In silico tools for mechanical analysis of extra- and intra-luminal artificial urinary sphincters.

Objectives: To analyse and compare the functionality of extraluminal and intraluminal artificial urinary sphincters (AUSs), an in silico procedure has been defined and applied. Design and reliability assessments of the AUS are typically performed using a clinical approach, which does not provide data on mechanical stimulation of urethral tissues. Mechanical stimulation may determine tissue degeneration, such as urethral atrophy or erosion, the main causes of AUS failure.

Characterization of the volatile compounds in tea ( L.) flowers during blooming.

Tea flower, with characteristic flavor formed during blooming, are a significant tea resource. However, studies on the volatile compounds of tea flower and their aroma characteristics during flowering are scarce. In this study, the odor characteristics of tea flower during blooming were comprehensively investigated by GC-MS, PCA, ACI determination and sensory evaluation.

Berberine alleviates enterotoxigenic -induced intestinal mucosal barrier function damage in a piglet model by modulation of the intestinal microbiome.

Introduction: Enterotoxic (ETEC) is the main pathogen that causes diarrhea, especially in young children. This disease can lead to substantial morbidity and mortality and is a major global health concern. Managing ETEC infections is challenging owing to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance.

Integrating attention mechanism and boundary detection for building segmentation from remote sensing images.

Accurate building segmentation has become critical in various fields such as urban management, urban planning, mapping, and navigation. With the increasing diversity in the number, size, and shape of buildings, convolutional neural networks have been used to segment and extract buildings from such images, resulting in increased efficiency and utilization of image features. We propose a building semantic segmentation method to improve the traditional Unet convolutional neural network by integrating attention mechanism and boundary detection.

The variability in pattern, presentation, and outcomes in the management of congenital corrected transposition of the great artery (ccTGA): A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA) is a rare congenital heart disease with varying regional reports in management approach. The meta-analysis is aimed to document various regional differences in the pattern, presentation, and outcomes in the management of congenitally corrected transposition of the great artery(ccTGA).

Methodology: Search engines for published articles on ccTGA were used in the meta-analysis.

Light-Programmable g-CN Microrobots with Negative Photogravitaxis for Photocatalytic Antibiotic Degradation.

Microrobots enhance contact with pollutants through their movement and flow-induced mixing, substantially improving wastewater treatment efficiency beyond traditional diffusion-limited methods. g-CN is an affordable and environmentally friendly photocatalyst that has been extensively researched in various fields such as biomedicine and environmental remediation. However, compared to other photocatalytic materials like TiO and ZnO, which are widely used in the fabrication of micro- and nanorobots, research on g-CN for these applications is still in its early stages.

Soft Artificial Synapse Electronics.

Soft electronics, known for their bendable, stretchable, and flexible properties, are revolutionizing fields such as biomedical sensing, consumer electronics, and robotics. A primary challenge in this domain is achieving low power consumption, often hampered by the limitations of the conventional von Neumann architecture. In response, the development of soft artificial synapses (SASs) has gained substantial attention.

Detecting autism in children through drawing characteristics using the visual-motor integration test.

This study introduces a novel classification method to distinguish children with autism from typically developing children. We recruited 50 school-age children in Taiwan, including 44 boys and 6 girls aged 6 to 12 years, and asked them to draw patterns from a visual-motor integration test to collect data and train deep learning classification models. Ensemble learning was adopted to significantly improve the classification accuracy to 0.

The design space of E(3)-equivariant atom-centred interatomic potentials.

Molecular dynamics simulation is an important tool in computational materials science and chemistry, and in the past decade it has been revolutionized by machine learning. This rapid progress in machine learning interatomic potentials has produced a number of new architectures in just the past few years. Particularly notable among these are the atomic cluster expansion, which unified many of the earlier ideas around atom-density-based descriptors, and Neural Equivariant Interatomic Potentials (NequIP), a message-passing neural network with equivariant features that exhibited state-of-the-art accuracy at the time.

Effect of a chemically-modified-curcumin on dental resin biodegradation.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown () esterase is a key mediator of dental composite biodegradation, which can contribute to recurrent caries. This study is to investigate the inhibitory effects of a novel Chemically-Modified-Curcumin (CMC 2.24) on esterase activities and related dental material biodegradation.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A: a natural pigment with potential anticancer therapeutic effect.

Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), a natural pigment with a chalcone structure extracted from (Safflower), has been widely proven to have good efficacy on cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, cancer, and diabetes. However, no study has reported on the anticancer mechanisms of Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), a principal bioactive compound in safflower. This review discusses recent developments in the physicochemical properties and sources, pharmacological effects and mechanisms, pharmacokinetic progress, and safety of HSYA, focusing on the involvement of HSYA in the regulation of related pathways and mechanisms of apoptosis, autophagy, and the tumor immune microenvironment in a variety of cancers.

Pitfalls in Early Bioprocess Development Using Shake Flask Cultivations.

For about 100 years, the shake flask has been established for biotechnological cultivations as one of the most important cultivation systems in early process development. Its appeal lies in its simple handling and highly versatile application for a wide range of cell types-from bacteria to mammalian cells. In recent decades, extensive research has been conducted on the shake flask, to not perform processes blindly but to gain a deeper understanding of the various process parameters, phenomena, and their impact on the process.

Effects of macrophages in OSCC progression.

Macrophages are crucial immune cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), involved in regulating tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, ECM remodeling, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression. Although more and more experimental evidence and clinical data indicate that macrophages are involved in the onset and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), the exact pathogenesis of OSCC associated with macrophages has not been fully elucidated. Enhanced knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involving macrophages in OSCC will aid in the creation of treatments targeted specifically at macrophages.

A c-type lectin with dual function of immunology and mineralization from the freshwater oyster ( Lea).

Background: Shell and pearl formation in bivalves is a sophisticated biomineralization process that encompasses immunological and mineralization aspects, particularly during shell repair and the initial stages of pearl cultivation when a nucleus is inserted. Here, we describe a novel C-type lectin, HcLec1, isolated and characterized from the freshwater pearl mussel Lea.

Methods: Immune challenge, RNA interference (RNAi) experiments, ELISA, and antibacterial assays were employed to investigate the role of HcLec1 in innate immunity.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and of seasonal variations on the innate immune inflammatory response.

Introduction: The innate immune response is an important first checkpoint in the evolution of an infection. Although adaptive immunity is generally considered the immune component that retains antigenic memory, innate immune responses can also be affected by previous stimulations. This study evaluated the impact of vaccination on innate cell activation by TLR7/8 agonist R848, as well as seasonal variations.

Sodium valproate enhances efficacy of NKG2D CAR-T cells against glioblastoma.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies have shown promise in glioblastoma clinical studies, but responses remain inconsistent due to heterogeneous tumor antigen expression and immune evasion post-treatment. NKG2D CAR-T cells have demonstrated a favorable safety profile in patients with hematologic tumors, and showed robust antitumor efficacy in various xenograft models, including glioblastoma. However, malignant glioma cells evade immunological surveillance by reducing NKG2D ligands expression or cleavage.

A Multifaceted Approach to Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm.

The underlying mechanisms of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are not fully understood. Given the multifactorial nature of AAA development and progression, a comprehensive approach is essential. Throughout my academic career, I conducted various studies on AAA.

Microbial Safety of Sachet Water in Ghana: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Access to safe drinking water is crucial for health and survival, yet many developing countries face significant challenges in this regard. In West Africa, rapid urbanisation has outpaced efforts to improve access to potable water, compelling households to rely on private vendors for solutions, particularly through the growing market for sachet water. Widely consumed in Ghana, sachet water has become a convenient and affordable option, with over 37% of the population depending on it.

Application of Geographic Information System and Google Earth Engine for Spatial Analysis of Land Use by the Legacy Dumpsite at Raipur, Chhattisgarh: A Time Series Analysis.

Background: Legacy dump sites pose health and environmental risks. Challenges such as difficulty in monitoring and the impact of policy changes towards remediation efforts remain enigmatic due to complexities.

Objectives: Hence this study aimed to use Geographic Information System (GIS) and Google Earth historical imagery to monitor changes in legacy dump site located at Sarona in Raipur and to assess the impact of waste management strategies being implemented currently.

Global and Indian Scenarios of Fatal and Non-fatal Occupational Injuries: A Secondary Data Analysis.

Introduction: Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries are one of the most important public health problems all over the world. Its number greatly varies from country to country over the years. Worldwide approximately 4% of global gross domestic product (GDP) is lost due to occupational injuries.

Generation of bovine decellularized testicular bio-scaffolds as a 3D platform for testis bioengineering.

Accelerating the genetic selection to obtain animals more resilient to climate changes, and with a lower environmental impact, would greatly benefit by a substantial shortening of the generation interval. One way to achieve this goal is to generate male gametes directly from embryos. However, spermatogenesis is a complex biological process that, at present, can be partially reproduced only in the mouse.

Characterization and application of fluorescent hydrogel films with superior mechanical properties in detecting iron(Ⅲ) ions and ferroptosis in oral cancer.

A one-step hydrothermal method was applied to prepare carbon dots (CDs) with superior fluorescence properties using chitosan as a carbon source. The as-prepared carbon dots were then grafted onto a sodium alginate-gelatin hydrogel film to form a fluorescent hydrogel film (FHGF), emitting at 450 nm under excitation of 350 nm light. In comparison to the CDs, the fluorescence intensity of this film was maintained over 90.

Ultra-small curcumin-ruthenium coordination polymer nanodots prevent renal ischemia-reperfusion injury and the progression to chronic kidney disease.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (IR) induces tissue hypoxia, resulting in disrupted energy metabolism and heightened oxidative stress. These factors contribute to tubular cell damage, which is a leading cause of acute kidney injury (AKI) and can progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD). The excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AKI.

Position-based assessment of head impact frequency, severity, type, and location in high school American football.

Introduction: Research on head impact characteristics, especially position-specific investigations in football, has predominantly focused on collegiate and professional levels, leaving a gap in understanding the risks faced by high school players. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of three factors-player position, impact location, and impact type-on the frequency, severity, and characteristics of impacts in high school American football. Additionally, we examined whether and how player position influences the distribution of impact locations and types.