ctDNA detects residual disease after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and guides adjuvant therapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

The diagnostic accuracy of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for detecting molecular residual disease (MRD) after multimodal treatment remains unclear. In a prospective cohort of 132 patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) followed by clinical response evaluation and surgery, tumor-informed personalized-panel and fixed-panel ctDNA assays are applied to serial blood samples. Personalized ctDNA assay demonstrates a superior baseline detection rate (99.

Association between family environment and emergence delirium in pediatric patients after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: an observational prospective study.

Background: Preoperative anxiety in children is a known risk factor for Emergence Delirium (ED). The family environment may indirectly influence ED by modulating anxiety levels, but its direct role in ED remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore the associations between the occurrence of ED and family environmental factors in children.

Dynamic cortical inhibition imbalance as a biomarker of clinical progression in early Parkinson's disease.

Objective: The role of bilateral cortical inhibition in motor compensation during the progression of early Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the dynamic balance of between-hemispheric inhibition and the clinical relevance of its neurophysiological indicators.

Methods: Paired-pulse TMS was used to investigate the activity of different intracortical inhibitory circuits in 90 PD patients and 43 healthy controls during the "on medication" state.

Improvement and application of supine position components for lung tumor microwave ablation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of improved supine positioning components for lung tumor microwave ablation (MWA), with the goal of enhancing surgical efficiency, reducing complications, and improving patient experience.

Materials And Methods: One hundred patients undergoing MWA for lung tumors were randomly divided into two groups (n = 50 each): experimental (using improved components) and control (using traditional components). The improved positioning system included a high-density memory foam head pillow, lumbar and leg pillows, and adjustable fixing bands tailored to individual patient needs.

Leveraging neuroinformatics to understand cognitive phenotypes in elite athletes through systems neuroscience.

Introduction: Understanding the cognitive phenotypes of elite athletes offers a unique perspective on the intricate interplay between neurological traits and high-performance behaviors. This study aligns with advancing neuroinformatics by proposing a novel framework designed to capture and analyze the multi-dimensional dependencies of cognitive phenotypes using systems neuroscience methodologies. Traditional approaches often face limitations in disentangling the latent factors influencing cognitive variability or in preserving interpretable data structures.

Super-resolution PET/CT radiomics nomogram for predicting spread through air spaces in stage I lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Super-resolution (SR) reconstruction-based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been widely applied in the field of computer vision. However, their definitive clinical benefits have yet to be validated. Radiomics-based modeling provides an effective approach to evaluate the clinical utility of SRPET imaging.

Role of LPC 18:1 in the Lipid Metabolic Response to Combined Vitamin D and Resistance Exercise for Protecting Diabetic Skeletal Muscle Function.

Purpose: We have previously found that vitamin D and resistance exercise synergistically improve type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-related skeletal muscle atrophy. This study aims to investigate the impact of varying exercise intensity on synergistic effects of vitamin D and resistance exercise on their efficacy in improving type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)-induced myopathy, and further elucidate the underlying mechanism.

Methods: We compared the effects of vitamin D combined with low-, moderate- and high-intensity resistance exercise on metabolic status and skeletal muscle function.

Development of a multi-feature predictive model for risk stratification in stage IB-IIA non-small cell lung cancer: a multicenter analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a comprehensive risk stratification model for stage IB-IIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by integrating clinicopathological data with pre-treatment CT imaging.

Methods: This retrospective study included three independent cohorts of patients with stage IB-IIA NSCLC for model development and validation (Training: n = 370; Internal validation: n = 120; External validation: n = 70). Disease-free survival (DFS) was the primary endpoint.

Combinatorial mutagenesis and fermentation optimization biotechnologies synergistically enhance monacolin K content in functional red yeast rice.

Introduction: Red yeast rice (RYR) is produced through solid-state fermentation by Monascus genus. Its functional component, Monacolin K (MK), has the same structure as lovastatin and can effectively inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, thereby reducing serum cholesterol.

Methods: A combinatorial mutagenesis strategy integrating atmospheric room-temperature plasma and heavy-ion radiation was employed to generate mutant strains.

MAFNet: A novel adaptive multi-scale model for fine-grained grading of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, and its early detection and accurate grading play a crucial role in clinical intervention. To address the dual limitations of existing methods in multi-scale lesions feature fusion and lesions relation modeling, this study proposes a novel adaptive multi-scale convolutional neural network model for fine-grained grading of DR, called MAFNet (Multi-scale Adaptive Fine-grained Network). The model is constructed through three core modules to establish a multi-scale feature integration framework: the Hierarchical Global Context Module (HGCM) effectively expands the receptive field by employing multi-scale pooling and dynamic feature fusion, capturing lesions features from micro to large-scale areas; the Multi-scale Adaptive Attention Module (MSAM) utilizes an adaptive attention mechanism to dynamically adjust the feature weights at different spatial locations, enhancing the representation of key lesions regions; and the Relational Multi-head Attention Module (RMA) uses a multi-head attention mechanism to model the complex relationships between features in parallel, improving the accuracy of fine-grained lesions identification.

Polymer Nanoparticles Enable Self-Adaptive Soft Interface for Vitrimer Elastomer Nanocomposites.

Reconciliation of the elasticity, reinforcement, and recyclability in elastomer nanocomposites (ENCs) remains challenging, primarily due to the energy losses of the friction at polymer-nanoparticle interfaces and the permanent covalent cross-linking. Here, a self-adaptive soft interface strategy is introduced, using modulus-tuned polymer nanoparticles (PNPs) as reinforcement agents and interfacial chemical cross-linking sites within a vitrimer elastomer matrix. Such a framework promotes synergistic deformation of the PNPs with the matrix chains during mechanical deformation to minimize energy dissipation.

Intelligent deep learning architecture for precision vegetable disease detection advancing agricultural new quality productive forces.

In the context of advancing agricultural new quality productive forces, addressing the challenges of uneven illumination, target occlusion, and mixed infections in greenhouse vegetable disease detection becomes crucial for modern precision agriculture. To tackle these challenges, this study proposes YOLO-vegetable, a high-precision detection algorithm based on improved You Only Look Once version 10 (YOLOv10). The framework incorporates three innovative modules.

Additional material of Jiucaiyuangnathus confusus (Therocephalia) from the Lower Triassic Jiucaiyuan Formation, Xinjiang, China.

A new baurioid therocephalian, Jiucaiyuangnathus confusus, was recently described from the Lower Triassic Jiucaiyuan Formation of Jimusar, Xinjiang, China. Here, two or three newly collected specimens from the same horizon of Turpan, Xinjiang, including a complete skull with lower jaw and partial skeletons, are referred to this species. The new skull is slightly larger than that of the holotype.

Protective Efficacy of Subunit Vaccine Expressing Rv0976c Against Tuberculosis.

Objectives: The construction of subunit vaccines based on antigens that can induce strong cellular immunity is a widely accepted strategy to develop new tuberculosis vaccines. This study screens immunogens with potential for subunit vaccine development from seven candidate antigens and then verifies their vaccine efficacy.

Design: C57BL/6 mice were immunized subcutaneously with purified PPE19, PPE50, FadD21, Rv1505c, Rv1506c, Rv2035, and Rv0976c proteins formulated with Freund's adjuvant to evaluate both the antigen-specific Th1 cellular immune responses and IgG level.

Genome-Wide Identification of ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) Transporter Gene Family and Their Expression Analysis in Response to Anthocyanin Transportation in the Fruit Peel of Eggplant ( L.).

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) gene family represents one of the most extensive and evolutionarily conserved groups of proteins, characterized by ATP-dependent transporters that mediate the movement of substrates across cellular membranes. Despite their well-documented functions in various biological processes, the specific contributions of ABC transporters in eggplant ( L.) remain unexplored.

A Novel Strain WC412 with Superior Environmental Resilience Improves Growth Performance of Mice by Regulating the Intestinal Microbiota.

The growing demand for sustainable and antibiotic-free animal production has intensified interest in probiotics as functional feed additives. In this study, novel strains of (WC412 and WC413) were isolated from pickle water-a previously unexplored source for probiotic screening. These isolates, along with three reference strains ( S8, S15, and S17), were evaluated for their tolerance to heat, acid, and bile salts.

Dual Regulation of Mitochondrial Complexes by HS via -Sulfhydration Controls Respiration in Type 1 Diabetic Hearts.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS) has been established to regulate mitochondrial respiration and ATP production, but whether the regulation is through -sulfhydration (-SSH) of mitochondrial complexes is not well understood. Recently, HS is known to exert diverse and dose-dependent effects on mitochondrial complexes. However, the involvement of -sulfhydration of each mitochondrial complex and the activities in diabetic hearts have not been revealed.

All-fiber spatiotemporal self-similar laser.

Self-similar evolution has garnered significant attention in the field of high-power ultrafast fiber lasers due to its unique characteristics, such as wave-breaking suppression and quasi-linear chirp properties. Here, we demonstrate the spatiotemporal similariton generation in an all-fiber laser system through dual-function spectral-spatial filtering enabled by a commercial single-mode fiber filter. The system delivers similaritons centered at 1066 nm with M≈2.

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of modified 15-mm incision minimally invasive approach with the conventional approach in the treatment of AO 23-B3 distal radius fractures.

Background: The classic surgical technique of the 15-mm incision minimally invasive approach is not suitable for AO 23-B3 distal radius fractures (abbreviated B3). We have modified this technique for B3. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the modified 15-mm incision minimally invasive approach with the conventional ORIF approach in the treatment of B3.

Development and validation of a machine learning-based early warning system for predicting venous thromboembolism risk in hospitalized lymphoma patients undergoing chemotherapy: a multicenter and retrospective cohort study.

Background: Lymphoma patients hospitalized for chemotherapy are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to prolonged treatment and bed rest. Early prediction of VTE in this group remains challenging. This study aimed to develop a machine learning-based early warning system (VTE-EWS) tailored to these patients.

Strong Dipole Moments and Increased Charge Transfer in Polymer-Based Solid Electrolyte Enable Wide-Temperature Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

The development of solid electrolyte interfaces (SEI) using lithium and nitrate salts represents a promising approach to enhancing the performance of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). However, the inherent stability of lithium and nitrate salts often results in incomplete decomposition, leading to the formation of inhomogeneous SEI that degrade battery performance. In this study, a strong dipole moment and increased charge transfer strategy are used, which can effectively catalyze the decomposition of NO and TFSI and accelerate the migration of Li, as well as the formation of LiN-LiF-rich SEI.

Comparison of complications and oncology outcomes of immunotherapy alone and combination in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Comparison of complications and oncology outcomes of immunotherapy alone and combination in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Methods: As of March 2025, a systematic search on the application of immunotherapy alone with immunotherapy combined with other treatments (immunotherapy combined with radiotherapy/endocrine therapy, etc.) in the Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science databases for mCRPC.

Real-time non-invasive localization in sub-lobar resection for small pulmonary nodules: a noninferiority randomized clinical trial.

Background: Sub-lobar resection is a well-established surgical approach for solitary pulmonary ground-glass opacity (GGO) lesions. However, conventional CT-guided percutaneous localization is associated with complications such as pneumothorax, hemothorax, and patient discomfort. To address these concerns, a novel real-time, non-invasive localization technique was developed.

Identification and Experimental Validation of OS-Related Gene Sets Based on Integrated Analysis of Single-Cell and Bulk RNA Sequencing Data with Machine Learning in Patients with Sepsis.

Sepsis is a severe organ dysfunction syndrome caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, closely associated with poor prognosis. It disrupts the balance between oxidative and antioxidative systems, which may ultimately result in cellular dysfunction and death. However, the key regulatory genes involved in this process remain unclear and require further investigation.