PLoS ONE最新文献

Stem cells maintain tissue integrity through a balance of self-renewal, differentiation, and loss of function due to aging or stress. Recent studies demonstrate that the stem cell hierarchy is not fixed. Transit-amplifying or terminally differentiated cells can dedifferentiate back into stem-like states. Such plasticity supports regeneration but, when combined with damage accumulation, may also accelerate aging and increase cancer risk. Motivated by these findings, we develop a damage-structured PDE model of a two-compartment lineage consisting of stem and terminally differentiated cells. The model incorporates dedifferentiation, together with a nonlocal δ-function kernel partitioning scheme that conserves total damage and encodes biologically motivated asymmetries. Methodologically, we emphasize reproducibility and robustness on three fronts. First, the δ-kernel partitioning prevents the unbounded drift that arises in local models while preserving conservation. Second, a conservative finite-volume discretization with upwind fluxes and verified first-order accuracy ensures stability and exact mass balance, as confirmed by manufactured-solution tests. Third, distributional metrics and systematic parameter sweeps provide reproducible ways to quantify lineage-level damage dynamics under varying dedifferentiation and repair conditions. These analyses show that threshold-dependent and repair-modulated dedifferentiation both act as protective mechanisms: the former functions as a 'detoxification loop' that recycles high-damage cells, and the latter reduces the damage burden imported during dedifferentiation. Together, they mitigate aging-inducing effects. Parameter sweeps further delineate when dedifferentiation stabilizes tissue maintenance versus when it drives aging-like dynamics. Overall, our reproducible framework integrates biological insights on stem-cell plasticity and damage segregation with rigorous mathematical modeling, providing a foundation for experimental validation and therapeutic strategies targeting stem-cell aging and cancer initiation.

Background: Lebanon is a lower-middle income country in the MENA region that continues to be drained structurally by the socioeconomic upheaval. The estimated prevalence of T2DM in Lebanese adults is 9%. Despite the rapid growing use of mHealth and favorable health outcomes worldwide, the impact is understudied in Lebanon.

Purpose: Our study aimed to assess the acceptability of the use of mHealth intervention delivered via mobile phones that promotes diabetes self-management behaviors for Lebanese patients with T2DM.

Design and methods: We used a descriptive qualitative approach for the study. Nine study participants were recruited based on purposeful and maximum variation sampling. Interviews were analyzed using the conventional content analysis.

Results: Analysis of the interviews revealed four major categories: (A) Transformative Approach to Care: Feeling Safe and Secure; (B) One Approach does not fit all; (C) Addressing psychological well-being; (D) Time and Economic gains.

Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that mHealth is highly acceptable among Lebanese adults with T2DM and offers significant potential to enhance diabetes care in LMICs. Participants embraced mHealth as a complementary tool that enhances communication, supports psychological well-being, and reduces financial barriers.

Treatment-related myeloid neoplasms (t-MN) represent a severe complication of cancer therapy, characterized by poor prognosis and limited treatment options. This study presents a preliminary, exploratory bioinformatic analysis aimed at characterizing the expression landscape and potential regulatory roles of pyroptosis-related genes (PRGs) in a murine model of t-MN. Utilizing RNA-seq data (GEO: GSE135866), differential expression analysis identified 1286 DEGs. Cross-referencing 367 curated mouse PRGs revealed 46 pyroptosis-related DEGs (PRDEGs). Functional enrichment analysis (GO, KEGG) showed these PRDEGs are significantly involved in autophagy, inflammatory regulation, apoptosis, NOD-like receptor signaling, and the AMPK pathway. GSEA associated the broader gene set with PI3K-Akt and Notch signaling. Protein-protein interaction network analysis identified five critical hub genes: Trp53, Mtor, Gpx3, Foxo3, and Cybb. ROC curve analysis confirmed these hub genes exhibit significant differential expression and high diagnostic accuracy (AUC > 0.9) in distinguishing t-MN from controls. Furthermore, immunoinfiltration analysis (CIBERSORT) revealed significant differences in immune cell composition between t-MN and control samples and identified notable correlations between hub gene expression and specific immune cell abundances. Importantly, given the limited sample size and the use of murine bone marrow data, the statistical findings should be interpreted strictly at the exploratory and hypothesis-generating level. This study does not support definitive biological conclusions or causal inferences but rather aims to delineate the pyroptosis-related molecular profile in a preclinical t-MN model. The results are intended to inform and guide future investigations-including validation in larger cohorts, independent experimental models, and human clinical samples-to assess the translational potential of these candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Background: Neck proprioception and function are essential for individuals engaged in car and motorcycle driving. The comparison and correlation between these factors can vary significantly between car and motorcycle drivers, impacting their driving safety and comfort. The objective of this study was to investigate and compare the correlation between neck proprioception and neck function in individuals who frequently drive cars and motorcycles.

Methods: A cohort of 600 regular drivers (300 car and 300 motorcycle drivers) was recruited. Neck proprioception was measured using the Cervical Joint Position Error (CJPE) test, assessing right and left cervical rotation. Neck function was assessed using the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression models were applied for data analysis.

Results: Car drivers demonstrated significantly poorer neck proprioception, indicated by higher CJPE scores (mean = 4.2 for right rotation, 4.1 for left rotation) compared to motorcycle drivers (mean = 3.1 for right rotation, 2.9 for left rotation, p < 0.001). Additionally, car drivers exhibited greater neck disability as shown by higher NDI scores (mean = 12.4) compared to motorcycle drivers (mean = 9.1, p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between CJPE and NDI scores (r = 0.55, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The findings indicate that car driving is associated with poorer neck proprioception and higher neck disability compared to motorcycle driving. Notably, driving type, age, and driving duration significantly influenced neck proprioception and function. The results highlight the potential importance of proprioceptive training interventions to enhance neck function, particularly for older car drivers and those with prolonged driving experience.

In arid regions, water scarcity prompts the overuse of chemical growth regulators, posing ecological and health risks. This study investigates foliar application of microbial phytohormones as a sustainable alternative to mitigate the water deficit's negative impact on wheat growth and enhance crop productivity. Field experiments over two seasons evaluated the impact of microbial phytohormones microbial gibberellic acid (MGA3) and microbial ascorbic acid (MASA) on wheat yield and water productivity under three deficit irrigation levels: 100%, 80%, and 60% of crop evapotranspiration (ETc). The treatments significantly influenced growth, grain yield, and associated characteristics. Deficit irrigation adversely affected wheat growth and yield. However, MGA3 and MASA foliar treatments significantly improved plant height, flag leaf area and yield components under water stress. The highest grain yield (4.27 t ha ⁻ ¹) was achieved with 100% ETc + MGA3, while the highest irrigation water productivity (IWP, 1.16 kg m ⁻ ³) was recorded with 60% ETc + MGA3. Redundancy analysis confirmed MGA3's superiority over MASA and control (CK) in enhancing grain yield and crop water productivity (CWP), which were strongly correlated with biological yield and seed index. This study concludes that microbial phytohormones, particularly MGA3, are effective agronomic tools for sustaining wheat productivity in water-scarce arid environments.

The gendering of physical activities is ubiquitous, with those involving strength, endurance, and physical contact considered masculine, and those involving concentration, presentation, and flexibility considered feminine. Yoga, for instance, tends to be regarded by adults and adolescents as a feminine activity for women/ girls, however, it is not known whether younger children share this view. Using data from six individual teacher interviews and a child-friendly task with 23 pupils (working in four separate groups), qualitative content analysis (QCA) was used to identify and explore the gendered perspectives of yoga held by Key Stage 1 teachers and pupils in schools across the North East of England. Data were considered according to Gender Schema Theory (GST) and indicate that, although young pupils seem to hold no consensus view of yoga being a female/ feminine activity, teachers observe reluctance from some of their male pupils during yoga activities in school. As previous research has revealed that teachers generally expect male pupils to be more competitive than their female peers, the findings are discussed in relation to the non-competitive nature of yoga.

Cisplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent that reverts cancerous cells to the apoptotic route. A decrease in the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase is one of the hallmarks of apoptosis and a major causative factor of the drug-induced nephrotoxicity. Whether cisplatin targets also the colonic ATPase is a question that was addressed in this work using Caco-2 cells as a model. ATPase activity was measured via inorganic phosphate release with and without ouabain, and protein expression was assessed by Western blot. Cisplatin reduced the activity of the Na+/K+ ATPase, an effect that was dependent on the transmembrane chloride gradient but had no effect on the purified enzyme, suggesting an indirect action. Fluorescence imaging showed a decrease in the membrane ATPase abundance. Cisplatin was shown to act by increasing intracellular calcium, triggering a sequential activation of p38MAPK and PKA that results in JNK inhibition and a decrease in the Na+/K+ ATPase activity.

The presence of at-risk, invasive, and sentinel species are measures of biodiversity, however it is often challenging to quickly gather reliable data through conventional, time-constrained surveying techniques. Environmental DNA (eDNA) detection is one method that has proven to be extremely useful for biomonitoring, particularly due to its non-invasive nature, cost efficiency, sensitivity, accuracy, and relative ease to carry out in the field. Conventional sediment sampling presents a challenge to obtain suitable representative samples and there is a need for easily accessible methods that are compatible with community-based monitoring activities and budgets. Herein, we introduce a "FloppE-Dip" method, a passive sampling approach that is compatible with larger sand sediment sample volumes up to 180 mL and utilizes easily accessible materials. We compared the FloppE-Dip method to conventional filtration through the detection of several species' DNA from environmental samples using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). In a laboratory study using an American bullfrog (Rana [Lithobates] catesbeiana) tissue slurry, we determined optimal protocol parameters that were then applied in a field survey to identify beaches in coastal British Columbia used by the important forage fish, the Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus). Of the 20 sampling sites, both FloppE-Dip and conventional filtration methods detected Pacific sand lance eDNA at 14 of them, albeit FloppE-Dip copies/L estimates were typically 5-10 times lower. Two sites returned no detections for both methods, and four sites returned low detections using conventional filtration methods where the FloppE-Dip method showed no detection. This discrepancy at low copy numbers may be rectified through increasing the number of samples taken per site and/or increasing the number of technical replicates. Overall, the FloppE-Dip method was more reliable than visual observation and is considerably faster and cheaper than filtration making it well-suited for general detection purposes. While other sediment types remain to be tested, the simplicity, efficiency, and use of readily available materials make FloppE-Dip a viable alternative for community-based monitoring programs, particularly given the time and budget constraints these programs often face.

Frailty in older adults leads to heightened vulnerability to adverse health outcomes, significantly burdening individuals and society by increasing healthcare costs and dependency. To address this issue, an advanced frailty assessment method combining wearable sensors measurements with Deep Learning (DL) techniques is proposed to classify individuals into frail or non-frail stages. Wearable sensors provide real-time monitoring, facilitating early detection and timely interventions. Two diverse datasets, i.e., GSTRIDE and FRAILPOL, were utilized for enhanced frailty analysis, employing one to five Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors with varying configurations and mounting positions. A participant-centric data partitioning framework based on signal windows segmentation is proposed and applied to DL algorithms. Among the DL algorithms, InceptionTime outperformed, achieving 82% accuracy on GSTRIDE and 79% on the FRAILPOL dataset. Furthermore, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and evaluation metrics such as precision, recall, and F1-score confirm InceptionTime's effectiveness in classifying frail and non-frail stages by capturing spatio-temporal features from raw IMU signals.

Background: The decline in health-related physical fitness resulting from physical inactivity remains a critical global public health concern. Technology-supported fitness self-testing has the potential not only to improve students' testing experiences but also to enhance their health-related fitness. However, the effectiveness of such approaches has not yet been systematically examined, and their validity within university populations remains largely unestablished.

Method: A quasi-experimental research design with a control group (n = 45) and an experimental group (n = 44), incorporating pre- and post-tests, was employed in this study. The experimental group completed monthly self-testing sessions accompanied by GAI-generated instant feedback over a 16-week period, whereas the control group participated in general physical education classes that included multiple physical activities. Health-related fitness (HRF) was assessed using BMI, the one-mile run, pull-ups, and sit and reach tests. VO₂max was included as a covariate to control for baseline differences in HRF between the two groups. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of covariance (RM-MANCOVA) was conducted to examine the effects of the intervention on HRF outcomes.

Results: After controlling for baseline VO2max, RM-MANCOVA indicated significant time × group interaction for sit and reach (p < 0.001) and one-mile run (p < 0.05), with the intervention group demonstrating significant improvement in both tests. However, no significant differences were observed between groups for body mass index (BMI) and the pull-ups test.

Conclusions: These findings suggested that HRF self-testing with instant GAI feedback was an effective intervention for improving certain HRF components, particularly flexibility and aerobic fitness. Further research is necessary to explore the long-term effects of self-testing and its application across diverse populations.