A high-fidelity electron-source Monte Carlo model of a mobile C-arm fluoroscopy system was developed using Particle and Heavy Ion Transport code system (PHITS) to evaluate scattered radiation and calculation acceleration. Electrons were injected into the X-ray tube target, and energy spectra, dose profiles, and scattered doses around the tube head and in the room were calculated. Simulated spectra Simulated spectra agreed with the measured spectra with a root mean square error of 0.06 or less, and the simulation-to-measurement ratios of the scattered air kerma from the electron-source simulations were within 20% at every measurement point. In the simulated two-dimensional distributions, the electron-source simulations showed higher scattered doses than the photon-source simulation at heights above 150 cm. The time required to reach 10% statistical uncertainty decreased from 168.28 h to 72.33 h using the dump technique and to 1.25 h, excluding the dump-generation stage, when combined with the weight window method. The method supports characterization of scattered air-kerma distributions relevant to occupational exposure.
To examine the effect of chronic alcohol exposure on the activity of CYP3A enzymes in human liver, we studied the metabolism of CYP3A-specific substrates 7-benzyloxyquinoline (7-BQ) and ivermectin in 23 preparations of human liver microsomes (HLM) obtained from donors with documented alcohol exposure, from non-drinkers to heavy alcoholics. All HLM samples were characterized for the composition of the cytochrome P450 pool by global proteomics. Our studies revealed a significant increase in the activities of CYP3A enzymes by alcohol exposure. This effect is not associated with CYP3A enzyme levels, which do not correlate with alcohol exposure. Instead, the rates of 7-BQ and ivermectin metabolism correlate with the content of alcohol-inducible CYP2E1. However, this enzyme does not metabolize ivermectin, and its activity with 7-BQ is negligible. A significant increase in the rate of ivermectin demethylation was also observed in CYP3A4-containing Supersomes® and pooled HLM upon incorporation of purified CYP2E1 into their membrane. These results suggest that the reported acceleration of the elimination of drugs metabolized by CYP3A enzymes by alcohol exposure is due to functional effects of the interaction between CYP3A and CYP2E1. To elucidate the potential mechanism of this effect, we studied the formation of CYP2E1-CYP3A4 complexes in CYP3A4-containing Supersomes with co-incorporated CYP2E1 using tag-transfer chemical crosslinking mass spectrometry (CX-MS). These experiments confirmed physical interactions between the proteins and allowed the identification of CYP3A4 residues at the sites of contact. This information was used to build structural models of the CYP2E1-CYP3A4 complex and to propose possible mechanisms for the observed effects.
This study presents direct in situ observational evidence of a cyclonic circulation cell east of Cape Santa María (CSM), in the northern Gulf of Cádiz (GoC). Three Lagrangian drifters deployed in October 2022 revealed a coherent cyclonic circulation cell with a characteristic diameter of approximately 40-45 km, consistently estimated from drifter trajectories and relative vorticity. Their trajectories showed alternating eastward and westward flows, modulated by wind variability, bathymetry, and mesoscale dynamics. Satellite observations showed a cooler, chlorophyll-a enriched core, consistent with upwelling and retention of enriched surface water masses within the circulation cell. High-resolution WRF atmospheric simulations indicated alternating easterly and westerly wind regimes that were associated with reversals in coastal circulation. Westerly winds between 18th and 24th October produced positive Ekman pumping east of CSM, creating conditions favourable to the intensification of cyclonic circulation. The IBI ocean model reproduced the main structure of the circulation cell structure, including flow accelerations near the shelf edge, and indicated upward vertical motions within the cyclonic circulation cell. A Lagrangian particle experiment suggested that the cyclonic cell favours both retention and offshore export of surface waters, with residence times of up to approximately 16 days. Overall, this study highlights the role of interactions between atmospheric forcing, bathymetry, and mesoscale dynamics in controlling small-scale surface circulation in the GoC, and underscores the value of integrating drifter observations, satellite data, and numerical models to characterize coastal dynamics.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is widely used for intra-articular injection to improve joint lubrication and mobility, but its influence on microbiologically influenced corrosion of joint implants remains unclear. Here, we investigated how HA affects the corrosion behavior of TiZr alloy in simulated body fluid (SBF) under sterile and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) biofilm conditions. Surface observations and chemical analysis indicated that HA-related surface coverage was formed on the TiZr surface and reduced surface damage under sterile conditions, suggesting a protective role of HA. However, in the presence of S. aureus biofilm, HA showed contrasting effects at different immersion stages, slightly reducing corrosion at the early stage compared with the S. aureus group but aggravating biofilm-associated localized damage after prolonged exposure. Contact angle analysis showed decreases of 68.1% and 57.1% within 1 min in the S. aureus + HA group on days 7 and 14, respectively, indicating that HA promoted rapid surface wetting and altered the interfacial wetting behavior in the biofilm environment. At these time points, electrochemical tests further confirmed corrosion acceleration, with the S. aureus + HA group showing the highest corrosion current densities among all groups, reaching 7.972 × 10-6 A cm-2 and 2.715 × 10-6 A cm-2, respectively. These results demonstrate that the effect of HA on TiZr alloy corrosion shifts from protection under sterile conditions to corrosion aggravation during prolonged S. aureus biofilm exposure. This finding suggests that HA-related effects on biofilm formation and implant corrosion should be considered when assessing the corrosion risk of TiZr joint implants under infection-related conditions.
This study develops and validates a smartphone-based framework for automatically detecting emergency maneuvers, strong jolts, and crashes involving electric scooters and electric bicycles. Detection criteria were established through controlled track experiments and subsequently evaluated using data collected during a naturalistic riding study involving 119 participants and more than 26,000 km and 1,600 h of riding, combining accelerometer, gyroscope, GPS, and video recordings. Threshold-based detection criteria were defined using variables selected for their physical relevance and ability to discriminate between target and non-target situations. Hard braking, sharp turns, strong jolts, and crash-related events were identified using combinations of acceleration, jerk, rotational dynamics, and post-event vehicle motion. Video review showed that 74% of hard-braking detections corresponded to harsh-braking maneuvers, 64% of sharp-turn detections reflected genuine avoidance maneuvers, and 91% of strong-jolt detections were associated with infrastructure features. Video verification of collision candidates confirmed several reported and previously unreported impacts, including collisions with other road users and single-vehicle falls. Application of the framework to the naturalistic dataset revealed marked differences between vehicle types. E-scooter users experienced higher rates of hard braking and strong jolts than e-bicycle users, reflecting behavioral differences and vehicle characteristics. Illustrative mapping examples showed that detected events and rider-reported hazardous situations could occur in close proximity, suggesting opportunities for future spatial analyses of micromobility safety. Although additional validation on larger crash datasets is required, the results demonstrate that threshold-based approaches can provide meaningful indicators of rider safety, support large-scale monitoring of micromobility risks, and contribute to infrastructure and transport-safety assessment.
High-Intensity Interval Cross Training (HIICT) combines sprinting, plyometric, and functional strength exercises, but its effects compared with classical sprint training in male junior sprinters remain unclear. This study examined the effects of HIICT and Classical Training (CT) on physical and sprint performance in male junior sprinters. Sixty-four male junior sprinters were randomly assigned to an HIICT group or a CT group for an 8-week intervention. Both groups completed similar overall internal training loads. Assessments before and after the intervention included sprint performance, jump performance, ground contact time, strength-related outcomes, anaerobic power, and body composition. Internal load was monitored using session rating of perceived exertion. Training load was comparable between groups throughout the intervention. Compared with CT, HIICT showed more favorable changes in 100-m sprint performance, first-60-m split time, ground contact time, countermovement jump performance, and relative peak power. Squat jump performance improved in both groups, with a greater tendency toward improvement following HIICT. Changes in body composition and several strength-related outcomes were broadly similar between groups, whereas power-clean performance showed a more favorable response in the HIICT group. These findings suggest that, under comparable internal training loads, HIICT may provide additional benefits for sprint-related explosive qualities and acceleration-related performance in male junior sprinters. From a practical perspective, HIICT may be considered as a supplementary training option within junior sprint training programs, particularly when the aim is to target sprint-specific neuromuscular qualities. However, given the specific sample and methodological limitations, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and require confirmation in future studies.
Predicted deleterious mutations (SNPs) have different distributions of effects compared to random SNPs based on population composition. Variant prioritization of markers based on deleterious scores can improve the prediction of yield. Favoring mating schemes between parents with fewer highly deleterious mutations can increase the rate of genetic gain. The study of mutations is fundamental to understanding evolution, domestication, and genetics. Characterizing mutations has potential to accelerate breeding programs through selection and purging deleterious mutations (DelMut). We investigated how predicting DelMut in breeding populations informs genomic prediction (GP) increasing the rate of genetic gain. DelMut were annotated in three independent common bean populations using a previously developed random forest (RF) model for common bean incorporating phylogenetic and protein information. Deleterious scores from the RF model were around 0.25, with the top 1% (highly DelMut) of variants scoring between 0.78 and 0.82 among populations. All populations showed variation in the number of highly DelMut per line (max. 13-197) and in genetic load. We assessed the impact of incorporating a priori information on DelMut for variant prioritization and weighting in GP models for yield and flowering time. Stochastic simulations were conducted to evaluate how designing mating schemes based on variable numbers of DelMut per parent can affect genetic gain. Variants with higher predicted scores had significantly different effect distributions compared to random or lower-scored markers. Simulated breeding cycles showed that selecting parents with fewer highly DelMut consistently increases the rate of genetic gain, and depending on the population, can be superior to phenotypic selection. These results highlight the potential of DelMut information for variant prioritization and the optimization of common bean breeding programs. The approaches we developed can be applied to other species to improve the efficacy of crop improvement.
This descriptive clinical case series analyzes five cases of destructive thyrotoxicosis associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, historically referred to as hashitoxicosis, initially misdiagnosed as Graves' disease, highlighting a persistent diagnostic challenge in autoimmune thyroid disorders. The series includes four published cases reported between 2000 and 2025 and one unpublished case contributed by the authors. The cohort comprised three females and two males, with a mean age of 55.4 years (range: 21-69). Clinical presentations were heterogeneous, most commonly fatigue (80%), palpitations (60%), and weight changes (40%), while two patients exhibited no overt hyperthyroid symptoms.Biochemical evaluation demonstrated suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in all cases (range: <0.000-0.13 µIU/mL), elevated anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies in 80% (range: 41->1,000 IU/mL), and initially negative thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies (TRAb/TSI) in 60% of patients. Seroconversion to positive TRAb/TSI was observed in two cases during follow-up, suggesting autoimmune overlap rather than definitive disease transition. Imaging findings, including thyroid ultrasonography and radioiodine uptake (RAI) studies, consistently favored destructive thyroiditis over stimulatory hyperthyroidism, with heterogeneous echotexture observed in 75% of assessed cases and low or normal RAI uptake in all evaluated patients.Misdiagnosis occurred in 80% of cases, predominantly due to reliance on suppressed TSH levels without TRAb confirmation, resulting in inappropriate antithyroid drug administration in 80% and accelerated hypothyroidism in 60%. Immunopathological interpretation based on existing literature supports a predominantly Th1-mediated destructive process, in contrast to the Th2-driven antibody-mediated stimulation characteristic of Graves' disease, with rare Th1-to-Th2 immune shifts reported. Clinical outcomes ranged from spontaneous resolution to surgical intervention.This case series underscores the importance of mandatory TRAb testing, adherence to American and European Thyroid Association guidelines, and early specialist referral to reduce iatrogenic harm and improve diagnostic precision in autoimmune thyroid disease.
To examine associations between social drivers of health and veteran-level reach of STRIDE, a supervised walking program implemented in the Veterans Health Administration (VA). We included 2527 patients across 5 facilities. We tested whether housing insecurity, rurality, race, and neighborhood deprivation were associated with reach, defined as any STRIDE walk during hospitalization. We used the first 6 months of postimplementation data from a stepped-wedge implementation trial. During the implementation period, 197 veterans (7.8%) received at least 1 STRIDE walk. In unadjusted models, patients residing rurally (vs. urban) and those who were White, non-Hispanic/Latino (NH) (vs. Black NH) were significantly more likely to receive ≥1 STRIDE walk. Unadjusted models showed large site differences in STRIDE reach, ranging from 3% to 26% probability by site. Reach differences coincided somewhat with facility-level racial composition: the lowest reach was observed at a site with a majority of Black NH admitted patients, whereas the highest reach was found at a site with a majority of White NH patients. In adjusted models, patient-level rurality remained associated with greater reach (probability 9% for rural veterans vs. 6% for urban veterans), but race was no longer associated (probability 6% among White NH veterans vs. 7% among Black NH veterans). Patient-level rurality was consistently positively associated with implementation outcomes. Patient-level race was associated with implementation outcomes in unadjusted but not adjusted models. Secondary analyses in implementation trials may help assess how social drivers of health are associated with implementation outcomes.
The effect of land cover changes on annual peak discharge is evaluated using a novel method combining principal component analysis (PCA) and random forest regression (RF). This approach calculates original feature contributions by multiplying absolute PCA loadings with RF-derived component importances, enabling direct attribution of discharge variations to specific land cover types in each subbasin, which represents an integration unexplored in prior PCA-RF applications. The PCA-RF method is applied in the basin upstream of Golestan Dam, Iran. It uses multitemporal Landsat imagery for NDVI-based land cover classification, annual instantaneous peak discharge data from hydrometric stations, and elevation data for subbasin delineation over a limited period (post-2003, due to data constraints). Despite limitations like scarce hydrometric data and a short collection period, the method analyzes relationships between land cover classes and floods in subbasins. Remote sensing provides spatial vegetation patterns, organized via GIS; PCA reduces dimensionality and identifies key factors; RF models nonlinear relationships with high accuracy (R2 0.78-0.90, per SHAP insights). Quantitatively, urban/barren lands dominated in Tangerah (26.3%) and Hajji Qushan (30.9%) and thin vegetation in Galikash (26.9%) and Tamar Gorgan (26.8%), with dense vegetation lowest in Hajji Qushan (2%). Findings confirm land cover changes significantly impact flood peaks, varying spatially: Urban/barren lands accelerate runoff, and vegetation mitigates it. The PCA-RF method captures these dynamics despite constraints and offers policymakers insights for flood risk reduction, vegetation restoration, urban runoff control, sustainable management, and adaptive planning. Furthermore, this work provides insights into the interactions between land cover changes and flood risks that assist policymakers and land managers in developing effective strategies for flood risk reduction, water resource management, and sustainable use practices.
Metal‑nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) materials originating from prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are regarded as attractive catalysts toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Nevertheless, they suffer from drawbacks of poor conductivity and catalyst deactivation owing to metal aggregation. In this work, through a dual optimization strategy depending on structure regulation and interface engineering, we prepared a bead-like iron diselenide/nickel diselenide‑nitrogen-doped carbon@carbon nanofibers (FeSe2/NiSe2-NC@CNF) electrocatalyst with FeSe2/NiSe2-NC evenly anchored in the carbon nanofibers (CNF) one by one. FeSe2/NiSe2-NC@CNF demonstrates outstanding dual-functional electrocatalytic activity toward OER (Ej=10 = 254 mV, Ej=300 = 403 mV) and HER (Ej=450 = 601 mV) at high current densities. In addition, when applied to overall water splitting, the potential of FeSe2/NiSe2-NC@CNF at 10 mA·cm-2 is only 1.63 V, indicating its outstanding water electrolysis capability. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the additional unsaturated coordinated NiSe bonds in FeSe2/NiSe2-NC@CNF are beneficial to optimizing the adsorption/desorption behaviors of intermediates and accelerating the rate-determining step (*O transforming into *OOH). The present study proposes a rational design strategy to optimize the performance of M-N-C catalysts, and lays the foundation for the advancement of superior bifunctional non-noble metal catalysts toward overall water electrolysis.
Peracetic acid (PAA)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have emerged as promising strategies for antibiotic removal. However, the efficiency of PAA-based AOPs remains constrained due to rapid charge carrier recombination and the overlooked contribution of photothermal effects to PAA activation. Herein, MnO2/Cu2O S-scheme heterojunctions were constructed through a hydrothermal-precipitation method, enabling the synergistic use of photothermal and photocatalytic effects for enhanced PAA activation. Notably, the MOCO-0.6/PAA/Vis system achieved 96.17% MTZ removal within 30 minutes, exhibiting an apparent rate constant (koβs) that was 1.89 times higher than that of the temperature-controlled system and 11.75 times higher than that under dark conditions, respectively. Infrared thermography revealed that the photothermal response of MnO2 and Cu2O elevated the reaction temperature, thereby reducing the activation energy barrier and accelerating the oxidation process. Crucially, the S-scheme heterojunction structure inhibited charge recombination and simultaneously promoted the Mn(IV)/Mn(III) and Cu(I)/Cu(II) redox processes during the reaction. Furthermore, the MOCO-0.6/PAA/Vis system maintained high MTZ removal efficiencies (>80%) in tap water, lake water, simulated chemical wastewater, and simulated hospital wastewater, demonstrating its strong resistance to matrix interference and applicability in complex environmental waters. LC-MS analysis combined with mung bean seed germination tests was further conducted to evaluate the toxicity evolution of the degraded solution. These findings highlight the synergistic contribution of photothermal-enhanced PAA activation and S-scheme-mediated photocatalysis in accelerating antibiotic degradation, providing a promising strategy for the practical treatment of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater under environmentally relevant conditions.
Osteoarthritis (OA) lacks approved disease-modifying therapies. Here, by integrating quantitative proteomics with reanalysis of public single-cell RNA sequencing data from human articular cartilage, we identify thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) as a pathogenic regulator linking inflammatory stress to metabolic rewiring and matrix breakdown. TK1 is markedly upregulated in OA chondrocytes. Mechanistically, IL-1β enhances S-palmitoylation of TK1 at Cys153, which promotes USP9X-dependent deubiquitination and prevents proteasomal degradation, leading to TK1 accumulation. Stabilized TK1 acts as a scaffold to potentiate JNK signaling, increase PRMT1 and PFKFB3 expression, drive excessive glycolysis, and accelerate extracellular matrix catabolism. Conversely, the depalmitoylase PPT1 destabilizes TK1 and restrains glycolytic activation. Based on this mechanism, we developed a cell-penetrating interfering peptide, Depalm-WT, which disrupts the TK1-JNK interaction, promotes TK1 depalmitoylation and degradation, and suppresses downstream catabolic responses. In preclinical OA models, Depalm-WT attenuated cartilage degeneration and disease progression. These findings define a palmitoylation-stabilized TK1-JNK-glycolysis axis in OA and support targeted TK1 destabilization as a potential therapeutic strategy.
Regulating the motion speed of photothermally driven nanorobots remains a significant challenge, as relying solely on a single thermal gradient often fails to provide sufficient driving force differentials for effective speed-switching. Herein, inspired by the thermo-responsive phase-change behavior of organics, we report a thermal switch-activated variable-speed nanorobot based on an aminophenol-formaldehyde concave asymmetric hollow nanobowl. By co-encapsulating ammonium bicarbonate as a chemical fuel and 1-tetradecanol as a phase change material, the designed nanorobot (denoted as AB/AF@TD) possesses a thermo-activated switch for speed control. Under 1.0 W/cm2 NIR irradiation, 1-tetradecanol provides an endothermic buffer that limits the photothermal temperature, resulting in a low-speed level driven primarily by self-thermophoresis. Conversely, higher-power NIR irradiation (2.0 W/cm2) triggers the phase transition of 1-tetradecanol, inducing rapid temperature elevation and the subsequent decomposition of ammonium bicarbonate. The generated microbubbles propel the nanorobot to a high-speed level through a synergistic effect with self-thermophoresis. Accordingly, AB/AF@TD exhibits three distinct motion levels containing Brownian motion, low-speed level (5.4 μm/s), and high-speed level (13.5 μm/s). The high-to-low velocity ratio is 2.5, significantly outperforming the 1.4 ratio of the aminophenol-formaldehyde control nanorobot (denoted as APFC). Benefiting from accelerated mass transfer and the chelating and redox activities of surface phenolic hydroxyl and amino groups, AB/AF@TD achieves 95.6% removal of 20 mg/L aqueous Cr(VI) within 30 min, a removal efficiency 1.2 times that of APFC. These results offer implications for the motion control of nanorobots and emphasize their potential in smart environmental remediation.
Bispecific antibodies that reroute cytotoxic effectors toward infected cells are promising HIV-1 cure agents, yet existing formats bind Env and are limited by antigenic variation and Env down-regulation. We engineered a TCR-mimic single-chain diabody, HI12, that recognizes a conserved Pol-derived peptide presented by HLA-A*02:01 and evaluated its effect in HLA-matched, HIV-infected humanized mice. When administered during early antiretroviral therapy (ART), HI12 was well tolerated, activated CD8+ T cells, and accelerated plasma virus decay. Treatment produced three- to eightfold reductions in intact and total proviral DNA within lymph-node and splenic CD4+ T cells, indicating substantive reservoir clearance. After ART interruption, HI12-treated animals showed a significant delay in viral rebound compared with controls, linking reservoir reduction to improved posttherapy control. These findings provide in vivo evidence that a peptide-HLA-directed bispecific antibody can both shrink the intact HIV reservoir and defer viral recrudescence, supporting further development of TCR-mimic bispecific antibodies for cure strategies.
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) like semaglutide have transformed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management, yet emerging concerns highlight potential risks of accelerated sarcopenia and subsequent metabolic disruptions. This case-driven hypothesis explores a 53-year-old male with T2DM diagnosed in 2014, who experienced progressive glycemic failure despite standard therapies, including metformin, glipizide, sitagliptin, and empagliflozin. Transition to dulaglutide 1.5 mg for 1.5 years followed by semaglutide (titrated from 0.25 to 1 mg weekly starting September 2024) resulted in weight loss from 84 kg to 70 kg by September 2025, accompanied by sarcopenic symptoms (muscle weakness, reduced mobility) and refractory hyperglycemia (fasting glucose 300 mg/dL, HbA1c 9%), persisting post-discontinuation on September 1, 2025, despite metformin and empagliflozin. We posit that semaglutide may precipitate acute sarcopenia via unexpected GLP-1R-mTOR-satellite cells axis crosstalk, disrupting AMPK-mTOR balance to suppress anabolic mTORC1/IGF-1 signaling (potentially by 25-35%) while enhancing catabolic FOXO/ubiquitin-proteasome and excessive autophagy pathways. This could extend to myokine reprogramming (elevated myostatin/GDF15, reduced irisin/IL-15), glucagon/α-cell compensation inducing hyperglucagonemia (15-25% rise), microbiome-bile acid shifts fostering low-grade inflammation (IL-6/TNF-α upregulation by 10-15%), mitochondrial mass reduction (20-25% via AMPK), and NMJ disassembly, collectively impairing muscle as the primary glucose sink (reducing GLUT4-mediated uptake by 35-45%) and initiating a «muscle-glucose feedback loop» with hepatic gluconeogenesis amplification, yielding treatment-resistant hyperglycemia.Supporting evidence from cohorts (e.g., 24-month study showing ASMI/grip strength declines in 432 patients), longitudinal analyses (NMJ degradation with CAF22/NfL elevations in 141 men), secondary trials (9.3% psoas volume loss in 51 MASLD cases), and case reports (fatigue in a 74-year-old, rhabdomyolysis in a 47-year-old) aligns with this framework, as does in vitro data linking GLP-1 excess to kinesin-1/GLUT4 inhibition and ATP depletion (20-30%). This novel hypothesis underscores sarcopenia's role in GLP-1RA-induced metabolic paradoxes, urging prospective studies on muscle-preserving interventions like resistance training or GLP-1R modulators to refine T2DM paradigms and inspire multidisciplinary research into endocrine-muscle interactions.
The central vein sign (CVS) was included in 2024 McDonald criteria but remains underutilized in clinical practice. Implementation of CVS may reduce the requirement for lumbar punctures (LPs). At Nottingham, UK academic multiple sclerosis (MS) center, we implemented a fast-track (FT) pathway incorporating CVS analysis for people referred with imaging suggestive of MS as part of a quality improvement project. We retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients diagnosed with MS referred between March 1, 2024, and July 31, 2025. Data from 59 consecutive patients were analyzed. The mean time to diagnosis was 2.9 months in FT pathway and 5.6 months in usual outpatient pathway (Student t test mean 83-day difference, p = 0.003). No people with MS in FT pathway received a LP. The mean cost per patient was £707 (FT) vs £999 (outpatient). Routine application of CVS within a structured diagnostic pathway accelerated diagnosis, eliminated LPs, and reduced costs. Our findings support a broader adoption of CVS to streamline MS workup.
Interfacial charge recombination severely limits the photocatalytic efficiency of CdTe. Herein, a reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-CdTe nanocrystal heterojunction is rationally constructed via a one-pot solvothermal strategy to regulate charge carrier dynamics. The two-dimensional conductive RGO scaffold enables intimate interfacial contact and acts as an efficient electron acceptor, promoting rapid charge extraction and suppressing recombination, as confirmed by photoluminescence quenching and enhanced photocurrent response. The optimized composite exhibits markedly improved visible-light photocatalytic activity, achieving 91.8% degradation of methylene blue within 90 min. The degradation proceeds through the formation of reactive species, yielding smaller intermediates and partially mineralized products. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrates excellent stability with minimal activity loss over multiple cycles. Mechanistic analysis indicates that the enhanced performance originates from accelerated interfacial electron transfer and prolonged carrier lifetime, enabling efficient generation of reactive oxygen species. This work provides a facile one-pot solvothermal strategy for engineering graphene-mediated heterojunctions toward high-efficiency environmental photocatalysis.
The potential impact of increasing exposure to blue light (BL; 450-470 nm) from digital devices during early life on skeletal development remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to investigate the effects of BL exposure and its duration during the prepubertal period on the epiphyseal plate. Thirty-six Sprague Dawley rats (18 male, 18 female), aged 21 days, were randomly divided into six groups: Control (CG), Blue Light-6 h (BL-6), and Blue Light-12 h (BL-12). CG rats were maintained under a standard 12-h light/dark cycle, while BL groups were exposed to blue light for 6 or 12 h daily until the first pubertal sign (vaginal opening or preputial separation). After euthanasia, femur and tibia lengths were measured. Epiphyseal plate and proliferation zone thickness were histologically assessed. IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 expression levels in the epiphyseal plate were evaluated using immunohistochemistry; serum levels were analyzed by ELISA. Females: The median days for the onset of puberty were 38th, 32nd,and 30th for CG,BL-6,and BL-12 respectively(p = 0.001). The occipital tail length difference(%) was greater in BL-6 and BL-12 compared to CG(p = 0.029, p = 0.006). Femur length in BL-6 was greater than in CG(p = 0.04). No differences were found in serum IGF1 and IGFBP3 levels among the groups(p = 0.83, p = 0.61). The epiphyseal plate length, proliferation zone length, and IGF1,IGFBP3 expression in BL-12 were higher than in CG(p = 0.0004, p = 0.0004). Males: The median days for the onset of puberty were 38th, 30th,and 28th for CG,BL-6,and BL-12 respectively(p = 0.0001). The tail length difference (%) in BL-12 was greater than in CG(p = 0.02) while serum IGFBP3 levels in BL-6 were higher than in CG(p = 0.03). The epiphyseal plate length, proliferation zone length, and IGF1, IGFBP3 expression in BL-12 were higher than in CG(p = 0.0002, p = 0.0002). Degeneration and calcification consistent with changes in the proliferation zone were observed in both sexes. Prepubertal blue light exposure induces structural and molecular changes in the growth plate, accelerating both proliferation and maturation. These changes mirror early gonadal maturation observed in previous studies and suggest systemic neuroendocrine involvement. While linear growth may initially increase, accelerated epiphyseal maturation could ultimately restrict final height.
Speckle patterns in ultrasound images often obscure anatomical details, leading to diagnostic uncertainty. Recently, various deep learning-based techniques have been introduced to effectively suppress speckle; however, their high computational costs pose challenges for low-resource devices, such as portable ultrasound systems. To address this issue, we introduce Edge Speckle Reduction and Image Enhancement (EdgeSRIE), a lightweight hybrid deep learning framework for real-time speckle reduction and image enhancement in portable ultrasound imaging. The proposed framework consists of an unsupervised despeckling branch and a self-supervised deblurring branch trained separately in sequence with AdamW (learning rate 1 × 10- 4) and an L2 loss. The integrated model was converted to an 8-bit deployment model using post-training quantization on a low-resource system-on-chip. Training used 1779 B-mode images (BUSI and HC18), validation used 77 raw acquisitions (PICMUS and CUBDL), and external evaluation used 94 EdgeFlow UH-10 bladder images. EdgeSRIE was compared with OSRAD, OBNLM, DIAE, DUNet, BRUNet, and USNet using contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), speckle signal-to-noise ratio (SSNR), average gradient magnitude (AGM), and structural similarity index measure (SSIM); paired inference used two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank tests with Holm correction and rank-biserial and Hedges' g effect sizes. Across the four representative cases, post-training-quantized EdgeSRIE achieved the largest mean improvement in CNR (64.9 ± 21.0%) and the smallest mean decrease in AGM (-16.6 ± 33.2%). SSNR (109.8 ± 45.8%) was in the OBNLM-led range, whereas SSIM remained slightly lower than OSRAD and OBNLM on its native [0, 1] scale. The deployed model contained 17.67K parameters and reached 64.10 frames/s on the target hardware. In the case-matched analysis (n = 8), EdgeSRIE showed Holm-corrected significant advantages over all six baselines in CNR, over five of six in SSNR, and over four of six in AGM. For SSIM, EdgeSRIE was significantly higher than the four deep learning baselines but lower than OSRAD and OBNLM. Across the statistically significant comparisons, the magnitude-based effect sizes were large (Hedges' g ≥ 0.8). These results support the feasibility of EdgeSRIE as a compact, deployment-oriented framework that balances speckle suppression, structural preservation, and real-time execution for portable ultrasound imaging.