Stable apelin-13 analogues promote cell proliferation, differentiation and protect inflammation induced cell death.

Emerging evidence indicates that apelin, an adipokine, plays a critical role in numerous biological functions and may hold potential for therapeutic applications; however, its efficacy is constrained by rapid plasma degradation. Thus, the search for novel apelin analogues with reduced susceptibility to plasma degradation is ongoing. We have previously shown novel modified apelin-13 analogues, providing exciting opportunities for potential therapeutic development against Alzheimer's disease.

Unlocking the power of L1 regularization: A novel approach to taming overfitting in CNN for image classification.

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) stand as indispensable tools in deep learning, capable of autonomously extracting crucial features from diverse data types. However, the intricacies of CNN architectures can present challenges such as overfitting and underfitting, necessitating thoughtful strategies to optimize their performance. In this work, these issues have been resolved by introducing L1 regularization in the basic architecture of CNN when it is applied for image classification.

Investigating the suitability and readiness of COPD patients to engage with novel and non-pharmacological approaches to improve patient outcomes.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) has a progressive pathology that affects well-being quality of life. This study aimed to profile well-being in COPD patients across disease classifications. A cross-sectional survey ( = 179,  = 111 female) was conducted using online self-report measures including the COPD Assessment Test, Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale, Fatigue Assessment Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), Self-Compassion Scale Short Form, confidence to try a new intervention ruler and readiness to try a new intervention ruler.

Mindfulness and Buddhist principles in oncology: Risks, misconceptions and recommendations for ethical integration.

Mindfulness-based interventions are gaining recognition as effective therapeutic tools for psychological distress in oncology. However, the widespread adoption of mindfulness in Western clinical contexts has raised ethical and philosophical concerns, particularly regarding the Westernisation and cultural appropriation of Buddhist wisdom. This paper examines the ethical implications of employing Buddhist-informed mindfulness in cancer care, focusing on issues affecting patients, practitioners, and researchers.

The 'selves' in doping and its psychosocial mechanisms: harmonised multi-country evidence from high-performing athletes in the UK, US, and China.

Background: Doping remains an ongoing threat to clean competition. To date, global preventive initiatives have not addressed critical psychosocial antecedents of doping thoroughly due to the scarcity of knowledge regarding its psychosocial mechanisms from a harmonised cross-country perspective. We, therefore, conducted a multi-country investigation testing the interplay of two important yet overlooked attributes, namely narcissism and self-compassion, and examined their psychosocial mechanisms underpinning doping.

Assessing the global variation in patient characteristics, management and short-term outcomes of spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage worldwide: a protocol for a global observational prospective multicentre study (the PLOT-ICH study).

Introduction: Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, with the greatest burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Haemorrhagic stroke or spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage (sICH), including intraparenchymal haemorrhage (IPH) and subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), has the highest mortality and morbidity. Local management practices for haemorrhagic stroke vary greatly between geographical regions.

Exploring novel thiazole-based minor groove binding agents as potential therapeutic agents against pathogenic .

Due to limited advances in diagnosis and targeted therapy, as well as poor understanding of pathophysiology, infections due to have remained a medical concern. With their ability to selectively bind to DNA sequences, minor groove binders have emerged as useful therapeutic agents against parasitic infections. Herein, 6 novel thiazole-based minor groove binders were synthesized.

Negative experiences of breastfeeding beyond the infancy age of one year in public - a deductive content analysis of a cross-sectional global sample.

Background: The global recommendations of continuing breastfeeding for two years and beyond are not being realised. Barriers to breastfeeding beyond the infancy age of one year continue to be seen globally despite the recognition that facilitating it could prevent 823,000 child and 98,000 parent deaths every year. The visibility of breastfeeding in public, particularly for those who continue to breastfeed, is thought to be reducing and this in turn impacts public acceptability.

Charting recovery pathways in Sweden: The role of time, gender and meaningful activities.

To explore the influence of gender and time in addiction recovery on engagement in meaningful activities and the reduction of harmful behaviours among the recovery population in Sweden. Participants were recruited through social media, recovery and treatment services, and snowballing, resulting in a sample of 110 individuals who consider themselves in addiction recovery for more than 3 months. Bivariate analyses were used to explore gender differences in relation to personal characteristics and current utilization of recovery support.

Effects of Asprosin and Role of TLR4 as a Biomarker in Endometrial Cancer.

(1) Background: Following the discovery of the adipokine/hormone asprosin, a substantial amount of research has provided evidence for its role in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, as well as appetite, and insulin sensitivity. Its levels are dysregulated in certain disease states, including breast cancer. To date, little is known about its role in endometrial cancer (EC).

Between Love and Exhaustion: A Qualitative Study of Greek Parents' Lived Experiences Supporting Adult Children with Substance Use Disorders.

Parents of individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs) often carry significant emotional and relational burdens, yet their voices remain underrepresented in addiction research. This study explores how Greek parents navigate the long-term challenges of caring for adult children with SUDs, with a focus on emotional strain, caregiving identity, and culturally embedded coping strategies within a collectivist context. Eight Greek parents (six mothers and two fathers, aged 47-60) participated in in-depth, semi-structured interviews.

Mobile phone-based systems for community-led injury response and coordination: a scoping review protocol.

Traumatic injuries remain a leading cause of preventable death globally, and continue to burden global healthcare services, particularly in low-resource settings. Mobile phone-based community injury response and coordination (mCIRC) systems represent a promising solution in facilitating rapid identification of injured persons, and coordinating a community-led response as an alternative or adjunct to a formal emergency service. mCIRC systems may use technologies such as geolocation and push notifications to mobilize trained responders in the vicinity of the incident, ensuring timely intervention before professional medical services arrive.

The range and reach of qualitative research in neurosurgery: A scoping review.

Following calls for more qualitative research in neurosurgery, this scoping review aimed to describe the range and reach of qualitative studies relevant to the field of neurosurgery and the patients and families affected by neurosurgical conditions. A systematic search was conducted in September 2024 across six databases: Medline via Ebsco; Embase via OVID; PsycINFO via Ebsco; Scopus; Web of Science Core Collection; and Global Health via Ebsco. Eligibility criteria were based on Population, Concept, and Context.

Pollinator-Promoting Interventions in European Urban Habitats-A Synthesis.

Pollinators receive considerable interest due to their fundamental role in ecosystem functioning and human well-being. Unlike farmlands, studies of urban pollinator-promoting interventions are scarce and have not been synthesised, hampering policy implementation. To fill this gap, we compared pollinator-promoting interventions (treatment) with conventionally managed (control) sites regarding vegetation, floral resources, and pollinators.

Future of coral bleaching research.

Coral bleaching is the largest global threat to coral reef ecosystem persistence this century. Advancing our understanding of coral bleaching and developing solutions to protect corals and the reefs they support are critical. In the present article, we, the US National Science Foundation-funded Coral Bleaching Research Coordination Network, outline future directions for coral bleaching research.

Astragalus polysaccharides protect against Di-n-butyl phthalate-induced testicular damage by modulating oxidative stress, apoptosis, and the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in rats.

Introduction: Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), a common plasticizer, is associated with oxidative stress and male reproductive toxicity. Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) have known antioxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, but their role in male reproductive health has not been fully elucidated.

Methods: Twenty-four male rats were randomly assigned to four groups ( = 6 each): control, DBP-only (500 mg/kg/day), APS-only (200 mg/kg/day), and APS + DBP (500 mg/kg/day DBP + 200 mg/kg/day APS).

Improving Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes Detection in the UK: Insights From HbA1c Screening in an Acute Hospital's Emergency Department.

Introduction: Many individuals in the community have undiagnosed glucose intolerance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and pre-diabetes (Pre-DM). This study explored screening for unknown glucose intolerance in the emergency department (ED) in an acute hospital.

Methods: 1382 persons attending the ED without T2D were screened using HbA1c.

An interesting case of coexistence of autosomal dominant hypocalcemia 1 with Bartter syndrome and chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Backround: Autosomal dominant hypocalcemia type 1 (ADH1) is a rare form of hypoparathyroidism caused by heterozygous, inherited, or de novo activating mutations in the calcium-sensing receptor gene (CASR).

Case Presentation: A 29-year-old man was referred to the outpatient department for poorly controlled hypoparathyroidism with hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia, mild hypokalemia, excessive hypercalciuria, and a worsening eGFR under conventional therapy. He was diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism on the second day of birth.

Search for Quasiparticle Scattering in the Quark-Gluon Plasma with Jet Splittings in pp and Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV.

The ALICE Collaboration reports measurements of the large relative transverse momentum (k_{T}) component of jet substructure in pp and Pb-Pb collisions at center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. Enhancement in the yield of such large-k_{T} emissions in head-on Pb-Pb collisions is predicted to arise from partonic scattering with quasiparticles of the quark-gluon plasma.

The Effect of Exposure to Alcohol Media Content on Young People's Alcohol Use: A Qualitative Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis.

Alcohol harm continues to present a public health priority. Whilst we know that a relationship exists between exposure to content and alcohol initiation and use in young people, the mechanism behind this effect is not well understood. Using the social identity approach as a meaning-making lens, a systematic review of the qualitative literature and meta-synthesis was conducted using Medline (all years), Embase (all years), and PsycINFO (all years).

Seeking to Be Heard: Reflections on the Value of a Partnership Approach to Involving Victims in the Development of Domestic Abuse Policy and Practice.

This paper outlines the development and delivery of a novel, collaborative, co-production approach to incorporating lived experience in the development of policy and practice in the area of domestic abuse. "SEEKERS" (Sharing Experience, Expertise and Knowledge for Effective Responses and Support) is an initiative which brings together victims and advocates, police, practitioners and researchers as equal partners. It creates opportunities for them to share their experiences, expertise, and knowledge, so that others can learn from these and use this learning in addressing domestic abuse-related issues more effectively.

Rigorous methodological approaches to address knowledge gaps in exercise, nutrition, immunity, and infection risk research.

Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) and the associated symptoms can have significant impacts for the general population and athletes (e.g., affecting training, recovery, and performance).

: emerging therapies and translational challenges.

Introduction: is a rare but fatal free-living ameba with > 97% mortality rate. Despite advances in clinical and scientific understanding, therapeutic options remain limited, and diagnosis is often delayed, presenting significant public health challenges.

Areas Covered: We reviewed recent literature from the last decade, using Google Scholar and PubMed  on treatment, emerging drug candidates, repurposed therapeutics, and innovative delivery strategies.

Exploring the Challenges, Facilitators, and Changes With Older Adults Taking Part in a Randomized Inspiratory Muscle Training Tai Chi Trial: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

As the global population ages, interventions that support physical and respiratory health in older adults are essential. This study investigates the experiences of older participants in a combined 8-week Tai Chi and Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT) program, aiming to explore the facilitators and barriers to participation. Thirty-one adults aged 60+ were recruited and assigned to either an experimental or sham IMT plus Tai Chi intervention with a double-blind, randomized controlled trial approach.