Big Dreams, Intergenerational Trauma, and Queer Identity

Using a research study focused on big dreams and the queer self, this paper explores the process in which an epiphanic dream can suddenly and radically end dissociative states induced by intergenerational trauma and oppression. During this experience archetypal material emerges transmuted: the dream heals and empowers the dreamer, revealing unformulated unconscious identities, shifting the dreamer’s worldview, and uncovering a new sense of self anchored in the collective.

Defining enteric bacterial pathogenesis using organoids: Citrobacter rodentium uses EspC, an atypical mucinolytic protease, to penetrate mouse colonic mucus

Enteric bacterial pathogens pose significant threats to human health; however, the mechanisms by which they infect the mammalian gut in the face of daunting host defenses remain to be fully defined. For the attaching and effacing (A/E) bacterial family member and murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium , its virulence strategy appears to involve penetration of the colonic mucus barrier to reach the underlying epithelium. To better define these interactions, we grew colonoids under air-liquid interface (ALI) conditions, producing a thick mucus layer that mimicked in vivo mucus composition and glycosylation. C. rodentium ’s penetration of ALI-derived mucus was dramatically enhanced upon exposure to sialic acid, in concert with the secretion of two serine protease autotransporter of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) proteins, Pic and EspC. Despite Pic being a class II SPATE, and already recognized as a mucinase, it was EspC, a class I SPATE family member, that degraded ALI-derived mucus, despite class I SPATEs not previously shown to possess mucinase activity. Confirming this finding, E. coli DH5α carrying a plasmid that expresses C. rodentium -derived EspC was able to degrade the mucus. Moreover, recombinant EspC alone also displayed mucinolytic activity in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, our results reveal the utility of ALI-derived mucus in modeling microbe-host interactions at the intestinal mucosal surface, as well as identify EspC as an atypical class I SPATE that shows significant mucinolytic activity toward ALI-derived mucus.

Yoga as a pre-treatment of EMDR to treat childhood abuse-related PTSD: feasibility and pilot study

Background: Yoga, a mind-body practice that enhances emotional regulation and self-awareness, may be an effective stabilisation tool for trauma-focused therapy, particularly for patients with childhood abuse-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CA-PTSD), who exhibit strong avoidance strategies. Objective: This study aimed to test the efficacy of group yoga sessions followed by individual EMDR sessions on PTSD symptoms. Secondary objectives included evaluating the efficacy of this combined treatment on the most common associated comorbidities, and measuring the adherence and effectiveness of EMDR sessions. Methods: 32 adult women with CA-PTSD were randomly assigned to either a Yoga + EMDR group (10 weekly yoga sessions followed by 10 weekly EMDR sessions) or a Wait + EMDR group (12 weeks of waiting followed by 10 weekly EMDR sessions). Assessments were conducted at baseline, week 12, and week 24, primarily using validated self-report questionnaires. Results: While PTSD symptoms and most comorbidities showed no significant group differences, the Yoga + EMDR group exhibited significant improvements in anxiety and emotional dysregulation, fewer dropouts, and more effective EMDR sessions compared to the Wait + EMDR group. The study faced a limitation as the overall therapy duration extended beyond the protocol, rapidly preventing new recruitments. Conclusions: Yoga preceding EMDR shows promise in enhancing emotion regulation and EMDR effectiveness for CA-PTSD patients.

Platforms as architects of AI influence: rethinking moderation in the age of hybrid expression

The widespread availability of generative AI has reshaped how content is created, circulated, and governed across social media platforms. As users experiment with synthetic media—remixing, reposting, and negotiating hybrid communicative practices_platforms have emerged as central agents in the AI attention economy, forging lucrative partnerships and developing proprietary features that shape how AI content is legitimised. This article proposes that conventional human rights frameworks, particularly freedom of expression, are ill-equipped to govern increasingly hybrid media, where authorship and provenance are fluid, and emerging dilemmas hinge more on perceived value than rights violations. Within this context, spam policies operate as under-scrutinised instruments of discretionary control, enabling platforms to curate visibility and legitimacy through opaque mechanisms. Drawing on Reddit’s provenance-agnostic, participatory moderation model, the article proposes that collective negotiation by online communities—around what constitutes valuable or acceptable content—offers a more transparent, context-sensitive, and adaptive approach to moderation of hybrid human-AI expression.

Towards a Global Ground-Based Earth Observatory (GGBEO): Leveraging existing systems and networks

To tackle the planetary environmental and climate crisis and meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we must fully leverage the potential of Earth observations (EO). This involves integrating globally sourced data on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, along with ecological and socio-economic information. By harmonizing and integrating these diverse data sources, we can more effectively incorporate observational data into multi-scale modeling and artificial intelligence (AI) frameworks. This paper is based on discussions from the “Towards Global Earth Observatory” workshop held from May 8–10, 2023, organized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Atmosphere and Climate Competence Center (ACCC), in collaboration with the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR) at the University of Helsinki. The current state of EO and data repositories is fragmented, highlighting the need for a more integrated approach to establish a new global Ground-Based Earth Observatory (GGBEO). Here, we summarize the current status of selected in-situ and ground-based remote sensing observation systems and outline future actions and recommendations to meet scientific, societal, and economic needs. In addition, we identify key steps to create a coordinated and comprehensive GGBEO system that leverages existing investments, networks, and infrastructures. This system would integrate regional and global ground-based in situ and remote sensing systems, marine, and airborne observational data. An integrated approach should aim for seamless coordination, interoperable and harmonized data repositories, easily searchable and accessible data, and sustainable long-term funding.

From hesitancy to confidence: Shaping the future of vaccine messaging

Immune persistence and safety of the AS01 E -adjuvanted respiratory syncytial virus prefusion F protein-based vaccine in adults 50–59 years of age, including at-increased-risk adults: A randomized controlled trial

In this phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled multi-country study, the AS01 E -adjuvanted respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) prefusion F protein-based vaccine (adjuvanted RSVPreF3) was immunologically non-inferior at 1 month post-vaccination in adults 50–59 years of age (YOA) compared to adults ≥60 YOA, in whom efficacy was previously demonstrated. Here, we report end-of-study immunogenicity and safety results until 12 months post-vaccination. Participants 50–59 YOA were divided into an at-increased-risk (AIR) and a non-AIR subcohort, each randomized (2:1) to receive one dose of adjuvanted RSVPreF3 or placebo. A control cohort of participants ≥60 YOA received adjuvanted RSVPreF3. Humoral/cell-mediated immunity and safety were assessed. In total, 1152 participants 50–59 YOA received adjuvanted RSVPreF3 or placebo, and 381 participants ≥60 YOA received adjuvanted RSVPreF3. In all vaccinated groups, RSV-A and RSV-B neutralizing titers and RSVPreF3-specific polyfunctional CD4+ T-cell frequencies increased at 1 month post-vaccination and declined thereafter, but remained above baseline and placebo levels at 6 and 12 months post-vaccination. During the study, one vaccine-related serious adverse event (cold-type hemolytic anemia in a participant ≥60 YOA) was reported. Five participants died (all in the 50–59 YOA AIR subcohort, four had received adjuvanted RSVPreF3, one placebo); none of the deaths were considered vaccine-related. In conclusion, adjuvanted RSVPreF3 induced a humoral and cell-mediated immune response persisting until at least 12 months post-vaccination in adults 50–59 YOA, including those at increased risk for RSV disease. The vaccine had an acceptable 12-month safety profile in adults 50–59 YOA, consistent with that in adults ≥60 YOA. Trial Registration : ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05590403

Infotainment on Social Media: How News Companies Combine Information and Entertainment in News Stories on Instagram and TikTok

News companies increasingly produce genuine content for social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Unlike content posted on Facebook or X, these news stories are often stand-alone news products adapted to the platforms’ logic and aesthetics. Since Instagram and TikTok are primarily known as entertainment platforms, this raises concerns about the informativeness of such news content. With this study, we therefore explore to what extent news stories on Instagram and TikTok provide relevant information about current affairs, and to what extent this information is combined with entertaining elements. To do so, we collected Instagram stories ( N  = 1946) and TikTok videos ( N  = 677) of the six largest Swiss news outlets for a full week each month during a year (February 2022 to January 2023). We compare the prevalence of hard and soft news topics, the degree of information and entertaining elements, and the co-occurrence of information and entertainment (infotainment) between tabloid and quality news outlets, as well as between the two investigated platforms.

Eurasian 1C swine influenza A virus exhibits high pandemic risk traits

Recent surveillance has identified an expansion of swine H1 1C influenza viruses in Eurasian swine. Since 2010, at least 21 spillover events of 1C virus into humans have been detected and three of these occurred from July to December of 2023. Pandemic risk assessment of H1 1C influenza virus revealed that individuals born after 1950 had limited cross-reactive antibodies, confirming that they are antigenically novel viruses. The 1C virus exhibited phenotypic signatures similar to the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus, including human receptor preference, productive replication in human airway cells, and robust environmental stability. Efficient inter- and intraspecies airborne transmission using the swine and ferret models was observed, including efficient airborne transmission to ferrets with pre-existing human seasonal H1N1 immunity. Together our data suggest H1 1C influenza virus poses a relatively high pandemic risk.

Chikungunya virus replicates in the human testis ex vivo and impacts peritubular myoid cells functional markers

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging, mosquito-borne alphavirus responsible for debilitating, long-lasting arthralgia and myalgia. In light of recent findings of prolonged CHIKV RNA shedding in human semen and testicular tropism in animals infected with related alphaviruses, it is imperative to investigate CHIKV's capacity to infect the human testis, an established reservoir for arboviruses like Zika, and to delineate its implications for testicular function. Using an ex vivo human testicular tissue model, we demonstrate that CHIKV rapidly infects peritubular myoid cells (PMCs) and a range of interstitial cells, with robust viral production peaking at day 3 before declining. Importantly, seminiferous tubule cells and isolated testicular germ cells proved nonpermissive to CHIKV infection, indicating a potential limitation for seminal shedding of virions. Infected testicular explants exhibited a broad antiviral response but limited pro-inflammatory cytokines upregulation. CHIKV replication in the testis induced apoptosis and cell death, with a marked impact on PMC markers including decreased transcriptional expression of genes crucial for PMC contractile properties and extracellular matrix production. In summary, our study highlights the susceptibility of human testicular tissue to CHIKV infection, marked by robust viral replication that primarily compromises PMC function. The observed cellular impairment and damage suggest that CHIKV infection might negatively affect key testicular functions, such as tubular contractility and sperm release. These findings warrant further investigation into semen parameters and viral shedding in CHIKV-infected men.