Search Results (2,953)

The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus is the longest-living vertebrate on Earth. With an estimated lifespan of up to at least 272 years, slow metabolism and resistance to high pressure and cold temperature, its unusual physiology remains poorly understood. Protein citrullination (deimination) is a post-translational modification of arginine into citrulline, catalysed by peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs) in a calcium-dependent manner. Citrullination of proteins changes charge, conformation and downstream protein folding, affecting protein function and protein–protein interactions. Citrullination is also linked to extracellular vesicle (EV) communication, which is crucial in cell–cell interactions. This explorative study focussed on profiling F95-enriched pan-citrullinated proteins from plasma and identifying plasma EVs from two archived Greenland shark plasma samples (from one shark sampled in 2010, storage at −20 °C, and one pool of three sharks sampled in 2015, storage at −80 °C). EVs were labelled for EV markers and citrullinated proteins were confirmed to co-localise to EVs by single-molecule detection using super-resolution microscopy. Total EV-associated proteins from the EV-enriched fraction were identified by LC-MS/MS, revealing 76 (plus seven uncharacterised) proteins associated with several immune, oxidative stress, DNA replication, cell senescence and metabolic pathways, using pathway annotation analysis (10 KEGG, 37 Reactome and 30 Biological Process GO pathways). Furthermore, LC-MS/MS analysis of F95-enriched (pan-citrullinated) proteins from Greenland shark plasma identified 75 protein hits (plus six uncharacterised proteins), which were associated with nine KEGG, 38 Reactome and 25 Biological Process GO pathway annotations linked to gene regulation, stress and immune responses, chemical homeostasis, metabolism and cell signalling. As the Greenland shark is an extremely long-living species which also tolerates cold temperatures and high pressures, understanding of EV-mediated processes and target proteins of citrullination in this species may provide insights into its unusual physiological adaptations. Full article

The Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau is characterized by persistent hypobaric hypoxia, and Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) exhibit exceptional athletic performance under extreme oxygen-deficient conditions. This study conducted a comparative analysis of pulmonary hemodynamics, ventilatory regulation, vasoactive peptides, and cardiopulmonary ultrastructure among 10 Tibetan antelopes, 10 high-altitude sheep, and 8 low-altitude sheep under normoxia, mild hypoxia, and severe hypoxia. The findings revealed that Tibetan antelopes possess a lower baseline mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) compared to high-altitude sheep, with values similar to those of low-altitude sheep. Under hypoxic conditions, antelopes experienced a mild increase in mPAP, whereas sheep exhibited significant vasoconstriction. Additionally, antelopes demonstrated a reduced hypoxic ventilatory response, in contrast to sheep, which increased total ventilation. Antelopes also had lower levels of plasma endothelin-1, nitric oxide synthase, arterial oxygen pressure, and blood oxygen saturation, with no significant differences observed in blood pH, carbon dioxide pressure, and lactate levels among the groups. Ultrastructural analyses indicated that Tibetan antelopes possess a higher density of alveolar lamellar bodies and myocardial mitochondria. These traits minimize energy use during breathing, prevent pulmonary hypertension, and maintain excellent movement ability in high-altitude, low-oxygen environments. Full article

Atmospheric-pressure plasma–liquid interactions (PLIs) enable nanoparticle synthesis by generating reactive reducing species directly at the plasma–liquid interface, without the addition of a separate chemical reductant. In this work, d-fructose-stabilized palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) were synthesized in a one-step atmospheric-pressure DC microplasma process using chloropalladic acid as the precursor. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to examine plasma characteristics governing nanoparticle formation. The discharge produced OH radicals, UV radiation, and excited argon species, while electron and gas temperatures were evaluated with discharge current. Increasing current enhanced UV emission, relative OH emission intensity, and gas temperature, whereas electron temperature decreased because of greater collisional energy transfer. These plasma-driven processes promoted Pd²⁺ reduction and influenced nanoparticle nucleation and growth. UV–Vis spectroscopy showed progressive conversion of Pd²⁺ to metallic Pd, with most growth completed within 30 min. SEM and EDX confirmed predominantly spherical, d-fructose-stabilized metallic Pd nanostructures, while XRD further supported the formation of crystalline metallic Pd⁰ with an fcc structure. The Pd NPs showed strong catalytic activity for reducing 4-nitrophenol, methyl orange, and Congo red, with apparent rate constants of 0.2508, 0.6346, and 0.3416 min⁻¹, respectively. These findings demonstrate atmospheric-pressure PLI as a controllable platform for producing catalytically active palladium nanoparticles in an aqueous medium. Full article

Atmospheric-pressure nonequilibrium argon plasmas are used in many applications, and their electron properties may depend on the device configuration. Here, the electron temperature and density of two devices of contrasting geometry, a closed flow-channel type dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) and an open-air tube-type plasma jet, were determined from continuum optical emission spectra. The electron energy distribution function was represented by a two-temperature model combining a Druyvesteynian bulk component, which contains the great majority of the electrons, and a Maxwellian tail component, which is a small high-energy minority, with all parameters obtained by an exhaustive grid search. Introducing the tail component reduced the fitting residual by more than two orders of magnitude, supporting a two-component parameterization of the time-averaged distribution. The bulk temperature remained within 0.35–0.42 eV for every condition in which the two-component model was applicable, whereas the electron density spanned six orders of magnitude, from $6.6\times {10}^{16}$ cm${}^{-3}$ in the DBD to $5.5\times {10}^{10}$ cm${}^{-3}$ in the jet plume; at the same monitored power of 12 W, the DBD was about ten times denser. The continuum constrains only about 1% of the electrons, those above the photon-energy threshold, so the total density is a model-dependent extrapolation. Two checks that do not use the continuum, a Stark-broadening estimate and a collisional-radiative analysis of the line spectra, are both incompatible with the extrapolated total: inserting it into the collisional-radiative model overestimates the measured line emission by five to seven orders of magnitude, while the line spectra themselves require a density of order ${10}^{14}$ cm${}^{-3}$. The two methods do not, however, reproduce each other’s dependence on the operating condition. Within the continuum analysis, the device configuration therefore governs the density, whereas the bulk temperature is comparatively insensitive to geometry. Full article

Screening models for diabetes can look deceptively strong when the same variables used to define the label are also allowed into the predictors. To avoid that shortcut, we built a leakage-controlled diabetes screening pipeline using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2021–2023 data. Diabetes status was assigned from physician diagnosis and standard laboratory thresholds, while glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose, and diabetes questionnaire items were excluded from model inputs. The final cohort contained 5770 adults, including 1249 diabetic participants, and 43 non-glycemic predictors covering demographic, anthropometric, cardiometabolic, lifestyle, and medical history information. Fourteen classifiers were compared under one preprocessing and validation workflow, with evaluation based on Receiver Operating Characteristic—Area Under the Curve (ROC–AUC), Area Under the Precision–Recall Curve (PR–AUC), threshold-dependent metrics, calibration, decision curve analysis, SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) interpretation, and a composite General Performance Index (GPI). To make the leading model comparison fairer, Gradient Boosting, Random Forest, XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost were tuned using the same 15-configuration randomized search budget with five-fold stratified cross-validation. After this analysis, XGBoost had the highest observed test ROC–AUC (0.891) and GPI (0.772), although paired comparisons showed no statistically significant ROC–AUC or PR–AUC difference between Gradient Boosting and any of the other four leading models. A non-laboratory analysis achieved a ROC–AUC of up to 0.879, and temporal validation with NHANES 2017–March 2020 yielded ROC–AUC = 0.851 for the harmonized Gradient Boosting reference model, compared with 0.888 on the corresponding 2021–2023 internal test set. The most influential predictors remained clinically plausible, including age, waist circumference, lipid markers, blood pressure, BMI, and renal/metabolic indicators. Full article

Background: Thyroidectomy is a cornerstone treatment for thyroid pathologies but carries risks including recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, hypoparathyroidism, and cervical haematomas. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) may improve local haemostasis and tissue healing, although its safety within the cervical neurovascular axis requires human validation. Methods: This prospective, interventional, single-arm pilot study evaluated the feasibility, reproducibility and early postoperative safety of integrating atmospheric-pressure NTP (0.5 W/cm²) into the standard thyroidectomy workflow in 30 patients. Safety endpoints included the absence of thermal injury, neurovascular complications, or surgical-site morbidity. We assessed healing and aesthetic outcomes using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS) and Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Results: NTP integration achieved 100% technical feasibility, without reactor failures, gas-delivery interruptions, or thermal anomalies. No major acute complications occurred, including obstructive haematomas, recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries, or severe postoperative hypocalcaemia (0/30; 0.0%). Early incisional assessments showed favourable scores (median VSS: 1.2, IQR: 1.0–2.0; median POSAS overall opinion: 1.1, IQR: 1.0–1.5), reported descriptively at the 14-day postoperative milestone. Intraoperative biophysical evaluations and postoperative clinical tracking revealed no overt thermal anomalies or deep structural alterations, supporting high biological safety. Conclusions: Integration of NTP into the endocrine neck surgery workflow demonstrates technical feasibility, logistical efficiency, and a favourable early postoperative safety profile. The intervention is associated with a favourable early incisional healing profile without compromising adjacent vital structures. These preliminary findings support NTP as a reproducible, reliable surgical adjunct and provide a robust clinical and methodological basis for endocrine surgical practice. Full article

Inductively coupled plasmas (ICPs) are widely used in oxide etching because they produce high-density plasmas at low pressure. In fluorocarbon-based ICP etching, the densities and spatial distributions of C_xF_y, CF_x radicals, F atoms, and ions are important plasma-phase quantities for characterizing plasma chemistry and the transport of reactive species toward the wafer. Many conventional fluorocarbon plasma simulations, however, assume a constant neutral-gas temperature and therefore do not account for neutral-gas heating and the resulting gas rarefaction. Recent thermally coupled ICP studies have shown that gas heating influences gas flow, electron characteristics, and reactive-species transport in Ar and Ar/O₂ discharges. This study examines how neutral-gas heating and rarefaction affect the plasma characteristics and species-specific spatial distributions of fluorocarbon neutrals and ions in an Ar/C₄F₈ ICP. A two-dimensional axisymmetric fluid model was developed in COMSOL Multiphysics by coupling the neutral-gas energy equation to the gas density, reaction rates, and transport properties, and its results were compared with those of a conventional isothermal model over a range of RF powers, pressures, and Ar/C₄F₈ mixture ratios. Under the baseline condition of 20 mTorr, 500 W, and Ar/C₄F₈ = 50/50, the maximum gas temperature reached 604 K. Within the thermally coupled model, the neutral-gas density varied by 51.7% between its spatial maximum and minimum. Neutral-gas heating and the resulting gas rarefaction decreased the maximum electron density and increased the maximum electron temperature. These changes modified the electron-impact reaction rates and species transport, producing species-dependent changes in the densities and spatial distributions of C_xF_y, CF_x, F, and the major ions. Radial density profiles were evaluated at 10 mm above the wafer to characterize this spatial redistribution. Under the baseline condition, thermal coupling reduced the radial non-uniformity of the C_xF_y, CF_x, and F density profiles by approximately 33–57% relative to the isothermal model. These results show that neutral-gas heating and rarefaction change the predicted plasma characteristics and species-specific spatial distributions of fluorocarbon neutrals and ions in Ar/C₄F₈ ICPs. Full article

Objective: Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus frequently coexist and require therapeutic strategies capable of addressing both excess adiposity and cardiometabolic risk. However, real-world evidence on whether improvements in cardiometabolic parameters are accompanied by clinically meaningful weight loss remains limited, particularly in public healthcare settings in the Brazilian Amazon. This study evaluated longitudinal changes in body weight and cardiometabolic parameters among adults with obesity receiving routine outpatient endocrinology care within the Brazilian Unified Health System and investigated the relationship between weight change, glycemic response, and factors associated with therapeutic target achievement. As a complementary metabolic analysis, longitudinal changes in the triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index, as a surrogate marker of insulin resistance, were also evaluated. Methods: This retrospective longitudinal observational study included 90 adults with obesity receiving routine outpatient endocrinology care within the Brazilian Unified Health System in Marabá, Pará, Brazil. Participants had at least six months of follow-up, with a mean follow-up duration of 14.3 ± 4.0 months. Changes in anthropometric, glycemic, blood pressure, and lipid parameters were evaluated between baseline and follow-up. The TyG index was calculated from fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations, with longitudinal TyG analysis restricted to participants with paired measurements available at baseline and follow-up. Standardized within-participant effect sizes were estimated using Cohen’s dz with bootstrap 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Spearman correlations were used to examine associations between percentage weight change and cardiometabolic changes. Multivariable logistic regression models evaluated factors associated with achieving HbA1c < 7.0% among participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and ≥5% weight loss in the overall cohort. Results: Body weight changed minimally during follow-up (mean Δ = −0.47 kg; dz = −0.072; 95% CI −0.306 to 0.126), whereas HbA1c decreased by 1.00 percentage point (dz = −0.441; 95% CI −0.751 to −0.219). Small reductions were also observed in fasting plasma glucose (Δ = −31.53 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (Δ = −15.79 mg/dL), and triglycerides (Δ = −35.30 mg/dL). Among 51 participants with complete paired fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride measurements, mean TyG decreased from 9.68 ± 0.85 to 9.29 ± 0.79 (mean Δ = −0.39; 95% CI −0.58 to −0.20; p < 0.001), with a moderate standardized within-participant effect (dz = −0.569; bootstrap 95% CI −0.881 to −0.301). Only 21/90 participants (23.3%) achieved ≥5% weight loss, while 44/90 (48.9%) gained weight. Among participants with paired HbA1c measurements, the proportion with HbA1c ≥7.0% decreased from 72.9% to 52.9%. Percentage weight change was not significantly correlated with changes in HbA1c (rs = −0.018; p = 0.882), fasting plasma glucose, or lipid parameters, nor with change in TyG (rs = −0.041; p = 0.776). Self-reported medication adherence was associated with a greater median reduction in HbA1c (−1.55 vs. 0.00 percentage points; p = 0.003) and higher adjusted odds of achieving HbA1c < 7.0% (OR = 3.58; 95% CI 1.08–11.86; p = 0.037) but was not associated with weight-loss response. No evaluated baseline characteristic was significantly associated with achieving ≥5% weight loss. Conclusions: In adults with obesity receiving routine outpatient endocrinology care within the Brazilian Unified Health System in the Brazilian Amazon, longitudinal follow-up was accompanied by modest improvements in glycemic and selected lipid parameters but minimal average weight reduction. The TyG index also decreased significantly among participants with paired measurements, consistent with improvement in this surrogate marker of insulin resistance; however, this finding should not be interpreted as direct evidence of improved insulin sensitivity or reduced cardiovascular risk. Clinically meaningful weight loss was achieved by fewer than one quarter of participants, and nearly half gained weight. Medication adherence was associated with better glycemic control but not with weight loss. These findings indicate that improvements in conventional and surrogate metabolic markers were not consistently accompanied by meaningful reductions in body weight and support the incorporation of weight-specific outcomes and comprehensive obesity-directed strategies into chronic disease care. Full article

Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are often discussed as related heavy-metal-free luminescent nanomaterials, although the mechanisms governing their formation and emission differ fundamentally. Rather than combining two parallel bodies of literature, this review uses SiQDs and CQDs as contrasting model systems to determine which synthesis–structure–property relationships are transferable and which remain material-specific. We critically compare nonthermal gas-phase plasma, plasma–liquid, and solution-phase synthesis, including green routes, with respect to precursor activation, nucleation and growth, crystallinity, surface chemistry, purification, photoluminescence, reproducibility, and scalability. Low-pressure continuous-flow radio-frequency capacitively coupled plasma (RF-CCP) is treated as the reference plasma architecture for free-standing Si nanocrystals, while atmospheric-pressure and plasma–liquid approaches are discussed according to their distinct product forms, formation mechanisms, and technological maturity. For crystalline SiQDs, quantum confinement provides a physically defined framework for interpreting size-dependent optical behavior, although oxidation, ligands, and interfacial defects remain critical. In CQDs, emission may arise from carbon-core states, surface or defect states, and molecular fluorophores, making structural assignment and fraction-resolved characterization essential. Across both material families, reported record photoluminescence efficiencies are less informative for technological translation than reproducibility, purified product yield, long-term stability, and application-specific performance. Hybrid plasma–liquid processing, operando diagnostics, standardized optical characterization, and data-guided process optimization are identified as promising directions toward scalable and reproducible quantum-dot manufacturing. Full article

Background/objective: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major cause of death in Hungary and Iraq, which differ markedly in demographic structure, socioeconomic context, and health-system capacity. This study compared annual age-standardized cardiovascular mortality and incidence in Hungary and Iraq from 1990 to 2023 and examined selected risk-attributable cardiovascular mortality trajectories. Methods: The analyzed Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 estimates for both sexes were used with annual age-standardized rates per 100,000 population. The primary temporal analysis used restricted cubic splines (RCS) for calendar year with four knots at the 5th, 35th, 65th and 95th percentiles, country effects, and country-by-spline interactions. Feasible generalized least squares with within-country AR (1) correlation were used to account for serial dependence. Selected-year predictions were obtained for 1990, 2000, 2010, 2020, and 2023. Risk-factor analyses were exploratory and limited to six prespecified country–risk pairs. Results: Age-standardized CVD mortality declined by 45.7% in Hungary and 21.1% in Iraq from 1990 to 2023, while age-standardized incidence declined by 43.9% and 15.4%, respectively. In 2023, CVD mortality was 289.2 per 100,000 in Hungary and 429.7 in Iraq, while incidence was 620.1 and 808.6 per 100,000, respectively. RCS analyses showed substantial non-linearity and country-specific trajectories for both mortality and incidence (all joint tests p < 0.001). In Hungary, attributable mortality rates declined for smoking, high LDL cholesterol, and air pollution; in Iraq, the BMI-attributable rate increased, while the fasting-plasma-glucose and high-systolic-blood-pressure trajectories showed more complex changes. Conclusions: Hungary and Iraq carry substantial but structurally different cardiovascular burdens. Iraq had the higher age-standardized CVD mortality and incidence in 2023, while Hungary experienced larger long-term declines. The trajectories indicate that cross-country differences reflect changing patterns of incident disease and risk-attributable burden rather than a single constant trend. Full article

The effects of post-processing heat treatment on the structural and phase state and hydrogen sorption characteristics of an equiatomic TiZrNbVTa high-entropy alloy produced by mechanical activation and spark plasma sintering were investigated. The powder mixture was mechanically activated under argon and consolidated at 1450 °C. Two processing conditions were compared: SPS with a 7 min hold without subsequent treatment, and SPS with a 5 min hold followed by annealing at 1050 °C for 5 h. Phase composition was analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Hydrogenation was performed at 400–600 °C under a hydrogen pressure of 37–40 bar. Hydrogen content was evaluated using the SOAK kinetic method and inert gas fusion analysis with a RHEN-602 analyzer. Both materials were predominantly composed of a Nb-enriched body-centered cubic phase, whereas their secondary-phase compositions differed. After annealing, weak reflections tentatively attributed to ZrO₂ and TaO₂ appeared, whereas reflections previously assigned to Zr, V, and TiO₂ could no longer be resolved. According to the RHEN-602 measurements, the hydrogen content ranged from 1.12 to 1.37 wt.% for the SPS sample and from 0.64 to 2.08 wt.% for the SPS-HT sample between 400 and 600 °C. These results indicate that processing involving high-temperature annealing modifies the phase state and may enhance hydrogen uptake at 500–600 °C. Full article

Dietary polyphenols, abundant in fruits, vegetables, tea, coffee, cocoa, and wine, have been widely investigated for their potential relevance to cardiovascular health. Their proposed protective effects extend beyond classical antioxidant activity, encompassing regulation of redox-sensitive signaling, attenuation of inflammation, improvement in endothelial function, modulation of lipid metabolism, and mitochondrial protection. Yet, their biological impact is strongly dependent on bioavailability and metabolic fate, as most compounds undergo extensive conjugation and gut microbiota-dependent transformation. Conjugated metabolites and microbial derivatives increasingly appear as key mediators of systemic vascular responses. Epidemiological studies associate polyphenol-rich dietary patterns with reduced cardiovascular risk, while clinical trials report modest and variable effects on intermediate outcomes such as vascular function, blood pressure, and plasma lipids. However, heterogeneity in study design, dosing, and compound source contributes to inconsistent outcomes and limits translation into practice. This review integrates current knowledge on classification, dietary sources, metabolism, and molecular mechanisms of polyphenols, emphasizing the interplay between host and microbiota in shaping cardioprotective responses. By bridging mechanistic insights with clinical observations, we highlight both the therapeutic promise and the translational challenges of polyphenols. Standardized intervention protocols, physiologically relevant dosing strategies, and precision nutrition approaches are essential to fully realize their potential in cardiovascular prevention. Full article

Ensuring the extended shelf life of fruit- and vegetable-based products while preserving their functional and sensory value remains one of the key challenges in modern food technology. Conventional thermal processing effectively ensures microbiological safety; however, it may lead to the degradation of heat-labile vitamins, polyphenols, and natural pigments, as well as to alterations in the structure of the food matrix. This review summarizes current evidence on the application of non-thermal technologies, including high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), high-pressure homogenization (HPH), ultrasound (US), cold plasma (CP), ultraviolet (UV) radiation, pulsed light (PL), and ionizing radiation (IOR), to the processing of liquid and semi-liquid fruit- and vegetable-based products. Particular attention is given not only to microbial inactivation and shelf-life extension but also to storage stability, residual endogenous enzyme activity, changes in color, rheological, and sensory properties, and modification of the plant matrix. The available evidence indicates that the efficacy of non-thermal processing is determined by the interplay of the mechanism of action, process intensity, product composition and structure, and storage conditions. Under optimized conditions (e.g., HPP at 400–600 MPa and near-ambient temperature; moderate-intensity PEF at 20–40 kV/cm; UV-C doses adjusted for product turbidity), combined with additional hurdles (mild heating to 40–60 °C, refrigerated storage, and low-oxygen-permeability packaging), these technologies can ensure microbiological stability, with vitamin C losses of approximately 5–10% for HPP and 2–10% for moderate-intensity PEF. In contrast, losses associated with US, CP, photochemical methods, and IOR are more variable and may be substantially higher. A comparative analysis of the reviewed studies shows that HPP yields the most consistent results across different matrix types, whereas surface and photochemical methods exhibit more pronounced matrix-dependent variability. Overall, a shift from assessing short-term chemical retention toward validating safety, stability, and functionality throughout the entire shelf life is a key prerequisite for the further development of non-thermally processed products for health-oriented nutrition. Full article

The focus of this study is on generating hollow cathode discharge (HCD) plasma inside three types of polymer tubes, resulting in the activation of the tubes’ inner surfaces. To achieve this goal, both theoretical calculations and experiments were carried out to prove that the adopted methodology was feasible. By applying optical emission spectroscopy, with line ratio and modified Boltzmann’s plot methods, the plasma sheath could be estimated and applied to the prediction of HCD generation. To verify whether HCD prevails in the tube, the various power inputs (70~260 W), tube diameters (3~7 mm), and working pressure (0.1 and 0.4 torr) were selected. Accordingly, it was confirmed that the tube diameter must be greater than twice the plasma sheath in order to form HCD, which would then activate the surface. Ar gas was used with a capacitive-coupled RF plasma system. PET, PU, and PTFE tubes were used in this study. The tubes’ inner surfaces were characterized with XPS and water-contact-angle (WCA) analysis. The results also show that once HCD is generated inside the tubes, these tubes’ inner surfaces could become hydrophilic, and the values of WCA might decrease by 40°, 45°, and 70° respectively for PET, PU, and PTFE, due to the combined effects of the enhanced ion bombardment and radical oxidation. XPS studies show that, for PET and PU, C-O and, particularly, C=O bonds increase significantly. For PTFE, the C-F bonds decrease, while carbon–oxygen bonds increase. Overall, the surface activation is thought to be enhanced by ion bombardment attributable eventually to the hollow cathode effect (HCE). Full article

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant plasma protein and plays essential roles in regulating oncotic pressure, transporting endogenous and exogenous compounds, and maintaining redox balance. Because of its biochemical properties, HSA is widely used in clinical medicine, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical development. However, albumin is not a static molecule. It undergoes numerous post-translational modifications (PTMs), including oxidation, glycation, carbonylation, carbamylation, and aggregation, which can significantly alter its structure, ligand-binding properties, antioxidant capacity, and pharmacokinetics. Furthermore, commercial albumin products exhibit substantial heterogeneity arising from differences in source material, manufacturing processes, formulation conditions, and storage practices. This review summarizes the current understanding of PTMs affecting human serum albumin, with particular emphasis on their molecular origins and functional implications. We discuss how physiological, pathological, and manufacturing-induced modifications influence albumin activity and contribute to variability among commercial albumin products. In addition, we examine established and emerging applications of PTM-modified albumin in diagnostics, critical care, extracorporeal detoxification, drug delivery, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine. Finally, we highlight current challenges related to product heterogeneity, quality control, regulatory assessment, and discuss future opportunities in albumin-based technologies. A deeper understanding of albumin PTMs is essential for improving critical care and developing next-generation albumin-based biomedical products. Full article