An analog of Clarias gariepinus Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP-38) contributes to immune homeostasis and defences against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Litopenaeus vannamei.

The provision of social services to people with intellectual disabilities by information and communication technology is now widespread. Its universal application during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to examine the challenges encountered and offer practical strategies and guidelines. Focus group sessions with 17 social workers and 12 carers supporting people with intellectual disabilities were conducted. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed. Three main themes emerged from the analysis. First, there are specific characteristics and needs that require additional training and support should be recognized. Second, sensorimotor stimuli are essential when communicating with people with intellectual disabilities, and thus human resources may be irreplaceable to varying degrees. Finally, the digital community should consider the universal design of information and communication technology software and devices to ensure that they are fully inclusive. This study reveals the complexity of the universal application of information and communication technology in social services for those with intellectual disabilities. Hence, our research team, which is composed of various professionals, thus provided operational recommendations, preventing the risk of ‘othering’ people with intellectual disabilities. Further research to assess service delivery with a group of digital natives will be useful.

Background:Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) are significantly underrepresented in fibromyalgia literature. This study aims to characterize the clinical presentation of fibromyalgia across ethnoracial groups to identify potential disparities in symptoms and comorbidities.Methods:A retrospective chart review was conducted at a single-center clinic involving 200 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Patients were stratified by race: Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Asian, and White. Clinical variables including Body Mass Index (BMI), pain severity, exercise frequency, and comorbidities were analyzed using ANOVA and Chi-Square tests with Bonferroni corrections.Results:The primary ethnoracial difference identified was BMI (p=0.0336). Mean BMI was highest in Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian groups compared to White and Asian. While pain and depression did not differ significantly by race, higher BMI was significantly associated with increased pain severity (p=0.009), higher prevalence of diabetes (p=0.004) and hypertension (p=0.006), and lower exercise frequency (p=0.045). Patients with high pain scores also showed higher depression rates compared to those with low scores (p=0.024).Conclusions:BMI may be a key pathway for elucidating ethnoracial clinical differences in fibromyalgia presentation, with higher BMI being linked to increased pain severity, higher depression rates, and a greater burden of cardiometabolic comorbidities. While analyses by race alone did not display these relationships, NHPI patients presented with disproportionately higher BMIs. This suggests that BMI may act as a key mediator for ethnoracial health disparities, highlighting the importance of culturally informed and multidisciplinary management that integrates pain care, mental health, and metabolic risk reduction.

The Dispersal of Denisovans and Neanderthals in China

Enhanced MSC spheroid adhesion on 3D-printed leaf-stacked scaffolds for functional tracheal regeneration.

BackgroundVarying degrees of flexion contracture appear commonly in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients and can be corrected using increasing distal femoral bone resection. Robotic-assisted (RA) technology aims to avoid ligament release through optimized bony resections. This study evaluated the influence of preoperative flexion contracture on the magnitude of resections surgeons perform to balance knees in RA-TKA.Materials and methodsWe reviewed 789 primary RA-TKAs from 2023 to 2024 using cruciate-retaining (CR) implants. The cohort was divided by native flexion deformity into three groups: <0° flexion (“hyperextension”, n = 157), 0-9.9° flexion (“minimal contracture”, n = 457), and ≥ 10° flexion (“clinically important contracture”, n = 175). Mean preoperative flexion contracture was − 3.8, 4.1, and 13.5° for the hyperextension, minimal contracture, and clinically important contracture cohorts, respectively. Demographics, implants, and intraoperative data were collected and analyzed. The arithmetic hip-knee-ankle (aHKA) angle was used to determine native deformity groups for additional subanalyses.ResultsSignificant differences were found between cohorts for mean distal femur and proximal tibia resections, with the clinically important contracture group having the largest resections. After accounting for implanted polyethylene thickness, differences in mean tibia resections were quite small, varying by 0.9 millimeters (mm) laterally and 0.7 mm medially. Similarly, the mean distal femoral resection varied by only 1.4 mm laterally and 0.7 mm medially between the hyperextension and clinically important contracture cohorts. Indeed, 85% of cases with clinically important contractures were managed with less than 2 mm of additional distal femoral resection compared to the minimal contracture cohort.ConclusionWith robotic-assisted TKA, bone resections can be guided by collateral ligament tension in flexion and extension. Our data suggest that surgeons can follow this strategy and successfully address flexion contractures with very small increases in resection magnitudes, which may help to maintain the joint line.

ABSTRACTBiochar is a multifunctional soil amendment that improves soil structure, enhances water‐holding capacity, and contributes to carbon sequestration. However, the dose–response relationship between biochar addition and soil behavior remains underexplored, particularly at high application rates. In this study, fifteen soil–biochar mixtures were prepared with biochar mass fractions from 0 to 1 (fBC = 0–1) to evaluate in detail the changes induced in a Sicilian clay soil. The mixtures were investigated for pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, water‐holding capacity, and water activity (Aw). Biochar addition caused pronounced increases in alkalinity, porosity, and water retention, following nonlinear dose–response trends with clear thresholds beyond fBC ≈ 0.3–0.5. FT‐IR spectroscopy revealed the progressive appearance of oxygenated and aromatic functional groups, accompanied by a reduction in signals from adsorbed water and native soil polar groups. Fast Field‐Cycling NMR relaxometry provided molecular‐scale insight into soil–water interactions. At high biochar contents, water proton T1 relaxation times were markedly lengthened, indicating a reduced overall efficiency of surface‐driven relaxation. Correlation‐time (τc) analysis further revealed the emergence of water populations with longer correlation times and a redistribution of relaxation pathways toward outer‐sphere dominated mechanisms. Overall, the results indicate that biochar improves soil water retention not by strong surface adsorption but through effective pore‐space storage, keeping water available for biological use. The combined spectroscopic and relaxometric approach establishes a direct link between molecular‐level water dynamics and macroscopic soil properties, highlighting the value of FFC‐NMR as a powerful tool for studying natural porous systems.

To date, no studies have investigated the effect of native language on depressive symptom networks. To address this gap, we examined depression symptom network structure across four major cultural-linguistic groups in Peru (Castellano, Quechua, Aymara, and Amazonian indigenous languages). We conducted a network analysis of PHQ-9 depression symptoms using nationally representative data from 31,276 Peruvian participants. Networks were estimated using ggmModSelect with Spearman correlations. Native language groups were compared using permutation tests to evaluate network differences. Depression networks exhibited distinct architectures across groups, with Castellano showing the highest connectivity (22 active edges), followed by Quechua (20 edges) and Aymara (12 edges, p < 0.019). While worthlessness/guilt-suicidal ideation was the strongest universal pathway (r = 0.377-0.44), groups exhibited distinct centrality patterns: Castellano networks centered on depressed mood, Quechua on fatigue, and Aymara on suicidal ideation. Aymara networks showed absence of anhedonia-depressed mood connections (r = 0.00) and unique psychomotor-suicidal ideation pathways (r = 0.27), which requires further exploration. It is suggested that native language may shape depression architecture, suggesting distinct cultural-linguistic patterns that challenge current depression models.

This work establishes a chemoselective peptide stapling method via bis-urea bridge formation between native amino groups, using diisocyanates as linchpin reagents. This protocol achieves macrocyclization across 19- to 41-membered rings through either lysine-lysine or N-terminus-lysine cross-linking, while preserving sensitive residues including Arg, His, Trp, Tyr, Ser, Glu and Cys. Evaluation of the resulting stapled peptides revealed improved membrane permeability and increased stability against both chemical and proteolytic degradation. Representative stapled peptides demonstrated potent cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines and induced dose-dependent apoptotic responses in selected tumor models.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) are critical health challenges that increase mortality, particularly in older adults. This study analyzed trends in AAMRs and disparities in comorbid T2DM and MI mortality (1999-2022) across demographics, regions, and age groups to identify inequities and guide interventions. Mortality data from CDC death certificates were analyzed. AAMRs per 1000,000 and annual percentage changes (APCs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Joinpoint Regression. From 1999 to 2022, there were 183,221 deaths attributed to the combination of T2DM and MI. Throughout this period, men consistently exhibited higher mortality rates compared to women. When analyzing racial and ethnic groups, Non-Hispanic (NH) American Indian and NH Alaska Native groups had the highest AAMRs, followed by NH Black population, while NH Asian and Pacific Islander population recorded the lowest rates. Geographically, the West (AAMR 118.8) and Midwest (115.0) regions reported the highest death rates, whereas the Northeast had the lowest rate at 70.4. Age-specific trends indicated the most significant increases in mortality among individuals aged 85 and older. Furthermore, non-metropolitan areas experienced a sharper rise in death rates after 2015, showing an APC of 7.4%, compared to a more moderate increase of 6.1% in metropolitan areas. West Virginia displayed the highest burden of deaths related to T2DM and MI, with an AAMR of 173.6, while Nevada had the lowest burden at 30.1. Mortality from comorbid T2DM and MI has surged, with widening disparities across gender, race, regions, and age groups. Targeted interventions are essential to reduce these inequities and prevent deaths. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-025-01795-2.

Background: Recent studies have associated the presence of the CYP2C:TG haplotype with increased metabolism of CYP2C19 substrates such as escitalopram and sertraline, suggesting a potential regulatory interaction between CYP2C18 and CYP2C19. However, this association has not been demonstrated for other CYP2C19 substrates. Objective: This study aims to elucidate the role of the CYP2C:TG haplotype in modulating CYP2C19 activity using the omeprazole metabolic ratio (MR) within a cocktail drug approach, to characterize its distribution and prevalence among Native Mexican populations, and to evaluate its potential impact on CYP2C19 metabolic phenotypes. Materials and Methods: A total of 256 volunteers from various ethnic native groups from Mexico were genotyped for CYP2C19 (*2, *3, *4, *5, *17) and the CYP2C haplotype (rs2860840 and rs11188059). The MR of omeprazole to 5-hydroxyomeprazole was analyzed to determine individual CYP2C19 metabolic phenotypes and assess metabolic capacity. Results: The CYP2C:TG haplotype was the most prevalent (42.77%), followed by CYP2C:CG (35.74%) and CYP2C:TA (21.48%). The CYP2C:TG haplotype was consistently associated with the CYP2C19*1 allele. Significant differences in logMR values were observed between individuals with and without the TG haplotype (p = 0.02). A trend toward increased metabolic activity associated with CYP2C:TG was observed across most CYP2C19 metabolizer groups, except for rapid metabolizers. No significant association was found between molecular ancestry and the presence or functionality of the haplotype. Conclusions: The CYP2C:TG haplotype appears to be associated with increased CYP2C19 activity, warranting further functional validation before clinical implementation.

We examined the perception of Japanese consonant length by three groups of Vietnamese speakers and a group of 10 Japanese speakers. Two of the Vietnamese groups consisted of learners of Japanese with one group participating in Vietnam (n=17) and the other in Japan (n=13). The third Vietnamese group consisted of 12 participants inexperienced in Japanese. Unlike Japanese, consonant length is non-contrastive in Vietnamese. Thus, we were interested in how different experience with Japanese may influence the perception of difficult Japanese contrasts. The overall mean discriminability in d-prime was 1.0, 1.9, 3.1 and 4.5 for the non-learner group, the learner group in Vietnam, the learner group in Japan and the native Japanese group, respectively. A clear difference between the two learner groups demonstrates learnability of Japanese consonant length for grownups. At the same time, the qualitative difference between the advanced learners and native Japanese speakers suggests genuine and persistent difficulty of Japanese consonant length. By providing additional empirical data beyond the segmental level, this study helps us to better evaluate the extent to which current theories of second language (L2) speech learning account for the acquisition of a wide range of L2 sounds by speakers from diverse first language backgrounds.

Aims and objectives: This study examines how cognate status and elicitation tasks affect Voice Onset Time (VOT) production in advanced Japanese-English bilinguals. It investigates whether bilinguals exhibit phonetic cross-linguistic influence in both their first (L1) and second (L2) languages and compares their L2 productions to a native English baseline to assess phonetic attainment. Design/methodology/approach: VOT data for word-initial /k/ were collected from 28 advanced Japanese-English bilinguals and a control group of 6 native English speakers. Participants produced cognate and non-cognate words in both Japanese (bilinguals only) and English using two tasks: picture naming and sentence reading. Data and analysis: A total of 2016 tokens from the bilinguals and 216 from the native speakers were acoustically analyzed. Mean VOT values were submitted to a mixed-design ANOVA to compare the groups’ English productions and a repeated-measures ANOVA to analyze the bilinguals’ productions across both languages. Findings/conclusions: A significant three-way interaction between Language, Word Status, and Task Type was found for the bilinguals, indicating that the phonetic cognate effect is modulated by both the language context and task demands. Critically, bilinguals exhibited a significant cognate effect in their English productions (shorter VOTs for cognates), a pattern not found to be statistically significant in the native speaker group. Bilinguals’ English VOTs were also significantly shorter overall than those of the native speakers. Originality: This study is the first to investigate phonetic cognate effects in a language pair with differing orthographies (Japanese-English) while also comparing different production tasks and including a native-speaker baseline. Significance/implications: The results provide robust evidence for the continuous co-activation of a bilingual’s two languages during speech production. The findings are discussed within an exemplar-based model of bilingual phonology, highlighting the intricate interplay of lexical and phonetic factors in shaping bilingual speech.

Aryl C-glycosides are privileged scaffolds in drug discovery, biochemical research, and materials science. Established methods for their synthesis typically involve radical cross-coupling of saccharides. However, the glycosyl donors required in these methods encounter longstanding challenges, including instability and the need for prefunctionalization at the anomeric position. Herein, we report a highly efficient radical cross-coupling approach in which the native hydroxyl group on saccharides is activated in situ by a phosphorus reagent, enabling C − C bond formation with aryl iodides to afford a broad range of aryl C-glycosides. A combination of Zn and I2 is developed for initiating the key β-scission step. Importantly, the glycosyl donors are bench-stable and readily available, addressing the issues associated with previous donors. Furthermore, this method offers an attractive strategy for the direct synthesis of drug-sugar conjugates and therapeutic agents. Mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations provide strong support for the proposed reaction mechanism.

The direct functionalization of C(sp3)-H bonds assisted by native carbonyl functional groups is a promising strategy for the streamlined synthesis of complex molecules. Here, we report native amide-directed C(sp3)-H alkynylation reactions using an electron-deficient iridium catalyst and an electron-deficient pyridone ligand. Under the optimized conditions, the C(sp3)-H alkynylation of terminal methyl groups and internal methylene groups of cyclobutane carboxamides afforded the desired products in moderate to good yields.

Evaluation of a novel 4-day decellularisation protocol for porcine flexor tendons: A comparative study with a 26-day process.

Genetic and archaeological studies indicate that the American continent has undergone multiple waves of human migration, shaping a complex population genetic structure comprising three major ethnic groups—Native American, European, and African—unevenly distributed across the continent. In this study, we examined MAPT (17q21.31) haplotype and subhaplotype frequencies by analyzing two single nucleotide polymorphism markers (rs10514879 and rs199451) in three South American groups from distinct countries: Waorani (Ecuadorian Amazon), Jujuy (northwestern Argentina), and Afro-Colombian (northwestern Colombia). To broaden the scope, we also genotyped four short tandem repeats within the 17q21.31 chromosomal region and compiled H2 haplotype and subhaplotype frequency data for 97 worldwide populations (Africa: 26; Asia: 37; Europe: 19; America: 15). We used the publicly available genome-wide databases 1000G and ALFRED. Genetic heterogeneity among population clusters, classified by geographic region, was examined by hierarchical analysis of molecular variance. Likewise, we explored genetic affinities between the Waorani, Afro-Colombian, and Jujuy samples and worldwide collections using factorial correspondence analysis. The H1 haplotype predominated in all study populations. Notably, H2 varied among them: In Afro-Colombians, H2 was found at a frequency of 0.058, with equal representation of subhaplotypes H2’ and H2D. Among Native American groups (Waorani and Jujuy), the H2 haplotype was virtually absent, with only H2D detected in Jujuy at a very low frequency (0.007). Analysis of a set of short tandem repeats from the MAPT region identified distinct genetic features in Native American groups, characterized by markedly low heterozygosity. Waorani and Karitiana exhibited strikingly low genetic diversity, reflecting a significant degree of population isolation and, consequently, a potentially strong impact of genetic drift. In summary, our analyses demonstrate the utility of MAPT haplotypes in detecting the effects of population isolation, genetic drift, and admixture on the gene pool of the South American samples examined. MAPT haplotypes may serve as reliable lineage markers, given their ability to differentiate ethnic groups and trace ancestral chromosomes. They have proved to be an informative and cost-effective tool for exploring ancestry, geographic origins, and demographic history in anthropological studies.

Study on the high viscosity and gel-prone properties of glycine-amidated pectin and its regulatory role on the freeze-thaw stability of sea bass surimi.

PTH 9: Miscellaneous 2, B302 (FCSH), September 5, 2025, 11:30 - 12:24AimsHealth Literacy (HL) has received much attention in the context of public health in the past couple of decades. Among migrants, HL is particularly relevant as a protective factor for health. The HLS19-Q12 was developed with the purpose of supporting the availability of high-quality internationally comparable data on population HL. This study presents the Finnish version of HLS19-Q12 and its psychometric properties in local and foreign-born samples of the working aged population of Finland.MethodsData on HL was collected in national Finnish population surveys in 2022-2023. Psychometric functioning was analyzed via subsamples from the Healthy Finland (n = 4028) and MoniSuomi (n = 4190) population surveys. We applied the unidimensional Nominal Response Model (NRM) to examine psychometric functioning of the response categories and investigated measurement invariance and differential item functioning (DIF).ResultsItem distributions were asymmetric or J-shaped. The NRM showed adequate fit in all subsamples and revealed differences in the functioning of the opt-out response category across groups. We observed equivalent functioning of the test between English native and non-native speaking groups. DIF analyses flagged three items (3, 4, 5) for response style bias. No item was flagged for DIF when comparing migrant and general Finnish populations.ConclusionsOur results suggest that HLS19-Q12 can be used to compare HL scores between native and foreign-born populations of Finland. However, it is worth to consider removing the opt-out response for its wide variation across language versions and because it would resolve sparsity of data, improving the Test Information particularly at lower and average levels of the latent trait. Implications of the heterogeneity introduced by cross-cultural measurement are discussed.

Potential ecological risk of escaped Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂: evidence from competitive interactions with native grouper species