Comparison of DLIR and ASIR-V algorithms for virtual monoenergetic imaging in carotid CTA under a triple-low protocol.

Background: Stroke, frequently associated with carotid artery disease, is evaluated using carotid computed tomography angiography (CTA). Dual-energy CTA (DE-CTA) enhances imaging quality but presents challenges in maintaining high image clarity with low-dose scans.

Objectives: To compare the image quality of 50 keV virtual monoenergetic images (VMI) generated using Deep Learning Image Reconstruction (DLIR) and Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction-V (ASIR-V) algorithms under a triple-low scanning protocol in carotid CTA.

UVA/B-Selective Skin-Inspired Nociceptors Based on Green Double Perovskite QDs-Sensitized 2D Semiconductor toward Reliable Human Somatosensory System Simulation.

Achieving UVA/B-selective, skin-inspired nociceptors with perception and blockade functions at the single-unit device level remains challenging. This is because the device necessitates distinct components for every performance metric, thereby leading to complex preparation processes and restricted performance, as well as the absence of deep UV (UVB and below)-selective semiconductors. Here, to address this, we develop a structure-simplification skin-inspired nociceptor using a reverse type-II CuAgSbI/MoS heterostructure.

Dendritic cells: understanding ontogeny, subsets, functions, and their clinical applications.

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in coordinating immune responses by linking innate and adaptive immunity through their exceptional antigen-presenting capabilities. Recent studies reveal that metabolic reprogramming-especially pathways involving acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA)-critically influences DC function in both physiological and pathological contexts. This review consolidates current knowledge on how environmental factors, tumor-derived signals, and intrinsic metabolic pathways collectively regulate DC development, subset differentiation, and functional adaptability.

Structural Insights into Fun174Sb from the GH174 Family Unravel Novel Subsite Specificities of the Endo-1,3-Fucanase.

Sulfated fucan has attracted growing attention due to its diverse biological properties. Endo-1,3-fucanases are valuable tools for the degradation of sulfated fucan. This study characterized an endo-1,3-fucanase Fun174Sb from the GH174 family, utilizing a combination of protein crystallography, mutagenesis, computational biology, and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.

Treatment of non-sterile biogas slurry from a pig farm using microalgae isolated from the activated sludge of sewage plants.

Unlabelled: Microalgae treatment is regarded as a green and environmentally acceptable method of treating pig farm biogas slurry (BS). Numerous studies have been conducted on the use of microalgae to treat sterilized BS. Nevertheless, in large-scale application settings, this method will undoubtedly result in high costs and low efficiency.

IL-1β restrains its own apoptosis-promoting activity via NF-κB (RelA) Ser276/p62-mediated elimination of damaged mitochondria in Chondrocytes.

Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a central proinflammatory cytokine implicated in osteoarthritis (OA), but its precise role in chondrocyte apoptosis remains to be fully elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-1β triggers mitophagy in chondrocytes by promoting Parkin translocation and p62 recruitment to damaged mitochondria, thereby reducing mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Loss of p62 resulted in impaired mitophagy, excessive mitochondrial superoxide accumulation, and increased cell death.

Jahn-Teller Distortion Enables Enhanced Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Properties of a Metal-Pyrazolylborate Complex.

Molecular piezoelectrics have garnered significant attention in energy harvesting and sensing fields due to their high intrinsic piezoelectricity, low elastic properties, and excellent solution processability. Recent efforts have primarily focused on rationally tuning the piezoelectric performance of these materials through the molecular predesign of organic components. However, the regulation of piezoelectric properties via the central metal ion has remained relatively underexplored.

Harnessing Radical-Based Dynamic Covalent Chemistry and Supramolecular Synthon for Directional Self-Assembly.

The discovery of new weak supramolecular interactions and supramolecular synthons is essential for directing self-assembly processes with enhanced precision, diversity, and functionality in complex molecular architectures. Here, we report the controlled self-assembly of diverse supramolecular architectures by a new directional bonding approach through the integration of radical-based dynamic covalent chemistry and supramolecular synthons. A novel macrocyclic synthon, , with a linear direction is constructed via radical-based dynamic covalent bonds from the phenothiazine building block substituted with two dicyanomethyl radicals.

FOXO3 Protects Lens Epithelial Cells From UVB-Induced Oxidative Stress via the AMPK/FOXO3 Signaling Pathway.

Age-related cataract (ARC) represents a major global cause of visual impairment, with ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation recognized as a primary contributor to oxidative damage in the lens. FOXO3, a key regulator of aging, apoptosis, and oxidative stress-induced cell death, was investigated for its role and regulatory mechanisms in UVB-induced oxidative stress using human lens epithelial cells (HLECs). A progressive decrease in FOXO3 protein expression was observed in the lens capsules across various stages of cataract progression, as well as in UVB-exposed animal models and UVB-treated HLECs.

Combined Fusarium Crown Rot and Drought Stress Leads to Overlapping and Unique Proteomic Responses in Wheat.

Fusarium crown rot (FCR) is a soilborne disease that occurs in many cereal-growing regions in the world. An association between FCR development and drought stress has long been known. The FCR symptoms are pronounced under drought stress in both fields and controlled environments.

Multi-objective optimization of auxetic coronary stents based on finite element simulation and surrogate modeling.

High cost of clinical trials hinders further enhancement of comprehensive mechanical properties of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS). Therefore, a multi-objective optimization method combining surrogate modeling and finite element simulation is proposed, based on the evaluation of stents with various auxetic structures and materials. The results demonstrated that re-entrant hexagon stent made of PLA (PLA-RH stent) was a more ideal candidate, with superior radial recoil and force.

Enhanced Versus Standard Dermatologic Management With Amivantamab-Lazertinib in EGFR-Mutated Advanced NSCLC: The COCOON Global Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Amivantamab plus lazertinib significantly improved progression-free and overall survival versus osimertinib in patients with previously untreated, EGFR-mutant advanced NSCLC. EGFR-targeted therapies are associated with dermatologic adverse events (AEs), which can affect quality of life (QoL). COCOON was conducted to assess prophylactic management and improve treatment experience.

UTND Effect Mediates Macrophage Ferroptosis and Promotes Immune Microenvironment Remodeling of Ovarian Cancer.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) act as a vital player in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and have received widespread attention in the treatment of cancer in recent times. Nevertheless, simultaneously inducing TAM repolarization and strengthening their phagocytic ability on cancer cells is still a significant challenge. Ferroptosis has received widespread attention due to its lethal effects on tumor cells, but its role in TAMs and its impact on tumor progression have not yet been defined.

Mitoribosome-Targeting Antibiotics Suppress Osteoclastogenesis and Periodontitis-Induced Bone Loss by Blocking Mitochondrial Protein Synthesis.

The onset and progression of periodontitis are closely related to metabolic reprogramming in the periodontal microenvironment, with osteoclasts playing a critical role in tissue destruction. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of periodontal tissues from healthy individuals and patients with severe chronic periodontitis revealed a significant increase in the expression of mitochondrial-related genes during osteoclast differentiation, suggesting the critical role of mitochondrial function in this process. This study investigates the potential of the novel mitoribosome-targeting antibiotic radezolid in inhibiting osteoclast differentiation.

An improved non-smooth coordinate transformation for analyzing bilateral vibro-impact systems with stochastic excitations.

Vibro-impact systems exhibit non-smooth characteristics and pose significant challenges for analysis. Non-smooth coordinate transformations are widely recognized for their ability to convert vibro-impact systems into systems with continuous trajectories, thereby enabling the application of some classical methods. This paper introduces an improved non-smooth coordinate transformation method [Su et al.

Blood-based DNA methylation markers for autism spectrum disorder identification using machine learning.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder lacking objective biomarkers for early diagnosis. DNA methylation is a promising epigenetic marker, and machine learning offers a data-driven classification approach. However, few studies have examined whole-blood, genome-wide DNA methylation profiles for ASD diagnosis in school-aged children.

NUMTsearcher: advancing detection and evolutionary insights of nuclear mitochondrial DNA segments across human, rabbit, and fish genomes.

Nuclear mitochondrial DNA segments (NUMTs), which are mitochondrial DNA fragments integrated into the nuclear genome, serve as markers of evolutionary history. This study aims to enhance the detection and analysis of NUMTs by developing a script named NUMTsearcher. Utilizing the latest chromosome-level genome assemblies from various species, including human, rabbit, and six fish species, the study compares NUMTsearcher's performance against traditional methods such as LAST (Local Alignment Search Tool), BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool), BLAT (BLAST-Like Alignment Tool), and the pan-mitogenome approach, which integrates mitogenomes from diverse sources to identify fixed NUMTs in the nuclear genome.

Integrated single-cell and spatial transcriptomics uncover the prognostic, epigenetic, and immunological roles of FANCC in low-grade glioma.

Background: Immunotherapy holds significant yet underexplored potential for low-grade glioma (LGG) treatment. We therefore interrogated the role of Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group C (FANCC) as a novel immune checkpoint regulator given its spatial correlation with tumor microenvironments and clinical associations with immunosuppressive markers.

Objectives: FANCC is implicated in various tumor progressions; its role in LGG remains unexplored.

Synergistic Methylene Blue-Driven FAPI Uptake Mechanism Advancing the Detection of Myocardial Fibrosis in Hypertensive Heart Disease.

Myocardial fibrosis, a key pathological feature of hypertensive heart disease (HHD), remains diagnostically challenging due to limited clinical tools. In this study, a FAPI-targeted uptake mechanism previously reported by our group, originally developed for tumor imaging, is extended to the detection of myocardial fibrosis in HHD using [F]F-NOTA-FAPI-MB. The diagnostic performance of this tracer is compared with those of [F]F-FDG, [F]F-FAPI-42, and [F]F-NOTA-FAP2286, and its potential for fluorescence imaging is also evaluated.

Risk Stratification of Sudden Cardiac Death in Nonischemic Dilated Cardiomyopathy: Arrhythmogenic Substrate Assessment in Cardiac MRI.

Background MRI-derived arrhythmogenic substrate, including late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and extracellular volume fraction (ECV), is indicative of sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The relative prognostic value of LGE and ECV remains unclear. Purpose To evaluate the performance of LGE and T1 mapping in predicting SCD in patients with DCM and to explore clinical implementation.

Calibration of a gated neutron time-of-flight spectrometer with low-afterglow.

Neutron Time-of-Flight (nTOF) detectors are key diagnostics to detect thermonuclear neutrons in laser-fusion experiments. This diagnostic, however, is often plagued by strong gamma-ray noise prior to neutron signals, especially in harsh fast-ignition (FI) environments. To address this issue, a combination of low-afterglow liquid scintillators with time-gated photomultiplier tubes as necessary nTOF components would be a natural solution.

Challenging the golden mean: Testing the inverted U-shaped relationship between trait self-control and subjective well-being among Chinese adolescents.

Self-control (SC) is a robust predictor of subjective well-being (SWB), and a positive linear relationship between them is often taken as the default assumption. However, some perspectives suggest that excessive SC may diminish SWB, implying an inverted U-shaped relationship. This study examined this inverted U-shaped hypothesis among Chinese adolescents, who are raised in a culture emphasizing moderation.

Label-Free Dynamic Single-Molecule Sensing of Alpha-2-Macroglobulin in Complex Matrices.

Alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) is a critical biomarker implicated in inflammation, immune regulation, coagulation, and various pathological conditions such as liver fibrosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancers. However, its precise quantification remains challenging due to complex conformational dynamics, subtle abundance fluctuations, and interference from plasma proteins. Here, we present a label-free dynamic single-molecule sensing (LFDSMS) strategy for the sensitive and specific detection of A2M.

Effect of Oxygen Exposure on the Triplet Excitation Dynamics of the Monomeric LHCII Complex from Spinach.

Light-harvesting complex IIs (LHCIIs) are the major antenna in higher plants, balancing light capture through photoprotection. While it naturally forms trimers, stress conditions can induce monomerization, altering pigment interactions. Here, we explored how molecular oxygen affects triplet excited-state dynamics in LHCII monomers using time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

Spherical Acoustic Resonator-Based Quartz-Enhanced Photoacoustic-Photothermal Dual Spectroscopy Sensing.

In this paper, a single-quartz-enhanced photoacoustic-photothermal dual spectroscopy sensor based on a spherical acoustic resonator (SAR) is reported for the first time. The dual spectroscopy of quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) and quartz-enhanced photothermal spectroscopy (QEPTS), utilizing a single quartz tuning fork (QTF), eliminates the frequency mismatch issue that occurs when multiple QTFs are used. The dual spectroscopy model was constructed using the finite element method, which provides numerical simulation support for subsequent experiments.