Effect of Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Paretic Gastrocnemius and Tibialis Anterior Muscle Contraction of Stroke Survivors During Walking: A Pilot Study.

Ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) have been commonly prescribed for stroke survivors with foot drop, but their impact on the contractions of paretic tibialis anterior (TA) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) has remained inconclusive. This study thus investigated the effect of AFOs on these muscle contractions in stroke survivors. The contractions of paretic TA and MG muscles were assessed in twenty stroke patients and compared between walking with and without AFOs, using a novel wearable dynamic ultrasound imaging and sensing system.

The Protection of RC Columns by Bio-Inspired Honeycomb Column Thin-Walled Structure (BHTS) Under Impact Load.

The bio-inspired honeycomb column thin-walled structure (BHTS) is inspired by the biological structure of beetle elytra and designed as a lightweight buffer interlayer to prevent damage to the reinforced concrete bridge pier (RCBP) under the overload impact from vehicle impact. According to the prototype structure of the pier, a batch of scale models with a scaling factor of 1:10 was produced. The BHTS buffer interlayer was installed on the reinforced concrete (RC) column specimen to carry out the steel ball impact test.

Targeting caspase-8: a new strategy for combating hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents the most prevalent form of primary liver cancer and has a high mortality rate. Caspase-8 plays a pivotal role in an array of cellular signaling pathways and is essential for the governance of programmed cell death mechanisms, inflammatory responses, and the dynamics of the tumor microenvironment. Dysregulation of caspase-8 is intricately linked to the complex biological underpinnings of HCC.

Thermoelectric Modulation of Neat TiCT MXenes by Finely Regulating the Stacking of Nanosheets.

Emerging two-dimensional MXenes have been extensively studied in a wide range of fields thanks to their superior electrical and hydrophilic attributes as well as excellent chemical stability and mechanical flexibility. Among them, the ultrahigh electrical conductivity (σ) and tunable band structures of benchmark TiCT MXene demonstrate its good potential as thermoelectric (TE) materials. However, both the large variation of σ reported in the literature and the intrinsically low Seebeck coefficient (S) hinder the practical applications.

Defect Crystal Formation and Thermal-Induced Structural Ordering of Semicrystalline Copolymers Induced by Comonomer Inclusion/Exclusion.

Comonomer defects can induce semicrystalline polymers to form unique crystalline structures (., defect crystals), which can greatly influence the materials' physical properties. However, the formation mechanism and structural evolution of defect polymer crystals are not yet well understood.

Post-operative venous thromboembolism in patients after extracranial otologic surgery: A case series.

Objective: This study aimed to report 9 venous thromboembolism (VTE) cases after extracranial otologic surgery and analyze the potential risk factors.

Study Design: Case series.

Setting: Single tertiary-level academic center.

Crystal reconstructed cubic nickel oxide with energetic reactive interfaces for exceptional electrochromic smart windows.

Electrochromic smart windows can realize intelligent photothermal regulation by applying a low potential, which is of great significance for energy-saving buildings and achieving low carbon emission. However, the dense structure of conventional metal oxide electrochromic materials limits ion transport efficiency, resulting in poor electrochromic properties. Here, we propose a surface crystal reconstruction strategy for cubic NiO through phosphorylation (P-NiO) to build energetic reactive interfaces and enhance the electrochromic performance.

Enhancing Gene Delivery to Breast Cancer with Highly Efficient siRNA Loading and pH-Responsive Small Extracellular Vesicles.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are promising nanocarriers for drug delivery to treat a wide range of diseases due to their natural origin and innate homing properties. However, suboptimal therapeutic effects, attributed to ineffective targeting, limited lysosomal escape, and insufficient delivery, remain challenges in effectively delivering therapeutic cargo. Despite advances in sEV-based drug delivery systems, conventional approaches need improvement to address low drug-loading efficiency and to develop surface functionalization techniques for precise targeting of cells of interest, all while preserving the membrane integrity of sEVs.

Decoding ferroptosis: transforming orthopedic disease management.

As a mechanism of cell death, ferroptosis has gained popularity since 2012. The process is distinguished by iron toxicity and phospholipid accumulation, in contrast to autophagy, apoptosis, and other cell death mechanisms. It is implicated in the advancement of multiple diseases across the body.

Synergistic stabilization of oil-in-water emulsion gels by pea protein isolate and cellulose nanocrystals: Effects of pH and application to 3D printing.

In this study, pea protein isolate (PPI) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) were used to prepare oil-in-water emulsions, and the effects of pH and the oil content on the properties of the emulsions were investigated. The microstructural analysis revealed that PPI and CNC formed complexes by electrostatic attraction at pH 3.0 and 4.

Enhanced quasi-meshing hotspot effect integrated embedded attention residual network for culture-free SERS accurate determination of Fusarium spores.

Determination of Fusarium spores is essential for precision control of Fusarium head blight and ensuring agri-food safety. As a highly sensitive real-time detection technique with rich fingerprint information and little influence from water, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) has been widely applied in the determination of microorganisms. However, fungi determination faces significant challenges including low sensitivity, and poor specificity.

A Supramolecular-Quantum Dot System for Broad-Spectrum Detection of Fentanyl Analogs.

Synthetic opioids, especially fentanyl and its analogs, have created an epidemic of abuse and significantly increased overdose deaths in the United States. Current detection methods have drawbacks in their sensitivity, scalability, and portability that limit field-based application to promote public health and safety. The need to detect trace amounts of fentanyl in complex mixtures with other drugs or interferents, and the continued emergence of new fentanyl analogs, further complicates detection.

Idiopathic non-cirrhotic portal hypertension: A case report.

Rationale: Idiopathic noncirrhotic portal hypertension (INCPH) is a rare liver disorder with elevated portal pressure without cirrhosis, making diagnosis challenging. This case report presents a 46-year-old Chinese male with INCPH, highlighting the crucial role of liver biopsy.

Patient Concerns: A 46-year-old male presented with persistent fatigue that lasted for 2 months and significantly worsened over the last 3 days.

Revealing Single-Molecule Photocurrent Generation Mechanisms under On- and Off-Resonance Excitation.

We investigate photocurrent generation mechanisms in a pentacene single-molecule junction using subnanometer resolved photocurrent imaging under both on- and off-resonance laser excitation. By employing a wavelength-tunable laser combined with a lock-in technique, net photocurrent signals are extracted to elucidate photoinduced electron tunneling processes. Under off-resonance excitation, photocurrents are found to arise from photon-assisted tunneling, with contributions from three distinct frontier molecular orbitals at different bias voltages.

Sodium butyrate mediates the MAPK signaling pathway and apoptosis and modulates intestinal flora to alleviate glycinin-induced intestinal injury in Cyprinus carpio.

The study investigated the potential alleviating effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on intestinal injuries caused by glycinin in the diet of common carp. Fish were divided into six groups: a control group (without glycinin and SB), a Gly group (with glycinin), and four groups supplemented with different doses of SB (0.75, 1.

Double-target Magnetic Stimulation Attenuates Oligodendrocyte Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress Impairment after Spinal Cord Injury via GAP43.

Background Context: Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes neural circuit interruption and permanent functional damage. Magnetic stimulation in humans with SCI aims to engage residual neural networks to improve neurological functional, but the detailed mechanism remains unknown.

Purpose: This study evaluates functional recovery and neural circuitry improvements in rodent with double-target (brain and spinal cord) magnetic stimulation (DTMS) treatment and explores the effect of DTMS on the modulation of glial cells in vivo and in vitro.

Relationship between prenatal ultrasound signs and genetic abnormalities for fetal malformations of cortical development.

To explore the relationship between ultrasound signs of suspected fetal malformation of cortical development (MCD) and genetic MCD.The retrospective study involved fetuses with one of the following 10 neurosonography (NSG) signs: (A) abnormal development of the Sylvian fissure; (B) delayed achievement of cortical milestones; (C) premature or aberrant appearance of sulcation; (D) irregular border of the ventricular wall or irregular shape of the ventricle; (E) abnormal shape or orientation of the sulci; (F) hemispheric asymmetry; (G) non-continuous cerebral cortex; (H) intraparenchymal echogenic nodules; (I) persistent ganglionic eminence (GE) or GE cavitation; (J) abnormal cortical lamination.95 fetuses were included in the study.

A reinforced lunar dynamo recorded by Chang'e-6 farside basalt.

The evolution of the lunar dynamo is essential for deciphering the deep interior structure, thermal history, and surface environment of the Moon. Previous palaeomagnetic investigations on samples returned from the nearside of the Moon have established the general variation of the lunar magnetic field. However, limited spatial and temporal palaeomagnetic constraints leave the evolution of the lunar dynamo ambiguous.

The association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism FokI and type 2 diabetic kidney disease and its molecular mechanism: a case control study.

Background: The role of the vitamin D receptor single nucleotide polymorphism FOKI (VDR-FOKI) (rs2228570) in genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetic kidney disease (T2DKD) remains uncertain. This study investigated the relationship between VDR-FOKI and T2DKD within the Chinese Plateau Han population and analyzed the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 316 subjects were enrolled, including 44 healthy adults, 114 individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and 158 patients with T2DKD.

NHANES data analysis of the cardiometabolic index in relation to lumbar spine bone mineral density.

Objective: to investigate the correlation between cardiometabolic index (CMI) and lumbar spine bone mineral density (LSBMD) in U.S. adults.

Systematic identification of secondary bile acid production genes in global microbiome.

Unlabelled: Microbial metabolism of bile acids (BAs) is crucial for maintaining homeostasis in vertebrate hosts and environments. Although certain organisms involved in bile acid metabolism have been identified, a global, comprehensive elucidation of the microbes, metabolic enzymes, and bile acid remains incomplete. To bridge this gap, we employed hidden Markov models to systematically search in a large-scale and high-quality search library comprising 28,813 RefSeq multi-kingdom microbial complete genomes, enabling us to construct a secondary bile acid production gene catalog.

A New Optical Analysis System for Online Measurement of NO Temperature and Concentration in Combustion Processes.

In the combustion process, the nitric oxide (NO) concentration and temperature are considered to be highly related to the combustion efficiency. Currently, ultraviolet differential absorption optical spectroscopy (UV-DOAS) has become an ideal method for NO analysis due to its strong absorption characteristics in the UV spectral regime. However, since temperature and concentration have similar effects and complex correspondences on intensity, it is a challenge to achieve dual-indicator sensing of NO at this time.

Tc/Y radiolabeled biodegradable gel microspheres for lung shutting fraction assessment and radioembolization in hepatocellular carcinoma theranostics.

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is a well-established clinical therapy for the treatment of patients with intermediate to advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or those who are ineligible for radical treatment. However, commercialized radioactive microspheres still have some issues, such as high density, complicated preparation, non-biodegradability. Furthermore, the use of different radioactive microspheres during TARE and lung shunt fraction assessment has led to inconsistencies in biodistribution in certain cases.

High-quality reference genome of predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus McGregor (Acari: Phytoseiidae) provides insights into its biological traits and potential RNAi off-target effects.

Background: Neoseiulus californicus is a predatory mite that can control various spider mites and other small arthropods. Despite its acknowledged effectiveness in the natural enemy market, a crucial knowledge gap exists in understanding the genomic features related to its predatory traits and adaptation. With the increasing emphasis on modern pest management strategies and dynamic environmental changes in plant production trends, constructing a reliable genomic resource for N.