Search Results (59,769)

Sustainable reservoir-system management requires coordinated operation to balance economic benefits, sediment regulation, and ecological requirements while maintaining equitable and durable cooperation among participating reservoirs. Focusing on the Wanjiazhai, Sanmenxia, and Xiaolangdi reservoirs in the middle and lower Yellow River Basin, this study develops an integrated framework that links multi-objective reservoir operation, coordination-oriented scheme selection, and compensation allocation under representative dry, normal, and wet hydrological conditions. NSGA-II is used to identify Pareto trade-offs among sediment transport, electricity production, and ecological water-deficit control, while the coupling-coordination degree model is applied to select schemes with balanced overall performance. CRITIC-TOPSIS is then used to allocate compensation by integrating static engineering attributes with operation-induced dynamic responses. The results show that the maximum coupling-coordination degrees reach 0.81, 0.88, and 0.90 under dry, normal, and wet conditions, respectively. Compared with actual operation, the recommended schemes increase total electricity production while reflecting hydrologically dependent trade-offs in sediment transport and ecological water-deficit control. Xiaolangdi Reservoir consistently receives the largest compensation share, followed by Wanjiazhai Reservoir and Sanmenxia Reservoir, and this ranking remains consistent across alternative allocation methods. By linking operational trade-offs with reservoir-specific contributions and compensation priorities, the framework supports more adaptive and equitable joint operation and provides a quantitative decision-support approach for improving the long-term environmental, economic, and institutional sustainability of reservoir-system management in the Yellow River Basin. Full article

Photosynthetic carbon assimilation under photorespiratory conditions requires tight coordination between chloroplast electron transport and mitochondrial redox metabolism, yet the contribution of mitochondrial alternative oxidase (AOX) remains unresolved. Using 1 mM salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) to inhibit the AOX pathway in Rumex K-1 leaves, we investigated how mitochondrial alternative respiration contributes to carbon assimilation. AOX inhibition imposed a non-stomatal limitation on CO₂ assimilation and reduced photosystem II (PSII) electron transport. However, low O₂ or elevated CO₂ alleviated the decline in CO₂ assimilation while PSII photochemistry remained depressed, and AOX inhibition reduced apparent V_cmax without significantly affecting J_max, indicating that the primary constraint lay downstream of PSII in photorespiratory carbon metabolism. Electron flux through PSII and the electron fluxes supporting the photosynthetic carbon reduction and photorespiratory carbon oxidation cycles all decreased under SHAM treatment, indicating reduced PSII electron transport and electron use associated with carbon assimilation and photorespiration. AOX inhibition caused glycine accumulation and increased the Gly/Ser ratio under illumination but not in darkness, indicating restricted mitochondrial glycine-to-serine conversion during photorespiration. Together, these responses suggest that AOX-dependent ubiquinol oxidation helps sustain mitochondrial NADH reoxidation and NAD⁺ regeneration, thereby supporting glycine-to-serine conversion and photorespiratory carbon recycling. Full article

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) has emerged as a material for electrochemical energy conversion, serving dual primary roles in fuel cell technologies: (i) as an electrocatalyst precursor for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) through pyrolysis-derived N-doped porous carbons and metal–nitrogen–carbon (M–N–C) structures, and (ii) as a membrane component that enhances proton conductivity via imidazole-mediated Grotthuss hopping while suppressing fuel crossover through molecular sieving. This comprehensive review systematically evaluates ZIF-8 performance across multiple fuel cell types, including primarily proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), as well as direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), and microbial fuel cells (MFCs), while also covering related electrochemical applications such as zinc–air batteries, supercapacitors, and water splitting devices, where ZIF-8-derived materials demonstrate improved catalytic activity. The review examines structure–performance relationships, highlighting strategies such as heteroatom doping, bimetallic synergy, hierarchical porosity engineering, and polymer composite fabrication that have enabled ZIF-8-based catalysts to achieve ORR half-wave potentials and PEMFC power densities, rivaling commercial Pt/C systems. ZIF-8 composite membranes demonstrate proton conductivities in polybenzimidazole systems and effective methanol blocking. Despite improved progress, challenges persist regarding long-term stability, scalable synthesis, and degradation mechanism understanding. This review critically analyzes recent advances, identifies performance-limiting factors across applications, and outlines future research directions for developing commercially viable ZIF-8-based electrochemical technologies. Full article

Coastal plain river networks require coordinated gate-pump operation when typhoon rainfall coincides with tidal backwater. This study implemented a SWMM–NSGA-II simulation–optimization framework for the northern drainage river network of Yuyao City, China, using Typhoon In-Fa as a representative event. The framework links distributed rainfall-runoff simulation, river-network hydrodynamics, tide-affected outfall pumping, and coordinated operation of coastal and internal hydraulic structures. Water-level bounds at Linshan, Dongpu, and Mazhu were imposed as full-process hard constraints, and three objectives were minimized within the feasible domain: water-level penalty, pumping energy consumption, and gate-pump switching count. The final Pareto set contained 36 feasible non-dominated schedules, all with zero constraint violation ($CV=0$). The discrete quadratic water-level exceedance penalty index at the three control stations, the total energy consumption of the three controlled pumping stations over the 72 h horizon, and the cumulative number of binary state changes of the controlled sluice stations and individual pump units ranged from 39.29 to 51.59 m${}^2$, 914.15 to 1364.00 GJ, and 184 to 256, respectively. The equal-weight compromise schedule yielded 42.65 m${}^2$, 967.82 GJ, and 215 state changes. Compared with the historical baseline operation without the newly commissioned Taojialu and Leanhu pumping stations, this schedule reduced the 72 h accumulated exceedance above the target levels at the three control stations from 25.43 to 8.11 m·h , corresponding to a reduction of 68.1%. The results indicate distinct hydraulic roles for coastal and internal structures: coastal outfalls mainly control tide-window drainage and forced-discharge capacity, whereas internal gates and pumping stations regulate water redistribution and the transmission of water-level reductions. Full article

During roll-on load-out of a semi-submersible barge, ballast-water regulation directly affects floating-state accuracy, operational safety, and longitudinal structural response. Conventional ballasting relies heavily on predefined plans and operator experience, making it difficult to simultaneously ensure stern-draft matching, engineering operability, and structural safety under continuously changing heavy-load conditions. This study proposes an engineering-oriented two-stage ballast-water optimization framework incorporating field-derived expert knowledge and coordinated floating state–deflection control for a 45,000-ton semi-submersible barge. Ballast adjustments in individual tanks are used as decision variables subject to physical, floating-state, operational, and structural constraints. In Stage I, an NSGA-II-based population search explores the feasible ballast space using stern-draft deviation as the primary ranking criterion while enforcing trim, heel, tank-capacity, and operational constraints. In Stage II, PSO performs local refinement of the selected feasible solutions; trim and heel are included in the fitness evaluation and remain subject to hard operational limits. Hull longitudinal deflection is subsequently incorporated to form coordinated floating state–deflection optimization. Field measurements from the Module-001 load-out process are used for validation. Compared with standalone PSO, the proposed two-stage method reduces the maximum stern-draft error from 0.103 m to 0.019 m and decreases the average optimization time from approximately 18 min to 4 min. Additional validation using the more complex Module-002 load-out case yields stern-draft errors of approximately 0.001 m for most conditions and a maximum error of 0.007 m. Under coordinated optimization, stern-draft deviations remain within ±0.02 m, trim and heel satisfy the prescribed operational limits, and the maximum relative hull deflection is controlled within approximately 0.06 m. The optimized strategy evolves from fore-and-aft-dominated regulation to coordinated whole-tank regulation, with midship tanks contributing to longitudinal deformation control. The proposed method therefore provides a practical framework for intelligent ballast regulation during heavy-load roll-on operations. Full article

Background/Objectives: Class II malocclusion in growing patients may be associated with altered mandibular posture, occlusal instability, and adaptive changes in masticatory muscle function. This prospective, controlled, non-randomized longitudinal study evaluated changes in masseter and anterior temporalis muscle activity during Andresen functional appliance therapy and compared them with untreated Class I and Class II controls. Methods: Seventy children with skeletal and dental Class II malocclusion were treated with a customized Andresen appliance; 50 untreated Class II children and 30 untreated children with physiological Class I occlusion served as comparison groups. All participants were in mixed dentition and at cervical stage CS3 at baseline. Standardized bilateral sEMG recordings were obtained at T0, T1 (6 months), and T2 (12 months). Longitudinal sEMG outcomes were analyzed using mixed-design repeated-measures ANOVA, with time as the within-subject factor and group as the between-subject factor; prespecified T0-to-T2 contrasts were accompanied by Cohen’s d effect sizes. Results: In the treated Class II cohort, IMPACT increased from 108.64 ± 3.40 at T0 to 111.58 ± 3.13 at T1 and 113.82 ± 3.27 at T2 (within-group time effect p < 0.001). ATTIV changed from −0.88 ± 0.42 at T0 to +0.96 ± 0.55 at T1 and +1.65 ± 0.78 at T2 (p < 0.001). In contrast, neither the untreated Class II nor the physiological Class I group showed statistically significant within-group time effects for IMPACT (p = 0.96 and p = 0.58, respectively) or ATTIV (p = 0.78 and p = 0.93, respectively). Significant T0-to-T2 differences between treated and untreated Class II groups were observed for ATTIV (p < 0.001; d = +5.28) and IMPACT (p < 0.001; d = +2.00). Conclusions: Andresen therapy was associated with statistically supported longitudinal differences in masticatory muscle recruitment compared with untreated Class II controls. The observed pattern may reflect treatment-associated neuromuscular adaptation; however, causal attribution remains limited by the non-randomized design, and the sEMG changes should be interpreted as modifications in muscle recruitment rather than as evidence of physiological normalization or clinical improvement. Full article

Background: Somatostatin analogs (SSAs) are widely used in the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Despite SSAs having a favorable safety profile, their long-term impact on glucose metabolism and bone health remains uncertain. This study aimed to compare glycemic, calcium-phosphorus, and densitometric parameters between patients with sporadic NETs receiving SSA therapy and untreated patients. Methods: A retrospective observational study enrolling patients with sporadic NETs was conducted at Federico II University of Naples, Endocrinology Unit, ENETS Center of Excellence. Results: A total of 40 patients were enrolled: 18 (45%) treated with SSA (SSA+) and 22 (55%) untreated (SSA−). The median duration of SSA treatment was 24.5 months (range 12–180). HbA1c was significantly higher in the SSA+ group compared to SSA− (median 6.20% vs. 5.70%; p = 0.027). Corrected calcium levels were significantly lower in SSA+ patients (8.90 vs. 9.47 mg/dL; p = 0.045). No significant differences were observed between groups in phosphorus, vitamin D or PTH levels. Median lumbar T-score was −0.15 in SSA+ vs. −1.10 in SSA− (p = 0.256); lumbar BMD was 1.23 vs. 0.97 g/cm² (p = 0.127). Femoral neck T-score was −0.85 vs. −1.55 and femoral BMD was 0.89 vs. 0.78 g/cm². The prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia did not differ significantly between groups. Within the SSA+ group, treatment duration showed no significant correlations with any densitometric parameter. Conclusions: SSA treatment in patients with sporadic NETs is associated with a significant impairment of glycemic control. The reduction in serum calcium observed in SSA+ patients may indicate an indirect effect on calcium-phosphorus metabolism that warrants further investigation. These findings support careful metabolic assessment during follow-up. Although routine densitometric evaluation based solely on SSA exposure does not appear warranted, bone health assessment may be considered according to individual skeletal risk factors and the patient’s overall clinical profile. Full article

This study aims to comprehensively investigate the usability of white mulberry (Morus alba L.) leaf extract as a natural dye, including its fastness properties, antibacterial activity, and antioxidant activity. In the study, dyeing processes were carried out on cotton fabric, wool fabric, wool yarn, polyester, leather, and pine wood materials using different mordanting techniques (pre-, co-, and post-mordanting) and pH values (4 and 8). Copper-II-sulfate, iron-II-sulfate, alum, silver nitrate, Reşadiye clay, and Önal-1 [3% (v/v) NH₃ + 3% (w/v) Urea + 3% (w/v) CaC₂O₄] were used as mordants. Washing, light, rubbing, and perspiration fastness of the dyed materials were evaluated according to international standards, and color properties were analyzed using the CIE-Lab* system and Kubelka–Munk (K/S) values. Structural characterization of the extract was carried out using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, LC-MS/MS, and TLC. Antibacterial activity of the dyed materials was assessed using the disk-diffusion method, with undyed, extract-only, and mordant-only controls used to distinguish the contributions of the extract and the mordants. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) evaluation across six solvent fractions revealed marked solvent-dependent efficacy, with the apolar hexane fraction exhibiting the highest reducing capacity (436.3 ± 12.45 µmol TE/g fw), followed by the chloroform (423.83 ± 11.76 µmol TE/g fw) and hexane/ethyl acetate (406.98 ± 10.23 µmol TE/g fw) fractions, whereas the polar methanol fraction showed the lowest reducing capacity (100.76 ± 4.32 µmol TE/g fw). This reducing potential was statistically associated with the enriched flavonoid and phenolic core constituents identified via LC-MS/MS, primarily hesperidin (8.365 ± 0.432 mg/g) and isoquercetin (0.645 ± 0.054 mg/g). Because only the single-electron-transfer FRAP assay was performed, no radical-scavenging (IC₅₀) metrics are reported. The reducing capacity is therefore interpreted cautiously as a collective property of the phenolic–flavonoid fraction, in which hesperidin and isoquercetin are the principal contributors rather than any single decisive compound. The results revealed that white mulberry leaf extract exhibited high K/S values (21.33 for cotton fabric and 27.91 for wool yarn) and excellent antibacterial activity, particularly when a silver nitrate mordant was used. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed the presence of bioactive compounds, including hesperidin (8.365 mg/g), isoquercetin (0.645 mg/g), and vanillic acid (0.189 mg/g) in the extract. These findings indicate that white mulberry leaf extract is a plant-derived colorant with multifunctional potential for textile, leather, and wood substrates. The present work does not quantify the environmental footprint of the complete process; therefore, no overall sustainability advantage relative to conventional dyeing is claimed. Any future environmental assessment should include measured extraction energy, water consumption, mordant loading, residual-metal concentrations in spent baths, and wastewater-treatment requirements. Full article

Background/Objectives: Glucose variability (GV) and the lactate-to-albumin ratio (LAR) have been associated with adverse outcomes in critically ill patients, but their incremental prognostic contribution beyond established severity assessment remains uncertain. This study evaluated the associations of GV and LAR with subsequent mortality and their incremental value beyond APACHE II in a conditional 48 h landmark cohort. Methods: This single-center retrospective cohort study included 384 critically ill adults who were alive and remained in the ICU through 48 h and had sufficient glucose, lactate, and albumin measurements. GV was quantified using the coefficient of variation (CV) from six glucose measurements closest to 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, and 48 h. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality during the 7 days following the 48 h landmark. Firth penalized logistic regression was used for prognostic modeling. Incremental performance was assessed sequentially for APACHE II, APACHE II + LAR, and APACHE II + LAR + GV using discrimination, calibration, Brier score, bootstrap internal validation, and decision-curve analysis. Sensitivity analyses adjusted for mean glycemia and restricted predictor information to the first 24 h. Results: Eighty-eight patients (22.9%) died during the 7-day post-landmark period. APACHE II (OR: 1.19 per point, 95% CI: 1.12–1.27; p < 0.001), LAR (OR: 1.97 per unit, 95% CI: 1.48–2.69; p < 0.001), and GV (OR: 1.07 per 1-percentage-point increase in CV, 95% CI: 1.02–1.11; p = 0.002) were independently associated with mortality. The AUC increased from 0.804 for APACHE II alone to 0.844 after addition of LAR and to 0.857 after further addition of GV. The additional AUC increase attributable to GV after LAR was modest (ΔAUC = 0.013, 95% CI: −0.004 to 0.030; p = 0.145), although model fit and Brier performance improved. The optimism-corrected C-index of the integrated model was 0.851. GV remained independently associated with mortality after adjustment for mean glucose (OR: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02–1.11; p = 0.002) and in the temporally matched 24 h analysis (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.09; p = 0.008). Conclusions: Among critically ill adults who survived to a 48 h landmark, LAR and GV provided prognostic information beyond APACHE II. Most of the incremental improvement in discrimination was attributable to LAR, whereas GV provided a smaller additional contribution that remained consistent across sensitivity analyses. These findings support further evaluation of LAR and GV as complementary prognostic markers, but external validation is required before clinical implementation. Full article

Salt stress restricts cucumber seedling establishment by impairing root development, photosynthesis, ion homeostasis, and redox balance. This study examined whether potassium silicate (K₂SiO₃) could partially alleviate these responses under hydroponic sodium chloride (NaCl) stress. Cucumber seedlings were exposed to six treatments: a nutrient-solution control, K₂SiO₃ alone supplying 1.0 mmol L⁻¹ silicon (Si), 75 mmol L⁻¹ NaCl, and NaCl combined with K₂SiO₃ supplying 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mmol L⁻¹ Si. Growth, root morphology, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, photosystem II (PSII) energy partitioning, oxidative injury, antioxidant enzyme activities, osmotic adjustment, and ion status were evaluated at 7 and 14 d. NaCl markedly reduced seedling growth, root development, net photosynthetic rate, PSII photochemical performance, and electron transport, while increasing leaf sodium (Na⁺), malondialdehyde accumulation, non-photochemical quenching, non-regulated energy loss, proline, and soluble sugar. K₂SiO₃ partially alleviated these changes. The treatment supplying 1.0 mmol L⁻¹ Si produced the strongest integrated recovery of growth, root activity, photosynthetic performance, PSII function, and oxidative status. The treatment supplying 2.0 mmol L⁻¹ Si resulted in the lowest leaf Na⁺ concentration and the highest leaf potassium (K⁺)/Na⁺ ratio among salt-stressed seedlings but did not produce the greatest growth recovery. These findings suggest coordinated changes in photosynthesis, photochemical energy use, redox status, and ion balance. Because K₂SiO₃ supplied both Si and K⁺, the results represent responses to K₂SiO₃ supplementation rather than Si-specific effects. Full article

We develop a predictive–prescriptive decision-support framework for football squad composition under budget and positional constraints, in which mixed-integer optimization is the central methodological contribution. The framework integrates four components: (i) construction of a Sports Performance Index (SPI) via principal component analysis (PCA) of standardized per-90 performance features; (ii) leakage-free, player-wise, five-fold cross-fitted prediction of seasonal goals plus assists using ordinary least squares (OLS) as the primary input model, regularized linear models as additional baselines, and gradient boosting (XGBoost) as a nonlinear benchmark and uncertainty-estimation component, with each player-season receiving an out-of-fold prediction; (iii) a mixed-integer linear program (MILP) that selects a player-season portfolio under budget, position composition, squad-size, and duplicate-player constraints, with a tunable weight balancing predicted attacking output against the performance index; and (iv) a robust counterpart that incorporates prediction uncertainty into the optimization. The framework is implemented on English Premier League data covering the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 seasons (N = 218 forward and midfielder player-seasons with at least 1800 min of playing time). Cross-fitted OLS attains a five-fold mean R² = 0.76 ± 0.03 with stable performance across folds. The exact MILP outperforms a benefit-to-cost greedy heuristic by up to 9.4% and the best of 1000 random feasible rosters by 41.0–53.0% in objective value, while guaranteeing feasibility of all composition and budget constraints. Sensitivity analyses across budget tightness, position bounds, squad size, and cost proxy demonstrate qualitative robustness. The robust counterpart with risk-aversion parameter κ ∈ {0, 0.5, 1.0} produces a Jaccard roster overlap of 0.75 relative to the nominal solution and reduces average selected-player prediction uncertainty from 2.65 to 2.49. The contribution is a mathematically rigorous, integer-programming-centered decision-support framework that integrates machine learning with optimization for sports business analytics and is directly applicable to club-level squad planning. Full article

To address the academic integrity challenges arising from artificial intelligence technologies, this study has systematically investigated the policies governing the use of artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC) in academic writing, specifically, those implemented by leading journals participating in Phase II of “Excellence Action Plan of China Scientific and Technological Journals Project” (hereinafter referred to as the AIGC use policy). The survey findings reveal a “spindle-shaped” distribution of policy stringency across leading English-language journals: only approximately 20% of these journals have adopted high-intensity policies classified as “strict” or “stringent”. The leading Chinese-language journals exhibit a pronounced policy gap concerning AIGC use policy; most journals lack relevant specific guidelines, and merely four journals have issued dedicated policy statements. Further analysis reveals that the technical affinity, ethical sensitivity, and research traditions inherent to a discipline intersect with the institutional logics underpinning publishing entities, such as their affiliations with international commercial conglomerates or scholarly societies. The interplay collectively shapes the form, availability, and regulatory effectiveness of AIGC use policies, yielding a current policy landscape characterized by both structural imbalance and delayed responsiveness. Based on the above, this manuscript proposes the establishment of a “stratified, discipline-specific, and dynamically collaborative” governance system. It advocates the strengthening of policy guidance tailored to disciplinary heterogeneity, accelerating institutional transformation across publishing entities, and instituting mechanisms for monitoring technological evolution and iteratively updating governance policies, thereby achieving a dynamic equilibrium between safeguarding the foundational principles of academic integrity and accommodating the intrinsic logic of technological advancement. Only through such an integrated, adaptive approach can China’s scientific and technical journals substantially enhance their academic governance capacity and effectively respond to the evolving demands of the artificial intelligence era. Full article

Sustainable investing raises an important question: do environmental restrictions affect the risk–return characteristics of cryptocurrency portfolios? This study compares Mean-CVaR optimal portfolios across Green, Dirty, and Mixed cryptocurrency universes using daily returns for 12 cryptocurrencies from January 2022 to September 2025. Ethereum (ETH) was classified as Dirty before its transition from Proof-of-Work to Proof-of-Stake in September 2022 and as Green thereafter. Each universe is optimized independently using the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm 2 (SPEA2), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), with CVaR measured at the 95% confidence level. The results show that, in the Post-Merge period, the Green universe exhibits a higher CVaR than the Dirty and Mixed universes under all three algorithms. This result remains consistent across the main robustness analyses and is confirmed by an exact optimization benchmark. The asset-exclusion analysis further shows that excluding Bitcoin (BTC) increases CVaR under all three algorithms, whereas excluding ETH does not produce the same effect. These findings indicate that environmental screening can alter portfolio risk by changing the assets available for investment. For sustainability-oriented investors, the financial effect of such restrictions therefore depends on the assets excluded from the portfolio. Full article

High groundwater levels can generate excessive uplift pressure beneath canal linings, causing heaving, cracking, and sliding failure. This study developed a multi-objective framework for relief-well dewatering design in a damaged reach of the headrace canal at the HLJ Hydropower Station. A three-dimensional finite-element seepage model, validated using field-monitoring data under a cross-condition validation framework, was combined with a Box–Behnken design and response surface methodology to quantify the effects of relief-well location, spacing, and depth to the pumping control water level on the relative uplift pressure head and pumping rate. NSGA-II was used to generate Pareto-optimal solutions considering hydraulic safety, number of relief wells, and total pumping demand. Hydraulic conductivity sensitivity analysis showed that the sand–gravel layer had the greatest influence on uplift pressure. The maximum adverse head increment of 0.0047 m was adopted as a hydraulic-conductivity sensitivity margin, resulting in a sensitivity-adjusted screening threshold of 0.2253 m. Entropy-weighted TOPSIS identified a compromise design with a well-to-canal-edge distance of 1.95 m, a spacing of 38.8 m, a depth to the pumping control water level of 8.36 m, and 32 relief wells. Monte Carlo weight sensitivity analysis indicated that the TOPSIS ranking was stable under moderate weight variations but became more sensitive at larger perturbations. Finite-element verification yielded a relative uplift pressure head of 0.2232 m and a total pumping rate of 0.3462 m³/s, with the verified head remaining below the sensitivity-adjusted screening threshold and the selected scheme providing a reasonable balance among uplift-pressure control, construction scale, and pumping demand. Full article

Artocarpin is a promising bioactive compound with anti-inflammatory potential; however, its limited aqueous solubility may restrict its direct biological application. Therefore, artocarpin-loaded chitosan microparticles (CSPs/AE) were prepared as a biocompatible carrier to improve artocarpin delivery. This study aimed to evaluate the cytocompatibility, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory effects of CSPs/AE in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated chondrocytes. CSPs/AE maintained high cell viability (>80% at 0.125 and 0.5 mg/mL) and showed significantly lower cytotoxicity than free artocarpin. Morphological and DAPI analyses confirmed preserved cellular and nuclear integrity without marked apoptosis. CSPs/AE at 0.25 mg/mL reduced LPS-induced intracellular ROS accumulation by approximately 79% relative to the LPS group. Western blot results demonstrated inhibition of LPS-induced NF-κB phosphorylation, with CSPs/AE at 0.5 mg/mL reducing p-NF-κB expression to approximately 0.66-fold of that observed in the LPS group. CSPs/AE also partially restored aggrecan and collagen II expression without promoting a fibrocartilage, as indicated by unchanged collagen I. These findings indicate that CSPs/AE attenuate oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling while preserving cartilage matrix components, highlighting their potential for cartilage-protective applications. Full article