Search Results (1,907)

Background/Objectives: Air pollution is associated with many adverse health consequences, including deteriorated kidney function. The aim of the research was to determine the association of medium-term exposure to air pollutants and hospitalizations due to acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: The retrospective population-based study was conducted on the EP-PARTICLES cohort between 2011 and 2020 (80,000,000 person-years). We estimated municipality-specific associations between air pollution and AKI admissions using generalized additive models with Poisson regression. Results are reported as risk ratio in AKI admissions (RR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results: During the 10-year study period, 47,467 AKI cases were reported (median age 77 years, IQR 68–84; 51.2% women). Mean concentrations of pollutants were 21.4 µg/m³ (SD 5.2) for particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM_2.5), 7.5 µg/m³ (1.8) for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and 1.8 ng/m³ (0.8) for benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). In mid-term exposure analyses (lag 0–30), each 10 µg/m³ increase in PM_2.5, PM₁₀, NO₂ and CO, and each 1 µg/m³ increase in BaP, was associated with higher AKI risk, with the strongest effect observed for NO₂ (RR 1.066, 95% CI 1.033–1.099). No association was found for SO₂. Subgroup analyses showed consistent directions of association across sex and age groups, with NO₂ remaining the most detrimental pollutant. Although statistical significance varied between pollutants, no significant effect modification by sex or age was observed (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Mid-term exposure to ambient air pollution is associated with an increased risk of AKI-related hospitalizations, with NO₂ showing the strongest effects. These findings identify mid-term exposure as a relevant temporal window and support the role of air pollution as a modifiable risk factor for AKI. Full article

Background/Objectives: Against the background of the rapid aging of the population, the symptoms of depression are a major health problem for middle-aged and older adults. This study analyzes the relationship between social participation and the trajectory of depressive symptoms and whether this association varies by gender. Methods: The data comes from five rounds of surveys conducted by the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2020, including a total of 5796 participants aged 45 or above. The depressive symptoms of each wave are measured using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). Social participation was defined as the number of reported activities (0, 1, or ≥2). The development trajectory of depressive symptoms was analyzed through Group-Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM), and their links with social participation level were subsequently quantified using multinomial logistic regression. Gender differences were assessed via interaction tests and stratified models. Results: GBTM identified four distinct depressive symptom trajectories: low (29.71%), moderate (42.72%), increasing (22.07%), and high (5.50%). Compared with no participation, engaging in one activity was linked to lower odds of falling into the moderate, increasing, and high trajectories; the association was stronger for ≥2 activities. Gender-stratified analyses revealed substantial heterogeneity (all interaction p < 0.01). Among women, single-activity participation was associated with lower odds across all three adverse trajectories. Among men, similar associations required ≥2 activities, with single-activity participation linked only to lower odds of the high trajectory. Conclusions: Higher levels of social participation have significantly reduced the depressive symptoms of middle-aged and older adults, and the gender differences are pronounced. Interventions should improve access to social participation for older women and promote activity diversity for older men. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cipepofol is a novel intravenous anesthetic whose pharmacokinetics (PK) may vary with dosing regimens, sampling sites, and physiological differences across populations. However, clinical PK data remain fragmented across study settings and are limited for special populations and individualized perioperative use, highlighting the need for a mechanistic modeling framework. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for cipepofol across diverse populations. Methods: Clinical data from nine studies were included, comprising 371 subjects and 3521 plasma concentration measurements. The model was established in healthy adults using HSK3486-101, qualified using healthy-adult data from HSK3486-111 and anesthesia induction datasets, and extrapolated to hepatic impairment, renal impairment, and elderly populations using pathophysiology-informed adjustments. Individualized external validation was further performed in adult and pediatric surgical patients using actual clinical dosing histories. Model performance was evaluated using concentration–time profiles, goodness-of-fit plots, fold error, and geometric mean fold error (GMFE) for C_max and AUC_0-t. Results: The model adequately described both arterial and venous plasma concentration–time profiles across the establishment, qualification, extrapolation, and external validation datasets. Most predicted concentrations were within two-fold of the observed values, and the overall GMFE values were 1.22 for C_max and 1.21 for AUC_0-t. Simulated exposure differences in hepatic impairment, renal impairment, and elderly subjects were generally limited, suggesting no clinically meaningful PK changes from a PK exposure perspective in these populations. The model also reproduced arterial–venous concentration differences and supported the major contributions of UGT1A9 and CYP2B6 to cipepofol clearance. Conclusions: This PBPK model provides a mechanistic framework for characterizing cipepofol disposition and may inform future model-informed dosing studies. Full article

Population aging has become a major demographic process in modern societies, with its course varying considerably across space. This study examined the scale and dynamics of population aging across Poland’s voivodeships in 2015–2024 and identified its regional patterns. The analysis used data from Statistics Poland’s Local Data Bank for 16 voivodeships and included indicators capturing age composition, demographic dependency, and fertility. The analysis was conducted for 16 Polish voivodeships using data from Statistics Poland’s Local Data Bank for 2015–2024 and indicators describing age structure, demographic dependency, and fertility. An analysis of changes in indicator values over time and Kohonen self-organizing maps (SOM) were applied in two model variants, differing in the measure of population aging adopted. To ensure a consistent direction of interpretation, the variables were appropriately transformed and then standardized. The results indicate spatial variation in the level of population aging and differing dynamics of change during the study period. Four regional profiles were identified, reflecting different patterns of indicators describing age structure, demographic burden, and fertility. Kohonen self-organizing maps were used as an exploratory tool to organize voivodeships according to the similarity of their demographic profiles and to describe changes in their profile assignment over time. From the perspective of sustainability, the identified profiles make it possible to capture territorially differentiated demographic conditions that may be relevant to healthcare, long-term care, regional labor markets, social services, and family policy. The results may support sustainable regional development by providing a basis for designing public policy tailored to the specific characteristics of individual voivodeships. Thus, the study links a multidimensional typology of demographic aging with the need for socially sustainable regional policy. The results suggest that SOM can serve as a useful exploratory tool for visualizing and classifying regional demographic aging profiles. Full article

Introduction: Artificial infrastructure interrupts river longitudinal connectivity, preventing the free flow of water, matter, energy, and organisms through the system, altering the habitat and impacting freshwater biodiversity. Freshwater fishes are especially sensitive to this threat, since they are constrained to the limits of the river network. Transversal obstacles, such as dams and weirs, hinder their movements upstream and downstream and fragment populations. Longitudinal connectivity can be simply measured as the proportion of connected river length in a basin. However, other indices have been suggested more recently, measuring connectivity as the proportion of connected elements of interest (e.g., populations of a species) in a river basin. Objective: The aim of this work was to study (1) the degree of connectivity of native freshwater fish species populations in eleven Spanish river basins and (2) the impact of artificial river fragmentation in these basins on population connectivity. Methodology: Fish populations’ location and size were estimated through sampling presence data, and completed using the predicted occurrence of each species in a river basin, calculated through Species Distribution Models (SDMs). To estimate the degree of connectivity between populations of each species, the Population Connectivity Index (PCI) was calculated under two scenarios: the “current” scenario, considering all the artificial obstacles fragmenting the river network and their specific passabilities, and the “natural” scenario, considering that all the artificial obstacles in the river network were completely passable. Results: Native freshwater fish populations are severely fragmented in Spanish rivers, with a mean current PCI of 9.8% across species and river basins. The impact of artificial fragmentation is high, causing a mean decrease in PCI of 52 percentage points across species and river basins. Moreover, although the impact of artificial river fragmentation is high in all river basins, it is important to point out that there are significant differences between river basins attributed to their size and the specific traits of the ichthyofauna inhabiting them. Conclusions: The degree of connectivity in a river basin varies depending on the elements of interest considered. Therefore, incorporating ichthyofauna into the decision-making process is essential to improve the effectiveness of river restoration actions. Full article

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) represents a significant public health concern due to its association with adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as elevated long-term metabolic risks. Its prevalence varies substantially depending on the diagnostic criteria used and the population studied. Women with GDM frequently experience heightened stress, anxiety, and uncertainty, underscoring the need for accessible information, counseling, and ongoing support to navigate glucose monitoring, dietary adjustments, and treatment regimens. Although clinical management has been extensively studied, research has largely focused on metabolic monitoring and therapeutic interventions, often underemphasizing prevention strategies, women’s informational needs, and maternal psychological well-being. Emerging evidence and international guidelines increasingly advocate for integrating these components into structured, woman-centered GDM care plans that actively involve families. Such approaches empower women to engage in self-management, enhance health literacy, support adherence to lifestyle and pharmacological interventions, and promote sustainable behavioral changes. This narrative review presents a comprehensive, holistic model of care across the perinatal continuum, emphasizing early risk identification, preventive strategies, and multidisciplinary coordination. Core elements include individualized antenatal education, empathetic communication, and family engagement, fostering self-efficacy, continuity of care, and integration of medical, educational, and psychosocial interventions. Equipping healthcare professionals with the competencies to deliver this holistic, woman-centered framework is essential to optimize maternal and neonatal outcomes and mitigate the long-term health consequences of GDM. Full article

We present the EGIDE (Edge-on Galaxies in the DESI survey) project—a catalog of 149,215 edge-on galaxy candidates created using the data of the DESI Legacy Imaging Survey DR10 images. The catalog size is ten times greater than its predecessor and covers more than half of the sky. It is constructed in an automatic way, utilizing the full power of manual annotations from the GalaxyZoo volunteers, implemented in the Zoobot neural model, which was fine-tuned to search for edge-on galaxies specifically. To ensure the credibility of the dataset, subsequent manual supervision was performed. The EGIDE catalog provides homogeneous SExtractor photometry in the $griz$ bands, total stellar mass estimates, redshifts for 98% of the sample, star formation rates, and other information. All of this is publicly available at The Edge-on Galaxy Database site. The preliminary analysis focused on differences between edge-on galaxies in the so-called blue sequence and red cloud populations. These galaxies demonstrate distinct properties: the number of redder galaxies decreases with increasing $a/b$ ratio faster than that of the bluer galaxies; galaxy thickness varies with galaxy color: red sequence galaxies are thicker than blue cloud galaxies; the flattening ratio $q=b/a$ increases significantly with total stellar mass $M_{★}$ only among redder cloud galaxies. It is an intriguing result that the same trend of q increasing at the high-mass end is detected by both the statistical models of figures of revolution and direct observations of edge-on galaxies in EGIDE independently. The full extent of this relationship’s validity can only be determined after properly accounting for the contributions of the bulge and the PSF. Full article

Acrylamide (AA) is a contaminant with carcinogenic and genotoxic properties that occur in heat-produced food products. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of AA in different coffee products commercially sold in retail markets of Costa Rica and to develop a probabilistic exposure assessment model to assess the potential human health risk due to its consumption. The average AA concentration in the coffee samples analyzed (n = 110) was 110.29 ± 151.61 µg kg⁻¹. The mean dietary exposure (DE) values, for the middle-bound (MB) approach, varied from 0.025 to 0.083 µg kg⁻¹ BW per day. The margin of exposure (MOE) was calculated with a BDML₁₀: 430 μg kg⁻¹ BW day⁻¹ for neurotoxicity and 170 μg kg⁻¹ BW day⁻¹ for cancer effect, according to EFSA (2015). No neurotoxicity risk was identified as MOE values ranged from 4291 to 467,984 for the adult male population, from 4566 to 477,203 for the adult females, from 4265 to 506,062 for the male minors and from 2512 to 495,151 for the female minors. On the other hand, MOE values for the carcinogenic risk were below 10,000 for the mean and P95th coffee consumers, denoting a possible health concern. The values ranged from 1696 to 6717 for the adult male population, from 1805 to 7201 for the female adults, from 1686 to 6304 for the male minors and from 993 to 2155 for the female minors. The mean incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values for male adult, female adult, male minor, and female minor were 1.7 × 10⁻⁵, 1.6 × 10⁻⁵, 1.9 × 10⁻⁵, and 3.9 × 10⁻⁵, respectively, for the MB approach. These results denote a potential or considerable risk in consumption of coffee due to AA intake. Thus, no neurotoxicity risk was identified; however, a potential carcinogenic risk was observed based on MOE and ILCR results. Full article

Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI), also known as chemobrain or chemofog, is characterized by subjective and/or objective changes in attention, executive functions, memory, and processing speed in patients with non-CNS cancers, particularly women with breast cancer. This structured narrative review synthesizes current evidence on mechanisms, neuropsychological assessment, neuroimaging correlates, clinical and demographic risk factors, emerging artificial intelligence and machine learning applications, and non-pharmacological approaches to CRCI in breast cancer. A structured literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycInfo, and Clinical Key up to May 2026, with emphasis on studies published between 2023 and 2026. Peer-reviewed English-language studies involving adult breast cancer populations and addressing predefined thematic domains of CRCI were considered. Given the heterogeneity of study designs, assessment tools, interventions, and outcomes, the findings were synthesized narratively. Current evidence supports a multifactorial model of CRCI involving neurobiological, treatment-related, psychological, and behavioral mechanisms. Neuroinflammation, endocrine disruption, oxidative stress, glial alterations, and structural or functional brain changes may contribute to cognitive symptoms; however, the strength of evidence varies, and many findings remain correlational or preclinical. Non-pharmacological interventions, including cognitive training, physical activity, mindfulness-based and psychological approaches, and multimodal digital programs, appear promising as supportive strategies. However, evidence remains heterogeneous, with benefits more consistently reported for patient-reported outcomes, fatigue, emotional distress, and quality of life than for objective neuropsychological performance. CRCI in breast cancer should be approached as a heterogeneous condition requiring early recognition, standardized assessment, and multidisciplinary supportive care. Future research should prioritize longitudinal designs, harmonized endpoints, and a clearer distinction between subjective and objective outcomes. Full article

Freshwater ecosystems in southern Europe are increasingly impacted by fish invasions from central and northern regions, often facilitated by warmer climates and reduced natural-enemy pressure. The European catfish (Silurus glanis), the largest freshwater fish in Europe, is now widely established across various southern European basins, where its high fecundity, ecological plasticity, and predatory behaviour pose significant risks to native communities. Despite its rapid spread, growth dynamics across native and non-native populations remains scatteredly described in studies with different approaches. Objective: This study compares growth rates between native populations in the Czech Republic and non-native populations in Portugal, Spain, and Italy, and assesses whether growth rates are influenced by introduction timelines, reflecting differences in population age and invasion stage. Methodology: Nine populations spanning the native range (central Europe) and non-native range (southern Europe) were analysed. A total of 427 different vertebrae were used to age the fish and growth was modelled using the von Bertalanffy growth function. Generalised linear models were used to identify environmental and demographic predictors of variation in the growth coefficient (K). Moreover, mark-recapture data from the native populatations was also analysed. Results: Preliminary results indicate substantial variation in growth among populations, with higher growth rates exhibited in non-native populations (Iberian), while native populations showed consistently lower growth rates. Growth was primarily associated with population age and minimum temperature, decreasing with increasing population age and increasing under warmer thermal conditions. These patterns suggest faster growth in recently established and warmer populations. Conclusions: Growth dynamics of European catfish vary markedly across native and non-native ranges, driven mainly by thermal conditions and invasion history. Faster growth in warmer and recently established populations may enhance invasion success by accelerating size-at-age and reproductive potential. This study highlights the importance of integrating environmental and demographic factors to improve predictions of invasion dynamics and ecological impacts in freshwater ecosystems. Full article

Background/Objectives: People with disabilities face a disproportionately higher disease burden alongside reduced healthcare accessibility, resulting in elevated unmet healthcare needs (UHN). Understanding the factors that drive UHN—and whether these factors differ by disability status—is critical for developing targeted public health interventions. Methods: A secondary cross-sectional analysis was conducted using linked national survey and administrative data—specifically the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) cycles VI to VIII (2013–2021) linked with National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) administrative records—to examine determinants of healthcare access and utilization barriers by disability status. Independent variables were selected based on Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use for vulnerable populations, encompassing predisposing factors, enabling factors, and need factors (including functional status indicators). Interaction terms between disability status and sex, and between disability status and household income level, were introduced to identify effect modification by disability status. Results: People with registered disabilities had significantly higher UHN compared to those without disabilities. The contributing factors to UHN differed between the two groups, with sex and household income showing statistically significant interaction effects with disability status, indicating that their associations with UHN vary depending on whether an individual has a registered disability. Conclusions: UHN in people with disabilities is shaped by a distinct set of determinants compared to the general population. The overall pattern of contributing factors differed between people with and without disabilities across multiple dimensions. These findings highlight the need for tailored healthcare policies that account for the unique vulnerabilities of people with disabilities, rather than applying uniform strategies across all population groups. Full article

Multi-day travel diaries are often associated with high rates of partial completion, limiting their value for activity-based demand modeling. This paper develops a probabilistic framework that encodes daily activity sequences, clusters them with a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) to obtain soft (probabilistic) memberships, and predicts missing days through a constrained Lagrangian regression that guarantees valid probability distributions. Applied to the New York City Citywide Mobility Survey for 2019 and 2022, the soft-clustering approach achieves an RMSE as low as 0.17—substantially outperforming hard-clustering baselines (16–36% accuracy)—and reconstructs population-level time-use profiles with approximately 5–6% mean absolute error. Results show that post-pandemic activity patterns are more home-anchored and less varied, with pronounced socioeconomic divergence in recovery trajectories. Full article

Continuous population growth will lead to further expansion and densification of urban environments. In this context, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) has emerged as a new transportation solution through the use of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft, more precisely, configurations such as lift-plus-cruise tilt-rotors. During the conceptual design phase, propeller design methodologies commonly reported in the literature rely on vortex-based approaches or actuator disk theory. However, the accuracy of these methods strongly depends on the inflow angle and operating conditions. This paper introduces an analytical model to predict propeller thrust at a 90° inflow angle (edgewise flight), based on a correction of the thrust under axial flight conditions and the propeller geometry evaluated at 75% span. The approach relies on local velocity and angle of attack estimations derived from classical Blade Element Momentum Theory (BEMT) with an additional correction to account for stall effects at high angles of attack. This capability is particularly relevant for modeling lift-plus-cruise tilt-rotor configurations cruise phase during early design stages while maintaining minimal computational cost. The proposed model is validated against wind tunnel measurements for several propellers tested at different global pitch angles, varying from 0 m/s to 9.1 m/s of windspeed and 1300 to 6200 rpms, demonstrating the applicability of the developed formulation for blades with twist angles up to 16°. Full article

The Iberian Peninsula hosts one of the world’s most endemic fish faunas. Its extensive evolutionary, palaeogeographic, and geological history has produced a distinctive freshwater fish fauna. Many of these species have very limited distributions, making them especially vulnerable to habitat disturbance. Past monitoring of this biodiversity has revealed alarming results, indicating that most native Spanish species are at risk. The causes of this serious situation are varied and reflect the ongoing deterioration of freshwater ecosystems. The main pressures faced by populations include pollution, loss of river connectivity caused by hydraulic infrastructure, regulation of watercourses, water extraction, fishing, and the presence of invasive species. Additionally, the effects of climate change worsen the risk of extinction for these populations, particularly through the increased frequency and intensity of droughts and heatwaves. It is evident that current planning models and investments are inadequate to conserve freshwater fish. To prevent the extinction of many populations in Spain, especially Iberian endemics, it is crucial to change the management of aquatic ecosystems and adopt integrated solutions that halt population declines and promote the sustainable use of aquatic resources. The IUCN Red Lists of Threatened Species are vital indicators of biodiversity health and are widely used to guide and structure conservation efforts. These lists, published in the Red Books, result from a thorough evaluation process that employs specific categories and criteria to assess the extinction risk of species, both globally and regionally. This report presents preliminary findings from a monitoring study on the current state of freshwater fish in Spain. The monitoring results reveal that, based on IUCN assessment criteria, two species are classified as extinct (EX), four as critically endangered (CR), eighteen as endangered (EN), and twenty-one as vulnerable (VU). Of fifty-seven species documented, 79% are considered threatened. The project’s final outcome is the development of the Atlas and Red Book of Freshwater Fish of Spain. This resource includes the main native and invasive freshwater and diadromous fish species, offers detailed information on their biological and ecological traits, and provides an up-to-date inventory of records along with an assessment of their conservation status. Full article

Background: Depressive symptoms are a growing public health concern among aging populations. However, whether the association between vegetable and fruit intake and depressive symptoms varies by central adiposity and sex remains unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to examine whether vegetable and fruit intake categories are associated with depressive symptoms, and to evaluate whether the Weight-Adjusted Waist Index (WWI) and sex jointly modify these associations among older adults in Anhui Province, China. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed multistage stratified sampling across four cities in Anhui Province, China, from July to September 2019. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, WWI, weekly vegetable and fruit intake frequency, and depressive symptoms were collected from 5737 participants. Multivariable binary logistic regression models were employed to examine the associations, with analyses stratified by sex. Interaction analyses were conducted to evaluate the modifying roles of sex and WWI. Results: Among 5737 participants, the prevalence of depressive symptoms was 32.46%. After full adjustment, the V+/F− category was associated with higher odds of depressive symptoms in women (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.04–1.49). An interaction between vegetable and fruit intake categories and WWI levels was observed (p_interaction = 0.048). In stratified analyses, significant associations were observed among Q1 females with V+/F− and V−/F− categories and among Q3 males with the V−/F− category, whereas most other subgroup associations were not statistically significant after adjustment. Conclusions: The associations between vegetable and fruit intake and depressive symptoms may vary by metabolic status, as indexed by WWI, and by sex among older Chinese adults. Observed associations were more pronounced in females with low WWI and males with moderate WWI, and weaker among those with the highest WWI. These findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating given the cross-sectional design and borderline interaction significance. Future longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to confirm these relationships and clarify the joint roles of dietary intake and central adiposity in late-life depressive symptoms. Full article