Search Results (21,733)

Plant-derived exosomes (PDEs) are gaining attention owing to their key implications in cross-kingdom communication, facilitating bioactive entities among plants and animals. PDEs are tiny nanoscale vesicles generally comprised of RNAs, proteins, and secondary metabolites and are involved in the regulation of physiological processes (immune modulation, cell regeneration, and stress response). An important feature of PDEs is to enable cross-kingdom regulation in skin wound repair. This is because PDEs can modulate several signaling pathways (PI3K-Akt, TGF-β, and mitogen-activated protein kinase) that further direct inflammatory, cell migratory, angiogenic, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Key features of PDEs, including modest immunogenicity, easy crossing of biological barriers, and natural biocompatibility, make them novel alternatives to synthetic wound-healing agents. Therefore, this review disparagingly examines the biogenesis, molecular composition, and diversified biological functions of PDEs, particularly with reference to potential implications in wound healing and overall skin health. The current challenges pertaining to PDE isolation, scalability, and bioavailability and regulatory hurdles for their clinical translation were also explored. In addition, the epigenetic effects of PDEs on human skin cells and wound healing are explained in detail. Finally, this review presents a comprehensive investigation of PDEs in skin wound repair, identifies research gaps, and outlines future directions for dermatological applications. Full article

The increase in older adults and active lifestyles has made chondral and osteochondral lesions common in the population, making them one of the central challenges in orthopedics. Although hydrogel-based regenerative medicine offers an encouraging therapeutic option for these lesions, important obstacles still prevent these therapies from reaching the clinic. In view of these factors, we adopted a risk-based approach for this review, in line with the current legislative requirements in clinical translation and clinical trials. We identified the factors that could undermine patient safety or lead to poor outcomes. Then, we outlined solutions to remedy these problems that integrate hydrogel technology, clinical/pharmaceutical/surgical protocols, and post-operative follow-up. Upcoming studies should give priority to the development of hydrogel scaffolds modified to mimic cartilage’s mechanical and physicochemical properties, together with patient-specific features. Other crucial characteristics are host-tissue integration, long-lasting cartilage tissue regeneration, and a positive outcome. In parallel, to scale complex and costly innovations, efforts should focus on a harmonized, simplified legislative landscape, optimized standards, and established follow-up protocols. Getting through this “valley of death” between research and innovation is strategic for reaching the clinics and the largest number of patients. Full article

Monolithic ceramic catalysts are a key technology for the industrial treatment of coal mine ventilation air methane (VAM). The preparation of straight-channel NiO/CeO₂ monolithic ceramic catalysts via phase inversion addresses critical bottlenecks for industrial VAM abatement. However, high-temperature sintering leads to irreversible NiO agglomeration and coarsening, severely reducing catalytic activity. In this study, an in situ reduction–oxidation reconstruction method is developed to regenerate sinter-degraded NiO. The reconstructed catalyst increases methane conversion from below 70% after sintering to over 95% at 550 °C and achieves full conversion at 600 °C. The catalyst maintains near 100% conversion during 400 h of continuous operation at 600 °C and shows no performance degradation over 15 thermal cycles. Moreover, the reconstructed catalyst exhibits excellent steam tolerance with fully reversible deactivation. The reconstructed catalyst presents a refined porous structure with BET surface area rising from 4.5 to 11.4 m² g⁻¹, an elevated Ni³⁺/Ni²⁺ ratio (1.47 to 1.97), a higher surface adsorbed oxygen proportion (36.8% to 48.7%) and significantly strengthened NiO-CeO₂ interfacial interaction. This work provides a facile and efficient in situ regeneration strategy, greatly enhancing the VAM oxidation activity and stability of sinter-degraded monolithic ceramic catalysts. Full article

Objective: To evaluate whether documented bacterial infection or neutropenic fever is associated with delayed hematopoietic recovery in patients with acute leukemia undergoing induction or consolidation chemotherapy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational study of 171 adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated between 2022 and 2025. Patients were divided into three groups: (1) microbiologically documented infection (n = 73); (2) neutropenic fever without pathogen identification (n = 73); and (3) no fever or infection (n = 25). Hematopoietic recovery was assessed by time to neutrophil recovery (>0.5 × 10⁹/L) and time to reticulocyte production index (RPI) > 1.0. Statistical comparisons were performed using ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests as appropriate. Results: The mean time to neutrophil recovery was 32.0 days (95% CI: 30.0–34.0) in Group 1, 28.4 days (95% CI: 27.3–29.6) in Group 2, and 15.2 days (95% CI: 14.3–16.2) in Group 3 (p = 0.0039). The mean time to RPI > 1.0 was 36.3 days (95% CI: 34.2–38.4), 33.0 days (95% CI: 31.8–34.2), and 19.4 days (95% CI: 18.5–20.3), respectively (p = 0.0018). Differences between Groups 1 and 2 were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Infection and neutropenic fever are associated with significantly prolonged hematopoietic recovery following chemotherapy for acute leukemia. Delayed regeneration may increase the risk of complications and negatively affect treatment outcomes. Full article

Rural territories characterised by dispersed settlement systems face mounting challenges related to demographic decline, economic fragility, ecological degradation, and the erosion of local knowledge systems. In this context, rural self-sufficiency has re-emerged as a strategic objective; yet it remains inadequately operationalised within spatial planning and territorial assessment practices. This paper proposes a bioregional framework for operationalising rural self-sufficiency in dispersed territories, integrating ecological, morphological, socio-productive, cultural, and governance dimensions across multiple spatial scales. The framework is structured around a tiered system of 108 indicators, hierarchised into priority, secondary, and aspirational levels, combined with a multi-scalar territorial reading articulated through five nested frames—ranging from municipal systems to local productive units. Rather than constituting a mere checklist for immediate quantitative evaluation, the indicator system functions as a structured diagnostic universe, enabling progressive operationalisation based on data availability and governance capacity. To bridge the gap between diagnosis and action, the framework introduces 34 strategic drivers and 28 spatial artefacts, conceived as reversible and context-sensitive interventions. The framework is demonstrated through the case of Arbo (Galicia, Spain), illustrating its capacity to structure territorial diagnosis and articulate coherent pathways from analytical interpretation to strategic spatial intervention. The proposed approach contributes a replicable methodological tool for bioregional and rural planning in dispersed settlement systems. The study contributes to advancing bioregional planning by demonstrating how extensive indicator universes can be rendered operational through selective tiering and multi-scalar deployment. Full article

Wildfires are among the key drivers of transformation in boreal ecosystems; however, the mechanisms of postfire recovery in the arid regions of Eurasia remain insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to identify the role of burn severity and associated edaphic and hydrological factors in shaping the natural regeneration trajectories of Scots pine forests in the Kostanay region of northern Kazakhstan. This study is based on the integration of field data on seedling regeneration and soil conditions with the analysis of long-term satellite-derived indices (NDVI, NDMI, and NBR). Sample plots were grouped according to fixed burn severity classes, which enabled a consistent statistical comparison and reduced the interpretative ambiguity that has characterized previous studies in the region. The results indicate that pine forest regeneration is most successful under low and moderate burn severity, where seed sources are preserved and favourable moisture conditions are maintained. In contrast, high burn severity leads to a reduction in regenerative potential and a shift in recovery trajectories toward deciduous or sparsely vegetated communities. The spectral indices derived from the remote sensing data strongly agreed with the field-based indicators, confirming their suitability for assessing postfire vegetation dynamics. Soil properties act as important modifying factors of recovery processes, particularly under conditions of limited water availability. These findings enhance the current understanding of postfire recovery mechanisms in the arid part of the boreal zone and highlight the need for differentiated management of postfire landscapes. The integration of field observations with remote sensing data provides a robust framework for monitoring and forecasting recovery processes under an increasingly intensified fire regime. Full article

Leaching carbon residue (LCR) is a carbonaceous solid waste generated during the hydrometallurgical recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries. Although its high graphite content offers substantial potential for resource recovery, the residual heavy metals and fluorides present in LCR pose considerable environmental risks. Currently, LCR has not garnered sufficient attention within the industry, and the lack of recycling technologies suitable for large-scale disposal results in resource wastage and environmental pollution. To address these challenges, this study proposes an innovative strategy based on the concept of multi-field synergistic enhancement. The proposed approach involves recovering and regenerating graphite (RG) from LCR via low-temperature molten salt roasting assisted by high-pressure and mechanical activation. A combination of advanced characterization techniques was employed to compare the physicochemical properties of RG and commercial graphite (CG) and to systematically evaluate the technical feasibility of using regenerated graphite as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The results demonstrate that, under optimized molten salt roasting and aqueous leaching conditions, the carbon content of RG reaches 99.94 wt%, indicating the efficient removal of non-carbon impurities from the graphite matrix. Compared to CG, RG retains a typical layered structure; however, a lower carbon content (99.94 wt%) and poorer structural order (I_D/I_G = 0.30) are observed. In terms of electrochemical performance, RG delivers a discharge specific capacity of 394.64 mAh/g during the first cycle and exhibits excellent cycling stability, with a capacity retention of 86.50% after 100 cycles. This electrochemical performance is comparable to that of commercial graphite. The proposed multi-field-assisted low-temperature molten salt roasting technique enables the efficient recovery of high-value graphite resources from LCR, establishing a full-lifecycle recycling strategy tailored for lithium-ion battery applications. Full article

Rapid urbanization and the decline of inner-city areas have led to a sharp increase in vacant houses in large cities. Cities are increasingly converting vacant land into green space to mitigate associated negative externalities. This study quantifies the urban heat island (UHI) mitigation effects of green infrastructure using meta-analysis and applies the derived relationships to predict both on-site and surrounding cooling effects for vacant land. First, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies reporting the cooling effects of green infrastructure and derived regression equations relating green-space area to (i) cooling within the green space, (ii) cooling in the surrounding area, and (iii) the spatial extent of the cooling effect. Second, we applied these equations to two high-density areas in Sungui-dong, Nam-gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea. The results suggest that introducing a neighborhood park at Site A (7559.5 m²) would reduce air temperature by up to 2.751 °C within the park and by 1.507 °C up to 62 m beyond the park boundary. A pocket park at Site C (992.1 m²) would reduce air temperature by up to 2.269 °C within the park and by approximately 0.92 °C in the surrounding area. These findings provide quantitative evidence that green infrastructure can serve as an effective environmental intervention and support the adoption of climate-responsive urban regeneration policies. Full article

Background: Autonomic side effects are a major determinant of tolerability for many psychotherapeutic drugs. While often attributed to receptor-mediated mechanisms, the potential contribution of direct modulation of smooth muscle excitability remains poorly characterized at a comparative pharmacological level. Methods: A systematic comparative pharmacological profiling of a broad panel of psychotherapeutic drugs (antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics) was conducted using a standardized ex vivo model. Potassium chloride (KCl, 105 mM) was used to induce depolarization-dependent contraction in three isolated smooth muscle preparations (rat uterus, rat vas deferens, and guinea-pig ileum). Inhibitory potency (IC₅₀), dose-dependency, and tissue consistency were integrated to define functional inhibitory profiles. Results: Psychotherapeutic drugs exhibited marked heterogeneity in their ability to inhibit K⁺-induced smooth muscle contraction. Integrative analysis stratified compounds into four distinct functional profiles: (i) High Inhibitory Liability (e.g., nortriptyline, paroxetine), characterized by low micromolar IC₅₀ values and dose-dependent inhibition across multiple tissues; (ii) Non-Selective Inhibition (e.g., flunarizine, cinnarizine), showing consistent but dose-independent inhibition; (iii) Tissue-Dependent Inhibition (e.g., risperidone, reboxetine); and (iv) Minimal Inhibition (e.g., moclobemide). Agents classified within the High Inhibitory Liability profile correspond to drugs known to carry a higher clinical burden of autonomic adverse effects. Conclusions: This study reveals a previously underrecognized pharmacodynamic dimension of psychotherapeutic drugs and establishes a comparative functional taxonomy based on their direct, non-receptor-mediated inhibition of smooth muscle excitability. The identified profiles provide a mechanism-informed framework for contextualizing autonomic side-effect liability and may support improved safety evaluation in psychotherapeutic drug development. Full article

This study focuses on the development and characterization of advanced composite materials based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), with or without silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), planned for peripheral nerve or bone regeneration. The complementary properties of PCL (biocompatibility and biodegradability) and PVDF (mechanical stability and piezoelectric functionality) were exploited by blending the polymers in different ratios, resulting in binary (PCL/PVDF) and ternary (PCL/PVDF/AgNPs) composites. Green-synthesized AgNPs were integrated to enhance antimicrobial activity and to support tissue repair through improved signal transmission. Functional thin films and electrospun fibres were obtained and subjected to advanced characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermal analysis. The results demonstrated appropriate morphology, chemical composition, structural stability, and favourable interactions with simulated physiological media. Preliminary biocompatibility assays confirmed good cell viability, supporting the biomedical applicability of the designed scaffolds. Overall, the obtained results highlight the potential of AgNPs-functionalized PCL/PVDF binary and ternary composites as promising candidates for flexible, durable, and bioactive implants in peripheral nerve or bone regeneration. Full article

Mineral powder–based bone grafts exhibit excellent osteoconductivity; however, their clinical efficacy is often compromised by insufficient early-stage tissue ingrowth, leading to particle aggregation and pocket formation within the defect site during the initial healing phase. Here, we report a cotton-type nanofiber-guided mineral graft designed to overcome this early integration failure by creating fibrous pathways for tissue ingress. Cotton-type polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers were fabricated via electrospinning using a pin-based collector engineered to induce strong inter-fiber repulsion, resulting in a highly expanded, three-dimensional cottony architecture. Tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) and α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) mineral particles were subsequently deposited onto the surface of the cottony nanofibers, forming a fibrous–mineral hybrid graft (c-NF@T/α-TCP) in which the nanofibers act as a transient, functionally defined tissue-guiding framework during the early healing phase. The cottony nanofiber network effectively prevented mineral particle aggregation and generated continuous pathways within the graft, facilitating early tissue infiltration and vascular ingress during the first week after implantation. In vivo evaluation in a bone defect model demonstrated that c-NF@T/α-TCP significantly reduced tissue pocket formation at early time points and promoted subsequent bone regeneration compared to mineral powder-only grafts. This study highlights the critical importance of early-stage structural guidance in mineral-based bone grafts and introduces cotton-type nanofiber–guided pathway engineering as a simple yet effective strategy to unlock the regenerative potential of conventional inorganic bone substitutes. Full article

Image hashing enables efficient large-scale image retrieval by encoding high-dimensional visual data into compact binary representations. However, existing deep hashing methods typically learn fixed-length hash codes in a fully supervised manner, often generating redundant bits that limit discriminative capability and increase storage overhead. In this paper, we propose a deep reinforcement learning-based adaptive bit selection framework for compact image hashing. We formulate hash refinement as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and employ a Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) agent to selectively retain the most informative hash bits while discarding redundant ones, directly optimizing retrieval performance through mean Average Precision (mAP). The proposed approach integrates CNN-based hash extraction with reinforcement-driven adaptive regeneration, producing compact yet highly discriminative binary codes. Extensive experiments on standard image retrieval benchmarks demonstrate consistent improvements over state-of-the-art deep hashing methods in terms of retrieval accuracy and efficiency, highlighting the effectiveness of reinforcement learning for adaptive representation learning in intelligent large-scale retrieval systems. Full article

Peripheral nerve injuries often lead to incomplete recovery despite surgical repair. Vitamin B12 and folic acid have been implicated in nerve regeneration, but their comparative effects have not been systematically evaluated. Twenty-four male Wistar rats underwent femoral nerve transection and were assigned to three groups: control, vitamin B12 (2500 µg/kg weekly, subcutaneous), and folic acid (40 mg/L in drinking water). Functional recovery was assessed over eight weeks using foot-base angle (FBA) during beam walking. Histological analysis evaluated axon counts and myelination (g-ratio). Both treatments accelerated early gait recovery compared to controls, with significant FBA improvement at week 4 (p < 0.05). Vitamin B12 produced sustained functional benefits through week 8 and superior myelination (lower g-ratio, p < 0.0001), whereas folic acid increased axon numbers but did not enhance myelin thickness or late-phase recovery. High-dose vitamin B12 significantly improves structural and functional outcomes after femoral nerve injury, while folic acid primarily supports early axonal regrowth. Vitamin B12 represents a promising pharmacological adjunct for peripheral nerve repair. Further research should explore optimal dosing strategies and long-term effects in clinical settings. To our knowledge, no prior study has directly compared the effects of folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation within the rat femoral-nerve model, providing the rationale for the present head-to-head design. Full article

To address the growing demand for sustainable road infrastructure development and
resolve technical bottlenecks in reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) recycling, this study
optimized the performance of recycled asphalt mixtures (RAMs) and validated their engineering
applicability for field construction. RAM specimens were prepared using 5-year
and 10-year aged RAP from Ningxia, with a constant RAP content of 30%. Laboratory
tests including high-temperature rutting, moisture susceptibility, low-temperature cracking,
dynamic modulus, and four-point bending fatigue were performed to determine the
optimal mix proportion. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Thin-Layer
Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection (TLC-FID) were employed to reveal the regeneration
mechanism of waste engine oil (WEO). Results showed that WEO modified the
functional groups and four fractions of asphalt, optimizing its colloidal structure, while
excessive WEO compromised high-temperature stability. The optimal WEO contents were
4% for RAP (5Y) and 8% for RAP (10Y), which significantly enhanced the overall performance
of RAM to adapt to Ningxia’s climate. This study provides technical support for
sustainable road infrastructure in arid and semi-arid regions. Full article