Browse Articles

Carotid intima media thickness, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and platelet to lymphocyte ratio in multiple sclerosis

Identifying risk factors of biliary tract cancers using a large Japanese regional insurance claims database

Directly replanting with GF296 extends the years of ratooning and yield in sugarcane

Stepping up: impact of health education on diabetic foot Self-Care in a Resource-Limited tertiary care setting

Abstract Up to 15% of patients with diabetes worldwide experience foot problems, which are the most frequent cause of their hospitalization. Proper foot care is essential to avoid these problems and enhance the patient’s quality of life. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a health education intervention on awareness and practice of foot self-care among diabetic patients. This study was conducted at the “Endocrinology Outpatient Clinic” of Tanta University Hospitals, Egypt. A hundred diabetic patients were recruited for the study and then divided into intervention and control groups. A baseline assessment of foot self-care awareness and practice was done for both groups using a structured questionnaire. The control group received their routine care provided by the clinic, while the intervention group received an additional health education program. All patients were reassessed after three months. In the intervention group, the total awareness score was improved from (9.49 ± 1.65) preprogram to (13.70 ± 2.37) post-program (p < 0.001). Also, the total score of practice was improved from (38.15 ± 6.30) preprogram to (53.47 ± 6.03) post-program (p < 0.001). The total score of awareness and practices revealed a significant positive correlation (r = 0.59). A large effect size was found for both after the intervention. The study demonstrated a notable lack of awareness and adherence to foot self-care measures among patients with diabetes, which were markedly improved after implementing a foot self-care educational program. So, a health education program must be incorporated as special sessions at outpatient clinics for patients with diabetes to lower the risk of diabetic foot problems in Egypt.

Cirsiliol alleviates experimental inflammatory bowel disease via restoration of intestinal barrier integrity and inhibition of NF-κB and MAPK pathways

Correction for Hoshikawa et al., Formation of giant ER sheets by pentadecanoic acid causes lipotoxicity in fission yeast

Ultrasound enhances the recycling process and mechanism of lithium from spent LiFePO4 batteries by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans

Abstract In this study, the ability of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans to oxidize Fe 2+ to Fe 3+ and recover battery black powder was investigated, establishing a system for leaching decommissioned lithium iron phosphate battery black powder from A. ferrooxidans . Black powder reduced the consumption of reagents and subsequent pressure for treating iron-bearing minerals using the iron source in waste LiFePO 4 batteries. This study used ultrasonic waves to remove impurities on the surface and cracks in battery black powder, hindering the dissolution layer and enhancing the leaching effect through a cavitation reaction and microbial activation to promote the leaching process. A filter bag experiment was designed using the selective permeability of filter bags to investigate whether the leaching mechanism of A. ferrooxidans lithium iron phosphate is contact or non-contact. Under optimal leaching conditions, the lithium leaching rate reached 99.7%, and the leaching time was reduced from 7 to 5 days, achieving efficient leaching of lithium. The filter bag experiment concluded that A. ferrooxidans leaching of lithium iron phosphate was mainly a contact leaching mechanism.

Singularity formation in 3D Euler equations with smooth initial data and boundary

A long-standing fundamental open problem in mathematical fluid dynamics and nonlinear partial differential equations is to determine whether solutions of the 3D incompressible Euler equations can develop a finite-time singularity from smooth, finite-energy initial data. Leonhard Euler introduced these equations in 1757 [L. Euler, Mémoires de l’Académie des Sci. de Berlin 11 , 274–315 (1757).], and they are closely linked to the Navier–Stokes equations and turbulence. While the general singularity formation problem remains unresolved, we review a recent computer-assisted proof of finite-time, nearly self-similar blowup for the 2D Boussinesq and 3D axisymmetric Euler equations in a smooth bounded domain with smooth initial data. The proof introduces a framework for (nearly) self-similar blowup, demonstrating the nonlinear stability of an approximate self-similar profile constructed numerically via the dynamical rescaling formulation.

Comprehensive safety analysis of adverse events associated with eptinezumab in migraine treatment

Distribution and abundance of microplastics in urban and industrial wastewater treatment plants in Tabriz metropolis

Lossy DICOM conversion may affect AI performance

Abstract Many pathologies have started to digitize their glass slides. To ensure long term accessibility, it is desirable to store them in the DICOM format. Currently, many scanners initially store the images in vendor-specific formats and only provide DICOM converters, with only a few producing DICOM directly. However, such a conversion is not lossless for all vendors, and in the case of MRXS files even overlapping tile handling differs. The resulting consequences have not yet been investigated. We converted MRXS files depicting bladder, ovarian and prostate tissue into DICOM images using the 3D Histech/Sysmex converter and an open-source tool both using baseline JPEG for the re-compression. After conversion no human perceptible differences were present between the images, nevertheless they were not identical and had structure similarity indices (SSIM) of ~ 0.85 to ~ 0.96 on average, while the vendor specific converter in general achieved higher values. AI models based on CNNs and current foundation models could distinguish between the original and the converted images in most cases with an accuracy of up to 99.5%. And already trained AI models showed significant performance differences between the image formats in five out of 64 scenarios, mainly when only little data was used during AI training. So, if DICOM images are intended for a diagnostic use, all processes and algorithms must be (re-)evaluated with the converted files, as images are not identical. Nevertheless, the DICOM format is an excellent opportunity to ensure interoperability in future, as some first AI trainings with converted files did not result in systematically decreased performances.

Metabolic alterations driven by LDHA in CD8 + T cells promote immune evasion and therapy resistance in NSCLC

A low-complexity M-shaped reconfigurable intelligent meta-surface for mitigating pathloss in wireless systems

Abstract Future 6G wireless communication systems require innovative solutions to overcome severe path loss, particularly in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands. This study presents a novel Low-Complexity M-shaped Reconfigurable Intelligent Metasurface (LCM-RIM) designed to mitigate path loss in indoor environments. The proposed LCM-RIM features a compact, single-layer unit cell based on a low-loss Rogers substrate, offering a lightweight and cost-effective design suitable for seamless integration into wall-mounted installations in office and conference room settings. Each unit cell incorporates an AlGaAs PIN diode, enabling control at high frequencies and facilitating 1-bit phase modulation with discrete phase shifts of $$0^\circ$$ and $$180^\circ$$ , operating at 24.12 GHz. This configuration supports passive beamforming with low hardware complexity and minimal power consumption. A $$32 \times 32$$ array configuration (1024 elements) with $$0.5\lambda$$ element spacing is used to enhance the gain. The LCM-RIM is employed to enable effective wavefront manipulation and ensure scalability for large-area coverage. To evaluate system-level performance, a numerical path loss model is developed by characterizing the angular gain profile of the LCM-RIM, which follows a Gaussian distribution across reflection angles. The model is validated using MATLAB simulations under various transmitter-receiver distances and angles of incidence. Results indicate that the LCM-RIM structure can enhance received signal strength by up to 15 dB in typical mmWave indoor scenarios. These findings underscore the potential of the proposed LCM-RIM design for practical deployment in future 6G networks, offering an efficient and scalable solution to address mmWave path loss in enclosed environments.

A directed greybox fuzzer for windows applications

Clinical outcomes of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant with different stem cell sources in infant acute myeloid leukemia

Thiostrepton induces apoptotic cell death at the level of BCL-2/CED-9 in C. elegans

Abstract Thiostrepton, a thiopeptide antibiotic, has been attracting increasing attention for its anti-proliferative and anti-cancer properties in various tested cell culture models. Extensive in vitro analysis has been conducted to understand its anti-cancer effect across multiple cancer types and cell lines, with numerous reports indicating that thiostrepton can inhibit cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth and induce apoptosis in vitro . On the other hand, the in vivo anti-tumor effect of thiostrepton remains elusive. In this study, we aimed to genetically and physiologically characterize the effects of thiostrepton on apoptosis induction in vivo using C. elegans . Our data demonstrate that thiostrepton induces apoptosis in C. elegans , and this apoptotic induction is independent of the genomic instability and is not related to p53 activity. Rather, the apoptotic cell death mediated by thiostrepton treatment occurs at the level of the BCL-2/CED-9 protein at the core apoptotic machinery. Furthermore, we have unlinked the high ROS (reactive oxygen species) induction reported in earlier in vitro studies from apoptosis induction upon thiostrepton treatment in C. elegans . Overall, our genetic data indicate that apoptosis induction mediated by thiostrepton occurs at the level of the core apoptotic machinery.

Different neutrophil extracellular trap related Ewing sarcoma subtypes exhibit distinct prognosis, and immune microenvironment characteristics

Explainable deep learning approaches for high precision early melanoma detection using dermoscopic images

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles alleviate phosphorus deficiency stress in apple plants

Abstract Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂NPs) can influence various physiological processes in plant tissues. Phosphorus (P) deficiency can cause severely impair growth which may lead to lethal damage to plants, such as apple trees. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of titanium in nanometric form, in alleviating the consequences of P deficiency. One-year-old MM106 apple rootstock plants were divided into two groups: one was subjected to phosphorus deficiency (-P), while the other received balanced fertilization (+ P). Both groups were sprayed with TiO₂NPs at concentrations of 0, 10, 50, and 100 mgL⁻¹, along with a normal TiO at 100 mgL⁻¹ The results showed that 10 mgL⁻¹ TiO₂NPs were the most effective at enhancing various physiological and growth parameters in -P plants. These included increased leaf cytokinin (CK) content (isopentyl adenine), chlorophyll levels, root fresh weight, root network area, root length in the 2–6 mm range, and surface area per cm². These improvements contributed to the increased uptake of phosphorus, iron, and copper, which are essential for chlorophyll synthesis. The interplay of these factors, along with increased CK levels, improved vegetative growth and mitigated the adverse effects of phosphorus deficiency.

Optimizing extracellular matrix for endothelial differentiation using a design of experiments approach