KnE Top Picks for June 2026
On July 2, 2026
As technology advances, populations grow, and communities face new social and environmental challenges, research continues to uncover practical ways to improve everyday life. This collections of studies explores a diverse range of topics, from workplace health, eye care, and infant wellbeing to environmental sustainability, healthy ageing, and the growing role of artificial intelligence in medicine and consumer life. The articles demonstrate the value of combining scientific research with real-world solutions, offering fresh perspectives on how education, healthcare, innovation, and community engagement can contribute to a more resilient and informed society.
How Can Protected Areas Balance Conservation and Urban Growth?
As cities continue to grow, protecting natural environments has become more important than ever. Protected areas help preserve wildlife, safeguard ecosystems, and maintain biodiversity, while also supporting cleaner air, healthier landscapes, and opportunities for education and recreation. However, achieving these goals can be challenging in rapidly developing regions where urban expansion and environmental conservation must coexist. Around the world, governments are exploring ways to strike this balance through long-term conservation strategies and effective environmental policies. Measuring whether protected areas are truly meeting their goals is an essential step toward improving future planning and ensuring that both nature and communities can thrive.
This study from the Journal of Excellence in Wellness and Environmental Studies examines the effectiveness of Dubai’s protected areas over the past 25 years.
Is Artificial Intelligence Changing the Way We Shop?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of everyday shopping experiences, often without us even noticing. From personalised product recommendations and virtual assistants to targeted promotions, AI is helping businesses better understand what customers want and when they want it. These tools can make shopping more convenient and relevant by tailoring experiences to individual preferences. At the same time, the growing use of AI is raising important questions about privacy, transparency, and trust. As companies collect more data to personalise their services, consumers are becoming more aware of how their information is used and increasingly expect businesses to handle it responsibly. Finding the right balance between innovation and ethical practices is becoming a key challenge for brands.
This study from the International Journal of Service Excellence explores how AI-driven technologies influence consumer purchasing decisions, satisfaction, trust, and long-term loyalty.
Can Creativity Drive a Nation’s Future?
Creativity is often associated with art, music, and design, but its impact reaches much further. Creative thinking fuels innovation, strengthens problem-solving skills, and helps people adapt to a rapidly changing world. As countries invest in new technologies and knowledge-based economies, creativity is increasingly being recognised as an important driver of both economic growth and social development. Many governments are now exploring how cultural institutions, arts education, and creative industries can contribute to stronger, more inclusive communities. Alongside advances in technology, these investments have the potential to support lifelong learning, encourage civic participation, and create opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to connect and thrive.
This commentary from the Gulf Education and Social Policy Review explores how the UAE’s investments in culture and technology could play an even greater role in shaping social policy and national development.
Can AI Transform the Future of Fertility Treatment?
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are changing the way healthcare professionals diagnose diseases, plan treatments, and support patients. By analysing large amounts of medical data in a fraction of the time, AI has the potential to uncover patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed. While human expertise remains essential, these technologies are increasingly being explored as tools to improve accuracy, personalise care, and support better clinical decisions. Fertility care is one area where AI is generating growing interest. Infertility affects millions of couples worldwide, and treatments such IVF can be physically, emotionally, and financially demanding. Researchers hope AI can help make these treatments more precise, from selecting the healthiest embryos to predicting the likelihood of treatment success.
This narrative review from the International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine examines recent research on AI applications in infertility care.
What Keeps Community Waste Management Programmes Going Strong?
As cities continue to grow, managing household waste has become one of the biggest environmental challenges facing urban communities. Organic waste, such as food scraps and garden waste, makes up a large portion of what we throw away, and much of it ends up in landfills. Finding practical ways to reduce waste at the community level can help improve public health, protect the environment, and encourage more sustainable habits. One approach gaining attention is the use of eco-enzymes, which are natural liquids made by fermenting organic waste with sugar and water. These solutions can be used for purposes such as household cleaning, gardening, and composting, turning kitchen waste into something useful instead of discarding it. However, the long-term success of these programmes depends not only on the method itself but also on the people leading them.
This mixed methods study from the Dubai Medical Journal explores how education, motivation, and commitment influence the work of community health volunteers involved in urban eco-enzyme programmes in Indonesia.
How Do Common Eye Conditions Affect Everyday Life?
Healthy vision is about much more than seeing clearly. Our eyes play a major role in how we work, communicate, learn, and enjoy everyday activities. Even relatively common eye conditions can have a lasting impact on comfort, confidence, and overall wellbeing, especially when symptoms become chronic or interfere with daily routines. Many eye conditions affect the front part of the eye, known as the anterior segment. These include dry eye disease, eyelid inflammation, conjunctivitis (commonly called pink eye), and keratoconus; a condition where the cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, gradually becomes thinner and changes shape, leading to blurred vision. While some of these conditions may seem minor, they can cause ongoing irritation, pain, light sensitivity, and vision problems that affect work, social life, and mental health.
This narrative review from the Journal of Ophthalmic and Vision Research brings together the latest evidence on how anterior segment eye diseases influence quality of life.
Can Staying Active Help Older Adults Protect Their Mental Wellbeing?
Growing older brings many opportunities to stay engaged, connected, and active, but it can also come with new physical, emotional, and social challenges. Mental health is an important part of healthy ageing, yet conditions such as depression are often overlooked or dismissed as a normal part of getting older. In reality, depression can affect everything from energy levels and relationships to independence and overall quality of life. One way communities are supporting healthy ageing is by encouraging older adults to participate in regular group activities, such as exercise classes. Beyond improving physical fitness, these programmes can create valuable opportunities for social interaction, helping people stay connected while maintaining active lifestyles.
This study from KnE Social Sciences examines the prevalence of depression among community-active older adults in Depok, Indonesia.
Could a Vitamin Deficiency Be Mistaken for Child Abuse?
Diagnosing serious illnesses in infants can be especially challenging because many conditions share similar symptoms. When a baby develops seizures or unexplained bleeding, doctors must quickly determine the underlying cause to provide the right treatment. In some cases, conditions that look alike can have very different explanations, making careful evaluation essential. One rare but serious condition is Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding (VKDB), which occurs when a baby does not have enough vitamin K, a nutrient that helps the blood clot properly. Without it, severe internal bleeding can occur, including bleeding in the brain. Because these injuries can resemble those seen in Shaken Baby Syndrome, a form of abusive head trauma, distinguishing between the two is critical to avoid both medical complications and potential legal misunderstandings.
This case report in the Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences describes an infant whose brain bleeding was initially suspected to be caused by Shaken Baby Syndrome but was ultimately diagnosed as late-onset VKDB.
Is Your Desk Job Putting Your Hands at Risk?
For many people, spending hours each day at a computer is simply part of the job. While technology has made work more efficient, long periods of typing, clicking, and repetitive hand movements can also place extra strain on the body. Over time, these small, repeated actions may contribute to musculoskeletal problems that affect both comfort and productivity. One of the most common conditions linked to office work is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). CTS occurs when the median nerve (a major nerve that runs through a narrow passage in the wrist called the carpal tunnel) becomes compressed. This can lead to symptoms such as numbness, tingling, pain, and weakness in the hand, making everyday tasks more difficult. Factors such as prolonged computer use, repetitive movements, and poor wrist posture can all increase the risk.
This cross-sectional study in KnE Medicine investigates the prevalence of CTS among office workers.
Can Pop-up Books Help Children Learn About Reproductive Health?
Teaching children about their bodies and personal safety can be challenging, but it is also an important part of helping them grow up healthy, confident, and informed. When children receive age-appropriate education in a safe and supportive environment, they are better equipped to understand personal boundaries, recognise unsafe situations, and seek help when needed. The way this information is presented can make a big different in how well children understand and remember it. Interactive learning tools, such as pop-up books, offer a creative way to introduce sensitive topics in an engaging and child-friendly format. With colourful illustrations, simple language, and hands-on elements, these books can make complex ideas easier to understand while encouraging conversations between children, parents, and educators.
This study from KnE Engineering evaluates the development and suitability of a pop-up book designed to teach reproductive health to children aged 6 to 10.