Search Results (89)

Patient-specific cutting guides are used for safe and accurate jaw resection during oral and maxillofacial surgery. This study investigated the effect of shavings from 3D-printed cutting guide materials during surgery on bone healing. The biocompatibility of commercially available biocompatible polymers including photopolymer resin (PP) and polyamide resin (PA) materials was assessed in the present study. The viability of mouse osteoblast-like MC3T3E-1 cells was evaluated upon coculture with the materials. Furthermore, the effects of PP and PA as additives on bone formation were investigated in a rat calvarial bone defect model. Both PP and PA were biocompatible and allowed cells to attach to them. However, both materials could be damaged when cutting devices were used, and their shavings impaired osteoblast proliferation and bone formation. Cutting guide materials are designed to be biocompatible when they are fabricated according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Nevertheless, the polymer shavings generated during jaw cutting might adversely affect bone healing. Full article

Background/Objectives: Interindividual variability in polyphenol metabolism may help explain the inconsistent effects of polyphenol intake on health outcomes. This study compared, for the first time, (i) polyphenol-related gut microbiota metabotypes (urolithins: UM0, UMA, UMB; equol: EP, ENP; lunularin: LP, LNP) and their clusters (MCs) in non-medicated premenopausal (Pre-M) and postmenopausal (Post-M) women and (ii) the impact of an 8-week intake of a polyphenol-rich plant extract mixture (PPs) on the quality of life (QoL) of Post-M. Methods: Polyphenol metabotypes were determined in urine via UPLC-QTOF-MS after a 3-day intake of PPs containing resveratrol, pomegranate (ellagitannins and ellagic acid), and red clover (isoflavones) in Pre-M (n = 120) and Post-M (n = 90) women. QoL was assessed with the short-form Cervantes Scale in a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial (8-week PPs vs. placebo), completed by 78 Post-M participants. Results: At baseline, Pre-M and Post-M women showed only minor differences in metabotype and MC distributions linked to menopausal status. MC3 (UMA+EP+LP) predominated in Pre-M, while MC7 (UMA+EP+LNP) was most frequent in Post-M. PPs intake in Post-M women led to modest shifts in metabotype and MC distributions toward Pre-M patterns. Quantitative metabolite production was comparable between groups, except for equol, which showed a median 2.8-fold increase after PPs intake in EP Post-M women. Clinically meaningful improvements (score reduction ≥ 6.7 points) in QoL were observed in the Psychic domain in EP women (28%, p = 0.039) and in the Menopause and Health domain, specifically in EP (24.1%, p = 0.004), MC3 (22.5%, p = 0.043), and MC4 (UMB+EP+LP; 41.3%, p = 0.022), were mainly driven by a reduction in hot flashes (p = 0.001). Conclusions: These findings support metabotyping as a tool to guide targeted dietary strategies and enhance QoL through precision health in Post-M women. Full article

In this paper, we research multi-robot coverage path planning (MCPP), which generates paths for agents to visit all target areas or points. This problem is common in various fields, such as agriculture, rescue, 3D scanning, and data collection. Algorithms to solve MCPP are generally categorized into online and offline methods. Online methods work in an unknown area, while offline methods generate a path for the known. Recently, offline MCPP has been researched through various approaches, such as graph clustering, DARP, genetic algorithms, and deep learning models. However, many previous algorithms can only be applied on grid-like environments. Therefore, this study introduces an offline MCPP algorithm that applies graph-adapted K-means and spanning tree coverage for robust operation in non-grid-structure maps such as road networks. To achieve this, we modify a cost function based on the travel distance by adjusting the referenced clustering algorithm. Moreover, we apply bipartite graph matching to reflect the initial positions of agents. We also introduce a cluster-level graph to alleviate local minima during clustering updates. We compare the proposed algorithm with existing methods in a grid environment to validate its stability, and evaluation on a road network digital twin validates its robustness across most environments. Full article

Experimental animal evidence and a growing body of observational studies suggest that prenatal exposure to phthalates may be a risk factor for childhood obesity. Using data from the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Study (MSCEHS), which measured urinary phthalate metabolites (including MEP, MnBP, MiBP, MCPP, MBzP, MEHP, MEHHP, MEOHP, and MECPP) during the third trimester of pregnancy (between 25 and 40 weeks) of 382 mothers, we examined adiposity outcomes—body mass index (BMI), fat mass percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist circumference—of 180 children between ages 4 and 9. Our aim was to assess the effects of prenatal exposure to phthalates on these adiposity outcomes, with potential time-varying and sex-specific effects. We applied a novel Bayesian multivariate factor regression (BMFR) that (1) represents phthalate mixtures as latent factors—a DEHP and a non-DEHP factor, (2) borrows information across highly correlated adiposity outcomes to improve estimation precision, (3) models potentially non-linear time-varying effects of the latent factors on adiposity outcomes, and (4) fully quantifies uncertainty using state-of-the-art prior specifications. The results show that in boys, at younger ages (4–6), all phthalate components are associated with lower adiposity outcomes; however, after age 7, they are associated with higher outcomes. In girls, there is no evidence of associations between phthalate factors and adiposity outcomes. Full article

In this work, biocomposites of polylactic acid (PLA) and polypropylene (PP) with micronized cellulose (MC) were produced by mold injection and subjected to accelerated aging with ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The tests took place over 10 weeks, during which the produced specimens were exposed to a total of 1050 h of ultraviolet light. During the UV aging test, images were captured, and spectral reflectance and colorimetric measurements were carried out on the specimens exposed to UV and on specimens of the same materials kept in the dark (originals). As expected, only residual color differences were observed in the original specimens with values of ΔE*_ab always below 0.5. On the other hand, spectral reflectance and colorimetric changes were noticed over time in the specimens subjected to UV radiation. In particular, the values of ΔE*_ab increased over time and were found to be higher for PLA with MC compared to PP with MC. Values of ΔE*_ab = 4.7, 9.0, and 10.4 were obtained for weeks 1, 5, and 10, respectively, for the specimens of PLA with MC, whereas ΔE*_ab = 4.5, 6.8, and 7.3 were obtained for weeks 1, 5, and 10, respectively, for the specimens of PP with MC. Therefore, it was found that the specimens of PLA with MC showed greater color fading compared to the specimens of PP with MC when subjected to UV exposure. In addition, it was also found in this work that besides the color differences noted in the tested specimens, those made of PP with MC also showed signs of surface damage. Full article

Differentiating central diabetes insipidus (CDI), nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI), and primary polydipsia (PP) in pediatric patients with polyuria–polydipsia syndrome (PPS) remains a clinical challenge. The water deprivation test (WDT) is the traditional gold standard; however, it is time-consuming, burdensome, and prone to equivocal results. Stimulated copeptin, a surrogate marker of vasopressin, has emerged as a promising diagnostic alternative. We conducted a prospective, observational, cross-sectional study involving 27 pediatric patients (ages 2–17) presenting with PPS. Each patient underwent a WDT with desmopressin and hypertonic saline infusion (3% NaCl) for stimulated copeptin testing. Diagnostic accuracy was assessed using clinical diagnoses as a reference. The WDT showed high accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97, and there was an increased optimal threshold of ≥14% urine osmolality after desmopressin acetate (1-deamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin, DDAVP) administration (sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 100%). Stimulated copeptin at a threshold of <6.5 pmol/L demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity (AUC = 1.00) for CDI versus PP. Basal copeptin ≥21.4 pmol/L accurately identified all NDI cases. The agreement between the WDT and copeptin was low (κ = 0.06, McNemar p = 0.021), suggesting that copeptin has greater specificity, particularly for borderline or partial CDI. These results support the use of stimulated copeptin as a first-line diagnostic tool in pediatric PPS, offering improved objectivity, tolerability, and diagnostic clarity compared with the WDT. Basal copeptin also demonstrated excellent performance in rapid noninvasive NDI identification. Full article

Extrusion cooking is broadly used in the food industry due to its easiness and simplicity. In this study a twin-screw extruder is applied at 150 rpm and 24–28 °C for the production of a nutritionally enriched extruded matrix, where hypo-allergenic rice protein (RP) and pea protein (PP) were used in the entrapment of natural antioxidant blueberry powder. The higher-moisture-content extrusion (40% MC) used with protein mixture (75 PP:25 RP) reduced the output temperature from 61.97 °C to 55 °C, the expansion ratio from 1.26 to 1, and the rehydration ratio from 78.70% to 31.90%, when compared with low-moisture-content extrusion used with RP samples (25% MC). Combining RP and PP showed also an enhancement in the textural properties of the extruded samples where firmness and toughness increased to 1503 (g) and 1822 (g.s), respectively, and preserved the anthocyanin content and antioxidant activity during extrusion processing and subsequent finish air drying. Moreover, the addition of maltodextrin in low concentration (5%) enhanced the antioxidant activity and anthocyanin retention (by 98.59% in mixture samples after extrusion and 92.13% after drying) and improved the appearance and sensory properties of the extruded matrices including firmness, toughness, and the color of the added blueberry powder. Full article

Steel fibers are frequently used in ultra high-performance concrete (UHPC) due to their superior properties, but they also have disadvantages, such as corrosion exposure, high specific gravity and high cost. Although synthetic fibers have emerged as an alternative, the focus has generally been on hybrid use with steel fibers in UHPC. This study investigates the applicability of macro-polypropylene (PP) fibers for UHPC in terms of mechanical properties. An experimental campaign was conducted for UHPC mixtures containing macro-PP fibers with varying volumetric ratios. The effects of macro-PP fiber on the mechanical properties of UHPC were investigated in terms of compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural behavior. The two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D-DIC) method was adopted to examine the cracking behavior. In addition, tensile constitutive law for UHPC mixtures was obtained with inverse analysis based on Model Code 2020 (MC2020). The results showed that the use of macro-PP fibers had no significant impact on compressive and splitting tensile strength. However, residual flexural tensile strength and fracture energy increased by up to 2.8 and 2.5 times, respectively, compared to UHPC without fiber. It was determined that macro-PP fibers could exhibit effective crack control in UHPC. Full article

Background: Humans are consistently and increasingly exposed to phthalate products, but the effect of the combined exposure to phthalates on myocardial injury remains largely unexplored. The present study aimed to explore the effect of the combined exposure to phthalates on myocardial injury. Methods: A total of 1237 male adults (aged ≥20) without coronary artery disease (CAD) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1999–2004 were included in the current study. Multiple linear regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), and a weighted quantile sum (WQS) model were employed to examine the associations of urinary phthalate metabolites with two cardiac injury biomarkers, including troponin T (TNT) and troponin I, using four highly sensitive assays (Abbott, Chicago, IL, USA; Siemens, Erlangen, Germany; and Ortho, Raritan, NJ, USA) (TNIA, TNIS, TNIO). Results: According to the linear regression analysis, mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP, a metabolite of di-n-octyl phthalate) was found to be positively associated with serum TNT; a positive association was found between mono-isobutyl phthalate (MiBP, a metabolite of di-isobutyl phthalate) and TNIA, as well as MiBP and TNIS. Mono-benzyl phthalate (MBzP, a metabolite of butyl benzyl phthalate) and MCPP were positively associated with serum TNIO. The BKMR analyses showed a positive overall relationship of serum TNT, TNIA, TNIS, and TNIO with increased concentrations of phthalate metabolites. The WQS model showed MCPP and MBzP were the top two contributors to being an increased risk for elevated TNT levels. MCPP and mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP, a metabolite of diethyl phthalate) were identified as the leading contributors to increased TNIA and TNIS. MCPP and MBzP were the dominant contributors to elevated TNIO. Conclusions: As a combined mixture, phthalate metabolites were positively associated with serum TNT and TNI among adults without CAD, indicating the potential toxic effect of phthalate exposure on cardiac injury. Full article

Plastic pollution is a global concern due to its adverse environmental effects. Plastic production and consumption have continued to rise and are expected to double by 2050. Plastic disposal and degradation produce small particles of plastic—less than 5 mm—that can accumulate, infiltrate, or travel through soil, air, water, plants, and the environment. Healthy soil is a system in sync with good physical, chemical, and biological properties capable of supporting life. There is enough research to show the effects of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic environments; however, much is unclear about the effects of MPs on soil and food systems. To address this knowledge gap, two replicated germination experiments were conducted under a controlled environment in a germination chamber at the Water School Lab, Florida Gulf Coast University. The objective of this study was to determine the germination percentage (GP), mean germination time (MGT) and germination index (GI) of alfalfa seeds (Medicago sativa-VNS (variety not stated)) when germinated under two types of MP-treated soils: (1) fiber-fill plastic (FF) at 0.2% and 1% concentration and (2) plastic packaging (PP) at 0.2% and 1% concentration. The experiments were conducted in the germination chamber for 30 days at optimum germination temperatures of 25/18 °C day/night, with a 12-h photoperiod. The physical (texture, structure), chemical (pH, EC, moisture content (MC), and biological (microorganisms count) properties of the soil were analyzed in the laboratory to understand the impact of MPs on soil properties. In conclusion, our research shows MPs have minimal impacts on germination. Soil pH and MC (moisture content) decreased while EC increased across all treatments, and soil texture was negligibly altered. Microbial communities grew significantly across all treatments, showing that MPs can stimulate bacterial growth. Full article

Some large social environments are expected to use Covered Path Planning (CPP) methods to handle daily tasks such as cleaning and disinfection. These environments are usually large in scale, chaotic in structure, and contain many obstacles. The proposed method is based on the improved SCAN-STC (Spanning Tree Coverage) method and significantly reduces the solution time by optimizing the backtracking module of the algorithm. The proposed method innovatively introduces the concept of optimal backtracking points to sacrifice the spatial complexity of the algorithm to reduce its computational complexity. The necessity of backtracking in such environments is proved to illustrate the generalization ability of the method. Finally, based on secondary coding, the STC solution is explicitly expressed as a continuous and cuttable global path, which can be generalized to Multi-robot Covered Path Planning (MCPP) to avoid the path conflict problem in the multi-robot system, and the paths assigned to each robot have good balance. The method of this study is proven to be effective through simulations in various random environments and a real environment example. Compared with the advanced methods, the computational time is reduced by 82.47%. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP) and chitinase combinations on the conservation and nutritive value of alfalfa high-moisture hay (HMH). P. pentosaceus [10¹² colony forming unit/g fresh forage] combined with (g/tonne of fresh forage) 1.5 (PP + LC), 7.5 (PP + MC), or 15.0 (PP + HC) g of LANiHay01 chitinase (Exp. 1) or with LANiHay02 (PP + Fe; 1.5 g), LANiHay01 (PP + Pe; 1.5 g), or Sigma (PP + Si; 55 mg) chitinase/tonne (Exp. 2) were used in 2016. In 2017, PP was applied alone or in combination with LANiHay01 at 1.5 g (PP + LC) or 7.5 g (PP + MC) chitinase/tonne (Exp. 3 and 4). Deionized water and propionic acid (4.0 L/tonne of fresh forage in Exp. 1 and 2 and at 6.0 L/tonne of fresh forage in Exp. 3 and 4) were applied as neutral (CON) and positive control (CON+), respectively. The maximum temperature (r² = 0.66) and NH₃-N concentration (r² = 0.80) of the HMH were positively related to total microbial populations. PP + MC had lower (p ≤ 0.05) yeast and mold counts than CON in Exp. 3 and 4 while the neutral detergent fiber degradability was greater (p < 0.01) for PP + MC and PP + LC than CON in Exp. 1 and 3, respectively. P. pentosaceus in combination with chitinase has the potential in conserving the nutrient quality of alfalfa HMH. Full article

The Tam Giang-Cau Hai lagoon (TGCH) in Thua Thien Hue province (Vietnam) is a marsh/lagoon system and ranks among the largest waterbodies in Southeast Asia. It plays a significant role in terms of both socio-economic and environmental resources. However, anthropogenic stress, as well as the discharge of untreated domestic and industrial sewage with agricultural runoff from its three major tributaries, dramatically damages the water quality of the lagoon. Especially after heavy rain and flash floods, the continuous degradation of its water quality, followed by harmful algal and cyanobacterial bloom patterns (HABs), is more perceptible. In this study, several physicochemical factors, cyanotoxins (anatoxins (ATXs), saxitoxins (STXs), microcystins (MCs)), phycotoxins (STXs, okadaic acid (OA), and dinophysistoxins (DTXs)) were analyzed in water and shellfish samples from 13 stations in June 2023 from 13 stations, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits for the ATXs and STXs, and the serine/threonine phosphatase type 2A (PP2A) inhibition assay kit for the MCs, OA, and DTXs. The results showed for the first time the co-occurrence of freshwater cyanotoxins and marine phycotoxins in water and shellfish samples in this lagoon. Traces of ATXs and STXs were detected in the shellfish and the orders of magnitude were below the seafood safety action levels. However, toxins inhibiting the PP2A enzyme, such as MCs and nodularin (NODs), as well as OA and DTXs, were detected at higher concentrations (maximum: 130.4 μg equiv. MC-LR/kg shellfish meat wet weight), approaching the actionable level proposed for this class of toxin in shellfish (160 μg of OA equivalent per kg of edible bivalve mollusk meat). It is very important to note that due to the possible false positives produced by the ELISA test in complex matrices such as a crude shellfish extract, this preliminary and pilot research will be repeated with a more sophisticated method, such as liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy (LC-MS), in the upcoming research plan. Full article

There is limited evidence about the gender- and obesity-specific effects of personal care product and plasticizing chemicals (PCPPCs) on short sleep duration in adults. We evaluated the gender- and obesity-specific association of co-exposure to PCPPCs and short sleep duration among adults aged 20–60 years using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011–2016, a secondary data source from the United States. Seventeen PCPPCs, including five phenols, two parabens, and ten phthalates, were detected, and sleep duration was assessed among 3012 adults. Logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were employed. We found that bisphenol A (BPA), mono (caboxy-isooctyl) phthalate (MCOP), and mono (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate (MCPP) were consistently positively associated with short sleep duration in both females and males regardless of obesity status, except for BPA with general obesity. In particular, mono benzyl phthalate (MBzP) revealed a positive association in females, mono (2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (MEOHP) revealed a positive association in males, and MiBP revealed a positive association in abdominal obesity. Similar associations were observed in the mixture. Our study highlights that PCPPCs are independently associated with an increasing risk of short sleep duration in adults both individually and as a mixture; however, gender- and obesity-specific differences may have little effect on certain individual PCPPCs on short sleep duration. Full article

Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) is a secondary metabolite produced by cyanobacteria, globally renowned for its potent hepatotoxicity. However, an increasing body of research suggests that it also exhibits pronounced neurotoxicity. PP2A is a fundamental intracellular phosphatase that plays a pivotal role in cell development and survival. Although extensive research has focused on the binding of MC-LR to the C subunit of PP2A, few studies have explored the key amino acid sites that can prevent the binding of MC-LR to PP2A-C. Due to the advantages of Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), such as ease of genetic editing and a short lifespan, we exposed nematodes to MC-LR in a manner that simulated natural exposure conditions based on MC-LR concentrations in natural water bodies (immersion exposure). Our findings demonstrate that MC-LR exerts comprehensive toxicity on nematodes, including reducing lifespan, impairing reproductive capabilities, and diminishing sensory functions. Notably, and for the first time, we observed that MC-LR neurotoxic effects can persist up to the F3 generation, highlighting the significant threat that MC-LR poses to biological populations in natural environments. Furthermore, we identified two amino acid sites (L252 and C278) in PP2A-C through mutations that prevented MC-LR binding without affecting PP2A activity. This discovery was robustly validated through behavioral studies and neuronal calcium imaging using nematodes. In conclusion, we identified two crucial amino acid sites that could prevent MC-LR from binding to PP2A-C, which holds great significance for the future development of MC-LR detoxification drugs. Full article