Life-Basel最新文献

Studying the origin of life requires identifying chemical and physical processes that could have supported early self-replicating and evolving molecular systems. Besides the requirement of information storage and transfer, an essential aspect is an energy source that could have thermodynamically driven the formation and replication of these molecular assemblies. Chemical energy sources such as cyclic trimetaphosphate are attractive because they could drive replication with relatively simple catalysts. Here, we focus on cyclic trimetaphosphate (cTmp), and compare its solubility in water to linear triphosphate, pyrophosphate, and phosphite when Mg²⁺ or Ca²⁺ are present. These solubilities are important for facilitating the reactions under prebiotically plausible conditions. The results showed that cTmp was soluble even at molar concentrations of Mg²⁺ and little precipitation with 200 mM Ca²⁺. In contrast, pyrophosphate and linear triphosphate precipitated efficiently even at low divalent metal ion concentrations. The precipitation of phosphate was pH-dependent, showing similar precipitation with Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺ at a prebiotically plausible pH of 6.5. Phosphite was soluble at high Mg²⁺ concentrations but started precipitating with increasing Ca²⁺ concentration. At conditions that model Archaean seawater, cTmp was the most soluble of these compounds. Together, this experimental overview may help to identify promising conditions for lab-based investigations of phosphate-based energy metabolisms in early life forms.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 15% of couples in their adult years in industrialized countries experience infertility, which is described as the inability of a sexually active and non-contraceptive couple to achieve spontaneous pregnancy within a year. Environmental pollution is a significant health concern worldwide and one of the possible risk factors leading to male infertility. Cadmium is a common heavy toxin derived from industrial activities, a ubiquitous environmental pollutant, and can cause severe harm to various organs including the testis. Cadmium toxicity can lead to severe impairment of male germ cells in both rodents and humans, which can result in azoospermia. The negative effects of cadmium on the testicles are caused by its induction of oxidative stress, spermatogenic apoptosis, and testicular inflammation or its detriment to androgenic and sperm cell functions, which damages the vascular endothelium and blood-testis barrier. Overall, this review describes the detrimental impact of cadmium on the testicles and its effect on male infertility. Therefore, by considering recent research findings and identifying future research directions, this review underlines the need to develop new treatments for male infertility related to heavy metal exposure.

Hepatocellular injury syndrome represents a pathological process with a broad etiological spectrum, including viral infections, autoimmune diseases, or intoxications. Clinicians must identify the potential cause using both anamnestic data and available paraclinical examinations. We present the case of a 55-year-old female patient, admitted to the Internal Medicine 1 Department at the Clinical County Emergency Hospital Bihor, Oradea, Romania. The patient exhibited nonspecific complaints and insignificant pathological antecedents, but from a biochemical perspective, substantial changes in liver transaminase levels were evident. To establish differential diagnoses, a series of biochemical and immunological tests were performed, along with a thorough medical history. It was concluded that the patient regularly consumes herbal infusions, specifically Laurus nobilis leaves, commonly known as Bay Laurel. Although this might be easily overlooked at first glance, a closer examination could explain the current clinical picture. In April 2024, a 55-year-old female patient with no history of liver pathology was admitted. She complained of asthenia fatigue, anorexia, mixed dyspeptic symptoms, diffuse abdominal pain, and a weight loss of 12 kg. The pathology had insidiously started approximately 3 months prior. On examination, the patient had altered general status, anorexia, and was overweight. Biochemically, the patient had elevated liver transaminase values (AST = 196 U/L and ALT = 357 U/L) that continued to rise during hospitalization, despite hepatoprotective treatment. Various paraclinical examinations were performed to exclude other potential causes of hepatic aggression, having excluded ordinary causes. Consequently, a liver biopsy was performed, and the histopathological examination leaned toward a toxic hepatitis etiology. Application of the updated RUCAM scale yielded a score of eight points ("probable" HILI-Herb-Induced Liver Injury). Clinical and biochemical improvement was observed after complete cessation of bay leaf tea consumption. This case highlights the potential hepatotoxicity of commonly used culinary herbs when consumed in large quantities or as concentrated infusions and emphasizes the importance of detailed anamnesis regarding herbal product use.

Cervical spinal cord injury causes severe functional impairment with limited spontaneous recovery, and while spinal cord stimulation has emerged as a promising neuromodulatory strategy, evidence for cervical applications remains fragmented. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review synthesizing preclinical and clinical evidence on cervical spinal cord stimulation for functional rehabilitation following spinal cord injury. The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD420251088804) and conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, with PubMed, Embase, IEEE Xplore, and Web of Science searched from inception to July 2025 for animal and human studies of cervical spinal cord stimulation, including epidural, intraspinal, and transcutaneous approaches, reporting functional neurological outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 and ROBINS-I tools, and due to substantial heterogeneity, results were synthesized narratively. Thirty-one studies comprising 119 animals and 156 human participants, met inclusion criteria. Across studies, outcome measures such as GRASSP, ISNCSCI, and dynamometry consistently demonstrated improvements in hand strength, dexterity, and voluntary motor activation. Several studies also reported gains in sensory and autonomic function, whereas respiratory outcomes were infrequently assessed. Adjunctive interventions, including cortical stimulation, brain-computer interface priming, and task-specific training frequently augmented recovery. Adverse events were generally mild, although overall risk of bias was predominantly serious. Overall, cervical spinal cord stimulation demonstrates preliminary assistive and therapeutic effects on motor recovery, with additional sensory, autonomic, and potential respiratory benefits.

Perianal fistulizing Crohn's disease (pfCD) represents one of the most challenging manifestations of CD, often associated with severe phenotypes, refractory luminal inflammation, and a substantial reduction in quality of life. Its pathogenesis is multifactorial and incompletely understood, involving genetic susceptibility, epithelial and stromal dysfunction, and microbiome-related mechanisms. Diagnosis and monitoring rely on advanced imaging, while management requires coordinated medical-surgical strategies. Significant unmet needs persist regarding standardized treatment targets, optimal imaging follow-up, and personalized therapeutic pathways. In this review, we aim to summarise and provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent evidence across pathogenesis, diagnosis, classification systems, and therapeutic approaches in pfCD. We highlight key advances in understanding epithelial-mesenchymal transition, immune-microbiome interactions, and genetic determinants of disease behaviour. Improvements in diagnostic modalities-including MRI-based scores, ultrasound technologies, volumetric assessment, and AI-enhanced imaging-are discussed alongside modern classification systems such as TOPClass. Evidence guiding medical therapy, seton management, and surgical decision-making is reviewed, emphasising integrated, goal-oriented care. Despite substantial progress, pfCD remains a difficult-to-treat condition with persistent gaps in early diagnosis, objective monitoring, and individualized management. Emerging imaging technologies, standardized treatment targets, and structured classification frameworks offer promising strategies to overcome current limitations and improve long-term outcomes.

An increasing number of stroke survivors are burdened by persistent disabilities, requiring long-term rehabilitation. However, the extent of functional gain is highly variable, severely impairing patients' quality of life. This variability highlights a critical gap in current prognostic tools, which rely primarily on clinical and neuroimaging data. The aim of this review is to synthesize the current literature on serum biomarkers in stroke survivors and to evaluate their prognostic value for rehabilitation outcomes. Our synthesis indicates that biomarkers reflecting distinct pathophysiological processes are emerging as key prognostic indicators. Markers of inflammation such as Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and neuro-glial injury, including S100 Calcium-Binding Protein B (S100B), Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE), Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP), and Neurofilament Light Chain (NfL), are consistently associated with poorer functional outcomes. Conversely, markers of neuroplasticity, such as Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), serve as potential indicators of recovery potential, although their predictive accuracy remains inconsistent across studies. Furthermore, emerging biomarkers of synaptic activity, such as Syntaxin-1a (STX1A) and Synaptosomal-Associated Protein, 25kDa (SNAP-25), and neuromuscular junction integrity, such as C-terminal Agrin Fragment (CAF), offer novel insights into brain-periphery communication, though their clinical utility is still under investigation. While promising, the translation of these biomarkers into clinical practice is hindered by methodological limitations, including assay heterogeneity and lack of large-scale validation. Future standardization of these molecular signatures is a critical step toward implementing precision medicine in stroke rehabilitation.

Blood culture is the diagnostic gold standard for bacteremia in the emergency department (ED), but its turnaround time can delay appropriate antimicrobial therapy, highlighting the need for rapid, accessible biomarkers. We retrospectively analyzed adult ED patients from July 2023 to June 2024 who underwent blood culture testing and had complete data for monocyte distribution width (MDW), white blood cell count (WBC), C-reactive protein (CRP), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Discrimination was assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and diagnostic accuracy using sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR); combined models were compared with net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI). Among 19,325 patients, 2011 (10.4%) had positive blood cultures. MDW had the highest AUROC (0.760) versus CRP (0.730), NLR (0.695), and WBC (0.642); at a cut-off of 22, MDW showed 0.72 sensitivity, 0.68 specificity, and DOR 5.46. The best combined model was MDW+NLR (AUROC 0.785; DOR 6.39; NRI 0.428; IDI 0.770). MDW is a rapid and effective marker for identifying bacteremia in the ED, and performance improves when combined with NLR.

Despite major advances in guideline-directed cardiovascular therapy, residual cardiovascular risk persists, partly driven by oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and mitochondrial injury not fully addressed by current drugs. Translation of plant-based cardioprotectants is constrained by preparation-dependent variability in extract chemistry (plant part/cultivar/processing and extraction method), low and variable systemic exposure for key actives (notably curcuminoids and many polyphenols), and clinically relevant safety/interaction considerations (e.g., hepatotoxicity reports with concentrated green tea extracts and antiplatelet-related bleeding-risk considerations for some botanicals). We therefore provide a mechanism- and translation-oriented synthesis of evidence for cardioprotective botanicals, chosen for long-standing traditional use and scientific validation with reproducible experimental data and, where available, human studies, including Crataegus monogyna, Allium sativum, Olea europaea, Ginkgo biloba, Leonurus cardiaca, and Melissa officinalis. Across studies, polyphenols (especially flavonoids and phenolic acids) and organosulfur compounds are most consistently associated with cardioprotection, while terpene-derived constituents and secoiridoids contribute mechanistically in plant-specific settings (e.g., Ginkgo and Olea). Predominantly in experimental models, these agents engage redox-adaptive (Nrf2), mitochondrial (mPTP), endothelial, and inflammatory (NF-κB) pathways, with reported reductions in ischemia-reperfusion injury, oxidative damage, and apoptosis. Clinical evidence remains heterogeneous and is largely confined to short-term studies and surrogate outcomes (blood pressure, lipids, oxidative biomarkers, endothelial function), with scarce data on hard cardiovascular endpoints or event reduction. Priorities include standardized, chemotype-controlled formulations with PK/PD-guided dosing and adequately powered randomized trials that assess safety and herb-drug interactions.

Accurate egocentric distance estimation in vista space depends on the interaction between perceptual encoding and cognitive recalibration. This study examined how iterative, feedback-based learning modulates spatial accuracy, perceptual bias, and task efficiency in large-scale environments. A total of 133 participants (mean age = 26.3 ± 7.44 years) performed distance estimations on three outdoor targets (134 m, 575 m, 1463 m) using a mobile web application providing immediate corrective feedback (too short/too long). Six variables were analyzed: first estimate (FE), error of first estimate (EFE), mean estimate (ME), error of mean estimate (EME), number of attempts (NAs), and trial duration (TD). Given the non-normal data distribution, nonparametric tests were applied (Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Bonferroni correction). All variables showed significant within-subject effects across distances (p < 0.001). Post hoc analyses indicated that EFE and EME differed significantly between all target pairs (p < 0.0167), revealing a shift from slight overestimation at 134 m to increasing underestimation at 575 m and 1463 m. NA was significantly higher for the farthest target (p < 0.0167), indicating greater cognitive load and iterative correction effort. TD differed significantly only between consecutive distances (p < 0.0167), suggesting non-linear temporal adaptation. These results demonstrate that iterative feedback improves perceptual stability and efficiency but does not remove distance compression. The consistent bias and adaptive response patterns support a feedback-driven, binary search-like recalibration mechanism. The proposed mobile paradigm offers a scalable and valid approach for assessing perceptual-cognitive calibration in both natural and virtual spatial contexts.

Air pollution has been one of the major threats to public health. The study aimed to determine latent patterns of geographical distribution of health-related air pollutants across the USA and to evaluate real-world cumulative effects of these patterns on public health metrics. It was an ecological study using county-level data on the concentrations of 12 air pollutants over 20 years. Latent class analysis was used to identify the common clusters of life expectancy-associated air pollutants based on their concentration characteristics in the final counties studied (n = 699). Multivariate linear regression analyses were then applied to assess the relationship between the LCA-derived clusters and health measurements with confounding adjustment. We found that PM_2.5 mass, PM₁₀ speciation, and NONO_xNO_y (the reactive nitrogen species) were associated with life expectancy and thus were included in LCA. Among five identified clusters, the one with a more severe pollutant profile was associated with a decreasing life expectancy, an increasing mortality risk among middle-aged and elderly populations (≥45 years), and an increasing mortality rate caused by chronic respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, and neoplasms. Our study brings new perspectives on real-world geographical patterns of air pollution to explain health disparities across the USA.