Search

Gall bladder cancer (GBC) is common among the socioeconomically deprived populations of certain geographical regions. Aflatoxin is a genotoxic hepatocarcinogen, which is recognized to have a role in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the role of aflatoxin in the pathogenesis of GBC is largely unknown. We determined serum AFB1‐Lys albumin adduct (AAA) levels as a marker of aflatoxin exposure in the patients with GBC and compared to those without GBC. The relationship of AAA levels to cytogenetic (TP53mutation&HER2/neu amplification) and radiological characteristics of the tumor was assessed. We included GBC cases (n = 51) and non‐GBC controls (n = 100). Mean serum AAA levels were higher in the GBC group (n = 51) than those without GBC (n = 100) (26.1 ± 12.2 vs. 13.1 ± 11.9 ng/mL; p <.001). HER2/neu expression was associated with higher AAA levels compared to those with equivocal or negative expression (43.9 ± 3 vs. 28.6 ± 10 vs. 19.3 ± 7 ng/mL; p <.001). Older age (age >50 years) (odds ratio [OR] = 3.2 [CI: 1.3–8.2]; p =.013), positive Helicobacter pylori serology (OR = 5.1 [CI: 1.4–17.8]; p =.012), presence of GS (OR = 5 [CI: 1.5–16.9]; p =.009) and detectable AAA levels (OR = 6.8 [CI: 1.3–35.7]; p =.024) were independent risk factors for the presence of the GBC among all study subjects. Among patients harboring GS, older age (age >50 years) (OR = 4.5 [CI: 1.3–14.9]; p =.015), female gender (OR = 3.8 [CI: 1.2–12.5]; p =.027), presence of multiple GS (OR = 21.9 [CI: 4.8–100.4]; p <.001) and high serum AAA levels (OR = 5.3 [CI: 1.6–17.3]; p =.006) were independent risk factors for the presence of the GBC. Elderly age >50 years (OR = 2.6 [CI: 1.3–5.2]; p =.010) and frequent peanut consumption (OR = 2.3 [CI: 1.1–4.9]; p =.030) were independent risk factors for high serum AAA levels. The current study has implications for the prevention of GBC through the reduction of dietary aflatoxin exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT In the present communication, Hibiscus sidiformis Baill. is reported as a new record for India from the arid region of Kachchh district, Gujarat state. The newly reported species shows a close similarity with the resembling resident species Hibiscus lobatus (Murray) Kuntze. A detailed taxonomic description with the palynological comparison is provided for the first time. The extension in the native range of H. sidiformis from Africa to Asia is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A violet pigment (violacein) bacterial isolate AMA‐5 was isolated from soil samples collected from Achanakmar Biosphere Reserve, Mungeli district, Chhattisgarh, India. The yield of biocolor from this isolate was screened in minimal medium after 48 h of incubation at 37°C ± 2°C temperature. The violet pigment was extracted in ethanol. It was also observed that ammonium chloride (2.5 g/1000 mL) as a nitrogen source is the best to enhance AMA‐5 pigment production among other nitrogen sources (ammonium sulfate, tryptophan, ammonium iron sulfate, and peptone). The Sanger sequencing of 16S rDNA of strain AMA‐5 showed similarity with Chromobacterium piscinae. From the available literature and research articles, it was assumed that this violet color pigment is violacein. It was further verified by conducting high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H‐NMR) analysis. The violet biocolor that extracted was used in cotton and polyester fabric dyeing. After the fabrics treated with sodium chloride as a mordant were completely dried, it was identified that the color was solidifying. Overall study showed that C. piscinae AMA‐5 has good potential for production of violacein, which is the most important industrial natural dye used to add color to textile products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The onset of convection in a horizontal porous layer with chemical reaction and local thermal nonequilibrium is investigated. The nondimensional governing equations have been solved using the normal mode technique, which results in an eigenvalue problem. The analytical expressions for both stationary and oscillatory Rayleigh numbers are obtained. The effect of different parameters has been investigated and presented. The amplitude equation is derived using weakly nonlinear theory. Nusselt number is calculated using an amplitude equation to investigate heat transport. When modeling a fluid‐saturated porous medium, previous research on double‐diffusive convection has uniformly operated under the assumption of local thermal equilibrium (LTE) between the fluid and solid phases at all points within the medium. This standard practice assumes a minimal temperature gradient between the phases at any given location. However, in practical scenarios involving high‐speed flows or significant temperature differentials between the fluid and solid phases, the LTE assumption proves insufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "From clinic to community: An exploration of service-learning in medical education" published in Clinical Teacher discusses the importance of service-oriented medical education, focusing on the integration of community service with didactic work and student reflection. The text highlights the Florida Atlantic University's College of Medicine Service-Learning Project, which involved medical students working with a local nonprofit organization to educate underserved children on human biology and health. Through service-learning, students gained valuable insights into community needs, developed communication skills, and fostered a deeper understanding of social determinants of health. The project emphasized the significance of empathy, cultural competency, and community engagement in medical training, ultimately shaping future physicians into compassionate advocates for health equity and education. [Extracted from the article]

The goal of the study was to assess the capability of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa AMBCD‐1 for paddy straw degradation as well as its biological control abilities against the plant wilt pathogen Fusarium. Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) data showed that AMBCD‐1 culture‐inoculated treatments dramatically reduced the levels of cellulose, lignin, and hemicelluloses in the deteriorated paddy straw. Additionally, a dual culture technique was utilized to investigate antagonistic activity in vitro using nutritional agar media and potato dextrose agar in equal proportions (1:1) for suppressing the growth of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum and Sclerotium rolfsii in order to assess the biocontrol properties of the chosen bacteria. Following incubation, it was shown that AMBCD‐1 exhibited a 66.67% antibacterial activity against the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. Furthermore, the pyocyanin pigment was also extracted from the P. aeruginosa AMBCD‐1 strain and confirmed at a mass value of 211.2 using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC‐MS), with its standard peak observed at 1.48 min. The results revealed that bacterium P. aeruginosa AMBCD‐1 had the ability to biodegrade paddy straw and also inhibit the appearance of the wilt disease caused by Fusarium species in numerous crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Braking system is a crucial component of tractors as it ensures safe operation and control of the vehicle. The limited space availability in the workspace of a small tractor exposes the operator to undesirable posture and a maximum level of vibration during operation. The primary cause of road accidents, particularly collisions, is attributed to the tractor operator's insufficient capacity to provide the necessary pedal power for engaging the brake pedal. During the process of engaging the brake pedal, the operator adjusts the backrest support to facilitate access to the brake pedal while operating under stressed conditions. In the present study, a linear actuator‐assisted automatic braking system was developed for the small tractors. An integrated artificial neural network proportional–integral–derivative (ANN‐PID) controller‐based algorithm was developed to control the position of the brake pedal based on the input parameters like terrain condition, obstacle distance, and forward speed of the tractor. The tractor was operated at four different speeds (i.e., 10, 15, 20, and 25 km/h) in different terrain conditions (i.e., dry compacted soil, tilled soil, and asphalt road). The performance parameters like sensor digital output (SDO), force applied on the brake pedal (Fb ), and deceleration were considered as dependent parameters. The SDO was found to good approximation for sensing the position of the brake pedal during braking. The optimized network topology of the developed multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) was 3‐6‐2 for predicting SDO and deceleration of the tractor with a coefficient of determination (R2 ) for the training and testing datasets of the SDO and deceleration were obtained as 0.9953 and 0.9854, and 0.9254 and 0.9096, respectively. The Ziegler–Nichols (Z‐N method) method was adopted to determine the initial optimal gains of the PID controller and later these coefficients were optimized using response surface methodology. The optimized proportional (Kp ), integral (Ki ), and derivative (Kd ) coefficient values were 4.8, 6.782, and 3.15, respectively. The developed integrated ANN, that is, MLPNN and PID‐based algorithm could successfully control the position of the brake pedal during braking. The stopping distance and slip of the tractor during automatic braking increased with an increase in the forward speed for the tractor from 10 to 25 km/h in all the selected terrain conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's labour market exhibits a unique equilibrium with one of the highest unemployment rates in the world and yet a low level of informal employment. The unemployment rate has remained high and persistent over recent decades, in spite of the formal demise of the apartheid regime and subsequent transition to democracy in 1994. This paper uses a matching model of the labour market to argue that spatial considerations combined with low productivity of informal work may be responsible for such an outcome. Spatial dispersion inherited from the apartheid regime thins the labour market, creating exclusion and perpetuating spatial segregation. In most developing countries, the result would be higher informal employment. However, spatial dispersion also reduces productivity in the informal sector so that workers prefer to look for a low probability job in the formal sector rather than move to informality. This produces high and persistent unemployment rates. As a result, transportation costs and housing deregulation may become the key factors in improving the working of the labour market in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Cerebral small vessel diseases (SVDs) involve diverse pathologies of the brain's small blood vessels, leading to cognitive deficits. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) reveals white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), lacunes, microbleeds and enlarged perivascular spaces in SVD patients. Although correlations of MRI and histopathology help to understand the pathogenesis of SVD, they do not explain disease progression. Mouse models, both genetic and sporadic, are valuable for studying SVD, but their resemblance to clinical SVD is unclear. The study examined similarities and differences between mouse models of SVDs and human nonamyloid SVD specimens. Methods: We analysed four mouse models of SVD (hypertensive BPH mice, Col4a1 mutants, Notch3 mutants and Htra1−/− mice) at different stages for changes in myelin, blood‐brain barrier (BBB) markers, immune cell populations and immune activation. The observations from mouse models were compared with human SVD specimens from different regions, including the periventricular, frontal, central and occipital white matter. Postmortem MRI followed by MBP immunostaining was used to identify white matter lesions (WMLs). Results: Only Notch3 mutant and hypertensive BPH mice showed significant changes in myelin basic protein (MBP) immunostaining, correlating with MRI patterns. These changes were linked to altered microglial morphology and focal plasma protein staining around blood vessels, without peripheral immune cell infiltration. In human specimens, both normal‐appearing white matter (NAWM) and WMLs lacked peripheral cell infiltration. However, WMLs displayed altered microglial morphology, reduced myelin staining and occasional fibrinogen staining around arterioles and venules. Conclusions: Our data show that Notch3 mutants and hypertensive BPH/2J mice recapitulate several features of human SVD, including microglial activation, focal sites of demyelination and perivascular plasma protein leakage without peripheral immune cell infiltration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the demand for electric vehicles (EV) continues to increase, the need for effective charging and switching of battery systems becomes more important. This article presents a method using the Bat Algorithm (BA) improved by chaotic diversification as well as social education to optimize the power source replacement and the electric vehicle charging procedure. The plan is intended to solve the issues of payment delay and battery management failure. The algorithm searches for better positions by combining chaotic diversity, while social learning supports the coordination of battery stations. Thanks to extensive simulation and real‐world testing, our approach shows significant improvements in optimization and a reduced payback period. The results show that the suggested approach outperforms the current algorithms in terms of rotation speed and good solution. This research supports the development of efficient transportation by providing practical solutions to increase the efficiency of electric vehicle transfer and payment and ultimately encourage greater effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new libraries of diethyl and dimethyl dihydropyridines‐based pyrazole and 1,2,3‐triazole hybrids (7a–g and 7h–n) were synthesized via a series of reactions involving click chemistry, pyrazole synthesis, and multicomponent reaction. All the new compounds were screened for their in vitro anticancer activity and antimicrobial activities. The 4‐chloro substituted analogue (7i) in dimethyl ester series showed an excellent activity against all three, namely, human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF‐7), human cervical cancer (HeLa), and human breast cancer triple‐positive (BT‐474) cell lines with IC50 values of 0.119 ± 0.58 µM, 0.135 ± 0.13 µM, and 0.163 ± 0.31 µM, respectively compared to abemaciclib. Molecular docking studies performed on the best active compound 7i against crystal structure of CDK6 revealed its best binding score and interactions. Additionally, these libraries were screened for their antimicrobial activities and determined their MIC. Compounds with ─Cl (7b), ─OMe (7d), ─Me (7a) substitution, and without substitution (7e) significantly showed better MIC values in comparison to ampicillin and nystatin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since its introduction as a diagnostic imaging tool the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in radiation therapy (RT) treatment simulation and planning has been recognized. Recent technical advances have addressed many of the impediments to use of this technology and as a result have resulted in rapid and growing adoption of MRI in RT. The purpose of this article is to provide a broad review of the multiple uses of MR in the RT treatment simulation and planning process, identify several of the most used clinical scenarios in which MR is integral to the simulation and planning process, highlight existing limitations and provide multiple unmet needs thereby highlighting opportunities for the diagnostic MR imaging community to contribute and collaborate with our oncology colleagues. Evidence Level: 5 Technical Efficacy: Stage 5 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agriculture represents the responsible utilization of natural resources while safeguarding the well‐being of the natural environment. It encompasses the objectives of preserving the environment, fostering economic growth, and promoting socioeconomic equality. To achieve sustainable development for humanity, it is imperative to prioritize sustainable agriculture. One significant approach to achieving this transition is the extensive utilization of microbes, which play a crucial role due to the genetic reliance of plants on the beneficial functions provided by symbiotic microbes. This review focuses on the significance of rhizospheric microbial communities, also known as the rhizomicrobiome (RM). It is a complex community of microorganisms that live in the rhizosphere and influence the plant's growth and health. It provides its host plant with various benefits related to plant growth, including biocontrol, biofertilization, phytostimulation, rhizoremediation, stress resistance, and other advantageous properties. Yet, the mechanisms by which the RM contributes to sustainable agriculture remain largely unknown. Investigating this microbial population presents a significant opportunity to advance toward sustainable agriculture. Hence, this study aims to provide an overview of the diversity and applications of RM in sustainable agriculture practices. Lately, there has been growing momentum in various areas related to rhizobiome research and its application in agriculture. This includes rhizosphere engineering, synthetic microbiome application, agent‐based modeling of the rhizobiome, and metagenomic studies. So, developing bioformulations of these beneficial microorganisms that support plant growth could serve as a promising solution for future strategies aimed at achieving a new green revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel library of 4H‐chromene‐7‐azaindole‐1,2,3‐triazole hybrids (6 a‐n) utilizing 1‐(prop‐2‐yn‐1‐yl)‐1H‐pyrrolo[2,3‐b]pyridine‐3‐carbaldehyde, 5,5‐dimethylcyclohexane‐1,3‐dione and malononitrile as precursors involving multicomponent synthesis and click chemistry reactions. The title compounds were screened for their invitro anticancer activity against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF‐7), human cervical cancer (HeLa) and prostate cancer (DU‐145) cells by using Doxorubicin as standard reference. The activities of all compounds could be more effecting against HeLa cells. Compound 6 g with 3‐nitro substitution on phenyl ring displayed outstanding activity against all three cell lines with IC50 value of 6.67±0.39 μM (MCF‐7), 4.49±0.32 μM (HeLa) and 10.38±0.42 μM (DU‐145) than reference drug. The compound 6 h with methyl group in ortho position of phenyl ring showed best activity with IC50 value of 7.32±0.62 μM, 6.87±0.33 μM and 15.40±0.60 μM against MCF‐7, HeLa and DU‐145 cells respectively. Performed molecular docking study against crystal structure of EGFR obtained favorable binding interactions showing consistency with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The state parameter (ѱ) accounts for both relative density and effective stress, which influence the cyclic stress or liquefaction characteristic of the soil significantly. This study presents a ѱ‐based probabilistic liquefaction evaluation method using six soft computing (SC) techniques. The liquefaction probability of failure (PL) is calculated using the first‐order second moment (FOSM) method based on the cone penetration test (CPT) database. Then, six SC techniques, such as Gaussian process regression (GPR), relevance vector machine (RVM), functional network (FN), genetic programming (GP), minimax probability machine regression (MPMR) and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS), are used to predict PL. The performance of these models is examined using nine statistical indices. Additionally, plots such as regression plots, Taylor diagrams, error matrix and rank analysis are shown to assess the SC model's performance. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed using the cosine amplitude method (CAM) to assess the influence of input parameters on output. The current study demonstrates that SC models based on state parameter predict PL effectively. RVM and MPMR models closely follow the GPR model in terms of performance, which is superior to the other models. Notably, two equations are generated using GP and MARS models to predict PL. The results of the sensitivity analysis reveal the magnitude of earthquake (Mw) as the most sensitive parameter. The outcomes of this research will offer risk evaluations for geotechnical engineering designs and expand the use of state parameter‐based SC models in liquefaction analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Endless loop tachycardia (ELT) is the commonest pacemaker mediated tachycardia (PMT) encountered among patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Despite being enabled with various preventive algorithms, we encountered several cases having recurrent, long, and symptomatic ELT. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed consecutive device checkups at device clinic at a single center of eastern India between January 2019 to March 2023. Results: There were 20 cases of confirmed and sustained ELT among 4520 device checks. Although mostly benign, in two cases ELT led to clinical worsening in patients having left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Even with good ventricular function, ELT resulted in improper atrioventricular (AV) synchrony leading to disabling symptom in one case. The differentiation of ELT from sinus tachycardia and atrial tachycardia (AT) was not always easy. Magnet application is certainly useful to differentiate. The situations that provoked ELT in this study were—long AV delays, VIP (ventricular intrinsic preferences)/MVP (managed ventricular pacing), atrial non‐capture, atrial under/over sensing, premature ventricular contractions (PVCs)/couplets, premature atrial contractions (PAC) and slower ventriculo‐atrial (VA) conduction. Rate responsive shortening of post‐ventricular atrial refractory period (PVARP) also promoted its occurrence and hindered troubleshooting. When ELT occurred despite post‐PVC extension of PVARP, lowering the atrial sensitivity, switching to bipolar sensing and manual setting of longer PVARP after measuring VA conduction time were useful. "Rate responsive PVARP" had to be turned off in a few cases to prevent ELT. On the contrary, an over aggressive prolongation of PVARP led to repetitive non‐reentrant ventriculo‐atrial synchrony (RNRVAS) in two cases. Checking VA conduction during implantation and noninvasive program stimulation (NIPS) during follow up were useful to check the tendency for ELT. Conclusion: Clinically significant ELT is rare but not uncommon among devices having in‐built preventive algorithms. Manual adjustments are often useful to troubleshoot the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen production by direct seawater electrolysis is an alternative technology to conventional freshwater electrolysis, mainly owing to the vast abundance of seawater reserves on earth. However, the lack of robust, active, and selective electrocatalysts that can withstand the harsh and corrosive saline conditions of seawater greatly hinders its industrial viability. Herein, a series of amorphous transition‐metal phospho‐borides, namely Co‐P‐B, Ni‐P‐B, and Fe‐P‐B are prepared by simple chemical reduction method and screened for overall alkaline seawater electrolysis. Co‐P‐B is found to be the best of the lot, requiring low overpotentials of ≈270 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), ≈410 mV for oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and an overall voltage of 2.50 V to reach a current density of 2 A cm−2 in highly alkaline natural seawater. Furthermore, the optimized electrocatalyst shows formidable stability after 10,000 cycles and 30 h of chronoamperometric measurements in alkaline natural seawater without any chlorine evolution, even at higher current densities. A detailed understanding of not only HER and OER but also chlorine evolution reaction (ClER) on the Co‐P‐B surface is obtained by computational analysis, which also sheds light on the selectivity and stability of the catalyst at high current densities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case highlights an atypical but important consideration in young males presenting with persistent gastrointestinal and/or genitourinary symptoms. Zinner syndrome (ZS) develops from embryologic maldevelopment of the distal mesonephric duct, resulting in ejaculatory duct atresia with consequent obstruction of the seminal vesicle and concomitant ureteral bud malformation, leading to renal agenesis/dysplasia. The lack of distinct clinical symptoms makes ZS a difficult diagnosis to reach: Abdominal pain and dysuria are often mistaken for prostatitis or cystitis. However, the use of modern imaging modalities aids in establishing the diagnosis. Early identification of ZS may delay progression to infertility as the duct obstruction may not be as extensive, though further research is needed to establish this connection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resonant inductive‐based wireless power transfer (WPT) for battery charging has potential applications in electric vehicles (EVs). The EV battery charging process requires the regulation of both charging voltage and current. Duty ratio or frequency control is generally preferred to manage the power flow between the transmitter and receiver coils in the WPT system. In the case of WPT charging, misalignment between the coils and parameter variations are unavoidable issues that result in changes to the output power. Therefore, it is essential to control the power flow to maintain constant current (CC) and constant voltage (CV) modes during battery charging. To address these challenges, various primary‐side control techniques, such as asymmetric clamped mode (ACM), asymmetric duty cycle (ADC), and phase‐shift (PS) fixed frequency control strategies, have been proposed for WPT systems. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of these control methods, considering their output voltage ranges and their ability to maintain zero‐voltage switching (ZVS) for the entire control range. Furthermore, the paper presents a generalized design for reduced‐order small signal modelling, utilizing an extended describing function. The designed controller, based on small signal modelling, will undergo real‐time testing to evaluate its dynamic performance in the series‐series resonant converter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single‐layer chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene films are commonly transferred from their native growth substrates during characterization. However, the transfer process influences their intrinsic material properties and growth substrate‐related material information is lost. Herein, an in situ method is presented to suspend CVD graphene films directly on their growth substrate. The approach makes the sample compatible for characterization across the widely used optical and electron microscopy techniques such as Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, a quality matrix framework "ISCOPEM2D V1.0" is provided to support the quantification, comparison, and validation of various material properties of single‐layer graphene. The approach provides a holistic overview of various properties and facilitates quality control and reproducibility of single‐layer graphene‐based application development. Similar approaches can be useful to develop quality matrix‐based for other 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mechanical problems like break or crack in Luer connectors or hubs, clamps, and tubings are common non-infectious complications of tunneled dialysis catheters (TDC), which may lead to other TDC complications and the need to insert a new catheter. These can be tackled using TDC repair kits or spare parts, which are often not available, resulting in the insertion of a new TDC that increases morbidity, TDC-related procedures, and healthcare costs. We discuss two cases of broken Luer connections of TDC, which were managed by exchanging the broken Luer connector of TDC with the similar Luer connector of a temporary dialysis catheter. Both the repaired TDCs are thereafter functioning well. This improvised technique provides an easy, effective, long-lasting option that salvages the existing TDC and reduces the cost factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise in universal population and accompanying demands have directed toward an exponential surge in the generation of polymeric waste. The estimate predicts that world‐wide plastic production will rise to ≈590 million metric tons by 2050, whereas 5000 million more tires will be routinely abandoned by 2030. Handling this waste and its detrimental consequences on the Earth's ecosystem and human health presents a significant challenge. Converting the wastes into carbon‐based functional materials viz. activated carbon, graphene, and nanotubes is considered the most scientific and adaptable method. Herein, this world provides an overview of the various sources of polymeric wastes, modes of build‐up, impact on the environment, and management approaches. Update on advances and novel modifications made in methodologies for converting diverse types of polymeric wastes into carbon nanomaterials over the last 5 years are given. A remarkable focus is made to comprehend the applications of polymeric waste‐derived carbon nanomaterials (PWDCNMs) in the CO2 capture, removal of heavy metal ions, supercapacitor‐based energy storage and water splitting with an emphasis on the correlation between PWDCNMs' properties and their performances. This review offers insights into emerging developments in the upcycling of polymeric wastes and their applications in environment and energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports an efficient method for facile synthesis of hierarchically porous carbon (WB‐AC) utilizing wheat bran waste. Obtained carbon showed 2.47 mmol g−1 CO2 capture capacity with good CO2/N2 selectivity and 27.35 to 29.90 kJ mol−1 isosteric heat of adsorption. Rapid removal of MO dye was observed with a capacity of ~555 mg g−1. Moreover, WB‐AC demonstrated a good OER activity with 0.35 V low overpotential at 5 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 115 mV dec−1. It also exhibited high electrocatalytic HER activity with 57 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 82.6 mV dec−1. The large SSA (757 m2 g−1) and total pore volume (0.3696 cm3 g−1) result from N2 activation contributing to selective CO2 uptake, high and rapid dye removal capacity and superior electrochemical activity (OER/HER), suggesting the use of WB‐AC as cost effective adsorbent and metal free electrocatalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying the intrinsic properties of 2D materials is of paramount importance for advancing their applications. Large‐scale production of 2D materials merits the need for approaches that provide direct information about the role of growth substrate on 2D material properties. Transferring the 2D material from its growth substrates can modify the intrinsic properties of the asgrown 2D material. In this study, suspended chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene films are prepared directly on their growth substrates in a high‐density grid array. The approach facilitates the quantification of intrinsic strain and doping in suspended CVD graphene films. To achieve this, transmission electron microscopy and large‐area Raman mapping are employed. Remarkably, the analysis reveals consistent patterns of compressive strain (≈−0.2%) both in the diffraction patterns and Raman maps obtained from these suspended graphene films. By conducting investigations directly on the growth substrates, the potential influences introduced during the transfer process are circumvented effectively. Consequently, the methodology offers a robust and reliable means of studying the intrinsic properties of 2D materials in their authentic form, uninfluenced by the transfer‐induced alterations that may skew the interpretation of their properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to homogeneous mechanical load according to IEC 61215, photovoltaic modules in the field are mainly exposed to inhomogeneous loads like snow or wind. This paper deals with such inhomogeneous loads using computational fluid dynamics and finite element method simulations. Temperatures different to room temperature and the choice of encapsulates have significant influences on the thermomechanics of a photovoltaic module in case of snow load. Polyolefin is the encapsulant with the lowest storage modulus and has the lowest overall stress in solar cells and glass down to −30°C. Furthermore, with colder temperatures, the first principal stress decreases in solar cells but increases in the glass. For wind loads, the impact of module orientation, wind direction, module inclination angle, and wind speed is analyzed. A crosswind scenario is found to be most critical. Additionally, as a rule of thumb, higher module inclination angles result in higher stresses. Finally, general thermomechanical rules are extracted allowing for a deeper understanding of the underlying effects and therefore help to build more robust modules in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this case series, we describe the use of invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET) to diagnose heart failure due to preload reserve failure in two patients with progressive dyspnoea. We demonstrate that underlying liver disease contributes to preload reserve failure as a cause of exertional dysfunction. In liver diseases such as non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), fibrotic changes to the sinusoidal liver architecture occur leading to an increased transhepatic sinusoidal pressure gradient. Even at the earliest stage of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD, changes in hepatic blood flow are seen due to outflow block in the sinusoidal area. In this way, changes to the sinusoidal liver architecture can lead to limitations in preload reserve. This case series describes two patients with exertional dyspnoea found to have preload failure on iCPET due to underlying liver disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with prostate cancer (PCa) have a lower docetaxel exposure for both intravenous (1.8‐fold) and oral administration (2.4‐fold) than patients with other solid cancers, which could influence efficacy and toxicity. An altered metabolism by cytochrome P450 3A (CYP3A) due to castration status might explain the observed difference in docetaxel pharmacokinetics. In this in vivo phenotyping, pharmacokinetic study, CYP3A activity defined by midazolam clearance (CL) was compared between patients with PCa and male patients with other solid tumors. All patients with solid tumors who did not use CYP3A‐modulating drugs were eligible for participation. Patients received 2 mg midazolam orally and 1 mg midazolam intravenously on 2 consecutive days. Plasma concentrations were measured with a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. Genotyping was performed for CYP3A4 and CYP3A5. Nine patients were included in each group. Oral midazolam CL was 1.26‐fold higher in patients with PCa compared to patients with other solid tumors (geometric mean [coefficient of variation], 94.1 [33.5%] L/h vs 74.4 [39.1%] L/h, respectively; P =.08). Intravenous midazolam CL did not significantly differ between the 2 groups (P =.93). Moreover, the metabolic ratio of midazolam to 1′‐hydroxy midazolam did not differ between the 2 groups for both oral administration (P =.67) and intravenous administration (P =.26). CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genotypes did not influence midazolam pharmacokinetics. The observed difference in docetaxel pharmacokinetics between both patient groups therefore appears to be explained neither by a difference in midazolam CL nor by a difference in metabolic conversion rate of midazolam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin contamination caused by Aspergillus flavus significantly threatens food safety and human health. Resistance to aflatoxin is a highly complex and quantitative trait, but the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms are poorly understood. The present study aims to identify the resistance‐related metabolites in groundnut that influence the defense mechanism against aflatoxin. Here, metabolite profiling of resistant (55–437) and susceptible (TMV‐2) groundnut genotypes, which exhibited contrasting levels of resistance to A. flavus growth and aflatoxin accumulation under pathogen‐ or mock‐inoculated treatments, was undertaken using liquid chromatography and high‐resolution mass spectrometry (LC‐HRMS). Non‐targeted metabolomic analysis revealed key resistance‐related metabolites belonging to phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, alkaloids, and terpenoid biosynthetic pathways. The phenylpropanoids ‐ hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCAAs) and lignins were among the most abundantly accumulated metabolites in the resistant genotype compared to the susceptible genotype. HCAAs and lignins are deposited as polymers and conjugated metabolites to strengthen the secondary cell wall, which acts as a barrier to pathogen entry. Further, histochemical staining confirmed the secondary cell wall thickening due to HCAAs and lignin depositions. Quantitative real‐time PCR studies revealed higher expressions of phenylalanine ammonia‐lyase (PAL), 4‐coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL), cinnamoyl CoA reductase (CCR2), cinnamoyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD1), agmatine hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (ACT), chalcone synthase (CHS), dihydroflavonol 4‐reductase (DFR) and flavonol synthase (FLS) in the pathogen‐inoculated resistant genotype than in the susceptible genotype. This study reveals that the resistance to aflatoxin contamination in groundnut genotypes is associated with secondary cell wall thickening due to the deposition of HCAAs and lignins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a hyperinflammatory syndrome. The biomarkers of inflammation best suited to triage patients with COVID‐19 are unknown. We conducted a prospective multicenter observational study of adult patients hospitalized specifically for COVID‐19 from February 1, 2020 to October 19, 2022. Biomarkers measured included soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR), C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, procalcitonin, ferritin, and D‐dimer. In‐hospital outcomes examined include death and the need for mechanical ventilation. Patients admitted in the United States (US, n = 1962) were used to compute area under the curves (AUCs) and identify biomarker cutoffs. The combined European cohorts (n = 1137) were used to validate the biomarker cutoffs. In the US cohort, 356 patients met the composite outcome of death (n = 197) or need for mechanical ventilation (n = 290). SuPAR was the most important predictor of the composite outcome and had the highest AUC (0.712) followed by CRP (0.642), ferritin (0.619), IL‐6 (0.614), D‐dimer (0.606), and lastly procalcitonin (0.596). Inclusion of other biomarkers did not improve discrimination. A suPAR cutoff of 4.0 ng/mL demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.4% (95% CI: 92.4%–98.0%) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.5% (95% CI: 87.5%–96.9%) for the composite outcome. Patients with suPAR < 4.0 ng/mL comprised 10.6% of the cohort and had a 0.8% probability of the composite outcome. Applying this cutoff to the validation cohort yielded a sensitivity of 93.8% (90.4%–96.7%) and NPV of 95.5% (93.1%–97.8%) for the composite outcome. Among commonly measured biomarkers, suPAR offered stronger discriminatory ability and may be useful in triaging low‐risk patients with COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton (H+) release is linked to aluminum (Al)‐enhanced organic acids (OAs) excretion from the roots under Al rhizotoxicity in plants. It is well‐reported that the Al‐enhanced organic acid excretion mechanism is regulated by SENSITIVE TO PROTON RHIZOTOXICITY1 (STOP1), a zinc‐finger TF that regulates major Al tolerance genes. However, the mechanism of H+ release linked to OAs excretion under Al stress has not been fully elucidated. Recent physiological and molecular‐genetic studies have implicated the involvement of SMALL AUXIN UP RNAs (SAURs) in the activation of plasma membrane H+‐ATPases for stress responses in plants. We hypothesized that STOP1 is involved in the regulation of Al‐responsive SAURs, which may contribute to the co‐secretion of protons and malate under Al stress conditions. In our transcriptome analysis of the roots of the stop1 (sensitive to proton rhizotoxicity1) mutant, we found that STOP1 regulates the transcription of one of the SAURs, namely SAUR55. Furthermore, we observed that the expression of SAUR55 was induced by Al and repressed in the STOP1 T‐DNA insertion knockout (KO) mutant (STOP1‐KO). Through in silico analysis, we identified a functional STOP1‐binding site in the promoter of SAUR55. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that STOP1 directly binds to the promoter of SAUR55. This suggests that STOP1 directly regulates the expression of SAUR55 under Al stress. We next examined proton release in the rhizosphere and malate excretion in the T‐DNA insertion KO mutant of SAUR55 (saur55), in conjunction with STOP1‐KO. Both saur55 and STOP1‐KO suppressed rhizosphere acidification and malate release under Al stress. Additionally, the root growth of saur55 was sensitive to Al‐containing media. In contrast, the overexpressed line of SAUR55 enhanced rhizosphere acidification and malate release, leading to increased Al tolerance. These associations with Al tolerance were also observed in natural variations of Arabidopsis. These findings demonstrate that transcriptional regulation of SAUR55 by STOP1 positively regulates H+ excretion via PM H+‐ATPase 2 which enhances Al tolerance by malate secretion from the roots of Arabidopsis. The activation of PM H+‐ATPase 2 by SAUR55 was suggested to be due to PP2C.D2/D5 inhibition by interaction on the plasma membrane with its phosphatase. Furthermore, RNAi‐suppression of NtSTOP1 in tobacco shows suppression of rhizosphere acidification under Al stress, which was associated with the suppression of SAUR55 orthologs, which are inducible by Al in tobacco. It suggests that transcriptional regulation of Al‐inducible SAURs by STOP1 plays a critical role in OAs excretion in several plant species as an Al tolerance mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MR‐guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) systems provide superior soft tissue contrast than x‐ray based systems and can acquire real‐time cine for treatment gating. These features allow treatment planning margins to be reduced, allowing for improved critical structure sparing and reduced treatment toxicity. Despite this improvement, genitourinary (GU) toxicity continues to affect many patients. Purpose: (1) To identify dosimetric predictors, potentially in combination with clinical parameters, of GU toxicity following SBRT by leveraging MRgRT to accurately monitor daily dose, beyond predicted dose calculated during planning. (2) Improve awareness of toxicity‐sensitive bladder substructures, specifically the trigone and urethra. Methods: Sixty‐nine prostate cancer patients (NCT04384770 clinical trial) were treated on a ViewRay MRIdian MRgRT system, with 40 Gy prescribed to 95% of the PTV in over five fractions. Overall, 17 (24.6%) prostate patients reported acute grade 2 GU toxicity. The CTV, PTV, bladder, bladder wall, trigone, urethra, rectum, and rectal wall were contoured on the planning and daily treatment MRIs. Planning and daily treatment DVHs (0.1 Gy increments), organ doses (min, max, mean), and organ volumes were recorded. Daily dose was estimated by transferring the planning dose distributions to the daily MRI based on the daily setup alignment. Patients were partitioned into a training (55) and testing set (14). Dose features were pre‐filtered using a t‐test followed by maximum relevance minimum redundancy (MRMR) algorithm. Logistic regression was investigated with regularization to select dosimetric predictors. Specifically, two approaches: time‐group least absolute shrinkage and selection (LASSO), and interactive grouped greedy algorithm (IGA) were investigated. Shared features across the planning and five treatment fractions were grouped to encourage consistency and stability. The conventional flat non‐temporally grouped LASSO was also evaluated to provide a solid benchmark. After feature selection, a final logistic regression model was trained. Dosimetric regression models were compared to a clinical regression model with only clinical parameters (age, baseline IPSS, prostate gland size, ADT usage, etc.) and a hybrid model, combining the best performing dosimetric features with the clinical parameters, was evaluated. Final model performance was evaluated on the testing set using accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity determined by the optimal threshold of the training set. Results: IGA had the best testing performance with an accuracy/sensitivity/specificity of 0.79/0.67/0.82, selecting 12 groups covering the bladder (V19.8 Gy, V20.5 Gy), bladder wall (19.7 Gy), trigone (15.9, 18.2, 43.3 Gy), urethra (V41.4 Gy, V41.7 Gy), CTV (V41.9 Gy), rectum (V8.5 Gy), and rectal wall (1.2, 44.1 Gy) dose features. Absolute bladder V19.8 Gy and V20.5 Gy were the most important features, followed by relative trigone 15.9 and 18.2 Gy. Inclusion of clinical parameters in the hybrid model with IGA did not significantly change regression performance. Conclusion: Overall, IGA feature selection resulted in the best GU toxicity prediction performance. This exploratory study demonstrated the feasibility of identification and analysis of dosimetric toxicity predictors with awareness to sensitive substructures and daily dose to potentially provide consistent and stable dosimetric metrics to guide treatment planning. Further patient accruement is warranted to further assess dosimetric predictor and perform validation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in the prevalence of multi‐drug‐resistant bacteria poses a significant healthcare challenge. The urgent need to combat the resistant microbes necessitates discovering new antibacterial agents capable of circumventing the existing resistance mechanisms. Targeting DNA gyrase by suitably modifying the fluoroquinolones can lead to antibiotics with better activity and lower incidence of resistance. The substituted diphenyl ethers like triclosan are known to have potent antibacterial activity. In the current study, the hybridisation of diphenyl ether moiety with fluoroquinolones led to the design and synthesis of new compounds with potent inhibitory activity against staphylococcus aureus with MIC 0.5–64 μg/mL and moderately active against mycobacteria with MIC 2–64 μg/mL. The compounds are non‐toxic to Vero cells with a selectivity index >10 to 200. The compounds also inhibited the resistant strains of S. aureus with a MIC ranging from 0.5–64 μg/mL. The synthesised compounds also exhibited potent anti‐biofilm activity against S. aureus. Furthermore, the DNA supercoiling assay revealed the compounds 7 i, 7 o, 7 p and 7 q showed concentration‐dependant DNA‐Gyrase inhibition at 1 μg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the EMPULSE trial, which investigated the efficacy of early initiation of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, specifically empagliflozin, in hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients. The trial enrolled 530 patients with HF symptoms, regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and randomized them to receive either empagliflozin or a placebo. The results showed that empagliflozin had clinical benefits and a similar safety profile compared to the placebo, regardless of baseline LVEF. This analysis adds to the growing evidence supporting the early initiation and rapid up-titration of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in HF patients. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a paradigm change in networking that aspires to connect almost everything on the globe. Clustering methods have been presented in the context of wireless sensor networks, and their application to the IoT could solve similar problems. However, existing clustering protocols have issues with the clustering structure that affect their performance, and some approaches pose a risk of privacy leakage during the data handling process. Therefore, this article aims to establish a novel secure and energy‐aware clustering model in the IoT, in which cluster head selection is performed via a proposed sandpiper optimization with cycle crossover process (SOCCP) model. Moreover, this cluster head selection includes certain constraints, including distance, energy, security, and cluster radius, respectively. The clustering is done by the optimized fuzzy C‐means algorithm. Here, the determination of the cluster head and cluster radius is tuned optimally via an adopted SOCCP model. Final results of the employed technique are calculated using a variety of metrics, such as alive node analysis, risk analysis, distance analysis, cluster radius analysis, as well as normalized energy analysis, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is commonly used to treat prostate cancer. Existing HDR planning systems solve the dwell time problem for predetermined catheters and a single energy source. Purpose: Additional degrees of freedom can be obtained by relaxing the catheters' pre‐designation and introducing more source types, and may have a dosimetric benefit, particularly in improving conformality to spare the urethra. This study presents a novel analytical approach to solving the corresponding HDR planning problem. Methods: The catheter and dual‐energy source selection problem was formulated as a constrained optimization problem with a non‐convex group sparsity regularization. The optimization problem was solved using the fast‐iterative shrinkage‐thresholding algorithm (FISTA). Two isotopes were considered. The dose rates for the HDR 4140 Ytterbium (Yb‐169) source and the Elekta Iridium (Ir‐192) HDR Flexisource were modeled according to the TG‐43U1 formalism and benchmarked accordingly. Twenty‐two retrospective HDR prostate brachytherapy patients treated with Ir‐192 were considered. An Ir‐192 only (IRO), Yb‐169 only (YBO), and dual‐source (DS) plan with optimized catheter location was created for each patient with N catheters, where N is the number of catheters used in the clinically delivered plans. The DS plans jointly optimized Yb‐169 and Ir‐192 dwell times. All plans and the clinical plans were normalized to deliver a 15 Gy prescription (Rx) dose to 95% of the clinical treatment volume (CTV) and evaluated for the CTV D90%, V150%, and V200%, urethra D0.1cc and D1cc, bladder V75%, and rectum V75%. Dose‐volume histograms (DVHs) were generated for each structure. Results: The DS plans ubiquitously selected Ir‐192 as the only treatment source. IRO outperformed YBO in organ at risk (OARs) OAR sparing, reducing the urethra D0.1cc and D1cc by 0.98% (p=2.22∗10−9$p\ = \ 2.22*{10^{ - 9}}$) and 1.09% (p=1.22∗10−10$p\ = \ 1.22*{10^{ - 10}}$) of the Rx dose, respectively, and reducing the bladder and rectum V75% by 0.09 (p=0.0023$p\ = \ 0.0023$) and 0.13 cubic centimeters (cc) (p=0.033$p\ = \ 0.033$), respectively. The YBO plans delivered a more homogenous dose to the CTV, with a smaller V150% and V200% by 3.20 (p=4.67∗10−10$p\ = \ 4.67*{10^{ - 10}}$) and 1.91 cc (p=5.79∗10−10$p\ = \ 5.79*{10^{ - 10}}$), respectively, and a lower CTV D90% by 0.49% (p=0.0056$p\ = \ 0.0056$) of the prescription dose. The IRO plans reduce the urethral D1cc by 2.82% (p=1.38∗10−4$p\ = \ 1.38*{10^{ - 4}}$) of the Rx dose compared to the clinical plans, at the cost of increased bladder and rectal V75% by 0.57 (p=0.0022$p\ = \ 0.0022$) and 0.21 cc (p=0.019$p\ = \ 0.019$), respectively, and increased CTV V150% by a mean of 1.46 cc (p=0.010$p\ = \ 0.010$) and CTV D90% by an average of 1.40% of the Rx dose (p=8.80∗10−8$p\ = \ 8.80*{10^{ - 8}}$). While these differences are statistically significant, the clinical differences between the plans are minimal. Conclusions: The proposed analytical HDR planning algorithm integrates catheter and isotope selection with dwell time optimization for varying clinical goals, including urethra sparing. The planning method can guide HDR implants and identify promising isotopes for specific HDR clinical goals, such as target conformality or OAR sparing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Deep neural nets have revolutionized the science of auto‐segmentation and present great promise for treatment planning automation. However, little data exists regarding clinical implementation and human factors. We evaluated the performance and clinical implementation of a novel deep learning‐based auto‐contouring workflow for 0.35T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)‐guided pelvic radiotherapy, focusing on automation bias and objective measures of workflow savings. Methods: An auto‐contouring model was developed using a UNet‐derived architecture for the femoral heads, bladder, and rectum in 0.35T MR images. Training data was taken from 75 patients treated with MRI‐guided radiotherapy at our institution. The model was tested against 20 retrospective cases outside the training set, and subsequently was clinically implemented. Usability was evaluated on the first 30 clinical cases by computing Dice coefficient (DSC), Hausdorff distance (HD), and the fraction of slices that were used un‐modified by planners. Final contours were retrospectively reviewed by an experienced planner and clinical significance of deviations was graded as negligible, low, moderate, and high probability of leading to actionable dosimetric variations. In order to assess whether the use of auto‐contouring led to final contours more or less in agreement with an objective standard, 10 pre‐treatment and 10 post‐treatment blinded cases were re‐contoured from scratch by three expert planners to get expert consensus contours (EC). EC was compared to clinically used (CU) contours using DSC. Student's t‐test and Levene's statistic were used to test statistical significance of differences in mean and standard deviation, respectively. Finally, the dosimetric significance of the contour differences were assessed by comparing the difference in bladder and rectum maximum point doses between EC and CU before and after the introduction of automation. Results: Median (interquartile range) DSC for the retrospective test data were 0.92(0.02), 0.92(0.06), 0.93(0.06), 0.87(0.04) for the post‐processed contours for the right and left femoral heads, bladder, and rectum, respectively. Post‐implementation median DSC were 1.0(0.0), 1.0(0.0), 0.98(0.04), and 0.98(0.06), respectively. For each organ, 96.2, 95.4, 59.5, and 68.21 percent of slices were used unmodified by the planner. DSC between EC and pre‐implementation CU contours were 0.91(0.05*), 0.91*(0.05*), 0.95(0.04), and 0.88(0.04) for right and left femoral heads, bladder, and rectum, respectively. The corresponding DSC for post‐implementation CU contours were 0.93(0.02*), 0.93*(0.01*), 0.96(0.01), and 0.85(0.02) (asterisks indicate statistically significant difference). In a retrospective review of contours used for planning, a total of four deviating slices in two patients were graded as low potential clinical significance. No deviations were graded as moderate or high. Mean differences between EC and CU rectum max‐doses were 0.1 ± 2.6 Gy and −0.9 ± 2.5 Gy for pre‐ and post‐implementation, respectively. Mean differences between EC and CU bladder/bladder wall max‐doses were −0.9 ± 4.1 Gy and 0.0 ± 0.6 Gy for pre‐ and post‐implementation, respectively. These differences were not statistically significant according to Student's t‐test. Conclusion: We have presented an analysis of the clinical implementation of a novel auto‐contouring workflow. Substantial workflow savings were obtained. The introduction of auto‐contouring into the clinical workflow changed the contouring behavior of planners. Automation bias was observed, but it had little deleterious effect on treatment planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, modern technologies are growing rapidly by advancing their application day by day. Moreover, the Internet of Things (IoT) is well utilized in many applications for sensing and information gathering purposes. Considering this, medical applications have used the advances of IoT facilities in sensing the disease rate in humans. After sensing, the sensed data is stored in the cloud system, so securing the cloud system is the more required task to maintain the privacy of the patient's data. But, in front of malicious activities, securing the data is not easy. So, the present research has proposed a novel African buffalo‐based International Data Encryption (ABIDE) public cloud system to secure the medical database during the data transmission. The developed technique is utilized in a public cloud system. The main objective of this research is to secure medical data during transmission. Moreover, the implementation of the proposed ABIDE algorithm is done in the MATLAB environment. Consequently, the performance of the developed technique is compared with existing methods in terms of resource usage, encryption time, decryption time and so forth. Therefore, the proposed model has attained the finest confidential rate of 98.98%, throughput 97.86% and less processing time of 4 ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colon cancer incidence is rising in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs), where resource limitations and cost often dictate treatment decisions. In this study, we evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy for high‐risk stage II and stage III colon cancer treatment in South Africa (ZA) and illustrate how such analyses can inform cancer treatment recommendations in a LMIC. Methods: We created a decision‐analytic Markov model to compare lifetime costs and outcomes for patients with high‐risk stage II and stage III colon cancer treated with three adjuvant chemotherapy regimens in a public hospital in ZA: capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) for 3 and 6 months, and capecitabine for 6 months, compared to no adjuvant treatment. The primary outcome was the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio (ICER) in international dollars (I$) per disability‐adjusted life‐year (DALY) averted, at a willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) threshold equal to the 2021 ZA gross domestic product per capita (I$13,764/DALY averted). Results: CAPOX for 3 months was cost‐effective for both patients with high‐risk stage II and patients with stage III colon cancer (ICER = I$250/DALY averted and I$1042/DALY averted, respectively), compared to no adjuvant chemotherapy. In subgroup analyses of patients by tumor stage and number of positive lymph nodes, for patients with high‐risk stage II colon cancer and T4 tumors, and patients with stage III colon cancer with T4 or N2 disease. CAPOX for 6 months was cost‐effective and the optimal strategy. The optimal strategy in other settings will vary by local WTP thresholds. Decision analytic tools can be used to identify cost‐effective cancer treatment strategies in resource‐constrained settings. Conclusion: Colon cancer incidence is increasing in low‐ and middle‐income countries, including South Africa, where resource constraints can impact treatment decisions. This cost‐effectiveness study evaluates three systemic adjuvant chemotherapy options, compared to surgery alone, for patients in South African public hospitals after surgical resection for high‐risk stage II and stage III colon cancer. Doublet adjuvant chemotherapy (capecitabine and oxaliplatin) for 3 months is the cost‐effective strategy and should be recommended in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is a clinically heterogeneous disease. The creation of an expression‐based subtyping model based on prostate‐specific biological processes was sought. Methods: Unsupervised machine learning of gene expression profiles from prospectively collected primary prostate tumors (training, n = 32,000; evaluation, n = 68,547) was used to create a prostate subtyping classifier (PSC) based on basal versus luminal cell expression patterns and other gene signatures relevant to PCa biology. Subtype molecular pathways and clinical characteristics were explored in five other clinical cohorts. Results: Clustering derived four subtypes: luminal differentiated (LD), luminal proliferating (LP), basal immune (BI), and basal neuroendocrine (BN). LP and LD tumors both had higher androgen receptor activity. LP tumors also had a higher expression of cell proliferation genes, MYC activity, and characteristics of homologous recombination deficiency. BI tumors possessed significant interferon γactivity and immune infiltration on immunohistochemistry. BN tumors were characterized by lower androgen receptor activity expression, lower immune infiltration, and enrichment with neuroendocrine expression patterns. Patients with LD tumors had less aggressive tumor characteristics and the longest time to metastasis after surgery. Only patients with BI tumors derived benefit from radiotherapy after surgery in terms of time to metastasis (hazard ratio [HR], 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01–0.71; n = 855). In a phase 3 trial that randomized patients with metastatic PCa to androgen deprivation with or without docetaxel (n = 108), only patients with LP tumors derived survival benefit from docetaxel (HR, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.09–0.51). Conclusions: With the use of expression profiles from over 100,000 tumors, a PSC was developed that identified four subtypes with distinct biological and clinical features. Plain language summary: Prostate cancer can behave in an indolent or aggressive manner and vary in how it responds to certain treatments.To differentiate prostate cancer on the basis of biological features, we developed a novel RNA signature by using data from over 100,000 prostate tumors—the largest data set of its kind.This signature can inform patients and physicians on tumor aggressiveness and susceptibilities to treatments to help personalize cancer management. Data from over 100,000 prostate tumors and multiple cohorts were used to create and validate an expression‐based signature that can subtype prostate cancer on the basis of biological features and treatment susceptibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the effects of porous medium in magnetohydrodynamic unsteady flows of the viscous nongray optical thinner liquid between two infinitely concentric perpendicular cylinders under the influence of time reliant periodical pressure gradients with respect to the an azimuthal direction applied magnetic domain. The effects of the thermally radiating as well as periodical walls temperatures are also taken into consideration. The governing nondimensional equations were altered into ordinary differential equations and these were then resolved in the expressions of the modified Bessels functions. The impacts of the different parameters on the velocity, temperature, skin frictions, and the rates of temperature transfers near the surfaces of the cylinders were evaluated computationally as well as these are discussed graphically. This was found that, the velocity of the fluid augments by an amplifying in penetrability of the absorbent medium. The buoyancy forces reasons the liquid flow to accelerated, and thereby causing the mass efflux to enhance proportionally. The reductions into fluid temperature are straight proportionate to the diminution into the thermal diffusivity. The current computations were reliable with those of the existing study in the limiting cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the efficacy of 177Lu‐PNT2002, a novel radiolabelled small molecule that binds with high affinity to prostate‐specific membrane antigen (PSMA), in combination with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to all sites of metastasis, vs SBRT alone, in men with oligorecurrent metastatic hormone‐sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC). Patients and Methods: The 177Lutetium‐PSMA Neoadjuvant to Ablative Radiotherapy for Oligorecurrent Prostate Cancer (LUNAR) trial is an open‐label, randomized, stratified, two‐arm, single‐centre, Phase 2 trial to compare the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant 177Lu‐PNT2002 plus SBRT vs SBRT alone in men with oligorecurrent mHSPC. Key eligibility criteria include one to five lesions identified on a PSMA positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scan centrally reviewed by a board‐certified nuclear medicine physician. Key exclusion criteria include castrate‐resistant disease, de novo oligometastatic disease and receipt of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) within 6 months of trial enrolment. The trial aims to enrol 100 patients who will be centrally randomized to one of the two treatment arms, in a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the control arm receive SBRT to all sites of disease. Patients in the experimental arm receive two cycles of neoadjuvant 177Lu‐PNT2002 (6.8 GBq) 6–8 weeks apart, followed by an interval PSMA PET/CT in 4–6 weeks and dose‐adapted SBRT to all sites of disease 1–2 weeks later. The primary endpoint is progression‐free survival. Secondary endpoints are radiographic and prostate‐specific antigen‐based progression, acute and late physician‐scored toxicity, patient‐reported quality of life, ADT‐free survival, time to progression, overall survival, locoregional control, and duration of response. Enrolment in the study commenced in September 2022. Results and Conclusions: The addition of 177Lu‐PNT2002 to metastasis‐directed therapy alone may potentially further forestall disease progression. The results of this Phase 2 trial will determine, for the first time in a randomized fashion, the added benefit of 177Lu‐PNT2002 to SBRT in patients with oligorecurrent mHSPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of thermal radiation and Hall current on magnetohydrodynamic free convection three‐dimensional flow in a vertical channel filled with a porous medium have been studied. We consider an incompressible viscous and electrically conducting incompressible viscous fluid in a parallel plate channel bounded by a loosely packed porous medium. The fluid is driven by a uniform pressure gradient parallel to the channel plates, and the entire flow field is subjected to a uniform inclined magnetic field of strength inclined at an angle of inclination α $\alpha $ with the normal to the boundaries in the transverse xy‐plane. The temperature of one of the plates varies periodically, and the temperature difference between the plates is high enough to induce radiative heat transfer. The effects of various parameters on the velocity profiles, the skin friction, the temperature field, and the rate of heat transfer in terms of their amplitude and phase angles are shown graphically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mycophenolate mofetil has an important role as immunosuppressive agent in solid organ transplant recipients. Exposure to the active mycophenolic acid (MPA) can be monitored using therapeutic drug monitoring. We present three cases in which MPA exposure severely decreased after oral antibiotic coadministration. By diminishing gut bacteria β‐glucuronidase activity, oral antibiotics can prevent deglucuronidation of the inactive MPA‐7‐O‐glucuronide metabolite to MPA and thereby possibly prevent its enterohepatic recirculation. This pharmacokinetic interaction could result in rejection, which makes it clinically relevant in solid organ transplant recipients, especially when therapeutic drug monitoring frequency is low. Routine screening for this interaction, preferably supported by clinical decision support systems, and pragmatic close monitoring of the MPA exposure in cases is advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]