Search Results (472)

Background/Objectives: The integration of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry by improving drug discovery, development and manufacturing processes. Based on literature data, an ML model was developed by our group to predict the formation of binary co-amorphous systems (COAMSs) for inhalation therapy. The model’s ability to develop a dry powder formulation with the necessary properties for a predicted co-amorphous combination was evaluated. Methods: An extended experimental validation of the ML model by co-milling and X-ray diffraction analysis for 18 API-API (active pharmaceutical ingredient) combinations is presented. Additionally, one COAMS of rifampicin (RIF) and ethambutol (ETH), two first-line tuberculosis (TB) drugs are developed further for inhalation therapy. Results: The ML model has shown an accuracy of 79% in predicting suitable combinations for 35 APIs used in inhalation therapy; experimental accuracy was demonstrated to be 72%. The study confirmed the successful development of stable COAMSs of RIF-ETH either via spray-drying or co-milling. In particular, the milled COAMSs showed better aerosolization properties (higher ED and FPF with lower standard deviation). Further, RIF-ETH COAMSs show much more reproducible results in terms of drug quantity dissolved over time. Conclusions: ML has been shown to be a suitable tool to predict COAMSs that can be developed for TB treatment by inhalation to save time and cost during the experimental screening phase. Full article

Over the past few decades, electron beams have been widely used to treat malignant and benign tumors located in the superficial regions of patients. This study utilized an inorganic scintillator (Gd₂O₂S:Tb)-based radiation detector to test its response characteristics in an electron-beam radiotherapy environment, in order to determine the application potential of this detector in electron-beam therapy. Owing to the extremely high time resolution of this inorganic scintillator detector (ISD), it is even capable of measuring the pulse information of electron beams generated by the accelerator. The results indicate that for certain accelerator models, such as the IX3937, the pulse pattern of the output electron beam is notably different from that during the output of X-rays, showing no significant periodicity. The experimental results also demonstrate that this ISD exhibits excellent repeatability and dose linearity (R² of 0.9993) when measuring electron beams. Finally, the PDD (Percentage Depth Dose) curves and OAR (Off-Axis Ratio) curves of the ISD were also tested under electron-beam conditions at 6 MeV and 9 MeV, respectively. Full article

TbCu₇-type Sm-based compounds can be produced in bulk and potentially surpass Nd₂Fe₁₄B as permanent magnets. However, as the processes to prepare anisotropic magnetic particles are limited, the full potential of TbCu₇-type Sm-based compounds cannot be exploited. In this study, metastable TbCu₇-type phases of anisotropic Sm–Fe–N ultrafine particles were prepared using the low-oxygen induction thermal plasma (LO-ITP) process. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the obtained TbCu₇-type Sm–Fe alloy nanoparticles exhibited a c/a value of 0.8419, with an Fe/Sm atomic ratio of ~8.5. After nitrogenation, the obtained Sm–Fe–N nanoparticles were aligned under an external magnetic field, indicating that each alloy particle exhibited anisotropic magnetic properties. A substantially high degree of alignment of 91 ± 2% was achieved, quantitatively estimated via pole figure measurements. Numerical analysis following Sm–Fe nanoparticle formation showed that, compared with Fe condensation, Sm condensation persisted even at low temperatures, because of a significant difference in vapor pressure between Sm and Fe. Though this led to a relatively large compositional distribution of Sm within particles with a Sm concentration of 9–12 at%, the preparation of single-phase TbCu₇-type Sm–Fe–N particles could be facilitated by optimizing several parameters during the LO-ITP process. Full article

Y₅F₃[AsO₃]₄ crystallizes needle-shaped in the tetragonal space group P4/ncc with the lattice parameters a = 1143.80(8) pm, c = 1078.41(7) pm and c/a = 0.9428 for Z = 4. The yttrium-fluoride substructure linked via secondary contacts forms a three-dimensional network $\begin{array}{c}3\\ \infty \end{array}${[Y₅F₃]¹²⁺} and the remaining part consists of ψ¹-tetrahedral [AsO₃]³⁻ units, which leave lone-pair channels along [001]. In contrast, platelet-shaped Y₅Cl₃[AsO₃]₄ crystals adopt the monoclinic space group C2/c with the lattice parameters a = 1860.56(9) pm, b = 536.27(3) pm, c = 1639.04(8) pm and β = 105.739(3)° for Z = 4. Condensation of [(Y1,2)O₈]¹³⁻ polyhedra via four common edges each leads to fluorite-like $\begin{array}{c}2\\ \infty \end{array}$ {[(Y1,2)O $\begin{array}{c}e\\ 8/2\end{array}$ ]⁵⁻} layers spreading out parallel to the (100) plane. Their three-dimensional linkage occurs via the (Y3)³⁺ cations with their Cl⁻ ligands on the one hand and the As³⁺ cations with their lone-pairs of electrons on the other, which also form within [AsO₃]³⁻ anions lone-pair channels along [010]. Both colorless compounds can be obtained by solid-state reactions from corresponding mixtures of the binaries (Y₂O₃, As₂O₃ and YX₃ with X = F and Cl) at elevated temperatures of 825 °C, most advantageously under halide-flux assistance (CsBr for Y₅F₃[AsO₃]₄ and ZnCl₂ for Y₅Cl₃[AsO₃]₄). By replacing a few percent of YX₃ with EuX₃ or TbX₃, Eu³⁺- or Tb³⁺-doped samples are accessible, which show red or green luminescence upon excitation with ultraviolet radiation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease frequently accompanied by comorbid conditions that contribute to disability and worsen long-term outcomes. Among these, malnutrition and osteosarcopenia remain under-recognised. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition and osteosarcopenia among elderly women with RA and explore the clinical impact of these conditions. Methods: Sixty-five women over 65 years with RA were evaluated using Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria for malnutrition and EWGSOP2-based assessments for sarcopenia; bone status was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), trabecular bone score (TBS), and three-dimensional DXA (3D-DXA). Results: Malnutrition was identified in 49.2% and osteosarcopenia in 52.3% of participants. A significant bidirectional association was observed: malnourished patients had higher rates of osteosarcopenia (65.6% vs. 34.4%; p < 0.05), and osteosarcopenic patients were more frequently malnourished (61.8% vs. 39.1%; p < 0.05). Both conditions were associated with older age, lower body mass index (BMI), impaired muscle parameters, and reduced bone mineral density. Malnourished and osteosarcopenic patients reported worse fatigue and lower physical quality of life, despite similar inflammatory activity. Significant correlations were found between muscle mass indices and bone quality metrics assessed by 3D-DXA. These findings highlight a substantial burden of malnutrition and osteosarcopenia in elderly women with RA, even with well-controlled disease despite similar inflammatory activity (mean Disease Activity Score 28: 2.8 ± 1.0; 43.1% in remission. Conclusions: There is a substantial burden of malnutrition and osteosarcopenia in elderly women with RA that support the integration of systematic nutritional and musculoskeletal screening into routine care. Future studies should evaluate age- and disease-specific mechanisms and assess the benefit of multidisciplinary strategies to prevent frailty and improve long-term outcomes. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) is the most serious worldwide infectious disease and the leading cause of death among people with HIV. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment can cut off the rising number of TB deaths, and analysis of chest X-rays is a cost-effective method. We describe a deep learning-based cascade algorithm for detecting TB in chest X-rays. Firstly, the lung regions were segregated from other anatomical structures by an encoder–decoder with an atrous separable convolution network—DeepLabv3+ with an XceptionNet backbone, DLabv3+X, and then cropped by a bounding box. Using the cropped lung images, we trained several pre-trained Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) on the images with hyperparameters optimized by a Bayesian algorithm. Different combinations of trained DCNNs were compared, and the combination with the maximum accuracy was retained as the winning combination. The ensemble classifier was designed to predict the presence of TB by fusing DCNNs from the winning combination via weighted averaging. Our lung segmentation was evaluated on three publicly available datasets: it provided better Intercept over Union (IoU) values: 95.1% for Montgomery County (MC), 92.8% for Shenzhen (SZ), and 96.1% for JSRT datasets. For TB prediction, our ensemble classifier produced a better accuracy of 92.7% for the MC dataset and obtained a comparable accuracy of 95.5% for the SZ dataset. Finally, occlusion sensitivity and gradient-weighted class activation maps (Grad-CAM) were generated to indicate the most influential regions for the prediction of TB and to localize TB manifestations. Full article

Background: The use of nanoradiosensitizers is a promising strategy for the precision enhancement of tumor tissue damage during radiotherapy. Methods: Here, we propose a novel biocompatible theranostic agent based on gadolinium fluoride doped with cerium and terbium (Gd_0.7Ce_0.2Tb_0.1F₃ NPs), which showed pronounced radiocatalytic activity when exposed to photon or proton beam irradiation, as well as remarkable MRI contrast ability. A scheme for the production of biocompatible colloidally stable Gd_0.7Ce_0.2Tb_0.1F₃ NPs was developed. Comprehensive physicochemical characterization of these NPs was carried out, including TEM, SEM, XRD, DLS, and EDX analyses, as well as UV–vis spectroscopy and MRI relaxation assays. Results: Cytotoxicity analysis of Gd_0.7Ce_0.2Tb_0.1F₃ NPs in vitro and in vivo revealed a high level of biocompatibility. It was shown that Gd_0.7Ce_0.2Tb_0.1F₃ NPs effectively accumulate in MCF-7 tumor cells. A study of their radiosensitizing activity demonstrated that the combined effect of Gd_0.7Ce_0.2Tb_0.1F₃ NPs and X-ray irradiation leads to a dose-dependent decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential, a sharp increase in the level of intracellular ROS, and the subsequent development of radiation-induced apoptosis. Conclusions: This outstanding radiosensitizing effect is explained by the radiocatalytic generation of reactive oxygen species by the nanoparticles, which goes beyond direct physical dose enhancement. It emphasizes the importance of evaluating the molecular mechanisms underlying the sensitizing effectiveness of potential nanoradiosensitizers before choosing conditions for their testing in in vivo models. Full article

Layered double hydroxide Ti-Zn-CO₃ was synthesized by the co-precipitation method with a molar ratio of 2. The synthesized material was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal analysis (TGA/DTG), UV–vis diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The photocatalytic degradation of Trypan Blue (TB) and Naphthol Green B (NGB) dyes from aqueous solutions under UV irradiation was investigated. The effects of contact time, photocatalyst dose, dye concentration, solution pH, scavenger effect, and regeneration of catalyst were investigated. The kinetic study showed that the equilibrium was reached within 30 min and 40 min for TB and NGB dyes, respectively, with photodegradation efficiency of around 91% and 83% for TB and NGB dyes, respectively, for dye concentration of 25 mg∙L⁻¹, and the pseudo-first order showed good agreement with the reaction. The optimum photocatalyst dose is 20 mg (1 g∙L⁻¹) and 30 mg (1.5 g∙L⁻¹) for TB and NGB dyes, respectively, and the optimal pH of reaction was found to be 7 for both TB and NGB dyes. This study was established to highlight the photodegradation performance of the prepared catalyst Ti-Zn-CO₃ for the degradation of (TB and NGB) dyes chosen as pollutants, and the fact that it can be used many times, which has an economical effect. This mean that the prepared sample is a potential catalyst with good photocatalytic activity, stability, and reusability. Full article

Co-doping at Ba and Ti sites with double rare-earth elements has proven an effective strategy for enhancing the dielectric properties of BaTiO₃ ceramics. Among intermediate-sized rare-earth ions, Tb and Ho exhibit amphoteric behavior, occupying both Ba and Ti sites. Investigating the site occupation, defect chemistry, and dielectric effects of Tb and Ho in BaTiO₃ is therefore valuable. In this work, Tb/Ho-co-doped BaTiO₃ ceramics with the composition (Ba_1−xTb_x)(Ti_1−xHo_x)O₃ (x = 0.01~0.10) were fabricated at 1400 °C via solid-state reaction, and their solid solubility and crystal structures are confirmed. Microstructure, dielectric properties, photoluminescence, and valence states of samples with a single phase were systematically studied. Both the lattice parameter a and unit cell volume increase with doping level. The ceramic with x = 0.02 meets the X5S dielectric specification. Ho and Tb ions both demonstrate amphoteric site occupancy: Ho exists solely as Ho³⁺ at both Ba and Ti sites, while Tb exhibits mixed valence states as Ba-site Tb³⁺ and Ti-site Tb⁴⁺. As the doping content increases, the concentration of Tb⁴⁺ at Ti sites decreases, and the quantity of Ba-site Ho³⁺ ions initially increases to a maximum before decreasing. Defect compensation mechanisms within the samples are also discussed. Full article

In this study, Lu_2.5Y_0.5(Al_2.5Ga_2.5)O₁₂ (LuYAGG) single-crystal scintillators doped with terbium ions (Tb³⁺) at concentrations of 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 mol% were successfully synthesized using the floating zone method. The structural, optical, photoluminescence (PL), and scintillation properties of the Tb³⁺-doped crystals were systematically investigated with a focus on their potential for high-performance scintillator applications. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of a pure garnet phase without any secondary phases, indicating the successful incorporation of Tb³⁺ into the LuYAGG lattice. Optical transmittance spectra revealed high transparency in the visible range. Photoluminescence measurements showed characteristic Tb³⁺ emission peaks, with the strongest green emission observed from the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition, particularly for the 5 mol% sample. The PL decay curves further confirmed that this concentration offers a favorable balance between radiative efficiency and minimal non-radiative losses. Under γ-ray excitation, the 5 mol% Tb³⁺-doped crystal exhibited the highest light yield, surpassing the performance of other concentrations and even outperforming Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ (BGO) in relative comparison, with an estimated yield of approximately 60,000 photons/MeV. Scintillation decay time analysis revealed that the 5 mol% sample also possessed the fastest decay component, indicating its superior capability for radiation detection. Although 10 mol% Tb³⁺ still showed good performance, slight quenching effects were observed, while lower concentrations (0.5 and 1 mol%) suffered from longer decay and lower emission efficiency due to limited activator density. These findings clearly identify with 5 mol% Tb³⁺ as the optimal dopant level in LuYAGG single crystals, offering a synergistic combination of high light yield and excellent optical transparency. This work highlights the strong potential of LuYAGG:Tb³⁺ as a promising candidate for the next-generation scintillator materials used in medical imaging, security scanning, and high-energy physics applications. Full article

Superconducting alloy containing terbium (Tb) and its reference without the lanthanide were synthesized. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, specific heat, and magnetic measurements were used to investigate their structural and physical properties. Both alloys crystallized in body-centered cubic structure, and the presence of small amounts of Tb and Tb₂O₃ phases was detected. The critical temperature $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ of alloys was in the 4.6–5.2 K range, and the upper critical field ${\mu }_0{H}_{\mathrm{c}2}$ was 6.1–6.8 T. The comparison with the reference determined the effect of Tb on the alloy’s critical parameters and phase stability connected to the high-entropy alloys’ core effects. Overall, Tb addition did not have a beneficial effect on the superconducting properties of this alloy. Full article

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite the improvements in diagnostic techniques, the accuracy of TB diagnosis is still low. In recent years, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened up new possibilities in diagnosing and treating TB with high accuracy compared to traditional methods. Traditional diagnostic techniques, such as sputum smear microscopy, culture tests, and chest X-rays, are time-consuming, with less sensitivity for the detection of TB in patients. Due to the new developments in AI, advanced diagnostic and treatment techniques have been developed with high accessibility, speed, and accuracy. AI, including various specific methodologies, is becoming vital in managing TB. Machine learning (ML) methodologies, such as support vector machines (SVMs) and random forests (RF), alongside deep learning (DL) technologies, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for image analysis, are employed to analyze diverse patient data, including medical images and biomarkers, to enhance the accuracy and speed of tuberculosis diagnosis. This study summarized the benefits and drawbacks of both traditional and AI-driven TB diagnosis, highlighting how AI can support traditional techniques to increase early detection, lower misdiagnosis, and strengthen international TB control initiatives. Full article

Black, needle-like single crystals of [Pd@Bi₁₀][AlCl₄]₄ were synthesized in a one-pot reaction between PdCl₂, Bi, and BiCl₃ at 180 °C in the Lewis acidic ionic liquid (LAIL) medium [BMIm]Cl∙4.2AlCl₄ (BMIm = 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction revealed that the compound crystallizes in the triclinic space group P$\overline{1}$ with the unit cell parameters a = 11.0233(5) Å, b = 26.1892(14) Å, c = 26.2687(14) Å, α = 90.842(2)°, β = 92.1940(10)°, γ = 91.164(2)°, closely matching its platinum-containing analog. The structure features pentagonal antiprismatic [Pd@Bi₁₀]⁴⁺ cluster cations charge-balanced by tetrahedral [AlCl₄]⁻ anions. Bonding and charge analysis reveal unoptimized Pd–Bi and strong Bi–Bi covalent interactions consistent with electronegativity trends and the previously reported host–guest model. Electronic structure calculations performed with the TB-LMTO-ASA program show that [Pd@Bi₁₀][AlCl₄]₄ exhibits semiconducting behavior, suggesting a bandgap opening of 0.71 eV. Full article

Owing to their 4f electrons and high atomic numbers, lanthanide (Ln) elements impart lanthanide oxide (Ln₂O₃) nanoparticles with excellent biomedical imaging properties. This study reports synthesis for three types of ultrasmall and monodisperse Ln₂O₃ nanoparticles (Ln = Eu, Gd, and Tb) via thermal decomposition in oleylamine at 280 °C, followed by ligand exchange with citric acid (CA) to produce water-dispersible, CA-grafted Ln₂O₃ nanoparticles with high colloidal stability. The resulting CA-grafted Ln₂O₃ nanoparticles had average diameters of approximately 2 nm. We characterized their physicochemical properties, including in vitro cytotoxicity, magnetic resonance imaging properties (i.e., water proton spin relaxivities), and X-ray imaging properties (i.e., X-ray attenuation). Full article

Background: Most of the studies that have investigated bone quality in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have utilized dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). We assessed the bone status of IBD adult patients using a comprehensive array of non-invasive techniques. Methods: Fifty IBD patients (30 women) and 50 healthy volunteers—matched for age, gender, and body mass index—were prospectively recruited. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the anteroposterior and lateral spine and the proximal femur was measured by DXA, including vertebral fracture assessment (VFA). Trabecular bone score (TBS), calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS), volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and cortical thickness were assessed in the proximal femur with 3D-DXA. A comprehensive laboratory panel of calcium metabolism and bone turnover markers was included. Results: Twenty-nine and 21 patients were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD), respectively. VFA identified vertebral fractures in two IBD patients and no controls. No statistically significant differences were observed in TBS, aBMD, and vBMD between IBD and healthy controls. After excluding one predefined outlier, broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) showed lower values in IBD vs. controls [103.6 ± 14.3 vs. 111.3 ± 19.5 (p = 0.033)]. QUS analysis revealed statistically lower values in the CD group compared to controls. We found a positive correlation between all the QUS parameters with aBMD and vBMD. Conclusions: In our study of IBD subjects, most of whom had mild or quiescent disease, we did not observe significant bone quality deterioration. QUS was the only technique that showed lower values in IBD patients, especially in CD. Full article