United States Air Force

Obesity can lead to various forms of brain damage and cognitive impairments. The neuropathological mechanism may involve brain iron deposition and changes in cerebral blood flow perfusion. This study aims to use Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) to quantitatively assess brain iron deposition and Cerebral Blood Flow (CBF) in patients with obesity, and to explore their patterns of alteration and association with cognitive impairment. 37 patients with obesity and 45 controls underwent 3.0 T MRI and cognitive assessment. We compared susceptibility and cerebral blood flow values within automatically segmented regions of the interest and analyzed associations with cognition using partial correlations. Patients displayed increased iron in the left nucleus accumbens and bilateral red nuclei (p = 0.001, p = 0.001, p < 0.001) and abnormal perfusion in the right cerebellum, right middle frontal gyrus, left putamen, and right anterior cingulate gyrus (p < 0.001). Furthermore, iron deposition correlated with cognitive impairment. This study suggests that obese patients may exhibit iron deposition and perfusion abnormalities in certain areas of the brain. Bilateral red nuclei iron deposition is closely related to cognitive impairment. The multimodal combined application of QSM and ASL provides imaging evidence for revealing the impact of obesity on brain structure and function, and also provides potential biomarkers for targeted interventions in the future.

Hypertension remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although effective antihypertensive therapies are available, sustained blood pressure control remains suboptimal due to inconsistent medication use. Most adherence research is quantitative and offers limited understanding of how individuals interpret lifelong treatment within daily life, particularly in culturally grounded contexts. To explore the lived experiences of Filipino adults taking antihypertensive medication. A qualitative study grounded in Heideggerian interpretive phenomenology was conducted. Ten Filipino adults diagnosed with hypertension were purposively recruited from outpatient clinics in Manila, Philippines. In-depth semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using the six-step IPA framework. Analysis revealed six interconnected themes describing how participants interpreted and sustained medication use: (1) Diagnosis as Disruption; (2) Medication as Protection and Responsibility; (3) The Paradox of the Silent Illness; (4) Everyday Barriers to Sustained Treatment; (5) Constructing Routine and Adaptive Self-Management; and (6) Family as Anchor within Cultural Contexts. These themes reflected emotional adjustment, symptom-driven adherence, financial and work-related barriers, adaptive coping strategies, and strong family-centered motivation. Medication-taking was experienced as an ongoing negotiation shaped by bodily cues, daily demands, and relational obligations. Conclusion: Antihypertensive medication use is shaped by relational, cultural, and socioeconomic contexts, underscoring the need for family-inclusive and culturally responsive hypertension care.

The lung, a key organ for oxygen exchange, is particularly susceptible to high-altitude hypoxic stress. Hypoxia induces vascular impairment, which is characterized by vascular inflammatory responses and aging-like changes. Lipid metabolism has been shown to be closely associated with cellular homeostasis and membrane balance. However, the alterations in pulmonary lipid metabolism in response to high-altitude hypoxia are not fully characterized. In this study, model mice were subjected to a hypobaric chamber at an altitude of 5500m for 3 days, and pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were cultured under 1% oxygen for 18h to simulate the effects of acute severe hypoxia. High-altitude hypoxia significantly disrupted lung sphingolipid metabolism, accompanied by inflammation and aging-like changes in mice. Moreover, C24-Ceramide (Cer) and its synthase (CERS2) were significantly increased in PMVECs. C24-Cer was identified to bind to voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1) (a mitochondrial outer membrane protein), which promoted mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) release and subsequently induced the inflammation and aging-like changes by activating the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase-stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS-STING) pathway. Inhibition of C24-Cer or VDAC1 oligomerization by si-Cers2 or VBIT-4 could significantly reduce mtDNA release and alleviate inflammation and aging-like changes in the PMVECs and lung tissue under hypoxia. Our present work provides a novel and potential therapeutic target for high-altitude hypoxia-related vascular diseases.

osed with pulmonary nodules, were selected as study subjects.Methods: Univariate and multivariate stratified regression analyses were conducted to explore influencing factors of disease

The oxidative balance score (OBS) integrates dietary and lifestyle factors to reflect oxidative stress. OBS has been associated with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), but the modifying roles of genetic predisposition and gut microbiota remain unclear. This study evaluated the prospective association between OBS and MASLD and potential modification by genetic and microbial factors. We analyzed 182601 UK Biobank participants free of MASLD at baseline. OBS was calculated from 16 dietary and 4 lifestyle components. Incident MASLD cases were identified from hospital and death records. Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). During a median 10.5 years of follow-up, 1500 participants developed MASLD. Compared with the lowest OBS quartile, adjusted HRs (95% CIs) were 0.82 (0.71-0.94), 0.71 (0.61-0.83), and 0.68 (0.58-0.81) for the second, third, and fourth quartiles (p-trend<0.001). MASLD genetic risk score (GRS) and microbial GRSs for Ruminococcus torques and Sutterella were associated with MASLD risk but did not modify the OBS-MASLD association (all p-interaction>0.05). Higher OBS was associated with lower MASLD risk, independent of genetic and microbial GRSs. These findings provide prospective association evidence that may inform future intervention studies.

This study presents the structural design and simulation of a 50 kg-class microsatellite developed for compatibility with the JAXA Epsilon launch vehicle. A hybrid architecture combining Aluminum 7075-T6 and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) was employed to meet stringent mass, stiffness, and vibration requirements. The final structure, measuring 480 × 488 × 550 mm, achieved a total mass of 45 kg, falling within the required launch envelope. Finite element simulations were conducted using ANSYS 2024R2 to evaluate modal, sine-sweep, random vibration, and shock responses under launch-induced conditions. The first three natural frequencies, 118.99 Hz (X-axis), 123.77 Hz (Y-axis), and 240.42 Hz (Z-axis), surpassed the required thresholds, avoiding resonance with vehicle-induced excitations. Vibration analyses confirmed that peak acceleration responses remained within safe operational margins, with sine-sweep, random vibration, and shock responses showing no modal amplification. Component-level stress simulations revealed von Mises stress values well below material limits across all critical subsystems. These results validate the structural integrity and dynamic survivability of the hybrid microsatellite, demonstrating its readiness for spaceflight.

Aim . To analyze the results of surgical treatment of patients with peripheral artery pseudoaneurysmf after shrapnel wounds in a field hospital within Special Military Operation. Material and methods. From February 1, 2025 to July 1, 2025, 15 reconstructive surgeries for post-traumatic peripheral artery aneurysms were performed. All patients were men under 44 years of age. The time of aneurysm diagnostics always exceeded 21 days due to the absence of its specific symptoms. In 73,3% of cases, bleeding developed during injury, which was stopped by applying a compression bandage or tourniquet. In 19,5±3,5 days after injury, as a result of aneurysm growth, progression of perivascular edema and inflammation, symptoms of peripheral neuropathy appeared in 80% of cases. Results. In 80%, the pseudoaneurysm diameter reached 3-5 cm. In all cases, mural thrombosis of its cavity was determined. In 1 patient, arteriovenous fistula was detected. There were following pseudoaneurysm locations: axillary artery — 26,7%, brachial artery — 20%, popliteal artery — 13,3%, posterior tibial artery — 13,3%, superficial femoral artery — 13,3%, radial artery — 6,7%, deep femoral artery — 6,7%. In 53,3%, autovenous grafting with reversed great saphenous vein was performed, while in 46,7% — artery section resection with end-to-end anastomosis. In all cases, no complications were recorded. After 19,5±2,5 days after the intervention, neuropathy regressed in 7 out of 12 patients. Patients with remaining neurological symptoms were evacuated to the next stages of rehabilitation. The rest returned to military service. Conclusion . In a shrapnel wound of the extremities, vessel ultrasound should be routinely performed in order to search for signs of an asymptomatic pseudoaneurysm. The choice of surgical technique should always be individualized, taking into account the lesion topography. A pronounced cicatrization and close location of peripheral nerves create technical difficulties in isolating arteries and removing an aneurysm.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a critical window for intervention before Alzheimer's disease progression. This study investigated whether high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) could modulate white matter microstructure and thereby influence cognitive function. Twenty-four patients with MCI received 10 sessions of active HD-tDCS over the L-DLPFC. White matter integrity was assessed using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to quantify fractional anisotropy in corticospinal tracts (CSTs) and anterior thalamic radiations (ATR). Cognitive function was evaluated with the trail making test B (TMT-B), mini-mental state examination (MMSE), and Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) at baseline and postintervention. Forty healthy controls provided baseline DTI data. At baseline, patients with MCI showed significantly reduced fractional anisotropy in the bilateral CST and ATR compared with healthy controls. Following HD-tDCS, increases in fractional anisotropy were observed in these tracts. While MMSE and MoCA scores showed no significant change, TMT-B performance appeared to improve. Notably, increased fractional anisotropy in the left ATR showed an association with improved TMT-B performance (r = 0.467, P < 0.05). The findings suggest that HD-tDCS targeting the L-DLPFC may promote microstructural remodeling in white matter tracts, evidenced by elevated fractional anisotropy within the corticospinal and anterior thalamic pathways. While global cognitive measures remained stable, a trend toward improved executive function (TMT-B) was observed, potentially associated with left ATR fractional anisotropy enhancement. This positions HD-tDCS as a candidate neuromodulatory intervention for MCI, warranting further investigation to confirm functional outcomes.