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Recent advancements in teleoperated surgical robotic systems (TSRSs) for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) have significantly improved diagnostic and surgical outcomes. However, as the complexity of MIS procedures continues to grow, there is an increasing need to enhance surgical tools by integrating advanced functionalities into these instruments for superior medical results. Despite recent advancements, TSRSs face significant challenges, including rigidity, suboptimal actuation methods, large sizes, and complex control mechanisms. This paper presents a portable, motor-free soft robotic system equipped with soft robotic arms (SRAs) that provides an innovative solution for performing MIS within complex human organs. Unlike conventional approaches, these SRAs leverage a soft fibrous syringe architecture for operation, eliminating the need for complex control systems. This design achieves precise motion control with mean errors <300 µm, effectively minimizing physical tremors. Two SRAs-one with and one without a central lumen-are developed. By integrating microelectrodes into the SRAs, the system demonstrates capabilities to support cancer detection via electrical impedance measurements and to perform radio-frequency ablation for surgical treatments. Additionally, the system supports biomaterial injections and in situ 3D printing for internal wound healing. This simple, cost-effective platform represents a promising new direction for developing TSRSs in MIS., (© 2025 The Author(s). Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Long-read sequencing is a valuable technique for high-precision genome analysis. Despite the widespread use of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv genome sequence as a reference for genetic variation analysis, its suitability for comparing clinical strains is limited. Therefore, we constructed the first known whole genome of a clinical M. tuberculosis strain, PSNK363, isolated from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, using high-quality high-fidelity (HiFi) read sequencing and compared its genetic variations to those of H37Rv. PSNK363 was cultured to obtain genomic DNA, which was subjected to de novo whole-genome assembly using PacBio Sequel II with long-read HiFi sequencing. The sequences were compared to the reference genome H37Rv. HiFi long-read sequencing of M. tuberculosis PSNK363, with an accuracy of 99.99%, revealed a single circular chromosome of 4,422,110 bp, which is 10,578 bp longer than the H37Rv chromosome. The assembly had an average G + C content of 65.6%, 4079 protein-coding sequences, 53 tRNA genes, and 3 rRNA genes. Most genes (72.7%) were assigned as putative functions, whereas the remaining 27.3% were annotated as hypothetical. Comparison with H37Rv revealed a large inversion in the PSNK363 genome, which contains most of the deletion and insertion variants. M. tuberculosis PSNK363 had a longer genome sequence, more protein-coding genes, and a larger inversion region than H37Rv. High-accuracy whole-genome sequencing of PSNK363 holds the potential for enriching virulence databases and identifying informative loci for drug resistance analysis in M. tuberculosis isolates in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Thi-Binh Dang et al. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A novel electrochemical sensor for the detection of enrofloxacin (ENR) in aqueous solutions has been developed using a carbon paste electrode modified with a mixture of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) of CuBTC and FeBTC. These MOFs were successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method and characterized using various techniques, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The MOF mixture exhibited a particle size ranging from 40 to 100 nm, a high surface area of 1147 m 2 /g, a pore volume of 0.544 cm 3 /g, and a capillary diameter of 1.50 nm. Additionally, energy-dispersive X-ray mapping demonstrated the uniform distribution of the two MOFs within the electrode composition. The synergistic effect of the electrocatalytic properties of CuBTC and the high conductivity of FeBTC significantly enhanced the electrochemical response of ENR, increasing the signal by more than ten times compared to the unmodified electrode. Under optimal analytical conditions, the sensor exhibited three dynamic ranges for ENR detection, that is, 0.005 to 0.100 µM, 0.1 to 1.0 µM, and 1 to 13 µM, with coefficients of determination of 0.9990, 0.9954, and 0.9992, respectively, depending on the accumulation duration. The sensor achieved a low detection limit of 3 nM and demonstrated good reproducibility, with a relative standard deviation of 3.83%. Furthermore, the sensor demonstrated effective performance in analysing tap and lake water samples, with recovery rates ranging from 90.2% to 121.3%., (Copyright © 2024, Nguyen et al.)

Objective: To compare all other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED) groups (atypical anorexia nervosa [AN], purging disorder [PD], night eating syndrome [NES], subthreshold bulimia nervosa [sub-BN], and subthreshold binge-eating disorder [sub-BED]) to threshold eating disorders (EDs [AN, BN, and BED]) and control groups (CGs) on measures of eating and general psychopathology., Method: We conducted a comprehensive search in PsycINFO, Medline, Embase, and CINAHL on all published studies from January 2013 to February 2024 using DSM-5 diagnostic criteria via clinical interviews or well-established diagnostic tools. We also undertook a quality appraisal using an adapted version of the Downs and Black criteria and registered the review with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022314495)., Results: Overall, our meta-analyses (n = 33 eligible studies) indicated that the combined OSFED and several specific OSFED subtypes displayed comparable levels of eating psychopathology to full-threshold EDs. Our systematic review (n = 33 eligible studies) found individuals with OSFED to have comparable levels of eating and general psychopathology to full-threshold EDs, but higher levels of eating and general psychopathology than CGs. These findings were specifically attributed to atypical AN and NES. There was a lack of evidence available for sub-BN and sub-BED. Studies mainly met the quality appraisal criteria. The main limitations identified in the included studies were insufficient reporting of their statistical power (78%) and no adjusting for potential confounding factors (67%)., Discussion: Findings support the conceptualization of atypical AN, and NES as clinically significant EDs with similar severity to full-threshold EDs., (© 2024 The Author(s). International Journal of Eating Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Flexible bronchoscopy has revolutionized respiratory disease diagnosis. It offers direct visualization and detection of airway abnormalities, including lung cancer lesions. Accurate identification of airway lesions during flexible bronchoscopy plays an important role in the lung cancer diagnosis. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) aims to support physicians in recognizing anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions within bronchoscopic imagery. This work described the development of BM-BronchoLC, a rich bronchoscopy dataset encompassing 106 lung cancer and 102 non-lung cancer patients. The dataset incorporates detailed localization and categorical annotations for both anatomical landmarks and lesions, meticulously conducted by senior doctors at Bach Mai Hospital, Vietnam. To assess the dataset's quality, we evaluate two prevalent AI backbone models, namely UNet++ and ESFPNet, on the image segmentation and classification tasks with single-task and multi-task learning paradigms. We present BM-BronchoLC as a reference dataset in developing AI models to assist diagnostic accuracy for anatomical landmarks and lung cancer lesions in bronchoscopy data., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

In Nebraska USA, many populations of western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, now exhibit some level of resistance to all corn rootworm-active Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) proteins expressed in commercial hybrids. Therefore, a study was conducted in northeast Nebraska from 2020-2022 to reevaluate current corn rootworm management options in continuous maize (consecutive planting for ≥2 years). Results from on-farm experiments to evaluate a standard soil-applied insecticide (Aztec® 4.67G) in combination with non-rootworm Bt or rootworm-active Bt pyramided maize (Cry3Bb1 + Gpp34Ab1/Tpp35Ab1) are reported within the context of WCR Bt resistance levels present. Corrected survival from Bt pyramid single-plant bioassays (<0.3, 0.3-0.49, >0.5) was used to place populations into 3 resistance categories. Variables evaluated included root injury, adult emergence, proportion lodged maize, and grain yield. Key results: A composite analysis of all populations across resistance levels indicated that addition of soil insecticide to Bt pyramid significantly reduced adult emergence and lodging but did not significantly increase root protection or yield. Within and among resistance category analyses of root injury revealed that the Bt pyramid remained highly efficacious at any non-rootworm Bt root injury level when resistance was absent or low. When corrected survival was >0.3, mean Bt pyramid root injury tracked more closely in a positive linear fashion with mean non-rootworm Bt root injury (rootworm density x level of resistance interaction). Similar trends were obtained for adult emergence but not yield. Mean Bt pyramid root injury rating was <0.75 in most populations with Bt resistance, which contributed to no significant yield differences among categories. Results are discussed within the context of IPM:IRM tradeoffs and the need to reduce WCR densities in this system to decrease the impact of the density x resistance interaction to bridge use of current pyramids with new technologies introduced over the next decade., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. LJM developed the research concept/study design to improve western corn rootworm IRM and IPM when Bt pyramids are deployed in a corn rootworm resistant landscape. LJM wrote/submitted proposals to Bayer CropScience and Pioneer Hi-Bred International (Corteva). Industry authors provided materials, information integral to the project, and review of initial manuscript draft., (Copyright: © 2024 Meinke et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Foliar-applied insecticides are commonly used for adult western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), control in Nebraska but little efficacy data is available. Anecdotal reports of reduced efficacy in areas of northeast Nebraska led to the conduct of this study. Objectives were to (i) evaluate the efficacy of commercial applications of commonly used formulated insecticides (bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, chlorpyrifos, or tank mixes) for WCR control in 7 northeast Nebraska counties during 2019 and 2020 and (ii) conduct adult WCR concentration-response vial bioassays with bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos, and dimethoate active ingredients on a subset of field populations. Whole plant counts (WPC) were used to measure WCR densities in insecticide-treated and untreated maize fields before and after insecticide application. Field control was excellent with organophosphate/pyrethroid tank mixes as proportional change in mean WPC of treated fields was significantly reduced (>0.90) versus untreated fields where little change in WPC occurred. The exception was one treated Boone County field where proportional reduction in WPC was ≤0.78. Bioassays revealed LC50s and resistance ratios of most populations exposed to bifenthrin and dimethoate were not significantly different than the susceptible control. Most populations exhibited a low level of chlorpyrifos resistance when compared to the susceptible control. Field and lab data suggest the local onset of practical WCR field-evolved resistance to bifenthrin in Boone County and chlorpyrifos in Boone and Colfax counties. Results of this study will increase our understanding of WCR resistance evolution, serve as a comprehensive baseline for future research, and inform WCR management programs., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Although Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an intracellular pathogen in phagocytic cells, the factors and mechanisms by which they invade and persist in host cells are still not well understood. Characterization of the bacterial proteins modulating macrophage function is essential for understanding tuberculosis pathogenesis and bacterial virulence. Here we investigated the pathogenic role of the Rv2145c protein in stimulating IL-10 production. We first found that recombinant Rv2145c stimulated bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) to secrete IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α but not IL-12p70 and to increase the expression of surface molecules through the MAPK, NF-κB, and TLR4 pathways and enhanced STAT3 activation and the expression of IL-10 receptor in Mtb-infected BMDMs. Rv2145c significantly enhanced intracellular Mtb growth in BMDMs compared with that in untreated cells, which was abrogated by STAT3 inhibition and IL-10 receptor (IL-10R) blockade. Expression of Rv2145c in Mycobacterium smegmatis ( M. smegmatis ) led to STAT3-dependent IL-10 production and enhancement of intracellular growth in BMDMs. Furthermore, the clearance of Rv2145c-expressing M. smegmatis in the lungs and spleens of mice was delayed, and these effects were abrogated by administration of anti-IL-10R antibodies. Finally, all mice infected with Rv2145c-expressing M. smegmatis died, but those infected with the vector control strain did not. Our data suggest that Rv2145c plays a role in creating a favorable environment for bacterial survival by modulating host signals., 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 © 2021 Park, Back, Jang, Lee, Son, Choi, Dang and Kim.)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis contains diverse immunologically active components. This study investigated the biological function of a newly identified component, Rv1654, with the potential to induce apoptosis in macrophages. Recombinant Rv1654 induced macrophage apoptosis in a caspase-9/3-dependent manner through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and interaction with Toll-like receptor 4. In addition, Rv1654 induced the production of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 through the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. Furthermore, Rv1654-induced c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation was inhibited by the ROS scavenger and Rv1654-induced apoptosis was inhibited by the JNK inhibitor. Moreover, it was found that treatment of macrophages with Rv1654 led to the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c into the cytosol, and translocation of Bax into the mitochondria. Finally, Rv1654-mediated apoptosis was inhibited in macrophages transfected with Bax siRNA. These results suggest that Rv1654 induces macrophage apoptosis through a mitochondrial-dependent pathway and ROS-mediated JNK activation., (© 2021 The Societies and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is an intracellular pathogen known to persist in host cells. The apoptotic response of macrophages serves as a defense mechanism to inhibit the growth of intracellular bacteria, the failure of which can favor the spread of the pathogen to new cells. However, the mycobacterial components that regulate cell death and the related underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated protein Rv3261, isolated from an Mtb culture filtrate, for its apoptotic potential using multidimensional fractionation. Rv3261 was found to induce macrophage apoptosis through the caspase-3/-9-dependent pathway. Furthermore, the ROS-dependent JNK activation pathway was found to be critical in Rv3261-mediated apoptosis. Rv3261 inhibited the growth of intracellular Mtb, which was significantly abrogated by pre-treatment with the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC), suggesting that Rv3261-mediated apoptosis may act as a host defense response. These findings suggest that Rv3261 is involved in the apoptotic modulation of Mtb-infected macrophages., 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 © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Catecholamine excess reflecting an adrenergic overdrive of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) has been proposed to link to hyperleptinemia in obesity and may contribute to the development of metabolic disorders. However, relationship between the catecholamine level and plasma leptin in obesity has not yet been investigated. Moreover, whether pharmacological blockade of the adrenergic overdrive in obesity by the third-generation beta-blocker agents such as carvedilol could help to prevent metabolic disorders is controversial and remains to be determined. Using the high fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model, we found that basal plasma norepinephrine, the principal catecholamine as an index of SNS activity, was persistently elevated and highly correlated with plasma leptin concentration during obesity development. Targeting the adrenergic overdrive from this chronic norepinephrine excess in HFD-induced obesity with carvedilol, a third-generation beta-blocker with vasodilating action, blunted the HFD-induced hepatic glucose over-production by suppressing the induction of gluconeogenic enzymes, and enhanced the muscular insulin signaling pathway. Furthermore, carvedilol treatment in HFD-induced obese mice decreased the enlargement of white adipose tissue and improved the glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity without affecting body weight and blood glucose levels. Our results suggested that catecholamine excess in obesity might directly link to the hyperleptinemic condition and the therapeutic targeting of chronic adrenergic overdrive in obesity with carvedilol might be helpful to attenuate obesity-related metabolic disorders., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objectives: The aim of our work is to investigate the clinical characteristics of coronary artery fistula (CAF) anomalies in South Vietnam., Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 119 patients with diagnosis of definite CAF between January 1992 and April 2016. The demographic, clinical, echocardiographic, and angiographic characteristics and management of CAF with short-term outcomes are described., Results: The median age was 15 years (range, 1-79 years), with 49 male (41%) and 70 female (59%). There were 77 symptomatic patients (64.7%) and 91 patients (76.5%) who presented with a murmur. The electrocardiogram was abnormal in 45.4% and cardiac enlargement or increased pulmonary vasculature were seen in 76 patients (63.9%) on chest X-ray. The sensitivity of echocardiography for CAF diagnosis was 79%. The source of the fistula was most often from the RCA (54%), most commonly to right atrium (34.5%) or right ventricle (31.1%). In comparison with surgery, transcatheter closure had a shorter hospital length of stay (5.4 ± 3.8 days vs 12.6 ± 6.5 days, P = .02) and better postprocedural left ventricular ejection fraction (67.9 ± 8.1% vs 62.9 ± 6.0%, P = .03)., Conclusion: The majority of fistula in this study originated from the RCA and terminated in the right atrium or the right ventricle. Transcatheter and surgical closure are both relatively safe and effective, with the potential for shortened length of hospital stay following transcatheter closure., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Cassava starch was oxidized using the electrolysis system. Sodium chloride was added to this system at various concentrations from 0.5 to 5.0 % (w/v). The whiteness of modified starches proportionally increased based on the NaCl concentration and human eyes could recognize the difference of color. Under treatment, dents occurred on the surface of starch granule. Concentration of carbonyl and carboxyl groups was increased compared to native starch. Based on X-ray diffraction pattern, oxidized starch kept its A-type. Besides, the ratios of alpha-helix/amorphous regions remained indicating oxidation reaction mainly subjected on amorphous region. Intrinsic viscosity was used to indirectly calculate the average molecular weight of sample. Furthermore, results showed that average molecular weight was significantly reduced (from 2.09-fold to 13.22-fold) based on the reacting NaCl concentration. The increase of NaCl content related to the increase of retrogradation of treated starches. At various temperatures (30-95°C), swelling factor and clarity reflected negative and positive correlations to NaCl concentration.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) retention and 5 early-warning indicators (EWIs) of HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) were abstracted at 27 adult and 4 pediatric clinics in Vietnam in 2009. Of 4531 adults and 313 children, 81.2% and 84.4% respectively were still on ART at 12 months. More than 90% of the clinics monitored achieved the World Health Organization (WHO) targets for lost-to-follow-up (LTFU), ART prescribing practices, and ARV supply continuity. Only 83.9% of the clinics met the target for first-line ART retention and 79.3% met the target for clinic appointment-keeping. Clinic factors (i.e. number of patients, administrative level, and geographical region) were associated with ART retention and LFTU. Data were useful in guiding public health action to optimize ART services.