Age-related variation in the anthropometric profiles, body composition and functional capacities of female soccer players
This study aimed to identify and compare the basic anthropometric characteristics, physical performance, and game-related skills of female soccer players across different age groups, including under-15 (U15), U17, U19, and first teams. Also, it aimed to account for performance tests variability through anthropometric features. A total of 56 athletes participated in a comprehensive test battery assessing anthropometric and bioelectrical parameters, air displacement plethysmography (ADP), and physical performance (Countermovement Jump Test (CMJ) and 30-15IFT). The older groups outperformed the younger players in physical and physiological characteristics. Significant differences were observed in body dimensions and composition, with the first team showing higher fat-free mass (FFM) than U15 and U17 players. Skinfold thickness was consistent across groups. The first team also exhibited the highest levels of power and speed, while U15 athletes showed the lowest CMJ. General linear models by stepwise procedures identified training hours as the main predictor for CMJ and speed, with each additional hour of training improving CMJ by 1 cm and speed by 1 km/h. Additionally, a decrease in skinfold thickness predicted improved power. A multidimensional approach, including anthropometric, bioelectrical, and physical performance data, provides essential insights for supporting athletic development in young female soccer players and can inform tailored training strategies to enhance their physical performance.
Toselli et al. (2025) Age-related variation in the anthropometric profiles, body composition and functional capacities of female soccer players. PeerJ 13:e20096 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20096
Synergistic effects of virtual reality and traditional treatment methods in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Objective To systematically evaluate the synergistic effects of virtual reality (VR) combined with traditional therapies in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of VR combined with conventional therapy on lung function, exercise tolerance, quality of life, and mental health in patients with COPD. Two researchers independently screened the literature, extracted data, and assessed study quality. A meta-analysis was performed on the outcome measures. Results Included 15 RCTs (eight from China, three from Poland, one from Turkey, one from Indonesia, and two from Italy), involving a total of 809 COPD patients (published between 2014 and 2024). All studies demonstrated significant improvements in at least one aspect (lung function, mental health, or quality of life). The meta-analysis showed that VR-based therapy significantly improved the 6-min walk test (6MWT), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1/FVC), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). High heterogeneity was observed for FEV1% predicted, COPD Assessment Test (CAT), and modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (mMRC); subgroup analyses suggested that intervention duration and single-session duration were potential contributing factors. Conclusion VR combined with traditional therapy has significant advantages over traditional therapy alone, with synergistic effects that can improve lung function and exercise endurance in COPD patients, alleviate psychological problems such as anxiety and depression, and enhance quality of life. Although the effects are significant, future research is needed to verify its clinical relevance (e.g., meeting the Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) criteria for COPD patients) and to develop personalized plans based on individual differences to enhance its clinical application value.
Qi et al. (2025) Synergistic effects of virtual reality and traditional treatment methods in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. PeerJ 13:e20047 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20047
Urban areas promotes shifts in the proportion of prey consumed by four raptor species (Accipitridae) in Mexico
Background Urbanization is a process of environmental change which reduces and fragments the original habitat and creates new pressures, conditions, and resources for the species. The urban areas act as an ecological filter, which may exclude species, while others can colonize and thrive in cities, generating a process of biotic homogenization. As top predators, the changes in prey community composition could affect the diet of raptors. However, this effect has been understudied. Methods In this study we compiled information about the frequency of prey consumed by Cooper’s Hawk, Common Black Hawk, Roadside Hawk and Gray Hawk using two sources of information: (1) data extracted from photographs available on citizen science platforms and (2) a search of scientific literature. Using these data, we compared the diet composition, the proportion of prey consumed and the trophic niche breadth by four species of raptor in urban and non-urban areas. Additionally, we evaluated whether the variability in frequency of predation records by raptors was associated to the type of prey or their breeding season. Results Our results indicate that the raptors studied consumed at least 91 prey species in Mexico. Most records of predation by Common Black Hawk, Roadside Hawk, and Gray Hawk occurred in non-urban areas. On the contrary, most records of predation by Cooper’s hawks occurred within urban areas. There was no statistical difference in the richness of prey consumed by Cooper’s Hawk and Gray Hawk between urban and non-urban areas. In contrast, fewer prey types were consumed by Common Black Hawk and Roadside Hawk in urban areas than in non-urban areas. The proportion of prey types consumed in urban and non-urban areas was significantly different for Cooper’s Hawk, Roadside Hawk and Gray Hawk. Conversely, the proportion of prey types consumed by Common Black Hawk’s was similar in urban and non-urban areas. The four raptors studied increased the proportion of birds consumed in urban areas by between 2% and 36%, regardless of their preference for a specific type of prey. The trophic niche breadth of raptors was broader in urban areas than in non-urban areas, except for Cooper’s Hawk, which had a narrow trophic niche breadth in urban areas than in non-urban areas. The temporal variation in the frequency of predation records was influenced by differential factors such as the breeding season, the type of prey consumed, and the utilization patterns of citizen science platforms. Our results demonstrate that the four raptors studied increased the proportion of bird consumption in urban areas. This shift in raptors’ diets could be linked to the increased prevalence of diseases transmitted by feeding on infected birds in urban areas. This emphasizes the importance of conducting research to assess the prevalence and transmission rates of diseases that could threaten the conservation of birds and raptors in urban areas.
© 2025 Márquez-Luna and Rivera-Hernández
Márquez-Luna et al. (2025) Urban areas promotes shifts in the proportion of prey consumed by four raptor species (Accipitridae) in Mexico. PeerJ 13:e20307 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20307
Identification and experimental verification of necroptosis-related prognostic gene signature and characterization of tumor immune infiltration in lung squamous cell carcinoma
Background Lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) is a common and aggressive malignancy. Necroptosis, a regulated mode of cell death, has been implicated in tumor immunity and oncogenic processes, yet the mechanistic involvement of necroptosis-related genes (NRGs) in LUSC pathogenesis remains unclear, necessitating systematic evaluation of their biological and clinical relevance. Methods and Results Clinical and transcriptomic data of LUSC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were subjected to integrative analyses. Screening of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database identified 159 NRGs, among which 35 differentially expressed NRGs (DENRGs) were associated with necroptosis, apoptosis, and immune signaling pathways. Cox regression combined with Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analysis yielded three NRGs (CAMK2A, CHMP4C, and PYGB) strongly associated with patient prognosis. Based on these genes, a prognostic model was constructed to stratify patients into high- and low-risk subgroups with distinct survival patterns. External dataset validation demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) confirmed abnormal expression of the three genes in LUSC tissues. Additional analyses revealed correlations of these NRGs with immune infiltration, immune checkpoint activity, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI). Conclusions A three-gene NRG signature was identified as a prognostic marker in LUSC. These genes appear to influence disease progression and the immune microenvironment, highlighting their potential as therapeutic targets and as a foundation for further investigation.
Sun et al. (2025) Identification and experimental verification of necroptosis-related prognostic gene signature and characterization of tumor immune infiltration in lung squamous cell carcinoma. PeerJ 13:e20260 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20260
Effects of virtual reality exercise on fatigue, pain, and psychological status among cancer patients: a meta-analysis
Background Cancer and its associated therapies can result in pain, fatigue, and high psychological depression with anxiety levels. Therefore, this meta-analysis explored the effects of virtual reality (VR) exercise on fatigue and pain in cancer patients, and the secondary outcomes assessed the levels of depression and anxiety. Methodology Eligible studies were searched for through four databases and then screened. The inclusion criteria are as follows: (1) Participants with cancer; (2) randomised controlled trial and single-arm trials; (3) the intervention group received VR exercise; (4) conducted pre- and post-test, which include fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety. The Cochrane bias risk assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the selected study. Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) was selected as the appropriate effect scale index, and Revman 5.4 software was used to analyze the mean difference of the selected article data. (Registration number: CRD420251037421). Results The meta-analysis outcomes implied a greater reduction in fatigue following the virtual reality group (VRG) intervention in comparison to control group (COG) (SMD, 0.77 [0.50, 1.04], p < 0.05, I2 = 61%). The heterogeneity of these outcomes then indicated that subgroup analyses were necessary. Consequently, these analyses denoted that fatigue was substantially improved in intervention durations below 30 min (SMD, 0.44 [0.08, 0.81], p < 0.05, I2 = 22%) and above 30 min (SMD, 1.20 [0.78, 1.61], p < 0.05, I2 = 0%). Significant pain improvement was also observed in VRG than COG (SMD, −0.88 [−1.15, −0.60], p < 0.05, I2 = 36%). Conclusions This review indicated that VR exercise reduced fatigue, pain, and anxiety in cancer patients. Nevertheless, the effect of VR exercise on relieving depression is not clear, which may be a potentially effective non pharmacological intervention in this population.
Wang et al. (2025) Effects of virtual reality exercise on fatigue, pain, and psychological status among cancer patients: a meta-analysis. PeerJ 13:e20196 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20196
Application of intestinal microbiota in marine fish for assessing the toxicity of typical pollutants: a literature review
The widespread diffusion and dilution of pollutants in the ocean lead to prolonged exposure of marine organisms to low-concentration contaminated environments, raising growing concerns about the potential risks associated with chronic low-level pollution. The gut microbiota of fish plays a pivotal role in essential physiological processes, which are critical for host health. Therefore, the key microbes in the gut could serve as valuable biomarkers for assessing the toxic effects of pollutants. This article systematically reviews the structure and functions of marine fish gut microbiota, outlines the primary methodologies for assessing gut microbiota, and highlights the impacts of typical pollutants (including petroleum hydrocarbons, antibiotics, heavy metals, and microplastic) on the composition, functionality, and metabolic activities of marine fish gut microbiota. In the future, integrating multi-technology approaches to investigate the toxic mechanisms of pollutants on gut microbiota and their biodegradation pathways will represent a pivotal direction in marine ecotoxicology research.
Feng et al. (2025) Application of intestinal microbiota in marine fish for assessing the toxicity of typical pollutants: a literature review. PeerJ 13:e20248 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20248
Diagnostic and prognostic implications of growth differentiation factor 15 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Background Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15), an emerging biomarker associated with chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, shows potential diagnostic and prognostic significance for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). This study aimed to assess the diagnostic and prognostic value of GDF-15 in HFpEF. Methods Three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect) were used to search for relevant literature published before August 6, 2024. Quality assessment was conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and its adaptation for cross-sectional studies. Statistical analysis was performed using RStudio version 4.4.1. All meta-analyses employed a random-effects model. Sensitivity analysis was conducted using the leave-one-out technique to evaluate the influence of individual studies on pooled estimates. This study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024569609). Results A total of 5,696 HFpEF patients were identified from 28,193 individuals across 12 observational studies. GDF-15 levels were consistently elevated in HFpEF patients, with a pooled mean difference (MD) of 647.60 pg/mL (95% CI [148.43–1,146.77]; p = 0.01). Sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of this finding, with a slightly higher MD observed when studies involving HFpEF patients with atrial fibrillation were excluded. Qualitative analysis suggested that the overall diagnostic performance of GDF-15 in HFpEF is slightly superior to conventional biomarkers. GDF-15 showed a pooled area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82 (95% CI [0.72–0.91]), indicating good diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, GDF-15 was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalisation, with pooled hazard ratios (HR) of 1.46 (95% CI [1.30–1.62]; p < 0.01) and 1.76 (95% CI [1.30–2.38]; p < 0.01), respectively. Conclusion GDF-15 demonstrates significant diagnostic and prognostic potential for HFpEF. Elevated GDF-15 levels are associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality and heart failure hospitalisation.
Dakota et al. (2025) Diagnostic and prognostic implications of growth differentiation factor 15 in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PeerJ 13:e20168 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20168
Power analyses to inform clutch sampling design to determine the breeding sex ratio in populations with multiple paternity
In many species, demographic assessments of population viability require an estimate of the number or proportion of breeding adults in a population that are male (the breeding sex ratio). However, this estimate is often difficult to obtain directly in species with multiple paternity when males are difficult to sample. Parentage analysis of breeding females and offspring can produce this estimate by identifying the number of unique males that contribute genetic information to (i.e., sired) a given cohort. There is an added challenge of choosing a sample design with the desired level of confidence to identify all the fathers contributing to a cohort, either at the scale of individual clutches or an entire nesting season, given limited resources. Sampling effort can be defined as the number of offspring sampled per clutch, or the number of clutches sampled per breeding season, depending on the analysis. The minimum number of samples required may depend on the proportions of eggs that different fathers fertilize in a clutch (the paternal contribution mode), the total number of fathers fertilizing a clutch, the proportion of adults available for breeding that are male (the operational sex ratio), and population size. We conducted power analyses to quantify the confidence in identifying all fathers in animal populations with multiple paternity. We simulated sampling a theoretical sea turtle population with a range of population demographics, mating systems, and sampling effort, and used the proportion of 10,000 simulations in which all fathers were identified as a proxy for confidence. At the clutch level, confidence was strongly dependent on the paternal contribution mode, and when it was skewed, it also depended on the total number of fathers contributing and the number of offspring sampled. However, sampling about one third of a clutch was sufficient to identify all fathers with high confidence for most scenarios, unless the paternal contribution mode was extremely skewed and there were many contributing fathers, such that some fathers fertilized very few eggs and were difficult to detect. At the scale of an entire nesting season, confidence was more strongly affected by the operational sex ratio, the proportion of clutches sampled, and the presence or absence of polygyny than by the lesser effects of paternal contribution mode and within-clutch sample size. Sampling fewer offspring from more clutches increased confidence compared to sampling more offspring from fewer clutches. Relaxing the minimum required proportion of fathers identified from 100% to 90% led to high confidence while sampling 50% to a maximum of 75% of clutches, depending on the mating system, even as the population size increased by an order of magnitude. Our approach and results can be widely informative for sample design as well as quantifying uncertainty in existing and future estimates of the number of breeding males in populations with multiple paternity.
Quennessen et al. (2025) Power analyses to inform clutch sampling design to determine the breeding sex ratio in populations with multiple paternity. PeerJ 13:e20165 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20165
Comparison of the clinical usefulness of CXCL-8 and common clinical tumor markers for esophageal cancer diagnosis
Background This study aimed to investigate serum CXC motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL-8) as a potential biomarker for diagnosing esophageal cancer (EC). Methods Patients diagnosed with EC (n = 141) were enrolled at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, from July through December 2023. Sixty cases were early esophageal cancer (EEC), whereas 81 were advanced (AEC) based on diagnostic criteria. Healthy volunteers (n = 75) were recruited as controls. Serum CXCL-8 levels were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 fragment (Cyfra211), and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) were assessed using a chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. Clinical and pathological attributes of patients with EC were documented and analyzed. Diagnostic efficacies of CXCL-8, CEA, Cyfra211, and SCC for EC were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results Serum concentrations of CXCL-8, CEA, Cyfra211, and SCC were significantly higher in patients with EC than in controls (P < 0.05). In the EC group, areas under the curves (AUCs) for CXCL-8, CEA, Cyfra211, and SCC were 0.906, 0.707, 0.705, and 0.797, respectively. The combined application of CXCL-8+CEA, CXCL-8+Cyfra211, and CXCL-8+SCC yielded AUCs of 0.931, 0.940, and 0.950, respectively, and was significantly higher than that of the combination of CEA+Cyfra211+SCC (0.854). In EEC, the diagnostic performance of CXCL-8 was similar to that in the EC group. The sensitivity of CXCL-8 was greater than that of CEA, Cyfra211, and SCC alone, and the combination of the three markers (P < 0.05). Conclusions CXCL-8 could be used to distinguish patients with EC from healthy controls, including EEC.
Lu et al. (2025) Comparison of the clinical usefulness of CXCL-8 and common clinical tumor markers for esophageal cancer diagnosis. PeerJ 13:e20079 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20079
Single-particle analysis of small extracellular vesicles from human follicular fluid unveils immunomodulatory PD-L1+ subpopulations and potentially fertility biomarkers
In certain cell systems, small extracellular vesicles bearing PD-L1 (PD-L1+ sEVs) have been shown to suppress T-cell immunity. We investigated whether a distinct profile of PD-L1+ sEVs exists in human follicular fluid (FF), a microenvironment where immune tolerance is crucial for proper follicular development. We characterized the expression and colocalization of CD63, CD81, CD9, and PD-L1 in sEVs derived from FF of women undergoing fertility treatments (n = 10), utilizing single-particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensing combined with single-particle antibody capture and immunofluorescence labeling. Additionally, sEV size distribution was analysed via atomic force microscopy. These integrated techniques revealed that the majority of tetraspanin-expressing EVs in human FF are smaller than 50 nm. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in PD-L1 co-expression across CD63, CD81, and CD9, confirming a preferential association of PD-L1 with CD9+ sEVs. Coefficients of variation across the cohort further indicated that PD-L1/CD9 co-expression was the most consistent among patients, suggesting a stable and distinct sEV subpopulation. These findings underscore the potential of PD-L1+ sEVs as biomarkers for immune regulation in reproductive treatments. The discovery of distinct PD-L1+ sEV subpopulations suggests a role in modulating immune responses within the follicular microenvironment. Further studies are warranted to investigate the functional relevance of these vesicles in predicting fertility outcome, promoting local immune tolerance, and facilitating follicular development.
Bortot et al. (2025) Single-particle analysis of small extracellular vesicles from human follicular fluid unveils immunomodulatory PD-L1+ subpopulations and potentially fertility biomarkers. PeerJ 13:e20057 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.20057