Search

Objectives: Caesarean section (CS) delivery is the most common operative obstetric procedure globally. The increasing trend of CS deliveries poses a significant threat to both child and maternal health. The adverse maternal outcomes associated with caesarean delivery represent a substantial public health concern worldwide. This study aimed to identify emerging obstetric and pregnancy risk factors and maternal outcomes associated with CS delivery among women in Rajshahi district, Bangladesh., Design: This was a cross-sectional study., Setting: Data were collected from 9 Upazilas with 233 community clinics of Rajshahi district, Bangladesh., Participants: Multistage sampling technique was utilised for selecting sample from the population. A total of 540 mothers with a live infant were enrolled in the study. Descriptive statistics, χ 2 test, logistic regression and ROC curve were used to analyse the data., Results: The mean age of respondents was 26.28 years (SD 4.96); among them, the proportion of CS was 34.44%, with a higher proportion occurring in private clinics (82.8%) compared with public hospitals (17.2%). The likelihood of having a CS increased with factors such as insufficient sleep duration (p=0.002), oedema problems (p=0.014), inadequate supplements of micronutrients (p=0.009), severe headaches with blurred vision (p=0.028) and inadequate food consumption during pregnancy (p=0.032). The probability of experiencing obstetric fistula or postpartum anaemia (p=0.049) was higher among mothers who had a CS in their most recent live birth than mothers who had a vaginal birth., Conclusion: The study found that having a CS increases the risk of maternal complications like an obstetric fistula or postpartum anaemia. Considering these results, it is recommended to urgently introduce carefully evaluated clinical practices to assess if vaginal delivery is possible. Counselling women about the delivery method is important to decrease unnecessary CS in Bangladesh., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2025. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Xanthomonas citri pv. malvacearum (Xcm) associated with bacterial blight disease is a significant and widespread pathogen affecting cotton worldwide. The excessive use of harmful chemicals to control plant pathogens has exerted a negative impact on environmental safety. Thymol is a monoterpene phenol present in the essential oils of plants belonging to Lamiaceae family. In this study the antimicrobial activity of thymol was evaluated against Xcm. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and 99.9% bactericidal concentration (MBC) of thymol against Xcm were 2 and 4 mg/mL, respectively. The effect of MIC and MBC of thymol against Xcm was assessed on the Luria-Bertani medium. The effect of thymol on intercellular ATP levels, membrane potential, and motility in Xcm was assessed using fluorescence spectrometry for membrane potential and firefly luciferase-based assay for ATP levels. Thymol ruptured the cellular membrane of Xcm, resulting in decreased intracellular ATP concentrations, intracellular leakage of genetic material, and changes in membrane potential. Scanning electron microscopy images supported the impact of thymol on the cell membrane of Xcm. Moreover, thymol inhibited the swimming motility and biofilm formation of Xcm at concentrations equal to or above the MIC and MBC. In contrast, sub-MIC concentrations of thymol had little to no impact on the virulence of Xcm. In conclusion, thymol demonstrated the potential as a strong bactericidal compound against Xcm., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors disclose no competing interest. Ethical Approval: Our research did not include any human subjects and animal experiments. Consent to Participate: Not applicable. Consent for Publication: Not applicable., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Perovskite technologies has taken giant steps on its advances in only a decade time, from fundamental science to device engineering. The possibility to exploit this technology on a thin flexible substrate gives an unbeatable power to weight ratio compares to similar photovoltaic systems, opening new possibilities and new integration concepts, going from building integrated and applied photovoltaics (BIPV, BAPV) to internet of things (IoT). In this perspective, the recent progress of perovskite solar technologies on flexible substrates are summarized, focusing on the challenges that researchers face upon using flexible substrates. A dig into material science is necessary to understand what kind of mechanisms are limiting its efficiency compare to rigid substrates, and which physical mechanism limits the upscaling on flexible substrate. Furthermore, an overview of stability test on flexible modules will be described, suggesting common standard procedure and guidelines to follow, showing additional issues that flexible modules face upon bending, and how to prevent device degradation providing an ad-hoc encapsulation. Finally, the recent advances of flexible devices in the perovskite market will be shown, giving an outline of how this technology is exploited on flexible substrates, and what are still missing that need stakeholders' attention., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: Specific genetic factors might serve as markers for risk stratification of AMD progression, but their association with key features of AMD has not been fully elucidated. Thus, we investigated the association between overall and pathway-specific genetic risk scores (GRS) and lead loci ( ARMS2, CFH ) with AMD stages and features of high-risk nonlate AMD, including reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) and large drusen area (LDA)., Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data from the Rhineland Study, a population-based study in Bonn, Germany. We included 4016 individuals aged 50 years and older of European descent. GRS and pathway-specific subscores were constructed based on a large genome-wide association study of AMD. Subscores were generated based on gene-pathways associations (complement, extracellular matrix remodeling (ECM) and lipid metabolism). Associations were assessed using logistic and multinomial regression., Results: The mean age of participants was 63.36 years and 1813 (45.1%) were men. The GRS was positive in 48.1% of individuals and increased, but did not fully overlap, across AMD stages. Pathway-specific subscores increased across AMD stages except for the ECM subscore, which only showed a trend for increasing in late AMD. Increasing overall GRS was associated with RPD and LDA (OR [95%CI] for RPD: 1.70 [1.33-2.15], for LDA: 1.64 [1.29-2.07]) among individuals with AMD. Similarly, higher complement and ECM subscores was associated with RPD, while for LDA, only an association with complement subscore was observed., Conclusions: In a population-based setting, we confirmed higher genetic risk to be associated with more severe AMD and identified associations with high-risk features of intermediate AMD. Conjoint analyses suggested that high-risk features and late AMD might be differentially associated with genetic architecture in AMD, such as ECM remodeling. Incorporation of genetic information such as GRSs might improve AMD risk prediction strategies.

This study investigates the metabolic disruptions caused by nicotine (NIC) exposure, with a particular focus on amino acid and lipid metabolism, and evaluates resveratrol (RSV) as a potential protective agent. Mice were divided into four groups: control (CON), NIC-exposed, NIC + RSV-treated, and RSV-only. NIC exposure resulted in significant weight loss, elevated glucose levels, altered lipid profiles, and organ damage, particularly in the liver and kidneys. Increased inflammation was evidenced by elevated levels of IL-6 and CRP. In contrast, RSV treatment mitigated these effects by improving lipid profiles, glycemic indices, and reducing inflammatory markers. Histopathological analysis confirmed reduced tissue damage in the NIC + RSV group compared to the NIC-alone group. Metabolomics analysis using LC-MS/MS revealed significant dysregulation in lipid, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolism in NIC-exposed mice. Fold-change analysis identified altered metabolites, including sphingomyelin 36:1;02 (p < 0.001), valine (p < 0.001), triacylglycerol 4:0-18:1 (p < 0.001), and ceramide 32:1;02 (p < 0.001). Amino acids such as arginine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid, tyrosine, and lysine, as well as NIC metabolites like nornicotine and cotinine, were identified, underscoring molecular fragmentation analysis findings. RSV treatment partially restored metabolic balance, highlighting its role as a metabolic modulator. This study underscores the therapeutic potential of RSV in alleviating NIC-induced metabolic dysfunctions by restoring lipid homeostasis and reducing inflammation. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of RSV in addressing NIC-related metabolic impairments and the need for noninvasive biomarkers for early disease detection., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)