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Toll like receptor 9 (TLR9) is a critical sensor for danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and a crucial marker of non-sterile/sterile inflammation among all TLRs. However, the significance of TLR9 in inflammatory pain remains unclear. Here, we subcutaneously injected Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into the plantar surface of the hind paw, to established a mouse model of inflammatory pain, and we examined expression and distribution of TLR9 in this model. There was a significant increase of TLR9 mRNA and reduction of mechanical paw withdrawal threshold in mice intraplantar injected with CFA. By contrast, mechanical paw withdrawal threshold significantly increased in mice treated with TLR9 antagonist ODN2088. Furthermore, TLR9 is found predominantly distributed in the neurons by immunofluorescence experiment. Accordingly, neuronal TLR9 downregulation in the spinal cord prevented CFA-induced persistent hyperalgesia. Overall, these findings indicate that neuronal TLR9 in the spinal cord is closely related to CFA-induced inflammatory pain. It provides a potential treatment option for CFA-induced inflammatory pain by applying TLR9 antagonist.

To develop a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) miRNA diagnostic biomarker for glioblastoma.Glioblastoma tissue and matched CSF from the same patient (obtained prior to tumor manipulation) were profiled by TaqMan OpenArray® Human MicroRNA Panel. CSF miRNA profiles from glioblastoma patients and controls were created from three discovery cohorts and confirmed in two validation cohorts.miRNA profiles from clinical CSF correlated with those found in glioblastoma tissues. Comparison of CSF miRNA profiles between glioblastoma patients and non-brain tumor patients yielded a tumor "signature" consisting of nine miRNAs. The "signature" correlated with glioblastoma tumor volume (p=0.008). When prospectively applied to cisternal CSF, the sensitivity and specificity of the 'signature' for glioblastoma detection were 67% and 80%, respectively. For lumbar CSF, the sensitivity and specificity of the signature were 28% and 95%, respectively. Comparable results were obtained from analyses of CSF extracellular vesicles (EVs) and crude CSF.We report a CSF miRNA signature as a "liquid biopsy" diagnostic platform for glioblastoma.

Precise patterning of biomaterials has widespread applications, including drug release, degradable implants, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Patterning of protein-based microstructures using UV-photolithography has been demonstrated using protein as the resist material. The Achilles heel of existing protein-based biophotoresists is the inevitable wide molecular weight distribution during the protein extraction/regeneration process, hindering their practical uses in the semiconductor industry where reliability and repeatability are paramount. A wafer-scale high resolution patterning of bio-microstructures using well-defined silk fibroin light chain as the resist material is presented showing unprecedent performances. The lithographic and etching performance of silk fibroin light chain resists are evaluated systematically and the underlying mechanisms are thoroughly discussed. The micropatterned silk structures are tested as cellular substrates for the successful spatial guidance of fetal neural stems cells seeded on the patterned substrates. The enhanced patterning resolution, the improved etch resistance, and the inherent biocompatibility of such protein-based photoresist provide new opportunities in fabricating large scale biocompatible functional microstructures.

Rural small tourism enterprises (STEs) are involved in many discretionary, spontaneous, and supporting activities toward the host communities, which is labeled as community social responsibility (CoSR) in this study. This study develops and validates a scale to measure rural STEs' CoSR. Stage 1 found four dimensions and 33 initial items through a thorough literature review and focus group discussions. In stage 2, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the dimensionality of the CoSR scale. Stage 3 used confirmatory factor analysis and supported a 22-item five-dimension scale (promoting economic development, cultural preservation, cultural production, environmental protection, and political participation). An additional study was conducted to further assess nomological validity of the developed scale. The development of the CoSR scale provides a measurement instrument to spur additional empirical studies on CoSR. This scale also provides a useful tool for rural STE owners to measure and manage CoSR activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigates residents' pro-environmental behavior from the unique perspective of government-resident interactions. Guided by social movement theory, how local governments regulate residents' waste-sorting behavior in Chinese rural tourism destinations is assessed. This longitudinal study (lasting from 2016 to 2022) uses participant observation, in-depth interviews (N = 25), and secondary data as the key research techniques. The dual roles of local governments (i.e., resource mobilization and power redistribution) jointly shape residents' pro-environmental behavior in the waste-sorting campaign. Resource mobilization enhances knowledge of waste-sorting and raises individuals' environmental consciousness. Power redistribution within groups activates social networks in rural communities and changes groups' social capital to influence residents' collective behavior. Results are discussed in relation to how the organizational-level resource mobilization and power redistribution influence the individual-level environmental psychological and sociological factors in shaping residents' waste-sorting behavior. Practical recommendations are offered for sustainable tourism management from a social interaction perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional production mode of the sericulture industry is no longer suitable for the development requirements of modern agriculture; to facilitate the sustainable development of the sericulture industry, factory all-age artificial diet feeding came into being. Understanding the structural characteristics and properties of silk fibers obtained from factory all-age artificial diet feeding is an important prerequisite for application in the fields of textiles, clothing, biomedicine, and others. However, there have been no reports so far. In this paper, by feeding silkworms with factory all-age artificial diets (AD group) and mulberry leaves (ML group), silk fibers were obtained via two different feeding methods. The structure, mechanical properties, hygroscopic properties, and degradation properties were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Structurally, no new functional groups appeared in the AD group. Compared with the ML group, the structure of the two groups was similar, and there was no significant difference in mechanical properties and moisture absorption. The structure of degummed silk fibers is dominated by crystalline regions, but α-chymotrypsin hydrolyzes the amorphous regions of silk proteins, so that after 28 d of degradation, the weight loss of both is very small. This provides further justification for the feasibility of factory all-age artificial diets for silkworms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How brain functions in the distorted ischemic state before and after reperfusion is unclear. It is also uncertain whether there are any indicators within ischemic brain that could predict surgical outcomes. To alleviate these issues, we applied individual brain connectome in chronic steno‐occlusive vasculopathy (CSOV) to map both ischemic symptoms and their postbypass changes. A total of 499 bypasses in 455 CSOV patients were collected and followed up for 47.8 ± 20.5 months. Using multimodal parcellation with connectivity‐based and pathological distortion‐independent approach, areal MR features of brain connectome were generated with three measurements of functional connectivity (FC), structural connectivity, and PageRank centrality at the single‐subject level. Thirty‐three machine‐learning models were then trained with clinical and areal MR features to obtain acceptable classifiers for both ischemic symptoms and their postbypass changes, among which, 11 were deemed acceptable (AUC > 0.7). Notably, the FC feature‐based model for long‐term neurological outcomes performed very well (AUC > 0.8). Finally, a Shapley additive explanations plot was adopted to extract important individual features in acceptable models to generate "fingerprints" of brain connectome. This study not only establishes brain connectomic fingerprint databases for brain ischemia with distortion, but also provides informative insights for how brain functions before and after reperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Primary CNS lymphomas (PCNSLs) in children and young adults are not common. In this study, we studied immunophenotype, gene rearrangement, homozygous deletion of CDKN2A and HLA, and mutation profiling of 34 PCNSL patients aged between 7 and 39 years and correlated the findings with clinical features and outcome. We found that the PCNSLs of the pediatric and young adult patients were immunophenotypically different from the PCNSLs of the older patients. They were also molecularly different from the latter group, as many of the common molecular findings identified in the latter were not present or common in the PCNSLs of the pediatric and young adult patients. Pediatric brain tumors are often noted to be different from their adult counterparts in terms of molecular features. Primary CNS lymphomas (PCNSLs) are mostly found in elderly adults and are uncommon in children and teenagers. There has only been scanty information about the molecular features of PCNSLs at a young age. We examined PCNSLs in 34 young patients aged between 7 and 39 years for gene rearrangements of BCl2, BCL6, CCND1, IRF4, IGH, IGL, IGK, and MYC, homozygous deletions (HD) of CDKN2A, and HLA by FISH. Sequencing was performed using WES, panel target sequencing, or Sanger sequencing due to the small amount of available tissues. The median OS was 97.5 months and longer than that for older patients with PCNSLs. Overall, only 14 instances of gene rearrangement were found (5%), and patients with any gene rearrangement were significantly older (p = 0.029). CDKN2A HD was associated with a shorter OS (p < 0.001). Only 10/31 (32%) showed MYD88 mutations, which were not prognostically significant, and only three of them were L265P mutations. CARD11 mutations were found in 8/24 (33%) cases only. Immunophenotypically, the cases were predominantly GCB, in contrast to older adults (61%). In summary, we showed that molecular findings identified in the PCNSLs of the older patients were only sparingly present in pediatric and young adult patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nonablative lasers are popular alternatives for atrophic acne scar treatment in Asia. Objectives: We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between 1550-nm nonablative fractional laser (NAFL) and 755-nm picosecond laser with diffractive lens array (DLA) in Asian patients. Methods: Twenty-three patients with atrophic acne scars received three sessions of split-face treatment with 1550-nm NAFL on one side and 755-nm picosecond laser with DLA on the other side. Sessions were applied at 8-week interval. Blinded dermatologists assessed efficacy through baseline and follow-up photographs. Results: A greater improvement in atrophic facial acne scars was observed on the 1550-nm NAFL side than on the 755-nm picosecond laser side (P < 0.05). Pain was significantly more severe on the 1550-nm NAFL side than the 755-nm picosecond laser side (P < 0.05). Adverse effects on the 1550-nm NAFL side included prolonged erythema, acneiform eruptions, superficial crusting, and postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Only transient erythema was observed on the 755-nm picosecond laser side. Conclusion: Although the 1550-nm NAFL showed superior efficacy to the 755-nm picosecond laser with DLA for the treatment of atrophic facial acne scars, the latter was associated with fewer adverse effects and may be the best choice for those who request “little-to-no down-time” treatments.

Abstract Background Patients with traumatic injuries are often accompanied by emotional disorders, which seriously impede functional gains. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and risk factors associated with underlying anxiety and depression in orthopaedic trauma patients. Methods From July 2015 to December 2017, all orthopaedic trauma patients were included in the retrospective study. Patients with conditions that might affect cognitive impairment were excluded from the study. Basic demographic data were collected. All patients were screened for emotional disorders on admission using a simple questionnaire called “Huaxi Emotional-Distress Index” (HEI). Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were used to identify the factors associated with a HEI score of > 8. Results One hundred and sixty-two patients (8.1%) had a HEI score of > 8. About 1.0% of enrolled patients had severe emotional disorders (HEI score ≥ 17). The reasons caused by emotional disorders in patients with orthopaedic trauma were a higher Injury Severity Score (ISS), a higher visual analogue score (VAS) and type of surgery. On logistic regression, marital status was a protective factor for emotional disorders, while VAS and ISS were the risk factors for emotional disorders. Conclusions Although a significantly low percentage of orthopaedic trauma patients in our setting have emotional disorders, traumatic orthopaedic surgeons still need to pay attention to the risk of emotional disorders and integrate effective screening tools into clinical practice to screen for these factors and stratify emotional disorders. Appropriate targeted psychological intervention and treatment should be adopted according to the stratification of emotional disorders.

Background: Emergence agitation (EA) is a common problem often observed in children after sevoflurane anesthesia, which can be prevented by dexmedetomidine and alfentanil. This study aims to compare the effectiveness of dexmedetomidine alone and with different doses of alfentanil in preventing EA in children under sevoflurane anesthesia.Materials and Methods: In a double-blind trial, 80 children (ASA I or II, 3–7 years old) undergoing tonsillectomy alone and adenotonsillectomy with sevoflurane anesthesia were randomly assigned into four groups: the control group, dexmedetomidine (DEX) group, dexmedetomidine plus 10 μg/kg alfentanil group (DEX + Alf1), and dexmedetomidine plus 20 μg/kg alfentanil group (DEX + ALf2). The incidence of EA was assessed with the Aono’s scale, and the severity of EA was evaluated with the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium (PAED) scale. The time of tracheal extubation and time of wake were recorded. Postoperative pain and complications such as nausea and vomiting, cough, laryngospasm, and bradycardia were recorded.Results: The incidence of EA was 50% in the control group, 25% in the DEX group, and 5% in the DEX + Alf1 group, and it never happened in the DEX + Alf2 group. The Aono’s scale, the PAED scale, and the FLACC scale in the control group and the DEX group were significantly more than those in the DEX + Alf1 group and the DEX + Alf2 group after the tracheal extubation (p < 0.05). The time of tracheal extubation of the control group and the DEX group were significantly shorter than those in the DEX + Alf1 group and the DEX + Alf2 group (p < 0.05). The awakening time of the DEX + Alf2 group is significantly longer than those in other groups (p < 0.05). The case of postoperative nausea and vomiting in the DEX + Alf1 group was fewer than those in the other groups (p < 0.05). And, the cases of cough and laryngospasm and bronchospasm in the DEX + Alf1 group and the DEX + Alf2 group were significantly less than those in the control group and the DEX group after the tracheal extubation (p < 0.05).Conclusion: The combined administration of alfentanil and dexmedetomidine can reduce EA in children undergoing tonsillectomy alone and adenotonsillectomy with sevoflurane anesthesia. Dexmedetomidine plus 10 μg/kg alfentanil seems to be more appropriate than other dose combinations as it reduced EA and postoperative nausea and vomiting but did not prolong the time to awake.

Silk protein fibres produced by silkworms and spiders are renowned for their unparalleled mechanical strength and extensibility arising from their high-β-sheet crystal contents as natural materials. Investigation of β-sheet-oriented conformational transitions in silk proteins at the nanoscale remains a challenge using conventional imaging techniques given their limitations in chemical sensitivity or limited spatial resolution. Here, we report on electron-regulated nanoscale polymorphic transitions in silk proteins revealed by near-field infrared imaging and nano-spectroscopy at resolutions approaching the molecular level. The ability to locally probe nanoscale protein structural transitions combined with nanometre-precision electron-beam lithography offers us the capability to finely control the structure of silk proteins in two and three dimensions. Our work paves the way for unlocking essential nanoscopic protein structures and critical conditions for electron-induced conformational transitions, offering new rules to design protein-based nanoarchitectures.