Electrochemically Modified Interface Promoting the Oxygen-Electrocatalytic Kinetics in Near-Neutral Zinc-Air Batteries.

The development of near-neutral zinc-air batteries (ZABs) has been hindered by the sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics, severely limiting energy efficiency and power output. While recent advances in catalyst design have improved the intrinsic activity of electrocatalysts, their overall impact on battery performance remains limited. Here, an electrochemical modification strategy is presented that simultaneously enhances the surface properties of both the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and the bifunctional catalyst.

EphA5 Expression Predicts Better Survival Despite an Association with Proliferative Activity in Endometrial Cancer.

: Eph receptor A5 (EphA5) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is implicated in multiple malignancies, although its role in endometrial cancer (EC) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological significance of EphA5 expression in EC and explore its association with proliferative and metabolic markers. : We retrospectively analyzed 75 EC tissue samples from treatment-naïve patients by using immunohistochemistry and H-score quantification.

HOXA5 as a Dual Modulator of Tumor Biology in Endometrial Cancer.

: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent gynecological malignancy, with increasing incidence and mortality. HOXA5, a developmental transcription factor, has been linked to prognosis in various cancers, but its role in EC remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic potential of HOXA5 in EC and to explore its association with common tumor-related proteins.

Premyopia Management With Ophthalmic Referral Slows Myopic Shift After School Entry: A Population-Based Longitudinal Study in Taiwan.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of early ophthalmic referral for premyopic preschoolers on myopic spherical equivalent (SE) shift after school entry; and to identify risk factors for nonadherence to follow-up care.

Methods: A population-based longitudinal study followed 742 premyopic preschoolers (-0.5 D < SE ≤ +0.

Chuchiming Index for Importance-Performance Analysis of AI-Powered MyHealthBank.

We conducted a proof-of-concept for a personal health record management platform utilizing AI robotics technology. Importance-Performance Analysis and the Chuchiming Index were used to assess the importance and acceptance of (1) platform functionality, and (2) systems and security. The results suggested that development is feasible, with information visualization, platform integration, robust security, and phased feature deployment identified as key priorities.

Paracrine Smooth Muscle-to-Endothelial Signaling via TNF Elevates Blood Pressure in Obesity.

Background: Loss of endothelial function is a key contributor to obesity-induced hypertension. Obesity can cause chronic, low-grade inflammation, leading to abnormal blood vessel function. The release of inflammatory cytokines is commonly attributed to immune cells, but recent studies suggest that vascular cells can also release these cytokines.

MSPO: A machine learning hyperparameter optimization method for enhanced breast cancer image classification.

As one of the major threats to women's health worldwide, breast cancer requires early diagnosis and accurate classification, since they are key to optimizing therapeutic interventions and ensuring precise prognosis. Recently, deep learning has demonstrated notable advantages in breast cancer image classification. However, their performance heavily relies on the proper configuration of hyperparameters.

Myopia Development During Transition From Kindergarten to Early Grades in Elementary School: Population-Based Evidence From an Epidemic Area in Taiwan.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of myopia, its association, and refractive progression among kindergarten non-myopic children after entering elementary schools in Yilan, Taiwan.

Methods: A cohort study was conducted on first- and second-grade elementary school students. Ocular examinations and caregiver-administered questionnaires were performed between December 2023 and March 2024, with data linked to kindergarten records from Yilan Myopia Vision Improvement Program (YMVIP).

Can Preoperative Carbohydrate Drinks and Multimodal Analgesia Reduce Nausea, Vomiting, and Pain After Total Knee Arthroplasty?

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and pain are major concerns for surgical patients. Preoperative carbohydrate drinks and multimodal analgesia have been proposed as effective methods for many types of surgeries and are included in the enhanced recovery after surgery guidelines. However, as total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery does not involve the digestive organs and commonly uses local infiltration analgesia for pain control, do these two interventions still help reduce PONV and pain after joint arthroplasty surgery?

Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated the impact of preoperative carbohydrate drinks and multimodal analgesia on patients undergoing TKA.

Improved Li-S Battery Performance with Dispersant/Plasticizer Co-Assisted Modification of a Poly(ethylene Oxide)/LiLaZrTaO Solid Electrolyte.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have garnered considerable attention over the past decade due to their high specific capacity and energy density. However, the poor safety and polysulfide shuttle phenomenon associated with liquid LSBs have been widely criticized. Solid-state electrolytes have the potential to overcome these issues, but their lower ionic conductivity and nonideal electrode/electrolyte interface contact as compared with liquid electrolytes remain a challenge in all-solid-state LSBs (ASSLSBs).

Screening for strongyloidiasis among selected populations in Taiwan: Prevalence, associated factors, and outcomes.

Background: When and how to screen for strongyloidiasis in high-income countries remain to be elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, associated factors, and outcome of strongyloidiasis in Taiwan and proposed clinical criteria for serological screening.

Methods: Adults who were immunocompromised or about to undergo iatrogenic immunosuppression (proactive-screening cohort) and those with clinical presentations suggesting strongyloidiasis (diagnosis-driven cohort) were prospectively enrolled at five hospitals in Taiwan.

Modeling inter-reader variability in clinical target volume delineation for soft tissue sarcomas using diffusion model.

Background: Accurate delineation of the clinical target volume (CTV) is essential in the radiotherapy treatment of soft tissue sarcomas. However, this process is subject to inter-reader variability due to the need for clinical assessment of risk and extent of potential microscopic spread. This can lead to inconsistencies in treatment planning, potentially impacting treatment outcomes.

Long-term Outcomes Following Proton-based Radiation Therapy for Pediatric Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas of the Mobile Spine and the Sacrum.

Purpose: To report the first cohort of children with spinal and sacrococcygeal chordomas (CH) and chondrosarcomas (CHS) treated with proton-based radiation therapy (PRT).

Materials And Methods: Between 1989 and 2019, 52 pediatric patients ≤22 years old with spinal CH (n = 43) or CHS (n = 9) were treated with PRT at a single institution. The primary tumor originated in the C-spine (n = 37, 71%), T-spine (n = 6, 12%), L-spine (n = 7, 14%), or sacrum (n = 2, 3%).

Imaging Ca2+ Signals in Small Pulmonary Veins at Physiological Intraluminal Pressures.

Pulmonary veins (PVs) carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs back to the left heart, thus serving an important function in the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to vital organs. However, most studies of pulmonary vasculature have focused on pulmonary arteries and capillaries under normal and disease conditions. Ca signals are critical regulators of vascular function.

Development of iron oxide based-upconversion nanocomposites for cancer therapeutics treatment.

Administration of therapeutic strategies alongside magnetic multifunctional nanocomposites has displayed improved cancer prognosis. However, the clinical use of this combination is limited owing to poor bioimaging performance, low biocompatibility, restricted tissue penetration in ultraviolet/visible regions, and low therapeutic efficacy of nanocomposites. To overcome these existing challenges, we designed iron oxide (FeO)-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs).

Deletion of RSK2 kinase alleviates age-dependent hypertension.

Background: Hypertension prevalence increases with age, reaching over 70% of people over age 65. The underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. This study interrogates a new signaling pathway in vascular smooth muscle of aged mice driven by p90 ribosomal S6 kinase, RSK2, and its role in increasing peripheral vascular resistance and blood pressure (BP).

Prognostic Significance of DNAJB4 Expression in Gastric Cancer: Correlation with CD31, Caspase-3, and Tumor Progression.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers worldwide, with particularly high incidence and mortality rates in East Asia and Europe. DNAJB4 has been shown to have prognostic implications in other cancer types; however, its expression patterns and role in gastric cancer have not been extensively studied. This study aimed to analyze DNAJB4 expression in gastric cancer and explore its association with clinical characteristics, molecular markers, and patient outcomes.

Gross tumor volume confidence maps prediction for soft tissue sarcomas from multi-modality medical images using a diffusion model.

Background And Purpose: Accurate delineation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) is essential for radiotherapy of soft tissue sarcomas. However, manual GTV delineation from multi-modality images is time-consuming. Furthermore, GTV delineation is subject to inter- and intra-reader variability, which reduces the reproducibility of treatment planning.

Nurses' competence and needs to assist advance directives for institutionalized people with dementia and their family.

There is growing recognition of advance directives (AD) in dementia, however a gap remains between their perceived importance and actual implementation. This emphasizes the need to enhance healthcare professionals' support for people with dementia (PWD) with regards to making AD. This study aimed to investigate the competence, difficulties, and support needs of nurses in assisting institutionalized PWD to make AD.

NDUFB7 mutations cause brain neuronal defects, lactic acidosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction in humans and zebrafish.

Complex I of the mitochondrial electron transfer chain is one of the largest membrane protein assemblies ever discovered. A patient carrying a homozygous NDUFB7 intronic mutation died within two months after birth due to cardiorespiratory defects, preventing further study. Here, we report another patient with compound heterozygous mutations in NDUFB7 who suffers from pons abnormality, lactic acidosis, prematurity, prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency, incomplete closure of the abdominal wall (ventral hernia), and a poorly functioning gastrointestinal tract (pseudo-obstruction).

Navigating pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics challenges of β-lactam antibiotics in patients with low body weight: efficacy, toxicity, and dosage optimization.

Background: Patients with low body weight (LBW) often exhibit altered pharmacokinetics (PK) in renal clearance and total body water. These changes complicate β-lactam antibiotic dosing, potentially resulting in suboptimal efficacy or increased toxicity.

Objectives: To evaluate the attainment of PK/pharmacodynamic (PD) targets, the prevalence of subtherapeutic and supratherapeutic concentrations, and the incidence of neurotoxicity among LBW patients treated with piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), cefepime (FEP), and meropenem (MEM).

Polygenic height prediction for the Han Chinese in Taiwan.

Human height prediction based on genetic factors alone shows positive correlation, but predictors developed for one population perform less well when applied to population of different ancestries. In this study, we evaluated the utility of incorporating non-genetic factors in height predictors for the Han Chinese population in Taiwan. We analyzed data from 78,719 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) participants and 40,641 Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative (TPMI) participants using genome-wide association study and multivariable linear regression least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) methods to incorporate genetic and non-genetic factors for height prediction.

High-entropy NASICON-Type LiAlTiZrSnTa(PO) with high electrochemical stability for lithium-ion batteries.

LiAlTi (PO) (LATP) is a promising NASICON-type solid electrolyte for all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLIBs) owing to its high ionic conductivity, low cost, and stability in ambient atmosphere. However, the electrochemical stability of LATP suffers upon contact with lithium metals, resulting in a reduction of Ti to Ti in its structure. This limitation necessitates interface modification processes, hindering its use in lithium-ion batteries.

GRK6 palmitoylation dictates triple-negative breast cancer metastasis via recruiting the β-Arrestin 2/MAPKs/NF-κB signaling axis.

Background: Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) belongs to the worst prognosis of breast cancer subtype probably because of distant metastasis to other organs, e.g. lungs.

GraphLOGIC: Lethality prediction of osteogenesis imperfecta on type I collagen by a mechanics-informed graph neural network.

Collagen plays a crucial role in human bodies and has a significant presence in connective tissues. As such, the impact of collagen mutations can be devastating. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic disease affecting 1 in every 15,000 to 20,000 people, is one such example characterized by brittle bones.