PLoS ONE

Background Meconium aspiration syndrome is a life-threatening respiratory disease affecting around 5% of neonates worldwide. Although several studies have been conducted in developed countries, data on meconium aspiration syndrome and its associated factors remain limited in low-resource settings, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the meconium aspiration syndrome and as…

Aim Climate change poses increasing risks to outdoor occupations, including construction work. This study explores how vulnerability is constructed in narratives of manual labour within the Swedish construction sector, particularly under extreme weather conditions. Methods Drawing on 16 qualitative interviews with Swedish construction workers, the study adopts a social constructionist lens to exp…

Spiritual care is recognized as a core component of holistic nursing, particularly for patients experiencing prolonged hospitalization. Extended hospital stays may intensify spiritual needs by disrupting daily routines, limiting engagement in religious practices, and increasing existential distress. However, empirical evidence on patients’ spiritual care needs and their perceptions of nursing pra…

Background Fatigue is a frequent and distressing symptom experienced by patients with cancer. It may result from the disease process and/or its aggressive treatment, which substantially impact the quality of life of cancer patients. Furthermore, there is a paucity of evidence in the Eastern part of Ethiopia. Hence this study aimed to assess the prevalence of cancer related fatigue and its associa…

Background Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of spinal cord dysfunction. While cervical laminoplasty (LAMP) is the standard treatment, the optimal fixation method for the opened lamina, specifically between the conventional suture-anchor method and the modern plate system, remains debated. Although clip-plates offer rigid fixation for the opened lamina, they are associated…

This study investigates the optimization of wind-solar-gas-storage integrated energy systems (IES) under the dual-market mechanisms of carbon emission trading (CET) and green certificate trading (GCT). A unified analytical framework is developed to examine the techno-economic and environmental performance of IES within these combined market structures. The results indicate that the concurrent imp…

English is the language of instruction at international schools in Saudi Arabia, which have traditionally been attended by the children of expatriate professionals living in the country. In recent years, Saudi parents have begun to enrol their children in international schools, which is a novel phenomenon in the Saudi context. This study assessed parents’ attitudes towards international schools f…

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a widespread public health concern that disproportionately affects women of reproductive age, particularly during pregnancy. Antenatal IPV (AN-IPV) is associated with adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, including poor breastfeeding practices. In Ethiopia, despite the high prevalence of AN-IPV, its association with breastfeeding outcomes remai…

Peptic ulcers remain a recurrent gastrointestinal disorder requiring preventive nutritional strategies. Functional foods that promote gastrointestinal health may play an important role in preventing and managing peptic ulcers. In this study, we evaluated pregelatinized green banana flour (GBF) prepared by drum drying as a functional ingredient for developing snack bars with gastroprotective poten…

A paradigm shift from Channel State Information (CSI)-dependent architectures to intelligent, AI-native air interfaces is required as 6G wireless systems advance. Conventional Multi-User Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MU-MIMO) systems have substantial pilot overhead and computational complexity since they rely on explicit CSI for beamforming and interference management. This study suggests a nov…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether short-duration phase-change material cooling (PCM) applied at different temperatures influences acute recovery following fatigue induced by stretch–shortening cycle exercise (SSC). Sixty-four physically active participants were randomly assigned to 5°C, 10°C, or 15°C PCM cryotherapy group or a passive recovery control group. After completing a SSC …

The human gut microbiome, consisting of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, influences various physiological processes of the body. The gut microbiome composition is shaped by factors such as diet, geography, and antibiotic use. Malaria has been a global health challenge over the years, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigated how asymptomatic malaria infection a…

Climate change can reshape the potential distributions of crops and their pests, as well as their spatial overlap, with important implications for agricultural security and pest management. Rosa. roxburghii , a key specialty crop in southwestern China, is threatened by its primary pest, Grapholita molesta . Here, we used occurrence records and WorldClim bioclimatic variables to model the potentia…

Background Shared decision-making is crucial for alignment of treatment options with patient values and preferences. However, currently in Ethiopia, shared decision-making in clinical care of cancer, in which cervical cancer is not exceptional, is not well understood. Aim This study aimed to assess the perceived level of shared decision-making and its predictors in cervical cancer care at Tikur A…

Cross-modal fusion of medical imaging and laboratory data is a key pathway for accurate diagnosis of diseases, yet it is constrained by issues such as the modal heterogeneity gap, accumulation of feature redundancy, and efficiency imbalance. Existing methods struggle to balance precision and clinical adaptability, and some rely on simulated data leading to limited generalization ability. To addre…

Background This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether vitamin B intake (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin) influences different hypertension subtypes and which subtype exhibits a more profound effect. The objective was to determine whether different vitamins should be supplemented according to specific hypertension subtypes. Methods This cross-sectional study encompassed data from twenty-…

Bacterial leaf blight (BLB) of rice is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae ( Xo o) and leads to significant yield loss. The overuse of antibacterial chemicals casuse environmental toxicity, high cost, and low biosafety generating interest in eco-friendly alternatives.This study evaluated the antibacterial efficacy of biosynthesized zinc–chitosan nanoparticles (ZnChNPs) against X…

Objective This study aims to determine the effects of sleep quality along with age, marital status, socioeconomic status, depression, anxiety, disease activity, pain scale, and dose of corticosteroids on quality of life in women with SLE. Methods Variables were assessed in 75 women with SLE using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Lupus Quality of Life (Lupus QoL), Depression, Anxiety, an…

Purpose This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based prediction model for myopia progression using ocular biometric parameters to provide an objective assessment tool for clinical practice. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients treated at Shanghai Parkway Health Ophthalmology Department as the training set, and myopic individuals from the Optometry Center of Peking Un…