Browse Articles

Association between hemoglobin glycation index and 28-day all-cause mortality in acute myocardial infarction patients: Analysis of the MIMIC-IV database

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) substantially fuels the worldwide escalation in both morbidity and mortality. The hemoglobin glycation index (HGI) is linked to a range of undesirable outcomes, but its relationship with short-term outcomes in AMI patients has not been explored. This study analyzed data from 1008 first-time ICU AMI patients in the MIMIC-IV 3.1 database. To calculate the HGI, a linear regression equation was developed based on fasting glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and patients were classified into four quartile groups. The main outcome of interest was 28-day ICU mortality, with the secondary outcome being 28-day in-hospital mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the Q1 group (low HGI) exhibited significantly higher mortality rates compared to the other groups. In a well-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model, low HGI was drastically linked with 28-day ICU mortality and 28-day in-hospital mortality. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis revealed a U-shaped association between HGI and outcome events, mainly characterized by a correlation between low HGI and poor outcomes. Subgroup studies revealed that the association between HGI and endpoints was constant across subgroups. Machine learning models, including Boruta and SHAP, confirmed HGI’s predictive value for short-term adverse outcomes. This shows that HGI could be a useful indicator of short-term mortality in AMI patients.

A reconfigurable piezo-ionotropic polymer membrane for sustainable multi-resonance acoustic sensing

Establishment of Drosophila intestinal cell lines as tools for multiomic screening and deciphering intestinal biology

Antimalarial and neuroprotective effects of ethanolic extracts of the five-flower remedy in an experimental cerebral malaria model

Cerebral malaria (CM), a life-threatening consequence of Plasmodium falciparum infection, is associated with a high fatality rate and long-term brain impairment in survivors. Despite advances in malaria treatment, effective therapies to mitigate the severe neurological consequences of CM remain limited. Consequently, novel antimalarial drugs with different mechanisms or neuroprotective advantages are urgently required. This study aimed to explore the potential antimalarial and neuroprotective properties of the five-flower remedy (FFR), a traditional herbal formulation, in experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). Male C57BL/6 mice were induced with Plasmodium berghei ANKA to establish the ECM model. The ethanolic extract of FFR (600 mg/kg) was assessed both as a monotherapy and in combination with artesunate and administered for seven consecutive days starting at the onset of CM symptoms. Parasitemia levels, clinical progression, behavioral changes, and histopathological analysis of brain tissue were analyzed. The results revealed that the ethanolic extract of FFR alone improved outcomes in ECM, while its combination with artesunate significantly reduced parasitemia levels (80%), increased survival rates, reduced neurological deficits, and mitigated brain inflammation and behavioral changes. Histological analysis revealed decreased brain hemorrhage, leukocyte infiltration, and neuronal apoptosis. These promising results suggest that combining artesunate with FFR extract could be a valuable additional treatment for CM. This combination not only improves survival rates but also helps protect the brain by reducing inflammation, neurological damage, and behavioral changes. Further studies are needed to elucidate its drug interaction, mechanisms of action and potential clinical applications.

Prediction of cellular morphology changes under perturbations with a transcriptome-guided diffusion model

Abstract Investigating cell morphology changes after perturbations using high-throughput image-based profiling is increasingly important for phenotypic drug discovery, including predicting mechanisms of action (MOA) and compound bioactivity. The vast space of chemical and genetic perturbations makes it impractical to explore all possibilities using conventional methods. Here we propose MorphDiff, a transcriptome-guided latent diffusion model that simulates high-fidelity cell morphological responses to perturbations. We demonstrate MorphDiff’s effectiveness on three large-scale datasets, including two drug perturbation and one genetic perturbation dataset, covering thousands of perturbations. Extensive benchmarking shows MorphDiff accurately predicts cell morphological changes under unseen perturbations. Additionally, MorphDiff enhances MOA retrieval, achieving an accuracy comparable to ground-truth morphology and outperforming baseline methods by 16.9% and 8.0%, respectively. This work highlights MorphDiff’s potential to accelerate phenotypic screening and improve MOA identification, making it a powerful tool in drug discovery.

Enhancing interior design and space planning via human–machine intelligent interaction for artistic cognition

Evaluation of flow control using PID versus fuzzy logic in an electropneumatic circuit for pulmonary ventilation applications

High-tech mechanical ventilators are engineered to deliver precise and consistent airflow, which is critical for effective respiratory therapy. This study evaluates flow control performance in a custom-built electro-pneumatic ventilator prototype, comparing Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control with Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC) through real-time experiments on a test-lung platform to assess accuracy and adaptability under dynamic conditions. A laboratory based experimental study was conducted under laboratory conditions, using a test lung simulator and real-time flow data acquisition. The analysis included time-domain performance metrics and statistical validation through Bland–Altman analysis. Results indicate that both controllers meet the accuracy thresholds expected in commercial systems. However, the fuzzy logic controller exhibited narrower limits of agreement and lower standard deviation, indicating greater consistency. While PID control responded faster, with a settling time between 0.32 and 0.43 seconds, FLC achieved superior performance in high-demand scenarios, delivering an entire volume of 900 mL. Stability analysis using the Jury Test and Nyquist criteria confirmed that both systems are dynamically stable. Notably, the FLC curve in the Nyquist plot remained farther from the critical point (–1, 0j), indicating enhanced robustness against disturbances. These findings suggest that FLC may offer a reliable alternative to PID in nonlinear ventilation scenarios, particularly in resource-constrained environments seeking technological autonomy.

Activation–retardation in sol–gel reactions for additive manufacturing of transparent poly(methylsilsesquioxane) aerogels

Compensatory retinal blood flow enhancement in cognitively normal ApoE ε4 carriers

Expression of Concern: ChainAgile: A framework for the improvement of Scrum Agile distributed software development based on blockchain

Backscattering in topological edge states despite time-reversal symmetry

Abstract Spin-momentum-locked edge states of quantum spin Hall insulators provide a compelling platform for spintronic applications, owing to their intrinsic protection against backscattering from non-magnetic disorder. This protection emerges from time-reversal symmetry, which pairs Kramers partners of helical edge modes with opposite spin and momentum, thereby strictly forbidding elastic single-particle backscattering within the pair. Yet, contrary to the idealized notion of linear edge bands, the non-monotonic dispersions of realistic materials can host multiple Kramers pairs, reintroducing backscattering channels between them without violating time-reversal symmetry. Here, we investigate inter-Kramers pair backscattering in the non-linear edge bands of the quantum spin Hall insulator indenene, highlighting a critical aspect of edge state stability. Using quasiparticle interference in scanning tunneling spectroscopy – a direct probe of backscattering – we observe intra-band coupling between different Kramers pairs, while energy regions with only a single Kramers pair remain strictly protected. Supported by theoretical analysis, our findings provide an unprecedented experimental demonstration of edge state backscattering fully consistent with their underlying topological protection. This insight has profound implications for numerous quantum spin Hall insulator candidates, emphasizing that the mere presence of gap-traversing edge modes does not inherently guarantee their protection against backscattering.

In situ synthesis of TiO2 nanofiller in preparation of carrageenan-based nanocomposites and its application in the adsorption of copper(ІI) from aqueous solution

Deep momentum networks with market trend dynamics

Time-series momentum (TSMOM) trading strategies manage positions based on the persistence of return trends. Although long short-term memory (LSTM) deep neural architectures can enhance TSMOM, their performance often deteriorates during abrupt market trend changes. This study aims to improve TSMOM performance, particularly at critical moments marked by significant shifts in long- and short-term trends. To achieve this, we combine short- and long-term signals into a comprehensive market-state representation, employing supervised learning to incorporate these market dynamics into the proposed model. In our experiments, we generate market-state features, referred to as MTDP scores, by numerically capturing changes in market trends via an extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) process. These MTDP scores are then applied within an LSTM-based trading strategy. A backtest on 99 continuous futures (1995–2021) demonstrates that incorporating MTDP scores enhances the Sharpe ratio, indicating the effectiveness of embedding market-state information in TSMOM. Notably, an 8-week fast momentum look-back window performed best over stable periods (1995–2019). However, during extreme market downturns, such as the COVID-19 crisis, a 20-week fast momentum window not only outperformed shorter windows (4- and 8-week signals) but also recovered more rapidly. These findings suggest that TSMOM strategies can benefit from dynamically adjusting fast momentum windows, consistently generating profitable opportunities even amid turbulent conditions.

Lattice-matched molecular-anchor design for high-performance perovskite quantum dot light-emitting diodes

The hypoperfusion intensity ratio associates with APOE gene polymorphism in acute ischemic stroke patients with large vessel occlusion

Epidemiological trends and projections to 2035 of hepatitis B burden in China, 1990–2021

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) remains a major cause of liver disease and premature death globally, with China bearing a significant share of the burden. However, long-term trends and future projections of HBV burden in China remain insufficiently described, despite widespread infant vaccination and expanded antiviral therapy. Methods We analyzed hepatitis B–related mortality, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) in China from 1990 to 2021 using data extracted from the GBD 2021 database. Temporal trends were quantified by estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). Results Between 1990 and 2021, the number of deaths from hepatitis B-related liver diseases in China increased from 215 thousand to 219 thousand (+1.83%), whereas the ASMR decreased from 23.86 per 100,000 to 10.68 (EAPC: −2.78). The disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) decreased from 7.78 million in 1990 to 6.61 million in 2021 (−15.04%), with the ASDR decreasing from 774 per 100,000–329 (EAPC: −3). Despite significant reductions in HBV mortality and DALYs, the growing burden of HBV-related liver cancer, particularly among older males, remains a critical concern. Targeted early screening and treatment strategies are urgently needed. Projections for 2035 indicate a continued decline in the overall burden of hepatitis B, with the liver cancer burden showing a fluctuating decrease. Conclusion Despite progress in HBV prevention and control, the increasing burden of hepatitis B–related liver cancer remains a major public health challenge.

Progressive changes in phenotype, transcriptome and proliferation capacity characterise continued maturation and migration of intestinal cDCs in homeostasis

Abstract Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are important antigen presenting cells which link innate and adaptive immunity by transferring antigenic information from peripheral organs to T cells in lymph nodes (LNs). However, despite their central function in the induction of adaptive immune responses, the kinetics and molecular regulation of the cDC life cycle and migration remain poorly understood. Using a variety of in vivo techniques, we examine the kinetics of cDC turnover in the intestine and address the molecular changes throughout the various stages of the cDC life cycle – from tissue entry and differentiation to CCR7 upregulation and subsequent migration into draining LNs. Our data demonstrate that the life cycle of gut cDCs is highly dynamic, characterised by continuous alterations in transcriptome, protein expression and proliferation rates. These progressive changes culminate in cDC homeostatic activation and migration resulting in a resource-intensive daily turnover of up to a quarter of intestinal cDCs and an almost complete daily replacement of the migratory cDC compartment in the mesenteric LN. This high turnover rate ensures that the mesenteric LN maintains an accurate reflection of the intestinal immunological state, supporting rapid adaptation to emerging immune challenges.

Comparative evaluation of impact-based and hybrid approaches for real time earthquake shaking prediction

Associations of self-reported hearing problems with long-term trajectories of mental and functional health in middle-aged and older adults: The role of self-perceptions of aging

Impaired hearing is a frequent stressful experience in later life. However, not all individuals affected by hearing problems exhibit restrictions in mental or functional health; there may be psychosocial resources that buffer the detrimental impact of impaired hearing to some extent. We investigate whether positive self-perceptions of aging (SPA, i. e. perceptions of more ongoing development and perceptions of less physical and social losses) do in fact constitute a compensatory resource and moderate between-person and within-person associations of self-reported hearing problems with trajectories of mental and functional health. Our sample comprised n = 9,705 participants in the German Ageing Survey (mean age = 62.41 years, SD = 11.58, range 40-93 years) who were assessed up to five times between 2008 and 2021. Based on longitudinal multilevel regression models, controlling for socio-demographic variables, hearing aid use, and chronic diseases, we found that individuals with overall more hearing problems reported poorer mental health. Moreover, with regard to the within-person associations, on measurement occasions when individuals reported more hearing problems, their mental and functional health was poorer. The association of more hearing problems with poorer functional health was weaker among individuals with lower perceptions of physical loss at baseline (i.e., year 2008). Among chronologically older adults, the association of more hearing problems with poorer functional health was weaker for those with higher perceptions of ongoing development at baseline. Our findings suggest that SPA related to fewer physical losses and to more ongoing development may buffer the negative impact of hearing problems on functional health.

Targeting ALDH16A1 mediated thioredoxin lysosomal degradation to enhance ferroptosis susceptibility in SMARCA4-deficient NSCLC