Research works

Growing carbapenem resistance in South Korea with long-term care facilities as reservoirs

Abstract South Korean CRE notifications more than doubled between 2020 and 2024, with no inflection in the trajectory. Imipenem resistance in long-term care facilities reached 52.3% for Klebsiella pneumoniae and a 12.93-fold higher risk ratio than small/medium hospitals for Esche...

The influence of maternal complications on small for gestational age in very preterm, late preterm and term pregnancies: a Chinese study

This study aimed to assess the association between single or combined maternal complications and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birth among very preterm, late preterm, and term births and to evaluate whether this association varied across gestational periods. This retrospective...

Electron-RichAcetylenic Nanostructures with In Situ Chelated UltrafinePalladium Nanoclusters for EfficientLiquid-Phase Reaction Catalyst

Abstract The development of uniformly distributed ultrafine metallic nanoclusters for advanced catalysts has attracted significant interest. However, synthesizing supports with specific electronic environments and well-defined pores to prevent aggregation remains challenging. Her...

Enzymatic Characterization of a Novel GH3 β-Glucosidase from Lentilactobacillus buchneri: EDTA-Mediated Enhancement of Thermostability

Background/Objectives: β-Glucosidases from lactic acid bacteria are valuable biocatalysts for carbohydrate conversion, flavour enhancement, and bioactive glycoside biotransformation. Although GH3 family enzymes have been characterized from several Lactobacillus species, no system...

Evidence from Chinese Cities on the Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Resilience of Intercity Population Flow Networks

Abstract The rapidly spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly affected population flows between cities and triggered a chain reaction within global urban networks. Using 366 Chinese cities as a case study, this study developed a dynamic and comprehensi...

Two Forgotten Ipsilateral Double J Stents Managed in a Single Session: A Rare Endourologic Challenge

ABSTRACT: Forgotten ureteral stents may lead to severe complications such as encrustation, infection, obstruction, and stone formation, especially when retained beyond 12 weeks. Dual forgotten stents in the same renal system managed in a single operative session are rare. A 51-ye...

Vasospasm and Delayed Cerebral Ischemia in Aneurysmal Rupture with Intracerebral Hemorrhage With and Without Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND: The risk of vasospasm and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is well characterized. However, the risk of these complications in cases of aneurysmal rupture causing intracerebral hemorrhage is less clear. Here, we characteriz...

Crystalline Lens Tilts Less With Higher Myopia in Children With Limited Age-Related Effect

Purpose: To evaluate tilted crystalline lens morphology in children across different orientations and their correlations with age and spherical equivalent (SE). Methods: This cross-sectional study encompassed 966 eyes of 493 children (5-15 years; SE, -6.00 to +3.00 diopters [D])....

Computed tomographic analysis of sinonasal anatomical variations and their role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis

Abstract Background Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent inflammatory disorder of the nose and paranasal sinuses that significantly affects quality of life. Although multiple anatomical variations of the sinonasal region—particularly involving the uncinate process and oste...

“A Bushman Story:” An Opaque Reference to Eugène Marais’s Dwaalstories in Eben Venter’s Decima

Decima, South African bilingual novelist Eben Venter’s most recent and critically acclaimed work, can be described as vintage Venter. As in his other writings, the novel explores questions of the “...

Compensated iron depletion in repeated blood donations: Stability of circulating microRNAs despite reduced ferritin stores

Abstract Background and Objectives Repeated blood donations deplete 200–250 mg of iron per donation. While biochemical consequences on iron stores are well documented, the role of circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in maintaining iron homeostasis remains poorly characterized. This st...

Awake craniotomy for drug-resistant non-oncological epilepsy: a systematic review of feasibility, reported safety, and seizure outcomes

Abstract Introduction Complete resection of the epileptogenic zone offers the best chance of seizure control in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. However, surgical management remains challenging when the epileptogenic zone is located within or adjacent to eloquent brain regi...

Multi-level aggregation analysis of microbiome composition and host gene expression reveals associations with systemic and local immunity

ABSTRACT The human gut microbiome plays a critical role in immune regulation, yet the molecular links between microbiome composition and host gene expression remain incompletely understood. We analyzed associations between host gene expression and microbiome composition in a coho...

Ferroptosis and Iron Dyshomeostasis as Drivers of Wound Chronicity in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Targeted Therapeutic Strategies

Background diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) carry 5-year mortality rates of 50%–70% and recurrence rates of 65% at three to five years. Standard-of-care protocols fail to resolve wound chronicity in a substantial proportion of patients, reflecting incomplete understanding of the cellu...

Topographic aspect shapes temperature lapse rates and land–atmosphere energy exchange in global mountains

Mountain regions exhibit complex thermal gradients that regulate land–atmosphere energy exchange, yet the global influence of topographic aspect on temperature lapse rates (LRT) remains poorly characterized. Here, we investigate global LRT patterns and their sensitivity to topogr...

Pulmonary embolism secondary to renal tumor thrombus embolization: a challenging scenario

Pulmonary embolism (PE) may reveal an occult malignancy or complicate the course of an existing cancer. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is highly thrombogenic, especially in the presence of venous extension or tumor thrombus into the renal vein or inferior vena cava. However, PE as a...

Artificial Intelligence for Diagnosis of Esophageal Manometry: A Narrative Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: High-resolution manometry (HRM), the gold standard for diagnosing esophageal motility disorders, remains constrained by inter-rater variability, limited access to expert esophagologists, and inadequate training infrastructure. Many gastroenterology fellowship p...

Integration of Biochar and Rainwater Harvesting to Improve Pearl Millet ( Pennisetum glaucum ) in Semi‐Arid Regions of Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Introduction Crop production has been declining in semi‐arid areas over the past two decades due to several biophysical constraints, including soil infertility and water stress induced by low rainfall. The objective of the experiment was to evaluate the effects of biocha...

Chirality-induced spin-regulated synaptic dynamics in 2D perovskite memristors for polarimetric neuromorphic computing

Conventional von Neumann architectures face fundamental energy-efficiency bottlenecks, while current optoelectronic neuromorphic devices remain confined to simple optoelectronic responses, unable to leverage continuous physical degrees of freedom such as light polarization for co...

Converging pathomechanisms link SARS-CoV-2 infection with major neurodegenerative diseases

Neurological complications are among typical clinical manifestations, both during the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection and long-term post-acute COVID-19 sequelae, i.e., Long COVID. A growing body of evidence connects SARS-CoV-2 infection to systemic inflammation, peripheral im...