Search Results (25)

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting approximately 25–30% of the global adult population and highlighting the urgent need for effective therapeutics and prevention strategies. MASLD is characterized by excessive hepatic lipid accumulation and can progress, in a subset of patients, to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic condition associated with increased risk of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although the molecular drivers of MASLD progression remain incompletely understood, several key metabolic pathways—such as triglyceride handling, cholesterol catabolism, bile acid metabolism, mitochondrial function, and autophagy—are consistently dysregulated in MASLD livers. This narrative review summarizes primary literature and highlights insights from recent reviews on the multifaceted role of the mRNA-binding protein Human antigen R (HuR) in the post-transcriptional regulation of critical cellular processes, including nutrient metabolism, cell survival, and stress responses. Emerging evidence underscores HuR’s essential role in maintaining liver homeostasis, particularly under metabolic stress conditions characteristic of MASLD, with hepatocyte-specific HuR depletion associated with exacerbated disease severity. Moreover, comorbid conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease not only exacerbate MASLD progression but also involve HuR dysregulation in extrahepatic tissues, further contributing to liver dysfunction. A deeper understanding of HuR-regulated post-transcriptional networks across metabolic organs may enable the development of targeted therapies aimed at halting or reversing MASLD progression. Full article

The 78th Annual Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) Scientific Meeting showcased the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in transforming the beauty and personal care industry. The session “AI Beauty Revolution” highlighted cutting-edge advancements, including AI-driven ingredient discovery, personalized product development, and sustainable practices. Key presentations explored applications such as computational tools for product benchmarking, precision prebiotics for microbiome modulation, and physics-based modeling combined with machine learning for antioxidant screening. The discussions emphasized the importance of combining AI insights with experimental validation to ensure accuracy and reliability while fostering innovation. As AI continues to drive personalization, efficiency, and sustainability in cosmetics, collaborative efforts across disciplines will remain crucial for realizing its full potential. Full article

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) encompasses metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver (MASL) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with MASH posing a risk of progression to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The global prevalence of MASLD is estimated at approximately a quarter of the population, with significant healthcare costs and implications for liver transplantation. The pathogenesis of MASLD involves intrahepatic liver cells, extrahepatic components, and immunological aspects, particularly the involvement of macrophages. Hepatic macrophages are a crucial cellular component of the liver and play important roles in liver function, contributing significantly to tissue homeostasis and swift responses during pathophysiological conditions. Recent advancements in technology have revealed the remarkable heterogeneity and plasticity of hepatic macrophage populations and their activation states in MASLD, challenging traditional classification methods like the M1/M2 paradigm and highlighting the coexistence of harmful and beneficial macrophage phenotypes that are dynamically regulated during MASLD progression. This complexity underscores the importance of considering macrophage heterogeneity in therapeutic targeting strategies, including their distinct ontogeny and functional phenotypes. This review provides an overview of macrophage involvement in MASLD progression, combining traditional paradigms with recent insights from single-cell analysis and spatial dynamics. It also addresses unresolved questions and challenges in this area. Full article

The objective of this study is to develop a genetic algorithm that uses the IGP parameterization to increase the lift coefficient (C_L) of three airfoils to be used on wings of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The geometry of three baseline airfoils was modified by developing a genetic algorithm that operates with the IGP parameterization and performs the aerodynamic analysis using XFOIL in the MATLAB environment. Subsequently, a numerical model was made for each baseline and optimized airfoil using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code to analyze the behavior of the lift coefficient. An increase in the average C_L was obtained for the Eppler 68, MH 70, and Wortmann FX 60-126 airfoils for angles of attack ranging from 0 to 10, obtaining increments of 17.243%, 14.967%, and 10.708%, respectively. Additionally, an average 5.027% uncertainty was obtained in lift coefficient calculations between XFOIL and CFD. The utility of the IGP method and genetic algorithms for parameterizing and optimizing airfoils was demonstrated. In addition, airfoils could be tailored for a specific UAV depending on the mission profile. Volume 2 of this study will include experimental data from wind tunnel. Full article

Hepatic macrophages act as the liver’s first line of defense against injury. Their differentiation into proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory subpopulations is a critical event that maintains a delicate balance between liver injury and repair. In our investigation, we explored the influence of the small heterodimer partner (SHP), a nuclear receptor primarily associated with metabolism, on macrophage differentiation during the innate immune response. During macrophage differentiation, we observed significant alterations in Shp mRNA expression. Deletion of Shp promoted M1 differentiation while interfering with M2 polarization. Conversely, overexpression of SHP resulted in increased expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (Pparg), a master regulator of anti-inflammatory macrophage differentiation, thereby inhibiting M1 differentiation. Upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection, there was a notable increase in the proinflammatory M1-like macrophages, accompanied by exacerbated infiltration of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) into the livers of Shp myeloid cell specific knockout (Shp-MKO). Concurrently, we observed significant induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha (Tnfa) and chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (Ccl2) expression in LPS-treated Shp-MKO livers. Additionally, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathways were activated in LPS-treated Shp-MKO livers. Consistently, both pathways were hindered in SHP overexpression macrophages. Finally, we demonstrated that SHP interacts with p65, thereby influencing macrophage immune repones. In summary, our study uncovered a previously unrecognized role of SHP in promoting anti-inflammatory macrophage differentiation during the innate immune response. This was achieved by SHP acting as a regulator for the Pparg, MAPK, and NF-κB pathways. Full article

Prior abdominal/pelvic surgery (PAS) has the potential to impact perioperative and oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing urologic surgery. There is a need to study outcomes in this population to determine if reoperation is safe and feasible. This review will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and has been registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022361935). The search for articles will be conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and additional articles may be identified by reviewing the manuscripts of the included literature. Outcomes of interest will be used to determine if reoperation is safe and feasible in this population. Full article

Minimizing the carbon footprint of the aviation industry is of critical importance for the forthcoming years, allowing the mitigation of climate change through fossil fuel economy. Significant progress toward this goal can be achieved through the aerodynamic optimization of wing surfaces. In a previous study, a custom-designed wing equipped with an Eppler 420 airfoil, including an appendant custom-designed blended winglet, was developed and studied in flight conditions. The present paper researches potential improvements to the aerodynamic behavior of this wing by attempting to regenerate the boundary layer. The main goal was to achieve passive control of the boundary layer, which would be approached by means of two different configurations. In the first case, dimples were added at the points where the separation of the boundary layer was expected, for the majority of the wing surface; in the second case, bumps of the same diameter were added at the same points. Both wings were studied in two different Reynolds (Re) numbers and five angles of attack (AoA). The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were implemented using a pressure-based solver, the spatial discretization was conducted with a second-order upwind scheme, and the k-omega SST (k-ω SST) turbulence model was applied by utilizing the pseudo-transient method. The experimental procedure was conducted in an open-type subsonic flow wind tunnel, for Reynolds 86,000, with 3D-printed models of the wings having undergone suitable surface treatment. The numerical and experimental results converged, showing a degradation in the wing’s aerodynamic performance when bumps were implemented, as well as a slight improvement for the configuration with dimples. Full article

Intraoperative adverse events (iAEs) impact the outcomes of surgery, and yet are not routinely collected, graded, and reported. Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have the potential to power real-time, automatic detection of these events and disrupt the landscape of surgical safety through the prediction and mitigation of iAEs. We sought to understand the current implementation of AI in this space. A literature review was performed to PRISMA-DTA standards. Included articles were from all surgical specialties and reported the automatic identification of iAEs in real-time. Details on surgical specialty, adverse events, technology used for detecting iAEs, AI algorithm/validation, and reference standards/conventional parameters were extracted. A meta-analysis of algorithms with available data was conducted using a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess the article risk of bias and clinical applicability. A total of 2982 studies were identified by searching PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore, with 13 articles included for data extraction. The AI algorithms detected bleeding (n = 7), vessel injury (n = 1), perfusion deficiencies (n = 1), thermal damage (n = 1), and EMG abnormalities (n = 1), among other iAEs. Nine of the thirteen articles described at least one validation method for the detection system; five explained using cross-validation and seven divided the dataset into training and validation cohorts. Meta-analysis showed the algorithms were both sensitive and specific across included iAEs (detection OR 14.74, CI 4.7–46.2). There was heterogeneity in reported outcome statistics and article bias risk. There is a need for standardization of iAE definitions, detection, and reporting to enhance surgical care for all patients. The heterogeneous applications of AI in the literature highlights the pluripotent nature of this technology. Applications of these algorithms across a breadth of urologic procedures should be investigated to assess the generalizability of these data. Full article

Bladeless fans are more energy efficient, safer due to the hidden blades, easier to clean, and more adjustable than conventional fans. This paper investigates the influence of the airfoil’s outlet slit thickness on the discharge ratio by varying the outlet slit thickness of an Eppler 473 airfoil from 1.2 mm to 2 mm in intervals of 0.2 mm by using a k-omega SST turbulence model with an all y${}^{+}$ wall treatment used to numerically simulate in CFD. The computational results indicated that smaller slits showed higher discharge ratios. The airfoil with a 1.2 mm slit thickness showed a discharge ratio of 18.78, a 24% increase from the discharge ratio of the 2 mm slit. The effect of outlet angle on the pressure drop across the airfoil was also studied. Outlet angles were varied from 16${}^{°}$ to 26${}^{°}$ by an interval of 2${}^{°}$. The airfoil profile with a 24${}^{°}$ outlet angle showed a maximum pressure difference of 965 Pa between the slit and leading edge. In contrast, the 16${}^{°}$ outlet angle showed the least pressure difference of 355 Pa. Parameters such as average velocity (U), turbulent kinetic energy, the standard deviation of velocity, and outlet velocity magnitude are used to assess the performance of airfoil profiles used in bladeless fan. Full article

The role of surgical experience and its impact on the survival requires further investigation. A cohort of patients undergoing radical cystectomy or anterior pelvic exenteration for localized bladder cancer between 2006 and 2013 at 1143 facilities across the United States was identified using the National Cancer Database and analyzed. Using overall survival (OS) as the primary outcome, the relationship between facility annual caseload (FAC) and facility annual surgical caseload (FASC) for those undergoing curative surgery was examined. Four volume groups (VG) depending on caseload using both FAC and FASC were defined. These included VG1: below 50th percentile, VG2: 50th–74th percentile, VG3: 75th–89th percentile, and VG4: 90th and above. Between 2006 and 2013, 27,272 patients underwent surgery for localized bladder cancer. The median OS was 59.66 months (95% CI: 57.79–61.77). OS improved significantly as caseload increased. The unadjusted median OS difference between VG1 and VG4 was 15.35 months (64.3 vs. 48.95 months, HR 1.19 95% CI: 1.13–1.25, p < 0.001) for FAC. This figure was 19.84 months (66.89 vs. 47.05 months, HR 1.25 95% CI: 1.18–1.32, p < 0.0001) for FASC. This analysis revealed a significant and clinically important survival advantage for curative bladder cancer surgery at highly experienced centers. Full article

The present work describes the design process of a 3D-printed prototype of a three-blade horizontal-axis hydrokinetic water turbine (HAHWT). The employed blade profile is an EPPLER818, which was previously studied through the Q-Blade software according to the velocity range presumed (v < 1 m/s) in the experiments. The prototype performance was studied in a recirculating water channel at the Polytechnic Engineering School of Mieres (Oviedo University), with a gate of variable height at the channel end, which allows for performing different hydrodynamic scenarios upon varying the considered flow rate. The results show that the extracted power increases due to the equally increased blockage ratio, which represents the ratio between the turbine area and the channel area. However, an excessive increase in the blockage ratio corresponds to a power reduction effect due to the reduction in the effective area and the generation of a two-phase air-water condition. Full article

Public health and healthcare professionals perform a wide variety of services for their communities, and serve in important and often overlapping roles, particularly in rural communities. In this qualitative study, public health practitioners in Kansas were asked about their perceptions of barriers to public health and vulnerable people in their communities. Participants from across Kansas were interviewed via teleconferencing, telephone, or email, and emergent themes were identified using qualitative thematic analysis. While asked about public health specifically, during interviews, many participants discussed barriers to healthcare as well. The top barriers to effective public health practice identified in this study were funding, education, accessibility, and affordability. Others included politics, transportation, and the need to expand Medicare and Medicaid. The populations believed most vulnerable in their communities were community members living in poverty, elderly people, and other marginalized populations. Our findings suggest public health practitioners in Kansas observe a lack of understanding and knowledge in their communities about public health, along with the recognition that a lack of accessibility and affordability to health services are barriers to effective public health practice. Full article

The main purpose of this work is to simulate the flow of air and solid particles over a wildfire and to investigate the single and multiphase flow over the surface of a custom-designed wing with an Eppler-420 airfoil including an appendant custom-designed blended winglet. The wing is the result of a conceptual and preliminary design of a small-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to assist in firefighting. The fire embers will be simulated in the Ansys Fluent commercial code as solid particles injected in the continuous phase, in an Euler–Lagrange approach. Primarily studied were the response of the model in air and air–solid flows, as well as the impact on aerodynamic efficiency due to the existence of the second phase. Moreover, the effects of unstructured, structured and mosaic poly-hexcore meshes are investigated and compared. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, were implemented using a pressure-based solver, spatial discretization was conducted with a second-order upwind scheme, and the k-omega SST (k-ω SST) turbulence model was applied. Meanwhile, the two-phase flow was simulated using the Discrete Phase Model with reflect boundary condition on the surface of the wing and two-way coupling between continuous and discrete phase. To validate the results, experiments were conducted in a subsonic wind tunnel using a 3D printed model of the wing. The results show good agreement between simulations and experiments, with the structured mesh coming closer to reality, followed by the mosaic and unstructured meshes, respectively. Finally, a reduction in the aerodynamic efficiency of the wing section is observed, due to the presence of solid particles. Full article