Search Results (306)

SARS-CoV-2 infection has emerged worldwide. To reduce the number of cases and limit the transmission of the virus, health and local authorities have implemented several strategies. Mass screening is a key strategy for mitigating the damage caused by this pandemic. This strategy is based on the use of qRT-PCR and pooling to diagnose SARS-CoV-2 infection. The present work explores the performance and limitations of this strategy for the molecular diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Three important technical aspects were retained: the comparison of two commercial extraction kits (BIGFISH and BIOER), the simulation of a non-compliant nasopharyngeal swab, and the evaluation of the pooling strategy. A total of 97 SARS-CoV-2-positive nasopharyngeal samples were used. The comparison of the two extraction kits was based on threshold cycles (Ct) values. The results showed a significant difference (IC = 95%) in the Ct of the nucleocapsid gene (N; p = 0.0000384) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp; p = 0.0254). However, no significant difference was observed between the Internal Control gene (IC; p = 0.0723) and Envelope gene (E; p = 0.150). The Ct values resulting from the BIGFISH extraction kit were generally lower than those obtained from BIOER. In terms of sensitivity, the RT-qPCR technique allows for the detection of viral RNA up to 10⁻³ as a dilution factor. This study demonstrated that the pooling strategy is an effective diagnostic technique. Positive samples remained detectable even in pools of 1000 or even 10,000 samples. However, the size of the pool under diagnostic conditions should not exceed a limit that must be dynamically adapted to prevalence to ensure economic and analytical viability. Full article

Inflammation is associated with metabolic alterations that can lead to the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) reflecting cellular biochemical activity. Profiling these volatile metabolites may provide insight into cellular responses to inflammatory stimuli, although their characterization in skin-derived cells remains limited. In this exploratory proof-of-concept study, we investigated the volatile metabolite profiles of human skin fibroblasts exposed to different inflammatory stimuli. Fibroblast cell lines were stimulated with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to model viral-, cytokine-, and bacterial-associated stress conditions. Headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS) was applied to analyze volatile metabolites released from the cell cultures, enabling exploratory profiling of the fibroblast volatilome. A data-processing workflow including pairwise comparisons between experimental groups and statistical filtering was implemented to identify volatile features associated with the different conditions. Several VOCs were tentatively identified, mainly belonging to alcohol, ester, and hydrocarbon classes, and showed differential abundance patterns between stimulated and control samples. Multivariate analysis indicated a separation between stimulated and non-stimulated groups, suggesting stimulus-associated differences in the volatile profiles of fibroblast cultures. While these observations may reflect metabolic responses occurring under inflammatory stimulation, the chemical identity and biochemical origins of several detected features remain to be confirmed. All in all, this study demonstrates the feasibility of applying HS-SPME-GC×GC-TOFMS-based volatilome profiling to investigate stimulus-associated changes in fibroblast cultures. The detected VOC patterns should therefore be considered preliminary observations requiring further chemical characterization and independent validation. Future studies including larger sample numbers, complementary biological verification of the inflammatory response, and more physiologically relevant experimental models will be necessary to further assess the robustness and potential relevance of these volatile signatures in the context of inflammatory processes. Full article

Objectives: As widely used first-line antihypertensive drugs, dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers (DHP-CCBs) have relatively few studies comparing their adverse reactions based on real-world data. This study aims to identify and compare the potential adverse drug reaction (ADR) signals of four DHP-CCBs (amlodipine, felodipine, nicardipine, and nifedipine) through the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), providing a reference for further drug safety assessment and clinical medication risk awareness. Methods: Adverse event reports from medical professionals (Q3 2014–Q4 2024) were analyzed using signal detection methods, including reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), information component (IC), and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) methods. Risk signals for the four DHP-CCBs were compared with both the full database and the DHP-CCBs background. For high-risk signals in amlodipine, multivariate logistic regression was used for validation. The analysis reveals distinct ADR profiles for the four DHP-CCBs. Results: Amlodipine is strongly linked to suicide-related risks, confirmed by logistic regression. Nicardipine and nifedipine show significant risks for pregnancy-related events, such as premature delivery and exposure during pregnancy. Nicardipine is also associated with hyponatremia, hyperkalemia, and lactic acidosis. These adverse events are not yet included in the FDA labeling for any of the DHP-CCBs. Although palpitations and angioedema are listed for felodipine, their signal strength is much higher compared to the other DHP-CCBs. Conclusions: The ADR risk profiles of the four DHP-CCBs differ significantly. This study identified several high-risk adverse events not included in current labels. Clinical use should consider each drug’s risk profile and patient-specific factors, with particular attention to serious risk signals. For pregnant and postpartum women, the benefits and risks of using nicardipine and nifedipine should be carefully evaluated. Full article

Ice accretion poses a threat to fixed-wing aerial vehicles as it alters the wings’ shape and thus degrades the aerodynamic performance. In manned aircraft, the icing detection system assists the pilot and utilises dedicated sensors. However, in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), onboard icing detection can generally only be achieved using standard sensors in conjunction with dynamical models, because dedicated sensors are rarely available. In this paper, we propose two approaches based on the particle filter for both icing detection and accurate state and aerodynamic parameter estimation in the presence of icing, with different levels of severity. The first approach uses the observation likelihood for icing hypothesis testing with a complement of the Gaussian kernel to compute icing probability. The second approach uses a discrete jump approach based on a Bernoulli process and a subset of particles to test the icing hypothesis for faster icing detection by estimating changes in icing-related aerodynamic parameters. Using both approaches, the simulation results demonstrate improved estimation accuracy compared to an extended Kalman filter (EKF), under both moderate and severe icing conditions. With adequate tuning, the proposed approaches show potential for indirect icing detection in UAVs. They also enable the computation of icing severity and provide a more accurate and reliable estimate of the icing probability compared to the EKF. Full article

Bacterial endophytes isolated from medicinal and wild plant species have recently gained significant attention for their medicinal properties, often closely linked to those of their plant hosts. This study identified two endophytic Bacillus isolates using 16S rRNA sequencing-based phylogeny. The impact of sublethal concentrations (0.5 mg/mL) of cadmium and hydrogen peroxide on metabolite production and bioactivity was also investigated. Phytochemical testing and antimicrobial and antioxidant assays revealed shifts in metabolite production under stress conditions. According to the phylogenetic analysis, Bacillus sp. NV35 and NV1 are respectively related to Bacillus cereus and B. mycoides. Phytochemical screening of methanolic crude extracts from both isolates tested positive for alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins. Notably, tannins were detected only after cadmium treatment, while steroids were present following exposure to both cadmium and H₂O₂. LC-MS fingerprinting confirmed the presence of several tannins and steroids in treated samples. The untreated crude extracts exhibited an IC₅₀ of ~3 mg/mL with the DPPH assay, which decreased to ~1.5 mg/mL after treatment with cadmium or H₂O₂, demonstrating enhanced antioxidant potential under stress conditions. Additionally, extracts from both treated and untreated bacteria displayed antimicrobial activity against selected bacterial pathogens, with MIC values ranging from 62.5 μg/mL to 125 μg/mL. LC-MS analysis identified various antimicrobial and antioxidant metabolites, including phenoxymethylpenicilloyl, maculosin, (S,R,S)-alpha-tocopherol, 3-indoleacrylate, procyanidin A2, cis-11-eicosenamide, 3-hydroxy-3-phenacyloxindole, and 9-octadecenamide. Full article

High concentrations of ionized ammonia (${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$) have been increasingly reported in municipal drinking water systems, posing a severe public health risk as excessive ingestion can lead to life-threatening conditions. Despite its importance, there is a significant lack of sensing technologies designed for continuous-flow monitoring outside laboratory settings, particularly those providing a robust, low-cost methodology suitable for resource-limited environments. To address these challenges, in this work, we report the development of an impedance sensor featuring a 3D-printed housing (3D-IS) for monitoring aqueous ionized ammonia (${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$). The sensing electrodes, composed of zinc oxide and graphite, allow for the detection of concentrations 10 times lower and 60 times higher than current environmental limits. Its innovative, optimized design, analogous to that of industrial pressure gauges, highlights its potential for use in continuous water flow conditions outside the laboratory, such as water treatment plants. The level of ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$ in water is monitored by changes in impedance magnitude, with optimal performance observed at a frequency of 100 kHz. At this frequency, the impedance magnitude decreased by nearly two orders of magnitude as the ${\mathrm{NH}}_4^{+}$ concentration increased from 0 to 1 μM. Under these optimized conditions, the sensor exhibited a sensitivity of 2 kΩ/log(μM) and a linearity exceeding 90%. Furthermore, we propose an equivalent circuit model that accurately describes the experimental data, explaining the transduction process. We also describe, from an electrical perspective, the phenomenon of adsorption on the sensor’s transducer surface, thereby ensuring the device’s selectivity. The sensor was evaluated using dilutions of a standard ammonium solution for IC in distilled water, as well as with real groundwater samples, obtaining ∼99.7% of correlation with ion chromatography and a limit of detection of 2 μM. Finally, our device can provide information relatively quickly, with the added advantage of stable response under continuous-flow and real conditions, making it an attractive option for integration into a field sensor node. Full article

In recent years, Biophytum umbraculum Welw. (Oxalidaceae) has undergone several phytochemical and pharmacological investigations. Although its major phytochemical classes have been characterized, few isolated compounds have been reported. The previously detected phytoconstituents, along with the documented antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, both align with a potential antiproliferative effect. This study aims to complement the existing chemotaxonomic profile of B. umbraculum through the isolation and identification of phytoconstituents and to evaluate the antiproliferative potential of its extracts. Hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanolic extracts of B. umbraculum were screened against two human adherent cell lines, breast (MCF-7) and cervical (SiSo) adenocarcinomas, by using the crystal violet staining assay. The hexane extract inhibited both MCF-7 and SiSo cell proliferation with IC₅₀ values of 8.93 ± 0.07 and 14.59 ± 0.08 µg/mL, respectively. The ethyl acetate extract showed activity against both cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 12.60 ± 0.14 and 13.10 ± 0.04 µg/mL, respectively. However, the methanolic extract was inactive on the MCF-7 cell line and only slightly active on the SiSo cell line. Chromatographic fractionations led to the isolation of ursolic acid from the active ethyl acetate extract and rutin from the methanolic extract. A further antiproliferative evaluation is warranted to confirm the contribution of ursolic acid to the effect of the ethyl acetate extract. Additional fractionations may uncover more phytoconstituents of diverse pharmaceutical interests. Full article

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) commonly coexists with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but may be under-recognised, since symptoms such as dyspnoea and chest discomfort are often attributed to lung disease. We hypothesised that coronary artery disease is highly prevalent in patients with COPD, even in the absence of typical angina symptoms. Methods: This study aimed to detect CAD in patients with COPD. We conducted a single-centre observational study, including 76 patients with no known previous cardiovascular events. To detect ischaemic heart disease, three methods were used, according to standard clinical indications: coronary angiography, coronary CT, and calcium score analysis on chest CT. The findings were categorised according to lesion severity and vessel involvement. Results: A substantial proportion of patients with COPD harboured previously undiagnosed atherosclerotic coronary disease (78%). However, most detected disease was non-obstructive atherosclerosis (56%), whereas severe stenosis was present in approximately one-third of patients (32%). Single-vessel disease accounted for 37% of cases, while the remaining patients exhibited multi-vessel involvement. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of patients had typical angina symptoms (11.8%), and the most frequent complaint was effort dyspnoea (50%). Patients not receiving inhaled corticosteroid therapy were more likely to have extensive coronary artery disease (χ² (6)= 14.228, p = 0.027). Conclusions: These findings support our hypothesis that atherosclerotic coronary disease is often under-recognised in patients with COPD. ICS-containing therapy appeared to be associated with less extensive coronary artery involvement; however, this observation should be interpreted cautiously. Full article

Ice accretion is a significant threat to the operation of UAVs in cold climates. This study analyzed the performance degradation caused by ice accretion on a propeller with a diameter of 0.53 m for a small UAV in an icing wind tunnel. Three different droplet diameters of 20, 40, and 60 µm were tested along with three liquid water contents between 0.28 g/m³ and 1.12 g/m³ along with temperatures of −5 °C, −10 °C, and −15 °C. Additionally, the influence of the variation in the rotation rate was measured. The droplet diameter was observed to have the strongest influence on the propeller’s performance. An increase in the median volume diameter from 20 µm to 40 µm was correlated with a significant decrease in the propeller’s performance. After a minute of icing, the experiment at 20 µm showed a reduction in thrust of 25% compared to a decrease in thrust by 100% for the 40 µm case and 120% for the 60 µm case, meaning that the propeller is not generating thrust, but is generating drag. The temperature influences the propeller’s performance, with the most substantial performance degradation at −5 °C and a decrease in the performance impact with a temperature reduction. Analyzing the performance impact is an important step for deploying UAVs in icing conditions by detecting the most critical conditions for the performance of a UAV propeller. The analysis shows that the most critical conditions are at −5 °C and that an increase in droplet diameter and liquid water content leads to more severe icing conditions. The results show the need for future analysis comparing the performance impact of a propeller at different icing wind tunnels and the validation of numerical methods for predicting the performance degradation of a UAV propeller. Full article

Sewage sludge is increasingly recognized as a major reservoir for pharmaceuticals and emerging contaminants that are only partially removed by conventional wastewater treatment. This study provides the first comprehensive assessment of these contaminants in biosolids generated from ten major wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across Jordan. Different pharmaceuticals were quantified in the sludge samples generated. The results revealed concentrations ranging from 10 to over 2000 µg kg⁻¹, with antibiotics typically showing the highest enrichment (e.g., ciprofloxacin up to 2165 µg kg⁻¹, ofloxacin up to 303 µg kg⁻¹). Anti-inflammatory compounds such as diclofenac reached 196 µg kg⁻¹, while the antimicrobial triclosan exceeded 4700 µg kg⁻¹ in some sludge samples. Carbamazepine, a recalcitrant antiepileptic drug, ranged between 50 and 223 µg kg⁻¹, reflecting both widespread use and strong persistence. Elevated levels of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) were also detected. The highest levels were generally associated with large urban WWTPs and plants receiving industrial discharges. Environmental risk assessment (ERA) indicated that the risk for soil biota was acceptable for most cases for low application doses (5–10 t/ha) except for WWTP6-MD, WWTP8-S, and WWTP9-IC, where the risk was non-acceptable. Severe limitations in the risk assessment were noted: reliable toxicity endpoints in terrestrial soil organisms such as microbiota, collembola, and earthworms are few, while deriving endpoints via aquatic available data is not always reliable. Overall, the findings demonstrate that Jordanian sewage sludge contains environmentally relevant levels of pharmaceuticals and QACs and that risk assessment is, therefore, pertinent before any stabilization and realistic land application scenarios are chosen. Full article

Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare but devastating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the pathological misfolding of the cellular prion protein (PrP^C) into the pathogenic isoform-scrapie prion protein (PrP^Sc), ultimately leading to fatal outcomes. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers play a pivotal role in early diagnosis, longitudinal monitoring, and prognostic assessment, thereby enhancing the clinical management of this challenging disease. This review summarizes the established CSF biomarkers, 14-3-3 protein, tau protein (total tau), phosphorylated tau isoforms, α-synuclein, neurofilament light chain (Nfl), S100B, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and phosphorylated neurofilament heavy chain (pNFH), highlighting typical sensitivity ranges (14-3-3 ~70–85%; RT-QuIC > 90%) and subtype-dependent performance variation. We further dissect limitations related to assay variability, inter-laboratory cut-off inconsistencies, and reduced specificity in non-prion dementias. Looking ahead, we discuss emerging multi-omics discovery, integration of CSF with blood-based biomarkers and imaging signatures, and AI-enabled diagnostic modeling. We propose a three-tier biomarker framework combining Real-Time Quaking-Induced Conversion (RT-QuIC) as a confirmatory assay, tau/NfL/pNFH as injury-severity indicators, and multi-omics-derived signatures for early detection and prognosis stratification. Full article

Recommender systems are widely deployed across digital platforms, yet their opacity raises concerns about auditability, fairness, and user trust. To address the gap between predictive accuracy and model interpretability, this study proposes a glass-box architecture for trustworthy recommendation, designed to reconcile predictive performance with interpretability. The framework integrates interpretable tree ensemble model (Random Forest, XGBoost), an NLP sub-model for tag sentiment, prioritising transparency from feature engineering through to explanation. Additionally, a Reality Check mechanism enforces strict temporal separation and removes already-popular items, compelling the model to forecast latent growth signals rather than mimic popularity thresholds. Evaluated on the MovieLens dataset, the glass-box architectures demonstrated superior discrimination capabilities, with the Random Forest and XGBoost models achieving ROC-AUC scores of 0.92 and 0.91, respectively. These tree ensembles notably outperformed the standard Logistic Regression (0.89) and the neural baseline (MLP model with 0.86). Beyond accuracy, the design implements governance through a multi-layered Governance Stack: (i) attribution and traceability via exact TreeSHAP values, (ii) stability verification using ICE plots and sensitivity analysis across policy configurations, and (iii) fairness audits detecting genre and temporal bias. Dynamic threshold optimisation further improves recall for emerging items under severe class imbalance. Cross-domain validation on Amazon Electronics test dataset confirmed architectural generalisability (AUC = 0.89), demonstrating robustness in sparse, high-friction environments. These findings challenge the perceived trade-off between accuracy and interpretability, offering a practical blueprint for Safe-by-Design recommender systems that embed fairness, accountability, and auditability as intrinsic properties rather than post hoc add-ons. Full article

As global climate warming enhances the navigability of Arctic routes, their navigation value has become prominent, yet ships operating in ice-covered waters face severe threats from sea ice and icebergs. Existing manual observation and radar monitoring remain limited, highlighting an urgent need for efficient target recognition technology. This study focuses on polar environmental target detection by constructing a polar dataset with 1342 JPG images covering four classes, including sea ice, icebergs, ice channels, and ships, obtained via web collection and video frame extraction. The “Grounding DINO pre-annotation + LabelImg manual fine-tuning” strategy is employed to improve annotation efficiency and accuracy, with data augmentation further enhancing dataset diversity. After comparing YOLOv5n, YOLOv8n, and YOLOv11n, YOLOv8n is selected as the baseline model and improved by introducing the CBAM/SE attention mechanism, SCConv/AKConv convolutions, and BiFPN network. Among these models, the improved YOLOv8n + SCConv achieves the best in polar target detection, with a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.844–1.4% higher than the original model. It effectively reduces missed detections of sea ice and icebergs, thereby enhancing adaptability to complex polar environments. The experimental results demonstrate that the improved model exhibits good robustness in images of varying resolutions, scenes with water surface reflections, and AI-generated images. In addition, a visual GUI with image/video detection functions was developed to support real-time monitoring and result visualization. This research provides essential technical support for safe navigation in ice-covered waters, polar resource exploration, and scientific activities. Full article

Background/Objectives: Dihydroquercetin (DHQ), also known as taxifolin, is a natural flavonoid which has anti-inflammatory and wound-healing biological effects. One of the main limitations for developing formulations with DHQ is its low solubility in water at room temperature. One of the high-potential co-formers for increasing its solubility is l-lysine, which has an aliphatic amino group in the side radical capable of entering into intermolecular interactions with the phenolic hydroxyl groups of DHQ. Methods: Several modifications were obtained using grinding, drying, and lyophilization methods. Subsequent evaluation was conducted using a combination of physicochemical and biological analytical methods. Results: Obtained modifications could be described as very easily soluble substances. The absence of the formation of new covalent bonds between the compounds during the formation of such systems was established. The glass transition effect was detected at 64 °C for the obtained films. It is important to note that as a result of studying the cytotoxic properties of the objects, a decrease in cytotoxicity was established during lyophilization of the mechanical mixture of the initial components. For these lyophilizates, the IC50 value was 0.025 mg/mL, 0.068 mg/mL, 0.145 mg/mL, and 0.288 mg/mL for the 3T3, HEK293, Caco-2, and HUVEC cell lines, respectively. Conclusions: Co-amorphous systems of DHQ and l-lysine in the form of films and lyophilizates were obtained and described. These objects may be interesting from the point of view of increasing the solubility of natural flavonoids, which solves one of the main problems in developing drugs based on them. Full article

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, prompting the search for natural therapeutic agents with selective anticancer activity. This study investigated extracts from 12 medicinal plant species (a total of 21 samples) rich in phenolic compounds, particularly ellagic acid and its derivatives, to evaluate their antioxidant properties and ability to inhibit cancer cell viability. Spectrometric analysis and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection (ED) and ultraviolet–visible (UV-VIS) detection were used for compound identification. The anticancer activity of plant extracts was tested using the MTS cell proliferation assay to determine anticancer activity on 4T1, A549, Caki-1, HCT116, and MCF7 cancer cell lines. The HEK-293 healthy cell line was used to determine extracts cytotoxicity. Study results indicate that black walnut (Juglans nigra L.), fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium L.), and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) have the highest contents of bioactive compounds. Among tested extracts, fireweed showed the lowest IC₅₀ values, thus the strongest anticancer activity against 4T1 cells (IC₅₀ = 0.28 ± 0.01 RE (rutin equivalents) mg/g), while black walnut was most effective against Caki-1 and HCT116 (IC₅₀ = 1.56 ± 0.01; 2.56 ± 0.02 RE mg/g). IC₅₀ values are reported in rutin equivalents (RE) to maintain consistency with antioxidant normalization parameters used throughout the study. Extended incubation increased anticancer activity across most medicinal plant extracts, with fireweed and Canadian goldenrod demonstrating rapid and sustained potency already at 24 h. After 72 h, the most active fireweed extract inhibited approximately 104–190 million cancer cells per gram of dried plant material, demonstrating substantial antiproliferative activity consistent with the IC₅₀ findings. Importantly, none of the extracts showed cytotoxicity to healthy HEK-293 cells. Overall, the findings highlight several plant species with significant anticancer potential, underscoring their promise as sources of natural bioactive compounds for future cancer prevention and treatment research. Full article