Explore the vast range of titles available.

Background The predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling constructs in educational diagnosis and evaluation policy, regulatory, and organizational constructs in educational and environmental development (PRECEDE-PROCEED) model has been used as a theoretical framework to guide health promotion strategies to prevent chronic diseases and improve the quality of life. However, there is a lack of evidence as to whether applying the PRECEDE-PROCEED model effectively improves health outcomes. This study aimed to systematically review intervention studies that applied the PRECEDE-PROCEED model and examine its effectiveness.  Methods In December 2020, seven databases were systematically searched. The quality of studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The outcome of interest for the meta-analysis was knowledge. Results In total, 26 studies were systematically reviewed. Most studies provided educational programs as the main intervention for various population groups. Symptom or disease management and health-related behavior promotion were the most common topics, and education was the most frequently used intervention method. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model was applied in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the intervention programs. Eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis, which showed that interventions using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model significantly improved knowledge. Conclusions This study indicated that individuals are more likely to engage in health-related behaviors with better knowledge. Thus, the PRECEDE-PROCEED model can be used as the theoretical framework for health promotion interventions across population groups, and these interventions are particularly effective with regard to knowledge improvement.

Ammonia is a carbon-free energy carrier and a natural refrigerant with a high energy density. However, its high toxicity raises significant safety concerns in confined environments. To address this issue, this study developed a hybrid ammonia capture material, water-loaded zeolite 13X (WLZ), which combines the structural stability of zeolites with a strong chemical affinity for water. WLZ was synthesized using an ethanol-water impregnation method. A series of experiments were conducted under simulated leak conditions in pure ammonia and air. WLZ-75, containing 75% water loading, demonstrated high ammonia capture efficiency (over 90% removal at 1000 ppm), stable low-temperature regeneration below 90 °C over repeated cycles, and more than 95% retention after 10 capture/regeneration cycles. Chamber-scale tests confirmed not only its high removal performance but also exothermic behavior, potentially enabling thermal-based leak detection. These results demonstrate that WLZ is a highly regenerable and thermally responsive material suitable for ammonia safety management in refrigeration, fuel systems, and sealed environments.

Bile salt hydrolase (BSH) in Bacteroides is considered a potential drug target for obesity-related metabolic diseases, but its involvement in colon tumorigenesis has not been explored. BSH-expressing Bacteroides is found at high abundance in the stools of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients  with overweight and in the feces of a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced CRC mouse model. Colonization of B. fragilis 638R, a strain with low BSH activity, overexpressing a recombinant bsh gene from B. fragilis NCTC9343 strain, results in increased unconjugated bile acids in the colon and accelerated progression of CRC under HFD treatment. In the presence of high BSH activity, the resultant elevation of unconjugated deoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid activates the G-protein-coupled bile acid receptor, resulting in increased β-catenin-regulated chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 28 (CCL28) expression in colon tumors. Activation of the β-catenin/CCL28 axis leads to elevated intra-tumoral immunosuppressive CD25 + FOXP3 + T reg cells. Blockade of the β-catenin/CCL28 axis releases the immunosuppression to enhance the intra-tumoral anti-tumor response, which decreases CRC progression under HFD treatment. Pharmacological inhibition of BSH reduces HFD-accelerated CRC progression, coincident with suppression of the β-catenin/CCL28 pathway. These findings provide insights into the pro-carcinogenetic role of Bacteroides in obesity-related CRC progression and characterize BSH as a potential target for CRC prevention and treatment. Non-enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (NTBF) is abundant in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced CRC model. Here the authors show that bile salt hydrolase-expressing NTBF is enriched in CRC patients with overweight and promotes tumor growth in an HFD-induced CRC mouse model.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), an ester of caffeic acid and quinic acid, is among the phenolic acid compounds which can be naturally found in green coffee extract and tea. CGA has been studied since it displays significant pharmacological properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of CGA on cognitive function and neuroprotection including its mechanisms in the hippocampus following transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils. Memory and learning following the ischemia was investigated by eight-arm radial maze and passive avoidance tests. Neuroprotection was examined by immunohistochemistry for neuronal nuclei-specific protein and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence staining. For mechanisms of the neuroprotection, alterations in copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1), SOD2 as antioxidant enzymes, dihydroethidium and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal as indicators for oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) and IL-2) were examined by Western blotting and/or immunohistochemistry. As a result, pretreatment with 30 mg/kg CGA attenuated cognitive impairment and displayed a neuroprotective effect against transient forebrain ischemia (TFI). In Western blotting, the expression levels of SOD2 and IL-4 were increased due to pretreatment with CGA and, furthermore, 4-HNE production and IL-4 expressions were inhibited by CGA pretreatment. Additionally, pretreated CGA enhanced antioxidant enzymes and anti-inflammatory cytokines and, in contrast, attenuated oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Based on these results, we suggest that CGA can be a useful neuroprotective material against ischemia-reperfusion injury due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory efficacies.

Academic achievement is a critical measure of intellectual ability, prompting extensive research into cognitive tasks as potential predictors. Neuroimaging technologies, such as functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), offer insights into brain hemodynamics, allowing understanding of the link between cognitive performance and academic achievement. Herein, we explored the association between cognitive tasks and academic achievement by analyzing prefrontal fNIRS signals. A novel quantum annealer (QA) feature selection algorithm was applied to fNIRS data to identify cognitive tasks correlated with CSAT scores. Twelve features (signal mean, median, variance, peak, number of peaks, sum of peaks, range, minimum, kurtosis, skewness, standard deviation, and root mean square) were extracted from fNIRS signals at two time windows (10- and 60-s) to compare results from various feature variable conditions. The feature selection results from the QA-based and XGBoost regressor algorithms were compared to validate the former’s performance. In a two-step validation process using multiple linear regression models, model fitness (adjusted R 2 ) and model prediction error (RMSE) values were calculated. The quantum annealer demonstrated comparable performance to classical machine learning models, and specific cognitive tasks, including verbal fluency, recognition, and the Corsi block tapping task, were correlated with academic achievement. Group analyses revealed stronger associations between Tower of London and N-back tasks with higher CSAT scores. Quantum annealing algorithms have significant potential in feature selection using fNIRS data, and represents a novel research approach. Future studies should explore predictors of academic achievement and cognitive ability.

Wound documentation is integral to effective wound care, health data coding and facilitating continuity of care. This study evaluated the usability and effectiveness of an artificial intelligence application for wound assessment and management from a clinician‐and‐patient user perspective. A quasi‐experimental design was conducted in four settings in an Australian health service. Data were collected from patients in the standard group (n = 166, 243 wounds) and intervention group (n = 124, 184 wounds), at baseline and post‐intervention. Clinicians participated in a survey (n = 10) and focus group interviews (n = 13) and patients were interviewed (n = 4). Wound documentation data were analysed descriptively, and bivariate statistics were used to determine between‐group differences. Thematic analysis of interviews was conducted. Compared with the standard group, wound documentation in the intervention group improved significantly (more than two items documented 24% vs 70%, P  < .001). During the intervention, 101 out of 132 wounds improved (mean wound size reduction = 53.99%). Positive evaluations identified improvements such as instantaneous objective wound assessment, shared wound plans, increased patient adherence and enhanced efficiency in providing virtual care. The use of the application facilitated remote patient monitoring and reduced patient travel time while maintaining optimal wound care.

The over and repeated use of chemical bactericides to control plant bacterial diseases has resulted in unwanted effects, such as environmental pollution, residual toxicity, and resistance buildup in bacterial pathogens. Many previous studies have aimed to develop biological control agents to replace chemical bactericides. In this study, the antibacterial efficacy of the fermentation broth of Paenibacillus elgii JCK-5075 and its antibacterial compounds were evaluated against plant pathogenic bacteria, using both in vitro and in vivo bioassays. Pelgipeptins (PGPs) A, B, C, and D that were isolated from P. elgii JCK-5075 displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against various plant pathogenic bacteria. The fermentation broth of P. elgii JCK-5075, at 5-fold dilution, effectively suppressed the development of tomato bacterial wilt, Kimchi cabbage soft rot, and red pepper bacterial leaf spot in pot experiments with control values of 81, 84, and 67%, respectively. PGP-A and C, at 200 μg/ml, were also found to markedly reduce the development of Kimchi cabbage bacterial soft rot by 75% and tomato bacterial wilt by 83%, respectively, and their disease control efficacy was comparable to that of oxolinic acid with control values of 81 and 85%, respectively. Additionally, the antibacterial activity of PGP-C was found to be directly correlated with membrane damage mechanisms. These results indicates that P. elgii JCK-5075 producing PGPs could be used as a biocontrol agent for the control of plant bacterial diseases. This is the first report on the in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity of PGPs against bacterial plant pathogens.

Strigolactones are endogenous plant hormones regulating plant development and are exuded into the rhizosphere when plants experience nutrient deficiency. There, they promote the mutualistic association of plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that help the plant with the uptake of nutrients from the soil. This shows that plants actively establish—through the exudation of strigolactones—mutualistic interactions with microbes to overcome inadequate nutrition. The signaling function of strigolactones could possibly extend to other microbial partners, but the effect of strigolactones on the global root and rhizosphere microbiome remains poorly understood. Therefore, we analyzed the bacterial and fungal microbial communities of 16 rice genotypes differing in their root strigolactone exudation. Using multivariate analyses, distinctive differences in the microbiome composition were uncovered depending on strigolactone exudation. Moreover, the results of regression modeling showed that structural differences in the exuded strigolactones affected different sets of microbes. In particular, orobanchol was linked to the relative abundance of Burkholderia–Caballeronia–Paraburkholderia and Acidobacteria that potentially solubilize phosphate, while 4-deoxyorobanchol was associated with the genera Dyella and Umbelopsis. With this research, we provide new insight into the role of strigolactones in the interplay between plants and microbes in the rhizosphere.

Retinal degenerative disorders, including age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), are characterized by the irreversible loss of photoreceptor cells and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells; however, the long-term effect of implanting both human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived RPE and photoreceptor for retinal regeneration has not yet been investigated. In this study, we evaluated the long-term effects of hiPSC-derived RPE and photoreceptor cell transplantation in Pde6b knockout rats to study RP; cells were injected into the subretinal space of the right eyes of rats before the appearance of signs of retinal degeneration at 2–3 weeks of age. Ten months after transplantation, we evaluated the cells using fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and histological evaluation, and no abnormal cell proliferation was observed. A relatively large number of transplanted cells persisted during the first 4 months; subsequently, the number of these cells decreased gradually. Notably, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the hiPSC-derived retinal cells showed characteristics of both RPE cells and photoreceptors of human origin after transplantation. Functional analysis of vision by scotopic electroretinogram revealed significant preservation of vision after transplantation. Our study suggests that the transplantation of hiPSC-derived retinal cells, including RPE cells and photoreceptors, has a potential therapeutic effect against irreversible retinal degenerative diseases. Retinal disease: Cell transplants offer hope Cells with the potential to regenerate retinal cells could become a useful treatment for serious eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The retina has only limited self-regenerating potential. Joo Yong Lee and colleagues at the University of Ulsan in Seoul, South Korea, studied the long-term effects of implanting cells derived from human stem cells into the eyes of rats that had been genetically modified to act as a model of retinal degenerative disease. The implanted cells have the features of the photoreceptor cells that detect light and those cells that generate a layer of the retina called the retinal pigment epithelium. A substantial population of the cells persisted for at least four months, significantly preserving the animals’ vision. The results justify further exploration of the therapeutic possibilities.

Birefringence, an inherent characteristic of optically anisotropic materials, is widely utilized in various imaging applications ranging from material characterizations to clinical diagnosis. Polarized light microscopy enables high-resolution, high-contrast imaging of optically anisotropic specimens, but it is associated with mechanical rotations of polarizer/analyzer and relatively complex optical designs. Here, we present a form of lens-less polarization-sensitive microscopy capable of complex and birefringence imaging of transparent objects without an optical lens and any moving parts. Our method exploits an optical mask-modulated polarization image sensor and single-input-state LED illumination design to obtain complex and birefringence images of the object via ptychographic phase retrieval. Using a camera with a pixel size of 3.45 μm, the method achieves birefringence imaging with a half-pitch resolution of 2.46 μm over a 59.74 mm 2  field-of-view, which corresponds to a space-bandwidth product of 9.9 megapixels. We demonstrate the high-resolution, large-area, phase and birefringence imaging capability of our method by presenting the phase and birefringence images of various anisotropic objects, including a monosodium urate crystal, and excised mouse eye and heart tissues.