Search Results (54,103)

Processing herbal medicine generates substantial quantities of by-products that are discarded as waste. These residues may retain polysaccharides, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, and other constituents with pharmacological relevance. This review discusses the bioactive potential of by-products derived from single traditional Chinese and Korean herbal medicines, with emphasis on antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory mechanisms documented in preclinical in vivo studies. Representative in vivo evidence suggests that selected residues, marc fractions, fermentation products, and re-extracted by-products were reported to modulate oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, immune responses, and tissue-protective pathways across diverse experimental models. Processing method appears to be a key determinant of activity, as fermentation, high-temperature/high-pressure treatment, re-extraction, and targeted purification may enhance or diversify residual bioactivity. Current evidence remains limited by inconsistent chemical characterization, heterogeneous animal models, and incomplete reporting of experimental design. Re-evaluating herbal medicine processing by-products as bioactive resources may support sustainable herbal medicine manufacturing and circular bioeconomy frameworks. Full article

Hydrodynamic cavitation has attracted increasing attention in water and wastewater treatment because it can generate localized shear, pressure fluctuations, interfacial renewal, and reactive species in relatively simple continuous-flow devices. This review critically examines its main application domains, including microbial disinfection, cyanobacterial bloom control, organic micropollutant degradation, real wastewater treatment, sludge pretreatment for energy recovery, and hybrid process configurations. Rather than treating hydrodynamic cavitation as a single treatment mode, the discussion compares applications in relation to reactor design, matrix characteristics, treatment target, operating conditions, and assigned process function. The analysis shows that performance depends strongly on the interaction among device geometry, treated matrix, process configuration, and evaluation metrics. The same nominal process may therefore act as direct treatment, pretreatment, mass-transfer intensifier, oxidant-activation module, or support to downstream biological and polishing steps. The most consolidated evidence concerns microbial disinfection, sludge pretreatment, and several classes of organic contaminants, whereas PFAS treatment, field-scale validation, and system-level assessment remain less mature. Overall, hydrodynamic cavitation is best interpreted as a process-intensification platform rather than as a universally applicable stand-alone solution. Further progress will require more transparent assessment criteria, more comparable metrics, stronger validation in real matrices, more controllable reactors, and more rigorous energy, techno-economic, and scale-up evaluation. Full article

Copper–aluminum (Cu-Al) wire-bonded devices are widely used in microelectronic packaging; however, corrosion at exposed Cu-Al bimetallic interfaces can lead to Al pad degradation, undercutting, and eventual ball-bond lift-off or open-circuit failure under humid, halide-contaminated conditions. This work presents a scalable post-wire-bond wet-chemical passivation process using octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) to simultaneously modify exposed Cu/Pd-coated Cu (PCC) and Al surfaces. The passivation process includes a hydroxylation pretreatment to generate reactive oxide/hydroxide surface sites, followed by ODPA treatment and solvent rinsing to remove weakly adsorbed species. Surface modification was evaluated using contact-angle measurements, reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). ODPA treatment increased the water contact angle on Cu and Al, confirming a substantial increase in surface hydrophobicity following coating formation. RAIRS identified ODPA-associated aliphatic C-H bands, AFM showed treatment-induced nanoscale surface changes, and XPS supported metal–oxygen–phosphorus interfacial bonding. Under aggressive 100 ppm chloride-ion immersion, ODPA passivation strongly suppressed corrosion-induced ball-bond lift-off across both device platforms. Lift-off decreased from 99.0% to 0.73% for Cu-Al devices and from 23.3% to 0.42% for PCC-Al devices. Collectively, these findings establish an effective, process-compatible post-wire-bond strategy for substantially protecting corrosion-susceptible interfaces and thereby improving the reliability of wire-bonded interconnects in halide-containing environments. Full article

Sensor-based human activity recognition (SHAR) serves as a core research direction in pervasive computing, mobile health, and related fields. Although existing deep learning methods have achieved promising progress in SHAR tasks, most optimize from a single dimension only. They struggle to simultaneously balance recognition accuracy, noise robustness, adaptation to class imbalance, and lightweight deployment requirements, leading to performance bottlenecks in real-world scenarios. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a lightweight joint optimization framework named AWARE-Net. Leveraging the lightweight TS-ResNet as a backbone encoder, the framework integrates spatiotemporal dynamic convolution feature encoding with a global loss function that fuses class-balanced loss, contrastive learning auxiliary loss, and temporal smooth regularization to achieve multi-objective joint optimization. Extensive experiments on three widely used SHAR benchmark datasets, namely OPPORTUNITY, PAMAP2, and USC-HAD, demonstrate that the proposed AWARE-Net achieves competitive performance compared with representative state-of-the-art HAR methods. Full article

This paper addresses the problem of controlling autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) operating in a swarm under realistic underwater conditions characterised by inaccurate navigation, limited acoustic communication, and noisy sonar observations. A novel Trail Sonar-Based Algorithm (TSBA) is proposed for leader–follower swarm control. Unlike conventional reactive approaches, TSBA combines sparse acoustic communication with prior knowledge of the mission plan, enabling predictive estimation of the tracked vehicle’s state and reducing the dependence on continuous information exchange. To evaluate its effectiveness, TSBA was compared with a machine learning-based controller (NSCSUV) in a simulation environment incorporating navigation drift, sonar measurement errors, and a data-driven model of a real low-cost AUV. The proposed vehicle model achieved a mean speed error of 0.107 m/s and a mean heading error of 14.25°, providing a realistic basis for controller evaluation. Simulation results demonstrated that TSBA consistently outperformed the neural network-based approach in formation keeping while generating smoother control commands and requiring only minimal underwater communication. The algorithm maintained stable swarm behaviour despite sensor inaccuracies and communication constraints. Finally, experiments conducted with a real underwater vehicle confirmed the practical applicability and robustness of the proposed approach under real operating conditions. Full article

Background: Cardiac arrest complicating acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with high mortality and neurological morbidity despite advances in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and post-resuscitation care. This study evaluated clinical outcomes in ACS patients presenting with cardiac arrest undergoing invasive coronary angiography, with particular focus on resuscitation status before catheterization and location of cardiac arrest. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 15,595 ACS patients undergoing coronary angiography between 2014 and 2025 identified two cohorts. The first cohort included 131 patients stratified according to mechanical cardiac activity upon arrival to the catheterization laboratory: previously resuscitated patients (RES, n = 109) and patients in refractory cardiac arrest requiring automatic resuscitation devices (ARD, n = 22). The second cohort included 159 patients grouped by arrest location: out-of-hospital (OHCA, n = 83), in-hospital (IHCA, n = 48), and catheterization laboratory cardiac arrest (CLCA, n = 28). The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and neurological status after resuscitation. Results: In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in the ARD group compared with the RES group (86.4% vs. 39.4%, p < 0.001). Survivors in the RES group more frequently achieved favorable neurological recovery (66.2%). Mean resuscitation duration and admission lactate levels were significantly greater in the ARD group (66.1 vs. 21.9 min, p < 0.001; 10.7 vs. 7.7 mmol/L, p = 0.006). According to arrest location, mortality was highest in the CLCA group (78.6%), followed by IHCA (60.4%) and OHCA (39.8%) (p < 0.001). Despite high mortality, all surviving CLCA patients had favorable neurological outcomes. Culprit coronary vessel distribution was not associated with mortality or neurological outcome. Conclusions: In ACS patients with cardiac arrest, ongoing refractory arrest during coronary angiography and cardiac arrest occurring in the catheterization laboratory were associated with markedly increased mortality. Successful resuscitation prior to catheterization was associated with significantly better survival and neurological recovery. Full article

Mitochondria coordinate cellular energy production, metabolism, and signalling through the organization of the electron transport chain (ETC) and formation of respiratory supercomplexes. These structures facilitate efficient electron transfer and enable coenzyme Q (CoQ) channelling, allowing differential regulation of NADH- and succinate-driven respiration while modulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Beyond their damaging potential, ROS act as key signalling molecules that regulate mitochondrial function through redox-sensitive modifications. Mitochondrial protein kinases add an additional layer of control, with Src-family kinases playing a central role. In particular, the mitochondrial tyrosine-kinase Fgr is activated by H₂O₂ and promotes phosphorylation of succinate dehydrogenase, boosting complex II activity, delivering more electrons to CoQ and inducing reverse electron transfer (RET) through CI, in a ROS-induced ROS generation amplification cycle. This induces a metabolic rewiring aimed at supporting stress adaptation, immune cell activation, and macrophage polarization. Overall, the interplay between supercomplex organization, ROS signalling, and kinase activity is critical for metabolic flexibility and represents a promising target for therapeutic intervention. Full article

Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is an increasing global threat, and the limited availability of new antibiotics highlights vaccination as a promising strategy for infection prevention. Although different vaccine candidates have been evaluated, none is currently approved, mainly due to capsular heterogeneity among strains. Protein-based vaccines may overcome this limitation by targeting conserved epitopes. In this study, we assessed the immunogenicity of five outer membrane proteins (ChiP, LamB, RafY, OmpW, PagP) previously selected by reverse vaccinology (RV), comparing them with the well-characterized antigens OmpA and OmpK36. Mice were immunized intramuscularly with three doses of purified recombinant proteins, and antibody responses were analyzed by ELISA. All antigens elicited high, booster-induced IgG levels, with PagP slightly being less immunogenic. Regarding IgG subclasses, IgG₁ predominated, followed by IgG_2b and IgG_2c. Cross-reactivity was evaluated against six K. pneumoniae strains representing different clonal groups, and recognition by sera from previously infected mice was also examined. OmpA, ChiP and LamB showed the broadest cross-reactivity, while OmpA and LamB were most strongly recognized after infection. Overall, OmpA, LamB, ChiP and RafY emerged as the most promising vaccine candidates, although further optimization, such as a multicomponent vaccine, may be required. This work also highlights the importance of experimentally validating RV-selected antigens, as computational predictions alone do not ensure immunogenicity or in vivo relevance. Full article

This study investigated the effects of microwave puffing-induced soy protein structural modification on the dynamic changes in physicochemical properties and umami formation during soybean paste fermentation. The results indicated that optimal microwave puffing (400 W, 90 s) disrupts protein non-covalent bonds, depolymerizes protein aggregates, exposes the internal hydrophobic groups to enhance surface hydrophobicity, forms a loose porous structure, and creates favorable conditions for enzymatic hydrolysis during soybean paste fermentation. Conversely, excessive treatment (400 W, >90 s) induced protein re-aggregation and inhibited proteolysis, as confirmed by SEM. Furthermore, microwave puffing (400 W, 90 s) promoted Aspergillus oryzae growth and protease activity, and significantly improved physicochemical properties of soybean paste, including lower pH and higher contents of total acid (5.8%), amino acid nitrogen (11.8%), small peptides (13.3%), and reducing sugars (14.95%) (p < 0.05), plus a brighter, redder color. LC-MS/MS revealed microwave puffing (400 W, 90 s) reshaped the peptide profile of soybean paste, increasing the relative abundance of the umami amino acids (Glu, Asp) and sweet amino acid (Ala) and decreasing proportions of the bitter amino acids in the peptides. Sensory and electronic tongue analyses confirmed enhanced umami and weaker bitterness and saltiness. These findings demonstrate that microwave puffing (400 W, 90 s) effectively improves the quality and flavor characteristics of soybean paste, providing technical support for high-quality fermented soybean products. Full article

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a cornerstone non-invasive modality for keratinocytic precancers and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), leveraging selective photosensitizer accumulation, light activation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. This narrative review synthesized literature from major databases (2010–2025) to comprehensively evaluate PDT’s molecular mechanisms, innovative optimization protocols, and clinical efficacy across actinic keratosis (AK), field cancerization, Bowen’s disease (BD), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). The evidence highlights frontline clinical maturity and excellent cosmetic outcomes for superficial lesions (AK, field cancerization, superficial BCC, and BD), with daylight PDT offering a virtually painless alternative for widespread dysplasia. However, therapeutic reliability decreases in thick nodular, pigmented, or high-risk lesions due to optical barriers and tissue hypoxia. To overcome these limitations, advanced physical and chemical enhancements—such as ablative fractional lasers, iron chelators, epigenetically enhanced PDT (ePDT), and targeted nanocarriers—are actively reshaping drug delivery and cellular susceptibility. Furthermore, cyclic PDT serves as an indispensable tissue-sparing intervention for organ transplant recipients and Gorlin syndrome patients. In conclusion, while PDT is highly effective for superficial neoplasias, precise histopathological stratification and the integration of nanomedicine are critical to overcoming current biological barriers in aggressive dermatological malignancies. Full article

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) are physically complementary non-destructive evaluation methods for reinforced concrete, yet their integrated diagnostic use has been limited by the absence of controlled, ground-truth-validated calibration of the joint-signature space. This paper presents a laboratory calibration programme in which a single C30/37 reinforced concrete beam (3000 mm × 300 mm × 200 mm, three T12 bars at 35 mm cover, CEM I 42.5N, w/c = 0.50) was sequentially conditioned through four controlled deterioration states—intact reference (Model A), water-filled saw-cut crack (Model B), full saturation by seven-day top-surface ponding (Model C), and chloride-induced active corrosion (Model D). Seven RES2DINV inverted ERT sections at three electrode spacings (a = 7, 15, and 30 mm) and three 800 MHz GPR profiles were acquired across the four known ground-truth conditions. The intact-reference resistivity ρ₀ = 558 Ω·m (full-section median of the mlab dataset at a = 7 mm) and GPR-calibrated velocity v = 0.095 ± 0.008 m/ns (from hyperbola fitting at 35 mm rebar cover) establish the absolute baselines. The four conditions produce systematically distinct joint signatures: Model A exhibits uniform high resistivity with clean rebar hyperbolae and no anomalous reflections; Model B produces a localised ERT low-ρ anomaly (ρ_min = 1.46 Ω·m) co-located with a negative-polarity (R = −0.68) GPR crack-mouth reflection confirming water-fill; Model C produces pervasive low-ρ with a smooth depth gradient and 50–65% GPR amplitude attenuation (−6.0 to −9.1 dB); Model D produces the same bulk GPR signatures as Model C but with a critically different ERT spatial texture—a heterogeneous near-surface layer above a sharp boundary at z ≈ 40 mm with depth-preferential low-ρ concentrated at rebar level. This depth-preferential signature, quantified here by a reproducible Depth-Preferential Index (DPI), is the primary ERT-only diagnostic criterion distinguishing active corrosion from pervasive saturation. For the Model C versus Model D distinction, the GPR response is non-discriminating; this high-risk distinction is resolved exclusively by the ERT depth-preferential criterion. The calibration demonstrates that GPR and ERT are physically non-redundant in the strict sense: neither method alone can unambiguously discriminate all four states, but their combination yields correct classification within the controlled laboratory conditions and subject to the stated qualification conditions. The corrosion state was confirmed at the regime level (chloride above the depassivation threshold, under accelerated polarisation) but was not quantified electrochemically, so the depth-preferential signature is interpreted as an indirect spatial proxy for active corrosion rather than a measurement of corrosion rate. Seven failure modes are quantitatively characterised and embedded in the framework as a priori qualification conditions. The calibrated reference values (ρ₀, A₀, Stage 2 thresholds, depth-preferential criterion) are specific to the laboratory mix and curing history and require local Stage 1 recalibration for field application. Full article

Megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets are increasingly recognized as active regulators of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment rather than passive effectors of thrombopoiesis and hemostasis. Recent single-cell and lineage-tracing studies have established that megakaryopoiesis generates functionally heterogeneous populations, including immune-biased and niche-supporting subsets that shape hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) behavior, inflammatory tone, and vascular homeostasis. In leukemia, these regulatory circuits are systematically rewired to establish a marrow niche that suppresses normal hematopoiesis while sustaining leukemic stem cell (LSC) fitness through cytokine gradients, stromal remodeling, and direct cell-to-cell communication. In this focused review, we propose that the immune MK (iMK)–platelet axis is a central driver of leukemic niche remodeling. We discuss how iMK states arise under leukemic pressure, how MK heterogeneity encodes distinct niche instructions, and how platelet-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) distribute inflammatory signals across the marrow and systemic circulation. Within this framework, we position mitochondrial stress outputs—such as reactive oxygen species (mtROS), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release, metabolic rewiring, and mitochondria-containing EV secretion—not as isolated phenomena, but as mechanistic amplifiers embedded within the broader inflammatory and niche-regulatory programs of MKs and platelets. We further highlight preleukemic inflammatory states as an underappreciated entry point for therapeutic intervention, and propose three clinically actionable axes: inflammatory niche interruption, mitochondrial stress modulation, and platelet–leukemia communication blockade. This framework aligns with emerging concepts in MK heterogeneity, innate immune sensing, endothelial remodeling, and preleukemic signaling, and positions the MK–platelet axis as a promising therapeutic framework in leukemia-associated niche remodeling. Full article

Anthralin has a long history as a topical treatment for psoriasis, where it reduces keratinocyte hyper-proliferation and effectively clears plaques. While it lowers inflammatory markers in psoriatic skin, it paradoxically induces inflammation in healthy skin through reactive oxygen species (ROS) and related pathways. However, its precise mechanism of action remains incompletely understood. Interestingly, the once undesirable pro-inflammatory effect in healthy skin may now represent a valuable adjuvant property for transcutaneous immunization (TCI). In particular, combining anthralin with the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) elicits strong cytotoxic T-cell responses in pre-clinical studies. When paired with antigenic peptides that can penetrate the skin, this immunization approach is especially promising in the context of cancer therapy, given the central role of cytotoxic T-cells in tumor rejection. However, current evidence is largely derived from mouse models, but its efficacy and safety in humans remain to be established. This review therefore examines whether anthralin can be repurposed as a cutaneous adjuvant for transcutaneous immunization, and which mechanistic and translational constraints must be overcome before human application. Full article

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe condition triggered by traumatic exposure, characterized by symptoms like trauma re-experiencing, avoidance, mood alterations, hypervigilance, and sleep disturbances. While its exact mechanisms remain uncertain, PTSD involves dysregulation across neurobiological systems underlying fear conditioning, threat appraisal, executive control, and stress response. Although research highlights the sympathetic–adreno–medullary (SAM) system and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, findings on stress-related mediators remain inconsistent regarding their precise contributions over time. To address this, we propose a hypothetical model viewing PTSD as a multistable system shifting from physiological to pathological steady states. We assume that intense, repeated emotional stress triggers spike activation in the amygdala, driving an amygdala–locus coeruleus loop into a high-activation state via reciprocal excitation, mediated by corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and noradrenaline. This sequentially alters amygdala–hippocampus and prefrontal cortex loops, reinforcing fear expression and impairing extinction. This model is consistent with key features of PTSD, including its higher prevalence among females, increased glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity, the frequently observed hypocortisolism, and the partial efficacy of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) and CRH receptor antagonists. While requiring experimental validation, this framework connects molecular, circuit, and behavioral data to help identify novel interventions for restoring adaptive stress-response dynamics. Full article

Porcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is an emerging swine pathogen associated with reproductive disorders, multisystemic inflammation, and other clinical syndromes. The capsid protein (Cap), the principal structural and immunogenic component, is an ideal antigen for serological detection. However, its poor solubility in prokaryotic expression systems limits diagnostic assay development. In this study, the N-terminal 32 amino acids of Cap were truncated, and the protein was expressed in a soluble form using the SHuffle T7 Express strain. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using purified soluble Cap as a coating antigen was established and optimized. The assay exhibited excellent specificity, with no cross-reactivity against other common swine pathogens, high sensitivity, and good repeatability, with intra- and inter-assay coefficients of variation below 10%. The cut-off value was determined, and testing of 144 porcine serum samples showed a 78.47% concordance rate with PCR, indicating good diagnostic performance. This Cap-based indirect ELISA provides a reliable, cost-effective, and high-throughput tool for large-scale serological surveillance and epidemiological monitoring of PCV3, supporting improved disease control strategies in pig populations. Full article