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The instability of emulsions depended on participation of many physical structures in the emulsion. The walnut oil emulsion stabilized by sunflower phospholipid was used to study the potential relationship between the micro-structures in aqueous phase and the overall physicochemical stability of the emulsion. The vesicles and micro- structures (<70 nm, containing trace amounts of triglycerides) was observed by Cryo-TEM in the aqueous phase of emulsions. The content of triglycerides decreased gradually with the instability of the emulsion. The increase of phospholipid concentration inhibited the formation of lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH). However, the degradation of LOOH occurred preferentially in the aqueous micro- structures of high concentrations of phospholipids emulsions. These micro- structures did not affect the distribution of LOOH in the initial emulsion, but affected the distribution of malondialdehyde (MDA). This study provided insights into understanding the oxidative stability of emulsions - highlighting the role of micro- structures in the aqueous phase., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Combining the fluorescent probe, smartphone and lateral flow assay (LFA) to form a new detecting system, which will meet the requirements of rapid, convenient and on-site analysis of Cys. In this study, BDP-SINO based on BODIPY was developed and displayed high signal-to-noise ratio (363-fold) and fast response speed (1.0 min) for monitoring Cys. Simultaneously, BDP-SINO was successfully utilized to determine Cys in various liquid and solid extraction samples. With the assistance of a smartphone, BDP-SINO loaded test strips and microporous filter membranes could be utilized for portable, real-time visualization and quantitative detection of Cys. Furthermore, the combination of smartphone, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), and LFA provided new detecting system for qualitative detection of Cys. Besides, BDP-SINO had good biocompatibility and was able to fluorescently image Cys in living cells and mice. In summary, the detection system based on BDP-SINO realized identification of Cys in diverse application scenarios., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Cisplatin is an effective anti-cancer drug with limited clinical applications due to ototoxicity. Resveratrol, known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has been reported to mitigate these adverse effects, although the underlying mechanism remains under-researched., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of resveratrol on cisplatin-induced ototoxicity., Methods: Ototoxicity was modeled in House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 (HEI-OC1) cells by cisplatin exposure, followed by interventions using thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) siRNA transfection, MitoQ, or resveratrol. Apoptosis and proliferation were quantitatively assessed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and Ki67 immunostaining. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting were used to measure the changes in mRNA and protein levels. Flow cytometry and enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to analyze pyroptotic cells and inflammatory responses. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was tracked using 2', 7'- dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) staining and flow cytometry. Mitochondrial Membrane Potential (MMP) and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening levels were analyzed through tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) staining and specific reagent kits, respectively. Lastly, immunofluorescence staining and co-immunoprecipitation were employed to investigate the co-localization and interactions between TXNIP and thioredoxin (TRX)/NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) proteins., Results: Cisplatin exacerbated apoptosis, suppressed cell proliferation, and upregulated NLRP3, pro-Caspase-1, cleaved Caspase-1, Gasdermin D (GSDMD), GSDMD-N, and TXNIP expression. Concurrently, cisplatin resulted in increased pyroptotic cells and increased interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-18, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels. These effects were mitigated by TXNIP knockdown. Furthermore, cisplatin led to elevated cellular ROS and mitochondrial ROS (mtROS), decreased MMP, and inhibited MPTP opening. Cisplatin reduced the colocalization and interaction between TRX and TXNIP while enhancing those between TXNIP and NLRP3. These changes were attenuated by MitoQ. Resveratrol displayed effects similar to those of TXNIP knockdown and MitoQ treatment., Conclusion: Resveratrol alleviated the toxic effects of cisplatin on cochlear hair cells by inhibiting cell pyroptosis process mediated by the mtROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 pathway., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: Not all breast cancer (BC) patients can benefit from neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). A poor response may result in patients missing the best opportunity for treatment, ultimately leading to a poor prognosis. Thus, to identify an effective predictor that can assess and predict patient response at early time points, we focused on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which is a vital noninvasive liquid biopsy biomarker. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the predictive value of response by monitoring ctDNA at four time points of NAT using pathologic complete response (pCR) and residual cancer burden (RCB)., Methods: By searching Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science until December 24, 2023, we selected studies concerning the relationship between ctDNA and response or prognosis. We analysed the results at the following various time points: baseline (T0), first cycle of NAT (T1), mid-treatment (MT), and end of NAT (EOT). pCR and RCB were used to evaluate the response as the primary endpoint. The secondary endpoint was to investigate the relationship between ctDNA and prognosis. Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) were used as effect indicators., Results: Thirteen reports from twelve studies were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that ctDNA negativity was associated with pCR at T1 (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.21-0.57), MT (OR = 0.35; 95% CI: 0.20-0.60), and EOT (OR = 0.38; 95% CI: 0.22-0.66). When RCB was used to evaluate responses, ctDNA negativity was associated with RCB-0/I at the MT (OR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.21-0.55) and EOT (OR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.15-0.46). Furthermore, ctDNA positivity at T1 predicted a worse prognosis for patients (HR = 2.73; 95% CI: 1.29-5.75). We also performed a subgroup analysis to more accurately assess the predictive value of ctDNA for triple-negative breast cancer., Conclusions: Our meta-analysis suggested that the ctDNA status at the early stage of NAT can predict patient response, which provides evidence for adjusting personalized treatment strategies and improving patient survival., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42024496465., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

In this study, three BODIPY-based fluorescent probes were designed and synthesized. The ultraviolet-visible spectra, fluorescence spectra, smartphone color recognition application and bioimaging were utilized to evaluate the capacity of the probes. By comparing key parameters, BDP-SIN had optimal performances including fastest response (10 min), highest signal-to-noise ratio (815 times) and lowest limit of detection (LOD = 49 nM). The recovery rate ranged from 92.04 % to 103.25 %. Meanwhile, BDP-SIN was triumphantly employed for determination of Cys in different daily food samples. Moreover, the test strips and microporous filter membrane loaded with BDP-SIN were developed for the portable real-time visualization and quantitative detection of Cys in food samples, which the contents ranged from 0.27 μM to 0.49 μM. Besides, BDP-SIN could image Cys in the living cells and mice. The novelty of this work was that developed an effective tool for researching the roles of Cys in food industry and living organisms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

NH 3  is the most important alkaline gas in the atmosphere and functions as a precursor to secondary ammonium salts. Therefore, identifying its sources and quantifying its emissions is imperative. NH 4 + represents a principal component of atmospheric particulate pollutants. As particulate matter acts as a condensation nucleus for wet deposition, the NH 4 + concentrations in precipitation are typically elevated. During the evaporation process of wet deposition, NH 4 + is likely to be re-emitted as a gas (NH 3 ). In Northeast China, heavy and frequent snowfall occurs, making it crucial to elucidate the NH 3 release flux and the factors influencing this release during the snow evaporation process in representative cities of this region. This study collected snow samples from five notable snowfall events in Changchun, Jilin Province that occurred from November 2023 to March 2024, to conduct indoor simulated evaporation experiments (among them, the actual phase changes of two snowfall events consisted mainly of evaporation, whereas those of the other three events consisted mainly of sublimation). The results indicated that during the snow evaporation process, the average ratio (R) of NH 4 +  re-emitted as NH 3 was 39.28 ± 12.07%. The average release flux (F) was 1624.58 ± 2064.5 μg/m 2 , and the average release rate (V) was 361.33 ± 465.31 ng/(m 2 ·s). Within the 100-m atmospheric boundary layer, the total NH 3 flux that was released subsequently during the evaporation of all snowfall events in Changchun during the study period was 46.97 mg/m 2 . The average release flux for individual snowfall events was 688.66 μg/m 2 , which constituted approximately 2.44% of the NH 3 concentration documented in the winter atmosphere of Changchun. During the snow evaporation or sublimation process, R was positively correlated with the environmental temperature (P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with both the environmental wind speed and snowfall amount (P < 0.05). Significant variations in R were observed across multiple functional areas, which were ranked in descending order as follows: commercial areas (R = 26.16%), residential areas (R = 22.01%), cultural and educational areas (R = 20.7%), and industrial areas (R = 18.01%). The influence of a snow-melting agent (NaCl) on the conversion rate of NH 3 initially increased but then subsequently decreased as the dose increased. The lowest measured value (R = 22.02%) was 0 mg/L, whereas the peak measured value (R = 30.31%) was attained at a concentration of 200 mg/L. The findings of this research are important for illuminating the cycling process of NH 3 in the atmosphere and for the comprehensive management of air quality., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To address the challenge of runoff prediction in cold alpine regions with complex spatial distributions, this study proposes an integrated "Water-Soil-Hseat" framework for runoff modeling. This framework incorporates key factors such as precipitation, glacier meltwater, soil spatial distribution, and temperature-induced melt processes, providing a more comprehensive understanding of runoff generation mechanisms. Precipitation and glacier meltwater serve as the primary hydrological variables, while soil spatial distribution acts as an impact factor, and temperature-induced melt processes drive the runoff. The model uses these factors to dynamically simulate hydrological behavior under different topographical conditions. By combining a glacier module, a non-glacial area grid runoff generation model (GRGM), and an improved Transformer-based sequence model, the study develops a hybrid runoff prediction model-Glacier-GRGM-Transformer. The model is validated using daily runoff data from the Tailan River Basin from 2001 to 2020. The results show that the dynamic optimization of the Glacier-GRGM runoff generation model achieves a relative error of 6.79 % and a coefficient of determination of 0.97, indicating that the model effectively simulates the runoff generation process of the watershed. The Glacier-GRGM-Transformer runoff prediction model demonstrates strong predictive capability in short-term forecasts, particularly within the first 4 days, with NSE values consistently exceeding 0.7. For forecast periods longer than 2-3 days, the model still provides reasonable forecasts, though with some decrease in accuracy, demonstrating its adaptability over longer timescales. Compared to the SRM and GRU-Transformer models, the Glacier-GRGM-Transformer model outperforms in both prediction accuracy and stability, further validating the adaptability and effectiveness of the "Water-Soil-Heat" framework in complex environments. This study not only effectively captures the spatial heterogeneity of runoff mechanisms but also enhances the model's ability to simulate and predict mixed runoff in complex environments by integrating both glacier and non-glacier hydrological modules. The research provides important scientific insights for hydrological simulation and forecasting in cold alpine regions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study aims to assess the predictive value of certain markers of inflammation in patients with locally advanced or recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer who are undergoing treatment with anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) therapy. A total of 105 patients with cervical cancer, who received treatment involving immunocheckpoint inhibitors (ICIs), were included in this retrospective study. We collected information on various peripheral blood indices, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and prognostic nutritional index (PNI). To determine the appropriate cutoff values for these inflammatory markers, we performed receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Progression-free survival (PFS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and we conducted both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to evaluate the prognostic value of these markers. Out of the 105 patients who received ICI treatment, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 19.0 months. We obtained the patients' clinical characteristics, such as age, pathological type, therapy regimen, Figo stage, NLR, PLR, LMR, SII, and PNI from their medical records. The optimal cutoff values for NLR, PLR, LMR, SII, and PNI were determined as 3.76, 218.1, 3.34, 1147.7, 43.75, respectively. In the univariate analysis, age, pathological type, therapy regimen, Figo stage, and LMR were not found to be associated with PFS. However, high NLR(P=0.001), high PLR(P<0.001), high SII(P<0.001), and low PNI (P=0.003)were all associated with shorter PFS. Multivariate analysis indicated that SII (P=0.017) was an independent risk factor for PFS. This study highlights the potential use of SII as a predictor of progression-free survival in cervical cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: This study was approved by the ethical committee of The Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Yancheng City No.1 People’s Hospital., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Osteoporosis presents a marked global public health challenge, characterized by deficient osteogenesis and a deteriorating immune microenvironment. Conventional clinical interventions primarily target osteoclast-mediated bone damage, yet lack a comprehensive therapeutic approach that balances bone formation and resorption. Herein, we introduce a bone-targeted nanocomposite, A-Z@Pd(H), designed to address these challenges by integrating diverse functional components. The nanocomposite incorporates internal hydrogen-carrying nanozymes, which effectively scavenge multiple reactive oxygen species (ROS) and synergistically engage the autophagy-lysosome pathway to accelerate endogenous ROS degradation in macrophages. This mechanism disrupts the vicious cycle of autophagic dysfunction-ROS accumulation-macrophage inflammation. In addition, external metal-organic frameworks release zinc ions (Zn 2+ ) in response to the acidic osteoporotic environment, thereby promoting osteogenesis. In a murine model of osteoporosis, intravenous administration of A-Z@Pd(H) leads to preferential accumulation in the femur, thereby remodeling the osteoporotic microenvironment through immune regulation, osteogenesis promotion, and osteoclast inhibition. These findings suggest that this system composed of hydrogen therapy and ion therapy may be a promising candidate for bone-targeted comprehensive therapy in osteoporosis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Lubing Liu et al.)

Fibrosis is the terminal pathology of chronic illness in many organs, marked by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. These changes influence organ function, ultimately resulting in organ failure. Although significant progress has been achieved in comprehending the molecular pathways responsible for fibrosis in the last decades, effective and approved clinical therapies for the condition are still lacking. Andrographolide is a diterpenoid isolated and purified mainly from the aboveground parts of the Andrographis paniculata plant, which possesses good effects of purging heat, detoxifying, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. In-depth research has gradually confirmed the anticancer, antioxidant, antiviral and other effects of Andro so that it can play a preventive and therapeutic role in various diseases. Over the past few years, an increasing number of research findings have indicated that Andro exerts antifibrotic effects in various organs by acting on transforming growth factor-β/small mother against decapentaplegic protein, mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2, nuclear factor kappa-B and other signalling molecules to inhibit inflammation, oxidative stress, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, fibroblast activation and collagen buildup. This review presents a compilation of findings regarding the antifibrotic impact of Andro in tissue and cell models in vitro and in vivo. Emphasis is placed on the potential therapeutic benefits of Andro in diseases related to organ fibrosis. Existing studies and cutting-edge technologies on Andro pharmacokinetics, toxicity and bioavailability are briefly discussed to provide evidence for accelerating its clinical conversion and adoption., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Semi-supervised learning provides an effective means to address the challenge of insufficient labeled data in medical image segmentation tasks. However, when a semi-supervised segmentation model is overfitted and exhibits cognitive bias, its performance will deteriorate. Errors stemming from cognitive bias can quickly amplify and become difficult to correct during the training process of neural networks, resulting in the continuous accumulation of erroneous knowledge., Purpose: To address the issue of error accumulation, a novel learning strategy is required to enhance the accuracy of medical image segmentation., Methods: This paper proposes a semi-supervised medical image segmentation network based on mutual learning (MLNet) to alleviate the issue of continuous accumulation of erroneous knowledge. The MLNet adopts a teacher-student network as the backbone framework, training student and teacher networks on labeled data and mutually updating network parameter weights, enabling the two models to learn from each other. Additionally, an image partial exchange algorithm (IPE) as an appropriate perturbation addition method is proposed to reduce the introduction of erroneous information and the disruption to the contextual information of the image., Results: In the 10% labeled experiment on the ACDC dataset, our Dice coefficient reached 89.48%, a 9.28% improvement over the baseline model. In the 10% labeled experiment on the BraTS2019 dataset, the proposed method still performs exceptionally well, achieving 84.56%, surpassing other comparative methods., Conclusions: Compared with other methods, experimental results demonstrate that our approach achieves optimal performance across all metrics, proving its effectiveness and reliability., (© 2024 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Breast cancer, a common malignancy and top cause of female cancer deaths globally, urgently requires new biomarkers and insights into its progression and chemoresistance. In this study, we identify ZNF593, a member of the zinc finger protein family, as an understudied oncogene in breast cancer. ZNF593 is significantly upregulated in breast cancer tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues, which is linked to poor prognosis and advanced clinicopathological features. In vitro experiments demonstrate that ZNF593 enhances the proliferation and migration capabilities of breast cancer cells. Comprehensive analyses reveal that ZNF593 is associated with DNA damage repair, cell-cycle regulation, and immunity-related pathways. Mechanistically, ZNF593 protects DNA repair and influences sensitivity to the associated chemotherapy. Furthermore, ZNF593 modulates CCND1, CCNE1, and CCNA2, genes encoding cyclins that facilitate the G1/S transition, resulting in cell-cycle progression. Collectively, our findings identify ZNF593 as a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer, affecting progression and chemoresistance., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Surgical site infection and insufficient osseointegration are notable risks factors associated with oral implant surgery. In this study, the development of a polarized calcium titanate (CT-P) coating for titanium surfaces is proposed as a solution to these problems. The coating generated electrical stimulation (ES) can inhibit pro-inflammatory M1-type macrophage polarization and promote anti-inflammatory M2-type macrophage polarization, resulting in favorable bone immunomodulation. The ES generated by the coating can match the physiological electrical potential that will change during bone repair, thereby promoting osseointegration in vivo. In addition, the system can also achieve on-demand antibacterial activity, mainly depending on the CT-P coating responding to ultrasound (US) irradiation to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and remove Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) on the surface of the implant. In conclusion, this work provides valuable insights for the development and clinical application of highly efficient electroactive coatings, as well as novel solutions for the selective treatment of bacterial infections in the surgical area., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Interface strain significantly affects the band structure and electronic states of metal-nanocrystal-2D-semiconductor heterostructures, impacting system performance. While transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a powerful tool for studying interface strain, its accuracy may be compromised by sample overlap in high-resolution images due to the unique nature of the metal-nanocrystals-2D-semiconductors heterostructure. Utilizing digital dark-field technology, the substrate influence on metal atomic column contrasts is eliminated, improving the accuracy of quantitative analysis in high-resolution TEM images. Applying this method to investigate Pt on MoS 2 surfaces reveals that the heterostructure introduces a tensile strain of ≈3% in Pt nanocrystal. The x-directional linear strain in Pt nanocrystals has a periodic distribution that matches the semi-coherent interface between Pt nanocrystals and MoS 2 , while the remaining strain components localize mainly on edge atomic steps. These results demonstrate an accurate and efficient method for studying interface strain and provide a theoretical foundation for precise heterostructure fabrication., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Elevated ribosome biogenesis correlates with the rapid growth and progression of cancer. Targeted blockade of ribosome biogenesis induces nucleolar stress, which preferentially leads to the elimination of malignant cells. In this study, it is reported that the nucleolar protein BRIX1 is a critical regulator for the homeostasis between ribosome biogenesis and p53 activation. BRIX1 facilitated the processing of pre-rRNA by supporting the formation of the PeBoW complex. In addition, BRIX1 prevented p53 activation in response to nucleolar stress by impairing the interactions between MDM2 and the ribosomal proteins, RPL5, and RPL11, thereby triggering the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapy. Conversely, depletion of BRIX1 induced nucleolar stress, which in turn activated p53 through RPL5 and RPL11, consequently inhibiting the growth of tumors. Moreover, engineered exosomes are developed, which are surface-decorated with iRGD, a tumor-homing peptide, and loaded with siRNAs specific to BRIX1, for the treatment of cancer. iRGD-Exo-siBRIX1 significantly suppressed the growth of colorectal cancer and enhanced the efficacy of 5-FU chemotherapy in vivo. Overall, the study uncovers that BRIX1 functions as an oncoprotein to promote rRNA synthesis and dampen p53 activity, and also implies that targeted inhibition of BRIX1 via engineered exosomes can be a potent approach for cancer therapy., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

The effect of thermal processing on the binding between methional and chelated-soluble pectin obtained from muskmelon was investigated. Particle size measurements demonstrated that the formed complex between methional and chelated-soluble pectin exhibited small sizes after thermal processing. Pyrene fluorescence analysis showed that the interaction between methional and pectin occurred in the hydrophilic region. Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis revealed that the interaction between chelated-soluble pectin and methional was driven by hydrogen bonding, which was mainly present between carboxyl groups of pectin and the aldehyde groups of methional using the molecular dynamics simulation. Thermal processing can increase the binding rate of methional to pectin to 16 %, affecting its release. This work provided new insight into controlling the volatile release from thermally processed food during thermal processing., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: The status of vitamin D has been proposed to have an impact on cognition. Gray matter volume (GMV) is a potential marker of cognitive function. We investigated whether lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was associated with reduced cerebral GMV in Parkinson's disease with non-dementia (PDND) patients., Methods: Baseline neuropsychiatric performance and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were examined in 24 PDND patients and 24 healthy controls (HCs). A set of cognitive scales were used to evaluate the cognition. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was performed to calculate each PDND patient's GMV, based on structural magnetic resonance imaging data. Associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, cognition, and GMV were evaluated., Results: The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of the PDND group were significantly lower than those of the HC group. The simple linear regression analyses between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the scores of subtests that analyzed cognitive function showed that serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were negatively correlated with Trail Making Test-A scores and positively correlated with Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Auditory Verbal Learning Test scores. Multiple regression analyses revealed a positive correlation between the right fusiform gyrus GMV and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels., Conclusion: We hypothesized that the lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in patients with PDND might affect auditory word learning and spatial cognition ability by reducing the gray matter volume of the right fusiform gyrus, thereby leading to deterioration of semantic understanding and memory function., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xu, Wang, Zhang, Liu and Luo.)

Background: The incidence of enteral feeding intolerance (ENFI) in the early postoperative period is high in patients after gastric cancer resection due to the characteristics of surgical traumatic stress and changes in the physiological structure of the digestive tract, and the current evaluation of ENFI after gastric cancer resection mostly depends on the symptoms and complaints of patients after gastric cancer resection, which is lagging and subjective. Early accurate and objective prediction of the risk of early ENFI after gastric cancer resection is critical to guide clinical enteral nutrition practice., Materials and Methods: This study included 470 patients who underwent radical gastric cancer surgery at the Division of Gastric Surgery of a tertiary hospital in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, between November 2021 and October 2022. The patients were divided into a training set ( n = 329) and a validation set ( n = 141) in a 7:3 ratio. The predictors were first screened through Lasso regression. Subsequently, multifactorial logistic regression analysis was used to establish a model for predicting patients' early ENFI column charts after gastric cancer resection. Internal and external validation of the model were performed on the training set and validation set data, respectively, including plotting the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curves to assess the differentiation and calibration of the prediction model. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was also used to assess the fit of the model., Results: The incidence of early ENFI in postoperative patients with gastric cancer was 44.68% in the training set and 43.97% in the validation set. The final predictors entered into the model were enteral nutrition solution type (OR1 = 1.31/OR2 = 7.23), preoperative enteral nutrition pre-adaptation technique (OR = 0.29), surgical approach (OR = 2.21), preoperative Profile of Mood State-Short Form score (OR = 5.07), and intra-abdominal pressure (OR = 6.79). In the internal validation, the AUC was 0.836, the 95% CI ranged from 0.792 to 0.879, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ 2 = 4.368 and P = 0.737, the sensitivity was 0.775, and the specificity was 0.741. In the external validation, the AUC was 0.853, the 95% CI ranged from 0.788 to 0.919, the Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ 2 = 13.740 and P = 0.089, the sensitivity was 0.785, and the specificity was 0.823., Conclusions: The Nomogram model of early ENFI in postoperative patients with gastric cancer, constructed on the basis of Lasso-logistic regression, had good predictive efficacy and may serve as a reference for healthcare professionals to identify high-risk patients with early ENFI after gastrectomy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Xu, Hu, Pei, Zhang, Zhu, Hui, Guan, Xu and Chen.)

Metal-organic frameworks have garnered attention as highly efficient pre-electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Current structure-activity relationships primarily rely on the assumption that the complete dissolution of organic ligands occurs during electrocatalysis. Herein, modeling based on NiFe Prussian blue analogs (NiFe-PBAs) show that cyanide ligands leach from the matrix and subsequently oxidize to corresponding inorganic ions (ammonium and carbonate) that re-adsorb onto the surface of NiFe OOH during the OER process. Interestingly, the surface-adsorbed inorganic ions induce the OER reaction of NiFe OOH to switch from the adsorbate evolution to the lattice-oxygen-mediated mechanism, thus contributing to the high activity. In addition, this reconstructed inorganic ion layer acting as a versatile protective layer can prevent the dissolution of metal sites to maintain contact between catalytic sites and reactive ions, thus breaking the activity-stability trade-off. Consequently, our constructed NiFe-PBAs exhibit excellent durability for 1250 h with an ultralow overpotential of 253 mV at 100 mA cm -2 . The scale-up NiFe-PBAs operated with a low energy consumption of ∼4.18 kWh m -3 H 2 in industrial water electrolysis equipment. The economic analysis of the entire life cycle demonstrates that this green hydrogen production is priced at US$2.59 [Formula: see text] , meeting global targets (

Ginseng ( Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer) is a valuable plant resource which has been used for centuries as both food and traditional Chinese medicine. It is popular in health research and markets globally. Fresh ginseng has a high moisture content and is prone to mold and rot, reducing its nutritional value without proper preservation. Drying treatments are effective for maintaining the beneficial properties of ginseng post-harvest. In this study, we investigated the effects of natural air drying (ND), hot-air drying (HAD), vacuum drying (VD), microwave vacuum drying (MVD), and vacuum freeze drying (VFD) on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ginseng. The results showed that the MVD time was the shortest, followed by the VFD, VD, and HAD times, whereas the ND time was the longest, but the VFD is the most beneficial to the appearance and color retention of ginseng. A total of 72 VOCs were obtained and 68 VOCs were identified using the five drying methods based on gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) technology, including 23 aldehydes, 19 alkenes, 10 alcohols, 10 ketones, 4 esters, 1 furan, and 1 pyrazine, and the ND method was the best for retaining VOCs. GC-IMS fingerprints, principal component analysis (PCA), Euclidean distance analysis, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), and cluster analysis (CA) can distinguish ginseng from different drying methods. A total of 29 VOCs can be used as the main characteristic markers of different drying methods in ginseng. Overall, our findings provide scientific theoretical guidance for optimizing ginseng's drying methods, aromatic health effects, and flavor quality research.

Background: Radiation-induced lymphopenia (RIL) is closely related to the prognosis of cervical cancer patients and may affect the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). However, the factors influencing RIL are not very clear. In addition to bone marrow (BM) dose-volume, animal studies indicate radiation-induced bowel injury may be a more crucial factor. Further clarification of the correlation between RIL and bowel dose-volume is important for cervical cancer treatment., Methods: Cervical cancer patients treated with postoperative radiotherapy or radical radiotherapy were eligible for this retrospective study. Clinical characteristics, dose parameters of bowel and BM, planning target volume (PTV) size, overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were recorded. The absolute lymphocyte count<0.5×10 9 /L at radiotherapy end was defined as severe RIL (sRIL). Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (Cl)were estimated using Cox regression models. Survival curve was plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. On this basis, the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to calculate the area under the curve (AUC) for radiation parameters with sRIL as the state variable., Result: A total of 118 cervical cancer patients were included in this study, with a median follow-up time of 57.6 months. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, international Federation of Gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) stage (HR, 11.806; 95% CI, 3.256-42.809; p<0.001), concurrent chemotherapy (HR, 0.200; 95% CI, 0.054-0.748; p=0.017), sRIL after radiotherapy (HR, 6.009; 95% CI, 1.361-26.539; p=0.018), and pathological type (HR, 2.261; 95% CI, 1.043-4.901; p=0.039) were significantly correlated with OS. Patients with sRIL had significantly decreased OS (79.1% vs 94.1%; HR, 3.81; 95%CI, 1.46-9.92; p=0.023). In binary logistic regression analysis, sRIL was significantly correlated with bowel V45 (Odds radio (OR), 1.025; 95%CI, 1.007-1.044; p=0.007), BM V10 (OR, 0.987; 95%CI, 0.978-0.997; p=0.011), BM V20 (OR, 1.017; 95%CI, 1.002-1.031, p=0.027), and PTV size (OR, 0.998; 95%CI, 0.996-1.000; p=0.026). The ROC curve showed, bowel V45 (AUC=0.787, p<0.001) was the best indicator for predicting sRIL., Conclusion: SRIL after radiotherapy could significantly predict decreased OS. In addition, sRIL is associated with higher bowel, BM dose-volume, PTV size, indicating that the bowel may be an important organ leading to an increased risk of sRIL., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The reviewer LZ declared a shared affiliation with the author YX to the handling editor at time of review., (Copyright © 2024 Li, Chen, Liu, Xu and Ji.)

Phase separation, a process in which biomolecules segregate into distinct liquid-like compartments within cells, has recently been identified as a crucial regulator of various cellular functions, including the DNA damage response (DDR). Dysregulation of phase separation may contribute to genomic instability, oncogenesis, and tumor progression. However, the specific roles and mechanisms underlying phase separation remain largely elusive. This comprehensive review aims to elucidate the complex relationship between phase separation and the DDR in the context of cancer biology. We focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying phase separation and its role in orchestrating DDR signaling and repair processes. Additionally, we discuss how the dysregulation of phase separation in cancer cells impacts genome stability, tumorigenesis, and therapeutic responses. By leveraging the unique properties of phase separation in the DDR, researchers can potentially advance basic research and develop personalized cancer therapies targeting the dysregulated biomolecular condensates that drive tumorigenesis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To assess the influence of high-quality nursing during visual electrophysiology examinations on both nursing outcomes and stress levels., Methods: A total of 80 patients who underwent visual electrophysiology examinations in the hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were included as study subjects and randomized into two groups using random allocation. This random assignment ensures that each patient has an equal chance of being assigned to either group, minimizing the effects of confounding variables and evenly distributing potential bias. The control group received conventional nursing care, while the study group received quality nursing care, with 40 patients in each group. Patients in both groups were compared regarding nursing impact, occurrence of adverse reactions, pain level, and stress status., Results: In the study group, 39 patients exhibited high levels of cooperation, while 1 demonstrated a low degree of cooperation. Conversely, in the control group, 36 subjects were highly cooperative, but 6 displayed a low degree of cooperation. The cooperation rate was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (97.5% vs. 85.0%, χ² = 3.914, P = .048). SAS scores and SDS scores after treatment were observed to be lower in the study group compared to those in the control group (P < .05). The increase in scores within the study group was notably less than that observed in the control group (P < .05). The results indicate that 38 patients in the study group reported satisfaction, while 31 in the control group expressed satisfaction. The nursing satisfaction rate was significantly higher in the study group than in the control group (P < .05)., Conclusions: Quality nursing care during visual electrophysiology examinations proves to be highly effective in enhancing patient compliance, fostering a higher rate of patient cooperation, and mitigating patient stress. Furthermore, it contributes to the improvement of patient satisfaction with nursing care, ultimately elevating the overall healthcare relationship.

Whether patients with de novo metastatic breast cancer ( de novo MBC) benefit from primary tumor resection (PTR) is controversial, and the efficacy of treatment of primary tumor in patients with oligometastases is uncertain. A comprehensive search was conducted for studies published from January 1, 2008 to January 1, 2024 that compared PTR with no PTR for de novo MBC that quantified the extent of metastasis. Ten studies and 83,559 patients with de novo MBC were included. A meta-analysis showed a significant improvement in overall survival after PTR compared with no PTR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.67; p  < 0.00001). Similar results were seen in patients with 1 metastatic organ, ≤2 metastatic organs, and ≤3 metastatic organs. Oligometastatic patients are expected to be a beneficial subgroup for PTR in patients with MBC, especially when metastasis occurs in only one organ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

This case report presents the clinical findings of a female patient diagnosed with Wernicke's encephalopathy, characterized by pinpoint pupils. While pupillary changes can occur in Wernicke's encephalopathy, the presence of pinpoint pupils is exceedingly rare. In this report, we aim to document and discuss this unusual presentation, as well as speculate on the potential mechanisms underlying this atypical manifestation of the disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Depression is a common psychological complication in osteoarthritis (OA) patients, and its incidence gets more and more attention year by year worldwide. This study investigates the association between OA and depression through a bibliometric analysis of published studies. It aims to identify leading authors, institutions, and countries to highlight research hotspots and suggest potential future directions. We collected publications on OA and depression from 1994 to 2024 using the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database. Bibliographic information, including authorship, country of origin, citation frequency, and visualizations, was generated using VOSviewer, R software, and CiteSpace. A total of 2,342 articles were identified. The United States led in publications with 906 articles, Boston University was the most prolific institution with 56 publications, BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders was the top journal with 71 publications, and Stefania Maggi was the most productive author with 19 publications. The primary research hotspots identified were: "The relationship between depression and OA," "Disability and prevalence," and "Characteristics of older people suffering depression after OA." Predicted future research frontiers include: "Treating depression in OA patients with multimorbidity," "Psychometric properties of instruments for assessing depression and anxiety in OA patients," "Depression or anxiety in patients with surgical intervention," and "Other mental diseases in OA patients." This bibliometric analysis underscores the importance of understanding the link between OA and depressive disorders, potentially guiding new research directions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhang, Li, Li, Yang, Deng, Xu and Guo.)

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by increasing prevalence, diverse impairments, and unclear origins and mechanisms. To gain a better grasp of the origins of ASD, it is essential to identify the most distinctive structural brain abnormalities in individuals with ASD., Methods: A Multi-Stage Progressive Feature Refinement Approach was employed to identify the most pivotal structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features that distinguish individuals with ASD from typically developing (TD) individuals. The study included 175 individuals with ASD and 69 TD individuals, all aged between 7 and 18 years, matched in terms of age and gender. Both cortical and subcortical features were integrated, with a particular focus on hippocampal subfields., Results: Out of 317 features, 9 had the most significant impact on distinguishing ASD from TD individuals. These structural features, which include a specific hippocampal subfield, are closely related to the brain areas associated with the reward system., Conclusion: Structural irregularities in the reward system may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of ASD, and specific hippocampal subfields may also contribute uniquely, warranting further investigation., Competing Interests: Author AS was employed by the company Yizhun Medical AI Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Sun, Xu, Kat, Sun, Yin, Zhao, Su, Chen, Wang, Gong, Liu, Han, Peng, Li and Liu.)

Objective: Rapid-onset obesity with hypoventilation, hypothalamic dysfunction, and autonomic dysregulation (ROHHAD) is rare, and manifestations of autonomic dysregulation are diverse and may be overlooked. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of these manifestations., Methods: Patients with ROHHAD syndrome reported before and after 2019 were divided into groups 1 and 2. Patients who were diagnosed at three regional hospitals in China were included in group 3. We collected the age of each specific term of the ROHHAD (neurogenic tumor, NET) acronym and the detailed manifestations of each term, and compared them among the three groups., Results: A total of 16 patients were diagnosed within the 2-year period. Two had neurogenic tumors and cognitive and behavioral abnormalities before developing rapid obesity. At least 93.8% of the patients had ≥ 4 symptoms of autonomic dysregulation. When comparing autonomic dysregulation among groups 1-3, the rates of cardiovascular manifestations were NA vs 12.8% vs 81.2%; gastrointestinal disturbances were 11.4% vs 8.5% vs 62.5%; strabismus was 25.7% vs 12.8% vs 62.5%; sleep disturbance was NA vs 6.4% vs 50.0%; and abnormal pain threshold was NA vs 10.6% vs 25.0% (all P < 0.05). The rates of cognitive and behavioral abnormalities were NA vs 29.8% and 87.5% (P < 0.01)., Conclusion: Rapid-onset obesity is not always the first sign of ROHHAD syndrome. Higher rates of autonomic dysregulation and cognitive and behavioral abnormalities with multiple manifestations of autonomic dysregulation coexisted in our cohort, indicating that evaluations of autonomic function and the limbic system should be strengthened when assessing this condition.

As one of the most commonly used antidiabetic medications clinically, liraglutide is involved in the protection of vascular endothelium, and whether it can relieve high glucose-induced vascular endothelial damage was unknown. This study aims to address the response of liraglutide (LIRA) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, as well as to elucidate its possible underlying mechanism. We established a vascular endothelial cell injury model by exposing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to high glucose, and used LIRA pretreatment before HG treatment to address the endothelial protective effect of LIRA. Our results suggest that LIRA prevented HG-induced HUVEC apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis. Furthermore, silencing of tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) could markedly reduce HG-induced HUVEC apoptosis, ROS level, the expressions of TXNIP, cleaved caspase3, NLRP3, and caspase1, indicating TRIB3 inhibition protected HUVECs against HG-induced vascular endothelial injury. In addition, LIRA restrained NF-κB/IκB-α signaling pathway activation in HUVECs. Thus, LIRA appears to mitigate HG-induced apoptosis, oxidative stress, inflammasome activation, and pyroptosis in HUVECs via regulating the TRIB3/NF-κB/IκB-α signaling pathway. Our study provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying the protective activity of LIRA against the vascular endothelial injury in diabetic vascular complication., (© 2024. The Society for In Vitro Biology.)

Background: Esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) is a frequently detected gastrointestinal cancer. Copy number variants (CNVs) have a dramatic impact on the screening, diagnosis and prognostic prediction of cancers. However, the mechanism of action of CNVs on ESCA occurrence and progression remains unclear., Methods: ESCA samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were typed by consensus clustering using CNV-associated genes. Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was used to section gene modules closely related to the two clusters, and sub-networks were constructed as hub genes. In addition, seven prognosis-correlated genes were further screened and retained by multivariate Cox regression analysis to develop a prognostic assessment model. The ssGSEA algorithm assessed energy metabolism levels in patients from different clusters and risk groups. Finally, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and live-dead cell staining verified the expression of genes associated with CNV risk scores., Results: ESCA was classified into two subtypes based on CNV values. Compared with cluster 1, cluster 2 had significantly higher level of immune score and tumor-associated immune cell infiltration as well as a noticeably better overall survival. The three modules most associated with the two clusters were identified by WGCNA, and a prognostic model with a strong prediction performance was constructed with their genes. Glycolysis, lactate metabolism, fatty acid synthesis, glutathione, methionine, and tryptophan metabolic pathway enrichment scores were remarkably higher in patients in cluster 1 and the high-risk group than in cluster 2 and the low-risk group. Knockdown PIK3C2A promoted ESCA cells apoptosis and inhibited cell vibiality., Conclusion: The current research maybe provides new understanding for the pathogenesis of ESCA based on CNV, providing an effective guidance for its clinical diagnosis and prognostic evaluation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: Observational studies have found associations between sex hormones and metabolic syndrome(Mets), but the causal relationships remains unclear. This study utilizes univariable and multivariable Mendelian randomization (MR) to elucidate the associations between sex hormones (including sex hormone-binding globulin(SHBG), estradiol(E2), testosterone(T)) and Mets and its subtypes (including waist circumference(WC), fasting blood glucose(FBG), high blood pressure(HBP), high-density lipoprotein(HDL-C), triglycerides(TG))., Methods: We utilized summary data from large-scale genome-wide association studies. Univariable Mendelian randomization (UMVMR) analysis was primarily conducted using the inverse variance weighted method (IVW), with secondary analyses employing the weighted median, MR-Egger regression, simple mode method, and weighted mode method. Subsequently, multivariable Mendelian randomization (MVMR) was employed to assess the causal relationships between SHBG, T, E2, and MetS and its components: WC, FPG, HBP, HDL-C, and TG. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess result reliability., Results: Genetically predicted SHBG was significantly negatively associated with MetS (UMVMR: β=-0.72; 95% CI = 0.41 to 0.57; P = 1.28e-17; MVMR: β=-0.60; 95% CI=-0.83 to -0.38; P < 0.001). Positive causal relationships were observed between SHBG and WC(MVMR: β = 0.10; 95% CI = 0.03 to 0.17; P = 0.01) and HDL-C (MVMR: β = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.21 to 0.60; P < 0.001), while negative causal relationships were found between SHBG and HBP (MVMR: β=-0.02; 95% CI=-0.04 to -0.00; P = 0.02), TG (MVMR: β=-0.48; 95% CI=-0.70 to -0.26; P < 0.001). Genetically predicted E2 exhibited a negative association with TG (MVMR: β=-1.49; 95% CI=-2.48 to -0.50; P = 0.003). Genetically predicted T was negatively associated with TG (MVMR: β=-0.36; 95% CI=-0.71 to -0.00; P = 0.049) and WC (MVMR: β=-0.13; 95% CI=-0.24 to -0.02; P = 0.02), with inconsistent sensitivity analyses. Additionally, No other causal associations were found., Conclusion: Our study indicates that SHBG is a protective factor for MetS, potentially delaying its onset and progression through improvements in HBP and TG. Furthermore, T and E2 may improve TG levels, with T also reducing WC levels. Importantly, our study provides new insights for the prevention and treatment of MetS., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

To enhance the drying quality of potato slices, this investigation employed a microwave heating (MH) combined with ethanol osmotic dehydration (EOD) pretreatment strategy to improve the quality of explosion puffing drying (EPD). This paper systematically investigated the effects of different pretreatment methods (no treatment, HAD, MH, EOD, MH+EOD) on the quality and physicochemical properties of potato slices subjected to CO 2 -EPD. The results showed that after MH and EOD pretreatments, the internal pores of the potato slices exhibited a uniform porous structure. The MH+EOD+CO 2 -EPD treatment demonstrated superior expansion, crispness, hardness, and color, with higher retention rates of vitamin C and protein. The measurements were an expansion ratio of 2.15, hardness of 1290.01 g, crispness of 745.94 g, ΔE of 6.54, protein content of 1.99 g/100 g, and VC content of 17.33 mg/100 g. Additionally, the study explored the effects of microwave power, microwave drying time, ethanol concentration, and ethanol soaking time on the expansion ratio, hardness, crispness, protein content, VC content, and color. MH+EOD+CO 2 -EPD is an environmentally sustainable and efficient solution with potential for widespread industrial application to enhance processing quality and economic benefits., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Sexual minority student-athletes (SMSAs) face discrimination and identity conflicts in intercollegiate sport, impacting their participation and mental health. This study explores the perceptions of Chinese SMSAs regarding their sexual minority identities, aiming to fill the current gap in research related to non-Western countries., Methods: A qualitative methodology was adopted, utilising the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach with self-categorization theory as the theoretical framework. Participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling, and data were collected via semi-structured interviews, documents, and field notes. Sixteen former and current Chinese SMSAs participated in this study., Results: The study reveals four themes: hidden truths, prioritisation of athlete identity, self-stereotyping, and attempt. The results revealed that while SMSAs were common in intercollegiate sport, their identities were often concealed and not openly discussed. The predominant focus on athlete identity in sport overshadowed their sexual minority identities. Additionally, SMSAs developed self-stereotypes that influenced their thoughts and behaviours. The non-heterosexual team atmosphere in women's teams led to the development of intimate relationships among teammates., Conclusions: The findings from this study could be incorporated into existing sport policies to ensure the safe participation of SMSAs in Chinese intercollegiate sports. This research offers valuable insights for the development and implementation of inclusive policies. Future research in China could investigate the attitudes of coaches and heterosexual student-athletes toward sexual minority identities to inform targeted interventions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Nursing students are faced with multiple challenges and have a higher probability of suffering from anxiety. The current study aims to explore the relation between empathy and anxiety, examining the mediation and moderation effects of insomnia and self-compassion, respectively., Methods: This study employed a convenient sampling method, recruiting 1,161 nursing students (female = 923, male = 238, Mean age  = 18.37, SD age  = 2.38) from three universities in China. These students completed the questionnaires online, including General Anxiety Disorder -7 (GAD-7), Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Nursing student (JSPE-NS), Youth Self-rating Insomnia Scale -8 (YSIS-8), and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). The study employed latent variable structural equation models to analyze the relation and mechanisms between empathy and anxiety. Then, the mediated role of insomnia and the moderated role of self-compassion were examined., Results: The prevalence rates of anxiety and insomnia in the current sample are 18.24% and 26.76%, respectively. The results showed that empathy could negatively predict anxiety, with a significant mediating effect of insomnia between them (B = -0.081, p < 0.05, 95% CI [-0.197, -0.063]). Additionally, it was proven that self-compassion moderated the positive relation between insomnia and anxiety. With a higher level of self-compassion, the indirect effect of empathy on anxiety through insomnia was weaker (B = -0.053, p < 0.01, 95% CI [-0.095, -0.019]). When individuals showed a lower level of self-compassion, the indirect effect of empathy on anxiety through insomnia was stronger (B = -0.144, p < 0.01, 95% CI [-0.255, -0.059])., Conclusion: The analysis of this research proved that empathy was negatively related to anxiety, and insomnia served as a mediator between empathy and anxiety. Besides, the protective role of self-compassion on individuals' mental health was identified. The findings of the study suggest that the education of nursing students should highlight the significance of fostering empathy and self-compassion. The intervention on insomnia may be helpful in reducing the levels of anxiety since insomnia is a risky factor for anxiety., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides an efficient way to analyze the functional connectivity between brain regions. A comprehensive understanding of brain functionality requires a unified description of multi-scale layers of neural structure. However, existing brain network modeling methods often simplify this property by averaging Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signals at the brain region level for fMRI-based analysis with the assumption that BOLD signals are homogeneous within each brain region, which ignores the heterogeneity of voxels within each Region of Interest (ROI). This study introduces a novel multi-stage self-supervised learning framework for multiscale brain network analysis, which effectively delineates brain functionality from voxel to ROIs and up to sample level. A Contrastive Voxel Clustering (CVC) module is proposed to simultaneously learn the voxel-level features and clustering assignments, which ensures the retention of informative clustering features at the finest voxel-level and concurrently preserves functional connectivity characteristics. Additionally, based on the extracted features and clustering assignments at the voxel level by CVC, a Brain ROI-based Graph Neural Network (BR-GNN) is built to extract functional connectivity features at the brain ROI-level and used for sample-level prediction, which integrates the functional clustering maps with the pre-established structural ROI maps and creates a more comprehensive and effective analytical tool. Experiments are performed on two datasets, which illustrate the effectiveness and generalization ability of the proposed method by analyzing voxel-level clustering results and brain ROIs-level functional characteristics. The proposed method provides a multiscale modeling framework for brain functional connectivity analysis, which will be further used for other brain disease identification. Code is available at https://github.com/yanliugroup/fmri-cvc., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As functional materials and nano-catalysts, Pd nanoparticles (NPs) are often used to modify two-dimensional (2D) materials. In the heterostructures of metal NPs and 2D transition metal dichalcogenides, the interface atomic configuration and interface effect greatly affect material properties and stability. Therefore, the rational design of interface structures and in-depth analysis of interface interactions are of vital importance for the preparation of specific functional devices. In this work, Pd NPs were deposited on mechanically exfoliated MoS 2 flakes and the epitaxial relationship between Pd and MoS 2 was observed, accompanied by distinct moiré patterns. Raman spectra of the Pd NPs/MoS 2 heterostructure showed an E12g' vibration mode indicative of the local strain in MoS 2 . A new vibration mode A' 1g appeared in the higher-frequency direction compared with the pristine A 1g peak. Combined with X-ray photoelectron spectra and density functional theory calculations, the new vibration mode can be attributed to the bonding between Pd and MoS 2 . Besides, graphene was inserted between Pd NPs and MoS 2 , and the decoupling of the interfacial effect by graphene was investigated. This study will help deepen our understanding on the interaction mechanism between metals and MoS 2 , thereby enabling the modulation of optoelectronic properties and the performance of these hybrid materials.

Objective: To determine the effectiveness of text/telephone outreach messages and personal contact attempts on well-child care (WCC) scheduling and completion and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine receipt., Methods: We conducted an intent-to-treat, 2 × 2 factorial randomized clinical trial with 3 replications at 3 academic pediatric primary care practices from September 27, 2020 to August 6, 2021. We randomized participants to 1 of 4 groups: 1 automated message (group 1), 2 automated messages (group 2), 1 automated message plus personal contact attempts (group 3), or 2 automated messages plus personal contact attempts (group 4). Outcomes included: 1) scheduled WCC within 2 weeks (secondary outcome), 2) completed WCC within 8 weeks (secondary outcome), 3) receipt of first MMR by 15 months of age or second MMR within 3 months of first message for 4-year-olds (primary outcome)., Results: We randomized 1312 patients (mean [SD] age = 38.8 [19.3] months, 53.5% male, 72.8% non-Hispanic Black, 86.9% Medicaid-enrolled). Scheduling rates were significantly higher in groups with personal contact attempts compared to those without (1 = 15.2%, 2 = 12.5%, 3 = 29.3%, and 4 = 31.5%). WCC completion rates also differed across groups: 1 = 27.4%, 2 = 22.3%, 3 = 32.0%, and 4 = 29.4%, with groups 3 and 4 having significantly higher rates than group 2. Similarly, groups 3 (30.2%) and 4 (31.8%) had significantly higher rates of receiving the MMR vaccine compared to group 2 (23.5%) but not group 1 (28.0%)., Conclusions: Outreach messages that were followed by personal contact attempts increased the rates of scheduling and completing WCCs and receiving the MMR vaccine, providing a useful tool to re-engage at-risk populations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr Brinkman had common stock holdings in the following publicly traded companies: Pfizer, Merck, Abbott Laboratories, Viatris, and Johnson & Johnson. All other authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Liver fibrosis is a chronic pathological condition lacking specific clinical treatments. Stem cells, with notable potential in regenerative medicine, offer promise in treating liver fibrosis. However, stem cell therapy is hindered by potential immunological rejection, carcinogenesis risk, efficacy variation, and high cost. Stem cell secretome-based cell-free therapy offers potential solutions to address these challenges, but it is limited by low delivery efficiency and rapid clearance. Herein, an innovative approach for in situ implantation of smart microneedle (MN) arrays enabling precisely controlled delivery of multiple therapeutic agents directly into fibrotic liver tissues is developed. By integrating cell-free and platinum-based nanocatalytic combination therapy, the MN arrays can deactivate hepatic stellate cells. Moreover, they promote excessive extracellular matrix degradation by more than 75%, approaching normal levels. Additionally, the smart MN arrays can provide hepatocyte protection while reducing inflammation levels by ≈70-90%. They can also exhibit remarkable capability in scavenging almost 100% of reactive oxygen species and alleviating hypoxia. Ultimately, this treatment strategy can effectively restrain fibrosis progression. The comprehensive in vitro and in vivo experiments, supplemented by proteome and transcriptome analyses, substantiate the effectiveness of the approach in treating liver fibrosis, holding immense promise for clinical applications., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Introduction: Linezolid, moxifloxacin, rifapentine, rifabutin, cycloserine, clofazimine, bedaquiline, levofloxacin, prothionamide, and ethionamide are commonly used second-line antituberculosis (anti-TB) drugs. To support therapeutic drug monitoring in regular clinical practice, the authors sought to develop a method based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) that would allow for the simultaneous quantification of multiple second-line anti-TB drugs in human serum., Methods: Analytes were extracted from human serum by protein precipitation. UHPLC-MS/MS was performed using a gradient at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min, and each sample was taken for 7.5 minutes. The mass spectrometry scanning mode used was electrospray ionization with multiple reaction monitoring in the positive mode., Results: Validation showed that endogenous substances in the sample did not interfere with the assay, and the relationship between X and Y was highly linear, with a coefficient of determination (R 2 ) >0.9954 for each curve. The accuracy (85.0%-114.7%) and precision (intraday: 0.27%-9.32%; interday: 0.20%-7.66%) were less than 15.0%, and the internal standard-normalized matrix effects were consistent (coefficient of variation ≤4.40%). The analytes were stable in the final extract and human serum under various storage conditions (recovery: 87.0%-115.0%). The clinical applicability of the method was demonstrated by quantitative determination of analytes in serum samples obtained from patients with TB. Reproducibility of the drug concentrations measured in clinical samples was confirmed by incurred sample reanalysis., Conclusions: A simple and reliable analytical method was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 10 anti-TB drugs in human serum using UHPLC-MS/MS. Quantitation of anti-TB drugs in clinical samples confirmed that the assay is suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring in regular clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposures may negatively impact bone mineral accrual, but little is known about potential mitigators of this relation. We assessed whether associations of PFAS and their mixture with bone mineral content (BMC) in adolescence were modified by diet and physical activity., Methods: We included 197 adolescents enrolled in a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort in Cincinnati, Ohio (2003-2006). At age 12 years, we collected serum for PFAS measurements and used dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry to measure BMC. We calculated dietary calcium intake and Health Eating Index (HEI) scores from repeated 24-h dietary recalls, physical activity scores using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C), and average moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) based on accelerometry. We estimated covariate-adjusted differences in BMC z-scores per interquartile range (IQR) increase of individual PFAS concentrations using linear regression and per simultaneous IQR increase in all four PFAS using g-computation. We evaluated effect measure modification (EMM) using interaction terms between each modifier and PFAS., Results: Higher serum perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and perfluorononanoic acid concentrations and the PFAS mixture were associated with lower BMC z-scores. An IQR increase in all PFAS was associated with a 0.27 (-0.54, 0.01) lower distal radius BMC z-score. Associations with lower BMC were generally stronger among adolescents classified as < median for calcium intake, HEI scores, or MVPA compared to those ≥ median. The difference in distal radius BMC z-score per IQR increase in all PFAS was -0.38 (-0.72, -0.04) for those with

Background: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental chemicals used as flame retardants in commercial and consumer products. Gestational PBDE concentrations are associated with adverse behaviors in children; however, the persistence of these associations into adolescence remains understudied., Objective: We estimated the association of gestational PBDE serum concentrations with early adolescent self- and caregiver-reported behaviors at age 12 years and determined the consistency with previously observed associations in childhood with caregiver-reported behaviors in a prospective pregnancy and birth cohort., Methods: We measured maternal serum concentrations of five individual PBDE congeners and created a summary exposure variable (∑ 5 BDE: 28, -47, -99, -100 and -153) during pregnancy. At age 12 years, we assessed behaviors for 237 adolescents using self- and caregiver-reports with the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-3 (BASC3). We used multivariable linear regression models to estimate covariate-adjusted associations of lipid standardized, log 10 -transformed gestational PBDE concentrations with BASC3 scores. We obtained estimates and 95% confidence intervals through a bootstrapping approach. We evaluated potential effect measure modification (EMM) of adolescent sex by examining sex-stratified regression models and estimating the EMM p-values., Results: Gestational PBDE concentrations were positively associated with adolescent-reported BASC3 composite indices for inattention & hyperactivity (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, ∑ 5 BDE), internalizing problems (BDE-28, -47, -99), functional impairment (BDE-28, ∑ 5 BDE), and emotional symptoms (BDE-28). Gestational PBDE concentrations were positively associated with caregiver-reported BASC3 composite indices for externalizing problems (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, -153, ∑ 5 BDE) and behavioral symptoms (BDE-99). For caregiver reported behaviors, we observed stronger associations with gestational BDE concentrations among males, especially for executive functioning (BDE-28, -47, -99, -100, ∑ 5 BDE)., Discussion: Gestational PBDE serum concentrations were associated with self-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in early adolescence. Caregiver-reported externalizing behaviors recognized during childhood remain associated with gestational PBDE concentrations and persist into early adolescence. Internalizing behaviors were less recognized by caregivers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Joseph M Braun reports a relationship that included paid expert testimony related to PFAS-contaminated drinking water. All other authors have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Backgruound: Insulin resistance (IR) is the key pathological basis of many metabolic disorders. Lack of asialoglycoprotein receptor 1 (ASGR1) decreased the serum lipid levels and reduced the risk of coronary artery disease. However, whether ASGR1 also participates in the regulatory network of insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism remains unknown., Methods: The constructed ASGR1 knockout mice and ASGR1-/- HepG2 cell lines were used to establish the animal model of metabolic syndrome and the IR cell model by high-fat diet (HFD) or drug induction, respectively. Then we evaluated the glucose metabolism and insulin signaling in vivo and in vitro., Results: ASGR1 deficiency ameliorated systemic IR in mice fed with HFD, evidenced by improved insulin intolerance, serum insulin, and homeostasis model assessment of IR index, mainly contributed from increased insulin signaling in the liver, but not in muscle or adipose tissues. Meanwhile, the insulin signal transduction was significantly enhanced in ASGR1-/- HepG2 cells. By transcriptome analyses and comparison, those differentially expressed genes between ASGR1 null and wild type were enriched in the insulin signal pathway, particularly in phosphoinositide 3-kinase-AKT signaling. Notably, ASGR1 deficiency significantly reduced hepatic gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis., Conclusion: The ASGR1 deficiency was consequentially linked with improved hepatic insulin sensitivity under metabolic stress, hepatic IR was the core factor of systemic IR, and overcoming hepatic IR significantly relieved the systemic IR. It suggests that ASGR1 is a potential intervention target for improving systemic IR in metabolic disorders.

Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) lyases are often strictly substrate specific, and it is especially difficult to simultaneously degrade GAGs with different types of glycosidic bonds. Herein, we found a new class of GAG lyases (GAGases) from different bacteria. These GAGases belong to polysaccharide lyase 35 family and share quite low homology with the identified GAG lyases. The most surprising thing is that GAGases can not only degrade three types of GAGs: hyaluronan, chondroitin sulfate, and heparan sulfate but also even one of them can also degrade alginate. Further investigation of structural preferences revealed that GAGases selectively act on GAG domains composed of non/6-O-/N-sulfated hexosamines and d-glucoronic acids as well as on alginate domains composed of d-mannuronic acids. In addition, GAG lyases were once speculated to have evolved from alginate lyases, but no transitional enzymes have been found. The discovery of GAGases not only broadens the category of GAG lyases, provides new enzymatic tools for the structural and functional studies of GAGs with specific structures, but also provides candidates for the evolution of GAG lyases., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Excessive intake of sugar has become a public concern. However, it is challenging for food industries to decrease sugar level without sacrificing safety and sensory profile. Odor-induced sweetness enhancement (OISE) is believed to be a novel and promising strategy for sugar reduction. In order to investigate the OISE effect of mango aroma and evaluate its degree of sugar reduction in low-sugar beverages, a mathematical model was constructed through sensory evaluation in this study. The results showed that the maximum liking of low-sugar model beverages was 4.28 % sucrose and 0.57 % mango flavor. The most synergistic of OISE was at the concentration level of 2.24 % sucrose + 0.25 % mango flavor, which was equivalent to 2.96 % pure sucrose solution. With 32.14 % sugar reduction, the mango aroma was suggested to generate the OISE effect. However, the same level of garlic aroma was not able to enhance sweetness perception, suggesting that the congruency of aroma and taste is a prerequisite for the OISE effect to occur. This study demonstrated that the cross-modal interaction of mango aroma on sweetness enhancement in low-sugar model beverages could provide practical guidance for developing sugar-reduced beverages without applying sweeteners., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation is a metabolic pathway whose dysregulation is recognized as a critical factor in various cancers, because it sustains cancer cell survival, proliferation, and metastasis. The acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain (ACSL) family is known to activate long-chain fatty acids, yet the specific role of ACSL3 in breast cancer has not been determined., Methods: We assessed the prognostic value of ACSL3 in breast cancer by using data from tumor samples. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function assays were also conducted to determine the roles and downstream regulatory mechanisms of ACSL3 in vitro and in vivo ., Results: ACSL3 expression was notably downregulated in breast cancer tissues compared with normal tissues, and this phenotype correlated with improved survival outcomes. Functional experiments revealed that ACSL3 knockdown in breast cancer cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Mechanistically, ACSL3 was found to inhibit β-oxidation and the formation of associated byproducts, thereby suppressing malignant behavior in breast cancer. Importantly, ACSL3 was found to interact with YES proto-oncogene 1, a member of the Src family of tyrosine kinases, and to suppress its activation through phosphorylation at Tyr419. The decrease in activated YES1 consequently inhibited YAP1 nuclear colocalization and transcriptional complex formation, and the expression of its downstream genes in breast cancer cell nuclei., Conclusions: ACSL3 suppresses breast cancer progression by impeding lipid metabolism reprogramming, and inhibiting malignant behaviors through phospho-YES1 mediated inhibition of YAP1 and its downstream pathways. These findings suggest that ACSL3 may serve as a potential biomarker and target for comprehensive therapeutic strategies for breast cancer., Competing Interests: No potential conflicts of interest are disclosed., (Copyright: © 2024, The Authors.)

Osteoporosis is the most common bone metabolic disease that affects the health of middle-aged and elderly people, which is hallmarked by imbalanced bone remodeling and a deteriorating immune microenvironment. Magnesium and calcium are pivotal matrix components that participate in the bone formation process, especially in the immune microenvironment regulation and bone remodeling stages. Nevertheless, how to potently deliver magnesium and calcium to bone tissue remains a challenge. Here, we have constructed a multifunctional nanoplatform composed of calcium-based upconversion nanoparticles and magnesium organic frameworks (CM-NH 2 -PAA-Ald, denoted as CMPA), which features bone-targeting and pH-responsive properties, effectively regulating the inflammatory microenvironment and promoting the coordination of osteogenic functions for treating osteoporosis. The nanoplatform can efficaciously target bone tissue and gradually degrade in response to the acidic microenvironment of osteoporosis to release magnesium and calcium ions. This study validates that CMPA possessing favorable biocompatibility can suppress inflammation and facilitate osteogenesis to treat osteoporosis. Importantly, high-throughput sequencing results demonstrate that the nanoplatform exerts a good inflammatory regulation effect through inhibition of the nuclear factor kappa-B signaling pathway, thereby normalizing the osteoporotic microenvironment. This collaborative therapeutic strategy that focuses on improving bone microenvironment and promoting osteogenesis provides new insight for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)