Search Results (5,571)

Background: The diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) remains a clinical challenge, with urine culture as the gold standard. In developing countries like Bosnia and Herzegovina, a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and frequent empirical treatment pose significant clinical challenges. Automated urine flow cytometry has emerged as a rapid tool to optimize diagnostic processes. Objectives:To determine the correlation of age, gender, and laboratory parameters—such as white blood cell (WBC) count, neutrophil count, and C-reactive protein (CRP)—with both urinary bacterial counts and urine culture results. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 200 adult patients (≥18 years) with symptoms suggestive of UTI at the University Clinical Center Tuzla. Data on age, gender, WBC, neutrophils, CRP, and urine flow cytometry (Sysmex UF-4000) were collected. Statistical analysis was performed using R software (version 4.5.1), utilizing logistic regression models via the ‘glm’ function to identify independent predictors, with statistical significance set at p< 0.05.Results: The mean age of the population was 68.61 ± 15.19 years. Logistic regression demonstrated that WBC count (OR = 1.06, p = 0.004), neutrophil count (OR = 1.04, p = 0.014), and patient age (OR = 1.03, p = 0.001) were significant independent predictors of UTI. Furthermore, patients with a urinary bacterial count >1200/μL had 83 times higher odds of a positive urine culture (OR = 83, 95% CI 32.25–200, p< 0.001). Conversely, CRP levels and gender were not significant predictors (p> 0.05). Conclusions: Patient age, WBC, and neutrophil counts are key factors for predicting UTIs. Integrating these parameters with urine flow cytometry bacterial counts can significantly enhance diagnostic accuracy and rapid screening in clinical practice. Full article

Protein kinases have key roles in cells as they regulate diverse signal transduction pathways. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling route modulates several processes, such as cell proliferation, cell programming, metabolic changes and stress responses. Within the group of proteins participating in this pathway, the MAPK kinase (MEK1) is a dimeric, 393-residue-long, dual-specificity protein kinase that phosphorylates both tyrosine and threonine residues. In this study, we explored the conformational changes occurring during the unfolding of MEK1, by using orthogonal biophysical techniques. Intrinsic fluorescence, extrinsic 8-anilinonapthalene-1-sulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and far-ultraviolet (UV) circular dichroism (CD) showed that the protein acquired a native-like conformation within a narrow pH range (8.0 to 9.0). Urea and guanidinium hydrochloride (GdmCl) denaturations followed by intrinsic and ANS fluorescence and far-UV CD, at pH 8.1, where the protein acquired a native-like conformation, showed that: (i) the apparent conformational stability of isolated MEK1 was low; and (ii) the unfolding occurred through the presence of intermediates. The presence of several unfolding intermediates was also evidenced through: (i) differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) in the absence of the ligand ATP; and (ii) unfolding simulations with the help of computational techniques based on constraint network analysis (CNA). We propose that the apparent low stability of this protein was related to its flexibility and modulates its ability to interact with diverse molecular partners. Full article

Conventional oxidative hair dyes rely on aromatic amines, raising concerns about human health and environmental safety. This study reports a natural hair-coloring system using size-controlled ink particles (SIPs, ~170 nm in diameter) from cuttlefish ink and chitosan. Because both SIPs and hair surfaces carry negative charges near neutral pH, original SIPs exhibited poor deposition onto hair. Polyelectrolyte complexation with chitosan reversed the SIP surface charge under acidic conditions (maximum ζ ≈ +41 mV at pH 2.4), enabling electrostatic deposition onto hair fibers. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed pH-responsive aggregation at pH 1.6–1.8 and redispersion at pH 2.8–4.3, while ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectra confirmed that the broadband absorption of melanin was preserved, consistent with predominantly noncovalent interactions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a particle-based composite coating on hair fibers. An optimal SIP:chitosan weight ratio of 10:1 at pH ~4.7 yielded the darkest and most uniform coloration (L* = 32.89, ΔE*_ab = 55.89) without metallic mordants, achieving darker coloration than representative plant-based natural colorants reported in the literature. These results demonstrate a marine-biomass-derived approach to natural black hair coloration with strong darkening performance. Full article

Polymer–liquid crystal (polymer–LC) composites enable electrically tunable optical modulation through the coupling of molecular anisotropy and polymer-induced stabilization. However, most dual-cell LC architectures that independently control absorption and scattering rely on four substrates and multiple independently driven electrode layers, resulting in increased fabrication complexity. In this work, a dual-cell polymer–LC device employing a simplified asymmetric electrode architecture is demonstrated to achieve independent control of absorption and scattering within a three-substrate configuration. The device integrates a dye-doped vertically aligned super-twisted nematic (DDVSTN) cell for absorption-based modulation and a reverse-mode polymer-stabilized cholesteric texture (PSCT) cell for electrically induced scattering. The PSCT layer is driven by interdigitated electrodes on the bottom substrate, while the DDVSTN layer is driven by vertical electric fields, preserving electrical decoupling between the two cells. Four distinct optical states—clear, tinted, private, and tinted-private—are achieved through selective voltage addressing. Spectral measurements confirm stable four-state optical modulation with transmittance varying from approximately 60% in the clear state to about 13% in the tinted-private state. The proposed architecture reduces electrode-layer complexity while maintaining independent optical control, providing a fabrication-efficient platform for smart window systems and polymer–LC photonic devices. Full article

Traditional wireless communication signals are often susceptible to physical obstructions and background noise in complex geographical environments or adverse weather conditions, hindering stable and reliable data transmission. Ultraviolet communication (UVC) offers a compelling solution; its unique scattering mechanism and low background noise characteristics facilitate robust communication under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions. At present, there remains a relative lack of comprehensive reviews spanning UVC, including fundamental theory, physical devices, channel models and networking technologies. This review synthesizes the current state of global research, providing a systematic overview of the background, advantages and application scenarios of UVC. It examines the hardware characteristics of light sources and detectors, evaluates NLOS scattering channel models, analyzes key signal processing techniques, including modulation/demodulation, coding/decoding and multiple-input multiple-output technology. Furthermore, this review conducts an in-depth analysis of multi-user networking protocols and three-dimensional topology control mechanisms. Finally, it identifies the prevailing technical challenges and outlines promising directions for future development. Full article

Recovering high-quality images from low-quality speckle patterns remains a core challenge in scattering imaging, especially under narrowband illumination with ambient light interference and broadband illumination. This paper proposes a dual-input synchronous transmission architecture: after Correction-Smoothing-Phase Optimization (CSPO) preprocessing, two data streams are parallel-fed into Phase-Aligned Coherent Summation (PACS) for efficient and high-precision reconstruction with adaptive fusion, breaking the single-path limitation of traditional methods and balancing imaging efficiency and quality. Additionally, an adaptive enhancement factor feedback mechanism is designed for Median-Unsharp Sharpening Enhancement (MUSE) to dynamically adjust Median Filtering (MF) and Unsharp Masking (USM) parameters, achieving adaptive balance between noise suppression and detail enhancement and improving robustness under extreme lighting. In PACS, a dynamic reference update mechanism is introduced, combined with fixed amplitude to realize iterative phase optimization, effectively suppressing speckle noise and boosting the signal-to-noise ratio of reconstructed images. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves favorable restoration performance even at a SNR of −8.7 dB under narrowband and broadband illumination with spectral bandwidths of 100 nm, 200 nm, and 280 nm (FWHM), and significantly improves image quality in unknown scattering media, showing great potential for robust speckle reconstruction. Full article

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disorder characterized by persistent airflow limitation and chronic airway inflammation. Current therapeutic strategies primarily offer symptomatic relief and are often limited by systemic side effects, inadequate lung deposition, and poor patient compliance. Naringin (NAR), a natural flavonoid with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fibrotic activities, has demonstrated potential in mitigating COPD-associated pathophysiology. However, its therapeutic application is restricted by poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and rapid metabolism. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, particularly poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles, provide an effective approach for lung-targeted therapy. Their nanoscale size promotes deep lung deposition, enhanced cellular uptake, reduced lung clearance, improved therapeutic efficacy, and reduced systemic side effects. The present study aimed to develop NAR-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (NAR PLGA NP) for enhanced cell-targeting in inflammatory lung conditions. NAR PLGA NP were prepared using the emulsion solvent evaporation method, with PLGA in the organic phase and soya lecithin (SL) with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as surfactants in the aqueous phase. A face-centered central composite design was employed to optimize the formulation. The optimized nanoparticles were characterized for size distribution by dynamic light scattering, entrapment efficiency, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and in vitro drug release. The safety of PLGA and lecithin-coated PLGA nanoparticles (LC PLGA NP) was assessed using an MTT assay on lung epithelial cells, followed by cellular uptake studies, angiogenesis by chick Yolk Sac Membrane (YSM) assay, and in vitro evaluation of reactive oxidative stress (ROS) and anti-inflammatory activity. The optimized PLGA formulation showed a hydrodynamic diameter of 201 ± 1 nm with PDI 0.20 ± 0.03 and EE of 76.11 ± 2.1%, and 81.7 ± 4.9% drug release at 72 h, whereas LC PLGA NP showed a hydrodynamic diameter of 308 ± 3 nm, PDI of 0.21 ± 0.05, entrapment efficiency of 82.45 ± 4.8%, and 71.4 ± 3.2% drug release at 72 h. Both PLGA NP and LC PLGA NP demonstrated good cytocompatibility with lung epithelial cells, efficient cellular uptake, and a significant reduction in intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels (**** p value < 0.0001). Moreover, the formulations markedly suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β, indicating anti-inflammatory activity. The angiogenesis assay further suggested their ability for lung tissue repair and remodeling. These findings support the potential of LC PLGA NP as a promising cell-specific targeting system for naringin in inflammatory lung conditions. Full article

Concerns about human exposure to micro- and nanoplastics (MNPLs), particularly nanoplastics (NPLs), have intensified in recent years. Consequently, there is a growing need for validated quantitative analytical methods capable of assessing NPLs in complex human biological matrices. Current approaches for NPL analysis are still limited by the absence of standardised protocols, difficulties in avoiding background contamination, and challenges associated with the selective identification and quantification of polymer-specific nanoparticles. Moreover, most common approaches for quantification by particle counting cannot be applied for NPLs < 500 nm. In this study, we developed and validated an analytical method for the detection and quantification of NPLs in human faeces. As an initial step, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesised using bottom-up methods and characterised by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). To optimise and assess the extraction, synthetic faeces were prepared and used in spiking experiments to avoid background contamination from plastics. Two digestion strategies were evaluated: (i) Fenton’s reagent followed by strong acid digestion, and (ii) alkaline digestion. Quantitative determination of polymer-specific NPLs was performed by size-exclusion liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry and atmospheric-pressure photoionization (SEC-APPI-HRMS). Polymer identification was based on characteristic monomer-loss patterns and Kendrick Mass Defect analysis. Fenton-based digestion showed superior performance, yielding recoveries about 55–66% for PE and 59–61% for PP. The validated method achieved limits of detection and quantification of 0.015 and 0.058 μg/kg for PE, and 0.025 and 0.083 μg/kg for PP, respectively. Precision, expressed as %RSD, was 10.1% for PE and 20.1% for PP. These results demonstrate that SEC-APPI-HRMS combined with Fenton-based digestion provides a sensitive and reliable approach for the quantification of polymer-specific NPLs in human faeces. The method represents an important advance for human biomonitoring studies and supports future research aimed at assessing human exposure and the potential health risks associated with nanoplastics. Full article

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂-NPs) are widely produced and persist in aquatic ecosystems, yet their indirect effects on host–microbe interactions remain poorly defined. By using zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a sentinel species, this study investigated the effects of subchronic 5 mg/L TiO₂-NP exposure. Dynamic light scattering was utilized to characterize the bimodal aggregates (peaks at 917 and 46,841 nm; surface charge: +22.08 mV) that define the environmental state of TiO₂-NPs. Parallel 16S rRNA metagenomic profiling on Day 6, prior to mortality, revealed profound gut dysbiosis. A marked increase in Chao1 richness (p < 0.01), alongside a catastrophic 333-fold reduction in beneficial Cetobacterium and an 856-fold enrichment of pathogenic Mycobacterium, was observed. Beta-diversity and hierarchical clustering analyses revealed a striking convergence between gut and gill microbial signatures, supporting a gut-to-gill translocation model. These results suggest that TiO₂-NPs exposure induces intestinal dysbiosis, facilitating opportunistic bacterial migration via internal (gut–blood–gill) or external (fecal–water–gill) pathways. This study identifies dysbiosis-driven secondary infection as a novel, overlooked mechanism of nanoparticle toxicity, necessitating a shift in ecological risk assessments toward host–microbe interactions. Full article

High-power 355 nm ultraviolet (UV) lasers, leveraging their short wavelength, high photon energy, and high absorption across a broad range of materials, have become indispensable light sources for precision manufacturing, semiconductor processing, and laser direct imaging (LDI). In this paper, we demonstrate a high-power 355 nm UV laser system based on a narrow-linewidth polarization-maintaining (PM) Yb-doped fiber laser and cascaded frequency conversion. A single-frequency semiconductor laser is employed as the seed source, with its spectral linewidth broadened to 0.32 nm (full width at half maximum, FWHM) via phase modulation to suppress stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). Through a PM master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) architecture, a maximum average output power of 899 W at 1064 nm is achieved with a beam quality factor of M² = 1.12 (M²_x = 1.11, M²_y = 1.13). By employing lithium triborate (LiB₃O₅, LBO) crystals for extracavity cascaded second-harmonic generation (SHG) and sum-frequency generation (SFG), a maximum green output power of 613.7 W at 532 nm is obtained, corresponding to a SHG conversion efficiency of 68.2%, and a maximum UV output power of 227.1 W at 355 nm is achieved, with a total conversion efficiency of 25.2%. At the maximum output power, the UV beam quality factors are M² = 1.16 (M²_x = 1.24 and M²_y = 1.09), and the power fluctuation is better than ±1.5% root-mean-square (RMS) over 8 h of continuous operation. These results indicate that the cascaded frequency conversion approach based on narrow-linewidth PM fiber lasers possesses the capability for further scaling to higher-power single-path high-brightness UV output and can provide high-brightness UV sources for applications such as flexible printed circuit (FPC) laser cutting, flat-panel display laser direct imaging, and semiconductor wafer scribing. Full article

High-precision environmental perception is essential for deep-sea exploration and autonomous underwater vehicle operations. However, physical factors such as light scattering and selective absorption, along with high target–background similarity, cause existing detection methods to suffer from low recall and inaccurate localization on targets with blurred edges, low contrast, or category ambiguity. To address these challenges, we propose YOLO-CAB, a YOLOv13-based underwater object detector designed to handle these complex scenes by optimizing feature extraction, boundary perception, and the loss function. First, we introduce the Context-Aware Large Selective Kernel (CALSK) module into the shallow backbone layers to expand the receptive field and adaptively enhance spatial features via multi-scale depthwise convolutions. Furthermore, the Spatial Boundary Attention Module (SBAM) is applied before the feature pyramid enters the detection head to refine multi-scale features and enhance sensitivity to target boundaries. To address the variance in detection difficulty across categories, we also develop the Momentum-based Category-Aware Weighted Intersection over Union (MCAWIoU) loss. Consequently, the proposed weighting mechanism improves localization accuracy and confidence distribution for challenging samples. Evaluated on the RUOD benchmark dataset, YOLO-CAB improves mean average precision ($mA{P}_{50}$) by 4.67%, the stricter localization metric ($mA{P}_{50-95}$) by 3.0%, and $F_1$ score by 3.7% over the vanilla YOLOv13n baseline. Ablation studies confirm the individual and synergistic contributions of these components. With 8.85 GFLOPs and an inference time of 5.21 ms under the tested hardware setting, YOLO-CAB improves detection accuracy while maintaining real-time inference. Full article

Objectives: Curcumin possesses well-documented anticancer activity; however, its clinical translation is hindered by poor aqueous solubility and limited bioavailability. The present study aimed to engineer pH-dependent bovine serum albumin (BSA)–based nanocarriers for curcumin delivery and to evaluate their physicochemical characteristics, controlled release behavior under gastrointestinal pH conditions, and in vitro anticancer efficacy against the human colon cancer cell line Colo-205. Methods: Curcumin-loaded bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (Cu-BSA-NPs) were fabricated using a desolvation technique followed by chemical crosslinking. Particle size, zeta potential, and polydispersity index (PDI) were assessed by dynamic light scattering. Morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while structural and thermal properties were evaluated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Drug loading capacity and entrapment efficiency were quantified spectrophotometrically. In vitro drug release was investigated using a gastrointestinal pH-transition model (pH 1.2, 6.8, and 7.4). Cytotoxic activity was assessed using the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay on Colo-205 cells. Results: The engineered Cu-BSA-NPs exhibited particle sizes ranging from 96.7 ± 10.5 to 126.4 ± 35.8 nm, with PDI values between 0.289 and 0.581 and zeta potentials from −18.2 ± 1.01 to −34 ± 1.0 mV, indicating nanoscale dimensions and moderate colloidal stability. SEM analysis revealed spherical nanoparticles with smooth surfaces and uniform morphology. Entrapment efficiency ranged from 6.59 ± 1.11% to 52.98 ± 0.65%, while drug loading efficiency varied between 1.308 ± 0.206% and 16.744 ± 0.266%. In vitro release studies demonstrated minimal drug release under acidic (pH 1.2) and near-neutral (pH 6.8) conditions, followed by significantly enhanced release at pH 7.4, confirming pH-dependent behavior of the albumin matrix. Cytotoxicity studies showed significant antiproliferative activity against Colo-205 human colon cancer cells. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate successful engineering of albumin-based nanocarriers capable of modulating curcumin release under physiologically relevant pH conditions and enhancing in vitro anticancer activity. Although limited to in vitro evaluation, this study highlights the potential of protein-based nanoplatforms as adaptable delivery systems for colon cancer therapy. Further in vivo investigations are warranted to validate their translational and therapeutic potential. Full article

As silicon photonics technology advances toward high-density integration scenarios—such as large-scale matrices, optical phased arrays, and optical neural networks—single-layer waveguide routing encounters severe topological challenges, rendering waveguide crossings indispensable fundamental components for constructing complex on-chip interconnect networks. As photonic hubs bridging distinct functional regions, the insertion loss, crosstalk, and bandwidth of these crossings directly dictate the signal integrity and transmission capacity of optical links. This paper systematically reviews recent research progress and key technologies concerning silicon-based waveguide crossings. Initially, the mechanism of scattering loss in direct crossings is elucidated, followed by a detailed examination of three mainstream design paradigms for loss mitigation: multimode interference (MMI) structures based on the self-imaging principle, adiabatic transformation structures relying on mode evolution, and medium engineering structures utilizing sub-wavelength gratings and metamaterials. Furthermore, the application of algorithm-driven inverse design in overcoming the constraints of traditional physical configurations is discussed. Crucially, addressing the urgent demand for ultra-high transmission capacity in the post-Moore era, this review highlights functional crossings capable of polarization division multiplexing (PDM) and mode division multiplexing (MDM), analyzing the design challenges and breakthroughs associated with multi-dimensional light field manipulation. Finally, this paper presents prospects for the future development trends of the waveguide crossing junction. Full article

The valorization of secondary biomass streams is an important step toward more resource-efficient biorefinery concepts and reduced dependence on fossil-based materials. In this study, agricultural and forest residues, namely Atlas cedar cones, mixed conifer cones, hazelnut shells, walnut shells, coffee silverskin, and cocoa shells, were investigated as feedstocks for producing colloidal lignin particles. Lignin-rich extracts were obtained by Organosolv pretreatment using 60 wt% aqueous ethanol, followed by particle formation through solvent shifting and purification by ultrafiltration. A particular novelty of this work is that highly different feedstocks were processed under identical Organosolv and solvent-shifting conditions, enabling a direct comparison of their suitability for colloidal lignin particle production within one consistent process route. The feedstocks differed markedly in extractive content and chemical profile, as shown by sequential Soxhlet extraction and qualitative GC-MS screening. Despite these differences in extract composition, solvent shifting yielded colloidal lignin particles with largely similar properties. Dynamic light scattering showed hydrodynamic diameters of 65–88 nm immediately after precipitation for all samples except cocoa shell, which formed strong agglomerates. The ultrafiltration step further introduced an industry-relevant downstream purification stage by removing most water-soluble low-molecular-weight compounds before product evaluation. After purification and redispersion, particle sizes ranged from 121 to 389 nm, indicating partial aggregation but overall successful recovery of stable colloidal dispersions. All purified particle suspensions exhibited comparable antioxidant activity in the FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) assay, ranging from 12.3 to 18.4 mg lignin per mg ascorbic acid equivalents. These results demonstrate that even chemically diverse biomass side streams can be converted into purified colloidal lignin suspensions with similar colloidal behavior and functional performance. The findings highlight the potential of low-value agricultural and forest residues as promising raw materials for lignin-based antioxidant and material applications. Full article

The design and study of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with improved catalytic properties is of great interest due to the wide range of applications, so the modification of the surface of nanoparticles by coating with organic functional groups, as well as the treatment of these coatings with a light beam, is investigated as a potential nanotechnological tool in this regard. We obtained fine gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) by the conventional method with pH adjustment and by green light irradiation of pristine gold–citrate nanoparticles. The physicochemical properties of these products were revealed by electron microscopy, dark-field optical microscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering and cyclic voltammetry. The phenomena at the interface between pristine colloidal nanoparticles and those exposed to green light with environmental fungi were analyzed at the level of the cellulolytic species of Chaetomium globosum, considering the final fate in the biosphere of gold nanoparticles used in the technical and biomedical fields. Measurements of fungal growth in the presence of 200 to 1000 µL/L of AuNP suspensions (or Au content of 0.098 to 0.49 µg/mL) provided semi-quantitative information on their nanotoxicity, focusing on the comparison between non-irradiated and green-light-exposed gold nanoparticles. Full article