Search

Micro/nano topological modification is critical for improving the in vivo behaviors of bone implants, regulating multiple cellular functions. Titania (TiO2) nanotubes show the capacity of promoting osteoblast-related cell differentiation and induce effective osseointegration, serving as a model material for studying the effects of micro/nano-topological modifications on cells. However, the intracellular signaling pathways by which TiO2 nanotubes regulate the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells are not fully defined. Thy-1 (CD90), a cell surface glycoprotein anchored by glycosylphosphatidylinositol, has been considered a key molecule in osteoblast differentiation in recent years. Nevertheless, whether the micro/nano topology of the implant surface leads to changes in Thy-1 is unknown, as well as whether these changes promote osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Here, TiO2 nanotubes of various diameters were prepared by adjusting the anodizing voltage. qPCR and immunoblot were carried out to assess the mechanism by which TiO2 nanotubes regulate Thy-1. The results revealed Ti plates harboring TiO2 nanotubes ∼100-nm diameter (TNT-100) markedly upregulated Thy-1. Subsequently, upregulated Thy-1 promoted the activation of Fyn/RhoA/MLC Ⅱ/F-actin axis, which enhanced the nuclear translocation of YAP. After Thy-1 knockdown by siRNA, the Fyn/RhoA/MLC Ⅱ/F-actin axis was significantly inhibited and TiO2 nanotubes showed decreased effects on osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, Thy-1 upregulation might be a major mechanism by which micro/nano-topological modification of TiO2 nanotubes promotes osteogenic differentiation in BMSCs. This study provides novel insights into the molecular mechanism of TiO2 nanotubes, which may help design improved bone implants for clinical application.

From the viewpoint of atomic bond relaxation, an analytical approach was put forward to elucidate the physical origins of crystal size and cross-sectional shape dependency of piezoelectric potentials in GaN nanowires and nanotubes. It is demonstrated that (i) size-induced increase in piezoelectric potential is attributed to the coupling effect of the rising piezoelectric coefficient and both the reducing dielectric constant and elastic constant caused by the surface atomic coordination number loss, bond energy perturbation, and surface-to-volume ratio rising; (ii) as the number of sides for polygonal nanowires or nanotubes with the same equivalent radius decreases, the surface-to-volume ratio rises, and the piezoelectric potential increases; and (iii) the nanotubes can generate a piezoelectric potential higher than their nanowire counterparts due to their larger surface-to-volume ratios. The proposed formulation offers a scientific basis for the fabrication, optimization, and modulation of one-dimensional GaN-based piezoelectric nanometer devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS), an autosomal dominant multiple cancerous disorder, is clinically characterized by mucocutaneous macules and multiple gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps. Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma (G-EAC), a special subtype of cervical adenocarcinoma with non-specific symptoms and signs, is known to occur in approximately 11% of female patients with PJS. Case presentation Here, we report a case of PJS in a 24-year-old female with multiple mucocutaneous black macules who complained of vaginal discharge and menorrhagia. Moreover, we first described the multimodal ultrasonographical manifestations of PJS-correlated G-EAC. The three-dimensional reconstructed view of G-EAC on 3D realisticVue exhibited a distinctive 'cosmos pattern' resembling features on magnetic resonance imaging, and the contrast-enhanced ultrasound displayed a 'quick-up and slow-down' pattern of the solid components inside the mixed cervical echoes. We reported the multimodal ultrasonographical characteristics of a case of PJS-related G-EAC, as well as reviewed PJS-related literature and medical imaging features and clinical characteristics of G-EAC to provide insight into the feasibility and potential of utilizing multimodal ultrasonography for the diagnosis of G-EAC. Conclusions Multimodal ultrasound can visualize morphological features, solid components inside, and blood supplies of the G-EAC lesion and distinguish the G-EAC lesion from normal adjacent tissues. This facilitates preoperative diagnosis and staging of PJS-related G-EAC, thereby aiding subsequent health and reproductive management for patients with PJS. Keywords: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Multimodal ultrasonography, Atypical lobular endocervical glandular hyperplasia, Gastric-type endocervical adenocarcinoma, Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, Three-dimensional ultrasonography, Author(s): Liwen Yang[sup.1], Duan Duan[sup.2], Ying Xiong[sup.2], Tianjiao Liu[sup.2], Lijun Zhao[sup.1], Fan Lai[sup.3], Dingxian Gu[sup.2] and Liuying Zhou[sup.1] Background Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) is a rare, autosomal dominant, multiple-organ cancerous syndrome [...]

Background: Meeting the 24-hour movement behavior (24-HMB) guideline helps enhance quality of life (QOL) of adolescents. This study aimed to assess the associations between the 24-HMB (physical activity, screen time, sleep) and QOL among adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2021 and September 2023. 24-HMB, QOL and demographic variables were collected through a self-reported questionnaire. Linear regression models and stratified analyses were used to explore statistical associations between the 24-HMB and QOL. Results: A total of 1073 participants aged 10–18 years with a spinal Cobb angle between 10° and 40° were included. Overall, 20 participants (1.9%) met all three behavioral guidelines, and 272 participants (25.3%) met none. Compared to those who did not meet any of the guidelines, adolescents meeting both screen time and sleep duration (β = 4.10, 95% CI: 2.02–6.18, P < 0.001) and all 3 guidelines (β = 4.39, 95% CI: 0.27–8.51, P = 0.037) had higher QOL scores. Stratified analyses showed that the above associations were more pronounced in adolescents without back pain or with good self-image. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of adopting and maintaining healthy behavioral habits in order to improve QOL among adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis, especially in those without back pain or with good self-image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Chemical prelithiation is widely proven to be an effective strategy to address the low initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of promising SiOx anode. Though the reagent composition has been widely explored, the Li+ solvation structure, which practically plays the cornerstone role in the prelithiation ability, rate, uniformility, has rarely been explored. A novel environmentally‐friendly reagent with weak solvent cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME) is proposed that enables both improved ICE and spatial homogeneous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). And the prelithiation behavior and mechanism were explored focused on the Li+ solvation structure. Both theoretical investigation and spectroscopic results suggest that weak solvent feature of CPME reduces the solvent coordination number and decreases the Li+ desolvation energy. The optimized Li+ solvation structure enables high‐efficiency prelithiation that ensures the horizontal homogenization and mechanical properties of SEI. Moreover, the accompanied CPME molecules preferentially occupy positions in initial SEI, reducing the likelihood of LiPF6 decomposition and promoting longitudinal homogenization of SEI. Consequently, the efficient and homogenous prelithiation enables impressive ICE of 109.52% and improved cycling performance with 80.77% retained after 300 cycles via just 5 min soaking. Furthermore, the full cells with LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 (NCM831205) cathode display an enhancement in the energy density of 179.74% and up to 648.35 Wh·kg–1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human health is a complex, dynamic concept encompassing a spectrum of states influenced by genetic, environmental, physiological, and psychological factors. Traditional Chinese Medicine categorizes health into nine body constitutional types, each reflecting unique balances or imbalances in vital energies, influencing physical, mental, and emotional states. Advances in machine learning models offer promising avenues for diagnosing conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia, and respiratory diseases by analyzing speech patterns, enabling complementary non-invasive disease diagnosis. The study aims to use speech audio to identify subhealth populations characterized by unbalanced constitution types. Methods: Participants, aged 18–45, were selected from the Acoustic Study of Health. Audio recordings were collected using ATR2500X-USB microphones and Praat software. Exclusion criteria included recent illness, dental issues, and specific medical histories. The audio data were preprocessed to Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) for model training. Three deep learning models—1-Dimensional Convolution Network (Conv1D), 2-Dimensional Convolution Network (Conv2D), and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)—were implemented using Python to classify health status. Saliency maps were generated to provide model explainability. Results: The study used 1,378 recordings from balanced (healthy) and 1,413 from unbalanced (subhealth) types. The Conv1D model achieved a training accuracy of 91.91% and validation accuracy of 84.19%. The Conv2D model had 96.19% training accuracy and 84.93% validation accuracy. The LSTM model showed 92.79% training accuracy and 87.13% validation accuracy, with early signs of overfitting. AUC scores were 0.92 and 0.94 (Conv1D), 0.99 (Conv2D), and 0.97 (LSTM). All models demonstrated robust performance, with Conv2D excelling in discrimination accuracy. Conclusions: The deep learning classification of human speech audio for health status using body constitution types showed promising results with Conv1D, Conv2D, and LSTM models. Analysis of ROC curves, training accuracy, and validation accuracy showed all models robustly distinguished between balanced and unbalanced constitution types. Conv2D excelled with good accuracy, while Conv1D and LSTM also performed well, affirming their reliability. The study integrates constitution theory and deep learning technologies to classify subhealth populations using noninvasive approach, thereby promoting personalized medicine and early intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tellurium (Te) has great potential as high-performance cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to high electronic conductivity and volumetric capacity. Nevertheless, its poor utilization and large volume expansion result in insufficient rate and cycle performances, thereby, impeding practical application. Herein, a kind of Te/carbon composite was prepared via a ball-milling method, in which Te nanocrystals were tightly confined in few-layer expanded graphite (EG) with Te–C bonds (denoted as Te@EG). In addition to maintaining structural stability, such unique nanocomposite shows abundant electrochemically active sites and efficient charge transfer channels, which is beneficial to the utilization of Te. More importantly, the Te–C bonds between Te nanocrystals and EG can enhance the adsorption of Zn2+ and reduce the Zn2+ migration barrier, which contributes to promoting electrochemical kinetics. Consequently, the Te@EG cathode for the AZIBs exhibits sufficient specific capacity (412 mAh g–1 at 0.1 A g–1), high-rate performance (284 mAh g–1 at 3 A g–1), and reliable cycling stability (94% capacity retention at 1 A g–1 after 500 cycles). Furthermore, the soft-packaged Zn//Te@EG battery delivers excellent flexibility and cycling stability. This study offers a perspective on rational design of Te-based cathodes for practical AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]