Novel Design of a Surgical Tool Insertion Robot Using a Chebyshev Lambda Mechanism.

Background: Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) are minimally invasive procedures that treat diseases with minimal scarring and rapid recovery. However, catheterisation under fluoroscopy exposes medical staff to radiation, and navigating flexible guidewires through complex anatomical pathways requires precise control.

Methods: To address these challenges, we propose a novel insertion robot based on a Chebyshev lambda mechanism that makes a linear grasp path and an arc-shaped quick return path using a single motor.

Low-Temperature Topotactic Control of a Double Exchange Interaction in an LaSrCoO Oxygen Sponge Facilitates the Development of Ultra-Sensitive and Stable Correlated Oxygen Sensors.

Exotic oxygen-driven control of quantum-mechanical properties has attracted considerable attention for the oxygen sensors since it can give superior sensitivity to conventional sensors. Here, it is shown that LaSrCoO oxygen sponges simultaneously exhibit a huge change of resistance by three orders of magnitude, a reversible modulation of ferromagnetic ordering, stability, and reusability when the films in vacuum and oxygen is successively annealed. The correlated oxygen sensors work at lower temperatures (175-250 °C) and within a shorter timeframe (8-30 minutes) compared with conventional oxygen sensors working above 500 °C.

Voluntary Swimming Reduces Amyloid Pathology in an Alzheimer's Mouse Brain: An Integrated Amyloid PET/CT and Light-Sheet Microscopy Evaluation.

Purpose: Despite numerous observational studies linking exercise to reduced dementia risk, RCT level evidences remain limited to validate physical activity as an effective resistance-augmenting lifestyle intervention. However, transgenic Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models circumvent the confounding factors and adherence challenges of human studies by offering rigorous control of exercise regimens, and the capability for advanced three-dimensional imaging to precisely quantify amyloid burden. Using an integrated platform combining [18F]florapronol PET/CT with light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) and tissue clearing techniques, we investigated the effect of a 7-wk voluntary swimming on decreasing beta-amyloid (Aβ) pathology in hAPPsw AD mouse.

Measurement of DNA Polymerase and Microhomology-Mediated End-Joining Activities by Gel Electrophoresis and smFRET Techniques.

DNA replication mediated by DNA polymerases is important not only for replicating genomic DNA but also for repairing damaged DNA. Elucidating the function of each DNA polymerase is essential for understanding how genomic integrity is maintained. Here, we present two types of DNA polymerase assays: one is the conventional method using sequence gel and the other is the single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) measurement.

Comprehensive evaluation of early-phase FP-CIT PET as a substitute for brain FDG PET in parkinsonism.

Background: Early-phase F-18 FP-CIT PET/CT (PET) has been reported to possibly replace FDG PET/CT (PET) in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism. We investigated the correlation between PET and PET to explore their potential interchangeability.

Method: Our retrospective study included 187 participants, categorized into Parkinson's disease (PD), atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD), and participants with intact dopamine transporters (DAT).

Three-Dimensional β-Amyloid Burden Correlation Between the Eye and Brain in Alzheimer's Disease Mice Using Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy.

Purpose: Recent studies have highlighted the significance of peripheral β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition, identifying the eye as a potential early detection site for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, previous two-dimensional AD ocular studies have been unable to establish a clear correlation between the three-dimensional Aβ accumulation in the entire eyeball and brain while preserving structural integrity. This study employed a combined brain amyloid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) and light-sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) platform to assess whether the three-dimensionally measured Aβ burden in the eyeball correlates with that in the brain.

Endothelial cell (EC)-specific Ctgf/Ccn2 expression increases EC reprogramming and atherosclerosis.

Arterial endothelial cells (ECs) reside in a complex biomechanical environment. ECs sense and respond to wall shear stress. Low and oscillatory wall shear stress is characteristic of disturbed flow and commonly found at arterial bifurcations and around atherosclerotic plaques.

Rational design strategies for innovative small-molecule scaffolds inspired by three pivotal protein secondary structures.

We developed a design strategy focusing on pivotal secondary structural motifs-α-helix, β-strand, and β-turn-critical for PPI recognition, using a common core skeleton. The resulting peptide-inspired pyrimidodiazepine scaffolds were further subjected to comprehensive phenotypic screening to evaluate their efficacy. Our strategy offers a transformative approach to developing small-molecule PPI modulators with broad therapeutic potential.

Effects of Polymer Matrix and Atmospheric Conditions on Photophysical Properties of a Cesium Lead Bromide (CsPbBr) Perovskite Quantum Dot.

Understanding the environment-dependent stability and photoluminescence (PL) properties of advanced perovskite materials remains a challenge with conflicting views. Herein, we investigated the influence of the host matrix (poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS)) and atmospheric conditions (ambient and N) on the PL properties of a CsPbBr perovskite quantum dot (PQD) using single-particle spectroscopy. Despite the same PL blinking mechanism, the PL properties of the PQD were considerably affected by the environmental conditions.

Discordance Between Spine-Hip and Paretic-Nonparetic Hip Bone Mineral Density in Hemiplegic Stroke Patients: A Multicenter Retrospective Study.

Objective: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with T-score discordance between the spine and hip, as well as between the paretic and non-paretic hips in hemiplegic stroke patients, this study investigated bone mineral density (BMD) patterns. Bone loss predominantly affects the paretic hip after a stroke, and typical clinical assessments using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) that scan the lumbar spine (LS) and a single hip may overlook an osteoporosis diagnosis. This oversight could potentially lead to suboptimal treatment for stroke patients.

Moderately Heavy Atom-Substituted BODIPY Photosensitizer with Mitochondrial Targeting Ability for Imaging-Guided Photodynamic Therapy.

Advanced photodynamic therapy requires photosensitizers with targeting, diagnostic, and therapeutic properties. To fulfill this multifunctionality, we report the synthesis of two triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-functionalized boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes, TPPB-H and TPPB-Br, which incorporate a hydrogen atom and dibrominated vinyl moiety at the 6-position of the BODIPY core, respectively. The heavy-atom effect of the moderately heavy bromine atoms allowed TPPB-Br to achieve a proper balance between the toxic singlet oxygen (O) production and fluorescence efficiencies.

A Comparative Analysis of Aroma Profiles of and Other Distilled Spirits from Northeastern Asia.

The (Korean traditional distilled liquor) market is increasing worldwide. However, in contrast to well-explored distilled liquors, including (China) and (Japan), is less investigated, with limited research on its aroma characteristics. To facilitate better understanding of the aroma characteristics of , this study aims to overview recent research on the flavor characteristics of and compare data with those of and , well-established products in the market.

Triphenylphosphonium-functionalized dimeric BODIPY-based nanoparticles for mitochondria-targeting photodynamic therapy.

The dimerization of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) moieties is an appealing molecular design approach for developing heavy-atom-free triplet photosensitizers (PSs). However, BODIPY dimer-based PSs generally lack target specificity, which limits their clinical use for photodynamic therapy. This study reports the synthesis of two mitochondria-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP)-functionalized meso-β directly linked BODIPY dimers (BTPP and BeTPP).

Transparent medical image AI via an image-text foundation model grounded in medical literature.

Building trustworthy and transparent image-based medical artificial intelligence (AI) systems requires the ability to interrogate data and models at all stages of the development pipeline, from training models to post-deployment monitoring. Ideally, the data and associated AI systems could be described using terms already familiar to physicians, but this requires medical datasets densely annotated with semantically meaningful concepts. In the present study, we present a foundation model approach, named MONET (medical concept retriever), which learns how to connect medical images with text and densely scores images on concept presence to enable important tasks in medical AI development and deployment such as data auditing, model auditing and model interpretation.

Effects of 2'-fucosyllactose on the viability of starter cultures and Bifidobacterium strains of human origin in yogurt during refrigerated storage.

2'-Fucosyllactose (2'-FL) is postulated to provide health benefits and promote the growth of probiotics. This work was undertaken to study the effects of 2'-FL on the viability of starter cultures and Bifidobacterium strains of human origin in yogurt during refrigerated storage. Yogurts were produced containing 2'-FL (0 or 2 g/L) and Bifidobacterium strains of human origin (Bifidobacterium longum subsp.

Self-Buffering system for Cost-Effective production of lactic acid from glucose and xylose using Acid-Tolerant Issatchenkia orientalis.

This study presents a cost-effective strategy for producing organic acids from glucose and xylose using the acid-tolerant yeast, Issatchenkia orientalis. I. orientalis was engineered to produce lactic acid from xylose, and the resulting strain, SD108XL, successfully converted sorghum hydrolysates into lactic acid.

Robot-assisted gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection significantly improves procedure time at challenging dissection locations.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is the standard treatment for early malignant stomach lesions. However, this procedure is technically demanding and carries a high complication risk. The level of difficulty in performing ESD is influenced by the location of the lesion.

Red fluorescent BODIPY-based nanoparticles for targeted cancer imaging-guided photodynamic therapy.

Imaging-guided diagnosis and treatment of cancer hold potential to significantly improve therapeutic accuracies and efficacies. Central to this theragnostic approach has been the use of multicomponent-based multimodal nanoparticles (NPs). Apart from this conventional approach, here we propose a design strategy for the simple and straightforward formulation of NPs based on boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives, LaB- ( = H, Et, and Br).

Compositional and temporal division of labor modulates mixed sugar fermentation by an engineered yeast consortium.

Synthetic microbial communities have emerged as an attractive route for chemical bioprocessing. They are argued to be superior to single strains through microbial division of labor (DOL), but the exact mechanism by which DOL confers advantages remains unclear. Here, we utilize a synthetic Saccharomyces cerevisiae consortium along with mathematical modeling to achieve tunable mixed sugar fermentation to overcome the limitations of single-strain fermentation.

Fostering transparent medical image AI via an image-text foundation model grounded in medical literature.

Building trustworthy and transparent image-based medical AI systems requires the ability to interrogate data and models at all stages of the development pipeline: from training models to post-deployment monitoring. Ideally, the data and associated AI systems could be described using terms already familiar to physicians, but this requires medical datasets densely annotated with semantically meaningful concepts. Here, we present a foundation model approach, named MONET (edical ccept rriever), which learns how to connect medical images with text and generates dense concept annotations to enable tasks in AI transparency from model auditing to model interpretation.

Cationic BODIPY Photosensitizers for Mitochondrion-Targeted Fluorescence Cell-Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy.

The straightforward synthesis of three cationic boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives and their mitochondria-targeting and photodynamic therapeutic (PDT) capabilities are reported. Two cancer cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) were used to investigate the PDT activity of the dyes. Compared to their non-halogenated counterparts, halogenated BODIPY dyes exhibit lower fluorescence quantum yields and enable the efficient production of singlet oxygen species.

Plastic Shavings by Laser: Peeling Porous Graphene Springs for Multifunctional All-Carbon Applications.

Manufacturing strategies to create three-dimensional (3D) structures with multifunctional nanomaterials are of intense interest for fabricating building blocks in many electromechanical applications. A coil spring composed of graphene provides an important step toward the realization of all-carbon devices, as it is one of the essential elements for a wide range of systems. In this connection, here an unprecedented fabrication strategy to create a new type of 3D coil spring composed of laser-induced graphene springs (LIG-S) which is spontaneously produced via the pyrolytic jetting technique, is presented.

DNA polymerase θ-mediated repair of high LET radiation-induced complex DNA double-strand breaks.

DNA polymerase θ (POLQ) is a unique DNA polymerase that is able to perform microhomology-mediated end-joining as well as translesion synthesis (TLS) across an abasic (AP) site and thymine glycol (Tg). However, the biological significance of the TLS activity is currently unknown. Herein we provide evidence that the TLS activity of POLQ plays a critical role in repairing complex DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation.

Malignant Transformation of Warthin Tumor in the Cervical Lymph Node.

Warthin tumor is the second most common benign tumor of salivary glands. Here we present an interesting case of squamous cell carcinoma arising from the Warthin tumor in the cervical lymph node. The patient had another Warthin tumor in the parotid gland as well.