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Abstract Background Previous research has indicated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) potentially play significant roles in multiple ageing phenotypes. This study uses a factorial experimental design to explore the interactions between circulating EVs and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) isolated from young (7–12 weeks) and aged (70–90 weeks) mice. Results In this study, plasma EVs from young (Y_EV) and aged (O_EV) mice were isolated and compared based on abundance, size, and miRNA cargo. Compared to some previous studies, we found relatively few differences in EV miRNA cargo between Y_EVs and O_EVs. Young and old EVs were then used to stimulate naïve BMDMs isolated from young (Y_BMDM) and aged (O_BMDM) mice. A panel of five “M1” and six “M2” macrophage markers were used to assess the degree of polarisation. Our results revealed differences in the immunomodulatory effects of Y_EVs and O_EVs in Y_BMDMs and O_BMDMs. Y_EVs induced less pro-inflammatory gene expression, while O_EVs exhibited a more varied impact, promoting both pro- and anti-inflammatory markers. However, neither EV population induced a clearly defined ‘M1’ or ‘M2’ macrophage phenotype. We also report that EVs elicited responses that differed markedly from those induced by whole plasma. Plasma from old mice had strong pro-inflammatory effects on Y_BMDMs, increasing Il1b, Nlrp3 and Tnfa. However, O_EVs did not have these effects, supporting current evidence that EVs are a separate component of circulating factors during ageing. More research is needed to elucidate specific factors involved in inflammageing processes. Conclusions Our findings reveal age-related differences in EV cargo and function, with young EVs tending to suppress inflammatory markers more effectively than aged EVs. However, this is not straightforward, and EVs often promoted both M1 and M2 markers. These results suggest that EVs are a distinct component of circulating factors and hold potential for therapeutic strategies aimed at mitigating age-related inflammation and immune dysregulation.

Background: Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are promising for inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), but their long-term safety, including risks of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), is uncertain. Objectives: The objective of the study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the risk of NMSC in patients taking JAK inhibitors for IBDs during the induction trial, maintenance trial, and long-term extension (LTE) of treatment. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases to identify studies reporting NMSC with the use of JAK inhibitors. Results: In total, we retained 22 references that included 31 trials for a qualitative systematic review and 28 trials for a quantitative meta-analysis. Average risk differences were < 0.0001 (P = 0.980) in induction trials, 0.002 (P = 0.546) in maintenance trials, and 0.019 (P = 0.012) in LTE trials. Subgroup analyses showed that there were no significant differences between generic drugs, trial phases, ages, or genders. Conclusion: In patients with an IBD, there was no statistically significant difference in the risk probability of NMSC occurrence whether or not JAK inhibitors were used, regardless of the follow-up period during induction and maintenance studies. Furthermore, the overall estimated NMSC incidence rate was significantly higher than the reference incidence. Although large heterogeneity among trials, both gastroenterologists and dermatologists still should be cautious of appropriate skin screening for IBD patients using JAK inhibitors.

Abstract Background Remimazolam is a novel ultra-short-acting benzodiazepine that has been recently introduced as an alternative to propofol for general anesthesia. While both agents have been compared in terms of safety and efficacy, their relative effects on postoperative quality of recovery (QoR) remain unclear. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to compare the effects of remimazolam and propofol on subjective QoR in surgical patients who underwent general anesthesia. Methods Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to May 28, 2024 to identify randomized controlled trials comparing remimazolam and propofol in terms of postoperative QoR. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool (RoB 2) was used to assess study quality. QoR score on postoperative day (POD) 1 (primary outcome), QoR scores on PODs 2–3, QoR dimensions, time to loss of consciousness, other recovery characteristics, and rescue analgesia requirement were evaluated using random-effects meta-analyses. Results This meta-analysis included 13 studies published between 2022 and 2024 involving 1,418 patients. QoR was evaluated using either the QoR-15 (10 studies) or QoR-40 (3 studies) questionnaire. The pooled results indicated no significant difference in the QoR scores on POD 1 (standardized mean difference: 0.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: − 0.20, 0.23, P = 0.88, I2 = 73%) and PODs 2–3 between remimazolam and propofol. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in QoR dimensions, length of postanesthesia care unit (PACU) stay, and time to extubation as well as in the risks of agitation and postoperative nausea and vomiting. Patients administered remimazolam exhibited slower anesthetic induction (mean difference (MD): 32.27 s) but faster recovery of consciousness (MD: − 1.60 min) than those administered propofol. Moreover, remimazolam was associated with a lower risk of rescue analgesia requirement in the PACU (risk ratio: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.89, P = 0.009, I 2 = 0%) but not in the ward. Conclusion Remimazolam is a potential alternative to propofol for general anesthesia as it offers similar QoR to the latter and has advantages in terms of consciousness recovery and immediate postoperative analgesia requirement.

Abstract Study Design A technical note and retrospective case series. Objective Highly upward-migrated lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is challenging due to its problematic access and incomplete removal. The most used interlaminar approach may cause extensive bony destruction. We developed a novel translaminar approach using the unilateral portal endoscopic (UBE) technique, emphasizing effective neural decompression, and preserving the facet joint’s integrity. Methods This retrospective study included six patients receiving UBE translaminar discectomy for highly upward-migrated LDHs from May 2019 to June 2021. The migrated disc was removed through a small keyhole on the lamina of the cranial vertebra. The treatment results were evaluated by operation time, hospital stays, complications, visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) score, and modified MacNab criteria. Results The mean pre-operative VAS for back pain (5.0 ± 4.9), VAS for leg pain (9.2 ± 1.0), JOA score (10.7 ± 6.6), and ODI (75.7 ± 25.3) were significantly improved to 0.3 ± 0.5, 1.2 ± 1.5, 27.3 ± 1.8, 5.0 ± 11.3 respectively at the final follow-up. Five patients had excellent, and one patient had good outcomes according to the Modified MacNab criteria. The hospital stay was 2.7 ± 0.5 days. No complication was recorded. The MRI follow-up showed complete disc removal, except for one patient with an asymptomatic residual disc. Conclusions UBE translaminar discectomy is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure for highly upward-migrated LDH with satisfactory treatment outcomes and nearly 100% facet joint preservation.

Purpose: This study investigated the effects of a Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR)-based physical education (PE) program on students' responsibility and tripartite efficacy beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and relation-inferred self-efficacy (RISE)). Methods: A quasiexperimental design with pretest and posttest quantitative methods was applied. The participants were 114 students assigned to the control or experimental group. Results: The results indicated that compared with both control group students and their own baseline values, the experimental group reported significant improvements in responsibility, self-efficacy, other-efficacy, and RISE. Conclusions: Implementing the TPSR model in PE can not only positively affect students' responsibility but also boost students' efficacy beliefs through the model's five formats (e.g. awareness talk) and application strategies (e.g. empowerment). PE educators are encouraged to strictly comply with implementing details of the TPSR model to effectively improve efficacy beliefs.

Abstract Objective Paracidovorax avenae (Pa) is the causative agent of red stripe disease in sugarcane and belongs to the Gram-negative β-Proteobacteria. Red stripe is a major bacterial disease of sugarcane worldwide. Limited genome sequences of Pa can be used for exploring the phylogenetic and genetic diversity analysis in this pathogen at the complete genome level. In this study, a whole genome sequence of Pa CNGX08 strain isolated from sugarcane in China was assembled and annotated. Data description Genome assembly data from second- and third-generation sequencing revealed that the entire genomic sequence of Pa CNGX08 strain causing red stripe in sugarcane, consisted of a 5,625,582 bp circular chromosome with a GC content of 68.97%. In total, 4,915 protein-coding genes were annotated. Additionally, 9 ribosomal RNAs and 52 transfer RNAs were identified. This genomic resource will facilitate the genome-based taxonomic classification of the genus Paracidovorax and the exploration of pathogenic mechanisms underlying sugarcane red stripe disease caused by Pa.

Mental Status Assessment (MSA) holds significant importance in psychiatry. In recent years, several studies have leveraged Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology to gauge an individual's mental state or level of depression. This study introduces a novel multi-tier ensemble learning approach to integrate multiple EEG bands for conducting mental state or depression assessments. Initially, the EEG signal is divided into eight sub-bands, and then a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) model is trained for each band. Subsequently, the integration of multi-band EEG frequency models and the evaluation of mental state or depression level are facilitated through a two-tier ensemble learning approach based on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). The authors conducted numerous experiments to validate the performance of the proposed method under different evaluation metrics. For clarity and conciseness, the research employs the simplest commercialized one-channel EEG sensor, positioned at FP1, to collect data from 57 subjects (49 depressed and 18 healthy subjects). The obtained results, including an accuracy of 0.897, F1-score of 0.921, precision of 0.935, negative predictive value of 0.829, recall of 0.908, specificity of 0.875, and AUC of 0.8917, provide evidence of the superior performance of the proposed method compared to other ensemble learning techniques. This method not only proves effective but also holds the potential to significantly enhance the accuracy of depression assessment.