Search Results (1,765)

The bacterial and toxin methods of cancer treatment date back 130 years. This paradigm rests on nonspecific bacterial-toxin-generated immunotherapy. This high-risk oncology research is experiencing a renaissance of methods that are among the most effective yet. Glioblastomas and other resistant cancers are the modern touchpoint, because of remission history following sepsis. Spurred by recent research deaths, we discuss protocols IRBs should consider in live bacterial or synthetic immuno-stimulatory trials. Human systemic inflammatory response syndrome immunology is unique due to non-functioning SIGLEC-13 and 17, which control excessive Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) signaling. This is not a technicality like human CD8+/CD4+ T cells. SIGLEC-13&17 consequences are profound; humans are ≈330–200,000 times more sensitive to LPS/endotoxin than mice and rats. This human TLR-4 difference also applies to gene therapy and should inform the results from any animal model, including non-human primates. Clinical TLR-4 stimulation takes two forms: bacterial infection and sterile TLR-4 stimulators, and treatments differ. The stereotactic injection of calculated amounts of adjuvants like endotoxin, venoms/components, or synthetic alternatives may be safer than live bacteria. Inadequate planning for risk elements, basic predictive models, and treatments will likely cause death. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite available treatment options, glaucoma continues to be a leading cause of irreversible blindness. Current medications have multiple limitations, including rapid drainage, ocular irritation, requirement for multiple daily dosings, and systemic side effects. The current study was designed to engineer and characterize a pregabalin-containing enhanced delivery formulation (PRG-EDF) to directly address these inadequacies. Methods: PRG-EDF eye drops were prepared using ingredients that are either U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for ophthalmic use or have established safety profiles. The formulation was characterized using multiple evaluations, including pH, zetasizer analyses, viscosity, in vitro drug release, transcorneal permeability, determination of dose concentration and volume, systemic exposure, and potential for tachyphylaxis. Efficacy was evaluated using both Dutch belted rabbits and baboons. Results: PRG-EDF provides extended release for up to 24 h. Ex vivo data reveal that PRG-EDF does not alter the inherent high PRG corneal permeability. An intraocular pressure (IOP) study using DB rabbits demonstrates that 40 µL of PRG-EDF, 0.6%, is the optimum dose of our formulation. Comparison of the efficacy of PRG-EDF with commercial products demonstrated its superiority in overall IOP-lowering efficacy. An extended in vivo assessment demonstrated that the potency of PRG-EDF reached maximum IOP-lowering amplitude after 4 weeks of daily dosing. Moreover, an in vivo bioadhesion assay demonstrated that EDF remained on the ocular surface for up to 24 h. Impressively, PRG-EDF is as effective in baboons as in rabbits. Conclusions: We have successfully engineered a highly promising once-daily glaucoma medication with superior efficacy, as illustrated by higher IOP-lowering ability and prolonged duration of action. Full article

Emotions play a central role in social interactions and associations, and they are regulated by multiple regions of the human brain. In this review, we focus primarily, almost exclusively, on the amygdala, highlighting functional and structural changes related to behavioral interactions that may occur within diverse social groups, including families, cultural associations, and political organizations, each typically structured around leaders and followers. More specifically, we examine political parties in democratic societies, after first outlining how the relationship between brain structure, particularly the amygdala, and behavior has evolved from non-human primates to humans, and how structural and behavioral changes may arise through aging or disease. Full article

Mulberry species (Morus spp.) provide phytochemically distinct plant materials in which leaves are typically characterized by high levels of iminosugars (notably 1-deoxynojirimycin), flavonols/flavones, and polysaccharides, whereas fruits—especially Morus nigra—contain substantial amounts of anthocyanins alongside other phenolic compounds and polysaccharides. Importantly, the composition and biological properties of mulberry-derived products depend not only on species and plant part (leaf vs. fruit), but also on preparation and processing variables, including drying, maceration, fermentation, and extraction, or fractionation strategy (e.g., aqueous vs. hydroalcoholic extracts or enriched fractions). Such technological factors may substantially influence the chemical composition, bioavailability, and functionality of mulberry-derived preparations and thereby modify their interactions with gut microbiota and host metabolic processes. Available preclinical studies indicate that mulberry leaf- and fruit-derived preparations can affect gut microbial composition or activity in experimental models of metabolic dysfunction. Reported findings frequently include enrichment of microbial taxa commonly regarded as beneficial, such as Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Akkermansia, normalization of dysbiosis-associated microbial patterns, and increased production of short-chain fatty acids, particularly acetate, propionate, and butyrate. These microbial changes are sometimes observed alongside improvements in metabolic parameters such as glucose regulation, lipid profile, adiposity, or inflammatory markers. However, reported responses differ across plant parts, species, and preparation approaches, indicating that phytochemical composition and processing strategy are likely to influence biological outcomes. Interpretation of the current evidence is limited by the predominance of non-human studies and by incomplete or inconsistent reporting of extract composition, processing conditions, and standardization procedures. These factors reduce comparability between studies and complicate mechanistic interpretation of microbiome-related effects. Overall, existing preclinical data support the possibility that mulberry-derived preparations may influence metabolic health through microbiota-associated pathways shaped by both botanical origin and preparative technology. Well-designed human intervention studies using chemically characterized and standardized preparations, together with comprehensive gut microbiome analyses, are needed to determine the translational relevance of these observations and to identify which mulberry-derived preparations offer the greatest potential for supporting gut and metabolic health. Full article

Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) have transformed neuroscience research by enabling the identification of genes, cell types, and molecular pathways involved in brain development and function. However, scRNA-seq lacks spatial information regarding the anatomic location of gene expression. Emerging spatial genomics technologies, including MERFISH, CosMx, Stereo-seq, and Visium Spatial Gene Expression overcome this limitation by enabling transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling within intact tissue architecture. Integration of spatial genomics with scRNA-seq has revolutionized genomics and biomedical research by allowing gene expression to be mapped in situ at cellular and even subcellular resolution. These advances have facilitated the construction of brain spatial genomics atlases in several species, including mouse, human, non-human primate, and zebrafish. Spatial genomics technologies are particularly valuable for defining cellular heterogeneity across brain regions and characterizing the spatial organization of neuronal circuits when integrated with single-cell sequencing approaches. These reference atlases provide powerful resources for investigating brain development, function and disease, and for identifying region-specific molecular signatures associated with neurological disorders. Here, we review currently available brain spatial genomics atlases and the spatial genomics technologies used to generate these reference resources. Full article

Animal Crossing is a famous cozy video game in which players embody a human character living among anthropomorphic animals. Playing Animal Crossing has been evidenced to fulfill players’ Maslow’s needs, such as deficiency-motivated needs (safety, love and esteem—with the exception of physical needs) and growth-motivated needs (cognitive, esthetic, and self-actualization needs). We can suggest that animal characters, with their cute esthetic, are an important part of the game’s success. If such a virtual society is a safe place for humans (players and characters), what messages does it convey regarding our interactions with nature and other species? To answer this question, we investigated the relationships between players and nonhuman species in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete. Positive effects of such interspecies interactions have been observed at both intra- and extradiegetic levels: an improved knowledge of the animal kingdom and an improved sensitivity to its diversity. However, the game also has negative sides: its speciesist, colonialist and capitalist dynamics promote animals’ objectification. We then discuss how players can transform the game to consider all animal species with equal respect, and how other games with more ethical dynamics are a good model for further game designs. Full article

Multiple sclerosis is an immune-driven neurological disease that affects myelinated axons in the central nervous system. However, the trigger of the (dysregulated) immune reactions is not known. According to Wilkin’s primary lesion theory, myelin-reactive T cells present in the immune repertoire hyper-react to myelin antigens that are released from idiopathic lesions within the central nervous system. However, neither the cause of the primary lesion nor the cause of the immune hyper-reactivity is known. We investigated whether these unknown activation signals may be relayed by common herpesviruses. In this concept paper, we propose the novel paradigm that the trigger of autoimmunity in MS comprises a conspiracy of three common herpesviruses: human herpesvirus-6A as a potential trigger of primary lesions due to its proven capacity to cause oligodendrogliopathy, cytomegalovirus as a trigger for the formation of effector memory cytotoxic T cells with proven capacity to induce multiple sclerosis pathology in a non-human primate MS model and Epstein-Barr Virus due to its capacity to render B cells capable to effectively present a critical myelin antigen to these effector memory cytotoxic T cells. Full article

Background/Objectives: COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can lead to widespread neurological and cognitive complications, even in the absence of significant structural brain abnormalities. Understanding the evolving health concerns in the context of viral infections is critical to service member readiness, fitness, and mission completion. The potential neuroprotective effects of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination remain underexplored. Methods: Using a cross-sectional, non-human primate model (female cynomolgus macaques), we employed magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess resting-state brain activity following vaccination with escalating doses of a novel psoralen-inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (PsIV) or a combination of PsIV and a DNA vaccine (prime boost), and subsequent challenge with the Delta variant (SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2). MEG scans were acquired 41 days after inoculation. Source series were constructed for 42 regions of interest for each subject, and band power was computed. Results: Band power demonstrated substantial preservation of neural activity across multiple brain regions in vaccinated subjects compared to unvaccinated controls following viral challenge. Significantly lower power was observed across the brain at all bandwidths in the unvaccinated group relative to the prime boost group. As PsIV concentration increased, spectral power increased, with the prime boost group having the greatest power. Conclusions: This approach not only underscores the role of vaccination in mitigating neuropathology but also highlights the capability of MEG to detect subtle yet significant changes in brain function that may be overlooked by other imaging modalities. These findings advance our understanding of vaccine-induced neuroprotection and establish MEG as a powerful tool for monitoring brain function in the context of viral infections. Full article

This article explores the structural paradox of the byeong-gut (Korean shamanic healing ritual): why it adheres to the rigid and canonical format of the jaesu-gut (shamanic blessing ritual) instead of adopting a specialized clinical procedure. Critiquing the instrumental trap of previous scholarship that reduces shamanic healing to psychological comfort or social liberation, this study proposes a relational displacement model by integrating Roy Rappaport’s theory of ritual invariance with the relational ontologies of Bruno Latour and Tim Ingold. The article demonstrates that shamanic healing operates through a dual mechanism. First, at the non-discursive (material) level, the ritual functions as an ontological technology that objectifies and displaces individual suffering onto external surrogates. Second, at the discursive (linguistic) level, a meticulous analysis of the manse-baji (invocation chant) illustrates how the patient’s fragmented life is re-assembled into a meshwork of human and non-human agencies. Ultimately, this article argues that the byeong-gut transcends mere functional curing; it serves as a sophisticated knowledge system that re-maps the isolated ego onto a relational cosmology, transforming the Geertzian bafflement of suffering into an intelligible event within a shared and sacred cosmic order. Full article

This study examines front-page environmental news coverage in two prominent national newspapers against the backdrop of India’s G20 presidency. The study integrates agenda setting and framing theories with public sphere theory, to understand the implications of front-page coverage of environmental issues for the public sphere. Following a mixed methodology, content analysis and frame analysis were conducted on a continuous six-month sample of the two newspapers, covering 180 days and 360 issues. A total of 435 front-page environmental stories were identified and analyzed. The findings reveal that front-page environmental reporting in the sampled newspapers spotlighted the severe environmental crises impacting the country, rather than the government’s sustainability-oriented and eco-centric discourse during the G20 presidency. Weather emerged as the most salient topic, followed by pollution. Foregrounding extreme weather and unusual weather patterns on the front page helped problematize weather events as a public concern. However, the disproportionate dominance of weather and pollution, along with an overreliance on routine sources, poor representation of source categories such as scientists/experts, and underutilization of data journalism reveal limitations in inclusive and rational deliberation on environmental issues. Problem-centric framing dominated the coverage, followed by adversarial narratives. Framing also overwhelmingly emphasized environment-related risks to humans while risks to nonhuman entities were marginalized, indicating anthropocentric tendencies in environmental coverage. Full article

The concept of technological singularity is discussed here in the context of architecture (of buildings, not software). This is the point at which non-human intelligence is conjectured to surpass ordinary human cognitive limits. Empirically constrained AI may already offer a useful corrective to mainstream architectural culture in one crucial aspect—its capacity to evaluate design that adapts to human emotional health. Postwar building architecture as an institutional power system rewards abstraction and stylistic conformity through media prestige while not always accounting for embodied human experience. By narrowing judgment criteria, architectural studio pedagogy trains tacitly for imitation, not seeking evidence that conflicts with dominant formal ideologies. Yet findings from environmental psychology, health-related design research, neuroscience, and recent AI-based studies show that built form measurably affects empathic response and user well-being. This paper examines what effects dominant architectural culture could impose on the public by producing informationally impoverished, stressful environments. We argue that built environment design may suffer from an epistemic closure because (i) architectural education does not foster curiosity in how design affects users—the core mechanism for intelligence development—and (ii) architectural media may legitimate non-adaptive form languages by habituating populations to ignore distress signals from geometries associated with elevated stress markers. However, empirically constrained AI can now be directed to apply that relevant knowledge base to improve the built environment. The most suggestive evidence in the paper is that LLM emotional scores, LLM geometric scores, human eye-tracking, and large public surveys converge on the same designs. In this sense, the AI singularity can be framed as a domain-specific, testable hypothesis in architecture. This paper does not report new generated results derived from Empirically Constrained Scaffolding (ECS), which appear in prior applications, but reproduces the original prompts as an illustration of the method. Full article

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into educational settings, understanding how students perceive and prefer to interact with an AI-Buddy (learning companion) is essential for responsible design. This study investigated 168 undergraduate students’ perceptions and preferences regarding an AI-Buddy, including its pedagogical role, knowledge level, identity customization, voice, mind attribution, demographic characteristics, and comfort sharing academic struggles. Results revealed that students most frequently preferred the AI-Buddy as a tutor with an omniscient or professor-level knowledge base, a non-human and neutral interface, and a warm yet robotic voice. Preferences for mind attribution were split, with nearly half preferring low mind attribution. Female students were more likely to prefer a female AI-Buddy, and male students a male AI-Buddy; White and Black students showed same-race preferences. These findings highlight the diversity of student preferences and underscore the need for a flexible, customizable AI-Buddy that prioritizes transparency and user agency rather than one-size-fits-all designs. We discuss how our findings can be extended to future research and educational AI design. Full article

In the Anthropocene, the environmental crisis necessitates a radical repositioning of the human-nature relationship. This paper examines the sijo poetry in Musan Cho Oh-hyun’s For Nirvana through an interdisciplinary framework bridging Zen philosophy with material ecocriticism. The study elucidates how Musan deconstructs anthropocentric exceptionalism by restoring agency to the non-human world. Textual analysis reveals three arguments. First, elemental forces like wind and waves are subjectified as primordial teachers through mujō-seppō (non-sentient beings preaching the Dharma), dismantling sovereign human scriptural authority. Second, visceral encounters with animals and insects critique logocentric domination, proposing “epistemological silence” and “radical humility” as alternative eco-politics. Finally, bodily decay and trans-corporeal porosity are reframed as generative pathways toward a radical “ecological Nirvana”—a physical matrix of cyclical renewal. By synthesizing Jane Bennett’s vital materialism with Dōgen’s Zen vision of “walking mountains”, this study deploys a Zen materialism lens that enriches Western theory with the Buddhist soteriology of compassion (karuna). Ultimately, Musan reconfigures Nirvana not as an escapist transcendence, but as a profound somatic descent into the material mesh, where ultimate spiritual realization lies in the ego’s total dissolution into the “walking, talking minerals” of a sacred, suffering ecosystem. Full article

The triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG), which converts mechanical energy into electrical energy through the coupled effect of triboelectrification and electrostatic induction, has garnered significant interest among researchers due to its portability and self-powered characteristics. Despite its evident development potential, TENG continues to face challenges, including the necessity to enhance its triboelectric performance through the optimization of structures, materials, and manufacturing techniques to improve energy conversion efficiency. Additionally, its environmental stability and durability also need to be improved. TENGs designed inspired by non-human animals and plants offer feasible solutions to address these limitations. These bio-inspired TENGs optimize the structural design of TENGs and the materials of the triboelectric layers by imitating the structures, functions, and behaviors of organisms, thereby further improving the energy conversion efficiency, sensitivity, wear resistance, adaptability to special environments, biocompatibility, and wearing comfort of TENGs. This paper expounds on the progress of TENGs inspired by non-human animals and plants applied in environmental energy harvesting, human health and motion monitoring. It also discusses the current challenges, with a view to providing insights for the interdisciplinary integration and development of bionics and TENGs. Full article

The conceptualisations of the “sacred” and the “secular” are shaped by diverse entities in different epochs and spaces of society. Again, these conceptualisations often exhibit power dynamics, epistemic privileges, and the classification of people using the notions of human and non-human zones. In Africa, the historic intersectionality of the empire, mission, and conversion shaped, and continues to shape, the nuances of the sacred and secular in race, gender, and religion. Thus, this article used a desktop approach to analyse both the primary and secondary literature to explore the nuances of this phenomenon in this historic intersectionality and how its legacies continue to dominate the contemporary context. The preliminary findings showed that the historic missionary/colonial conceptualisations of the sacred and secular on race, gender, and religion remain the fulcrum of the contemporary narratives and their consequences. Thus, the article argues that decoloniality can serve as a lens in exploring this phenomenon and as an option to transform the current status quo. Full article