Harnessing volatile organic compound biomarkers for early cancer detection: molecular to nanotechnology-based approaches.

Early-stage cancer diagnosis is considered a grand challenge, and even though advanced analytical assays have been established through molecular biology techniques, there are still clinical limitations. For example, low concentration of target biomarkers at early stages of cancer, background values from the healthy cells, individual variation, and factors like DNA mutations, remain the limiting factor in early cancer detection. Volatile organic compound (VOC) biomarkers in exhaled breath are produced during cancer cell metabolism, and therefore may present a promising way to diagnose cancer at the early stage since they can be detected both rapidly and non-invasively.

Assessing uncertainties of Integrated Mass Enhancement (IME) method for estimating landfill methane emissions.

The Integrated Mass Enhancement (IME) method is among the most popular remote sensing method for estimating methane emissions from point sources, and it has gained significant popularity in recent years. In this study, we evaluated how key environmental and observational factors, namely wind speed, instrument noise, terrain topography, and the source of 10-meter wind speed (U) data, influence emission estimates derived from the IME method. Although landfills are typically area sources, we used a simplified point-source emission setup as a controlled case to systematically explore the sensitivity of IME to each of these factors.

Enhancing the performance of dental composites with nanomaterial reinforcements via stereolithographic additive manufacturing.

Aim: This study investigates the enhancement of mechanical and morphological properties of dental resin composites through the incorporation of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) using additive manufacturing techniques.

Materials And Methods: hBN-modified resin (1 wt%) and BNNT-modified resin (0.1 wt%) were prepared separately, with BNNTs pre-dispersed in dimethylformamide (DMF) before mixing into the resin matrix.

Pharmaceuticals in soil and groundwater: Analytical methods, sources, and mitigation techniques.

Pharmaceuticals have long been used to treat diseases in humans and animals and to control pests of plants/crops. However, with the identification of these contaminants in the environment, it is of major concern. While they have been documented either in soil or groundwater as separate entities, there are limited investigations on their sources.

Quantitative corrections for fluctuation electron microscopy.

Anomalously low values of the normalised variance in fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) have been frequently reported. We present three experimental corrections for quantitative interpretation that significantly modify conventional approaches. FEM relies on measurements of intensity statistics in coherent nanodiffraction patterns.

A Simple Algorithm to Suppress Diagonal Peaks in High-Resolution Homonuclear Chemical Shift Correlation NMR Spectra.

Previous experimental strategies aimed at completely suppressing diagonal peaks in NMR homonuclear correlation spectra often resulted in reduced sensitivity for cross peaks. In this work, we report a spectral shearing approach that transforms diagonal peaks along the diagonal axis of a homonuclear correlation spectrum into a zero-frequency line in the indirect dimension. This allows for effective extraction and substantial suppression of diagonal peaks using a recently proposed data processing algorithm based on quadrature-detected spin-echo diagonal peak suppression.

Detergent-free isolation and characterization of amyloid precursor protein C99 in E. coli native lipid-nanodiscs using non-ionic polymer.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by cognitive decline resulting from neuronal cell death. A key contributor to AD pathology is C99, a membrane-bound β-secretase-cleaved fragment of amyloid precursor protein (APP). C99 plays a central role in generating amyloid-beta (Aβ) isomers, which are directly implicated in disease progression.

Tracking chemical releases in wastewater systems: An integrated plant-wide model for publicly owned treatment works.

Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) provide a vital service in treating wastewater from rural, urban, and industrial sources. The inflow of industrial wastewater to POTWs introduces a complex mixture of conventional and emerging contaminants, creating challenges for effective treatment and posing potential environmental and health risks. This study presents ChemTEAPOTW, a Python-based simulation model developed to track and estimate the fate and transport of chemicals of concern (CoC) in POTWs while also integrating inhalation and dermal occupational exposure pathways.

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticle-Labeled Extracellular Vesicles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Ischemic Stroke.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) offer a unique and promising alternative to direct cell injection as part of a cell-based therapy for stroke treatment. The development of labeling strategies is essential to identifying the initial biodistribution and clearance of EV-based therapeutics.

Extracellular Vesicle Production from Human Blood Vessel Organoids in a Vertical Wheel Bioreactor.

Although distinguished for their differentiation capacity, human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to contribute to functional recovery in the treatment of various traumatic and degenerative diseases. This promising role in therapeutic applications has resulted in considerable attention aimed toward their effective bio-manufacturing. However, traditional culture systems face various insufficiencies.

Multiparametric Evaluation of Biomass: An Integrated Approach Including Antioxidant, Nutritional, and Energy Properties.

The microalga has emerged as a promising candidate for biotechnological and industrial applications due to its rapid growth, resilience under diverse environmental conditions, and potential for bioactive compound production. This study presents a multiparametric characterization of dry biomass cultivated in patented industrial-scale photobioreactors, integrating thermochemical, elemental, antioxidant, and protein analyses. Proximate and ultimate analyses were conducted to assess fuel potential, revealing favorable volatile matter (VM = 64.

The Surface-Topography Challenge: A Multi-Laboratory Benchmark Study to Advance the Characterization of Topography.

Unlabelled: Surface performance is critically influenced by topography in virtually all real-world applications. The current standard practice is to describe topography using one of a few industry-standard parameters. The most commonly reported number is a, the average absolute deviation of the height from the mean line (at some, not necessarily known or specified, lateral length scale).

Anionic Lipid Catalyzes the Generation of Cytotoxic Insulin Oligomers.

The misfolding and aggregation of proteins into amyloidogenic assemblies are key features of several metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Human insulin has long been known to form amyloid fibrils under various conditions, which affects its bioavailability and function. Clinically, insulin aggregation at recurrent injection sites poses a challenge for diabetic patients who rely on insulin therapy.

Sequential reduction of bivalent copper and nickel in electroplating wastewater using bioelectrochemical systems inoculated with novel Enterococcus species.

Electroplating wastewater, characterized by high concentrations of bivalent copper (Cu⁺) and nickel (Ni⁺), poses significant environmental and health risks. This study explores the potential of novel Enterococcus species AMZ3, AMZ8, and AMZ5 as biocatalysts in bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for the dual purpose of electricity generation and heavy metal recovery. The strains were isolated from microbial fuel cell (MFC) biofilms and evaluated in single-chamber MFCs and dual-compartment systems.

Fibronectin Peptide Modified Hydrogels Activate a Contractile Phenotype in Nucleus Pulposus Cells.

Degenerative disc disease is strongly associated with low back pain, making it a leading cause of disability. With injury and age, cellular remodeling of the disc tissue leads to compositional changes, stiffening, and loss of stress relaxation, particularly in the central gelatinous nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the disc. As part of this extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling, there is an increase in the deposition of fibronectin, a strongly adhesive integrin ligand that is known to regulate inflammatory signaling.

Historical changes in overtopping probability of dams in the United States.

With concerns about aging dams and nonstationary changes in hydrologic extremes (e.g., flooding), questions arise about whether existing dams may be at risk of failure and pose threats to society.

Cargo Analysis and MRI-Based Therapeutic Assessment of Iron Oxide Labelled Extracellular Vesicles of Hypoxia Human Stem Cells in Ischemic Stroke.

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been under investigation in preclinical and clinical settings for treating neurological disorders in recent years. Predominantly due to paracrine effects , hMSC-secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) are at the forefront of these investigations. In this study, the therapeutic efficacy of hypoxia hMSCs and the secreted EVs labelled with iron oxides was evaluated in a preclinical model of ischemic stroke.

Actin Branching Regulates Cell Spreading and Force on Talin, but not Activation of YAP.

Cells sense the mechanical properties of their environment through physical engagement and spreading, with high stiffness driving nuclear translocation of the mechanosensitive transcription factor YAP. Restriction of cell spread area or environmental stiffness both inhibit YAP activation and nuclear translocation. The Arp2/3 complex plays a critical role in polymerization of branched actin networks that drive cell spreading, protrusion, and migration.

Erythrocyte based achiral micromotors for localized therapeutic delivery.

Bio-hybrid micromotors, active structures composed of both biological and synthetic components, are promising for use in several biomedical applications including targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering, and biosensing. Among biological candidates, erythrocytes are well suited for use as the biological component of bio-hybrid micromotors due to their biocompatibility, mechanical deformability, and long circulation time. However, their symmetric shape and small size make controlled actuation of these devices particularly challenging.

Magnetophoresis of weakly magnetic nanoparticle suspension around a wire.

We present a combined experimental and numerical investigation into the magnetophoresis behavior of weakly magnetic nanoparticle suspensions in the vicinity of a wire under a non-uniform magnetic field and negligible inertia. The experiments were conducted within a closed rectangular cuvette, with a wire positioned between the poles of an electromagnet. Two types of nanoparticles-paramagnetic manganese oxide and diamagnetic bismuth oxide-were studied across a broad range of concentrations (10-100 mg/l), magnetic field strengths (0.

Decoding the mechanophysiology for inhaled onset of smallpox with model-based implications for mpox spread.

Orthopoxviruses can transmit via inhalation of virus-laden airborne particulates, with the initial infection triggered along the respiratory pathway. Understanding the flow physics of inhaled aerosols and droplets within the respiratory tract is crucial for improving transmission mitigation strategies and elucidating disease pathology. Here, we introduce an experimentally-validated physiological fluid dynamics model simulating inhaled onset of smallpox caused by the variola virus of Orthopoxvirus genus.

cis and trans isomers of phospho-tau proteins differently affect amyloid aggregation.

The co-localization of phospho-tau proteins (p-tau) and amyloid beta (Aβ) or alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregates and their combined pathological impacts have been recognized in the brains of both human and animal models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The fibrillation of amyloidogenic proteins is a dynamic process that can be affected by the presence of other proteins and therefore, it's essential to reveal how the cross-interaction between Aβ or α-Syn with p-tau affects their amyloidogenesis. Using simulation studies, we showed that cis and trans conformations of phosphorylated tau (phosphorylated at Thr231) show different affinities to Aβ and α-Syn.

Improvement in Heat Transfer in Hydrocarbon and Geothermal Energy Coproduction Systems Using Carbon Quantum Dots: An Experimental and Modeling Approach.

The main objective of this study is to improve heat transfer in hydrocarbon- and geothermal-energy coproduction systems using carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Two types of 0D nanoparticles (synthesized and commercial CQDs) were used for the formulation of nanofluids to increase the heat transfer from depleted wells for the coproduction of oil and electrical energy. The synthesized and commercial CQDs were characterized in terms of their morphology, zeta potential, density, size, and heat capacity.

Rapid-Acquisition Fluctuation Electron Microscopy: Decoherence and the Dominant Role of Noise.

We investigate how data acquisition rate affects the decoherence of diffraction speckles in fluctuation electron microscopy (FEM) experiments on amorphous silicon at 80 kV. Surprisingly, reducing acquisition time from 256 ms to 1 ms does not significantly enhance the intensity variance peaks related to medium-range order. This suggests that decoherence processes operate at timescales faster than 1 ms.

Cannabidiol-Loaded Retinal Organoid-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Protect Oxidatively Stressed ARPE-19 Cells.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the third leading cause of irreversible blindness in elderly individuals aged over 50 years old. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the etiopathogenesis of multifactorial AMD disease. The phospholipid bilayer EVs derived from the culture-conditioned medium of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) differentiated retinal organoids aid in cell-to-cell communication, signaling, and extracellular matrix remodeling.