University of North Sumatra

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive primary malignant brain tumor in adults, and patient prognosis remains poor despite advances in standard therapeutic strategies. A major challenge in glioblastoma treatment is the tumor’s pronounced resistance to therapy, driven by extensive cellular heterogeneity, rapid adaptation, and activation of multiple survival pathways. These limitations have prompted growing interest in alternative and complementary approaches, including the investigation of plant-derived compounds with cytotoxic potential. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic search of six academic databases was conducted up to August 2024 using predefined keywords. The initial search retrieved 1,122 records, of which 59 studies met the inclusion criteria after screening and eligibility assessment. This review focuses on in vitro studies evaluating the cytotoxic effects of South American medicinal plant extracts and isolated compounds on glioblastoma cell lines. The included studies demonstrated substantial methodological heterogeneity with respect to plant species and parts used, extraction methods, glioblastoma cell lines, treatment concentrations and exposure times, and outcome measures. Despite these differences, numerous plant-derived compounds exhibited antiglioblastoma activity, reducing cell viability and inducing cell death through multiple mechanisms, including apoptosis, autophagy, necrosis, and necroptosis. Overall, the findings highlight South American medicinal plants as a rich source of bioactive compounds with antiglioblastoma activity in preclinical models. While the evidence remains limited to in vitro systems, these results provide a rationale for further mechanistic studies, standardized experimental approaches, and in vivo investigations to assess bioavailability, safety, and therapeutic relevance, supporting the potential development of novel strategies for glioblastoma treatment.

Scholars and academicians today aimed to develop measures for better management of natural resources and how the contribution of green finance can enhance economic development. The current research assesses the intricate link between natural resources, green finance and economic growth of the provinces of China over the period 2000–2017. This research also addresses the significance of institutional quality and technological innovations. The use of a novel moment quantile regression technique is enabled by the non-linear distributional properties of panel data. The empirical findings suggested that green financing has a negative effect on the regional economy. On the contrary, the positive influence of natural resources confirms the resource-blessings hypothesis in the region. Moreover, the quality of institutions and technological innovation are the main factors that affect economic wellbeing. The empirical results of this study are verified using non-parametric and parametric methods, which includes bootstrap quantile regression, the mean group, fixed effect and random effect. Nevertheless, the effect of green finance is noted asymmetric in these estimators. The findings of this study propose formulation of effective policies, that includes improved investments in research and development and technology sectors, and strengthening of institutional quality to improve economic performance in China.

Sumatran laughingthrush (Garrulax bicolor) is a critically endangered passerine found only in the montane forests of Sumatra, Indonesia. This species remains the subject of only a modicum of scientific study, resulting in a paucity of fundamental knowledge of its natural history. In terms of its morphology, it is generally assumed to be sexually monomorphic. This study presents the first evidence of morphometric analysis in this species, evaluating five morphometric traits, including both wild-caught and captive-bred individuals (n = 49), to assess potential sexual dimorphism. Overall intersexual comparisons revealed a significant difference only in wing length, with males having 2.29

BACKGROUND:Shorter courses of primaquine and single-dose tafenoquine have potential to improve the prevention of recurrent Plasmodium vivax infections, but there are few data on their comparative effectiveness when provided unsupervised. We aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of these new treatment options. METHODS:We conducted a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, superiority trial in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Cambodia. Adult patients (aged ≥18 years, or aged ≥16 years in Indonesia) with uncomplicated P vivax infection and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity of 70% or greater were eligible for enrolment. Patients were treated with blood schizonticidal drugs (chloroquine in Ethiopia and Pakistan, dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine in Indonesia, and artesunate-pyronaridine in Cambodia) and randomly assigned (1:1:1) by an independent statistician using randomly permuted blocks of varying sizes to receive 7 days of unsupervised high-dose primaquine (total dose 7 mg/kg), single-dose tafenoquine (300 mg), or 14 days of low-dose primaquine (total dose 3·5 mg/kg). Randomisation was stratified by site. The primary endpoint, assessed in the modified intention-to-treat population (ie, patients who received allocated treatment, and were not lost to follow-up before day 15), was the cumulative incidence of any P vivax parasitaemia within 6 months compared between the primaquine groups, with the comparison of cumulative incidence between the tafenoquine group and the 14-day low-dose primaquine group a secondary endpoint. Key safety outcomes included the numbers of adverse and serious adverse events, including the number of gastrointestinal symptoms as well as the risk of anaemia. Safety outcomes were assessed in all patients who received any doses of study drug. The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04411836, and is complete. FINDINGS:Between April 25, 2021 and Sept 13, 2024, 4850 patients were screened for eligibility, of whom 960 patients (672 [70·0%] were male and 288 [30·0%] were female) were enrolled and randomly assigned (320 patients per group). The modified intention-to-treat population of 295 patients allocated to the 7-day high-dose primaquine group, 305 patients allocated to the tafenoquine group, and 301 patients allocated to the 14-day low-dose primaquine group were considered at risk of P vivax recurrence from day 15 onwards. The cumulative incidence of P vivax recurrence at 6 months was 13·0% (97·55% CI 9·0-18·5) in the 7-day high-dose primaquine group and 18·5% (13·8-24·6) in the 14-day low-dose primaquine group (hazard ratio [HR] 0·66 [97·55% CI 0·40-1·09], p=0·063). The corresponding incidence in the tafenoquine group was 12·6% (97·55% CI 8·8-18·0), with an HR of 0·64 (97·55% CI 0·39-1·05, p=0·041) compared with the 14-day low-dose primaquine group. Of the adverse events occurring before day 42, 24 (42·9%) of 56 were considered drug related in the 7-day high-dose primaquine group, compared with 16 (22·2%) of 72 in the tafenoquine group and 13 (34·2%) of 38 in the 14-day low-dose primaquine group. Four serious adverse events occurred, of which two (gastrointestinal symptoms in two patients in the 7-day high-dose primaquine group) were considered probably related to study drug. One study drug unrelated death occurred in the 14-day low-dose primaquine group. INTERPRETATION:Both unsupervised 7-day high-dose primaquine and single-dose tafenoquine were well tolerated in patients with normal G6PD activity and they had a lower risk of P vivax recurrence compared with those in the 14-day low-dose primaquine group, albeit with uncertain magnitude. Our findings support the effectiveness and operational feasibility of shorter radical cure regimens across diverse malaria-endemic settings. FUNDING:National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Adaptive Traffic Signal Control (ATSC) has emerged as a core component of intelligent urban mobility. Yet its transition from simulation to reliable real-world operation remains persistently constrained. This survey synthesises 211 peer-reviewed publications spanning January 2017 to early March 2026 around five specific contributions. First, a unified taxonomy classifies ATSC systems across control architectures, methodological paradigms, and application contexts, enabling systematic cross-paradigm comparison absent from prior surveys. Second, a comparative analysis across eight operational dimensions establishes that the inverse relationship between algorithmic sophistication and deployment readiness is a structural feature of the field. Third, a substantive review of real-world deployed systems reveals that operational success reflects graceful degradation and conservative adaptation rather than algorithmic sophistication. Fourth, a dedicated review of large language model applications in ATSC covers zero-shot control, hybrid reinforcement learning architectures, cooperative multi-agent frameworks, and live field deployments. Six structural limitations defining the agenda for operational deployment are identified. Fifth, the evaluation framework is extended to incorporate deployment readiness, interpretability, multimodal support, and critical gap assessments across all reviewed dimensions. The survey identifies vehicle-centrism as a governance failure embedded in the research agenda. Simulation dominance is established as universal across all reviewed technology categories. A dependency-structured research agenda is proposed across seven directions: robust generalizable learning, federated and edge AI, multimodal sensor fusion, explainability and human-in-the-loop control, equity-oriented optimization, socio-technical integration, and LLM-augmented context-aware control. This survey provides a deployment-oriented reference for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers advancing equitable and resilient urban traffic signal control.