Search Results (777)

Recent findings highlight that Reelin, a glycoprotein involved in neural development, synaptic plasticity, and neuroinflammation, plays some specific roles in neurodegenerative disorders associated with aging, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Reelin modulates synaptic function and guarantees homeostasis in neuronal-associated organs/tissues (brain and retina). The expression of Reelin is dysregulated in these neurological disorders, showing common pathways depending on chronic neurogenic inflammation and/or dysregulation of the extracellular matrix in which Reelin plays outstanding roles. Recently, the relationship between AMD and AD has gained increasing attention as they share many common risk factors (aging, genetic/epigenetic background, smoking, and malnutrition) and histopathological lesions, supporting certain pathophysiological crosstalk between these two diseases, especially regarding neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and vascular complications. Outside the nervous system, Reelin is largely produced at the gastrointestinal epithelial level, in close association with innervated regions. The expression of Reelin receptors inside the gut suggests interesting aspects in the field of the gut–brain–eye axis, as dysregulation of the intestinal microbiota has been frequently described in neurodegenerative and behavioral disorders (AD, autism, and anxiety and/or depression), most probably linked to inflammatory, neurogenic mediators, including Reelin. Herein we examined previous and recent findings on Reelin and neurodegenerative disorders, offering findings on Reelin’s potential relation with the gut–brain and gut–brain–eye axes and providing novel attractive hypotheses on the gut–brain–eye link through neuromodulator and microbiota interplay. Neurodegenerative disorders will represent the ground for a future starting point for linking the common neurodegenerative biomarkers (β-amyloid and tau) and the new proteins probably engaged in counteracting neurodegeneration and synaptic loss. Full article

Endometriosis is a disorder characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterus, leading to dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, dysuria, and infertility. The latter has been related to implantation failure associated with alterations in decidualization, a process regulated by sex hormones such as progesterone. Membrane progesterone receptor β (mPRβ) exhibits a lower expression in endometriotic tissues than in normal endometrial ones. However, the role of mPRβ in decidualization is unknown. This work aimed to investigate whether mPRβ plays a role in the decidualization of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) derived from women with and without endometriosis. The mPR agonist OrgOD-2 induced the gene expression of key decidualization markers (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1, prolactin, transcription factor heart and neural crest derivatives-expressed transcript 2, and fork-head transcription factor) in healthy ESCs, eutopic (uterine cavity), and ectopic (outside of the uterine cavity) ESCs from women with endometriosis. Notably, the expression of the decidualization markers was lower in endometriotic cells than in healthy endometrial ones. An siRNA mediated knockdown of mPRβ reduced the expression of decidualization-associated genes in ESCs treated with a decidualization stimuli, regardless of whether cells were derived from healthy women or those with endometriosis. Our data suggest that progesterone, through mPRβ activation, regulates the decidualization process in endometrial stromal cells from women with and without endometriosis. Full article

Although treeline ecotones are significant components of vulnerable mountain ecosystems and key indicators of climate change, treelines of the Southern Hemisphere remain largely outside of research focus. In this study, we investigate, for the first time, the current and future distribution of the treeline species Nothofagus pumilio in the Southern Andes using a Species Distribution Modelling approach. The lack of modelling studies in this region can be contributed to missing occurrence data for the species. In a preliminary study, both point and raster data were generated using a novel Instagram ground truthing approach and remote sensing. Here we tested the performance of the two datasets: a typical binary species dataset consisting of occurrence points and pseudo-absence points and a continuous dataset where species occurrence was determined by supervised classification. We used a Random Forest (RF) classification and a RF regression approach. RF is applicable for both datasets, has a very good performance, handles multicollinearity and remains largely interpretable. We used bioclimatic variables from CHELSA as predictors. The two models differ in terms of variable importance and spatial prediction. While a temperature variable is the most important variable in the RF classification, the RF regression model was mainly modelled by precipitation variables. Heat deficiency is the most important limiting factor for tree growth at treelines. It is evident, however, that water availability and drought stress will play an increasingly important role for the future competitiveness of treeline species and their distribution. Modelling with binary presence–absence point data in the RF classification model led to an overprediction of the potential distribution of the species in summit regions and in glacier areas, while the RF regression model, trained with continuous raster data, led to a spatial prediction with small-scale details. The time-consuming and costly acquisition of complex species information should be accepted in order to provide better predictions and insights into the potential current and future distribution of a species. Full article

This study examines how students perceive factors contributing to their sense of belonging (SoB) in an online project-based master’s course in social innovation, incorporating collaboration with external stakeholders and structured around real-world challenges from external partners. SoB has been shown to impact academic outcomes positively, but online teamwork and collaboration outside the institution walls present unique challenges. The study adopts a qualitative approach and an interpretivist standpoint to find meaningful aspects and generate an understanding of positions among the students. Data was gathered through interviews, allowing students to express their unique experiences and perspectives on SoB in the context of a master’s course, with participants from several countries. Thematic analysis of the interview data identified the following seven categories related to students’ perceived belonging: team formation and trust, personal introductions, group continuity, access to teachers, use of informal communication channels, shared tools, and digital fluency. Furthermore, working towards a common challenge or goal seems to promote SoB among team members. The results indicate that SoB was shaped by multiple interrelated factors, with team-based collaboration and structured group dynamics playing a central role. The study contributes to ongoing research on student belonging by identifying specific practices that may support SoB in digitally supported, team-oriented learning environments. Full article

The review compares the principles of organization of the brain and immune system, two important organs developed over 500 million years in multicellular organisms, including humans. It summarizes the latest results from research in neurosciences and immunology concerning intercellular communication. While in the brain, intercellular communication is primarily based on exchange of electrical signals, this is not the case in the immune system. The question, therefore, arises as to whether nature developed two entirely different systems of organization. It will be demonstrated that a few basic principles of brain and immune responses are organized in a different way. A majority of intercellular communications, however, such as the formation of synapses, are shown to have many similarities. Both systems are intimately interconnected to protect the body from the1 dangers of the outside and the inside world. During homeostasis, all systems are in regulatory balance. A new hypothesis states that the central systems surrounded by bone, namely the central nervous system (CNS) and the central immune system (CIS), are based on three types of stem cells and function in an open but autonomous way. T cell immune responses to antigens from blood and cerebrospinal fluid protect the system and maintain neuroimmune homeostasis. The newly discovered tunneling nanotubes and extracellular vesicles are postulated to play an important role in crosstalk with already known homeostasis regulators and help in cellular repair and the recycling of biologic material. Three examples are selected to illustrate dysfunctions of homeostasis, namely migraine, multiple sclerosis, and brain cancer. The focus on these different conditions provides deep insights into such neurological and/or immunological malfunctions. Technological advances in neurosciences and immunology can enable neuroimmunomodulation and the development of new treatment possibilities. Full article

Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory, estrogen-dependent gynecological disease in which endometrial-like tissue grows in areas outside the uterus. This condition may significantly influence women’s life course and mental health. Personal, behavioral, social, and environmental factors play a crucial role in predicting these outcomes. The current study aimed to compare the Perceived Life Course Impact (PLCI) and mental health of women with Endometriosis to those without the disease, as well as to explore the factors associated with PLCI and mental health. Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 543 Israeli women (270 with Endometriosis, 273 without). Participants completed a validated questionnaire assessing perceptions of life course impact in several life domains (intimacy and relationships, employment, education) and mental health. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with PLCI and mental health among participants. Results: Women with Endometriosis reported a significantly greater negative perceived impact on intimacy and relationships, employment, and education, with poorer mental health, as compared to the control group. Women with Endometriosis also experienced higher social negativity and lower social support. Multiple regression analyses indicated social negativity as a strong predictor of negative PLCI. Additionally, menstrual pain, social support, and healthcare accessibility were found to be significant predictors of both PLCI and mental health. Conclusions: Comprehensive care for women with Endometriosis requires a multidisciplinary approach, with interventions focused on improving healthcare accessibility, enhancing social support networks, and mitigating social negativity within interpersonal environments. Full article

Conservation units (CUs) play a fundamental role in maintaining and conserving biodiversity, and are important in preserving streams, reducing impacts from human activities and increasing water availability beyond the boundaries of the reserves. However, knowledge about the phytoplankton biodiversity of ecosystems in CUs is scarce. This study evaluated how environmental integrity alters microphytoplankton communities in extractive CUs and their surroundings in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon. Our results demonstrated that the streams exhibited distinct physicochemical and hydrological characteristics, representing spatially heterogeneous environments. Differences in habitat integrity values altered species composition in streams within and outside conservation units. Local beta diversity (LCBD) was negatively influenced by habitat integrity, indicating that sites with greater habitat integrity did not always present a greater number of unique species. The species Trachelomonas hispida, Gyrosigma scalproides and Spirogyra sp. were the ones that contributed the most to beta diversity. However, the phytoplankton species that contributed most to beta diversity were not always associated with streams with greater integrity, indicating that even environments that are less intact play a relevant role in maintaining species richness and beta diversity of microphytoplankton. Factors such as habitat integrity, pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen were the main influencers of microphytoplankton in the streams. Thus, the streams of both CUs and their surroundings, despite their physical–chemical and hydrological differences, effectively contribute to the high richness and beta diversity of regional microphytoplankton. Full article

The consequences of climate change directly affect food production and threaten food security. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce environmental impacts while ensuring access to food. Massive food services play a key role in this context; however, related literature lacks comparative studies between home cooking and restaurants. Through life-cycle assessment, this research compares the environmental impacts generated by stewed chickpeas, a nutritious and flavorful meal prepared at a large food service offered by a public university, and those prepared at home using two recipes. The system boundaries consider the impact of ingredient production, processing, cooking, cooling, and reheating, as well as waste and wastewater generation. The functional unit (FU) weighs 100 g to facilitate comparison. The findings indicate that the recipe from the massive food service has a significant impact on human health, resulting in 3.54·10⁻⁷ DALY; meanwhile, the other two scenarios generate approximately 7.2·10⁻⁷ DALY. Moreover, regarding biodiversity impact, the recipe from the massive food service reaches 8.57·10⁻¹⁰ species.yr; by contrast, the other scenarios generate around 1.01·10⁻¹⁰ species.yr. Massive food services exhibit a lower environmental impact than home meals in preparing stewed chickpeas. This difference is primarily attributed to the cooling and reheating stages that occur when eating outside the home. Full article

All too often, the Sport for Development (SfD) field minimizes talent development and competition in lieu of youth development. In this article, we deconstruct assumptions about what is important for young people who are marginalized to learn and experience as they grow up, along with the role of talent development and competition in an SfD intervention, by centering their stories. The young people featured in these stories experience marginalization because of their race, ethnicity, and parents’ country of origin (outside the United States), among other factors that play a role in their everyday lives, and yet their stories highlight the symbiotic relationship between talent development and youth development. Full article

The Roma population is one of Europe’s largest ethnic minorities, often living in inadequate living conditions, worse than those of the majority population. They frequently lack access to essential services, even in high-income countries. This lack of basic services—particularly in combination with proximity to (stray) animals and human and solid waste—significantly increases environmental health risks, and leads to a higher rate of endoparasitic infections. Our study sheds light on the living conditions and health situation in Roma communities in Slovakia, focusing on the prevalence of intestinal endoparasitic infections across various settlement localisations. It highlights disparities and challenges in access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and other potentially disease-exposing factors among these marginalised populations. This study combines a comprehensive review of living conditions as per national data provided through the Atlas of Roma communities with an analysis of empirical data on parasitological infection rates in humans, animals, and the environment in settlements, applying descriptive statistical methods. It is the first study in Europe to provide detailed insights into how living conditions vary and cause health risks across Roma settlements, ranging from those integrated within villages (inside, urban), to those isolated on the outskirts (edge, sub-urban) or outside villages (natural/rural). Our study shows clear disparities in access to services, and in health outcomes, based on where people live. Our findings underscore the fact that (i) place—geographical centrality in particular—in an already challenged population group plays a major role in health inequalities and disease exposure, as well as (ii) the urgent need for more current and comprehensive data. Our study highlights persistent disparities in living conditions within high-income countries and stresses the need for greater attention and more sensitive targeted health-promoting approaches with marginalised communities in Europe that take into consideration any and all of the humans, ecology, and animals affected (=One Health). Full article

The contribution that arts can make to our health and wellbeing is widely acknowledged in public discourse, with the concept of ‘creative health’ having come to prominence in the UK in the last ten years. This paper asks about the kinds of values at play in contemporary appeals to creativity by exploring the value of art for life from a philosophical perspective. Drawing on Pierre Hadot’s influential work on the ancient philosophical practice of the ‘art of living’, it goes on to consider how aesthetic perception of the world functions as a kind of model for philosophical perception. Inflecting these ideas with Friedrich Nietzsche’s genealogical critique of values, the paper examines the role of art and philosophy in relation to luxury and need, and to fundamental conditions of life enhancement. Building on this distinctive application of Nietzsche’s genealogy, it develops the question of how to assess the value of art for life outside the current neoliberal narratives of wellbeing and the creative industries. In its focus on values rather than ideals, the paper makes an original contribution to current thinking and practice in creative health. Full article

For the purposes of this entry, special educational needs (SEN) refers to a condition where a student requires additional support to access education due to a disability, learning difficulty, or other developmental challenges. In this entry, an overview is provided of the prevalence of and categories of SEN in Irish-immersion primary and post-primary schools across the island of Ireland. This entry examines the prevalence and categories of SEN in Irish-immersion (IM) primary and post-primary schools across the island of Ireland. With immersion education playing a significant role in fostering bilingual proficiency, understanding SEN prevalence within these settings is critical for ensuring inclusive educational practices. The entry analyses trends over the past two decades in SEN prevalence, highlighting an increase in SEN identification, particularly in IM post-primary schools. It also explores regional disparities, comparing Gaeltacht and IM schools outside of the Gaeltacht, as well as differences between IM and English-medium education sectors. Factors such as socio-economic disadvantage, diagnostic advancements, and policy developments are considered when interpreting SEN trends. The findings contribute to the limited international research on SEN prevalence in immersion education and offer insights into recommendations in the areas of policy and practice to further support students with diverse learning needs in bilingual settings. Full article

Objective: What types of multilevel interventions exist to improve blood pressure among community-dwelling adults aged 18+ in the United States? What is the treatment efficacy? Data Source: Peer-reviewed articles from Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and PubMed. The search strategy was pre-registered on Open Science Framework. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria were community-dwelling adults in the United States aged 18 or older; interventions involving at least two levels; at least one blood pressure outcome measured; and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Data Extraction: Intervention activities, blood pressure outcomes, and moderation/subgroup analyses, when available, were extracted. Data Synthesis: Qualitative synthesis and summary statistics. Results: Ninety-five papers covering 89 RCTs were included. Multilevel interventions involving the individual and healthcare team (without health policies = 49 studies; with health policies = 15 studies) tended to show the most consistent saltatory effects on blood pressure (systolic: 46% of studies showed statistical improvement; diastolic: 47% of studies showed statistical improvement). Interventions involving families or communities outside of healthcare settings were promising but were less frequently reported (19% of studies). Conclusions: There was mixed evidence that multilevel interventions targeting cardiovascular health improved blood pressure among U.S.-based adults. Future research should continue evaluating interventions that improve the individual as well as the environments in which individuals work and play, especially those levels outside of traditional healthcare settings. Full article

Despite the global integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools in higher education, limited research exists on how demographic factors such as gender and academic level shape their adoption and usage, particularly in language learning contexts outside Western settings. This study aimed to fill this gap by examining the usage patterns, satisfaction levels, and acceptance factors of GenAI tools among English major students in Indonesian higher education. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the research collected data from 277 students using surveys and structured interviews to gauge both quantitative and qualitative aspects of GenAI tool utilization. The results indicate ChatGPT, Google Translate, and Grammarly as the most utilized tools for writing assistance, language learning, and research tasks, with consistent satisfaction across demographics. Performance expectancy emerged as the most influential acceptance factor, followed by effort expectancy and facilitating conditions, while social influence played a moderate role. Qualitative findings reveal students rely on GenAI for grammar refinement, translation accuracy, content exploration, and idea generation, reflecting critical and reflective engagement. Nonetheless, concerns about overreliance and ethical implications accentuate the need for balanced integration. These findings inform tailored educational strategies, emphasizing ethical use and fostering critical thinking in GenAI adoption for English language education. Full article

Measurement of respiratory patterns during sleep plays a critical role in assessing sleep quality and diagnosing sleep disorders such as sleep apnea syndrome, which is associated with many adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cognitive impairments. Traditional methods for measuring breathing often rely on expensive and complex sensors, such as polysomnography equipment, which can be cumbersome and costly and are typically confined to clinical settings. These factors limit the performance of respiratory monitoring in routine settings and prevent convenient and extensive screening. Recognizing the need for accessible and cost-effective solutions, we developed a portable sleep sensor that uses an electret condenser microphone (ECM), which is inexpensive and easy to obtain, to measure nasal airflows. Constant current circuits that bias the ECM and circuit constants suitable for measurement enable special uses of the ECM. Furthermore, data transmission through the XBee wireless communication module, which employs the ZigBee short-range wireless communication standard, enables highly portable measurements. This customized configuration allows the ECM to detect subtle changes in airflow associated with breathing patterns, enabling the monitoring of respiratory activity with minimal invasiveness and complexity. Furthermore, the wireless module not only reduces the size and weight of the device, but also facilitates continuous data collection during sleep without disturbing user comfort. This portable wireless sensor runs on batteries, providing approximately 50 h of uptime, a ±50 Pa pressure range, and 20 Hz real-time sampling. Our portable sleep sensor is a practical and efficient solution for respiratory monitoring outside of the traditional clinical setting. Full article