Search Results (67)

Background: Pseudoprotodioscin (PPD) is a prominent active steroidal saponin isolated from plants of the genus Dioscorea. Investigations have shown that PPD exhibits considerable biological activity and has great clinical potential. Methods: Dioscorea plants and pseudoprotodioscin were used as search terms for study retrieval. Studies involving PPD were collected from a wide range of databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, Web of Science, and Elsevier, as well as relevant scientific websites. Results: PPD possesses multiple bioactive properties, such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective effects. Pharmacokinetic studies in rats indicated that PPD undergoes rapid excretion and has low bioavailability (5.7%), which need to develop a more effective drug delivery system to modify, such as lipid-based nanoparticles. Additionally, Chinese patent medicines containing PPD have shown promising clinical applications in related diseases. Conclusions: This review highlights the therapeutic potential of PPD and its related Chinese patent medicines, providing a foundation for future research and clinical development. Further studies are required to optimize the pharmacokinetic profile of PPD and explore its full pharmacological potential and underlying mechanisms. Full article

The incidence and mortality of diabetes have increased dramatically in recent decades. New strategies to treat diabetes and its complications with minimal side effects are urgently needed. New monomeric molecules extracted from herbs are an alternative medicine that is being explored as candidate drugs for the treatment of diabetes and its complications. Nobiletin, a citrus flavonoid, has recently received increasing attention in scientific research due to its properties in combating diabetes and its complications, while existing research is scattered and unsystematic. This article summarizes recent studies and reviews the potential therapeutic role of nobiletin in preventing and alleviating diabetes and its complications, aiming to provide promising strategies for the clinical management of diabetes and its complications. Full article

Background: Multidrug resistance (MDR), primarily driven by P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated drug efflux, presents a significant challenge in cancer therapy, contributing to chemotherapy failure and poor patient outcomes. Objectives: In this study, we explored the potential of manidipine (MA), a clinically approved calcium channel blocker, to reverse P-gp-mediated MDR through modulation of calcium signaling via nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFAT2). Methods: Paclitaxel (PTX) resistance ABCB1-overexpressing cancer in vitro and in vivo were used for evualting the anti-MDR effects of MA, as well as the underlying mechanism with siRNA of NFAT2. Results: We found that MA at non-toxic concentrations (0.6–5.4 μM) significantly sensitize drug-resistant colorectal (HCT-8/T) and non-small cell lung (A549/T) cells to PTX, reducing its IC₅₀ by up to 1328-fold in vitro models. Mechanistically, MA inhibited P-gp efflux activity without altering its expression, as shown by an increased intracellular accumulation of doxorubicin and Flutax-2 (2.3- and 3.1-fold, respectively) and dose-dependent modulation of ATPase activity (EC₅₀ = 4.16 μM). Notably, MA reduced intracellular calcium levels (52% reduction, p < 0.001) and downregulated NFAT2, an oncogene overexpressed in resistant cells. In vivo, MA (3.5 mg/kg) synergizes with PTX to inhibit tumor growth by 68% (p < 0.001) in A549/T xenograft model, without an observable decrease in weight. Conclusions: In sum, all these results position MA as a novel NFAT2 inhibitor to overcome P-gp-mediated MDR via modulating calcium signaling, which points to further investigation for its clinical applications. Full article

An AA6061-7075 composite with a heterogeneous structure was fabricated via the additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) method, and in situ processing data were monitored during the manufacturing process. The results show that the cross-section of the composite subjected to AFSD exhibits a lower degree of plastic deformation behavior compared to the surface and side of the composite, owing to serious heat accumulation during the layer-by-layer stacking process. The denser, heterogeneous structure, consisting of finer (softer) and coarser (harder) grains, which correspond to AA6061 and AA7075, was formed according to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Furthermore, the obtained composite subjected to AFSD in this work presents outstanding mechanical properties compared to other as-fabricated AA6061/AA7075 depositions acquired by other additive manufacturing methods along the horizontal building direction, with the ultimate tensile strength (266 MPa) being 89% of that of AA6061-T6 and the elongation 1.1 times that of AA7075-T6. The findings provide useful guidelines for the in situ preparation of Al-based composites and offer ideas for manufacturing high-strength heterostructures for large-scale practical engineering applications. Full article

Background/Objectives: Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli poses a significant global health challenge, as it leads to antimicrobial treatment failure and is associated with elevated mortality rates. The use of β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations offers an alternative approach for combating ESBL-producing bacteria. Ceftriaxone (CRO) and sulbactam have been coadministered in the clinical settings; however, discrepancies in their pharmacokinetics raise concerns regarding the rationality of this combination. Methods: This study was designed to investigate the postβ-lactamase inhibitor effect (PLIE) under both static and dynamic conditions, with the aim of supporting the clinical application of this combination. Results: The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CRO/SBT (2:1 ratio) against E. coli NCTC 13353 was determined to be 32/16 μg/mL. The PLIEs were determined to be −1.26, −0.57, and 0.37 h at CRO/SBT concentrations ranging from 1/2 MIC to 2 MIC, respectively. The results of CRO concentration, β-lactamase activity, bla_CTX-M-15 expression, and cell morphology collectively support that SBT exerts PLIEs and protects against the antibacterial activity of CRO. In the dynamic hollow-fiber infection model, CRO monotherapy showed no inhibitory effect on E. coli, whereas CRO/SBT combination therapy rapidly eliminated SBT, achieved comparable bactericidal effects, prolonged CRO exposure, and maintained low β-lactamase activity levels. Conclusions: In conclusion, CRO/SBT exerts an inhibitory effect on enzyme-producing strains by being able to produce PLIE to maintain the inhibition of β-lactamase. Full article

The liver and gut play a central role in modulating bile acid metabolism. Our recent study found that supplementation with sodium butyrate (NaB) from microbiota might slow diabetes progression and ameliorate liver function in diabetic mice. The role of NaB in the homeostasis of mitochondrial energy metabolism and bile acid metabolism needs to be investigated further, so this study was conducted by us. We used an ELISA kit to detect biochemical indicators related to mice; HE and PAS were used to stain and analyze tissues; CCK8 was used to detect cell viability; and WB was used to detect related indicators. We found here that NaB administration enormously reduced liver hypertrophy and steatosis in diabetic mice, improved liver and gut function and the release of inflammatory factors in diabetic mice, and ameliorated mitochondrial function both in vitro and in vivo. NaB incubation significantly increased bile acid metabolism-related receptors under diabetic conditions; the intracellular content of enzymes related to liver function was elevated within liver cells. Glucose transport proteins GLUT2 and NaB receptor GPR43 were upregulated by NaB on the cell membrane. The actuation of the intracellular signaling proteins PI3K, AKT, and GSK3 was inhibited by NaB under diabetic conditions. The present study proved that the microbiota metabolite NaB has positive effects on bile acid metabolic homeostasis by promoting mitochondrial energy metabolism in enterocytes and the liver, and the GPR43-PI3K-AKT-GSK3 signaling pathway should contribute to this effect. Full article

Infrastructure construction is a major contributor to carbon emissions, primarily due to the extensive use of mineral materials such as cement and aggregates, which release significant amounts of carbon dioxide during production and use. While existing research has predominantly centered on the applications of concrete, the present study extends the investigation to encompass inorganic–organic composites, alloy materials, and wastewater treatment systems, with particular attention to bridging the gap between theoretical potential and practical implementation. This study identifies China, the USA, and India as leaders in this field, attributing their progress to abundant material resources and sustained policy support. Key findings reveal that while geopolymers can fully replace cement, substitution rates of less than 50% are optimal for high-performance concrete to maintain structural integrity and decarbonization benefits. Aggregate replacements using materials such as air-cooled blast furnace slag show 50–100% feasibility. This review further highlights the multifunctional potential of red mud, rice husk ash, fly ash, and blast furnace slag as cement replacements, aggregates, reinforcers, catalysts, adsorbents, and composite fillers. However, challenges such as unstable raw material supply, lack of standardization, and insufficient international collaboration persist; these issues have often been overlooked in prior research and viable solutions have not been proposed. To address these barriers, a triple-objective framework is introduced in this study, integrating sustainable infrastructure, resource recycling, and environmental remediation, supported by optimized production processes and policy models from leading nations. Future research directions emphasize comprehensive life cycle assessments and enhanced global cooperation to bridge the divide between resource-rich and resource-scarce regions. By synthesizing cross-disciplinary applications and actionable solutions, this work advances the transition toward sustainable infrastructure systems. Full article

In this study, a scalable surface modification strategy for M2 high-speed steel was applied using multiple-pass friction stir processing (FSP) with overlapping ratios of 25%, 50%, and 75%. A comprehensive investigation of the microstructure, surface hardness, wear, and corrosion resistance was conducted to elucidate the properties of FSPed M2 as a function of the overlapping ratio. In the single-pass FSPed M2, the major phase was martensite and the minor phases included retained austenite where refined carbides (M₆C, M₂₃C₆, and MC) were detected. However, back-tempering occurred near the overlapped zone (OZ) between consecutive tracks for the multiple-pass FSPed M2. The martensite formed in the first pass was turned into tempered martensite by the thermal cycle from the subsequent pass. This back-tempering resulted in a localized decline in hardness from 900 to 650 HV_0.2. Further wear tests revealed that the wear rates of the tempered zone (TZ) of the multiple-pass FSPed M2 (FSP25%: 1.40 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N·m, FSP50%: 1.20 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N·m and FSP75%: 1.00 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N·m) are all higher than that of SZ of the single-pass FSPed M2 (0.75 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/N·m), indicating lower wear resistance of the TZ. Moreover, increased carbide content in the TZ led to the depletion of passivating elements near proximity of the tempered martensite, acting as the active sites for selective corrosion attack. The corrosion potential (E_corr) and corrosion current density (I_corr) increased significantly, with values of −397.6 ± 5.6 mV and 9.5 ± 0.8 μA·cm⁻² for FSP25%, −424.4 ± 6.0 mV and 14.7 ± 1.7 μA·cm⁻² for FSP50%, and −440.9 ± 2.8 mV and 17.1 ± 1.9 μA·cm⁻² for FSP75%. Full article

The column photobioreactor has become the predominant approach for carbon sequestration by microalgae in power plant settings, owing to its capacity for high-density cultivation and efficient light energy utilization. Due to the dense arrangement of the columnar photobioreactor and its height, insufficient light became one of the main factors limiting the carbon sequestration rate of microalgae growth. In this paper, a light resource optimization method of reflective baffle and top diffusing glass was proposed. When the angle of reflective baffle on the north and east walls was 35°, and the angle of reflective baffle on the west and south floors was 0°, the overall light radiation intensity of the reactor array became the largest, reaching up to 916.81 W/m², which was 14.39% higher than that before the optimization. The replacement of the top glass with diffusing material converted the direct radiation of solar radiation into scattered radiation. When the transmittance was 95% and the haze was 95%, the overall average light radiation intensity of the algal solution reached 830.93 W/m², which was an increase of 3.7%. Four new exhaust air distribution methods were proposed, in which the three-entrance staggered-arrangement type glasshouse had the lowest algal liquid temperature. Full article

With the global trend of green travel and demand for improving the quality of slow-moving systems in coastal cities, the optimization of the cycling system is crucial for improving the quality of the human environment. Based on the theory of “human–environment interaction” in habitat studies, the 22.15 km cycling route around Hengqin Island was studied considering the dimensions of energy flow, information interaction, and spatial–temporal utilization through field surveys, meteorological data analysis, and behavioral observation. The results showed that climate and topography significantly affect cyclists’ energy consumption and cycling efficiency, especially in hot and humid conditions in summer, greatly affecting the cycling experience. Meanwhile, the lack of a physical marking system and the disconnection of information transmission lead to difficulties in route selection, and there are significant time and seasonal variations in cycling behavior. Accordingly, microclimate adjustment, cultural symbol implantation, and flexible facility layout strategies are proposed to enhance the environmental comfort and information interaction efficiency of the cycling system. Full article

Photovoltaic–thermal (PVT) technology has attracted considerable attention for its ability to significantly improve solar energy conversion efficiency by simultaneously providing electricity and heat during the day. PVT technology serves a purpose in condensers and subcoolers for passive cooling in refrigeration systems at night. In our previous work, we proposed a switchable film-insulated photovoltaic–thermal–passive cooling (PVT-PC) module to address the structural incompatibility between diurnal and nocturnal modes. However, the performance of the proposed module strongly depends on two key design parameters: the structural height and the vacuum level of the air cushion. In this study, a numerical model of the proposed module is developed to examine the impact of design and meteorological parameters on its all-day performance. The results show that diurnal performance remains stable across different structural heights, while nocturnal passive cooling power shows strong dependence on vacuum level and structural height, achieving up to 103.73 W/m² at 10 mm height and 1500 Pa vacuum, which is comparable to unglazed PVT modules. Convective heat transfer enhancement, induced by changes in air cushion shape, is identified as the primary contributor to improved nocturnal cooling performance. Wind speed has minimal impact on electrical output but significantly enhances thermal efficiency and nocturnal convective cooling power, with a passive cooling power increase of up to 31.61%. In contrast, higher sky temperatures degrade nocturnal cooling performance due to diminished radiative exchange, despite improving diurnal thermal efficiency. These findings provide fundamental insights for optimizing the structural design and operational strategies of PVT-PC systems under varying environmental conditions. Full article

Emotions play a pivotal role in shaping human decision-making, behavior, and physiological well-being. Electroencephalography (EEG)-based emotion recognition offers promising avenues for real-time self-monitoring and affective computing applications. However, existing commercial solutions are often hindered by high costs, complicated deployment processes, and limited reliability in practical settings. To address these challenges, we propose a low-cost, self-adaptive wearable EEG system for emotion recognition through a hardware–algorithm co-design approach. The proposed system is a four-channel wireless EEG acquisition device supporting both dry and wet electrodes, with a component cost below USD 35. It features over 7 h of continuous operation, plug-and-play functionality, and modular expandability. At the algorithmic level, we introduce a self-supervised feature extraction framework that combines contrastive learning and masked prediction tasks, enabling robust emotional feature learning from a limited number of EEG channels with constrained signal quality. Our approach attains the highest performance of 60.2% accuracy and 59.4% Macro-F1 score on our proposed platform. Compared to conventional feature-based approaches, it demonstrates a maximum accuracy improvement of up to 20.4% using a multilayer perceptron classifier in our experiment. Full article

In this paper, an EML (electro-magnetic log) integrated navigation algorithm based on the HMM (hidden Markov model) and CNLKF (cross-noise linear Kalman filter) is proposed, which is suitable for SINS (strapdown inertial navigation system)/EML/GNSS (global navigation satellite system) integrated navigation systems for small or medium-sized AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle). The algorithm employs the following five techniques: ① the HMM-based pre-processing algorithm of EML data; ② the CNLKF-based fusion algorithm of SINS/EML information; ③ the MALKF (modified adaptive linear Kalman filter)-based algorithm of GNSS-based calibration; ④ the estimation algorithm of the current speed based on output from MALKF and GNSS; ⑤ the feedback correction of LKF (linear Kalman filter). The principle analysis of the algorithm, the modeling process, and the flow chart of the algorithm are given in this paper. The sea trial of a small-sized AUV shows that the endpoint positioning error of the proposed/traditional algorithm by this paper is 20.5 m/712.1 m. The speed of the water current could be relatively accurately estimated by the proposed algorithm. Therefore, the algorithm has the advantages of high accuracy, strong anti-interference ability (it can effectively shield the outliers of EML and GNSS), strong adaptability to complex environments, and high engineering practicality. In addition, compared with the traditional DVL (Doppler velocity log), EML has the advantages of great concealment, low cost, light weight, small size, and low power consumption. Full article

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are important bioelectrical signals widely used in brain activity studies, cognitive mechanism research, and the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. However, EEG signals are often influenced by various physiological artifacts, which can significantly affect data analysis and diagnosis. Recently, deep learning-based EEG denoising methods have exhibited unique advantages over traditional methods. Most existing methods mainly focus on identifying the characteristics of clean EEG signals to facilitate artifact removal; however, the potential to integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge, such as insights from artifact research, remains an area that requires further exploration. In this study, we developed DHCT-GAN, a new EEG denoising model, using a dual-branch hybrid network architecture. This model independently learns features from both clean EEG signals and artifact signals, then fuses this information through an adaptive gating network to generate denoised EEG signals that accurately preserve EEG signal features while effectively removing artifacts. We evaluated DHCT-GAN’s performance through waveform analysis, power spectral density (PSD) analysis, and six performance metrics. The results demonstrate that DHCT-GAN significantly outperforms recent state-of-the-art networks in removing various artifacts. Furthermore, ablation experiments revealed that the hybrid model surpasses single-branch models in artifact removal, underscoring the crucial role of artifact knowledge constraints in improving denoising effectiveness. Full article

The intestines are in a constant state of motion and self-renewal. The mechanical breakdown of food facilitates intestinal movement and aids digestion. It is believed that mechanical stimulation, triggered by changes in osmotic pressure within the intestines, plays a crucial role in regulating gastrointestinal motility. While TRPs and PIEZO1/2 have been identified as mechanosensitive ion channels involved in this process, there still exist numerous unidentified channels with similar properties. In this study, we demonstrate that the TMEM63B expressed in intestinal stem cells contributes to the regulation of intestinal motility and digestion. The deletion of TMEM63B in intestinal stem cells not only decelerates intestinal motility and impairs digestion but also attenuates the proliferation of intestinal stem cells and exacerbates DSS-induced colitis in mice. Collectively, our findings unveil the pivotal role of TMEM63B in governing optimal digestive function and modulating intestinal motility. Full article