Travelers who use chatbots powered by artificial intelligence on hotel booking platforms often feel uneasy. That discomfort can cause them to disengage or delay booking decisions, according to new research.

The study, from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and published in the International Journal of Hospitality Management, found consumers react most negatively to hospitality chatbots when the technology appears inaccurate or unreliable, deceptive or intrusive.

Gliomas are difficult to treat. Epigenetic changes – without altering DNA sequence – drive tumor growth and therapy resistance. Metabolic intermediates (acetyl‑CoA, SAM, α‑KG, NAD⁺) act as cofactors for epigenetic enzymes, linking nutrient availability to gene expression. Diabetes worsens glioma progression via hyperglycemia, inflammation, and epigenetic reprogramming. Tumors near brain autonomic centers may disrupt heart function, increasing sudden death risk, especially in diabetics. This review integrates metabolism, epigenetics, and brain‑heart signaling to propose personalized treatments targeting both tumor and systemic health.

The systematic review highlights several critical insights into how machines understand human feelings. Researchers found that dimensional emotional models—which measure continuous states like arousal and valence—have influenced the field far more than discrete models that simply categorize basic emotions like happiness or sadness.

Fermentation is one of the oldest methods of preserving food. Long before refrigerators existed, people relied on microorganisms to keep food – including meat – safe to eat. PhD research by VUB researcher Ana Sosa Fajardo (VUB Research Group of Industrial Microbiology and Food Biotechnology) now sheds light on why a fermented sausage, for instance, is not only safe to eat but also enjoyable in terms of flavour. According to the researcher, an invisible battle unfolds between bacteria during the fermentation process. Her PhD research shows how certain bacteria compete with one another or cooperate, and adapt in ways that ultimately ensure the flavour, colour and safety of fermented meat.

How do you create the top athletes of the future? A large-scale study by researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel SPLISS research group shows that there is no ready-made recipe. The road to the podium is non-linear and requires a holistic approach in which fun, health and the environment are central.

Hypoxia, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment (TME), drives cancer progression through immune modulation, angiogenesis promotion, metabolic reprogramming, and uncontrolled cell proliferation. This review explores the diverse functions of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) signaling in cancer development and progression, providing a comprehensive overview of the molecular pathways. HIFs, particularly HIF-1α and HIF-2α, regulate several genes related to cancer hallmarks such as invasion, metabolic reprogramming, angiogenesis, and therapy resistance, thus mediating a significant portion of the hypoxic response. Oxygen-dependent hydroxylation of proline and asparagine residues in HIF-α subunits is a key regulator of their stability and transcriptional activity. Notably, this complex interaction is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, including the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (ERK/MAPK), phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mechanistic target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR), and Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathways. In cancer, HIF signaling affects several aspects of tumor cell biology that contribute to the cancerous characteristics, including angiogenesis induction through the upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, metabolic reprogramming through the enhancement of the Warburg effect, facilitation of cancer invasion and metastasis by driving epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and matrix remodeling patterns, and mediation of therapeutic resistance partly due to the effects on drug efflux pumps and DNA damage repair. Direct and indirect HIF inhibitors—including small molecules, peptidomimetics, antibodies, and proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs)—are under preclinical and clinical evaluation for their therapeutic efficacy. Preclinical and early clinical trials have demonstrated significant synergistic effects in inhibiting tumor development when HIF inhibition is combined with traditional therapies (chemotherapy or radiation) or immunotherapies, emphasizing major clinical implications and the potential for improving patient outcomes. Although challenges exist, particularly regarding drug resistance, further research to improve therapeutic efficacy and prolong survival for patients is warranted.

Customers' psychological engagement is essential to transforming the experience into results