BackgroundScrew fixation is pivotal for prosthetic stability. For 3D-printed customized acetabular revision prostheses designed for complex, large-scale bone defects, precise adherence to preoperative screw trajectory planning is critical. However, there remains a lack of standardized three-dimensional (3D) evaluation protocols to quantify intraoperative screw angular alignment fidelity relative to preoperative digital plans, hindering universal validation criteria.MethodsA total of 11 patients were stratified into two groups based on postoperative Harris Hip Scores and severe complication rates: the better outcome group and the regular outcome group. A 3D pelvic coordinate system was established using anatomical landmarks. Two biomechanically critical screws per prosthesis were selected to quantify 3D angular deviations between postoperative and preoperative plans. The efficacy of this method was compared with simulated anteroposterior radiograph-based 2D measurements. Inter- and intra-observer consistency (kappa statistics) were evaluated to assess reproducibility.ResultsHigh inter-observer (κ = 0.88) and intra-observer (κ = 0.87, 0.75) agreement confirmed method reliability. While individual critical screw deviations showed no significant intergroup differences, the cumulative angular deviation of critical screws was significantly lower in the better outcome group (p = 0.0147). In contrast, 2D radiographic analysis failed to distinguish intergroup differences in cumulative deviations (p = 0.1489), demonstrating reduced clinical relevance.ConclusionThis 3D assessment protocol robustly correlates with clinical outcomes, providing a validated tool for evaluating preoperative-to-postoperative fidelity in customized acetabular revision prostheses. To our knowledge, this is the first CT-based 3D coordinate system study quantifying critical screw alignment accuracy in patient-specific prostheses, with clinical validation.
Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignant tumor of the digestive tract with poor prognosis and high mortality. The early diagnosis of EC mainly depends on endoscopic diagnosis, which not only needs to bear certain economic pressure, but also needs patients to recognize the high risk factors of EC. Most EC patients are diagnosed at intermediate or late stages, often due to a lack of awareness regarding early symptoms and lifestyle-related risk factors. However, the discovery of aptamers and the development of nanocarriers bring great benefits to the diagnosis, treatment, and targeted drug delivery of EC. Aptamers or peptide aptamers as biosensors or therapeutic agents for the diagnosis or treatment of EC, aptamer–drug conjugates and aptamer-functionalized drug nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery in esophageal cancer are reviewed in this paper. In addition, we expect investigators to pay special attention to improving aptamer permeability and stability to accelerate aptamer clinical transformation. In conclusion, leveraging the high target specificity of well-selected aptamers may bring new breakthroughs in the diagnosis, treatment and drug delivery of EC.
Abstract The physicochemical properties of oral drug delivery carriers significantly influence their interactions with the intestinal barrier, which, in turn, affect their in vivo fate and therapeutic efficacy. As a delivery system with a hierarchical structure and high stability, Pickering emulsions have demonstrated significant advantages in enhancing the bioavailability of encapsulated bioactive compounds. However, the specific role of their inherent flexibility in modulating interactions with the intestinal barrier and influencing delivery efficiency remains poorly understood. In this study, a flexible Pickering emulsion (FPPE) stabilized by chitosan nanoparticles was developed for encapsulating epigallocatechin gallate, aiming to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of its flexible structure in mucus penetration, cellular uptake, and biodistribution in the intestinal tract. Upon reaching the intestinal tissue, FPPE exhibited deformable adaptation, facilitating efficient mucus permeation, prolonged gastrointestinal retention, and enhanced drug absorption. Moreover, FPPE enhanced macrophage uptake and mitochondrial membrane potential, reduced reactive oxygen species scavenging, and triggered macrophage reprogramming. Compared to rigid chitosan microspheres, FPPE more effectively alleviated intestinal inflammation and promoted intestinal barrier repair in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis mouse model. This study reveals how Pickering emulsion flexibility facilitates intestinal mucus delivery, guiding their future design and application. Graphical Abstract
Aaliyawani Ezzerin Sinin, Sinin Hamdan, Khairul A. Mohamad Said
et al.
This work was conducted using the Picoscope signal extraction procedure, which revealed significant insights regarding the belian wood and its application in Gendang Melayu Sarawak (GMS) production. The amplitude of belian wood GMS signal remains constant, allowing it to sustain its timbre for a longer duration compared to durian wood GMS using the same procedure. Considering that the dimensions of the big belian (BB) and big durian (BD) GMS are almost the same, both GMS yield almost the same note, i.e. G1# (51.9 Hz). Considering that the dimensions of both the small belian (SB) and small durian (SD) GMS are almost the same, both GMS yield almost similar note, i.e. F3 (174 Hz) and E3 (164 Hz). Although both BB and BD showed consistent harmonics, BD only displays 2 harmonics. The SB and SD both display consistent harmonics. Both BB and BD showed pleasing tonal qualities. These occurred due to the closeness of the principal overtones to the consonant interval.
Sorena Vahedipour-Dahraie, Younes Zahedi, Mir Daryoush Shakouri
SUMMARY: Because of the side effects of growth stimulant antibiotics employed for poultry nutrition the poultry industry attempts to substitute them with a safer one like as phytogenic or organic acids. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of single and double supplementation of broiler chickens diet with eugenol (0, 500, and 1,000 ppm) and butyric acid glycerides (BAG) (0 and 0.2% w/w) on the chemical, technological and sensory traits of the chicken breast during 60 d of storage. The biological trial was carried out on a total of 300 mixed-sex one-day-old Ross 308 chicks, which were randomly distributed into 6 dietary treatments, with 5 replicates and 10 birds each. The results revealed that L* and b* color values of the fillet samples changed significantly (p < 0.05). The pH values reduced significantly from 5.79 to 5.69 as an effect of eugenol supplementation in the diet (p < 0.05). Water binding ability of the fillet samples evaluated by drip loss, cooking loss and water holding capacity assays was not influenced by addition of BAG and eugenol to the diet of broilers. Sensorial traits of the meat samples were not negatively affected by the dietary supplementation process. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) values of the fillets were not influenced meaningfully by treatments. Overall, dietary supplementation of broiler chickens by eugenol and BAG did not result in important modifications of the physicochemical characteristics of chicken's breast.
Four large-scale amorphous zeolite imidazolate frameworks (a-ZIFs) have been constructed based on the continuous random network model. Structural properties correlation (SPC) between the mechanical properties and structural order (short-range, mid-range, or long-range orders) of ZIFs samples have been investigated by well-defined density functional theory calculations. The results demonstrated the effect of short-range and mid-range local order on the mechanical properties of the a-ZIFs, respectively. By combining different metal nodes and organic ligands, the porosity of a-ZIFs can be dramatically changed, leading to changes in Young’s modulus and shear modulus. The most important, SPC between structural order and mechanical properties of a-ZIFs is established, which will pave the way to designing high-strength and toughness ZIF-based glass.
The integration of non-enzymatic glucose sensing entities into device designs compatible with industrial production is crucial for the broad take-up of non-invasive glucose sensors. Copper and its oxides have proven to be promising candidates for electrochemical glucose sensing. They can be fabricated in situ enabling integration with standard copper metallisation schemes for example in printed circuit boards (PCBs). Here, copper oxide electrodes are prepared on flexible polyimide substrates through direct annealing of patterned electrode structures. Both annealing temperature and duration are tuned to optimise the sensor surface for optimum glucose detection. A combination of microscopy and spectroscopy techniques is used to follow changes to the surface morphology and chemistry under the varying annealing conditions. The observed physico-chemical electrode characteristics are directly compared with electrochemical testing of the sensing performance, including chronoamperommetry and interference experiments. A clear influence of both aspects on the sensing behaviour is observed and an anneal at 250 °C for 8 h is identified as the best compromise between sensor performance and low interference from competing analytes.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Chemical technology
Embryonic development is a highly intricate and complex process. Different regulatory mechanisms cooperatively dictate the fate of cells as they progress from pluripotent stem cells to terminally differentiated cell types in tissues. A crucial regulator of these processes is the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2). By catalyzing the mono-, di-, and tri-methylation of lysine residues on histone H3 tails (H3K27me3), PRC2 compacts chromatin by cooperating with Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) and represses transcription of target genes. Proteomic and biochemical studies have revealed two variant complexes of PRC2, namely PRC2.1 which consists of the core proteins (EZH2, SUZ12, EED, and RBBP4/7) interacting with one of the Polycomb-like proteins (MTF2, PHF1, PHF19), and EPOP or PALI1/2, and PRC2.2 which contains JARID2 and AEBP2 proteins. MTF2 and JARID2 have been discovered to have crucial roles in directing and recruiting PRC2 to target genes for repression in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Following these findings, recent work in the field has begun to explore the roles of different PRC2 variant complexes during different stages of embryonic development, by examining molecular phenotypes of PRC2 mutants in both in vitro (2D and 3D differentiation) and in vivo (knock-out mice) assays, analyzed with modern single-cell omics and biochemical assays. In this review, we discuss the latest findings that uncovered the roles of different PRC2 proteins during cell-fate and lineage specification and extrapolate these findings to define a developmental roadmap for different flavors of PRC2 regulation during mammalian embryonic development.
Grzegorz Krasowski, Adam Junka, Justyna Paleczny
et al.
Chronic wounds complicated with biofilm formed by pathogens remain one of the most significant challenges of contemporary medicine. The application of topical antiseptic solutions against wound biofilm has been gaining increasing interest among clinical practitioners and scientific researchers. This paper compares the activity of polyhexanide-, octenidine- and hypochlorite/hypochlorous acid-based antiseptics against biofilm formed by clinical strains of <i>Candida albicans, Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>. The analyses included both standard techniques utilizing polystyrene plates and self-designed biocellulose-based models in which a biofilm formed by pathogens was formed on an elastic, fibrinous surface covered with a fibroblast layer. The obtained results show high antibiofilm activity of polihexanide- and octenidine-based antiseptics and lack or weak antibiofilm activity of hypochlorite-based antiseptic of total chlorine content equal to 80 parts per million. The data presented in this paper indicate that polihexanide- or octenidine-based antiseptics are highly useful in the treatment of biofilm, while hypochlorite-based antiseptics with low chlorine content may be applied for wound rinsing but not when specific antibiofilm activity is required.
Harwoko Harwoko, Jungho Lee, Georgios Daletos
et al.
Background: Genus Trichoderma of fungal kingdom are largely used as biological control agents due to broad-spectrum activity against plant pathogens.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate Trichoderma harzianum, an endophytic fungus obtained from ginger (Zingiber officinale) leaves.
Methods: The chemical structures of the isolated compounds were deduced on the basis of UV, 1H NMR and MS data analyses, as well as comparison with literature.
Results: Two known tetramic acid derivatives were isolated from this fungus, including harzianic acid (A) and isoharzianic acid (B). Compound B inhibited the growth of a corn pathogenic fungus, Ustilago maydis, with inhibition zone diameter (39 ± 0.33 mm) larger than nystatin (29 mm). Additionally, iso-HA (B) revealed antibacterial effect towards Staphylococcus aureus with MIC value of 25 µM. However, both compounds showed no cytotoxicity against human cervical and ovarian cancer cell lines.
Conclusion: T. harzianum produced antimicrobial compound like iso-HA which has potential application either in agricultural or health.
Marco Paracchini, Marco Marcon, Federica Villa
et al.
The problem of performing remote biomedical measurements using just a video stream of a subject face is called remote photoplethysmography (rPPG). The aim of this work is to propose a novel method able to perform rPPG using single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) cameras. These are extremely accurate cameras able to detect even a single photon and are already used in many other applications. Moreover, a novel method that mixes deep learning and traditional signal analysis is proposed in order to extract and study the pulse signal. Experimental results show that this system achieves accurate results in the estimation of biomedical information such as heart rate, respiration rate, and tachogram. Lastly, thanks to the adoption of the deep learning segmentation method and dependability checks, this method could be adopted in non-ideal working conditions—for example, in the presence of partial facial occlusions.
Maral Rahimzadeh, Majid Sadeghizadeh, Farhood Najafi
et al.
During the last few decades, extensive studies have been conducted to elucidate the anti-cancer effects of curcumin. Despite promising results indicating curcumin could impede cancer cells ability thrive and proliferation, clinical applications of it have been limited. This limitation is mainly due to low solubility, poor bioavailability, rapid metabolism, and deficient absorption. To improve the physiochemical properties of curcumin, we have synthesized a novel biodegradable gemini surfactant in which curcumin molecules were entrapped. Gemini surfactant-curcumin nanocapsules were prepared using nanoprecipitation method and characterized by several techniques including, DLS, TEM, AFM, FTIR, DSC and XRD. The in vitro MTT assay, cellular uptake, and apoptosis assay were performed using MDA-MB-231 cell line. The gemini surfactant molecules were able to form vesicles in aqueous solution with a narrow size distribution (PDI $\cong $ 0.3). An encapsulation efficiency of 87.45 ± 2.3% and the drug loading content of 4.98 ± 0.12% were acquired. Curcumin molecules were dispersed in the hydrophobic shell of the vesicles, and sustained release profile was observed. Due to the increased cellular uptake and sustained release profile, the gemini surfactant-curcumin nanocapsules exhibited higher cytotoxicity and enhanced apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells compared to free curcumin. The results indicate that gemini surfactant-curcumin complex shows considerable promise as an anti-breast cancer drug.
Materials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials, Chemical technology
The paper investigated the preparation, amino acid composition, acute toxicity, and in vitro and in vivo antioxidant, coupled with in vivo antifatigue activities of protein‐rich extract of Oviductus ranae (PEOR). The results indicated that PEOR possesses high‐safety property with maximum tolerated dose (MTD) higher than 20 g/kg in mice, shows weak scavenging capacities against hydroxyl, superoxide anion, and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, as well as ferric‐reducing antioxidant power in vitro, but exerts strong antioxidant effect in ethanol‐induced oxidative stress mice model; it can decrease malonaldehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) formation and increase total superoxide dismutase (T‐SOD) activity and glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Besides the strong in vivo antioxidant activity, PEOR in a dose of 400 mg/kg also has antifatigue effect in mice, and it can prolong the exhaustive swimming time, reduce the elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and blood lactic acid (BLA) caused by intense exercise. The in vivo activity of PEOR may be contributed by its absorbed amino acids, due to the fact that eight antioxidant amino acids and twelve glucogenic ones were found in it. This study will provide an evidence for the clinical use of PEOR as a dietary supplement for antioxidant and antifatigue in the same oral dose (400 mg/kg).
Earth-abundant metal sulfides attracts large attention in recent years for hydrogen production via electrocatalytic water splitting. However, most works have been limited to the acidic condition, whereas the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline condition has rarely been discussed. Here we present an effective strategy for the growing of Co-Mo-S catalysts on carbon cloth via the controllable incorporation of cobalt into MoS2 with L-cysteine and phosphomolybdic acid to achieve the synergistic interaction of CoS2 and MoS2. The optimized Co-Mo-S catalysts (Co:Mo=1:2) showed a largely improved HER activity with an overpotential of 92 mV at current density of 10 mA cm-2 and Tafel slope of 82 mV dec-1. The origin of the activity enhancement was investigated through a series of characterizations, where the synergetic effect of the intrinsic fast HER kinetics of metallic CoS2 and the high active surface area of MoS2 plays a crucial role. With appropriate amount of cobalt, the Co-Mo-S catalysts show a relatively uniform distribution on the carbon cloth to ensure the large surface area, whereas excessive cobalt results in the formation of the large CoS2 particles with low HER activity from the low active surface area. Further electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the combination of larger exchange current density of CoS2 and the high electrochemical double–layer capacitance (proportional to the active surface area) of MoS2 together contributed to the HER activity enhancement of the Co-Mo-S catalysts. The Co-Mo-S/CC catalysts also show robust stability in alkaline solution. Our work provides a more profound understanding and an interesting view for the design of efficient ternary transition metal sulfide HER catalysts in alkaline condition by synergetic optimization of the intrinsic HER kinetics and the electrochemical active surface area.
Industrial electrochemistry, Physical and theoretical chemistry
Giulia Pascoletti, Filippo Cianetti, Giovanni Putame
et al.
The Marchetti-Vicenzi's nail is an intramedullary device where six curved nails are kept straight by a closing ring in order to allow their insertion into the medullary canal of a long bone; in a following step, these nails stabilize the fracture due to the ring withdrawal and to the consequent elastic expansion of the nails. Pre-clinical testing of this sort of device is strongly advocated in order to be able to foresee their stability inside the medullary canal and to quantify their stiffening action on a broken bone. In this numerical work, an MB (Multi Body) model of the device has been developed, with the dual purpose of evaluating forces between the bone and the system components during its progressive opening and verifying the behavior of the stabilized bone when it undergoes external loading. Different solutions, for flexible body modeling (discretization with lumped parameters, “flexible body,” “FE Part”), have been analyzed and compared in terms of accuracy of results and required computational resources. Contact parameters have been identified and criteria to simplify geometries and therefore to reduce simulation times have been given. Results have allowed to demonstrate how a moderate lateral force is able to dislocate the fracture and how the final position of the retention nut can be optimized. On the whole, a tool for the pre-clinical testing of elastic intramedullary nails has been given.
Corrosion product films were formed on P110 casing steels by high-temperature and high-pressure autoclave in a CO2 environment induced by tensile stress. The effects of applied tensile stress on the protection characteristics and electrochemical performance of the corrosion product films were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electrochemical workstation were employed to analyse the surface morphology, phase composition, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potential dynamic polarisation curve and Mott–Schottky curve of the corrosion product films formed on P110 casing steels in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution of saturated CO2 environment. Results showed that the integrated corrosion product films formed on P110 casing steels as induced by tensile stress, and the phase of these films was not changed. The applied tensile stress can result in smaller grain size of corrosion product films, increased grain boundaries and appearance of micro channels. Consequently, the corrosion potential showed a negative shift and the corrosion current density was considerably increased. Meanwhile, the charge transfer resistance decreased, and the concentration of carrier increased owing to the P110 corrosion product films in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution filled with saturated CO2.
Industrial electrochemistry, Physical and theoretical chemistry
Recovery of chlorine from byproduct HCl has inevitable commercial importance in industries lately because of insufficient purity or too low concentration to recycle it. Instead it is being neutralized in industries before disposing to meet stringent environmental conditions. Although recovery through catalytic oxidation processes is studied since the 19th century, their high operating conditions combined with sluggish reaction kinetics and low single pass conversions make electrolysis a better alternative. The present motive of this work is to develop a novel electrolysis process which in contrast to traditional processes effectively recovers both hydrogen and chlorine from dilute HCl. For this, an electrolytic cell with an Anionic Exchange Membrane has been designed which only allows the passage of chlorine anions from catholyte to anolyte separating the gasses in a single step. The catholyte can be as low as 3.59 wt% because of fixed anolyte concentration of 1.99 wt% which minimizes oxygen formation. Preliminary results show that the simultaneous recovery of hydrogen and chlorine is possible with high conversion up to 98%. The maximum current density value for 4.96 cm2 membrane surface area (70% active surface area) is 2.54 kAm−2, which is comparable with reported commercial processes. This study is expected to be useful for process intensification of the same in a continuous process environment.
<span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri;">The design of cement slurry for horizontal wellbores is challenging as it must present very high quality cement slurry properties e.g. zero free water, less than 50 cc API fluid loss value, appropriate rheology and yield point for effective displacement, adequate compressive strength, which is critical for lightweight slurries, and finally stable cement column behind casing. The main objective of these requirements is to provide unique cement sheath in the upper side of annulus as well as the lower side and to guarantee complete zonal isolation.</span> <br /><span style="font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri;">These requisite conditions could be rarely met especially when lightweight cement is needed. Four cement recipes were made and named as RIPI-1 through RIPI-4 representing standard slurry with a density of 118 pounds per cubic feet (pcf), traditional lightweight slurry with a density of 90 pcf, lightweight slurry with engineered PSD and nanoparticles in a liquid form, and finally another type of PSD and nanopowder respectively. These slurries were tested at the temperature and pressure of Iranian Balal, Soroush, and Siri oilfields and finally were compared with those slurries previously used in the oilfields. According to the results, reductions in yield point up to 84% and in fluid loss value up to 44% were recorded by the recipes. Moreover, an increase in compressive strength up to 82% was measured and the maximum strength of 2500 psi was obtained for slurry RIPI-4. All the slurries designed showed adequate stability. However, significant improvements were achieved by slurries RIPI-3 and RIPI-4 with engineered PSD and nanoparticles.</span>
Natalia Cernei, Ondrej Zitka, Marketa Ryvolova
et al.
Sarcosine, also known as N-methylglycine, is a natural ubiquitous non/protein amino acid which occurs as intermediate and side product in glycine synthesis and degradation. Recently, sarcosine has been investigated as a new putative marker in relation to prostate cancer. Sarcosine was identified as a differential metabolite that was greatly increased during prostate cancer progression to metastasis and could be detected in urine. It was also shown, that sarcosine addition to benign prostate cell cultures caused increase of their invasivity and motility. The aim of our study was to propose a low-cost, robust and simple method suitable for sarcosine determination in biological samples such as urine or blood plasma. For this purpose an ion exchange liquid chromatography as robust separation method was tested however this method suffers from insufficient limit of detection at the level of 70 μM of sarcosine. For more sensitive detection we optimized the off-line approach to ninhydrin derivatization of collected fractions. The fractions were collected and after addition of ninhydrin incubation of the mixture under the optimised temperature and time were done. Analysis of mixture was carried out by the simple UV-VIS spectrometer. The obtained limit of detection for this optimised procedure was promising 1.7 μM of sarcosine but this value is similar to physiologically occurring concentration of sarcosine in prostate cancer patients. Therefore we optimized the electrochemical method based on analysis of collected fractions by coulometric detection integrated as FIA-ED. Here we obtained the limits of detection of 110 nM of sarcosine, which is more than satisfactory for its determination in various matrixes such as urine or plasma of cancer patients.
Industrial electrochemistry, Physical and theoretical chemistry