We aimed to investigate the association between plasma advanced glycation end products (AGE) level and fat, skeletal muscle-related body composition parameters in middle-aged and elderly Chinese participants. A total of 1139 participants aged over 40 years were included in a cross-sectional study. Body composition including BMI, waist:hip ratio (WHR), fat mass index (FMI), percentage of body fat (PBF), the ratio of trunk fat to legs fat (trunk fat/legs fat), fat free mass (FFM), fat free mass index (FFMI) and skeletal muscle index (SMI) was measured using a bioelectrical impedance analyser. Plasma free and combined AGE were measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem MS. Multiple linear regression and weighted quantile sum regression models were used to examine the association between AGE and body composition parameters. Total exposure of plasma advanced glycation end products (AGE) was positively associated with BMI (β (95 % CI): 0·381 (0·037, 0·724), P = 0·030), FMI (β (95 % CI): 0·521 (0·241, 0·800), P = 0·001), PBF (β (95 % CI): 1·996 (1·160, 2·832), P < 0·0001), trunk fat/legs fat (β (95 % CI): 0·058 (0·036, 0·080), P < 0·001); while it was negatively associated with FFM (β (95 % CI): −1·075 (–2·028, –0·122), P = 0·027), FFMI (β (95 % CI): −0·687 (–1·076, –0·297), P = 0·001) and SMI (β (95 % CI): −1·264 (–1·767, –0·761), P < 0·001). The associations between plasma AGE and FFM and FFMI were more pronounced in those aged less than 61 years and female participants. This study provides evidence on the associations between plasma AGE and fat and skeletal muscle parameters, suggesting their potential role in the development of obesity and skeletal muscle loss.

The study aimed to develop and validate a food literacy tool for Tanzanian adults. The Tanzanian nutrition, food and health promotion experts evaluated the initial twenty-three-question food literacy tool for its relevance to the context, where its content validity was determined. The construct validity involved the analysis of food literacy information collected in a cross-sectional study involving 709 adults (484 females and 225 males) sampled from rural and urban Tanzania. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to explore the underlying factor structure and identify the number of latent constructs. A confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling verified the measurement model and confirmed the theoretical model’s validity and reliability. The descriptive statistics summarised the essential characteristics of the study sample. The final tool remained with fourteen questions after removing questions with low factor loadings < 0·5 and higher uniqueness above 0·60. The model achieved construct validity through convergent and discriminant validity and construct reliability through the composite reliability exceeding 0·60 and a Cronbach’s α value of 0·83 and above. The fourteen-question food literacy tool has been reviewed and evaluated by experts in food, nutrition and public health; therefore, it is a valid measure of food literacy among adults in Tanzania. It is suitable for designing nutrition education programmes and ensures accurate and reliable measurements for effective interventions and policy actions.

Smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) is an introduced, perennial, cool-season invasive grass that has invaded native rangelands in the Great Plains. Defoliation at specific growth stages may reduce the abundance of B. inermis, but information is limited about when this should occur. Between 2018 and 2020 we assessed how defoliation at four different phenological stages influenced the amount of outgrowth on B. inermis tillers near Mandan, North Dakota, USA. In three replicated plots, we evaluated axillary buds, tillers, and rhizome outgrowth. Treatments consisted of defoliating B. inermus at a height of 5 cm at one of the following phenological stages: (1) once in the vegetative stage, (2) twice in the vegetative stage, (3) once in the elongation stage, (4) once in the reproductive stage, and an undefoliated control. Individual tillers were collected in the fall following defoliation and processed in the laboratory. Each year 10 tillers were defoliated at each phenological stage for a total of 50 tillers plot-1 year-1. The total number of crown positions was determined for each tiller and outgrowth (tillers and rhizomes), and the number of axillary buds was counted on each tiller. A double-staining technique was used to determine active, dead, and dormant axillary buds. Tillers defoliated twice in the vegetative stage had less outgrowth per tiller than tillers defoliated once in the reproductive stage or the undefoliated controls (new outgrowth of 1.2, 2.2, and 1.8 per tiller for twice vegetatively, reproductive, and control respectively). Results show that defoliating tillers in the elongation or reproductive stage resulted in nearly complete tiller mortality. Our data suggest managers who wish to reduce B. inermis abundance should focus on defoliating it twice in the vegetative stage and avoid defoliating B. inermis in the reproductive stage to limit outgrowth.

The classification of acacias has gone through recent upheaval. The latest phylogenies indicate that Acacia sensu stricto is only relatively distantly related to the species with which it was once grouped. Its sister group is the monospecific Paraserianthes. This study concerns P. lophantha subsp. lophantha, a species from SW Western Australia that is widely invasive. Both genera have seeds with physical dormancy (PY) and a lens-type water gap. Seed structure, particularly that of the lens, was assessed in Paraserianthes and compared with Acacia. Seed batch viability was almost 100%, all seeds had PY and average seed mass was 73 mg. The seed coat and the embryo made almost equal contributions to seed mass, indicating a substantial seed coat. Average testa (410 µm) and palisade layer (163 µm) thicknesses were greater than in most investigated Acacia species. Unpopped lenses were small (0.11 mm2, about 0.15% of the seed surface area). With a 1 min boiling water treatment, the lens detached from the seeds. The palisade cells of the lens were about 100% larger in area after detaching, which indicates that they previously were under considerable tension. With other PY-breaking treatments, the lens formed a mound or a slight change in colour occurred. The seeds of Paraserianthes lophantha had the same basic construction as most Acacia seeds, although they were relatively large and heavy, the testa made up a large proportion of the seed and the palisade cells were long. Different lens morphologies, associated with different dormancy-breaking treatments, have rarely been described.

Cover crops and soil-residual herbicides are considered essential tools within integrated weed management practices. However, interception of soil-applied herbicides by cover crop residue can reduce weed control and crop yield. Field trials were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in Indiana to investigate the effect of cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) termination strategies on the concentration of sulfentrazone, S-metolachlor, and cloransulam-methyl in soil, weed control, and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yield. Soybeans were planted at cereal rye anthesis. Termination strategies included roller-crimped cereal rye, standing cereal rye, and a fallow control. The average cereal rye biomass in 2022 and 2023 was 4.06 and 14.2 Mg ha−1, respectively. Soybean stands were unaffected in 2022 but were reduced by 24% and 69% in the presence of roller-crimped and standing cereal rye, respectively, in 2023. On average, 75% and 84% of the soil-residual herbicides applied were intercepted by the roller-crimped cereal rye residue in 2022 and 2023, respectively. The use of cereal rye did not improve overall weed control relative to fallow at 18 after soybean planting in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, roller-crimped cereal rye reduced soybean yields by up to 13% in comparison with the fallow. In 2023, regardless of management strategy, the use of cereal rye as a cover crop reduced soybean yields by an average 44% in comparison to the fallow. Results from this research suggest that the adoption of the planting green system can significantly reduce soybean yield primarily due to stand losses if proper planting equipment is not used. Furthermore, the high levels of cereal rye biomass achieved in both years of the study did not provide additional season-long weed suppression relative to the non-cover crop control.

In southeast Asia, upland rice (Oryza sativa L.) is typically grown by subsistence farmers under shifting cultivation systems in mountainous regions. In Laos, glutinous upland rice is grown in the north and along the Laos-Vietnamese border in central and southern regions. Previous research has examined requirements for upland rice in northern Laos, but not in the south, which is lower in altitude, with higher evaporation. This paper examined the adaptation of six upland rice genotypes, (preferred traditional tropical japonicas Nok and Mak Hin Sung, preferred traditional indicas Laboun and Non, and improved indica B6144F-MR-6-0-0 (B6144), which were compared with a tropical japonica Local Check (which varied from site to site), over seven sites (from new to continuous cultivation) in southern Laos. Mean grain yield of the site ranged from 1.04 to 3.71 t ha−1, with higher yields in the wetter year 2011 than in the drier 2012 (3.19 t ha−1 with 1718 mm vs 1.23 t ha−1 with 1034 mm rainfall). Nevertheless, cluster analysis identified three sites and three genotype groups, which were not simply related to annual rainfall. Three principal component axes were associated with yield potential (PCA1), cultural history (PCA2), and resource limitation as the growing season progressed (PCA3). Consequently, upland rice response was related to 4 cultural history by year groups: Nong 2011 (E1: new cultivation, wet year, high yield potential), Xepon 2012 (E2: old cultivation, dry year, low yield potential), and intermittent stress (E3) associated with either old cultivation in a wet year (Xepon 2011) or new cultivation in a dry year (Nong 2012). Among genotypes, Nok, Non, and Laboun were high-yielding over sites (2.30 t ha−1), B6144 and Local Check were low yielding over sites (1.69 t ha−1), while Mak Hin Sung was highest yielding in the Xepon 2012 sites only (1.62 t ha−1). The results suggested a stronger importance of water deficit in southern Laos, especially during grain filling. Nevertheless, genotypes which performed well in southern Laos, the early indica Laboun and the specifically adapted tropical japonica Mak Hin Sung, were adopted by upland farmers in the south, and were still being grown there seven years later. Relative to upland and aerobic rice for northern Laos, which is exposed to only mild or intermittent water deficit, upland rice for southern Laos requires greater tolerance to water deficit.

Plant-based diets may improve mental health among older adults by alleviating depression and improving life satisfaction. This study aimed to explore the associations between plant-based dietary pattern trajectories (PDPT), depression and life satisfaction in Chinese older adults. Data of participants from the 2008–2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey were analysed. We utilised group-based trajectory modelling to identify the PDPT. Logistic and linear regression models were used to analyse the associations between PDPT, depression and life satisfaction. In total, 1835 participants were divided into three groups based on plant-based dietary index (PDI), healthy plant-based dietary index (HPDI) or unhealthy plant-based dietary index (UPDI) trajectories, respectively, and the PDPT were maintained at stable levels. PDI trajectory was not significantly associated with depression or life satisfaction. HPDI trajectory had no significant association with depression. However, compared with low HPDI trajectory, participants in the high (β = 0·185, 95 % CI: 0·032, 0·337) HPDI trajectories had higher life satisfaction. Compared with the low UPDI trajectory, participants in the high UPDI trajectory groups were associated with a higher risk of depression (OR = 1·793, 95 % CI: 1·124, 2·861). Further, the medium (β = −0·145, 95 % CI: −0·273, −0·018) and high (β = −0·335, 95 % CI: −0·478, −0·191) UPDI trajectory were associated with poor life satisfaction. Dietary interventions should be prioritised to address the persistent unhealthy dietary habits among Chinese older adults, with particular emphasis on reducing UPDI to enhance mental health by promoting intake of healthy plant-based and animal-based foods while avoiding unhealthy plant-based foods.

In this study, changes in physiological characteristics of Coridius chinensis (Hemiptera: Dinidoridae) during diapause and post-diapause development period were determined. The moisture content of C. chinensis at the beginning of diapause was significantly lower than that at any other stage, and the moisture content during post-diapause development period was significantly higher than that from October to December 2021 and in February and April of the following year. The fat content gradually declined over time. The glycogen content remained at lower levels during diapause but rose sharply during the post-diapause development period, when it became significantly higher than that during diapause. The trehalose content gradually declined in the early stages of diapause but rose greatly in the middle stage, followed by a gradual decline in the late stages and a significant increase during the post-diapause development period. The protein content was at lower levels in the early stages of diapause, significantly lower than that in the middle and late stages of diapause and that during post-diapause development period. The results indicated significant differences in changes in the moisture, fat, carbohydrate, and protein contents between the diapause and post-diapause development periods, with obvious stage characteristics. This study provides a scientific basis for further research on the diapause physiology of C. chinensis.

In 2022, an Mpox clade II outbreak affected many countries. To optimize control, knowledge on the number of new introductions (human cases infected from outside the study population) versus local transmission is important. We extracted sequences of all 48 Mpox cases in Slovenia in 2022 from the NCBI database, of which 42 passed quality control. We estimated the number of introductions using the phylodynamic model phybreak by integrating genomic and epidemiological data and inferred transmission events. By repeating this analysis with weekly cumulative case data, we assessed if introductions could have been reliably inferred in real time. The number of introductions, estimated after the outbreak ended, was 19 (95% CI: 13–29), and two larger transmission clusters existed. As these introductions occurred throughout the outbreak, we conclude that the Slovenian Mpox outbreak was mainly driven by new introductions. Analysing the data ‘in real time’ would have only slightly overestimated the number of introductions per week, capturing the trend of introductions as main driver of the outbreak. This makes it useful for guiding control policy during outbreaks, prioritizing the rapid identification of cases among travellers, and with that preventing emergence of new transmission chains.

The northeast region of India, part of the Indo–Burma biodiversity hotspot, is a vital reservoir of genetic diversity for agricultural crops, particularly rice. Chakhao, the black scented rice of Manipur, India is celebrated for its mild nutty flavour, distinctive aroma and high anthocyanin content. This study evaluated 22 economically significant Chakhao landraces using DUS characterization, along with biochemical and molecular profiling. Key findings revealed low amylose content (3.4–6.97%) and diverse grain types, predominantly short to medium slender. Anthocyanin concentrations varied widely, with certain genotypes surpassing 350 mg/100 g – levels even higher than those found in blueberries. Notably, landraces such as Chakhao_Bn-4, Chakhao_Ch-2, Chakhao_Cp-1 and Chakhao_IE-1 exhibited exceptional anthocyanin content (>390 mg/100 g), making them excellent candidates for future breeding programs. These lines also score the highest (9 – dark purple) in decorticated grains colour, a key trait for geographical indication (GI) status. Anthocyanin-related traits such as were the primary contributors to phenotypic diversity in the first three principal components, while structural and developmental traits influenced subsequent components. The study also revealed a striking lack of similarity in groupings based on morphological versus molecular data, as indicated by a low Baker’s Gamma correlation coefficient (0.034). Multivariate analysis integrating both data types highlighted substantial genetic and phenotypic diversity, reinforcing the necessity for comprehensive conservation strategies. The recent GI status of Chakhao has boosted global interest in Chakhao, prompting an initiate crop improvement program utilizing these landraces to drive economic resilience in marginal farming communities.

Weed management in peanut primarily relies on intensive herbicide programs. Integrating cereal rye as a cover crop may reduce herbicide input without compromising weed control. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate cereal rye termination management and herbicide programs in peanut. Main plot treatments included a winter fallow control and four cereal rye termination scenarios: 1) early termination 28 d before peanut planting (DBP) with residue rolled flat; 2) early termination 28 DBP with residue left standing; 3) late termination 14 DBP with residue rolled flat; or 4) late termination 14 DBP with residue left standing. Subplot treatments consisted of four herbicide programs: 1) preemergence + early postemergence + mid-postemergence herbicides; 2) preemergence + mid-postemergence herbicides; 3) early postemergence + mid-postemergence herbicides; and 4) a nontreated control. Early cereal rye termination (28 DBP), whether rolled or standing, reduced Palmer amaranth density by 36% to 48% without preemergence herbicides and by 36% to 50% when preemergence herbicides (fluridone or flumioxazin) were applied. Sicklepod density was unaffected by early termination. In contrast, late termination reduced sicklepod density by 47% to 50% and Palmer amaranth density by 64% to 86% relative to the winter fallow control at 28 d after preemergence application. Across all treatments, cereal rye reduced Palmer amaranth and sicklepod biomass by 63% to 67% and 63% to 65%, respectively, 28 d after mid-postemergence herbicides were applied. However, standing cereal rye residue reduced peanut yield compared to rolled residue and the winter fallow. Late-terminated, rolled cereal rye residue combined with reduced herbicide programs (preemergence + mid-postemergence or early postemergence + mid-postemergence) provided weed control and yield comparable to the intensive herbicide program (preemergence + early postemergence + mid-postemergence) in winter fallow control. Based on these findings, late-terminated, rolled cereal rye has the potential to reduce herbicide input while maintaining peanut yield and effective weed suppression.

Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) are a highly conserved family of proteins involved in a variety of biological processes and developmental pathways critical for proper growth and the maintenance of normal physiological functions in animals. However, the specific BMP-like ligand in Fasciola gigantica, a zoonotic liver fluke of major veterinary and public health importance, has not yet been clearly identified and fully characterized. In this report, we describe the molecular structure, key characteristics, evolutionary relationships, and expression patterns of F. gigantica Decapentaplegic (FgDpp), a putative member of the BMP family. The complete cDNA sequence of FgDpp was 3,765 bp in length and included a 2,811 bp coding sequence (CDS), which encodes a 936-amino-acid precursor protein. This precursor is predicted to undergo proteolytic processing to yield a 185-amino-acid mature peptide. Sequence analysis revealed two conserved domains characteristic of BMP family members: a TGF-β pro-peptide domain and a TGF-β domain containing seven conserved cysteine residues. Expression profiling across developmental stages showed that FgDpp is highly expressed in embryonated eggs and metacercariae, with minimal expression in unembryonated eggs, newly excysted juveniles (NEJs), and adult flukes. These findings contribute to the molecular characterization of FgDpp and suggest its potential involvement in early developmental regulation, offering a foundation for future functional studies and potential targets for parasite control strategies.

There are limited data on the illness trajectory for individuals with long COVID. We prospectively followed 1,234 individuals with long COVID at 3 months post-SARS-CoV-2 infection to identify factors associated with persistence or recovery. At 6 months post-infection, 724 (58.7%) had persistent long COVID and 510 (41.3%) had fully recovered. In multivariable analyses, pre-existing health conditions at the time of initial SARS-CoV-2 infection and reporting fatigue, shortness of breath, and cough 3 months post-infection were independent predictors of persistent long COVID. Age, sex, and number of COVID vaccinations were not significantly associated with persistent long COVID. For persons with persistent long COVID, the median number of symptoms remained stable over follow-up, indicating that there had been little symptomatic improvement. A third of those with persistent long COVID reported seeking medical care for their symptoms and a third had ceased or reduced their hours of work/study. Our findings suggest that there may be distinct clinical trajectories for long COVID observed between 3- and 6-month follow-up, that is, persons who experience full recovery and those with minimal clinical improvement, and this may have implications for management of affected individuals.