbiota-related pathways. Human evidence is narrower and heterogeneous: modest reductions in systolic blood pressure constitute the most consistent signal, whereas effects on fasting glucose, lipids, inflammatory markers, endothelial function, liver fat, and body weight vary by population, formulation, dose, and duration. In food systems, quercetin has been investigated as an antioxidant, antimicrobial, antibiofilm agent, and photodynamic photosensitizer. It is incorporated into edible films, coatings, freshness indicators, and controlled-release packaging, although most evidence remains laboratory-scale. Key translational challenges include limited aqueous solubility, variable bioavailability, incomplete long-term safety evidence, matrix-dependent efficacy, sensory constraints, manufacturing scale-up, migration, and regulation. Overall, quercetin is promising, but clinical use and industrial deployment require formulation-specific, adequately powered human studies and validation in clinically relevant populations and under commercially realistic processing conditions. Full article