Zero-echo time imaging achieves whole brain activity mapping without ventral signal loss in mice.

Functional MRI (fMRI) is an important tool for investigating functional networks. However, the widely used fMRI with T2*-weighted imaging in rodents has the problem of signal lack in the lateral ventral area of forebrain including the amygdala, which is essential for not only emotion but also noxious pain. Here, we scouted the zero-echo time (ZTE) sequence, which is robust to magnetic susceptibility and motion-derived artifacts, to image activation in the whole brain including the amygdala following the noxious stimulation to the hind paw.

Preparation of Small Extracellular Vesicles Using Sequential Ultrafiltration with Regenerated Cellulose Membranes of Different Molecular Weight Cutoffs: A Study of Morphology and Size by Electron Microscopy.

There is still room for improvement in the isolation and purification techniques for extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly in the separation of exosomes (small EVs) from other membrane vesicles such as microvesicles and apoptotic bodies. Furthermore, it is crucial to establish preparation methods that preserve the intrinsic properties of EVs in this context. In this study, we focus on the isolation and preparation of small EVs, exosomes, from the culture supernatant of a human cell line.

Emerging Trends in Neuroblastoma Diagnosis, Therapeutics, and Research.

This review explores the current understanding and recent advancements in neuroblastoma, one of the most common extracranial solid pediatric cancers, accounting for ~ 15% of childhood cancer-related mortality. The hallmarks of NBL, including angiogenesis, metastasis, apoptosis resistance, cell cycle dysregulation, drug resistance, and responses to hypoxia and ROS, underscore its complex biology. The tumor microenvironment's significance in disease progression is acknowledged in this study, along with the pivotal role of cancer stem cells in sustaining tumor growth and heterogeneity.

Developing a Research Center for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are driving innovation in biosciences and are already affecting key elements of medical scholarship and clinical care. Many schools of medicine are capitalizing on the promise of these new technologies by establishing academic units to catalyze and grow research and innovation in AI/ML. At Stanford University, we have developed a successful model for an AI/ML research center with support from academic leaders, clinical departments, extramural grants, and industry partners.

MRPL24 drives breast cancer metastasis and stemness by targeting c-MYC, BRD4, and STAT3.

Unlabelled: The study aims to investigate the clinicopathological significance of MRPL24 in human cancers, with a particular focus on breast cancer (BC). Comprehensive bioinformatics analyses were conducted using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and various advanced database, including cBioPortal, UALCAN, TIMER, Prognoscan, TISIDB, KM Plotter, and The Human Protein Atlas, to provide a detailed evaluation of MRPL55's role in cancer. The findings were further validated through experimental studies.

Expert Consensus and Call on Actions for Weight Management in China: Advancing Healthy China Initiative Through Strategic Actions.

China faces a critical public health challenge with obesity rates exceeding 50% among adults and 20% among children. In response, the National Health Commission launched a comprehensive three-year "Year of Weight Management" initiative in March 2024, further emphasized by the 36th Patriotic Health Month's theme "Healthy Towns - Healthy Weight" in April 2024. These initiatives underscore the urgent necessity for implementing comprehensive strategies to combat obesity and its associated non-communicable diseases.

Enhancing Proton Mobility in Silicophosphoric Acid by Replacing Si with Al.

Electrochemical devices that can operate at temperatures of 200-300 °C are expected to become the next-generation energy conversion devices in fuel cells and electrosynthesis, which are important for achieving carbon neutrality. Proton conductors based on phosphate glasses are being developed as candidate materials for such devices. We recently developed a glass proton conductor by using silicophosphoric acid based on the idea of solidifying phosphoric acid with silicon as a cross-linking glass framework.

Acetylene semi-hydrogenation catalyzed by Pd single atoms sandwiched in zeolitic imidazolate frameworks hydrogen activation and spillover.

The semi-hydrogenation of alkynes into alkenes rather than alkanes is of great importance in the chemical industry, and palladium-based metallic catalysts are currently employed. Unfortunately, a fairly high cost and uncontrollable over-hydrogenation impeded the application of Pd-based catalysts on a large scale. Herein, a sandwich structure single atom Pd catalyst, Z@Pd@Z, was prepared impregnation exchange and epitaxial growth methods (Z stands for ZIF-8), in which Pd single atoms were stabilized by pyrrolic N in a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8).

A Gate-Opening Control Strategy via Nitrate-Chloride Anion Exchange for Enhanced Hydrogen Isotope Separation in Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Efficient separation of hydrogen isotopes, especially deuterium (D2), is pivotal for advancing industries such as nuclear fusion, semiconductor processing, and metabolic imaging. Current technologies, including cryogenic distillation and Girdler sulfide processes, suffer from significant limitations in selectivity and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we introduce a novel approach utilizing an imidazolium-based Metal-Organic Framework (MOF), JCM-1, designed to enhance D2/H2 separation through temperature-dependent gate-opening controlled by ion exchange.

Innovative submerged directed fermentation: Producing high molecular weight polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum.

Polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum (GLPs) exhibit unique bioactivity, but traditional cultivation yields low quantities and unstable quality, limiting their research and application. This study highlights how submerged fermentation processes enable the directed acquisition of structurally defined high molecular weight (MW) bioactive intracellular polysaccharides (IPS). The results showed that inoculation amount and fermentation scales had a significant effect on the content of high MW IPS.

Effects of tire wear particles on freshwater bacterial-fungal community dynamics and subsequent elemental cycles using microcosms.

Ecological impacts of tire wear particles (TWPs) on microbial communities and biogeochemical cycles in freshwater remain largely unknown. Here, we conducted a microcosm experiment to investigate interactions between the overlying water and sediment without and with TWPs addition in a rural vs. urban lake system.

A PDMS/chitosan/MPMs composite film based on multi-field coupling enhancement for African swine fever virus P72 protein detection.

African swine fever (ASF) is an acute hemorrhagic disease in pigs caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which has a high mortality rate and brought great damage to global pig farming industry. At present, there is no effective treatment or vaccine to combat ASFV infection, so early detection of ASFV has become particularly important. Therefore, the PDMS/chitosan/MPMs composite film was proposed to detect ASFV P72.

Promotion of cellular differentiation and DNA repair potential in brain cancer cells by Shankhpushpi, (Clitoria ternatea L.) with rasayana properties in vitro.

Background: Brain ageing is accompanied by the diminution of neuronal plasticity, which is correlated with the inability to respond to loss of memory, various stress-induced stimuli, and increased risk of neurodegenerative disorders. In the recent past, plant based herbal medicines are of interest over synthetic drugs for therapeutic purposes due to lower side effects. The Indian traditional medicine Ayurveda describes several herbal remedies, such as rasayana (elixirs for rejuvenation), to treat many age-related diseases.

A Phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous prasinezumab in early-stage Parkinson's disease (PADOVA): Rationale, design, and baseline data.

Introduction: Prasinezumab was shown to potentially delay motor progression in individuals with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD) who were either treatment-naïve or on monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor (MAO-Bi) therapy in the PASADENA study. We report the rationale, design, and baseline patient characteristics of the PADOVA study, designed to evaluate prasinezumab in an early-stage PD population receiving standard-of-care (SOC) symptomatic medications.

Methods: PADOVA (NCT04777331) is a Phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study, in which individuals with early-stage PD on SOC stable symptomatic monotherapy (levodopa or MAO-Bi) receive intravenous prasinezumab 1500 mg every 4 weeks.

Deciphering repair pathways of clustered DNA damage in human TK6 cells: insights from atomic force microscopy direct visualization.

Ionizing radiation induces various types of DNA damage, and the reparability and lethal effects of DNA damage differ depending on its spatial density. Elucidating the structure of radiation-induced clustered DNA damage and its repair processes will enhance our understanding of the lethal impact of ionizing radiation and advance progress toward precise therapeutics. Previously, we developed a method to directly visualize DNA damage using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and classified clustered DNA damage into simple base damage clusters (BDCs), complex BDCs and complex double-strand breaks (DSBs).

A combination of genome mining with OSMAC strategy facilitates the discovery of bioactive metabolites produced from termite-associated Streptomyces tanashiensis BYF-112.

Background: Previously, eight new alkaloids were obtained from the fermentation extract of termite-associated Streptomyces tanashiensis BYF-112. However, genome analysis indicated the presence of many undiscovered secondary metabolites in S. tanashiensis BYF-112.

Deep Learning-Based Pointer Meter Reading Recognition for Advancing Manufacturing Digital Transformation Research.

With the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry, data monitoring and collecting in the manufacturing process become essential. Pointer meter reading recognition (PMRR) is a key element in data monitoring throughout the manufacturing process. However, existing PMRR methods have low accuracy and insufficient robustness due to issues such as blur, uneven illumination, tilt, and complex backgrounds in meter images.

Cybersecurity Solutions for Industrial Internet of Things-Edge Computing Integration: Challenges, Threats, and Future Directions.

This paper provides the complete details of current challenges and solutions in the cybersecurity of cyber-physical systems (CPS) within the context of the IIoT and its integration with edge computing (IIoT-edge computing). We systematically collected and analyzed the relevant literature from the past five years, applying a rigorous methodology to identify key sources. Our study highlights the prevalent IIoT layer attacks, common intrusion methods, and critical threats facing IIoT-edge computing environments.

Photovoltaic Array Fault Diagnosis and Localization Method Based on Modulated Photocurrent and Machine Learning.

Photovoltaic arrays are exposed to outdoor conditions year-round, leading to degradation, cracks, open circuits, and other faults. Hence, the establishment of an effective fault diagnosis system for photovoltaic arrays is of paramount importance. However, existing fault diagnosis methods often trade off between high accuracy and localization.

Unveiling the Texture Secrets of Germplasm: Advanced Grading and Quality Assessment Through Texture Profile Analysis (TPA).

is an edible mushroom with medical applciations. To explore the correlation between the texture indices of and to establish a sensory quality evaluation system, the texture quality characteristics of 214 germplasm resources from our country were analyzed via the Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) method on a texture analyzer. The research revealed significant differences in the texture quality characteristics of both the pileus and stipe among populations.

Recent Advances of Tannase: Production, Characterization, Purification, and Application in the Tea Industry.

Tannase, as a type of tannin-degrading enzyme, can catalyze the hydrolysis of ester and depside bonds in gallotannins, thereby releasing gallic acid and glucose. Based on this reaction mechanism, Tannase can effectively improve the problems of bitter taste, weak aroma, and tea cheese in tea infusion, and is therefore widely used in the tea industry. However, due to high production costs, difficulties in purification and recovery, and insufficient understanding of Tannase properties, the large-scale application of Tannase is severely limited.

Niobium-Containing Phosphate Glasses Prepared by the Liquid-Phase Method.

Phosphate invert glasses (PIGs) have been attracting attention as materials for bone repair. PIGs have a high flexibility in chemical composition because they are composed of orthophosphate and pyrophosphate and can easily incorporate various ions in their glass networks. In our previous work, incorporation of niobium (Nb) into melt-quench-derived PIGs was effective in terms of controlling their ion release, and Nb ions promoted the activity of osteoblast-like cells.

In Silico Analysis Revealed Marco (SR-A6) and Abca1/2 as Potential Regulators of Lipid Metabolism in M1 Macrophage Hysteresis.

Macrophages undergo polarization, resulting in distinct phenotypes. These transitions, including de-/repolarization, lead to hysteresis, where cells retain genetic and epigenetic signatures of previous states, influencing macrophage function. We previously identified a set of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) associated with high lipid levels in macrophages that exhibited hysteresis following M1 polarization, suggesting potential alterations in lipid metabolism.

Enhancing Catalytic Performance with Ni Foam-Coated Porous Ni Particles via 1-Butene Hydrogenation.

The efficient hydrogenation of 1-butene is an industrially significant reaction for producing fuels and value-added chemicals. However, achieving high catalytic efficiency and stability remains challenging, particularly for cost-effective materials, such as Ni. In this study, we developed a porous Ni-coated Ni foam catalyst by electrostatic spray deposition to address these challenges.

Properties, Advantages, and Prospects of Using Cobalt-Free Composites Based on Tungsten Carbide in Industry.

This paper reviews recent advances in the synthesis of cobalt-free high-strength tungsten carbide (WC) composites as sustainable alternatives to conventional WC-Co composites. Due to the high cost of cobalt, limited supply, and environmental concerns, researchers are exploring nickel, iron, ceramic binders, and nanocomposites to obtain similar or superior mechanical properties. Various synthesis methods such as powder metallurgy, encapsulation, 3D printing, and spark plasma sintering (SPS) are discussed, with SPS standing out for its effectiveness in densifying and preventing WC grain growth.