Perivascular epithelioid cell tumours (PEComas) are rare mesenchymal neoplasms with characteristic myomelanocytic differentiation and limited descriptions in fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens. A woman in her 30s with a history of ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma in remission was found to have a 2.1-cm hepatic mass during evaluation of persistent liver function abnormalities. Ultrasound-guided FNA demonstrated a cellular neoplasm composed of loosely cohesive clusters and singly dispersed epithelioid to spindle cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, mild to moderate nuclear atypia and prominent nucleoli. Immunohistochemical studies showed positivity for smooth muscle actin, caldesmon, HMB-45 and Melan-A, supporting a myomelanocytic phenotype. Molecular testing identified pathogenic TSC2 splice-site mutations. Subsequent resection confirmed hepatic PEComa, epithelioid angiomyolipoma variant. This case highlights the characteristic cytomorphologic, immunophenotypic and molecular features of hepatic PEComa and demonstrates the value of FNA with ancillary testing in establishing a preoperative diagnosis and excluding morphologic mimics.

Shape memory alloys (SMAs), known for their ability to return to their original shape after deformation, are highly sensitive to the alloying composition, which can significantly alter their transformation behavior and functional properties. In this study, we examined the influence of nickel substitution with copper on the structural, mechanical, thermodynamic, electronic, and vibrational properties of the B2 NiTi phase, at concentrations of up to 30 at% using density functional theory (DFT) with the ABINIT code. The validity of our calculations is confirmed by the calculated lattice parameters, which show good agreement with known theoretical and experimental data. The overall results highlight the impact of Cu incorporation on the stability of NiTi-based alloys, thus offering valuable insights for the design of advanced SMAs.

First-principles calculations were implemented to explore the performance evolution of paraelectric (PE) and ferroelectric (FE) KH2PO4 (KDP) crystals induced by the cluster defect ZnK + SiP. The Freysoldt-Neugebauer-Vande Walle (FNV) finite-size correction was employed to calculate accurate defect formation energies (DFEs). This study systematically investigates the lattice configurations, electronic features, as well as optical absorption and luminescence spectra. Our calculations directly connect atomic-scale defect physics to experimentally measurable macroscopic properties. We find that the negatively charged defect (ZnK + SiP)' causes the most drastic local lattice deformation (34.59%) and orbital reconstruction, which quantitatively explains the experimentally observed sub-bandgap absorption and provides a microscopic mechanism for laser-induced damage. Specifically, the in-gap localized defect states promote multi-photon absorption, a key precursor to irreversible lattice damage under long-term laser irradiation. Considerable electron-phonon coupling leads to a high Huang-Rhys factor in PE-KDP, indicating phonon-dominated non-radiative energy dissipation. This non-radiative pathway quantitatively accounts for the thermal load that ultimately reduces the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT). The simulated absorption peak at 3.08 eV (403 nm) matches the experimental absorption signal at 395 nm. Remarkable Stokes redshifts confirm that most photoexcitation energy transforms into lattice heat, which directly correlates with the reduced operational lifetime of KDP optical components in high-power laser systems, particularly for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) applications.

The timing of osteosynthesis in polytrauma patients with lumbar spine fractures may influence key clinical outcomes, including hospital length of stay (HLOS), ICU length of stay (ICULOS), and mechanical ventilation duration (VENT DAYS). This systematic review aimed to evaluate how surgical timing affects these outcomes. A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Scopus, and CENTRAL was completed in February 2025. Inclusion criteria involved studies on adult polytrauma patients (> 18 years) with lumbar spine fractures from blunt trauma, requiring surgical fixation, comparing early ( 72 h) surgery. Studies had to report Injury Severity Scores (ISS), outcomes of interest (HLOS, ICULOS, and VENT DAYS), include statistical comparisons between groups, and meet a minimum of "moderate" risk of bias based on the ROBINS-I tool. Out of 588 studies initially identified, three fulfilled the inclusion criteria, involving 1,111 patients-759 underwent early fixation and 352 late. The weighted average age was 39.1 years in the early group and 41.2 years in the late group. The weighted average ISS was 27.3 (early) and 29.2 (late). The weighted average VENT DAYS was 4.9 in the early group and 7.8 in the late group. The weighted average ICULOS was 10.9 d (early) and 13.7 d (late). The weighted average HLOS was 37.9 d (early) and 36.8 d (late). The impact of osteosynthesis on VENT DAYS and ICULOS remains uncertain, while HLOS shows no clinically relevant difference. ISS significantly influences outcomes.

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are soft materials capable of large, reversible deformations in response to external stimuli, making them promising alternatives to rigid actuators where compliance and untethered motion are crucial. However, adoption of LCEs in real-world systems has been hindered by the lack of practical modeling techniques that describe their functional behavior. Here, we present an analytical continuum framework based on decomposition of the actuation and elastic strains. Paired with existing hyperelastic models, this decomposition yields closed-form constitutive expressions which describe LCE behavior over a broad range of operating conditions. We experimentally validate the framework by showing it successfully predicts the stress state of an LCE across a variety of actuation sequences with low bias and error, indicating path independence for processes where elasticity dominates behavior. We further demonstrate the framework's flexibility by applying it to LCE fibers of different chemistry, and to a fiber having a complex hierarchical architecture; a capability crucial to employing LCE actuators in practical systems. Finally, we illustrate the utility of the resulting closed-form solutions through two design applications: quantitatively determining the coefficient of friction for a low-friction material, and a qualitative procedure for designing an LCE-actuated bistable mechanism. This work provides designers and researchers in soft robotics, microactuators, and compliant systems with a practical, rapidly deployable framework for characterizing and comparing thermoactive soft actuators.

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become an established treatment for severe aortic stenosis across an expanding risk spectrum. As indications extend to younger and lower-risk patients, post-treatment complications with implications for survival, quality of life, and valve durability require attention.

A comprehensive study of the mechanical response of a titanium nickelide (TiNi) wire-knitted implant was conducted through tensile testing and finite element simulation using the Bergström-Boyce hyperelastic model calibrated via MCalibration and solved in ANSYS. The elongation-load curves for both the ribbon tissue scaffold (RTS) and the composite samples consisting of a RTS with biological tissues sprouted therein (RTS/bio-tissue) demonstrated nonlinear superelastic behavior. Under longitudinal tension, the biological tissue and the RTS exhibited similar deformation patterns. An evaluation of the biomechanical compatibility between soft tissues and the knitted metallic scaffold revealed the closest correspondence for the 40-µm thick RTS with muscle tissue, and for the 60-µm thick RTS with skin. However, it was noted that the contact areas of the metal knitted loops have the potential to cause damage to biological tissue. A microscopic examination of the connective tissue integrated with the RTS indicated successful incorporation of the implant into the rat abdominal wall under physiological loads, with no observed damage to the host tissue. Both microscopic analysis and low-cycle tensile tests confirmed that the RTS, once implanted, exhibited a relative elongation of less than 16%. This value represents the ultimate longitudinal elongation threshold identified during the pre-operative quantitative assessment of biomechanical compatibility between the RTS and biological tissues.

QRX003 is an investigational topical lotion under clinical evaluation for Netherton syndrome (NS) and other genodermatoses. Netherton syndrome is a severe genetic ichthyosis caused by a deficiency of LEKTI, a serine protease inhibitor crucial for kallikrein regulation. Hyperactive kallikreins drive premature corneodesmosome cleavage and accelerated desquamation, causing impaired skin barrier integrity, chronic inflammation, and intense chronic pruritus. The active ingredient in QRX003 is DiPalmitoyl HydroxyProline (DPHP), a competitive broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor that is being evaluated for its potential to reduce excess serine protease activity associated with LEKTI deficiency. QRX003 is being investigated as a mechanism-informed topical approach to address the underlying pathophysiology of NS, intended to modulate disease-relevant protease activity and associated abnormalities in desquamation and epidermal barrier function. Regulatory designations, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Rare Pediatric Disease, Orphan Drug, Fast Track Designation, European Medicines Agency (EMA) Orphan Drug, and MHLW Orphan Drug designations, reflect recognition of the unmet need associated with NS and support further clinical development. QRX003 was administered on a compassionate-use basis to a pediatric patient with NS. After 6 weeks of once-daily whole-body application, the patient demonstrated improvements in hallmark symptoms of NS (e.g., reductions in pruritus, skin erythema and fissuring, alongside enhanced visual skin appearance), which were sustained during 21 months of treatment. Symptom worsening during treatment interruption and improvement after reinitiation were reported, consistent with a possible treatment-associated effect. During the treatment period, the patient discontinued previously required medications, including antihistamines, glucocorticoids, and antivirals. No further antibiotic treatment was reported after whole-body application of QRX003 was initiated, and the caregiver reported that the patient began sleeping through the night. No adverse events considered treatment-related were reported by the family or treating physician. Transient peeling after initial application and a brief cooling sensation after application were reported but were not considered clinically significant. In conclusion, QRX003 is being evaluated as an investigational, mechanism-informed topical therapy for NS, with early clinical observation suggesting that QRX003 treatment may be associated with improvement in clinical signs and symptoms as well as family-reported quality-of-life improvement. Ongoing clinical trials will explore the long-term safety and efficacy profile of QRX003.

Histopathology-based cancer diagnosis is crucial for early detection and timely therapeutic intervention. However, most deep learning methods for histopathological image classification are mainly optimized as prediction models, with limited consideration of clinical diagnostic workflows. In routine practice, pathologists usually follow a sequential reasoning process: coarse assessment of possible abnormalities, detailed inspection of suspicious regions, and consultation-based reasoning to reduce uncertainty. To provide more reliable and interpretable decision support for histopathology-based cancer diagnosis, we propose the cognitive simulation network (CSNet), which draws inspiration from pathologists' sequential diagnostic workflow. First, the multi-view fuzzy assessment module integrates frequency, texture, and gradient cues through learnable fuzzy membership functions to estimate view-level abnormality degrees, providing an initial assessment of suspicious pathological evidence. Guided by this assessment, the gradient-guided fuzzy modulator converts abnormality information into spatial guidance, enhancing informative high-gradient morphological responses while suppressing redundant low-informative regions. Based on the modulated representations, the uncertainty-guided multi-expert synergy mechanism estimates diagnostic uncertainty and coordinates multiple expert branches to generate consensus representations for reliable prediction. Extensive experiments on Kather-5 K, LC25000, LC25000-clean, and a collected cervical cancer histopathology dataset demonstrate that CSNet achieves superior performance, with accuracies of 97.673%, 99.964%, 97.920%, and 99.861%, respectively. Ablation studies validate the effectiveness of the proposed designs, and statistical analyses confirm the reliability of the observed improvements. Meanwhile, robustness evaluations and comparative visualizations demonstrate stable performance and more consistent responses in diagnostically relevant tissue regions, highlighting the potential of CSNet for reliable histopathology-based cancer diagnosis.

Early detection of inflammation is critical for preventing disease progression, and nuclear medicine plays a pivotal role in this context. Imaging modalities such as single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) enable the early identification of functional abnormalities through the use of targeted radiotracers that specifically localize inflammatory processes. In this regard, antibiotic-loaded nanoparticles have emerged as a promising platform for inflammation imaging, integrating diagnostic capabilities with potential therapeutic functionality. Among these systems, chitosan-based nanocarriers (CS-NPs), a nano-polymeric pharmaceutical excipient, were employed for the encapsulation of the antibiotic cefadroxil (CDX). The formulation was prepared via a simple ionic gelation (cross-linking) technique. The physicochemical properties of the resulting nanoparticles were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential analysis, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Drug encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity were subsequently quantified by UV-visible spectrophotometry. For imaging applications, CDX-loaded CS-NPs (400 µg) were radiolabeled with technetium-99m in the presence of stannous chloride (50 µg) as a reducing agent, yielding a complex with a radiochemical efficiency of 94 ± 1.3%. The resulting 99mTc-CDX-CS-NPs demonstrated excellent in vitro stability in fresh serum for up to 6 hours, which is suitable for diagnostic imaging applications. In vivo biodistribution studies in murine models of both septic and aseptic inflammation revealed significant tracer accumulation at infected and inflamed sites, with high target-to-non-target (T/NT) ratios of 8.55 and 6.02 after 2 hours post-injection, respectively. These findings suggest the developed radiotracer's ability to effectually localize septic and aseptic foci, irrespective of their underlying etiology.