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Authors: Alonso Ramírez, Marcelo Ardón, Pavel García, Nicholas S. Marzolf, David Genereux

Climate change is altering ecosystems worldwide, but long-term, site-level hydroclimatic responses remain comparatively under-documented in many tropical regions. We analyzed long-term air and water temperature, precipitation, and stream water level data from two active Caribbean research sites: La Selva Research Station, Costa Rica, and El Verde Field Station, Puerto Rico. Our goal was to assess long-term hydroclimatic trends and changes in extreme events using continuous monitoring from automatic and manual sensors. Long-term records show a mean daily temperature of 25.1°C (1992–2024, range: 19.5-29.6°C) at La Selva and 23.6°C (2000–2024, range: 17.7-28.2°C) at El Verde. Mean annual precipitation is 4166 mm at La Selva (1983–2024) and 3635.8 mm at El Verde (1975–2024). We found a decadal warming trend of 0.29°C at both locations. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influenced air temperature at El Verde, where La Niña (+0.02°C day−1, 95% CI: 0.002–0.042) phase was associated with higher daily temperatures, but had no detectable effect on air temperature at La Selva. A significant increase in the frequency of extreme temperature events (defined as exceeding the 95th, 97th, and 99th percentiles) was observed at both sites. Using the 95th percentile and a fitted generalized linear model, both locations had ~8 extreme temperature events per year in the beginning and increased to ~35 events per year in 2024. Changes in precipitation extremes were site-specific and differed between wet and dry metrics. La Selva showed an increase in wet extremes (heavy precipitation), with 99th percentile rainfall exceedances rising from ~1 event per year (1983–1985) to 6 per year in 2024. In contrast, El Verde showed no significant increase in heavy-precipitation events, but exhibited an increase in dry extremes (dry days <1.4 mm, increasing from 152 to 170 days per year). Stream water temperature had a moderate but significant increase. At La Selva, water temperature increased by 0.2°C, and at El Verde, by 0.9°C. An increasing tendency in high-water-level conditions was observed at both locations, though with marginal statistical support (p = 0.08 for the 99th percentile at La Selva and 95th percentile at El Verde), with estimated durations above these extreme thresholds roughly doubling over the study period. Overall, our study shows an increasing frequency of extreme events, both wet and dry, at these two Caribbean protected locations. These findings suggest important and distinct regional changes in climate over the region, with important consequences for ecosystem conservation and management.

Source: PLOS Climate. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0001044. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Stephen Prah, John N. Ng’ombe, Bright Owusu Asante, Jonathan Masasi

Climate-smart agricultural technologies (CSAT) are promoted to enhance agricultural productivity and strengthen resilience to climate change. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the effects of adoption intensity, particularly when farmers adopt multiple technologies simultaneously. This study examines the effects of CSAT adoption intensity on maize yield and household asset accumulation in Ghana using survey data from 2,151 maize farmers. A dose–response model with Heckman selection is applied to address potential selection bias and estimate the causal effects of varying adoption levels. The findings show that farmers’ education, access to credit, extension services, and perceived drought significantly influence both the likelihood and intensity of CSAT adoption. Results reveal a U-shaped relationship between CSAT adoption intensity and maize yield, where yields initially decline but increase as adoption intensity rises. On average, higher CSAT adoption is associated with a 21% increase in maize yield. Similarly, CSAT intensity shows a nonlinear positive relationship with household asset accumulation, with an average 19.5% increase in assets. The results also indicate heterogeneous effects across farmers. Overall, higher CSAT adoption improves agricultural productivity and long-term household welfare, highlighting the need to strengthen extension services, expand credit access, and raise climate risk awareness to promote sustainable agricultural development.

Source: PLOS Climate. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000886. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Abdullah Hasan A. Alshehri, Abdulkhaliq Ali F. Alshadidi, Lujain Ibrahim N. Aldosari, Sultan Mohammed Kaleem, Vishwanath Gurumurthy, Rajesh Vyas, Sunil Kumar Vaddamanu

Background Chronic environmental noise exposure is a recognized public health concern linked to stress-mediated physiological responses, yet its specific impact on temporomandibular disorders (TMD), bruxism, and malocclusion remains poorly investigated. Objectives To compare the prevalence of TMD, malocclusion, and bruxism between adults residing in high-traffic versus Low- traffic areas in New Delhi, India, and to identify independent predictors of TMD risk. Methods This comparative cross-sectional study enrolled 300 adults (150 per group) from high traffic and low traffic residential areas of New Delhi, India. Individual-level noise exposure (LAeq,24h) was objectively measured. TMD was diagnosed using Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD Axis I criteria). Bruxism, malocclusion, perceived stress scale −1= (PSS-10), and Pittsburgh sleep quality (PSQI) were assessed using validated instruments. Multivariable logistic regression and mediation analysis were performed. Results High-traffic residents had significantly higher TMD prevalence (61.3% vs. 25.3%), bruxism (42.7% vs. 14.0%), and malocclusion (52.0% vs. 26.0%; all p < 0.001). A significant dose-response relationship was confirmed (χ² for trend p < 0.001). High noise exposure was the strongest independent predictor of TMD (aOR = 3.10; 95% CI: 2.00–4.80). Bruxism and perceived stress accounted for 41.4% of this association in exploratory mediation analysis, a pattern compatible with mediation, though the cross sectional design precludes establishing temporal precedence. Conclusions Environmental noise exposure was independently and dose-dependently associated with TMD andbruxism. malocclusion was also prevalent in high traffic areas; however, this cross sectional association more likely reflects pre-existing skeletal or occlusal characteristics than a causal effect of noise, and should be interpreted with caution. These findings support noise abatement policies and targeted oral health screening in high traffic urban environments.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360667. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Suman Ranjitkar, Ingrid Kvestad, Ram K. Chandyo, Kjersti S. Bakken, Manjeswori Ulak, Tor A. Strand, Sandra Huber, Maria Averina, Mari Hysing

Background Adequate selenium (Se) status is important for biological mechanisms involved in cognitive functioning and mental health. However, there are few studies that have examined the association between prenatal maternal Se and mental health of preschool children in low-and middle-income countries. The primary aim of this study was to measure associations between maternal plasma Se concentration during pregnancy and child mental health at four years. The secondary aim was to assess the psychometric properties of the parent reported Nepalese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P). Method A total of 720 mother-infant dyads were included in the study from a cohort from Bhaktapur, Nepal, with prenatal maternal plasma Se concentration measured in early pregnancy. Child mental health was assessed at 4 years of age by the SDQ-P. The fit of the original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Generalized linear models were used to analyze the association between maternal plasma Se concentration (continuous, dichotomized or tertiles) and child’s SDQ-P scores using the five-factor model. Results The mean (SD) maternal plasma Se concentration was 74.7 µg/L (± 10.2 µg/L). The original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was confirmed with some modifications (Comparative fit index (CFI)=0.967, Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.059). Children with mothers with the lowest tertile of maternal plasma Se concentration had higher Hyperactivity-Inattention scores than those in the middle tertile (adjusted β = 0.329, 95% CI 0.023 to 0.636). No associations were observed between maternal plasma Se concentration and the other SDQ-P subscale scores. Conclusion We observed limited evidence of an association between maternal plasma Se concentration and mental health outcomes in children at 4 years of age. The observed association between maternal plasma Se concentrations and Hyperactivity-Inattention was only present when comparing the lowest to middle tertile, however no clear exposure-response pattern was observed. This isolated finding requires confirmation in further studies.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360527. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Nicolas Tugui, Shahinur S. Islam, Daniel D. Heath

Osmoregulatory stress is a critical factor in the welfare and performance of salmonids under captive rearing for aquaculture and conservation, and characterizing cellular responses to that stress may foster better husbandry. One approach for early detection of osmotic stress is gene transcriptional profiling, where a suite of qPCR assays designed for related-function genes is used to determine patterns of transcriptional responses to stress. This study describes the development, assessment and application of 28 Taqman qPCR assays for use on the OpenArray® platform as an osmoregulatory stress transcriptional profiling (OSTP) chip. The assays include key genes involved in osmoregulation (twelve), stress response (four), immune function (five), growth/metabolism (four) and endogenous controls (three). Here, using gill and liver tissues from eight salmonid species across four genera, the OSTP chip’s performance was evaluated. While results showed both tissue- and species-specific transcriptional differences, the OSTP chip has considerable utility for characterizing molecular stress responses. As a test application of the OSTP chip, we performed a 24-hour saltwater challenge with Chinook salmon and applied the chip to control and challenged fish. This test confirmed the OSTP chip’s capacity to detect acute osmotic stress-induced molecular genetic signatures. This OSTP chip will be useful for aquaculture practices by fostering better husbandry as well as providing a valuable tool for future studies of the osmoregulatory response of salmonid fishes to environmental stress.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360513. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Shiwei Wu, Dongxing Zhang, Yizhang Zhu, Ning Li, Daobin Wang, Jiayue Zou, Xiaoyuan Hu, Jiawei Jin, Jun He, Xiaofeng Xue, Lei Qin

Objective To investigate the associations of preoperative C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR), inflammatory burden index (IBI), and C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index with clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) after distal pancreatectomy (DP), and to compare their predictive value, providing a reference for preoperative risk assessment. Methods We retrospectively included 300 patients who underwent DP between June 2022 and June 2024. CR-POPF was defined according to the 2016 International Study Group of Pancreatic Surgery (ISGPS) criteria as Grade B or Grade C POPF. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of CAR, IBI, and CALLY with CR-POPF, and restricted cubic splines were used to assess dose-response relationships. Predictive performance of the preoperative baseline model and models incorporating each index was compared using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis with DeLong tests, calibration assessment, Brier scores, decision curve analysis, and 1,000-resample bootstrap internal validation. Results CR-POPF occurred in 84 of 300 patients (28.0%); among these events, 81 (96.4%) were Grade B and 3 (3.6%) were Grade C. In preoperative-adjusted analyses, higher CAR (odds ratio [OR] 230.244, 95% confidence interval [CI] 45.053–1176.652; P < 0.001) and IBI (OR 1.015, 95% CI 1.006–1.024; P < 0.001) were associated with higher odds of CR-POPF, whereas higher CALLY was associated with lower odds (OR 0.979, 95% CI 0.967–0.991; P = 0.001). The baseline model had an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.786 (95% CI 0.726–0.845). Adding CAR increased the AUC to 0.894 (95% CI 0.857–0.931; P < 0.001 vs baseline), compared with 0.821 for IBI (P = 0.004) and 0.827 for CALLY (P = 0.016). Bootstrap-corrected AUCs were 0.763 for the baseline model, 0.879 for baseline+CAR, 0.796 for baseline+IBI, and 0.805 for baseline+CALLY. The CAR-extended model also had the lowest Brier score (0.120) and showed the greatest net benefit across much of the examined threshold range. Conclusions Preoperative CAR, IBI, and CALLY were associated with CR-POPF after DP. Among the three indices, CAR showed the strongest predictive performance when added to the preoperative clinical model. These findings may provide a reference for preoperative risk assessment, although external validation is needed.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360418. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Jhon A. Zabaleta-Santisteban, Angel J. Medina-Medina, Katerin M. Tuesta-Trauco, Abner S. Rivera-Fernandez, Teodoro B. Silva-Melendez, Marlen A. Grandez-Alberca, Julio Puscan-Rojas, Rolando Salas López, Manuel Oliva-Cruz, Alexander Cotrina-Sanchez, Nilton B. Rojas-Briceño, Jhonsy O. Silva-López, Darwin Gómez-Fernández, Santos Triunfo Leiva-Espinoza, Angel F. Huaman-Pilco, Elgar Barboza

Identifying climatically suitable areas for cacao cultivation (Theobroma cacao L.) is essential to guide sustainable intensification, territorial planning, and compliance with emerging environmental standards in tropical regions. This study assessed the current climatic suitability of cacao in the Amazonas department (northwestern Peru) using an ensemble modeling approach implemented in biomod2, integrating bioclimatic, topographic, and edaphic predictors with spatial biophysical exclusion criteria, legal conservation constraints, regulatory eligibility associated with the European Union Deforestation-Free Products Regulation (EUDR), and local phytosanitary evidence. A total of 403 quality-controlled presence records were used to calibrate multiple machine-learning algorithms under cross-validation, retaining only those with high predictive performance (AUC > 0.9; TSS > 0.7). Decision tree–based models, particularly Random Forest and XGBoost, showed the best individual performance, while the consensus model exhibited greater spatial stability and overall accuracy. Results indicate that approximately 14.8% of the regional territory presents high climatic suitability under current conditions, concentrated in inter-Andean valleys and low- to mid-elevation zones, with thermal seasonality identified as the main environmental predictor. However, the incorporation of territorial and regulatory constraints substantially reduced the effectively available area, especially under the EUDR scenario, demonstrating that cacao expansion potential is strongly conditioned by conservation and regulatory frameworks. High-priority degraded areas emerged as focal opportunities for productive restoration through agroforestry systems. Phytosanitary validation (2021–2024) revealed high spatial concordance between areas of greatest climatic suitability and the prevalence and incidence of major cacao pathogens and pests, particularly Moniliophthora roreri and M. perniciosa, confirming that optimal climatic niches for cultivation also favor biotic pressure. Overall, this study provides an integrative framework combining climatic modeling, territorial management, and phytosanitary risk, delivering robust scientific inputs to inform public policy, land-use planning, and sustainable cacao production strategies in the Amazon.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360376. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Lei Wang, Xiaowei Zhang, Xiaofang Wang, Deqing Jia

Environmental pollution increasingly requires public participation beyond everyday private pro-environmental behavior. Existing research has mainly examined media use in relation to daily pro-environmental behavior, but less is known about how traditional and new media shape citizens’ choices between institutional and non-institutional anti-pollution participation. Drawing on the O-S-R-O-R framework and using data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey, this study analyzes the relationships among media use, policy knowledge, and anti-pollution action. The results show that traditional media use is positively associated with institutional anti-pollution action, and this relationship is fully mediated by policy knowledge. New media use is positively associated with non-institutional anti-pollution action, but policy knowledge does not mediate this relationship. Heterogeneity analysis further shows that the effects of media use vary across age, education, and social trust groups. We highlight the importance of traditional media in supporting rational, stable engagement and suggest that stronger regulation of new media is needed, thereby reducing protest activities and safeguarding social stability.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360300. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Charllote Boateng, Isaiah Osei Duah Junior, Brandy Swati Bonnah, Bikram Adhikari, Kwadwo Owusu Akuffo, Rhodalene Asantewaa Buabeng, Engmann Yorgen Carl Nii Lomotey, Xinhua Yu

Mental health care (MHC) utilization remains uneven among middle-aged and older adults in the United States, yet the role of comorbidity burden and other sociodemographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and clinical domain predictors remains incompletely characterized. We analyzed pooled data from six waves (2019–2024) of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), comprising 128,261 adults aged ≥40 years. Comorbidity burden was the primary predictor, categorized as none, one, or ≥2 chronic conditions, while together with additional predictors was organized according to the predisposing, enabling, and need domains of Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. MHC utilization, the outcome, was defined as counseling or psychotherapy, mental health medication use, or visits to a mental health specialist within the previous 12 months. Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression accounted for the complex survey design and sampling weights. Overall, approximately one in five adults utilized MHC services. Utilization was higher among females, non-Hispanic White adults, unmarried adults, smokers, overweight or obese adults, those with lower income, those with health insurance coverage, or residence in the Midwest, and those with one or ≥2 comorbidities, depression, or anxiety. In contrast, utilization was lower among adults aged 50–64, 65–74, and ≥75 years, non-Hispanic Black and Asian adults, and those with higher educational attainment. Taken together, these findings indicate that MHC utilization is shaped by comorbidity burden alongside predisposing, enabling, and need-related factors, underscoring the need for targeted and culturally responsive strategies to improve equitable access to MHC among this ageing population.

Source: PLOS Mental Health. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000744. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Alex Olateju Adjagba, Jacob Novignon, Justice Nonvignon, Richmond Owusu, Ephrem Lemango, Helga Fogstad, Ngashi Ngongo, Jean Kaseya, George Laryea-Adjei

In 2001, African Union (AU) member states committed to allocating 15% of their annual budget to health under the Abuja Declaration (AD). However, after more than two decades, health allocations across many countries still fall short of the target. This study uses an expenditure-based proxy for the AD to examine the likelihood and timing of attainment of the benchmark under historical fiscal trajectories.We compiled a 2002–2023 panel for 54 African countries using WHO and World Bank data. We distinguished observed, first and sustained attainment. Kaplan-Meier and Weibull models characterised time to first attainment, country-specific linear trends projected benchmark-crossing years through 2063, system GMM assessed expenditure-share persistence, and country and year fixed-effects models examined associations with primary health care (PHC) and immunisation expenditure per capita.In 2023, South Africa was the only one of 54 countries at or above the expenditure-based 15% benchmark. Five countries had attained it at least once during 2002–2023, and three sustained it for at least three consecutive years. Under the primary trend specification, which included the 51 countries with complete series, 42 (82.4%) were off track to attain the benchmark by 2063. Among the 48 countries without previous attainment, the median adjusted conditional probability of first attainment during 2023–2063 was 7.9% (IQR 4.6%–13.3%). The primary system-GMM lag coefficient was 0.821 (95% CI 0.635 to 1.006), indicating strong expenditure-share persistence. Higher government health prioritisation was associated with higher domestic government PHC expenditure per capita, while the association with total immunisation expenditure per capita was not statistically significant.Attainment of the expenditure-based Abuja benchmark remains uncommon and is unlikely to become widespread by 2063 if historical trends continue. While the 15% target remains politically useful as an accountability signal, efforts should target improving public health expenditure per capita, fiscal capacity, budget execution, financial protection and service coverage.

Source: PLOS Global Public Health. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0007423. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Karin Gallandat, Jaime Mufitini Saidi, Baron Bashige Rumedeka, Damien Machuel, Audrey Seon, Espoir Bwenge Malembaka, Patrick Musole Bugeme, Esther German, Didier Bompangue, Chloe Hutchins, Jackie Knee, Andrew Azman, Oliver Cumming

Climate change is straining water and sanitation services (WSS), leading to disruptions that threaten public health. In low-income and fragile contexts, there is an urgent need to increase investments in WSS, as well as to enhance efficiency in the utilisation of available financial resources. Operational research can help optimise future investments in WSS. In this perspective, we share our experience carrying out research embedded within a large-scale water supply infrastructure improvement programme in an urban, cholera-endemic area in South Kivu (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Through the lens of this concrete example, we highlight the need for rigorous research on higher quality drinking water services in low-income and fragile countries, discuss how multi-stakeholder research partnerships and pragmatic methods can contribute to the generation of rigorous evidence where it is most needed, and illustrate the role of research in strengthening capacities for both science and practice.

Source: PLOS Water. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pwat.0000646. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.

Authors: Mohamed El-Tanani, Shakta Mani Satyam, Sainath Prabhakar, Yahia El-Tanani, Ebrahim Safaii, Syed Arman Rabbani, Mark Sutherland

Acquired resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapy remains a major obstacle in the treatment of EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study investigated whether repurposing mebendazole (MBZ), a microtubule-disrupting agent, could restore sensitivity to gefitinib in gefitinib-resistant HCC827 GR5 cells. Gefitinib monotherapy showed minimal cytotoxicity, reducing cell viability only marginally (92.7 ± 1.5%), whereas MBZ significantly decreased viability to 79.7 ± 0.6% at 0.1 µM and 29.7 ± 0.6% at 0.5 µM (p < 0.001). Combination treatment (gefitinib 1 µM + MBZ 0.1 µM) further reduced viability to 37.7 ± 0.6% (p < 0.001). Mechanistically, alkaline comet assay revealed significantly increased single-strand DNA damage in the combination group (tail intensity 22.33 ± 0.56%, p < 0.001), while neutral comet assay confirmed elevated double-strand DNA breaks. MBZ also induced dose-dependent γ-H2AX activation (p < 0.001), supporting replication stress-associated DNA damage signaling. In vivo, combination therapy significantly suppressed tumor growth, prolonging tumor doubling time from 6.2 days in controls to 25 days and increasing growth delay to 18.8 days (p < 0.01), without substantial systemic toxicity. Collectively, these findings identify replication stress vulnerability as a therapeutically exploitable axis and support MBZ repurposing as an adjuvant strategy to overcome gefitinib resistance.

Source: PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0360164. Abstract from the publisher’s feed; HTML formatting and repeated author line removed.