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RationaleAge-related changes in the intervertebral discs are the predominant contributors to back pain, a common physical and functional impairment experienced by older persons. Cellular senescence, a process wherein cells undergo growth arrest and chronically secrete numerous inflammatory molecules and proteases, has been reported to cause decline in the health and function of multiple tissues with age. Although senescent cells have been reported to increase in intervertebral degeneration (IDD), it is not known whether they are causative in age-related IDD.ObjectiveThe study aimed to elucidate whether a causal relationship exists between cellular senescence and age-related IDD.Methods and resultsTo examine the impact of senescent cells on age-associated IDD, we used p16-3MR transgenic mice, which enables the selective removal of p16Ink4a -positive senescent cells by the drug ganciclovir. Disc cellularity, aggrecan content and fragmentation alongside expression of inflammatory cytokine (IL-6) and matrix proteases (ADAMTS4 and MMP13) in discs of p16-3MR mice treated with GCV and untreated controls were assessed. In aged mice, reducing the per cent of senescent cells decreased disc aggrecan proteolytic degradation and increased overall proteoglycan matrix content along with improved histological disc features. Additionally, reduction of senescent cells lowered the levels of MMP13, which is purported to promote disc degenerative changes during aging.ConclusionsThe findings of this study suggest that systemic reduction in the number of senescent cells ameliorates multiple age-associated changes within the disc tissue. Cellular senescence could therefore serve as a therapeutic target to restore the health of disc tissue that deteriorates with age.

In the industrial sector, annular forgings serve as critical load-bearing components in mechanical equipment. During the production process, the precise measurement of the dimensional parameters of annular forgings is of paramount importance to ensure their quality and safety. However, owing to the influence of the measurement environment, the manufacturing process of annular forgings can introduce varying degrees of noise, resulting in inaccurate dimensional measurements. Therefore, researching methods for three-dimensional point cloud data to eliminate noise in annular forging point clouds is of significant importance for improving the accuracy of forging measurements. This paper presents a denoising approach for three-dimensional point cloud data of annular forgings based on Grassmann manifold and density clustering (GDAD). First, within the Grassmann manifold, the core points for density clustering are determined using density parameters. Second, density clustering is performed within the Grassmann manifold, with the Cauchy distance replacing the Euclidean distance to reduce the impact of noise and outliers on the analysis results. Finally, a search tree model was constructed to filter out incorrect point cloud clusters. The fusion of clustering results and the search tree model achieved denoising of point cloud data. Simulation experiments on annular forgings demonstrate that GDAD effectively eliminates edge noise in annular forgings and performs well in denoising point-cloud models with varying levels of noise intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder affecting millions of people worldwide and causes serious complications such as diabetic nephropathy. Curcumin, a natural polyphenol derived from turmeric, has demonstrated antidiabetic, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying curcumin's anti‐diabetic effects remain incompletely understood. This study employed network pharmacology, molecular docking, and simulation techniques to explore the potential targets, and key pathways of curcumin in the treatment of diabetes. Using SwissTarget prediction and Superpred databases, we predicted the molecular targets for curcumin, while diabetes‐associated genes were obtained from DisGeNet. We identified 60 common targets for curcumin in diabetes. Protein‐protein interaction (PPI) analysis revealed three sub‐networks and ten hub genes with AKT1, TNF‐α, EGFR, and STAT3 identified as key hub genes that could serve as potential biomarkers. Gene enrichment analysis indicated that these genes primarily regulate insulin resistance and other metabolic pathways. Quantum‐polarized ligand docking (QPLD) showed that curcumin establishes multiple hydrogen and hydrophobic interactions with the essential amino acids of these hub targets. Molecular simulation results demonstrated stable dynamic behavior, a compact structure, and variations in residue flexibility. Binding free energy calculations using MM/GBSA and MM/PBSA methods validate curcumin's strong binding to the potential targets. Total binding free energy using MM/GBSA ranged from −21.35 to −30.94 kcal/mol while MM/PBSA calculations showed total binding free energy values between −19.80 and −26.66 kcal/mol. Altogether, this study provides valuable insights into the molecular targets of curcumin in diabetes and lays the foundation for future advancements in diabetes treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A broadband ±45° dual‐polarized omnidirectional array with small size is presented. A crossed‐arranged dipole element is proposed to generate a wide unidirectional radiation beam. A crossed‐arranged parasitic strip is used to dramatically widen the impedance bandwidth of the dipole element. Based on the dipole element, a rotational two‐unit subarray, which comprises a small number of dipole elements and occupies a small space, is originally proposed to generate excellent omnidirectional radiation performance. Then a four‐unit array with a simple feed network is designed based on the rotational subarray. The array obtains a wide bandwidth of 59.4% (1.55–2.86 GHz) for reflection coefficient <−10 dB and an isolation beyond 21 dB between the two polarizations. Meanwhile, a very low gain variation of below 3 dB, as well as a stable and high realized gain of 5.1 ± 0.5 dBi are achieved over the operating band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three photoactive Cd(II) coordination polymers (CPs), [Cd (Fsbpe)(DBBA)2]·2DMF (CP1), [Cd(Fepbpe)(DBBA)2]·2DMF (CP2) and [Cd(Fsbpeb)(DBBA)2] (CP3) (DBBA = 3,5-dibromobenzoic acid, DMF = dimethyl formamide) with similar 1D chain motifs exhibited completely different photosalient behaviors (PS) in response to UV light. Mechanical motion was triggered by [2+2] photocycloaddition and regulated by positioning of the photoactive alkene centers relative to the crystal axis. This solid-state reaction was reversed by heating and photomechanical behaviour was repeated over several cycles. A simple photoactuating device was prepared using a CP3–PVA composite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]