PLoS ONE最新文献

European terrestrial orchids inhabit a wide range of habitats, including forests, grasslands, wetlands and anthropogenic ecosystems. This study investigates the ecological preferences of seven wild orchid species in the Po Delta Regional Park (Northern Italy), focusing on how environmental gradients of soil properties such as moisture, salinity, pH, and nutrient availability shape species distribution and niche breadth. We conducted vegetation surveys and field measurements of soil variables across 27 sites. Species differentiation along environmental gradients was analysed through Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Outlying Mean Index (OMI) analysis to assess niche breadth and marginality. We then compared normalized Ellenberg Indicator Values (EIVs) for Moisture, Reaction, Salinity, and Nutrients with measured soil variables [Volumetric Water Content, pH, salinity, ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-), and phosphate (PO43-) concentrations] using Linear regression. Moisture and salinity were key drivers of orchid distribution. Anacamptis laxiflora and Anacamptis palustris were associated with wet, saline environments, whereas Anacamptis pyramidalis and Anacamptis coriophora preferred drier, nutrient-poor soils. Anacamptis laxiflora exhibited highest marginality and narrowest niche breadth, indicating high specialization. In contrast, Ophrys apifera showed lowest marginality and highest tolerance, reflecting its generalist strategy and adaptability to a broad range of soil conditions. EIV-Moisture and EIV-Salinity showed strong correlations with field measurements, whereas EIV-Nutrients and EIV-Reaction were less predictive. These findings emphasize the importance of conserving environmental heterogeneity, especially in human-dominated ecosystems, to support both generalist and specialist orchid species.

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) foragers perform waggle dances inside the hive to communicate the location of profitable foraging sites to nestmates. These recruitment dances occur within a specific region of the comb, known as the dance floor, but its location and structure have historically been described only qualitatively. Here we introduce a data-driven geometric method to define and quantify the dance floor from waggle-dance coordinates. The approach combines convex hulls and confidence ellipses to produce a closed region representing the area of highest dance density and yields interpretable spatial metrics including centroid location, area, perimeter, major and minor axes, and orientation. To demonstrate the method's performance, we applied it to 155 observations of eight colonies in observation hives differing in size and date. Using complementary univariate and multivariate analyses, the framework consistently captured approximately 91% of dances, matching historical estimates based on entrance distance, and detected systematic differences among observations associated with hive size, day, and time (e.g., size-dependent shifts in centroid position and width, and time-of-day effects on orientation), illustrating its sensitivity to experimental and temporal context. This work provides an explicit quantitative definition of the honey bee dance floor and a reproducible analytical framework for comparing spatial recruitment patterns across colonies, environments, and future experimental designs.

In this paper, we compare-in terms of their estimated effects on disease transmission-Southern Nigeria's large-scale measles vaccination campaigns since 2010 to a unique, more targeted routine immunization intensification that happened in 2019. A main focus of the discussion throughout is that quantifying intervention impact in real epidemiologies requires us to disentangle competing, dynamic sources of immunity, including unreported infection. To address this inference challenge, we create a collection of state-level, stochastic transmission models capable of estimating underlying measles susceptibility based on surveillance and survey data. Leveraging these models, we find that the 2019 intensification, despite being restricted in scale to children under 2 years-old, had an effect on transmission comparable to the region's larger vaccination campaigns targeting children up to 5. This implies that vaccines delivered in that effort were more than twice as likely to reach a susceptible child.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis, often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Chromosomal instability (CIN), a hallmark of cancer, leads to the release of cytosolic double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), which activates the cGAS-STING pathway and its downstream immune signaling. However, the prognostic implications of this pathway in CCA remain poorly understood. This study aims to examine the cGAS-STING pathway-related proteins in CCA and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters. A total of 164 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) CCA tissue samples were analyzed using tissue microarray (TMA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analysis assessed correlations between proteins expression and clinicopathological features were assessed using Chi-square tests, logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards models, and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Moderate-to-high STING expression was significantly associated with reduced tumor size and lymphovascular invasion but paradoxically correlated with short overall survival (p < 0.05). In contrast, moderate-to-high γH2AX expression predicted improved survival. IRF3 expression was significantly higher in the tubular histological subtype of CCA compared to the papillary subtype (p = 0.012), indicating a possible morphological correlation. Multivariate analysis confirmed STING as an independent prognostic marker for CCA. Our findings suggest that STING appears to function as a double-edged sword in CCA, limiting local invasion while paradoxically contributing to poor survival outcomes. IRF3 expression appears linked to histological subtypes, supporting its role in tumor biology. These markers may provide valuable insights into tumor behavior and may guide treatment strategies in CCA patients.

We aimed to assess markers and risk factors for imminent acute kidney injury (AKI) in emergency patients, as risk stratification in the emergency department is currently not widely used. Using data from a sub-cohort (440 patients) of the prospective multicentre LifePOC study (1434 patients), proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid) was assessed for early identification of subclinical kidney damage compared to serum creatinine in emergency patients with a qSOFA score ≥1. Logistic regression was applied to assess the usefulness of penKid, four further biomarkers (midregional pro-adrenomedullin, bioactive adrenomedullin, dipeptidyl-peptidase-3, procalcitonin) and clinical risk factors to predict AKI within 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after admission, need for organ support and 28-day mortality. PenKid and bio-adrenomedullin performed moderately to predict AKI within 48 h (AUC 0.645, 95% CI: 0.582-0.703 and AUC 0.647, 95% CI: 0.583-0.707, respectively). Pre-existing chronic kidney disease (OR 2.36, 95% CI: 1.06-5.27), confirmed sepsis (OR 2.41, 95% CI: 1.28-4.56), mechanical ventilation (OR 3.03, 95% CI: 1.48-6.19), and elevated levels of penKid (OR 2.21, 95% CI: 1.60-3.07) at admission were associated with an increased risk of AKI whereas a restrictive fluid management (OR 0.43, 95% CI: 0.26-0.71) was associated with a lower risk of AKI. Patients at high AKI risk may be identified based on specific risk factors, bio-ADM and penKid. The trial was registered in the German Registry for Clinical Trials (DRKS00011188) on 20 October 2016.

In Senegal, particularly in rural areas, diets are often monotonous and primarily based on cereals, with limited intake of animal proteins, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation by increasing the prices of staple foods, further reducing the quality of household diets. This study aimed to develop a nutritionally adequate and food basket adapted to households in the Niayes area, located along the northern maritime fringe of Senegal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 90 households to assess dietary diversity of the households and the adequacy of nutrient intake by the daily diet, among vulnerable groups such as women of reproductive age, children under five years old, and elderly individuals (60 years and above). Household dietary diversity was assessed using a 24-hour recall, with high dietary diversity defined as the consumption of at least eight out of twelve food groups. Foods commonly consumed by households were listed and their prices were collected from local food retailers identified through household purchasing practices. Linear programming (LP) was used to optimize a low-cost food basket covering daily energy and micronutrient requirements. Around 44.4% of households exhibited high dietary diversity. The coverage of daily requirements for certain micronutrients, including calcium, folate, and vitamin D, among vulnerable groups was less than 50%. The optimized food basket, costing 6,917 XOF (~11.48 USD) per day, contained nine food groups and successfully covered the daily energy, protein, and micronutrient requirements of a reference household of 13 individuals. These results highlight the potential of linear programming as a decision-support tool for designing nutritionally adequate food baskets adapted to local contexts.

Background: Malnutrition among children and adolescents with cancer in low- and middle income countries significantly contributes to several adverse outcomes which have an impact on health-related quality of life and overall survival. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of malnutrition and its associated factors among pediatric cancer patients on chemotherapy.

Methods: A health institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among pediatric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy aged from birth to 15 years attending at Black Lion specialized hospital and Saint Paul's millennium medical college from May 1 to July 1, 2024. By using a simple random sampling method, 345 participants were selected for face to face interview and anthropometric assessments. Pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, chart review and anthropometric measurement were used. Variables with p-value <0.25 in the bi-variable logistic regression analysis were entered and checked for association in a multivariable logistic regression model. The level of statistical significance was declared at the p-value < 0.05.

Result: In this study, we successfully enrolled 320 pediatric cancer patients, which represents a response rate of 92.8% (320/345). The magnitude of malnutrition, defined by low BMI-for-age or weight-for-height/length z-scores, was 28.4% (91/320) (95% CI: 24.8%-31.3%). Additionally, the prevalence of stunting, based on height-for-age, was 30.6% (98/320) (95% CI: 26.5%-34.2%).Children in the age category of 11-15 years (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI; 1.18-5.48), Children's of mothers educational level illiterate, (AOR = 2.20, 95%CI; 1.01-4.75), Children form Households which earn <2000 ETB (AOR = 2.93, 95%CI; 1.14-7.53), Children with a cancer duration of 2-4 years (AOR = 1.34, 95%CI; 1.05-1.71), Children with hematologic malignancy (AOR = 2.18, 95%CI; 1.16-3.81), Children who had co-morbidities (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI; 1.12-2.10) and, Children's who have difficulty of swallowing (AOR = 2.11, 95%CI; 1.22-3.95) were significantly associated factors with being malnourished.

Conclusion: This study identified malnutrition in 28.4% (91/320) of participants undergoing chemotherapy. Children most at risk were those between 11 and 15 years old, from low-income households, with mothers who had no formal education, Children with a cancer duration of 2-4 years, with hematologic malignancies, with co-morbidities, and with difficulty swallowing.

Given China's profound influence on Japan, Japanese public opinion toward China has been the focus of debate. Yet little is known about how such perceptions evolve over time within the digital public sphere. Drawing on a dataset of over one million China-related tweets from Japan (2010-2024), this study integrates BERTopic topic modeling with large language model-driven sentiment analysis to trace the dynamic evolution of Japanese perceptions of China. Empirical analyses find that: (1) Public attention to China has steadily increased, concentrating on four domains: diplomacy & security, environment & health, economy & trade,and culture & society; (2) overall sentiment is predominantly negative, with neutral and positive attitudes appearing in specific topics; and (3) topic-sentiment linkage analysis reveals divergent affective tendencies across topics, indicating that public opinion evolves in response not only to external events but also to the inherent characteristics of topics. By applying computational analysis to large-scale social media data, this study uncovers the dynamic structure of Japanese public opinion regarding China, offering insights into the mechanisms of opinion formation with implications for Sino-Japanese relations. Methodologically, it contributes innovative approaches to the analysis of transnational public discourse.

This study investigated the effects of dietary glutathione (GSH) supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, amino acid digestibility, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal morphology in growing male minks. Sixty two-month-old male minks were divided into 6 groups and fed diets supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 mg/kg GSH over a 9-week trial. The results showed numerically higher growth performance and pelt quality in the groups receiving 50-200 mg/kg GSH, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Dietary supplementation with 150-250 mg/kg GSH significantly increased crude fat digestibility, while 100-200 mg/kg GSH enhanced cysteine digestibility and 150 mg/kg GSH elevated the digestibility of isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, and phenylalanine during the first four weeks (P < 0.05). At the end of the experiment, total serum superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity was significantly increased with 150-250 mg/kg GSH (P < 0.05). Serum glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly elevated by 150-200 mg/kg GSH (P < 0.05). Hepatic T-SOD activity was significantly increased by 100 and 200 mg/kg GSH (P < 0.05), and glutathione transferase activity was upregulated by 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg GSH (P < 0.05). Additionally, 250 mg/kg GSH significantly raised hepatic GSH level (P < 0.05), and both 100 and 250 mg/kg GSH significantly elevated the hepatic GSH/GSSG ratio (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 200 mg/kg GSH significantly increased the villus height in the duodenum and jejunum (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary GSH supplementation increased nutrient digestibility, antioxidant capacity and intestinal health in growing minks, with 200 mg/kg showing greater benefits, thereby providing valuable guidance for its practical use in mink nutrition.

The infection by Haemonchus contortus is a significant challenge to sheep production in tropical regions, particularly in developing countries. Although several genomic studies have been conducted on this topic, there is still a lack of research combining evolutionary information on resistance and resilience to nematode infection. The aim of this study was to provide evidence of different types of selection and their effects on traits associated with infection levels and animal productivity, using pedigree, phenotypic, and genomic data. It was hypothesized that these patterns would reflect indirect artificial selection and relaxed natural selection. Phenotypic data were collected for Faecal Egg Count (FEC), Eye Color Chart (ECC), Packed Cell Volume (PCV), Total Plasma Protein (TPP), Body Weight (BW), and Body Condition Score (BCS) from 1,283 Santa Inês sheep. A total of 638 animals were genotyped using the Ovine SNP50 BeadChip. After estimating breeding values using the BLUPF90 software, statistical models were employed to assess differences in the intensities of natural and artificial selection and to identify the type of selection acting on each trait, in comparison with classic studies of sexual selection. Selection signatures were investigated using Wright's fixation index, in addition to analyses of runs of homozygosity. The gene content of the identified regions and their associated pathways were examined using the Ensembl BioMart tool and the Panther Classification System, respectively, along with alignments of quantitative trait loci (QTL). BCS was found to be the best indirect trait correlated with parasitological traits, and selection intensity analysis showed that natural selection contributed 76%, compared to 24% from artificial selection. Traits such as BW, PCV, and TPP exhibited directional selection, while FEC and ECC varied according to the challenge level applied. A total of 15 selection signatures were identified (11 for natural selection and 4 for artificial selection), with 9 overlapping with islands of homozygosity, encompassing 131 genes and 49 QTL. A critical analysis revealed that both types of selection contribute to the phenomena of resistance and resilience. However, evidence of directional selection, hard sweeps, and functional enrichment of innate immunity was found for artificial selection, while natural selection exhibited evidence of stabilizing selection, soft sweeps, and functional enrichment of adaptive immunity.