Enhancement of stability and activity of zinc carbonate nanoparticles using chitosan, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and hyaluronic acid for multifaceted applications in medicine.

Currently, biopolymer-based Zn-containing nanoforms are of great interest for medical applications. However, there is lack information on optimal synthesis parameters, reagents and stabilizing agent for production of zinc carbonate nanoparticles (ZnC-NPs). In this work, synthesis of ZnC-NPs was carried out by chemical precipitation with the use of chitosan, hydroxyethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose and hyaluronic acid as stabilizing agents.

Identification of novel phenolic inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicine against toxic α-synuclein aggregation via regulating phase separation.

Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder without cure, is characterized by the pathological aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) in Lewy bodies. Classic deposition pathway and condensation pathway contribute to α-Syn aggregation, and liquid-liquid phase separation is the driving force for condensate formation, which subsequently undergo liquid-solid phase separation to form toxic fibrils. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a long history in treating neurodegenerative disease, herein; we identified chemicals from herbs that inhibit α-Syn aggregation.

Left ventricular elastance with resting volumetric transthoracic echocardiography identifies different phenotypes in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: A retrospective analysis of a multicenter prospective observational study.

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a heterogeneous entity including patients with different phenotypes of near normal, normal, and supernormal left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: To assess the value of resting LV elastance (also known as force) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) to identify HFpEF phenotypes.

Methods: In a prospective, observational, multicenter study, 2380 HFpEF patients were recruited from July 2016 to May 2024.

Preclinical evaluation of Ga-labeled folic acid conjugates for visualization of inflammatory foci.

Introduction: Folate receptors (FR) have been considered a convenient target for different radiopharmaceuticals in recent years. Multifarious Ga-labeled folate conjugates have been proposed as promising agents for the PET imaging of FR-overexpressing malignant neoplasms. In addition, radiolabeled folate-based conjugates can be effective for imaging non-tumor pathological foci characterized by a pronounced cluster of activated macrophages.

DFT study of GaAs quantum dot and 5CB liquid crystal molecule interaction.

Liquid crystals (LC) are widely used in various optical devices due to their birefringence, dielectric anisotropy, and responsive behavior to external fields. Enhancing the properties of existing LCs through doping with nanoparticles, including semiconductor quantum dots, offers a promising route for improving their performance. Among various nanoparticles, QDs stand out for their high charge mobility, sensitivity in the near-infrared spectral region, and cost-effectiveness.

Whisker-free lithium electrodeposition by tuning electrode microstructure.

Growth of lithium whiskers or dendrites is the major obstacle towards safe and stable utilization of lithium metal anodes in rechargeable batteries. In this study, we look deeper into the mechanism of lithium electrodeposition. We find that before lithium whisker or dendrite nucleation occurs, lithium is deposited into the grain boundaries of the metal electrode, which we directly observed in the focused ion beam cross-sections of the lithium electrode.

Chimera states in a system of stationary and flying-through deterministic particles with an internal degree of freedom.

We consider the effect of the emergence of chimera states in a system of coexisting stationary and flying-through in potential particles with an internal degree of freedom determined by the phase. All particles tend to an equilibrium state with a small number of potential wells, which leads to the emergence of a stationary chimera. An increase in the number of potential wells leads to the emergence of particles flying-through along the medium, the phases of which form a moving chimera.

Terminally fluorinated ether as a solvent for high-performance lithium metal battery electrolyte.

Terminally fluorinated ether 5FDEE shows exceptional compatibility with LiPF, enabling high-performance Li-metal batteries. Li‖NMC811 cells with a 1 M LiPF in 5FDEE : FEC (9 : 1 v/v) electrolyte demonstrate remarkable cycling stability with an average coulombic efficiency exceeding 99.9% and no capacity fading over 550 cycles at 2.

GENA-LM: a family of open-source foundational DNA language models for long sequences.

Recent advancements in genomics, propelled by artificial intelligence, have unlocked unprecedented capabilities in interpreting genomic sequences, mitigating the need for exhaustive experimental analysis of complex, intertwined molecular processes inherent in DNA function. A significant challenge, however, resides in accurately decoding genomic sequences, which inherently involves comprehending rich contextual information dispersed across thousands of nucleotides. To address this need, we introduce GENA language model (GENA-LM), a suite of transformer-based foundational DNA language models capable of handling input lengths up to 36 000 base pairs.

Mitochondrial DNA Mutations as a Factor in the Heritability of Atherosclerosis and Other Diseases.

This review discusses the possibility of inheritance of some diseases through mutations in mitochondrial DNA. These are examples of many mitochondrial diseases that can be caused by mutations in mitochondrial DNA. Symptoms and severity can vary widely depending on the specific mutation and affected tissues.

Application of the DRASTIC Model to Assess the Vulnerability of Groundwater Contamination Near Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to have a devastating effect on the well-being of Ukrainians and their environment. We evaluated a major environmental hazard caused by the war: the potential for groundwater contamination in proximity to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). We quantified groundwater vulnerability with the DRASTIC index, which was originally developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and has been used at various locations worldwide to assess relative pollution potential.

Pyrazinyl-Substituted Aminoazoles as Covalent Inhibitors of Thrombin: Synthesis, Structure, and Anticoagulant Properties.

This study presents a novel series of -acylated 1,2,4-triazol-5-amines and 1-pyrazol-5-amines, featuring a pyrazin-2-yl moiety, developed as covalent inhibitors of thrombin. These compounds demonstrated potent inhibitory activity, with derivatives and achieving IC values as low as 0.7 and 0.

Lumbar total disk replacement versus microsurgical lumbar discectomy in treatment of radicular and back pain in railway workers: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Background: Currently, there remains a high percentage of complications after lumbar discectomy, while there is no uniform tactic to prevent their development. Purpose of the study was to compare the clinical efficacy and return to work rate (RWR) after total disk replacement (TDR) and microsurgical lumbar discectomy (MLD) in railway workers with lumbar disk herniation (LDH).

Methods: We randomly assigned 75 patients out of a total of 81 patients, between 25 and 35 years of age who had one level LDH to undergo single-level TDR surgery (group I, n=37) or MLD surgery (group II, n=38) in the L4-L5 or L5-S1 segments.

Effect of roasting on the chemical and lipid composition of pine nuts in two regions in Russia.

The impact of thermal treatment for roasting on pine nuts from two geographical regions in Russia (Vladivostok and Baikal) was studied. They were roasted at 180 °C for 20 min in an oven. The aim was to establish the changes that occurred in the chemical (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, ash, fibers), lipid composition (fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, phospholipids), and physicochemical characteristics (peroxide value, acid value, iodine value, conjugated dienes and trienes) after roasting of the pine nuts.

Lampbrush chromosomes of Danio rerio.

Danio rerio, commonly known as zebrafish, is an established model organism for the developmental and cell biology studies. Although significant progress has been made in the analysis of the D. rerio genome, cytogenetic studies face challenges due to the unclear identification of chromosomes.

Improving the thermal performance of PVC windows with pultruded thermoplastic reinforcement.

Today, composite profiles of constant cross section are widely used in advanced engineering structures. The use of composite profiles in window and door structures can reduce thermal bridging and reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling. This article focuses on the production of new, thermoplastic-based structural pultruded profiles and their application in a PVC (polyvinylchloride) window structure as a reinforcement.

Massively parallel characterization of transcriptional regulatory elements.

The human genome contains millions of candidate cis-regulatory elements (cCREs) with cell-type-specific activities that shape both health and many disease states. However, we lack a functional understanding of the sequence features that control the activity and cell-type-specific features of these cCREs. Here we used lentivirus-based massively parallel reporter assays (lentiMPRAs) to test the regulatory activity of more than 680,000 sequences, representing an extensive set of annotated cCREs among three cell types (HepG2, K562 and WTC11), and found that 41.

Carbon emission of urban vehicles based on carbon emission factor correlation analysis.

The CO emission factor is the basis for analyzing vehicle CO emissions. This study establishes a correlation model between the fuel CO emission factor and the mileage-based CO emission factor using fuel consumption data, then analyzes the fuel consumption and CO emission situation of vehicles in Beijing with the established models. The main research conclusions are as follows: The proposed correlation models are effective for analyzing urban vehicle CO emissions.

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treatment of multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder - recommendations from ECTRIMS and the EBMT.

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) is a treatment option for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that are refractory to disease-modifying therapy (DMT). AHSCT after failure of high-efficacy DMT in aggressive forms of relapsing-remitting MS is a generally accepted indication, yet the optimal placement of this approach in the treatment sequence is not universally agreed upon. Uncertainties also remain with respect to other indications, such as in rapidly evolving, severe, treatment-naive MS, progressive MS, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).

Investigating nonlinear dynamic properties of an inertial sensor with rotational velocity-dependent rigidity.

This study investigates the nonlinear dynamics of a system with frequency-dependent stiffness using a MEMS-based capacitive inertial sensor as a case study. The sensor is positioned directly on a rotating component of a machine and consists of a microbeam clamped at both ends by fixed supports with a fixed central proof mass. The nonlinear behavior is determined by electrostatic forces, axial and bending motion coupling, and frequency-dependent stiffness.

Challenges and insights of transferring animal maze studies principles to human spatial learning research.

Maze tasks, originally developed in animal research, have become a popular method for studying human cognition, particularly with the advent of virtual reality. However, these experiments frequently rely on simplified environments and tasks, which may not accurately reflect the complexity of real-world situations. Our pilot study aims to transfer a multi-alternative maze with a complex task structure, previously demonstrated to be useful in studying animal cognition, to studying human spatial cognition.

Axially multifocal metalens for 3D volumetric photoacoustic imaging of neuromelanin in live brain organoid.

Optical resolution photoacoustic imaging of uneven samples without z-scanning is transformative for the fast analysis and diagnosis of diseases. However, current approaches to elongate the depth of field (DOF) typically imply cumbersome postprocessing procedures, bulky optical element ensembles, or substantial excitation beam side lobes. Metasurface technology allows for the phase modulation of light and the miniaturization of imaging systems to wavelength-size thickness.

Ongoing measles outbreak in Romania: Clinical investigation and molecular epidemiology performed on whole genome sequences.

Aim: Romania is currently facing a prolonged measles outbreak. The aim of the study was to analyse the circulating human measles virus (HMV) strains by combining whole genome sequencing (WGS) with phylogenetic analysis, with a focus on the haemagglutinin gene.

Methods: We conducted an observational study in the first five months of 2024, in which 168 patients diagnosed with measles were randomly included.

Soil quality indicator-based land productivity modelling for agricultural sustainability.

Rapid population expansion has made food security a global concern for humanity, necessitating a sustainable assessment of natural resources. Well evaluated and managed soil is one of the most significant resources that can assist close the gap between supply and demand for food to attain food security. A precise assessment of land productivity (LP) is essential for sustainable land use management.