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Plant-microorganism combined bioremediation is a highly efficient and environmentally sustainable method for the remediation of contaminated soils. Despite its potential, the synergistic effects of wetland plants and anaerobic microbial consortium on the removal of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CAHs) from soil remain inadequately understood. In this study, an anaerobic bacterial consortium, capable of completely dechlorinating trichloroethylene (TCE), was enriched and screened from long-term CAH-contaminated soil. Subsequently, the combined effects of the wetland plant Typha angustifolia L. and the degrading bacterial consortium on the removal of TCE from soil were investigated, along with the underlying microbial mechanisms. The results demonstrated that the bacterial consortium was able to completely convert 0.5 mM TCE to vinyl chloride (VC) within 7 days, and subsequently degrade VC to ethylene within 48 days. The integration of Typha angustifolia L. with the degrading bacterial consortium significantly enhanced both the removal and complete dechlorination of TCE from the soil compared to either treatment alone. Furthermore, this combination substantially increased the diversity and richness of soil bacterial communities, enriched dechlorinating microorganisms, and elevated the relative abundance of dehalogenating enzymes and peroxidases involved in pollutant degradation. In addition, the combination resulted in a more complex soil bacterial community, closer microbial interactions, and a more stable microbial co-occurrence network. This study extends the scope of plant-microorganism combined bioremediation for CAH- contaminated soils., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

CHD1L functions as an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling enzyme, featuring an ATPase catalytic domain activated by double-stranded DNA. Its involvement in critical aspects of cancer progression, such as drug resistance and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, underscores its potential as a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment. In this study, we have pioneered an innovative approach that integrates multiple deep learning methodologies alongside biochemical and cellular experiments to identify promising inhibitors of CHD1L. Through virtual screening of over 1.5 million small molecule compounds, we carefully curated a set of 36 candidate compounds and rigorously evaluated the top 13 candidates. Our findings establish the lead compound C071-0684 as a potent anticancer agent with a novel molecular backbone, demonstrating remarkable efficacy against colorectal and breast cancer cells targeting CHD1L. This compound exhibited a comparable effect on ATPase activity and binding affinity with CHD1Li 6.11, highlighting its superior pharmacological potential. These results provide valuable insights and pave the way for the discovery and development of CHD1L-targeted therapeutics, holding great promise for cancer patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rehmannia Radix Polysaccharides (RRPs) are biopolymers that are isolated and purified from the roots of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch, which have attracted considerable attention because of their biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, hypoglycaemic etc. In this manuscript, the composition and structural characteristics of RRPs are reviewed. Moreover, the research progress on the conformational relationships and biological activities of RRPs is systematically summarized. Additionally, this manuscript also analyzes 155 patents using RRPs as the main raw materials to explore the status quo and bottleneck for the development and utilization of RRPs. In summary, this review not only provides a theoretical basis for future research on RRPs but also provides clear guidance for their market applications and innovation., 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.)

Objective: To investigate the potential of composite inflammatory markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), in predicting outcomes in patients with posterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent mechanical thrombectomy (MT)., Methods: We included patients who underwent MT for posterior circulation large vessel occlusion between February 2016 and December 2021. We then assessed composite inflammatory markers on day 1 post-MT. The primary outcome was the modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months (favorable score: 0 -3). The primary safety measure was 3-month mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined each marker's predictive values and optimal cutoff values. Multivariable regression analysis assessed the relationship between markers and outcomes., Results: We included a total of 137 patients (median age: 71 years, 26% females, median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score: 23). NLR demonstrated the best predictive value for the prognosis of patients with posterior circulation large vessel occlusion who underwent MT. ROC analysis identified an optimal NLR cutoff of 12.5 (area under curve [AUC]: 0.741, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.652-0.830) for favorable outcomes and 14.1 (AUC: 0.764, 95% CIs: 0.662-0.865) for predicting death. Multivariate analysis determined an NLR <12.5 as an independent predictor of favorable post-MT outcomes (odds ratio [OR]: 10.43, 95% CIs: 3.85-28.29, p <0.001), and NLR <14.1 as an independent predictor of post-MT survival (OR: 0.09, 95% CIs: 0.03-0.25, p <0.001)., Conclusions: Among the assessed markers, NLR emerged as the strongest predictor of clinical outcomes following MT for posterior circulation large vessel occlusion., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Certain heavy metals have been correlated to an elevated risk of inflammation-related diseases and mortality. Nevertheless, the intricate relationships between metal exposure, inflammation and mortality remain unknown. We included 3741 adults with measurements of ten urinary heavy metals in the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2010, followed up to December 31, 2019. Low-grade systemic inflammation was evaluated by various markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and ratios derived from regular blood tests. We assessed associations between heavy metal and all-cause mortality using multivariate COX regressions. Then we assessed the mediation effect of low-grade systemic inflammation on the associations via Sobel Test. To gauge the systemic inflammatory potential of the multi-metal mixture and its correlation with all-cause mortality, a Metal Mixture Inflammatory Index (MMII) was developed using reduced rank regression (RRR) models. The association between MMII and all-cause mortality was explored via multivariate COX regressions. Cadmium, antimony and uranium displayed positive associations with mortality, with hazard ratios (HR) ranging from 1.18 to 1.46 (all P -FDR  < 0.05). Mediation analyses revealed that the associations between specific heavy metals (cadmium and antimony) and mortality risk were slightly mediated by the low-grade systemic inflammation markers, with mediation proportions ranging from 3.11 % to 5.38 % (all P < 0.05). MMII, the weighted sum of 9 heavy metals, significantly predicted platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and CRP (β = 0.10 and 1.16, all P < 0.05), was positively associated with mortality risk (HR 1.28, 95 % CI 1.14 to 1.43). Exposure to heavy metals might increase all-cause mortality, partly mediated by low-grade systemic inflammation. MMII, designed to assess the potential systemic inflammatory effects of exposure to multiple heavy metals, was closely related to the all-cause mortality risk. This study introduces MMII as an approach to evaluating co-exposure and its potential health effects comprehensively., 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.)

Collaborative management of environmental pollution and carbon emissions (CMPC) has been a major policy instrument to promote Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in recent years. However, the relationship between the benefits and drawbacks of this environmental management practice for green growth in and around a local area remains to be clarified. Using 30 provinces in China during 2001-2019 as the object of analysis, we assessed the efficiency of local CMPC practices using the nonradial directional distance function (NDDF) model, predicted local green growth using the frontier green complexity index (GCI), and empirically examined the spatial effects, locational heterogeneity, and threshold characteristics of the relationship using the spatial Durbin model and the panel threshold model. Our study finds that although efficient CMPC does drive local green growth, the promotion effect is nonlinear with decreasing marginal effect. This effect is particularly obvious in economically developed regions with higher CMPCs, which will absorb resources from neighboring regions and create a "siphoning" effect. It was found that local financial support and foreign direct investment (FDI) can radiate green growth to neighboring regions; therefore, CMPC practice needs to pay more attention to the effect of joint governance, supplemented by financial and foreign investment policy tools, to better promote the green transformation of local economy., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is limited evidence on the effects of intrauterine chromium (Cr) exposure on children's cognitive developmental delay (CDD). Further, little is known about the genetic factors in modifying the association between intrauterine Cr exposure and CDD. The present study involved 2361 mother-child pairs, in which maternal plasma Cr concentrations were assessed, a polygenic risk score for the child was constructed, and the child's cognitive development was evaluated using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development. The risks of CDD conferred by intrauterine Cr exposure in children with different genetic backgrounds were evaluated by logistic regression. The additive interaction between intrauterine Cr exposure and genetic factors was evaluated by calculating the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), and synergy index (SI). According to present study, higher intrauterine Cr exposure was significantly associated with increased CDD risk [each unit increase in ln-transformed maternal plasma Cr concentration (ln-Cr): adjusted OR (95 % CI), 1.18 (1.04-1.35); highest vs lowest quartile: adjusted OR (95 % CI), 1.57 (1.10-2.23)]. The dose-response relationship of intrauterine Cr exposure and CDD for children with high genetic risk was more prominent [each unit increased ln-Cr: adjusted OR (95 % CI), 1.36 (1.09-1.70)]. Joint effects between intrauterine Cr exposure and genetic factors were found. Specifically, for high genetic risk carriers, the association between intrauterine Cr exposure and CDD was more evident [highest vs lowest quartile: adjusted OR (95 % CI), 2.33 (1.43-3.80)]. For those children with high intrauterine Cr exposure and high genetic risk, the adjusted AP was 0.39 (95 % CI, 0.07-0.72). Conclusively, intrauterine Cr exposure was a high-risk factor for CDD in children, particularly for those with high genetic risk. Intrauterine Cr exposure and one's adverse genetic background jointly contribute to an increased risk of CDD in children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing financial interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aspirin (ASP) is currently the drug of choice for antiplatelet therapy. However, approximately 5%-45 % of patients are resistant to ASP and do not achieve the expected result. At present, a few studies have investigated the correlation between ASP resistance (AR) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Traditional detection methods are time-consuming and laborious, affecting the accuracy of personalized medicine. This study aimed to establish a new assay to identify four SNPs associated with AR. A large amount of double-stranded DNA was formed after multiple cycles of specific exponential amplification by ligase chain reaction, the specific melting peak of which was visible in the detection curve, with a detection limit of 10 -11 mol/L. The specificity experiments of different proportions of wild-type and mutant plasmid standards showed that the novel method could detect up to 1 % allele frequency and the specificity was good. Clinical blood samples of 57 patients were tested in this study. The results were consistent with those of sequencing and more accurate and reliable than those of the high-resolution melting method. The technique used in this study was simple, sensitive and specific compared with the traditional method. Statistical analysis revealed that AR was significantly correlated with the rs12041331 site of the PEAR1 gene and the rs1695 site of the GSTP1 gene, providing an important reference value for the study of AR., 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.)

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary cooperative first aid model in the process of establishing a chest pain center specializing in acute aortic dissection (AD)., Design: A quality improvement report., Methods: A total of 142 patients with acute aortic dissection treated before and after the optimization of the chest pain center process in our hospital were included. According to their admission time: the group before the optimization process was designated as the control group (66 cases) and the group after the optimization process was the intervention group (76 cases). The control group received conventional emergency treatment, while the intervention group received treatment through a multidisciplinary cooperative first aid model. The treatment times for both groups were compared: the time from first medical contact(FMC) to completion of an electrocardiogram (ECG), the diagnosis time, and the time spent in the emergency department., Results: The research findings revealed that the intervention group had significantly shorter times for FMC-to-ECG, diagnosis time, and emergency stay compared to the control group (P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Our findings indicate that by optimizing the multidisciplinary cooperative first aid model and procedures, the treatment of patients has indeed been effectively ensured, achieving safety outcomes., Implications for Clinical Practice: For chest pain centers, we suggest that to use multidisciplinary cooperative first aid model to get repaid and definite diagnosis of various causes of chest pain. A bedside transthoracic echocardiography is recommended to use in order to identify AD before proceeding with further 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 © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Research on parent-child interaction (PCI) and its impact on children's weight status is a thriving study area. However, their potential pathways have not been established. This study investigated the association between PCI and children's body-mass index z score (BMIz) examining the role of appetite self-regulation (ASR) as a mediator., Study Design: Mediation analysis., Methods: We included children from 33 kindergartens in Wuhan with parents' consent, measuring children's height and weight, and calculating BMIz. To assess the PCI quality, we utilized the Brigance Parent-Child Interactions Scale. Additionally, children's ASR was tested by satiety responsiveness (SR) and food responsiveness (FR) using the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Quantile regression was employed to examine the PCI-BMIz association, while mediation analysis was conducted to explore ASR's mediating effect on the relationship between PCI and BMIz., Results: Of 3973 children (53.88% boys) included in the analysis, the mean BMIz was 0.24 ± 1.13. The results revealed that children with poorer PCI quality have higher BMIz across all selected BMIz percentiles, except for the 5th percentile. Furthermore, these associations were significant across most percentiles, whether for boys or girls. Mediation analysis suggested that these associations were partially mediated by children's ASR (ind FR  = -0.026, P FR  < 0.001; ind SR  = -0.058, P SR  < 0.001), with stronger effects observed among boys., Conclusion: The variation in how strongly BMIz was linked to PCI across different percentiles suggests that children with poorer PCI have higher BMIz. The link is partially mediated through children's ASR. It's important to pay attention to the PCI quality in children with higher BMIz levels, especially in boys., (Copyright © 2024 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate changes in the upper maxillary palates of children with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and mandibular retraction who were treated using modified twin-block appliances (MTBAs)., Methods: Thirty-five OSA children (age: 6-12 years) with mandibular retraction were included as the experimental group and 35 children who were Angle's class I but without mandibular retraction were included as the control group. The experimental group was treated with MTBA. Plaster models were made before the treatment and at the end of the 6-month treatment period. Plaster models of the control group were made at inclusion and after 6 months. Some plaster models were excluded because of damage or their failure to exhibit sufficiently clear marks, which left 26 pairs each for the experimental and control groups. The gender and age of the experimental group were matched with those of the control group at the end of the treatment. Three-dimensional (3D) digital model information was gathered using the external oral scanning model, and the data were extracted and analysed statistically to clarify the morphologic improvement in the maxillopalatine in OSA children treated using MTBAs., Results: After the OSA children with mandibular retraction were treated with MTBAs, the maxillary intercusp width, intermolar width, anterior palate width, posterior palate width, and surface area and volume of the maxillary palate significantly increased (*P < .05). By contrast, the anterior palatal height-apex level (H3) significantly decreased (*P < .05)., Conclusions: Compared with the control group, the narrow maxillary arch and basal bone were significantly enlarged after the OSA children with mandibular retraction were treated using MTBAs. The palatal surface area and volume increased, thereby allowing more space for accommodating the tongue and relieving transverse dissonance of the dentition., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest None disclosed., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The objective of this review was to explore the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) technology in symptom management of patients at the end of life., Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, which has been registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022344679)., Setting and Participants: Patients at the end of life., Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, JBI, EBSCO, CNKI, Wanfang, and SinoMed were searched from inception to July 31, 2023. Search terms included "virtual reality" and "end-of-life." Articles were screened according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The random effects model was used to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD), and the fixed effects model was used to calculate the mean difference (MD). The Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0 and JBI Evaluation tool were used to assess the risk of bias. The I 2 statistic was used to measure heterogeneity between studies. Forest plots were used for analysis., Results: A total of 234 patients at the end of life from 3 randomized controlled trials and 6 quasi-experimental studies were included. Compared with pre-VR intervention, the pain [standardized mean difference (SMD) -0.89, 95% CI -1.29 to -0.48, P < .05], shortness of breath [mean difference (MD) -0.98, 95% CI -0.98-0.51, P < .05], depression (MD -0.62, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.40, P < .05), and anxiety (SMD -0.93, 95% CI -1.50 to 0.36, P < .05) of patients at the end of life was significantly improved after VR intervention. However, there were no significant differences observed in tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, and lack of appetite., Conclusions and Implications: VR technology can be effective in improving pain, shortness of breath, depression, and anxiety in patients at the end of life. For tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, and lack of appetite, further research is required., Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Abnormalities in osteoclastic generation or activity disrupt bone homeostasis and are highly involved in many pathologic bone-related diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteopetrosis, and osteoporosis. Control of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption is crucial for treating these bone diseases. However, the mechanisms of control of osteoclastogenesis are incompletely understood. In this study, we identified that inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase type II (Impdh2) positively regulates bone resorption. By histomorphometric analysis, Impdh2 deletion in mouse myeloid lineage cells (Impdh2 LysM-/- mice) showed a high bone mass due to the reduced osteoclast number. qPCR and western blotting results demonstrated that the expression of osteoclast marker genes, including Nfatc1, Ctsk, Calcr, Acp5, Dcstamp, and Atp6v0d2, was significantly decreased in the Impdh2 LysM-/- mice. Furthermore, the Impdh inhibitor MPA treatment inhibited osteoclast differentiation and induced Impdh2-cytoophidia formation. The ability of osteoclast differentiation was recovered after MPA deprivation. Interestingly, genome-wide analysis revealed that the osteoclastic mitochondrial biogenesis and functions, such as oxidative phosphorylation, were impaired in the Impdh2 LysM-/- mice. Moreover, the deletion of Impdh2 alleviated ovariectomy-induced bone loss. In conclusion, our findings revealed a previously unrecognized function of Impdh2, suggesting that Impdh2-mediated mechanisms represent therapeutic targets for osteolytic diseases., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The limited understanding of long-term estradiol (E2) suppression poses challenges to the effectiveness of adjuvant therapy with aromatase inhibitors (AI), necessitating comprehensive serum E2 monitoring to address this issue. Therefore, our objective was to investigate serum E2 levels in women undergoing adjuvant AI treatment and evaluate the significance of such monitoring., Patients and Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we recruited women who had received adjuvant AI treatment, including those who underwent ovarian function suppression (OFS). Serum E2 levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The primary endpoint was the proportion of women with E2 levels exceeding 2.72 pg/mL, indicating inadequate suppression achieved with AI therapy., Results: A total of 706 patients were enrolled, including 482 women with OFS in combination with AI. Among them, 116 women (16.4 %) exhibited E2 levels exceeding 2.72 pg/mL. The majority of serum E2 elevations (77.6 %) occurred within the first two years of initiating endocrine therapy. Younger age, no prior chemotherapy, shorter duration of the current treatment regimen, and lower follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were associated with inadequate E2 suppression. Serum E2 concentrations demonstrated dynamic variations and occasional rebound following adjuvant AI therapy., Conclusions: Despite receiving adjuvant AI treatment for nearly two years, a certain proportion of patients failed to achieve the adequate threshold of E2 suppression. Our findings emphasize the significance of monitoring serum E2 levels during adjuvant AI therapy, particularly within the first two years. Further research is imperative to facilitate a more comprehensive comprehension of E2 monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

While rivers as primary conduits for land-based plastic particles transferring to their "ultimate" destination, the ocean, have garnered increasing attention, research on microplastic pollution at the scale of whole large river basins remains limited. Here we conducted a large-scale investigation of microplastic contamination in water and sediment of the world's third-largest river, the Yangtze River. We found concentrations of microplastics in water and sediment to be 5.13 items/L and 113.9 items/kg (dry weight), respectively. Moreover, microplastic pollution levels exhibited a clear decreasing trend from upstream to downstream. The detected microplastics were predominantly transparent in color, with fibrous shapes predominating, sizes mainly concentrated below 1 mm and composed primarily of PP and PE polymers. Our analysis results indicated that compared to geographical and water quality parameters, anthropogenic factors primarily determined the spatial distribution pattern of microplastics. Moreover, the microplastic abundance in sediment upstream of the dam was significantly higher than that in the downstream sediment, while the trend of microplastic concentrations in water was opposite. Therefore, more effort is needed to monitor microplastic contamination and their ecological environmental effects of sediment before dams in future research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All 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 B.V.)

Kale is rich in various essential trace elements and phytochemicals, including glucosinolate and its hydrolyzed product isothiocyanate, which have significant anticancer properties. Nowadays, new types of pollutant microplastics (MP) pose a threat to global ecosystems due to their high bioaccumulation and persistent degradation. Silicon (Si) is commonly used to alleviate abiotic stresses, offering a promising approach to ensure safe food production. However, the mechanisms through which Si mitigates MP toxicity are unknown. In this study, a pot culture experiments was conducted to evaluate the morphogenetic, physiological, and biochemical responses of kale to Si supply under MP stress. The results showed that MP caused the production of reactive oxygen species, inhibited the growth and development of kale, and reduced the content of phytochemicals by interfering with the photosynthetic system, antioxidant defense system, and endogenous hormone regulation network. Si mitigated the adverse effects of MP by enhancing the photosynthetic capacity of kale, regulating the distribution of substances between primary and secondary metabolism, and strengthening the ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycling system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Xiaoqin Yao reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Xiaoqin Yao reports financial support was provided by Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province. If there are other authors, they 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.)

Objective: To establish a rapid and universal quantitative liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for measuring the exposure levels of five triazole antifungal drugs in human plasma, including voriconazole, fluconazole, posaconazole, itraconazole, and hydroxyitraconazole., Methods: A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in positive ionization mode was used to detect the analyte, and multiple reaction monitoring mode was employed to gather data. The mobile phase included 0.05 % formic acid in water (phase A) and acetonitrile (phase B). The analytes were separated on an Agilent EclipsePlusC 18 RRHD column (30 × 50 mm, 1.8 μm) using gradient elution. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min with the column temperature set at 35 °C. The acetonitrile was used to pretreat the plasma sample, and the itraconazole-D5 and hydroxyitraconazole-D5 were utilized as the internal standards., Results: The calibration range was from 100 to 10,000 ng/mL for posaconazole, itraconazole, and hydroxyitraconazole, from 200 to 20,000 ng/mL for fluconazole and from 50 to 5000 ng/mL for voriconazole, with linear correlation coefficients more than 0.99 for all regression curves. The intra- and inter-day accuracy and precision of the method were within ±15 %. The mean extraction recovery of all the analytes ranged from 74.32 % to 117.83 %, and the matrix effect was from 72.54 % to 111.2 %. The results of stability fell into the scope of ±15 % deviation., Conclusion: This newly developed method is sensitive, simple, and robust, and successfully applied in determining triazole antifungal drugs in plasma from 66 IFI patients to provide reference for safe and effective drug administration in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Numerous studies have highlighted the correlation between metal intake and deteriorated pulmonary function, emphasizing its pivotal role in the progression of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, the efficacy of traditional models is often compromised due to overfitting and high bias in datasets with low-level exposure, rendering them ineffective in delineating the contemporary risk trends associated with pulmonary diseases. To address these limitations, we embarked on developing advanced, interpretable models, crucial for elucidating the intricate mechanisms of metal toxicity and enriching the domain knowledge embedded in toxicity models. In this endeavor, we scrutinized extensive, long-term metal exposure datasets from NHANES to explore the interplay between metal and pulmonary functionality. Employing a variety of machine-learning approaches, we opted for the "Mixer of Experts" model for its proficiency in identifying a myriad of toxicological trends and sensitivities. We conceptualized and illustrated the TSAP (Toxicity Score at Population-level), a metal interpretable scoring system offering performance nearly equivalent to the amalgamation of standard interpretable methods addressing the "black box" conundrum. This streamlined, bifurcated procedural analysis proved instrumental in discerning established risk factors, thereby uncovering Tungsten as a novel contributor to COPD risk. SYNOPSIS: TSAP achieved satisfied performance with transparent interpretability, suggesting tungsten intake need further action for COPD prevention., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In computed tomography (CT) imaging, optimizing the balance between radiation dose and image quality is crucial due to the potentially harmful effects of radiation on patients. Although subjective assessments by radiologists are considered the gold standard in medical imaging, these evaluations can be time-consuming and costly. Thus, objective methods, such as the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity index measure, are often employed as alternatives. However, these metrics, initially developed for natural images, may not fully encapsulate the radiologists' assessment process. Consequently, interest in developing deep learning-based image quality assessment (IQA) methods that more closely align with radiologists' perceptions is growing. A significant barrier to this development has been the absence of open-source datasets and benchmark models specific to CT IQA. Addressing these challenges, we organized the Low-dose Computed Tomography Perceptual Image Quality Assessment Challenge in conjunction with the Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention 2023. This event introduced the first open-source CT IQA dataset, consisting of 1,000 CT images of various quality, annotated with radiologists' assessment scores. As a benchmark, this challenge offers a comprehensive analysis of six submitted methods, providing valuable insight into their performance. This paper presents a summary of these methods and insights. This challenge underscores the potential for developing no-reference IQA methods that could exceed the capabilities of full-reference IQA methods, making a significant contribution to the research community with this novel dataset. The dataset is accessible at https://zenodo.org/records/7833096., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jang-Hwan Choi reports financial support was provided by the National Research Foundation of Korea. Jang-Hwan Choi reports was provided by the Korea Medical Device Development Fund grant funded by the Korea government. Adrian Galdran reports financial support was provided by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship. If there are other authors, they 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 B.V.)

Background: This retrospective study aimed to determine the optimal metronomic chemotherapy duration (MTCD) as adjuvant therapy for patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LANPC)., Methods: This study involved LANPC patients treated with metronomic chemotherapy (MTC) using a 5-FU prodrug (S1, capecitabine, or tegafur) from May 2013 to September 2020. The optimal MTCD threshold was established using X-tile Bioinformatics software. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRRFS) were compared between short-term and long-term groups using propensity score matching (PSM)., Results: A total of 546 patients were analyzed. MTCD was an independent prognostic factor for OS, PFS, and DMFS (all P < 0.05). Patients were categorized into long-term (>3 months) and short-term (≤3 months) MTCD groups. After a median follow-up of 48 months, significant differences were observed in 4-year OS (97.0 % vs. 87.1 %; P < 0.01), PFS (84.6 % vs. 70.9 %; P < 0.01), DMFS (87.3 % vs. 78.8 %; P < 0.01), and LRRFS (95.3 % vs. 87.4 %; P < 0.01) between the long-term and short-term groups. In the PSM-matched cohort of 196 patients per group, the long-term group demonstrated superior 4-year OS and LRRFS (97.3 % vs. 87.1 %, P < 0.01; 95.2 % vs. 90.0 %, P < 0.05). No significant differences in acute toxicities were observed between the groups (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: Extended MTC with a 5-FU prodrug (>3 months) may benefit NPC patients. Further prospective studies are needed to validate these findings., 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.)

High-laying ducks are often fed high-energy, nutritious feeds to maintain high productivity, which predisposes them to lipid metabolism disorders and the development of fatty liver syndrome (FLS), which seriously affects production performance and has a substantial economic impact on the poultry industry. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development of fatty liver syndrome. In this study, seven Shan Partridge ducks, each with fatty liver syndrome and normal laying ducks, were selected, and Hematoxylin Eosin staining (HE staining), Masson staining, and transcriptome sequencing were performed on liver tissue. In addition to exploring key genes and pathways using conventional analysis methods, we constructed the first Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database-based predefined gene set containing 12,764 pathways and 16,836 genes and further performed gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) on the liver transcriptome data. Finally, key nodes and biological processes were identified via the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The results showed that the liver in the FL group exhibited steatosis and fibrosis, and a total of 3,663 genes with upregulated expression versus 2,296 downregulated genes were screened by conventional analysis. GSEA analysis and PPI network analysis revealed that the liver in the FL group exhibited disruption of the mitochondrial electron transport chain, leading to decreased oxidative phosphorylation and the secretion of excessive proinflammatory factors amid the continuous accumulation of lipids. Under continuous chronic inflammation, cell cycle arrest triggers apoptosis, while fibrosis becomes more severe, and procarcinogenic genes are activated, leading to the continuous development and deterioration of the liver. In conclusion, the predefined gene set constructed in this study can be used for GSEA, and the identified hub genes provide useful reference data and a solid foundation for the study of the genetic regulatory mechanism of fatty liver syndrome in ducks., Competing Interests: DISCCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ischemic osteonecrosis, particularly glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GIONFH), is primarily due to the dysfunction of osteogenesis and angiogenesis. miRNA, as a therapeutic system with immense potential, plays a vital role in the treatment of various diseases. However, due to the unique microenvironmental structure of bone tissue, especially in the case of GIONFH, where there is a deficiency in the vascular system, it is challenging to effectively target and deliver to the ischemic osteonecrosis area. A drug delivery system assisted by genetically engineered cell membranes holds promise in addressing the challenge of targeted miRNA delivery. Herein, we leverage the potential of miR-21 in modulating osteogenesis and angiogenesis to design an innovative biomimetic nanoplatform system. First, we employed metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as the core structure to load miR-21-m (miR-21-m@MOF). The nanoparticles were further coated with the membrane of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells overexpressing CXCR4 (CM-miR-21-m@MOF), enhancing their ability to target ischemic bone areas via the CXCR4-SDF1 axis. These biomimetic nanocomposites possess both bone-targeting and ischemia-guiding capabilities, actively targeting GIONFH lesions to release miR-21-m into target cells, thereby silencing PTEN gene and activating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway to regulate osteogenesis and angiogenesis. This innovative miRNA delivery system provides a promising therapeutic avenue for GIONFH and potentially other related ischemic bone diseases. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE., Competing Interests: Declaration competing of interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) is an essential pathogenic mycoplasma in poultry worldwide, posing a serious threat to the poultry industry's health. Timely detection is imperative for early diagnosis, prevention, and control of MS infection. Current laboratory methods for MS detection are generally complicated, time-consuming, and require sophisticated equipment. Therefore, a simple and rapid method is urgently needed. This study developed a novel real-time fluorescence-based recombinase-aided amplification (RF-RAA) technique for detecting MS nucleic acids, enabling target gene amplification within 20 min at 39°C. The RF-RAA outcomes are interpretable in 2 modalities: real-time fluorescence monitoring employing a temperature-controlled fluorescence detector or direct visual inspection facilitated by a portable blue light transilluminator. This method exhibits robust specificity, demonstrating no cross-reactivity with various common poultry pathogens, and achieves high sensitivity, detecting as low as 10 copies/μL for the standard plasmid. Seventy-one clinical samples of chicken throat swabs were detected by RF-RAA and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) methods. The diagnostic coincidence rates of qPCR with RF-RAA (fluorescence monitoring) and RF-RAA (visual observation) were determined to be 100% and 97.2% (69/71), respectively. In conclusion, the RF-RAA method developed in this study provides a rapid and visually observable approach for MS detection, offering a novel technique to diagnosing MS infection, especially in resource-limited settings., Competing Interests: DISCLOSURES The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Fluoride is an environmental pollutant that severely injures various organisms in ecosystems. Herein, the non-target organism, fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), was used to determine the toxicological mechanism of NaF exposure. In this study, H. cunea exposed to NaF showed significant declines in growth and reproduction. The authors conducted RNA sequencing on adipose bodies and midgut tissues from NaF-exposed H. cunea larvae to uncover the toxicological mechanisms. The results showed that extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, fatty acid biosynthesis, and ferroptosis might contribute to NaF stress. NaF significantly decreased the antioxidant level, nitrous oxide synthase activity, and NO content, while significantly increasing lipid peroxidation. NaF induced significant changes in the expression of energy metabolism genes. However, the triglyceride content was significantly decreased and the lipase enzyme activity was significantly increased. Moreover, the expression levels of light and heavy chains of ferritin were inhibited in NaF-exposed H. cunea. NaF caused ferritin Fe 2+ overload in FerHCH1 and FerLCH knockdown H. cunea larvae, activated reactive oxygen species, and reduced the total iron content, eventually increasing the mortality H. cunea larvae. This study identified the toxicological mechanisms of NaF in lipid synthesis and energy metabolism in H. cunea, providing a basis for understanding the molecular mechanisms of NaF toxicity and developing pollution control strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Honey-processed Licorice, a type of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome processed with honey, is renowned for its superior effectiveness in tonifying the spleen and invigorating Qi compared to the raw product. Our previous research showed that flavonoids and saponins in licorice changed after processing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of chemical composition and biological activity of polysaccharides after processing. The weight-average molecular weight (Mw) measured by HPGPC showed that the Mw distribution range of raw licorice polysaccharides (RLP) was 1.34 × 10 3 -1.36 × 10 6  Da, and the Mw distribution range of honey-processed licorice polysaccharides (HPLP) was 1.15 × 10 3 -1.17 × 10 6  Da, the Mw distribution range of the two were basically the same. The analysis of monosaccharide composition showed that the types of monosaccharide in RLP and HPLP were consistent, and the contents of mannose, rhamnose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid and glucose in HPLP were significantly higher than those in RLP. Furthermore, the impact of these polysaccharides on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) showed that the high-dose group of HPLP had significantly better improvement of IL-2, IFN-γ and IgA than RLP. Multi-omics analysis showed that both of them could affect the immune system by regulating immunoglobulin, B-cell signaling pathway and T cell phenotypic differentiation. Interestingly, the HPLP could affect the natural killer cells mediated cytotoxicity on this basis. The above results indicated the effects of honey processing on the chemical composition and biological activities of licorice polysaccharides and elucidated the underlying mechanism of the superior biological activities of HPLP over RLP., 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 B.V.)

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a zoonotic pathogen, can cause severe neurological complications and fatal outcomes in humans. Early diagnosis of TBEV infection is crucial for clinical practice. Although serological assays are frequently employed for detection, the lack of antibodies in the early stages of infection and the cross-reactivity of antibodies limit their efficacy. Conventional molecular diagnostic methods such as RT-qPCR can achieve early and accurate identification but require specialized instrumentation and professionals, hindering their application in resource-limited areas. Our study developed a rapid and visual TBEV molecular detection method by combining RT-recombinase-aided amplification, the CRISPR/Cas13a system, and lateral flow dipsticks. The diagnostic sensitivity of this method is 50 CFU/ml, with no cross-reactivity with a variety of viruses. The detection can be carried out within 1 h at a temperature between 37 and 42 °C, and the results can be visually determined without the need for complex instruments and professionals. Subsequently, this assay was used to analyze clinical samples from 15 patients suspected of TBEV infection and 10 healthy volunteers, and its sensitivity and specificity reached 100 %, which was consistent with the results of RT-qPCR. These results indicate that this new method can be a promising point-of-care test for the diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Pure mucinous breast cancer (PMC) is a rare histological type with a favourable prognosis. However, cases with recurrence have been reported and diagnosed in clinical practice. The mechanisms underlying PMC recurrence remain unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify the prognostic factors associated with PMC., Materials and Methods: A total of 166 patients diagnosed with PMC were included. We compared the clinicopathological characteristics between patients with and without recurrence. The 21-gene assay was performed in 10 patients with recurrence and 20 TNM stage-matched patients without recurrence. Whole-exon sequencing was performed in 12 PMC primary tumours and four positive lymph nodes (LNs)., Results: Tumour size, lymph node status and TNM staging differed significantly between recurrent group and non-recurrent group. And the 21-gene recurrence scores did not differ significantly between recurrent group and its TNM stage-matched non-recurrent group. The most frequently mutated genes in the primary tumours of regional LN-positive PMCs were ADCY10 (3/6) and SHANK3 (3/6), and they more recurrently harboured gains of 15q23, 17q23.2 and 20p11.21, and loss of 21p11.2. And these alterations were not detected in primary tumours of regional LN-negative PMCs., Conclusion: TNM stage is an important prognostic factor in PMC. Although we revealed that regional LN-positive PMCs show increased occurrence of duplication variants at 15q23, 17q23.2 and 20p11.21, and deletion variants at 21p11.2. Further investigation, including multi-omics studies, are needed and may provide additional insights into the nature of PMC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

In this study, an acidic polysaccharide (FVP-7 A) was isolated from Fucus vesiculosus by DEAE-Sepharose™ fast flow. The chemical composition, glycosidic bonds and in vitro fecal fermentation characteristics of FVP-7 A were studied. Results shown that FVP-7 A was a homogenous polysaccharide with average molecular weight of 30.94 kDa. Combined with FT-IR, monosaccharide composition, methylation and NMR analysis, the glycosidic bonds of FVP-7 A mainly composed of →4)-β-D-Manp-(1→, →3)-α-L-Fucp-(1→, α-D-Manp-(1→, →3)-β-D-Manp-(1 → and →4,6)-α-D-Manp-(1→. The zeta potential and atomic force microscopy images indicated that FVP-7 A could exist stably as a single chain-like structure in dilute solution. After gut fermentation, FVP-7 A was utilized and promoted multiple short-chain fatty acids production, especially acetic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid. For prebiotics, FVP-7 A significantly increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acids producing bacteria such as Bacteroides, Lachnospira, Faecalibacterium, Ruminococcus, Oscillospira and Dialister, and inhiited the growth of the harmful bacteria Shigella. These results indicated that FVP-7 A could be used as a potential dietary supplement to improve intestinal health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Hypochlorous acid (HClO) serves as a critical biomarker in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and its real-time imaging is essential for understanding its biological functions. In this study, we designed and synthesized a novel probe, RHMB, which ingeniously integrates rhodamine B and methylene blue fluorophores with HClO-specific responsive moieties into a single molecular framework. Upon exposure to HClO, RHMB exhibited significant dual-channel fluorescence enhancement characterized by high sensitivity (LODs of 2.55 nM and 14.08 nM), excellent selectivity, and rapid response time (within 5 s). Notably, RHMB enabled reliable imaging of both exogenous and endogenous HClO in living cells and in zebrafish, employing a unique duplex-imaging turn-on approach that highlighted its adaptability across various biological contexts. Furthermore, RHMB effectively monitored HClO fluctuations in an RA mouse model and assessed the therapeutic efficacy of diclofenac (Dic) in alleviating RA symptoms. These findings underscore the potential of RHMB as an invaluable tool for elucidating the biological roles of HClO in various diseases., 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.)

Bentonite is a non-metallic mineral with montmorillonite as the main component. It is an environmentally friendly mineral material with large reserves, wide distribution, and low price. Bentonite can be easily modified organically using the surfactant saponin to obtain saponin-modified bentonite (Sap-BT). This study investigates the immobilization of crude enzymes obtained from Trametes versicolor by physical adsorption with Sap-BT. Thus, saponin-modified bentonite immobilized crude enzymes (CE-Sap-BT) were developed to remove benzo[a]pyrene. Immobilization improves the stability of free enzymes. CE-Sap-BT can maintain more than 80% of activity at 45 °C and after storage for 15 d. Additionally, CE-Sap-BT exhibited a high removal rate of benzo[a]pyrene in soil, with 65.69% after 7 d in highly contaminated allotment soil and 52.90% after 6 d in actual soil contaminated with a low concentration of benzo[a]pyrene at a very low laccase dosage (0.1 U/3 g soil). The high catalytic and removal performance of CE-Sap-BT in contaminated sites showed more excellent practical application value., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of pervasive contaminants having adverse health effects. Urinary monohydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) are commonly employed as biomarkers to estimate PAH exposure levels in humans. However, little is understood about the variability in OH-PAHs among pregnant women across trimesters and their relationship with oxidative stress biomarkers (OSBs). Based on a prospective birth cohort study conducted in Wuhan, China, we selected 644 women who donated (spot) urine samples across different trimesters and measured the urinary concentrations of eight OH-PAHs and three selected OSBs (8-OHG, 8-OHdG, and HNEMA) to explore the relationship between the OH-PAHs and OSBs. Pregnant women were found to be ubiquitously exposed to the PAHs, with detection rates of the OH-PAHs ranging from 86.3% to 100%. 2-Hydroxynaphthalene (2-OH-Nap) had the highest urinary concentrations among the OH-PAHs during the three trimesters (specific gravity-adjusted median values for the first, second, and third trimesters: 1.86, 2.39, and 2.20 ng/mL, respectively). However, low reproducibility of the OH-PAHs was observed across the three trimesters with intraclass correlation coefficients ranged between 0.02 and 0.22. Most urinary OH-PAHs had the highest concentrations at the first trimester and the lowest at the third trimester. Some OH-PAH concentrations were higher in pregnant women with lower educational level [2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-OH-Phen) and 3-hydroxyphenanthrene (3-OH-Phen)], those who were overweight [2-OH-Nap, 2/3-hydroxyfluorene (2/3-OH-Fluo), 2-OH-Phen, and 4-hydroxyphenanthrene (4-OH-Phen)], those who were unemployed during pregnancy [1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1/9-hydroxyphenanthrene, and 4-OH-Phen], and the samples donated in summer (most OH-PAHs, except for 2-OH-Nap). In multivariable linear mixed-effects model analyses, every OH-PAH was found to be significantly associated with increased levels of the three OSBs. For example, each interquartile range-fold increase in 2/3-OH-Fluo concentration was associated with the largest increase in 8-OHdG (65.4%) and 8-OHG (49.1%), while each interquartile range-fold increase in 3-OH-Phen concentration was associated with the largest increase in HNEMA (76.3%). Weighted quantile sum regression models, which were used to examine the joint effect of OH-PAH mixture on the OSBs, revealed positive associations between the OH-PAH mixture exposure and the OSBs. Specifically, 2/3-OH-Fluo and 2-OH-Nap were the major contributors in the association with oxidative damage of nucleic acids (8-OHdG and 8-OHG), while hydroxyphenanthrenes and 1-hydroxypyrene were the major contributors in the association with oxidative damage of lipid (HNEMA). Further work is required to examine the potential mediating role of oxidative stress in the relationship of adverse health outcomes with elevated PAH exposure among pregnant women., 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.)

Vitrification of oocyte has become an important component of assisted reproductive technology and has important implications for animal reproduction and the preservation of biodiversity. However, vitrification adversely affects mitochondrial function and oocyte developmental potential, mainly because of oxidative damage. Rutin is a highly effective antioxidant, but no information is available to the effect of rutin on the mitochondrial function and development in vitrified oocytes. Therefore, we studied the effects of rutin supplementation of vitrification solution on mitochondrial function and developmental competence of ovine germinal vesicle (GV) stage oocytes post vitrification. The results showed that supplementation of vitrification solution with 0.6 mM rutin significantly increased the cleavage rate (71.6 % vs. 59.3 %) and blastocyst rate (18.9 % vs. 6.8 %) compared to GV-stage oocytes in the vitrified group. Then, we analyzed the reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), mitochondrial activity and membrane potential (ΔΨm), endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca 2+ , and annexin V (AV) of vitrified sheep GV-stage oocytes. Vitrified sheep oocytes exhibited increased levels of ROS and Ca 2+ , higher rate of AV-positive oocytes, and decreased mitochondrial activity, GSH and ΔΨm levels. However, rutin supplementation in vitrification solution decreased the levels of ROS, Ca 2+ and AV-positive oocytes rate, and increased the GSH and ΔΨm levels in vitrified oocytes. Results revealed that rutin restored mitochondrial function, regulated Ca 2+ homeostasis and decreased apoptosis potentially caused by mitophagy in oocytes. To understand the mechanism of rutin functions in vitrified GV-stage oocytes in sheep, we analyzed the transcriptome and found that rutin mediated oocytes development and mitochondrial function, mainly by affecting oxidative phosphorylation and the mitophagy pathways. In conclusion, supplementing with 0.6 mM rutin in vitrification solution significantly enhanced developmental potential through improving mitochondrial function and decreased apoptosis potentially caused by mitophagy after vitrification of ovine GV-stage oocytes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no interest conflict., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

RYBP (Ring 1 and YY1 binding protein) has been frequently reported to play an important role during body development, stem cell differentiation, apoptosis and tumorigenesis, but whether RYBP carries out additional functions remains mysterious. Here, we demonstrated that RYBP protein levels elevate with increasing glucose concentration in cell culture medium in human tumorigenic cell lines, but an opposite trend was observed in non-tumorigenic cells. Mechanistic exploration disclosed that glucose inhibits polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, leading to RYBP stabilization in tumor cells. Further study showed that RYBP inhibits the glycolysis of tumor cells, as both extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) and lactate production increase when RYBP is knocked down, and decrease when RYBP is over-expressed, and this effect is unrelated to the glucose uptake ability of tumor cells. The functional study showed that RYBP is involved in the regulation of glucose on tumor cell migration. Compared to low glucose culture and their wildtypes, high glucose significantly enhanced tumor cell migration in RYBP knockdown or knockout tumor cells. Taken together, our current study uncovered a previously unknown function of RYBP in tumor metabolism, and this finding will enhance the exploration of the interplay between RYBP and nutrients during tumor cell metabolic reprogramming., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background and Aim: Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is a key predictor of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The Oxidative Balance Score (OBS) served as a tool to evaluate the systemic status of oxidative stress. However, evidence on the link between OBS and severe abdominal aortic calcification (SAAC) is currently inadequate. This study aims to establish this correlation in the US adult population, contributing valuable insights to the understanding of cardiovascular health., Methods and Results: In our study with 2745 participants from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we analyzed both OBS and AAC score data. Logistic regression and smooth curve fitting were used to investigate the relationship between OBS and SAAC. The overall prevalence of severe abdominal aortic calcification disease was 9.1%. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that higher oxidative balance scores were associated with a lower risk of SAAC. After adjusting for potential confounders (model III), for every 1-point increase in oxidative balance scores, the odds of SAAC decreased by 3% [OR = 0.97, 95% CI= (0.95,0.99), P = 0.03]. The dose-response relationship demonstrated a negative correlation between oxidative balance scores and SAAC (p for nonlinear = 0.368)., Conclusions: This study reveals a negative association between oxidative balance scores and severe abdominal aortic calcification in US adults. The implications of these findings merit careful consideration and should be taken into account in the formulation of clinical guidelines and updates., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Italian Diabetes Society, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, the Italian Society of Human Nutrition and the Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prenatal exposure to benzotriazoles and benzothiazoles (collectively as BTs) was associated with pregnancy complications. Identifying the metabolites associated with prenatal BTs exposure may help elucidate the mechanism and characterize the exposure risk. In this prospective study of 158 pregnant women from Wuhan, China, urinary BTs were repeatedly measured across three trimesters to provide an accurate estimation of exposure during pregnancy. We conducted high-throughput targeted metabolomics with great coverage and high accuracy to characterize the urinary metabolic profile in late pregnancy. We first identified the perturbed metabolites of cocktail BTs exposure and then pinned down to the pairwise associations between individual BTs and the identified metabolites. A total of 44 metabolites were identified as perturbed biomarkers of cocktail BTs exposure based on the variable influence on projection (VIP > 1.2) score. Further pairwise associations analysis showed positive association of BTs with oxidative stress related biomarkers and negative association of BTs with neuronal function metabolites. The shared metabolic signatures among BTs in the co-occurrence network of pairwise association analysis may partially be attributed to the correlation among cocktail BTs exposure. The findings provide the potential mechanisms of BTs-associated pregnancy complications and offer insight into the health implications for prenatal BTs exposure. Furthermore, the framework we employed, which integrates both cocktail exposure and individual exposure, may illuminate future epidemiological research that seeks to incorporate exposure to mixtures and omics scale data., 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.)

Hydrophilic antifouling polymers provide excellent antifouling effects under usual short-term use conditions, but the long-term accumulation of contaminants causes them to lose their antifouling properties. To overcome this drawback, surface-initiated ring-opening graft polymerization (SI-ROP) was performed on the surface of the material by applying the cyclic carbide monomer 4'-(fluorosulfonyl)benzyl-5-methyl-2-oxo-1,3-dioxane-5-carboxylate (FMC), which contains a sulfonylfluoride group on the side chain, followed by a "sulfur(IV)-fluorine exchange" (SuFEx) post click modification reaction to link the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the polyFMC (PFMC) brush, and a novel antifouling strategy for self-polishing dynamic antifouling surfaces was developed. The experimental results showed that the antifouling surface could effectively prevent the adsorption of proteins such as bovine serum albumin (BSA, ∼96.4%), fibrinogen (Fg, ∼87.8%) and lysozyme (Lyz ∼69.4%) as well as the adhesion of microorganisms such as the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (∼87.5%) and HeLa cells (∼67.2%). Moreover, the enzymatically self-polished surface still has excellent antifouling properties. Therefore, this modification method has potential applications in the field of biosensors and novel antifouling materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pentachlorophenol (PCP), a typical environmental endocrine disruptor and a new persistent organic pollutant, has been extensively used as a pesticide worldwide. Although its use has been restricted for decades, PCP remains prevalent in both the environment and human bodies. Despite the known endocrine-disrupting and exogenous hormonal effects of PCP, few epidemiological studies examined such impact, especially among sensitive populations and during critical periods. Based on a prospective birth cohort in Wuhan, China, we collected maternal (first trimester; 13.0 ± 1.02 gestational weeks) and infant urine samples (1.16 ± 0.22 months postpartum) from 720 mother-infant pairs. We aimed to examine the association of PCP exposure during early pregnancy with maternal and infant urinary sex steroid hormones, including estrogens (estrone, E1; estradiol, E2; estriol, E3), progestogens (progesterone, P4; pregnenolone, P5; 17α-OH-Progesterone, 17OHP4; 17α-OH-Pregnenolone, 17OHP5), and androgens (testosterone, Testo; dihydrotestosterone, DHT; dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA; androstenedione, A4). Additionally, gonadotropins [follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH)] were measured in infant urine. Detection frequencies of all the sex steroid hormones in the maternal urine samples (>99 %) were higher than those in the infants' [most ≥80 %, except for E1 (3.36 %) and E2 (21.4 %)]. Maternal urinary PCP concentration was found to be significantly related with increased maternal sex steroid hormone concentrations; each interquartile increase in PCP concentration was positively related with percent change of the hormones (%Δ) ranging from 26.6 % to 48.5 %. On the other hand, maternal PCP exposure was associated with significantly increased P4 in male infants [%Δ (95 % confidence interval): 10.5 (0.56, 21.4)] but slightly decreased P4 in female infants [-11.9 (-21.8, 0.68)]. In addition, maternal PCP exposure was significantly associated with decreased FSH [%Δ (95 % CI): -9.90 (-17.0, -2.18)] and LH [-8.44 (-16.0, -0.19)] in the female infants, but not in the male infants. Sensitivity analyses, excluding infertility related treatment, pregnancy complications, preterm birth, or low birth weight, showed generally consistent results. Our findings implied that maternal/prenatal PCP exposure might disrupt the homeostasis of maternal and infant reproductive hormones. However, further studies are needed to confirm the findings., 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.)

Microplastics (MPs) pose a significant threat to the function of agro-ecosystems. At present, research on MPs has mainly focused on the effects of different concentrations or types of MPs on a crop, while ignoring other environmental factors. In agricultural production, the application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer is an important means to maintain the high yield of crops. The effects of MPs and N on growth parameters, photosynthetic system, active oxygen metabolism, nutrient content, and ascorbate-glutathione (AsA-GSH) cycle of maize and wheat were studied in order to explicit whether N addition could effectively alleviate the effects of MPs on maize and wheat. The results showed that MPs inhibited the plant height of both maize and wheat, and MPs effects on physiological traits of maize were more severe than those of wheat, reflecting in reactive oxygen metabolism and restriction of photosynthetic capacity. Under the condition of N supply, AsA-GSH cycle of two plants has different response strategies to MPs: Maize promoted enzyme activity and co-accumulation of AsA and GSH, while wheat tended to consume AsA and accumulate GSH. N application induced slight oxidative stress on maize, which was manifested as an increase in hydrogen peroxide and malonaldehyde contents, and activities of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase. The antioxidant capacity of maize treated with the combination of MPs + N was better than that treated with N or MPs alone. N could effectively alleviate the adverse effects of MPs on wheat by improving the antioxidant capacity., 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.)

Background: Air pollution is one of the most serious environmental risks to mortality of stroke. However, there exists a noteworthy knowledge gap concerning the different stroke subtypes, causes of death, the susceptibility of stroke patient, and the role of greenness in this context., Methods: We analyzed data from an ecological health cohort, which included 334,261 patients aged ≥40 years with stroke (comprising 288,490 ischemic stroke and 45,771 hemorrhagic stroke) during the period 2013-2019. We used Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying exposure to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the associations of annual average fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) with both all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Additionally, we conducted analyses to examine the effect modification by greenness and identify potential susceptibility factors through subgroup analyses., Result: In multivariable-adjusted models, long-term exposure to PM 2.5 and NO 2 was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.038, 95% CI: 1.029-1.047 for PM 2.5 ; HR: 1.055, 95% CI: 1.026-1.085 for NO 2 , per 10 μg/m 3 , for ischemic stroke patients; similar for hemorrhagic stroke patients). Gradually increasing effect sizes were shown for CVD mortality and stroke mortality. The HRs of mortality were slightly weaker with high versus low vegetation exposure. Cumulative exposures increased the HRs of pollutant-related mortality, and greater greenness decreased this risk. Two subtypes of stroke patients exhibited diverse patterns of benefit., Conclusion: Increasing residential greenness attenuates the increased risk of mortality with different patterns due to chronic air pollutants for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, offering valuable insights for precise tertiary stroke prevention strategies., 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The tripartite motif family, predominantly characterized by its E3 ubiquitin ligase activities, is involved in various cellular processes including signal transduction, apoptosis and autophagy, protein quality control, immune regulation, and carcinogenesis. Tripartite Motif Containing 15 (TRIM15) plays an important role in melanoma progression through extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation; however, data on its role in pancreatic tumors remain lacking. We previously demonstrated that TRIM15 targeted lipid synthesis and metabolism in pancreatic cancer; however, other specific regulatory mechanisms remain elusive., Methods: We used transcriptomics and proteomics, conducted a series of phenotypic experiments, and used a mouse orthotopic transplantation model to study the specific mechanism of TRIM15 in pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo., Results: TRIM15 overexpression promoted the progression of pancreatic cancer by upregulating the toll-like receptor 4. The TRIM15 binding protein, IGF2BP2, could combine with TLR4 to inhibit its mRNA degradation. Furthermore, the ubiquitin level of IGF2BP2 was positively correlated with TRIM15., Conclusions: TRIM15 could ubiquitinate IGF2BP2 to enhance the function of phase separation and the maintenance of mRNA stability of TLR4. TRIM15 is a potential therapeutic target against pancreatic cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A strong in-plane magnetic field is required for Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) to observe the evolution of the magnetic domain structure of materials with high coercivity, particularly for research on rare-earth permanent magnets. However, the maximum field of the present in-situ magnetising holder applied in 200-kV or 300-kV TEM does not exceed 0.1 T. In this study, the reason for the low field was analysed, and the field strength was significantly elevated by reducing the field application area of the field generator. From finite element method calculations and experimental measurements, a 1.5 T in-plane field was achieved by our new holder in a 200-kV TEM, and images with good quality could still be obtained. Using the newly developed holder, the magnetisation process of hot-pressed NdFeB magnets was observed. The in-situ magnetising holder can be used in research on a wide variety of magnetic materials., 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.)

Objectives: We aimed to estimate the effects of temperature and total cloud cover before birth on newborn vitamin D status., Study Design: Prospective birth cohort., Methods: This study included 2055 mother-newborn pairs in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. The data of temperature and total cloud cover from 30 days before birth were collected, and cord blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were determined. Restricted cubic spline regression models, multiple linear regression models, and logistic regression models were applied to estimate the associations., Results: A "J" shaped curve was observed between temperature and vitamin D status, and an inverse "J" shaped curve was observed between total cloud cover and vitamin D status. Compared to the fourth quartile (75-100th percentile, Q4) of average temperature (30 days before birth), the odds ratio (OR) for Q1 (0-25th percentile) associated with the vitamin D deficiency occurrence (<20 ng/mL) was 3.63 (95% CI, 1.54, 8.65). Compared to Q1 of the average total cloud cover (30 days before birth), the OR associated with the occurrence of vitamin D deficiency was 2.38 (95% CI, 1.63, 3.50) for the Q4., Conclusions: Low temperature and high cloud cover before delivery were significantly associated with an increased probability of vitamin D deficiency in newborns. The findings suggested that pregnancy women lacking sufficient sunlight exposure still need vitamin D supplement to overcome the potential vitamin D deficiency status., (Copyright © 2024 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microplastic (MP), as a new pollutant, not only affects the growth and development of plants but also may affect the secondary metabolites of plants. The anti-tumor role of Pinellia ternata is related to secondary metabolites. The role of brassinolide (BR) in regulating plant resistance is currently one of the research hotspots. The paper mainly explores the regulation of BR on growth and physiology of Pinellia ternata under MP stress. The experimental design includes two levels of MP (0, 1%) and two levels of BR (0, 0.1 mg/L). MP led to a marked reduction in plant height (15.0%), Fv/Fm (3.2%), SOD and APX activity (15.0%, 5.1%), whereas induced an evident raise in the rate of O 2 · - production (29.6%) and GSH content (4.4%), as well as flavonoids (6.8%), alkaloids (75%), and β-sitosterol (26.5%) contents. Under MP addition, BR supply significantly increased plant height (15.7%), aboveground and underground biomass (16.1%, 10.3%), carotenoid and GSH content (11.8%, 4.2%), Fv/Fm (2.9%), and activities of SOD, GR, and MDHAR (32.2%, 21.08%, 20.9%). These results indicate that MP suppresses the growth of P. ternata, although it promotes secondary metabolism. BR can alleviate the inhibitory effect of MP on growth by improving photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, and the AsA-GSH cycle., 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.)

A large number of patients are affected by classical heart failure (HF) symptomatology with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and multiorgan syndrome. Due to high morbidity and mortality rate, hospitalization and mortality remain serious socioeconomic problems, while the lack of effective pharmacological or device treatment means that HFpEF presents a major unmet medical need. Evidence from clinical and basic studies demonstrates that systemic inflammation, increased oxidative stress, and impaired mitochondrial function are the common pathological mechanisms in HFpEF. Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), beyond being an endogenous co-factor for catalyzing the conversion of some essential biomolecules, has the capacity to prevent systemic inflammation, enhance antioxidant resistance, and modulate mitochondrial energy production. Therefore, BH4 has emerged in the last decade as a promising agent to prevent or reverse the progression of disorders such as cardiovascular disease. In this review, we cover the clinical progress and limitations of using downstream targets of nitric oxide (NO) through NO donors, soluble guanylate cyclase activators, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, and sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in treating cardiovascular diseases, including HFpEF. We discuss the use of BH4 in association with HFpEF, providing new evidence for its potential use as a pharmacological option for treating HFpEF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to assess the global spatiotemporal variations of trihalomethanes (THMs) in drinking water, evaluate their cancer and non-cancer risks, and THM-attributable bladder cancer burden. THM concentrations in drinking water around fifty years on a global scale were integrated. Health risks were assessed using Monte Carlo simulations and attributable bladder cancer burden was estimated by comparative risk assessment methodology. The results showed that global mean THM concentrations in drinking water significantly decreased from 78.37 μg/L (1973-1983) to 51.99 μg/L (1984-2004) and to 21.90 μg/L (after 2004). The lifestage-integrative cancer risk and hazard index of THMs through all exposure pathways were acceptable with the average level of 6.45 × 10 -5 and 7.63 × 10 -2 , respectively. The global attributable disability adjusted of life years (DALYs) and the age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) dropped by 16% and 56% from 1990-1994 to 2015-2019, respectively. A big decline in the attributable ASDR was observed in the United Kingdom (62%) and the United States (27%), while China experienced a nearly 3-fold increase due to the expanded water supply coverage and increased life expectancy. However, China also benefited from the spread of chlorination, which helped reduce nearly 90% of unsafe-water-caused mortality from 1998 to 2018., 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.)

Starch is a common ingredient to improve gel property of freshwater fish surimi, but the function of natural starch to mask fishy odor compounds in surimi products has not been investigated systematacially. Therefore, this study aimed to determine which natural starch could effectively mask fishy odor compounds and clarify their interaction by GC-MS, FT-IR spectroscopy, raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance. The results showed that when the concentration, crystal type, amylose content, and dispersion degree of starch was 1 %, type C, 48 % (w/v), and 200 mesh with 0.88 span, the starch had the strongest masking effect on typical fishy odor compounds, namely hexanal, 1-Octen-3-ol, (E,E)-2,4-Heptadienal and (E)-2-Octenal. It indicated that complexation and hydrogen bonding both occurred between the fishy odor compounds and starch., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)