Search Results (123)

Background/Objectives: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide and has been consistently associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, including female infertility. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this association remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate whether genes previously associated with female infertility display altered expression patterns in response to CT infection by reanalyzing publicly available transcriptomic data derived from a human in vitro infection model. Methods: An integrative in silico approach was employed. A curated list of 106 genes associated with female infertility was compiled from publicly available databases and integrated with transcriptomic data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) dataset GSE109428, which profiles primary human fallopian tube mesenchymal cells infected in vitro with CT serovar L2. Gene expression changes were evaluated at two time points (24 and 48 h post-infection) by comparing infected cells with uninfected control samples, followed by functional and phenotype enrichment analyses. Results: One female infertility-associated gene (AKAP12) was consistently dysregulated at both 24 and 48 h post-infection. In addition, fourteen genes (ANAPC4, BMP1, BNC2, BTG4, EFHD1, FBXO43, INHBB, PATL2, SCARB1, SND1, SYNE1, TRIP13, TTC28, and TUBA1C) became significantly dysregulated exclusively at 48 h post-infection, indicating a time-dependent host transcriptional response to CT infection. Functional and phenotype enrichment analyses revealed associations with biological processes related to embryonic development and meiosis, as well as phenotypes linked to female infertility. These enriched terms were supported by a small subset of genes and were therefore interpreted cautiously. Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that CT infection modulates the expression of several infertility-associated genes and may influence biological pathways critical for female reproductive function. While exploratory, this study provides a molecular context that aligns with previously reported associations between CT infection and female infertility. Full article

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in corneal topography, wavefront aberrations, and densitometry after superficial keratectomy (SK) for Salzmann nodular degeneration (SND). Methods: This was an observational retrospective study. Pre- and post-operative data, including best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), refraction, and Pentacam^® topography scans, were analysed. Changes in keratometry (K), wavefront aberrations, and corneal optical densitometry (COD) were evaluated. Results: A total of 21 eyes of 17 patients who underwent SK for SND were included. At an average follow-up of 6.3 ± 4.4 months, there was a significant reduction in RMS (root mean square) values for total wavefront aberrations after surgery (mean reduction: −3.89 ± 4.08 μm, p = 0.001), lower-order aberrations (mean reduction: −3.47 ± 3.52 μm, p = 0.001), and higher-order aberrations (mean: −0.42 ± 0.58 μm, p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in BCVA (mean change: 0.27 ± 0.31 logMAR, p < 0.001) and spherical equivalent (mean change: −2.09 ± 2.73 D, p = 0.002), and a reduction in refractive cylinder (mean reduction: −0.85 ± 1.14 D, p = 0.008). There was a significant reduction in corneal astigmatism (mean reduction 1.04 ± 2.88 D; p = 0.041), and an increase in flat keratometry (mean change 1.46 ± 3.10 D; p = 0.029). Lastly, there was a significant decrease in total COD values in all zones except for the central 2 mm (p < 0.05) and in the overall total 12 mm cornea (p = 0.035). Conclusions: SK for SND resulted in better visual acuity and potentially improved quality as suggested by the reduction in corneal aberrations and improvement in corneal regularity and transparency. Full article

Background/Objectives: The global incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing, necessitating improved diagnostic strategies for detecting lymph node metastases. Fine-Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNA) is a widely used diagnostic tool; however, its accuracy is sometimes limited, particularly in cases with non-diagnostic results. Washout Thyroglobulin (Washout Tg) measurement has emerged as an important adjunctive tool in refining thyroid cancer diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 723 patients who underwent thyroid cancer surgery at Samsung Medical Center from 2013 to 2023. The patients were categorized based on their thyroid status into three groups: 1. total thyroidectomy with modified radical neck dissection (mRND); 2. completion thyroidectomy with mRND; and 3. mRND or selective neck dissection (SND) without thyroidectomy. The Washout Tg levels and their diagnostic performance were evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis, determining the optimal cutoff values for predicting lymph node metastasis. Results: Washout Tg demonstrated high sensitivity for detecting metastases, with the optimal cutoff values varying based on thyroid status. For the patients who had total thyroidectomy, the cutoff was 23.3 ng/mL (AUC = 0.85, sensitivity = 82.6%, and specificity = 75.0%). In completion thyroidectomy cases, a threshold of 7.2 ng/mL (AUC = 0.879) achieved 98.4% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity. For patients without thyroidectomy (mRND/SND group), a cutoff of 0.1 ng/mL (AUC = 0.766) yielded 98.9% sensitivity but lower specificity (60.0%). Additionally, the Washout Tg/serum Tg ratio demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy with a cutoff of >1 (sensitivity = 97.09% and specificity = 63.64%). Conclusions: The Washout Tg measurement and the Washout Tg/serum Tg ratio play a crucial role in detecting lymph node metastases, particularly in patients post-thyroidectomy. The findings emphasize the necessity of adjusting the Washout Tg cutoff values based on thyroid status to enhance diagnostic accuracy. Further prospective studies are required to validate these thresholds and optimize their clinical application. Full article

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to study the visual outcomes, changes in higher order aberration (HOA) and corneal densitometry after debridement and excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) for the treatment of Salzmann nodular degeneration (SND). Methods: This monocentric study includes 69 eyes from 54 patients who underwent debridement and PTK for SND (mean follow-up time of 447.1 ± 597.7 days post-operatively). The following parameters were measured before and after PTK: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in logMAR, sphere, cylinder, calculated spherical equivalent (SPHQ), mean and maximum refractive power, astigmatism, HOA, corneal density and thickness. Patients were divided into two cohorts depending on additional visual acuity limitations (VAL). Results: Mean visual acuity improvement was 0.16 ± 0.21 logMAR (p < 0.001), independent of additional VAL, and was associated with normalization of the cornea (hyperopic reduction by 2.13 ± 2.60 dpt, p < 0.001), reductions in cylinder (1.49 ± 2.44 dpt, p < 0.001) and corneal astigmatism (3.01 ± 3.39 dpt, p < 0.001). HOA was reduced by 0.77 ± 1.11 µm (p < 0.001) and corneal density by 6.08 ± 16.45 gray scale units (GSUs) in the center (p = 0.019) and by 9.32 ± 12.08 GSUs in the mid-periphery (p < 0.001). Haze occurred in 26.1% of patients (15.9% mild; 10.1% moderate). Re-PTK was necessary in 5.8%. Conclusions: PTK is a low-complication method for visual improvement in patients with SND, regardless of additional VAL, and is associated with a normalization of corneal parameters. HOA, corneal density and K_max were reduced significantly and showed a correlation with visual acuity, implying that these objective parameters may have a good predictive value for visual acuity. Full article

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has attracted considerable attention in the field of wastewater treatment due to its numerous advantages. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the key factors influencing AGS particle size, highlighting the varying degrees of impact exerted by different factors. Particle size is a critical determinant in several aspects, including the removal efficiency of emerging contaminants, the energy consumption associated with the long-term stable operation of the system, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Smaller particles enhance the removal efficiency of emerging contaminants due to their larger specific surface area and increased number of reaction sites. In contrast, larger particles often lack internal structural mechanisms, which can facilitate the growth of filamentous bacteria, thereby undermining granule stability. Moreover, smaller AGS particles are linked to decreased simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) efficiency, leading to increased GHG emissions. Consequently, the optimal size range for AGS is generally between 1.0 and 2.0 mm. Full article

Municipal wastewater with a low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio presents challenges for conventional nitrogen removal processes, often requiring costly external carbon sources. This study investigated the enhancement of nitrogen removal in a simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) system by incorporating heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) bacterial agents (Klebsiella variicola L3, Acinetobacter beijerinckii W4, and Acinetobacter sp. Z1) with modified basalt fiber carriers. Three reactors were compared: mixed HN-AD strains (M), mixed strains with activated sludge (A+M), and activated sludge alone (A). Results demonstrated that the A+M reactor achieved superior performance, with median removal efficiencies of 82.2% for NH₄⁺-N, 52.9% for total nitrogen (TN), and 51.6% for COD, outperforming the M reactor (75.2%, 43.6%, and 51.6%) and the A reactor (63.2%, 29.3%, and 44.8%). The A+M reactor also exhibited a 40% reduction in COD consumption per unit TN removed (2.55 ± 1.75) compared to the control reactor A (4.25 ± 3.99). Microbial analysis revealed Acinetobacter sp. Z1 (6.1%) and K. variicola L3 (1.1%) as dominant species, with the A+M reactor showing higher microbial diversity (56.4% Proteobacteria, 10.2% Bacteroidota) and biological viability (VSS/SS ratio of 0.70 ± 0.01). Extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) content in A+M reached 242.26 ± 15.52 mg/g-VSS, with a protein-to-polysaccharide ratio of 2.77 ± 0.00, indicating robust biofilm activity. These findings highlight the potential of HN-AD bacterial agents to enhance nitrogen removal in low C/N wastewater treatment, offering a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to traditional methods by reducing reliance on external carbon sources and improving system efficiency. Full article

Self-emulsifying solid nanodispersion technology is emerging as an attractive strategy to prepare new eco-friendly and efficient nano-formulations due to its simple, energy efficient and easy scale-up process. However, it is still unknown whether this technology can be employed to cope with the drawbacks of botanical insecticides including poor water solubility, rapid photodegradation and limited targeting efficiency. In this study, rotenone (Rot) was selected as a model of botanical insecticides, and its solid nanodispersion (Rot–SND) was prepared by a self-emulsifying method combined with parameter optimization. Our target nano-formulation, consisting of 5% Rot, 20% surfactant complexes of 8% Ethylan 992 and 12% EL–80, and 75% lactose, exhibited excellent storage stability and significantly improved the pseudo-solubility of Rot by at least 250 times. The average particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) of Rot–SND were determined to be 101.19 nm and 0.21, respectively. Rot–SND displayed smaller contact angles and greater retention on both cucumber and cabbage leaves than those of a commercial emulsifiable concentrates (ECs). Rot–SND was also more resistant to photodegradation, with a degradation rate reduced by 27.01% as compared with the ECs. In addition, the toxicity of Rot–SND towards Aphis gossypii was 3.01 times that of the ECs, with a median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of 1.45 µg a.i./mL. Under the field conditions, Rot–SND showed a prolonged duration for A. gossypii control, with a significantly higher control efficacy (88.10%) on the 10th day than that of the ECs (77.02%). Moreover, a 2.34-fold decline in the toxicity towards nontarget mosquito larvae was observed for Rot–SND as compared with the EC. Overall, for the first time, our results indicate the role of Rot–SND as an eco-friendly and efficient way to improve the solubility, foliar affinity, photostability, bioactivity and eco-safety of Rot. This research also provided a feasible strategy to prepare more eco-friendly botanical pesticide formulations of high efficiency. Full article

Against the backdrop of the deep integration of national fitness and sports science, this study addresses the lack of standardized movement assessment in yoga training by proposing an intelligent analysis system that integrates an improved YOLOv11-ECA detector with the DeepSORT tracking algorithm. A dynamic adaptive anchor mechanism and an Efficient Channel Attention (ECA) module are introduced, while the depthwise separable convolution in the C3k2 module is optimized with a kernel size of 2. Furthermore, a Parallel Spatial Attention (PSA) mechanism is incorporated to enhance multi-target feature discrimination. These enhancements enable the model to achieve a high detection accuracy of 98.6% mAP@0.5 while maintaining low computational complexity (2.35 M parameters, 3.11 GFLOPs). Evaluated on the SND Sun Salutation Yoga Dataset released in 2024, the improved model achieves a real-time processing speed of 85.79 frames per second (FPS) on an RTX 3060 platform, with an 18% reduction in computational cost compared to the baseline. Notably, it achieves a 0.9% improvement in AP@0.5 for small targets (<20 px). By integrating the Mars-smallCNN feature extraction network with a Kalman filtering-based trajectory prediction module, the system attains 58.3% Multiple Object Tracking Accuracy (MOTA) and 62.1% Identity F1 Score (IDF1) in dense multi-object scenarios, representing an improvement of approximately 9.8 percentage points over the conventional YOLO+DeepSORT method. Ablation studies confirm that the ECA module, implemented via lightweight 1D convolution, enhances channel attention modeling efficiency by 23% compared to the original SE module and reduces the false detection rate by 1.2 times under complex backgrounds. This study presents a complete “detection–tracking–assessment” pipeline for intelligent sports training. Future work aims to integrate 3D pose estimation to develop a closed-loop biomechanical analysis system, thereby advancing sports science toward intelligent decision-making paradigms. Full article

Hydrogels (Hy) were obtained with a ternary system of proteins (pea (P) or soy isolate (S) 2%), guar (0.5%), and xanthan gums (0.5%) and were subjected to thermal treatment (70 °C/20 min or 85 °C/15 min, or not) prior to structure formation. The FTIR spectra of the hydrogels and the turbidity test (spectrophotometrically red at 600 nm) were used for studying protein–polysaccharide interactions. Amplitude sweeps (0.01–100%) and flow behavior tests (0.1–100 s⁻¹) were conducted for structure analysis. Emulgels were obtained by emulsification of the Hy with 40% or 60% sunflower oil. The centrifugal stability and texture (TPA test) of the emulgels were assessed and SND_40% exhibited the highest hardness (5.30 ± 0.23 N). Based on the results, SND_40%, PND_40%, SD70_40%, and PD_70% were chosen as fat-replacing systems in biscuit formulation. The textural, color, and stability attributes of the reformulated samples were compared with a reference containing margarine. Increased hardness and fracturability were determined for the emulgel-based biscuits, while the color parameters were statistically similar to the reference. Thermal treatments applied to enhance protein–polysaccharide interactions increased the structural performances of some emulgels, while their application as fat-replacing systems should be further evaluated since no statistical differences were recorded in the sensory evaluation of the reference and reformulated biscuits. Emulgels with tuned technological properties have the potential to replace saturated fats in foods. Full article

The Anaerobic–Swing Aerobic–Anoxic–Oxic (ASAO) process was developed to tackle problems such as temperature sensitivity during the Anaerobic–Oxic–Anoxic (AOA) process. By introducing a swing zone (S zone) with adjustable dissolved oxygen (DO), during the 112-day experimentation period, the ASAO system achieved removal rates of 88.18% for total inorganic nitrogen (TIN), 78.23% for total phosphorus (TP), and 99.78% for ammonia nitrogen. Intermittent aeration effectively suppressed nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate exceeded 90%, with 60% being transformed into internal carbon sources like polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen (Gly). The key functional microorganisms encompassed Dechloromonas (denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating bacteria), Candidatus Competibacter, and Thauera, which facilitated simultaneous nitrification–denitrification (SND) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX). The enrichment of Candidatus Brocadia further enhanced the ANAMMOX activity. The flexibility of DO control in the swing zone optimized microbial activity and mitigated temperature dependence, thereby verifying the efficacy of the ASAO process in enhancing the removal rates of nutrients and COD in low-C/N wastewater. The intermittent aeration strategy and the continuous low-dissolved-oxygen (DO) operating conditions inhibited the activity of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and accomplished the elimination of NOB. Full article

Robust strains with high simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) capabilities in hypersaline wastewater, particularly those containing different oxysalts, are rarely reported. Here, an isolated oxysalt-tolerant bacterium, Marinobacter sp. Y2, showed excellent nitrogen removal capabilities of around 98% at 11% salinity of NaCl or oxysalts such as Na₂SO₄, Na₂HPO₄, NaHCO₃, and NaNO₃ through response surface methodology optimization. At >5% salinities, Marinobacter sp. Y2 showed superior nitrogen removal performance in oxysalt-laden wastewater compared to chloride-based wastewater. In contrast, other SND strains, including Pseudomonas sp. and Halomonas sp., experienced significant activity inhibition and even bacterial demise in oxysalt-rich wastewater, despite their high halotolerance to NaCl. The excellent SND activities of the oxysalt-tolerant strain were further validated using single and mixed nitrogen sources at 11% Na₂SO₄ salinity. Moreover, the amplification of nitrogen removal functional genes and the corresponding enzyme activities elucidated the nitrogen metabolism pathway of the strain in harsh oxysalt environments. Full article

This study investigates the enhancement of nitrogen removal performance in an intermittent biological sponge iron system (BSIS) through the immobilization of aerobic denitrifying bacteria. The aim is to improve the efficiency of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in the BSIS by optimizing the microbial community involved in nitrogen conversion. The immobilization technique not only stabilizes the microbial activity and abundance of aerobic denitrifying bacteria, but also promotes a more efficient denitrification process. The optimal material ratio of polyvinyl alcohol–sodium alginate gel beads was determined as 10 g/100 mL PVA, 4 g/100 mL SA, 2 g/100 mL CaCl₂, and 2 g/100 mL of bacterial suspension, achieving a maximum NO₃⁻-N removal rate of 91.73%. A response surface model (RSM), established for the operational conditions, (shaker speed, temperature, and pH) showed a high fitting degree (R2 = 0.9960) and predicted the optimal conditions for maximum NO₃⁻-N removal as 109.24 rpm, 23.6 °C, and pH 7.9. Compared to R1 (47.82%), R3 achieved a higher average total nitrogen (TN) removal rate of 95.49%, following the addition of immobilized aerobic denitrifying bacteria to the BSIS. Full article

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. The 5-year survival rate has been estimated to be less than 20% while its incidence rates have more than tripled since the 1980s. Astrocyte elevated gene-1/Metadherin (AEG-1/MTDH) has been demonstrated to have an influential role in HCC progression and the development of an aggressive phenotype. AEG-1 has been shown to be upregulated in many cancers, including HCC. Studies have shown that it plays a crucial role in the proliferation, invasion and metastasis, and evasion of apoptosis in HCC. Its relationship with proteins and pathways, such as MYC, SND1, PI3K/AKT, and other signaling pathways demonstrates its pertinent role in oncogenic development and relevance as a biomarker and therapeutic target. Recent studies have shown that AEG-1 is present in tumor tissues, and the anti-AEG-1 antibody is detected in the blood of cancer patients, demonstrating its viability as a diagnostic/prognostic marker. This review paper shines light on recent findings regarding the molecular implications of AEG-1, with emphasis on its role of regulating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a key predisposing factor for HCC, new treatment strategies targeting AEG-1, and challenges associated with analyzing this intriguing molecule. Full article

Pesticides, as an indispensable component in agricultural production, play a crucial role in ensuring global food security. However, the low efficiency of pesticide utilization remains a significant challenge. The key method of improving the effective utilization rate of pesticides is mainly to enhance the affinity between pesticides and leaf surfaces while improving their deposition and adhesion properties. In this study, we utilized PEG 4000 as a carrier and emulsifier 600 and emulsifiers 700 as surfactants to prepare solid nano-dispersion of emamectin benzoate (SND-EB) by the melting method. SND-EB particles were spherical with an average diameter of 17 nm, a loading capacity of up to 50%, and excellent dispersibility. Contact angle and bouncing behavior tests on cabbage and pepper leaves demonstrated that SND-EB had superior wetting properties and spreading capabilities. Surface tension and leaf retention measurements further confirmed that SND-EB possessed excellent adhesion and leaf affinity. The SND-EB showed a 1.8-fold increase in biological activity against Spodoptera exigua compared to commercial emamectin benzoate water-dispersible granule (WDG-EB). In addition, the fabricated nanoparticles exerted no toxic effect on HepG2 cells. These results demonstrated that a 50% content of SND-EB exhibited excellent water dispersity, wettability, and insecticidal activity, providing a novel and efficient strategy for pest control. Full article

The low efficacy of traditional single-component pesticide formulations has resulted in excessive pesticide application, the evolution of pest resistance, and a range of food safety and environmental concerns. Developing efficient composite nanopesticides represents a critical strategy for addressing the above challenges. In this study, solid nanodispersions (SNDs) co-loaded with prochloraz and azoxystrobin were constructed through a self-emulsifying carrier adsorption method. The antifungal activities of the composite SND with a 14:1 ratio of prochloraz to azoxystrobin against Fusarium graminearum and Pyricularia oryzae were 2.3-fold and 1.6-fold higher than those of commercial microemulsions (MEs) with the same proportion of active ingredients. The SND could cause severe oxidative damage to fungi, by reducing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), and break the permeability of cell membranes, resulting in fungal death. Additionally, the composite SND exhibited superior foliar wettability and biosafety with a minimal environmental cost, thereby enhancing the pesticide’s effective utilization rate. This research provides theoretical and technical support for the design and development of high-efficiency composite nano-fungicide, holding promise for sustainable disease management. Full article