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The intricate ecosystem of the gut microbiome exhibits sex-specific differences, influencing the susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Imbalance within the gut microbiome compromises the gut barrier, activates inflammatory pathways, and alters the production of metabolites, all of which initiate chronic diseases including CVD. In particular, the interplay between lifestyle choices, hormonal changes, and metabolic byproducts uniquely affects sex-specific gut microbiomes, potentially shaping the risk profiles for hypertension and CVD differently in men and women. Understanding the gut microbiome's role in CVD risk offers informative reasoning behind the importance of developing tailored preventative strategies based on sex-specific differences in CVD risk. Furthermore, insight into the differential impact of social determinants and biological factors on CVD susceptibility emphasizes the necessity for more nuanced approaches. This review also outlines specific dietary interventions that may enhance gut microbiome health, offering a glimpse into potential therapeutic avenues for reducing CVD risk that require greater awareness. Imbalance in natural gut microbiomes may explain etiologies of chronic diseases; we advocate for future application to alter the gut microbiome as possible treatment of the aforementioned diseases. This review mentions the idea of altering the gut microbiome through interventions such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), a major application of microbiome-based therapy that is first-line for Clostridium difficile infections and patient-specific probiotics highlights more innovative approaches to hypertension and CVD prevention. Through increased analysis of gut microbiota compositions along with patient-centric probiotics and microbiome transfers, this review advocates for future preventative strategies for hypertension., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest for the manuscript “Sex Differences in Gut Microbiota, Hypertension, and Cardiovascular Risk”, (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

By using a tight-binding model, first-principles calculations, and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, we theoretically demonstrate that the C76-Td-assembled two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice is stable at room temperature and is resistant to mechanical deformation. We disclose that each C76-Td mimics a single carbon atom (geometrically and electronically); hence, it plays the role of one supercarbon. This inspires that the 2D material exhibits an exotic hourglass-like fermion at the Fermi level. Furthermore, we suggest that biaxial strains could modify the hourglass shape, including the electronic Fermi velocity, and induce magnetization. Hexagonal boron nitride can be employed as a protective layer without affecting the electronic structure of this material. This hourglass fermion has the potential to serve as a promising material for high-speed electronic devices and to bridge the gap between zero-dimensional spherical carbon clusters and two-dimensional graphene., (© 2025 Author(s). Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.)

The chirality of magnons, exhibiting left- and right-handed polarizations analogous to the counterparts of spin-up and spin-down, has emerged as a promising paradigm for information processing. However, the potential of this paradigm is constrained by the controllable excitation and transmission of chiral magnons. Here, the magnon transmission is explored in the Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 /NiO/Pt structures. It is demonstrated that both left- and right-handed magnon modes, thermally generated in the compensated ferrimagnet Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 , can efficiently propagate through the antiferromagnetic NiO layer. Remarkably, these modes undergo distinct decay processes in NiO, manifested by different evolutions of the spin diffusion length with temperature. This behavior can be explained by an exchange model rooted in the spin-flop magnetic configuration between Gd 3 Fe 5 O 12 and NiO, which establishes a chiral selection rule for magnon transmission. These findings offer significant fundamental insight into controlling chiral magnons, opening avenues for chirality-based magnonics., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: Previous studies have shown that both the composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI) and sex are strongly associated with a variety of cardiovascular diseases, but sex differences between CDAI and hyperlipidemia are unknown., Objective: This study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to investigate the sex differences between CDAI and hyperlipidemia., Method: We calculated the CDAI of the six dietary antioxidants using data from NHANES, explored the relationship between CDAI and the prevalence of hyperlipidemia using multivariate logistic regression analysis, and analyzed for potential nonlinear associations using restricted cubic spline. Finally, the association between CDAI and hyperlipidemia was further explored using multivariate logistic regression in different genders., Results: The study included a total of 34,754 participants with a mean age of 47.04 years, of whom 49.37% were man. In a fully adjusted multivariable binary logistic regression model, CDAI was negatively associated with the prevalence of hyperlipidemia (OR = 0.99, 95% CI:0.98-0.99). In addition, participants in the highest quartile had a lower risk of hyperlipidaemia compared with the lowest quartile of CDAI (OR = 0.83, 95%CI: 0.76-0.92). We also found a non-linear relationship (non-linear P = 0.003, Inflection point = -0.179). Finally, we found that the association between CDAI and the prevalence of hyperlipidemia was significantly stronger in the female population than in the male population (P for interaction <0.05)., Conclusion: Our study highlights the L-shaped association between CDAI and the prevalence of hyperlipidemia in the general adult population. In addition, this association was more significant in the female population than in the male population., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2025 Miao et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of Kuanxiong Aerosol (KXA) on ischemic stroke with reperfusion and elucidate the underlying pharmacological mechanisms., Methods: In vivo pharmacological effects on ischemic stroke with reperfusion was evaluated using the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (t-MCAO) mice model. To evaluate short-term outcome, 30 mice were randomly divided into vehicle group (n=15) and KXA group (n=15). Mice in KXA and vehicle groups received 69 mg KXA and vehicle for 1 day, respectively. To evaluate long-term outcome, 35 mice were randomly divided into sham group (n=5), vehicle group (n=15), and KXA group (n=15). Mice in KXA and vehicle groups received 69 mg KXA and vehicle for 7 days, respectively. Pathological changes in the brain were observed by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride or Nissl stainings, and behavioral assessments, including the Modified Neurologic Severity Score, Bederson score, rotarod test, and adhesive removal test were conducted. The penetration ability of KXA and KX (KXA without propellants) through the blood-brain barrier was assessed both in vitro using a transwell model and in vivo. Furthermore, in vitro effects of KX (5, 10, and 20 µL/L) on oxygen and glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R)-induced injury, transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) modulation, calcium influx, and mitochondrial function were explored through Western blot, CCK-8 assay, JC-1 staining, calcium imaging, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and antioxidant measurements., Results: In in vivo experiments, KXA reduced brain infarct volume and neuron loss in t-MCAO mice. Behavioral assessments showed marked improvement in the neurological deficit of t-MCAO mice with KXA treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Additionally, in vitro findings indicated that KX ameliorated OGD/R-induced injury through TRPV1 channel modulation. KX increased cell viability in OGD/R-treated SH-SY5Y cells and prevented OGD/R-induced calcium overload by downregulating TRPV1 expression and constraining calcium influx through TRPV1 (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Furthermore, KXA maintained the membrane potential and function of mitochondria in OGD/R-treated SH-SY5Y cells., Conclusions: KXA could attenuate ischemic stroke injury through TRPV1 channel modulation, indicating its potential as a promising therapeutic option for stroke in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest. Dr. CHEN Hong-jian and Dr. CHEN Ye-feng are in the joint postdoctoral program of Zhejiang University and Zhejiang SuKean Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Dr. QIAN Kai, ZHU Yang-yang, FANG Lei, and YANG Tao are employed by Zhejiang SuKean Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The study was conducted in accordance with rigorous scientific standards to ensure the objectivity and reliability of the results. The data was analyzed and interpreted by authors without relationships relevant to the company. The company had no influence on the data analysis or interpretation of the results. All other authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose., (© 2024. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Selective poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors not only exhibit antitumor efficacy but also offer the potential to mitigate the toxicities typically associated with broader PARP inhibition. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of small molecules targeting highly selective PARP1 inhibitors. Among these, T26 demonstrated excellent selectivity to PARP1 along with the capability to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). T26 exhibited an IC 50 of 0.2 nM against PARP1, with a remarkable 610-fold selectivity over PARP2 and high antiproliferative activity in BRCA mutant MDA-MB-436 cells with an IC 50 of 2.6 nM. T 26 also displayed excellent oral bioavailability ( F = 87.74%) and long half-life ( T 1/2 = 76.07 h) in mice, supporting once every other day administration. Oral administration of T26 at 0.3 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition in both subcutaneous and intracranial xenograft models of MDA-MB-436, suggesting T26 significant potential for the treatment of breast cancer metastases.

Objective: We explored potential relationships between dietary live microbe intake and chronic diarrhea (CD) and fecal incontinence (FI)., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. Participants were categorized into three groups according to the Sanders classification system (low, medium, and high dietary live microbe groups). CD and FI were defined using a bowel health questionnaire. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were performed on weighted data to explore potential relationships., Results: In univariate logistic regression analyses, participants in the high dietary live microbe group exhibited a lower CD prevalence when compared to those in the low group (odds ratio (OR) = 0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.43-0.79). After adjusting for covariates, model 2 (OR = 0.69 95% CI: 0.49-0.96) and model 3 (OR = 0.66 95% CI: 0.45-0.96) data were consistent with model 1 data. No significant association was identified between dietary live microbe intake and FI. Withal, subgroup analyses revealed significant associations between high dietary live microbes and CD in males or participants without abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and sleep disorder ( p  < 0.05)., Conclusions: In this cross-sectional study, consuming foods rich in live microbes may exert positive effects on CD risk. This finding may facilitate new management strategies for CD.

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic immune-mediated skin disease. Although many new strategies for psoriasis treatment have been developed, there is great need in clinic for treating psoriasis. Gentiopicroside (GPS), derived from Gentiana manshurica Kitagawa, has multiple pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and antiviral activities. In this study, we investigated the potential effects of GPS in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model and the underlying mechanisms. The mice were sensitized on their shaved back with IMQ cream for 7 days with or without topical application of 1% or 2% GPS cream. We showed that the application of GPS cream significantly ameliorated psoriasis-like skin lesions; GPS effect was better than that of calcipotriol. GPS rectified the immune cells infiltration and keratinocytes activation in the skin lesions, and significantly inhibited TNF-α/IFN-γ stimulated human keratinocyte (HaCaT) activation in vitro. Proteomic analysis from keratinocytes with and without GPS treatment prompted that GPS regulated the Keap1-Nrf2 pathway, which was the most important pathway in regulating oxidative stress and inflammation. We demonstrated that GPS regulated the protein expression of p62 and Keap1, induced Nrf2 nuclear translocation followed by transcription of Nrf2 downstream antioxidant genes in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the antioxidant effects of GPS were abolished in Nrf2 -/- keratinocytes. Simultaneously, Nrf2 -/- mice showed increased psoriasiform symptoms with a diminished protective effect in response to GPS treatment. Collectively, the study discloses that GPS inhibits keratinocyte activation and ameliorates psoriasis-like skin lesions in an Nrf2-dependent manner., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Background and Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) remains a significant global health challenge, characterized by high incidence and mortality rates, particularly in East Asia. A comprehensive understanding of the disease burden of gastric cancer is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. However, comprehensive global assessments of the disease burden of gastric cancer remain limited. This study, based on the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) framework, systematically analyzes global trends in gastric cancer from 1990 to 2021 and projects future trends through 2035, aiming to provide scientific evidence for policymaking., Methods: The data were derived from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, covering gastric cancer (GC) incidence, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs), age-standardized death rates (ASDRs), and age-standardized DALY rates (ASRs) across 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2021. The Bayesian age-period-cohort model was employed to project trends up to 2035., Results: In comparison with 1990, both the incidence and mortality of GC rose in 2021, with over 1.23 million new cases recorded globally, resulting in 954,373.60 deaths and 22,786,633.10 DALYs. Between 1990 and 2021, the ASIRs, ASDRs, and ASRs decreased by 42% (ranging from 49 to 35%), 49% (ranging from 55 to 43%), and 53% (ranging from 58 to 47%), respectively. The peak ASIRs and ASDRs in 2021 were seen in the high-middle SDI quintile. Males exhibited higher rates of ASDRs, ASIRs, and ASRs compared to females. In 2021, East Asia and high-income North America bore the largest burden of smoking-related GC, while Central Europe experienced the highest burden from high-sodium diets. Forecasts toward 2035 indicate a continued decline in both ASIRs and ASDRs., Conclusions: Despite notable reductions in both incidence and mortality, GC remains a substantial global burden, affecting various regions and countries. Deaths and DALYs related to high-sodium diets and smoking have shown an overall decline. However, substantial regional and age-related disparities persist. Targeted interventions, such as smoking control and promoting the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables, are essential in diminishing GC risk., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study uses publicly available data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database. The GBD data are anonymized and aggregated at the population level, and no individual-level information is included. Ethical approval and informed consent were not required for the use of these data. Access to the GBD database complies with all applicable data use agreements and guidelines provided by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). Consent for publication: Not applicable. This study does not involve individual-level data or any information requiring consent for publication. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease regulated by autoimmunity, and pyroptosis plays an important role in this condition. This research sought to examine the function and potential molecular pathway of Gasdermin D (GSDMD) in psoriasis., Methods: GSDMD expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in biopsied skin tissues from patients with psoriasis. Pyroptosis-related genes and inflammatory factors were quantified using qRT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. HaCaT cells were treated with M5 cytokines to develop an in vitro psoriasis model, while imiquimod (IMQ) was administered to construct an in vivo psoriasis model. To counteract the inhibition of the NOD-like receptor (NLR) pathway caused by GSDMD knockdown, the pathway activator M-TriDAP was employed., Results: In the lesional skin tissues of patients with psoriasis, GSDMD expression was highly expressed. The levels of pro-pyroptosis mediators were increased, whereas the level of anti-inflammatory factor was lowered. GSDMD knockdown and disulfiram treatment inhibited pyroptosis and promoted apoptosis in M5-induced HaCaT cells. In the IMQ-induced psoriasis-like mouse model, GSDMD knockdown suppressed pyroptosis and improved skin lesion severity, alleviating erythema, epidermal thickness, and inflammatory cell infiltration. Mechanistically, GSDMD knockdown inhibited the NLR pathway, accompanied by reduced protein levels of NLRP3, NOD1, NOD2, and PYCARD. NLR pathway activator, M-TriDAP treatment significantly reversed the effects of GSDMD knockdown on psoriasis progression., Conclusions: Knockdown of GSDMD inhibits pyroptosis in psoriasis by blocking the NLR signaling pathway, presenting a novel potential strategy for psoriasis treatment., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) was used to modify a natural polymer, sesbania gum (SG), to prepare oxidized sesbania gum (OSG) with the aim of investigating the physicochemical properties, antimicrobial activity of polyethylene oxide (PEO), OSG, and ε-poly(lysine) (ε-PL) composite fibre membranes and their applications in fresh-cut mango preservation. The PEO/OSG/ε-PL composite fibre membranes were successfully prepared via solution blow spinning (SBS) technology. The results of a series of characterizations revealed that ε-PL was successfully loaded into the fibrous membranes, exhibited good biocompatibility, and ε-PL was better encapsulated, with the membranes. The hydrophilicity, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and flexibility of the fibrous membranes were improved, and the water vapour transmission rate was reduced with the ε-PL content. In vitro bacterial inhibition experiments revealed that PEO/OSG/ε-PL fibre membranes with more than 2 wt% added ε-PL effectively inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. Fruit preservation experiments showed that PEO/OSG/ε-PL fibre membrane could reduce weight loss, inhibit microbial growth, and delay quality deterioration of fresh-cut mango. In addition, the PEO/OSG/ε-PL fibre membrane showed high biodegradability. These results show that the PEO/OSG/ε-PL composite fibre membrane prepared by SBS has application potential as an active packaging material., 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.)

Following myocardial infarction (MI), the accumulation of CD86-positive macrophages in the ischemic injury zone leads to secondary myocardial damage. Precise pharmacological intervention targeting this process remains challenging. This study engineered a nanotherapeutic delivery system with CD86-positive macrophage-specific targeting and ultrasound-responsive release capabilities. A folic acid (FA)-modified ultrasound-responsive gene/drug delivery system, assembled from DOTAP, DSPE-PEG2000-FA, cholesterol, and perfluorohexane (PFH)-termed FA-PNBs-was developed to codeliver small interfering RNA of STAT1 (siSTAT1) and the small-molecule nitro-oleic acid (OA-NO 2 ) into CD86-positive macrophages. Upon irradiation with low-intensity focused ultrasound, FA-PNBs release siSTAT1 and OA-NO 2 at the ischemic injury zone. The results demonstrated the system's precise targeting and efficient delivery capabilities. The combined modulation of OA-NO 2 and siSTAT1 optimizes the immune microenvironment in the infarcted region, alleviates ventricular remodeling, preserves cardiac function, and holds promise for clinical intervention strategies after MI.

Constructing folded molecular structures is emerging as a promising strategy to develop efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. Most folded TADF materials have V-shaped configurations formed by donors and acceptors linked on carbazole or fluorene bridges. In this work, a facile molecular design strategy is proposed for exploring sandwich-structured molecules, and a series of novel and robust TADF materials with regular U-shaped sandwich conformations are constructed by using 11,12-dihydroindolo[2,3-a]carbazole as bridge, xanthone as acceptor, and dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, 9-phenylcarbazole and indolo[3,2,1-JK]carbazole as donors. They hold outstanding thermal stability with ultrahigh decomposition temperatures (556-563 °C), and exhibit fast delayed fluorescence and excellent photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (86 %-97 %). The regular and close stacking of acceptor and donors results in rigidified molecular structures with efficient through-space interaction, which are conducive to suppressing intramolecular motion and reducing reorganized excited-state energy. The organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) using them as emitters exhibit excellent electroluminescence performances, with maximum external quantum efficiencies of up to 30.6 %, which is a leading value for the OLEDs based on folded TADF emitters. These results demonstrate the proposed strategy of employing 11,12-dihydroindolo[2,3-a]carbazole as bridge for planar donors and acceptors to construct efficient folded TADF materials is applicable., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is accompanied by an altered gut microbiota but whether the latter contributes to carcinogenesis is unclear. Here we show that faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) using stool samples from patients with HCC spontaneously initiate liver inflammation, fibrosis and dysplasia in wild-type mice, and accelerate disease progression in a mouse model of HCC. We find that HCC-FMT results in gut barrier injury and translocation of live bacteria to the liver. Metagenomic analyses and bacterial culture of liver tissues reveal enrichment of the gut pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae in patients with HCC and mice transplanted with the HCC microbiota. Moreover, K. pneumoniae monocolonization recapitulates the effect of HCC-FMT in promoting liver inflammation and hepatocarcinogenesis. Mechanistically, K. pneumoniae surface protein PBP1B interacts with and activates TLR4 on HCC cells, leading to increased cell proliferation and activation of oncogenic signalling. Targeting gut colonization using K. oxytoca or TLR4 inhibition represses K. pneumoniae-induced HCC progression. These findings indicate a role for an altered gut microbiota in hepatocarcinogenesis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Liver cirrhosis is prognostically associated with poor life expectancy owing to subsequent liver failure. Thus, understanding liver regeneration processes during cirrhotic injury is highly important. This study explored the role of macrophage heterogeneity in liver regeneration following splenectomy. We collected detailed clinical information from 54 patients with decompensated cirrhosis before and after splenectomy. Obvious liver regeneration was observed after splenectomy in cirrhotic patients. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on three paired liver tissues from patients before and after surgery to explore the immune microenvironment map and the characteristics of liver regeneration-associated macrophages (RAMs). scRNA-seq analysis revealed that the composition of hepatic immune cells changed after splenectomy; among these changes, the proportion of CD300E + RAMs significantly increased after surgery, and high expression levels of functional genes associated with cell proliferation promoted liver regeneration. Moreover, a mouse model of carbon tetrachloride-induced cirrhosis and a coculture system consisting of primary bone marrow-derived macrophages and hepatocytes were established for validation. We observed a similar phenomenon of liver regeneration in cirrhotic mice and further confirmed that CD300E + monocyte-derived macrophages facilitated hepatocyte NAD + synthesis via the secretion of NAMPT, which subsequently promoted hepatocyte proliferation. This study characterized the hepatic immune microenvironment in patients with cirrhosis following splenectomy. Our findings demonstrated that CD300E + macrophages play a crucial role in remodeling the hepatic immune microenvironment after splenectomy, thereby promoting liver regeneration in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. CD300E + macrophages are anticipated to emerge as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of liver cirrhosis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Boletus spp., the edible mushrooms distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America, have been widely used as food and medicinal ingredients worldwide. Bioactive polysaccharides are highly abundant in Boletus spp., as demonstrated by modern phytochemical studies. The isolation, chemical properties, and bioactivities of polysaccharides from Boletus spp. have long been attracted by academics worldwide. However, there is still a lack of systematic tracking of research progress on Boletus polysaccharides (BPs), which is essential for researchers to understand their potential and gain a deeper insight into their functional mechanisms. In this review, we summarized the recent development of BPs, including the extraction and purification methods, physiochemical and structural features, bioactivities and functional mechanisms, the structure-activity relationship, and the potential applications. This review aims to provide researchers with a comprehensive understanding of the current progress and potential of BPs to assist their further investigations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors confirm that this article content has no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Fluorophores absorbing/emitting in the deep near-infrared (deep NIR) spectral region, that is, 800 nm and beyond, hold great promise for in vivo bioimaging, diagnosis, and phototherapy due to deeper tissue penetration. The bottleneck is the lack of bright, stable, and readily synthesized deep NIR fluorophores. Here, it is reported that the albumin-chaperon strategy is a viable one-for-all strategy to address these difficulties. A focused library of deep-NIR absorbing dyes (EA5) is easily synthesized via a two-step cascade. They are neither very stable nor bright in phosphate buffer due to a propeller-type flexible scaffold. Through screening, EA5&#95;c3 is found to exhibit a high affinity toward bovine serum albumin (BSA). Binding-associated structural rigidification resulted in a gigantic 26-fold fluorescence enhancement. The albumin chaperone also greatly improved the stability of EA5&#95;c3 by shielding the bisbenzannulated triarylmethane core from nucleophilic or oxidative species. The resulting EA5&#95;c3@BSA exhibits high biocompatibility. It offered high-resolution vasculature, lymph systems, tumors, and other tissue imaging with its bright deep NIR emission. At the same time, it exhibits prominent potential in photoacoustic imaging and photothermal treatment of subcutaneous and orthotopic breast tumors. These findings provide insights into robust and high-performance fluorophores with deep NIR regions for theranostic against aggressive cancers., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a group of genetic neurodegenerative disorders caused by a variety of gene variants. At least 44 types of SCAs have been identified to date, and more than 35 genes and hundreds of variants have been reported that are associated with SCAs. We have investigated a Pakistani consanguineous six-generation family with SCA by using whole-exome sequencing analysis. We identified a reported SCA-associated variant, c.C2687G (p.P896R) in CACNA1A , in only a subgroup of the family, while a c.C262T (p.P88S) variant in ARFIP1 serves as a candidate pathogenic variant in the other subgroup as a possible novel cause of SCA. Our study showed that intra-familial heterogeneity may exist in SCA families and presented a candidate new causative gene for SCA.

Aims/hypothesis: Alcohol consumption has complex effects on diabetes and metabolic disease, but there is widespread heterogeneity within populations and the specific reasons are unclear. Genetic factors may play a role and warrant exploration. The aim of this study was to elucidate genetic variants modulating the impact of alcohol consumption on insulin sensitivity and pancreatic beta cell function within populations presenting normal glucose tolerance (NGT)., Methods: We recruited 4194 volunteers in Nanjing, 854 in Jurong and an additional 5833 in Nanjing for Discovery cohorts 1 and 2 and a Validation cohort, respectively. We performed an OGTT on all participants, establishing a stringent NGT group, and then assessed insulin sensitivity and beta cell function. Alcohol consumption was categorised as abstinent, light-to-moderate (<210 g per week) or heavy (≥210 g per week). After excluding ineligible individuals, an exploratory genome-wide association study identified potential variants interacting with alcohol consumption in 1862 NGT individuals. These findings were validated in an additional cohort of 2169 NGT individuals. Cox proportional hazard regression was further employed to evaluate the effect of the interaction between the potential variants and alcohol consumption on the risk of type 2 diabetes within the UK Biobank cohort., Results: A significant correlation was observed between drinking levels and insulin sensitivity, accompanied by a consequent inverse relationship with insulin resistance and beta cell insulin secretion after adjusting for confounding factors in NGT individuals. However, no significant associations were noted in the disposition indexes. The interaction of variant rs56221195 with alcohol intake exhibited a pronounced effect on the liver insulin resistance index (LIRI) in the discovery set, corroborated in the validation set (combined p=1.32 × 10 -11 ). Alcohol consumption did not significantly affect LIRI in rs56221195 wild-type (TT) carriers, but a strong negative association emerged in heterozygous (TA) and homozygous (AA) individuals. The rs56221195 variant also significantly interacts with alcohol consumption, influencing the total insulin secretion index INSR120 (the ratio of the AUC of insulin to glucose from 0 to 120 min) (p=2.06 × 10 -9 ) but not disposition index. In the UK Biobank, we found a significant interaction between rs56221195 and alcohol consumption, which was linked to the risk of type 2 diabetes (HR 0.897, p=0.008)., Conclusions/interpretation: Our findings reveal the effects of the interaction of alcohol and rs56221195 on hepatic insulin sensitivity in NGT individuals. It is imperative to weigh potential benefits and detriments thoughtfully when considering alcohol consumption across diverse genetic backgrounds., Competing Interests: Acknowledgements: The authors thank the staff in the Endocrinology Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University for their contributions during the sample collection and processing process. Data availability: Data may be available upon request from TY, yangt@njmu.edu.cn; or KX, bio97xkf@163.com; or XZ, zhuxw@njmu.edu.cn, subject in particular to ethical and privacy considerations. Funding: This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82070803, 82370839, 82200888, 82100838, 82100837) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20220714, BK20210959, BK20210960), and the Major Program of Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University (WXKY202303001). Authors’ relationships and activities: The authors declare that there are no relationships or activities that might bias, or be perceived to bias, their work. Contribution statement: QF and HD wrote the manuscript. QF, HD, SS, KX, XZ and TY did the data cleaning, analysis and interpretation. QF, HD, YH, SZ, HJ, MS and KX were engaged in data acquisition. SS and KX offered statistical expertise and comprehensive assistance. PG assisted in a portion of the data analysis and plotting in the revised manuscript. TY, KX, XZ and QF conceived and designed the study. Each of the authors participated in the data interpretation and provided valuable input during the critical review of the manuscript to enhance its intellectual content. Furthermore, they all endorsed the final draft of the manuscript. TY is responsible for the integrity of the work as a whole., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Qiliqiangxin (QLQX) capsule consists of 11 herbs, namely Huang qi (astragalus membranaceus), Ren shen (ginseng), Fu zi (radix aconiti carmichaeli), Dan shen (salvia miltiorrhiza), Ting li zi (lepidium seed), Ze xie (rhizoma alismatis), Yu zhu (radix polygonati officinalis), Gui zhi (cassia twig), Hong hua (carthamus tinctorious), Xiang jia Pi (cortex periplocae), Chen Pi (pericarpium citri reticulatae), and it is a standardized commercial formula designed to address yang deficiency and to restore the balance of qi in the heart. QLQX is also known to invigorate the blood and promote the circulation of the blood and to promote the use of fluids to relieve water retention and edema, and can be used in cardiovascular diseases such as mild to moderate congestive heart failure resulting from coronary artery disease and hypertension. The further research on the effect of QLQX on cardiac function in mice after myocardial infarction was manipulated. QLQX was given to mice in myocardial infarction model by gavage with appropriate dosage and the samples were analyzed at the end of the animal experiments through the UHPLC-Q-Exactive LC-MS. The liquid mass spectrometry was used to collect and followed by further analysis of the corresponding metabolites and metabolic pathways using metabolomics analysis. As a result, 9 differential metabolites were identified, with 15 being up-regulated and 4 down-regulated following intervention with QLQX. Then the metabolic pathways by KEGG enrichment pathway bubble diagram was analyzed, and 4 metabolic pathways were obtained, and combined with the metabolites that had been screened and analyzed together, finally the two differential metabolites, 2,5-Dihydroxybenzenesulfonic Acid and o-Cresol sulfate were found. The Glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway was closely related to the remaining seven differential metabolites, and the pathway might be an important pathway related to the effects of QLQX on cardiac function in mice., 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 B.V. All rights reserved.)

The ribbon synapses of cochlear inner hair cells (IHCs) employ efficient vesicle resupply to enable fast and sustained release rates. However, the molecular mechanisms of these physiological activities remain unelucidated. Previous studies showed that the RAB-specific GTPase-activating protein TBC1D24 controls the endosomal trafficking of the synaptic vesicles (SVs) in Drosophila and mammalian neurons, and mutations in TBC1D24 may lead to non-syndromic hearing loss or hearing loss associated with the DOORS syndrome in humans. In this study, we generated a knock-in mouse model for the p. S178L mutation in TBC1D24, which leads to autosomal dominant non-syndromic hearing loss (DFNA65). The p.S178L mutant mice show mild hearing loss and progressively declined wave I amplitude of the auditory brainstem responses. Despite the normal gross and cellular morphology of the cochlea, transmission electron microscopy reveals accumulation of endosome-like vacuoles and a lower-than-normal number of SVs directly associated with the ribbons in the IHCs. Consistently, patch clamp of the IHCs shows reduced exocytosis under prolonged stimulus. ARF6, a TBC1D24-interacting protein also involved in endosomal membrane trafficking, was underexpressed in the cochleae of the mutant mouse and has weakened in vitro interaction with the p.S178L mutant TBC1D24. Our results suggest an important role of TBC1D24 in maintaining endosomal-mediated vesicle recycling and sustained exocytosis of hair cell ribbon synapses., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Dwarf plant architecture facilitates dense planting, and increased planting densities boost the maize yield. However, breeding applications of dwarfing materials for maize are currently limited. There is an urgent need remove the obstacles to applying dwarf resources. Here, we innovated a new method to add a novel maize dwarf germplasm through the distant hybridization of Maize-Tripsacum-Teosinte allopolyploid (MTP) with maize. We identified ten independent dwarf families with unique characteristics. Five germplasms in our library were controlled by their respective dwarf genes. However, no allele was controlled by Br2. Subsequently, d024 in the library was successfully fine mapped, revealing its linkage to indel-4 in ZmCYP90D1. The indel-4 polymorphism regulates the expression of ZmCYP90D1 and is controlled by an upstream transcription factor (ZmBES1/BZR1-5). The indel-4 of ZmCYP90D1 allele, which reduces plant height, originated from Tripsacum, a wild variety of maize. However, d024 exhibits sensitivity to brassinosteroids (BRs), with lower castasterone levels in the internodes than that in the wild type. Furthermore, ZmCYP90D1 interacted with ZmFDXs and ZmNAD(P)H to positively regulate the downstream BR synthesis pathway. Additionally, we showed that introgressing the indel-4 of the Tripsacum allele into modern hybrids ensures yield potential and improves the harvest index under high-density conditions. Overall, as we begin to manufacture highly engineered dwarf materials using the MTP, this approach will solve the problems faced by corn dwarfs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Abstract: Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious pathological process with high mortality. Ferroptosis is pivotal in sepsis, whose regulatory mechanisms in sepsis-induced ARDS remains unknown. We aimed to determine key ferroptosis-related genes in septic ARDS and investigate therapeutic traditional Chinese medicine. Method: Sepsis-induced ARDS dataset obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus was analyzed to identify ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes. Enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network construction were performed to identify hub genes. Immune cells infiltration was analyzed and competitive endogenous RNA network was constructed. The diagnostic value of hub genes in septic ARDS was analyzed and the occurrence of ferroptosis and the expression of hub genes were detected. Traditional Chinese medicine targeting hub genes was predicted via SymMap database and was verified. Results: Sixteen ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes were obtained, among which the top four genes ( IL1B , TXN , MAPK3 , HSPB1 ) were selected as hub genes, which may be potential diagnostic markers of septic ARDS. Immunoassay showed that sepsis-induced ARDS and hub genes were closely related to immune cells. The competitive endogenous RNA network showed 26 microRNAs and 38 long noncoding RNA. Ferroptosis occurred and the expressions of IL1B , MAPK3 , and TXN were increased in septic ARDS mice and LPS-challenged human pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells. Sea buckthorn alleviated septic lung injury and affected hub genes expression. Conclusions: Ferroptosis-related genes of IL1B , MAPK 3, and TXN serve as potential diagnostic genes for sepsis-induced ARDS. Sea buckthorn may be therapeutic medication for ARDS. This study provides a new direction for septic ARDS treatment., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the Shock Society.)

Light is crucial for flower bud development in plants, serving as both signal and energy source. However, the mechanisms by which daylength and light intensity regulate flowering in modern roses remain unclear. In Rosa hybrida 'Carola', insufficient light delays flowering and reduces the sugar content in terminal buds. RNA sequencing identified the Trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase F (RhTPPF) gene as a key responder to insufficient light, modulating Tre6P metabolism. Overexpression of RhTPPF in rose calli enhanced sugar accumulation and suppressed the synthesis of RhCO/FT. In tobacco, overexpression of RhTPPF delayed the transition from vegetative growth to flowering, while silencing RhTPPF in roses accelerated flowering. Silencing RhTPPF in roses elevated trehalose-6-phosphate (Tre6P) levels and decreased trehalose. Transcriptome data showed that the expression level of RhTPPF was highly correlated with the circadian rhythm gene LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (RhLHY). Yeast one-hybrid assays, dual luciferase assays and EMSA revealed that RhLHY directly binds to the RhTPPF promoters. Overexpression of RhLHY suppressed flowering, while silencing RhLHY promoted flowering. Furthermore, altering the expression of RhLHY influenced Tre6P synthesis and the expression of sucrose-related transport genes. These findings suggest a RhLHY-RhTPPF-Tre6P regulatory module that maintains sugar balance and inhibits flower formation under reduced light conditions by modulating sugar distribution., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Luciferase reporter systems are commonly used in scientific research to investigate a variety of biological processes, including antiviral innate immunity. These systems employ the use of luciferase enzymes derived from organisms such as fireflies or renilla reniformis, which emit light upon reaction with a substrate. In the context of antiviral innate immunity, the luciferase reporter systems offer a noninvasive and highly sensitive approach for real-time monitoring of immune responses in vitro and in vivo, enabling researchers to delve into the intricate interactions and signaling pathways involved in host-virus dynamic interactions. Here, we describe the methods of the promoter-luciferase reporter and enhancer-luciferase reporter, which provide insights into the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of antiviral innate immunity. Additionally, we outline the split-luciferase complementary reporter method, which was designed to explore protein-protein interactions associated with antiviral immunity. These methodologies offer invaluable knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying antiviral immune pathways and have the potential to support the development of effective antiviral therapies., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: This study aims to link aberrant endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) activation and osteoarthritis (OA) progression by comparing the chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic landscapes of diseased or intact joint tissues of OA patients., Method: We performed ERVs-centric analysis on published ATAC-seq and RNA-seq data from OA patients' cartilage tissues. Here, we compared the outer region of the lateral tibial plateau, representing intact cartilage, to the inner region of the medial tibial plateau, representing damaged cartilage. In addition, cartilage tissue sections from OA patients and post-traumatic OA mouse models were assayed for global H3K9me3 abundance through immunohistochemistry staining., Results: Chromatin accessibility and transcription of ERVs, particularly from evolutionarily "intermediate age" ERVs families (ERV1 and ERVL), were enriched and elevated in OA cartilage. This integrative analysis suggests that H3K9me3-related heterochromatin loss might be mechanistically connected to ERV activation in OA tissue. We further verified that global H3K9me3 levels were reduced in diseased cartilage relative to intact tissue in OA patients and injury-induced OA mice., Conclusion: The findings suggest a compelling hypothesis that the loss of H3K9me3, either due to aging or cellular stressors, may lead to ERVs reactivation that contributes to tissue inflammation and OA progression. This study unveils the intricate relationship between epigenetic alterations, ERVs activation, and OA, paving the way for potential therapeutic interventions targeting these pathogenic mechanisms., (Copyright © 2024 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Piezoelectric electronics possess great potential in flexible sensing and energy harvesting applications. However, they suffer from low electromechanical performance in all-organic piezoelectric systems due to the disordered and weakly-polarized interfaces. Here, we demonstrated an all-polymer piezo-ionic-electric electronics with PVDF/Nafion/PVDF (polyvinylidene difluoride) sandwich structure and regularized ion-electron interfaces. The piezoelectric effect and piezoionic effect mutually couple based on such ion-electron interfaces, endowing this electronics with the unique piezo-ionic-electric working mechanism. Further, owing to the massive interfacial accumulation of ion and electron charges, the electronics obtains a remarkable force-electric coupling enhancement. Experiments show that the electronics presents a high d 33 of ~80.70 pC N -1 , a pressure sensitivity of 51.50 mV kPa -1 and a maximum peak power of 34.66 mW m -2 . It is applicable to be a transducer to light LEDs, and a sensor to detect weak physiological signals or mechanical vibration. This work shows the piezo-ionic-electric electronics as a paradigm of highly-optimized all-polymer piezo-generators., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Nickel-iron layered double hydroxides (NiFe LDHs) are considered as promising substitutes for precious metals in oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, most of the reported NiFe LDHs suffer from poor long-term stability because of the Fe loss during OER resulting in severe inactivation. Herein, a dynamically stable chelating interface through in situ transformation of asymmetric aldehyde-ligand (THB, 1,3,5-Tris(3'-hydroxy-4'-formylphenyl)-benzene) modified NiFe LDHs to anchor Fe and significantly enhance the OER stability is reported. The fabricated asymmetric aldehyde-containing ligand THB is capable of stimulating much more interfacial charge transfer from NiFe LDHs to the oxygen group of THB and accelerating the formation of highly valent active Fe species leading to the strong combination between Fe and ligand and the reduced activation energy barrier of the intermediate, respectively. The optimized aldehyde-ligand-chelated NiFe LDHs (NiFe LDH/THB) shows enhanced OER performance featuring an overpotential of 224 mV at 100 mA cm -2 and robust stability for over 3860 h at 100 mA cm -2 in a water splitting device maintaining a cell voltage of only 1.68 V, which paves a new avenue to improve the water electrolysis performance of non-noble metal catalysts., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Emotions play a crucial role in human thoughts, cognitive processes, and decision-making. EEG has become a widely utilized tool in emotion recognition due to its high temporal resolution, real-time monitoring capabilities, portability, and cost-effectiveness. In this paper, we propose a novel end-to-end emotion recognition method from EEG signals, called MSDCGTNet, which is based on the Multi-Scale Dynamic 1D CNN and the Gated Transformer. First, the Multi-Scale Dynamic CNN is used to extract complex spatial and spectral features from raw EEG signals, which not only avoids information loss but also reduces computational costs associated with the time-frequency conversion of signals. Then, the Gated Transformer Encoder is utilized to capture global dependencies of EEG signals. This encoder focuses on specific regions of the input sequence while reducing computational resources through parallel processing with the improved multi-head self-attention mechanisms. Third, the Temporal Convolution Network is used to extract temporal features from the EEG signals. Finally, the extracted abstract features are fed into a classification module for emotion recognition. The proposed method was evaluated on three publicly available datasets: DEAP, SEED, and SEED&#95;IV. Experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method for emotion recognition. This approach proves to be robust and suitable for various practical applications. By addressing challenges posed by existing methods, the proposed method provides a valuable and effective solution for the field of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)., Competing Interests: Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Enzyme-modified butter (EMB) is well-known for its rich flavour, which is primarily defined by the process of enzymatic hydrolysis. This study employed lipidomics and flavouromics to assess the differences between EMBs and to uncover the intrinsic links between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and lipids. Approximately 273 lipids and 82 VOCs were identified in butter. Palatase 20,000 L and Lipase MHA 10SD had the strongest hydrolytic activities, enhancing flavours characterised by the highest content of acids, followed by lactones and ketones. Combined with the variable importance in projection in partial least squares-discriminant analysis, 19 differential lipids and 41 key VOCs were identified. Further correlation analysis demonstrated that aldehydes were negatively correlated with unsaturated triglycerides, whereas ketones and lactones were negatively correlated with saturated triglycerides containing medium-chain saturated fatty acids. Interactions between lipids and VOCs offers theoretical insights that could inform the advancement of EMB technology., 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.)

This study aimed to comprehensively examine the association of gallstones, cholecystectomy, and cancer risk. Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to estimate the observational associations of gallstones and cholecystectomy with cancer risk, using data from a nationwide cohort involving 239 799 participants. General and gender-specific two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was further conducted to assess the causalities of the observed associations. Observationally, a history of gallstones without cholecystectomy was associated with a high risk of stomach cancer (adjusted odds ratio (aOR)=2.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.50-4.28), liver and bile duct cancer (aOR=2.46, 95% CI 1.17-5.16), kidney cancer (aOR=2.04, 95% CI 1.05-3.94), and bladder cancer (aOR=2.23, 95% CI 1.01-5.13) in the general population, as well as cervical cancer (aOR=1.69, 95% CI 1.12-2.56) in women. Moreover, cholecystectomy was associated with high odds of stomach cancer (aOR=2.41, 95% CI 1.29-4.49), colorectal cancer (aOR=1.83, 95% CI 1.18-2.85), and cancer of liver and bile duct (aOR=2.58, 95% CI 1.11-6.02). MR analysis only supported the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer. This study added evidence to the causal effect of gallstones on stomach, liver and bile duct, kidney, and bladder cancer, highlighting the importance of cancer screening in individuals with gallstones., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethics guidelines. Conflicts of interest Yuanyue Zhu, Linhui Shen, Yanan Huo, Qin Wan, Yingfen Qin, Ruying Hu, Lixin Shi, Qing Su, Xuefeng Yu, Li Yan, Guijun Qin, Xulei Tang, Gang Chen, Yu Xu, Tiange Wang, Zhiyun Zhao, Zhengnan Gao, Guixia Wang, Feixia Shen, Xuejiang Gu, Zuojie Luo, Li Chen, Qiang Li, Zhen Ye, Yinfei Zhang, Chao Liu, Youmin Wang, Shengli Wu, Tao Yang, Huacong Deng, Lulu Chen, Tianshu Zeng, Jiajun Zhao, Yiming Mu, Weiqing Wang, Guang Ning, Jieli Lu, Min Xu, Yufang Bi, and Weiguo Hu declare that they have no conflict of interest. The study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Ruijin Hospital (No. RUIJIN-2011-14) and the study was performed in accordance with the ethical standards as laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all patients included in the study., (© 2024. Higher Education Press.)

Epilepsy, as a common brain disease, causes great pain and stress to patients around the world. At present, the main treatment methods are drug, surgical, and electrical stimulation therapies. Electrical stimulation has recently emerged as an alternative treatment for reducing symptomatic seizures. This study proposes a novel closed-loop epilepsy detection system and stimulation control chip. A time-domain detection algorithm based on amplitude, slope, line length, and signal energy characteristics is introduced. A new threshold calculation method is proposed; that is, the threshold is updated by means of the mean and standard deviation of four consecutive eigenvalues through parameter combination. Once a seizure is detected, the system begins to control the stimulation of a two-phase pulse current with an amplitude and frequency of 34 μA and 200 Hz, respectively. The system is physically designed on the basis of the UMC 55 nm process and verified by a field programmable gate array verification board. This research is conducted through innovative algorithms to reduce power consumption and the area of the circuit. It can maintain a high accuracy of more than 90% and perform seizure detection every 64 ms. It is expected to provide a new treatment for patients with epilepsy.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify determinants of sleep quality and explore their adverse health outcomes among night-shift nurses in China., Method: Through convenience sampling, this cross-sectional study enrolled a total of 711 night-shift nurses aged 20-55 years who completed questionnaires from which details regarding their sociodemographic characteristics, health-related indicators and sleep quality based on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were extracted. A generalized linear regression analysis was then created to identify factors influencing sleep quality. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between sleep quality and chronic fatigue., Results: The prevalence rate of poor sleep quality among night-shift nurses reached as high as 90.1%. Our results showed that education level, years of working experience, quality of make-up sleep before and after night shifts, daily routine and diet were the primary factors affecting sleep quality ( p < 0.01). Nurse fatigue had a significant positive correlation with subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, sleep disturbance, medications to sleep, daytime dysfunctions and global sleep quality ( p < 0.01). However, nurse sleep efficiency had a significant negative correlation with fatigue ( p < 0.01)., Conclusions: Higher education level, longer working years, worse quality of make-up sleep before and after night shifts, daily routine and daily diet were risk factors for poor sleep quality among nurses. Poor sleep among night-shift nurses is strongly correlated with chronic fatigue., 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 Xiao, Huang, Yang, Huang, Li, Wang, Huang, Huang, Huang and Wang.)

With the growing attention on green starch modification technologies, this study investigates the regulatory effects of alternating magnetic field treatment on the fine structure and functional properties of pregelatinized cassava starch at different treatment times (10 min, 30 min, 50 min).The results demonstrate that magnetic field treatment not only increased starch cracks and compactness but also promoted molecular chain breakage and reorganization, hydrogen bond formation, and starch recrystallization, thereby enhancing molecular order. Moreover, the treated starch exhibited improved solubility and swelling power, alongside a positive impact on the content of slowly digestible starch. A comprehensive analysis revealed that a treatment duration of 10 min yielded the most pronounced effects. This study provides fundamental data for magnetic field modification technology, highlighting the potential of alternating magnetic field treatment in food processing and functional food development., 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 work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

As traditional lithium-ion batteries near their theoretical limits, the advancement of lithium-metal batteries (LMBs) becomes crucial for achieving higher energy densities. However, uncontrolled ion transport and unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer are key factors inducing lithium dendrite growth, hindering the development of LMBs. Separator modification is an effective strategy to address the challenges of LMBs. To tackle the issues, a donor-acceptor polymer (ArMT) consisting of benzene rings and triazine was successfully synthesized and modified onto commercial polypropylene (ArMT@PP) as separators for LMBs. Benefitting from the highly lithiophilic triazine organic units, this ArMT exhibits affinity towards Li + and simplifies the solvation structure of Li + during the diffusion process, thus decreasing the ion diffusion activation energy, thereby accelerating the migration of Li + . Furthermore, triazine organic units with appropriate pore size regulate the plating/stripping behavior of lithium metal anodes, thereby facilitating the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. As a result, the assembled Li|ArMT@PP|Li symmetric cells exhibit stable plating/stripping over 800 h. Moreover, the LiFePO 4 |ArMT@PP|Li cells achieved excellent cycling stability with 127.3 mAh g -1 after 1200 cycles at 1 C and a high capacity retention of 90.58 %. This design strategy ensures a durable and dendrite-free anode and paves the way for the development of high-energy-density LMBs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

In the treatment of joints, mucosa, and full-thickness wounds, traditional implant surgery presents not only inconvenience but also a significant risk of wound infection. Additionally, the pharmaceutical application of mangiferin(MGF) has been severely restricted due to its poor water solubility. In this study, we reported the synthesis and characterization of sodium-mangiferin (MGF-Na(S)) using the salt formation method. This novel compound exhibits a solubility of up to 80 mg/mL, which is remarkably 800 times higher than that of MGF. Subsequently, MGF-Na(S) was combined with water to synthesize an injectable sodium-mangiferin homopolymeric hydrogel (MGF-Na(HG)). The hydrogel was further characterized, and its wound-healing properties were investigated. The results indicated that MGF-Na(HG) effectively extends the residence time of therapeutic agents on the wound surface, thereby enhancing wound healing. Moreover, this hydrogel forms a protective gel layer that prevents exogenous bacterial reinfection, providing an optimal environment for wound healing. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrated excellent self-healing and injectable properties, highlighting its potential for managing postoperative wounds. The successful utilization of this injectable, self-healing, and antibacterial MGF-Na(HG) in wound healing offers a novel approach for the application of MGF., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Recent advances in medical plastics highlight the need for sustainable materials with desirable elastic properties. Traditional polyester elastomers have been used as alternatives to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) due to their biocompatibility and adjustable mechanical properties. However, these materials often lack the necessary stability and toughness for reliable medical applications. To address these issues, this study introduces renewable 1,12-dodecanedioic acid (DA) to create a copolymer with diols, resulting in a structure akin to polyolefins. This innovative approach significantly enhances toughness by regulating chain segment lengths and integrates high performance with sustainability. The resulting bio-based elastomer exhibits remarkable biocompatibility and elastic recovery (69.0%). This work represents a significant advancement in the development of eco-friendly materials suitable for medical device applications, with potential implications for tissue engineering and other healthcare technologies.

Background: The co-occurrence of metabolic dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases suggests a genetic link, yet the shared genetic architecture and causality remain unclear. We aimed to comprehensively characterise these genetic relationships., Methods: We investigated genetic correlations among four neurodegenerative diseases and seven metabolic dysfunctions, followed by bidirectional Mendelian randomisation (MR) to assess potential causal relationships. Pleiotropy analysis (PLACO) was used to detect the pleiotropic effects of genetic variants. Significant pleiotropic loci were refined and annotated using functional mapping and annotation (FUMA) and Bayesian colocalisation analysis. We further explored mapped genes with tissue-specific expression and gene set enrichment analyses., Results: We identified significant genetic correlations in nine out of 28 trait pairs. MR suggested causal relationships between specific trait pairs. Pleiotropy analysis revealed 25 931 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms, with 246 pleiotropic loci identified via FUMA and 55 causal loci through Bayesian colocalisation. These loci are involved in neurotransmitter transport and immune response mechanisms, notably the missense variant rs41286192 in SLC18B1. The tissue-specific analysis highlighted the pancreas, left ventricle, amygdala, and liver as critical organs in disease progression. Drug target analysis linked 74 unique genes to existing therapeutic agents, while gene set enrichment identified 189 pathways related to lipid metabolism, cell differentiation and immune responses., Conclusion: Our findings reveal a shared genetic basis, pleiotropic loci, and potential causal relationships between metabolic dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases. These insights highlight the biological connections underlying their phenotypic association and offer implications for future research to reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Oxygen vacancies in Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskites (PV) [AO][ABO 3 ] n play a pivotal role in engineering functional properties and thus understanding the relationship between oxygen-vacancy distribution and physical properties can open up new strategies for fine manipulation of structure-driven functionalities. However, the structural origin of preferential distribution for oxygen vacancies in RP structures is not well understood, notably in the single-layer ( n = 1) RP-structure. Herein, the n = 1 RP phase Sr 2 Nd 2 Zn 2 O 7 was rationally designed and structurally characterized by combining three-dimensional (3D) electron diffraction and neutron powder diffraction. Sr 2 Nd 2 Zn 2 O 7 adopts a novel 2-fold n = 1 RP-type Pmmn -superstructure due to the concurrence of A-site column ordering and oxygen-vacancy array ordering. These two ordering models are inextricably linked, and disrupting one would thus destroy the other. Oxygen vacancies are structurally confined to occupy the equatorial sites of "BO 6 "-octahedra, in stark contrast to the preferential occupation of the inner apical sites in n ≥ 2 structures. Such a layer-dependent oxygen-vacancy distribution in RP structures is in fact dictated by the reduction of the cationic A-A/B repulsion. Moreover, the intrinsic oxygen vacancies can capture atmospheric O 2 , consequently resulting in a mixed oxide ion and p-type electrical conductivity of 1.0 × 10 -4 S cm -1 at temperatures > 800 °C. This value could be further enhanced to > 1.0 × 10 -3 S cm -1 by creating additional oxygen vacancies on the equatorial sites through acceptor doping. Bond valence site energy analysis indicates that the oxide ion conduction in Sr 2 Nd 2 Zn 2 O 7 is predominated by the one-dimensional pathways along the [Zn 2 O 7 ] ladders and is triggered by the gate-control-like migration of the equatorial bridging oxygens to the oxygen-vacant sites. Our results demonstrate that control of anion and cation ordering in RP perovskites opens a new path toward innovative structure-driven property design., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Biomass with naturally ion-conducting segments (e.g., hydroxyl) holds promise for sustainable batteries. Several expeditions are proposed to successfully enhance the ion conduction in biomass polymer mainly by intermolecular structure regulation. Presently, the recognition and research of biomass polymer electrolytes are still limited, requiring continuous explorations to promote the application of such promising electrolytes. Herein, a molecularly asymmetric electrolyte is produced, comprising polysaccharides of starch and chitosan. The strong Li + -O (hydroxyl) interactions are replaced by weak Li + -oxygen (O) of ester carbonyl, and the steric hindrance group -NH 3 + promotes the immobilization of anion and stabilization of the interface. Such intermolecular chemical modulations of biomass are achieved by a one-pot esterification and protonation of polysaccharides. A loosely-solvating cage structure with the participation of O of ester carbonyl, glycerol, and anion, allowing the rapid conduction (1.82 × 10 -4 S cm -1 at 30 °C) and a high migration number (0.49) of Li + . Moreover, Li symmetric cells (2500 h) and Li 4 TiO 5 | Li cells (400 cycles) employing the SCA electrolyte show superior cycling stability. The polysaccharide BPEs and solvation regulation strategy open up a promising avenue for constructing sustainable batteries., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disorder, and despite the availability of multiple Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies, current clinical needs remain unmet. In this study, we find that caseinolytic protease P (ClpP) expression is markedly upregulated in colonic tissues from IBD patients and preclinical colitis models, particularly in CD4 + T cells. Subsequently, a small molecule, namely NCA029, is identified, and its therapeutic efficacy and mechanism of action are investigated both in vitro and in vivo. Oral administration of NCA029 significantly alleviates symptoms associated with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute and interleukin (IL)-10-deficient chronic colitis. The effects of NCA029 are largely dependent on its selective binding to ClpP in CD4 + T cells, thereby mitigating inflammation and restoring intestinal barrier function. Furthermore, NCA029 activates ClpP to promote oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) inhibition and concomitantly modulate the Th17/Treg balance. In conclusion, our study develops a therapeutic strategy for treating IBD through the chemical activation of ClpP., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most prevalent and disabling mental disorders with high recurrence rate. There is often a gap between scientific evidence related to the effective and cost-effective treatment of depression and clinical practice. Implementation science is a field of inquiry that aims to advance the process of applying evidence-based interventions to real-world problems. Implementation research consists of two broad phases. The first phase seeks to identify the gaps that exist between evidence and practice and their impact on outcomes. The second phase, building on the first, evaluates the effectiveness of implementation strategies by examining various implementation indicators to support the adoption and scale up of interventions. Although implementation research can facilitate the uptake and adoption of evidence-based interventions, it is underused in depression research. In this narrative review, the authors will introduce the definition of implementation science and the state of implementation science in MDD in order to support more widespread use of implementation science for scaling up evidence-based interventions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Emerging evidence suggests that the sterile alpha-motif (SAM) and histidine-aspartate (HD) domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) is implicated in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its precise role in tumor cells and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns, prognostic values, and functional role of SAMHD1 in HCC progression. We constructed liver tissue microarrays using tumor and paired paratumor tissue specimens from 187 patients with primary HCC. Our findings indicate that nuclear SAMHD1 protein levels are increased in tumors compared to paratumor tissues. Moreover, nuclear SAMHD1 levels decline in advanced tumor stages, with higher SAMHD1 nuclear staining correlating with favorable prognostic outcomes. Hepatocyte-specific SAMHD1 knockout mice, generated by crossing SAMHD1 fl/fl mice with Alb-cre mice, showed accelerated tumor progression in a diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced HCC model. In hepatoma cell lines, nuclear overexpression of SAMHD1 inhibited cell proliferation by stalling mitosis, independent of its deoxynucleotide triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) function. Mechanistically, SAMHD1 interacts with the cohesin complex in nucleus, enhancing sister chromatid cohesion during cell division, which delays metaphase progression. Our findings suggest that nuclear SAMHD1 plays a critical role in slowing HCC progression by regulating mitosis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target by manipulating cohesin dynamics., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

We report the precise measurements of the cross section of e^{+}e^{-}→hadrons at center-of-mass energies from 3.645 to 3.871 GeV. We thereby perform the most precise study of the cross sections and find a complex system composed of three resonances of R(3760), R(3780), and R(3810). For the first time, we measure the R(3810) electronic width to be (19.4±7.4±12.1)  eV. For the R(3760) resonance, we measure the mass to be (3751.9±3.8±2.8)  MeV/c^{2}, the total width to be (32.8±5.8±8.7)  MeV, and the electronic width to be (184±75±86)  eV. For the R(3780) resonance, we measure its mass to be (3778.7±0.5±0.3)  MeV/c^{2}, total width to be (20.3±0.8±1.7)  MeV, and electronic width to be (265±67±83)  eV. Forty-seven years ago, the ψ(3770) resonance was discovered, and was subsequently interpreted as the 1^{3}D&#95;{1}-wave dominant state of charmonium. However, our analysis of the total-hadron cross sections indicates that the ψ(3770) is not a single state, but a complex system composed of the R(3760), R(3780), and R(3810) resonances. Among these, we interpret the R(3780) is a resonance dominated by the 1^{3}D&#95;{1} charmonium state.

Radioresistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a critical factor leading to treatment failure and recurrence, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of Replication Factor C4 (RFC4) in ESCC radioresistance and to explore the underlying mechanisms. We utilized online bioinformatics tools to analyze the properties, functions, and prognostic significance of RFC4 in ESCC. We established cell lines with varying RFC4 expression levels and subjected them to radiation exposure. RFC4 expression was assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and immunoblotting. Cell proliferation was evaluated with MTT, EdU, and colony formation assays. Apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed by flow cytometry. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to study the impact of RFC4 on the DNA damage response in ESCC cells. A xenograft mouse model was employed to assess tumor growth in vivo . RFC4 expression was significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and cells, particularly in radioresistant cases. Functional experiments revealed that RFC4 promotes cell proliferation, inhibits apoptosis, induces cell cycle arrest, and mitigates radiation-induced DNA damage responses. Mechanistically, RFC4-mediated radioresistance in ESCC may involve the inactivation of the p53 signaling pathway. In animal studies, RFC4 knockdown, either alone or in combination with radiation therapy, effectively suppressed the growth of xenograft tumors. These findings highlight the potential of targeting RFC4 to overcome radioresistance by modulating the DNA damage response in ESCC, offering promising therapeutic avenues for ESCC patients.

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain condition that is primarily caused by underlying neurological damage and dysfunction. Recent studies have identified microRNAs (miRNAs) as a key factor in the treatment of neuropathic pain. To explore the effects of miR-133a-3p on neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain via GTP cyclohydrolase (GCH1), and its underlying mechanisms. In vitro models were constructed using BV-2 cells that had been treated with lipopolysaccharide, followed by treatment with either miR-133a-3p mimic or GCH1 viral knockdown/overexpression. The expression of miR-133a-3p and GCH1 in BV-2 cells was quantified by RT-qPCR. The degree of neuroinflammation was quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The targeting relationship between miR-133a-3p and GCH1 was confirmed by western blot and dual luciferase reporter assay. A chronic constriction injury model was employed to induce neuropathic pain in rats, and the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) was quantified. Immunofluorescence was used to demonstrate alterations in microglial cells. The expression of miR-133a-3p was found to be decreased in lipopolysaccharide-induced BV-2 cells. The overexpression of miR-133a-3p was observed to inhibit the expression of IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α and iNOS, which was attributed to a reduction in GCH1.Nevertheless, OE-GCH1 could partially reverse the downregulation by miR-133a-3p of the expression of inflammatory factors. In animal experiments, intrathecal injection of AVV-miR-133a-3p was observed to alleviate mechanical nociceptive abnormalities induced by activated microglia. Furthermore, miR-133a-3p ameliorated neuroinflammation in the spinal cord of chronic constriction injury rats. In summary, miR-133a-3p improves neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain by binding to GCH1. The binding of miR-133a-3p to GCH1 has been demonstrated to improve neuroinflammation and neuropathic pain.This insight will facilitate the development of new methods to effectively treat neuropathic pain., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: All authors state that they have no conflicts of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is linked to a greater risk of various maternal and fetal complications, including the possibility of long-term metabolic issues in offspring. Our initial research suggests that the Traditional Chinese Medicine formula, Shenling Guchang prescription (SLGP), may have an impact on the gut microbiota. However, the specific mechanisms through which it affects intestinal barrier inflammation in GDM are still not fully understood. This study explored SLGP's mechanisms in GDM. Firstly, network pharmacology predicted key bioactive constituents targeting toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), guiding experimental design. Subsequently, the pregnant female rats were induced with GDM through intraperitoneal streptozotocin injection and then divided into control, model, metformin, and SLGP treatment groups. Blood samples were collected for ELISA analysis to measure levels of inflammatory markers, intestinal tissues were examined histologically using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and western blot analysis was conducted to evaluate TLR4 and NF-κB expression. Relative to control rats, model group animals exhibited significant increases in the levels of inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-β, CRP), as well as enhanced TLR4 and p-NF-κB p65 expression, along with intestinal histopathological changes. Treatment with SLGP notably reduced inflammatory markers and protein expression in the colonic tissue of GDM rats, leading to a decrease in histopathological damage. Overall, SLGP was found to modulate the TLR4/NF-κB pathway, resulting in enhancements in insulin resistance and a reduction in inflammatory responses in GDM rats, thereby providing protection for the intestines. This study demonstrates the potential therapeutic effectiveness of SLGP in addressing intestinal inflammation linked to GDM.

This article summarizes Professor TIAN Conghuo 's key points and features of acupuncture for primary dysmenorrhea. Professor TIAN believes that the location of dysmenorrhea is in the uterus, and the fundamental pathogenesis is the disharmony of both form and spirit. During clinical treatment, he first conducts abdominal palpation, often detecting cord-like nodules around Guilai (ST 29), Huangshu (KI 16), and Zigong (EX-CA 1). Needling reaches the depth of these nodules. Additionally, the use of four acupoints around the navel (Shuifen [CV 9], bilateral Huangshu (KI 16), and Yinjiao [CV 7]), and four back- shu points (Ganshu [BL 18], Pishu [BL 20], Shenshu [BL 23], and Geshu [BL 17]) is applied to regulate the spirit and strengthen the body. Point selection is further based on syndrome differentiation. The "Three layers" needling technique is used, emphasizing the mental and emotional state of the patients, calming the spirit and regulating qi and blood, to achieve a harmonious treatment of both form and spirit for dysmenorrhea.

Objective: Measurement-based care (MBC) is an emerging, objective, and systematic evidence-based practice for monitoring symptom severity and treatment efficacy to assist clinicians in developing individualized treatment strategies for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aimed to identify the barriers and facilitators of enhanced MBC (eMBC) in the outpatient setting to clarify the eMBC utilization dilemma., Methods: Between September 2022 and June 2023, we collected the opinions of healthcare providers, adult and adolescent patients, and family members of adolescent patients via online surveys. Specifically, we surveyed their acceptance and perspectives on MBC and eMBC primarily through custom-designed Likert scales developed for this study., Results: We received responses from 270 adult patients, 144 adolescent patients, 109 family members, and 355 healthcare providers. The results showed that 85.3% of patients and family members were willing to use the eMBC intervention. However, adolescent patients responded significantly differently from the other two groups, with lower acceptance and confidence. Among healthcare providers, while only 69.9% used MBC in practice, 94% believed standardized scales would be effective in treatment, and 91.8% were willing to try eMBC. Additionally, we received 277 remarks regarding eMBC from patients and families., Conclusion: In general, both clinicians and patients looked forward to using eMBC and recognized the potential benefits. However, they still had many concerns about privacy, professionalism, and time consumption. Responses from adolescent patients appeared more conservative and lacked confidence in eMBC. Further implementations are required to explore how eMBC can be operationalized in the outpatient setting to help different patients., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2024 Zhang et al.)