Browse Articles

Clinical presentation and outcomes in non-maltophilia Stenotrophomonas spp. bloodstream infections

Abstract Stenotrophomonas maltophilia complex is an important nosocomial cause of bacteraemia. The complex comprises multiple species, but their relative clinical and genomic significance remains unclear. We examined clinical and genomic differences between S. maltophilia and non- S. maltophilia species to better understand their virulence and implications for patient care. Hospitalized adult patients (≥ 21 years) between January 2022 and June 2024 with Stenotrophomonas species bacteraemia were examined. Clinical data were extracted from electronic medical records. Whole-genome sequencing was performed on all isolates, with species assignment confirmed by average nucleotide identity. S. maltophilia and non- S. maltophilia species were compared. Fifty-three S. maltophilia complex isolates were identified, of which 45 had clinical data. S. maltophilia predominated (n = 32), followed by S. pavanii (n = 7), S. sepilia (n = 4), S. muris (n = 1), and S. geniculata (n = 1). S. maltophilia isolates formed multiple clades with diverse sequence types, consistent with both clonal expansion and ongoing diversification. Virulence genes, including stmPr , smoR , and iron acquisition-associated genes were conserved across S. maltophilia lineages, but stmPr1 was less frequently observed in non- S. maltophilia . Most infections were line-related. Pneumonia-associated bacteraemia appeared more frequently among with S. maltophilia infections. Polymicrobial bacteraemia appeared more commonly in non- S. maltophilia infections. Mortality was similar between groups, but recurrence of infection within one year occurred only in S. maltophilia . Compared with non- S. maltophilia, S. maltophilia appeared to be associated with pneumonia and recurrent bacteraemia episodes, although mortality was similar. These exploratory findings suggest potential differences within the complex, but require validation in larger studies.

Value crucible for evaluating robustness of value attributed LLM response profiles via agent adversarial debates

Abstract Static benchmarks reveal what large language models (LLMs) output in isolated prompts but provide limited insight into whether value-attributed response profiles remain consistent during extended interactions. We introduce Value Crucible, a three-stage agent-based framework for evaluating the robustness of value-attributed responses under role conditioning and adversarial conversational pressure. Guided by Schwartz’s refined value theory as a standardized coding space and informed by Bardi and Goodwin’s dual-route account of value change as a design heuristic for conversational influence, we evaluate 11 mainstream LLMs across 10 social roles and 57 value scenarios. Value Crucible first elicits default assistant-persona and human-norm estimation profiles, then examines how role prompts reshape value-attributed responses, and finally uses self-confrontation debates to assess stance preservation after sustained challenge using the Stance Preservation Index (SPI). Across models, roles, and value dimensions, we observe differences in response robustness. Initially moderate ratings show greater post-debate movement than strongly endorsed or rejected ratings, a pattern that remains robust under mixed-effects and boundary-corrected analyses. Response shifts also exhibit circumplex-consistent trade-offs within the Schwartz-coded measurement space. By extending evaluation from static outputs to dynamic interactions, Value Crucible provides a scalable framework for identifying when value-attributed responses remain robust or become susceptible to conversational reframing.

Factors associated with loss of renal function in patients with polycystic kidney disease: a nationwide real-world data analysis

Abstract Factors associated with kidney failure in advanced autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) patients have not been fully examined. This study investigated the factors associated with kidney failure in these patients. Using national registry data from 2015 to 2021, we analyzed the decrease in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and related factors in 3562 ADPKD patients who met the intractable disease criteria in Japan and were followed for more than 3 years (mean age, 50 years; 51% males). The primary outcome was a ≥ 30% decrease in the eGFR, and factors associated with the decrease in the eGFR were analyzed. To identify risk factors, a Cox proportional hazards model and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis were performed. The estimated eGFR decline was − 3.17 (− 3.25, − 3.09) mL/min/1.73 m 2 /year, and the decline was greater in patients with higher proteinuria categories. Advanced CKD stage and proteinuria were strongly associated with the risk of a ≥ 30% decrease in eGFR. According to the Cox analyses, CKD stages G3a, G3b, and G4 had hazard ratios (HRs) for poor renal outcomes of 1.89 (1.40–2.56), 3.84 (2.92–5.04), and 7.23 (5.51–9.50), respectively, and proteinuria categories A2 and A3 had HRs of 1.66 (1.43–1.93) and 2.02 (1.71–2.40), respectively. The CART analysis suggested that CKD G4 patients aged < 60 years, those aged 60–68 years with proteinuria, and CKD G3b patients aged < 54 years with proteinuria had higher risks of ≥ 30% eGFR decline. In conclusion, our study suggested the utility of a CKD heatmap and the importance of controlling the levels of proteinuria in ADPKD patients.

Ultrasonication-assisted co-precipitation synthesis of ZnO, Fe2O3, and MnO2 nanoflowers for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

Palladacarboxamide Capping Reagents for Carbon Isotope Labeling and Pharmaceutical Diversification

ABSTRACT Radiolabeling of bioactive molecules is essential for elucidating their pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. Aryl carboxamides represent common constituents in a wide number of pharmaceuticals. Herein, we present a direct approach for the 14 C‐labeling of this functional group facilitated by organometallic carboxamide capping reagents, based on palladium. Near stoichiometric amounts of 14 CO are readily generated from a 14 CO surrogate and exploited to assemble a range of palladium oxidative addition complexes. When subjected to Suzuki cross‐coupling conditions with boronic acids or esters, structurally diverse high‐value aryl carboxamides can be accessed directly. The protocol's robustness is demonstrated by late‐stage modification of amine‐displaying small drug molecules with 14 C‐incorporation. Since the organometallic carboxamide complexes are air stable, this protocol provides a simple and direct means for carbon isotope labeling, which can easily be adapted to drug development programs.

The Adaboost and CFOA algorithms for implementation of prediction model in Anhui tourism brand based on multimodal data

Potassium‐Ligand Cooperation Facilitated Chemical Bond Activation and Catalytic Hydrogenation

ABSTRACT Replacing conventional transition metals with main‐group elements for chemical bond activation and catalysis is of increasing interest, yet alkali metals remain largely underexplored in this context. Herein, we introduce a new strategy for alkali metal‐mediated catalysis based on metal–ligand cooperation (MLC) driven by dearomatization–aromatization of the ligand. Potassium pincer complexes bearing dearomatized picolyl ligands were synthesized and shown to activate a variety of molecules, including CO 2 , CS 2 , phenyl iso(thio)cyanates, ketones, and H 2 , thereby enabling the design of alkali metal catalysis. Notably, a dearomatized potassium complex efficiently catalyzed the hydrogenation of ketones and C─C multiple bonds, reactions that remain challenging in alkali metal catalysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidated the electronic structures and bonding characteristics of the obtained complexes and provided mechanistic insight into the transformations. This work establishes a new paradigm in alkali metal chemistry and broadens the scope of MLC for bond activation and catalysis.

Measuring temperature and observing graphitization of heavy-ion-heated diamond

Abstract The graphitization of diamond is of significant interest for nanodiamond synthesis from laser-shocked hydrocarbons, for its use as a detector material, and for the application in diamond anvil cells. The transition can be triggered either locally through sufficiently rapid energy deposition, or thermally at temperatures above 1800 K. We report on an experiment in which a heavy-ion beam was used to volumetrically heat monocrystalline diamond, investigating the intermediate regime between these two competing mechanisms. Our sample is probed using x-ray radiation generated from a laser-driven titanium plasma. The ratio of elastic to inelastic scattering in backward direction allows for measuring the samples’ bulk temperature. We observe good agreement between the x-ray based technique and stopping power simulations up to $$\sim$$  2000 K. When increasing the heating further by fully stopping the ions in the target, we reach conditions where graphitization is predicted to occur. In this regime, elastic x-ray scattering is notably stronger than expected for pristine, heated diamond. Simultaneous x-ray diffraction measurements show a modification of the previously sharp diamond peaks in this range, which is also accompanied by changes in the optical properties of the sample. A thermally induced transition to graphite provides the most plausible explanation of the observations.

Prevalence of clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms in adult patients with hematological malignancies: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Adults treated for hematological malignancies may experience clinically significant posttraumatic stress symptoms during intensive treatment, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and survivorship. Previous estimates are heterogeneous, and self-report screening instruments do not establish a formal PTSD diagnosis. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of clinically significant PTSD symptoms based on self-report instruments in adult patients with hematological malignancies. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for English- and Polish-language studies published between 2015 and 2025. Eligible studies included adults with hematological malignancies and reported the number of patients exceeding a validated self-report PTSD symptom threshold. The primary analysis was restricted to independent usual-care or observational estimates. The intervention arm of a randomized trial and a partially overlapping secondary analysis were excluded from the primary model. Proportions were synthesized using a logit-transformed random-effects model with REML estimation and Hartung–Knapp adjustment. We report 95% confidence intervals (CI), 95% prediction intervals (PI), tau-squared, and I-squared. Six studies provided seven extractable estimates ( N  = 941). The primary analysis included five independent usual-care or observational estimates ( N  = 797; 128 screen-positive cases). The pooled prevalence of clinically significant PTSD symptoms was 17.9% (95% CI: 8.8–33.0%; 95% PI: 3.2–59.1%). Between-study heterogeneity was substantial (I² = 89.3%; τ² = 0.38). Sensitivity analyses yielded pooled estimates from 15.7% to 20.9%, depending on whether overlapping cohorts, intervention-derived estimates, combined randomized-trial arms, or the only PCL-5 study were included. Clinically significant PTSD symptoms may occur in a meaningful proportion of adults with hematological malignancies, but the estimate is imprecise and setting-dependent. The evidence is limited by a small number of studies, substantial heterogeneity, reliance on self-report screening instruments, non-independent estimates in the original evidence base, and variation in clinical context, assessment timing, and instrument thresholds. The pooled estimate should not be interpreted as the prevalence of clinically diagnosed PTSD.

Differential associations of dietary patterns with estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk in diabetes subtypes

Abstract Diet impacts cardiovascular disease risk, but the association across diabetes subtypes is unclear. We thus aimed to assess the association between dietary factors and estimated 10-year cardiovascular disease risk across diabetes subtypes in the German Diabetes Study (GDS). Participants with recent-onset diabetes and from the 5-year follow-up examination were combined (n=635, mean age 47.5±12.9 years, 60% male) and classified into diabetes subtypes. Subtypes with prevalence >10% were included in cross-sectional analyses: severe autoimmune diabetes (39%), mild obesity-related diabetes (31%), and mild age-related diabetes (30%). Carbohydrate quality parameters and adherence to dietary patterns were assessed from food frequency questionnaires. Differences in associations between these dietary factors and 10-year cardiovascular risk estimated by SCORE2-Diabetes across subtypes were examined using multivariable-adjusted linear regression models including an interaction term. In people with severe autoimmune diabetes, the overall and the healthful plant-based diet index were associated with lower estimated 10-year cardiovascular risk (ß [95% CI] -6.8 [-12.1; -1.2] and -8.8% [-14.0; -3.2] per 1-standard deviation increases, respectively), while these associations were not evident among the remaining two subtypes (p-value for interaction between subtypes <0.05). Our findings suggest subtype-specific associations of plant-based dietary patterns with estimated cardiovascular risk, warranting further research from longitudinal and intervention studies. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01055093

Enhanced YOLOv8n-based steel surface defect detection using adaptive threshold focal loss, swin transformer, and a high-resolution detection head

Plate assisted lengthening enables planned early external fixator removal in selected paediatric forearm deformities

Comparative lipidomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals distinct fatty acid utilization in T and B cells across mouse and human

Abstract Lipid metabolism is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of immune cell differentiation and function, yet the metabolic programs that distinguish closely related adaptive immune cell subsets remain incompletely defined. Here we demonstrate that T and B cells employ distinct fatty acid utilization strategies across species. Integrated lipidomic and transcriptomic analyses of mouse and human lymphocytes revealed enrichment of long-chain phospholipid species in T cells, including prominent increases in arachidonic acid–containing lipids, accompanied by elevated expression of fatty acid elongation–associated genes including Elovl5 . In contrast, B cells preferentially accumulated phospholipids with shorter and/or more unsaturated acyl chains, notably with consistent enrichment of eicosapentaenoic acid–containing lipids, together with increased expression of genes involved in fatty acid uptake, desaturation, and phospholipid remodeling, including Cd36 , Scd1 , and Lpgat1 . Acyl-chain pairing analyses further uncovered distinct organizational patterns in lipid assembly, and cross-species comparisons revealed both conserved features and marked species-specific divergence, highlighting shared metabolic principles in mouse and human lymphocytes. Our data indicate that differential fatty acid elongation, uptake, and remodeling programs shape lineage-specific lipid architectures and contribute to metabolic specialization in adaptive immune cells.

Optimizing human rabies prevention in Brazil through spatial prioritization and a One Health approach

Abstract Agricultural expansion and urbanization create fragmented landscapes that alter resources for wildlife. These changes influence populations of key pathogen reservoirs, affecting zoonotic disease risk. In the Neotropics, common vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) often benefit from fragmented areas where cattle pastures replace their native habitat with cattle acting as a food source and contributing to their population growth and geographic expansion. Because D. rotundus is a key reservoir of the rabies virus, understanding its distribution is essential for anticipating and mitigating rabies risk. We analyzed priority areas for rabies prevention across Brazil’s 5,570 municipalities using vulnerability, exposure, and hazard indicators, including D. rotundus potential distribution, human rabies cases, rabies in dogs and cats, and environmental and socioeconomic descriptors available from the Brazilian government and open datasets. Using spatial prioritization methods, we ranked municipalities to identify priority areas for prevention and control. From 2001 to 2024, an average of six human rabies cases occurred annually in 1.45% of municipalities ( N  = 81). For cats and dogs ( N  = 240), cases occurred in 122(2.19%) of municipalities, not overlapping with human cases. Priority areas included the municipalities of Ouricuri (Pernambuco), Viseu (Pará), and several cities in Maranhão, including those where no cases were reported. These findings can support targeted One Health interventions by identifying municipalities with elevated structural and historical susceptibility to rabies risk, supporting 2030 rabies-elimination goals.

Time‐Resolved Mapping of Interface Charge Transfer for Real‐Time Observation of Microscopic Chemical Reactions

ABSTRACT Real‐time monitoring of microscopic chemical reactions offers valuable insight into reaction mechanisms, intermediate species, and the reaction kinetics involved. Mainstream electrochemical and chromatographic techniques are often complex, low‐sensitivity, failing to capture transient phenomena or distinguish similar chemical species within the reaction, limiting their accessibility for real‐time and continuing monitoring. Here, high‐resolution interface charge transfer mapping (ICTM) generated by liquid–solid contact electrification is used in situ for continuously monitoring potential chemical changes in the reactions. As liquid reactants slide dropwise over time along an insulating reclined plane, the ICTMs along the sample trajectory over time are recorded and is used to analysis chemical changes within the reactions. By means of time‐resolved ICTM measurements at statically charged dielectric surface, we have probed the dynamic evolution of redox reactions, tracked the organocatalytic reactions, and evaluated the agglomeration state of metal catalysts with a time resolution on the scale of seconds.

Post-mortem RNA fragmentation and apoptosis marker gene expression in clinically relevant organs of the human body

Reengineering Protease Inhibitors to Disrupt Hsp70 Chaperone Function

ABSTRACT The heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) family consists of ATP‐driven molecular chaperones essential for maintaining protein homeostasis (proteostasis) across all cell types, however, modulation of chaperone activity by small molecules remains challenging. In bacteria, a major Hsp70 called DnaK represents a putative antibacterial target, as it plays essential roles in growth, antibiotic resistance, and stress response. While Hsp70 inhibitors are in development as potential cancer and neurodegenerative disease treatments in humans, we lack generalizable methods to target Hsp70s across species. Here, we address how peptidomimetic scaffolds designed to inhibit proteases, exemplified by the drug telaprevir, interact with two different bacterial DnaKs to disrupt chaperone function. We perform extensive structure‐function studies of telaprevir analogs against DnaK to inform the design of synthetic unnatural peptide sequences with a range of inhibitory potencies. X‐ray crystallography analysis of telaprevir and several synthetic peptidomimetics reveal interactions with DnaK's substrate binding domain via ligand side chain recognition reminiscent of that observed in protease active sites, but in two orientations. These co‐complexes inspire the synthesis of shorter peptidomimetics capable of allosterically inhibiting DnaK's ATPase activity. Overall, this work demonstrates that chemical scaffolds devised for protease inhibition may be modified to disrupt Hsp70 chaperone activities.

The effect of matrix morphology and Cu-coated SiC content on the mechanical and electrical properties of novel Cu–SiC composites

Stress alleviators improve root yield phytochemical composition and enzymatic activity in echinacea purpurea under drought

Chemical-induced colitis lowers mitochondrial bioenergetic function in colonic tissue with minimal impacts on the proteome

Abstract Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) is widely used to chemically-induce both colitis and colorectal cancer when administered alongside azoxymethane (AOM). DSS functions by disrupting the colonic epithelial barrier, triggering widespread inflammation within the colon. While DSS is a valuable tool for studying colitis-related diseases, its impact on mitochondrial bioenergetics and the proteomic landscape of colonic tissue remains poorly understood. To assess the chronic effects of DSS-induced colitis, we administered three rounds of 3% DSS in drinking water (5-day treatment periods) to C57BL/6 J mice and analyzed resected colonic tissue from DSS-treated and control (non-DSS treated) mice. Longitudinally opened colon segments were cleaned and subjected to high-resolution respirometry and mass spectrometry-based proteomic profiling. DSS treatment led to a global lowering of mitochondrial respiration, with the most pronounced impairments observed in complex I-supported respiration. Proteomic analysis revealed that these functional deficits occurred largely independently of changes in the mitochondrial proteome, except for an apparent upregulation of NIPSNAP1, a mitophagy-related protein. However, lentiviral knockdown of NIPSNAP1 in HCT116 cells did not rescue the observed bioenergetic defects, suggesting it is not the primary driver. Collectively, our findings show that DSS impairs mitochondrial respiration in the colon, most notably at complex I, without major alterations to the mitochondrial proteome. Given the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in various diseases, these effects should be carefully considered when using DSS-based models to study colitis pathophysiology.