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Respiration is one of the most important physiological processes of the human body. Continuous monitoring of respiration with wearable sensors can provide abundant information related to the health status of the respiratory system. However, the vast majority of the developed respiration sensors are constructed on nontextile substrates, resulting in dissatisfactory convenience, comfortness, and aesthetics. Additionally, special micro‐/nanomaterials are inevitably involved to construct the respiration sensors, which pose potential hazards to the human body due to the exfoliation and inhalation of these micro‐/nanomaterials. Here, humidity‐ and temperature‐sensitive electronic textiles (e‐Textiles) are presented, which are fabricated based on easily accessible and biofriendly materials (e.g., sodium chloride, glycerin, aluminum fiber, carbon fiber, and polyvinyl alcohol). Moreover, the proposed e‐Textiles use a potentiometric sensing mechanism, featuring self‐powered signal outputs and ultralow power consumption. The humidity and temperature‐sensing functionalities can also be in situ integrated into commercial masks for constructing full‐textile and all‐in‐one e‐Masks for comprehensive respiration monitoring. As demonstrations, both single‐point respiration monitoring (e.g., intensity, frequency, etc.) and 2D respiratory analysis (i.e., airflow distribution) can be realized with the e‐Masks. This work provides a facile and scalable approach to manufacture self‐powered and fully fabric respiration sensors for comprehensive respiratory analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Auricularia auricula polysaccharides used in Pinus koraiensis polyphenol encapsulation and delivery under weightlessness are rarely reported. In this study, an anionic polysaccharide fragment named AAP Iα with a molecular weight of 133.304 kDa was isolated and purified to construct a polyphenol encapsulation system. Nanoparticles named NPs-PP loaded with a rough surface for Pinus koraiensis polyphenol (PP) delivery were fabricated by AAP Iα and ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL). SEM and the DLS tracking method were used to observe continuous changes in AAP Iα, ε-PL and PP on the nanoparticles' rough surface assembly, as well as the dispersion and stability. Hydrophilic, monodisperse and highly negative charged nanoparticles can be formed at AAP Iα 0.8 mg/mL, ε-PL 20 μg/mL and PP 80 μg/mL. FT-IR was used to determine their electrostatic interactions. Release kinetic studies showed that nanoparticles had an ideal gastrointestinal delivery effect. NPs-PP loaded were assembled through electrostatic interactions between polyelectrolytes after hydrogen bonding formation in PP-AAP Iα and PP-ε-PL, respectively. Colon adhesion properties and PP delivery in vivo of nanoparticles showed that NPs-PP loaded had high adhesion efficiency to the colonic mucosa under simulated microgravity and could enhance PP bioavailability. These results suggest that AAP Iα can be used in PP encapsulation and delivery under microgravity in astronaut food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a very poor prognosis due to the disease's lack of established targeted treatment options. Glia maturation factor γ (GMFG), a novel ADF/cofilin superfamily protein, has been reported to be differentially expressed in tumors, but its expression level in TNBC remains unknown. The question of whether GMFG correlates with the TNBC prognosis is also unclear. In this study, data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), Human Protein Atlas (HPA), and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases were used to analyze the expression of GMFG in pan-cancer and the correlation between clinical factors. Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA) and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were also used to analyze the functional differences between the different expression levels and predict the downstream pathways. GMFG expression in breast cancer tissues, and its related biological functions, were further analyzed by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunoblotting, RNAi, and function assay; we found that TNBC has a high expression of GMFG, and this higher expression was correlated with a poorer prognosis in TCGA and collected specimens of the TNBC. GMFG was also related to TNBC patients' clinicopathological data, especially those with histological grade and axillary lymph node metastasis. In vitro, GMFG siRNA inhibited cell migration and invasion through the EMT pathway. The above data indicate that high expression of GMFG in TNBC is related to malignancy and that GMFG could be a biomarker for the detection of TNBC metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PBL stiffeners, made of thin-walled steel plates with circular openings and welded to the steel tube of a square concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) column, can improve the combined effect effectively by co-carrying axial compressive forces and confining the concrete core. A numerical simulation study based on the previous test was conducted to study the ultimate strength of the CFST stub column with PBL stiffeners. Finite element models of CFST with different stiffeners were made and verified by the test results of typical failure modes and load–strain curves of specimens. The parameter study was conducted, including PBL stiffener detailing (i.e., material strength, stiffener thickness, opening diameter, and opening spacing). Finally, based on the study and analysis results, an ultimate bearing capacity prediction formula was proposed, which can reasonably predict the bearing capacity of a square CFST column with longitudinal or diagonal stiffeners, while the methods in ACI, BS5400, EC4, AIJ, and DBJ were more conservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous intravitreal injection in ophthalmology is a challenging surgical task as accurate depth measurement is difficult due to the individual differences in the patient's eye and the intricate light reflection or refraction of the eyeball, often requiring the surgeon to first preposition the end-effector accurately. Image-based visual servo (IBVS) control does not rely on depth information, exhibiting potential for addressing the issues mentioned above. Here we describe an enhanced IBVS strategy to achieve high performance and robust autonomous injection navigation. The radial basis function (RBF) kernel with strong learning capability and fast convergence is used to globally map the uncertain nonlinear strong coupling relationship in complex uncalibrated IBVS control. The Siamese neural network (SNN) is then used to compare and analyze the characteristic differences between the current and target poses, thus making an approximation of the mapping relationships between the image feature changes and the end-effector motion. Finally, a robust sliding mode controller (SMC) based on min–max robust optimization is designed to implement effective surgical navigation. Data from the simulation and the physical model experiments indicate that the maximum localization and attitude errors of the proposed method are 0.4 mm and 0.18°, exhibiting desirable accuracy with the actual surgery and robustness to disturbances. These results demonstrate that the enhanced strategy can provide a promising approach that can achieve a high level of autonomous intravitreal injection without a surgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible pressure sensors are essential components for wearable smart devices and intelligent systems. Significant progress has been made in this area, reporting on excellent sensor performance and fascinating sensor functionalities. Nevertheless, geometrical and morphological engineering of pressure sensors is usually neglected, which, however, is significant for practical application. Here, we present a digitized manufacturing methodology to construct a new class of iontronic pressure sensors with optionally defined configurations and widely modulated performance. These pressure sensors are composed of self-defined electrode patterns prepared by a screen printing method and highly tunable pressure-sensitive microstructures fabricated using 3D printed templates. Importantly, the iontronic pressure sensors employ an iontronic capacitive sensing mechanism based on mechanically regulating the electrical double layer at the electrolyte/electrode interfaces. The resultant pressure sensors exhibit high sensitivity (58 kPa−1), fast response/recovery time (45 ms/75 ms), low detectability (6.64 Pa), and good repeatability (2000 cycles). Moreover, our pressure sensors show remarkable tunability and adaptability in device configuration and performance, which is challenging to achieve via conventional manufacturing processes. The promising applications of these iontronic pressure sensors in monitoring various human physiological activities, fabricating flexible electronic skin, and resolving the force variation during manipulation of an object with a robotic hand are successfully demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) promotes carcinogenesis, tumor proliferation, angiogenesis, prevention of apoptosis, and immunosuppression. Meanwhile, COX-2 over-expression has been associated with tumor behavior and prognosis in several cancers. This study investigated the antitumor effects of the selective COX-2 inhibitor, Celecoxib, on breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. Methods Human breast cancer MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured with different concentration (10, 20, 40 μmol/L) of celecoxib after 0-96 hours in vitro. MTT assay was used to determine the growth inhibition of breast cancer cells in vitro. The expression of COX-2 on mRNA was measured by real-time quantitive PCR analysis. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cell cycle of MCF-7 cells. Levels of PGE2 were measured by ELISA method. The in vivo therapeutic effects of celecoxib were determined using rat breast cancer chemically induced by 7,12-dimethylben anthracene (DMBA). Results The inhibition of proliferation of both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro by celecoxib was observerd in time and dose dependent manner. Celecoxib effectively down-regulated the expression of COX-2. The cell cycle was arrested at G0/G1, and rate of cells in S phase was obviously decreased. Levels of PGE2 were inhibited by Celecoxib. The tumor incidence rate of the celecoxib group was lower than that of the control group. In addition, the tumor latency period of the celecoxib group was longer than that of the control group. Conclusions Celecoxib inhibited the proliferation of breast cancer cell lines in vitro, and prevented the occurrence of rat breast cancer chemically induced by DMBA. Therefore, celecoxib exhibits an antitumor activity and seems to be effective in anti-tumor therapy.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women and a quantitative contrast‐free method is highly desirable for its diagnosis. Purpose: To investigate the performance of quantitative MRI in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions and to compare with the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI‐RADS). Study Type: Retrospective. Subjects: Eighty patients (56 with malignant lesions and 24 with benign lesions). Field Strength/Sequence: Diffusion‐weighted imaging (DWI) with a single‐shot echo planar sequence and synthetic MRI with magnetic resonance image compilation (MAGiC) were performed at 3T. Assessment: T1 relaxation time (T1), T2 relaxation time (T2), and proton density (PD) from synthetic MRI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) from DWI were analyzed by two radiologists (Reader A, Reader B). Univariable and multivariable models were developed to optimize differentiation between malignant and benign lesions and their performances compared to BI‐RADS. Statistical Tests: The diagnostic performance was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC). Results: T2, PD, and ADC values for malignant lesions were significantly lower than those in benign breast lesions for both radiologists (all P < 0.05). The combined T2, PD, and ADC model had the best performance for differentiating malignant and benign lesions with AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive values of 0.904, 94.6%, 87.5%, 94.6%, and 87.5%, respectively. The corresponding results for BI‐RADS were no AUC, 94.6%, 75.0%, 89.8%, and 85.7%, respectively. Data Conclusion: The approach that combined synthetic MRI and DWI outperformed BI‐RADS in the differential diagnosis of malignant and benign breast lesions and was achieved without contrast agents. This approach may serve as an alternative and effective strategy for the improvement of breast lesion differentiation. Level of Evidence: 3. Technical Efficacy Stage: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Novel and non-invasive biomarkers with higher sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) is urgently needed. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing (NGS) to characterize the genome-wide exosomal miRNA expression profiling in urine specimens and explored the diagnostic potential of urinary exosomal miRNAs for PCa. Methods: Urinary exosomal microRNA expression profiling was performed by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and then validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: Significant downregulation of urinary exosomal miR-375 was observed in PCa patients compared with healthy controls, while the expression levels of urinary exosomal miR-451a, miR-486-3p and miR-486-5p were found to be significantly up-regulated in the PCa patients. Furthermore, the expression level of urinary exosomal miR-375 showed a significant correlation with the clinical T-stage and bone metastasis of patients with PCa (P< 0.05). Receiver operator characteristic curve demonstrated that the urinary exosomal miR-375, miR-451a, miR-486-3p and miR-486-5p levels can be used to differentiate PCa patients from healthy controls, with area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.788, 0.757, 0.704 and 0.796, respectively. The urinary exosomal miR-375 was found to be superior in discriminating between localized and metastatic PCa with an AUC of 0.806. Moreover, PCa patients can be distinguished from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia by using a panel combining urinary exosomal miR-375 and miR-451a with an AUC of 0.726. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that the urinary exosomal miRNAs can serve as novel and non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosing and predicting the progression of PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel solar air collector with latent thermal storage system is proposed. • The maximum overall efficiency of the proposed solar air system is 17.8%. • The connection of heat storage weakens the thermal performance of solar collector. • Air volume has a large effect on heat storage efficiency. • However, Air volume has a little effect on overall efficiency. A novel solar air heating system based on micro-heat pipe arrays was proposed in this work. The system is composed of an evacuated tube solar air heater with a compound parabolic concentrator and a latent heat storage unit. A set of systematic calculation and evaluation methods was proposed according to the heat flow of the solar air system. Heat collection, heat storage, heat release, heat transportation, and the overall processes were considered. Thereafter, the influence of connecting a latent heat storage unit on the heat collection characteristics of the solar air heater was assessed. The thermal response and thermal performance of the system under different air volumes were studied using the proposed evaluation method. Results showed that after the addition of the latent heat storage unit, the average heat collection efficiency of the solar air heater dropped by approximately 10%. The heat collection, storage, release, and extraction power of the system reached 742.2, 611.0, 448.4, and 369.6 W, respectively. The average heat collection, storage, release, and transportation efficiencies reached 29.6%, 93.5%, 98.6%, and 91.0%, respectively. The maximum overall thermal efficiency of the system was 17.7%. Moreover, the results revealed that a large air volume exerts a beneficial effect on heat collection performance but adversely influences the heat storage process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]