Dyslipidemia is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and immune dysfunction, but the immunological effects of dietary phytosterols in humans remain unclear. We conducted a secondary analysis of an outcome-assessor-blinded, randomized controlled feeding trial to evaluate the effects of a high-phytosterol (HPS) diet, using phytosterol-enriched corn–wheat germ blended oil, compared with a low-phytosterol (LPS) diet using peanut oil, on systemic inflammatory markers, humoral immune markers and peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in Chinese adults with dyslipidemia. After a 2-week run-in period, 104 participants were randomized to the HPS group (n=52) or the LPS group (n=52) for 12 weeks. In intention-to-treat analyses, the HPS group had a higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio at 12 weeks than the LPS group (adjusted mean difference: 0.561; 95 % CI: 0.060, 1.063; P = 0.03) and a lower CD8+ T-cell count (adjusted mean difference: -116.315 cells/μL; 95 % CI: -215.781,-16.849; P = 0.02). No significant between-group differences were observed for systemic inflammatory markers, humoral immune markers or most other lymphocyte subset outcomes. In per-protocol analyses, the difference in CD4+/CD8+ ratio remained significant, whereas the reduction in CD8+ T-cell count was attenuated. These exploratory findings suggest that a 12-week phytosterol-enriched corn–wheat germ blended oil intervention may be associated with changes in T-cell subset balance in adults with dyslipidemia, although the results should be interpreted cautiously given the exploratory nature of this secondary analysis.

Older adults in long-term care (LTC) homes experience complex nutrition-related challenges and care staff are central to supporting nutrition care, eating assistance, and positive mealtime experiences. However, nutrition care education is often inconsistently addressed in staff training. This scoping review mapped the scope, characteristics, and reported the outcome measures of nutrition care education and programs for LTC staff. This review followed JBI methodology and was reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, and PsycINFO) were searched from May to October 2024, with an updated search in September 2025. Grey literature and reference lists were also searched. Sixteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Programs varied in content, delivery format, duration, target staff groups, implementation supports, and outcomes. Common outcomes included staff knowledge, confidence, attitudes, eating assistance practices, mealtime environment, feasibility indicators, and selected resident nutrition outcomes. Future research should improve reporting, follow-up, outcome definitions, implementation, feasibility, and continuity.

We contribute to research addressing links between forest restoration and human well-being with an experimental study testing how exposure to a restored forest and birdsong impact mental stress, positive and negative experiences and perceived restorativeness. This study engaged 106 campus participants at North Carolina State University in a 2 × 2 experiment to assess the impacts of soundscapes (i.e., traffic noise versus birdsong) and a restored riparian forest (compared to proximate grey space). Soundscape and location were drivers of all well-being metrics (p < 0.001 for main effects in every case, with effect sizes ranging from η2 = 0.05 to 0.34). The restored forest with birdsong combination elicited the lowest stress, lowest negative experiences, highest positive experiences and highest perceived restorativeness (p < 0.05). The grey space with traffic noise combination was always the least beneficial (p < 0.05), and mixed treatments yielded intermediate results. These results build evidence that exposure to restored forest reduces stress, increases well-being and assists with perceived restorativeness; they also suggest that birdsong soundscapes have additive beneficial effects. These findings support the value of ecological restoration in urban areas, particularly when landscape restoration is accompanied by restoration of bird communities.

AI provides a rich source of challenging examples for theories of agency because it allows relevant features to be relatively freely combined. This paper considers agency in sequence models: models that have been trained to predict the next item in a sequence. Training models on sequences of observations and actions can yield systems that use reinforcement learning in context, as well as ones that merely imitate agents. Investigating AI systems from this group suggests a requirement that agents must learn about the environment in part from their own interaction with it. It also suggests a distinction between two alternative approaches to understanding agency.

This paper examines three early Roman priesthoods, specifically, the Vestal virgins, the Salii, and the Flamines, through the lens of their visual and symbolic prerogatives, adopting a diachronic perspective based on literary sources, iconographic evidence, and archaeological data. The study highlights the deep historical roots of priestly paraphernalia in pre- and proto-historic funerary contexts, as well as a significant shift in gender dynamics. Prior to the 8th c. BCE, numerous male religious and martial figures are depicted with double shields and other distinctive attributes. From the 8th c. BCE to the Archaic period, both male and female religious figures appear, often equipped with knives, while double shields gradually disappear. This pattern suggests an expanding definition of religious and political prerogatives. By the 8th c. BCE, specialized male and female figures (identified by their knives) assume religious roles, whereas male warriors become kings (reges), holding political authority and often serving as Augurs as well.*

Ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has generated a great deal of concern among nutrition scientists and consumers due to its potential relationship with increased risk of adverse health impacts. Evidence from intervention studies comparing UPF-rich and less-processed diets on cardiometabolic health outcomes is limited. Clinical trials that have been published to date focus on comparing more- and less-processed diets, as defined by the Nova system, and their impact on weight-related outcomes. Only one trial compares equally healthful more- and less-processed diets. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans with Ultra-Processed foods (DGA-UP) study will be the first trial to examine whether there is a differential effect to following recommendations from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2020 DGA) including more- or less-processed foods as defined by the Nova classification system on cardiometabolic disease risk factors. A randomized controlled crossover dietary intervention study, DGA-UP will be conducted with 4 week provision of all meals to generally healthy male and female adults at eucaloric levels. The trial will consist of 2 dietary arms: 1) a less-processed 2020 DGA diet and 2) a ultra-processed 2020 DGA diet. The primary outcome is change in blood pressure on each diet from baseline to week 4. Both interventions will have excellent diet quality and contain similar amounts of macronutrients and micronutrients as well as the same types of food. DGA-UP will help to fill a significant research gap regarding potential impact of UPFs on cardiometabolic health markers independent of food type, diet quality, and micronutrient content. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT07252037