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Background and Aims: High contact stresses involving the hip have been shown to increase the risk of developing hip osteoarthritis (OA). Although several risk factors have been identified for OA, a holistic approach to predicting contributed factors toward increased hip contact stresses have not been explored. This study was conducted to comprehensively understand the effects of physical activity on high hip contact stress as predisposing factors of OA., Methods: The protocol of this systematic review was registered in PROSPERO with registration number CRD42022296638 and conducted based on PRISMA guidelines. Full articles that matched our inclusion criteria were selected using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus search engines and keywords such as "hip contact stress," "hip contact force," and/or "hip contact pressure." Category of factors, experimental design, results of the study, and evidence from each article were analyzed., Results: In total 7972 papers were screened, identified, and reviewed. Two independent authors read the collected fulltext of eligible articles resulting in 21 papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria of this systematic review., Conclusion: Types of physical activity ( n  = 21) have correlation with high hip joint contact stress in various manner. Based on the research findings obtained from various inclusion papers, it can be broadly concluded that the more intense the physical activity, such as running and stair climbing, the greater the impact on the increase in hip contact stress values. However, the reviewed studies vary in their methods. This finding suggested that this area is not well investigated and warrants future research., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2025 The Authors. Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

One way to treat diabetes mellitus type II is by using α-glucosidase inhibitor, that will slow down the postprandial glucose intake. Metabolomics analysis of Artabotrys sumatranus leaf extract was used in this research to predict the active compounds as α-glucosidase inhibitors from this extract. Both multivariate statistical analysis and machine learning approaches were used to improve the confidence of the predictions. After performance comparisons with other machine learning methods, random forest was chosen to make predictive model for the activity of the extract samples. Feature importance analysis (using random feature permutation and Shapley score calculation) was used to identify the predicted active compound as the important features that influenced the activity prediction of the extract samples. The combined analysis of multivariate statistical analysis and machine learning predicted 9 active compounds, where 6 of them were identified as mangiferin, neomangiferin, norisocorydine, apigenin-7-O-galactopyranoside, lirioferine, and 15,16-dihydrotanshinone I. The activities of norisocorydine, apigenin-7-O-galactopyranoside, and lirioferine as α-glucosidase inhibitors have not yet reported before. Molecular docking simulation, both to 3A4A (α-glucosidase enzyme from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, usually used in bioassay test) and 3TOP (a part of α-glucosidase enzyme in human gut) showed strong to very strong binding of the identified predicted active compounds to both receptors, with exception of neomangiferin which only showed strong binding to 3TOP receptor. Isolation based on bioassay guided fractionation further verified the metabolomics prediction by succeeding to isolate mangiferin from the extract, which showed strong α-glucosidase activity when subjected to bioassay test. The correlation analysis also showed a possibility of 3 groups in the predicted active compounds, which might be related to the biosynthesis pathway (need further research for verification). Another result from correlation analysis was that in general the α-glucosidase inhibition activity in the extract had strong correlation to antioxidant activity, which was also reflected in the predicted active compounds. Only one predicted compound had very low positive correlation to antioxidant activity., Competing Interests: No authors have competing interests., (Copyright: © 2025 Rosa 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.)

The use of genetically diverse mouse models offers a more accurate reflection of human genetic variability, improving the translatability of findings to heterogeneous human populations. This approach is particularly valuable in understanding diverse immune responses to disease by environmental exposures. This study investigates the inflammatory responses to acute exposures to mainstream cigarette smoke (CS) and environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in two genetically diverse mouse strains, CC002/UncJ (UNC) & Diversity Outbred (J:DO). The UM-HET3 (HET3) mouse strain, typically used in aging intervention studies, has also been used to evaluate the translatability of this model for age-associated pathologies. The study involves a comprehensive approach, including BALF cytokine analysis, evaluation of lung tissue architecture, assessment of macrophages and its associated proteins (MMP9 & MMP12) abundance. Several cytokines/chemokines were found to be upregulated across three strains. Notably, the UNC strain exclusively showed upregulation of TNF-α, IL-17A, and IL-13, whereas the J:DO showed an upregulation in KC. The number of alveolar macrophages in the lungs of UNC mice was very low at baseline compared to other strains studied in this study, which is indicative of some inherent shift in the pulmonary immune profiles of these inbred mice. In contrast, the J:DO strain, characterized by genetic outbreeding, showed a much more robust lung macrophage response comparable to C57BL/6J. The findings provide valuable insight into how genetic diversity affects immune responses in response to acute CS/ETS exposure, with implications for understanding diverse human responses to environmental stressors in studying lung pathophysiology., (© 2025 The Author(s). Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.)

This paper analyses different modes and cycles of seat vibration in city buses by analysing acceleration peak magnitudes and their trends and fluctuations in the time domain. The purpose is to find peak vibration modes that exist in the driving patterns of city buses. Analysing peaks in a time series is essential for many applications specifically in vibration analysis because they represent significant events. Using a 6-axis inertial measurement unit device which has accelerometer and gyroscope sensors data were collected from a number of city buses operating. By applying algorithmic filters the g-force peaks present in different acceleration modes were analysed. The particularity of city bus seat vibration and g-force acceleration levels due to effective acceleration in 3-axes are presented and discussed, namely: longitudinal (forward motion), lateral (side-to-side) and vertical (bounce mode) accelerations. It was found that the bus seat root mean square acceleration magnitude of approximately 0.33 g occurred from the major acceleration cycles during bus running. In longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions, 20% of peak acceleration cycles were above 0.20 g, 0.18 g and 0.27 g respectively. Jerk may be a better indicator of passenger discomfort. The results from this study can provide future reference to research directions into understanding city bus seat vibration levels in longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions and also initiatives to mitigate excess bus seat vibration for the riders., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Developing efficient and reliable gas sensors for the simultaneous detection of multiple gases is paramount in various fields, specifically healthcare, biological, and biomedical applications. In this study, we present a novel ratiometric optical dual gas sensor based on perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) to detect nitric oxide and oxygen simultaneously. All dye molecules were excited using a 405 nm LED in the experimental setup. The results obtained from the experiments reveal that both the optical NO and O 2 sensors exhibit linear Stern-Volmer plots, and the sensitivities observed for NO and O 2 sensors were approximately 2.4 and 2.8, respectively. The response and recovery times of the optical NO sensor are 67 s and 69 s, respectively. O 2 sensor response and recovery times are 66 s and 68 s, respectively. In this work, the ratiometric optical dual gas sensing approach suppressed the effects of spurious fluctuations in the intensity of external and excitation sources., 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., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

With the increasing emphasis on sustainable manufacturing practices, eco-friendly lubricants have gained significant attention to moderate the friction coefficient at the tool-work interface. In line with this, the contemporary study aimed to examine the viability of Alumina-enriched sunflower bio-oil as a metalworking fluid. Different volume fractions of Alumina nanoparticles (varying from 0 to 1 vol%) were mixed with sunflower bio-oil, and the physical properties, for instance, contact angle and dynamic viscosity, were analyzed to determine the optimal concentration of Alumina. Subsequently, machining experiments were executed on Hastelloy C-276 under various lubricating conditions, including dry cutting, compressed air, sunflower bio-oil, and 0.6 vol% Alumina-sunflower bio-oil. A comparative analysis among these lubricating mediums demonstrated that sunflower bio-oil with a 0.6 vol% Alumina concentration outperformed others, resulting in a significant reduction of surface roughness, and tool wear by 73.31%, and 82.14% respectively when compared to dry machining. Besides, the utilization of 0.6 vol% Alumina-sunflower bio-oil has demonstrated a reduction of 17.86% in total machining cost, along with reductions of 15.44% in energy consumption and carbon emissions, when compared to dry machining. Finally, a Taguchi-designed experiment consisting of sixteen trials was performed in different lubricating conditions, and a Fuzzy-Mamdani model was employed to achieve a sustainable machining environment. The sustainability assessment results indicated that a cutting speed of 75 m/min, feed of 0.05 mm/tooth, depth of cut of 0.15 mm, and the utilization of the 0.6 vol% Alumina-sunflower bio-oil resulted in the most sustainable machining environment, with the highest Multi-Performance Characteristics Index of 0.75., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical statement: This study did not involve human participants or animals, and no ethical approval was required. All research procedures adhered to relevant ethical guidelines and best practices for non-human and non-animal research. Consent for publication: The authors consent for the publication of this manuscript., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Aims: Mental and neurological disorders are a growing global concern, further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress management techniques, such as deep pressure therapy, have gained attention, with weighted vests commonly used for anxiety relief. However, there is limited scientific evidence supporting their efficacy. This study aimed to rigorously assess the effectiveness of a weighted vest incorporating vibrotactile stimulation in reducing anxiety by measuring physiological indicators-pulse rate and skin conductance (SC)-as well as subjective comfort ratings., Methods: A total of 30 final-semester college students participated in the study. Participants wore a vibrotactile-weighted vest, and both pulse rate and skin conductance (SC) were measured to gauge anxiety levels. Additionally, participants rated their comfort using a Comfort Rating Scale (CRS). Changes in pulse rate and SC were statistically analyzed, and effect sizes (Cohen's d ) were calculated to assess the magnitude of the intervention's impact., Results: The weighted vest with vibrotactile stimulation resulted in a significant reduction in both pulse rate (dpulse = 0.23-0.62) and SC (dsc = 0.32-0.66), indicating a small to medium effect size in anxiety reduction. Subjective evaluations of the vest using the CRS revealed low scores on discomfort-related items, with participants rating unfavorable statements between 1.5/10 and 4.6/10, suggesting overall comfort during use., Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that vibrotactile-weighted vests effectively reduce anxiety, as indicated by both physiological measures and subjective comfort ratings. The findings support the potential of this intervention as a formal therapeutic tool for stress and anxiety reduction. Further research may explore long-term effects and broader applications in clinical settings., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Health Science Reports published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Reducing wastewater contaminants is an emerging area of particular concern for many industrialized and developing countries in improving the ecological quality of their water sources. In this case, the use of algae-based microbial reactors for wastewater treatment has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The advantages of both conventional microbial membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and algae-based treatment are combined in algae-based MBRs. According to the literature, previous studies did not fully discuss the techniques and performance of algae-based bioreactor systems in the treatment of wastewater. In particular, little attention has been paid to the types of waste, their consequences, and the ways in which they are treated. This makes it more difficult to develop and scale up efficient systems to treat waste discharge from industry, agriculture, and urban areas. Thus, the objective of this study is to critically evaluate algae as a valuable biological resource for wastewater treatment, with the goal of reducing emerging contaminants and increasing the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater. The most common wastewater treatment techniques employed for addressing these wastes are examined together with a brief discussion on contaminants in wastewater. Furthermore, algae-based wastewater treatment arrangements, particularly hybrid configurations, are carefully studied in relation to techniques for removing contaminants using algae. After analysing the key physicochemical characteristics that affect the ability of algal-bioremediation to remove developing contaminants, the benefits of algal-bioremediation systems are compared to those of other techniques. Lastly, an investigation is conducted into the technological difficulties associated with employing algal-bioremediation systems to eliminate emerging contaminants., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The need for non-conventional natural fibres for synthesis of hybrid composites has gained momentum in the recent past. Taking into consideration this need, in the current study, hybrid composites were fabricated by reinforcing wood apple shell powder and coconut shell powder, in the resin with varying amounts of cenospheres (up to 20 wt% in increments of 5 wt%) to evaluate their mechanical and tribological properties. The densities of these composites were directly correlated with the quantity of additives utilized. Enhanced tensile and flexural properties were noted in composites containing 10 wt% cenospheres, along with 15 wt% wood apple shell powder and coconut shell powder, compared to other formulations. Dry sliding wear tests were performed at room temperature using a pin-on-disc apparatus, considering loading factors, travel distance, and speed. A hybrid composite consisting of 10 wt% cenospheres, subjected to a normal load of 10 N (1.02 kgf), and tested at a sliding speed of 1.5 m s -1 (90 m min -1 ) over a distance of 500 m, exhibited superior wear resistance compared to all other composite variations., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The physical and chemical treatment processes of leachate are not only costly but can also possibly produce harmful by products. Constructed wetlands (CW) has been considered a promising alternative technology for leachate treatment due to less demand for energy, economic, ecological benefits, and simplicity of operations. Various trends and approaches for the application of CW for leachate treatment have been discussed in this review along with offering an informatics peek of the recent innovative developments in CW technology and its perspectives. In addition, coupling CW with microbial fuel cells (MFCs) has proven to produce renewable energy (electricity) while treating contaminants in leachate wastewaters (CW-MFC). The combination of CW-MFC is a promising bio electrochemical that plays symbiotic among plant microorganisms in the rhizosphere of an aquatic plant that convert sun electricity is transformed into bioelectricity with the aid of using the formation of radical secretions, as endogenous substrates, and microbial activity. Several researchers study and try to find out the application of CW-MFC for leachate treatment, along with this system and performance. Several key elements for the advancement of CW-MFC technology such as bioelectricity, reactor configurations, plant species, and electrode materials, has been comprehensively discussed and future research directions were suggested for further improving the performance. Overall, CW-MFC may offer an eco-friendly approach to protecting the aquatic environment and come with built-in advantages for visual appeal and animal habitats using natural materials such as gravel, soil, electroactive bacteria, and plants under controlled condition., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 4 (TRPV4) is a versatile ion channel with diverse roles in immune cells, including macrophages. While its function in inflammation remains debated, we investigated its role in regulating IL-10 production and its impact on macrophage reprogramming during inflammation., Methods: We investigated the connection between TRPV4 activation and CREB-mediated IL-10 production during inflammation. Notably, this signaling pathway was found to reprogram macrophages and enhance their ability to resist inflammatory damage. The experiments were conducted on primary macrophages and were further corroborated by animal studies., Results: In response to TRPV4 activation during inflammation, we observed a significant increase in intracellular Ca 2+ levels, which triggered the activation of the transcription factor CREB, subsequently upregulating IL-10 production. This IL-10 played a pivotal role in reprogramming macrophages to withstand inflammatory damage. Using a mouse model of acute lung injury (ALI), we confirmed that TRPV4 activation during ALI led to IL-10 secretion, but this increase did not significantly contribute to inflammation resolution. Moreover, we found that TRPV4 prevented the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria in macrophages through the CREB-IL-10 axis during inflammation. Suppression of CREB or TRPV4 inhibition exacerbated mitochondrial dysfunction, while treatment with recombinant IL-10 mitigated these effects. Additionally, IL-10 induced mitophagy and cleared dysfunctional mitochondria in LPS-exposed cells., Conclusion: Our study highlights the essential role of TRPV4 in regulating IL-10 production and mitochondrial health in macrophages during inflammation. These findings contribute to understand the role of TRPV4 in immune responses and suggest potential therapeutic targets for modulating inflammation-induced cellular dysfunction., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Oral cancer is a global health challenge with a difficult histopathological diagnosis. The accurate histopathological interpretation of oral cancer tissue samples remains difficult. However, early diagnosis is very challenging due to a lack of experienced pathologists and inter- observer variability in diagnosis. The application of artificial intelligence (deep learning algorithms) for oral cancer histology images is very promising for rapid diagnosis. However, it requires a quality annotated dataset to build AI models. We present ORCHID (ORal Cancer Histology Image Database), a specialized database generated to advance research in AI-based histology image analytics of oral cancer and precancer. The ORCHID database is an extensive multicenter collection of high-resolution images captured at 1000X effective magnification (100X objective lens), encapsulating various oral cancer and precancer categories, such as oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Additionally, it also contains grade-level sub-classifications for OSCC, such as well- differentiated (WD), moderately-differentiated (MD), and poorly-differentiated (PD). The database seeks to aid in developing innovative artificial intelligence-based rapid diagnostics for OSMF and OSCC, along with subtypes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Deep pressure therapy treats anxiety by triggering physiological responses and promoting calmness. Moreover, measuring user comfort can improve product quality., Objective: To investigate the physiological effects and subjective comfort level of inflatable deep pressure vests to enhance their calming effect., Methods: Experimental research was conducted with a one-group pretest-posttest design for physiological effects using pulse oximetry for peripheral pulse rate and a one-shot case study for three subscale parameters that help evaluate comfort (pressure, touch, and mobility) using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Deep pressure intervention using the Inflatable Vest was performed for three sessions, each lasting 5 min., Results: This study was conducted with 46 participants (24 males, 22 females) aged 17-20 (19.52 ± 0.78). Although pulse rate consistently decreased in all sessions, session 1 showed a significant decrease ( p  = 0.014*, d  = 0.379), whereas sessions 2 ( p  = 0.274, d  = 0.163) and 3 ( p  = 0.597, d  = 0.078) demonstrated non-significant decreases with small effect sizes. The pressure comfort subscale showed that 87.0 %, 4.3 %, and 8.7 % of the participants, and the touch comfort subscale test revealed that 82.6 %, 8.7 %, and 73.9 % of the participants rated it as comfortable, very comfortable, and less comfortable, respectively. The mobility subscale test showed that 73.9 % of the participants rated no limitation, 17.4 % rated somewhat limited, and only 8.7 % rated limitation. Decreased pulse rate and pressure comfort were significantly positively correlated ( r  = 0.282**, p  < 0.01), whereas touch pressure and mobility were not ( r  = 0.160, p  > 0.05; and r  = 0.121, p  > 0.05, respectively). Decreased pulse rate was also positively correlated with the overall score for the three aspects ( r  = 0.201*, p  < 0.05)., Conclusions: A comfortable inflatable deep pressure vest provides a physiologically calming effect for therapeutic modalities., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of 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., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the most prevalent pancreatic cancer, which is considered a significant global health concern. Chemotherapy and surgery are the mainstays of current pancreatic cancer treatments; however, a few cases are suitable for surgery, and most of the cases will experience recurrent episodes. Compared to DNA or peptide vaccines, mRNA vaccines for pancreatic cancer have more promise because of their delivery, enhanced immune responses, and lower proneness to mutation. We constructed an mRNA vaccine by analyzing S100 family proteins, which are all major activators of receptors for advanced glycation end products. We applied immunoinformatic approaches, including physicochemical properties analysis, structural prediction and validation, molecular docking study, in silico cloning, and immune simulations. The designed mRNA vaccine was estimated to have a molecular weight of 165023.50 Da and was highly soluble (grand average of hydropathicity of -0.440). In the structural assessment, the vaccine seemed to be a well-stable and functioning protein (Z score of -8.94). Also, the docking analysis suggested that the vaccine had a high affinity for TLR-2 and TLR-4 receptors. Additionally, the molecular mechanics with generalized Born and surface area solvation analysis of the "Vaccine-TLR-2" (-141.07 kcal/mol) and "Vaccine-TLR-4" (-271.72 kcal/mol) complexes also suggests a strong binding affinity for the receptors. Codon optimization also provided a high expression level with a GC content of 47.04% and a codon adaptation index score 1.0. The appearance of memory B-cells and T-cells was also observed over a while, with an increased level of helper T-cells and immunoglobulins (IgM and IgG). Moreover, the minimum free energy of the mRNA vaccine was predicted at -1760.00 kcal/mol, indicating the stability of the vaccine following its entry, transcription, and expression. This hypothetical vaccine offers a groundbreaking tool for future research and therapeutic development of pancreatic cancer., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist, (Copyright: © 2024 Masum 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.)

In recent years, there has been enhanced interest in the domain of natural fibre composites (NFCs) because of their capacity to provide eco-compatible solutions to ever-increasing ecological concerns. This review provides an intensive assessment of the current situation with examination, progress, and applications concerning NFCs. Natural fibres, viz. , jute, kenaf, ramie, banana, coir, wheat grass, etc. , and their scope in the development of sustainable composites, techniques involved in the fabrication of the composites, characterization techniques, viz. , thermo-mechanical and morphological, biodegradability, dampness retention attributes, and potential applications have been extensively reviewed and reported. Besides, this review encompasses the deterrents and conceivable outcomes connected to NFCs, alongside their environmental implications and monetary feasibility. Through a critical evaluation of the existing literature, this article provides a detailed summary of NFCs for real-time engineering applications. It also provides insights into sustainability practices through NFCs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Lack of access to functional and hygienic toilets in healthcare facilities (HCFs) is a significant public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to the transmission of infectious diseases. Globally, there is a lack of studies characterising toilet conditions and estimating user-to-toilet ratios in large urban hospitals in LMICs. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 10-government and two-private hospitals to explore the availability, functionality, cleanliness, and user-to-toilet ratio in Dhaka, Bangladesh., Methods: From Aug-Dec 2022, we undertook infrastructure assessments of toilets in selected hospitals. We observed all toilets and recorded attributes of intended users, including sex, disability status, patient status (in-patient/out-patient/caregiver) and/or staff (doctor/nurse/cleaner/mixed-gender/shared). Toilet functionality was defined according to criteria used by the WHO/UNICEF Joint-Monitoring Programme in HCFs. Toilet cleanliness was assessed, considering visible feces on any surface, strong fecal odor, presence of flies, sputum, insects, and rodents, and solid waste., Results: Amongst 2875 toilets, 2459 (86%) were observed. Sixty-eight-percent of government hospital toilets and 92% of private hospital toilets were functional. Only 33% of toilets in government hospitals and 56% in private hospitals were clean. A high user-to-toilet ratio was observed in government hospitals' outpatients service (214:1) compared to inpatients service (17:1). User-to-toilet ratio was also high in private hospitals' outpatients service (94:1) compared to inpatients wards (19:1). Only 3% of toilets had bins for menstrual-pad disposal and <1% of toilets had facilities for disabled people., Conclusion: A high percentage of unclean toilets coupled with high user-to-toilet ratio hinders the achievement of SDG by 2030 and risks poor infection-control. Increasing the number of usable, clean toilets in proportion to users is crucial. The findings suggest an urgent call for attention to ensure basic sanitation facilities in Dhaka's HCFs. The policy makers should allocate resources for adequate toilets, maintenance staff, cleanliness, along with strong leadership of the hospital administrators., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Amin 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.)

Background: Shigellosis is one of the significant causes of diarrhea in Bangladesh. It is a global health problem; approximately 1.3 million people die yearly from Shigellosis. The current treatment method, using different antibiotics against Shigellosis is ineffective. Moreover, it becomes a worrying situation due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic microbes responsible for these diarrheal diseases., Methodology: Previous immunoinformatics study predicted a potential peptide from the Ferric enterobactin protein (FepA) of Shigella spp. In this study, we have chemically synthesized the FepA peptide. As a highly immunogenic, FepA peptide conjugated with KLH has been tested in mice model with complete and incomplete adjuvants as a vaccine candidate., Results: Immunological analysis showed that all vaccinated mice were immunologically boosted, which was statistically significant ( P- value 0.0325) compared to control mice. Immunological analysis for bacterial neutralization test result was also statistically significant ( P -value 0.0468), where each ELISA plate was coated with 1 × 10 7 S. flexneri cells. The Challenge test with 1 × 10 12 S. flexneri cells to each vaccinated and controlled mice showed that 37.5 % of control (non-vaccinated) mice died within seven days after the challenge was given while 100 % of vaccinated mice remained strong and stout. The analyses of the post-challenge weight loss of the mice were also significant ( P -value 0.0367) as the weight loss percentage in control mice was much higher than in the vaccinated mice. The pathological and phenotypic appearances of vaccinated mice were also clearly differentiable compared with control mice. Thus all these immunological analysis and pathological appearances directly supported our FepA peptide as a potential immune booster., Conclusion: This study provides evidence that the FepA peptide is a highly immunogenic vaccine candidate against S. flexneri . Therefore, these findings inspire future trials for the evaluation of the suitability of this vaccine candidate against Shigellosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: [K. M. Kaderi Kibria reports financial support was provided by Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Ministry of Education. If there are other authors, they 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 Author(s).)

This study explores the impact of fly ash (FA) filler on the mechanical, morphological, and water absorption properties of pineapple leaf fibre (PALF)-reinforced epoxy composites for biomedical applications. PALF, sourced from abundant agricultural waste, offers a sustainable alternative to synthetic fibres. Employing the hand layup process, varying wt% of FA (3%, 6%, and 9%) are incorporated into PALF-reinforced epoxy composites with different PALF concentrations (10%, 20%, and 30%). Mechanical assessments, including impact, flexural, and tensile strength, reveal that the introduction of up to 6 wt% FA enhances tensile strength by 65.3%, reaching its peak at this concentration. Flexural strength also improves by 31.9% with 6 wt% FA, while impact resistance reaches its maximum (74.18% improvement) at 9 wt% FA. Water absorption measurements demonstrate a decrease with increased FA content and exposure period, indicating enhanced water resistance. Scanning electron microscopy confirms the uniform distribution of FA, contributing to improved mechanical characteristics and water resistance. Optimality tests using Taguchi and response surface methodology (RSM) further confirm the experimental outcomes, emphasizing the potential of FA to enhance natural fibre-reinforced composites. This research suggests FA as a promising filler to elevate mechanical performance and water resistance in environmentally friendly composites., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Although the pathogenesis of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is largely unknown in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), inflammasomes may contribute to CNV development and progression. To understand the role NLRP3 inflammasomes in CNV, we used Ccr2RFPCx3cr1GFP dual-reporter mice and immunostaining techniques to confirm localization of NLRP3 inflammasomes in the laser-induced CNV (LCNV) lesions. Confocal microscopy was used to image and quantify LCNV volumes. MCC950 was used as NLRP3 inhibitor. ELISA and quantitative RT-PCR were used to confirm the activation of NLRP3 by monitoring the expression of IL-1β protein and mRNA in choroidal tissues from LCNV mice. In addition, NLRP3 (-/-) LCNV mice were used to investigate whether NLRP3 inflammasomes contribute to the development of LCNV lesions. We observed that red fluorescent protein (RFP)-positive monocyte-derived macrophages and GFP-positive microglia-derived macrophages, in addition to other cell types, were localized in LCNV lesions at day 7 post-laser injury. In addition, NLRP3 inflammasomes are associated with LCNV lesions. Inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasomes, using MCC950, caused an increased Ccr2RFP-positive macrophages, Cx3cr1GFP-positive microglia, and other cells, resulting in an increase in total lesion size. NLRP3 (-/-) LCNV mice showed significantly increased lesion size compared with age-matched controls. Inhibition of NLRP3 resulted in decreased IL-1β mRNA and protein expression in the choroidal tissues, suggesting that increased lesion size may not be directly related to IL-1β., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors.)

Background: The four components that make up the current dual-mobility artificial hip joint design are the femoral head, the inner liner, the outer liner as a metal cover to prevent wear, and the acetabular cup. The acetabular cup and the outer liner were constructed of 316L stainless steel. At the same time, the inner liner was made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). As this new dual-mobility artificial hip joint has not been researched extensively, more tribological research is needed to predict wear. The thickness of the inner liner is a significant component to consider when calculating the contact pressure., Aim: To make use of finite element analysis to gain a better understanding of the contact behavior in various inner liner thicknesses on a new model of a dual-mobility artificial hip joint, with the ultimate objective of determining the inner liner thickness that was most suitable for this particular type of dual-mobility artificial hip joint., Methods: In this study, the size of the femoral head was compared between two diameters (28 mm and 36 mm) and eight inner liner thicknesses ranging from 5 mm to 12 mm. Using the finite element method, the contact parameters, including the maximum contact pressure and contact area, have been evaluated in light of the Hertzian contact theory. The simulation was performed statically with dissipated energy and asymmetric behavior. The types of interaction were surface-to-surface contact and normal contact behavior., Results: The maximum contact pressures in the inner liner (UHMWPE) at a head diameter of 28 mm and 36 mm are between 3.7-13.5 MPa and 2.7-10.4 MPa, respectively. The maximum von Mises of the inner liner, outer liner, and acetabular cup are 2.4-11.4 MPa, 15.7-44.3 MPa, and 3.7-12.6 MPa, respectively, for 28 mm head. Then the maximum von Mises stresses of the 36 mm head are 1.9-8.9 MPa for the inner liner, 9.9-32.8 MPa for the outer liner, and 2.6-9.9 MPa for the acetabular cup. A head with a diameter of 28 mm should have an inner liner with a thickness of 12 mm. Whereas the head diameter was 36 mm, an inner liner thickness of 8 mm was suitable., Conclusion: The contact pressures and von Mises stresses generated during this research can potentially be exploited in estimating the wear of dual-mobility artificial hip joints in general. Contact pressure and von Mises stress reduce with an increasing head diameter and inner liner's thickness. Present findings would become one of the references for orthopedic surgery for choosing suitable bearing geometric parameter of hip implant., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aim: Hydrogen sulfide and nitric oxide possess cytoprotective activity and in vivo, they are generated from exogenous sodium hydrosulfide and L-arginine respectively. Cisplatin is a major chemotherapeutic agent used to treat cancer and has a high incidence of nephrotoxicity as a side effect. The study aim was to explore the effects of NaHS and L-arginine or their combination on cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity in rats., Methods: Wistar Kyoto rats were given a single intraperitoneal dose of cisplatin (5 mg/kg) followed either by NaHS (56 μmol/kg, i. p.), L-arginine (1.25 g/L in drinking water) or their combination daily for 28-days. Post-mortem plasma, urine and kidney samples were collected for biochemical assays and histopathological analysis., Results: Cisplatin decreased body weights and increased urinary output, while plasma creatinine and urea levels were elevated, but sodium and potassium concentrations were diminished. The renal function parameters, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine clearance, were raised and decreased respectively. Regarding markers of reactive oxygen species, plasma total superoxide dismutase was reduced, whereas malondiadehyde was augmented.Cisplatin also diminished plasma and urinary H 2 S as well as plasma NO, while NaHS and L-arginine counteracted this activity on both redox-active molecules. Cisplatin cotreatment with NaHS, and/or L-arginine exhibited a reversal of all other measured parameters., Conclusion: In current study, NaHS and L-arginine as monotherapy protected the rats from cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity but the combination of both worked more effectively suggesting the augmented anti-inflammatory and antioxidative potential of test treatments when administered together., Competing Interests: The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Abdul Malik reports financial support was provided by 10.13039/501100002383King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. If there are other authors, they 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 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Previous research has primarily focused on pre-processing parameters such as design, material selection, and printing techniques to improve the strength of 3D-printed prosthetic leg sockets. However, these methods fail to address the major challenges that arise post-printing, namely failures at the distal end of the socket and susceptibility to shear failure. Addressing this gap, the study aims to enhance the mechanical properties of 3D-printed prosthetic leg sockets through post-processing techniques. Fifteen PLA + prosthetic leg sockets are fabricated and reinforced with four materials: carbon fiber, carbon-Kevlar fiber, fiberglass, and cement. Mechanical and microstructural properties of the sockets are evaluated through axial compression testing and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results highlight superior attributes of cement-reinforced sockets, exhibiting significantly higher yield strength (up to 89.57% more than counterparts) and higher Young's modulus (up to 76.15% greater). SEM reveals correlations between microstructural properties and socket strength. These findings deepen the comprehension of 3D-printed prosthetic leg socket post-processing, presenting optimization prospects. Future research can focus on refining fabrication techniques, exploring alternative reinforcement materials, and investigating the long-term durability and functionality of post-processed 3D-printed prosthetic leg sockets., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the major types of cancer, with 900,000 cases and over 400,000 deaths annually. It constitutes 3-4% of all cancers in Europe and western countries. As early diagnosis is the key to treating the disease, reliable biomarkers play an important role in the precision medicine of HNSCC. Despite treatments, the survival rate of cancer patients remains unchanged, and this is mainly due to the failure to detect the disease early. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify reliable biomarkers for head and neck cancers for better healthcare management. Methods: In this study, all available, curated human genes were screened for their expression against HNSCC TCGA patient samples using genomic and proteomic data by various bioinformatic approaches and datamining. Docking studies were performed using AutoDock or online virtual screening tools for identifying potential ligands. Results: Sixty genes were short-listed, and most of them show a consistently higher expression in head and neck patient samples at both the mRNA and the protein level. Irrespective of human papillomavirus (HPV) status, all of them show a higher expression in cancer samples. The higher expression of 30 genes shows adverse effects on patient survival. Out of the 60 genes, 12 genes have crystal structures and druggable potential. We show that genes such as GTF2H4, HAUS7, MSN, and MNDA could be targets of Pembrolizumab and Nivolumab, which are approved monoclonal antibodies for HNSCC. Conclusion: Sixty genes are identified as potential biomarkers for head and neck cancers based on their consistent and statistically significantly higher expression in patient samples. Four proteins have been identified as potential drug targets based on their crystal structure. However, the utility of these candidate genes has to be further tested using patient samples., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Previous works had successfully demonstrated the clinical effectiveness of unilateral external fixator in treating various types of fracture, ranging from the simple type, such as oblique and transverse fractures, to complex fractures. However, literature that investigated its biomechanical analyses to further justify its efficacy is limited. Therefore, this paper aimed to analyse the stability of unilateral external fixator for treating different types of fracture, including the simple oblique, AO32C3 comminuted, and 20 mm gap transverse fracture. These fractures were reconstructed at the distal diaphysis of the femoral bone and computationally analysed through the finite element method under the stance phase condition. Findings showed a decrease in the fixation stiffness in large gap fracture (645.2 Nmm-1 for oblique and comminuted, while 23.4 Nmm-1 for the gap fracture), which resulted in higher displacement, IFM and stress distribution at the pin bone interface. These unfavourable conditions could consequently increase the risk of delayed union, pin loosening and infection, as well as implant failure. Nevertheless, the stress observed on the fracture surfaces was relatively low and in controlled amount, indicating that bone unity is still allowable in all models. Briefly, the unilateral fixation may provide desirable results in smaller fracture gap, but its usage in larger gap fracture might be alarming. These findings could serve as a guide and insight for surgeons and researchers, especially on the biomechanical stability of fixation in different fracture types and how will it affect bone unity., 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 Author(s).)

Cancer is currently one of the biggest causes of death in the world. Like some microorganisms, cancer cells also develop resistance to various chemotherapy drugs and are termed multidrug resistant (MDR). In this regard, there is a need to develop new alternative anticancer agents. Anticancer peptides (ACPs) with high selectivity and high cell penetration ability are a promising candidate, as well as they are easy to modify. A cyclohexapeptide called nocardiotide A was isolated from the marine sponge Callyspongia sp., which is cytotoxic towards several cancer cells such as MM, 1S, HeLa, and CT26 cells. Previously, nocardiotide A was synthesized with a very low yield owing to its challenging cyclization process. In this study, we synthesized [d-Ala]-nocardiotide A as a derivative of nocardiotide A using a combination of solid phase peptide synthesis (SPPS) and liquid phase peptide synthesis (LPPS). The synthesis was carried out by selecting a d-alanine residue at the C-terminus to give a desired cyclic peptide product with a yield of 31% after purification. The purified [d-Ala]-nocardiotide A was characterized using HR-ToF MS and 1 H and 13 C-NMR spectroscopy to validate the desired product. The anticancer activity of the peptide was determined against HeLa cancer cell lines with an IC 50 value of 52 μM compared to the parent nocardiotide A with an IC 50 value of 59 μM. In the future, we aim to mutate various l-amino acids in nocardiotide A to d-amino acids to prepare nocardiotide A derivatives with a higher activity to kill cancer cells with higher membrane permeation. In addition, the mechanism of action of nocardiotide A and its derivatives will be evaluated., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Following global trade agreements, Asian countries have been highly aggressive in implementing free trade. These conditions will impact all sectors, including agriculture. This study aims to examine the impact of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), World Trade Organization membership (WTO), and the Doha Round implementations on agricultural producer prices in Asian countries (PPI). The study was conducted using secondary data from 1991 to 2020. The data for 28 Asian countries were analyzed using the first difference General Method of Moments (GMM). The results show that implementing the GATT raises the PPI, but implementing the WTO has the reverse impact. PPI is unaffected by the Doha Round. Inflation, exchange rate, value-added, human capital, and land area equipped for irrigation are all positive contributors to PPI. Several recommendations are made to increase PPI in Asian countries: increasing commitment to agricultural fair trade, increasing agricultural value-added, improving educational opportunities for agricultural business players, and prioritizing agricultural infrastructure investment., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The single mobility bearing as a previous bearing design of total hip prosthesis has severe mobility constraints that can result in dislocation during Muslim (people who follow the Islam as religion) prayer movements, specifically shalat that requires intense movement. There are five intense movements (i.e., bowing, prostration, sitting, transition from standing to prostration, and final sitting) during Muslim prayer that may generate an impingement problem for patients with total hip prosthesis. In this work, textured dual mobility total hip prosthesis with two textured cases (i.e., textured femoral head and textured inner liner) are presented and their performances are numerically evaluated against untextured surface model during Muslim prayer movement. The concave dimple design is chosen for surface texturing, while for simulating femoral head materials, SS 316L and CoCrMo is choosen. To represent the real condition, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) coupled with two-way fluid-structure interaction (FSI) methods are employed to analyze elastohydrodynamic lubrication problem with non-Newtonian synovial fluid model. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the tribological performance on dual mobility total hip prosthesis with applied textured surface with concave dimple in femoral head and inner liner surface under Muslim prayer movements. It is found that applying surface texturing has a beneficial effect on the lubrication performance for some intense movements. The textured femoral head model performs better than textured inner liner model and untextured model (both femoral head and inner liner). The numerical results also indicate superior performance of CoCrMo femoral head compared to SS 316L femoral head. These findings can be used as a reference for biomedical engineers and orthopedic surgeons in designing and choosing suitable total hip prosthesis for Muslims makes they can carry out Muslim prayer movements like humans in general who have normal hip joints., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There are relatively few studies in Nigeria, and indeed, sub-Saharan Africa that have documented the relative frequencies and histomorphological patterns of endometrial carcinoma. This study aimed to determine the relative frequencies and clinic-epidemiological characteristics of endometrial carcinoma and its histological variants in Kano, North-Western, Nigeria., Method: A 10-year retrospective study of all endometrial carcinoma cases in the Department of Pathology, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. All relevant information was retrieved and data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22., Results: Endometrial carcinoma showed an increment in prevalence from 0.5% of all gynaecologic admission in 2008 to 1.0% in 2017. Type I endometrial carcinoma, specifically endometrioid adenocarcinoma accounted for 80% of cases, while endometrial serous carcinoma was the most common type II endometrial carcinoma representing 20% of cases. Over 75% of endometrial carcinomas occurred in postmenopausal women with a mean age of 59 years., Conclusion: There is a rise in the prevalence of endometrial carcinoma and endometrioid adenocarcinoma is the most common histologic type., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest both financially and non-financially during this study, (© the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience.)

The running-in process is considered an essential aspect of the comprehensive wear process. The phenomenon of running-in occurs during the initial stages of wear in the prosthetic hip joint. Within the field of tribology, the running-in phenomenon of the hip joint pertains to the mechanism by which the contact surfaces of the artificial hip joint components are adjusted and a suitable lubricating film is formed. During the process of hip joint running-in, there is an interaction between the metal surface of the ball and the joint cup, which results in adjustments being made until a steady state is achieved. The achievement of desirable wear existence and reliable performance of artificial hip joint components are reliant upon the tribological running-in of the hip joint. Despite the establishment of current modeling approaches, there remains a significant lack of understanding concerning running-in wear, particularly the metal-on-polyethylene (MoP) articulations in dual-mobility cups (DMC). An essential aspect to consider is the running-in phase of the dual mobility component. The present study employed finite element analysis to investigate the running-in behavior of dual mobility cups, wherein femoral head components were matched with polyethylene liners of varying thicknesses. The analysis of the running-in phase was conducted during the normal gait cycle. The results of this investigation may be utilized to design a dual-mobility prosthetic hip joint that exhibits minimal running-in wear., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: Healthcare workers were prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. Administration of COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria was challenging because of a lack of trust in vaccine safety and vaccine effectiveness among healthcare workers, who are expected to provide reliable information about vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases in the communities. Hence, their acceptance and attitudes towards COVID-19 preventive practices could influence the acceptance of the vaccine by the local population. This cross-sectional study assessed the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in Katsina State. We predicted the variables that increased the vaccine acceptance using logistic regression analysis., Setting: This hospital-based study was conducted at primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities in Nigeria., Participants: A total of 793 healthcare workers were included in this study. Of these, 65.4% (n=519) were male., Outcome Measures: To assess acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine measures, and factors increasing acceptance among healthcare workers., Results: Of the healthcare workers, 80% (638) were tested for the SARS-CoV-2, of whom 10.8% (n=65) tested positive. Approximately 97% (n=765) of them believed that the COVID-19 vaccine was safe, and 90% (n=714) received the first dose of the vaccine. Healthcare workers between 30 and 39 years were more likely to accept the vaccine (aOR: 7.06; 95% CI 2.36 to 21.07; p<0.001). Those who had been tested for COVID-19 were more likely (aOR:7.64; 95% CI 3.62 to 16.16; p<0.001) to accept the vaccine., Conclusions: Our findings showed that the age and prior COVID-19 testing were the main factors influencing the acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. There was high acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers in Katsina State, Nigeria. Future studies should focus on the completion of doses and serological testing for immunity., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Epimerisation is basically a chemical conversion that includes the transformation of an epimer into another epimer or its chiral partner. Epimerisation of amino acid is a side reaction that sometimes happens during peptide synthesis. It became the most avoided reaction because the process affects the overall conformation of the molecule, eventually even altering the bioactivity of the peptide. Epimerised products have a high similarity of physical characteristics, thus making it difficult for them to be purified. In regards to amino acids, epimerisation is very important in keeping the chirality of the assembled amino acids unchanged during the peptide synthesis and obtaining the desirable product without any problematic purification. In this review, we report several factors that induce epimerisation during peptide synthesis, including how to characterise and affect the bioactivities. To avoid undesirable epimerisation, we also describe several methods of suppressing the process.

Circulating monocytes migrate into the retina in response to inflammation and neovascularization. Furthermore, under inflammatory conditions such as diabetes, healthy monocytes become activated in the circulation. However, the contribution of activated monocytes to neovascularization is largely unknown. HIF-1α has been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of neovascularization. We describe here the synthesis of a hybrid nanomaterial for targeted delivery and gene silencing in activated monocytes that are associated with pathological neovascularization. To test the gene silencing ability of AS-shRNA-lipids in vitro, we used the probe to inhibit HIF-1α mRNA induced in mouse monocytes by exposing them to hypoxia. In addition, we tested AS-shRNA-lipids for inhibition of neovascularization in vivo using the mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). Significant reduction of neovascularization was achieved in mouse OIR by targeting activated monocytes using intraperitoneal injections of AS-shRNA-lipids. Expression of HIF-1α and CD14 mRNA were both inhibited in circulating cells, suggesting normalization of the activated monocytes in P17 OIR animals treated with AS-shRNA-lipids. We hypothesized that inhibition of HIF-1α mRNA in activated monocytes may have a direct impact on VEGF expression in the retinal tissues in vivo. We observed that VEGF mRNA expression was inhibited in P17 retinal tissues after systemic treatment with HIF-1α-targeted AS-shRNA-lipids. These findings may provide a framework for a strategy to inhibit retinal neovascularization by targeting circulating activated monocytes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a progressively fatal and incurable disease characterized by the loss of alveolar structures, increased epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and aberrant tissue repair. In this study, we investigated the role of Nuclear Factor I-B (NFIB), a transcription factor critical for lung development and maturation, in IPF. Using both human lung tissue samples from patients with IPF, and a mouse model of lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin, we showed that there was a significant reduction of NFIB both in the lungs of patients and mice with IPF. Furthermore, our in vitro experiments using cultured human lung cells demonstrated that the loss of NFIB was associated with the induction of EMT by transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). Knockdown of NFIB promoted EMT, while overexpression of NFIB suppressed EMT and attenuated the severity of bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice. Mechanistically, we identified post-translational regulation of NFIB by miR-326, a miRNA with anti-fibrotic effects that is diminished in IPF. Specifically, we showed that miR-326 stabilized and increased the expression of NFIB through its 3'UTR target sites for Human antigen R (HuR). Moreover, treatment of mice with either NFIB plasmid or miR-326 reversed airway collagen deposition and fibrosis. In conclusion, our study emphasizes the critical role of NFIB in lung development and maturation, and its reduction in IPF leading to EMT and loss of alveolar structures. Our study highlights the potential of miR-326 as a therapeutic intervention for IPF. The schema shows the role of NFIB in maintaining the normal epithelial cell characteristics in the lungs and how its reduction leads to a shift towards mesenchymal cell-like features and pulmonary fibrosis. A In normal lungs, NFIB is expressed abundantly in the epithelial cells, which helps in maintaining their shape, cell polarity and adhesion molecules. However, when the lungs are exposed to factors that induce pulmonary fibrosis, such as bleomycin, or TGF-β, the epithelial cells undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), which leads to a decrease in NFIB. B The mesenchymal cells that arise from EMT appear as spindle-shaped with loss of cell junctions, increased cell migration, loss of polarity and expression of markers associated with mesenchymal cells/fibroblasts. C We designed a therapeutic approach that involves exogenous administration of NFIB in the form of overexpression plasmid or microRNA-326. This therapeutic approach decreases the mesenchymal cell phenotype and restores the epithelial cell phenotype, thus preventing the development or progression of pulmonary fibrosis., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

The superior engineering properties and excellent biocompatibility of titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) stimulate applications in biomedical industries. Electric discharge machining, a widely used process in advanced applications, is an attractive option that simultaneously offers machining and surface modification. In this study, a comprehensive list of roughening levels of process variables such as pulse current, pulse ON time, pulse OFF time, and polarity, along with four tool electrodes of graphite, copper, brass, and aluminum are evaluated (against two experimentation phases) using a SiC powder-mixed dielectric. The process is modeled using the adaptive neural fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to produce surfaces with relatively low roughness. A thorough parametric, microscopical, and tribological analysis campaign is established to explore the physical science of the process. For the case of the surface generated through aluminum, a minimum friction force of ~25 N is observed compared with the other surfaces. The analysis of variance shows that the electrode material (32.65%) is found to be significant for the material removal rate, and the pulse ON time (32.15%) is found to be significant for arithmetic roughness. The increase in pulse current to 14 A shows that the roughness increased to ~4.6 µm with a 33% rise using the aluminum electrode. The increase in pulse ON time from 50 µs to 125 µs using the graphite tool resulted in a rise in roughness from ~4.5 µm to ~5.3 µm, showing a 17% rise.

The role of dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) in radiographic development may become a robust marker for early spondyloarthritis (SpA) diagnosis. This study aimed at determining the serum DKK-1 profile in patients with SpA and investigating its relationship with SpA progression. Supported by analyzing the BMD data which aims to affirm the potential of DKK-1 as a biomarker for early diagnosis of SpA, this research may become the early study to produce a robust tool to diminish the fatal impacts in SpA. This cross-sectional study included patients with SpA using ASAS 2010 criteria from Dr. Soetomo General Hospital, Indonesia. Collected data included patients' general characteristics, disease duration, disease activity using ASDAS-CRP and ASDAS-ESR, serum DKK-1 levels, and BMD. The patients were classified as early SpA if the disease duration was ≤5 years and established SpA if the disease duration was >5 years, while the low BMD was indicated by Z score ≤ -2.00. The correlation was tested using the Spearman or Pearson test. The differences in patients' characteristics among early and established SpA and also between low and normal BMD were tested using the unpaired T -test or the Mann-Whitney test. The serum DKK-1 levels in early SpA (7365 ± 2067 pg/dL) were significantly higher than those in established SpA (5360 ± 1054 pg/dL). Serum DKK-1 levels were also associated with disease duration ( r  = -0.370, p = 0.040) and BMD at the total hip ( r  = 0.467, p = 0.028). The differences in all patients' clinical parameters were not found between patients with low BMD at any site and patients with normal BMD unless in the BMI ( p = 0.019). Our findings found DKK-1 as a potential diagnostic marker for early SpA. Early diagnosis may lead to rapid treatment to delay disease progression and prevent future impairment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this study., (Copyright © 2023 Yuliasih Yuliasih et al.)

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation alleviates metabolic defects in diseased recipient cells by intercellular mitochondrial transport (IMT). However, the effect of host metabolic conditions on IMT and thereby on the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs has largely remained unexplored. Here we found impaired mitophagy, and reduced IMT in MSCs derived from high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse (MSC-Ob). MSC-Ob failed to sequester their damaged mitochondria into LC3-dependent autophagosomes due to decrease in mitochondrial cardiolipin content, which we propose as a putative mitophagy receptor for LC3 in MSCs. Functionally, MSC-Ob exhibited diminished potential to rescue mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death in stress-induced airway epithelial cells. Pharmacological modulation of MSCs enhanced cardiolipin-dependent mitophagy and restored their IMT ability to airway epithelial cells. Therapeutically, these modulated MSCs attenuated features of allergic airway inflammation (AAI) in two independent mouse models by restoring healthy IMT. However, unmodulated MSC-Ob failed to do so. Notably, in human (h)MSCs, induced metabolic stress associated impaired cardiolipin-dependent mitophagy was restored upon pharmacological modulation. In summary, we have provided the first comprehensive molecular understanding of impaired mitophagy in obese-derived MSCs and highlight the importance of pharmacological modulation of these cells for therapeutic intervention. A MSCs obtained from (HFD)-induced obese mice (MSC-Ob) show underlying mitochondrial dysfunction with a concomitant decrease in cardiolipin content. These changes prevent LC3-cardiolipin interaction, thereby reducing dysfunctional mitochondria sequestration into LC3-autophagosomes and thus impaired mitophagy. The impaired mitophagy is associated with reduced intercellular mitochondrial transport (IMT) via tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) between MSC-Ob and epithelial cells in co-culture or in vivo. B Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) modulation in MSC-Ob restores mitochondrial health, cardiolipin content, and thereby sequestration of depolarized mitochondria into the autophagosomes to alleviate impaired mitophagy. Concomitantly, MSC-Ob shows restoration of mitochondrial health upon PQQ treatment (MSC-ObPQQ). During co-culture with epithelial cells or transplantation in vivo into the mice lungs, MSC-ObPQQ restores IMT and prevents epithelial cell death. C Upon transplantation in two independent allergic airway inflammatory mouse models, MSC-Ob failed to rescue the airway inflammation, hyperactivity, metabolic changes in epithelial cells. D PQQ modulated MSCs restored these metabolic defects and restored lung physiology and airway remodeling parameters., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Solid dispersion (SD) has been used conventionally as a successful technique for improving the dissolution profile and bioavailability of poorly water-soluble drugs. The aim of this study was to progress the dissolution rate and bioavailability of naproxen (BCS class II) by SD technique., Materials & Methods: In this study, hydrophilic carriers are used for preparing solid dispersion of naproxen by evaporation method. The prepared optimized SDNs were evaluated by in-vitro drug dissolution test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The in-vivo analgesic effects tests of the optimized SDNs (SDN-2 and SDN-5) were performed by tail immersion method and writhing method., Results: All the prepared SDNs exhibited a significant increase in the dissolution of naproxen compared to that of the pure drug. Among them, SDN-2 (the dispersion with sodium starch glycolate at 1:2 ratio of naproxen and sodium starch glycolate) and SDN-5 (using the combination of PEG-8000 and sodium starch glycolate with naproxen at 1:1:1 ratio) showed faster dissolution rate as compared to other solid dispersions (SDNs) and pure naproxen. SDN-2 showed 5.4 times better dissolution rate and SDN-5 depicted 6.5-fold increment of dissolution rate compared to pure naproxen drug. DSC, PXRD and SEM microscopy showed that the drugs crystallinity was decreased during the preparation process. FTIR study revealed that naproxen was stable in polymeric dispersions and there was no interaction among the drug and polymers. In writhing method, the percentage inhibition of the number of writhes showed significantly greater (p < 0.01), (p < 0.0001) analgesic activity for the higher dose treatment groups SDN-2(H), and SDN-5(H), respectively, when contrasted to the pure drug naproxen. For tail immersion test, there is increase in latency time at 90 min which is significantly greater ( P  < 0.01), ( P  < 0.05), ( P  < 0.01) for treatment groups SDN-2(H), SDN-5(L), and SDN-5(H), respectively that ultimately authenticates that the optimized SDNs (SDN-2, SDN-5) showed better analgesic activity in mice in comparison with the pure drug., Conclusion: It can be concluded that dissolution of the naproxen could be improved by the making solid dispersion using sodium starch glycolate and/or combination of sodium starch glycolate and PEG 8000 due to the complete transformation of drug into amorphous form with the entire loss of crystallinity, as evidenced by DSC, PXRD, and SEM and also consequences the enhanced analgesic activity in mice., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Definitive, affordable, and timely diagnosis of cancer is key to providing data for surveillance and control programmes. Care disparities have been shown to contribute to poorer survival, especially in resource-constrained populations. Here, we describe the profile of histologically diagnosed cancers in our hospital and highlight the possible effects of inadequate diagnostic support on data reporting., Methods: We designed a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study to review histopathology reports archived at the Department of Pathology of our hospital spanning from January 2011 to December 2022. Cases diagnosed as cancer were retrieved and classified by systems, organs and histology types alongside the patient's age and gender. The trend in the volume of pathology requests and the corresponding malignant diagnosis yield over the period was also documented. Data generated were analyzed statistically using appropriate statistics and presented as proportions and means, with the level of statistical significance set at p < 0.05., Results: There were 488 cancers out of 3,237 histopathology requests received within the study period. Of these 316 (64.7%) were females. Overall mean age was 48.8 ± 18.6 years with a peak age at the sixth decade, females being significantly younger (46.1 versus 53.5 years; p < 0.001). The top five cancers were breast (22.7%), cervical (12.7%), prostate (11.7%), skin (10.7%) and colorectal cancers (8%). Among females, breast, cervical and ovarian cancers predominated, whereas prostate, skin and colorectal cancers, were commonest among males in decreasing order. Paediatric malignancies accounted for 3.7% of all the cases, most being small round blue cell tumours. The volume of pathology requests rose remarkably from 95 cases in 2014 to 625 cases in 2022 with a corresponding increase in cancer case diagnoses., Conclusion: Cancer subtypes and ranking in this study are similar to those from urban populations in Nigeria and Africa, despite the low number of cases recorded. Efforts to reduce the disease burden are warranted., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to declare with regard to this study., (© the authors; licensee ecancermedicalscience.)

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is most likely one of the most successful surgical procedures in medicine. It is estimated that three in four patients live beyond the first post-operative year, so appropriate surgery is needed to alleviate an otherwise long-standing suboptimal functional level. However, research has shown that during a complete THA procedure, a solid hip implant inserted in the femur can damage the main arterial supply of the cortex and damage the medullary space, leading to cortical bone resorption. Therefore, this study aimed to design a porous hip implant with a focus on providing more space for better osteointegration, improving the medullary revascularisation and blood circulation of patients. Based on a review of the literature, a lightweight implant design was developed by applying topology optimisation and changing the materials of the implant. Gyroid and Voronoi lattice structures and a solid hip implant (as a control) were designed. In total, three designs of hip implants were constructed by using SolidWorks and nTopology software version 2.31. Point loads were applied at the x, y and z-axis to imitate the stance phase condition. The forces represented were x = 320 N, y = -170 N, and z = -2850 N. The materials that were used in this study were titanium alloys. All of the designs were then simulated by using Marc Mentat software version 2020 (MSC Software Corporation, Munich, Germany) via a finite element method. Analysis of the study on topology optimisation demonstrated that the Voronoi lattice structure yielded the lowest von Mises stress and displacement values, at 313.96 MPa and 1.50 mm, respectively, with titanium alloys as the materials. The results also indicate that porous hip implants have the potential to be implemented for hip implant replacement, whereby the mechanical integrity is still preserved. This result will not only help orthopaedic surgeons to justify the design choices, but could also provide new insights for future studies in biomechanics.

Due to polymeric wear debris causing osteolysis from polymer, metal ions causing metallosis from metal, and brittle characteristic causing fracture failure from ceramic in the application on bearing of total hip prosthesis requires the availability of new material options as a solution to these problems. Polycrystalline diamond (PCD) has the potential to become the selected material for hard-on-hard bearing in view of its advantages in terms of mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The present study contributes to confirming the potential of PCD to replace metals and ceramics for hard-on-hard bearing through von Mises stress investigations. A computational simulation using a 2D axisymmetric finite element model of hard-on-hard bearing under gait loading has been performed. The percentage of maximum von Mises stress to respective yield strength from PCD-on-PCD is the lowest at 2.47%, with CoCrMo (cobalt chromium molybdenum)-on-CoCrMo at 10.79%, and Al 2 O 3 (aluminium oxide)-on-Al 2 O 3 at 13.49%. This confirms that the use of PCD as a hard-on-hard bearing material is the safest option compared to the investigated metal and ceramic hard-on-hard bearings from the mechanical perspective.

Background: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, various host countries such as Singapore, imposed entry requirements for migrant workers including pre-departure COVID-19 seroconversion proof. To combat COVID-19 worldwide, several vaccines have acquired conditional approval. This study sought to assess antibody levels after immunization with different COVID-19 vaccines among the migrant workers of Bangladesh., Methods: Venous blood samples were collected from migrant workers who were vaccinated with different COVID-19 vaccines (n=675). Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S) and nucleocapsid protein (N) were determined using Roche Elecsys ® Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S and N immunoassay, respectively., Results: All participants receiving COVID-19 vaccines showed antibodies to S-protein, while 91.36% were positive for N-specific antibodies. The highest anti-S antibody titers were found among the workers who completed booster doses (13327 U/mL), received mRNA vaccines Moderna/Spikevax (9459 U/mL) or Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty (9181 U/mL), and reported SARS-CoV-2 infection in the last six months (8849 U/mL). The median anti-S antibody titers in the first month since the last vaccination was 8184 U/mL, which declined to 5094 U/mL at the end of six months. A strong correlation of anti-S antibodies was found with past SARS-CoV-2 infection (p < 0.001) and the type of vaccines received (p <0.001) in the workers. Conclusion: Bangladeshi migrant workers receiving booster doses of vaccine, vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, and having past SARS-CoV-2 infection, mounted higher antibody responses. However, antibody levels waned with time. These findings suggest a need for further booster doses, preferably with mRNA vaccines for migrant workers before reaching host countries., 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 Hossain, Sarker, Raqib, Rahman, Hasan, Svezia, Rahman and Amin.)

Hip joint prostheses are used to replace hip joint function in the human body. The latest dual-mobility hip joint prosthesis has an additional component of an outer liner that acts as a cover for the liner component. Research on the contact pressure generated on the latest model of a dual-mobility hip joint prosthesis under a gait cycle has never been done before. The model is made of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) on the inner liner and 316L stainless steel (SS 316L) on the outer liner and acetabular cup. Simulation modeling using the finite element method is considered static loading with an implicit solver for studying the geometric parameter design of dual-mobility hip joint prostheses. In this study, simulation modeling was carried out by applying varying inclination angles of 30°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 60°, and 70° to the acetabular cup component. Three-dimensional loads were placed on femoral head reference points with variations of femoral head diameter used at 22 mm, 28 mm, and 32 mm. The results in the inner surface of the inner liner, the outer surface of the outer liner, and the inner surface of the acetabular cup showed that the variations in inclination angle do not have a major effect on the maximum contact pressure value on the liner component, where the acetabular cup with an inclination angle of 45° can reduce contact pressure more than the other studied inclination angle variations. In addition, it was found that the 22 mm diameter of the femoral head increases the contact pressure. The use of a larger diameter femoral head with an acetabular cup configuration at a 45° inclination can minimize the risk of implant failure due to wear., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

In designing porous scaffolds, permeability is essential to consider as a function of cell migration and bone tissue regeneration. Good permeability has been achieved by mimicking the complexity of natural cancellous bone. In this study, a porous scaffold was developed according to the morphological indices of cancellous bone (porosity, specific surface area, thickness, and tortuosity). The computational fluid dynamics method analyzes the fluid flow through the scaffold. The permeability values of natural cancellous bone and three types of scaffolds (cubic, octahedron pillar, and Schoen's gyroid) were compared. The results showed that the permeability of the Negative Schwarz Primitive (NSP) scaffold model was similar to that of natural cancellous bone, which was in the range of 2.0 × 10 -11 m 2 to 4.0 × 10 -10 m 2 . In addition, it was observed that the tortuosity parameter significantly affected the scaffold's permeability and shear stress values. The tortuosity value of the NSP scaffold was in the range of 1.5-2.8. Therefore, tortuosity can be manipulated by changing the curvature of the surface scaffold radius to obtain a superior bone tissue engineering construction supporting cell migration and tissue regeneration. This parameter should be considered when making new scaffolds, such as our NSP. Such efforts will produce a scaffold architecturally and functionally close to the natural cancellous bone, as demonstrated in this study.

Purpose: Wet form of age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) is a progressive vascular disease that mainly affects older adults and causes severe and irreversible vision loss. A key complication of wet AMD is choroidal neovascularization (CNV), which may be driven in part by NLRP3 inflammasomes that are associated with macrophages migration to CNV lesions. Since activated NLRP3 is correlated with CNV, visualizing NLRP3 inflammasomes and their associated macrophages is of great interest to monitor wet AMD progression and develop effective therapies against it. However, to the best of our knowledge, current ophthalmic imaging systems do not permit such targeted imaging. Therefore, in this study, we developed InflammaProbe-1, an optical imaging probe for targeted visualization of NLRP3 inflammasomes in CNV lesions., Methods: InflammaProbe-1 was synthesized by conjugating a clinically relevant fluorophore, Oregon Green ® 488, to the selective NLRP3 inhibitor, CY-09. The ability of InflammaProbe-1 to target NLRP3 was assessed with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay by comparing its ability to inhibit NLRP3-mediated secretion of IL-1β to that of CY-09 in LPS-primed and nigericin-stimulated BMDMs. In vitro confocal imaging of NLRP3 was performed on InflammaProbe-1-stained BMDMs that had been induced to express NLRP3 with LPS. In vivo imaging of NLRP3 was conducted on mouse laser induced choroidal neovascularization (LCNV), a model of AMD, 6 h after an intraperitoneal injection of InflammaProbe-1 at 10 mg/kg on day 4 post-LCNV., Results: InflammaProbe-1 was just as effective as CY-09 at inhibiting IL-1β secretion ( p < 0.01 at 10 μM for both the InflammaProbe-1 and CY-09 groups relative to the control). InflammaProbe-1-stained BMDMs that had been induced to express NLRP3 showed significantly brighter fluorescence than untreated cells ( p < 0.0001 for LPS treatment group and p < 0.001 for LPS and nigericin treatment group). Furthermore, in vivo molecular imaging of NLRP3 was achieved in mouse LCNV., Conclusion: We propose that InflammaProbe-1 may be a useful molecular imaging probe to monitor the onset, progression, and therapeutic response of AMD and other NLRP3-mediated diseases., 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 Paguaga, Penn and Uddin.)

Bearing on artificial hip joint experiences friction, wear, and surface damage that impact on overall performance and leading to failure at a particular time due to continuous contact that endangers the user. Assessing bearing hip joint using clinical study, experimental testing, and mathematical formula approach is challenging because there are some obstacles from each approach. Computational simulation is an effective alternative approach that is affordable, relatively fast, and more accessible than other approaches in examining various complex conditions requiring extensive resources and several different parameters. In particular, different gait cycles affect the sliding distance and distribution of gait loading acting on the joints. Appropriate selection and addition of gait cycles in computation modelling are crucial for accurate and reliable prediction and analysis of bearing performance such as wear a failure of implants. However, a wide spread of gait cycles and loading data are being considered and studied by researchers as reported in literature. The current article describes a comprehensive literature review adopted walking condition that has been carried out to study bearing using computational simulation approach over the past 30 years. Many knowledge gaps related to adoption procedures, simplification, and future research have been identified to obtain bearing analysis results with more realistic computational simulation approach according to physiological human hip joints., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

This paper addresses a design optimization of a gas turbine (GT) for marine applications. A gain-scheduling method incorporating a meta-heuristic optimization is proposed to optimize a thermodynamics-based model of a small GT engine. A comprehensive control system consisting of a proportional integral (PI) controller with additional proportional gains, gain scheduling, and a min-max controller is developed. The modeling of gains as a function of plant variables is presented. Meta-heuristic optimizations, namely a genetic algorithm (GA) and a whale optimization algorithm (WOA), are applied to optimize the designed control system. The results show that the WOA has better performance than that of the GA, where the WOA exhibits the minimum fitness value. Compared to the unoptimized gain, the time to reach the target of the power lever angle is significantly reduced. Optimal gain scheduling shows a stable response compared with a fixed gain, which can have oscillation effects as a controller responds. An effect of using bioethanol as a fuel has been observed. It shows that for the same input parameters of the GT dynamics model, the fuel flow increases significantly, as compared with diesel fuel, because of its low bioethanol heating value. Thus, a significant increase occurs only at the gain that depends on the fuel flow.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are immature progenitor cells that are found in developing and adult brains that have the potential of dividing actively and renewing themselves, with a complex form of gene expression. The generation of new brain cells in adult individuals was initially considered impossible, however, the landmark discovery of human neural stem cells in the hippocampus has been followed by further discoveries in other discreet regions of the brain. Investigation into the current state in Africa of the research and use of NSCs shows relatively limited activities on the continent. Information on the African application of NSCs for modelling disease mechanisms, drug discovery, and therapeutics is still limited. The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)-African Regional Committee (ARC), with support from the Company of Biologists, and the Movement Disorder Society, sponsored the first African Basic School on NSC in Ibadan, Nigeria, with the vision of bringing together young neuroscientists and physicians across different fields in neuroscience to learn from leaders who have applied NSCs in stem cell research, the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, neuroanatomy, and neurotherapeutics. Twenty early-career researchers in academic institutions at junior and senior faculty cadres were selected from South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria. The students and organizer of the school, who wrote this review on the state of NSCs research in Africa, recommended the following: (1) other African countries can take a cue from South Africa and Nigeria in probing the phenomena of adult neurogenesis in unique animal species on the continent; (2) Africa should leverage the expertise and facilities of South African scientists and international collaborators in scaling up NSC research into these unique species and (3) Centers of Excellence should be established on the continent to serve as research hubs for training postgraduate students, and facilities for African scientists who trained overseas on NSCs., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing or financial interests., (© 2022. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.)