Hybrid Modification of Wheat Bran Using Microbial Processing and Ultrasound: Enhancements in Bran Composition and Bread Quality.

This study investigates the effects of microbial bioprocessing (MB), ultrasound treatment (UT), and their combined application (hybrid method, HM) on the functional and nutritional enhancement of wheat bran (WB) and its impact on bread quality. MB was performed by using with LABE 32 (MB32) and LABE 29 (MB29). MB32 significantly increased soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and reduced phytic acid content by up to 25.

Microwave-assisted selective leaching of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries using glycine and oxalic acid.

Supplying critical metals such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel, to achieve sustainable development goals will be one of the most important concerns in the coming decades. A significant challenge in this area is the separation of some similar elements, such as nickel and cobalt. This study proposes a novel and eco-friendly process to selectively recover cobalt from nickel and manganese.

Non-fasting triglyceride screening in volunteer blood donors: A pilot program.

This pilot study explores the feasibility of large-scale non-fasting triglyceride level screening at blood donation centers. Hypertriglyceridemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and acute pancreatitis. Triglyceride levels were measured in 10,176 blood donors at Carter BloodCare North Texas and found 39.

Exploring the impact of insurance switching on the cost-effectiveness of population genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia to US payers.

Background: Widespread familial hypercholesterolemia screening requires a large upfront economic investment, but the health benefits and cost savings of cardiovascular disease prevention directed by screening occur over many years.

Objective: We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of population genetic screening for familial hypercholesterolemia compared to cascade testing to US payers while accounting for patient insurance switching between commercial and Medicare insurance.

Methods: We developed a hybrid decision-tree Markov model to assess genetic screening in 20-year-old adults over a lifetime horizon in which cohort members transitioned between commercial payers representing three commercial plans and Medicare.

A Call for a Neoadjuvant Kidney Cancer Consortium: Lessons Learned from Other Cancer Types.

Neoadjuvant systemic treatment strategies have improved outcomes in several solid tumour types. This success has not yet been replicated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A consensus and international collaboration are urgently needed for the development of adaptive perioperative immunotherapy strategies for patients with RCC at high risk of recurrence.

Optimizing UroVysion Fluorescence Hybridization Reflex Testing in Atypical Urothelial Cell Diagnosis: A Comprehensive Cytomorphological Analysis.

Objective: Urinary cytology is a key diagnostic tool for evaluating suspected urinary tract carcinoma, primarily high-grade urothelial carcinoma. The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology (TPS), introduced in 2016, aimed to standardize reporting, though challenges with subjectivity and variability in diagnosing Atypical Urothelial Cells (AUCs) persist.

Methods: This retrospective study explored the correlation between cytomorphological features in "atypical" diagnosis and UroVysion fluorescence hybridization (U-FISH) results.

Characterization of Sugammadex-Related Isomeric Cyclodextrin Impurities Using Cyclic Ion Mobility High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Cyclic ion mobility-mass spectrometry (cIM-MS) is a powerful technique for separating and identifying isomeric mixtures of compounds. When coupled with chromatography, cIM-MS creates a multidimensional separation system, with high resolving power and peak capacity. In this study, we report the cyclic ion mobility separation and high-resolution mass spectrometry identification of four regioisomers of a Sugammadex-related impurity, abbreviated as Di-OH-SGM.

Frailty Predicts Failure to Rescue following Malignant Brain Tumor Resection: A NSQIP Analysis of 14,721 Patients (2012- 2020).

Purpose: Failure to rescue (FTR) is defined as mortality within 30 days following a major complication. While FTR has been studied in various brain tumor resections, its predictors in malignant brain tumor resection (mBTR) remain unexplored. This study aims to identify FTR predictors in mBTR resection patients using a frailty-driven model.

Clinical utility of the lymphocyte proliferation assay, an in vitro functional readout of the adaptive immune response.

Despite great advancements in the discovery of genetic variants underlying inborn errors of immunity, functional assessment of the immunological profile of patients in routine clinical practice remains challenging. The lymphocyte proliferation assay using H-thymidine incorporation has been the gold standard for decades for functional evaluation of T cells in the clinical laboratory, however, recently developed flow cytometry methods allowing for single cell analysis provide non-radioactive alternatives. Understanding the technical and analytical challenges of test development, validation and maintenance is essential for correct interpretation and test utilization, to assure appropriate and timely patient care.

Can I pickle Doc? Return to Pickleball and other Racket Sports after Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Background: Participation in pickleball and other racket sports is growing, particularly among older adults who may also be candidates for joint arthroplasty (JA). Currently, there is limited data on performance, safety, and return to racket sports after JA.

Methods: An online survey was sent to 7,200 patients who had undergone at least one primary JA at a single academic center over the past 10 years (five surgeons).

Radiation Segmentectomy for Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma is Curative.

In this Expert Opinion, we provide the rationale for concluding that radiation segmentectomy (using RADSEG method), a technique of administrating ablative, complete necrosis-inducing trans-arterial Yttrium-90 (Y90) radiotherapy in limited-disease burden hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is curative. Currently, curative options for early stage and other carefully selected HCC patients include transplantation, resection, and ablation. Because of issues with organ availability, co-morbidities preventing resection, and tumor size and location limiting ablation, other treatments are necessary for this selected patient population.

Association of an HIV-Prediction Model with Uptake of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).

Background: Global efforts aimed at ending human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence have adapted and evolved since the turn of the century. The utilization of machine learning incorporated into an electronic health record (EHR) can be refined into prediction models that identify when an individual is at greater HIV infection risk. This can create a novel and innovative approach to identifying patients eligible for preventative therapy.

Application of an Externally Developed Algorithm to Identify Research Cases and Controls from Electronic Health Record Data: Failures and Successes.

Background: The use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in research demands robust, interoperable systems. By linking biorepositories to EHR algorithms, researchers can efficiently identify cases and controls for large observational studies (e.g.

Regulation of anaplerotic enzymes by melatonin enhances resilience to cadmium toxicity in Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek.

Melatonin (Mel) is a tryptophan-derived (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) molecule. In the present study, role of Mel in the regulation of various anaplerotic enzymes is discussed in relation to N metabolism and H-ATPase activity in mung bean under Cd stress. The application of Mel to the Cd-stressed mung bean seedlings was remarkable in improving the activity of hexokinase (35.

An open chat between Prof Asifa Akhtar and Klaudia Jaczynska.

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2025, we invited Prof Asifa Akhtar, Vice President of the Max Planck Society's Biology and Medicine section, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg, Honorary Professor at the Albert Ludwigs University and recipient of the 2025 FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award to meet and chat with Klaudia Jaczynska, final year PhD student at Jose Rizo's laboratory in UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and 2024 FEBS Open Bio Article Prize winner. We invited them to talk about challenges limiting equal representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, initiatives to foster supportive environments as a research institute and the importance of highlighting diverse examples of success.

Stand density and local climate drive allocation of GPP to aboveground woody biomass.

The partitioning of photosynthate among various forest carbon pools is a key process regulating long-term carbon sequestration, with allocation to aboveground woody biomass carbon (AGBC) in particular playing an outsized role in the global carbon cycle due to its slow residence time. However, directly estimating the fraction of gross primary productivity (GPP) that goes to AGBC has historically been difficult and time-consuming, leaving us with persistent uncertainties. We used an extensive dataset of tree-ring chronologies co-located at flux towers to assess the coupling between AGBC and GPP, calculate the fraction of fixed carbon that is allocated to AGBC, and understand the drivers of variability in this fraction.

Mcl-1 is a Gatekeeper Molecule to Regulate the Crosstalk Between Ferroptotic Agent-Induced ER Stress and TRAIL-Induced Apoptosis.

We previously reported that ferroptosis interplays with apoptosis through the integration of two independent pathways: the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signaling pathway and the mitochondria-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated a potential gatekeeper molecule, Mcl-1, between the two signal transduction pathways. Morphology studies and cell death analyses confirmed that a combination treatment of ferroptotic agent erastin (ERA) and apoptotic agent TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) synergistically enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma BxPC3 and human colorectal carcinoma HCT116 cells.

Enhancing surface energy and characterizing optical properties of ultra-high translucency zirconia via an innovative heat treatment process.

Purpose: Ultra-high translucency zirconia (UT-Zr) is known for its high esthetic quality; however, its inert surface results in low hydrophilicity and surface energy (SE). To address this limitation, this study proposes an innovative zirconia heat treatment process (ZHTP) and aims to evaluate the effects of ZHTP on the surface characteristics of UT-Zr, offering a novel and practical approach for surface pretreatment in dental practice.

Material And Methods: The plate-shaped UT-Zr samples were fabricated.

Proximal remote sensing: an essential tool for bridging the gap between high-resolution ecosystem monitoring and global ecology.

A new proliferation of optical instruments that can be attached to towers over or within ecosystems, or 'proximal' remote sensing, enables a comprehensive characterization of terrestrial ecosystem structure, function, and fluxes of energy, water, and carbon. Proximal remote sensing can bridge the gap between individual plants, site-level eddy-covariance fluxes, and airborne and spaceborne remote sensing by providing continuous data at a high-spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we review recent advances in proximal remote sensing for improving our mechanistic understanding of plant and ecosystem processes, model development, and validation of current and upcoming satellite missions.

Association and substitution analyses of dietary sugars, starch and fiber for indices of body fat and cardiometabolic risk- a NoHoW sub-study.

Purpose: To examine the associations and substitutions of dietary sugars [extrinsic (free) or intrinsic (non-free)] as well as dietary starch and fiber intakes for indices of body fat and cardiometabolic health.

Methods: Dietary intake was assessed at multiple times using multi-day 24-hour recalls over 18-months for indices of body fat (body fat %, waist circumference, BMI, and weight change) (n = 1066) and at baseline and 12 months for cardiometabolic outcomes (LDL, HDL, HbA1c) (n = 736). Bayesian modeling was applied to analyze the probabilistic impact of dietary carbohydrate components using credible intervals for association and substitution analyses with repeated measures random effects modeling.

A review of the current status of biological effects of plant-derived therapeutics in breast cancer.

Phytochemicals are bioactive secondary plant metabolites found in high concentrations in fruits, grains, and vegetables. Recent studies provide evidence of usage of plant-based diets rich in phytochemicals and their corelation to reduction in cancer incidence. Several phytochemicals have demonstrated effectiveness as chemotherapeutic agents against various cancers, including breast cancer.

Influence of Preoperative Depression on Cervical Spine Surgery Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Study Design: Systematic review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: To quantify the association of preoperative depression on patient reported outcome measures (PROMS) after cervical spine surgery.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, Scopus, PsychInfo, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.

Cutaneous dysbiosis characterizes the post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation period.

Gut dysbiosis is linked to mortality and the development of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but the impact of cutaneous dysbiosis remains unexplored. We performed a pilot observational study and obtained retroauricular and forearm skin swabs from 12 adult patients prior to conditioning chemotherapy/radiation, and at 1-week, 1-month and 3-months after allogeneic HSCT, and performed shotgun metagenomic sequencing. The cutaneous microbiome among HSCT patients was enriched for gram-negative bacteria such as E coli and Pseudomonas, fungi, and viruses.

Species Differences in the Biotransformation of Aflatoxin B1: Primary Determinants of Relative Carcinogenic Potency in Different Animal Species.

It has been known since the early days of the discovery of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) that there were large species differences in susceptibility to AFB1. It was also evident early on that AFB1 itself was not toxic but required bioactivation to a reactive form. Over the past 60 years there have been thousands of studies to delineate the role of ~10 specific biotransformation pathways of AFB1, both phase I (oxidation, reduction) and phase II (hydrolysis, conjugation, secondary oxidations, and reductions of phase I metabolites).