Search Results (467)

Salmonella remains one of the most critical zoonotic pathogens in the poultry sector, linked to animal disease, foodborne illness, and the global crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poultry acts as a major reservoir, enabling Salmonella transmission from hatchery to retail products through horizontal, vertical, and environmental routes. Despite the use of biosecurity, vaccination, antibiotics, and chemical decontamination, effective and sustainable control across the poultry value chain remains difficult, particularly in the face of rising multidrug-resistant strains and growing consumer concerns over chemical residues. Bacteriophages (phages), viruses that selectively infect and lyse bacteria, have emerged as a promising biological alternative for Salmonella control. Although many studies have reported the effectiveness of phages against bacterial species, including Salmonella, in the poultry industry, reports on their full potential to combat antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella across the entire poultry value chain remain limited. Therefore, this review synthesizes current evidence on the application of phages throughout the poultry value chain, including on-farm interventions, processing plant decontamination, and food packaging and storage. Findings from the reviewed articles indicate over a 90% reduction in Salmonella spp. in poultry farms and post-harvest meat, along with lower mortality in phage-treated groups compared to untreated groups; however, these outcomes depend on several factors (e.g., phage strains, concentrations, application methods, and environmental conditions). Laboratory, pilot, and field studies consistently demonstrate that phage preparations, especially when formulated as cocktails or combined with complementary interventions, can achieve substantial reductions in Salmonella, including antibiotic-resistant serovars, in live birds, eggs, poultry environments, and meat products. Unlike antibiotics and chemical sanitizers, phages act with high specificity, preserving beneficial microbiota and maintaining the sensory and nutritional quality of poultry products. Their safety has been supported by toxicological and genomic assessments, and several phage-based products have obtained regulatory approval, including Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status for food applications in the United States. By integrating efficacy, safety, regulatory, and practical deployment data, this review highlights bacteriophages as a scientifically validated and One Health–aligned tool capable of reducing Salmonella transmission from farm to fork across the poultry value chain, thereby laying the foundation for their future adoption in the poultry industry. Phage-based interventions offer a sustainable pathway to enhance food safety, limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) dissemination, and strengthen consumer confidence in poultry products. However, the major limitation is the emergence of phage-resistant bacterial strains, as well as the potential involvement of some phages in the transfer of resistance and virulence genes, which could raise public concern. Nevertheless, the use of phage cocktails and whole-genome sequencing, involving tools such as ResFinder and virulence finder, can facilitate the selection of safe phages for application. Full article

Fine particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM_2.5) pollution poses a global public health crisis, demonstrating significant threats to human health. This study focused on the strategically important Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle in western China, systematically comparing the toxic effects of urban and rural PM_2.5 across five levels. PMF and regression analysis were used to identify source contributions, dual-omics to pinpoint key molecules, and epidemiological data with a GAM model to assess health risks. Findings demonstrate that rural PM_2.5 possesses greater biotoxicity than its urban counterpart. Cytotoxicity in urban and rural PM_2.5 originated from road dust/vehicle emissions and biomass burning, respectively. Subsequently, integrated omics and molecular biology analyses identify kinesin family member 20A (KIF20A) as a shared key target, which mediates toxicity induced by both urban and rural PM_2.5. Finally, epidemiological analysis reveals that females and ≥65 years old exhibit relatively high sensitivity to urban PM_2.5 exposure trends, with rhinitis showing a comparatively higher impact among various related diseases. The novelty of this work lies in its pioneering application of a multi-tiered investigative approach. This approach spans “environmental samples-cellular mechanisms-population health” within the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle context, systematically elucidating common and distinct respiratory health risk of urban and rural PM_2.5. This work offers a vital scientific foundation for advancing region-specific, precise air pollution prevention and control measures. Full article

South Korea is a highly import-dependent food economy and therefore offers a useful case for examining how an integrated national food control system can be built under trade openness, limited domestic agricultural capacity and changing consumer risk perceptions. This article presents a structured narrative review, rather than a causal impact evaluation, of South Korea’s transition from multi-agency food safety regulation toward an integrated, risk-based food control system. The review is organized through the FAO/WHO national food control system framework and maps Korean legal, institutional and operational evidence onto six analytical dimensions: legal foundations, institutional coordination, risk-based official controls, import supervision, traceability and recall, and risk communication. Examples of embedded risk-analysis principles include the Positive List System for pesticide residues with a default limit of 0.01 mg/kg for substances without a Korean MRL, inspection orders and risk-ranked import controls, barcode-linked recall blocking through the Hazardous Food Sales Prevention System, and public disclosure of unsafe directly purchased overseas products. Quantitative evidence is used descriptively: Korea’s agricultural and food imports reached USD 45.3 billion in 2024, hepatitis A notifications fell from 17,598 in 2019 to 3989 in 2020 after the salted-clam outbreak, and MFDS reported that 12 of 544 overseas direct-purchase products tested in the first half of 2020 contained restricted substances. These indicators suggest improvements in coordination and crisis response capacity, but they do not prove that institutional integration alone reduced foodborne disease incidence. The review finds that South Korea’s model is strongest in institutional consolidation, import-oriented technical standards and digital recall communication, while key challenges remain in small-business compliance burden, scientific independence, data transparency, cross-border e-commerce and novel foods such as cell-cultured food ingredients. Full article

This paper examines changes in the macroeconomic indicators of the member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) following their accession to the agreement. This study aims to identify shifts in the structural comparability of national economies and to assess the processes of macroeconomic convergence in the context of sustainable development. To achieve this objective, reference pools of CPTPP member countries are constructed, and their digital profiles are developed based on key macroeconomic indicators and grouped into three blocks: (1) indicators of economic growth and the state of the real sector, including GDP (constant 2015 US$), GDP growth, annual %, gross capital formation, % of GDP, unemployment, total % of total labor force, and national estimate; (2) indicators of foreign economic activity and trade openness, including exports of goods and services, % of GDP, imports of goods and services, % of GDP, external balance on goods and services (% of GDP), foreign direct investment, net inflows, % of GDP, and trade, and % of GDP; (3) indicators of financial and macroeconomic stability including inflation, consumer prices, annual %, central government debt, % of GDP, and gross savings, and % of GDP. Based on the digital profiles, similarities/differences in the economies were examined by applying linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The empirical framework covers two periods: (1) 2013–2017 (pre-accession) years and (2) 2019–2023 (post-accession) years. The results indicate that the economies of member countries in 2013–2017 exhibited a high degree of heterogeneity. In contrast, the 2019–2023 period demonstrates a tendency toward partial convergence of macroeconomic parameters, as evidenced by a reduction in distances between country profiles in the discriminant space. While interpreting the results, it is acknowledged that the 2019–2023 period coincided with the effects of the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly impacted international trade dynamics. For most countries, this period was characterized by a decline in several macroeconomic indicators and investment activity, an increase in debt burdens, and enhanced heterogeneity in economic dynamics, which was taken into account when interpreting macroeconomic convergence processes within the CPTPP. The scientific novelty of the study lies in its application of an approach based on the analysis of the structural similarity of the macroeconomic profiles of CPTPP countries, which complements traditional assessments of the effects of economic and trade integration. The practical significance of the findings is associated with their potential use in evaluating the prospects for CPTPP expansion and in modeling alternative scenarios of participation and sustainable development within international trade agreements under conditions of global economic transformation. Full article

Anthropogenic emissions have caused the Antarctic ozone hole, a major global environmental crisis since the late 20th century. Although ozone recovery began in the early 21st century, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the timing of its return to pre-loss levels. This study innovatively develops a “model optimization–bias correction” framework based on spatial pattern (S1) and long-term trend (S2) metrics, assessing 17 Chemistry-Climate Model Initiative Phase 1 (CCMI-1) models using the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) atmospheric reanalysis for the climate (ERA5). Results: (1) Most models accurately reproduce the Antarctic ozone’s spatial distribution and long-term trends: MRI-ESM1r1 performs best for spatial patterns (S1 = 0.80), GEOSCCM for long-term trends (S2 = 0.82); EMAC-L90MA, UMSLIMCAT, etc., show poor spatial pattern performance (S1 < 0.30), while IPSL and EMAC-L90MA have large trend biases and underperform in trend simulation (S2 < 0.10). (2) Integrating S1 and S2 scores, the Preferred Multi-Model Ensemble comprising the top eight models (PMME8) minimizes ERA5 deviation, outperforming the multi-model ensemble (MME); the Combined Nonstationary Cumulative Distribution Function matching (CNCDFm) correction of this ensemble reduces systematic bias by 15–60%. (3) Antarctic ozone recovery time shows a gradual delay following optimal model selection and bias correction. PMME-adjusted projects recovery in October 2063 (2053–2072), later than MME (2052) and PMME (2058), with inter-member uncertainty narrowing from 43 years to 19 years. Similarly, this feature is also found for September, November, and the spring mean. This study provides a reliable methodological foundation for projections of Antarctic ozone recovery and offers scientific support for the compliance assessment and policy adjustment of the Montreal Protocol, thereby advancing environmental sustainability and global ozone governance. Full article

Serratia spp., particularly Serratia marcescens, have emerged as clinically important opportunistic pathogens and are increasingly recognized as causes of healthcare-associated infections, especially among critically ill and immunocompromised patients. Their remarkable ecological adaptability, persistence in hospital environments, and capacity to acquire multiple antimicrobial resistance determinants have contributed to the global emergence of multidrug-resistant strains and complicated therapeutic management. This review aims to comprehensively analyze the epidemiology, virulence mechanisms, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and current and emerging therapeutic strategies associated with Serratia spp. The manuscript is based on a critical review and analysis of previously published literature retrieved from electronic scientific databases focusing on clinically relevant Serratia spp. infections and resistance trends. The reviewed literature demonstrates that Serratia spp. combine intrinsic resistance mechanisms, particularly inducible chromosomal AmpC β-lactamases, with acquired resistance determinants including extended-spectrum β-lactamases, carbapenemases, aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes, and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance. Horizontal gene transfer and biofilm formation further enhance bacterial persistence, dissemination, and adaptation within healthcare settings. Clinically, these pathogens are associated with device-related infections, bloodstream infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and hospital outbreaks, where increasing multidrug and carbapenem resistance significantly limits therapeutic options. Novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations and cefiderocol represent promising therapeutic approaches, although treatment success remains highly dependent on accurate identification of underlying resistance mechanisms. This review highlights the growing public health importance of Serratia spp. and underscores the need for improved surveillance, molecular diagnostics, antimicrobial stewardship, and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies in the context of the evolving antimicrobial resistance crisis. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a leading global cause of death, with recent World Health Organization (WHO) data revealing that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections shows resistance to at least one antibiotic treatment. This review comprehensively analyzes the AMR landscape in 2026, detailing its evolution, mechanisms, and the innovative strategies being deployed to combat it. Driven by Darwinian selection and accelerated by factors like antibiotic overuse during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (predominantly in hospitalized patients with suspected bacterial co-infection), AMR is propelled by a diverse molecular arsenal in bacteria. Key mechanisms include enzymatic drug inactivation (e.g., the diversifying β-lactamase superfamily), target site modification (e.g., mcr genes conferring colistin resistance), efflux pumps, and biofilm formation. The rapid global spread of these traits is facilitated by a dynamic “mobilome”, a network of plasmids and transposons that shuttle resistance genes between species. This crisis has sparked a major scientific mobilization. Advances include the discovery of novel antibiotic scaffolds like lariocidin and the regulatory approval of critical new antibiotic/inhibitor combinations such as sulbactam/durlobactam and aztreonam/avibactam, which target highly resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, the first-in-class antibiotic gepotidacin offers a new option for urinary tract infections. Beyond traditional drugs, the pipeline is diversifying to include phage therapy, antivirulence strategies, and artificial intelligence-guided drug discovery. This diversification is critical as it helps preserve the effectiveness of existing Medically Important Antimicrobials (MIAs), those deemed essential for human medicine, by providing alternative or adjunctive treatment options. However, scientific innovation alone is insufficient. This review argues that lasting success requires parallel progress in global policy and infrastructure. Strategic priorities beyond 2026 must include finalizing and funding updated global action plans, strengthening real-time surveillance and diagnostic capacity, especially in low-resource settings, and implementing new economic models to de-risk antibiotic development. Embedding effective antimicrobial stewardship within universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness plans is crucial. Ultimately, defeating AMR demands an unprecedented, coordinated global effort that outpaces the relentless adaptability of bacterial pathogens. Full article

Introduction: The global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to a serious health, social and economic global crisis. This pandemic was and remains the most important health emergency worldwide, for which all professionals have been called to provide diagnosis and treatment support. Despite early concerns about safety, forensic medicine has contributed to a better understanding of the pathological mechanisms involved. Objective: This study aims to describe and analyze the postmortem pathological findings in confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases, emphasizing the contribution of forensic autopsies to elucidating the mechanisms of death and associated comorbidities. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 279 autopsies between 2020 and 2022. Demographic, clinical, and pathological data were collected and statistically analyzed. Results: Following the descriptive analysis of the cases included in the study, as well as the analysis of the relevant scientific literature, the major impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was highlighted in terms of the death mechanisms involved, occurring consequences and induced changes. Conclusions: Autopsies remain the essential tools for investigating COVID-19-related deaths. The findings confirm that SARS-CoV-2 primarily affects the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems. However, the overlap between “death from” and “death with” COVID-19 highlights the need for standardized postmortem diagnostic criteria and comprehensive clinical–pathological correlation. Full article

Critical infrastructure restoration (CIR) is a disaster-management and sustainability challenge because prolonged disruption of energy, water, transport, communications, healthcare, and public-administration services can amplify social, economic, and environmental losses. This PRISMA 2020-reported systematic review synthesizes post-2016 scientific literature and official policy, legal, standards, and technical documents on CIR and AI decision support. The review identified 55 records, removed 1 duplicate, excluded 1 ineligible record, and retained 53 core sources for qualitative synthesis, including 31 scholarly publications and 22 official documents. Manual screening was used; no automated screening or AI-assisted exclusion tools were applied. The results are organized around four research questions covering regulatory frameworks, recovery practices, supporting systems, and AI model families. The synthesis shows that CIR is shaped by layered governance through NIS2, the CER Directive, the AI Act, and national measures; by operational recovery practices such as continuity planning, cyber crisis coordination, interdependency mapping, and model-supported restoration; by digital platforms including SCADA/ICS, IoT sensing, GIS/common operating pictures, decision-support systems, simulation environments, and digital twins; and by AI methods ranging from classical machine learning and computer vision to reinforcement learning and generative assistants. However, evidence maturity remains uneven, with many AI applications still simulation-based, sector-specific, or weakly validated in real restoration settings. The review contributes an integrated CIR-oriented framework showing that AI creates practical value when embedded in interoperable, human-supervised, regulation-aware, and empirically validated restoration architectures that support sustainable service continuity rather than isolated automation. Full article

Research Purpose: This study investigates the role of digital investor behavior, measured through Google Trends, alongside technical indicators such as RSI and Bollinger Bands, in forecasting volatility in the Dubai Financial Market. The aim is to develop a hybrid analytical framework that integrates behavioral and technical dimensions to enhance predictive accuracy in emerging markets. Study Methodology: Daily data from 2020 to 2025 were collected, covering both crisis and post-crisis periods. Digital attention was quantified using Google Trends search indices, while technical indicators included RSI and Bollinger Bands calculated over a 7-day horizon. Volatility was modeled using ARCH, GARCH, and EGARCH frameworks, with Max Drawdown employed as a complementary risk metric to capture extreme market movements. Findings: Digital investor attention shows a predictive association with volatility, particularly when combined with technical indicators. Models incorporating both behavioral and technical variables demonstrated superior predictive performance. The EGARCH model successfully captured the asymmetric impact of negative shocks (γ < 0, p < 0.05), while Max Drawdown provided additional insights into risk exposure during periods of heightened market stress, achieving an R² of 95.36%. Scientific value: This study positions digital attention as a complementary variable that improves forecasting, moving beyond conventional price-based models in volatility modeling; by integrating Google Trends with technical analysis, the research introduces a hybrid forecasting framework that can be adapted to other emerging markets. Practical Implications: The findings offer practical value for policymakers and investors. Regulators can use digital attention measures as early warning signals to anticipate volatility, while investors can integrate behavioral and technical indicators to improve risk management and trading strategies. From a foresight perspective, the study contributes to building more resilient financial systems by embedding behavioral data into predictive tools. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant vulnerabilities in the European Union’s health security architecture and highlighted the need for stronger coordination mechanisms for managing cross-border health threats. In response, the European Union established the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) as a central body responsible for strengthening preparedness, coordinating procurement, and supporting the development and availability of medical countermeasures. This study examines the potential role of drug repurposing as a strategic tool within the evolving EU health crisis preparedness framework. A narrative literature review and policy analysis were conducted using scientific publications indexed in PubMed and Scopus, as well as institutional and regulatory documents from the European Commission, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and other relevant organisations. The findings indicate that drug repurposing offers important advantages during health emergencies, including shorter development timelines, lower research costs, and the possibility of leveraging existing manufacturing and regulatory infrastructures. At the same time, several challenges remain, particularly regarding regulatory coordination, intellectual property considerations, and the scalability of pharmaceutical production during periods of increased demand. The analysis suggests that drug repurposing could evolve from an ad hoc response mechanism into a more institutionalised component of EU health crisis preparedness. Integrating repurposing strategies into HERA’s threat prioritisation, regulatory coordination, and industrial preparedness mechanisms may significantly enhance the European Union’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively to future health emergencies. Full article

The scientific pursuit of understanding human “emotion” has historically been plagued by a fundamental lack of conceptual consensus. Researchers, clinicians, and the lay public frequently utilize terms such as “emotion,” “feeling,” “affect,” and “mood” as interchangeable synonyms, creating a linguistic ambiguity that hampers both experimental precision and diagnostic validity. In response to this “umbrella term” crisis, the Walla Emotion Model (WEM), also referred to as the ESCAPE Model (Emotions Convey Affective Processing Effects), introduces a redefined and distinct terminology designed to disentangle the neurophysiological, experiential, and behavioral components of affective phenomena. The essence of this new model is the removal of the umbrella aspect from the term emotion and defining “emotion” strictly as behavioral output, and “feeling” as the conscious perception of released neurochemicals, both resulting from non-conscious affective processing. By doing so, the WEM provides a logical, clear, and easy-to-apply terminological lens for diagnosing, communicating, and treating clinical conditions that include what has previously been termed “emotion” dysregulation. When “emotion” is used as an umbrella term, it depends on the school one follows how one would explain such clinical conditions. The most critical argument for introducing the WEM is that each prior school has had its focus on another set of phenomena that generate an “emotion”. The WEM terminology provides a clear separation of brain activity, subjective experience, and expression regarding affective phenomena. Various clinical conditions that include “emotion” dysregulation exist; however, to highlight the potential benefits of the WEM, the current essay has its focus on two of the most frequent conditions, namely Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). The goal is to provide an analysis of the WEM architecture, evaluating its utility in clinical neuropsychology, and delineating its theoretical advantages when combined with traditional categorical and dimensional models. However, it is important to emphasize that this essay is only theoretical. It does not include any direct empirical support, but it suggests the replacing of existing terminology with WEM terminology. Full article

This article discusses the use of energy harvesters as emergency power sources during emergencies, crises, and disasters. The climate crisis, population growth, social and political unrest, terrorism, wars, and information chaos all contribute to the increasing likelihood of populations suddenly being deprived of access to electricity. This threat is possible both locally and globally. Regardless of the size, source, or type of emergency, disaster, or crisis, rescue procedures and actions that enable people to function are essential. This requires, among other things, ensuring emergency power sources. Energy harvesting technology can be used to create both primary and supplementary sources of electricity. The authors of the article conducted a comprehensive analysis of this topic and reviewed existing research in this field. Based on literature studies, a number of conclusions were formulated defining the current state, future development directions, and challenges in the use of energy harvesters in crisis situations. The aim of the work is to draw attention to existing threats and to try to direct the interest of scientific teams towards intensifying research in this field, both in terms of the development of cognitive knowledge and the transition from the area of model research to final applications. Full article

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated unprecedented regulatory responses that enabled rapid therapeutic deployment. The integrated medico-legal framework—comprising the FD&C Act Section 564 (Emergency Use Authorization/EUA), PREP Act (liability immunity), and CICP (injury compensation)—facilitated emergency response while protecting all stakeholders. This normative legal and policy analysis examines nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) as a case study, integrating emerging pharmacokinetic evidence demonstrating its passage across the blood–brain and blood–placenta barriers. The EUA-PREP-CICP framework achieved notable results: nirmatrelvir/ritonavir’s authorization enabled deployment approximately 1 year after trials began, demonstrating an 89% reduction in the risk of hospitalization or death and potentially preventing thousands of hospitalizations. The PREP Act enabled focused pharmaceutical development and protected frontline healthcare workers during the crisis, though access barriers and transparency concerns remain areas warranting ongoing attention. The CICP provided administrative compensation for qualifying injuries, with acknowledged limitations in filing timelines and causation standards. Pharmacokinetic studies published after authorization revealed biological barrier crossing, representing normal scientific progress through continued investigation. The EUA-PREP-CICP nexus functioned as an integrated system: EUA enabled rapid evidence-based access, PREP immunity facilitated development and deployment, and CICP provided injury remedy. Based on this experience, this study proposes targeted enhancements to further strengthen this framework: systematic post-authorization surveillance timelines, enhanced special population monitoring through registries, modest procedural refinements to CICP, and improved surveillance infrastructure. These evidence-based improvements would build on the framework’s demonstrated strengths, optimizing performance for future emergencies while preserving the essential functions that helped address the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article