The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) is the second largest public research university in Zimbabwe, located in Bulawayo. It was established in 1991. On 8 April 1991, NUST opened for the first time with 270 students in three faculties. The number of academic staff was 28.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder defined by progressive memory loss and synaptic failure. For decades, therapeutic development has focused on clearing amyloid-beta plaques, yet the repeated clinical failures of this approach necessitate a fundamental paradigm shift toward the brain's immunometabolic landscape. The "Viral Mimicry" hypothesis posits that AD represents a state of sterile autoimmunity where the innate immune system mistakenly identifies self-nucleic acids as viral pathogens. This "ghost war" is ignited by the convergence of metabolic dysfunction and genomic instability: specifically, the leakage of mitochondrial DNA into the cytosol and the epigenetic derepression of ancient retrotransposons (LINE-1, HERVs). These endogenous ligands activate the cGAS-STING cytosolic sensing axis, a pathway that drives a chronic interferon response. Consequently, microglia and astrocytes are transformed into senescent, pro-inflammatory phenotypes that release a toxic Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP), directly fueling synaptic elimination. Crucially, major genetic risk factors, including APOE4 and TREM2 variants, exacerbate this cascade by compromising mitochondrial integrity and lipid metabolism, thereby sensitizing the brain to innate surveillance failure. By reconceptualizing AD as an acquired interferopathy driven by the "enemy within," this framework highlights novel therapeutic targets. Specifically, repurposing Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs) to block retrotransposition and deploying senolytics to clear dysfunctional glia offer promising strategies to arrest the progression from healthy aging to cognitive decline. This review synthesizes current research on the molecular mechanisms of viral mimicry, detailing the impact of genetic risk factors and evaluating emerging therapeutic interventions targeting this innate immune axis.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a central regulator and driver of lung cancer progression. Within this TME, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) serve as key mediators of crosstalk between tumor cells and the surrounding stroma. CAFs promote immunosuppression, remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM), induce abnormal hypoxia and altered metabolism, and contribute to therapeutic resistance. These effects arise through dynamic interactions with cancer cells, cancer stem cells, and other stromal and immune components in the TME. Recent studies have revealed substantial heterogeneity among lung CAFs, with distinct subsets identified by specific marker proteins. This heterogeneity is associated with distinct secretory profiles that support tumor growth. The present review summarizes current understanding of the roles of CAFs in lung cancer progression and therapy resistance. We outline emerging strategies for targeting lung CAFs, including disrupting their signaling pathways, inhibiting ECM remodeling, and blocking CAF-derived secreted factors. In addition, we address the conflicting roles of CAFs in responses to immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of novel approaches, including nanoparticle-based delivery systems, small-molecule inhibitors, natural compounds, and repurposed drugs.
This work presents a terahertz (THz) glucose biosensor based on a graphene–gold hybrid metasurface that combines strong plasmonic confinement with electrical tunability. The sensor was numerically analysed using the finite element method, and its performance was evaluated over a refractive index range of 1.335–1.347 RIU, corresponding to glucose-induced variations in blood and interstitial fluid. The optimized structure achieved a maximum sensitivity of 1000 GHz·RIU⁻1, with a constant full width at half maximum of 0.068 THz, yielding a figure of merit and detection accuracy of 14.706 RIU⁻1. The resonance frequency exhibited a linear dependence on both glucose concentration (R2 = 1.00) and refractive index (R2 = 0.85). Bayesian ridge regression was employed to model the relationship between resonance characteristics and sensing parameters, achieving high predictive accuracy with quantified uncertainty. The results demonstrate the potential of graphene–gold metasurfaces for high-performance, non-invasive THz glucose sensing.
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is used to fabricate the complex and customized parts for advanced engineering applications; however, there remains a limited comparative understanding of how different 3D printed parts (core geometries) with the combination of other polymer matrix material (sandwich composite structures) influence under different loading conditions. To address this gap, the present study investigates the mechanical behaviour of sandwich structures incorporating hexagonal, triangular, and tri-hexagonal cores under low velocity impact (LVI) and compression after impact (CAI) loading conditions. The cores were fabricated from polylactic acid (PLA) with a 10
The development of less expensive, stable, and effective nanocomposites to replace high-cost and rare noble metals (e.g., Pt, Au, and Pd) in overcoming the slow kinetic process of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is vital to satisfy the demand for sustainable energy storage and conversion in the future. This work presents a comparative investigation of MnO2–Fe3O4/C and Mn2O3–Fe3O4/C hybrid nanocomposites to assess their potential as dual-functional electromaterial for battery-type hybrid supercapacitors and ORR applications. Both nanocomposites were synthesized via a simple, cost-effective co-precipitation method and characterized by using XRD, Raman, FESEM/EDX, and BET, which established the successful formation of porous hybrid architectures to facilitate the rapid electron and ion transport. Electrochemical tests, assessed using GCD, EIS, CV, and LSV, show that the MnO2–Fe3O4/C composite has a specific capacity of 294.98 C/g and a minimum charge-transfer resistance (Rct) of 18.802 Ω compared to the Mn2O3–Fe3O4/C electrode. The MnO2–Fe3O4/C composite has retained 99.65
