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PubMed2026

Decoding cancer with artificial intelligence: Transforming research, diagnosis, and therapy with future insights.

Cancer remains one of the leading global health burdens, with increasing complexity in genomic, imaging, and clinical datasets presenting significant challenges for effective management. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool to address these challenges by enabling pattern recognition, knowledge integration, and data-driven decision-making. This review highlights recent advances in the application of AI across cancer research, diagnosis, and therapy. In research, AI accelerates drug discovery and repurposing, enhances genomic data interpretation, and facilitates biomarker identification through multi-omics integration. In diagnosis, AI has demonstrated high technical performance in radiology for lesion detection and image segmentation, in pathology for tumour grading and molecular prediction, and in liquid biopsy for non-invasive biomarker analysis. In therapy, AI supports precision medicine by predicting treatment responses, monitoring disease progression, and optimizing clinical trial design. Despite these advances, barriers such as data heterogeneity, algorithmic bias, interpretability, and regulatory challenges remain. Future directions, including explainable AI, federated learning, multimodal modelling, and digital twins, hold promise for translating AI-driven innovations into routine oncology practice. Significance Statement This review provides a timely synthesis of recent (2020-2025) advances in artificial intelligence across cancer research, diagnosis, and therapy, highlighting applications in drug discovery, genomics, multi-omics biomarker identification, and clinical decision-making. By integrating technological progress with translational and clinical relevance, this work serves as a valuable resource for bridging AI innovation with precision oncology practice. As a narrative review, the literature was identified through targeted PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar searches, combining terms for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning with cancer-related keywords, with priority given to peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025, seminal earlier works, and official regulatory or guideline documents. Within each domain, representative studies were selected to illustrate methodological diversity, clinical context, and current translational readiness rather than to provide exhaustive coverage of an extremely rapidly evolving field.

Artificial intelligence↗

PubMed2004

Portfolio use in general practice vocational training: a survey of GP registrars.

BACKGROUND: Portfolios are increasingly advocated in medical education. Qualitative studies have suggested their value in stimulating experiential learning, promoting deep learning and encouraging reflection. This study explored the use of educational portfolios in reflective learning by general practice (GP) registrars in Yorkshire, England. METHOD: A postal questionnaire was sent to the 92 registrars of a deanery in November 2001, after a pilot study with registrars in a single district had been carried out. The questionnaire explored the registrars' use of the portfolio to collect information and for reflection, as well as registrars' attitudes towards the portfolio. It was returned by 71 registrars, representing a 77% response rate. Structured in-depth interviews were used to support the results obtained. RESULTS: Of the registrars who responded, 65% recorded information on a regular basis and 42% used the portfolio in reflective learning. Experienced registrars used the portfolio least. Those with supportive trainers used the portfolio more in reflection. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that the role of the trainer/supervisor is vital in portfolio-based learning. It raises questions about the acceptability of portfolio learning. It adds weight to the suggestion that careful introduction of portfolios and training of supervisors is vital. Further work to establish the role of portfolios in reflective learning is recommended.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2026

Spectral Transforms as a Tool to Optimize Digital Phenotyping in Biological Images.

Modern livestock breeding has mastered genotyping. Genome-wide association studies, genomic selection, and SNP arrays enable genetic merit prediction at lower cost. However, phenotyping remains the bottleneck, as manual measurement is slow, expensive, subjective, and unable to capture spatial or temporal trait organization. Digital phenotyping via artificial intelligence could resolve this, but deep learning requires thousands of labelled examples, impractical when phenotyping cost itself limits datasets to hundreds of individuals. This creates a paradox: AI could accelerate phenotyping but requires large numbers of samples to train the models. Here, we demonstrate that integrating computer vision with machine learning offers sample-efficient digital phenotyping using eggshell colour as a model system. Rather than learning features from scratch (deep learning), we engineer physically motivated features via Wavelet transforms that decompose images into multi-scale spatial components. Wavelet features captured 14.2 percentage points more variance (R2 = 0.976 vs. 0.834, p < 0.001) than standard colorimetry, with 50% better sample efficiency (achieving at n = 60 what colorimetry required n = 120). Variance decomposition revealed 77% of discriminative capacity derives from spatial patterns (bands, spots, gradients) invisible to scalar averages. Additionally, we identified "cryptic phenotypes" (3.3%) where spatial patterns contradicted average colour, cases where colorimeters failed but Wavelets succeeded. The underlying principle-that spatial decomposition can recover organizational information lost by scalar averaging-may be applicable to other traits with spatial or temporal structure, such as marbling, dermatitis, or pigmentation rhythms, although whether comparable performance gains would be observed remains to be tested empirically. Hence, for breeding programs implementing genomic selection, computer vision-based digital phenotyping captures complex trait variation without massive training datasets, addressing the bottleneck that increasingly limits genetic progress as genotyping becomes trivial.

Wavelet transform↗

PubMed2025

Artificial intelligence in healthcare and medicine: clinical applications, therapeutic advances, and future perspectives.

Healthcare systems worldwide face growing challenges, including rising costs, workforce shortages, and disparities in access and quality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a transformative tool capable of addressing these issues by enhancing diagnostics, treatment planning, patient monitoring, and healthcare efficiency. AI's role in modern medicine spans disease detection, personalized care, drug discovery, predictive analytics, telemedicine, and wearable health technologies. Leveraging machine learning and deep learning, AI can analyze complex data sets, including electronic health records, medical imaging, and genomic profiles, to identify patterns, predict disease progression, and recommend optimized treatment strategies. AI also has the potential to promote equity by enabling cost-effective, resource-efficient solutions in low-resource and remote settings, such as mobile diagnostics, wearable biosensors, and lightweight algorithms. Successful deployment requires addressing critical challenges, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, model interpretability, regulatory oversight, and maintaining human clinical oversight. Emphasizing scalable, ethical, and evidence-driven implementation, key strategies include clinician training in AI literacy, adoption of resource efficient tools, global collaboration, and robust regulatory frameworks to ensure transparency, safety, and accountability. By complementing rather than replacing healthcare professionals, AI can reduce errors, optimize resources, improve patient outcomes, and expand access to quality care. This review emphasizes the responsible integration of AI as a powerful catalyst for innovation, sustainability, and equity in healthcare delivery worldwide.

Humans↗

PubMed2025

Hepatocyte proteome destabilization and novel targets for PFASs unveiled through combined thermal proteome profiling and deep transfer learning.

Identifying protein targets for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is essential to understand their toxicity and health risks. However, knowledge about their interacting proteins is limited since reliable identification methods are lacking. We developed an integrated approach combining thermal proteome profiling (TPP) and deep transfer learning (DTL) modeling to efficiently identify cellular targets of PFAS. TPP measured PFAS binding proteins and the affinities by nanospray liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry, while DTL models were constructed to predict PFAS-protein affinities using neural network algorithms. TPP results revealed that PFASs uniquely destabilized the proteome of HepG2 cells, unlike the stabilizing effects by other xenobiotics. Key protein targets for three representative PFASs (PFOA, GenX and Novec 649) were identified, which exhibited weak binding affinities (median EC50 ≈ 30 μM). The number of protein targets increased with molecular weights among the three PFASs. The DTL model achieved a higher Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.89, and reduced mean squared errors by 54 % over previous models for drug-protein interactions. Notably, TPP and DTL jointly pinpointed ribosomal proteins as novel targets of GenX, potentially linking it to cell apoptosis through disrupted protein synthesis. Biolayer interferometry validated GenX binding to RPL4 protein, driven by electrostatic interactions and halogen bonds. This integrated approach effectively uncovers novel PFASs targets, advancing insights into their adverse health effects.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Artificial intelligence in treatment prediction for skeletal Class III malocclusion: A systematic review.

In skeletal Class III patients, treatment options range from orthodontics to orthognathic surgery. Choosing the optimal approach requires a comprehensive clinical evaluation, which may be supported by AI tools. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of AI models in predicting the need for orthognathic surgery and in identifying predictors influencing treatment decisions. A PRISMA-guided electronic database search (PubMed, Web of Science; 2009-2024; English/French) was performed to identify studies using machine learning (ML) or deep learning (DL) on cephalometric and clinical data. After screening and assessment for eligibility, 15 studies were critically appraised. Model performance was summarized using accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC). ML algorithms (particularly Random Forest and XGBoost) and DL models (ResNet-based convolutional neural networks (CNNs)) achieved high accuracy for predicting surgical need. Frequently selected predictors included Wits appraisal, ANB angle, the maxillomandibular ratio (Mx/Md), overjet, and the divergence of the lower gonial angle. AI methods show promise for assisting treatment decisions in Class III malocclusion, with Random Forest and XGBoost performing well on tabular cephalometric data and CNNs on imaging. Larger, multicentre datasets and external validation are needed to improve reliability, address bias, and support clinical implementation.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

The influence of context on students' approaches to learning: a case study.

This paper gives an account of a small-scale longitudinal study that examined changes in conceptions and approaches to learning as 14 students experience a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum for the first time. The course in oral biology aimed to encourage conceptual understanding of the topic and improve student learning through its PBL curriculum and assessment method. Those who entered the course with a surface approach and fragmented conception of learning left with a deep-learning approach, cohesive conception and quality learning outcomes. There were no observable changes in the students who started the course with a deep-learning approach and cohesive conception, except for two who reported surface approaches and fragmented conceptions at the end. These two students also achieved the lowest examination scores. To help explain these findings we examine the wider context for student learning including student motivation.

Attitude↗

PubMed2025

DeepES: deep learning-based enzyme screening to identify orphan enzyme genes.

MOTIVATION: Progress in sequencing technology has led to determination of large numbers of protein sequences, and large enzyme databases are now available. Although many computational tools for enzyme annotation were developed, sequence information is unavailable for many enzymes, known as orphan enzymes. These orphan enzymes hinder sequence similarity-based functional annotation, leading gaps in understanding the association between sequences and enzymatic reactions. RESULTS: Therefore, we developed DeepES, a deep learning-based tool for enzyme screening to identify orphan enzyme genes, focusing on biosynthetic gene clusters and reaction class. DeepES uses protein sequences as inputs and evaluates whether the input genes contain biosynthetic gene clusters of interest by integrating the outputs of the binary classifier for each reaction class. The validation results suggested that DeepES can capture functional similarity between protein sequences, and it can be implemented to explore orphan enzyme genes. By applying DeepES to 4744 metagenome-assembled genomes, we identified candidate genes for 236 orphan enzymes, including those involved in short-chain fatty acid production as a characteristic pathway in human gut bacteria. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: DeepES is available at https://github.com/yamada-lab/DeepES. Model weights and the candidate genes are available at Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11123900).

Deep Learning↗

PubMed2026

AI-driven diagnostic and prognostic models for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: insights from clinical, imaging, and multi-omics studies-a scoping review.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is the most common chronic liver disease around the world, affecting 33.6% of the adult population (95% CI: 28.1%-39.5%; I 2 = 99.9%), or roughly one in three. The extent of the liver damage is variable, from simple steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH, formerly NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Early diagnosis is essential to prevent serious liver damage. Traditional diagnostic techniques such as liver biopsy, imaging, and biomarker testing are all invasive, costly, reduced sensitive to early-stage disease, and they also have variability among observers. Modern diagnostic and prognostic approaches based on the principles of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and specifically on machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have enabled multimodal approaches integrating clinical, imaging and molecular data. This scoping review conducted per PRISMA-ScR guidelines, synthesizes findings from 73 studies (search window 2020-2026) across three dimensions: clinical data driven models, imaging-based classifiers (ultrasound, CT and MRI), and multi-omics (genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics) techniques. Moreover, emergence of models such as U-Net and LiverNet 2.x, classification models like DeepLiverNet and BiLSTM models, as well as transformer frameworks and the identification of biomarkers models are also described. This study also investigates challenges such as data heterogeneity, data interpretability, fairness and real-world clinical application. Finally, important areas of research opportunities and future directions are highlighted to present a developing clinically applicable, explainable and ethical AI solutions to manage MASLD.

MASLD↗

PubMed2026

Overcoming Artificial Structures in Resolution-Enhanced Hi-C Data by Signal Decomposition and Multi-Scale Attention.

Computational enhancement is an important strategy for inferring high-resolution features from genome-wide chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) data, which typically have limited resolution. Deep learning has been highly successful in this task but we show that it creates prevalent artificial structures in the enhanced data due to the need to divide the large contact matrix into small patches. In addition, previous deep learning methods largely focus on local patterns, which cannot fully capture the complexity of Hi-C data. Here we propose Smooth, High-resolution, and Accurate Reconstruction of Patterns (SHARP) for enhancing Hi-C data. It uses the novel approach of decomposing the data into three types of signals, due to one-dimensional proximity, contiguous domains, and other fine structures, respectively, and applies deep learning only to the third type of signals, such that enhancement of the first two is unaffected by the patches. For the deep learning part, SHARP uses both local and global attention mechanisms to capture multi-scale contextual information. We compare SHARP with state-of-the-art methods extensively, including application to data from new samples and another species, and show that SHARP has superior performance in terms of resolution enhancement accuracy, avoiding creation of artificial structures, identifying significant interactions, and enrichment in chromatin states.

Hi‐C↗

PubMed2026

abCRISPR: deep learning-based design of abasic gRNA sequences for specific CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.

SUMMARY: CRISPR-Cas9 has become a widely used tool for genome editing. However, its off-target cleavage caused by partial sequence matches with guide RNAs (gRNAs) remains a critical limitation. Recently, abasic gRNAs (ØXØ) have been developed to enhance target specificity, but their effects vary depending on the positional sequence context. Here, we present abCRISPR, a deep neural network (DNN) framework for the rational design of ØXØ sequences with minimized off-target activity. abCRISPR leverages informative few-shot training with paired datasets of abasic and unmodified gRNAs, using high-quality random mismatch target libraries, exhaustively sequenced for mismatched off-target substrates (n = 97583) in in vitro CRISPR-Cas9 cleavage experiments. Predicted off-target activities for both abasic and unmodified gRNAs showed strong correlation with experimental data (r ≥ 0.95, 10-fold cross-validation). Notably, these comprehensive training sets provide robust ground-truth negatives, enabling accurate and sensitive prediction of off-targets. For unmodified gRNAs, abCRISPR (AUC = 0.98) was validated to outperform existing deep learning-based methods (AUC = 0.45-0.68). When applied to the human genome, abCRISPR generated ØXØ sequences, covering 58 875 004 potent CRISPR-targetable sites with improved target specificity. Together, this work provides a comprehensive bioinformatics resource for safe and precise CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code for abCRISPR and training data are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20398246. abCRISPR results for the human genome are available at http://clip.korea.ac.kr/abCRISPR/.

Deep Learning↗

PubMed2026

PEARL: integrative multi-omics classification and omics feature discovery via deep graph learning.

MOTIVATION: Integrating multi-omics data provides valuable insights into biological processes by capturing information across multiple molecular layers, enabling a comprehensive understanding of complex diseases and driving advancements in precision medicine. However, existing computational methods for multi-omics integration face significant challenges, such as low reliability and poor generalizability, due to the high dimensionality and low sample size nature of omics data. RESULTS: To address these challenges, we present PEARL (Pearson-Enhanced spectrAl gRaph convoLutional networks), a novel deep graph learning method for biomedical classification and functional important omics features identification. PEARL leverages a simple yet effective learning architecture to achieve superior and robust performance in high-dimensional, low-sample-size multi-omics settings. Our results demonstrate that PEARL significantly outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods on both synthetic and real biomedical datasets. Furthermore, applied to Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain multi-omics data, features prioritized by PEARL lead to functionally important genes that demonstrate significant enrichment in AD-related pathways. These findings highlight PEARL's practical utility in biomedical research and its potential to enhance biological interpretability in multi-omics studies. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The source code of our computational framework is available at https://github.com/zqq121017/PEARL.

Multiomics↗

PubMed2026

Deep learning-assisted, pathogenesis-informed lung histopathology scoring in preclinical mouse models of SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A infection.

INTRODUCTION: SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus (IAV) cause viral pneumonia, yet their lung lesions evolve with distinct spatial organization and resolution-phase architecture. In preclinical murine studies, H&E histopathology is a primary endpoint, but burden-focused semiquantitative scoring can miss pathogen- and phase-specific differences in lesion topology, compartmental involvement, inflammatory organization, and repair. We aimed to define virus- and phase-specific morphologic signatures and translate them into a practical, pathogenesis-informed scoring guide, supported by whole-slide convolutional neural network (CNN) analysis with class activation mapping (CAM). METHODS: Mice were infected under standardized conditions and evaluated during the early, peak-injury, and late phases of infection, corresponding to 2~3, 5~8, and 14 days post-infection (dpi), respectively. Lungs were assessed by H&E with semiquantitative scoring and by immunostaining to map viral antigen distribution and epithelial tropism. Whole-slide CNN models were trained for virus- and phase-specific classification, and CAM localized discriminative regions. RESULTS: Dose titration established reproducible lethal and sublethal infection conditions for both viruses. Viral antigen kinetics diverged, with SARS-CoV-2 peaking early and declining toward clearance by the resolution phase, whereas IAV peaked later and declined by the resolution phase, paralleling distinct injury-repair trajectories. CNN/CAM analysis distinguished virus- and phase-specific histologic patterns across the early, peak-injury, and resolution phases of infection and highlighted spatial signatures consistent with expert review. At the peak-injury phase, SARS-CoV-2 lungs showed broad alveolar/interstitial involvement, whereas IAV exhibited bronchocentric inflammatory organization. During the resolution phase, IAV showed prominent epithelial regeneration with remodeling-forward architecture, while SARS-CoV-2 more often retained localized residual inflammatory foci. Across both infections, tissue inflammatory composition shifted over time, with higher neutrophil representation during the peak-injury phase and a relative increase in lymphocytic representation during the resolution phase. Integrating lesion topology/distribution, edema, epithelial injury-regeneration, remodeling features, and lymphocyte predominance, we proposed a pathogen-resolved, phase-informed histopathology scoring guide with recommended evaluation windows for each model. CONCLUSION: Together, these findings define virus- and phase-specific morphologic programs that inform respiratory virus pathogenesis in mice and can be translated into practical scoring criteria for preclinical respiratory virus studies.

Animals↗

PubMed2026

Predicting 5-Year Mortality in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Using the Korean Central Cancer Registry: Model Development and Validation Study.

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most common cancers and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality, making prognostic prediction clinically essential. Machine learning models are increasingly used to assess prognosis; however, developing systems that combine high discrimination with clear, clinically interpretable reasoning remains challenging. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop deep learning models that predict 5-year mortality in NSCLC using data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry and quantify feature importance through permutation testing. METHODS: We identified 3144 patients diagnosed between 2014 and 2017 who had complete clinical data, pulmonary function test results, histological information, genomic data, and staging details. After preprocessing, the cohort was divided into stratified training, validation, and test sets in a 70%-15%-15% ratio. Five models were tuned using Hyperband across 10 predefined feature groups. The primary evaluation metric was the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC); additional metrics included accuracy, F1-score, precision, and recall. Groupwise permutation importance was calculated for each model, and the concordance of importance rankings was assessed using the Friedman test. RESULTS: All 5 models yielded comparable discrimination values on the test set (AUC=0.875-0.879). Model A was selected as the primary model and achieved an AUC of 0.879, an accuracy of 0.806, an F1-score of 0.824, and a Brier score of 0.142. Permuting the stage resulted in the largest decrease in AUC (0.217), followed by the pulmonary function test (0.016). Gene mutation had a modest overall impact but became more influential within the adenocarcinoma subset. The Friedman test showed no statistically significant differences in importance rankings across the models (P=.93). CONCLUSIONS: A grouped-input deep learning framework achieved discrimination comparable to a conventional Cox proportional hazards model using the same routine clinical variables for 5-year mortality prediction in NSCLC. Group-level permutation importance provided stable and reproducible insights into the clinical factors influencing risk, which may guide future model refinement and clinical decision-making.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Deep learning-based multimodal pathogenomics integration for precision cancer prognosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have revealed valuable prognostic insights in haematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained histological sections and transcriptomic profiles, suggesting potential applications in machine learning. However, existing methods lack sufficient intra- and inter-modal interactions, and face challenges in clinical validation due to incomplete multimodal data. METHODS: We proposed PathoGems (PathoGenomics-based integrative survival prediction), a weakly-supervised, interpretable multimodal learning framework that integrates histology and genomic profiles for precise cancer prognosis prediction. To evaluate the robustness of PathoGems, we initially curated a dataset of 1965 cases across four cohorts from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), including breast, colorectal, glioblastoma, and esophageal cancers. For external validation, PathoGems was further evaluated on four independent cohorts, consisting of 76 breast cancer and 41 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cases from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, as well as 102 colorectal cancer and 58 glioblastoma cases from the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC). RESULTS: PathoGems effectively stratified patients into favorable and unfavorable risk groups, revealing significant differences in histological patterns, genomic features, and overall survival (log-rank test, p < 0.05). Moreover, the model’s predictions are further supported by visualization and transcriptomic analysis, enhancing interpretability and reliability. CONCLUSIONS: By fusing histological and clinicogenomic multimodal models, PathoGems will provide a solid foundation for developing an innovative tool that aids clinicians in making informed decisions and selection personalized treatment strategies for cancer patients.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Non-destructive prediction of lead content in oilseed rape leaves by fluorescence hyperspectral technology based on neural network.

Based on fluorescence hyperspectral imaging (FHSI), this study targeted rapid, non-destructive quantification of lead (Pb) content in oilseed rape leaves treated with varying silicon (Si) concentrations, acquiring fluorescence spectra over the 484.43-1001.61 nm wavelength range. To optimize spectral data quality, preprocessing methods (Savitzky-Golay smoothing, first derivative, detrending) were comprehensively compared. Characteristic wavelengths were then selected via interval variable iterative shrinkage, which effectively compressed data dimensionality and reduced computational load. A hybrid SE-CL1DA model, fusing a 1D convolutional neural network, a long short-term memory network and SE attention mechanism was constructed, with Bayesian optimization tuning hyperparameters to boost stability. The BO-SE-CL1DA outperformed both traditional machine learning and insufficiently optimized deep learning model (Rp2=0.9609, RMSE = 0.0377 mg/kg, RPD = 5.1736), thus enabling accurate Pb estimation, supporting Si-regulated heavy metal stress management and facilitating agricultural contamination monitoring.

Plant Leaves↗

PubMed2000

The role of lectures in veterinary education.

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of lectures from the perspective of staff and students involved in the veterinary course at The University of Queensland. METHODS: The Nominal Group Technique of Delbecq et al, which provides the maximum opportunity for group members to put forward points, was used to help develop a questionnaire which was completed by 351 students (a response rate of 84%) and 35 staff (76%) from the five years of the veterinary course, and was analysed using the SAS System for Windows. RESULTS: Almost all the staff and students agreed that lectures should fulfil many roles including stimulating and motivating students and encouraging them to think, as well as presenting ideas and concepts and an indication of the structure and relevance of the material. They should provide a guide for effective deep learning, but not encourage rote (or superficial) learning. A smaller percentage of staff and even fewer students agreed that lectures did fulfil these roles, especially those directed at encouraging students to look beyond simple memorisation of facts. The perceived disparity between reality and the ideal was greater amongst the older, clinical students than amongst their more junior colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: The focus of attention in lectures needs to change from the superficial, rote learning of information to deep, active learning directed at using information to solve problems that are perceived by the students to be relevant. If done in a stimulating and interesting way, this should develop skills in reasoning and critical analysis as well as providing a framework for storage and recall. It should also increase the motivation towards learning both during the veterinary course, and over the professional lifetime. Furthermore, the place of the lecture in veterinary education needs to be reassessed regularly in the face of newly-emerging educational technology.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2026

Data-driven approaches in green microbiology: strategies for plant growth-promoting bacteria.

Plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) are gaining attention as scalable biological solutions to enhance crop productivity and resilience. However, accurately identifying and characterizing PGPB remains challenging, particularly under variable environmental conditions where microbial functions are context-dependent and shaped by complex plant-microbe interactions. Advances in high-throughput sequencing have shifted the field from culture-dependent approaches to genome-informed strategies, enabling large-scale taxonomic and functional profiling. Although trait-based databases support the prediction of plant-beneficial genes, they capture only a fraction of the underlying biological complexity and often require labor-intensive analyses. Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) have emerged as powerful tools to integrate genomic, physiological, and ecological data, enabling the prioritization of candidate strains with plant growth-promoting potential. To evaluate advances in the field, we conducted a systematic review of studies integrating ML and DL with PGPB characterization, assessing algorithm selection, performance, and target plant systems. Across 248 observations, only 6.0% of studies directly addressed PGPB screening, whereas the majority (77.4%) focused on plant disease detection, revealing a substantial gap in the application of AI to beneficial microorganisms for plant growth. Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) were the most frequently applied algorithms, largely driven by image-based phenotyping tasks. Overall, the field is constrained by limited datasets, high computational demands, and challenges in modeling multispecies and host-associated interactions. We highlight the need for integrative and interpretable ML and DL frameworks that bridge genomic data and functional validation. Such approaches represent a promising path toward scalable, data-driven discovery and deployment of bioinoculants in sustainable agriculture.

Agriculture↗