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The red seaweed Hydropuntia edulis is found in Southeast Asia in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Due to ease of cultivation and a greater concentration of sulfated polysaccharides, H. edulis is a superior source for agar production compared to other species. However, the pretreatments and extraction conditions strongly impact agar's final gel strength and yield. Agar is made up of agarose, which is approximately 70%, and agaropectin, 30%, and has found a wide range of applications as a thickening, gelling, and stabilizing agent. This review highlighted agar extraction, its application in food as an ingredient, coating, and packaging. In-depth discussions about the interaction of agar with non-agar biopolymers have been made to diversify its utility in different avenues. Additionally, by considering the richness of bioactive derivatives of H. edulis, the applications in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and aquaculture have been elaborated, followed by some limitations. Detailed investigation of H. edulis review aims to encourage increased cultivation of the species for producing agar and other bioactive compounds that support sustainable food, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and aquaculture industries.

Aim: The current study was conducted to assess pharmacy students outlook towards artificial intelligence (AI), pharmacy education, and pharmacy practice.

Methods: The study used a cross-sectional, self-administered, anonymous online questionnaire. The study was conducted at the college of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia.

Participants: Year 4 and year 5 undergraduate pharmacy students were chosen as the study population.

Results: A total of 133 pharmacy students completed the survey (response rate: 82%). The mean Likert score for perceptions of AI use in pharmacy education and practice was 3.43 ± 0.6, while the mean score for incorporation of AI in pharmacy education programs was 3.55 ± 0.78. Students demonstrated generally positive attitudes toward AI, supporting its development and integration into pharmacy curricula, though ethical awareness remained moderate.

Discussion and conclusion: Most students were supportive of the development of AI in the pharmacy field and valued the importance of having some basic understanding of AI. Ethical and legal consideration of AI used was raised by participants. They were supportive of integrating AI into pharmacy program curricula. Their top-rated learning objectives involved understanding and interpreting AI generated results, gaining awareness of ethical consideration of using AI in clinical practice, comprehend how basic technology process the work, expressing how technology functions in a way that others can grasp.

Tea plant (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) is particularly vulnerable to abiotic stresses, with impacts on its growth and the production of bioactive compounds. SMALL AUXIN UP RNA (SAUR) genes, the largest family of early auxin-responsive genes, regulate plant growth and abiotic stress responses. However, their roles in tea plant remain unknown. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of CsSAURs, including phylogenetic relationships, gene structure, chromosomal distribution, duplication events, motif composition, cis-elements, and gene ontology (GO) annotations. Expression profiles were examined using transcriptome data and validated by qRT-PCR. A total of 97 CsSAURs were identified and classified into eight phylogenetic groups, with 90 mapped to 15 chromosomes and seven to contigs. Genes within the same group exhibit conserved gene structures and motif compositions. Segmental duplication predominantly contributes to family expansion. The predominant CsSAUR expression was found in flowers, with their promoters containing auxin-responsive, phytohormone, and stress-related cis-elements. A limited number of CsSAURs exhibit responsiveness to cold, drought, salinity, and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). Notably, CsSAUR10, 16, and 73 exhibited significant upregulation under abiotic stress and auxin treatment. Overall, this study characterizes the SAUR family in tea plant and highlights its potential roles in the regulation of growth and stress responses. The identified auxin and stress-responsive CsSAURs represent potential targets for genetic improvement of tea plants.

Background: Urological complications following renal transplantation (RT) remain a significant clinical challenge. The role of ureteral stents in mitigating these complications is a subject of ongoing debate. This study aimed to assess whether ureteral stents improve clinical outcomes in RT, comparing stented and non-stented anastomosis techniques.

Methods: An extensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and the Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System from inception to November 26, 2025, following the PRISMA and AMSTAR standards. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024557423). The primary outcomes were urological mechanical complications (UMCs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs), whereas the secondary outcomes included hematuria, graft rejection, renal function, cost-effectiveness, stent-related complications, and quality of life (QOL). The Mantel-Haenszel test was used to calculate pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the outcomes.

Results: Sixteen RCTs involving 2,486 patients met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed that the stent group had a significantly lower incidence of urine leakage (RR = 0.25, 95% CI [0.13-0.47]) and ureteral obstruction or stricture (RR = 0.42, 95% CI [0.25-0.71]) compared to the non-stent group. However, the incidence of UTIs was higher in the stent group (RR = 1.41, 95% CI [1.08-1.84]). No significant differences were observed in hematuria, graft rejection, or renal function between groups.

Conclusions: Routine ureteral stent placement in RT significantly reduces the incidence of UMCs despite potentially increasing the risk of UTIs. This balance between benefits and risks supports the continued use of ureteral stents in RT, pending further high-quality studies.

Background: Post-stroke hypoesthesia is a common yet often overlooked sequela, involving diminished capacities in touch, temperature, and pain perception. Recent studies suggest that sensory deficits not only hinder functional recovery but also show a high rate of comorbidity with anxiety and depression.

Objective: This study aims to systematically integrate the neural mechanisms, perceptual processing features, and behavioral consequences of post-stroke hypoesthesia and emotional disorders, to explore their comorbid relationship and propose more targeted rehabilitation strategies based on these mechanisms.

Methods: This review conducts an interdisciplinary literature search, integrating research from neuroimaging, cognitive neuroscience, and rehabilitation medicine, including 73 relevant studies. The keywords used in the screening are "Hypesthesia," "Impaired Sensation," "Anxiety," and "Depression," covering studies on sensory impairments and mood disorders. By comparing the sensory-emotion interaction mechanisms in stroke and non-stroke populations, a bidirectional model is constructed.

Results: Findings indicate that post-stroke hypoesthesia results not only from structural damage in regions such as the thalamus, insula, and prefrontal cortex, but also from functional disruptions in perceptual processing. These impairments contribute to a closed-loop mechanism involving neural dysconnectivity and predictive coding dysfunction, which facilitates the emergence of anxiety and depression. In turn, these emotional disorders further suppress sensory recovery, significantly reducing patients' motivation and rehabilitation compliance.

Conclusion: Post-stroke hypoesthesia should be recognized as a critical etiological and maintaining factor in anxiety and depression. The coexistence of pathological and functional mechanisms underscores the need for rehabilitation strategies that transcend the boundaries of perception, emotion, and cognition. Developing a rehabilitation pathway centered on "sensory-emotional co-regulation" can facilitate early identification, subtype-specific intervention, and comprehensive support for emotional comorbidities following stroke.

Thiamin is essential for human health, but humans do not synthesize it and must consume it through regular dietary intake. Plants synthesize thiamin in photosynthetic tissues to support various primary metabolic pathways. In addition, plants can also absorb thiamin from the soil. Interestingly, plant growth can be improved by supplying exogenous thiamin, but this effect has not been investigated in potato (Solanum tuberosum). Here, we report the effect of soil thiamin amendment on yield and tissue thiamin content of three potato varieties grown in a greenhouse. We watered plants with different concentrations of thiamin on a weekly basis from emergence until harvest. Under optimal growth conditions, thiamin supplementation did not affect tuber yield, regardless of soil type. Thiamin accumulated up to 58, six and three times in roots, tubers and stems, respectively, of plants grown in soil supplemented with thiamin compared to control plants, while leaf thiamin content did not significantly change. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that soil thiamin supplementation had no or little effect on the expression of two key thiamin biosynthesis genes in leaves. Our results indicate that increasing soil thiamin concentration does not improve potato yield under optimal growth conditions at the greenhouse scale. However, increased yield at field-scale under stress conditions remains to be tested. Intriguingly, the accumulation of thiamin in potato tubers suggests that soil thiamin supplementation may be a viable strategy for biofortification.

Objectives: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and stroke risk. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched for observational studies published from database inception to October 7, 2025, using medical subject headings (MeSH) and keywords. Random effect models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for evaluating the associations between RA and stroke risk. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata statistical software version 17.0. The funnel plot, Egger's test and Begg's test were used to evaluate publication bias.

Results: This meta-analysis included 12 observational studies with a total of 1,715,001 participants, published between 2003 and 2025. The pooled analysis revealed a significant association between RA and increased stroke risk (OR = 1.35; 95% CI [1.26-1.45]; P = 0.000). Subgroup analysis showed that women with RA had a slightly higher stroke risk than men (OR = 1.60; 95% CI [1.19-2.16]; P = 0.002). Additionally, RA patients aged over 65 were at higher risk of stroke (OR = 1.24; 95% CI [1.02-1.50]; P = 0.032). No significant publication bias was detected, and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of our findings.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrates that RA is associated with an increased risk of stroke, supporting the recognition of RA as an independent stroke risk factor.

Plant health is regulated by complex consortia of soil microbes with growth-promoting and pathogenic functions. In potato production, various soil management practices are undertaken to boost yields and suppress diseases, but connections between these practices, soil microbiomes, and tuber yields have not been characterized across diverse growing regions. To identify growing practices and microbes associated with increased yields, we established four-year field trials across eight US sites from Oregon to Maine that consisted of controls, fumigations, organic amendments, and mustard incorporations. Amplicon sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and intergenic transcribed spacer (ITS) regions was used to investigate bacterial and eukaryotic soil microbiomes, respectively. Fumigation and organic amendment treatments increased tuber yields in 23% and 29% of treatments relative to controls. While soil treatments influenced both microbiome types differently across all field sites, eukaryotes were more sensitive than bacteria to all treatments. Across field sites, soil treatments impacted relative abundances of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) to varying degrees, even among ASVs belonging to the same genus. Associations between ASVs and tuber yields similarly varied within genera, highlighting the lack of consistent yield-associated taxa across US growing regions. Nevertheless, forty-five "target ASVs" across nine bacterial and three fungal phyla were identified as both treatment-impacted and yield-associated within any particular field site. Models identified three of thirteen organic amendment scenarios and one of thirteen fumigation scenarios where increased relative abundances of specific target ASVs accounted for up to a 23% increase in tuber yields compared to control treatments. These ASVs were largely site-specific and not influenced by treatment-associated changes in soil nutrients or organic matter, highlighting complex relationships within field sites that require further study to achieve the goal of implementing sustainable, microbiome-informed potato production techniques.

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a paediatric condition generally characterized by persistent motor disabilities in hand function. This review examined the impact of exercise with and without brain stimulation on hand function in children with CP.

Methodology: A systematic literature search was conducted from January 2010 to June 2025 across four electronic databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and EBSCO. This review established the inclusion criteria as follows: 1. Children with CP; 2. Randomised controlled trial; 3. Exercise with and without brain stimulation; 4. Measurements included gross motor function (GMF), fine manual control (FMC) and grip strength (GS) evaluated at pre- and post-intervention. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. For data analysis, the standardized mean difference (SMD) was selected as the appropriate effect size index, and RevMan 5.4 software was employed to analyze the mean differences in the data extracted from the included articles. (Registration number: CRD420251106181).

Results: The results showed that exercise with brain stimulation comprising more than 16 sessions could notably improve GS (SMD, 1.38 (0.88, 1.88), p < 0.05, I² = 0%), whereas that comprising fewer than 10 sessions did not demonstrate a statistically significant effect (SMD, 0.19 (-0.29, 0.67), p = 0.44, I² = 0%). Consequently, brain stimulation intervention could substantially enhance FMC (SMD, 0.46 (0.15, 0.76), p < 0.05, I² = 47%). Subgroup analysis also presented that exercise with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) resulted in a significant improvement in FMC (SMD, 0.71 (0.29, 1.14), p < 0.05, I² = 49%) compared to exercise with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (SMD, 0.19 (-0.25, 0.63), p = 0.09, I² = 47%).

Conclusion: This review demonstrated that exercise with brain stimulation could significantly enhance hand function in children with CP. Specifically, more than 16 sessions has greater benefits for GS, and the tDCS may confer benefits for FMC.

Background: The clinical impact of sperm chromatin condensation defects (SCCD) on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes remains controversial. This study aimed to clarify the effects of SCCD on embryonic development, pregnancy, and neonatal outcomes in couples undergoing their first IVF cycle.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 647 couples. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between SCCD (assessed by aniline blue staining) and clinical outcomes, with stratification and generalized additive models employed to identify effect modifiers and nonlinear relationships.

Results: Elevated SCCD levels (≥30%) were correlated with abnormal conventional semen parameters and a reduced two-pronuclei (2PN) cleavage rate, whereas no significant associations were observed with spontaneous abortion, gestational age, birth weight, or neonatal sex distribution. After adjusting for key confounders, increasing SCCD levels remained independently associated with reduced clinical pregnancy (OR = 0.98, P = 0.01) and live birth rates (OR = 0.98, P = 0.02), and no significant effect modification by any subgroup variable was observed (all P for interaction > 0.05). Moreover, individuals with SCCD levels ≥30% showed a trend toward substantially reduced clinical pregnancy (OR = 0.64, P = 0.05) and live birth rates (OR = 0.65, P = 0.06). Nonlinear analysis further identified a significant risk threshold for live birth at 10.6% (OR = 0.86, P = 0.01), with risk plateauing until a declining trend emerged beyond 24.1%.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that SCCD is independently associated with reduced IVF success, supporting its assessment in pre-IVF evaluation.