Declining antibiotic consumption and changing sexually transmitted infection dynamics in Japan: A national ecological time-series analysis, 2013-2024.

Perfluorobutanoic acid altered bacterial and eukaryotic community structures and microbial interactions in algal-bacterial granular sludge system.

Evaluating the Impact of Drug Regulation Stringency on Global Drug-Use Patterns: A Cross-Sectional Study.

ABSTRACT Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) offers a powerful approach for detecting and assessing the presence of invasive species, thereby supporting the conservation of native ecosystems. In this study, we developed a species-specific classification model using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to analyse the nocturnal calling activity patterns of Pelophylax nigromaculatus and Dryophytes leopardus in rice paddies, a microhabitat where interactions between translocated and native species are of ecological concern. Despite environmental noise from bird calls and wind, the mel-spectrogram-based model classified anuran vocalisations with high accuracy (88.45%). Misclassifications at dawn were mitigated by limiting the ecological analysis to specific nocturnal periods. The results revealed clearly distinct peak times of nocturnal calling activity between the two species at the study site. These findings demonstrate the usefulness of deep learning for describing fine-scale activity patterns in field-recorded amphibian soundscapes. This study provides methodological insights into the acoustic monitoring of domestically translocated and native species and highlights the potential of bioacoustics approaches for ecological assessment in paddy environments. Future research should focus on refining species classification models and integrating sound-source separation for more accurate species-specific assessments of calling activity patterns.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying species diversification remains a central question in evolutionary biology, with ongoing debates about the relative roles of natural selection, genetic drift, and geographic isolation in shaping biodiversity. Nierembergia linariifolia exhibits intraspecific variation recognized as taxonomic varieties. These varieties are distinguished by vegetative and floral traits and are distributed across lowland and highland areas of different ecoregions in South America. In this study, we integrate ecological niche and genetic analyses to investigate diversification drivers across N. linariifolia populations. Specifically, we assessed whether differentiation among varieties is related to current climatic conditions and explored the potential influence of Pleistocene climatic fluctuations on their diversification. Current distribution models reveal a strong association between varietal differentiation, ecoregions, and altitudinal gradients, which is also reflected in species’ bioclimatic envelope and climatic niche. Molecular dating indicates that the detected genetic divergences most likely occurred during the Early Pleistocene, preceding the diversification of the taxonomic varieties and suggesting that varietal divergence is more recent. Ecological niche models projected onto Pleistocene climatic scenarios show distinct responses to climate change among varieties, likely influencing their current diversification patterns. Overall, our findings support a relatively recent diversification process, consistent with ecological divergence probably driven by Pleistocene climatic fluctuations through a combination of allopatric, parapatric, and ecological processes.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among UK women. Screening aims to detect cancer early, improving treatment options, and survival. However, participation varies across England with lower participation and cancer detection rates in London than other regions. We postulate that demographic factors (age, ethnicity, deprivation, and migration) might explain some regional differences. An ecological analysis of aggregated data compared English regions (April 2007-March 2020). Primary outcomes were breast cancer mortality, coverage rate, and rate of screen-detected invasive cancers. Linear regression analyses compared outcomes between London and other English regions, adjusting for age, ethnicity, deprivation, and migration. Data included 104 observations aggregated from 26 202 645 screenings, of which 11.9% were in London. Coverage was lower in London (67.8%) than other English regions (73.6%-79.8%). London had significantly lower rates of screen-detected invasive cancers (mean= 6.2 per 1000, SD = 0.2) compared to 6 of 7 regions (ranging from 6.3 to 6.9 per 1000) and lower breast cancer mortality rate (mean = 31.7, SD = 0.8) than 4 regions (ranging from 33.4 to 36.1). Differences in coverage were attenuated and non-significant after adjustment for demographic factors. Regional differences in screening participation are associated with demographic factors, but breast cancer outcomes in London are not worse than the rest of England. Targeted interventions to improve screening accessibility for underserved communities could reduce inequalities. We describe challenges associated with combining several sources of information when performing our analyses and further research using individual-level data is recommended to confirm results and explore additional predictors. This national ecological analysis demonstrates that lower breast screening coverage and invasive cancer detection rates in London are associated with demographic factors, particularly ethnicity, deprivation, and migration. Despite poorer participation, breast cancer mortality in London is not worse than in other English regions. The findings emphasize the importance of demographic factors in breast screening outcomes and improved data linkage to address regional inequalities in breast cancer screening and outcomes.

Smoking remains a major public health issue in Italy, despite decades of tobacco control measures. This study aimed to describe trends in smoking prevalence and in consumption of other tobacco-derived products, in Italy from 1993 to 2024 stratified by gender and age group. This is an observational ecological time-series analysis. Smoking prevalence data were obtained from the Italian Institute of Statistics. Joinpoint regression model was applied to estimate the Annual Percentage Change (APC) and the Average Annual Percentage Change (AAPC). Data on tobacco-derived products were analyzed descriptively using data from the Italian National Health Institute (2013-2023). Overall smoking prevalence declined significantly over the study period (AAPC=-0.78%; P<.0001), with a greater reduction among men (AAPC=-1.31%; P<.0001). However, an increase is observed from 2020 to 2024 (APC +1.53; P=.009). Long-term reductions were observed among midlife women, while smoking increased among younger and older women. E-cigarette use declined (-40%), while heated tobacco products and hand rolled cigarettes use rose steadily (+236% and +181%, respectively). The recent rise in smoking and the growing use of alternative nicotine products demand renewed prevention and cessation efforts, with targeted education and stronger regulation.

Integrating digital PCR and metagenomics to quantify potential soilborne bacterial pathogens in urban ecosystem.

Ecological conservation priority requires foresight: coupling multiple scenarios and network perspective.

Not available.

BackgroundTransgender women experience a disproportionate burden of HIV. National-level trend analyses in South Africa remain limited. This study asked whether modelled HIV prevalence among transgender women changed between 2022 and 2026, and whether disparities relative to the national population and adult females had narrowed over this period.MethodsA quantitative ecological analysis was conducted using modelled estimates from the Thembisa model (version 4.8) (2022-2026). Annual HIV prevalence and 95% confidence intervals were extracted. Estimates for 2022 and 2023 reflect retrospective modelled outputs, while estimates for 2024 to 2026 incorporate model projections. A Mann-Kendall trend test was conducted to assess the statistical significance of observed changes. Absolute differences and prevalence ratios were calculated.ResultsHIV prevalence among transgender women declined from 43% in 2022 to 40% in 2026. National prevalence remained stable (13%). The absolute gap decreased from 30 to 27 percentage points. In 2026, HIV prevalence among transgender women remained more than three times higher than national prevalence. The Mann-Kendall trend test confirmed a statistically significant downward trend (τ = -1.00, p = 0.017).ConclusionDespite modest declines, substantial disparities persist. Continued monitoring and targeted HIV strategies remain essential. These findings carry direct implications for South Africa's National Strategic Plan on HIV and for the National Department of Health's key population programming.

We present a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the Japanese sparrowhawk (Accipiter gularis), a migratory raptor widely distributed across East Asia. The genome was assembled using a combination of Single-Tube Long Fragment Read (stLFR) sequencing and Hi-C chromatin conformation capture, resulting in a 1.19 Gb genome with a scaffold N50 of 43.17 Mb. Genome completeness assessment using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) recovered 97.2% of conserved avian genes, indicating a high level of completeness. A total of 20,808 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 92% were functionally annotated based on multiple public databases. Repetitive elements accounted for 7.95% of the genome, with retroelements forming the major component. Chromosome-level scaffolding enabled the anchoring of 98.9% of the assembled sequences onto 33 chromosomes, including 31 autosomes and the Z and W sex chromosomes. Comparative synteny analysis with A. gentilis revealed a high degree of chromosomal conservation, supporting the structural accuracy of the assembly. All raw sequencing data, genome assembly, and annotation files have been deposited in public repositories. This chromosome-level genome assembly provides a valuable genomic resource for studies of raptor evolution, migration ecology, population genomics, and comparative analyses within Accipitridae.

Lung adenocarcinoma diagnoses have increased globally despite declining tobacco exposure, raising questions about non-tobacco-related contributors. The role of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) peaks related to biomass burning in shaping population-level lung cancer patterns remains unexplored. An ecological analysis was conducted across the Regional Health Departments of São Paulo State, Brazil, from 2000 to 2023. Histologically confirmed lung cancer cases were obtained from the state cancer registry. Temporal trends in the adenocarcinoma-to-total lung cancer ratio (ATR) were evaluated alongside annual mean and maximum PM2.5 concentrations and wildfire counts derived from satellite data. Among 51,580 lung cancer cases, adenocarcinoma accounted for 36%. Regions with a significant increase in ATR demonstrated annual increases ranging from 0.39 to 0.72%. With the exception of the São Paulo metropolitan area, which showed high mean PM2.5 levels despite low wildfire activity, all other regions with increasing ATR exhibited substantially higher wildfire occurrence (311 vs. 207 annual hotspots; p = 0.049), which strongly correlated with PM2.5 peaks (ρ = 0.928, p = 0.007). Periods of elevated PM2.5 peaks consistently coincided with increased wildfire activity. These findings suggest that biomass-burning-related PM2.5 peaks may be relevant to population-level patterns of lung cancer epidemiology.

Associations between population-level BCG and yellow fever vaccination and aortic mortality: A 29-year observational analysis using causal inference methods.

An Aspergillus flavus outbreak strain dominated the indoor environment in a Danish hospital ward for eight years and subsequently multiple isogenic infections occurred. We investigated whether strain-specific traits were present to understand its prevalence and persistence. The outbreak strain was studied alongside comparator A. flavus isolates with respect to altered virulence that could enhance its pathogenic potential and secondary metabolism that could influence environmental persistence. Twenty-four isolates were examined for growth patterns on ten media and by secondary metabolite profiling using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection. Strain-specific virulence and other phenotypic traits were studied in vivo using Galleria mellonella and in vitro by culturing on specialised media. No indication of virulence alterations was observed in larvae. However, the outbreak strain exhibited a reproducible fingerprint phenotype with distinct morphological features and secondary metabolites. These included mycotoxins known to be harmful to humans and animals. Although this study found no evidence of increased virulence, identification of a distinct phenotypic profile could indicate adaptation or an intrinsic ecological background of the outbreak strain and possibly competitive traits via potentially bioactive secondary metabolites. Moreover, the production of several mycotoxins by this A. flavus strain raises concerns for both patients and staff. Further analyses of the strain's ecology, toxic potential, virulence, and phylogeny in a global context could be studied in future experiments.

To assess whether estimated dietary microplastic (MP) intake is linked to age-standardized lip and oral cavity cancer rates at the country level, independent of smoking, alcohol, socioeconomic status, and urbanization, we conducted a cross-sectional ecological study across 106 countries (2020 anchor year). While testing for effect modification by smoking, dietary MP intake showed a non-linear association with lip-oral cavity cancer incidence in unadjusted spline models. Smoking prevalence and urbanization were also positive predictors, although the evidence was inconsistent. Placebo/permutation testing, spatial residual diagnostics, and dietary-structure sensitivity analysis using fish/seafood supply as a proxy supported the stability and specificity of the association. We additionally performed a pre-specified spatial econometric sensitivity analysis: residual Moran's I on the refitted OLS model (n = 79) was 0.099 (p_sim = 0.082); Anselin's robust LM-lag test was significant (p = 0.003), identifying a Spatial Lag Model (SLM) as the appropriate primary spatial specification (ρ = 0.35; post-fit Moran's I = - 0.006, p_sim = 0.466 autocorrelation absorbed). Under SLM, the MP p90-vs-p10 exposure contrast was - 0.41 (p = 0.85); the pre-specified decision rule thereby classifies this result as null/hypothesis-generating (Path C). These findings generate hypotheses and do not establish causality, but encourage further individual-level exposure assessments and mechanistic studies to better understand the potential role of microplastics in oral carcinogenesis.

Biotransformation of Microcystin-LR in marine sediments: Mechanism and global potential.

Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, but the long-term impact of ambient temperature on IHD mortality remains poorly characterized. Existing research has largely examined short-term temperature extremes. This study is among the first to quantify the association between monthly ambient temperature and IHD mortality across the United States over a 22-year period. In this nationwide ecological study, we examined monthly state-level associations between ambient temperature and IHD mortality from 1999–2020. Mortality data were obtained from CDC WONDER and temperature data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. A negative binomial regression with a distributed lag non-linear model estimated the temperature–mortality relationship, adjusting for state, year, and month fixed effects. Subgroup analyses were conducted by age, sex, race, and climate. A strong inverse association between ambient temperature and IHD mortality was observed (Wald p < 0.001). Colder temperatures were associated with higher mortality risk, whereas warmer temperatures were associated with lower mortality risk at the monthly level. The risk was greatest at the coldest observed temperature (–12.8 °F, RR 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05–1.16) and lowest at the warmest temperature (89.2 °F, RR 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86–0.94), reflecting a 20% difference in relative risk across the observed temperature range. Lag effects were strongest in the month of exposure and attenuated thereafter. The model demonstrated a 93.6% reduction in deviance between null and fully adjusted models. Associations were generally consistent across demographic and climate subgroups, though some estimates were imprecise, likely reflecting smaller event counts. This nationwide ecological analysis identifies a significant inverse association between monthly ambient temperatures and IHD mortality in the U.S. at the population level. These findings highlight ambient temperature as an environmental factor associated with IHD mortality and underscore the need for public health interventions to mitigate cardiovascular mortality during prolonged cold periods.

Microplastics and nanoplastics are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, with growing evidence of their ecological and human health risks. However, a clear understanding of their impacts remains limited due to challenges in isolating MPs/NPs from complex environmental and biological matrices, insufficient sensitivity at the submicron scale, lack of standardized testing protocols, and inconsistent biological outcomes arising from variability in particle properties and cell models. Lab-on-a-chip (LoC) systems offer an integrated solution by combining automated sample handling, on-chip particle enrichment, multimodal characterization, and physiologically relevant culture models under controlled microenvironments. This review first examines current analytical techniques for MPs/NPs, followed by a detailed analysis of state-of-the-art LoC strategies for particle sampling, detection, characterization, and biological impact assessments. From filtration and density-based separation for sample preparation to advanced on-chip enrichment and detection techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-coupled microfluidic platforms, we evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, identify analytical bottlenecks, and provide directions for system integration to improve sensitivity, specificity, and throughput. For biological impact evaluation, we compare 2D monolayers, co-cultures, organoids, and organ-on-a-chip models, highlighting sources of experimental variation and providing guidelines for improved reproducibility and relevance. Ultimately, we aim to outline future directions for leveraging the advantages of LoC systems to enable high-throughput, standardized and meaningful ecological analysis of MPs/NPs, advancing their potential for long-term environmental monitoring of plastic pollution as well as human toxicity screening and health impact assessment.

How cotton-specialized aphids hack cucumber plants: DNA methylation reshapes zinc finger protein xFG20-1 regulation for adaptive trade-offs.