The present study investigated whether the interaction of resting RSA (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) and RSA reactivity was associated with mobile phone addiction in adolescents. Physiological and psychological data were collected from 165 Chinese adolescents (80 boys; Mage = 12.68, Sage = 0.69). The results revealed that (1) resting RSA and RSA reactivity were both significantly negatively correlated with adolescents’ mobile phone addiction; and (2) resting RSA and RSA reactivity interactively to predict adolescents’ mobile phone addiction. Specifically, adolescents with higher resting RSA and higher RSA reactivity showed the lowest level of mobile phone addiction. The findings suggest the importance of considering the combined indices of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in predicting adolescent problem behaviors.

Detergent-mediated viral inactivation is an important process step for ensuring viral safety of parenteral biotherapeutics, including plasma proteins and monoclonal antibodies (mAb). The conventional Triton™ X-100 detergent has ecological toxicity concerns and REACH classification that mandate replacement in the biopharmaceutical industry. Criteria for a replacement detergent include viral inactivation efficacy, acceptable safety and biodegradation profile, process removal and quality suitable for parenteral drug product manufacturing. A non-ionic, C11-15 secondary alcohol ethoxylate, Deviron ® 13-S9 detergent, has been demonstrated to meet the necessary requirements for detergent performance. Benchmarking studies with Triton™ X-100 demonstrate comparable performance with a panel of enveloped viruses in multiple matrices, including human IgG, clarified cell culture harvest, and fractionated plasma. Deviron ® 13-S9 detergent demonstrated viral inactivation efficiency comparable to or better than, Triton™ X-100 detergent, achieving > 5 log reduction values (LRV). Critical micelle concentration (CMC) was determined across different temperatures and media. Deviron ® 13-S9 detergent was demonstrated to be readily biodegradable according to OECD 301B guidelines. Effective removal with typical chromatography processes used in downstream purification was confirmed. These findings support Deviron ® 13-S9 detergent as a viable alternative to Triton™ X-100 detergent, ensuring robust viral inactivation, environmental compatibility, and alignment with regulatory requirements.

The predictive link between the spatial demographic changes of a species and its environment is complex and difficult to detect without detailed models and data from multiple sources. Integrative distributional, demographic, and coalescent modeling (iDDC) integrates simulation-based spatial population genetic and species distribution models (SDMs) to enable testing eco-evolutionary hypotheses given geo-referenced genetic data. Integral to iDDC is the transformation between habitat suitability values and local deme sizes, a key parameter that has not been thoroughly explored or used to test eco-evolutionary hypotheses. In this study, we investigate this parameter’s influence on spatiotemporal demographic inference in two Enyalius lizard species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one with a high-elevation distribution, Enyalius iheringii, and another having a low-elevation distribution, Enyalius catenatus. Since environmental tolerances in high-elevation species are generally broader than in low-elevation species, we test two hypotheses: (1) E. iheringii has higher effective migration compared to E. catenatus; and (2) the relationship between habitat suitability and local deme size is non-linear for E. iheringii and linear for E. catenatus. We find support for (1) and mixed support for (2), where we find strong model support for a non-linear transformation for E. iheringii but also find support (although weak) for a non-linear transformation for E. catenatus. We also generate landscape-wide maps of predicted genetic diversity for both target species. We find that genetic diversity predictions for the E. iheringii correspond with predicted patterns of range stability, while predictions for E. catenatus are distinct from predictions of range-wide stability.

While a best practice for evaluating the behavior of genetic clustering algorithms on empirical data is to conduct parallel analyses on simulated data, these types of simulation techniques often involve sampling genetic data with replacement. In this paper we demonstrate that sampling with replacement, especially with large marker sets, inflates the perceived statistical power to correctly assign individuals (or the alleles that they carry) back to source populations—a phenomenon we refer to as resampling-induced, spurious power inflation (RISPI). To address this issue, we present gscramble a simulation approach in R for creating biologically informed individual genotypes from empirical data that: 1) samples alleles from populations without replacement, 2) segregates alleles based on species-specific recombination rates. This framework makes it possible to simulate admixed individuals in a way that respects the physical linkage between markers on the same chromosome and which does not suffer from RISPI. This is achieved in gscramble by allowing users to specify pedigrees of varying complexity in order to simulate admixed genotypes, segregating and tracking haplotype blocks from different source populations through those pedigrees, and then sampling—using a variety of permutation schemes—alleles from empirical data into those haplotype blocks. We demonstrate the functionality of gscramble with both simulated and empirical data sets and highlight additional uses of the package that users may find valuable.

Model predictive control (MPC) has been widely applied in the field of autonomous driving; however, it still suffers from poor control accuracy in extreme conditions. To improve the smoothness and robustness of intelligent vehicle trajectory tracking, this study tries to investigate an improved MPC trajectory tracking control for intelligent vehicle, fuzzy adaptive dynamic model predictive control (FADMPC), with prediction time-domain dynamic optimization and objective function weight adaptive regulation. First, in the improved MPC framework, a vehicle dynamics model with three degrees of freedom is established as the theoretical vehicle model of MPC controller, and the recursive least square method (RLS) with forgetting factor is used to timely estimate tire cornering stiffness considering nonlinear error of the control-oriented vehicle model. Second, the relationship between the prediction time domain of the model and factors such as vehicle speed and road adhesion coefficient is analyzed through simulation. Then, a dynamic time-domain regulation scheme is determined by using the whale optimization algorithm (WOA). Third, a fuzzy controller is used to dynamically adjust the weight coefficient of the lateral displacement tracking error in the objective function. Last, a series of experiments is performed on a hardware-in-the-loop platform to validate the comparison effect of different trajectory tracking controllers on jointed and bisected adhesion condition roads. Results indicate that the proposed FADMPC can effectively improve trajectory tracking accuracy and vehicle stability compared with LQR and even ADMPC controller.

For linked Fractional modified Korteweg-de Vries (mKdV) systems, in which the coefficient is a time-dependent variable, we investigate the exact multiple soliton solutions. Based on the similarity transformation and Hirota bilinear technique, we report both multiple wave kink and wave single kink solutions for two different models of fractional mKdV with time dependent variable coefficient. We use the fractional Hirota bilinear technique to compute analytical solutions for modified coupled space–time–fractional KdV systems. We construct many kink waves for the proposed fractional differential models that are being studied. For the treatment of nonlinear differential models of integer and fractional orders, the Hirota bilinear technique provides a straightforward and promising method. Recently, researchers have been using symbolic computation—like maple—to perform these calculations. We investigated if the results demonstrate the simplicity, effectiveness, and ease of computation of the approach for a range of engineering and physics models. The flexible and random selection of the fractional orders allows us to build deeper structures. Soliton modifications based on fractional order changes enable further applications in the applied science

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is neuropathologically characterized by the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), affecting 10 million people worldwide. Rosmarinic acid (RA), a polyphenol found in plants like rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), is known for its intriguing biological properties and potential antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. In a previous study we showed that RA treatment prevented hyperlocomotion in mice with MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine)-induced parkinsonism and improved the monoaminergic system in healthy animals. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying RA’s action in PD remain unclear. In this study, we treated MPTP-induced PD animals (C57BL/6 male mice) with RA orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 15 days and examined the proteome of substantia nigra (SN) to identify possible regulatory targets of RA treatment to shed some lights into its neuroprotective effects. Quantitative proteomics revealed that RA treatment regulated proteins associated with oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), glutamatergic synapse, and vesicular cycle signaling pathway. We identified 371 proteins significantly regulated in response to RA administration (255 upregulated and 116 downregulated). Notably, some cellular targets of RA treatment reported here, including mGluR2/mGluR3/EAAT - proteins from the glutamatergic system - and proteins from the Complex I of the electron transport chain are promising targets for therapeutic intervention. These findings highlight the molecular differences between MPTP-induced PD mice and those treated with RA, providing insights on the molecular basis behind the neuroprotective effects of RA and revealing potential PD signatures that warrant further investigation.

Labor actions by healthcare workers are increasing in frequency and quantity, particularly throughout the United States. Regardless of their cause and size, these strikes have the potential to disrupt normal hospital operations and could impact patient access to care, quality of care, and costs. Strikes resemble other large-scale incidents like natural disasters, pandemics, or terrorist attacks in that they shrink a hospital’s capacity to care for patients, force hospitals to pursue logistically complicated actions like finding replacement providers, and impact nearby facilities due to the offloading of patients. In contrast to these incidents, however, strikes are unique because they often come with months of advanced notice, they reduce capacity by precise amounts with predictable provider losses, they occur over defined periods of time, and they do not necessarily increase the demand for patient care. To maximize efficiency and minimize disruption in response to strikes, hospitals must properly plan ahead and successfully execute their plans. Drawing on the recent planning and response to a resident physician strike at a New York hospital, this paper recounts the experience while describing six core strategies and a planning template that other hospitals can use to prepare for and respond to healthcare provider strikes. These strategies include strike aversion, increasing coverage, decreasing demand, internal and external messaging, creating external partnerships, and demobilization. When properly planned for using Appendix A: Strike Planning Template, strike consequences can be mitigated to ensure that patient care and hospital operations can continue with minimal impact to access, quality, or cost.

Rare Presentation of Adult-Onset Still’s Disease Complicated by Acute Severe Hepatitis Refractory to Medical Treatment: A Case ReportMajed Ali1, Karam Karam2, Emanuel-Youssef Dib3, Elias Fiani4*[1] Department of Internal Medicine, University of Balamand, Beirut, Lebanon. Email: [email protected][2] Department of Gastroenterology, University of Balamand, Beirut, Lebanon. Email: [email protected][3] Department of Internal Medicine, University of Balamand, Beirut, Lebanon. Email: [email protected]

Background: Healthcare managers and administrators increasingly need to develop systems, structures, and operations capable of improving the patient experience performance of their organizations or service delivery units. Aim: To systematically review the effectiveness of organizational and service management interventions on standardized patient experience measure scores. Methods: Six scientific databases, specialty journals, and snowballing were used to identify English-language, peer-reviewed, contemporary studies (2015-2023) that examined the impact of service management or organizational interventions on the patient experience as a primary outcome. The studies needed to include inferential statistics on standardized, patient-reported experience measures. Two independent reviewers performed the eligibility decisions and risk-of-bias appraisals. Results: Nine papers were finally included. Three papers were on discrete, service-level interventions, including two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and one pre-post study; one RCT achieved significant improvements by delaying the timing of bedside rounding versus maintaining the early morning schedule. One non-randomized controlled study and two pre-post studies addressed organization-wide approaches. Among those, one pre-post study achieved significant improvements by having site managers meet regularly with an organizational oversight committee to compare the units’ patient-experience performance and setting improvement expectations. Finally, three observational, multi-site comparative studies were included. These addressed self-reported improvement approaches, implementation of a nursing excellence certification program, and implementation of Patient Experience Offices. The latter was significantly associated with improved patient experience performance. Conclusion: Selected discrete service-level interventions and organizational approaches can lead to better patient experience outcomes, even though the evidence from the pre-post and observational studies should be interpreted with caution.

Successful treatment of large left ventricular thrombosis during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO）：a case report and review of the literatureXue-ting Yang, MM1**, Yi-jin Chen, MM1,2,3**, Han Zeng, MM1**, Lei Deng, MM1, Li Chang, MM1, Yi Li, MM1, Meng-long Song, MM1, Yang Zhang, MM1, Wei Peng, MM1, Dong-Wang, MM1,2,3, Hong-qiong Peng, MM1+, Hua Jiang, MD1,2+1 Emergency intensive care unit, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Second Section, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan, China; 2 Institute for Emergency and Disaster Medicine, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Second Section, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu610072, Sichuan, China; 3 University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 6100054, China.+Corresponding Author: Hong-qiong Peng, Emergency intensive care unite, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Second Section, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan, China. Tel: +86-28-87393496, Email: [email protected]. Hua Jiang, Emergency intensive care unite, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, No. 32, West Second Section, 1st Ring Road, Chengdu 610072, Sichuan, China. Tel: +86-28-87393881, Email: [email protected].**These authors have contributed equally to this workAuthor Contributions:Xue-ting Yang: Writing-original draft.Yi-jin Chen: Writing-original draft.Han Zeng: Writing-original draft.Lei Deng: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Li Chang: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Yi Li: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Meng-long Song: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Yang Zhang: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Wei Peng: Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.Dong-Wang: Writing-review and editing.Hong-qiong Peng: Supervision.Hua Jiang: Writing-review and editing, supervision and obtained funding.FundingThis work was supported by funding from the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (Grant ID: 2021YFS0378) to Hua Jiang.Conflict of interest statementAll authors have nothing to declare.Data availability statementThe corresponding author’s data supporting this study’s findings are available upon reasonable request.ConsentWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient to publish this report in accordance with the journal’s patient consent policy.ORCIDYi-jin Chen https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8075-1093Key clinical messageWe report the case that a fulminant myocarditis patient was treated with Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and experienced a rare complication of left ventricular giant thrombosis. After anticoagulation alone without surgical intervention, the thrombosis disappeared. This case illustrates anticoagulant alone therapy is safe and effective on treatment of giant left ventricular thrombosis during ECMO.Keywords: extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), left ventricular (LV) thrombosis, anticoagulant.IntroductionExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is widely used to patients with fulminant myocarditis, severe heart failure or respiratory failure or combined cardiorespiratory failure. It has been more than 50 years since ECMO was first successfully used to save the patient’s life. According to the return cycle, ECMO is classified by venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) and venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO). ECMO is a high-risk operation technique, which may cause fatal complications, such as massive bleeding, thrombosis and infection. This article hereby reported one case that left ventricular (LV) thrombosis occurred during ECMO and was successfully treated with anticoagulant alone without surgery.Case presentationA 28-year-old male (height 174cm, weighing 55kg) was admitted to the Emergency Intensive Care Unit (EICU) of our hospital on March 15, 2023 due to recurrent fever for 5 days. Electrocardiogram revealed V4-V6 ST segment elevation 0.05-0.2mv(Fig.1 panel A ) and hyper-sensitive troponin T（hs-cTnT）was 5135ng/L. Six hours after admission, ventricular fibrillation occurred suddenly. Electric defibrillation was immediately applied, and chest compression was continued. He was diagnosed with fulminant myocarditis and cardiogenic shock and was connected to VA-ECMO immediately. The initial speed was 9200/min, the blood flow was 3.6L/min, the norepinephrine was 1.5ug/(kg/min) and heparin anticoagulation was 1u/（kg/h）. Activated clotting time [ACT] was monitored every 4 hours, activated partial thromboplastin time [APTT], prothrombin time [PT], and anti-Xa were monitored four times a day. On March 17, 2023, echocardiography showed that thrombosis in the patient’s left ventricular (LV) (33*23mm in width, Fig.1 panel B, arrow). On March 20, 2023, the maximum diameter of the thrombosis was 47*12mm (Fig.1 panel C, arrow) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (biplane Simpson method) was 54%.TreatmentBecause of poor cardiac function, the surgical procedure is not available. Thus, we strengthen anticoagulation treatment. Anticoagulant targets were adjusted to ACT>180s and APTT>60. Because of the high activity of antithrombin III, heparin anticoagulation was adjusted to 18u/(kg/h)，In addition, the maximum APTT was 121.5s(Fig.1 panel E, arrow). On March 20, 2023. the patient met weaning criteria. We faced a dilemma at this point: the thrombosis in the heart is still there, if we wean him from ECMO, there is a high risk of cardiac arrest. If we do not wean him from ECMO, we need to maintain systemic anticoagulation therapy and the APTT is significantly prolonged. Under such circumstances, sustained ECMO may cause lethal hemorrhage. We carefully evaluated all the risk facing the patient and determined that the possibility of lethal hemorrhage is much higher than cardiac arrest so we decided to wean him from ECMO. Then the anticoagulant regimen was adjusted to enoxaparin 6000iu every 12 hours hypodermic inject. On March 21,2023, there was no obvious abnormal echo in the LV with color Doppler echocardiography (Fig.1 panel D, arrow), and combined with the patient data, thrombosis was diminished after anticoagulant therapy. On day 13, patient was weaned from mechanical ventilation and continuing to use enoxaparin 3000iu hypodermic inject every 12 hours. Subsequently, the patient gradually stabilized and was discharged on the 29th day of hospitalization with no central neurological damage, and no other organ system failures.Conclusions and follow-upBased on our case and literature analysis, left ventricular thrombosis is one of the most serious complications during ECMO. At present, the treatment of left ventricular thrombosis during ECMO mainly includes drug therapy, surgical thrombectomy, and left ventricular load unloading, but there are no specific guidelines about this. The volume of thrombosis in this case is the largest of all surviving cases reported so far of left ventricular thrombosis during ECMO receiving non-surgical treatment only (Table.1).After 3 months of follow-up, the patient’s cardiac ultrasound showed LVEF was 42% and the formation of a left ventricular posterior wall aneurysm. After 9 months of follow-up, the patient’s cardiac ultrasound showed LVEF was 67% and the formation of a left ventricular posterior wall aneurysm. The patients had no special discomfort during the two follow-up visits.DiscussionThere were many complications during taking ECMO as a treatment, including: tearing of large vessels, massive bleeding (30%-70%) [1], and thrombosis. Left ventricular thrombosis is one of the rare but serious complications may lead to death. Many factors may cause thrombosis, and insufficient anticoagulation is one of them. Zhao et al. [2] suggested that the direct thrombin inhibitors (DTI), e.g., heparin, may prevent LV thrombosis. They suggest to use heparin to prolong the APTT to 50-60s. However, there is still no consensus on the target of heparin usage. In addition, researchers suggested to use ACT as monitoring marker to guide the anti-coagulate therapy, but the controversies are still existence [3-4].There are very few case reports on ventricular thrombosis of ECMO. We reviewed previous case reports of left ventricular thrombosis during ECMO treatment. We used keywords “Left ventricular thrombosis” and “extracorporeal membrane oxygenation” and retrieved relevant literatures through PubMed (from 1993 to December 2023). We found only eight case reports and one review article [5-13]. In these reports (Table.1), five patients had survived, three patients had deceased. In one review article, the authors reported patients with heart thrombosis and all deceased. Among the 5 survived patients, the treatments were different, one patient [13] was treated by adjusting anticoagulant to Tenecteplase 30mg administration through a ventilation catheter. Three patients [5, 9, 10] were received surgical thrombectomy, and one patient [6] was treated with a new technology -placed retrograde aortic root catheter for heparin infusion. To our knowledge, our patient is the only successful case that uses heparin/low molecular heparin to save the patient from LV thrombosis reported so far. In addition, the volume of thrombosis in our case is the largest of all reported survival cases by anticoagulation (Table.1).In addition, anti-RO-52 antibody and anti-mitochondrial antibody M2 subtype of this patient were found positive in admission. However, there is no evidence in the literature which anyone can confidently use to causally link this antibody and thrombosis.

Introduction:Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children. The median age at diagnosis was 19 months. It is characterized by clinical heterogeneity. Depending on the risk group, treatment ranges from observation to aggressive multimodal treatment. Stage and age are clinically predictive of outcome. Younger patients (usually defined as 18 months or younger) fared better [1]. Imaging is used to assess primary tumors and determine patterns of disease spread. 60% of tumors originate in the abdomen, with adrenal glands in 32% of cases; other sites are the chest (15%), pelvis (5%), neck (5%), and rarely the brain (1%). [2] Bone and bone marrow are the most common sites of metastatic disease, involving skeletal structures ranging from the skull and spine to the appendix skeleton, followed by the liver and skin. [3]We present a rare case of a patient with bone metastasis neuroblastoma of unknown primary site.

Recently, distal transradial artery access has obtained popularity for coronary diagnostic and interventional procedures due to favorable ergonomics and fewer vascular complications. There are still complications reported including hematoma and pseudoaneurysm formation with this new access, however, distal radial arteriovenous fistula is quite rare. We reported a rare case of a

With global climate change leading to an increase in the frequency of abnormally low temperatures, the yield of rice has significantly impacted. Due to extensive efforts over the past four decades, many genes involved in rice cold tolerance have been identified and cloned. Despite these endeavors, the molecular mechanisms of rice’s response to cold stress remain unclear. In this study, we used reverse genetics along with biochemical and molecular biology approaches to characterize OsRab6a, a small GTP-binding protein. Our findings revealed that OsRab6a positively regulates rice cold tolerance during both the bud and seedling stages. The expression of OsRab6a is induced by cold stress, particularly in seedling roots. Overexpression of OsRab6a enhances cold tolerance in transgenic rice, whereas the OsRab6a mutants exhibit the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, OsRab6a physically interacts with OsRAN2 under cold stress, functioning upstream of OsRAN2. These results suggest that OsRab6a plays an crucial role in regulating cold tolerance and the ABA signalling pathway. Our study elucidates the functional significance of OsRab6a in rice cold tolerance and provides potential strategies for enhancing the resilience of rice plants to cold stress.

Background and Aims: The primary healthcare (PHC) system is a comprehensive, equitable, and efficient approach to supporting health and social well-being by offering prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services close to living environments. The PHC system in Iraq is currently facing issues that limit its effectiveness and efficiency. This research aims to discover strategies to enhance the PHC system in Iraq. Methods: We conducted a systematic search for articles on initiatives aimed at enhancing the PHC system, covering the period from 1980 to June 2024, using eight databases and Google Scholar. We included articles that met the criteria and analyzed them using the framework analysis approach with RevMan 5.3 software. Results: A total of 18,705 articles were extracted. After removing duplicates and items without full text, 15,971 studies remained for title and abstract review, of which 14,175 were removed. Finally, 18 research articles related to PHC strengthening were used. Data collection methods included checking databases (12 studies), interviews (6 studies), focus groups (3 studies), questionnaires, and archival data (15 studies). The majority of research (44.45%) was conducted in Baghdad. Conclusion: In the context of Society 5.0, smart technology’s practical applications in healthcare aim to enhance decision-making, patient care, and service delivery. Smart technologies can help nurses make clinical decisions in complex care situations and streamline procedures like paperwork. When rebuilding and strengthening the PHC system, addressing the historical, social, cultural, and economic variables is important.

We tested whether decreasing respiratory frequency would stabilise both behavioural attention and pupil diameter oscillatory activity, compared to a spontaneously breathing control group. Pupil diameter was used as a proxy measure for Locus Coeruleus (LC) activity in order to directly test a prediction from a dynamical systems model (Melnychuk et al 2018) that posits the LC as a mediating nexus between respiration and attention. A novel task was designed, Paced Auditory Cue Entrainment (PACE) task, in which participants responded rhythmically to auditory cues, providing a continuous measure of sustained attention, and additionally, a breath guide for the experimental group. In Experiment 1, the respiratory frequency was guided from 0.15 Hz → 0.1 Hz → 0.15 Hz. In Experiment 2, participants spent a longer duration in each frequency, guided at 0.15 Hz → 0.1 Hz only. The two experiments yielded highly consistent results. Despite no group differences in the variation of the timing of responses, the control group committed significantly more lapses of attention in contrast to the breathing group, which barely committed any of such errors. Additionally, the oscillatory activity of pupil diameter in the breathing group closely tracked the frequency of the instructed breathing, implicating the possibility of LC-noradrenaline activity being entrained by the breath intervention. From these findings we conclude that decreasing respiratory frequency did indeed stabilise attention, mitigating lapses, possibly through stabilising fluctuations in LC activity.

Background: The study examines alloparental care and adoption in the Sri Lankan leopard population at Yala National Park, Sri Lanka. Using the Multi Point Leopard Identification Method, it documents a remarkable instance: a leopard cub [YM 67] initially adopted by its maternal aunt [YF 46], and later by another female [YF 15] with no prior connection to the cub. We consider this behaviour is noteworthy in especially solitary animal species such as leopards. Methods: Our study was conducted for a period of two years and five months (from February 2021 to July 2023). Our observations highlight the dynamics of these adoptions and the behaviours exhibited. Altruistic acts, such as feeding, brushing, and shielding the cubs, were observed. These inspections challenge the conventional knowledge regarding leopard behaviours. Notably, YF 15’s adoption of YM 67, despite their lack of genetic relatedness, exemplifies a form of mutually beneficial reciprocal altruism, benefiting both parties. Discussion: The following study explains leopard adoptions using evolutionary theories like kin altruism and reciprocal altruism. It suggests factors such as genetic relatedness, mutual dependency, and possible misidentification influenced the act of adoption. These rare altruistic acts benefit the leopard population. Conclusion: Our study opposes traditional concepts of solitary Sri Lankan leopards. Altruistic behaviours, influenced by genetic relatedness and reciprocal benefits, emphasize social dynamics in predator populations. These findings enhance the understanding of evolutionary mechanisms and cooperative behaviours in maintaining population fitness in the Sri Lankan leopard population.

Objectives: Ovarian cancer has a limited immunotherapeutic response; hence, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between CXC-chemokine ligand 13 ( CXCL13) expression and overall survival (OS) rate, key immune pathways, degree of immune cell infiltration, and PD-1 checkpoint blockade. Methods: A total of 703 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained from “The Cancer Genome Atlas” (TCGA) database based on the immune and stromal scores of 379 OC patients for getting the targeted gene CXCL13. The association between CXCL13 and OS in OC patients, biological function annotation of CXCL13, and its correlation with immune components were assessed. Results: The results indicated that upregulated CXCL13 expression was positively correlated with good OC patient prognosis. CXCL13 expression was associated with six immune-related pathways, ten immune cells, and PD-1 in the OC microenvironment. Moreover, high expression of CXCL13 was related to a better tumor response and a more extended tumor-stable stage after PD-1 blocking therapy in IMvigor210. Conclusions: The study concluded that CXCL13 could be a prognostic marker and a potential immunotherapy target for OC patients, especially PD-1 checkpoint blockade.