Search Results (8,696)

Poultry meat and eggs are high-quality protein sources, but thermal processing alters their nutritional and functional attributes. Emerging non-thermal and novel processing methods, such as high-pressure processing, ultrasound, pulsed electric fields, cold plasma, moderate electric fields, magnetic fields, ozone treatment, and pulsed light, are increasingly popular as substitutes. This review examines the effects of nonthermal and novel processing technologies on poultry meat and egg proteins. The review focuses on the interrelationship among protein structure, functionality, and digestibility, with emphasis on the mechanism underlying structural modification, altered intermolecular interactions, and controlled protein unfolding. Under optimized conditions, nonthermal technologies can maintain protein integrity and improve functionality such as water-holding capacity, emulsification, gelation, and tenderness in poultry meat. In egg proteins, non-thermal technologies improve solubility, emulsification, foaming, and gelation through structural modification, intermolecular interactions, and controlled unfolding, thereby exposing enzymatic cleavage sites and enhancing digestibility. Evidence exists for enhanced proteolysis by peptide release and amino acid availability in nonthermal treatments, whereas studies on poultry meat remain limited. This review integrates existing evidence and critical gaps in interpreting structure–functionality–digestibility interrelation, and highlights the potential of nonthermal technologies for producing poultry-derived foods with higher functional quality and nutritional value. Full article

Owing to advantageous properties such as high mechanical strength and wear and hydrolysis resistance, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based materials have been widely used to fabricate membranes utilizing in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs) for wastewater treatment. Though AnMBRs can be regarded as high-rate bioreactors, membrane fouling caused by organic, inorganic, and biological contaminants remains an inevitable challenge. In order to alleviate this issue, this review systematically summarizes modification methods including crosslinking, surface coating, and assembly for the loading of functional materials and inorganic nanoparticles onto the membrane surface. Additionally, this review indicates that modified PVDF-based membranes with enhanced conductive or antifouling properties can be effectively applied in AnMBRs, and better chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency can be achieved compared with those utilizing pristine PVDF membranes. Different from previous reviews, this review proposes technology intensification strategies utilizing pristine PVDF membranes including electrochemical AnMBR (electro-AnMBR) and anaerobic fluidized bed membrane bioreactor (AFMBR). Both of them have demonstrated enormous potential for mitigating membrane fouling relative to conventional AnMBR configurations. Spontaneously, this review underscores the critical need to integrate these intensification strategies with modified PVDF-based membranes as relative studies in this combined area. Therefore, this review provides comprehensive guidance on modification methods of PVDF membranes and technology intensification strategies utilizing modified PVDF-based membranes. Full article

Oculomics uses ocular images, ocular biofluids and functional ocular tests to extract diagnostic information on local or systemic biological states. Most current evidence is cross-sectional: one retinal photograph, OCT scan, OCTA examination or tear sample is compared with a reference population, or converted into a diagnostic or prognostic score. This approach is useful for screening and risk enrichment, but it does not show whether the same patient is changing over time. In this review, dynamic oculomics, or oculomic kinetics, is presented as a diagnostic-monitoring approach based on repeated ocular measurements within the same individual. Its object is the personal trajectory: baseline level, short-term variability, long-term drift, response to stimulus, recovery and modification by treatment. We discuss the biological basis of ocular trajectories, the limits imposed by local ocular regulation and disease, and the technical constraints of fundus photography, structural OCT, OCTA, functional challenge tests, tear analysis, aqueous humour analysis, continuous intraocular pressure monitoring and home-based imaging. We also examine artificial intelligence, validation, governance, health-economic considerations and practical implementation. The available evidence does not support a universal ocular surrogate for systemic disease. More realistic applications include detection of unexpectedly rapid tissue change, individualised risk stratification, treatment-response assessment and recognition of discordance between systemic markers and ocular tissue behaviour. Full article

Background/Objectives: Lifestyle modification is central to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, now termed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (NAFLD/MASLD), yet comparable health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) data for patients and family members are limited. This study compared two independent samples and examined psychosocial correlates. Methods: Two convenience samples recruited at one tertiary hospital were analyzed: 305 adults with NAFLD/MASLD and 299 adult family members of affected patients. A self-administered electronic questionnaire comprised the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP-II), the Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices scale, autonomous-motivation items from the Treatment Self-Regulation Questionnaire, the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey, and sociodemographic items. Group comparisons used parametric and non-parametric tests. HPL correlates were examined using complete-case regression, HC3 inference, and rank-based sensitivity analysis. Cross-sectional indirect-association decompositions used 5000 bootstrap resamples. Results: HPLP-II scores were 102.2 ± 17.5 in patients and 104.2 ± 17.4 in family members (p = 0.171; Mann–Whitney p = 0.166); the adjusted patient-minus-family difference was −1.14 (HC3 95% CI −3.89 to 1.60; p = 0.413). Physical activity was the lowest-scoring dimension. Self-efficacy was the most robust correlate in both samples; social support was associated in the primary models but weakened under rank transformation in family members. Group-by-correlate interactions were not significant. Exploratory indirect associations through self-efficacy were 0.355 (95% bootstrap CI 0.234–0.512) in patients and 0.163 (0.071–0.287) in family members; reverse-order models were also non-zero. Conclusions: The independent unmatched samples reported similar moderate, physically inactive lifestyles. The results identify associations, not shared-household effects or causal mechanisms; objectively characterized, dyad-matched longitudinal studies are needed. Full article

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are heterogeneous intestinal disorders that pose significant threats to human health and share common pathological features, including intestinal mucosal barrier disruption and gut microbiota dysbiosis, in which fucosylation acts as a critical regulatory mediator. Fucosylation is a highly conserved post-translational glycosylation modification involving the enzymatic transfer of fucose residues to glycoproteins and glycolipids. This tightly regulated process plays essential roles in maintaining intestinal homeostasis, mediating host–microbiota interactions and regulating immune responses. This review adopts a physiology-to-pathology framework, delineating fucosylation’s operational principles in healthy intestines and its dysregulation in IBD and CRC. It summarizes the spatial distribution of fucosylation, its regulatory mechanisms, and its roles in disease pathogenesis, and also discusses its potential as a diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Finally, this review highlights future research directions to bridge mechanistic insights with clinical translation, emphasizing the promise of fucosylation in the precision diagnosis and treatment of intestinal disorders. Full article

Intensive yak fattening in cold alpine regions requires essential long-term high-concentration feeding, which disrupts rumen microbial homeostasis and causes inefficient digestion of nutrients. Lactobacillus may have probiotic potential for ruminants, yet its regulation of rumen function is poorly understood under high-energy diets. During a 120-day feeding experiment, 120 male Pamir yaks were allocated to four dietary treatments, with LEG and LLG serving as the primary comparison for evaluating 0.02% Lactobacillus supplementation to explore the regulatory effects of Lactobacillus supplementation on the rumen microbiota and host metabolism of yaks during a fattening process based on a concentrate feed diet via phenotypic data (body wight and nutrient digestibility) and multi-omics analyses (rumen microbial sequencing and rumen epithelial transcriptome) in a concentrate-based rearing yak model. The results showed that Lactobacillus intervention reduced OTU (Operational Taxonomic Unit) richness during the early fattening period and subsequently promoted microbial recovery through colonization resistance, which significantly enhanced microbial diversity (p < 0.05), and restructured the microbial community structure toward efficient energy utilization under high-concentrate feeding by reducing Prevotellaceae and Ruminococcaceae abundance, increasing the Bacillota/Bacteroidota ratio (p < 0.05). Concurrently, Lactobacillus enhanced the apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and fibrous components (p < 0.05). According to the transcriptomic analysis, there was an activation of signaling pathways related to IL-18 and TNF, and up-regulation of immune-and metabolism-related genes, in addition to strengthening the rumen mucosal barrier function. Multi-omics integration supported that dietary supplementation of Lactobacillus can optimize rumen fermentation, enhance nutrient digestion, and strengthen immune defense in Pamir yaks fed high-concentrate in cold seasons. These modifications demonstrate the positive effects of the Lactobacillus supplementation strategy on yak rumen health without interfering with the high-energy intensive rearing pattern. The present research presents a scientific basis for the use of targeted probiotic strategies to improve the rumen health and efficiency of alpine yak production systems. Full article

Membrane separation technology is extensively used in water treatment. However, during long-term operation, biofouling caused by bacteria and other microorganisms significantly limits the service life of membranes. Introducing antibacterial nanomaterials onto the membrane surface or into the internal structure is an effective way to combat biofouling. This review systematically summarizes recent progress in antibacterial membranes modified with different nanomaterials. First, we classify antibacterial nanomaterials by dimensionality and highlight their physicochemical properties and effects on overall membrane performance. Furthermore, we summarize the advantages, disadvantages, and applicability of three antibacterial nanomaterial modification strategies for membranes, including surface coating, grafting, and blending. Subsequently, we analyze in depth the main antibacterial mechanisms that enhance membrane performance, including metal ion release, reactive oxygen species oxidation, physical contact disruption, and anti-adhesion, as well as their synergistic effects. Finally, we critically evaluate the remaining challenges, such as interfacial compatibility between nanomaterials and polymers, controlled release of metal ions, and environmental safety. This review provides a reference for the rational design of high-performance antibacterial membranes. Full article

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a Ph(-) myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by elevated platelet counts. Patients most often have one of the three following driver mutations: JAK2, MPL, or CALR. However, these mutations are not detected in approximately 10–15% of patients, who are thus referred to as “triple-negative” (TN). Background/Objectives: In recent years, there have been breakthroughs in the genetic diagnosis of hematological diseases and progress in understanding their epigenetic basis. Aim: This study aimed to review the available literature and systematize the current knowledge on the molecular abnormalities in essential thrombocythemia. Particular attention was paid to the impacts of genetic mutations and epigenetic changes—such as abnormalities in non-coding RNA expression, DNA methylation, and histone modifications—on disease development and their clinical significance in patients with essential thrombocythemia. The most important publications on genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in essential thrombocythemia were reviewed and summarized. Methods: A review of the available literature was conducted using selected online databases. Publications from 2003 to 2026 were considered, covering the diagnosis and classification criteria for essential thrombocythemia, its genetic and epigenetic basis, and the associated impacts on the disease course. Conclusions: Although understanding the precise roles of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities in essential thrombocythemia remains challenging, they offer many opportunities for use as new diagnostic biomarkers and for the development of novel targeted treatment options. Further research is needed to better understand the genetic and epigenetic changes occurring in ET. Full article

Humic acid, as a natural macromolecular aggregate rich in functional groups, offers abundant modification sites and tunable chemical functionality, making it a promising building block for three-dimensional network construction. In this study, glutaraldehyde (GA) was employed as a crosslinking agent to incorporate sodium humate (NaHA, sodium salt of humic acid from alkaline treatment) into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix, yielding composite membranes with enhanced structural stability and performance. The results demonstrate that NaHA effectively modulates the crosslinked network, and the physical and mechanical characteristics can be readily tailored by varying the PVA/NaHA/GA ratio. Compared with pristine PVA/GA hydrogel, the inclusion of NaHA significantly influences the mechanical response, with optimal comprehensive performance achieved at a NaHA content of 7.5 wt%, corresponding to a tensile strength of 60.4 MPa and an elongation at break of 74.2%. Furthermore, the cumulative release of NaHA after two days reached 64.4%, confirming that NaHA supramolecular aggregates were stably entrapped within the PVA/GA crosslinked matrix. The release kinetics were well described by the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. Overall, the covalent crosslinking of PVA with GA, together with hydrogen-bonding associations and physical entrapment mediated by NaHA, constructed a composite membrane network. This network exhibited tunable dry-state mechanical properties and sustained NaHA release, supporting its further evaluation as a prospective candidate for agricultural mulching films. Full article

Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy has dramatically transformed the management of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Severe renal impairment and dialysis dependence are no longer considered major barriers to virologic cure. The main difficulties have shifted toward efficient diagnosis, choosing the regimen in the presence of cirrhosis and drug interactions, coordinating treatment with kidney transplantation, managing HCV-associated immune-complex kidney disease, and providing treatment in dialysis and resource-limited settings. This narrative review aims to discuss these issues in a decision-oriented manner, using verified guidelines, systematic reviews, important clinical trials, transplant cohorts, and studies of cryoglobulinemic disease, while explicitly comparing the strength and consistency of the underlying evidence and highlighting areas of genuine clinical uncertainty. Present evidence supports using the recommended DAA regimens without renal dose adjustment, while ribavirin needs dose modification when kidney function is reduced and can result in hemolytic anemia. Kidneys from HCV-viremic donors can be transplanted to recipients without HCV infection when proper informed consent, rapid access to DAA treatment, and organized post-transplant monitoring are available, although the minimum effective duration of peri-transplant antiviral prophylaxis remains unresolved. Antiviral therapy is the first-line treatment for HCV-associated glomerular disease, while rituximab-based immunosuppression is largely reserved for severe, rapidly progressive, or persistent cryoglobulinemic vasculitis. Future progress will depend less on proving antiviral efficacy and more on closing the gaps between screening, confirmatory testing, starting treatment, transplantation pathways, and long-term follow-up, gaps that stem from inequities in diagnostic infrastructure, drug reimbursement, and healthcare-system organization as much as from any remaining biomedical uncertainty. Full article

Philadelphia-negative (Ph-negative) myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) include polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF), which are clonal hematopoietic disorders caused by somatic gene mutations in the JAK2, CALR, or MPL genes. Mutations activate the JAK–STAT pathway and disrupt NF-κB signaling, leading to a chronic inflammatory state caused by pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS). This altered microenvironment causes serious clinical features of the disease, such as bone marrow fibrosis, splenomegaly, vascular niche remodeling, and a greater probability of thrombosis or secondary leukemic transformation. Concurrently, MPNs cause both severe immune dysregulation and tumor evasion, as evidenced by progressive lymphopenia, T and B cell exhaustion, Natural Killer cell maturation arrest, and the accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Although FDA-approved JAK1/JAK2 inhibitors ruxolitinib, fedratinib pacritinib and momelotinib effectively reduce splenomegaly and symptom burden and have demonstrated survival benefits in clinical trials, their ability to eliminate malignant clones or induce durable disease modification remains limited, and disease progression continues to occur in most patients. Finally, this review assesses the complex immunological dysfunction and chronic inflammatory dysregulation that characterize Ph-negative MPNs, as well as emerging therapeutic strategies, emphasizing the importance of fully understanding these intricate microenvironmental mechanisms for the identification and development of novel precision treatment targets. Full article

Water-cooled tungsten targets may remain in contact with stagnant deionized water during accelerator shutdown, creating a beam-off corrosion condition distinct from irradiation-assisted service. Untreated tungsten (W), laser-ablated tungsten (LA-W), and a 500 nm tantalum-coated laser-ablated tungsten surface (Ta-LA-W) were therefore immersed in deionized water for up to 28 days. Laser ablation replaced the machined surface with a hierarchical micro/nanostructure and increased the areal roughness Sa from 0.22 ± 0.01 to 1.75 ± 0.07 μm; after Ta deposition, Sa was 1.62 μm. LA-W exhibited the largest topographic attenuation and the highest dissolved W concentration, reaching 7.915 mg·L⁻¹ at 21 days. Ta-LA-W maintained Sa within the range from 1.60 ± 0.06 to 1.66 ± 0.07 μm and limited dissolved W to 1.118–1.601 mg·L⁻¹. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed increased WOx-related intensity and disappearance of the metallic-W loss feature only for untreated W. The W 4f envelopes of LA-W and Ta-LA-W remained broadly similar before and after immersion, but for different reasons: sustained W dissolution for LA-W and suppression of W oxidation and release by the Ta-containing barrier for Ta-LA-W. The dissolution-based corrosion sequence was LA-W > W > Ta-LA-W. Laser texturing therefore acted as an interfacial-engineering treatment rather than an intrinsically corrosion-resistant modification. Full article

During soybean processing, insufficient disruption of the soybean cell wall structure limits protein solubilization, thereby reducing the nutritional value and bioavailability of soybean-based products. In this study, ultrasound combined with NaHCO₃ was used to induce targeted modification of soybean tissue structure and interfacial protein properties, with the aim of improving protein extraction, soymilk stability, and the digestive properties of spray-dried soybean flour. The results showed that single ultrasound treatment and single alkali treatment could increase the protein extraction rate in soymilk. But compared with the untreated control, the combined treatment increased the protein dissolution rate from 70.04% to 81.12% and decreased the protein residue rate in okara to 19.74%. The treatment also reduced the average particle size from 132.60 µm to 90.61 µm, increased the emulsifying activity index to 35.49 m²/g. Further experiments showed that the combined treatment of ultrasound and alkali increased the content of interface protein and modified protein conformation. These changes contributed to the improvement of storage stability and ionic stability of soymilk. Furthermore, the resulting spray-dried soybean flour exhibited a more uniform particle distribution with reduced interparticle agglomeration, higher solubility (88.37%), and higher in vitro digestibility (89.48%). Overall, the combined treatment enhanced protein solubility and interfacial behavior, thereby improving soymilk stability and soybean flour quality. These findings provide a useful theoretical basis for the development of soybean flour with improved functional and nutritional properties. Full article

A novel theoretical study of Boltzmann-Shannon entropy arising in information-statistic theory applied to black-hole physics is proposed. The invariant setting implemented is represented by the manifestly-covariant quantum-gravity theory expressed in canonical Hamiltonian form. In such a framework the appropriate statistical interpretation relies on the configuration-space quantum expectation value of physical observables over the $4-$ scalar quantum-gravity probability density function (PDF). A representation for the black-hole Boltzmann-Shannon entropy is obtained for a Gaussian PDF profile and by establishing simultaneously a relationship between the black-hole invariant energy-content and the mean value of the quantum-gravity nonlinear Bohm potential. This yields a non-trivial functional dependence of the Boltzmann-Shannon entropy on the black-hole surface area, to be interpreted as a quantum statistical entropy counting black-hole bulk quantum-gravity states. The mathematical setting is shown to preserve manifest covariance and be self-contained within quantum-gravity realm. Comparisons with literature treatments dealing with thermodynamic or kinetic-statistical entropies that lead to the Bekenstein-Hawking black-hole surface entropy linear relation or its proposed quantum modifications are discussed. Full article

Large volumes of solid waste are produced by the winemaking sector, which could be utilised as adsorbents to retain contaminants, providing a beneficial approach in terms of economic recovery and sustainability. The adsorption of nitrate onto biochar produced from grape pomace has not received enough attention, even though biochar-based materials have been thoroughly studied for water treatment applications. This study aims to fill the knowledge gap by assessing a low-cost mildly carbonized biochar derived from winery residues for nitrate retention and optimising the nitrate retention procedures by comprehensive physicochemical characterisation. The mildly carbonized biochar prepared from grape pomace collected from the Dealu Mare wine region (Romania) was characterized using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and thermogravimetric and derivative thermogravimetric (TGA/DTG) analyses. Results revealed a structure enriched with oxygen-containing functional groups that promote nitrate retention through combined physical adsorption and electrostatic interactions. Surface analyses after adsorption confirmed the successful immobilization of nitrate species on the biochar matrix. The adsorption performance was improved by Response Surface Methodology (RSM) method using a Central Composite Design (CCD), studying the influences of the following parameters: solution pH, adsorbent weight, nitrate concentration and time. Among all variables, pH was identified as the dominant factor controlling adsorption efficiency, reflecting the key role of surface charge interactions. The optimized conditions (175 mg/L nitrate, pH 6, 0.3 g adsorbent dosage, and 94 min contact time) resulted in a maximum nitrate removal efficiency (RE) of 86.69%, while the predictive model exhibited excellent accuracy (R²_adj = 0.985). The findings demonstrate that mildly carbonized grape pomace biochar can achieve competitive nitrate removal without chemical surface modification, offering a more sustainable and economically attractive alternative to conventionally biochars. The research highlights that selecting feedstock and utilizing intrinsic surface functionality can create efficient nitrate adsorbents from agro-industrial residues. Full article