Abstract Objectives To identify predictors of clinically inactive disease (CID) and clinical remission (CR) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis receiving etanercept during the 2-year, phase 3b, open-label CLIPPER study (NCT00962741) and the 8-year extension study, CLIPPER2 (NCT01421069). Methods Patients with extended oligoarthritis (2–17 years), enthesitis-related arthritis or psoriatic arthritis (each 12–17 years) were enrolled in CLIPPER/CLIPPER2. Predictors of CID (according to Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score [JADAS] and JIA-ACR response criteria) and CR (≥6 months of CID) were identified using a multivariate stepwise logistic regression model. Results Two-thirds of patients met the criteria for CID at any point and 34–43% achieved CR. Height Z-score ≥0.74, age at onset ≤12 years, normal CRP levels, HLA-B27+ status, JADAS low disease activity (LDA) at 3 months and ≤4 swollen joints were predictive of JADAS CID. BMI Z-score >0.80, age at onset ≤12 years, normal CRP levels and JADAS LDA at 3 months were predictors of JIA-ACR CID. JADAS LDA at 3 months was a predictor of JADAS CR, and height Z-score >1.23, JADAS LDA at 3 months and >12 swollen joints were identified as predictors of JIA-ACR CR. Conclusion In patients with JIA treated with etanercept, early responses to treatment in line with treat-to-target recommendations, younger age, HLA-B27+ status and lower disease activity at baseline were associated with clinically inactive disease and clinical remission. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov IDs: CLIPPER (NCT00962741); CLIPPER2 (NCT01421069)

Understanding behavioral differences between experimental groups and quantifying action structure in behavioral experiments remains challenging. Currently, most approaches rely on pose estimation followed by downstream classification, resulting in assay specific pipelines with substantial annotation requirements. Here we present SingleBehavior Lab (SBL), a framework for modeling behavior across experimental contexts using a standardized graphical interface. SBL leverages spatiotemporal embeddings from large video foundation models and combines them with lightweight contrastive adapters, a multi-head attention pooling (MAP) module and a temporal decoder to enable behavior sequencing and task-specific refinement. The framework supports few-shot learning, allowing small models trained on pretrained embeddings to improve action segmentation and classification with limited labeled data, without fine-tuning the underlying video model. In parallel, a large segmentation model with motion-aware memory is used to extract object-centered representations that, together with shared spatiotemporal embeddings, enable unsupervised clustering of behavioral states and analysis of their structure, including cluster prioritization, transition dynamics and attention-based interpretability. Across multiple assays and species, SBL supports identification of group-level differences and rare behaviors, and provides a basis for integrating behavioral representations across experimental contexts.

The relativizer kamā, a compound consisting of Arabic preposition ka and the nominal relative pronoun mā, is a polyfunctional expression used very frequently in Modern Standard Arabic. Its description in the literature, however, remains incomplete, unsystematic and mostly morphologically motivated. The syntactic functions of the relativizer kamā are therein mentioned only rarely and sporadically, lacking a systematic analysis. Therefore, the main goal of this paper is the analysis of various syntactic functions that the relativizer kamā and clauses it introduces can take both within the structure of the main clause and outside its structure, at the text level. The analysis is based on the analyticaldescriptive method and the typological-functional approach. Its results show that clauses introduced by the relativizer kamā in Modern Standard Arabic cover a wide spectrum of syntactic functions, ranging from comparative clauses, both factual and hypothetical, via attributive, predicate and verb complement clauses, to the functions of sentence modifying adverbial and connector at the text level. In addition to providing a systematic description of the various functions of the relativizer kamā and constructions introduced by it, the analysis presented in the paper also draws attention to stylistic efficiency of such constructions and the important role they play in enriching the inventory of means of stylistic choice in Arabic.

Introduction: Intestinal intussusception is the most common form of acquired intestinal obstruction in childhood. Diagnostic errors reach 50%, and complications occur in up to 53.7% of cases. Pneumoirrigoscopy under fluoroscopic control (PIS) has been the standard conservative technique, but its radiation burden and single-attempt limitation prompted the development of ultrasound-guided hydroechocolonographic disinvagination (HEC). This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes of HEC and PIS in paediatric intestinal intussusception. Methods: A retrospective comparative study of 132 children aged 2 months to 10 years treated at the Specialized Paediatric Surgical Clinic of Samarkand State Medical University between 2000 and 2023. The control group (CG, n=59; January 2000–December 2013) received conventional PIS; the study group (SG, n=73; January 2014–December 2023) underwent ultrasound-guided HEC, a radiation-free technique developed at our institution. Primary outcomes were the rate of successful conservative reduction (assessed per patient), length of hospital stay, and mortality. Chi-squared and Student’s t-tests were used; p<0.05 was considered significant. Results: The predominant age group was 6 months to 1 year (51.5%); males predominated (70.5%, p<0.001). The ileocaecal variant was found in 90.1% of patients. Successful conservative reduction was achieved in 53.4% (39/73) of the study group versus 39.0% (23/59) in the control group. Mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in the study group (2.5±0.66 vs 4.6±0.51 days, p<0.05). Group-specific mortality was 2.7% (2/73) in the SG versus 8.5% (5/59) in the CG. Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided HEC is a safe, effective, and radiation-free alternative to PIS, achieving a higher rate of conservative reduction, a significantly shorter hospital stay, and enabling multiple reduction attempts. Disease duration alone should not determine treatment modality; clinical condition and the absence of peritoneal signs must be considered jointly.

Outcome improvement alone does not reveal whether users actually inspected disclosed evidence or simply followed a highlighted recommendation. This companion human-study paper analyzes model-selection deliberation under a staged multi-criteria disclosure interface for educational quality assurance (QA). In the final filtered analytic sample of 38 participants and 228 completed scenarios, we examine interface telemetry, participant-level self-report, acceptance, task-level heterogeneity, and a heuristic low-engagement robustness check. Nonparametric comparisons and a clustering-adjusted GEE model were used. Disclosure uptake was selective: ranking was used in 60.5% of scenarios, weights in 47.4%, heatmap in 46.9%, and textual interpretations in 41.7%. Self-reports aligned with telemetry for four of the five major components. Improved scenarios showed longer Step 2 deliberation and greater engagement with multiple evidence surfaces, while the GEE model indicated that ranking use was significantly associated with improvement. Acceptance was favorable (34/38 preferred the agent-assisted workflow), whereas a low-engagement subgroup showed sharply reduced benefit. The observed pattern is more consistent with structured multi-surface deliberation than with shallow recommendation following.

The influence of infill density, number of layers, and fibre type on the tensile mechanical properties of composite parts produced by FDM 3D printing with continuous fibre reinforcement (CFR) was investigated. Specimens made of ONYX composite material reinforced with carbon, glass, and aramid fibres were tested using a static tensile test according to ISO 527. A linear regression model was developed to correlate mechanical properties with 3D printing parameters. However, the influence of infill density could not be reliably determined due to the automatic generation of solid infill around fibre layers and at boundary layers in the utilized 3D printing software. These reinforcements provided varying degrees of enhancement, with carbon and glass fibres showing the highest increase in strength, glass fibres offering the best enhancement in fracture strain, and carbon fibres in stiffness. The obtained models for tensile strength, strain at maximum stress, and modulus of elasticity can be useful in the design of 3D printed parts, offering a simple solution for the prediction of mechanical properties.

Climate action is shaped as much by politics as by technology and economics. The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), central to mitigation and adaptation assessments, do not yet include a quantitative representation of political development. We outline a research agenda to systematically integrate political dimensions into climate scenario modelling.

ABSTRACT To encourage a more critical, evidence-based use of neuromarketing, this study conducts a systematic conceptual and empirical examination of neuromarketing myths. We propose an operational definition of neuromarketing myths and use a mixed-methods approach to identify 21 myths through a literature review and interviews with 13 experts. These myths are organised into four conceptual categories and examined in a large-scale quantitative survey (N = 639). The results reveal a high overall prevalence of neuromarketing myths in all stakeholder groups, with academics showing comparatively lower myth endorsement levels. Distinct patterns emerge across myth categories indicating that even experienced professionals remain susceptible to certain methodological and ethical misconceptions. The implications highlight the need for targeted myth-debunking and neuro-literacy interventions in marketing education and professional practice.

Network Digital Twins (NDTs) enable safe what-if analysis for 6G cloud-edge infrastructures, but adoption is often limited by fragmented workflows from telemetry to validation. We present a data-driven NDT framework that extends 6G-TWIN with a scalable pipeline for cloud-edge telemetry aggregation and semantic alignment into unified data models. Our contributions include: (i) scalable cloud-edge telemetry collection, (ii) regime-aware feature engineering capturing the network's scaling behavior, and (iii) a validation methodology based on Sign Agreement and Directional Sensitivity. Evaluated on a Kubernetes-managed cluster, the framework extrapolates performance to unseen high-load regimes. Results show both Deep Neural Network (DNN) and XGBoost achieve high regression accuracy (R2>0.99), while the XGBoost model delivers superior directional reliability (Sa>0.90), making the NDT a trustworthy tool for proactive resource scaling in out-of-distribution scenarios.

Morton’s neuroma refers to a degenerative, compressive neuropathy affecting one of the common digital nerves in the forefoot, typically situated between the heads of the third and fourth metatarsal bones. The condition arises primarily due to repetitive compression and mechanical irritation of the interdigital nerve, particularly beneath the plantar portion of the transverse intermetatarsal ligament. Although historically labelled a “neuroma,” this entity lacks neoplastic features and is instead characterised by perineural fibrosis and nerve degeneration. It is known by several alternative terms in medical literature, including interdigital neuritis, intermetatarsal neuroma, Morton’s metatarsalgia, interdigital neuralgia, interdigital nerve entrapment, and interdigital compression neuropathy (1, 2). This case report describes a 45-year-old female patient with a typical Morton’s neuroma, who underwent surgical treatment after experiencing symptoms for over a 15 years.

Background/Objectives: Growing evidence indicates that melatonin contributes to kidney development and function, while disruptions of fetal circadian signaling have been linked to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT). This study aimed to characterize the developmental and spatial expression patterns of melatonin receptors MTNR1A and MTNR1B in normal human fetal kidneys and in CAKUT phenotypes. Methods: This study analyzed 40 human fetal kidney specimens, including healthy controls and CAKUT cases (horseshoe kidneys, duplex kidneys, and dysplastic kidneys), obtained from spontaneous abortions and pregnancy terminations. Samples were classified into developmental phases Ph2–Ph4 according to established morphological criteria. Immunofluorescence staining was used to visualize MTNR1A and MTNR1B expression. Quantitative analysis was performed using ImageJ, measuring the fluorescence area percentage. Statistical comparisons were conducted using a two-way ANOVA. Results: In control kidneys, MTNR1A expression was predominantly observed in glomeruli and interstitial cells and showed a descending trend across developmental stages, whereas MTNR1B was localized to glomeruli and strongly to the apical membranes of tubules, particularly distal tubules, without substantial developmental variation. CAKUT phenotypes exhibited higher expression of both receptors compared to controls. Significant phase-dependent differences in MTNR1A expression were observed in horseshoe, duplex, and dysplastic kidneys. MTNR1B expression decreased across developmental stages in dysplastic kidneys and differed significantly between Ph3 and Ph4 in duplex kidneys. At Ph3, duplex kidneys showed the highest MTNR1B expression. Conclusions: Altered developmental expression patterns of MTNR1A and MTNR1B in CAKUT suggest an association between melatonin signaling and abnormal human kidney development.

We sought to investigate the inter- and intra-country variation in paediatric heart transplantation (HTx) and mechanical circulatory support (MCS) availability and practice in Europe. Data was obtained through a survey circulated to paediatric transplant cardiologists identified through the Association of European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology between November 2022 and March 2023. Twenty-eight respondents from twenty-eight European countries completed the survey. Twenty-four (86%) had paediatric and 25 (89%) had adult congenital HTx services. National paediatric HTx centre density ranged from 0.00 to 5.35 per 10 million inhabitants. Eighteen (64%) countries followed either Eurotransplant or Scandiatransplant protocols for organ allocation and 59% of the surveyed countries had low HTx volumes (< 4 paediatric HTx annually), based on the self-reported numbers. A ventricular assist device (VAD) programme was operational in 22 (79%) countries. In only 9 countries (38%), there were dedicated resources for HTx as part of the hospital budget; however, a vast majority (77%) reported that families suffered no cost when a VAD was utilised. Twenty-one countries (78%) reported limited intensive care unit beds and 14 (54%) reported that HTx impacted on congenital heart surgery cases. Only 12 of 27 countries (44%) had a standardised national protocol for post-HTx care. There was no correlation between paediatric HTx centre density, population or GDP per capita. Conclusion: There is a high degree of variation both within and between the surveyed European countries with regard to paediatric HTx centre density, VAD availability, listing protocols, and post-HTx management. Multiple factors contribute to this heterogeneity, which makes standardisation of HTx listing and VAD criteria challenging. Increased cross-national collaborative efforts between European countries may strengthen both HTx and MCS availability and outcomes, especially in regions with several smaller neighbouring countries. What is Known: • The care of paediatric heart transplant (HTx) and mechanical support (MCS) patients varies across Europe. What is New: • This paper elucidates the differences in transplant service organisation and the care of transplant and MCS patients in twenty-eight European countries. • These findings could potentially encourage broader open dialogue and facilitate collaboration across European paediatric HTx centres with development of standardised listing criteria, improved collective European registry data and creation of standards for screening post-HTx patients. What is Known: • The care of paediatric heart transplant (HTx) and mechanical support (MCS) patients varies across Europe. What is New: • This paper elucidates the differences in transplant service organisation and the care of transplant and MCS patients in twenty-eight European countries. • These findings could potentially encourage broader open dialogue and facilitate collaboration across European paediatric HTx centres with development of standardised listing criteria, improved collective European registry data and creation of standards for screening post-HTx patients.

Background: The clinical course of COVID-19 is highly variable, ranging from asymptomatic infection to critical illness with hyperinflammation and multiorgan failure. Oxidative stress plays a central role in COVID-19 pathogenesis, and genetic polymorphisms in glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes, particularly GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes, may impair antioxidant defense and exacerbate inflammatory responses. This study aimed to investigate the association of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes with both disease severity and serum cytokine levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 137 COVID-19 patients hospitalized during the second pandemic wave (July–September 2020). Patients were stratified into mild (n = 67) and severe (n = 70) groups based on clinical criteria. GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms were determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Serum levels of 13 cytokines were measured using flow cytometry. Logistic regression analyzed genotype associations with disease severity, and multivariate linear regression assessed relationships between null genotypes and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17A, IFN-γ), adjusted for age, sex, hypertension, and diabetes. Results: The GSTT1 null genotype was significantly associated with severe COVID-19 (adjusted OR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.08–6.07, p = 0.032). Severe patients exhibited significantly elevated levels of IL-6 (75.6% increase, p = 0.008), TNF-α (69.4% increase, p = 0.005), IL-17A (54.4% increase, p = 0.016), and IFN-γ (10.1% increase, p = 0.021). Both GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were associated with higher levels of these cytokines, with stronger effects observed for GSTT1 null. In multivariate analysis, GSTT1 null independently predicted elevated IL-6 (β = 52.6, p = 0.003), TNF-α (β = 13.8, p = 0.002), IL-17A (β = 2.4, p = 0.001), and IFN-γ (β = 56.4, p = 0.012). The combined both null genotype showed the strongest associations but was limited by small sample size (n = 10) and should be interpreted with caution. Conclusions: The GSTT1 null genotype is associated with severe COVID-19 and appears to be associated with heightened pro-inflammatory cytokine responses, particularly IL-6, TNF-α, IL-17A, and IFN-γ. These findings suggest a potential role for genetic impairment of antioxidant defense may contribute to hyperinflammation in COVID-19 hyperinflammation, although validation in larger cohorts is needed.