Browse Articles

Introducing novel arc cosine-$$\Psi$$ class of distribution with theory and data evaluation related to coronavirus

Patient handover practice of nurses and associated factors in South Wollo Zone Public Hospitals, Ethiopia

Activating the Gate-Opening of a Metal–Organic Framework and Maximizing Its Adsorption Capacity

A contrast enhanced representation normalization approach to knowledge distillation

Visualizing the Sliding Motion of Dynamic Rotaxanes by Surface Wrinkles

A fine-grained course session recommendation method based on knowledge point pruning

Engineered Artificial Nanochannels with Cell Membrane Nanointerface for Ultrasensitive Detection and Discrimination of Multiple Bacterial Infections

RHOB regulates megakaryocytic and erythroid differentiation by altering the cell cycle and cytoskeleton

Adsorptive removal of lead, copper, and nickel using natural and activated Egyptian calcium bentonite clay

Abstract This study evaluates the efficiency of alkali-activated Egyptian calcium bentonite, obtained from the El Alamein region in northern Egypt, for the removal of copper (Cu2⁺), lead (Pb2⁺), and nickel (Ni2⁺) from synthetic wastewater. The bentonite samples underwent a series of preparation steps, including crushing, ball milling, magnetic separation, acid treatment with 0.1N acetic acid, and alkali activation using 5% sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Various analytical techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cation exchange capacity (CEC) measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and free swelling analysis, were employed to characterize the materials. Absorption experiments were performed to examine the effects of pH, temperature, starting metal concentration, bentonite dose, and contact duration on heavy metal removal. The characterization results confirmed that montmorillonite was the predominant mineral in both the natural and activated bentonite samples. Adsorption studies indicated a significant improvement in heavy metal removal efficiency after activation. Under optimal conditions (pH 7, 1 g/L adsorbent dose, 120 min contact time, 20 mg/L initial metal concentration, and 20 °C), the maximum adsorption capacities of the activated bentonite were determined as 14 ± 0.03 mg/g for Cu2+, 13 ± 0.04 mg/g for Pb2+, and 12.2 ± 0.05 mg/g for Ni2+, exceeding those of the natural bentonite, which recorded capacities of 9.2 ± 0.04 mg/g, 9 ± 0.03 mg/g, and 8 ± 0.02 mg/g, respectively. Adsorption equilibrium data according to the Langmuir isotherm model, exhibiting high correlation values (R2 = 0.9979 for Cu2+, 0.9972 for Pb2+, and 0.9973 for Ni2+). Moreover, kinetic modeling demonstrated that the adsorption followed a pseudo-second-order mechanism, suggesting an intense chemisorption process. The thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic, demonstrating enhanced adsorption at higher temperatures.

Adapting Atomic Configuration Steers Dynamic Half-Occupied State for Efficient CO₂ Electroreduction to CO

Federated learning with differential privacy for breast cancer diagnosis enabling secure data sharing and model integrity

Abstract In the digital age, privacy preservation is of paramount importance while processing health-related sensitive information. This paper explores the integration of Federated Learning (FL) and Differential Privacy (DP) for breast cancer detection, leveraging FL’s decentralized architecture to enable collaborative model training across healthcare organizations without exposing raw patient data. To enhance privacy, DP injects statistical noise into the updates made by the model. This mitigates adversarial attacks and prevents data leakage. The proposed work uses the Breast Cancer Wisconsin Diagnostic dataset to address critical challenges such as data heterogeneity, privacy-accuracy trade-offs, and computational overhead. From the experimental results, FL combined with DP achieves 96.1% accuracy with a privacy budget of ε = 1.9, ensuring strong privacy preservation with minimal performance trade-offs. In comparison, the traditional non-FL model achieved 96.0% accuracy, but at the cost of requiring centralized data storage, which poses significant privacy risks. These findings validate the feasibility of privacy-preserving artificial intelligence models in real-world clinical applications, effectively balancing data protection with reliable medical predictions.

Taming Inert B–H Bond with Low Energy Light: A Near-Infrared Light-Induced Approach to Facile Carborane Cluster-Amino Acid Coupling

The longitudinal relationship between depression and anxiety in colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and family caregivers: A cross lagged panel model

Background Family caregivers play a crucial caregiving role for colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, and the emotional states of both patients and caregivers can influence each other. A high prevalence of depression and anxiety exists among both patients and caregivers, with their emotional states mutually influencing each other. This significantly impacts the quality of life for both parties. However, there is limited research on the bidirectional relationship between depression and anxiety in both groups. Objective This study aims to investigate the longitudinal bidirectional relationship between depression and anxiety in colorectal cancer patients and their family caregivers using a cross-lagged panel model. Method A total of 244 pairs of colorectal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and their family caregivers were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Data collection was conducted at four time points: the initial chemotherapy session and 1-, 3-, and 6- months post-chemotherapy. A cross-lagged panel model was employed to analyze the longitudinal interrelationship between depression and anxiety within and between the two groups. Result The study found high prevalence rates of depression and anxiety in both colorectal cancer patients and their caregivers. The cross-lagged model revealed a dynamic, bidirectional relationship between depression and anxiety in patients and caregivers from the second wave onwards (P <  0.05). Conclusion The emotional states of depression and anxiety in colorectal cancer patients and their caregivers show dynamic changes and are longitudinally interrelated. These findings underscore the importance of early psychological assessment and interventions targeting both patients and caregivers.

Economic recession and mental health distress among Japanese people in middle age

Abstract This study examined the association between the 2008 economic recession and mental health distress among middle-aged Japanese people, and whether sex and socioeconomic status affected this association. Data were obtained from a nationwide longitudinal study (“Longitudinal Survey of Middle-aged and Elderly Persons”), conducted since 2005 on randomly selected Japanese adults aged 50–59 years. Of the 34,240 respondents to the 2005 baseline survey, data for 33,815 who responded at least once both before 2007 and after 2008 were analyzed. The 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) was used to assess mental health distress (i.e., K6 scores of ≥ 5). A generalized estimating equation model applied to 6 years of longitudinal data (2005–2010) showed that mental health worsened among men and women after the 2008 recession (odds ratio [95% confidence interval] = 1.11 [1.07–1.15] for men; 1.14 [1.10–1.18] for women), particularly among self-employed men (1.08 [1.02–1.14]). The mental health of women who graduated from junior high school worsened less than that of women who graduated from university or graduate school (0.89 [0.80–0.98]). This study confirmed the association between the 2008 economic recession and mental health distress and identified vulnerable socioeconomic groups. These findings provide useful information for future economic crises.

Serendipitous Discovery of Photolytic Thiosulfoxide Formation: Application for Visible-Light-Inducible Manipulation of Supersulfide Level in Biological Systems

Realization of Intrinsic Colossal Magnetoresistance in Pb(Pb_1/3Hg_2/3)₃Mn₄O₁₂: An A Site-Ordered Quadruple Perovskite Oxide

Scutellaria Barbata inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transformation through PI3K/AKT and MDM2 thus inhibiting the proliferation, migration and promoting apoptosis of Cervical Cancer cells

Background Cervical cancer is the fourth most common malignant tumor among women with high morbidity and mortality. We found the active ingredients, action targets and pathways of Scutellaria Barbata against cervical cancer cells, and verified its effects and mechanisms on the proliferation, migration and apoptosis of cervical cancer cells through cellular experiments. Materials and methods The potential effective components of Scutellaria Barbata were obtained by data mining. CCK 8 experiments were used to verify the optimal action time and concentration of the key active components, Baicalin and Wogonin on Hela cells. Transwell Experiments to verify the migration rate of Hela cells at different time points of action. Hela cell apoptosis was determined by a Tunel assay. RT-qPCR and Western Blot detection of related genes and protein expression after the effects of different concentrations of Baicalein and Wogonin on Hela cells. Results Obtained 27 core intersecting targets. Four genes associated with survival of cervical cancer patients were selected by survival by univariate analysis: EGFR, TNF-α, VEGFA and MDM2 (P<0.1). GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed the four genes played positive regulatory roles, mainly enriched in cellular extracellular zone and cytoplasm. Pathways include cancer pathways, proteoglycans and PI3K/AKT signal. CCK 8 experiments showed that the proliferation rate of Hela cells was significantly lower than that of the control group, and the optimal drug concentration was 10 mg/mL (P <0.001). The migration assay showed that the incubation of the medium with a mixture of 10 mg/mL each or 72h of 5 ml/mL each significantly inhibited the migration of Hela cells (P <0.001). Tunel results showed that single-agent Baicalein or Wogonin with 10 mg/mL had the highest rate of apoptosis on Hela cells after culturing the cells for 72 h. Baicalein or Wogonin (10 mg/mL + 10 mg/mL) had the highest apoptosis ratio in Hela cells after 72h and a higher combination ratio than in the single agent group (P <0.001). The difference between the single drug group and the corresponding low dose group was significant (P<0.001). After Hela cells were cultured for 72 h, the mRNA and protein expressions corresponding to EGFR, TNF-α, VEGFA, PI3K, AKT and MDM2 were decreased in the experimental group compared with the control group as confirmed by RT-PCR and Western blot, and the extent of the decrease was more obvious with the increase of the drug concentration, and under the condition of the same drug dosage, the effect of the Baicalein group was more pronounced than that of the Wogonin group, and the effect was more obvious in the two-drug group compared with the single-drug group (P<0.05). Conclusion After combining with EGFR, TNF-α and VEGFA, the active ingredient of Sculellaria Barbata can regulate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and down-regulate the expression of MDM2 gene to inhibit the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, which can inhibit cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration, and promote their apoptosis. Sculellaria Barbata is a potential therapeutic candidate for cervical cancer.

Cortical thickness deviations as biomarker for subtyping and prognosis in pediatric brainstem tumors

Factors associated with regional differences in healthcare quality for patients with acute myocardial infarction in Japan

Background The quality of healthcare at the regional level is of great interest. Regional differences in the quality of healthcare for cardiovascular diseases have been pointed out in previous research, but the regional factors that influence the quality remain unclear. Methods Using the national Diagnosis Procedure Combination (DPC) database, risk-adjusted mortality (RAM) in each secondary medical area (SMA) was derived as an indicator for the quality of the healthcare for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Factors associated with RAM were analysed using the partial least squares (PLS) regression model. Results There is a wide variation in RAM in the SMAs; the maximum value was 0.593 and the minimum value was 1.445. The PLS regression identified two components positively correlated with RAM. The first component (Component 1) positively correlates with the proportion of the elderly within the population and negatively correlates with the number of medical facilities per area, the population density, and the intra-SMA access to centres with a high volume of emergency percutaneous coronary interventions (ePCI). The second component (Component 2) positively correlates with the number of medical facilities per area and negatively correlates with the number of doctors per person and the intra-SMA access to centres with a high volume of ePCI. Conclusions There was wide regional variation in the quality of in-hospital AMI treatments. Results suggested the degree of rurality, the sufficiency of medical resources, the access to high-volume ePCI centres, and coordination of healthcare delivery were associated with healthcare quality.

Author Correction: Tofacitinib fails to prevent T cell transfer colitis in mice but ameliorates disease activity