Search Results (11,373)

Background/Objectives: Several imaging scores have been developed for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), but their prognostic performance for long-term functional outcome and post-hospital complications remains insufficiently characterized. We evaluated whether five admission imaging scores (modified Fisher, Claassen, Hijdra, Graeb, IVH) independently predict 12-month functional outcome and major secondary endpoints. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 479 consecutive patients with atraumatic SAH recorded in a prospectively maintained institutional registry. Admission CT/MRI was scored by two board-certified neuroradiologists blinded to clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was unfavorable functional outcome at 12 months (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 4–6). Secondary endpoints included 12-month mortality, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), post-hemorrhagic epilepsy, shunt-dependent hydrocephalus, return to work, and patient-reported health. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for established predictors were conducted. Results: All imaging scores were significantly associated with the primary endpoint and demonstrated adequate discrimination (area under the curve [AUC] ~0.70–0.74), with the Graeb and IVH scores performing highest for long-term functional outcome, mortality, and shunt dependence. Associations with DCI and epilepsy were modest. In multivariable analyses, all imaging scores remained independently associated with mRS 4–6. Subgroup analyses showed stronger prognostic performance in good-grade SAH, aneurysmal SAH, and cases with concomitant intraventricular hemorrhage. Conclusions: Admission imaging burden independently predicts 12-month functional outcome, mortality, and shunt dependence after SAH. Incorporating IVH-oriented measures alongside established clinical grading may improve individualized risk stratification, particularly in good-grade and aneurysmal SAH. Full article

Landslide disasters are complex spatiotemporal phenomena. Existing deep learning (DL) models for remote sensing (RS) image analysis primarily exploit shallow visual features, inadequately incorporating critical geological, geographical, and environmental knowledge. This limitation impairs detection accuracy and generalization, especially in complex terrains and diverse vegetation conditions. We propose Knowledge Graph Embedding in Swin Feature Pyramid Networks (KGE–SwinFpn), a novel RS landslide segmentation framework that integrates explicit domain knowledge with deep features. First, a comprehensive landslide knowledge graph is constructed, organizing multi-source factors (e.g., lithology, topography, hydrology, rainfall, land cover, etc.) into entities and relations that characterize controlling, inducing, and indicative patterns. A dedicated KGE Block learns embeddings for these entities and discretized factor levels from the landslide knowledge graph, enabling their fusion with multi-scale RS features in SwinFpn. This approach preserves the efficiency of automatic feature learning while embedding prior knowledge guidance, enhancing data–knowledge–model coupling. Experiments demonstrate significant outperformance over classic segmentation networks: on the Yuan-yang dataset, KGE–SwinFpn achieved 96.85% pixel accuracy (PA), 88.46% mean pixel accuracy (MPA), and 82.01% mean intersection over union (MIoU); on the Bijie dataset, it attained 96.28% PA, 90.72% MPA, and 84.47% MIoU. Ablation studies confirm the complementary roles of different knowledge features and the KGE Block’s contribution to robustness in complex terrains. Notably, the KGE Block is architecture-agnostic, suggesting broad applicability for knowledge-guided RS landslide detection and promising enhanced technical support for disaster monitoring and risk assessment. Full article

This study aimed to explore the association between genetic variants of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1 rs1799750, MMP-9 rs17576, and rs17577) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMP-1 rs4898, TIMP-2 rs2277698, and rs55743137) in the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants from a Polish population. Methods: A cohort consisting of 100 premature infants (47% female) was analyzed, in which there were 38 BPD cases and 62 controls without BPD. Genotype distributions were analyzed, and their relationship with BPD risk was assessed after adjustment for potential confounders. Results: Application of Bonferroni correction for multiple testing showed that none of the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) reached the adjusted significance threshold (p < 0.008). However, analysis of allele frequencies using adjusted p-values identified a statistically significant difference for MMP1 rs17999750 (p = 0.038). Conclusion: These findings do not support a significant role of TIMP-2 and MMP-9 genetic variations in the pathogenesis of BPD among preterm infants. While these results are informative, a limitation of this study is the small sample size, and larger studies are needed to confirm these observations. Full article

Background: Pharmacogenetic markers associated with the need to switch patients from methotrexate (MTX) to biologic agents in moderate-to-severe psoriasis remain insufficiently studied. The pharmacokinetics of MTX depend on the individual characteristics of the patient, as well as on the function of specific transporters and enzymes involved in its absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination; therefore, polymorphisms in genes encoding these proteins may be considered pharmacogenetic predictors of MTX intolerance or insufficient efficacy. This study aimed to investigate genetic variants associated with MTX intolerance or insufficient efficacy leading to therapy switch. Methods: A total of 80 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were included: 43 who required switching from MTX to biologics and 37 who continued MTX therapy. Twelve polymorphisms in transporter and metabolism-related genes (ABCB1 (rs1045642), MTHFR (rs1801133), ABCB1 (rs1128503), ABCC2 (rs3740066), ABCC2 (rs717620), ABCG2 (rs2231137), GSTP1 (rs1695), SLC19A1 (rs1051266), COL18A1 (rs9977268), SLCO1B1 (rs2306283), SLCO1B1 (rs4149056), and ABCB1 (rs2229109)) were analyzed using next-generation sequencing. Results: Significant differences in genotype frequencies were observed for SLC19A1 rs1051266 (p = 0.03) and COL18A1 rs9977268 (p = 0.02). Carriers of the T allele in both genes were more frequent among patients requiring biologic therapy, suggesting a possible association with MTX intolerance or reduced efficacy. Conclusions: The study revealed an association between polymorphisms in the SLC19A1 rs1051266 and COL18A1 rs9977268 genes and the need to switch from MTX to biologic therapy in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. These findings suggest that carriers of the C allele in these genes may have an increased risk of methotrexate intolerance. Full article

In order to address potential fatigue fractures at the valve stem-neck junction during engine operations, surface mechanical rolling treatment (SMRT) was introduced to enhance the rotary bending fatigue (RBF) performance of 4Cr14Ni14W2Mo engine valve steel in this study. The results indicate that the increasing number of rolling passes induces a modified surface layer characterized by refined grains and dislocations, increased hardness, and compressive residual stress (RS). SMRT specimens exhibited improved tensile strength but plasticity performance was decreased. At room temperature (RT) about 25 °C, the fatigue limit at 1 × 10 ₇ cycles of specimens treated with 10 rolling pass was increased from 437 MPa to 613 MPa (40.3%). At 400 °C, the fatigue limit of specimens treated with 10 passes was increased from 376 MPa to 425 MPa (13.0%) at 400 °C, but decreased at 650 °C. The enhanced fatigue performance is attributed to a modified surface layer, leading to the shift of the crack initiation to the subsurface. However, excessive rolling passes and high temperature (650 °C) significantly reduce the material plasticity, accelerating crack initiation and propagation, thus compromising performance. Full article

Surface crack detection and temporal evolution analysis are fundamental tasks in remote sensing and photogrammetry, providing critical information for slope stability assessment, infrastructure safety inspection, and long-term geohazard monitoring. However, current unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based crack detection pipelines typically treat spatial detection and temporal change analysis as separate processes, leading to weak geometric consistency across time and limiting the interpretability of crack evolution patterns. To overcome these limitations, we propose the Longitudinal Crack Fitting Network (LCFNet), a unified and physically interpretable framework that achieves, for the first time, integrated time-series crack detection and evolution analysis from UAV remote sensing imagery. At its core, the Longitudinal Crack Fitting Convolution (LCFConv) integrates Fourier-series decomposition with affine Lie group convolution, enabling anisotropic feature representation that preserves equivariance to translation, rotation, and scale. This design effectively captures the elongated and oscillatory morphology of surface cracks while suppressing background interference under complex aerial viewpoints. Beyond detection, a Lie-group-based Temporal Crack Change Detection (LTCCD) module is introduced to perform geometrically consistent matching between bi-temporal UAV images, guided by a partial differential equation (PDE) formulation that models the continuous propagation of surface fractures, providing a bridge between discrete perception and physical dynamics. Extensive experiments on the constructed UAV-Filiform Crack Dataset (10,588 remote sensing images) demonstrate that LCFNet surpasses advanced detection frameworks such as You only look once v12 (YOLOv12), RT-DETR, and RS-Mamba, achieving superior performance (mAP_50:95 = 75.3%, F1 = 85.5%, and CDR = 85.6%) while maintaining real-time inference speed (88.9 FPS). Field deployment on a UAV–IoT monitoring platform further confirms the robustness of LCFNet in multi-temporal remote sensing applications, accurately identifying newly formed and extended cracks under varying illumination and terrain conditions. This work establishes the first end-to-end paradigm that unifies spatial crack detection and temporal evolution modeling in UAV remote sensing, bridging discrete deep learning inference with continuous physical dynamics. The proposed LCFNet provides both algorithmic robustness and physical interpretability, offering a new foundation for intelligent remote sensing-based structural health assessment and high-precision photogrammetric monitoring. Full article

Background/Objectives: The variation in the treatment outcomes of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) including the potential role of genetic factors are poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the potential association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) rs4680 and mu-opioid receptor (OPRM₁) rs1799971 genotypes and XR-NTX treatment outcomes in patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) specifically focusing on treatment retention, relapse to opioids, number of days of opioid use, and opioid cravings. Methods: This was a 24-week, open-label clinical prospective, exploratory study involving patients with OUD who chose treatment with monthly injections of intramuscular XR-NTX. Men and women aged 18–65 years with OUD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, were included. The participants were interviewed using the European Addiction Severity Index. Survival analyses and linear mixed models were used to analyze the data. Results: Of the 162 participants included in this study, 138 (21% female) initiated treatment with XR-NTX, with 88 genotyped for COMT rs4680 and 86 for OPRM₁ rs1799971. Heterozygous Met/Val carriers of COMT rs4680 were less likely to relapse to opioids compared with those with the COMT rs4680 Met/Met genotype. No significant association was observed for the OPRM₁ polymorphism. Conclusions: Patients with the COMT rs4680 Met/Val genotype exhibit a reduced risk of relapse to opioids and may therefore derive greater benefit from XR-NTX treatment compared with those with the COMT rs4680 Met/Met genotype. Future studies should be conducted with a larger number of participants and possibly include other genetic variants and treatment outcomes. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (#NCT03647774) and the EU Clinical Trial Register (#2017-004706-18). Full article

Background/Objectives: Prostate cancer is the most frequent male malignancy. The incidence of disease varies among different ethnic groups. CYP3A polymorphisms are candidates for prostate cancer susceptibility studies. The aim of the present study is to investigate the ethnicity-related clinical impact of CYP3A4 variants on prostate cancer risk. Methods: A systematic literature search and meta-analysis were conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. A total of 10 eligible studies, including 3116 prostate cancer cases and 3008 healthy controls, were analyzed. We evaluated the association between the CYP3A4*1B (rs2740574, −392 A > G) variant and prostate cancer risk in European Caucasians. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using six genetic models. Data were analyzed using fixed and random-effects models based on the I2 value of heterogeneity magnitude. Funnel plots and Egger’s linear regression tests were used to assess publication bias. Results: CYP3A4*1B was associated with prostate cancer susceptibility in the allele (G vs. A: OR = 1.32, CI = 0.91–1.93), dominant (AG + GG vs. AA OR = 1.41, CI = 0.95–2.09), recessive (GG vs. AA + AG, OR = 1.82, CI = 1.26–2.63), homozygous (GG vs. AA, OR = 1.92, CI = 1.32–2.77), heterozygous model (AG vs. AA, OR = 1.31, CI = 0.89–1.93) and co-dominant model (AG vs. AA + GG; OR = 1.27, CI = 0.88–1.85). Significant heterogeneity characterized the allele, as well as the dominant model (I2 = 84.1%, I2 = 80.0%). Egger’s tests (p < 0.05) and funnel plots did not identify publication bias. Conclusions: The present meta-analysis indicates that the G allele and GG genotype might affect prostate cancer susceptibility in European Caucasians; however, the validity and reliability of the results need to be examined in future research. Full article

Background: The intestinal microflora is a population of microorganisms that resides in the human gastrointestinal tract and is important in maintaining metabolic and immune homeostasis in the body. Bacteria residing in the intestine produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which communicate with, among other things, the brain–gut axis—disorders of which are one of the causes of MS-like pathologies. A particular property of SCFAs is the induction of regulatory T cells, which are finding their way into pioneering therapies for MS patients. The aim of the study is to evaluate SCFA secretion in patients with multiple sclerosis from the West Pomeranian region depending on the genotypes of rs778986 and rs3894326 polymorphisms of the FUT3 gene. Methods: The study group included 47 patients clinically diagnosed with MS. Genotyping was performed by real-time PCR using TaqMan probes. Analysis of short-chain fatty acids in faeces was performed on a quadrupole mass spectrometer coupled to a time-of-flight (QTOF) analyser coupled to an AB Sciex high-performance liquid chromatograph (UHPLC). Results: Statistical analysis did not reveal any statistically significant differences in the prevalence of the studied polymorphisms in MS patients compared to the healthy control group. It was observed that the intestinal microflora and SCFA production in MS patients may be disturbed, while the studied FUT3 gene polymorphisms probably do not have a significant effect on their concentrations. A statistical tendency towards higher caproic acid content in heterozygotes of the rs778986 polymorphism and higher valeric acid secretion in homozygotes of rs3894326 was demonstrated. Conclusions: In summary, the studied FUT3 gene polymorphisms are not overrepresented in patients with MS. The rs778986 FUT3 polymorphism may affect the caproic acid content in the faeces of patients with MS, and the rs3894326 polymorphism may affect valeric acid secretion. Due to the small sample size and sparse genotype groups, the study has limited power and negative findings may reflect Type II error; replication in larger cohorts is warranted. Full article

Small target detection in remote sensing images faces challenges due to complex backgrounds, weak features, and large scale differences. This paper proposes an improved YOLOv5-based network, termed ClearSight-RS, with the full name “Clear and Accurate Small-target Insight for Remote Sensing”. As the name implies, the network is dedicated to achieving clear feature perception and accurate target localization for small targets in remote sensing images. The improvements focus on three aspects: integrating an improved Dynamic Snake Convolution (DSConv) module into the backbone network to strengthen the extraction of small target boundaries and geometric features, as well as the expression of weak textures; embedding a Bi-Level Routing Attention (BRA) module in the Neck part to enhance target focusing and suppress background interference; and optimizing the detection head by retaining only shallow high-resolution feature layers for prediction, reducing feature loss and redundant computations. Experimental results show that, based on the VEDAI dataset, ClearSight-RS achieves the highest mAP for all 8 vehicle categories; based on the NWPU VHR-10 dataset, its overall mAP reaches 93.8%, significantly outperforming algorithms such as Faster RCNN and YOLOv5l; based on the DOTA dataset, the capability of the proposed BRA module in suppressing background interference and capturing small target features is demonstrated. The network balances accuracy and efficiency, performing prominently in detecting vehicles and multi-category small targets in complex backgrounds, verifying its effectiveness. Full article

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the baseline characteristics, risk factors, and prognosis of surgical patients with left-sided valvular infective endocarditis (IE) complicated by preoperative neurological complications, as well as the impact of complication subtypes and surgical timing on outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 605 consecutive surgical patients with left-sided valvular IE (May 2012–June 2024) was performed. Patients were stratified into neurological complication and non-complication groups, with 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) balancing baseline confounders. Six neurological complication subtypes were defined; surgical timing was categorized as early (≤7 days for infarction, ≤30 days for hemorrhage) or delayed. Logistic/Cox regression analyzed risk factors and prognosis; subgroup analyses compared modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores, and Kaplan–Meier curves evaluated long-term survival. Results: Mitral valve involvement, highly mobile vegetations, and longer IE symptom-to-surgery time were risk factors for neurological complications. After PSM balancing, the neurological complications group had similar in-hospital, long-term mortality to the control group, but a significantly higher new-onset cerebral complication rate. In total, 81.5% of complication patients achieving mRS ≤ 2 (good functional status) with infarction showed improved postoperative mRS scores. Cerebral hemorrhage was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality, while cerebral hemorrhage and regional infarction were independent predictors of new-onset cerebral complication. Early surgery in infarction patients increased the neurological complication rate. Conclusion: Neurological complication incidence was 27.8%. Mitral valve involvement, high vegetation mobility, and preoperative emboli were risk factors. Except for preoperative cerebral hemorrhage and regional infarction, which increase the risk of in-hospital mortality, neurological complications overall do not affect short-term and long-term mortality rates, but increase the risk of postoperative neurological deterioration. Individualized surgical timing is recommended. Full article

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is driven by complex pathways that mediate inflammation and pruritus. The pathophysiology of AD’s disease involves multiple pathways. Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is considered a major cytokine in Th2-type inflammation, responsible for changing the epidermal barrier and producing chronic inflammation, whereas interleukin-31 (IL-31) is considered a major inducer of pruritus. The exact correlation of each of these cytokines with disease severity in children with AD appears to vary across studies. This study was therefore designed to evaluate whether IL-13 and IL-31 levels contribute complementarily or independently to the overall clinical severity of AD in the Moroccan pediatric population and to analyze the correlation between serum IL-13 and IL-31 levels and investigate their correlation with disease severity in a pediatric cohort. Methods: A total of 52 children with moderate to severe AD were included. The severity of the disease was measured using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index. Serum levels of IL-13 and IL-31 were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: The IL-13 serum level showed a considerable positive correlation with the SCORAD score (r_s = 0.7, p < 0.0001). On the other hand, IL-31 levels revealed no correlation with SCORAD (r_s = 0.07, p = 0.62) but were positively correlated with pruritus intensity (r_s = 0.91, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results support the presence of different pathophysiological axes in pediatric AD, where IL-13 functions as a reliable biomarker of inflammatory severity. IL-31 acts as a systemic marker of the pruritic pathway. Full article

Background: Chronic inflammation and the development of cancer are closely linked, with components that comprise the tumour microenvironment—including proinflammatory cytokines—exerting essential tumourigenic effects. These proinflammatory cytokines include IL-1β, which has been reported to be overexpressed in several cancers and shown to activate several signalling pathways. These pathways may involve kinases such as AKT (serine/threonine kinase) and Src (Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase), and have a broad capacity to activate nuclear factors, including NF-κB (Nuclear Factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells), which can regulate the transcription of genes encoding proteins such as cIAP1 (Cellular Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein 1), Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), and cyclin D1, thereby regulating processes like apoptosis and cell cycle inhibition. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IL-1β (Interleukin-1 beta) in regulating cell death and proliferation in RS4:11 leukaemic lymphoblasts via the PI3K (Phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/AKT/Src/NF-κB pathway using an in vitro experimental approach. Methods: We employed flow cytometry to determine the expression levels and phosphorylation status of various proteins; proliferation was assessed using the CCK-8 kit, and apoptosis was evaluated with the Annexin V kit. Results: Our findings indicate that the IL-1β-activated signalling pathway modulates these cellular processes in leukaemic lymphoblasts. Conclusions: We therefore conclude that IL-1β exerts significant effects on cell death and proliferation in leukaemic lymphoblasts through the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway, with the study’s findings indicating that an inflammatory environment may promote such lymphoblasts to acquire neoplastic characteristics. As such, the proteins involved in the effects evaluated in this work could be considered as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). Full article

Background: An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most psychologically demanding injuries in professional sport. This study aimed to describe a structured psychological intervention conducted during the rehabilitation process following an ACL rupture in a professional female futsal player. Methods: A single-case longitudinal design was implemented with three phases (pre-test, intervention, post-test) across a 12-month rehabilitation period. Psychological assessment was conducted at four key points: initial evaluation, rehabilitation follow-up, medical discharge, and three- and six-month follow-ups. The battery included perfectionism (FMPS), anxiety (STAI), depression (BDI-II), mental health indicators (DASS-21, GHQ-12), sleep quality (PSQI), pain perception and catastrophizing (VAS, PCS), mood states (POMS), psychological readiness for return to play (PRIA-RS), and perceived intervention effectiveness. The program consisted of 15 individual sessions plus a follow-up, combining cognitive–behavioral therapy principles, mindfulness-based techniques (relaxation, body scan, visualization), cognitive restructuring, sleep hygiene, goal setting, problem-solving, and emotional expression strategies. Results: Progressive and sustained improvements were observed in mood states and pain catastrophizing, along with enhanced sleep quality, psychological readiness, and reintegration into competition. Improved overall mental health indicators were also observed, supporting adherence to rehabilitation and return-to-play confidence. Conclusions: This case highlights the relevance of structured psychological intervention as an integral component of injury rehabilitation in professional athletes with ACL rupture, supporting its inclusion in multidisciplinary care and future research to optimize recovery and prevent maladaptive outcomes. Full article

Background: Hypoadiponectinemia, a metabolic hallmark of obesity, is common in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) yet the association of variants in the ADIPOQ gene with obesity in PCOS remains uncertain. To investigate whether ADIPOQ variants are associated with obesity in PCOS in relation to circulating adiponectin levels, and whether integrating genotypes, adiponectin, and a polygenic risk score (PRS) improves risk stratification. Methodology: In 324 Tunisian women with PCOS, classified as obese or non-obese by WHO criteria, serum adiponectin was measured, and nine ADIPOQ variants were genotyped using TaqMan assays. Associations with obesity were assessed using logistic regression, gene phenotype interaction analysis, and models incorporating a PRS; epistasis, QTL, and diplotypes were also evaluated. Results: Adiponectin levels were significantly lower in obese women and modestly predicted obesity (AUC = 0.605). Variants rs1501299 and rs3774261 were significantly associated with obesity under recessive models (OR up to 5.18, 95% CI [2.32–11.56], p = 7.14 × 10⁻⁵). Risk genotypes and haplotypes correlated with reduced adiponectin and increased obesity risk, with adiponectin levels significantly associated with the genotype–obesity relationships. A combined model including adiponectin, the two variants, and PRS outperformed single predictors. Conclusions:ADIPOQ rs1501299 and rs3774261 are associated with obesity in women with PCOS, with this association demonstrating a specific relationship with reduced adiponectin. Integrating genetic and biochemical markers improves metabolic risk profiling and supports personalized management. Full article