Search

This study investigates laser-induced damage in thin silicon (Si) wafer ablation both experimentally and numerically. A 40-W continuous-wave CO2 laser is employed as the volumetric heat source. Experiments are conducted that involve variations in the laser cutting speed from 5 to 20 mm/s and the number of passes from one to three while maintaining a constant laser power of 40 W for investigation. The measured output parameters include surface morphologies, heat-affected zone (HAZ), and kerf width. For the first time, a finite element solution based on the brittle–ductile transition (BDT) phenomenon is introduced to predict temperature-stress gradients in the laser cutting region. Johnson–Cook (J-C) plasticity, along with the introduced damage criteria, are employed to analyse the cutting characteristics. The results show that the lowest CO2 laser speed and minimal number of passes enhance Si wafer quality. Nevertheless, increasing cutting speed and the number of passes significantly intensify material ablation and oxidisation due to elevated laser heat input. Using optimal parameters, numerical analysis shows a high level of agreement with experimental findings. Transverse/longitudinal stresses correlate with temperature, while the longitudinal stress is substantially lower compared to the transverse stresses due to thermal expansion and the direction of heat transfer. Following that, computed assessments of compressive and tensile stresses are used to refine specific laser parameters and locations for experimental setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pediatric oro-pharyngeal trauma is a common observation in hospital accidents & emergencies reception. Immense responsibility rests with specialized health care providers to instantly diagnose and manage a rather small proportion of life-threatening complication associated with such injuries. Postero-lateral oropharyngeal trauma carries a significant risk of major neurovascular insult. More-over such patients are exposed to high radiation exposure to face, head & neck regions. A multi-disciplinary approach involving high dependency nursing, neuro-observation, meticulous imaging, prompt surgical exploration where indicated and a cautious follow-up must be considered as neurovascular manifestation may become apparent after some days of initial injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-derived messengers which have been playing an important role in the inflammation and pathogenesis of lung diseases. EVs contain varieties of DNA, RNA, and membrane receptors through which they work as a delivery system for bioactive molecules as well as intracellular communicators. EV signaling mediates tumor progression and metastasis. EVs are linked with many diseases and perform a diagnostic role in lung injury and inflammation so are used to diagnose the severity of diseases. EVs containing a variety of biomolecules communicate with the recipient cells during pathophysiological mechanisms thereby acquiring the attention of clinicians toward the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of EVs in different lung diseases. In this review, we summarize the role of EVs in inflammation with an emphasis on their potential as a novel candidate in the diagnostics and therapeutics of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and sarcoidosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mounting evidence links systemic innate immunity with cancer immune surveillance. In advanced metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), Black patients have been found to have increased inflammatory markers and longer survival after sipuleucel-T (sip-T) therapy, an FDA-approved, autologous cell therapy. We hypothesized these differences may be explained by previously reported ancestral differences in pattern recognition receptor signaling, which broadly governs innate inflammation to control adaptive immune cell activation, chemotaxis, and functionality. We discovered that peripheral blood mononuclear cell IFN-β responses to Toll-like receptor 1/2 (TLR1/2), a sensor of bacterial and gut microbiome constituents, associated with significantly longer survival after sip-T therapy in two separate cohorts of men with mCRPC (discovery cohort: n = 106, HR = 0.12; P = 0.019; validation cohort: n = 28, HR < 0.01; P = 0.047). Higher IFN-β induction after TLR1/2 stimulation was associated with lower HRs than biomarkers of vaccine potency and other prognostic factors in mCRPC. TLR1/2-dependent cytokine induction was stronger in Black individuals (1.2-fold higher for IFN-β; P = 0.04) but was associated with survival independently of race or numbers of vaccine-induced tumor antigen-specific T cells. IFN-β responses to TLR1/2 signaling correlated with increased numbers of IFN-γ producing T cells after broad, tumor antigen-independent stimulation. Thus, peripheral innate immunity differs by race, may predict survival after sip-T, and associates with peripheral T-cell functionality in men with mCRPC., Significance: The identification of factors that determine successful cancer immunotherapy, particularly in refractory tumor types like mCRPC, is urgently needed: both to identify patients that may benefit from such therapies and to uncover routes to sensitize patients with cancer to immunotherapy. Our work links functional peripheral immune responses with race and survival after cellular immunotherapy in men with mCRPC., (©2024 The Authors; Published by the American Association for Cancer Research.)

Sipuleucel-T (sip-T) is the only FDA-approved autologous cellular immunotherapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). To elucidate parameters of the response profile to this therapy, we report high-dimensional analyses of sip-T using cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF) and show a lymphoid predominance, with CD3+ T cells constituting the highest proportion (median ∼60%) of sip-T, followed by B cells, and natural killer (NK) and NKT cells. We hypothesized that treatment of sip-T with homeostatic cytokines known to activate/expand effector lymphocytes could augment efficacy against prostate tumors. Of the cytokines tested, IL15 was the most effective at enhancing activation and proliferation of effector lymphocytes, as well as augmenting tumor cytotoxicity in vitro. Co-culture of sip-T with IL15 and control or prostate-relevant antigens showed substantial activation and expansion of CD8+ T cells and NKT cells in an antigen-specific manner. Adoptive transfer of IL15-treated sip-T into NSG mice resulted in more potent prostate tumor growth inhibition compared with control sip-T. Evaluation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes revealed a 2- to 14-fold higher influx of sip-T and a significant increase in IFNγ producing CD8+ T cells and NKT cells within the tumor microenvironment in the IL15 group. In conclusion, we put forward evidence that IL15 treatment can enhance the functional antitumor immunity of sip-T, providing rationale for combining IL15 or IL15 agonists with sip-T to treat patients with mCRPC., (©2024 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Ab initio calculations were performed to determine the sensing behavior of g-C 3 N 4 and Li metal-doped g-C 3 N 4 (Li/g-C 3 N 4 ) quantum dots toward toxic compounds acetamide (AA), benzamide (BA), and their thio-analogues, namely, thioacetamide (TAA) and thiobenzamide (TAA). For optimization and interaction energies, the ωB97XD/6-31G(d,p) level of theory was used. Interaction energies ( E int ) illustrate the high thermodynamic stabilities of the designed complexes due to the presence of the noncovalent interactions. The presence of electrostatic forces in some complexes is also observed. The observed trend of E int in g-C 3 N 4 complexes was BA > TAA > AA > TBA, while in Li/g-C 3 N 4 , the trend was BA > AA > TBA > TAA. The electronic properties were studied by frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and natural bond orbital analyses. According to FMO, lithium metal doping greatly enhanced the conductivity of the complexes by generating new HOMOs near the Fermi level. A significant amount of charge transfer was also observed in complexes, reflecting the increase in charge conductivity. NCI and QTAIM analyses evidenced the presence of significant noncovalent dispersion and electrostatic forces in Li/g-C 3 N 4 and respective complexes. Charge decomposition analysis gave an idea of the transfer of charge density between quantum dots and analytes. Finally, TD-DFT explained the optical behavior of the reported complexes. The findings of this study suggested that both bare g-C 3 N 4 and Li/g-C 3 N 4 can effectively be used as atmospheric sensors having excellent adsorbing properties toward toxic analytes., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)