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Cancer is a preeminent threat to the human race, causing millions of deaths each year on the Earth. Traditionally, natural compounds are deemed promising agents for cancer treatment. Cantharidin (CTD)—a terpenoid isolated from blister beetles—has been used extensively in traditional Chinese medicines for healing various maladies and cancer. CTD has been proven to be protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF-1) inhibitor, which can be potential targets for its anticancer activity. Albeit, it harbors some toxicities, its immense anticancer potential cannot be overlooked, as the cancer-specific delivery of CTD could help to rescue its lethal effects. Furthermore, several derivatives have been designed to weaken its toxicity. In light of extensive research, the antitumor activity of CTD is evident in both in vitro as well as in vivo cancer models. CTD has also proven efficacious in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy and it can also target some drug-resistant cancer cells. This mini-review endeavors to interpret and summarize recent information about CTD anticancer potential and underlying molecular mechanisms. The pertinent anticancer strength of CTD could be employed to develop an effective anticarcinogenic drug.

Endophytic fungi are used as the most common microbial biological control agents (MBCAs) against phytopathogens and are ubiquitous in all plant parts. Most of the fungal species have roles against a variety of plant pathogens. Fungal endophytes provide different services to be used as pathogen control agents, using an important aspect in the form of enhanced plant growth and induced systemic resistance, produce a variety of antifungal secondary metabolites (lipopeptides, antibiotics and enzymes) through colonization, and compete with other pathogenic microorganisms for growth factors (space and nutrients). The purpose of this review is to highlight the biological control potential of fungal species with antifungal properties against different fungal plant pathogens. We focused on the introduction, biology, isolation, identification of endophytic fungi, and their antifungal activity against fungal plant pathogens. The endosymbionts have developed specific genes that exhibited endophytic behavior and demonstrated defensive responses against pathogens such as antibiosis, parasitism, lytic enzyme and competition, siderophore production, and indirect responses by induced systemic resistance (ISR) in the host plant. Finally, different microscopic detection techniques to study microbial interactions (endophytic and pathogenic fungal interactions) in host plants are briefly discussed.

The highlighted energy consumption of Internet data center (IDC) in China has become a pressing issue with the implementation of the Chinese dual carbon strategic goal. This paper provides a comprehensive review of cooling technologies for IDC, including air cooling, free cooling, liquid cooling, thermal energy storage cooling and building envelope. Firstly, the environmental requirements for the computer room and the main energy consumption items for IDC are analyzed. The evaluation indicators and government policies for promoting green IDC are also summarized. Next, the traditional cooling technology is compared to four new cooling technologies to find effective methods to maximize energy efficiency in IDC. The results show that traditional cooling consumes a significant amount of energy and has low energy efficiency. The application of free cooling can greatly improve the energy efficiency of IDC, but its actual implementation is highly dependent on geographical and climatic conditions. Liquid cooling, on the other hand, has higher energy efficiency and lower PUE compared to other cooling technologies, especially for high heat density servers. However, it is not yet mature and its engineering application is not widespread. In addition, thermal energy storage (TES) based cooling offers higher energy efficiency but must be coupled with other cooling technologies. Energy savings can also be achieved through building envelope improvements. Considering the investment and recovery period for IDC, it is essential to seek efficient cooling solutions that are suitable for IDC and take into account factors such as IDC scale, climate conditions, maintenance requirements, etc. This paper serves as a reference for the construction and development of green IDC in China.

After the outbreak of COVID-19, billions of vaccines with different types have been administrated, including recombinant protein vaccines and mRNA vaccines. Although both types of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine can protect people from viral infection, their differences in humoral and cellular immune responses are still not clearly understood. In this study, we made a head-to-head comparison between an mRNA vaccine candidate and a recombinant protein vaccine we developed previously. Results demonstrated that both vaccine candidates could elicit high specific binding and neutralizing antibody titers in BALB/c mice, but with bias towards different IgG subtypes. Besides, the mRNA vaccine candidate induces higher cellular immune responses than the recombinant protein vaccine. To date, this is the first reported study to directly compare the immune responses of both arms between SARS-CoV-2 mRNA and recombinant vaccines.

Capabilities in continuous monitoring of key physiological parameters of disease have never been more important than in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Soft, skin-mounted electronics that incorporate high-bandwidth, miniaturized motion sensors enable digital, wireless measurements of mechanoacoustic (MA) signatures of both core vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature) and underexplored biomarkers (coughing count) with high fidelity and immunity to ambient noises. This paper summarizes an effort that integrates such MA sensors with a cloud data infrastructure and a set of analytics approaches based on digital filtering and convolutional neural networks for monitoring of COVID-19 infections in sick and healthy individuals in the hospital and the home. Unique features are in quantitative measurements of coughing and other vocal events, as indicators of both disease and infectiousness. Systematic imaging studies demonstrate correlations between the time and intensity of coughing, speaking, and laughing and the total droplet production, as an approximate indicator of the probability for disease spread. The sensors, deployed on COVID-19 patients along with healthy controls in both inpatient and home settings, record coughing frequency and intensity continuously, along with a collection of other biometrics. The results indicate a decaying trend of coughing frequency and intensity through the course of disease recovery, but with wide variations across patient populations. The methodology creates opportunities to study patterns in biometrics across individuals and among different demographic groups.

In vivo optogenetics and photopharmacology are two techniques for controlling neuronal activity that have immense potential in neuroscience research. Their applications in tether-free groups of animals have been limited in part due to tools availability. Here, we present a wireless, battery-free, programable multilateral optofluidic platform with user-selected modalities for optogenetics, pharmacology and photopharmacology. This system features mechanically compliant microfluidic and electronic interconnects, capabilities for dynamic control over the rates of drug delivery and real-time programmability, simultaneously for up to 256 separate devices in a single cage environment. Our behavioral experiments demonstrate control of motor behaviors in grouped mice through in vivo optogenetics with co-located gene delivery and controlled photolysis of caged glutamate. These optofluidic systems may expand the scope of wireless techniques to study neural processing in animal models. Wireless delivery of both light and pharmacological agents is important for optogenetic and other mechanistic experiments in the brain. Here the authors present a wireless real-time programmable optofluidic platform that enables optogenetics and photopharmacology experiments that require real-time precise control of light and drug delivery.

Nutrients play critical roles in maintaining core physiological functions and in preventing diseases. Technologies for delivering these nutrients and for monitoring their concentrations can help to ensure proper nutritional balance. Eccrine sweat is a potentially attractive class of biofluid for monitoring purposes due to the ability to capture sweat easily and noninvasively from nearly any region of the body using skin‐integrated microfluidic technologies. Here, a miniaturized system of this type is presented that allows simple, rapid colorimetric assessments of the concentrations of multiple essential nutrients in sweat, simultaneously and without any supporting electronics – vitamin C, calcium, zinc, and iron. A transdermal patch integrated directly with the microfluidics supports passive, sustained delivery of these species to the body throughout a period of wear. Comparisons of measurement results to those from traditional lab analysis methods demonstrate the accuracy and reliability of this platform. On‐body tests with human subjects reveal correlations between the time dynamics of concentrations of these nutrients in sweat and those of the corresponding concentrations in blood. Studies conducted before and after consuming certain foods and beverages highlight practical capabilities in monitoring nutritional balance, with strong potential to serve as a basis for guiding personalized dietary choices. This paper introduces a soft, skin‐interfaced microfluidic system that enables nutrient analysis in sweat and delivery of vitamins to the body. Accurate colorimetric sensors can quantify the concentrations of nutrients in sweat, and a transdermal patch integrated directly with the microfluidics supports passive, sustained delivery of nutrients to the body throughout a period of wear.

Background Although bacterial leaf blight (BLB) poses a threat to rice yields in Bangladesh, locally validated resistance profiles are limited. This study addresses this gap by identifying key resistance genes and evaluating their distribution in widely cultivated rice varieties in the Mymensingh region of Bangladesh. This study aimed to identify bacterial leaf blight resistance genes ( Xa4 , Xa5 , Xa7 , Xa13 , and Xa21 ) present in rice varieties cultivated in Mymensingh, a prominent rice-producing region in Bangladesh. Methods We genotyped symptomatic leaves ( n  = 187) from 10 varieties at 14 locations in Mymensingh using diagnostic markers for Xa4 , Xa5 , Xa7 , x X a13 , and Xa21 ; selected amplicons were Sanger-sequenced and analyzed (NJ trees, 1,000 bootstraps). Results The results revealed distinct resistance gene profiles: BRRI Dhan-49 presented the recessive gene Xa13 ; BRRI Dhan-51 possessed multiple resistance genes ( Xa2 , Xa7 , and Xa5 ); and BRRI Dhan-34 contained the Xa4 , Xa5 , and Xa7 genes. Compared with single-gene varieties, varieties characterized by different resistance genes demonstrated superior protection against bacterial blight, outperforming. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the Bangladeshi varieties exhibit a close genetic relationship, reflecting a localized breeding history and adaptation, which distinguishes them from other international rice varieties. Conclusions Multi-gene varieties (BRRI Dhan-51, Dhan-34) offer stronger field protection than single-gene materials, supporting gene pyramiding and germplasm diversification for durable BLB resistance in Bangladesh.

BackgroundThis study aims to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with extensive burns admitted to a burn center in eastern China from 2010 to 2021 and to evaluate the impact of an autonomous medical team implemented in 2016 on patient management.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted on patients admitted to the Burn and Trauma Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021. Data were compared and statistically analyzed using SPSS (version 26.0) for two periods: 2010–2015 and 2016–2021.ResultsThis study enrolled a total of 259 patients, with 106 cases spanning from 2010 to 2015 and 153 cases from the period of 2016–2021. Among them, there were a total of 198 male patients (76.4%) and 61 female patients (23.6%). The age range of the subjects varied between 1 and 90 years old, with a median age of 44 years (30 ~ 54 years). The distribution of burn total body surface area (%TBSA) ranged from 30% to 99%, with a median TBSA value of 50% (35% ~ 72%). Flame burns constituted the majority cause for extensive burns, accounting for 151 cases (58.8%), followed by scald burns comprising 51 cases (19.8%). Extensive burns predominantly occurred during the summer season. The limbs were identified as the most commonly affected areas, accounting for 146 cases (56.4%). The median length of hospital stay was recorded as 44 days (28-67.75 days), while the overall mortality rate stood at 7.34%. The proportion of middle-aged and elderly individuals increased in recent 6 years compared to earlier period. The incidence of flame and chemical burns decreased, while the severity exhibited an increase. There was a significant rise in the average number of surgical procedures performed during hospitalization. Meanwhile, the mortality rate experienced a decline without any notable variation in total length or cost associated with hospital stay.ConclusionsOur research findings suggest the need for dynamic adjustments in burn prevention measures based on changes in epidemiological characteristics, while also advocating for the establishment of autonomous medical teams with decision-making authority for critical care treatment of extensive burn patients.

Monitoring the flow rate, cumulative loss and temperature of sweat can provide valuable physiological insights for the diagnosis of thermoregulatory disorders and illnesses related to heat stress. However, obtaining accurate, continuous estimates of these parameters with high temporal resolution remains challenging. Here, we report a platform that can wirelessly measure sweat rate, sweat loss and skin temperature in real time. The approach combines a short, straight fluid passage to capture sweat as it emerges from the skin with a flow sensor that is based on a thermal actuator and precision thermistors, and that is physically isolated from, but thermally coupled to, the sweat. The platform transfers data autonomously using a Bluetooth Low Energy system on a chip. Our approach can also be integrated with advanced microfluidic systems and colorimetric chemical reagents for the measurement of pH and the concentration of chloride, creatinine and glucose in sweat. A wearable platform, which uses a thermal sensing module isolated from biofluids and a Bluetooth Low Energy system on a chip for wireless data transfer, can be used to continuously monitor sweat.