Efficient 3D Biomedical Image Segmentation by Parallelly Multiscale Transformer-CNN Aggregation Network.

Accurate and automated segmentation of 3D biomedical images is a sophisticated imperative in clinical diagnosis, imaging-guided surgery, and prognosis judgment. Although the burgeoning of deep learning technologies has fostered smart segmentators, the successive and simultaneous garnering global and local features still remains challenging, which is essential for an exact and efficient imageological assay. To this end, a segmentation solution dubbed the mixed parallel shunted transformer (MPSTrans) is developed here, highlighting 3D-MPST blocks in a U-form framework.

Advances in fibroblast-based cardiac reprogramming in the treatment of heart disease.

Background: Due to population aging and a wide range of risk factors, coupled with the limited regenerative capacity of the myocardium, the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases remain challenging.

Methods: This review evaluates cardiac reprogramming as an innovative approach to directly convert fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes through genetic or pharmacological means. We focus on its application in myocardial infarction, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and heart failure, and discuss strategies for improving reprogramming efficiency and recent advances in nanomaterial-assisted delivery.

Transcripts of splicing factors with time-varying associations with survival outcomes in colorectal cancer.

Identifying variables with time-varying associations can help guide patient stratification and treatment strategies. Time-varying associations refer to the associations between variables of interest and the outcomes that change over time. Such associations of gene transcripts have never been examined in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Atorvastatin-Loaded Mineralized Vaccine Reprograms Endosomal Trafficking to Amplify STING-Driven Cancer Immunotherapy.

Dendritic cell (DC)-targeted nanovaccines offer great promise for cancer immunotherapy but are severely limited by premature lysosomal degradation of antigens, which reduces cross-presentation efficacy. Here, we report a facile yet effective biomineralization strategy to construct nanovaccine (OVA-ATV@MnO₂) that co-delivers ovalbumin (OVA) and atorvastatin (ATV) within MnO₂ matrix. The ATV-mediated nanovaccine reprograms endosomal trafficking by inhibiting the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, thereby delaying endosomal maturation and preventing antigen diversion to degradative lysosomes.

Prussian Blue Nanozyme-Based Dry-Dipstick Reflectometry for Multiplex Detection of Low Molecular Weight Metabolites.

Chronic diseases (CDs) and their associated hepatic and renal dysfunctions pose grim global health challenges, severely compromising quality of life while increasing morbidity and mortality rates. In China, a big bottleneck in effective CD management lies in the lack of affordable and efficient point-of-care testing (POCT) methods at the primary care level. To address this, we developed a Prussian blue (PB) nanozyme-based dry dipstick reflectometric platform for probing key metabolic markers associated with hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hyperlipidemia.

Machine learning-driven prediction of eye irritation toxicity: Integration of in silico and in vitro study.

Eye irritation (EI) toxicity poses critical challenges in chemical safety assessment, demanding alternatives to ethically contentious animal testing. We present the first integrative framework combining computational prediction with experimental validation for EI evaluation. Utilizing 5220 compounds characterized by 11 molecular fingerprints and 13 molecular descriptors (MDs), six machine learning (ML) algorithms generated 252 models through rigorous five-fold cross-validation.

Fabrication of Plantaricin FB-2 loaded chitosan/agar coatings: Enhancing antimicrobial activity and prolonging fresh pork shelf life.

Fresh pork is highly prone to spoilage from oxidation and microbial growth. Utilizing edible coatings made from polysaccharides and bacteriocins is an effective strategy to preserve the quality of fresh pork. In this study, a coating film with antimicrobial properties was developed by grafting chitosan (CS) and agar (AG) together and then incorporating the bacteriocin Plantaricin FB-2.

4-Octyl itaconate alleviates endothelial cell inflammation and barrier dysfunction in LPS-induced sepsis via modulating TLR4/MAPK/NF-κB signaling : 4-Octyl itaconate alleviates endothelial dysfunction.

Aim: Sepsis-induced vascular injury is a major contributor to the high mortality rate of sepsis. However, effective treatments remain elusive due to limited knowledge regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms. Itaconic acid, an endogenous metabolite, involved in multiple inflammatory diseases, but its role in sepsis-induced vascular injury remains unclear.

Tailored Design of Mesoporous Metal Organic Framework Single Crystals by Kinetics-Mediated Micelle Assembly for Efficient Asymmetrical Single-Atom Catalysis.

Constructing mesoporous metal organic frameworks (MesoMOFs) with customizable meso- and micro-environment is pivotal for asymmetric single-atom catalysis, yet it is impeded by the strong self-growth tendency of MOFs. In this work, a novel kinetics-mediated micelle assembly strategy is introduced to realize the general fabrication of mesoporous zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) single crystals. Spectroscopic characterizations and cryo-electron cryomicroscopy reveal that the strategic use of water accelerates the MOFs kinetics-mediated micelle assembly via enhancing ligand deprotonation, which suppresses the MOFs self-growth, facilitating the cooperative assembly of micelles and MOFs.

Complete biosynthesis of the fungal alkaloid zinnimidine: Biochemical insights into the isoindolinone core formation.

Isoindolinone scaffold is widely presented in bioactive natural products and serves as a fundamental structure in pharmaceutical compounds. However, the key step of the isoindolinone core formation is not well-defined. In this study, we elucidated the complete biosynthetic pathway of the phytotoxic isoindolinone alkaloid zinnimidine, which was isolated from the cultures of various phytopathogenic fungi of the genus Alternaria.

Gold nanoparticles: diagnostic and therapeutic applications in neurodegenerative disorders.

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs), including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and prion diseases, pose a significant and escalating health challenge in the context of an ageing population. Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) have emerged as promising agents in the diagnostic and therapeutic realms of NDDs, due to their unique ability to enhance drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This paper presents a comprehensive review of the application of GNPs in the context of NDDs diagnosis and therapy, highlighting their potential to transform patient management.

Single-Protein Determinations by Magnetofluorescent Qubit Imaging with Artificial-Intelligence Augmentation at the Point-Of-Care.

Conventional point-of-care testing (POCT) has limitations in sensitivity with high risks of missed detection or false positive, which restrains its applications for routine outpatient care analysis and early clinical diagnosis. By merits of the cutting-edge quantum precision metrology, this study devised a mini quantum sensor via magnetofluorescent qubit tagging and tunning on core-shelled fluorescent nanodiamond FND@SiO. Comprehensive characterizations confirmed the formation of FND biolabels, while spectroscopies secured no degradation in spin-state transition after surface modification.

An Exploratory Analysis of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation's Impact on Brain Function in Parkinson's Disease Patients With Freezing of Gait.

Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a debilitating symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients that severely impairs mobility. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has demonstrated potential in improving gait, but the mechanisms underlying its efficacy remain unclear. This study explored the impact of RAS on brain function in PD patients with FOG using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during an imagined walking task, with the aim of elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved.

Serum hepatitis B virus RNA in low-level viremia of chronic hepatitis B: clinical features and association with virological response.

Background: The role of hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) experienced with low-level viremia (LLV) remains poorly defined. This study was designed to evaluate the prognostic utility of serum HBV RNA as a biomarker for predicting treatment outcomes in this population.

Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on 117 pediatric patients with LLV (mean age: 13.

Epidemiological status of family-based Helicobacter pylori infection in Yunnan Province, China.

Background: The status of family-based H. pylori infection in Yunnan Province is unknown. This study is the first family-based epidemiological survey of H.

Integrative Approaches Identify Genetic Determinants of Levodopa Induced Dyskinesia.

Levodopa induced dyskinesia (LID) is a serious side effect of levodopa treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD), with limited interventions. Understanding the genetic impact on LID would help inform future intervention studies. We performed integrative genomic analysis approaches to identify the genetic determinants of LID in a Chinese multi-center prospective, observational PD cohort.

e Electron Occupancy as a Descriptor for Designing Iron Single-Atom Electrocatalysts.

A quantitative electronic structure-performance relationship is highly desired for the design of single-atom catalysts (SACs). The Fe single-atom catalysts supported by ordered mesoporous carbon with the e electron occupancy from 1.7 to 0.

Capsule neural network and its applications in drug discovery.

Deep learning holds great promise in drug discovery, yet its application is hindered by high labeling costs and limited datasets. Developing algorithms that effectively learn from sparsely labeled data is crucial. Capsule networks (CapsNet), introduced in 2017, solve the spatial information loss in traditional neural networks and excel in handling small datasets by capturing spatial hierarchical relationships among features.

Synergistic Amylase and Debranching Enzyme Catalysis to Improve the Stability of Oat Milk.

Oat starch plays a crucial role in the stability of oat milk. Enzyme-hydrolyzed oat starch has been demonstrated to be an effective means of improving the stability of oat milk. The effects of different enzyme combinations on the stability of oat milk and the properties of starch in oats were investigated by adding α-amylase, amyloglucosidase, and different ratios of pullulanase and isoamylase.

Oligodendroglial precursor cells modulate immune response and early demyelination in a murine model of multiple sclerosis.

Reproducing the pathophysiology of human multiple sclerosis (MS) in animal models is critical to identifying mechanisms triggering demyelination and to developing early intervention strategies. Here, we aimed to model overactivated Wnt (wingless-related integration site) signaling previously shown in postmortem brain tissues of patients with MS by inducing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in and mice. These mice have overactivated Wnt signaling in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) because of a conditional knockout of the pathway repressor adenomatous polyposis coli (APC).

Establishing a Platform Method for Physical Appearance Assessment of New Parenteral Pharmaceuticals.

Physical appearance (PA) is an attribute indicating the quality of parenteral pharmaceuticals. It is routinely evaluated during release and stability testing and included in regulatory filings. PA assessment of liquids involves three tests: visible particulates, clarity, and color.

Hypothalamic GABAergic neurons: their roles in health and metabolic diseases.

Hypothalamic GABAergic neurons are important in regulating metabolic homeostasis and energy balance. Serving as critical integrators of catabolic and anabolic processes, these neurons orchestrate a broad spectrum of metabolic functions, including feeding, nutrient metabolism, fluid homeostasis, basal metabolism, thermoregulation, and circadian rhythms. Recent advances in neuroscience have facilitated a deeper exploration of the role of hypothalamic GABAergic neurons in metabolic regulation.

A d-Electron Deficient Pd Trimer for Exceptional Pyridine Hydrogenation Activity and Selectivity.

The selective hydrogenation of pyridines containing reducible groups such as 2-phenylpyridine (PPY) typically has low yields due to strong nitrogen coordination with the metal as well as nonselective and over-hydrogenation. We report the synthesis of a novel Pd trimer catalyst through confined growth on an ordered mesoporous carrier, characterized by a 0.42 d-electron deficiency to address this challenge.

Construction of a prognostic risk model for clear cell renal cell carcinomas based on centrosome amplification-related genes.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the urological malignancy with the highest incidence, centrosome amplification-associated genes (CARGs) have been suggested to be associated with carcinogenesis, but their roles in ccRCC are still incompletely understood. This study utilizes bioinformatics to explore the role of CARGs in the pathogenesis of ccRCC and to establish a prognostic model for ccRCC related to CARGs. Based on publicly available ccRCC datasets, 2312 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified (control vs.