Influence of soil-rock composite stratum on mechanical response and failure modes of underground utility tunnel.

This research combines scaled model experiments with theoretical analysis to investigate the impact of underground utility tunnels (UUTs) on foundation bearing capacity and to examine the interaction between soil-rock composite strata and the stress-strain responses of the tunnel. The findings indicate that UUTs alter the foundation mechanism by reducing soil depth, streamlining the load transfer path, and causing stress to converge at the tunnel's top. Additionally, the results reveal that the influence range of the tunnel on both sides is approximately 1.

The effect of preoperative total antioxidant capacity on short-term outcomes after kerato-lenticule extraction surgery.

To evaluate influence of total antioxidant capacity expression (TAC) on outcome of kerato-lenticule extraction (KLEx). A prospective non-randomized trial was conducted and patients received KLEx were categorized via TAC concentration. A total of 56 and 36 eyes were enrolled into the low TAC and high TAC groups.

Structural basis for the allosteric activation of Lon by the heat shock protein LarA.

Lon is a conserved AAA+ (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) proteolytic machine that plays a key regulatory role in cells under proteotoxic stress. Lon-mediated proteolysis can be stimulated by either the unfolded or specific protein substrates accumulated under stress conditions. However, the molecular basis for this substrate-controlled proteolysis remains unclear.

Dimensionality-enhanced mid-infrared light vortex detection based on multilayer graphene.

Recent conceptual demonstrations of direct photocurrent readout of light vortices have enabled the development of light orbital angular momentum-sensitive focal plane arrays and on-chip integration of orbital angular momentum detection. However, known orbital angular momentum-sensitive materials are limited to two topological Weyl Semimetals belonging to the C point group, namely, WTe and TaIrTe. Both are fragile under ambient conditions and challenging for large-scale epitaxial growth.

The Influence of the Visual Design of Spaces on Female Speakers' Vocal Effort: An Exploratory Study.

Vocal effort, as defined by Hunter et al, is a subjective perceptual phenomenon influenced by individual and environmental factors. This study investigates the impact of visual room design on vocal effort and measurable vocal demand response, which includes acoustic metrics such as sound pressure level, fundamental frequency (f), and cepstral peak prominence. Twenty female participants performed speech tasks in two acoustically identical rooms that differed visually: an undecorated room (Room A) and a visually stimulating, classroom-like room (Room B).

Clinical Translation of Hyperpolarized C Metabolic Probes for Glioma Imaging.

Hyperpolarized carbon-13 (HP-C) MRI enables the real-time measurement of dynamic metabolism by utilizing molecular probes whose magnetization has been transiently enhanced via dynamic nuclear polarization of C labels. Based on pre-clinical and clinical investigations demonstrating Warburg-related metabolic dysfunction and tricarboxylic acid (TCA)-cycle alterations in gliomas, HPC techniques appear very promising for overcoming conventional challenges to evaluating tumor burden and extent, early therapeutic response and progression among patients non-invasively. This article surveys the multi-faceted translational development of HP-C MRI in the context of glioma imaging, while emphasizing innovation concerning the pharmacy production of HP probes - [1-C]/[2-C]-pyruvate and [1-C,5-C]-alpha-ketoglutarate - that serve as non-radioactive metabolic contrast agents.

Quantifying the Opportunity and Economic Value of Bone Density Screening Using Opportunistic CT: A Medicare Database Analysis.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the potential impact of opportunistic CT bone density screening in terms of increasing screening rates and cost avoidance.

Methods: The analytic dataset was extracted from the Medicare 5% Research Identifiable Files (2015-2022). All dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) procedures and contrast and/or noncontrast CT procedures of pertinent body regions were identified using Current Procedural Terminology codes.

2FA-Platform Generates Dual Fatty Acid-Conjugated GLP-1 Receptor Agonist TE-8105 with Enhanced Diabetes, Obesity, and NASH Efficacy Compared to Semaglutide.

Conjugating two fatty acids (2FAs) to peptide drugs can improve pharmacokinetics and therapeutic effects. However, optimizing FA spacing, chain combination, and attachment site to simultaneously enhance albumin binding and drug efficacy remains challenging. We introduce a multiarm linker technology enabling precise control of 2FA spacing, composition, and attachment.

Pediatric Burden of Disease in the United States, 2015-2020.

Objective: To evaluate how the number of pediatric clinical trials, as a proxy for industry and National Institutes of Health (NIH) research priorities, compared with population-level burden of childhood disease in the United States (US).

Study Design: Cross-sectional study evaluating associations between initiated clinical trials funded by industry or the NIH and pediatric burden of disease in the US. Disease burden was measured as deaths, disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLL), and years lived with disability (YLD).

The oleaginous yeast Rhodosporidium toruloides engineered for biomass hydrolysate-derived (E)-⍺-bisabolene production.

The oleaginous yeast R. toruloides has been exploited for many bioproducts, including several terpenes, owing to its oleaginous nature and biomass inhibitor tolerance. Here, we built upon previous (E)-⍺-bisabolene work by iteratively stacking the complete mevalonate pathway from Saccharomyces cerevisiae onto a multicopy bisabolene synthase parent strain.

Re-evaluating Surgical Treatment Protocol for Unstable Proximal Humerus Fractures: Emphasizing Soft Tissue Preservation via Minimally Invasive Approach over Structural Allograft Augmentation in Deltopectoral Approach: a Single-center Retrospective Study.

Background: Managing unstable proximal humerus fractures (PHFs), particularly in elderly patients, is challenging due to the need to balance stability with minimizing surgical trauma. The conventional deltopectoral approach with structural allograft for medial support is widely used but can involve significant soft tissue disruption. This study compares clinical and radiographic outcomes between a minimally invasive deltoid-split (MIS-DS) approach without allograft and the traditional deltopectoral approach with allograft.

Discovery of soluble epoxide hydrolase inhibitors from Inula britannica: Inhibition kinetics, molecular dynamics simulation, biochemical, and in vitro cell-based studies.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) is an enzyme involved in transforming epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) to dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs). EETs play a pivotal role in maintaining anti-inflammatory response and pain regulation, making sEH as an important target for therapeutic interventions. Based on our present study of discovery of sEH inhibitors, herein, six new (1-6) and fifteen known compounds (7-21) with inhibitory effects toward sEH were isolated from Inula britannica.

Efficacy and safety of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with heart failure according to kidney function: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction And Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors throughout the spectrum of kidney function in patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods: This meta-analysis included randomized controlled trials comparing SGLT2 inhibitors with placebo in patients with HF stratified by renal function. Literature from inception to June 8, 2024 was searched.

Sensitive periods for exposure to indoor air pollutants and psychosocial factors in association with symptoms of psychopathology at school-age in a South African birth cohort.

Exposure to environmental toxicants and psychosocial stressors during gestation and early life are particularly harmful and may impact brain development. Specifically, exposure to indoor air pollutants (IAP) and psychosocial factors (PF) during these sensitive periods has been shown to predict childhood psychopathology. Here, we investigated sensitive periods for the individual and joint effects of IAP and PF on childhood psychopathology at 6.

A highland-adaptation variant near MCUR1 reduces its transcription and attenuates erythrogenesis in Tibetans.

To identify genomic regions subject to positive selection that might contain genes involved in high-altitude adaptation (HAA), we performed a genome-wide scan by whole-genome sequencing of Tibetan highlanders and Han lowlanders. We revealed a collection of candidate genes located in 30 genomic loci under positive selection. Among them, MCUR1 at 6p23 was a novel pronounced candidate.

Effects of dietary Bacillus velezensis fermented soybean hull supplementation on antioxidant capacity, suppressing pro-inflammatory, and modulating microbiota composition in broilers.

This study aimed to ferment soybean hulls (SBH) with Bacillus velezensis and evaluate their effects on broiler diets, specifically focusing on intestinal antioxidant capacity, immune modulation, and microbiota composition. The animal trial involved 400 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers, randomly assigned to a control group (basic diet, Control) and groups receiving 5 % and 10 % unfermented soybean hulls (5 % USBH, 10 % USBH) and 5 % and 10 % fermented soybean hulls (5 % FSBH, 10 % FSBH) as replacements for the basic diet. Each group contained 80 birds, divided into four pens with 20 birds per pen, and the trial lasted for 35 days.

Co-exposure to ammonia and lipopolysaccharide-induced impaired energy metabolism via the miR-1599/HK2 axis and triggered autophagy, ER stress, and apoptosis in chicken cardiomyocytes.

Ammonia (NH) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), common pollutants in poultry farming environments, pose significant health risks by disrupting cellular processes. Although previous studies have demonstrated the individual effect of NH or LPS on human and animal health, the mechanisms underlying their combined impact on chicken heart tissue remain poorly understood. In this study, we established a chicken cardiotoxicity model to investigate the effects of NH and/or LPS exposure on energy metabolism, autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes.

Plasma polyamines levels and post-stroke depression in ischemic stroke patients: A multicenter prospective study.

Background And Aims: Polyamines have been suggested to implicated in inflammation, ischemic stroke, and mental disorders, but the associations of polyamines with post-stroke depression (PSD) remain unclear. We aimed to prospectively investigate the associations of plasma putrescine, spermidine and spermine with PSD among ischemic stroke patients in a multicenter cohort study.

Methods: We measured plasma putrescine, spermidine and spermine levels at baseline among 635 ischemic stroke patients from a preplanned ancillary study of the CATIS (China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke).

Identification of immunogenic outer membrane vesicle vaccine antigen components using a meningococcal protein microarray.

Outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-based vaccines have been employed worldwide in response to epidemic meningococcal disease outbreaks caused by Neisseria meningitidis. The complex composition of OMVs raises challenges in the identification of antigens which contribute to a protective immune response. Here, we measured total IgG antibody binding profiles to a dedicated antigen microarray using human sera from an open-label Phase II trial (NCT00962624) of 4CMenB (Bexsero), a licensed vaccine containing an OMV component.

Polysaccharides Extracted from Old Stalks of L. Improve Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver by Increasing the Gut Butyric Acid Content and Improving Gut Barrier Function.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) ranks among the most prevalent chronic liver diseases worldwide, yet effective treatments remain scarce. Old stalks of L. are rich in polysaccharides.

Long-Term Outcomes of Transvaginal Sacrospinous Ligament Suture Rectopexy.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) is characterized by a combination of straining, incomplete evacuation, and the use of digital manipulation with defecation. Transvaginal sacrospinous ligament suture rectopexy has been shown to effectively improve obstructed defecation symptoms caused by rectal partial prolapse and lack of support during first year postoperatively. This study aimed to investigate the long-term clinical and anatomical outcomes of this novel and minimally invasive surgery.

Biological Neural Network-Inspired Micro/Nano-Fibrous Carbon Aerogel for Coupling Fe Atomic Clusters With Fe-N Single Atoms to Enhance Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Nitrogen-coordinated metal single atoms catalysts, especially with M-N configuration confined within the carbon matrix, emerge as a frontier of electrocatalytic research for enhancing the sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Nevertheless, due to the highly planar D symmetry configuration in M-N, their adsorption behavior toward oxygen intermediates is limited, undesirably elevating the energy barriers associated with ORR. Moreover, the structural engineering of the carbon substrate also poses significant challenges.

The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity.

Post-chikungunya viral arthritis may persist for months to years after infection and is characterized by relapsing and remitting symptoms. This study investigates the relationship between autoantibodies and chikungunya arthritis severity, providing insights into arthritis pathogenesis. We assessed arthritis measures in a cohort of serologically confirmed chikungunya cases from Colombia between 2019 and 2021 ( = 144).