Search Results (6,538)

Background and Objectives: S100A8 regulates inflammatory responses and immune cell activation and is overexpressed in several solid tumors. However, its clinicopathological significance in endometrial carcinoma (EC) remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the expression patterns of S100A8 in both tumor and immune cells of EC and examine its association with clinicopathological features. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded EC specimens were analyzed using tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry. S100A8 expression was assessed in tumor and immune cells. The tumor proportion score (TPS), tumor staining intensity (TI), and immune proportion score (IPS) were dichotomized into low and high categories (TPS/IPS: ≤30% vs. ≥31%; TI: 0–1+ vs. 2–3+). Correlations with clinicopathological parameters were examined using the chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: A low TPS, high TI, and high IPS were observed in 51.9%, 63.5%, and 57.7% of patients, respectively. TPS and TI showed no significant correlation with clinicopathological variables, including age, tumor size, invasion depth, histologic grade, T stage, and N stage (all p > 0.05). By contrast, IPS was significantly associated with patients’ age (p = 0.044) and histologic grade (p = 0.012), with older patients and those with higher-grade tumors demonstrating a higher IPS. A positive correlation was observed between TPS and IPS (p = 0.044), whereas TI did not correlate with IPS (p = 0.253). Conclusions: S100A8 expression in immune cells, but not in tumor cells, is associated with age and tumor grade in EC. Therefore, immune-related S100A8 expression may serve as a biomarker of the tumor immune microenvironment, warranting further investigation into its prognostic and therapeutic implications. Full article

This study explored the feasibility of noninvasive blood glucose (BG) estimation using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with dog blood samples. A sensor module employing three representative wavelengths (770 nm, 850 nm, and 970 nm) was tested on an artificial blood vessel (ABV) and a thin pig skin (TPS) model. BG concentrations were adjusted through dilution and enrichment with injection-grade water and glucose solution, and reference values were obtained from three commercial invasive glucometers. Correlations between NIR spectral responses and glucose variations were quantitatively evaluated using linear, multiple, partial least squares (PLS), logistic regression, regularized linear models, and multilayer perceptron (MLP) analysis. The results revealed distinct negative correlations at 850 nm and 970 nm, identifying these wavelengths as promising candidates for noninvasive glucose sensing. Furthermore, an NIR–glucose database generated from actual dog blood was established, which may serve as a valuable resource for the development of future noninvasive glucose monitoring systems. Full article

Background/Objectives: With the emergence of accessible and affordable next-generation sequencing platforms, pediatric oncologists are now accountable to diligently ascertain genetic causes of cancer, with an amenable opportunity to test for cancer predisposition syndromes. Methods: This study incorporates triangulated interviews of family members diagnosed with Li–Fraumeni syndrome through clinical TP53 testing. The interview content was coded using NVivo 10.0 software to determine psychosocial themes relevant to genetic testing, diagnosis, and surveillance. Results: Interview content revealed opportunities to apply social themes analogous to TP53 biologic language. Conclusions: This report models the systematic inclusion of patient, parent, and health care provider perspectives when testing individuals for familial cancer predisposition syndromes. Full article

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard preoperative intervention for early-stage breast cancer (BC). Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) has emerged as a critical tool for evaluating treatment response and pathological complete response (pCR) following NAC. Computational modeling offers a robust framework to simulate tumor growth dynamics and therapy response, leveraging patient-specific data to enhance predictive accuracy. Despite this potential, integrating imaging data with computational models for personalized treatment prediction remains underexplored. This case study presents a proof-of-concept prognostic tool that bridges oncology, radiology, and computational modeling by simulating BC behavior and predicting individualized NAC outcomes. Methods: CE-MRI scans, clinical assessments, and blood samples from three retrospective NAC patients were analyzed. Tumor growth was modeled using a system of partial differential equations (PDEs) within a reaction–diffusion mass transfer framework, incorporating patient-specific CE-MRI data. Tumor volumes measured pre- and post-treatment were compared with model predictions. A 20% error margin was applied to assess computational accuracy. Results: All cases were classified as true positive (TP), demonstrating the model’s capacity to predict tumor volume changes within the defined threshold, achieving 100% precision and sensitivity. Absolute differences between predicted and observed tumor volumes ranged from 0.07 to 0.33 cm³. Virtual biomarkers were employed to quantify novel metrics: the biological conversion coefficient ranged from 4 × 10⁻⁷ to 6 × 10⁻⁶ s^-1, while the pharmacodynamic efficiency coefficient ranged from 1 × 10⁻⁷ to 4 × 10⁻⁴ s^-1, reflecting intrinsic tumor biology and treatment effects, respectively. Conclusions: This approach demonstrates the feasibility of integrating CE-MRI and computational modeling to generate patient-specific treatment predictions. Preliminary model training on retrospective cohorts with matched BC subtypes and therapy regimens enabled accurate prediction of NAC outcomes. Future work will focus on model refinement, cohort expansion, and enhanced statistical validation to support broader clinical translation. Full article

In this study, aiming to determine the potential pollution risks to the soil foundation caused by permeable pavement after its operation, a fully permeable asphalt pavement system is constructed. Through an accelerated simulation of a three-year cumulative rainfall test, the cumulative characteristics of pollutants in the soil foundation of the permeable asphalt pavement were studied, and a risk assessment of heavy metal pollution was carried out. The results show that N and P pollution is relatively serious. TN and NH₄⁺-N decrease with the increase of the soil foundation depth (0–50 cm), and there is an obvious surface accumulation phenomenon. The average contents at a depth of 0–10 cm are 1219 mg/kg and 443 mg/kg, respectively. The content of TP first shows a decreasing trend and then an increasing one, and it faces the risks of surface accumulation and leaching loss in the middle and lower parts. Although the average contents of Cu, Pb and Zn at different depths all meet the requirements of the Soil Environmental Quality Standard (for agricultural land), they are all higher than the background values of soil elements in Jiangsu Province. Among them, Cu and Zn pose a considerable ecological risk to the environment, especially with serious enrichment in the surface layer. The above cumulative characteristics of pollutants in the fully permeable asphalt pavement provide reference value for extending the service life of the permeable pavement system. Full article

The Slit2/Robo signaling pathway acts as a tumor suppressor in various cancers. This study identified an 8-amino acid peptide, LT1-3, derived from the Slit2 LamG domain, and demonstrated its ability to inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation and invasion independently of Robo receptors. Notably, LT1-3 was non-toxic to normal cells (Beas-2B, MRC5, and HUVECs). Combination treatment of LT1-3 and cisplatin synergistically inhibited the proliferation of lung cancer cells (CL1-5, A549, H1355, H460, H23, H661), but had no inhibitory effect on H1299 and H1975. Furthermore, combination therapy prolonged the median survival of tumor-bearing immunodeficient nude mice from 27.5 days (control) to 37.5 days (LT1-3 or cisplatin) and further to 47.5 days (LT1-3/cisplatin combination). The tumor suppressor TP53 positively influences LT1-3-mediated proliferation inhibition, while MAPK8 (JNK1) and PRKACA (PKA) have been identified as negative regulators. With the exception of the p53R273 variants, most TP53 mutants retained their function in this context. The p53 reactivator APR-246 restores sensitivity of p53R273H-expressing cells to LT1-3. JNK inhibition sensitizes p53-deficient or p53R273H-expressing cells to LT1-3-mediated proliferation inhibition. LT1-3, alone or in combination with a JNK inhibitor, enhances cisplatin efficacy, even in the presence of p53 mutations. Therefore, LT1-3 possesses multifunctional antitumor properties, directly inhibiting tumor cells and enhancing the efficacy of cisplatin, without causing toxicity to normal cells. Combining LT1-3 with cisplatin holds promise as a first-line therapy for lung cancer, while LT1-3 alone may be suitable for maintenance therapy. Full article

The ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) is a region in the peripheral-most retina that displays ongoing retinogenesis during growth and expansion of the eye in adulthood. While there is evidence that this capacity also exists in birds and mammals, it is far more robust in fish and amphibians. The process of CMZ retinogenesis is essentially equivalent to that seen early in the central retina; however, its regulation is not fully understood. In a previous study, we attempted to uncover novel regulatory genes by using a forward genetics screen in zebrafish, looking for recessive CMZ mutants. One of the mutants found was called no marginal zone (nmz). The nmz mutant showed relatively normal central retina development, but a lack of cells in the CMZ by 5 days post fertilization (dpf). Mapping, genomic sequencing, and complementation analysis using a second mutant line (m863) isolated in another laboratory showed that a mutation in damage-specific DNA binding protein-1 (ddb-1) gene underlies the phenotype seen in nmz. BrdU labeling suggested that later expansion and differentiation of CMZ retinal progenitors is more affected by ddb-1 loss than the earlier process of stem cell asymmetric division. As was seen for the m863 mutant and in other studies with mice, one profound effect of ddb-1 loss in nmz was the upregulation in expression of tp53 and several of its downstream effectors. Several important genes important in CMZ retinogenesis are also downregulated in the nmz mutant. The change in gene expression would suggest that ddb-1 loss leads to increased cell cycle disruption and apoptosis at the expense of CMZ retinogenesis. While homozygosity is lethal, heterozygous fish appear to be completely normal in morphology, visual function, and behavior. Full article

Methane (CH₄) emissions are a major contributor to greenhouse gases and pose significant challenges to global climate mitigation efforts. The accurate determination of CH₄ concentrations via remote sensing is crucial for emission monitoring but remains impeded by surface spectral heterogeneity—notably albedo variations and land cover diversity. This study systematically assessed the sensitivity of three mainstream algorithms, namely, matched filter (MF), albedo-corrected reweighted-L1-matched filter (ACRWL1MF), and differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS), to surface type, albedo, and emission rate through high-fidelity simulation experiments, and proposed a dynamic regularized adaptive matched filter (DRAMF) algorithm. The experiments simulated airborne hyperspectral imagery from the Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) with known CH₄ concentrations over diverse surfaces (including vegetation, soil, and water) and controlled variations in albedo through the large-eddy simulation (LES) mode of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and the MODTRAN radiative transfer model. The results show the following: (1) MF and DOAS have higher true positive rates (TP > 90%) in high-reflectivity scenarios, but the problem of false positives is prominent (TN < 52%); ACRWL1MF significantly improves the true negative rate (TN = 95.9%) through albedo correction but lacks the ability to detect low concentrations of CH₄ (TP = 63.8%). (2) All algorithms perform better at high emission rates (1000 kg/h) than at low emission rates (500 kg/h), but ACRWL1MF performs more robustly in low-albedo scenarios. (3) The proposed DRAMF algorithm improves the F1 score (0.129) by about 180% compared to the MF and DOAS algorithms and improves TP value (81.4%) by about 128% compared to the ACRWL1MF algorithm through dynamic background updates and an iterative reweighting mechanism. In practical applications, the DRAMF algorithm can also effectively monitor plumes. This research indicates that algorithms should be selected considering the specific application scenario and provides a direction for technical improvements (e.g., deep learning model) for monitoring gas emission. Full article

Gelatin microparticles (GMPs) can load functional active substances, but they tend to redissolve in high-temperature aqueous solutions during food processing. In this study, a new loading system adapted to food processing and digestive environments was constructed through the crosslinking of tea polyphenols (TP) on GMPs. The effects of pH, temperature, and crosslinking time on the methylene blue (MB) retention rate in crosslinked gelatin microparticles (cGMPs) were investigated, resulting in optimized crosslinking conditions. Compared with GMPs, the surface of cGMPs was denser and smoother. ATR-FTIR results showed that the N–H groups were involved in the formation of hydrogen bonds during the crosslinking process. The crosslinking effect of TP significantly disrupted the triple-helical structure of gelatin. The melting temperature ($T_m$) of cGMPs is 147.79 °C, which is significantly higher than that of GMPs (87.11 °C), indicating a marked improvement in thermal stability. In high-temperature aqueous solutions, Folic acid-loaded cGMPs (FA-cGMPs) maintained morphological integrity for 2 h (at 40 °C) and 0.5 h (at 60 °C). In vitro digestion simulations revealed excellent sustained-release characteristics of FA-cGMPs, with a release rate of only 4.91% in simulated gastric fluid and 88.13% in simulated intestinal fluid. This study provides an ideal carrier with food processing stability and intestinal-targeted release capabilities for functional active substances. Full article

Blockchain technology, originally designed as a secure and immutable ledger, has expanded its applications across various domains. However, its scalability remains a fundamental bottleneck, limiting throughput, specifically Transactions Per Second (TPS) and increasing confirmation latency. Among the many proposed solutions, sharding has emerged as a promising Layer 1 approach by partitioning blockchain networks into smaller, parallelized components, significantly enhancing processing efficiency while maintaining decentralization and security. In this paper, we have conducted a systematic literature review, resulting in a comprehensive review of sharding. We provide a detailed comparative analysis of various sharding approaches and emerging AI-assisted sharding approaches, assessing their effectiveness in improving TPS and reducing latency. Notably, our review is the first to incorporate and examine the standardization efforts of the ITU-T and ETSI, with a particular focus on activities related to blockchain sharding. Integrating these standardization activities allows us to bridge the gap between academic research and practical standardization in blockchain sharding, thereby enhancing the relevance and applicability of our review. Additionally, we highlight the existing research gaps, discuss critical challenges such as security risks and inter-shard communication inefficiencies, and provide insightful future research directions. Our work serves as a foundational reference for researchers and practitioners aiming to optimize blockchain scalability through sharding, contributing to the development of more efficient, secure, and high-performance decentralized networks. Our comparative synthesis further highlights that while Bitcoin and Ethereum remain limited to 7–15 TPS with long confirmation delays, sharding-based systems such as Elastico and OmniLedger have reported significant throughput improvements, demonstrating sharding’s clear advantage over traditional Layer 1 enhancements. In contrast to other state-of-the-art scalability techniques such as block size modification, consensus optimization, and DAG-based architectures, sharding consistently achieves higher transaction throughput and lower latency, indicating its position as one of the most effective Layer 1 solutions for improving blockchain scalability. Full article

This work presents a bespoke, non-contact, and low-cost Phosphor Thermometry (PT) technique for the measurement of material absorptivity. The approach circumvents the challenges associated with traditional and intrusive calorimetric techniques, which require secure contact with the sample substrate. A thermographic phosphor (TP), Manganese-activated Magnesium Fluorogermanate (MFG), was used as a two-colour thermometer utilising the peak intensity ratio technique, enabling an empirical temperature measurement of a given Material Under Test (MUT). The system was calibrated to temperature across a dynamic range of $20$°C to $140$°C and subsequently assessed in terms of noise and relative sensitivity. A mathematical model describing the thermal behaviour of the samples was subsequently developed and used to infer the absorptivity value of the MUTs. Two paints, Black 3.0^® and Avian-B500^®, with known but contrasting absorptivities, were analysed, resulting in measured absorptivity values of $0.9385$ and $0.0651$ within a range of $0.0081$ and $0.0127$ for the two paints, respectively. Subsequent mixtures of both paints, with inherent unknown absorptivities, provided resolvable and incremental steps between the two extremities. Further measurements at specific narrow-band wavelengths of $600$nm and $1550$nm of Black 3.0^® were performed, yielding median absorptivity values of $0.9598$ and $0.9172$ within a range of $0.0168$ and $0.0396$, respectively, therefore demonstrating the technique for the measurement of material absorptivity at discrete wavelengths. The potential of a non-contact calorimetric PT technique could provide a scalable, non-intrusive, and low-cost solution for measuring the wavelength-dependent absorptivity values of materials that are used across engineering and research fields. Full article

Physics-based simulations of lithium-ion battery thermal runaway (TR) and thermal propagation (TP) enable the assessment of diverse temperature behaviors among individual cells. These behaviors are primarily driven by variations in thermal properties and the amount of heat released during thermal decomposition. However, given the inherent variability in thermal property measurements, the specific values adopted can lead to substantial differences in predicted temperature behavior. In this study, we developed a 1-dimensional TP model for an array of three prismatic lithium-ion battery cells, in consideration of the uncertainty of key thermal parameters including specific heat, thermal conductivity, activation energy, and the latent heat of the thermal decomposition reaction. The validity of the model and the identification of calibration parameters are ensured through comparison with experimentally measured temperatures. We evaluated the influence of these parameter variations on the temperature and thermal runaway behavior of each cell. Our findings indicate that the variation in thermal runaway timing increases with distance from the trigger cell, and the probability of thermal runaway in the end cell was significantly higher than in the center cell. A sensitivity analysis using a surrogate model revealed that cell temperature is more sensitive to variations in thermal conductivity and latent heat than to variations in specific heat and activation energy. Full article

Saline aquaculture tailwater challenges conventional constructed wetlands (CWs) with their limited phosphorus (P) removal capacity. To address this, iron-carbon constructed wetlands (IC-CWs) were developed and operated under four salinity gradients (0, 10, 20, and 30) for 155 days to investigate the effects of salinity on P removal and associated microbial mechanisms. The results showed that salinity critically influenced long-term P removal, with the system at salinity 20 (S20) achieving the highest total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency (78.80 ± 6.01%). Enhanced P removal was primarily attributed to the upregulation of phosphate transport genes (pstS, 14.25-fold increase) and elevated activity of key enzymes (AKP and ACP) in phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs). However, high salinity (30) suppressed microbial metabolic functions. Metagenomic analysis revealed that salinity stress reshaped microbial community structure, with Bacteroidota abundance increasing 10-fold in S20 compared to S0 (control). This phylum harbored the phnE gene, significantly promoting organic phosphorus mineralization. Additionally, iron release increased with rising salinity, and the relative abundance of the phnE gene in Bacteroidota was highest in the S20 group, indicating a close association between iron release and PAOs as well as organic P mineralization genes. The quadratic polynomial model revealed that iron release under high salinity followed nonlinear kinetics, with passivation layer rupture promoting iron-phosphorus precipitate desorption in later stages. These findings provide a theoretical basis for optimizing salinity parameters to enhance chemical-biological P removal synergy, offering a promising strategy for saline aquaculture wastewater treatment. Full article

Background: Identifying optimal housekeeping genes is essential to accurately quantify gene expression dynamics across the 18th day (male and female begin to pair) and the 23rd day (female begin to sex mature) post infection of Schistosoma japonicum, because this process involves selecting suitable housekeeping genes to ensure the reliability and accuracy of all subsequent expression analyses, thereby improving the precision of biological interpretations. Schistosoma japonicum transcriptomics reveals marked stage-dependent variation in candidate reference genes, which directly challenges the long-standing hypothesis that commonly recommended reference genes remain stably expressed throughout the 18th day and the 23rd day post-infection developmental phases and therefore emphasizes the critical need for careful selection and rigorous validation in any specific experimental context. Methods: In this study, seven widely reported genes (GAPDH, TUBA, ACTB, SOD1, TP, ND and PS) of Schistosoma japonicum were systematically validated by combining Solexa high-throughput sequence analysis with targeted qPCR experiments to identify the most suitable reference genes on the 18th day and the 23rd day post infection of Schistosoma japonicum, and the expression stability of these seven candidate genes was then comprehensively evaluated using four complementary algorithms—the ΔCT method and the GeNorm V3.5, BestKeeper, and NormFinder software applications. Results: GAPDH displayed the most consistent expression profiles, whereas TUBA exhibited the least stability, particularly at the specific time points of 18 and 23 days post infection in both paired and unpaired female Schistosoma japonicum. Conclusions: The suitability of any housekeeping gene is strongly dependent on the study’s specific context and experimental conditions. Therefore, the conclusions drawn here are explicitly limited to the developmental window of 18 and 23 days post infection. Rigorous, stage-specific validation is indispensable before reliable quantitative gene expression analyses can be performed. Full article

Echinacea polysaccharide (EPP) is one of the main active ingredients of Echinacea purpurea and has been shown to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-enhancing activities. The study investigated the effects of supplementing the diet with different doses of EPP on immunosuppressed broilers. A total of 180 one-day-old healthy broilers were randomly assigned to six groups, each with six replicates of five birds. C (control) and CTX (cyclophosphamide) groups received basal diet, while LLEP, LEP, MEP, and HEP groups were supplemented with 100, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg EPP. On day 7, group C was injected with saline for three consecutive days, whereas the remaining groups received cyclophosphamide (CTX, 80 mg/kg) to induce immunosuppression. Intestine, liver, and serum samples were collected on days 14 and 28 for analysis. The results showed that all EPP-supplemented groups exhibited improved growth performance compared to the CTX group, and the immune organ index increased. Specifically, the MEP group showed an improvement in jejunal morphology, and the LLEP and LEP groups improved ileal morphology. The EPP-added groups had improved ileal morphology The EPP-added group exhibited improved jejunal and ileal intestinal barriers, i.e., Occludin, Claudin1, Claudin2 and MUC2 at different time periods, as well as immune-related markers, at different time points. Furthermore, the MEP and HEP groups showed upregulated Nrf2 gene expressions in the jejunum and ileaum. EPP supplementation reduced MDA contents in serum, liver, and small intestine. The LLEP group effectively increased GSH-Px in serum and liver, while the MEP group effectively increased T-AOC in serum, liver, and small intestine. Meanwhile, compared to the CTX group, the MEP group showed increased ALB levels and all groups supplemented with EPP showed elevated TP levels. In conclusion, EPP ameliorated cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression in broilers, with the optimal effect observed at a supplementation level of 400 mg/kg (MEP group). Full article