Browse Articles

Efficacy of low-intensity focused ultrasound on endometrial regeneration after surgical abortion: a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Abstract Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has been shown to effectively enhance postpartum uterine involution and may facilitate endometrial regeneration. The study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of LIFU for endometrial regeneration after surgical abortion. We conducted a prospective multicentre randomised controlled trial in 14 clinical centres in China. 421 eligible participants at 6–10 gestational weeks seeking surgical abortion, randomly allocating 210 to the LIFU group and 211 to the control group. Participants in LIFU group received LIFU treatment for 30 min per day for 5 consecutive days plus routine post-abortion care, whereas control group received routine care alone. Endometrial thickness (mm), assessed by transvaginal ultrasound on postoperative days 21–25, was predefined as the primary outcome. 349 women (180 LIFU, 169 control) completed the trial. Both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol set (PPS) analyses were performed. The ITT analysis revealed significantly greater endometrial thickness in the LIFU group (8.23 ± 2.32 mm) compared to controls (7.54 ± 2.18 mm) at postoperative days 21–25 ( P  = 0.005). Adjustment for covariate confirmed this effect (β = 0.65 mm, P  = 0.003). Multivariate analysis indicated inverse association between preoperative gestational sac diameter and endometrial recovery (β = −0.06 per 1 mm increase, P  = 0.010), while total uterine diameter exhibited a positive association (β = 0.09 per 1 cm increase, P  = 0.015). No LIFU-related adverse events occurred during the three-month postabortion follow-up. This trial demonstrates that LIFU is an effective and well-tolerated non-pharmacological intervention to enhance endometrial recovery after surgical abortion. ChiCTR2300068608. Dated 24/2/2023 prospectively registered. ( https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=189346 )

Stability control of roadways under residual coal pillars in close-distance coal seams considering synclinal tectonic stress

Research measurement of building construction age and life time using drone mapping image indices

Inferring epidemiological parameters under an infectious phylogeography model with visitor dynamics

During an outbreak, infectious disease can spread among populations through host movement, potentially fueling local outbreaks with their own epidemiological dynamics. However, it is difficult to know how often infections between populations are transmitted by diseased travelers infecting healthy residents when abroad, rather than by diseased residents infecting healthy travelers, who later return home with the new pathogen. In this paper, we introduce a phylogeographic model where pathogens spread through visitor dynamics, whereby hosts visit other populations through short trips before returning home. To do so, we used the stationary properties of an epidemiological compartment model with visitor dynamics to construct an approximation that is statistically accurate and computationally tractable for phylogenetic modeling. In addition, we derive mathematical properties for the approximating model that provide a sufficient condition under which the approximation remains accurate. We applied our model to empirical infection data and travel statistics from the European SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Inference under our model suggests that, in the early stages of the outbreak, SARS-CoV-2 was more often “pulled” into the home countries of returning travelers than “pushed” into foreign countries by visitors from abroad. Estimates of host movement-related parameter values under our visitor model suggest that alternative migration models, with trips of indefinite length, may underestimate the magnitude of outbreaks caused by visitors. This study emphasizes the importance of carefully incorporating host movement dynamics into such models.

An extracellular polysaccharide from Aspergillus versicolor ameliorates palmitate-induced insulin resistance in HepG2 cells

Chemotactic self-organization captures the dynamics of mammalian hair follicle patterning

The spatial patterning of mammalian hair follicle precursors in embryonic skin is most commonly studied in the laboratory mouse ( Mus musculus ), where new follicles form equidistantly from preexisting ones in successive waves. This simple geometric rule has been effectively described as emerging from an expansion-induction process. However, such a description is incompatible with more recent developmental data indicating instead that scale, feather, and hair placodes self-organize through reaction–diffusion–chemotaxis cell interactions involving epidermal and dermal signaling. Here, we suggest that the chemotactic component of this framework suffices to describe the dynamics of placode insertion in two mammalian species that exhibit drastically different patterns. More specifically, we investigate a continuum dynamical model capturing interactions between motile dermal mesenchymal cells and an epidermal chemoattractant, embedded in a two-dimensional, isotropically expanding domain representing the growing embryonic skin. Through numerical simulations, mathematical analysis, and comparison to experimental developmental data, we first show that the chemotaxis model gives rise to the effective geometric rule that initially justified the development of the expansion-induction model in the laboratory mouse. Second, we show that the strikingly regular hair placode pattern in the spiny mouse ( Acomys dimidiatus )—with long-range order, specific orientation and anisotropies—is not generated by an expansion-induction mechanism, but is recapitulated by an anisotropic chemotaxis model combined with experimentally observed anisotropic growth. Overall, our findings reveal that variation in the chemotactic component of the corresponding self-organizational system might be a key determinant of interspecific differences in hair placode patterning dynamics and resulting spatial organizations.

Impact of land use on microplastic pollution in the Oman Gulf: Unveiling risk assessment

Abstract Microplastic (MP) particles have emerged as ubiquitous and persistent contaminants in aquatic environments worldwide, posing increasing ecological concerns due to their widespread distribution and potential impacts on ecosystem health. To assess their occurrence in the Oman Gulf, water and sediment samples were collected during the summer of 2024 and analyzed for MP contamination. MP concentrations in sediments ranged from 2 to 397 MPs/Kg dry weight (mean: 94 MPs/Kg dry weight) and in water from 1 to 275 MPs/m 3 (mean: 63 MPs/m 3 ), with the highest levels in urban and recreational areas. The highest abundances were observed in urban areas.The samples were analyzed using a two-step density-based separation method, acid digestion, visual counting under a microscope, Micro-Raman spectroscopy, and SEM-EDX analysis. MPs fibers were more common in the water, probably due to the use of fishing nets and clothing. In contrast, fragmented MPs dominated the sediments due to the use of various buckets, toys, packaging and bottles. White was the most common color in all samples, probably due to the widespread use of white clothing, fishing nets and the hulls of fishing and recreational boats among the people of the region. PP was the most common polymer detected in most areas due to its widespread use in packaging, textiles and various industries. PHI values for sediment samples are classified as category III. PHI values for water samples are classified as risk class III and II. PLI for the sediments and water are in risk class II - IV. PERI values for water samples are classified as risk class I - IV. In this study, urban and recreational areas were found to have high risks. Given these findings, it is essential to implement measures such as environmental regulations for plastic production and consumption, large-scale plastic separation and recycling, and promoting public education and awareness about the harmful effects of plastics.

Initial organization and progressive expansion of the math-responsive brain network during the first school years

The neural mechanisms by which the developing brain acquires higher mathematical concepts from elementary intuitions remain poorly understood. Through a large-scale longitudinal functional MRI study of children from preschool through first and second grade, we tracked how neural responses to mathematical and nonmathematical statements change in the first 2 y of formal schooling, and we used these data to evaluate several theories of developmental change. Before school, when listening to math statements, children already engaged an adult-like cortical network, with partial specialization for geometry. Over the first 2 y of school, we observed an overall increase in math-related activation, a small recruitment of additional neural territory, reduced activation for facts that get better known, and a small overall increase in the dimensionality of representational space. fMRI responses to individual sentences suggest that these mechanisms, particularly in left inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral intraparietal sulcus, all contribute to children’s growing mastery of mathematical concepts.

Enhancing variance estimation in adaptive cluster sampling using exponential estimators with auxiliary information for african hartebeest population

Fatty acid regulation and phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis are important for hepatitis E virus replication

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a leading cause of viral hepatitis globally, is associated with adverse outcomes during pregnancy. Despite its clinical significance, the mechanisms driving enhanced HEV replication during pregnancy remain poorly understood. In this study, we uncover a lipid-mediated pathway that facilitates HEV replication, with potential implications for pregnancy-associated pathogenesis. Lipidomic profiling reveals a marked upregulation of oleic acid during HEV infection in both human liver cells and in HEV-3ra-infected pregnant rabbits. We showed that oleic acid significantly enhances HEV replication, possibly through interaction with a predicted fatty acid–binding domain (FABD) located within the papain-like cysteine protease region of the HEV ORF1 polyprotein. We further demonstrated that phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) levels are elevated during HEV-3ra infection in pregnant rabbits, and that inhibition of PE biosynthesis by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockdown and silencing of phosphatidylserine decarboxylase/phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase genes that are responsible for PE synthesis resulted in decreased HEV replication, indicating that PE is important for HEV replication. Additionally, we found that placental lactogen hormone, which is elevated during late pregnancy, stimulated fatty acid accumulation and potentiated HEV replication, therefore providing a potential explanation for pregnancy-associated adverse outcomes. Collectively, our findings reveal an important role of host lipid metabolism in HEV replication and offer mechanistic insights into lipid-dependent enhancement of HEV replication and a potential role of lipid reprogramming in HEV pathogenesis. The results may inform potential future anti-HEV therapeutic strategies targeting lipid pathways.

Quantitative evaluation of iodine detectability in contrast-enhanced mammography using an anthropomorphic phantom

Abstract Repeatable and standardized quantitative assessment of diagnostic image quality in contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) is limited by the absence of realistic pseudo-anthropomorphic phantoms. We extended the L2 phantom mimicking realistic anatomical noise by integrating a plate containing 3D-printed iodine inserts of varying areal densities and diameters, enabling systematic evaluation of iodine detectability with a structured background. A key feature of the L2 phantom is the possibility to generate different background patterns by agitating the phantom. CEM images were acquired on a Siemens Mammomat Revelation system at 28 kV in TiCEM dual-energy mode with automatic exposure control. 8 readers participated in a Four-Alternative Forced Choice (4AFC) study with 12 independent acquisitions per condition, each performed after gentle phantom agitation to generate unique background configurations. Psychometric functions were fitted for each reader to determine detection thresholds set at 62.5% correct readings as a function of both cylinder diameter and iodine concentration. Detectability improved with increasing iodine content and cylinder size. Intra- and inter-reader variability decreased with higher signal conspicuity, and geometric distortion was negligible ( $$\approx 0.4\%$$ ). As a proof-of-concept study, the thresholds determined provide quantitative benchmarks for phantom-based comparison of CEM acquisition protocols and technical performance assessment on the investigated system. Overall, the L2 phantom with the added iodine contrast detail plate, combined with the 4AFC framework, offers a promising tool for evaluating image quality and assessing iodine detectability in CEM under controlled phantom conditions.

Nitrogen–TOR targets a bivalent chromatin reader to modulate floral transition

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient vital for plant health and productivity. How plants integrate nutrient signals and epigenome dynamics to modulate transcription and developmental transition remains largely unknown. Here, we uncover the crucial role of EARLY BOLTING IN SHORT DAYS (EBS) homeostasis in controlling floral transitions in response to nitrogen deficiency. EBS, a bivalent histone reader capable of recognizing both H3K27me3 and H3K4me3 histone marks, can switch its binding preference to regulate the vegetative-to-reproductive transition. We demonstrate that nitrogen and Target of Rapamycin (TOR) signaling regulate EBS protein abundance through a direct TOR–EBS interaction. TOR phosphorylates EBS at the S195 and S196 residues, which promotes EBS stability and represses the transcription of FT and other flowering genes, thereby preventing premature floral transition. Collectively, this study identifies EBS as a direct substrate of TOR and reveals a mechanistic link between nutrient signaling, epigenome dynamics, and plant developmental transition. Our findings provide important insights into complex nutrient–TOR–chromatin interplays and highlight the intricate mechanisms by which plants adapt their growth and developmental processes based on nutrient availability.

An experimental study of multi-response optimization for drilling performance in WAAM-fabricated aluminum using RSM and intuitionistic fuzzy MARCOS

The TaMYB55–TaSnRK1α1–TabZIP9 module confers heat stress tolerance in wheat

Heat stress poses a severe threat to global crop yields and food security. Here, we demonstrate that TaSnRK1α1, the α-catalytic subunit of sucrose non-fermenting-1-related kinase 1, serves as a pivotal regulator that confers thermotolerance and enhances grain weight in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.). The findings reveal that TaMYB55 directly binds to the TaSnRK1α1 promoter to activate its expression, which positively contributes to heat tolerance in wheat. An A-to-G substitution in the TaSnRK1α1 promoter enhances the binding affinity of TaMYB55, which cosegregates with wheat thermotolerant phenotypes. In addition, we show that TaSnRK1α1 interacts with and phosphorylates the transcription factor TabZIP9, which subsequently promotes TabZIP9 degradation. Genetic analyses confirm that TaSnRK1α1 functions upstream of TabZIP9, and loss or gain-of-function of TabZIP9 significantly alters thermotolerance in wheat by modulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis and scavenging capacity. Together, our findings shed light on the importance of the TaMYB55–TaSnRK1α1–TabZIP9 signaling module in the regulation of heat tolerance, providing practical strategies for engineering climate-tolerant crops.

MIL-100(Fe)-Magnetite-Chitosan nanocomposite for targeted EPR delivery: synthesis, characterization, and DFT insights

Abstract Developing advanced chemotherapeutic drug delivery systems (DDS) is critical for expanding the therapeutic index and reducing the off-target toxicity of potent anticancer agents. In this study, a novel multifunctional nanocomposite, CS/M/MIL, was engineered by integrating magnetite (M) nanoparticles and chitosan (CS) into a metal–organic framework (MOF), MIL-100(Fe), using a modified hydrothermal method. This platform was utilized to encapsulate the anticancer drug epirubicin (EPR), achieving a remarkably high drug entrapment efficiency (EE) of 89.4%. Physicochemical characterization, including XRD and SEM, confirmed successful composite formation and structural integrity, with the modified CS/M/MIL showing a particle size increase to approximately 400 nm compared to the pristine MOF. Textural analysis revealed a transition from a highly microporous structure (BET surface area: 1804.68 m 2 /g) to a hierarchical macroporous architecture (50.95 m 2 /g) following functionalization. In vitro release kinetics demonstrated a pH-responsive behavior, with significantly accelerated drug release in acidic conditions (pH 5.0) simulating the acidic endo/lysosomal compartments. Biological evaluations against MCF-7 breast cancer cells revealed that the EPR-loaded nanocomposite significantly enhanced therapeutic efficacy, yielding an IC 50 value of 7.57 µg/mL. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis confirmed that the system promotes substantial apoptosis (31.66%) and induces G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. The significance and novelty of this work lie in the synergistic integration of magnetic responsiveness, biocompatible polymeric coating, and high-porosity MOF architecture into a single platform. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) calculations provided unique mechanistic insights, identifying Fe 3+ coordination and hydrogen bonding as the primary drivers for the high affinity between EPR and the nanocarrier. These findings position CS/M/MIL as a superior, targeted carrier for anthracycline-type drugs, offering a pathway to improved clinical outcomes with reduced systemic side effects.

Granulosa cell glycogen fuels the avascular corpus luteum

The corpus luteum (CL) arises from the luteinization of granulosa cells (GCs) and theca cells, marked by rapid progesterone elevation and angiogenesis. Intriguingly, angiogenesis lags behind progesterone elevation, creating an avascular phase during which luteal cells must fuel intensive steroidogenesis without perfusion. How the avascular CL meets this energetic demand remains a mystery. Here, we reveal a cellular adaptive mechanism—granulosa cell energy storage (GCES)—that resolves this enigma. We demonstrate that upon luteinization initiation, GCs enter a metabolically quiescent state yet enhance glucose uptake, converting the glucose into glycogen. Catabolism of this glycogen reserve supplies the energy required for the avascular CL, ensuring normal luteogenesis. Disruption of GCES induces luteal insufficiency, whereas timely glucose administration enhances GCES, improving luteal function and optimizing reproductive outcome in both mouse and ovine models. In human study, oral intake of glucose post-hCG significantly augments GCES and enhances progesterone production. These results advance our understanding of luteinization.

PFA-Net: a physics-informed feature enhancement and attention network for interpretable bearing fault diagnosis under strong noise

Superstatistics approach to turbulent circulation fluctuations

Recent investigations of turbulent circulation fluctuations have uncovered substantial insights into the statistical organization of flow structures and revealed unexpected geometric features of turbulent intermittency. Of particular interest here is the observation that circulation probability distribution functions admit a superstatistical representation, namely a description based on “ensembles of Boltzmann”Gibbs ensembles.” A fundamental phenomenological ingredient of this approach, which serves as a natural starting point for modeling, relies on the strong correlation between the dissipation field and the spatial distribution of elementary circulation-carrying structures, i.e., small-scale vortices. Within the language of superstatistics, this corresponds to characterizing circulation statistics through an appropriate choice of conditioned (Boltzmann-like) distributions and mixing distributions. We show that the superstatistical class of q -exponentials, known to have broad applicability in a wide range of multiscale and nonequilibrium systems, provides an accurate description of the observed circulation statistics in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence. This finding opens avenues for exploring the statistical structure of the turbulent cascade in the context of nonextensive statistical mechanics, rooted in the concept of nonadditive entropies.

The Salas y Gomez and Nazca Ridges EBSA support a highly functional diversity of seabirds

Pierre Chambon, a pioneer of molecular biology and gene regulation in eukaryotes

The scientific world has lost one of its great architects with the passing of Pierre Chambon, a visionary French scientist, institution builder, and demanding yet inspiring mentor. He provided major insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing gene expression and hormonal regulation that transformed modern biology and medicine. In addition, he developed groundbreaking mouse genetic techniques, and established Strasbourg as a leading European center for life sciences research. His death on May 5, 2026, at the age of 95, marks the end of an extraordinary era in science, yet his intellectual legacy will continue to shape generations of researchers across the world.