Site-specific assessment of illicit drug consumption patterns in South Korea via wastewater-based epidemiology.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is increasingly used as a complementary tool for monitoring drug use at the population level, providing anonymized, real-time estimates of community drug consumption. Site-specific applications of WBE can identify localized patterns that national or municipal surveys may overlook. This study presents the first comprehensive, site-specific assessment of illicit drug use in South Korea using WBE.

An Abscess Formation Within Craniofacial Fibrous Dysplasia of the Maxilla.

Fibrous dysplasia, a rare skeletal disorder marked by replacement of normal bone with fibrous tissue and disorganized woven bone, most commonly affects the craniofacial region. Although craniofacial fibrous dysplasia (CFD) typically progresses slowly and remains asymptomatic, it can occasionally give rise to complications. The authors report a unique case of an intralesional abscess within maxillary CFD in an 88-year-old man presenting with acute facial pain and swelling.

Weissella cibaria SGW054 alleviates neurodegenerative progression in Proteus mirabilis- and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinson's disease mice by regulating gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota dysbiosis contributes to the initial stages of neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). Probiotics are receiving attention as a treatment for PD because they restore gut microbiota balance and brain homeostasis. In this study, we demonstrated that Weissella cibaria SGW054 (SGW054), a probiotic strain, exhibited antibacterial activity against Proteus mirabilis (PM), which induces PD pathology.

Lactococcus lactis and Bifidobacterium longum attenuate Clostridioides difficile- or Clostridium symbiosum-induced colitis and depression/anxiety-like behavior in male mice.

Clostridioides difficile causes severe colitis, which induces neuroinflammation and psychiatric disorder. In a preliminary study, we isolated Clostridium symbiosum from the stools of patients with ulcerative colitis. Therefore, we first examined whether oral infection with C.

Proto-Oncogene HRAS Transcript Level and Overall Survival in Stages II and III Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Mutational landscape is prognostic in colorectal cancer (CRC). Rat sarcoma (RAS) oncogenes, such as KRAS and NRAS, with driver mutations, portend poor survival outcomes, whereas pathologic mutations in HRAS are extremely rare, and their prognostic value remains uncertain.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) alliance tumor RNA-Seq data in Stages II and III CRC to investigate the association between RAS gene expression and survival outcomes.

Isolation, Characterization, and Anticancer Evaluation of Alkaloids from (Rubiaceae).

The dimeric (-)-calycanthine (), the hexameric (+)-oleoidine (), the heptameric (+)-caledonine (), the octameric (+)-eumatanine (), and a tricyclic pyrroloquinoline alkaloid, eumatricine (), are alkaloids isolated from the leaves of ; compounds and are novel, previously uncharacterized alkaloids. Preliminary anticancer assays, including MTT, cell count, and clonogenic assays, revealed potent inhibition of cell growth and colony formation by compounds against seven carcinoma cell lines (including breast, colorectal, lung, and glioblastoma multiforme cell lines). The GI values of compounds ranged from 0.

In-Context Learning with Large Language Models: A Simple and Effective Approach to Improve Radiology Report Labeling.

Objectives: This study assessed the effectiveness of in-context learning using Generative Pre-trained Transformer-4 (GPT-4) for labeling radiology reports.

Methods: In this retrospective study, radiology reports were obtained from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. Two structured prompts-the "basic prompt" and the "in-context prompt"- were compared.

Distributed Quantum Sensing with Multimode N00N States.

Distributed quantum sensing, which estimates a global parameter across distant nodes, has attracted significant interest for applications such as quantum imaging, sensor networks, and global-scale clock synchronization. N00N states are regarded as one of the optimal quantum resources for quantum metrology, enabling the Heisenberg scaling. Recently, the concept of N00N states has been extended to multimode N00N states for quantum-enhanced multiple-parameter estimation.

Random Metastructures for Nanoscale Visualization of Single-Exosome Dynamics in a Gut-Brain-Axis-on-a-Chip.

This study introduces an innovative nanophotonic biosensor system designed to explore exosome dynamics within the gut-brain axis, highlighting the bidirectional and biochemical communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. The proposed system incorporates coculture environments for various cell types, microfluidic control of exosomes, and super-resolution imaging capabilities for both exosomes and live cells. While enabling real-time observation of long-range exosome dynamics within the gut-brain-axis-on-a-chip, this approach offers superior spatial resolution for visualizing individual exosomes in both donor and recipient cells.

The efficacy of hyperthermia-based multimodal therapy is dependent on gatekeeper protein, BID.

Objectives: The combination of ferroptotic agent artesunate (ART) and apoptotic agent rhTRAIL (recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) has been shown to synergistically enhance apoptosis in various cancer cell lines via crosstalk between the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, the rhTRAIL-induced extrinsic cell death receptor pathway, and the intrinsic BID-Bax-mitochondrial-dependent-apoptosis pathway. This synergistic interaction has been demonstrated to be effective in multiple types of cancer cell lines, making artesunate combined with rhTRAIL a promising second-line therapy for colon cancer patients after cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapeutic treatments. To further enhance the second-line therapy's tumoricidal effect, a multimodal therapy was developed by combining artesunate, rhTRAIL, and hyperthermic conditions where samples were treated at 42 °C for 1 h.

Graft Treatment for Rotator Cuff Tendon-Bone Interface Augmentation: Status and Prospects-A Narrative Review.

Sutures and suture anchors are commonly used in rotator cuff repairs as they offer cost-effective and mechanically robust solutions for tendon-bone interface (TBI) healing. However, in large to massive rotator cuff tears, where substantial tendon loss and limited intrinsic healing potential are present, conventional repair techniques alone often fail to restore the native biomechanics and structural integrity. Consequently, retear rates in these cases remain unacceptably high.

Combined Effects of Exercise and Vitamin D on Neuroinflammation, Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity, Oxidative Stress, and Cognitive Function in Nonpathological Mice.

Purpose: This study investigated whether the combined application of treadmill exercise and vitamin D injections exerts neuroprotective effects in nonpathological mice by enhancing cognitive function, regulating immune responses, preserving blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, and improving mitochondrial efficiency.

Methods: Forty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to control, exercise (EX), vitamin D (VD), or combined treatment (EXVD) groups. After 20 weeks of intervention, behavioral, molecular, and cellular analyses were performed to assess cognitive function, immune responses, BBB integrity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial efficiency.

Development of an Aptamer-Based qPCR Method for the Selective and Rapid Picomolar-Level Detection of Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid in Water.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely recognized as emerging contaminants because they are ubiquitous in various environmental media. Their potential for chronic toxicity after prolonged human exposure is a growing concern. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop an appropriate technology to efficiently treat and rapidly and consistently monitor PFAS levels.

Structure of the Lipopolysaccharide from : A Chemical Perspective on Immune Recognition.

Gram-negative bacterium , which is increasingly prevalent in elderly individuals, is associated with cognitive decline and gut-brain axis dysfunction. Here, we present a comprehensive structural characterization of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a key modulator of immune recognition and the main component of its outer membrane. Using a multidisciplinary approach combining chemical, spectroscopic, spectrometric, biophysical and computational methods, we unveil a unique O-antigen characterized by a trisaccharide repeating unit containing rhamnose and glucosamine, displaying nonstoichiometric O-acetylation and a terminal methylated rhamnose capping the saccharide chain.

RbNO Wet Chemical Treatment for Contact Engineering and Enhanced Performance of a-IGTO TFTs with Improved Stability.

Amorphous indium gallium tin oxide (a-IGTO) has emerged as a promising channel material for next-generation oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) owing to its superior carrier transport properties and compatibility with low-temperature processing. However, high contact resistance is observed at the metal/semiconductor interface, and instability is caused by bulk and interface defects, which hinder device performance and reliability. In this study, we proposed a simple and effective rubidium nitrate wet chemical treatment (WCT) for the first time to address the existing challenges in amorphous oxide semiconductor devices.

Quantification of Total and Unbound Selinexor Concentrations in Human Plasma by a Fully Validated Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry Method.

Selinexor is a selective nuclear-export inhibitor approved for hematologic malignancies, characterized by extensive plasma protein binding (>95%). However, a validated analytical method to accurately measure the clinically relevant unbound fraction of selinexor in human plasma has not yet been established. This study aimed to develop a fully validated bioanalytical assay for simultaneous quantification of total and unbound selinexor concentrations in human plasma.

Visual delta generation with large multi-modal models enhances composed image retrieval using unlabeled data.

Composed Image Retrieval (CIR) retrieves a target image similar to a reference image, guided by a provided textual modification (i.e., a triplet with).

A Comprehensive Profiling System Integrating Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DISC) for Personalized Health Training: Correlational Analysis and Usability Evaluation.

Background: This study proposes an integrated approach to developing personalized health behavior change programs by combining personality traits and behavior types. Existing tools, such as Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness (DISC), have limitations: MBTI reflects internal tendencies but lacks behavioral insights, while DISC highlights behavior but overlooks deeper personality aspects. To address these gaps, the study integrates MBTI and DISC to create a comprehensive profiling system.

Advances in Technology and Applications of Optical Sensing and Imaging for Biomedicine: introduction to the feature issue.

This feature issue of Biomedical Optics Express, titled "Advances in Technology and Applications of Optical Sensing and Imaging for Biomedicine," presents a curated collection of 21 original research articles that highlight recent innovations at the intersection of optical engineering, biomedical imaging, and clinical application. The contributions span six major areas: microscopy (5), multimodal imaging (1), optical biosensors (4), optical coherence tomography (7), photoacoustic imaging and spectroscopy (3), and tissue optics and spectroscopy (1). Collectively, these works demonstrate progress in developing high-resolution, label-free, and real-time optical platforms for disease detection, functional imaging, therapy monitoring, and point-of-care diagnostics.

NFAT5 dictates crosstalk between intestinal epithelial regenerative capacity and microbiota in murine colitis models.

Hypertonic and hyperosmolar stimuli frequently pose challenges to the intestinal tract. Therefore, a resilient epithelial barrier is essential for maintaining gut homeostasis in the presence of osmotic perturbations. NFAT5, an osmosensitive transcription factor, primarily maintains cellular homeostasis under hypertonic conditions.

Therapeutic Glypican-3 CRISPR Genome-Editing Using UltraLarge Porous Silica Nano-Depot for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a key diagnostic marker and therapeutic target in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), interacting with Wnt and Hippo/YAP pathways related to cancer proliferation. Modulating GPC3 gene expression can induce liver cancer cell death by disrupting growth factor signaling, cell adhesion, and metabolic regulation. This study presents the development of a non-viral ultralarge porous CRISPR-Cas9 silica nano-depot to perform targeted GPC3 genome editing for the treatment of HCC.

Impact of proton-beam irradiation on the electrical reliability and performance of LTPS and a-IGZO thin-film transistors.

We investigate the impact of 5 MeV proton beam irradiation on the electrical reliability of low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) and amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). After irradiation, the threshold voltage (V) of a-IGZO TFTs shifted from 0.31 to - 7.

Does Surgical Treatment With Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Prevent Future Arrhythmic Events?

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a known risk factor for cardiac arrhythmia. The impact of surgical OSA treatment on the future occurrence of arrhythmic disease in young patients remains insufficiently studied.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine if surgical OSA treatment reduces future arrhythmic events (atrial fibrillation [AF], premature beats, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac arrest [SCA]) and if these effects persist over time.