Browse Articles

Heterogeneity-optimized method for predicting immune checkpoint blockade response

Pregnancy outcomes following fluoroscopy-guided tubal recanalization: a comparison of spontaneous conception and intrauterine insemination—a retrospective cohort study

Abstract To evaluate and compare pregnancy outcomes following successful fluoroscopy-guided tubal recanalization (FGTR), focusing on spontaneous conception versus intrauterine insemination (IUI). This retrospective cohort study included 139 women aged 21–40 years who underwent FGTR for tubal occlusion between January 2021 and May 2024. After exclusions, 80 women attempted natural conception, and 59 underwent IUI with ovarian stimulation. Groups were compared in terms of clinical pregnancy rates, time to conception, and post-procedure tubal patency. Clinical pregnancy rates were similar between spontaneous conception (51.2%) and IUI (57.6%) groups (p = 0.976). Mean time to conception did not differ significantly (6.4 ± 2.8 vs. 5.9 ± 2 months, p = 0.360). No pregnancies occurred in women with bilateral distal obstruction, whereas proximal occlusions (unilateral or bilateral) were associated with higher pregnancy rates. Six-month follow up HSG demonstrated that bilateral tubal patency correlated with greater conception likelihood. In women with tubal factor infertility who achieve patency after FGTR, spontaneous conception and IUI yield comparable pregnancy outcomes and similar time to conception. Expectant management may be a cost-effective first-line approach, reserving IUI or IVF for cases without conception within a reasonable timeframe. The site of tubal obstruction and patency status should guide individualized post-FGTR fertility planning.

Psychometric validity of the Perceived Home Management Hassles Scale

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of CX stainless steel fabricated by selective laser melting

Study of the impact of citizens’ perceived behavioral control on waste littering behavior and the resulting environmental status

A deception detection model by using integrated LLM with emotion features

Interpretable AI-assisted diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer cytopathology using graph neural networks and knowledge graphs

Abstract This study presents an interpretable AI-assisted diagnostic approach for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cytopathology by combining graph neural networks (GNNs) with knowledge graphs (KGs). Routine cytology smears from 281 PTC cases were scanned, labeled, and processed using the Cascade RCNN model to detect pathological cell features, including 45,680 ground-glass nuclei, 712 nuclear grooves, and 116 intranuclear inclusions. By integrating GNNs, the model achieved a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 56.14% and a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.87. The GINet model further improved classification accuracy to 88.84%. Our approach also incorporates a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for querying KGs, providing explainable diagnostic outputs. This method offers an interpretable and reliable AI tool for PTC diagnosis, enhancing the transparency of AI-assisted pathology systems.

Improved optical characteristics of PEO polymer integrated with graphene oxide

The gut microbiome as a target in cancer immunotherapy: opportunities and challenges for drug development

Targeting neutrophils for cancer therapy

Hyaluronidase-enhanced subcutaneous delivery of bNAbs: a phase 1 randomized controlled clinical trial in HIV-uninfected women

Structural basis for HIV-1 capsid adaption to a deficiency in IP6 packaging

Abstract Inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) promotes HIV-1 assembly by stabilizing the immature Gag lattice and becomes enriched within virions, where it is required for mature capsid assembly. Previously, we identified Gag mutants that package little IP6 yet assemble particles, though they are non-infectious due to defective capsid formation. Here, we report a compensatory mutation, G225R, in the C-terminus of capsid protein (CA) that restores capsid assembly and infectivity in these IP6-deficient mutants. G225R also enhances in vitro assembly of CA into capsid-like particles at far lower IP6 concentrations than required for wild-type CA. CryoEM structures of G225R CA hexamers and lattices at 2.7 Å resolution reveal that the otherwise disordered C-terminus becomes structured, stabilizing hexamer-hexamer interfaces. Molecular dynamics simulations support this mechanism. These findings uncover how HIV-1 can adapt to IP6 deficiency and highlight a previously unrecognized structural role of the CA C-terminus, while offering tools for capsid-related studies.

Microbiome data integration via shared dictionary learning

Coagulation factor XII haploinsufficiency is protective against venous thromboembolism in a population-scale multidimensional analysis

CLADES: a hybrid NeuralODE-Gillespie approach for unveiling clonal cell fate and differentiation dynamics

Cryo-EM structures of CRAF/MEK1/14-3-3 complexes in autoinhibited and open-monomer states reveal features of RAF regulation

Abstract CRAF (RAF1) is one of three RAF-family kinases that initiate MAP kinase signaling in response to activated RAS and is essential for oncogenic signaling from mutant KRAS. Like BRAF, CRAF is regulated by 14-3-3 engagement and by intramolecular autoinhibitory interactions of its N-terminal regulatory region. Unlike BRAF, it is thought to require tyrosine phosphorylation in its N-terminal acidic (NtA) motif for full catalytic activation. Here we describe cryo-EM reconstructions of full-length CRAF in complex with MEK1 and a 14-3-3 dimer. These structures reveal a fully autoinhibited conformation analogous to that observed for BRAF and two “open monomer” states in which the inhibitory interactions of the CRD and 14-3-3 dimer are released or rearranged, but the kinase domain remains inactive. Structure-function studies of the NtA motif indicate that phosphorylation or acidic mutations in this segment increase catalytic activity by destabilizing the inactive conformation of the kinase domain. Collectively, these studies provide a structural foundation for understanding the shared and unique regulatory features of CRAF and will inform efforts to selectively block CRAF signaling in cancer.

Inverted temperature gradients in gold–palladium antenna-reactor nanoparticles

Abstract In addition to enhanced fields and possible charge transfer, the concentration of photothermal energy at the nanoscale is a central feature of plasmon-driven photochemistry. It is well known that light energy can be efficiently concentrated in metal nanoparticles to length scales far below the wavelength of light. Here we demonstrate that the energy absorbed by a gold nanoparticle can be further localized within a bimetallic gold-paladium nanoparticle system by the dissipation of energy into the attached palladium satellite nanoparticles. After pulsed excitation of the gold core, the satellites collect nearly all photothermal energy and heat up by 180 K while the light-absorbing gold core remains much colder. By comparing transient absorption dynamics of a series of bimetallic nanoparticles with a three-temperature model, we can precisely assess the temperatures of the electronic and vibrational subsystems. We find a strong inverted temperature gradient that opposes the direction of energy input and concentrates the light energy at the active catalytic nanosite.

The Notch ligand Jagged1 plays a dual role in cochlear hair cell regeneration

Near-global spawning strategies of large pelagic fish

Photonic terahertz phased array via selective excitation of nonlinear Pancharatnam-Berry elements

Abstract Phased arrays are crucial in various technologies, such as radar and wireless communications, due to their ability to precisely control and steer electromagnetic waves. This precise control improves signal processing and enhances imaging performance. However, extending phased arrays to the terahertz (THz) frequency range has proven challenging, especially for high-frequency operation, broadband performance, two-dimensional (2D) phase control with large antenna arrays, and flexible phase modulation. Here, we introduce a photonic platform to realize a THz phased array that bypasses the above challenges. Our method employs 2D phase coding with 2-bit across a broad THz frequency range from 0.8 to 1.4 THz. The core of our design is a pixelated nonlinear Pancharatnam-Berry (PB) metasurface driven by a spatially modulated femtosecond laser for selective excitation of the desired PB elements, allowing precise phase and wavefront control of the emitted THz signals. We showcase the effectiveness of our method through four proof-of-concept applications: single beamforming, dual beamforming, imaging, and vortex beam generation. The realized photonic platform provides a promising pathway for developing broadband phased arrays in the THz regime.