Aggressive driving behaviour is a pervasive global problem, underscoring the necessity of reliable and valid measurement instruments. This study examines the psychometric properties of the Aggressive Driving Behaviour Scale (ADBS), an 11-item measure of aggressive driving behaviour conceptualised as comprising two factors: Conflict Behaviour and Acceleration. The scale, along with the PADI, was administered to a sample of 1,538 Portuguese drivers (902 female), aged between 18 and 80 years; a subsample of 278 completed the DAS-Short Form and the BIS-11. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original two-factor structure, with acceptable model fit. The ADBS exhibited satisfactory internal consistency, whereas evidence for convergent and discriminant validity was mixed, partially supported by correlational analyses and the HTMT ratio. These findings suggest that the Portuguese version of the ADBS is a promising tool for assessing aggressive driving behaviour, although further research is needed to strengthen evidence for its convergent and discriminant validity.

The RNA recognition motif (RRM) domain of TAF15 protein plays an essential role in RNA binding and regulation of diverse cellular processes. However, the molecular mechanism underlying its structural stability and folding behaviour associated with disease state remains poorly understood. Herein, we performed an extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations study to investigate the conformational dynamics and unfolding pathway of the TAF15-RRM domain in 8 M urea. The elevated temperatures (300-500 K) were employed to accelerate the unfolding and capture different conformational states. The results from 3 μs cumulative MD simulations revealed that unfolding proceeds through stable, denaturant/temperature-accelerated partially unfolded intermediate ensembles. The native conformation of TAF15-RRM largely confined to marginal perturbation in urea at 300-350 K. The major conformational changes occurred in urea at 400-450 K, revealing distinct conformational ensembles corresponding to native (N), intermediate (I), and unfolded (U) populations. Whereas the native structure of protein was lost abruptly within ∼0-50 ns, at 500 K. At 400 K, the unfolding dynamics restricted to I-state with the loss of ∼55% native contacts. All three (N, I and U) stages are captured more distinctly in urea at 450 K. Furthermore, the secondary structure analyses demonstrated a higher susceptibility of β-sheets toward urea-induced unfolding, accompanied by the transient structures of non-native extended β-conformations and helical intermediates. FELs analyses suggest that the I-state populations are heterogeneous in nature which are largely stabilized by the partial retention and rearrangement of native H-bonds. These results thus highlight conformational signatures of unfolding intermediates that, by analogy with aggregation-prone intermediates characterized in other proteins, may be relevant to TAF15 self-assembly.

A man in his 20s with genetically confirmed Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome experienced a progressive decline in visual acuity in the left eye over 12 months. Corneal assessment revealed bilateral keratoconus: the left eye showed central thinning (Tmin 408 µm) and steepening (Kmax 55.98 D), while the right eye had forme fruste keratoconus (Tmin 465 µm, Kmax 45.6 D). Slit-lamp biomicroscopy demonstrated Vogt's striae, an incomplete Fleischer's ring and prominent corneal nerves. Systemic examination identified hypodontia, nail dystrophy, a fissured tongue and characteristic facial dysmorphisms. Whole-exome sequencing confirmed a pathogenic TP63 variant. The patient was fitted with rigid contact lenses for visual rehabilitation, and corneal collagen cross-linking was performed to halt progression.Learning points: Keratoconus may occur in TP63-related Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome, broadening its ocular phenotype. Individuals with ectodermal dysplasia should undergo detailed corneal imaging. Atypical or asymmetric keratoconus in young patients warrants genetic evaluation. Multidisciplinary management is crucial for syndromic corneal ectasia.

Oncoproteins, products of oncogenes, are critical drivers of malignant transformation and tumor progression by dysregulating cellular growth, differentiation, and survival pathways. This study aims to summarize the significant achievements in oncoprotein-targeted precision cancer therapy, delineate the persistent challenges hindering its broader application, and explore promising future directions for overcoming these hurdles and expanding the therapeutic impact. This review uses a systematic approach to identify, select, and synthesize relevant literature from various electronic databases. The search includes terms like "oncoprotein," "tumor protein," "precision cancer therapy," "molecular therapy," and "cancer." Precision cancer therapy, guided by the identification of oncoproteins, has yielded remarkable successes, notably with inhibitors targeting BCR-ABL in chronic myeloid leukemia, EGFR in lung cancer, and HER2 in breast cancer. Despite these successes, significant challenges remain, including the emergence of acquired drug resistance, tumor heterogeneity, and the lack of actionable oncoproteins in many cancer types. Future directions involve developing next-generation inhibitors, exploring combination therapies to circumvent resistance, and leveraging advanced genomic and proteomic profiling to uncover novel targets.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), remains a major global health challenge, necessitating the identification of novel drug targets with high specificity and therapeutic potential. Maltosyltransferase (GlgE) is a critical enzyme in the biosynthesis of cytosolic α-glucan, a key component required for maintaining cell wall integrity and intracellular survival of the pathogen. GlgE catalyzes the transfer of maltosyl units from maltose-1-phosphate to elongating α-glucan chains, and its inactivation results in toxic accumulation of metabolic intermediates, ultimately leading to bacterial death. Importantly, the absence of homologous pathways in humans underscores its suitability as a selective anti-tubercular (anti-TB) target. Sequence analysis of 382 clinical isolates demonstrated complete conservation of the glgE gene, highlighting its evolutionary stability and essentiality. Subsequently, structure-based virtual screening followed by molecular fingerprint clustering was performed to identify chemically diverse inhibitors. Twelve top ranked compounds (VMP-1 to VMP-12) were further evaluated through in-vitro antimycobacterial assays in broth culture and infected THP-1 derived macrophages, along with cytotoxicity assessment. Among these, VMP-7 exhibited significant inhibitory activity against M.tb at 12.5 μg/mL, with minimal cytotoxic effects on host cells. Collectively, these findings validate GlgE as a highly conserved target and identify VMP-7 as a promising lead candidate for further preclinical development of novel anti-TB therapeutics.

This study aimed to evaluate the antibacterial and antivirulence activities of Piper betle essential oil (PP) against Staphylococcus aureus and to investigate its effects on resistance development, antibiotic susceptibility, and quorum-sensing-associated virulence during prolonged exposure. S. aureus ATCC 25,923 was subjected to a 30-day laboratory adaptive evolution under sub-inhibitory exposure to PP or conventional antibiotics (chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and kanamycin). Prolonged antibiotic exposure resulted in high-level resistance, extensive cross-resistance, and upregulation of quorum-sensing- and virulence-associated genes, including agrA, luxS, hla, and hlb. By contrast, 30 days of PP exposure produced no detectable increase in PP MIC or cross-resistance and was associated with maintained or enhanced antibiotic susceptibility. PP-adapted populations exhibited increased rot transcription together with reduced expression of quorum-sensing-, toxin-, and biofilm-associated genes. In both wild-type and antibiotic-adapted populations, PP enhanced antibiotic susceptibility, with 4- to 32-fold reductions in MIC/MBC values observed in antibiotic-adapted populations. Supplementation with exogenous AI-2 partially restored resistance, suggesting that modulation of the LuxS/AI-2 system contributes to PP-mediated antibiotic re-sensitisation, although it may not represent the sole or predominant mechanism. Collectively, these in vitro findings indicate that PP can potentiate antibiotic activity and attenuate virulence-associated phenotypes without a detectable increase in PP resistance during the 30-day experimental period. Validation in MRSA and genetically diverse clinical isolates is required before broader therapeutic conclusions can be drawn.

Paraquat poisoning is among the most lethal toxicological emergencies encountered globally. It is associated with case fatality rates up to 50-90%. There is no specific antidote for paraquat poisoning. India faces a growing burden of paraquat poisoning, compounded by easy accessibility, widespread under-reporting and limited timely access to extracorporeal therapies. Against this backdrop, the Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM) Toxicology working section convened an expert panel of 15 specialists to develop evidence-informed recommendations through a modified Delphi consensus process. Panelists rated 32 clinical statements across three iterative rounds on a five-point Likert scale. The results were presented online to the core group and Delphi panelists after the first Delphi round for discussion and to refine questions based on the suggestions received from the panelists. Consensus (≥70% agreement) was reached on 31 statements; the remaining one was designated as non-convergent. Stability of responses was checked for each statement in sequential rounds. This position statement addresses commonly faced questions by physicians such as gastrointestinal decontamination, diagnostic evaluation including the urine dithionite test and plasma paraquat assay, imaging strategies for pulmonary prognostication, the role of charcoal hemoperfusion and renal replacement therapy, immunosuppressive pulse therapy with methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide, oxygen restriction and permissive hypoxemia strategy, antioxidant interventions, organ support, lung transplantation bridged with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and prognostic determinants of mortality.

Environmental pollution and agricultural waste accumulation represent major global challenges requiring sustainable technological solutions. In this work, an environmentally friendly strategy was developed to convert agricultural biomass waste, specifically sugarcane bagasse, into graphene-based nanomaterials. The synthesis involved controlled pyrolysis of biomass to obtain carbonaceous biochar, followed by chemical activation and oxidation using a modified Hummers method to produce graphene oxide (GO). A green reduction process employing L-ascorbic acid was subsequently used to obtain reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Comprehensive physicochemical characterization was performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier- transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and Raman spectroscopy measurements. Structural analysis confirmed the transformation from turbostratic biomass-derived graphitic carbon to oxygen-functionalized graphene oxide and subsequently to partially restored graphitic domains in rGO. Morphological observations revealed the formation of thin, wrinkled graphene sheets after reduction. Elemental analysis indicated an increased C/O ratio following green reduction, confirming partial deoxygenation. Zeta potential measurements suggested moderate colloidal stability due to residual surface functionalities. The results demonstrate that sugarcane bagasse can serve as a low-cost and renewable precursor for graphene derivatives through a sustainable waste-to-wealth approach. The synthesized materials exhibit physicochemical characteristics that make them promising candidates for future environmental applications. The present work establishes a sustainable platform for the development of biomass-derived graphene materials, while evaluation of their environmental performance will be the subject of future investigations.

Exact evaluation of particulate matter (PM) dose and its respiratory deposition is required to better understand the dangers of PM exposure and, as a result, create appropriate risk control strategies. In Firozabad industrial area, this is especially relevant in favor of ultrafine particles which originate from glass industries. Thus, this study aimed to estimate the deposition of PM in human lungs and their health risk evaluation through oral and nasal breathing routes. Overall average concentration of size-segregated PM in both seasons was found as 77.14 μg/m[3] (PM1.0), 105.40 μg/m[3], (PM2.5), and 277.64 μg/m[3] (PM10). On season-wise comparison of size-segregated particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10) average concentration, it was found that the winter season has a 1.2 times higher PM load instead of the summer season. It was found that infants as well as kids were highly affected by smallest size particles PM2.5 (78.28 and 79.14%) and PM1.0 (78.09 and 78.23%) during the winter and summer seasons in the pulmonary region. During winter and summer, it was observed that overall regional deposition was approximately same through nasal and oral breathing scenario (16.67-16.68%). From the carcinogenic risk assessment result of metals, it was revealed that Cr showed carcinogenic health risk during winter in adults (2.90E-03 and 6.37E-03) and in children (2.32E-02 and 9.29E-04) and in the summer season in adults (1.88E-03 and 4.12E-03) and in children (1.50E-02 and 6.01E-04) through ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways, respectively. It was found that Ni and Co showed highest noncarcinogenic risk in residents.

Riverine sediments serve as critical reservoirs of microbial diversity and functional genes, reflecting both natural ecological processes and anthropogenic impacts. In the present study, we employed a shotgun metagenomic approach to investigate microbial community composition, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, and virulence factors in sediments collected from three environmentally distinct locations of the Yamuna River near Agra, India, representing BSA, TGY, and YEA. The sediment DNA was subjected to high-throughput Illumina sequencing, followed by quality control, assembly, and open reading frame prediction. Taxonomic classification and diversity analyses were performed using MEGAN6 and R-based statistical tools, while AMR genes were identified from predicted metagenomic proteins using the Resistance Gene Identifier (RGI) against the CARD database, with high-confidence perfect and strict hits retained; ARGs were interpreted independently of species-level host assignment. Virulence factors were assessed through presence-absence profiling of functionally relevant gene categories. The results revealed pronounced spatial heterogeneity in microbial communities, with increasing taxonomic diversity, functional complexity, and evenness from BSA to TGY and YEA. TGY and YEA composite samples showed greater observed representation of high-confidence AMR gene predictions spanning multiple drug classes and resistance mechanisms, alongside a diverse repertoire of virulence-associated genes linked to motility, adhesion, and secretion systems. In contrast, the BSA site harbored a comparatively simpler resistome and virulome. Overall, this study highlights Yamuna River sediments as important reservoirs of resistance and virulence determinants and underscores the need for long-term genomic surveillance to inform risk assessment, pollution control, and sustainable river management strategies.