Self-Regulating Hydrogel Actuators.

Self-regulating hydrogels represent the next generation in the development of soft materials with active, adaptive, autonomous, and intelligent behavior inspired by sophisticated biological systems. Nature provides exemplary demonstrations of such self-regulating behaviors, including muscle tissue's precise biochemical and mechanical feedback mechanisms, and coordinated cellular chemotaxis driven by dynamic biochemical signaling. Building upon these natural examples, self-regulating hydrogels are capable of spontaneously modulating their structural and functional states through integrated negative feedback loops.

Digitally guided corticotomy using a customized surgical template (Suya corticotomy utility template): A technique report.

Background: Precise control of corticotomy lines is critical in surgically facilitated orthodontic therapy. The Suya method is traditionally performed freehand, which introduces risks of root damage and procedural inconsistency. A digitally guided protocol may address these limitations by enhancing safety and technical predictability.

Multi-ancestry polygenic risk scores for the prediction of type 2 diabetes and complications in diverse ancestries.

Background: Polygenic risk scores (PRSs) improve type 2 diabetes (T2D) prediction beyond clinical risk factors but perform poorly in non-European populations, where T2D burden is often higher, undermining their global clinical utility.

Methods: We conducted the largest global effort to date to harmonize T2D genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses across five ancestries-European (EUR), African/African American (AFR), Admixed American (AMR), South Asian (SAS), and East Asian (EAS)-including 360,000 T2D cases and 1·8 million controls (41% non-EUR). We constructed ancestry-specific and multi-ancestry PRSs in training datasets including 11,000 T2D cases and 32,000 controls, and validated their performance in independent datasets including 39,000 T2D cases and 126,000 controls of diverse ancestries.

Awareness of Psychosomatic Medicine in Korea: Results From an Online Survey Conducted With Doctors and the General Public.

Background: This study aimed to assess and compare psychosomatic medicine (PM) awareness, understanding, and related educational needs in doctors and the general public, and discuss how education for these groups should be provided.

Methods: The Korean Psychosomatic Society conducted an online survey targeting 101 doctors and 100 general public, aged 20-60 years. Sociodemographic data, PM awareness, understanding, PM-related keyword before and after a brief introduction to PM, and educational needs concerning PM were collected.

Paeoniflorin exercise-mimetic potential regulates the Nrf2/HO-1/BDNF/CREB and APP/BACE-1/NF-κB/MAPK signaling pathways to reduce cognitive impairments and neuroinflammation in amnesic mouse model.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in memory and cognitive deficits and the development of early mild cognitive impairment (MCI) associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Paeoniflorin (PF) has been established as an effective antioxidant and anti-apoptotic agent. This study investigated the protective effects of PF on neuroinflammation, amyloidogenesis, and memory impairments in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglial cells and a C57BL/6 J amnesic mouse model.

Generation of T cell responses against broad KRAS hotspot neoantigens for cell therapy or TCR discovery.

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) with T cells targeting Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) neoantigens can drive anti-tumor immunity but has so far been focused on a small fraction of known KRAS neoantigens. Here, we develop a single process starting from peripheral blood that can prime and expand T cell responses ex vivo to any KRAS neoantigen based on each individual's human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profile. We conducted the process in 20 healthy donors and generated T cell responses to 46 of 47 evaluated neoantigens.

Biomechanical effects of different rotator cuff tear conditions and mediolateral offset in lateralized reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (Coralis Reverse Shoulder System).

Background: The indications for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (rTSA) have expanded to include various shoulder pathologies regardless of rotator cuff condition. However, the biomechanical effects of the procedure based on the extent of the rotator cuff tear remain uncertain in medialized rTSA (m-rTSA) and lateralized rTSA (l-rTSA). Furthermore, the necessity of subscapularis repair for l-rTSA has been debated.

Retrospective Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a New Tanner-Whitehouse-Based Bone Age Assessment Algorithm Trained with a Deep Neural Network System.

: To develop an automated deep learning-based bone age prediction model using the Tanner-Whitehouse (TW3) method and evaluate its feasibility by comparing its performance with that of pediatric radiologists. : The hand and wrist radiographs of 560 Korean children and adolescents (280 female, 280 male, mean age 9.43 ± 2.

Residual subjective depressive symptoms and resilience in patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Residual symptoms experienced by patients with bipolar disorder (BD) is a risk factor for illness relapse/recurrence, and these symptoms are associated with a lower quality of life. Resilience allows patients to cope with stress effectively and acts as a protective factor against relapse. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between resilience and residual subjective depressive symptoms in euthymic patients with BD.

Development and Characterization of Zn-ZnO Nanocomposites for Enhanced Biodegradable Material Properties.

Zinc has attracted significant attention as a versatile material with potential applications in various fields, particularly in biomedical engineering. Despite its desirable characteristics, such as biodegradability and biocompatibility, the inherently low mechanical strength of zinc has been a major limitation for its broader use in clinical applications. To address this issue and enhance its mechanical performance without compromising its biocompatibility, a novel composite material was developed by mixing zinc oxide (ZnO) with zinc (Zn).

Occurrence, distribution, and prioritization of unregulated emerging contaminants including battery-related chemicals in drinking water systems across South Korea.

This study investigated the presence of 95 emerging contaminants comprising pharmaceuticals, stimulants, artificial sweeteners, nicotine metabolites, corrosion inhibitors, battery-related pollutants, and pesticides across 70 drinking water treatment plants. Battery-related contaminants (lithium, nickel, and cobalt), with total concentrations raging from 424 to 38,500 ng/L (median 2560 ng/L) in the raw water and from 596 to 34,300 ng/L (median 2510 ng/L) in the treated water, showed the highest detection frequencies (≥99 %). The median levels of nickel (1440 ng/L in raw water and 1620 ng/L in treated water) were higher than those of lithium (591 ng/L in raw water and 445 ng/L in treated water) and cobalt (233 ng/L in raw water and 95.

Ultra-Sensitive Nanoplatform for Detection of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Using Silica-Coated Gold Nanoparticles with Enzyme-Formed Quantum Dots.

A fluorescence-based detection platform was developed for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a key biomarker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This platform utilizes localized surface plasmon resonance effects resulting from the interactions between silica-coated gold nanoparticles (Au@SiO) and enzymatically synthesized quantum dots (QDs). The gold nanoparticles were silica coated via the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate, which allowed for precise control over the distance between the nanoparticles and QDs and refined the dynamics of fluorescence quenching and enhancement.

Topochemical Synthesis and Electronic Structure of High-Crystallinity Infinite-Layer Nickelates on an Orthorhombic Substrate.

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has stirred much research interest, to which questions regarding the nature of superconductivity remain elusive. A critical leap forward to address these intricate questions is through the growth of high-crystallinity infinite-layer nickelates, including the "parent" phase. Here, we report the synthesis of a high-quality thin-film nickelate, NdNiO.

Redox-active Co(II) and Zn(II) Pincer Complexes as High-Capacity Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

To address the ongoing demand for high-performance energy storage devices, it is crucial to identify new electrode materials. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) store energy via the electrochemical redox process, so their electrode materials should have reversible redox properties for rechargeability. On that note, redox-active metal complexes are explored as innovative electrode materials for LIBs.

Selective Biofilm Inhibition through Mucin-Inspired Engineering of Silk Glycopolymers.

Mucins are key components of innate immune defense and possess remarkable abilities to manage pathogenic microbes while supporting beneficial ones and maintaining microbial homeostasis at mucosal surfaces. Their unique properties have garnered significant interest in developing mucin-inspired materials as novel therapeutic strategies for selectively controlling pathogens without disrupting the overall microbial ecology. However, natural mucin production is challenging to scale, driving the need for simpler materials that reproduce mucin's bioactivity.

An Ion Pair Receptor for Selective Solid-Liquid Extraction of LiCl.

We have synthesized a new ion pair receptor (2) consisting of a cone-calix[4]arene bearing a combination of ethyl esters and ethers as a cation binding site and a calix[4]pyrrole subunit acting as an anion binding site. Ion pair receptor 2 complexes LiCl, NaCl, and CsCl among alkali metal chloride salts with distinct complexation modes and affinities in 10 % methanol-d in chloroform-d. For instance, relatively small Li and Na cations are bound to the oxygen atoms of the functionalized calix[4]arene lower rim with Cl being hydrogen bonded to the calix[4]pyrrole NHs while the larger Cs cation is bound to the cone-shaped calix[4]pyrrole cavity via a π-cation interaction.

Electronic and magnetic excitations in LaNiO.

High-temperature superconductivity was discovered in the pressurized nickelate LaNiO which has a unique bilayer structure and mixed valence state of nickel. The properties at ambient pressure contain crucial information of the fundamental interactions and bosons mediating superconducting pairing. Here, using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering, we identified that Ni 3 , Ni 3 , and ligand oxygen 2p orbitals dominate the low-energy physics with a small charge-transfer energy.

Facile One-Pot Synthesis of FeO Nanoparticles Composited with Reduced Graphene Oxide as Fast-Chargeable Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

To address the rapidly growing demand for high performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the development of high-capacity anode materials should focus on the practical perspective of a facile synthetic process. In this work, iron oxide nanoparticles (FeO NPs) in situ grown on the surface of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), denoted as FeO NPs@rGO, were prepared through a facile one-pot synthesis under the wet-colloidal conditions. The synthesized FeO NPs showed that uniform FeO NPs, with a size of around 9 nm, were distributed on the rGO surfaces.

Application of metal-organic frameworks for photocatalytic degradation of microplastics: Design, challenges, and scope.

Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are pervasive pollutants challenging wastewater treatment due to their size and hydrophobicity. They infiltrate freshwater, marine, and soil environments, posing ecological threats. In marine settings, MPs ingested by organisms cause cytokine release, cellular and DNA damage, and inflammation.

Colloidal Synthesis and Analysis of CNT-CuS for Stability and Capacity Increase Alleviation in Sodium-Ion Storage.

With the growing interest in energy storage, significant research has focused on finding suitable anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). While developing high-capacity nanosized metal sulfides, issues like low stability and rapid initial capacity decline are common. Instead of maintaining steady capacity, they also tend to exhibit an increase in discharge capacity as cycling continues.