Search Results (111,921)

Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent inflammatory disease including aberrant local steroidogenesis, inflammation, angiogenesis, oxidative stress, and prostaglandin-mediated pain. Given the elevated adrenergic receptor expression in endometriotic lesions and the potential of terazosin to downregulate Steroidogenic Factor-1 (SF-1), this study aimed to evaluate terazosin as a non-hormonal therapy in a surgically induced rat endometriosis model. Forty female Wistar rats were randomized to sham, untreated endometriosis, leuprolide acetate or terazosin; two postoperative deaths yielded final group sizes of 10/9/10/9. Blinded histopathology verified successful lesion establishment. ELISA quantified SF-1, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, NF-κB, VEGF, HIF-1α, and PGE2 in lesion tissue, serum, and peritoneal lavage; oxidative status was assessed by TAS, TOS, and OSI. Compared with untreated endometriosis, terazosin significantly reduced SF-1, PGE2, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, VEGF and HIF-1α across compartments (all p < 0.001), comparable to leuprolide (p = 1.000). Terazosin also normalized oxidative stress by decreasing TOS/OSI and restoring TAS in tissue, serum, and peritoneal fluid (p < 0.001). NF-κB decreased in tissue and serum (p < 0.001) but not in peritoneal fluid (p = 0.206). Overall, terazosin produced leuprolide-like molecular benefits without hormonal suppression, supporting repurposing as a candidate non-hormonal therapy, while highlighting the need for longer-duration studies and randomized clinical trials given model and pain-assessment limitations. Full article

Low-light (LL) stress is a major abiotic limiting factor in protected cherry tomato production, adversely affecting vegetative growth, inducing oxidative damage, and disrupting fruit sugar metabolism. To clarify the regulatory role of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) in mitigating LL stress, we examined the effects of varying ABA concentrations on plant growth, antioxidant capacity, and fruit sugar metabolism in cherry tomatoes under low-light conditions. A two-factor randomized complete block design, with two light regimes—normal light (NL, 100% natural sunlight) and low light (LL, 25% natural sunlight)—and three ABA concentrations (CK: 0 mg·L⁻¹, T1: 10 mg·L⁻¹, T2: 20 mg·L⁻¹). Fruits were sampled at three typical ripening stages (green mature, breaker, and red ripe) to evaluate vegetative and reproductive physiological responses. The results showed that exogenous ABA application effectively suppressed LL-induced excessive stem elongation and alleviated LL-caused reductions in stem diameter and biomass accumulation. ABA treatment significantly increased peroxidase (POD) activity and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) accumulation, thereby relieving LL-triggered oxidative damage. In addition, ABA regulated key sugar-metabolizing enzymes (soluble acid invertase (SAI), sucrose synthase (SS), sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS), and amylase (Amy)) and the transcript levels of related functional genes (HXK1, SPS, SS, AI), thereby mediating stage-dependent fruit sugar metabolism under LL stress. In conclusion, exogenous ABA effectively modulates vegetative growth, antioxidant homeostasis, and stage-specific fruit sugar metabolism, ultimately alleviating low-light stress damage in cherry tomato. Among the tested treatments, 20 mg·L⁻¹ ABA exhibited the most pronounced mitigation effects, which can be recommended as an optimal foliar application concentration for cherry tomato cultivation in low-light protected facilities. Full article

Acid Orange 3 (AO3) is a widely used azo dye in leather, paper, and textile dyeing. Untreated direct discharge into water bodies severely threatens human health and aquatic ecosystems, yet efficient degradation remains challenging for conventional technologies. In this work, RuO₂/CeO₂ heterostructure was synthesized and immobilized on a Ti substrate via controlled hydrothermal and annealing treatments, yielding RuO₂/CeO₂@Ti electrode. The electrode showed electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over a wide pH range. Under optimized conditions (47 mA/cm², pH 6, 0.25 M NaCl), 150 mg/L AO3 was degraded by 95.89% within 180 min. The degradation mechanism was elucidated by GC-MS and DFT (density functional theory) calculations. The degradation process was dominated by indirect oxidation, sequentially involving azo bond cleavage, heterocyclic ring opening, desulfurization, denitrification, benzene ring cleavage, and mineralization of small molecules into H₂O and CO₂. Full article

Developing effective catalysts for the epoxidation of propylene with H₂ and O₂ holds significant scientific and industrial significance. This study synthesized a series of Au/TS-1 catalysts modified with alkali metals (Na⁺, Cs⁺) and carefully examined their impact on gas-phase propylene epoxidation, with particular attention to the role of anions. The optimal Au–CsC(1:10)/TS-1 catalyst (Cs₂CO₃ modified, Au/Cs molar ratio = 1:10) achieves a propylene conversion of 16.8%, a PO selectivity of 88.5%, an H₂ efficiency of 40.8%, a record PO formation rate of 383.9 g_po·kg_cat⁻¹·h⁻¹, and unprecedented long term stability (>380 h without deactivation). To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has simultaneously achieved such balanced and outstanding performance across all these key indicators. Comprehensive characterization reveals that Cs⁺ modification suppresses side reactions and coke formation, increases microporosity, tunes surface acid–base properties and hydrophobicity, restricts Au particle size, and stabilizes both Au⁰ and tetra coordinated Ti sites, thereby inhibiting H₂O₂ decomposition and PO isomerization while greatly enhancing reaction efficiency. This holistic advancement represents a significant leap forward for Au based catalysts in gas phase propylene epoxidation, offering both a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the development of high performance epoxidation catalysts. Full article

Iron overload significantly contributes to chronic kidney disease progression by triggering oxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment via the Fenton reaction. This study investigates the protective role of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1a3 (ALDH1a3), an enzyme that detoxifies reactive aldehydes, in renal iron overload. C57BL/6N mice were fed a 2.25% ferric citrate diet for 24 weeks to establish a chronic model, followed by treatment with the chelator Dimercaprol (DP). In vitro, TCMK−1 cells were subjected to iron intervention with ALDH1a3 overexpression or inhibition. Chronic iron overload induced significant renal iron deposition, lipid peroxidation (elevated MDA, depleted GSH), and mitochondrial structural damage. ALDH1a3 was endogenously upregulated in renal tubular epithelial cells under iron stress. Overexpressing ALDH1a3 significantly enhanced cell viability, suppressed reactive oxygen species and MDA levels, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential, whereas its inhibition exacerbated cellular damage. Furthermore, DP treatment reduced iron deposition and was associated with increased ALDH1a3 expression. In conclusion, ALDH1a3 acts as a critical endogenous protective factor against iron−induced nephrotoxicity by mitigating oxidative damage and maintaining mitochondrial stability. These findings indicate that ALDH1a3 is a promising potential therapeutic target for the treatment of iron overload−related kidney diseases. Full article

Panvascular diseases are complex, with systemic vascular system damage as the common pathological basis. The pathogenesis of panvascular diseases is closely related to vascular endothelial dysfunction, inflammatory responses, oxidative stress, abnormal lipid metabolism, platelet aggregation, and thrombosis, posing a serious threat to human health. The Paeonia × suffruticosa Andrews (P. suffruticosa), a type of medicinal peony, is one of the Standard Chinese medicinal herbs included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The root bark, leaves, petals, pollen, seeds, and follicles of P. suffruticosa are rich in various active compounds, including paeonol, paeoniflorin, and α-linolenic acid. Modern studies have demonstrated that these compounds exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including vascular endothelial protection, lipid metabolism regulation, antiplatelet aggregation, and anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antithrombotic effects. Furthermore, their mechanisms of action are highly consistent with the key pathological processes of panvascular diseases, indicating that P. suffruticosa has important value in the prevention and treatment of such diseases. The information involved in the study was gathered from a variety of electronic resources, including PubMed, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Google Scholar. The retrieval period was from 1999 to 2025. This review systematically summarizes the pharmacological effects of the main active compounds of P. suffruticosa on panvascular diseases, providing a theoretical reference for the in-depth development and utilization of P. suffruticosa resources and the development of innovative drugs for preventing and treating panvascular diseases. Full article

Zinc oxide promotes poultry growth, but it tends to agglomerate. This necessitates high doses and leads to environmental contamination from unabsorbed, excreted zinc. Undigested zinc is excreted and can enter the food chain, increasing the probability of zinc residues in edible poultry tissues (muscle, liver, and eggs) and raising concerns for consumer safety. MOF-supported single-atom zinc catalysts (SAC) resolve agglomeration by atomic anchoring, enhancing bioavailability. High-temperature/high-pressure fixation of Zn²⁺ surfaces was confirmed by XRD, while FESEM revealed the corresponding surface morphology, collectively verifying SAC formation. SAC exhibited potent antimicrobial efficacy against key pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus (MIC of 3.125 mg/mL, MBC of 25 mg/mL). Co-culture experiments further demonstrated that the antibacterial performance of SAC remained stable over a temperature range of 20–80 °C and a pH range of 2–8, thus exhibiting excellent thermal stability and gastrointestinal tolerance. In 7-day-old chicks, SAC alleviated S. typhimurium-induced inflammation, reduced bacterial adherence, upregulated claudin-1, preserved gut homeostasis, ameliorated tissue lesions, and increased the abundance of Lactobacillus in the cecum, demonstrating promising potential for poultry infection control. Full article

Experimental diabetes models induced by streptozotocin (STZ) and alloxan are widely used in preclinical research; however, direct standardized comparisons in female rodents remain limited. The present study evaluated multiple chemical induction protocols in female Wistar rats, including STZ (40 and 65 mg/kg), STZ at the same doses combined with nicotinamide (110 mg/kg), and alloxan (130 mg/kg). Glycemic progression, oral glucose tolerance test, body weight evolution, oxidative stress markers, and multi-organ histopathology were assessed over a 14-day period. High-dose STZ (65 mg/kg) and alloxan produced rapid, sustained hyperglycemia (p < 0.0001), significant body weight reduction, increased lipid peroxidation (elevated MDA), nitric oxide overproduction, thiol depletion, and pronounced pancreatic and renal structural damage. In contrast, STZ–nicotinamide protocols generated moderate but stable hyperglycemia with partial preservation of islet architecture, attenuated oxidative imbalance, and improved systemic tolerability. Oral glucose tolerance test confirmed impaired glucose handling in the STZ–nicotinamide group, consistent with a type 2 diabetes-like phenotype rather than complete insulin deficiency. These results demonstrate that induction strategy critically determines metabolic stability, oxidative stress burden, and tissue remodeling patterns, supporting model selection according to specific experimental objectives. Full article

High-entropy oxide (HEO) thin films hold significant potential for applications in spintronics and catalysis; however, their widespread utilization is hindered by weak room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM). Herein, we demonstrate a facile vacuum annealing strategy to enhance the RTFM of HEO thin films. (FeNiAlCrMn)O films exhibit a saturation magnetization (M_S) of 5.9 emu/cm³ and a Curie temperature (T_C) of 350 K after vacuum annealing at 1173 K. Mechanistic investigations reveal that the enhanced RTFM originates from an annealing-induced phase transition from rocksalt-to-spinel. Structurally, annealing facilitates cation diffusion from octahedral to tetrahedral sites, forming a highly crystalline, long-range magnetic lattice of spinel ferrite. Electronically, tetrahedral occupation shortens M–O bonds, drives electron transfer toward metal cations, and enhances orbital hybridization, thereby strengthening magnetic exchange coupling. This study provides a simple and effective strategy for tailoring the RTFM of HEO thin films. Full article

Recent studies have shown that common household activities produce characteristic patterns in indoor air pollutants, enabling activity inference using environmental measurements alone. However, pollutant-based approaches are usually formulated as flat multi-class classification problems, even though indoor environments are dominated by long baseline periods with no emission-generating activity, leading to false alarms and unstable predictions. This work proposes a gated hierarchical inference framework for recognizing activities from indoor air quality data. A first-stage gate detects whether a time window contains activity-induced pollutant dynamics, while a second-stage classifier conditionally identifies the specific activity only when activity relevance is detected. Multivariate time-series measurements of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, temperature and relative humidity were collected using a portable monitoring system during controlled household cooking and cleaning experiments. Temporal windows were processed using recurrent neural network models in both stages. By separating activity detection from activity identification, the proposed method aligns inference with the physical generation of indoor pollutant signals and improves robustness in baseline-dominated monitoring scenarios while maintaining reliable discrimination among activities. The framework supports unobtrusive activity recognition and enables applications in exposure-aware monitoring and intelligent indoor environmental management. Full article

Background/Objectives: To explore the mechanisms of Hydrangea macrophylla adapting to low light-induced ornamental whitening, this study established treatments involving normal light (CK, 200 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), moderate low light (L1, 100 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹), and severe low light (L2, 20 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹). Methods: Meanwhile, physiological indicators, including growth, photosynthesis, and antioxidant activity, were assessed, alongside transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses. Results: Results indicate that L1 increased the proportion of leaf whitening area while maintaining plant growth (crown width, biomass), photosynthetic efficiency comparable to CK, and superior to L2. Concurrently, L1 activated a coordinated antioxidant defence system, namely by increasing the activity of key enzymes (e.g., SOD, GR) and the accumulation of protective metabolites (e.g., soluble proteins, total phenolics and total flavonoids), thereby minimising oxidative damage (low MDA). Multi-omics analyses revealed that L1 specifically activated these networks associated with carbon assimilation, energy metabolism, secondary metabolite synthesis, and hormone signalling, indicating a systemic molecular mechanism towards enhanced defence. Conclusions: In summary, moderate low light triggers a synergistic molecular network involving enhanced antioxidant defences and secondary metabolism, enabling H. macrophylla to maintain overall physiological homeostasis and healthy growth while exhibiting ornamental whitening phenotypes, thereby revealing a unique aesthetic adaptation mechanism to environmental stress. Full article

This study examines the impact of alkaline treatment on hydrogels composed of acrylic acid (AAc), sodium alginate (SA), and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), produced via 5.5 MeV electron beam irradiation, emphasizing swelling behavior and functional performance. Hydrogels were treated with NaOH (0.25 M and 0.50 M) to modulate biodegradability, water retention capacity, and water retention ratio. The materials were characterized in terms of structural, morphological, thermal, and physicochemical properties using FTIR, SEM, and TGA/DSC, along with evaluations of gel fraction, cross-linking density, mesh size, porosity, swelling kinetics, and water retention. FTIR confirmed carboxyl group ionization and polymer chain reorganization, while SEM revealed structural changes, rougher surfaces, and larger pores that facilitate water uptake. Thermal stability of the hydrogels increased, with the T-onset rising from 236 °C in the untreated samples to 451 °C after alkaline treatment. Treatment with 0.25 M NaOH enhanced mesh size (127.97 ± 4.05 nm), porosity (99.74 ± 0.05%), and swelling capacity (428 ± 14 g/g), whereas 0.50 M induced partial degradation and reduced swelling. Despite a significant increase in degradability (>39.49 ± 1.94% after 28 days), treated hydrogels maintained functional performance, showing accelerated water uptake and improved rainwater retention. Overall, alkaline treatment enables tunable structural and functional modifications, optimizing hydrogel performance for agricultural water management. Full article

O3-type layered transition-metal oxides are widely regarded as promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their intrinsically high sodium content and favorable energy density. Nevertheless, their practical rate capability is hindered by sluggish Na⁺ transport and relatively high diffusion barriers. To address this issue, elemental substitution has emerged as an effective modification strategy. In this work, fluorine (F), characterized by strong electronegativity and a small ionic radius, is introduced to partially substitute oxygen in the bulk lattice of O3-type NaNi_1/3Fe_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ (NNFM). First-principles calculations demonstrate that F incorporation leads to an expansion of the interlayer spacing along the c-axis and a weakening of Na–O interactions, both of which facilitate Na⁺ migration. Among the considered configurations, Mn-adjacent substitution exhibits the lowest formation energy, indicating enhanced thermodynamic stability. Furthermore, electronic structure analysis reveals a reduced band gap (from 0.515 eV to 0.342–0.356 eV) and strengthened O-2p/Mn-3d orbital hybridization, contributing to improved electronic conductivity. These findings provide atomistic insights into F-induced modulation mechanisms and suggest an effective pathway for optimizing Na⁺ transport in O3-type cathodes. Full article

Environmental pollution from plastics is largely driven by inadequate waste management, particularly in food packaging that relies heavily on petroleum-derived materials. This study utilized gelatin capsule waste (GCW) as a sustainable biopolymer and incorporated yellow peacock flower extract (YPE), obtained via ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), at various concentrations (0–2%, w/v) to develop biodegradable films with enhanced functional and antioxidant properties. The main phenolic constituents of YPE were flavonoid aglycones and their glycosylated derivatives. YPE showed total phenolic content of 98.44–129.34 mg GAE/g dry extract, with ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP antioxidant activities ranging from 5.51 to 8.11, 3.17–7.63, and 3.86–5.82 mg TE/g dry extract, respectively. Incorporation of YPE into GCW films significantly improved light barrier properties, thermal stability, mechanical strength, and antioxidant activity, along with a reduction in water vapor permeability and an increase in contact angle, indicating enhanced film hydrophobicity. All films exhibited excellent biodegradability, with complete disintegration within 15 days under soil burial conditions. Films containing 2% YPE (GF4) showed significantly higher thickness, tensile strength, and thermal stability, along with increased opacity, compared with the control (GF0), indicating a reinforcing effect. FTIR analysis revealed the interaction between protein and phenolic compounds from YPE. In a food application model, GF4 film pouches (5 × 5 cm²) effectively delayed oxidative deterioration of dried shrimp during storage at 25 ± 2 °C for 15 days. These findings highlight YPE as a promising bioactive ingredient for biodegradable active packaging and demonstrate the feasibility of GCW as a sustainable biopolymer for eco-friendly films. Full article

Background: Major liver resections that include the removal of four or more Couinaud segments require precise assessment of the future liver remnant (FLR) to prevent post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF). Volumetry, although standard in surgical planning, does not always reflect true functional reserve, especially in steatotic, fibrotic or chemotherapy-damaged liver. Methods: This review proposes an integrative physiological framework of functional liver recovery after a major hepatectomy that connects preoperative functional assessments—indocyanine clearance (ICG-PDR), Liver Maximum Function Capacity test (LiMAx) and 99mTc-mebrofenin SPECT/CT—with perioperative hemodynamic, oxidative and metabolic parameters. A narrative literature review was performed using PubMed and Web of Science, covering publications from January 2000 to January 2025. The search combined keywords and MeSH terms such as major hepatectomy, liver regeneration, hemodynamic optimization, oxidative stress and post-hepatectomy liver failure. We focused on clinically relevant studies, including randomized controlled studies and consensus guidelines, and complemented the search by screening the reference lists of selected articles. When direct clinical evidence was limited, a physiologically grounded interpretation was used to support a pragmatic framework for perioperative management. Results: The framework integrates three complementary physiological domains that together determine functional liver recovery. The first relates to hemodynamic stability, including optimal maintenance of arterial and venous pressures as well as portal-splanchnic gradients, which support adequate perfusion and oxygenation of hepatocytes. The second addresses the balance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defense, where the key indicators are the level of lipid peroxidation and endogenous antioxidant capacity. The third domain evaluates the functional ability of the liver through dynamic tests of synthesis and metabolism, such as factor V, indocyanine clearance (ICG-PDR), and the LiMAx test. With the integration of these three domains, a functional profile of liver recovery can be defined, facilitating monitoring of the physiological response in real time and guiding individualized perioperative support to the individual needs of the patient. Conclusions: Functional recovery follows a dynamic continuum, progressing from early reperfusion stress through hemodynamic stabilization to progressive hepatocellular regeneration. Integration of functional FLR assessment with perioperative physiological monitoring may support more individualized prediction of the regenerative capacity and therapeutic decision-making. This physiology-guided perspective extends assessment beyond remnant volume alone to include functional recovery. Full article