Pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma(PSC) is a rare, hidden-onset, rapidly progressive, poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancer. Its accurate diagnosis is troublesome. Herein, we reported a case of pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma diagnosed by contrast-enhanced ultrasound angiography-guided lung biopsy. We described the CEUS imaging features in this case. These features differing from enhanced computed tomography have not been reported in previous literature.

We present a rare case of conservatively managed intramyocardial dissecting hematoma (IDH) diagnosed by myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE). The patient was admitted to CCU after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention for acute anterior wall myocardial infarction. Bedside MCE on postoperative day 2 revealed left ventricular apical thrombosis, prompting anticoagulation therapy. Subsequent bedside MCE one week later demonstrated IDH formation, leading to immediate secession of anticoagulants and initiation of blood pressure control. IDH resolution was observed on follow-up imaging after one month. This case highlights MCE as a reliable modality for early diagnosis and therapeutic guidance of IDH in critically ill populations.

This study examines the effect of gate recess depth on the electrical and RF performance of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) before and after die-attach. Devices with greater recess depths exhibited more significant changes in transconductance, pinch-off voltage, and RF metrics, such as cut-off frequency (ft) and maximum frequency (fmax), compared to non-recessed devices. However, recessed devices also showed substantial increases in gate and drain leakage currents, indicating adverse effects of packaging-induced stresses.

An investigation of the biological mechanisms initiated in wounded skin following application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and nanoparticles (NPs) (Ag, ZnO), alone or combined, was performed in mice, with the aim to determine the most optimal approach to accelerate the healing processes. The samples were collected seven days after injury. When compared with the wounded untreated animals (controls), combined (MSCs+NPs) treatment induced the expression of Sprr2b, encoding Small proline-rich protein 2B, which is involved in keratinocyte differentiation, response to tissue injury and inflammation. The pathways associated with keratinocyte differentiation were also affected. Ag NP treatment (alone or combined) modulated the DNA methylation changes in the genes involved in desmosome organization. The percentage of activated regulatory macrophages at the wound site was increased by the MSC and Ag alone treatment, while the production of nitric oxide, an inflammatory marker, by stimulated macrophages was decreased by MSCs/Ag alone and MSCs+Ag treatment. Ag induced the expression of Col1, encoding collagen-1, at the injury site. In summary, MSC and NP treatment of skin wounds (alone or combined) suggests induction of the processes accelerating the proliferative phase of healing; MSCs-NP interactions are a key factor affecting global mRNA expression changes in the wound.

INTRODUCTION:Sheehan syndrome, also known as postpartum pituitary necrosis, is defined as pituitary hormone deficits due to an ischemic necrosis as a result of severe hypotension or shock induced by significant postpartum hemorrhage during or after delivery (1–3).Sheehan’s syndrome clinical symptoms typically include failure of lactation and amenorrhea, dry and pale skin, loss of axillary and pubic hair, anemia, asthenia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, depression, excessive fatigue, malaise, lethargy, facial puffiness, and hoarseness of voice (1,2,4). Individuals with Sheehan’s syndrome may experience delayed and unusual symptoms, such as recurrent hypoglycemia, hyponatremia with or without other electrolyte abnormalities, psychosis, cardiomyopathy, and rhabdomyolysis (5).The development of recurrent hypoglycemia and electrolyte imbalance as clinical manifestations complicates the spectrum of symptoms associated with this illness. Our 34-year-old female patient appears with recurring bouts of hypoglycemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and hypochloremia, all of which pose substantial diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Causing False-Positive Illicit Drug Results: A Case Report.Vincenzo Somma MD1 , Andris Ellims MBBS PhD 2 , Aleksandr Voskoboinik MBBS PhD2 , Sarah Gutman MBBS PhD1,2,3, Elizabeth Paratz MBBS PhD1,3,4Department of Cardiology, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade Fitzroy VIC 3065.Department of Cardiology, Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, AustraliaBaker Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Rd Prahran VIC 3181Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, Melbourne University, Grattan St Parkville VIC 3000.Short title: False-Positive Amphetamine Results and Cardiac MedicationsFunding Sources: EDP is supported by the Wilma Beswick Senior Research Fellowship at Melbourne University.Ethics declaration: not applicableCorresponding author: Dr Vincenzo SommaSt Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade Fitzroy VIC 3065Email: vsomma023@gmail.com; Tel: +61 3 9231 2211; fax: +61 3 9231 3333Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.Word count: 1063

Rediscovery of known structures is a frequent problem in screening for bioactive bacterial natural products (NPs). Highly parallelized microtiter plate cultivation systems (MPCS) can improve the chance to discover novel NPs by testing a multitude of cultivation conditions simultaneously. An in-depth analysis and comparison of cultivation systems for NP discovery however has not been carried out so far. We compared the growth and metabolic footprint of four distinct bacterial species in three MPCS, shake flasks and stirred tank bioreactors (STR). While the big majority of the cultivation systems provided good growth, we found a considerable divergence in secondary metabolite (SM) formation. The SM space was approximated by the appearance of unique mass features (MFs) in the supernatant extracts throughout the cultivation period. Molecular network analysis was applied to visualize the changes from detected MFs at the molecular level. The cultivation systems had a minor impact on the unicellular growing Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. This impact was more pronounced for the tested filamentous bacteria, resulting in a diversified metabolic footprint. The maximal overlap of 31 % of produced MFs indicates a lack of comparability between the cultivation systems, resulting in different entries of growth phases and the formation of associated SMs. The detected SMs and its derivatives exhibited structural modification depending on the cultivation system. A comparison of Streptomyces griseochromogenes NP profile revealed that MPCS yielded less divergent SM formation than shake flasks. Our comprehensive assessment is the first to demonstrate the impact of cultivation systems on the bacterial metabolic footprint, confirming that MPCS provide a robust platform for the parallelization of bacterial cultivations for the discovery of bacterial NPs and accessing the chemical NP space more broadly.

The valorization of glycerol has been a focal point of research, with one promising approach being the synthesis of glycerol carbonate via the glycerol carbonylation reaction. The main challenge in this process lies in the design of efficient catalysts. In this study, we investigated various transition metal-derived ZIF (Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework) materials as catalysts, including ZIF-8, ZIF-67, Cu-ZIF, Cu-ZIF-8, Cu-ZIF-67, and Co-ZIF-8. Our findings revealed a significant improvement in catalytic activity under bimetallic conditions. The underlying reasons for this enhancement were further explored through computational simulations, which attributed the effect to changes in natural charge distribution. Additionally, the influence of calcination temperature on catalytic performance was extensively studied. We observed that copper-containing ZIF materials exhibited unique catalytic properties at different calcination temperatures, with activity following a trend of initially decreasing, then increasing, followed by a decrease, and finally increasing again with further temperature rise. A deeper investigation into this phenomenon revealed that at high temperatures (≥800°C), copper synergized more effectively with palladium, leading to an enhancement in catalytic activity.

The rapid growth of communications and multimedia network services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) have caused these networks to face a crisis in resources from two perspectives: 1. Lack of resources and, as a result, overload; 2. Redundancy of resources and, as a result, energy loss. Cloud computing allows the scale of resources to be reduced or increased on demand. Many of the gains obtained from the cloud computing come from resource sharing and virtualization technology. On the other hand, the emerging concept of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) can provide a global view of the entire network for integrated resource management. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) can also be used to virtually implement a variety of network devices and functions. In this paper, we present an energy-efficient framework called GreenVoIP to manage the resources of virtualized cloud VoIP centers. By managing the number of VoIP servers and network equipment, such as switches, this framework not only prevents overload but also supports green computing by saving energy. Finally, GreenVoIP is implemented and evaluated on real platforms, including Floodlight, Open vSwitch, and Kamailio. The results suggest that the proposed framework can minimize the number of active devices, prevent overloading, and provide service quality requirements.

Background: Warfarin inhibits the generation of vitamin K-dependent proteins. Emicizumab can prevent bleeding episodes in persons with hemophilia A (PwHA). The hemostatic potential of emicizumab combined with warfarin in PwHA remains to be clarified. Aim: To assess the coagulation of emicizumab combined with warfarin in a simulated whole blood model of PwHA. Methods: We collect 19 whole blood samples from 10 patients taking warfarin and the prothrombin time-international normalized ratio (PT-INR) was used to defined groups as near-normal (INR 1.2-1.48; n=4), subtherapeutic (INR 1.56-1.9; n=7) and therapeutic (INR > 2.0; n=8). Factor (F)VIII activity (FVIII:C) was neutralized using an anti-FVIII inhibitor antibody (termed FVIII-depleted) prior to the addition of therapeutic concentrations emicizumab (50 µg/mL). Coagulation potential was then measured using Ca 2+-triggered rotational thromboelastometry and compared with that determined in emicizumab-treated PwHA. The FII:C, FVII:C, FIX:C, FX:C, protein C (PC):C, and PS:C levels in warfarin-treated samples were also measured. Results: The average PT-INR in near-normal, subtherapeutic, and therapeutic groups were 1.3±0.1, 1.7±0.1, and 2.4±0.4, respectively, and levels of FII:C, FVII:C, FIX:C, FX:C, PC:C, and PS:C ranged from 50-70%, 35-50%, and 15-35%, respectively. The hemostatic potential in FVIII-depleted samples mixed with emicizumab in the near-normal group was comparable to that in emicizumab-treated PwHA. The coagulation potential in FVIII-depleted samples after the addition of emicizumab in subtherapeutic and therapeutic groups were lower than that in PwHA receiving emicizumab. Conclusion: Concentrations of vitamin K-dependent proteins influence hemostatic function in PwHA receiving emicizumab, and PT-INR monitoring could be informative in these individuals.

Background: Inflammation plays a critical role in coronary heart disease progression. Low-dose colchicine has shown promise in reducing cardiovascular events, and Green Brazilian propolis extract (EPP-AF®), with anti-inflammatory properties, may offer benefits in its treatment. This pilot study evaluates whether six weeks of EPP-AF improves functional capacity assessed by treadmill test. Methods: the PRAIA trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot study conducted at a coronary disease clinic in an outsourced center in Brazil. Patients aged ≥18 years with stable coronary artery disease, receiving optimized medical therapy, were randomized 2:1 to receive either 200 mg of EPP-AF® or placebo twice daily for six weeks. The primary outcome was the change, measured in seconds, in treadmill exercise duration. Secondary outcomes included total exercise time, METs, hs-CRP levels, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ), and CCS score. Statistical analysis was performed on an intention-to-treat basis. Results: A total of 59 patients were randomized, with a median follow-up of 6.5 weeks. The primary endpoint, median change in treadmill test time, showed no difference between the propolis (39 seconds) and placebo (30 seconds) groups (p = 0.83). There were no improvements in functional capacity, hs-CRP levels, or angina symptoms assessed by SAQ in the propolis group. No major adverse cardiovascular events occurred during the study. Conclusion: EPP-AF® did not improve functional capacity, inflammation markers, or angina symptoms assessed by SAQ in patients with stable coronary artery disease compared to placebo.

Wetlands occupy 4–8% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface and perform critical ecosystem functions, including water quality and quantity regulation, wildlife habitat provision, and carbon storage. ”Vegas”, wetlands in Chilean Patagonia, are unique ecosystems that play a vital role in water supply and forage productivity, which are essential for sheep farming, the region’s main economic activity. This study aimed to analyze the spatial variability of soil functions, evaluate water dynamics, and correlate hydrological behavior with environmental characteristics in Patagonian Vega. Seven excavation sites were selected along a topographical transect, with soil samples collected at depths of 5, 30, and 80 cm. Sensors were installed to measure soil water content and matric potential. Analyses included WRC, Ka, and Ks. Results showed hydric deficits for 84.3% of the evaluation period and a progressive decline in the water table. Air capacity and plant-available water varied significantly across topographical positions and depths. Soils on summits and footslopes exhibited higher hydraulic conductivity but lower water retention compared to soils in the centre of the Vega, which remained saturated in deeper horizons. A strong correlation was observed between soil water content and evapotranspiration (ETo), whereas precipitation had minimal influence. Vegas acts as natural sponges, storing and releasing water according to seasonal demands. The central zone of the Vega plays a pivotal role in maintaining soil moisture and supporting forage productivity, while peripheral areas contribute to hydrological flows via surface and subsurface runoff. These results underscore the importance of treating Vegas as protected wetlands and adopting sustainable management strategies to conserve their ecosystem services in the face of climate change and increasing anthropogenic pressures. Patagonian Vegas exhibits significant spatial variability in soil functions, which are critical for water regulation and biodiversity support.

This study examined the involvement of the STAT3 signaling pathway in obesity-related airway inflammation and its potential as a therapeutic target. The correlation between obesity and asthma has become increasingly evident with the rising prevalence of obesity among children. Obesity-associated asthma is classified as an atypical form of asthma, primarily mediated by neutrophils and Th17 cells. STAT3 is integral to the regulation of immune responses and inflammatory processes, suggesting that STAT3 inhibitors could represent a novel therapeutic approach for managing obesity-associated airway inflammation. Future research should aim to elucidate the role of STAT3 across various asthma phenotypes and investigate specific inhibitors targeting the STAT3 signaling pathway to enhance the management and prognosis of obesity-associated asthma.

Introduction: Vitamin D plays a critical role in immune function, and its deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of respiratory infections. This study investigates the association between serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels and respiratory infections in hospitalized children. Methods: This case-control study was conducted at Heshmatieh Hospital, Sabzevar, Iran, involving 170 children (85 cases, 85 controls) aged 1 month to 16 years. The case group included children diagnosed with lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), while the control group comprised children hospitalized for non-infectious conditions. Serum 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D levels were measured using ELISA, and inflammatory markers (WBC count, PMN percentage, ESR, and CRP) were analyzed. Chest X-ray (CXR) findings were evaluated. Results: Children with LRTIs had significantly lower serum vitamin D levels compared to controls (P = 0.021). Vitamin D deficiency (<30 nmol/L) was observed in 64.7% of cases and 32.8% of controls (P = 0.03). Inflammatory markers were elevated in cases, and CXR abnormalities were found in 74.2% of pneumonia patients, with bronchopneumonia being most common (61.8%). No significant difference in vitamin D deficiency between viral and bacterial pneumonia was detected (P = 0.54). Conclusions: This study highlights a significant association between lower serum vitamin D levels and respiratory infections in children, emphasizing the potential role of vitamin D in immune defense. Screening and supplementation strategies may be beneficial for at-risk pediatric populations.

We present a Boolean algebra based algorithm to extract if-then classification rules from supervised learning feedforward neural networks to solve the black-box problem of the decision process of the neural networks. This algorithm is called the BAB-G rule extraction algorithm, which stands for Boolean Algebra Based for General inputs. According to the concept of discretizing continuous hidden neuron activation values, we present the BAB-G rule extraction algorithm, which can be applied to threelayer feedforward neural networks with discrete, continuous, or mixed inputs. The antecedent parts of the if-then rules obtained from this algorithm are slanting hyperplanes. If there are n-kind of different classes, we could find n-1 distinct hyperplanes. During the rule extraction procedure, redundant hidden neurons can be removed without affecting the functionality of the neural networks. By representing each interval as a single bit, we can interpret the training of neural networks as a computation involving dynamic bits. Some empirical results on the data sets from the UCI repository of machine learning database are given for comparing our rule extraction algorithm and C5.0 decision tree algorithm. For these datasets, statistical hypothesis tests show that the rules obtained from our algorithm achieve the same classification accuracy as the neural networks. Moreover, our rules are better than the C5.0 decision tree both on comprehensibility and on accuracy for these datasets.

Modern science excels at pattern recognition but frequently confuses statistical significance with truth. The precision-scope trade-off forces researchers into a dilemma: precise but impractical studies or broad but causally weak ones. As data scales exponentially, spurious correlations proliferate, exacerbating the reproducibility crisis. To restore credibility, science must move beyond statistical detection and adopt frameworks that prioritize coherence and causal structure.

Modern eating habits are fundamentally misaligned with human biology. For most of history, food availability was inconsistent, and the body evolved to function efficiently through alternating periods of eating and fasting. Today, the prevailing norm of constant food intake—three meals a day plus snacks—contradicts these evolutionary mechanisms, forcing the body into a state of continuous metabolic stress.This paper presents Metabolic Eating: Pause. Prioritize. Protect., a framework designed to realign eating patterns with human physiology.Pausing between meals allows insulin levels to drop, enabling fat metabolism and restoring hunger regulation.Prioritizing protein and fat ensures stable energy and nutrient sufficiency.Protecting against metabolic stress involves consuming carbohydrates in a way that prevents insulin spikes and energy crashes.This framework is not a diet, nor is it a form of restriction. It is a structured approach to eating that works with the body rather than against it—promoting metabolic stability, sustained energy, and long-term health by aligning nutrition with biological design.This paper is Part 3 of a three-part series. The first two papers—The Chronic Crisis and Metabolic Overload—exposed the systemic and biological failures that have led to widespread metabolic disease. This paper presents the necessary correction: a structured approach to eating that realigns with human physiology rather than contradicting it. This is not a diet, nor is it restriction. It is the biological solution to an environment that has already failed.

Established standards and guidelines for early psychosis intervention (EPI) in British Columbia (BC) and across Canada define the intent and scope of individual EPI programs. EPI programs are a critical mental health service both in BC and internationally, based on widely affirmed theoretical and empirical foundations. If EPI principles and practices are applied, positive outcomes are expected, including greater reduction of psychotic symptoms compared to standard treatment, improved treatment adherence, fewer recurrent episodes of psychosis, and greater client satisfaction. Failure to adhere to practices associated with the EPI model may jeopardize attaining these desired outcomes. As such, fulsome evaluation of program fidelity to established EPI practice standards and guidelines was conducted at 16 mental health service sites across the province of BC and was performed via utilization of the EPI Fidelity Scale (EPI-FS). Based on the EPI-FS, two sites (12.5%) met criteria for high fidelity, nine (56.3%) attained moderate fidelity, three (18.8%) low fidelity and two (12.5%) very low fidelity. Fidelity varied between sites, with some programs experiencing challenges with staffing levels, as well as insufficient expertise, training and infrastructure. Specialized EPI programs were linked to higher fidelity, while many generic mental health and service centres had difficulty following the EPI model. Sites with higher fidelity were more likely to have sufficient resources and a multidisciplinary team. The current findings indicate a need for greater levels of support within individual programs in BC and contribute to the international literature identifying the importance of specialized EPI services.

This paper presents a gait design method for a snake robots fit non-smooth backbone curves. Introducing bending angles at the points where the directions of tangent vectors of the backbone curve changes discontinuously breaks the restriction that the left and right limits of tangent vectors at each point on the backbone curve fitting the target shape of the snake robot must be the same, which makes the design of the target trunk curve simpler and more convenient. The method was utilized to design gaits for spanning motions between parallel and intersecting bars. Three gaits were demonstrated in the simulation to verify the effectiveness of the fitting method.

The modern public health crisis is not an accident—it is the inevitable outcome of a system designed for profit, not health. The food industry, optimizing for efficiency and revenue, has transformed the global diet into one dominated by ultra-processed foods. Meanwhile, the healthcare industry, financially structured around disease management, thrives on chronic illness rather than prevention. The result is not a malfunction—it is the system working exactly as it was designed to.When any system is forced beyond its tolerances, failure is inevitable. The biological consequences—obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration—are not separate failures. They are the same failure state, playing out in different tissues.This paper reveals how economic structures, financial incentives, and policy decisions have aligned to create an environment where disease is the default outcome. It systematically dismantles the idea that these conditions are a matter of personal responsibility or genetic destiny. They are not anomalies—they are engineered results.This paper is Part 1 of a three-part series. Part 2, Metabolic Overload, details the biological consequences of this system. Part 3, Metabolic Eating, presents the necessary correction—how to realign nutrition with biological function to prevent systemic metabolic failure.

As human activities drive biodiversity decline, effective biomonitoring is more crucial than ever to track species distribution changes and inform conservation and restoration actions. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has emerged as a promising tool for the simultaneous detection of multiple taxa. However, while substrates play a crucial role in eDNA studies, limited research has compared substrate performance for terrestrial vertebrate detection, leaving a critical gap in empirical knowledge for large-scale application. This study evaluates and compares the effectiveness of three easy-to-collect substrates: soil, leaf swabs and spider webs, for broad terrestrial vertebrate eDNA monitoring. Specifically, we examined taxonomic richness overlaps among substrates, their effects on wild vertebrate detection probabilities and within-sample PCR repeatability. We analyzed 120 samples from the Landes Forest, an intensively managed temperate forest in Western France, and included additional samples from the Montpellier zoo to validate our detection capabilities. Using metabarcoding with 12Sv5 and 16Smam primers, we identified 67 taxa at the genus or species level. Our results demonstrate that spider webs consistently outperformed the other substrates, followed by leaf swabs and soil. These findings highlight the advantages of airborne-derived substrates (leaf swabs and spider webs) over soil and position spider webs as optimal for maximizing detection probabilities in rapid eDNA surveys, emphasizing their potential for efficient, scalable biomonitoring. Further research is needed to identify factors affecting eDNA detectability from these substrates, aiming to standardize procedures and move from proof-of-concept to broad use by researchers and managers.

Infectious diseases remain a major public health challenge in rural Pakistan due to limited healthcare access and infrastructure. This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and dermatological infections across different age and gender groups in a rural population. Data were collected over 45 days from a basic health unit serving seven villages with a population of 50,000. Patients were categorized based on infection type, gender, and age group. The findings revealed distinct epidemiological patterns: respiratory and dermatological infections peaked in the 15-49 age group before declining in older adults, while gastrointestinal infections were most prevalent in children aged 1-4 years. Males exhibited a slightly higher prevalence of dermatological infections, whereas gastrointestinal and respiratory infections showed minor gender-based variations. The study highlights key risk factors contributing to disease prevalence and underscores the need for targeted public health interventions, improved healthcare access, and preventive measures tailored to specific demographic groups. Future research should incorporate longitudinal data to establish causal relationships and enhance disease mitigation strategies.

New Zealand (NZ) Huntaway and Heading dogs are working breeds that play active roles on farms across the country. While these breeds are common in NZ, they are not well-known elsewhere, and little is understood about their genetic make-up. Here, we used whole genome sequencing to provide a comprehensive genomic view of 249 working dogs. As first use of this resource, we report the frequencies of known Mendelian-effect variants aggregated from the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Animals (OMIA) database. Of 395 “likely causal” variants, 27 segregated in our sample. Notable examples of disease mutations potentially actionable for selection include variants in the CUBN, CLN8, SGSH, SOD1, and VWF genes. These findings will enable genetic testing and selection opportunities to help improve the health and performance of future generations of these unique breeds.

A uncommon side effect of ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery is trapped fourth ventricle, often referred to as isolated fourth ventricle, which is marked by blockage of the cerebral aqueduct or exit. Cerebrospinal fluid accumulates as a result. According to this case report, a 7-year-old patient with a history of ventriculoperitoneal shunt developed a trapped fourth ventricle and manifested memory loss, weakness, and abnormal gait. To allow for the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid from the fourth ventricle, the patient had arachnoid dissection (adhesiolysis) and open posterior fenestration of the fourth ventricle’s midline. After a ten-day hospital stay, the patient was released following a successful surgery. In order to avoid major difficulties, this research emphasises the importance of early detection and treatment of a trapped fourth ventricle.