Combined drug delivery and treatment monitoring using a single high frequency ultrasound system.

Ultrasound-mediated drug delivery is typically performed using transducers with center frequencies 1 MHz to promote acoustic cavitation. Such frequencies are not commonly used for diagnostic ultrasound due to limited spatial resolution. Therefore, delivery and monitoring of therapeutic ultrasound typically requires two transducers to enable both treatment and imaging.

Luteolin Functionalized Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy Based on Autophagy Activation and EMT Inhibition.

Natural bioactive compounds have become increasingly important antitumor and antimicrobial agents due to their high therapeutic potential and low systemic toxicity. However, they also have significant drawbacks like nontumor targeting and low bioavailability, which limit their wide therapeutic applications. There is an urgent need for a safe and compatible nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery system for the efficient transport of drug candidates into tumor tissues.

Challenges in classifying cavitation: Correlating high-speed optical imaging and passive acoustic mapping of cavitation dynamics.

Both the biological effects and acoustic emissions generated by cavitation are functions of bubble dynamics. Monitoring of acoustic emissions is therefore desirable to improve treatment safety and efficacy. The relationship between the emission spectra and bubble dynamics is, however, complex.

Polyphenols and Functionalized Hydrogels for Osteoporotic Bone Regeneration.

Osteoporosis induces severe oxidative stress and disrupts bone metabolism, complicating the treatment of bone defects. Current therapies often have side effects and require lengthy bone regeneration periods. Hydrogels, known for their flexible mechanical properties and degradability, are promising carriers for drugs and bioactive factors in bone tissue engineering.

Biological mechanism of sex differences in mental rotation: Evidence from multimodal MRI, transcriptomic and receptor/transporter data.

Sex differences in mental rotation are a well-documented phenomenon in cognitive research, with implications for the differing prevalence of neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) between the sexes. Despite extensive documentation, the biological mechanism underpinning these differences remain elusive. This study aimed to elucidate neural, genetic, and molecular bases of these disparities in mental rotation by integrating data from multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcriptomic and receptor/transporter.

QBox: An Automated Portable System for Multiplex Quantum Dot Barcode Diagnostics.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of automated systems for detecting molecular targets for the point-of-care. However, these systems have limited multiplexing capabilities because of the need to alter their hardware to accommodate additional targets and probes. Quantum dot barcodes address this multiplexing obstacle, but their assays have multiple steps that rely on extensive training and laboratory equipment.

Conductive polyphenol microneedles coupled with electroacupuncture to accelerate wound healing and alleviate depressive-like behaviors in diabetes.

Inflammation and depression are serious complications of diabetes that interact to form a feedback loop and may hinder diabetic wound healing. They share a common pathophysiological basis of abnormal interactions between diabetic wounds and the brain. Here, we propose a strategy combining electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of the Dazhui acupoint (GV14) with polyphenol-mediated conductive hydrogel microneedles to promote diabetic wound healing and alleviate depression through local wound-brain interactions.

2024 Guidelines of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology on the Primary Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease --- Part II.

For the primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the recommended treatment target for each modifiable risk factor is as follows: reducing body weight by 5-10%; blood pressure < 130/80 mmHg (systolic pressure < 120 mmHg in high-risk individuals); low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) < 100 mg/dL in high-risk individuals, LDL-C < 115 mg/dL in moderate-risk individuals, LDL-C < 130 mg/dL in low-risk individuals, and LDL-C < 160 mg/dL in those with a minimal; complete and persistent abstinence from cigarette smoking; hemoglobin A1C < 7.0%; fulfilling recommended amounts of the six food groups according to the Taiwan food guide; and moderate-intensity physical activity 150 min/wk or vigorous physical activity 75 min/wk. For the primary prevention of ASCVD by pharmacological treatment in individuals with modifiable risk factors/clinical conditions, statins are the first-line therapy for reducing LDL-C levels; some specific anti-diabetic drugs proven to be effective in randomized controlled trials for the primary prevention of ASCVD are recommended in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus; pharmacological treatment is recommended to assist in weight management for obese patients with a body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m (or 27 kg/m who also have at least one ASCVD risk factor or obesity-related comorbidity); an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, a sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, and finerenone can be used in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease for the primary prevention of ASCVD.

Evaluating changes in slip-resistance performance of select IceFX® winter boots in real-world use over a winter season.

Winter boots with specialized outsoles (composite footwear) may be able to reduce the risk of falls on ice by 78%. However, a pilot study has also found that the slip resistance of this composite footwear can diminish relatively quickly with simulated use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change in slip resistance of popular composite footwear (with IceFX outsoles) over a winter season of real-world use.

Delphi-driven consensus definition for mesenchymal stromal cells and clinical reporting guidelines for mesenchymal stromal cell-based therapeutics.

Background Aims: Despite promising results in pre-clinical studies, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) face significant challenges in clinical translation. A scoping review by our group highlighted two key issues contributing to this gap: (i) lack of a clear and consensus definition for MSCs and (ii) under-reporting of critical parameters in MSC clinical studies. To address these issues, we conducted a modified Delphi study to establish and implement a consensus definition for MSCs and develop reporting guidelines for MSC clinical studies.

Matrix vesicles from osteoblasts promote atherosclerotic calcification.

Atherosclerotic calcification often coincides with osteoporosis, suggesting a potential interplay between bone and vascular mineralization. Osteoblast-derived matrix vesicles (Ost-MVs), pivotal in bone mineralization, have emerged as potential contributors to ectopic vascular calcification. However, the precise role of Ost-MVs in vascular calcification and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive.

The role of surface modification in the interactions between CdTe quantum dots and ABC transporters in lung cancer cells.

This paper aimed to investigate the role of surface modification on the potential interaction between CdTe quantum dots (QDs) and ABC transporters in doxorubicin-resistant lung cancer (A549/DOX) cells. For this purpose, CdTe QDs modified with -glutathione (GSH), -carboxy (COOH), and -amino (NH) were applied, with the former two QDs exhibiting negative potentials and the latter ones being positive. All the three QDs reduced cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, with NH-CdTe QDs being more toxic.

Spine Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Geriatric Patients: Implications of Age and Dose on Iatrogenic Vertebral Compression Fracture Risk.

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an effective treatment for spinal metastases; however, outcomes specific to a geriatric population have not been described. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of spine SBRT, in particular the rate of iatrogenic vertebral compression fracture (VCF), in patients aged 70 and older.

Patients And Methods: From a prospectively maintained single-institutional database of 976 patients and 2407 spinal segments treated with SBRT for vertebral metastases between 2008 and 2021, all patients aged 70 or above were retrospectively reviewed.

Bio-hydrogel from RGD peptide/chitosan/β-glycerophosphate prevents postoperative wound adhesion.

Wound adhesion after any abdominal and gastrointestinal surgery is as high as 90 %, and if the adhesion is severe, it will be fatal. During the operation, various methods are used to avoid the adhesion of organs, such as reducing surgical wound area and using hydrogel products with short gelation time. However, these gels might cause allergy, and the gels are unsuitable for long-lasting recovery processes because the body absorbs them too quickly to avoid sticking.

a-SiC heteromorphic immersion nanocavities enabling wide-field real-time single-molecule detection.

Real-time single-molecule detection via fluorescence exhibits advantages of non-contact and specificity, especially in illustrating the dynamic heterogeneity of living substances. However, wide-field view and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are always contradictory in real-time single-molecule detection with fluorescence labels, owing to the limitation of the omnidirectional radiation characteristics of fluorophores. Herein, we propose a nano optical sensing device based on a-SiC heteromorphic immersion nanocavities (aHINCs), enabling wide-field real-time single-molecule imaging without sacrificing SNR.

Real-time, accurate, and open source upper-limb musculoskeletal analysis using a single RGBD camera - An exploratory hand-cycling study.

Biomechanical biofeedback may enhance rehabilitation and provide clinicians with more objective task evaluation. These feedbacks often rely on expensive motion capture systems (∼$100000), which restricts their widespread use, leading to the development of computer vision-based methods. These methods are subject to large joint angle errors, considering the upper limb, and exclude the scapula and clavicle motion in the analysis.

16-channel sleeve antenna array based on passive decoupling method at 14 T.

At ultra-high fields, especially at 14 T, head coil arrays face significant challenges with coupling between elements. Although passive decoupling methods can reduce this coupling, the decoupling elements can cause destructive interference to the RF field of the head array, thus reducing the B efficiency. The B loss due to this effect can be even higher than that due to inter-element coupling.

Synthetic Biomolecular Condensates: Phase-Separation Control, Cytomimetic Modelling and Emerging Biomedical Potential.

Liquid-liquid phase separation towards the formation of synthetic coacervate droplets represents a rapidly advancing frontier in the fields of synthetic biology, material science, and biomedicine. These artificial constructures mimic the biophysical principles and dynamic features of natural biomolecular condensates that are pivotal for cellular regulation and organization. Via adapting biological concepts, synthetic condensates with dynamic phase-separation control provide crucial insights into the fundamental cell processes and regulation of complex biological pathways.

MOF-encapsulated copper-doped carbon dots nanozymes with excellent biological activity promote diabetes wound healing.

Poor wound healing in diabetics is primarily caused by persistently high levels of inflammation and recurrent bacterial infections. The catalytic therapy technique based on nanozyme medicine has emerged as a beacon of hope for patients with diabetic wounds. However, the use of a single-atom nanozyme may still have limitations, including nanozyme burst release, immunological clearance and insufficient antibacterial activity.

An injectable epoxidized soybean oil/gelatin-based photothermal biogel with remarkable rapid hemostasis capability for wound repair.

The development of wound dressings with rapid hemostasis, antibacterial activity without the addition of antibiotics and on-demand removability that effectively avoid secondary damage to the wound during replacement still faces significant challenges. Herein, injectable epoxidized soybean oil/gelatin-based photothermal biogel with outstanding tissue adhesion, on-demand removability, shape-adaptability, and antibacterial performance is prepared as a removable wound dressing for wound repair. The biogel is composed of two types of hydrophilic/hydrophobic three-dimensional network structures, which interweave together through dynamic imine bonds, coordination bonds and numerous hydrogen bonds to synergistically improve injectability, self-healing, tissue adhesion, and compressive performance of the biogel.

Enhancing neuroprosthesis calibration: the advantage of integrating prior training over exclusive use of new data.

Neuroprostheses typically operate under supervised learning, in which a machine-learning algorithm is trained to correlate neural or myoelectric activity with an individual's motor intent. Due to the stochastic nature of neuromyoelectric signals, algorithm performance decays over time. This decay is accelerated when attempting to regress proportional control of multiple joints in parallel, compared with the more typical classification-based pattern recognition control.