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Objective(s): Chronic alcohol abuse causes cognitive deficits. Huangqi Gegen Decoction (HGD), a traditional Chinese herbal formula comprising Huangqi and Gegen, has been documented for its therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of alcoholic liver injury. However, its potential neuroprotective effects against alcohol-induced brain injury remain unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the neuroprotection of HGD on alcohol-induced cognitive dysfunction and the associated mechanism.Materials and Methods: Wistar rats were orally administered 50% ethanol for 10 weeks, followed by treatment with HGD at doses of 16, 32, or 64 mg/kg/day for an additional 6 weeks. The spatial learning and memory abilities of rats were assessed through the Morris Water Maze experiment. The pathological condition in the hippocampus was assessed using H&E and Nissl staining. Tight junction proteins, oxidative stress, and inflammation cytokines were measured by IF, ELISA, PCR, and western blot. The mRNA and protein expression of Keap1, Nrf-2, HO-1, and NQO-1 were tested by PCR and western blot.Results: Results showed that HGD effectively mitigated cognitive dysfunction and pathological changes in alcohol-induced rats while enhancing the expression of ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudin-5. Furthermore, HGD effectively mitigated oxidative stress by reducing levels of ROS and MDA, while elevating levels of SOD, CAT, and GSH-PX in brain tissue. Moreover, HGD significantly suppressed microglial activation and down-regulated expressions of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Mechanistically, HGD remarkably up-regulated the expression of Nrf-2, HO-1, and NQO-1 while down-regulating Keap1 expression.Conclusion: These findings suggest that HGD may be a promising therapeutic agent for alleviating alcohol-induced cognitive dysfunction.

Abstract Preserving pulp viability and promoting pulp regeneration in pulpitis have attracted widespread attention. Restricted by the oxidative stress microenvironment of dental pulpitis, excessive reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) trigger uncontrolled inflammation and exacerbate pulp tissue destruction. However, modulating redox homeostasis in inflamed pulp tissue to promote pulp regeneration remains a great challenge. Herein, this work proposes an effective antioxidative system (C-NZ/GelMA) consisting of carbon dot nanozymes (C-NZ) with gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) to modulate the pulpitis microenvironment for dental pulp regeneration by utilizing the antioxidant properties of C-NZ and the mechanical support of an injectable GelMA hydrogel. This system effectively scavenges RONS to normalize intracellular redox homeostasis, relieving oxidative stress damage. Impressively, it can dramatically enhance the polarization of regenerative M2 macrophages. This study revealed that the C-NZ/GelMA hydrogel promoted pulp regeneration and dentin repair through its outstanding antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting that the C-NZ/GelMA hydrogel is highly valuable for pulpitis treatment.

Abstract Background Sterol side-chain reductase 2 (SSR2) is a key enzyme in the synthesis of plant cholesterol pathway. Despite the importance of watermelon as a horticultural cash crop, the SSR2 gene in watermelon has not been previously studied or reported. Results In this study, 28 SSR2 genes were identified in the watermelon genome. The physicochemical properties of 28 ClaSSR proteins were predicted by bioinformatics methods, and the gene structure, conserved motif, chromosome localization, phylogenetic analysis, cis-acting elements, expression patterns, promoter activity analysis and subcellular localization of ClaSSRs were studied. The 28 ClaSSRs were unevenly distributed on 11 chromosomes, and phylogenetic analysis showed that they could be grouped into 4 groups with other related Cucurbitaceae homologous genes. Analysis of gene structure and motifs revealed similarities in exons/introns and motifs between members of the same group, further supporting phylogenetic results. The RT–qPCR results showed variations in ClaSSRs expression during watermelon fruit development. The analysis of promoter activity for ClaSSR25 showed strong activity. Subcellular localization studies confirmed that ClaSSR25 is mainly located in the cytoplasm, which aligns with the predicted outcomes. We additionally estimated the network of protein–protein interactions for ClaSSR25 and analyzed proteins that could potentially interact with ClaSSR25 in melon and Arabidopsis thaliana. Conclusions We conducted bioinformatics analysis and expression analysis of members of the watermelon SSR2 gene family in this work, and the outcomes set the stage for further investigations into the watermelon SSR2 gene. Graphical Abstract

Background Bronchial asthma (asthma) is the most common chronic respiratory disease in childhood, with long disease course and repeated attacks, which affecting the development and life quality of children. As the main providers of primary healthcare, general practitioners play important role in the early diagnosis and grading management of childhood asthma. Understanding their level of prevention and treatment services for this disease can provide suggestions for improving the quality of primary care childhood asthma prevention and treatment services. Objective To investigate the service level of primary general practitioners in the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma, and the influencing factors on the service level. Methods From April to July 2022, 22 districts (counties) were randomly selected from the 38 districts (counties) in Chongqing Municipality, and conducted a questionnaire survey on primary general practitioners in the sampling. The questionnaire was designed by the research team based on relevant guidelines and literatures, and formed through two rounds of expert consultation and pre-investigation, including four dimensions of knowledge, attitude, behavior and self-evaluation. We investigated the knowledge, attitude, behavior and self-evaluation of primary general practitioners regarding the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma and analyzed the influencing factors. Results A total of 234 general practitioners participated in the questionnaire survey. The knowledge score of general practitioners on the prevention and treatment of childhood asthma was (6.03±2.04) , with a pass rate of 44.9%; the attitude score was (49.42±4.94) , with a pass rate of 100.0%; the behavior score was (30.55±6.66) , with a pass rate of 87.2%; and the self-evaluation score was (21.57±5.30) , with a pass rate of 85.0%. Regarding the selection of referral indications, 98.7% (231/234) of the general practitioners believed that children with moderate or severe acute asthma attack that was not significantly relieved after emergency treatment needed to be referred, and 94.0% (220/234) of the general practitioners believed that children with asthma that could not be controlled effectively after standardized treatment needed to be referred. For children with poorly controlled symptoms, 33.8% (79/234) of the general practitioners would carefully analyze the cause of poor control, and 17.5% (41/234) of the general practitioners would advise patients to follow the doctor's advice, temporarily observe the condition and make an appointment for next reexamination. 33.8% (79/234) of the general practitioners held an uncertain or opposed attitude towards the diagnosis and treatment of childhood asthma in primary medical institutions. The main influencing factors of this attitude was the lack of disease-related knowledge and learning opportunities for general practitioners, reluctance of parents to visit primary medical institutions, strained pediatric doctor-patient relationship, the small number of children suffering from asthma, and the lack of related facilities and equipment. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that professional title and training experience on childhood asthma were the influencing factors of knowledge score (P

Abstract Phase change materials have issues in the automotive industry and in‐memory computing due to their limited thermal stability and high power consumption. Consequently, numerous studies are conducted to enhance the performance of these materials. Uncertainty persists regarding the effects and mechanisms of various doping on the parent material. In this study, four metallic doping elements are selected, and their effects on Sb2Te3 are meticulously analyzed through experiments and ab initio calculations. The thermal stability of Sb2Te3 has been somewhat enhanced by doping these four elements, with Ta doping having the most impact. According to the ab initio molecular dynamics, this improvement results from the tetrahedral centered In and the increased coordination numbers of Ta, Ti, and Sc. Sc located at the center of the octahedron can accelerate the crystallization process. Ta, in particular, exerts the greatest influence on the migration rates of Sb and Te, resulting in the slowest grain growth rate. Simultaneously, it maximizes the delay in the transition from the cubic phase to the hexagonal phase. These features are beneficial for reducing power consumption. The elucidation of the distinct effects of doping elements sets the stage for phase change memory to adapt to various application scenarios.

Spinal arachnoid web is a rare condition characterized by extramedullary bands of arachnoid tissue at the level of the dorsal thoracic spinal cord that may lead to progressive, permanent neurological deficits. To date, this condition has been radiographically characterized by a scalpel sign, which has been pathognomonic in all reported cases of spinal arachnoid webs. In this case, we report the first known patient with confirmed spinal arachnoid web without radiographic evidence of the scalpel sign. In reporting our finding, we encourage a higher clinical suspicion for spinal arachnoid web in patients presenting with progressive thoracic myelopathy following trauma, and radiographic evidence of ventrally displaced spinal cord and turbulent cerebrospinal fluid flow, even in the absence of a scalpel sign.

Abstract A new CTOD calculation method is investigated in this study, considering the FPZ and the effective Young’s modulus. The calculated CTOD values from four theoretical models are compared with the measured CTOD values from the three-point beam experiments, and the differences between them are analyzed. The measured CTOD consists of two parts: (1) the displacement generated by the elastic–plastic deformation in the crack tip region, and (2) the displacement generated by micro-damage in the FPZ. CTOD value caused by micro-damage in the FPZ accounts for 81–92% of the overall CTOD. Thus, the FPZ and the effective Young’s modulus are introduced to modify the models for calculating CTOD. The result indicates that the modified plastic zone model is better than the strip-yield model, the plastic zone model and the modified strip-yield model in calculating CTOD, and CTOD error is reduced from 81 to 90% between the plastic zone model and the experiment to 4–34% between the modified plastic zone model and the experiment, with nearly half of the specimens having an error of less than 10%.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is attracting great attention for cancer treatments, while its therapeutic efficacy is limited by unsatisfactory photosensitizers and hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). To address these problems, we have developed catalase-loaded manganese-porphyrin frameworks (CAT@MnPFs) for catalytically-assisted PDT of cancer cells. CAT@MnPFs were constructed by the assembly of Mn2+ ions and PpIX into MnPFs and the subsequent loading of catalase. Under 650 nm light irradiation, the porphyrin (Protoporphyrin IX) within the structure of CAT@MnPFs can convert oxygen (O2) into singlet oxygen (1O2), showing the photodynamic effect. Importantly, the loaded catalase can decompose hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into O2 with a huge elevation of O2 level (13.22 mg L−1) in 600 s, thus promoting 1O2 generation via PDT. As a result, CAT@MnPFs combined with 650 nm light can effectively ablate cancer cells due to the catalase-assisted oxygen-evolving PDT, showing a high therapeutic efficacy. Meanwhile, after the incubation with CAT@MnPFs, unobvious damage can be found in normal and red blood cells. Thus, the obtained CAT@MnPFs integrate the advantage of photosensitizers and catalase for oxygen-evolving PDT, which can provide some insight for treating hypoxic cells.

DLAT has been recognized as a cuproptosis-related gene that is crucial for cuproptosis in earlier research. The study is to look at how DLAT affects individuals with low-grade glioma's prognosis and immune infiltration. The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) database and the TCGA database were used in this work to download RNAseq data in TPM format. DLAT was found to be overexpressed in LGG by comparing DLAT expression levels between LGG and normal brain tissue, and the expression of DLAT was verified by immunohistochemistry and semi-quantitative analysis. Then, the functional enrichment analysis revealed that the biological functional pathways and possible signal transduction pathways involved were primarily focused on extracellular matrix organization, transmembrane transporter complex, ion channel complex, channel activity, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, complement and coagulation cascades, and channel activity. The level of immune cell infiltration by plasmacytoid dendritic cells and CD8 T cells was subsequently evaluated using single-sample gene set enrichment analysis, which showed that high DLAT expression was inversely connected with that level of infiltration. The link between the methylation and mRNA transcription of DLAT was then further investigated via the MethSurv database, and the results showed that DLAT's hypomethylation status was linked to a poor outcome. Finally, by evaluating the prognostic value of DLAT using the Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier technique, a column line graph was created to forecast the overall survival (OS) rate at 1, 3, and 5 years after LGG identification. The aforementioned results demonstrated that high DLAT expression significantly decreased OS and DSS, and that overexpression of DLAT in LGG was significantly linked with WHO grade, IDH status, primary therapy outcome, overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and progression-free interval (PFI) events. DLAT was discovered as a separate predictive sign of OS in the end. DLAT might thus represent a brand-new predictive biomarker.

Magnesium alloy shows promise of becoming a new generation of degradable biomaterials because of its good biocompatibility and mechanical properties. This paper details the preparation of magnesium alloy by adding calcium and zinc elements to pure magnesium at a specific ratio and strengthened by solid solution treatment and extrusion. The magnesium alloy is subjected to micro-motion wear testing, in vitro degradation product analysis, and in vitro biocompatibility testing and demonstrates excellent performance. The study demonstrates that the prepared Mg-2.0Zn-1.6Ca alloy friction ring has an elliptical shape with a low friction coefficient, which notably enhances the wear resistance of the material. Furthermore, the corrosion of magnesium alloy products in simulated body fluids does not adversely affect the human body. This is because the surface of the magnesium alloy favors cell growth and has excellent antimicrobial properties. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the preparation, surface friction properties, and biocompatibility of magnesium alloys and to provide theoretical and practical guidance for the preparation, processing, and application of high-performance medical magnesium alloys.

Doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) adversely impacts patients' long-term health and quality of life. Its underlying mechanism is complex, involving regulatory cell death mechanisms, such as ferroptosis and autophagy. Moreover, it is a challenge faced by patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation. Endurance exercise (E-Exe) preconditioning effectively counters DIC injury, potentially through the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. However, detailed studies on this process's mechanisms are scarce. Here, E-Exe preconditioning and DIC models were established using mice and primary cultured adult mouse cardiomyocytes (PAMCs). Akin to ferrostatin-1 (ferroptosis inhibitor), rapamycin (autophagic inducer), and MitoTEMPO (mitochondrial free-radical scavenger), E-Exe preconditioning effectively alleviated Fe2+ accumulation and oxidative stress and improved energy metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction in DIC injury, as demonstrated by multifunctional, enzymatic, and morphological indices. However, erastin (ferroptosis inducer), 3-methyladenine (autophagic inhibitor), adenovirus-mediated AMPKα2 downregulation, and AMPKα2 inhibition by compound C significantly diminished these effects, both in vivo and in vitro. The results suggest a non-traditional mechanism where E-Exe preconditioning, under mild mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation, upregulates and phosphorylates AMPKα2, thereby enhancing mitochondrial complex I activity, activating adaptive autophagy, and improving myocardial tolerance to DIC injury. Overall, this study highlighted the pivotal role of mitochondria in myocardial DIC-induced ferroptosis and shows how E-Exe preconditioning activated AMPKα2 against myocardial DIC injury. This suggests that E-Exe preconditioning could be a viable strategy for patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation.

Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) has excellent chemical stability, x-ray transmittance, and elastic modulus close to human cortical bone, which can effectively reduce the stress shielding effect. Therefore, PEEK can be used as a commonly used medical bone implant material to repair damaged bones. However, due to its low surface free energy, PEEK has a certain degree of biological inertness. Surface modification methods are urgently needed to improve this problem. Laser surface texturing is expected to improve the biological inertia of PEEK materials. In this study, an ultraviolet laser with a wavelength of 355 nm was used to construct textures on the surface of PEEK materials. By biomimetic design on the surface of PEEK materials, textures similar in depth and width to the surface topography of natural bones were processed. We explore the specific improvement of corrugated texture, single line texture, and orthogonal texture on PEEK material performance, aiming at improving the service performance of PEEK material and creating conditions for better service of PEEK material in vivo. Through the evaluation of PEEK surface contact angle, friction and wear properties, and biocompatibility, the research results show that laser surface texture treatment can improve many service properties of PEEK materials.

Magnesium alloy, valued for its superior mechanical properties and biocompatibility in biomaterials, faces limitations such as rapid corrosion, poor wear resistance, and unfavorable cell adhesion. To address these challenges and enhance medical magnesium alloy development, this study investigates a magnetic needle grinding process on magnesium alloy. Mg-1.6Ca-2.0Zn alloy, prepared through powder metallurgy and T6 aging treatment, undergoes milling, and magnetic grinding using various needle sizes. The impact is assessed through Vickers hardness, residual stresses, surface roughness, friction and wear tests, electrochemical assessments, and contact angle tests. Results indicate a 22.59% microhardness increase, 30.43 MPa residual compressive stress, increased surface roughness, improved wear and corrosion resistance, and improved hydrophilia after magnetic needle grinding. This research provides a theoretical foundation for advancing medical magnesium alloy industrially.

Pure waterjet surface treatment without abrasive particles has a promising application in the biomedical field, because it induces compressive residual stresses on a metal surface and never leaves the tiny hard particles. In this work, the influence of operation pressure, standoff distance and the number of paths of the waterjet on the surface topography as well as the hardness was studied using the Taguchi method. The results showed that the most essential parameter is the operation pressure. By tuning the operation pressure from 100 to 300 MPa, the surface of Ti6Al4V specimens can be smoothed, roughened or damaged; when the surface layer is eroded, the new-born surface exhibits a clear stochastic nature accompanied by microvoids. The standoff distance benefits finer controlling the height parameters, whilst the number of paths affects the waviness. The hardening effect generated by the waterjet impingement extends to a few hundred-micron depth of the specimens, and the peak value of microhardness was found at a depth of 70 μm, which is an increase by greater than 20 %. The roughness parameters of Arithmetical mean height (Sa), Skewness (Ssk), Auto-correlation length (Sal), and Developed interfacial area ratio (Sdr) as a set are recommended to characterize the biomaterial's surface. The present research results promote the application of waterjet treatment in the field of fine-tuning biomaterial surface morphology.