PLoS ONE

This study explored the genetic evidence linking triglyceride-related pathways and lipid-lowering drug targets with endometriosis risk and investigated the genetic association between TG levels and EM. Using genome-wide association study (GWAS) data, a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted, estimating the association between genetically predicted TG levels and EM risk (OR…

Background Reduced skeletal muscle mass may impair outcomes of immune checkpoint inhibitors in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We evaluated whether temporal muscle thickness (TMT) on routine head computed tomography was associated with treatment response and survival. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 109 patients treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab between 20…

Despite a growing body of research highlighting the advantages of caregiver education for both autistic individuals and their caregivers, little is known about what Chinese caregivers of autistic children may want and need within caregiver education. In this qualitative study, we invited 14 Chinese caregivers of autistic children to share their needs and perspectives on the content and delivery o…

The continuing increase in incidence of tick-borne illnesses in the United States necessitates expanded surveillance, especially in areas like Illinois experiencing range expansion of key vectors such as Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum . We report on the initial years (2018–2023) of a community-engaged passive tick surveillance program in Illinois designed to complement active collecti…

This study investigated the impact of air pollution on 604 patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) between 1999 and 2020 in upper northern Thailand. Patients were categorized into three age groups: pediatric (<15 years), adolescent and young adult (AYA) (15–39 years), and adult (≥40 years). The cohort included 344 (57.0%) pediatric, 152 (25.1%) AYA, and 108 (17.9%) adult pat…

Important in many human artistic cultures, checkerboard patterns are rare in nature like many motifs based on squared geometry. Nevertheless, they are expected to be very detectable by the visual systems due to their periodic geometry and contrasted two-tone coloring, therefore potential specific biological functions are suspected. Here, thanks to a biological survey, we draw the first diversity …

Additively fabricated Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) is highly preferred for medical applications. Its biocompatibility makes it the preferred material for biomedical applications such as prosthetics and dentistry. It is crucial to understand the mechanical properties of such materials when used in biomedical applications. Determining the mechanical properties of parts is a time-consuming and cos…

Background Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) increases cardiovascular risk, but the vascular benefits of reducing hepatic triglycerides remain unclear. Aim To determine whether short-term diet-induced reductions in hepatic triglycerides improve arterial stiffness and endothelial function. Methods In a two-week, two-arm pre-post dietary intervention trial, adults wit…

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and a leading cause of death. Traditional risk assessment models, such as the Gail model, lack molecular insight, limiting their usefulness for personalized prevention strategies. We developed a computational framework that integrates individual transcriptomic data with dynamic modeling of cell signaling to create personalized models for 30 subject…

Introduction The gut microbiome-metabolome interplay in hemodialysis (HD) patients remains poorly characterized. Using multi-omics approaches, we compared HD patients with healthy controls (HC) to identify microbial signatures, metabolic perturbations, and their integrated correlations. Methods This case-control study included 192 participants (96 HD-HC pairs under identical dietary and living co…

Caregivers of patients with Severe Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) face tremendous challenges. They often experience elevated levels of burden, depression, and anxiety. These factors negatively impact their quality of life (QoL). However, few studies have examined caregiver burden and its psychological effects in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to assess caregiver burden in relation to socio-demog…

Background Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (MDRE) is among the leading causes of hospital-acquired infections, resulting in prolonged hospitalization, increased healthcare costs, and mortality. Carbapenem are often used as last-resort antibiotics; however, the emergence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) has severely limited treatment options. In Ethiopia, data on their bu…

Artificial forests can improve the function and quality of poor soil. Different artificial trees are grown in some areas worldwide. However, data on soil quality levels in different artificial forest soils in the Qingling Mountains of China are scarce. The purpose of this research was to estimate the level and spatial distribution characteristics of soil quality by applying the total dataset (TDS…

Background Modest body weight reduction can greatly improve many health-related outcomes. In the SURMOUNT clinical trial program, once-weekly tirzepatide resulted in substantial body weight reductions in people with obesity, without and with type 2 diabetes. Objective This post-hoc analysis assessed the proportion of participants achieving body weight reduction thresholds (≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15%), systo…

Convergent thinking is a critical aspect of creative thinking, and it has a substantial influence on the learning and work of college students. Emotion regulation not only enhances emotional well-being but also plays a vital role in the creative process. Additionally, various social and cognitive factors contribute to the completion of complex convergent thinking tasks, with cognitive load being …

Purpose Young nurses represent the primary workforce for the future of the nursing industry. However, they often experience a heightened sense of overqualification, which can easily lead to silence behavior, negatively impacting personal well-being, organizational development, and the quality of nursing care. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between perceived overqualifica…

Objective Global Geoparks possess both scientific significance and tourism appeal; however, their landscape types are highly diverse and the dimensions of visual quality are multifaceted, making it difficult for any single assessment approach to simultaneously capture subjective aesthetic preferences and objective visibility.This study takes Longyan Global Geopark as the research object, aiming t…

Oral lichen planus is a chronic inflammatory disease of the oral mucosa characterised by immune dysregulation, but its pathogenesis remains incompletely understood and no curative treatment has been established. Our previous work showed that patients with oral lichen planus exhibit gut dysbiosis, including reduced microbial diversity and depletion of butyrate-producing bacteria. Because butyrate …

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) relies on the selective uptake of boron-10 compounds by tumor cells. L-boronophenylalanine (BPA) serves as a key carrier, and enhancing its accumulation is critical for improving BNCT efficacy. In this study, we examined how L-phenylalanine (Phe) restriction affects BPA uptake and related cellular responses in the tumor cell lines SAS, U87-MG, PANC-1, and A375…

Background The fossil fuel industry’s practices and products create wide‑ranging harms to human health, with disproportionate impacts on communities already affected by structural disadvantage. Young people, particularly adolescents, are among those most affected by these harms, yet they are often excluded from health and climate decision-making. At the same time, youth-led initiatives to counter…