Search Results (20,108)

Autophagy (cellular self-eating) is a tightly regulated catabolic process of eukaryotic cells during which parts of the cytoplasm are sequestered and subsequently delivered into lysosomes for degradation by acidic hydrolases. This process is central to maintaining cellular homeostasis, the removal of aged or damaged organelles, and the elimination of intracellular pathogens. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has proven to be a powerful genetic model for investigating the regulation and mechanism of autophagy. To date, the fluorescent autophagy reporters developed in this organism have predominantly relied on multi-copy, randomly integrated transgenes. As a result, the interpretation of autophagy dynamics in these models has required considerable caution due to possible overexpression artifacts and positional effects. In addition, starvation-induced autophagy has not been characterized in detail using these reporters. Here, we describe the development of two endogenous autophagy reporters, gfp::mCherry::lgg-1/atg-8 and gfp::atg-5, both inserted precisely into their endogenous genomic loci. We demonstrate that these single-copy reporters reliably track distinct stages of the autophagic process. Using these tools, we reveal that (i) the transition from the earliest phagophore to the mature autolysosome is an exceptionally rapid event because the vast majority of the detected fluorescent signals are autolysosome-specific, (ii) starvation triggers autophagy only after a measurable lag phase rather than immediately, and (iii) the regulation of starvation-induced autophagy depends on the actual life stage, and prevents excessive flux that could otherwise compromise cellular survival. We anticipate that these newly developed reporter strains will provide refined opportunities to further dissect the physiological and pathological roles of autophagy in vivo. Full article

Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in patients with kidney failure receiving dialysis presents a formidable clinical challenge. Standard DKA protocols, designed for patients with preserved renal function, often fail in this cohort and can be unsafe when applied without modification. Patients are at risk of iatrogenic fluid overload, dyskalaemia, and hypoglycaemia due to altered insulin kinetics, impaired gluconeogenesis, and the absence of osmotic diuresis. Purpose: This narrative review aims to synthesise current understanding of DKA pathophysiology in dialysis patients, delineate distinct clinical phenotypes, and propose individualised management strategies grounded in physiology-based reasoning, comparative guideline insights, and consensus-supported literature. Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, and Google Scholar (January 2004–June 2024) for adult dialysis populations, using terms spanning DKA, kidney failure, insulin kinetics, fluid balance, and cerebral oedema. Reviews, observational cohorts, guidelines, consensus statements, and physiology papers were prioritised; case reports were used selectively for illustration. Evidence was weighted by physiological plausibility and practice relevance. Nephrology-led authors aimed for a pragmatic, safety-first synthesis, seeking and integrating contradictory recommendations. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the critical need for a nuanced approach to fluid management, a tailored insulin strategy that accounts for glucose-insulin decoupling and prolonged insulin half-life, and careful consideration of potassium and acidosis correction. We emphasise the importance of recognising specific volume phenotypes (hypovolaemic, euvolaemic, hypervolaemic) to guide fluid therapy, and advocating the judicious use of variable-rate insulin infusions (‘dry insulin’) to mitigate fluid overload. We also show that service-level factors are critical. Dialysis-specific pathways, interdisciplinary training, and quality improvement metrics can reduce iatrogenic harm. By linking physiology with workflow adaptations, this review provides a physiologically sound, bedside-oriented map for navigating this complex emergency safely and effectively. In doing so, it advances an individualised model of DKA care for dialysis-dependent patients. Full article

To address the limitations of the single-modal electroencephalogram (EEG), such as its single physiological dimension, weak anti-interference ability, and inability to fully reflect emotional states, this paper proposes a gated multi-head cross-attention module (GMHCA) for multimodal fusion of EEG, electrooculography (EOG),and electrodermal activity (EDA). This attention module employs three independent and parallel attention computation units to assign independent attention weights to different feature subsets across modalities. Combined with a modality complementarity metric, the gating mechanism suppresses redundant heads and enhances the information transmission of key heads. Through multi-head concatenation, cross-modal interaction results from different perspectives are fused. For the backbone network, a multi-scale convolution and bidirectional long short-term memory network (MC-BiLSTM) is designed for feature extraction, tailored to the characteristics of each modality. Experiments show that this method, which primarily fuses eight-channel EEG with peripheral physiological signals, achieves an emotion recognition accuracy of 89.45%, a 7.68% improvement over single-modal EEG. In addition, in cross-subject experiments conducted on the SEED-IV dataset, the EEG+EOG modality achieved a classification accuracy of 92.73%. All were significantly better than the baseline method. This fully demonstrates the effectiveness of the innovative GMHCA module architecture and MC-BiLSTM feature extraction network proposed in this paper for multimodal fusion methods. Through the novel attention gating mechanism, higher recognition accuracy is achieved while significantly reducing the number of EEG channels, providing new ideas and approaches based on attention mechanisms and gated fusion for multimodal emotion recognition in resource-constrained environments. Full article

Given their role in viral polyprotein processing, viral proteases (PRs) are excellent targets for antiviral therapy. Most assays developed for screening PR inhibitors are in vitro assays, and therefore have several limitations, including the inability to account for cell permeability, toxicity and the need for compounds activation within cells. The development of cellular reporters overcoming these limitations is therefore highly desirable. In this study, we developed two different Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer (BRET)-based reporters for Human Immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) PR, allowing the simultaneous monitoring of cell viability and HIV-1 PR activity. The reporters employ two different BRET pairs as donor and acceptor moieties: Renilla luciferase (RLuc) with Yellow Fluorescent Protein (YFP), and Nano luciferase (NLuc) with mNeonGreen (mNG), both linked by the HIV-1 p2/p7 cleavage site. While both reporters specifically detected HIV-1 protease activity, mNG-p2/p7-NLuc exhibited higher sensitivity, increased energy transfer and better spectral separation between donor and acceptor emissions, resulting in a significantly higher BRET ratio. mNG-p2/p7-NLuc was used to quantify the effect of a panel of protease inhibitors in living cells, assessing simultaneously cell viability and HIV-1 PR activity. Additionally, it was employed to measure the potency of well-known HIV-1 PR inhibitors. Together, these findings demonstrate the utility of the mNG-p2/p7-NLuc reporter as a cell-based tool for the evaluation of HIV-1 PR activity and inhibitor efficacy. Its dual-readout capability provides a valuable platform for antiviral drug screening in physiologically relevant conditions. Full article

Berberine (BBR), a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Chinese herb Coptis chinensis, has been widely used clinically to treat intestinal infectious diseases. Recently, it has been found to have multiple pharmacological effects, including anti-inflammatory activity and immune effects in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, its exact targets remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used a mouse intestinal organoid–macrophage co-culture model to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects and immune effects of BBR. Our findings demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced more robust inflammatory responses and epithelium damage in the co-culture system compared to the organoid alone. BBR effectively attenuated inflammation and restored epithelial barrier integrity by suppressing M1 macrophage polarisation and infiltration, alongside upregulating the expression and organisation of tight junction protein zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1). RNA sequencing and proteomic analysis revealed that BBR disrupted organoid–macrophage interaction by inhibiting chemokine (e.g., C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF)) release from epithelial cells, thereby reducing macrophage recruitment. Collectively, our study establishes the organoid–macrophage co-culture system as a more physiologically relevant model for studying epithelial–immune interactions and elucidates the multi-target mechanism of BBR, which concurrently modulates epithelial cells, macrophages, and their crosstalk. These findings lay the foundation for further exploration of the therapeutic potential of BBR in inflammatory bowel disease and the development of targeted therapies that regulate cell interactions. Full article

Hesperozygis ringens essential oil (HREO), rich in pulegone and limonene, has potential application in aquaculture due to its beneficial properties. This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with HREO (0.0, 0.75, 1.0, and 2.0 g HREO kg feed⁻¹) for 30 days on the physiological responses of Colossoma macropomum before and after a simulated 4 h transport. Fish were sampled at four time points: before transport (Basal), immediately after transport (IAT), and at 24 h (AT24) and 48 h (AT48) post-transport. Growth performance and survival (>96%) were not affected by HREO. Hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and intestinal coefficient showed significant responses to dietary HREO. After transport, survival was 100% for all treatments, and hematological and biochemical parameters varied according to dose and recovery time, with 2.0 g HREO kg feed⁻¹ showing the most consistent benefits, such as stabilization of hemoglobin, MCHC, and plasma proteins during recovery at AT₂₄ and AT₄₈. Water quality parameters did not differ between treatments at transportation end. These findings suggest that dietary HREO may contribute to enhance the physiological responses to transport in C. macropomum, supporting its potential use as a sustainable nutritional strategy. Full article

Acute stress impairs executive functions, and these higher-order cognitive processes are often positively associated with intelligence. Even though intelligence is generally stable over time, performance in an intelligence test can be influenced by a variety of factors, including psychological processes like motivation or attention. For instance, test anxiety has been shown to correlate with individual differences in intelligence test performance, and theoretical accounts exist for causality in both directions. However, the potential impact of acute stress before or during an intelligence test remains elusive. Here, in a research context, we investigated the effects of test anxiety and acute stress as well as their interaction on performance in the short version of the Intelligence Structure Test 2000 in its German version (I-S-T 2000 R). Forty male participants completed two sessions scheduled 28 days apart, with the order counterbalanced across participants. In both sessions, participants underwent either the socially evaluated cold-pressor test (SECPT) or a non-stressful control procedure, followed by administration of I-S-T 2000 R (parallelized versions on both days). The SECPT is a widely used laboratory paradigm that elicits a stress response through the combination of psychosocial and physical components. Trait test anxiety scores were obtained via the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G). Stress induction was successful as indicated by physiological and subjective markers, including salivary cortisol concentrations. We applied linear mixed models to investigate the effects of acute stress (elicited by our stress manipulation) and test anxiety on the intelligence quotient (IQ). The analysis revealed that neither factor had a significant effect, nor was there a significant interaction between them. Consistent with these findings, Bayesian analyses provided evidence supporting the absence of these effects. Notably, IQ scores increased significantly from the first to the second testing day. These results suggest that neither test anxiety nor stress is significantly impacting intelligence test performance. However, improvements due to repeated testing call for caution, both in scientific and clinical settings. Full article

Antarctica is experiencing one of the fastest warming rates globally, profoundly impacting seawater temperature and salinity, with direct consequences for marine life. The present study examined the combined effects of salinity fluctuations at 20, 33 (control salinity), and 41 psu, and temperatures of 2 °C (control temperature) and 8 °C (thermal stress) for 3 days, on the health and physiology of the Antarctic intertidal macroalga Adenocystis utricularis. Photosynthetic activity, photoinhibition, and photoprotective processes were assessed alongside biomarkers of oxidative stress/damage (total ROS, lipid peroxidation, and protein carbonylation) and antioxidant/osmotic response (ascorbate, free amino acids, and proline). The results showed that maximum quantum yield (F_v/F_m) remained stable under both salinity and thermal stress. However, productivity (ETR_max), the photoprotection index (NPQ_max), and irradiance saturation (Ek_ETR) were significantly decreased at 8 °C, remaining constant under salinity fluctuations. At 2 °C, oxidative stress and damage were significantly higher under hypo- and hypersalinity conditions. However, at 8 °C, oxidative stress indicators decreased, accompanied by increased ascorbate levels in both hypo- (20 psu) and hypersalinity (41 psu) treatments compared to the control salinity. While warming temperatures negatively altered the oxidative response of A. utricularis at a 33 psu, we report here an interactive effect between salinity and temperature, leading to an altered stress response to salinity fluctuations under thermal stress. This study provides key information to better understand the adaptation of Antarctic intertidal macroalgae to multifactor climate change consequences. Full article

Atherosclerosis (AS) currently lacks fully effective treatments. This study investigated the natural compound hesperidin as a potential therapy. Apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE^−/−) mice were used as a model of atherosclerosis; we found that hesperidin treatment improved physiological and metabolic health, reduced plaque formation, and decreased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Hesperidin also reshaped gut microbiota, increasing beneficial bacteria (Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidota) and significantly lowering fecal levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs: valine, leucine, and isoleucine) by 27.4%, 50.1%, and 40.8%, respectively. These changes were linked to specific microbial shifts. We conclude that hesperidin alleviates atherosclerosis likely by modulating the gut microbiota–BCAA–host axis, identifying it as a promising dietary intervention or therapeutic agent. Full article

This study uniquely integrates physiological and subjective data to predict comfort. To optimize lighting conditions in art galleries, this study investigates the interactive effects of painting tones (cool, medium, warm) and illuminance levels (50, 150, 300 lx) on visual comfort. Using decorative paintings as experimental stimuli, 30 participants were exposed to nine distinct lighting scenarios. Subjective questionnaires and eye-tracking data were collected to establish five predictive models. An additional cohort of 10 participants served as an external validation set. Results indicate that the interaction between tone and illuminance exerts a significant influence on comfort. The optimal combinations identified were cool tone + 50 lx, warm tone + 150 lx, and medium tone + 300 lx. Among the models, XGBoost demonstrated superior predictive performance (R² = 0.928 in the test set; R² = 0.884 in external validation). SHAP analysis revealed that the coefficient of variation in pupil diameter was the most critical predictor, followed by fixation count and related features. Both global and individual feature contributions to comfort were elucidated, offering a robust scientific foundation for the precise regulation of lighting environments in art galleries. Full article

Areca (Areca catechu L.) is an important economic crop in tropical regions, but excessive nitrogen application leads to low nitrogen fertilizer utilization efficiency (approximately 30%). Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Andrews) can be intercropped with areca to enhance land use efficiency. However, the impact of combined nitrogen reduction and Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation on the intercropping system of areca and vanilla remains unclear. This study examined the impact of nitrogen reduction (at levels of conventional fertilization, a 30% reduction and a 60% reduction) and the inoculation of AMF on the photosynthetic characteristics, physiological metabolism, and nitrogen utilization within an areca and vanilla intercropping system, employing a two-factor experimental design. The nitrogen reduction significantly inhibited SPAD value (chlorophyll content) (decreased by 46.21%), net photosynthesis (P_n) (decreased by 71.13%), and transpiration rate (T_r) (decreased by 44.34%) of vanilla without inoculation of AMF, but had little effect on the photosynthesis of areca. Inoculation with AMF, notably Funneliformis mosseae, alleviated the adverse effects of reduced nitrogen on vanilla. The net photosynthesis and intercellular CO₂ concentration (C_i) significantly increased by 76.23% and 69.48%, respectively. Additionally, the nitrogen uptake efficiency of the areca was improved, with root vitality increasing by 39.96%. Additionally, AMF enhanced the activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) (increased by 38.86% in vanilla) and nitrate reductase (NR) (increased by 53.77% in areca), promoting soil mineral nutrient activation and nitrogen metabolism. The nitrogen reduction combined with AMF inoculation can improve the nitrogen use efficiency of the areca and vanilla intercropping system, revealing its synergistic mechanism in the tropical intercropping system. Full article

The increasing ubiquity of wearable computing and multimodal interaction technologies has created unprecedented opportunities for natural and seamless human–computer interaction. However, most existing systems adapt only to external user actions such as speech, gesture, or gaze, without considering internal cognitive or affective states. This limits their ability to provide intelligent and empathetic adaptations. This paper addresses this critical gap by proposing the Neuro-Adaptive Multimodal Architecture (NAMI), a principled, modular, and reproducible framework designed to integrate behavioral and neurophysiological signals in real time. NAMI combines multimodal behavioral inputs with lightweight EEG and peripheral physiological measurements to infer cognitive load and engagement and adapt the interface dynamically to optimize user experience. The architecture is formally specified as a three-layer pipeline encompassing sensing and acquisition, cognitive–affective state estimation, and adaptive interaction control, with clear data flows, mathematical formalization, and real-time performance on wearable platforms. A prototype implementation of NAMI was deployed in an augmented reality Java programming tutor for postgraduate informatics students, where it dynamically adjusted task difficulty, feedback modality, and assistance frequency based on inferred user state. Empirical evaluation with 100 participants demonstrated significant improvements in task performance, reduced subjective workload, and increased engagement and satisfaction, confirming the effectiveness of the neuro-adaptive approach. Full article

University campus teaching areas are essential spaces for students’ daily learning and recovery, in which soundscapes play a crucial role in shaping restorative experiences. This study aimed to explore the restorative effects of soundscapes in campus teaching areas and the factors influencing these effects. Field surveys, psychological assessments, and physiological experiments were conducted to evaluate restorative perceptions, which were characterized by three dimensions: Attractiveness, Coherence, and Being Away. The findings indicate that both the visual environment and acoustic characteristics significantly shaped restorative outcomes. Natural landscapes, particularly green areas and waterscapes, enhanced the restorative potential of soundscapes, while natural sounds, such as birdsong, fountain sound, and rustling leaves, were perceived as more restorative. In contrast, traffic noise, crowd noise, and class bell sound reduced restorative perceptions. Furthermore, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) played a critical role, with the higher SNR values of birdsong relative to traffic noise being associated with stronger restorative effects. These results suggest that campus soundscape design should prioritize green landscapes, introduce or amplify natural sounds, and optimize the SNR of restorative sounds. Overall, this research provides both theoretical support and practical guidance for designing healthier campus environments that foster students’ recovery and well-being. Full article

Background: We investigated the effect of mental fatigue (MF) on artistic swimmers’ (AS) physiological and cognitive responses and physical and technical AS performance. Methods: Twelve young female ASs completed a free team routine (FT) involving 4 × 4 min trials separated by a 2 min rest in two sessions a week apart. Pre- and post-FT, athletes performed three “boosts” for vertical displacement and a 50 m maximum effort front crawl swim. Before each session, a 30 min MF test (Stroop condition; SC) or an emotionally neutral video (control condition; CC) were implemented in counterbalanced order. Choice reaction time and central executive function tests were applied before and after the completion of both conditions. Technical performance was evaluated by five official judges. Heart rate was continuously recorded, whilst blood lactate was measured before the start and after the second and fourth FT. Rating of perceived exertion (RPE) was recorded after each FT. Results: Technical performance scores during FT were lower in SC than CC (6.82 ± 0.92 vs. 7.17 ± 0.69, p < 0.001, and d = 0.43). The choice reaction time was decreased by 3.4 ± 9.3% in SC but increased 4.4 ± 8.1% in CC (p < 0.05). Central executive function was no different between conditions despite a medium effect size in SC (d = 0.58). The “boost” height was lower in SC compared to CC (70 ± 5 vs. 72 ± 5 cm, p < 0.05, and d = 0.45). Heart rate, RPE, and 50 m time did not differ between conditions (p > 0.05), but blood lactate was higher in the CC compared to SC (5.3 ± 2.6 vs. 4.6 ± 2.9 mmol/l, p < 0.05, and d = 0.25). Conclusion: Mental fatigue may impair technical performance during FT, primarily via cognitive dysfunction, with reduced glycolytic activation as a potential additional factor. Full article

Driver fatigue and negative emotions are significant factors contributing to traffic accidents. In-vehicle fragrance, as a fatigue intervention strategy, can help improve drivers’ mental and emotional states, preventing accidents. However, there is a lack of systematic research on how different fragrance types and release methods affect drivers’ fatigue and emotional development. Forty healthy drivers (mean age: 31 years, gender balanced) participated in this study. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one group tested three different fragrance types (HINOKI, GRASSY, YUZU), and the other group tested three fragrance release methods (CR: continuous release, IR: intermittent release, and PR: pulse release). All participants completed a simulated driving task under specified in-vehicle fragrance management conditions. Subjective fatigue ratings and emotional self-assessments (POMS) were used to assess changes in fatigue and emotions, and heart rate variability (HRV) was measured to evaluate physiological changes. Compared to no intervention, fragrance intervention significantly reduced drivers’ subjective fatigue ratings, with the continuous release mode showing a more pronounced reduction in fatigue scores. Fragrance intervention effectively improved heart rate variability, with significant differences observed between release modes. The fragrance intervention also had a significant effect on emotional ratings, notably increasing vigor and reducing negative emotions such as tension and anxiety. The impact of fragrance type on fatigue scores, HRV, and emotional ratings was limited, suggesting that the effectiveness of fragrance intervention may depend more on the intensity and release mode of the intervention rather than the fragrance type. Fragrance intervention effectively reduces driver fatigue and improves emotional states, with the continuous release mode showing the most significant effects. The findings of this study can provide valuable insights for customizing in-vehicle fragrance release strategies to alleviate fatigue and improve emotional well-being in individuals engaged in long-duration driving tasks, with significant implications for the management of drivers’ mental and psychological health. Full article