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Transportation sector and its impacts on climate change have received much attention over the last decade. Energy-optimal vehicle control algorithms such as adaptive cruise control can potentially reduce fuel consumption and the consequential environmental impacts. Adaptive cruise control algorithms optimize vehicles’ speed to lower energy consumption considering several constraints, including safety, stability, and comfortability. A wide range of algorithms with different objectives and optimization mechanisms have been reported in the literature. Due to the high diversity of constraints and objectives, a comprehensive study of these algorithms is required. In recent literature reviews, there is no comprehensive summary of the adaptive cruise control algorithms’ features, classes, and objectives. This paper presents a holistic literature review of energy-optimal adaptive cruise control algorithms. We gathered relevant publications from well-eminent journals. Information on diversity and the number of publications will be presented to provide data on used references. For each paper, the objectives, features, and relevant classes of algorithms were extracted. Then a classification based on objectives is suggested, and mathematical formulas of representative studies are summarized to provide the required knowledge regarding mathematical modeling and optimization in this field. The study provides a useful insight into the development of the cruise control systems research field, revealing those scientific actors (i.e., authors, developers, and institutions) that have made the biggest research contribution to its development.

Niloufar Shashaani,1 Reza Shiari,2 Abdullah Karimi,3 Shima Salehi,4 Roxana Ghanaei,3 Mehrnoush Hassas Yeganeh,2 Sara Shiari,1 Khosro Rahmani,2 Vadood Javadi Parvaneh2 1Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 2Department of Pediatric Rheumatology, Mofid Children’s Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 3Department of Infectious Diseases, Mofid Children’s Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; 4Faculty of Medicine, Ali Asghar Children’s Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IranCorrespondence: Reza Shiari Tel +98-21-22227033Email shiareza@yahoo.comIntroduction: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis that occurs mostly in children under five years old. Kawasaki affects the middle-size arteries, especially the coronary arteries. Therefore, without adequate treatment, it may cause coronary artery aneurysm in 25% of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Kobayashi, Sano, and Egami criterions with coronary artery aneurysm in KD patients during the last ten years and to identify risk factors in patients with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG)-resistant and coronary artery aneurysms.Methodology: Medical records of 363 Kawasaki patients referred during 2008– 2017 were reviewed. Patients’ demographic data and Kobayashi, Sano, and Egami scores of each patient were calculated. Based on echocardiographic findings, cases of coronary artery aneurysm were determined. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and the accuracy of each criterion were determined to predicting IVIG resistance and detect coronary artery aneurysm.Results: There was a slight relationship between IVIG-resistance in Kawasaki children and its prediction based on the Kobayashi risk score, but no relationship was found between the Egami and Sano criteria. Sixty-three patients (17.4%) had coronary artery lesions (CALs) on time of diagnosis. There were no statistically significant differences between gender and mean age of children with and without CALs. Also, there was no significant relationship between coronary artery aneurysm in Kawasaki children and its prediction based on the above three risk factors. The area under the ROC-curve of all three risk measures of Kobayashi, Egami, and Sano indicated that all three criteria were not useful in predicting CALs.Conclusion: Despite the low accuracy of the three above criteria to predictive of patients with IVIG resistance, it seems that the variables of age, duration of fever, and C-reactive protein (CRP) are more useful than other variables and may be utilized to evaluate patients by establishing a more appropriate cut-off point.Keywords: Kawasaki disease, coronary artery aneurysm, IVIG-resistant, Kobayashi, Sano, Egami

Sarcoidosis presents as a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the development of non-caseating granulomas that commonly affect the lungs, lymph nodes, skin, and eyes. Manifestations of various conditions such as infections, neoplasms, autoimmune, cardiovascular, and drug-induced diseases can bear resemblance to sarcoidosis. Coccidiosis, attributed to protozoan parasites of the Coccidia genus, primarily affects the intestinal tract but may also display systemic symptoms akin to those of sarcoidosis. In this particular case, we present a 46-year-old immunocompetent gentleman who had an extensive disease despite the patient's well-controlled diabetes and absence of residency in an endemic area with fungal infection, his only pertinent part of the history was his travel to endemic areas for short periods that raised the possibility of thinking about the disseminated fungal infection. The patient's symptoms initially attributed to and treated as sarcoidosis, which later did not respond to steroids, led us to consider other potential causes, including systemic fungal infection  Misdiagnosis of the sarcoidosis bears the risk of inappropriate treatment, potentially leading to exacerbated patient outcomes. Consequently, it is imperative for healthcare providers, particularly rheumatologists, to augment vigilance and conduct comprehensive diagnostic assessments encompassing microbiological testing and histopathological examination., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Aldookhi et al.)

Surface transportation has evolved through technology advancements using parallel knowledge areas such as machine learning (ML). However, the transportation industry has not yet taken full advantage of ML. To evaluate this gap, we utilized a literature review approach to locate, categorize, and synthesize the principal concepts of research papers regarding surface transportation systems using ML algorithms, and we then decomposed them into their fundamental elements. We explored more than 100 articles, literature review papers, and books. The results show that 74% of the papers concentrate on forecasting, while multilayer perceptions, long short-term memory, random forest, supporting vector machine, XGBoost, and deep convolutional neural networks are the most preferred ML algorithms. However, sophisticated ML algorithms have been minimally used. The root-cause analysis revealed a lack of effective collaboration between the ML and transportation experts, resulting in the most accessible transportation applications being used as a case study to test or enhance a given ML algorithm and not necessarily to enhance a mobility or safety issue. Additionally, the transportation community does not define transportation issues clearly and does not provide publicly available transportation datasets. The transportation sector must offer an open-source platform to showcase the sector’s concerns and build spatiotemporal datasets for ML experts to accelerate technology advancements.

Reduction of the transportation sector's air emissions has been an essential goal for decreasing the emissions' externalities and slowing climate change. This study evaluated the emission impacts of low-level automated vehicles (LAVs) in 86 metropolitan areas in the United States, based on county-specific emission costs of morbidity, mortality, and environmental damages. Twelve LAV technologies were investigated to estimate their impacts on CO2, CO, NOx, PM2.5, SOx, NH3, and VOC. The study analyzed the LAV technologies' direct and indirect emission impacts, including accident-related and non-accident-related congestion reductions, aerodynamic force reduction, the operational load of equipment, and traffic rebound. The results show that the LAV technologies could reduce the annual social costs of emissions by between 9 and 20 billion USD2019 in these metropolitan areas. This is equal to approximately 20% of the vehicles' emissions. A sensitivity analysis was performed on the technologies' market penetration rates (MPRs), demonstrating that the rate strongly influences the emission savings. This study revealed that LAVs' savings per vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) vary between areas, with the technologies performing differently in different areas due to both geographical factors (e.g., population) and technological factors (e.g., internal combustion engine performance). The study provides extensive resources for policymakers to develop targeted incentives and maximize the social benefits of the LAV technologies.

There is increasing demand for natural food preservative in food manufacturing industry as it is the key to meet consumers' preferences toward healthier food choice. Plant is listed among the most important resources of bioactive components to be utilized as the green and natural food preservatives. There are more than 10,000 kinds of bioactive components in plants that possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Artemisia with potential antimicrobial and antioxidant attributes, as well as functional and medicinal properties, is one of the most important plant species. The manuscript presents a comprehensive review of the potential of the Artemisia species as natural food preservatives. The current challenges and ways forward in using Artemisia EOs and extracts as food preservatives are also discussed. This topic is timely and important considering the natural preservatives used to replace chemical ingredients, sustaining quality, healthy properties, and shelf life of food products as well as efficient and novel extraction techniques., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest relevant to this article., (© 2024 The Author(s). Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Bone Morphogenetic Proteins and the related Growth and Differentiation Factors (GDFs) are much conserved signaling proteins. GDF5 is pivotal for skeletal development. Several skeletal dysplasia and malformation syndromes are known as a result of mutations in GDF5 . Multiple Synostosis Syndrome2 (SYNS2) is characterized by tarsal-carpal coalition, humeroradial synostosis, brachydactyly, and proximal symphalangism. In this study, we analyzed a large Iranian pedigree affected with a new type of SYNS2 (Farhud Type) in five successive generations., Methods: In this family-based study (1982-2022), Genetic linkage analysis of the pedigree (58affected, 62healthy) excluded the locus on chromosome 17q21-q22 in our previous study. Thus, we focused on 20q11.22 locus and GDF5 gene. Genetic investigations were performed on 16 patients with SYNS2 and 40 healthy individuals., Results: Whole-exome-sequencing results identified a heterozygote missense mutation in exon2 of GDF5 (NG_008076.1:g.9239G>A, NM_000557.2:c.1424G>A, S475N, rs121909347). This mutation was found in all patients but not in the unaffected individuals. This missense mutation is notable because S475 is strictly conserved among different species, and it is located in a highly conserved and active mature domain of GDF5 (phyloP100way=7.64). The corresponding defect in GDF5 may have unknown interaction with normal active 3 rd and 4 th structure of the product. Further bioinformatics study (amino acid multiple alignments) showed that the S475 is a much-conserved residue in many different species., Conclusion: These results introduce a new role of GDF5 in pathogenesis of a SYNS2 (Farhud Type), considered in genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and as a potential target for molecular therapy, if possible., (Copyright© 2024 Farhud et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Herein, a new MOF-based modified adsorbent for the efficient removal of Hg(ii) ions from water media was successfully prepared. Initially, a MOF nanocomposite was synthesized and applied as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of the target heavy metal ion. Following the synthesis, the MOF-based modified adsorbent was identified and characterized by SEM, XRD and FT-IR analytical instruments. The impact of several key variables such as pH of aqueous solution, adsorbent dosage, contact time, and initial concentration of the analyte of interest on the adsorption efficiency was also investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions established (pH, 3; dose of adsorbent, 0.4 g L -1 ; contact time, 40 min and the analyte's concentration of 1 mg L -1 ) the removal efficiency of 96.3% for Hg(ii) was obtained. The results of the studies on the isotherm and kinetics of adsorption revealed that the adsorption process of Hg(ii) matched with the Langmuir isotherm ( R 2 > 0.990) and the pseudo 2nd-order kinetic models ( R 2 > 0.998). Additionally, reuse of the applied adsorbent for five consecutive tests exhibited a small percentage of drop (about 8%) in the removal efficiency of the target ion. Finally, the results indicated that the MOF-based modified compound could be potentially applied as a highly efficacious adsorbent for the discharge of Hg(ii) from aquatic media., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Residual pharmaceuticals in the environment are a class of emerging pollutants that endanger human health. Tetracycline's family, including oxytetracycline (OTC), are known as one of the most produced and consumed antibiotics worldwide. The g-C 3 N 4 /Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite with high level of catalytic efficiency features suitable performance in water/wastewater treatment. Therefore, in the present study, this nanocomposite was applied to remove the oxytetracycline from the aqueous environment. In this research study, g-C 3 N 4 /Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposite (serving as catalyst) was initially synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. The effect of key operating parameters such as initial solution pH, dose of catalyst, contact time and initial concentration of OTC in aqueous solutions was investigated under UV irradiation. In addition, COD and TOC tests, the kinetics and the effect of radical scavengers on the applied photocatalytic process were all evaluated. The maximum removal efficiency of OTC (99.8 %) was achieved under the following conditions: neutral solution pH 7; catalyst dose, 0.7 g/L; and an initial OTC concentration of 5 mg/L. The data showed that the kinetics of the reaction followed the first-order model with R 2 of 0.9755. The respective COD and TOC efficiency values for the applied photocatalytic process were determined to be 87 and 59 %, respectively. In addition, the lowest removal efficiency of OTC was observed in the presence of tert-butanol radical scavengers, and OH radicals played a main role. The UV/g-C 3 N 4 /Fe 3 O 4 photocatalytic process proved to be highly efficient for the removal of OTC antibiotic and could be potentially applied for the removal of other pollutants from aqueous solutions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study was conducted to compare the effect of two anesthetizers Topped lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) and clove oil on some hematological and serum biochemical parameters in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) juveniles. Common carp juveniles exposed to three treatments including optimum concentration of Topped lavender essential oil (170 mg l-1), clove oil (35 mg l-1) and control and hematological, serum biochemical and stress parameters were determined at different times including 0, 3 and 24 h after anesthetizing. The results showed the effect of treatment (anesthetizing agent) on all hematological parameters, the effect of time on WBC, Hb, MCH and MCHC, the interaction effect of treatment and time on Hct and RBC and the effect of treatment, time and the interaction effect of them on all serum biochemical parameters were significant (p0.05), but in clove oil at the start of anesthetizing time (0) was significantly higher than other sampling times (p0.05). In all times, the lowest amount of glucose was observed in Topped lavender treatment; in Topped lavender and clove oil treatment, after increase in 3 h after anesthetizing, showed decrease in 24 h (p0.05). In all the studied times, higher level of AST in the control, ALT in the control and clove oil, ALP in clove oil and the lower LDH in Topped lavender groups were observed (p

Cells are very important to researchers due to their use in various biological studies in in vitro and in vivo settings. This importance stems from the short lifespan of most cells under laboratory conditions, which can pose significant challenges, such as the difficulties associated with extraction from the source tissue, ethical concerns about separating cells from human or animal models, limited cell passage ability, and variation in results due to differences in the source of the obtained cells, among other issues. In general, cells in laboratory conditions can divide into a limited number, known as the Hayflick limit, due to telomere erosion at the end of each cellular cycle. Given this problem, researchers require cell lines that do not enter the senescence phase after a limited number of divisions. This can allow for more stable studies over time, prevent the laborious work associated with cell separation and repeated cultivation, and save time and money in research projects. The aim of this review is to summarize the function and effect of immortalization techniques, various methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and ultimately the application of immortalization and cell line production in various research fields.

Background: We aimed to investigate two polymorphisms, rs8106922 and rs157580 of TOMM40 in Alzheimer's disease (AD)., Methods: In the present case-control research, we collected blood samples from 117 AD patients and 130 controls from Alzheimer's Hospital, residents of Tehran, Iran during the winter 2020 to autumn 2022. Following extraction of DNA, Genotyping of TOMM40 polymorphisms rs8106922 and rs157580 were examined by sequencing and ARMS/PCR approaches. We compared distributions of genotypes in both patient and healthy groups using the Chi-Square test., Results: Regarding rs157580, a statistically significant difference was observed in the GA genotype frequency between patient and healthy groups, in both univariate and multivariate modes with these results that have come respectively, and it can be regarded as a protection factor P <0.05).. No significant difference was observed in the frequency of A and G alleles between patient and healthy groups. Besides, concerning rs8106922, the AG genotype frequency in research groups in both univariate and multivariate cases, with these results that have come respectively was significantly different ( P =0.003) & ( P =0.009). Regarding GG genotype, a statistically significant difference was observed between the patient and healthy groups in both univariate and multivariate cases, respectively ( P =0.419) & ( P =0.425). Significant differences were observed in the G allele frequency for rs8106922 in the healthy and patient groups ( P =0.007), it can be regarded as a potential protective factor., Conclusion: It is possible to consider the TOMM40 gene as one of the potential genes concerning Alzheimer's disease., (Copyright© 2024 Hajilou et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Background: In Iran, there is a lack of information and studies on acute rheumatic fever (ARF), a global health issue. The limited understanding of ARF's prevalence and primary clinical symptoms has led to confusion. This research investigates the characteristics of children aged 3-17 years who experience ARF with monoarthritis as their initial symptom., Methods: A retrospective evaluation of medical records of children diagnosed with ARF was conducted. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of monoarthritis as the first manifestation of ARF and its association with age, gender, family history, and cardiac involvement. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi-square test with a significance level of < 0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%, using SPSS software (Version 23)., Results: The study included 62 patients with ARF, comprising 41 (66.1%) boys with an average age of 8.48±3.27 years. Among these patients, 12 exhibited cardiac involvement according to the revised Jones criteria, with 5 clinical carditis and 7 cases of subclinical carditis. Monoarthritis was the initial symptom in seven patients (11.29%); five (71.4%) also had carditis. There was a significant association ( p<0.001 ) between monoarthritis and carditis., Conclusion: The study concludes that monoarthritis may be an early sign of ARF in children and correlates significantly with cardiac involvement. However, more extensive research with more significant participant numbers is necessary to understand ARF in Iran comprehensively. A thorough cardiac examination is also crucial for patients with ARF and monoarthritis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© The Author(s).)

Background: Renal involvement is the most damaging long-term complication of Immunoglobulin-A (IgA) vasculitis. In the lack of a definite predictive biomarker for renal involvement, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) have been proposed in recent years., Methods: In this prospective cohort of 48 pediatric patients who were admitted with IgA vasculitis from September 2015 to June 2017, two serum samples were taken 12 weeks apart to detect Anti-Phospholipid antibodies. All patients were followed-up for renal involvement for six months., Results: Renal involvement occurred in 14 out of 48 patients with IgA vasculitis (29.16%). APLs were positive in nine out of 14 patients with IgA vasculitis and renal involvement (64.28%), in contrast to only six out of 34 patients with IgA vasculitis without renal involvement (17.64%). The presence of aPL antibodies was statistically associated with renal involvement (P=0.002). Although, the relationship between both sex (P=0.025) and age (P=0.046) with aPL positivity was statistically significant, performing a modified logistic regression test, the odds ratio was significant between the groups with and without renal involvement only in term of age and aPL positivity)., Conclusion: The presence of aPL antibodies was statistically associated with renal involvement. We found a significant relationship between the age and aPL positivity. Hence, we need multicenter, more extensive cohort studies to reach a better and more accurate conclusion on the relationship between serum aPLs and renal involvement in IgA vasculitis patients., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest regarding this manuscript. None of the authors, nor their institutions, received any payment or services from a third party for any aspect of the submitted work., (© The Author(s).)

Background: Consecutive droughts and quantitative and qualitative reduction of surface and underground water resources have caused an increase in greenhouse and hydroponic cultivation for most garden crops, including strawberries, in Iran. On the other hand, most of the inputs of greenhouse crops in Iran are imported. To possibility of replacing vermicompost with peat moss under hydroponic cultivation, an experiment was done in a split plot based on randomized complete blocks design in three replications in Isfahan (Iran) Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center in 2019. The main treatment was substrate at four levels included different levels of vermicompost (30 and 50%) and peat moss (30 and 50%) in combination with perlite and sub-treatment were Selva and Camarosa cultivars., Results: The results showed that Camarosa cultivar and Selva cultivar in (perlite/ peat moss 50:50) and Selva cultivar in (perlite / vermicompost 70:30) had maximum yield. Leaf number and chlorophyll index were maximum in Camarosa cultivar in peat moss substrates. Strawberry cultivars had the highest root fresh weight, the content of vitamin C and total soluble solids (TSS) in substrates containing vermicompost. Camarosa cultivar in (perlite / peat moss50:50) and Selva cultivar in (perlite /vermicompost 50:50) had maximum root dry weight. Also, the highest number of inflorescences was related to substrates containing peat moss and (perlite /vermicompost 70:30). Maximum amount of fresh and dry weight of shoots were observed in (perlite/ peat moss70:30). Selva cultivar had more inflorescences (16.5%) than Camarosa cultivar and Camarosa cultivar produced more fresh and dry weight of shoots (16.5%, 23.01%) than Selva cultivar., Conclusion: Expriment results highlighted the importance of considering both main and sub-treatments in agricultural research, as they interacted to influence various growth and yield parameters. 50% vermicompost treatment combined with perlite had a positive impact on plant growth and in quality index such as vitamin C content and TSS was highest. while the choice of cultivar affected different aspects of plant development. Selva cultivar was known to be more tolerant to salinity caused by vermicompost. Vermicompost is local and more economical, also salt resistant cultivars are recommended in a controlled (30%) amount of vermicompost., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Applying modern educational methods for digital native students seems necessary. Active learning strategies promote students' skills and knowledge. This study was conducted to design and evaluate active learning methods by teaching psychopharmacotherapy to pharmacy students., Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with three randomized study groups (control, game, and multimedia), using a pre-and post-test design, conducted on 155 students of 5-year pharmacy in 2022 at the Faculty of Pharmacy of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Overall, 18 clinical cases were designed for the basic structure of interventions. After teaching psychopharmacotherapy contents through lecturing, the pre-test was held. The next steps were playing the educational game, studying the multimedia case-based learning files, and then completing questionnaires, respectively. Then, a post-test was held., Results: 65.33% of participants were female and 34.66% were male. The pre-test and post-test scores comparison showed no difference in control group ( P =0.409). However, in the serious game and multimedia groups, the average score of pre-test and post-test had a statistically significant difference ( P <0.001, P =0.002 respectively), this difference was higher in the serious game group. Questionnaire evaluation showed substantial differences between game and multimedia groups., Conclusion: The educational interventions were able to improve student's knowledge and skills so they can better help patients and promote public health. In the sections of Confidence, Social Interactions, Fun, Focused attention, Learnability, Relevance, and Perceived Learning, the serious game far outweighed the multimedia case-based learning., (Copyright© Zarif-Yeganeh et al. 2024 Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Holoprosencephaly, a complicated brain abnormality arising from incomplete prosencephalon cleavage, affects both the forebrain and the face. Holoprosencephaly Type 11, with variable expression or partial penetrance, is caused by CDON pathogenic variants associated with the disrupted Sonic Hedgehog ( SHH )-pathway. Herein, we aimed to describe a family with genetic nose problems. After counselling and drawing pedigree in Farhud's Genetic Clinic, Tehran, Iran in 2021, DNA extraction of a proband and a few members of his family (patient and control) was conducted. Whole exome sequencing was utilized for detecting the gene and its variant in the proband with a nose deformity. The results were confirmed with Sanger sequencing. This variant was checked in other members by Sanger sequencing. Analysis of the Exome data showed a heterozygous splicing variant in the CDON gene (NM&#95;016952; c.3276+1G>T) in the proband who had a nose deformity and then the results were confirmed with Sanger sequencing. Such a variant was observed in Proband's brother with a nose deformity and was not observed in Proband's cousin with no abnormal phenotype. Recent investigations, in an Iranian family, with a heterozygous splicing CDON mutation as a human candidate gene are discussed for the first time in relation to the likely pathogenesis of facial deformities, particularly nose deformity, in Holoprosencephaly., (Copyright© 2024 Farhud et al. Published by Tehran University of Medical Sciences.)

Ionizable lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) pivotal to the success of COVID-19 mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines hold substantial promise for expanding the landscape of mRNA-based therapies. Nevertheless, the risk of mRNA delivery to off-target tissues highlights the necessity for LNPs with enhanced tissue selectivity. The intricate nature of biological systems and inadequate knowledge of lipid structure-activity relationships emphasize the significance of high-throughput methods to produce chemically diverse lipid libraries for mRNA delivery screening. Here, we introduce a streamlined approach for the rapid design and synthesis of combinatorial libraries of biodegradable ionizable lipids. This led to the identification of iso-A11B5C1, an ionizable lipid uniquely apt for muscle-specific mRNA delivery. It manifested high transfection efficiencies in muscle tissues, while significantly diminishing off-targeting in organs like the liver and spleen. Moreover, iso-A11B5C1 also exhibited reduced mRNA transfection potency in lymph nodes and antigen-presenting cells, prompting investigation into the influence of direct immune cell transfection via LNPs on mRNA vaccine effectiveness. In comparison with SM-102, while iso-A11B5C1's limited immune transfection attenuated its ability to elicit humoral immunity, it remained highly effective in triggering cellular immune responses after intramuscular administration, which is further corroborated by its strong therapeutic performance as cancer vaccine in a melanoma model. Collectively, our study not only enriches the high-throughput toolkit for generating tissue-specific ionizable lipids but also encourages a reassessment of prevailing paradigms in mRNA vaccine design. This study encourages rethinking of mRNA vaccine design principles, suggesting that achieving high immune cell transfection might not be the sole criterion for developing effective mRNA vaccines., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:J.C., Y.X., and B.L. have filed a provisional patent for the development of the described lipids.

Environmental destruction, water crisis, and clean energy are among the very important challenges worldwide based on sustainable development goals. Photocatalytic fuel cell, a potential candidate for converting chemical energy into electrical energy through a pollution-free method, holds promise in addressing these challenges. In this regard, we investigated the response of a photoanode covered with UiO66-NH 2 -TiO 2 /NiF on a porous nickel foam as an attractive electrochemical response to remove antibiotics from aqueous solution and simultaneously produce electricity using a one-step hydrothermal synthesis. Nickel foam with its fine structure provides a suitable space for the interaction of light, catalyst, and efficient mass transfer of reactive molecules. It appears that it can be used as a competitive electrode in fuel cells. In order to investigate the properties of the photocatalyst, structural analyses including XRD, FESEM, FTIR, and UV-vis DRS were utilized. Additionally, polarization and electrochemical tests such as chronoamperometry and EIS were measured to further examine the electrochemical features of the PFC photoanode system. The obtained results under optimal conditions (SMZ concentration = 20 ppm, pH = 6, irradiation time = 120 min) were as follows: removal efficiency of 91.7%, P max  = 16.98 μW/cm 2 , J sc  = 96.75 μA/cm 2 , V oc  = 644 mV. The light-induced current flow in UiO66-NH 2 -TiO 2 /NiF exhibited prominent and reproducible photocurrent responses, indicating efficient and stable charge separation in TiO 2 /NiF composite materials, which is a promising strategy for pollutant removal and simultaneous electricity generation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In this study, a number of leaching solutions (H 2 SO 4 , CuSO 4 and NaCl) and an electrochemical method were used together for the separation of Cu from waste printed circuit boards. Secondly, the magnetic-MOF(Cu) was synthesized using the Cu recovered from waste printed circuit boards. Thereafter, TiO 2 /mag-MOF(Cu) composite was prepared and its photocatalytic activity was assessed in the photo degradation of two prominent organophosphorus pesticides, namely malathion (MTN) and diazinon (DZN). The catalytic structure of the MOF-based composite was fully characterized by various analyses such as XRD, SEM, EDAX, FT-IR, VSM and UV-vis. The obtained analyses confirmed the successful synthesis of TiO 2 /mag-MOF(Cu) composite. The synthesized composite exhibited highly efficient in the degradation of both pollutants under the following conditions: pH 7, contaminant concentration 1 mg/L, the catalyst dosage of 0.4 g/L, visible light intensity 75 mW/cm 2 and reaction time of 45 min. First order kinetic model was best suited with the experimental results (R 2 : 0.97-0.99 for different MTN and DZN concentrations). Trapping studies revealed that superoxide radicals (O 2 •- ) played an important role during the degradation process. Furthermore, the catalyst demonstrated a superb recovery as well as high stability over five cyclic runs of reuse. In addition, the total organic carbon (TOC) analysis showed over 83% and 85% mineralization for MTN and DZN, respectively. The combined system of TiO 2 /mag-MOF(Cu)/Vis also exhibited a great level of efficiency and feasibility in the treatment of tap water and treated wastewater samples. It is concluded that TiO 2 /mag-MOF(Cu) could be used as an excellent catalyst for the photodegradation of MTN and DZN in aqueous solution., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Human cerebral organoids (COs) are self-organizing three-dimensional (3D) neural structures that provide a human-specific platform to study the cellular and molecular processes that underlie different neurological events. The first step of CO generation from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is neural induction, which is an in vitro simulation of neural ectoderm development. Several signaling pathways cooperate during neural ectoderm development and in vitro differentiation of hPSCs toward neural cell lineages is also affected by them. In this study, we considered some of the known sources of these variable signaling cues arising from cell culture media components and sought to modulate their effects by applying a comprehensive combination of small molecules and growth factors for CO generation. Histological analysis demonstrated that these COs recapitulate the neural progenitor zone and early cortical layer organization, containing different types of neuronal and glial cells which was in accordance with single-nucleus transcriptome profiling results. Moreover, patch clamp and intracellular Ca 2+ dynamic studies demonstrated that the COs behave as a functional neural network. Thus, this method serves as a facile protocol for generating hPSC-derived COs that faithfully mimic the features of their in vivo counterparts in the developing human brain. See also Figure 1(Fig. 1)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Simorgh et al.)

Introduction: Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) become activated, differentiate to myofibroblasts and produce extracellular fibrillar matrix during liver fibrosis. The hepatic fibrogenic response is orchestrated by reciprocal interactions between HSCs and macrophages and their secreted products. SOCS1 can regulate several cytokines and growth factors implicated in liver fibrosis. Here we investigated the role of SOCS1 in regulating HSC activation., Methods: Mice lacking SOCS1 in HSCs ( Socs1 ΔHSC ) were generated by crossing Socs1 fl/fl and LratCre mice. Liver fibrosis was induced by carbon tetrachloride and evaluated by Sirius red staining, hydroxyproline content and immunostaining of myofibroblasts. Gene expression of pro-fibrogenic factors, cytokines, growth factors and chemokines were quantified by RT-qPCR. The phenotype and the numbers of intrahepatic leukocyte subsets were studied by flow cytometry. The impact of fibrosis on the development of diethyl nitrosamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma was evaluated., Results: Socs1 ΔHSC mice developed more severe liver fibrosis than control Socs1fl/fl mice that was characterized by increased collagen deposition and myofibroblast differentiation. Socs1 ΔHSC mice showed a significant increase in the expression of smooth muscle actin, collagens, matrix metalloproteases, cytokines, growth factors and chemokines in the liver following fibrosis induction. The fibrotic livers of Socs1 ΔHSC mice displayed heightened inflammatory cell infiltration with increased proportion and numbers of Ly6ChiCCR2+ pro-inflammatory macrophages. This macrophage population contained elevated numbers of CCR2+CX3CR1+ cells, suggesting impaired transition towards restorative macrophages. Fibrosis induction following exposure to diethyl nitrosamine resulted in more numerous and larger liver tumor nodules in Socs1 ΔHSC mice than in Socs1 fl/fl mice., Discussion: Our findings indicate that (i) SOCS1 expression in HSCs is a critical to control liver fibrosis and development of hepatocaellular carcinoma, and (ii) attenuation of HSC activation by SOCS1 regulates pro-inflammatory macrophage recruitment and differentiation during liver fibrosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Kandhi, Yeganeh, Yoshimura, Menendez, Ramanathan and Ilangumaran.)

Background: Plant-origin foods are among the most important sources of food allergic reactions. An increase in the incidence of sesame seed allergy among children and adults has been reported in recent years. The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the prevalence, importance and clinical manifestations of sesame allergy among Iranian patients.Methods: In a cross-sectional survey, 250 patients with suspected IgE-mediated food allergies completed a questionnaire and underwent skin prick tests with sesame extract as well as cross-reacting foods (walnut, soya and peanut). Total IgE and sesame-specific IgE levels were measured. Patients with positive skin test reactions and/or IgE specific for sesame without clinical symptoms were considered sensitive to sesame. The patients who also had clinical symptoms with sesame consumption were diagnosed as allergic to sesame.Results: Of the 250 patients enrolled in this study, 129 were male and 121 female, with a mean age of 11.7 years. The most common food allergens were cow's milk, egg, curry, tomato and sesame. Sesame sensitivity was found in 35 patients (14.1%). Only five patients (2%) had sesame allergy. Sesame-sensitive patients had a significantly higher frequency of positive prick test to cross-reacting foods when compared to non-sensitized patients (p=0.00). The type of symptom was independent of gender and age of the patients, but urticaria and dermatitis-eczema were significantly more frequent in sensitized patients (p=0.008).Conclusions: This is the first study addressing the prevalence of sesame seed allergy in Iranian population. We found sesame to be a common and important cause of food allergy. The panel of foods recommended for use in diagnostic allergy tests should be adjusted.