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Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) and responsible for millions of deaths worldwide each year. It has a complex pathogenesis that primarily affects the lungs but can also impact systemic organs. In recent years, single‐cell sequencing technology has been utilized to characterize the composition and proportion of immune cell subpopulations associated with the pathogenesis of TB disease since it has a high resolution that surpasses conventional techniques. This paper reviews the current use of single‐cell sequencing technologies in TB research and their application in analysing specimens from various sources of TB, primarily peripheral blood and lung specimens. The focus is on how these technologies can reveal dynamic changes in immune cell subpopulations, genes and proteins during disease progression after M.tb infection. Based on the current findings, single‐cell sequencing has significant potential clinical value in the field of TB research. Next, we will focus on the real‐world applications of the potential targets identified through single‐cell sequencing for diagnostics, therapeutics and the development of effective vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we prepared sodium alginate (SA) and montmorillonite (MMT) composite films for application in coatings for strawberry preservation. SA and MMT were used as the matrix and glycerol was used as a plasticizer. Six types of composite films with different MMT contents were compared by analyzing their mechanical properties, permeability, and preservation effects. The results show that the mechanical properties of the 10 and 20% MMT composite films were superior, with tensile strength and fracture elongation values reaching 63.09 and 48.06 MPa and 5.75 and 6.47%, respectively. Increased MMT content caused the water vapor permeability to decrease, while the effect on oil permeability was the opposite. A comparison of the preservation effect provided by the coatings showed that, on day 12, the weight loss, malondialdehyde content, and respiratory intensity of strawberries treated with the 20% MMT coating liquid decreased by 43.3, 25.8, and 57.1%, respectively, compared with the control. The contents of titratable acid, soluble sugar, total phenols, and soluble solids decreased by 25.8, 37.7, 25.9, and 14.5%, respectively. The results provide data support for the application of these new composite films as edible coatings for fruit preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we propose a piperidine-based ionic liquid additive. The electrostatic shielding effect of the piperidine cation (PP13+) effectively inhibits the growth of lithium dendrites. Simultaneously, the redox activity of the bromine anion synergistically reduces the overpotential. This approach significantly improves the cycling performance of lithium – oxygen batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pure carbon materials with magnetic properties have attracted considerable research interest due to their advantages over traditional magnetic materials. Nevertheless, such materials are exceedingly rare. Disrupting the Kekulé valence structures in carbon materials potentially leads to the emergence of magnetism. In this study, using first principles calculations, we developed a range of pure carbon allotropes derived from the smallest fullerene C20 which potentially disrupts the Kekulé valence structures after polymerization. The results indicate that some of the allotropes disrupting the Kekulé valence structures exhibit intrinsic antiferromagnetic ordering, and the magnetism originates from the presence of isolated three-fold coordinated C atoms. The other allotropes adhering to the Kekulé valence structures show non-magnetism with all three-fold coordinated C atoms forming dimers. In all magnetic polymers, magnetism arises from unpaired electrons on the isolated three-fold coordinated carbon atoms, with magnetic moments of about 0.40μB at these sites. The adsorption of dopant atoms can significantly alter the magnetic properties of polymers, for instance, the C20-71 polymer with Immm symmetry undergoes a transition from non-magnetic to anti-magnetic ordering upon adsorption of hydrogen atoms. Electronic calculations indicate that these polymers display a range of electronic properties, encompassing both metallic and semiconducting characteristics. Notably, certain magnetic phases exhibit superhard properties, with the hardness value exceeding 40 GPa. This study presents a potential method for designing magnetic carbon materials. Specifically, certain compounds address the gap in magnetic superhard materials composed of light elements, and can be utilized in the field of spintronics where traditional superhard materials are unsuitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: After acute treatment, patients with schizophrenia return to their original living environment for further rehabilitation, which not only determines the quality of life of the patients and their families but also has an important impact on society. However, patients often find it difficult to adapt to changes in the environment when they are discharged from the hospital. This may be related to the incompleteness of China's mental health service system, as many services for schizophrenia patients are only in the treatment stage. In China, schizophrenia is traditionally associated with poor moral quality, and patients find it difficult to obtain support. Many patients have trouble reintegrating into the community after treatment. Schizophrenic multifamily teams gather families affected by the same illness and pain together to promote healing together in an environment that allows mutual sharing, understanding and transparency, maximizes the use of family resources for support, improves discharge readiness, and better deals with post-discharge recovery. Methods: The multifamily group intervention method was used to improve the motivation of the patients' family motivation as well as the discharge readiness and self-efficacy of the patient. Results: After the intervention, the motivation of the family and discharge readiness of the patient were improved compared with that of the baseline period; however, the improvement was not significant. The self-efficacy of the patients was significantly improved (P=0.042). Conclusions: In the discharge preparation of schizophrenia patients, multifamily teams can be used to help patients and their families share resources, enhance support and prepare for discharge. Patients will have better support following discharge for recovery in the community. Additional consideration should be given to the impact of the environment on patient services, and the evaluation of the service process is key to continuously improving the service effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures of three 1:1 cocrystal forms of etoricoxib {ETR; systematic name: 5‐chloro‐2‐(6‐methylpyridin‐3‐yl)‐3‐[4‐(methylsulfonyl)phenyl]pyridine, C18H15ClN2O2S} have been synthesized and characterized by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction; these are etoricoxib–benzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H6O2 (ETR–Bz), etoricoxib–4‐fluorobenzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H5FO2 (ETR–PFB), and etoricoxib–4‐nitrobenzoic acid (1/1), C18H15ClN2O2S·C7H5NO4 (ETR–PNB). Powder X‐ray diffraction and thermal differential scanning calorimetry–thermogravimetry (DSC–TG) techniques were also used to characterize these multicomponent systems. Due to the influence of the corresponding acids, ETR shows different conformations. Furthermore, the energetic contributions of the supramolecular motifs have been established by energy framework studies of the stabilizing interaction forces and are consistent with the thermal stability of the cocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We explore the pharmacodynamic targets of kaempferol in treating osteoporosis using transcriptomics and animal experiment. Methods: Firstly, we constructed an ovariectomized rat model (OVX). The anti-osteoporosis effect of kaempferol was evaluated by bone mineral density (BMD) and hematoxylin-eosin staining comprehensively. Moreover, differential genes between groups were screened by RNA sequencing technology (RNA-seq) for transcriptomics and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways enrichment analysis were performed. Finally, partial results of transcriptomics were verified to detect the expression of the relevant gene expression by immunohistochemistry. Results: The pharmacodynamic findings indicated that the administration of kaempferol resulted in an elevation in BMD (P < .01) and a notable enhancement in tibia microstructural indices in the experimental rats (P < .01). The transcriptomic analysis revealed that NTN1, LTBP4, GSN, and EBF1 were identified as the principal targets for therapeutic intervention in osteoporosis. The results of animal experiments showed that kaempferol promoted osteogenesis and inhibited bone resorption by downregulating the protein expression of NTN1, LTBP4, GSN, and EBF1 (P< .01). Conclusion: Kaempferol enhances BMD levels, retards tibial bone loss with structural deterioration in OVX model rats, and promotes bone formation while curbing bone resorption through NTN1, LTBP4, GSN, and EBF1 protein down-regulation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as a predictor of short-term postoperative complications in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy. Methods: Clinical data were collected from 77 patients undergoing radical esophageal cancer surgery after neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy at Tongji Hospital from January 2022 to January 2023. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was utilized to establish the optimal cut-off point for the PNI. Subsequently, patients were stratified into low and high PNI groups according to this cut-off point, and comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of clinical data and postoperative complications. Results: Out of the 77 patients included in the study, 31 were categorized in the low PNI group and 46 in the high PNI group, with a defined cutoff point of 47.38. Significant statistical variances were noted in the occurrence rates of general complications (P < 0.001), pulmonary infections (P < 0.001), and anastomotic fistula (P = 0.034) between the two groups. The low PNI group displayed elevated rates of these complications in comparison to the high PNI group. Conclusion: The research findings indicate that preoperative nutritional assessment using the PNI can effectively predict short-term postoperative complications in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients who have undergone neoadjuvant therapy. Furthermore, the results suggest that implementing nutritional interventions for patients with moderate-to-severe malnutrition, as indicated by preoperative PNI evaluation, may help reduce the incidence of postoperative complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]