Biomimetic polydopamine loaded with janus kinase inhibitor for synergistic vitiligo therapy via hydrogel microneedles.

Background: Both oxidative stress and autoimmune responses play crucial roles in the development of vitiligo. Under oxidative stress, the apoptotic melanocytes expose self-antigens and release high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), triggering autoimmune activation and recruiting CD8 T cells. This process further leads to the destruction of melanocytes, resulting in the lack of melanin granules.

Heart-on-a-chip: a revolutionary organ-on-chip platform for cardiovascular disease modeling.

Heart-on-a-chip (HoC) devices have emerged as a powerful tool for studying the human heart's intricate functions and dysfunctions in vitro. Traditional preclinical models, such as 2D cell cultures model and animal model, have limitations in accurately predicting human response to cardiovascular diseases and treatments. The HoC approach addresses these shortcomings by recapitulating the microscale anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics of the heart, thereby providing a more clinically relevant platform for drug testing, disease modeling, and personalized therapy.

Fetal cardiac function in pregnancy affected by congenital heart disease: protocol for a multicentre prospective cohort study.

Background: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common fetal malformation, and it can result first in cardiac remodeling and dysfunction and later in cardiac failure and hydrops. A limited number of studies have evaluated cardiac function in fetuses affected by CHD. Functional parameters could potentially identify fetuses at risk of cardiac failure before its development.

Change point detection in brucellosis time series from 2010 to 2023 in Xinjiang China using the BEAST algorithm.

Brucellosis is a significant global challenge, but there has been a lack of epidemiological studies on brucellosis in Xinjiang from a change point perspective. This study aims to bridge this gap by employing sequence decomposition and identifying significant change points, with datasets sourced from the Xinjiang Disease Prevention and Control Information System. This study employed the BEAST algorithm to decompose the brucellosis time series in Xinjiang from 2010 to 2023, while simultaneously identifying change points in the decomposed seasonal and trend components.

Domperidone inhibits dengue virus infection by targeting the viral envelope protein and nonstructural protein 1.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease caused by dengue virus (DENV) infection, which remains a major public health concern worldwide owing to the lack of specific treatments or antiviral drugs available. This study investigated the potential repurposing of domperidone, an antiemetic and gastrokinetic agent, to control DENV infection. Domperidone was identified by pharmacophore-based virtual screening as a small molecule that can bind to both the viral envelope (E) and the nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of DENV.

Caerin 1.1/1.9-mediated antitumor immunity depends on IFNAR-Stat1 signalling of tumour infiltrating macrophage by autocrine IFNα and is enhanced by CD47 blockade.

Previously, we demonstrated that natural host-defence peptide caerin 1.1/caerin 1.9 (F1/F3) increases the efficacy of anti-PD-1 and therapeutic vaccine, in a HPV16 + TC-1 tumour model, but the anti-tumor mechanism of F1/F3 is still unclear.

Targeting ABCD1-ACOX1-MET/IGF1R axis suppresses multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable hematological malignancy that necessitates the identification of novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we report that intracellular levels of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) control the cytotoxicity of MM chemotherapeutic agents. Inhibition of VLCFA biosynthesis reduced cell death in MM cells caused by the proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib.

The pulsatile brain, pulse pressure, cognition, and antihypertensive treatments in older adults: a functional NIRS study.

Age-related arterial stiffness increases pulsatility that reaches the cerebral microcirculation, compromises cerebrovascular health and lead to cognitive decline. The presence of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) such as high blood pressure can exacerbate this effect. Despite extensive research on the impact of antihypertensive treatments on reducing arterial stiffness, little is known about the impact of antihypertensive treatments on pulsatility in cerebral microcirculation.

Biofabrication of zinc oxide nanoparticles using Moringa oleifera, characterization and statistical optimization for their application in crystal violet adsorption.

Crystal violet (Cry) is an essential textile dye belonging to the triphenylmethane group, that is widely used in the textile industry. It is also applied for paper printing and Gram staining. Previously, it was significant as a topical antiseptic due to its antibacterial, antifungal, and anthelmintic properties.

Deep learning-based malaria parasite detection: convolutional neural networks model for accurate species identification of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax.

Accurate malaria diagnosis with precise identification of Plasmodium species is crucial for an effective treatment. While microscopy is still the gold standard in malaria diagnosis, it relies heavily on trained personnel. Artificial intelligence (AI) advances, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), have significantly improved diagnostic capabilities and accuracy by enabling the automated analysis of medical images.

A comprehensive evaluation of histopathology foundation models for ovarian cancer subtype classification.

Histopathology foundation models show great promise across many tasks, but analyses have been limited by arbitrary hyperparameters. We report the most rigorous single-task validation study to date, specifically in the context of ovarian carcinoma morphological subtyping. Attention-based multiple instance learning classifiers were compared using three ImageNet-pretrained encoders and fourteen foundation models, each trained with 1864 whole slide images and validated through hold-out testing and two external validations (the Transcanadian Study and OCEAN Challenge).

Tunable control of Cas12 activity promotes universal and fast one-pot nucleic acid detection.

The CRISPR-based detection methods have been widely applied, yet they remain limited by the non-universal nature of one-pot diagnostic approaches. Here, we report a universal one-pot fluorescent method for the detection of epidemic pathogens, delivering results within 15-20 min. This method uses heparin sodium to precisely tunes the cis-cleavage capability of Cas12 via interference with the Cas12a-crRNA binding process, thereby generating significant fluorescence due to the accumulation of isothermal amplification products.

3D scanner's potential as a novel tool for lymphedema measurement in mouse hindlimb models.

Lymphedema is characterized by persistent swelling due to impaired lymphatic function and presents significant challenges in both research and clinical settings. Traditional contact-based measurement techniques such as paw thickness and circumferential measurements using calipers or silk thread are useful but limited by observer variability and measurement accuracy. Non-contact methods, including various imaging techniques, offer improvements but often at higher cost and complexity.

Highly sensitive, responsive, and selective iodine gas sensor fabricated using AgI-functionalized graphene.

Radioactive molecular iodine (I) is a critical volatile pollutant generated in nuclear energy applications, necessitating sensors that rapidly and selectively detect low concentrations of I vapor to protect human health and the environment. In this study, we design and prepare a three-component sensing material comprising reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as the substrate, silver iodide (AgI) particles as active sites, and polystyrene sulfonate as an additive. The AgI particles enable reversible adsorption and conversion of I molecules into polyiodides, inducing substantial charge density variation in rGO.

Fish oil-loaded silver carp scale gelatin-stabilized emulsions with vitamins for the delivery of curcumin.

The encapsulation of curcumin in the emulsions has attracted much attention in functional food development. Herein, the fish oil-loaded silver carp scale gelatin-stabilized emulsions with vitamins were explored for the delivery of curcumin. The curcumin encapsulation had no obvious effect on the formation, storage stability, lipid oxidation, and in vitro droplet digestion behaviors of the emulsions.

Advancing the genetic engineering toolbox by combining AsCas12a knock-in mice with ultra-compact screening.

Cas12a is a next-generation gene editing tool that enables multiplexed gene targeting. Here, we present a mouse model that constitutively expresses enhanced Acidaminococcus sp. Cas12a (enAsCas12a) linked to an mCherry fluorescent reporter.

Nuclear farnesoid X receptor protects against bone loss by driving osteoblast differentiation through stabilizing RUNX2.

The delicate balance between bone formation by osteoblasts and bone resorption by osteoclasts maintains bone homeostasis. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are now understood to be crucial in bone physiology and pathology. However, the function of the Farnesoid X receptor (FXR), a member of the NR family, in regulating bone homeostasis remains incompletely understood.

Amphibian cellular immune response to chytridiomycosis at metamorphic climax.

The fungal disease chytridiomycosis (caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis [Bd]) is a primary contributor to amphibian declines. The frog metamorphic stages, characterised by extensive physiological reorganisation and energy expenditure, have heightened susceptibility to Bd. However, little is known about how these metamorphic stages respond immunologically to Bd infection.

Flexible and wireless metasurface coils for knee and elbow MRI.

Background: Metasurface coils (MCs) are a promising magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. Aiming to evaluate the image quality of MCs for knee and elbow imaging, we compared signal-to-noise ratio (SNRs) obtained in standard clinical setups.

Methods: Knee and elbow MRI routine sequences were applied at 1.

Diagnostic performance of corneal epithelium- and Bowman's layer thickness mapping in patients with unilateral Keratoconus.

Purpose: To investigate the role of corneal epithelium- and Bowman's layer-thickness (ET and BLT) changes as possible early biomarkers of keratoconus (KC) development.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study patients with unilateral KC (UKC) and a group of healthy controls underwent polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) for the evaluation of corneal ET and BLT. These values were compared among three subgroups of eyes, i.

Thermal-Sensitive Artificial Ionic Skin with Environmental Stability and Self-Healing Property.

Wearable temperature-sensitive electronic skin enables robots to rapidly detect environmental changes and respond intelligently, thereby reducing temperature-related mechanical failures. Additionally, this temperature-sensitive skin can measure and record the temperature of external objects, broadening its potential applications in the medical field. In this study, we designed a thermally sensitive artificial ionic skin using ionic liquids (ILs) as solvents and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as thermally conductive fillers.

Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance recommendations toward environmentally sustainable cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Delivery of health care, including medical imaging, generates substantial global greenhouse gas emissions. The cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) community has an opportunity to decrease our carbon footprint, mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, and develop resiliency to current and future impacts of climate change. The goal of this document is to review and recommend actions and strategies to allow for CMR operation with improved sustainability, including efficient CMR protocols and CMR imaging workflow strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, energy, and waste, and to decrease reliance on finite resources, including helium and waterbody contamination by gadolinium-based contrast agents.