Search Results (8,568)

Background: Ginsenosides are active natural compounds with diverse effects, and their interaction with the gut microbiota can influence microbial composition and abundance, though the long-term effects remain unclear. Methods: This study examines the impact of long-term oral ginsenoside administration on gut microbiota composition and structure in rats, as well as its pharmacokinetics. Twenty healthy male Wistar rats were divided into a control group (CK, receiving distilled water) and a ginsenoside treatment group (PGE, 100 mg/kg) for 30 days. Fecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina HiSeq platform to assess microbial diversity. Concurrently, liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was utilized to determine the concentrations of ginsenosides in the serum and to investigate their pharmacokinetic properties (p < 0.05). Results: The results indicated that the α-diversity indices of the gut microbiota in the PGE group were significantly higher than in the CK group, suggesting that ginsenosides enhance microbial richness and diversity (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes in the PGE group increased by 10.6% ± 2.72%, while that of Bacteroidetes decreased by 11.5% ± 3.18%; at the genus level, the proportion of Lactobacillus genus rose by 17.78% ± 4.37% (p < 0.05). Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that the area under the concentration–time curve (AUC) and maximum concentration (C_max) of ginsenosides were significantly higher in the PGE group than in the CK group. Conclusions: Chronic oral administration of ginsenosides improves their absorption and utilization through gut microbiota modulation, offering experimental evidence for deeper insight into ginsenoside–microbe interactions. Full article

The development of stable and efficient essential oil delivery systems remains a persistent challenge in active food packaging applications. This research aimed to develop a multi-functional soy protein isolate (SPI)-based composite gel film integrating a tea tree oil micro emulsion (TME) via a microemulsion-in-gel approach, featuring sustained antioxidant release. The TME was first optimized using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and exhibited excellent physicochemical stability. It maintained a droplet size ranging from 10 to 13 nm, with a polydispersity index (PDI) less than 0.2 under diverse stress situations (such as dilution, heat treatment, pH change, centrifugation, and 30-day storage). Afterward, TME-SPI composite gel films containing 1 to 3% TME were fabricated through solution casting and subsequent gelation of the protein matrix. The incorporation of TME markedly improved the properties of the gel film network. It raised the opacity by around 2.5 times, boosted the elongation at break to 144% (which is three times that of the control), and distinctively enhanced both water solubility and the water vapor barrier. Importantly, the 2% TME-SPI gel film exhibited sustained antioxidant activity from within the gel matrix, retaining more than 50% of its original 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity after 72 h, significantly outperforming films containing free TTO. The microemulsion-in-gel approach was shown to be effective in creating SPI-based gel films that possess combined light-barrier characteristics, adjustable moisture resistance, improved flexibility, and extended antioxidant release. This offers a promising framework for the next generation of active food packaging. Furthermore, the composite gel films exhibited concentration-dependent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, with the 3% TME-SPI film achieving an 82% inhibition rate, thus experimentally validating its active packaging potential. Full article

This study systematically compared the structural, functional, pathogenic, and assembly-mechanism characteristics of bacterial communities between urban and rural rivers across China, based on integrated water quality data from 421 sampling sites and 16S rRNA gene sequences from 475 sampling sites. The results revealed that urban rivers had significantly higher nutrient concentrations and bacterial α-diversity, along with lower β-diversity. Urban rivers were enriched with organic matter-degrading phyla such as Chloroflexi and Acidobacteriota and might exhibit more complex co-occurrence networks (average degree: 85.41). In contrast, rural rivers were enriched with phyla including Firmicutes and Cyanobacteria, as well as genera such as Exiguobacterium and Limnohabitans, and might display higher network modularity (modularity: 0.59) and greater spatial heterogeneity in community composition. Functional prediction indicated stronger carbon-cycling potential in urban rivers, whereas nitrogen-cycling functions did not differ between the two river types. Regarding pathogen composition, urban rivers contained a higher number of pathogen species than rural rivers. It was suggested that stochastic processes dominated community assembly in both systems; however, heterogeneous selection contributed more strongly in urban rivers (14.7%). Overall, this work elucidated systematic differences in bacterial community structure, function, pathogen profile, and assembly mechanisms between urban and rural rivers, offering a scientific foundation for differentiated watershed management. Full article

Digestive tract structure is a key indicator of fish health and environmental adaptation, while seasonal dynamics of the gut microbiota reflect host responses to environmental changes. In this study, the digestive tract microstructure of Hypomesus nipponensis from Bosten Lake was characterized using H&E staining and scanning electron microscopy, followed by 16S rDNA gene V3-V4 region sequencing and analysis of the gut microbiota in spring, summer, and autumn. The results showed that the esophageal mucosa of H. nipponensis is a stratified columnar epithelium, with abundant gastric glands, and the circular muscle layer of the stomach caeca is significantly thickened (244.84 ± 49.01 μm). The pyloric caeca resemble the gut in structure; both are covered with dense microvilli on the luminal surface. Collectively, these features constitute the structural basis for its carnivorous diet. Microbiota analysis revealed that the diversity of gut microbiota fluctuated significantly with season: the Chao, Ace, and Sob indices in spring (144.63 ± 30.27) were significantly higher than in summer (82.13 ± 21.45) and autumn (83.25 ± 15.30) (p < 0.001), with no significant difference between summer and autumn (p > 0.05). The dominant marker genera of H. nipponensis in spring, summer, and autumn were Bacillus (31.60%), Clostridium (32.20%), and Sarcina (29.32%), respectively. This study describes the adaptive characteristics of the digestive tract structure and feeding habits of H. nipponensis and reveals the seasonal changes in its gut microbiota. Importantly, since the digestive tract structure data were collected only in summer, the direct relationship between the structure and seasonal microbial dynamics cannot be determined, and multi-season histological sampling is needed for further investigation. Nevertheless, these findings provide preliminary morphological and microbiological references for the ecological adaptation of this species in Bosten Lake and offer a scientific basis for water resource management in this area. Full article

Traditional wooden granaries in rural Türkiye are disappearing at an accelerating rate due to agricultural abandonment, rural depopulation, and the absence of systematic documentation and conservation frameworks. In the Sındırgı district of Balıkesir, one of the richest concentrations of vernacular granary architecture in the Marmara Region, these structures remain largely unprotected and unstudied within a sustainable design framework, constituting an urgent conservation challenge. This study aims to assess the current preservation status of Sındırgı granaries, classify their typological diversity, and evaluate their sustainability performance against a defined set of ecological design criteria. A mixed methods approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review with extensive fieldwork across 33 neighborhoods. In total, 1411 granaries were identified and grouped into five typologies: evli, Simav, kabak, sandık, and üstü örtülü sandık. These typologies were systematically compared to five parameters: spatial distribution across neighborhoods, plan and section geometry, construction system and structural elements, material selection and condition, and preservation status. This comparison revealed that typological variation is not incidental but directly reflects differences in land ownership, agricultural production capacity, topography, and distance from the district center. Representative examples from each typology were documented through onsite measurements, photogrammetry, technical drawings, and interviews with local craftsmen. The sustainability performance of the granaries was then assessed across seven ecological design criteria: spatial organization, building form design, structural element design, material use and conservation, design with nature, urban design area planning, and nature interaction. The findings demonstrate that the long-term durability of these structures depends on an interrelated system of climate-responsive design decisions rather than any single factor. The study concludes by proposing a holistic conservation model comprising typology-based inventory, roof water moisture-focused intervention, periodic monitoring, and transmission of vernacular building knowledge, a framework applicable to comparable rural granary heritage across the region. Full article

Paraneoplastic endocrine syndromes (PESs) are hormonal disturbances associated with malignancies that result from tumor-related production of hormone-like substances, immune-mediated mechanisms, or dysregulated signaling pathways. While they are well recognized in lung and neuroendocrine cancers, their relevance in gastrointestinal tumors remains less clearly defined. This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge on paraneoplastic endocrine manifestations in gastrointestinal malignancies, based on a structured search of the literature in major databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The analysis focuses on clinically relevant syndromes such as hypercalcemia, Cushing-like manifestations, disorders of water balance, hypoglycemia, and acromegaly, with emphasis on underlying mechanisms, associated tumor types, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic considerations. Available evidence indicates that gastrointestinal tumors can produce a range of biologically active substances, leading to diverse endocrine manifestations that may precede tumor detection and influence disease course. Among these, hypercalcemia and Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion (SIADH) are among the most frequently reported, while other syndromes, such as ectopic Cushing syndrome or tumor-related hypoglycemia, are less common but often associated with more severe clinical outcomes. Recognition of these manifestations has direct clinical implications, as they may support earlier diagnosis, contribute to prognostic assessment, and guide therapeutic management. Improved awareness and a multidisciplinary approach remain essential for optimizing outcomes in patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Full article

Water is fundamental to urban sustainability, structuring the urban water cycle from supply to wastewater treatment and discharge. Basic sanitation services are a core component of this system, directly influencing sustainable water use and environmental quality. Sanitation 4.0 applies Industry 4.0 technologies to enable real-time monitoring, data-driven management, and process optimization. This study investigates how the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies transforms the management of basic sanitation services. A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to provide a theoretical foundation and identify research gaps. Articles were selected using a structured and reproducible method, and qualitative data were coded and analyzed with NVivo software. The results indicate that Sanitation 4.0 encompasses diverse applications, with artificial intelligence (AI), big data and data analytics, and internet of things (IoT) emerging as the most frequently implemented technologies in water distribution, wastewater treatment, and service management. IoT demonstrated broad versatility, while robots and augmented reality remain underexplored. Data security emerged as the area most in need of attention. This research concludes that Industry 4.0 technologies are reshaping the management and delivery of sanitation services, supporting innovation and progress toward universal access. Full article

This review analyzes the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) production and its contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines was conducted using the Web of Science (2020–2026), resulting in 225 included studies. Buffalo production is a multipurpose system that generates value through milk, meat, hides, manure, draft power, and animal-assisted services, with greater longevity than most livestock species. Economically, it supports income diversification, resource efficiency, and functions as a financial asset that can be sold to cover unexpected expenses. Socially, it enhances food security by providing nutrient-dense products, particularly milk with bioactive compounds associated with potential health benefits, and promotes women’s participation in livestock management and household economies. Environmentally, buffalo systems efficiently utilize low-quality forages, are adapted to marginal conditions, contribute to wetland conservation, and provide ecosystem services. These contributions align with several SDGs (1, 2, 5, 8, 12, 13, and 15). However, sector expansion is constrained by limitations in nutrition, management, veterinary services, and reproductive efficiency, as well as environmental challenges related to methane emissions and life cycle impacts. While global methane emissions from buffalo are lower due to their smaller population, emission intensity remains system-dependent and represents a critical challenge. In conclusion, water buffalo production represents a multifunctional and context-dependent system with significant potential to support sustainable development, although targeted innovations are required to improve productivity and address environmental challenges. Future research should integrate One Health and One Welfare approaches, develop long-term studies, and expand research under diverse experimental and field conditions to better characterize the potential health implications of buffalo-derived products. In addition, strengthening circular economy strategies, including region-specific diets to reduce emissions, remains a priority. Full article

Nutrient enrichment poses a major threat to freshwater ecosystems, yet integrated assessments of its effects on multiple dimensions of biodiversity remain limited. In this study, we investigated the responses of taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity (alpha and beta) of macroinvertebrate communities along a nutrient gradient in the Taizi River, a boreal river in northern China. The results revealed that macroinvertebrate abundance was 4.51 ind./m², belonging to three phyla and 68 species. Total phosphorus (TP) was the primary environmental driver, reducing functional evenness and dispersion at the alpha level, thereby promoting functional homogenization. At the beta level, TP increased nestedness and decreased turnover, leading to the loss of endemic species and a community dominated by species with broad ecological tolerance. Structural equation modeling showed that TP exerted stronger effects on functional and phylogenetic diversity than on taxonomic diversity. These findings provide multidimensional insights into nutrient-driven biodiversity loss and suggest that TP should be prioritized in water quality management to prevent functional homogenization and maintain beta diversity turnover. Collectively, these findings inform targeted conservation strategies for nutrient-enriched river ecosystems. Full article

Continuous discharges from diverse industrial activities have severely degraded the water quality of the Lerma River, turning it into a major environmental, social, and public health concern. Conventional wastewater treatment processes are often insufficient for eliminating persistent and refractory organic pollutants; therefore, the implementation of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is increasingly required to restore water quality. In this context, the present study systematically evaluated the individual and combined effects of ozonation and electrochemical oxidation using boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes for the treatment of contaminated river water. Ozonation alone achieved an 89% reduction in turbidity and a 19% decrease in total organic carbon (TOC), while electrochemical oxidation reduced turbidity by 82% and TOC by 57%. Remarkably, the simultaneous application of both treatments resulted in a 98% reduction in turbidity and an 80% decrease in TOC, clearly demonstrating a strong synergistic effect. Regarding true color at 436 nm, associated with yellow chromophore compounds, removal efficiencies of 98.9%, 94.7%, and 67.3% were obtained for the combined process, electrochemical oxidation, and ozonation, respectively. Phytotoxicity tests with Lactuca sativa seeds showed no statistically significant difference in toxicity in water treated with the O₃–EO System compared to raw water. These results highlight, for the first time under real river water conditions, the superior performance of the integrated O₃–EO system as an effective strategy for the intensified degradation and partial mineralization of persistent organic contaminants, thereby underscoring its strong potential for advanced remediation of heavily polluted surface waters. Full article

Extreme summer droughts increasingly threaten freshwater biodiversity in monsoonal regions, yet community responses within heterogeneous small water bodies (SWBs) remain poorly understood. This study evaluated how drying events influence macroinvertebrate taxonomic and functional composition across different SWB types and explored the mechanisms driving post-drought recovery. We sampled isolated ponds (IPs), stream-fed ponds (SFPs), pond-linked streams (PLSs), and non-pond-linked streams (NPLSs) in Eastern China during an extreme summer drought (2022) and a subsequent recovery year (2023). Ponds exhibited high resistance, maintaining stable taxonomic and functional richness. PLSs suffered substantial summer biodiversity declines but showed rapid post-drought recovery, possibly facilitated by spatial dispersal from nearby pond refuges. In contrast, NPLSs experienced severe, lasting biodiversity loss. Drought conditions drove overall community homogenization, with spatial dispersal playing a more important role in structuring assemblages than environmental filtering. Furthermore, functional trait analysis indicated that post-drought recovery was more closely associated with resilience-linked traits rather than resistance traits. These findings demonstrate that lateral connectivity within SWB networks buffers drought impacts by providing refugial support and enabling rapid recolonization. Preserving diverse, interconnected SWBs is a critical management strategy for maintaining metacommunity resilience under growing climatic volatility. Full article

Foundation segmentation models exhibit strong generalization on natural images yet degrade substantially in underwater scenes due to color distortion, scattering, and low contrast, which collectively impair feature representation. Parameter-efficient fine-tuning strategies have been explored to adapt SAM to marine domains while preserving generalization, but degraded image quality still hampers feature extraction. Moreover, existing SAM-based underwater methods typically rely on ground-truth box prompts during inference. Since ground-truth boxes are inherently unavailable in real-world underwater scenarios, this dependence yields evaluation outcomes that fail to reflect actual deployment conditions, thereby limiting their practical applicability. To address these issues, Water-AutoSAM is introduced—a dual-domain enhanced auto-prompting framework tailored for underwater image segmentation. The auto-prompting mechanism decouples semantic and positional representations for generalized point generation, which are optimized via enhanced sharpness, correctness, and diversity losses under staged training. To counter the degrading effects typical of underwater imagery, a lightweight module designated SS-UIE is integrated as a frozen pre-enhancement stage. This module operates with spatial–frequency dual-branch processing and utilizes a fixed residual fusion coefficient to combine the two streams. Operating entirely without box prompts, Water-AutoSAM achieves competitive annotation-free performance, attaining 92.38% mIoU on SUIM and reducing the gap to the fully supervised upper bound to 2.08% on COD10K. Full article

Bergamot essential oil (BEO) has demonstrated antidepressant potential, but its oral application is limited by poor water solubility and undesirable organoleptic properties. In this study, a BEO-loaded beverage was developed based on a whey protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsion system. The optimal formulation, determined via single-factor experiments combined with orthogonal optimization, consisted of inulin (0.5 g/50 g), milk powder (2.0 g/50 g), sucralose (0.008 g/50 g), and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (0.04 g/50 g). The resulting beverage remained stable without visible phase separation during 4 months of storage at 4 °C. In a chronic corticosterone treatment (CCT)-induced mouse model of depression, oral administration of the BEO beverage increased activity in the central area of the open field test and exploratory behavior in the elevated plus maze, while reducing repetitive stereotyped behaviors in the marble burying test. At the molecular level, the BEO beverage was associated with reduced levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and corticosteroid (CORT), and increased levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and norepinephrine (NE). Additionally, the BEO beverage was associated with observed alleviation of neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA3 region, upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), improved gut microbial diversity, and altered host metabolic profiles. Collectively, these findings suggest that the BEO emulsion beverage is a feasible intervention for alleviating depression-like behaviors in the mouse model, and provide initial associative evidence supporting its potential as a functional food for mood management. Full article

Zeolite-based composite nanomaterials represent a versatile and mechanistically rich platform for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMPs)—including pharmaceuticals, endocrine-disrupting compounds, pesticides, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—from contaminated water systems. Although pristine zeolite frameworks provide well-defined microporous architectures, tunable Si/Al ratios, and ion-exchange capacity, their intrinsic hydrophilicity restricts interaction diversity and limits performance toward the structurally heterogeneous OMPs prevalent in real aquatic environments. Composite integration with carbonaceous nanophases, functional polymers and surfactants, and catalytically active metal oxide nanoparticles substantially extends this interaction repertoire, yielding multifunctional materials whose adsorption performance exceeds that of the individual components. Drawing on a systematic survey of peer-reviewed literature published between 2016 and 2026, this review develops a mechanism-oriented, structure–property–performance framework examining five dominant adsorption mechanisms—electrostatic attraction, π–π stacking, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic partitioning, and micropore confinement—in relation to composite nanoarchitecture, surface chemistry, and structural parameters. The modulating influence of realistic water matrix conditions on adsorption efficiency is critically assessed, alongside challenges of regeneration, long-term stability, metal leaching, and the persistent gap between laboratory-scale synthesis and scalable deployment. Priority research directions are identified, including standardized performance evaluation under environmentally representative conditions and rational design of hierarchical multifunctional nanocomposites from earth-abundant and waste-derived precursors. Full article

This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of microplastic (MP) contamination within oyster bed ecosystems of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Sediment, water, and oyster samples were collected from six sites representing diverse environmental conditions. Raman spectroscopy identified the presence of 12 distinct polymer types, with polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), poly(ethylene terephthalate)/diamine/multi-walled carbon nanotube (PET/diamine/MWCNT), and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) being the most prevalent. MPs occurred predominantly as fragments, films, and pellets, with black being the most common color across all matrices. MP abundances ranged from 750 to 1850 MPs/kg dry weight in sediments, 2100–9600 MPs/L in water, and 1.78–5.25 MPs/individual in oysters, with particles (<50 µm) most frequent in oyster tissues. Although spatial variation was evident across regions, detected polymers included types associated with known ecotoxicological risks. No significant correlation was observed between sediment grain size and MP abundance, suggesting that additional hydrodynamic or anthropogenic factors may influence MP distribution. Overall, this study provides critical baseline data on MP contamination in Bahrain’s marine environments and highlights the need for continued monitoring to assess potential risks to marine ecosystems and seafood safety. It also contributes to the limited understanding of MPs in the Arabian Gulf, informing future monitoring, conservation and policy initiatives that support long-term environmental sustainability. Full article