A cross the last deglaciation, the atmospheric CO2 concentration (CO2) increased substantially from ∼ 180 to ∼ 280 ppm, yet its impact on vegetation dynamics across this major climatic transition remains insufficiently understood. In particular, Iberian pollen records reveal an intriguing feature that can be related to an often-overlooked role of CO2 in shaping vegetation responses during the last deglaciation. These records reveal the near disappearance of forests during the cold Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) phases and an unexpected recovery during the Younger Dryas (YD) cold phase when CO2 increased. Here, we present high-resolution tracers of terrestrial (pollen, C29: C31 organic biomarker) and marine (alkenone-derived Sea Surface Temperature, C37: 4 %, and long-chain n-alkanes ratios) conditions from the southwestern (SW) Iberian margin Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Site U1385 (“Shackleton site”) for the last 22 cal kyr BP. This direct land-sea comparison approach allows us to investigate how the Iberian Peninsula vegetation responded to major global CO2 changes during the last deglaciation. Our results show that cool and moderately humid conditions of the LGM supported a grassland-heathland mosaic ecosystem, but low CO2 likely caused physiological drought and suppressed forest development. HS1, the coldest and most arid period, combined with sustained low CO2 values, almost suppressed forest growth in favour of Mediterranean steppe. In contrast, the warmer Bølling-Allerød, characterised by a temperature optimum and variable but generally wetter conditions, along with the rise of CO2 above 225 ppm at ∼ 15 cal kyr BP, contributed to substantial forest development. During the YD, sufficient moisture combined with increasing CO2 enabled the persistence of a mixed grassland-forest mosaic despite cooler temperatures. Our study suggests that during cool and humid periods (LGM and YD) different pCO2 values led to contrasting SW Iberian vegetation responses. In contrast, during periods of relatively high CO2, temperature and precipitation played the main role in shaping the distribution and composition of the vegetation.

A construção civil é um setor de alto risco devido aos esforços físicos exigentes e fatores ergonómicos. Destaca- se a diversidade de profissionais envolvidos e a intensa mão-de-obra, com impacto na saúde ocupacional dos trabalhadores. As lesões músculo-esqueléticas são comuns neste setor e afetam a segurança, saúde e bem-estar dos trabalhadores. Este estudo pretendeu avaliar a sintomatologia das lesões músculo-esqueléticas relacionadas com o trabalho na construção civil e a sua relação com a perceção de qualidade de vida. Realizou-se um estudo observacional, analítico, transversal e correlacional, numa amostra de 82 trabalhadores da construção civil do sexo masculino, em relação a variáveis sociodemográficas e de saúde, e também a perceção da qualidade de vida. Os sintomas músculo-esqueléticos e a intensidade da dor em diferentes regiões corporais foram avaliados através do questionário nórdico músculo-esquelético e a perceção de qualidade de vida relacionada com a saúde por meio do questionário SF-36. Verificou-se que, nos últimos 12 meses, a maior prevalência de sintomatologia foi na região lombar (53,7%) e joelhos (42,7%), e também que 35% da amostra apresentou incapacidade para o trabalho, em algum período, nos últimos 12 meses, devido a dor lombar. Quanto à intensidade da dor, a região lombar foi dos segmentos corporais que mais se correlacionaram com os domínios do questionário SF36, sendo que os participantes que demonstraram maior intensidade de dor na região lombar também apresentaram resultados menos favoráveis nos domínios de “Desempenho Físico”, “Dor”, “Vitalidade”, “Função Social” e “Saúde Mental”. Concluiu-se que a sintomatologia músculo-esquelética, nomeadamente, pela sua associação à intensidade da dor, encontra-se intrinsecamente relacionada com a qualidade de vida percebida pelos trabalhadores, no entanto, este estudo indica que os trabalhadores deste setor desfrutam de boas condições de qualidade de vida, apesar de ser necessário considerar a influencia do esforço mental e psicológico, associado às tarefas repetitivas.

Over the past few decades, research in aging-related bone diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis has made significant strides. Yet, the tangible impact of these scientific advances on the daily lives of both humans and companion animals remains limited. Progress in the area of nutrition have often been hampered and confined within disciplinary borders, resulting in a fragmented body of knowledge. This Research Topic seeks to overcome that fragmentation by adopting a multidisciplinary perspective. Aging bone health is not merely a clinical issue, nor solely a question of molecular biology or nutrient metabolism. It is a complex confluence of factors - genetics, gender, physiological condition, co-morbidities, physical activity, environment, and habitual behaviors - that affect outcomes in a highly individualized manner. The articles in this Research Topic collectively demonstrate the value of integrated research and point to promising paths forward. Several contributions use radiomics and imaging-based predictive models to improve early diagnosis and risk stratification for osteoporosis and related fractures - tools that can be pivotal in low-resource settings such as primary care hospitals. The contribution by Chen et al. introduce a novel screening tool for osteoporosis. By using a model based on clinical and radiomic features, this toll has the potential for democratizing osteoporosis screening in underserved regions. Yu et al. present a new lumbar CT-based radiomics model for predicting osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) in postmenopausal women, offering a possible alternative to traditional bone mineral density (BMD) assessments. Notably, this model outperformed DEXA scans in sensitivity and accuracy, even among patients with similar T-scores, highlighting the inadequacy of relying on single metrics in isolation and reinforcing the need for individualized risk assessment.

The widespread use and improper disposal of glowsticks (GS), especially during coastal festivities and in industrial fishing, raise ecotoxicological concerns for marine ecosystems. These devices contain complex chemical mixtures, including oxalate esters, hydrogen peroxide, phthalates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause toxic effects. This study assessed the acute toxicity of four GS colors (green, red, yellow, and blue) using embryo-larval development and mortality assays on three marine invertebrates: the sea urchin Echinometra lucunter, the sand dollar Mellita quinquiesperforata, and the brine shrimp Artemia salina. All colors caused developmental or lethal effects, with green GS consistently showing the highest toxicity. In E. lucunter, green GS fully inhibited larval development at all tested concentrations; EC50 values for yellow, red, and blue were 0.00072, 0.00877, and 0.02156 mL⋅L− 1 , respectively. For M. quinquiesperforata, EC50s were 0.00538 (green), 0.05471 (red), and 0.0000732 mL⋅L− 1 (blue); yellow GS caused total mortality, precluding EC50 determination. In A. salina, LC50s were 0.00410 (yellow), 0.00583 (blue), and 0.01193 mL⋅L− 1 (red); green GS had a NOEC of 0.0001 and LOEC of 0.001 mL⋅L− 1 , with no definable LC50. Results revealed species- and color-dependent sensitivity, implicating dye composition as a key toxicity driver. This is the first report of GS-derived toxicity in sand dollars and the first to provide comparative profiles across marine taxa. Findings highlight the need for regulation and environmental oversight of chemiluminescent product disposal.

Breast cancer exhibits significant heterogeneity across various dimensions concerning histological and molecular classification, as well as mutational profile and clinical outcome. Defining treatment courses is likewise a complex task, as patients share similar features but different clinical prognoses. Nowadays, prognostic assessment tries to capture the morphologic and genetic variation within breast tumours, employing a variety of multigene molecular tests focusing on measuring gene expression of a specific gene panel, to predict patient outcome. In current clinical practice, the assessment of the PIK3CA mutational status is a routine procedure for hormone-receptor positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancers. Evaluation of gain-of-function mutations in the PIK3CA gene within this patient cohort helps to identify individuals who may benefit from systemic treatment with alpelisib, a PI3Kα-specific inhibitor. Previous studies have demonstrated that widespread allelic imbalances in the expression of somatic mutations in PIK3CA are associated with prognosis in breast cancer. Particularly, preferential expression of PIK3CA’s mutated allele is associated with poorer prognosis. Here, we hypothesise that differential allelic expression of PIK3CA mutations influences protein levels in breast cancer cells, thereby potentially affecting drug treatment response. We aimed to create an inducible PIK3CA breast cell-based tool capable of inducing different levels of PIK3CA mutational expressions as a platform to evaluate the impact of mutational expression levels on the response to PI3K-targeted therapies. Our goal was to create a cell-based system to precisely identify patients eligible for PI3K-α inhibitor therapies by modelling PIK3CA mutant expression dosages and assessing cell drug response. Our results show that we successfully generated a plasmid capable of constitutively expressing the wild-type isoform of the PIK3CA gene and also three inducible plasmids that can express three different levels of each PIK3CA mutant in a controlled manner. These plasmids constitute the tools required to transfect breast cell lines and generate the PIK3CA inducible system. Once the system is not yet created, our hypothesis is still subject to proof.

The environmental and climate crises are linked to rising global inequity. Because of its centrality in the living Earth, the Ocean represents a unique opportunity to restore equity, engaging society through harmony with Nature. The United Nation's Ocean Decade and European Union's Mission Ocean and Waters recognize this centrality, but have focused on top-down actions. Here, we advocate for collaborative Trust Missions, aimed at empowering citizens through networking and bottom-up transformative actions.

Halophyte bio-saline agriculture can supplement conventional farm methods in salinized soils and salty water. The current study compares the yield and nutritional value of new Sarcocornia fruticosa ecotypes (Shikmona, Megadim, Naaman, and Ruhama) to those of the current ecotype (VM). Additionally, Arthrocaulon macrostachyum, phenotypically similar to Sarcocornia, was compared to Sarcocornia ecotypes, and the effects of the harvesting regime and irrigation water salinity on yield and nutritional value were studied. At both salinity levels (50 and 150 mM NaCl), 30-day harvesting intervals over a 210-day growth period increased plant yield compared to a 21-day regime. It also tended to improve electrical conductivity (EC) and total soluble sugars (TSS), lower malondialdehyde levels (a marker of toxic stress), and enhance radical inhibition activity in most ecotypes. Compared to VM, the Sarcocornia ecotypes Ruh and Naa exhibited much higher biomass with similar radical inhibition activity but lower total protein content. Higher salinity improved fresh biomass, shoot diameter, relative water content, chlorophyll level, TSS, and EC and tended to increase anthocyanin and carotenoid levels. In contrast, lower salinity tended to increase total flavonoids, polyphenols, and radical inhibition activity. In the 30-day harvest regime, A. macrostachyum exhibited the highest and second-highest yields at high and low salinity, respectively; the highest shoot diameter, total flavonoids, and radical inhibition activity; and one of the lowest malondialdehyde levels. The current study highlights the importance of optimizing harvest frequency and the advantages of employing A. macrostachyum and the Sarcocornia ecotypes Ruhama, Naaman, and Megadim with a 30-day harvesting regime under higher-salinity conditions.

For their scarcity, invasive species in early invasion stages and endangered species are often difficult to detect compromising both conservation and ecosystem protection. Here environmental DNA (eDNA) was compared with beach seining for monitoring fish diversity in the protected Natural Park Ria Formosa lagoon (Portugal). Surface water for eDNA extraction was collected before sampling a mean of 1400m2 from ten diverse shallow water habitats with a 25 m beach seine. Fragments of the 12S rRNA and COI mitochondrial genes were PCRamplified and taxonomy was assigned to amplicon sequence variants. Sampling with the beach seine resulted in the identification of 33 species and 4 genera while 28 species were identified based on eDNA, with 18 taxa in common. Greater taxonomic resolution at a species level was possible with eDNA. While the majority of species detected with both methods were of least concern according to IUCN criteria, eDNA detected one invasive (the weakfish Cynoscion regalis with 12S marker) and two critically endangered species (the ray Aetomylaeus bovinus with 12S and the eel Anguilla anguilla with COI marker), none of which were caught by beach seining. C. regalis is a threat in Portuguese waters and should be surveyed in Ria Formosa. The results highlight the usefulness of eDNA as a cost-effective complementary method to traditional monitoring, especially for rare species. Based on these results, we recommend the use of eDNA with multiple markers in surface and bottom water samples in long-term monitoring programmes, to enhance the detection of rare, elusive species in coastal lagoons.

TikTok has rapidly become a mainstream social media platform, particularly popular among younger populations. However, young people's perceptions of TikTok's use as a teaching–learning tool remain largely unexplored. To address this literature gap, this study involved an educational intervention in which TikTok was integrated into sport management classes at a Spanish university through active learning methodologies. Specifically, it sought to assess changes in students’ perceptions before and after the intervention across three key dimensions: TikTok’s usefulness as a teaching tool, its contribution to professional development, and its potential for industry engagement. To assess students' perceptions of TikTok, a pre-test and post-test were conducted with 48 students (71% male, 29% female) enrolled in the course. Quantitative findings revealed statistically significant positive changes across all three dimensions, suggesting that the intervention positively impacted students’ perceptions of TikTok’s educational, professional, and industry-related value. These findings were reinforced by qualitative data collected through open-ended responses, in which students highlighted TikTok as a creative, motivating, and professionally relevant learning tool. The results of this study offer both theoretical and practical insights that may be valuable to educators and educational institutions considering the strategic integration of social media such as TikTok into higher education.