Mycotoxins are toxic secondary metabolites produced by toxigenic fungi such as Aspergillus and Fusarium that cause significant risks to human health. Conventional degradation methods for mycotoxin have some limitations such as hazardous chemical residues and adverse effects on food quality. Physical technologies such as cold plasma and ultrasound offer promising alternative to conventional decontamination methods of mycotoxins. The current review discusses the recent advances in mycotoxin decontamination of food by physical techniques, including cold plasma, pulsed light, ultraviolet, microwave, pulsed electric field, and ultrasound. In addition, potential synergistic effects of multiple decontamination methods such as pulsed electric field combined with ultrasound and pulsed electric field combined with ultraviolet are also covered. The use of physical techniques to degrade mycotoxins in foods presents a promising strategy for reducing the health risks posed by these harmful fungal metabolites, while avoiding the need for chemical additives. The toxicity studies showed that the degradation products of mycotoxins had less toxicity effect than mycotoxins. While promising, the efficiency of these physical methods varies depending on the food matrix, mycotoxin type, and processing conditions, necessitating optimized protocols to ensure complete degradation without compromising food safety or quality.

Neonatal listeriosis is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening cause of early-onset sepsis that can closely resemble hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. We present a term male infant delivered by cesarean section for nonreassuring fetal heart rate tracing who required resuscitation with positive pressure ventilation. Severe metabolic acidosis and low Apgar scores initially suggested perinatal asphyxia; however, a structured neurologic examination at 1 and 3 hours of life did not meet criteria for therapeutic hypothermia, and the infant subsequently developed fever, thrombocytopenia, persistent shock, and marked transaminitis. Blood and placental cultures grew Listeria monocytogenes, a gram-positive bacillus. The infant improved with ampicillin monotherapy and was discharged with a normal neurologic examination. This case illustrates the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis, including infection, in neonates with a presumed diagnosis of perinatal asphyxia.

The accurate simulation of blood pressure and flow waveforms in patient-specific 1D models requires precise calibration of numerous parameters, a task often complicated by limitations in clinical measurements and by heterogeneous modeling assumptions. This work proposes a comprehensive calibration methodology designed to ensure physiological consistency in the modeling of arterial networks across multiple spatial scales. The framework introduces a pre-optimization strategy based on reflection coefficients to balance potential mismatches between measured inflow conditions, network topology, and pulse wave velocity distributions by quantifying their impact on reflections at terminal-segment and junctions. A key component of the proposed approach is the combined calibration of conduit (1D) compliance and peripheral (0D) compliance, which are shown to be strongly coupled in realistic patient-specific geometries and therefore cannot always be tuned independently to match pulse-pressure targets. In parallel, we introduce a computational strategy to calibrate total and peripheral resistances so as to enforce an exact distribution of mean flow across all terminal segments while converging to target diastolic pressure. This exact enforcement of terminal flow fractions is vital to reliably compare and analyze the impact of alternative modeling hypotheses (friction/velocity-profile assumptions, local versus averaged impedance, and pulse wave velocity formulations) without confounding effects due to residual flow-distribution errors. The robustness of the proposed approach is demonstrated in four scenarios of increasing complexity, ranging from experimental hydraulic replicas to highly detailed systemic arterial trees. Overall, the method provides a versatile tool for developing reliable subject-specific models. It enables a systematic assessment of how different factors, such as vascular topology, the balance between central and peripheral compliance, and the control of wave reflections, directly influence the accuracy of hemodynamic predictions.

The limited availability of organic donor materials absorbing beyond 1000 nm fundamentally limits the development of solution-processed photodetectors and upconversion devices (UCDs) in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window. Herein, we report DPP-TbT, a narrow-bandgap alternating copolymer realized through isomeric engineering of the thiophene backbone. By employing a thieno[3,4-b]thiophene (TbT) quinoidal donor fused to a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) acceptor, the absorption onset is extended to ∼1300 nm, enabling intrinsic NIR-II photon harvesting. When blended with the benchmark non-fullerene acceptor Y6 to form bulk-heterojunction photodetectors, the DPP-TbT:Y6 system achieves a specific detectivity exceeding 1011 Jones at 1064 nm with a linear dynamic range (LDR) of 68 dB. Monolithic integration of this photodetector with a quantum-dot light-emitting diode further yields a UCD that directly transduces 1064 nm excitation into visible emission with a turn-on voltage of ∼2 V, a luminance of 3741 cd m-2, and a luminance-LDR of 60 dB. We further demonstrate real-time heart-rate monitoring via photoplethysmography, high-resolution biological imaging (5080 ppi), and visualization of hidden information through a 1000 nm long-pass filter. This work establishes isomeric engineering as a rational strategy for accessing ultra-narrow bandgaps and advancing low-cost, wearable NIR-II visualization and biometric sensing systems.

Achieving stable partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) for mainstream municipal wastewater treatment while minimizing nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions remains a key challenge due to slow anammox bacteria growth and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) proliferation. In this study, a stable mainstream PN/A system was established in a biological aerated filter (BAF) using an alternating influent strength and concentration strategy, leveraging a high-strength ammonium model as a mechanistic baseline. Results demonstrated that the alternating strategy sustained a robust nitrogen removal efficiency of >82 % under mainstream conditions, while reducing the N2O emission factor by 80 % compared to high-load operation. Spatially, the upper filter bed functioned as an effective N2O sink, actively consuming residual dissolved N2O via heterotrophic denitrification supported by the selective enrichment of nosZ genes. Crucially, isotopic analysis revealed a fundamental metabolic shift: high-strength conditions favored stress-induced nitrifier denitrification (FND, ∼59 %) driven by nitrite accumulation, whereas mainstream conditions shifted dominance to hydroxylamine oxidation (FNN, ∼78 %), representing a lower-intensity metabolic leakage. Furthermore, strategic hydraulic backwashing combined with periodic high free ammonia (FA) pulses effectively suppressed NOB activity through metabolic hysteresis and selective washout of outer biofilm layers. These findings elucidate the key metabolic drivers governing N2O transformation and validate the alternating influent BAF process as a robust and scalable operational strategy for achieving simultaneous nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas mitigation in mainstream municipal wastewater treatment.

Cuffless wearable technologies for blood pressure (BP) monitoring have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional cuff-based methods, offering the possibility of continuous, real-world assessment.

Axillary intra-aortic balloon pump (axi-IABP) support has emerged as an alternative to femoral access for patients with advanced heart failure, offering improved mobility and potential benefits in pretransplant conditioning; however, data on associated complications remain limited. We conducted a retrospective study of 55 patients who underwent axi-IABP placement between January 2019 and July 2025 at our institution. The cohort had a median age of 59 (interquartile range [IQR], 52-65) years and presented with cardiogenic shock requiring mechanical circulatory support (MCS). Axi-IABP successfully bridged 87.3% of patients to advanced therapies. A total of 83 complications were identified in 60.0% of patients, most commonly malposition in 23.6% of patients, gas leak alarms in 16.4% of patients, and kinking in 16.4% of patients. Serious vascular complications were infrequent. The median time to first complication was 10.5 (IQR, 2.75-25.5) days. Female sex was associated with a higher hazard of first complication when controlled for height (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] = 2.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04-7.27; p = 0.041). In conclusion, axi-IABP is an effective bridging strategy that enhances patient mobility but is associated with a high rate of device-related complications, predominantly mechanical in nature, underscoring the importance of careful patient selection and monitoring.

This Letter describes, to the best of our knowledge, the first application of an Nd:YAG-pumped diamond Raman laser (DRL) for OH planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF). DRL was used to convert 532 nm pump radiation into 573 nm output, corresponding to the 1[st] Stokes Raman shift, via the stimulated Raman scattering process in a diamond crystal, with an achieved conversion efficiency of 52%. The 573 nm output was then doubled to generate the UV radiation targeting the Q1(14) OH transition near 286.5 nm. The overall conversion efficiency from 532 nm pump to 286.5 nm UV output was recorded at 5%. This demonstration was performed in methane/air combustion produced by a Hencken burner. Single-shot OH PLIF images were acquired in premixed "flat" flame and diffusion flame configurations with 160 µJ UV pulse energy and 5 cm sheet height. Overall, the DRL proved to be a promising and easy-to-implement alternative for combustion diagnostics and OH spectroscopy.

IntroductionProlongation of the heart-rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) is a defining safety concern in oncology, where patients face an expanding array of repolarization-altering agents superimposed on supportive drugs, electrolyte disturbgances, and organ dysfunction. The anchoring event, torsade de pointes, is uncommon but potentially lethal, and arrhythmic risk must be balanced against the survival benefit of effective cancer therapy.MethodsThe literature was identified through structured searches of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science covering the mechanistic, drug-class, pharmacovigilance, pharmacogenomic, risk-prediction, and management aspects of drug-induced QT prolongation in oncology, and was synthesized narratively with an emphasis on precision-medicine dimensions.ResultsQT liability is heterogeneous across tyrosine kinase inhibitors, cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, arsenic trioxide, and supportive agents such as antiemetics, antifungals, opioids, and antibiotics, and is frequently amplified by electrolyte derangement and drug-drug interactions. Genetic susceptibility, real-world pharmacovigilance, and machine-learning risk prediction are emerging but remain underdeveloped in oncology. Pragmatic management rests on baseline and serial Fridericia-corrected electrocardiography, electrolyte optimization, judicious agent selection and dose modification, medication review within a multidisciplinary team, and selection of structured lower-risk alternatives.ConclusionsDrug-induced QT prolongation in oncology is manageable rather than inevitable. Combining genomic susceptibility, pharmacovigilance, and validated prediction tools offers a route to individualized risk stratification, although prospective oncology-specific evidence and data from under-represented populations remain limited. Early identification and disciplined monitoring allow clinicians to protect the heart without compromising effective cancer treatment.