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Simple Summary: Surgery to prevent breast and ovarian cancer is very effective, but there is limited research into the quality of life afterwards, particularly with reference to quality-of-life scores known as utility scores. These are important for patients at increased cancer risk who are considering surgery and are essential for health-economic evaluations. This article used data from a systematic review of different quality-of-life questionnaires given to patients following these surgeries. We converted these data into utility scores, as recommended by the national guidelines. This shows that surgery to prevent breast cancer is associated with a long-term utility score of 0.92 and surgery to prevent ovarian cancer has a score of 0.97, indicating a mild–moderate impact. These are the first utility scores sourced from patients who have undergone these procedures, and they are important to doctors counselling patients about cancer prevention options and to researchers. Higher-quality studies are still needed, using the recommended quality-of-life questionnaire (EQ-5D). Background: Risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) and risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) are the most effective breast and ovarian cancer preventive interventions. EQ-5D is the recommended tool to assess the quality of life and determine health-related utility scores (HRUSs), yet there are no published EQ-5D HRUSs after these procedures. These are essential for clinicians counselling patients and for health-economic evaluations. Methods: We used aggregate data from our published systematic review and converted SF-36/SF-12 summary scores to EQ-5D HRUSs using a published mapping algorithm. Study control arm or age-matched country-specific reference values provided comparison. Random-effects meta-analysis provided adjusted disutilities and utility scores. Subgroup analyses included long-term vs. short-term follow-up. Results: Four studies (209 patients) reported RRM outcomes using SF-36, and five studies (742 patients) reported RRSO outcomes using SF-12/SF-36. RRM is associated with a long-term (>2 years) disutility of −0.08 (95% CI −0.11, −0.04) (I2 31.4%) and a utility of 0.92 (95% CI 0.88, 0.95) (I2 31.4%). RRSO is associated with a long-term (>1 year) disutility of −0.03 (95% CI −0.05, 0.00) (I2 17.2%) and a utility of 0.97 (95% CI 0.94, 0.99) (I2 34.0%). Conclusions: We present the first HRUSs sourced from patients following RRM and RRSO. There is a need for high-quality prospective studies to characterise quality of life at different timepoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-based bimetallic catalysts with noble metals exhibit high activity and selectivity for hydrogen generation from hydrazine monohydrate. However, their poor service durability remains a critical challenge. This study investigated the use of Zn-doped CeO 2 as a support for Ni–Pt catalysts to improve their long-term stability. A series of Ni–Pt/Zn-doped-CeO 2 catalysts were prepared via a simple co-precipitation and reduction method. Compared to the pristine Ni 50 Pt 50 /CeO 2 catalyst, the Zn doping can improve the stability of CeO 2 support in the alkaline condition, and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis clearly indicates that Zn doping leads to a negative shift in the binding energy of connected Ni and thus enhances the stability of the electronic structure in the catalysts. The findings in this work suggest that Zn-modified CeO 2 supporting Ni–Pt catalyst offer a promising approach to achieving a better balance between activity and durability for hydrogen generation catalysts. • Ni–Pt/Zn-doped CeO 2 catalysts was prepared via a simple co-precipitation method. • The Ni 50 Pt 47.5 /Zn 2.5 catalyst exhibits excellent performance: ■ 100% H 2 selectivity ■ TOF of 2000 h−1 at 323 K in 2.5 M NaOH ■ Satisfactory stability after 10 cycles (TOF of 1800 h−1) • Ni–Pt/Zn-doped CeO 2 catalysts leverages the high activity and selectivity of Ni-Pt alloys for hydrazine decomposition while incorporating Zn to tune the CeO 2 support, and replacing Pt with Zn to reduce costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Methods Results Conclusion Confirm that stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth‐derived exosomes (SHED‐exos) can limit inflammation‐triggered epithelial cell apoptosis and explore the molecular mechanism.SHED‐exos were injected into the submandibular glands (SMGs) of non‐obese diabetic (NOD) mice, an animal model of Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Cell death was evaluated by western blotting and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labelling staining.SHED‐exos treatment promoted the saliva flow rates of NOD mice, accompanied by decreased cleaved caspase‐3 levels and apoptotic cell numbers in SMGs. SHED‐exos inhibited autophagy, pyroptosis, NETosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis and oxeiptosis marker expression in SS‐damaged glands. Mechanistically, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis of exosomal miRNAs suggested that the rat sarcoma virus (RAS)/mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) pathway might play an important role. In vivo, the expression of Kirsten RAS, Harvey RAS, MEK1/2 and p‐ERK1/2 was upregulated in SMGs, and this change was blocked by SHED‐exos treatment. In vitro, SHED‐exos suppressed p‐ERK1/2 activation and increased cleaved caspase‐3 and apoptotic cell numbers, which were induced by IFN‐γ.SHED‐exos suppress epithelial cell death, which is responsible for promoting salivary secretion. SHED‐exos inhibited inflammation‐triggered epithelial cell apoptosis by suppressing p‐ERK1/2 activation, which is involved in these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) plays a crucial role in direct hydrazine fuel cells and holds promise for replacing the kinetics-sluggish oxygen evolution reaction in splitting water. While Ni–Zn alloys exhibit exceptional activity for HzOR, their synthesis under mild conditions remains a challenge. Herein, a Ni–Zn nanosheet catalyst with NiZn inclusion was prepared on Ni foam by controllable chemical etching together with ethylene glycol reduction. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed the single-crystalline nature and the presence of intermetallic NiZn. The strong interaction between Ni and ZnO, along with defects, facilitated the formation of this intermetallic compound. The Ni–Zn/Ni foam exhibits remarkable catalytic activity (214.3 ​mA ​cm−2 at 0.1 ​V) and durability (87.8 ​% retention after 24 ​h) towards hydrazine electrooxidation, thanks to the combined benefits of intermetallic NiZn, mesoporous nanosheets, microscopic defects, single-crystalline characteristics, and a coherent Ni–NiZn interface. This study provides a new method for designing highly active Ni–Zn electrocatalysts for HzOR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrazine is a promising energy carrier of high power density, high theoretical cell voltage, and zero carbon emission to replace fossil fuel-dominated energy sources. Herein, we present a new Ni–B–P/NF catalyst for hydrazine electrooxidation by a facile electroless plating process. The Ni–B–P/NF catalyst exhibits remarkable catalytic activity (290 mA cm−2 at 0.3 V) by combining merits of high intrinsic activity, large specific surface area, satisfactory conductivity, and lattice dislocation. Meanwhile, the Ni–B–P/NF catalyst provides excellent long-term durability (5000 s, 94.4%), which is at the leading level among the reported Ni-based electrocatalysts for hydrazine electrooxidation to date. It is found that the phosphorus-containing coating and its tight binding to the substrate contribute to the long-term durability of Ni–B–P/NF. XPS results and electron models are used to elucidate the electron transition mechanism of the Ni–B–P coating. This work presents a novel catalyst for hydrazine electrooxidation and demonstrates its promising application in energy storage and fuel cell systems. • The Ni–B–P/Ni foam was prepared by a facile electroless plating process. • The intrinsic active sites, specific surface area, conductivity and lattice dislocation affect the catalytic activity. • The oxidation resistance and bonding ability affect the durability. • The electron transference from Ni atoms to P atoms avoids the formation of Ni 3 (BO 3) 2 and improves the catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common clinical disease that seriously affects the quality of life and health of patients. This study aimed to explore the correlation between OSAS and cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with hypertension. Methods: A total of 106 elderly hypertensive patients were included and divided into OSAS group (n = 45) and non-OSAS group (n = 61), according to whether they combined with OSAS. OSAS was monitored with a portable polysomnography monitor by monitoring sleep and breathing. The cognitive dysfunction of the patients was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Basic data and MoCA scores of the patients were compared between the OSAS group and non-OSAS group. The correlation between OSAS and cognitive dysfunction in patients was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation analysis. Results: The proportion of men (38 vs. 22, p = 0.000), atrial fibrillation (31 vs. 19, p = 0.000), body mass index (27.32 ± 3.85 vs. 21.27 ± 5.90, p = 0.002), systolic pressure (167.76 ± 14.31 vs. 153.22 ± 12.79, p = 0.008), homocysteine (29.71 ± 6.27 vs. 12.50 ± 4.19, p = 0.005), cognitive dysfunction (15 vs. 10, p = 0.042) in patients of the OSAS group were significantly higher compared to patients of the non-OSAS group. Visual space/executive ability (3.12 ± 1.23 vs. 4.75 ± 1.03, p = 0.021), memory (2.48 ± 0.31 vs. 3.71 ± 0.42, p = 0.039), attention (4.15 ± 1.21 vs. 5.12 ± 1.87, p = 0.041), total MoCA scores (20.11 ± 5.09 vs. 25.76 ± 4.31, p = 0.017) in patients in the OSAS group were significantly lower compared to patients in the non-OSAS group. OSAS was positively correlated with cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with hypertension (r = 0.224, p < 0.05). Conclusions: OSAS was positively correlated with cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with hypertension, so OSAS could increase the risk of cognitive dysfunction through its own adverse effects or its accompanying disease status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Preeclampsia (PE), characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, leads to serious maternal and infant complications. Uridine-cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2) belongs to the UCK family, a class of enzymes that catalyzes the conversion of uridine and cytidine to monophosphate form. However, the role of UCK2 in PE has not been reported. Methods: The expression of UCK2 was detected in the placenta of PE patients and N(?)-nitro-L-arginine methyl esterinduced PE mouse model. Through forced up-regulation or down-regulation of UCK2 in vitro, we examined the effects of UCK2 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells. Stattic, the inhibitor of STAT3 pathway, was used to investigate whether the STAT3 pathway mediates the biological function of UCK2 in trophoblast cells. Results: The present study found that UCK2 showed low expression in the placenta of PE patients and PE mouse model. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) and flow cytometry assays verified that up-regulation of UCK2 promoted the proliferation of trophoblast cells, while the silence of UCK2 suppressed cell proliferation. Besides, flow cytometry and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling assays demonstrated that knockdown of UCK2 resulted in apoptosis of trophoblast cells. The wound healing and transwell assays showed that the migration and invasion activities of the trophoblast cells were facilitated by the overexpression of UCK2 and were blocked by the silence of UCK2. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylated STAT3 was increased with the upregulation of UCK2 and decreased with the inhibition of UCK2. When the STAT3 pathway was blocked by its inhibitor stattic, the promotion effects of UCK2 on trophoblast cells were suppressed. Conclusion: UCK2 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells, and these effects may be partly mediated by the activation of the STAT3 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solution-aging behavior and properties of spray-formed 7055 aluminum alloy TIG weld metal (WM) reinforced by TiC–TiB2 (BC) ceramic particles are investigated, in detail. Weld joints were subjected to solution at 475 °C for 1, 2.5, and 5 h, followed by the aging process at 120 °C for 0–24 h. The results show that ceramic particles not only restrict the grain coarsening of WM during the heat treatment but also accelerate the solution and age-precipitation behavior. The optimum solution time of ceramic particle-reinforced WM is 2.5 h, which has superior aging kinetics due to the completely dissolved eutectic phases. More importantly, during the aging process, ceramic particles decrease the width of the precipitate free zone and modify the size and distribution of precipitates. With the 475 °C/2.5 h + 120 °C/15 h treatment, the tensile strength (530 ± 15 MPa) and elongation (3.9 ± 0.29%) of BC weld joints are higher than 7055 weld joints (358 ± 20 MPa, 2.38 ± 0.42%). Grain refinement, Zener pinning strengthening, coefficients of thermal expansion mismatch strengthening, and precipitation strengthening are the dominant strengthening mechanisms of ceramic particle-reinforced WM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Synthesised cost-effectiveness evidence is necessary for resource allocation for risk-reducing surgery in breast cancer (BC)/ovarian cancer (OC)/endometrial cancer (EC) prevention strategies. We aimed to review evidence on the cost-effectiveness of surgical prevention for BC/OC/EC in high/intermediate/low-risk populations. From 22 included studies, risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM) and/or risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) were cost-effective for BRCA1/2, and RRSO was also cost-effective at a lower lifetime OC risk-threshold of 4–5%. Risk-reducing early salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy (RRESDO) was cost-effective compared to RRSO in one-study. Hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) was cost-effective in Lynch syndrome women. Opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy (OBS) was cost-effective when conducted with hysterectomy for benign gynaecology surgery or in lieu of tubal sterilisation. This systematic review found that surgical prevention is cost-effective for women who are at high risk of BC, intermediate/high risk of OC and high risk of EC. The results are sensitive to age, disutility and uptake rates regarding RRS along with the effect sizes in terms of OC-risk reduction from salpingectomy. These areas require further research. Key points: Question: What is the evidence on the cost-effectiveness of risk-reducing surgery for breast, ovarian and endometrial cancer prevention? Findings: This systematic review found that surgical prevention is cost-effective for women in high-income countries who are at a high risk of breast cancer, intermediate/high risk of ovarian cancer and high risk of endometrial cancer. The results, while robust for most strategies, are sensitive to certain parameters, especially the disutility from surgery and the effect sizes of ovarian cancer risk reduction from salpingectomy. Implications: Risk-reducing surgery is cost-effective for breast/ovarian/endometrial cancer prevention across most settings, but more research is needed on the disutility from all preventive surgery and the precision in terms of the cancer risk reduction from salpingectomy. Policymakers require robust cost-effectiveness evidence of risk-reducing-surgery (RRS) for decision making on resource allocation for breast cancer (BC)/ovarian cancer (OC)/endometrial cancer (EC) prevention. We aimed to summarise published data on the cost-effectiveness of risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM)/risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO)/risk-reducing early salpingectomy and delayed oophorectomy (RRESDO) for BC/OC prevention in intermediate/high-risk populations; hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO) in Lynch syndrome women; and opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy (OBS) for OC prevention in baseline-risk populations. Major databases were searched until December 2021 following a prospective protocol (PROSPERO-CRD42022338008). Data were qualitatively synthesised following a PICO framework. Twenty two studies were included, with a reporting quality varying from 53.6% to 82.1% of the items scored in the CHEERS checklist. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio/incremental cost-utility ratio and cost thresholds were inflated and converted to US$2020, using the original currency consumer price index (CPI) and purchasing power parities (PPP), for comparison. Eight studies concluded that RRM and/or RRSO were cost-effective compared to surveillance/no surgery for BRCA1/2, while RRESDO was cost-effective compared to RRSO in one study. Three studies found that hysterectomy with BSO was cost-effective compared to surveillance in Lynch syndrome women. Two studies showed that RRSO was also cost-effective at ≥4%/≥5% lifetime OC risk for pre-/post-menopausal women, respectively. Seven studies demonstrated the cost-effectiveness of OBS at hysterectomy (n = 4), laparoscopic sterilisation (n = 4) or caesarean section (n = 2). This systematic review confirms that RRS is cost-effective, while the results are context-specific, given the diversity in the target populations, health systems and model assumptions, and sensitive to the disutility, age and uptake rates associated with RRS. Additionally, RRESDO/OBS were sensitive to the uncertainty concerning the effect sizes in terms of the OC-risk reduction and long-term health impact. Our findings are relevant for policymakers/service providers and the design of future research studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study aims to investigate surface properties and microbial adhesion of various dental polymers fabricated by different manufacturing techniques before and after thermocycling. Materials and methods: The following six materials were used to fabricate disk-shaped specimens: conventional denture polymer (Vertex Acrylic Resin, VAR), CAD/CAM denture polymer (Organic PMMA eco Pink, OP), conventional temporary polymer (Protemp™ 4, PT), CAD/CAM temporary polymer (Die Material, DM), conventional denture framework polymer (BioHPP, PB), and CAD/CAM denture framework polymer (breCAM.BioHPP, CB). The specimens were tested before and after thermocycling (5000 and 10,000 cycles, 5 °C/55 °C). Surface roughness (SR), hydrophobicity, and surface topography were determined by profilometry, water contact angle, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Then specimens were incubated with Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, and Candida albicans for 24 h, respectively. Microbial adhesion was assessed using colony-forming unit counts, XTT assay, and SEM. Results: SR and hydrophobicity of VAR group were higher than that of OP group. S. aureus and C. albicans adhesion on VAR and PT groups were higher than that on OP and DM groups, respectively. There was no difference in surface properties and microbial adhesion between PB and CB groups. After thermocycling, SR (expect OP group) of all materials increased and hydrophobicity decreased, and the amount and activity of S. aureus and C. albicans adhesion also increased. The adhesion of S. aureus and C. albicans showed a moderate positive correlation with SR, independent of hydrophobicity. Conclusions: CAD/CAM denture polymers and temporary polymers showed less S. aureus and C. albicans adhesion when compared to conventional ones, which were mainly affected by surface roughness, independent of hydrophobicity. Thermocycling could increase surface roughness, decrease hydrophobicity, and affect microbial adhesion of the materials. Clinical significance: CAD/CAM dental polymers may be a better choice for the manufacture of temporary restorations and dentures to reduce microbial adhesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilization of female livestock can be optimized by application of Fixed-Time Artificial Insemination (FTAI), which plays an important role in large-scale livestock production. However, molecular mechanism of FTAI affecting reproductive performance remains unclear. To investigate the effects of FTAI on corpus luteum in 16 and 25 days of pregnancy gilts, 12 pregnancy gilts were selected from Altrenogest + PMSG + GnRH (APG) group and control group. The number of left and right CL in APG group were significantly higher than control (p < 0.05). Furthermore, result showed the number of differentially expressed genes between 16APG group and 16 C group was obviously larger than that between 25APG and 25 C group (2394 vs. 1476). Up regulated genes in APG were mainly associated with cytokine production and secretion, cell communication and transport (day 16) and angiogenesis, cell cycle and cell-cell signaling (day 25). The expression of differentially expressed genes (RPL10, CYP17A1, DCN, IL18, LDLR and PRLR) in luteal tissue were verified by real-time PCR. In summary, APG program significantly improve reproductive efficiency of gilts through up regulation of cytokine production/secretion, cell communication and transport in Day 16 pregnancy and angiogenesis, cell cycle and cell-cell signaling at Day 25 pregnancy in porcine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic density monitoring is an important method to predict road traffic conditions, which can bring some convenience to people's travel in daily life. The common method of traffic density monitoring is to collect and process the location information uploaded by vehicles, but the information of these vehicle location contains a large amount of personal privacy information of vehicle owners, and there is a risk of privacy disclosure. In this paper, we propose a traffic density monitoring system by adding a pseudonym server and a location anonymisation server; the identity information and location information of the vehicles are saved separately. The system can protect both the location privacy of vehicles and the query privacy of users. To prevent dummy locations from being filtered, we calculate the probability distribution of historical location service requests to generate location anonymous sets, which can improve the success rate of anonymity. The location anonymisation server uses the location anonymous set instead of the real location of the vehicle to send to the location-based service provider, which can increase the location privacy security of the vehicle. According to the experimental results of this paper, compared with SimpMaxMinDistds algorithm and MMDS algorithm, our system has better location anonymous set generation efficiency and location privacy protection level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wormlike micelles, which are linear aggregates created by the self-assembly of surfactants, may entangle to form dynamic three-dimensional network-like structures, endowing solutions with considerable macroscopic viscoelasticity. Recently, a pressing need has arisen to research a novel stimuli-responsive worm-like micelle that is efficient and environmentally friendly. CO2 is an inexpensive, abundant, non-toxic, biocompatible, and non-combustible gas, and it is anticipated that CO2 may serve as the trigger for stimuli-responsive worm-like micelles. In this paper, the formation of CO2-switchable pseudo-tetrameric surfactants, which subsequently self-assemble into CO2-switched wormlike micelles, is accomplished using a simple mixing of two commercial reagents, such as stearic acids and cyclen. The rheological characteristics switched by the use of CO2 are cycled between that of a low-viscosity (1.2 mPa·s) fluid and a viscoelastic fluid (worm-like micelles, 3000 mPa·s). This article expands the field of study on stimuli-responsive worm-like micelles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Recently, there has been a surge to develop new devices and techniques for the diagnosis of peripheral pulmonary lesions such as the combination of LungPoint navigation and endobronchial ultrasound with a guide sheath (EBUS-GS). The present study aimed to explore the diagnostic value of LungPoint navigation in combination with EBUS-GS and rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) particularly for peripheral pulmonary nodules. Methods: Patients (n=108) with pulmonary nodules (10 mm ≤ nodal diameter ≤30 mm) presenting to Henan Provincial People’s Hospital were detected using chest computed tomographic (CT) scanning and bronchoscopy. All patients were evaluated using LungPoint navigation, EBUS-GS and ROSE techniques to evaluate the positive rate of combined diagnosis using the three methods. Results: A total of 108 patients participated in this study and successfully underwent all the three procedures. Of these, 82 patients were accurately diagnosed, making the overall diagnostic rate of 75.9 per cent for combined LungPoint navigation, EBUS-GS, and ROSE analyses. Further subgroup analysis of the diagnostic rate of the three combined techniques were conducted based on the size of the nodules which showed a diagnostic rate of 65.3 per cent for 10 mm ≤ nodule diameter ≤20 mm and 85.7 per cent for 20 mm ≤ nodal diameter ≤30 mm. Of the 108 patients, 85 had solid nodules and 23 had ground-glass nodules; the positive rate of diagnosis of solid nodules was the highest. The patients ultimately were diagnosed with lung cancer with a positive rate of 83.5 per cent. The sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predicted values for ROSE were 90.3, 78.3, 84.8 and 83.6 per cent, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: The combined use of the three techniques can effectively shorten the duration of the total diagnosis period and improve the safety of diagnosis without affecting the detection rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psoralea Fructus (PF) is one of the most frequently applied tonic Chinese herbs with various bioactivities, while recently, the idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) nature of PF was addressed, and liver injury cases were reported in the clinic. Our previous research indicated that many constituents exerted liver injury property, whereas the pharmacokinetic profile of these compounds between normal and immune stress states is still unclear. Objectives: This study aims to construct a validated method to simultaneously determine eight analytes (including psoralen, isopsoralen, psoralidin, corylin, psoralenoside, isopsoralenoside, bavachin, and neobavaisoflavone) in PF via UPLC-TQ/MS, and to compare their pharmacokinetic properties in normal and LPS-stimulated rats. Materials and Methods: The rats were randomly divided into four groups. The blood samples of different groups were harvested at different time points; the eight analytes were analyzed under UPLC-TQ/MS, and the constructed method was confirmed in terms of specificity, linearity, lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ), precision, accuracy, stability, recovery, and matrix effect. Results: The developed UPLC-TQ/MS method showed good linearity (r = 0.9972–0.9994) and specificity; the recovery and matrix effect were acceptable (ranging from 64.75 ± 1.59% to 104.31 ± 3.38%, and from 87.11 ± 1.91% to 115.45 ± 1.63%, respectively), the intra- and inter-day precision of eight analytes were under 13.42%, the intra- and inter-day accuracy was eligible (92.68%–108.85%), and the analytes were stable under storage conditions. All eight analytes in PFE were rapidly absorbed into the circulation, while the relevant pharmacokinetic parameters (including AUC, MRT, VRT, λ, V, t1/2, Cmax, Tmax, and CL) of these analytes were quite different between the normal and model rats. Conclusion: A sensitive, accurate, and rapid method was successfully established and validated to determine the plasma characteristics of analytes in normal and LPS-primed rats. The pharmacokinetic profile indicated the body states might appreciably impact the pharmacokinetic profile of the bioactive constituents of PF, further inducing liver injury in specific patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Copy number variation (CNV) is a type of variant that may influence meat quality of, for example intramuscular fat (IMF). In this study, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was then performed between CNVs and IMF in a pig F2 resource population. A total of 19 CNVRs were found to be significantly associated with IMF. RNA-seq and qPCR validation results indicated that CNV150, which is located on the 3′UTR end of the proline, as well as glutamate and the leucine rich protein 1 (PELP1) gene may affect the expression of PELP1 alternative splices. We infer that the CNVR may influence IMF content by regulating the alternative splicing of the PELP1 gene and ultimately affects the structure of the PELP1 protein. These findings suggest a novel mechanistic approach for meat quality improvement in animals and the potential treatment of insulin resistance in human beings. Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a key meat quality trait. Research on the genetic mechanisms of IMF decomposition is valuable for both pork quality improvement and the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Copy number variations (CNVs) are a type of variant that may influence meat quality. In this study, a total of 1185 CNV regions (CNVRs) including 393 duplicated CNVRs, 432 deleted CNVRs, and 361 CNVRs with both duplicated and deleted status were identified in a pig F2 resource population using next-generation sequencing data. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was then performed between CNVs and IMF, and a total of 19 CNVRs were found to be significantly associated with IMF. QTL colocation analysis indicated that 3 of the 19 CNVRs overlapped with known QTLs. RNA-seq and qPCR validation results indicated that CNV150, which is located on the 3′UTR end of the proline, as well as glutamate and the leucine rich protein 1 (PELP1) gene may affect the expression of PELP1 alternative splices. Sequence alignment and Alphafold2 structure prediction results indicated that the two alternative splices of PELP1 have a 23 AA sequence variation and a helix-fold structure variation. This region is located in the region of interaction between PELP1 and other proteins which have been reported to be significantly associated with fat deposition or insulin resistance. We infer that the CNVR may influence IMF content by regulating the alternative splicing of the PELP1 gene and ultimately affects the structure of the PELP1 protein. In conclusion, we found some CNVRs, especially CNV150, located in PELP1 that affect IMF. These findings suggest a novel mechanistic approach for meat quality improvement in animals and the potential treatment of insulin resistance in human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of NiCl2, K2(i-mnt) (i-mnt2−= 2,2-dicyanoethylene-1,1-dithiolate) and 1-benzyl-4-amino-pyridinium bromide [BzPyNH2]Br affords a nickel complex, [BzPyNH2]2[Ni(i-mnt)2], a molecular catalyst for electrochemical and photochemical driven hydrogen evolution. As an electrocatalyst, [BzPyNH2]2[Ni(i-mnt)2] can electrocatalyze hydrogen generation from a neutral buffer with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 556 (±3) mol of hydrogen per mole of catalyst per hour (mol H2/mol catalyst/h) at an overpotential (OP) of 837.6 mV. As a photocatalyst, combining with CdS nanorods (CdS NRs) as a photosensitizer, and ascorbic acid (H2A) as a sacrificial electron donor, [BzPyNH2]2[Ni(i-mnt)2] photocatalyzes hydrogen evolution in heterogeneous environments with a turnover number (TON) of 18420 (±5) mol H2 per mol of catalyst during 60 h irradiation. The highest apparent quantum yield (AQY) is ∼10% at 469 nm. Several chemical and physical methods are employed to understand catalytic procedures for H2 production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The objective of this study is to investigate leaching residual monomer and biological effects of four types of conventional and computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) dental polymers on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). Materials and methods: A total of 540 disk-shaped specimens were fabricated from four different materials (n=135 per group): compression-molding polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (conventional denture polymer), CAD/CAM PMMA (CAD/CAM denture polymer), bis-acrylic composite resin (conventional temporary polymer), and CAD/CAM PMMA (CAD/CAM temporary polymer). Specimens were eluted in cell culture medium for 72 h at 37°C, and the residual monomer in eluates subsequently was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biological effects of material eluates on HGFs were analyzed by CCK-8 assay, flow cytometry, real-time quantitative PCR, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to identify cell death patterns and its biological mechanism. Results: Methyl methacrylate (MMA) was detected only in compression-molding PMMA, and by-products were detected in bis-acrylic composite resin. The cell proliferation of CAD/CAM denture polymer or CAD/CAM temporary polymer was greater than that of compression-molding PMMA or bis-acrylic composite resin at 72 h in culture. No apoptosis and necrosis were detected in CAD/CAM dental polymers. Apoptosis was detected only in bis-acrylic composite resin and further confirmed by the upregulation of Bax and cleaved Caspase-3, as well as the downregulation of Bcl-2 gene. And no significant variation in inflammatory cytokines secretion was observed in all materials. Conclusions: CAD/CAM dental polymers (including temporary and denture polymers) have favorable biocompatibility due to lower residual monomer, which provides scientific evidence to the controversy of biocompatibility of conventional and CAD/CAM dental polymers. Clinical relevance: The use of CAD/CAM dental polymers is recommended in the fabrication of temporary restorations and dentures due to their favorable biocompatibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traffic density monitoring is an important method to predict road traffic conditions, which can bring some convenience to people's travel in daily life. The common method of traffic density monitoring is to collect and process the location information uploaded by vehicles, but the information of these vehicle location contains a large amount of personal privacy information of vehicle owners, and there is a risk of privacy disclosure. In this paper, we propose a traffic density monitoring system by adding a pseudonym server and a location anonymisation server; the identity information and location information of the vehicles are saved separately. The system can protect both the location privacy of vehicles and the query privacy of users. To prevent dummy locations from being filtered, we calculate the probability distribution of historical location service requests to generate location anonymous sets, which can improve the success rate of anonymity. The location anonymisation server uses the location anonymous set instead of the real location of the vehicle to send to the location-based service provider, which can increase the location privacy security of the vehicle. According to the experimental results of this paper, compared with SimpMaxMinDistds algorithm and MMDS algorithm, our system has better location anonymous set generation efficiency and location privacy protection level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Animal models suitable for investigating mechanisms behind radiation-induced muscle injury are lacking. We developed a tree shrew model of such injury and investigated pathological changes and mechanisms. Methods: Animals were divided into control (n = 5), radiation-induced acute injury (n = 5), and radiation-induced chronic injury (n = 5) groups. Tensor veli palatini (TVP) muscles of acute injury and chronic injury groups were dissected under a microscope at 1 and 24 weeks after radiation therapy, respectively. TVP muscles were stained with HE and Masson to visualize pathological changes. ELISA was performed to measure oxidative injury. RT-qPCR and immunohistochemical staining was performed to measure expression levels of miR-206 and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Results: Compared to the control group, acute injury group showed a significant decrease in miR-206 expression (.061 ± .38, P < .05) and a significant increase in HDAC4 expression (37.05 ± 20.68, P < .05). Chronic injury group showed a significant decrease in miR-206 expression (.23 ± .19, P < .05) and a significant increase in HDAC4 expression (9.66 ± 6.12, P < .05). Discussion: A tree shrew model of radiation-induced muscle injury was established by exposing TVP muscle region to radiation of 20-Gy. Experimental results indicated that injury caused by radiation persisted despite gradual healing of the TVP muscle and miR-206 regulatory pathway plays a key role in regulating radiation-induced muscle injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) plays a critical role in direct hydrazine fuel cells and presents a promising alternative to the kinetics-sluggish oxygen evolution reaction in water reduction. Engineering catalysts with high-density multifold nanotwin structures has emerged as a compelling strategy to enhance catalytic activity. However, the exploration of multifold nanotwins for HzOR applications remains absent. Herein, we report the successful synthesis of a porous Ni-Zn-Cu catalyst featuring high-density twofold and fivefold nanotwins. The Ni-Zn-Cu catalyst supported on Ni foam (Ni-Zn-Cu/Ni foam) exhibits exceptionally high catalytic activity and stability toward the HzOR, achieving a current density of 204.3 mA cm−2 at 0.0 V vs. RHE and retaining up to 89.1 % after 20 h of continuous electrolysis. Online mass spectrometer (MS) analysis indicates that the Ni-Zn-Cu coating facilitates N N bond cleavage of N 2 H 4. This study offers valuable insights into the development of multifold nanotwin catalysts for advancing HzOR applications. • Ni-Zn-Cu/Ni foam with twofold and fivefold twins is prepared. • Ni-Zn-Cu/Ni foam exhibits excellent catalytic activity (204.3 mA cm−2 at 0 V vs. RHE) toward hydrazine electrooxidation. • The bond breaking mechanism of N 2 H 4 is N N bond breakage. • The formation process of fivefold twins: orientation attachment, atom migration, SFs formation, SFs extension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodiodes that exhibit a two-photon absorption effect within the spectral communication band region can be useful for building an ultra-compact autocorrelator for the characteristic inspection of optical pulses. In this work, we develop an autocorrelator for measuring the temporal profile of pulses at 1550 nm from an erbium-doped fiber laser based on the two-photon photovoltaic (TPP) effect in a GaAs PIN photodiode. The temporal envelope of the autocorrelation function contains two symmetrical temporal side lobes due to the third order dispersion of the laser pulses. Moreover, the joint time-frequency distribution of the dispersive pulses and the dissimilar twophoton response spectrum of GaAs and Si result in different delays for the appearance of the temporal side lobes. Compared with Si, GaAs displays a greater sensitivity for pulse shape reconstruction at 1550 nm, benefiting from the higher signal-to-noise ratio of the side lobes and the more centralized waveform of the autocorrelation trace. We also measure the pulse width using the GaAs PIN photodiode, and the resolution of the measured full width at half maximum of the TPP autocorrelation trace is 0.89 fs, which is consistent with a conventional second-harmonic generation crystal autocorrelator. The GaAs PIN photodiode is shown to be highly suitable for real-time second-order autocorrelation measurements of femtosecond optical pulses. It is used both for the generation and detection of the autocorrelation signal, allowing the construction of a compact and inexpensive intensity autocorrelator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Unexpected inhibition of putrescine on B cell differentiation is evidenced. • Multiomics uncover suppression of elevated putrescine on the BCR signalling. • The putrescine - fatty acid oxidation - ROS axis may play important role. • Elevated exogenous putrescine significantly affected T-B cell interactions. The dysregulation of B cell maturation and putrescine metabolism has been implicated in various diseases. However, the causal relationship between them and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of exogenous putrescine on B cell differentiation in the intestinal microenvironment. Our results demonstrated that administration of exogenous putrescine significantly impaired the proportion of germinal center B (GC B) cells in Peyer's patches (PPs) and lamina propria. Through integration of bulk RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we identified putrescine-mediated changes in gene drivers, including those involved in the B cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway and fatty acid oxidation. Furthermore, putrescine drinking disrupted T-B cell interactions and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in B cells. In vitro activation of B cells confirmed the direct suppression of putrescine on GC B cells differentiation and ROS production. Additionally, we explored the Pearson correlations between putrescine biosynthesis activity and B cell infiltration in pan-cancers, revealing negative correlations in colon adenocarcinoma, stomach adenocarcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma, but positive correlations in liver hepatocellular carcinoma, and breast invasive carcinoma. Our findings provided novel insights into the suppressive effects of elevated enteric putrescine on intestinal B cells differentiation and highlighted the complex and distinctive immunoregulatory role of putrescine in different microenvironments. These findings expand our understanding of the role of polyamines in B cell immunometabolism and related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical method for the determination of the resistant starch (RS) content in grains is time-consuming and labor intensive. Near-infrared (NIR) and attenuated total reflectance mid-infrared (ATR-MIR) spectroscopy are rapid and nondestructive analytical techniques for determining grain quality. This study was the first report to establish and compare these two spectroscopic techniques for determining the RS content in wheat grains. Calibration models with four preprocessing techniques based on the partial least squares (PLS) algorithm were built. In the NIR technique, the mean normalization + Savitzky–Golay smoothing (MN + SGS) preprocessing technique had a higher coefficient of determination (R c 2 = 0.672; R p 2 = 0.552) and a relative lower root mean square error value (RMSEC = 0.385; RMSEP = 0.459). In the ATR-MIR technique, the baseline preprocessing method exhibited a better performance regarding to the values of coefficient of determination (R c 2 = 0.927; R p 2 = 0.828) and mean square error value (RMSEC = 0.153; RMSEP = 0.284). The validation of the developed best NIR and ATR-MIR calibration models showed that the ATR-MIR best calibration model has a better RS prediction ability than the NIR best calibration model. Two high grain RS content wheat mutants were screened out by the ATR-MIR best calibration model from the wheat mutant library. There was no significant difference between the predicted values and chemical measured values in the two high RS content mutants. It proved that the ATR-MIR model can be a perfect substitute in RS measuring. All the results indicated that the ATR-MIR spectroscopy with improved screening efficiency can be used as a fast, rapid, and nondestructive method in high grain RS content wheat breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies have demonstrated that C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) stimulates osteoblastic proliferation seemly via antagonizing the expression of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 in vitro. The main aim of the present study is to probe whether the post-receptor pathways of FGF-23 participate in osteogenesis caused by CNP. Osteoblasts were cultured in the absence or presence of CNP: 0, 10, and 100 ​pmol/L, for 24 ​h, 48 ​h and 72 ​h, respectively. The findings of the present study indicated that osteoblastic proliferation was directly promoted by exogenous CNP in a dose-dependent manner; osteoblastic FGF-23 was significantly down-regulated by CNP at 24 ​h post-treatment; RAF-1, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), and P38 were substantially suppressed by CNP in a dose- and time-dependent manner; and signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 was not changed on the premise of the down-regulated FGF-23 in osteoblasts treated with CNP. CNP may promote osteogenesis via inhibiting ERK and P38, rather than STAT-1, in the downstream of FGF-23/RAF-1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the effect of general and subarachnoid (spinal) anesthesia on the incidence of postoperative delirium and cognitive impairments in elderly Chinese patients. Methods: Elderly Chinese patients (n = 281) aged 65 - 79 years (mean age = 74.12 ± 4.15 years) who underwent proximal femoral fracture surgery were recruited over a 1-year period for this study. The patients were evaluated using neuropsychological assessment battery (NAB) 24 h before surgery, and on the first day 1 month after surgery. Data on activity of daily living (ADL) (in this case toileting at the time of discharge) were recorded and analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in the number of patients that developed postoperative delirium between the two anesthesia groups (p > 0.05). Although the trail making test (TMT) scores (parts A and B) were increased on the first day 1 month after surgery, there were no significant differences in NAB results between the two groups (p > 0.05). Patients who received subarachnoid (spinal) anesthesia had significantly higher dependency for toileting at the time of discharge than those who received general anesthesia (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These results show that general and subarachnoid (spinal) anesthesia do not cause postoperative delirium and cognitive dysfunction in elderly Chinese patients who underwent proximal femoral fracture surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term nitrogen field fertilization often results in significant changes in nitrifying communities that catalyze a key step in the global N cycle. However, whether microcosm studies are able to inform the dynamic changes in communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) under field conditions remains poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the transcriptional activities of nitrifying communities under in situ conditions, and we found that they were largely similar to those of 13C-labeled nitrifying communities in the urea-amended microcosms of soils that had received different N fertilization regimens for 22 years. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and transcripts suggested that Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrososphaera viennensis-like AOA were significantly stimulated in N-fertilized fresh soils. Real-time quantitative PCR demonstrated that the significant increase of AOA and AOB in fresh soils upon nitrogen fertilization could be preserved in the air-dried soils. DNA-based stable-isotope probing (SIP) further revealed the greatest labeling of Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB and Nitrosospira viennensis-like AOA, despite the strong advantage of AOB over AOA in the N-fertilized soils. Nitrobacter-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) played more important roles than Nitrospira-like NOB in urea-amended SIP microcosms, while the situation was the opposite under field conditions. Our results suggest that long-term fertilization selected for physiologically versatile AOB and AOA that could have been adapted to a wide range of substrate ammonium concentrations. It also provides compelling evidence that the dominant communities of transcriptionally active nitrifiers under field conditions were largely similar to those revealed in 13C-labeled microcosms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Tuberculous pleurisy is common, but difficult to diagnose. • Little is known about its proteome in patients. • 5101 proteins were quantified, where 903 were differentially expressed between patient and control samples. • Protein expression was mostly down, with the minority overly expressed in patient samples. • 19 proteins were validated as potential diagnostic markers. Tuberculous pleurisy is a common type of tuberculosis (TB), but its diagnosis is challenging. This study aimed to profile the protein expression of this disease and identify new diagnostic makers. Biopsy tissues from patients with tuberculous pleurisy and controls were taken through thoracoscopy, and proteins were extracted for Tandem Mass Tag Mass Spectrometry. Differential protein expression was performed between patients and controls, and the identified proteins were analyzed for pathway enrichment. Selected proteins were further validated in another set of samples using a more quantitative method. A total of 5101 proteins were detected and quantified in a discovery set of patients and controls. Overall protein expression was quite different between patients and controls. Most proteins were down-expressed, while a minority were overly expressed in the patient samples. At p value < 0.05 and absolute fold change >2, 295 proteins were found to be up-expressed and 608 down-expressed. The top enriched pathways included ECM-receptor interaction, complement and coagulation cascades and focal adhesion. All 19 selected candidates were validated in an independent set of patient and control samples. This unbiased proteomics approach not only provided unique insights into protein expression and pathways, but also discovered potential diagnostic markers for tuberculous pleurisy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The measurement of the Raman excitation profile (REP) is of great importance to obtain the energies of van Hove singularities and the lifetime of the excited state involved in the Raman process of semiconductors. In this Note, we develop a simple tunable Raman system based on an ultrafast laser and tunable Raman filters for REP measurement. The system is testified by measuring REP of twisted bilayer graphene, and the corresponding energy of van Hove singularity is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dinuclear copper(II) complex, [CuII2(L)2] is afforded by the reaction of CuCl2·2H2O with a triazenido ligand, 1‐[(2‐carboxymethyl) benzene]‐3‐[2‐carboxybenzene] triazene (H2L). Structural investigation shows that the copper‐copper distance [2.3985(7) Å] is significantly shorter than the sum of the van der Waals radii of Cu (1.40 Å), suggesting that there are metal‐metal bonds in [CuII2(L)2]. In solid, there is a strong antiferromagnetic interaction between copper(II) ions (J = –135.6 cm–1). In homogeneous environment, [CuII2(L)2] shows electrocatalytic activities for hydrogen generation both from acetic acid with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 32 mol of hydrogen per mole of catalyst per hour [mol(H2)·mol–1(catalyst)·h–1] at an overpotential (OP) of 941.6 mV, and neutral buffer with a TOF of 512 mol(H2)·mol–1(catalyst)·h–1 at an OP of 836.7 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental governance has become an important part of China's national governance system, and public evaluation of the effects of environmental governance is essential to the theory and improvement of environmental governance. In the context of Public Private Partnership (PPP) reform, both government and enterprises are service providing subjects. Who can be trusted more? And who can improve the public evaluation of environmental governance? These questions have not been answered in the existing research. This research conducted a survey experiment and took the sanitation reform of City H as an example to explore the influence of different governance subjects on environmental governance evaluation, and verified the mediated effect based on the KHB method. The results showed that, first of all, the respondents who received the intervention of enterprise governance text had a higher environmental governance evaluation, rating 0.110 5 higher than the government. Secondly, public trust in enterprises had a mediated effect, with 25.48% contributed from the effect between governance subjects and environmental governance evaluation. Thirdly, the perception of environmental performance also played a mediated role with 17.98% of its effects. Finally, media use also had a positive mediated effect. This article suggests that PPP reform should give more priorities to enterprises. The government should strengthen its involvement in financing, bidding, operation and regulation. It also needs to improve information transparency and media publicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

S,S′‐bis(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐1,2‐thioethane (bpte) reacts with MCl2 (M = Co, Ni, and Fe) to give three complexes, namely, [CoII(bpte)Cl2] (1), [NiII(bpte)Cl2] (2), and [FeII(bpte)Cl2] (3), respectively. They all act as catalysts for proton or water reduction to dihydrogen via electrolysis or photolysis. Under an overpotential of 837.6 mV, the electrolysis of a neutral buffer with complex 1, 2, or 3 can provide 418 (±3), 555 (±3), and 243 (±3) moles of hydrogen per mole of catalyst per hour (mol H2/mol catalyst/h), respectively. Under blue light, together with a photosensitizer and ascorbic acid (H2A) as a sacrificial electron donor, the photolysis of an aqueous solution (pH 4.5) containing complex 1, 2, or 3 can afford 9060 (±5), 24,900 (±5), and 10,630 (±5) moles H2 per mole of catalyst (mol of H2 [mol of cat]−1) during 83‐h irradiation with an average apparent quantum yield of 7.1%, 24%, and 10%, respectively. The results show that the nickel complex [NiII(bpte)Cl2] exhibits a more efficient activity for hydrogen generation than the iron or cobalt species. These findings may offer a new chemical paradigm for the design of efficient catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reaction of 2-bromoaniline with sodium nitrite affords a triazenido compound, 1,3-bis[(2-bromo)benzene]triazene (HL). Spectroscopic investigations show that HL bears a high selectivity for silver(I) ion in the presence of other metal ions. In the presence of Et3N, the reaction of HL and AgNO3 gives a binuclear triazenido-silver complex, [Ag2(L)2], which has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Electrochemical studies show this silver complex can act as an electrocatalyst for hydrogen generation from neutral water with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 874.14 moles of hydrogen per mole of catalyst per hour (mol H2/mol catalyst/h) at an over potential (OP) of 837.6 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering an elastically coupled Brownian motors system in a two-dimensional traveling-wave potential, we investigate the effects of the angular frequency of the traveling wave, wavelength, coupling strength, free length of the spring, and the noise intensity on the current of the system. It is found that the traveling wave is the essential condition of the directed transport. The current is dominated by the traveling wave and varies nonmonotonically with both the angular frequency and the wavelength. At an optimal angular frequency or wavelength, the current can be optimized. The coupling strength and the free length of the spring can locally modulate the current, especially at small angular frequencies. Moreover, the current decreases rapidly with the increase of the noise intensity, indicating the interference effect of noise on the directed transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rigid structural unit diethynyl‐2,5‐bis(dodecoxy)benzene (DDB) is proposed to functionalize single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with the assistance of pyrimidine ring. The effectiveness of conjugated polymer extraction of semiconducting SWCNTs is demonstrated by absorption and Raman spectroscopy. The protonated pyrimidine ring by the trifluoroacetic acid is used to reduce the interaction between polymer and SWCNTs that the bound wrapping polymer can be removed from the sorted SWCNTs, and molecular dynamics simulations of the binding ability of DDB and pyrimidine units to SWCNTs are conducted to further illustrate the strong binding ability of DDB units to SWCNTs. Therefore, this work provides an effective structural and theoretical reference for polymer separation or modification of semiconducting SWCNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the wake of China's relaxed zero-COVID policy, there was a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. This study aimed to examine the infection status and health service utilization among Beijing residents during a widespread outbreak, and to explore the factors that affected utilization of health services due to COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among Beijing residents from 13 January to 13 February 2023, collecting information on socio-demographic characteristics, health behaviours, COVID-19 infection status, utilization of health services and depressive symptoms. Multivariate Tobit regression was used for data analysis. Results: Among the 53 924 participants, 14.7% were older than 60 years, 63.7% were female and 84.8% were married. In total, 44 992 of the 53 924 individuals surveyed (83.4%) contracted COVID-19 during 2020–2023, and 25.2% (13 587) sought corresponding health services. The majority of individuals (85.6%) chose in-person healthcare, while 14.4% chose internet-based healthcare. Among those who chose in-person healthcare, 58.6% preferred primary healthcare institutions and 41.5% were very satisfied with the treatment. Factors affecting health service utilization include being female (β = −0.15, P < 0.001), older than 60 years (β = 0.23, P < 0.01), non-healthcare workers (β = −0.60, P < 0.001), rich self-rated income level (β = 0.59, P < 0.001), having underlying disease (β = 0.51, P < 0.001), living alone (β = −0.19, P < 0.05), depressive symptoms (β = 0.06, P < 0.001) and healthy lifestyle habits, as well as longer infection duration, higher infection numbers and severe symptoms. Conclusion: As COVID-19 is becoming more frequent and less severe, providing safe and accessible healthcare remains critical. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with underlying conditions need reliable health service. Prioritizing primary healthcare resources and online medical services have played a vital role in enhancing resource utilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effects of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-23 appear to oppose each other during the process of bone formation, whereas few studies exist on the interaction between CNP and FGF-23. The main objective of the present study is to probe whether CNP is directly responsible for the regulation of osteoblast or via antagonizing FGF-23. Methods: Osteoblasts were cultured in the absence or presence of CNP (0, 10, and 100 pmol/L) for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, respectively. Results: The findings of the present study indicated that: (1) CNP significantly stimulated osteoblastic proliferation and collagen (Col)-X expression; (2) both osteoblastic (osteocalcin, procollagen type I carboxy-terminal propeptide, total alkaline phosphatase and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase) and osteolytic (tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and cross-linked carboxyterminal telopeptide of type I collagen) bone turnover biomarkers were up-regulated by CNP in osteoblasts; (3) FGF-23 mRNA and protein were significantly down-regulated at 24 h by CNP in osteoblasts, but the expression of FGF receptor-1/Klotho had no significant change. Conclusions: CNP stimulates osteoblastic proliferation and Col-X expression via the down-regulation of FGF-23 possibly in vitro. However, the specific mechanisms of the interaction between CNP and FGF-23 in osteoblasts are still unclear according to our findings. A further study on osteoblasts cultured with CNP and FGF-23 inhibitor will be undertaken in our laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As the rupture of cerebral aneurysm may lead to fatal results, early detection of unruptured aneurysms may save lives. At present, the contrast-unenhanced time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography is one of the most commonly used methods for screening aneurysms. The computer-assisted detection system for cerebral aneurysms can help clinicians improve the accuracy of aneurysm diagnosis. As fully convolutional network could classify the image pixel-wise, its three-dimensional implementation is highly suitable for the classification of the vascular structure. However, because the volume of blood vessels in the image is relatively small, 3D convolutional neural network does not work well for blood vessels.Results: The presented study developed a computer-assisted detection system for cerebral aneurysms in the contrast-unenhanced time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography image. The system first extracts the volume of interest with a fully automatic vessel segmentation algorithm, then uses 3D-UNet-based fully convolutional network to detect the aneurysm areas. A total of 131 magnetic resonance angiography image data are used in this study, among which 76 are training sets, 20 are internal test sets and 35 are external test sets. The presented system obtained 94.4% sensitivity in the fivefold cross-validation of the internal test sets and obtained 82.9% sensitivity with 0.86 false positive/case in the detection of the external test sets.Conclusions: The proposed computer-assisted detection system can automatically detect the suspected aneurysm areas in contrast-unenhanced time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography images. It can be used for aneurysm screening in the daily physical examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the spin relaxation dynamics in both n- and p-type layered bulk WSe2 under a perpendicular electric field by employing time-resolved Kerr rotation and helicity-resolved transient reflection measurements. The experimental results reveal the efficient tuning of spin relaxation time from 3 ps to 46 ps by the external electric field at 10 K. The dependence of spin relaxation time on the external electric field is understood based on active interlayer hopping. These studies demonstrate the gate-tunable spin polarization and relaxation in bulk transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), which are fundamentally important for understanding spin dynamics and the practical design of spintronic devices based on bulk TMDCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present case report describes a case of mediastinal atypical carcinoid and a favorable outcome linked with the treatment. Mediastinal atypical carcinoid is a rare and aggressive type of neuroendocrine tumor. A 56-year-old man was admitted at the Respiratory Department due to intermittent tightness of the chest for 1 month. An initial diagnosis of a mass in the left anterior mediastinum was conducted using CT scan and immunohistochemistry. Laboratory data revealed the following values: Neuron Specific Enolase of 62.13 ng/ml (reference range, 0-40 ng/ml); CYFRA21 of 3.01 ng/ml (reference range, 0-3.3 ng/ml); CEA of 4.22 (0-6.5) ng/ml; SCC of 0.5 (0-1.5) ng/ml; CA125 of 67.24 (0-35) U/ml; AFP of 23 (0-25) U/ml; CRP of 96.7 (0-10) mg/l; PCT <0.05 (0-0.05) ng/ml; and ESR of 48 (0-20) mm/h. Tissue pathology revealed tumor cells with small cell pattern, and cell proliferation activity was 10%. Combined chemotherapy with bevacizumab (0.4 g, qd, once every 21 days) and capecitabine (0.15 g, Bid, Po) and timozolamine (0.34 mg, qd, po) was administered for 6 cycles. After the patient was given chemotherapy, the symptoms and CT exhibited improvement. On March 11, 2018, the lesion progressed into the lymph and pleura. The patient was commenced on radiotherapy and new chemotherapeutic regimen etoposide (0.5 g)-carboplatin (0.4 g)-bevacate (0.4 g). Another CT scan was performed after a month which revealed a substantial decrease in tumor size. Hence, a CT scan was performed for this patient who further revealed a decrease in tumor size. Currently patients are treated with bevacizumab maintenance therapy. Further studies of conservative treatment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy may provide a treatment to improve atypical carcinoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordination number between copper and nitrogen in copper/nitrogen-based electrocatalysts is important for boosting the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, it is difficult to control unsaturated copper/nitrogen constructions as well as to compare their ORR performances in similar carbon matrices in a simple yet efficient manner. In this study, we have easily attained two types of Cu+-N2 and Cu2+-N4 constructions simply by etching pyrolyzed Cudoped zeolitic imidazolate framework nanoleaves (Cu-ZIF-L) with sulfuric acid or nitric acid, respectively. X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectra were recorded to further confirm the different copper/nitrogen constructions after the different acid treatments. Electrochemical studies have demonstrated that Cu+-N2 sites are more active in boosting the ORR performance than Cu2+-N4 sites. Furthermore, Cu-N/ C-H2SO4, used as an air cathode in a zinc-air battery, exhibited excellent performance and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diacetyl-2-(4-N-methyl-3-thiosemicarbazone)-3-(4-N-amino-3-thiosemicarbazone) (H2ATSM) reacts with CuCl2 to form a copper complex, Cu-ATSM, a new catalyst for electrochemically and photochemically driven CO2 reduction to methanol. As an electrocatalyst, this copper complex can catalyse methanol generation from a CO2-saturated buffer with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 2844 moles of methanol per mole of catalyst per hour and a faradaic efficiency of 74% during a 6 h electrolysis. Under blue light (λ = 469 nm), combining with Au–CdS nanoclusters (Au–CdS NCs) as a photosensitizer, and ascorbic acid (H2A) as a sacrificial electron donor, this copper complex can catalyse methanol generation with a turnover number (TON) of 4067 moles of methanol per mole of catalyst (mol of cat−1) and a methanol selectivity of 74%. The highest apparent quantum yield (AQY) is 9.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we confirm some conjectural congruences of Sun. For example, we prove that for any odd prime p we have ... where Dn denotes the nth Domb number and qp(2) denotes the Fermat quotient (2p-1 - 1)/p. This confirms a conjecture of Sun [Sci. China Math. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Superficial myofibroblastoma (SMF) is a very rare benign mesenchymal tumor in the female lower genital tract. Only 46 cases have been reported in the English language literature, among which only 7 cases arose in the vulva. Sometimes SMF histologically mimics aggressive angiomyxoma (AA) in which massive myxoid change in stroma is characteristic. We herein report a case of vulvar SMF with prominent myxoid stroma and review the literature with the emphasis on the differential diagnosis of SMF and AA. Case presentation: a 37-year-old woman presented with a painless mass in the vulva. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a well-circumscribed 7 cm mass in the subcutis of the vulva. The tumor was resected. Histopathologically, the tumor was characterized by sparsely populated spindle-shaped cells in the fibromyxoid stroma. Thin-walled blood vessels were detected. Mitoses or pleomorphism was not found. Tumor cells were positive for vimentin, ER, PgR, and desmin. Some cells were positive for alpha-SMA and CD34. All cells were negative for S100 protein. Conclusions: because SMF and AA show different clinical prognoses, distinguishing SMF from AA is important. However, SMF may share many common histological features with AA: superficial localization (above fascia), sharp borderline from adjacent tissue, expansive growth pattern; a specific vascular pattern will lead to an accurate diagnosis of SMF. Familiarization with the histological characteristics of the two entities will help to make a prognostic prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short note, we propose a unified method to derive formulas for derivations conjugated by exponential functions on an almost complex manifold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As a kind of potential anticancer compounds, Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors have receved great attention in recent years. In order to deep research the bioactivity and corresponding key influence factors of CDK8/19 inhibitors on molecular level, quantum chemistry and 3D-QSAR have been performed on 64 molecules based on pyridine ring scaffold. Two high predictive QSAR models have been built, in which both the CoMFA model (q2 = 0.69, r2 = 0.98) and CoMSIA model (q2 = 0.61, r2 = 0.98) have displayed quite good external predictablility on test set with excellent values of r p r e d 2 (0.94 and 0.97). In these models, the steric, electrostatic and hydrophobic fields have played key roles on bioactivity. Docking simulation has been carried out to further investigate possible binding modes of compounds into the active site of CDK8 (PDB. 5I5Z), the results show that some high bioactivity molecules are quite well embedded in the active pocket. Nitrogen-atom of pyridine ring and some other groups (ie. NH, CO, SO. NH, CO, SO) have formed medium strength hydrogen bonds (1.5 Å to 2.2 Å) with the N, H, O atoms of the protein. The geometric structures of the inhibitor molecules have been changed differently during the processes of docking, surflex-dock has confirmed the acting force stability of predicted molecules in the protein. Our method and results can be helpful for finding new targets and developing new drugs. Graphical abstract 3D-surface of active site of CDK8 (pdb:5I5Z) included compound 28. Image 1 Highlights • The 3D-QSAR and molecular docking were carried out to study the CDK8 inhibitors. • All calculations were conducted using the Gaussian 09 program package. • QSAR models have excellent external predictive ability. • New compounds were designed and their biological activity were predicted by using built models. • The docking results among the existing CDK8 inhibitors and the target compounds were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate the quantitative chest tomographic features of chronic bronchitis with preserved ratio and impaired spirometry (PRISm), including airway wall area, emphysema index, and lung capacity.Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study of 343 patients at the Ninth Hospital of Xi’an Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University between October 2014 and September 2017. The patients were divided into three groups: 77 cases of chronic bronchitis with normal lung function (forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity) (FEV1/FVC > 70%, FEV1%pred > 80%), 80 cases of chronic bronchitis with PRISm (FEV1/FVC > 70%, FEV1%pred < 80%), and 186 cases of the early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (FEV1/FVC < 70%, FEV1%pred > 50%, that is, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grade 1 + 2). We compared and analyzed the differences in imaging between the chronic bronchitis with PRISm and the other two groups.Results: Compared with the early COPD group, the PRISm group revealed significant differences in airway wall area, emphysema index, and lung capacity (P < 0.05). Compared with the chronic bronchitis with normal lung function group, the PRISm group showed increased WA%LUL5, decreased lung capacity, and higher mean lung density.Conclusion: In terms of airway wall area and emphysema index, patients with chronic bronchitis with PRISm were essentially no different than those with chronic bronchitis without abnormal spirometry, whereas for symptoms, they are more like GOLD 1 and 2 patients. Our findings show that it is not yet clear whether it constitutes an intermediate stage of chronic bronchitis with normal lung function that progression to early COPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of vitrification on survival rate and cytoskeleton gene expression during yak oocyte maturation. The yak oocytes were incubated for 0 h [germinal vesicle (GV) stage] and in vitro matured for 24 h [metaphase II (MII) stage] to obtain immature and mature oocytes. Survival rate after vitrification were compared between immature and mature yak oocytes and cytoskeleton-related genes [cytokeratin 8 (CK8), β-actin (ACTB), and gap junction protein, alpha 1 (GJA1)] were tested by real-time PCR. Our results showed that MII stage survival rate after open pulled straw vitrification (35.60%) is significantly higher than GV stage (25.90%) oocytes. Furthermore, expression of CK8, ACTB, and GJA1 in MII stage oocytes are also significantly higher than GV stage oocytes. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that higher expression of GJA1, CK8, and ACTB in vitrify-warmed MII stage oocytes when compared with GV stage oocytes and such discrepancy might result in higher survival rate in vitrify-warmed MII stage oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]