Browse Articles

Biomechanical stability of five fixation techniques for pediatric distal radius metaphyseal-diaphyseal junction fractures: a finite element analysis

Dynamic stability is tied to gait assistance when walking with a hip exoskeleton

First-derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric method for simultaneous determination of dapagliflozin and sitagliptin in dosage forms and spiked human plasma

Abstract The co-administration of Dapagliflozin and Sitagliptin has attracted considerable interest in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus due to their complementary therapeutic effects. However, their simultaneous determination is analytically challenging because of the significant overlap in their native fluorescence spectra. In this study, a selective and sensitive first-derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric method was developed for the simultaneous determination of both drugs without prior separation. The proposed approach enabled efficient spectral resolution through zero-crossing points at 348 nm and 289 nm for dapagliflozin and sitagliptin, respectively, using a constant wavelength difference (Δλ = 30 nm). The method exhibited excellent linearity over the concentration ranges of 50–1000 ng/mL and 100–2000 ng/mL for dapagliflozin and sitagliptin, respectively, covering concentration levels relevant to their reported maximum plasma concentrations (Cmax), with low limits of detection (16.02 and 31.07 ng/mL, respectively), indicating high sensitivity. The proposed method demonstrated satisfactory accuracy (mean recoveries of 100.67% and 99.86%) and precision (%RSD < 2%). The method was successfully applied to the analysis of pharmaceutical dosage forms and spiked human plasma, showing reliable recoveries. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first validated spectrofluorimetric method for the simultaneous determination of these co-administered drugs, offering a simple, cost-effective, and efficient alternative to conventional analytical techniques.

Causal responsibility based explainable AI for vibrational spectroscopy applied to oral FTIR and oesophageal Raman diagnostics

Abstract Biomedical applications of vibrational spectroscopy increasingly use deep learning, but these models often give classifications without revealing which spectral features drive their decisions. We introduce Spec-ReX, a causal responsibility-based explainable AI method for vibrational spectroscopy, and compare it with the widely used explainability methods SHAP and Grad-CAM across synthetic spectra, biochemical mixtures, oral FTIR tissue spectra and oesophageal Raman tissue spectra. In a definitive in silico experiment with known discriminative peaks, Spec-ReX achieved the highest ground truth localisation, with an Intersection over Union of 0.10 and attribution concentration of 0.56, compared with 0.09 and 0.26 for the next best method. In an ambiguous in silico experiment, SHAP achieved the highest positive hit rate, while Spec-ReX was most robust to removal of low-importance regions, consistent with a sensitivity–specificity trade-off. In the in vitro biochemical experiment, Spec-ReX was again the most robust to removal of low-importance regions, while SHAP performed best when removing high-importance regions. In the ex vivo datasets, where no definitive attribution ground truth was available, the methods returned different and architecture-dependent attribution patterns. Overall, Spec-ReX provides sparse and specific model-causal responsibility maps for spectral classifiers. These explanations pertain to trained model behaviour rather than biological causality, and their clinical utility remains to be validated through user-centred studies.

Synthesis of Ag/TiO2 photocatalysts via direct photodeposition of silver from industrial electroplating wastewater

SSA(BBO)-optimized neural networks for remaining useful life estimation and health monitoring of lithium-ion batteries

Unsteady boundary-layer flow and radiative heat transfer over a deformable stretching cylinder with transpiration and slip: cross-validated Akbari-Ganji and finite-element solutions

“Uropathogens and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in urosepsis patients at kafr el sheikh University hospital: a cross-sectional study”

Abstract Urosepsis is a life-threatening consequence of urinary tract infections, often linked to obstruction, indwelling devices, and healthcare exposure. Increasing antimicrobial resistance among uropathogens complicates empirical therapy and adversely affects outcomes, making local surveillance essential for appropriate management. To determine the bacterial profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of urosepsis cases admitted to Kafr El-Sheikh University Hospital. This cross-sectional study included 168 patients with confirmed urosepsis admitted to the Urology Unit between February 2024 and October 2025. Urosepsis was defined by identical organisms in urine and blood cultures with systemic sepsis and a SOFA score of ≥ 2. Cultures were processed using standard microbiological methods, with identification confirmed by biochemical testing and ATR-FTIR. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby–Bauer method according to CLSI 2024 and verified by the BD Phoenix™ system. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and ESBL-producing organisms were identified using standard criteria. The mean age of the patients was 56.2 ± 15.6 years, and 70.8% were male. Catheter-associated infections were identified in all cases (100%), reflecting the healthcare-associated nature of this cohort, while renal abscesses were detected in 26.2%. Gram-negative organisms predominated (90.5%), with Escherichia coli being the most frequently isolated pathogen. Statistical analysis revealed no significant demographic or clinical predictors of antimicrobial resistance patterns ( p  > 0.05). Gram-negative isolates showed higher susceptibility to carbapenems and fluoroquinolones. ESBL-producing isolates accounted for 24.34% and were susceptible to carbapenems. MDR isolates comprised 27.63% and showed high resistance to cephalosporins, piperacillin-tazobactam, and carbapenems. All gram-positive isolates were fully sensitive to vancomycin and teicoplanin. Catheter-associated urosepsis is mainly caused by resistant gram-negative pathogens. The high prevalence of ESBL and MDR strains underscores the need for early culture-guided therapy and continuous local antimicrobial surveillance to optimize outcomes.

Cardiovascular impact of modern warfare: STEMI patterns before and during the Israel-Hamas conflict

Regional differences in foveal avascular zone morphology in cynomolgus macaques using a normative OCTA database

Abstract Cynomolgus macaques are widely used in preclinical ophthalmic research because of their close anatomical and physiological similarity to the human eye. However, the small cohort sizes typical of laboratory studies and the limited implementation of automated image analysis have restricted the availability of robust normative datasets. In particular, comprehensive reference values for foveal avascular zone (FAZ) measurements in laboratory cynomolgus monkeys remain scarce. To address this, an automated OCT/OCTA image-processing workflow was used to quantify FAZ morphology in healthy cynomolgus monkeys, including a deep learning-based OCT segmentation step followed by analysis of the corresponding OCTA data. The study also evaluated morphological variations as well as the influence of sex and geographical origin. The overall FAZ area measured 0.451 mm (range 0.132–0.820 mm 2 ), the perimeter 2.770 mm (range 1.569–3.795), aspect-ratio 0.959 mm (range 0.622–1.388), circularity 0.725 (range 0.517–0.847), solidity 0.944 mm (range 0.816–0.991 mm). Moreover, geographical origin significantly affects FAZ area and aspect-ratio. Establishing a normative FAZ reference database is essential for the accurate interpretation of structural and vascular changes in translational ocular research and provides a quantitative framework to distinguish physiological variability from treatment-related effects, thereby supporting safety assessment and efficacy evaluation in preclinical drug development.

Symptom network structure and its association with health-related quality of life in convalescent stroke survivors: a cross-sectional study

A photo elicitation study of fear of cancer recurrence and support needs among breast cancer survivors

A comparison of agreement between coaches and professional volleyball players on perceived training exertion in original and novel sRPE scales

Neuroprotective effect of intraperitoneal Humanin-G in retinal degeneration of Royal College of Surgeons rats

Abstract This study aimed to examine whether Humanin-G (HNG), a mitochondrial derived peptide with cytoprotective properties, could improve the retinal function and gene expression in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction and retinal degeneration. Starting at postnatal day 21, RCS rats received twice a week intraperitoneal injection of either Low Dose HNG (0.4 mg/kg), High Dose HNG (4 mg/kg), or sham-saline for 1 or 4 weeks. Visual function was tested with electroretinography (ERG) and optokinetic testing (OKT). Then the rats were euthanized for RNA, cDNA and Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis. The results showed that high dose HNG at 4 weeks after first injection (WAFI) was associated with the largest change in gene expression in the RPE and retina of treated animals, altering expression of genes involved in apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammation and retinal/RPE function. At 4 WAFI, ERG showed no difference between either low or high dose of HNG and sham injection, while the visual acuity tested by OKT in rats treated with high dose HNG showed significant improvement. Our findings suggested that HNG can modulate gene expression and improve vision. Further studies are warranted to show whether HNG may be a potential treatment for retinal degeneration diseases.

A lightweight, integrated generative AI assistant for accelerated early-stage drug discovery on constrained-resource hardware

Fishery variability across distinct habitat groups in the Indian exclusive economic zone and its teleconnections to large-scale climate drivers

Choroidal thickness postural changes in healthy young adults

Effect of acid pretreatment and extraction conditions on the yield and functional properties of gelatin from goat skin

TempoCross: instance-aware sparse representation for multimodal temporal fusion in 3D detection

Thermodynamic modeling and experimental analysis of reduction of iron and nickel from oxide nickel ore

Abstract This study presents the results of thermodynamic modeling and thermal analysis of the reduction roasting process of lateritic nickel ore using coke as a carbonaceous reductant. Thermodynamic modeling was performed using version 10.0 of the HSC Chemistry software package based on the minimization of Gibbs free energy under isobaric–isothermal conditions. To evaluate the thermodynamic stability of phases, predominance diagrams of the Fe-C-O, Ni-C-O, Si-C-O, and Mg-C-O systems were constructed, and the equilibrium phase composition was determined as a function of temperature and carbon consumption. The results showed that increasing temperature and carbon reducing potential promote the sequential reduction of iron-bearing phases according to the scheme Fe 2 O 3 → Fe 3 O 4 → FeO → Fe. The most favorable conditions for magnetite formation were observed within the temperature range of 700–900 °C at moderate carbon consumption, providing favorable conditions for subsequent magnetic beneficiation. At higher temperatures and elevated carbon consumption, the probability of fayalite (Fe 2 SiO 4 ), FeO, and metallic iron formation increases. Analysis of the Ni-C-O system demonstrated that the reduction of NiO to metallic nickel proceeds most intensively at temperatures of 900–1200 °C and carbon consumption above 0.6 kg. At the same time, the silicate phases CaSiO 3 , MgSiO 3 , and Mg 2 SiO 4 retain high thermodynamic stability within the investigated temperature range. To verify the thermodynamic modeling results, thermal analysis of the lateritic nickel ore–coke mixture was performed using the simultaneous thermal analysis method. TG–DTA–DTG analysis revealed the main physicochemical transformations associated with dehydration, destruction of hydrosilicate mineral structures, reduction of iron-bearing oxides, and partial melting of the material. It was established that the presence of coke shifts several thermal effects toward lower temperatures due to the enhancement of the reducing atmosphere. The formation of a magnetic phase after thermal treatment indicates the possibility of magnetite formation during reduction roasting. The obtained results confirm the potential of reduction roasting followed by magnetic separation for improving nickel recovery from lateritic nickel ore.