Precision Research (United States)

Poorly differentiated endometrial carcinoma in Black African women is under-characterized at the transcriptomic level, although it is known for aggressive subtypes. We conducted the first RNA-seq analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumors from Black South African women to explore population-specific gene expression, alternative splicing, and novel isoforms. Seventy-six FFPE tumor samples passed RNA quality thresholds (DV200 ≥ 30%) and were sequenced on the PacBio Onso™ short-read platform. StringTie assembled transcripts and estimated transcripts per million (TPMs); differential expression was quantified by mean log2 fold-change (|log2FC| ≥ 0.5). SUPPA2 computed percent spliced-in (PSI) values for five splicing event classes. Reactome over-representation analysis identified enriched pathways, and novel isoforms were validated by read coverage and expression support. Cohort-level analysis (n = 76) revealed the coordinated activation of signaling and broad repression of transcriptional programs. We detected 17,990 dysregulated transcripts (4,483 upregulated and 13,507 downregulated; range -4.81 to +2.99). Prominent upregulated transcripts included GJA1 (+2.99), GRN (+2.60), ZC3H3 (+2.58), PCSK4 (+2.55), HSPB7 (+2.55), BICRA (+2.49), LINC02692 (+2.23), MKNK2 (+2.03), and RARA (+0.76). Strong downregulation was observed for MRPL15 (-4.81), ZSCAN23 (-4.46), NUF2 (-4.37), RTN1 (-4.33), EIF3I (-4.31), CDC73 (-3.36), MYC (-2.96), FRS2 (-2.90), and zinc-finger factors including ZNF569 (-3.36), ZNF573 (-2.92), ZNF793 (-2.33), and ZNF382 (-1.87). Reactome enrichment linked the upregulated set to MAPK family/GPCR signaling, while the downregulated categories were associated with gene expression (transcription), RNA polymerase II transcription, cell cycle, and metabolism. Alternative splicing was pervasive, with recurrent high-magnitude events at cancer-relevant loci including GJA1 (SE), NF2 (A3/A5), LIN37 (A5), ECT2 (A3/A5), BCL2L11 (A3), UQCRH (A5), CSE1L (A3), BROX (A3), and multiple ZNFs. StringTie identified previously unannotated isoforms at LINC02692 (+2.23), LINC01605 (-0.62), ZNF793 (-2.33), ZNF382 (-1.87), and retained-intron transcripts at RAD51 (+1.30), RPS24 (-0.97), and RPS3A (-0.62). Poorly differentiated endometrial carcinomas in Black South African women show a distinct MAPK-linked activation pattern, along with transcriptional repression and extensive splicing changes. Aligning with findings in African Americans, this cohort highlights the unique aspects of isoform-resolved splicing and zinc-finger repression, suggesting that translational control, retinoid signaling, and RNA processing may be targets for biomarkers and therapy.

Purpose This paper aims to categorize the mechanical properties of eight percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) balloon catheters and translate them into clinical needs.Method Objective bench tests quantified PTCA balloon catheters' mechanical properties, including tensile strength, kink resistance, bending, torsional behavior, friction, radio-opacity, pushability, and trackability. The results were compared against each other and supplemented by a survey of interventional cardiologists.Results Clinical needs with respect to deliverability, dilatation efficiency, and crossability were assessed for each catheter. Results indicate that SC Maverick2 excels in deliverability and crossability but lags in dilatation efficiency compared to NC catheters, though it is rated best to fulfill clinical needs. SC EasyT outperforms Maverick2 in dilatation efficiency but has inferior deliverability, similar to NC catheters. The NC balloons were comparable. However, Accuforce exhibits highest deliverability, Pantera LEO shows superior dilatation efficiency, NC Emerge shows best crossability, and Sapphire NC24 exhibits lowest performance. According to the survey, Accuforce, Sapphire NC24, and NC Trek are favored over NC Emerge and Pantera LEO. OPN NC offers limited deliverability but can treat lesions where standard NC catheters fail due to its unique rated burst pressure. Trackability and pushability estimates align better with survey results than those obtained from simulated use-case tests, except for Sapphire NC24 and OPN NC. Torquability measurements show discrepancies with survey ratings, indicating additional influences and rating challenges.Conclusion Our study comprehensively analyzes PTCA balloon catheters, emphasizing the importance of integrating mechanical and design attributes throughout development. Performance properties like trackability and pushability were measured, providing unbiased insights for comparison independent of individual practitioner preferences.

Jointly developed by Himax IGI, 3D AG, and polyscale innovations GmbH, this white paper outlines an end-to-end fabrication workflow designed to scale micro- and nanostructures from concept to industrial production. The workflow initiates with Himax IGI, leveraging large-area lithographic origination on glass substrates. This is followed by the tooling phase at 3D AG, where electroforming is used to produce high quality nickel shims. These shims are subsequently converted into cylindrical sleeves through specialized precision laser welding and forming techniques. The final stage is executed by polyscale innovations GmbH, focusing on industrial nanoimprint replication and rigorous quality control for structural fidelity and scalability. Analysis of the replicated microstructures demonstrates exceptional precision: <ul> • Angular accuracy: Deviations between microstructures are limited to ±0.32° </ul> <ul> • Planar dimensions: Accuracy is maintained within ±0.39 μm </ul> <ul> • Vertical fidelity: Reproducible structure height accuracy of ±0.12 μm </ul> This collaboration successfully integrates three specialized technical domains - origination, tooling, and volume replication into a synchronized industrial process. The results validate that clearly defined interfaces and unified quality standards enable a reliable transition from complex laboratory designs to high-volume, industrial-grade manufacturing.

As new tactile technologies continually aim to improve the perceptive capabilities of humanoid systems, multiplexed monitoring methods—particularly those using electrical impedance tomography (EIT) hardware—are rapidly gaining popularity in soft robotics. Notably, their potential for system‐level adaptability is promising: by multiplexing between different electrodes, the amount and type of information being generated can be altered in real time, balancing accuracy and speed requirements across new environments and tasks. To solidify this approach, we introduce an approach —Economy‐of‐Touch —which poses tactile sensing as an information‐budgeting problem, enabling operating points to be identified across different tasks. We first propose a three‐part method of quantifying task complexity, grounded in image‐based similarity measures (normalized cross‐correlation, Chamfer distance, and edge‐based convex hulls) which capture both visual similarity and spatial distribution of the tactile stimuli. Validating our approach with thousands of real‐world EIT experiments, we then derive a task‐agnostic mapping between this complexity and the required amount of information: the task's operating point. Three tactile tasks (localization, classification, and pattern recognition) are evaluated with real‐world experiments, across which we demonstrate operating point MAEs as low as 0.659 channels for previously unseen data.

Abstract This paper presents a scalable digital twin solution designed to improve drilling equipment reliability amid increasingly demanding operational conditions. Built on three core pillars: data integration, advanced analytics, and human-centered design; the system combines real-time equipment monitoring with predictive models to quantify asset health and proactively address failure risks. A robust data pipeline processes over 200 GB of data daily, supporting Artificial Intelligence (AI)- and physics-based models that forecast the health of more than 7,200 components under varying geologic and operating conditions. Deployed across more than 100 rigs in 18 months, the solution reduced equipment-related downtime by more than 75%, failure-related credits by 95%, and normalized operating costs by 38%. Rigs using the system demonstrated a 13% year-over-year improvement in drilling performance and a 28% gain versus peers. Developed on a low-code, functional block programming platform, the system achieved commercial deployment within three months. This approach accelerated development, enabled rapid user feedback integration, and demonstrated a practical pathway for large-scale GenAI-enabled reliability solutions in drilling operations.

Abstract. Photolysis of HONO and O3 in the troposphere is a primary source of OH radical and a fundamental control on atmospheric oxidative capacity. Their vertical distributions and diurnal evolution are therefore essential for elucidating photochemical processes in the planetary boundary layer and the lower free troposphere. Yet long-term, continuous observations of the vertical profiles of HONO, O3, their photolysis frequencies, and the resulting OH production rates remain extremely limited, particularly at multi-regional and interannual scales. Here we present vertical profile measurements of HONO and O3 acquired by the Chinese Hyperspectral Vertical Remote Sensing Network during 2021–2024. The dataset comprises 22 representative sites spanning urban, suburban, plateau, and basin environments, covering diverse surface and climatic regimes. Profiles extend from the surface to 4 km with ~100 m vertical resolution and ~15 min temporal resolution. Using the TUV model with co-retrieved aerosol and trace-gas profiles, we derive photolysis frequencies of HONO and O3 and the corresponding OH production rates, P(OH)HONO and P(OH)O3. The observations reveal robust regional patterns in the diurnal and vertical structure of tropospheric photochemical activity. Photolysis frequencies peak near local noon and generally increase with altitude from the surface layer to the upper mixed layer and the lower free troposphere, whereas OH production rates reach their maxima within the boundary layer and decrease with height. Processed using a unified retrieval framework and rigorous quality control, this dataset provides quantitative constraints on the contribution of HONO and O3 photolysis to tropospheric OH, supports improved radical parameterizations in chemical transport models, and enables synergistic multi-platform remote sensing analyses. By delivering the first systematic, long-term vertical profiles of HONO, O3, and their OH production in China, this public dataset fills a critical observational gap and offers a robust basis for investigating the spatiotemporal evolution of tropospheric oxidative capacity across regions and altitude ranges, with substantial scientific significance and long-term applicability. The dataset is available for free at Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18489836, Zou et al., 2026).

The association between blood pressure (BP) and the mortality risk may vary depending on the comorbidities. This study was conducted to investigate the subgroup-specific correlation between systolic BP (SBP) and mortality in patients with coronary artery disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Clinical Deep Data Accumulation System for PCI (CLIDAS-PCI), a nation-wide multicenter database with seven tertiary medical hospitals in Japan, retrospectively collected data on patients undergoing PCI for acute coronary syndrome or stable coronary artery disease. Cubic spline curves modeled the relationship between SBP and all-cause death in the entire cohort and subgroups stratified by age, sex, diabetes, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, renal function and LV systolic function. We assessed the SBP, which minimizes mortality risk. A total of 8384 patients [71 [IQR 64, 78] years, 6494 (77%) male] with SBP at hospital discharge were analyzed. During 2.7 years of median follow-up, 695 deaths occurred. In the overall population, spline analysis demonstrated a nadir range of mortality risk around an SBP of 110-130 mmHg. Subgroup analyses revealed that elderly (age ≥ 80 years), those with renal dysfunction, and those with preserved LV systolic function had higher SBP levels associated with lowest risk. Conversely, patients <80 years, those with better renal function, and those with LV systolic dysfunction exhibited lower SBP levels at lowest risk. This study demonstrated differential association between SBP and mortality risk in various subgroups, highlighting the need for personalized BP management in multimorbid patients with coronary artery disease.

ABSTRACT Spectral analysis is a fundamental tool in science and technology, enabling precise characterization across disciplines ranging from materials science to biomedicine. As applications increasingly demand compact, integrable, and high‐performance optical systems, the miniaturization of spectrometers has become a central challenge. Conventional miniaturized spectrometers, however, are limited by a trade‐off between device footprint and spectral resolution, restricting their scalability to the micrometer scale. Low‐dimensional materials, with their exceptional optical and electronic properties, present new opportunities to overcome these constraints. Here, recent progress in spectrometers based on low‐dimensional materials, highlighting advances in material heterostructures, device architectures, and algorithm‐assisted reconstruction techniques is reviewed. These developments are enabling compact spectrometers that approach or surpass the performance of their larger counterparts. Notably, systems based on low‐dimensional materials offer the ability to extract high‐dimensional optical information, facilitating a transition from conventional narrowband analysis to broadband, multi‐parameter spectral reconstruction. Such capabilities position low‐dimensional material‐based spectrometers at the forefront of next‐generation optical sensing, with broad implications for integrated photonics, wearable systems, and intelligent instrumentation.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive malignancy and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although imaging modalities remain central to clinical practice, they rarely detect disease at the stage when curative intervention is possible. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been increasingly recognized for their potential in biomedical applications, particularly as biomarkers for liquid biopsies. However, conventional bulk analyzes average signals across heterogeneous vesicle populations, obscuring the contribution of rare tumor-derived EVs that could serve as critical indicators of the early stages of cancer. Single EV analysis (sEVA) technologies have emerged to address this challenge by enabling high-resolution characterization of individual vesicles, enhancing analytical sensitivity, and offering strong potential for clinical translation. In this review, we focus on the emerging role of sEVA technologies in reshaping liquid biopsy-based early detection and clinical management of PC. By integrating recent advances in EV biomarker development and current sEVA technologies, this review outlines a translational strategy for integrating sEVA into PC early detection frameworks and the key barriers to clinical implementation.

This research endeavors to thoroughly examine the expression patterns, clinical relevance, and possible regulatory networks of PHD finger protein 19 (PHF19) in pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PCPG). PHF19, known for its role in tumor biology, is being investigated as a potential prognostic biomarker and immunotherapy target in PCPG. We examined RNAseq data from 184 PCPG tissues and 3 normal tissues sourced from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), as well as 84 PCPG tissues and 6 normal adrenal tissues from the GSE19422 dataset. Utilizing R software, we conducted differential expression analysis, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox regression, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Additionally, PHF19 expression in PCPG cell lines was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In PCPG tumor tissues, the expression of PHF19 was markedly higher than that in normal tissues (mean expression: 4.014 ± 0.044 versus 2.886 ± 0.205, p = 0.001). ROC analysis yielded an AUC of 0.940 (95% CI: 0.881-0.999), indicating PHF19's potential as a diagnostic biomarker. Elevated PHF19 expression was significantly associated with worse overall survival (OS) (HR: 9.45; 95% CI: 1.11-80.09; p = 0.039). PHF19 expression was significantly associated with multiple biological pathways, including steroid hormone biosynthesis and immune-related processes. PHF19 expression positively correlated with central memory T cell (Tcm) and effector memory T cell (Tem) infiltration, while negatively correlating with B cell infiltration and immune checkpoint genes (e.g., CD274 and SIGLEC15). Additionally, PHF19 expression correlated with sensitivity to specific chemotherapeutic agents, including vinblastine and etoposide. The results imply that PHF19 could serve as a potential prognostic indicator and immunotherapy target in PCPG. Its association with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint genes suggests a multifaceted role in the tumor immune microenvironment. The correlation with drug sensitivity highlights the potential for PHF19 to influence treatment outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of further investigating PHF19 as a potential immunomodulatory node and biomarker in PCPG; however, functional validation is required before any therapeutic targeting can be advocated. This study establishes PHF19 as a potential prognostic indicator and immunotherapy target in PCPG, highlighting its immunomodulatory potential and the need to validate its therapeutic value functionally. Subsequent studies should focus on corroborating these results in broader cohorts and on probing the therapeutic prospects of targeting PHF19 in PCPG.