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Precise intraoperative tumor delineation is essential for successful surgical outcomes. However, conventional methods are often incompetent to provide intraoperative guidance due to lack specificity and sensitivity. Recently fluorescence-guided surgery for tumors to delineate between cancerous and healthy tissues has attracted widespread attention. The contrast-enhanced fluorescent imaging has been applied for non-invasive diagnosis of cancers using tumor-targeting fluorescent probes. The carbonic anhydrase IX targeted polyaspartamide fluorescent compounds (SD-PHEA-NI) were synthesized by incorporating a tumor-targeting group of sulfadiazine (SD) and N-butyl-4-ethyldiamino-1,8-naphthalimide (NI) into water-soluble carriersof poly-α,β-[N-(2-hydroxyethyl)-L-aspartamide] (PHEA). These derivatives were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and fluorescence assays. The cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and fluorescence imaging ability were evaluated. Experiment results indicated that SD-PHEA-NI has low cytotoxic to Henrietta Lacks (HeLa) cells. Moreover, B16F10 melanoma cells can take up SD-PHEA-NI and show good green fluorescent images. However, SD-PHEA-NI displayed a low-intensity green fluorescence signal in healthy human embryonic kidney (293T) cells. SD-PHEA-NI can be considered a potential fluorescent probe for the detection of tumors. This study has the potential to enhance tumor diagnosis and image-guided surgical interventions by providing real-time information and robust decision support, thereby reducing recurrence and complication rates and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

In the process of automatically casing medicinal aluminum tubes with an inner plastic liner, the mechanical conditions and intrinsic characteristics significantly influence the outcome, often resulting in poor alignment accuracy and issues like squashing or bending of the plastic tube. To address this, based on the establishment of mechanical mathematical models for one-point and two-points contact assembly stages, a multi-stage assembly process mechanical analysis method for the automatic casing process was proposed. Initially, an automatic casing module and method utilizing a transitional tube for assistance were developed, considering the actual discontinuous production characteristics of casing. Subsequently, by integrating the automatic casing process, mechanical mathematical models for one-point and two-points contact assembly stages were constructed based on the mechanical equilibrium equation, accurately describing the representation of various parameter characteristics during the casing process. Following this, the impact of the plastic tube’s initial position and insertion speed on the automatic casing characteristics was analyzed, combining the mechanical model and finite element dynamic contact analysis model. Based on these results, optimized parameter conditions meeting the casing process requirements were provided. Finally, after verification through casing experimental setups, it was found that the process parameter characteristics extracted by the proposed method exhibit significant effectiveness, with the success rate of using transitional assistance for casing substantially outperforming the direct insertion of plastic tubes into aluminum tubes. The proposed method offers certain theoretical guidance for optimizing both the initial posture and casing speed in the casing process.

Grafting is an effective way to overcome the obstacles of continuous soil cropping and improve the tolerance of plants to abiotic and biotic stresses. An automatic grafting robot can effectively improve the grafting efficiency and survival rate of grafted seedlings, which is an important demand for the commercialization and promotion of vegetable planting. Based on the six main grafting technologies, this paper deeply summarized and analyzed the research status, technical characteristics, and development trends of vegetable grafting robots developed by various countries in the world. At the same time, it focused on the design methods and characteristics of key components such as seedling picking device, clamping device, and cutting device of vegetable grafting robots in detail. Then, the application of machine vision in the grafting robot was compared from the aspects of seed information feature recognition, automatic seedling classification, seedling state detection, and auxiliary grafting. It also was pointed out that machine vision technology was the only way to realize the fully automated grafting of vegetable grafting robots. Finally, several constraints, such as the limited grafting speed of vegetable grafting robots were pointed out, and the future development direction of grafting robots was predicted. As a result, it is believed that the intelligence degree of vegetable grafting robots needs to be improved, and its research and development fail to integrate with the seedling biotechnology, which leads to its poor universality. In the future, improving machine vision, artificial intelligence, and automation technology will help the development of high-performance universal grafting robots.

Biodegradable scaffolds based on biomedical polymeric materials have attracted wide interest in bone transplantation for clinical treatment for bone defects without a second operation. The composite materials of poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(L-lactic acid), and hydroxyapatite (PTMC/PLA/HA and PTMC/HA) were prepared by the modification and blending of PTMC with PLA and HA, respectively. The PTMC/PLA/HA and PTMC/HA scaffolds were further prepared by additive manufacturing using the biological 3D printing method using the PTMC/PLA/HA and PTMC/HA composite materials, respectively. These scaffolds were also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), gel permeation chromatography (GPC), automatic contact-angle, scanning electronic micrographs (SEM), diffraction of X-rays (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetry (TG). Subsequently, their properties, such as mechanical, biodegradation, cell cytotoxicity, cell compatibility in vitro, and proliferation/differentiation assay in vivo, were also investigated. Experiment results indicated that PTMC/PLA/HA and PTMC/HA scaffolds possessed low toxicity, good biodegradability, and good biocompatibility and then enhanced the cell multiplication ability of osteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1). Moreover, PTMC/PLA/HA and PTMC/HA scaffolds enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and enabled the bone cell proliferation and induction of bone tissue formation. Therefore, these composite materials can be used as potential biomaterials for bone repatriation and tissue engineering.

3D Printed biodegradable polymeric scaffolds are critical to repair a bone defect, which can provide the individual porous and network microenvironments for cell attachment and bone tissue regeneration. Biodegradable PCL/HA composites were prepared with the blending of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HA). Subsequently, the PCL/HA scaffolds were produced by the melting deposition-forming method using PCL/HA composites as the raw materials in this work. Through a serial of in vitro assessments, it was found that the PCL/HA composites possessed good biodegradability, low cell cytotoxicity, and good biocompatibility, which can improve the cell proliferation of osteoblast cells MC3T3-E1. Meanwhile, in vivo experiments were carried out for the rats with skull defects and rabbits with bone defects. It was observed that the PCL/HA scaffolds allowed the adhesion and penetration of bone cells, which enabled the growth of bone cells and bone tissue regeneration. With a composite design to load an anticancer drug (doxorubicin, DOX) and achieve sustained drug release performance, the multifunctional 3D printed PCL/HA/DOX scaffolds can enhance bone repair and be expected to inhibit probably the tumor cells after malignant bone tumor resection. Therefore, this work signifies that PCL/HA composites can be used as the potential biodegradable scaffolds for bone repairing.

Polpyrrole (PPy)/Ag nanocomposites were successfully synthesized at the interface of water and ionic liquid by one-step UV-induced polymerization. Highly dispersed PPy/Ag nanoparticles were obtained by controlling the experimental conditions. The results of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the UV-induced interface polymerization leaded to the formation of PPy incorporating silver nanoparticles. It was also found that the electrical conductivity of PPy/Ag nanocomposite was about 100 times higher than that of pure PPy.

Objectives: Blood pressure variability (BPV) and heart rate variability (HRV) are well-established indicators of autonomic functioning. However, the regulation of cardiac autonomic homeostasis differs between the sexes remains unknown. In this study, we explored the association between BPV and HRV in patients with isolated primary hypertension, with an emphasis on sex-related differences. We aimed to facilitate clinical practice by informing sex-specific diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for managing primary hypertension through our study. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 189 individuals (85 males, 104 females) diagnosed with isolated primary hypertension at the Xuancheng People’s Hospital from December 2020 to March 2023. All participants underwent 24-hours ambulatory blood pressure and Holter electrocardiogram monitoring. Correlation analyses, including multiple linear regression and Pearson/Spearman tests, were conducted to assess the relationship between BPV and HRV, with an emphasis on sex-based comparisons. Results: Among males, the 24-hours standard deviation of systolic blood pressure (24hSSD) was significantly associated with age, plasma glucose levels, and HRV metrics, including rMSSD and total power (p < 0.05). Conversely, in females, 24hSSD was positively linked to age and negatively associated with the heart rate and pNN50, which represents the percentage of RR intervals exceeding 50 ms. The data indicated stronger BPV-HRV correlations in males than in females. Conclusions: Distinct sex-based differences were identified in the relationship between BPV and HRV in primary hypertension. Males demonstrated stronger interconnections between these variables, while the associations in females were comparatively weaker. These findings highlight the importance of developing tailored, sex-specific management strategies to enhance the treatment and outcomes for individuals with primary hypertension. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.5.10431 How to cite this: Gao G, Chen Z, Yan G, Guo X. Sex differences in the relationship between Blood Pressure and Heart Rate variability in isolated Primary Hypertension. Pak J Med Sci. 2025;41(5):1459-1469. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.41.5.10431 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Purpose – The purpose of this investigation was to study a transparent coating based on organic silicone resins prepared by the hydrolysis and condensation of methyltriethoxysilane and tetraethoxysilane. Design/methodology/approach – The coating film was characterized by IR, UV, thermal gravity analysis, scanning electron microscope and an automatic contact angle meter. Some properties of the coating film, such as adhesion, impact resistance and wear-resistance also were evaluated. Findings – These uniform, clear and smooth coating films possessed the high transparent and light transmittance, high density, high hydrophobicity, good adhesion, hardness and anti-corrosion. Originality/value – The coating may be considered as a protective film for the surfaces of the metals and plastics.

Cranes used in factories and ports are frequently exposed to potential risks arising from complex operating conditions. To comprehensively assess operational reliability, digital technologies are being increasingly employed for dynamic monitoring and optimization during crane operations. This study focuses on the dynamic stress variations in the main truss of cranes during operations. First, a digital mapping model between a scaled physical crane and its virtual counterpart was developed using a parametric design approach based on a real-world engineering crane. Using this model, a digital-twin representation of the crane's dynamic stress field was constructed. Nodal stresses of the twin crane were obtained using radial basis function (RBF) interpolation in conjunction with finite-element stress field calculations. Subsequently, the K-nearest-neighbor algorithm was used to select relevant nodes for training an interpolation-based surrogate model, enabling end-to-end stress prediction at the crane's nodes. Finally, dynamic stress rendering using the HSV (hue, saturation, value)-color-model-enabled synchronized visualization of the stress field within the digital twin, supporting real-time monitoring, simulation-based optimization, and dynamic life cycle management of the crane. Experimental comparisons of three different lifting conditions show that the average error between finite-element analysis and stress-rendering results is 8.29 %, while the average error between measured data and stress-rendering results is 9.98 %, verifying the predictive reliability of the interpolation model. These findings guide the application of dynamic digital twins of stress fields in industries such as construction, manufacturing, and energy.