Baobab Index

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary malignant brain tumor in adults and remains associated with poor clinical outcomes despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Increasing evidence suggests that the glioblastoma immune microenvironment and coordinated oncogenic signaling pathways play critical roles in tumor progression, therapeutic resistance, and survival heterogeneity. However, the prognostic relevance of pathway-level immune activity in GBM remains incompletely understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive transcriptomic and pathway-centered analysis of glioblastoma using RNA-sequencing data and clinical information obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA-GBM) cohort. Single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was applied to quantify hallmark pathway activity across tumors, followed by immune subtype clustering, survival analysis, Cox regression modeling, machine learning-based pathway prioritization, and prognostic risk signature construction. The reproducibility of the developed prognostic model was subsequently evaluated using an independent Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) validation cohort. Our analysis demonstrated substantial inter-patient variability in immune-related and oncogenic hallmark signaling pathways. Inflammatory and mesenchymal-associated pathways, including TNF-α/NF-κB signaling, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, interferon responses, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, hypoxia, complement activation, and KRAS signaling, showed marked differences across patients and were strongly associated with aggressive disease phenotypes. Two immune-associated molecular subtypes with distinct pathway activation patterns were identified. Furthermore, multiple hallmark pathways demonstrated significant prognostic associations and were integrated into a pathway-derived prognostic risk signature that successfully stratified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups with significantly different overall survival outcomes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis confirmed that the calculated risk score retained independent prognostic significance after adjustment for clinical variables. Importantly, external validation using the CGGA cohort demonstrated stable prognostic performance and reproducibility across independent patient populations. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that immune-related hallmark pathway activity contributes substantially to glioblastoma biological heterogeneity and patient prognosis. The proposed pathway-based prognostic framework provides a biologically interpretable approach for survival stratification and may support future efforts toward precision oncology and pathway-oriented therapeutic investigation in glioblastoma.

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI), often termed chemobrain, is a clinically important complication of cancer treatment that can affect memory, attention, executive function, and processing speed during and after therapy. Doxorubicin is of particular mechanistic interest because brain parenchymal exposure is limited, yet preclinical studies consistently identify neuroinflammatory, oxidative, vascular, and synaptic abnormalities after treatment. This critical narrative review evaluates whether intestinal injury and disruption of the microbiota-gut-brain axis may contribute to these central effects. Preclinical evidence indicates that doxorubicin can alter microbial community structure, injure the intestinal barrier, modify SCFA-associated taxa or predicted functions, alter selected metabolite profiles, and promote systemic inflammatory and metabolic signaling. These peripheral changes could interact with brain endothelial cells, glia, mitochondria, hippocampal neurogenesis, and synaptic-plasticity pathways. However, the proposed doxorubicin-gut-brain pathway remains a predominantly preclinical and incompletely tested framework. No longitudinal human study has yet established, within the same patients, the temporal sequence linking doxorubicin exposure, microbiome or metabolome changes, systemic inflammation, and objective cognitive outcomes. Existing animal studies also vary in dose, regimen, tumor context, sampling time, microbiome methodology, and control of behavioral or microbiological confounders, while causal rescue experiments remain limited. Key priorities are therefore longitudinal human cohorts with pretreatment baselines and repeated multi-omics and cognitive assessments; animal studies that test temporal precedence and causal rescue or pathway blockade in the same model; mediation analyses that determine whether microbial or metabolic changes lie between treatment and cognitive dysfunction; and mechanism-informed clinical trials that demonstrate target engagement, cognitive benefit, oncology safety, and preservation of antitumor efficacy. Microbiome-directed interventions are promising but remain investigational for doxorubicin-associated CICI.

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive primary tumor of the central nervous system, characterized by high invasiveness, rapid progression, and a poor prognosis despite the current treatment modalities. Molecular stratification, using biomarkers such as

The argan tree (

In Morocco,

Feed ingredients account for most broiler production costs in Africa, yet large volumes of agro-industrial residues remain underutilized. The practical question is not whether these by-products can replace maize or soybean meal, but the inclusion levels, processing conditions, and evidence quality required for safe, effective use. This systematic review synthesised the available controlled-feeding evidence and pooled it by random-effects meta-analysis. A structured search of Web of Science and PubMed identified 273 unique records published between 1976 and 2026, from which 13 primary controlled broiler feeding studies with quantitative performance data were selected. Mean differences in feed conversion ratio (FCR) between each by-product diet and its within-study control were pooled under a random-effects model with robust variance estimation clustered on study, and regressed on dietary inclusion level; a 33-treatment castor bean cake database was analyzed to identify minimum effective ricin-removal conditions; and study quality was appraised with a SYRCLE-adapted instrument before pooling. Thirty-two contrasts from seven studies entered the primary analysis. Each percentage point of by-product inclusion raised FCR by 0.0116 units (95% CI +0.0007 to +0.0224; P = 0.041). Feedstuff functional class accounted for a substantial part of the heterogeneity (Q between classes = 41.1, df = 4, P < 0.001). Pooled across the fruit and oil processing residues the effect on FCR was -0.006 units (95% CI -0.096 to +0.085), indicating no detectable class-level effect despite the 11-12% FCR reduction reported for orange peel meal. For the bulk energy substitutes the pooled mean difference in FCR was +0.200 units at inclusions of 20% of the diet or less (95% CI -0.025 to +0.425) and +0.453 above 20% (+0.306 to +0.600), locating the provisional threshold at 20%. Processing pigeon pea seed meal at 26% inclusion improved average daily gain by 33-38% and FCR by 34-36% relative to raw inclusion, exceeding any inclusion-level effect. Only autoclaving at 15 psi for 60 min and calcium hydroxide at 40 g/kg achieved complete ricin destruction. Within a small, geographically concentrated evidence base with no eligible East African trials, these findings tentatively support provisional inclusion thresholds, indicate functional roles for fruit residues at low doses, and establish minimum processing standards, but require independent replication. Priority needs are standardized multi-site trials with full variance reporting, East African trials, and simultaneous cost-performance analysis.

Nanopore sequencing is transforming viral genomics through real-time, portable, long-read analysis of RNA and DNA. Unlike traditional short-read platforms, it detects nucleotide sequences by measuring ionic current changes as nucleic acids pass through nanoscale pores, enabling direct single-molecule sequencing and base modification detection. Its simplicity, flexibility, and capacity for ultra-long reads make it ideal for resolving complex genomic regions, structural variants, and full viral genomes. These advantages have accelerated its use in pathogen surveillance and outbreak response, especially in resource-limited settings. For chikungunya virus (CHIKV), nanopore sequencing allows rapid, culture-independent recovery of complete genomes from clinical and vector samples, enabling real-time tracking of viral diversity, evolution, and spread. Experiences from Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 have demonstrated the power of portable sequencing, now applied to CHIKV monitoring. Advances in tools such as Guppy, Dorado, Minimap2, and Medaka enhance read quality, consensus accuracy, and downstream analyses. Despite challenges in basecalling and error correction, robust quality control pipelines ensure reliable results. Ongoing improvements in chemistry, flow cell design, and machine learning will further enhance fidelity and throughput, establishing nanopore sequencing as a cornerstone of CHIKV genomic surveillance and epidemic preparedness.

Cognitive-behavioural therapies with a trauma focus are effective in reducing posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychological distress in adolescents. Long-term follow-up data on adolescents treated for PTSD remain scarce, with few studies extending beyond 12 months after treatment completion. To evaluate the maintenance of treatment gains in a comparative study of effectiveness of PE-A and SC up to 60 months post-treatment. Sixty-three adolescents diagnosed with PTSD were randomly assigned to either treatment, provided by newly trained and supervised non-specialist health workers. The primary outcome measure was PTSD symptom severity, as independently assessed on the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS). We report on the 60-month post-treatment follow-up, building on post-treatment, 3-month, 6-month, 12-month and 24-month post-treatment data that have been published previously. Participants in both treatment groups maintained a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms up to 60-months post-treatment (F (7, 343) = 2.86, Adolescents with PTSD continued to maintain treatment gains up to 60-months post-treatment. These data, along with findings from the original RCT, indicate that a brief treatment protocol (averaging 9 sessions of PE-A or SC) in a LMIC, task-shifted to be delivered by nurses without prior psychotherapy experience, led to lasting improvements in PTSD and comorbid symptoms for up to five years. The sustained benefits and improved functioning over the first few years post-treatment support expanding both treatments, especially PE-A, in community settings. This study shows that a brief treatment protocol (average of 9 sessions of either prolonged exposure for adolescents or supportive counselling), delivered by psychotherapy-naïve nurses in a resource-limited LMIC setting, led to sustained improvement in PTSD symptoms up to five years post-treatment.Participants rated both treatments as very helpful and reported excellent therapeutic alliance with their counsellors.These long-term results support broader implementation of both approaches – especially prolonged exposure for adolescents – in community settings.

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