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Background: There are limited data on the effectiveness of skin cancer prevention education and early detection programs at beaches.Objectives: We evaluate 4 strategies for addressing skin cancer prevention in beach settings.Methods: This prospective study at 4 beaches included 4 intervention conditions: (1) education only; (2) education plus biometric feedback; (3) education plus dermatologist skin examination; or (4) education plus biometric feedback and dermatologist skin examination. Outcomes included sun protection behaviors, sunburns, and skin self-examinations.Results: There was a significant increase in hat wearing, sunscreen use, and a reduction in sunburns in the education plus biometric feedback group (odds ratio = 1.97, 1.94, and 1.07, respectively), and greater improvements in knowing what to look for in skin-self examinations (odds ratio = 1.13); there were no differences in frequency of self-examinations. Skin examinations plus biometric feedback led to greater reductions in sunburns. The dermatologist examinations identified atypical moles in 28% of participants.Limitations: Inclusion of only one beach per condition, use of self-report data, and a limited intervention period are limitations.Conclusions: Education and biometric feedback may be more effective than education alone for impacting sun protective attitudes and behaviors in beachgoing, high-risk populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: This study investigated whether CYP1B1 gene expression was associated with blood lipids levels. METHODS: Workers from a municipal waste incineration plant in Taiwan participated in a questionnaire survey and physical examination and provided fasting blood samples for blood lipid analysis. CYP1B1 gene expression in workers' leukocytes was determined with the real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction method, and 112 workers were categorized into three groups (low-, medium-, and high-expression) by their relative CYP1B1 gene expression levels. Multiple regression analyses were used to assess the association between blood lipid parameter and CYP1B1 expression. RESULTS: High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was significantly lower in the high CYP1B1 expression group than in the low- and medium-expression groups (parameter estimate [standard error]=-7.16 [2.42] and -7.02 [2.46] mg/dL, respectively), after controlling for age, sex, CYP1B1 genotype, duration of employment, current number of cigarettes smoked per day, current alcohol drinking status, and body mass index. Triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol were not significantly different among the CYP1B1 expression groups. Furthermore, workers carrying the CYP1B1 *3 allele had significantly higher mean HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol, respectively, than those with CYP1B1 *1/ *1. CONCLUSIONS: CYP1B1 expression was associated with decreased HDL cholesterol levels in incinerator workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a high-burden medical condition, and current diagnostic criteria can only assess AKI after full manifestation. Stress marker growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) was reported to have a role in kidney injury of critical patients. Herein, we evaluated dynamic changes in GDF15 across diverse AKI scenarios and explored the underlying mechanisms of its induction. Serum parameters and renal lesions were analyzed in mouse models of unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (uni-IRI) and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). The human proximal tubular (HK-2) cell line was stimulated with various conditions, and induction of GDF15 expression was determined. Serum GDF15 levels were rapidly induced within hours after injury in both animal models and declined thereafter. Renal GDF15 expression exhibited a temporary and early increased induction and was mainly located in aquaporin 1-positive proximal tubules in both unilateral AKI model tissues. In cell experiments, rapid GDF15 production was highly induced by t-BHP and CoCl 2 . Treatment with either an antioxidant or mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors abolished t-BHP- and CoCl 2 -mediated GDF15 expression. In addition, silencing nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 expression also reduced the basal and t-BHP- or CoCl 2 -mediated GDF15 expression level in HK-2 cells. Our data showed that elevated serum GDF15 levels could be detected early in unilateral AKI models without notable alterations in kidney function parameters. GDF15 expression was associated with oxidative stress- and hypoxia-mediated proximal tubular cell injury. These data document that elevated serum GDF15 can possibly serve as an early biomarker for proximal tubular cell injury in AKI., 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.)

Gene therapy has made significant progress in the treatment of hereditary hearing loss. However, most research has focused on deafness-related genes that are primarily expressed in hair cells with less attention given to multisite-expressed deafness genes. MPZL2, the second leading cause of mild-to-moderate hereditary deafness, is widely expressed in different inner ear cells. We generated a mouse model with a deletion in the Mpzl2 gene, which displayed moderate and slowly progressive hearing loss, mimicking the phenotype of individuals with DFNB111. We developed a gene replacement therapy system mediated by AAV-ie for efficient transduction in various types of cochlear cells. AAV-ie-Mpzl2 administration significantly lowered the auditory brainstem response and distortion product otoacoustic emission thresholds of Mpzl2 -/- mice for at least seven months. AAV-ie-Mpzl2 delivery restored the structural integrity in both outer hair cells and Deiters cells. This study suggests the potential of gene therapy for MPZL2-related deafness and provides a proof of concept for gene therapy targeting other deafness-related genes that are expressed in different cell populations in the cochlea., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Human Genetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Simnotrelvir (SIM0417), an inhibitor of the 3CL protease of SARS-CoV-2, has been identified as a CYP3A sensitive substrate. This study investigated the pharmacokinetics, metabolism, and mass balance of simnotrelvir following a single oral dose of 750 mg in six healthy Chinese male subjects, co-administered with four doses of 100 mg ritonavir. Analysis using 19 F qNMR combined with LC-MS/MS showed that the parent drug M0 constituted over 90% of the drug-related components in plasma. Of the administered dose, 55.4% (54.3% of M0) was recovered in urine, while 36.7% (4.57% of M0) was excreted in feces. UPLC/Q-TOF MS was used to identify metabolites in human plasma, urine and feces. Notably, oxidative metabolites catalyzed by CYP3A were scarcely detected in these matrixes. The amide hydrolyzed metabolite M9 and the cyano hydrolyzed metabolite M10 were recognized as the predominant metabolites, with the main excretion being through feces (19.0% and 12.7% of the administered dose, respectively). In vitro experiments indicated that M10 is primarily formed in the duodenum and jejunum, with further metabolism to M9 by microbiota in the large intestine. Overall, the co-administration of simnotrelvir with ritonavir led to predominant metabolism by intestinal enzymes or microbiota, resulting in hydrolyzed metabolites. These findings highlight the critical role of intestinal metabolism in the pharmacokinetics of simnotrelvir and emphasize the need to consider interactions with antibiotics and individual differences of intestinal microbiota., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Both periodontal disease and cancer are prevalent conditions with significant impacts on individuals and society. Extensive research has suggested a potential link between these two diseases. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis using the Thomson Reuters Web of Science Core Collection database, focusing on publications from 2014 to 2023. The analysis included data extraction and examination of authors, affiliations, publication dates, journals, countries, citation counts, keywords, and the H-index. A total of 253 relevant articles were identified, showing an increasing trend in both publications and citations over the years. The analysis highlighted the most productive authors, institutions, and countries/regions, with Michaud DS and Abnet CC leading in the number of publications. Highly cited articles emphasized the role of specific oral microbiota, particularly F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis , in various cancers, suggesting their potential as diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. Four key thematic clusters emerged from the keyword analysis: the broader health implications of periodontal disease, the microbiome's role in carcinogenesis, inflammation, and specific bacteria in cancer, and epidemiological methods in studying the disease-cancer association. This bibliometric analysis underscores the growing interest in the connection between periodontal disease and cancer. Future research should adopt interdisciplinary approaches, focus on large-scale microbiome studies and longitudinal research to understand the systemic effects of periodontal disease, identify cancer-associated bacterial profiles, and investigate the molecular mechanisms of bacterial carcinogenesis. Additionally, public health interventions aimed at improving oral hygiene and reducing cancer risk factors are recommended.

This study aimed to explore the relationship between food intake frequency, weight status, and intelligence among school children. A cross-sectional study involved 562 children (aged 6.3-12.7 years) randomly selected from five elementary schools in Taichung City, Taiwan. Demographic information was collected, and the children's body weight and height were measured to calculate their body mass index. A food frequency questionnaire assessed the participating children's dietary habits. Intelligence quotient scores were evaluated using Raven's colored progress matrices for first and second graders, and Raven's standard progressive matrices for third to sixth graders. This study found that there was no significant relationship in intelligence quotient scores between gender, birth order groups, and weight status. The higher consumption of pork liver, hamburgers, fruit juices, and the Taiwanese snack "Science Noodles" was associated with lower intelligence quotient scores among school children., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, identified as a significant clinical indicator in regard to cancer, manifests as a biological process wherein cells transition from having epithelial to mesenchymal characteristics. Physiologically, EMT plays a crucial role in tissue remodeling, promoting healing, repair, and responses to various types of tissue damage. This study investigated the impact of BNE-RRC on oral cancer cells (KB) and revealed its significant effects on cancer cell growth, migration, invasion, and the EMT. BNE-RRC induces the epithelial-like morphology in KB cells, effectively reversing the EMT to a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET). Extraordinarily, sustained culturing of cancer cells with BNE-RRC for 14 days maintains an epithelial status even after treatment withdrawal, suggesting that BNE-RRC is a potential therapeutic agent for cancer. These findings highlight the promise of BNE-RRC as a comprehensive therapeutic agent for cancer treatment that acts by inhibiting cancer cell growth, migration, and invasion while also orchestrating a reversal of the EMT process. In this study, we propose that BNE-RRC could be an effective agent for cancer treatment.

Background : This study evaluated early childhood comorbidities of cerebral palsy (CP) in low birth weight (LBW) children and assessed the impact of maternal bio-psychosocial factors on CP risk in preterm infants of varying birth weights (BWs). Methods : Data from 15,181 preterm infants (2009-2013) and 151,810 controls were analyzed using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. CP prevalence and LBW-associated comorbidities were examined, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. Results : This study confirmed increasing prematurity and LBW rates in Taiwan, with LBW infants showing higher CP prevalence. Significant maternal risk factors included age extremes (<20 and >40 years). LBW infants exhibited higher risks for respiratory, circulatory, nervous system, and psycho-developmental comorbidities compared with controls, with the lowest BW having even higher ORs. Maternal factors such as family income, the number of hospital admissions, and length of hospital stay were remarkably correlated with BW and subsequent complications. Each additional gestational week crucially reduced the risk of complications in premature infants. Conclusions : LBW infants are at a higher risk for CP and various comorbidities, with maternal bio-psychosocial factors playing a critical role. Addressing these factors in prenatal care and interventions is essential to improve outcomes for premature infants.

Adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated gene therapy is widely applied to treat numerous hereditary diseases in animal models and humans. The specific expression of AAV-delivered transgenes driven by cell type-specific promoters should further increase the safety of gene therapy. However, current methods for screening cell type-specific promoters are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Herein, we designed a "multiple vectors in one AAV" strategy for promoter construction in vivo. Through this strategy, we truncated a native promoter for Myo15 expression in hair cells (HCs) in the inner ear, from 1,611 bp down to 1,157 bp, and further down to 956 bp. Under the control of these 2 promoters, green fluorescent protein packaged in AAV-PHP.eB was exclusively expressed in the HCs. The transcription initiation ability of the 2 promoters was further verified by intein-mediated otoferlin recombination in a dual-AAV therapeutic system. Driven by these 2 promoters, human otoferlin was selectively expressed in HCs, resulting in the restoration of hearing in treated Otof -/- mice for at least 52 weeks. In summary, we developed an efficient screening strategy for cell type-specific promoter engineering and created 2 truncated Myo15 promoters that not only restored hereditary deafness in animal models but also show great potential for treating human patients in future., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Shao Wei Hu et al.)

The dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is an important nucleus in pain regulation. However, the underlying neural pathway and the function of specific cell types remain unclear. Here, we report a previously unrecognized ascending facilitation pathway, the DRN to the mesoaccumbal dopamine (DA) circuit, for regulating pain. Chronic pain increased the activity of DRN glutamatergic, but not serotonergic, neurons projecting to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) (DRN Glu -VTA) in male mice. The optogenetic activation of DRN Glu -VTA circuit induced a pain-like response in naive male mice, and its inhibition produced an analgesic effect in male mice with neuropathic pain. Furthermore, we discovered that DRN ascending pathway regulated pain through strengthened excitatory transmission onto the VTA DA neurons projecting to the ventral part of nucleus accumbens medial shell (vNAcMed), thereby activated the mesoaccumbal DA neurons. Correspondingly, optogenetic manipulation of this three-node pathway bilaterally regulated pain behaviors. These findings identified a DRN ascending excitatory pathway that is crucial for pain sensory processing, which can potentially be exploited toward targeting pain disorders., (Copyright © 2024 the authors.)

Background and Objectives : Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic and serious condition that is characterized by inadequate pancreatic-β-cells' insulin production. The connection between T1DM and Helicobacter pylori infection remains uncertain. This study aimed to conduct a systematic meta-analysis to examine the association between H. pylori infection, hemoglobin A1c levels, and the development of T1DM. Materials and Methods : The initial search identified 451 articles on the association between H. pylori infection and T1DM. Among them, 12 articles had 2797 participants who met the inclusion criteria for an advanced meta-analysis. Results : A significant association was observed between H. pylori infection and T1DM (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.47-2.12, p < 0.0001), with heterogeneity: Tau 2 = 0.47; Chi 2 = 57.07, df = 11 ( p < 0.0001); I 2 = 81%. Subgroup analysis showed that H. pylori infection was significantly associated with a longer duration of T1DM and higher hemoglobin A1c levels ( p < 0.001 for both) but not with age at T1DM diagnosis ( p = 0.306). Conclusions: These findings contribute to the understanding of the association between H. pylori infection and T1DM and highlight the potential role of H. pylori in influencing the duration and glycemic control of diabetes. Therefore, pediatric patients who have longstanding T1DM and poor glycemic control should be screened for H. pylori infection.

Developing efficient and safe antibacterial agents to inhibit pathogens including Physalospora piricola and Staphylococcus aureus is of great importance. Herein, a novel compound composed of Rosa roxburghii procyanidin, chitosan and selenium nanoparticle (RC-SeNP) was bio-synthesized, with the average diameter and zeta potential being 84.56 nm and -25.60 mV, respectively. The inhibition diameter of the RC-SeNP against P. piricola and S. aureus reached 18.67 mm and 13.13 mm, and the maximum scavenging activity against DPPH and ABTS reached 96.02% and 98.92%, respectively. Moreover, the RC-SeNP completely inhibited the propagation P. piricola and S. aureus on actual apples, suggesting excellent in vivo antimicrobial capacity. The transcriptome analysis and electron microscope observation indicated that the antibacterial activity would be attributed to adhering to and crack the cell walls as well as damage the cytomembrane and nucleus. Moreover, the RC-SeNP effectively maintained the vitamin C, total acid, and water contents of red bayberry, demonstrating potential application for fruit preservation. At last, the RC-SeNP showed no cell toxicity and trace selenium residual dose (0.03 mg/kg on apple, 0.12 mg/kg on red bayberry). This study would enlighten future development on novel nano-bioantibacterial agents for sustainable agriculture., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that no conflict of interest exits in the submission of this manuscript. We would like to declare that the work described is original research that has not been published previously, nor under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All the listed authors and the responsible authorities have approved the enclosed work for publication., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Female receptivity in mating is crucial for successful copulation, but protocols for quantifying female behaviors reflecting receptivity are scarce compared to the analysis of male behaviors. Here, we present a protocol for assessing the sexual receptivity of female Drosophila that considers behaviors from both sexes. We describe steps for preparing and loading flies into a courtship chamber, video recording the behaviors of the pairs, and analyzing their behavioral displays. This protocol includes behavior recognition criteria suitable for typical laboratory settings. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Yang et al. (2023). 1 ., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Increasing evidence suggests that alternative splicing plays a critical role in pain, but its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Herein, we employed complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to induce inflammatory pain in mice. A combination of genomics research techniques, lentivirus-based genetic manipulations, behavioral tests, and molecular biological technologies confirmed that splicing factor Cwc22 mRNA and CWC22 protein were elevated in the spinal dorsal horn at 3 days after CFA injection. Knockdown of spinal CWC22 by lentivirus transfection (lenti-shCwc22) reversed CFA-induced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, whereas upregulation of spinal CWC22 (lenti-Cwc22) in naïve mice precipitated pain. Comprehensive transcriptome and genome analysis identified the secreted phosphoprotein 1 (Spp1) as a potential gene of CWC22-mediated alternative splicing, however, only Spp1 splicing variant 4 (Spp1 V4) was involved in thermal and mechanical nociceptive regulation. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that spinal CWC22 regulates Spp1 V4 to participate in CFA-induced inflammatory pain. Blocking CWC22 or CWC22-mediated alternative splicing may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of persistent inflammatory pain., (Copyright © 2023 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

We developed an automated Raman measurement platform for the customized design of various solution containers. We used the software LabVIEW to integrate the entire automatic measurement process. By designing an intuitive human-machine interface, the user only needs to input a few setting parameters and can efficiently operate the machine in automation mode for an array of solutions containing real or counterfeit liquors such as kaoliang liquor, vodka, rum, gin, rice wine, ethanol, and methanol. In this study, data from various alcoholic beverage solutions were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) to distinguish from the low-concentration counterfeit liquors (methanol <50 g L -1 ). Moreover, several brands of liquors with the same alcohol concentration were successfully classified into different groups based on a combination of Raman spectroscopy and PCA analysis., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The research domain investigating bacterial factors in the development of oral cancer from January 2013 to December 2022 was examined with a bibliometric analysis. A bibliometric analysis is a mathematical and statistical method used to examine extensive datasets. It assesses the connections between prolific authors, journals, institutions, and countries while also identifying commonly used keywords. A comprehensive search strategy identified 167 relevant articles, revealing a progressive increase in publications and citations over time. China and the United States were the leading countries in research productivity, while Harvard University and the University of Helsinki were prominent affiliations. Prolific authors such as Nezar Al-Hebshi, Tsute Chen, and Yaping Pan were identified. The analysis also highlights the contributions of different journals and identifies the top 10 most cited articles in the field, all of which focus primarily on molecular research. The article of the highest citation explored the role of a Fusobacterium nucleatum surface protein in tumor immune evasion. Other top-cited articles investigated the correlation between the oral bacteriome and cancer using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, showing microbial shifts associated with oral cancer development. The functional prediction analysis used by recent studies has further revealed an inflammatory bacteriome associated with carcinogenesis. Furthermore, a keyword analysis reveals four distinct research themes: cancer mechanisms, periodontitis and microbiome, inflammation and Fusobacterium , and risk factors. This analysis provides an objective assessment of the research landscape, offers valuable information, and serves as a resource for researchers to advance knowledge and collaboration in the search for the influence of bacteria on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral cancer.

Background: This study investigated the use of ultrasound-guided extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) to break stones in the genitourinary tract and prevent genitourinary injury. Our goals were to achieve accurate focusing and minimal X-ray exposure for the benefit of the patients., Methods: The LiteMed LM-9200 lithotripter with ultrasonography and fluoroscopy was used for two different procedures: autoaimed and autoperiodical. These procedures enabled dual focusing on stone localization and tracking., Results: Out of 108 patients who underwent autoperiodical procedures, 29 had no gross hematuria. Among the 335 patients who received autoaimed procedures, 194 had no gross hematuria. The average duration of X-ray exposure during autoperiodical and autoaimed procedures was 120 and 50 s, respectively., Conclusion: The ultrasound-guided ESWL with minimal X-ray exposure was found to be useful in treating genitourinary upper-tract urolithiasis in the autoaimed procedure. Patients who underwent the autoaimed procedure experienced less gross hematuria compared to those who underwent the autoperiodical procedure., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

A comorbidity of chronic pain is sleep disturbance. Here, we identify a dual-functional ensemble that regulates both pain-like behaviour induced by chronic constrictive injury or complete Freund's adjuvant, and sleep wakefulness, in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in mice. Specifically, a select population of NAc neurons exhibits increased activity either upon nociceptive stimulation or during wakefulness. Experimental activation of the ensemble neurons exacerbates pain-like (nociceptive) responses and reduces NREM sleep, while inactivation of these neurons produces the opposite effects. Furthermore, NAc ensemble primarily consists of D1 neurons and projects divergently to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and preoptic area (POA). Silencing an ensemble innervating VTA neurons selectively increases nociceptive responses without affecting sleep, whereas inhibiting ensemble-innervating POA neurons decreases NREM sleep without affecting nociception. These results suggest a common NAc ensemble that encodes chronic pain and controls sleep, and achieves the modality specificity through its divergent downstream circuit targets., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Fluoride is present naturally in water and has been used worldwide for the prevention of caries. Several studies conducted in high water fluoride or endemic fluorosis areas reported that fluoride adversely affected children's cognitive function, but some studies had negative findings. This study aimed to assess the relationship between urinary fluoride, dental fluorosis, and intelligence among schoolchildren living in communities with non-fluoridated drinking water. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 562 children aged 6-12 years in Taichung, Taiwan. Each child's urinary fluoride level was determined by a fluoride-ion-selective electrode, and the dental fluorosis condition was evaluated according to the criteria of Dean's Index. The Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices-Parallel and Standard Progressive Matrices-Parallel were used to assess children's intelligence. The results showed that the mean (±standard deviation) urinary fluoride concentrations were 0.40 ± 0.27 mg/L (0.43 ± 0.23 mg/g creatinine) among participants. The prevalence of dental fluorosis was 23.67%. After extensive evaluation of potential confounders, dental fluorosis and urinary fluoride were not associated with intelligence quotient (IQ) scores or grades in the regression models. In conclusion, dental fluorosis and urinary fluoride levels were not significantly related to the IQ of schoolchildren living in areas with low drinking water fluoride.

Background: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurones in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus (PVN CRF neurones) can promote wakefulness and are activated under anaesthesia. However, whether these neurones contribute to anaesthetic effects is unknown., Methods: With a combination of chemogenetic and molecular approaches, we examined the roles of PVN CRF neurones in isoflurane anaesthesia in mice and further explored the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms., Results: PVN neurones exhibited increased Fos expression during isoflurane anaesthesia (mean [standard deviation], 218 [69.3] vs 21.3 [7.3]; P<0.001), and ∼75% were PVN CRF neurones. Chemogenetic inhibition of PVN CRF neurones facilitated emergence from isoflurane anaesthesia (11.7 [1.1] vs 13.9 [1.2] min; P=0.001), whereas chemogenetic activation of these neurones delayed emergence from isoflurane anaesthesia (16.9 [1.2] vs 13.9 [1.3] min; P=0.002). Isoflurane exposure increased CRF protein expression in PVN (4.0 [0.1] vs 2.2 [0.3], respectively; P<0.001). Knockdown of CRF in PVN CRF neurones mimicked the effects of chemogenetic inhibition of PVN CRF neurones in facilitating emergence (9.6 [1.1] vs 13.0 [1.4] min; P=0.003) and also abolished the effects of chemogenetic activation of PVN CRF neurones on delaying emergence from isoflurane anaesthesia (10.3 [1.3] vs 16.0 [2.6] min; P<0.001). Acute, but not chronic, stress delayed emergence from isoflurane anaesthesia (15.5 [1.5] vs 13.0 [1.4] min; P=0.004). This effect was reversed by chemogenetic inhibition of PVN CRF neurones (11.7 [1.6] vs 14.7 [1.4] min; P=0.001) or knockdown of CRF in PVN CRF neurones (12.3 [1.5] vs 15.3 [1.6] min; P=0.002)., Conclusions: CRF neurones in the PVN of the hypothalamus neurones modulate isoflurane anaesthesia and acute stress effects on anaesthesia through CRF signalling., (Copyright © 2023 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The courtship ritual is a dynamic interplay between males and females. Courtship successfully leading to copulation is determined by the intention of both parties which is conveyed by complex action sequences. In Drosophila , the neural mechanisms controlling the female's willingness to mate, or sexual receptivity, have only recently become the focus of investigations. Here, we report that pre-mating sexual receptivity in females requires activity within a subset of serotonergic projection neurons (SPNs), which positively regulate courtship success. Of interest, a male-derived sex peptide, SP, which was transferred to females during copulation acted to inhibit the activity of SPN and suppressed receptivity. Downstream of 5-HT, subsets of 5-HT7 receptor neurons played critical roles in SP-induced suppression of sexual receptivity. Together, our study reveals a complex serotonin signaling system in the central brain of Drosophila which manages the female's desire to mate., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Mutations to the OTOF gene are among the most common reasons for auditory neuropathy. Although cochlear implants are often effective in restoring sound transduction, there are currently no biological treatments for individuals with variants of OTOF. Previous studies have reported the rescue of hearing in DFNB9 mice using OTOF gene replacement although the efficacy needs improvement. Here, we developed a novel dual-AAV-mediated gene therapy system based on the principles of protein trans-splicing, and we show that this system can reverse bilateral deafness in Otof -/- mice after a single unilateral injection. The system effectively expressed exogenous mouse or human otoferlin after injection on postnatal day 0-2. Human otoferlin restored hearing to near wild-type levels for at least 6 months and restored the release of synaptic vesicles in inner hair cells. Our study not only provides a preferential clinical strategy for the treatment of OTOF-related auditory neuropathies, but also describes a route of development for other large-gene therapies and protein engineering techniques., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Safety in creating a preperitoneal space is crucial in laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal (TEP) hernia repairs. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we compared the outcomes of balloon dissection and telescopic dissection in patients with inguinal or femoral hernias who underwent TEP hernia repair., Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective and retrospective studies published from inception to July 2022. Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model. The treatment outcome was measured using operation time, incidence of intraoperative hemorrhage, peritoneal laceration, conversion to other approaches, surgical site infection (SSI), hematoma, seroma formation, hernia recurrence, and postoperative pain., Results: Five RCTs, one prospective study, and two retrospective studies (in total, 936 patients) were included. No significant between-group differences were noted in operation time, SSI, hematoma, seroma, recurrence rate, and postoperative pain on days 1 and 7. The conversion rate was significantly lower in the balloon group than in the telescopic group (odds ratio, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.81)., Conclusions: Both balloon dissection and telescopic dissection are viable techniques for creating preperitoneal space in laparoscopic TEP hernia repair and have similar operation time, complication rate, and postoperative pain. Nevertheless, the conversion rate was lower in patients undergoing balloon dissection than in those undergoing telescopic dissection., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and the efficacy of a radiation-free 2-step tract dilation technique in totally ultrasound-guided percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL)., Materials and Methods: From Oct 2018 to Mar 2020, we prospectively and consecutively enrolled 18 patients with 19 kidney units with urolithiasis. The nephrostomy tract was established by the following four steps: 1) ultrasound-guided renal puncture, 2) first-stage serial dilation to 16 Fr with Amplatz dilators, 3) check and adjustment of the partially dilated tract with a ureteroscope, 4) second-stage dilation with a 24-Fr balloon dilator., Results: The median age was 62.0 [IQR 11.0] years, and 11 (61.1%) were male. The median stone size was 3.3 [3.6] cm2, and stone laterality was almost equal over both sides. Successful tract establishment on the first attempt without fluoroscopy was achieved in 18 (94.7%) operations. The median tract establishment time was 10.4 [4.9] mins, and the median operation time was 67.0 [52.2] mins. The median hemoglobin drop was 1.0 [1.1] g/dL, and none required blood transfusion. Three (15.8%) developed fever. Pleural injury occurred in two (10.5%) operations (both had supracostal puncture), and one required drainage with pigtail. Stone-free status was achieved in 15 (77.8%) operations at 3 months postoperatively., Conclusions: Herein we present a radiation-free 2-step tract dilation technique, which is characterized by ureteroscopic check of the partially dilated tract in between the first dilation with serial fascial dilators and the second dilation with balloon. Our data suggest that it is a safe and effective method.

Until now, no study has directly network meta-analysed the impact of nasal masks, nasal pillows and oronasal masks on continuous positive airway pressure therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This study aimed to meta-analyse the impact of three kinds of nasal interfaces with both network meta-analysis and pairwise comparison. PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL and ClinicalTrials.gov were systematically searched from inception to December 2020 for studies that compared the three types of nasal interfaces for treating obstructive sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure. The outcomes were residual apnea-hypopnea index, continuous positive airway pressure, and nightly average usage. The network meta-analysis was conducted using multivariate random-effects in a frequentist framework where three interfaces were ranked with the surface under the cumulative ranking probabilities. The pairwise comparison was conducted using random-effects meta-analysis. Twenty-nine articles comprising 6378 participants were included. The pairwise comparison showed both nasal masks and nasal pillows were associated with lower residual apnea-hypopnea index, lower continuous positive airway pressure, and higher continuous positive airway pressure adherence compared with oronasal masks. The surface under the cumulative ranking confirmed that nasal masks were associated with the lowest residual apnea-hypopnea index and highest adherence, while pillows were associated with the lowest continuous positive airway pressure. The meta-regression identified that lower pretreatment apnea-hypopnea index and continuous positive airway pressure determined during continuous positive airway pressure titration (versus determined during continuous positive airway pressure therapy) was associated with lower continuous positive airway pressure with nasal masks and nasal pillows. In conclusion, compared with oronasal masks, nasal masks and nasal pillows are better interfaces, especially in patients with lower pretreatment apnea-hypopnea index and those with the therapeutic pressure determined during continuous positive airway pressure titration., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Sleep Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Sleep Research Society.)

Aims: Phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5is) inhibit the hydrolysis of cyclic guanosine 5'-monophosphate in smooth muscle cells and are a widely known treatment for erectile dysfunction. Accumulating evidence also suggests that PDE5is exhibit potential benefits in cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of a PDE5i, vardenafil (VAR), in a focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) mouse model., Materials and Methods: FSGS was induced in BALB/c mice by the intravenous administration of Adriamycin (AD, 11 mg/kg of body weight). After 24 h, VAR (at 12.5 μg/ml) was given in drinking water ad libitum until the animals were sacrificed. At the end of the experiment, plasma and kidney samples were harvested to evaluate clinical parameters, histopathological changes, and alterations in transcriptome and protein expressions., Key Findings: In this study, VAR treatment attenuated the deterioration of proteinuria, renal dysfunction, and hypercholesterolemia in AD-induced FSGS. Treatment with VAR exhibited reductions in the severity of both glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial injury in the histological analysis. In addition to relieving AD-induced podocyte loss, VAR also preserved endothelial cells in glomerular capillaries and ameliorated the accumulation of collagen fibers in the mesangial area and Bowman's capsule basement membrane. In addition, VAR showed an ability to suppress transforming growth factor-β-induced fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation., Significance: Our data suggest that VAR exhibited reno-therapeutic effects via attenuating podocyte loss, preserving the integrity of the glomerular vasculature, and ameliorating fibrotic changes. These findings suggest that PDE5is might be a promising treatment modality for nephrotic syndrome., 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 © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Soil acidification is a problem widely occurring worldwide, which severely threaten food security and agricultural sustainability. Calcium lignosulfonate (CaLS), a cheap and ecofriendly compound, is used for the first time to amend acid soil by utilizing its unique organic and inorganic functional moieties simultaneously. Both column leaching and incubation experiments were conducted to investigate the comparative effects of CaLS (four rates at 5, 10, 15, 20 g kg -1 ) and compared with conventional amendments, including gypsum (5 g kg -1 ), lignin (5 g kg -1 ), L + G (each at 5 g kg -1 ), and control. The soil pH, exchangeable acidity and base cations, organic carbon, and different Al fractions were determined to unravel the ameliorative performance and mechanism of the treatments. Regardless of application modes and dosages, the results demonstrated that CaLS incorporation significantly increased soil pH, exchangeable Ca 2+ , cation exchange capacity, and organic carbon and decreased the contents of exchangeable acidity, especially exchangeable Al 3+ . The ameliorative mechanism was that amendment material led to the displacement of H + and Al 3+ off soil colloids by Ca 2+ . These released H + and Al 3+ which complexed with lignosulfonate anions into soluble organo-Al were all quickly leached from the soil column. The CaLS addition enhanced the transformation of exchangeable Al 3+ and low-to-medium organo-Al complexes into highly stable organically bound fractions and immobilized into the soil. The complexing of CaLS functional groups with Al 3+ impeded Al 3+ from undergoing hydrolysis to produce more H + . As an environmental-friendly material, CaLS can be a promising amendment for soil acidity and Al toxicity amelioration., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To investigate the levels of self-disclosure in men undergoing in vitro fertilization and analyze the effects of communication and personality on self-disclosure., Design and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 210 men undergoing in vitro fertilization. Self-disclosure was measured using the Chinese Distress Disclosure Index Scale., Findings: Participants with high self-disclosure exhibited lower neuroticism, higher extraversion, better partner communication, higher educational levels, and were likely to have a child; these factors were independent predictors of self-disclosure., Practice Implications: These findings highlight the factors influencing self-disclosure and can aid in developing guidance programs for infertile men., (© 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: We compared intraureteral stent placement (CIU-SP) with conventional stent placement (C-SP) regarding the stent-related symptoms., Methods: We randomized patients who underwent ureteroscopic lithotripsy into two groups. In CIU-SP group, a 16-cm or 18-cm stent was placed with its distal end above the ureterovesical junction. In C-SP group, a 22-cm or 24-cm stent was placed in a conventional method. Stent-related symptoms were assessed with the Ureteral Stent Symptom Questionnaire (USSQ) before the stent was removed, around 7 days after the operation. The primary outcome was the urinary symptoms; the secondary outcomes included postoperative pain and quality of life., Results: We randomized 103 patients, of which 91 (45 in CIU-SP and 46 in C-SP) entered the final analysis. Regarding the primary endpoint, the CIU group had less urinary symptoms; the mean USSQ urinary symptom score was significantly lower in the CIU-SP versus C-SP group (25.5 ± 6.3 vs 31.7 ± 5.9, P < 0.001). The CIU-SP group also had more favorable profiles in the following outcomes: lower USSQ body pain score (15.5 ± 5.3 vs 20.1 ± 5.2, P < 0.001), lower overall pain score (3.2 ± 2.2 vs 5.7 ± 2.3, P < 0.001), less number of pain site (1.0 ± 0.9 vs 1.7 ± 0.9, P = 0.001, lower USSQ general health score (10.4 ± 3.7 versus 13.9 ± 3.4, P < 0.001), and lower USSQ work performance score (5.2 ± 3.3 versus 6.7 ± 2.8, P = 0.033). In either group, there was no complication of Clavien-Dindo Class 2 or greater., Conclusion: The complete intraureteral placement significantly decreases stent-related urinary symptoms and pain. It is also associated with better postoperative general health condition and is less likely to limit physical activity and work ability., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Aims: A negative association between the lower level of psychological resilience (PR) and increased risk of compassion fatigue (CF) and higher Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) stress has been revealed. However, bibliometric studies have not been performed to comprehensively investigate this topic. This study aimed to identify the status and trends in the CF and PR field from 2008 to 2021 and during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We identified relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection ® database using "resilience" and "compassion fatigue" on September 30, 2021. All search results were exported in plain text format for collaboration network analysis, reference-based co-citation analysis, analysis of journals, and keywords-based co-occurrence analysis, which were performed using Citespace ® 5.8.R1., Results: A total of 388 publications were identified finally, and there has been an increasing trend in the annual number of publications with light fluctuations. The analysis of journals and keywords indicated that nurses and social workers are the main research targets, and their mental problems are the main research topics. The turnover intention of health care providers has been a research focus, particularly during the COVID-19., Conclusion: The results of the present study help us understand the status of the CF and PR field and its recent developments., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yi, Liu, Tang, Cheng, Wang, Hu, Liu, Tian and Jiménez-Herrera.)

Helicobacter pylori infections are threats to public health due to their high infection rate and drug resistance. Identification of single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in H. pylori is crucial for both diagnosis and therapy. Yet the clinical testing of resistant H. pylori mutants is still facing some challenges, such as the selectivity is not good enough for SNVs in abundant wild-type DNA, the lack of clinical validation and the economical burden on patients. Herein, an X-shaped DNA probe with a toehold initiator was designed, which could specifically hybridize with certain genotype DNA due to the thermodynamically driven reaction. A competitive reaction was developed to amplify the thermodynamic difference between wild-type DNA and SNVs, diminishing the interference of wild-type DNA. By this means, multiple SNVs in H. pylori were successfully identified and two SNVs related to clarithromycin resistance are chosen as model targets. A paper strip was fabricated for visual, fast screening of SNVs. Furthermore, the approach was validated using clinical samples, and a point-of-care (POCT) testing diagnosis was executed on saliva samples, demonstrating its potential for the prevention and cure of H. pylori infections., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In this 3-year longitudinal cohort study, we aimed to evaluate the evolution of overactive bladder in female community residents aged 40 years and above in central Taiwan and identify its risk factors., Materials and Methods: Female community residents aged 40 years and above were invited to participate in this study and fill out a yearly Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) questionnaire over a 3-year period. A woman was defined to have OAB if the total OABSS was ≧4 and urgency score was ≧2. At the end of the third year, the incidence, remission, persistence, and relapse of OAB in these community residents were calculated. A novel statistical analysis technique, machine learning with data mining, was applied to examine its use in this field. Five machine learning models were used to predict the risk factors associated with persistent OAB and the results were compared with the conventional logistic regression model., Results: In total, 1469 female residents were included in the first year and 1290 (87.8%) women completed the questionnaires for all 3 years. The prevalence of OAB was 20.2% (n = 260). The second- and third-year incidence rates of OAB were 13.5% and 7.1%. The remission rates were 39.6% and 44.3%. Twenty-two percent of the women reported relapse of OAB in the third year. The two-year OAB persistence rate was 43.8%. For the prediction of risk factors for persistent OAB, the multivariable logistic regression model had better predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.664) than the five machine learning models. Age ≧ 60 was associated with persistent OAB (OR 2.8; 95% CI: 1.34-5.89, P = 0.002)., Conclusion: The yearly incidence, remission, and persistence rates of OAB were high in female community residents aged 40 years and above in central Taiwan. Older women had a higher risk of persistent OAB symptoms in this 3-year longitudinal cohort study., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None Declared., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Anxiety disorders are a series of mental disorders characterized by anxiety and fear, but the molecular basis of these disorders remains unclear. In the present study, we find that the global Slack KO male mice exhibit anxious behaviors, whereas the Slack Y777H male mice manifest anxiolytic behaviors. The expression of Slack channels is rich in basolateral amygdala (BLA) glutamatergic neurons and downregulated in chronic corticosterone-treated mice. In addition, electrophysiological data show enhanced excitability of BLA glutamatergic neurons in the Slack KO mice and decreased excitability of these neurons in the Slack Y777H mice. Furthermore, the Slack channel deletion in BLA glutamatergic neurons is sufficient to result in enhanced avoidance behaviors, whereas Kcnt1 gene expression in the BLA or BLA-ventral hippocampus (vHPC) glutamatergic projections reverses anxious behaviors of the Slack KO mice. Our study identifies the role of the Slack channel in controlling anxious behaviors by decreasing the excitability of BLA-vHPC glutamatergic projections, providing a potential target for anxiolytic therapies. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anxiety disorders are a series of mental disorders characterized by anxiety and fear, but the molecular basis of these disorders remains unclear. Here, we examined the behaviors of loss- and gain-of-function of Slack channel mice in elevated plus maze and open field tests and found the anxiolytic role of the Slack channel. By altering the Slack channel expression in the specific neuronal circuit, we demonstrated that the Slack channel played its anxiolytic role by decreasing the excitability of BLA-vHPC glutamatergic projections. Our data reveal the role of the Slack channel in the regulation of anxiety, which may provide a potential molecular target for anxiolytic therapies., (Copyright © 2022 the authors.)

Sulforaphane (SFN) is an organic isothiocyanate and an NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) inducer that exerts prophylactic effects on depression-like behavior in mice. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin, is widely accepted for its antidepressant effects and role in stress resilience. Here, we show that SFN confers stress resilience via BDNF upregulation and changes in abnormal dendritic spine morphology in stressed mice, which is accompanied by rectifying the irregular levels of inflammatory cytokines. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that SFN activated Nrf2 to promote BDNF transcription by binding to the exon I promoter, which is associated with increased Nrf2, and decreased methyl-CpG binding protein-2 (MeCP2), a transcriptional suppressor of BDNF, in BV2 microglial cells. Furthermore, SFN inhibited the pro-inflammatory phenotype and activated the anti-inflammatory phenotype of microglia, which was associated with increased Nrf2 and decreased MeCP2 expression in microglia of stressed mice. Hence, our findings support that Nrf2 induces BDNF transcription via upregulation of Nrf2 and downregulation of MeCP2 in microglia, which is associated with changes in the morphology of damaged dendritic spines in stressed mice. Meanwhile, the data presented here provide evidence for the application of SFN as a candidate for the prevention and intervention of depression., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to CPS and SIMM.)

Background: Accidental swallowing of a foreign body occurs more frequently in children than in adults. Among these cases, button battery impaction in the esophagus may cause severe complications. While prevention is always ideal, if button battery impaction is suspected, immediate diagnosis and retrieval are important., Case Presentation: We introduce a novel method for retrieval of a button battery after ingestion by a 2.5-year-old child. When the patient arrived at our center, the battery was incarcerated in the upper esophagus. The battery could not be removed, despite the use of several methods such as alligator forceps under endoscopy and net retrieval. We decided to use a novel method that combined endoscopic balloon extraction and forceps retrieval. This resulted in a push-and-pull effect, creating synergy and easy removal of the battery. There were no long term complications based on the follow-up endoscopy examination., Conclusions: This new procedure was very effective for removing the esophageal foreign body. When button battery in esophagus was too tight to be removed by the traditional retrieval methods, this procedure was suggested to use. It could be performed at medical institutions. If it fails or esophageal perforation (iatrogenic or spontaneous) occurs, pediatric surgeons could take over immediately., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Dysfunctional transcription machinery with associated dysregulated transcription characterizes many malignancies. Components of the mediator complex, a principal modulator of transcription, are increasingly implicated in cancer. The mediator complex subunit 10 (MED10), a vital kinase module of the mediator, plays a critical role in bladder physiology and pathology. However, its role in the oncogenicity, metastasis, and disease recurrence in bladder cancer (BLCA) remains unclear., Objective: Thus, we investigated the role of dysregulated or aberrantly expressed MED10 in the enhanced onco-aggression, disease progression, and recurrence of bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC), as well as the underlying molecular mechanism., Methods: Using an array of multi-omics big data analyses of clinicopathological data, in vitro expression profiling and functional assays, and immunocytochemical staining, we assessed the probable roles of MED10 in the progression and prognosis of BLCA/UC., Results: Our bioinformatics-aided gene expression profiling showed that MED10 is aberrantly expressed in patients with BLCA, is associated with high-grade disease, is positively correlated with tumor stage, and confers significant survival disadvantage. Reanalyzing the TCGA BLCA cohort (n = 454), we showed that aberrantly expressed MED10 expression is associated with metastatic and recurrent disease, disease progression, immune suppression, and therapy failure. Interestingly, we demonstrated that MED10 interacts with and is co-expressed with the microRNA, hsa-miR-590, and that CRISPR-mediated knockout of MED10 elicits the downregulation of miR-590 preferentially in metastatic UC cells, compared to their primary tumor peers. More so, silencing MED10 in SW1738 and JMSU1 UC cell lines significantly attenuates their cell proliferation, migration, invasion, clonogenicity, and tumorsphere formation (primary and secondary), with the associated downregulation of BCL-xL, MKI67, VIM, SNAI1, OCT4, and LIN28A but upregulated BAX protein expression. In addition, we showed that high MED10 expression is a non-inferior biomarker of urothelial recurrence compared with markers of cancer stemness; however, MED10 is a better biomarker of local recurrence than any of the stemness markers., Conclusion: These data provide preclinical evidence that dysregulated MED10/MIR590 signaling drives onco-aggression, disease progression, and recurrence of bladder UC and that this oncogenic signal is therapeutically actionable for repressing the metastatic/recurrent phenotypes, enhancing therapy response, and shutting down stemness-driven disease progression and relapse in patients with BLCA/UC., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wu, Wang, Hu, Wu, Yeh and Bamodu.)

Background/purpose: The efficient rapid sintering technique has employed to dental zirconia ceramics for shortening the fabrication time of zirconia restorations. The purpose was to compare the optical properties of two generations of rapid sintered translucent zirconia using two dental colorimeters., Materials and Methods: Two generations of translucent zirconia ceramics, 3 mol% yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP): Copran Zr-i Ultra-T (UT) and Cercon HT (HT), and 5 mol% yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (5Y-TZP): Cercon xt (XT), of different thicknesses (0.5, 0.8, and 1.2 mm; n = 5) underwent rapid sintering (RS) or conventional sintering (CS). The CIELAB values were measured on the white and black backgrounds, respectively, by digital colorimeters, shadepilot, DeguDent (DD) and Easyshade V, Vita (Vita). Translucency parameter (TP), color difference (ΔE), surface morphology, and surface roughness were evaluated., Results: RS resulted in reduced lightness, except in the XT group. The chromaticity increased slightly after RS. Translucency decreased with increasing material thickness. ΔE values differed between both sintering processes but were clinically acceptable (ΔE < 5). Grain size of XT decreased after RS. RS did not affect the surface roughness., Conclusion: RS is a feasible method for shortening the manufacturing time of zirconia restorations. A significant difference in TP value was only in the XT group between both sintering methods as measured on DD. Color differences in rapid sintered translucent zirconia materials are imperceptible and acceptable. The specimen thickness affected more in the TP values of Vita than DD. DD has higher sensitivity to translucency and color compared with Vita., (© 2021 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)

Long-term limb nerve injury often leads to mirror-image pain (MIP), an abnormal pain sensation in the limb contralateral to the injury. Although it is clear that MIP is mediated in part by central nociception processing, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is a key brain region that receives relayed peripheral nociceptive information from the contralateral limb. In this study, we induced MIP in male mice, in which a unilateral chronic constrictive injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI) induced a decreased nociceptive threshold in both hind limbs and an increased number of c-Fos-expressing neurons in the ACC both contralateral and ipsilateral to the injured limb. Using viral-mediated projection mapping, we observed that a portion of ACC neurons formed monosynaptic connections with contralateral ACC neurons. Furthermore, the number of cross-callosal projection ACC neurons that exhibited c-Fos signal was increased in MIP-expressing mice, suggesting enhanced transmission between ACC neurons of the two hemispheres. Moreover, selective inhibition of the cross-callosal projection ACC neurons contralateral to the injured limb normalized the nociceptive sensation of the uninjured limb without affecting the increased nociceptive sensation of the injured limb in CCI mice. In contrast, inhibition of the non-cross-callosal projection ACC neurons contralateral to the injury normalized the nociceptive sensation of the injured limb without affecting the MIP exhibited in the uninjured limb. These results reveal a circuit mechanism, namely, the cross-callosal projection of ACC between two hemispheres, that contributes to MIP and possibly other forms of contralateral migration of pain sensation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mirror-image pain (MIP) refers to the increased pain sensitivity of the contralateral body part in patients with chronic pain. This pathology requires central processing, yet the mechanisms are less known. Here, we demonstrate that the cross-callosal projection neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contralateral to the injury contribute to MIP exhibited in the uninjured limb, but do not affect nociceptive sensation of the injured limb. In contrast, the non-cross-callosal projection neurons in the ACC contralateral to the injury contribute to nociceptive sensation of the injured limb, but do not affect MIP exhibited in the uninjured limb. Our study depicts a novel cross-callosal projection of ACC that contributes to MIP, providing a central mechanism for MIP in chronic pain state., (Copyright © 2021 the authors.)

Background and Objectives : Drug-induced esophageal ulcer is caused by focal drug stimulation. It may occur in adults and children. Limited research is available in pediatric patients with drug-induced esophageal ulcer; therefore, we designed this study to determine the characteristics of this disease in this population. Materials and Methods : Thirty-two pediatric patients diagnosed with drug-induced esophageal ulcers from a hospital database of upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopies were included. After treatment, patients were followed for 2 months after upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Results : Female patients were predominant (56.2%/43.8%). The mean age of patients was 15.6 years (median, 16 years; interquartile range, 2 years). Doxycycline was administered in most cases (56.3%); other drugs were dicloxacillin, amoxicillin, clindamycin, L-arginine, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Doxycycline was associated with kissing ulcers. Esophageal ulcers induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were more often associated with gastric or duodenal ulcers. The most common location was the middle-third of the esophagus (78.1%). Patients were treated with proton pump inhibitors, sucralfate, or H2-blockers. The mean duration for which symptoms lasted was 9.2 days. No esophageal stricture was found in 24 patients who were followed for 2 months after upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Conclusions : The authors suggest informing patients to take medicine with enough water (approximately 100 mL) and enough time (15-30 min) before recumbency, especially high-risk drugs, such as doxycycline or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) remains an emotional wrench to patients and a therapeutic challenge to urologists in andrology clinics worldwide. This is, in part, related to refraction to, or transient effect of phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors (PDE5i), coupled with patients' dissatisfaction with this treatment modality. Low-intensity extracorporeal shockwave therapy (Li-ESWT) is an evolving treatment option, with promising curative potential. Current international guidelines are inconclusive, bear weak recommendation strength, and lack ethnogeographic consensus., Objectives: This study evaluated the safety, efficacy, and effect duration of Li-ESWT, as well as exploring disease-associated determinants of treatment success in Taiwanese males with ED., Methods: A cohort of 69 eligible cases treated with 12 sessions of Li-ESWT and followed up for at least 12 months after treatment, between January 2018 and December 2019 at our medical facility, was used. The present single-center, retrospective, non-randomized, single-arm study employed standardized erectile function evaluation indices, namely, the five-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) and Erection Hardness Score (EHS). Clinicopathological analyses of selected variables and comparative analyses of time-phased changes in the EF indices relative to baseline values were performed. Evaluation of treatment success was based on minimal clinically important difference (MCID), using a binomial logistic regression model., Results: The median age and duration of ED for our Taiwanese cohort were 55 years and 12 months, respectively, and an average of 31.3% presented with co-morbidities. The mean improvement in IIEF-5, EHS, and quality of life (QoL) domain scores relative to the baseline values was statistically very significant ( p < 0.001) at all indicated follow-up time-points. When stratified, Taiwanese patients with severe and moderate ED benefited more from Li-ESWT, compared with those in the mild or mild-to-moderate group. Patients' pre-Li-ESWT PDE5i response status was not found to significantly influence Li-ESWT response. Univariate analysis showed that age > 45 years ( p = 0.04), uncontrolled diabetes mellitus ( p = 0.04), and uncontrolled hyperlipidemia ( p = 0.01) were strongly associated with Li-ESWT efficacy; however, only age > 45 years ( p = 0.04) and uncontrolled hyperlipidemia ( p = 0.03) were found to be independent negative predictors of Li-ESWT success by the multivariate logistic model. Follow-up was uneventful, with no treatment-related adverse events or side effects reported. Of the treated patients, 86.1% indicated satisfaction with the treatment regimen, and over 90% indicated they would recommend the same therapy to others., Conclusions: Li-ESWT is a safe and efficacious therapeutic modality for Taiwanese patients with ED. Uncontrolled hyperlipidemia and age > 45 years are independent negative predictors of treatment success for this cohort.

Background: The main treatment methods for cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted drug therapy and so on. Patients often feel anger, anxiety, depression, and other negative psychological reactions in the process of treatment., Aim: To explore the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy on the personality characteristics of cancer patients., Methods: According to the matching design requirements, 150 cancer patients were divided into 3 groups based on sex, age, condition, and cultural background. Patients in the control group received conventional treatment. Patients in experimental group 1 received an intervention based on conventional treatment combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. Patients in experimental group 2 received family members' participation in addition to the treatment given in experimental group 1. An Eysenck personality questionnaire was used to investigate all the patients before and after the intervention, and the scores for psychosis, introversion, neuroticism, and concealment degree were analyzed., Results: Compared with the control group, for experimental group 1 and experimental group 2 before and after the intervention, the four dimensions of mental quality, neuroticism, introversion and concealment degree all decreased, and the difference was statistically significant ( P < 0.05). After the intervention, there were no obvious or statistically significant differences ( P > 0.05) among the control group, experimental group 1, and experimental group 2 for two personality traits, psychoticism and neuroticism, both inside and outside degree and all four dimensions., Conclusion: Simple cognitive behavioral therapy could not change the personality characteristics of cancer patients quickly, but the patients' personality characteristics were significantly improved after treatment., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: We declare that we have no financial or personal relationships with other individuals or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work and that there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in or the review of the manuscript., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background : Neonatal intrahepatic cholestasis caused by citrin deficiency (NICCD) is a rare autosomal recessive disease. The incidence of citrin deficiency is estimated between 1/10,000 and 1/20,000 in Taiwan. Case report : This report describes a case of a 42 day old female infant who suffered from prolonged jaundice, poor weight gain, and anemia. The initial total/direct bilirubin levels were 8.1/3.11 mg/dL. Liver biopsy was performed at 47 days old. The pathology revealed lobules marked with macrovesicular and microvesicular fatty metamorphosis. The serum amino acid profile showed elevated levels of threonine, methionine, citrulline, and arginine. Newborn screening disclosed normal results, but the genetic study revealed SLC25A13 mutation 851-854 del and 615 + 5G > A. The genetic study of her parents showed that the father carried the SLC25A13 mutation 851-854 del and the mother carried the SLC25A13 mutation 615 + 5G > A. Treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid decreased the bilirubin levels to a normal range at the age of 5 months. Conclusion : This report illustrates that hepatic steatosis is a feature of NICCD. For every young infant patient who develops cholestasis, the pediatrician must consider NICCD as a differential diagnosis even if newborn screening shows normal findings.

Background: The γ-aminobutyric acid-mediated (GABAergic) inhibitory system in the brain is critical for regulation of sleep-wake and general anesthesia. The lateral septum contains mainly GABAergic neurons, being cytoarchitectonically divided into the dorsal, intermediate, and ventral parts. This study hypothesized that GABAergic neurons of the lateral septum participate in the control of wakefulness and promote recovery from anesthesia., Methods: By employing fiber photometry, chemogenetic and optogenetic neuronal manipulations, anterograde tracing, in vivo electrophysiology, and electroencephalogram/electromyography recordings in adult male mice, the authors measured the role of lateral septum GABAergic neurons to the control of sleep-wake transition and anesthesia emergence and the corresponding neuron circuits in arousal and emergence control., Results: The GABAergic neurons of the lateral septum exhibited high activities during the awake state by in vivo fiber photometry recordings (awake vs. non-rapid eye movement sleep: 3.3 ± 1.4% vs. -1.3 ± 1.2%, P < 0.001, n = 7 mice/group; awake vs. anesthesia: 2.6 ± 1.2% vs. -1.3 ± 0.8%, P < 0.001, n = 7 mice/group). Using chemogenetic stimulation of lateral septum GABAergic neurons resulted in a 100.5% increase in wakefulness and a 51.2% reduction in non-rapid eye movement sleep. Optogenetic activation of these GABAergic neurons promoted wakefulness from sleep (median [25th, 75th percentiles]: 153.0 [115.9, 179.7] s to 4.0 [3.4, 4.6] s, P = 0.009, n = 5 mice/group) and accelerated emergence from isoflurane anesthesia (514.4 ± 122.2 s vs. 226.5 ± 53.3 s, P < 0.001, n = 8 mice/group). Furthermore, the authors demonstrated that the lateral septum GABAergic neurons send 70.7% (228 of 323 cells) of monosynaptic projections to the ventral tegmental area GABAergic neurons, preferentially inhibiting their activities and thus regulating wakefulness and isoflurane anesthesia depth., Conclusions: The results uncover a fundamental role of the lateral septum GABAergic neurons and their circuit in maintaining awake state and promoting general anesthesia emergence time., (Copyright © 2021, the American Society of Anesthesiologists. All Rights Reserved.)