Search Results (2,562)

Cadmium (Cd), a common environmental and occupational toxicant, is an important risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. Metformin has been found to have neuroprotective effect, in addition to antidiabetic function. Our recent studies have identified that metformin ameliorates Cd neurotoxicity via blocking ROS-dependent PP5/AMPK-JNK signaling pathway. Here we further show that metformin protected PC12 cells and primary neurons from Cd-poisoning by mitigating Cd-induced increases in ATG5/LC3-II/p62 levels and autophagosomes. Knockdown of ATG5 dramatically potentiated the inhibitory effects of metformin on Cd-induced LC3-II, cleavage of caspase-3, accumulation of autophagosomes and apoptosis in PC12 cells. Addition of chloroquine (CQ) strengthened the basic and Cd-elevated ATG5/LC3-II/p62 levels, autophagosome accumulation and cell apoptosis, whereas metformin powerfully blocked the events, implying a metformin-promoted autophagic flux-dependent mechanism involved. Further research revealed that metformin prevented Cd-induced autophagic flux impairment and cell apoptosis, which was attributed to restraining Cd inactivation of AMPK. This is supported by the findings that activation of AMPK with AICAR or ectopic expression of constitutively active AMPKα (AMPKα-ca) reinforced the inhibitory effects of metformin on Cd-evoked ATG5/LC3-II/p62/autophagosomes and apoptosis in PC12 cells and/or primary neurons. Taken together, the results indicate that metformin protects neuronal cells from Cd-induced autophagic flux impairment-dependent apoptosis by activating AMPK. Our studies highlight that metformin has a great potential for prevention of Cd toxicity related to neurodegenerative diseases. Full article

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are widely applied as bioinoculants to enhance crop performance, yet their broader ecological effects on rhizosphere microbial assembly under field conditions remain insufficiently understood. Here, we evaluated the impact of a commercial AMF inoculant and its carrier material on lettuce performance and rhizosphere microbial communities in an open-field experiment. We hypothesized that both viable AMF propagules and formulation components contribute to shifts in rhizosphere processes. Active AMF inoculation significantly increased root colonization and fresh biomass at harvest, confirming successful establishment and enhanced plant performance under field conditions. Colonization levels in the heat-inactivated carrier treatment were comparable to the non-inoculated control, indicating that the carrier did not inhibit indigenous AMF activity or induce nutrient-mediated suppression of symbiosis. Plant physiological responses were stage-dependent, supporting the context-dependent nature of AMF effects in dynamic field environments. High-throughput sequencing revealed no significant treatment effects on bacterial or fungal alpha diversity. However, beta-diversity analyses demonstrated significant compositional restructuring of rhizosphere communities, particularly within the bacterial domain. A stable core microbiome persisted across treatments, yet relative abundances and community evenness were altered by both active inoculation and carrier application. These results suggest that AMF inoculation reorganizes microbial community structure predominantly via shifts in ecological niche occupation. Collectively, our results show that AMF inoculation functions not only as a symbiotic nutrient-acquisition strategy but also as a driver of rhizosphere microbial reorganization under field conditions. Integrating plant performance with microbiome dynamics provides a more comprehensive framework for understanding and optimizing microbial inoculants in sustainable agricultural systems. Full article

Background: Immersive virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool for standardized, engaging assessment of motor and cognitive function in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). However, patient-reported experiences with immersive VR tasks have not been systematically evaluated. Objective: To characterize patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) after a multidomain immersive VR task and explore relationships with clinical characteristics, therapeutic history, and task performance. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, participants completed a seated immersive VR task comprising six upper-limb tasks with motor and cognitive components. Patient experience was evaluated immediately afterward using a PREM questionnaire. Upper-limb activity limitations were assessed with the Arm Function in Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire (AMSQ). Results: A total of 129 pwMS (EDSS 3.5–8.0) participated. Median PREM item scores ranged from 1.0 to 2.0 (scale 0–10), indicating an overall positive experience. Over 80% rated staff support as excellent; more than half perceived the assessment as safe, comfortable, and appropriately timed. An amount of 40.3% of pwMS wished to use VR tasks more often than once per year. PwMS receiving upper-limb physiotherapy or occupational therapy reported greater perceived difficulty than those without therapy. In exploratory analyses, higher perceived difficulty and a preference for less frequent VR use were associated with higher EDSS (r = 0.208 and 0.200) and ambulation scores (r = 0.215 and 0.195). Difficulty ratings were also related to pyramidal (r = 0.188) and sensory (r = 0.174) impairments. Conclusions: PwMS reported a positive overall experience with the immersive VR tasks. Further studies should evaluate the suitability and validity of this approach compared with conventional assessments. Full article

Welders constitute an occupational group that is particularly exposed to high-risk hazards arising from harmful radiation emitted during welding, including ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation, as well as visible (VIS) radiation, whose high intensity causes glare. Effective protection of the eyes and face is provided by welding shields equipped with automatic welding filters (AWFs), which activate automatically upon arc ignition. Their switching time is the most important protective parameter, as it has a direct impact on the user’s visual health. The objective of the work is to present a novel test stand for determining AWFs switching and holding times, which provides advanced possibilities for evaluating all types of AWFs. Until now, performance and safety levels have been determined based on numerical values: switching time and hold time. For the first time, it is possible to analyze the darkening and clearing phenomena over time with an interpretation of graphical results. Importantly, it is possible to analyze the symmetry of filter properties, using two measurement channels, which is crucial for binocular and curved (panoramic) AWFs. The results obtained for two types of AWFs mounted in goggles with a one-piece and a binocular visor differ from each other. Switching time differences between the left and right measurement channels were about 6–7% for the one-piece visor goggles (G1) and about 3–4% for the binocular goggles (G2). The dispersion of results confirmed the importance of the two measurement channels, which was not previously practiced. The test stand, designed in accordance with the requirements of the new European standards (EN ISO 18526-2:2020, EN ISO 16321-2:2021), can be used for prototyping and for AWF certification purposes. Full article

The building façade serves as the primary interface between the built environment and external climate, marking the transition from static regulation to dynamic response in climate-adaptive design. While existing research predominantly addresses periodic climatic elements such as temperature and solar radiation, the highly stochastic wind environment and its potential for internal acoustic problems remain systematically unexplored. This study investigates the acoustic modulation mechanism of building façades under dynamic wind conditions through a simulation-based methodology. The primary aim is to demonstrate the use of active control to mitigate the influence of fluctuating wind on the internal acoustic environment of buildings with open windows or semi-open boundaries, focusing on the coupling between stochastic wind fields and architectural acoustics in humid subtropical climates. We propose a wind-responsive adaptive acoustic façade system employing fractal geometry and configurable delay strategies, and develop a high-fidelity simulation framework to quantify how façade geometry and activation logic regulate acoustic parameters under varying wind conditions (1–8 m/s). Results indicate that: (1) support vector regression-based mapping of wind speed to delay strategies maintains key sound-field parameters (Lateral Fraction (LF), Speech Clarity (C₅₀), and Early Decay Time to Reverberation Time ratio (EDT/RT₃₀)) within 10% fluctuation across wind regimes; (2) fractal configurations achieve balanced wide-band (125 Hz–8 kHz) performance, with SPL fluctuation <3 dB, spectral tilt (+0.3 dB), and reverberation time slope <0.3; (3) configurational switching between column (high LF) and row (high C₅₀) arrangements enables dynamic trade-off between spatial impression and speech clarity. This work establishes an integrated framework coupling wind dynamics, façade morphology, and acoustic modulation to regulate objective indoor acoustic parameters. Based on the simulated omnidirectional point-source model, the results show that key acoustic indicators remain stable across varying wind conditions, providing a theoretical and quantifiable basis for climate-responsive acoustic envelope design. Future work will include empirical prototype testing and listening tests to determine whether these simulated acoustic parameters translate into improved comfort and well-being for occupants. Full article

Background/Objectives: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health challenge, and several lifestyle-related factors associated with later T2DM may already emerge during the secondary school years. Socioeconomic status (SES), nutrition-related behaviors, physical activity, and basic diabetes-related knowledge may shape these early risk-related patterns. This study examined the relationships between SES, adapted FINDRISC-based T2DM-related risk patterns, and diabetes-related knowledge among Hungarian secondary school students aged 16–20 years. Methods: A nationwide, cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among students attending Hungarian Baptist secondary schools (N = 1585). SES was classified by Two-Step cluster analysis based on parental education, parental occupation, number of books in the household, and frequency of travel abroad. Relative T2DM-related risk patterns were described using an age-adapted FINDRISC-based screening approach, and basic diabetes-related knowledge was assessed using a 12-item questionnaire. Associations were examined using cross-tabulation and regression analyses in SPSS version 27.0. Results: Most respondents fell into the lower categories of the adapted FINDRISC-based screening framework, whereas 7.4% were classified into the moderate or high adapted FINDRISC-based screening categories. SES was significantly associated with adapted FINDRISC-based screening categories (p < 0.001). Compared with the medium-SES group, students in the low-SES group had higher odds of belonging to a higher adapted FINDRISC-based screening category (OR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.27–2.57; p = 0.001). SES was also significantly associated with basic diabetes-related knowledge profiles (p = 0.015); students with high SES were less likely to be in the low-knowledge group than in the high-knowledge group (OR = 0.62; p = 0.039). Conclusions: Social inequalities in T2DM-related risk patterns and diabetes-related knowledge are already visible among secondary school students aged 16–20 years. The adapted FINDRISC-based approach may be useful as a school-based, non-invasive descriptive screening framework for characterizing relative T2DM-related risk patterns, but it is not a validated risk prediction instrument for this age group. Full article

To evaluate the potential biological effects of electromagnetic fields from offshore wind farms on Sebastes schlegelii, a laboratory-controlled chronic exposure experiment was conducted using a magnet-based static magnetic field system. Each group contained 60 fish distributed across four replicate tanks, with 15 fish per tank, and the fish were continuously exposed for 20 d under controlled water-quality conditions. Daily video monitoring of collective shoaling behavior was combined with multi-tissue physiological and biochemical analyses. Electromagnetic field exposure increased the swimming speed, burst frequency, activity ratio, spatial coverage, occupancy entropy, and polarization, while reducing the nearest neighbor distance, group radius, and group area. At the physiological level, cortisol increased mainly in the liver and brain, ACTH showed tissue-dependent modulation, SOD remained relatively stable, and glutathione increased in multiple tissues, especially in the liver, gut, and brain. Correlation analysis indicated a close coupling between behavioral reorganization and endocrine–redox regulation, suggesting that chronic EMF exposure shifted Sebastes schlegelii into a stress-associated but functionally coordinated collective state. Full article

Occupational sedentary behavior presents a public health risk, yet current interventions often rely on subjective self-reports or context-blind prompts. This study validates a privacy-preserving, edge-computing time-of-flight (ToF) sensor that detects postural states and quantifies therapeutic exercise gestures in real time. The dual-sensor architecture distinguishes between sitting, standing, and absence, while capturing rapid sit-to-stand repetitions suitable for active-break interventions. In this paper, a laboratory study (N = 7) evaluated the system against ground truth comprising activPAL3 accelerometry and video analysis. Across 378 postural events, the sensor achieved high temporal fidelity (mean absolute error < 1.6 s) and 100% sensitivity in counting exercise repetitions. The system differentiated workstation occupancy from physical absence. These findings demonstrate that ToF sensing matches the accuracy of video analysis without privacy concerns while offering the contextual awareness required for just-in-time, adaptive workplace interventions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Radiologic technologists are frequently exposed to occupational stressors that heighten the risk of burnout, compromising well-being and job performance. Workplace exercise programs have been identified as promising strategies to enhance physical and mental health across occupational groups; however, robust experimental evidence among radiologic technologists remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a structured workplace exercise program on perceived stress, burnout, and quality of life among radiologic technologists. Methods: A small-scale randomized controlled experimental study was conducted with 19 radiologic technologists from the Local Health Unit of Castelo Branco, Portugal. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 10, age mean = 43.8 ± 9.92 years old) or a control group (n = 9, age mean = 48.2 ± 7.86 years old). The intervention consisted of a six-week workplace exercise program conducted during work hours, comprising sessions three times per week, twice per day. Each session lasted approximately 15–20 min and included balance, stretching, and light resistance exercises. Outcomes were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale, the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and the WHOQOL-BREF. Results: The experimental group showed significant reductions in perceived stress (p = 0.013, d = −0.697 (−1.6–0.206) [moderate]) and in personal (p = 0.004, d = −0.834 (−1.748–0.08) [moderate]) and work-related burnout (p = 0.026, d = −0.756 (−1.664–0.151) [moderate]), as well as improvements in the physical (p = 0.046, d = 0.592 (−0.303–1.488) [small]) and environmental (p = 0.032, d = 0.991 (0.062–1.92) [moderate]) domains of quality of life. No significant changes occurred in the control group. Conclusions: These preliminary findings suggest that a brief, low-cost workplace exercise program may reduce stress and burnout and improve quality of life among radiologic technologists. These findings support the integration of structured physical activity into healthcare work settings as a feasible, preventive, and health-promoting strategy. Full article

Unauthorized occupation of parking spaces designated for individuals with disabilities remains a persistent challenge in urban environments, limiting accessibility and inclusive mobility. This paper proposes an integrated UAV-assisted enforcement framework that combines drone-based imaging, onboard license plate recognition (LPR), IoT connectivity, and a staged optimization strategy for energy-aware surveillance. The framework employs a two-phase approach: first, it derives energy-efficient UAV activation patterns via sleep–active scheduling, followed by coverage maximization under energy constraints. The inherently multi-objective problem—balancing energy consumption, coverage, and redundancy—is addressed via a weighted-aggregation formulation, enabling efficient optimization with classical metaheuristic algorithms. Seven algorithms—Genetic Algorithm (GA), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Simulated Annealing (SA), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO), Differential Evolution (DE), Artificial Bee Colony (ABC), and a Greedy baseline—are implemented in both conventional and staged variants to enable comprehensive evaluation. Experimental results demonstrate 32–45% reductions in energy consumption, over 95% coverage effectiveness, and 50–60% faster convergence compared to single-phase approaches, with all improvements statistically significant (p < 0.001). The proposed framework provides a scalable, practically deployable solution for intelligent enforcement of disability parking regulations while also enabling energy-efficient UAV coordination in smart urban monitoring systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in China. While obesity and dietary patterns are well-established factors, the independent association between overall dietary quality and CVD prevalence—specifically whether this link persists regardless of Body Mass Index (BMI)—requires further clarification. Furthermore, the behavioral and cognitive correlates that drive dietary quality, such as health literacy, remain insufficiently explored. This study evaluated the association of dietary quality with self-reported CVD among Chinese adults, independent of BMI, and identified the key behavioral and cognitive factors associated with dietary adherence in this population. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 975 Chinese adults through anonymous questionnaires and collected self-reported data on CVD, BMI, dietary quality, and health literacy. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the chi-square test were used to compare the characteristics between groups, and multivariate Logistic regression was used to analyze the association between dietary quality and the odds of CVD, sequentially adjusting for variables such as BMI, physical activity. Results: Higher dietary quality was independently associated with lower odds of CVD (Model 3: OR = 0.879, 95% CI: 0.845–0.915, p < 0.001). Notably, this inverse association remained significant after adjusting for BMI, which itself showed no significant association with CVD prevalence in the multivariable model. Regarding population profiling, poor dietary quality was significantly related to regular smoking (p < 0.05), whereas age, gender, residence, employment status, and BMI showed no significant associations with dietary quality categories. Furthermore, health literacy (p < 0.05) and physical activity (p < 0.05) showed positive associations with superior dietary quality. Conclusions: Dietary quality is a significant independent factor inversely associated with CVD prevalence, regardless of obesity status. Suboptimal dietary habits cluster among smokers and individuals with lower health literacy and physical activity levels, showing a stronger association with cognitive and behavioral factors than with demographic or occupational characteristics. Interventions should prioritize enhancing health literacy and addressing the clustering of unhealthy behaviors to effectively address the cardiovascular burden in the Chinese population. Full article

Improved conservation efforts in China have contributed to the recovery and range expansion of the Asian elephant, increasing spatial overlap between humans and elephants and intensifying the pressure of human–elephant coexistence. Understanding human tolerance toward Asian elephants has therefore become an important pathway for promoting conservation and coexistence. Using survey data from 873 farm households collected in Xishuangbanna Prefecture and Pu’er City in Yunnan Province, this study measures tolerance toward Asian elephants across five dimensions: types of elephant-related damage, economic loss, population size, spatial distance, and activity frequency. Independent-sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA and ANCOVA were used to examine differences in tolerance among different groups of farm households. The results show that: (1) the overall tolerance toward Asian elephants among farm households is relatively low (mean = 2.40); (2) within types of elephant-related damage, tolerance is lowest for crop loss and cash crop loss, followed by loss of working time and risk of human injury, while tolerance is relatively higher for damage to houses and property, loss of stored food, and damage to vehicles; (3) farm households showed low levels of tolerance across the dimensions of economic loss, population size, spatial distance, and activity frequency; (4) higher tolerance is observed among male respondents, Dai farm households, those engaged in wildlife protection-related occupations, and households located in Pu’er City, and tolerance increased as cultivated land area decreased, household income increased, and agricultural dependence declined. These findings provide empirical evidence for understanding farm households’ tolerance toward Asian elephants and offer policy insights for improving tolerance, optimizing human–elephant conflict (HEC) management, and promoting the social sustainability of human–elephant coexistence. The study also contributes China-based evidence to discussions on flagship species conservation and community coexistence under the SDG 15 and CBD frameworks. Full article

This two-week pilot study within the Horizon Europe EDIAQI project evaluated the real-life performance of portable air filtration units in two office environments (a small office and a shared kitchen) under continuous device operation and daily filter replacement. Indoor particle concentrations were monitored continuously using low-cost sensors (LCS) from three providers and supported by gravimetric measurements, while daily activity logs documented occupancy patterns, printing, cooking, and other source events together with purifier ON/OFF status. Particulate matter (PM) mass concentrations showed no systematic improvement during purifier ON periods; instead, temporal variability was dominated by indoor activities and episodic emissions, with occasional short-term peaks around filter replacement suggestive of minor resuspension. Chemical analysis provided a clearer picture: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) responded differently across fractions and compositions. Across monitored locations, high-molecular-weight PAHs in the PM₁ fraction decreased during purifier ON periods (approximately 30% lower on average), whereas low-molecular-weight PAHs measured in total suspended particles (TSP) were higher during ON periods, indicating that semi-volatile fractions and activity/ventilation dynamics can outweigh simple filtration effects. Overall, the findings highlight a gap between laboratory-derived filtration performance metrics and outcomes in occupied, mixed-source indoor environments and emphasise the importance of device sizing, placement, airflow mixing, and complementary source control and ventilation strategies when deploying filtration-based IAQ interventions. Full article

This comparative cross-sectional study simultaneously investigated the dual health burden of body mass index (BMI) and common mental disorders (CMDs) driven by occupational stressors in two stepwise regression models. By classifying stress exposure into three clinically relevant tiers (low, moderate, and severe) in two distinctive populations—a hospital and a manufacturing company—we used the validated SDS-30 and SRQ-20 instruments. The robust multiple regression models uncovered a highly nuanced landscape of employee well-being that highlights the context-dependent nature of psychosocial hazards. The most compelling findings emerged from the interaction analyses, which demonstrated that the physical and mental consequences of severe stress do not impact the workforce uniformly. Regarding mental health, severe occupational stress proved to be a potent catalyst for CMD symptoms, but this psychological toll was significantly magnified within the hospital sector relative to the manufacturing environment. An opposite, yet equally context-dependent, pattern emerged regarding physical health. In the main-effects-adjusted model, the severity of occupational stressors did not demonstrate a statistically significant linear association with an overall increase in BMI. However, the interaction model revealed a hidden vulnerability: employees in operational field roles who report severe stress are highly susceptible to severe BMI increases compared with admin personnel. While administrative staff may face sedentary risks, field workers under severe stress likely endure higher physiological allostatic load, erratic shift patterns that disrupt circadian metabolic rhythms, and potentially poorer dietary coping mechanisms during active labor. This combination of physical exhaustion and severe psychological tension severely disrupts metabolic homeostasis, forcing the redistribution of adipose tissue and driving the observed BMI spike. Full article

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) features progressive fibrotic remodeling, but the shared molecular circuitry connecting diabetes mellitus (DM) to cardiomyopathy (CM) remains unclear. We integrated three DM- and three CM-related Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and corrected batch effects with sva, verified by violin plots, principal component analysis (PCA), and silhouette coefficients computed on all common genes (DM: 0.9489 to −0.1016; CM: 0.9693 to −0.045; PC1/PC2 inter-batch differences abolished after normalization). Differential expression analysis identified 2562 DM Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 1414 CM DEGs, and their intersection yielded 91 common DEGs (51 upregulated, 40 downregulated). Protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis prioritized 25 hub genes, whose enrichment profiles implicated insulin resistance/insulin signaling and adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes. TRRUST-based inference further defined a regulatory network centered on seven key genes (HIF-1α, ACTN4, ABCB1, LTBP1, CLU, TIMP2, and MYH11). To nominate a candidate target of oxymatrine (OMT), we performed docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for representative complexes; OMT showed the most stable interaction with LTBP1, maintaining a consistently short pocket distance (~0.2 nm), the highest contact frequency, and the lowest MM/PBSA binding free energy (−15.32 kcal/mol), with favorable contributions dominated by van der Waals and nonpolar solvation terms. In primary cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), high glucose (HG, 30 mM glucose) induced proliferative and profibrotic activation, whereas OMT (0.4–0.8 mM) reduced HG-driven proliferation without detectable toxicity below 1.2 mM, suppressed FN, collagen I/III, and α-SMA expression, and inhibited migration. OMT also normalized HG-induced cell-cycle skewing by restoring G0/G1-phase occupancy and reducing S-phase entry, with effects comparable to metformin. Finally, HG increased LTBP1 expression and upregulated SMAD3/SMAD4, while OMT attenuated LTBP1 induction and suppressed downstream TGF-β/SMAD activation. Together, these data integrate cross-dataset transcriptomics with mechanistic validation to position LTBP1 as a putative antifibrotic node targeted by OMT, supporting inhibition of the LTBP1/TGF-β/SMAD axis as a candidate strategy to counter DCM-associated fibrosis. Full article