Soil contamination with toxic elements is a major environmental concern. This study has attempted to provide an overall assessment of heavy metal (HM) pollution status in Iran's soil, particularly due to a lack of information on determining contamination levels across different land uses (LUs). A systematic review was utilized to extract manuscripts in which anthropogenic activities affect the HM level in soil. 195 papers were selected by March 2025. 10 HMs (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) within 9 LUs (industrial areas, mining areas, landfill areas, river sediments, roadside, agricultural areas, urban areas, coastal sediments, and wetland sediments) were analyzed for 7 soil pollution indices (CF (contamination factor), EF (enrichment factor), PLI (pollution load index), Eri (ecological risk), PERI (potential ecological risk index, RAC (risk assessment code), and Igeo (geoaccumulation index)). The impact of human activities was traced in all LUs, with smoother conditions for Mn and V in the CF mean calculation, Co, Ni, Mn, and V in the EF mean calculation, and Co, Cr, Mn, and V in the Igeo calculation. Low ecological risk was only recorded in wetland sediments (136.89), and PLI values fell within low pollution (PLI < 1) in wetland and river sediments with 0.837 and 0.856, respectively. RAC mean values for Cd (46%), Hg (46%), Mn (37%), Pb (34%), As (32%), and V (32%) were estimated to pose a high risk to the environment due to high potential for mobility. Eri mean value was only estimated with high ecological risk potential for Hg (in agricultural, roadside, coastal, and river sediments) and Cd (in roadside and industrial areas). By comparing the HM average concentration in all LUs, the industrial area was found to have the worst status. Some reported concentrations were up to around two orders of magnitude higher than corresponding ranges on a global scale. The output of this paper can help environmental planners establish strategies for optimal management of HM pollution in different LUs and pave the way for future research to have a more precise understanding of HM pollution levels in developing countries, specifically in the Middle East.

The Qinghai-Xizang (Formerly Tibet) Plateau, known as the Roof of the World, is an important ecological security barrier for Asia and globally; its natural environment is fragile and challenging to repair after destruction. Prior to the 21st century, waste management in China primarily relied on unregulated direct dumping. To investigate the environmental impacts of open dumpsites in high-altitude regions, this study focused on a representative dumpsite in the northern Xizang region. The aim was to characterize the occurrence and distribution patterns of heavy metals (HMs) in its surrounding soil, conduct source apportionment, and perform comprehensive risk assessment. The results showed low levels of mercury (Hg) and excessive levels of all other HMs. In addition, all HMs had the highest content in the residual fraction and the lowest content in the weak-acid fraction, which is less bioavailable. The Absolute Principal Component Score-Multiple Linear Regression (APCS-MLR) and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) results showed that the dumpsite contributed the most to cadmium (Cd); agricultural sources contributed the most to zinc (Zn); Hg mainly came from atmospheric transport and traffic sources; Pb was mainly derived from traffic and natural sources; and copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and arsenic (As) mainly came from the dumpsite and natural sources. In addition, this research found that this dumpsite poses a relatively high HM risk to human health; oral and respiratory routes are the main non-carcinogenic routes, As and Cr contribute more to the adult and child groups, and As contributes the most to carcinogenic risk. The calculation results of the pollution assessment method indicate that the pollution of the natural environment from this dumpsite is at a low level, and immediate remediation measures are urgently needed to achieve site decontamination.

Alphaviruses are mosquito-borne viruses that can cause disease in humans and animals. Alphaviruses bind to proteinaceous receptors found on the surface of host cells in the first step of the virus life cycle. Multiple studies have revealed that alphavirus interactions with cellular receptors are plastic, with receptor-binding patterns that vary across viral species even for the same receptor and that also vary in different infected hosts. We discuss recent progress on the functional and structural understanding of alphavirus interactions with cellular receptors, with implications for understanding alphavirus tissue tropism, pathogenesis, and evolution.

The BCR®sequential extraction process (SEP) is widely applied to assess the heavy metals (HMs) fractions, i.e. F1 (exchangeable/acid‑soluble), F2 (reducible), F3 (oxidizable) and F4 (residual), in diverse biomass and their biochars. However, no study has systematically investigated how readsorption and redistribution during BCR®SEP affect the interpretation of HMs speciation evolution from biomass to biochar. In this study, the standard addition method, which was performed by spiking samples with no greater than 100% of the natural HMs content in each step of BCR®SEP, was applied to quantify readsorption and redistribution artifacts during BCR®SEP for swine manure (SM) and biochars produced at 300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C. Results revealed that copper (Cu) was predominantly readsorbed during F1(59.91-97.78%) and F2 (54.09-80.78%) steps; zinc (Zn) was primarily readsorbed during F1 (64.85-87.90%) step, which were significantly higher than those for SM, except for SMB300 in F1. Following readsorption, Cu in biochar was redistributed mainly into the F3 (30.91-71.24%) and F4 (27.82-68.05%) fractions, whereas Zn redistribution occurred predominantly into F2 (27.78-33.46%) and F4 (42.21-66.56%). After quantitative correction, the apparent proportions of HMs assigned to F1 and F2 increased markedly, while those assigned to F3 and F4 decreased correspondingly. Consequently, the modified potential ecological risk index (RI) based on corrected fractions was 59.3-329.0% higher than the RI calculated from measured fractions. These artifacts of conventional BCR®SEP could overestimate the stability of HMs in animal manures and their biochars upon soil amendment, potentially affecting fractionation-based assessments of environmental risk.

Environmental contamination by metallic elements represents an emerging threat to neurobehavioral health. Rather than evaluating individual metals independently, we established a standardized high-throughput behavioral phenomics platform in adult zebrafish that integrates 3D locomotion tracking with mirror-biting (aggression) and predator-avoidance (fear) assays under identical exposure conditions, enabling systematic behavioral toxicity profiling and direct cross-metal prioritization across 37 metallic elements. Multivariate behavioral fingerprinting showed that elements such as HMs induced more variable and severe phenotypes than REEs, identifying vanadium as the highest-priority candidate associated with severe neurobehavioral disruption, with concentration-dependent progression from anxiety-like behavior to locomotor suppression, behavioral disengagement, and mortality. Brain RNA-seq of vanadium-exposed fish revealed coordinated suppression of adaptive immune signaling alongside induction of sterol and carbohydrate metabolic reprogramming, indicating broad brain-associated molecular perturbation accompanying the observed behavioral disruption. To mitigate this toxicity, we evaluated four natural chelators (chitosan, citric acid, sodium alginate, tannic acid) co-incubated with vanadium in exposure water. Citric acid conferred the strongest behavioral and survival protection, and brain transcriptomic profiling indicated that co-incubation spared fish from the mitochondrial damage and apoptotic priming induced by vanadium alone. The protection was, however, exposure-phase selective: comparison with post-exposure transfer suggested that citric acid primarily protects during co-exposure rather than by effectively reversing established toxicity. Together, these findings establish a scalable behavioral toxicity screening platform and a comparative atlas of metallic elements, while demonstrating water-borne chelation as a promising preventive, but not therapeutic, strategy for mitigating vanadium toxicity in aquatic environments.

We describe dilatation of a rectal stricture secondary to Crohn's disease using an Ovesco BougieCap-a fixed-diameter push-type dilator. The BougieCap's clear walls allow direct vision, and conical shape enables controlled gradual dilatation to a maximum diameter of 12 mm/36 Fr facilitating subsequent flexible sigmoidoscopy using the same endoscope. A patient with a benign low rectal stenosis due to Crohn's disease underwent general anaesthesia for flexible sigmoidoscopy. Her stenosis symptoms included liquid seepage and obstructed defecation. A 12 mm gastroscope could not be passed due to the severity of anorectal stenosis not admitting a little finger. Once the BougieCap dilator was positioned over the gastroscope, the stricture could be gently traversed under direct vision. The lumen was always visible. Flexible sigmoidoscopy and stricture biopsy then took place. At 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up, she reported a consistent improvement in symptoms. Prospective studies are required to establish long-term usefulness of this technique.

This conceptual, implementation-oriented paper proposes a framework for precision prevention centred on physical activity promotion and early risk mitigation, aiming to support a shift from reactive disease management toward proactive prevention. The proposed framework focuses on the early identification of risk trajectories by integrating biological, environmental, and social determinants of health through systems thinking, multi-omics technologies, digital health, and behavioural science. It aims to inform tailored, context-sensitive interventions that will help to mitigate chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while supporting lifelong resilience. Within this framework, physical activity is positioned as the central, modifiable anchor behaviour through which personalised prevention strategies may be operationalised. Building on the 2025 Hamburg Declaration and the Global Alliance for the Promotion of Physical Activity's (GA@PA) mission, this conceptual paper proposes a multidimensional model, combining personalised strategies for physical activity, nutrition, sleep, and mental health with contextual environmental adaptations. By bringing together stakeholders across multiple sectors, including healthcare, education, urban planning, sport organisations, industry, and community groups, GA@PA aims to strengthen global collaboration and to accelerate the implementation of evidence-based strategies for physical activity promotion. Emerging technologies, including digital twins, wearable biosensors and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven analytics, are discussed as potential enabling tools for real-time monitoring and for providing input for adaptive interventions, while mobile health platforms may extend access to underserved populations. Rather than providing prescriptive solutions, the paper outlines key implementation fundamentals. These include technological infrastructure with interoperable biosensors and AI aligned with prevailing ethical frameworks such as the AI Act and UNESCO recommendations; interdisciplinary research on resilience and outlier populations; policy and education reform, including routine assessment of physical activity as a vital sign within healthcare encounters; and cross-sector collaboration spanning urban design to sport-for-development initiatives such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s Olympism365. Sports organisations may support broader participation through sport-for-all programmes. The framework emphasises equity, cultural adaptation, and community co-design as critical features for scalability across diverse global contexts, highlighting the role of sport, fitness, and public health partnerships in creating a context where healthy choices become accessible and sustainable. Overall, this conceptual paper outlines a practice-informed framework proposing precision prevention as an evolving and testable implementation framework for supporting sustainable and equitable prevention systems. By integrating science, technology and policy through a multisectoral lens, precision prevention is proposed as a testable pathway to reduce the NCD burden, to enhance the health span and to foster resilient societies.