BackgroundAdenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing has been found to function in various neurological disorders; however, the role of A-to-I RNA editing in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) remains unclear.MethodsRNA editing profiles of mouse retinas at different developmental stages, and three RP mouse models that were sampled at the peak of photoreceptor cell death for each model were analyzed to identify significant RNA editing events and genes involved in development and RP pathogenesis. Data from two addtional RP models were used for validation. Key editing sites were validated by Sanger sequencing and dual-luciferase reporter assays.ResultsGlobal A-to-I editing levels increased during normal retinal development, correlating with Adar/Adarb1 expression. In RP models, significant alterations in editing landscapes were observed, including dysregulated editing of 55 IRD-related genes. Functional enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses highlighted 10 hub genes, including Rgs9bp, which showed extensive editing and elevated expression. Editing at specific sites in Rgs9bp enhanced reporter gene expression, implying a functional impact. Notably, Rgs9bp, traditionally linked to cone-specific bradyopsia, exhibited hyper-editing in rod-dominant RP models, suggesting a broader role in retinal degeneration.ConclusionsOur study reveals that A-to-I RNA editing is dynamically regulated during retinal development and profoundly altered in RP, implicating RNA editing as a novel layer of gene regulation in inherited retinal diseases.

BackgroundGlobodera rostochiensis, a potato cyst nematode (PCN) species, is distributed in potato-growing regions across Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. Recognized as a quarantine pest under international phytosanitary frameworks, its detection is critical for biosecurity.MethodsThis study aimed to identify a G. rostochiensis-specific DNA fragment using comparative genomics and develop both a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection assay and a recombinase-aided amplification (RAA)-based isothermal detection assay.ResultsA 3,572 bp species-specific DNA fragment was identified. Based on this marker, a conventional PCR diagnostic assay and a recombinase-aided amplification coupled with a lateral flow dipstick (RAA-LFD) diagnostic assay were successfully developed. The PCR primer pair GroF1/GroR1 exhibited a detection limit of 200 copies and a sensitivity of 10 copies/μL (5.6 × 10−2 fg/μL) when amplified over 32 cycles within a 20 μL PCR reaction volume. Three independent experiments demonstrated that DNA from a single larva could be stably detected using the PCR assay. Following reactions with a 25 μL RAA volume and temperature of 37.5 °C for 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min, the detection limit progressively decreased from 5.75 × 104 to 5.75 × 100 copies. The corresponding sensitivities ranged from 2.3 × 103 copies/μL to 2.3 × 10−1 copies/μL. Across independent experiments, the RAA assay consistently detected DNA equivalent to 10−2 of a single larva. The RAA-LFD assay achieved 100% diagnostic sensitivity for the detection of G. rostochiensis in infested field soil samples following a 25 min isothermal amplification at 37.5°C. The established RAA-LFD molecular diagnostic assay exhibits marked potential for the field-deployable detection of G. rostochiensis in root zone soil samples, offering rapid turnaround and simplified procedural requirements.

Malaria remains a significant public health concern in Ko Chang, an island in Trat Province, eastern Thailand. The island has historically experienced low to moderate malaria transmission, particularly in forested and coastal zones. Transmission is driven by local Anopheles vectors such as Anopheles epiroticus Linton & Harbach. In this study, we employed the excito-repellency (ER) assay system to evaluate behavioral responses of laboratory and field strains of An. epiroticus to four synthetic and two natural repellent agents. Mosquito escape responses (% escape) were recorded under contact and non-contact conditions to determine irritant and repellent properties. For the laboratory strain, deltamethrin (42%) and permethrin (35%) at LC50 levels induced the highest escape responses in contact trials. In contrast, alpha-cypermethrin (4–14%) induced limited irritancy and repellency. Citronella oil (>50%) at 5.0% (v/v) elicited the strongest non-contact repellency, outperforming DEET (18–26%) and vetiver oil (26–40%). However, the field strain showed a different pattern: DEET (64%) and deltamethrin (60%) were most effective in contact trials, while citronella and vetiver oils (both ∼14%) had minimal non-contact effects. Our findings indicate differences in excito-repellency between field and laboratory strains of An. epiroticus in Ko Chang. Deltamethrin, permethrin, and DEET were more effective as contact irritants against the field population, whereas citronella oil demonstrated greater efficacy as non-contact repellents against the laboratory strain. These results indicate the need to account for behavioral variation when designing vector control strategies and inform both malaria prevention for travelers and local control programs in coastal Thailand.

BackgroundNurses play a crucial role in preventing pressure ulcers, as they are at the forefront of patient care and are responsible for implementing preventive measures. The current study aimed to explore nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding pressure ulcer (PU) prevention in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and to identify any correlation between these variables and nurses’ burnout.MethodsThis study was conducted in the intensive care units of Zagazig University Hospitals in Egypt, with data collection from January 2024 to May 2024. The study included 131 nurses working in these units. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire that included sociodemographic information, nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to pressure ulcer prevention, and a burnout assessment tool.ResultsNurses exhibited moderate knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention (16.1 ± 4.6). Nurses demonstrated moderately favorable attitudes overall, with strong agreement on key prevention principles (e.g., the avoidability of PUs and the need for risk assessments), but perceived challenges with time and prioritization. However, adherence to recommended practices was low, with 54.8% of checklist items not completed. Additionally, these nurses experienced a notable level of burnout, particularly in cognitive and emotional domains (3.6 ± 0.8 and 3.6 ± 0.9, respectively). A significant, moderate positive correlation was found between nurses’ knowledge of pressure ulcer prevention and their practices (r = 0.353, p < 0.001).ConclusionICU nurses demonstrated moderate knowledge and a relatively positive, moderate attitude toward pressure ulcer prevention. However, they also identified several potential obstacles to the effective implementation of preventive practices. ICU nurses experienced very high levels of burnout, particularly in cognitive and emotional domains. The knowledge and attitudes of ICU nurses concerning pressure ulcer prevention emerged as essential factors influencing their clinical practices.

Gait variability increases and dynamic gait stability decreases with age, which may lead to an increased risk of falls. Additionally, the need to process visual cues can exacerbate changes in gait variability and dynamic gait stability in older adults. The purpose of this study was to compare gait variability and dynamic gait stability in young and older adults walking overground and on a treadmill with and without visual cues. We hypothesized that gait variability would increase and dynamic gait stability would decrease during the visually cued gait. We also hypothesized that older adults would have higher variability and lower stability than younger adults across all walking conditions. Participants walked for 3 minutes overground and on a treadmill, with and without visual cues, at their self-selected overground walking speed. The visual cues were projected onto the treadmill and matched the participant's self-selected speed, step length, and width. We quantified gait variability as the coefficient of variation for stride time and stride length, and dynamic gait stability with the short-term Lyapunov exponent. Both groups had the highest stride time variability during the visual cue condition. Older adults demonstrated higher gait variability and lower dynamic gait stability than younger adults during the treadmill conditions with and without visual cues, but not during overground gait. Our study indicates that age increases gait variability and decreases dynamic gait stability, and this effect is exacerbated when walking becomes more challenging due to the presence of visual cues. The observed changes in gait variability and dynamic gait stability may be due to older adults requiring more cognitive capacity.

Pulmonary metastasectomy has been established as a treatment option for select patients with metastatic disease. However, its role in urological malignancies remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of pulmonary metastasectomy in patients with urological cancers, with a focus on renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients who underwent pulmonary resection for suspected metastases from urological malignancies at a single institution between 2014 and 2023. A subgroup analysis of 11 patients with RCC was conducted. The cohort included 13 patients with kidney cancer, four with testicular tumors, and one with prostate cancer. Pulmonary lesions were confirmed to be metastatic in 14 patients and inflammatory changes in four. The median disease-free interval was 25 months and the median overall survival after pulmonary resection was 113 months. In the RCC subgroup, the 10-year survival rate exceeded 50%, despite a 66.7% recurrence rate. No significant prognostic factors were identified, although favorable trends were observed for younger age, solitary metastases, and absence of vascular invasion. In urological malignancies, particularly renal cell carcinoma, pulmonary metastasectomy was associated with prolonged survival in carefully selected patients. Surgical resection may serve both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes, supporting its role within a multidisciplinary treatment strategy.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases surged after China adjusted the dynamic COVID-zero strategy at the end of 2022, posing significant public health challenges in Yantai. To monitor the evolutionary process and characterize variants circulating in Yantai in 2023, 613 nasopharyngeal swab samples from confirmed COVID-19 patients were sequenced, assigned to lineages, used for phylogenetic tree construction, and analyzed for spike protein mutations. The results showed that most of the sequences belonged to 10 lineages. Among these, 20.72% (127/613) were identified as BF.7.14, 21.04% (129/613) as EG, 14.03% (86/613) as HK, 12.40% (76/613) as DY, 8.32% (51/613) as XBB.1, 8.32% (51/613) as FL, 3.43% (21/613) as BA.5.2, 1.79% (11/613) as BN.1, 1.79% (11/613) as FY.3 and 0.65% (4/613) as DZ.1. A clear dominance shift was observed from BA.5-derived lineages in early 2023 to XBB-derived lineages in the latter half of the year, reflecting the nationwide replacement trend and the ongoing viral adaptation. The prevalent variants were consistent with the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants circulating in China at the same time. The spike protein of the prevalent variants shared 28 common mutations. In addition, several lineage-specific mutations were identified across different variants. Spike protein mutations gradually accumulated and augmented transmissibility and immune escape of variants. New variants with higher viral fitness appeared continuously and posed significant challenges to public health, so long-term genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 is still necessary in the future. These findings provide an important scientific basis for optimizing public health policies, strengthening genomic surveillance systems, and improving preparedness for potential future epidemic waves.

The startle reflex is an involuntary response to a sudden, highly intense stimulus. Previous research has primarily focused on the early stages of the startle reflex, specifically examining the impact of emotional pictures on early responses such as the Probe P3 component. However, it remains unclear whether emotions affect the later stages of startle reflex processing. Furthermore, the influence of emotions on neural oscillations, such as theta and alpha waves, has not been sufficiently studied in this context. This study involved 27 participants (N = 27) and used emotional pictures (positive, negative, and neutral) together with a startle probe, combined with event-related potential (ERP) and event-related oscillation (ERO) analyses, to investigate the effects of emotions on both the early and later stages of the startle reflex. The ERP results demonstrate that when applying the sudden sound stimuli, the negative picture condition evokes the smallest Probe P3 component and LPP, followed by the positive and neutral picture condition. More specifically, negative images reduced Probe P3 and LPP amplitudes compared with positive and neutral images, indicating sustained emotional modulation from early attentional to later processing stages. The ERO results show that early theta and alpha oscillations in the frontocentral region significantly differ between conditions, while the theta and alpha oscillations are largest when the sudden sound stimuli is applied in the negative picture condition, followed by the positive and neutral picture condition. These findings demonstrate that emotions exert sustained modulatory effects on both early and later stages of startle reflex processing, as reflected in ERP components and oscillatory neural activity. Together, the ERP and ERO results provide converging evidence for the neural dynamics underlying emotion-modulated startle responses.

Effective conservation of rare submerged plant species requires understanding not only their habitats but also the surrounding landscape and water quality conditions. However, conventional surveys are often difficult due to the elusive nature of these plants. In this study, we applied environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to detect species of the genus Najas, several of which are classified as endangered in Japan. We conducted field surveys and eDNA analysis across 158 ponds in western Japan and evaluated the influence of environmental and landscape variables using generalized linear models. Explanatory variables included water quality (pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity), pond size, shoreline type (soil, forest, concrete), and land use (forest, paddy field, artificial land). Our results showed that Najas presence was positively associated with lower electrical conductivity and longer forested shorelines. These findings suggest that forested pond margins may provide favorable conditions for submerged plants, while eutrophication may reduce habitat suitability. Our study demonstrates that integrating eDNA detection with landscape analysis offers a powerful and efficient approach for monitoring and conserving rare submerged plant species.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), produces outcomes ranging from mild illness to death. Although in-hospital prognostic factors are well described, long-term mortality data are scarce, particularly from middle-income countries with relatively young populations. We therefore quantified one-year all-cause mortality and identified independent predictors in a large Turkish cohort support follow-up planning and prevention for high-risk groups. We retrospectively included all adults (≥18 years) with polymerase chain reaction-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who presented to Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital between 1 March 2020 and 31 January 2021, covering the pre-vaccination period in Türkiye. Demographics, smoking status, and ICD-10 coded comorbidities were extracted from hospital's electronic medical record system and national electronic health database. Follow-up was complete: 98.9% had 365 days; the remaining 168 had 360-364 days and were administratively censored, with no losses to follow-up. Missing smoking data was imputed by multiple imputations with chained equations. One-year survival status was obtained from the death registry. Risk factors were examined by Cox proportional hazards models after verifying assumptions. Among 14,975 patients (median age 40 years, interquartile range 28.5-52.2; 50.8% male), 357 deaths occurred within 365 days, giving one-year mortality of 2.4% (95% CI [2.1-2.6]%). Non-survivors were older (71.8 vs 39.5 years), more often male (63% vs 50.5%), and had higher rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. In multivariable analysis each additional year of age increased risk by 10%. Other independent predictors were male sex, type 2 diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, chronic kidney disease, and cancer. Smoking was inversely associated with mortality after inverse-probability weighting. Model discrimination was excellent. Only cancer showed minor time-dependency, mainly within the first 60 days of follow-up; two-thirds of cancer-related deaths occurred by day 60. Bootstrap optimism correction confirmed robustness. One-year mortality after COVID-19 in this relatively young Turkish population was low yet clinically meaningful. Persistent excess risk among older adults, men, and patients with cancer or major cardiometabolic disease supports structured post-acute surveillance, prioritized vaccination boosters, and aggressive management of underlying conditions. The inverse association with smoking is probably due to residual or unmeasured confounding and should not influence practice. These findings refine long-term risk stratification and can guide resource allocation as COVID-19 becomes an endemic threat external validation that incorporates vaccination status and viral variants is warranted.