Search Results (47,411)

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) has been widely investigated as a matrix for anti-corrosion coatings because of its continuous film-forming ability, relatively low cost, and the versatility of its hydroxyl groups for chemical modification. However, its high affinity for water remains a major limitation for long-term corrosion protection. Consequently, recent research has increasingly focused on cross-linking, nanostructuring, and functional modification of PVA to improve its resistance to moisture and aggressive environments. This review critically examines recent advances in PVA-based anti-corrosion coatings by integrating coating composition, cross-linking chemistry, micro- and nanostructural features, and electrochemical corrosion-protection mechanisms. Particular attention is given to the effects of glutaraldehyde, boric acid, citric acid, epichlorohydrin, and other multifunctional cross-linkers on network structure, mechanical behavior, water resistance, and barrier properties. The roles of urea, glycerol, inorganic fillers, nanomaterials, corrosion inhibitors, and inhibitor-containing nanocontainers are also evaluated in relation to coating durability and corrosion-protection performance. In addition to describing reported approaches, the review critically compares the influence of substrate, PVA characteristics, cross-linking conditions, nanofiller loading, coating architecture, electrolyte, exposure duration, and electrochemical parameters on the reported performance. Particular emphasis is placed on the relationships between cross-linked network structure, nanofiller dispersion, interfacial adhesion, electrolyte transport, and electrochemical response. The review further considers active inhibition, self-healing strategies, and environmental aspects of PVA-based coatings, while identifying limitations related to moisture sensitivity, long-term durability, and inconsistent reporting of experimental parameters. By integrating composition, cross-linking chemistry, structure–property relationships, and electrochemical evidence, this review provides a critical framework for understanding and designing more durable and environmentally compatible PVA-based anti-corrosion coatings. Full article

Marine and naval materials are exposed to complex degradation resulting from the combined effects of chloride-induced corrosion, biofouling, mechanical wear, ultraviolet radiation, and microbiologically influenced corrosion. This review critically examines recent advances in protective coating technologies for improving the durability and sustainability of materials operating in aggressive marine environments. Attention is given to polymer-based and nanocomposite coatings, smart and self-healing systems, sustainable formulations, and advanced deposition and performance-assessment strategies. The reviewed literature shows a clear transition from conventional passive barrier coatings toward multifunctional systems that combine barrier protection with active corrosion inhibition, self-healing, antifouling behavior, and enhanced mechanical resistance. Nanostructured fillers can improve coating performance by restricting the transport of water, oxygen, and chloride ions, while inhibitor-loaded carriers and stimulus-responsive systems provide localized protection after coating damage. Sustainable polymers, bio-based additives, and environmentally compatible inhibitors are also emerging as alternatives to conventional formulations with greater environmental impact. However, long-term durability, scalability, reproducibility, and performance under real marine exposure remain major limitations to industrial implementation. Future progress therefore requires the development of multifunctional and environmentally compatible coating systems supported by standardized multifactor testing, long-term field validation, and scalable industrial processing. Full article

The management of glaucoma with drugs is mostly via the topical route, although these treatments have poor ocular bioavailability. Other problems limiting their therapeutic effect include pre-corneal clearance, corneal and ocular surface barriers, and the need for a long-term treatment regimen. Nanoparticle-mediated drug-delivery systems have shown the potential, particularly in preclinical studies, to improve ocular penetration and precorneal retention and to facilitate controlled drug release, with the aim of reducing dosing frequency. In this narrative review, the researchers focus on various nanoparticle-based approaches for sustained intraocular pressure control in glaucoma. The review encompasses carrier-based nanosystems, drug nanocrystals and nanosuspensions, nanoscale permeability or surface modifiers, multiscale nano-enabled formulations, and nanoparticle- or nanocarrier-integrated delivery devices. These approaches are designed to deliver conventional and innovative ocular hypotensive agents. Pharmacokinetics, corneal permeability, drug stability, tolerability, and duration of action of intraocular pressure-lowering drugs are critically reviewed across a predominantly preclinical evidence base; the two small human studies identified (n = 6 and n = 17) support clinical feasibility but do not establish durable clinical effectiveness, long-term safety, adherence benefit, or prevention of glaucoma progression. This review distinguishes improvements in ocular drug disposition from demonstrated IOP-lowering benefit and separates preclinical proof of concept from human evidence by applying an evidence-stratified formulation–performance framework rather than ranking nanocarriers by material class or isolated physicochemical properties. The available evidence is dominated by drugs that lower IOP, which in turn distinguishes prolonged control of IOP from any direct disease-modifying or neuroprotective action, for which glaucoma-specific evidence remains substantially more limited. The review further assesses the obstacles to clinical translation, including long-term safety, manufacturing reproducibility, sterilization, regulatory requirements, and patient and treatment burden. Generally, nanoengineered systems are promising platforms to address pharmacokinetic and treatment-delivery limitations of conventional glaucoma therapy, but comparative clinical effectiveness, long-term safety, adherence benefit, cost-effectiveness, and meaningful effects on glaucoma progression remain insufficiently demonstrated. Full article

Energy management (EnM) is crucial for reducing GHG emissions, but there is still a large potential to improve the energy efficiency of manufacturing companies. One approach that could be leveraged is to reduce Scope 3 emissions by extending EnM towards suppliers and integrating it into supply chain management (SCM); however, research linking these perspectives remains limited. This paper aims to investigate drivers and barriers associated with extending EnM towards suppliers and how EnM practices are considered in supplier selection. Based on a nationwide online survey sent to Swedish manufacturing companies, this paper provides new insights for practitioners and policymakers to develop strategies to integrate EnM into SCM, contributing to closing the energy efficiency gap. The results show that organizational and economic drivers and barriers related to prioritization and structure are individually perceived as most important for extending EnM towards suppliers, but supply chain-related factors play an important role when factor groups are considered. Further, the study highlights that economic criteria are still perceived as more important than energy-related criteria when it comes to supplier selection, which is initially conceptualized as a potential supply chain EnM gap. Full article

Oral mucosal diseases often lead to structural damage and functional impairment due to high recurrence and malignant progression. Current therapeutic outcomes remain unsatisfactory owing to the complex oral microenvironment. Recent reviews have covered individual aspects of oral mucosal drug delivery, such as bioactive materials, mucoadhesive systems, and nanocarriers, but few have considered all four interrelated dimensions, including saliva-mediated adhesive barriers, epithelial permeability, biomechanical adaptability, and translational bottlenecks, in an integrated manner. The present review offers an attempt to consolidate these dimensions into one framework, aiming to provide readers with a more comprehensive perspective on the challenges inherent in this field. To underpin this framework, we conducted a structured literature search covering Web of Science (2015–2026), with predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, followed by thematic synthesis. We first summarize the clinicopathological features and current treatment landscape of major oral mucosal diseases. We then dissect three critical barriers to transmucosal delivery: adhesive interference by salivary flow, epithelial tight junction resistance, and dynamic biomechanical forces (e.g., chewing, tongue movement). Drawing on saliva and mucosa interfacial physics, we rationalize the need for wet-adhesive material design and survey diverse mucoadhesive polymers and formulations, detailing their binding mechanisms. For epithelial penetration, we highlight design principles of microneedles and nanocarriers while critically discussing their dual-edged safety–efficacy profiles. To cope with the highly deformable oral biomechanical environment, we propose mechanical property matching and asymmetric structural designs. Finally, we outline key translational bottlenecks and future breakthroughs. This review offers an integrated, barrier-informed guide for next-generation oromucosal formulations. Full article

Marine emergency interconnection coordinates information, resources and decisions across organizations to meet shared emergency tasks. This study evaluates its sustainable performance determinants under persistent public-health stress using a 13-criterion demand–supply–environment (D–S–E) Framework. Judgments from 18 experts for the Yiwu Inland Port–Ningbo-Zhoushan Port corridor are represented by Z-numbers, which pair assessed influence with stated judgment reliability. Consensus–experience aggregation combines the expert inputs, and the Best–Worst Method (BWM) and Criteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) determine integrated criterion weights. Bootstrap-supported interpretive structural modelling (ISM) retains directional links; depth-first search (DFS) enumerates paths from the highest-weight structural root and ranks those covering all three domains. Connectivity dependence, task scale and plan alignment receive the highest integrated weights. The leading path is C1-3 (connectivity dependence) → C1-1 (task scale) → C3-1 (information-sharing barriers) → C2-3 (dispatch constraints). Each step follows a retained expert-assessed influence link; this sequence suggests mapping dependencies, prioritizing tasks, improving shared information and coordinating dispatch. The path ranks first in 18 feasible threshold scenarios; nine stricter scenarios admit no eligible path from the selected root. The result is an expert-informed candidate coordination sequence whose operational effects require validation. Full article

In water safety planning, drinking water quality is protected by multiple barriers, beginning with source protection before treatment and distribution. Protection requires timely information about conditions beyond directly monitored locations. This study presents a digital twin prototype integrating networked environmental observations, a three-dimensional hydrodynamic water quality model, and source-protection applications at the Brusdalsvatnet reservoir in Norway. The framework connects state estimation for operational monitoring with contamination-scenario analysis and model-informed planning of uncrewed surface vessel sampling. Compared against observations from a single moored station throughout the 2024 season, the modelled water temperature has a root-mean-square error of 1.73 ${}^{\circ }$C near the surface and 2.15 ${}^{\circ }$C averaged across depth, with the largest discrepancies at intermediate depths in summer. The contaminant scenario and sampling route demonstrate analytical capabilities without field validation. The results establish a proof of concept for source-water decision support and identify remaining challenges to making its predictions reliable. Full article

Healing wounds and skin lesions has been practiced since ancient times, and various mechanisms have been used to treat them, ranging from bandages and herbs to ointments and modern alternatives such as dressings. This work aimed to develop bioactive dressings for wound healing. Dressings were prepared using the solution-drained plate technique and comprised 2% (w/v) sodium alginate with varying concentrations of Melipona beecheii honey, up to 5% (w/v). The dressings obtained showed suitable flexibility and elongation as the honey content increased, and had a suitable thickness for skin application, ranging from 0.03 to 0.21 mm. They were also evaluated for barrier, optical, structural, thermal, morphological, bioactive, and cytotoxic properties. The dressings demonstrated good moisture absorption and maintained antimicrobial activity for up to 12 months. Moreover, they retained bioactive compounds, demonstrated strong antioxidant activity, and showed biocompatibility in biological assays. The dressings did not induce cytotoxic effects in human keratinocytes. Dressing with a 2.5% honey concentration exhibited physicochemical and bioactive properties that could improve skin wound healing. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), arises from complex interactions among genetic susceptibility, immune dysregulation, environmental factors, and the gut microbiome. Bacterial dysbiosis has been extensively studied, whereas the gut virome—comprising eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages—remains less understood. Viruses can affect the intestinal barrier directly by infecting epithelial and immune cells, or indirectly by reshaping bacterial communities and host immunity. However, current evidence is dominated by cross-sectional associations and animal models, and whether virome alterations drive or result from intestinal inflammation remains unresolved. In this review, we provide a focused overview of intestinal barrier components relevant to IBD, synthesize human and animal evidence on IBD-associated viruses, and distinguish direct viral effects, microbiota-mediated effects, and bidirectional virus–microbiota interactions. We highlight bacteriophage–bacteria interactions as a central and potentially causal axis, discuss UC- and CD-specific differences, and outline causality gaps, search methodology, and emerging therapeutic strategies. Finally, we propose key unresolved questions and future research directions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in radiology to combine medical images with radiology reports, clinical narratives, structured health records, laboratory measurements, and other patient data. These systems may support more context-aware interpretation, reporting, and clinical decision-making than unimodal approaches. This narrative review examines recent technical and clinical advances in multimodal radiology AI and identifies barriers to responsible implementation. Methods: Relevant biomedical and technical literature was identified through targeted searches of PubMed, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, Web of Science, Scopus, arXiv, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Google Scholar. A documented screening process identified 111 reviewed publications from 1154 records. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by one reviewer without independent verification. Original research, reviews, and commentaries, including selected preprints, were synthesized thematically. Results: The field has progressed from early and late feature fusion toward cross-modal attention, contrastive image–text pretraining, vision–language models, multimodal large language models, and general-purpose foundation models. Applications include diagnostic classification, prognostic modelling, image–text retrieval, visual question answering, clinical decision support, and automated radiology report generation. Despite promising technical results, comparison across studies remains difficult because of heterogeneous datasets, tasks, metrics, and validation designs. Clinical translation is further limited by scarce external and prospective validation, uncertain interpretability, hallucination and omission risks, privacy and fairness concerns, and limited real-world workflow evaluation. Conclusions: Multimodal AI may enable more clinically informed radiological interpretation and reporting, but progress in benchmark performance has outpaced evidence of safety, generalizability, and clinical utility. Future research should prioritize multicentre evaluation, clinically meaningful metrics, transparent reporting, robust safety assessment, and workflow-centred implementation. Full article

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is defined by significant desmoplastic reaction composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), extracellular matrix (ECM), immune cells, and abnormal vascularization. This stromal compartment is by no means a passive fibrotic reaction; rather, it contributes to tumor progression and treatment resistance through physical and biological mechanisms. The accumulation and remodeling of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and other ECM components lead to tissue stiffness and increased tissue pressure, compress intratumoral vessels, impair blood flow, promote hypoxia, and limit homogeneous drug delivery. Simultaneously, heterogeneous CAF populations send out paracrine, metabolic, and immunomodulatory signals that can either promote or inhibit tumor growth. Such opposing features may contribute to the inconsistent or unfavorable outcomes observed in attempts to comprehensively reduce the PDAC stroma. Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PanNENs), especially well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs), have typically been considered highly vascularized tumors with a relatively limited stromal component. New findings challenge this simplified view. In subgroups of clinically aggressive PanNETs, fibrosis, reduced microvascular density, and CAF-rich stromal phenotypes have been observed. Recent findings also suggest spatially organized interactions between CAFs and the tumor that may promote epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity, invasion, and metastasis. Nonetheless, it remains unknown whether fibrosis in PanNETs constitutes a mechanically relevant barrier to drug delivery comparable to that observed in PDAC. This mini-review explores the desmoplastic barrier in PDAC as a frame of reference, evaluates new findings on stromal and vascular remodeling in PanNETs, and underscores the need to define tumor-specific stromal and vascular phenotypes rather than assuming a common desmoplastic mechanism across all malignant pancreatic tumors. Full article

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction may arise early. We performed an age-stratified, cross-sectional analysis of pericyte- and endothelial-associated markers and junctional proteins (claudin-1, -3, -5, occludin, and VE-cadherin) in cerebral capillary-enriched fractions from male Non-Tg and 3xTg-AD mice at asymptomatic, early, and advanced stages (3, 6, 12, and 16 months of age). Protein abundance was assessed by Western blot, and BBB permeability to 3–5 kDa FITC-dextran was evaluated at 3 months in an independent cohort. At 3 months, the pSRC/SRC ratio and an MMP-9-immunoreactive band were also evaluated in a separate cohort as candidate signaling markers related to occludin dysregulation. We detected no significant age or genotype effects for the pericyte- and endothelial-associated markers or for most junctional protein outcomes. Occludin was the only protein outcome with a significant overall genotype effect, with the largest mean reductions observed at 3 (~80%) and 6 months (~68%). A small exploratory cohort showed a higher hemisphere-derived permeability index in 3xTg-AD mice at 3 months. Neither pSRC/SRC nor the abundance of the MMP-9-immunoreactive band differed significantly between genotypes. These findings identify lower occludin abundance as the principal BBB-associated protein alteration in the 3xTg-AD model and provide exploratory evidence of increased BBB permeability at 3 months. These independent observations warrant longitudinal and translational evaluation to determine whether occludin abundance and BBB permeability could serve as indicators of early neurovascular dysfunction in AD. Full article

Ischemic stroke accounts for 87% of all strokes and remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, yet therapeutic options remain limited. Emerging evidence on the gut-brain axis and microbial metabolites as modulators of stroke outcome has positioned tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), a taurine-conjugated secondary bile acid, as a candidate neuroprotective agent. Here, we evaluated the effects of intravenous TUDCA (100 mg/kg) in male C57BL/6 mice subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) or permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO), administered either one hour before or after stroke induction. Infarct size, neurological score, and IgG extravasation served as primary outcome measures, and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity was further assessed using a human iPSC-derived BBB organ-on-chip system. TUDCA did not significantly reduce infarct volume, improve neurological outcome, or attenuate BBB leakage in either in vivo model, nor did it preserve barrier permeability or ZO-1 expression in vitro under normoxic or hypoxic conditions. These findings indicate that, under the conditions tested, TUDCA does not influence the development of ischemic brain injury or features of BBB integrity, and that further optimization of dosing and administration strategies is required to fully evaluate its therapeutic potential in ischemic stroke. Full article

Background: Acute lung injury (ALI) features oxidative stress, macrophage dysfunction, and barrier disruption, with limited safe therapies. Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (PENs) delivered noninvasively to the lung are promising but understudied. Methods: In vitro, HELNs were evaluated for their ability to scavenge ROS, restore mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) modulate M1/M2 polarization, and suppress pro-inflammatory cytokines. RNA-seq was also used to evaluate the TNF/NOD-like pathway and mitochondrial-related gene expression. In vivo, the evaluated parameters included biodistribution, therapeutic outcomes (lung wet/dry weight ratio, BALF protein concentration, MPO and MDA levels, histology), immune cell profiles, and cytokines. Biosafety was assessed via hematology, serum biochemistry, and histology. Results: In vitro, HELNs acted dose-dependently by scavenging ROS, recovering MMP, promoting M2 and suppressing M1 polarization, and reducing TNF-α, IL-6 release. Additionally, RNA-seq confirmed downregulation of TNF/NOD-like signals and regulated mitochondrial gene expression. In vivo, nebulized HELNs preferentially accumulated in inflamed lungs, with significantly higher pulmonary retention than intravenous delivery. HELNs reduced lung wet/dry weight ratio, BALF protein, MPO and MDA levels, and histological injury scores; decreased neutrophils and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cells; increased alveolar macrophages and Tregs; and lowered TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6. No significant systemic toxicity was observed. Conclusions: Nebulized HELNs offer a safe, effective, noninvasive ALI therapy by disrupting the oxidative stress-inflammation vicious cycles, reprogramming pulmonary immunity, and restoring barrier integrity, with strong translational potential. Full article

Sustainable coatings based on biodegradable biopolymers can reduce postharvest losses and extend the shelf life of fresh produce. This study evaluated chitosan/shellac coatings reinforced with CoAl₂O₄ or CuAl₂O₄ spinel nanoparticles as laboratory-scale postharvest coatings for tomatoes and cucumbers. The coating system was based on previously characterized chitosan/shellac–spinel composite films and was further evaluated at the fruit-application level. Under the experimental ambient storage conditions, the optimized spinel-containing coatings extended the observed acceptable storage period of tomatoes to more than 33 days, whereas uncoated tomatoes deteriorated within 10–14 days. Weight loss remained below 5% for coated tomatoes under the reported conditions, while coated cucumbers showed a more modest preservation response. The coatings were associated with reduced visible microbial deterioration, improved pH retention, and lower chlorophyll degradation in cucumber samples. The observed preservation performance is attributed to complementary contributions from (i) chitosan film formation and antimicrobial activity, (ii) shellac-induced hydrophobicity and moisture-barrier functionality, and (iii) reinforcing and antimicrobial effects from the spinel nanoparticles. A short-term non-choice feeding experiment in female albino rats provided preliminary information on food acceptance and changes in food intake and body weight; however, the study was not designed to establish comprehensive toxicological or food-contact safety. Full article